Effects of volatile additives in solutions used to prepare polythiophene-based thin-film transistors

We investigate the effects of volatile additives in solutions used to prepare thin-film transistors (TFTs) of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). We use the additives trifluoromethylbenzene (TFMB) and methylcyclohexane (MCH) because they are poor solvents for P3HT. The additives improve the performance of the resulting TFTs when the boiling point (T(b)) of the major solvent, carbon tetrachloride, is lower than that of the additive. The maximum mobility is (4.0 +/- 60.9) x 10(-2) cm(2)V(-1)s(-1), which is 6.1 times larger than that of TFTs prepared without TFMB or MCH added to the solution; the on/off ratio and the subthreshold slope were also improved. The relative T(b) of the solvent and the additive affected the film formation with the amount of TFMB or MCH remaining at the final stage of thin film deposition influencing the precipitation of P3HT aggregates. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3553878]ArticleJOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS. 109(5):54504 (2011)journal articl

A New Navigation System for Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty

A computer-assisted navigation system to be used for total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) was reported to improve the accuracy of bone resection and result in precise implant placement, but the concomitant surgical invasion and time consumption are clinical problems. We developed a computed tomography (CT)-based navigation system (NNS) to be used for minimally invasive TKA. It requires only the reference points from a small limited area of the medial femoral condyle and proximal tibia through a skin incision to obtain optical images. Here we evaluated the usefulness and accuracy of the NNS in comparison with the commercially available BrainLAB image-free navigation system (BLS). In a clinical experiment, the registration times obtained with the NNS tended to be shorter than those obtained with the BLS, but not significantly so. The NNS group tended to be in the extended position in the sagittal plane of the distal femur within 3 degrees, and the BLS group showed rather flexed deviation in the sagittal plane of the anterior femur

Oral Examination of Students of Matsumoto Dental College, School of Hygiene (Department of Dental Hygienists, Department of Dental Technicians)

The oral condition was examined in students of Matsumoto Dental College, School of Hygiene, and the following results were obtained. 1) A questionnaire about the dietary and brushing habits suggested a better oralhygienic condition in the sophomores than freshmen of the Hygienist Department, and the 1-year education on dental hygiene appeared to be effective. Also, the students of the Hygienist Department were considered to have higher degree of knowledge on dental hygiene than those of the Technician Department. 2) The results of caries activity tests (Cariostat and RD TEST) were consistent with the findings of the questionnaire

Centrifugal Filter for Aerosol Collection

Air filters collect particles by the mechanical collection mechanisms, namely, inertia, interception, gravitational settling, and Brownian diffusion. There exists the most penetrating particle size (MPPS) in submicron size range for which none of the collection mechanisms work effectively. In this study, we propose a new type of filter named as "centrifugal filter," which collects aerosol particles by centrifugal force together with the conventional mechanical collection mechanisms. The centrifugal filter proposed in the present work may be rotated by a motor or compressed air. Air passes through the filter in the axial direction of filter rotation. The filter rotates so does the air embedded in the filter, and therefore centrifugal force exerts on particles. In addition to the mechanical collection mechanisms, small migration of particles due to the centrifugal force enhanced the collection efficiency of submicron particles significantly without increasing the pressure drop. The performance tests of centrifugal filter were conducted by changing the fiber diameter, the air flow velocity and the rotation speed. We found that the collection efficiency of filter is enhanced significantly by rotating the filter without increasing the pressure drop and that the filter efficiency is well predicted by the conventional filtration theory accounting for the centrifugal force.Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research © 2015 Copyright © American Association for Aerosol Research