Background:Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 (PS128) is a specific probiotic, known as a psychobiotic, which has been demonstrated to alleviate motor deficits and inhibit neurodegenerative processes in Parkinson's disease (PD)-model mice. We hypothesize that it may also be beneficial to patients with PD based on the possible mechanism via the microbiome-gut-brain axis.Methods: This is an open-label, single-arm, baseline-controlled trial. The eligible participants were scheduled to take 60 billion colony-forming units of PS128 once per night for 12 weeks. Clinical assessments were conducted using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), modified Hoehn and Yahr scale, and change in patient “ON-OFF” diary recording as primary outcome measures. The non-motor symptoms questionnaire, Beck depression inventory-II, patient assessment of constipation symptom, 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGI-C) were assessed as secondary outcome measures.Results: Twenty-five eligible patients (32% women) completed the study. The mean age was 61.84 ± 5.74 years (range, 52–72), mean disease duration was 10.12 ± 2.3 years (range, 5–14), and levodopa equivalent daily dosage was 1063.4 ± 209.5 mg/daily (range, 675–1,560). All patients remained on the same dosage of anti-parkinsonian and other drugs throughout the study. After 12 weeks of PS128 supplementation, the UPDRS motor scores improved significantly in both the OFF and ON states (p = 0.004 and p = 0.007, respectively). In addition, PS128 intervention significantly improved the duration of the ON period and OFF period as well as PDQ-39 values. However, no obvious effect of PS128 on non-motor symptoms of patients with PD was observed. Notably, the PGI-C scores improved in 17 patients (68%). PS128 intervention was also found to significantly reduce plasma myeloperoxidase and urine creatinine levels.Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that PS128 supplementation for 12 weeks with constant anti-parkinsonian medication improved the UPDRS motor score and quality of life of PD patients. We suggest that PS128 could serve as a therapeutic adjuvant for the treatment of PD. In the future, placebo-controlled studies are needed to further support the efficacy of PS128 supplementation.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier: NCT04389762.

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This study investigates a device's ability to boost its on-state current and subthreshold behavior using a ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) with an ultrathin sub-5-nm Hf₁₋ₓZrₓO₂ (HZO). A conventional field-effect transistor (FET) with pure hafnium (HfO2) is used as a control measure and the impact of an internal metal gate (IMG) is also discussed. The study was conducted by using a sub-5-nm HZO and seed layer to fabricate a gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire (NW); a FeFET with a metal-ferroelectric-metal-insulator-semiconductor (MFMIS) structure; and a double layer (DL) of the channel. The channel size used in the experiment was approximately 9.6 × 16 nm² and the total thickness of the gate stack was 9.2 nm. This thickness is 50.5% less than our previous experiment. The FeFET exhibits a considerably high Ion-Ioff ratio exceeding 10⁷. The IMG serves as a potential equalizer and the ferroelectric material is arranged in a more symmetrical electric field. This results in a lower subthreshold (sub-VTH) swing (S.S.min = 49.3mV/decade) with a wide range (10³ ) of drain current compared to that without an IMG. The findings indicate that a high-performance GAA FET can be achieved by combining a DL channel, GAA NW, ferroelectric material, and an IMG.

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Two decades have passed since the September 11 attacks by Islamist militants that shocked the world. Despite this, Islamophobia remains a common phenomenon. In Taiwan, the 2014 12-year Basic Education Curriculum amendments emphasize cultural and global understanding as core competencies. With more than 6 years of implementation, it would be therefore interesting to learn what elementary school students think of Islam. Anchoring on the concepts of intercultural competency development, stereotypes are said to be related to cognitive knowledge, intercultural behavioral abilities, and attitudes. A survey instrument was developed and validated to collect information on stereotypes, skills in intercultural interaction, and attitudes toward Islam. Additionally, cognitive knowledge of Islam was also tested. A total of 712 students participated in the study. Structural equation modelling was used to test the mediating role of cognitive knowledge and intercultural behavioral skills within the relationship between cultural stereotypes and intercultural affects. Findings show that behavioral skills alone are not enough to diminish the negative aspects of stereotypes. Importantly, it is only with the help of cognitive knowledge that the relationship between stereotypes and intercultural affects are improved. It is hoped that by understanding the importance of proper curriculum content, more sustainable coexistence can be established.