Superior nanopatterns adjustable nanoimprint lithography on aluminum oxide in high-K thin films with ultraviolet curable polymer.

The present study substantiate that ultraviolet-nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) can be used to transfer a one-dimensional nano-pattern onto a high-k thin film of aluminum oxide mixed with a UV photocuring agent. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds fabricated on silicon wafers were made using deep ultraviolet laser interference lithography in order to investigate one-dimension nanopatterns. These imprinted nano-patterns induce geometric deformations in the liquid crystal (LC), creating collective and elastic properties, which act as a guide for homogeneous alignment.

Effects of dispersed copper nanoparticles on Ni-ceria based dry methanol fuelled low temperature solid oxide fuel cells.

Methanol is an attractive energy source due to its portability and thermodynamic coke resistance by its oxygen content. In order to operate dry methanol fuel low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs), it is important to solve the problems of carbon formation and its low performance. In this study, copper impregnation was selected to decrease the carbon deposition and enhance the performance at low temperature.

Effect of molecular weight distribution of PSSA on electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is the most successful conductive polymer. In this study, we investigated the electrical properties of PEDOT:PSS prepared using poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA) having different molecular weight distributions. Herein PSSA with different molecular weight distributions were successfully polymerized by free radical polymerization and atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP).

Influence of fluid physical properties on ink-jet printability.

Ink-jet printing is a method for directly patterning and fabricating patterns without the need for masks. To achieve this, the fluids used as inks must have the capability of being stably and accurately printed by ink-jetting. We have investigated the inter-relationship between ink-jet printability and physical fluid properties by monitoring droplet formation dynamics.

Parallel Processing Method for Airborne Laser Scanning Data Using a PC Cluster and a Virtual Grid.

In this study, a parallel processing method using a PC cluster and a virtual grid is proposed for the fast processing of enormous amounts of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. The method creates a raster digital surface model (DSM) by interpolating point data with inverse distance weighting (IDW), and produces a digital terrain model (DTM) by local minimum filtering of the DSM. To make a consistent comparison of performance between sequential and parallel processing approaches, the means of dealing with boundary data and of selecting interpolation centers were controlled for each processing node in parallel approach.

Biological nutrient removal using an IACOD process: determining the combined effects of low temperature and long solids retention time.

This study was undertaken using an intermittently aerated cylindrical oxidation ditch (IACOD) process for biological nutrient removal. The kinetic aspects of nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus release/uptake were investigated by conducting a pilot-scale operation under various contact times for the aerobic/anoxic reactor, SRTs, and HRTs. The effects of temperature were also evaluated.

Mean curvature as a major determinant of beta-sheet propensity.

Motivation: Despite the importance of beta-sheets as building blocks in proteins and also toxic elements in the pathological disorders, ranging from Alzheimer's disease to mad cow disease, the principles underlying their stability are not well understood. Non-random beta-sheet propensities of amino acids have been revealed both by their distinct statistical preferences within known protein structures and by the relative thermodynamic scales through the experimental host-guest systems. However, recent fitting analysis has proved that a native beta-sheet conforms to a minimal surface with zero mean curvature, like the physical model of soap films.

Silencing of NbECR encoding a putative enoyl-CoA reductase results in disorganized membrane structures and epidermal cell ablation in Nicotiana benthamiana.

The very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are synthesized by the microsomal fatty acid elongation system in plants. We investigated cellular function of NbECR putatively encoding enoyl-CoA reductase that catalyzes the last step of VLCFA elongation in Nicotiana benthamiana. Virus-induced gene silencing of NbECR produced necrotic lesions with typical cell death symptoms in leaves.

Inhibition of carbachol-evoked oscillatory currents by the NO donor sodium nitroprusside in guinea-pig ileal myocytes.

The effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on carbachol (CCh)-evoked inward cationic current (Icat) oscillations in guinea-pig ileal longitudinal myocytes was investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique and permeabilized longitudinal muscle strips. SNP (10 microm) completely inhibited I(cat) oscillations evoked by 1 microm CCh. 1H-(1,2,4) Oxadiazole [4,3-a] quinoxaline-1-one (ODQ; 1 microm) almost completely prevented the inhibitory effect of SNP on Icat oscillations.

Retinoblastoma protein regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and endoreduplication in plants.

Retinoblastoma protein (Rb) plays a key role in cell cycle control, cell differentiation, and apoptosis in animals. In this study, we used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to investigate the cellular functions of Rb in higher plants. VIGS of NbRBR1, which encodes the Nicotiana benthamiana Rb homolog, resulted in growth retardation and abnormal organ development.