Nutrient Biomarker Patterns, Cognitive Function, and Mri Measures of Brain Aging

International audienc

Modification of ultra low-k dielectric films by O₂ and CO₂ plasmas

Low-k materials developed for ULSI interconnects should have sufficient resistance to processing plasma. CO2 plasma is being considered as a promising candidate for low damage photoresist ash and as a surface activation chemistry for self-assembled monolayers and atomic layer deposition on low-k materials. This article explores the interaction of two organosilicate (OSG) based low-k materials with different k-values (OSG2.4 and OSG2.2) with CO2 plasma in both CCP and ICP-remote plasma chambers. Time dependent exposure of the materials to CO2 plasma revealed quick and effective sealing of OSG2.4 surface whereas it takes longer time for OSG2.2. The sealing reduces further plasma damage and leads to accumulation of CO2 in the pores of both materials. The same behavior occurs in ICP-remote plasma but without a complete sealing of the surface. This suggests the important role of ion bombardment. Damage to low-k by conventional O-2 plasma was studied alongside and it was found that for t 60 s. Furthermore, lesser time exposure to CO2 plasma was investigated with respect to source power at constant pressure and it was discovered that damage although small, increases with varying source power

Vitamin D and white matter abnormalities in older adults: a cross-sectional neuroimaging study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Morphological brain changes related to hypovitaminosis D have been poorly studied. In particular, the age-related decrease in vitamin D concentrations may explain the onset of white matter abnormalities (WMA) in older adults. Our objectives were (i) to investigate whether there was an association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration and the grade of WMA in older adults and (ii) to determine whether the location of WMA was associated with 25OHD concentration. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-three Caucasian older community-dwellers with no clinical hydrocephalus (mean 71.6 ± 5.6 years; 43.6% female) received a blood test and a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain. The grades of total, periventricular and deep WMA were scored using semiquantitative visual rating scales from T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. The association of WMA with as-measured and deseasonalized 25OHD concentrations was evaluated with the following covariates: age, gender, body mass index, use of anti-vascular drugs, number of comorbidities, impaired mobility, education level, Mini-Mental State Examination score, medial temporal lobe atrophy, serum concentrations of calcium, thyroid-stimulating hormone and vitamin B12, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. RESULTS: Both as-measured and deseasonalized serum 25OHD concentrations were found to be inversely associated with the grade of total WMA (adjusted β = -0.32, P = 0.027), specifically with periventricular WMA (adjusted β = -0.15, P = 0.009) but not with deep WMA (adjusted β = -0.12, P = 0.090). Similarly, participants with 25OHD concentration33% higher grade of periventricular WMA than those with 25OHD ≥75 nM (P = 0.024). No difference in average grade was found for deep WMA (P = 0.949). CONCLUSIONS: Lower serum 25OHD concentration was associated with higher grade of WMA, particularly periventricular WMA. These findings provide a scientific basis for vitamin D replacement trials

Portable Instrument for Detection of Surface Flaws Using EMATs

The work reported here is the development of a first prototype portable ultrasonic inspection instrument based on EMAT (electromagnetic acoustic transducer) technology. The goal was to demonstrate EMAT inspection capabilities for small-size flaws in metal parts and to build a self-contained NDE unit that had a high degree of signal processing on-board so that human interpretation was minimized. The unit also served as a test bed, so that a number of new concepts could be evaluated. This instrument is viewed as an important step in the development of future NDE equipment

Higher gait variability is associated with decreased parietal gray matter volume among healthy older adults

The objectives of this study were to examine the association of stride time variability (STV) with gray and white matter volumes in healthy older adults, and to determine the specific location of any parenchymal loss associated with higher STV. A total of 71 participants (mean age 69.0 +/- 0.8 years; 59.7 % female) were included in this study. All participants had a 1.0 Tesla 3D T1-weighted MRI of the brain to measure gray and white matter volumes. STV was measured at steady-state self-selected walking speed using an electronic footswitch system. We found an association between higher STV and lower gray matter volume in the right parietal lobe (e.g., angular gyrus, Brodmann area 39, cluster corrected pFWE = 0.035). There were no significant associations between STV and higher gray matter volume or change in white matter volume. To the best of our knowledge this study is the first to identify a significant association of higher STV with lower right parietal gray matter volume in healthy older adults

Egy inváziós faj, a Solidago gigantea Aiton által kolonizált mocsárrétek diverzitása és fajkompozíciós koordináltsága

Számos vizsgálat történt korábban a Solidago gigantea Aiton elterjedtségével, ökológiai és növényélettani tulajdonságaival kapcsolatban, azonban a faj inváziójának cönológiai következményei kevéssé ismertek. Mocsárréti társulások diverzitását és belső koordináltságát hasonlítottuk össze, magas aranyvesszővel különböző mértékben fertőzött területeken. Hat, eltérő mértékben kolonizált gyepterületet vizsgáltunk, melyek közül kettő referenciaterületként is szolgált. Állományonként 8‒8 db 5 m hosszú transzszektet mintavételeztünk. Ezek mentén 100 db egymást érő 5 cm × 5 cm-es mikrokvadrátban rögzítettük a fajok jelenlétét. Az állományok belső szervezettségét és koordináltságát a diverzitás és az egyenletesség állományon belüli szóródásával (CV%) és a mintavételi egységek állományon belüli átlagos cönológiai hasonlóságával jellemeztük. A S. gigantea gyakorisága jelentősen különbözött a mintaterületeken, és mennyiségének növekedésével összefüggésben változtak az állományok cönológiai jellemzői: csökkent a diverzitás és a koordináltság. Különböző cönológiai jellemzőket összehasonlítva megállapítható, hogy az átlagos viselkedést kifejező alfa diverzitás és egyenletesség kevésbé érzékenyen mutatják az inváziós faj okozta degradációt, mint e jellemzők béta diverzitást is jelentő relatív szórása (CV%). Eredményeink szerint a cönológiai koordináltság állományon belüli változása (jelen esetben csökkenése) egyszerűen mérhető és jó indikátora az inváziós faj okozta cönológiai változásoknak

Stretched chemical bonds in Si6H6: A transition from ring currents to localized pi-electrons?

Motivated by solid-state studies on the cleavage force in Si, and the consequent stretching of chemical bonds, we here study bond stretching in the, as yet unsynthesized, free space molecule Si6H6. We address the question as to whether substantial bond stretching (but constrained to uniform scaling on all bonds) can result in a transition from ring current behaviour, characteristic say of benzene at its equilibrium geometry, to localized pi-electrons on Si atoms. Some calculations are also recorded on dissociation into 6 SiH radicals. While the main studies have been carried out by unrestricted Hartree-Fock (HF) theory, the influence of electron correlation has been examined using two forms of density functional theory. Planar Si6H6 treated by HF is bound to be unstable, not all vibrational frequencies being real. Some buckling is then allowed, which results in real frequencies and stability. Evidence is then provided that the non-planar structure, as the Si-Si distance is increased, exhibits pi-electron localization in the range 1.2-1.5 times the equilibrium distance