Routine blood tests to predict liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

AIM: To verify the usefulness of FibroQ for predicting fi brosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C, compared with other noninvasive tests. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 237 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C who had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy before treatment. FibroQ, aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), AST to platelet ratioindex, cirrhosis discriminant score, age-platelet index (API), Pohl score, FIB-4 index, and Lok's model were calculated and compared. RESULTS: FibroQ, FIB-4, AAR, API and Lok's model results increased significantly as fibrosis advanced (analysis of variance test: P < 0.001). FibroQ trended to be superior in predicting signifi cant fi brosis score in chronic hepatitis C compared with other noninvasive tests. CONCLUSION: FibroQ is a simple and useful test for predicting signifi cant fi brosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Detection of Breaking Waves Using X-Band Pulse Radar in the Nearshore Region

An X-band pulsed Doppler microwave radar has been used to determine the characteristics of breaking waves. Field experiments were conducted at the Shuang-Si estuary in the north of Taiwan in the winter of 2005. Analyses on maxima radar cross section and Doppler frequency shift are done to characterize wave breaking zones. Based on observations of breaking waves, the wave breaking zones are shown to be located at water depths of 1.8 to 2.2 m in the experimental site. In general, the results indicate that a radar system has the potential to delineate the spatial variation of breaking waves clearly and that this is sufficient to achieve a measurement operation for near-shore air-sea interaction events.

The Reform of Moral Education in Japan

This research aims at doing the investigations of the moral education curriculum applied in Japanese primary and secondary schools.for the research method,interviews with scholars and school teachers were conducted,meanwhile the responses of subjects were further analyzed.The curriculum about moral courses are the analysises from The soul notebook and Our own moral.Based on the study result,due to Japanese morality curriculum has become an official moral education,and it can become the core of school education and enhance the attention of comprehension to cultivate morality.Therefore,the valuable concept of"thinking morality"or"discussion morality"can be raised.Moreover,through the changes of the current trendency in Japan,the"modern topics",should be contained and connected with the international issues of the morality curriculum.Furthermore,the content limited of the international issues in the academic year should be considered to be expanded more.At last,suggestions for the further research are proposed on the basis of the findings of the present study.

Priority-Aware IP over Hierarchical WDM Ring Networks

WDM （wavelength division multiplexing） appears to be the solution of choice for providing a faster networking infrastructure that can meet the explosive growth of the Internet. It has the scalability problem with increasing the access node numbers in WDM ring architecture, so we further propose the alternatives of hierarchical WDM ring architecture. Since the traditional IP provides the best effort service only, the issue of supporting IP packets with QoS （quality of Service） transfer has become a crucial issue for multimedia transmission. We do so by addressing the priority-aware QoS model. Finally present performance analysis multiple classes of hierarchical WDM ring networks.

Performance Analysis of Integrative QoS Scheme for Routers

This paper proposes an integrative scheme of DiffServ （differentiated service） for the IP-based network. In the scheme, QoS （Quality of Service） is ranked according to the level of both the queuing delay and the drop precedence that base on the relative differentiated service; it does not take the resource reservation problem into consideration for making its implementation more simple and flexible. We will propose an implemented architecture including edge routers and core routers, and the PHB （per-hop-behavior） architecture of the routers is generalized. We adopt ERED （extended random early discard） mechanism for drop precedence and use proportional delay differentiation for queuing delay. In the proportional delay differentiation topic, we propose a new WTP （waiting time priority）-like algorithm. Besides, a new stochastic petri net model of the PHB model is given, and the performance of whole implemented PHB architecture is analyzed, too.

Therapeutics of Stem Cell Treatment in Anti-Aging and Rejuvenation

Aging populations are increasing the incidence of age-related diseases, resulting in problems at the individual and socioeconomic level. The need for effective strategies in regenerative medicine for the elderly is more important than ever. Previous studies have shown that the number and function of stem cells decline with age, thereby undermining endogenous repair processes. It has also been suggested that the aging-induced deterioration of stem cell function may play a key role in the pathophysiology of various aging-related diseases. Recent advances in our understanding of tissue regeneration and the development of methods aimed at inducing and differentiating pluripotent stem cells for cell replacement therapy which provides exciting opportunities for the treatment of degenerative diseases, such as those related to senility. In this review article, we examine several mechanisms that are believed to contribute to the aging-related dysfunction of stem cells associated with diseases of the immune system, cardiac tissue, neuronal system, articular cartilage, and skeletal muscle. We also discuss factors that affect the therapeutic potential of adult stem/progenitor cells as well as current trends in the treatment of these conditions using regenerative medicine.

Reconstruction of the lost colonial architecture in the context of heritage tourism:Dutch Trading Post in Taiwan,China

To strengthen brand identity,enrich tourist experiences,and promote heritage education,Taijiang National Park proposed to reconstruct Taiwan,China’s Dutch Trading Post in a different location from where it was initially erected in the 17th century.This paper is a case study of the reconstruction proposal for a lost colonial architectural complex in the context of heritage tourism.It discusses the practical and academic issues of rebuilding long-lost colonial heritage sites.The author provided a first-hand account of the technical and practical reasoning for reconstructing a bygone complex erected by Dutch settlers.Historical development phases of the Dutch Trading Post of Taiwan,China were first introduced,and then a reconstruction strategy was proposed to resolve conflicts with legal constraints.Additionally,a site selection process using GIS,a conceptually driven plan for reconstruction,and a 3D simulation were provided.Three specific issues in heritage rebuilding were further discussed,including the decision to reconstruct a heritage building(complex),the authenticity of the reconstructed building if done in a different location from where it was initially situated,and the need to discover more archaeological facts.