Chou-Yi Hsu

Au–GQD interfaces couple light harvesting with charge transfer and redox chemistry. This review links interfacial design to hydrogen generation and water splitting, while identifying gaps in mechanistic evidence and operational stability.

1. Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignancy among women worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, reflecting its marked molecular heterogeneity and complex tu...

Introduction: Microglial activation drives neuroinflammation through a metabolic switch from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis; however, the molecular mechanisms governing this transition remain poorly defined. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) are central to this study; GAPDH plays plays a key regulatory role in this switch, and its activity is modulated by reversible acetylation at lysine 254 (K254). It remains unclear whether sirtuin deacetylases regulate this modification in microglia. Methods: Here, we demonstrate that SIRT1 physically associates with GAPDH in murine microglia and deacetylates K254 under basal conditions. Inflammatory activation using LPS/IFN-γ reduced SIRT1 protein levels and deacetylase activity by approximately 50%, leading to a 2.5-fold increase in K254 acetylation. Pharmacological activation of SIRT1 (SRT1720) reversed this modification and enhanced glycolytic output, mimicking the effects of the deacetylation-mimetic K254R mutant. To isolate the causal role of K254, we replaced endogenous GAPDH with K254R or acetylation-mimetic (K254Q) mutant proteins. Results: K254R microglia exhibited approximately 35% higher GAPDH enzymatic activity, 40% greater glycolytic flux, and 1.6- to 2.2-fold higher secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12p70 than K254Q cells. Glycolytic inhibition with 2-deoxyglucose reduced most of the excess cytokines, confirming enhanced flux as the causal factor in K254-driven inflammatory amplification. Discussion: Thus, SIRT1–GAPDH signaling represents a post-translational axis linking sirtuin activity directly to glycolytic enzyme function, distinct from SIRT1's traditional transcriptional roles and serving as a viable molecular checkpoint in microglial immunometabolism.

Hematologic malignancies remain among the most challenging cancers to treat due to genetic heterogeneity, clonal evolution, and therapy resistance. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly small EV (sEV)-enriched populations, have emerged as active mediators of disease biology, contributing to tumor progression, immune evasion, and chemoresistance through intercellular transfer of bioactive cargo. Recent advances in EV engineering have repositioned these vesicles as programmable delivery platforms capable of transporting nucleic acids, proteins, and chemotherapeutic agents with improved targeting potential. Preclinical studies across multiple hematologic models demonstrate that engineered EVs can induce immune activation, modulate oncogenic signaling pathways, and partially overcome drug resistance. However, these findings remain largely confined to experimental settings, with limited standardization of loading efficiency, biodistribution, and functional potency. Clinically, EV-based applications in hematology are still at an early stage, with most studies focused on biomarker discovery and supportive therapies rather than direct antitumor interventions. In parallel, theranostic EV platforms and liquid biopsy approaches offer promising opportunities for minimally invasive disease monitoring, although their clinical validation remains incomplete. Artificial intelligence (AI) further enhances this field by enabling advanced biomarker analysis and guiding cargo design and targeting strategies, yet its therapeutic applications are still largely exploratory. Despite key challenges, including vesicle heterogeneity, donor variability, suboptimal cargo loading, and manufacturing constraints, these limitations are primarily technical and may be addressed through standardization and engineering optimization. Collectively, EV-based systems represent a promising but still maturing platform with the potential to contribute to next-generation precision oncology in hematologic malignancies.

Horizontal Slinky-type geothermal heat exchangers (GHEs) are widely used in ground-source heat pump systems due to their compact layout and low installation cost, yet their performance is often constrained by shallow burial depth and weak internal flow mixing. This study presents a three-dimensional CFD analysis of a horizontal Slinky GHE enhanced with Twisted-tape inserts. The effects of Twisted-tape pitch (100, 250, and 350 mm), burial depth (0.5-1.5 m), and water mass flow rate (0.30-1.0 kg/s) are investigated under turbulent flow conditions using ANSYS Fluent with the realizable k-ε model. The novelty of this work lies in the combined optimization of Twisted-tape geometry and burial depth, evaluated through both first-law (Nusselt number, pressure drop) and second-law (entropy generation, exergy destruction) performance metrics. Twisted-tape inserts significantly enhance convective heat transfer: compared with the plain tube, the average Nusselt number increases by up to 28-35% for the 100 mm pitch and 22-30% for the 250 mm pitch. Although the 100 mm pitch provides the highest thermal enhancement, it also results in a 40-52% pressure-drop increase. The 250 mm pitch yields the maximum thermo-hydraulic performance criterion (PEC), improving PEC by 12-18%, indicating the optimal balance between heat-transfer augmentation and hydraulic penalty. Increasing burial depth improves thermal stability and heat extraction, enhancing the heat-transfer coefficient by approximately 15-21%. The optimal configuration is identified as a 250 mm pitch at a burial depth of 1.0-1.5 m. These findings provide practical design guidance for improving the efficiency of horizontal Slinky geothermal heat exchangers. The findings offer practical design guidance for horizontal Slinky geothermal systems, indicating that careful optimization of coil pitch, burial depth, and operating mass flow rate can substantially improve heat extraction performance while keeping hydraulic losses within acceptable limits under realistic ground and ambient conditions.

Hematologic malignancies encompass a diverse group of disorders characterized by the abnormal proliferation of blood-forming cells within the bone marrow,