Size Effects in Internal Friction of Nanocrystalline Aluminum Films

Al thin film is extensively used in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and electronic interconnections; however, most previous research has concentrated on their quasi-static properties and applied their designs on larger scales. The present study designed a paddle-like cantilever specimen with metal films deposited on the upper surface to investigate the quasi-static properties of Al thin film at room temperature under high vacuum conditions at microscopic scales. Energy loss was determined using a decay technique in the oscillation amplitude of a vibrating structure following resonant excitation. Grain size and film thickness size were strictly controlled considering the quasi-static properties of the films. This study found that the internal friction of ultra-thin and thin Al films was more dependent on the grain boundaries than film thickness.     

Polymyositis associated with ulcerative colitis.

An elderly woman with chronic ulcerative colitis who developed proximal muscle weakness, increased serum creatine phosphokinase activity, and histological and electromyographic abnormalities characteristic of polymyositis is described. Treatment with corticosteroids and 5-acetylsalicylic acid was followed by a remission in bowel symptoms, improvement in muscle power, and reversal of electromyographic changes. An autoimmune link between the two disorders seems likely.     

Dominant factor XI deficiency caused by mutations in the factor XI catalytic domain

The bleeding diathesis associated with hereditary factor XI (fXI) deficiency is prevalent in Ashkenazi Jews, in whom the disorder appears to be an autosomal recessive condition. The homodimeric structure of fXI implies that the product of a single mutant allele could confer disease in a dominant manner through formation of heterodimers with wild-type polypeptide. We studied 2 unrelated patients with fXI levels less than 20% of normal and family histories indicating dominant disease transmission. Both are heterozygous for single amino acid substitutions in the fXI catalytic domain (Gly400Val and Trp569Ser). Neither mutant is secreted by transfected fibroblasts. In cotransfection experiments with a wild-type fXI construct, constructs with mutations common in Ashkenazi Jews (Glu117Stop and Phe283Leu) and a variant with a severe defect in dimer formation (fXI-Gly350Glu) have little effect on wild-type fXI secretion. In contrast, cotransfection with fXI-Gly400Val or fXI-Trp569Ser reduces wild-type secretion about 50%, consistent with a dominant negative effect. Immunoprecipitation of cell lysates confirmed that fXI-Gly400Val forms intracellular dimers. The data support a model in which nonsecretable mutant fXI polypeptides trap wild-type polypeptides within cells through heterodimer formation, resulting in lower plasma fXI levels than in heterozygotes for mutations that cause autosomal recessive fXI deficiency.     

胰高血糖素样肽1及其类似物的脑保护作用

胰高血糖样肽1是一种肠促胰岛素,它通过促进胰岛素的释放,抑制胰高血糖素分泌、胰岛β细胞增殖、延缓胃排空等多种途径发挥降糖作用。在临床上胰高血糖素样肽1及其类似物已用于2型糖尿病的治疗。近年来,研究发现胰高血糖样肽1受体不仅分布于胰腺中,在人和动物的脑中也有广泛分布,胰高血糖样肽1及其类似物具有脑保护作用,预示着他们有可能成为治疗中枢神经系统疾病的新型药物。     

医院装饰水性涂料新宠——0ALEK抗菌釉面漆

在医疗环境装饰装修工程中,医院建设者们在选择内墙装饰材料时经常会陷入两难境地：如果选用装饰板,抗污性强,耐久性好,但质地坚硬,造价较高;如果选用涂料,色彩丰富,质地柔软,价格适中,但抗污性和耐久性较差。     

血管紧张素Ⅱ1型受体自身抗体在急性冠状动脉综合征中的表达及意义

目的检测急性冠状动脉综合征（ACS）患者外周血中血管紧张素Ⅱ1型受体自身抗体（AT1-AAs）、单核细胞趋化蛋白-1（MCP-1）及高敏C反应蛋白（hs-CRP）表达情况,探讨AT1-AAs表达与ACS发病及斑块稳定性的关系。方法选择临床确诊ACS患者（AGS组）、稳定型心绞痛（SAP）患者（SAP组）和健康体检者（对照组）各60例,人工合成血管紧张素Ⅱ1型受体细胞外第二环功能表位肽段,采用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）法检测患者外周血中AT1-AAs阳性表达情况,并检测MCP-1、hs-CRP水平。结果ACS组、SAP组及对照组AT1-AAs阳性表达率分别为45．0％（27／60）、21．7％（13／60）和5．0％（3／60）,ACS组、SAP组明显高于对照组,ACS组明显高于SAP组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。ACS组、SAP组MCP-1和hs-CRP明显高于对照组,ACS组明显高于SAP组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。ACS组及SAP组AT1-AAs阳性患者的MCP-1和hs-CRP均明显高于AT1-AAs阴性患者,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。结论AT1-AAs可能参与ACS的发病过程,促进炎性因子表达可能是AT1-AAs导致ACS斑块不稳定的重要机制之一。     

New dianthramide and cinnamic ester glucosides from the roots of Aconitum carmichaelii

Four new compounds N-salicyl-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid methyl ester (1), N-(2′-dehydroxysalicyl)-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid methyl ester (2), methyl-4-β-D-allopyranosyl-ferulate (3), and methyl-4-β-D-gulopyranosyl-cinnamate (4), along with six known compounds (5–10), were isolated from the roots of Aconitum carmichelii Debx. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis, including 1D, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. Compounds 1 and 2 showed the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production with IC₅₀ values of 9.13 and 19.94 μM, respectively.     

Assay sensitivity in “Hybrid thorough QT/QTc (TQT)” study

A concurrent positive control should be included in a thorough QTc clinical trial to validate the study according to ICH E14 guidance. Some pharmaceutical companies have started to use “hybrid TQT” study to meet ICH E14 regulatory requirements since the release of ICH E14 Q&A (R3). The “hybrid TQT” study includes the same treatment arms (therapeutic and/or supratherapeutic dose of investigational drug, placebo, and positive control) with sample size less than traditional TQT studies, but use concentration-QTc (C-QTc) analysis as primary analysis and assay sensitivity analysis. To better understand the statistical characteristics of assay sensitivity with a commonly used positive control – Moxifloxacin - in “hybrid TQT” studies, we examined the original and subsampled moxifloxacin and placebo data from more than a hundred of TQT studies submitted to FDA. The assay sensitivity results are quite consistent between classical E14 analysis and C-QTc analysis using the original datasets. Performance of assay sensitivity in “hybrid TQT” studies using subsampled data depends on number of moxifloxacin subjects, study design (crossover design and parallel design), and C-QTc model. The results presented here can aid the design of future “hybrid TQT” studies.     

Aqueous leaching of lithium from simulated pyrometallurgical slag by sodium sulfate roasting

In the pyrometallurgical treatment for spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), lithium is generally present in slag with Al, Ca and Si and is hard to be further treated. In this study, lithium was recovered from a simulated pyrometallurgical slag (pyro-slag) via sodium roasting and water leaching. The thermodynamic process for the reactions between slag and additives such as NaCl, NaNO₃ and Na₂SO₄ were simulated during roasting by the HSC software, where Na₂SO₄ possessed stronger chemical reactivity. The optimal conditions for roasting were experimentally determined to be 800 °C for 60 min and an Na₂SO₄/Li molar ratio of 3 : 1, followed by water leaching at 70 °C for 80 min using a liquid-to-solid (L/S) mass ratio of 30 : 1. This yielded a maximum of 93.62% lithium recovery. The mechanism by which insoluble lithium in slag was transformed into soluble lithium by salt roasting was proposed using the analysis of XRD and EDS spectra, in which ion exchange occurred between Na⁺ and Li⁺ at a certain temperature.

An effective method for the recovery of lithium from the slag formed by treating spent lithium-ion batteries.