Comparative investigation of Al- and Cr-doped TiSiCN coatings

The aim of this work was a comparative investigation of the structure and properties of Al- and Cr-doped TiSiCN coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering of composite TiAlSiCN and TiCrSiCN targets produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis method. Based on X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy data, the Al- and Cr-doped TiSiCN coatings possessed nanocomposite structures (Ti,Al)(C,N)/a-(Si,C) and (Ti,Cr)(C,N)/a-SiC_xN_y/a-C with cubic crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix. To evaluate the thermal stability and oxidation resistance, the coatings were annealed either in vacuum at 1000, 1100, 1200, and 1300 °C or in air at 1000 °C for 1 h. The results obtained show that the hardness of the Al-doped TiSiCN coatings increased from 41 to 46 GPa, reaching maximum at 1000 °C, and then slightly decreased to 38 GPa at 1300 °C. The Cr-doped TiSiCN coatings demonstrated high thermal stability up to 1100 °C with hardness above 34 GPa. Although both Al- and Cr-doped TiSiCN coatings possessed improved oxidation resistance up to 1000 °C, the TiAlSiCN coatings were more oxidation resistant than their TiCrSiCN counterparts. The TiCrSiCN coatings showed better tribological characteristics both at 25 and 700 °C and superior cutting performance compared with the TiAlSiCN coatings.     

Ethanol-induced gastrointestinal damage. Influence of endogenous antioxidant components and gender

This study compared the effects of undiluted and 8% ethanol administered orally on gastrointestinal antioxidant components of male and female rats. Eight percent ethanol increased the activities of duodenal glutathione peroxide (29% in males, 14% in females) and superoxide dismutase in female gastric (24%) and male duodenal (15%) mucosa. This dose of ethanol also increased the glutathione content of gastric mucosa (12% in males, 13% in females). Undiluted ethanol decreased glutathione levels in gastric mucosa (22% in males, 11% in females) and increased glutathione peroxide activity in gastric mucosa (14% in males, 9% in females). Undiluted alcohol also produced decreases in the activity of glutathione reductase in stomach (14% in males, 9% in females) and duodenum (16% in males, 12% in females). Undiluted ethanol caused mucosal damage in the body of the stomach in both genders, accompanied by an increase in luminal pH and fluid accumulation in the stomach; these changes were absent in rats given 8% ethanol. The increase in gastrointestinal antioxidant capacity associated with the administration of 8% ethanol may be a factor in the reported cytoprotective effect of lower doses of ethanol.     

A clinical evaluation of risperidone in the treatment of schizophrenia: a 10-week, open-label, multicenter trial. ARCS Study Group. Assessment of Risperdal in a Clinical Setting

The present investigation was conducted to study the effect of selected processing and storage methods on the concentration of ascorbic acid and beta-carotene in Bathua and fenugreek leaves. Methods included storage of leaves with or without polythene bags for 24 and 48 h in a refrigerator at 5 degrees C; at 30 degrees C in polythene bags; drying (sun and oven); blanching (5, 10, 15 min); open pan and pressure cooking. Ascorbic acid content of fresh leaves was 220.97 to 377.65 mg and beta-carotene content was 19.00 to 24.64 mg/100 g, DW. The percent loss of ascorbic acid ranged from 2.03 to 8.77 and 45.15 to 66.9 while lower losses (0.0 to 1.75 and 1.63 to 2.84) of beta-carotene were observed in leaves stored in the refrigerator and at 30 degrees C, respectively. A markedly greater reduction in ascorbic acid and beta-carotene was observed in dried, blanched and cooked leaves. The study data suggest that storage of leaves in refrigeration, drying in oven, blanching for a short time and cooking in a pressure cooker results in better retention of these two vitamins.     

Serial Mitsuda tests for identification of reactional tuberculoid and reactional borderline leprosy forms

The authors studied the Mitsuda reaction in 37 leprosy patients (18 reactional tuberculoid, 19 reactional borderline cases) and compared the results with clinical findings, histopathology and bacilloscopy. Evaluation of the Mitsuda reaction was carried out on days 30, 60, 90 and 120. Most of the reactional tuberculoid patients showed a Mitsuda reaction of +3 in opposition to the reactional borderline patients who showed only +. Bacilloscopic analysis revealed that in 75% of the reactional tuberculoid cases there were rare or no bacilli; bacilli were present in 95% of the reactional borderline cases. The authors conclude that reactional tuberculoid cases have a greater ability to clear bacilli than reactional borderline cases, and that the Mitsuda reaction is a useful tool for the differentiation between these two types of leprosy.     

Role of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) in the design of neuropsychologic research

Diphenhydramine is generally considered an innocuous drug with a minimal risk for abuse and untoward side effects. We describe children and adolescents with chronic hematologic and oncologic diseases who exhibited drug-seeking behavior or anticholinergic symptoms with the use of diphenhydramine. These cases illustrate that the assumption that this drugs is without significant adverse effects may be unwarranted, especially for children and adolescents with chronic diseases.     

Correlation of genetic instability and apoptosis in the presence of oncogenic Ki-Ras

The product of the ras proto-oncogene has been implicated as an essential signal transducer, involved in a variety of biological or pathological activities, including apoptosis. The aim of this investigation was to further explore the mechanisms of apoptosis triggered by Ras. Stable expression of constitutively-activated (v)-Ki-Ras in Balb/c-3T3 mouse fibroblasts resulted in a loss of G1 arrest in response to treatments which induced cell cycle arrest in the parental Balb/c-3T3 cells, accompanied by decreased expression of the p53 tumor suppressor protein and the GADD45 gene, the product of which is involved in DNA repair, and deregulated expression of the MDM-2 gene, the product of which can regulate p53 expression. Ki-Ras expression also increased the frequency of PALA-selectable CAD gene amplification, and paradoxically the susceptibility to PALA-induced apoptosis. After persistent serum-starvation, cells expressing the activated ras gene lost clonogenic potential, indicating impaired capability for genetic repair in the cells. Taken together, these data suggest that activated Ki-ras may confer genetic instabilty upon cells, possibly through interference with tumor suppressors, such as p53. While this instability may facilitate adaptation to environmental stresses, this instability in the genome also renders cells containing activated ras genes intrinsically more susceptible to programmed cell death, possibly by accumulation of undesirable or lethal genetic events during the process of tumor development.     

A comparison of standardized and narrative letters of recommendation

OBJECTIVE: To compare the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors' (CORD's) standardized letters of recommendation (SLORs) with traditional narrative letters of recommendation (NLORs) with regard to interrater reliability, consistency, and time of interpretation. METHODS: In part I of the study, four members of the residency selection committee each evaluated the same 20 SLORs and 20 NLORs from which all identifying characteristics had been deleted. Using Likert-type scales of the global assessment, each letter was assigned a numeric value from 1 to 7. The interrater reliability was calculated for both types of letters using the Kendall coefficient of concordance. Average time to interpretation of the letters was also determined. In part II, using the same numeric values as in part I, 207 single-author SLOR/NLOR pairs were evaluated to determine whether the global assessment of the SLOR was consistent with that of its partner NLOR. Interpretation of the NLOR was performed blinded to the SLOR. Statistical analysis was calculated using Spearman correlation coefficients. RESULTS: In part I of the study, the interrater reliability of the SLOR was 0.97, as compared with 0.78 for the NLOR. The average time to interpret the global assessment of the SLOR was 16 seconds, vs 90 seconds for the NLOR. In part II of the study, of the 207 SLOR/NLOR pairs, 112 (54%) were assigned the same numeric value, 80 (39%) differed by one, 13 (6%) differed by two, and two (1%) differed by three, for an overall correlation of 0.58. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with NLORs, the CORD SLOR offers better interrater reliability with less interpretation time. Single-author SLOR/NLOR pairs submitted for a single applicant do not correlate well. Residency selection committees must decide whether the added work of interpreting NLORs is beneficial.