Metabolomic profiling in kidney cells treated with a sodium glucose-cotransporter 2 inhibitor.

We aimed to determine the metabolomic profile of kidney cells under high glucose conditions and following sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor treatment. Targeted metabolomics using the Absolute IDQ-p180 kit was applied to quantify metabolites in kidney cells stimulated with high glucose (25 and 50 mM) and treated with SGLT2 inhibitor, dapagliflozin (2 µM). Primary cultured human tubular epithelial cells and podocytes were used to identify the metabolomic profile in high glucose conditions following dapagliflozin treatment.

Exploiting elastic buckling of high-strength gold nanowire toward stable electrical probing.

Buckling is a loss of structural stability. It occurs in long slender structures or thin plate structures which is subjected to compressive forces. For the structural materials, such a sudden change in shape has been considered to be avoided.

Synaptic Current Response of a Liquid Ga Electrode via a Surface Electrochemical Redox Reaction in a NaOH Solution.

An ionic device using a liquid Ga electrode in a 1 M NaOH solution is proposed to generate artificial neural spike signals. The oxidation and reduction at the liquid Ga surface were investigated for different bias voltages at 50 °C. When the positive sweep voltage from the starting voltage ( ) of 1 V was applied to the Ga electrode, the oxidation current flowed immediately and decreased exponentially with time.

Closed atraumatic complete rupture of the flexor halluces longus tendon during forward lunge exercise: A case report.

Rationale: Acute rupture of the flexor halluces longus (FHL) tendon due to trauma or laceration is a well-known phenomenon. Partial rupture of the FHL tendon caused by tendinitis or stenosing tenosynovitis is common in ballet dancers and athletes. However, atraumatic complete rupture of the FHL is rare: as of 2018, only 7 cases of closed atraumatic complete rupture of the FHL tendon have been reported in the literature.

Effect of Fluoride Ions on Wet Etching of Copper/ Molybdenum in Hydrogen Peroxide Solution.

Copper metallization is a key issue for high performance thin film transistor technology. Hydrogen peroxide-based copper etchants are widely used in copper metallization. Recently, a hydrogen peroxide-based copper etchant for a copper/molybdenum double layer was investigated for its versatile use in both amorphous silicon TFTs and in metal-oxide TFTs.

Ultrafast Sodiation of Single-Crystalline Sn Anodes.

Sodiation was performed on crystalline Sn cylinders using an in situ electron microscope to evaluate the rate performance of the Sn anode by directly measuring the sodiation rate. We observed that the sodiation rate of the Sn anode is more than 2 orders of magnitude higher than the lithiation rate of the Si anode under the same conditions. This unprecedented rate displayed by the Na-Sn system is attributed to the bond characteristics and crystalline-to-amorphous transformation of the Sn crystal at the thin interface of the Na-Sn diffusion couple.

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery with a snake-mechanism using a movable pulley.

Background: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery is an emerging technique. We aimed to develop an advanced surgical robot mechanism for natural orifice surgery.

Methods: We propose the active-controlled overtube-type platform with multiple channels for an endoscopic camera and surgical tools.

Impedance and admittance control for respiratory-motion compensation during robotic needle insertion - a preliminary test.

Background: Many robotic needle-biopsy systems have been developed to enhance the accuracy of needle-biopsy intervention. These systems can reduce the intervention time and the radiation exposure of clinicians. However, respiratory-motion compensation is needed to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of needle biopsy intervention.

Development of a control algorithm for the ultrasound scanning robot (NCCUSR) using ultrasound image and force feedback.

Background: Clinicians who frequently perform ultrasound scanning procedures often suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, arthritis, and myalgias. To minimize their occurrence and to assist clinicians, ultrasound scanning robots have been developed worldwide. Although, to date, there is still no commercially available ultrasound scanning robot, many control methods have been suggested and researched.

Ultrahigh Tensile Strength Nanowires with a Ni/Ni-Au Multilayer Nanocrystalline Structure.

Superior mechanical properties of nanolayered structures have attracted great interest recently. However, previously fabricated multilayer metallic nanostructures have high strength under compressive load but never reached such high strength under tensile loads. Here, we report that our microalloying-based electrodeposition method creates a strong and stable Ni/Ni-Au multilayer nanocrystalline structure by incorporating Au atoms that makes nickel nanowires (NWs) strongest ever under tensile loads even with diameters exceeding 200 nm.

A Study on the Adhesion Properties of Reactive Sputtered Molybdenum Thin Films with Nitrogen Gas on Polyimide Substrate as a Cu Barrier Layer.

NiCr, Mo, and Mo-N thin copper diffusion barrier films are deposited on 200 um thick polyimide films spin-coated on glass substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. The adhesion forces for three systems are measured by micro-scratch test analysis depending on oxygen plasma pretreatment, sputtering power density, moisture contents, and post annealing treatment. The values of adhesion forces for the three systems are linearly proportional to the oxygen plasma treatment time.

Simulation for Large-Area, Inductively-Coupled Plasma Systems Using an Ar/Cl2 Gas Mixture.

As research and development of high-performance devices are becoming increasingly important in the flat panel display industry, new structures and processes are essential to improve the performance of the TFT backplane. Also, high-density plasma systems are needed for new device fabrications. Chlorine-based, inductively-coupled plasma systems are widely used for highly-selective, anisotropic etching of polysilicon layers.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Ru Thin Films Using a New Beta-Diketonate Ru Precursor and NH3 Plasma as a Reactant.

Ruthenium (Ru) thin films were grown on thermally-grown SiO2 substrates by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using a sequential supply of a new betadiketonate Ru metallorganic precursor, dicarbonyl-bis(5-methyl-2,4-hexanediketonato) Ru(II) (C16H22O6Ru) with a high vapor pressure and NH3 plasma as a reactant at the substrate temperature ranging from 175 and 310 degrees C. A self-limited film growth was confirmed at the deposition temperature of 225 degrees C and the growth rate was 0.063 nm/cycle on the SiO2 substrate with very short number of incubation cycles (approximately 10 cycles).

Effects of Chlorine Ions on the Dissolution Mechanism of Cu Thin Film in Phosphoric Acid Based Solution.

The dissolution mechanisms of Cu thin film were studied with a focus on the effect of chlorine ion concentrations in mixture solutions of phosphoric and nitric acid. The dissolution behaviors of Cu thin film were investigated by using potentio-dynamic curves and impedance spectroscopy with varying chlorine ion concentrations. The copper dissolution rate decreased and as a result of this change, CuCl, salt films formed on the Cu surface in the presence of chlorine ions in the mixture solution.

The Electrochemical Behavior of Mo-Ta Alloy in Phosphoric Acid Solution for TFT-LCD Application.

Molybdenum-tantalum alloy thin film is a suitable material for the higher corrosion resistance and low resistivity for gate and data metal lines. In this study, Mo-Ta alloy thin films were prepared by using a DC magnetron co-sputtering system on a glass substrate. An abrupt increase in the etching rates of low Mo-Ta alloys was observed.

An Investigation of Gate Pulse Induced Degradation in a-InGaZnO Thin Film Transistors.

We investigated the effects of pulsed gate bias on degradation of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-InGaZnO) thin film transistors (TFTs). The waveform composed of 0 V and 20 V produced little degradation, but the waveform composed of -20 V and 0 V produced a considerable degradation on the turn-on current in the transfer characteristics. Those instabilities were found mostly in TFTs of which the concentration of Zn is higher than the other metallic components (In, Ga).

Anomalous Stagewise Lithiation of Gold-Coated Silicon Nanowires: A Combined In Situ Characterization and First-Principles Study.

Through a combined density functional theory and in situ scanning electron microscopy study, the effects of presence of gold (Au) spreading on the lithiation process of silicon nanowire (SiNW) were systematically examined. Different from a pristine SiNW, an Au-coated SiNW (Au-SiNW) is lithiated in three distinct stages; Li atoms are found to be incorporated preferentially in the Au shell, whereas the thin AuSi interface layer may serve as a facile diffusion path along the nanowire axial direction, followed by the prompt lithiation of the Si core in the radial direction. The underlying mechanism of the intriguing stagewise lithiation behavior is explained through our theoretical analysis, which appears well-aligned with the experimental evidence.

Vision-based variable impedance control with oscillation observer for respiratory motion compensation during robotic needle insertion: a preliminary test.

Background: To reduce the radiation exposure of patients and physicians during needle-based procedures, robotic needle insertion systems have been widely developed. However, during robotic needle insertion, the respiratory motion of the patient can cause serious injury.

Methods: A vision-based variable impedance control algorithm was introduced to compensate for the respiratory motion.

Negative gate bias and light illumination-induced hump in amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistor.

While observing the transfer characteristics of a-IGZO TFTs, it was noticed that a hump occurred in the subthreshold regime after light and bias stress. This study analyzes the mechanism of the hump occurrence. It was determined that hump characteristics were related with parasitic TFTs which formed at the peripheral edges parallel with the channel direction.

Origin of size dependency in coherent-twin-propagation-mediated tensile deformation of noble metal nanowires.

Researchers have recently discovered ultrastrong and ductile behavior of Au nanowires (NWs) through long-ranged coherent-twin-propagation. An elusive but fundamentally important question arises whether the size and surface effects impact the twin propagation behavior with a decreasing diameter. In this work, we demonstrate size-dependent strength behavior of ultrastrong and ductile metallic NWs.

In situ heating transmission electron microscopy observation of nanoeutectic lamellar structure in Sn-Ag-Cu alloy on Au under-bump metallization.

We investigated the microstructural evolution of Sn(96.4)Ag(2.8)Cu(0.

Face-centered-cubic lithium crystals formed in mesopores of carbon nanofiber electrodes.

In the foreseeable future, there will be a sharp increase in the demand for flexible Li-ion batteries. One of the most important components of such batteries will be a freestanding electrode, because the traditional electrodes are easily damaged by repeated deformations. The mechanical sustainability of carbon-based freestanding electrodes subjected to repeated electrochemical reactions with Li ions is investigated via nanotensile tests of individual hollow carbon nanofibers (HCNFs).

Facile conductive bridges formed between silicon nanoparticles inside hollow carbon nanofibers.

This paper reports on a simple and effective method for improving the electrochemical performance of silicon nanoparticle-core/carbon-shell (Si-core/C-shell) nanofibers. Instead of increasing the encapsulation amount of Si nanoparticles, additional conductive paths between the Si nanoparticles were formed by incorporating a small percentage of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) (e.g.

Hardness and nitrogen bonding structure of AlxTi1-xN/CrN multilayer hard coating.

AlxTi1-xN/CrN multilayer coatings were fabricated by magnetron sputtering and those hardness variations were studied by observing the crack propagation and measuring the chemical bonding state of nitrides by Ti addition. While AlN/CrN multilayer shown stair-like crack propagation, AlxTi1-xN/CrN multilayer illustrated straight crack propagation. Most interestingly, Ti addition induced more broken nitrogen bonds in the nitride multilayers, leading to the reduction of hardness.