Effect of electrode spacing on image flicker in fringe-field-switching liquid crystal display

Low-frequency driving of a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to minimise power consumption has drawn much attention recently. In case an LCD panel is driven by a low-frequency fringe field, image flickering phenomenon is detected by the naked human eye when the sign of the applied electric field is reversed. We investigated the effect of electrode spacing on the image flickering phenomenon induced by the flexoelectric effect in a fringe-field-switching (FFS) liquid crystal cell. We found that the image flicker in an FFS cell under low-frequency driving can be eliminated in a simple manner by changing the electrode spacing.     

Synthesis of nanosized TiO2/SiO2 particles using microwave processes and their photocatalytic activity on the decomposition of orange II

The nanosized titania and TiO₂/SiO₂ particles were prepared by the microwave-hydrothermal method. The effect of physical properties TTIP/TEOS ratio and calcination temperature has been investigated. The major phase of the pure TiO₂ particle is of the anatase structure, and a rutile peak was observed above 800°C. In TiO₂/SiO₂ particles, however, no significant rutile phase was observed, although the calcination temperature was 900°C. No peaks for the silica crystal phase were observed at either silica/titania ratio. The crystallite size of TiO₂/SiO₂ particles decreases as compared to pure TiO₂ at high calcination temperatures. The TiO₂/SiO₂ particles show higher activity on the photocatalytic decomposition of orange II as compared to pure TiO₂ particles.     

Gold nanoparticle aggregation-based highly sensitive DNA detection using atomic force microscopy

The potential ability of atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a quantitative bioanalysis tool is demonstrated by using gold nanoparticles as a size enhancer in a DNA hybridization reaction. Two sets of probe DNA were functionalized on gold nanoparticles and sandwich hybridization occurred between two probe DNAs and target DNA, resulting in aggregation of the nanoparticles. At high concentrations of target DNA in the range from 100 nM to 10 μM, the aggregation of gold nanoparticles was determined by monitoring the color change with UV-vis spectroscopy. The absorption spectra broadened after the exposure of DNA–gold nanoparticles to target DNA and a new absorption band at wavelengths >600 nm was observed. However, no differences were observed in the absorption spectra of the gold nanoparticles at low concentrations of target DNA (10 pM to 10 nM) due to insufficient aggregation. AFM was used as a biosensing tool over this range of target DNA concentrations in order to monitor the aggregation of gold nanoparticles and to quantify the concentration of target DNA. Based on the AFM images, we successfully evaluated particle number and size at low concentrations of target DNA. The calibration curve obtained when mean particle aggregate diameter was plotted against concentration of target DNA showed good linearity over the range 10 pM to 10 nM, the working range for quantitative target DNA analysis. This AFM-based DNA detection technique was three orders of magnitude more sensitive than a DNA detection method based on UV-vis spectroscopy.     

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 IC50 values of 2.9 and 1.7 microM, respectively, and they also inhibited cell-mediated LDL oxidation more than five times more strongly than that of a well-known antioxidant, probucol, at a concentration of 10 microM. 1 had no effect on the anti-atherogenesis in low-density lipoprotein receptor- deficient mice.     

Comparison of enantiomer separation on two chiral stationary phases derived from (+)-18-crown-6-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid of the same chiral selector

Liquid chromatographic comparisons for enantiomer resolution of α-amino acids and chiral primary amino compounds were made using chiral stationary phases (CSPs) prepared by covalently bonding (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid (18-C-6-TA) of the same chiral selector. The resolution of all α-amino acids on CSP 1 developed in our group was found to be better than that on CSP 2 reported by Machida et al. All α-amino acids examined in this study were well enantioseparated on CSP 1 (α=1.22–2.47), while four analytes were not resolved or all the other analytes were poorly resolved on CSP 2 than on CSP 1. However, in resolving the primary amino compounds without a carbonyl group, CSP 1 was comparable with CSP 2. Although (+)-18-C-6-TA of the same chiral selector was used to prepare CSP 1 and CSP 2, this study showed that different connecting methods for the CSPs might influence their ability to resolve the analytes depending on their structures related to the chiral recognition mechanism.     

Highly stereoselective and efficient total synthesis of (+)-laurencin

A highly stereoselective and efficient asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-laurencin (1) has been accomplished from the known oxazolidinone 5 in 15 steps. The route features an efficient internal alkylation to form oxocene 3 from 4 and a novel use of acetonitrile anion as a two-carbon acetaldehyde equivalent for direct synthesis of ketone 2 from alpha-alkoxy amide 3.     

Hydrodynamic fabrication of polymeric barcoded strips as components for parallel bio-analysis and programmable microactuation

In this paper, we report a novel technique for the manufacture of polymeric barcoded strips having diverse characteristics such as biocatalyst-based sensing and pH-responsive actuation. The fabrication involves the use of both a microfluidic platform and in-situ photopolymerization. It is expected that this method, which is a very simple, cost-effective, and environment-friendly means for mass production, will facilitate the stable immobilization of diverse biological substances such as enzymes, DNA, and antigens. Therefore, we fabricated an enzyme-immobilized barcoded strip for multiple bio-analysis. On the basis of this technology, we adopted different materials and thereby fabricated programmable microactuation components that are responsive to pH variation.     

Testing a priority-based queue model with Linux command histories

We study human dynamics by analyzing Linux history files. The goodness-of-fit test shows that most of the collected datasets belong to the universality class suggested in the literature by a variable-length queuing process based on priority. In order to check the validity of this model, we design two tests based on mutual information between time intervals and a mathematical relationship known as the arcsine law. Since the previously suggested queuing process fails to pass these tests, the result suggests that the modelling of human dynamics should properly consider the statistical dependency in the temporal dimension.     

Synthesis of 3-phenoxy-1,3-dihydro-1-isobenzofuranones by palladium-catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of 2-bromobenzaldehyde with phenols

2-Bromobenzaldehyde reacts with phenols in acetonitrile under carbon monoxide pressure in the presence of a catalytic amount of bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) chloride to afford the corresponding 3-phenoxy-1,3-dihydro-1-isobenzofuranones in high yields.     

A study on the correlation between the thermal contact conductance and effective factors in fin–tube heat exchangers with 9.52 mm tube

The thermal contact resistance is a principal parameter interfering with heat transfer in a fin–tube heat exchanger. However, the thermal contact resistance in the interface between tubes and fins has not been clearly investigated. The objective of the present study is to examine the thermal contact conductance for various fin–tube heat exchangers with tube diameter of 9.52 mm and to find a correlation between the thermal contact conductance and effective factors such as expansion ratio, fin type, fin spacing and hydrophilic coating. In this study, experiments have been conducted only to measure heat transfer rate between hot and cold water. To minimize heat loss to the ambient air by the natural convection fin–tube heat exchangers have been placed in an insulated vacuum chamber. Also, a numerical scheme has been employed to calculate the thermal contact conductance with the experimental data. As a result, a new correlation including the influences of expansion ratio, slit of fin and fin coating has been introduced, and the portion of each thermal resistance has been estimated in the fin–tube heat exchangers with 9.52 mm tube.