GROUND OBSERVATIONS OF SPRITES AND OTHER TLES IN TAIWAN

WANG YUN-CHING,HSU RUE-RON,SU HAN-TZONG,CHEN ALFRED BING-CHIH,LEE YI-JEN,KUO CHENG-LING,TSAY WEAN-SHUN,CHANG CHAN-KAO,WANG SHI-CHUN,LEE LOU-CHUANG,LIU TIE-YUE The Korean Astronomical Society 2005 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.38 No.2

Sprites, elves and blue jets are collectively denominated as the upper atmospheric transient luminous events (TLEs). They are recently discovered optical flashes between active thunderstorms and the ionosphere. In this report, a brief introduction to the most important characteristics of TLEs is given. Since 2001, scientists from the National Cheng Kung University have been performing yearly summer campaigns from various locations in Taiwan. The main achievements of their yearly campaign are presented.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Increases Peritonsillar Abscess Susceptibility: Real-World Evidence

Ching-Lung Wu,Ming-Shao Tsai,Ta-Jen Lee,Yun-Ting Wang,Chia-Yen Liu,Yao-Hsu Yang,Yao-Te Tsai,Cheng-Ming Hsu,Ching-Yuan Wu,Pey-Jium Chang,Geng-He Chang 대한이비인후과학회 2021 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.14 No.3

Objectives. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for deep neck infection (DNI) and leads to complications and poor outcomes. Our study aimed to investigate the risk, prognosis, and complications of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) in patients with T2DM. Methods. We extracted data of patients newly diagnosed as having T2DM between January 2000 and December 2011 from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. These patients were matched with patients without T2DM, and PTA incidence was compared between both cohorts. Results. In total, 67,852 patients with and 135,704 patients without T2DM were enrolled. PTA incidence was significantly higher in patients with T2DM (incidence rate ratio, 1.91; P<0.001); moreover, PTA incidence was higher at 1 to 5 years after T2DM diagnosis than at <1 and >5 years after T2DM diagnosis. Cox regression analysis showed that patients with T2DM had an approximately 2-fold higher PTA risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.89, P<0.001). Patients with a higher adapted Diabetes Complications Severity Index (aDCSI) had higher PTA risk than those with a lower aDCSI (aHRs: 2.17 for aDCSI ≥1, P=0.006 and 1.81 for aDCSI=0, P=0.002). T2DM patients with a high aDCSI (≥1) had a nonsignificantly longer hospitalization duration and a higher rate of DNI complications than did those with a low aDCSI (=0). Conclusion. In patients with T2DM, PTA incidence was relatively high, and it increased with T2DM severity. Moreover, T2DM patients should be particularly careful about PTA within 1 to 5 years after the diagnosis, and physicians should keep in mind that the prognosis of PTA was correlated with T2DM severity.

Safety and Efficacy of Adalimumab for Patients With Moderate to Severe Crohn`s Disease: The Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (TSIBD) Study

( Chen Wang Chang ),( Shu Chen Wei ),( Jen Wei Chou ),( Tzu Chi Hsu ),( Chiao Hsiung Chuang ),( Ching Pin Lin ),( Wen Hung Hsu ),( Hsu Heng Yen ),( Jen Kou Lin ),( Yi Jen Fang ),( Horng Yuan Wang ),( 대한장연구학회 2014 Intestinal Research Vol.12 No.4

Background/Aims: Only moderate to severe Crohn`s Disease (CD) patients without a satisfactory conventional therapy effect are eligible to get reimbursement from the National Health Insurance of Taiwan for using adalimumab. These are more stringent criteria than in many Western countries and Japan and Korea. We aim to explore the efficacy of using adalimumab in CD patients under such stringent criteria. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in nine medical centers in Taiwan and we collected the results of CD patients receiving adalimumab from Sep 2009 to Mar 2014. The clinical characteristics, response measured by CDAI (Crohn`s Disease Activity Index), adverse events and survival status were recorded and analyzed. CR-70, CR-100, and CR-150 were defined as attaining a CDAI decrease of 70, 100 or 150 points compared with baseline. Results: A total of 103 CD patient records were used in this study. Sixty percent of these patients received combination therapy of adalimumab together with immunomodulators. CR-70 was 68.7%, 74.5% and 88.4% after week 4, 8 and 12 of treatment, respectively. The steroid-free rate, complications and survival were 47.6%, 9.7% and 99% of patients, respectively. In considering the mucosal healing, only 25% patients achieve mucosal healing after treatment for 6 to12 months. Surgery was still needed in 16.5% of patients. Combination treatment of adalimumab with immunomodulators further decreased the level of CDAI at week 8 when compared with the monotherapy. Conclusions: Even under the stringent criteria for using adalimumab, the response rate was comparable to those without stringent criteria. (Intest Res 2014;12:287-292)

Antiproliferative and Antitumorigenic Activity of Toona sinensis Leaf Extracts in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Chih-Jen Yang,Yu-Jung Huang,Cheng-Yuan Wang,Chuan-Sheng Wang,Pei-Hui Wang,Jen-Yu Hung,Tung-Heng Wang,Hseng-Kuang Hsu,Hurng-Wern Huang,S.P. Anand Kumar,Ming-Shyan Huang,Ching-Feng Weng 한국식품영양과학회 2010 Journal of medicinal food Vol.13 No.1

Toona sinensis is a traditional Chinese herb, and the extracts of T. sinensis leaf possess a variety of biological functions. This study attempted to test the antiproliferative effect of TSL-1 (a bioactive fraction of T. sinensis) in H441 cells (lung adenocarcinoma). The data showed that the antiproliferative effect of TSL-1 on H441 cells is prominent using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. TSL-1-induced apoptosis was confirmed by cell morphology, sub-G1 peak accumulation, cleavage of poly(ADP)-ribose polymerase, and propidium iodide-annexin V double staining. Furthermore, decreased Bcl-2 accompanied by increased Bax (in western blotting) was found with TSL-1 treatment of H441 cells. TSL-1 treatment-induced G1 arrest was concurrent with the down-regulation of protein levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 in H441 cells. Peroral and intraperitoneal administrations of TSL-1 were performed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy, and peroral administration of TSL-1 was also used to elucidate the therapeutic efficacy in the H441 cell xenograft model in vivo. The data revealed that TSL-1 treatment inhibited H441 tumor growth in both therapeutic and preventive experiments. Taken together, these results demonstrate that TSL-1 possesses the capability of preventing and alleviating lung cancer proliferation in vitro and in vivo with proven nephrological and hepatic safety and has the potential to be developed as an anti–lung cancer drug.

The Practice of Introducing “Maker” Concept into Environmental Education

Ching-Hung Hsu,Yi-Hua Wang 한국환경교육학회 2017 한국환경교육학회 학술대회 자료집 Vol.2017 No.6

Real-time hybrid simulation of smart base-isolated raised floor systems for high-tech industry

Pei-Ching Chen,Shiau-Ching Hsu,You-Jin Zhong,Shiang-Jung Wang 국제구조공학회 2019 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.23 No.1

Adopting sloped rolling-type isolation devices underneath a raised floor system has been proved as one of the most effective approaches to mitigate seismic responses of the protected equipment installed above. However, pounding against surrounding walls or other obstructions may occur if such a base-isolated raised floor system is subjected to long-period excitation, leading to adverse effects or even more severe damage. In this study, real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is adopted to assess the control performance of a smart base-isolated raised floor system as it is an efficient and cost-effective experimental method. It is composed of multiple sloped rolling-type isolation devices, a rigid steel platen, four magnetorheological (MR) dampers, and protected high-tech equipment. One of the MR dampers is physically tested in the laboratory while the remainders are numerically simulated. In order to consider the effect of input excitation characteristics on the isolation performance, the smart base-isolated raised floor system is assumed to be located at the roof of a building and the ground level. Four control algorithms are designed for the MR dampers including passive-on, switching, modified switching, and fuzzy logic control. Six artificial spectrum-compatible input excitations and three slope angles of the isolation devices are considered in the RTHS. Experimental results demonstrate that the incorporation of semi-active control into a base-isolated raised floor system is effective and feasible in practice for high-tech industry.

Hybrid Navigation of a Four-Wheeled Tour-Guide Robot

Yuan-Pao Hsu,Ching-Chih Tsai,Zeng-Chung Wang,Yi-Jiang Feng,Hung-Hsing Lin 제어로봇시스템학회 2009 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2009 No.8

This paper develops methodologies and techniques for motion control and autonomous navigation of a tour-guide robot with a four-wheeled omni-directional mobile platform. A nonlinear unified kinematical control method is presented for point stabilization and trajectory tracking of a mobile robot which equipped with four independent driving omni-directional wheels equally spaced at 90 degrees between adjacent wheels. A hybrid navigation method is proposed to achieve safely autonomous navigation of the tour-guide robot; this approach includes two behaviors: one is the point-to-point trajectory tracking, and the other is the obstacle avoidance function using the traversability distance histogram (TDH) method to avoid barriers in museums. The effectiveness and merit of the proposed techniques are exemplified by conducting several experiments on an experimental four-wheeled omni-directional tour-guide robot.

Decellularized Human Umbilical Artery Exhibits Adequate Endothelialization in Xenogenic Transplantation

Kai Hsia,Tien-Shiang Wang,Chin-Su Liu,Chih-Kuan Su,Chien-Chin Chen,Chang-Ching Yeh,Hsinyu Lee,Chao-Ling Yao,Tsung-Yu Tseng,Shih-Hwa Chiou,Hsu Ma,Chih-Hsun Lin,Jen-Her Lu 한국생물공학회 2023 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.28 No.3

Decellularized human umbilical arteries (dHUA) is an off-the-shelf graft that can potentially serve as vascular scaffolds in tissue engineering of small-diameter vascular grafts. This research aimed to investigate that dHUA could exhibit adequate endothelialization for a long term in xenogenic transplantation. 13 dHUAs were implanted in rat abdominal aortas up to 90 days. Rats were divided into three groups in terms of survival period: Group 1, one to seven days (n = 6); Group 2, 14 to 30 days (n = 4) and Group 3, 90 days (n = 3). The explants were analyzed by histological, immunohistochemistry and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) examination. Allograft implantation of 12 decellularized rat abdominal aortas` were processed the same way as the rat in order to make a comparison for survival rates (Group 1, n = 5; Group 2, n = 4; Group 3, n = 3). The results demonstrated that the survival rates of xenograft and allograft implantation were estimated to be 59.2% vs. 58.3% in Group 1, 50.7% vs. 58.3% in Group 2 and 3. Grafts harvested from Group 2 were showed CD31, endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression at intima, and α-smooth muscle actin, CD45, CD68 and CD168 expression at the tunica externa. A layer structure with obvious endothelialization and fiber regeneration/orientation could be inspected from the explants of Group 3. MRA demonstrated the patency of dHUA on day 30 and 90. In conclusion, more than 50% dHUA maintained patency in the xenogenic model till 90 days after surgery. A mature vessel-like functional structure with intact endothelial layer was observed then. This warrants further study in the reinforcement of decellularized vascular scaffolds.

Ginsenoside compound K reduces the progression of Huntington's disease via the inhibition of oxidative stress and overactivation of the ATM/AMPK pathway

Kuo-Feng Hua,A-Ching Chao,Ting-Yu Lin,Wan-Tze Chen,Yu-Chieh Lee,Wan-Han Hsu,Sheau-Long Lee,Hsin-Min Wang,Ding-I. Yang,Tz-Chuen Ju 고려인삼학회 2022 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.46 No.4

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion oftrinucleotide CAG repeat in the Huntingtin (Htt) gene. The major pathogenic pathways underlying HDinvolve the impairment of cellular energy homeostasis and DNA damage in the brain. The protein kinaseataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is an important regulator of the DNA damage response. ATM isinvolved in the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), suggesting that AMPK plays acritical role in response to DNA damage. Herein, we demonstrated that expression of polyQ-expandedmutant Htt (mHtt) enhanced the phosphorylation of ATM. Ginsenoside is the main and most effectivecomponent of Panax ginseng. However, the protective effect of a ginsenoside (compound K, CK) in HDremains unclear and warrants further investigation. Methods: This study used the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD and performed behavioral tests,survival rate, histological analyses, and immunoblot assays. Results: The systematic administration of CK into R6/2 mice suppressed the activation of ATM/AMPK andreduced neuronal toxicity and mHTT aggregation. Most importantly, CK increased neuronal density andlifespan and improved motor dysfunction in R6/2 mice. Conversely, CK enhanced the expression of Bcl2protected striatal cells from the toxicity induced by the overactivation of mHtt and AMPK. Conclusions: Thus, the oral administration of CK reduced the disease progression and markedlyenhanced lifespan in the transgenic mouse model (R6/2) of HD.

Mechanical Stretch Promotes Invasion of Lung Cancer Cells via Activation of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Liang-Kun Chen,Ching-Chi Hsieh,Yi-Chao Huang,Yuan-Jung Huang,Chun-Fan Lung,Wei-En Hsu,Chao-Ling Yao,Tsung-Yu Tseng,Chi-Chung Wang,Yi-Chiung Hsu 한국생물공학회 2023 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.28 No.3

Most of the gas exchange in the human body is carried out by the lungs, and the physiological activities of the lungs are uninterrupted. Due to the deterioration of the external environment, pulmonary cell lesions are common clinical lung diseases. Mechanical cyclic stretching is one kind of bionic technology to observe lung cancer cells. The A549 cell line is the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line derived from a primary lung tumor. This study investigated the effects of mechanical cyclic stretching on A549 cell activity and gene expression profile. Whereas mechanical cyclic stretching had no significant difference in colony formation and cell migration of A549 cells, the cell invasion increased significantly in A549 cells after stretching. In addition, the microarray data showed that mechanical cyclic stretching altered gene expression, induced inflammation of cells, and activation of Wnt/β- catenin and tumor necrosis factor pathways. More importantly, mechanical cyclic stretching activated the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) protein. Therefore, the increase of cell invasion induced by mechanical cyclic stretching might be associated with the activation of TNF-α in human lung adenocarcinoma cells.