Carrier control of graphene driven by the proximity effect of functionalized self-assembled monolayers

We demonstrated the carrier control of graphene by employing the electrostatic potential produced by several types of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed on SiO(2) substrates. For single layer graphene on perfluoroalkylsilane-SAM, the stiffening of the Raman G-band indicates a large down shift of the Fermi level (～-0.8 eV) by accumulated hole carriers. Meanwhile, aminoarylsilane-SAM accumulated electron carriers, which compensate the hole carriers doped by adsorbed molecules under the ambient atmosphere, in graphene. The present results and their theoretical analysis reveal that the use of the dipole moments of SAM molecules can systematically modulate the electrostatic potential affecting graphene without destroying its intrinsic electronic structure and let us know that the proximity effect of the SAMs is a promising way in developing graphene-based solid state electronics.     

Platinum plasmonic nanostructure arrays for massively parallel single-molecule detection based on enhanced fluorescence measurements

We fabricated platinum bowtie nanostructure arrays producing fluorescence enhancement and evaluated their performance using two-photon photoluminescence and single-molecule fluorescence measurements. A comprehensive selection of suitable materials was explored by electromagnetic simulation and Pt was chosen as the plasmonic material for visible light excitation near 500 nm, which is preferable for multicolor dye-labeling applications like DNA sequencing. The observation of bright photoluminescence (λ = 500-600 nm) from each Pt nanostructure, induced by irradiation at 800 nm with a femtosecond laser pulse, clearly indicates that a highly enhanced local field is created near the Pt nanostructure. The attachment of a single dye molecule was attempted between the Pt triangles of each nanostructure by using selective immobilization chemistry. The fluorescence intensities of the single dye molecule localized on the nanostructures were measured. A highly enhanced fluorescence, which was increased by a factor of 30, was observed. The two-photon photoluminescence intensity and fluorescence intensity showed qualitatively consistent gap size dependence. However, the average fluorescence enhancement factor was rather repressed even in the nanostructure with the smallest gap size compared to the large growth of photoluminescence. The variation of the position of the dye molecule attached to the nanostructure may influence the wide distribution of the fluorescence enhancement factor and cause the rather small average value of the fluorescence enhancement factor.     

Performance of Softwood Soda-Anthraquinone Lignin–Polyethylene Glycol Derivatives as Water-Reducing Admixture for Concrete

We have developed a high-performance lignin-based water-reducing admixture. In this study, softwood soda-anthraquinone lignin was modified with mono-epoxide polyethylene glycols having chain lengths of 10, 25, and 50 mol (the number of repeating units of ethylene oxide). The mortar flow and concrete slump flow tests were used to investigate the performance of the lignin derivatives as a water-reducing admixture. All tested lignin-PEG derivatives performed considerably better than a commercial lignosulfonate water-reducing admixture in the mortar flow test. In particular, the derivative with a PEG chain length of 50 mol performed excellently in both tests. The optimum PEG content for mortar dispersion was approximately 40% for lignin derivatives with a PEG chain length of 50 mol; this content exhibited a dispersing effect that was four times higher than that of the lignosulfonate water-reducing admixture. The strength of concrete containing the lignin derivatives was almost the same strength as that of concrete containing the commercial lignosulfonate water-reducing admixture.     

Antioxidant Activity of Phenolic Compounds from Fava Bean Sprouts

Fava beans are eaten all over the world and recently, marketing for their sprouts began in Japan. Fava bean sprouts contain more polyphenols and l ‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (l ‐DOPA) than the bean itself. Our antioxidant screening program has shown that fava bean sprouts also possess a higher antioxidant activity than other commercially available sprouts and mature beans. However, the individual constituents of fava bean sprouts are not entirely known. In the present study, we investigated the phenolic compounds of fava bean sprouts and their antioxidant activity. Air‐dried fava bean sprouts were treated with 80% methanol and the extract was partitioned in water with chloroform and ethyl acetate. HPLC analysis had shown that the ethyl acetate‐soluble parts contained phenolic compounds, separated by preparative HPLC to yield 5 compounds ( 1 ? 5 ). Structural analysis using NMR and MS revealed that the compounds isolated were kaempferol glycosides. All isolated compounds had an α‐rhamnose at the C‐7 position with different sugars attached at the C‐3 position. Compounds 1 ? 5 had β‐galactose, β‐glucose, α‐rhamnose, 6‐acetyl‐β‐galactose and 6‐acetyl‐β‐glucose, respectively, at the C‐3 position. The amount of l ‐DOPA in fava bean sprouts was determined by the quantitative ¹H NMR technique. The l ‐DOPA content was 550.45 mg ± 11.34 /100 g of the raw sprouts. The antioxidant activities of compounds 2 ? 5 and l ‐DOPA were evaluated using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay. l ‐DOPA showed high antioxidant activity, but the isolated kaempferol glycosides showed weak activity. Therefore, it can be suggested that l ‐DOPA contributed to the antioxidant activity of fava bean sprouts.     

Reliability evaluation of ultra-thin CSP using new flip-chip bonding technology––double-sided CSP and single-sided CSP

A high-density packaging technology has been developed that uses new flip-chip bonding technology with a thin IC and a thin substrate. Numerical analysis with the finite element method as well experiments clearly showed that deflection of the IC and reliability were affected by the IC thickness. Consequently, reliability could be improved by reducing IC thickness. The dependency of the life in single-sided chip-size packages (CSPs) could be expressed using a normal stress value in thickness, which is computed by the IC thickness and substrate type and thickness. The dependency of the life in double-sided CSPs could be expressed using a shear stress value in the vertical cross section, which is computed in IC thickness and substrate type and thickness, respectively.Moreover, a double-sided flip-chip approach solved the problem of warpage. A high-capacity memory card of 512 MB was put to practical use by applying these results. This increased the Si density by four times over that of a conventional CSP.     

FOCOIVA Lens: A Scanner in the Lateral and Longitudinal Directions

We propose what to our knowledge is a novel optical system that can scan an optical axis simultaneously in the perpendicular and the longitudinal directions (a two-dimensional scanner), which we have named the FOCOIVA (acronym for focal constant and image variable) lens system. We give the equations for first-order analysis and also the equations of motion for the lenses. Examples calculated with these equations are presented, and finally we give the optical designs for the writing system that will be used for a reader of digital documents.     

A new microwave device for rapid thermal fixation of the murine brain.

A microwave applicator was developed to provide rapid thermal fixation of enzymes in the murine brain. Although the power output of the device is only 1.3 kW, whole-brain levels of acetyicholine after microwave fixation are comparable to those observed at a power output of 5 kW, and are markedly higher than those obtained by a conventional method (freezing) of fixation.     

Effects of nutrient supply methods and illumination with blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) on astaxanthin production by Haematococcus pluvialis

In order to increase the cell concentration and the accumulation of astaxanthin, the effects of nutrient concentration, pH, illumination and methods of supplying nutrients were studied for the cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis. The replacement of media to avoid the deficiency of nutrients increased the cell concentration above 1 mg-dry cell cm(-3) without induction of astaxanthin accumulation. Illumination with blue light emitting diode lamps and nutrient starvation induced accumulation of astaxanthin, and the interactive effects of these two increased the astaxanthin concentration to 76 mug cm(-3).