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When a large car turns at an intersection, it often leads to tragedy because the driver does not pay attention to the incoming car or the dead corner of the line of sight of the car body. On the market, the wheel difference warning system used in large cars generally adds sensors or lenses to confirm whether there are incoming vehicles in the dead corner of the line of sight. However, the accident rate of large vehicles has not been reduced due to the installation of a vision subsidy system. The main reason is that motorcycle and bicycle drivers often neglect to pay attention to the inner wheel difference formed when large vehicles turn, resulting in accidents with large vehicles at intersections. This paper proposes a bidirectional long-term memory neural network for the prediction of the inner wheel path trajectory of large cars, mainly from the perspective of motorcycle riders, through the combination of YOLOv4 and the stacked Bi-LSTM model used in this study to analyze the motion of large cars and predict the inner wheel path trajectory. In this study, the turning trajectory of large vehicles at the intersection is predicted by using an object detection algorithm and cyclic neural network model. Finally, the experiment shows that this study uses the stacked Bi-LSTM trajectory prediction model to predict the next second trajectory with one second trajectory data, and the prediction accuracy is 87.77%; it has an accuracy of 75.75% when predicting the trajectory data of two seconds. In terms of prediction error, the system has a better prediction error than LSTM and Bi-LSTM models.

Background/purpose Antimicrobial resistance in Taiwan has been on the rise for two decades. The implementation of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV13) and enhanced antimicrobial control (2013–2015) by the government may have changed the antibiotic resistance. Methods Four respiratory pathogens (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Moraxella catarrhalis) isolated in a single medical center during 2008–2017 were studied. We defined three temporal stages: (a) the first era (2008–2012), prior to implementation of the national immunization program (PCV13 vaccination), (b) the second era (2013–2015), during which an enhanced antibiotic control strategy was implemented, and (c) the third era (2016–2017), after implementation. Antimicrobial drug sensitivities were collected from two other hospitals: one from east Taiwan, one from west-central Taiwan. Results S. pneumoniae was frequently isolated during the first era. It declined progressively during the second era of PCV13 vaccination. S. pyogenes and M. catarrhalis were not frequently isolated. The drug susceptibility of S. pneumoniae to ceftriaxone and vancomycin remained high. The antimicrobial susceptibility of H. influenzae to amoxillin/clavulante declined over the three temporal stages, from 91.9%-79.5%–58.5% (all p Conclusion Antimicrobial resistance of H. influenzae increased during the latter part of the study period. The PCV13 vaccination program reduced the invasive pneumococcal disease and reduced the stress on the emergent drug resistance. This enhanced antibiotic control strategy was effective in terms of nosocomial drug resistance but not for community-associated pathogens.

Summary A series of readily accessible and scalable benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (BDT)-2,5-dithienyl-thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione (TPD-T2)-based donor polymers are utilized in organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells blended with the non-fullerene acceptor IT-4F. All polymers readily dissolve in chlorine-free solvents such as xylene, and the corresponding photoactive blend films can be processed in ambient from this solvent to fabricate cells with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) >12%–14%. Furthermore, the blend processing and OPV metrics are remarkably insensitive to the processing methodology (spin coating versus blade coating), processing solvent, polymer molecular mass and dispersity index, and the results were rationalized by UV-vis, PL, fsTA, AFM, TEM, GIWAXS, and SCLC measurements. These properties enable the first OPV modules, processed in ambient from a benign solvent, with a certified PCE of 10.1% for an area of 20.4 cm2 and >7% after light soaking. The same module also delivers a power of ∼40 μW/cm2 (PCE ∼22%) under indoor lighting.

Background Damage to the endothelium due to ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) leads to a disruption of the microvasculature, which could be influenced by angiopoietin 1 via its effects on endothelium. We investigated the physiological and therapeutic roles of angiopoietin 1 in renal IRI using angiopoietin 1 knockout and over-expression mice. Methods Renal IRI was induced by clamping the right renal artery seven days after left uninephrectomy for 25 min followed by reperfusion. A whole body angiopoietin 1 knockout was achieved by induction with tamoxifen. The renal tubule over-expression of angiopoietin 1 was induced by doxycycline. Results In the normal mice, the renal expression of angiopoietin 1 increased 7 days to 14 days after IRI. The angiopoietin 1 knockout caused a delay in the recovery of renal function, less tubular regeneration and more residual tubular necrosis. The endothelial density was lower and the VE-cadherin protein loss was greater in the knockout mice. The over-expression of angiopoietin 1 attenuated the tubular necrosis and renal function impairment 1 and 3 days after IRI. The loss of the endothelium was ameliorated in the over-expression mice. This protective effect was associated with the up-regulation of the gene expression of epidermal growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and insulin like growth factor-1 and less tubular apoptosis. The over-expression of angiopoietin 1 stimulated tumor necrosis factor-α, C-C chemokine receptor type 2 and CX3C chemokine receptor 1 inflammatory gene expression, but did not influence macrophage infiltration. Conclusions Altogether, the augmentation and downregulation of angiopoietin 1 attenuated renal damage and impaired renal recovery, respectively, by influencing the survival/regeneration of the endothelium. The manipulation of angiopoietin 1 represents a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of ischemic kidney injury. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s10020-019-0072-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Garnet is a common mineral in crustal metamorphic rocks and a primary constituent of the Earth’s upper mantle. Natural silicate garnets are stable over a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions and have very complex chemical compositions. The chemical composition of a natural garnet reflects its growth environment making garnet a critical indicator mineral for many geological processes. Garnet, like olivine and many other nominally anhydrous minerals, can incorporate water as hydroxyl (OH-) into its crystal structure. The water content in natural silicate garnets ranges from almost dry to thousands of parts per million. The compositional effect on the water content and the mechanisms of OH- incorporation in silicate garnets are not well understood, majorly impeded by their complex compositions. Here we reported the influence of chemical compositions on the water content and OH- substitution mechanisms in silicate garnets by studying synthetic garnet samples with compositions in the pyrope-grossular solid solution. We synthesized a series of hydrous pyrope-grossular garnets with various magnesium to calcium ratios by a multi-anvil press. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were applied to characterize the OH- content and identify OH- substitution mechanisms in the synthetic samples. The influence of hydration on the crystal structure of samples was investigated by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Our experimental results will help to constrain the bulk water content in the Earth’s interior and to interpret seismic data of a hydrous mantle.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are secreted by live cells and possess the same regenerative potential and immunomodulatory ability as their parental cells. Clinical applications of MSC-EVs could overcome the shortage of MSCs for treatment of cancer and other diseases and impact the field of regenerative medicine from cellular to acellular therapy. For use of MSC-EVs as a clinical agent, various engineered EVs have been manufactured and their therapeutic effects on various diseases demonstrated in preclinical studies and clinical trials. However, MSC-EVs are heterogeneous, and many of their characteristics are still unknown. Many barriers still need to be surmounted before MSC-EVs can be used as biomedical agents.

Resilience is the concept that emphasizes change and adaptation and focuses on the capacity to absorb shocks and still maintain function. How can an Indigenous community assess the resilience of the tribe when it is affected by an array of obstacles? What are the assessment factors of resilience? This study consolidated relevant literature on resilience through in-depth interviews and the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) to identify the resilience indicators for Indigenous community development. It eventually identified 5 domains, 26 types, and 45 evaluation indicators. The final indicators are divided into five domains: economic, social, cultural, environmental, and policy. The social resilience indicators: “the ability to overcome obstacles”, “the ability to accept stimuli”, and “the degree of connection between tribal and external resources” were not mentioned in the past studies of resilience. For the first time, the following cultural resilience indicator was also included: “maintain the traditional ancestral teachings and respect for ancestral norms”. Finally, this study suggests that follow-up research may extend these resilience indicators and apply them to other Indigenous tribes. These 26 types of assessment will also be the factors that must be considered in the process of adaptation and reconstruction when the community is faced with emergencies or catastrophes.

Reducing low-value care is a top priority in health care. However, how prospective payment methods such as diagnosis-related group (DRG) payment scheme reduce the use of low-value services is unclear. This study aimed to assess frequency of low-value preoperative testing services among surgical inpatients over time and to investigate whether the 2010 Tw-DRG policy has reduced utilization of these services under the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. The nationwide National Health Insurance claims data in Taiwan from 2008 to 2013 were used. The difference-in-differences (DID) method was adopted. Utilization of three low-value preoperative testing services (chest x-ray, echocardiogram, and stress testing) were assessed. The prevalence of the three preoperative tests ranged from 0.13 per 100 admissions (preoperative stress testing) to 78.12 per 100 admissions (preoperative chest x-ray). Following the implementation of the Tw-DRG policy, the predicted probability of low-value care use was significantly reduced from 67.91% to 64.93% in the DRG group but remained relatively stable in the comparison group (from 69.44% to 68.43%) in 2010. The use of three selected preoperative tests had only a minor temporary reduction in 2010, but later increased over time. The 2010 Tw-DRG policy did not significantly moderate the growth of low-value preoperative use. Hospital financial incentives alone may be insufficient for reducing the provision of low-value care.

Several studies have investigated the effects of pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives. However, little is known about whether patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) would benefit from P4P initiatives similarly to patients without MCC.The objective of this study was to compare the effects of the diabetes mellitus pay-for-performance (DM-P4P) program on the quality of diabetic care between type 2 diabetic patients with and without MCC.This study used data from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Of this cohort, 52,276 diabetic patients were identified. To address potential selection bias between the intervention and comparison groups, the propensity score matching method was used. Generalized estimating equations were applied to analyze the difference-in-difference model to examine the effect of the intervention, the DM-P4P program.The disease-specific DM-P4P program had positive impacts on process and outcome indicators of health care quality regardless of patients' MCC status. Diabetic patients with MCC experienced a significantly larger decrease in the admission rate of diabetes-related ambulatory care sensitive conditions after the P4P enrollment over time compared with patients without MCC.The positive impacts on use of diabetes-related services were comparable between diabetic patients with and without MCC. Most importantly, for MCC patients, the disease-specific DM-P4P program had a stronger positive impact on health outcomes. Hence, the commonly observed phenomenon of "cherry picking" in implementing P4P strategies may lead to disparities in the quality of diabetic care between diabetic patients with and without MCC.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has a negative impact on long-term renal function and prognosis. However, the association between acute renal dysfunction and long-term effects on bone disorders has not yet been characterized. Using a population-based cohort study, we aimed to evaluate associations between AKI and long-term effects on bone fractures. We identified relevant data of all hospitalized patients aged >18 years with histories of dialysis-requiring AKI, with subsequent recovery and discharge, from the claim records of the Taiwan National Health Insurance database between 2000 and 2008. We determined long-term de novo bone fracture and all-cause mortality after patients' index-hospitalization discharge using propensity score–adjusted Cox proportional hazard model. Varying-time models were used to adjust for long-term effects of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on main outcomes. Among 448 AKI patients who had dialysis and survived 90 days after index-hospitalization discharge without reentering dialysis, 273 were male (60.9%) with a mean age of 61.4 ± 16.6 years. Controls included 1792 hospitalized patients without AKI, dialysis, or bone fracture history. In the AKI recovery group, bone fracture incidence was 320 per 10,000 person-years and hazard ratio (HR) of long-term bone fracture was 1.25 (p = 0.049) compared with the control group, independent of subsequent ESRD status (HR = 1.55; p = 0.01). Both AKI recovery status (HR = 2.31; p

We prepared flexible, lightweight, and high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance graphene nanosheet (GNS)/water-borne polyurethane (WPU) composites. WPU, with sulfonate functional groups, was used as the polymer matrix. By adsorbing the cationic surfactant (stearyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) on the surface of the GNSs (S-GNSs), restacking and aggregation of the GNSs have been efficiently suppressed, which also attracted sulfonate groups from the WPU matrix. Because of the favorable interfacial interactions arising from electrostatic attraction, the S-GNS exhibited good compatibility with the WPU matrix. Such a homogeneous dispersion contributed to the construction of an electrical conductive network. The S-GNS/WPU composite exhibited a low electrical conductivity percolation threshold and an outstanding enhanced electrical conductivity of approximately 5.1 S/m. A high EMI shielding effectiveness of approximately 32 dB was obtained by the WPU composites with contents of 5 vol.% (approximately 7.7 wt.%) S-GNSs.

Tseng, Y.-P.; Huang, Y.-C., and Ditton, R., 2012. Developing a longitudinal perspective on the human dimensions of recreational fisheries. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a longitudinal perspective on state-level recreational fisheries that could be used anywhere systematic angler surveys are conducted over time. With six angler surveys from Texas conducted over a 16-year time period, selected human dimension indicators of recreational fishing were analyzed with the index of qualitative variation (IQV) and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient. Saltwater anglers demonstrated significant upward trends in household income, self-reported skill, preference for catching one particular species, and satisfaction with their fishing experiences. No significant downward trends were found. Although expected in some cases for various reasons, no significant trends were found in gender, baby boomer participation, racial/ethnic differences, years of fishing experience, and average annual days...

Cetacean-focused tourism in Taiwan has grown rapidly since 1997. This development, measured in terms of both number of tour boats and visitors, has resulted in many resource management challenges stemming from the absence of regulation and scientific data. To fill this void in empirical evidence, we used 464 sighting records from 2002 to 2005 to model the impact of cetacean-focused tourism. Cox proportional hazard analysis indicated cetacean avoidance responses to cetacean watching boats were strongly associated with pod size, mother-calf pairs, and cetacean-vessel distances. Mother-calf pairs abandoned their avoidance tactic by 55% compared to noncalf groups when tour boats approached. Second, the hazard ratio of abundance was 0.996, suggesting that the odds of encountering avoidance responses by the cetaceans decreased by 42% for every 100-member increase in the cetacean pod size. Last, distances maintained by boats from the cetaceans was positively related to avoidance responses (i.e., less avoidance behavior with closer interaction). Based on our findings, we have the following recommendations: (a) limit vessels from approaching mothers with calves, (b) limit vessels from approaching small groups of cetaceans, (c) reduced avoidance behavior to boat traffic may be a red flag for potential long-term disturbance, and (d) apply the "precautionary principle" based on the best scientific information available in cetacean-based tourism in Taiwan. These recommendations will help contribute to the sustainable development of cetacean-focused tourism in Taiwan.

This paper discusses an innovative and effective ultrasonic embossing process, which enables the rapid fabrication of surface-relief plastic diffusers. The metallic mold bearing the microstructures is fabricated using a tungsten carbide turning machine. A 1500-W ultrasonic vibrator with an output frequency of 20 kHz was used to replicate the microstructure onto 1-mm-thick PMMA plates in the experiments. During ultrasonic embossing, the ultrasonic energy is converted into heat through intermolecular friction at the master mold/plastic plate interface due to asperities to melt the thermoplastic at the interface and thereby to replicate the microstructure. Under the proper processing conditions, high-performance plastic diffusers have been successfully fabricated. The cycle time required to successfully fabricate a diffuser is less than 2 s. The experimental results suggest that ultrasonic embossing could provide an effective way of fabricating high-performance plastic diffusers with a high throughput.

SUMMARY The tourism industry is vulnerable to natural and human induced incidents such as terrorist attacks, political instability, flood and earthquakes. On September 21st 1999, a devastating earthquake struck Taiwan which caused severe damage to both local people and the tourism industry. This paper proposes an innovative integrated approach that could be adopted as a crisis management plan for Taiwan to restore its tourism industry. A thorough review of the crisis management literature is introduced and examined to generate an integrated crisis management framework. It is anticipated that this framework could accelerate tourism recovery by showing secure images for tourists, and hence the competitiveness of a tourist nation could be enhanced through sound crisis management practices.

In this paper, we summarize our development efforts for a top-coatless 193nm immersion positive tone development (PTD) contact hole (C/H) resist with improved litho and defect performances for logic application specifically with an advance node. The ultimate performance goal was to improve the depth of focus (DoF) margin, mask error enhancement factor (MEEF), critical dimension uniformity (CDU), contact edge roughness (CER), and defect performance. Also, the through pitch CD difference was supposed to be comparable to the previous control resist. Effects of polymer and PAG properties have been evaluated for this purpose. The material properties focused in the evaluation study were polymer activation energy (Ea), polymer solubility differentiated by polymerization process types, and diffusion length (DL) and acidity (pKa) of photoacid generator (PAG). Additionally, the impact of post exposure bake (PEB) temperature was investigated for process condition optimization. As a result of this study, a new resist formulation to satisfy all litho and defect performance was developed and production yield was further improved.

Sexual dysfunction in female hemodialysis patients: A multicenter study. Background Sexual function is one aspect of physical functioning. Sexual dysfunction, no matter the etiology, could cause distress. In female hemodialysis patients, sexual problems have often been neglected in clinical performance and research. Methods We conducted this study by use of self-reported questionnaires. A total of 578 female hemodialysis patients in northern Taiwan were included in this study. Demographic data, comorbid diseases, medications in use, biochemical, and hematologic parameters were analyzed. All patients were asked to complete by themselves three questionnaires: ( 1 ) the Index of Female Sexual Function (IFSF) to assess sexual function; ( 2 ) the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Chinese version) to rate the severity of depressive symptoms; and ( 3 ) the 36-item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36, Taiwan Standard Version 1.0) to survey their quality of life. Results A total of 138 female patients were enrolled into further analysis. The mean age was 48.7 ± 11.2 years old. The mean IFSF score was 24.5 ± 9.3. Age, BDI score, and serum triglyceride levels were the independent factors of dysfunction in each sexual functional dimension. Patients with higher IFSF scores had significantly higher scores in physical functioning and mental health ( P = 0.007 and 0.018, respectively). Patients with higher intercourse satisfaction had significantly higher general health scores ( P = 0.001). Conclusion Sexual dysfunction is frequent in the female hemodialysis population. It is strongly associated with increasing age, dyslipidemia, and depression. The subjects with sexual dysfunction had poorer quality of life. The diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunction should be included in the clinical assessment.

For this study, the N'-monoamide derivatives of TTDA (3,6,10-tri(carboxymethyl)-3,6,10-triazadodecanedioic acid), N'-methylamide (TTDA-MA), N'-benzylamide (TTDA-BA), and N'-2-methoxybenzylamide (TTDA-MOBA), were synthesized. Their protonation constants and stability constants (log K(ML)'s) formed with Ca(2+), Zn(2+), Cu(2+), and Gd(3+) were determined by potentiometric titration in 0.10 M Me(4)NCl at 25.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The relaxivity values of [Gd(TTDA-MA)](-), [Gd(TTDA-BA)](-), and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)](-) remained constant with respect to pH changes over the range 4.5-12.0. The (17)O NMR chemical shift of H(2)O induced by [Dy(TTDA-MA)(H(2)O)](-) at pH 6.80 showed 0.9 inner-sphere water molecules. Water proton relaxivity values for [Gd(TTDA-MA)(H(2)O)](-), [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-), and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) at 37.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C and 20 MHz are 3.89, 4.21, and 4.25, respectively. The water-exchange lifetime (tau(M)) and rotational correlation time (tau(R)) of [Gd(TTDA-MA)(H(2)O)](-), [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-), and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) are obtained from reduced the (17)O relaxation rate and chemical shifts of H(2)(17)O. The (2)H NMR longitudinal relaxation rates of the deuterated diamagnetic lanthanum complexes for the rotational correlation time were also thoroughly investigated. The water-exchange rates (K(298)(ex) for [Gd(TTDA-MA)(H(2)O)](-), [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-), and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) are lower than that of [Gd(TTDA)(H(2)O)](2)(-) but significantly higher than those of [Gd(DTPA)(H(2)O)](2)(-) and [Gd(DTPA-BMA)(H(2)O)]. The rotational correlation times for [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-) and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) are significantly longer than those of [Gd(TTDA)(H(2)O)](2)(-) and [Gd(DTPA)(H(2)O)](2)(-) complexes. The marked increase of the relaxivity of [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-) and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) results mainly from their longer rotational correlation time. The noncovalent interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-) and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) complexes containing a hydrophobic substituent was investigated by measuring the water proton relaxation rate of the aqueous solutions. The binding association constant (K(A)) values are 1.0 +/- 0.2 x 10(3) and 1.3 +/- 0.2 x 10(3) M(-1) for [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-) and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-), which indicates a stronger interaction of [Gd(TTDA-BA)(H(2)O)](-) and [Gd(TTDA-MOBA)(H(2)O)](-) with HSA.

In this study, we developed a simple and powerful method to fabricate flexible and lightweight graphene-based composites that provide high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance. Electrospun waterborne polyurethane (WPU) that featured sulfonate functional groups was used as the polymer matrix, which was light and flexible. First, graphene oxide (GO)/WPU composites were prepared through layer-by-layer (L-b-L) assembly of two oppositely charged suspensions of GO, the cationic surfactant (didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, DDAB)-adsorbed GO and intrinsic negatively charged GO, depositing on the negatively charged WPU fibers. After the L-b-L assembly cycles, the GO bilayers wrapped the WPU fiber matrix completely and revealed fine connections guided by the electrospun WPU fibers. Then, we used hydroiodic acid (HI) to obtain highly reduced GO (r-GO)/WPU composites, which exhibited substantially enhanced electrical conductivity (approximately 16.8 S/m) and, moreover, showed a high EMI-shielding effectiveness (approximately 34 dB) over the frequency range from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz.

Negative Tone Development (NTD) process with ArF immersion has been developed for the next generation lithography technology because it shows good resolution performance and process window for C/H and trench patterning. Because of the etch requirement, tri-layer process has been used popularly. However, most of the Si-HM materials are optimized for positive tone development process and most of them show poor lithography performance in NTD process. In this paper, we study the behaviors of Si-HM for NTD process, develop new concepts and optimize the formulation of Si-HM to match the resist for NTD process bellow N28 node device.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) bottom-gate (BG) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with single vertical grain boundary in the channel have been successfully fabricated by a novel low-temperature (i.e. 85 °C) hydrothermal method. The proposed devices demonstrated the high field-effect mobility of 9.07 cm2/V·s, low threshold voltage of 2.25 V, high on/off current ratio above 106, and superior current drivability, attributed to the high-quality ZnO channel with single grain boundary. Moreover, a stable and repeatable operation of dynamic photoresponse is observed for the location-controlled hydrothermally grown ZnO BG-TFTs.

This paper reports a simple and effective ultrasonic embossing method which enables the rapid fabrication of dual-side surface-relief plastic diffusers with various cross angles. Metallic master molds bearing microstructures are fabricated using a tungsten carbide turning machine. A 1500-Watt ultrasonic vibrator with an output frequency of 20 kHz was used to replicate the microstructure onto 1 mm thick PMMA and PET films in the experiments. During ultrasonic embossing, the ultrasonic energy is converted into heat through intermolecular friction at the master mold/plastic plate interface due to asperities to melt the thermoplastic at the interface and thereby to replicate the microstructure. Under the proper processing conditions, high-performance dual-sided plastic diffusers of various cross-angles can be successfully fabricated. The proposed method shows great potential for fast fabrication of micro-optical components due to its simplicity and versatility.

Transparent ultraviolet (UV) detectors with nanoheterojunctions (NHJs) of p-type NiO and n-type ZnO nanowires (ZnO-NWs) were successfully fabricated using a DC sputtering system and a hydrothermal process, respectively. After annealing in nitrogen ambient, the near-band-edge emission to deep level emission ratio (NBE/DLE) of ZnO-NWs gradually increased as the temperature increased and reached a maximum of 28.9 at a temperature setting of 500 °C. In contrast, after annealing in oxygen atmosphere, the NBE/DLE of ZnO-NWs initially increased from 1.2 to 5.9 and then decreased to 3.2. At a reverse bias of 2 V, the devices with the 500-°C-N2-annealed ZnO-NWs exhibited better sensitivity (JUV/JDark = 5.65; JVisible/JDark = 1.35) to UV light (365 nm, 0.3 mW/cm2) than those with the as-grown ZnO-NWs (JUV/JDark = 4.98; JVisible/JDark = 3.82) because the structural defects in ZnO-NWs were effectively eliminated after annealing in nitrogen ambient at 500 °C.

Huang, Y-C.; Tseng, Y-P, and Yiap, L-C., 2013. Image recovery of the resurrected seashore city—New Orleans. New Orleans and its touristic image were devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Efforts to rebuild the city and its image began immediately after the crisis. This study sought to understand the image of New Orleans as perceived by domestic tourists after several crises (e.g. Hurricane Katrina, BP oil spill). This study was designed to measure different components of the touristic image of New Orleans, and to identify the determinants that influence those components. The results of this study show that the touristic images of New Orleans were still appealing to both repeat visitors and nonvisitors. City government should focus in strengthening its core tourism products (e.g. an abundance of great Jazz music, distinctive New Orleans style Creole and Cajun dishes, and great attractions), which play the crucial roles in attracting the tourists, while improving those concerns that were perceiv...

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Aspectral surveyof this kind will allow us to determine molecular abundances in a uni-form manner. While the recombination lines probe the ionized region, the molecular ionsand neutral molecules will probe the photodissociation region and the molecular regionsrespectively. The kinetic temperature can be determined from ratios of the strengthsof different rotational transitions. These results will be compared to our other ongoingspectral surveys of AGB stars (IRC+10216) and proto-planetary nebulae (AFGL 2688).References