STUDY ON THE SENSITIVITY OF FUNCTIONALIZEDNANOWIRES USING VARIED CHEMICALS

Silicon nanowire-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (SiNW MOSFETs) havebeen demonstrated excellent sensitivity and stability after surface modification and functionalization ofnanowires. Chemical molecules have been applied to functionalize the surface of silicon surface. Silanecoupling agents are good candidates for forming self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by chemicallyinteracting with silicon oxide. Those chemically modified SAMs can provide a functional surface tofurther conjugate biomolecules on SiNW MOSFETs. After functionalization, SiNW MOSFETs withtunably biocompatible surface can sustain a functional biointerface for biological tests. In this work,SiNW MOSFETs were fabricated using the standard I-line stepper of MOS semiconducting process andthen visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The n-type SiNW MOSFETs devices werefabricated after the process of trimming, the scale of nanowire was down to a level of approximate 165 nm.3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) and 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) SAMs wereindependently used to modify the surface of SiNW MOSFETs for pH sensing in biological buffer solution.Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) were appliedto characterize before and after surface modification. AFM found APTMS and MPTMS were successfullymodified on silicon substrates. The average vertical length of APTMS and MPTMS SAMs from our AFMobservation was around 2.628 nm and 2.698 nm, respectively. ESCA showed the specifically functionalamino (-NH2) groups and mercapto (-SH) groups on each APTMS and MPTMS modified silicon substrates.The specific amine functional group at 399.4 eV occurred after the modification of APTMS on siliconsubstrate in N1s spectra. S2p spectra showed the specific binding at 163.6 eV (C-SH) and 165.8 eV (-C-SS-C-) after the modification of MPTMS on silicon substrate. Those disulfide bonds further influenced theorganization of MPTMS-SAM on the surface; therefore, the APTMS had better SAM performance on oursilicon substrate. On the other hand, electrical measuring system was used for elucidating that the suitablesurface modification would have great impact on the sensing response and sensitivity. Varied biologicalPBS solutions at different pH values showed that unmodified SiNW MOSFETs were sensitive to theH+ ion change. When the pH level of the solution increased, the drain current of the unmodified SiNWMOSFETs decreased accordingly. In comparison with unmodified nanowires in current measurement,the changes of current of APTMS or MPTMS modified nanowires were enhanced in sensing of differentpH solutions. Our results also showed that amino and mercapto groups of APTMS and MPTMS canimprove the protonation and deprotonation reactions in different pH solutions. Both APTMS and MPTMSmodified SiNW MOSFETs in pH sensings possessed good electrical sensing response and sensitivity incontrast with unmodified one. Moreover, in consequence of lower mercaptal groups of MPTMS on NWs,the relatively minor signal responses to varied pH solutions in MPTMS modified SiNW MOSFETs. Theelectrical measurement showed that the amino groups of APTMS significantly improve the sensitivity ofSiNW MOSFET in different pH sensings. Our results showed that adequate modification could provide afunctionable surface for SiNW MOSFETs. We inferred the APTMS modified SiNW MOSFETs could be areal-time sensor for different pH levels detection and further applied in monitoring biological environmentin the future

Spontaneous Formation of One-dimensions Ripples in Transit to Highly Ordered Two-dimensional Herringbone Structures Through Sequential and Unequal Biaxial Mechanical Stretching

The authors report the formation of various submicron wrinkle patterns and their transition from one-dimensional (1D) ripples to two-dimensional (2D) herringbone structures on poly(dimethylsiloxane) films. Using mechanical force they can separately control the amount and timing of strain applied to the substrate on both planar directions (either simultaneously or sequentially), which appears to be critical to maneuver the pattern formation in real time. They demonstrate reversible transitions from flat to 1D ripple, to ripple with bifurcation, to ripple/herringbone mixed features, and to well-controlled formation of a highly ordered zigzag-based 2D herringbone structures

Modeling Chinese post-90\u272 tourism loyalty to the ex-rival state using the perceived value approach

Purpose – A recent trend in tourism research involves the study of independent Chinese tourists. Yet while post-90s or Generation Z (i.e., born in the 1990s) comprises an important share of nondomestic visitors to Taiwan and other tourist destinations, this segment of the tourist population is currently under-analyzed. As a pioneering piece of research in this area, this survey attempts to understand Chinese tourists of this cohort visiting the long-divided state. Design – This research incorporates the social dimension of perceived value in the ordinarily employed perceived-value model to better understand why Chinese post-90s would like to recommend Taiwan. Methodology – This study samples Chinese students from 12 universities located in the northern, central, southern, and western regions of Taiwan. They were investigated with the selfadministered survey which is composed of five constructs, for a total of 17 questions. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the collected data and testify the hypotheses. Findings – The finding provides insights in the specific tourism behaviors of this cohort and how they are found distinct from their predecessors. The emotional dimension of the post-90s’ tourismrelated perceived value is a strong determinant of their loyalty to Taiwan as a tourist destination. The prior-rival situation between both sides of the Taiwan Strait might signify that social dimension significantly predict their loyalty, through the mediator of satisfaction. Originality – This research provides important information for tourism businesses regarding place management and marketing strategies, enabling them to receive this new generation of Chinese customers

Strain responsive concave and convex microlens arrays

We report the fabrication of single-component, strain responsive microlens arrays with real-time tunability. The concave lens array is fabricated by patterning hard oxide layer on a bidirectionally prestretched soft elastomer, polydimethylsiloxane PDMS followed by confined buckling upon release of the prestrain. The convex microlens array is replica molded from the concave lenses in PDMS. Due to difference in lens formation mechanisms, the two types of lenses show different tunable range of focal length in response to the applied strain: large focal length change is observed from the concave microlens array, whereas that from the convex microlens array is much smaller

ANALYZING MEDICAL TRANSACTION DATA BY USING ASSOCIATION RULE MINING WITH MULTIPLE MINIMUM SUPPORTS

The quick development of IS has a huge impact on the healthcare industry. almost all the existing hospitals, clinics and other healthcare-related institutes have adopted a functionally powerful and highly integrated Hospital Information System (HIS) for management of clinic or medical-related affairs. The medical data stored in the HIS are collected from many different medical subsystems, However, problems of failed data sharing and inconsistent data content often occur among these subsystems, resulting in many hospitals collect a large amount of medical data, but not the ability to process and analyse these data properly, letting the valuable data in the HIS all go to waste. In this study, we made a practical visit to a certain hospital in Taiwan and collected radioimmunoassay (RIA) data from the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and the Departmental Registration System (DRS) of this hospital. Further, we proposed a method of the association rule mining in combination with the concept of multiple minimum supports to analyse and find valuable association rules from the RIA data. The analytical results found the method we proposed can indeed find association rules that would not be able to be found with the traditional association mining methods. It is very helpful in improving doctor-patient relationship and upgrading health care quality

Urothelial carcinoma in a remnant ureter after a radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma: A case report

AbstractUrothelial carcinoma of a ureteral stump after a radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma is rare. We present the case of a 76-year-old man with painless gross hematuria. The patient had undergone a right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma 30 months previously. Cystoscopy showed a blood clot in the right ureteral orifice, and ureteroscopy revealed a papillary mass in the right ureter. The patient underwent a right ureterectomy and bladder cuff resection. The pathology examination showed a high-grade urothelial carcinoma. However, a superficial bladder tumor was discovered postoperatively, and a transurethral resection of the bladder tumor was performed. At 8 months postoperatively, the patient was alive with no evidence of recurrence. A ureteral stump evaluation must be performed when painless hematuria is noted in patients after a nephrectomy

The Adoption of Wikipedia: A Community- and Information Quality-Based View

The Web 2.0 model has aroused vast attention as it alters the traditional role of Internet users as pure information receivers. Wikipedia, as one of the most successful case of the Web 2.0 model, creates an online encyclopedia through the collective efforts of volunteers. Shared freely by all Internet users, it forms an online community platform on which users can seek and share knowledge. This study investigates the factors that affect the adoption of Wikipedia. Based on the TAM of Davis (1989), perceived critical mass, community identification, and perceived information quality were incorporated into the research model to explain the intention and usage of Wikipedia. This research is a work-in-progress and a questionnaire survey will be executed, targeting at Internet users who had prior experiences with knowledge seeking on Wikipedia

Stateless Two-Stage Multiple Criteria Scheduling in Nuclear Medicine

Examination in nuclear medicine exhibits scheduling difficulties due to its intricate clinical issues, such as varied radiopharmaceuticals for different diseases, machine preparation and length of scan, and patients’ and hospital’s criteria and/or limitations. Many scheduling methods exist but are limited for nuclear medicine. In this paper, we present stateless two-stage scheduling to cope with multiple criteria decision making. The first stage mostly deals with patients’ conditions. The second stage concerns more the clinical condition and its correlations with patients’ preference which presents more complicated intertwined configurations. A greedy algorithm is proposed in the second stage to determine the (time slot and patient) pair in linear time. The result shows practical and efficient scheduling for nuclear medicine