Classifying Endemic Fagaceae Species in Taiwan using Leaf Images

( Hao-chun Hsu ),( Cheng-hao Lee ),( Chih-kai Yang ),( Fang-hua Chu ),( Ming-jer Tsai ),( Yan-fu Kuo ) 한국농업기계학회 2018 한국농업기계학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.23 No.1

Fagaceae is one of the plant family which dominate the broad-leaved forests in Taiwan and have considerable value in economy and ecology. Traditionally, plant species identification based on leaf morphologies and is conducted using naked-eye observation. This study is proposed to distinguish the Fagaceae species using image processing and machine learning. In this study, leaf images of 10 Fagaceae species were collected. A serial of traits relevant to leaf morphologies, such as morphological, color, shape, and venation traits, were quantified from the leaf images. A support vector machine classifier was then developed to identify the species using the quantified traits. The proposed approach reached an identification accuracy of 95.8%.

A Comprehensive Method for Seismic Impact Chain Assessment of Urban Lifeline Infrastructure: A Case Study of Taipei Area, Taiwan

Chih-Hao Hsu,Min-Cheng Teng,Siao-Syun Ke 대한토목학회 2021 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.25 No.10

Infrastructure refers to an aggregation of numerous facilities that constitute the backbone of urban operations. The lifeline systems are usually interdependent; thus, any damage to one system can cause a chain reaction, triggering failures in related and connected systems, leading to a cascade of disasters. Taiwan is located in the Circum-Pacific seismic zone, where earthquakes occur frequently. Moderate-to-large earthquakes can adversely affect the lifeline systems, severely impairing most urban functions. Therefore, understanding the effects of earthquakes of this intensity on lifeline systems as well as how these effects contribute to disaster scenarios in urban areas is a critical requirement for the Taiwanese government. From the disaster management perspective, this study constructed a seismic impact chain module for lifeline systems on the basis of an analysis of the direct and indirect impacts of seismic activity. Furthermore, the factor of infrastructure impact was examined using the matrix method. Simulations of 6.6 magnitude earthquakes along the Shanchiao fault were used to assess the impact chain of the lifeline system and the effectiveness of a hospital disaster rescue service. In the simulation, the lifeline systems in the epicentral area were directly damaged, whereas critical infrastructure was indirectly affected. Therefore, the study results will assist the authorities in making intelligent decisions regarding lifeline infrastructure and resource management.

Vimentin Is Involved in Peptidylarginine Deiminase 2-Induced Apoptosis of Activated Jurkat Cells

Hsu, Pei-Chen,Liao, Ya-Fan,Lin, Chin-Li,Lin, Wen-Hao,Liu, Guang-Yaw,Hung, Hui-Chih Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2014 Molecules and cells Vol.37 No.5

Peptidylarginine deiminase type 2 (PADI2) deiminates (or citrullinates) arginine residues in protein to citrulline residues in a $Ca^{2+}$-dependent manner, and is found in lymphocytes and macrophages. Vimentin is an intermediate filament protein and a well-known substrate of PADI2. Citrullinated vimentin is found in ionomycin-induced macrophage apoptosis. Citrullinated vimentin is the target of anti-Sa antibodies, which are specific to rheumatoid arthritis, and play a critical role in the pathogenesis of the disease. To investigate the role of PADI2 in apoptosis, we generated a Jurkat cell line that overexpressed the PADI2 transgene from a tetracycline-inducible promoter, and used a combination of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and ionomycin to activate Jurkat cells. We found that PADI2 overexpression reduced the cell viability of activated Jurkat cells in1a dose- and time-dependent manner. The PADI2-overexpressed and -activated Jurkat cells presented typical manifestations of apoptosis, and exhibited greater levels of citrullinated proteins, including citrullinated vimentin. Vimentin overexpression rescued a portion of the cells from apoptosis. In conclusion, PADI2 overexpression induces apoptosis in activated Jurkat cells. Vimentin is involved in PADI2-induced apoptosis. Moreover, PADI2-overexpressed Jurkat cells secreted greater levels of vimentin after activation, and expressed more vimentin on their cell surfaces when undergoing apoptosis. Through artificially highlighting PADI2 and vimentin, we demonstrated that PADI2 and vimentin participate in the apoptotic mechanisms of activated T lymphocytes. The secretion and surface expression of vimentin are possible ways of autoantigen presentation to the immune system.

Epidemiological trend in inflammatory bowel disease in Taiwan from 2001 to 2015: a nationwide population-based study

Hsu-Heng Yen,Meng-Tzu Weng,Chien-Chih Tung,Yu-Ting Wang,Yuan Ting Chang,Chin-Hao Chang,Ming-Jium Shieh,Jau-Min Wong,Shu-Chen Wei 대한장연구학회 2019 Intestinal Research Vol.17 No.1

Background/Aims: Incidences of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC), and Crohn’s disease (CD), havebeen increasing in Asia. In this study, we report the relevant clinical characteristics and determined the epidemiological trend ofIBD in Taiwan from 2001 to 2015. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze data recorded from January 2001through December 2015 in the registered database compiled by the National Health Insurance and provided by the Ministry ofHealth and Welfare, Taiwan. Results: A total of 3,806 patients with catastrophic IBD illness were registered from 2001 to 2015 inTaiwan (CD, 919; UC, 2,887). The crude incidence of CD increased from 0.17/100,000 in 2001 to 0.47/100,000 in 2015, whereasthat of UC increased from 0.54/100,000 in 2001 to 0.95/100,000 in 2015. The prevalence of CD increased from 0.6/100,000 in2001 to 3.9/100,000 in 2015, whereas that of UC increased from 2.1/100,000 in 2001 to 12.8/100,000 in 2015. The male-to-femaleratio in the study sample was 2.19 for CD and 1.62 for UC. The median age of those registered with CD was lower than that ofthose registered for UC: 38.86 and 44.86 years, respectively. A significantly greater increase in CD incidence rate was identifiedamong 20 to 39-year-old compared with other age groups. Conclusions: Using Taiwan’s nationwide insurance database, we determinedthat the number of patients with CD increased more rapidly during the study period than the number of patients withUC, especially among age 20 to 39-year-old, resulting in a decreased UC-to-CD ratio. (Intest Res 2019;17:54-62)

Clinical Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness of Osteoporosis Screening With Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

Hsu Chiao-Lin,Wu Pin-Chieh,Yin Chun-Hao,Chen Chung-Hwan,Lee King-Teh,Lin Chih-Lung,Shi Hon-Yi 대한영상의학회 2023 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.12

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for osteoporosis screening. Materials and Methods: Eligible patients who had and had not undergone DXA screening were identified from among those aged 50 years or older at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. Age, sex, screening year (index year), and Charlson comorbidity index of the DXA and non-DXA groups were matched using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) for propensity score analysis. For cost-effectiveness analysis, a societal perspective, 1-year cycle length, 20-year time horizon, and discount rate of 2% per year for both effectiveness and costs were adopted in the incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) model. Results: The outcome analysis included 10337 patients (female:male, 63.8%:36.2%) who were screened for osteoporosis in southern Taiwan between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2021. The DXA group had significantly better outcomes than the non-DXA group in terms of fragility fractures (7.6% vs. 12.5%, P < 0.001) and mortality (0.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.001). The DXA screening strategy gained an ICER of US$ -2794 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) relative to the non-DXA at the willingness-to-pay threshold of US$ 33004 (Taiwan’s per capita gross domestic product). The ICER after stratifying by ages of 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, and ≥ 80 years were US$ -17815, US$ -26862, US$ -28981, and US$ -34816 per QALY, respectively. Conclusion: Using DXA to screen adults aged 50 years or older for osteoporosis resulted in a reduced incidence of fragility fractures, lower mortality rate, and reduced total costs. Screening for osteoporosis is a cost-saving strategy and its effectiveness increases with age. However, caution is needed when generalizing these cost-effectiveness results to all older populations because the study population consisted mainly of women.

Optimal Timing of Purchasing Decisions for Airplane Tickets and Hotels. An Example in the UK.

Hao-Te LU,Wan-Yu,HSU,Chih-Yao,YI 세계문화관광학회 2012 International Journal of Culture and tourism Resea Vol.5 No.1

Customers usually like to make travel plans weeks or months ahead of the travel schedule. Therefore, they can take extra time to search information they need in order to purchase the products at the lowest possible price. Accordingly, this study bases on the revenue management (or yield management) to examine the prices of two categories, airplane tickets and hotels, over a period of eight weeks in order to observe how the prices cycle up and down over time. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is an optimal purchasing time for any of the products. A structured observation, often also called systematic observation was conducted by this study to investigate the two categories of travel products. The study reveals that prices for the products assume an increasing trend as the date of the product consumption approaches. The implication for consumers is that they could purchase the products as early as possible to take advantage of the early prices. Although prices sometimes drop, they rarely drop lower than those the first day consumers start their search for tourism products. At end of this study, we also discuss the price variation in Taiwan and an avenue for further research.

Geometry Optimization for a Rubber Mount with Desired Stiffness Values in Two Loading Directions Considering Hyperelasticity and Viscoelasticity

Liu Chih-Hsing,Hsu Yi-Yao,Yang Shih-Hao 한국자동차공학회 2021 International journal of automotive technology Vol.22 No.3

Rubber mount is a type of vibration isolator that can absorb vibration and minimize external disturbance. This study proposes an optimization method to design the geometry of a rubber mount to achieve particular stiffness values in two different loading directions. The proposed objective function of the geometry optimization problem is to minimize the error ratios between calculated and target stiffness values in vertical and transverse directions; a weighted sum method is used to combine both error ratios with equal weighting factors. The design variables are the coordinates of some design points which form the cross-section geometry of the rubber mount. A three-dimensional design is then obtained by extrusion of the two-dimensional geometry. Cuckoo search algorithm is used to update the design variables until the objective function value is smaller than a tolerance. Nonlinear finite element analysis is used to estimate the stiffness values of the rubber mount. Both hyperelastic and viscoelastic rubber parameters are numerically identified by fitting to the experimental data. An optimal design of the rubber mount is obtained and prototyped. Experimental tests are performed to validate the design.

Vimentin Is Involved in Peptidylarginine Deiminase 2-Induced Apoptosis of Activated Jurkat Cells

Pei-Chen Hsu,Ya-Fan Liao,Chin-Li Lin,Wen-Hao Lin,Guang-Yaw Liu,Hui-Chih Hung 한국분자세포생물학회 2014 Molecules and cells Vol.37 No.5

Peptidylarginine deiminase type 2 (PADI2) deiminates (or citrullinates) arginine residues in protein to citrulline residues in a Ca2+-dependent manner, and is found in lymphocytes and macrophages. Vimentin is an intermediate filament protein and a well-known substrate of PADI2. Citrullinated vimentin is found in ionomycin-induced macrophage apoptosis. Citrullinated vimentin is the target of anti-Sa antibodies, which are specific to rheumatoid arthritis, and play a critical role in the pathogenesis of the dis-ease. To investigate the role of PADI2 in apoptosis, we generated a Jurkat cell line that overexpressed the PADI2 transgene from a tetracycline-inducible promoter, and used a combination of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and ionomycin to activate Jurkat cells. We found that PADI2 overexpression reduced the cell viability of activated Jurkat cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The PADI2-overexpressed and -activated Jurkat cells presented typical manifestations of apoptosis, and exhibited greater levels of citrullinated proteins, including citrullinated vimentin. Vimentin overexpression rescued a portion of the cells from apoptosis. In conclusion, PADI2 overexpression induces apoptosis in activated Jurkat cells. Vimentin is involved in PADI2-induced apoptosis. Moreover, PADI2-overexpressed Jurkat cells secreted greater levels of vimentin after activation, and expressed more vimentin on their cell surfaces when undergoing apoptosis. Through artificially highlighting PADI2 and vimentin, we demonstrated that PADI2 and vimentin participate in the apoptotic mechanisms of activated T lymphocytes. The secretion and surface expression of vimentin are possible ways of autoantigen presentation to the immune system.

Inductorless Broadband Transimpedance Amplifier for 25-Gb/s NRZ and 50-Gb/s PAM-4 Operations in a 90-nm CMOS Technology

Jau-Ji Jou,Tien-Tsorng Shih,Chih-Chen Peng,Hao-Wen Hsu,Xuan-Yi Ye 대한전자공학회 2021 Journal of semiconductor technology and science Vol.21 No.5

In this study, an inductorless broadband transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is implemented using TSMC 90-nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. A regulated cascode circuit with low input impedance is used as the input stage of the TIA. The core amplifier is a fully differential amplifier with active feedback. The output stage of the TIA is an equalizer based on a differential amplifier with a source degenerated resistor and capacitor. The TIA has a bandwidth of 24.8 GHz and good linearity. In the TIA chip testing, clear 25-Gb/s nonreturn to zero and 50-Gb/s four-level pulse amplitude modulation eye diagrams can be observed.

Hierarchical superstructures from a star-shaped molecule consisting of a cyclic oligosiloxane with cyanobiphenyl moieties

Kim, Dae-Yoon,Park, Minwook,Lee, Sang-A,Kim, Soeun,Hsu, Chih-Hao,Kim, Namil,Kuo, Shiao-Wei,Yoon, Tae-Ho,Jeong, Kwang-Un The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015 SOFT MATTER Vol.11 No.1

<P>Unconventional star-shaped liquid crystals (abbreviated as SiLCs) were successfully synthesized by chemically connecting four cyanobiphenyl anisotropic mesogens to the periphery of a super-hydrophobic and ultra-flexible cyclic tetramethyltetrasiloxane ring with flexible hexyl chains. Based on the combined experimental techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), cross-polarized optical microscopy (POM), solid-state carbon-13 (<SUP>13</SUP>C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and one-dimensional (1D) wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), it was found that the SiLC molecule exhibited the monotropic phase transition from a LC phase to a crystalline phase. The crystalline phase was only detected during slow heating processes above its glass transition temperature, while a LC phase was formed both during cooling and during heating processes. The hierarchical superstructures were identified from the structure-sensitive 2D WAXD of the macroscopically oriented SiLC film and confirmed by selected area electron diffraction (SAED) of the SiLC single crystals. The molecular packing symmetry in the monoclinic unit cell was further investigated by computer simulations on the real and reciprocal spaces. Macroscopically oriented SiLC hierarchical superstructures on the different length scales may provide the targeted physical properties, which can allow us to apply SiLC molecules in the fields of electro-optical devices and nonlinear optics.</P> <P>Graphic Abstract</P><P>A star-shaped molecule synthesized by connecting four cyanobiphenyl mesogens to the periphery of a super-hydrophobic and ultra-flexible cyclic siloxane ring with hexyl chains formed hierarchical layered superstructures. <IMG SRC='http://pubs.rsc.org/services/images/RSCpubs.ePlatform.Service.FreeContent.ImageService.svc/ImageService/image/GA?id=c4sm02239d'> </P>