μ2-Acetone-diacetone[μ3-tris­(trifluoro­meth­yl)methano­lato]bis­[μ2-tris­(trifluoro­meth­yl)methano­lato]trilithium

The title compound, [Li3(C4F9O)3(C3H6O)3], features an open Li/O cube with an Li ion missing at one corner. Three of the four bridging O atoms of the cube carry a fluorinated tert-butyl residue, whereas the fourth is part of an acetone mol­ecule. Two of the Li atoms are further bonded to a non-bridging acetone mol­ecule. Two of the lithium ion coordination geometries are very distorted LiO4 tetra­hedra; the third could be described as a very distorted LiO3 T-shape with two distant F-atom neighbours. The Li⋯Li contact distances for the three-coordinate Li+ ion [2.608 (14) and 2.631 (12) Å] are much shorter that the contact distance [2.940 (13) Å] between the tetra­hedrally coordinated species

Investigation wettability of carbon components with the polyurethane binder of resistive composites

The research paper deals with influence wettability of carbon components with the polyurethane binder of resistive composites. We have revealed that the polyurethane lacquer wets up to 25 wt. % of C-1 and GE-3 particles, which results in their uniform distribution over the entire volume of the binder and homogeneity of RCMs. Zero wetting of the same weight percentage is observed in the case of K-163 carbon black, which gives rise to caking and distortion of homogeneity of the composite coating after its formation and its further cracking after heat treatment. The wetting capacity of K-163 carbon black in the polyurethane lacquer is improved using a DISPERBYK-2155 dispersing agent in the amount of 10 wt. % with respect to the binder. The resulting experimental data indicate that C-1 particles exhibit the best wettability, hence their adhesion strength with the binder would be higher than that of GE-3 graphite element and K-163 carbon black

Influence of rate dependent plasticity on a sheet metal bending process

The high demands on precision and quality of industrial sheet metal forming processes are increasing steadily. Therefore, more and more effects concerning the machines but also the material behaviour of the workpiece must be considered. Here, we consider an automatic panel bender of Salvagnini Maschinenbau GmbH. In this application, it turned out that the speed of bending is a relevant influence factor. Goal of this work is to estimate the influence of strain rate on bending forces and the shape of the bent profile

Advanced data analysis algorithms for the time-dependent defect spectroscopy of NBTI

Abstract-In order to identify the physical mechanisms behind the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI), the timedependent defect spectroscopy (TDDS) has been recently proposed. The TDDS takes advantage of the fact that in nanoscaled devices only a handful of defects are present. As a consequence, degradation and recovery proceed in discrete steps, each of them corresponding to a charge capture or emission event. By repeatedly applying stress and recovery conditions, the TDDS analyzes the statistical properties of these discrete events. The measurement window of the TDDS is very large, but the occurrence of random telegraph noise (RTN) at certain biases/temperatures can limit its applicability. We have developed an advanced data analysis method which can also deal with data contaminated by RTN. The algorithm is based on the combination of a bootstrapping technique and cumulative sum charts. A benefit of the new method is the possibility to detect steps in a large class of different signals with a feasible amount of parameters. Moreover, de-/trapping parameters of the random telegraph noise (RTN) become accessible as well

RIP3, a kinase promoting necroptotic cell death, mediates adverse remodelling after myocardial infarction

Aims Programmed necrosis (necroptosis) represents a newly identified mechanism of cell death combining features of both apoptosis and necrosis. Like apoptosis, necroptosis is tightly regulated by distinct signalling pathways. A key regulatory role in programmed necrosis has been attributed to interactions of the receptor-interacting protein kinases, RIP1 and RIP3. However, the specific functional role of RIP3-dependent signalling and necroptosis in the heart is unknown. The aims of this study were thus to assess the significance of necroptosis and RIP3 in the context of myocardial ischaemia. Methods and results Immunoblots revealed strong expression of RIP3 in murine hearts, indicating potential functional significance of this protein in the myocardium. Consistent with a role in promoting necroptosis, adenoviral overexpression of RIP3 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and stimulation with TNF-α induced the formation of a complex of RIP1 and RIP3. Moreover, RIP3 overexpression was sufficient to induce necroptosis of cardiomyocytes. In vivo, cardiac expression of RIP3 was up-regulated upon myocardial infarction (MI). Conversely, mice deficient for RIP3 (RIP3−/−) showed a significantly better ejection fraction (45 ± 3.6 vs. 32 ± 4.4%, P < 0.05) and less hypertrophy in magnetic resonance imaging studies 30 days after experimental infarction due to left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. This was accompanied by a diminished inflammatory response of infarcted hearts and decreased generation of reactive oxygen species. Conclusion Here, we show that RIP3-dependent necroptosis modulates post-ischaemic adverse remodelling in a mouse model of MI. This novel signalling pathway may thus be an attractive target for future therapies that aim to limit the adverse consequences of myocardial ischaemi

Regional spread of HIV-1 M subtype B in middle-aged patients by random env-C2V4 region sequencing

A transmission cluster of HIV-1 M:B was identified in 11 patients with a median age of 52 (range 26–65) in North-East Germany by C2V4 region sequencing of the env gene of HIV-1, who—except of one—were not aware of any risky behaviour. The 10 male and 1 female patients deteriorated immunologically, according to their information made available, within 4 years after a putative HIV acquisition. Nucleic acid sequence analysis showed a R5 virus in all patients and in 7 of 11 a crown motif of the V3 loop, GPGSALFTT, which is found rarely. Analysis of formation of this cluster showed that there is still a huge discrepancy between awareness and behaviour regarding HIV transmission in middle-aged patients, and that a local outbreak can be detected by nucleic acid analysis of the hypervariable env region