COVID-19: Taiwan's epidemiological characteristics and public and hospital responses.

Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a global health threat with significant medical, economic, social and political implications. The optimal strategies for combating COVID-19 have not been fully determined and vary across countries.

Methods: By the end of February 2020 in Taiwan, 2,150 patients received diagnostic COVID-19 testing and 39 confirmed cases were detected.

Use of PELC/CpG Adjuvant for Intranasal Immunization with Recombinant Hemagglutinin to Develop H7N9 Mucosal Vaccine.

Human infections with H7N9 avian influenza A virus can result in severe diseases with high mortality. Developing an effective vaccine is urgently needed to prevent its pandemic potential. Vaccine delivery routes via mucosal surfaces are known to elicit mucosal immune responses such as secretory IgA antibodies in mucosal fluids, thus providing first-line protection at infection sites.

150-200 V Split-Gate Trench Power MOSFETs with Multiple Epitaxial Layers.

A rating voltage of 150 and 200 V split-gate trench (SGT) power metal-oxide- semiconductor field-effect transistor (Power MOSFET) with different epitaxial layers was proposed and studied. In order to reduce the specific on-resistance (R) of a 150 and 200 V SGT power MOSFET, we used a multiple epitaxies (EPIs) structure to design it and compared other single-EPI and double-EPIs devices based on the same fabrication process. We found that the bottom epitaxial (EPI) layer of a double-EPIs structure can be designed to support the breakdown voltage, and the top one can be adjusted to reduce the R.

GREMA: modelling of emulated gene regulatory networks with confidence levels based on evolutionary intelligence to cope with the underdetermined problem.

Motivation: Non-linear ordinary differential equation (ODE) models that contain numerous parameters are suitable for inferring an emulated gene regulatory network (eGRN). However, the number of experimental measurements is usually far smaller than the number of parameters of the eGRN model that leads to an underdetermined problem. There is no unique solution to the inference problem for an eGRN using insufficient measurements.

Non-health outcomes affecting self-care behaviors and medical decision-making preference in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The effects of patient sustained self-care behaviors on glycemic control are even greater than the effects of medical treatment, indicating the value of identifying the factors that influence self-care behaviors. To date, these factors have not been placed in a single model to clarify the critical path affecting self-care behaviors. The aims of this study were to explore the relationships of these factors and the differences in patient preference for medical decision-making.

Multi-Sensor Fusion Approach for Improving Map-Based Indoor Pedestrian Localization.

The interior space of large-scale buildings, such as hospitals, with a variety of departments, is so complicated that people may easily lose their way while visiting. Difficulties in wayfinding can cause stress, anxiety, frustration and safety issues to patients and families. An indoor navigation system including route planning and localization is utilized to guide people from one place to another.

Evaluating scale effects of topographic variables in landslide susceptibility models using GIS-based machine learning techniques.

The quality of digital elevation models (DEMs), as well as their spatial resolution, are important issues in geomorphic studies. However, their influence on landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) remains poorly constrained. This work determined the scale dependency of DEM-derived geomorphometric factors in LSM using a 5 m LiDAR DEM, LiDAR resampled 30 m DEM, and a 30 m ASTER DEM.

Exploring critical factors influencing nurses' intention to use tablet PC in Patients' care using an integrated theoretical model.

The use of health information technology (HIT) is expected to deliver benefits for patients, nurses, physicians, and organizations, but the benefits of HIT can only be attained if nurses accept and intend to use it as they are the leading user-group. The use of the tablet is becoming commonplace in healthcare organizations to improve patient care. The current study incorporates Technology Acceptance Model2 (TAM2) with two antecedents, facilitating condition and personal, to identify and understand the factors that influence nurses' intention to use the Tablet PC.

Suppressed Growth of (Fe, Cr Co Ni Cu)Sn Intermetallic Compound at Interface between Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu Solder and FeCoNiCrCu Substrate during Solid-state Aging.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are promising materials for next-generation applications because of their mechanical properties, excellent high-temperature stability, and resistance against oxidation and corrosion. Although many researchers have investigated high-temperature HEA applications, few have considered low-temperature applications. Here we demonstrate an unprecedented intermetallic compound of (Fe, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu)Sn at the interface between Sn-3.

Enhancing silicide formation in Ni/Si(111) by Ag-Si particles at the interface.

Compound formation at a metal/semiconductor interface plays crucial roles in the properties of many material systems. Applications of Ni silicides span numerous areas and have the potential to be used as new functionalities. However, the magnetic properties of ultrathin Ni layers on silicon surfaces and related chemical compositions at the interface are not fully understood and the influence of Ag additives on the reactivity of Ni/Si(111) remain unclear.

The use of waste SNCR catalysts to produce a nano-TiO photo-catalyst and to degrade wastewater from the dye making industry.

This study recycles titanium dioxide (TiO) that is contained in waste selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) catalysts using acid or alkali. The waste SNCR is then filtered, baked, ground and calcined to form a photo-catalytic powder. The nano-TiO photo-catalysts that are obtained using both processes are then tested and compared.

Performance Improvement of a Nonvolatile UV TD Sensor Using SAHAOS with a High Temperature Annealed, Partially Nano-Crystallized Trapping Layer.

This study shows that a silicon⁻aluminum oxide⁻hafnium aluminum oxide-silicon oxide⁻silicon capacitor device with a high temperature pre-metal-anneal-treated and partially-nanocrystallized hafnium aluminum oxide, (hereafter PNC-SAHAOS) can successfully increase the performance of a nonvolatile ultraviolet radiation total dose (hereafter UV TD) sensor. The experimental results show that the UV-induced threshold voltage V shift of PNC-SAHAOS was 10 V after UV TD 100 mW·s/cm² irradiation. The UV-induced charge density of PNC-SAHAOS is almost eight times that of amorphous silicon⁻aluminum oxide⁻silicon nitride⁻silicon dioxide⁻silicon SANOS.

Effect of FeCoNiCrCu High-entropy-alloy Substrate on Sn Grain Size in Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu Solder.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are well known for their excellent high-temperature stability, mechanical properties, and promising resistance against oxidation and corrosion. However, their low-temperature applications are rarely studied, particularly in electronic packaging. In this study, the interfacial reaction between a Sn-3.

Gut microbiome changes in overweight male adults following bowel preparation.

Background: Human gut microbiome has an essential role in human health and disease. Although the major dominant microbiota within individuals have been reported, the change of gut microbiome caused by external factors, such as antibiotic use and bowel cleansing, remains unclear. We conducted this study to investigate the change of gut microbiome in overweight male adults after bowel preparation, where none of the participants had been diagnosed with any systemic diseases.

Electrical and Physical Characteristics of WO₃/Ag/WO₃ Sandwich Structure Fabricated with Magnetic-Control Sputtering Metrology †.

In this work, three layers of transparent conductive films of WO₃/Ag/WO₃ (WAW) were deposited on a glass substrate by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The thicknesses of WO₃ (around 50~60 nm) and Ag (10~20 nm) films were mainly the changeable factors to achieve the optimal transparent conductivity attempting to replace the indium tin oxide (ITO) in cost consideration. The prepared films were cardinally subjected to physical and electrical characteristic analyses by means of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and Keithley 4200 semiconductor parameter analyzer.

Modeling the adoption of personal health record (PHR) among individual: the effect of health-care technology self-efficacy and gender concern.

Background: With the development of information technology (IT) and medical technology, medical information has been developed from traditional paper-based records into up-to-date medical information exchange system called personal health record (PHR). Empowering PHR provides health awareness and intention for health promotion.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to present a research framework to examine individuals' intention to PHR use.

A BLE-Based Pedestrian Navigation System for Car Searching in Indoor Parking Garages.

The continuous global increase in the number of cars has led to an increase in parking issues, particularly with respect to the search for available parking spaces and finding cars. In this paper, we propose a navigation system for car owners to find their cars in indoor parking garages. The proposed system comprises a car-searching mobile app and a positioning-assisting subsystem.

Instillation of particulate matter 2.5 induced acute lung injury and attenuated the injury recovery in ACE2 knockout mice.

Inhaled particulate matter 2.5 (PM) can cause lung injury by inducing serious inflammation in lung tissue. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung diseases and regulates inflammatory response.

Time-dependent analysis of dosage delivery information for patient-controlled analgesia services.

Pain relief always plays the essential part of perioperative care and an important role of medical quality improvement. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is a method that allows a patient to self-administer small boluses of analgesic to relieve the subjective pain. PCA logs from the infusion pump consisted of a lot of text messages which record all events during the therapies.

RGB-Stack Light Emitting Diode Modules with Transparent Glass Circuit Board and Oil Encapsulation.

The light emitting diode (LED) is widely used in modern solid-state lighting applications, and its output efficiency is closely related to the submounts' material properties. Most submounts used today, such as low-power printed circuit boards (PCBs) or high-power metal core printed circuit boards (MCPCBs), are not transparent and seriously decrease the output light extraction. To meet the requirements of high light output and better color mixing, a three-dimensional (3-D) stacked flip-chip (FC) LED module is proposed and demonstrated.

PredCRP: predicting and analysing the regulatory roles of CRP from its binding sites in Escherichia coli.

Cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP), a global regulator in Escherichia coli, regulates more than 180 genes via two roles: activation and repression. Few methods are available for predicting the regulatory roles from the binding sites of transcription factors. This work proposes an accurate method PredCRP to derive an optimised model (named PredCRP-model) and a set of four interpretable rules (named PredCRP-ruleset) for predicting and analysing the regulatory roles of CRP from sequences of CRP-binding sites.

Imbalanced plasma ACE and ACE2 level in the uremic patients with cardiovascular diseases and its change during a single hemodialysis session.

Background: The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has significant influences on heart and renal disease progression. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2) are major peptidases of RAS components and play counteracting functions through angiotensin II (Ang II)/ATIR and angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7))/Mas axis, respectively.

Methods: There were 360 uremic patients on regular hemodialysis (HD) treatment (inclusive of 119 HD patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and 241 HD patients without CVD and 50 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study.

An empirical research on relationships between subjective judgement, technology acceptance tendency and knowledge transfer.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among employees' usage intention pertaining to mobile information devices, focusing on subjective judgement, technology acceptance tendency, information sharing behavior and information transfer. A research model was established to verify several hypotheses. The research model based on integrated concepts of knowledge management and technology acceptance modeling.

Consumption of Energy Drinks among Undergraduate Students in Taiwan: Related Factors and Associations with Substance Use.

: This study aimed to investigate the consumption of energy drinks and associated factors among undergraduate students in Taiwan. : Data came from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015. Eligible participants completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing use and perceptions of energy drinks, tobacco, alcohol, and betel nut.

Data Collection and Analysis Using Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Knee Range of Motion after Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most common treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis of that articulation. However, either in rehabilitation clinics or in hospital wards, the knee range of motion (ROM) can currently only be assessed using a goniometer. In order to provide continuous and objective measurements of knee ROM, we propose the use of wearable inertial sensors to record the knee ROM during the recovery progress.