Electrostatic properties of ultra-thin polyimide Langmuir-Blodgettfilms biased in a needle-plane electrode system

Surface potentials of polyimide (PI) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films on metal (Al, Ag and Au) electrodes, charged at various voltages, were examined under a needle-plane electrode system. It was found that PI LB films were negatively charged when the biasing voltage applied to the needle-electrode increased. The surface potentials saturated when the number of deposited layers was 20 to 30, and they were dependent on the nature of the metal electrodes. The temperature dependence of the surface potential also was examined, and it was concluded that the tendency to accept electrons increases as the temperature increases. These results suggest that the presence of interfacial electrostatic space charges in as-deposited PI LB films at the metal/film interface made a significant contribution to the creation of the additional electrostatic potential when the films were biased under a needle-plane electrode system     

Molecular and Genetic Interactions between CCN2 and CCN3 behind Their Yin–Yang Collaboration

Cellular communication network factor (CCN) 2 and 3 are the members of the CCN family that conduct the harmonized development of a variety of tissues and organs under interaction with multiple biomolecules in the microenvironment. Despite their striking structural similarities, these two members show contrastive molecular functions as well as temporospatial emergence in living tissues. Typically, CCN2 promotes cell growth, whereas CCN3 restrains it. Where CCN2 is produced, CCN3 disappears. Nevertheless, these two proteins collaborate together to execute their mission in a yin–yang fashion. The apparent functional counteractions of CCN2 and CCN3 can be ascribed to their direct molecular interaction and interference over the cofactors that are shared by the two. Recent studies have revealed the mutual negative regulation systems between CCN2 and CCN3. Moreover, the simultaneous and bidirectional regulatory system of CCN2 and CCN3 is also being clarified. It is of particular note that these regulations were found to be closely associated with glycolysis, a fundamental procedure of energy metabolism. Here, the molecular interplay and metabolic gene regulation that enable the yin–yang collaboration of CCN2 and CCN3 typically found in cartilage development/regeneration and fibrosis are described.     

Elevated Alpha 1(I) to Alpha 2(I) Collagen Ratio in Dermal Fibroblasts Possibly Contributes to Fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by excessive collagen deposition in the skin and internal organs. Activated fibroblasts are the key effector cells for the overproduction of type I collagen, which comprises the α1(I) and α2(I) chains encoded by COL1A1 and COL1A2, respectively. In this study, we examined the expression patterns of α1(I) and α2(I) collagen in SSc fibroblasts, as well as their co-regulation with each other. The relative expression ratio of COL1A1 to COL1A2 in SSc fibroblasts was significantly higher than that in control fibroblasts. The same result was observed for type I collagen protein levels, indicating that α2(I) collagen is more elevated than α2(I) collagen. Inhibition or overexpression of α1(I) collagen in control fibroblasts affected the α2(I) collagen levels, suggesting that α1(I) collagen might act as an upstream regulator of α2(I) collagen. The local injection of COL1A1 small interfering RNA in a bleomycin-induced SSc mouse model was found to attenuate skin fibrosis. Overall, our data indicate that α2(I) collagen is a potent regulator of type I collagen in SSc; further investigations of the overall regulatory mechanisms of type I collagen may help understand the aberrant collagen metabolism in SSc.     

Iron–Nitrogen‐Doped Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

A highly active iron–nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotube catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is produced by employing vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA‐CNT) with a high specific surface area and iron(II) phthalocyanine (FePc) molecules. Pyrolyzing the composite easily transforms the adsorbed FePc molecules into a large number of iron coordinated nitrogen functionalized nanographene (Fe–N–C) structures, which serve as ORR active sites on the individual VA‐CNT surfaces. The catalyst exhibits a high ORR activity, with onset and half‐wave potentials of 0.97 and 0.79 V, respectively, versus reversible hydrogen electrode, a high selectivity of above 3.92 electron transfer number, and a high electrochemical durability, with a 17 mV negative shift of E _1/2 after 10 000 cycles in an oxygen‐saturated 0.5 m H₂SO₄ solution. The catalyst demonstrates one of the highest ORR performances in previously reported any‐nanotube‐based catalysts in acid media. The excellent ORR performance can be attributed to the formation of a greater number of catalytically active Fe–N–C centers and their dense immobilization on individual tubes, in addition to more efficient mass transport due to the mesoporous nature of the VA‐CNTs.     

Dynamic Power Integrity Control of ATE for Eliminating Overkills and Underkills in Device Testing

This paper proposes a power integrity control technique for dynamically controlling power supply voltage fluctuations for a device under test (DUT), and demonstrates its effectiveness for eliminating the overkills/underkills due to the difference of power supply impedance between an automatic test equipment (ATE) and a practical operating environment of the DUT. The proposed method injects compensation currents into the power supply nodes on the ATE system in a feed-forward manner such that the ATE power supply waveform matches with the one on the customer’s operating environment of the DUT. A method for calculating the compensation current is also described. Experimental results show that the proposed method can emulate the power supply voltage waveform under a customer’s operating condition and eliminate 95 % of overkills/underkills in the maximum operating frequency testing with 105 real silicon devices. Limitations and applications of the proposed method are also discussed.     

Estimating the creep behavior of polycarbonate with changes in temperature and aging time

Thermoplastic resins are typically used without any kind of physical aging treatment. For such materials, creep behavior and physical aging, which depend on time and temperature, occur simultaneously. The effects of these processes are evident after quenching and are recorded in the material as a thermal history. This history strongly influences mechanical properties and creep behavior in particular. Thus, a more thorough understanding of the physical aging process is desirable. We examined the creep deformation of polycarbonate (PC) to reveal the effects of physical aging on creep behavior. The effects were dependent on both time and temperature. The relationship between physical aging and creep behavior exemplified superposition principles with regard to time and both pre-test aging time and pre-test aging temperature. The superposition principles allowed the calculation of creep deformations at a given temperature; the calculated results were corroborated by experimental data.     

Energy Savings through Microwave Selective Heating of Pd/AC Catalyst Particulates in a Fixed‐Bed Reactor

Microwave radiation is a novel energy source to drive chemical reactions. In conventional reactors, however, the heat created either escapes through uninsulated reactor walls, or the microwave radiation is attenuated by insulated walls. Here, microwave selective heating of Pd catalyst particles supported on activated carbon particulates was examined in a fixed‐bed reactor using a novel vacuum‐filled Dewar‐like double‐walled continuous‐flow reactor. This reactor was developed toward energy savings in performing such organic reactions as the transformation of the hydride methyl cyclohexane to toluene.     

Acidic property of BEA zeolite synthesized by seed-directed method

The acidic property of a BEA zeolite prepared by a seed-directed synthesis (SDS) method without organic structure directing agent (OSDA) was analyzed by a method of ammonia infrared/mass spectroscopic temperature-programmed desorption. The number of Brønsted acid sites on the SDS-BEA zeolite was larger than that on a conventional BEA zeolite synthesized from using OSDA. The enthalpy of ammonia desorption, distributed mainly in a range between 115 and 145 kJ mol^?1, was in agreement with the acid strength region generated by isomorphous substitution of Si⁴⁺ by Al³⁺ in the BEA framework. These observations confirm that the microstructure around the incorporated Al in the SDS-BEA zeolite was equivalent to that in the conventional one.