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  • 1
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    IJERPH, Vol. 12, Pages 10522-10535: The Experiences of Tobacco Use among South-Western Taiwanese Adolescent Males (2015)
    MDPI Publishing
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-29
    Description: Most smokers start young. Initiation of cigarette smoking at an earlier age leads to more life-years for tobacco use, makes quitting harder, and increases the risk of serious health consequences. Despite these challenges, research focusing on smoking behavior among adolescent boys in Taiwan is rare. Although the Taiwanese government enacted the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in 2009, aimed at prevention and reducing the rate of smoking, the percentage of high school students who smoke has continued to increase. In 2006, 7.5% of adolescent boys engaged in smoking. By 2012 the rate had increased to 24.6%. This paper explores the experiences that contribute to adolescent Taiwanese boys making the decision to smoke. A phenomenological approach to inquiry was used as the philosophical foundations for this study with twelve adolescent boys who engaged in smoking behaviors. Data was gathered through two face-to-face semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Data analysis was performed using Colaizzi’s analysis method. Findings indicated that decisions to begin smoking were motivated by curiosity and as a means of establishing friendships while decisions to continue smoking were linked to the addictive nature of smoking and as a means of coping with stress and passing the time. The findings can be used to inform the prevention of tobacco use and to reduce the high smoking rates among adolescent boys.
    Print ISSN: 1661-7827
    Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
    Topics: Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering , Medicine
    Published by MDPI Publishing
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  • 2
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    Entropy, Vol. 17, Pages 755-762: Thermodynamic Analysis about Nucleation and Growth of Cubic Boron Nitride Crystals in the hBN-Li3N System under High Pressure and High Temperature (2015)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Entropy
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-02-10
    Description: The nucleation of cubic boron nitride (cBN) single crystals synthesized with lithium nitride (Li3N) as a catalyst under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) was analyzed. Many nanometer-sized cubic boron nitride nuclei formed in the near surface layer, as detected by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Based on the experiment results, the transformation kinetics is described by a nucleation and growth process in the thermodynamic stability region of cBN. A theoretical description is developed based on the heterogeneous nucleation and layer growth mechanism, and the relevant parameters are estimated and discussed. The critical crystal radius, r*, increases with the temperature under constant pressure; the change with temperature more pronounced at lower pressure (such as 4.5 GPa). The crystal growth velocity increased with the temperature, and it is parabolic with temperature under certain pressure. These results are consistent with experimental data.
    Electronic ISSN: 1099-4300
    Topics: Chemistry and Pharmacology , Physics
    Published by MDPI Publishing
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  • 3
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    IJERPH, Vol. 13, Pages 235: Appropriate LDL-C-to-HDL-C Ratio Cutoffs for Categorization of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Uygur Adults in Xinjiang, China (2016)
    MDPI Publishing
    Details
    Publication Date: 2016-02-20
    Description: Elevated LDL-C/HDL-C ratio has been shown to be a marker of lipid metabolism as well as a good predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD). Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio is useful for detecting cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in general healthy Uygur adults in Xinjiang. A total of 4047 Uygur subjects aged ≥35 years were selected from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey (CRS) study which was carried out from October 2007 to March 2010. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, lipid profile and fasting glucose were measured in all participants. The prevalence, sensitivity, specificity and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were calculated. The prevalence of high LDL-C and low HDL-C cholesterol was high and positively correlated with higher LDL-C/HDL-C ratio in the Uygur population. In both men and women, we detected a slight apparent trend of high prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia with higher LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. Our study also demonstrated that the discriminatory power of the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio for CVD risk factors was slightly stronger in men than in women. Analysis of the shortest distance in the ROC curves for hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, or ≥two of these risk factors suggested a LDL-C/HDL-C ratio cutoff of 2.5 for both men and women. The results of this study showed that a LDL-C/HDL-C ratio cut-off of 2.5 might be used as the predictive marker to detect CVD risk factors among Uygur adults in Xinjiang.
    Print ISSN: 1661-7827
    Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
    Topics: Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering , Medicine
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  • 4
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    Entropy, Vol. 16, Pages 912-920: Thermodynamic Analysis of the V-Shaped Area of High Pressure and High Temperature in Cubic Boron Nitride Synthesis with Li3N as a Catalyst (2014)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Entropy
    Details
    Publication Date: 2014-02-15
    Description: The possibilities of different phase transitions to cBN with Li3N as catalyst at high temperature and high pressure (1600–2200 K, 4.8–6.0 GPa) are analyzed, in the framework of the second law of thermodynamics. The Gibbs free energy (∆G) of three reactions which may happen in the Li3N-BN system: hBN + Li3N→Li3BN2, hBN→cBN, and Li3BN2→cBN + Li3N, is calculated, with the influence of high temperature and high pressure on volume included. We show that ∆G of hBN + Li3N→Li3BN2 and hBN→cBN are between −35~−10 KJ·mol−1 and −25~−19 KJ·mol−1, respectively. However, ∆G of Li3BN2→cBN + Li3N can be positive or negative. The area formed by the positive data is a V-shaped area, which covers the most part of the cBN growing V-shaped area. It confirms that Li3BN2 is stable in the P-T area of cBN synthesis, and cBN is probably transformed directly from hBN. Analysis suggests that Li3BN2 promotes the transition from hBN to cBN.
    Electronic ISSN: 1099-4300
    Topics: Chemistry and Pharmacology , Physics
    Published by MDPI Publishing
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  • 5
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    Sensors, Vol. 17, Pages 1255: Nanoporous Gold Films Prepared by a Combination of Sputtering and Dealloying for Trace Detection of Benzo[a]pyrene Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy (2017)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Sensors
    Details
    Publication Date: 2017-06-02
    Description: A wavelength-interrogated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a nanoporous gold (NPG) film has been fabricated for the sensitive detection of trace quantities of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in water. The large-area uniform NPG film was prepared by a two-step process that includes sputtering deposition of a 60-nm-thick AuAg alloy film on a glass substrate and chemical dealloying of the alloy film in nitric acid. For SPR sensor applications, the NPG film plays the dual roles of analyte enrichment and supporting surface plasmon waves, which leads to sensitivity enhancement. In this work, the as-prepared NPG film was first modified with 1-dodecanethiol molecules to make the film hydrophobic so as to improve BaP enrichment from water via hydrophobic interactions. The SPR sensor with the hydrophobic NPG film enables one to detect BaP at concentrations as low as 1 nmol·L−1. In response to this concentration of BaP the sensor produced a resonance-wavelength shift of ΔλR = 2.22 nm. After the NPG film was functionalized with mouse monoclonal IgG1 that is the antibody against BaP, the sensor’s sensitivity was further improved and the BaP detection limit decreased further down to 5 pmol·L−1 (the corresponding ΔλR = 1.77 nm). In contrast, the conventional SPR sensor with an antibody-functionalized dense gold film can give a response of merely ΔλR = 0.9 nm for 100 pmol·L−1 BaP.
    Electronic ISSN: 1424-8220
    Topics: Chemistry and Pharmacology , Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
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  • 6
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    Materials, Vol. 8, Pages 6154-6162: Three-Point Bending Fracture Behavior of Single Oriented Crossed-Lamellar Structure in Scapharca broughtonii Shell (2015)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Materials
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-09-16
    Description: The three-point bending strength and fracture behavior of single oriented crossed-lamellar structure in Scapharca broughtonii shell were investigated. The samples for bending tests were prepared with two different orientations perpendicular and parallel to the radial ribs of the shell, which corresponds to the tiled and stacked directions of the first-order lamellae, respectively. The bending strength in the tiled direction is approximately 60% higher than that in the stacked direction, primarily because the regularly staggered arrangement of the second-order lamellae in the tiled direction can effectively hinder the crack propagation, whereas the cracks can easily propagate along the interfaces between lamellae in the stacked direction.
    Electronic ISSN: 1996-1944
    Topics: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
    Published by MDPI Publishing
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  • 7
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    Sensors, Vol. 15, Pages 29393-29407: Feature Selection and Predictors of Falls with Foot Force Sensors Using KNN-Based Algorithms (2015)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Sensors
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-11-21
    Description: The aging process may lead to the degradation of lower extremity function in the elderly population, which can restrict their daily quality of life and gradually increase the fall risk. We aimed to determine whether objective measures of physical function could predict subsequent falls. Ground reaction force (GRF) data, which was quantified by sample entropy, was collected by foot force sensors. Thirty eight subjects (23 fallers and 15 non-fallers) participated in functional movement tests, including walking and sit-to-stand (STS). A feature selection algorithm was used to select relevant features to classify the elderly into two groups: at risk and not at risk of falling down, for three KNN-based classifiers: local mean-based k-nearest neighbor (LMKNN), pseudo nearest neighbor (PNN), local mean pseudo nearest neighbor (LMPNN) classification. We compared classification performances, and achieved the best results with LMPNN, with sensitivity, specificity and accuracy all 100%. Moreover, a subset of GRFs was significantly different between the two groups via Wilcoxon rank sum test, which is compatible with the classification results. This method could potentially be used by non-experts to monitor balance and the risk of falling down in the elderly population.
    Electronic ISSN: 1424-8220
    Topics: Chemistry and Pharmacology , Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
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  • 8
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    Materials, Vol. 8, Pages 2873-2886: Methods for Biomimetic Mineralisation of Human Enamel: A Systematic Review (2015)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Materials
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-05-27
    Description: Biomimetic mineralisation is an alternative restorative methodology that imitates the natural process of mineralisation. We aimed to systematically review the laboratory methods on the biomimetic mineralisation of demineralised enamel. A search in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ISI Web of Science databases was performed. Clinical trials, reviews, non-English articles, animal teeth, non-tooth substrates, and irrelevant studies were excluded. After screening the titles and abstracts of initially searched articles, 20 papers remained for full-text analysis. Eight articles were identified from the references of the remaining papers. A total of 28 studies were included in this systematic review. We found that protein or protein analogues were used to mimic the function of natural protein in 23 studies. Bioactive components inspired by mussel, an agarose hydrogel model, a glycerine-enriched gelatine technique, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, were also used for biomimetic mineralisation of enamel. These laboratory studies reported success in the biomimetic mineralisation of enamel. Potential further research on the biomimetic mineralisation of enamel was discussed.
    Electronic ISSN: 1996-1944
    Topics: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
    Published by MDPI Publishing
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  • 9
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    IJERPH, Vol. 13, Pages 706: Hazard Prevention Regarding Occupational Accidents Involving Blue-Collar Foreign Workers: A Perspective of Taiwanese Manpower Agencies (2016)
    MDPI Publishing
    Details
    Publication Date: 2016-07-14
    Description: Since 1989, blue-collar foreign workers have been permitted to work in Taiwanese industries. Most blue-collar foreign workers apply for jobs in Taiwan through blue-collar foreign workers’ agencies. Because blue-collar foreign workers are not familiar with the language and culture in Taiwan, in occupational accident education and hazard prevention, the agencies play an important role in the coordination and translation between employees and blue-collar foreign workers. The purpose of this study is to establish the agencies’ role in the occupational accidents education and hazard prevention for blue-collar foreign workers in Taiwan. This study uses a qualitative method—grounded theory—to collect, code, and analyze the data in order to understand the agencies’ role in occupational accident education and hazard prevention for blue-collar foreign workers in Taiwan. The results show that the duty of agencies in occupational accident education and hazard prevention includes selecting appropriate blue-collar foreign workers, communicating between employees and blue-collar foreign workers, collecting occupational safety and health information, assisting in the training of occupational safety and health, and helping blue-collar foreign workers adapt to their lives in Taiwan. Finally, this study suggests seven important points and discusses the implementation process necessary to improve governmental policies. The government and employees should pay attention to the education/training of occupational safety and health for blue-collar foreign workers to eliminate unsafe behavior in order to protect the lives of blue-collar foreign workers.
    Print ISSN: 1661-7827
    Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
    Topics: Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering , Medicine
    Published by MDPI Publishing
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  • 10
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    Sensors, Vol. 16, Pages 923: A Type of Low-Latency Data Gathering Method with Multi-Sink for Sensor Networks (2016)
    MDPI Publishing
    In: Sensors
    Details
    Publication Date: 2016-06-22
    Description: To balance energy consumption and reduce latency on data transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), a type of low-latency data gathering method with multi-Sink (LDGM for short) is proposed in this paper. The network is divided into several virtual regions consisting of three or less data gathering units and the leader of each region is selected according to its residual energy as well as distance to all of the other nodes. Only the leaders in each region need to communicate with the mobile Sinks which have effectively reduced energy consumption and the end-to-end delay. Moreover, with the help of the sleep scheduling and the sensing radius adjustment strategies, redundancy in network coverage could also be effectively reduced. Simulation results show that LDGM is energy efficient in comparison with MST as well as MWST and its time efficiency on data collection is higher than one Sink based data gathering methods.
    Electronic ISSN: 1424-8220
    Topics: Chemistry and Pharmacology , Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
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