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

Study on performance of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with carbon fiber strands under impact

一側腎に同時に腎細胞がんと移行上皮がんが認められた透析患者の1例を経験したので報告する. 症例は66歳男性. 腎不全の原疾患は糖尿病性腎症. 透析歴は25年. 2004年5月, 無症候性肉眼的血尿が出現. 近医で腹部単純CTを撮影. 萎縮しかつ嚢胞が多発した右腎に径約6cmの腫瘤性病変がみつかった. 精査加療目的で同年7月28日, 当科外来初診. 9月6日, 入院. 9月14日, 右腎腫瘍の診断で全身麻酔下に根治的右腎摘除術を施行. 術後の経過は良好であった. 摘出腎の病理学的検索の結果, 術前に指摘されていた径6cm大の腫瘤 (腎細胞がん: 淡明細胞がん+顆粒細胞がん, grade 2>3, INFα, pT1b) に加え, 径3cm大の腫瘤 (腎細胞がん: 淡明細胞がん+顆粒細胞がん, grade 2>1, INFα, pT1a) と径1cm大の腫瘤 (移行上皮がん, grade 3) が確認された. 組織学的にいずれの腫瘍にも明らかな静脈およびリンパ管浸潤は認められず, 切除断端は腫瘍細胞陰性であった. 患者の希望と病理学的検索の結果を踏まえ, 術後, 抗がん剤, インターフェロンなどは投与せず, 経過を観察している.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jsdt1994/38/7/38_7_1345/_pdf

A hemodialysis patient with simultaneous occurrence of renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma in the right kidney

According to the recently discovered ’Law of Urination’, mammals, ranging in size from mice to elephants, take, on the average, 21s to urinate. We attempt to gain insights into the physical processes responsible for this uniformity using simple dimensional analysis. We assume that the biological apparatus for urination in mammals simply scales with linear size, and consider the scenarios where the driving force is gravity or elasticity, and where the response is dominated by inertia or viscosity. We ask how the time required for urination depends on the length scale, and nd that for the time to be independent of body size, the dominant driving force must be elasticity, and the dominant response viscosity. Our note demonstrates that dimensional analysis can indeed readily give insights into complex physical and biological processes.

Dimensional Analysis and the Time Required to Urinate

Novel non-symmetric dimeric liquid crystal, 1-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4'-yloxy)-11-[2-(4-octylphenyl)pyrimidine-5-yloxy]undecane (8YP11OCB), has been prepared and the physical properties investigated by means of optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction and dielectric measurements. The crystal structure has been determined to understand microscopic behavior of the compound. Electro-optical properties for 8YP11OCB were compared to those for 1-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4'-yloxy)-11-[4-(5-octylpyrimidine-2-yl)phenyl-4"-oxy]undecane (8PY11OCB). 8YP11OCB with smaller dielectric anisotropy than 8PY11OCB was found to show a lower threshold voltage in the smectic A phase than 8PY11OCB. Crystal structure of 8YP11OCB indicates that three types of core-core interactions exist and that the enthalpy gained by the specific interactions stabilizes the molecular packing with large free volume in the SmA phase.

Hiroshi Yokoyama

Papers

Study on performance of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with carbon fiber strands under impact

A hemodialysis patient with simultaneous occurrence of renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma in the right kidney

Dimensional Analysis and the Time Required to Urinate

Molecular organization by head to tail recognition for polar liquid crystals

Study on evaluation method of aging rc condominium buildings