Fu Jen Catholic University

About: Fu Jen Catholic University is a education organization based out in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 6842 authors who have published 9512 publications receiving 171005 citations. The organization is also known as: FJU & Fu Jen.

Biometry of the pubovisceral muscle and levator hiatus in nulliparous Chinese women

Abstract: Objectives To identify using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound the morphological features and normal biometry of the levator hiatus in nulliparous Chinese women and to explore ethnic differences between these measurements and those in nulliparous Caucasian women. Methods 3D sonographic data from 59 nulliparous Chinese women (aged 19–38 years) who had no pelvic organ prolapse and no symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction were retrieved from an image dataset and analyzed by offline post-processing. The pubovisceral muscle and levator hiatus were measured in the planes of maximal pubovisceral muscle thickness and minimum hiatal dimension, respectively. In addition, the genitohiatal and levator ani angles were measured. These values were compared with those in a published study of Caucasian women. Results In Chinese women there was no relationship between minimum anteroposterior (AP) hiatal diameter and minimum lateral hiatal diameter. Body weight was correlated with hiatal area and minimum AP hiatal diameter (r = 0.391, P = 0.003 and r = 0.378, P = 0.004, respectively), whereas body mass index was correlated only with minimum AP hiatal diameter (r = 0.349, P = 0.008). There was a significant difference in average pubovisceral muscle thickness (P = 0.001) between nulliparous Chinese and Caucasian women. Conclusions Body weight, body mass index, and ethnicity are factors affecting the biometry of the levator hiatus in Chinese nulliparous women. Copyright © 2006 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key success factors when implementing a green-manufacturing system

Abstract: This study proposes a three-layer assessment model to evaluate the performance of a green-manufacturing system (GMS) and identify the key success factors of its real-world implementation. The top layer of the model includes three dimensions – green design, green-manufacturing process and green packaging. The second and third layers include ten strategic subjects and 74 assessment factors, respectively. The weights in each layer are collected via a questionnaire and calculated using the analytical network process (ANP). Based on the ANP, the five key success factors for implementing the GMS in a company are proportion of non-toxic materials, compliance with eco-ordinances, proportion of biodegradable materials, environmental pollution per product and extent of process pollution. The practicality of the proposed model is demonstrated by evaluating three companies that produce similar products and share similar business models. The proposed model provides a valuable reference for real-world implementation of...