We report on the fabrication of diffraction gratings in photosensitive sol–gel thin films by direct contact printing using a UV-mercury lamp. Titanium amplitude masks were used to replicate diffraction gratings into photosensitive sol–gel films by contact printing with an incoherent UV-light source. Gratings with 1-mm period were fabricated in sol–gel films. The diffraction efficiencies of each...

The overall objective of this research is to enhance the bioactivity of cellulase enzymes as well as the stability of the enzymes to increase it reusability through immobilization of the enzymes in the microenvironment of porous inorganic-organic hybrid sol-gel polymers. Recently, we have discovered that the microenvironment of these sol-gel polymers markedly increases the bioactivity of immobi...

The emissivity of soil surfaces at microwave frequencies depends strongly on the near-surface water content. However this relationship varies between soils. Use is made of a model (MICRO-SWEAT) which couples water, heat and microwave radiation transfers through soils to show that the main cause of soil variation in the relationship between apparent emissivity at 1.4 GHz (eapp) and the average w...

Microinjections of neuropeptide Y (NPY) (1-36) and of the NPY Y1 agonist [Leu31,Pro34]NPY into the caudal dorsomedial part of the nucleus tractus solitarius (Sol) in the anaesthetized rat led to the development of dose-related vasodepressor and bradycardic responses. The threshold dose of the NPY Y2 agonist NPY(13-36) (50 fmol) significantly counteracted the vasodepressor actions of a close to ...

We demonstrated self-patterned solution-processed amorphous oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors (TFTs) using photosensitive sol-gels. The photosensitive sol-gels were synthesized by adding β-diketone compounds, i.e., benzoylacetone and acetylacetone, to sol-gels. The chemically modified photosensitive sol-gels showed a high optical absorption at specific wavelengths due to the formation o...

The sol-gel method is a simple and facile wet chemical process for fabricating advanced materials with high homogeneity, high purity, and excellent chemical reactivity at a relatively low temperature. By adjusting the processing parameters, the sol-gel technique can be used to prepare hollow sphere and 1D structural materials that exhibit a wide application in the fields of catalyst, drug or ge...

An optical urea biosensor was fabricated by stacking several layers of sol-gelfilms. The stacking of the sol-gel films allowed the immobilization of a Nile Bluechromoionophore (ETH 5294) and urease enzyme separately without the need of anychemical attachment procedure. The absorbance response of the biosensor was monitoredat 550 nm, i.e. the deprotonation of the chromoionophore. This multi-laye...

Walking is a motor task requiring coordination of many muscles. Previous biomechanical studies, based primarily on analyses of the net ankle moment during stance, have concluded different functional roles for the plantar flexors. We hypothesize that some of the disparities in interpretation arise because of the effects of the uniarticular and biarticular muscles that comprise the plantar flexor...

Modulation of the human soleus H-reflex (Sol. H-R) was studied during voluntary teeth clenching in 11 healthy adult volunteers, to investigate the possible correlation of motor functions between the jaw and body. The following results were obtained: (1) Sol. H-R was facilitated during the maximum voluntary teeth clenching more than during the maximum voluntary efforts in the other parts of the ...

This study was designed to investigate the effects of peripheral arterial insufficiency, exercise, and vitamin C administration on muscle performance, cross-sectional area, and ultrastructural morphology in extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus (Sol) muscles in rats. Adult Wistar rats were assigned to ischemia alone (isch), ischemia-exercised (exe), ischemia-vitamin C (vit C), and ischemia...