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Introduction: Urine-soluble CD163 (usCD163) is released from alternatively activated macrophages involved in the resolution of inflammation in glomeruli and plays an important role in glomerulonephritis. This study explored the role of usCD163 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Materials and Methods: usCD163 concentrations were measured cross-sectionally in 261 SLE patients in Taiwan. Clinical and laboratory data were collected, and SLE disease activity scores were calculated to assess the correlation with usCD163. Results: SLE patients with high usCD163 levels tended to be younger, with a higher hospital admission rate, higher prednisolone dose, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, higher urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR), more pyuria and hematuria, higher levels of inflammatory markers, higher rates of anemia, neutropenia, and lymphopenia, lower complement 3 (C3) levels, higher anti-double-stranded DNA antibody (anti-dsDNA Ab) levels, and higher disease activity scores (p < 0.05). usCD163 levels were significantly higher in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) than in those with extrarenal or inactive SLE and correlated with UPCR, disease activity, and anti-dsDNA Ab levels. SLE patients with high usCD163 levels tended to have a higher chronic kidney disease stage. Discussion and conclusion: The usCD163 level correlates with the severity of LN and disease activity in renal SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior by employees is beneficial for organizations in the sports services industry to improve their service quality and gain a competitive advantage. Thus, it is essential for sports centers to understand how to cultivate a service-oriented workforce by promoting employees' welfare and enhancing their management practices. Drawing on social exchange and fit theory, this research proposes a mediating and moderating model that presents an intriguing picture regarding whether employees' perceived organizational support and service orientation can lead to service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. In particular, this study further investigates the moderating effect of work status on the relation between perceived organizational support and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Methods: Utilizing structural equation modeling, two studies (Ns = 224 and 366) were conducted among full- and parttime customer-contact employees of 18 sports centers in Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. In the first study, the psychometric properties of the scales were assessed. In the second study, the research model and hypotheses were examined. Results: The results showed that the questionnaires had acceptable validity and reliability across the two studies and that employees' perceived organizational support was associated with service orientation. Employees' perceived organizational support was associated with service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Service orientation was associated with service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior and partially mediated the relation between perceived organizational support and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Furthermore, the results indicate that the proposed moderating effects of work status between perceived organizational support and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior is empirically supported by the data. Conclusion: These findings add to the knowledge of social exchange approaches through which sports centers should investigate whether the working environment provides employees with different employment statuses with sufficient support to motivate employees' service orientation and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychiatric patients are affected by diseases and mental symptoms that may worsen their ability to adjust emotionally. Being unable to respond to the emptiness, increases the risk of suicidal behaviors. Purpose: This study was designed to translate the Experienced Level of Existential Emptiness (ELEE) scale, developed by Hazell in 1984, from the original English into Chinese and then to test its reliability and validity. Methods: This research adopted a cross-sectional design and collected data using convenience sampling and a structured questionnaire. The subjects of this study were psychiatric outpatients in the acute and chronic wards of a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan. The instruments used in this research included a demographic datasheet; the ELEE; the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, version 3; the Beck Depression Inventory-II; the State- Trait Anxiety Inventory Y form; and the Oxford Happiness Inventory. After the data were obtained, the reliability and validity of the Chinese-version scale was tested. Results: Three hundred subjects were surveyed. The content validity index value of the ELEE was between .88 and 1, and the retest reliability and intrinsic consistency were good. From the analysis of criterion-related validity, a higher degree of emptiness was shown to correlate with more-obvious feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Conversely, a higher sense of happiness was shown to correlate with less-obvious feelings of these three variables. After the construct validity test, which used confirmatory factor analysis and regarded the co-variation coefficient of association and model fit index as the basis of consideration, the scale was reduced to two sub-scales of seven questions each. After the deletion of items, the scale retained good retest reliability and intrinsic consistency, supporting the retention of the 14 questions in the scale. Conclusions/ Implications for Practice: The findings of this study support using the Chinese version of the ELEE to measure emptiness in patients with mental illness and then providing appropriate medical assistance based on the measured results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical students in Taiwan start their clerkship in their fifth year. A lack of early clinical exposure can mean they have a lack of medical professionalism and collaborative practice. This study investigates whether early engagement in hospitalbased clinical practice could improve their understanding of these requirements. Methods: From 2017 to 2019, a total of 59 medical students at the end of their third year joined a 2-week summer camp at the hospital. Every participant was assigned to work with one patient and they accompanied this patient throughout their hospital course. The students were also asked to interview other medical professionals within the hospital and to write up interview reports. In addition, they had to complete pre-and postcamp questionnaires which included 10 questions to evaluate their recognition of professionalism, doctor-patient relationships, and interprofessional collaboration. Answers to the questions were all rated using a 5-score Likert scale. Results: The total postcamp Likert scores were significantly increased after the 2-week training camp compared with the precourse scores (pre- vs postcourse: 44.08 ± 0.45 vs 46.66 ± 0.33, p < 0.001). In addition, the students' recognition of medical professionalism, the importance of communication with patients, and their respect for other medical professionals were significantly improved after the 2-week training. Conclusion: Our data showed that early clinical exposure through a preclerkship summer camp can help medical students improve their recognition of medical professionalism and interprofessional collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of public relations (PR) efforts of scientific organizations for public communication of science is increasingly recognized. PR departments are not mere mediators between scientists and journalists but represent the stakeholder interests of their organizations in the public sphere and are communicative actors themselves. Previous Taiwanese studies focused on university PR in the educational context, whereas the potential function in the communication of research and scientific knowledge received less attention. This study explores how PR departments of academic organizations in Taiwan view their role in the public communication of science. Insights from eleven semistructured interviews with PR officers suggest that public relations departments of academic organizations in Taiwan only half-heartedly contribute to the communication of science. Another interesting finding is that even in the era of socialmedia science, PR still relies heavily on journalism, which in Taiwan lacks professionalism in the communication of science. We suggest a more active role of academic organizations in the public communication of science, pursuing not only marketing or self-presentation goals, but also assuming genuine responsibility for public information about research and scientific knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the multiplicity and complexity of identity construction for elite disabled athletes within the arena of disability sport. This involved in-depth semistructured interviews that explored the experiences of 21 British and Taiwanese elite disabled athletes from the sports of power-lifting and track and field. The results indicate that both societal perceptions based in the medical model of disability and the participants' impaired bodies play a key role in their identity formation and sense of self-worth. The study also highlights the role that success in international disability sport can have by offering potential for positive subjectivity, a changed self-understanding, and an increased sense of personal empowerment. Finally, the notion of multiple identities also appears to be supported by the research participants' narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and liberalization of the international economic and trade market in recent years have accelerated the growth and integration of the international financial market. In this regard, overall economic and financial market indicators become top priority of scholars. Hence, the study intends to explore the correlations of stock market, exchange rate and interest rate in Taiwan. This study mainly analyzes the correlation of variables based on the monthly data of Taiwan market from 1990 to 2018. Through Unit Root Test, Cointegration Test, and Granger Causality Test of Vector Autoregression (VAR), Impulse Response Function and Forecast Error Variance Decomposition, this study analyzes the causal relationship, impulse response and forecast error variance among variables, and identifies leading indicators, response time of variables and impact of other variables. Based on the empirical results of this paper, it can be seen that (1) According to the Granger Causality Test, the exchange rate is the leading indicator among variables in the short term, while the stock market is the leading indicator in the long run. (2) According to the Impulse Response Function, the response of exchange rate and interest rate to stock market is current and immediate, but the response of stock market to exchange rate and interest rate is delayed. (3) According to the Forecast Error Variance Decomposition, the exchange rate is most significantly affected by the stock market, followed by the impact on the stock market by the exchange rate, and the impact on the interest rate by the stock market. Finally, this study puts forward relevant suggestions based on the empirical results, so as to serve as references for further researchers to conduct more complete and objective researches. In addition, this paper, based on the empirical results, hopes to provide academic circles, practical circles and policy makers with reference to Taiwan's overall economic and financial market, and to understand development process of various indicators, so as to achieve market prediction, reduce risks of investment in the financial market, and achieve better investment performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell donors have to face alterations in life style and receive medical care throughout the donation process. Various coping strategies were adopted to influence donors' experiences in the process. Purpose: to explore the subjective experiences of hematopoietic stem cells donors. Methods: A qualitative study was designed and fifteen donors were purposely recruited from a teaching hospital in eastern Taiwan. In-depth interview was conducted until data saturation. A total of 15 in-depth interviews were conducted, once per participant, and the data were analyzed and concluded by content analysis. Result: According to the interview data, 11 themes in 5 stages were identified. At the stage of registration and pairing: altruism; at the stage of successful pairing: surprise, commitment, seeking medical information, and expectation of support; at the stage of donation preparation: nurturing new life; at the stage of donation: psychological burden and spiritual support; at the stage of post-donation: new life experience, recognition of self-worth, blessing, and gratitude, Conclusion/Practical Applications: this study provides an insight into the emotional experience of donors that can serve as a foundation for health care professionals in their provision of individualized care for future donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with multiple myeloma are generally immune-compromised either due to pronounced depression in primary antibody responses or because of anti-myeloma therapy. Infection is a major risk factor for early deaths among these patients. The impact of blood stream infections (BSI) on newly diagnosed myeloma patients has been less studied. We aimed to study the incidence and risk factors of BSI within 3 months after diagnosis of multiple myeloma in a tertiary referral center.Methods: Between November 2002 and December 2008, consecutive patients with multiple myeloma in Taipei Veterans General Hospital were retrospectively enrolled. Characteristics of patients with or without BSI were collected. Possible factors associated with development of BSI were analyzed by Cox regression.Results: There were a total of 222 patients. The incidence of BSI within 3 months after diagnosis is 11.7%. The patients with BSI had poorer survival outcomes than those without (mortality rate: 50% vs. 20.9%, p < 0.001). Moreover, advanced International Staging System stage (stage III vs. I/II: odds ratio [OR] 2.69, p = 0.049) and poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (ECOG > 2 vs. ≤ 2: OR 3.58, p = 0.005) were the independent risk factors of BSI, whereas immunoglobulin deficiency and low absolute lymphocyte count were not associated with risk of BSI development.Conclusions: Our study highlights the characteristic of myeloma patients with BSI and the importance of disease and host factors on risk of BSI. Myeloma patients with risks of BSI should be properly managed to reduce early mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in three topographic sites (summit, foot slope, and lakeshore) from subtropical montane forest ecosystem in Taiwan were examined by using 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis. This locality is temperate, perhumid, and has low soil acidity (pH < 4), which is an uncommon ecosystem in a monsoonal part of Southeast Asia. A total of 481 clones were sequenced and placed into ten phylogenetic groups according to their similarities to type strains of described organisms. Toposequence of the transect was investigated from summit to foot slope and at the lakeshore. More than 86% of the clones were affiliated with members of the Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Within the Proteobacteria, the β-Proteobacteria was the most abundant, then α-Proteobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria. Based on the Shannon diversity index ( H) analysis, the bacterial community in the foot slope was the most diverse ( H = 0.86) and that in summit was the least diverse ( H = 0.68). The composition and diversity of soil bacterial communities in the three sites suggested no trend with topographic change. Less than 20% of the sequences were Acidobacteria-affiliated clones. The low proportion of Acidobacteria observed may be related to the high soil moisture and anaerobic microhabitats. Moreover, Shannon diversity indices revealed these bacterial communities to have lower diversity than that of other temperate ( H = 0.90) and tropical forest ( H = 0.82) ecosystems. The extreme acidity of soil pH and high soil moisture of this forest may explain composition and reduced the diversity of these soil bacterial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses whether and how Taiwan's exports are sensitive to national differences in intellectual property right (IPR) protection, as well as the degree of imitation threat. Applying a longitudinal IPR index developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and using the generalized method of moments dynamic panel data modelling technique to control for endogeneity and panel unit root problems, the empirical results show that the strength of importing countries' IPR protection has a positive impact on Taiwan's exports, supporting the standpoint of market expansion that stronger IPR protection will induce more trade. Under various classification systems to differentiate the degree of threat of imitation across countries, both positive and negative export effects of IPR are found in Taiwan's case. However, the pattern of threat of imitation–trade nexus seems to contradict theory predictions. Moreover, high-tech exports are found be more IPR sensitive than non-high-tech exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests Wagner's Law for China and Taiwan, using annual time series data covering the period 1979-2002. To estimate the long-run relationship between government expenditures and output, we use a robust estimation method known as the Bounds Test based on Unrestricted Error Correction Model (UECM) estimation (Pesaran et a!. (2001)). Empirical results from the Bounds Test indicate that there exists no long-run relationship between government expenditures and output in China and Taiwan. Furthermore, Toda and Yamamoto's (1995) Granger non-causality test results also show that Wagner's Law does not hold for China and Taiwan over this same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare congenital disease with autosomal dominant transmission characterized by the presence of malformations of the big toes and of postnatal progressive heterotopic endochondral osteogenesis. We report the case of 3-year-old girl with dysplasia of the first metatarsal bones and progressive heterotopic ossificans of the right thigh due to previous diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis immunizations and several inappropriate surgical interventions. Direct sequence analysis identified a 617G–A nucleotide mutation in the patient but not in her parents or brother. Pedigree analysis suggests that a de novo mutation in the ACVR1 gene is responsible for the disease in this family. This is the first report of the results of a mutation analysis in a sporadic case of FOP in a Taiwanese patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the positive effects of physical exercise on cognition in children, and recent studies have specifically investigated the cognitive benefits of exercises involving cognitive-motor interactions, such as gymnastics. This study examined the effect of 8 wk of gymnastics training on behavioral and neurophysiological measures of spatial working memory in children. Methods: Forty-four children age 7 to 10 yr were recruited. The experimental group (n = 24; age, 8.7 ± 1.1 yr) was recruited from Yilan County in Taiwan, while the control group (n = 20; age, 8.6 ± 1.1 yr) resided in Taipei City. The experimental group undertook 8 wk of after-school gymnastics training (2 sessions per week, 90 min per session), whereas the control group received no intervention and were instructed to maintain their routine daily activities. Working memory was assessed by performance on a modified delayed match-to-sample test and by event-related potential including the P3 component. Data were collected before and after treatment for the experimental group and at the same time interval for the control group. Results: Response accuracy improved after the experimental intervention regardless of working memory demands. Likewise, the P3 amplitude was larger at the parietal site after gymnastics training regardless of the task difficulty. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a short period of gymnastics training had a general facilitative effect on spatial working memory at both behavioral and neurophysiological levels in children. These finding highlight the potential importance of exercise programs involving cognitive-motor interactions in stimulating development of spatial cognition during childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study focuses mainly on increases in peak discharges with reductions in recurrence intervals for design hydrographs due to growing imperviousness. Rainfall–runoff simulation is a major basis for analyzing the hydrological effects of urbanization. Available recordings of 50 rainfall–runoff events during 1966–2002 were used as the study sample. Forty events were calibrated to determine the relationships between impervious areas and hydrological parameters in the Nash and SCS models. Block Kriging and non-linear programming methods were used to estimate the mean rainfall and its hourly excess value, respectively. The remaining 10 cases were used to test the established relationships. Calibration and verification results confirm that the methods used in this study effectively illustrate the hydrological and geomorphic conditions in complex urbanization processes. The rainfall–runoff routings, by using the design storm approach and the established relationships, demonstrated the following: (1) peak flows of the design flood hydrographs increased by about 127, 266, 375, 440, 515, 564, 593, and 629m3/s for eight return periods, respectively; (2) peak times were individually shortened from 9 to 6h due to urbanization; (3) the recurrence intervals of 200, 100, 50, and 25 years before urbanization were reduced to about 88, 33, 16, and 8 years also due to urbanization if they would have occurred at the present time within the Wu–Tu watershed. Finally, these analytical results can be obtained easily from the designed diagram that shows the relationships among peak discharges, impervious areas and return periods. This research can be used to prevent disasters, loss of life and property damage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]