The Outcome of Antipsychotics-induced Tardive Syndromes: A Ten-year Follow-up Study

Pei-Chien Chou,Yu Lee,Yung-Yee Chang,Pao-Yen Lin,Liang-Jen Wang 대한정신약물학회 2023 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.21 No.3

Objective: Tardive syndrome (TS) is an umbrella term used to describe a group of abnormal movement disorders caused by chronic exposure to dopamine receptor blocking agents. Few follow-up studies have been performed on the outcome of TS in patients using antipsychotics. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence, incidence, remission rate, and factors associated with remission in patients using antipsychotics. Methods: This retrospective cohort study consisted of 123 patients who received continuous treatment of antipsychotics in a medical center in Taiwan, from April 1, 2011 to May 31, 2021. We assessed the demographic and clinical characteristics, prevalence, incidence, remission rate, and factors associated with remission in patients using antipsychotics. TS remission was defined as a Visual Analogue Scale score ≤ 3. Results: Of the 92 patients who completed the 10-year follow-up, 39 (42.4%) were found to have at least one episode of TS, with tardive dyskinesia (TD) being the most prevalent subtype (51.3%). With regard to concurrent physical illness, a history of extrapyramidal symptoms were significant risk factors for TS. During the 10-year follow-up period, the remission rate of TS was 74.3%. The use of antioxidants including vitamin B6 and piracetam was related to the remission of TS. Patients with tardive dystonia had a higher remission rate (87.5%) compared to TD (70%). Conclusion: Our study suggests that TS may be a treatable condition, and the key to a better outcome is early detection and prompt intervention, including closely monitoring antipsychotics-related TS symptoms and using antioxidants.

How closely related are the national curriculum and the global dimension? A content analysis of the global dimension in elementary school textbooks in Taiwan

Pei-I Chou,Hsiu-Jung Ting 서울대학교 교육연구소 2016 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.17 No.3

Over the past few decades, researchers, educators, and policymakers have become increasingly concerned about preparing future generations for life in the rapidly changing global society; thus, interest in the global dimension of school curricula has been growing. However, as tension often exists between this global dimension and national education, infusing the former into the latter is not an easy task. Although some countries claim their national curriculum has a global dimension, and many global educators emphasize the relevance of global education in all curriculum areas, little empirical evidence supports such claims. To bridge this gap, the extent to which school textbooks reflect a global dimension must be explored. Therefore, this study conducted a content analysis of 84 elementary school textbooks in Taiwan to examine the scope of their global dimension. We found that around 10 % of the textbooks’ content was related to the global dimension, the majority of which was in the learning areas of social studies and integrative activities. The most evident global education concepts were ecological sustainability and world peace, whereas human rights and social justice were underrepresented. The ideal of linking the global dimension with all aspects of education and all curriculum areas remains a challenge. We provide suggestions for teachers, educational authorities, and textbook publishers and authors regarding revisions to current textbooks to enhance the global dimension.

The Decision Making Process of Adolescent Pregnant Women in Taipei Single Mother Institute

Pei-Hsuan Chou 한국간호과학회 2005 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2005 No.10

Screening and Evaluation of Yeast Antagonists for Biological Control of Botrytis cinerea on Strawberry Fruits

( Pei-hua Chen ),( Rou-yun Chen ),( Jui-yu Chou ) 한국균학회 2018 Mycobiology Vol.46 No.1

Gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) is one of the most common diseases of strawberries (Fragaria×ananassa Duchesne) worldwide. Although many chemical fungicides are used for controlling the growth of B. cinerea, the risk of the fungus developing chemical resistance together with consumer demand for reducing the use of chemical fungicides have necessitated an alternative method to control this pathogen. Various naturally occurring microbes aggressively attack plant pathogens and benefit plants by suppressing diseases; these microbes are referred to as biocontrol agents. However, screening of potent biocontrol agents is essential for their further development and commercialization. In this study, 24 strains of yeast with antagonistic ability against gray mold were isolated, and the antifungal activity of the volatile and diffusible metabolites was evaluated. Putative mechanisms of action associated with the biocontrol capacity of yeast strains against B. cinerea were studied through in vitro and in vivo assays. The volatile organic compounds produced by the Galactomyces candidum JYC1146 could be useful in the biological control of plant pathogens and therefore are potential alternative fungicides with low environmental impact.

High Power Density Asymmetrical Full-Bridge Soft-Switching Inverter

Pei-Chin Chi,Cheng-Yen Chou,Marojahan Tampubolon,Yao-Ching Hsieh,Jing-Yuan Lin,Huang-Jen Chiu 전력전자학회 2015 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2015 No.6

This paper presents a Zero-Voltage-Switching (ZVS) technique eliminating the switching loss on a proposed single phase bi-directional full-bridge Buck inverter in which asymmetrical filter topology and control scheme are for each arm. Here Metal-Oxide-Field-Effect- Transistor(MOSFET) is chosen as the switching device, an L₁-C₁ filter is connected across the full-bridge, an L₂ filter is connected in series to load or grid. While the arm connecting with the C₁ is controlled by the polarity of 50Hz sinusoid reference command and the arm connecting with the L₁ is controlled by a Pulse-Width-Modulation(PWM) signal modulated by sinusoid, the L₁-C₁ then operates as an output filter of Buck, and the succeeding L₂ filter further attenuates ripple current flowing to load or grid. The ZVS technique sets the L₁ inductance such low that its current flows bi-directionally within a switching period, then the bidirectional current with sufficiently high peaks in turn charge and discharge the output capacitance Coss of MOSFETs of the switching arm within floating time, defined as the duration when both MOSFETs of an arm are off, to let the MOSFETs D-S channels be turned on or off at the state that Coss are fully discharged to zero voltage, so ZVS of MOSFET is achieved. Under the ZVS operation without frequency proportional switching loss, the switching frequency is possible to be raised to high to compact the sizes of passive components and heat sink of the inverter for achieving high power density. Simulation and experiment have been carried out to verify the ZVS operation.

The coupled effects of size, shape, and location of vacancy clusters on the structural deformation and mechanical strength of defective nanowires

Pei-Hsing Huang,Te-Hua Fang,Chuen-Shii Chou 한국물리학회 2011 Current Applied Physics Vol.11 No.3

We investigate the tensile stretching behaviors of copper (Cu) nanowires (NWs) containing various vacancy defects using the embedded-atom molecular dynamics modeling approach. The coupled effects in various shapes, sizes, and locations of vacancy clusters (VC) and wire cross-sectional area on the mechanical strength and structural deformation of NWs are presented. The formation energies of VC defects are also evaluated. As the location of cluster defects changed from the edges to the surface or inside of wires, the yield strength decreased. Moreover, as the cluster shape changed from octahedron to cuboctahedron, the yield strength also substantially decreased. The extraordinarily structural evolution of defective wires that precede wire fracture from 10/4 transient multi-shell (TMS) structures necking into 1/5-type pentagonal rings were also identified via the analyses of potential energy, local stress, and atomistic number density.

Reducing the Incisive Wound Rate of the Operating Room Medical Care Personnel

Hsueh-Hui Chou,Chen-Ping Chiu,Pei-Ling Hsieh,Chinug-Yao Huang,Fen-Lan Huang,Ru-Ching Huang,Hui-Ling Lee,Shu-Hung Lee,Hsiu-Li Hu,Yueh-Feng Wu 한국간호과학회 2005 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2005 No.10

Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Evaluating Residual Breast Tissue After Robotic-Assisted Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy in Women With Early Breast Cancer

Wu Wen-Pei,Lai Hung-Wen,Liao Chiung-Ying,Lin Joseph,Huang Hsin-I,Chen Shou-Tung,Chou Chen-Te,Chen Dar-Ren 대한영상의학회 2023 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.7

Objective: Prospective studies on postoperative residual breast tissue (RBT) after robotic-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy (R-NSM) for breast cancer are limited. RBT presents an unknown risk of local recurrence or the development of new cancer after curative or risk-reducing mastectomies. This study investigated the technical feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate RBT after R-NSM in women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: In this prospective pilot study, 105 patients, who underwent R-NSM for breast cancer at Changhua Christian Hospital between March 2017 and May 2022, were subjected to postoperative breast MRI to evaluate the presence and location of RBT. The postoperative MRI scans of 43 patients (age, 47.8 ± 8.5 years), with existing preoperative MRI scans, were evaluated for the presence and location of RBT. In total, 54 R-NSM procedures were performed. In parallel, we reviewed the literature on RBT after nipple-sparing mastectomy, considering its prevalence. Results: RBT was detected in 7 (13.0%) of the 54 mastectomies (6 of the 48 therapeutic mastectomies and 1 of the 6 prophylactic mastectomies). The most common location for RBT was behind the nipple-areolar complex (5 of 7 [71.4%]). Another RBT was found in the upper inner quadrant (2 of 7 [28.6%]). Among the six patients who underwent RBT after therapeutic mastectomies, one patient developed a local recurrence of the skin flap. The other five patients with RBT after therapeutic mastectomies remained disease-free. Conclusion: R-NSM, a surgical innovation, does not seem to increase the prevalence of RBT, and breast MRI showed feasibility as a noninvasive imaging tool for evaluating the presence and location of RBT.

Longitudinal Assessment of High-speed Rail Service Delivery, Satisfaction and Operations: A Study of Taiwan and Korea Systems

Jui-Sheng Chou,김창완,Pei-Yu Tsai,Chun-Pin Yeh,손효주 대한토목학회 2017 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.21 No.6

This article compares Taiwan and Korea high speed rail systems to identify service factors that affect their long-term development. Data were collected by questionnaires and interviews administered over several years to study passenger travel behavior and perceptions of service quality. Analysis results indicate that improving operational effectiveness requires enhanced service quality and that Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) passengers are very concerned about facility of infrastructure services. In contrast, the main concern of Korea Train eXpress (KTX) passengers is frontline staff interaction. Notably, the data show that THSR passenger satisfaction increased steadily to levels superior to those expressed by KTX passengers. Another finding is that, in terms of resource allocation, both Taiwan and Korea should improve the handling of passenger complaints, provide improved scheduling information, and strive to improve arrival and departure punctuality. The contribution of this study is the development of a systematic method of assessing the long-term performance of high-speed rail transport services, by which management units can adjust operating strategies to continuously improve services. The analysis results can facilitate the THSR and KTX to formulating planning and operational strategies that can achieve the goal of sustainable operations.

Real-time, Economical Identification of Microplastics Using Impedance-based Interdigital Array Microelectrodes and k-Nearest Neighbor Model

Congo Tak Shing Ching,Pei-Yuan Lee,Nguyen Van Hieu,Hsin-Hung Chou,Fiona Yan-Dong Yao,Cheng Sha-Yen,Lin Yung-Kai,Thien Luan Phan 한국생물공학회 2023 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.28 No.3

Microplastic, being a direct carrier of many pollutants, has caused grave concern and become a public issue. This gives rise to the need of a quick method for quantifying and identifying microplastics in the environment. This study uses impedance spectroscopy, particularly the imaginary part of impedance, for detection and identification of sample microplastics. Two type of common microplastic contaminants, Polyethylene and Polystyrene, diameter 20 m and 150 m, were chosen for this study. The results confirm accurate identification of microplastic material in question, by using self-normalized ratio between two characteristic frequencies of 7MHz and 8.9 MHz, Zf = 7 MHz / Zf = 8.9 MHz. 3-kNN classifier built with the ratio Zf = 7 MHz / Zf = 8.9 MHz, and Zf = 8 MHz /Zf = 8.9 MHz, demonstrates accuracy upto 90% for the identification of single or both microplastic types in samples. These results confirm impedance spectroscopy, permitting rapid identification of microplastic without labeling and skillful techniques, as a potential rapid sensor.