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Self-collimating phononic crystals (PCs) are periodic structures that enable self-collimation of waves. While various design parameters such as material property, period, lattice symmetry, and material distribution in a unit cell affect wave scattering inside a PC, this work aims to find an optimal material distribution in a unit cell that exhibits the desired selfcollimation properties. While earlier studies were mainly focused on the arrangement of self-collimating PCs or shape changes of inclusions in a unit cell having a specific topological layout, we present a topology optimization formulation to find a desired material distribution. Specifically, a finite element based formulation is set up to find the matrix and inclusion material distribution that can make elastic shear-horizontal bulk waves propagate along a desired target direction. The proposed topology optimization formulation newly employs the geometric properties of equi-frequency contours (EFCs) in the wave vector space as essential elements in forming objective and constraint functions. The sensitivities of these functions with respect to design variables are explicitly derived to utilize a gradient-based optimizer. To show the effectiveness of the formulation, several case studies are considered.

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In this work, we report the 14.1-inch stretchable active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLED) display, featuring multi curvatures which allowed convex or concave type. There were lots of technological innovations such as a unique pixel structure, fabrication on patterned stretchable substrate, and three dimensional forming process. Regardless of its promising potentials, they still have several remaining issues which should be resolved in the near future. In this paper, we will discuss on several strategies to make improvements. Finally, we demonstrate the newly designed 14.1-inch stretchable AMOLED display.

In an anisotropic acoustic metamaterial, the off-diagonal components of its effective mass density tensor should be considered in order to describe the anisotropic behavior produced by arbitrarily shaped inclusions. However, few studies have been carried out to characterize anisotropic acoustic metamaterials. In this paper, we propose a method that uses the non-diagonal effective mass density tensor to determine the behavior of anisotropic acoustic metamaterials. Our method accurately evaluates the effective properties of anisotropic acoustic metamaterials by separately dealing with slabs made of single and multiple unit cells along the thickness direction. To determine the effective properties, the reflection and transmission coefficients of an acoustic metamaterial slab are calculated, and then the wave vectors inside of the slab are determined using these coefficients. The effective material properties are finally determined by utilizing the spatial dispersion relation of the anisotropic acoustic metamaterial. Since the dispersion relation of an anisotropic acoustic metamaterial is explicitly used, its effective properties can be easily determined by only using a limited number of normal and oblique plane wave incidences into a metamaterial slab, unlike existing approaches requiring a large number of wave incidences. The validity of the proposed method is verified by conducting wave simulations for anisotropic acoustic metamaterial slabs with Z-shaped elastic inclusions of tilted principal material axes.

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by chronic, relapsing skin inflammation (eczema) with itchy sensation. Keratinocytes, which are located at the outermost part of our body, are supposed to play important roles at the early phase of type 2 inflammation including AD pathogenesis. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether keratinocytes-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) could be produced by the allergens or non-allergens, and the keratinocytes-derived ROS could modulate a set of biomarkers for type 2 inflammation of the skin. Methods Normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) were treated with an allergen of house dust mites (HDM) or a non-allergen of compound 48/80 (C48/80). Then, biomarkers for type 2 inflammation of the skin including those for neurogenic inflammation were checked by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and western immunoblot experiments. Results HDM or C48/80 was found to upregulate expression levels of our tested biomarkers, including type 2 T helper-driving pathway (KLK5, PAR2, and NFκB), epithelial-cell-derived cytokines (thymic stromal lymphopoietin, interleukin [IL]-25, IL-33), and neurogenic inflammation (NGF, CGRP). The HDM- or C-48/80-induced expression levels of the biomarkers could be blocked by an antioxidant treatment with 5 mM N-acetyl-cysteine. In contrast, pro-oxidant treatment with 1 mM H 2 O 2 could upregulate expression levels of the tested biomarkers in NHEKs. Conclusion Our results reveal that keratinocytes-derived ROS, irrespective to their origins from allergens or non-allergens, have a potential to induce type 2 inflammation of AD skin.

We report on the development of a batch fabricated biodegradable truncated-cone-shaped plug filter to overcome the postoperative hypotony in nonvalved glaucoma drainage devices. Plug filters are composed of biodegradable polymers that disappear once wound healing and bleb formation has progressed past the stage where hypotony from overfiltration may cause complications in the human eye. The biodegradable nature of device eliminates the risks associated with permanent valves that may become blocked or influence the aqueous fluid flow rate in the long term. The plug-filter geometry simplifies its integration with commercial shunts. Aqueous humor outflow regulation is achieved by controlling the diameter of a laser-drilled through-hole. The batch compatible fabrication involves a modified SU-8 molding to achieve truncated-cone-shaped pillars, polydimethylsiloxane micromolding, and hot embossing of biodegradable polymers. The developed plug filter is 500 μm long with base and apex plane diameters of 500 and 300 μm, respectively, and incorporates a laser-drilled through-hole with 44-μm effective diameter in the center.