Effects of process conditions on nano-dot array formation by thermal dewetting

In this paper, three kinds of self-organization processes for metal nano-dot array fabrication are compared; one is the conventional thermal dewetting, another is thermal dewetting of a grid patterned deposited metal layer, the other is thermal dewetting of a metal layer deposited on a patterned substrate. In these processes, nano plastic forming technique is utilized for patterning of groove grid. Effects of process conditions on nano-dot formation, such as substrate material, deposited metal, thickness of deposited layer, annealing condition, are experimentally studied. Also, effect of grid patterning on improvement of nano-dot array formation is studied. It is shown that grid patterning on a deposited metal layer is effective to improve alignment and configuration of nano-dot array.     

Development of dioxin toxicity evaluation method in human milk by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay--assay validation for human milk

In this study, the development of a toxicity evaluation method for dioxins in human milk by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was reported. A total of 17 human milk samples were tested by ELISA and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to assess whether the ELISA performed on samples obtained from primiparas could be considered as reliable enough for identifying a dioxins contamination in human milk. The concept of toxicity equivalent quantity (TEQ) screening was validated by comparing TEQ values for a set of human milk samples to the ELISA responses predicted for those samples. A fairly good correlation (r=0.920) between immunoassay and GC/MS was achieved for human milk. This ELISA should be useful for biological samples monitoring.