A Novel Esterase from Paenibacillus sp. PBS-2 Is a New Member of the β-Lactamase Belonging to the Family VIII Lipases/Esterases

( Chien Hui Wu ),( Wei Chen Chien ),( Kai Chou Han ),( Jung Woo Yang ),( Hong Ting Victor Lin ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.9

Screening of a gene library from Paenibacillus sp. PBS-2 generated in Escherichia coli led to the identification of a clone with lipolytic activity. Sequence analysis showed an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 378 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 42 kDa. The esterase displayed 69% and 42% identity with the putative β-lactamases from Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2 and Clostridium sp. BNL1100, respectively. The esterase contained a Serx- x-Lys motif that is conserved among all β-lactamases found to date. The protein PBS-2 was produced in both soluble and insoluble forms when E. coli cells harboring the gene were cultured at 18°C. The enzyme is a serine protein and was active against p-nitrophenyl esters of C2, C4, C8, and C10. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were pH 9.0 and 30°C, respectively. Relative activity of 55% remained at up to 5°C with an activation energy of 5.84 kcal/mol, which indicates that the enzyme is cold-adapted. Enzyme activity was inhibited by Cd2+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions. As expected for a serine esterase, activity was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. The enzyme was remarkably active and stable in the presence of commercial detergents and organic solvents. This cold-adapted esterase has potential as a biocatalyst and detergent additive for use at low temperatures.

Advanced Process Control of the Critical Dimension in Photolithography

Wu, Chien-Feng,Hung, Chih-Ming,Chen, Juhn-Horng,Lee, An-Chen Korean Society for Precision Engineering 2008 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.9 No.1

This paper describes two run-to-run controllers, a nonlinear multiple exponential-weight moving-average (NMEWMA) controller and a dynamic model-tuning minimum-variance (DMTMV) controller, for photolithography processes. The relationships between the input recipes (exposure dose and focus) and output variables (critical dimensions) were formed using an experimental design method, and the photolithography process model was built using a multiple regression analysis. Both the NMEWMA and DMTMV controllers could update the process model and obtain the optimal recipes for the next run. Quantified improvements were obtained from simulations and real photolithography processes.

Hybrid Visual Servoing Design for a Continuum Robot under Visibility Constraint and Voice Commands

Chien-Yu Wu,Kai-Tai Song 제어로봇시스템학회 2016 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2016 No.10

This paper presents a method to combine voice control and hybrid visual servoing for a continuum robot. In this design, the continuum robot autonomously tracks the element of interest and maintains its position in the safe region based on image information. A method of hybrid visual servoing is proposed to integrate 2D image-based visual servoing (IBVS) to ensure the elements of interests under visibility constraints and 3D position-based visual servoing (PBVS) to adjust the robot to a desired pose in the constraint region. The robotic camera thus provides stable image while tracking the element of interest. In this design, the user can move the continuum robot to acquire the desired view by voice commands. In voice control, the system can recognize connecting words to control the robot. All software modules are integrated using Robot Operating System (ROS) for controlling the continuum robot. Experimental results obtained from a prototype continuum robot verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Chrysophanol-induced Necrotic-like Cell Death through an Impaired Mitochondrial ATP Synthesis in Hep3B Human Liver Cancer Cells

Chien-Hang Ni,Jing-Gung Chung,Po-Yuan Chen,Hsu-Feng Lu,Jai-Sing Yang,Hui-Ying Huang,Shin-Hwar Wu,Siu-Wan Ip,Chin-Tung Wu,Su-Yin Chiang,Jaung-Geng Lin,W. Gibson Wood 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.5

Liver cancer is the most common form of cancer in Taiwan and it usually responds to chemotherapy. However, patients often have side effects to the chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus new agents are urgently required to treat liver cancer. Chrysophanol, one of the anthraquinone derivatives, was reported to inhibit some human cancer cell growth which may be due to the induction of apoptosis similar to other anthraquinone derivatives though such actions have not been reported. In the present study, we reported that chrysophanol inhibits cell growth in Hep3B liver cancer cells based on the following observations: 1) induc cell morphological changes; 2) decreased percentage of viable cells; 3) induced S phase arrest of cell cycle progression; 4) induced DNA damage as measured by comet assay and DAPI staining. Chrysophanolinduced cell death however, seems to be related to necrotic processes rather than typical apoptosis. Chrysophanol induced reactive oxygen species and Ca2+ production and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and ATP levels in Hep3B cells. No effects were observed on known protein regulators of apoptosis such as Bax and Bcl-2. Chrysophanolinduced cell death took place independently of caspase-8 and -9. Based on our findings, we propose that chrysophanol reduces cellular ATP levels causing a drop in energy resulting in necrotic-like cell death.

Developing a variables two-plan sampling system for product acceptance determination

Wu, Chien-Wei,Aslam, Muhammad,Jun, Chi-Hyuck Informa UK (TaylorFrancis) 2017 Communications in Statistics Vol.46 No.2

<P>In this paper, a variables tightened-normal-tightened (TNT) two-plan sampling system based on the widely used capability index C-pk is developed for product acceptance determination when the quality characteristic of products has two-sided specification limits and follows a normal distribution. The operating procedure and operating characteristic (OC) function of the variables TNT two-plan sampling system, and the conditions for solving plan parameters are provided. The behavior of OC curves for the variables TNT sampling system under various parameters is also studied, and compared with the variables single tightened inspection plan and single normal inspection plan.</P>

Implementation of the Land Surface Processes into a Vector Vorticity Equation Model (VVM) to Study its Impact on Afternoon Thunderstorms over Complex Topography in Taiwan

Chien-Ming Wu,Hsiao-Chun Lin,Fang-Yi Cheng,Mu-Hua Chien 한국기상학회 2019 Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences Vol.55 No.4

In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of fast land-atmosphere interactions on the afternoon thunderstorm in Taiwan through high-resolution meteorological simulations. For this purpose, the Noah land surface model (LSM) is implemented into the vector vorticity equation cloud-resolving model (VVM) with corresponding realistic land surface data of Taiwan into the coupling system, called TaiwanVVM. Two idealized experiments are conducted by giving the same surface forcing but one with direct land-atmosphere coupling from Noah LSM (called Coupled experiment) and the other with prescribed surface fluxes (called Prescribed experiment). Our results show that the fast land-atmosphere interaction over complex topography has a significant influence on rainfall intensity, especially in the heavy precipitating region where the interaction is strong.Without direct coupling between the land surface and the atmosphere in the Prescribed experiment, the diurnal intensity is suppressed by 50%over whole Taiwan and 70% for East Taiwan. Our findings demonstrate that the intensity of the afternoon thunderstorm is sensitive to fast land-atmosphere interactions by modifying local circulation in the mountainous region of Taiwan.

Sulfuric Acid Hydrolysis and Detoxification of Red Alga Pterocladiella capillacea for Bioethanol Fermentation with Thermotolerant Yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus

( Chien Hui Wu ),( Wei Chen Chien ),( Han Kai Chou ),( Jung Woo Yang ),( Hong Ting Victor Lin ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.9

One-step sulfuric acid saccharification of the red alga Pterocladiella capillacea was optimized, and various detoxification methods (neutralization, overliming, and electrodialysis) of the acid hydrolysate were evaluated for fermentation with the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. A proximate composition analysis indicated that P. capillacea was rich in carbohydrates. A significant galactose recovery of 81.1 ± 5% was also achieved under the conditions of a 12% (w/v) biomass load, 5% (v/v) sulfuric acid, 121°C, and hydrolysis for 30 min. Among the various detoxification methods, electrodialysis was identified as the most suitable for fermentable sugar recovery and organic acid removal (100% reduction of formic and levulinic acids), even though it failed to reduce the amount of the inhibitor 5-HMF. As a result, K. marxianus fermentation with the electrodialyzed acid hydrolysate of P. capillacea resulted in the best ethanol levels and fermentation efficiency.

Multiscale Variability of Autumn Precipitation in Eastern Taiwan Modulated by ENSO, ISO, and TC Activity

Wu Ching-Hsuan,Chen Wei-Ting,Wu Chien-Ming 한국기상학회 2024 Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences Vol.60 No.3

This study investigates the multiscale variability of rainfall over eastern Taiwan during October–November, focusing on the companion effect of tropical cyclone (TC) activity in the South China Sea (SCS) and northeasterly monsoon flow. The interannual variation of autumn rainfall is significantly influenced by the ENSO Phase. During La Niña years, the moisture transport from the SCS-Philippine Sea to eastern Taiwan is enhanced by the anomalous southeasterly winds owing to the cyclonic flow over the SCS. The response of autumn rainfall to ENSO is contributed by intraseasonal variability and the associated TC activity in SCS. During La Niña years, the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) convective areas during phases 4–7 shift into the SCS-Philippine Sea, and the quasi bi-weekly oscillation (QBWO) convective activity is enhanced around the north of Luzon Island. We categorize TCs moving westward into or forming within the SCS into the groups causing significant rainfall in eastern Taiwan or not (the rainfall and non-rainfall groups). The rainfall group predominantly occurs during La Niña years in MJO phases 5. Both groups have similar average TC intensities, but the rainfall group’s path and the associated cyclonic circulation are placed more northward. Both groups of TCs coincide with QBWO’s cyclonic circulation, but the cyclonic circulation associated with the rainfall group stretched from the SCS to the Ryukyu Islands, favoring the moisture transport from the Philippine Sea to eastern Taiwan. We concluded that, excluding direct TC influences, the most favorable conditions for heavy rainfall in eastern Taiwan in Autumn are La Niña years during MJO phases 4–5, when the coinciding of TCs with appropriately structured QBWOs passing through the Bashi Channel or the Northern Philippines into the SCS. A regression model is developed based on the diagnostics in this study using vertically integrated moisture transport and divergence from 1000–700 hPa, which provide the basis of the storyline approach to estimate autumn rainfall over eastern Taiwan from the future projection of global climate models.

Advanced Process Control of the Critical Dimension in Photolithography

Chien-Feng Wu,Chih-Ming Hung,Juhn-Horng Chen,An-Chen Lee 한국정밀공학회 2008 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.9 No.1

This paper describes two run-to-run controllers, a nonlinear multiple exponential-weight moving-average (NMEWMA) controller and a dynamic model-tuning minimum-variance (DMTMV) controller, for photolithography processes. The relationships between the input recipes (exposure dose and focus) and output variables (critical dimensions) were formed using an experimental design method, and the photolithography process model was built using a multiple regression analysis, Both the NMEWMA and DMTMV controllers could update the process model and obtain the optimal recipes for the next run Quantified improvements were obtained from simulations and real photolithography processes.

Compound effects of operating parameters on burnup credit criticality analysis in boiling water reactor spent fuel assemblies

Shang-Chien Wu,Der-Sheng Chao,Jenq-Horng Liang 한국원자력학회 2018 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.50 No.1

This study proposes a new method of analyzing the burnup credit in boiling water reactor spent fuelassemblies against various operating parameters. The operating parameters under investigation includefuel temperature, axial burnup profile, axial moderator density profile, and control blade usage. Inparticular, the effects of variations in one and two operating parameters on the curve of effectivemultiplication factor ðkeff Þ versus burnup ðBÞ are, respectively, the so-called single and compound effects. All the calculations were performed using SCALE 6.1 together with the Evaluated Nuclear Data Files, partB (ENDF/B)-VII238-neutron energy group data library. Furthermore, two geometrical models wereestablished based on the General Electric (GE)14 10 10 boiling water reactor fuel assembly and theGeneric Burnup-Credit (GBC)-68 storage cask. The results revealed that the curves of keff versus B, due tosingle and compound effects, can be approximated using a first degree polynomial of B. However, thereactivity deviation (or changes of keff ; Dk) in some compound effects was not a summation of the allDk resulting from the two associated single effects. This phenomenon is undesirable because it may tosome extent affect the precise assessment of burnup credit. In this study, a general formula was thusproposed to express the curves of keff versus B for both single and compound effects.