Uniaxial Compression Properties and Compression Fatigue Performance of Selective Laser Melted Ti–6Al–4V Cellular Structure

Ming‑Wei Wu,Jhewn‑Kuang Chen,Mo‑Kai Tsai,Pei Wang,Tien‑Lin Cheng,Bo‑Huan Lin,Po‑Hsing Chiang,Annadurai Dhinakar 대한금속·재료학회 2022 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.28 No.1

The selective laser melted (SLM) Ti–6Al–4V cellular solid is a promising material in biomedical and other applications. The mechanical properties of the SLM Ti–6Al–4V cellular material are predominantly controlled by the design of the cellular structure. The objective of this study was to investigate the uniaxial compressive properties and compressive fatigueperformance of the SLM Ti–6Al–4V cellular solid with a new cuboctahedron unit cell reinforced by four diagonal strutsand two horizontal struts along the X and Y axes. The infuences of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) on the various mechanicalproperties were also examined. The results showed a smoother stress–strain curve and fewer stress oscillations in the HIPspecimen than in the SLM specimen. The HIP process slightly decreased the yield strength of the SLM sample from 55 to52 MPa. Under uniaxial compressive stress, the SLM and HIP specimens exhibited layer-by-layer fracture and diagonalshear fracture, respectively. Furthermore, the HIP treatment signifcantly increased the fatigue performance and improved thefatigue endurance ratio at 106cycles from 0.15 to 0.35. The HIP treatment contributed to several positive efects, includingphase transformation from brittle α′ to α + β, the elimination of strut porosity and residual stress, an increase in lath size,and a better combination of strength and ductility, thereby improving the fatigue performance. The efects of stress mode onthe fracture mechanism were also clarifed using in situ observation in combination with digital image correlation.

Developing Interaction Specifications for Online-to-offline (O2O) Proximity Commerce Systems

Cheng-Jhe Lin,Chiuhsiang Joe Lin,Tsai-Ting Lee,Jing-Ming Chiu 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Information technology products such as smart phones, tablet PCs, eBooks and the intelligent-interactive digital signage have evolved and perfectly merged with the service systems to provide user-friendly user-interfaces and innovative service patterns. Online-to-offline (O2O) service model is one of the newest developments in the service systems where users in the physical world can interact with service providers in the cyberspace through various devices. Although traditional HCI studies have provided various research frameworks to describe interfaces and activities involved, there is a lack of interaction specifications which can clearly describe HCI in the realm of O2O service systems. This study developed a formal language that facilitates establishment of HCI specifications for O2O applications in proximity commerce based on interaction styles consisting of 4 inter-action types represented in an interaction diagram. The formal language thus provides a common ground for service provider and service implementer to communicate and develop a concrete prototype effectively.

Developing Interaction Specifications for Online-to-offline (O2O) Proximity Commerce Systems

( Cheng Jhe Lin ),( Chiuhsiang Joe Lin ),( Tsai Ting Lee ),( Jing Ming Chiu ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

Information technology products such as smart phones, tablet PCs, eBooks and the intelligent-interactive digital signage have evolved and perfectly merged with the service systems to provide user-friendly user-interfaces and innovative service patterns. Online-to-offline (O2O) service model is one of the newest developments in the service systems where users in the physical world can interact with service providers in the cyberspace through various devices. Although traditional HCI studies have provided various research frameworks to describe interfaces and activities involved, there is a lack of interaction specifications which can clearly describe HCI in the realm of O2O service systems. This study developed a formal language that facilitates establishment of HCI specifications for O2O applications in proximity commerce based on interaction styles consisting of 4 inter-action types represented in an interaction diagram. The formal language thus provides a common ground for service provider and service implementer to communicate and develop a concrete prototype effectively.

Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C - A Subgroup Analysis from A Nationwide Real-World HCV Registry Program (TACR) in Taiwan

( Ming-Lung Yu ),( Chi-Yi Chen ),( Kuo-Chih Tseng ),( Ching-Chu Lo ),( Pin-Nan Cheng ),( Cheng-Yuan Peng ),( Ming-Jong Bair ),( Chih-Lang Lin ),( Chi-Ming Tai ),( Chi-Chieh Yang ),( Chih-Wen Lin ),( C 대한간학회 2020 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2020 No.1

Aims: TASL HCV Registry (TACR) is a nationwide registry program organized and supervised by Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL), which aims to setup the database and biobank of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Taiwan. The present study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcome of sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) in Taiwanese CHC patients in TACR. Methods: By May 2020, 19 tertiary hospitals, 23 community hospitals and one primary care clinic join the TACR program. The baseline characteristics, prior liver and non-liver related medical history, DAA regimens, laboratory results, treatment course and outcome were recorded. The primary objective was sustained virological response, defined as undetectable HCV RNA 3 months after end-of-treatment (SVR12). Results: A total of 4742 SOF/LDV+ ribavirin treated CHC patients with available SVR12 data from 39 sites were enrolled in the current analysis. The mean age was 61.3 years, and female accounted for 54.8% of the population. The dominant viral genotypes were GT1b (52.6%) and GT2 (35.6%). 1354 (28.6%) patients had liver cirrhosis, including 156 (3.3%) with liver decompensation, 552 (11.6%) had preexisting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before DAAs treatment and 413 (8.7%) had hepatitis B virus dual infections. The overall SVR12 rate was 98.5%, with 98.5%, 98.2%, 99.7% and 98.6% in treatment- naïve non-cirrhotics, treatment-naïve cirrhotics, treatment- experienced non-cirrhotics and treatment-experienced cirrhotics patients, respectively. While patients were stratified by HCV genotype, the SVR12 was 98.5%, 98.4% and 98.5% among those with GT1, GT2 and GT6 infection, respectively. The strongest factor independent associated with treatment failure was DAA adherence < 60% (odds ratio [OR]/95% confidence intervals [CI]: 125.4/25.7-612.4, P<0.0001), followed by active HCC (OR/CI: 6.20/2.57-14.97, P<0.0001), HIV co-infection (OR/CI: 3.01/1.14-7.92, P=0.026), and male gender (OR/ CI: 1.85/1.09-3.13, P=0.023). The eGFR decreased significantly at the end of treatment (EOT) (89.3 ml/min/1.73㎡ vs. 93.2 ml/min/1.73㎡, P< 0.001) and remained stable 3 months after EOT (89.3 ml/min/1.73㎡). However, the decreased eGFR was observed only in patients whose baseline eGFR > 90 ml/ min/1.73㎡. Instead, patients with chronic kidney diseases whose pretreatment eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73㎡ had improved eGFR after SOF/LDV. Conclusions: SOF/LDV is highly effective in treating CHC patients in real-world setting of Taiwan. The satisfactory result could be explicitly generalized to patients with different viral genotypes and liver disease severities.

Changes in prostate-specific antigen kinetics during androgen-deprivation therapy as a predictor of response to abiraterone in chemonaïve patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Chung-Lin Lee,Ying-Hsu Chang,Chung-Yi Liu,Ming-Li Hsieh,Liang-Kang Huang,Yuan-Cheng Chu,Hung-Cheng Kan,Po-Hung Lin,Kai-Jie Yu,Cheng-Keng Chuang,Chun-Te Wu,See-Tong Pang,I-Hung Shao 대한비뇨의학회 2022 Investigative and Clinical Urology Vol.63 No.5

Purpose: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has a poor prognosis. Abiraterone acetate (AA), enzalutamide, and chemotherapy are first-line treatments for patients with mCRPC. This study examined prognostic factors for AA response in the form of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics throughout androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) in chemonaïve patients with mCRPC. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively included data from 34 chemonaïve patients with mCRPC who had received AA at some point between January 2017 and December 2018. We separated patients into two study arms according to the decrease in PSA percentages after use of AA for 3 months. We correlated PSA kinetics parameters with response and compared the two study groups with respect to PSA kinetics. Results: The patients’ median age was 77 years. In the total group of patients, 64% had a response to AA, whereas 35% did not. The ratio of the PSA level at nadir to the level during ADT was significantly higher in the AA-sensitive group (19.78 vs. 1.03, p=0.019). Conclusions: Patients who experienced a dramatic change in PSA level during ADT were more likely to be resistant to AA after progression to mCRPC. Chemotherapy rather than AA might be more suitable as a first-line treatment for these patients.

Trends in incidence and survival outcome of epithelial ovarian cancer: 30-year national population-based registry in Taiwan

Ying-Cheng Chiang,Chi-An Chen,Chun-Ju Chiang,Tsui-Hsia Hsu,Ming-Chieh Lin,San-Lin You,Wen-Fang Cheng,Mei-Shu Lai 대한부인종양학회 2013 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.24 No.4

Objective: To investigate the changes of incidence and prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer in thirty years in Taiwan. Methods: The databases of women with epithelial ovarian cancer during the period from 1979 to 2008 were retrieved from the National Cancer Registration System of Taiwan. The incidence and prognosis of these patients were analyzed. Results: Totally 9,491 patients were included in the study. The age-adjusted incidences of epithelial ovarian cancer were 1.01, 1.37, 2.37, 3.24, 4.18, and 6.33 per 100,000 person-years, respectively, in every 5-year period from 1979 to 2008. The age-specific incidence rates increased especially in serous, endometrioid and clear cell carcinoma, and the age of diagnosis decreased from sixty to fifty years old in the three decades. Patients with mucinous, endometrioid, or clear cell carcinoma had better long-term survival than patients with serous carcinoma (log rank test, p<0.001). Patients with undifferentiated carcinoma or carcinosarcoma had poorer survival than those with serous carcinoma (log rank test, p<0.001). The mortality risk of age at diagnosis of 30-39 was significantly higher than that of age of 70 years or more (test for trend, p<0.001). The mortality risk decreased from the period of 1996-1999 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.90; p=0.054) to the period after 2000 (HR, 0.74; p<0.001) as compared with that from the period of 1991-1995. Conclusion: An increasing incidence and decreasing age of diagnosis in epithelial ovarian cancer patients were noted. Histological type, age of diagnosis, and treatment period were important prognostic factors for epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Professionals’ experiences and attitudes toward use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in hospice palliative inpatient care units: A multicenter survey in Taiwan

Yu-Jia Lin,Hsiao-Ting Chang,Ming-Hwai Lin,Ru-Yih Chen,Ping-Jen Chen,Wen-Yuan Lin,Jyh-Gang Hsieh,Ying-Wei Wang,Chung-Chieh Hu,Yi-Sheng Liou,Tai-Yuan Chiu,Chun-Yi Tu,Yi-Jen Wang,Bo-Ren Cheng,Tzeng-Ji Ch 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.2

Background: Medical staff may have difficulties in using conventional medicine to manage symptoms among terminally ill patients, including adverse effects of the treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as a complementary or alternative medicine, and has been increasingly used in the field of palliative medicine in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of and attitudes toward using TCM among palliative care professionals, and to provide preliminary information about its use in palliative care. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted in eight inpatient hospice wards in Taiwan between December 2014 and February 2016. The questionnaire was self-administered, and was analyzed with descriptive statistics including Pearson’s Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 251 palliative care professionals responded to the questionnaire, of whom 89.7% and 88.9% believed that the use of TCM could improve the physical symptoms and quality of life in terminally ill patients, respectively. Overall, 59.8%, of respondents suggested that TCM had rare side effects, and 58.2% were worried that TCM could affect the liver and kidney function of patients. In total, 89.7% and 88.0% of professionals agreed there were no suitable clinical practice guidelines and educational programs, respectively, for TCM use in palliative care. Conclusions: Most of the respondents agreed there was insufficient knowledge, skills-training, and continuing education on the use of TCM in terminally ill patients in Taiwan. These results show that to address patient safety considerations, guidelines about use of TCM in palliative care should be established.

Attenuating Development of Cardiovascular Hypertrophy with Hydrolysate of Chicken Leg Bone Protein in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Cheng, Fu-Yuan,Wan, Tien-Chun,Liu, Yu-Tse,Lai, Kung-Ming,Lin, Liang-Chuan,Sakata, Ryoichi Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.5

This study developed a natural ingredient as a functional food possessing properties of attenuation of hypertension and cardiovascular hypertrophy. In a previous study hydrolysates obtained from chicken leg bone protein using Alcalase strongly inhibited angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) in vitro. In particular, hydrolysate (A4H) from four hours of incubation exhibited the highest ACE inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.545 mg/ml). A4H was selected as a potent ACE inhibitor and orally administrated to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) for eight weeks to investigate attenuating effects on age-related development of hypertension and cardiovascular hypertrophy. Results showed that treatment with A4H of SHRs attenuated the development of hypertension as effectively as the clinical antihypertensive drug captopril. Moreover, a significantly lower heart to body weight ratio and thinness of coronary arterial wall was observed in SHRs that had been treated with A4H or captopril. The results suggest that A4H can be utilized in developing an ACE inhibitor as a potential ingredient of functional foods to alleviate hypertension and cardiovascular hypertrophy.

Occult Interpositional Rotator Cuff - an Extremely Rare Case of Traumatic Rotator Cuff Tear

Cheng-Li Lin,Wei-Ren Su,I-Ming Jou,Wei-Hsing Chih 대한영상의학회 2012 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.13 No.1

Traumatic interposition of a rotator cuff tendon in the glenohumeral joint without recognizable glenohumeral dislocation is an unusual complication after shoulder trauma. Here we report the clinical and imaging presentations of a 17-year-old man with trapped rotator cuff tendons in the glenohumeral joint after a bicycle accident. The possible trauma mechanism is also discussed.

Effects of deck's width-to-depth ratios and turbulent flows on the aerodynamic behaviors of long-span bridges

Lin, Yuh-Yi,Cheng, Chii-Ming,Lan, Chao-Yuan Techno-Press 2003 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.6 No.4

This study investigates the effects of a bridge deck's width-to-depth (B/H) ratio and turbulence on buffeting response and flutter critical wind speed of long-span bridges by conducting section model tests. A streamlined box section and a plate girder section, each with four B/H ratios, were tested in smooth and turbulent flows. The results show that for the box girders, the response increases with the B/H ratio, especially in the vertical direction. For the plate girders, the vertical response also increases with the B/H ratio. However, the torsional response decreases as the B/H ratio increases. Increasing the B/H ratio and intensity of turbulence tends to improve the bridge's aerodynamic stability. Experimental results obtained from the section model tests agree reasonably with the calculated results obtained from a numerical analysis.