Micro-XRF is a significant tool for the analysis of small regions. A micro-X-ray beam can be created in the laboratory by various focusing X-ray optics. Previously, nondestructive 3D-XRF analysis had not been easy because of the high penetration of fluorescent X-rays emitted into the sample. A recently developed confocal micro-XRF technique combined with polycapillary X-ray lenses enables depth...

A technique for imparting micro- and nanostructured topography into the surface of freestanding thin sheets of chitosan is described. Both micro- and nanometric surface structures have been produced using soft lithography. The soft lithography method, based on solvent evaporation, has allowed structures approximately 60 nm tall and approximately 500 x 500 nm(2) to be produced on freestanding ap...

The growing challenges of environmental purification by solar photocatalysis, precious metal free catalysis and photocurrent generation in photovoltaic cells are receiving the utmost global attention. Here we demonstrate the one-pot green chemical synthesis of a new stable heterostructured, eco-friendly, multifunctional micro-composite consisting of α-Bi2O3 micro-needles intercalated with ancho...

Hydrogels can be patterned at the micro-scale using microfluidic or micropatterning technologies to provide an in vivo-like three-dimensional (3D) tissue geometry. The resulting 3D hydrogel-based cellular constructs have been introduced as an alternative to animal experiments for advanced biological studies, pharmacological assays and organ transplant applications. Although hydrogel-based parti...

The thermal conduction of suspended few-layer h-BN sheets was experimentally investigated using a noncontact micro-Raman spectroscopy method. The first-order temperature coefficients for 1L, 2L and 9L h-BN sheets were measured to be – (3.41 ± 0.12) × 10-2, – (3.15 ± 0.14) × 10-2 and – (3.78 ± 0.16) × 10-2 cm-1/K, respectively. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of few-layer h-BN sheets w...

The present study aimed to investigate whether bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) sheets combined with titanium implants enhanced implant osseointegration in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into a test group and control group. Allogenic BMSCs were collected from the rats, cultured and stored via cryopreservation. At 6 m...

To determine the effect of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) added to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) sheets on bone formation at an ectopic site. We isolated MSCs and ADSCs from the same rabbits. We then prepared MSC sheets for implantation with or without ADSCs subcutaneously in the backs of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. We assessed bone formation at eight wee...