Correlation of Thin-Film Bond Compliance and Bond Fracture Resistance

The integrity of the interfacial bond between a coating and its substrate is of primary importance for any application. A technique for the quantitative nondestructive measurement of the bond fracture energy is essential for evaluating bond integrity. Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) provides a method for making localized measurements of film dis-bonds and film bond compliance based on the changes in the surface acoustic wave velocity in the layered medium. The results of these measurements for chrome/gold and gold films on glass substrates are summarized. The compliance of the bond and its fracture energy can be correlated in some film systems. An experiment to determine if this correlation exists for chrome/gold and gold films on sapphire substrates is described. Results of such an experiment would provide an empirical correlation between surface acoustic wave velocity measurements and the fracture energy of the film. The results of an experiment to measure the fracture energy of the interfacial bond between a gold film and the sapphire substrate are described.</p

MED12 Alterations in Both Human Benign and Malignant Uterine Soft Tissue Tumors

The relationship between benign uterine leiomyomas and their malignant counterparts, i.e. leiomyosarcomas and smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP), is still poorly understood. The idea that a leiomyosarcoma could derive from a leiomyoma is still controversial. Recently MED12 mutations have been reported in uterine leiomyomas. In this study we asked whether such mutations could also be involved in leiomyosarcomas and STUMP oncogenesis. For this purpose we examined 33 uterine mesenchymal tumors by sequencing the hot-spot mutation region of MED12. We determined that MED12 is altered in 66.6% of typical leiomyomas as previously reported but also in 11% of STUMP and 20% of leiomyosarcomas. The mutated allele is predominantly expressed in leiomyomas and STUMP. Interestingly all classical leiomyomas exhibit MED12 protein expression while 40% of atypical leiomyomas, 50% of STUMP and 80% of leiomyosarcomas (among them the two mutated ones) do not express MED12. All these tumors without protein expression exhibit complex genomic profiles. No mutations and no expression loss were identified in an additional series of 38 non-uterine leiomyosarcomas. MED12 mutations are not exclusive to leiomyomas but seem to be specific to uterine malignancies. A previous study has suggested that MED12 mutations in leiomyomas could lead to Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation however our immunohistochemistry results show that there is no association between MED12 status and β-catenin nuclear/cytoplasmic localization. Collectively, our results show that subgroups of benign and malignant tumors share a common genetics. We propose here that MED12 alterations could be implicated in the development of smooth muscle tumor and that its expression could be inhibited in malignant tumors

Impact of hiatal hernia on histological pattern of non-erosive reflux disease

BACKGROUND: Hiatus hernia (HH) has major pathophysiological effects favoring gastroesophageal reflux and hence contributing to esophageal mucosa injury, especially in patients with severe gastroesophageal disease. However, prospective studies investigating the impact of HH on the esophageal mucosa in non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) are lacking. This study evaluated the association between the presence of (HH) and the histological findings in symptomatic patients with NERD. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were enrolled. After conventional endoscopy, Lugol solution was applied and biopsy specimens were obtained. Histological parameters including basal zone hyperplasia, papillary length and cellular infiltration were evaluated. The chi-square test with Yates' correlation was used for comparing discrete parameters between groups. However, Fisher's exact probability test was used where the expected frequencies were lower than 5. Wilcoxon's test for unpaired samples was preferred in cases of semi-quantitative parameters. RESULTS: The presence of HH along with more severe findings (0.01 <P < 0.05) was confirmed in 18 patients. NERD was observed in 29 (58%) patients. Basal zone hyperplasia and loss of glycogen accompanied HH in all cases, and the correlation was significant in NERD (P < 0.001). The remaining histological patterns were similar between erosive reflux disease and NERD in the presence of HH. CONCLUSION: The presence of HH is correlated with more severe endoscopy findings, and predisposes for severe histological abnormality in cases of NERD

New Non-Intravenous Routes for Benzodiazepines in Epilepsy: A Clinician Perspective.

Benzodiazepines represent the first-line treatment for the acute management of epileptic seizures and status epilepticus. The emergency use of benzodiazepines must be timely, and because most seizures occur outside of the hospital environment, there is a significant need for delivery methods that are easy for nonclinical caregivers to use and administer quickly and safely. In addition, the ideal route of administration should be reliable in terms of absorption. Rectal diazepam is the only licensed formulation in the USA, whereas rectal diazepam and buccal midazolam are currently licensed in the EU. However, the sometimes unpredictable absorption with rectal and buccal administration means they are not ideal routes. Several alternative routes are currently being explored. This is a narrative review of data about delivery methods for benzodiazepines alternative to the intravenous and oral routes for the acute treatment of seizures. Unconventional delivery options such as direct delivery to the central nervous system or inhalers are reported. Data show that intranasal diazepam or midazolam and the intramuscular auto-injector for midazolam are as effective as rectal or intravenous diazepam. Head-to-head comparisons with buccal midazolam are urgently needed. In addition, the majority of trials focused on children and adolescents, and further trials in adults are warranted

Alternative low-cost adsorbent for water and wastewater decontamination derived from eggshellwaste: an overview

As the current global trend towards more stringent environmental standards, technical applicability and cost-effectiveness became key factors in the selection of adsorbents for water and wastewater treatment. Recently, various low-cost adsorbents derived from agricultural waste, industrial by-products or natural materials, have been intensively investigated. In this respect, the eggshells from egg-breaking operations constitute significant waste disposal problems for the food industry, so the development of value-added by-products from this waste is to be welcomed. The egg processing industry is very competitive, with low profit margins due to global competition and cheap imports. Additionally, the costs associated with the egg shell disposal (mainly on landfill sites) are significant, and expected to continue increasing as landfill taxes increase. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview on the development of low-cost adsorbents derived from eggshell by-products

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Discovery of Novel Human Breast Cancer MicroRNAs from Deep Sequencing Data by Analysis of Pri-MicroRNA Secondary Structures

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression and contribute to a variety of biological processes. Abnormal miRNA expression has been reported in various diseases including pathophysiology of breast cancer, where they regulate protumorigenic processes including vascular invasiveness, estrogen receptor status, chemotherapy resistance, invasion and metastasis. The miRBase sequence database, a public repository for newly discovered miRNAs, has grown rapidly with approximately >10,000 entries to date. Despite this rapid growth, many miRNAs have not yet been validated, and several others are yet to be identified. A lack of a full complement of miRNAs has imposed limitations on recognizing their important roles in cancer, including breast cancer. Using deep sequencing technology, we have identified 189 candidate novel microRNAs in human breast cancer cell lines with diverse tumorigenic potential. We further show that analysis of 500-nucleotide pri-microRNA secondary structure constitutes a reliable method to predict bona fide miRNAs as judged by experimental validation. Candidate novel breast cancer miRNAs with stem lengths of greater than 30 bp resulted in the generation of precursor and mature sequences in vivo. On the other hand, candidates with stem length less than 30 bp were less efficient in producing mature miRNA. This approach may be used to predict which candidate novel miRNA would qualify as bona fide miRNAs from deep sequencing data with approximately 90% accuracy