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Tibialis anterior (TA) muscle has frequently been used for scientific experiments, particularly for muscle contractile assays, because of its anatomical advantages. However, classical evaluation methods for the TA muscle, such as EMG and force transducer, require experimental skills to acquire reliable results. Furthermore, because sacrificing experimental animals is usually indispensable for both methods, sequential observations cannot be performed. Therefore, developing a simple, objective, and animal friendly evaluation system was warranted. In this article, we introduce a novel, simple, and noninvasive in vivo evaluation method for the TA muscle called the toe-lift test (TLT), which is not only easy to perform but also capable of detecting contractile strength precisely. Because the TLT does not require experimental animal sacrifice, performing assessments over time, such as in sequential observation, is possible. This novel method represents a solution to the need for a simple, noninvasive, and effective method for TA muscle contractile evaluation.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with global burden. The mechanisms and therapeutic effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) correspond to main mechanisms in the pathogenesis of PD. Numerous research results applying PBM for PD were published during the past two decades. Although several systematic review or review articles provided complete introduction, they are either mainly basic research or clinical research, and the year of the article publication is up to 2020. Comprehensive systematic review or review articles containing basic and clinical studies including those published articles is lacking. Hence, this systematic review aimed to include both basic and clinical studies published up to 2022. Results were obtained by retrieving articles from PubMed with the intersection of the articles derived from the terms of PBM synonyms and Parkinson’s disease followed by exclusion. Sixty-nine articles were included ultimately. Among them, 40 original articles were identified, which were composed of 31 basic research and 9 original articles of clinical research. Twenty-one review articles, a systematic review with focused content on PD, and 7 review articles with the term PD under general illustration of PBM were presented. Mechanisms regarding the therapeutic effects of PBM on the vitro studies were reviewed. Positive outcomes on motor symptoms after PBM treatments were shown in most in vivo and clinical studies. The immunohistochemical examination of in vivo studies reflect the therapeutic effects of PBM on the preservation even reverse of the pathogenic insults of PD on the in vitro studies. The most frequently used wavelength among original articles included was 670nm. Considering the acceptability of PBM for patients with PD, noninvasive transcranial PBM (tPBM) had crucial roles in respect to invasive intracerebral PBM. To match the penetration depth reaching deep brain target, Substantia nigra pars compacta, in human brains of patients with PD, the wavelength 810nm might match the need in the clinical setting of tPBM. More future clinical studies were needed. In conclusion, therapeutic approaches applying PBM for PD are promising. Recent studies revealed positive outcomes. Future clinical practices containing PBM are to be expected.

Electronics companies are facing global economic and trade competition. As patents can form an endowment shield that protects the development of corporate capabilities, companies are actively increasing their number of patents and attaching importance to technological research and development and patent management to achieve differentiated strategic effects. As such, patent layout and research and development (R&D) investment have become important strategic weapons for Taiwanese manufacturers, with which to enter the international market or compete among enterprises. This study first utilized the principal components analysis method to define patents in terms of the number of patents and the times patents are cited, with R&D defined in terms of expenditure and intensity. Furthermore, this study used a quantile regression model to visualize the relationship between R&D, technological imports, and patent performance in Taiwanese listed electronics companies. The empirical results show that technological imports in the second time-lag period require patents, while the effect on patents varies alongside industry characteristics. In addition, the empirical results found that the total assets, number of employees, and number of patent inventors are also factors that significantly affect patents. This research proposes that Taiwan’s listed electronics companies should expand their scale, increase their economic efficiency, maximize their resources, increase their patents, enhance their corporate value, boost their investor confidence, and improve their industry competitiveness.

Why have administrative reforms failed to improve the governance of China’s energy sector? This article argues that, in the context of China’s partial reforms, strategies for revamping China’s ener...

Satellite cells, a population of skeletal muscular stem cells, are generally recognized as the main and, possibly, the sole source of postnatal muscle regeneration. Previous studies have revealed the potential of low-level laser (LLL) irradiation in promoting satellite cell proliferation, which, thereby, boosts the recovery of skeletal muscle from atrophy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the beneficial effect of LLL on disuse-induced atrophy. The optimal irradiation condition of LLL (808 nm) enhancing the proliferation of Pax7+ve cells, isolated from tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, was examined and applied on TA muscle of disuse-induced atrophy model of the rats accordingly. Healthy rats were used as the control. On one hand, transiently, LLL was able to postpone the progression of atrophy for 1 week through a reduction of apoptosis in Pax7−veMyoD+ve (myocyte) population. Simultaneously, a significant enhancement was observed in Pax7+veMyoD+ve population; however, most of the increased cells underwent apoptosis since the second week, which suggested an impaired maturation of the population. On the other hand, in normal control rats with LLL irradiation, a significant increase in Pax7+veMyoD+ve cells and a significant decrease of apoptosis were observed. As a result, a strengthened muscle contraction was observed. Our data showed the capability of LLL in postponing the progression of disuse-induced atrophy for the first time. Furthermore, the result of normal rats with LLL irradiation showed the effectiveness of LLL to strengthen muscle contraction in healthy control.

Background/purpose: To assess the long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of normal-term neonates who were accidentally found to exhibit subependymal pseudocysts (SEPCs), frontal horn cysts, or choroid plexus cysts through cranial ultrasound (CUS) examination in a neonatal health examination. Methods: In total, 5569 neonates received CUS examination as an item in a health examination during the first week of birth between 2002 and 2012. Among them, 5147 infants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The participants were aged between 5 and 15 years at the time when the data were collected. We retrospectively collected these data and interpreted their statistical significance by using one-way analysis of variance, Chi-square test with Yate's correction and odds ratios. Results: The presence of SEPCs was significantly correlated with developmental delay and developmental disability, particularly with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The risk of ADHD or ASD was significantly higher in participants with multiple SEPCs, among whom the odds ratios for ADHD and ASD were 6.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.27–18.64) and 28.54 (95% CI = 5.98–136.36), respectively, higher than those for the total study population. Conclusion: Our data revealed multiple SEPCs in normal-term neonates as a risk factor for neurobehavioral outcome, particularly in ADHD and ASD. Simultaneously, the utility of CUS examination as a health examination item for neonates was confirmed. Keywords: Multiple subependymal pseudocysts, Normal-full term neonates, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Autistic spectrum disorder

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), had caused over 382 million cases and over 2.7 million deaths globally as of 23 March 2021. By that date, at least 10 SARS-CoV-2 variants had emerged. The transmissibility and lethality of the variants are higher than those of the Wuhan reference strain. Therefore, a universal vaccine for the reference strain and all variants (present and future) is indispensable. The coronavirus envelope (E) protein is an integral membrane protein crucial to the viral lifecycle and the pathogenesis of coronaviruses. The SARS-CoV-2 E protein has a postsynaptic density protein 95/Drosophila disc large tumor suppressor/zonula occludens-1 (PDZ) binding motif (PBM), and its interaction with PDZ-domain-2 of the human tight junction protein may interrupt the integrity of lung epithelium. Furthermore, the SARS-CoV-2 E protein itself is a homopentameric cation channel viroporin, which may be involved in viral release. This protein is thus a potential target for the development of a universal COVID-19 vaccine, because of its highly conserved amino acid sequence. The variant mutations occur mainly in the spike protein, and conservation of E protein remained in most Variants of Concern (VOC). Only one of the extant VOC have mutations in the E protein that P71L mutation occurs in the South African variant 501Y.V2 (B.1.351). If a vaccine is designed to target E protein, two scenarios are possible: 1) SARS-CoV-2 maintains a highly conserved E protein amino acid sequence, rendering the virus consistently or permanently susceptible to the vaccine; or 2) the E protein mutates and new variants evolve accordingly. In scenario 2, the tertiary structure and function of the E protein homopentameric cation channel viroporin, PBM, or other aspects affecting pathogenicity would be attenuated. Either scenario would thus ameliorate the pandemic. I therefore propose that a vaccine targeting the SARS-CoV-2 E protein would be effective against the Wuhan reference strain and all current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants. Efforts to create E protein-based vaccines are ongoing. Further research and clinical trials are needed to realize this universal COVID-19 vaccine.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of satellite cells to muscular atrophies which possess different pathological characteristics and which were induced by distinct damages. Right lower limbs of rats were exposed to denervation or disuse and later its tibialis anterior (TA) or soleus (SOL) muscles were analyzed. After confirming their functional impairments indicated by common but distinct pathological and electrophysiological characteristics, the quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of Pax7 and Pax3 expressions and the number of Pax7+ve and Pax3+ve cells were analyzed sequentially at day 0, day 7, and day 14. TA muscles of both denervation- and disuse-induced atrophy models showed persisted low level of Pax7 expression from day 7 (0.91 ± 0.23 and 0.31 ± 0.07, P = 0.06, n = 6) through day 14 (1.09 ± 0.15 and 0.4 ± 0.09 [P < 0.05]). On the other hand, significant elevations were observed in Pax3 expression in both atrophy models (2.73 ± 0.46 and 2.75 ± 0.26 [P < 0.05]) at day 7. Similar to TA muscle, resembled pattern of Pax7 and Pax3 expression changes were observed between the SOL muscles of denervation- and disused-atrophy models. These trends were further confirmed by the changes in Pax7+ve and Pax3+ve cell numbers of TA and SOL muscles in both atrophy models. Despite the distinct pathological findings, similar patterns in the changes of Pax3 and Pax7 expressions and the changes of Pax7+ve and Pax3+ve cell numbers were observed between the denervation- and disuse-induced atrophy models and this commonality was admitted among the muscle type. Therefore, we claim that the muscle regeneration orchestrated by satellite cells was governed by the muscle type in which satellite cells reside.

Convulsive status epilepticus is the most common neurological emergency in children. Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) reverses elevated rodent neurotransmitters after status epilepticus (SE) yet whether tPBM can attenuate seizure behaviors remains unknown. Here, we applied near-infrared laser at wavelength 808 nm transcranially to peripubertal Sprague-Dawley rats prior to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) injection. Hematoxylin-eosin, immunofluorescence (IF) staining with anti-parvalbumin (PV) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay after IF staining was performed. Behaviorally, tPBM attenuated the mean seizure score and reduced the incidence of SE and mortality. Histochemically, tPBM reduced dark neurons in the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus, lessened the apoptotic ratio of parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) and alleviated the aberrant extent of PV-positive unstained somata of PCs in the hippocampus. Conclusively, tPBM attenuated PTZ-induced seizures, SE and mortality in peripubertal rats and reduced PTZ-induced neuronal injury, apoptosis of PV-INs and preserved PV positive perisomatic inhibitory network in the hippocampus.

President Tsai Ing-wen has been plagued by controversial domestic issues, and her popularity has fallen significantly. While economic growth in Taiwan has increased, inequality and deteriorating cross-Strait relations have been hard on the ruling party. Tsai needs to work with the new premier, William Ching-te Lai, to regain people’s trust for the local elections in 2018.

By examining China’s state-monopolized industries, we explore the evolution of managerial behavior. With the party-state’s continued emphasis on meritocracy in elite management, managers of China’s state-owned enterprises play a hybrid role as both party cadres and business entrepreneurs. This also reflects the adaptability of the Chinese Communist Party in pursuing pro-market reform.

Despite remarkable advancements in modern medicine, muscular atrophy remains as an unsolved problem. It is well known that pathological characteristics of different atrophy types could vary according to the pathophysiological causes. In fact, the lesion of atrophy is not always homogenously distributed but often predominantly evident in either fast or slow myofibers. As the focalization of the atrophic lesions, the existence and the functional impairment of each fast and slow progenitor/satellite cell (SC) are suspected though there are still controversies about this hypothesis. In this study, we isolated Pax7 positive (Pax7+ve) SCs from the tibia anterior (fast) and soleus (slow) muscles respectively and successfully demonstrated, for the first time, the difference between optimal exposure durations of photobiomodulation (PBM) which was known as low level laser irradiation (LLLI) in promoting proliferation of Pax7+ve SC which were acquired from fast and slow muscles respectively. Moreover, a hypertrophy-accompanied bidirectional change in myofiber composition with neuromuscular junction alteration, either from slow to fast or fast to slow, were achieved by applying different PBM durations. Simultaneously, PBM exhibited a synergistic effect with muscle exercise on the increase in myofiber size. Our data suggested the existence of at least two different populations of Pax7+ve SC which possess distinct sensitivities towards PBM. As our data revealed the capability of PBM in bidirectional changes of skeletal muscle composition and neuromuscular junction constitution thereby strengthen its contractility through altering the irradiation condition, we believe PBM showed the potential to be as a promising clinical treatment for muscular atrophy.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and metastasis is the major cause of death in cancer, therefore, treatments to attenuate metastasis are urgently needed. Cell migration is indispensable in metastatic cascade, and aquaporins (AQPs) promote cell migration by facilitating water influx at cell front (lamellipodia). In fact, AQPs overexpressed widely among many cancer types. Accordingly, previous efforts of targeting AQPs as strategies of cancer treatments were based on AQP inhibitors, yet the efficacy of AQP inhibition was limited based on recent surveys. On the contrary, whether AQP agonist has role in cancer treatments has not been explored. AqF026, an AQP1 agonist, was initially applied to a mouse model of peritoneal dialysis. Herein, we aimed to apply AqF026 to magnify the water influx into lamellipodia of migrating cancer cells so as to induce oncosis by causing overloaded cancer cell swelling in advance of metastatic cascade. Cell swelling is a characteristic of oncosis. With impairment or insufficient regulatory volume decrease (RVD), cell swelling can lead to oncosis. Cancer cells with metastatic potentials shared the same population of cancer cells with multidrug resistance (MDR) lineage, and the impairment or insufficient RVD is shown in cancer cells with MDR. Taken together, the author hypothesized that given appropriate concentration or dose of AQP1 agonist AqF026, the AqF026 may induce oncosis of cancer cells preferentially rather than normal cells by causing overloaded water influx via AQP1 and consequent irreversible cell swelling.

Throughout its period of economic transition, the Chinese state has readjusted its relationship with industry and developed new regulatory schemes. China's first industry-specific independent regulatory agency, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), was created in 2003. Its operation does not follow Western practice which adopts the best institutional arrangement for autonomous regulators. This article will examine the failings and regulatory capture of SERC. I argue that because the process of creating a new regulator involves resource reallocation and power redistribution, SERC has suffered both endogenous and exogenous disadvantages since its inception. The compromised institutional design, along with insufficient resources and fragmented authority, has considerably weakened SERC's regulatory capacity. Moreover, SERC was not designed as part of the reform schedule, but rather emerged later as a response to institutional necessities, which also contributes to its vulnerability. As a result, the state has exposed SERC to potential capture by both government entities and regulated enterprises.

Recently, the structure–function relationships between amphotericin B (AmB) and ergosterol have been solved using synthetic techniques that require a mycosamine-mediated direct binding interaction between AmB and ergosterol to form AmB ion channels. However, studies to directly probe the AmB-induced membrane permeability changes have not been conducted. In the present work, we investigate the following fundamental question: does AmB induce concentration- and time-dependent permeability changes across ergosterol-containing membranes? Herein, we employ fluorescent dyes of known average diameter to quantify the diameters of AmB ion channels. In addition, we take a single-particle tracking approach to define the intracellular microrheology in the absence and presence of AmB ion channels. Present results show that increasing AmB concentration tends to increase the preferential accumulation of AmB ion channels in the presence of the excess membrane-embedded ergosterol. We found that AmB induces time-dependent membrane permeability; increases approaching 50% in both the velocity fluctuations and diffusion coefficients of vesicles occur on the same time scale as the efflux of potassium ions (≅30min). Furthermore, we propose a two-dimensional, semi-regular tessellation model to geometrically assess the pore size of the AmB ion channels in response to the AmB dose. This approach offers one possibility for the design of AmB ion channels with tunable aqueous pore size, which could provide an opportunity to replace damaged membrane water channels of the aquaporin family in future applications.

The Chinese government has implemented electricity reform during the reform era, but the process has been accompanied by widespread power shortages and political struggles among state agencies. This paper addresses this contradiction by explaining two interrelated outcomes: the transformation of the state regulatory structure and the development of corporatized state-owned enterprises.

This paper presents a new approach to synthesizing self-aligned, uniform single-crystal cupric oxide (CuO) nanowires on a Cu-based multilayer on SiO 2 /Si. The key is to introduce CoWP as a nanofilter to catalyze CuO-nanowire synthesis simply by calcination at 400 °C in air. The CuO nanowires (diameter: 10–50 nm, length: 7 μm) exhibit low resistivity (10–60 Ω cm), a low turn-on field (4.5 V μm −1 ) and a high field-enhancement factor (∼1400).

South Korea launched electricity reform in the 1990s but had continued to struggle with instituting an effective free market. In order to bolster economic growth, the development of the electricity industry has long been a fundamental issue for the state. The case in Korea is distinctive because it is part of a large-scale privatization project as the political regime had just shifted to democracy. The state spun off and corporatized the state-owned power enterprise with very limited privatization. The Korean government has chosen to control the power companies as the largest shareholder. Nonetheless, the reform process was suspended in 2004 without encountering major problems. This has created a major puzzle for analysts: why did the reform result in this outcome? I argue that as a politically driven reform project, power reform in Korea was destined to fail. The economic and social responses elicited by reform implementation all contributed to the failure of the power reform. This paper describes the dynamics of Korea’s electricity reform and details the industrial restructuring during the reform. It examines the political logic of the reform and how it shaped the power industry and in turn led to a stalled agenda. The paper concludes with a discussion of the broader implications for the roles of the state, industrial policy, and state-business relations.

A cutting force model for ball end milling is developed, the model being based mainly on the assumption that the cutting force is equal to the product of the cutting area and the specific cutting force. The formulation of the cutting area is derived from the geometry of the mill and the workpiece, whilst the specific cutting force is obtained by third-order curve-fitting of data measured in experiments. The model established in this paper predicts the cutting forces in ball-end milling much more accurately than do previous models.

CTH and JHS contributed equally to the research in this paper. Research was supported by DARPA (Army/AMCOM/REDSTONE AR, W31P4Q-08-1-0009), BES DOE (DE-FG02-07ER46394), KAUST, and NSF (DMS0706436, CMMI 0403671). Thanks are also due to National Science Council of Taiwan, Republic of China for a fellowship to study abroad (C. T. Huang). (NSC97-2917-1-007-110)

A novel omega-shaped-gated (Ω-Gate) poly-Si thin-film transistor (TFT) silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) nonvolatile memory devices fabricated by utilizing a simple process sequence are proposed for the first time. The Ω-Gate structure inherently covered two sharp corners constructed simply by a sidewall spacer formation. Due to the sharp corner geometry, the local electric fields across the tunneling oxide can be enhanced effectively, thus improving the memory performance. Based on this field enhanced scheme, the experimental results of Ω-Gate TFT SONOS reveals excellent program/erase (P/E) efficiency and larger memory window as compared to the conventional planar (CP) counterpart. Therefore, such an Ω-Gate TFT SONOS memory using simple and low-cost processes is very promising for the embedded flash on the system-on-panel applications.

New p-type transparent conductive oxide materials, MoO3:In single crystal nanowires and amorphous films, are synthesized in this work. Both nanowires and amorphous films exhibit high optical transmittance, 80–88% for 80 nm thick films at 400–800 nm wavelength, and low resistivity (down to 5.98 × 10−4 Ω cm) suitable for photovoltaic device applications. The amorphous films are also deposited on flexible polyimide substrates and exhibit excellent electrical properties even after bending. Besides, p-MoO3:In/i-ZnO/n-AZO devices are fabricated to demonstrate the potential for all-transparent flexible electronic applications.

A low-cost, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and solution-processed new oxide-based semiconducting material (Sn1−xCoxO2) was developed as an absorption material for all oxide solar cell fabrication in this work. The newly developed n-type cobalt-doped tin oxide (n-Sn1−xCoxO2) nanoparticles and p-type copper oxide (p-Cu2O) nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a low-temperature solution process. Combined with the use of non-vacuum spray and hot-press processes, the n-Sn1−xCoxO2/p-Cu2O heterojunction solar cells exhibit low-cost and large-scale fabrication advantages. The highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.2% can be obtained from the solar cells with n-Sn0.86Co0.14O2/p-Cu2O, under AM 1.5 illumination, a noteworthy improvement in solution-processed all-oxide-based nanostructures heterojunction solar cells.

Electroless Ni-P nanoparticles deposition enhanced by UV exposure was investigated to catalyze the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by thermal chemical vapor deposition at 400°C for interconnect formation that can reduce process complexity. The Ni-P nanoparticles with a size of 6-15 nm were deposited by using a UV-assisted electroless plating on the SiO 2 trench wall at ~28°C for CNF wiring formation. Besides, the Ni-P nanoparticles were selectively deposited at the bottom of the via-hole with a size of 100 nm by using electroless plating at 70°C for CNT-via formation.

This letter presents carbon nanotube (CNT) formation by laser direct writing using 248nm KrF excimer pulsed laser in air at room temperature, which was applied to irradiate amorphous carbon (a-C) assisted by Ni catalysts underneath for the transformation of carbon species into CNTs. The CNTs were synthesized under appropriate combination of laser energy density and a-C thickness. The growth mechanism and key parameters to determine the success of CNT formation were also discussed. The demonstration of the CNT growth by laser direct writing in air at room temperature opens an opportunity of in-position CNT formation at low temperatures.

The effects of Ge overlayers on the reaction of one monolayer of Ni on Si(001) substrate were investigated. The samples were then ex situ annealed at 400 to 800°C. The reaction process began with dissolution of the Ni atoms into the amorphous Ge layer. Then, solid-phase epitaxy of the amorphous layer was observed. The Ni atoms were expelled from the crystallized region and redistributed in the amorphous region. Until the concentration of Ni in the amorphous Ge layer exceeded the solubility limit, the Ni atoms diffused through the crystallized Ge layer and reacted with the substrate to form NiSi 2 . The NiSi 3 phase formation was kinetically controlled by the rate of solid-phase epitaxy of the Ge overlayers for the reaction system.

Single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes were synthesized between predefined Ti∕Ni∕Cr∕Ti multilayer stacks for field-effect transistor fabrication by thermal chemical vapor deposition at 900°C. The Ni nanoprecipitates were induced from Cr matrix because of phase segregation during high temperature process of carbon nanotube growth. The Ni–Cr catalyst was shown to significantly enhance the synthesis of single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes compared to those using pure Ni catalyst, which was demonstrated by both physical and electrical characteristics of the carbon nanotube field-effect transistor fabricated.

Room temperature ferromagnetism of Mn+-implanted Si nanowires (NWs) has been discovered. The saturation magnetization was found to increase with the Mn concentration. Healing the damages in crystallinity at 600°C led to an increase in magnetization, while the ferromagnetism disappeared upon annealing at 800°C as Mn atoms segregated to the surface of NWs. The results indicate that Mn+-implanted Si NWs are potentially useful for nanoscale spintronics applications.

Epitaxial silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were grown along 〈110〉 directions on Si(001) at 1100°C via a convenient annealing process catalysed by Au nanoparticles. The density and size of Au nanodots have been controlled by nanosphere lithography. The SiNWs are devoid of structural defects. A clean Si wafer, with the polished side facing down and in close contact with the substrate, was also found to be essential to supply and keep Si vapour pressure high near the substrate and prevent the oxidation of the Si NW during growth.

TaSi2 nanowires have been synthesized by annealing FeSi2 thin film and nanodots grown on a Si substrate in an ambient containing Ta vapor. The TaSi2 nanowires are formed in three steps; segregation of Si atoms from the FeSi2 underlayer to form Si base, growth of TaSi2 nanodots on Si base, and elongation of TaSi2 nanowire along the growth direction. Strong field-emission properties promise future electronics and optoelectronics applications.