Solid-State-Activated Sintering of ZnAlO Ceramics Containing CuNbO with Superior Dielectric and Thermal Properties.

Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCCs) are dielectric materials that can be co-fired with Ag or Cu; however, conventional LTCC materials are mostly poorly thermally conductive, which is problematic and requires improvement. We focused on ZnAlO (gahnite) as a base material. With its high thermal conductivity (~59 W·m·K reported for 0.

Estimation of local statistical noise in PET images induced by attenuation inside the body.

Objectives: In positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) examinations, the standardized uptake value (SUV) is a commonly used index to evaluate the activity of cancer. The precision of SUV is directly affected by the local statistical noise in PET images because SUV is calculated based on the counts on PET image data. The purpose of this study was to estimate the local statistical noise in the PET image caused by attenuation of annihilation photons inside the body.

Observation and quantitative analysis of rat bone marrow stromal cells cultured in vitro on newly formed transparent beta-tricalcium phosphate.

To observe living cell morphology on ceramics by light microscopy, we fabricated a new material-transparent beta - tricalcium phosphate (t-beta TCP) ceramic-for the purpose of serving as a tissue culture substrate. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were obtained from rat femora and cultured on both t-beta TCP ceramic disks and culture grade polystyrene (PS) dishes in an osteogenic medium. After 1 day of culture, cell attachment and spreading on both the t-beta TCP and PS substrata were equally and clearly detected by ordinary light microscopy.

Observation of osteogenic differentiation cascade of living mesenchymal stem cells on transparent hydroxyapatite ceramics.

The use of bioceramics and cultured cells for tissue engineering is a novel approach, which is available in a wide variety of clinical situations. The approach requires apparent verification of the cellular functions occurring on the ceramic surface, and these functions could be monitored by microscopic observation of the cultured living cells on the ceramic material. However, such observation is difficult due to the opaque nature of ordinary ceramics.