2D field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated with transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials are a potential replacement for the silicon-based CMOS. However, the lack of advancement in p-type ...contact is also a key factor hindering TMD-based CMOS applications. The less investigated path towards improving electrical characteristics based on contact geometries with low contact resistance (RC) has also been established. Moreover, finding contact metals to reduce the RC is indeed one of the significant challenges in achieving the above goal. Our research provides the first comparative analysis of the three contact configurations for a WSe2 monolayer with different noble metals (Rh, Ru, and Pd) by employing ab initio density functional theory (DFT) and non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) methods. From the perspective of the contact topologies, the RC and minimum subthreshold slope (SSMIN) of all the conventional edge contacts are outperformed by the novel non-van der Waals (vdW) sandwich contacts. These non-vdW sandwich contacts reveal that their RC values are below 50 Ω∙μm, attributed to the narrow Schottky barrier widths (SBWs) and low Schottky barrier heights (SBHs). Not only are the RC values dramatically reduced by such novel contacts, but the SSMIN values are lower than 68 mV/dec. The new proposal offers the lowest RC and SSMIN, irrespective of the contact metals. Further considering the metal leads, the WSe2/Rh FETs based on the non-vdW sandwich contacts show a meager RC value of 33 Ω∙μm and an exceptional SSMIN of 63 mV/dec. The two calculated results present the smallest-ever values reported in our study, indicating that the non-vdW sandwich contacts with Rh leads can attain the best-case scenario. In contrast, the symmetric convex edge contacts with Pd leads cause the worst-case degradation, yielding an RC value of 213 Ω∙μm and an SSMIN value of 95 mV/dec. While all the WSe2/Ru FETs exhibit medium performances, the minimal shift in the transfer curves is interestingly advantageous to the circuit operation. Conclusively, the low-RC performances and the desirable SSMIN values are a combination of the contact geometries and metal leads. This innovation, achieved through noble metal leads in conjunction with the novel contact configurations, paves the way for a TMD-based CMOS with ultra-low RC and rapid switching speeds.
Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs) are important constituents in picoplankton communities in many marine ecosystems. However, little is known about their community composition in the subtropical ...coastal waters of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. In order to study their taxonomic composition, this study constructed 18S rRNA gene libraries using flow cytometric sorting during the warm season. The results show that, after diatoms, prasinophyte clones are numerically dominant. Within prasinophytes, Micromonas produced the most common sequences, and included clades II, III, IV, and VI. We are establishing the new Micromonas clade VI based on our phylogenetic analysis. Sequences of this clade have previously been retrieved from the South China Sea and Red Sea, indicating a worldwide distribution, but this is the first study to detect clade VI in the coastal waters of Taiwan. The TSA‐FISH results indicated that Micromonas clade VI peaked in the summer (~4 × 102 cells/ml), accounting for one‐fifth of Micromonas abundance on average. Overall, Micromonas contributed half of Mamiellophyceae abundance, while Mamiellophyceae contributed 40% of PPE abundance. This study demonstrates the importance of Micromonas within the Mamiellophyceae in a subtropical coastal ecosystem.
To date, the concept of English for Specific Purposes has brought about a great impact on English language learning across various disciplines, including those in science education. Hence, this ...review paper aimed to address current English language learning in the science disciplines through the practice of computer-assisted language learning to identify the use of learning technologies in science-based literacy. In the literature review, the researchers found that science-based literacy instruction shares many pedagogical aims with English language teaching in terms of reading, writing, listening and speaking, allowing it to be classified as English for Scientific Purposes (EScP). To answer the research questions, the researchers conducted the survey by extracting related articles and teaching examples from the Web of Science. In the search procedure, the researchers used the keywords science OR scientific AND technolog* OR comput* in ten selected journals of social science citation index. Only articles which are specified as journal articles rather than other document types were included. After compiling the corpora, the researchers compared the trends, methodologies and results of EScP instruction in science education. The implications of this study include the opportunities, advantages and challenges for EScP instruction in science education to further develop better educational approaches, adopt new technologies, as well as offer some directions for researchers to conduct future studies.
By utilizing a newly developed deep-blue iridium complex along with efficient green and orange-red phosphors, we have successfully demonstrated efficient three-component phosphorescent white-emitting ...organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs) with excellent performances. Such WOLEDs were based on the deep-blue phosphorescent OLEDs architecture with double emitting layers and double confining layers; portions of the deep-blue phosphors were selectively replaced with green and orange-red phosphors, thereby forming a structure with the green/orange-red emitting layers sandwiched between the two deep-blue emitting layers. Such three-component phosphorescent WOLEDs yielded a high color rendering index (CRI) of up to 94 and Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates close to the ideal equal-energy white (0.33,
0.33). Furthermore, they exhibited rather stable colors and high CRI over a wide brightness range of 10
2–10
4
cd/m
2 and yielded electroluminescence efficiencies of up to 10.3%, 24.0
cd/A and 16.4
lm/W for the forward directions.
This work proposes an ultra-low power DCIM-based DL system (DCIM-DLS) for end-to-end AoV with the power range from 0.62 to 1.61 mW (INT8, 2-15 fps). Compared to the prior art 3, the power consumption ...of DCIM-DLS can be reduced by 70.9% based on the following techniques: 1) an area and energy efficient DCIM that reduces compute RC loading by using pushed-rule 2p8T SRAM bitcell with folded kernels selector, 2) a DCIM-friendly dataflow strategy with dual accumulators that minimizes the DCIM power of weight update and avoids redundant data movement for power saving, and 3) a reconfigurable DCIM control scheme that supports mixed-precision to further reduce power consumption.
Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) triggers activation of cytosolic phospholipase A
2
(cPLA
2
) and then enhancing the synthesis of prostaglandin (PG) in inflammatory diseases. However, the detailed ...mechanisms of TNF-α induced cPLA
2
expression were not fully defined in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells (HPAEpiCs). We found that TNF-α-stimulated increases in cPLA
2
mRNA (5.2 folds) and protein (3.9 folds) expression, promoter activity (4.3 folds), and PGE
2
secretion (4.7 folds) in HPAEpiCs, determined by Western blot, real-time PCR, promoter activity assay and PGE
2
ELISA kit. These TNF-α-mediated responses were abrogated by the inhibitors of NADPH oxidase apocynin (APO) and diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), ROS N-acetyl cysteine, (NAC), NF-κB (Bay11-7082) and transfection with siRNA of ASK1, p47
phox
, TRAF2, NIK, IKKα, IKKβ, or p65. TNF-α markedly stimulated NADPH oxidase activation and ROS including superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production which were inhibited by pretreatment with a TNFR1 neutralizing antibody, APO, DPI or transfection with siRNA of TRAF2, ASK1, or p47
phox
. In addition, TNF-α also stimulated p47
phox
phosphorylation and translocation in a time-dependent manner. On the other hand, TNF-α induced TNFR1, TRAF2, ASK1, and p47
phox
complex formation in HPAEpiCs, which were attenuated by a TNF-α neutralizing antibody. We found that pretreatment with NAC, DPI, or APO also attenuated the TNF-α-stimulated IKKα/β and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, NF-κB (p65) translocation, and NF-κB promoter activity in HPAEpiCs. Finally, we observed that TNF-α-stimulated NADPH oxidase activation and ROS generation activates NF-κB through the NIK/IKKα/β pathway. Taken together, our results demonstrated that in HPAEpiCs, up-regulation of cPLA
2
by TNF-α is, at least in part, mediated through the cooperation of TNFR1, TRAF2, ASK1, and NADPH oxidase leading to ROS generation and ultimately activates NF-κB pathway.
The manufacturing of fitness equipment involves several processes, including the cutting and punching of iron tubes followed by welding. Welding operations produce hazardous gases and particulate ...matter, which can enter the alveolar, resulting in adverse health effects. This study sought to verify the particle size distribution and exposure concentrations of atmospheric air samples in various work areas of a fitness equipment manufacturing industry. Observed particle concentrations are presented by area and in terms of relative magnitude: painting (15.58 mg/m3) > automatic welding (0.66 mg/m3) > manual welding (0.53 mg/m3) > punching (0.18 mg/m3) > cutting (0.16 mg/m3). The concentrations in each of the five work areas were Cinh>Cthor>Cresp. In all areas except the painting area, extra-fine particles produced by welding at high temperatures, and further those coagulated to form larger particles. This study observed bimodal distribution in the size of welding fume in the ranges of 0.7–1 µm and 15–21 µm. Meanwhile, the mass concentrations of particles with different sizes were not consistent across work areas. In the painting area, the mass concentration was higher in Chead>Cth>Calv, but in welding areas, it was found that Calv>Chead>Cth. Particles smaller than 1 µm were primarily produced by welding.
Background: The attainment of target serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and the prescription rates of high-intensity stain (HIS) and ezetimibe among high-risk patients in Taiwan ...remain unsatisfactory. We hypothesized that reminding individualized target LDL-C values to physicians and patients improved the attainment. Methods: Between July 2018 and December 2019, 214 high-risk patients with suboptimal LDL-C levels in the Lipid Clinic of our institution, including 100 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), were enrolled. Each patient received prescription of lipid-lowering medications supported by an intelligent checklist-assisted reminding approach and informed individualized target serum LDL-C levels. The LDLC goal attainment rates and the prescription rates of HIS/ezetimibe of patients were analyzed every 3 months. Results: Patients with CAD at enrollment had a higher rate of stain prescription, lower baseline serum LDL-C levels, and a wider gap to reach serum LDL-C goals, compared to those without CAD. The prescription rates of HIS/ezetimibe at baseline, 3-month, 6-month, and 9-month follow-ups in patients with CAD were respectively 25.0%/8.0%, 78.6%/51.0%, 78.6%/69.0%, and 87.5%/82.1%, while those in patients without CAD were respectively 6.1%/9.6%, 70.8%/26.5%, 66.7%/33.3%, and 78.3%/43.5%. The LDL-C goal attainment rates at 3-month, 6-month, and 9-month follow-ups in patients with CAD were respectively 58.8%, 62.0%, and 62.5%, while those in patients without CAD were respectively 79.6%, 75.6%, and 73.9%. Conclusion: The intelligent checklist-assisted reminding approach in electronic medical order system, accompanied by an increased prescription of HIS and ezetimibe in the Lipid Clinic effectively facilitate the improvement of LDL-C goal attainment rates in high-risk patients.
Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) plays a role in the pathogenesis of severe inflammatory responses induced by Gram-positive bacterial infection. Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2 ), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), ...prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ), and interleukin (IL)-6 have been demonstrated to engage in airway inflammation. In this study, LTA-induced cPLA2 and COX-2 expression and PGE2 or IL-6 synthesis were attenuated by transfection with siRNAs of TLR2, MyD88, Akt, p42, p38, JNK2, and p65 or pretreatment with the inhibitors of PI3K (LY294002), p38 (SB202190), MEK1/2 (U0126), JNK1/2 (SP600125), and NF-κB (helenalin) in human tracheal smooth muscle cells (HTSMCs). LTA also induced cPLA2 and COX-2 expression and leukocyte count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in mice. LTA-regulated PGE2 or IL-6 production was inhibited by pretreatment with the inhibitors of cPLA2 (AACOCF3 ) and COX-2 (NS-398) or transfection with cPLA2 siRNA or COX-2 siRNA, respectively. LTA-stimulated NF-κB translocation or cPLA2 phosphorylation was attenuated by pretreatment with LY294002, SB202190, U0126, or SP600125. Furthermore, LTA could stimulate TLR2, MyD88, PI3K, and Rac1 complex formation. We also demonstrated that Staphylococcus aureus could trigger these responses through a similar signaling cascade in HTSMCs. It was found that PGE2 could directly stimulate IL-6 production in HTSMCs or leukocyte count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in mice. These results demonstrate that LTA-induced MAPKs activation is mediated through the TLR2/MyD88/PI3K/Rac1/Akt pathway, which in turn initiates the activation of NF-κB, and ultimately induces cPLA2 /COX-2–dependent PGE2 and IL-6 generation.
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