No abstract

We report on the influence of pentacene channel thickness on the field-effect hole mobility in pentacene-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) that employ the top-contact mode for the source/drain electrodes. Our pentacene channel layers were deposited in the thickness range of 16–90 nm by thermal evaporation on 450 nm thick Al2O3+x dielectric films. The TFTs with increasingly thinner pentacene layers displayed correspondingly higher hole mobility, but an optimum thickness was determined to be about 30 nm because the TFTs with pentacene layers thinner than 30 nm exhibited high leakage current in the off-state bias regime. After a proper chemical treatment was performed onto the Al2O3+x gate dielectric, our optimized TFT with a 30 nm thick pentacene channel exhibited high mobility of ∼0.2 cm2/V s with an on/off current ratio of 105.

Ni nanoparticles embedded in the pores of a mesoporous MOF (MesMOF-1) act as a catalyst for hydrogenolysis of nitrobenzene or hydrogenation of styrene.

Copolymer grafting: Grafting of the copolymer onto a glass substrate was effected according to Scheme 1. A freshly cleansed glass slide was immersed (under dry nitrogen atmosphere in a glove box) into a 5 % vlv solution of SiC14 in dry hexane for 20 min and then washed with dry hexane and chloroform, prior to immersion into a solution of RCPTh in dry chloroform (1 mgl mL). After 12 h, the glass slide was rinsed successively with chloroform and THE Subsequently, the glass slide was sonicated in dry hexane at about 40°C for 20 min and then in anhydrous chloroform at about 40°C for 30 min.FTIR reflectance spectra were recorded on a Bio-Red TFS instrument, using a reflecting accessory. UV-visible absorption spectra were measured on a Shimiduza 1600 spectrophotometer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was performed on a VG ESCA or SIMLAB MKII spectrometer equipped with a Mg K, radiation source (1253.7eV). All core-level spectra were corrected for surface charging by reference to the designated C(1s) binding energy at 285.0 eV. Spectra deconvolutions were carried ont using the Gaussian component, with the same full widths at half-maximum (FWHM) for each component in a particular spectrum. Surface atom ratios were obtained from peak area ratios, corrected with the appropriate experimentally determined sensitivity factors. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were made using a Digital Instrument Nanoscope I11 AFM.

No abstract

Ankle exercises are commonly used to facilitate venous return in the lower extremity and to prevent deep vein thrombosis. Moreover, the respiratory cycle affects venous return. This study examined the effects of ankle exercise combined with deep breathing on the blood flow velocity in the femoral vein. Twenty healthy males (mean age 21.3 years), who had no medical history of lower extremity disease, were recruited for this study. The blood flow velocity in the femoral vein was measured while performing four exercise protocols: quiet breathing while resting (QR), deep breathing (DB), ankle exercise with quiet breathing (AQB), and ankle exercising combined with deep breathing (ADB). Using a Doppler ultrasound with an 8 MHz probe, peak blood flow velocities were collected for a 20 second period at the start of the inspiration phase in each protocol, three times. There were statistically significant differences in the peak blood flow velocity in the femoral vein with the four protocols (p lt 0.001). The mean (SD) peak blood flow velocity in the femoral vein was as follows: QR 10.1 (4.2) cm/sec, DB 15.5 (3.9) cm/sec, AQB 20.7 (6.6) cm/sec, and ADB 26.5 (9.4) cm/sec. Post hoc analyses revealed significant differences between each of the four protocols (p(adj) lt 0.01). The mean peak blood flow velocity in the femoral vein was greatest with the ADB protocol, which implies that the ADB protocol may be useful to prevent the blood stasis in patients at risk of deep vein thrombosis.

[Purpose] This study investigated whether the toe-spread-out exercise affects the hallux valgus angle, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the hallux valgus angle during active abduction. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four subjects with hallux valgus were randomly assigned to orthosis and orthosis plus toe-spread-out exercise groups. The orthosis group wore the orthosis for 8 weeks, while the orthosis plus toe-spread-out group also performed the toe-spread-out exercise. The hallux valgus angle, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the hallux valgus angle during active abduction were measured initially and after 8 weeks by radiography and ultrasonography. [Results] While there were no significant changes in the three parameters in the orthosis group, there were significant differences in the orthosis plus toe-spread-out exercise group after 8 weeks. In addition there were significant differences in the three measures between the two groups. [Conclusion] The toe-spread-out exercise reduces the hallux valgus angle and hallux valgus angle during active abduction, and increases the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle. The toe-spread-out exercise is recommended for patients with mild to moderate hallux valgus.

No abstract