Comparative study of high-power pulsed sputtering (HPPS) glow plasma techniques using Penning discharge and hollow-cathode discharge

Plasma-ion processing enhances the functionality of films used in various industrial and life-science fields, where high-efficiency metal-plasma sources are indispensable for facilitating this process. In this paper, a new sputtering plasma source is proposed. The plasma source is called high-power pulsed sputtering (HPPS) plasma; more than 10 kW of electric power is easily consumed in the plasma despite its compact size. The characteristics are compared with those of a hollow-cathode discharge (HCD) in the same source configuration. In the case of HPPS plasma generated in a magnetic field, the plasma is confined in the magnetic field and as much as 8 kW of power is consumed. When a set of permanent magnets are removed, the plasma changes from a confined state to an expanded state. Thus, a hollow-cathode discharge plasma is generated. As a result, efficient sputtering of the target material ceases; the consumed power decreases to approximately 20% of that of HPPS plasma, which causes the power density to decrease to 5%. The metallic components observed in the optical emission spectrum are significantly less common in the HCD plasma. In the HPPS plasma, the contributions to the optical emission spectrum from titanium- and argon-related species are significant, while no specified emissions are detected in the HCD plasma. Based on the optical emission spectrum intensity, the activated titanium species are not uniformly distributed at the gap. Some parts of the species are commonly on the outer edge of the target, while the argon species are relatively uniformly distributed in the plasma region.     

Polydopamine/liposome coatings and their interaction with myoblast cells

Surface-mediated drug delivery is a recent concept, where active surface coatings are employed to deliver therapeutic cargo to cells. Herein, we explore the potential of liposomes embedded in polydopamine (PDA) coatings to serve as drug deposits stored on planar substrates. We quantify the PDA growth rate on glass by XPS and show that PDA coatings support myoblast adherence and proliferation. Further, PDA capping layers were deposited on glass substrates precoated with poly(L-lysine) and zwitterionic liposomes. Already thin PDA capping layers render liposome coated surfaces cell adhesive. We experimentally show for the first time, the internalization of a model hydrophobic cargo, that is, fluorescent lipids embedded within the lipid bilayer of liposomes by the cells from the surface. This is evident from the fluorescence exhibited by the cells grown on PDA coatings containing fluorescently labeled liposomes, with the highest fluorescent intensity found in the close proximity of the cell nuclei. The cargo uptake efficiency depends on the thickness of the PDA capping layer and the cell residence time on the coated substrates. Taken together, we demonstrate the first step toward the establishment of a versatile approach using liposomal drug deposits in polymer thin films for surface-mediated drug delivery.     

Recognition and effective degradation of 17beta-estradiol by anti-estradiol-antibody-immobilized TiO(2) nanoparticles

Polyelectrolyte polyacrylic acid (PAA), used in the chemical modification of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles, allows TiO(2) nanoparticles to remain in suspension at neutral pH. The anti-17beta-estradiol (E2) antibody was immobilized on PAA-modified TiO(2) (PAA-TiO(2)) nanoparticles via covalent bonding between the carboxylic acid of PAA and the amino group of the antibody. The anti-E2-antibody-immobilized TiO(2) (E2Ab-PAA-TiO(2)) nanoparticles can form a suspension at neutral pH, with a particle size of less than 100 nm. The E2-PAA-TiO(2) nanoparticles caused the photocatalytic degradation of a typical TiO(2) substrate, methylene blue. The anti-E2 antibody immobilized on the TiO(2) surface recognized and bound E2 in the solution, thereby improving the efficiency of E2 degradation compared with that of PAA-TiO(2) nanoparticles. These results demonstrate that the E2Ab-PAA-TiO(2) nanoparticles developed in this study can be used in water treatment technology. Furthermore, this strategy of immobilizing proteins on nanoscale TiO(2) particles creates new applications not only in the treatment of environmental waste, but also in medical and public sanitation processes.     

Thermodynamic assessment of the Ni-Sb binary system

The Ni-Sb binary alloy system was thermodynamically assessed using CALPHAD approach in this article.Excess Gibbs energies of solution phases,liquid and fcc phases,were formulated using the Redlich-Kister expression.The intermediate phases were modeled by the sublattice model with (Ni,Va)0.5(Ni,Sb)0.25(Ni)0.25 for Ni3Sb_HT phase and (Ni,Va)0.3333(Sb)0.3333(Ni,Va)0.3333 for NiSb phase.The other phases including Ni3Sb,Ni7Sb3,and NiSb2 were treated as stoichiometric compound owing to their narrow composition ranges.Based on the reported thermodynamic properties and phase diagram data,the thermodynamic parameters of these phases were optimized,and the obtained values can reproduce the available experimental data well.     

Stacking-sequence optimization using fractal branch-and-bound method for unsymmetrical laminates

The fractal branch-and-bound method has been developed by the authors for stacking-sequence optimizations of symmetric and balanced composite laminates comprise of two in-plane and two out-of-plane lamination parameters. Cylindrical structures such as tanks or pipes, however, are usually made from balanced laminates. In the present study, therefore, we focus on the stacking-sequence optimizations of unsymmetrical composite laminates. In the unsymmetrical laminates, nine lamination parameters including three coupling-lamination parameters exist, and its feasible design region of fractal pattern is unrevealed. The paper clarifies the feasible region in which the in-plane, out-of-plane and coupling lamination parameters create fractal patterns of tetrahedrons or tetradecahedrons. Using the fractal patterns of lamination parameters, the improved fractal branch-and-bound method is proposed for unsymmetrical laminates including coupling lamination parameters. This new method is applied to stacking-sequence optimization problems of maximization of buckling load of cylindrical laminated shells. As a result, the method is successfully applied, and a practical optimal stacking sequence is obtained with low computational cost.     

Shielding performance of newly developed boron-loaded concrete for DT neutrons

In order to enhance the neutron-shielding performance of concrete in neutron-generation facilities from the viewpoint of reduction of effective dose rates in operation and radioactive wastes in decommission, we developed concrete with boron of more than 10 wt%. We performed a neutron-shielding experiment using the mockup of the newly developed boron-loaded concrete and Deuterium Tritium (DT)neutrons at the Fusion Neutronics Source in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and measured the reaction rates of ⁹³Nb(n,2n)^92mNb and ¹⁹⁷Au(n,γ)¹⁹⁸Au reactions in the mockup. The calculations were conducted using MCNP-5.14 and FENDL-2.1. The calculation results agreed well with the measured ones, and we confirmed that the accuracy was very good on the atomic composition data of boron-loaded concrete and their nuclear data. In addition, we calculated the neutron and photon effective dose rates and reaction rates of ⁵⁹Co(n,γ)⁶⁰Co and ¹⁵¹Eu(n,γ)¹⁵²Eu reactions, which produce critical radioisotopes in decommission, in boron-loaded concrete and other concretes with DT neutrons, and the experimental condition presently used. The dose rates and reaction rates were drastically reduced by using boron-loaded concrete and it was concluded that boron-loaded concrete had very good shielding performance for DT neutrons.     

Characterization of [3H]clozapine binding sites in rat brain

We examined the characteristics of [3H]clozapine binding sites in four rat brain regions (frontal cortex, limbic area, hippocampus and striatum) in order to elucidate the pharmacological profile of this unique atypical antipsychotic drug. The specific [3H]clozapine binding was found to be saturable and reversible in all these brain regions. Scatchard analysis of the saturation data indicated that the specific binding consisted of high- and low-affinity components. Displacement experiments showed that the muscarinic cholinergic receptor represented about 50% of [3H]clozapine binding in each brain area. Serotonin 5-HT2 and dopamine D4 receptor binding sites could also be detected by displacement experiments using ketanserin and nemonapride, respectively, in frontal cortex and limbic area, but not in hippocampus or striatum. Alpha-1, alpha-2, histamine H1, dopamine D1, D2, or D3 receptor components could not be determined within the high-affinity [3H]clozapine binding sites in any brain region. It is possible that the atypical property of clozapine may depend on the modulatory effect on dopaminergic function via 5-HT2 receptor blockade and/or may be mediated via D4 receptor blockade in the mesocortical and mesolimbic area.     

Luminescent passive-oxidized silicon quantum dots as biological staining labels and their cytotoxicity effects at high concentration

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) hold some advantages over conventional organic fluorescent dyes. Due to these advantages, they are becoming increasingly popular in the field of bioimaging. However, recent work suggests that cadmium based QDs affect cellular activity. As a substitute for cadmium based QDs, we have developed photoluminescent stable silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) with a passive-oxidation technique. Si-QDs (size: 6.5 ± 1.5?nm) emit green light, and they have been used as biological labels for living cell imaging. In order to determine the minimum concentration for cytotoxicity, we investigated the response of HeLa cells. We have shown that the toxicity of Si-QDs was not observed at 112?μg?ml(-1) and that Si-QDs were less toxic than CdSe-QDs at high concentration in mitochondrial assays and with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Especially under UV exposure, Si-QDs were more than ten times safer than CdSe-QDs. We suggest that one mechanism for the cytotoxicity is that Si-QDs can generate oxygen radicals and these radicals are associated with membrane damages. This work has demonstrated the suitability of Si-QDs for bioimaging in lower concentration, and their cytotoxicity and one toxicity mechanism at high concentration.     

Comparison of catabolism rate of fatty acids to carbon dioxide in mice

The catabolism rates of a medium chain fatty acid (octanoic acid), an even‐numbered fatty acid (palmitic acid), and odd‐numbered fatty acids (pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid) in mice were compared using stable isotope (¹³C) labeled fatty acids and isotope‐ratio MS (IRMS). The catabolism rates of respective fatty acids were evaluated by the ratio of ¹³C and ¹²C in carbon dioxide expired from mice. The results show that the catabolism rate of octanoic acid is three times faster than that of palmitic acid. This result is in agreement with previous knowledge that medium chain fatty acids are easily beta‐oxidized as compared to long chain fatty acids. The catabolism rates of odd‐numbered fatty acids such as pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid were significantly lower as compared to those of even‐numbered fatty acids such as palmitic acid. This finding supports our previous report that odd‐numbered fatty acids are easily accumulated into body fat. The high accumulation of odd‐numbered fatty acids in body fat would be a direct result of their low beta‐oxidizability. Practical applications: ¹³C‐labeled fatty acids were administered to mice and the rates of ¹³CO₂ formation were compared among medium chain, even‐numbered, and odd‐numbered fatty acids using IRMS. We found that the catabolism rates of odd‐numbered fatty acids such as pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid were significantly lower in comparison to those of even‐numbered fatty acids such as palmitic acid. These findings could be valuable for the development of the lipid metabolism field.