Self-alignment observation and conductivity evaluation in micro chips integration with square binding pattern

A “square” binding alignment pattern, with relatively higher energy barrier but four fully aligned orientations at four off-set angles of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, has been analyzed by introducing a concept of the overlap ratio, compared to a “rectangular” one. Both the “square-pattern” micro-chips and the substrate with the “square-pattern” binding sites were fabricated using one-mask micromachining process, and the self-alignment in situ observation under three different off-set orientation angles of 35°, 46°, and 90° was demonstrated using a high-speed video camera. Sequential images reveal a slow translational motion in the early stage followed by a faster rotational alignment. A novel technique has been further proposed for the conductivity evaluation by using three kinds of SAM films, i.e., C12, C18, and Terphenyl. The preliminary measurements indicate that, using the proposed novel structure, the Terphenyl film is believed to be desirable as a conductive SAM film for self-alignment of micro-chips.     

Facile preparation of conductive paint made with polyaniline/dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid dispersion and poly(methyl methacrylate)

We investigated an easy way to prepare industrially a conductive paint made with polyaniline (PANI)/dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) dispersion and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in organic media. First, water‐dispersible PANI doped with DBSA was chemically synthesized with aniline sulfate using ammonium persulfate in water, and the resulting PANI/DBSA was readily extracted from the reaction medium with a mixture of toluene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) (toluene:MEK = 1:1 (v/v)), which is useful for industrial applications. The obtained PANI/DBSA organic dispersion was mixed with PMMA organic solution to give the corresponding PANI/DBSA conductive paint containing PMMA. A film prepared with the resulting PANI/DBSA conductive paint was found to possess relatively good conductivity and low surface resistivity for a conductive paint utilized for an electrostatic discharge even at low PANI/DBSA content in the PANI/DBSA–PMMA composite film (the conductivity and the surface resistivity were 9.48 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 and 3.14 × 10⁶ Ω cm^?2, respectively, when the feed ratio of PANI/DBSA:PMMA was 1:39 (w/w)). Furthermore, it was found that the conductivity of the film composed of PANI/DBSA–PMMA composite can be readily and widely controlled by the PANI/DBSA content of the composite or by the amount of DBSA used during the PANI/DBSA synthesis. The highest conductivity of PANI/DBSA–PMMA composite film (7.84 × 10^?1 S cm^?1) was obtained when the feed ratio of PANI/DBSA:PMMA was 1:4 (w/w). Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Prediction of turbulent flow structure in a fully developed rib-roughened narrow rectangular channel

Fully developed turbulent water-flow structure over one-side repeated-ribs in narrow two-dimensional rectangular channels was investigated experimentally by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and analytically by the standard κ-ɛ and nonlinear κ-ɛ turbulent models. Two rib-pitch to height ratios (p/k) of 10 and 20 were investigated while the rib height was held constant at 4 mm. The rib height-to-channel equivalent diameter ratio (k/De) was 0.1. The streamwise mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy distributions at six selected axial stations from the center rib for the two Reynolds number (Re) of 7,000 and 20,000 were obtained and compared with the predicted one. The performance ability in predicting separating and reattaching turbulent water-flow between the standard κ-ɛ and nonlinear κ-ɛ models had yielded no clear conclusion. A large-scale turbulent eddy was generated by the rib promoter and then propagated into the mainstream flow, which led to the deformation of the velocity profile. The turbulent kinetic energy was increased about two times higher at p/k = 20 than that at p/k =10 under the two Reynolds numbers. The effect of the p/k value and the Reynolds number (Re) on reattachment length (XR) was investigated and showed that the p/k and Re had no significant effect on the reattachment length beyond a critical value of Re = 15,000 where XR was found to be approximately 4 times of the rib height under water-flow condition.     

Investigation of reaction between LiNH2 and H2

The reactions for LiNH₂ under a H₂ and an Ar flow were investigated, respectively. The results showed that LiNH₂ can be converted into LiH and NH₃ by reacting with H₂ under a H₂ flow condition, whereas LiNH₂ is converted into Li₂NH and NH₃ by decomposition under an Ar flow. Moreover, the reaction between LiNH₂ and H₂ can be accelerated by mixing LiNH₂ with LiH as well as doping LiNH₂ with TiCl₃. The confirmation of reaction between LiNH₂ and H₂ is helpful for the deeper insight in the systems of Li–N–H and Li–Mg–N–H for hydrogen storage materials.     

Reconnaissance report on geotechnical damage caused by a localized torrential downpour with emergency warning level in Kyushu,Japan

Kumamoto and Kogoshima prefectures are located in the southern Kyushu district of western Japan. In July 2020, a warm, humid air front triggered the delayed rains of the rainy season, resulting in torrential rains in many parts of Japan, especially in Kyushu. In particular, heavy downpours occurred in the southern Kyushu district on July 4th, causing severe damage to much of the infrastructure. Details could not be analyzed as usual because some branch office of local government were also damaged by floods. The spatial distribution of precipitation in the Kuma River basin, in the southern part of Kumamoto, was characterized by the uniformity of 400–500 mm on July 3rd and 4th. Finally, emergency warnings of torrential rain were issued for the southern Kumamoto and the northern Kagoshima Prefectures by Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) at 4:50 a.m., July 4th, 2020. Then, the active rain front gradually shifted towards northern Kyushu. Again, torrential rain fell on northern Kyushu in the afternoon due to a stagnant rainy season front, and the JMA issued an emergency warning for a localized torrential downpour for parts of Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures at 4:30 pm. Gradually, the damage status involving geodisasters such as several types of slope failures, road subsidence, damage of the river levee was reported by local governments in each area where there had been emergency warnings.Based on the brief report of the pre-investigation team from the Kyushu branch of the Japan Geotechnical Society (JGS) in the first week after the disaster on July 4th, the geo-research teams investigated the following: 1) landslides; 2) damaged roads; 3) damaged river levees, and 4) any geotechnical infrastructures which were partially damaged and may be even more severely damaged by the next torrential rain. This reconnaissance report introduces the geological features in Kyushu, the analysis of precipitation distribution and geotechnical damages on the slope failures, road failures and river embankments based on reports obtained from July 4th to August 31st, 2020.     

Integration of PEGylation and refolding for renaturation of recombinant proteins from insoluble aggregates produced in bacteria—Application to a single-chain Fv fragment

The conjugation of polyethylene glycol (PEGylation) with downsized compact antibodies is an effective method for overcoming the problem of rapid elimination of the compact antibodies from the body. We integrated site-specific PEGylation with the refolding of a single-chain Fv (scFv) of humanized monoclonal antibody 528 with affinity for the epidermal growth factor receptor, to prepare active PEGylated scFv from insoluble aggregates produced in an Escherichiacoli expression system. The insertion of a cysteine residue at the C-terminus of scFv to serve as the conjugation site for PEG led to the formation of highly multimeric scFv during the refolding process; however, PEGylation after refolding drastically dispersed the multimer into monomeric active scFv fragments. Further, the PEGylation of partially refolded scFv during the refolding process improved the PEGylation efficiency and suppressed the formation of highly multimeric scFv; consequently, monomeric active scFv fragments were obtained directly from the insoluble aggregates in E. coli. We show that in vitro refolding of PEGylated scFv should be useful for improving downstream processing performance in the production of clinically useful small antibodies from insoluble fractions.     

Laboratory-performance study of quantitative PCR methods to analyze an approved genetically modified maize (Mon810 Line)

A laboratory-performance study was carried out to investigate factors affecting the reliability of the quantitative PCR method to analyze an approved genetically modified (GM) maize (Mon810 line). Test maize powdered samples were prepared as blind samples containing a high (assigned value; 5.45%) or low (assigned value; 0.35%) concentration of the Mon810 line. After confirmation of their homogeneity, they were provided to 27 laboratories participating in the collaborative study. The data were collected from all laboratories and statistically analyzed. Two laboratories, which used a Roche LightCycler (LC), reported significantly high test values. A further examination showed that the LC method is greatly affected by the equipment itself or PCR reagents, resulting in poor repeatability. On the other hand, some laboratories, which used ABI quantitative PCR equipment, reported erroneous test values. In these laboratories, the errors appeared to have been due to inadequate quality and/or yield of DNA. To identify factors affecting the test values, analysis of the measured values for the taxon-specific gene will be useful. Furthermore, the modified silica-gel membrane DNA extraction method made it possible to extract the required amounts of DNA more easily and in a shorter time than before.     

Observation on the Visibility Decrease in a VCN Spin Resonator Interferometry

The present paper reports on the detailed studies concerning the neutron spin interference visibility observed after transmitting through multilayer magnetic resonators in a spin echo condition with very cold neutrons from a high flux reactor. The observed visibility of the interference between upward and downward spin components perpendicular to the Larmor precession plane of the neutron spin are compared with the numerical simulations in the plane wave theory and also in the Schrödinger wave-packet model. The comparison revealed the instructive characteristic features of obvious additional visibility decrease observed in the interference between the tunnelling and refractive transmissions of each spin components in a single as well as a couple of multilayer magnetic resonators.