Programmable Resistive-Switch Nanowire Transistor Logic Circuits

Programmable logic arrays (PLA) constitute a promising architecture for developing increasingly complex and functional circuits through nanocomputers from nanoscale building blocks. Here we report a novel one-dimensional PLA element that incorporates resistive switch gate structures on a semiconductor nanowire and show that multiple elements can be integrated to realize functional PLAs. In our PLA element, the gate coupling to the nanowire transistor can be modulated by the memory state of the resistive switch to yield programmable active (transistor) or inactive (resistor) states within a well-defined logic window. Multiple PLA nanowire elements were integrated and programmed to yield a working 2-to-4 demultiplexer with long-term retention. The well-defined, controllable logic window and long-term retention of our new one-dimensional PLA element provide a promising route for building increasingly complex circuits with nanoscale building blocks

Wave-Tunable Lattice Equivalents toward Micro- and Nanomanipulation

The assembly of micro- and nanomaterials is a key issue in the development of potential bottom-up construction of building blocks, but creating periodic arrays of such materials in an efficient and scalable manner still remains challenging. Here, we show that a cymatic assembly approach in which micro- and nanomaterials in a liquid medium that resonate at low-frequency standing waves can be used for the assembly in a spatially periodic and temporally stationary fashion that emerges from the wave displacement antinodes of the standing wave. We also show that employing a two-dimensional liquid, rather than a droplet, with a coffee-ring effect yields a result that exhibits distinct lattice equivalents comprising the materials. The crystallographic parameters, such as the lattice parameters, can be adjusted, where the parameters along the <i>x</i>- and <i>y</i>-axes are controlled by the applied wave frequencies, and the one along <i>z</i>-axis is controlled by a transparent layer as a spacer to create three-dimensional crystal equivalents. This work represents an advancement in assembling micro- and nanomaterials into macroscale architectures on the centimeter-length scale, thus establishing that a standing wave can direct micro- and nanomaterial assembly to mimic plane and space lattices

Cell viability of RAW264.7 cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capric acid.

<p>RAW264.7 cells were treated with or without 1 µg/ml of LPS and with capric acid (0.1, 0.25, and 1 mM) for 24 hr.</p

Effects of capric acid on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production.

<p>RAW264.7 cells were incubated with 1 µg/ml of LPS in the absence or presence of 1 mM capric acid for 12, 18, and 24 hr. The media was harvested 24 hr later and assayed for NO. Data represent the mean ± SEM for three independent experiments. *p<0.05: significantly different from the LPS-treated value.</p

Morphological alteration of RAW264.7 cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capric acid.

<p>RAW264.7 cells were treated with 1 µg/ml of LPS with or without capric acid (0.1, 0.25, and 1 mM) for 24 hr.</p

Capric acid suppresses lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in RAW264.7 cells.

<p>(A) RAW264.7 cells were cultured with 1 µg/ml of LPS in the absence or presence of 1 mM capric acid for 24 hr. Total RNA was isolated using Trizol reagent, and mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR using specific primers to iNOS, MCP-1, and GAPDH. (B, C) GAPDH gene expression levels are relative values, which were normalized. (D) RAW264.7 cells were cultured with 1 µg/ml of LPS in the absence or presence of 1 mM capric acid for 24 hr. Changes in protein expression following treatment with capric acid were measured using specific antibodies against iNOS, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and β-actin.</p

Effects of capric acid in RAW264.7 cells.

<p>(A, B) RAW264.7 cells were cultured with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the absence or presence of capric acid for 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120 min. The amounts of IκB-α, p-JNK, p-ERK1/2, p-STAT1, and p-STAT3 were determined by Western blot analysis. β-actin was used as an internal control. (C) RAW264.7 cells were cultured with 1 µg/ml of LPS in the absence or presence of stattic for 24 hr. Total RNA was isolated using Trizol reagent, and mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR using primers specific to inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and GAPDH. All analyses were representative of at least three independent experiments. (D) Effects of capric acid or siRNAs of STAT3. STAT3 siRNA sequence #1: sense, 5′-GAA CAA CAU GUC AUU UGC UUU-3′, antisense, 5′-AGC AAA UGA CAU GUU GUU CUU-3′; STAT3 siRNA sequence #2: sense, 5′-UCA UCA UGG GCU AUA AGA UUU-3′, antisense, 5′-AUC UUA UAG CCC AUG AUG AUU-3′.</p

Effects of capric acid on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced osteoclast formation.

<p>RAW264.7 cells were cultured with LPS in the absence or presence of capric acid for 1–3 days, and then cells were fixed and stained for tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), respectively. (A) Multinucleated cells were observed on day 2. (a) control, (b) capric acid, (c) LPS only, (d) LPS + capric acid, (B) TRAP-positive cells were counted as osteoclasts on day 2. (C) RAW264.7 cells were cultured with LPS in the absence or presence of capric acid for 24 hr. Total RNA was isolated using Trizol reagent, and mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR using primers for TRAP and GAPDH. Values are expressed as the mean ± SEM from triplicate cultures. *p<0.05: significantly different from the LPS-treated value.</p

Humulus lupulus

We present an efficient method for measuring cell stretching based on three-dimensional viscoelastic particle focusing. We suspended cells in a biocompatible viscoelastic medium [poly­(vinylpyrrolidone) solution in phosphate-buffered saline]. The medium viscoelasticity significantly homogenized the trajectories of cells along the centerline of a simple straight channel, which could not be achieved in conventional Newtonian media. More than 95% of red blood cells (RBCs) were successfully delivered to the stagnation point of a cross-slot microchannel and stretched by extensional flow. By computational simulations, we proved that this method prevents inaccuracies due to random lateral distributions of cells and, further, guarantees rotational-free cell stretching along the shear-free channel centerline. As a demonstration, we characterized the differences in RBC deformabilities among various heat treatments. Furthermore, we monitored the decrease of deformability due to nutrient starvation in human mesenchymal stem cells. We envisage that our novel method can be extended to versatile applications such as the detection of pathophysiological evolution in impaired RBCs due to malaria or diabetes and the monitoring of cell quality in stem cell therapeutics

Reversible Liquid Adhesion Switching of Superamphiphobic Pd-Decorated Ag Dendrites via Gas-Induced Structural Changes

Adhesion control of various liquid droplets on a liquid-repellent surface is a fundamental technique in novel open channel microfluidic systems. Herein, we demonstrate reversible liquid droplet adhesion switching on superamphiphobic Pd-decorated Ag dendrites (Pd/Ag dendrites). Although adhesion between liquids and the superamphiphobic surfaces was extremely low under ambient air, high adhesion was instantly achieved by exposure of the dendrites to 8% hydrogen gas. Transition from low to high adhesion and the reverse case were successfully repeated more than 10 times by switching from atmospheric ambient air to 8% hydrogen gas. This is the first technique that allows real-time reversible adhesion change with various liquid droplets to a surface using gas-induced structural changes and can potentially be used to realize various functions for droplet-based microfluidics