A modified scratch test for the mechanical characterization of scratch resistance and adhesion of thin hard coatings on soft substrates

The scratch resistance of coatings and the adhesion between coating and substrate are usually determined in model experiments performed with sharp diamond indenters. These common methods as described for example in EN 1071-3 often fail for the combination of hard coatings on soft substrates due to very small critical loads or no detectable failure modes at all. Hence in the industry a lot of highly subjective and provisional test methods are used. On the one hand, quantitative comparability is difficult with common methods since defects already occur at very small loads for ductile and relative soft substrate materials like plastics. On the other hand, wear of the indenter in contact with hard coatings like pure diamond coatings requires its cost-intensive replacement.In this article a macroscopic tribological–mechanical test method is suggested which uses balls of hardened steel as indenters. A wide scope can be applied for both soft and hard coatings and different substrate materials. By variation of the ball-diameter, the normal contact force and the sliding speed different levels of stress and wear can be induced to analyze the tribological and mechanical behavior between body and counterpart as well as the interface of coating and substrate. To determine scratch resistance close to reality as usual scratch conditions on consumer products are better represented by a small ball than a sharp diamond indenter. Another benefit of the presented test method is the cost saving acquisition of the balls for indentation in very high quality as they are standard parts in the ball bearing industry. For every test on very hard coatings a new ball can be used with the possibility to detect the wear both on the base object and the counterpart. The occurring failure modes of coating and substrate also can be compared with comparatively easy numerical models to verify the results. Additionally to the test concept, first results of different coatings will be presented in this paper and compared with the results of common scratch tests.     

Applications of specialized coils for high-resolution MRI on a whole-body scanner

To investigate the application of a mini-coil surface system for high-resolution MRI, 60 volunteers were examined in a 1.5-T whole-body scanner. Two replaceable probe heads were available: a circular 2.5-cm coil and a quadratic 5-cm coil, both of which were placed directly on the skin. The skin layers, Achilles tendon and finger joints were examined with the 2.5-cm coil and a FOV of 25 × 25 mm². A matrix of 256 × 256 pixels resulted in a pixel size of 0.098 × 0.098 mm². For imaging of the carpal tunnel, the 5-cm coil was used in transverse orientation. The FOV was 50 × 50 mm² so that a matrix of 256 × 256 pixels led to a pixel size of 0.195 × 0.195 mm². The resulting spatial resolution permitted visualization of the epidermis, dermis and subcutis, resulting in clear definition of anatomical detail of the musculoskeletal system. MRI measurement of skin-layer thickness did not correlate with histometric data (p<0.05). This discrepancy was due in part to shrinkage of the tumor specimen on histologic preparation. Other causes include the motion artifacts and the limited accuracy of determining thickness on the MRI display unit.     

Peer Reviewed: Understanding Reversed-Phase LC with solid-state NMR

NMR techniques offer a variety of tools for studying bonded-phase structure, surface chemistry and stability, and dynamic behavior.     

Some relationships between skills in word-category recall and factors in adults' aphasia

It has long been recognized that a basic dimension to the lexical organization of the brain is semantic, and some brain mapping studies have indicated that the brain fields are distinctly different from some grammatical classes. Findings from the present investigation showed consistent relationships between 29 aphasic adults' performances on tasks involving graphic and gestural skills and those involving sequential recall of spoken words from different word categories. Each adult received the Porch Index of Communication Abilities which relies upon the physical manipulation of objects to assess verbal, gestural, and graphic abilities. Scores on a test requiring recall of word strings of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, or prepositions were used to predict the subscale scores from the Graphic and Gestural factors of the index. Recall scores for verb and preposition were predictive of the aphasic subjects' performances on the Graphic subscale, and noun and preposition scores were predictors of subjects' scores on the Gestural subscale. The results are related to other research showing that verb and preposition skills are predictive of fine motor abilities of children with communication disorders and brain-mapping studies. Some discussion centers on possible overlapping functions of brain activity involving word categories, language, and fine motor skills.     

Clinical trials on biologics in rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND: Cytokines and T cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Biologic targeting is a novel therapeutic approach. Published trials in humans are discussed in this paper. METHODS: CD4-positive T cells, proinflammatory cytokines like TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6 and gamma-IFN were major targets for therapy. Biologics were constructed of monoclonal human and non-human antibodies, chimerics of both, antiinflammatory regulatory proteins like IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-10, and fusion proteins consisting of receptors and immunoglobulins. RESULTS: More than 2000 humans with RA were exposed to biologics in the last decade. Both, toxic and safe, efficient and non-efficient drugs were tested. Phase II data could not confirm preliminary phase I data in several drugs tested. The pharmacokinetic profile of biologics is influenced by frequent induction of human anti drug antibodies. CONCLUSION: The major role of cytokines in RA has been confirmed. Due to the limited long-term experience immunomodulation does not replace conventional pharmacotherapy.     

Radiation-induced enhanced proliferation of human squamous cancer cells in vitro: a release from inhibition by epidermal growth factor

Ionizing radiation is believed to stimulate the repopulation of squamous carcinoma cells that survive the early portion of a fractionated course of radiotherapy. To characterize any intrinsic radiation-induced adaptive response and to examine whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) influences this response, A431 and 183A cells were irradiated with repeated daily exposures of 0.5-0.75 Gy and then grown in monolayer culture for 7 days with or without EGF at a 1 ng/ml concentration. Cell numbers were quantified using a microtiter dye-reduction assay. EGF alone caused approximately 70% and 30% growth inhibition of human SC A431 and 183A cells, respectively. Although radiation alone did not affect proliferative rates in these conditions, radiation eliminated the EGF-related growth inhibition in both cell lines. This effect was dose dependent in single radiation exposure experiments. Cell cycle analyses indicated that EGF initially promoted entry into S-phase 3 days after treatment but caused a G1-S block after 7 days. Treatment with radiation recruited cells into S-phase and G2-M, an effect which was sustained 7 days after treatment, overriding the influence of EGF. Radiation-induced modulation of the response of human squamous carcinoma cells to EGF in vitro after single and repeated radiation exposures suggests a proliferation response that may underlie enhanced repopulation of tumor clonogens in vivo.