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A novel detachable rotary magnetic encoder is proposed, developed, and validated in this study, demonstrating excellent precision and potential for subaqueous applications, regardless of underwater or airborne environments. Utilizing Hall sensors as sensing elements, the encoder generates orthogonal signals relative to incremental disk rotation and incorporates a filter to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Experimental validation confirms the high positioning accuracy and repeatability of the system, with an accurate response to underwater fluctuations of 0.1°. Considering the characteristics of this measurement system, its prospects at underwater robotic arm joints are foreseen, thereby driving the advancement of underwater precision control technology.

Vision Training is important for basketball players to effectively search for teammates who has wide-open opportunities to shoot, observe the defenders around the wide-open teammates and quickly choose a proper way to pass the ball to the most suitable one. We develop an immersive virtual reality (VR) system called VisionCoach to simulate the player's viewing perspective and generate three designed systematic vision training tasks to benefit the cultivating procedure. By recording the player's eye gazing and dribbling video sequence, the proposed system can analyze the vision-related behavior to understand the training effectiveness. To demonstrate the proposed VR training system can facilitate the cultivation of vision ability, we recruited 14 experienced players to participate in a 6-week between-subject study, and conducted a study by comparing the most frequently used 2D vision training method called Vision Performance Enhancement (VPE) program with the proposed system. Qualitative experiences and quantitative training results are reported to show that the proposed immersive VR training system can effectively improve player's vision ability in terms of gaze behavior and dribbling stability. Furthermore, training in the VR-VisionCoach Condition can transfer the learned abilities to real scenario more easily than training in the 2D-VPE Condition.

The search for two-dimensional (2D) materials with interesting topological properties is still attracting growing interest, as they offer exotic physical phenomena. Recently, the emergent 2D MA2Z4has been gaining attention because it exhibits versatile properties due to its tunable elemental components M, A, and Z. In this study, an exhaustive search coupled with first-principles calculations was performed to investigate 30 MA2Z4(M is Group IV transition metals Ti, Zr, or Hf; A is Si or Ge; and Z is pnictogens N, P, As, Sb, or Bi) monolayers under two crystal phases called T-phase and H-phase, totaling to 60 structures. Ground state energy calculations revealed that all materials energetically prefer the T-phase. Remarkably, the Z2topological invariant calculated under hybrid functional HSE06 reveals five MA2Z4monolayers (TiSi2Bi4, ZrGe2P4, ZrGe2As4, HfSi2As4, and HfGe2As4) to have nontrivial topology. This topological phase transition was driven by the spin–orbit coupling resulting in the splitting of the dz2orbital of transition metal elements and px+pyorbitals of pnictogen elements. The nontrivial properties were further confirmed by the presence of gapless edge states. Phonon spectra and ab initio molecular dynamics verified that all nontrivial materials are thermodynamically stable. Our results indicate that the new MA2Z4family has fascinating properties and possesses strong potential for applications in electronics and topological devices, which will stimulate interest in experimental synthesis.

The shift from traditional image processing to advanced deep learning has greatly improved license plate recognition, increasing its maturity and stability. Despite these advancements, challenges persist, including susceptibility to environmental factors like insufficient lighting, complex backgrounds, and low-resolution images. Detection of multiple license plates involves processing various targets characterized by distinct sizes, lighting conditions, occlusion, positions, and angles. Each license plate may be located at different positions and orientations within the image, significantly increasing the complexity of the detection process. The study, conducted in an indoor parking lot with a wide-angle camera, addresses perspective-warping uncertainties. Utilizing the Segmenting Objects by Locations version 2 (SOLOv2) (Wang et al., 2020) model enhances multiple license plate detection and segmentation, with the resulting mask aiding corner location and correction, leading to a 12% recognition rate increase. Notably, the study employs an instance segmentation network, enabling simultaneous recognition of multiple vehicle license plates, offering a significant advancement in overcoming complexities associated with diverse environmental conditions and camera angles.

Spasticity is a common complication for patients with stroke, but only few studies investigate the relation between spasticity and voluntary movement. This study proposed a novel automatic system for assessing the severity of spasticity (SS) of four upper-limb joints, including the elbow, wrist, thumb, and fingers, through voluntary movements. A wearable system which combined 19 inertial measurement units and a pressure ball was proposed to collect the kinematic and force information when the participants perform four tasks, namely cone stacking (CS), fast flexion and extension (FFE), slow ball squeezing (SBS), and fast ball squeezing (FBS). Several time and frequency domain features were extracted from the collected data, and two feature selection approaches based on recursive feature elimination were adopted to select the most influential features. The selected features were input into five machine learning techniques for assessing the SS for each joint. The results indicated that using CS task to assess the SS of elbow and fingers and using FBS task to assess the SS of thumb and wrist can reach the highest weighted-average F1-score. Furthermore, the study also concluded that FBS is the optimal task for assessing all the four upper-limb joints. The overall result shown that the proposed automatic system can assess four upper-limb joints through voluntary movements accurately, which is a breakthrough of finding the relation between spasticity and voluntary movement.

Considering the wave function, the decreasing thickness of ultrathin body from 10 nm down to 2 nm increases the intrinsic gate capacitance since the centroid of carriers located at the center of the channel is extremely close to the channel/oxide interface in the ultrathin body. By the self-consistent Poisson–Schrodinger solver with 6-kp parameters calibrated with nonlocal empirical pseudo-potential method (NEPM), the centroids of wavefunctions can be used to understand the increment in intrinsic gate capacitance with decreasing body thickness. Note that the simulated channel is p-type GeSn with [Sn] ranging from 0% to 20%. Our simulation also shows that nearly ideal subthreshold swing (SS) can be achieved by ultrathin body nanosheets (NSs). Thus, the concept of intrinsic areal gate capacitance proportional to channel peripheral width has to be modified in the ultrathin body channel.

In this study, negative gate bias stress (NGBS) is applied to the Si3N4 metal–insulator–semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs). The gate electron injected into the Si3N4 dielectric layer and the holes generated by the impact ionization trapped into the AlGaN layer are the two main degradation mechanisms, which cause the unstable threshold voltage. Moreover, it is discovered that an abnormal ${C}$ – ${V}$ hump is generated after NGBS because of the uneven hole trapping at the AlGaN near the channel under the gate. The unusual direction of the electric field, which is related to the mesa isolation technology, is observed under NGBS condition in the Silvaco TCAD simulation. The location of the hole trapping is verified by the positive gate bias after NGBS during the recovery time. Finally, the device without the mesa isolation is used to verify the abnormal degradation results.

This paper verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of utilizing an integration technology of free-space optics (FSO) and satellite communications for an open radio access network (O-RAN) system while simultaneously transmitting fiber-optic sensing signals over the same FSO link. The achievement of O-RAN is to improve the flexibility, openness, and cost-effectiveness of current and next-generation wireless networks. Compared with radio wave-based communication, optical wireless communication (OWC), such as FSO, has many advantages, such as high-speed transmission, data confidentiality, and freedom from electromagnetic interference. Therefore, the use of FSO as a transmission link between ground radar transceivers for satellite communication and O-RAN systems will enhance the communication quality of satellite communication-based O-RAN systems. In particular, FSOs are small and easy to place at ground radar transceiver stations, satellite trucks, and communication target points. This makes it easier to quickly switch the transmission route of the radar transceiver station to different communication transmission and sensing monitoring target scenarios than physical optical fiber cable. In addition, in the fiber optic sensing part, use a machine learning model that combines advanced conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN) and convolutional neural network (CNN) models. This model aims to generate a large amount of sensor data and improve the sensing performance of fiber sensing systems. The experimental findings unambiguously show that the proposed integrated system achieves normal functioning in the communication part and outstanding temperature sensing measurement accuracy in the sensing part.

In this study, the reliability issues are discussed under dc and ac negative gate bias stress (ac-NGBS) in Al2O3/Si3N4 metal–insulator–semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs). Converse degradation between these two stress conditions is discovered. The holes generated by trap-assisted thermionic field emission (TA-TFE) are trapped into the Al2O3 layer, so that the threshold voltage ( ${V}_{\text {th}}$ ) decreases under dc negative gate bias stress (dc-NGBS). ${V}_{\text {th}}$ increases because of the hot electrons injected into the GaN layer, while the device is turned on quickly under ac-NGBS. In addition, the degradation mechanisms under dc-NGBS and ac-NGBS are confirmed by the OFF-state gate and drain leakages, respectively. Silvaco TCAD is used to validate the degradation mechanism under ac-NGBS. Finally, the characteristics of the ${V}_{\text {th}}$ shift transition from dc to ac NGBS are discussed.

This study identifies the determinants of Internet entrepreneurial commitment by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and diffusion of innovation theory (DOI). It hypothesizes six determinants—relative advantage/perceived desirability, complexity, compatibility, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control/perceived feasibility—alongside two moderators: job type and personal innovativeness. The research model was empirically tested with data collected from 220 respondents using multiple regression analysis. The findings endorse the integration of TPB and DOI in analyzing Internet entrepreneurial commitment determinants. However, the significance of these six determinants varies according to job type and personal innovativeness. Educators, policy makers, and venture investors can use the findings to design fostering programs and curriculums that are customized to individuals according to their different personal characteristics to enhance Internet entrepreneurial commitment.

By taking advantage of extremely high dielectric constant ( $\kappa $ ) of 47, the Hf0.2Zr0.8O2 gate stacks are integrated into the eight stacked high mobility Ge0.95Si0.05 channels with low thermal budget ( $\leqq 450$ °C) to significantly enhance the ${I} _{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ . Isotropic wet etching by $\text{H}_{{2}}\text{O}_{{2}}$ and HNO3 serve well during the channel release of nanowires and nanosheets, respectively. The simulated $\kappa $ versus Zr concentration in HZO can show that the $\kappa $ can have a peak value at Zr concentration around 80%. The eight stacked Ge0.95Si0.05 nanowires and nanosheets with Hf0.2Zr0.8O2 gate stacks achieve the record high ${I} _{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ per footprint of $9200~\mu \text{A}$ and record high ${I} _{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ per stack of $360~\mu \text{A}$ at ${V} _{\text {OV}} ={V}_{\text {DS}}$ = 0.5 V, respectively, among all Si/GeSi/Ge 3-D nFETs. Moreover, the potential gate delay improvement by combining the extremely high- $\kappa $ gate stacks and large floor number is studied by TCAD simulation using industrial device structures.

The heterogeneous vertically stacked 4T/2T SRAM is optimized using buried power rails and buried signal rails. The bitcell area of 3D SRAM can be reduced by 28% compared to 6T SRAM without transistor stacking. SRAM performance is improved by increasing nanosheet nFET floor numbers without minimum operating voltage degradation. Ultrathin bodies can reduce parasitic capacitance thanks to the total gate metal height reduction. Bitline signal decoupling can reduce read time by 12%. 166ps read time and 65ps write time can be achieved with 5nm of body thickness, 25nm of nanosheet width, and floor number = 5. With 3nm of body thickness, read and write time are further reduced by 5% and 8%, respectively, even with 13% low-field mobility degradation.

With the current growth of multimedia applications, a substantial amount of visual data, including images and videos, is transmitted daily, making information forensics and security essential. Thus, protecting secret data from attackers is critical. In this work, we propose a AMBTC-based data-hiding method, in which secret data are concealed in individual image blocks that are compressed using absolute moment block truncation coding technique. By placing high or low mean values at the corner of each block, the secret data are then extracted reversibly and the original host image can be recovered at the decoding end. In addition, the quality of stego images is maintained, which protects the embedded visual data from the suspicion of attackers. From the experimental results, we show that the proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods.

ABSTRACTShared mobility systems have been adopted in urban areas around the world to relieve parking problems caused by private vehicles. Among these systems, dockless electric scooter sharing systems (DESSSs) have been implemented in many large cities due to their advantages of environmental friendliness and convenience. However, the repositioning of dockless scooters is vital for the quality of service of these systems because the demand for shared scooters is temporally and spatially imbalanced. An optimization model and solution algorithm are developed in this study to solve the operator-based dynamic repositioning problem of DESSS. Dynamic repositioning refers to the scenario where the operator repositions scooters while users utilize scooters. A mixed-integer programming model for the dynamic repositioning problem of DESSS is proposed for the first time along with a heuristic algorithm in this study. The proposed methodology, which is tested using numerical examples, demonstrates high potential in assisting DESSS operations.

In this work, we fabricate a ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) device with W/MgO/HZO/TiN structure. The effect of MgO thickness on the FTJ properties of HZO films is studied. Device with 0.5 nm thick MgO insulating layer and annealing at 600 °C for 20 s exhibits a large memory window of about 30 and stable endurance of at least one million cycles with multilevel states. For pulse measurements, this device shows excellent nonlinearities of 0.1 and 0.32 for potentiation(P) and depression(D), respectively. The conductance data of P and D are input into simulated Hopfield neural network model for training to learn $10\times10$ -pixel size images. Such model recognizes the input images to reach an accuracy of 100 % in only 19 iterations. This result demonstrates that our FTJ device has high potential working as artificial synapse for the neuromorphic computing application in the future.

Background: Maintaining cognitive and physical function is essential to healthy aging. Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of an exercise–cognitive dual-task program in Chinese language on cognitive function and functional fitness in older adults. Methods: Seventy adults aged 60–84 years were conveniently assigned to one of the three groups: exercise–cognitive dual-task (EC) group (n= 28), exercise group (n= 22), and control group (n= 20). The EC group received a 90-min class including multicomponent exercise–cognitive dual-task twice a week. The exercise group received a 90-min class including multicomponent exercise twice a week. The control group maintained their regular level of physical activity and general lifestyle. Cognitive functions and functional fitness were measured before and after the 12-week intervention. Results: The participants in the EC and exercise group significantly improved scores in Taiwanese Frontal Assessment Battery, the Chang Gung University Orthographical Fluency Test, and the Mini-Mental State Examination; however, those in the control group did not. The participants in the EC and exercise group showed significant increases in almost all functional fitness tests. The participants in the EC group showed significantly higher improvements in Chang Gung University Orthographical Fluency Test score and aerobic endurance than the exercise group and in Chang Gung University Orthographical Fluency Test score and lower body strength than the control group. In addition, the changes in Taiwanese Frontal Assessment Battery and Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly correlated with the changes in functional fitness. Conclusion: The dual-task intervention resulted in greater improvements in verbal fluency, endurance, and muscular strength than exercise alone and control.

We propose a method to analyze the dielectric prebreakdown (DB) which is based on: 1) charge transport; 2) stochastic trap-cluster generations; and 3) percolation in a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) stacked polycrystalline high- ${k}$ capacitor of TiN–TiO2–ZrO2–TiO2–TiN. We assume that measured dielectric leakage current until the breakdown is comprised of transient transports under static fields: direct tunneling, trap-assisted tunneling (TAT), and inelastic tunneling. The charge transports induce trap generation and formation of stochastic trap-cluster. The generated trap-cluster amplified the stress-induced leakage current (SILC). One of the clusters can be expanded and electrically link the cathode and anode throughout the dielectric to form a critical path. We can model the current through this path analytically by partition function and percolation. By careful analysis of measured time-dependent dielectric leakage currents, we found that prebreakdown is most related to SILC and inelastic tunneling at a low electric field (< 4 MV/cm).

Mammalian DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), including DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B, are key DNA methylation enzymes and play important roles in gene expression regulation. Dysregulation of DNMTs is linked to various diseases and carcinogenesis, and therefore except for the two approved anticancer azanucleoside drugs, various non-nucleoside DNMT inhibitors have been identified and reported. However, the underlying mechanisms for the inhibitory activity of these non-nucleoside inhibitors still remain largely unknown. Here, we systematically tested and compared the inhibition activities of five non-nucleoside inhibitors toward the three human DNMTs. We found that harmine and nanaomycin A blocked the methyltransferase activity of DNMT3A and DNMT3B more efficiently than resveratrol, EGCG, and RG108. We further determined the crystal structure of harmine in complex with the catalytic domain of the DNMT3B-DNMT3L tetramer revealing that harmine binds at the adenine cavity of the SAM-binding pocket in DNMT3B. Our kinetics assays confirm that harmine competes with SAM to competitively inhibit DNMT3B-3L activity with a Kiof 6.6 μM. Cell-based studies further show that harmine treatment inhibits castration-resistant prostate cancer cell (CRPC) proliferation with an IC50of ∼14 μM. The CPRC cells treated with harmine resulted in reactivating silenced hypermethylated genes compared to the untreated cells, and harmine cooperated with an androgen antagonist, bicalutamide, to effectively inhibit the proliferation of CRPC cells. Our study thus reveals, for the first time, the inhibitory mechanism of harmine on DNMTs and highlights new strategies for developing novel DNMT inhibitors for cancer treatment.

Extant research on websites success has paid insufficient attention to the success of permission-based email marketing (PEM) websites. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, the contribution of this study lies in synthesizing information management/e-commerce, media/communication, as well as customer/marketing research to propose a PEM websites success model consisting of antecedent (i.e., functional, process, and relational benefits), mediator (i.e., relationship quality), and outcome variables (i.e., relationship outcomes). Data collected from 294 respondents in Taiwan were tested against the research model using structural equation modeling. The result shows that functional and process benefits (i.e., information quality, ease of use, and entertainment benefits) except entertainment benefits can indirectly influence relationship outcomes (i.e., user loyalty and positive word of mouth) through the mediation of relationship quality (i.e., user satisfaction and commitment). The result also indicates that relational benefits (i.e., confidence, social, and special treatment benefits) can not affect relationship outcomes directly or indirectly through relationship quality. It concludes that, unlike the brick-and-mortar context, relational benefits emphasized by customer/marketing research do not play a significant role in influencing relationship outcomes in the context of PEM websites. Rather, the empirically validated model highlights the importance of functional and process benefits in establishing PEM websites success, supporting the perspectives from information management/e-commerce research as well as media/communication research. Keywords: Customer Relationship Management, E-Commerce Success, Permission-Based Email Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Web Use, INTRODUCTION With the growing popularity of the Internet, e-mail has become increasingly important. For businesses, e-mail marketing is an efficient and responsive tool for maintaining customer loyalty (Cases, Fournier, Dubois, [...]

Using circularly polarized light to control quantum matter is a highly intriguing topic in physics, chemistry and biology. Previous studies have demonstrated helicity-dependent optical control of chirality and magnetization, with important implications in asymmetric synthesis in chemistry; homochirality in biomolecules; and ferromagnetic spintronics. We report the surprising observation of helicity-dependent optical control of fully compensated antiferromagnetic order in two-dimensional even-layered MnBi2Te4, a topological axion insulator with neither chirality nor magnetization. To understand this control, we study an antiferromagnetic circular dichroism, which appears only in reflection but is absent in transmission. We show that the optical control and circular dichroism both arise from the optical axion electrodynamics. Our axion induction provides the possibility to optically control a family of PT-symmetric antiferromagnets (P, inversion; T, time-reversal) such as Cr2O3, even-layered CrI3and possibly the pseudo-gap state in cuprates. In MnBi2Te4, this further opens the door for optical writing of a dissipationless circuit formed by topological edge states.

In this study, X-ray irradiation of metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) is performed. After the X-ray irradiation, the threshold voltage ( ${V}_{\text {th}}{)}$ shift and ON-state current ( ${I}_{\text {on}}{)}$ variation are observed. However, after a recovery period, the degradation trend of ${V}_{\text {th}}$ and that of ${I}_{\text {on}}$ are in opposite directions. Such opposite degradations are demonstrated and explained in this study. As X-rays irradiate the devices, holes, and defects are generated in the GaN layer and Si3N4 layer, respectively. To prove the degradation mechanism induced by X-rays in MIS HEMT, the following characteristics are offered. The drain current ( ${I}_{d}{)}$ and the source current ( ${I}_{s}{)}$ under the X-ray irradiation are introduced to prove the hole generation. The two-step degradation of the gate current ( ${I}_{g}{)}$ after X-ray irradiation provides evidence of the formation of defect states. Moreover, the different degradation behaviors between Schottky-gate HEMT and MIS HEMT are compared and verification of the position of generation of defect states in the Si3N4 layer is given accordingly.

Waterlogging is one of the major environmental challenges that can adversely impact squash growth, development, and productivity. Nevertheless, studies on the physiological changes of squash to waterlogging stress are scarce. Previously, we reported that the Cucurbita moschata(Cmo) Early Price (Ep) cultivar showed higher chlorophyll content (CC) and spectral reflectance compared to the Cucurbita maxima(Cma) OK-101 (Ok) cultivar after waterlogging. In the present work, we further examined more physiological parameters in eight cultivars of Cmo and Cma, and studied whether these non-destructive indices could efficiently identify various waterlogging-tolerant genotypes and were consistent with visual evaluations. Moreover, we investigated the effects of waterlogging on the antioxidant system of cucurbit species, and evaluated dynamic changes occurring in these plants during varying waterlog periods by determining physiological characteristics. The activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed a significant increase in Ep plant leaves and roots after 72 h and 6 h of waterlogging, respectively, compared to Ok plants. In addition, Ep exhibited a higher tolerance to waterlogging than Ok in terms of enhanced root length, values in CC, spectral reflectance, and APX and SOD activity, plus decreased levels of electrolyte leakage, 2,2‑diphenyl‑1‑picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging, and hydrogen peroxide levels. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the physiological variations in response to waterlogging stress and can potentially be used to breed cucurbit species with waterlogging tolerance for a wetter future climate.

Rheumatic autoimmune diseases not only involve the production of autoantibodies but also demonstrate T-cell dysfunction. In patients with concurrent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and rheumatic autoimmune diseases, the safety and efficacy of CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy are unknown. Using an aggregated electronic health record database, patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases (auto group) were compared to propensity score-matched patients without rheumatic autoimmune diseases (non-auto group). From 1/2019 to 1/2023, 58 (4.3%) of 1,363 patients who received CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapy had concurrent rheumatic autoimmune diseases. Both groups had similar incidence, severity, and management of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Moreover, the two groups had similar time-to-next treatment or death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60 to 1.59, log-rank p = 0.91) and overall survival (HR 0.90, 95%CI 0.46 to 1.78, p= 0.76). Following CAR T-cell infusion, patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases achieved decreased inflammatory markers, seronegative conversion of autoantibodies, as well as reduced use of steroids and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. In conclusion, the safety and efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy were not affected in patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases. Moreover, they achieved better biochemical control of underlying rheumatic diseases.

The presence of a second phase in the Mg–8Al–4Ca (at. %) alloy plays a significant role on both its corrosion behavior and the chemical conversion coating processes. Using scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM), a lower Volta-potential of the second phase present on the surface has been measured. The β-Al-Ca phase has a higher electrochemical activity than the α-Mg matrix and may act as the micro-galvanic anode in a local electrochemical corrosion process. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examinations reveal that the β-Al-Ca phase is more susceptible to corrosion than the α-Mg matrix in an aqueous solution, and its higher activity and higher corrosion rate accelerate the hydrogen evolution rate on the α-Mg matrix in the cerium (Ce) conversion coating process. It's also been discovered that by immersing the bare Mg–Al–Ca alloy in deionized (DI) water, the β-Al-Ca phase, exposed on the surface, can be dissolved and converted in situ into aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3), and the Ce conversion coating can be deposited via replacement reactions in the subsequent conversion coating process. A thicker Ce coating with smaller blisters has then been produced on the DI-treated Ce-coated Mg specimen; it indeed improves the corrosion resistance.

Dysregulation of pericellular proteolysis is strongly implicated in cancer metastasis through alteration of cell invasion and the microenvironment. Matriptase-2 (MT-2) is a membrane-anchored serine protease which can suppress prostate cancer (PCa) cell invasion. In this study, we showed that MT-2 was down-regulated in PCa and could suppress PCa cell motility, tumor growth, and metastasis. Using microarray and biochemical analysis, we found that MT-2 shifted TGF-β action towards its tumor suppressor function by repressing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promoting Smad2 phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation to upregulate two TGF-β1 downstream effectors (p21 and PAI-1), culminating in hindrance of PCa cell motility and malignant growth. Mechanistically, MT-2 could dramatically up-regulate the expression of nuclear receptor NR4A3 viairon metabolism in PCa cells. MT-2-induced NR4A3 further coactivated Smad2 to activate p21 and PAI-1 expression. In addition, NR4A3 functioned as a suppressor of PCa and mediated MT-2 signaling to inhibit PCa tumorigenesis and metastasis. These results together indicate that NR4A3 sustains MT-2 signaling to suppress PCa cell invasion, tumor growth, and metastasis, and serves as a contextual factor for the TGF-β/Smad2 signaling pathway in favor of tumor suppression viapromoting p21 and PAI-1 expression.

Elderly people requiring care the entire day usually depend on the availability of their family members to give assistance. However, the family members might not provide appropriate help especially in an emergent situation. The application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology with a variety of interconnected devices provides the solution. We propose an IoT-based smart healthcare system comprising wearable devices, which integrates a variety of contact sensors with location-based mesh networks (LBMN) such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connections to continuously sense various parameters of aging people. The BLE-connected devices such as wearable sensors, fixed sensors, seat cushions, pedal mats, magnetic reed switches, and mobile devices are all involved in collecting, processing, and transmitting physiological data and their locations to the cloud. Through the utilization of convenient interfaces such as software applications on smartphones and web pages on computers, it provides real time monitoring of the elderly in terms of localization, activity pattern, and health status. Thus the system enables early detection of health risks to the elderly. We used Platform as a service (PaaS) to receive and store the health data generated from the interconnected devices and to perform analysis. The essential feature of this LBMN is to generate a complete 6W(Who, What,When,Where,Why and How)big data for policy, feed it to the PaaS analysis to easily and quickly obtain more accurate data, and then develop possible health strategy or preventive measures. The proposed healthcare system detected that, out of the 20 participants recruited, 2 persons (10%) were often restless. It was also able to detect abnormal daily activity patterns with more tag positioning and the historical data from the devices. More importantly, it can help to prevent potential physical and neuropsychiatric disorders based on the real-time monitoring information and analyzed historical data for the aging people.

It is estimated that 10%–30% of disease-associated genetic variants affect splicing. Splicing variants may generate deleteriously altered gene product and are potential therapeutic targets. However, systematic diagnosis or prediction of splicing variants is yet to be established, especially for the near-exon intronic splice region. The major challenge lies in the redundant and ill-defined branch sites and other splicing motifs therein. Here, we carried out unbiased massively parallel splicing assays on 5,307 disease-associated variants that overlapped with branch sites and collected 5,884 variants across the 5′ splice region. We found that strong splice sites and exonic features preserve splicing from intronic sequence variation. Whereas the splice-altering mechanism of the 3′ intronic variants is complex, that of the 5′ is mainly splice-site destruction. Statistical learning combined with these molecular features allows precise prediction of altered splicing from an intronic variant. This statistical model provides the identity and ranking of biological features that determine splicing, which serves as transferable knowledge and out-performs the benchmarking predictive tool. Moreover, we demonstrated that intronic splicing variants may associate with disease risks in the human population. Our study elucidates the mechanism of splicing response of intronic variants, which classify disease-associated splicing variants for the promise of precision medicine.

Room-temperature realization of macroscopic quantum phases is one of the major pursuits in fundamental physics1,2. The quantum spin Hall phase3–6is a topological quantum phase that features a two-dimensional insulating bulk and a helical edge state. Here we use vector magnetic field and variable temperature based scanning tunnelling microscopy to provide micro-spectroscopic evidence for a room-temperature quantum spin Hall edge state on the surface of the higher-order topological insulator Bi4Br4. We find that the atomically resolved lattice exhibits a large insulating gap of over 200 meV, and an atomically sharp monolayer step edge hosts an in-gap gapless state, suggesting topological bulk–boundary correspondence. An external magnetic field can gap the edge state, consistent with the time-reversal symmetry protection inherent in the underlying band topology. We further identify the geometrical hybridization of such edge states, which not only supports the Z2topology of the quantum spin Hall state but also visualizes the building blocks of the higher-order topological insulator phase. Our results further encourage the exploration of high-temperature transport quantization of the putative topological phase reported here.

Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is a widely used tool for point‐of‐care testing (POCT). Although the method is fast and inexpensive, it provides only qualitative or semi‐quantitative information, which limits the scope of its applications in POCT. Here, we report the development of a low‐cost, portable LFIA reader based on photothermal detection of reporters (such as colloidal gold and colored latex beads) captured on LFIA strips using a low‐power green laser as the heating source and a single‐element infrared sensor as the detector. For 40‐nm colloidal gold, we measured a detection limit of 3 × 105particles/mm2by laser irradiation of the reporters at 532 nm with an intensity of 20 W/cm2. The photothermal detection enables a 10‐fold enhancement in sensitivity over color visualization with the naked eye. More importantly, with the use of the control line intensities as internal calibrants, the results so obtained are quantitative and useful to support critical decision‐making in POCT, as demonstrated by gold‐based assays for human chorionic gonadotropin and human immunodeficiency virus as well as latex‐based assays for nucleocapsid protein of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. A low‐cost portable reader based on photothermal detection of colloidal gold and colored latex beads as reporters for lateral flow immunoassay has been developed. The detection enables a 10‐fold enhancement in sensitivity over color visualization with the naked eye. In addition, the results obtained are quantitative and useful to support critical decision making in point‐of‐care testing.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2010.02.007 Byline: Hsin-Mei Lin, Homin Chen, Peter J. Sher, Hsiao-Chen Mei Abstract: This article takes a dynamic perspective on network change, following the multi-stage pattern of the expansion, churning, strengthening and shrinking evolutionary stages suggested in previous literature, but adding a co-evolutionary rejuvenation stage. Based on a longitudinal case study of the interactions between Taiwanese machinery and flat panel display networks, this study focuses on changes triggered by technological and institutional interactions as the major mechanisms responsible for dynamic network co-evolution between multiple networks. The article finds that internetwork interactions can provide benefits that can strengthen an expanding network, and also aid the rejuvenation of a declining industrial network, as well as providing insights into how companies can shape industry networks to their own advantage.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2009.02.013 Byline: Chia-Chang Chuang (a), Chung-Ming Kuan (b), Hsin-Yi Lin (c) Keywords: Granger non-causality; Quantile causal effect; Quantile regression; Return-volume relation; Sup-Wald test Abstract: This paper investigates the causal relations between stock return and volume based on quantile regressions. We first define Granger non-causality in all quantiles and propose testing non-causality by a sup-Wald test. Such a test is consistent against any deviation from non-causality in distribution, as opposed to the existing tests that check only non-causality in certain moment. This test is readily extended to test non-causality in different quantile ranges. In the empirical studies of three major stock market indices, we find that the causal effects of volume on return are usually heterogeneous across quantiles and those of return on volume are more stable. In particular, the quantile causal effects of volume on return exhibit a spectrum of (symmetric) V-shape relations so that the dispersion of return distribution increases with lagged volume. This is an alternative evidence that volume has a positive effect on return volatility. Moreover, the inclusion of the squares of lagged returns in the model may weaken the quantile causal effects of volume on return but does not affect the causality per se. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of International Business, National Taipei College of Business, Taiwan (b) Department of Finance, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (c) Department of Economics, National Chengchi University, Taiwan Article History: Received 24 July 2008; Accepted 1 February 2009

Teilhabe an Musikkultur stellt eine zentrale Zieldimension musikpädagogischen Lehrens und Lernens dar. Gleichzeitig werden der musikalisch-kulturellen Teilhabe positive Wirkungen auf die allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen zugesprochen. Ausgehend vom Capability Approach wird empirisch geprüft, inwiefern sich die Teilhabe an Musikkultur in formalen und informellen Kontexten auf die domänenspezifische Lebenszufriedenheit in Musik sowie auf die allgemeine subjektive Lebenszufriedenheit auswirken. Zusätzlich werden die Persönlichkeitsmerkmale (Big Five) als Prädiktoren mit einbezogen, da diese als relevant für die Einschätzung der individuellen Lebenszufriedenheit gelten. Es kann gezeigt werden, dass Teilhabe an Musikkultur in formalen (nicht aber informellen) Kontexten die allgemeine subjektive Lebenszufriedenheit nur indirekt über die domänenspezifische Lebenszufriedenheit in Musik positiv beeinflusst. Die Big Five-Persönlichkeitsfaktoren leisten einen zusätzlichen signifikanten Beitrag zur Aufklärung der Varianz allgemeinen und domänenspezifischen Lebenszufriedenheit.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among homework time, homework frequency, and learning achievements of Taiwanese students. Applying a 2-level hierarchical linear modeling on the TIMSS 2007 and 2011 data, our findings were as follows: (1) Within the context of TIMSS 2007 and 2011 students, the frequency of mathematics homework positively predicted mathematics learning achievements; (2) Within the context of TIMSS 2007 students, the amount of time spent doing mathematics homework positively predicted mathematics learning achievements. (3) Among TIMSS 2011 students, homework time in mathematics of 1 to 15 minutes, 16 to 30 minutes, 31 to 60 minutes, and 61 to 90 minutes all could positively predict mathematics learning achievements of Taiwanese 8th-grade students, except for homework time more than 90 minutes. It revealed that in relation to mathematics homework time, too much homework might be as bad as not enough.

This work presents a novel synchronization architecture for a 2 x 2 MIMO OFDM WLAN system. A new CORDIC-based Sinusoidal Iterative Oscillator architecture is also implemented to recover the carrier frequency. The proposed design mainly enhances the traditional digital oscillator, which is a CORDIC-based architecture, and which is adopted at each accumulated phase. Compared to the iterative CORDIC computation, the proposed CORDIC-based Sinusoidal Iterative Oscillator architecture operates the CORDIC only once. Moreover, the timing controller negotiates these two antenna input signals, and gates the useless signal to lower the power consumption. The proposed architecture with high precision is simulated and emulated by O. 18 [micro]m 1P6M CMOS technology and FPGA respectively Index Terms--MIMO, Synchronization, Wireless LAN, CORDIC, CSIO.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2005.08.001 Byline: Hsin-Hui Lin (a), Yi-Shun Wang (b) Keywords: Mobile commerce; Customer loyalty; Customer satisfaction; Perceived value; Trust; Habit Abstract: While the importance of customer loyalty has been recognized in marketing literature for at least three decades, the development and empirical validation of a customer loyalty model in a mobile commerce (m-commerce) context had not been addressed. The purpose of our study was to develop and validate such a customer loyalty model. Based on IS and marketing literature, a comprehensive set of constructs and hypotheses were compiled with a methodology for testing them. A questionnaire was constructed and data were collected from 255 users of m-commerce systems in Taiwan. Structural modeling techniques were then applied to analyze the data. The results indicated that customer loyalty was affected by perceived value, trust, habit, and customer satisfaction, with customer satisfaction playing a crucial intervening role in the relationship of perceived value and trust to loyalty. Based on the findings, its implications and limitations are discussed. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Logistics Engineering and Management, National Taichung Institute of Technology, Taichung 404, Taiwan (b) Department of Information Management, College of Management, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 500, Taiwan Article History: Received 1 July 2004; Revised 2 March 2005; Accepted 7 August 2005

This study aimed to evaluate associations between toxoplasmosis and psychiatric disorders in Taiwan based on the National Health Insurance Research Database, Taiwan (1997–2013). Patients newly diagnosed with toxoplasmosis formed the case group (n = 259), and the control group included propensity-score matched patients without toxoplasmosis (n = 1036). The primary outcome was incidence of psychiatric disorders. Cox proportional hazards regression and stratified analyses were performed to examine risk of developing specific psychiatric disorders between patients with and without toxoplasmosis. Patients with toxoplasmosis had significantly higher incidence of psychiatric disorders than those without toxoplasmosis (P = 0.016). A significant difference was found in numbers of psychiatric disorders between the two groups during 14 years of follow-up (log-rank P < 0.001). Those with toxoplasmosis had significantly higher risk of bipolar disorder [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR = 3.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.07, 7.26), depression (aHR = 4.94, 95% CI = 2.15, 11.80) and anxiety (aHR = 5.36, 95% CI = 2.98, 25.88), but no significant between-group differences were found for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, the present nationwide population-based analysis revealed that Toxoplasma gondii infection in Taiwan significantly increases the risk for developing bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, but not for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-centrosymmetric topological material has attracted intense attention due to its superior characteristics as compared with the centrosymmetric one, although probing the local quantum geometry in non-centrosymmetric topological material remains challenging. The non-linear Hall (NLH) effect provides an ideal tool to investigate the local quantum geometry. Here, we report a non-centrosymmetric topological phase in ZrTe5, probed by using the NLH effect. The angle-resolved and temperature-dependent NLH measurement reveals the inversion and ab-plane mirror symmetries breaking at <30 K, consistently with our theoretical calculation. Our findings identify a new non-centrosymmetric phase of ZrTe5and provide a platform to probe and control local quantum geometry via crystal symmetries.A non-centrosymmetric topological phase is discovered in ZrTe5, by a highly sensitive non-linear Hall effect to probe the symmetry breaking.