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For Ag film used for storage media, it is required to have heat-resistant, anti-constant temperature, anti-constant humidity characteristics and corrosion resistance, while the high reflectivity of Al is maintained. An Ag thin film (additive elements Pd, Cu and P) was produced on glass substrates and various heat treatments were conducted. Then, the fine structure on this thin film was observed by AFM, and fine structure evaluation in the inside was carried out by in-plane diffraction and X-ray diffraction. In addition, residual stress analysis was performed. These results were compared and examined, and the fine structure and physical properties in a metallic thin film were evaluated.

In this study, evaluation of residual stress in nano-TiO2 film on ITO glass is carried out. The films with thickness less than 30 nm are prepared by the dual-arcs magnetron sputtering with gas pressure 10 and 20 Pa. The surface microstructure and grain morphology of the nano-TiO2 films are observed by the atomic force microscopy (AFM). In order to accurately evaluate the residual stress in the film, the Young’s modulus of the film is determined by the nanoindentation with three point bending method at first, then the internal residual stress in the film is measured by high energy X-ray diffraction with the synchrotron radiation facility Spring-8. The measured residual stresses of nano-TiO2 films prepared with gas pressure 10 and 20 Pa are -11.6 and -9.1 GPa, respectively. It is shown that the residual stress of TiO2 films decrease with the increasing of gas pressure.

Twenty patients with vertebral osteomyelitis and 18 with tuberculous spondylitis were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging to identify the distinguishing features. The number of vertebral bodies involved was less in vertebral osteomyelitis than in tuberculous spondylitis, and the paravertebral abscesses were smaller. The magnetic resonance intensity of the involved vertebral bodies was more homogeneous in vertebral osteomyelitis than in tuberculous spondylitis. Rim enhancement with Gadolinium-DTPA was less frequent in vertebral osteomyelitis. The differentiation of the two conditions by MRI was helpful in establishing the correct diagnosis of the infection.

The fine structure of the capsule of Staphylococcus aureus Smith diffuse was examined by the technique of freeze-substitution and immunoelectron microscopy. The cell surface was covered with a thick layer consisting of fine fibrous structures which were absent from an unencapsulated strain, Smith compact. Anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with this surface layer but reacted with the surface of strain Smith compact. Anti-capsular antibody, made from the serum of a rabbit immunized with strain Smith diffuse and specific absorption with unencapsulated strain Wood 46, reacted with the fibrous layer of the Smith diffuse strain. Since the anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with the encapsulated strain Smith diffuse, the capsular layer acts as a barrier to penetration of the anti-teichoic acid antibody through the capsular layer. A portion of a few cell surfaces of the encapsulated strain remained accessible to the anti-teichoic acid antibody. The capsular layer in this portion of the cell surface was thin, and this surface seemed to be a new cell wall surface created by the cell separation.

The use of standing radiographs to determine correction angles for high tibial osteotomy is not appropriate because the relative angle of the articular surfaces (condylar-plateau angle) in the weight-bearing knee changes after the osteotomy. This may give unpredictable results postoperatively. We found that the condylar-plateau angle in postoperative standing films is very similar to that seen in non-weight-bearing supine views, and suggest that these latter radiographs be used for pre-operative planning. We describe our early results, using a special osteotomy jig, in 140 knees.