Law and Confucianism in Modern China : "Modernizing" Confucianism in China: A Repackaging of Institutionalization to Consolidate Party Leadership

( Shu Fang Wu ) 경남대학교 극동문제연구소 2015 ASIAN PERSPECTIVE Vol.39 No.2

In this article, I examine the state-supported “modernization” (xiandaihua) of Confucianism in China and argue that behind this revival is an intention to institutionalize Confucianism in order to consolidate the leadership and ideological control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, while the CCP-led government has pragmatically adopted Confucianism to maintain the current power structure, there is no evidence that Confucianism will become the theoretical heart of the party. Confucianism has not acquired, nor will it acquire, a political position equal to Marxism. Many Chinese intellectuals have confirmed this tendency.

Evaluation of Clinical Training Program for Nurse Diabetes Educators in Taiwan

Yueh-Chu Wu,Hsiu-Li Wu,Pei-Yung Liao,Shih-Li Su,Su-Lan Lin,Shu-Man Lin,Hui-Fang Wang,Ching-Wen Wu,Shi-Dou Lin,Hon-Ke Sia 한국간호과학회 2009 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2009 No.10

The Influence of Resilience on the Coping Strategies in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors

Shu-Yuan Liang,Hui-Chun Liu,Yu-Ying Lu,Shu-Fang Wu,Ching-Hui Chien,Shiow-Luan Tsay 한국간호과학회 2020 Asian Nursing Research Vol.14 No.1

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of variance in the coping strategies of patients with brain tumors that could be accounted for by resilience. Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved 95 patients who had experienced surgical, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy therapies for their brain tumors at least 1 month before data collection. The investigator collected data using the scales of the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised and Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, Pearson product–moment correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: The results revealed that resilience was significantly positively associated with patients' problem-focused coping (r = .65, p < .001) and total coping (r = .49, p < .001). In addition, resilience accounted for 27% (R2inc = .27, p < .001) and 16% (R2inc = .16, p < .001) of the distinct variances in predicting patients’ problem-focused coping and total coping. Conclusion: The current results provide evidence to support the importance of resilience in shaping the coping strategies of relevant patients. As resilience shows a crucial element in patient coping with brain tumors, health team members should develop and employ appropriate strategies to improve the resilience of patients with brain tumors.

Genome-wide Analysis of Aberrant DNA Methylation for Identification of Potential Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Fang, Wei-Jia,Zheng, Yi,Wu, Li-Ming,Ke, Qing-Hong,Shen, Hong,Yuan, Ying,Zheng, Shu-Sen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Genome wide analysis studies have identified sequence mutations causing loss-of-function that are associated with disease occurrence and severity. Epigenetic modifications, such DNA methylation, have also been implicated in many cancers but have yet to be examined in the East Asian population of colorectal cancer patients. Methods: Biopsies of tumors and matched non-cancerous tissue types were obtained and genomic DNA was isolated and subjected to the bisulphite conversion method for comparative DNA methylation analysis on the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip. Results: Totals of 258 and 74 genes were found to be hyper- and hypo-methylated as compared to the individual's matched control tissue. Interestingly, three genes that exhibited hypermethylation in their promoter regions, CMTM2, ECRG4, and SH3GL3, were shown to be significantly associated with colorectal cancer in previous studies. Using heatmap cluster analysis, eight hypermethylated and 10 hypomethylated genes were identified as significantly differentially methylated genes in the tumour tissues. Conclusions: Genome-wide methylation profiling facilitates rapid and simultaneous analysis of cancerous cells which may help to identify methylation markers with high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis and prognosis. Our results show the promise of the microarray technology in identification of potential methylation biomarkers for colorectal cancers.

Understanding Breast Cancer Screening Practices in Taiwan: a Country with Universal Health Care

Wu, Tsu-Yin,Chung, Scott,Yeh, Ming-Chen,Chang, Shu-Chen,Hsieh, Hsing-Fang,Ha, Soo Ji Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.9

While the incidence of breast cancer (BC) has been relatively low in Asian countries, it has been rising rapidly in Taiwan. Within the last decade, it has replaced cervical cancer as the most diagnosed cancer site for women. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of studies reporting the attitudes and practices of breast cancer screening among Chinese women. The aim of this study is to assess Taiwanese women's knowledge of and attitudes toward BC screening and to identify potential factors that may influence screening behavior. The study population consisted of a sample of 434 Taiwanese women aged 40 and older. Despite access to universal health care for Taiwanese women and the fact that a majority of the women had heard of the breast cancer screening (mammogram, clinical breast exams, etc.), the actual utilization of these screening modalities was relatively low. In the current study, the majority of women had never had mammograms or ultrasound in the past 5 years. The number one most reported barriers were "no time," "forgetfulness," "too cumbersome," and "laziness," followed by the perception of no need to get screened. In addition, the results revealed several areas of misconceptions or incorrect information perceived by study participants. Based on the results from the regression analysis, significant predictors of obtaining repeated screening modalities included age, coverage for screening, barriers, self-efficacy, intention, family/friends diagnosed with breast cancer. The findings from the current study provide the potential to build evidence-based programs to effectively plan and implement policies in order to raise awareness in breast cancer and promote BC screening in order to optimize health outcomes for women affected by this disease.

Identification of Homer1 as a Potential Prognostic Marker for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Wu, San-Yun,Yu, Ming-Xia,Li, Xiao-Gai,Xu, Shu-Fang,Shen, Ji,Sun, Zhen,Zhou, Xin,Chen, Xing-Zhen,Tu, Jian-Cheng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Background: The aim of the present study was to analyze whether Homer1 is a potential prognostic marker for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Materials and Methods: The expression of Homer1 in ICC tissue was detected with immunohistochemistry and levels of protein in ICC and paratumor tissues were evaluated by Western blotting. Survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method was performed to assess prognostic significance. Results: Homer1 expression was high in 67.4% (58/86) of ICC samples, and there was significant difference between ICC and adjacent noncancerous tissues (p<0.001); high expression was associated with poor histologic differentiation (p=0.019), TNM stage (p=0.014), lymph node metastasis (p=0.040), and lymphatic invasion (p=0.025). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, a comparison of survival curves of low versus high expressors of Homer1 revealed a highly significant difference in OS (p=0.001) and DFS (p=0.006), indicating that high expression of Homer1 was linked with a worse prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that Homer1 expression was an independent risk factor predicting overall survival[Hazard ratio(HR), 7.52; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.63-21.47; p=0.002] and disease-free survival (HR, 11.56; 95%CI, 5.17-25.96; p<0.001) in ICC. Conclusions: Homer1 promotes lymphatic invasion and associates with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of ICC. The current study shows that Homer1 may be an independent prognostic factor for ICC patients after curative resection, and it provides an important basis for screening/treating high-risk patients.

Relationship Between Belief about Analgesics, Analgesic Adherence and Pain Experience in Taiwanese Cancer Outpatients

Liang, Shu-Yuan,Chen, Kang-Pan,Tsay, Shiow-Luan,Wu, Shu-Fang,Chuang, Yeu-Hui,Wang, Tsae-Jyy,Tung, Heng-Hsin,Cheng, Su-Fen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.2

Social and behavioral scientists have proposed that a person's belief system crucially influences his or her behaviour, and therefore may affect outcomes of pain management. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between analgesic beliefs, analgesic adherence and pain experience amongst Taiwanese cancer outpatients. The cross-sectional study included 92 oncology outpatients in two teaching hospitals in the Taipei area of Taiwan. The research instruments included the Pain Opioid Analgesic Beliefs Scale-Cancer (POABS-CA), opioid adherence, and the Brief Pain Inventory-Chinese (BPI-Chinese). Beliefs about pain and opioids demonstrated a significant relationship with patients' opioid adherence (r = -0.30, p < 0.01). The more negative beliefs regarding opioids and pain the patient had, the worse their adherence to around the clock (ATC) analgesic regimen. However, there was no significant correlation between opioid belief and pain experience. As well, there were no significant relationships between adherence to opioid regimen and any of the measures of pain experience. The study highlights the potential importance of a patient's pain and opioid beliefs in adherence to pain medication.

Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of Precast Shear Wall with Rabbet-Unbonded Horizontal Connection

Chong-fang Sun,Shu-ting Liang,Xiao-jun Zhu,Hu Li,Jian-min Guo,Gang Li,Ya-min Song,Dong-yue Wu 한국콘크리트학회 2020 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.14 No.1

This paper reports the results of a seismic performance study of a precast shear wall with a new horizontal connection. The new connection is the rabbet-unbonded horizontal connection, which is composed of rabbets and unbonded rebar segments. The rabbets are used to improve the shear capacity and prevent slippage of the connection, and the unbonded rebar segments are used to improve the ductility and energy dissipation. Three specimens were tested with different parameters under cyclic quasi-static loading. The test results showed that the specimen with a larger unbonded level had a richer hysteresis curve, larger ductility, larger energy dissipation, and slightly smaller bearing capacity. Moreover, in relation to the stiffness degradation, in the initial stage, the specimen with a larger unbonded level had a smaller stiffness, whereas in the last stage, the stiffnesses were similar regardless of the unbonded level. A parameter analysis using a finite element model proved that the ductility and energy dissipation of a shear wall with the rabbet-unbonded horizontal connection increased with the unbonded length and level. In addition, when the axial compression ratio increased, the bearing capacity increased, but the load-displacement curves decreased more rapidly. It was concluded that the unbonded length and unbonded level could effectively improve the ductility and energy dissipation of a shear wall. However, they should not be too large under high pressure, and the design suggestions for the new connection need further research considering other factors.

Gender Differences Associated with Pain Characteristics and Treatment in Taiwanese Oncology Outpatients

Liang, Shu-Yuan,Wang, Tsae-Jyy,Wu, Shu-Fang,Chao, Ta-Chung,Chuang, Yeu-Hui,Tsay, Shiow-Luan,Tung, Heng-Hsin,Lee, Ming-Der Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

The purpose of this descriptive and comparative study was to examine gender differences relevant to pain intensity, opioid prescription patterns and opioid consumption in Taiwanese oncology outpatients. The 92 participants had been prescribed opioid analgesics for cancer-related pain at least once in the past week and were asked to complete the Brief Pain Inventory - Chinese questionnaire and to recall the dosage of each opioid analgesic that they had ingested within the previous 24 hours. For opioid prescriptions and consumption, all analgesics were converted to morphine equivalents. The results revealed a significant difference between males and female minimum pain thresholds (t = 2.38, p = 0.02) and current pain thresholds (t = 2.12, p = 0.04), with males reporting a higher intensity of pain than females. In addition, this study found that males tended to use prescribed opioid analgesics more frequently than females on the bases of both around the clock (ATC) (t = 1.90, p = 0.06) and ATC plus as needed (ATC + PRN) (t = 2.33, p = 0.02). However, there was no difference between males and females in opioid prescriptions on an ATC basis (t = 0.52, p = 0.60) or at an ATC + PRN basis (t = 0.40, p = 0.69). The results suggest that there may be a gender bias in the treatment of cancer pain, supporting the proposal of routine examination of the effect of gender on cancer pain management. These findings suggest that clinicians should be particularly aware of potential gender differences during pain monitoring and the consumption of prescribed opioid analgesics.

Push-out tests on demountable high-strength friction-grip bolt shear connectors in steel–precast UHPC composite beams for accelerated bridge construction

Haibo Jiang,Haozhen Fang,Jinpeng Wu,Zhuangcheng Fang,Shu Fang,Gongfa Chen 국제구조공학회 2022 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.45 No.6

Steel–precast ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) composite beams with demountable high-strength frictiongrip bolt (HSFGB) shear connectors can be used for accelerated bridge construction (ABC) and achieve excellent structural performance, which is expected to be dismantled and recycled at the end of the service life. However, no investigation focuses on the demountability and reusability of such composite beams, as well as the installation difficulties during construction. To address this issue, this study conducted twelve push-out tests to investigate the effects of assembly condition, bolt grade, bolt– hole clearance, infilling grout and pretension on the crack pattern, failure mode, load–slip/uplift relationship, and the structural performance in terms of ultimate shear strength, friction resistance, shear stiffness and slip capacity. The experimental results demonstrated that the presented composite beams exhibited favorable demountability and reusability, in which no significant reduction in strength (less than 3%) and stiffness (less than 5%), but a slight improvement in ductility was observed for the reassembled specimens. Employing oversized preformed holes could ease the fabrication and installation process, yet led to a considerable degradation in both strength and stiffness. With filling the oversized holes with grout, an effective enhancement of the strength and stiffness can be achieved, while causing a difficulty in the demounting of shear connectors. On the basis of the experimental results, more accurate formulations, which considered the effect of bolt–hole clearance, were proposed to predict the shear strength as well as the load–slip relationship of HSFGBs in steel–precast UHPC composite beams.