Using a modified flow-coating method, bottom-gate/bottom-contact type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with a highly oriented active layer of 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) were fabricated. The flow-coated TIPS-pentacene films were fairly uniform and consisted of arrays of needle-shaped crystals along the flow-coating direction. The uniformity allowed us to determine the contact resistance by a transfer line method. The usefulness of the modified flow-coating method for fabricating high performance OFETs has been demonstrated, and we found that not only the field-effect mobility but also the contact resistance significantly depends on the channel current direction with respect to the flow-coating direction.

ObjectiveAssociations between vascular calcification and osteoporosis are well documented, yet effects of lifestyle on atherosclerosis and osteoporosis remain unclear. This study evaluated the relationship between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis of people with different lifestyles living on Uku Island in Japan (rice consumption and fishing lifestyle) and in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia (meat consumption and nomadic lifestyle), and investigated the differences of lifestyles on atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.MethodsParticipants were women aged over 50 years who had undergone a previous medical examination for atherosclerosis and osteoporosis (Uku Island, 104, Ulaanbaatar, 71). Lifestyle habits were obtained by questionnaire. Bone mineral density of the right calcaneus was measured using quantitative ultrasound. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity was measured as an index of atherosclerosis.ResultsThere were no significant differences in bone mineral density and brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity between the two groups, even though meat and dairy intake, number of meals skipped, and number of children were significantly greater in participants from Ulaanbaatar compared with Uku Island. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity showed significant positive correlations with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and body mass index and a significant negative correlation with bone mineral density for both groups. With step‐wise multiple regression analysis, brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity significantly correlated with age and bone mineral density for both populations. Systolic blood pressure significantly correlated with brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity for the Ulaanbaatar group.ConclusionsDespite significant lifestyle differences, similar relationships between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis were observed in women from Uku Island and Ulaanbaatar. Hypertension was a significant contributing factor for atherosclerosis for the Ulaanbaatar group.

We report the anisotropic field-effect hole mobility of 30 nm-thick pentacene films deposited on 1.6 nm-thick polyimide photo-alignment layers with different in-plane anisotropy. To induce different in-plane anisotropy, the light exposure was varied up to 16 J/cm2. In this light exposure range, the long molecular axis of pentacene was standing with respect to the substrate surface (c*-axis oriented “thin film phase”), and the pentacene molecular plane was oriented on average parallel to the average alignment direction of the underlying polyimide backbone structures. For light exposures of 6 and 11 J/cm2, the field-effect mobility for the current flow direction parallel (perpendicular) to the alignment direction of pentacene molecular plane was enhanced (suppressed) compared to that of the pentacene film deposited on non-aligned polyimide film. This field-effect mobility enhancement shows a positive effect of the in-plane alignment control of pentacene molecules. However, the field-effect mobility decreased at a light exposure of 16 J/cm2, even though the in-plane orientation order of the pentacene molecular plane slightly increased. The causes for the mobility enhancement at 6 and 11 J/cm2 and the mobility decrease at 16 J/cm2 were discussed.