Osteogenesis and Chondrogenesis of Primary Rabbit Periosteal Cells under Non-uniform 2-Axial Tensile Strain

Chih-Hao Chiu,Yun-Wen Tong,Jen-Fang Yu,Kin Fong Lei,Alvin Chao-Yu Chen 한국바이오칩학회 2020 BioChip Journal Vol.14 No.4

Periosteal cells are the major cell sources of skeletal progenitors for fracture callus. In order to promote bone repair and cartilage formation, besides the application of exogenous growth factors, physical stimulation is an alternative approach to guide cell differentiation. Investigation of appropriate conditions is essential for forming bone and cartilage. In this work, a membrane-type micro-system was developed to provide cell culture environment and cell stretching stimulation during culture course. Circular and oval culture wells were designed to respectively generate uniform and non-uniform 2-axial tensile strain for stretching primary rabbit periosteal cells. Cell orientation and differentiation were studied after cycling stretching for 2 days. The cells aligned to the stretching axis with high tensile strain in the oval culture wells; while the cells expressed random orientation in the circular culture wells. Different responses were significantly shown when the cells were respectively stimulated by uniform and non-uniform 2-axial tensile strains. On the other hand, osteogenic differentiation was shown when the cells were under either uniform or non-uniform 2-axial tensile strain. However, only non-uniform 2-axial tensile strain could induce mature osteoblasts. In addition, the result revealed chondrocytes could be differentiated only under a large and nearly single dimensional tensile strain. In summary, differentiation of the periosteal cells is highly influenced by 2-dimensional distribution of the tensile strain. This work provides some in-sights of the control of axial tensile strain for periosteal cell differentiation.

Clinical Features and Computed Tomography Characteristics of Non-Klebsiella pneumoniae Liver Abscesses in Elderly (>65 Years) and Nonelderly Patients

Chih-Weim Hsiang,Wei-Chou Chang,Chang-Hsien Liu,Hsiu-Lung Fan,Kai-Hsiung Ko,Chih-Yung Yu,Hong-Hau Wang,Wen-I Liao,Hsian-He Hsu 연세대학교의과대학 2015 Yonsei medical journal Vol.56 No.2

Purpose: To compare the clinical and computed tomography (CT) appearances of liver abscesses caused by non-Klebsiella pneumoniae bacterial pathogens in elderly and nonelderly patients. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients with confirmed non-Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses (non-KPLAs) were enrolled and dividedinto two age groups: elderly (age ≥65 years, n=42) and nonelderly (age <65 years, n=38). Diagnosis of non-KPLA was established by pus and/or blood culture. We compared clinical presentations, outcomes, and CT characteristics of the two groups, and performed multivariate analysis for significant variables and receiver-operating-characteristic analysis to determine the cutoff value of abscess diameter for predicting non-KPLA. Results: Elderly patients with non-KPLA were associatedwith a longer hospital stay (p<0.01). Regarding etiology, biliary sources had a strong association in the elderly group (p<0.01), and chronic liver diseases were relatedto the nonelderly group (p<0.01). Non-KPLAs (52.5%) tended to show a large, multiloculated appearance in the elderly group and were associated with bile duct dilatation (p<0.01), compared with the nonelderly group. The abscess diameter (cutoff value, 5.2 cm; area under the curve, 0.78) between the two groups was predicted. In multivariate analysis, underlying biliary tract disease [odds ratio (OR), 3.58, p<0.05], abscess diameter (OR, 2.40, p<0.05), and multiloculated abscess (OR, 1.19, p<0.01) independently predicted elderly patients with non-KPLA. Conclusion:In the elderly patients with non-KPLA, a large, multiloculated abscess with a diameter greater than 5.2 cm was the predominant imaging feature.

Instructional Design and Students of Online Courses in Taiwan and UK

Yu-Chih Doris Shih,Trevor J. Price APEC국제교육협력원 2012 Asia-Pacific Cybereducation Journal Vol.8 No.2

With advances in information communication technology, the governments in many countries have been promoting e-learning by offering more convenient and diverse learning options for students. Higher Education institutions in Taiwan and the United Kingdom have followed such trends and have set up a variety of distance learning courses. This paper reports how university educators in two different countries, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, design online learning materials and conduct instruction through online methods using web technologies. As the authors of this paper, we outlined and compared the different approaches taken in using virtual learning environments within higher educational institutions in the two countries. We explain how we developed these materials based on the programs and technologies offered by our institutions and we also offer examples of student learning situations. At the end of the paper, recommendations are provided relating to pedagogical issues. The results will be helpful for educators and school administrators of different countries. They will be able to see different approaches of design and implementation of e-intensive modes of learning in higher education.

From “Asia’s East” to “East Asia”: Aborted Decolonization of Taiwan in the Cold-War Discourse

Chih-yu Shih 경남대학교 극동문제연구소 2020 ASIAN PERSPECTIVE Vol.44 No.2

The disappearance of references to “Yadong,” Asia’s East or Asiatic East, as opposed to East Asia, in Taiwan’s post-World War II (WWII) political history presaged the impracticality of decolonization in Taiwan. The Cold War, pertaining especially to the American intellectual intervention in the conceptualization of the world through the fault line of its containment policy, contributed greatly to the substitution of East Asia for Yadong. I argue that Yadong is a geocultural lens, while East Asia connotes strategic purposes of various kinds. The latter concept echoed the discourse of the “Great East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere,” which colonial Japan relied on before and during WWII to justify colonialism as well as expansion. The familiar discourse of decolonization embedded in “strategic essentialism,” i.e. deliberate use of some fundamentalism for the occasion of resistance, reproduces the colonizing/colonized binary. I re-theorize decolonization as a relational project. Empirically the intellectual demise of Yadong as a relational discourse accompanied the evolution of the Cold War. Yadong’s disappearance indirectly testifies to the fate of decolonization in Taiwan.

Using Multidetector-Row CT for the Diagnosis of Afferent Loop Syndrome Following Gastroenterostomy Reconstruction

Yu-Hsiu Juan,Wei-Chou Chang,Chih-Yung Yu,Hsian-He Hsu,Guo-Shu Huang,De-Chuan Chan,Chang-Hsien Liu,Ho-Jui Tung 연세대학교의과대학 2011 Yonsei medical journal Vol.52 No.4

Purpose: To assess the clinical manifestations and multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) findings of afferent loop syndrome (ALS) and to determine the role of MDCT on treatment decisions. Materials and Methods: From January 2004 to December 2008, 1,100 patients had undergone gastroenterostomy reconstruction in our institution. Of these, 22 (2%) patients were diagnosed as ALS after surgery that included Roux-en-Y gastroenterotomy (n=9), Billroth-II gastrojejunostomy (n=7), and Whipple’s operation (n=6). Clinical manifestations and MDCT features of these patients were recorded and statistically analyzed. The presumed etiologies of obstruction shown on the MDCT were correlated with clinical information and confirmed by surgery or endoscopic biopsy. Results: The most common clinical symptom was acute abdominal pain, presenting in 18 patients (82%). We found that a fluid-filled C-shaped afferent loop in combination with valvulae conniventes projecting into the lumen was the most common MDCT features of ALS. Malignant causes of ALS, such as local recurrence and carcinomatosis, are the most common etiologies of obstruction. These etiologies and associated complications can be predicted 100% by MDCT. Conclusion: Our results suggest that MDCT is a reliable modality for assessing the etiologies of ALS and guiding treatment decisions.

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.

Application of physical vapor deposition process to modify activated carbon fibers for ozone reduction

Yu-Chih Lin,Chung-Liang Chang,Tser-Sheng Lin,Hsunling Bai,Ming-Gu Yan,Fu-Hsiang Ko,Chia-Tien Wu,Cheng-Hsiung Huang 한국화학공학회 2008 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.25 No.3

This study utilized the activated carbon fiber (ACF) modified with metal catalyst via physical vapor deposition (PVD) process (ACF/PVD) to diminish ozone. Furthermore, the ozone removal efficiency of ACF/PVD was compared with that of original ACF and ACF modified with metal catalyst via impregnation process (ACF/impregnation). In addition to the kinds of coated metal and the inlet ozone concentrations, the effects of the coating thickness and the reaction temperature on ACF/PVD for ozone removal were also examined. The results indicate that the ozone removal efficiency of ACF/PVD is better than that of original ACF and ACF/impregnation. The ozone removal efficiency of different metal-coated ACF/PVD in the superior order is gold (Au), and manganese (Mn). The increase of Au-coated thickness (3 nm to 80 nm) on ACF/PVD will enhance the ozone removal. However, when the Mn-coated thickness on ACF/PVD is larger than 15 nm, the ozone removal efficiency displays a declining trend. Furthermore, a higher reaction temperature will result in a better ozone removal of ACF/PVD and the original ACF.

Effect of Landslide Deposition on Soil Properties in the Xitou Experiment Forest, Central Taiwan

Chih-Hsin Cheng,Sheng-Che Hsiao,Yu-Hsuan Huang,Chih-Yu Hung,Chuang-Wen Pai,Chiu Ping Chen,Oleg Menyailo 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6

Relations and Balances: Self-restraint and Democratic Governability under Confucianism

Chih-yu Shih 인하대학교 국제관계연구소 2014 Pacific Focus Vol.29 No.3

This article attempts to create a theory of relations and balances (RaB) in order to understand the systemic stability of democracy. It draws on Confucianism and compares Confucian self-restraint with liberal self-restraint. Empirical evidence suggests that on the one hand a Confucian constituency dislikes challenges to the authorities for the sake of systemic stability, but on the other it disapproves of authoritarian control in order to maintain a harmonious system. Evidence likewise suggests that if the systemic identity is weak, the constituency of RaB shows higher support for inclusive, not enforcive, leadership to restore governability. The RaB support for systemic inclusiveness can be mistaken as liberalism. Coupled with the idea of civic nationalism, contemporary constitutionalism of checks and balances neglects systemic stability and fails to explain the spread of illiberal democracy. The RaB theory provides an explanation on a systemic level of how a democracy can maintain or lose stability.

Using a two-tier test in examining Taiwan graduate students' perspectives on paraphrasing strategies

Yu-Chih Sun 서울대학교 교육연구소 2009 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.10 No.3

This study examines Taiwanese English as a foreign language (EFL) graduate students' perspectives on paraphrasing strategies. A two-layer scenario survey was developed to identify the reasoning behind students' judgments that certain paraphrasing is appropriate or inappropriate. The first-layer scenario survey is in a true-false format that consists of nine paraphrasing scenarios and that served to elicit from students their declarative knowledge of appropriate paraphrasing strategies. The second-layer scenario survey is in an open-ended question format that explores students' explanatory knowledge underlying their first-layer choices. In addition, an attitude survey and a demographic survey were designed and implemented to explore learner variables in relation to the learners' perspectives on paraphrasing strategies. A total of 141 EFL graduate students participated in the study. The results shed considerable light on students' diverse perceptions and reasoning regarding paraphrasing strategies. More than half of the students considered surface-level paraphrasing (patchwriting) to be acceptable strategy use. Significant correlation was found between students' responses to the acceptability of paraphrasing strategies and the following factors: (1) perceived difficulty in paraphrasing, (2) perceived value of appropriate source use, (3) perceived competence in overcoming the temptation to plagiarize, (4) perceived disadvantage as a foreign-language learner with paraphrasing, (5) gender, and (6) paraphrasing-related training. Pedagogical implications of the results are discussed.