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Bismuth telluride (BT) displays one of the highest thermoelectric performances between ambient temperature and 473 K. In general, although a thermoelectric material is connected to a metal electrode through soldering when thermoelectric modules are assembled, the solder components diffuse into the thermoelectric element at operating temperatures and under current stress. It is widely known that p-type bismuth telluride (p-BT) with a composition similar to that of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 includes a pure Te phase when the material is made using a melt growth process. Because the eutectic temperature of the pseudo-binary Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3–Te system is close to 693 K, a Te-rich liquid should be produced from p-BT at elevated temperatures above the eutectic point. It is possible for the produced liquid to be utilized as a flux to allow direct bonding between the metallic electrode material and p-BT without using solder. In this study, the reactivity between p-BT and selected metallic substrates (Cu, Ni, or 99.7 Ni–0.3 Cu (at.%)) was investigated at 773 K in an argon atmosphere, as a fundamental study of the joining process. Cu is strongly reactive to p-BT, whereas Ni has a modest reactivity against p-BT. Furthermore, the addition of a small amount of Cu to Ni drastically enhanced the diffusivity of Te in the Ni substrate. Our findings suggest that Cu addition plays a key role in controlling the reactivity, which is directly linked to the bonding strength, interfacial resistivity, and thermal stability.

Skin care against aggravating factors is important to prevent skin lesions from flare‐up in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). Tannic acid (TA), a natural polyphenolic and protein‐denaturing agent, has activity to denature antigens relevant to the AD flare. To assess the efficacy of a bath additive containing TA (TA‐bath additive) on pruritus of AD, we carried out a randomized double‐blind trial, in which 21 patients with AD completed the blinded sequential treatments with the TA‐bath additive and a bath additive without TA (placebo‐bath additive) in a cross‐over manner. A significant improvement of pruritus was observed in the afternoon and night by using the TA‐bath additive and in the afternoon by the placebo‐bath additive in patients with AD. No superiority of the TA‐bath additive to the placebo was revealed in the overall patient cohort. However, the added TA in the bath additive exerted its efficacy especially on itch at night in patients with mild‐to‐moderate disease. Bathing by using the series of the bath additive with TA and that without TA improved AD skin lesions throughout this study. No adverse effects related to the use of the TA‐ and placebo‐bath additives were observed. In conclusion, the bath additive containing TA may help skin care of patients with itch and skin lesions of the mild AD.

Herein, a method has been described to rapidly obtain a semi-quantitative three-dimensional lithium distribution of a lithium-ion battery graphite anode using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements. LIBS measurements of the graphite anodes with a diameter of 10 mm were performed in an argon atmosphere of 1000 Pa until the depth of 150 μm using the Li emission line of 610.4 nm. The emission intensity was measured for the pitch of 500 μm in plane. Homogeneous and inhomogeneous lithium distributions were observed in the anodes after both charge and charge-discharge processes. The inhomogeneous lithium distribution after the charge process was attributed to the preferentially reacted area in the anode, while that after the charge-discharge process was likely related to the low desolvation reaction rate of lithium ions at the solid electrolyte interphase. These inhomogeneous lithium distributions were consistent with the results from the charge-discharge curves and the lithium ion transfer mechanism. Thus, it was proven that it is possible to acquire a three-dimensional lithium distribution of a graphite anode of a lithium-ion battery by LIBS measurements.

Despite the increasing detection of emerging substances in the environment, the identity of most are left unknown due to the lack of efficient identification methods. We developed a non-target analysis method for identifying unknown substances in the environment by liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) with a product ion and neutral loss database (PNDB). The present analysis describes an elucidation method with elemental compositions of the molecules, product ions, and corresponding neutral losses of the unknown substance: (1) with the molecular formula, possible molecular structures are retrieved from two chemical structure databases (PubChem and ChemSpider); then (2) with the elemental compositions of product ions and neutral losses, possible partial structures are retrieved from the PNDB; and finally, (3) molecular structures that match the possible partial structures are listed in order of number of hits. A molecular structure with a higher number of hits is more similar to the structure of the analyzed substance. The performance of the non-target method was evaluated by simulated analysis of 150 LC/HRMS spectra registered in MassBank. First, all substances of the same mass data (41/41) and 68% (39/57) of the mass data of the same substances not registered in the PNDB were elucidated. It was demonstrated that 14% (7/52) and 31% (16/52) of the substances with no mass spectral data registered in the PNDB were obtained at the first and within the fifth place, respectively. Owing to the fact that 10 of the total hits occurred in product ions and neutral losses, almost 50% of the substances evaluated with this method were placed at the top 4 positions in the similarity ranking. Importantly, the proposed method is effective for analyzing mass spectral data that has not been registered in the PNDB and thus is expected to be used for a variety of non-target analyses.

A method to obtain the quantitative lithium distribution of a lithium-ion battery cathode using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements is proposed. We perform LIBS measurements in a reduced argon atmosphere of 1000 Pa and use a calibration curve obtained by measuring the emission intensities at 610.4 nm of standard samples, whose atomic ratios of lithium to cobalt are 0, 0.10, 0.30, 0.51, 0.62, 0.80, and 0.99. The lithium distributions of cycled cathodes, which contain LiCoO2 as an active material, obtained by this method are relatively consistent with the Co(III) distributions obtained by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). XAS is the conventional method to quantitatively display the reaction distribution of a cathode material used in a lithium-ion battery. Additionally, LIBS can detect the precipitating decomposition products of the electrolyte, LiF, on the cathode. However, the precision of the lithium ratio using LIBS is not as good as that achieved for the Co(III) ratio obtained using XAS. Therefore, LIBS is suitable to obtain a semi-quantitative lithium distribution in a cathode of a lithium-ion battery through a much simpler procedure than XAS. Furthermore, LIBS has an advantage to detect the decomposition product of the electrolyte using laboratory-scale measurements.

Maternal–fetal calcium (Ca2+) transport in the placenta plays a critical role in maintaining fetal bone mineralization. Mutations in the gene encoding the transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 6 (TRPV6) have been identified as causative mutations of transient neonatal hyperparathyroidism due to insufficient maternal–fetal Ca2+ transport in the placenta. In this study, we found two novel mutations in subjects that have transient neonatal hyperparathyroidism. TRPV6 carrying the mutation p.Arg390His that localizes to the outer edge of the first transmembrane domain (S1) showed impaired trafficking to the plasma membrane, whereas TRPV6 having the mutation p.Gly291Ser in the sixth ankyrin repeat (AR) domain had channel properties that were comparable those of WT channels, although the increases in steady-state intracellular Ca2+ concentration could have led to Ca2+ overload and subsequent death of cells expressing this mutant channel. These results indicate that the AR6 domain contributes to TRPV6-mediated maintenance of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, and that this region could play a novel role in regulating the activity of TRPV6 Ca2+-selective channels.

We report experimental results on relationship between polymer chain architecture and morphology of microdomains of asymmetric linear triblock copolymers, S1BS2 (S: polystyrene; B: polybutadiene). For this purpose, we synthesized various asymmetric triblock copolymers having different lengths of two end-blocks. The morphology was examined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Although total molecular weight, composition, and thermal annealing temperature were kept constant, the morphology was found to change with a degree of chain asymmetry. One typical example exhibits a morphological change as cylinder → lamella → cylinder with a decrease in length of the shorter S2 end-block chains, while keeping the total molecular weight and the total polystyrene composition constant. This curious morphological behavior exhibiting a re-entrant type change is qualitatively in accord with the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) results by Matsen [J. Chem. Phys. 2000, 113, 55...

This paper qualitatively explains the differences in the cathodoluminescence (CL) colors of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) inclusions in steels and presents a method of distinguishing MgAl 2 O 4 spinel inclusions from other inclusions using CL imaging. It was found that the presence of chromium (Cr) and titanium (Ti) in Al 2 O 3 inclusions increases CL intensity in the red region, while elements that increase oxygen vacancies such as magnesium relatively increase CL intensity in the blue region. We could distinguish MgAl 2 O 4 spinel inclusions, which produce green luminescence, from Al 2 O 3 inclusions by capturing CL images. We were also able to identify MgAl 2 O 4 spinel in an agglomerated inclusion consisting of MgAl 2 O 4 spinel, Al 2 O 3, and MgO from its CL image. Capturing CL images whose wavelength is less than 600 nm simplifies the identification of Al 2 O 3 and MgAl 2 O 4 spinel inclusions because all the Al 2 O 3 and MgAl 2 O 4 spinel inclusions produced blue and green luminescence, respectively. The present study suggests that CL image capture is a rapid identification method for inclusions in steels, especially MgAl 2 O 4 spinel and Al 2 O 3 inclusions, because it takes less than 30 s to obtain CL images.

Background Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a monogenic insulin-dependent diabetes that develops within 6 months of age. The progression of hyperglycemia until diagnosis is unknown. Glycemic control indicators at diagnosis are useful to estimate the extent and duration of hyperglycemia. We recently established that age-adjusted glycated albumin (GA) is a useful indicator of glycemic control, regardless of age. Objective To compare the levels of various glycemic control indicators at diagnosis between NDM and other types of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods We included 8 patients with NDM, 8 with fulminant type 1 diabetes (FT1D), and 24 with acute-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1AD). Plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), GA, and age-adjusted GA (calculated as previously reported) were measured and compared. Results There were no significant differences in the plasma glucose levels of the group of patients with NDM and those with FT1D or T1AD. HbA1c and GA levels in the NDM group were not significantly different from those in the FT1D group, and both indicators were lower than those in the T1AD group. Age-adjusted GA levels in the NDM group did not differ significantly from those in the T1AD group, but were higher than those in the FT1D group. Conclusions These findings suggest that the time-course of plasma glucose elevation in NDM until diagnosis is similar to that in T1AD. In addition, the high age-adjusted GA value at diagnosis of NDM indicates that this test is useful for assessing chronic hyperglycemia in NDM.

In recent years, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) with a time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer has been widely used for analyzing the structures of organic molecules. In particular, TOF-SIMS with a cluster ion beam (Aun, Bin, C60, Arn, etc.) has been drawing attention as the technique can be used without destroying the structures of organic molecules. In this study, we imaged polyester/melamine resin using TOF-SIMS with bismuth cluster ions. By secondary ion imaging, we confirmed that the melamine formaldehyde resin was concentrated on the surface of the paint film. By comparing the difference between C5H7N6+ (m/z = 151) and the other ions, we estimated that the degree of condensation of the melamine formaldehyde resin increased with a catalyst. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

RATIONALE Bi cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is one of the most promising tools for precise analysis of synthetic polymers. However, the sensitivity in the high-mass region is still insufficient compared with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). Accordingly, the effects of metal assistance (cationization agents) were investigated in this study. METHODS To investigate the effects caused by varying the ionization agent, three different polyethylene glycol (PEG) samples were prepared, one with an Ag-deposited film, and two others mixed with Ag and Na, respectively. The measurements were performed by using a commercial Bi cluster SIMS and MALDI-TOFMS systems. The mass spectrum obtained with MALDI-TOFMS was used as a reference molecular weight distribution to evaluate the effects of molecular weight and primary ion species (Bi+ , Bi3+ , Bi32+ ) on the sensitivity of Bi cluster SIMS. RESULTS The intensity of each secondary ion was the highest in Bi32+ irradiation, and the lowest in Bi+ irradiation. Regarding the cationization agents, the secondary ion yield was the highest for the sample mixed with Ag, while the degree of decay of sensitivity along with the increase in molecular weight was the smallest for the sample mixed with Na. CONCLUSIONS It was suggested that the cationization mechanism consists of pre-formed ionization and gas-phase ionization processes. The sensitivity of Bi cluster SIMS decreases to approximately one-fiftieth in every 1000 u. These results might help in understanding the mechanism of cationization and further enhancement of secondary ion yields of polymers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene mutations may cause familial or sporadic generalized glucocorticoid resistance syndrome. Most of the missense forms distribute in the ligand-binding domain and impair its ligand-binding activity and formation of the activation function (AF)-2 that binds LXXLL motif-containing coactivators. We performed molecular dynamics simulations to ligand-binding domain of pathologic GR mutants to reveal their structural defects. Several calculated parameters including interaction energy for dexamethasone or the LXXLL peptide indicate that destruction of ligand-binding pocket (LBP) is a primary character. Their LBP defects are driven primarily by loss/reduction of the electrostatic interaction formed by R611 and T739 of the receptor to dexamethasone and a subsequent conformational mismatch, which deacylcortivazol resolves with its large phenylpyrazole moiety and efficiently stimulates transcriptional activity of the mutant receptors with LBP defect. Reduced affinity of the LXXLL peptide to AF-2 is caused mainly by disruption of the electrostatic bonds to the noncore leucine residues of this peptide that determine the peptide's specificity to GR, as well as by reduced noncovalent interaction against core leucines and subsequent exposure of the AF-2 surface to solvent. The results reveal molecular defects of pathologic mutant receptors and provide important insights to the actions of wild-type GR.

Rationale Bi cluster ions are used as a source of primary ions for time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), and it has been recognized that secondary ion yields of macromolecules are higher with Bi cluster ions than with monomer ions or other cluster ions such as Cs+, Ga+ and Aun+. However, the analysis conditions of Bi cluster TOF-SIMS are not sufficiently established. This study provides information on the secondary ion yields, damage cross-section and spatial resolution obtained with different primary Bi ions. Methods We investigated the secondary ion yields, damage cross-section and spatial resolution using three different primary Bi ions in TOF-SIMS. The primary ions selected were Bi1+, Bi3+ and Bi32+ that were accelerated with 25 kV and the positively charged secondary ions were analyzed. The samples were 1, 2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C44H88NO8P, DSPC), which is a typical lipid, and N,N'-di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine (C44H32N2, NPD) and 4,4',4”-tris[2-naphthyl(phenyl)amino]triphenylamine (C66H48N4, 2-TNATA), which are organic functional materials. Results Although the secondary ion yields of DSPC were highest when measured with Bi3+, the spatial resolution obtained from all DSPC analyses could not be evaluated because of the low intensity of the secondary molecular ions. On the other hand, for both NPD and 2-TNATA, the secondary ion yields were highest when imaged with Bi32+. Also, we obtained the highest spatial resolution using Bi32+. In the analysis of all molecules, the damage cross-section obtained with Bi32+ was also the highest. Conclusions When secondary ions were sensitively detected, images of the high spatial resolution were obtained by using Bi32+. On the other hand, when the secondary ion sensitivity was low, the spatial resolution depended on the yields of secondary ions, implying that the selection of the primary ion species is crucial for SIMS analysis of large molecules. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Single-phase Co carbide particles with the Co 3 C structure were obtained by the polyol process using tetraethylene glycol (TEG) solution containing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Additionally, particles with a mixture of face-centered cubic Co and hexagonal close-packed Co were precipitated in the TEG solution without PVP. The particles synthesized with PVP exhibited coercivity of about 5.7 kOe, which was larger than that of the particles synthesized without PVP. Thus, the addition of PVP to the TEG solution induces the formation of Co 3 C-structured Co carbide particles with large coercivity. Particles precipitated from the TEG solution with an initial molar ratio of Co:Ni = 8:2 were also identified as the single phase of the Co 3 C structure by X-ray diffraction measurement. In addition, it was confirmed by measurements of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra that Ni atoms in the precipitated particles had a local structure similar to that of Co atoms in the single-phase particles with the Co 3 C structure. Thus, Ni-substituted Co carbide particles with the Co 3 C structure can be obtained by the polyol process using PVP.

To the Editor:Pazopanib is a multikinase inhibitor, inhibiting the signal transduction pathways of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptors, and the stem cell factor receptor.1 Pazopanib monotherapy improved progression-free survival in adult pa

Bi cluster ions are among the most utilized primary sources for time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). Although Bi clusters have advantages over larger clusters, such as C60+ and Arn+, TOF-SIMS is less sensitive for macromolecules when Bi clusters are used as primary ions. Matrix-enhanced SIMS is a more sensitive technique for large molecules, because the matrix limits fragmentation. The matrix is thought to reduce molecular crystallinity and cohesiveness, which facilitate the extraction of large molecules from the sample surface. In this study, the authors investigate the effects of polyethylene glycol structure on the molecular sensitivity of TOF-SIMS using different primary Bi ion species. The results indicate that amorphous PEG enables the detection of larger molecules than crystalline PEG by TOF-SIMS when either Bi1+ or Bi32+ ions are used for irradiation. This suggests that the structures of organic molecules affect the propagation of kinetic energy from the primary ions. This phenomenon reduces damage to polymer chains and enhances the sensitivity of TOF-SIMS for intact molecular ions.

The effects of boron doping on the microstructural evolution and mechanical and electrical properties of age-hardenable Cu–4Ti (at.%) alloys are investigated. In the quenched Cu–4Ti–0.03B (at.%) alloy, elemental B (boron) is preferentially segregated at the grain boundaries of the supersaturated solid-solution phase. The aging behavior of the B-doped alloy is mostly similar to that of conventional age-hardenable Cu–Ti alloys. In the early stage of aging at 450 °C, metastable β′-Cu4Ti with fine needle-shaped precipitates continuously form in the matrix phase. Cellular discontinuous precipitates composed of the stable β-Cu4Ti and solid-solution laminates are then formed and grown at the grain boundaries. However, the volume fraction of the discontinuous precipitates is lower in the Cu–4Ti–0.03B alloy than the Cu–4Ti alloy, particularly in the over-aging period of 72–120 h. The suppression of the formation of discontinuous precipitates eventually results in improvement of the hardness and tensile strength. It should be noted that minor B doping of Cu–Ti alloys also effectively enhances the elongation to fracture, which should be attributed to segregation of B at the grain boundaries.

OBJECTIVES Anti-cancer drugs are harmful to healthy persons. In recent years, occupational exposure to anti-cancer drugs has become a major concern to health care workers. To address this issue, a smear method was developed to measure widely using anti-cancer drugs depositing on the floors, safety cabinet surfaces, and tables in hospital. METHODS Ten kinds of widely used anti-cancer drugs, paclitaxel, vincristine, docetaxel, vinorelbine, irinotecan, methotrexate, oxaliplatin, cyclophosphamide, gemcitabine and fluorouracil were collected by smearing material surfaces with methanol impregnated cellulose filter paper and/or polypropylene nonwoven. The collected anti-cancer drugs are extracted in 5 ml of 0.01% (v/v) hydrazine/methanol solution by sonication. The extracted solution was filtered and concentrated to prepare 1ml of sample solution. Then, the anti-cancer drugs in the sample solution were simultaneously measured by LC/MS. RESULTS The anti-cancer drugs excepting fluorouracil spread on P-tile surface were measured with recoveries of 37-101% and standard deviations (SD) of 1.8-19%. All 10 of the anti-cancer drugs on a stainless steel plate surface were measured with the recoveries of 35-111% and SD of 1.3-11%. CONCLUSIONS Using this smear method, 9 or 10 kinds of widely used anti-cancer drug residues in hospital, possibly exposed to health care workers, were grasped.

Recently, new and advanced ideas have been presented on the value of polymer-based syringes for improved safety, better strength, reduced aggregation, and the prevention of drug degradation. In this report, our findings on drug degradation from protein oxidation will be presented and discussed. Commonly, dissolved oxygen is one of the factors for causing protein degradation. Due to the nature of higher gas permeability in polymer-based syringes, it was thought to be difficult to control the oxygen level during storage. However, this report demonstrates the appropriateness of combining the use of an oxygen absorber within the secondary packaging as a deoxygenated packaging system. In addition, this report suggests that another factor to enhance protein oxidization is related to radicals on the syringe barrel from sterilization by irradiation. We demonstrate that steam sterilization can minimize protein oxidization, as the protein filled in steam sterilized syringe is much more stable. In conclusion, the main oxidation pathway of a protein has been identified as dissolved oxygen and radical generation within a polymer container. Possible solutions are herewith presented for controlling oxidation by means of applying a deoxygenated packaging system as well as utilizing steam sterilization as a method of sterilization for prefillable polymer syringes. LAY ABSTRACT: There have been many presentations and discussions about the risks associated with glass prefilled syringes. Advanced ideas are being presented on the value of polymer-based syringes for improved safety, better strength, reduced protein aggregation, and the prevention of drug degradation. Drug degradation based on protein oxidation is discussed in this report. Identification of the main factors causing this degradation and possible solutions available by using polymer-based syringes will be presented. The causes of protein oxidation have been identified as dissolved oxygen and radicals generated by the applied method of sterilization. The oxidation reaction created by dissolved oxygen within the drug product can be effectively inhibited by controlling the removal of the oxygen through the use of a deoxygenated packaging system. This packaging system can control the level or complete removal of oxygen from the primary container and the secondary packaging system. Protein oxidation induced by the formation of radicals from sterilization by irradiation is another critical aspect where it was thought that various sterilization methods were acceptable without loosing drug product quality. However, this report is first to demonstrate that gamma sterilized polymer-based syringes accelerated protein oxidation by radical generation; this effect can be prevented by means of steam sterilization.

The magnetic iron oxide particles are very attractive for biomedical applications because of good biological compatibility.

An Fe-Ga alloy single crystal of about 10 mm in diameter and about 60 mm in length was grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method. The as-grown ingot was approximately oriented in the 〈100〉 direction parallel to the pull-up direction. The gallium concentration of the as-grown ingot was close to that of the starting polycrystalline alloy. The magnetostriction of about -212 ppm was observed in the 〈100〉 direction by applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the measured direction. In addition, the superior performance of vibration power generation due to the large inverse magnetostrictive effect was demonstrated by a prototype device using the as-grown Fe-Ga alloy single crystal. It is concluded that Fe-Ga alloy single crystals grown by the CZ method are promising for application to vibration power generators.

Fine crystalline LiFePO 4 particles with an average secondary size of about 200 nm were synthesized in ethylene glycol (EG) solution at 393 K. Their molar ratio of Li:Fe:P was about 1.3:1:1, implying the precipitation of an impurity containing extra Li ions. The unit cell volume of crystalline LiFePO 4 in heat-treated particles was larger than that in as-synthesized particles. The Fe K absorption edge in the X-ray absorption spectrum was shifted toward a lower energy position by heat treatment. These results suggest that the composition of crystalline LiFePO 4 in fine particles is modified by heat treatment because of the reaction with extra Li ions. Additionally, in the radial structural function obtained by Fourier transform of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure oscillation, the Fe–P correlation and Fe–Fe correlation peaks became high due to the heat treatment, implying the rearrangement of FeO 6 octahedra and PO 4 tetrahedra. In consequence of the above-mentioned structural changes, the electronic capacity of fine particles precipitated in EG solution was enhanced to about 150 mA/h by heat treatment at 673 K.

The itinerant-electron metamagnetic transition of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 becomes indistinct after immersion in distilled-water containing about 8 ppm of the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration because of aqueous corrosion. However, the aqueous corrosion of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 is significantly suppressed by reducing the DO concentration. Thus, isothermal magnetic entropy change after immersion for 30 days in deaerated distilled-water with a DO concentration less than 0.1 ppm is larger than that after immersion for 5 days in distilled-water containing about 8 ppm of the DO concentration. Consequently, the reduction of the DO concentration is effective for preservation of the excellent magnetocaloric effects of La(Fe0.88Si0.12)13 in an aqueous solution, which is a promising heat transfer fluid of room-temperature magnetic refrigeration.

The functionality of a newly developed silicone oil-free (SOF) syringe system, of which the plunger stopper is coated by a novel coating technology (i-coating™), was assessed. By scanning electron microscopy observations and other analysis, it was confirmed that the plunger stopper surface was uniformly covered with the designed chemical composition. A microflow imaging analysis showed that the SOF system drastically reduced both silicone oil (SO) doplets and oil-induced aggregations in a model protein formulation, whereas a large number of subvisible particles and protein aggregations were formed when a SO system was used. Satisfactory container closure integrity (CCI) was confirmed by means of dye and microorganism penetration studies. Furthermore, no significant difference between the break loose and gliding forces was observed in the former, and stability studies revealed that the SOF system could perfectly show the aging independence in break loose force observed in the SO system. The results suggest that the introduced novel SOF system has a great potential and represents an alternative that can achieve very low subvisible particles, secure CCI, and the absence of a break loose force. In particular, no risk of SO-induced aggregation can bring additional value in the highly sensitive biotech drug market. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 103:1520–1528, 2014

Influence of tungstate ions on the transformation of chloride-containing green rust (GR(Cl − )) to fine goethite (α-FeOOH) particles due to the oxidation reaction via aqueous solution at about 300 K was investigated by in situ measurements of X-ray absorption spectra. Results showed that the transformation rate of GR(Cl − ) in the suspension containing 5 mol% W was lower than that in the suspension without tungstate ions. Almost all tungstate ions in the suspension were adsorbed on GR(Cl − ) and α-FeOOH. It is probable that the adsorption of tungstate ions reduces the transformation rate of GR(Cl − ) and also leads to the precipitation of fine particles.

The addition of a small amount of boron and nitrogen is known to improve the creep strength and life of ferritic heat-resistant steels. These light elements are thought to be distributed in the microstructures in a complicated manner during the heat treatment and creep of these steels. In order to understand the influence of the light elements on the mechanical properties of ferritic heat-resistant steels, a microscopic distribution analysis of the light elements is of importance. In this study, two types of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) methods were used to investigate the measurement conditions for analyzing secondary ions derived from boron and nitrogen in steels. In dynamic SIMS with a quadrupole analyzer, boron in the samples was effectively detected as BO 2 - ions under irradiation with primary O 2 + ions. From the time-of-flight (ToF) SIMS using a focused primary Bi 3 2+ ion beam coupled with the exposure of the sample to a low partial pressure of oxygen, it was suggested that boron is enriched in M 23 C 6 carbides in the steels and it may be, more or less, segregated at prior austenite grain boundaries with a moderate amount of nitrogen during normalizing. It was also demonstrated that nitrogen is precipitated as boron nitride in steels containing an excess amount of boron and nitrogen. The characteristics of the distribution of boron and nitrogen in the steels are discussed on the basis of the thermodynamic properties of these elements in the steels.

In situ measurements of X-ray absorption spectra at an Fe K absorption edge were carried out during the transformation of chloride-containing green rust (GR(Cl)) to oxyhydroxide (that is, lepidocrocite (γ FeOOH)), by oxidation via aqueous solution. Results showed that the Fe K absorption edge in X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectrum shifted toward the higher energy side with increasing oxidation time. The factor analysis of the XANES spectra, using reference data, implied that dissolution of GR(Cl) and precipitation of γ -FeOOH occur simultaneously. The fraction of γ -FeOOH in the suspension increased continuously with increasing oxidation time, in response to the continuous decrease of the fraction of GR(Cl). The results lead us to conclude that GR(Cl) transforms to γ -FeOOH during oxidation under the present experimental conditions.

Herein, we synthesized scorodite particles using ultrasound irradiation in a strong sulfuric acidic solution (pH 0.5) and investigated the scorodite particles' size and morphology. The highest crystallinity of scorodite (96%) was synthesized using 200 kHz ultrasonic treatment, and maximum yield of scorodite was obtained in three conditions: 200, 28 kHz, and stirrer. The oxidant generated through 200 kHz ultrasound irradiation enhanced Fe(II) oxidation in the solution resulting in crystal nuclei formation. The crystal nuclei were transformed to scorodite by oxidation with a supply of solute [Fe(III)] from the solution and ostwald ripening. Clustered scorodite (4 μm in size) was obtained via synthesis using 200 kHz ultrasound (pH 0.5). Arsenic could be separated from the clustered scorodite via alkaline treatment; scorodite was changed to porous γ-Fe2O3 comprising nanosized particles. Porous γ-Fe2O3 was evaluated as a cathode in a lithium-ion battery, which showed a 149 mAh g−1 discharge capacity with a 0.5 C rate.

In this work, the ZnO spherical nanoparticles with a diameter in the range of 10–30 nm have been prepared via mechanochemical oxidation of metallic Zn powders treated in a vibratory ball mill in the presence of air and liquid nitrogen. The as-prepared nanocrystals were characterized by XRD, HR-TEM, FTIR, XPS, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The results show that metallic zinc powder is completely converted to nanocrystalline ZnO within 48 h of cryomilling. The XPS analysis confirms the presence of incorporated nitrogen as well as Zn(OH)2 and carbonate species formed on the reactive structurally-disordered surface shell of the as-prepared nanoparticles. Compared with the pure ZnO, the light absorption by the as-prepared ZnO nanocrystals was shifted to longer wavelengths.

Background As the presence of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) affects the accuracy of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) analysis methods, HbA1c measurement may not be a good indicator for patients with neonatal diabetes mellitus, whereas glycated albumin (GA) may be a good indicator. Objective To investigate whether total glycated hemoglobin (GHb) or HbF-adjusted HbA1c (adj-HbA1c) can act as a glycemic control marker in infants. Subjects and Methods Plasma glucose (PG), GA, HbF, GHb measured using the affinity method, and HbA1c measured using the latex-immunoturbidimetry (LA) or the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods were determined in 26 full-term newborn infants aged 4–234 d. Adj-HbA1c was calculated as HbA1c/(total Hb − HbF). Results GHb, adj-HbA1c measured using the LA and the HPLC methods were 4.8 ± 0.5%, 4.5 ± 0.5%, and 4.7 ± 0.6%, respectively. GA was most positively correlated with PG (r = 0.696, p

We studied an efficient analytical method for detecting brominated aromatic compounds using negative ion chemical ionization (NICI), with well-known quadruple gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC/MS). We utilized 79 and 35 m/z as monitoring ions of brominated compounds and syringe-spiked PCB#209, thus highly selective and sensitive detection was achieved. With 7.0 m long HP-5 GC column, decabromo-diphenyl ether (DBDE), hexabromobenzene, α-hexabromo cyclododecane (α-HBCD), and tetrabromo bisphenol A were utilized as bromine type flame retardants that are generally consumed in industrial commodities. A shorter column provided more efficient results without degradation of DBDE on GC which are usually observed with longer column (30 m). Also, pseudo environmental water samples can be analyzed without authentic pretreatment procedures. Furthermore, we demonstrated analyses for members regulated by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances. Consequently, the newly developed simple NICI-GC/MS method was effectively worked for screening of flame retardants in a short period of time.