X-ray diffraction at the National Ignition Facility.

We report details of an experimental platform implemented at the National Ignition Facility to obtain in situ powder diffraction data from solids dynamically compressed to extreme pressures. Thin samples are sandwiched between tamper layers and ramp compressed using a gradual increase in the drive-laser irradiance. Pressure history in the sample is determined using high-precision velocimetry measurements.

Grain-size-independent plastic flow at ultrahigh pressures and strain rates.

A basic tenet of material science is that the flow stress of a metal increases as its grain size decreases, an effect described by the Hall-Petch relation. This relation is used extensively in material design to optimize the hardness, durability, survivability, and ductility of structural metals. This Letter reports experimental results in a new regime of high pressures and strain rates that challenge this basic tenet of mechanical metallurgy.

Hypocholesterolemic effect of Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing, an edible blue-green alga.

Background: Intake of an edible blue-green alga Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing (N. Commune) has been shown to lower plasma total cholesterol concentration, but the mechanisms behind the hypocholesterolemic effect have not been elucidated.

Repression of proinflammatory gene expression by lipid extract of Nostoc commune var sphaeroides Kützing, a blue-green alga, via inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

We investigated whether lipid extract from a blue-green alga, N commune, modulates proinflammatory gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The cells were incubated with N commune lipid extract (0-100 microg/mL) and subsequently activated by LPS (100 ng/mL).

Lipid extract of Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kutzing, a blue-green alga, inhibits the activation of sterol regulatory element binding proteins in HepG2 cells.

Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing (N. commune), a blue-green alga, has been used as both a food ingredient and in medicine for centuries.