The Prevalence and Risk Analysis of Cerebral Palsy and Other Neuro-Psychological Comorbidities in Children with Low Birth Weight in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

: This study evaluated early childhood comorbidities of cerebral palsy (CP) in low birth weight (LBW) children and assessed the impact of maternal bio-psychosocial factors on CP risk in preterm infants of varying birth weights (BWs). : Data from 15,181 preterm infants (2009-2013) and 151,810 controls were analyzed using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. CP prevalence and LBW-associated comorbidities were examined, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated.

Spiro-Twisted Benzoxazine Derivatives Bearing Nitrile Group for All-Solid-State Polymer Electrolytes in Lithium Batteries.

In this study, two nitrile-functionalized spiro-twisted benzoxazine monomers, namely 2,2'-((6,6,6',6'-tetramethyl-6,6',7,7'-tetrahydro-2H,2'H-8,8'-spirobi[indeno[5,6-e][1,3]oxazin]-3,3'(4H,4'H)-diyl)bis(4,1-phenylene))diacetonitrile (TSBZBC) and 4,4'-(6,6,6',6'-tetramethyl-6,6',7,7'-tetrahydro-2H,2'H-8,8'-spirobi[indeno[5,6-e][1,3]oxazin]-3,3'(4H,4'H)-diyl)dibenzonitrile (TSBZBN) were successfully developed as cross-linkable precursors. In addition, the incorporation of the nitrile group by covalent bonding onto the crosslinked spiro-twisted molecular chains improve the miscibility of SPE membranes with lithium salts while maintaining good mechanical properties. Owing to the presence of a high fractional free volume of spiro-twisted matrix, the -CN groups would have more space for rotation and vibration to assist lithium migration, especially for the benzyl cyanide-containing SPE.

A robust association test with multiple genetic variants and covariates.

Due to the advancement of genome sequencing techniques, a great stride has been made in exome sequencing such that the association study between disease and genetic variants has become feasible. Some powerful and well-known association tests have been proposed to test the association between a group of genes and the disease of interest. However, some challenges still remain, in particular, many factors can affect the performance of testing power, e.

Epoxy-Based Interlocking Membranes for All Solid-State Lithium Ion Batteries: The Effects of Amine Curing Agents on Electrochemical Properties.

In this study, a series of crosslinked membranes were prepared as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for all-solid-state lithium ion batteries (ASSLIBs). An epoxy-containing copolymer (glycidyl methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, PGA) and two amine curing agents, linear Jeffamine ED2003 and hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI), were utilized to prepare SPEs with various crosslinking degrees. The PGA/polyethylene oxide (PEO) blends were cured by ED2003 and PEI to obtain slightly and heavily crosslinked structures, respectively.

The effect of weather, air pollution and seasonality on the number of patient visits for epileptic seizures: A population-based time-series study.

Objective: The objective of the study was to explore the influences of seasonality, meteorological conditions, and air pollution exposure on the number of patients who visit the hospital due to seizures.

Methods: Outpatient and inpatient data from the National Health Insurance Database of Taiwan from 2009 to 2013, meteorological data from the Meteorological Bureau, and air pollution exposure data from the Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Stations were collected and integrated into daily time series data. The following data processing and analysis results are based on the mean of the 7 days' lag data of the 18 meteorological condition/air pollution exploratory factors to identify the critical meteorological conditions and air pollution exposure factors by executing univariate analysis.

Synthesis and Properties of Cyclopentyl Cardo-Type Polyimides Based on Dicyclopentadiene.

A crucial polymer intermediate, 4-[1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclopentyl]-phenol (bisphenol CP), was developed from dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), a key byproduct of the C5 fraction in petrochemicals. On the basis of bisphenol CP, a diamine, 4,4'-((cyclopentane-1,1-diylbis(4,1-phenylene))bis(oxy))-dianiline (cyclopentyl diamine; CPDA) was subsequently obtained through a nucleophilic substitution of bisphenol CP, followed by the hydrogenation process. By using the CPDA diamine, a series of polyimides with cyclopentyl (cardo) units on the backbone were prepared along with a reference polyimide (API-6F) based on 4,4'-(4,4'-(propane-2,2-diyl)bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(oxy)dianiline (BPAA), and 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)-diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) for the exploration of structure-properties relationship.

In Search of a Green Process: Polymeric Films with Ordered Arrays via a Water Droplet Technique.

As an efficient technique for the preparation of polymeric hexagonal orderly arrays, the breath figure (BF) process has opened a modern avenue for a bottom-up fabrication method for more than two decades. Through the use of the water vapor condensation on the solution surface, the water droplets will hexagonally pack into ordered arrays, acting as a template for controlling the regular micro patterns of polymeric films. Comparing to the top-down techniques, such as lithography or chemical etching, the use of water vapor as the template provides a simple fabrication process with sustainability.

Association of epilepsy and asthma: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Background: Epidemiologic data supporting the epilepsy-asthma association are insufficient. Therefore, we examined this association in this study.

Methods: By using claims data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (Taiwan), we executed a retrospective cohort analysis.

A powerful and robust test in genetic association studies.

There are several well-known single SNP tests presented in the literature for detecting gene-disease association signals. Having in place an efficient and robust testing process across all genetic models would allow a more comprehensive approach to analysis. Although some studies have shown that it is possible to construct such a test when the variants are common and the genetic model satisfies certain conditions, the model conditions are too restrictive and in general difficult to verify.

Confidence bands for the difference between two median survival times as a function of covariates.

In this paper, the estimation of the difference between two median survival times is considered when two treatment groups of right-censored data and the associated covariates are available. To identify the possible range of covariates over which the two treatments would produce different median survival times, two confidence bands for the difference as a function of the covariates are proposed under the stratified and treatment-specific Cox models, respectively. The results of a simulation study indicate that the latter generally maintains its confidence level and the former holds its confidence level and preserves a narrower width when the two treatments satisfy the stratified Cox model.

Quarantine for SARS, Taiwan.

During the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Taiwan, >150,000 persons were quarantined, 24 of whom were later found to have laboratory-confirmed SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection. Since no evidence exists that SARS-CoV is infective before the onset of symptoms and the quarantined persons were exposed but not symptomatic, we thought the quarantine's effectiveness should be investigated. Using the Taiwan quarantine data, we found that the onset-to-diagnosis time of previously quarantined confirmed case-patients was significantly shortened compared to that for those who had not been quarantined.