Competing pathways of diacylglycerol (DAG) and subsequent TAG synthesis ultimately affect TAG FA composition. The membrane lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the substrate for many FA-modifying enzymes (desaturases, hydroxylases, etc.) and DAG can

be derived from PC for TAG synthesis. The relative proportion of PC-derived DAG versus de novo synthesized DAG utilized for TAG synthesis, and the ability of each pathway to utilize unusual FA substrates, are unknown for most selleckchem oilseed plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana. Through metabolic labeling experiments we demonstrate that the relative flux of de novo DAG into the PC-derived DAG pathway versus direct conversion to TAG is similar to 14/1 in wild-type Arabidopsis. Expression of the Ricinus communis FA hydroxylase reduced the flux of denovo DAG into PC by similar to 70%. Synthesis of TAG directly from de novo DAG did not increase, resulting in lower total synthesis of labeled lipids. Hydroxy-FA containing de novo DAG was rapidly GSK1904529A solubility dmso synthesized, but it was not efficiently accumulated or converted to PC and TAG, and appeared to be in a futile cycle of synthesis and degradation. However, FA hydroxylation on PC and

conversion to DAG allowed some hydroxy-FA to accumulate in sn-2 TAG. Therefore, the flux of DAG through PC represents a major bottleneck for the accumulation of unusual FAs in TAG of transgenic Arabidopsis seeds.”
“Infantile myofibromatosis is a rare mesenchymal disorder that occurs predominantly in infancy and early childhood, in either solitary or multicentric form. It can affect soft tissue, muscle, skeleton, and occasionally, visceral organs. Infantile myofibromatosis without visceral involvement frequently undergoes spontaneous regression. Multicentric infantile myofibromatosis with involvement exclusively of the calvarium is extremely rare.

We report an 8-month-old girl who presented with multifocal calvarial lesions. The child underwent total excision of the temporal mass, and histopathological study gave a diagnosis of infantile myofibromatosis. Serial follow-up by neuroimaging

was obtained at 3, 6, 12, and 24 www.selleckchem.com/products/dinaciclib-sch727965.html months postoperatively. Three months after surgery, a new lesion in the midline of frontal bone was found, and there was partial regression of the occipital lesion. Complete regression of the untreated lesions was shown at 24 months. Illustrated by our patient and literature review, we emphasize the importance of recognition and proper intervention for this rare, nonmalignant disorder.”
“Background Aggressive angiomyxoma is a rare locally aggressive mesenchymal tumor of unknown etiology usually affecting the vulva, perianal region, buttocks or pelvis of reproductive age women.

Material A series of three cases, one each of vaginal, vulval and labial angiomyxoma is being presented.

There were significant decrease in serum sodium concentration and postoperative serum osmolarity in glycine group (B) with negative correlations between the absorptive fluid volume and both serum sodium concentration and serum osmolarity in glycine group (B).

Conclusions:

The use of bipolar resectoscope utilizing 0.9% saline as a distention media is not associated with hyponatremia or hyposmolarity unlike monopolar resectoscope utilizing 1.5% glycine distending media in cases with submucous myoma of considerable

size.”
“The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is crucial for the inhibition of extraneous stimuli, evaluation of aversive information and emotional regulationall behaviors impaired in cocaine addiction. Previous studies selleck chemicals llc suggest that cocaine-addicted subjects have decreased basal activity in the OFC. In this study, we examined regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during a saline infusion in two independent populations of abstinent

cocaine- (and mostly nicotine-) addicted (n = 33 and 26) and healthy control (n = 35 and 20) men and women. Isolated rCBF decreases (P < 0.001) were observed in the left caudolateral OFC, as well as left superior temporal cortex, in cocaine-addicted subjects relative to controls in both cohorts and bilaterally in the combined cohort. An anatomically P005091 concentration defined region of the caudolateral OFC showed similar findings and were evident in both male and female addicted subjects. The reliability of these findings across two cohorts reveals a functional disruption in the lateral OFC,

a brain region implicated in the evaluation of behavior-terminating see more stimuli. This may contribute to an addicted individual’s persistent drug use despite negative consequences.”
e university hospital and comprising of 155 patients scheduled for hysteroscopic myomectomy. They were subjected to bipolar resectoscopic myomectomy utilizing 0.9% saline in group A, and monopolar resectoscopic myomectomy utilizing 1.5% glycine in group B. Perioperative measurements of hemodynamic, hematological, and biochemical changes in all cases were reported. Likewise, intrauterine pressure throughout the different procedures was recorded. Main outcome measures: intraoperative difference with regards to fluid volume and subsequent systemic changes specially osmolarity.

Results:

A significant increase of central venous pressure, end diastolic volume, end diastolic index, stroke volume, stroke index, cardiac output, cardiac index, postoperative prothrombin time and postoperative partial thromboplastin time in both groups with positive correlations between the absorbed fluid volume and these measurements in both groups.

J Appl Polym Sci, 2012″
“Natural refuges can play a fundamental role in protecting species from overexploitation but have not been adequately

quantified in the marine environment. We quantified the effect of a depth refuge on all fish MS-275 molecular weight species in an artisanal coral reef fishery in Zanzibar, Tanzania by comparing changes in fish species richness and relative abundance with depth at five fished and three unfished reefs across the region. Commercial species richness was depleted by 15.1% at shallow depths in fished reefs, but there was no difference between the reefs deeper than seven metres. Non-commercial species were not affected by fishing or depth. Evidence for similar patterns in fish communities in other countries and depth-limitations to artisanal fishing methods imply this effect is widespread. The depth refuge effect could be sustaining coral reef fisheries and should be taken in to account before implementing policies or subsidies that encourage or allow fisheries to exploit deeper waters. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The present review aims to increase the awareness of the gynecologists by analyzing all the case reports which refer to endometriosis presenting either with only ascites or with massive ascites with pleural effusion.

To conduct the present review, the CENTRAL (in the

Cochrane Library, current issue), MEDLINE (Silver Platter, Napabucasin from 1950 to 2010), and EMBASE (from 1950 to 2010) electronic databases were searched. As a result, all the publications based on the keywords relating to the review topic were acquired.

Since the description of first case in 1954, endometriosis-related ascites was reported to occur in a total of 63

women who were aged between 19 and 51 years. Approximately 63.0% of the recruited women for whom ethnicity was specified were of African origin (29 out of 46). Of the 50 subjects with known obstetric history, 41 (82.0%) were nulliparous. Abdominal distention, anorexia/weight loss, abdominal pain, and menometrorrhagia were the most frequently encountered clinical symptoms, whereas pelvic mass was the most common physical finding. The serum concentrations of CA 125 were between 20 and 3,504 IU/ml for 19 women whose CA 125 levels were FK228 chemical structure determined. Pleural effusion was also present in 38.1% of the reviewed subjects (24 out of 63). The clinical features of the women with endometriosis-related ascites and pleural effusion were similar to those of the women who had only endometriosis-related ascites.

Endometriosis-related ascites and/or pleural effusion refers to extensive disease with a high risk for recurrence which usually affects non-Caucasian, nulliparous women of reproductive age and leads to clinical symptoms resembling those of an ovarian malignancy. Therefore, clinicians should consider endometriosis in differential diagnosis of pelvic masses and also include endometriosis in diagnostic workup of ascites or pleural effusion.

Overall 42 children had a baseline weight less than the 10th centile. A total of 37 had uric acid > 10 mg/dl and 55 had a lactate dehydrogenase level > 500; 73 had stage III and 31 had stage IV while only four presented at stage I and 14 at stage II. The abdomen was the commonest site GSK2879552 of disease. A total of 45 patients died; 28 due to infection, nine due to tumor lysis syndrome

and six of uncontrolled disease. All deaths occurred within an average of 35 days from starting treatment. Our 5-year overall survival rate was 68 percent and our event-free survival was 55 percent.

Conclusion:

Late presentation with advanced disease, poor nutritional status and high risk of exposure to infective agents all contribute to the high mortality in patients treated with intensive protocols in resource-poor countries.”
“A AZD1480 giant magnetoelectric (ME) effect is reported in a current-to-voltage (I-to-V) conversion device formed by sandwiching a PZT piezoelectric cymbal

transducer between an NdFeB magnet and a Fe-core solenoid. The observed ME effect results from the direct coupling of the electromagnetically induced attractive-repellent force effect in the magnet-solenoid assembly with the amplified piezoelectric effect in the cymbal transducer. The device exhibits a colossal I-to-V conversion factor (S) of 27.1 V/A with a giant ME coefficient (alpha(V)) of 1.24 V/Oe at a low resonance frequency of 2.33 kHz, besides a large S of 0.74 V/A with a high alpha(V) of 34 mV/Oe in the nonresonance frequency range of 40 Hz-1 kHz. A physical model based on the combination of electromagnetomechanics in the magnet-solenoid assembly and amplified piezoelectricity in the cymbal transducer is present to explain the observed ME effect and the resulting I-to-V conversion in the device. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3372759]“
“Background: Age-related fatty degeneration check details of the bone marrow contributes to delayed fracture-healing and osteoporosis-related fractures in the elderly. The mechanisms underlying this fatty change are unknown,

but they may relate to the level of Wnt signaling within the aged marrow cavity.

Methods: Transgenic mice were used in conjunction with a syngeneic bone-graft model to follow the fates of cells involved in the engraftment. Immunohistochemistry along with quantitative assays were used to evaluate Wnt signaling and adipogenic and osteogenic gene expression in bone grafts from young and aged mice. Liposomal Wnt3a protein (L-Wnt3a) was tested for its ability to restore osteogenic potential to aged bone grafts in critical-size defect models created in mice and in rabbits. Radiography, microquantitative computed tomography (micro-CT) reconstruction, histology, and histomorphometric measurements were used to quantify bone-healing resulting from L-Wnt3a or a control substance (liposomal phosphate-buffered saline solution EL-PBS]).

Insulin treated patients during pregnancy should be informed better for post-partum screening with OGTT. OGTT appears to be a better way of screening to diagnose DM.”
“Functionalization of polypropylene (PP) has been investigated using the high-temperature route. The advantage of the high-temperature functionalization is the introduction of cheaper, long-term stable and environmentally friendly routes for generating surface active groups on PP. In this regard, extensive experimental work was undertaken to investigate Selleckchem FK228 the influence of the high-temperature (40-360 degrees C) treatment, reaction time,

and inert/oxidative gas environments on generation of functional groups on PP. The thermal gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimeter techniques were used to study the changes in the temperature of melting/crystallization and the crystallinity of the treated PP samples. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that the high-temperature treatment under inert/oxidative affects the surface/morphology of PP samples. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was used to examine the surface species formation see more and the stability of functional groups. FTIR results of the thermally treated

PP showed the selective formation of monosubstituted alkenes under inert atmosphere, while the formation of hydroperoxides, carbonyl, lactones, and substituted alkenes stable species was observed under oxidative atmosphere. The changes in the molecular weight of the treated PP under different conditions were evaluated using high-temperature

gel permeation chromatography (HTGPC) technique. The extent of functionalization of PP up to 20% or more could be obtained by using the different oxidation conditions. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123: 1-11, 2012″
“The structural, electrical, and thermal properties of the ferroelectric-semiconductor GSK1838705A TlGaSe2 have been investigated after the thermal annealing of crystals inside the incommensurate (INC) phase for a few hours at the annealing temperature (T-ann). It is found that all outlined physical parameters of TlGaSe2 are significantly modified after the annealing process. Besides the well-known memory effect, thermal annealing within the INC phase leads to previously unknown anomalies of the different physical properties of TlGaSe2 crystals at temperatures quite far from the INC-phase. To explain the experimental results it is supposed that annealing leads to the formation of a new polarized state that influences most of the physical parameters of the crystals. This outstanding feature of the annealing effect in TlGaSe2 crystals allows us to reveal some new phase transitions that take place in TlGaSe2 crystals in the 140-180 K temperature range. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.

Significantly increased B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) expression was noted after treatment with 0.5Gy and 5Gy ITCM (approximately AZD2014 80%), while dose-dependent changes were observed in c-myelocytomatosis (cMyc) (39.48% at 0.5Gy ITCM, 81.28% at 5Gy ITCM) and the terminal differentiation marker uroplakin III (17.88%

at 0.5Gy). Nuclear fragmentation was also significantly increased at both doses of ITCM. Conclusion: These data suggest that the bystander signal produced in a multicellular environment induces complex changes in the ITCM-treated culture, and that these changes are reflective of a coordinated response to maintain integrity throughout the tissue.”
“Objective: To assess the feasibility, safety and results of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in ectopically located kidneys and in patients with musculoskeletal deformities. Patients and Methods: Thirteen such patients underwent PNL between June 2005 and May 2008. Mean stone size was 27.4 mm (16-37 mm). Six patients had severe kyphoscoliosis, 2 patients each had achondroplasia, cross-fused ectopia and pelvic ectopic kidney, and 1 patient had thoracic kidney. All had a preoperative CT scan of the abdomen. Preoperative ultrasound-or CT-guided percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) was done in 10 patients. Three

patients underwent laparoscopic-assisted PNL. All underwent standard PNL. The stone-free rate, complication rate and need for secondary intervention were evaluated. Results: PNL was successfully completed in all. A second ultrasound-guided intraoperative Copanlisib ic50 puncture was required in 2 patients. Re-look PNL was required in 1 patient and the same patient later required shock wave lithotripsy for complete stone clearance. The remaining 12 patients (92.3%) were rendered stone-free in a single sitting. Conclusion: PNL is a feasible and effective modality in selleckchem anomalous kidneys. Preoperative planning with CT and image-guided PCN is helpful in these situations. Laparoscopic-assisted PNL can be safely performed in patients where

access to a renal collecting system by fluoroscopy or image-guided assistance (ultrasound or CT scan) is not possible. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“We report on solution processed, highly light sensitive thin film transistors (TFTs) based on poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-bithiophene) (F8T2). Transistors without heat treatment showed the highest saturation mobility, while devices annealed at 280 degrees C showed the highest drain current. The latter annealed transistors were found to give highly stable and reproducible performance over many light cycles. Measurements were carried out using an inorganic light emitting diode (LED) light source with a peak wavelength of 465 nm and 19 nm bandwidth from 0 to 400 mu W/cm(2) light intensity on TFTs with an F8T2 film thickness of 30 nm. The TFT OFF current was found to increase both with light intensity and gate bias.

43D and vertical: +0.41 +/- 0.37D) or control (horizontal: +0.34 +/- 0.39D and vertical: +0.41 +/- 0.37D) eyes were identified at any time point. Three of the eight treatment MLN4924 purchase eyes demonstrated blurry or reversing streak reflexes during streak retinoscopy evaluation following the application of topical tropicamide 1%.

ConclusionsWhile these reflexes did not significantly influence streak retinoscopy results, their presence may subjectively influence a novice retinoscopist’s ability to obtain accurate results. Therefore, optimal streak retinoscopy results may be

obtained prior to, or 40- to 45-min following the application of topical tropicamide 1%, once near-maximal dilation has been achieved.”
“Aim: The aim of this work was to determine the pathways implicated in the mechanosensing of chondrocytes.

Methods: Rat chondrocytes were cultured in collagen hydrogels of different stiffness (2-20 Pa) in normoxia and hypoxia, in monolayer and embedded inside hydrogels. First, chondrocyte were cultured on hydrogels in the presence of antibodies to block integrins. Second, custom

RT-PCR array plates and western blot were used to detect changes in expression of genes implicated in downstream signalling pathways.

Results: The results allowed us to demonstrate the mechanosensing of chondrocytes for changes in stiffness in the range of Pascals. We also check details identified Non-Muscle Myosin II (NMMII) and integrins alpha 1, beta 1 and beta 3 as participants in the mechanosensing, since their blockade inhibits the sensing of the stiffness, and they are up-regulated in the process. RT-PCR arrays and western blot detected up-regulation of Paxillin, RhoA, Fos, Jun and Sox9. We detected no expression of Src in the monolayer cultures, but we found a role for this protein in 3D. The expression of HIF-1 alpha was not modified under normoxia but was found to participate click here under hypoxia. Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK), showed a direct relationship with the expression of Aggrecan in hypoxia and

an inverse one in normoxia. Finally, immunofluorescence analysis located the expression of factors AP-1, Sox-9 and HIF-1 alpha inside the cell nuclei and RhoA, Src, Paxillin and FAK close to the cytoplasmic membrane.

Conclusions: We determined here some of the genes that are up-regulated during the process of chondrocyte mechanosensing. (C) 2012 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Objectives. The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan continues to generate a large number of complex trauma injuries and provides unique challenges to military anesthetists working in forward field hospitals. We report successful use of ultrasound-guided continuous transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in two Afghan war casualties who sustained major trauma with coagulopathy. The use of bilateral continuous TAP blocks following major thoracoabdominal trauma in a combat environment is unique in the literature.

Design. Case report.

Results.

“
“Halophilic Archaea are adapted to

a life in the extreme conditions and some of them are capable of growth on cellulosic waste as carbon and energy source by producing cellulase enzyme. The production of cellulase using free and immobilized cells of halophilic archaeal strain Haloarcula 2TK2 isolated from Tuzkoy Salt Mine and capable of producing cellulose was studied. The cells were cultured in a liquid medium containing 2.5 M NaCl to obtain the maximum cellulase activity and immobilized on agarose or polyacrylamide or alginate. Optimal salt dependence of free and immobilized cells of Haloarcula 2TK2 was established and the effects of pH and temperature were investigated. Immobilization to Na-alginate enhanced the enzymatic activity of the Haloarchaeal cells when compared to free cells and other polymeric supports. From the results obtained it is reasonable to infer that decomposition find more of plant polymers into simpler end products does occur check details at high salinities and cellulase producing haloarchael cells may be potentially utilized for the treatment of hypersaline waste water to remove cellulose.”
“Appreciably

elevated levels of dextranase from Arthrobacter oxydans (AODex) isolated from sugar-cane farm soil was resulted from the culture on the Luria-Bertani (LB) medium containing 1%(w/v) soluble starch, glycerol, or dextran. The responsible gene (aodex) was cloned, its nucleotide sequence was determined, and expression of the encoded protein was achieved in Escherichia coli. An open reading

frame was composed of 1,863 bp putatively encoding a 68.3 kDa protein. Recombinant A. oxydans dextranase (rAODex) was purified about 16 fold by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity column chromatography; K(m) value for dextran T2000 was 0.85 mg/mL (w/v). AODex treatment of stale sugar cane juice resulted in CX-6258 in vivo a yield of square and light-colored sugar crystals.”
“Phosphoketolases are key enzymes of the phosphoketolase pathway of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria, which include lactobacilli. In heterofermentative lactobacilli xylulose 5-phosphate phosphoketolase (X5PPK) is the main enzyme of the phosphoketolase pathway. However, activity of fructose 6-phosphate phosphoketolase (F6PPK) has always been considered absent in lactic acid bacteria. In this study, the F6PPK activity was detected in 24 porcine wild-type strains of Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus mucosae, but not in the Lactobacillus salivarius or in L. reuteri ATCC strains. The activity of F6PPK increased after treatment of the culture at low-pH and diminished after porcine bile-salts stress conditions in wild-type strains of L. reuteri. Colorimetric quantification at 505 nm allowed to differentiate between microbial strains with low activity and without the activity of F6PPK. Additionally, activity of F6PPK and the X5PPK gene expression levels were evaluated by real time PCR, under stress and nonstress conditions, in 3 L.

“
“Purpose of review

Studies over the last 2 years have added important new information on the relationship between air pollution and asthma incidence and severity.

Recent findings

Outdoor air pollution has been

associated with asthma exacerbations, including emergency department visits and hospitalizations, p38 MAPK assay as well as with the onset of asthma. Possible mechanisms mediating both incidence and severity effects include the induction of oxidative stress, and/or allergic sensitization, as well as increased susceptibility to viral infections. Some of these mechanisms may be occurring in utero including epigenetic changes that may increase risk for development of asthma. Factors related to increased susceptibility for air pollution-related asthma severity include age, season and genetic polymorphisms related to antioxidant enzymes.

Summary

Ambient pollution levels may be associated with both asthma incidence and severity. Susceptibility to air pollution may be higher in children with genetic polymorphisms related to the ‘oxidant stress pathways’. Potential interventions for susceptible children at risk for asthma development and/or severity HDAC inhibitor mechanism include decreased exposure on high air pollution days, especially in the summer months, and antioxidant supplementation. On the

population level, changes in school and home zoning to increase distance from busy roadways may help reduce both asthma incidence and severity.”
“Background: Emerging epidemiological evidence suggest an association between metabolic syndrome and fractures. However,

whether metabolic syndrome is an independent risk or protective factor of fractures remains controversial. Our goal is to provide a quantitative assessment see more of the association between metabolic syndrome and bone fractures by conducting a meta-analysis of observational studies.

Methods: The PubMed and Embase database were searched through to March 2013 to identify studies that met pre-established inclusion criteria. Reference lists of retrieved articles were also reviewed. Summary effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were derived using a fixed or random effects model, depending on the heterogeneity of the included studies.

Results: Eight epidemiologic studies involving 39,938 participants were included in the meta-analysis. In overall analysis, metabolic syndrome was not associated with prevalent fractures [pooled odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% CI 0.84 - 1.03] in cross-sectional studies or incident fractures [pooled relative risk (RR) 0.88, 95% CI 0.37 - 2.12] in prospective cohort studies. No evidence of heterogeneity was found in cross-sectional studies (p = 0.786, I-2 = 0.0%). A substantial heterogeneity was detected in cohort studies (p = 0.001, I-2 = 85.7%). No indication of significant publication bias was found either from Begg’s test or Egger’s test.

The prevalence of high cardiovascular risk was higher in blue-collar than in white-collar occupations.

Conclusions:

A sizeable proportion of workers, especially blue-collar males, are at high cardiovascular risk. Knowledge of this risk for certain workers may serve as a basis for preventive strategies. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.”
“In this study the relationship between language skill and frontotemporal volumes was compared in 69 medically treated subjects C59 Wnt solubility dmso with epilepsy and 34 healthy children, aged 6.1-16.6 years. Also, whether patients with linguistic deficits had abnormal volumes and atypical associations between volumes and language skills in these brain regions was determined. The children underwent language testing and MRI scans at 1.5 T. Brain tissue was segmented and frontotemporal volumes were computed.

Higher mean language scores were significantly associated with larger inferior frontal gyrus, temporal lobe, and posterior superior temporal gyrus gray matter volumes in the epilepsy group and in the children with epilepsy with average language scores. Increased total brain and dorsolateral prefrontal gray and white matter volumes, however, were associated with higher language scores in the www.selleckchem.com/products/azd-1208.html healthy controls. Within the epilepsy group, linguistic deficits were related to smaller anterior superior temporal gyrus gray matter volumes and there was a negative association between language scores and dorsolateral prefrontal gray matter volumes. These findings demonstrate abnormal development of language-related brain regions, and imply differential reorganization of brain regions subserving language in children with epilepsy with normal linguistic skills and in those with impaired language. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“We report on the structural and optical properties of deep ultraviolet emitting AlGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells

(MQWs) grown on (0001) sapphire by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy using two different buffer layer structures, one containing a thin (1 mu m) AlN layer combined with a GaN interlayer and the other a thick (4 mu m) AlN layer. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of both structures showed inclined Y-27632 chemical structure arrays of dislocations running through the AlGaN layers at an angle of similar to 30 degrees, originating at bunched steps at the AlN surface and terminating at bunched steps at the surface of the MQW structure. In all layers, these inclined dislocation arrays are surrounded by AlGaN with a relatively higher Ga content, consistent with plan-view cathodoluminescence maps in which the bunched surface steps are associated with longer emission wavelengths. The structure with the 4 mu m-thick AlN buffer layer had a dislocation density lower by a factor of 2 (at (1.7 + 0.