Quantitative measurement of mRNA at different loci within an individual living cell

Asymmetric localizations of cellular proteins and mRNAs are important for cell functions such as division, differentiation and development. The localization of specific mRNA generates cell polarity by controlling the translation sites of specific proteins and thereby restricting their locations to appropriate cellular regions. We have previously reported a novel method based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) for examining gene expression in a single living cell without killing or destroying it. An AFM tip was inserted into a living cell to extract mRNAs, which were analyzed after multiplication by RT-PCR and quantitative PCR. By applying this method, in this study we performed quantitative measurement of mRNA at different loci within individual living cells.     

Impact of precursor solution concentration to form superparamagnetic MgFe2O4 nanospheres by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique for magnetic thermotherapy

The superparamagnetic magnesium ferrite (MgFe₂O₄) dense nanospheres are synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method from different concentrations of the initial precursor solution. The effect of precursor solution concentration on the particle’s size, morphology, and superparamagnetic behavior has been investigated. XRD results confirm that studied precursor concentration (0.06, 0.12 and 0.24 M) exhibited single phase cubic structure. The mean crystallites size (called as primary particles) of 0.06, 0.12 and 0.24 M samples are 9.6, 11.5, 11.0 nm, respectively but the entire nanosphere’s diameter (called as secondary particles) increases from 206 to 340 nm with increasing precursor concentration. TEM analysis also reveals that nanospheres consist of densely aggregated crystallites of spherical shape and smooth surface. The value of polydispersity index (PDI) shows narrower size distribution for lower concentration. Magnetic properties indicate the superparamagnetic nature for all samples. Herein, the appropriate induction heat generation rate with better morphology was obtained for 0.06 M concentration. Ion release in the aqueous solution of the composition (about 95% for Mg; 99% for Fe) indicating better stability has been confirmed by ICP-OES test. In this approach, as-synthesized nanospheres are suitable for using as a heating agent in magnetic thermotherapy application.     

Development of radiochromic dosimeters based on polymer films with fluoran and divinyl phthalide dyes

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - We fabricated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films containing NIR Black78, Black100 and Black400 for use as...     

Insights from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for a multicomponent oxide glass

It remains a challenge to establish structural models of multicomponent oxide glass systems. In this study, we have investigated 68.3SiO₂–16.1B₂O₃–4.2Al₂O₃–11.4Na₂O glass and melt structures by ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. The atomic configurations obtained from AIMD simulations were validated against ¹⁷O solid‐state NMR spectrum under 24.0 T and neutron diffraction data, and excellent agreement was achieved. The bond lengths, angles, and coordination geometries were statistically analyzed for each atomic species. Here we particularly address the role of minor atomic species such as five‐coordinate Si (Si^V) and Al (Al^V). The Si^V–O bond lengths and O–Si^V–O angle distribution in the glass indicated 1.718 Å and three peaks at 90°, 120°, and 175°, which are assigned to a coordination geometry of the trigonal bipyramidal structure. Ring statistic analysis revealed that Si^V and Al^V were found to preferentially contribute to the formation of small ring sizes.     

Highly Reproducible and Regulated Conductance Quantization in a Polymer‐Based Atomic Switch

A detailed understanding of the conductance quantization and resistive switching phenomena in redox‐based memories is crucial for realizing atomic‐scale memory devices and for finding the adequate design principles on which they can be based. Here, the emergence of quantized conductance states and their correlation with resistive switching characteristics in polymer‐based atomic switches are investigated using combinations of current–voltage measurements and first‐principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Various conductance states, including integer and half‐integer multiples of a single atomic point contact and fractional conductance variations, are observed in an Ag/polyethylene oxide/Pt device under sweeping of bias voltage. Moreover, highly controllable and reproducible quantized conductance behaviors by tuning the voltage sweep rate and the sweep voltage range, suggesting well‐controlled formation of the atomic point contact, are demonstrated. The device also exhibits longer retention times for higher conductance states. The DFT simulations reveal the transmission eigenstate of geometrically optimized atomic point contact structures and the impact of the atomic configurations and structural stability on the conductance state, which also explains their resistive switching behaviors. The well‐defined, multiple quantized conductance states observed in these polymer‐based atomic switches show promise for the development of new multilevel memory devices.     

Multiple evaluations of the removal of pollutants in road runoff by soil infiltration

Groundwater replenishment by infiltration of road runoff is expected to be a promising option for ensuring a sustainable urban water cycle. In this study, we performed a soil infiltration column test using artificial road runoff equivalent to approximately 11-12 years of rainfall to evaluate the removal of pollutants by using various chemical analyses and bioassay tests. These results indicated that soil infiltration treatment works effectively to remove most of the pollutants such as organic matter (chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)), P species, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), numerous heavy metals and oestrogenic activities. Bioassay tests, including algal growth inhibition test, Microtox and mutagen formation potential (MFP) test, also revealed effective removal of toxicities by the soils. However, limited amounts of NO3, Mn, Ni, alkaline earth metals, perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulphonamide (FOSA) were removed by the soils and they possibly reach the groundwater and cause contamination.     

重庆水晶郦城

水晶郦城环境自然、外观简洁、户型独特,是一个高层低密度的经典实例,是对高层创新性的完美演绎,代表了健康住宅的一个新方向。     

Synthesis and properties of poly(phenylacetylene)s having dialkylamino groups

Summary Poly(phenylacetylene)s bearing dialkylamino groups were prepared by the polymerization of p-(N,N-dialkylamino)phenylacetylenes with [Rh(nbd)Cl]₂, and their electrochemical behavior was examined. Rh-catalyzed polymerization of p-(N,N-diethylamino)phenylacetylene (DEAPA) and p-(N,N-di-n-butylamino)phenylacetylene (DBAPA) in toluene in the presence of triethylamine gave good yields of the polymers (86 and 90%, respectively). Poly(DEAPA) was soluble in chloroform and dichloromethane, and poly(DBAPA) dissolved in various solvents such as toluene, THF, dichloromethane and chloroform. Poly(DEAPA) and poly(DBAPA) showed onset temperatures at 248 and 190°C, respectively, and absorptions around 300–400 nm. Electrochemical doping of the polymer films resulted in the shift of the absorptions to a region around 680 nm, which accompanied a color change of the polymer films from green ocher to deep blue. Received: 26 October 1998/Revised version: 6 November 1998/Accepted: 12 November 1998     

Proposal of a simplified method for integrating reduction of effective power of pumped storage into a generation system planning method

Pumped storage hydropower stations are extensively used as peaking and reserve power plants. The current trend in this area is to increase their power output relative to the capacity of reservoirs, which results in a shorter maximum duration of full‐power operation while availability of the energy required for the pumping becomes less evident. This increases the possibility of reducing the effective power of pumped storage units in the case of a tight supply–demand balance in the power system. Although many studies have examined a role of pumped storage in generation systems, few studies have explicitly dealt with the power reduction. This paper proposes a new linear programming model that incorporates the reduction of effective power of pumped storage. The proposed model makes it possible to easily incorporate the power reduction in computations by employing hypothetical daily load curves and dispatching loads to the curves. The model also includes LNG combined cycle power generation plants that are now being intensively implemented. The developed model is applied to a power system model. The sample study reveals that the reduction of effective power considerably varies from season to season and the reduction highly affects the optimal generation mix, that is, the optimal share of pumped storage. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn 134(4): 50–61, 2001