Inverse Hall–Petch relation of nanostructured Ni films prepared by electrodeposition

We report the morphology, texture, mechanical properties of Ni films with nanosized grains prepared by electrodeposition as a function of current density. With an increase in current density, the morphology of the nanostructured films was greatly affected and the textures changed from face-centered cubic (1 1 1)- to (2 0 0)-orientation. Consequently, the textural and microstructural alteration exerted strong influence on the hardness of the films, leading to decrease in the hardness (in particular, the inverse Hall–Petch relation) as current density increased, attributed to the distribution of colonies of grain agglomerate and the variation of directional tensile strength.     

Application of a rapid and selective method for the simultaneous determination of carebastine and pseudoephedrine in human plasma by liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry for bioequivalence study in Korean subjects

We describe a simple, rapid and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric method that was developed for the simultaneous determination of carebastine and pseudoephedrine in human plasma using cisapride as an internal standard. Acquisition was performed in multiple‐reaction monitoring mode by monitoring the transitions: m/z 500.43 > 167.09 for carebastine and m/z 166.04 > 147.88 for pseudoephedrine. The devised method involves a simple single‐step liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C₁₈ reversed‐phase chromatographic column at 0.2 mL/min by isocratic elution with 10 mM ammonium formate buffer–acetonitrile (30:70, v/v; adjusted to pH 3.3 with formic acid). The devised method was validated over 0.5–100 ng/mL of carebastine and 5–1000 ng/mL of pseudoephedrine with acceptable accuracy and precision, and was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study involving a single oral dose (10 mg of ebastine plus 120 mg of pseudoephedrine complex) to healthy Korean volunteers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (−)‐Horsfiline

A new efficient and concise enantioselective synthetic method for (?)‐horsfiline is reported. (?)‐Horsfiline could be obtained from diphenylmethyl tert‐butyl malonate in 9 steps (32 %,>99 % ee) by using the enantioselective phase‐transfer catalytic allylation (91 % ee) as the key step. This approach can be applied as a practical route for the large‐scale synthesis of spirooxindole natural products, which enables a systematic investigation of their biological activity to be performed.     

Structural, Raman, and photoluminescence characteristics of ZnO nanowires coated with Al-doped ZnO shell layers

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) shell layers were coated on core ZnO nanowires to fabricate ZnO/AZO core–shell nanowires. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectra confirmed the presence of Al element in the shell layers, and the lattice resolved transmission electron microscopy image revealed that these layers corresponded to the hexagonal ZnO structure. The X-ray diffraction pattern exhibited a shift of the ZnO peaks, suggesting the substitutive incorporation of Al into the ZnO lattice. The A₁(LO) mode line in the Raman spectra was enhanced by the AZO coating. In the photoluminescence measurements, the AZO coating enhanced the intensity ratio of the UV to green emission.     

Phase transformation of guanosine 5′‐monophosphate in drowning‐out crystallization: Comparison of experimental results with mathematical modeling

The phase transformation of Guanosine 5′‐Monophousphate (GMP) in drowning‐out crystallization using a batch system was experimentally monitored and mathematically modeled. The solid (amorphous and crystalline GMP hydrate) and liquid phases of the GMP products were simultaneously monitored using a video microscope, FT‐IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy during the phase transformation. For the modeling, the phase transformation was assumed to occur via the simultaneous dissolution of amorphous GMP and growth of crystalline GMP hydrate in the solution. Based on a comparison of the experimental results and model predictions, both the dissolution and growth of the GMP solids were found to contribute competitively to the phase transformation. When varying the crystallization conditions, in this case the agitation speed and feed concentration, the phase transformation was significantly promoted when increasing the agitation speed, yet independent of the feed concentration. The simple mathematical model used for the GMP phase transformation was quite successful in describing the experimental results. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Hypothalamic primary cilium: A hub for metabolic homeostasis

Obesity is a global health problem that is associated with adverse consequences such as the development of metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and type 2 diabetes. A major cause of obesity is metabolic imbalance, which results from insufficient physical activity and excess energy intake. Understanding the pathogenesis of obesity, as well as other metabolic disorders, is important in the development of methods for prevention and therapy. The coordination of energy balance takes place in the hypothalamus, a major brain region that maintains body homeostasis. The primary cilium is an organelle that has recently received attention because of its role in controlling energy balance in the hypothalamus. Defects in proteins required for ciliary function and formation, both in humans and in mice, have been shown to cause various metabolic disorders. In this review, we provide an overview of the critical functions of primary cilia, particularly in hypothalamic areas, and briefly summarize the studies on the primary roles of cilia in specific neurons relating to metabolic homeostasis.Subject terms: Homeostasis, Hypothalamus