[How smokers perceive pictorial and non-pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages: An online survey].

Objectives　This study aimed to evaluate Japanese smokers' perceptions of health warnings on tobacco packaging by comparing text-only and pictorial warnings.Methods　Data were sourced from the Japan Society and New Tobacco Internet Survey (JASTIS), an online, self-reported study conducted in February and March 2020. Participants included current smokers aged 15-74 years in Japan (n＝2,372).

Series/Parallel Switching for Increasing Power Extraction from Thermoelectric Power Generators.

We propose a method for increasing power extraction from a thermoelectric generator (TEG) by switching between series/parallel circuit configurations of thermoelectric elements, which can adjust the internal impedance of the TEG. The power characteristics of the TEG can be adjusted to the load characteristics of the connected device and the relevant ambient temperature. In this paper, we analyzed the change in the TEG characteristics with the series/parallel switching function.

High-Accuracy Contact Resistance Measurement Method for Liquid Metal by Considering Current-Density Distribution in Transfer Length Method Measurement.

Liquid metals (LMs) are used as stretchable conductors in various stretchable electronic devices. Moreover, such devices using Ga-based LMs have attracted considerable attention. Herein, we propose a method for accurately determining the contact resistance () between galinstan and Cu electrodes by considering the current-density distribution in transfer length method (TLM) measurement.

Spiral Chiral Metamaterial Structure Shape for Optical Activity Improvements.

We report on a spiral structure suitable for obtaining a large optical response. We constructed a structural mechanics model of the shape of the planar spiral structure when deformed and verified the effectiveness of the model. As a verification structure, we fabricated a large-scale spiral structure that operates in the GHz band by laser processing.

Conduction Conditions for Self-Healing of Metal Interconnect Using Copper Microparticles Dispersed with Silicone Oil.

This study clarifies the conditions for the bridging and conduction of a gap on a metal interconnect using copper microparticles dispersed with silicon oil. An AC voltage applied to a metal interconnect with a gap covered by a dispersion of metal microparticles traps the metal microparticles in the gap owing to the influence of a dielectrophoretic force on the interconnect, thus forming a metal microparticle chain. The current was tuned independently of the applied voltage by changing the external resistance.

Origami-Type Flexible Thermoelectric Generator Fabricated by Self-Folding.

The flexibility of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) is important for low-contact thermal resistance to curved heat sources. However, approaches that depend on soft materials, which are used in most existing studies, have the problem of low performance in terms of the substrate's thermal conductivity and the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric (TE) elements. In this study, we propose a method to fabricate "Origami-TEG", a TEG with an origami structure that enables both flexibility and the usage of high-performance rigid materials by self-folding.

Large Curvature Self-Folding Method of a Thick Metal Layer for Hinged Origami/Kirigami Stretchable Electronic Devices.

A self-folding method that can fold a thick (~10 μm) metal layer with a large curvature (>1 mm−1) and is resistant to repetitive folding deformation is proposed. Given the successful usage of hinged origami/kirigami structures forms in deployable structures, they show strong potential for application in stretchable electronic devices. There are, however, two key difficulties in applying origami/kirigami methods to stretchable electronic devices.

Quantification of Visual Texture and Presentation of Intermediate Visual Texture by Spatial Mixing.

We proposed a method to display an intermediate visual texture by spatial mixing. In addition to color information, the visual texture is an important element that characterizes the nature of an object's surface. While the system to display various color information has well matured in engineering, there is no method to reproduce visual textures in ambient light.

Method to Reduce the Contact Resistivity between Galinstan and a Copper Electrode for Electrical Connection in Flexible Devices.

This study demonstrates a method to mount electronic components using gallium-based liquid metals (LMs) with reduced contact resistivity between the LM and a copper (Cu) electrode. Gallium-based LMs have low volume resistivity and low melting points, and they are used as electronic components such as interconnects and sensors of stretchable electronic devices. However, the high contact resistivity of the oxide layer on the surface of the Ga-based LMs becomes a problem when the Ga-based LMs are used in contact with rigid electronic components.

Design of a Kirigami Structure with a Large Uniform Deformation Region.

We designed a kirigami structure with a particular shape at both ends to provide a large uniform deformation region when stretched. When a kirigami structure is stretched, non-deformation regions, where the regions' cuts do not open, and non-uniform deformation regions, where the regions' cuts are not uniformly deformed, are produced. The extent of the non-deformation and non-uniform deformation regions increases in proportion to the number of cut cycles in the width direction this reduces the percentage of the uniform deformation region.

An Origami Heat Radiation Fin for Use in a Stretchable Thermoelectric Generator.

Recently, some studies have addressed the use of a folded substrate to realize stretchable electronic devices including stretchable thermoelectric generators (TEGs). However, the utilization of the folded substrate as a heat radiation fin has not been achieved. Herein, we have proposed the construction of a TEG with an origami-like folded structure substrate called an "origami-fin" that can achieve a high heat radiation performance and is also highly stretchable.

Syringe-Injectable, Self-Expandable, and Ultraconformable Magnetic Ultrathin Films.

Syringe-injectable biomaterials and medical devices are important as minimally invasive implants for diagnosis, therapy, and regenerative medicine. Free-standing polymeric nanosheets with a thickness less than 1 μm and a flexural rigidity less than 10 nN m are a promising platform of syringe-injectable, implantable devices that provide conformable and long-term stable adhesion to the target biological tissues for delivery of therapeutic materials. Here, we developed free-standing ultrathin films (<1 μm thick) based on polyurethane-based shape-memory polymer (SMP) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNP), termed MNP-SMP nanosheets.

Resistance Change Mechanism of Electronic Component Mounting through Contact Pressure Using Elastic Adhesive.

For mounting electronic components through contact pressure using elastic adhesives, a high contact resistance is an inevitable issue in achieving solderless wiring in a low-temperature and low-cost process. To decrease the contact resistance, we investigated the resistance change mechanism by measuring the contact resistance with various contact pressures and copper layer thicknesses. The contact resistivity decreased to 4.

Design of Rigidity and Breaking Strain for a Kirigami Structure with Non-Uniform Deformed Regions.

We modeled a kirigami structure by considering the influence of non-uniform deforming cuts in order to theoretically design the mechanical characteristics of the structure. It is known that the end regions of kirigami structures are non-uniformly deformed when stretched, because the deformation is inhibited at the regions close to both the ends connected to the uncut region in the longitudinal direction. The non-uniform deformation affects the overall mechanical characteristics of the structure.

Rapid prototyping of fluoropolymer microchannels by xurography for improved solvent resistance.

Microchannels made of fluoropolymers show potential merits due to their excellent solvent resistance, but such channels have not been widely used because of the complexity to fabricate them. This communication describes a method to prototype microfluidic devices using fluoropolymer films. The fabrication requires only two steps; cutting fluoropolymer films with a desktop cutting plotter and applying heat and pressure to laminate them.

Radially arranged dihedral corner reflector array for wide viewing angle of floating image without virtual image.

We proposed a new type of dihedral corner reflector array (DCRA) called "radially arranged DCRA". Our radially arranged DCRA could display a floating, three-dimensional image with a wide viewing angle without producing virtual images because dihedral corner reflectors were radially arranged for the designed paths of rays. In this research, we designed a reflector array pattern and evaluated the viewing angle of the floating image displayed by our radially arranged DCRA.

Design of Substrate Stretchability Using Origami-Like Folding Deformation for Flexible Thermoelectric Generator.

A stretchable thermoelectric (TE) generator was developed by using rigid BiTe-based TE elements and a non-stretchable substrate with origami-like folding deformation. Our stretchable TE generator contains flat sections, on which the rigid TE elements are arranged, and folded sections, which produce and guarantee the stretchability of a device. First, a simple stretchable device with a single pair of p-type and n-type BiTe-based TE elements was designed and fabricated.

Crack-Configuration Analysis of Metal Conductive Track Embedded in Stretchable Elastomer.

This paper reports the analysis of the crack configuration of a stretched metal conductive track that is embedded in a stretchable elastomer. The factor determining the crack configurations is analyzed by modeling as well as experiments. The modeling analysis indicates that the crack configuration is determined by the ratio of the elongation stiffness of the track and elastomer, and is classified into two types: multiple-crack growth and single-crack growth.

Micropatterning of Multiple Photonic Colloidal Crystal Gels for Flexible Structural Color Films.

We herein report the micropatterning of flexible multiple photonic colloidal crystal gels (PCCGs) using single-layered microchannels. These patterned PCCGs exhibit structural colors that can be tuned by adjustment of the diameter and concentration of the colloidal particles in precursor solutions of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) or polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA). The precursor solutions containing dispersed colloidal particles were selectively injected into single-layered microchannels where they polymerized rapidly.

Optomechanical and photothermal interactions in suspended photonic crystal membranes.

We present here an optomechanical system fabricated with novel stress management techniques that allow us to suspend an ultrathin defect-free silicon photonic-crystal membrane above a Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) substrate with a gap that is tunable to below 200 nm. Our devices are able to generate strong attractive and repulsive optical forces over a large surface area with simple in- and out- coupling and feature the strongest repulsive optomechanical coupling in any geometry to date (gOM/2π ≈65 GHz/nm). The interplay between the optomechanical and photo-thermal-mechanical dynamics is explored, and the latter is used to achieve cooling and amplification of the mechanical mode, demonstrating that our platform is well-suited for potential applications in low-power mass, force, and refractive-index sensing as well as optomechanical accelerometry.

Glucocorticoid-induced hypertension and cardiac injury: effects of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptor antagonism.

Glucocorticoids are widely administered for the treatment of various disorders, although their long-term use results in adverse effects associated with glucocorticoid excess. We investigated the pathophysiological roles of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) in the cardiac changes induced by exogenous corticosterone in rats. Corticosterone or vehicle was injected twice daily in rats from 8 to 12 weeks of age.

Bonding, antibonding and tunable optical forces in asymmetric membranes.

We demonstrate that tunable attractive (bonding) and repulsive (anti-bonding) forces can arise in highly asymmetric structures coupled to external radiation, a consequence of the bonding/anti-bonding level repulsion of guided-wave resonances that was first predicted in symmetric systems. Our focus is a geometry consisting of a photonic-crystal (holey) membrane suspended above an unpatterned layered substrate, supporting planar waveguide modes that can couple via the periodic modulation of the holey membrane. Asymmetric geometries have a clear advantage in ease of fabrication and experimental characterization compared to symmetric double-membrane structures.

Differential pressure measurement using a free-flying insect-like ornithopter with an MEMS sensor.

This paper presents direct measurements of the aerodynamic forces on the wing of a free-flying, insect-like ornithopter that was modeled on a hawk moth (Manduca sexta). A micro differential pressure sensor was fabricated with micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and attached to the wing of the ornithopter. The sensor chip was less than 0.

Liquid-phase packaging of a glucose oxidase solution with parylene direct encapsulation and an ultraviolet curing adhesive cover for glucose sensors.

We have developed a package for disposable glucose sensor chips using Parylene encapsulation of a glucose oxidase solution in the liquid phase and a cover structure made of an ultraviolet (UV) curable adhesive. Parylene was directly deposited onto a small volume (1 μL) of glucose oxidase solution through chemical vapor deposition. The cover and reaction chamber were constructed on Parylene film using a UV-curable adhesive and photolithography.

A cross-sectional evaluation of spontaneous platelet aggregation in relation to complications in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

To clarify the relationship between platelet function and diabetic complications, we investigated spontaneous platelet aggregation (SPA) and agonist-induced platelet aggregation by a particle counting method using light scattering (LS) and by a conventional light transmission method (LT) in 23 age- and sex-matched control subjects and 74 patients with type II diabetes mellitus. We also observed platelets using the FIC-2 (TOA Medical Electronics, Kobe, Japan) flow cytometer and imaging device. Observation by the FIC-2 device showed microaggregates of platelets in samples with increased SPA-LS.