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This research presents a Topic Analysis Instant Feedback System (TAIFS) that can explore and visualize the topics according to the contents of the asynchronous online discussion from the learners of different groups. The TAIFS was developed based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to help learners grasp the change of overall discussion topics in real-time and see the similarities and differences of the discussion among different groups, thereby effectively improving their asynchronous online discussion performance. A quasi- experimental research method was adopted to examine the effects of the proposed TAIFS-assisted online discussion on learners’ socio-scientific reasoning performance including the complexity and multiple perspectives. A total of 61 students from two classes in a high school in Taipei city were recruited as the research participants. One class of 31 students was assigned to the experimental group using the TAIFS-assisted discussion board for discussing the socio-scientific issue (SSI) entitled "Utilization of the Coastal Area", while the remaining 30 students from another class were assigned to the control group using a general Moodle discussion board. Analytical results show that the experimental group was significantly better than the control group in the overall discussion performance and in the complexity and multiple perspectives. The contribution of this study is to propose an innovative and effective learning tool that can promote learners’ asynchronous online discussion performance to discuss socio-scientific issues considering more factors and from different perspectives.

This study aims to develop a computer-mediated communication (CMC) competence forecasting model based on several considered well-known machine learning schemes and learning behavior features collected by a micro-behavior recorder from the learners while using a web-based collaborative problem-based learning (CPBL) system to perform a problem-solving learning activity. To summarize the big data generated from a huge amount of micro behaviors into the useful behavior features for constructing a good CMC competence forecasting model, this study developed the learning micro-behavior classification structure according to the collected data features and the concept of CMC. An effective method for constructing a high correctness and stableness CMC competence forecasting model was proposed and examined. Besides, the effects of learning situations on the accuracy of the CMC competence forecasting model were also discussed.

Background: Most drug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in dogs come from diseased dogs. Prior to this study, the prevalence and risk factors of fecal carriage drug-resistant E. coli and epidemic clone sequence type (ST) 131 (including subtypes) isolates in dogs were unknown. Methods: Rectal swabs were used for E. coli isolation from 299 non-infectious dogs in a veterinary teaching hospital in Taiwan. Antibiotic resistance and multiplex PCR analyses of E. coli for major STs were performed. Result: There were 43.1% cefazolin-resistant, 22.1% fluoroquinolone-resistant, and 9.4% extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli in our cohort. In the phylogenetic study, B2 was the predominant group (30.1%). The cefazolin-resistant group and ciprofloxacin-resistant group had greater antibiotic exposure in the last 14 days (p < 0.05). The age, sex, and dietary habits of the antibiotic-resistant and -susceptible groups were similar. In the seven isolates of ST131 in fecal colonization, the most predominant subtypes were FimH41 and FimH22. Conclusion: Recent antibiotic exposure was related to the fecal carriage of antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolates. Three major subtypes (FimH41, H22, and H30) of ST131 can thus be found in fecal carriage in dogs in Taiwan.

Carbapenemase-producing combined porin loss is one of the primary mechanisms for carbapenem resistance. Although mutations in

Objectives: Tophi may occur within the knee joint causing limited knee-joint range of motion (knee motion). We investigated the relationships between knee motion, total intra-articular tophi size (tIA-tophi), and total subcutaneous tophi size (tSC-tophi) and determined knee motion improvement after continual urate-lowering therapy (ULT). Methods: A total of 26 patients with tophaceous gout and limited knee motion were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were age ≤ 60 years and preserved knee joint space on a plain radiograph. tSC-tophi were measured using a Vernier caliper and tIA-tophi were measured using magnetic resonance imaging software. All patients were re-evaluated after 12–24 months of continual ULT. Upon initial visit, knee motion was related to tIA-tophi and tSC-tophi. Results: After an average of 18.2 months of ULT, the reduction in tSC-tophi was correlated with the reduction in tIA-tophi (P = 0.014, r = 0.395) and improvement in knee motion (P = 0.038, r = 0.408). Knee motion can be eventually improved even in cases of poor initial knee motion (P = 0.000, r = –0.911) or large initial tIA-tophi (P = 0.014, r = 0.476). Tophi can occur in any location within the knee joint. In multiple lineal regression, knee motion was predicted to improve 8.39° for every 10cm of tIA-tophi reduction. Conclusions: Limited knee motion in patients with intra-articular tophi improved with medical treatment, regardless of initial severity. Furthermore, tSC-tophi can be used as an indicator of limited knee motion and their improvement as a predictor of knee motion improvement.

Background Cu-Cu direct bonding is a promising technology to construct a temperature resistant bonding structure for emerging power devices and vehicle electronics. The main challenge is the ease oxidation of Cu and slow solid-state atomic diffusion at the bonding surface. Methods In this study, nanocrystalline Cu is constructed on the bonding surfaces using electrodeposition and direct bonding is carried out in a formic acid atmosphere. Microstructural and strength analyses are performed to investigate the bonding performance of the Cu-Cu joints. Significant findings The bonding strength analysis indicates that a well-bonded Cu-Cu joint with a high shear strength of 71 MPa can be achieved by direct bonding of two Cu surfaces with a nanocrystalline structure (average grain size = 78 nm). Microstructural analysis shows that significant grain growth accompanying formation of twins at the bonding interface contribute to high bonding strength, which is attributed to enhanced atomic diffusion on the nanocrystalline Cu surfaces.

In recent years, numerous English vocabulary learning-assisted apps have been developed to enlarge learners’ English vocabulary through mobile learning. However, the ability of learners to engage i...

The first total synthesis of isopalhinine A, as well as unified syntheses of palhinine A and palhinine D, were successfully accomplished by means of a biomimetic strategy that proceeds through a bioinspired 5/6/6/9 tetracyclic intermediate, which mimics the amino ketone form of palhinine D. An early-stage direct SN 2 cyclization to construct the nine-membered azonane ring minimized the transannular strain that would otherwise be increased by the twisted nature of the isotwistane skeleton. Then, a diastereoselective Diels-Alder reaction of a masked ortho-benzoquinone using the nine-membered ring as a steric shielding group furnished a functionalized 6/6/9 tricyclic skeleton and established the desired stereochemistry at the C3, C7, C12, and C15 positions in one step. A thiol-mediated acyl radical cyclization gave the bioinspired intermediate bearing three differentiated oxygen-containing functional groups, from which all three total syntheses could be completed in either two or three additional steps.

Cost-effective copper (Cu) electroplating is the primary technique used to fabricate wires/interconnects in microelectronics. Grain microstructure and impurity incorporation in electroplated Cu plays an important role in its mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. In this study, a specific plating formula with a basic electrolyte and a suppressor, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and chloride ion (Cl−), is used to fabricate the Cu layers. An adjustment of plating current density dramatically alters the grain microstructure and impurity incorporation in the electroplated Cu. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and coincidence site lattice (CSL) analyses show that the Cu deposit plated at a low current density (

In the 21st century when knowledge‐based economy is emphasized, the cultivation of autonomous learning and problem‐solving abilities presents the importance. With web‐based collaborative problem‐based learning (CPBL), learners could more conveniently cultivate their problem‐solving abilities through autonomous learning. Nevertheless, learners are often guided to solve a target problem by the information announced by teachers during the CPBL processes. Individual learners often could not effectively absorb such standard information, thus ignoring the important information from teachers. In the information communication theory, the two‐step flow of communication through opinion leaders has been proved that it can better change audiences' attitudes than the one‐step flow of communication through mass media. This study thus employs the modularity Q function as the fitness function of genetic algorithm to optimally detect learning communities and uses PageRank measure to accurately find out community opinion leaders according to the social network interaction data of learners in the CPBL process. Based on quasi‐experimental design, this study examines whether learners in the experimental group using the two‐step flow of communication through opinion leaders to convey information for solving the target CPBL missions could more significantly enhance web‐based CPBL performance, social network interaction and group cohesion than learners in the control group using the one‐step flow of communication through teachers' information. Analytical results show learners in the experimental group remarkably outperform those in the control group on learning performance and peer interaction under a CPBL environment. Particularly, female learners in the experimental group notably outperform female learners in the control group on learning performance, while there is no significant difference in male learners between both groups. More importantly, learners in the experimental group present significantly higher group cohesion than those in the control group. This study confirms that using the two‐step flow of communication instead of the one‐step flow of communication traditionally used in web‐based learning environments could significantly promote web‐based CPBL performance, social network interaction and group cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solid/liquid reaction couple technique was employed to investigate the interfacial reactions between Cu-xZn (x = 0 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 40 wt.%) alloys and lead-free solders Sn, Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC, in wt.%), and Sn-9Zn (SZ, in wt.%) alloys at 240°C, 270°C, and 300°C for 0.5 h to 100 h. (Cu,Zn)6Sn5 and (Cu,Zn)3Sn phases were formed in the Sn/Cu-xZn (x = 5 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 30 wt.%) reaction couples, but with increasing reaction temperature and time, (Cu,Sn)Zn phase was formed, replacing (Cu,Zn)3Sn phase. Metastable T phase and (Cu,Sn)Zn phase were formed in the Sn/Cu-40Zn reaction couple at 300°C. (Cu,Zn)6Sn5 and (Cu,Zn)3Sn phases formed in the SAC/Cu-xZn (x = 5 wt.%, 15 wt.%) reaction couples. Furthermore, (Cu,Zn)6Sn5 and (Cu,Zn)Sn phases were observed when the SAC solders reacted with Cu-30Zn and Cu-40Zn alloys. T phase and (Cu,Sn)Zn phase were formed in the SAC/Cu-40Zn reaction couple reacted at 300°C for 100 h. (Cu,Sn)Zn5 and (Cu,Sn)5Zn8 phases were formed in the SZ/Cu-Zn reaction couples at 240°C. However, with increasing reaction time and temperature, only (Cu,Sn)5Zn8 phase was detected. Therefore, it can be concluded that the intermetallic compound (IMC) formation was sensitive to both the reaction temperature and the Zn content in the Cu-Zn alloy.

Purpose. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has emerged as a major challenge for global healthcare systems. The objectives of this study were to determine the nosocomial spread of CRKP clones and analyse the molecular characteristics of CRKP in our hospital. Methodology. Ninety-eight non-duplicated clinical CRKP isolates were collected from March 2014–June 2015. Clinical, demographic and microbiological data of patients with CRKP were reviewed. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multi-locus sequence typing were applied to investigate the genetic relationship between the 98 isolates. Antibiotic resistance genes were identified by conventional PCR-sequencing. Results. PFGE patterns were grouped into 26 clusters. Two main PFGE clusters were identified: L (53 isolates, belonging to ST11) and N (11 isolates, belonging to ST11). The most dominant ST was ST11 (79 %, 77/98), followed by ST273 (5 %, 5/98). KPC-2 (n=82) was the predominant carbapenemase followed by OXA-48 (n=64). Fifty isolates (51 %, 50/98) harboured bla KPC-2 and bla OXA-48 simultaneously, and three of these isolates were detected with the third carbapenemase genes (bla IMP-8 or bla VIM-1). Conclusion. The clonal spread of K. pneumoniae ST11 expressing OXA-48, KPC-2 and CTX-M-14 β-lactamases was the cause of an outbreak of CRKP. To the best of our knowledge, a single strain harbouring A-, B- and D-class carbapenemase genes has not previously been identified. There is a high prevalence of plasmid-encoded KPC-2- and OXA-48-producing CRKP in our hospital; most isolates were members of ST11, which may be representative of a high-risk CRKP clone disseminating in central Taiwan.

The use of functional additives in the electroplating process results in an impurity incorporation in the Cu plated layer. A high level of impurity residual has been recognized as a severe reliability problem to the Sn/Cu joints because voids are prone to form at the Sn/Cu interface in the thermal aging process. This study focuses on the effect of aging temperature on the formation and distribution of voids. Two electroplated Cu substrates and one rolled Cu foil were joined Sn balls to prepare the Sn/Cu joints for thermal aging in the range of 100–200 °C. The microstructural examination results indicated that the additive formula of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Cl− resulted in massive void formation at the Sn/Cu interface, and the distribution of voids showed a strong dependence on the aging temperature. The strong temperature dependence of void distribution led to an unusual evolution of microstructure and shear strength in the Sn/Cu joints.

Online video-based learning has been increasingly used in educational settings. However, students usually do not have enough cognitive capacity and metacognition skills to diagnose and record their...

Cu-Zr based alloys have been used as metallic glass alloys owing to their high glass forming ability (GFA). Ni is added into these alloys to enhance their mechanical property and improve GFA. These Cu-Ni-Zr ternary alloys have a high potential to be used as metallic glass alloys. Herein, we investigated and assessed thermodynamically the phase equilibria of the Cu-Ni-Zr ternary system at 800 °C using the calculation of phase diagram (CALPHAD) method based on the experimental data. Thirty-three alloys were prepared using the arc melting method. At 800 °C, the isothermal section of the Cu-Ni-Zr ternary system composed of 15 single-phase regions, 20 two-phase regions, and 8 three-phase regions; no ternary intermetallic compounds were found. In addition, a continuous solid solution was formed by the Cu10Zr7 and Ni10 Zr7 phases at 800 °C. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters were optimized using the phase equilibrium data. The calculated isothermal section and metallic glass region prediction of the Cu-Ni-Zr ternary system were reasonable and satisfactory compared with the literature data.

Traditional fluorogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIEgens) generally exhibit strong luminescence with monotonous wavelengths in the aggregated state, whereas apparent solvatochromic emission intensities and wavelengths (shift) are observed in molecules with twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) characteristic molecules. Herein, we develop a platform to construct strong luminescent nanoparticles with tunable emission colors based on a TICT-AIEgen, 3,6-divinylaryl-substituted carbazole (C12P). Also based on the same molecule, through different nanoparticle fabrication approaches, fluorescent nanoparticles with different emission colors were obtained. A detailed analysis reveals that AIE and TICT characteristics play different roles in nanoparticle emission, with AIE primarily controlling the emission intensity while TICT is more involved in manipulating the emission wavelengths. Applications of the as-prepared nanoparticles in cell imaging were preliminarily demonstrated.

Development of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and smart vehicles brings increasing demands on high-performance integrated circuits (ICs). To achieve this goal, ultra-miniaturization of Cu interconnects as well as diffusion barrier layer to increase the integration density is imperative. In this study, we demonstrate that an ultrathin organosiloxane nanolayer exhibits excellent barrier efficacy against the active diffusion of Cu towards Si. The organosiloxane nanolayer is constructed on the SiO2 surface using dehydration to covalently tether the hydrolyzed organosilane molecules. The amine termini of organosilanes are used to adsorb catalytic Pd nanocluster to accomplish the Cu metallization on Si. Rapid thermal annealing is performed with respect to the Si/SiO2/organosiloxane/Cu junctions to evaluate the efficacy of diffusion barrier. Based on microstructural and crystallographic examinations, the organosiloxane nanolayer with a shorter alkyl chain performs better with a higher breakdown temperature of 923 K at which the Cu diffusion and the Cu silicide formation at the junctions occur. The grafting conformations of organosilane molecules with various alkyl chain lengths on the SiO2 surface are constructed based on energy minimization calculations to rationalize the diffusion barrier efficacy.

Intensification of light harvesting is an imperative strategy to improve the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The typical way is to employ a light scattering layer on top of the photoanode to augment the photon scattering of incident light for light harvesting of dye sensitizers. In this study, we have designed a new light scattering layer consisting of micro-sized sericite flakes and TiO2 nanoparticles, and material optimization is performed by using two sizes of TiO2 nanoparticles (P25-TiO2 of 20-30 nm and B-TiO2 of 30-100 nm) as the matrix to dope sericite flakes. This hybrid scattering layer gives rise to an enhancement of power conversion efficiency of DSSC under 1 sun and low-intensity illuminations. Maximum cell efficiencies of 8.667 % and 8.963 % are recorded for the DSSCs employing P25-TiO2/5 wt% sericite and B-TiO2/25 wt% sericite scattering layer, respectively, at 1 sun illumination, which outperforms that employing pure TiO2 scattering layer (8.2 %). Maximum cell efficiencies of 22.936 % and 23.121 % are optimized at 6,000 lux following the same TiO2/sericite hybrid systems. Such addition of sericite in the scattering layer indeed enhances the light harvesting performance and offers a new pathway to prepare more efficient light scattering layer.

Epoxy with low viscosity and good fluidity before curing has been widely applied in the packaging of electronic and electrical devices. Nevertheless, its low flexibility and toughness renders the requirement of property improvement before it can be widely acceptable in dynamic loading applications. This study investigates the possible use of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) toughening agent and nano-powders, such as alumina, silicon dioxide, and carbon black, to form epoxy composites for dynamic property improvement. Considering the different combinations of the nano-powders and HEMA toughener, the Taguchi method with an L9 orthogonal array was adopted for composition optimization. The dynamic storage modulus and loss tangent of the prepared specimen were measured by employing a dynamic mechanical analyzer. With polynomial regression, the curve-fitted relationships of the glass transition temperature and storage modulus with respect to the design factors were obtained. It was found that although the raise in the weight fraction of nano-powders was beneficial in increasing the rigidity of the epoxy composite, an optimal amount of HEMA toughener existed for its best damping improvement.

Titanium (Ti) is a promising choice as the photoelectrode substrate of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) due to its high compatibility and stability. To enhance the efficacy of Ti more than a substrate, structural modification of Ti via anodization is performed to construct a TiO2 nanotube structure on the surface. Optimization of the TiO2 nanotube structure as a function of anodization potential is carried out in conjunction with the photovoltaic characterization of DSSCs using commercial N719 dye and synthesized organic D-Dye as the sensitizer. The highly oriented TiO2 nanotube structure not only increases the interactive contact area in between the Ti substrate and active semiconductor layer composed of TiO2 nanoparticles but also serves as a fast pathway for charge transfer and an additional channel to carry sensitizers, thereby greatly improving the cell efficiency. Maximum efficiency of 7.67% (Jsc of 16.06 mA/cm2, Voc of 0.693 V, and FF of 0.689) is achieved for the cell constructed by anodized Ti photoelectrode using N719 dye under 1 sun illumination. Incorporation of D-Dye further enhances the cell efficiency to 7.93% (Jsc of 16.65 mA/cm2, Voc of 0.701 V, and FF of 0.68) and this is attributed to the spatial effect of D-Dye molecules which have a long wingspan capable of suppressing the molecular aggregation. Under low light illuminations, maximum efficiency of 15.31% and 18.06% are reached for the cells constructed by anodized Ti photoelectrode using D-Dye under 3000 and 6000 lx illumination, respectively.

Objective This study evaluated the supplementary effect of higher concentrations of various disaccharides on processing yield, major physicochemical properties, and sensory attributes of Chinese-style pork jerky (CSPJ). Methods CSPJ samples were prepared by marinating sliced ham (4 mm) with three dissaccharides, including sucrose, lactose, and maltose, at 0%, 15%, 18%, 21%, and 24%. Subsequently, the CSPJ samples were dried and roasted. The moisture content, water activity, crude protein, moisture-to-protein ratio, pH, processing yield, shear force, color, and sensory attributes of the CSPJ samples were evaluated. Results The quality characteristics of CSPJ samples prepared with sucrose were more acceptable. By contrast, CSPJ samples prepared with lactose showed the lowest scores. However, the processing yield and moisture content were the highest for CSPJ samples prepared with lactose, which may be associated with improved benefits for cost reduction. Furthermore, sucrose and lactose supplementation resulted in contrasting quality characteristics; for example, CSPJ samples with sucrose and maltose supplementation had higher sensory scores for color than samples with lactose supplementation. Additionally, most quality characteristics of CSPJ samples with sucrose supplementation contrasted with those of the samples with lactose supplementation; for example, the samples with sucrose supplementation had higher scores for sensory attributes than those with lactose supplementation. Conclusion Sucrose supplementation up to 21% to 24% was associated with the highest overall acceptability scores (5.19 to 5.80), enhanced quality characteristics, increased processing yield, and reduced production cost.

PurposeCollaboratively annotating digital texts allow users to add valued information, share ideas and create knowledge. Most importantly, annotated content can help users obtain a deeper and broader understanding of a text compared to digital content without annotations. This work proposes a novel collaborative annotation system (CAS) with four types of multimedia annotations including text annotation, picture annotation, voice annotation and video annotation which can embedded into any HTML Web pages to enable users to collaboratively add and manage annotations on these pages and provide a shared mechanism for discussing shared annotations among multiple users. By applying the CAS in a mashup on static HTML Web pages, this study aims to discuss the applications of CAS in digital curation, crowdsourcing and digital humanities to encourage existing strong relations among them.Design/methodology/approachThis work adopted asynchronous JavaScript (Ajax) and a model-view-controller framework to implement a CAS with reading annotation tools for knowledge creating, archiving and sharing services, as well as applying the implemented CAS to support digital curation, crowdsourcing and digital humanities. A questionnaire survey method was used to investigate the ideas and satisfaction of visitors who attended a digital curation with CAS support in the item dimensions of the interactivity with displayed products, the attraction and the content absorption effect. Also, to collect qualitative data that may not be revealed by the questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews were performed at the end of the digital curation exhibition activity. Additionally, the effects of the crowdsourcing and digital humanities with CAS support on collecting and organizing ideas and opinions for historical events and promoting humanity research outcomes were considered as future works because they all need to take a long time to investigate.FindingsBased on the questionnaire survey, this work found that the digital curation with CAS support revealed the highest rating score in terms of the item dimension of attraction effect. The result shows applying CAS to support digital curation is practicable, novel and interesting to visitors. Additionally, this work also successfully applied the developed CAS to crowdsourcing and digital humanities so that the two research fields may be brought into a new ground.Originality/valueBased on the CAS, this work developed a novel digital curation approach which has a high degree of satisfaction on attraction effect to visitors, an innovative crowdsourcing platform that combined with a digital archive system to efficiently gather collective intelligence to solve the difficult problems of identifying digital archive contents and a high potential digital humanity research mode that can assist humanities scholars to annotate the texts with distinct interpretation and viewpoints on an ancient map, as well as discuss with other humanities scholars to stimulate discussion on more issues.

Since English is probably the most popular second language, helping students learn English through technology is a critical issue in non-English-speaking countries. With the growth of digital pen technologies, developing an interactive learning environment that combines printed textbooks and a digital pen to support English-language classroom learning has become feasible. This work presents an attention-based diagnosing and review mechanism (ADRM) based on brainwave detection to help learners identify the passages with low attention level in a lesson as review targets in order to perform efficiently and accurately review processes while reading paper-based English texts with digital pen support in autonomous learning environments. Based on the true experimental design, this work aims to confirm whether the ADRM improves the review performance and sustained attention of learners while reading paper-based English texts with digital pen support. The research participants were a total of 108 students at an industrial vocational high school in Taipei City, Taiwan. All research participants were male and aged from 17 to 18 years. The experimental group used the ADRM while reading paper-based English texts with digital pen support, whereas the control group used the autonomous review while reading paper-based English texts with digital pen support. Experimental results reveal that the review performance of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group, proving that the ADRM improved review performance. The results also show that the field-dependent learners in the experimental group exhibited a great improvement in review performance in comparison with the field-independent learners. Additionally, the low-ability learners in the experimental group exhibited better review performance compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, learners with high attention level in the experimental group have exhibited better review performance and sustained attention than the learners in the control group. This work confirms that developing an ADRM based on brainwave detection to assist learners’ review processes is practicable. However, the usability and acceptability of using ADRM instead of human autonomous review should be further considered in the information society.

Bismuth-telluride (Bi2Te3)-based compounds are common thermoelectric materials used for low-temperature applications, and nickel (Ni) is usually deposited on the Bi2Te3 substrates as a diffusion barrier. Deposition of Ni on the p-type (Sb-doped) and n-type (Se-doped) Bi2Te3 substrates using electroplating and interfacial reactions between Sn and Ni-coated Bi2Te3 substrates are investigated. Electrodeposition of Ni on different Bi2Te3 substrates is characterized based on cyclic voltammetry and Tafel measurements. Microstructural characterizations of the Ni deposition and the Sn/Ni/Bi2Te3 interfacial reactions are performed using scanning electron microscopy. A faster growth rate is observed for the Ni deposition on the n-type Bi2Te3 substrate which is attributed to a lower activation energy of reduction due to a higher density of free electrons in the n-type Bi2Te3 material. The common Ni3Sn4 phase is formed at the Sn/Ni interfaces on both the p-type and n-type Bi2Te3 substrates, while the NiTe phase is formed at a faster rate at the interface between Ni and n-type Bi2Te3 substrates.

The quality characteristics of velvet antlers obtained from Formosan sambar deer (Cervus unicolor Swinhoi) (SDVA), harvested from 63 to 81 d during the velvet antler growth period, were evaluated by investigating the relationships between antioxidant levels; including content, activity, and content/activity ratios, and physical properties; including shear force values, color, and Ca content. The hardness of samples from base velvet antler sections increased, and that the color of these samples tended to become reddish-yellow (redder and more yellow), suggesting that the Ca content in the base section of the sample was not ossified yet. Samples from the upper sections of velvet antler showed higher superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) content (3.91 to 1.50 mg/mL, 2.53 to 0.90 mg/mL, and 3.95 to 1.58 mg/mL, respectively) than did samples from the middle and base sections (p

Many studies have shown that learners’ sustained attention strongly affects e-learning performance, particularly during online synchronous instruction. This work thus develops a novel attention monitoring and alarm mechanism (AMAM) based on brainwave signals to improve learning performance via monitoring the attention state of individual learners and helping online instructors or teaching assistants to improve the sustained attention levels of learners with low-attention states as they perform online synchronous instruction activities. Totally, 83 and 65 Grade 7 students were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups that respectively underwent online synchronous instruction with and without AMAM support. Analytical results reveal that the experimental group of learners exhibited significantly better learning performance and sustained attention than those in the control group, verifying that the AMAM efficiently promotes the learning performance and sustained attention of learners. ...

Objective : Antrodia camphorata is a type of true fungus that grows only on Cinnamomum camphora trees, also known as Cinnamomum kanehirae (“kashi”) in Taiwan. Antroquinonol is a characteristic component of A. camphorata mycelia extract and was previously shown to exhibit antitumor action and lower blood cholesterol (total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol) in cellular and animal models. So, This study examined the ability of A. camphorata mycelia extract to reduce LDL cholesterol in humans. Methods : We conducted a randomized double-blind trial in 26 subjects with either borderline LDL cholesterol (120–139 mg/dL; n = 11) or mildly elevated LDL cholesterol (140–159 mg/dL; n = 15). Participants ingested tablets containing either 25 mg of A. camphorata mycelia extract (antroquinonol: 0.68 mg; n = 14) or a placebo (n = 12) for 12 weeks. Results : The test group showed a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol when compared with the placebo group after 12 weeks of tablet ingestion (p < 0.05), demonstrating the effects of A. camphorata mycelia extract on LDL cholesterol. A. camphorata mycelia extract also tended to reduce total cholesterol when compared with the placebo (p < 0.10). The borderline LDL cholesterol and mildly elevated LDL cholesterol subgroups showed a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol in subjects who ingested A. camphorata mycelia extract compared with those who ingested the placebo, again demonstrating the LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of the extract. Conclusion : A. camphorata mycelia extract lowers LDL cholesterol in individuals with somewhat high LDL cholesterol levels. This clinical trial was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN no. # 000019670).

Ni is the most commonly used barrier in thermoelectric solder joints, and its role is to avoid excessive reaction between the bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ) element and the Sn-based solder. This study, for the first time, demonstrates a strong effect of the Bi 2 Te 3 substrate on the electrodeposition of Ni layer, consequently affecting the interfacial reaction with the Sn-4 wt.% Ag-0.5 wt% Cu (SAC405) solder. Two types of Bi 2 Te 3 substrates, prepared using zone-melting and ball-milling/hot-pressing methods, exhibit different crystal structures, and this structural difference significantly affects the microstructures of the Ni diffusion barrier electroplated on the Bi 2 Te 3 substrates and the growth of their intermetallic compound (IMC) at the SAC405/Ni/Bi 2 Te 3 solder joints. The Ni layer electroplated on a zone-melted Bi 2 Te 3 substrate (anisotropic crystal structure) has a small grain size and a high grain-boundary density, and one IMC, (Cu,Ni) 6 Sn 5 , is formed at the interface between SAC405 and Ni after joining. The other (Ni,Cu) 3 Sn 4 phase is formed at the (Cu,Ni) 6 Sn 5 /Ni interface after thermal aging and grows at a progressively faster rate with increasing aging time. In contrast, the Ni layer electroplated on a ball-milled/hot-pressed Bi 2 Te 3 substrate (isotropic crystal structure) has a large grain size and a low grain-boundary density, and only the (Cu,Ni) 6 Sn 5 phase is formed at the SAC405/Ni interface, with a very sluggish growth rate after joining and thermal aging. Since the IMCs are electrically resistive and mechanically brittle, the latter solder joint with a large-grained Ni layer on a ball-milled/hot-pressed Bi 2 Te 3 substrate appears to have better reliability.

Effect of Ni grain size on the formation and growth kinetics of intermetallic compounds at the Sn/Ni interface is studied. For a coarse-grained Ni foil, only the Ni 3 Sn 4 phase is formed with a thickness of 28 μm after aging at 200 °C for 1000 h. For a Ni electroplated layer with a fine-grained microstructure, the Ni 3 Sn 4 phase grows at a very sluggish rate and its thickness is only 5 μm in the same reaction condition. The suppression effect on the Ni 3 Sn 4 growth is attributable to the diffusion barrier effect of a thin Ni 3 Sn 2 phase formed on the Ni electroplated layer.

In this paper, we first incorporated Al(NO 3 ) 3 ·9H 2 O as the Al source into ZnO nanorods (NRs) lattice via the hydrothermal method to modify nature properties of ZnO NRs for the fabrication of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of Al-doped ZnO NRs exhibits higher 2θ values and stronger intensity of (002) plane. Larger optical band gap and higher electrical conductivity of Al-doped ZnO NRs are also observed relative to non-doped ZnO ones. The steady-state photoluminescence shows effective charge extraction and collection at the interface between Al-doped ZnO NRs and perovskite layer. The optimized PSC based on Al-doped ZnO NRs showed an open-circuit voltage of 0.84 V, a short-circuit current density of 21.93 mA/cm 2 , a fill factor of 57%, and a power conversion efficiency of 10.45% that was 23% higher than the non-doped ZnO ones.

A 1,8-naphthalimide derivative (H-NIM) containing an alkyl carboxylic chain has been rationally designed and synthesized for efficient utilization of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The H-NIM fluorophore, which can absorb ultraviolet light and emit green light under illumination, is doped into a TiO2 mesoporous film with N719 molecules by a co-adsorption method. The H-NIM fluorophore adsorbs on the TiO2 by the same method as N719, via its carboxylic groups, ensuring more efficient energy transfer from H-NIM (FRET donor) to N719 (FRET acceptor) via in situ FRET and thereby promoting light harvesting of N719 molecules in the spectral range of ultraviolet light. The co-adsorption of H-NIM and N719 also reduces charge recombination by shielding the contact area between TiO2 and the electrolyte. Our results show that the optimal doping ratio of the H-NIM fluorophore is 17%, at which the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSC is improved by 10.8% and 21% under one sun (AM1.5G) and 600 lux illumination by T5 fluorescent lamps, respectively, compared with a DSSC in which only N719 molecules were adsorbed.

In the Age of Big Data, graph embedding has received increasing attention for its ability to accommodate the explosion in data volume and diversity, which challenge the foundation of modern recommender systems. Respectively, graph facilitates fusing complex systems of interactions into a unified structure and distributed embedding enables efficient retrieval of entities, as in the case of approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) search. When combined, graph embedding captures relational information beyond entity interaction and towards a problem's underlying structure, as epitomized by struct2vec [20] and PinSage [26]. This session will start by brushing up on the basics about graphs and embedding methods and discussing their merits. We then quickly dive into using the mathematical formulation of graph embedding to derive the modular framework: Sampler-Mapper-Optimizer for Recommendation, or SMORe. We demonstrate existing models used for recommendation, such as MF and BPR, can all be assembled using three basic components: sampler, mapper, and optimizer. The tutorial is accompanied by a hands-on session, where we show how graph embedding can model complex systems through the multi-task learning and the cross-platform data sparsity alleviation tasks.

With the rapid development of digital humanities, some digital humanities platforms have been successfully developed to support digital humanities research for humanists. However, most of them have still not provided a friendly digital reading environment and practicable digital humanities analysis tools to support humanists on interpreting texts and exploring characters' social network relationship. Moreover, the advancement of digitization technologies for the retrieval and use of Chinese ancient books is arising an unprecedented challenge and opportunity due to the development of international Chinese study. For these reasons, this paper presents a Chinese ancient books digital humanities research platform (CABDHRP) to support historical Chinese studies. In addition to providing digital archives, digital reading, basic search, and advanced search functions for Chinese ancient books, this platform still provides two novel functions that can more effectively support digital humanities research including an automatic text annotation system (ATAS) for interpreting texts and a character social network relationship map tool (CSNRMT) which can show the character relationships as a knowledge graph with triples containing two character names and their corresponding relationship attribute for exploring characters' social network relationships. This study adopted DSpace, an open-source institutional repository system, to serve as a digital archives system for archiving scanned images, metadata, and full texts to develop the CABDHRP for supporting digital humanities research. To understand the research participants' perception when interpreting the historical texts and character social network relationships with the support of ATAS and CSNRMT, the semi-structured interviews with 21 research participants were preceded. An automatic text annotation system (ATAS) embedded in the reading interface of CABDHRP can collect resources from different databases through linked data (LD) for automatically annotating ancient texts to support digital humanities research. Additionally, the CSNRMT provided by the CABDHRP can semi-automatically identify characters' names based on Chinese word segmentation technology and humanists' support to confirm and analyze characters' social network relationships from Chinese ancient books based on visualizing characters' social networks as a knowledge graph. The CABDHRP not only can stimulate humanists to explore new viewpoints in a humanistic research, but also can promote the public to emerge the learning interest and awareness of Chinese ancient books.

This study aims to develop a character social network relationship map tool (CSNRMT) for supporting an ancient book digital humanities research platform to semi-automatically assist humanists through human-computer interaction in more efficiently and accurately exploring the character social network relationships from texts for useful research findings. With a quasi-experimental design, the experimental results reveal that the use of the ancient book digital humanities research platform with the CSNRMT appears higher effectiveness on the interpretation of characters and character social network relationships than the one without the CSNRMT, but does not achieve significantly statistical difference. Using the CSNRMT to interpret characters and character social network relationships presents remarkably higher technology acceptance of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use than the one without the CSNRMT. Furthermore, use behaviors analyzed by lag sequential analysis reveal that the CSNRMT could actually assist in the interpretation of character social network relationships. The interview results present positive opinions on the integration of system interface, the smoothness of operation, and the external search function. The CSNRMT developed in this study would be more practical when the offered information about character names and character social network relationships is more accurate and broad.

This work presents the piezoelectric process technology developed in a high volume foundry for emerging MEMS applications. Innovative reliability enhancement techniques for piezoelectric devices are demonstrated to significantly boost (1) dielectric breakdown voltage from 30V to 110V, (2) time-dependent-dielectric-breakdown lifetime by 100X, (3) temperature-humidity-bias stress robustness (0% failure achieved), and (4) PZT imprint and fatigue controllability (99% recovery from imprint achieved) to fulfill stringent reliability and piezoelectric performance stability criteria for emerging MEMS applications in Internet of Things (IoT) era.

Surface metallization of polyimide (PI) is the key process for the preparation of flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs). To meet the miniaturization demand, the ultrathinness of FPCB by the removal of the intermediate adhesive layer is imperative. The common adhesiveless process relies on the surface activation of hydrophobic PI through alkaline hydrolysis to generate the hydrophilic carboxylate anion sites for the metallic deposition. However, the alkaline hydrolysis process involves the imide ring cleavage caused by the attack of a strong nucleophile (OH

We present collaborative similarity embedding (CSE), a unified framework that exploits comprehensive collaborative relations available in a user-item bipartite graph for representation learning and recommendation. In the proposed framework, we differentiate two types of proximity relations: direct proximity and k-th order neighborhood proximity. While learning from the former exploits direct user-item associations observable from the graph, learning from the latter makes use of implicit associations such as user-user similarities and item-item similarities, which can provide valuable information especially when the graph is sparse. Moreover, for improving scalability and flexibility, we propose a sampling technique that is specifically designed to capture the two types of proximity relations. Extensive experiments on eight benchmark datasets show that CSE yields significantly better performance than state-of-the-art recommendation methods., Comment: The shorten version is accepted by WWW'19

Online discussion allows learners to acquire more knowledge, different perspectives, and more ideas through interaction with others in an online discussion process to promote their cognitive learning and critical thinking abilities. Accordingly, an instant perspective comparison system (IPCS) based on natural language processing, social networks, and data visualization technologies was developed in this study to present the similarity and differences in terms of the multiple perspectives and complexity of both learning peers through visualizing perspective comparison diagram to facilitate the depth and width of learners' thinking in a discussion process for promoting the online discussion effectiveness. With a quasi-experimental design, a total of 49 Grade 11 students from two classes in a senior high school of Taipei City in Taiwan were randomly recruited as the research subjects for the online discussion activity about the socio-scientific issues (SSI) titled “nuclear power generation.” A total of 28 students from a class were randomly assigned as the experimental group with an IPCS-assisted online discussion, while a total of 21 students from another class were randomly assigned as the control group with a general online discussion to examine the differences in discussion effectiveness of learners between the two groups. Furthermore, prior computer-mediated communication (CMC) competence was considered as a background variable to discuss the difference in the discussion effectiveness of learners between the two groups. The research results show that, in comparison with a general online discussion, an IPCS-assisted online discussion could significantly facilitate learners’ overall discussion effectiveness, particularly for the sub-dimension of multiple perspectives. Especially, the IPCS could promote the overall discussion effectiveness and sub-dimension of the complexity of learners with low CMC competence to more deeply comprehend and understand the discussion issue than those of learners with high CMC competence. In conclusion, the IPCS developed in this study is an innovative and effective online discussion assisted tool. It would bring the development of online discussion tool into new ground.

Asynchronous online discussion is one of the widely used collaborative learning activities in digital learning that can facilitate learners to think of controversial problems, share ideas, ask questions, and give feedback without time and space constraints. However, if there is no appropriate and effective mechanism that can promote asynchronous online discussion performance, it may cause the contents of the discussion away from the discussion topic, too narrow, or not deep enough. Therefore, this research presents a Topic Analysis Instant Feedback System (TAIFS) that can explore and visualize the topics according to the contents of an asynchronous online discussion from the learners of different groups. The TAIFS was developed and integrated into Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) which is a free and open source digital learning platform that has been widely used around the world based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to help learners grasp the change of overall discussion topics in real-time and see the similarities and differences of the discussion among different groups, thereby effectively improving their asynchronous online discussion effectiveness. A quasi-experimental research method was adopted to examine the effects of the proposed TAIFS-assisted online discussion on learners' socio-scientific reasoning performance including the complexity and multiple perspectives. A total of 61 students from two classes in a high school in Taipei city, Taiwan were recruited as the research participants. One class of 31 students was assigned to the experimental group using the TAIFS-assisted discussion board for discussing the socio-scientific issue (SSI) entitled “Utilization of the Coastal Area,” while the remaining 30 students from another class were assigned to the control group using a general Moodle discussion board. Analytical results show that the experimental group was significantly better than the control group in the overall discussion performance and the complexity and multiple perspectives. Besides, TAIFS is more helpful to improve the overall discussion performance and multiple perspectives of female learners than male learners. The contribution of this study is to propose an innovative and effective TAIFS that can promote learners’ asynchronous online discussion effectiveness to bring the asynchronous online discussion into new ground.