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In the context of escalating urban heat events due to climate change, air conditioning (AC) has become a critical factor in maintaining indoor thermal comfort. Yet the usage of AC can also exacerbate outdoor heat stress and burden the electricity system, and there is little scientific knowledge regarding how to balance these conflicting goals. To address this issue, we established a coupled modeling approach, integrating the Weather Research and Forecasting model with the building energy model (WRF_BEP + BEM), and designed multiple AC usage scenarios. We selected Chongqing, China’s fourth-largest megacity, as our study area due to its significant socioeconomic importance, the severity of extreme heat events, and the uniqueness of its energy infrastructure. Our analysis reveals that AC systems can substantially reduce indoor temperatures by up to 18 °C; however, it also identifies substantial nighttime warming (2–2.5 °C) and a decline in thermal comfort. Particularly for high-density neighborhoods, when we increase 2 °C indoors, the outdoor temperature can be alleviated by up to 1 °C. Besides, despite the limited capacity to regulate peak electricity demand, we identified that reducing the spatial cooled fraction, increasing targeted indoor temperature by 2 °C, and implementing temporal AC schedules can effectively lower energy consumption in high-density neighborhoods, especially the reduction of spatial cooled fraction (up to 50%). Considering the substantial demand for cooling energy, it is imperative to carefully assess the adequacy and continuity of backup energy sources. The study underscores the urgency of reassessing energy resilience and advocates for addressing the thermal equity between indoor and outdoor environments, contributing to the development of a sustainable and just urban climate strategy in an era of intensifying heat events.

Glutamate-NMDAR receptors (GRINs) have been reported to influence cancer immunogenicity; however, the relationship between GRIN alterations and the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has not been determined. This study combined clinical characteristics and mutational profiles from multiple cohorts to form a discovery cohort (n= 901). The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the mutation status of the GRIN gene and the response to ICI therapy. Additionally, an independent ICI-treated cohort from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC, N= 1513) was used for validation. Furthermore, this study explored the associations between GRIN2A mutations and intrinsic and extrinsic immunity using multiomics analysis. In the discovery cohort, patients with GRIN2A-MUTs had improved clinical outcomes, as indicated by a higher objective response rate (ORR: 36.8% vs 25.8%, P= 0.020), durable clinical benefit (DCB: 55.2% vs 38.7%, P= 0.005), prolonged progression-free survival (PFS: HR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.49 to 0.87; P= 0.003), and increased overall survival (OS: HR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.50 to 0.89; P= 0.006). Similar results were observed in the validation cohort, in which GRIN2A-MUT patients exhibited a significant improvement in overall survival (HR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.88; P= 0.005; adjusted P= 0.045). Moreover, patients with GRIN2A-MUTs exhibited an increase in tumor mutational burden, high expression of costimulatory molecules, increased activity of antigen-processing machinery, and infiltration of various immune cells. Additionally, gene sets associated with cell cycle regulation and the interferon response were enriched in GRIN2A-mutated tumors. In conclusion, GRIN2A mutation is a novel biomarker associated with a favorable response to ICIs in multiple cancers.

Focal adhesions (FAs) transmit force and mediate mechanotransduction between cells and the matrix. Previous studies revealed that integrin-transmitted force is critical to regulate FA formation. As vinculin is a prominent FA protein implicated in integrin tension transmission, this work studies the relation among integrin tensions (force), vinculin (protein), and FA formation (structure) by integrin tension manipulation, force visualization and vinculin knockout (KO). Two DNA-based integrin tension tools are adopted: tension gauge tether (TGT) and integrative tension sensor (ITS), with TGT restricting integrin tensions under a designed Ttol(tension tolerance) value and ITS visualizing integrin tensions above the Ttolvalue by fluorescence. Results show that large FAs (area >1 μm2) were formed on the TGT surface with Ttolof 54 pN but not on those with lower Ttolvalues. Time-series analysis of FA formation shows that focal complexes (area <0.5 μm2) appeared on all TGT surfaces 20 min after cell plating, but only matured to large FAs on TGT with Ttolof 54 pN. Next, we tested FA formation in vinculin KO cells on TGT surfaces. Surprisingly, the Ttolvalue of TGT required for large FA formation is drastically decreased to 23 pN. To explore the cause, we visualized integrin tensions in both wild-type and vinculin KO cells using ITS. The results showed that integrin tensions in FAs of wild-type cells frequently activate ITS with Ttolof 54 pN. With vinculin KO, however, integrin tensions in FAs became lower and unable to activate 54 pN ITS. Force signal intensities of integrin tensions reported by 33 and 43 pN ITS were also significantly reduced with vinculin KO, suggesting that vinculin is essential to transmit high-level integrin tensions and involved in transmitting intermediate-level integrin tensions in FAs. However, the high-level integrin tensions transmitted by vinculin are not required by FA formation.

ABSTRACTGlobal land cover has undergone extensive and rapid changes as a result of human activities and climate change. These changes have had a significant impact on biodiversity, the surface energy balance, and sustainable development. Global land cover data underpins research on the development of earth system models, resource management, and evaluation of the ecological environment. However, there are limitations in the classification detail, spatial resolution, and rapid change monitoring capability of global land cover change data. Building on the earlier Global Land Cover Mapping (Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring – Global Land Cover, FROM-GLC), we developed the improved Global Land Cover Change Monitoring Platform (FROM-GLC Plus) using methods such as multi-season sample space-time migration, multi-source data time series reconstruction, and machine learning. The FROM-GLC Plus system provides a capacity for producing global land cover change data set from the 1980s with flexibility in spatio–temporal details. The preliminary results show that FROM-GLC Plus provides a framework for near real-time land cover mapping at multi-temporal (annual to daily) and multi-resolution (30 m to sub-meter) levels.

Podosomes are integrin-mediated cell adhesion units involved in many cellular and physiological processes. Integrins likely transmit tensions critical for podosome functions, but such force remains poorly characterized. DNA-based tension sensors are powerful in visualizing integrin tensions but subject to degradation by podosomes which ubiquitously recruit DNase. Here, using a DNase-resistant tension sensor based on a DNA/PNA (peptide nucleic acid) duplex, we imaged podosomal integrin tensions (PIT) in the adhesion rings of podosomes on solid substrates with single molecular tension sensitivity. PIT was shown to be generated by both actomyosin contractility and actin polymerization in podosomes. Importantly, by monitoring PIT and podosome structure in parallel, we showed that extracellular integrin-ligand tensions, despite being critical for the formation of focal adhesions, are dispensable for podosome formation, as PIT reduction or elimination has an insignificant impact on structure formation and FAK (focal adhesion kinase) phosphorylation in podosomes. We further verified that even integrin–ligand interaction is dispensable for podosome formation, as macrophages form podosomes normally on passivated surfaces that block integrin-ligand interaction but support macrophage adhesion through electrostatic adsorption or Fc receptor–immunoglobin G interaction. In contrast, focal adhesions are unable to form on these passivated surfaces.

In this study, two types of the fluoroamphiphile analogs were synthesized and self-assembled into the “core–shell” micellar nanocarriers for intracellular delivery and organelle targeting. Using the fluorescent dyes or vitamin E succinate as the cargo, the drug delivery and targeting capabilities of the fluoroamphiphiles and their micelles were evaluated in the cell lines, tumor cell spheroids, and tumor-bearing mice. The “core-fluorinated” micelles exhibited favorable physicochemical properties and improved the cellular uptake of the cargo by around 20 times compared to their “shell-fluorinated” counterparts. The results also indicated that the core-fluorinated micelles underwent an efficient clathrin-mediated endocytosis and a rapid endosomal escape thereafter. Interestingly, the internalized fluoroamphiphile micelles preferentially accumulated in mitochondria, by which the efficacy of the loaded vitamin E succinate was boosted both in vitroand in vivo. Unlike the popularly used cationic mitochondrial targeting ligands, as a charge-neutral nanocarrier, the fluoroamphiphiles’ mitochondrial targeting was potential independent. The mechanism study suggested that the strong binding affinity with the phospholipids, particularly the cardiolipin, played an important role in the fluoroamphiphiles’ mitochondrial targeting. These charge-neutral fluoroamphiphiles might have great potential to be a simple and reliable tool for intracellular drug delivery and mitochondrial targeting.

The instinctive protective stress responses of tumor cells hamper low-temperature photothermal therapy (LTPTT), resulting in tumor recurrence and metastasis. The rapid blood clearance and low-efficiency tumor enrichment of nanomedicines also decrease the efficacy of LTPTT. In this study, we fabricated coassembled photothermal agents (indocyanine green, ICG) and autophagy inhibitors (chloroquine, CQ) and red blood cell and cancer cell hybrid membrane (RCm)-camouflaged ICGCQ@RCm nanoparticles (ICGCQ@RCm NPs) to enhance tumor LTPTT. The ICGCQ@RCm NPs exhibited prolonged blood drug circulation and markedly enhanced drug accumulation in tumor tissues. The ICGCQ@RCm NPs reduced the thermal tolerance of tumor cells to sensitize ICG-mediated LTPTT by inhibiting protective autophagy. The ICGCQ@RCm NPs exerted strong immunogenic cell death (ICD) after efficient LTPTT to activate antitumor immunity. In addition, ICGCQ@RCms optimized the therapeutic efficacy by imaging-guided LTPTT, taking advantage of the near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence of ICG. Consequently, the ICGCQ@RCm NPs effectively inhibited tumors under mild LTPTT, significantly suppressed tumor metastasis and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, the ICGCQ@RCm NPs showed high biosafety in vitroand in vivo. The ICGCQ@RCm NPs demonstrated tumor-targeting and imaging-guided autophagy inhibition-sensitized LTPTT using two Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs, which have great potential for clinical application.

Direct inhibitor of tau aggregation has been extensively studied as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the natively unfolded structure of tau complicates the structure-based ligand design, and the relatively large surface areas that mediate tau–tau interactions in aggregation limit the potential for identifying high-affinity ligand binding sites. Herein, a group of isatin-pyrrolidinylpyridine derivative isomers (IPP1–IPP4) were designed and synthesized. They are like different forms of molecular “transformers”. These isatin isomers exhibit different inhibitory effects on tau self-aggregation or even possess a depolymerizing effect. Our results revealed for the first time that the direct inhibitor of tau protein aggregation is not only determined by the previously reported conjugated structure, substituent, hydrogen bond donor, etc. but also depends more importantly on the molecular shape. In combination with molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, a new inhibition mechanism was proposed: like a “molecular clip”, IPP1 could noncovalently bind and fix a tau polypeptide chain at a multipoint to prevent the transition from the “natively unfolded conformation” to the “aggregation competent conformation” before nucleation. At the cellular and animal levels, the effectiveness of the inhibitor of the IPP1 has been confirmed, providing an innovative design strategy as well as a lead compound for Alzheimer’s disease drug development.

Integrin-transmitted cellular forces have rich spatial dynamics and are vital to many cellular functions. To advance the sensitivity and spatial resolution of cellular force imaging, we developed a force-activatable emitter reporting single-molecular tension events and the associated cellular force nanoscopy (CFN). Immobilized on a surface, the emitters are initially dark (>99.8% quenched), providing a low fluorescence background despite the high coating density (>2000/μm2) required for sampling cellular force properly. The emitters fluoresce brightly once switched on by integrin tensions and can be switched off by photobleaching, enabling continuous real-time imaging of integrin molecular tensions in live cells. With multiple cycles of molecular tension imaging and localization, CFN reproduces cellular force images with 50 nm resolution. Applied to both migratory cells and stationary cells, CFN revealed ultranarrow distribution of integrin tensions at the cell leading edge, and showed that force distribution in focal adhesions (FAs) is off-centered and FA size-dependent.

Curcumin, a molecule of labile natural product, has multiplex pharmacological effects, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects as well as anti-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) properties. However, the drawbacks of curcumin such as poor stability and bioavailability seriously limited its application in drug development. Numerous literature studies suggested the conversion of curcumin to metal complexes and explored the clearance of β-amyloid fibrils by curcumin conjugates. However, the research about the inhibition effect of curcumin complex on τ protein aggregation is progressing slowly, and its interactive orientation with the related proteins from the steric effect has been ignored. Inspired by the perspective on interactive orientation, we conjugated curcumin molecule on the positive-charged scaffold of Ru(II) complexes (bipyridine for Ru1, phenanthroline for Ru2) to construct an octahedral structure. After being conjugated with a ruthenium octahedral framework, curcumin exhibited a stronger ability to not only inhibit aggregation of R3, the τ peptide corresponding to the third repeat unit of the microtubule binding domain (residues 306–336 in full τ) (Ru1 with an IC50of 0.5 μM and Ru2 with an IC50of less than 3 μM) but also disaggregate R3 fibers with dose-dependence through an exothermic and dynamic process. Autodock simulation was applied to get a hairpin-docking mode in the inhibition of R3 aggregation. Herein, our results provide a rational strategy emphasizing the interactive orientation from an octahedral steric structure to design the anti-AD drugs with natural compound.

Semiconductor manufacturing management system was developed and grown up over the past decades. In order to increase the product yield and enhance the production productivity, cluster tools became the main stream in modern wafer fabrication factories which occupies over 50% of production equipment. Generally, cluster tools are integrated by several components including robots, vacuum chambers (Load locks) and single-wafer process chambers in a module and can be treated as a small factory. The throughput estimation before recipe release is very difficult. However, it is necessary and important for the planning activity. In this work, a throughput estimation model for cluster tools is proposed. The Multiple Regression Analysis is applied to develop a set of throughput estimation equations. A simulation model of cluster equipment including 3 single-wafer process chambers are built to get the historical throughput data for the regression analysis. From the Multiple Regression Analysis, it reveals that different numbers of recipes processed in the same time have to develop different regression model. The major factors in the regression model include numbers of load ports and process time of each recipe. Furthermore, a set of recipes are used to test the accuracy of estimation. Based on the testing results, they revealed that the MAPE is under 3% and the estimation model is accepted in practice to forecast the throughput of recipes for the planning activities.

Light-addressable potentiometric sensors (LAPS) are of great interest in bioimaging applications such as the monitoring of concentrations in microfluidic channels or the investigation of metabolic and signaling events in living cells. By measuring the photocurrents at electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) and electrolyte–semiconductor structures, LAPS can produce spatiotemporal images of chemical or biological analytes, electrical potentials and impedance. However, its commercial applications are often restricted by their limited AC photocurrents and resolution of LAPS images. Herein, for the first time, the use of 1D semiconducting oxides in the form of ZnO nanorods for LAPS imaging is explored to solve this issue. A significantly increased AC photocurrent with enhanced image resolution has been achieved based on ZnO nanorods, with a photocurrent of 45.7 ± 0.1 nA at a light intensity of 0.05 mW, a lateral resolution as low as 3.0 μm as demonstrated by images of a PMMA dot on ZnO nanorods and a pH sensitivity of 53 mV/pH. The suitability of the device for bioanalysis and bioimaging was demonstrated by monitoring the degradation of a thin poly(ester amide) film with the enzyme α-chymotrypsin using LAPS. This simple and robust route to fabricate LAPS substrates with excellent performance would provide tremendous opportunities for bioimaging.

Background: Forest succession is an important ecological process and has been studied for more than a century. However, changes in nitrogen (N) availability during succession remain unclear as they may lead to either N saturation or N limitation. Here, we propose a conceptual model to illustrate changes in N availability during four stages of secondary succession using the natural abundance of 15N in plant leaves (foliar δ15N). We predicted that N availability would decline in the early stages of succession and then increase in late stages, coinciding with the changes in foliar δ15N, with the inflection point varying in different climate zones. Data on foliar δ15N from 16 succession sequences were synthesized to explore changes in N availability during forest succession. Results: The compiled data were consistent with the proposed conceptual model. Foliar δ15N in boreal and temperate forests decreased significantly in the first two stages of succession (estimated to last at least 66 years in temperate forests), at a rate of 0.18‰ and 0.38‰ per decade, respectively, and decreased slightly in tropical forests in the first 23 years. Foliar δ15N is projected to increase in later stages in all forests, which is supported by observations in both temperate and tropical forests. The inflection points of N availability when N limitation peaked during succession were different in different climate zones, implying different ecosystem N turnovers. Conclusions: Our study reconciles the controversies regarding changes in N availability during forest secondary succession. Our findings are also useful for predicting the recovery of N and carbon accumulation during succession. Nonetheless, studies on forest secondary succession using foliar δ15N have thus far been limited, and more research should be conducted to further verify the conceptual model proposed here.

Antifungal screening of small-molecule natural product libraries showed that a column fraction (CF) derived from the plant extract of Sagittaria latifoliawas active against the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Dereplication analysis by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) indicated the presence of new compounds in this CF. Subsequent fractionation of the plant extract resulted in the identification of two new isopimaradiene-type diterpenoids, 1and 2. The structures of 1and 2were determined by chemical methods and spectroscopic analysis as isopimara-7,15-dien-19-ol 19-O-α-l-arabinofuranoside and isopimara-7,15-dien-19-ol 19-O-α-l-(5′-acetoxy)arabinofuranoside, respectively. Compound 1exhibited IC50values of 3.7 and 1.8 μg/mL, respectively, against C. neoformans and C. gattii. Its aglycone, isopimara-7,15-dien-19-ol (3), resulting from acid hydrolysis of 1, was also active against the two fungal pathogens, with IC50values of 9.2 and 6.8 μg/mL, respectively. This study demonstrates that utilization of the combined LC-MS and 1H NMR analytical tools is an improved chemical screening approach for hit prioritization in natural product drug discovery.

Temperature-sensitive organic nanoparticles with AIE effect were assembled in water from tetraphenylethene-based poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (TPE-PNIPAM), which was synthesized by ATRP using TPE derivative as initiator. The size and fluorescence of TPE-PNIPAM nanoparticles can be tuned by varying the temperature. These nanoparticles can be internalized readily by HeLa cells and can be used as long-term tracer in live cells to be retained for as long as seven passages.

Lipids, one of the major natural products, usually have high biocompatibility and low toxicity. Due to their proper physicochemical properties, they are the most commonly used materials for building modern drug delivery systems, especially nanocarriers. However, to impart new functions or to satisfy special requirements, the lipids can be modified or synthesized. Using lipids or lipid derivatives, various lipid-based drug or gene delivery systems have been developed and show potential in pre-clinical and clinical applications. In this article, the most commonly used lipids are discussed in terms of their properties and functions as drug carrier components, their chemical modifications, the formulation or composition of lipid-based nanocarriers, and their biomedical applications. This article provides a critical view and possible future directions of lipid-based drug delivery strategies.

The generation of natural product libraries containing column fractions, each with only a few small molecules, using a high-throughput, automated fractionation system, has made it possible to implement an improved dereplication strategy for selection and prioritization of leads in a natural product discovery program. Analysis of databased UPLC-MS-ELSD-PDA information of three leads from a biological screen employing the ependymoma cell line EphB2-EPD generated details on the possible structures of active compounds present. The procedure allows the rapid identification of known compounds and guides the isolation of unknown compounds of interest. Three previously known flavanone-type compounds, homoeriodictyol (1), hesperetin (2), and sterubin (3), were identified in a selected fraction derived from the leaves of Eriodictyon angustifolium. The lignan compound deoxypodophyllotoxin (8) was confirmed to be an active constituent in two lead fractions derived from the bark and leaves of Thuja occidentalis. In addition, two new but inactive labdane-type diterpenoids with an uncommon triol side chain were also identified as coexisting with deoxypodophyllotoxin in a lead fraction from the bark of T. occidentalis.Both diterpenoids were isolated in acetylated form, and their structures were determined as 14S,15-diacetoxy-13R-hydroxylabd-8(17)-en-19-oic acid (9) and 14R,15-diacetoxy-13S-hydroxylabd-8(17)-en-19-oic acid (10), respectively, by spectroscopic data interpretation and X-ray crystallography. This work demonstrates that a UPLC-MS-ELSD-PDA database produced during fractionation may be used as a powerful dereplication tool to facilitate compound identification from chromatographically tractable small-molecule natural product libraries.

Semiconductor manufacturing is a capital-intensive and high-tech industry. In order to reduce production cycle time and increase production flexibility, the semiconductor manufacturers will expand the capacity in the existed fab and build up new fabs. However, the expandability of production capacity is not infinite since the huge fab scale will increase risk of production management. Therefore, it is necessary to find out the factors which will influence the performance of fab scale. This research uses the eM-plant simulation software to construct a simulation environment to conduct simulation experiment. The experimental environments were divided into two parts and named as high and low product mix complexity separately. Furthermore, three more factors were taken into accounts, which included stability of machine, variation of fab scale and releasing rate. By simulation, the analytical data is collected and analyzed its trend in these different environments. Simulation results reveal the significance of factors under different environments. Based on these results, the managers can conclude an appropriate fab scale in giga-fab, which will help to reduce the cycle time of products and increase the total throughput of giga-fab.

In this research, a model of production planning among different phases is developed. Although every phase at same giga-fab should be regarded as the similar. However, due to the different installation time, technology level and capacity allocation, the production capability of each phase will be distinguishing. Therefore, the major purpose of the production planning model is to develop a feasible and easy used algorithm to fully utilize the capacity of each phase under constraints. The concept of DBR scheduling is applied in this model to fulfill the major target. Furthermore, the notion of Technology Turn Rate (TR) is used to calculate the required date of capacity constraint resorce (CCR). Based on the prefercnce phase of products and the status of CCR, the release phase and date of each order can be well arranged.

Aim To investigate the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume and coronary plaque composition.Methods EAT volume (measured using coronary computed tomography angiography) and coronary plaque characteristics were assessed on a per-segment basis (modified 15-segment American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association classification) in patients with severe coronary artery stenosis. Coronary plaques were classified into four types: 1, calcified plaques; 2, mixed plaques (calcification dominant); 3, mixed plaques (non-calcification dominant); and 4, non-calcified plaques. The gold standard for luminal stenosis was conventional coronary angiography.Results In 365 patients (mean age 58.7 ± 8.0 years), EAT volume was 169.85 ± 29.94 ml. There were no significant between-group differences in patient characteristics. Statistically significant differences in EAT volume between non-calcified and calcified plaque groups were observed. EAT volume showed a positive correlation with total cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and a very weak correlation with age, triglyceride, body mass index and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol.Conclusion EAT volume was higher in the presence of non-calcified and mixed plaques in patients with ≥50% severe coronary artery stenosis.

DRAM industry is not only among the largest manufacturing industries in the world, but also the most competitive. Furthermore, due to DRAM business is characterized by short life cycles, along with highly competition, the manufacturers are forced to migrate to advanced technology quickly. Under this circumstance, the manufacturers have to launch new technology and purchase generational equipment to meet the market demand and reduce manufacturing cost frequently. This paper investigates the technology generational transition of DRAM industry from manufacturing and planning perspectives. The concept of TOC is applied to schedule the production plan of the new/old products. Regarding to shop floor control, three definitions of cycle time are used to diagnose the production status. Finally, the workload ratio of bottleneck is used for the release decision to adjust the rhythm of production.

Semiconductor manufacturing is a capital-intensive and high-tech industry. In order to reduce installation cost and increase production flexibility, twin-fab concept has been established over the past decade, which means two neighboring fabs can be connected to each other by automatic transportation system (AMHS). The capacity backup can be performed between twin fabs to increase whole performance. In this work, a performance evaluation model is proposed to estimate the whole production performance of twin fabs under backup policy. Two situations of capacity shortage are discussed, temporary and permanent capacity shortage. The queuing theory and Little’s Law are used in this model. Besides, the expected value is applied for the estimation of the transportation time under backup activities. Based on the evaluation model, managers can obtain an appropriate estimation of performance under capacity backup in twin-fab environment, which will help to get the reliable information for decision making.

Current use of excessive oil and natural gas is causing the greenhouse effect, the destruction of the Earth's ecology, and the increase in disaster crises. Many countries are forced to start looking for new alternative sources of energy to prevent irreversible environmental problems. Taiwan is an island belonging to subtropical area with abundant sunshine, and it is very suitable for the development of solar energy.Due to the effect of high atmosphericpressures in summer and continental cold masses in winter, coupled with complex terrain, different weather phenomena exist in the northern and southern Taiwan, and the weather, temperature, sunlight and rainfall are different in different places.Before setting up a solar plant, a good assessment and planning is necessary to prevent a waste in financial and natural resources in the future. This research first uses literature review to search for the important factors, and experts are invited to confirm the factors.Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is then applied to assess and analyze which areas in Taiwan are most appropriate for setting up solar plants.Results of the study shall provide solar industry for reference for sustainable development.

In this paper, a series of linear-dendritic block copolymers allyloxy poly(ethylene glycol) polyglycerol (APEG-PG-(OH)n) copolymer, was synthesized by anionic polymerization of glycerol using allyloxy poly(ethylene glycol) (APEG). The polymers were characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR. The polymers were tested as novel environment-friendly inhibitors for industrial cooling water circulation. The performance of AA/APEG-PG-(OH)non inhibition of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate precipitation was studied by static scale inhibition tests. It was shown that AA/APEG-PG-(OH)nexhibited excellent ability to control inorganic minerals, with approximately 99?% calcium phosphate inhibition and 85?% calcium carbonate inhibition at levels of 4 and 10?mg/L AA/APEG-PG-(OH)n, respectively. The effect on formation of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate was investigated with combination of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis, respectively.

Changing polystyrene nanoparticles from three-dimensional spherical shape to two-dimensional disk shape promotes their cell surface binding with significant reduction of cell uptake. As a result of lower cell uptake, nanodisks show very little perturbations on cell functions such as cellular ROS generation, apoptosis and cell cycle progression compared to nanospheres. Therefore, disk-shaped nanoparticles may be a promising template for developing cell membrane-specific and safer imaging agents for a range of biomedical applications such as molecular imaging, tissue engineering, cell tracking, and stem cell separation.

The development of an automated, high-throughput fractionation procedure to prepare and analyze natural product libraries for drug discovery screening is described. Natural products obtained from plant materials worldwide were extracted and first prefractionated on polyamide solid-phase extraction cartridges to remove polyphenols, followed by high-throughput automated fractionation, drying, weighing, and reformatting for screening and storage. The analysis of fractions with UPLC coupled with MS, PDA, and ELSD detectors provides information that facilitates characterization of compounds in active fractions. Screening of a portion of fractions yielded multiple assay-specific hits in several high-throughput cellular screening assays. This procedure modernizes the traditional natural product fractionation paradigm by seamlessly integrating automation, informatics, and multimodal analytical interrogation capabilities.

ABSTRACTTime constraints related issues are unavoidable tasks in wafer fabrications, especially for back-end copper-interconnect process while the wafers are processed through sets of continuous operations associate with various time constraints. We shall address ourselves to capacity planning in order to eradicate the difficulties of sequential time constraints. This paper proposed a tool portfolio determination model to determine the required quantity and type of tools for ensuring pre-defined target yield could be achieved. The workstations are modeled as GI/G/m queuing network, and the analysis of rate of wafers exceeding queue time is adopted to determine the required capacity. Furthermore, a virtual customer was introduced into the model to adjust system service rate to character the machine failure. By this approach, the influence of downtime duration at fixed machine availability could be observed. The results support that the proposed model can more effectively resolve the issues of sequential time constraints. Moreover, the analysis results indicate that the current capacity expansion policy of the semiconductor industry should be re-examined.

The antioxidant defense system in malignant cells, which involves antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant molecules, is an innate barrier to photodynamic therapy (PDT). Because of the complexity of the endogenous antioxidant mechanisms of these cells, simply inhibiting individual antioxidant pathways has a limited effect on improving the lethality of ROS. To enhance the efficacy of PDT for tumor treatment, a versatile nanoparticle (NP)‐based drug is developed, which the authors call PZB NP, containing the glutathione inhibitor l‐buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) and the heme oxygenase 1 (HO‐1) inhibitor protoporphyrin zinc(II) (ZnPP) to suppress the innate antioxidant defense system of cancer cells in a two‐pronged manner. BSO reduces intracellular glutathione levels to minimize ROS elimination and protein protection during PDT, and ZnPP inhibits the ROS‐stimulated upregulation of the antioxidant HO‐1, thus preventing ROS removal by cells after PDT. Thus, BSO and ZnPP synergistically suppress the antioxidant defense systems of cancer cells both during and after protoporphyrin‐IX‐mediated PDT in a two‐pronged manner, resulting in tumor cell death through excess oxidative pressure. The results demonstrate that the construction of nanodrugs having dual antioxidation defense suppression properties is a promising route for the development of highly efficient ROS‐based therapies. A simple and versatile nanodrug, PZB nanoparticle, is developed to enhance PDT efficacy using a two‐pronged antioxidant suppression strategy. In short, the nanoparticle‐loaded BSO reduces the existing intracellular antioxidant (glutathione) concentration before PDT. Subsequently, the loaded protoporphyrin zinc(II) (ZnPP) inhibits ROS‐stimulated antioxidant enzymes (heme oxygenase 1) after PDT. These significantly enhance intracellular oxidative stress, leading to increased cancer cell death.

ABSTRACTRecently, wafer fabrication has become more complicated and lengthened the product queue time. To ensure final product yield, engineers need to set up queue time limits for particular machines during wafer processing; we name it as “time constraints”. Time constraint problems are more serious when the time constraint is short, process is reentrant and batching. Generally, batch processing in wafer fabrication is matching these characteristics. To eradicate difficulties with time constraints and batching process, capacity planning must be addressed. This paper applied GI/G/m queuing theory to develop a capacity determination model for batch processing machines. The batching behavior is considered and taken as a factor to modify the mean and squared coefficient of variation of arrive rate in this model. By this queuing network model, the expected waiting time between machines in production systems can be estimated. Managers can also determine the capacity through the setting of expected rate of over time constraints. Furthermore, a checking table is derived for different utilizations, time constraints, and the probability of expected waiting time over time constraints. The approximate performance measures are compared with discrete-event simulation. The result shows the effectiveness of the proposed model and demonstrates that it is superior to the current planning method.

摘要本硏究將晶圓製造廠依特性分成瓶頸機台、非瓶頸機台與成批加工機台，分別提出不同的管理方式。對於瓶頸機台，維持其最高有效使用率以達到系統最大產出；對於非瓶頸機台，則應充分協助供貨給瓶頸機台，並使自己不致成爲瓶頸機台；成批加工機台則在保護瓶頸機台與節省整備時間之間取得平衡。這些法則被建立成一套可依現場狀況訂定及修正工件加工優序値的自動化工具，經實際晶圓廠的模擬模式結果顯示，以限制理論爲基礎的派工法則適合推廣於晶圓製造廠。

Series of Ba1.98Mg1?xAl2xSi2?xO7:0.02Eu2+phosphors were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. Ba1.98Mg1?xAl2xSi2?xO7:0.02Eu2+shows efficient green emission under the near ultra violet light excitation. As Al-Al replacing Mg-Si, the changes of the structure and the morphology, the variations of the photoluminescence spectra and lifetime, and the evolutions of the thermal stability were investigated and discussed. With Mg-Si replacement by Al-Al, the crystal field splitting strength of the 5d electron of Eu2+increases, which causes the red shift of the emission band. The photoluminescence intensity and lifetime of Eu2+is decreased. The physical mechanisms for the variations of the photoluminescence intensity and lifetime were discussed. The thermal stability can be evidently improved with Al-Al replacing Mg-Si in the host structure. The forbidden band width has been calculated with the measurements of the reflection spectra, which is extended firstly and then narrowed. The extended forbidden band width limits the Eu2+5d electron self-ionization from the splitting levels to the conduction band, which is resulted in the improvement of the thermal stabilities. These results show Al-Al replacing Si-Mg can be a suitable route for the photoluminescence tune for Ba2MgSi2O7:Eu2+phosphors.

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