Liquid crystalline epoxy resin cured by mesogenic hardening compounds

Summary A new type of liquid crystalline epoxy resin functionalized with mesogenic hardening agent was obtained by reacting stoichiometrically 4,4-bis (2,3-epoxypropoxy)-3,35,5-tetramethyl biphenyl (EPTB) (diepoxide monomer) with 4,4-bis (-carboxy decanoxy) azoxybenzene (CDA10) (mesogenic hardening monomer) at 145°C for 10 min, using tri-n-butylamine as a catalyst. Mesomorphic phase transition behavior for EPTB-CDA10 prepolymer obtained was studied as function of curing time at 140°C by use of DSC and polarized microscopy. When the curing time is shorter than a gelling time (60 min), EPTB-CDA10 showed a liquid crystalline state reminiscent of smectic phase, while that reminiscent of nematic phase, when the curing time is longer than the gelling time. This work indicates that the new type of epoxy resin cured by mesogenic hardening compound can have a liquid crystal state.     

Improvement of threshold voltage deviation in damascene metal gatetransistors

The metal gate work function deviation (crystal orientation deviation) was found to cause the threshold voltage deviation (ΔV _th) in the damascene metal gate transistors. When the TiN work function (crystal orientation) is controlled by using the inorganic CVD technique, ΔV_th of the surface channel damascene metal gate (Al/TiN or W/TiN) transistors was drastically improved and found to be smaller than that for the conventional polysilicon gate transistors. The reason for the further reduction of the threshold voltage deviation (ΔV_th) in the damascene metal gate transistors is considered to be that the thermal-damages and plasma-damages on gate and gate oxide are minimized in the damascene gate process. High performance sub-100 nm metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) with work-function-controlled CVD-TiN metal-gate and Ta₂O₅ gate insulator are demonstrated in order to confirm the compatibility with high-k gate dielectrics and the technical advantages of the inorganic CVD-TiN     

Molecular Pathogenesis of the Coronin Family: CORO2A Facilitates Migration and Invasion Abilities in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In humans, the coronin family is composed of seven proteins containing WD-repeat domains that regulate actin-based cellular processes. Some members of the coronin family are closely associated with cancer cell migration and invasion. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis revealed that CORO1C, CORO2A, and CORO7 were significantly upregulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissues (p < 0.05). Moreover, the high expression of CORO2A was significantly predictive of the 5-year survival rate of patients with OSCC (p = 0.0203). Overexpression of CORO2A was detected in OSCC clinical specimens by immunostaining. siRNA-mediated knockdown of CORO2A suppressed cancer cell migration and invasion abilities. Furthermore, we investigated the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the molecular mechanism underlying CORO2A overexpression in OSCC cells. TCGA analysis confirmed that tumor-suppressive miR-125b-5p and miR-140-5p were significantly downregulated in OSCC tissues. Notably, these miRNAs bound directly to the 3′-UTR of CORO2A and controlled CORO2A expression in OSCC cells. In summary, we found that aberrant expression of CORO2A facilitates the malignant transformation of OSCC cells, and that downregulation of tumor-suppressive miRNAs is involved in CORO2A overexpression. Elucidation of the interaction between genes and miRNAs will help reveal the molecular pathogenesis of OSCC.     

Analytical study on energy consumption and damage to cylindrical and I-shaped reinforced concrete shear walls subjected to cyclic loading

An analytical study using the nonlinear finite-element method was conducted for reinforced concrete shear wall tests under cyclic loading to estimate the damage from the aspect of energy consumption. First, the validity of the analytical method was confirmed by studying the load–displacement relationship, the condition of the cracking, and a comparison between the total strain energy of the analysis and the loaded energy of the test. Next, the distribution of the energy consumption was investigated, and the division between rebars and concrete was studied. It was determined that energy consumption is an effective method for estimating damage of shear walls.     

Energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) and first-principles calculation of electronic structure of nickel silicide systems

The electronic structures of nanometre-sized nickel silicide systems, Ni(2)Si and NiSi, have been studied by energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) and first-principles band structure calculations. Experimental ELNES of Ni L(3)- and Si L(2,3)-edges could be explained well using theoretical spectra calculated for the ground state without the core hole, suggesting metallic properties for both silicides. It was shown that a slight difference in ELNES spectra of Ni(2)Si and NiSi comes from the coupling among the Ni d and Si p, d states in the unoccupied bands. The density of states and the contour plots of all the valence electron densities for Ni(2)Si, NiSi together with NiSi(2) show that Ni(2)Si has the bond with the strongest covalent character between Ni and Si atoms and the most transition metal-like character of the Ni 3d band among the three silicides.     

A Protease Inhibitor with Induction Therapy with Natural Interferon-β in Patients with HCV Genotype 1b Infection

The restoration of innate immune responses has potential as a novel therapeutic strategy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We compared the efficacy and safety of induction therapy (IT) with natural interferon-β (n-IFN-β) followed by pegylated-IFN-α/ribavirin (PR) alone (group A, n = 30) and IT with a protease inhibitor (PI) (simeprevir or vaniprevir)/PR (group B, n = 13) in CHC patients with genotype 1b and high viral loads. During IT with nIFN-β, virologic response rates in group A and group B were 10% and 8% (p = 0.6792) at week 4, 30% and 16% (p = 0.6989) at week 12 and 47% and 20% (p = 0.0887) at week 24 respectively. During and after the treatment with PR alone or PI/PR, virologic response rates in groups A and B were 50% and 82% (p = 0.01535) at week 4, 53% and 91% (p = 0.006745) at week 8, 57% and 91% (p = 0.001126) at week 12, 57% and 100% (p < 0.001845) at the end of the treatment and 57% and 80% (p < 0.005166) after treatment cessation. IT with PI/PR linked to the restoration of innate immune response was tolerated well, overcame virological breakthrough, enhanced early virologic responses, and resulted in a sustained virologic response in difficult-to-treat CHC patients. IT with PI/PR is beneficial for treating difficult-to-treat CHC patients.     

Biomanufacturing

Biomedical markets are large and rapidly growing owing to increasing demand for better healthcare services. The development of innovative biomedical systems can produce major breakthroughs in the healthcare industry, and advanced manufacturing technologies can propel such innovations. This paper summarises the field of biomanufacturing: namely, biospecific design constraints, biomechatronics, biofabrication, biodesign, and assembly. This paper presents state-of-the-art research, current problems, and future goals while providing fundamental knowledge required for entry into the biomedical industry. Biomanufacturing provides excellent opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaborations, both in academia and industry, and can lead to further advances in many engineering fields.     

Cyclotron production of the Ag, Pd, Rh radionuclides by Pd(p,x) nuclear processes

Production cross-sections of the ^105g+m,106mAg, ^100,101Pd, and ^{100g+m,101m,105g+m}Rh radionuclides through proton-induced reactions on natural palladium were measured up to 40 MeV by using a stacked-foil activation technique combined with high-resolution γ-ray spectrometry. The production cross-sections of ¹⁰¹Pd and ^{100g+m,105g+m}Rh radionuclides have been reported here for the first time from the ^natPd(p,x) nuclear processes. The present results are compared with the available literature values as well as the theoretical data calculated by the TALYS and the ALICE-IPPE computer codes. A quantitative comparison of the present results with the theoretical data has also been done with several deviation factor definitions. Optimal production pathways of the therapeutic ^105gRh radionuclide with minimal contamination using cyclotrons are discussed elaborately.     

Dynamic controlled milling process for bone machining

Optimal control of the machining process in orthopedic surgery can not only increase productivity but also ensure safety during tool usage. The authors have developed a technology for a force control system. The system has two modes of operation: the “air-cutting mode” and the “force control mode.” In the air-cutting mode, tool feed is scheduled by predicting the air and bone-cutting zones from the CAD/CAM system. In the force control mode, the software monitors the cutting force and the cutting temperature, and it controls the feed override according to the difference between the real and the desired cutting force. The software is installed on a robot controller, and its effectiveness is evaluated with a urethane bone.