Poly(ε-caprolactone)-Banded Spherulites and Interaction with MC3T3-E1 Cells

We report that protein adsorption, cell attachment, and cell proliferation were enhanced on spherulites-roughened polymer surfaces. Banded spherulites with concentric alternating succession of ridges and valleys were observed on spin-coated thin films of poly­(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and two series of PCL binary homoblends composed of high- and low-molecular-weight components when they were isothermally crystallized at 25–52 °C. Their thermal properties, crystallization kinetics, and surface morphology were examined. The melting temperature (<i>T</i>_m), crystallinity (χ_c), crystallization rate, and spherulitic patterns showed strong dependence on the crystallization temperature (<i>T</i>_c) and the blend composition. The surface roughness of the spherulites was higher when <i>T</i>_c was higher; thus, the larger surface area formed in banded spherulites could adsorb more serum proteins from cell culture media. In vitro mouse preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell attachment, proliferation, and nuclear localization were assessed on the hot-compressed flat disks and spherulites-roughened films of the high-molecular-weight PCL and one of its homoblends. The number of attached MC3T3-E1 cells and the proliferation rate were greater on the rougher surfaces than those on the flat ones. It is interesting to note that cell nuclei were preferentially, though not absolutely, located in or close to the valleys of the banded spherulites. The percentage of cell nuclei in the valleys was higher than 78% when the ridge height and adjacent ridge distance were ∼350 and ∼35 nm, respectively. This preference was weaker when the ridge height was lower or at a higher cell density. These results suggest that isothermal crystallization of semicrystalline polymers can be an effective thermal treatment method to achieve controllable surface roughness and pattern for regulating cell behaviors in tissue-engineering applications

Funnel plot and sensitivity analysis for prognosis of patients with OSCC (A: Funnel plot; B: sensitivity analysis).

<p>Funnel plot and sensitivity analysis for prognosis of patients with OSCC (A: Funnel plot; B: sensitivity analysis).</p

Facile synthesis and wide-band electromagnetic wave absorption properties of carbon-coated ZnO nanorods

<p>In this work, a facile and scalable acetylene decomposition method was employed to synthesize carbon-coated ZnO (ZnO@C) nanorods. The characterization of morphology and structure analysis demonstrate that ZnO nanorod was well coated by an amorphous carbon shell with a thickness of about 20 nm. Comparted with ZnO, ZnO@C exhibit significantly enhanced microwave absorption properties. The effective absorption bandwidth with RL values exceeding –10 dB can reach 5.3 GHz for ZnO@C with a matching thickness of 2.5 mm. The excellent microwave absorption arose from enhanced dielectric loss caused by interfacial polarization, dipole polarization and the formation of conductive network.</p

Flow diagram of the literature search process.

<p>Flow diagram of the literature search process.</p

Sensitivity analysis for clinicopathological features (A: lymph node involvement; B: clinical stage; C: cell differentiation; D: depth of invasion; E: gender; F: age).

<p>Sensitivity analysis for clinicopathological features (A: lymph node involvement; B: clinical stage; C: cell differentiation; D: depth of invasion; E: gender; F: age).</p

Additional file 1: of The Preparation of Au@TiO2 Yolk–Shell Nanostructure and its Applications for Degradation and Detection of Methylene Blue

Supporting information. Figure S1. SEM images of CNCs. Figure S2. TEM images and the size distribution analysis of Au nanoparticles of (a1 and a2) Au-30@TiO2; (b1 and b2) Au-50@TiO2; (c1 and c2) Au-80@TiO2; (d1 and d2) Au-120@TiO2. Figure S3. TEM image of the Au-80@TiO2 after photocatalytic reaction. (DOC 11017 kb

Clinicopathological and methodological features of eligible studies.

<p>Clinicopathological and methodological features of eligible studies.</p

造船ニオケル現場作業ニツキ． 神戸三菱．

種別: 実習報

Distribution of ncRNAs on four replicons.

<p>Distribution of ncRNAs on four replicons.</p

From the ZnO Hollow Cage Clusters to ZnO Nanoporous Phases: A First-Principles Bottom-Up Prediction

A family of Zn_<i>k</i>O_<i>k</i> (<i>k</i> = 12, 16) cluster-assembled solid phases with novel structures and properties has been characterized utilizing a bottom-up approach with density functional calculations. Geometries, stabilities, equation of states, phase transitions, and electronic properties of these ZnO polymorphs have been systematically investigated. First-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) study of the two selected building blocks, Zn₁₂O₁₂ and Zn₁₆O₁₆, with hollow cage structure and large HOMO–LUMO gap shows that both of them are thermodynamically stable enough to survive up to at least 500 K. Via the coalescence of building blocks, we find that the Zn₁₂O₁₂ cages are able to form eight stable phases by four types of Zn₁₂O₁₂–Zn₁₂O₁₂ interactions, and the Zn₁₆O₁₆ cages can bind into three phases by the Zn₁₆O₁₆–Zn₁₆O₁₆ links of H′, C′, and S′. Among these phases, six ones are reported for the first time. This has greatly extended the family of ZnO nanoporous phases. Notably, some of these phases are even more stable than the synthesized metastable rocksalt ZnO polymorph. The hollow cage structure of the corresponding building block Zn_<i>k</i>O_<i>k</i> is well preserved in all of them, which leads to their low-density nanoporous and high flexibility features. In addition the electronic integrity (wide-energy gap) of the individual Zn_<i>k</i>O_<i>k</i> is also retained. Our calculation reveals that they are all semiconductor with a large direct or indirect band gap. The insights obtained in this work are likely to be general in II–VI semiconductor compounds and will be helpful for extending the range of properties and applications of ZnO materials