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Meir Mizrahi,1 Yehudit Shabat,1 Ami Ben Ya'acov,1 Gadi Lalazar,1 Tomer Adar,1 Victor Wong,2 Brian Muller,2 Grant Rawlin,2 Yaron Ilan11Liver Unit, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel; 2Immuron Limited, North Melbourne, AustraliaBackground: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is considered to be part of the nonalcoholic fatty liver disorders and its incidence is increasing. Imm124-E (Immuron Ltd, Melbourne, Australia), containing hyperimmune bovine colostrum, has been shown to exert an immunomodulatory effect and to alleviate target organ damage in animal models of NASH. The aim of our study was to determine the safety and efficacy of oral administration of Imm124-E to patients with insulin resistance and NASH.Methods: In an open-label trial, ten patients with biopsy-proven NASH and insulin resistance were orally treated with Imm124-E for 30 days.Results: Oral administration of Imm124-E was safe, and no side effects were noted. Alleviation of insulin resistance was reflected by significantly improved hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values in all ten treated patients. For between five and eight responders, the following effects were noted: a decrease in fasting glucose levels; improved oral glucose tolerance test (OGGT) and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA) scores; and alleviation in lipid profile. These effects were accompanied by increased serum levels of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), adiponectin and T regulatory cells.Conclusion: Hyperimmune colostrum alleviates NASH.Keywords: NASH, anti-LPS, diabetes, adipokines, regulatory T cells

We report a magnetic study on nanostructured (Fe79Mn21)1-xCux (0.00⩽x⩽0.30) alloys using static magnetic measurements. The alloys are mainly composed by an antiferromagnetic fcc phase and a disordered region that displays a spin-glass-like behavior. The interplay between the antiferromagnetic and magnetically disordered phases establishes an exchange anisotropy that gives rise to a loop shift at temperatures below the freezing temperature of moments belonging to the disordered region. The loop shift is more noticeable as the Cu content increases, which also enhances the spin-glass-like features. Further, in the x=0.30 alloy the alignment imposed by applied magnetic fields higher than 4 kOe prevail over the configuration determined by the frustration mechanism that characterizes the spin glass-like phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, hyperfine, and magnetic properties of mechanically milled alloys of (Fe79Mn21)1-xCux (x from 0.00 to 0.30) have been characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS), Mössbauer spectroscopy, and ac susceptibility measurements. XRD and EXAFS results indicated that Cu addition favored the formation of a Fe–Mn–Cu random solid solution with fcc structure. The lattice parameter exhibited linear dependence on the Cu content, which is compatible with the larger atomic radii of the Cu atoms when compared with the Mn or the Fe ones. The dependence of Mössbauer hyperfine parameters on the Cu content at room temperature is coherent with the formation of a ternary phase. The ac susceptibility curves jointly with the Mössbauer results are representative of a spin-glass-like system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several techniques are employed simultaneously to explain the structure, magnetic properties and the spin glass behavior of the mechanically alloyed fcc-[([Fe.sub.79][Mn.sub.21]).sub.1?x][Cu.sub.x] (0.00

A high sensitivity rounded bow-tie antenna was optimized based on electromagnetic simulations. The bicrystal Josephson junction detector with a thin layer of YBCO was located exactly at the bicrystal misorientation point at the center of the antenna. The Au antenna was fabricated on an (100) MgO bicrystal substrate. In the presence of 200 GHz RF radiation, a noise equivalent power (NEP) of around 6×10−12 W Hz−1/2 was measured, with a voltage sensitivity, , of 30 dB with the detector at 60 K. Even though no coupling lens was used, these results are as good as those reported in systems in which the impinging radiation was focused with lenses over the detectors. Thus, important simplification of the system was obtained without loss of sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming to improve the hydrogen storage properties of 2LiH + MgB2 (Li-RHC), the effect of TiO2 addition to Li-RHC is investigated. The presence of TiO2 leads to the in situ formation of core–shell LixTiO2 nanoparticles during milling and upon heating. These nanoparticles markedly enhance the hydrogen storage properties of Li-RHC. Throughout hydrogenation–dehydrogenation cycling at 400 °C a 1 mol% TiO2 doped Li-RHC material shows sustainable hydrogen capacity of ∼10 wt% and short hydrogenation and dehydrogenation times of just 25 and 50 minutes, respectively. The in situ formed core–shell LixTiO2 nanoparticles confer proper microstructural refinement to the Li-RHC, thus preventing the material's agglomeration upon cycling. An analysis of the kinetic mechanisms shows that the presence of the core–shell LixTiO2 nanoparticles accelerates the one-dimensional interface-controlled mechanism during hydrogenation owing to the high Li+ mobility through the LixTiO2 lattice. Upon dehydrogenation, the in situ formed core–shell LixTiO2 nanoparticles do not modify the dehydrogenation thermodynamic properties of the Li-RHC itself. A new approach by the combination of two kinetic models evidences that the activation energy of both MgH2 decomposition and MgB2 formation is reduced. These improvements are due to a novel catalytic mechanism via Li+ source/sink reversible reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for communication systems requires multi-channel solutions. However, the number of antennas in communication systems is dictated by the number of channels in each system which is limited by the available space on a broadcasting platform and by the limited available resources. We have developed a Multi-Channel Phase Control coupler in the VHF frequency range enabling a reduction in the number of antennas to a third of the original setup. The system is based on a phase shifter in a meander stripline geometry connected to each channel individually. The channels are then phase matched simultaneously to a single antenna through a computer-controlled capacitor bank connected to each phase shifter. The system performance shows a low insertion loss of 0.5 dB and a low return loss of −15 dB for the multi-channel setup. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]