Effect of non-lattice oxygen on ZrO2-based resistive switching memory

ZrO2-based resistive switching memory has attracted much attention according to its possible application in the next-generation nonvolatile memory. The Al/ZrO2/Pt resistive switching memory with bipolar resistive switching behavior is revealed in this work. The thickness of the ZrO2 film is only 20 nm. The device yield improved by the non-lattice oxygen existing in the ZrO2 film deposited at room temperature is firstly proposed. The stable resistive switching behavior and the long retention time with a large current ratio are also observed. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the resistive switching mechanism agrees with the formation and rupture of a conductive filament in the ZrO2 film. In addition, the Al/ZrO2/Pt resistive switching memory is also possible for application in flexible electronic equipment because it can be fully fabricated at room temperature

A 90-DAY SUBCHRONIC TOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT of DEINOCOCCUS GRANDIS FERMENTED SOYMILK IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS

Objective: Despite the fact that there was no adverse effect observed in previous animal safety studies of Deinococcus grandis (D. grandis) fermented soymilk, including acute oral toxicity assay, 3 different test systems of genotoxicity test and teratogenicity study, whether D. grandis fermented soymilk is safe for long-term use remains unknown. Therefore, the study was conducted further to clarify the edible safety of D. grandis fermented soymilk for long term use.Methods: Eighty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into four groups, each consisting of ten male and ten female rats. Rats were orally administrated with reverse osmosis water (control) or 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 mg/kg b.w./d freeze dried D. grandis fermented soymilk powder for 90 consecutive days. Clinical observation of the rats was carried out daily. The body weight and feed intake of the rats were recorded weekly. At the end of the study, all rats were sacrificed and the blood and organs were collected for hematology, clinical biochemistry and histopathological examination.Results: During the study period, no abnormality occurred in clinical signs, body weight, and ophthalmological examination. There were no significant differences in urinalysis, hematology and clinical biochemistry parameters between the treatment and control group. Necropsy and histopathological examination showed no treatment-related change.Conclusion: According to the results, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of D. grandis fermented soymilk was greater than 3,000 mg/kg b.w./d in SD rats.Keywords: Deinococcus grandis (D. grandis), 90-day subchronic toxicity, NOAEL, Safety assessment, GKB-Aid 199

Conserved Extracellular Cysteines Differentially Regulate the Potentiation Produced by Zn2+ in Rat P2X4 Receptors

One feature of the amino acid sequence of P2X receptors identified from mammalian species, Xenopus laevis and zebrafish is the conservation of ten cysteines in the extracellular loop. Little information is available about the role of these conserved ectodomain cysteines in the function of P2X receptors. Here, we investigated the possibility that ten conserved cysteine residues in the extracellular loop of the rat P2X4 receptor may regulate zinc potentiation of the receptor using a series of individual cysteine to alanine point mutations and functional characterization of recombinant receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. For the C116A, C132A, C159A, C165A, C217A and C227A mutants, 10 µM zinc did not significantly affect the current activated by an EC40 concentration of ATP. By contrast, 5 µM zinc shifted the ATP concentration-response curve to the right in a parallel manner for both the C261A and C270A mutants and the magnitudes of those shifts were similar to that of the wildtype receptor. Interestingly, for the C126A and C149A mutants, 5 µM zinc potentiated ATP-activated current, but increased the maximal response to ATP by 90% and 81% respectively, without significantly changing the EC50 value of ATP. Thus, these results suggest that cysteines and disulfide bonds between cysteines are differentially involved in the potentiation of the rat P2X4 receptor by zinc

(E)-Benzo­yl[1-(2-hydroxy­ethyl)imidazolidin-2-yl­idene]acetonitrile

In the title compound, C14H15N3O2, the C=C(H)—C=O grouping and the imidazolidine ring are coplanar as a result of an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond and extended electronic conjugation. Inter­molecular N—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds help to establish the packing