http://experimentationlab.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/AFMImages/butt_AFM.pdf

Force measurements with the atomic force microscope: Technique, interpretation and applications

The widespread use of controlled molecular-level motion in key natural processes suggests that great rewards could come from bridging the gap between the present generation of synthetic molecular systems, which by and large rely upon electronic and chemical effects to carry out their functions, and the machines of the macroscopic world, which utilize the synchronized movements of smaller parts to perform specific tasks. This is a scientific area of great contemporary interest and extraordinary recent growth, yet the notion of molecular-level machines dates back to a time when the ideas surrounding the statistical nature of matter and the laws of thermodynamics were first being formulated. Here we outline the exciting successes in taming molecular-level movement thus far, the underlying principles that all experimental designs must follow, and the early progress made towards utilizing synthetic molecular structures to perform tasks using mechanical motion. We also highlight some of the issues and challenges that still need to be overcome.

Synthetic molecular motors and mechanical machines.

Rapid improvements in sequencing and array-based platforms are resulting in a flood of diverse genome-wide data, including data from exome and whole-genome sequencing, epigenetic surveys, expression profiling of coding and noncoding RNAs, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and copy number profiling, and functional assays. Analysis of these large, diverse data sets holds the promise of a more comprehensive understanding of the genome and its relation to human disease. Experienced and knowledgeable human review is an essential component of this process, complementing computational approaches. This calls for efficient and intuitive visualization tools able to scale to very large data sets and to flexibly integrate multiple data types, including clinical data. However, the sheer volume and scope of data pose a significant challenge to the development of such tools.

Integrative Genomics Viewer

Over the 100 years since its discovery, liquid crystals have been the intriguing subject for both academia and industries. The textbook of de Gennes The Physics of Liquid Crystals published in 1974 is still the bible for many LC researchers, but new subjects unmentioned in the book have also risen for these years. This chapter describes the story of the recent developments and the future perspectives in physics of liquid crystals, especially focusing on the contributions by Japanese research groups for the last decade.

Physics of Liquid Crystals

Dynamic atomic force microscopy methods

Hemorrhagic thelohanellosis in two varieties of carp (Cyprinus carpio) caused byThelohanellus hovorkai was investigated by experimental infection. One-year old coloured carp (koi-carp) and common carp were kept for five weeks in tanks with oligochaetes (Branchiura sowerbyi) collected from a pond where hemorrhagic thelohanellosis was enzootic. Another group of coloured carp was exposed only to the effluent from a tank containingB.sowerbyi. Four weeks post-exposure, both coloured carp and common carp maintained withB. sowerbyishowed clinical signs of infection and chronic mortalities. On the other hand, neither mortalities nor clinical signs were observed in the effluent group, though light infections withT. hovorkaiwere detected. Control groups of coloured carp and common carp maintained in clean tanks showed no signs of infection at all. Through a standardized trypsin digestion method, the intensity of infection withT. hovorkaiin carp maintained withB. sowerbyiwas determined to be more than 50, 000 spores/g-tissue. Histological observations revealed thatT. hovorkaiplasmodia were most frequently detected in connective tissues of the intestine and the ventral skin in the cohabitation group, whereas they were found most frequently in the gills of the fish of the effluent group. In conclusion, hemorrhagic thelohanellosis was experimentally induced in carp by maintaining hosts withB. sowerbyiregardless of host's varietal difference, and the ingestion ofB. sowerbyiinfected with the actinosporean may be an important factor inducing the disease conditions.

Experimentally induced hemorrhagic thelohanellosis of carp caused by Thelohanellus hovorkai (Myxosporea : Myxozoa)

Novel side-chain type liquid crystalline (LC) polythienylene derivatives were synthesized by introducing fluorine-containing chiral LC substituents into the 3-position of thiophene rings, to achieve a quick response to electric field by virtue of ferroelectric liquid crystallinity (FLC) The polymers synthesized were fusible and soluble in ordinary organic solvents UV-Vis absorption bands were observed in the region from 350 to 400 nm Measurements of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscope (POM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the polymers have various LC phases Particularly, one of the polymer showed chiral smectic C (Sc*) phase, that is characteristic of the FLC mesophase It was found that the effective conjugation length of main chain increased after the spontaneous orientation of the LC side chains The polymer showed a drastic increase of dielectric constant in the temperature region of SC* phase, which can be regarded as typical FLC behavior

Synthesis and Properties of Polythienylene Derivatives with Fluorine-Containing Chiral Liquid Crystalline Substituents (II)

Thermotropic liquid crystals possess superior foaming capability without the aid of surfactants because of the anisotropic molecular structures. We developed a T-junction microfluidic device to inject gas bubbles of uniform size into a liquid crystal in the nematic and the smectic phases. The bubble size is primarily determined by the dimension of microfluidic channel regardless of the phase, and air bubbles of a few tens of micrometer diameter were stably injected at the rate up to 110 Hz to the close packing density with a polydispersity less than 4%. It is shown that an efficient path to fabricate stable liquid crystal foams is to inject bubbles in the nematic phase, where the highest injection rate is possible, and promptly cool it down to the smectic phase.

Liquid Crystal Foams Generated by Pressure-Driven Microfluidic Devices.

Effectiveness of Ultraviolet Irradiation of Seawater for the Prevention of Kudoa yasunagai and Kudoa amamiensis (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) Infections in Seriola Fish

Surface-specific sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy was used to study the surfaces of polyimide thin films made by spin-coating and ionized cluster beam deposition (ICBD) methods. The surface vibrational spectra in the imide CO region were different between these samples, and the analysis showed the polymer main chains lie mainly along the surface for spin-coated samples, while they are relatively upright in an ICBD film surface. The atomic force microscopy measurement showed that the root-mean-square roughness of these polymer films was similar and not directly related to the surface structure in the molecular level.

Hiroshi Yokoyama

Papers

Experimentally induced hemorrhagic thelohanellosis of carp caused by Thelohanellus hovorkai (Myxosporea : Myxozoa)

Synthesis and Properties of Polythienylene Derivatives with Fluorine-Containing Chiral Liquid Crystalline Substituents (II)

Liquid Crystal Foams Generated by Pressure-Driven Microfluidic Devices.

Effectiveness of Ultraviolet Irradiation of Seawater for the Prevention of Kudoa yasunagai and Kudoa amamiensis (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) Infections in Seriola Fish

Sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopic study of polyimide surfaces made by spin coating and ionized cluster beam deposition