一等獎

Saccharomyces cerevisiae 是常用來研究老化的模式生物。S. cerevisiae的壽命稱為replicative lifespan (RLS)，被定義為母細胞一生中可產生的子代總數。S. cerevisiae有一種缺少整套粒線體DNA的突變種，稱為petite。在這個研究中，我們利用附解剖針之複式顯微鏡測量年輕單倍體細胞和老單倍體細胞形成的合子、年輕單倍體petite細胞和老單倍體細胞形成的合子之RLS。此外，我們也使用ROS螢光探針DCFH-DA及DHE測量不同單倍體細胞的ROS含量。實驗結果顯示ROS本身並不足以降低合子的壽命。本研究可為人類生殖細胞影響受精卵的機制提供有用的資訊。

本研究作品主要在探討「平面上各種曲線內關於相鄰等角割線段的新的不變量」與「空間中特殊圓錐曲面的特殊等角割線段的新的不變量」。 若圓錐曲線、蚶線等曲線中有相鄰等角的 條割線段，則這n條割線段之m次方和為定值。在圓錐曲線中這些割線段的交點可以是焦點、曲線內任意點，在蚶線中則為基點。甚至經由反演，還能將此性質推廣至直線上。 研究最後擴及至空間，先考慮特殊橢圓、拋物、雙曲球面，其一焦點為F，將正N面體VN之重心G與F重合，使得VN以F為旋轉中心任意旋轉，此時由F對VN之各頂點做射線交圓錐曲面於 PN，則FPN之倒數m次方和為定值，其中u=1,...,n，N=4, 6, 8, 12, 20 。

There is currently an interest in developing supercapacitors as the booming of smartphones and other mobile electric devices. Despite offering key performance advantages, many capacitors pose significant environmental hazards once disposed. They often contain fluorine, sulfur, toxic transition metal and cyanide groups, which are harmful if discarded by using conventional landfill or incineration methods. The objective of this project is to find an environmentally benign alternative for building various key components of supercapacitors structures. From the electrolyte, carbon substrate and materials corresponding for Faradic reaction, all the materials were devised from renewable biomass. In our research, two novel designs of betanin/sulfonated carbon supercapacitor and quinone/sulfonated carbon supercapacitor were invented. Betanin and quinone, extracted from beets and Sencha, was preloaded on the sulfonated carbon nanosphere as the composite. While sulfonated carbon nanosphere were fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis of renewable biomaterial, followed by surface functionalization - sulfonation for increasing the loading capacity of nanoparticle. Nanostructured morphology and surface functional groups were examined and confirmed by SEM and IR spectroscopy. Specific capacitance can be boosted up through optimizing the particle size, morphology and surface polarity of carbon substrate and the type of electrolyte. From the experimental result, it is believed that the nano-architecture, with active functional groups, of carbon nanosphere enables the efficient charge transport and electrode stability, allowing the composite with high capacitance (94–209 F g–1 at a current density ranging from 1 to 4 mA cm–2), high capacitance retention of over 90% after over 20,000 cycles respectively, and over a wide range of temperature. Superior electrochemical performance of both betanin/sulfonated and quinone/sulfonated carbon supercapacitor can be attributed to the large accessible surface area of the porous structure, low interfacial resistance and its structural stability. It shows that they have relatively higher tolerant towards heat and extreme pH mediums. The green electrochemical capacitor exhibits a promising capacitive performance of 209 F g–1 with high capacitance retention of over 90%, opening up new possibilities for the production of environmental friendly, cost efficient and lightweight energy storage system using renewable biomass as the basic building materials without harming the environment.

激發複合體 (Exciplex) 是由電子予體 (Donor)和電子受體 (Acceptor)在激發態時所生成具TADF 特性的過渡狀態物質，可用於製備高效能的第三代OLEDs。本研究以PVK 和自合 聚合物4 作為Donor，以3 種T2T 分子作為Acceptor，進行物理性混合後，挑出生成之exciplex的放光波長可與C545T 吸光波長搭配的組合，進行相關特性的鑑定分析與探討，以找出最佳exciplex 組合。接者，再以自行製備之exciplex 作為主體，加入C545T 作為發光體，評估兩者間的FRET 行為。目前已找出最佳的exciplex 組合與Donor 和Acceptor 的最佳混合比例且觀察到exciplex 和C545T 之間有FRET 行為，並已將exciplex 進一步製成元件，發現的確有發光的現象。雖然效率不高，但是會進一步去優化製程條件。期望研究成果將來能應用在第三代OLED 的改良，提供更多實際層面的運用。

Pedicle probes are medical devices used by surgeons during spinal fusions for patients with conditions such as scoliosis and spinal fractures. The probe creates pilot holes to guide the placement of pedicle screws in vertebrae. The screws are then connected with a metal rod to stabilize the spine. Twenty-nine percent of patients who undergo spinal fusions suffer from vertebral breaches – accidental damage to the spinal cord – which cause complications such as infection, motor defects, and in many cases paralysis. My goal was to make spinal fusions safer by redesigning the pedicle probe to provide surgeons with instantaneous feedback on the probe’s location, enabling them to more accurately place pedicle screws. The pedicle probe I developed takes advantage of the difference in density between the inner cancellous (spongy) bone and the outer cortical (compact) bone found in vertebrae. Cortical bone is avoided by monitoring the cannulation force – the force required to insert the probe. When the probe contacts denser cortical tissue, it warns the user by providing tactile and visual feedback through a vibration motor and an LED. This enables the surgeon to redirect the probe and advance down the optimum path, preventing a possible breach. It proved successful in preventing breaches on lamb vertebrae, which closely resemble human vertebrae. This novel device improves feedback to the surgeon and eliminates the need for costly and potentially harmful ionizing radiation exposure. Furthermore, it does not depend on, or require, any preoperative imaging. The cost of manufacturing the improved probe is less than $42 USD (NT$1297). Results of patent searches for 加拿大, the 美國, and Europe suggest that the redesigned probe is unique in predicting and preventing breaches in spinal fusions based on predetermined force threshold values. The probe is also unique in enabling personalized procedures in spinal fusions for those with complications, through calibrating a control (force) limit based on tissue samples prior to the procedure. Enhancing a surgeon’s ability to determine an appropriate path for pedicle screws through a sensor-enabled probe has the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of vertebral breaches during spinal fusion surgery.

Internet search technology is a pervasively used utility that relies on techniques from the _eld of spectral graph theory. We present a novel spectral approach to investigate an existing problem: the critical group of the line graph has been characterized for regular nonbipartite graphs, but the general regular bipartite case remains open. Because of the ine_ectiveness of previous techniques in regular bipartite graphs, our approach provides a new perspective and aims to obtain the relationship between the spectra of the Laplacians of the graph G and its line graph bG. We obtain a theorem for the spectra of all regular bipartite graphs and demonstrate its e_ectiveness by completely characterizing the previously unknown critical group for a particular class of regular bipartite graphs, the incidence graphs of _nite projective planes with square order. This critical group is found to be Z2_(Z2q+2)q3􀀀1_(Zq2+q+1)q2+q􀀀1; where q is the order of the _nite projective plane.

Visual impairment is a major global health problem. In 2017, WHO estimated that there were 253 million people worldwide with this ailment. According to the journal of the American Medical association, the prevalence of visual impairment in the Saudi population is 9.3%. Learning Braille by families of students with visual impairments remains a major obstacle, which precipitates several communication issues. Moreover, difficulties for the students themselves lie in learning braille with languages that include diacritical marks; consequently, affecting their academic progress. My main objective of this project is to help improving life quality of these individuals, and the focus is to advance their social productivity and adaptation. This was accomplished through creating a new simpler Arabic writing system using geometrical shapes. As a part of this project, fifteen participants with visual impairments were interviewed and tried this new writing system; two of them are adults between 25 and 40 years old while the rest are students from 9 to 17 years old. Additionally, 100 participants with visual impairments completed a survey. The data showed that students learned this system in two hours in comparison with students that mastered braille in a few months. This shows that this system is easier to learn and subsequently saves time and effort. The most important value added to this project is that diacritical marks were combined with the alphabet, thereby considerably reducing book sizes compared to Braille-written books. This project presents a novel system that helps people with visual impairments to increase their confidence and independence.

自古以來，多邊形演算的幾何法求圓周率，往往只由單側──內側或外側。既然我們可以算出兩側的多邊形數據，那為什麼不用夾擊法來得到更精確的 值呢？我的研究過程如下： 1. 先改以不對稱切割避開無理數，發展出另類分割圓周的簡易方法，並計算初步的 值。 2. 藉由外切與內接多邊形對圓面積的逼近探討，來導出一個大幅提高 值精確度的加權校正公式。 3. 結合前面的理論，推演出計算簡易的 值逼近定理與更嚴謹的 值夾擊定理。 4. 以全新視野來統整梅欽公式與梅欽類公式自1706年以來之理論系統，並進一步改良加權校正公式，得到最有效率之 值計算公式。最後對新發現之加權校正函數與餘角收斂定理做進一步的探索。

一般認為粒線體形變與神經細胞的細胞凋亡有關，但其實粒線體形變也發生在類固醇生成細胞，如卵巢與腎上腺皮質的分化過程中，且伴隨著類固醇製造酵素CYP11A1的大量表現。 因此，我們提出以下的假說：第一，CYP11A1會使粒線體發生形變；第二，粒線體形變參與類固醇賀爾蒙的製造；第三，粒線體形變能導致細胞某種程度上的分化：由不適合製造類固醇轉變為適合，並降低其代謝率。 我們觀察CYP11A1內生與否的細胞株的粒線體外形及其內褶膜，發現內生CYP11A1的細胞具有球形粒線體與拱狀內褶膜。接著我以CYP11A1表現質體轉染COS-1細胞，觀察其粒線體並測量其ATP產率，證實了外送CYP11A1能使粒線體發生形變，同時改變細胞的代謝率。這個發現對粒線體形變的研究具有突破性的影響。

Cancer is the second leading cause of death today[1], accounting for nearly 1 in 6 deaths worldwide. Despite this, diagnosis and treatment models for cancer are limited and as such, new methods to identify and treat susceptible patients are required urgently. HLAF- adjacent transcript 10 (FAT10) is an oncogene that is strongly implicated in the development of inflammation-associated cancers[2]. Previous research on this highly polymorphic gene has identified 2 haplotypes – the reference haplotype, which is found in both cancer patients and healthy individuals, as well as an additional haplotype that is occurs at higher frequency in cancer patients and is associated with higher odds of cancer. In this study, it was hypothesised that the cancer-associated FAT10 haplotype can better promote tumorigenicity and could thereby serve as a useful biomarker for cancer. Here, we functionally characterize the 2 FAT10 haplotypes to understand how they influence some of the hallmarks of cancer. The cancer-exclusive haplotype was observed to enhance hallmarks of cancer, namely uncontrolled cell growth, resisting cell death and anchorage-independent growth as compared to the reference haplotype. Moreover, we uncovered the differential gene expression patterns induced by each haplotype. Molecules involved in cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as transcription were upregulated by the cancer-associated haplotype and hence could have contributed to the increased tumourigenic potential of the cancer haplotype.