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The present study was performed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of bacteriophages (phages) against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 as a therapy against the ETEC infection in post-weaning pigs. Two groups of post-weaning pigs aged 35 days, eight animals per group, were challenged with 3.0 × 1010 colony forming units of ETEC K88, a third group given the vehicle. The unchallenged group and one challenged group were fed a basal nursery diet for 14 days while the remaining challenged group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 1.0 × 107 plaque forming units of the phage per kg. Average daily gain (ADG), goblet cell density and villous height:crypt depth (VH:CD) ratio in the intestine were less in the challenged group than in the unchallenged group within the animals fed the basal diet (p < 0.05); the reverse was true for rectal temperature, faecal consistency score (FCS), E. coli adhesion score (EAS) in the intestine, serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations and digesta pH in the stomach, caecum and colon. The ETEC infection symptom within the challenged animals was alleviated by the dietary phage supplementation (p < 0.05) in ADG, FCS, EAS in the jejunum, serum TNF-α concentration, digesta pH in the colon, goblet cell density in the ileum and colon and VH:CD ratio in the ileum. Moreover, the infection symptom tended to be alleviated (p < 0.10) by the phage supplementation in rectal temperature, EAS in the ileum and caecum, and VH:CD ratio in the duodenum and jejunum. However, EAS in the colon, digesta pH in the stomach and caecum, and goblet cell density in the jejunum did not change due to the dietary phage. Overall, results indicate that the phage therapy is effective for alleviation of acute ETEC K88 infection in post-weaning pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical coherence tomography cannot easily be used for visual identification of the ganglion cell layer (GCL) for diagnosing retinal diseases owing to the extremely low image contrast between adjacent layers. To solve this problem, the authors used a limit-clipping optimisation method along with the image entropy to enhance the image contrast of targeted layers. As a result, the GCL was successfully extracted using an intelligent tracking system without impacting the segmentation of other retinal layers and image morphology. The segmentation results were evaluated through comparisons with manual segmentation results provided by clinical experts. The results of this study should help realise simple and efficient discrimination of important retinal layers for the early diagnosis of glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in niobium (Nb) attached to Y3Fe5O12 near the superconducting critical temperature ( Tc) of Nb. The SMR vanishes after cooling the sample below Tc, and recovers if the temperature is raised. When a magnetic field larger than the critical field of Nb is applied, the SMR re-emerges with an enhanced magnitude even if the temperature is below Tc. The experimental results demonstrate that the SMR could be completely suppressed by the coupling between superconducting condensation and spin-orbit interaction in superconductors. In addition to the fundamental physics on the charge-spin interactions in superconductors, our work adds a different dimension to superconducting spintronics. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exact blood vessel trees segmented from fundus images provide important information required for screening and following‐up of diabetic retinopathy and age‐related macular degeneration. The trained deep neural network presents an automated prediction of the blood vessels in retinal fundus camera images in the publicly DRIVE database with accuracy up to 0.9533 and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve up to 0.9752, which is better than manual recognition by expert human eyes. A resizing technique is introduced and applied to the multi‐level network combining dropout and spatial‐dropout layers to obtain more generalised training. The proposed model has the potential for the classification of other types of images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Bone marrow cellularity under microscopic examination has a wide range of variation. The number of nucleated cells in a certain volume of bone marrow could represent more accurate cellularity. In this study, we compared the cellularity under the microscope with the nucleated cell counts on the biopsy sections to assess the usefulness of nucleated cell count as a representative cellularity marker. Methods Three hundred and twenty-five bone marrow biopsies were analyzed. Two pathologists determined bone marrow cellularity using digital images with ×100 magnification from biopsy sections. Nucleated cell counts on the digital images with ×100 magnification were determined using automated cell counting software. Results A wide range of variation was observed in the nucleated cell counts among the biopsies with the same cellularity. A good correlation was observed between the cellularity under the microscope (×100 magnification) and the nucleated cell counts ( r = 0.816, P < 0.05). The nucleated cell counts, using the automated cell counting software, had no significant interobserver difference ( F = 0.001, P = 0.972). The intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC) of the nucleated cell count between two observers was 0.952. Conclusion The nucleated cell counts in the bone marrow biopsy could represent the number of residual hematopoietic cells more accurately than the method of cellularity under the microscope. The nucleated cell counts in the bone marrow biopsy could be especially helpful to determine cellularity after initial chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess patient outcome after discontinuation of alfuzosin treatment in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia ( BPH). Methods: This study included 200 BPH patients. Alpha-blockers were discontinued after 12 weeks of treatment when the International Prostatic Symptom Score ( IPSS) was reduced to < 8 points, peak urine flow rate ( Qmax) was increased to ≥ 15 ml/s, the postvoiding residual ( PVR) urine volume was ≤ 100 ml and the patient agreed to discontinue treatment. Urinary symptoms of the patients were assessed at 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after discontinuation of medication, and surveys were performed asking whether patients wanted to restart administration of medication. Results: Of 200 enrolled patients, 142 (71.00%) received 12 weeks of treatment with 10 mg of alfuzosin. The medication was discontinued in 58 of 142 patients (40.85%) because urinary symptoms had improved. Among these patients, follow-up observations were performed for 49 patients up to 24 weeks after treatment discontinued. Of these 49 patients, 28 (57.14%) showed correct urination without a need to restart treatment up to 24 weeks after the medication was discontinued. The discontinuation group demonstrated improved voiding symptoms, including Qmax and PVR, relative to the re-administration group at baseline. Furthermore, the discontinuation group showed a smaller prostate volume than the re-administration group (p = 0.045). Conclusion: When patients with BPH displayed symptomatic improvement upon treatment with alpha-blockers, the improvements were maintained in a select subpopulation of patients without the need to re-administer the alpha-blockers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiong L, Leung HW, Chen XY, Han JH, Leung WH, Soo OY, Lau YL, Wong KS. Autonomic dysfunction in ischemic stroke with carotid stenosis. Acta Neurol Scand: 2012: 126: 122-128. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives - Impaired autonomic function is common in acute ischemic stroke. Previous limited studies have suggested that atherosclerosis may affect the distensibility of the carotid sinus and then impair the cardiovascular autonomic function. This study sought to investigate cardiovascular autonomic function in patients with ischemic stroke with carotid stenosis. Methods - Eighty-five patients with ischemic stroke (58 ones without carotid stenosis and 27 ones with carotid stenosis, average 6 months after stroke onset) and 37 elderly controls were recruited. All performed Ewing's battery autonomic function tests. Results - From Ewing's battery of autonomic function tests, atypical, definite, or severe autonomic dysfunction was identified in 69.0% patients without carotid stenosis and 88.9% with carotid stenosis, with significant difference between the two groups, and the prevalence of autonomic dysfunction in both groups was higher than that in controls (21.6%). Patients with carotid stenosis showed impairment of all parasympathetic tests (all P < 0.05) and one of the sympathetic tests [Mean fall in systolic blood pressure (BP) on standing: P = 0.051], and those without carotid stenosis only showed impairment in two parasympathetic tests (Valsalva ratio: P = 0.014; heart rate response to deep breathing: P < 0.001) in comparison with controls. Patients with carotid stenosis had significantly more impairment than those without carotid stenosis in some autonomic parameters (Valsalva ratio: P < 0.05; mean fall in systolic BP on standing: P < 0.05). Conclusions - Cardiovascular autonomic function is impaired in patients with ischemic stroke, but patients with carotid stenosis show more severely impaired parasympathetic and sympathetic functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 3 figures As one of the genic male sterility (GMS) materials in chili pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.), GMS1 has been used for commercial F1 hybrid seed production. The male sterility of GMS1 is controlled by a recessive nuclear gene, named ms 1. In this study, we developed DNA markers linked to the ms 1 locus using a combination of bulked segregant analysis and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in a segregating sibling population. From the screening of 1024 AFLP primer combinations, the AFLP marker E-AGC/M-GTG (514 bp) was identified as being linked to the ms 1 locus at a distance of about 3 cM. Based on internal sequencing analysis of the E-AGC/M-GTG marker between male fertile and sterile plants, we identified three small deletions with a size of altogether 42 bp in the male-fertile plant and developed a codominant sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker. This SCAR marker may be valuable for marker-assisted breeding in the hybrid seed production system of chili pepper using the GMS1 line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessed using generalised and obesity-specific QOL instruments. Methods: We recruited 456 outpatients [age: 19–81 years, body mass index (BMI): 16.3–36.7 kg/m2] in the primary care division from 12 general hospitals in Korea. HRQOL was measured using EuroQol comprising the health states descriptive system (EQ-5D) and visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) as a general instrument. The Korean Obesity-related QOL scale (KOQOL) composed of six domains was used as a disease-specific QOL instrument. MS was defined on the basis of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria with Korean-specific waist circumference cutoffs (men: 90 cm, women: 85 cm). Results: Subjects with MS displayed significantly higher impairment of EQ-5D and KOQOL. Binary logistic regression analysis of MS patients with controls for age, gender, smoking, alcohol, exercise, education, income, marital status and medication history disclosed odds ratio (OR) values of 2.13 (1.33–3.41) for impaired total KOQOL, 2.07 (1.31–3.27) for impaired physical health, 1.63 (1.03–2.60) for impaired work-related health, 2.42 (1.45–4.04) for impaired routine life, 2.08 (1.27–3.40) for impaired sexual life and 2.56 (1.59–4.11) for diet distress. Among the EQ-5D dimensions, only pain/discomfort displayed a significantly increased OR of 1.60 (1.01–2.56) in MS group. Conclusions: Subjects with MS displayed a significantly impaired HRQOL compared with those without MS. MS and HRQOL were more strongly associated in obesity-specific QOL than in generalised QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical properties of whey protein isolate (WPI) coating solution incorporating ascorbic palmitate (AP) and α-tocopherol (tocopherol) were characterized, and the antioxidant activity of dried WPI coatings against lipid oxidation in roasted peanuts were investigated. The AP and tocopherol were mixed into a 10% (w/w) WPI solution containing 6.7% glycerol. Process 1 (P1) blended an AP and tocopherol mixture directly into the WPI solution using a high-speed homogenizer. Process 2 (P2) used ethanol as a solvent for dissolving AP and tocopherol into the WPI solution. The viscosity and turbidity of the WPI coating solution showed the Newtonian fluid behavior, and 0.25% of critical concentration of AP in WPI solution rheology. After peanuts were coated with WPI solutions, color changes of peanuts were measured during 16 wk of storage at 25 °C, and the oxidation of peanuts was determined by hexanal analysis using solid-phase micro-extraction samplers and GC-MS. Regardless of the presence of antioxidants in the coating layer, the formation of hexanal from the oxidation of peanut lipids was reduced by WPI coatings, which indicates WPI coatings protected the peanuts from oxygen permeation and oxidation. However, the incorporation of antioxidants in the WPI coating layer did not show a significant difference in hexanal production from that of WPI coating treatment without incorporation of antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern and prevalence of hypodontia in the Korean population along with its association with the dental and skeletal polymorphisms. Subjects and materials: The diagnostic materials including casts, panoramic radiographs, and lateral cephalograms of 1622 Korean subjects (611 males, 1011 females) were used to evaluate the pattern and prevalence of hypodontia as well as its association with the congenital absence of the third molar. The changes in the tooth size and skeletal characteristics of the hypodontia group were evaluated using cast/cephalometric analysis and compared with the standard values of normal occlusion in Koreans. Results: The prevalence of hypodontia in Koreans was 11.2%. The mandibular lateral incisor and second premolar were the most frequently absent. Congenital absence of the third molar was observed more frequently in the hypodontia group than in the non-hypodontia group. The prevalence of hypodontia in Class III malocclusion was significantly higher than in Class I or Class II malocclusion. Conclusion: The pattern and prevalence of hypodontia can vary in different ethnic groups. In Koreans, the special features of hypodontia were its association with a higher level of congenital missing third molars and skeletal Class III malocclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea starch films were produced with various plasticizers (glucose, fructose, mannose, sorbitol, and glycerol). Effects of plasticizer content (4.34 to 10.87 mmol/g of dry starch) and storage relative humidity (RH) (11.3% to 75.4%) on moisture content (MC), tensile strength (TS), elongation (E), modulus of elasticity (EM), and water vapor permeability (WVP) were evaluated using response surface methodology. MC was influenced strongly by RH. Glycerol-plasticized films had the highest MC, indicating that water molecules played a more important role in plasticizing starch films. Monosaccharide-plasticized films and polyol-plasticized films had similar TS values. However, monosaccharide-plasticized films had higher E values and lower EM values than polyol-plasticized films, meaning monosaccharides had better efficiency in plasticizing starch films. Recrystallization happened in glucose- and sorbitol-plasticized films when they were stored in high RH. Sorption isotherm studies showed the similar adsorption and desorption profiles for all 3 monosaccharide-plasticized films and a hysteresis. The Flory-Huggius model fitted experimental data best for starch films, while the BET model fitted the data marginally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light information reaches the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) through a subpopulation of retinal ganglion cells that utilize glutamate as a neurotransmitter. A variety of evidence suggests that the release of glutamate then activates N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors within the SCN and triggers a signaling cascade that ultimately leads to phase shifts in the circadian system. In this study, we first sought to explore the role of the NR2B subunit in mediating the effects of light on the circadian system of hamsters and mice. We found that localized microinjection of the NR2B subunit antagonist ifenprodil into the SCN region reduces the magnitude of light-induced phase shifts of the circadian rhythm in wheel-running activity. Next, we found that the NR2B message and levels of phospho-NR2B vary with time of day in SCN tissue using semiquantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. Functionally, we found that blocking the NR2B subunit with ifenprodil significantly reduced the magnitude of NMDA currents recorded in SCN neurons. Ifenprodil also significantly reduced the magnitude of NMDA-induced Ca2+ changes in SCN cells. Together, these results demonstrate that the NR2B subunit is an important component of NMDA receptor-mediated responses within SCN neurons and that this subunit contributes to light-induced phase shifts of the mammalian circadian system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accumulation is closely associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We have investigated the appropriate VAT cut-off values for predicting metabolic risk factors in the Korean population. Methods We assessed 276 men and 540 women aged 17–69 years who were undergoing regular health examinations. Anthropometry, metabolic risk factors and VAT area determined by computed tomography were measured. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to define VAT cut-off points for metabolic risk factors. Results Based on the first quintile of VAT, the odds ratios for having metabolic risk factors increased significantly with each VAT quintile in both men and women. Using ROC analysis, the appropriate VAT cut-offs for metabolic risk factors were 100 cm2 in men and 70 cm2 in women. Regression lines indicated that, in men, a VAT of 100 cm2 corresponded to a waist circumference of 88.1 cm and a body mass index (BMI) of 24.9 kg/m2; in women, a VAT of 70 cm2 corresponded to a waist circumference of 84.0 cm and a BMI of 25.1 kg/m2. Conclusion VAT cut-offs of 100 cm2 in men and 70 cm2 in women are useful for defining visceral obesity in Korean subjects. These VAT cut-offs were validated by the ethnic-specific cut-offs for waist circumference and BMI for Korean individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major international health problem. Limited information is available about the prevalence of MetS in Asia, especially in Korea. Objective: To examine the prevalence and trends of MetS in a Korean population. In addition, we investigated the risk factors associated with MetS. Design and Participants: A total of 7445 participants aged ≥20 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHNS) 1998 and 5964 participants from the KNHNS 2001 were included in this analysis. The KNHNS is a cross-sectional health survey of a nationally representative sample of the Korean population. The prevalence of MetS was determined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and the Asia-Pacific criteria for obesity based on waist circumference (APC-WC). Results: Using the ATP III criteria, the age-adjusted prevalence of MetS among Korean adults was 15.7% (13.7% male, 17.8% female) in 1998 and 14.4% (13.0% male, 16.2% female) in 2001. Using the APC-WC criteria, the prevalence was 21.6% (19.4% male, 23.9% female) in 1998 and 21.4% (20.1% male, 23.4% female) in 2001. Of the five MetS components, increasing trends were found between 1998 and 2001 in the prevalence of hypertriglyceridaemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and central obesity for both men and women. Age, sex, body mass index and a family history of diabetes were associated with MetS. Conclusions: These results from a representative sample show that MetS is common in Korean adults. A systemic public health programme is required to prevent future increases in diabetes and cardiovascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which characterized the plasticizing efficiency of plasticizers such as monosaccharides and polyols in high-amylose starch films. The researchers determined the microstructure, attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) characteristics, and moisture content, among others. Some swollen starch granules and their remnants were found in the film. Monosaccharides were determined as effective plasticizers for starch film.

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the clinical characteristics of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in Korea over the last two decades.A retrospective medical record review of all episodes of DKA from 1982 to 2002 in four University-affiliated urban hospitals in Korea was performed. A total of 255 episodes of DKA (217 patients) were identified and divided into three consecutive 7-year periods to compare trends over time. Clinical characteristics including precipitating factors and hospital mortality were analyzed.A dramatic increase in DKA admissions has occurred over the last two decades, accompanied by a marked increase in admissions of diabetic patients. The clinical characteristics of DKA remained constant over the observation period. Non-compliance to treatment was the most common precipitating factor of DKA. A total of 30 patients died in hospital (11.8% of all episodes). Older age and infection appeared to influence mortality.Our results suggest that rapidly increasing episodes of DKA in Korea, in parallel with increases in the numbers of diabetic patients, continue to be associated with significant mortality.Diabet. Med. 22, 466–469 (2005) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite element analyses were performed for various shapes of dental implant to study effects on stress distribution generated in the surrounding jaw bone and to determine an optimal thread shape for even stress distribution. It was found that the square thread shape filleted with a small radius was more effective on stress distribution than other dental implants used in the analyses. Additional analyses were performed on the implant with the thread shape obtained from previous analyses for varying other design parameters, such as the width of thread end and height of thread for various load directions, to determine the optimal dimensions of the implant. Stress distribution was more effective in the case when the width of thread end and the height of thread were 0·5p and 0·46p , respectively, where p is the screw pitch. Then, using the optimal implant thread dimensions determined previously, stress analyses were performed with various screw pitches and implant lengths, to investigate effects on stress distribution and to find the way to reduce the maximum effective stress generated in the jaw bone. Results show that the maximum effective stress decreased not only as screw pitch decreased gradually but also as implant length increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosvitin, an iron-chelating protein, was tested for its ability to inhibit lipid oxidation in phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes and meats. Inhibition of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation increased with increasing phosvitin concentrations with maximal inhibition occurring at 40 and 15 mM in PC liposomes and pork muscle homogenates, respectively. Phosvitin lost only 2 to 15% of its antioxidant activity after being heated for 10 rain at 60 to 100 °C. The ability of phosvitin to inhibit TBARS formation was maximal at pH 7.0. Phosvitin was a more effective antioxidant in cooked ground pork with 20 nM inhibiting 11 to 39% of oxidation compared with 0 to 20% inhibition in uncooked, salted ground pork containing 60 mM phosvitin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whey-protein-isolate coating on paper produced a smooth surface, which was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Increasing coating weight decreased the breaking stress and the Young's modulus. However, the maximum breaking strain was not affected by coating weight. Tearing strength was not changed by WPI coating. The coated paper was slightly darkened with a small reduction of L value, but the a and b values were not changed significantly. WPI coating made the coated paper slightly shiny with increased gloss. Thus, with the exception of about 12% reduction in breaking stress for 10 g/m² coated paper, WPI coating did not change the mechanical and optical properties of the paper markedly. WPI coating significantly reduced the rate of oil contact angle decrease on paper associated with off absorption by paper. Therefore, WPI coating improves packaging material performance of paper by increasing oil resistance without significant change of optical and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developed is a new form of ball lens onto the tip of an optical fibre for endoscopic imaging and its feasibility is evaluated. This miniaturised fibre‐optic imaging probe extends its working distance without inserting a physical spacer between the cleaved fibre and the microlens as done in conventional probes. The experiment was analysed and showed that the results concur with the simulation results. Finally, this optical probe was tested with a spectral domain optical coherence tomography and the images of thin layers of the phantom specimen are taken for comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea starch, which has inherently good gel strength, was used as the source material for manufacturing a biodegradable and bioactive packaging material. Extrudates containing 99% pea starch and 1% lysozyme were produced under various extrusion conditions (high and low shear screw configurations, 30% to 40% moisture contents, 70 to 150 °C die temperatures). The physical and mechanical properties of the extrudates were determined through various expansion indices, piece and cell wall solid density, compression, and 3-point bending tests. The expansion of extrudates increased with an increase in die temperature, whereas increasing moisture content had the opposite effect. Extrudate densities decreased as extrusion temperature increased, whereas lower moisture content in the extrudate dough decreased extrudate densities. The elastic modulus and fracture strengths were highly correlated in a power-law fashion to relative density, showing that the mechanical properties of extrudates were dependent on solid density and foam structure. Up to 48% of the initial lysozyme activity was recovered from the extruded pea starch matrix. The lysozyme released from extrudates showed an inhibition zone against Brochotrix thermosphacta B2. Extruded pea starch matrix containing lysozyme has potential application as an edible and biodegradable packaging material with antimicrobial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidants (ascorbyl palmitate and α-tocopherol) were incorporated into 10% (w/w) whey protein isolate (WPI) coating solution containing 6.67% (w/w) glycerol (WPI:glycerol = 6:4). Before incorporation, the antioxidants were mixed using either powder blending (Process 1) or ethanol solvent-mixing (Process 2). After the antioxidant mixtures were incorporated into heat-denatured WPI solution, viscosity and turbidity of the WPI solutions were determined. The WPI solutions were dried on a flat surface to produce WPI films. The WPI films were examined to determine transparency and oxygen-barrier properties (permeability, diffusivity, and solubility). WPI solution containing antioxidants produced by Process 1 and Process 2 did not show any difference in viscosity and turbidity, but viscosity was greater for the WPI solution with rather than without antioxidants. WPI films produced by Process 2 were more transparent than the films produced by Process 1. Oxygen permeability of Process 1 film was lower than Process 2 film. However, both the diffusivity and solubility of oxygen were statistically the same in Process 1 and Process 2 films. Both control WPI films and antioxidant-containing WPI films had very low oxygen solubility, comparable to polyethylene terephthalate films. Permeability of antioxidant-incorporated films was not enhanced compared to control WPI films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible starch films were produced from pea starch and various plasticizers (mannose, glucose, fructose, and glycerol and sorbitol) at the ratio of 4.34, 6.50, 8.69, and 10.87 mmol plasticizer per gram of starch. After film specimens were conditioned at 50% relative humidity, mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation, and modulus of elasticity), water vapor permeability (WVP), moisture content, and thermomechanical properties (G' and tanδ) were determined as a function of plasticizer concentration. At all concentration levels, monosaccharides (mannose, glucose, and fructose) made the starch films stronger (higher tensile strength) and more stretchable than polyols (glycerol and sorbitol), while WVP of monosaccharide-plasticized starch films were lower than those of polyol-plasticized starch films, especially at higher plasticizer concentration levels. Except for 4.34 mmol/g of mannose-plasticized film, all the other films showed similar modulus of elasticity at the same plasticizer concentration. Polyol-plasticized films had lower Tg than the monosaccharide-plasticized films. Glucose- and sorbitol-plasticized films needed more activation energy to go through glass transition than others. After all, research results showed that not only the polyols but also the monosaccharides were effective in plasticizing starch films. It is concluded that molecular size, configuration, total number of functional hydroxyl group of the plasticizer as well as its compatibility of the plasticizers with the polymer could affect the interactions between the plasticizers and starch molecules, and consequently the effectiveness of plasticization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hot-flow model incinerator was constructed to simulate the combustion chamber of mass-burn municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator. Experiments using the reduced scale simplified model were designed to reproduce the physical processes. The current study focuses on the gas phase mixing and the subsequent oxidative destruction of incomplete combustion products. Excessive carbon monoxide is generated by operating the gas burner under fuel-rich conditions, and is supplied into the furnace chamber as a hot gas stream, where fresh air is provided bythe secondary air injection. Mixing is quantified by measuring the local gas concentrations (CO and O2) and temperatures sincethe destruction rate of CO is controlled by oxygen availability and chemical kinetic rates. The degree of mixing is monitored while the design alternatives of the secondary air injection pattern are systematically adjusted. This effect of the secondary air injection schemes on the degree of mixing are observed, and the measurements of temperature fluctuation with fine-wire thermocouples are performed for the quantitative evaluation of mixing. The results agree well with the plausible scenario of mixing and provide a better understanding of the mixing process. The hot flow accompanying chemical reactions in the model incinerator is also analysed numerically using the computational fluid dynamics codes to bolster the understanding of the experimentalresults. The modelling results compare reasonably well with experimental data. This comparison helps to cross-check the results. ) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Breslow depth is an important parameter to determine the excision margin and prognosis of melanoma. However, it is difficult to accurately determine the actual Breslow depth before surgery using the existing ocular micrometer and biopsy technique., Objectives: To evaluate the use of 3D wide-field multispectral photoacoustic imaging to non-invasively measure depth and outline the boundary of melanomas for optimal surgical margin selection., Methods: Six melanoma patients were examined in vivo using the 3D multispectral photoacoustic imaging system. For five cases of melanomas (one in situ, three nodular, and one acral lentiginous type melanoma), the spectrally unmixed photoacoustic depths were calculated and compared against histopathological depths., Results: Spectrally unmixed photoacoustic depths and histopathological depths match well within a mean absolute error of 0.36 mm. In particular, the measured minimum and maximum depths in the in situ and nodular type of melanoma were 0.6 and 9.1 mm, respectively. In the 3D photoacoustic image of one metastatic melanoma, feeding vessels were visualized in the melanoma, suggesting the neovascularization around the tumour., Conclusions: The 3D multispectral photoacoustic imaging not only provides well-measured depth and sizes of various types of melanomas, it also visualizes the metastatic type of melanoma. Obtaining accurate depth and boundary information of melanoma before surgery would play a useful role in the complete excision of melanoma during surgery., (© 2020 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)