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This retrospective study aims to explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic altered patient conditions and surgery outcomes by studying 213 pressure injury (PI) patients who underwent surgery during 2016 to 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2020 to 2021 (COVID) in Taiwan. We extracted patient demographics, surgical and blood test records, preoperative vital signs, and flap surgery outcomes. In total, 464 surgeries were performed, including 308 pre-COVID and 156 COVID. During the COVID period, there were more patients presenting with dementia, and it had significantly more patients with12 000 white blood cells/μL (24.03% vs 15.59%, P = 0.029), higher C-reactive protein levels (7.13 ± 6.36 vs 5.58 ± 5.09 mg/dL, P = 0.014), pulse rates (86.67 ± 14.76 vs 81.26 ± 13.66 beats/min, P 0.001), and respiratory rates (17.87 ± 1.98 vs 17.31 ± 2.39 breaths/min, P = 0.009) but lower haemoglobin levels (9.75 ± 2.02 vs 10.43 ± 1.67 mg/dL, P 0.001) preoperatively. There were no between-group differences in flap surgery outcomes but had fewer flap surgeries during COVID-19. Thus, PI patient condition was generally poor during the COVID-19 pandemic because of reduced access to medical treatment; this problem may be resolved through holistic care during a future pandemic or pandemic-like situation.

Folium Sennae (FS), a popular laxative (Senna), contains polyphenolic anthranoids, whose conjugation metabolites are probable modulators of multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). We suspected that the combined use of FS might alter the pharmacokinetics of various medicines transported by MRPs or BCRP. This study investigated the effect of FS on the pharmacokinetics of methotrexate (MTX), an anticancer drug and a probe substrate of MRPs/BCRP. Rats were orally administered MTX alone and with two dosage regimens of FS in a parallel design. The results show that 5.0 g/kg of FS significantly increased the AUC0–2880, AUC720–2880 and MRT of MTX by 45%, 102% and 42%, and the seventh dose of 2.5 g/kg of FS significantly enhanced the AUC720–2880 and MRT by 78% and 42%, respectively. Mechanism studies indicated that the metabolites of FS (FSM) inhibited MRP 2 and BCRP. In conclusion, the combined use of FS increased the systemic exposure and MRT of MTX through inhibition on MRP 2 and BCRP.

Following the 2020 COVID-19 worldwide outbreak, many countries adopted sanitary and safety measures to safeguard public health such as wearing medical face mask. While face masks became a necessity for people, disadvantages impede their long period wearing such as uncomfortable breathability and odor. The intermediate layer of the medical face mask is composed of porous non-woven fabric to block external particles while maintaining breathability. To overcome aforementioned limitation, this study uses electrospinning to design and fabricate odorless face masks via the use of aromatic oil. Eucalyptus essential oil is encapsulated through mixing and layer-by-layer by hydrophobic polyvinyl butyral and further used to fabricate the medical mask intermediate layer. We found that adding 0.2 g of eucalyptus into polyvinyl butyral fabric through mixing results in the deodorization rate of 80% after 2 h, with fabric thickness of 440.9 μm, and melt-blown non-woven fabric thickness of 981.7 μm. The Particle Filtration Efficiency of 98.3%, Bacterial Filtration Efficiency above 99.9%, and the differential pressure of 4.7 mm H2O/cm2 meet the CNS 14774 standard on medical face masks. Therefore, this study successfully proved that this type of masks’ middle layer not only effectively protects against coronavirus, but also provides better scents and makes it more comfortable for consumers.

The role of allopurinol usage in colorectal cancer (CRC) has no definite conclusion. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between allopurinol usage and CRC risk in Taiwan. Using the National Health Insurance Database, we conducted a case-control study of cases who were ≥20 years old and had newly diagnosed CRC for the period from 2000 to 2013. The controls were matched to cases by age, sex, index year, comorbidities, and socioeconomic status using propensity scores. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were measured by the conditional logistic regression model. We examined 4372 cases and 4372 matched controls. A statistically significant correlation was noted between allopurinol usage and CRC risk (OR, 0.79; 95%CI, 0.69-0.90). We used the cumulative-defined daily doses (cDDDs) in a further subgroup analysis, the ORs decreased from tertile 1 (T1; low dose,12 cDDDs), T2 (medium dose, 12 to 88.5 cDDDs), to T3 (high dose,88.5 cDDDs). These values were 0.85 (95%CI, 0.69-1.06), 0.77 (95%CI, 0.62-0.95), to 0.76 (95%CI, 0.61-0.94). The results indicated a dose-response relationship between allopurinol usage and CRC risk (P for trend.001). We thus inferred that patients with medium and high doses of allopurinol (≥12 cDDDs) had a statistically significantly decreased CRC risk.

Background Previous studies have reported associations between hearing impairment (HI) and cognitive impairment, but the evidence is not conclusive while considering concurrent geriatric syndromes. Especially, evidence from previous studies rarely came from Asian studies. This study aimed to evaluate the independent effects of HI and hearing aid use on the incidence of cognitive impairment while considering most geriatric confounders. Methods This population-based, propensity-score matched cohort study used cohort from Waves IV–VII (1999–2011) survey of the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA). Cognitive impairment was identified based on Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) scores. The hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using the Cox proportional hazard regression adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, socioeconomic status, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scores, the instrumental activities of daily living scale, mobility condition and quality of life. In addition, social support and participation were also considered as confounders in the analysis. To assess the robustness of our findings, we conducted a sensitivity analysis designed to access unmeasured confounding factors by calculating E-values. Results After 1:1 propensity-score matching, we included 709 participants in both the HI and non-HI groups with a mean age of 73.4 years and 39.4% of participants were female. The mean follow-up was 8.9 ± 3.9 years. The HI group had a higher incidence of cognitive impairment than the non-HI group (74.5% vs. 69.1%, respectively), with an adjusted HR of 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.32) based on a 12-year follow up. The E-value was 1.45 for the estimate, which provided evidence for this study’s robustness. Although, a subgroup analysis showed that hearing aid use was associated with lower incidences of cognitive impairment (66.3% vs. 75.6%) when compared to non-users in the HI group, the adjusted HR of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.61–1.09) revealed no significant differences. Conclusions HI was an independent risk factor of incident cognitive impairment on top of concurrent geriatric syndromes. Early HI detection may thus be effective for preventing cognitive decline. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of hearing aid use on the prevention of cognitive decline.

Coptidis Rhizoma (CR), the rhizome of Coptis chinensis FRANCH, is a popular Chinese herb. CR contains plenty of isoquinoline alkaloids such as berberine, coptisine and palmatine. Cyclosporine (CSP), an important immunosuppressant with narrow therapeutic window, is employed as a probe substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and CYP3A4 in order to investigate the in vivo modulation effect of CR on P-gp and CYP3A4. Three groups of rats were orally administered CSP without and with single dose or repeated dosing of CR in a parallel design. Blood samples were collected at specific time points and the blood CSP concentration was determined by a specific monoclonal fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The results showed that a single dose (1.0 g/kg) and the 7th dose (1.0 g/kg) of CR significantly decreased the Cmax of CSP by 56.9% and 70.4%, and reduced the AUC0-540 by 56.4% and 68.7%, respectively. Cell study indicated that CR decoction, berberine, coptisine, palmatine all activated the efflux transport of P-gp. Ex-vivo study showed that the serum metabolites of CR activated CYP 3A4. In conclusion, through using CSP as an in vivo probe substrate, we have verified that oral intake of CR activated the functions of P-gp and CYP3A based on in vivo and in vitro studies. Keywords: Cyclosporine, P-glycoprotein, Cytochrome P450 3A, Herb–drug interactions, Pharmacokinetics

Background: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process that identifies geriatric syndrome in older adults. However, CGA program is not appropriate in community screening. To the best of our knowledge, there is no applicable multidimensional screening model to evaluate geriatric syndrome in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to identify the risk factors of geriatric syndrome among physical function tests, socioeconomic status, medical history, and healthy behaviours in community-dwelling older adults and develop a multidimensional prediction model for community screening. Methods: A total of 1313 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or above were recruited from 58 communities in four aging cities in Taiwan. Geriatric syndrome was defined by disability using Instrumental Activities of Daily Livings, cognitive impairment using Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, depression using Geriatric Depression Scale, or by receiving mild disability card. The cutoff values of the physical function tests were calculated using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the risk factors of geriatric syndrome, and the risk model was developed using stepwise logistic regression. Results: We developed the new cutoff values in predicting geriatric syndrome for dominant handgrip strength test, 6-meter walk, and timed up-and-go tests, which were significantly associated with geriatric syndrome. Moreover, male sex, obesity, absence of labour activities, and participants who cannot report personal information, had depressive mood for the past 2 weeks, and a history of heart disease were associated with geriatric syndrome. Finally, we developed Taiwan Risk Scores for Geriatric Syndrome (TRSGS) with the cutoff value of 6 (sensitivity, 77.2%; specificity, 75.5%). Conclusions: Most of the screening tools focus on specific problems such as sarcopenia, dementia, or frailty. The TRSGS model demonstrated a multidimensional prediction model, which could be applied in community screening for geriatric syndrome. Management of risk factors to prevent geriatric syndrome in the community is important.

Prior studies suggest that individual differences in stress responses contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, we investigated the role of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) E3 ligase protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 (PIAS1) in mediating stress responses to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). We found that mRNA and protein levels of PIAS 1 were decreased in the hippocampus of high-susceptibility (HS) mice but not in low-susceptibility (LS) mice after CSDS. Local overexpression of PIAS1 in the hippocampus followed by CSDS exposure promoted stress resilience by attenuating social avoidance and improving anxiety-like behaviors. Viral-mediated gene transfer to generate a conditional knockdown of PIAS1 in the hippocampus promoted social avoidance and stress vulnerability after subthreshold microdefeat. HS mice displayed decreased levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression, and GR SUMOylation in the hippocampus was associated with stress vulnerability. Furthermore, cytokine/chemokine levels were changed predominantly in the hippocampus of HS mice. These results suggest that hippocampal PIAS1 plays a role in the regulation of stress susceptibility by post-translational modification of GRs.

Aim To examine the changes in the risks of death and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with conventional synthetic or biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARD or bDMARD) during 1997-2013. Methods Two cohorts of RA patients and their matched controls were identified from the National Health Insurance Research database. There were 1569 patients in the csDMARD cohort who received cyclosporine ≥50 mg/d with concomitant usage of ≥2 csDMARDs during 1997-2003. There were 1530 patients in the bDMARD cohort if patients had ≥1 claim for bDMARD during 2003-2011. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for the risk of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the Cox proportional hazards models. Results Compared with matched cohorts, the incidence of death was higher with csDMARD with a more than 6-fold increase (csDMARD vs controls: 33% vs 5%); while it only increased with a much smaller magnitude with bDMARD (bDMARD vs controls: 15% vs 11%). In addition, an increase in the reduction of incidence rate of stroke with bDMARD (bDMARD vs controls: 2% vs 5%) than that with csDMARD (csDMARD vs controls: 3% vs 4%) was found. Results from multivariate analysis showed that RA patients receiving bDMARD had a significantly lower increase in the risk of deaths (aHR 1.05; 95% CI 0.84-1.33) compared with those receiving csDMARD (aHR 8.75; 95% CI 7.43-10.31). In addition, bDMARD was associated with a higher reduction in the risk of stroke compared with csDMARD (bDMARD: aHR 0.37; 95% CI 0.22-0.62; csDMARD: aHR 0.73; 95% CI 0.51-1.05). Conclusion Biologics used in RA patients have been shown to have a beneficial impact on improving clinical outcomes, including decreased risks of death and stroke. The economic burden from costs of biologics may be alleviated by improving outcomes.

Indican (indoxyl-β-D-glucoside) is present in several Chinese herbs e.g. Isatis indigotica, Polygonum tinctorium and Polygonum perfoliatum. The major metabolite of indican was indoxyl sulfate (IS), an uremic toxin which was a known substrate/inhibitor of organic anion transporter (OAT) 1, OAT 3 and multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) 4. Methotrexate (MTX), an important immunosuppressant with narrow therapeutic window, is a substrate of OAT 1, 2, 3, 4 and MRP 1, 2, 3, 4. We hypothesized that IS, the major metabolite of oral indican, might inhibit the renal excretion of MTX mediated by OAT 1, OAT 3 and MRP 4. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of oral indican on the pharmacokinetics of MTX. Rats were orally given MTX with and without indican (20.0 and 40.0 mg/kg) in a parallel design. The serum MTX concentration was determined by a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. For mechanism clarification, phenolsulfonphthalein (PSP, 5.0 mg/kg), a probe substrate of OAT 1, OAT 3, MRP 2 and MRP 4, was intravenously given to rats with and without a intravenous bolus of IS (10.0 mg/kg) to measure the effect of IS on the elimination of PSP. The results indicated that 20.0 and 40.0 mg/kg of oral indican significantly increased the area under concentration–time curve0-t (AUC0-t) of MTX by 231% and 259%, prolonged the mean residence time (MRT) by 223% and 204%, respectively. Furthermore, intravenous IS significantly increased the AUC0-t of PSP by 204% and decreased the Cl by 68%. In conclusion, oral indican increased the systemic exposure and MRT of MTX through inhibition on multiple anion transporters including OAT 1, OAT 3 and MRP 4 by the major metabolite IS. Keywords: Indican, Indoxyl sulfate, Methotrexate, Anion transporters, Pharmacokinetics

Purpose To quantify the 2-year success rate and complications of trabeculectomy with adjunctive mitomycin C (MMC). Methods A retrospective chart review was undertaken of 147 eyes that had undergone trabeculectomy with adjunctive MMC (concentration from 0.1 to 0.27 mg/mL) and at least 2 years' follow-up between January 2001 and March 2010. Demographic and clinical data were collected from all patients at the time of surgery and subsequent follow-up visits. Complete success was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) ≤ 21 mmHg without any additional medication, whereas qualified success was defined as IOP ≤21 mmHg with or without medication. Results At 24 months, mean IOP was 16.4 ± 10.6 mmHg, with a mean IOP decrease of 19.8 ± 14.2 mmHg. In primary glaucoma patients (n = 66), 60.6% and 95.4% of eyes achieved complete success and qualified success, respectively, at 2-year follow-up. Sub-group analysis of the initial trabeculectomy in primary glaucoma patients (n = 49) showed that complete and qualified success increased to 65.3% and 98.0%, respectively. The success rate was lower in secondary glaucoma patients (n = 74), with complete success at 41.9% and qualified success at 67.6% at 2-year follow-up. Eighty-six eyes (58.5%) developed one or more complications, from mild, such as hyphema, to severe, such as bleb leakage, which could necessitate surgical intervention. Twenty-six eyes developed severe complications, such as wound gap after 5 postoperative days, hypotony, hypotony maculopathy, choroidal detachment, overhanging bleb, bleb leakage, and endophthalmitis. A comparison between eyes with severe complications and other eyes in relation to different MMC amount, defined as MMC concentration multiplied by application duration, revealed no significant difference (p = 0.136). Further glaucoma surgery was performed in 27 eyes (18.4%). Conclusion The outcome of trabeculectomy with low-dose intraoperative MMC is favorable in primary glaucoma patients at 2-year follow-up. Severe complications are not significantly related to MMC amount. Factors associated with severe complications require further study. Careful selection of MMC concentration and application time based on preoperative and intraoperative risk factors may further improve surgical results.

Aloe, the leaf juice of Aloe vera, is a popular functional food worldwide. The major constituents of aloe are polyphenolic anthranoids such as aloin, aloe-emodin and rhein. Cyclosporine (CSP), an immunosuppressant with a narrow therapeutic window, is a probe substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an efflux pump, and CYP 3A4. This study first investigated the serum kinetics of aloe, then evaluated the modulation effects of aloe on P-gp and CYP 3A through an aloe–CSP interaction study in rats. The serum kinetic study showed that aloe-emodin glucuronides (G) and rhein sulfates/glucuronides (S/G) were major molecules in the bloodstream. The aloe–CSP interaction study showed that the systemic exposure to CSP was significantly decreased by either a single dose or multiple doses of aloe. The results of in vitro studies indicated that aloe activated P-gp and aloe metabolites activated CYP 3A4. In conclusion, aloe ingestion activated the functions of P-gp and CYP 3A in rats.

In order to mitigate the landslide hazard induced by the earthquake, the evaluation of the possible affected area is required. Typically, the landslide affected area involved both the sliding area and the run-out distance of the sliding mass. To understand the run-out behavior of the earthquake-induced landslide, a two-stage numerical model was developed in this study to simulate the sliding behavior of the sliding body, and to estimate the potentially affected area. A commercially available program FLAC was used, and the field cases induced by the Chi-Chi Earthquake were used for the study.

Aminopropyl-functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous materials (NH2-SBA-15) with different lengths of channeling pores and aminopropyl loadings up to 2.6 mmol g−1 were synthesized by one-pot co-condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) with the aid of appropriate amounts of Zr(IV) ions and NaCl. The morphologies and pore lengths of the resultant materials were tuned by varying the Zr/TEOS and NaCl/TEOS molar ratios in the synthesis gels. The assembly processes were examined by in situsmall-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and conventional characterization techniques. Accordingly, TEOS prehydrolysis for around 2 h in the synthesis solution before the addition of APTMS was essential for preparing platelet NH2-SBA-15 materials with well-ordered p6mmpore structure and narrowly distributed pore size distribution, due to the strong interference from APTMS. When applying these materials as solid base catalysts in solvent-free flavanone synthesis, the platelet material with short-channeling poresca. 200–300 nm was superior to the rod-like and fiber-like counterparts with lengthy channels in the micrometre scale due to better molecular diffusion and less possibility of pore blockage. Furthermore, the platelet materials with high surface areas (∼450 m2 g−1) and amino loadings around 1.4–1.8 mmol N g−1 were the most efficient catalysts for flavanone synthesis, and the high activity was retained by a simple regeneration method.

Solar power is one of the most popular developing industries in the world. This study uses grey relational analysis to evaluate solar power products connected to the gen-connected system, hybrid-system and standalone system, with tracking system, tracking system with motors, and stationary type to select the most effective.

Highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles containing mesoporous silicas MCM-41 and MCM-48 were prepared by one-pot synthesis. The method consists of the simultaneous formation of CTA + surfactant templating MCM-41 mesophase and CTA + micelle-capped PdO, which was reduced by hydrogen to Pd metal with particle size ≈ 2 nm and was observed to stay inside the mesochannels of MCM-41 (pore size ≈ 3.8 nm) by TEM, XAS, and PXRD. During hydrothermal synthesis of Pd/MCM-48, Pd nanoparticles of average size ≈ 6–7 nm were deposited on the MCM-48 of pore size = 4 nm. The deposition is probably derived from ethanol reduction of Pd(II) complex generated from PdCl 2 precursor by hydrolysis of TEOS and C 12 H 25 (OCH 2 CH 2 ) 4 OH surfactant. The formation of Pd(0) from Pd(II) species in solid mesoporous silicas by hydrogen reduction was monitored by in situ XAS, and compared with the formation of Pd(0) from [PdCl 4 ] 2− , [PdCl 3 (H 2 O)], and Pd(OH) 2 by sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant and alcohol reduction in aqueous solutions.

The aim of this short study was to develop a novel method of sample presentation that will allow currently available DMA apparatus designed for the testing of self-supporting materials to detect amorphous content in controlled mixtures of amorphous and crystalline powders. The preparation of amorphous lactose was carried out by spraying drying, using a Büchi mini spray drier. Controlled mixtures of amorphous and crystalline lactose were produced to give eight samples ranging between 2% and 75% (w/w) amorphous content. These powdered mixtures were loaded into the DMA using a novel powder-pocket device, which consisted of folded sheet of stainless steel. The pocket was clamped directly into the DMA using a single cantilever configuration, and subjected to oscillating displacement, forcing horizontal shearing of the powder between the two plates of the pocket. Typical experimental parameters were a dynamic displacement of 0.05 mm with a frequency of 1 Hz and a heating rate of 5 degrees C/min, from 25 degrees C to 250 degrees C. Over the glass transition region of amorphous lactose, the storage modulus decreased rapidly and a peak was observed in the tandelta signal, which are typical DMA responses for self-supporting glassy materials over their glass transition region. In both the storage modulus and tandelta signals, contributions from both plasticized and non-plasticized amorphous lactose were demonstrated. Such an observation was caused by the powder pocket restricting the loss of the 2.5% (w/w) water present in the spray-dried lactose within the time scale of the first heating cycle. The tandelta peak for the non-plasticized amorphous lactose showed Arrhenius behaviour as function of oscillation frequency. The relationship between the increase in the tandelta peak with increasing frequency allowed the determination of an activation energy that was comparable to the literature values for similar compounds. The height of the tandelta peak for the non-plasticized material was directly proportional to the amount of amorphous lactose present in the mixtures. The glass transition response was still detectable in mixtures containing as little as 2% (w/w) amorphous content, however the theoretical limit of detection was higher than that determined for the same mixtures using solution calorimetry. The results demonstrate that the novel powder pocket allows the use of conventional DMA instruments for the analysis of pharmaceutical powders, however the technique requires more development to further reduce its theoretical limit of detection.

Curcumin, a specific secondary metabolite of Curcuma species, has potentials for a variety of beneficial health effects. It is nowadays used as a dietary supplement. Everolimus (EVL) is an immunosuppressant indicated for allograft rejection and cancer therapy, but with narrow therapeutic window. EVL is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). This study investigated the effect of coadministration of curcumin on the pharmacokinetics of EVL in rats and the underlying mechanisms. EVL (0.5 mg/kg) was orally administered without and with 50 and 100 mg/kg of curcumin, respectively, in rats. Blood samples were collected at specific time points and EVL concentrations in blood were determined by QMS® immunoassay. The underlying mechanisms were evaluated using cell model and recombinant CYP 3A4 isozyme. The results indicated that 50 and 100 mg/kg of curcumin significantly decreased the AUC0-540 of EVL by 70.6% and 71.5%, respectively, and both dosages reduced the Cmax of EVL by 76.7%. Mechanism studies revealed that CYP3A4 was markedly activated by curcumin metabolites, which apparently overrode the inhibition effects of curcumin on P-gp. In conclusion, oral intake of curcumin significantly decreased the bioavailability of EVL, a probe substrate of P-gp/CYP 3A4, mainly through marked activation on CYP 3A4.

High levels of ozone occur frequently in Taipei, with the peak concentration appearing at noon. Favorable meteorological conditions are extremely important in explaining the observed episodes at stations located in central Taipei. Liu et al. (Atmospheric Environment24A, 1461–1472, 1990) have proposed that the existence of a simplified local land-sea breeze circulation helps to form a temporal stagnant environment during morning hour which is conductive to the photochemical production and accumulation of oxidants. In this paper, the authors focus on analysing the relationship between the morning stagnant condition and the local diurnal circulation, and hope to set up a proper procedure for episode forecast. Through a detailed comparison of the surface meteorological data observed on the ozone episode days and those collected on the low ozone days, it is found that intensified temperature increases, high percentage of low cloud cover, no precipitation, clockwise change of wind direction and a high percentage of low wind speed from sunrise to noon, are the crucial parameters accompanying the noontime high levels of ozone. These findings are further clarified through an intensive observation program during 1989. The analyses of the intensive observation data suggest that the morning stagnant condition occurs due to a transition of flow divergence after sunrise to a flow convergence at noon in the basin. The major causes of such a transition are the diabatic solar heating and an efficient city heat accumulation which is characterized by an enhanced temperature gradient between the surrounding mountains and the basin during hours of large sea-land temperature gradient, in addition to the nighttime radiative cooling. Significant convective activities are observed in the afternoon. All these findings are combined into a proposed procedure for ozone episode forecast, in which the identification of a favorable synoptic environment allowing a significant development of local circulation is the first crucial step toward a successful prediction.

Product quality for plastic injection molding process is highly related with the settings for its process parameters. Additionally, the product quality is not simply based on a single quality index, but multiple interrelated quality indices. To find the settings for the process parameters such that the multiple quality indices can be simultaneously optimized is becoming a research issue and is now known as finding the efficient frontier of the process parameters. This study considers three quality indices in the plastic injection molding: war page, shrinkage, and volumetric shrinkage at ejection. A digital camera thin cover is taken as an investigation example to show the method of finding the efficient frontier. Solidworks and Moldflow are utilized to create the part's geometry and to simulate the injection molding process, respectively. Nine process parameters are considered in this research: injection time, injection pressure, packing time, packing pressure, cooling time, cooling temperature, mold open time, melt temperature, and mold temperature. Taguchi's orthogonal array L27 is applied to run the experiments, and analysis of variance is then used to find the significant process factors with the significant level 0.05. In the example case, four process factors are found significant. The four significant factors are further used to generate 34 experiments by complete experimental design. Each of the experiments is run in Moldflow. The collected experimental data with three quality indices and four process factors are further used to generate three multiple regression equations for the three quality indices, respectively. Then, the three multiple regression equations are applied to generate 1,225 theoretical datasets. Finally, data envelopment analysis is adopted to find the efficient frontier of the 1,225 theoretical datasets. The found datasets on the efficient frontier are with the optimal quality. The process parameters of the efficient frontier are further validated by Moldflow. This study demonstrates that the developed procedure has proved a useful optimization procedure that can be applied in practice to the injection molding process.