International mobility of researchers in robotics,computer vision and electron devices: A quantitative and comparative analysis

We investigated author information in scientific articles by approximately 7,000 researchers for a quantitative analysis of researchers’ international mobility. From top journals, we traced the movements of more than 2,200 researchers in the research domains of robotics, computer vision and electron devices. We categorized countries’ characteristics for the balance between the inflow and the outflow of researchers moving internationally. Flow patterns of international mobility confirm that the United States, China and India exhibit the greatest global flows of researchers, with Singapore and Hong Kong attracting remarkable numbers of researchers from other countries. International mobility focusing on institutions reveals that universities in Singapore receive as many foreign researchers as do research universities in the United States. Furthermore, firms and international collaborative research institutes act as alternative receivers to the universities in the electron devices research domain.     

Microstructure and Thermoelectric Properties of Dense YB<Subscript>22</Subscript>C<Subscript>2</Subscript>N Samples Fabricated Through Spark Plasma Sintering

Dense samples of the higher boride YB₂₂C₂N have been fabricated through the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method with different sintering aids. YB₂₂C₂N is a representative of a series of newly discovered rare-earth borocarbonitrides, which may be the long-awaited n-type counterpart of boron carbide, “B₄C.” The effect of Si, SiC, Al, and TiC additions on the sintering process of YB₂₂C₂N has been studied. The best sintered bodies with densities higher than 90% of theoretical density were obtained by means of SPS at 1700°C. We show that the additive choice and pressure have an effect on grain size and density. An investigation of the effect of atmosphere on the sintering behavior has also been carried out. It was found that sinterability is enhanced under nitrogen atmosphere. Thermoelectric properties of the materials sintered with additives have been evaluated, and we discuss their dependences on the fabrication process route.     

Influence of alloy composition on fillet-lifting phenomenon in Sn-Ag-Bi alloys

The influence of the Bi content on the fillet-lifting phenomenon in Sn-3Ag-Bi alloys was investigated. The peculiar composition dependence on the fillet-lifting exists in Sn-3Ag-xBi alloys. With fillet-lifting, they are 3–20%Bi. Without fillet-lifting, they are 0–1%Bi, 30%Bi, and above. This is related to the alloy solidification characteristics, in particular, the amount of latent heat release near the final solidification temperature (solidus temperature) during solidification. Fillet-lifting is likely to occur in the alloy with a latent heat released which is insufficient for alleviation of the temperature gradient in the solder joint. A new predictable index for the occurrence of fillet-lifting is proposed as the fillet-lifting resistant index (FRI) that correlates well with the fillet-lifting occurrence rate. The fillet-lifting does not occur when a solder alloy has a FRI of 0.75 and above. The magnitude of the solidification temperature range (T) does not necessarily correlate with the fillet-lifting, because there are some alloys without fillet-lifting in spite of their having a wide T. There is also little correlation between the fillet-lifting and the formation of a Bi concentration at the solder/Cu land interface, previously thought to cause fillet-lifting. The Bi concentration at the solder/Cu land interface may occur as a consequence of the Sn consumption by the intermetallic compound formation with the Cu dissolving into the molten solder and existing at the interface rather than the solidification segregation.     

Nanopillar array chip integrated with on-line stacking for fast DNA separation with high sensitivity and high resolution

Recent developments of nanofabrication techniques have created a trend switching from randomly ordered polymeric matrices, such as gel, to highly ordered sieving nanostructures in the separation of biomolecules. These nanostructures have enormous potential for fast separation of biomolecules, while nanostructure-based separation techniques suffer from critical scaling problems; they are efficient in handling less than nanoliter amounts of sample fluids, but most biomolecule samples are available in a liquid volume that is over several microliter, leading to a reduction in sensitivity and resolution. In this study, we developed a nanopillar array chip integrated with an easy and rapid on-line stacking method and achieved fast DNA separation with high sensitivity and high resolution. The developed on-line stacking method is based on the balance of two forces driven by electric fields: electroosmotic flow (EOF) and electrophoresis. The EOF mobility from the microchannel to the nanopillar-channel is drastically decreased, while, on the other hand, electrophoresis has constant mobilities in the whole length of the channels. The on-line stacking was realized at the well-balanced position of the two forces, and the on-line stacking using the nanopillar array chip can also be achieved within 10 s by just applying electric voltages without any other special reagents and materials. After applying on-line stacking using the nanopillar array chip, the relative fluorescence intensity increased 1,000-fold, and the resolution was twice as good as that without on-line stacking.     

Quantitative analysis of collaborative and mobility networks

This study proposes a quantitative analysis of researcher mobility (i.e. transfer from one institution to another) and collaborative networks on the basis of author background data extracted from biographical notes in scientific articles to identify connections that are not revealed via simple co-authorship analysis. Using a top-ranked journal in the field of computer vision, we create a layered network that describes various aspects of author backgrounds, demonstrating a geographical distribution of institutions. We classify networks according to various dimensions including authors, institutions and countries. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate that mobility networks extend beyond the typical collaborative networks describing institutional and international relationships. We also discuss sectoral collaboration considering the mobility networks. Our findings indicate a limitation of collaborative analysis based on bibliometric data and the importance of tracing researcher mobility within potential networks to identify the true nature of scientific collaboration.     

Application of polymer gels containing side‐chain phosphate groups to drug‐delivery contact lenses

Hydrogels that contain phosphate groups in side chains were studied for their usefulness in drug‐delivery soft contact lenses (SCLs). Naphazoline, a model drug having a cationic group, was incorporated into an SCL because of its phosphate groups and was released over a period of about 14 h. For the SCL, the naphazoline content was equivalent to the phosphate group content. It is suggested that drug‐delivery SCLs can be designed to contain the needed amount of a drug through the choice of the ionic group for the ligand. Furthermore, the SCL having amide groups and phosphate groups had high transparency and an unchanged shape. It is suggested that amide groups and phosphate groups must be introduced into the polymer in equimolar amounts to give the necessary polymer–drug interaction. Therefore, hydrogels having a drug‐delivery system were synthesized by the inclusion of a phosphate group and an amide group. These hydrogels are also applicable to SCL materials. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 731–735, 2005     

Binding of chrysophenine G by methyl cellulose and poly(vinyl alcohol)

Equilibrium constants (nK) for the binding of Chrysophenine G by methyl cellulose (MC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were determined spectrophotometrically in the temperature range 15–40°C. The polymer chains of PVA extended by the dye binding but those of MC shrank slightly. The enthalpy change and the entropy change for the binding by MC were negative and positive, respectively, whereas those for the binding by PVA were both negative. When the dye was bound to the extended polymer chains, the contribution of the entropy term to the binding increased. The rate of the dye bindings was studied by means of the temperature jump method. For the dye binding to PVA, the whole relaxation process finished in a very rapid step. On the other hand, for dye binding to MC, the initial rapid step was followed by two successive slower steps; the relaxation times for the slower steps were independent of the polymer concentration. The results were interpreted in terms of the stiffness of polymer chain of MC; the conformational change of the stiff chains to accommodate the dye in stable states seems to be the rate determining step in each slow relaxation.     

In vitro determination of basement membrane invasion predicts liver metastases in human gastrointestinal carcinoma

We described previously (H. Imamura, et al., Cancer Res., 54: 3620-3624, 1994) a quantitative and reproducible 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for tumor cell invasiveness that uses a water-repellent, paraffin-treated Chemotaxicell chamber to produce a uniform Matrigel layer. In the present experiments, we studied 71 human gastrointestinal carcinomas, including 53 maintained as xenografts in nude mice and 18 fresh surgical specimens. We found a correlation between metastatic behavior and the percent invasion (PI) calculated from the MTT assay. Tumors producing liver metastases had a significantly higher PI than did tumors without liver metastases (P < 0.01), and seven of nine fresh tumors with a PI greater than 1.0 showed liver metastases within 2 years. No significant correlations were noted between the PI and clinicopathological factors. In the tumor xenografts, type IV collagenase activity was significantly higher in tumors with clinically evident liver metastases than in those without liver metastases (P < 0.05). Colorectal carcinomas with liver metastases and a high PI showed higher expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 than matrix metalloproteinase 2 as assessed by gelatin zymography. Thus, the invasion-MTT assay is clinically useful for predicting liver metastases. Type IV collagenase plays an important role in the development of liver metastases from human gastrointestinal carcinoma.