Abstract
This work investigates the design methodology to obtain large electromechanical coupling factor (
k
eff
2
) and high quality factor (
Q
) of shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) ...resonators based on the thin-film lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) technology. The guided SH wave can be excited through interdigital transducers and propagate at the very surface of the material stackings. Such a guided SH wave in LN/SiO
2
double layer structure is expected to offer high
k
eff
2
by confining the elastic strain energy in the piezoelectric thin film. To capture the optimum design window for high-performance LNOI SH-SAW devices, the impact of electrode material and its thickness on the
k
eff
2
dispersive characteristics are intensively investigated by finite element method (FEM). In this study, various one-port resonators with wavelengths from 2.8
μ
m to 8
μ
m were fabricated on a LNOI wafer with LN and SiO
2
thickness of 0.7 and 2
μ
m, respectively. The 100 nm thick gold film was chosen as the electrode of the devices, which demonstrate a similar
k
eff
2
dispersive behavior to the FEM simulation with small discrepancy. Among the measurement results over several tested samples, a high-
k
eff
2
of 25.5% and
Q
of 960 was recorded at a resonance frequency of 581 MHz (FOM =
k
eff
2
⋅
Q
= 245), revealing great potential for the application of wide-band frequency selection in telecommunications.
Abstract
The industrialization of quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) requires the use of less hazardous cadmium-free quantum dots, among which ZnSe-based blue and InP-based green and red ...quantum dots have received considerable attention. In comparison, the development of InP-based green QLEDs is lagging behind. Here, we prepare green InP/ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots with a diameter of 8.6 nm. We then modify the InP quantum dot emitting layer by passivation with various alkyl diamines and zinc halides, which decreases electron mobility and enhances hole transport. This, together with optimizing the electron transport layer, leads to green 545 nm InP QLEDs with a maximum quantum efficiency (EQE) of 16.3% and a current efficiency 57.5 cd/A. EQE approaches the theoretical limit of InP quantum dots, with an emission quantum yield of 86%.
Compact silicon mode (de)multiplexers based on asymmetrical directional couplers are designed using shortcuts to adiabaticity. The coupling coefficient and propagation constants mismatch are ...engineered to optimize the device robustness. Simulations show that the devices are broadband and have large fabrication tolerance.
Neuroblastoma is the most common malignant disease of infancy, and amplification of the
oncogene is closely associated with poor prognosis. Recently, expression of MYCN was shown to be inversely ...correlated with aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) expression in neuroblastoma, and overexpression of AHR downregulated MYCN expression, promoting cell differentiation. Therefore, we further investigated the potential of AHR to serve as a prognostic indicator or a therapeutic target in neuroblastoma. First, the clinical significance of AHR in neuroblastoma was examined. Positive AHR immunostaining strongly correlated with differentiated histology of neuroblastoma and predicted better survival for patients. The mouse xenograft model showed that overexpression of AHR significantly suppressed neuroblastoma tumor growth. In addition, activation of AHR by the endogenous ligand kynurenine inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell differentiation
and
. kynurenine treatment also upregulated the expression of
, a tumor metastasis suppressor, and attenuated metastasis in the xenograft model. Finally, analysis of
levels in neuroblastoma patient tumors using the R2: Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform revealed that
expression positively correlated with
, and high
expression predicted better survival for patients. In conclusion, our results indicate that AHR is a novel prognostic biomarker for neuroblastoma, and that overexpression or activation of AHR offers a new therapeutic possibility for patients with neuroblastoma. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings show that AHR may function as a tumor suppressor in childhood neuroblastoma, potentially influencing the aetiologic and therapeutic targeting of the disease.
Microarc oxidation (MAO) coatings on 5052 aluminum alloy are prepared in silicate–hypophosphite electrolytes with sodium tungstate. The effects of sodium tungstate concentrations and current density ...on the surface morphology, phase composition and properties of the coatings are investigated. With the addition of sodium tungstate in the electrolyte and increase of current density, the final voltage at the microarc discharge process increases. The results also show that the MAO coatings are composed mainly of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3 and the proportion of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3, pore size, surface roughness as well as thickness of the coatings strongly depend on the sodium tungstate concentration and current density. Thus, the hardness, friction coefficient and corrosion resistance of the coatings are significantly influenced by the magnitude of the current density and sodium tungstate concentration. These oxide films on aluminum were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thickness gage, and polarization curves, respectively.
► Deposition of MAO coatings on Al-alloy in silicate-H2PO2 electrolytes with Na2WO4. ► Influence of Na2WO4 concentration and current density on structures and properties. ► The coatings are composed mainly of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3. ► Wear and corrosion behaviors of the coatings are strongly affected by Na2WO4 and current density.
Buildings are one of the largest energy-consuming sectors in the world. Accurate forecasting of building electricity loads can bring significant environmental and economic benefits by reducing ...electricity use and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. Deep learning has witnessed great success in the past decade, so this work proposes a deep learning model to predict the electrical loads of a commercial building. We perform a data exploration on the training set, and the results show that the electricity load is relevant to the temperature. Thus, this work proposes a deep learning model based on multi-task learning (MTL) architecture to predict the hourly electricity load. In our proposed architecture, the main task is to predict the electricity load, while the auxiliary task is to predict the outdoor temperature. The auxiliary task can provide additional regularization to the model to prevent overfitting. Furthermore, the proposed model comprises task-shared and task-specific layers, giving a base to learn cross-task and task-specific representations, respectively. We conduct experiments to assess our proposed model and compare it with other alternatives. The experimental results show that our proposed model can significantly outperform the comparison methods. Furthermore, the analysis shows that our proposed model can benefit from a simple ensemble technique to improve the prediction performance. To validate the generalization of the proposed model, we perform a robustness analysis on three additional datasets. We demonstrate that the proposed MTL approach can provide superior predictive accuracy and robustness.
(1) Although emerging evidence suggests that proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-induced dysbiosis negatively alters treatment response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer patients, no study ...systematically investigates the association between PPIs, ICIs, and chemotherapy; (2) Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, and PubMed were searched from inception to 20 May 2022, to identify relevant studies involving patients receiving ICIs or chemotherapy and reporting survival outcome between PPI users and non-users. Survival outcomes included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Network meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models.
-scores, with a value between 0 and 1, were calculated to quantify the treatment ranking, with a higher score suggesting a higher probability of greater effectiveness. We also conducted pairwise meta-analyses of observational studies to complement our network meta-analysis; (3) We identified 62 studies involving 26,484 patients (PPI = 8834; non-PPI = 17,650), including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), urothelial carcinoma (UC), melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the neck and head. Eight post-hoc analyses from 18 randomized-controlled trials were included in our network, which demonstrated that, in advanced NSCLC and UC, patients under ICI treatment with concomitant PPI (
-score: 0.2016) are associated with both poorer OS (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.37 to 1.67) and poorer PFS (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.61) than those without PPIs (
-score: 1.000). Patients under ICI treatment with concomitant PPI also had poorer OS (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.31) and poorer PFS (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.48) in comparison with those receiving chemotherapy (
-score: 0.6664), implying that PPIs may compromise ICI's effectiveness, making it less effective than chemotherapy. Our pairwise meta-analyses also supported this association. Conversely, PPI has little effect on patients with advanced melanoma, RCC, HCC, and SCC of the neck and head who were treated with ICIs; (4) "PPI-induced dysbiosis" serves as a significant modifier of treatment response in both advanced NSCLC and UC that are treated with ICIs, compromising the effectiveness of ICIs to be less than that of chemotherapy. Thus, clinicians should avoid unnecessary PPI prescription in these patients. "PPI-induced dysbiosis", on the other hand, does not alter the treatment response to ICIs in advanced melanoma, RCC, HCC, and SCC of the head and neck.
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a common plasticizer, is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that can disrupt endocrine function. Epidemiological studies suggest that chronic exposure to DEHP in ...the environment is associated with the prevalence of childhood allergic diseases; however, the underlying causal relationship and immunological mechanism remain unclear. This study explored the immunomodulatory effect of DEHP on allergic lung inflammation, while particularly focusing on the impact of DEHP and its metabolite on dendritic cell differentiation and activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). The results showed that exposure to DEHP at a human tolerable daily intake dose exacerbated allergic lung inflammation in mice.
flow cytometric analysis revealed that DEHP-exposed mice displayed a significantly decreased number of CD8α
dendritic cells (DCs) in spleens and DC progenitors in the bone marrow, as well as, less interleukin-12 production in splenic DCs and increased T helper 2 polarization. Pharmacological experiments showed that mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), the main metabolite of DEHP, significantly hampered the differentiation of CD8α
DCs from Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand-differentiated bone marrow culture, by modulating PPARγ activity. These results suggested that chronic exposure to DEHP at environmentally relevant levels, promotes allergic lung inflammation, at least in part, by altering DC differentiation through the MEHP-PPARγ axis. This study has crucial implications for the interaction(s) between environmental pollutants and innate immunity, with respect to the development of allergic asthma.
The internet, and especially social media platforms, offer scientists new opportunities to connect with a broader public. While many studies have focused on science communication on Twitter, ...surprisingly few have analyzed how scientists use Facebook, even though it is an essential platform for the general public in many countries. A possible explanation for this lack of research is that scientists keep their Facebook profiles separate from their work life and are more active on Twitter in their professional roles. Our study challenges this assumption by focusing on Taiwan as a peculiar case. Due to the local culture, Twitter is less popular there, and scientists are more active on Facebook, even in their professional roles. In our study, we analyzed 35 public pages of scientists on Facebook and assessed the factors explaining the reach of their communication using content analysis in combination with a multilevel model that allowed us to test predictors on the page level, such as the number of fans, in combination with predictors on the post level, such as the complexity of the language used. Our study shows that Facebook can play an influential role in science outreach. To effectively communicate with the audience on Facebook, it is best to use strategies that appeal to new and existing followers. Posts that address current issues and include opinions are likely to be shared widely, while humor or personal self-disclosure is likely to engage the existing audience. Our study contributes to the current debate about alternatives to Twitter in science communication.
Experts have ranked Taiwan as the number one country regarding the exposure to disinformation. This assessment is not surprising as many exposed disinformation cases can be linked to Chinese ...state-aligned actors but also domestic political actors. Academic researchers, journalists, and the civic tech community have played an essential role in the fight against disinformation in Taiwan and the emergence of misinformation studies as a new research field. While disinformation in Taiwan is a major recurring issue, the "Western" debate within academia and journalism has taken a critical turn regarding the assumed effects of disinformation. Our study focuses on this potential disconnect between the international and the Taiwanese debate about disinformation. With automatic and manual content analysis, we evaluate what role academics and journalism play in the public discourse and what part of this debate reaches the largest audience. We show how Taiwan's public misinformation discourse has evolved vis-a-vis the international discourse, what role misinformation studies play in this discourse, what part of the discourse reaches the widest audience, and what parts of the discourse could be problematic.
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