Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides offer an appropriate platform for developing advanced electronics beyond graphene. Similar to two-dimensional molecular frameworks, the electronic ...properties of such monolayers can be sensitive to perturbations from the surroundings; the implied tunability of electronic structure is of great interest. Using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we demonstrated a bandgap engineering technique in two monolayer materials, MoS2 and PtTe2, with the tunneling current as a control parameter. The bandgap of monolayer MoS2 decreases logarithmically by the increasing tunneling current, indicating an electric-field-induced gap renormalization effect. Monolayer PtTe2, by contrast, exhibits a much stronger gap reduction, and a reversible semiconductor-to-metal transition occurs at a moderate tunneling current. This unusual switching behavior of monolayer PtTe2, not seen in bulk semimetallic PtTe2, can be attributed to its surface electronic structure that can readily couple to the tunneling tip, as demonstrated by theoretical calculations.
Abstract Flow rate effects of the silane (SiH 4 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) on the top gate insulator and the cap layer in self-aligned top-gate amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistors are investigated. ...The hydrogen density increases with increasing SiH 4 and NH 3 flow rates. Hydrogen passivation can improve the field-effect mobility, subthreshold swing (S.S.), hysteresis. The positive bias instability is also improved by hydrogen incorporation. However, the overabundance of hydrogen causes the significant negative threshold voltage shift under negative bias illumination stress (NBIS). Moreover, the most deteriorated S.S. and hysteresis shift after NBIS occur in the TFT with the most hydrogen source.
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has spread globally in a short period of time. It is known that antibody (nAb) level can effectively predict vaccine efficacy, which leads to the exploration of ...vaccine trials for efficacy assessment. Thus, the current study aimed to develop a platform to quantify nAb levels faster, at lower cost, and with better efficiency. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 69 sera samples were collected for the research, 28 of which were from unvaccinated participants. The other 27 samples and the remaining 14 samples were from the participants who had received the first and second dose, respectively, of AZ vaccine 1 month before. With cPass assays (Genscript cPass nAb ELISA assay) used as a criterion standard and lateral flow immunoassay kit (Healgen Scientific - LFIA test kit) coupled with a spectrometer (LFIA+S) for checking each specimen, we aimed to detect the presence of neutralizing antibodies in sera and to confirm the relationship between the inhibition rate from cPass assays and the nAb index from the LFIA+S. RESULTS Data analysis of the research were taken from the certified ELISA and LFIA+S, which indicated a high consistency (Pearson's r =0.864; ICC=0.90138) between the 2 methods. CONCLUSIONS The dataset demonstrated that LFIA+S was affordable, had a strong correlation with results of the cPass nAbs detection kit, and has potential clinical applications, with an exclusive feature that allows non-experts to use it with ease. It is believed that the proposed platform can be promoted in the near future.
To understand the epidemiology of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) requiring treatment in Taiwan from 2002 to 2011.
This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 11,180 premature patients with a ...length of stay >28 days who survived during hospitalization. The incidence of the first ROP treatment was analyzed.
Among ROP patients (n = 4,096), 6.5% (n = 265) received treatment. The most frequently performed treatment was laser administration (n = 199), followed by intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injection (n = 38), scleral buckle or pars plana vitrectomy (n = 14), and cryotherapy (n = 14). The incidence of ROP requiring treatment increased during the study period, as did the use of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection. Shifts in the treatment modality from cryotherapy and scleral buckle/pars plana vitrectomy to laser treatment after 2003 and from laser treatment to intravitreal anti-VEGF injection after 2010 were observed.
In Taiwan, the incidence of the use of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection for treating ROP increased between 2002 and 2011. Laser treatment was less frequently used than intravitreal anti-VEGF injection in 2011.
Contact engineering of two-dimensional semiconductors is a central issue for performance improvement of micro-/nanodevices based on these materials. Unfortunately, the various methods proposed to ...improve the Schottky barrier height normally require the use of high temperatures, chemical dopants, or complex processes. This work demonstrates that diffused electron beam energy (DEBE) treatment can simultaneously reduce the Schottky barrier height and enable the direct writing of electrical circuitry on van der Waals semiconductors. The electron beam energy projected into the region outside the electrode diffuses into the main channel, producing selective-area n-type doping in a layered MoTe2 (or MoS2) field-effect transistor. As a result, the Schottky barrier height at the interface between the electrode and the DEBE-treated MoTe2 channel is as low as 12 meV. Additionally, because selective-area doping is possible, DEBE can allow the formation of both n- and p-type doped channels within the same atomic plane, which enables the creation of a nonvolatile and homogeneous MoTe2 p–n rectifier with an ideality factor of 1.1 and a rectification ratio of 1.3 × 103. These results indicate that the DEBE method is a simple, efficient, mask-free, and chemical dopant-free approach to selective-area doping for the development of van der Waals electronics with excellent device performances.
Hair analysis is a crucial method in forensic toxicology with potential applications in revealing doping histories in sports. Despite its widespread use, knowledge about detectable substances in hair ...is limited. This study systematically assessed the detectability of prohibited substances in sports using a multifaceted approach. Initially, an animal model received a subset of 17 model drugs to compare dose dependencies and detection windows across different matrices. Subsequently, hair incorporation data from the animal experiment were extrapolated to all substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s List through in-silico prediction. The detectability of substances in hair was further validated in a proof-of-concept human study involving the consumption of diuretics and masking agents. Semi-quantitative analysis of substances in specimens was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Results showed plasma had optimal dose dependencies with limited detection windows, while urine, faeces, and hair exhibited a reasonable relationship with the administered dose. Notably, hair displayed the highest detection probability (14 out of 17) for compounds, including anabolic agents, hormones, and diuretics, with beta-2 agonists undetected. Diuretics such as furosemide, canrenone, and hydrochlorothiazide showed the highest hair incorporation. Authentic human hair confirmed diuretic detectability, and their use duration was determined via segmental analysis. Noteworthy is the first-time reporting of canrenone in human hair. Anabolic agents were expected in hair, whereas undetectable compounds, such as peptide hormones and beta-2 agonists, were likely due to large molecular mass or high polarity. This study enhances understanding of hair analysis in doping investigations, providing insights into substance detectability.
Aim
To validate the initial psychometric properties of a Healthcare Needs Scale for Youth with Congenital Heart Disease.
Background
As the number of patients with congenital heart disease surviving ...to adulthood increases, the transitional healthcare needs for adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease require investigation. However, few tools comprehensively identify the healthcare needs of youth with congenital heart disease.
Design
A cross‐sectional study was employed to examine the psychometric properties of the Healthcare Needs Scale for Youth with Congenital Heart Disease.
Methods
The sample consisted of 500 patients with congenital heart disease, aged 15–24 years, from paediatric cardiology departments and covered the period from March–August 2015. The patients completed the 25‐item Healthcare Needs Scale for Youth with Congenital Heart Disease, the questionnaire on health needs for adolescents and the WHO Quality of Life‐BREF. Reliability and construct, concurrent, predictive and known‐group validity were examined.
Results
The Healthcare Needs Scale for Youth with Congenital Heart Disease includes three dimensions, namely health management, health policy and individual and interpersonal relationships, which consist of 25 items. It demonstrated excellent internal consistency and sound construct, concurrent, predictive and known‐group validity.
Conclusion
The Healthcare Needs Scale for Youth with Congenital Heart Disease is a psychometrically robust measure of the healthcare needs of youth with congenital heart disease. It has the potential to provide nurses with a means to assess and identify the concerns of youth with congenital heart disease and to help them achieve a successful transition to adult care.
Abstract In this study, AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with Au-free Ti/Al/Ni/Ti ohmic contacts were fabricated. The device presents a contact resistance ( R c ) of 0.64 Ω·mm and high linearity characteristics. The ...two-tone measurement at 28 GHz shows that the 2 × 50 μ m device exhibits an excellent third-order intercept point (OIP3) value of 41.64 dBm at V DS = 28 V, and an OIP3/ P DC of 24.2. An OIP3 of 46.59 dBm was achieved when the device’s gate width was increased to 8 × 50 μ m at V DS = 48 V. These results demonstrate that AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with Ti/Al/Ni/Ti ohmic contacts have potential for Ka-band applications.
This research is to construct a humorous corpus, develop related technologies, implement a retrieval-based ＂icebreaker chatbot＂ system which allows users to find relevant jokes for use in relaxing an ...unduly formal atmosphere when interacting with people, and finally evaluate its effectiveness. Through the iterative steps of the information system development research method, query expansion based on Word2Vec technology, frequent keyword prompts, and random recommendation of good jokes are added after user feedback. The results are that the proportion of user queries that fail to find jokes is reduced from 25.4% to 16.7% and that the icebreaking effect achieved has been increased from 27.9% to 39.9%. The importance of this research not only compiled a corpus of nearly 5,000 Chinese jokes, but also built a Chinese humor dialogue system, which have both been publicized at https://github.com/SamTseng/icebreaker for future use and verification. Empirical experience and implications of this study include: automating the richness and quality of joke corpus and providing recommendation service are important R ＆ D efforts to improve the effectiveness of such services.
This study introduces a novel approach for analyzing thin film interference spectra by employing a micro-spectrometer equipped with a spectral chip. Focusing on zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films prepared ...via the sol–gel method, this research aims to explore the films’ physical properties through spectral analysis. After obtaining the interference spectrum of the ZnO thin films, the peak positions within the spectrum were cataloged. Mathematical simulation was used to adjust the refractive index and thickness of the films to match the simulated interference peak positions with the observed peak positions. The thickness of the prepared ZnO film was estimated to be 4.9 μm and its refractive index at 80 °C was estimated to be 1.96. In addition, the measurement system was used to detect environmental changes, including temperature changes and gas exposure. It was observed that the optical characteristics of ZnO films exhibit marked variations with temperature shifts, enabling the establishment of a temperature calibration curve based on spectral feature displacement. In addition, experiments using a variety of gases showed that NO2 and gaseous isopropanol significantly affect the interference spectrum of ZnO, with the peak of the interference spectrum shifted by 2.3 nm and 5.2 nm, respectively, after injection of the two gases. This indicates that interferometric spectroscopy can serve as an effective tool for ZnO monitoring, capable of selectively detecting specific gases.
