Effect of Polymer Inclusion in Preparation of Thick LZO Buffer Layers for YBCO Coated Conductors

In this work,water-based precursor solutions suitable for dip-coating of thick La₂Zr₂O₇（LZO） buffer layers for coated conductors on Ni-5%W substrates with an inclusion of polymeric polyvinyl pyrrolidone were developed.The effect of varying percentage of the polymer addition on the preparation of the deposited films with maximum crack-free thickness was investigated.This novel water-based chemical solution deposition method involving polymers in two different chelate-chemistry compositions revealed the possibility to grow single,crack-free layers with thicknesses ranging from 140 to 280 nm,with good crystallinity and epitaxial growth.The effect of increasing polymer concentrations on the morphology and the structure of the films was studied.The appropriate buffer layer action of the films in preventing Ni diffusion was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Brain Disposition of Antibody-Based Therapeutics: Dogma,Approaches and Perspectives

Due to their high specificity, monoclonal antibodies have been widely investigated for their application in drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) for the treatment of neurological diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. Research in the past few decades has revealed that one of the biggest challenges in the development of antibodies for drug delivery to the CNS is the presence of blood–brain barrier (BBB), which acts to restrict drug delivery and contributes to the limited uptake (0.1–0.2% of injected dose) of circulating antibodies into the brain. This article reviews the various methods currently used for antibody delivery to the CNS at the preclinical stage of development and the underlying mechanisms of BBB penetration. It also describes efforts to improve or modulate the physicochemical and biochemical properties of antibodies (e.g., charge, Fc receptor binding affinity, and target affinity), to adapt their pharmacokinetics (PK), and to influence their distribution and disposition into the brain. Finally, a distinction is made between approaches that seek to modify BBB permeability and those that use a physiological approach or antibody engineering to increase uptake in the CNS. Although there are currently inherent difficulties in developing safe and efficacious antibodies that will cross the BBB, the future prospects of brain-targeted delivery of antibody-based agents are believed to be excellent.     

GaN/AlGaN p-channel inverted heterostructure JFET

A novel GaN/AlGaN p-channel inverted heterostructure junction field-effect transistor (HJFET) with a n/sup +/-type gate is proposed and demonstrated. A new superlattice aided strain compensation techniques was used for fabricating high quality GaN/AlGaN p-n junction. The p-channel HJFET gate leakage current was below 10 nA, and the threshold voltage was 8 V, which is close to that of typical n-channel HFETs. This new HJFET device opens up a way for fabricating nitride based complimentary integrated circuits.     

Damage accumulation in plasma-sprayed zirconia under cyclic loading

The stiffness and hysteretic response due to mechanical and thermo-mechanical cycling have been studied in plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). Mechanical cycling of free-standing cantilevers of YSZ shows that the progressive decrease in stiffness is accompanied by monotonic increase in hysteretic energy dissipation per cycle and a permanent ratcheting displacement of ∼20 nm/cycle. Below a critical stress, it varies from coating to coating, ratcheting accompanied by a slow decrease in stiffness does not lead to failure even after ∼1000 cycles. In contrast, at higher stresses, the rates of ratcheting and decrease in stiffness increase rapidly, leading to the nucleation of macrocracks that lead to fracture failure. Prior thermal cycling of coatings on Inconel substrate up to 700°C, which induced an estimated cyclic thermal stress of ∼35 MPa, led to a pronounced reduction in stiffness and mechanical cycling life. During bending, damage accumulates in the tension side of the cantilever and the volume going through the compression cycle remains relatively undamaged.