Development of the On-site Earthquake Early Warning System in Taiwan

Taiwan located at circum-Pacific seismic belt and the junction of the Eurasian plate and Philippine Sea plate. In average, more than 4000 earthquakes occurred annually. However, with today's science and technology, the earthquake is still unable to estimate and evacuate the people in advance. As the source of seismic waves generated in the body of the earth, when the wave passes on the mantle through various distinct characteristics of the media, the wave velocity varied. The seismic waves can be divided into two kinds, P-waves and S-waves. The velocity of P-wave is about 5-7 (km / sec); the velocity of destructive S-wave is about 3-4 (km / sec). This research develops the on-site Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS) by the physical characteristics of the P-wave velocity greater than S-wave velocity. The on-site EEWS only used the signal from the on-site sensor, the calculation time was less and suitable to provide earthquake early warning to the region which close to the epicenter. In the same time, the proposed on-site EEWS was integrated with the disaster reduction control system in a demonstration house and been tested on NCREE’s shake table. The integrated on-site EEWS can provide the early earthquake warning through broadcast, TV and LED text display. Also, it will automatically park the elevator, shut-off the gas, switch the power, open the door and turn on the light of the escape route. Combine the on-site EEWS and disaster reduction control system, the life and economic loss can be greatly reduced. In the other hand, the on-site, long-term test results were also preceded. According to the validation test results, the proposed on-site EEWS can provide about 80% accuracy of the predicted intensity levels and at least 8 seconds response time around the epicenter region.conference pape

A Local Diagnosis Algorithm for Hypercube-like Networks under the BGM Diagnosis Model

System diagnosis is process of identifying faulty nodes in a system. An efficient diagnosis is crucial for a multiprocessor system. The BGM diagnosis model is a modification of the PMC diagnosis model, which is a test-based diagnosis. In this paper, we present a specific structure and propose an algorithm for diagnosing a node in a system under the BGM model. We also give a polynomial-time algorithm that a node in a hypercube-like network can be diagnosed correctly in three test rounds under the BGM diagnosis model

Factors Related to Significant Improvement of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Receiving Telbivudine Therapy

Background and Aim. The improvement of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving telbivudine therapy is well known. The aim of this study was to clarify the kinetics of eGFRs and to identify the significant factors related to the improvement of eGFRs in telbivudine-treated CHB patients in a real-world setting. Methods. Serial eGFRs were calculated every 3 months using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. The patients were classified as CKD-1, -2, or -3 according to a baseline eGFR of ≥90, 60–89, or <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. A significant improvement of eGFR was defined as a more than 10% increase from the baseline. Results. A total of 129 patients were enrolled, of whom 36% had significantly improved eGFRs. According to a multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (DM) (p=0.028) and CKD-3 (p=0.043) were both significantly related to such improvement. The rates of significant improvement of eGFR were about 73% and 77% in patients with DM and CKD-3, respectively. Conclusions. Telbivudine is an alternative drug of choice for the treatment of hepatitis B patients for whom renal safety is a concern, especially patients with DM and CKD-3

The diagnostic value of ultrasonography in carpal tunnel syndrome: a comparison between diabetic and non-diabetic patients

AbstractBackgroundTo compare the value of ultrasonography for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM).MethodsEighty non-DM and 40 DM patients with electromyography-confirmed CTS were assessed and underwent high-resolution ultrasonography of the wrists. Cross-sectional area (CSA) and flattening ratio (FR) of the median nerve were measured at the carpal tunnel outlet (D) and wrist crease (W).ResultsThe 80 non-DM and 40 DM patients had 81 and 59 CTS-hands, respectively. The CSA_D and CSA_W were significantly larger in the CTS-hands and DM-CTS-hands compared to the normal control (p &lt; 0.001). However, there is no difference of CSA_D and CSA_W between DM and non-DM CTS patients. Receiver operating characteristics [ROC] curve analysis revealed that CSA_W ≥13 mm2was the most powerful predictor of CTS in DM (area under curve [AUC] = 0.72; sensitivity 72.9%, specificity 61.9%) and non-DM (AUC = 0.72; sensitivity 78.5%, specificity 53.2%) patients. The CSA positively correlated with the distal motor latency of the median compound motor action potential (CMAP), distal sensory latency of the median sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), and latency of the median F wave, but negatively correlated with the amplitude of the median CMAP, amplitude of the median SNAP, and sensory NCV of the median nerve. Stepwise logistic regression revealed that CSA_W (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.38;p = 0.003) was independently associated with CTS in DM patients and any 1 mm2increase in CSA_W increased the rate of CTS by 28%.ConclusionsThe CSA of the median nerve at the outlet and wrist crease are significantly larger in CTS hands in both DM and non-DM patients compared to normal hands. The CSA of the median nerve by ultrasonography may be a diagnostic tool for evaluating CTS in DM and non-DM patients.</jats:sec