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The critical taper model has been widely used to evaluate the strength contrast between the wedge and the basal detachment of fold-and-thrust belts and accretionary wedges. However, determination of the strength parameters using the traditional critical taper model, which adopts the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion, is difficult, if not impossible. In this study, we propose a modified critical taper model that incorporates the non-linear Hoek–Brown failure criterion. The parameters in the proposed critical Hoek–Brown wedge CHBW model can be directly evaluated via field investigations and laboratory tests. Meanwhile, the wedge strength is a function of the wedge thickness, which is oriented from stress non-linearity. The fold-and-thrust belt in western central Taiwan was used as an example to validate the proposed model. The determined wedge strength was 0.86 using a representative wedge thickness of 5.3 km; this was close to the inferred value of 0.6 from the critical taper. Interestingly, a concave topographic relief is predicted as a result of the wedge thickness dependency of the wedge strength, even if the wedge is composed of homogeneous materials and if the strength of the detachment is uniform. This study demonstrates that the influence of wedge strength on the critical taper angle can be quantified by the spatial distribution of strength variables and by the consideration of the wedge thickness dependency of wedge strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Controlled synthesis of metal–organic framework-derived Mg-Zn hybrid nanostructures. • MgO nanoparticles encapsulated in Zn-MOF or decorated on MOF-derived ZnO. • Ultrafine MgO crystallite (<5 nm), high basicity and surface area (1048.5 m2/g). • High yield (73.3%) and high cyclic stability at a stoichiometric feed ratio. Controlled synthesis of metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived Mg-Zn hybrid nanostructure was demonstrated for the development of basic catalysts applied in biodiesel production from soybean oil. Two types of Mg-Zn hybrid nanostructures were successfully fabricated under different atmospheres (Ar, air), (1) MgO nanoparticles encapsulated in Zn-based MOF (MgO@Zn-MOF) and (2) MgO nanoparticles uniformly decorated on ZnO nanoparticles derived from Zn-MOF (MgO@ZnO), respectively. Ultrafine MgO nanoparticles (<5 nm for MgO@Zn-MOF and ≈10 nm for MgO@ZnO) were successfully synthesized and homogeneously dispersed in the MOF-derived Mg-Zn hybrid nanostructures. Significant increases in the specific surface area (i.e., a maximum of 1048.5 m2/g) and corresponding basicity (i.e., by a maximum of 2.1 times) were achievable by using MOF-based strategy comparing to the Mg-Zn catalyst prepared by a conventional solution-based approach. High 3-cycle stability and high yields of fatty acid methyl esters at a stoichiometric feed ratio 3 were both achievable, 67.6% and 73.3%, by using MgO@Zn-MOF and MgO@ZnO as the catalysts, respectively. The work demonstrates a prototype study of utilizing MOF to develop high-performance basic nanocatalysts through fundamental understanding of material synthesis by design versus their corresponding activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study determined volatile fatty acids (VFA) from ruminal microbial fermentation in relation to oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and electricity generation from straw in microbial fuel cells. The effect of substrate straw to grain ratio on gas production, VFA, pH, and ORP during rumen microbial incubation with or without the presence of protozoa was evaluated. Increasing straw relative to grain in the substrate mixture resulted in lower gas levels, VFA, and ORP, but a higher pH. The ratio of acetate to propionate increased when more straw was included in the mixture. When straw was the sole substrate, the ratio of acetate to propionate decreased in response to increasing straw addition to the fermentation tubes. A correlation analysis showed that ORP values were inversely correlated with the ratio of acetate to propionate, with a coefficient of −0.712. When straw was added to MFCs, the VFA increased almost two-fold after inoculation with ruminal fluid. Maximum power density reached 0.00309 mW/m2 following a second transfer of spent fermentation fluid to fresh MFCs. Acetate was the major VFA in the straw-fed MFC, followed by propionate and butyrate. Their concentrations were negatively associated with voltage output. However, the acetate to propionate ratio was positively linked to electricity production. The results illustrate that the VFA profile during ruminal microbial fermentation could be influential on ORP and electricity generation in MFCs. The results provide evidence that native fiber and straw could be utilized for electricity production by ruminal microbial MFCs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The protection of patients’ health information is a very important concern in the information age. The purpose of this study is to ascertain what constitutes an effective legal framework in protecting both the security and privacy of health information, especially electronic medical records. All sorts of bills regarding electronic medical data protection have been proposed around the world including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of the U.S. The trend of a centralized bill that focuses on managing computerized health information is the part that needs our further attention. Under the sponsor of Taiwan''s Department of Health (DOH), our expert panel drafted the “Medical Information Security and Privacy Protection Guidelines”, which identifies nine principles and entails 12 articles, in the hope that medical organizations will have an effective reference in how to manage their medical information in a confidential and secured fashion especially in electronic transactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Aerosol-based synthesis of Mg-Al-O composite nanocatalyst for biodiesel production. • Surface area of MgO nanocatalyst increased via hybridization with Al 2 O 3. • A maximum of 3.4× in yield by using Mg-Al-O composite nanocatalyst. • Strong basic site and catalytic activity increased by hybridization MgO with Al 2 O 3. • Sufficient high operation stability and chemical stability in cyclic test. A facile, aerosol-based controlled synthesis of porous Mg-Al-O composite nanoparticle is demonstrated for developing solid base catalysts with high performance for transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel. Pore size, crystallite size and chemical composition of the Mg-Al-O composite nanoparticle are tunable by design. A significantly higher surface area (by 1.8 times) and a smaller pore size (i.e., decreased by 20%) of the Mg-Al-O composite particle achieved by using the aerosol-based synthesis than the conventional method. Hybridization with Al 2 O 3 remarkably increased surface area of the MgO particle by decreasing pore size using homogenous Al precursor or increasing pore volume via choosing heterogeneous Al precursor. The fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield catalyzed by Mg-Al-O composite particle was significantly higher in comparison to the results without catalysts (i.e., a maximum of 3.4×). The FAME yield was proportional to methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and the highest yield was identified at Mg/Al = 4, in accordance to the highest number of strong basic site quantified via a CO 2 -based temperature-programmed desorption study. Operation stability (i.e., FAME yield declined by <4%) and chemical stability (i.e., mass leaching <0.06% of total catalyst mass) were sufficiently high for the synthesized porous Mg-Al-O composite nanoparticle based on the 3-cycle test. The work establishes a prototype study of developing porous Mg-Al-O composite nanostructure by applying a gas-phase evaporation-induced self-assembly to achieve high activity and operation stability. The study also shows promise to further enhance strong basicity and corresponding catalytic activity through mechanistic understanding of the designed composite nanocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of being sued in district courts for care for head-injury patients from the perspective of epidemiology. Methods: This research was designed to be a retrospective population-based cohort study. We researched the incidences of litigations arising from head-injury inpatients under neurosurgical care, all neurosurgical inpatients, and birth inpatients in Taiwan, and computed their relative risks. The study period was from 1998 to 2002. Results: The average annual incidence rate of becoming a plaintiff for head-injury neurosurgical inpatients was 15 per million; for all neurosurgical inpatients 11.8 per million; and for birth patients 33.5 per million. The relative risk comparing head-injured neurosurgical inpatients against all neurosurgical inpatients was 1.27; whereas comparing head-injury neurosurgical inpatients against birth inpatients was 0.45, and comparing all neurosurgical inpatients against birth inpatients, 0.35. Conclusions: The findings of our population-based study indicate that for the inpatient populations, whether head-injury patients or not, neurosurgeons in Taiwan are facing a relatively lower rate of litigation in comparison with those treating birth patients. Nonetheless, head-injury patients still pose a major challenge in the ED, and misdiagnosis remains the major complaint of plaintiffs in subsequent litigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent works on the determination of pseudotachylyte within the principal slip zone (PSZ) of the Chelungpu fault (Taiwan), we demonstrated that frictional melting occurred at shallow depths during the 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake. Thus, the characteristics of melts are of paramount importance to investigate processes controlling dynamic fault mechanics during seismic slips. We conducted rock friction experiments on siltstone recovered from the Taiwan Chelungpu fault Drilling Project (TCDP) at a slip rate of 1.3 m/s and a normal stress of 1 MPa. Here we not only target to characterize experimental pseudotachylyte and evaluate the associated frictional behavior, but also compare it with natural frictional melts of TCDP. Our results show that (1) initial shear stress drop was related to the generation of low viscosity melt patches, (2) the evolution of shear stress in the postmelting regime was congruent with frictional melt rheology, and (3) the slip strengthening presumably resulted from the extremely low content of water of the frictional melt. In particular, the state-of-art of in situ synchrotron analyses (X-ray diffraction and Transmission X-ray Microscope) determine the presence of ultrafine spherical quartz (USQ) grains (~ 10 nm to 50 nm) in the glassy matrices presumably produced at high temperature. Our observations confirm that the USQ grains formed in rock friction experiments do occur in natural faults. We surmise the USQ is the result of frictional melting on siltstone and represents the latest slip zones of the Chelungpu fault, and further infer that the viscous melts may terminate seismic slips at shallow crustal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reaction/desorption have been employed to study the thermal dissociation of HSCH2CH2OH on the Cu(111) surface. An exposure of 1.5 Langmuir (L) HSCH2CH2OH renders a chemisorption monolayer at 100K. For the exposures (1.6, 3.0 and 8.0L) investigated, it is found that two surface intermediates of –SCH2CH2OH and –SCH2CH2O– are generated from successive dehydrogenation of HSCH2CH2OH on Cu(111) before it totally decomposes into gaseous products with (or without) carbon left on the surface at a temperature higher than ∼350K. XPS study of 1.6L exposure shows that both the C1s peak intensities of –SCH2CH2OH generated at ∼225K are comparable. However, for the same intermediate prepared using 8.0L, the C1s peak intensity of the SCH2 moiety is only 0.58 of that of the CH2OH. Between ∼230–350K, –SCH2CH2OH and –SCH2CH2O– coexist on the surface, but the reactivity for –SCH2CH2OH dehydrogenation to form –SCH2CH2O– decreases in the order of 1.6, 3.0 and 8.0L. The surface –SCH2CH2OH and –SCH2CH2O– diminish in the temperature range 350–450K and generate reaction products of H2, H2O, CH4, C2H4 and CH3CHO. However, the evolution temperatures of these products formed at 8.0L are higher than those formed at 1.6L by ∼20–30K. The observed exposure-dependent C1s peak intensities, –SCH2CH2OH dehydrogenation reactivity, and product desorption temperatures are suggested to be due to the change of –SCH2CH2OH geometry (trans or gauche) and/or orientation (tilting angle relative to the surface) with HSCH2CH2OH exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tumoral calcinosis-like metastatic calcification in a patient with uremia on dialysis has rarely been reported in the radiological literatures. This report describes the radiographic, scintigraphic, ultrasound, and CT findings of this condition in a 54-year-old man who had a clinical history of renal dialysis for 6 years. Elevation of serum phosphate and parathyroid hormone levels was noted. Physical examination revealed a hard, movable, and tender mass over his left arm. Plain radiographs of the left shoulder showed an amorphous massive calcification in the upper arm. Scintigraphy showed increased tracer accumulation in the soft tissue of the proximal portion of the left arm and both thighs, where CT scan revealed multilocular, amorphous, calcified masses in these areas. Scintigraphy can help in screening multiple lesions, and CT scan may further help in identifying the extent of a localized lesion such as joint involvement. Ultrasound showed localized multiloculated fluid accumulation within hyperechoic masses and perifocal interstitial fluid collection, which can help to determine the activity of the lesion. Ultrasound findings of tumoral calcinosis have not been reported before. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Neural activity varies continually from moment to moment. Such temporal variability (TV) has been highlighted as a functionally specific brain property playing a fundamental role in cognition. We sought to investigate the mechanisms involved in TV changes between two basic behavioral states, namely having the eyes open (EO) or eyes closed (EC) in vivo in humans. To these ends we acquired BOLD fMRI, ASL, and [ 18 F]-fluoro-deoxyglucose PET in a group of healthy participants ( n  = 15), along with BOLD fMRI and [ 18 F]-flumazenil PET in a separate group ( n  = 19). Focusing on an EO- vs EC-sensitive region in the occipital cortex (identified in an independent sample), we show that TV is constrained in the EO condition compared to EC. This reduction is correlated with an increase in energy consumption and with regional GABA A receptor density. This suggests that the modulation of TV by behavioral state involves an increase in overall neural activity that is related to an increased effect from GABAergic inhibition in addition to any excitatory changes. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying activity variability in the human brain and its control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Patients suffering head injury in remote islands of Taiwan, which have a shortage of manpower and facilities, depend on EAMS for prompt and definitive treatment. Emergency air medical services are becoming an increasingly important issue in improving the quality of primary care and avoiding medicolegal problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of patients with head injury and use of EAMS. Methods: We reviewed all patients, especially head injury transported by air ambulance from a remote island, Kinmen (400 km from Taiwan Main Island), from January 2001 to December 2003. Data were collected with regard to demographics, disease classification, mechanism of injury, severity of head injury, ventilator use, and mortality rate. Results: A total of 215 patients were transferred, of whom 57 (27%) had head injury. The mean age of patients was 48.6 ± 23.8 years. Males accounted for 72% of the cases (male/female ratio, 2.6:1). Motor-vehicle accidents were the most common mechanism of injury (68%). There were 21 (37%), 20 (35%), and 16 (28%) patients in the minor, moderate, and severe head-injury groups, respectively. Nineteen patients (33%) received mechanical ventilation. The overall mortality rate was 14 % (8/57). In the severe head-injury group, the mortality rate was 44% (7/16). Conclusions: The higher incidence of head injury (26.5%) in EAMS than in ground transportation (19.8%) suggests that preflight assessment and in-flight management of patients conducted by an experienced escort team following guidelines for head injury in EAMS are a very important issue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Injury ranked third among the top 10 leading causes of death in Taiwan from 1964 to 1996 and is still among the top 10 presently. Among transportation accidents, motor vehicle–related injury had the highest incidence rate, often resulting in traumatic head injury. Methods: This survey was conducted from July 1, 1994, to June 30, 2002, and was collected from 55 major hospitals in Taiwan. A total of 90250 patients with TBI were enrolled, and 27585 cases were identified to have TIH. In this study, SPSS 10.0 (SPSS, Chicago, Ill) was used to process the data. Regarding the rating model itself, reliability and correlation tests were conducted to calculate the coefficiency, and factor analysis was carried out to verify its validity. Results: The incidence rate of male-to-female ratio was 2.65. Traffic injuries (67.6%) were the leading causes of TIH. Among the traffic injuries, motorcycle-related traumatic injuries had the highest incidence rate (69.6%). In the logistic regression analysis, older patients had the highest risk of developing TIH. Patients without a motorcycle helmet had a higher risk (odds ratio, 1.40) of developing TIH than those with a helmet. As regards the types of injuries, pedestrian injury (odds ratio, 1.61) had the highest risk of developing TIH. Conclusions: Although traffic injuries, especially those caused by motorcycles, are the major cause of intracranial hemorrhage, we have to pay due attention to falling, pedestrian, and bicycle injuries, as these are all major causes of intracranial hemorrhage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]