Explore the vast range of titles available.

In this study, a combination of X‐ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), time‐resolved XEOL (TR‐XEOL) and the Hanbury‐Brown and Twiss (HB‐T) interferometer at the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) 23A X‐ray nanoprobe beamline for exploring quantum materials is demonstrated. On the basis of the excellent spatial resolution rendered using a nano‐focused beam, emission distributions of artificial micro‐diamonds can be obtained by XEOL maps, and featured emission peaks of a selected local area can be obtained by XEOL spectra. The hybrid bunch mode of the TPS not only provides a sufficiently high peak power density for experiments at each beamline but also permits high‐quality temporal domain (∼200 ns) measurements for investigating luminescence dynamics. From TR‐XEOL measurements, the decay lifetime of micro‐diamonds is determined to be approximately 16 ns. Furthermore, the XEOL spectra of artificial micro‐diamonds can be investigated by the HB‐T interferometer to identify properties of single‐photon sources. The unprecedented strategy of combining XEOL, TR‐XEOL and the HB‐T interferometer at the X‐ray nanoprobe beamline will open new avenues with significant characterization abilities for unraveling the emission mechanisms of single‐photon sources for quantum materials. The unprecedented strategy of combining XEOL, TR‐XEOL and the HB‐T interferometer at the TPS 23A X‐ray nanoprobe beamline will open new avenues for exploring quantum materials.

Residents and workers exposure to high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in buildings may cause headache, dyspnea, fatigue, or drowsiness. However, the effect of plants on in-building CO2 reduction and adverse effect relief is largely unknown. We recruited 36 healthy participants from an office room with plants and 32 healthy participants from another office room without plant in the same office building in Taipei. The participants in the office room with plants during 2020 would move to the office room without plant in 2021. The twelve repeated measurements per year of CO2, fine particles (PM2.5), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), blood pressure (BP), serum CO2 (TCO2), and four rating questions of headache, dyspnea, fatigue, and drowsiness were obtained for each participant. The statistical results showed that levels of drowsiness and systolic BP were significantly lower among participants in the office room with plants compared to those in the office room without plants by t-test and paired t-test. The associations between increased indoor CO2 and increased serum CO2 were observed in the office room with plants (1.32%) and without plant (4.52%) by mixed-effects models. Also, the associations between indoor CO2 and drowsiness were observed in office rooms (with plants: 14.57%; without plant: 3.82%). The conclusion of the present study is that plants in office environment can reduce CO2 levels and may lower CO2-related health effects.

The micro-CT and nano-CT endstation have been established at beamline 31A of the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS). The TPS 31A beamline is sourced by a wiggler with multiple beam modes: white beam, high-flux mono-beam, and high-resolution mono-beam modes. At TPS31A, we have developed a system comprising micro-CT (Projection X-ray Microscope, PXM) and nano CT (Transmission Xray Microscope, TXM). The micro-CT was opened in the second half of 2022, while the nano-CT is currently under commission. The primary design of the micro-scale CT prioritizes speed, enabling efficient processing of multiple samples. It is equipped with an automated sample pre-alignment and loading system to facilitate high-throughput sample handling. Conversely, the nano CT focuses on longer working distances to accommodate in-situ experiments, catering to diverse sample requirements.

Accurately identifying viruses is essential for diagnosing infections and tracking outbreaks. Traditional methods, such as growing viruses in the lab or using rapid antigen tests, can be slow and may not detect all viruses. PCR tests improve detection but can only identify specific, known viruses. In this study, we used Oxford Nanopore sequencing (ONT-Seq), a real-time genetic sequencing technology, to analyze 85 patient samples. Our approach correctly identified viruses in 80% of cases compared to standard hospital tests and even detected co-infections in 7% of cases that routine tests missed. This sequencing method also allowed us to determine the exact virus type, helping track how viruses spread. Our findings show that metagenomic sequencing is a powerful tool for identifying a wide range of viruses quickly and accurately, improving both diagnosis and outbreak monitoring.

Introduction: This study determined risk factors, obstetric comorbidities, and fetal conditions among HIV-positive mothers to improve their maternal care. Methodology: This retrospective case-control study included HIV-positive pregnant women 18 years of age or older and age-, parity-, and delivery method-matched HIV-negative controls between 2011 and 2018. Those who had stillbirth were excluded. Baseline demographics, labor process, CD4 count, plasma HIV viral load, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen were recorded. Fetal conditions were recorded as well. Results: Forty HIV-positive women (45 parities; 22 via NSD, 23 via C/S) were included, with 45 HIV-negative parities as controls. Twenty-nine (72.5%) HIV-positive women had illicit drug use. In the HIV-positive group, 17% received ART prior to first perinatal visit, and 75.6% reached viral suppression pre-delivery. Zidovudine and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir were the majorly prescribed ART. Mild perineal lacerations via NSD were observed in HIV-positive women. Fetal body weight was lower in HIV- and ART-exposed fetuses (2665 vs 3010 g, p < 0.001). Preterm delivery PTB (28.9% vs 8.9%, p= 0.015) and small-for gestational age SGA (28.9% vs 8.8%, p = 0.003) rates were higher in the HIV-positive group. There was no vertical transmission of HIV. Conclusions: HIV-positive women tend to deliver fetuses with low body weight and have higher SGA and PTB rates. Given that most women received zidovudine and protease inhibitors, benefits of newer agents for HIV-positive pregnancies should be studied.

In this article, we discuss the key issues related to the design and construction of the Transmission X-ray Microscopy (TXM) endstation. We address the major challenges encountered, particularly those related to vibration during the assembly and alignment of optical components. Another significant focus is the wobble observed in the rotary stage and the misalignment between various stages of the TXM endstation. We evaluate the impact of these issues on overall performance and describe the measures implemented to mitigate them, ensuring precision and stability during experiments.

This study develops and successfully demonstrates visualization methods for the characterization of europium (Eu)‐doped BaAl2O4 phosphors using X‐ray nanoprobe techniques. X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping not only gives information on the elemental distributions but also clearly reveals the valence state distributions of the Eu2+ and Eu3+ ions. The accuracy of the estimated valence state distributions was examined by performing X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) across the Eu L3‐edge (6.977 keV). The X‐ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) spectra exhibit different emission lines in the selected local areas. Their corresponding emission distributions can be obtained via XEOL mapping. The emission properties can be understood through correlation analysis. The results demonstrate that the main contribution to the luminescence intensity of the Eu‐doped BaAl2O4 comes from the Eu2+ activator and the emission intensity will not be influenced by the concentration of Eu2+ or Eu3+ ions. It is anticipated that X‐ray nanoprobes will open new avenues with significant characterization ability for unravelling the emission mechanisms of phosphor materials. It is anticipated that X‐ray nanoprobes will open new avenues with significant characterization ability for unravelling the emission mechanisms of phosphor materials.

Projection X-ray microscopy (PXM) and transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) have been established at beamline 31 at the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS). The TPS 31A beamline is sourced by a wiggler with multiple beam modes: white beam, high-flux mono-beam, and high-resolution mono-beam modes. The PXM is based on a collimated beam, and the TXM is full-field microscopy based on a zoneplate. The PXM system and TXM share the same detector platform, which is equipped with different kinds of detector systems for PXM and TXM. The PXM was designed for high-speed 3D tomography with an automatic tray system for loading and unloading samples, including a robotic arm and pre-alignment system. Both the PXM and TXM systems were designed for use in situ, which requires longer working distance for the sample’s environmental cell.

Metal flow tends to be complex and difficult to predict in the combined forward-backward extrusion (CFBE) process. Piercing and surface-crack defects are phenomenal in forming fasteners featuring a forward extruded pin and a backward extruded cup. In this work, a series of the CFBE tests with various combinations of the forward extrusion ratio (FER) and the backward extrusion ratio (BER) were conducted. A forming limit diagram, detailed with the piercing and surface-crack defects on the forward extruded pin or the backward extruded cup, was developed to provide a conception in choosing appropriate extrusion ratios in forming fasteners with such pin-and-cup features. With the aid of the forming load-stroke curves and the finite element analysis of fracture damage, the fracturing mechanism for the CFBE process was provided.

The multifunctional hard X-ray nanoprobe at Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) exhibits the excellent ability to simultaneously characterize the X-ray absorption, X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) as well as the dynamics of XEOL of materials. Combining the scanning electron microscope (SEM) into the TPS 23A end-station, we can easily and quickly measure the optical properties to map out the morphology of a ZnO microrod. A special phenomenon has been observed that the oscillations in the XEOL associated with the confinement of the optical photons in the single ZnO microrod shows dramatical increase while the X-ray excitation energy is set across the Zn K-edge. Besides having the nano-scale spatial resolution, the synchrotron source also gives a good temporal domain measurement to investigate the luminescence dynamic process. The decay lifetimes of different emission wavelengths and can be simultaneously obtained from the streak image. Besides, SEM can provide the cathodoluminescence (CL) to be a complementary method to analyze the emission properties of materials, we anticipate that the X-ray nanoprobe will open new avenues with great characterization ability for developing nano/microsized optoelectronic devices.