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The fifth generation (5G) mobile network delivers high peak data rates with ultra-low latency and massive network capacity. Wireless sensor network (WSN) in Internet of Thing (IoT) architecture is of prominent use in 5G-enabled applications. The electronic healthcare (e-health) system has gained a lot of research attention since it allows e-health users to store and share data in a convenient way. By the support of 5G technology, healthcare data produced by sensor nodes are transited in the e-health system with high efficiency and reliability. It helps in reducing the treatment cost, providing efficient services, better analysis reports, and faster access to treatment. However, security and privacy issues become big concerns when the number of sensors and mobile devices is increasing. Moreover, existing single-server architecture requires to store a massive number of identities and passwords, which causes a significant database cost. In this paper, we propose a three-factor fast authentication scheme with time bound and user anonymity for multi-server e-health systems in 5G-based wireless sensor networks. In our work, the three-factor authentication scheme integrating biometrics, password, and smart card ensures a high-security sensor-enabled environment for communicating parties. User anonymity is preserved during communication process. Besides, time bound authentication can be applied to various healthcare scenarios to enhance security. The proposed protocol includes fast authentication, which can provide a fast communication for participating parties. Our protocol is also designed with multi-server architecture to simplify network load and significantly save database cost. Furthermore, security proof and performance analysis results show that our proposed protocol can resist various attacks and bear a rational communication cost.

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is the second most common epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). It is refractory to chemotherapy with a worse prognosis after the preliminary optimal debulking operation, such that the treatment of OCCC remains a challenge. OCCC is believed to evolve from endometriosis, a chronic immune/inflammation-related disease, so that immunotherapy may be a potential alternative treatment. Here, gene set-based analysis was used to investigate the immunofunctionomes of OCCC in early and advanced stages. Quantified biological functions defined by 5917 Gene Ontology (GO) terms downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used. DNA microarray gene expression profiles were used to convert 85 OCCCs and 136 normal controls into to the functionome. Relevant offspring were as extracted and the immunofunctionomes were rebuilt at different stages by machine learning. Several dysregulated pathogenic functions were found to coexist in the immunopathogenesis of early and advanced OCCC, wherein the complement-activation-alternative-pathway may be the headmost dysfunctional immunological pathway in duality for carcinogenesis at all OCCC stages. Several immunological genes involved in the complement system had dual influences on patients&rsquo, survival, and immunohistochemistrical analysis implied the higher expression of C3a receptor (C3aR) and C5a receptor (C5aR) levels in OCCC than in controls.

Accumulating evidence indicates that exercise can improve learning and memory as well as attenuate neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In addition to improving neuroplasticity by altering the synaptic structure and function in various brain regions, exercise also modulates systems like angiogenesis and glial activation that are known to support neuroplasticity. Moreover, exercise helps to maintain a cerebral microenvironment that facilitates synaptic plasticity by enhancing the clearance of Aβ, one of the main culprits of AD pathogenesis. The purpose of this review is to highlight the positive impacts of exercise on promoting neuroplasticity. Possible mechanisms involved in exercise-modulated neuroplasticity are also discussed. Undoubtedly, more studies are needed to design an optimal personalized exercise protocol for enhancing brain function.

The present work develops an atomic layer reduction (ALR) method to accurately tune oxidation level, electrical conductance, band-gap structure, and photoluminescence (PL) response of graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The ALR route is carried out at 200 °C within ALR cycle number of 10–100. The ALR treatment is capable of striping surface functionalities (e.g., hydroxyl, carbonyl, and carboxylic groups), producing thermally-reduced GO sheets. The ALR cycle number serves as a controlling factor in adjusting the crystalline, surface chemistry, electrical, optical properties of GO sheets. With increasing the ALR cycle number, ALR-GO sheets display a high crystallinity, a low oxidation level, an improved electrical conductivity, a narrow band gap, and a tunable PL response. On the basis of the results, the ALR technique offers a great potential for accurately tune electrical and optical properties of carbon materials through the cyclic removal of oxygen functionalities, without any complicated thermal and chemical desorption processes.

Graphene sheets that can exhibit electrical conducting and semiconducting properties are highly desirable and have potential applications in fiber communications, photodetectors, solar cells, semiconductors, and broadband modulators. However, there is currently no efficient method that is able to tune the band gap of graphene sheets. This work adopts an efficient atomic layer oxidation (ALO) technique to cyclically increase the oxidation level of graphene sheets, thus, tuning their electrical conductance, band-gap structure, and photoluminescence (PL) response. The O/C atomic ratio as an increasing function of the ALO cycle number reflects two linear regions: 0.23% per cm2 per cycle (0-15 cycles) and 0.054% per cm2 per cycle (15-100 cycles). The excellent correlation coefficients reveal that the ALO process follows a self-limiting route to step-by-step oxidize graphene layers. The interlayer distance of ALO-graphene sheets shows an obvious increase after the ALO treatment, proved by X-ray diffraction. As analyzed by X-ray photon spectroscopy, the hydroxyl or epoxy group acts as a major contributor to the interlayer spacing distance and oxidation extent in the initial ALO stage, as compared to carbonyl and carboxyl groups. The ALO mechanism, based on Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Eley-Rideal models, is proposed to clarify the formation of oxygen functionalities and structural transformation from pristine graphene sheets to oxidized ones during the ALO cycle. With a tunable oxidation level, the electrical resistivity, semiconductor character, and PL response of ALO-graphene samples can be systematically controlled for desired applications. The ALO approach is capable of offering a straightforward route to tune the oxidation level of graphene sheets or other carbons.

In this study, amorphous MoO x films and Ag metal films were deposited on soda-lime glass via a sputtering system at room temperature. The experimental results indicate that MoO x films prepared with a 6% O 2 /Ar flow rate exhibit an amorphous phase with high transparency and an optical band gap of 2.7 eV. In-situ O 2 /Ar plasma was adopted to further modify the surface of the Ag mid-layer after deposition. This approach can enhance the visible transmittance of MoO x and Ag-based multilayers with the same sheet resistance. The polygrains oriented along the (111) and (200) directions in the inserted Ag thin films were adopted to supply carriers into the MoO x film and decrease the sheet resistance of the MoO x and Ag-based multilayer. The multilayer structure exhibited a sufficiently large Ag thickness (>10 nm), low resistance, and visible transmittance to serve as a transparent conductive electrode. The dependence of the Ag thickness, MoO x thickness, and plasma treatment time on the optical and electrical properties of Ag/MoO x and symmetric MoO x /Ag/MoO x were also explored. A figure of merit (FOM) of 5.3×10 −2 (Ω −1 ) was achieved at the visible wavelength of 550 nm for a MoO x /Ag/MoO x stacked layer with a 10-nm-thick Ag layer and a 30-nm-thick MoO 3 layer. Such a MoO x /Ag/MoO x stacked structure might be a promising electrode in potential applications of transparent conductive oxides.

Electric field stimulation is known to affect various cellular processes, including cell fate specification and differentiation, particularly towards neuronal lineages. This makes it a promising therapeutic strategy to stimulate regeneration of neuronal tissues. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a type of neural cells of the retina responsible for transduction of visual signals from the retina to the brain cortex, and is often degenerated in various blindness-causing retinal diseases. The organic photovoltaic materials such as poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) can generate electric current upon illumination with light of the visible spectrum, and possesses several advantageous properties, including light weight, flexibility and high biocompatibility, which makes them a highly promising tool for electric stimulation of cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we tested the ability to generate photocurrent by several formulations of blend (bulk heterojunction) of P3HT (which is electron donor material) with several electron acceptor materials, including Alq3 and bis(10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinolinato)beryllium (Bebq2). We found that the photovoltaic device based on bulk heterojunction of P3HT with Bebq2 could generate photocurrent when illuminated by both green laser and visible spectrum light. We tested the growth and differentiation capacity of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived RGCs when grown in interface with such photostimulated device, and found that they were significantly increased. The application of P3HT:Bebq2-formulation of photovoltaic device has a great potential for developments in retinal transplantation, nerve repair and tissue engineering approaches of treatment of retinal degeneration.

Electric field stimulation is known to affect various cellular processes, including cell fate specification and differentiation, particularly towards neuronal lineages. This makes it a promising therapeutic strategy to stimulate regeneration of neuronal tissues. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a type of neural cells of the retina responsible for transduction of visual signals from the retina to the brain cortex, and is often degenerated in various blindness-causing retinal diseases. The organic photovoltaic materials such as poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) can generate electric current upon illumination with light of the visible spectrum, and possesses several advantageous properties, including light weight, flexibility and high biocompatibility, which makes them a highly promising tool for electric stimulation of cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we tested the ability to generate photocurrent by several formulations of blend (bulk heterojunction) of P3HT (which is electron donor material) with several electron acceptor materials, including Alq3 and bis(10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinolinato)beryllium (Bebq2). We found that the photovoltaic device based on bulk heterojunction of P3HT with Bebq2 could generate photocurrent when illuminated by both green laser and visible spectrum light. We tested the growth and differentiation capacity of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived RGCs when grown in interface with such photostimulated device, and found that they were significantly increased. The application of P3HT:Bebq2-formulation of photovoltaic device has a great potential for developments in retinal transplantation, nerve repair and tissue engineering approaches of treatment of retinal degeneration.

Healthcare is now an important part of daily life because of rising consciousness of health management. Medical professionals can know users’ health condition if they are able to access information immediately. Telemedicine systems, which provides long distance medical communication and services, is a multi-functional remote medical service that can help patients in bed in long-distance communication environments. As telemedicine systems work in public networks, privacy preservation issue of sensitive and private transmitted information is important. One of the means of proving a user’s identity are user-controlled single sign-on (UCSSO) authentication scheme, which can establish a secure communication channel using authenticated session keys between the users and servers of telemedicine systems, without threats of eavesdropping, impersonation, etc., and allow patients access to multiple telemedicine services with a pair of identity and password. In this paper, we proposed a smartcard-based user-controlled single sign-on (SC-UCSSO) for telemedicine systems that not only remains above merits but achieves privacy preservation and enhances security and performance compared to previous schemes that were proved with BAN logic and automated validation of internet security protocols and applications (AVISPA).

Amorphous TiOx, WO3 and Ag mid-layer films were deposited on polyethersulfone (PES) and soda-lime glass via electron beam evaporation at room temperature. The crystallinity, microstructure and surface morphology of asymmetric TiOx/Ag/WO3 multilayers (TAW) and symmetric WO3/Ag/WO3 (WAW) multilayers were investigated. The polygrains oriented along the (111) planes in the inserted Ag thin films were adopted to supply carriers into both of the dielectric layers and reduce the sheet resistance of the multilayer. The TAW multilayer with a sufficiently large Ag thickness (>15 nm) exhibited low resistance, and highly visible transmittance, low infra-red transmittance, to serve as a transparent conductive electrode and a good heat mirror. The dependence of the Ag and TiOx thickness on the optical and electrical properties of TAW multilayers was also explored. A figure of merit (FOM) was used to find an optimal layer structure for a TAW multilayer with superior conductivity and highly visible transparency. A high FOM of 1.2 × 10−1 (Ω−1) was achieved at the visible wavelength of 550 nm for a asymmetric TAW stacked layer on PES with a 15-nm-thick Ag layer, a 40-nm-thick TiOx and a 40 nm-thick WO3 layer. The moisture resistances of the TAW stacking layer showed more robustness than that of the WAW sample after damp heat exposure.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the eye disease with the highest epidemic incidence, and has great impact on the aged population. Wet-type AMD commonly has the feature of neovascularization, which destroys the normal retinal structure and visual function. So far, effective therapy options for rescuing visual function in advanced AMD patients are highly limited, especially in wet-type AMD, in which the retinal pigmented epithelium and Bruch&rsquo, s membrane structure (RPE-BM) are destroyed by abnormal angiogenesis. Anti-VEGF treatment is an effective remedy for the latter type of AMD, however, it is not a curative therapy. Therefore, reconstruction of the complex structure of RPE-BM and controlled release of angiogenesis inhibitors are strongly required for sustained therapy. The major purpose of this study was to develop a dual function biomimetic material, which could mimic the RPE-BM structure and ensure slow release of angiogenesis inhibitor as a novel therapeutic strategy for wet AMD. We herein utilized plasma-modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sheet to create a biomimetic scaffold mimicking subretinal BM. This dual-surface biomimetic scaffold was coated with laminin and dexamethasone-loaded liposomes. The top surface of PDMS was covalently grafted with laminin and used for cultivation of the retinal pigment epithelial cells differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-RPE). To reach the objective of inhibiting angiogenesis required for treatment of wet AMD, the bottom surface of modified PDMS membrane was further loaded with dexamethasone-containing liposomes via biotin-streptavidin linkage. We demonstrated that hiPSC-RPE cells could proliferate, express normal RPE-specific genes and maintain their phenotype on laminin-coated PDMS membrane, including phagocytosis ability, and secretion of anti-angiogenesis factor PEDF. By using in vitro HUVEC angiogenesis assay, we showed that application of our membrane could suppress oxidative stress-induced angiogenesis, which was manifested in decreased secretion of VEGF by RPE cells and suppression of vascularization. In conclusion, we propose modified biomimetic material for dual delivery of RPE cells and liposome-enveloped dexamethasone, which can be potentially applied for AMD therapy.

This study examines the relationships between seismo-deformation and seismo-conductivity anomalies during two M6 earthquakes that occurred on March 27th and June 2nd, 2013 in Taiwan. The Hilbert–Huang Transform is applied on surface displacement data to remove the effects of noise, semi-annual and annual cycles, and the long-term plate movements. The residual displacements have similar orientations when earthquake-related stress accumulates in the crust. Once the accumulated stress approaches the threshold for fault rupture, the orientations of the residual displacements generally become random, except in a small region near the epicenter. Interestingly, high-conductivity anomalies, which can be detected from the 3-component magnetic data via the magnetic transfer function, exist in places very close to this small region near the epicenter. Spatial and temporal correlations between the high-conductivity anomalies and the small region of seismo-deformation anomalies suggest that electric charges may migrate and become trapped in the region during seismogenic processes due to differential stress accumulation. These electric charges form a high-conductivity material that affects the Parkinson vector of the geomagnetic field.

We systematically investigated precursory seismic patterns using the pattern informatics (PI) method and suggest an operable procedure for making PI maps for all seasons, in the context of earthquake forecasting. We examined the PI patterns before several inland earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 6, which occurred between 2001 and 2010 in Taiwan. We fixed a cutoff magnitude and a change interval, which is the time span used to calculate the seismicity change. Our results show that locations with high PI anomalies are typically associated with large earthquakes when the cutoff magnitude is 3.2 and the change interval is 4 years. Therefore, the PI method can be utilized as a routine forecasting tool with regular updates, such performing the PI calculation every season. We also conducted random tests, the results of which indicate a significant difference between large events and random, hypothetical events.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease. Post-mortem examination and brain imaging studies indicate that neurodegeneration is evident in the hippocampus and amygdala of very early stage AD patients. Exercise training is known to enhance hippocampus- and amygdala-associated neuronal function. Here, we investigated the effects of exercise (running) on the neuronal structure and function of the hippocampus and amygdala in APP/PS1 transgenic (Tg) mice. At 4-months-old, an age before amyloid deposition, the amygdala-associated, but not the hippocampus-associated, long-term memory was impaired in the Tg mice. The dendritic complexities of the amygdalar basolateral neurons, but not those in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 neurons, were reduced. Furthermore, the levels of BDNF/TrkB signaling molecules (i.e. p-TrkB, p-Akt and p-PKC) were reduced in the amygdala, but not in the hippocampus of the 4-month-old Tg mice. The concentrations of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the amygdala were higher than those in the hippocampus. Ten weeks of treadmill training (from 1.5- to 4-month-old) increased the hippocampus-associated memory and dendritic arbor of the CA1 and CA3 neurons, and also restored the amygdala-associated memory and the dendritic arbor of amygdalar basolateral neurons in the Tg mice. Similarly, exercise training also increased the levels of p-TrkB, p-AKT and p-PKC in the hippocampus and amygdala. Furthermore, exercise training reduced the levels of soluble Aβ in the amygdala and hippocampus. Exercise training did not change the levels of APP or RAGE, but significantly increased the levels of LRP-1 in both brain regions of the Tg mice. In conclusion, our results suggest that tests of amygdala function should be incorporated into subject selection for early prevention trials. Long-term exercise protects neurons in the amygdala and hippocampus against AD-related degeneration, probably via enhancements of BDNF signaling pathways and Aβ clearance. Physical exercise may serve as a means to delay the onset of AD.

This paper describes the architecture, design, analysis, and simulation and measurement results of the 3D-MAPS (3D massively parallel processor with stacked memory) chip built with a 1.5 V, 130 nm process technology and a two-tier 3D stacking technology using 1.2 \microm-diameter, 6 \micro m-height through-silicon vias (TSVs) and 3.4\nbsp\microm-diameter face-to-face bond pads. 3D-MAPS consists of a core tier containing 64 cores and a memory tier containing 64 memory blocks. Each core communicates with its dedicated 4KB SRAM block using face-to-face bond pads, which provide negligible data transfer delay between the core and the memory tiers. The maximum operating frequency is 277 MHz and the maximum memory bandwidth is 70.9 GB/s at 277 MHz. The peak measured memory bandwidth usage is 63.8 GB/s and the peak measured power is approximately 4 W based on eight parallel benchmarks.

The clinical characteristics of clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and endometrioid carcinoma EC) are concomitant with endometriosis (ES), which leads to the postulation of malignant transformation of ES to endometriosis-associated ovarian carcinoma (EAOC). Different deregulated functional areas were proposed accounting for the pathogenesis of EAOC transformation, and there is still a lack of a data-driven analysis with the accumulated experimental data in publicly-available databases to incorporate the deregulated functions involved in the malignant transformation of EOAC. We used the microarray gene expression datasets of ES, CCC and EC downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI GEO) database. Then, we investigated the pathogenesis of EAOC by a data-driven, function-based analytic model with the quantified molecular functions defined by 1454 Gene Ontology (GO) term gene sets. This model converts the gene expression profiles to the functionome consisting of 1454 quantified GO functions, and then, the key functions involving the malignant transformation of EOAC can be extracted by a series of filters. Our results demonstrate that the deregulated oxidoreductase activity, metabolism, hormone activity, inflammatory response, innate immune response and cell-cell signaling play the key roles in the malignant transformation of EAOC. These results provide the evidence supporting the specific molecular pathways involved in the malignant transformation of EAOC.

Wearable devices are the most frequently used personal devices, in ail of wearable devices, the smart phones are the most popular and rapid development. The evolution of wearable devices such as smartphones will accelerate the development of Internet of Things (IoT). Furthermore, user can use the IoT services easily through the smartphone or wearing device. However, if the communication between the wearable device and other devices does not have enough access control and information protect, it may cause some problems, such as the data may be stolen and modified. In this paper, we presented an end-to-end authenticated key exchange agreement for wearable devices in IoT environments. The protocol can satisfy some properties of key exchange agreement and be used with wearable devices in IoT environments.

With the progress of information technology, the computer crimes are emerging in an endless stream. User's privacy should be protected. When a user submits a service request to a service provider, both should check the identity of each other and build a shared key to accomplish the service request. Furthermore, when a conference is held, the chairman must verify the identities of all participants. Afterwards, the chairman chooses a conference key and distributes it to legitimate participants. Besides, the participants should know who is in the conference. These manners prevent the malicious adversary from eavesdropping or impersonating to get some benefits. From mentioned above, we adopt identity-based cryptosystem and elliptic curve cryptosystem to propose a privacy-preserved conference key distribution protocol.

Wearable devices become the most personal devices nowadays. The smartphone may become a second screen Internet of Things (IoT) future shaped by wearable devices as wearable devices get smarter. Wearable devices can accelerate speed of leading users to IoT, and the entrance of IoT will be wearable devices. A setback in wearable devices adoption might delay the overall adoption of the IoT among users, such as security issues. Service providers may utilize identity authentication and secure communication protocols for ensuring legitimacy of users and information transferring security. In this paper, we presented an end-to-end authenticated key exchange agreement for wearable devices in IoT environments. The protocol can satisfy some properties of key exchange agreement and be used with wearable devices in IoT environments.

Stoke is the second of causes of deaths on the earth and the third of the top ten in Taiwan. About 70% of stoke patients can restore walking ability through rehabilitation, and 50% of stoke patients can live with daily life. In this paper, we designed and evaluated a user-centered stroke rehabilitation games. We used Information Systems Research (ISR) framework as guideline which Schnall et al. proposed, and we designed and developed stroke rehabilitation games based on clinical knowledge with virtual reality technology. Finally, we evaluated usability and acceptability through qualitative interviews.

A highly adaptive multi-sensor SoC comprising four integrated on-chip sensors and a smart wireless acquisition system is realized in standard CMOS process for the first time. To intelligently process different types (C, R, I, and V) of sensor signals, a linear (R-square is 0.999) and reconfigurable sensor readout is proposed based on switched-capacitor circuit technology. In addition, a dual-input energy harvesting interface with conversion efficiency of 73% is also integrated to pick up light energy and RF power, which potentiates long-term use without battery replacement. The entire SoC occupies die area of 11.25 mm 2 and consumes only 942.9 μW. Experimental results show that four physiological parameters (temperature, glucose and protein concentration, and pH value) can be simultaneously monitored using this chip. This system can be seen as a universal sensor platform. Different types of sensors can be easily integrated into it for convenient use, which dramatically reduces time consuming of building a new sensor system.

The mitochondrial genetic disorder, Leber&rsquo, s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), is caused by a mutation in MT-ND4 gene, encoding NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4. It leads to the progressive death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and causes visual impairment or even blindness. However, the precise mechanisms of LHON disease penetrance and progression are not completely elucidated. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer unique opportunities to investigate disease-relevant phenotypes and regulatory mechanisms underlying LHON pathogenesis at the cellular level. In this study, we successfully generated RGCs by differentiation of LHON patient-specific hiPSCs. We modified the protocol of differentiation to obtain a more enriched population of single-cell RGCs for LHON study. Based on assessing morphology, expression of specific markers and electrophysiological activity, we found that LHON-specific hiPSC-derived were more defective in comparison with normal wild-type RGCs. Based on our previous study, whereby by using microarray analysis we identified that the components of glutamatergic synapse signaling pathway were significantly downregulated in LHON-specific RGCs, we focused our study on glutamate-associated &alpha, amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors. We found that the protein expression levels of the subunits of the AMPA receptor, GluR1 and GluR2, and their associated scaffold proteins were decreased in LHON-RGCs. By performing the co-immunoprecipitation assay, we found several differences in the efficiencies of interaction between AMPA subunits and scaffold proteins between normal and LHON-specific RGCs.

In order to improve the locating capability for offshore earthquakes and tsunamis monitored off northeastern Taiwan, a cable-based ocean bottom seismographic observatory named “Marine Cable Hosted Observatory” (MACHO) was constructed and began operation at the end of 2011. The installed instruments of the observatory include a broadband seismometer, a strong-motion seismometer and a pressure gauge. In addition, various scientific instruments could be deployed for other purposes as well. At present, the seismic data are transmitted in real-time via a fiber cable, and integrated into the current inland seismographic network in Taiwan. The ocean bottom station has contributed to provide high quality seismic data already. According to observations from January 2012 to June 2013, there were a total of 15,168 earthquakes recorded by the system. By using the data from the ocean bottom station, the number of relocated earthquakes with an azimuth gap less than 180 degrees substantially increase about 34 %. Meanwhile, the root–mean–square of the time residual, the error in epicenter, and the error in depth of the earthquake locations decrease. Therefore, the implementation of MACHO has the advantage of extending the coverage of existing the Taiwan seismic network to the offshore, providing more accurate and real-time seismic data for offshore earthquakes monitoring. The results show that MACHO is crucial and necessary for monitoring seismic activities in northeastern Taiwan.

Temporal focusing multiphoton microscopy (TFMPM) has the advantage of area excitation in an axial confinement of only a few microns; hence, it can offer fast three-dimensional (3D) multiphoton imaging. Herein, fast volumetric imaging via a developed digital micromirror device (DMD)-based TFMPM has been realized through the synchronization of an electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) with a dynamic piezoelectric stage for axial scanning. The volumetric imaging rate can achieve 30 volumes per second according to the EMCCD frame rate of more than 400 frames per second, which allows for the 3D Brownian motion of one-micron fluorescent beads to be spatially observed. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the dynamic HiLo structural multiphoton microscope can reject background noise by way of the fast volumetric imaging with high-speed DMD patterned illumination.

ZnO/Ag/ZnO (ZAZ) and ZnO/Cu/ZnO (ZCZ) were prepared. The dependence of crystalline, electrical, and optical properties for the multilayer on the postdeposition annealing (PDA) was studied. After PDA of 300°C for 20 min, the diffusion of Cu in ZnO occurs; this result is responsible for the increasing resistance of the annealed ZCZ. Ag with a thickness of 10 nm was deposited upon ZnO. The interface of ZnO and Ag is clearly revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The crystalline of ZnO and Ag films in the ZAZ with a sheet resistance (Rs) down to 4.17 Ω/sq. The ZAZ layer shows a better thermal stability (up to 400°C) than that of the ZCZ ones. The PDA degraded slightly the optical transmittance and increases the conductivity of ZAZ layer. The figure of merit (FOM) is applied to analysis of the ZAZ layer. The PDA can enhance the FOM of the ZAZ with Ag thickness >8 nm. The resultingRsand the transmittance ZAZ layers were analyzed by the Taguchi method to obtain the appropriate parameters. The optimized ZAZ has been verified with aRsof 2.3 Ω/sq, a high transmittance (71%), and the optimal FOM of 1.41 × 10−2 Ω−1.

A moderate-sized earthquake (ML = 6.4), named the 2010 JiaSian earthquake, occurred in southern Taiwan on March 4, 2010. Reports from several institutes indicated that the JiaSian earthquake had focal depths of 18–28 km and ruptures with a thrust mechanism. However, modeling of teleseismic P-waves in previously reported source parameters revealed significant differences between the observed and synthetic P-waves. Therefore, this study reexamined the source parameters of the 2010 JiaSian earthquake using a teleseismic P-wave inversion method. The inversion showed that the earthquake had a depth of 22 km, a best double couple of 304°/28°/48° and 170°/70°/110° (strike/dip/rake), and a seismic moment of 2.31 × 1018 N m (MW = 6.2). Rupture directivity analysis also suggested that the earthquake was a unilateral faulting event on the fault plane of 304°/28°/48°. The average source duration and the rupture length were ∼5.2 s and ∼19.4 km, respectively. The optimal rupture direction, measured counterclockwise from the strike on the fault plane, was 347°, which was projected onto the surface to correspond to the northwestward rupture, consistent with the aftershock distribution. The analysis also suggested a high rupture velocity during faulting, probably approximate to the crustal S-wave velocity, which may have resulted in a low static stress drop and caused the differences in PGA distribution along the direction of earthquake rupture. The dip angles of the fault plane estimated from the initial and centroid depths showed the initial rupture at a lower dip-angle plane and the later rupture at a higher dip-angle one.

Different exercise paradigms show differential effects on various forms of memory. We hypothesize that the differential effects of exercises on memory performance are caused by different neuroplasticity changes in relevant brain regions in response to different exercise trainings. We examined the effects of treadmill running (TR) and wheel running (WR) on the Pavlovian fear conditioning task that assesses learning and memory performance associated with the amygdala (cued conditioning) and both the amygdala and hippocampus (contextual conditioning). The skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity, an indicator of aerobic capacity, was elevated in rats received 4w of TR, but not WR. While both TR and WR elevated the contextual conditional response, only TR facilitated the cued conditional response. Using a single-neuron labeling technique, we found that while both TR and MR enlarged the dendritic field and increased the spine density in hippocampal CA3 neurons, only TR showed these effects in basolateral amygdalar neurons. Moreover, both types of exercise upregulated synaptic proteins (i.e. TrkB and SNAP-25) in the hippocampus; however only TR showed similar effects in the amygdala. Injection of K252a, a TrkB kinase inhibitor, in the dorsal hippocampus or basolateral amygdala abolished the exercise-facilitated contextual or cued fear learning and memory performance, respectively, regardless of the types of exercise. In summary, our results supported that different types of exercise affect the performance of learning and memory via BDNF-TrkB signaling and neuroplasticity in specific brain regions. The brain region-specific neuronal adaptations are possibly induced by various levels of intensity/stress elicited by different types of exercise.

The fault parameters of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake were studied in a rupture directivity analysis by simultaneously inverting the period of the first Fourier spectral-node and the 100-s phase-delay time of the Rayleigh wave. The results show that the earthquake is a unilateral event with an optimal rupture azimuth of N59°E, consistent with the distribution of aftershocks. They also indicate that the fault plane strike is in the NE-SW direction, corresponding to the fault plane strike of 238° and NW-dipping (reported by the USGS). The inversion shows the source duration (including the rise time and rupture time) and rise time are 70±0.8 s and 9.3±0.6 s, respectively. The rupture velocity estimated only from the rupture time exhibits relatively higher value, 3.45±0.10 km/s, close to or larger than the S-wave velocity in the crust. One possible cause is that the rupture mechanism transferred from the thrust faulting in the southwestern portion of the fault to the strike-slip faulting in the northeastern one. The rise time offers an estimate of the dynamic stress drop (37.8±2.3 bars), from which through a macroscopic view the radiated seismic energy of (5.93±0.4) × 1016 N m is calculated. Although the estimated rupture length (∼210 km) and source duration are shorter than several source rupture models, the current analyses show the first-order rupture feature of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake rupturing the Longmenshan fault zone.

Both the hippocampus and amygdala are early vulnerable brain regions in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, previous studies mainly focused on characterizing the hippocampus in the pathophysiology of AD, leaving the amygdala less explored. Here, we characterized the structures and functions of neurons in the hippocampus and amygdala of young (2, 3 and 4 months of age) APP/PS1 double transgenic (Tg) mice, a widely used AD mouse model. Compared to wild-type littermates (Wt ), Tg mice performed worse in amygdala-dominant memory at all three ages, while hippocampus-dominant memory remained intact until 4-month-old. Likewise, the dendritic arbors of neurons in the basolateral amygdala were reduced in Tg mice as early as 2-months-old, while the dendritic arbors of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions were relatively intact. BDNF signaling pathways (e.g. AKT and PKC) were reduced in the amygdala, but not in the hippocampus, of young Tg mice. Furthermore, reduction of 5-HT and elevation of Aβ levels also occurred earlier in the amygdala and were more pronounced than those in the hippocampus. Negative correlations between the levels of 5-HT and Aβ were evident in the amygdala, but not in the hippocampus. Taken together, these results suggest that neurodegeneration occurs earlier in the amygdala than in the hippocampus. We suggest that amygdala function should be incorporated into the cognitive screening tool for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to AD.

The lateral and axial spatial resolutions of a temporal focusing multiphoton excitation microscopy are improved through second-order nonlinear structured-illumination and projected structured light, respectively. A deep tissue image can be achieved.

Linear metal string complexes of [MnL4(NCS)2] (Scheme 1, M = NiII, CoII, or CrII; n = 3 or 5; L = dpa- or tpda2- where dpa- is dipyridylamido anion and tpda2- is tripyridyldiamido dianion) are studied for the fundamental understanding of the effect of inter-nuclei interactions on electron transfer (ET). The metal strings are isolated within n-alkanethiol monolayers and the properties of ET through various metal strings are differentiated by scanning tunneling microscopy. Although very similar in physical dimension, their apparent heights against the same alkanethiol background are significantly different. The discrepancy is ascribed to electron localization−delocalization among the metal centers.

The synthesis of two new bifunctional oligo-α-aminopyridine ligands, N-(6-{6-[3-(6-amino-pyridin-2-ylamino)-phenylamino]-pyridin-2-ylamino}-pyridin-2-yl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (apppm) and N-(6-{6-[3-(6-bromo-pyridin-2-ylamino)-phenylamino-pyridin-2-yl-amino]-pyridin-2-yl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (bpppm), by double aminated couplings and Pd-catalization is presented in this paper. NaNH2 was used as a critical base in the first step of the aminated coupling for synthesizing the key building block N-(6-bromo-pyridin-2-yl)-pyridine-2,6-diamine (bppd) in 96% yield. Pyridine was then used in the second step of the aminated coupling for 4-toluenesulphonyl chloride and bppd. Finally, the monoamination was facilitated by the palladium-catalyzed Buchwald's coupling reaction, and subsequently the corresponding metal complexes of these bifunctional ligands were constructed. The single-crystal X-ray crystallographic data of the complex [Cu(apppm)(ClO4)(H2O)](ClO4)·2THF (1), [Cu(bpppm)](ClO4)2·(H2O)5/3·(CH3CN)1/3 (3), and the related salt [H(appm)](ClO4)·THF (2), were prepared and characterized. In complex 1, Cu(II) coordinates with the three nitrogen atoms of the pyridine rings, with the oxygen atom of the p-toluenesulphonyl group, strongly with the oxygen of the water molecule, and weakly with the oxygen atom of the perchlorate anion, and shows a distorted octahedral geometry. However, in the complex 3, Cu(II) bonds to N(1), N(3), N(5), and N(7) of the ligand bpppm toughly and exhibits a twisted square planar geometry.

The accuracy of rotor balancing is influenced by measuring errors essentially. The conventional influence coefficient method considering measurement errors is able to improve the balancing accuracy of symmetrical rotors. However, the balancing accuracy of asymmetrical rotors cannot be improved by using conventional method. Since asymmetrical rotors are axis-asymmetrical, the balancing result is affected by inequality of rotary inertia and bending rigidity. This study has presented a modified influence coefficient method for the determination of imbalance with the consideration of measurement errors based on the least-squares technique. The present method has derived theoretically and verified by the experiments of balancing a rotor kit.

Methods: We used 2K-1C, DOCA-salt hypertensive models to induce learning and memory defects. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured by tail-cuff method. Elevated plus maze and novel object recognition task (NORT) models were used to evaluate the cognitive improvement. Plasma and brain concentrations of rolipram, roflumilast were studied after the behavioral task. In addition, mRNA expression of PDE4 sub-types A,B,C,D and phosphorylation of CREBwere also assessed in the hippocampus tissue. Results: SBP, kidney weight and heart index were significantly increased in hypertensive rats when compared with their age matched sham operated rats. There was no significant difference in SBP among the PDE4 treatment groups in both the models. The retention latency on the second day in the elevated plus maze model was significantly shortened after repeated administration of rolipram (0.03, 0.1and 0.3mg/kg i.p) or roflumilast (0.1, 0.3 and 1mg/kg p.o). Further, PDE4 inhibitors significantly reversed time induced memory deficit in NORT. Dose linear plasma and brain concentrations of rolipram, roflumilast were observed. The PDE4B and PDE4D gene expression was significantly enhanced in hypertensive rats compared with sham operated however PDE4A and PDE4C remained unaltered. Repeated dose treatment of PDE4 inhibitors caused down regulation of PDE4B and PDE4D leading to dose dependent increase in the pCREB levels. Conclusions: These results suggest that inhibition of PDE4 ameliorates HT-induced impairment of learning and memory functions. These data further support that PDE4 inhibition may be an attractive therapeutic strategy to improve memory performance.

We have constructed a genetic linkage map for Nicotiana plumbaginifolia/Nicotiana longiflora (2n= 2x=20), based on the segregation of 69 RFLP and 102 RAPD loci in 99 F2 plants from the cross N. plumbaginifolia×N. longiflora. The map consists of nine major linkage groups, each containing more than nine marker loci, and spans 1062 cM. Twenty of the RFLP markers were mapped previously to Nicotiana sylvestris (2n=2x=24) chromosomes using monosomic alien addition lines. Taxonomically, N. plumbaginifolia and N. sylvestris belong to the same section, namely the Alatae; however, cytogenetic evidence indicates that they are not closely related. Comparison of the distribution of markers common to both maps suggests that genome reorganization has occurred during the evolution of these two species. Evidence is also presented that genome reorganization may be accompanied by gain and loss of specific classes of DNA sequences in their genomes.

Holographic recordings in a LiNbO3 crystal using ordinary and extraordinary light in transmission-type geometry were performed. The system parameters of storage capacity (M/#), sensitivity, and signal-to-noise ratio were measured. Although extraordinary light will induce stronger fanning light (nonlinear enhanced scattered light) in LiNbO3, our experimental results indicate that the system using extraordinary light is superior to that using ordinary light. Our demonstrations and results can help to optimize the holographic recording in some applications of volume holographic optical element (VHOE), such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) filters in optical communication.

The linear pentanuclear chromium complexes [CrII5(μ5-tpda)4Cl2] (1), [CrII5(μ5-tpda)4(NCS)2] (2), [CrIIICrII4(μ5-tpda)4F2](BF4) (3), and [CrIIICrII4(μ5-tpda)4F(OTf)](OTf) (4), with four all-syn tri(α-pyridyl)diamido dianion (tpda2–) ligands, have been prepared and structurally characterized. Compounds 1 and 2 possess a delocalized Cr(II)–Cr(II)–Cr(II)–Cr(II)–Cr(II) five-centred metal–metal bond of order 1.5. In both 1 and 2 two values for CrII–CrII bond lengths are found both; the outer ones connected with axial ligands are 2.284(1) and 2.285(2) A, and the inner ones are 2.2405(8) and 2.246(1) A, for 1 and 2, respectively. When compound 1 reacts with 2 equiv. of AgBF4 or Ag(OTf), a oxidation reaction takes place and one of the terminal chromium(II) ions is oxidized to produce [CrIIICrII4(μ5-tpda)4F2]BF4 (3) or [CrIIICrII4(μ5-tpda)4F(OTf)](OTf) (4). Two short Cr–Cr distances [1.969(2) and 2.138(2) A for 3, 1.846(1) and 1.922(1) A for 4] are found, with the presence of two quadruple bonds among four adjacent CrII ions. The fifth CrIII ion, which is separated from the neighboring CrII ion by 2.487(2) A for 3 and 2.610(1) A for 4, is simply a square pyramidal unit with no metal–metal bonding interaction.

A series of aluminum complexes incorporating substituted symmetrical and asymmetrical tridentate pyrrolyl ligands are synthesized conveniently and the treatment of the derivatives with small organic molecules are analyzed. The reaction of lithiated [C4H2NH(2-CH2NH(t)Bu)(5-CH2NR1R2)], where for 1, R1 = R2 = Me; 2, R1 = H, R2 = (t)Bu, with AlCl3 in diethyl ether affords Al[C4H2N(2-CH2NH(t)Bu)(5-CH2NMe2)]Cl2 (3) and Al[C4H2N(2,5-CH2NH(t)Bu)2]Cl2 (4), respectively, in high yields. Furthermore, subjecting 3 and 4 to reaction with one equiv. of LiNMePh in diethyl ether generates Al[C4H2N(2-CH2NH(t)Bu)(5-CH2NMe2)][NMePh]Cl (5) and Al[C4H2N(2,5-CH2NH(t)Bu)2][NMePh]Cl (6), respectively, while eliminating one equiv. of LiCl. The reaction between compound 4 with two equiv. of LiO-Ph-4-Me in diethyl ether yields the aluminum di-phenoxide compound Al[C4H2N(2,5-CH2NH(t)Bu)2](O-Ph-4-Me)2 (7) whereas the combination of 3 and two equiv. of LiNH(t)Bu, produces Al[C4H2N(2-CH2N(t)Bu)(5-CH2NMe2)](NH(t)Bu)(NH2(t)Bu) (8). Additionally, the mixing of 1 and one equiv. of AlMe3 renders Al[C4H2N(2-CH2NH(t)Bu)(5-CH2NMe2)]Me2 (9). Adding one more equiv. of AlMe3 with 9 affords {Al[C4H2N(2-CH2NH(t)Bu)(5-CH2NMe2)AlMe3]Me2} (10), which can also be obtained by treating 1 with two equiv. of AlMe3 directly. The treatment of 9 with one equiv. of 2,6-dimethylphenol in diethyl ether gives the aluminum alkoxide derivative, Al[C4H2N(2-CH2NH(t)Bu)(5-CH2NMe2)](O-C6H3-2,6-Me2)Me (11). Furthermore, the reaction between 9 and one equiv. of 1-ethyl-1-phenyl ketene, initiates the aluminum dimethyl complex Al{C4H2N[2-CH2CEtPh-C(=O)-NH(t)Bu](5-CH2NMe2)}Me2 (12) with a C-N bond breakage and a C-C bond formation. All the Al-derivatives are characterized by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and the molecular structures are determined by single crystal X-ray diffractometry in solid state.