Epitaxial insertion of gold silicide nanodisks during the growth of silicon nanowires

Nanodisk-shaped, single-crystal gold silicide heterojunctions were inserted into silicon nanowires during vapor-liquid-solid growth using Au as a catalyst within a specific range of chlorine-to-hydrogen atomic ratio. The mechanism of nanodisk formation has been investigated by changing the source gas ratio of SiCl4 to H2. We report that an over-supply of silicon into the Au-Si liquid alloy leads to highly supersaturated solution and enhances the precipitation of Au in the silicon nanowires due to the formation of unstable phases within the liquid alloy. It is shown that the gold precipitates embedded in the silicon nanowires consisted of a metastable gold silicide. Interestingly, faceting of gold silicide was observed at the Au/Si interfaces, and silicon nanowires were epitaxially grown on the top of the nanodisk by vapor-liquid-solid growth. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed that gold silicide nanodisks are epitaxially connected to the silicon nanowires in the direction of growth direction. These gold silicide nanodisks would be useful as nanosized electrical junctions for future applications in nanowire interconnections.     

A waferscale Si wire solar cell using radial and bulk p-n junctions

Silicon nanowires (NWs) and microwires (MWs) are cost-effectively integrated on a 4-inch wafer using metal-assisted electroless etching for solar cell applications. MWs are periodically positioned using low-level optical patterning in between a dense array of NWs. A spin-on-doping technique is found to be effective for the formation of heavily doped, thin n-type shells of MWs in which the radial doping profile is easily delineated by low voltage scanning electron microscopy. Controlled tapering of the NWs results in additional optical enhancement via optimization of the tradeoff between increased light trapping (by a graded-refractive-index) and increased reflectance (by decreasing areal density of NWs). Compared to single NW (or MW) arrayed cells, the co-integrated solar cells demonstrate improved photovoltaic characteristics, i.e. a short circuit current of 20.59 mA cm(-2) and a cell conversion efficiency of ～ 7.19% at AM 1.5G illumination.     

A study on the formation and characteristics of the Si---O---C---H composite thin films with low dielectric constant for advanced semiconductor devices

The Si---O---C---H composite thin films were deposited on a p-type Si(100) substrate using bis-trimethylsilane (BTMSM) and O₂ mixture gases by an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD). High density plasma of approximately 10¹² cm⁻³ is obtained at low pressure (<320 mtorr) with an RF power of approximately 300 W in the inductively coupled plasma source where the BTMSM and oxygen gases are greatly dissociated. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra show that the film has Si---CH₃ and O---H related bonds. The CH₃ groups formed the void in the film and the Si atoms in the annealed sample have different chemical states from those in the deposited sample. It means that the void is formed due to the removing of O---H related bonds during the annealing process. The relative dielectric constant of the annealed sample with the flow rate ratio O₂/BTMSM as 0.3 at 500°C for 30 min is approximately 2.5.     

Optimization of Pathogen Capture in Flowing Fluids with Magnetic Nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles have been employed to capture pathogens for many biological applications; however, optimal particle sizes have been determined empirically in specific capturing protocols. Here, a theoretical model that simulates capture of bacteria is described and used to calculate bacterial collision frequencies and magnetophoretic properties for a range of particle sizes. The model predicts that particles with a diameter of 460 nm should produce optimal separation of bacteria in buffer flowing at 1 L h⁻¹. Validating the predictive power of the model, Staphylococcus aureus is separated from buffer and blood flowing through magnetic capture devices using six different sizes of magnetic particles. Experimental magnetic separation in buffer conditions confirms that particles with a diameter closest to the predicted optimal particle size provide the most effective capture. Modeling the capturing process in plasma and blood by introducing empirical constants (c_e), which integrate the interfering effects of biological components on the binding kinetics of magnetic beads to bacteria, smaller beads with 50 nm diameters are predicted that exhibit maximum magnetic separation of bacteria from blood and experimentally validated this trend. The predictive power of the model suggests its utility for the future design of magnetic separation for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.     

Virtual Control of Optical Axis of the 3DTV Camera for Reducing Visual Fatigue in Stereoscopic 3DTV

In stereoscopic television, there is a trade‐off between visual comfort and 3‐dimensional (3D) impact with respect to the baseline‐stretch of a 3DTV camera. It is necessary to adjust the baseline‐stretch at an appropriate distance depending on the contents of a scene if we want to obtain a subjectively optimal quality of an image. However, it is very hard to obtain a small baseline‐stretch using commercially available cameras of broadcasting quality where the sizes of the lens and CCD module are large. In order to overcome this limitation, we attempt to freely control the baseline‐stretch of a stereoscopic camera by synthesizing the virtual views at the desired location of interval between two cameras. This proposed technique is based on the stereo matching and view synthesis techniques. We first obtain a dense disparity map using a hierarchical stereo matching with the edge‐adaptive multiple shifted windows. Then, we synthesize the virtual views using the disparity map. Simulation results with various stereoscopic images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.     

Efficient Transdermal Delivery of DNA Nanostructures Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms in NC/Nga Mice

DNA nanostructures have been widely studied in biomedical research contributing to targeted treatment of chronic diseases. The immunostimulatory X_L‐DNA nanostructures of X‐shaped oligodeoxynucleotides complex are previously reported, activating toll‐like receptor9 in dendritic cells. This study examines whether the X_L‐DNA could be therapeutically applied to treat immune diseases such as atopic dermatitis. To optimize topical delivery, liposome‐encapsulated X_L‐DNA (Lipo‐X_L‐DNA) is generated using emulsion transfer method with lipid layers composed of 1,2‐dioleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine, 1,2‐dioleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phospho‐(1′‐rac‐glycerol), and cholesterol. Size distribution of Lipo‐X_L‐DNA ranges around 90–160 nm with mean diameter of 115.44 ± 18.72 nm. The morphology is confirmed by transmission electron microscope. Zeta potential is ?28.59 mV. Confocal microscopy shows that Lipo‐X_L‐DNA is efficiently delivered into epidermis and dermis. Topical application of Lipo‐X_L‐DNA effectively alleviates atopic dermatitis symptoms in mice, as shown by dermatitis score, histological evaluation, and serum immunoglobulin E levels. RNA‐seq analysis confirms that Lipo‐X_L‐DNA reduces pro‐inflammatory products, but increases epidermal barrier homeostasis factors in atopic dermatitis lesions. Lipo‐X_L‐DNA orchestrates immune balance by downregulating Th2 immunity, but upregulating Th1 immunity. Collectively, liposome encapsulation enables efficient transdermal delivery of X_L‐DNA, for an effective treatment of atopic dermatitis in mice. The results provide a promising therapeutic strategy using X_L‐DNA nanostructures to treat immune‐compromised diseases.     

DNA Transformations for Diagnosis and Therapy

Due to its unique physical and chemical characteristics, DNA, which is known only as genetic information, has been identified and utilized as a new material at an astonishing rate. The role of DNA has increased dramatically with the advent of various DNA derivatives such as DNA–RNA, DNA–metal hybrids, and PNA, which can be organized into 2D or 3D structures by exploiting their complementary recognition. Due to its intrinsic biocompatibility, self-assembly, tunable immunogenicity, structural programmability, long stability, and electron-rich nature, DNA has generated major interest in electronic and catalytic applications. Based on its advantages, DNA and its derivatives are utilized in several fields where the traditional methodologies are ineffective. Here, the present challenges and opportunities of DNA transformations are demonstrated, especially in biomedical applications that include diagnosis and therapy. Natural DNAs previously utilized and transformed into patterns are not found in nature due to lack of multiplexing, resulting in low sensitivity and high error frequency in multi-targeted therapeutics. More recently, new platforms have advanced the diagnostic ability and therapeutic efficacy of DNA in biomedicine. There is confidence that DNA will play a strong role in next-generation clinical technology and can be used in multifaceted applications.     

Advanced Hybrid Particle‐Grid Method with Sub‐Grid Particle Correction

This paper proposes a novel hybrid particle‐grid approach to liquid simulation, which uses the fluid‐implicit‐particle (FLIP) method to resolve the liquid motion and a grid‐based particle correction method to complement FLIP. The correction process addresses the high‐frequency errors in FLIP ensuring that the particles are properly distributed. The proposed approach enables the corrective procedure to avoid directly processing the particle relationships and supports flexible corrective forces. The proposed technique effectively and efficiently improves the distribution of the particles and therefore enhances the overall simulation quality. The experimental results confirm that the technique is able to conserve the liquid volume and to produce dynamic surface motions, thin liquid sheets, and smooth surfaces without disturbing artifacts such as bumpy noise.     

Characterization of gelatin nanofiber prepared from gelatin-formic acid solution

Gelatin, well known as a biocompatible polymer, was dissolved in formic acid and gelatin nanofiber was successfully prepared by the electrospinning using gelatin-formic acid dope solution. Stability of the dope solution was evaluated by measuring viscosity change with time. Even though the viscosity dropped markedly after 5 h, the spinnability and morphology of gelatin nanofiber were not affected at all. The parameters, such as electric field, spinning distance, and concentration of dope solution, were examined for studying the effects on electrospinnability and morphology (size, size distribution, uniformity, bead formation, etc.) of gelatin nanofiber web. The gelatin nanofibers, in the mean size of 70-170 nm, could be prepared by controlling the dope concentration under proper conditions. The electrospun gelatin nanofiber exhibited a mixture of α-helical and random coil conformation, which was amorphous structure with very low crystallinity. The structural transformation, from a helical (α-helix and triple-helix) to random coil conformation, might occur when formic acid was used for the dissolution of gelatin in electrospinning.     

Production of cellulases and β-glucosidase in Trichoderma reesei mutated by proton beam irradiation

To obtain mutant strains producing high levels of cellulases (FPase and CMCase) and ??-glucosidase, Trichoderma reesei KCTC 6950 was mutated by proton beam irradiation. Five mutants were selected out of 1,000 mutants of T.reesei treated with proton beam irradiation, based on their ability for enzyme production on a plate screening medium. In submerged cultures containing Mandel??s fermentation medium, the mutant strain T-2 (MT-2) demonstrated a 165% increase in the activity of FPase, a 146% increase in the activity of CMCase, and a 313% increase in the activity of ??-glucosidase, compared with the wild type strain. Additionally, the properties of high level ??-glucosidase produced by MT-2 were the same as those of the wild type strain, e.g., an optimum pH of 4.8, and an optimum temperature of 65 °C. Moreover, the protein concentrations of ??-glucosidase produced by the wild type strain and MT-2 were measured by SDS-PAGE, and then ??-glucosidase activities were detected by the MUG-zymogram assay.