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The combined effect of active shielding packaging and relative phase sweeping on heating performance in a dual-port solid-state microwave heating process was evaluated. Four types of heating strategies that combine two factors (passive and active packaging and fixed and sweeping relative phase) were used in heating a tray of 300 g gellan gel sample for 3 min. The temperature distributions at the top and middle layers of the heated samples were collected and analyzed for heating uniformity index (HUI) and power absorption efficiency (PAE). The results showed that both active shielding package and relative phase sweeping can individually improve the HUI while maintaining high PAE. The packaging factor and relative phase factor showed a significant interaction effect (p = 0.0021) in influencing HUI but not PAE, highlighting the necessity of considering both factors (packaging and relative phase) when optimizing the microwave heating uniformity. The combination of active packaging and sweeping relative phase is a robust heating strategy that delivers the best heating performance that is significantly better than or similar to other combinations of packaging and relative phase strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of microwave power levels on the drying attributes of Jaya fish (Aspidoparia jaya) in a microwave dryer was investigated in this study. Microwave power levels of 100, 180, 300, and 450 W were used to dry 50 g of fish samples, and the drying kinetics were evaluated. Higher microwave power levels resulted in faster drying when increased from 100 to 450 W. The moisture ratio of fish during drying was calculated, and the data obtained were applied to 5 well known thin-layer mathematical models of drying, namely Approximate diffusion, Modified Henderson and Pabis, Two-Term, Logarithmic, and Midilli et al. model. Model constants and coefficients were calculated by nonlinear regression techniques. All the models were validated using statistical parameters namely; Coefficient of determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Chi-square (χ2), and Standard Sum of Error (SSE). The Midilli et al. model gave an excellent fit to the experimental data of all the models evaluated. The effective diffusivity was calculated using Fick's diffusion equation, and the value varied from 1.40 × 10−9 to 1.08 × 10−8 m2/s. The activation energy and the diffusivity constant were found to be 4.656W/g and 1.22 × 10−8 m2/s, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human anatomy education serves as a gateway for entering the intricacies of health science. Human cadavers have been the gold standard for learning regional and gross anatomy. However, increasing barriers in acquisition, maintenance, and longevity have pushed anatomy education toward technology-based alternatives such as the Anatomage Table (AT), an interactive, life-sized virtual dissection table with many anatomy education-centric features. The AT has found purchase in various contexts, such as clinical settings, research, outreach, and education. Studies into the efficacy of the AT in teaching settings have been generally positive but limited in its application, particularly in clinical procedure education. In this study, we conducted an informal workshop for second-year Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) students to aid in being able to identify the important neuraxial landmarks for performing peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs), an anesthetic technique often used before other procedures. In our workshop, we paired the AT with identification of the same neuraxial landmarks on volunteer models with an ultrasound probe to provide students with relevant tactile experience for the procedure. From our pre-/post-surveys of the participants ( n = 29), we found that our workshop significantly increased student confidence in identifying the relevant neuraxial landmarks for and in performing PNBs. Our results support the use of the AT in clinical education as a supplement, particularly where other anatomic teaching tools, such as cadaver models, may be too difficult to implement. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We implemented the Anatomage Table (AT) and portable ultrasound to teach neuraxial landmarks for performing peripheral nerve blocks (PNB), an anesthetic technique for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) students. The workshop significantly increased student confidence in identifying the relevant neuraxial landmarks for performing PNBs. Our results support the use of the AT in clinical education as a supplement.