A Proteomic Analysis of Leaf Responses to Enhanced Ultraviolet-B Radiation in Two Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars Differing in UV Sensitivity

Xing-Chun Wu,Chang-Xun Fang,Jin-Yang Chen,Qing-Shui Wang,Ting Chen,Wen-Xiong Lin,Zhong-Liang Huang 한국식물학회 2011 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.54 No.4

To determine the proteomic response to UV irradiation, two cultivars, i.e., Lemont (UV tolerant) and Dular (UV sensitive), were exposed to natural and enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation for 1, 7, and 14 days, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) and bioinformatics were used to compare the different proteomic responses in the leaves of the two cultivars. Thirty-nine proteins were up- or downregulated following the UV-B treatments. Among them, 30 increased or decreased more than 1.5-fold in abundance. They were further tested by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight MS and performed a database search. Twentyfour proteins were thus identified. These identified proteins were mostly upregulated in Lemont, whereas only 14 of them upregulated in Dular. Nine proteins involved in glycometabolism and fatty acid metabolisms, signal transduction, and protein synthesis and folding in Dular were not changed. These results suggest that there was a complex regulative mechanism on the proteomes in rice leaves upon UV-B exposure.

SF?와 제조공기(I-Air)의 압력별 절연파괴특성 비교

이창욱(Chang-Wook Lee),김영수(Young-Su Kim),方亞偉(Ya-Wei Fang),이창훈(Chang-Hun Lee),김도석(Do-Seok Kim),常超(Chao Chang),최은혁(Eun-Hyuck Choi),임창호(Chang-Ho Lim),이광식(Kwang-Sik Lee) 한국조명·전기설비학회 2006 한국조명·전기설비학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2006 No.11월

본 연구는 현재 전력설비에 사용되고 있는 SF?가스의 대체 절연가스로 제조공기(Ⅰ-Air)의 절연파괴특성 연구를 위하여 모의 GIS 챔버와 AC 300[㎸] 전원장치로 교류전압을 인가하여 연구를 수행하였다. 침 전극 대 평판전극을 이용하여 SF?가스와 I-Air의 절연내력을 비교하기 위해서 3, 4 및 5[atm]까지 가스의 압력변화를 주었고 각 압력별 전극간거리(d)에 따른 절연파괴전압(V<SUB>B</SUB>)을 연구하였다.

AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY OF INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN A HOSPITALITY STARTUP CONTEXT

Jeou-Shyan Horng,Chang-Yen Tsai,Chih-Hsing Liu,Sheng-Fang Chou,Da-Chian Hu,Shang-Yu 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

Introduction Due to fierce competition in the marketplace, globalization and an explosion of technology in recent years, innovation and differentiation are considered as a necessity for every company (Tajeddini & Trueman, 2008a). At the same time, to achieve market success and sustain a competitive advantage, businesses need to exploit new opportunities, develop new products and/or services and markets (Berthon, McHulbert, & Pitt, 2004) as well as place customer orientation at the heart of the firm’s competitiveness (Deshpande, Farley, & Webster, 1993). Hospitality entrepreneurship is a pivotal factor in the development and growth of many national economies (Hospitality Standards Institute, 2012), and in Taiwan, a significant proportion of hospitality businesses are small owner-operated outlets (). Therefore, understanding the nature of, and challenges faced by hospitality entrepreneurs is an important issue for researchers, as well as current and future entrepreneurs, financial institutions, local authorities, and government. This article reports on an exploratory study of qualitative data collected through open-ended questions, understanding of the many factors influencing entrepreneurs to start their businesses. Literature As noted by Middleton (2001), small businesses form a seedbed for the entrepreneurial and enterprise culture on which much of the profit and employment prospects of big businesses ultimately depend. This observation clearly indicates the difference between small business owners and entrepreneurs. But although support for this viewpoint in the literature is universal, some researchers do not draw such a fine line between the two terms when discussing related issues; also, studies of small business firms are usually found in the entrepreneurship literature, where sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably. The existing entrepreneurship literature shows that several critical factors influence the birth and growth of start-up firms. These factors include both macro-level environmental and micro-level, or personal level, forces. Studies focusing on the former often examine the influence of politics, culture, society, economics, competition, and demographics on a person’s decision to start or grow a new business in a specific setting; this in turn can take place at different levels, such as the company, city, region, or nation (Jogartnam, 2002; Ramos-Rodriguez et al., 2012). Studies on the latter investigate the influence of personal characteristics, such as subculture, social factors (e.g., role, status, reference group), personal factors (e.g., age, gender, education, life cycle, personality, self-perception, lifestyles, values), and psychological factors (e.g., motives, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, learning, risk-taking propensity, etc. (Littunen, 2000; Ramos-Rodriguez et al., 2012). This study adopted Chen and Elston’s (2013) entrepreneurial activity model for classifying and modeling these factors affecting firm start-ups and growth. Fig. 1 captures this process and highlights the critical factors influencing the entrepreneurial process and their various relationships. In this model, the macro-environment mix influences not only a person’s personal characteristics but also this person’s entrepreneurial process. These personal characteristics in turn also influence the entrepreneurial process. The research methodology was conducted with qualitative research method. Firstly, we interviewed the experts with regard to this industry, and then used content analysis for the interview records. After the in-depth interviews, a grounded theory was adopted to analyze the interview data with repeated coding and reading, and then innovative entrepreneurship were coded into fundamental categories with diverse descriptions (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). These descriptions represent the idea and meaning squeeze from the transcripts of interview. As for the research reliability, we read the biographies of participants and collect relative information such as their provided books, documents and reports from the news. To guarantee the validity of this study, we also improve the research content with researchers’ interview and reflection notes. Those notes were observation on innovative entrepreneurship process in this study. Therefore, these systematic methods could conclude a theory for a specific phenomenon (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). Results The results of our qualitative analysis demonstrated the opinions of experts with regard to innovative entrepreneurship in hotel industry. Based on Chen and Elston’s (2013) entrepreneurial activity model, the characteristics of each concept were grounded with four dimensions: (1) Macro-environment mix (2) Personal characteristics (3) Entrepreneurial Proces (4) Major entrepreneurial outcome. The experts’ critical viewpoints are also presented by typical quotations. (1) Macro-environment mix ●? Shifting Market “Now the entire consumer market is shifting, everyone booking via the internet.”(sample 1) “When you book a hotel or a flight, people like the price competition. So you may have to spend a lot of time.” (sample 9) ●? The old technology “We are still using the technology more than a decade ago. Taiwan is still running the hotel in a very traditional way. It is when I open a hotel , I am looking for some people, and then ... I think I will make money. In fact, a lot of know how they do not know.”(sample 1) ●? Price competition “We think the outbound market has entered the Red Sea. The inbound market has not been fully developed and has potential for development. Therefore, we would not like to see the inbound market enter the price competition.” (sample 6) ●? Want Taiwan to be seen “Taiwan's B & B are really world-class highlights in tourism industry.”(DEAR BNB) ●? Make up the industrial gap “We think Taiwan needs a brand new high-quality hotel and lodging platform and we did it.” (sample 3) “I think what we do is very traditional! Just fill the gap by using the resources we have integrated with the method we want.” (sample 4) (2) Personal characteristics ●? Personal interest “I like traveling, I like going abroad, I like to fly.”(sample 8) “This is my hobby, I also like to interact with people.” (sample 4) ●? Doing what I want to do “I just want to do what I want to do.”(sample 8) “I like the Internet and marketing but don’t like to do engineer. “(sample 7) ●? Apply own expertise “Using my own technology and see the market demand gap, hoping to help Taiwan's lodging industry can be transformed, technology upgrades, do not have to monopolize by the traditional manufacturers.” (sample 1) “I study hospitality and work for a year in Taipei Evergreen Hotel, and later went to Vancouver to study hotel management. To start a new venture also an ultimate goal of our depasample 6ent, so I think it must be done.” (sample 2) ●? Personal life experience “I think creation needs inspiration, inspiration comes from life experience. Entrepreneurship will not have nothing, what you have to do today, it must have some relationship with your past life experience.” (sample 3) (3) Entrepreneurial Process ●? Self-finaning “I did not find someone or looking for funds.” (sample 4) “I have a deposit of 20 years, our funds are wholly-owned. We do not borrow money from banks nor fundraising or venture capital.” (sample 5) ●? Related connections “Originally, my good friend who knew about the lodging industry. You are ready, and then meet the right people, and then a good time point enter into the right market.” (sample 1) “When talent comes in, they will recommend people who have such abilities and values. Therefore, we have not publicly recruited R & D people.” (sample 4) ●? Try and error “In the beginning, we don’t seriously think about our business model. Through more case, we revise our business model.”(sample 6) “After my trip, I wanted to start a business. At that time, I did not have many ideas, so I did a lot of work to find directions.” (sample 7) ●? Find the right shareholder “Shareholders are important. When finding shareholders, his resources and skills are very important. I want more than his money.” (sample 2) ●? Play a consultant role “We are selling our ideas, as well as selling our resources, experience so a bit like a consultant's role.” (sample 7) (4) Major entrepreneurial outcome ●? Change the industry ecology “We have successfully changed some of the airline's mind, we have changed the hotel's promotional model and have changed an ecological.”(sample 8) ” The core of entrepreneurship is to re-establish an ecosystem.(sample 5) ●? Tourism industry knowledge education and personnel training of think tanks “We want to make domain knowledge, know-how in tourism industry can be extracted, shared, and can be taught textbook.” (smaple 6) ●? Package Form a network and provide a unique package “In addition to the network, we hope to the forming some unique service package.” (sample 5) “Our three companies are different areas and require different skills. In the future, we would integrate them.” (sample 7) Discussion and conclusions This study examined the innovative entrepreneurship with start up in the hotel industry. Using content analysis method to access the research conclusions, the four key components of entrepreneurial activity: Macro-environment mix, personal characteristics, entrepreneurial process and major entrepreneurial outcome (Chen and Elston, 2013) were adopted to set up a theoretical framework. The results of our research were provided through a systematic approach to interpret and summarize experts’ professional opinions. These data were collected by in-depth and semi-structured interviews which give participants opportunities to express their opinions based on their experience in innovative entrepreneurship of hospitality. Meanwhile, the concepts of experts’ comprehensions were written into different characteristics with logical explanations. Most important of all, our research contributes to the entrepreneurship literature. Though some previous studies have discussed Chen and Elston’s (2013) entrepreneurial activity model, none of them tried to integrate this perspective with start up company in hotel industry. Therefore, the results of this study filled the gap between theory and practice, and provide a distinct example for future innovative entrepreneurship research in hospitality. To sum up, as most previous research focus on theoretical or practical perspective to interpret entrepreneurship, the result of this research further contribute the development of innovative entrepreneurship especially in start up. These findings offered essential framework and required knowledge of strategies for current and future trends in this field.

Research and Development of RFIC Technology in Smart Temperature Information Material

Chang, Chih-Yuan,Hung, San-Shan,Chang, Yu-Chueh,Peng, Yu-Fang Korea Institute of Construction Engineering and Ma 2011 Journal of construction engineering and project ma Vol.1 No.1

Conservation of energy and fuel is the trend in smart building design. Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) technology is often used in temperature sensing and signal transmission to manage indoor temperature, but it is rarely applied to the shell of the building. Heat retention and poor insulation in building shells are the largest causes of high energy consumption by indoor air conditioning. Through combining RFIC technology with temperature sensors, this study will develop smart temperature information material that can be embedded in concrete. In addition to accurately evaluating the effectiveness of shell insulation material, the already-designed Building Physiology Information System can monitor long-term temperature changes, leading to smarter building health management.

Effects of boundary layer and liquid viscosity and compressible air on sloshing characteristics

Chang-Fang Zou,De-Yu Wang,Zhong-Hua Cai 대한조선학회 2015 International Journal of Naval Architecture and Oc Vol.7 No.4

In this paper, numerical investigations for tank sloshing, based on commercial CFD package FLUENT, are performed to study effects of boundary layer grid, liquid viscosity and compressible air on sloshing pressure, wave height and rising time of impact pressure. Also, sloshing experiments for liquids of different viscosity are carried out to validate the numerical results. Through comparison of numerical and experimental results, a computational model including boundary layer grid can predict the sloshing pressure more accurately. Energy dissipation due to viscous friction leads to reduction of sloshing pressure and wave elevation. Sloshing pressure is also reduced because of cushion effect of compressible air. Due to high viscosity damping effect and compressible air effect, the rising time of impact pressure becomes longer. It is also found that liquid viscosity and compressible air influence distribution of dynamic pressure along the vertical tank wall.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) gene is a potential methylation biomarker for malignancy of breast cancer

Fang-Ming Chen,Hsueh-Wei Chang,Sheau-Fang Yang,Ya-Fang Huang,Pei-Yung Nien,Yao-Tsung Yeh,Ming-Feng Hou 생화학분자생물학회 2012 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.44 No.5

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) belongs to the MAPK cascades which are central to cell proliferation and apoptosis. The carcinogenic role of MKP-1 has been reported in many types of cancer but it has rarely been investigated in breast cancer. The present study was designed to evaluate the MKP-1 mRNA expression and its possible regulation by methylation of MKP-1 promoter in the model of several breast cancer cell lines and tissues as well as controls. Our data demonstrate MKP-1mRNA expression significantly decreased in five breast cancer cell lines compared to breast controls (P <0.01). Using the methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis,the unmethylated reaction (U) is dominant in both normal cell lines and benign breast tumors (100% vs. 86.2%), whereas the methylated reaction (M) is dominant in both breast cancer cell lines and invasive breast tumors (100% vs. 57.2%). In terms of methylation ratio (M/M+U), methylation level in MKP-1 promoter is significantly higher in the invasive breast tumor tissues (n = 152) than in benign breast tumor tissues (n = 29)(P < 0.0001). Assessing the methylation ratio of the promoter of MKP-1 gene to diagnose the breast malignancy (invasive vs. benign), the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.809(95% CI: 0.711-0.906, P < 0.001). The best performance for this prediction has a sensitivity of 76.32% and a specificity of 82.76% at the cutoff value of 0.38. Taken together, we firstly demonstrated that the promoter methylation of MKP-1 gene is a potential breast cancer biomarker for breast malignancy.

The Causes of Learners' Reticence and Passivity in English Classrooms in Taiwan

Fang-yu Chang 아시아영어교육학회 2011 The Journal of Asia TEFL Vol.8 No.1

Changes in Glucose Metabolism after Adrenalectomy or Treatment with a Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist for Primary Aldosteronism

Yu-Fang Lin,Kang-Yung Peng,Chia-Hui Chang,Ya-Hui Hu,Vin-Cent Wu,Shiu-Dong Chung,Taiwan Primary Aldosteronism Investigation (TAIPAI) Study Group 대한내분비학회 2020 Endocrinology and metabolism Vol.35 No.4

Background: Data on the effects of excess aldosterone on glucose metabolism are inconsistent. This study compared the changes in glucose metabolism in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) after adrenalectomy or treatment with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA). Methods: Overall, 241 patients were enrolled; 153 underwent adrenalectomy and 88 received an MRA. Fasting glucose, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β) were compared between the treatment groups after 1 year. Plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and factors determining HOMA-IR and PAC were evaluated. Results: No baseline differences were observed between the groups. Fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-β increased in both groups and there were no significant differences in fasting glucose following treatment. Multiple regression analysis showed associations between PAC and HOMA-IR (β=0.172, P=0.017) after treatment. Treatment with spironolactone was the only risk factor associated with PAC >30 ng/dL (odds ratio, 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7 to 10; P<0.001) and conferred a 2.48-fold risk of insulin resistance after 1 year compared with surgery (95% CI, 1.3 to 4.8; P=0.007). Conclusion: Spironolactone treatment might increase insulin resistance in patients with PA. This strengthened the current recommendation that adrenalectomy is the preferred strategy for patient with positive lateralization test. Achieving a post-treatment PAC of <30 ng/dL for improved insulin sensitivity may be appropriate.

Maximization of Transmission System Loadability with Optimal FACTS Installation Strategy

Chang, Ya-Chin,Chang, Rung-Fang The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2013 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.8 No.5

Instead of building new substations or transmission lines, proper installation of flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) devices can make the transmission networks accommodate more power transfers with less expansion cost. In this paper, the problem to maximize power system loadability by optimally installing two types of FACTS devices, namely static var compensator (SVC) and thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC), is formulated as a mixed discrete-continuous nonlinear optimization problem (MDCP). To reduce the complexity of the problem, the locations suitable for SVC and TCSC installations are first investigated with tangent vector technique and real power flow performance index (PI) sensitivity factor and, with the specified locations for SVC and TCSC installations, a set of schemes is formed. For each scheme with the specific locations for SVC and TCSC installations, the MDCP is reduced to a continuous nonlinear optimization problem and the computing efficiency can be largely improved. Finally, to cope with the technical and economic concerns simultaneously, the scheme with the biggest utilization index value is recommended. The IEEE-14 bus system and a practical power system are used to validate the proposed method.

Survey of genetic structure of geese using novel microsatellite markers

Fang-Yu Lai,Po-An Tu,Shih-Torng Ding,Min-Jung Lin,Shen-Chang Chang,En-Chung Lin,Ling-Ling Lo,Pei-Hwa Wang 아세아·태평양축산학회 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.2

Objective: The aim of this study was to create a set of microsatellite markers with high polymorphism for the genetic monitoring and genetic structure analysis of local goose populations. Methods: Novel microsatellite markers were isolated from the genomic DNA of white Roman geese using short tandem repeated probes. The DNA segments, including short tandem repeats, were tested for their variability among four populations of geese from the Changhua Animal Propagation Station (CAPS). The selected microsatellite markers could then be used to monitor genetic variability and study the genetic structures of geese from local geese farms. Results: 14 novel microsatellite loci were isolated. In addition to seven known loci, two multiplex sets were constructed for the detection of genetic variations in geese populations. The average of allele number, the effective number of alleles, the observed heterozygosity, the expected heterozygosity, and the polymorphism information content were 11.09, 5.145, 0.499, 0.745, and 0.705, respectively. The results of analysis of molecular variance and principal component analysis indicated a contracting white Roman cluster and a spreading Chinese cluster. In white Roman populations, the CAPS populations were depleted to roughly two clusters when K was set equal to 6 in the Bayesian cluster analysis. The founders of private farm populations had a similar genetic structure. Among the Chinese geese populations, the CAPS populations and private populations represented different clads of the phylogenetic tree and individuals from the private populations had uneven genetic characteristics according to various analyses. Conclusion: Based on this study’s analyses, we suggest that the CAPS should institute a proper breeding strategy for white Roman geese to avoid further clustering. In addition, for preservation and stable quality, the Chinese geese in the CAPS and the aforementioned proper breeding scheme should be introduced to geese breeders.