Spatiotemporal Magnetocaloric Microenvironment for Guiding the Fate of Biodegradable Polymer Implants

The degradation behavior of implants is significantly important for bone repair. However, it is still unprocurable to spatiotemporally regulate the degradation of the implants to match bone ingrowth. In this paper, a magneto-controlled biodegradation model is established to explore the degradation behavior of magnetic scaffolds in a magnetothermal microenvironment generated by an alternating magnetic field (AMF). The results demonstrate that the scaffolds can be heated by magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) under AMF, which dramatically accelerated scaffold degradation. Especially, magnetic NPs modified by oleic acid with a better interface compatibility exhibit a greater heating efficiency to further facilitate the degradation. Furthermore, the molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the enhanced motion correlation between magnetic NPs and polymer matrix can accelerate the energy transfer. As a proof-of-concept, the feasibility of magneto-controlled degradation for implants is demonstrated, and an optimizing strategy for better heating efficiency of nanomaterials is provided, which may have great instructive significance for clinical medicine.     

Compositional Dependence of Normal Spectral Emissivity of Molten Cu-Fe Alloy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - Normal spectral emissivity of molten Cu-Fe alloy with different compositions was measured at the wavelength of 807 nm using an electromagnetic...     

Flexible and Conductive 3D Printable Polyvinylidene Fluoride and Poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes

In this work, 3D printable gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) based on N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in lithium chloride containing ethylene glycol solution are synthesized and their physicochemical properties are investigated. 3D printing is carried out with a customized stereolithography type 3D gel printer named “Soft and Wet Intelligent Matter‐Easy Realizer” and free forming GPE samples having variable shapes and sizes are obtained. Printed PVDF/PDMAAm‐based GPEs exhibit tunable mechanical properties and favorable thermal stability. Electrochemical proprieties of the printed GPEs are carried out via impedance spectroscopy in the temperature range of 25–90 °C by varying PVDF content. Ionic conductivity as high as 6.5 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 is achieved at room temperature for GPE containing low PVDF content (5 wt%) and conductivity of the GPEs is increased as temperature rises.     

Development of Novel Inhibitors for Histone Methyltransferase SET7/9 based on Cyproheptadine

The histone methyltransferase SET7/9 methylates not only histone but also non‐histone proteins as substrates, and therefore, SET7/9 inhibitors are considered candidates for the treatment of diseases. Previously, our group identified cyproheptadine, used clinically as a serotonin receptor antagonist and histamine receptor (H1) antagonist, as a novel scaffold of the SET7/9 inhibitor. In this work, we focused on dibenzosuberene as a substructure of cyproheptadine and synthesized derivatives with various functional groups. Among them, the compound bearing a 2‐hydroxy group showed the most potent activity. On the other hand, a 3‐hydroxy group or another hydrophilic functional group such as acetamide decreased the activity. Structural analysis clarified a rationale for the improved potency only by tightly restricted location and type of the hydrophilic group. In addition, a SET7/9 loop, which was only partially visible in the complex with cyproheptadine, became more clearly visible in the complex with 2‐hydroxycyproheptadine. These results are expected to be helpful for further structure‐based development of SET7/9 inhibitors.     

Structural Characterization of Neutral Glycosphingolipids from 3T3‐L1 Adipocytes

In recent years, obesity has been considered a pathological stage of early lifestyle‐related diseases, and adipose tissue and adipocyte research has been active. Glycosphingolipids are involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes induced by insulin resistance, but the details of the glycosphingolipid molecular species composition of adipocytes have yet to be elucidated. We used 3T3‐L1 adipocytes and the 1,2‐dichloroethane‐wash method to remove triacylglycerols, which are abundant in adipocytes, and analyzed the structures of glycosphingolipids, particularly neutral glycosphingolipids, using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.     

Frequency of Upward Lightning Hits to Wind Turbines in Winter

In recent years, frequent damage to wind turbines by winter lightning has been reported in the region along the Sea of Japan. It is a serious finding that lightning hits concentrate on wind turbines in this region. The authors investigated the increase rate of the frequency of lightning hits on wind turbines due to wind turbine construction by using LLS (lightning location system) data. As a result, an experimental formula to estimate the increase rate of the frequency of lightning hits on wind turbines as a function of parameters related to the construction conditions, namely the height of wind turbines, the height above sea level, and the latitude, is proposed.     

Robust Mapping for Mobile Robot Based on Immobile Area Grid Map Considering Potential Moving Objects

Mobile robots need Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for autonomous movement in human living environments. The occupancy grid map used in SLAM is a conventional method which makes a map by an occupancy probability in each grid. This method renews a map based on whether an object is observed or not. In order to remove moving objects from a map, an additional method is required. However, conventional methods deal only with actually moving objects, and potential moving objects (e.g., standing humans) are mapped as static objects. Furthermore, only binary states, used or not used, are given to each object in map updating. This paper proposes the immobility area grid map to represent a map by an immobility probability in each grid. The proposed method renews a map based on the identification of observed objects by a robot's sensors, in addition to whether an object is observed or not. We introduce the map update parameter, which is set adaptively from the certainty of identification result of the object. Observed objects can take continuous states, truly static—unknown—truly moving, according to the parameter value. Potential moving objects are not mapped if the parameter takes values corresponding to moving objects. The experimental results show robust mapping in dynamic environments including potential moving objects.