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The Gamma-ray Transients Monitor (GTM) is a secondary payload on board Formosat-8B (FS-8B), a Taiwanese remote-sensing satellite scheduled to launch in 2024. The goal of GTM is to monitor Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) and other bright gamma-ray transients in the energy range from 50 keV to 2 MeV. GTM consists of two identical modules located on two opposite sides of FS-8B. Each module has four sensor units facing different directions to cover half of the sky. The two modules will then cover the whole sky, including the direction occulted by the Earth. Each sensor unit is composed of a GAGG scintillator array (50 mm × 50 mm × 8 mm) to be readout by SiPM with 16 pixel-channels. We describe the instrument design and its GRB detection efficiency in this paper. GTM is expected to detect about 40 GRBs per year.

Many orogens on the planet result from plate convergence involving subduction of a continental margin. The lithosphere is strongly deformed during mountain building involving subduction of a plate composed generally of accreted continental margin units and some fragments of downgoing oceanic crust and mantle. A complex deformation involving strong partitioning of deformation modes and kinematics produces crustal shortening, accompanied by crustal thickening. Partitioning depends on three main factors: (1) rheologic layering of the lithosphere; (2) interaction between tectonics and surface processes; (3) subduction kinematics and 3D geometry of continental margins (oblique convergence, shape of indenters). Here we present an original view and discussion on the impact of deformation partitioning on the structure and evolution of orogens by examining the Taiwan mountain belt as a case study. Major unsolved questions are addressed through geological observations from the Taiwan orogen and insights from analogue models integrating surface processes. Some of these questions include: What is the role played by décollements or weak zones in crustal deformation and what is the impact of structural heterogeneities inherited from the early extensional history of a rifted passive continental margin? What is the relationship between deep underplating, induced uplift and flow of crustal material during erosion (finite strain evolution during wedge growth)? Are syn-convergent normal faults an effect of deformation partitioning and erosion? What is the role of strain partitioning on the location of major seismogenic faults in active mountain belts? What can be learned about the long-term and the present-day evolution of Taiwan?

International audience

Mica porphyroblasts, a common metamorphic microstructure, are analyzed in the slate belt of northern Taiwan where large fish-like growths are found within a meta-pyroclastics. With constraints on the time-temperature history from deposition through peak metamorphic state to exhumation, in-situ 40Ar/39Ar laser microprobe dating was carried out on muscovite and corrensite fibers of mm-scale mica porphyroblasts grown on a pressure-solution seam. Because the peak metamorphic temperature and the porphyroblast formation condition (∼250 °C) remained far below the closure temperature of the K-Ar radioisotope system in muscovite, and the absence of muscovite in the mafic protolith, the dating results likely document the growth of the mica porphyroblast fabrics. The syn-kinematic nature of the analyzed porphyroblasts is confirmed by the ∼6 to ∼2.5 Ma growth ages, suggesting that the host rock was continuously deformed during the earlier two-thirds of the Taiwan Orogeny. The pattern of fiber growth, in contrast to outward-decreasing ages normally observed in peripheral recrystallization, appears random and resembles void fills in boudin openings. We postulate that syntaxial crack-seal following tensile micro-boudinage, along with slips on sub-grain boundaries, as a viable mechanism for the development of mica porphyroblasts and fish especially in lower-grade metamorphic rocks.

Glycosyltransferase-1 from Bacillus cereus (BcGT1) catalyzes a reaction that transfers a glucosyl moiety to flavonoids, such as quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin. The enzymatic glucosidation shows a broad substrate specificity when the reaction is catalyzed by wild-type BcGT1. Preliminary assays demonstrated that the F240A mutant significantly improves the regioselectivity of enzymatic glucosidation toward quercetin. To unveil and further to control the catalytic function of BcGT1, mutation of F240 to other amino acids, such as C, E, G, R, Y, W, and K, was performed. Among these mutants, F240A, F240G, F240R, and F240K greatly altered the regioselectivity. The quercetin-3-O-glucoside, instead of quercetin-7-O-glucoside as for the wild-type enzyme, was obtained as the major product. Among these mutants, F240R showed nearly 100 % product specificity but only retained 25 % catalytic efficiency of wild-type enzyme. From an inspection of the protein structure, we found two other amino acids, F132 and F138, together with F240, are likely to form a hydrophobic binding region, which is sufficiently spacious to accommodate substrates with varied aromatic moieties. Through the replacement of a phenylalanine by a tyrosine residue in the substrate-binding region, the mutants may be able to fix the orientation of flavonoids, presumably through the formation of a hydrogen bond between substrates and mutants. Multiple mutants-F240R_F132Y, F240R_F138Y, and F240R_F132Y_F138Y-were thus constructed for further investigation. The multiple points of mutants not only maintained the high product specificity but also significantly improved the catalytic efficiency, relative to F240R. The same product specificity was obtained when kaempferol and myricetin were used as a substrate.

International audience; Deep tectonic processes are key integral components in the evolution of mountain belts, while observations of their temporal development are generally obscured by thermal resetting, retrograde alteration and structural overprinting. Here we recorded an integrated rock time-temperature history for the first time in the pro-wedge part of the active Taiwan arc-continent collision starting from sedimentation through cleavage-forming state to its final exhumation. The integrated thermal and age results from the Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Material (RSCM) method, zircon U-Pb laser ablation dating, and in-situ 40Ar/39Ar laser microprobe dating suggest that the basal accretion process was crucial to the development of the Taiwanese orogenic wedge. The basal accretion process commenced early in the mountain building history (∼6 Ma) and gradually migrated to greater depths, as constrained by persistent plate convergence and cleavage formation under nearly isothermal state at similar depths until ∼ 2.5 Ma recorded in the early-accreted units. Such development essentially contributed to mountain root growth by the increased depth of the wedge detachment and the downward wedge thickening during the incipient to full collision stages in the Taiwan mountain belt.

To ensure sequestration safety, confirming the injectivity of the reservoir rock formation is of critical importance, requiring studies of the rock permeability to uncover the fluid migration scenarios within the porous reservoir rock. Two-phase (super-critical CO2-brine) flow behavior following the post CO2 injection is believed to be a dominating factor; its flooding behavior within the porous rock media needs to be further clarified prior to confirming the feasibility of domestic CO2 geo-sequestration. This study aims to determine the relative permeability of rock cores obtained from field outcropping. A test facility was established to determine the relative permeability during drainage and imbibition processes using a core-flooding test characterized by displacement method. The test facility was assembled locally and is regarded as a pioneering attempt. By relevant data interpretation, the parameters of relative permeability for predicting the movement of super-critical CO2 after injection can be modeled. More reliable parameters can be obtained using history matching processes wherein time-elapsed data calibration is used in conjunction with a computer code, TOUGH2. The test results were iteratively calibrated using numerical simulation by conducting a history matching process. The K-S curves derived from best-fit parameters are believed to be the most relevant relative permeability for the reservoir rock. Through this preliminary study, a better understanding of some of the problems and limitations associated with the determination of the rock relative permeability using two-phase flow test is achieved, but more advanced research is required.

The Shanchiao Fault is an active normal fault with documented paleoearthquakes in the Taipei metropolis, Taiwan. While posing direct seismic threat on the multimillion population, its crustal-scale fault plane configuration has not been constrained. This study presents the first attempt to resolve the fault plane dip changes of the Shanchiao Fault within the upper crust by forward modeling late Quaternary deformation. Tectonic subsidence over the last ~23 ka is estimated from vertical displacements of a rapidly formed alluvial fan horizon deformed into a dramatic rollover monocline. A 2-D profile across the Shanchiao Fault is chosen for elastic half-space dislocation modeling, and the results suggest that the fault is listric in the shallow crust with an abrupt change from subvertical ramp (85°–75°) to near-horizontal flat (10°–15°) at 3–4 km depth, consistent with an origin from the inversion of an orogen-related thrust detachment. Given the presence of rift-related fabrics in the underthrust Chinese Continental Margin basement beneath the Taiwanese orogenic wedge, listric ramp-flat-ramp models with a second deeper bend to 60° dip are also tested. Reasonable fits with the geological observations are produced when the lower ramp is located at greater than 8 km depth, which correlates with the hypocentral location of a moderate earthquake in 2004. Joint reactivation of preexisting thrust and rift faults by the Shanchiao Fault is therefore plausible with implications for seismic hazard in the Taipei area.

Fluid migration patterns are important for understanding gas hydrate and hydrocarbon systems. However, conducting experiments on or below the seafloor is difficult because crustal fluid flow rates are usually very slow, so long term observations are needed. Temperature can be used as a good tracer for studying fluid flows. Temperatures derived from bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs) might help to understand fluid migration patterns in shallow marine sediments. In this study, we studied 2D fluid flow patterns in two potential gas hydrate provinces offshore southwestern Taiwan: the Yung-An Ridge in the active margin and Formosa Ridge in the passive margin. We used 2D bathymetry, average seafloor temperatures and regional geothermal gradients measured by thermal probes, as constraints to construct 2D theoretical conductive temperature fields using finite element methods. We then compared the BSR-based temperature with the theoretical conductive temperature field. The results show a temperature discrepancy attributed to advective heat transfer due to fluid migration. For the Yung-An Ridge, the BSR-based temperatures are about 2 °C higher than the model: Especially in (1) near a fault zone, (2) under the eastern flank where there are strong seismic reflectors in a pseudo-3D seismic dataset, and (3) near a fissure zone. For the Formosa Ridge, our results showed a distinct decrease in temperatures around the southern peak of the ridge, where an active gas plume was found. BSR-based temperatures predict on average 2 °C lower than the model. At these two sites, the shallow temperature fields are strongly affected by 2D bathymetry. However, new insights regarding fluid flow patterns can be obtained using this model approach.

Simple power attack (SPA) is a type of side-channel attack (SCA). In the literature, many SPA-resistant scalar multiplication algorithms have been proposed, but most are inefficient and not interoperable with other coding methods. To prevent SPA, Chevallier-Mames et al. proposed a technique called side-channel atomicity for pure binary number systems. Using their method, extra costs for preventing SPA can be limited. Even though many researchers have extended this technique to other number systems, their algorithms are for specific cases and few provide implementation results. In this paper, we generalize the atomicity technique to protect nearly all existing fast coding methods/number systems. Our general framework provides security and flexibility while its efficiency is coupled to that of the coding methods. Moreover, we utilize our framework to protect the known fastest scalar multiplications by exploring application on the GLV method for GLS curves. Proof of concept programs are written in the C language along with assembly for fast field operations and run on AMD Athlon X2 245-based hardware.

The thermal power plants which belong to Taiwan Power Company are major Carbon Dioxide(CO 2 ) emitting sources in Taiwan. Thus, Taiwan Power Company launched a series of projects since 2008 to look for sites suitable for CO 2 geological storage around Taiwan. After 3 years of research, Taiwan Power Company chose a deep saline aquifer sandy formation in the Taihsi basin to be the candidate site for CO 2 geological storage. By this research, we established a three dimension geological model of the cap rock and reservoir rock in Taihsi basin storage site, and refer the America Department of Energy (DOE) and Japan RITE experiences to suggest an unit grid conception formula for evaluating storage capacity. Finally, we evaluated effective capacity is about 6 billion tons in the Taihsi basin site by using Geological Information System.

We performed a quantitative comparison of brittle thrust wedge experiments to evaluate the variability among analogue models and to appraise the reproducibility and limits of model interpretation. Fifteen analogue modeling laboratories participated in this benchmark initiative. Each laboratory received a shipment of the same type of quartz and corundum sand and all laboratories adhered to a stringent model building protocol and used the same type of foil to cover base and sidewalls of the sandbox. Sieve structure, sifting height, filling rate, and details on off-scraping of excess sand followed prescribed procedures. Our analogue benchmark shows that even for simple plane-strain experiments with prescribed stringent model construction techniques, quantitative model results show variability, most notably for surface slope, thrust spacing and number of forward and backthrusts. One of the sources of the variability in model results is related to slight variations in how sand is deposited in the sandbox. Small changes in sifting height, sifting rate, and scraping will result in slightly heterogeneous material bulk densities, which will affect the mechanical properties of the sand, and will result in lateral and vertical differences in peak and boundary friction angles, as well as cohesion values once the model is constructed. Initial variations in basal friction are inferred to play the most important role in causing model variability. Our comparison shows that the human factor plays a decisive role, and even when one modeler repeats the same experiment, quantitative model results still show variability. Our observations highlight the limits of up-scaling quantitative analogue model results to nature or for making comparisons with numerical models. The frictional behavior of sand is highly sensitive to small variations in material state or experimental set-up, and hence, it will remain difficult to scale quantitative results such as number of thrusts, thrust spacing, and pop-up width from model to nature. Fil: Schreurs, Guido. University of Bern; Suiza Fil: Buiter, Susanne J. H.. University of Oslo; Noruega. Norges Geologiske Undersekelse; Noruega Fil: Boutelier, Jennifer. University of Toronto; Canadá Fil: Burberry, Caroline. Uppsala Universitet; Suecia Fil: Callot, Jean-Paul. Ifp Energies Nouvelles; Francia Fil: Cavozzi, Cristian. Università di Parma; Italia Fil: Cerca, Mariano. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Chen, Jian-Hong. National Taiwan University; República de China Fil: Cristallini, Ernesto Osvaldo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica; Chile Fil: Cruden, Alexander R.. University of Toronto; Canadá Fil: Cruz, Leonardo. University of Stanford; Estados Unidos Fil: Daniel, Jean-Marc. Ifp Energies Nouvelles; Francia Fil: Da Poian, Gabriela. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Garcia, Victor H.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; Argentina Fil: Gomes, Caroline J. S.. Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto; Brasil Fil: Grall, Céline. Ifp Energies Nouvelles; Francia Fil: Guillot, Yannick. University Of Lille; Francia Fil: Guzman, Cecilia Griselda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos ; Argentina Fil: Hidayah, Triyani Nur. State University of New Jersey; Estados Unidos Fil: Hilley, George. University of Stanford; Estados Unidos Fil: Klinkmüller, Matthias. University of Bern; Suiza Fil: Koyi, Hemin A.. Uppsala Universitet; Suecia Fil: Lu, Chia-Yu. National Taiwan University; República de China Fil: Maillot, Bertrand. Universite de Cergy-Pontoise; Francia Fil: Meriaux, Catherine. Monash University; Australia Fil: Nilfouroushan, Faramarz. Uppsala Universitet; Suecia Fil: Pan, Chang-Chih. National Taiwan University; Suecia Fil: Pillot, Daniel. Ifp Energies Nouvelles; Francia Fil: Portillo, Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Rosenau, Matthias. German Research Centre for Geosciences; Alemania Fil: Schellart, Wouter P.. Monash University; Australia Fil: Schlische, Roy W.. State University of New Jersey; Estados Unidos Fil: Take, Andy. Queens University; Canadá Fil: Vendeville, Bruno. Laboratoire D'oceanologie Et de Geosciences; Francia Fil: Vergnaud, Marine. Ifp Energies Nouvelles; Francia Fil: Vettori, Matteo. Università di Parma; Italia Fil: Wang, Shih-Hsien. National Taiwan University; República de China Fil: Withjack, Martha O.. State University of New Jersey; Estados Unidos Fil: Yagupsky, Daniel Leonardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Yamada, Yasuhiro. Kyoto University; Japón

International audience; Orogenic wedges locally present chaotic tectonostratigraphic units that contain exotic blocks of various size, origin, age and lithology, embedded in a sedimentary matrix. The occurrence of ophiolitic blocks, sometimes huge, in such “mélanges” raises questions on (i) the mechanisms responsible for the incorporation of oceanic basement rocks into an accretionary wedge and (ii) the mechanisms allowing exhumation and redeposition of these exotic elements in “mélanges” during wedge growth.To address these questions, we present the results of a series of analogue experiments performed to characterize the processes and parameters responsible for accretion, exhumation and tectonosedimentary reworking of oceanic basement lithospheric fragments in an accretionary wedge.The experimental setup is designed to simulate the interaction between tectonics, erosion and sedimentation. Different configurations are applied to study the impact of various parameters, such as irregular oceanic floor due to structural inheritance, or the presence of layers with contrasted rheology that can affect deformation partitioning in the wedge (frontal accretion vs basal accretion) influencing its growth. Image correlation technique allows extracting instantaneous velocity field, and tracking of passive particles. By retrieving the particle paths determined from models, the pressure-temperature path of mélange units or elementary blocks can be discussed. The experimental results are then compared with observations from ophiolite-bearing mélanges in Taiwan (Lichi and Kenting mélanges) and Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material (RSCM) Thermometry data on rocks from the northern Apennines (Casanova mélange). A geological scenario is proposed following basic observations. The tectonic evolution of the retroside of doubly vergent accretionary wedges is mainly controlled by backthrusting and backfolding. The retro wedge is characterized by steep slopes that are prone to gravitational instabilities. It triggers submarine landslides inducing huge mass transfers. This erosion combined with backthrusting could favour exhumation of the ophiolitic fragments formerly accreted at the base of the wedge along the rough seafloor-sediments interface. Such an exhumed material can be reworked and deposited as debris- flows in proximal basins located at the foot of the retrowedge slope forming a tectono-sedimentary mélange. These syntectonic basins are continuously deformed and involved in prograding backthrusting-induced deformation.

Dykes and pipes of remobilized cornieules outcrop widely within the evaporitic complex of the thrust sole of the Mont Jovet klippe, (North- Western French Alps). The morphology, nature, structures and pattern of these rocks are described. The bodies are not linked to erosive processes; they represent inherited morphologies within the gypsum exhumed by erosion. These upstanding pseudo-cornieules very likely originated from fault-related remobilization of primary cornieules from the tectonic contact. A genetic model is proposed to explain the genesis of these pseudocornieules, to highlight the possible relationships between these pseudo-cornieules and the other documented types of cornieules.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted much interest in recent years because of their potential use as new-generation antibiotics. Indolicidin (IL) is a 13-residue cationic AMP that is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. Unfortunately, its high hemolytic activity retards its clinical applications. In this study, we adopted molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as an aid toward the rational design of IL analogues exhibiting high antimicrobial activity but low hemolysis. We employed long-timescale, multi-trajectory all-atom MD simulations to investigate the interactions of the peptide IL with model membranes. The lipid bilayer formed by the zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) was chosen as the model erythrocyte membrane; lipid bilayers formed from a mixture of POPC and the negatively charged 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol were chosen to model bacterial membranes. MD simulations with a total simulation time of up to 4 micros revealed the mechanisms of the processes of IL adsorption onto and insertion into the membranes. The packing order of these lipid bilayers presumably correlated to the membrane stability upon IL adsorption and insertion. We used the degree of local membrane thinning and the reduction in the order parameter of the acyl chains of the lipids to characterize the membrane stability. The order of the mixed 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol/POPC lipid bilayer reduced significantly upon the adsorption of IL. On the other hand, although the order of the pure-POPC lipid bilayer was perturbed slightly during the adsorption stage, the value was reduced more dramatically upon the insertion of IL into the membrane's hydrophobic region. The results imply that enhancing IL adsorption on the microbial membrane may amplify its antimicrobial activity, while the degree of hemolysis may be reduced through inhibition of IL insertion into the hydrophobic region of the erythrocyte membrane. In addition, through simulations, we identified the amino acids that are most responsible for the adsorption onto or insertion into the two model membranes. Positive charges are critical to the peptide's adsorption, whereas the presence of hydrophobic Trp8 and Trp9 leads to its deeper insertion. Combining the hypothetical relationships between the membrane disordering and the antimicrobial and hemolytical activities with the simulated results, we designed three new IL-analogous peptides: IL-K7 (Pro7-->Lys), IL-F89 (Trp8 and Trp9-->Phe), and IL-K7F89 (Pro7-->Lys; Trp8 and Trp9-->Phe). The hemolytic activity of IL-F89 is considerably lower than that of IL, whereas the antimicrobial activity of IL-K7 is greatly enhanced. In particular, the de novo peptide IL-K7F89 exhibits higher antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli; its hemolytic activity decreased to only 10% of that of IL. Our simulated and experimental results correlated well. This approach-coupling MD simulations with experimental design-is a useful strategy toward the rational design of AMPs for potential therapeutic use.

article i nfo In the village of Tsaoling (in Yunlin County, Taiwan), a major landslide was triggered by the Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999 with more than 125×10 6 m 3 of rock displaced. The kinematic behaviour of this landslide is simulated using a 2D discrete element model (PFC2D code). Our numerical model is composed of discs bonded together. The initial boundary conditions are applied along the ball-wall contacts by using derived velocities integrated from the strong motion data with a duration of 160 s including the peak acceleration near Tsaoling. The constraints are mainly issued from the final geometry of the landslide including its capacity to cross the river valley and reach a significant elevation on the opposite mountain flank. They also result from a variety of geological and hydrological observations, including the local levels of material disruption and the location of survivors. Our modelling thus indicates that a low-friction coefficient (about 0.15) and a medium strength are required to account for the actual landslide characteristics. A self-lubrication mechanism probably accounts for the low residual friction. Our model also suggests that the maximum velocity of sliding reached 50 m/s, a result that cannot be checked in the absence of actual measurements. In addition to friction, the strength of sliding block is of special importance because it controlled the possibility for the upper layer fragments to roll and get buried, and hence the probability of survival.

We analyse the present-day deformation in two key areas of the Taiwan collision belt, the Ilan Plain to the NW and the Pingtung Plain to the SW. Our approach is mainly based on consideration of horizontal displacement revealed by recent geodetic (GPS) surveys, derived strain rate tensors indicating horizontal deformation and three-dimensional seismotectonic stress regimes issued from inversion of focal mechanisms of earthquakes. We reconstruct a consistent, albeit complex, tectonic pattern involving non-rigid rotations (clockwise in NE Taiwan, anticlockwise in SW Taiwan), transitions from pure compression near the mountains to transtension near the sea and simple shear affecting the deforming domain (NW–SE left-lateral in NE Taiwan, NNE–SSW right-lateral in SW Taiwan). These tectonic patterns reflect lateral extrusion processes towards mechanically weak domains with respect to collision zone, i.e., adjacent subduction zones (Ryukyu to the NE, Manila to the SW). The extrusion of the Ilan Plain area occurs towards the SE, whereas that of the Pingtung Plain area occurs towards the SW. The extrusion in NE Taiwan is facilitated by the opening of the Okinawa Trough, so that velocity and deformation rates are higher than in SW Taiwan despite less active collision in this northern area. The symmetry of the extrusion patterns is altered by differences in relative positions and orientations of collision belt and adjacent subduction zones, which depend on the plate tectonic configuration and tectonic history of the Taiwan region.

The Chi-Chi earthquake occurred in the western foothills of central Taiwan, which triggered coseismic and catastrophic Chiufengershan dip-slope landslides, Tsaoling rockslides and surface stripping of the Jiujiufeng area. After a few days of the Chi-Chi event, the Hongtsaiping area in central Taiwan was reported to have several meters of slide in a small scale area. The reported landslides are dissimilar to the catastrophic events. To better understand the characteristics of such non-catastrophic and unobvious landslide, we try to characterize in detail the sliding directions, their magnitudes and region of the landslide. We analyzed three orthorectified aerial photographs of the Hongtsaiping area, which were taken in 1998/06/13, 1999/11/18 and 2002/10/26, using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. Through the method we correlated the image pixels of the two aerial photographs in order to derive the displacement vector field. The results of the PIV analysis have helped us not only find the areas where sliding had happened, but also evaluate the azimuth and magnitudes of the sliding event. The PIV analysis in the Hongtsaiping area covers a dimension of about 3228 × 2448 pixels in an area of about 1.2 km2. Our results show that the maximum horizontal displacement of the landslide is about 24 m towards NW in the study area. This unobvious but wide-coverage landslide may need further investigation in mechanisms combining with available or new geological data.

Several levelling routes in the metropolitan Taipei Basin have been repeatedly conducted during the past decades, mainly in order to monitor the anthropogenic ground subsidence due to massive pumping of groundwater. We analysed the levelling data released from government and investigated the rate of ground level change from 1975 to 2003, which postdate the massive groundwater exploitation in Taipei area. Based on the contour maps created from the levelling data of 406 benchmarks, the overall subsidence rate in the Taipei Basin gradually decreased since 1975, and around 1989 the basin switched to slight uplift throughout a large part of the basin. Three mechanisms are proposed to be responsible for the observed land elevation changes, including shallow soil compaction, deformation within aquifer, and tectonic subsidence. The trend of the ground level change in 1975–2003 essentially demonstrated the effects of natural recharge to previously depleted aquifers, and is explained by the hydro-mechanical coupling of aquifer materials, i.e., elastic rebound, to the rising piezometric level. The rate of shallow soil compaction is estimated about 1–8 mm/yr throughout the basin according primarily to the shallow clay thickness. Asymmetric tectonic subsidence related to the Shanchiao Fault was estimated to be 1.75 mm/yr and 0.9 mm/yr in the western part and the central part of the basin, respectively. By subtracting the components of the soil compaction and tectonic subsidence from the surface land elevation change, the rebound of aquifer strata was estimated to be about 6.7 cm and 16 cm in western margin and Central Taipei, respectively. The amount of rebound is approximately 10% in magnitude comparing to the amount of previous anthropogenic subsidence due to massive groundwater pumping, totally about 2 m. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The characteristics of n-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (NMOSFETs) with a SiN capping layer were investigated in this study. Although the incorporation of the SiN capping layer markedly enhanced the carrier mobility and thus the drive current of the fabricated devices, the resistance to hot-carrier degradation was sacrificed, owing to the high content of hydrogen in the SiN layer that might diffuse to the channel region during the process. Even if the SiN layer was removed and the channel strain was released later, the hot-carrier degradation was severer than that in devices without SiN capping. Finally, the lateral distribution of generated interface states due to hot-carrier stress was also investigated in this study.

Impacts of silicon nitride (SiN)-capping layer and the associated deposition process on the device characteristics and hot-electron degradation of nMOSFETs are investigated in this paper. The SiN layer used to induce channel strain for mobility enhancement was deposited by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition. The deposition of the SiN aggravates threshold-voltage roll-off due to additional thermal budget and the strain effect. It is also found that the device hot-electron degradation is worse with the addition of the SiN capping. Furthermore, our results indicate that both the bandgap narrowing caused by the channel strain and the abundant hydrogen species from the precursors of SiN deposition contribute to the aggravated hot-electron effect.

We present 31 new apatite fission-track (AFT) ages for the island of Taiwan that, when combined with existing AFT and zircon fission-track (ZFT) data, provide regional spatial coverage of the island with respect to low-temperature thermochronometry. The overall pattern of ZFT and AFT ages in Taiwan exhibits unreset ages in the southern and western portions of the island and reset ages predominantly in the Central Range and eastern Taiwan. This pattern supports interpretations of the orogen kinematics as reflecting a crustal scale wedge with a southward propagating collision zone. In this model, new material is accreted to the wedge from the west and is transferred to the east with the greatest exhumation occurring along the eastern margin as recorded in the reset ages in the east and unreset ages in the west. The southward propagating collision is consistent with reset ages in the north, where erosional exhumation has been ongoing for longer, and unreset ages in the south, where the younger collision implies less time for erosional exhumation. Despite the variation in the age of the collision along the strike of the island, the widths of the AFT and ZFT reset age zones remain nearly constant between 23° 00′N to ∼ 24° 00′N and 23° 20′N to ∼ 24° 00′N, respectively, suggesting that the orogen is in an exhumational steady state over these regions with respect to the AFT and ZFT thermochronometers. We use the fission-track data in conjunction with observations of crustal structure, crustal fabric, and heat flow measurements to constrain a time-dependent, two-dimensional, thermomechanical model of orogen evolution. By accounting for the heat transfer, tectonic and erosion processes needed to predict AFT and ZFT ages, we are able to investigate the relationship between the measured ages and the tectonic characteristics of the orogen. With our model we conclude that: (1) roughly half of the material accretion in Taiwan occurs through underplating over an approximately 40 km wide region, (2) current average erosion rates are ∼ 3.3 mm/yr in the eastern Central Range and ∼ 2.3 mm/yr over the whole island, (3) the collision has been propagating southward at a rate between 20 and 51 km/Ma over the past 2–3 Ma, and (4) central Taiwan is in a topographic, thermal and exhumational steady state.

P-channel metal?oxide?semiconductor field-effect transistors (PMOSFETs) featuring poly-SiGe gates and compressive strain channels were investigated. The compressive strain in the channel was deliberately induced in this study by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) silicon nitride (SiN) capping layer over the gate. Our results indicate for the first time that, while strain channel engineering serves as an effective method to enhance drive current for scaled complementary metal?oxide?semiconductor (CMOS) devices consistent with literature reports, it also simultaneously aggravates the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) of scaled devices. The aggravated NBTI behavior is ascribed to a higher amount of hydrogen incorporation during SiN deposition as well as a higher strain energy stored in the channel. Saturation phenomena in the shift of threshold voltage and generation of interface states are observed at high stress temperatures and long stress times. Moreover, transconductance degradation in devices with SiN capping is greatly aggravated under high temperature stress.

Dynamic holography and polarimetric methods are used to study torques on liquid crystals exerted by photo excited dyes doped in planar nematic liquid crystal (NLC) films. The dye used is methyl red (MR). The dynamical reorientation of liquid crystal directors induced by photo-excited dyes is examined. The results indicate that the dynamics include the initial transient reorientation, followed by the transient three-dimensional rotation, and finally the stable LC alignment parallel to the optical field. A model is presented to explain these results. Quantitative analyses of the grating dynamics yield the dye-diffusion coefficients in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the LC director.

A novel Schottky barrier silicon-on-insulator metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor featuring metallic source/drain and an electrical drain junction has been fabricated and characterized. The formation of electrical drain junction, or the field-induced drain (FID), is controlled by a metal field-plate overlying the passivation oxide. Excellent ambipolar operation is demonstrated on the device. Specifically, on/off current ratios up to 10 8 and 10 7 are observed for p- and n-channel operations, respectively. Meanwhile, the off-state leakage current shows very weak dependence on the voltage difference between the main-gate and the drain, highlighting the effectiveness of FID. Finally, negative differential conductance effect is observed for n-channel operation, which is identified as due to dynamic hot electron trapping during device characterization. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The characteristics of seismic energy releasing for oceanic subduction and continental collision or subduction zones were explored by a proposed observational approach based on contour maps of seismic energy release on both horizontal and vertical planes, magnitude–energy curve and magnitude–energy–time relationship. It was found that distinct features of energy-releasing behavior exist for the two types of subduction. The oceanic subduction tends to have a more active background noise by continuously emitting small magnitude earthquakes and to release energy from a wider range of depth owing to the existence of subducted plate. On the other hand, surficial strata of a continental subduction tend to release almost all of the seismic energy through a major earthquake with relatively much less long-term noise. Meanwhile, several seismic gaps have been found based on the proposed release energy contour. Together with the tectonic framework and the regional geologic setting, these gaps potentially may involve aseismic zones (e.g., accretionary deposit) or zones awaiting to release its accumulated energy (e.g., the upper crust). The quite zones prone to yielding major earthquakes are accordingly highlighted for a further study.

The destructive Chichi earthquake occurred in Taiwan on 21 September 1999. This earthquake had exceptional consequences in terms of both the seismic hazard concerns that it raised in the island and the new seismotectonic and geodynamic concepts that arose concerning the Taiwan collision. This earthquake is quite typical of the SE–NW plate convergence. It reactivated a thrust ramp at the front of the belt. The rupture trace shows typical tectonic patterns that control the distribution of the damage associated with fault slip. The importance of geological studies for earthquake mitigation purposes is thus highlighted. Based on two examples (Chelungpu fault for locking and earthquakes, Chihshang fault for creep), the need for a better definition of the seismic cycle in Taiwan is highlighted. The Chichi earthquake suggests that the average shortening velocities are of the same order at the belt front and in the suture zone in the back of the belt. The concept of double convergent boundary is consequently introduced in the lithospheric model of Taiwan.

The main purpose of this study is to analyse striated micro-faults and other types of fractures (including tensile and shear joints, and veins), in order to elucidate their relationships with regional folds and thrusts and regional tectonic stress. We take the fold-thrust belt (i.e., the foothills and the Hsuehshan range) in NW Taiwan as a case study, which is a product of the Plio-Pleistocene arc-continent collision. A total of about 760 and 1700 faults and other fractures, respectively, were collected at 41 sites in the field. We have identified four sets of bed-perpendicular joints in the study area. The observation of joints and bedding at each site indicates that most of the penetrative joint sets developed in the earlier tectonic stage of the pre-folding/pre-tilting event, illustrating the fact that the intersection of joint sets lies along the line perpendicular to the bedding plane. We thus interpret these sets as tectonic fractures under deep-seated tectonic stress. We used the regional fold axes as reference to define the four fracture sets. However, we found that complexity in the study area makes this rather tentative. Principal stress axes σ1, σ2, σ3, were calculated by means of inversion of fault slip data at each site. The ratio Φ that defines the shape of stress ellipsoid is generally small, indicating that the value of the maximum principal stress axe σ1 is much larger compared to that of σ2 and σ3, which are approximately equal. The paleostress regime was characterized by a combination of thrust and strike-slip tectonic regimes. Based on their geometric relationships with tilted bedding, we found most of striated micro-faults were strongly related to the regional folding and can be categorized as early-, during, and late-folding stages. We characterized two major directions for the compressive event, oriented N110–120°E and N150–160°E respectively, which provide additional evidence to delineate the debates about paleostress changes in the Taiwan mountain building process.

Contraction, transcurrent faulting, block rotation and even extension are four essential tectonic mechanisms involved in the progressive deformation of arcuate collision belts. The neotectonic evolution of the Taiwan mountain belt is mainly controlled by the oblique convergence between the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea plate as well as the corner shape of the plate boundary. Based on field observations and tectonic analysis, and taking geophysical data and experimental modelling into account, we interpret the curved belt of northern Taiwan in terms of contractional deformation (with compression, thrust-sheet stacking, folding and transcurrent faulting) combined with increasing block rotation, bookshelf-type strike-slip faulting and extension. As a consequence, the formation of the extensional Taipei Basin, the division of conjugate strike-slip faulted domains and the variable nature and distribution of paleostresses should not be interpreted in terms of distinct Plio-Quaternary episodes but should reflect a single, albeit complicated, regional pattern of deformation. Our study demonstrates that in Taiwan, contractional, extensional and transcurrent tectonics as well as rotations combine together and interact within a single complex framework. The crescent-shaped mountain belt develops in response to oblique indentation by an asymmetric wedge indenter. The distribution, nature and relative importance of these deformation modes are a function of the shape of the indenter and the average direction of convergence.

A simplified and improved Schottky-barrier metal-oxide-semiconductor device featuring a self-aligned offset channel length, PtSi Schottky junction, and reduced oxide thickness underneath the sub-gate was proposed and demonstrated. To alleviate the drawbacks related to the nonself-aligned offset channel length in the original version, a self-aligned offset channel length is achieved in the new device by forming the silicide source/drain junction self-aligning to the sidewall spacers abutting the gate. This results in not only one mask count saving but also better device performance, as facilitated by the reduced offset channel length of the self-aligned sidewall spacers. Moreover, the adoption of PtSi for the Schottky junction further improves the on-state current of p-channel operation, while a thinner oxide employed underneath the sub-gate effectively reduces the sub-gate bias needed to form the electrical junction to below 5 V. Significant improvement in on-current as well as leakage current reduction is achieved in the new improved device.

Pending the possible realization of quantum computers, the RSA algorithm face critical challenges because of weaknesses under quantum cryptanalysis. A possible replacement may be knapsack cryptosystems, which do not yield any weaknesses to quantum computation. At present, the most significant challenge against knapsack cryptosystems is lattice attack, and public key density has historically been used to measure the security of knapsack cryptosystems against it. In this paper, we demonstrate the compromise of an acceptably dense knapsack cryptosystem using lattice attack. In order to quantify the security of knapsack cryptosystems under lattice attacks, we design experiments to analyze possible affecting factors. We demonstrate that it is not appropriate to assess the security of a knapsack cryptosystem by only considering density. Instead, there exist some other factors in literature which have more significance than density. Building on these results, we develop an empirically secure knapsack cryptosystem which explores possible directions for improving knapsack cryptosystems.

The lightweight hash function PHOTON has shown excellent hardware compactness which almost reaches the theoretical optimum and brings benefits for on-tag applications. Unlike cryptanalysis which tries to find collisions or build distinguishers on PHOTON, we apply cube attack for secret recovery of PHOTON. We focus on 1 to 3 round of PHOTON-128/16/16 in our experiments. Using cube attack, we show at least half of the message bits can be recovered. When more powerful computing capability is used, it is possible to recover more bits of the message in the same number of PHOTON rounds.

With the possible advent of quantum computers, the most famous public key cryptosystem for network applications - RSA, is facing critical challenges in the near future. A replacement might be knapsack cryptosystems, which do not yield any benefits to quantum computation. Before making knapsack cryptosystems suitable for applications, it is necessary to guarantee their security. At present, the most significant challenge towards knapsack cryptosystems is lattice attacks. Public key density has historically been used to measure the security of the knapsack cryptosystems against these lattice attacks. However, an acceptably dense knapsack cryptosystem was broken using lattice attack implementation in our research. In order to study the security of knapsack cryptosystems against lattice attacks, we design a series of experiments to analyze these factors. We conclude it is not appropriate to assess knapsack cryptosystem security by simply considering density. From our results, we provide suggested directions for knapsack cryptosystem developers.

Conditional branches are commonly used in algorithms but vulnerable to the SN-sequence attack. In this paper, we provide solutions to address the effects caused by conditional branches. By incorporating our strategies with the recoding algorithms, SN-sequence attack and its variants can be prevented. Though there exist more powerful side channel attacks, our proposal can be taken into consideration to achieve more security resilience since it is simple to use and incurs low overhead in most cases.

The metamorphosed paleo-weathering horizon(s) developed on basaltic rocks in the Tananao Metamorphic Complex forms distinct AlFe-rich rocks and occurs as two parallel belts, demonstrating its potential as a stratigraphic correlation unit in this structurally complicated metamorphic terrain. These AlFe-rich rocks have been metamorphosed under amphibolite-/greenschist-facies conditions, leading to the formation of garnet-chloritoid rocks/chloritoid-rich rocks. The chemical changes along three profiles, from metabasite to garnet-chloritoid rock, show prominent K, Rb, Cs and Ba enrichment, yet, also, a large depletion of other elements if it is assumed that Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta and Hf remained relatively immobile. The REE's, however, behaved non-coherently. These chemical characteristics are attributed to pre-metamorphic processes and are shown to be similar to those observed with submarine weathering of basaltic rocks. In contrast, the chloritoid-rich rocks reveal distinct K, Rb, Cs and Ba depletion. It is suggested that this resulted from subaerial weathering processes. K enrichment is not an uncommon feature in Paleozoic/Precambrian paleosols. The present case study demonstrates that submarine weathering should be considered as a probable cause.

Experimental modelling allows one to describe the development and kinematics of structures in mountain belts formed during oblique convergence. In the collision geometry of the Taiwan mountain belt, the Chinese continental margin is oriented about N60°E, whereas the N16°E Philippine Sea plate backstop is moving toward the Eurasian plate in the N55°W direction. Sand☐ experiments have been conducted to simulate the Cenozoic arc-continent collision in Taiwan with a foreland-dipping backstop. The kinematics of deformation comprises a combination of compression and rotation which locally result in a partitioning between thrusting and wrenching. The experimental modelling shows that the faults or shear zones are rotated around the indentation point of the backstop by transcurrent and bookshelf faulting. An overall clockwise rotation (or right-lateral movements) occurs to the north of the indentation point and anticlockwise rotation occurs to the south of the indentation point. Oblique indentation and rotation structures can be demonstrated by (1) the crescent shape of the thrust wedge, (2) pull-apart structures induced by strike-slip tectonics, and (3) bookshelf-type strike-slip faulting resulting from the block rotation around the indentation point.

In automotive vehicles, the amount of electronic control units (ECUs) has been introduced on the safety-critical, powertrain, and suspension of chassis. ECUs need a safer and higher data-rate transmission protocol to deliver commands, statuses, and information. FlexRay is the one of alterative and provides a very high speed communication and fault-tolerant communication. The communication controller of FlexRay protocol is the core mechanism. We implement this design with Verilog HDL code. One of the most complicated parts of CC is the clock synchronization process (CSP) module. It synchronizes with other ECUs in the global time of the in-vehicle cluster by the time correction terms. The fault-tolerant midpoint algorithm is used to calculate the time correction terms from the list of the measured time values. Since the algorithm calculates the correction terms with the midpoint of the sorted list, we propose an improved systematic architecture of the sorting. We can increase the amount of sorting item very easy without redesign a full new sorting network. And it works perfectly with FlexRay.

Terra Nova, 23, 85–91, 2011 Abstract Vitrinite reflectance and Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material data are used to better resolve the thermal history of the Hsuehshan Range, which is accreted between the foreland fold–thrust belt and bulldozer hinterland units in the Taiwan mountain belt. The observed thermal data indicate that the strata in the northern Hsuehshan Range underwent dynamic metamorphism during the Neogene orogeny, while the strata in the southern Hsuehshan Range may have predominantly experienced burial metamorphism during Palaeogene sedimentation. Based on the thermal constraints, the Hsuehshan Range is interpreted to consist of nappe stacks, originating from the rifted Eurasian continental margin. This interpretation is consistent with well-documented cases in the European Alps and the Himalayas and is also shown in physical modelling and thermo-kinematic studies invoking underplating and erosion processes.

We present a new compilation of magnetic, geologic, GPS and seismic data and propose that the geometry and kinematics of the Taiwan arc–continent collision are dominated by the partial subduction of a continental margin promontory and associated fracture zone. A prominent magnetic high in the pre-collision zone southwest of Taiwan serves as proxy for the edge of the continental crust of normal thickness (i.e., ~30 km). The high ends abruptly in central Taiwan, suggesting truncation by a NW-striking fault zone interpreted as a rift-related transfer zone. The NW-striking fault zone correlates with a steeply dipping, crustal-scale cluster of earthquakes recognized as the Sanyi-Puli seismic zone, indicating reactivation of the transfer zone. The truncated anomaly and transfer zone define a triangular-shaped continental margin promontory partially subducted beneath Taiwan. Island-wide GPS data show: (1) divergent flow around the promontory; (2) significant shortening between the promontory and the arc in the central part of Taiwan; and (3) significant lateral extrusion of the orogen south of the promontory–arc collision. Collision of the relatively rigid promontory resulted in a tripartite division of the fold and thrust belt as it developed from about 2 Ma to present and the development of a recess or syntaxis in the central part of the Central Range. The syntaxis correlates with the highest topography, thickest crust and highest values of P-wave attenuation, suggesting that it may be an area of high rates of rock uplift and exhumation, consistent with other orogenic syntaxes recognized around the world. This interpretation is also consistent with geomorphic parameters from the central part of the Central Range that indicate high rates of uplift and with the absence of seismicity in this area. Although detailed thermochronologic and kinematic data are limited in central Taiwan, the available data suggest a recent increase in rates of exhumation consistent with the interpretation that the promontory collided relatively recently (~2 Ma).

The Hsuehshan Range, exposed in the northern and central Taiwan slate belt, is a fault-bounded structural high cored by biotite grade slates and metasandstones. Syntectonic overgrowths in pyrite pressure shadows indicate that much of the eastern Hsuehshan Range experienced coaxial strain histories and that finite strain magnitudes generally increase toward the hinterland. Near the eastern boundary of the Hsuehshan Range, however, pressure shadows record noncoaxial strain histories consistent with a top-to-the-east sense of shear along a steep NW dipping shear zone. This noncoaxiality is attributed to SE directed backthrusting on the Lishan fault, which separates the higher-grade, Eo-Oligocene rocks of the Hsuehshan Range from the lower-grade Miocene rocks of the Backbone Range. Because it is bounded to the east by the SE-vergent Lishan fault and to the west by a series of NW-vergent thrusts (e.g., the Chuchih fault), the Hsuehshan Range is envisaged as a pop-up structure. Strain magnitudes measured from pressure shadows in the coaxial part of the range are consistently lower than those predicted by steady state wedge models that assume all deformation is accommodated by penetrative strain. Departure from the model predictions is attributed primarily to strain localization along discrete fault surfaces (e.g., the Lishan fault). The Hsuehshan Range tapers in width to the south; thus the pop-up may be buried or die out to the south where the collision is younger.