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Organic piezomaterials have attracted much attention because of their easy processing, lightweight, and mechanic flexibility properties. Developing new smart organic piezomaterials is highly required for new-generation electronic applications. Here, we found a novel organic piezomaterial of organic charge-transfer complex (CTC) consisting of dibenzcarbazole analogue (DBCz) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) in the molecular-level heterojunction stacking mode. The DBCz–TCNQ complex exhibited ferroelectric properties (the saturated polarization of ∼1.23 μC/cm2) at room temperature with a low coercive field. The noncentrosymmetric alignment (Pcspace group) led to a spontaneous polarization of this architecture and thus was the origin of the piezoelectric behavior. Lateral piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) based on the thermal evaporated CTC thin-film exhibited significant energy conversion behavior under mechanical agitation with a calculated piezoelectric coefficient (d31) of ∼33 pC/N. Furthermore, such a binary CTC thin-film constructed single-electrode PENG could show steady-state sensing performance to external stimuli as this flexible wearable device precisely detected physiological signals (e.g., finger bending, blink movement, carotid artery, etc.) with a self-powered supply. This work provides that the polar CTCs can act as efficient piezomaterials for flexible energy harvesting, conversion, and wearable sensing devices with a self-powered supply, enabling great potential in healthcare, motion detection, human–machine interfaces, etc.

Microbiome differential abundance analysis methods for two groups are well-established in the literature. However, many microbiome studies involve more than two groups, sometimes even ordered groups such as stages of a disease, and require different types of comparison. Standard pairwise comparisons are inefficient in terms of power and false discovery rates. In this Article, we propose a general framework, ANCOM-BC2, for performing a wide range of multigroup analyses with covariate adjustments and repeated measures. We illustrate our methodology through two real datasets. The first example explores the effects of aridity on the soil microbiome, and the second example investigates the effects of surgical interventions on the microbiome of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

A silicon (Si) Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) is demonstrated for 10-km SMF Link at C-band (1550 nm), which allows the pre-emphasized 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) data transmission at 50 GBaud (100 Gbit/s) per channel. By employing the pre-emphasis to the PAM-4 data over different links, the channel dispersion-induced power fading can be compensated. The PAM-4 data with improved spectral usage efficiency in limited bandwidth is employed to encode the Si MZM, and the maximal transmission capacities of 50 GBaud for back-to-back (BtB), 50 GBaud for 2-km SMF, and 26 GBaud for 10-km DSF under KP4-FEC criterion are respectively obtained for providing 100/100/52 Gbit/s data transmission with qualified bit error ratios of 1.5×10−4/2×10−4/1.4×10−4. The penalties on the sensitivity of the receiving power are 0.32 dB for 50-GBaud PAM-4 data after 2-km-SMF link and 0.64 dB for 26-GBaud PAM-4 data over 10-km DSF as compared to the BtB case. Such a scheme takes advantages including the lower power consumption with less circuit complexity than traditional push-pull driven operation, which certifies the 50-GBaud PAM-4 data capability per channel for inter-data-center applications. In addition, this Si MZM device can also modulate the pre-emphasized 16-QAM OFDM data at 140 Gbit/s and the bit-loaded DMT data at 153 Gbit/s.

Bis(2-phenylpyridine)(acetylacetonate)iridium, Ir(ppy)2(acac), is a benchmark green emitter for phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs). In this work, we reported three positional isomeric cyano-substituted Ir(ppy)2(acac) complexes, i.e., Ir(3-CN), Ir(4-CN), and Ir(10-CN), with the emission in the yellow to red region (544–625 nm). Through theoretical investigation and single-crystal analysis, it was found that the introduction of cyano substitution at various positions of the ppy ligand allows for tuning the electron distribution and coordination bond length of Ir complexes. Therefore, the charge transfer property of Ir complexes is enhanced such that the energy gap of the cyano-substituted Ir(ppy)2(acac) complexes was reduced. In addition, Ir(3-CN), Ir(4-CN), and Ir(10-CN) exhibited high PLQYs of 83, 54, and 75%, respectively, with the phosphorescence lifetime in the range of 0.79–2.08 μs. Notably, the device utilizing Ir(3-CN) as the emitter exhibited a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 25.4%, current efficiency of 56.9 cd A–1, power efficiency of 68.7 lm W–1, and brightness of 61,340 cd m–2at 8 V. The EQE of this device remained 24.3 and 19.9% at luminances of 1,000 and 10,000 cd m–2, corresponding to the efficiency roll-off of 4.3 and 21.7%, respectively. Comparing to the Ir complexes using the ligand with an extended conjugated structure, our results demonstrated a simple molecular design strategy for phosphorescence emitters with reduced molecular weight for efficient PhOLEDs in the yellow to red color region.

Anisotropically conductive hydrogels have promising applications in artificial intelligence and wearable flexible electronics. However, for conductive hydrogels, the integration of comprehensive properties, such as high electrical conductivity, strong moisture retention, and high mechanical properties, is very important. In this article, sandwich-shaped anisotropically conductive hydrogels were constructed with a conductivity of up to 1.5 S/m. The difference in conductivity along the different directions is about a factor of 6. The formation of dynamic coordination bonding enhances the cross-linked network between poly(acrylic acid) and Nd3+, which causes the hydrogels to have excellent self-healing properties and fatigue resistance, with a self-healing efficiency of up to 90%. The middle layer of the hydrogels is compounded with nanographene, which cuases the hydrogels to have good mechanical properties, such as ultrastretchability (∼1930%) and high strength (∼0.7 MPa). The binary solvent consisting of glycerin and water gives the hydrogels an excellent moisturizing and antifreezing function. It maintains good flexibility and conductivity even at −18 °C. Based on the rapid response and high sensitivity, the sandwich-shaped hydrogel strain sensors can detect human motion (such as knuckle motion, wrist movement, etc.), showing great application potential in flexible sensors.

ABSTRACT Before partial-depth repair using proper materials was implemented, Houston District of Texas Department of Transportation had to repair spalls and punchout constantly in the Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) [...]

A study was conducted to investigate the impact of a long-term comprehensive control program for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Aboriginal people in Central Australia. Results indicated that control programs were effective in reducing the risk of STIs except in the case of gonorrhoea.

Dopamine functioning is an essential mechanism underlying addictive behaviors. This paper evaluates the association of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) with the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) val158met polymorphism and examines the roles of impulsivity and reinforcement sensitivity in this association. Using diagnostic interviews, this study recruited 69 participants with IGD and 138 participants without. All participants underwent diagnostic interviews for IGD and an evaluation for the COMT val158met polymorphism, impulsivity, and reinforcement sensitivity. Among participants with the Val/Val genotype, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for IGD was 2.09 (1.15–3.80). The IGD–Val/Val genotype association was mediated by impulsivity and fun‐seeking. The Val/Val genotype is indicative of low frontal functioning and is a predictive factor of IGD, with this effect being confounded by impulsivity and fun‐seeking. Interventions targeting impulsivity and fun‐seeking might attenuate the risk of IGD, particularly among individuals with the Val/Val genotype. Additional studies are necessary to elucidate the possible role of dopamine functioning.

Neoplastic cells of non-immunogenic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) express indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO-1), an immunosuppressive enzyme. The metabolites of IDO-1 in cancers provide one-carbon units that annihilate effector T cells, and recruit immunosuppressive cells. In this study we investigated how IDO-1 affected the neoplastic cell behaviors in PDACs. Using multiple markers co-labeling method in 45-µm-thick tissue sections, we showed that IDO-1 expression was uniquely increased in the neoplastic cells extruded from ducts’ apical or basal domain, but decreased in lymph metastatic cells. IDO-1+extruding neoplastic cells displayed increased vimentin expression and decreased cytokeratin expression in PDACs, characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, IDO-1 expression was uncorrelated with immunosuppressive infiltrates and clinicopathological characteristics of grim outcome. We replicated basal extrusion with EMT in murine KPIC PDAC organoids by long-term IFN-γ induction; application of IDO-1 inhibitor INCB24360 or 1-MT partially reversed basal extrusion coupled EMT. Ido-1deletion in KPIC cells deprived its tumorigenicity in immunocompetent mice, decreased cellular proliferation and macropinocytic ability, and increased immunogenicity. KPIC organoids with IFN-γ-induced basal extrusion did not accelerate distant metastasis, whereas inhibition IFN-γ-induced IDO-1 with INB24360 but not 1-MT in KPIC organoids elicited liver metastasis of subcutaneous KPIC organoid tumors, suggesting that lower IDO-1 activity accelerated distant metastasis, whereas IDO-1 was indispensable for tumorigenicity of PDAC cells and supports the survival of extruding cells.

This study aimed to evaluate the belief of frustration intolerance of individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) and its association with depression among them. We recruited 69 participants with IGD and 138 controls (69 regular gamers and other non‐gamers). IGD is diagnosed based on DSM‐5 (DSM stands for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders) criteria through psychiatric interviews. They had completed the questionnaire for the belief of frustration intolerance, depression, and severity of IGD. The participant with IGD had a higher score on the frustration discomfort scale and its subscales, discomfort intolerance, entitlement, emotional intolerance, and achievement. Further regression analysis demonstrated an independent association between entitlement and IGD in control of depression. The frustration intolerance is also associated with depression and the severity of IGD among the IGD group. The discomfort intolerance and achievement were the most associated factors of depression. Frustration intolerance is a crucial irrational belief of IGD. It contributes to the severity of IGD and depression among individuals with IGD. The frustration intolerance, particularly for discomfort intolerance, entitlement, and achievement, should be assessed and intervened while treating individuals with IGD.

The routing protocol for low power and lossy network (RPL), constructed according to the objective function (OF), is the standard for routing selection in low power and lossy networks (LLNs). Most schemes utilise the expected transmission count (ETX) as the routing metric for the next hop. Designing effective and efficient routing protocols in LLNs require the mechanism to meet the criteria of different applications or services. In this paper, we propose a service-aware OF with quality of service (SOF-QoS) mechanism which integrates received signal strength indicator (RSSI), energy consumption, and hop count metrics into RPL OF for path selection according to different services, such as normal data, video packets and emergency messages transmission in LLNs. The proposed SOF-QoS mechanism defines various weights with fuzzy logic for the next routing selection in response to each service. We conduct the simulation under different network topologies with static and mobile scenarios to analyse the performance of the proposed SOF-QoS mechanism and compare them with the traditional RPL schemes. The simulation result shows that our proposed SOF-QoS mechanism provides relatively better or superior performance with reliability than traditional ones for different services.

Piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymer, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)), have attracted considerable attention due to their potential in flexible, biocompatible energy harvesting and sensing devices. However, their limited piezoelectric performance hinders their widespread application. Inspired by the concept of morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) prevalent in high-performance piezoelectric ceramics, we successfully constructed MPB in the piezoelectric polymer P(VDF-TrFE) through size-dependent interface effects. We provided direct structural evidence using atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) and significantly improved the piezoelectric performance of P(VDF-TrFE). The emergence of MPB is attributed to the interface effect induced by electrostatic interactions between ZnO fillers and the −CH2, −CF2, and −CHF groups in P(VDF-TrFE). This interaction drives a concomitant competition between the all-transβ phase (normal ferroelectric) and the 3/1 helical phase (relaxor), resulting in enhanced piezoelectric responses in the transition region. By coupling the MPB effect with a porous structure, we developed a piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) that surpasses the electrical output limitation of current P(VDF-TrFE)-based PENGs. The fabricated PENG exhibits superior piezoelectric outputs (6.9 μW/cm2), impressive pressure sensitivity (2.3038 V/kPa), ultrafast response time (4.3 ms), and recovery time (46.4 ms)─notably, without the need for additional poling treatment. In practical applications, the constructed PENG can efficiently generate characteristic signals in response to various human movements and harvest biomechanical energy. This work offers insight into utilizing interface-induced MPB and proposes a simple, scalable approach for developing high-performance self-polarized piezoelectric polymer films for self-powered sensing systems toward human–machine interaction.

With the emergence of wearable electronics, ferroelectrics are poised to serve as key components for numerous potential applications. Currently, intrinsically elastic ferroelectrics featuring a network structure through a precise “slight cross-linking” approach have been realized. The resulting elastic ferroelectrics demonstrate a combination of stable ferroelectric properties and remarkable resilience under various strains. However, challenges arose as the cross-linking temperature was too high when integrating ferroelectrics with other functional materials, and the Curie temperature of this elastic ferroelectric was comparatively low. Addressing these challenges, we strategically chose a poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based copolymer with high vinylidene fluoride content to obtain a high Curie temperature while synthesizing a cross-linker with carbene intermediate for high reactivity to reduce the cross-linking temperature. At a relatively low temperature, we successfully fabricated elastic ferroelectrics through carbene cross-linking. The resulting elastic polymer ferroelectrics exhibit a higher Curie temperature and show a stable ferroelectric response under strains up to 50%. These materials hold significant potential for integration into wearable electronics.

Surface behavior modification by forming surface-transparent conductive nanowires (NWs) is an important technique for many applications, particularly when the polarities of the NWs can be controlled. The polarities of Ga-doped ZnO (GaZnO) NWs grown on templates of different polarities under different growth conditions are studied for exploring a polarity control growth technique. The NWs are formed on Ga- and N-face GaN through the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) process using Ag nanoparticles as growth catalyst. The NWs grown on templates of different polarities under the Zn- (O-) rich conditions are always Zn (O) polar. During the early stage of NW growth, because the lattice sizes among different nucleation islands formed at the triple-phase line are quite different, high-density planar defects are produced when lateral growths from multiple nucleation islands form a GaZnO double bilayer. In this situation, frequent domain inversions occur, and GaZnO polarity is unstable. Under the Zn- (O-) rich conditions, because the lateral growth rate of GaZnO in the Zn- (O-) polar structure is higher due to more available dangling bonds, the growth of the Zn- (O-) polar structure dominates NW formation such that the NW eventually becomes Zn (O) polar irrespective of the polarity of the growth template. Therefore, the polarity of a doped-ZnO NW can be controlled simply by the relative supply rates of Zn and O during VLS growth.

This study developed flexible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with warm white and neutral white light. A simple ultraviolet flip-chip sticking process was adopted for the pumping source and combined with polymer and quantum dot (QD) films technology to yield white light. The polymer-blended flexible LEDs exhibited higher luminous efficiency than the QD-blended flexible LEDs. Moreover, the polymer-blended LEDs achieved excellent color-rendering index (CRI) values (Ra = 96 and R9 = 96), with high reliability, demonstrating high suitability for special applications like accent, down, or retrofit lights in the future. In places such as a museum, kitchen, or surgery room, its high R9 and high CRI characteristics can provide high-quality services.

This study examines the differences in explicit and implicit stigma between medical and non-medical undergraduate students at baseline; the changes of explicit and implicit stigma in medical undergraduate and non-medical undergraduate students after a 1-month psychiatric clerkship and 1-month follow-up period; and the differences in the changes of explicit and implicit stigma between medical and non-medical undergraduate students. Seventy-two medical undergraduate students and 64 non-medical undergraduate students were enrolled. All participants were interviewed at intake and after 1 month. The Taiwanese version of the Stigma Assessment Scale and the Implicit Association Test were used to measure the participants’ explicit and implicit stigma. Neither explicit nor implicit stigma differed between two groups at baseline. The medical, but not the non-medical, undergraduate students had a significant decrease in explicit stigma during the 1-month period of follow-up. Neither the medical nor the non-medical undergraduate students exhibited a significant change in implicit stigma during the one-month of follow-up, however. There was an interactive effect between group and time on explicit stigma but not on implicit stigma. Explicit but not implicit stigma toward mental illness decreased in the medical undergraduate students after a psychiatric clerkship. Further study is needed to examine how to improve implicit stigma toward mental illness.

In clinical genomics, the continuous evolution of bioinformatic algorithms and sequencing platforms makes it beneficial to store patients’ complete aligned genomic data in addition to variant calls relative to a reference sequence. Due to the large size of human genome sequence data files (varying from 30 GB to 200 GB depending on coverage), two major challenges facing genomics laboratories are the costs of storage and the efficiency of the initial data processing. In addition, privacy of genomic data is becoming an increasingly serious concern, yet no standard data storage solutions exist that enable compression, encryption, and selective retrieval. Here we present a privacy-preserving solution named SECRAM (Selective retrieval on Encrypted and Compressed Reference-oriented Alignment Map) for the secure storage of compressed aligned genomic data. Our solution enables selective retrieval of encrypted data and improves the efficiency of downstream analysis (e.g., variant calling). Compared with BAM, the de facto standard for storing aligned genomic data, SECRAM uses 18% less storage. Compared with CRAM, one of the most compressed nonencrypted formats (using 34% less storage than BAM), SECRAM maintains efficient compression and downstream data processing, while allowing for unprecedented levels of security in genomic data storage. Compared with previous work, the distinguishing features of SECRAM are that (1) it is position-based instead of read-based, and (2) it allows random querying of a subregion from a BAM-like file in an encrypted form. Our method thus offers a space-saving, privacy-preserving, and effective solution for the storage of clinical genomic data.

In this paper, we will review our lab's result on using photoresist as the masking material for micro‐LED arrays. The colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are used as photon conversion layer and the Aerosol Jet ® technology was applied for dispensing the QDs. A full‐color array can be demonstrated and the isolation between pixels can be improved. The output light intensity can also be improved via the inclusion of a ultra‐violet band distributed Bragg reflector (DBR).

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are increasingly identified with the widespread use of imaging modalities. The precise diagnosis of PCLs remains a challenge despite the use of CT, MRI, and EUS-FNA. Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a new endoscopic imaging modality that provides real-time, very high magnification images. A smaller CLE probe, which can be passed through a 19-gauge FNA needle, is now available. Needle-based CLE during EUS has recently been examined to evaluate PLCs, and the specific criteria of nCLE for the diagnosis of PLCs have been proposed.

A series of nitrogen-modified Li4Ti5O12(N-LTO) nanomaterials with hierarchical micro/nanoporous structures are first synthesized via a facile one-step combustion process using thermal decomposition of urea. Successful deposition of a TiN thin layer onto the LTO surface was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric measurements. The electrochemical performances of the N-LTO nanomaterials are also investigated in this work. Compared with pristine LTO, the N-LTO nanomaterial with 1.1 wt % nitrogen exhibits a higher rate capability and better reversibility. At charge/discharge rates of 1, 2, 8, and 15 C, the discharge capacities of the N-LTO electrode were 159, 150, 128, and 108 mAh g–1, respectively. After 200 cycles at 1 C, its capacity retention was 98.5% with almost no capacity fading.

The Tongpu community is a minority Bunun aborigine tribe located in Jade Mountain area. Due to its location in the national park, the economic development is vulnerable by the impact of national policy, leading to widening gaps between rich and poor, and population exodus, etc. Although this area is rich for its cultural and natural landscape, the Tongpu is reliant on farming, primarily fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, plums, sweet pepper, and tea.

This is a single-blind, parallel, flexible-dose study to compare the efficacy and tolerability of escitalopram and paroxetine in the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder. We recruited 399 patients from the outpatient clinics of five hospitals in northern Taiwan. Patients were administered either escitalopram (10–30 mg) or paroxetine (20–40 mg) according to the judgment of clinicians. These patients were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety at weeks 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. A total of 302 patients fulfilled the evaluation criteria and were included in a statistical analysis. We found that escitalopram induced more significant symptom reduction and response rate in terms of the mean HAM-D scores at week 6 (P<0.05) and week 8 (P<0.05) than paroxetine, but that there were no significant differences between the two groups in the remission rate. Escitalopram induced significantly less frequency of adverse effects of weakness (P<0.01), nausea and vomiting (P<0.001), drowsiness (P<0.01) as well as somnolence (P<0.01) than paroxetine, although all these side effects were mild and tolerable. However for a more definitive result, future prospective trials with the inclusion of a placebo group and a double-blind design are needed. In patients who did not have severe depression (HAM-D score at baseline<21), but not in severely depressed patients, escitalopram was statistically superior to paroxetine, as shown by the mean change in the HAM-D score.

Based on the mode of eco-network planning, this text expounds three aspects about ecological nodes in university campus, including two general features those are heterogeneity and mosaicism, three common types can be respectively named Intersectional, Affiliated and Separate and their three important planning and construction principles: strictly protect virgin nature ecological factors, create an symbiotic environment for both human and nature, regenerate ecological elements located on the key position in eco-network of campus such as planting a cluster of regional trees to be a grove for animals.

The aims of this study were (1) to examine differences in the level of self‐esteem among adolescents with different roles in aggression involvement (aggression perpetrators, victims, perpetrator‐victims and neutrals) according to gender and (2) to examine the moderating effects of depression and family support on association between aggression involvement and self‐esteem. A total of 8085 adolescents in Taiwan completed questionnaires. The relationships between self‐esteem and aggression involvement were examined by multiple regression analysis. The moderating effects of depression and family support on the association between aggression involvement and self‐esteem were examined. The results showed that in females, aggression victims had lower self‐esteem than those in the other three groups (t= −2.940 to 2.173, p< 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in self‐esteem among perpetrators, perpetrator‐victims, and neutrals (t= 0.693–0.933, p> 0.05). In males, self‐esteem in victims and perpetrator‐victims was lower than in neutrals and perpetrators (t= −3.339 to −2.704, p< 0.01); however, there was no difference in self‐esteem between victims and perpetrator‐victims (t= −1.115, p> 0.05) or between perpetrators and neutrals (t= −1.396, p> 0.05). Family support had a moderating effect on the association between self‐esteem and victimization in males. Depression had a moderating effect on the association between self‐esteem and perpetration‐victimization and victimization in males. The results indicate that self‐esteem in adolescents with different patterns of involvement in aggression is not the same as in those without involvement. The moderating effects of depression and family support should be considered when developing intervention strategies to raise self‐esteem in adolescents with aggression involvement.

The aim of this study is to explore the correlation of laboratory data, hormone peptides, and quality of life with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome groups in type 2 diabetes patients. Of 513 registered patients, 179 subjects aged between 20 and 65years and having type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for more than 1year were enrolled in the study. All the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire on diabetic TCM syndrome groups, which was designed by professional TCM doctors, and two questionnaires on the quality of life (QOL), WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan version and Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Short Form-12 (SF-12). The biochemical characteristics and hormone peptide levels were collected at the same time. The patients in any one of the six TCM syndrome groups had the trend to have worse QOL. Especially, patients with qi deficiency had worse life quality on every aspect compared to those without qi deficiency and were fatter than others. We also found that the subjects who had qi deficiency, qi stagnation, and yin deficiency at the same time had worsened condition. We consider that patients with qi deficiency may also be at a higher risk of developing other complications. They need more advanced health care than others. This self-reported questionnaire will be a reference for health care workers screening those T2DM patients who have a higher possibility of developing other complications. Especially in remote areas, where there is a lack of medical resources, an easy-to-use tool such as the one in the present study for detecting and evaluating disease conditions is needed.

The corrosion behavior of Ag in outdoor environments and in a salt spray chamber was investigated. The coulometric reduction technique was applied to identify various silver corrosion products including Ag2SO4 and AgO. These corrosion products were observed on samples exposed in certain field environments. A plateau in the coulometric reduction curve associated with metastable hydrogen evolution was observed under conditions in which a considerable amount of Ag2S was formed and reduced. Soluble silver chloride complexes were the dominant corrosion product, instead of insoluble AgCl, when the chloride deposition rate was high enough. Under those conditions, the corrosion rate measured by coulometric reduction is lower than the actual corrosion rate. Ag particles formed on the surface during exposure to different environments. During exposure in a marine environment, photodecomposition of AgCl corrosion product resulted in the formation of Ag nanoparticles embedded in AgCl. Isolated Ag particles of a few micrometers in size formed during exposure in a salt spray chamber due to the high exchange current density for the Ag/Ag+ reaction.

A laboratory environment chamber with a constant deposition rate of NaCl was built. With this chamber, the corrosion behavior of Cu during constant NaCl deposition was investigated with different CO2 concentrations and ultraviolet (UV) illumination. XRD and coulometric reduction techniques were used to identify and quantify the corrosion products. An Na2CO3 solution was found to be more suitable than KCl solutions for quantification of Cu corrosion products. Cuprite was always the dominant corrosion product during exposure of Cu in various environments. UV illumination accelerated formation of cuprite significantly but had very little effect on formation of cupric corrosion product. CO2 in the environment was important in determination of cupric corrosion products. With 350 ppm CO2, paratacamite was the dominant product, while tenorite was dominant with <1 ppm CO2. This explains why tenorite is not a common cupric corrosion product in the field. Pitting corrosion was always the dominant form of corrosion at the beginning of the exposure period but uniform corrosion dominated at later times. The new environment chamber enables the determination of Cu corrosion kinetics in the lab, especially the formation of paratacamite, which provides insight into Cu atmospheric corrosion in the field.

In the presented patent, wastewater treatment from pine gum resin processing had been studied and the suitable conditions for treating the wastewater were obtained. This patent utilized two processes: the primary treatment of boiler slag adsorption and the secondary treatment of activated sludge biodegradation. Under the primary treatment, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended substances (SS) in the wastewater were examined systematically at various slag's sizes and solution pH values. The suitable technological conditions of the slag adsorption treatment found were boiler slag size of 1.00-1.41 mm and solution pH value of 6.0. The adsorption experimental equilibrium data was found to fit the Langmuir model well, and the breakthrough curve of adsorption column test was also obtained. The effluent treated by the boiler slag adsorption was further treated by activated sludge biodegradation. The effects of aeration time and coagulation/ precipitation time on biodegradation process were studied and the suitable biodegradation conditions obtained were as follows: the coagulation/precipitation time of 60 min, the aeration time of 6 h for COD and aeration time of 8 h for SS, respectively.

This study aims to examine the prevalence and sociodemographics, family and peer correlates of tattooing among high school students in southern Taiwan, and to examine the associations between tattooing and a variety of adolescent risk-taking behaviors and depression. A total of 9755 high school students (grades 7 to 12) in southern Taiwan were recruited into this study and completed the questionnaires. The prevalence of tattooing among the adolescents was calculated. The responses were analyzed using the logistic regression analysis models. It was found that 1% of high school students in southern Taiwan had 1 or more tattoos on their bodies. The older students who were perceived to have low family monitoring and who had friends who drink regularly, used illicit drugs, had a criminal record or were in a gang were more likely to have a tattoo. Tattooing was also found to be associated with violence, weekly alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, dropping out of school, unprotected sex, suicidal ideation/attempt, and depression. The results indicate that several demographics, family and peer factors are associated with adolescent tattooing. Tattooing may be an indicator of risk-taking behaviors in high school students.

Bromination is used as a strategy to improve biological activity in medicinal chemistry. In order to study on the structure–activity relationships of the novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitors with 7H-thiazolo[3,2-b]-1, 2, 4-triazin-7-one scaffold, based on our previous work and molecular modeling, a series of novel 3-aryl-6-(bromoarylmethyl)-7H-thiazolo[3,2-b]-1, 2, 4-triazin-7-one derivatives were designed by molecular docking, synthesized and characterized by mass spectra, infrared spectra, proton NMR and elemental analyses. The study of AChE inhibitory activity was carried out using the Ellman colorimetric assay with huperzine-A as the positive control. Most of all target compounds exhibited more than 45% inhibition at 10μmol/L. The preliminary structure–activity relationship was the bromine atoms and the hydroxyl group at the phenyl ring at the C6 position of the parent nucleus played significant roles in the AChE inhibitory activity of the target compounds.

Tunnel-structured potassium titanate with a K3Ti8O17phase was synthesized by direct oxidation of titanium powder mixed with KF(aq) in water vapor at 923 K. The reaction conditions were adjusted so that uniform single crystalline potassium titanate nanowires with [010] growth direction (length: 5–30 μm, diameter: 80–100 nm) were obtained. Nitridation of the nanowires by NH3(g) at 973–1073 K converted the titanate nanowires into rock-salt structured cubic phase single crystalline titanium oxynitride TiNxOynanotubes (x= 0.88, y= 0.12, length = 1–10 μm, diameter = 150–250 nm, wall thickness = 30 – 50 nm) and nanorods (x= 0.5, y= 0.5, length = 1–5 μm, diameter = 100–200 nm) with rough surfaces and [200] growth direction. The overall conversion of the titanate nanowires into the nanotubes and the nanorods can be rationalized by Ostwald ripening mechanism. We fabricated an electrode by adhering TiNxOynanotubes (0.2 mg) on a screen-printed carbon electrode (geometric area: 0.2 cm2). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrated its charge transfer resistance to be 20Ω. The electrochemical surface area of the nanotubes on the electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry to be 0.32 cm2. This property suggests that the TiNxOynanostructures can be employed as potential electrode materials for electrochemical applications.

In this study, composite films were prepared with Konjac glucomannan (KGM) and Starch, In the process of preparation, add Lactic acid as modifier, deal with Ammonia as crosslinker. Pretreatment with microwave, and used solvent (water) casting method to prepare the KGM/starch composite films, and used orthogonal matrix L25 (5,6) to analyze the influencing factors. The results showed that: the tensile strength of films is 7.96~25.68Mpa, and the fracture elongation rate is 1.25~5.00%. It can reach the tensile strength requirements of films for food packaging materials (polyethylene films) and the optimal level is A2B4C3D3. By XRD analysis, KGM/starch composite films showed amorphous. Preliminary degradation experiments shows that the decomposition period of KGM/starch composite films is 2 weeks in the soil suspension. Therefore, KGM/starch composite films are potential biodegradable film materials.

In this paper, we first apply the hierarchical concept to the care-of prefix (CoP) scheme as HCoP and enhance HCoP with a novel binding update tree (BUT) structure as HCoP-B for network mobility (NEMO) management of the nested mobile network. Second, we further extend HCoP-B to support the seamless handoff of the nested NEMO. As compared to schemes such as reverse routing header (RRH), route optimisation using tree information option (ROTIO) and HCoP with numerical performance evaluations, HCoP-B achieves the shortest handoff latency and significantly reduces the consumed network bandwidth of global binding update messages for route optimisations (RO) of all correspondent nodes (CN) after the nested mobile network hands over to a new AR. Besides, HCoP-B also achieves shorter playback disruption time and buffering time than ROTIO does, which is the only one scheme mentioned how to achieve seamless handoff for the NEMO in the literature, for ongoing real-time multimedia applications whenever the mobile subnet in the old nested mobile network hands over to a new one.

Abstract: Objective: Stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1), a kind of glycoprotein hormone, is universally up-regulated in various tumor tissues compared to corresponding normal tissues, suggesting it may be used as a tumor marker, whilst disseminated tumor cells usually exist in peripheral blood. The aim of this study is to investigate the mRNA expression STC-1 in peripheral blood of colorectal cancer (CRC) and analyze its clinicopathological significance. Methods: The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) were isolated from 78 CRC patients and 33 cancer-free controls. The expression status of STC-1 mRNA in PBMNCs was assessed by RT-PCR, its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and 5-year overall survival was analyzed as well. Results: In the 78 blood samples from CRC patients, 33 (42.31%) showed positive expression of STC-1 mRNA, and all of 15 gastrointestinal tumor tissues were positive for STC-1 mRNA. In contrast, all the blood samples from 14 healthy donors and 19 patients with inflammatory gastrointestinal disease were negative. Furthermore, STC-1 mRNA expression status was associated with patients’ advanced stage, distant metastasis and shortened overall survival. Conclusion: The detection of STC-1 mRNA in peripheral blood by RT-PCR was highly sensitive and specific for the patients with CRC. STC-1 mRNA may be a potential biomarker for detecting tumor micrometastasis and predicting prognosis.

A variety of lateral high-voltage devices has been investigated in the range of 200V to 300V applications in power ICs, including reduced surface electric field (RESURF), laterally double diffused MOS (LDMOS) transistor, lateral variation doping (LVD), vertical linear doping (VD) and linear thickness (LT) devices. These devices are described and compared on the basis of on-state, off-state breakdown voltages, on-state resistance (Rdson), safe operation area (SOA) and Baliga's Figure-Of-Merits (BFOM). It is observed that for devices operating lesser than 300V, the VD LDMOS exhibits superior performance, where as higher voltage devices ([?]300 V), the LT device proves to be superior. Applications arround 200 V, the VD device exhibits only a marginal improvement over the LT LDMOS device.

A straightforward electrochemical deposition process was developed to grow gold nanostructures, including nanocoral, nanothorn, branched belt, and nanoparticle, on carbon electrodes by reducing HAuCl4under constant potentials in mixtures containing CTAC and/or NaNO3. Among the nanostructures, the quasi-one-dimensional nanocoral electrode showed the highest surface area. Because of this, it provided excellent electrochemical performances in cyclic voltammetric (CV) studies for kinetic-controlled enzyme-free glucose oxidation reactions. In amperometric studies carried out at 0.200 V in PBS (pH 7.40, 0.100 M), the nanocoral electrode showed the highest anodic current response. It also offered the greatest sensitivity, 22.6 μAmM−1cm−2, an extended linear range, 5.00 × 10−2mM to 3.00 × 101mM, and a low detection limit, 1.00 × 101μm among the electrodes investigated in this study. In addition, the glucose oxidation by the nanocoral electrode started at −0.280 V, more negative than the one of using a commercial Au electrode as the working electrode. This is attributed to the presence of exposed Au (110) surfaces on the electrode. The feature was applied to oxidize glucose selectively in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), common interferences found in physiological analytes. With an applied voltage at −0.100 V, the AA oxidation (started at −0.080 V) can be avoided while the glucose oxidation still provides a significant response.

Growth of amorphous carbon nanocoil (CNC) from acetylene on Si substrates was achieved by using nanosized Ag and K as the catalysts. The deposition of CNC was carried out inside a hot-wall reactor at 723 K using H2as the carrier gas. Based on the observed results, we propose a cooperative bimetal catalyst enhanced vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) growth mechanism to rationalize the CNC growth. In the reaction, the liquid phase metallic K dehydrogenated acetylene into the solid-state carbon, while the Ag nanoparticle assisted the extension of carbon one-dimensionally (1-D) viaa tip-growth mechanism. Due to the adhesive force between the K liquid and the carbon, the 1-D solid curled along the C−K interface into the nanocoil shape. Some CNC samples were further heat-treated at 1423 K and showed very good field emission properties. They emitted electrons (10 μA/cm2) at a turn-on field Etoof 2.51 V/μm, while Jmaxreached 17.71 mA/cm2at 5.64 V/μm. The field enhancement factor β was calculated to be 2124, comparable to other carbon nanotube (CNT) and CNC based emitters. The CNC was also characterized by using the electrochemical behavior of K3[Fe(CN)6] viacyclic voltammetry (CV). The electrochemical surface area of a CNC electrode (geometric surface area 0.078 cm2) was calculated to be 0.143 cm2. These properties suggest that the CNC electrodes may have potential applications in field emission and electrochemical devices.

Abstract: An attribute based encryption scheme (ABE) is a cryptographic primitive in which every user is identified by a set of attributes, and some function of these attributes is used to determine the ability to decrypt each ciphertext. Chase proposed the first multi authority ABE scheme which requires a fully trusted central authority who has the ability to decrypt each ciphertext in the system. This central authority would endanger the whole system if it is corrupted. This paper provides a threshold multi authority fuzzy identity based encryption (MA-FIBE) scheme without a central authority for the first time. An encrypter can encrypt a message such that a user could only decrypt if he has at least of the given attributes about the message for at least honest authorities of all the n attribute authorities in the proposed scheme. This paper considers a stronger adversary model in the sense that the corrupted authorities are allowed to distribute incorrect secret keys to the users. The security proof is based on the secrecy of the underlying distributed key generation protocol and joint zero secret sharing protocol and the standard decisional bilinear Diffie–Hellman assumption. The proposed MA-FIBE could be extended to the threshold multi authority attribute based encryption (MA-ABE) scheme, and both key policy based and ciphertext policy based MA-ABE schemes without a central authority are presented in this paper. Moreover, several other extensions, such as a proactive large universe MA-ABE scheme, are also provided in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Implementation of an iterative decomposition (QRD) (IQRD) architecture based on the modified Gram-Schmidt (MGS) algorithm is proposed in this paper. A QRD is extensively adopted by the detection of multiple-input-multiple-output systems. In order to achieve computational efficiency with robust numerical stability, a triangular systolic array (TSA) for QRD of large-size matrices is presented. In addition, the TSA architecture can be modified into an iterative architecture that is called IQRD for reducing hardware cost. The IQRD hardware is constructed by the diagonal and the triangular process with fewer gate counts and lower power consumption than TSAQRD. For a 4 x 4 matrix, the hardware area of the proposed IQRD can reduce about 41% of the gate counts in TSAQRD. For a generic square matrix of order m IQRD, the latency required is 2m time units, which is based on the MGS algorithm. Thus, the total clock latency is only 10m - 5 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reversible cellulose binding agent, 1‐(4′‐(4′′‐(2′′′‐boronobenzyl)piperazinyl)‐2′‐butenyl)‐3‐n‐butylimidazolium chloride 1, is synthesized by reacting 2‐((4′‐allylpiperazinyl)methyl) phenylboronic acid with 3‐allyl‐1‐n‐butylimidazolium chloride. 1is miscible with ionic liquids, and when combined with Ru nanoparticles as a catalyst, cellulose can be converted to polyols under mild conditions. The catalyst can be recycled with sustained activity.

The docking study on a series of 7H-thiazolo[3,2-b]-1,2,4-triazin-7-one derivatives with acetylcholinesterase has been demonstrated. The synthesis and characterization of a series of 7H-thiazolo[3,2-b]-1,2,4-triazin-7-one derivatives were described. All target compounds were evaluated in vitro for the inhibitory activities against AChE via Ellman colorimetric assay. Most of the target compounds possessed anti-acetylcholinesterase activity. The preliminary structure-activity relationships were discussed.

This paper addresses the consensus problem of multiagent systems with a time-invariant communication topology consisting of general linear node dynamics. A distributed observertype consensus protocol based on relative output measurements is proposed. A new framework is introduced to address in a unified way the consensus of multiagent systems and the synchronization of complex networks. Under this framework, the consensus of multiagent systems with a communication topology having a spanning tree can be cast into the stability of a set of matrices of the same low dimension. The notion of consensus region is then introduced and analyzed. It is shown that there exists an observer-type protocol solving the consensus problem and meanwhile yielding an unbounded consensus region if and only if each agent is both stabilizable and detectable. A multistep consensus protocol design procedure is further presented. The consensus with respect to a time-varying state and the robustness of the consensus protocol to external disturbances are finally discussed. The effectiveness of the theoretical results is demonstrated through numerical simulations, with an application to low-Earth-orbit satellite formation flying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth of arrays of pagoda-topped tetragonal Cu nanopillar (length 1− 6 μm; width 150 ± 25 nm) with {100} side faces on Au/glass is achieved by a simple electrochemical reduction of CuCl2(aq) by Al(s) in aqueous dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride. Field-emission measurement shows that the Cu nanopillars can emit electrons (10 μA cm−2) at a turn-on field of 12.4 V μm−1with a calculated field enhancement factor of 713.

This technical note addresses the synchronized region problem, which is converted to a more convenient matrix stability problem, for complex dynamical networks. For any natural number n, the existence of a network with n disconnected synchronized regions is theoretically proved and numerically demonstrated. This shows the intrinsic complexity of the network synchronization problem. Convexity characteristic of stability for relevant matrix pencils is further discussed. A smooth Chua's circuit network is finally discussed as an example for illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient electrochemical synthesis of sulfonated phenanthrenes via the reaction of internal alkynes with sulfonyl hydrazides has been established. The protocol does not require a metal catalyst or external oxidants, providing a green and mild route to functionalized phenanthrenes. Moreover, the compatibility of various functional groups and decagram-scale experimental conditions demonstrate the practicality of the electrochemical strategy.