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Nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL) is a form of nodal B-cell lymphoma exhibiting proliferation of abnormal lymphocytes at the circumference of the mantle zone in the lymph nodes. Although the outcome of patients with this disease is often favorable, we recently encountered a patient with a CD5-positive NMZL who was resistant to chemotherapy. A 67-year-old woman complaining of systemic lymph node swelling was referred to our hospital. After biopsy of the neck lymph node, she was diagnosed with CD5-positive NMZL. Disease progression was revealed after 16 months, and she was initially treated with chemotherapy consisting of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CVP). However, this therapy was ineffective. Subsequent therapy with rituximab and bendamustine also failed to induce remission. A rebiopsy revealed that the NMZL had transformed into a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This patient died after 2 years from the initial diagnosis due to lymphoma progression. Cases of CD5-positive NMZL are rare; thus, it is difficult to study the clinical implications of CD5 expression in this disease. Here we describe the current understanding of CD5 expression in NMZL.

Between April 2004 and December 2010, we conducted a prospective randomized controlled study comparing tamibarotene with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in the maintenance therapy of newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and here report the final results of this study with a median follow-up of 7.3 years. Of 344 eligible patients who had received ATRA and chemotherapy, 319 (93%) achieved complete remission (CR). After completion of three courses of consolidation chemotherapy, 269 patients in molecular remission underwent maintenance randomization, 135 to ATRA (45 mg/m2 daily), and 134 to tamibarotene (6 mg/m2 daily) for 14 days every 3 months for 2 years. The primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS). The 7-year RFS was 84% in the ATRA arm and 93% in the tamibarotene arm (p = 0.027, HR = 0.44, 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.93). The difference was prominent in high-risk patients with initial leukocytes ≥ 10.0 × 109/L (62% vs. 89%; p = 0.034). Tamibarotene was significantly superior to ATRA by decreasing relapse in high-risk patients. Overall survival after randomization did not differ (96% vs. 97%; p = 0.520). Secondary hematopoietic disorders developed in nine patients, secondary malignancies in 11, and grade 3 or more late cardiac comorbidities in three. These late complications did not differ between the two arms.

Although it is well known that platelet depletion is one of the major adverse events related to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, the effect of TKIs on thrombopoietin (TPO), a stimulating factor for thrombopoiesis, has not been examined to date. In this study, we investigated the effect of TKIs on the levels of plasma TPO concentration in patients with well-controlled chronic myeloid leukemia receiving imatinib or dasatinib and those in treatment-free remission (TFR). Blood samples for blood cell counts and plasma TPO levels were obtained from 23 dasatinib-treated patients before and 1 h after intake, 11 patients treated with imatinib before and 2 h after intake, and nine TFR patients. Levels of plasma TPO were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Levels of TPO were significantly inversely correlated with platelet counts in the entire cohort (r = − 0.568, p

We investigated the effects of dasatinib on natural killer (NK) cell-induced signaling protein and perforin expression as well as plasma cytokine levels by analyzing blood samples from patients with well-controlled chronic myeloid leukemia receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Perforin expression and phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1, STAT3, Janus kinase (JAK) 1, and JAK2 in NK cells were evaluated by flow cytometry, and the levels of plasma cytokines, including interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-2, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 40 patients (dasatinib, n = 23; imatinib, n = 11; and nilotinib, n = 6). Perforin levels in NK cells were higher in dasatinib-treated patients before TKI treatment; phospho (p)-STAT1 levels were closely correlated with pJAK1 and perforin levels, and pSTAT3 levels were correlated with pJAK2 and perforin levels. The correlation between pJAK1 and pSTAT1 was apparent in dasatinib-treated patients but not in other TKI-treated patients, and the correlation between pJAK2 and pSTAT3 was apparent in patients treated with other TKIs. Constitutive expression of IFN-γ was higher in patients treated with dasatinib or with other TKIs than in those who were in treatment-free remission (TFR). In contrast, constitutive expression of IL-2 was lower in patients treated with other TKIs than in those treated with dasatinib or in those who were in TFR. These results provided insights into the effects of dasatinib on JAK/STAT signaling in NK cells in vivo and the mechanisms underlying NK cell activation induced by dasatinib therapy.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an environmental pollutant found in cigarette smoke and is implicated as a causative agent of tobacco-related diseases, such as arteriosclerosis. In contrast, vitamin D signaling, which is principally mediated by conversion of vitamin D to the active form, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], decreases cardiovascular disease risk. However, combined treatment with BaP and 1,25(OH)2D3 enhances BaP toxicity, including BaP-DNA adduct formation. We further investigated the cross-talk between BaP and 1,25(OH)2D3 signaling pathways, and found that combined treatment with these compounds induces mRNA and protein expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) in monocyte/macrophage-derived THP-1 and U937 cells. Protein synthesis inhibitor treatment did not inhibit induction of the PAI-1 gene (SERPINE1) in these cells. BaP plus 1,25(OH)2D3 induced differentiation markers, inhibited cellular proliferation, and induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in these cells. Reactive oxygen species scavenger treatment suppressed apoptosis but not SERPINE1 induction in cells treated with BaP plus 1,25(OH)2D3. Thus, combined treatment with BaP and 1,25(OH)2D3 induced SERPINE1 mRNA expression in these cells through a mechanism that does not require de novo protein synthesis or reactive oxygen species production. These findings suggest that induction of the proinflammatory factor PAI-1 plays a role in BaP toxicity. Interestingly, PAI-1 knockdown decreased expression of the cell surface antigen CD14, a monocytic differentiation marker, in THP-1 cells treated with BaP plus 1,25(OH)2D3. PAI-1 induction may also be related to a function of monocytes/macrophages in response to xenobiotic and vitamin D signaling.

高井紳二教授定年退職記念号, Special issue in commemoration of Prof. Shinji Takai's retirement

上田慧教授古稀祝賀記念号, Honorable issue in commemoration of Prof. Satoshi Ueda 70 years of age

We developed a UV-curable resin (NL-SU1) suitable for screen printing with laser-drilled polyimide masks and reverse-tone nanoimprint lithography. The viscosity of the UV-curable resin composed of two bisphenol A-based monomers was adjusted to 11.0 Pa·s for the screen printing process. It was determined by photo-differential scanning calorimetry that photoinitiator Irgacure 369 was suitable for high methacrylate consumption in UV curing. The UV-curable resin after curing could be used as a top-coated resist layer on another imprinted resist layer because of its sufficient contrast in oxygen reactive ion etching and argon ion milling. We demonstrated a method for reverse-tone lithography in a print–and-imprint method to fabricate 20-nm-thick and 50-nm-linewide Au split-ring resonator arrays.

In the field of cell imaging, it is still a practical challenge to obtain the high quality live imaging of suspension cells, mainly due to undesirable cell movement in the imaging field during observation. This study describes a porous nanosheet wrapping method to noninvasively immobilize suspension cells for their live imaging. Perforated nanopores are fabricated on a nanosheet to enable the addition of external chemicals to cells, ranging from small molecules to macromolecules. Through several case studies, such as the live imaging of membrane staining of liposomes, transferrin endocytosis of B cells, and activation of platelets, it is verified that the confined space made by the nanosheet could provide a hydrodynamically stable environment for suspension cells, even if an aqueous stimulus is added through the nanopores in a static or a flowing condition. With this method, the live imaging of the whole activation process on a specific suspension cell in the imaging field is achieved, which is not feasible with the existing cell immobilization methods. This study suggests that the method of porous nanosheet wrapping will facilitate the visualization of the dynamic functions of suspension cells.

To demonstrate area selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) using UV-nanoimprinted resin patterns as physical passivation masks, we investigated the removal of UV-cured resin films subjected to sequential mutual doses of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and H2O by using dry etching procedures. On the basis of the removal of a residual layer characteristic from imprint resin patterns by anisotropic oxygen reactive ion etching (O2 RIE), oxidatively etched UV-cured films were modified with TMA and H2O in an ALD-like cyclic manner. Atomic force microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry [time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)] analysis suggested that the combination of physical Ar ion milling and subsequent chemical O2 RIE enabled the elimination of oxidized UV-cured resin masks modified with 5-cycle TMA doses. By contrast, Ar ion milling or O2 RIE left organic or inorganic residues on silicon surfaces, respectively. A TMA-modified hybridized resin layer was etched by physical Ar ion milling; subsequently, the organic residual resin layer was removed by chemical O2 RIE in the case of 5-cycle modification with TMA. The mapping image of Al+ visualized by TOF-SIMS suggested that line patterns of aluminum oxide were left selectively on unmasked silicon substrate surfaces by site-selective dry etching of TMA-modified imprint resin passivation masks with 500 nm linewidth.

In the present study, the effect of immunophenotyping on the prognoses of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) treated with bortezomib plus dexamethasone was investigated. The study involved 46 patients with MM, and analyzed the prognostic significance of the expression of cluster of differentiation (CD)45, CD56 and mature plasma cell (MPC)-1, and other factors including the International Staging System (ISS) stage, age, gender, the immunoglobulin subtype and the treatment line number prior to bortezomib treatment. Although CD56 and MPC-1 expression did not appear to affect the time to next treatment (TNT) or overall survival rate (OS), the univariate analysis determined that CD45 positivity was an adverse prognostic factor for TNT and OS, and that being male was significantly associated with inferior TNT and OS. Multivariate analyses determined that CD45 expression was prognostically significant for TNT and OS. In conclusion, CD45 positivity is an adverse prognostic factor in MM patients treated with bortezomib. The data from the present study demonstrate the clinical importance of classifying MM cells immunophenotypically to determine the prognoses of patients.

The miscibility of chiral molecules to unimodal side-chain nematic liquid crystalline (LC) polymers was studied to generate chiral nematic phases. Chiral dopants, a phenyl benzoate derivative S-811...

Ultraviolet (UV) nanoimprinting has the potential to fabricate sub-15 nm resin patterns, but the interfacial fluidity of organic monomers near monomer liquid/mold solid interfaces related to filling nanoscale mold recesses with UV-curable resins still remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that surface forces and resonance shear measurements were helpful to select a surface modifier appropriate for silica mold surfaces for UV nanoimprinting with the low-viscosity monomer 1,10-decanediol diacrylate. Surface forces between silica surfaces mediated with the diacrylate monomer and fluidities of the monomer were investigated with nanometer resolution. Chemical vapor surface modification of silica surfaces with chlorodimethyl(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)silane (FAS3-Cl) and tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrooctyltrimethoxysilane (FAS13) gave fluorinated silica surfaces with root-mean-square roughness of less than 0.24 nm suitable for the measurements. When the distance D between two silica surfaces was decreased stepwise in the range of 0-30 nm, monomer viscosity between cleaned silica surfaces increased markedly at D6 nm. Surface modification with FAS3-Cl suppressed this increase of interfacial monomer viscosity. In contrast, FAS13-modified silica surfaces caused a jump-in phenomenon at approximately D = 7-9 nm, suddenly decreasing to D = 1 nm as the monomer fluid layer was squeezed out. We concluded that FAS3-Cl was appropriate as a fluorinated surface modifier for silica molds used in UV nanoimprinting with an oleophilic low-viscosity monomer, because the chemisorbed monolayer maintained low monomer viscosity near the surface/monomer interface, in addition to its low surface free energy and short CF

We have reported that the computational complexity of Continuous wavelet transform can be theoretically reduced by using wavelet functions that are well designed and support a compact frequency domain. In this study, we apply this theory to Gabor wavelet, which has the highest analysis accuracy among many mother wavelets, and we try to apply it to actual signals.

The use of bortezomib in the clinic has significantly improved outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma (MM), even those harboring high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities or those classified in the high-risk category according to the International Staging System (ISS). In this study, we analyzed the association between immunophenotyping on myeloma cells and the clinical outcomes of patients who received bortezomib-based regimens as first-line therapy. Immunophenotypic analysis before bortezomib therapy was performed by flow cytometry, and whether the immunophenotyping results influenced the clinical outcomes of the patients was investigated. Seventy-four newly diagnosed patients with MM were included in this study. We found that the expression of MPC-1 significantly predicted the time to next therapy (TNT), with a longer TNT in the MPC-1 positive group (p = 0.005), whereas it did not affect overall survival (OS; p = 0.773). In addition, we found that CD45-positivity was associated with shorter TNT (p = 0.0432). Following ISS assessment at treatment initiation, patients who were classified as stage I showed a slightly longer OS compared to those at stage II or III; however, these results were not significant (p = 0.0987). Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed the prognostic significance of MPC-1 expression, as MPC-1-negativity was associated with a worse TNT. The combination of MPC-1 and CD45 status more sensibly predicted the TNT for bortezomib therapy. Our results demonstrate the clinical importance of immunophenotyping on myeloma cells to determine patient prognoses in this era of novel therapeutic agents.

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of COVID-19, which is a global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted rapidly via contaminated surfaces and aerosols, emphasizing the importance of environmental disinfection to block the spread of virus. Ultraviolet C radiation and chemical compounds are effective for SARS-CoV-2 disinfection, but can only be applied in the absence of humans due to their toxicities. Therefore, development of disinfectants that can be applied in working spaces without evacuating people is needed. Here we showed that TiO2-mediated photocatalytic reaction inactivates SARS-CoV-2 in a time-dependent manner and decreases its infectivity by 99.9% after 20 min and 120 min of treatment in aerosol and liquid, respectively. The mechanistic effects of TiO2 photocatalyst on SARS-CoV-2 virion included decreased total observed virion count, increased virion size, and reduced particle surface spike structure, as determined by transmission electron microscopy. Damage to viral proteins and genome was further confirmed by western blotting and RT-qPCR, respectively. The multi-antiviral effects of TiO2-mediated photocatalytic reaction implies universal disinfection potential for different infectious agents. Notably, TiO2 has no adverse effects on human health, and therefore, TiO2-induced photocatalytic reaction is suitable for disinfection of SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging infectious disease-causing agents in human habitation.

The fabrication of resist patterns using UV nanoimprinting is required on consideration of the reduction of the use of hydrocarbons along recent amendments for environmental sustainability. In this study, we investigated the generation of resist pattern defects through UV nanoimprinting in a readily condensable trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (TFP) gas with a low global warming potential for elimination of nonfill defects arising from a bubble trap and subsequent sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) to result in a vapor phase organic-inorganic hybridization for dry etching durability. A bisphenol A-based UV-curable imprint resin enabled the nanostructure fabrication of resist patterns without any nonfill defects in TFP; however, SIS consisting of subsequent mutual doses of trimethylaluminum and water caused a resist pattern collapse of 100-nm-height patterns with linewidths of

Exposure to a single pulse generated from a femtosecond pulsed laser for a duration of 100 fs at a wavelength of 800 nm and a laser fluence of 0.31 J cm−2 resulted in chromium (Cr) deposition on photocured insoluble imprint resin patterns to be ablated selectively; however, Cr deposition on synthetic quartz surfaces was retained. Single-pulse development of Cr-deposited imprint micro/nano patterns occurred at the same laser fluence, independent of the presence of a laser absorbing dye. Laser ablation of the cured resin near the Cr deposition was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Depth profile analyses confirmed that Cr species were partially embedded in the cured resin underneath the layer of Cr. These results suggest that the mechanism of laser ablation was due to the rapid thermal expansion of resin near the embedded Cr species and deposited Cr layer rather than the multi-photon absorption of the cured resin.

Ultraviolet (UV) nanoimprint lithography is a promising nanofabrication technology with cost efficiency and high throughput for sub-20 nm size semiconductor, data storage, and optical devices. To test formability of organic resist mask patterns, we investigated whether the type of polymerizable di(meth)acrylate monomer affected the fabrication of cured resin nanopillars by UV nanoimprinting using molds with pores of around 20 nm. We used carbon-coated, porous, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films prepared by electrochemical oxidation and thermal chemical vapor deposition as molds, because the pore diameter distribution in the range of 10-40 nm was suitable for combinatorial testing to investigate whether UV-curable resins comprising each monomer were filled into the mold recesses in UV nanoimprinting. Although the UV-curable resins, except for a bisphenol A-based one, detached from the molds without pull-out defects after radical photopolymerization under UV light, the number of cured resin nanopillars was independent of the viscosity of the monomer(s) in each resin. The number of resin nanopillars increased and their diameter decreased as the number of hydroxy groups in the aliphatic diacrylate monomers increased. It was concluded that the filling of the carbon-coated pores having diameters of around 20 nm with UV-curable resins was promoted by the presence of hydroxy groups in the aliphatic di(meth)acrylate monomers.

We demonstrated that demolding in ultraviolet (UV) nanoimprinting was assisted by a nanoscale lubricating fluid layer of a liquefied 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (PFP) gas. UV-curable Resin A composed of glycerol 1,3-diglycerolate diacrylate with low PFP absorption showed low surface roughness of 22-nm line-and-space imprint patterns with the smallest line edge roughness (LER) value of 3σ = 1.8 nm. As the molar ratio of 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate with large PFP absorption was increased in the UV-curable resin, the morphological characteristics worsened. Although thin cured films of Resin A possessed a large surface free energy of 57.6 mJ m−2, Resin A could be used for step-and-repeat UV nanoimprinting with bare and fluorinated silica molds. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements suggested that a PFP adsorption layer was formed at a film surface of uncured Resin A upon exposure to PFP gas and functioned as a nanoscale lubricating fluid layer during UV nanoimprinting.

Co-expression of MYC and BCL2 proteins in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), or 'double-expressor lymphoma' (DEL), results in poor patient prognosis, but the significance of DEL when aggressive treatments are applied remains uncertain. We performed a retrospective analysis of 40 patients with de novo DLBCL, who were categorized as being at high/high-intermediate risk according to the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index. Patients underwent an R-Double-CHOP regimen, a dose-intensified immunochemotherapy with or without consolidative high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation. According to immunohistochemical analysis, 10 (25%) patients were categorized as having DEL, showing positivity for MYC (≥40%) and BCL2 (≥50%). The 3 year progression-free survival and overall survival of the DEL group were significantly worse compared with those of the non-DEL group (30% vs. 63%, p = 0.019 and 40% vs. 82%, p = 0.006, respectively). These results suggest that advanced DEL may need discrete treatment strategies.

A method for determining the optimum condition of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure for high-throughput nanoimprinting was investigated by photo differential scanning calorimetry, atomic force microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. The consumption of the acrylate moiety caused by radical photopolymerization of a UV-curable resin had a relationship with the square root of light intensity multiplied by the exposure period. Insufficiently cured resin gave round-shaped imprinted patterns and caused adhesion of the resin component to a mold surface owing to pull-out defects on demolding. We demonstrated that fluorescence microscopy was helpful for the optimum exposure condition in high-throughput UV nanoimprinting.

In UV nanoimprinting, the selection of monomers suitable for sub-15 nm patterning is difficult because the filling behavior of resin at this scale still remains scientifically unclear. We demonstrate sub-15 nm patterning by UV nanoimprinting using silica molds with 20, 15, and 7 nm diameter holes; however, the 7 nm diameter pillar patterns were not fabricated using hydroxy-containing monomers. The filling behavior into silica holes of around 10 nm depended on the chemical structure of the monomers. Resonance shear measurements revealed the following: (1) The viscosities of hydroxy-containing monomers confined between chlorodimethyl(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)silane (FAS3-Cl)-modified surfaces began to increase at distances shorter than those of the monomers between unmodified surfaces. (2) The monomers confined between tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrooctyltrimethoxysilane-modified surfaces were squeezed out when the surface-surface distance decreased at less than 7 nm. The measured viscosities between the FAS3-Cl-modified silica surfaces were correlated with the insufficient filling behavior into the silica holes of around 10 nm in UV nanoimprinting. Contact angle measurements provided an additional insight that a higher wettability of the monomers onto the antisticking chemisorbed monolayers resulted in imprinted patterns with higher aspect ratios. Considering the increase in the monomer viscosity in the nanospace and the wettability of monomers onto chemisorbed monolayers, we concluded that the monomer showing low viscosity under confinement and high wettability onto the mold surface was suitable for single-digit nanometer UV nanoimprinting.

An 80-year-old man presented to our hospital with a thoracic vertebrae compression fracture. He was diagnosed with IgG-λ myeloma (International Staging System stage II, Durie-Salmon stage IIIA). Since melphalan-prednisolone (MP) was not effective, we treated him with lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone (DEX) (Ld), achieving a partial response. As DEX provoked edema and psychiatric symptoms, the patient disagreed with its use, and pomalidomide (POM) monotherapy was initiated. Although the POM dosage was reduced to 1-2 mg/day due to somnolence, which was reported as an adverse event, stringent complete response (sCR) was achieved and sustained for 10 months following 11 cycles of low-dose POM monotherapy. It is assumed that sCR was achieved with low-dose POM monotherapy due to its early introduction as well as there being no high-risk chromosomal abnormalities. Even though adverse events develop with a standard dose, a continuation of low-dose POM is considered more important than discontinuation.

The clinical significance of concurrent expression of MYC and BCL2 protein, known as "double-expressor lymphoma" (DEL), among patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell lymphomas, remains unclear. A retrospective analysis was performed of 38 patients treated with a salvage treatment consisting of rituximab, ifosfamide, etoposide, cytarabine and dexamethasone followed by consolidative high-dose chemotherapies. A total of 17 cases (45%) were categorized as DEL using immunohistochemical assay with a cut-off value of positivity of 40% for MYC and 50% for BCL2, respectively. DEL was associated with a lower overall response rate (35% vs 71%, p = 0.0481), worse 2-year progression-free survival (9% vs 67%, p = 0.001) and overall survival (35% vs 71%, p = 0.037). This analysis suggests that DEL is common among patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell lymphomas and that such patients require novel treatment strategies.

We used fluorescence microscopy to show that low adsorption of resin components by a mold surface was necessary for continuous ultraviolet (UV) nanoimprinting, as well as generation of a low release energy on detachment of a cured resin from a template mold. This is because with low mold pollution, fracture on demolding occurred at the interface between the mold and cured resin surfaces rather than at the outermost part of the cured resin. To achieve low mold pollution, we investigated the radical photopolymerization behaviors of fluorescent UV-curable resins and the mechanical properties (fracture toughness, surface hardness, and release energy) of the cured resin films for six types of di(meth)acrylate-based monomers with similar chemical structures, in which polar hydroxy and aromatic bulky bisphenol moieties and methacryloyl or acryloyl reactive groups were present or absent. As a result, we selected bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BPAGDM), which contains hydroxy, bisphenol, and methacryloyl moieties, which give good mechanical properties, monomer bulkiness, and mild reactivity, respectively, as a suitable base monomer for UV nanoimprinting under an easily condensable alternative chlorofluorocarbon (HFC-245fa) atmosphere. The fluorescent UV-curable BPAGDM resin was used for UV nanoimprinting and lithographic reactive ion etching of a silicon surface with 32 nm line-and-space patterns without a hard metal layer.

Schematic of the principle of bubble elimination by a condensable gas.Display Omitted Elimination of bubble defects was attained by using PFP atmosphere.22-nm resist lines satisfy the values of LER and LWR required for 22-nm node NAND flash memories.20,000 repeated imprints were achieved by using a surfactant-added UV resin and a PFP atmosphere. The effectiveness of using a condensable gas in UV nanoimprint lithography has been demonstrated. The problem of bubble defects, which is inherent in UV nanoimprinting under non-vacuum conditions, can be overcome using a condensable alternative chlorofluorocarbon gas, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (PFP). UV nanoimprint lithography using PFP was successfully performed for a 45-nm half-pitch pattern with a thin residual layer, which is required for UV nanoimprinting. PFP reduces the viscosity and demolding force of the UV-curable resins. These properties are helpful in increasing the throughput and reliability of the UV nanoimprinting process. PFP occasionally causes large pattern shrinkage and degrades the pattern quality depending on the monomer chemical structures included in the UV-curable resins. These drawbacks can be mitigated by selecting monomers with low PFP absorption. We demonstrated that appropriate line-width roughness and line-edge roughness can be obtained for 22-nm node NAND flash memories and 20,000 repeated imprints were achieved with a single mold by using PFP.

Heat treatment of Li2S–P2S5 glasses to transform the glass to a glass ceramic enhances the ionic conductivity by precipitating a Li7P3S11 metastable crystalline phase with high ionic conductivity. Although the precipitated phase is identical, the conductivity achieved varies depending on the heat treatment conditions. Solid-state 31P MAS NMR spectroscopy to investigate the structure of the glass ceramic in this study revealed a strong correlation between the ionic conductivity and the degree of crystallisation, in which the conductivity of the glass ceramic increased with increasing proportion of metastable Li7P3S11 phase.

A central venous catheter (CVC) is a catheter placed into a large vein, and is used for chemotherapy administration. However, there is little confirmatory data on which antiseptic—such as chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine (PI) —is more protective against CVC-related infectious complications in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of 1% chlorhexidine gluconate in 70% alcohol (CH) vs. PI for skin disinfection before CVC insertion in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy. Methods We used either CH or 10% PI as skin antiseptics before CVC insertion, and assessed which agent was more protective against CVC-related infection. The participants were 112 patients with haematologic malignancies who underwent chemotherapy; a total of 292 CVCs were inserted over this period. Blood cultures were obtained when febrile neutropenia occurred. The CVC was removed and the catheter-tip qualitatively cultured when catheter-related infection was suspected. The cumulative incidence of febrile neutropenia, microbial growth from blood or catheter-tip culture, and catheter-related blood stream infection (CRBSI) was evaluated retrospectively. A univariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that CH significantly alleviated infectious complications. Notably, no case of CRBSI occurred in the CH group. Multivariate analysis, adjusted for prolonged neutropenia (>15 days) and older age (>52 years), also showed significant reduction in the cumulative incidence of microbial growth from catheter-tips in the CH group (hazard ratio = 0.146, 95% confidence interval: 0.023–0.502, p = 0.0008). Disinfection using CH, compared with PI, can potentially decrease catheter-related infection without causing adverse skin reactions in patients with haematologic malignancies.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an environmental pollutant found in cigarette smoke and is implicated as a causative agent of tobacco-related diseases, such as arteriosclerosis. In contrast, vitamin D signaling, which is principally mediated by conversion of vitamin D to the active form, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D

Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) has become one of advanced pattering methods for fabrication of micro- and nano-structures over several inches by replication with designed mold patterns at high throughput and low cost. For practical application of UV-NIL, it is essential to eliminate bubble defects and to make residual layer thicknesses (RLTs) of a fabricated resist pattern uniform after the imprint process for subsequent dry-etching processes. We demonstrated the high-viscosity UV-curable resin (viscosity=12,800 mPas) suitable for bubble-defect-free UV nanoimprinting in a condensable gas atmosphere. We enabled to deposit droplets of the high-viscosity resin on a substrate by screen printing with a through-hole membrane with the volume of sub-pico liter. The method was effective for leveling RLTs in bubble-defect-free UV-NIL. In the present study, we give an overview of ‘Print and Imprint’ method comprising screen printing and UV-NIL, and demonstrate the position-selective placement of high-viscosity resin droplets by screen printing.

We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, etoposide and ranimustine (CEM) with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT) in 55 adult patients with relapsed or high-risk de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or DLBCL associated with follicular lymphoma. This included 36 patients in the upfront setting in their first complete remission. The median follow-up of 42 patients surviving at the time of the analysis was 52 months (range 1-159). Relapse or disease progression after PBSCT was a frequent cause of death, but no therapy-related mortality associated with PBSCT was observed. The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 70.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54.0-82.1) and 57.0% (95% CI, 39.5-71.2), respectively. Chronic renal impairment, therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and prostate cancer were the major late complications. The CEM regimen is a tolerable, effective conditioning regimen for autologous PBSCT for DLBCL, with no therapy-related mortality observed.

Morphological changes in thin film patterns of a positive-tone electron beam resist induced by sequential infiltration synthesis and solvent annealing were revealed by atomic force microscopy for the fabrication of silica imprint molds with sub-15 nm trenches. In sequential infiltration synthesis, the wiggling of 40-nm-thick resist film patterns was attributed to decreasing the widths of the resist terraces and baking at 100 °C rather than exposure to a vapor of trimethylaluminum. Reducing the thickness of the resist film from 40 nm to 20 nm prevented the wiggling of resist film patterns after sequential infiltration synthesis. Solvent annealing with a toluene vapor at 20 °C increased mouse-bite defects appearing at the line edges of the resist film patterns, and significantly increased mouse-bite and line-break defects of silica imprint molds after dry etching. These results suggest that the polymer/substrate interface had a significant impact on the morphological fidelity of resist film patterns during electron beam lithography procedures.

Inorganic semiconductor nanorods are regarded as the primary components of optical and electrical nanoscale devices. In this paper, we demonstrate the unidirectional alignment of monolayered and dispersed ZnO nanorods on a rubbed polyimide alignment layer, which was achieved by a conventional liquid crystal alignment technique. The outermost surfaces of the ZnO nanorods (average diameter 7 nm; length 50 nm) were modified by polymerization initiator moieties, and nematic liquid crystalline (LC) methacrylate polymers were grown by atom transfer radical polymerization. By regulating the densities of the polymerization initiator moieties, we successfully hybridized LC-polymer-grafted ZnO nanorods and small nematic LC molecules. The LC-polymer-modified ZnO nanorods were hierarchically aligned on the substrate via cooperative molecular interactions among the liquid crystal mesogens, which induced molecular orientation on the rubbed polyimide alignment layer.

Photochemical reactions of 4-[(10-sulfanyldecyl)oxy]benzophenone with deuterated polystyrene (PS-d8) were studied using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and vibrational sum frequency...

We showed a new approach to fabricate separation membranes with enlarged surface areas by nanocasting and investigated the effects of the enlarged surface area on the gas permeability of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-grafted polyimide membranes. A PDMS-grafted polyimide dissolving in solvent was cast onto a patterned nickel (Ni) substrate. The thermal crosslinking reactions occurring among intermolecular PDMS segments allowed the fabrication of insoluble patterned PDMS-grafted polyimide membranes by demolding. The patterned membranes showed higher gas permeability coefficients than the corresponding flat membranes and showed an increasing permeation selectivity for carbon dioxide.

4-(4′-Cyanobiphenyloxy)butyl methacrylate, MA(4OCB), was copolymerized with 8-(4′-hexyloxybiphenyloxy)octyl methacrylate, MA(8O6RB), or butyl methacrylate, MA(Bu), by atom transfer radical polymerization. Phase transition behaviors and liquid crystalline properties of the random copolymers with small polydispersity were compared with those of respective homopolymers. The thermal analysis suggested that both biphenyl mesogens in the p[MA(4OCB)-co-(8O6RB)] random copolymers were oriented together rather than segregated. In the case of the p[MA(4OCB)-co-MA(Bu)] random copolymers, the butyl side-chains worked to diminish liquid crystallinity by disturbing orientation of the biphenyl mesogen due to thermal fluctuation.