Photopolymerized check valve and its integration into a pneumatic pumping system for biocompatible sample delivery

In this paper, we present a simple check valve whose operation mimics that of venous valves. Our check valve has a mono-leaflet and is constructed via an in situ fabrication method inside the PDMS platform. For the smooth operation of the valve's leaflet, the elasticity and the shape of the leaflet and the lubrication between the leaflet and the channel surface are important. We used 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate (4-HBA) as an elastic and photopolymerizable leaflet material. We mixed the triton X-100 with the 4-HBA pre-polymer solution for the adequate lubrication of the leaflet. We constructed the micro-pumping system by combining two venous-like check valves with an oscillating polymeric diaphragm driven by pneumatic force, and measured the flow rate according to the change of pumping frequency. We also investigated the pump's feasibility as a delivery system of biocompatible materials by using mouse embryo fibroblast cells.     

Biflavonoids inhibited phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3)

Two biflavonoids, ginkgetin (1) and sciadopitysin (2), were isolated from the MeOH extract of the young branches of Taxus cuspidata, which inhibited phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) with IC50 values of 25.8 and 46.2 microM, respectively. This is the first report on PRL-3 inhibitors, isolated from natural sources.     

Cyclic diarylheptanoids inhibit cell mediated low-density lipoprotein oxidation

Two cyclic diarylheptanoids, garugamblin-3 (1) and acerogenin L (2), isolated from the MeOH extract of the fruits of Alnus japonica Steud., inhibited human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation in the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance assay with IC(50) values of 2.9 and 1.7 microM, respectively, and they also inhibited cell-mediated LDL oxidation more than 5 times more strongly than that of a well-known antioxidant, probucol, at a concentration of 10 microM. Compound (1) had no effect on the anti-atherogenesis in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice.     

Core/shell silica-based in-situ microencapsulation: a self-templating method

Core/shell SiO2 and (RSiO1.5)(1-x)-(SiO2)x (R = alkyl) microcapsules were synthesized via a single-step O/W emulsion system using a self-templating method; the facile synthetic process provides an in-situ encapsulation route for a wide range of lipophilic functional compounds.     

On the Deformation of the Circumflex Coronary Artery During Inflation Tests at Constant Length

Here we investigate whether the deformation observed in an experiment in which the porcine circumflex coronary artery is subjected to inflation at constant length included in the class, , , . We find that this is not the case and discuss its implications in the study of the mechanics of this artery. Moreover, we identify and quantify the uncertainty in the value of the invariants of the left Cauchy–Green tensor inferred from the 2D motion of markers affixed to the surface of the test specimen, and suggest that 3D tracking of markers is needed due to inherent bending and twisting induced by pressurization in vitro.     

Permanence and stability of an Ivlev-type predator–prey system with impulsive control strategies

In this paper, we study a predator–prey system with an Ivlev-type functional response and impulsive control strategies containing a biological control (periodic impulsive immigration of the predator) and a chemical control (periodic pesticide spraying) with the same period, but not simultaneously. We find conditions for the local stability of the prey-free periodic solution by applying the Floquet theory of an impulsive differential equation and small amplitude perturbation techniques to the system. In addition, it is shown that the system is permanent under some conditions by using comparison results of impulsive differential inequalities. Moreover, we add a forcing term into the prey population’s intrinsic growth rate and find the conditions for the stability and for the permanence of this system.     

Femtosecond laser drilling of crystalline and multicrystalline silicon for advanced solar cell fabrication

The rear contact solar cell concept has been implemented to increase the solar cell efficiency. Practically, it necessitates rapid fabrication of a large number of via holes to form low-loss current paths. It is not a trivial task to drill a number of microscopic holes through a typical Si wafer of ??200???m thickness at reasonable processing throughput and yield. In this research, a femtosecond laser is employed to drill via holes in both crystalline silicon (c-Si) and multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) thin wafers of ??170???m thickness with various laser parameters such as number of laser shots and pulse energy. Since a significantly high pulse energy compared to ablation threshold is mainly applied, aiming to achieve a rapid drilling process, the femtosecond laser beam is subjected to complex non-linear characteristics. Therefore, the relative placement of the sample with respect to the laser focal position is also rigorously examined. While the non-linear effect at high pulse energy regime is complex, it also facilitates the drilling process in terms of achieving high-aspect ratio, for example, by extending the effective depth of focus by non-linear effect. Cross-sectional morphological analysis in conjunction with on-line emission and shadowgraph imaging are carried out in order to elucidate the drilling mechanism.     

Particle-yield modification in jetlike azimuthal dihadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-p(t) trigger particles (83 GeV/c on the away side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near side a moderate enhancement of 20%-30% is found.     

Temperature-dependent absorptance of painted aluminum, stainless steel 304, and titanium for 1.07 μm and 10.6 μm laser beams

We measured the temperature-dependent absorptance of metals (Al, Ti, SS304) for continuous beams from 1.07 μm fiber laser and 10.6 μm CO₂ laser using power sensors and infrared (IR) pyrometers. The absorptance measurements were repeated for metals with three different paint coatings. For measurements at elevated temperatures up to the melting point, integrating sphere is not practical since high temperature radiation from a heated target disturbs weak output from the sphere considerably. Our results provide how each metal, whether coated or uncoated, absorbs the infrared beams as temperature is elevated to a melting point. A polynomial approximation to the measured absorptance of each target is provided for modeling of the laser-metal interaction at elevated temperatures.