Anisotropic Superconductivity of Quasi-Two-Dimensional Tight-Binding Electrons in a Strong Magnetic Field

Based on the mean field theory, we have investigated the transition temperature T _c (H) of anisotropic superconductivity in quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) tight-binding electrons in a strong magnetic field, where we assume the nearest-site attractive interaction. By taking account of the quantum effect of electronic motion in a strong magnetic field parallel to the 2D conducting plane, T _c (H) of the Q2D superconductor has been shown to increase in an oscillatory manner as the magnetic field becomes large and to reach T _c (0) in a strong magnetic field limit for the spin-triplet superconductor. We get the different magnetic field dependencies from that of on-site case.     

Strength evaluation of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic laminates based on tension–compression biaxial stress tests

Biaxial stress tests of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates were performed to investigate failure criteria under biaxial loads. Specimens of unidirectional CFRP laminates were subjected to a tensile load in the longitudinal fiber direction and a compressive load in the transverse fiber direction. An exclusive jig was used to perform biaxial stress tests with a commonly used single-axis testing machine. Measurements were obtained by controlling the displacement ratio between compressive and tensile displacements. The critical tensile and compressive stresses were then calculated using a constitutive equation. The critical longitudinal tensile stress markedly dropped with increasing the compressive load. The failure criteria of the biaxial stress tests were expressed as the ellipse, of which the major and minor axes were the longitudinal tensile/transverse compressive strengths or fracture strains, respectively. Scanning electron microscope observations suggest that fiber/matrix interfacial debonding due to the compressive load could decrease the critical longitudinal tensile stress.     

Characteristics of declining dissolved oxygen concentrations in Lakes Kasumigaura and Kitaura,two shallow polymictic eutrophic lakes in Japan

To elucidate the patterns and characteristics of dissolved oxygen (DO) decline near bottom in shallow polymictic eutrophic lakes, we conducted a statistical analysis of monthly measurements for 12 years at 14 stations and hourly observation for 8 years at two stations in Lakes Kasumigaura and Kitaura. Results indicated that DO decline (hereafter, <2 mg/L) was negligible at stations with a depth of <5 m. Thus, we consider this depth to be critical depth for studying DO decline conditions in these lakes. The collected data revealed that DO decline events lasting more than 2 days occurred a few times a year. During these events, wind blew weakly (usually, <2 m/s), and diurnal stratification was formed by solar radiation. The averaged DO declining rate leading up to these events was 4.3 (±2.7) mg L^?1 d^?1, suggesting that within a few days, DO can fall into a declined state. The occurrence probability of DO declined events in the respective summer increased significantly with the proportion of weak wind hours (<2 m/s). Significant correlations between wind velocity and DO change rate (1 hr difference in DO) supported the importance of wind on DO changes in polymictic lakes. The influence of mean air temperature on DO decline events was insignificant.     

Determination of the temperature of bremsstrahlung photon generated by ultraintense laser using various thickness attenuators

We evaluate the simplified method using the Lambert-Beer law to measure the temperature of bremsstrahlung photon generated by an ultraintense laser. Analytical values are compared to the results of the Monte Carlo calculation of GEANT4 and they agreed very well on the condition of the appropriate distance between the attenuator and the detector. We performed the experiment to measure the temperature of bremsstrahlung x-ray emitted from a metal target irradiated by a Ti:sapphire laser with 76 mJ, 72 fs, 2.2 × 10(18) W∕cm(2). For a Cu target of 30 μm thick, the photon temperature was reasonably determined to be 0.18 MeV, which is in good agreement with previous studies.     

Melt Electrowriting Allows Tailored Microstructural and Mechanical Design of Scaffolds to Advance Functional Human Myocardial Tissue Formation

Engineering native‐like myocardial muscle, recapitulating its fibrillar organization and mechanical behavior is still a challenge. This study reports the rational design and fabrication of ultrastretchable microfiber scaffolds with controlled hexagonal microstructures via melt electrowriting (MEW). The resulting structures exhibit large biaxial deformations, up to 40% strain, and an unprecedented compliance, delivering up to 40 times more elastic energy than rudimentary MEW fiber scaffolds. Importantly, when human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC‐CM) are encapsulated in a collagen‐based hydrogel and seeded on these microstructured and mechanically tailored fiber scaffolds, they show an increase in beating rate (1.5‐fold), enhanced cell alignment, sarcomere content and organization as well as an increase in cardiac maturation‐related marker expression (Cx43 1.8‐fold, cardiac Actin 1.5‐fold, SERCA2a 2.5‐fold, KCNJ2 1.5‐fold, and PPARGC1a 3.6‐fold), indicative of enhanced iPSC‐CM maturation, as compared to rudimentary fiber scaffolds. By combining these novel fiber scaffolds with clinically relevant human iPSC‐CMs, a heart patch that allows further maturation of contractile myocytes for cardiac tissue engineering is generated. Moreover, the designed scaffold allows successful shape recovery after epicardial delivery on a beating porcine heart, without negative effects on the engineered construct and iPSC‐CM viability.     

Simultaneous Quantification of Plant Glyceroglycolipids Including Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol by HPLC–ELSD with Binary Gradient Elution

Membrane lipids of photosynthetic organisms consist of glycerophospholipids and glyceroglycolipids. We investigated a method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of neutral and acidic lipids using HPLC–ELSD, and quantified monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG). Ten complex lipid classes were separated with a binary gradient system consisting of chloroform and methanol–acetone–water–acetic acid (30:60:9:1, v/v/v/v) with 0.3% triethylamine (pH 4), and were eluted within 16 min. The contents of SQDG in ten edible plants ranged from 3 to 101 mg/100 g, and were positively correlated to the neutral glyceroglycolipids contents.     

Screening for Beneficial Effects of Oral Intake of Sweet Corn by DNA Microarray Analysis

ABSTRACT: To identify novel functions of the oral intake of sweet corn, we performed DNA microarray analysis of the livers of sweet corn‐fed mice. Functional annotation clustering 1600 genes with expression levels that were affected (more than 1.5‐fold change) by dietary sweet corn indicated that both cell proliferation and programmed cell death were modulated by sweet corn intake. In the Wnt signaling pathway, which is involved in cell proliferation, the levels of Jun and β‐catenin expression were downregulated by dietary sweet corn. The mRNA levels of Rb and p53, negative regulators of the cell cycle, were increased in mice fed with sweet corn. Dietary corn upregulated expression levels of genes that regulate apoptosis positively (for example, BOK, BID, CASP4). These results suggested that sweet corn is a valuable food for suppressing cancer. Oral administration of sweet corn inhibited tumor growth (36.6% reduce in tumor weight, P < 0.05) in mice inoculated with Ehrlich tumor cells.     

Nanoarchitectonics of PEG-Coated Ni-Zn Ferrite Nanoparticles and Mechanical Analysis of Heat Generation by Magnetic Relaxation

The magnetic relaxation of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has been used as a potential heating agent for magnetic hyperthermia treatment (MHT). This requires an understanding of the heating mechanism of MNPs, such as Néel relaxation; however, few studies about magnetic relaxation using a low-frequency AC magnetic field have been reported. This study attempts to clarify the correlation between the dominance of Néel relaxation in low-frequency AC fields and the magnetic properties. Nanoparticles of Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were synthesized in various sizes (d?=?12, 15, and 19 nm), and were subjected to structural analysis, PEG modification, and magnetic measurements. The PEG400 coating results in a hydrodynamic diameter ten times smaller than that of our previous sample. The heat generation experiment was conducted on samples suspended in solvents of different viscosities in the presence of an AC field (h?=?3.2 kAm^?1, f?=?90 kHz). The specific absorption rate (SAR) as a function of the viscosity of the 15-nm NP sample is consistent with the theoretically calculated value in cases where the Néel relaxation is dominant. Therefore, we conclude that the Néel relaxation dominates the heating mechanism of the 15 nm sample. Rather than being fully superparamagnetic, this sample was partly superparamagnetic and slightly ferromagnetic, with the dominance of the Néel relaxation to a certain degree affected by spin blocking. Detailed analysis of the magnetic relaxation is crucial to improve the heating efficiency of MNPs for MHT.