The building of social resilience in Sichuan after the Wenchuan earthquake: A perspective of the socio-government interactions.

In November 2007, China implemented its Emergency Response Law to ensure national unified leadership and collaboration when responding to emergencies. In recent years, China's main focuses for enhancing disaster management have included emergency preparation, emergency management, and legal system mechanisms. However, its well-designed management system faced a great challenge during the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008.

Identification of spermatozoa using a novel 3-plex MSRE-PCR assay for forensic examination of sexual assaults.

Identification of semen and then spermatozoa is essential to verify that sexual activity has occurred in alleged cases of sexual assault. Microscopic examination commonly used for spermatozoa identification is however time-consuming and can often lead to false-negative results for samples with deformed and, or, limited number of spermatozoa. To address this limitation, we report on a novel 3-plex MSRE-PCR (methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme-PCR) assay to specifically identify spermatozoa.

East China Sea increasingly gains limiting nutrient P from South China Sea.

The Taiwan Strait (TS) directly connects two of the richest fishing grounds in the world - the East China Sea (ECS) and the South China Sea (SCS). Carbon and nutrient supplies are essential for primary production and the Yangtze River is an important source for the ECS. However the ECS is severely P-limited.

Determinants of Importation and Deprivation Models on Committed Juvenile Offenders' Violent Misconduct: A Taiwanese Perspective.

This study draws on theories of importation and deprivation and relies upon self-reported survey data collected in 2015 from 1,045 committed juvenile offenders in Taiwan. Results drawn from Multinomial logistic regressions indicated that among the importation factors, gang membership, volatile temper, and precommitment victimization are significantly associated with violent misconduct. In regard to deprivation factors, longer term of commitment, higher levels of commitment stress, and victimization while committed dramatically increased the levels of violent misconduct, as expected.

The prevalence of mental disorders in Taiwanese prisons: a nationwide population-based study.

Purpose: In Taiwan, few studies explored the morbidity of mental disorders among prisoners. The purpose of this study is conducted to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in Taiwanese prisoners.

Methods: Based on Nationwide population-based databank, 82,650 prisons were studied for mental disorders.

The Effects of Domestic Violence on Violent Prison Misconduct, Health Status, and Need for Post-Release Assistance Among Female Drug Offenders in Taiwan.

Although much research has documented the fact that a high percentage of female inmates serving sentences for drug offenses have experienced domestic violence prior to incarceration, little research has been done to explore the potential long-term impact of domestic violence on prison misconduct, health status, and the need for post-release assistance. Based on survey data for 633 female drug offenders collected from Taiwanese correctional facilities in 2014, about one third (32%) of the offenders reported experienced domestic violence at least once prior to their incarceration. In all, 27% of them experienced being violently abused by a spouse/coinhabitant.

The detection and identification of saliva in forensic samples by RT-LAMP.

We report on a novel method for saliva identification by reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). In our previous report, real-time RT-LAMP was used for blood identification by using HBB detection as a model but in this advanced study, this method was refined for the identification of the more challenging body fluid of saliva. Expression of the18S rRNA gene was used as the internal control and the Statherin (STATH) gene as the saliva-specific marker.

Does the Police-Monitored CCTV Scheme Really Matter on Crime Reduction? A Quasi-Experimental Test in Taiwan's Taipei City.

Although numerous public closed-circuit television (CCTV) initiatives have been implemented at varying levels in Taiwan's cities and counties, systematic evaluations of these crime reduction efforts have been largely overlooked. To address this void, a quasi-experimental evaluation research project was designed to assess the effect of police-monitored CCTV on crime reduction in Taipei City for a period of 54 months, including data for both before and after camera installation dates. A total of 40 viewsheds within a 100-m (328 feet) radius were selected as research sites to observe variations in four types of crime incidents that became known to police during the January 2008 to June 2012 period.

Risk of Nephrolithiasis in Patients With Sleep Apnea: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Study Objectives: To delineate the relationship between sleep apnea and subsequent risk of nephrolithiasis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of a general population sample from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2012. Patients with sleep apnea without prior diagnosis of nephrolithiasis (n = 7,831) were identified and subsequent development of nephrolithiasis was compared to an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 31,293) without sleep apnea.

Poly-Methyl Methacrylate/Polyvinyl Alcohol Copolymer Agents Applied on Diabetic Wound Dressing.

Due to the difficulty of healing chronic wound, in the process of changing dressing, secondary damage on the tissue caused by adhesion should be prevented. In this study, the new dressing of particle hydrogels synthesized with poly-methyl methacrylate and poly-vinyl alcohol precursors were proposed. In addition, cell safety tests, animal's allergic stimulation, and animal's wound healing experiments were conducted for particle hydrogels.

Establishment of 11 linked X-STR loci within 1.1 Mb to assist with kinship testing.

This report identifies and characterizes 10 novel short tandem repeat (STR) loci on the human X chromosome, all of which are within a range of 1.1 Mb. These newly characterized loci were developed to aid in kinship assignment when the X chromosome is specifically required.

Investigation of length heteroplasmy in mitochondrial DNA control region by massively parallel sequencing.

Accurate sequencing of the control region of the mitochondrial genome is notoriously difficult due to the presence of polycytosine bases, termed C-tracts. The precise number of bases that constitute a C-tract and the bases beyond the poly cytosines may not be accurately defined when analyzing Sanger sequencing data separated by capillary electrophoresis. Massively parallel sequencing has the potential to resolve such poor definition and provides the opportunity to discover variants due to length heteroplasmy.

An Evaluation of a Community-Oriented Policing Program in Taiwan.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a community-oriented policing (COP) by documenting results for 16 quantitative outcome variables, including crime incidents, crime clearance, residents' subjective feelings regarding police performance and community safety, and job satisfaction among police officers. The statistical techniques used to analyze the data involved ARIMA interrupted time series, t tests, the Wilcoxon paired signed-rank test, and Pearson's correlation. The quantitative results observed indicated that the program had a positive effect on resident's perceptions for some police performance outcomes and for job satisfaction among police officers.

Evaluating the spore genome sizes of ferns and lycophytes: a flow cytometry approach.

Ferns and lycophytes produce spores to initiate the gametophyte stage for sexual reproduction. Approximately 10% of these seedless vascular plants are apomictic, and produce genomic unreduced spores. Genome size comparisons between spores and leaves are a reliable, and potentially easier way to determine their reproductive mode compared to traditional approaches.

Comparison of Rehydration Techniques for Fingerprinting the Deceased after Mummification.

Postmortem decay causes fingertip decomposition, desiccation, shriveling, and rigidity, reducing the possibility of obtaining sufficiently clear fingerprints for identification. In this study, five rehydration solutions (ammonium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, urea, and warm water) followed by three fingerprint recording methods (photograph, inking roll, and dusting tape) were investigated to process mummified fingertips from an unidentified cadaver. The results show that sodium carbonate treatment is the most effective for minutiae restoration, followed by ammonium hydroxide treatment.

Novel identification of biofluids using a multiplex methylation sensitive restriction enzyme-PCR system.

The identification of a specific body fluid encountered in a forensic investigation can give crucial information. This identification can be aided by methylation profiles based on selected markers specific to a range of biofluids. In this study, the open database of Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip was searched for markers specific for semen, vaginal fluids, saliva, venous blood and menstrual blood.

Novel identification of biofluids using a multiplex methylation-specific PCR combined with single-base extension system.

Purpose: Knowledge of the composition of complex body fluid mixtures may aid forensic investigations greatly. However, many of the traditional tests are presumptive in nature and can lead to ambiguous results. The aim of this study is to establish a reliable method to identify various biofluids via analysis of their DNA methylation profiles.

Dependence of lattice strain relaxation, absorbance, and sheet resistance on thickness in textured ZnO@B transparent conductive oxide for thin-film solar cell applications.

The interplay of surface texture, strain relaxation, absorbance, grain size, and sheet resistance in textured, boron-doped ZnO (ZnO@B), transparent conductive oxide (TCO) materials of different thicknesses used for thin film, solar cell applications is investigated. The residual strain induced by the lattice mismatch and the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient for thicker ZnO@B is relaxed, leading to an increased surface texture, stronger absorbance, larger grain size, and lower sheet resistance. These experimental results reveal the optical and material characteristics of the TCO layer, which could be useful for enhancing the performance of solar cells through an optimized TCO layer.

Marine environmental protection: An application of the nanometer photo catalyst method on decomposition of benzene.

Bioremediation is currently extensively employed in the elimination of coastal oil pollution, but it is not very effective as the process takes several months to degrade oil. Among the components of oil, benzene degradation is difficult due to its stable characteristics. This paper describes an experimental study on the decomposition of benzene by titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanometer photocatalysis.

Chemical derivatization for forensic drug analysis by GC- and LC-MS.

Utilizing chemical derivatization (CD) to improve gas chromatographic (GC) and GC-mass spectrometric (MS) analysis of drugs has been abundantly studied and widely practiced, while in liquid chromatography (LC) and LC-MS, application of CD approaches is still at an early stage. Silylation, acylation, and alkylation are common CD reactions, long adopted by GC and GC-MS (including GC-MS/MS) methodologies, to improve analytes' stability and/or to optimize their extraction/separation and detection efficiencies. Highly polar and nonvolatile analytes are not amenable to GC-MS analysis without the CD step; however, CD can improve LC-MS analysis of highly polar analytes, especially those with low molecular weights.

Residence-Based Fear of Crime: A Routine Activities Approach.

Most fear-of-crime research uses resident's neighborhood as a key reference location to measure fear, yet the location effects of one's own dwelling unit on crime-specific fear has not been explicitly studied theoretically in the literature. Drawing upon routine activities theory, this study undertakes an investigation into the levels and determinants of residence-based fear of crime across three racial/ethnic groups-Whites, African Americans, and non-White Hispanics. Data used in the analyses were collected from a random-sample telephone survey of 1,239 respondents in Houston, Texas.

Investigation into length heteroplasmy in the mitochondrial DNA control region after treatment with bisulfite.

We report on a method to analyze length heteroplasmy within the human mitochondrial genome in which there are polycytosine [poly(C)] stretches. These poly(C) tracts induce heteroplasmy with the resultant inherent problems of accurate sequence designations. In this study, 20 samples that exhibited length heteroplasmy due to variation in the C-tracts within hypervariable region I (HVI) were treated with bisulfite, and one or more cytosine bases in these C-tracts were converted randomly to uracil.