Realization of Woodpile Structure Using Optical Interference Holography

We report the use of a (4+1)-beam optical interference holography technique to fabricate woodpile structures in photo-resists. The configuration consists of 4 linear polarized side beams arranged symmetrically around a circular polarized central beam with all the beams from the same half space, making it easily accessible experimentally. The fabricated woodpile structures are in good agreement with model simulations. Furthermore, woodpiles with the diamond symmetry are also obtained by exploiting the deformations of the photo-resists. Directional bandgaps in the visible range are also observed for the samples with and without the correct stacking of the woodpile structures.Comment: 9 pages and three figure

Parenting approaches, family functionality, and internet addiction among Hong Kong adolescents

© 2016 Wu et al. Background: Internet addiction (IA) among adolescents has become a global health problem, and public awareness of it is increasing. Many IA risk factors relate to parents and the family environment. This study examined the relationship between IA and parenting approaches and family functionality. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2021 secondary students to identify the prevalence of IA and to explore the association between adolescent IA and familial variables, including parents' marital status, family income, family conflict, family functionality, and parenting approaches. Results: The results revealed that 25.3 % of the adolescent respondents exhibited IA, and logistic regression positively predicted the IA of adolescents from divorced families, low-income families, families in which family conflict existed, and severely dysfunctional families. Interestingly, adolescents with restricted Internet use were almost 1.9 times more likely to have IA than those whose use was not restricted. Conclusions: Internet addiction is common among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong, and family-based prevention strategies should be aligned with the risk factors of IA.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Mini-storage in Hong Kong : capacities and achievements of regulatory coordination

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

Interfacial Superconductivity and Zero Bias Peak in Quasi‐One‐Dimensional Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe Heterostructure Nanostructures

Abstract Bismuth telluride/iron telluride (Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe) heterostructures are known to exhibit interfacial superconductivity between two non‐superconducting materials: Fe1+yTe as the parent compound of Fe‐based superconducting materials and the topological insulator Bi2Te3. Here, a top‐down approach is presented starting from 2D heterostructures to fabricate 1D Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe nanowires or narrow nanoribbons. It is demonstrated that the Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe heterostructure remains intact in nanostructures of widths on the order of 100 nm and the interfacial superconductivity is preserved, as evidenced by electrical transport and Andreev reflection point contact spectroscopy experiments measured at the end of the nanowire. The differential conductance shows a similar superconducting twin‐gap structure as in 2D heterostructures, but with enhanced fluctuation effects due to the lower dimensionality. A zero‐bias conductance peak indicates the presence of an Andreev bound state and, given the involvement of the topological Bi2Te3 surface state, a possible topological nature of superconductivity is discussed with strong interplay with an emerging ferromagnetism due to the interstitial excess iron (Fe) in the Fe1+yTe layer, developing in parallel with superconductivity at low temperatures

Application of a Modified Entropy Computational Method in Assessing the Complexity of Pulse Wave Velocity Signals in Healthy and Diabetic Subjects

Using 1000 successive points of a pulse wave velocity (PWV) series, we previously distinguished healthy from diabetic subjects with multi-scale entropy (MSE) using a scale factor of 10. One major limitation is the long time for data acquisition (i.e., 20 min). This study aimed at validating the sensitivity of a novel method, short time MSE (sMSE) that utilized a substantially smaller sample size (i.e., 600 consecutive points), in differentiating the complexity of PWV signals both in simulation and in human subjects that were divided into four groups: healthy young (Group 1; n = 24) and middle-aged (Group 2; n = 30) subjects without known cardiovascular disease and middle-aged individuals with well-controlled (Group 3; n = 18) and poorly-controlled (Group 4; n = 22) diabetes mellitus type 2. The results demonstrated that although conventional MSE could differentiate the subjects using 1000 consecutive PWV series points, sensitivity was lost using only 600 points. Simulation study revealed consistent results. By contrast, the novel sMSE method produced significant differences in entropy in both simulation and testing subjects. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that using a novel sMSE approach for PWV analysis, the time for data acquisition can be substantially reduced to that required for 600 cardiac cycles (~10 min) with remarkable preservation of sensitivity in differentiating among healthy, aged, and diabetic populations

Non-Hepatic Alkaline Phosphatase, hs-CRP and Progression of Vertebral Fracture in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Background: Interactions and early warning effects of non-hepatic alkaline phosphatase (NHALP) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on the progression of vertebral fractures (VFs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain unclear. We aim to explore whether serum concentrations of NHALP and hs-CRP could serve as a promising dual biomarker for prognostic assessment of VF progression. Methods: Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of VF progression were calculated for different categories of serum NHALP and hs-CRP using the Cox regression model in RA patients. The modification effect between serum NHALP and hs-CRP on VF progression was determined using an interaction product term. Results: During 4489 person-years of follow-up, higher NHALP (>125 U/L) and hs-CRP (>3.0 mg/L) were robustly associated with incremental risks of VF progression in RA patients (aHR: 2.2 (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.2⁻3.9) and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.3⁻3.3) compared to the lowest HR category, respectively). The interaction between NHALP and hs-CRP on VF progression was statistically significant (p < 0.05). In the stratified analysis, patients with combined highest NHALP and hs-CRP had the greatest risk of VF progression (aHR: 4.9 (95% CI: 2.5⁻9.6)) compared to the lowest HR group (NHALP < 90 U/L and hs-CRP < 1 mg/L). Conclusions: In light of underdiagnoses of VFs and misleading diagnosis by single test, NHALP and hs-CRP could serve as compensatory biomarkers to predict subclinical VF progression in RA patients