Browsing by Author "Chang, Yi-An"

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A Three-MicroRNA Signature as a Potential Biomarker for the Early Detection of Oral Cancer
(2018-03-01)
Chang, Yi-An
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Weng, Shun-Long
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Yang, Shun-Fa
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Chou, Chih-Hung
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Huang, Wei-Chih
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is often diagnosed at a late stage and may be malignantly transformed from oral leukoplakia (OL). This study aimed to identify potential plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) for the early detection of oral cancer. Plasma from normal, OL, and OSCC patients were evaluated. Small RNA sequencing was used to screen the differently expressed miRNAs among the groups. Next, these miRNAs were validated with individual samples by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays in the training phase (n = 72) and validation phase (n = 178). The possible physiological roles of the identified miRNAs were further investigated using bioinformatics analysis. Three miRNAs (miR-222-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-423-5p) were identified as differentially expressed among groups; miR-222-3p and miR-423-5p negatively correlated with T stage, lymph node metastasis status, and clinical stage. A high diagnostic accuracy (Area under curve = 0.88) was demonstrated for discriminating OL from OSCC. Bioinformatics analysis reveals that miR-423-5p and miR-222-3p are significantly over-expressed in oral cancer tissues and involved in various cancer pathways. The three-plasma miRNA panel may be useful to monitor malignant progression from OL to OSCC and as potential biomarkers for early detection of oral cancer.
Bacterial Communities in Semen from Men of Infertile Couples: Metagenomic Sequencing Reveals Relationships of Seminal Microbiota to Semen Quality
(2014-10-23)
Weng, Shun-Long
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Chiu, Chih-Min
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Lin, Feng-Mao
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Huang, Wei-Chih
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Liang, Chao
Some previous studies have identified bacteria in semen as being a potential factor in male infertility. However, only few types of bacteria were taken into consideration while using PCR-based or culturing methods. Here we present an analysis approach using next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis to investigate the associations between bacterial communities and semen quality. Ninety-six semen samples collected were examined for bacterial communities, measuring seven clinical criteria for semen quality (semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, Kruger\'s strict morphology, antisperm antibody (IgA), Atypical, and leukocytes). Computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) was also performed. Results showed that the most abundant genera among all samples were Lactobacillus (19.9%), Pseudomonas (9.85%), Prevotella (8.51%) and Gardnerella (4.21%). The proportion of Lactobacillus and Gardnerella was significantly higher in the normal samples, while that of Prevotella was significantly higher in the low quality samples. Unsupervised clustering analysis demonstrated that the seminal bacterial communities were clustered into three main groups: Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, and Prevotella predominant group. Remarkably, most normal samples (80.6%) were clustered in Lactobacillus predominant group. The analysis results showed seminal bacteria community types were highly associated with semen health. Lactobacillus might not only be a potential probiotic for semen quality maintenance, but also might be helpful in countering the negative influence of Prevotella and Pseudomonas. In this study, we investigated whole seminal bacterial communities and provided the most comprehensive analysis of the association between bacterial community and semen quality. The study significantly contributes to the current understanding of the etiology of male fertility.
Circulating MicroRNA Signature in Patients with Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome
(2019-09-01)
Chen, Shih-Pin
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Chang, Yi-An
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Wang, Yen-Feng
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Fuh, Jong-Ling
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Chou, Chih-Hung
DDX3 Represses Stemness by Epigenetically Modulating Tumor-suppressive miRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
(2016-06-27)
Li, Hao-Kang
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Mai, Ru-Tsun
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Huang, Hsien-Da
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Chou, Chih-Hung
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Chang, Yi-An
Studies indicate that the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is responsible for poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. In this study, the functional role of DDX3 in regulation of hepatic CSCs was investigated. Our results demonstrated that reduced DDX3 expression was not only inversely associated with tumor grade, but also predicted poor prognosis of HCC patients. Knockdown of DDX3 in HCC cell line HepG2 induced stemness gene signature followed by occurrence of self-renewal, chemoreisistance, EMT, migration as well as CSC expansion, and most importantly, DDX3 knockdown promotes tumorigenesis. Moreover, we found positive correlations between DDX3 level and expressions of tumor-suppressive miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-122 and miR-145, but not miR-10b and miR-519a, implying their involvement in DDX3 knockdown-induced CSC phenotypes. In addition, DDX3 reduction promoted up-regulation of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A), while neither DNMT3B nor DNMT1 expression was affected. Enriched DNMT3A binding along with hypermethylation on promoters of these tumor-suppressive miRNAs reflected their transcriptional repressions in DDX3-knockdown cells. Furthermore, individual restoration of these tumor-suppressive miRNAs represses DDX3 knockdown-induced CSC phenotypes. In conclusion, our study suggested that DDX3 prevents generation of CSCs through epigenetically regulating a subset of tumor-suppressive miRNAs expressions, which strengthens tumor suppressor role of DDX3 in HCC.
Design and fabrication of temperature-insensitive InGaP-InGaAlP resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes
(2006-07-01)
Chang, Yi-An
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Yu, Chun-Lung
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Wu, I-Tsung
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
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Lu, Tien-Chang
Visible InGaP-InGaAlP resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes with low-temperature sensitivity output characteristics were demonstrated. By means of widening the resonant cavity to a thickness of three wavelength (3 A), the degree of power variation between 25 degrees C and 95 degrees C for the devices biased at 20 mA was apparently reduced from -2.1 dB for the standard structure design (1 - lambda avity) to -0.6 dB. An output power of 2.4 mW was achieved at 70 mA. The external quantum efficiency achieved a maximum of 3% at 13 mA and dropped slowly with increased current for the device. The external quantum efficiency at 20 mA dropped only 14% with elevated temperature from 25 degrees C to 95 degrees C. The current dependent far-field patterns also showed that the emission always took place perfectly in the normal direction, which was suitable for plastic fiber data transmission.
Effects of built-in polarization and carrier overflow on InGaN quantum-well lasers with electronic blocking layers
(2008-01-01)
Chen, Jun-Rong
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Lee, Chung-Hsien
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Ko, Tsung-Shine
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Chang, Yi-An
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Lu, Tien-Chang
Effects of built-in polarization and carrier overflow on InGaN quantum-well lasers with a ternary AlGaN or a quaternary AlInGaN electronic blocking layer (EBL) have been numerically investigated by employing an advanced device-simulation program. The simulation results indicate that the characteristics of InGaN quantum-well lasers can be improved by using the quaternary AlInGaN EBL. When the aluminum and indium compositions in the AlInGaN EBL are appropriately designed, the built-in charge density at the interface between the InGaN barrier and the AlInGaN EBL can be reduced. Under this circumstance, the electron leakage current and the laser threshold current can obviously be decreased as compared with the laser structure with a conventional AlGaN EBL when the built-in polarization is taken into account in the calculation. Furthermore, the AlInGaN EBL also gives a higher refractive index than the AlGaN EBL, which is a benefit for a higher quantum-well optical confinement factor in laser operations.
Efficiency Improvement of Single-Junction In(0.5)Ga(0.5)P Solar Cell with Compositional Grading p-Emitter/Window Capping Configuration
(2010-01-01)
Chang, Yi-An
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
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Lu, Tien-Chang
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Lai, Fang-I
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Kuo, Shou-Yi
In this study a novel p-emitter/window capping configuration design applied to a p(+)-n In(0.5)Ga(0.5)P solar cell is developed. By grading the Ga and Al compositions in the interface between the p-In(0.5)Ga(0.5)P emitter and p-In(0.5)Al(0.5)P window layers, the output characteristics of the p(+)-n In(0.5)Ga(0.5)P solar cell are improved. It is found that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity is increased and the minority carrier lifetime obtained from room-temperature time-resolved (TR) PL measurement can be increased from 5.3 ns of the typical design to 7.0 ns, indicating that the application of compositional grading can improve crystal quality and the interface becomes smoother, thus reducing the nonradiative recombination losses. Both the short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage are increased correspondingly and the conversion efficiency is improved from 14.57% of the typical design to 15.32% of the new p-emitter/window configuration under one-sun air-mass 1.5 global illumination. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Efficiency Improvement of Single-Junction In0.5Ga0.5P Solar Cell with Compositional Grading p-Emitter/Window Capping Configuration
(2010-01-01)
Chang, Yi-An
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
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Lu, Tien-Chang
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Lai, Fang-I
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Kuo, Shou-Yi
In this study a novel p-emitter/window capping configuration design applied to a p(+)-n In0.5Ga0.5P solar cell is developed. By grading the Ga and Al compositions in the interface between the p-In0.5Ga0.5P emitter and p-In0.5Al0.5P window layers, the output characteristics of the p(+)-n In0.5Ga0.5P solar cell are improved. It is found that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity is increased and the minority carrier lifetime obtained from room-temperature time-resolved (TR) PL measurement can be increased from 5.3 ns of the typical design to 7.0 ns, indicating that the application of compositional grading can improve crystal quality and the interface becomes smoother, thus reducing the nonradiative recombination losses. Both the short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage are increased correspondingly and the conversion efficiency is improved from 14.57% of the typical design to 15.32% of the new p-emitter/window configuration under one-sun air-mass 1.5 global illumination. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Efficiency improvement of single-junction InGaP solar cells fabricated by a novel micro-hole array surface texture process
(2009-08-12)
Chang, Yi-An
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Li, Zhen-Yu
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
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Lu, Tien-Chang
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Yang, Su-Fan
In this study, single-junction InGaP solar cells fabricated by a novel micro-hole array surface texture process are presented. The characteristics of the single-junction InGaP solar cells with and without the micro-hole array surface texture are studied. An increase of 10.4% in short-circuit current is found when a single-junction InGaP solar cell is fabricated by the micro-hole array surface texture process. The conversion efficiency measured under one-sun air mass 1.5 global illumination at room temperature can also be improved from 13.8% to 15.9% when the size of the micro-holes is 5.3 mu m and the period of micro-hole array is designed to 5 mu m.
Enhancement of power conversion efficiency in GaAs solar cells with dual-layer quantum dots using flexible PDMS film
(2012-09-01)
Chen, Hsin-Chu
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Lin, Chien-Chung
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Han, Hau-Vei
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Chen, Kuo-Ju
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Tsai, Yu-Lin
"This study demonstrates the high performance of GaAs solar cells with dual-layer CdS quantum dots (QDs) carried by flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. Several parameters were enhanced, including the short circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency, which were measured under white light illumination similar to the solar spectrum. The flexible PDMS film was fabricated using the spin-coating technique, and was then used to embed dual-layer CdS QDs. Different concentrations of QDs were applied in this design to test the optimal combination. The proposed scheme enhances power conversion efficiency by 22%, compared to a GaAs solar cell without CdS QDs. The photon down-conversion capability in the ultraviolet (UV) range and additional antireflection capability in the longer visible-IR range were verified through the external quantum efficiency. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved."
Experimental and theoretical analysis on ultraviolet 370 nm AlGaInN light-emitting diodes
(2006-05-01)
Chang, Yi-An
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Yen, Sheng-Horng
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Wang, Te-Chung
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
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Kuo, Yen-Kuang
An ultraviolet (UV) AlGaInN light-emitting diode (LED) with 370 nm emission is demonstrated. At room temperature (RT) UV power of 0.8 mW at 20 mA with 3.6 V operation voltage is achieved. It provides 4 mW output when driven at 125 mA under continuous-wave (CW) operation. Qualitative optimization of the Al composition in the AlGaN electron-block layer and the quaternary AlGaInN quantum well (QW) number of the UV LED is also investigated in this study. The numerical results fit with the experimentally demonstrated output performance of our AlGaInN UV LED. We find that the UV AlGaInN LED can provide better output characteristics when the Al composition in the AlGaN electron-block layer is in the range 19-21 % and the AlGaInN QW number is in the range 5-7 by reducing the electron leakage current.
Fabrication and characterization of back-side illuminated InGaN/GaN solar cells with periodic via-holes etching and Bragg mirror processes
(2014-08-25)
Chang, Yi-An
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Chen, Fang-Ming
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Tsai, Yu-Lin
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Chang, Ching-Wen
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Chen, Kuo-Ju
In this study, the design and fabrication schemes of back-side illuminated InGaN/GaN solar cells with periodic via-holes etching and Bragg mirror processes are presented. Compared to typical front-side illuminated solar cells, the improvements of open-circuit voltage (V-oc) from 1.88 to 1.94 V and short-circuit current density (J(sc)) from 0.84 to 1.02 mA/cm(2) are observed. Most significantly, the back-side illuminated InGaN/GaN solar cells exhibit an extremely high fill factor up to 85.5%, leading to a conversion efficiency of 1.69% from 0.66% of typical front-side illuminated solar cells under air mass 1.5 global illuminations. Moreover, the effects of bottom Bragg mirrors on the photovoltaic characteristics of back-side illuminated solar cells are studied by an advanced simulation program. The results show that the J(sc) could further be improved with a factor of 10% from the original back-side illuminated solar cell by the structure optimization of bottom Bragg mirrors. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America
Fabrication and Characterization of Temperature Insensitive 660-nm Resonant-Cavity LEDs
(2008-07-01)
Chen, Jun-Rong
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Ko, Tsung-Shine
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Lu, Tien-Chang
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Chang, Yi-An
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
InGaP/AIGaInP 660-nm resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes (RCLEDs) with stable temperature characteristics have been achieved by extending the resonant cavity length from one optical wavelength (1 lambda) to three optical wavelengths (3 lambda) and tripling the number of quantum wells. When the operation temperature increases from 25 degrees C to 95 degrees C, the degree of power variation at 20 mA is reduced from -2.1 dB to -0.6 dB for the conventional 1-lambda cavity RCLEDs and 3-lambda cavity RCLEDs, respectively. In order to interpret the temperature-dependent experimental results, advanced device simulation is applied to model the RCLEDs with different cavity designs. According to the numerical simulation results, we deduce that the stable temperature-dependent output performance should originate from the reduction of electron leakage current and thermally enhanced hole transport for the 3-lambda cavity AIGaInP RCLEDs.
High Performance of Double-layer Quantum Dots with PDMS Film for Novel GaAs Solar Cells
(2012)
Chen, Hsin-Chu
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Lin, Chien-Chung
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Han, Hau-Vei
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Chen, Kuo-Ju
;
Tsai, Yu-Lin
This study demonstrates the high performance of GaAs solar cells with double-layer quantum dots carried by flexible PDMS film. Several parameters were enhanced. Different concentrations of QDs were also applied to test the optimal combination.
Highly efficient CdS-quantum-dot-sensitized GaAs solar cells
(2012-03-12)
Lin, Chien-Chung
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Chen, Hsin-Chu
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Tsai, Yu Lin
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Han, Hau-Vei
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Shih, Huai-Shiang
We demonstrate a hybrid design of traditional GaAs-based solar cell combined with colloidal CdS quantum dots. With anti-reflective feature at long wavelength and down-conversion at UV regime, the CdS quantum dot effectively enhance the overall power conversion efficiency by as high as 18.9% compared to traditional GaAs-based device. A more detailed study showed an increase of surface photoconductivity due to UV presence, and the fill factor of the solar cell can be improved accordingly. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America
Integrated MicroRNA-mRNA Analysis Reveals miR-204 Inhibits Cell Proliferation in Gastric Cancer by Targeting CKS1B, CXCL1 and GPRC5A
(2018-01-01)
Shrestha, Sirjana
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Yang, Chi-Dung
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Hong, Hsiao-Chin
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Chou, Chih-Hung
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Tai, Chun-San
Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. MicroRNAs are single-stranded RNA molecules of 21-23 nucleotides that regulate target gene expression through specific base-pairing interactions between miRNA and untranslated regions of targeted mRNAs. In this study, we generated a multistep approach for the integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression. First, both miRNA and mRNA expression profiling datasets in gastric cancer from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) identified 79 and 1042 differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs, respectively, in gastric cancer. Second, inverse correlations between miRNA and mRNA expression levels identified 3206 miRNA-mRNA pairs combined with 79 dysregulated miRNAs and their 774 target mRNAs predicted by three prediction tools, miRanda, PITA, and RNAhybrid. Additionally, miR-204, which was found to be down-regulated in gastric cancer, was ectopically over-expressed in the AGS gastric cancer cell line and all down-regulated targets were identified by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Over-expression of miR-204 reduced the gastric cancer cell proliferation and suppressed the expression of three targets which were validated by qRT-PCR and luciferase assays. For the first time, we identified that CKS1B, CXCL1, and GPRC5A are putative targets of miR-204 and elucidated that miR-204 acted as potential tumor suppressor and, therefore, are useful as a promising therapeutic target for gastric cancer.
The carrier blocking effect on 850 nm InAlGaAs/AlGaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
(2006-10-01)
Chang, Yi-An
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Ko, Tsung-Shine
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Chen, Jun-Rong
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Lai, Fang-I
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Yu, Chun-Lung
In this study, the carrier blocking effect on 850 nm InAlGaAs/AlGaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting layers (VCSELs) was theoretically and experimentally investigated. By means of inserting a high-bandgap electron blocking layer, which was either 10 nm thick Al0.75Ga0.25As or 13 nm thick Al0.9Ga0.1As, on the p-side of a quantum-well active region, the laser output performance was theoretically found to be improved. VCSELs with and without an electron blocking layer were also experimentally demonstrated. It was found that the threshold current was reduced from 1.47 to 1.33 mA and the slope efficiency was increased from 0.37 to 0.53 mW mA(-1) by inserting a 10 nm thick Al0.75Ga0.25As electron blocking layer. Also, the device became less sensitive to the device temperature, where the amount of increase in the threshold current at an elevated temperature of 95 degrees C was only 0.27 mA and the slope efficiency dropped by only 24.5%. A peak frequency response of nearly 9 GHz at 5 mA, measured from relative intensity noise (RIN), was obtained in these VCSEL devices.
Theoretical and experimental analysis of temperature-insensitive 655-nm resonant-cavity LEDs
(2007)
Chen, Jun-Rong
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Chang, Yi-An
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Kuo, Hao-Chung
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Lu, Tien-Chang
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Kuo, Yen-Kuang
Visible InGaP/InGaAlP resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes with low temperature sensitivity output characteristics were demonstrated. By means of extending the resonant cavity to a thickness of three wavelength (3 lambda), the degree of power variation between 25 and 95 degrees C for the devices biased at 20 mA was apparently reduced from -2.1 dB for the standard structure design (1-lambda cavity) to -0.6 dB. Numerical simulation showed that the insensitive temperature dependence of output characteristics was attributed to the reduced electron leakage current.
Vaginal microbiome variances in sample groups categorized by clinical criteria of bacterial vaginosis
(2018-12-31)
Chen, Hui-Mei
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Chang, Tzu-Hao
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Lin, Feng-Mao
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Liang, Chao
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Chiu, Chih-Min
BackgroundOne of the most common and recurrent vaginal infections is bacterial vaginosis (BV). The diagnosis is based on changes to the normal vaginal microbiome; however, the normal microbiome appears to differ according to reproductive status and ethnicity, and even among individuals within these groups. The Amsel criteria and Nugent score test are widely used for diagnosing BV; however, these tests are based on different criteria, and so may indicate distinct changes in the vaginal microbial community. Nevertheless, few studies have compared the results of these test against metagenomics analysis.MethodsVaginal flora samples from 77 participants were classified according to the Amsel criteria and Nugent score test. The microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S ribosome RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis and multivariate statistical analysis were used to evaluate the microbial diversity and function.ResultsOnly 3 % of the participants diagnosed BV negative using the Amsel criteria (A-) were BV-positive according to the Nugent score test (N+), while over half of the BV-positive patients using the Amsel criteria (A+) were BV-negative according to the Nugent score test (N-). Thirteen genera showed significant differences in distribution among BV status defined by BV tests (e.g., A-N-, A+N- and A+N+). Variations in the four most abundant taxa, Lactobacillus, Gardnerella, Prevotella, and Escherichia, were responsible for most of this dissimilarity. Furthermore, vaginal microbial diversity differed significantly among the three groups classified by the Nugent score test (N-, N+, and intermediate flora), but not between the Amsel criteria groups. Numerous predictive microbial functions, such as bacterial chemotaxis and bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, differed significantly among multiple BV test, but not between the A- and A+ groups.ConclusionsMetagenomics analysis can greatly expand our current understanding of vaginal microbial diversity in health and disease. Metagenomics profiling may also provide more reliable diagnostic criteria for BV testing.