In this study, the effect of the content of MgO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 (MCAS) glass additives on the properties of AlN ceramics is investigated. Dilatometric analysis and isothermal sintering for AlN compacts with MCAS contents varying between 5 and 20 wt% are carried out at temperatures ranging up to 1600℃. The results showed that the shrinkage of the AlN specimens increases with increasing MCAS content, and that full densification can be obtained irrespective of the MCAS content. Moreover, properties of the AlN-MCAS specimens such as microhardness, thermal conductivity, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss are analyzed. Microhardness and thermal conductivity decrease with increasing MCAS content. An acceptable candidate for AlN application is obtained: an AlN-MCAS composite with a thermal conductivity over 70 W/m·K and a dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) below 0.6 × 10−3, with up to 10 wt% MCAS content.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of green tea extract on aluminum-induced damage to phospholipid content in old rat cerebral tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that aluminum is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Forty Sprague-Dawley old male rats weighing 350±10 g were divided into four groups, consisting of a control group (CON), 40 ppm aluminum sulfate group (Al-40), green tea water extract group (GTWE), and 40 ppm aluminum sulfate and green tea water extract groups (Al-40+GTWE) and kept on their respective diets for 12 weeks. In order to discover the influence of aluminum on cerebral tissue of old male rats, the serum aluminum concentration and phospholipid composition were compared between the aluminum-treated group and the normal group. The results showed that the serum aluminum concentration was higher in the aluminum sulfate-treated group than in the normal group. The cerebral tissue phospholipid concentration decreased significantly in the aluminum sulfate treated group as compared to the normal group. The results of this experiment show that increase of aluminum concentration in experimental animals causes the rise of serum aluminum and phospholipid concentrations, phenomena that are very similar to those shown in Alzheimer’s disease., The results of this experiment, together with reports that aluminum is a cause of neurofibrillary tangles in cerebral tissue, therefore demonstrate the possibility that aluminum is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Green tea water extract is also shown to be an effective therapeutic candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.