Search

Nanoimprint lithography technology, which is able to easily create nanometer-resolution two-dimensional surface grooves on substrates over a large area by a step and stamp process, opens up an intriguing opportunity for functional liquid crystal (LC) alignment. We describe here a hybrid polymer consisting of two distinct moieties with largely different thermomechanical properties and surface activity. We present the results of nanoimprint lithography experiment using the hybrid polymer to demonstrate the practical applicability as an LC alignment layer. This material shows excellent capability both as a nanoimprinting material, requiring softness at moderate temperatures, and as a LC alignment layer, requiring sufficient rigidity. LC devices using the alignment layer show fairly stable electro-optic characteristics even after thermal aging, due to its high thermal stability. The soft component of the hybrid polymer helps it provide the multiple imprinting capabilities at higher temperatures virtually without any mold damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the preparation of iron tellurite glasses in the system Fe2O3-Sb-TeO2 by melt-quenching technique. Determination of the glass forming region; Explaining of the semiconducting behavior by the small polaron hopping model; Investigation of oxygen gas-sensing properties; Variation in conductivity of gas atmospheres between oxygen and argon.

Nano-architectures of single-crystalline anatase TiO2 nanosheets predominantly exposing the {001} facet are constructed in well-oriented configurations based on the strategies of controlled growth of TiO2 in novel growth modes, i.e. (a) the epitaxial growth mode of TiO2 nanosheets on the surface of oriented crystalline substrates, TiO2 and SnO2, resulting in an ordered growth direction, and (b) the hierarchical growth mode of TiO2 nanosheets on oriented nano-crystals, TiO2 nanowires, resulting in a well-ordered orientation and high surface areas as compared with conventional random growth of nanosheets. The present work explores a variety of methods for morphology control of TiO2 nanosheets directly grown on nanostructures as mother components, on which the potential of anatase TiO2 nanosheets to expose a high fraction of the reactive {001} facet is maximized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harvest mouse Micromys minutus has adapted to inhabit the stalk zone of grassland vegetation and is identified by the characteristic nests this species builds on grasses above the ground. Such aerial nests have been considered as an almost exclusive sign of harvest mouse populations and have therefore also been used to determine habitat choice and population density of the harvest mouse. However, we found that nests built on the ground occur after farmers burn away grasslands dominated by native grass Miscanthus sinensis and Pleioblastus chino. The aim of this study was to determine whether the harvest mouse habitually builds this type of nest and, if so, when it occurs. Because it was difficult to locate nests on the ground when the soil was covered with grasses, we located all the nests in the native grasslands after burning in the spring in 2 consecutive years. We then attempted to estimate nesting time by comparing the mineral content of nest materials to mineral dynamics in M. sinensis leaves. Nests were distributed over all the grasslands investigated, and nesting times were calculated to occur between early September and middle March. Our findings demonstrate the harvest mouse repeatedly constructs this type of nest for overwintering. Considerable nondetection errors would have occurred with regard to this species by exclusively interpreting data on the presence or absence of aerial nests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a 50-year-old Japanese woman with rheumatoid arthritis who presented with near-complete gastric outlet obstruction. The patient also suffered from secondary gastrointestinal and cardiac amyloidosis. Gastroscopy revealed multiple huge gastric antral ulcers in which amyloid deposits were identified on histologic examination. The ulcers became scars after treatment with omeprazole, which cause in severe pyloric stenosis. Endoscopic hydrostatic balloon dilation under fluoroscopic guidance was performed twice for 10 min. The pyloric outlet remained sufficiently patent 22 months later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]