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BackgroundEndovascular therapy (EVT) is complex in the context of intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS)-related large vessel occlusion (LVO) and the re-occlusion rates are high due to residual stenosis, the procedure time is long and the optimal EVT technique is unclear. The Balloon AngioplaSty with the dIstal protection of Stent Retriever (BASIS) technique is a novel thrombectomy technique that allows emergent balloon angioplasty to be performed via the wire of the retrieval stent. Our study presents our initial experience with the BASIS technique in ICAS-related LVO and assesses its feasibility.MethodIn patients with ICAS-related LVO treated with BASIS, clinical and angiographic data were retrospectively analyzed. Angiographic data included first-pass reperfusion (PFR), the rate of residual stenosis, distal emboli, and re-occlusion post-procedure. The Extended Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) scale was used to assess reperfusion extent, and an eTICI score ≥2b was defined as successful perfusion. Clinical outcome was evaluated at 3 months (modified Rankin score [mRS]), and an mRS ≤ 2 was defined as a good clinical outcome.ResultsA total of seven patients with ICAS-related LVO were included, and the median age of the patients was 76 years. All patients achieved eTICI 3 reperfusion and FPR. The residual stenosis rate ranged from 5 to 10%. None of the patients had re-occlusion post-procedure. The median puncture-to-reperfusion time was 51 min. None of the patients had a symptomatic cerebral hemorrhage, re-occlusion, distal embolism, and dissection. Good clinical outcomes were observed in four patients (4/7, 57.1%), and 1 patient (1/7, 14.3%) died.ConclusionThe BASIS technique is feasible and safe for treating acute ICAS-related LVO.

In the regions of Chinese as the first language, children with backward Chinese characters ability are more likely to give up reading the subject content of long texts, which affects their learning in the long term. This study applies augmented reality (AR) to develop a remedial teaching model for Chinese radical recognition and assesses its effectiveness on underachieved students at an elementary school. Based on several Chinese characters that were easy for children to confuse radicals, an AR app for Android was developed and installed in tablet computers. The remedial teaching model involves students to use AR app to scan radical cards and trigger animations introducing the evolution of radicals. Students can practice Chinese character writing on the tablet computer's screen. With the multiple stimulus of AR, the teacher lead students collaboratively complete the worksheets. To assess students' learning outcomes, a quasi-experimental approach was administrated to 8 second grade students who had backward Chinese literacy, in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Results showed this remedial teaching model improved the disadvantaged students’ recognition accuracy on Chinese characters and flips their motivation toward Chinese characters learning. During the remedial teaching program, use of AR was effective to get students more attentions and impressions on Chinese radicals. Finally, Implications for Chinese characters teaching practices are discussed

Zinc telluride thin films were deposited by thermal evaporation method on n-type Si substrate. The electrical properties of these films were investigated with special emphasis on the effects of a depositing temperature from 520°C to 560°C with various annealing temperatures by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) technique. Structural analysis through X-ray diffraction (XRD) was sensitive to the deposition conditions and annealing treatment. Crystallinity, carrier concentration, sheet resistance, resistivity and mobility are shown to be dependent on the thermal treatments.

Thermal coating growth of ZnTe thermoelectric films were deposited on n-type Si substrate is studied. Structural analysis through x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were sensitive to the RTA treatment. The electrical properties and microstructure of these films were investigated with special emphasis on the effects of various annealing temperatures from 600°C to 800°C by RTA technique. The highest carrier concentration, lowest resistivity and mobility at an annealing temperature of 700°C are 3.5×1015cm-3, 0.25 Ω-cm, and 49 cm2V-1S-1. The resultant electrical properties have made ZnTe films as very interesting materials for thermoelectric device applications.

The microstructure and electrical properties of ZnTe films were investigated by using thermal evaporation with emphasis on the effects of a deposition temperature. Microstructure, crystallinity, carrier concentration, resistivity, and mobility are shown to be dependent on the deposition temperature. The highest carrier concentration of 9.1×1014 cm-3, the lowest resistivity of 9.9 Ω-cm and the largest mobility of 667 cm2V-1S-1 are presented at a deposition temperature of 580oC, respectively. The ZnTe thin films using thermal evaporation can find applications in solar cell or light emitting diodes.

The electrical properties of evaporated ZnTe films were investigated with emphasis on the effects of an annealing temperature from 600oC to 800oC by RTA technique. Crystallinity, carrier concentration, sheet resistance, and mobility are shown to be dependent on the annealing temperature. The highest carrier concentration and lowest sheet resistance are 7.9×1015cm-3and 9300 Ω/□ at an annealing temperature of 700oC, respectively. The mobility was found to vary from 20 to 50 cm2V-1S-1. The ZnTe thin films using thermal evaporation can find applications in solar cell or light emitting diodes

Species of bacteria associated with Stylophora pistillata were determined by analyses of 16S ribosomal genes. Coral samples were taken from two distinct sites at Kenting, in the far south of Taiwan; three coral colonies at each site were tagged and sampled in the winter and summer of 2007. Six hundred 16S rRNA gene clones were selected and sequenced for diversity analysis and community comparison. LIBSHUFF and nonparametric multiple dimensional scaling analyses showed variations in the composition of the coral-associated bacteria in the different samples, suggesting that seasonal and geographic factors and variations in individual coral colonies were all vital drivers of the structure of the S. pistillata -associated bacterial community. To examine the association between species specificity and environmental impacts on the structure of the coral-associated bacterial community, we conducted an integrated, comparative analysis of 44 coral-associated bacterial data sets, including the present study's data. The clustering analysis suggests that the influence of spatial and temporal factors on the coral-associated bacteria population structure is considerable; nonetheless, the effect of species specificity is still detectable in some coral species, especially those from the Caribbean Sea.

Based on a new micro programmable grating with changeable blazed angle, the control system was recently designed and developed, enabling the normal operation for the fabricated grating. The basic requirements for the control system are high reliability, efficiency and miniaturization. This paper presents the specific design objectives for the control system according to the grating’s operation characteristics. The whole control system contains three key modules—generator & communication module, high-voltage amplifier module and computer software module. Generator & communication module includes a high-performance microcontroller (C8051F020), a D/a converter (AD7305) and universal serial bus (USB) interface. As for the considered performances, PA69 is complete capable of magnifying the driving voltage signals to drive the grating in high-voltage amplifier module. After the development of the control system, an experiment was performed for investigating the dynamic frequency response of the grating. In conclusion, it has the advantages of wide output of voltage, high frequency response, driving ability in wide capacitive load range and real-time control properties. Hence, it is appropriate for controlling MEMS programmable grating in complicated and dynamic conditions.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop and refine the theoretical framework underpinning consumer satisfaction emotions and re‐examine the emotions/behavioral intentions link.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research design was adopted for this study. An extensive and critical review of literature related to consumer satisfaction emotions and consumer behavioral intentions led to the identification of two research questions. A self‐completion questionnaire was developed and administered to hospitality management graduates in Switzerland.FindingsThe PCA suggested that satisfaction emotions were best conceptualized as a three‐dimensional construct that included positive, negative and what the present authors have labeled “bi‐directional” emotions. Moreover, a positive statistically significant relationship between “bi‐directional” emotions and consumer complaining behavior was established through correlation analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe respondents were studying at a private institution in Switzerland, and as such, the socio‐economic background of the respondents may not be representative of education consumers generally, and of consumers of services in industries other than education.Practical implicationsThe findings reported in this paper indicate that the emotions framework that was developed could provide a valuable resource for managers as segmentation tool, and as an instrument for measuring and monitoring consumer behavioral intentions.Originality/valueThis paper has identified a relationship between specific satisfaction emotions and consumer complaining behavior. As a consequence, a more comprehensive satisfaction emotions scale has been developed that captures a broader range of consumer behavioral intentions. This information should benefit practitioners and researchers alike.

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) compound is one of the attractive elements of the II–VI group also having wide range of applications such as switching devices, light-emitting diode, solar cells and photodetectors. In this paper, the microstructure and electrical properties of znic telluride thin films were studied by using thermal-furnace evaporation with emphasis on the effects of argon pressure and deposition temperature. Crystallinity, mobility, carrier concentration and sheet resistance are shown to be dependent on the argon pressure and deposition temperature. The grain size was increased with increasing the annealing temperature and decreasing the argon pressure. The highest carrier concentration of 1.9×10 16 cm -3 , the lowest sheet resistance of 3180 Ω/ and the largest mobility of 5.1×10 3 cm 2 V -1 S -1 are presented at an argon pressure of 100°sccm and a deposition temperature of 580°C, respectively.