Nagoya Institute Research Articles

Trifluoroethoxy-Coated Subphthalocyanines Attract Small Arenes in Their π-Concave Cavity.

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Prof. Norio Shibata based at the Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. The cover picture shows the crystal structures of trifluoroethoxy-substituted subphthalocyanines which form crystalline clathrates with one small aromatic molecule, such as toluene or benzene, in their concave cavity. Twelve trifluoroethoxy substituents flexibly surround the small molecule to hold it on the 14π-electron conjugated surface of the subphthalocyanines. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/cplu.201700508.

Series of “RIKEJO de Visit” －The 2nd Salon at Nagoya Institute of Technology－

Series of “RIKEJO de Visit” －The 2nd Salon at Nagoya Institute of Technology－

Investigation of diode rectifier trouble by lightning in D.C. traction substation

On August 17th, 2012, a diode rectifier at Nagano Traction Substation was broken. The broken rectifier was dismantled and investigated in detail and, as a result, it was estimated that the overvoltage caused by the lightning flash caused the dielectric breakdown in the rectifier. To confirm the assumption of the broken process, the field measurement at Nagano Traction Substation and FDTD (finite-difference time-domain) calculation analysis at Nagoya Institute of Technology were carried out. As a result, it was indicated that the direct lightning to the elevated bridge over the substation caused the transient overvoltage of the grounding system of the substation and resulted in the breakdown within the rectifier. Because the concrete bridge pier is located adjacent to the substation, the surge voltage from the elevated bridge is able to influence the potential of the substation mesh. In this paper, the investigation process to determine the cause of the trouble will be shown in detail.

Electrochemical Evaluation of Titanocenes in Ionic Liquids with Non‐coordinating and Coordinating Anions and Application for NH3 Synthesis

AbstractThe front cover artwork is provided by Akira Katayama, Nagoya Institute of Technology (Japan). The Cover Picture shows the detection of [(Cp2TiCl)2] and generation of NH3. The background is a firework, whose powder explosive comes from N atom‐containing chemicals that are made from NH3. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/celc.201700557.

Scaling laws for size distribution of fragments resulting from hypervelocity impacts of aluminum alloy spherical projectiles on thick aluminum alloy targets: Effects of impact velocity and projectile diameter

The effects of projectile diameter and impact velocity on fragment size distribution were investigated by striking aluminum alloy 6061-T6 targets with aluminum alloy 2017-T4 spheres of 1.6 to 7.0 mm in diameter at impact velocities ranging from 2 to 7 km/s. Two-stage light-gas guns from the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Nagoya Institute of Technology were used for the experiments. After the impact experiments, fragments were collected from the test chamber, and the fragment lengths were measured. Scaling laws for size distribution of fragments were discussed. The fragment length was directly proportional to projectile diameter. When the horizontal axis of the fragment length distribution was divided by the projectile diameter, the normalized fragment length distribution was proportional to the impact velocity raised to the power 1.5. The empirical formula with respect to the fragment length distribution could be expressed using the projectile diameter and impact velocity. The proposed scaling law with respect to fragment length could be applied to projected areas of fragments and fragment masses and the validity of the scaling law was confirmed. The fragment length was directly proportional to crater size such as crater diameter and crater depth. The horizontal axis of the fragment length distribution could be normalized by each crater depth or crater diameter.

Development of a Bridge Inspection Support System Using Two-Wheeled Multicopter and 3D Modeling Technology

Recently, many countries have faced serious problems associated with aging civil infrastructures such as bridges, tunnels, dams, highways and so on. Aging infrastructures are increasing year by year and suitable maintenance actions are necessary to maintain their safety and serviceability. In fact, infrastructure deterioration has caused serious problems in the past. In order to prevent accidents with civil infrastructures, supervisors must spend a lot of money to maintain the safe conditions of infrastructures. Therefore, new technologies are required to reduce maintenance costs. In 2014 the Japanese government started the Cross-Ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), and technologies for infrastructure maintenance have been studied in the SIP project [1]. Fujitsu Limited, Hokkaido University, The University of Tokyo, Nagoya Institute of Technology and Docon Co. Limited have been engaged in the SIP project to develop a bridge inspection support system using information technology and robotic technology. Our system is divided into the following two main parts: bridge inspection support robots using a two-wheeled multicopter, and an inspection data management system utilizing 3D modeling technology. In this paper, we report the bridge inspection support system developed in our SIP project.

Takeshita-Kitagawa Laboratory, Dept. of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology

Takeshita-Kitagawa Laboratory, Dept. of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology

工学部進学を動機づける高大接続プログラムの開発

This paper gives an account of “Fuel Cell Vehicle Project for High School Students” as a high school and university connection activity in cooperation with Nagoya Institute of Technology and Japan’s major companies. It contained the following three programs: 1. Chemistry of fuel cell. 2. Making a fuel cell cart. 3. Research of realizing a hydrogen energy society. After learning advanced physics, chemistry and engineering in universities and companies, a group of high-school students made a cart successfully and test drove it, then they made academic presentations at National Taiwan University. The survey shows that many of the students became interested in an engineering solution to the problem of decreasing carbon dioxide emission and decided to study engineering at universities.

Fabrication and evaluation of Nb-containing amorphous calcium phosphate coating film on Ti

Event Abstract Back to Event Fabrication and evaluation of Nb-containing amorphous calcium phosphate coating film on Ti Kyosuke Ueda1, Takayuki Narushima1, Akiko Obata2, Toshihiro Kasuga2 and Kouetsu Ogasawara3 1 Tohoku University, Department of Materials Processing, Japan 2 Nagoya Institute of Technology, Department of Frontier Materials, Japan 3 Tohoku University, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Japan Introduction: Calcium phosphate coating can potentially improve the bone compatibility of titanium (Ti). We previously reported an amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) coating film fabricated using radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering[1]. Evaluated in vivo, the ACP coating film showed high bioresorbability, and dissolution of this coating improved the bone biocompatibility of Ti[2]. Controlling the bioresorbability of the ACP coating film can extend its application to areas such as drug delivery systems (DDSs). It has been reported that niobium (Nb) stabilizes calcium phosphate glasses and decreases their resorption in simulated body fluids. Additionally, Nb ions enhance osteoblast differentiation and mineralization[3]. In this study, ACP coating films with various amounts of Nb were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering. Subsequently, bonding strength between coating films and substrates, resorbability in simulated body fluid, and gene expression in cell culture were investigated. Materials and Methods: Coating films were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering on mirror-polished commercially pure (CP) Ti and blasted Ti-6Al-4V substrates (10×10×1 mm) using sintered target consisting of calcium phosphate and Nb2O5. The coating films were analyzed by ICP, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS. The bonding strength between the coating film and substrate was measured by the pulling test. Amount of ions eluted from the coating film in Tris buffer solution was determined. Quantitative analysis of gene expression from SaOS-2 cells was conducted by real-time PCR. Results and Discussion: Nb content in coating films increased and Ca/P atomic ratio of coating films decreased with addition of Nb. It is speculated that Nb reached the substrate with higher probability compared with Ca and P during sputtering. Moreover, addition of Nb stabilized the ACP phase. Raman spectra of the Nb-containing ACP coating films showed that the addition of Nb caused an increase and decrease in NbO4 and (O-P-O)s(Q0) peak intensities, respectively. Thus, Nb probably acted as network former. Bonding strength between the coating film and blasted substrate was >60 MPa, which is greater than that recommended in ISO13779-2 (>15 MPa). Figure 1 shows the effect of Nb content in the coating film on amounts of eluted ions after immersion of coating films in Tris buffer solution for 86.4 ks. Total amount of eluted ions from the coating films decreased with an increase in Nb content of the coating films. It was considered that the formation of NbO4 structure was one of the reasons for suppressing ion elution. The amount of eluted Nb ion was constant, independent of Nb content in the coating films. Gene expressions such as ALP, COLI and TGF-β1 from Nb-containing ACP coating films were identical to that from non-coated substrate after a 7-day cell culture. Conclusion: Nb ions were act as network former in the ACP coating film and controlled the bioresorbability of ACP coating films. Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan.

Preparation of PLA composites containing calcium carbonate with cotton wool-like structure for bone regeneration

Event Abstract Back to Event Preparation of PLA composites containing calcium carbonate with cotton wool-like structure for bone regeneration Toshihiro Kasuga1*, Akiko Obata1*, Julian R. Jones2* and Yasutoshi Nishikawa3 1 Nagoya Institute of Technology, Division of Advanced Ceramics, Japan 2 Imperial College London, Department of Materials, United Kingdom 3 ORTHOREBIRTH Co. Ltd., Japan Introduction: In our earlier work, fibrous siloxane-doped vaterite (SiV)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) composites (SiVPC) with the releasability of calcium and silicate ions, for enhancing bone formation, has been prepared[1]. Animal test showed excellent bone formation around the fibers containing 47 vol% (60 wt%) of SiV. Recently, we have prepared cotton wool-like SiVPC as bone-void fillers, using an electrospinning method[2]. The fibers are relatively brittle due to the high SiV content. We hypothesized that the brittleness may be improved by coating the fiber with a thin poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) layer. Materials and Methods: PLLA (Mw: 140 kDa) and PLGA (lactide/glycolide = 75/25; Mw: 195 kDa) were used. The SiV (spherical particles of ~1.4 μm in diameter) containing 2.6 wt% of siloxane were prepared, following our previous report[1]. PLLA and SiV were kneaded at 200oC for 10 min. The resulting composites and PLGA were dissolved in chloroform for electrospinning using a concentrical nozzle, which was the 0.5 mm diameters of the core-side (SiVPC) nozzle and the 1.10 mm diameters of the shell-side (PLGA) one. A ground plate was soaked in ethanol. The impressed solution with core-shell-type structure flowed to the ground plate in the ethanol. The resulting fibers were collected and then washed with fresh ethanol, subsequently dried at room temperature, resulting in the formation of cotton wool-like materials. Results and Discussion: The diameters of the resulting fibers were ~10 µm. Many small-sized pits originating from the volatilization of solvent were observed on the surface. The cross-sectional view of the fiber fractured showed a core-shell-type structure, consisting of the core part of ~8 µm diameter and the PLGA coating layer of ~2 µm thickness. It can be imaged from the fracture face that the SiVPC-core fractured catastrophically and the PLGA surface layer fractured after necking. SiVPC lost its recovering ability after the compression under 1.5 kPa of pressure due to its brittle fracture, while PLGA-coated SiVPC showed ~50 % in recovery ratio. PLGA-coated SiVPC showed the releasability of calcium and silicate ions in Tris buffer solution: within 32 days, 35-45 % of calcium and silicate ions were released. The good hydrophilicity and high degradation ability of the PLGA layer might allow the solution to permeate into the fibers. Cell culture test using mouse osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 showed larger numbers of cells on PLGA-coated SiVPC than those on SiVPC. Since PLGA is more hydrophilic than PLLA, the initial attachment of cells would be improved. Fig. 1. SEM images of the resulting fibrous material. Inset is a fracture face after breaking the fiber in liquid nitrogen. Conclusions: Using a coaxial electrospinning technique, a PLGA thin layer of ~2 µm-thickness has been successfully coated on the surface of SiVPC fibers of ~8µm-diameter. Since the cotton wool-like material has highly-porous structure, good mechanical properties, and calcium/silicate ions- releasability, it is expected to have an excellent performance in use as bone-void fillers. The present work was carried out under the framework of Academic Unit Cooperation Program between Frontier Research Institute for Materials Science, Nagoya Institute of Technology and Department of Materials, Imperial College London.; The authors are indebted to Mr. Jian Wang of Nagoya Institute of Technology for his great experimental assistance.

Nanomaterials for Medical Applications: Benefits and Risks

1Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Faculty of Applied Chemistry andMaterials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania 2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA 3Bioengineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Advanced Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey 4Materials Science and Engineering Department, Ioannina University, Ioannina, Greece 5Advanced Tissue Regeneration & Drug Delivery Group, School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia 6Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan

Construction and characterization of protein-encapsulated electrospun fibermats prepared from a silica/poly(?- glutamate) hybrid

Event Abstract Back to Event Construction and characterization of protein-encapsulated electrospun fibermats prepared from a silica/poly(γ- glutamate) hybrid Toshihisa Mizuno1*, Akiko Obata1*, Shuhei Koeda1, Makoto Shimada1*, Koji Mizuno1*, Makito Iguchi1*, Julian Jones2* and Toshihiro Kasuga1* 1 Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Japan 2 Imperial College London, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Materials, United Kingdom Protein-encapsulated fibermats are an attractive platform for protein-based bioactive materials. But the choice of methods is still limited and the previously described methods are not broadly amenable to a wide-range of proteins. In this study, therefore we studied new polymeric material for constructing protein-encapsulated fibermats, in which protein molecules are encapsulated within the nanofibers of fibermats without causing deleterious changes to protein structure or function. We constructed a protein-encapsulated fibermat using the poly(g-glutamate) (PGA)/(3-glycidyloxypropyl)-trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) hybrid as a precursor for electrospinning. Since the PGA/GPTMS hybrid is water soluble, protein molecules can be added to the precursor in an aqueous solution, significantly enhancing protein stability. Polycondensation during electrospinning (in-flight polycondensation) makes the obtained fibermats water-insoluble, which stabilizes the fibermat structure so that it is resistant to degradation in aqueous buffer. The molecular structure of the PGA/GPTMS hybrid gives rise to unique molecular permeability, which alters the selectivity and specificity of biochemical reactions involving the encapsulated enzymes; lower molecular-weight (MW) substrates can permeate the nanofibers, promoting enzyme activity, but higher MW substrates such as inhibitor peptides cannot permeate the nanofibers, suppressing enzyme activity. We present an effective method of encapsulating bioactive molecules while maintaining their structure and function, increasing the versatility of electrospun fibermats for constructing various bioactive materials. The present work was carried out under the framework of Academic Unit Cooperation Program between Frontier Research Institute for Materials Science, Nagoya Institute of Technology and Department of Materials, Imperial College London. Keywords: nanofiber, protein, Biofunction Conference: 10th World Biomaterials Congress, Montréal, Canada, 17 May - 22 May, 2016. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Nano-structured materials for unique functions Citation: Mizuno T, Obata A, Koeda S, Shimada M, Mizuno K, Iguchi M, Jones J and Kasuga T (2016). Construction and characterization of protein-encapsulated electrospun fibermats prepared from a silica/poly(γ- glutamate) hybrid. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. Conference Abstract: 10th World Biomaterials Congress. doi: 10.3389/conf.FBIOE.2016.01.01546 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 27 Mar 2016; Published Online: 30 Mar 2016. * Correspondence: Dr. Toshihisa Mizuno, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya, Japan, Email1 Dr. Akiko Obata, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya, Japan, obata.akiko@nitech.ac.jp Dr. Makoto Shimada, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya, Japan, m.shimada.853@nitech.jp Dr. Koji Mizuno, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya, Japan, 24111144@stn.nitech.ac.jp Dr. Makito Iguchi, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya, Japan, cjh12008@nitech.jp Dr. Julian Jones, Imperial College London, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Materials, London, United Kingdom, julian.r.jones@imperial.ac.uk Dr. Toshihiro Kasuga, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya, Japan, kasuga.toshihiro@nitech.ac.jp Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Toshihisa Mizuno Akiko Obata Shuhei Koeda Makoto Shimada Koji Mizuno Makito Iguchi Julian Jones Toshihiro Kasuga Google Toshihisa Mizuno Akiko Obata Shuhei Koeda Makoto Shimada Koji Mizuno Makito Iguchi Julian Jones Toshihiro Kasuga Google Scholar Toshihisa Mizuno Akiko Obata Shuhei Koeda Makoto Shimada Koji Mizuno Makito Iguchi Julian Jones Toshihiro Kasuga PubMed Toshihisa Mizuno Akiko Obata Shuhei Koeda Makoto Shimada Koji Mizuno Makito Iguchi Julian Jones Toshihiro Kasuga Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

(Invited) Porous Silicon Studies of Prof. Yukio H. Ogata

In 1989 Prof. Yukio H. Ogata moved to Institute of Atomic Energy, Kyoto University from Nagoya Institute of Technology. Since then one of the authors (TS) worked with him in the same laboratory, and later the other author (KF) joined the group. In Kyoto University Yukio started his career as an associate professor in Prof. Iwasaki’s laboratory. Shortly later he was promoted to full professor to succeed Prof. Iwasaki after his retirement. Yukio majored electrochemistry when he was a student in Department of Industrial Chemistry, Kyoto University. Before 1989 he was working on electrolysis engineering in Prof. Hine’s laboratory in Nagoya Institute of Technology. He started porous silicon research in the Institute of Atomic Energy (later reorganized to Institute of Advanced Energy), where he spent 24 years in his carrier. The author (TS) is in honor to have spent 23 years with him in his laboratory. To start porous silicon research, Yukio prepared a fume hood to handle HF solutions and made a potentiostat with an excellent technician Mr. Hotta. The only analytical tool we had at that time to look into porous silicon was FT-IR. Vibrational frequencies related to surface hydrogen species of porous silicon were easily detected, but the detailed assignment was not easy. In principle vibrational frequencies are calculated from the force field. Therefore, precise calculation of the vibrational frequency requires a precise calculation of the bond strength, and hence should be calculated quantum-mechanically. However, the calculation of the electronic structure of surface species is quite difficult, since they are bonded to solid and does not have a periodic boundary condition. To overcome this problem Yukio thought out a method, in which the electronic structure of a piece of truncated solid is calculated by ab initio molecular orbital method. This was successful in assigning the observed vibrational frequencies in detail [1]. Based on the FT-IR spectra long-term stability of the surface species, and hence the porous silicon layer itself, was investigated [2,3]. Later on, Yukio’s work on porous silicon extended to electrochemistry of metal deposition into porous silicon layer [4]. The deposition reaction is not simply explained by the diffusion processes of the intrusion of the metal ions into the pores and the release of the reaction products from the pores. It was found that the displacement reaction and the catalytic behavior of the deposited metal play important roles. In addition his research further extended to the clarification of the mechanism of pore formation [5], laser-assisted metal deposition [6], optimization of rugate structures [7], and many others. We would like to remember Prof. Yukio H. Ogata as a leading scientist in this field, and his diverse and informative achievements in the field of porous silicon research. [1] Yukio Ogata, Hiroyuki Niki, Tetsuo Sakka, Matae Iwasaki, J. Electrochem. Soc., 142(1), 195-201 (1995). [2] Yukio Ogata, Hiroyuki Niki, Tetsuo Sakka, Matae Iwasaki, J. Electrochem. Soc., 142(5), 1595-1601 (1995). [3] Yukio H. Ogata, Fumio Kato, Takashi Tsuboi, Tetsuo Sakka, J. Electrochem. Soc., 145(7), 2439-2444 (1998). [4] T. Tsuboi, T. Sakka, Y. H. Ogata, J. Appl. Phys. 83 (8), 4501-4506 (1998). [5] D. Hamm, T. Sakka, Y. H. Ogata, Electrochemistry 71(10), 853-859 (2003). [6] J. Sasano, P. Schmuki, T. Sakka, Y. H. Ogata, Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 7(5), G98-G101 (2004). [7] M. S. Salem, M. J. Sailor, F. A. Harraz, T. Sakka, Y. H. Ogata, J. Appl. Phys. 100(8), 083520 (2006).

Ejecta Cone Angle and Ejecta Size Following a Non-perforating Hypervelocity Impact

The effects of projectile diameter and impact velocity on ejecta cone angle and ejecta size distribution were investigated by striking aluminum alloy 6061-T6 targets with aluminum alloy 2017-T4 spheres at velocities ranging from 2 to 6km/s. The two-stage light-gas gun at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS)/ Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Nagoya Institute of Technology was used for the experiments. To examine the scattering angles of ejecta, a witness plate (150mm × 150mm, 2mm in thickness) made of copper C1100P-1/4H, with a 30-mm hole in the center, was placed 50mm in front of the target.

OS1522-303 超高速衝突により発生するイジェクタサイズ分布の相似性

We examined ejecta size distribution when aluminum alloy 2017-T4 spheres with a diameter of 1.6, 3.2 and 7.0 mm impacted aluminum alloy 6061-T6 targets with a plane surface at several impact velocities. We used a two-stage light-gas gun at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS)/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Nagoya Institute of Technology. The size distributions of the ejecta were examined in detail and we compared the size distribution of the ejecta when impacting on the plane surface target at several impact velocities. The scaling law of ejecta size was discussed.

Introduction of Student Pocket Notebook for Encouraging Self-motivated Learning

Developing the recording notebook for graduation research on 4th grade students in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EE), Nagoya Institute of Technology, we introduce a student pocket notebook (SPN) for all students in EE. By encouraging to write down keywords on each class into SPN, students obtain study records which enable to enhance the learning motivation. In this letter, the composition of the SPN and its problem are introduced.

Controlling photochromic properties of molybdenum oxide based composite films by copper addition

Hidetoshi MIYAZAKI, Hiroaki ICHIOKA, Hisao SUZUKI* and Toshitaka OTA** Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu, Matsue 690–8504, Japan *Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3–5–1 Johoku, Hamamatsu 432–8561, Japan **Ceramic Research Laboratory, Nagoya Institute of Technology, 10–6–29 Asahigaoka, Tajimi, Gifu 507–0071, Japan

Research Group Introduction : Takeshita-Kitagawa Laboratory, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology

Research Group Introduction : Takeshita-Kitagawa Laboratory, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology

Partitioning age-related changes in brain activation using a virtual performance task to simulate complex movements

Event Abstract Back to Event Partitioning age-related changes in brain activation using a virtual performance task to simulate complex movements Toshiharu Nakai1*, Ayuko Tanaka1, Mitsunobu Kunimi1, Sachiko Kiyama1 and Yoshiaki Shiraishi2 1 National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Neuroimaging & Informatics, Japan 2 Nagoya Institute of Technology Graduate School of Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Japan Aging has become a serious social issue, especially in Asian countries. In order to maintain the activities of elderly people, social programs to promote physical and mental exercises are conducted. Although some investigations have reported that those activities potentially contribute to the prevention of cognitive decline [1], the neurological background has not been systematically verified. We investigated the availability of a virtual performance task designed from such exercises as a model to test age-related changes in brain function [2]. An event-related fMRI task representing the motor behavior in the bean transfer test (BTT), which is used as one component of the test battery to evaluate the physical ability of elderly in Japan, was designed. The task consisted of two operations using a 2 by 2 turnkey system. With the left-hand key, a small, round object (bean) is pinched with two lines representing chopsticks. Then, the object with chopsticks is moved to a round target (pot) with the right-hand key to put the bean in. The behavioral data were marked with 6 checkpoints (Fig.1). The onset of each trial was determined using the sum of two jittering factors, the execution time for each trial by the subject and periodically altering the interval time before the onset of each trial. fMRI data were obtained using the EPI sequence on a 3T MR scanner, and the data sets were analyzed using SPM8. fMRI data were obtained from 11 elderly (over 60, 6 females) and 7 non-elderly (under 54) volunteers. In the activation representing the total trial, the network for the upper visuo-spatial transformation tract and higher motor control was observed in the elderly (two-sample t-test, p<0.05). Differential peaks between the two age groups were detected as augmented activation in the left BA5 ([-23 -38 59]) and bilateral BA6 ([-60 -2 47], [60 2 38]) in the elderly group (Fig.2, CPall). In the partitioned maps, it was indicated that this difference was mostly contributed to by the first task switching point (CP2) and pinching the object (CP1). Activation of these areas was not significant in the CP3 and CP4 map in the elderly. On the other hand, activation was augmented in the dorsal visuo-motor pathway in the young subjects during these steps. It was suggested that these results represent: 1) a higher demand for visuo-spatial transformation by adjusting the asymmetric (two independent) rotation of the sticks, and 2) a lower frequency of object transference to the goal than pinching it in elderly subjects. By recording self-paced object manipulation in the interactive task, complex brain activation during a combined motor processing could be more precisely attributed to cognitive elements. This feature was useful to further partitioning age-related changes in brain activation. Figure 1 Figure 2 Acknowledgements This research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) # 21300196 and 24300186 supported by MEXT.

Editorial: Biomaterials at PacRim9

The First Pacific Rim Conference on Ceramic and Glass Technology (PacRim1) took place in Hawaii, USA, in 1993. Since then, the PacRim conferences have been held almost every 2 years in different countries around the Pacific Ocean and are strongly supported by the ceramics societies of the Pacific Rim countries. Over the years, PacRim conferences have established themselves as important international meetings in the ceramics field. 15 years after PacRim2, the PacRim conference, as PacRim9, returned to Cairns, Australia, on July10–14, 2011 and provided researchers around the world an excellent forum for presenting the latest results and for discussing the advancement of ceramics science and engineering. There were 23 symposia at PacRim9, with the Biomaterials Symposium being organized by us and our colleagues: Prof. Mike Swain of University of Sydney, Australia; Prof. Besim Ben-Nissan of University of Technology Sydney, Australia; Prof. Toshihiro Kasuga of Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan; and Prof. Mike K. A. Khor of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. We had an excellent response to our call for papers and the Biomaterials Symposium was the second most popular Symposium in terms of number of abstracts submitted. The Symposium nominated Prof. Paul Ducheyne of University of Pennsylvania, USA, as a conference plenary speaker and invited Prof. Serena Best of University of Cambridge, UK, as the Symposium keynote speaker. After carefully considering each submitted abstract, we chose to have 46 oral presentations (including keynote and invited talks) which were organized into 9 sessions spanning 3 days, with each session being started by an invited talk, and 28 poster presentations for the Symposium. The presentations in the Symposium covered a wide range of topics in the biomaterials field: bioceramics in orthopaedics and dentistry, bioactive coatings and interfaces, nanoceramics for biomedical applications, bioceramics in drug delivery applications, bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics, bioceramic-polymer composites, tissue engineering scaffolds and biomimetic materials. The presentations and discussions stimulated the exchange of information and ideas and facilitated potential international collaborations. After PacRim9, on the basis of the relevance and novelty of research results presented at the Symposium and the significance of the topics, potential contributors were invited to write a research or review paper for the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine Special Issue for the PacRim9 Biomaterials Symposium. Having gone through the normal peer-review process of the Journal, 13 papers are accepted and included in this Special Issue, including two review papers, covering a wide range of biomaterials in medicine, namely, bioactive glasses, hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphates, calcium sulphate, functional nanoceramics, iron-encapsulated silica microspheres, polymer-bioceramic composites, advanced coatings with drug delivery function as well as different fabrication methods involving sol-gel techniques, plasma spraying and electrospinning for a variety of applications. As Guest Editors of this Special Issue, we thank all authors for preparing and revising the manuscripts for A. R. Boccaccini (&) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstr. 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany e-mail: aldo.boccaccini@ww.uni-erlangen.de URL: http://www.biomat.techfak.uni-erlangen.org/