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Background: Sagittal spinopelvic balance and proper sagittal alignment are important when planning corrective or reconstructive spinal surgery. Prior research suggests that people from different races and countries have moderate divergence; to the best of our knowledge, the population of Taiwan has not been studied with respect to this parameter.Questions/purposes: To investigate normal age- and sex-related differences in whole-spine sagittal alignment and balance of asymptomatic adults without spinal disorders.Methods: In this prospective study, we used convenience sampling to recruit asymptomatic volunteers who accompanied patients in the outpatient orthopaedic department. One hundred forty males with a mean age of 48 ± 19 years and 252 females with a mean age of 53 ± 17 years underwent standing lateral radiographs of the whole spine. For analysis, participants were divided in three groups by age (20 to 40 years, 41 to 60 years, and 61 to 80 years) and analyzed by sex (male and female). The following eight radiologic parameters were measured: sacral slope, pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, cervical lordosis, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis, and C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis. Three observers performed estimations of the sagittal parameters twice, and the intraclass correlation coefficients for inter- and intraobserver variability were 0.81 and 0.83.Results: The mean pelvic incidence was 49° ± 12°; lumbar lordosis was smaller in the group that was 61 to 80 years old than in the groups that were 20 to 40 years and 41 to 60 years (95% CI of the difference, 4.50-13.64 and 1.00- 9.60; p < 0.001), while cervical lordosis was greater in the 61 to 80 years age group than the other two groups (95% CI of the difference, -14.64 to -6.57 and -11.57 to -3.45; p < 0.001). The mean C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis was 30 ± 29 mm, and there was no difference among the three groups and between males and females. Pelvic tilt was greater in the group 61 to 80 years old than the 20 to 40 years and 41 to 60 years age groups (95% CI of the difference, -10.81 to -5.42 and -7.15 to -2.08; p < 0.001), while sacral slope was larger in 61 to 80 years age group than in the 41 to 60 years group (95% CI of the difference, 0.79-6.25; p = 0.006). C7 slope was greater in 61 to 80 years age group than in the 20 to 40 years group (95% CI of the difference, -7.49 to -1.26; p = 0.002) and larger in 41 to 60 years age group than in 20 to 40 years group (95% CI of the difference, -6.31 to -0.05; p = 0.045). C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis was greater in males than in females (95% CI of the difference, 2.84-7.74; p < 0.001). C7 slope was negatively correlated with thoracic kyphosis (95% CI of the difference, -0.619 to 0.468; p < 0.001) and lumbar lordosis (95% CI of the difference, -0.356 to -0.223; p < 0.001), and positively correlated with pelvic incidence (95% CI of the difference, 0.058- 0.215; p < 0.001) and cervical lordosis (95% CI of the difference, 0.228 - 0.334; p < 0.001).Conclusions: Normal values of the spinopelvic sagittal parameters vary by age and sex in Taiwanese individuals.Clinical Relevance: Pelvic incidence and sacral slope observed in this population seemed smaller than those reported in other studies of white populations; this seems important when considering spine surgery in Taiwanese patients. Future studies should include collection of whole body sagittal parameters of larger and more-diverse populations, and assessments of patients with symptomatic spinal disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis typically suffer from symptom discomfort and various degrees of disability for months or years prior to receiving surgical treatments. Knowing the factors that influence the disability status of these patients will help healthcare providers develop effective preventive measures. Purpose: To explore preoperative disability and its important predictive factors in patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis Methods: A predictive correlational design was used and a convenience sample of eighty-six lumbar spondylolisthesis preoperative patients were recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan. Data were collected using a study questionnaire, which included the Oswestry disability index, the revised geriatric depression scale-short form, and a pain numeric rating scale. Results: The average disability index of the participants was 48.52 (SD = 16.14). The multiple linear regression analyses identified lower back pain, depression, age, and gender as significant predictors of preoperative disability, collectively explaining 40.9% of the variation in disability severity. Being female, being older, having a higher degree of lower back pain, and having depression were significantly associated with preoperative disability. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The results of the present study indicate that lumbar spondylolisthesis patients who are older in age, female, currently experiencing lower back pain, and suffering from depression face a higher risk of preoperative disability. Patients in these at-risk categories should be assessed actively and provided with appropriate patient education in order to enhance their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have found lower risk of childhood cancer among Asian children. We aim to characterize the recent incidence and incidence-trend of childhood cancer in Taiwan after the National Health Insurance program was launched in March 1995. Data were extracted from the Taiwan Cancer Registry, a population-based database established in 1979. Cases diagnosed at age 0-14 from 1996 to 2010 were analyzed and categorized according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, Third Edition (ICCC-3). In total, 8032 childhood cancer cases were included, with a microscopic verification rate of 93.9%. The overall age-standardized rate (ASR) of incidence adjusted to the 2000 World Standard Population is 125.0 cases/million, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.3. The top five cancer types (ICCC-3 subgroup[s]; ASR per million) are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ia, 30.3), acute myeloid leukemia (Ib; 9.4), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (IIb,c,e, 9.0), extracranial germ cell tumor (Xb,c; 8.3), and neuroblastoma (IVa; 7.8). The median age of diagnosis was 6 years for both genders. During the study period, the ASR of childhood cancer has been increasing at a rate of 1.2% per year (95% confidence interval, 0.6-1.7%). In contrast to Western countries, China, Japan, and Taiwan have lower incidence of childhood cancer; however, Taiwan's incidence rates of childhood germ cell tumors and hepatic tumors are higher. In conclusion, this population-based study reveals that the incidence rate of childhood cancer in Taiwan is rising consistently. The high incidence of germ cell tumors warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to introduce a new approach to curriculum planning for a university nanotechnology curriculum based primarily on outcome-based education according to a competence-based perspective. To achieve this study purpose, curriculum mapping was used to explore nanotechnology curricula in higher education in Taiwan. Considering, as the initial point, the competencies of varied nanotechnology that professionals are expected to develop in higher education, the main competencies were identified through the content analysis of 600 course syllabi collected from thirteen nanotechnology-related undergraduate and graduate programs in nine leading universities in Taiwan. Next, courses were further analyzed and linked to the identified nanotechnology professional competencies, taking advantage of curriculum mapping, and consequently re-organized into a comprehensive curriculum map. Implications of design features in particular and important applications of the developed curriculum map are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the effects of short-term resistance training combined with systemic hypoxia on muscle performance and body composition. Topics include the study's conclusion the the combination of normobaric hypoxia with short-term resistance training has no additive beneficial effect on muscle performance or body composition; exercises performed by the test subjects to test dynamic, isometric, and isokinetic measures; and weight training research.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection strategies were adopted to examine the etiology and vectorship of pear decline in Taiwan (PDTW). 16S rDNA sequences were amplified from total DNAs prepared from PDTW-affected pear trees Pyrus serotina Rehd. cv. Hengshan and pear psyllid Cacopsylla chinensis using PCR. According to the sequence analyses, C. chinensis carried phytoplasmas of two 16S rDNA groups, PDTW (group 16SrX) and PDTWII (a newly discovered group 16SrII phytoplasma associated with pear decline in Taiwan), that were associated with PDTW-infected pear trees. The 16S rDNA sequences of PDTW and PDTWII phytoplasmas that were amplified from diseased pear trees were identical to those from C. chinensis. Transmission trials of phytoplasmas associated with PDTW to healthy pear plants were successfully performed with C. chinensis. One of the 17 tested plants was infected with both PDTW and PDTWII phytoplasmas while ten were infected with PDTWII phytoplasma. In grafting tests, both PDTW and PDTWII phytoplasmas were effectively and separately transmitted from diseased pear to periwinkle plants (Catharanthus roseus). For detection purposes, specific primers were developed and adopted to detect both PDTW and PDTWII phytoplasmas by nested or semi-nested PCR. Transmission electron microscopic examinations revealed phytoplasma bodies in the sieve tubes and phloem parenchyma cells of diseased pears and in the intestinal wall cells of C. chinensis and C. qianli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel chitin-degrading aerobe, Chitinibacter tainanensis, was isolated from a soil sample from southern Taiwan, and was proved to produce N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG). Chitin degrading factors (CDFs) were proposed to be the critical factors to degrade chitin in this work. When C. tainanensis was incubated with chitin, CDFs were induced and chitin was converted to NAG. CDFs were found to be located on the surface of C. tainanensis. N-Acetylglucosaminidase (NAGase) and endochitinase activities were found in the debris, and the activity of NAGase was much higher than that of endochitinase. The optimum pH of the enzymatic activity was about 7.0, while that of NAG production by the debris was 5.3. These results suggested that some factors in the debris, in addition to NAGase and endochitinase, were crucial for chitin degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two common drinking water earthy/musty odorants, 2-methyl-isoborneol (2-MIB) and trans-1,10-dimethyl- trans-9-decalol (geosmin), were monitored and analyzed for their correlation with environmental conditions in Feng-Shen Reservoir (FSR), Taiwan. Long-term monitoring results, from December 2000 to July 2003, indicated that 2-MIB was present in the reservoir at concentrations between 10 and 200 ng L−1, and those of geosmin were always smaller than 10 ng L−1. The 2-MIB concentrations followed a trend of higher concentrations during the warm seasons. After being analyzed with 10 water quality and three meteorological parameters, 2-MIB concentration was found to correlate with corresponding air and water temperatures. An analysis of air temperature history versus 2-MIB concentration in FSR suggested that 2-MIB concentration was best correlated with the mean of average daily temperature from 1 to 9 days before sampling, with R 2 = 0.90. This correlation was further employed to predict the 2-MIB concentration observed during another sampling period in FSR. A similar degree of fit was observed between predictions and experimental data, suggesting the potential applicability of the approach. In addition to the effect of temperature, heavy rainfalls that occurred before the sampling time may also reduce the 2-MIB concentration in the reservoir. A short-term continuous monitoring of the odorants for 32 h showed that both geosmin and 2-MIB concentrations in the reservoir remained almost constant, with only about a 10% difference during the sampling period. This may suggest that the odorants were uniformly distributed in the water near the sampling location in the reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Taiwan, the authorities have spent years working on remedying polluted rivers. Generally, the remediation planning works are divided into two phases. During the first phase, the allowed pollution discharge quantity and abatement quantity of each drainage zone, including the assimilative capacity, are generated based on the total river basin. In the second phase, the abatement action plans for each pollution source in each drainage zone are respectively devised by the related organizations based on the strategies generated during the first phase. However, the effectiveness of linking the two phases is usually poor. Highly integrated performances are not always achieved because the separate two-phase method does not take system and management thinking into consideration in the planning stage. This study pioneers the use of the Managing for Results (MFR) method in planning strategies and action plans for river water quality management. A sustainable management framework is proposed based on the concept and method of MFR, Management Thinking, and System Analysis. The framework, consisting of planning, implementation, and controlling stages, systematically considers the relationships and interactions among four factors: environment, society, economy, and institution, based on the principles of sustainable development. Based on the framework, the Modified Bounded Implicit Enumeration algorithm, which is used as a solving method, is combined with Visual Basic software and MS Excel to develop a computer system for strategy planning. The Shetzu River, located in northern Taiwan, is applied as a case study. According to the theoretical, practical, and regulatory considerations, the result-oriented objectives are defined to first improve the pollution length of the Shetzu River in specific remediation periods to finally meet regulated water quality standards. The objectives are then addressed as some of the constraints for the strategy planning model. The model objective is to pursue the maximum assimilative capacity (environmental phase) subjected to the constraints of water quality standards (institutional phase), social equity (social phase), and proper available technology (economic phase). The pollution quantity abatement and allocation, which are named the top strategies, of each drainage zone for different scenarios can be obtained based on each water quality standard. The middle as well as lower strategies and action plans, which consist of pollution quantity abatement and allocation of each class (domestic, industrial, livestock, and non-point pollution sources) and their individual pollution sources in each drainage zone, are then generated based on the top strategies. The performance indicators and measure plans are proposed based on the action plans to promote the comprehensive effectiveness of river water quality management. The authorities have begun to develop a budget based on the strategies and action plans developed in this study. The analytical results indicate that the objectives, strategies, and action plans developed based on the sustainable management framework and strategy planning system can effectively help the related authorities to fulfill the tasks of water quality management for a river basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]