Effect of fatty acid diesters on permeation of anti-inflammatory drugs through rat skin

Four fatty acid diesters (diethyl succinate, diethyl adipate, diethyl sebacate, and diisopropyl adipate) were used to study their enhancement effect on the permeation of four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs: ketoprofen, indomethacin, diclofenac sodium, and ibuprofen) through rat abdominal skin. With the diester pretreatment, drug permeation increased and the lag times decreased. No relationship was observed between the solubilities of the drugs in the diesters and the diester enhancement effects. The enhancement effect decreased with an increase of the drug lipophilicity, but increased with an increase of the lipophilic index of the diester up to about 3.5, after which the enhancement effect decreased or remained constant. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was employed to investigate the biophysical changes in the stratum corneum lipids caused by the diesters. The FTIR results showed that treatment of the skin with diesters did not produce a blue shift in the asymmetric and symmetric C-H stretching peak positions. However, all of the above diesters showed a decrease in peak heights and areas for both asymmetric and symmetric C-H stretching absorbances in comparison with water treatment.

These results suggested that the diesters were more effective for enhancing the penetration of hydrophilic drugs than lipophilic drugs, and the enhancing effect of lipophilic diesters was more effective than that of hydrophilic diesters. The enhancement effects of diesters may be due to their causing lipid extraction in the skin.     

Electrical properties of La-doped SrTiO3 (La: 0.1 to 2.0 at %) single crystals grown by xenon-arc image floating zone method

Lanthanum-doped semiconducting strontium titanate single crystals having various lanthanum contents were grown in an air atmosphere by the xenon-arc image floating zone method. The crystals were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, EPMA analysis and chemical analysis. Each lanthanum was accompanied by a trivalent titanium ion in the grown crystal. The electrical conductivity of these crystals was measured at 20 to 1150° C, and it was found to increase linearly with increasing lanthanum content. The mobility of the charge carrier was estimated from the concentration of trivalent titanium and the conductivities of the crystals. The mobility in the low temperature region agreed with previous studies. However, a significant difference was found at high temperatures. An error in the temperature dependence in the previous study is responsible for this difference. It is stressed that care is necessary in applying the results of single crystalline studies when discussing high-temperature bulk defect chemistry.     

Orientation Control of ZnO Thin Film Prepared by CVD

A series of materials represented by the formula Ni_1;Mo_1–/3O₄, where -1/5 1/3, were prepared by calcination of layered ammonium nickel molybdates having a general formula (NH₄)H_2xNi_3-xO(OH)(MoO₄)₂, where 0 x 3/2. Phase determination using high temperature X-ray diffraction studies showed that the variable stoichiometry of the precursor phase that allowed for Ni/Mo ratios between 0.75 and 1.5 led to the formation of a single phase of the form Ni_1;Mo_1–/3O₄ following calcination. AC impedance spectroscopy was used to investigate the electronic conductivity of the materials. The defect chemistry of these ternary ionic materials was modeled to correlate the electronic conductivity with the structure.     

Magnetic and optical properties of MgAl2O4-(Ni0.5Zn0.5)Fe2O4 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films composed of MgAl₂O₄ and (Ni_0.5Zn_0.5)Fe₂O₄ ([MA(100-x)-NZFx] films) were grown on fused SiO₂ substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the films were polycrystalline, and that their lattice constant varied linearly with composition, indicating the formation of a solid solution. The film with x=60 was paramagnetic and those with x ≥ 70 were ferromagnetic. The films had a transparency above 75% in the visible range, but the transparency decreased with the x value. The optical band gaps were 2.95, 2.55, 2.30 and 1.89 eV for x=20, 40, 60, 80 and 100, respectively. The Faraday rotation angle increased with x in the visible range, and the film with x=70 exhibited a value of 2000 degrees cm^-1 at 570 nm, which is comparable to the rotation angle of Y₃Fe₅O₁₂. Owing to their high transparency, which extends into the visible range, the [MA(100-x)-NZFx] films can be used in novel magneto-optical devices.     

4‐kV 100‐Mbps monolithic isolator on SOI with trench isolation for wideband networks

Two types of monolithic isolator on a silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) with trench isolation have been fabricated. One is a multitrench isolator with polysilicon resistors in which two circuit areas are isolated using thirty‐four 0.4‐µm‐wide trenches on an SOI. The inequality in the voltages applied to the trenches is reduced by using polysilicon resistors parallel to the trenches, which increases the isolation voltage from 2.6 to 4.0 kV. The other is a spiral wide‐trench isolator in which two circuit areas are isolated using two spiral 10‐µm‐wide trenches. Monocrystalline silicon is used as a resistor to reduce the inequality in the trench voltages. Signals are transmitted between the two circuit areas through two series of high‐voltage capacitors: silicon on buried oxide and a third metal are used as electrodes. A network interface large‐scale integration (LSI) with a four‐channel isolator was fabricated using multitrench isolation. It provides 4‐kV isolation and supports 100‐Mbps transmission. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Formation of Varistor Characteristics by the Grain-Boundary Penetration of ZnO-PrOx Liquid into ZnO Ceramics

Penetration of a liquid (ZnO-PrO _x ) into the grain boundaries of sintered, cobalt-doped ZnO pellets resulted in varistors with breakdown voltages per grain boundary in the 1-2 V range and nonlinearity coefficients of 22-37. The varistors were fabricated by spreading a thin layer of Pr₆O₁₁ powder paste on the surface of ZnO pellets and heating to various temperatures (1200°-1400°C) and times (0-60 min). Comparing the varistor properties per grain boundary (e.g., threshold voltage, donor concentration, and barrier height) of liquid penetration to those of conventional method indicated the individual grain boundaries were electrically activated when the samples were heat-treated above liquid-phase formation temperature.     

Levels of dioxins in rice, wheat, soybean, and adzuki bean cultivated in 1999 to 2002 in Japan and estimation of their intake

A total of 369 samples of rice (n = 311), wheat (n = 10), soybean (n = 44), and adzuki bean (n = 4) collected from various locations in Japan between 1999 and 2002 were analyzed for PCDDs, PCDFs (PCDD/Fs) and coplanar PCBs. Sampling points within about 1 km of operational municipal waste incinerators that were considered sources of dioxins were defined as "near-source" areas, and all other sampling points were defined as "general" areas. The toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) values of soybean samples collected from near-source areas were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those from general areas. A significant difference of TEQs among sampling years in rice in general areas was also found. However, the differences could not be explained by the presence or absence of incineration plants in the area surrounding the sampling point or by a temporal decrease of air pollution. The TEQs of the crops varied widely, but the median value of each crop was quite low, at 0.000021, 0.00013, 0.0000095, and 0.00016 pg-TEQ/g wet wt. in rice, wheat, soybean and adzuki bean, respectively. On the basis of these survey results, the daily intake of PCDD/Fs and coplanar PCBs from rice, wheat, soybean, and adzuki bean was calculated. The daily intakes from these crops were estimated to be 0.0056 pg-TEQ/kg B.W./day on the assumption that "not detected" (ND) could be taken as zero, ND = 0, and 0.18 pg-TEQ/kg B.W./day if ND is put equal to 1/2 LOD (half the limit of detection). In comparison with the tolerable daily intake set in Japan for PCDD/Fs and coplanar PCBs (4 pg-TEQ/kg B.W./day), it was considered that the levels of contamination by PCDD/Fs and coplanar PCBs in these crops cultivated in the environment of Japan do not present a problem.     

Low-temperature epitaxial growth of conductive LaNiO3 thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Epitaxial growth of LaNiO₃ (LNO) thin films was successful on CeO₂/YSZ/Si(100), MgO(100) and SrTiO₃ (STO)(100) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at 300 °C, although pulsed laser deposition requires 600 °C to prepare epitaxial LNO films according to the literature. Epitaxial LNO films deposited on CeO₂/YSZ/Si(100) and STO(100) had single orientation of LNO[100]//CeO₂[110]//YSZ[110]//Si[110]) and LNO[100]//STO[100], respectively. On the other hand, epitaxial LNO films deposited on MgO(100) had mixed orientations of LNO[100]//MgO[100] and LNO[100]//MgO[110]. The lattice parameter, composition and resistivity of the LNO thin films were strongly dependent on the substrate temperature. The minimum resistivity of LNO films was approximately 5×10⁻⁶ Ω m, which value almost agrees with the resistivity in the literature. It was found that the temperature to achieve minimum resistivity was 200 °C, irrespective of the type of substrate. The surface of the LNO films was smooth and flat.     

Preparation and thermal decomposition of new pyrochlore Pb2FeWO6.5

A new compound Pb₂FeWO_6.5 having a pyrochlore structure has been synthesized by soaking the powder prepared from coprecipitation at 650 °C for 30 d. Using a conventional solid-state reaction, single-phase Pb₂FeWO_6.5, however, cannot easily be obtained. The coprecipitation technique not only contributes to the completion of reactions, but also lowers the formation temperatures. Enhanced homogeneity and reactivity in coprecipitated powder are considered to accelerate the progress of the reactions. Pb₂FeWO_6.5 is determined to be characteristic of a cubic pyrochlore structure having a lattice parametera _o = 1.0432 nm. This compound exists stably below 700 °C, above which it decomposes to PbFe_2/3W_1/3O₃ and PbWO₄. A drastic change in microstructure is induced after complete decomposition at 860 °C.