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Modern electronic devices, such as smartphones and electric vehicles, require multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), which comprise highly pure Cu terminations and Ni electrodes. Vapor-phase synthesis (VPS) is a promising method for synthesizing nanoparticles (NPs) with high purity and crystallinity. However, the agglomeration of the NPs occurs during their synthesis, which degrades the performance of the MLCC electrodes owing to several factors, including electrical shorts and low packing density. This paper proposes a coating-assisted VPS to inhibit agglomeration using potassium chloride (KCl) as the coating agent. The agglomeration ratio of the Cu NPs synthesized by in-flight coating with KCl at 950 °C significantly decreased from 48.20% to 3.80%, compared to without KCl coating. Furthermore, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed that the KCl coating agent and residual copper chloride were removed by washing with ammonium hydroxide.

Nickel (Ni) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared through vapor-phase synthesis (VPS) are preferred for multilayer ceramic capacitor electrodes due to their high purity and crystallinity advantages. Agglomerated Ni NPs are usually generated using VPS but are undesirable because they cause various problems such as low packing density and electrical shorts. This study proposes the use of coating-assisted chemical vapor synthesis (CVS) for agglomerate inhibition using NaCl or KCl as a coating agent. We have found that the agglomeration ratio, 34.40%, for conventional CVS, can be reduced to 4.80% in the proposed method by in-flight coating with KCl at 900 °C by image analysis using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analyses confirm that the NaCl and KCl coating agent can be removed by washing with distilled water. We believe that this coating process can be used to inhibit the formation of agglomerates during the CVS of Ni NPs.

In this study, we investigated the effect of the sulfur content in the NiCl

Nb-Mo-Si based in situ composite powders were fabricated by a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reaction. The Nb-6Mo-20Si-3Cr alloy ingot was prepared by vacuum arc melting and was composed of a metal solid solution phase and a (Nb, Mo)5Si3 silicide phase. For hydrogenation, the ingot was annealed under a hydrogen atmosphere and the hydrogenated ingot could be easily pulverized by milling due to its brittle nature. As a result of absorbing hydrogen, the hydrogenated powder had a higher hydrogen concentration and lattice parameter than the ingot. The powder was annealed under a vacuum atmosphere for dehydrogenation and the hydrogen concentration and lattice parameter decreased to the same value as those of the ingot. By applying the hydrogenation-dehydrogenation method, Nb-6Mo-20Si-3Cr alloy powder could be successfully fabricated.

Corrosion behaviors of the friction welded dissimilar aluminum alloys were investigated to understand how galvanic effect plays a role in altering corrosion properties of the dissimilar weld. From the fact that the weld had the similar OCP value to that of AA2017, it can be inferred that the corrosion characteristics of the weld is under the control of the AA2017 part in the weld and as a result, only the AA2017 part in the weld had experienced severe corrosion, leaving AA6063 under cathodic protection. Intense corrosion occurring near the interface implies that the area near the interface is placed under the effect of galvanic corrosion and there was the effective distance where the galvanic effect exerts an impact due to the increase in the resistance of the electrolyte with the distance from the interface. The disappearance of Warburg diffusion plot in Nyquist plots for the weld seemed to be the breakdown of the passivation layer related to the formation of the micro-galvanic cell, which in turn presented the shrinkage in the capacitance response, indicating that charge reactions in the form of corrosion occurred.

Recrystallization behavior has been investigated for commercial purity AA1050 (99.5wt%Al) and high purity 3N Al (99.9wt% Al). Samples were cold rolled with 90% of thickness reduction and were annealed isothermally at 290, 315, and 350oC for various times until complete recrystallization was achieved. Hardness measurement and Electron Backscatter Diffraction(EBSD) analyses, combined with Grain Orientation Spread(GOS), were employed to investigate the recrystallization behavior. EBSD analysis combined with GOS were distinctly revealed to be a more useful method to determine the recrystallization fraction and to characterize the recrystallization kinetics. As the annealing temperature increased, recrystallization in AA1050 accelerated more than that process did in Al 3N. Both AA1050 and Al 3N showed the same temperature dependence of the n value of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation(JMAK equation), i.e., n values increased as annealing temperature increased. Activation energy of recrystallization in AA1050 is about 176 kJ/mol, which is comparable with the activation energy of grain boundary migration in cold-rolled AA1050. This value is somewhat higher than the activation energy of recrystallization in Al 3N.

In this study, the sintering behaviors of Nb-6Mo-20Si-3Cr (at percentage) in situ composite powders were studied. The Nb alloy powder was fabricated by a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation method, and both the alloy ingot and powders consisted of two phases: An Nb metal phase and the α-Nb5Si3 phase. Consolidation of the alloy powders was performed at 1500, 1600, and 1700 °C using spark plasma sintering, and the microstructures and phases formed at various sintering temperatures were analyzed. Micropores were observed in the compact sintered at 1500 °C due to the lack of complete densification at that temperature. The densification was completed at 1600 °C and the microstructure was slightly coarsened at 1700 °C compared to the microstructure of the compact sintered at 1600 °C. The microstructures prepared by the powder metallurgy method were finer than the microstructure of the ingot prepared by the casting method. The phase formation behavior varied according to the sintering temperature. Specifically, the α-Nb5Si3 phase, which is a stable structure of the Nb5Si3 phase at a low temperature, was transformed to the β-Nb5Si3 phase (which is stable at a high temperature) with an increasing sintering temperature.

Recrystallization kinetics of aluminum with various purities from 99.5 to 99.999(5N) has been investigated in this study. Aluminum plates of 10 mm thickness with various purities were solution-treated at 400oC for 24 hrs and then rolled into sheets of 50 μm thickness at room temperature. Cold rolling was conducted on samples with various purities from 99.9 to 99.999 including commercial AA 1050 Al alloy and high purity through about 20 passes to obtain thin foils of 50 μm thickness. Accumulative rolling was employed when sample thickness reached at 1 mm and thin foils were successfully obtained for all samples. Hardness was measured just after cold rolling at room temperature as a function of time up to 1hr to elucidated recrystallization behavior. For aluminum with 99.999% purity, recrystallization occurred after 200 s and finished at 360 s. Recrystallization kinetics of aluminum at high temperatures from 100 to 350oC were investigated by measure hardness after annealing thin foils for various time intervals ranging from 1 s to 24 hrs. For high purity sample with 99.999% purity, recrystallization finished just after 1 s even at the relatively low temperature of 100oC, while recrystallization of commercial AA 1050 (2N) alloy finished after 360 s at 350oC.

Effect of B addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ84 Mg alloy was investigated in this study. Through calculation of phase equilibria of AZ84 Mg alloy, carried out by using FactSage® and FTLite database, solution treatment temperature was decided as temperature of 330oC, where supersaturated solid solution can be obtained. Solid solution treatment of AZ84 Mg alloy was successfully conducted at 330oC and supersaturated microstructure with all almost all phases resolved into matrix was obtained. After solution treatment, hot rolling was successfully conducted by reduction of 60%. Compression and tension tests were carried out at room temperature on the samples in as-cast, solution treated, hot-rolled and subsequently recrystallized states. After solid solution treatment, each alloy was soaked at temperatures of 180 and 200oC for time intervals from 1 min to 48 hrs and hardness of each condition was measured by micro-Vickers method. Peak aging conditions were deduced as at the temperature of 200 oC for 10 hrs for ZA84 Mg alloy. By addition of boron, aging kinetics was expedited and strength was enhanced.

Single crystals of pure magnesium were fabricated in this study by employing the modified Bridgman method. To determine the exact orientation of crystals, electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) method was employed in this study. Dimensions of single crystals were 10 mm in diameter and 120 mm in length. Single crystals with near basal, pyramidal, and near prismatic orientations were obtained, on which hardness and compression tests were conducted. It has been revealed that hardness and the strength strongly depended on the orientation. While the hardness of pyramidal orientation was highest and that of near prismatic orientation was lowest, the compressive strength along near prismatic orientation appeared to be highest and that along prismatic orientation was lowest.

The goal of the SmartGrid is to maximize energy efficiency by exchanging bi-directional real-time power information with the help of ICT(Information and Communication Technology). In this paper, we propose a “JRS-MS” (Joint Routing and Scheduling for Multi-channel SmartGrid) algorithm that uses numerical modeling methods in IEEE 802.11s based STDMA multi-channel SmartGrid NAN networks. The proposed algorithm controls the amount of data transmission adaptively at the link layer and finds a high data-rate path which has the least interference between traffic flows in multi-channel SmartGrid NAN networks. The proposed algorithm improve transmission performance by enhancing network utilization. By comparing the results of performance analysis between the proposed algorithm and the JRS-SG algorithm [11] in the previous paper, we showed that the JRS-MS algorithm can improve transmission performance by maximally utilizing given network resources when the number of flows are increasing in the multi-hop NAN wireless mesh networks.

Optogenetics methods are rapidly being developed as therapeutic tools for treating neurological diseases, in particular, retinal degenerative diseases. A critical component of the development is testing the safety of the light stimulation used to activate the optogenetic proteins. While the stimulation needs to be sufficient to produce neural responses in the targeted retinal cell class, it also needs to be below photochemical and photothermal limits known to cause ocular damage. The maximal permissible exposure is determined by a variety of factors, including wavelength, exposure duration, visual angle, pupil size, pulse width, pulse pattern, and repetition frequency. In this paper, we develop utilities to systematically and efficiently assess the contributions of these parameters in relation to the limits, following directly from the 2014 American National Standards Institute (ANSI). We also provide an array of stimulus protocols that fall within the bounds of both safety and effectiveness. Additional verification of safety is provided with a case study in rats using one of these protocols.

We evaluated the filtration performance of microporous metal membranes fabricated by the rolling process. Metal wire meshes were rolled with thickness reduction ratios of 10, 20, and 30%. The pore size of the metal wire mesh membrane decreased with increasing rolling ratio, whereas the removal efficiency of the suspended solids and turbidity showed a very slight increase compared to that of an unrolled mesh membrane. The metal powder was dispersed on the surface of the rolled metal wire mesh membrane and bound with polyvinyl alcohol, then dried at 100°C for 1 h, and finally sintered at 1,000°C for 3 h. The mean pore size, suspended solids, and turbidity of the metal powder membrane at a rolling ratio of 30% were approximately 0.7 μm, 84% and 83%, respectively. Therefore, microporous metal membranes successfully fabricated by the rolling process were also sufficiently permeable filters.

The pathogenic mutation S163R in C1QTNF5 causes a disorder known as autosomal dominant late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD), characterized by the presence of thick extracellular sub-RPE deposits, similar histopathologically to those found in AMD patients. We have previously shown that the S163R C1QTNF5 mutant forms globular aggregates within the RPE in vivo following its AAV-mediated expression in the RPE and exhibits a reversely polarized distribution, being routed toward the basal rather than apical RPE. We show here that when both wild-type and mutant S163R C1QTNF5 are simultaneously delivered subretinally to mouse RPE cells, the mutant impairs the wild-type protein secretion from the RPE, and both proteins are dispersed toward the basal and lateral RPE membrane. This result has mechanistic and therapeutic implications for L-ORD disorder.

The pathogenic mutation S163R in C1QTNF5 causes a disorder known as autosomal dominant late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD), characterized by the presence of thick extracellular sub-RPE deposits, similar histopathologically to those found in AMD patients. We have previously shown that the S163R C1QTNF5 mutant forms globular aggregates within the RPE in vivo following its AAV-mediated expression in the RPE and exhibits a reversely polarized distribution, being routed toward the basal rather than apical RPE. We show here that when both wild-type and mutant S163R C1QTNF5 are simultaneously delivered subretinally to mouse RPE cells, the mutant impairs the wild-type protein secretion from the RPE, and both proteins are dispersed toward the basal and lateral RPE membrane. This result has mechanistic and therapeutic implications for L-ORD disorder.

Mutations in GUCY2D are the cause of Leber congenital amaurosis type 1 (LCA1). GUCY2D encodes retinal guanylate cyclase-1 (retGC1), a protein expressed exclusively in outer segments of photoreceptors and essential for timely recovery from photoexcitation. Recent clinical data show that, despite a high degree of visual disturbance stemming from a loss of cone function, LCA1 patients retain normal photoreceptor architecture, except for foveal cone outer segment abnormalities and, in some patients, foveal cone loss. These results point to the cone-rich central retina as a target for GUCY2D replacement. LCA1 gene replacement studies thus far have been conducted in rod-dominant models (mouse) or with vectors and organisms lacking clinical translatability. Here we investigate gene replacement in the Nrl(-/-) Gucy2e(-/-) mouse, an all-cone model deficient in retGC1. We show that AAV-retGC1 treatment fully restores cone function, cone-mediated visual behavior, and guanylate cyclase activity, and preserves cones in treated Nrl(-/-) Gucy2e(-/-) mice over the long-term. A novel finding was that retinal function could be restored to levels above that in Nrl(-/-) controls, contrasting results in other models of retGC1 deficiency. We attribute this to increased cyclase activity in treated Nrl(-/-) Gucy2e(-/-) mice relative to Nrl(-/-) controls. Thus, Nrl(-/-) Gucy2e(-/-) mice possess an expanded dynamic range in ERG response to gene replacement relative to other models. Lastly, we show that a candidate clinical vector, AAV5-GRK1-GUCY2D, when delivered to adult Nrl(-/-) Gucy2e(-/-) mice, restores retinal function that persists for at least 6 months. Our results provide strong support for clinical application of a gene therapy targeted to the cone-rich, central retina of LCA1 patients.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) effectively targets therapeutic genes to photoreceptors, pigment epithelia, Müller glia and ganglion cells of the retina. To date, no one has shown the ability to correct, with gene replacement, an inherent defect in bipolar cells (BCs), the excitatory interneurons of the retina. Targeting BCs with gene replacement has been difficult primarily due to the relative inaccessibility of BCs to standard AAV vectors. This approach would be useful for restoration of vision in patients with complete congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB1), where signaling through the ON BCs is eliminated due to mutations in their G-protein-coupled cascade genes. For example, the majority of CSNB1 patients carry a mutation in nyctalopin (NYX), which encodes a protein essential for proper localization of the TRPM1 cation channel required for ON BC light-evoked depolarization. As a group, CSNB1 patients have a normal electroretinogram (ERG) a-wave, indicative of photoreceptor function, but lack a b-wave due to defects in ON BC signaling. Despite retinal dysfunction, the retinas of CSNB1 patients do not degenerate. The Nyx(nob) mouse model of CSNB1 faithfully mimics this phenotype. Here, we show that intravitreally injected, rationally designed AAV2(quadY-F+T-V) containing a novel 'Ple155' promoter drives either GFP or YFP_Nyx in postnatal Nyx(nob) mice. In treated Nyx(nob) retina, robust and targeted Nyx transgene expression in ON BCs partially restored the ERG b-wave and, at the cellular level, signaling in ON BCs. Our results support the potential for gene delivery to BCs and gene replacement therapy in human CSNB1.

Thermodynamic equilibrium of Fe-36Ni-base Invar alloy containing C contents from 0.25 to 0.38 weight per cent during solidification has been investigated in this study. From the thermodynamic simulation using ThermoCalc®, it has been revealed that equilibrium phases which can be formed are two kinds of MC-type precipitates, i.e. (Nb, Mo, V)C and MoC, and M2C carbides. The MoC carbide was expected to be formed at relatively lower temperature below 770oC. Microstructure observation revealed the coarse precipitates in the as-cast ingots, which was Mo-rich non-equilibrium phase and could be resolved by the successive heat treatment. With increasing C contents from 0.25 to 0.38 wt.%, tensile strength of Invar alloy increased from 950 to 1100MPa after hot rolling and thermal expansion coefficient showed a trivial increase. Hot-rolled Invar alloy was successfully drawn at room temperature from 6 to 4 mm in diameter, which dramatically decreased thermal expansion coefficient.

Spherical WTaMoNbV refractory high entropy alloy powders were fabricated by milling and spheroidizing using inductively-coupled thermal plasma. The WTaMoNbV alloy is brittle at room temperature; therefore, the alloy ingot could be pulverized by jaw-crushing and ball-milling, and the fabricated powders had an irregular shape. After sieving using meshes ranging in size from 25 to 63 μm, the powders were spheroidized using inductively-coupled thermal plasma. Using this process, spherical WTaMoNbV high entropy alloy powders with d50 of 45.1 μm could be fabricated successfully.

Wireless Mesh Networks(WMNs) is generally composed of radio nodes in the mesh topology. WMNs consists of mesh client, mesh router and gateway connected to a wired network. Each client and router relay messages to the gateway for communication. WMNs is widely used recently in many areas can provide extended coverage based on multi-hop communication and ubiquitous communication at any time and any location. However the competition and collision between each node to transmit data is inevitable when the same channel is used for transmission. The transmission opportunities and the throughput of nodes located far from gateway decrease more if the communication channel is accessed based on competitive CSMA/CA scheme using DCF(Distributed Coordination Function) provided by IEEE 802.11 MAC. In this paper, we improve the performance of the TCP fairness and throughput of the nodes with more than 2 hops by applying various algorithms for controlling contention window values. Also, we evaluate the performance using ns-2 simulator, According to the results, proposed scheme can enhance the fairness characteristic of each node irrespective of data to the gateway.

In tactical environment, tactical wireless networks are generally comprised of Tactical MANETs(T-MANETs) or Tactical WMNs(T-WMNs). The most important services in tactical network are voice and low rate data such as command control and situation awareness. These data should be forwarded via multi-hop in tactical wireless networks. Urgent and mission-critical data should be protected in this environment, so QoS(Quality of Service) must be guaranteed for specific type of traffic for satisfying the requirement of a user. In IEEE 802.11s, TDMA-based MAC protocol, MCCA(MCF Controlled Channel Access), has a function of resource reservation. But 802.11s protocol can not guarantee the end-to-end QoS, because it only supports reservation with neighbors. In this paper, we propose the routing protocol, R-HWMP(Reservation-based HWMP) which has the resource reservation to support the end-to-end QoS. The proposed protocol can reserve the channel slots and find optimal path in T-WMNs. We analyzed the performance of the proposed protocol and showed that end-to-end QoS is guaranteed using NS-2 simulation.

Recently, world-wide research activities on new network architectures and protocols are being actively progressed. Furthermore, research activities on testbed and related technologies for supporting those activities are being actively performed. In domestic study, research on the OpenFlow protocol based future Internet testbed implementation and research on its virtualization for supporting independent research experiments are being performed at the same time. The network virtualization is a technology which maximizes the testbed utilization without interfering each other for the individual research when many researchers share the testbed. In this paper, we implemented a Enhanced FlowVisor by extending basic FlowVisor by adding QoS functions which are admission control and minimum bandwidth guarantee. On the testbed, we performed a real-time video streaming experiment for verifying the performance of the Enhnaced FlowVisor on the OpenFlow protocol based future internet testbed. The result shows that the Enhanced FlowVisor can provide reliable and stable QoS to the individual researches without disturbing each other traffic on virtualized networks of the future Internet testbed.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91D Mg alloys for nonflammable use, containing Ca and Y, were investigated in this study. Solid solution treatment of AZ91D Mg alloy with Ca and Y was successfully conducted at 420oC and supersaturated microstructure with almost all beta phases resolved into matrix was obtained. After solid solution treatment, the alloy was annealed at temperatures of 180 and 200oC for time intervals from 1 min to 48 hrs and hardness of each condition was measured by micro-Vickers method. Peak aging conditions were deduced from the results as at the temperature of 200oC for 10 hrs. Hot rolling was also carried out at 400oC by the reduction ratio of 0.6 through 5 passes followed by recrystallization treatment. Tensile and compressive properties were measured at room temperature on the specimens of each process, i.e. as-cast, solution treatment, hot rolling, and recrystallization.

Vectors based on adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) have been used extensively in many gene-delivery applications, including several successful clinical trials for one type of Leber congenital amaurosis in the retina. Many studies have focused on improving AAV2 transduction efficiency and cellular specificity by genetically engineering its capsid. We have previously shown that vectors-containing single-point mutations of capsid surface tyrosines in serotypes AAV2, AAV8, and AAV9 displayed significantly increased transduction efficiency in the retina compared with their wild-type counterparts. In the present study, we evaluated the transduction characteristics of AAV2 vectors containing combinations of multiple tyrosine to phenylalanine mutations in seven highly conserved surface-exposed capsid tyrosine residues following subretinal or intravitreal delivery in adult mice. The multiply mutated vectors exhibited different in vivo transduction properties, with some having a unique ability of transgene expression in all retinal layers. Such novel vectors may be useful in developing valuable new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of many genetic diseases.

Rod and cone photoreceptors use similar but distinct sets of phototransduction proteins to achieve different functional properties, suitable for their role as dim and bright light receptors, respectively. For example, rod and cone visual pigments couple to distinct variants of the heterotrimeric G protein transducin. However, the role of the structural differences between rod and cone transducin α subunits (Tα) in determining the functional differences between rods and cones is unknown. To address this question, we studied the translocation and signaling properties of rod Tα expressed in cones and cone Tα expressed in rods in three mouse strains: rod Tα knockout, cone Tα GNAT2 cpfl3 mutant, and rod and cone Tα double mutant rd17 mouse. Surprisingly, although the rod/cone Tα are only 79% identical, exogenously expressed rod or cone Tα localized and translocated identically to endogenous Tα in each photoreceptor type. Moreover, exogenously expressed rod or cone Tα rescued electroretinogram responses (ERGs) in mice lacking functional cone or rod Tα, respectively. Ex vivo transretinal ERG and single-cell recordings from rd17 retinas treated with rod or cone Tα showed comparable rod sensitivity and response kinetics. These results demonstrate that cone Tα forms a functional heterotrimeric G protein complex in rods and that rod and cone Tα couple equally well to the rod phototransduction cascade. Thus, rod and cone transducin α-subunits are functionally interchangeable and their signaling properties do not contribute to the intrinsic light sensitivity differences between rods and cones. Additionally, the technology used here could be adapted for any such homologue swap desired.

Vectors derived from adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have become important gene delivery tools for the treatment of many inherited ocular diseases in well-characterized animal models. Previous studies have determined that the viral capsid plays an essential role in the cellular tropism and efficiency of transgene expression. Recently, it was shown that phosphorylation of surface-exposed tyrosine residues from AAV2 capsid targets the viral particles for ubiquitination and proteasome- mediated degradation, and mutations of these tyrosine residues lead to highly efficient vector transduction in vitro and in vivo. Because the tyrosine residues are highly conserved in other AAV serotypes, in this study we evaluated the intraocular transduction characteristics of vectors containing point mutations in surface- exposed capsid tyrosine residues in AAV serotypes 2, 8, and 9. Several of these novel AAV mutants were found to display a strong and widespread transgene expression in many retinal cells after subretinal or intravitreal delivery compared with their wild-type counterparts. For the first time, we show efficient transduction of the ganglion cell layer by AAV serotype 8 or 9 mutant vectors, thus providing additional tools besides AAV2 for targeting these cells. These enhanced AAV vectors have a great potential for future therapeutic applications for retinal degenerations and ocular neovascular diseases.

This paper reports the fabrication of indium oxide (In2O3) films using a triethylindium and oxygen mixture. The deposition has been carried out on TiAlN substrates (200-350°C). We have established the correlation between the substrate temperature and the structural properties. The films deposited at 300-350°C were polycrystalline, whereas those deposited at 200°C was close to amorphous. XRD analysis and SEM images indicated that the films grown at 350°C had grained structures with the (222) preferred orientation. The room-temperature photoluminescence spectra of the In2O3 films exhibited a visible light emission.

The CO2 reforming of CH4 has received increasing attention from both an environmental and an industrial perspective because the reaction can convert greenhouse gases into synthesis gas with a low H2/CO ratio. It has been known that nickel catalyst is highly active for the CO2 reforming of CH4, but it is easily deactivated due to coke formation and metal sintering during the reaction. To develop nickel catalyst resistant to the formation of coke, various materials such as metal oxides, mixed metal oxides, and zeolite have been examined as supports until now. Metal oxide supports are mostly used as fine powder to give large surface area. However, fine powder may be a disadvantage of its application as support because fine particles trend to agglomerate into large particles at high temperatures. In recent, several investigators have shown that mesoporous MCM41 or SBA15 compounds can be applied as catalyst support with high loading and dispersion without destroying the support pore hexagonal structure. SBA15 compounds are more favorable to the application as catalyst support because they have mesopores with sizes of 46-300 A and high surface area of ~800 m/g. Moreover, the recent discovery of ordered large-pore mesoporous SBA15 compound with three dimensional mesoporous networks has extended the applications of mesoporous SBA compound in catalysis and separation because it has the advantage in the diffusion and transport of large molecules compared to one-dimensional mesopore structures. This paper reports the application of mesoporous SBA15 in high temperature catalysis. The SBA15 compound with three-dimensional mesoporous networks was prepared and nickel particles were embedded within the SBA15(3D). The Ni/SBA15(3D) was examined as catalyst for the CO2 reforming of CH4 and its catalytic results were compared with those of Ni/SiO2 and Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts.

Background Adeno associated virus (AAV) is well known for its ability to deliver transgenes to retina and to mediate improvements in animal models and patients with inherited retinal disease. Although the field is less advanced, there is growing interest in AAV’s ability to target cells of the anterior segment. The purpose of our study was to fully articulate a reliable and reproducible method for injecting the anterior chamber (AC) of mice and rats and to investigate the transduction profiles of AAV2- and AAV8-based capsid mutants containing self-complementary (sc) genomes in the anterior segment of the eye. Methodology/Principle Findings AC injections were performed in C57BL/6 mice and Sprague Dawley rats. The cornea was punctured anterior of the iridocorneal angle. To seal the puncture site and to prevent reflux an air bubble was created in the AC. scAAVs expressing GFP were injected and transduction was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Both parent serotype and capsid modifications affected expression. scAAV2- based vectors mediated efficient GFP-signal in the corneal endothelium, ciliary non-pigmented epithelium (NPE), iris and chamber angle including trabecular meshwork, with scAAV2(Y444F) and scAAV2(triple) being the most efficient. Conclusions/Significance This is the first study to semi quantitatively evaluate transduction of anterior segment tissues following injection of capsid-mutated AAV vectors. scAAV2- based vectors transduced corneal endothelium, ciliary NPE, iris and trabecular meshwork more effectively than scAAV8-based vectors. Mutagenesis of surface-exposed tyrosine residues greatly enhanced transduction efficiency of scAAV2 in these tissues. The number of Y-F mutations was not directly proportional to transduction efficiency, however, suggesting that proteosomal avoidance alone may not be sufficient. These results are applicable to the development of targeted, gene-based strategies to investigate pathological processes of the anterior segment and may be applied toward the development of gene-based therapies for glaucoma and acquired or inherited corneal anomalies.

Retinal pigment epithelium-specific protein 65 kDa (RPE65) is a protein responsible for isomerization of all-trans-retinaldehyde to its photoactive 11-cis-retinaldehyde and is essential for the visual cycle. RPE65 mutations can cause severe, early onset retinal diseases such as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). A naturally occurring rodent model of LCA with a recessive nonsense Rpe65 mutation, the rd12 mouse, displays a profoundly diminished rod electroretinogram (ERG), an absence of 11-cis-retinaldehyde and rhodopsin, an overaccumulation of retinyl esters in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells, and photoreceptor degeneration. rd12 mice were injected subretinally at postnatal day 14 with rAAV5-CBA-hRPE65 vector. RPE65 expression was found over large areas of RPE soon after treatment. This led to improved rhodopsin levels with ERG signals restored to near normal. Retinyl ester levels were maintained at near normal, and fundus and retinal morphology remained normal. All parameters of restored retinal health remained stable for at least 7 months. The Morris water maze behavioral test was modified to test rod function under very dim light; rd12 mice treated in one eye performed similar to normally sighted C57BL/6J mice, while untreated rd12 mice performed very poorly, demonstrating that gene therapy can restore normal vision-dependent behavior in a congenitally blind animal.

The adsorption behavior of colloidal maghemite (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles, passivated by oleic acid and dispersed in octane solution, onto three different substrates (Si, Si 3 N 4 . and SiO 2 ) is investigated. The average nanoparticle size is 10 nm, with a size variation (σ) less than 5 %. The adsorption of particles is strongly dependent on both the type of substrate and the particle concentration in solution. By a single-dipping process, we have obtained a maximum coverage of 0.45 on a Si substrate, but much less on other substrates (0.19 on Si 3 N 4 and 0.14 on SiO 2 ). The particle coverage was drastically increased by the multiple-adsorption process, where the process of dipping and drying was repeated multiple times. With this process, we can obtain a maximum particle coverage of about 0.76 on a Si substrate and 0.61 on a thermally grown SiO 2 substrate.

Modifications to surface-exposed residues of recombinant Adeno-associated virus (AAV), incorporation of novel regulatory elements into the vector cassette, alternative injection routes, and combinations thereof are being explored as strategies to enhance gene delivery to retina. We previously showed that intravitreal injection of a novel AAV capsid was capable of transducing all neuronal layers of the retina, including photoreceptors (PRs). We also demonstrated that this capsid, when combined with a novel promoter (“Ple155”) was capable of driving therapeutic nyctalopin (Nyx) expression exclusively in ON bipolar cells (ON BCs) and partially restoring retinal function to a mouse model of complete Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB1) following early (postnatal day 2) treatment. In order to achieve more efficient transduction of PRs and ON BCs, further modifications will be required. Methods with which to quantify relative transduction efficiencies of novel variants in vivo are warranted. The purpose of this study was to develop robust methods for quantifying transduction efficiency or transgene expression in PRs and ON BCs, respectively by rAAVs in vivo. Specifically, we sought to develop methods that don't require time consuming subjective analysis. To do so, we employed two transgenic mouse models: Nrl-GFP and Grm6-GFP mice which have constitutively fluorescent rod PRs and ON BCs, respectively. Adult mice (~postnatal day 30) were injected either subretinally (SR) or intravitreally (Ivt) with rAAVs containing the mCherry transgene. Fundoscopy was performed at 1 month post injection. Immediately thereafter, retinas were dissociated and evaluated by FACS for GFP and mCherry fluorescence, the overlap of which indicated targeted transduction of either ON BCs or rods, depending on mouse model. A subset of retinas was also evaluated with immunohistochemistry. In agreement with previous experiments, Ivt and SR delivered AAV2(quadY-F+T-V) and AAV2(4pMut) transduced a relatively large percentage of retina, including PRs. However, ON BC transduction was minimal, with ~6% transduced by Ivt AAV2(quadY-F+T-V)-CBA-mCherry delivery. AAV2 weakly transduced retina via both delivery routes. AAV2(4pMut)ΔHS, which lacks canonical HSPG binding residues, failed to transduce retina by Ivt injection, but efficiently transduced rods (75%) following SR delivery, indicative of significant ‘lateral spread’ from the injection bleb. Incorporation of the ON BC-specific promoter (“Ple155”) used in the CSNB1 gene replacement study abolished non-ON BC retinal expression. Experiments are ongoing to assess the extent to which rAAVs containing Ple155 can increase expression efficiency in ON BCs relative to CBA, and to determine whether the addition of other transcriptional and post transcriptional regulatory elements can further increase rAAV-mediated expression in these cells. In summary, we have developed a method for quantifying transduction of PRs and ON BCs by novel rAAVs in vivo. As the AAV vector toolkit expands, such a method will be highly useful for scoring relative performance of novel vectors. We also conclude that while the ubiquitous CBA promoter effectively drives transgene expression in PRs, it drives relatively poor transgene expression in ON BCs and caution that CBA should not be considered as a default universal promoter for retinal expression.

Basic transcription element binding (BTEB1) protein is one of at least 20 Sp/KLF family members that function as transcriptional activators or repressors by binding to GC/GT-rich sequences within target genes to influence cellular homeostasis in mammals. Previously, we demonstrated that increased expression of BTEB1 in a human endometrial epithelial cell line Hec-1-A resulted in serum dependent-enhanced proliferation, which was accompanied by heightened expression of cell cycle- and growth-associated genes. In the present study, we examined the mechanism underlying the altered proliferative potential associated with BTEB1 by the identification of additional BTEB1 downstream gene targets and by the demonstration of BTEB1 transactivation of promoters for a number of growth-associated genes. Using mRNA differential display in the analysis of RNA populations from Hec-1-A sublines with high (4S, 9S) and low (2As, 3As) BTEB1 cellular content, we identified 10 distinct differentially expressed transcripts, nine of which had higher levels in S than in As sublines. The expression levels of two of these cDNAs, Axl receptor tyrosine kinase and mitosin, whose encoded products are implicated in cellular proliferation, were modestly induced by serum, albeit in a BTEB1-independent manner. Moreover, insulin-like growth factor-I, a mitogen present in serum, had no significant effect on their expression in either subline. In transient reporter assays, the basal activities of the Axl gene promoter and those for two other growth-regulatory genes, namely p21(WAF1) and IGFBP-2, were increased by serum and were significantly higher in 4S than in 2As lines. However, while BTEB1 and its ubiquitous family member Sp1 increased basal p21(WAF1) and IGFBP-2 transcription when added as expression constructs in the parental Hec-1-A cell line, only Sp1 activated Axl transcription, despite the presence in all three gene promoters of GC-enriched regions that presumably can bind BTEB1 and Sp1 with similar affinities. To elucidate intracellular signaling pathways that might involve BTEB1, inhibitors of specific kinase-dependent transducers were used in transient transfection assays involving the IGFBP-2 gene promoter in 4S and 2As sublines. While inhibitors of the MAPK, PI-3K, and PKA pathways elicited similar effects on the IGFBP-2 gene promoter activity, irrespective of cellular BTEB1 content, that for JNK had a more pronounced effect on Hec-1-A sublines exhibiting higher BTEB1 expression levels. Taken together, the results suggest that BTEB1 mediates the expression of growth-associated genes through direct and indirect transactivation mechanisms, one of which may involve the participation of a JNK family member.

Phase equilibria of AZ91D Mg alloys for nonflammable use, containing Ca and Y, were carried out by using FactSage® and FTLite database, which revealed that solid solution treatment could be performed at temperatures from 400 to 450oC. Solid solution treatment of AZ91D Mg alloy without Ca and Y was successfully conducted at 420oC and supersaturated microstructure with all beta phase resolved into matrix was obtained. In the case of AZ91D Mg alloy with some Ca and Y; however, a little amount of intermetallic particles were observed after solid solution treatment. After solid solution treatment, each alloy was annealed at temperatures of 180 and 200oC for time intervals from 1 min to 48 hrs and hardness of each condition was measured by micro-Vickers method. Peak aging conditions were deduced as at the temperature of 200oC for 10 hrs., {"references":["B. L. Mordike and T. Ebert, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 302, p. 37, 2001.","X. Cui, H. Liu, J. Meng, and D. Zhang, Trans. Nonferr. Met. Soc. Of\nChina, vol. 20, p. 435, 2010.","F. Guo, P, Li, X. Gao, and J. Xu, J. Rare Earth, vol. 28, p. 948, 2010.","M. O. Pekguleryuz, and E. Baril, Mater. Trans., vol. 42, p. 1258, 2001.","B. R. Powell, A. A. Lou, V. Rezhets, J. J. Bommarito, and B. L. Tiwari,\nSAE Tech. Paper 2001-01-0422, Soc. Automotive Eng., p. 406, 2001.","G. Wu, F. Yu, H. Gao, C. Zhai, and Y. P. Zhu, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol.\n408, p. 255, 2005.","X. Q. Zheng, Q. D. Wang, Y. Z. Lu, W. J. Ding, C. Lu, Y. P. Zhu, C. Q.\nZhai, and X. P. Xu, Scripta Mater., vol. 43, p. 403, 2003.","B. S. You, W. W. Park, and L. S. Chung, Scripta Mater., vol. 42, p. 403,\n2002.","T. S. shih, J.-H. Wang, and K.-Z. Chong, Mater. Chem. & Phys., vol. 85,\np. 302, 2004."]}

Spheroidization heat treatment was conducted on the SK85 high carbon steel sheets with various initial microstructures obtained after cold rolling by various reduction ratios at a couple of annealing temperatures. On the high carbon steel sheet with fine pearlite microstructure, obtained by soaking at 800oC for 2hr in a box furnace and then annealing at 570oC for 5min in a salt bath furnace followed by water quenching, cold rolling was conducted by reduction ratios of 20, 30, and 40%. Heat treatment for spheroidization was carried out at 600 and 720oC for the various time intervals from 0.1 to 32 hrs. Area fraction of spheroidized cementite was measured with an image analyzer as a function of cold reduction ratios and duration times. Tensile tests were carried out at room temperature on the spheoidized high carbon steel., {"references":["Y.L. Tian and R.W. Kraft, Met. Trans. A, Vol. 18A, p. 1403, 1978.","E. Werner, Acta Metall., Vol. 37, p. 2047, 1989.","S.A. Hackney, Scripta Metall., Vol. 25, p. 799, 1991.","N. V. Luzginova, L. Zhao, and J. Sietsma, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, Vol. \n39A, p. 513,2008.","C. Chou, J. Mat. Sci., Vol. 21, p. 3339, 1989.","K. Aihara and S. Kanbara, The Sumitomo Search, Vol. 42, p. 1, 1990.","S. E. Nam and D. Y. Lee, J. Mat. Sci., Vol. 22, p. 2319, 1987."]}

The rd6 mouse is a natural model of an RPE-based (retinal pigment epithelium) autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP) caused by mutations in the Mfrp (membrane-type frizzled related protein) gene. Previously, we showed that subretinal delivery of the wild-type mouse Mfrp mediated by a tyrosine-capsid mutant scAAV8 (Y733F) vector prevented photoreceptor cell death, and rescued retinal function as assessed by electroretinography. In this study, we describe the effect of gene therapy on the retinal structure and function in rd6 mice using a quadruple (Y272, 444, 500, 730F) tyrosine-capsid mutant scAAV2 viral vector delivered subretinally at postnatal day 14 (P14). We show that therapy is effective at slowing the photoreceptor degeneration, and in preventing the characteristic accumulation of abnormal phagocytic cells in the subretinal space. MFRP expression as driven by the ubiquitous chicken β-actin (smCBA) promoter in treated rd6 mice was found predominantly in the RPE apical membrane and the entire length of its microvilli, as well as in the photoreceptor inner segments, suggesting a potential interaction with actin filaments. In spite of preserving retinal morphology, the effects of gene therapy on retinal function were minimal, suggesting that the scAAV8 (Y733F) vector may be more efficient for the treatment of RP caused by Mfrp mutations.

The process to make nanocrystals with an average size 1012/cm2 was proposed using agglomeration and partial oxidation of thin amorphous Si0.7Ge0.3 layer deposited in between the SiO2 layers by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The reason to use an amorphous layer is to make it possible to deposit a thin continuous layer with a thickness of less than 5 nm. Si0.7Ge0.3 alloy layer was used to control the spatial density of the nanocrystals by using selective oxidation of Si in Si0.7Ge0.3 alloy layer. The single electron memory, similar to a flash type memory device was fabricated using these Si0.7Ge0.3 nanocrystals. The Coulomb blockade effect could be clearly observed at room temperature with a threshold voltage shift of about 2.4 V, which demonstrated the formation of nanocrystals with a high spatial density.

TaN x films were deposited by chemical vapor deposition using a pentakis(diethylamido)tantalum (PDEAT) source with and without NH 3 at temperatures ranging from 300 to 375°C. It was observed that both the resistivity and carbon content of the film drastically decreased upon the addition of NH 3 . For example, the resistivity decreased from 60,000 to 12,000 μΩ cm, and the apparent carbon content obtained by Auger electron spectroscopy decreased from 30 to 1 atom % by the addition of 25 sccm NH 3 . The grain size initially increased with the addition of 5 sccm NH 3 in the source gas, but then decreased as the NH 3 flow rate was increased to more than 10 sccm. As-deposited TaN x film has a face-centered cubic structure irrespective of the amount of NH 3 . The density of the film increased from about 5.1 to 7.2 g cm -3 (bulk density of TaN: 16.3 g cm -3 ). Barrier failure results identified by the etch-pit test showed that a 50 nm thickness of the TaN x barrier deposited by a single source of PDEAT survived up to 500°C after 1 h annealing. The TaN x film deposited with 25 sccm NH 3 survived up to 550°C after 1 h annealing. However, the step coverage of the films deposited with NH 3 is drastically decreased, from more than 80% (NH 3 = 0 sccm) to less than 10% (NH 3 = 25 sccm). Thus, while the addition of NH 3 significantly improves both the resistivity and carbon content in the film, it deteriorates the step coverage of the film.

The diffusion barrier properties of three different kinds of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) TiN films were compared against Cu. TiN(A) film (21 nm) was deposited by the thermal decomposition of a single source of tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium at 400°C. TiN(B) film (19 nm) was prepared by in situ plasma treatment after every 8 nm growth of TiN(A) film. Finally, TiN(C) film (28 nm) was deposited by the reaction of with at 630°C. The densities of TiN(A), TiN(B), and TiN(C) films were 2.55, 4.04, and , respectively. Both TiN(A) and TiN(B) films showed nanocrystalline microstructure with equiaxed grains, the sizes of which were about 4 and 7 nm, respectively. TiN(C) film showed a columnar grain structure with an average grain size of about 14 nm. Sheet resistance measurements, X‐ray diffractometry analyses, and etch‐pit test results consistently demonstrated that the barrier performances of TiN(A) and TiN(B) were superior to those of TiN(C). The diffusion barrier properties of CVD TiN films were discussed in view of the density and microstructure of the film. © 1999 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

A novel processing sequence for the formation of gated diamond field emitter array (triode system) is proposed and the feasibility is tested by investigating the field emission property. The processing scheme is based on the selective deposition of diamond by using the well established nucleation enhanced process on substrate, so callled bias enhanced nucleation (BEN). The structure of substrate was patterned [SiO 2 /Mo(gate)SiO 2 (insulator)Si(100). Our preliminary results show that the diamond field emitter is turned on at around 87 V/μm with the current level of about several μA.