We propose and demonstrate a nanopatterning technique, laser-assisted nanoimprint lithography ~LAN!, in which the polymer is melted by a single excimer laser pulse and then imprinted by a mold made of fused quartz. LAN has been used to pattern nanostructures in various polymer films on a Si or quartz substrate with high fidelity over the entire mold area. Here we show 200 nm pitch gratings with...

Problems associated with overgrowth by spreading molds are not addressed by currently recommended fungal enumeration media. Twenty-two fungi, including 12 mold and 3 yeast genera, were evaluated for the effects of dichloran (2,6-dichloro-4-nitroaniline), previously identified as a mold-spreading inhibitor, on colony diameter and enumeration. On malt agar or antibiotic-potato-dextrose agar (APDA...

Inhibiting the growth of mold fungi on cellulose-based building materials may be achievable through the use of azole-based antimycotics. Azoles were variably effective against mold fungi that are frequently found on wood and wood products. Unseasoned southern yellow pine specimens that were dip-treated with varying concentrations of eight azoles were evaluated for their ability to resist mold i...

A technique for manufacturing precise custom blocks is described. Using the tracing stylus of the mold making machine, reference markers are cut into the lateral borders of the polystyrene mold after the cavities for the blocks have been made. These markers are aligned with the central ray cross hair of the shadow tray when the blocks are mounted on the tray. The ability of the technique to enh...

An all-glass bifurcation microfluidic chip for blood plasma separation was fabricated by a cost-effective glass molding process using an amorphous carbon (AC) mold, which in turn was fabricated by the carbonization of a replicated furan precursor. To compensate for the shrinkage during AC mold fabrication, an enlarged photoresist pattern master was designed, and an AC mold with a dimensional er...

Physarum polycephalum is a slime mold that is apparently able to solve shortest path problems. A mathematical model has been proposed by Tero et al. (Journal of Theoretical Biology, 244, 2007, pp. 553-564) to describe the feedback mechanism used by the slime mold to adapt its tubular channels while foraging two food sources s(0) and s(1). We prove that, under this model, the mass of the mold wi...

This paper describes an algorithm based on accessibility-driven partitioning approach to automate the design of sacrificial multi-piece molds. Sacrificial multi-piece molds are used for producing geometrically complex gelcast ceramic parts. The algorithm presented in this paper analyzes the accessibility of the gross mold shape and partitions it using accessibility information. Each partitionin...

A mold survey in and out of the homes of 145 allergy patients was conducted over the course of a year and frequency of mold recovery was correlated with skin test reactivity in 131 of these patients. The highest percentage correlation with positive skin test and finding mold in the home was with Cladosporium. Penicillium and Alternaria, while Helminthosporium, Fusarium, Aureobasidium (Pullulari...

The ASTM F-75 (Co-28%Cr-6%Mo) is widely used as a biocompatible alloy in medicine for manufacturing implants. In this study, effect of mold preheating on the as-cast microstructure of the alloy was investigated using the solid investment casting process. Several mold preheating temperatures of 550, 700, 850 and 1000 °C were selected at the same melt superheat. The samples were characterized by ...