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Successful modification of chitosan (CS) film using magnetic-silica nanocomposite to encapsulate turmeric essential oil (TEO) obtained by super critical CO2 extraction for enhanced preservation of surimi was performed. TEO exhibited antioxidant and antibacterial activities against Bacillus cereus. The core magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were capped with porous silica (Si) to form core-shell nanocomposites, into which TEO was loaded with 75.24% encapsulation efficiency. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized, blended with CS to cast a bionanocomposite active film and characterized for efficient impregnation of bionanocomposite. The physical and mechanical properties of film were significantly improved after adding MNPs/Si/TEO nanocomposite. Uncontrolled release of TEO from CS film resulted in bacterial growth after 6 days of storage whereas bionanocomposites exhibited a sustained release of TEO that controlled the microbial load from 4.0 log CFU/g to 2.78 log CFU/g over 14 days. The overall study demonstrated that the CS/MNPs/Si/TEO bionanocomposite film was efficient as a packaging material for prolonged shelf-life of surimi.

Achatina fulica, which is one of the land snails with high protein content, was decomposed by compressed hot water at various temperatures (100–300 °C) and characterized its physicochemical properties, Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory, and antioxidant activities. The physical properties of water such as an ionic product changed with increasing temperature produced polysaccharides and peptides by decomposition of the cell structure of A. fulica, indicating various physiological activities. The ACE inhibitory activity represented an IC50 value of 5.60 μg/mL at 200 °C; 75.88% of AChE inhibitory activity was determined, and ABTS radical scavenging activity was 311.06 ± 0.00 mM Trolox equivalent/g at 250 °C. This study found that compressed hot water can be used to selective producing of bioactive substances, depending on the temperature of water.

This study was aimed at isolation of pepsin-solubilised collagen (PSC) from Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) bone and skin in order to effectively valorise these abundant wastes. The yield of PSC (8.10%) from skin was considerably higher than that from bone (1.75%). Based on the protein patterns, both PSCs were type Ι, and consisted of two α-chains. Fourier-transform infrared spectra demonstrated that PSCs from the bone and skin exhibited a triple-helical structure. The denaturation temperatures (Td) of the PSCs from bone and skin were 27 and 30 °C, respectively. Low-molecular-weight peptides (

This study aimed to enhance the hydrolytic conversions of conjugated isoflavones to non-conjugated aglycones from soybean byproducts (okara) using subcritical water hydrolysis. Processing parameters for temperature, pressure and solid liquid mixing ratio were set as constant variables following the experimental design performed in our previous study for the optimization of isoflavones extraction and kinetics modeling using subcritical water and response surface methododology. Fixed operating conditions were temperature (T: 150 °C), pressure (P: 4 MPa) and solid liquid ratio (s/l: 20 mg/mL), and the reaction time was the sole control variable. The results revealed that prolonging the reaction time increased the concentrations of genistein and daidzein by 6.5 and 9 fold, respectively. Total phenolic contents increased up to 55%, and the antioxidant activities exhibited a strong correlation with isoflavone aglycones and phenolic contents.

We examine the effect of policy uncertainty on household portfolio choice using the Korea Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS). Policy uncertainty significantly reduces the amount of risky assets in a household’s portfolio on both extensive and intensive margins. Individual heterogeneity is controlled using a risk-tolerance variable. Furthermore, we estimate heterogeneous effects of the policy uncertainty on portfolio choices of households across different levels of income volatility. It turns out that households with higher levels of labor income volatility tend to respond less to aggregate policy uncertainty.

This study aimed to create P. yezoensis hydrolysates, via subcritical water hydrolysis (SWH), which can enhance food functionality. P. yezoensis hydrolysates were produced at (120 to 230) °C and 30 bar. Extraction was performed using hot water and ethanol for comparison. The maximum radical-scavenging activity of DPPH and ABTS was (16.63 ± 0.20) mg trolox/g dried mass and (19.45 ± 0.07) mg trolox/g dried mass, respectively. The total phenolic, protein, and reducing sugar content was (14.29 ± 0.33) mg gallic acid/g dried mass, (20.21 ± 0.27) g BSA/100 g dried mass, and (158.40 ± 2.12) mg glucose/g dried mass, respectively. The total sugar content did not significantly change from 120 °C to 180 °C but decreased at higher temperatures. Free amino acid contents decreased as temperature increased to >120 °C. Results showed that both hot water extraction and ethanol extraction are not superior to SWH.

Penaeus japonicus hydrolysates were produced by hot-compressed water treatment at 100 °C – 200 °C and 30 bar for 10 min. Hydrolysate yield varied from 44.87 ± 1.74% to 88.55 ± 2.15% with the maximum yield obtained at 200 °C. Hydrolysates showed alkaline pH, which incrementally increased with temperature. Protein, phenolic compounds, and Maillard reaction product were 45.76 ± 1.27 g/100 g dried mass, 12.47 ± 0.19 mg trolox/g dried mass, and 4.02 ± 0.01, respectively, in hydrolysates produced at 200 °C. Total and reducing sugar contents were 49.30 ± 0.11 mg/g and 14.18 ± 1.23 mg/g dried mass, respectively, in hydrolysates produced at 200 °C. P. japonicus hydrolysates showed strong free-radical scavenging capacity and DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP activities of 3.08 ± 0.04, 26.74 ± 0.06, and 12.12 ± 0.50 mg TEAC/g dried mass, respectively. The maximum free and total amino acid contents were found in hydrolysates produced at 175 °C; further temperature increment degraded amino acids.

Green extraction methodologies using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO

In this study, chitin was exclusively extracted from shrimp shells (Marsupenaeus japonicas) through a green solvent called deep eutectic solvent (DES), and various types of DES were utilized to extract chitin. The physicochemical properties of the obtained chitin were compared with the conventional method. A high purity of chitin was obtained while using DES-8 (choline chloride-malonic acid) with a yield of 19.41% ± 1.35%, and purity was confirmed using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The DES-produced chitin was utilized to produce chitin films and was compared with standard chitin films. The obtained films were characterized by SEM, AFM, TGA, DSC, FTIR, mechanical properties, moisture sorption, swelling behavior, and biodegradation. The DES film showed similar properties to the standard film, while the mechanical properties, swelling behavior, and biodegradation of the DES chitin films proved to be similar to standard chitin film. These chitin films can be used as wound healing resources.

In this study, polysaccharides from oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) were extracted using subcritical water (SW) from 120 °C to 200 °C. Polysaccharides obtained at the different conditions were used for chemical modification. Results showed that SW at 180 °C recovered the highest amount of polysaccharides (20.35%) and sulfated polysaccharides (PS) obtained in this condition exhibited better anticoagulant activity than other conditions in intrinsic pathway. The degree of substitution of PS was 1.83. The molecular weight of polysaccharides decreased after chemical modification. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the success of modification process with the peaks of sulfite groups seen at 796 cm–1, 1223 cm–1, and 1379 cm–1. In vitro anticoagulant activity showed that PS significantly improved the plasma clot form inhibition activity by intrinsic and extrinsic pathways compared to native polysaccharides. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of PS against two normal cell lines was relatively low. The findings in the present study proposed that sulfated oyster mushroom (P. ostreatus) polysaccharides could be considered an alternative to anticoagulant therapy.

This study investigates the interaction of fish oil-protein and phenolic-rich green tea extract on the physico-chemical quality, lipid oxidation and bacteriostatic properties of different treatments of surimi gel incorporated with fish oil (FO) and Pseuderanthemum palatiferum freeze-dried powder (PFP). The incorporation of 3–6% FO, and 100–200 mg PFP/100 g surimi were investigated. The effect of PFP on the FO-fortified surimi gel had a positive effect on the textural and bio-potential properties. FO-PFP samples showed a higher water-holding capacity than the control gel. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis of the surimi gel confirmed the successful blending of oil-protein and phenolic compounds present in PFP. The antioxidant activity and oxidative stability of PUFA-enriched oil increased with the addition of FO-PFP; moreover, the addition of PFP showed good antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Hence, the combination of small amounts of PFP in oil-emulsified surimi gel could help in obtaining good-quality surimi gel fortified with health-beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids that have antibacterial properties.

Incorporation of algae bioactive compounds in real food systems requires integrated extraction and encapsulation processes to ensure the stability of highly sensitive and perishable compounds of interest. This study presents the spray drying encapsulation of brown seaweed (Saccharina japonica) bioactive compounds obtained by subcritical water extraction using different coating materials. Polysaccharides (dextrin, maltodextrin, lactose, and gum arabic) and proteins (whey protein, gelatin, and sodium caseinate) were studied for S. japonica polyphenolic compounds (PCs) encapsulation efficiency (EE) and retention of antioxidant activities (AAs). Particles were characterized for the content in phenolic compounds, physicochemical properties for moisture content, solubility, bulk and tapped densities, particle size distribution, morphology (SEM), and infrared absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR). Whey protein and gelatin exhibited best EE (87.11% and 86.59%, respectively), and more than two-fold EE in polysaccharides coating materials. Smallest particles were observed in maltodextrin with a Cumulative particle size distribution (D90) of 9.4 μm while D90 was large in protein coating materials with 148.6 μm and 1290.8 μm for whey protein and gelatin, respectively. Lowest bulk and tapped densities were observed in gelatin coated microparticles with 0.10 and 0.17 g/cm3 and highest values in lactose with 0.33 and 0.56 g/cm3. p-Hydroxybenzoic acid (HA) was the most predominant phenolic acid recovered by subcritical water extraction with 23.58 mg/g, and well retained in gelatin coated microparticles (27.99 mg/g). Based on the EE whey protein and gelatin were more suitable for encapsulation of PCs from aqueous S. japonica extracts. The combined use of subcritical water extraction and spray drying encapsulation could be an effective approach toward the recovery and formulation of algae bioactive compounds with potential applications in functional food product development and cosmetics.

The ever-increasing concern about environmental damage caused by plastic waste and its resulting threats on aquatic life has created a greater interest to replace plastics with sustainable and biodegradable alternatives. In this study, packaging film were developed from two abundant wastes, fish skin and spent coffee ground (SCG). The films were produced using gelatin extracted from fish skin impregnated with SCG extracts (SCGE) obtained via subcritical water treatment at different concentrations (0–20 %, w/w). The produced films were characterized for optical, mechanical, thermal, structural, and physical properties. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the films were also evaluated. Solubility in water, moisture content, transmittance, and water vapor permeability of the films decreased as the level of SCGE impregnation increased, whereas surface hydrophobicity and transparency of the film increased with increasing the level of SCGE incorporations. The release of impregnated phenolic compounds from the films into the food simulant was 56.9, 39.8, 34.4, and 30.9 % for films with 5, 10, 15, 20 % SCGE respectively. The films showed high antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity for common food poisoning bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monoscytogen and Escherichia coli. Therefore, results demonstrated the potential of converting wastes into promising active packaging films that can be used in food and other related sectors.

The utilization of sericin should be expanded to increase the availability of silkworm silk. However, the poor mechanical properties and susceptibility to moisture of sericin have continuously restricted its use. In this study, a facile crosslinked sericin film was prepared using a glucose-induced Maillard reaction, and the physicochemical properties and antioxidant functionality of the crosslinking reaction were investigated. The glucose-induced Maillard reaction can be conducted in an environmentally friendly manner through a simple heat treatment of sericin at 90 °C, and the degree of crosslinking can be adjusted by controlling the amount of added glucose. The glucose-induced Maillard reaction improves the mechanical properties of the sericin film, reduces its vulnerability in a moist environment, and provides UV protection and improved antioxidant activity.

The present paper deals with the robust and accurate multi-dimensional limiting process for higher-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) and flux resconstruction or correction procedure via reconstruction (FR/CPR) methods on tetrahedral meshes. MLP, which has been originally developed in finite volume method (FVM), provides an accurate, robust and efficient oscillation-control mechanism in multiple dimensions for linear approximation. This limiting philosophy can be hierarchically extended into higher-order Pn approximation. The resulting algorithm has been developed for both DG and FR/CPR methods mostly on two-dimensional triangular meshes. This method can be efficiently extended and implemented into three-dimensional tetrahedral meshes. Through extensive numerical computations and comparisons, it is demonstrated that the proposed limiting approach yields the required order-of-accuracy and outstanding performances in resolving three-dimensional compressible inviscid and viscous flow features.

Background and Aims Whether or not submucosal injection of a diluted epinephrine solution should be used to lift ampullary tumors during endoscopic snare papillectomy is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of a simple snaring method versus submucosal injection for papillectomy. Methods A prospective multicenter study was performed at 4 tertiary referral centers. Patients with papillary lesions were randomized to undergo either simple snare papillectomy (SSP) or submucosal injection papillectomy (SIP) using 1:10,000 diluted epinephrine. The main outcome measures were complete resection rate and post-papillectomy adverse events. Results A total of 50 patients with biopsy-proven papillary adenomas were enrolled. Complete resection rates in the SSP and SIP groups were 80.8% (21/26) and 50.0% (12/24), respectively ( P = .02). However, tumor persistence at 1 month (15.4% vs 8.3%, P = .62) and recurrence at 12 months (12.0% vs 9.5%, P = .58) did not differ despite initial differences in the prevalence of a positive resection margin. The mean tumor size was 12 mm in the SSP group and 9.29 mm in the SIP group. Post-papillectomy bleeding developed in 42.3% (11/26) and 45.8% (11/24) of patients, respectively ( P = .80). Delayed bleeding (>12 h) occurred in 27.3% (3/11) and 36.4% (4/11) of patients, respectively ( P = .50). Post-procedure pancreatitis occurred in 15.4% (4/26) and 25% (6/24) of patients, respectively ( P = .49). Pancreatitis severity did not differ between the groups, and there were no procedure-related mortalities. Conclusions Although the recurrence rate was similar between the SSP and SIP groups, SIP showed no advantage over SSP in terms of achieving complete resection or decreasing the frequency of post-papillectomy adverse events, such as bleeding. SSP may thus be a simpler and primarily recommendable technique. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02165852.)

The unique profile of upregulated glycosylation in metastatic cancer cells may form the basis for the development of new biomarkers for the targeting and diagnosis of specific cancers. This study introduces a pancreatic cancer cell-derived exosome detection technology, which is based on the specific binding of lectins to distinctive glycan profiles on the surface of exosomes. Lectins with a high and specific affinity for sialic acid or fucose were attached to bifunctional Janus nanoparticles (JNPs), which facilitated interactions with pancreatic cancer cell-derived exosomes in a microfluidic device. Here, we show that pancreatic cancer cell-derived exosomes from two cell lines and plasma samples collected from patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were successfully captured on the lectin-conjugated JNPs with affinities that were comparable to those of CA19-9, a conventional antibody. In addition, exosome detection using our platform could differentiate between metastatic and nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer cells. This study opens the possibility to achieve a new early diagnosis marker based on the glycan properties of pancreatic cancer cell-derived exosomes.

In this study, chemically modified lignin and alginate (Alg) hybrid spherical adsorbents exhibiting highly effective adsorption performance for cationic dyes were simply prepared. Carboxylated lignin (C-Lig) was prepared by simple peracetic acid oxidation. Thereafter, through encapsulation of C-Lig into Alg beads was conducted. As the encapsulated amount of C-Lig increased, a higher methylene blue (MB) removal capacity was observed due to the introduction of carboxylated anions on the surface. The adsorption isotherm of Alg/C-Lig beads followed the Langmuir model and exhibited a high monolayer maximum adsorption capacity (qm) of 613 mg/g due to the driving force which is electrostatic interaction between the cationic dye and the anionic group of C-Lig. According to intraparticle diffusion theory, the adsorption behavior proceeded in surface adsorption and internal diffusion during 6 h of the adsorption process. Desorption of MB molecules was found to occur easily via a change in only the pH condition of the solution, and it was possible to maintain over 80% of stable adsorption efficiency even after 5 repeated adsorption/desorption cycles. The facile fabrication process of the Alg/C-Lig beads and superior MB removal performance imply that the Alg/C-Lig beads show a high possibility to purify dye wastewater especially cationic dye molecules.

A sequential recovery of free amino acids from blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) by subcritical water after deoiling was performed. Hydrolysis temperatures ranged from 120 °C to 240 °C, pressure and reaction time were fixed at 3 MPa and 30 min, respectively. Results showed that hydrolysis efficiency reached 90.65% at 240 °C. Total amino acids in the lyophilized M. edulis powder were 198.75 mg/g and 381.95 mg/g, for essential and non-essential amino acids respectively, and dominated by glutamic acid, aspartic acid, arginine and glycine. The highest amount of free amino acids in the hydrolysates were 11,718.94 mg/L (w/v) at 120 °C. The highest antioxidant activities were observed at 240 °C owing to Maillard reaction and probably new reaction products. However, the best antihypertensive activity and highest total protein value were detected at 180 °C. M. edulis can be valorized as a source of free amino acids by using subcritical water.

In this study, gelatin nanofibers that were stable against hydrolytic degradation environment were prepared via electrospinning of aqueous fish gelatin, an eco-friendly sugar crosslinking agent, and a mild heat treatment crosslinking process. Next, the formation of the Maillard reacted products according to the sugar type and the physicochemical properties and antioxidant functions of the sugar-crosslinked gelatin nanofibers were investigated. The addition of sugar to the gelatin nanofibers increased the Maillard reactivity in the order of sucrose

The present work focuses on astaxanthin (ASX) extraction from shrimp wastes using ultrasound-assisted (UAE) natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDESs) and the utilization of ASX-rich NaDES extracts (ASX-NaDESs) for preparing biodegradable active packaging. The effects of hydrogen bond donor (HBD)/acceptor (HBA) molar ratio, ultrasound amplitude, extraction time for the ASX extraction were observed, and influential parameters were optimized using three-level-factor Box-Behnken design (BBD) with response surface methodology (RSM). The ASX-NaDES extract obtained in the optimum condition (68.98 ± 1.22 μg ASX/g shrimp waste), which was predicted by the model (69.09 μg/g of waste), was further used as plasticizer for chitosan (CS)-based biodegradable films. Films prepared using the ASX-NaDES/CS showed better radical scavenging activities than films prepared using pure NaDES/CS. Thermal stability, optical, and mechanical properties of the prepared films were also observed. ASX extraction using UAE NaDESs and further utilization of the ASX-NaDES extracts in biodegradable films can play an important role in cleaner production.

Introduction Chemo-responsiveness in pancreatic cancer is known to be dependent on fibrosis and vascularity. The purpose of this study was to assess vascular enhancement in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma with or without liver metastasis in computed tomography (CT) and to analyze the correlation between enhancement patterns and chemo-responsiveness. Methods Patients were assigned to either a responder group (partial response or stable disease) or a non-responder group (progressive disease) according to chemo-responsiveness assessed by CT before and after gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. Hounsefield unit (HU) was measured in pancreatic mass and the largest metastatic liver mass using region of interest (ROI). HU differences (ΔHU) between arterial and pre-contrast phase were calculated. Results Of the 101 study subjects, 78(77.2%) were assigned to the pancreas responder group {mean ΔHU (±SD), 36.7(±21.6)} and 23(22.8%) to the pancreas non-responder group {mean ΔHU (±SD), 20.6(±9.9)} (p = 0.001 for ΔHUs). Of the 46 study subjects with liver metastasis, 25(54.3%) were assigned to the liver metastasis responder group {mean ΔHU (±SD), 36.9(±21.0} and 21(45.7%) to the liver metastasis non-responder group {mean ΔHU (±SD), 17.1 (±24.0)}, (p = 0.005 for ΔHUs). Conclusion CT determined mass vascular enhancement patterns may predict chemoresponse in advanced pancreatic cancer.

Hafnium-aluminum zinc oxide (HAZO) films as an active layer of oxide-transistors with different hafnium (Hf) contents were deposited via co-sputtering of separate targets. The effects of the sputtering power during co-sputtering on the structural, optical, electrical, and chemical properties of the HAZO films were examined. As the sputtering power increased, the structure of the HAZO films changed from polycrystalline to amorphous, and the Hf O bonds in the HAZO films increased, but the Zn O bonds decreased. Also, a bottom-gate-type thin-film transistor (TFT) using the HAZO film as its channel layer was fabricated and characterized. The TFTs using HAZO layer at room temperature as channel layer exhibited the device characteristics, such as a field effect mobility of 0.45 cm2/V·s, a threshold voltage of 17.18 V, a subthreshold swing of 0.85 V/decade, an on/off current ratio of 3.68 × 107, and a visible transmittance of 82.7%. It was discovered that the changes of the electrical characteristics of the HAZO TFTs were closely related to the changes of the Zn O/Hf O bonding ratio.

This study demonstrates the characteristics of a hybrid-type transparent electrode for touch screen panels, which was fabricated by coating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on copper (Cu)-meshes. The surface morphologies, visible-range transmittance and reflectance, and chromatic properties, such as yellowness and redness, of the fabricated CNTs-coated Cu mesh electrodes were characterized as functions of their dimensions (line-to-line spacing, line width, and electrode thickness) and compared with those of the Cu-mesh electrodes without coating of CNTs. The experimental results showed that the coating of CNTs substantially reduced the reflectance of the Cu-mesh electrodes and also improved their chromatic properties with their transmittance and sheet resistance only slightly changed, subsequently indicating that the CNTs-coated Cu-mesh electrodes possessed desirable characteristics for touch screen panels.

This study aimed to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, bone mineral density (BMD), and the parameters of bone metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, and their correlation with survival.We retrospectively analysed data of 100 ALS patients who consecutively visited a single referral ALS clinic between January and December 2011. Sex; age and site of symptom onset; and death were recorded. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was dichotomized as10ng/ml and ≥10ng/ml.There was absent relationship between serum 25(OH)D and concentration of bone turnover parameters or between 25(OH)D and BMD. According to the results of the Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test, the survival rates of patients without (≥10ng/ml) and of those with severe vitamin D deficiency (10ng/ml) were not significantly different. Cox regression analysis showed that a poor prognosis was most correlated with older age at onset and bulbar onset after adjustment for all the clinical factors.In conclusion, vitamin D levels were not correlated to other bone markers and survival in a clinic population of ALS patients.

Hierarchical multi-dimensional limiting process (MLP) is improved and extended for flux reconstruction or correction procedure via reconstruction (FR/CPR) on unstructured grids. MLP was originally developed in finite volume method (FVM) and it provides an accurate, robust and efficient oscillation-control mechanism in multiple dimensions for linear reconstruction. This limiting philosophy can be hierarchically extended into higher-order Pn approximation or reconstruction. The resulting algorithm is referred to as the hierarchical MLP and facilitates detailed capture of flow structures while maintaining formal order-of-accuracy in a smooth region and providing accurate non-oscillatory solutions across a discontinuous region. This algorithm was developed within modal DG framework, but it can also be formulated into a nodal framework, most notably the FR/CPR framework. Troubled-cells are detected by applying the MLP concept, and the final accuracy is determined by a projection procedure and the hierarchical MLP limiting step. Extensive numerical analyses and computations, ranging from two-dimensional to three-dimensional fluid systems, have demonstrated that the proposed limiting approach yields outstanding performances in capturing compressible inviscid and viscous flow features.

Background: Hypoxemia can occur during endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) and is probably induced by analgesia and sedation. Moreover, it is difficult to achieve adequate ventilation with a patient in the prone position. To overcome the procedure related hypoxemia, high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) has been recommended to be more effectively help ventilation than conventional low flow oxygen. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of HFNO on desaturation events during ERCP sedation and to identify predictors of desaturation during ERCP. A total of 262 patients received high-flow nasal oxygen during ERCP under sedation. The variables investigated wereas follows: age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)classes, duration of exam, and sedative used for midazolam

In the present study, gelatin-sodium alginate (GSA) based films were integrated with Pseuderanthemum palatiferum (Nees) Radlk. freeze-dried powder (PFP) obtained by subcritical water extraction. The influences of PFP at different concentrations on physical properties and antioxidant activity of GSA based films were investigated. Total phenolic content, antioxidant activity increased with the increase in PFP concentrations. Moisture content (MC) of films was not significantly different, water vapor permeability (WVP) decreased, while water solubility (WS) increased with the growth of PFP concentrations. Regarding mechanical properties, tensile strength (Ts) of GSA based films was improved; however, elongation at break (EAB) decreased when the content of PFP in film-forming solutions increased. GSA based films exhibited good microstructure, thermal resistance, and interaction between gelatin and phenolic compounds. From the obtained results, composite GSA based films blended with PFP can be potentially applied in the food packing to extend food shelf life.

In the present study, astaxanthin (ASX)-enriched oil extracted from Tiger shrimp waste, Peneaus monodon, and Japanese Spanish mackerel, Scomberomous niphonius, skin in concurrent extraction by supercritical carbon dioxide and quality properties of the oil was evaluated. The extraction condition was optimized by response surface methodology to obtain the highest ASX content. There was a close agreement between the ASX content predicted by the model (46.08 α/4g/g oil) and the mean actual experimental value (48.20 ± 0.15 α/4g/g of oil). The global yield of the extraction was 9.27 %, obtaining 47.13 % oil recovery in 2 h of extraction at 27 g/min flow rate of CO2. The oils showed high bio-potential activities with high antioxidant activities and oxidative stability. Moreover, the concurrently extracted oil showed a good balance among saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, the present study revealed the green extraction of special oil from two fish-processing waste materials with a prospective use in cosmetics and food industry.

Background: Successful biliary cannulation is a prerequisite and important component of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but conventional cannulation methods (CCMs) have a post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) rate of 14.1% in patients at high risk for PEP. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of needle-knife fistulotomy (NKF), compared with a CCM, when used for primary biliary access in patients at high risk for developing PEP. Methods: A total of 207 patients with one or more risk factors for PEP were prospectively enrolled. The patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups according to the primary biliary cannulation technique (NKF or CCM). We compared biliary cannulation success rates, cannulation and procedure times, and the incidence of adverse events, including PEP, between the groups. Findings: The mean number of PEP risk factors was similar between the groups (NKF, 2.2 ± 1.0; CCM, 2.2 ± 0.9). PEP occurred in eight patients in the CCM group and in no patients in the NKF group (9.2% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). The rates of other complications did not differ between the groups. The biliary cannulation success rate was higher in the NKF group than in the CCM group (97.9% vs. 89.7%, p = 0.005). The mean cannulation time and total procedure time were longer in the NKF group than in the CCM group. Interpretation: NKF is an effective and safe procedure to gain primary biliary access in patients at high risk for developing PEP. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02916199. Funding Statement: The authors state: "None." Declaration of Interests: The authors state: "None." Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the institutional review boards of each institution (Approval number: 3-2017-0092).

A reactor coolant pump is subjected to various abnormal operating modes, so the pump supplier has to provide all the transient pump characteristics to a user. Complete or homologous pump characteristics are the best forms including transient hydraulic information for an abnormally operating pump. Until now, there has been no consideration in the systematic test procedures to obtain the complete or homologous pump characteristics through a hydraulic test. No further research has been done on the relationships among the constant heads in complete pump characteristics. Likewise, no additional discussion has taken place on the direct transformation of the homologous pump characteristics into the complete pump characteristics. In present paper, a mathematical model is introduced to explain how the constant head curves in the complete pump domain are connected to each other. This means that other constant head curves can be obtained without additional hydraulic testing once a constant head curve is obtained for the full flow rate and speed range. It is also shown that the complete pump characteristics can be obtained from the homologous pump characteristics by another mathematical model. For homologous pump characteristics, even though differently enveloped test matrices that consist of different level sets of flow rate and speed are applied in hydraulic testing, the same homologous pump characteristics are obtained. These results indicate that a low-enveloped test matrix is sufficient to obtain the homologous pump characteristics.

This study demonstrates hybrid-type transparent electrodes for touch screen panels. The hybrid-type electrodes were fabricated by coating silver (Ag) meshes with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Thin Ag films were deposited on glass substrates using the sputtering method, and were then patterned via photolithography to obtain mesh structures with a 10 μm line width and 300 μm line-to-line spacing. The Ag meshes were coated with CNTs using two different methods: spray coating and electrophoretic deposition (EPD). For the samples of Ag meshes with no CNT coating as well as of CNT-coated Ag meshes, the visible-range transmittance and reflectance as well as the surface morphology were characterized and compared. The change in sheet resistance due to long-term exposure to air with an 85 °C temperature and 85% humidity was also measured. The experimental results indicated that the reflectance of the Ag mesh electrodes was substantially reduced by the CNT coating. Especially, the Ag mesh electrodes with EPD-coated CNTs showed excellent properties, such as higher than 80% transmittance, lower than 8% reflectance, and better stability.

Silicon zinc oxide (SZO) thin films were deposited via co-sputtering, while thin-film transistors (TFTfs) with the SZO film as the active layer were fabricated with a bottom gate configuration. Two kinds of post-treatment, furnace annealing and hot pressing, were carried out on the deposited SZO films. The effects of the post-treatment on the crystalline structure, chemical bond, surface roughness, and optical transmittance of the deposited SZO TFTs were analyzed as functions of the post-treatment conditions that were used. It was observed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results that the structure of the SZO film became amorphous and the amount of Si-O bonds in the SZO film drastically increased after low-temperature furnace annealing. The on-off current ratio was 1.35 × 108 for the TFT after furnace annealing (200 °C) and 1.93 × 108 for the TFT after hot-pressing (200 °C, 2 MPa), while that of the as-deposited SZO-TFT was 3.16 × 106. The experiment results showed that the hot pressing method would be preferable because it could improve the electrical characteristics of the SZO-TFTs, yielding similar results from the case where furnace annealing for about 60 min was carried out, in spite of the short process time (about 30 s) of the hot pressing method.

Small ampullary tumors and inflammatory lesions have similar endoscopic findings and are difficult to differentiate. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) can visualize microvessels and mucosal microstructure clearly and is widely used to diagnose early gastric and colon cancer.To evaluate the usefulness of NBI for differentiating ampullary tumors from benign diseases.Retrospective cohort study.Tertiary-care hospital.All 45 patients who had suspicious ampullary lesions (enlarged or protruded morphology) during duodenoscopy and underwent NBI between March 2010 and January 2011.NBI.NBI images were assessed for irregular villous arrangement, irregular villous size, ridge disappearance, demarcation with normal villi, and abnormal microvasculature. Histology of NBI-guided lesion biopsy specimens provided the final diagnoses. Agreement between NBI images and histologic findings was analyzed.Of the 60 ampullary lesions, 11, 26, and 23 were adenocarcinomas, adenomas, and benign inflammatory diseases, respectively. Irregular villous arrangement, irregular villous size, ridge disappearance, demarcation with normal villi, and abnormal microvasculature were observed in 45%, 63%, 50%, 48%, and 58% of the lesions, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that irregular villous arrangement (odds ratio [OR] 15.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.38-64.12; P .001) and abnormal microvasculature (OR 86.63; 95% CI, 14.56-515.41; P .001) were significant independent factors for identifying ampullary adenomas and adenocarcinoma. All tumors had at least one abnormal NBI feature.Retrospective design.The NBI findings of irregular villous arrangement and/or abnormal microvasculature were useful for differentially diagnosing ampullary tumors. NBI may complement the accurate diagnosis of ampullary lesions by white-light imaging.

In this study, the surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates was modified via corona treatment before the deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and the effects of such surface modification on the properties of the CNTs for flexible transparent electrodes were investigated. The changes in the surface roughness, contact angle, and surface energy of the PET substrates due to the corona treatment were characterized in terms of the applied corona energies, PET feeding directions, and treatment times. The higher corona energies, the more frequent treatment times, and the bi-directional treatment produced the larger surface roughness of the PET substrates. The results of the contact angles and the surface energies indicated that the surfaces of the PET substrates became hydrophilic from hydrophobic after the corona treatment. The analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that oxygen polar groups appeared when the PET substrates were corona-treated. In addition, the increase in the CNTs' sheet resistance values due to their repeated outer and inner bending (up to 16,000 times) was found to have been significantly alleviated when the CNTs were deposited on the corona-treated PET substrates. This confirmed that the adhesion of the CNTs was improved after the corona pretreatment of the PET substrates.

Hybrid-type transparent electrodes, which possess the characteristics desirable for flexible touch screen panels, were fabricated by coating PEDOT:PSS [poly (3, 4-ethylene-dioxythio-phene):poly (styrenesulfonate)] films on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via either spin-coating or electrophoretic deposition (EPD). For all the samples including the CNTs and the hybrid electrodes (i.e., PEDOT:PSS-coated CNTs), surface morphologies and cross-sections, sheet resistances, and visible transmittances were characterized as functions of their preparation conditions. Also, to identify the flexible capabilities of the hybrid electrodes, the changes in their sheet resistances due to repetitive bending (up to 30,000 times) were measured and compared with the results measured for the CNTs. In the hybrid-type electrodes, the PEDOT:PSS particles filled up the voids between the tubes in the CNTs, thereby forming a conduction bridge for electron transfer and eventually decreasing the sheet resistance. Furthermore, the PEDOT:PSS layers induced physical gripping of the CNTs to enable them to adhere better to the underlying PET substrates, indicating that the hybrid electrodes were more desirable in flexibility than were the CNTs.

In this study, the effects of substrate pretreatment on the properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are used as flexible transparent electrodes, were investigated. CNTs were deposited on PET (polyethylene terephthalate) substrates using a spray coating method. Prior to the deposition of the CNTs, the PET substrates were corona-treated by varying the feeding directions of the PET substrate and the number of treatments. The variation in the surface morphology and roughness of the PET substrates due to the corona pretreatment were characterized via atomic force microscopy (AFM). The contact angles of the PET substrates were measured using polar and dispersive liquids, and the surface energies were estimated. Also, the sheet resistance of the CNTs deposited on the PET substrates was measured before and after the bending test. The experiment results provided strong evidence that the adhesive forces between the CNTs and the PET substrate can be substantially enhanced by corona pretreatment.

This study demonstrates hybrid-type transparent electrodes based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that possess characteristics desirable for touch screen panels. This has been accomplished by depositing CNTs via spray-coating and then depositing thin conductive polymer (such as PEDOT:PSS) films on the CNTs via spin-coating. For all of the samples such as CNTs, PEDOT:PSS, and hybrid (i.e., PEDOT:PSS-coated CNTs), their surface morphologies, sheet resistances, visible transmittances, and chromatic properties are characterized as functions of their preparation conditions. In the PEDOT:PSS-coated CNTs, the PEDOT:PSS particles fill up the voids between tubes in CNTs, forming a conduction bridge for electron transfer and eventually decreasing the sheet resistance of the hybrid electrode. Also, the hybrid electrode reveals a superior color property compared with that of CNTs or the PEDOT:PSS single electrode due to the complementary color relation between CNTs and PEDOT:PSS. Experimental results show that the fabricated hybrid-type electrodes can simultaneously satisfy the requirements necessary for transparent electrodes of touch screen panels such as the sheet resistance requiring to be lower than 100 Ω/sq, visible transmittance higher than 80%, and yellowness approaching to zero.

Background A reproducible large animal model of bile duct dilation for the preclinical testing of new biliary devices and for training endoscopic biliary intervention is required. Surgical methods are mainly used to produce large animal models of biliary obstruction. Objective To develop an animal model of bile duct dilation using endoscopic methods and to compare the merits of endoclips and detachable snares for the obstruction of major duodenal papillae. Design Proof of concept experimental study. Settings Animal laboratory. Interventions Endoscopic clipping of the major duodenal papilla or closure of the major duodenal papilla with a detachable snare. Main Outcome Measurements Feasibility, efficacy, and safety of endoscopic methods to develop swine models with bile duct dilation were estimated by degree of dilation at the common bile duct (CBD), intrahepatic duct (IHD), and gallbladder (GB). Results All animals survived until the end of the experiment. Clipping of the major duodenal papilla and closure of the major duodenal papilla with a detachable snare were performed successfully in all swine. No technical difficulty or adverse event occurred during the procedures. Biliary dilatations in all animals were observed on cholangiograms (mean Δ% of postprocedural and preprocedural maximum diameters: CBD, 301%; IHD, 223.5%; GB, 34.8%). Degree of bile duct dilation in the snare group tended to be greater (CBD, 367.3%; IHD, 298.3%; GB, 47.8%) than in the endoclip group (CBD, 234.7%; IHD, 148.7%; GB, 21.8%), but this difference was not significant. An analysis of degrees of dilation according to location in the biliary tree showed that the GB was not dilated as well as the CBD or IHD. Limitations Animal model. Conclusion The 2 endoscopic procedures described are effective and safe for creating a swine model of bile duct dilation and could be helpful for training biliary intervention and for endoscopic biliary studies.