Tatung (Taiwan)

We aimed to identify the early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD)-causing variants in the Eastern Taiwanese population. Twenty-one patients diagnosed with EOAD in the memory clinic at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital were enrolled during 2014-2018. We conducted whole-exome sequencing to identify the disease-causing variations and validated by Sanger sequencing. SIFT, PolyPhen-2, and AlphaFold were applied to predict the functional impact of the identified variants. Two unrelated normolipidemic EOAD patients were carrying a rare heterozygous APOE variant (rs373985746, NC_000019.10:g. 44905879G>A, NM_001302688.2:c. 11G>A, and NP_001289617.1:p.Gly4Glu) with the allele frequency as 0.000206. Sanger sequencing uncovered the ∑ haplotypes in which the c.11G>A variation resided. SIFT predicted that the variant severely impacts protein structure and, maybe thus, function. AlphaFold predicted a dysfunctional conformation of the mutant APOE precursor a protein (p.Gly4Glu). Our data strongly suggest that the rare p.Gly4Glu variant is associated with EOAD but does not cause dyslipidemia.

As a transition metal chalcogenide, molybdenum disulfide is an important two-dimensional material. Due to its structural anisotropy, its different morphological structures impact performance. Therefore, improving existing preparation methods enhances its applications. Single-layer molybdenum disulfide is a direct bandgap semiconductor with excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability. We chose ammonium molybdate as the molybdenum source and L-cysteine as the sulfur source. By changing the pH and the reaction time in the environment, the hydrothermal method is used to synthesize the precursor and molybdenum disulfide with different morphologies to control its morphology. Electrochemical test results showed that the specific capacity of molybdenum disulfide synthesized at a current density of 0.6 A reaches 187.79 F/g at a reaction time of 24 h and a pH of 0.6. Its microstructure is in the shape of a flower ball, with a single piece size of about 50 nm and a thickness of about 5 nm. Its specific surface area reaches 36.88 m2/g, which provides enough active sites.

This study was meticulously conducted, delving into the epitaxial growth of nanothin β-In2Se3 films on sapphire (0001) using molecular beam epitaxy. The growth temperature was carefully set at 480 °C, and the selenium to indium flux ratio (RSe/In) was systematically varied from 1 to 100. The phase transformation from γ-In2Se3 to β-In2Se3 was precisely controlled by manipulating the RSe/In and confirmed through Raman scattering measurements and synchrotron-based grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering. The surface morphology for various RSe/In of In2Se3 was analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The lowest surface roughness is around 0.58 nm, which is achieved under the RSe/In = 60 growth condition. The nanothin β-In2Se3 film with a layer-by-layer atomic arrangement was verified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. According to the experimental results, the growth dynamics of In2Se3 are proposed to be step-flow growth and horizontal growth under RSe/In 45 and 60 conditions, respectively. This research underscores the control of the growth mechanism by Se/In flux and its role in facilitating the In2Se3 epitaxy for integration in the development of 2D-materials-based future electronic devices.

Abstract The paper explores the concept of cash refund capital reductions (CRCR) in the context of firms listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation (TSEC) and GreTai Securities Market (GTSM). CRCR is a distinct and increasingly vital financial tool used by these firms. Taiwan stands alone in adopting CRCR, making it a challenge to establish both a theoretical framework and gather empirical evidence on this subject. In this study, we examined 205 CRCR announcements made between 2002 and 2022, delving into their impact on both bull and bear markets. Our investigation reveals that the market responses to CRCR announcements were more significant during bull markets compared to bear markets. Additionally, we delve into the crucial factors influencing market responses in these varying market conditions. The findings underscore the importance for firms announcing CRCR to carefully consider the prevailing market conditions.

The advancements in automated problem-solving were explored by the agents of Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generated Content (AIGC). Although existing AIGC-based AI Agent systems can solve simple tasks, it is complicated to handle complex tasks due to inconsistent work logic. In this research, the operating mechanism of AI Agents was dissected to elucidate why AIGC is suitable as the foundation for AI Agents. Based on this technology, we proposed an AI Agent framework named SOP-GPT which has integrated the concept of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) from human workflow into AI Agents. SOP-GPT comprises three main elements: process, role, and skills. By combining the generative capability of AIGC with human SOP mechanisms, the quality of generation was enhanced to meet the expectations of human work requirements. We further explored how to assemble an AIGC engineering process for the division of labor and collaboration methods between various functional departments or units in enterprises in this framework. This research results provide a perspective for human management experience to enhance the capabilities of AI Agents and provide direction for future research.

The reaction condition for purifying carbonic anhydrase from Sulfurihydrogenibium yellowstonense (SspCA) by direct heating without prior cell lysis was optimized; heating at 70 °C for 5 min resulted in the highest total activity of 23,460 WAU (Wilbur-Anderson unit) from a 50 mL culture. Heat-purified SspCA was examined for its capability to increase the rate of the mineralization of CO2; compared with an uncatalyzed control, the onset time of CaCO3 formation was shortened by up to 71%. Cyanase can be used to degrade toxic cyanate; however, one of the limitations of this biomimetic process is that the reaction needs HCO3- as a substrate. Heat-purified SspCA was combined with heat-purified cyanase from Thermomyces lanuginosus to alleviate the HCO3- dependence; in industrial wastewater, the HCO3- required was reduced by 50% when 0.75 WAU of SspCA was added. Heat-purified SspCA is stable at 4 °C; 88% of the initial activity was retained for up to five weeks. Partially purified SspCA can be obtained with ease and applied to a variety of applications.

Abstract Wavelength converters in white light‐emitting diodes are usually made by sintering of phosphor‐glass powder compacts. An issue is that the sintering process usually results in the reduction of phosphor amount. In the present study, composites containing CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ red phosphor and Bi2O3‐B2O3‐ZnO‐Sb2O5 glass were fabricated by sintering method. Influences of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ phosphor content (10 vol%–30 vol%) and sintering temperature (410–430°C) on the residual amount of the phosphor phase and the resulting luminescence intensity of the composites were investigated. The change of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ content due to sintering was analyzed by X‐ray diffraction. The interdiffusion between the CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ and glass matrix was examine by scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry. This paper focuses on the change of luminescence intensity after sintering. It was found that although the content of phosphor CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ reduces after sintering; the luminescent intensity of the composites anomalously increases. The optimum luminescence intensity is 14% higher than that of the as‐mixed, unfired powder. It is proposed that the incorporation of Bi3+ ions from the glass matrix into the phosphor CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ during sintering improves the luminescence ability of the phosphor particles.