Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) emerged in the 1970s as a new technology that may extend life of perishable agricultural produce. However, if proper precautions are not taken this technology may ...also risk the microbiological safety of the packaged food. Perforated films enable MAP to maintain H2O-saturation with only a slight change in O2 and CO2. This results in reduction of water loss and alleviation of water stress without the possible deleterious effects of anaerobiosis or CO2 damage. New trends of research are in the development of interactive or 'smart' films. These new films may be expected somehow to sense the changing internal packaging environment and admit oxygen from the outer atmosphere or allow excess CO2 to escape. Modified humidity packaging, combined with incorporation of fungicides into films, heat treatment, etc., are new, promising lines of research. Mathematical modelling for gas exchange in MAP is based on a combination of Fick's Law and the Michaelis-Menten equation. This model enables production of the optimal parameters of a package. Surface coatings have gained some commercial uses due to the availability of edible and natural origin coatings.
Experiments showed that using perforated polyolefin films for mango packaging enabled normal ripening and reduced weight loss and decay compared to a non-sealed control. Delayed ripening of mangoes ...sealed in non-perforated film was advantageous during prolonged storage. Bell-peppers in sealed-tray packages with modified humidity had lower weight loss and retained better firmness and quality than a non-sealed control.
Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is a bone marrow failure (BMF) disease, characterized by fatty bone marrow (BM) and BM hypocellularity resulted from auto-immune dysregulated T cells-mediated ...destruction of BM haemopoietic stem cells (HPSC). The objective of this study was to investigate potential therapeutic effect of irisin, a molecule involved in adipose tissue transition, on AA mouse model. Our results showed that the concentration of irisin in serum was lower in AA patients than in healthy controls, suggesting a role of irisin in the pathogenesis of AA. In the AA mice, irisin administration prolonged the survival rate, prevented or attenuated peripheral pancytopenia, and preserved HPSC in the BM. Moreover, irisin also markedly reduced BM adipogenesis. In vitro results showed that irisin increased both cell proliferation and colony numbers of HPSC. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that irisin upregulated the expression of mitochondrial ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1 (IF1) in HPSC, inhibited the activation of mitochondrial fission protein (DRP1) and enhanced aerobic glycolysis. Taken together, our findings indicate novel roles of irisin in the pathogenesis of AA, and in the protection of HPSC through stimulation of proliferation and regulation of mitochondria function, which provides a proof-of-concept for the application of irisin in AA therapy.
•Irisin alleviated the pancytopenia in the bone marrow failure mice model.•Irisin enhanced HPSC maintenance and stemness.•Irisin reduced bone marrow adipogenesis by reduce MSC adipogenic differentiation.
Bulk nanolayered Cu/V composites simultaneously exhibit high strength and outstanding thermal stability due to its unusually high density of interfaces. However, investigation of the irradiation ...stability of this material is still in its infancy, limiting further application of these materials under radiation conditions. Herein we investigated the radiation response of bulk nanolayered Cu/V composites exposed to 200 keV He ions with two irradiation fluences of 2 × 1021 ions/m2 and 7 × 1022 ions/m2. It is demonstrated that the bulk Cu/V nanolayered composites remained stable with respect to mechanical property and microstructure after irradiation with fluence of 2 × 1021 ions/m2. In contrast, for materials exposed to high irradiation fluence of 7 × 1022 ions/m2, severe irradiation damage, such as obvious surface blistering, elongated He voids, and layer morphological instability, were developed. In addition, asymmetric He bubbles distribution and obvious He bubble-free zones were observed near the Cu/V interfaces and within layers. The mechanisms of radiation-induced instabilities and He bubbles formation are discussed in detail.
A simple effective synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1
H)-one derivatives, using boric acid as catalyst, from aromatic aldehydes, 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and urea in glacial acetic acid is ...described. Compared with the classical Biginelli reaction conditions, this new method has the advantage of excellent yields (86–97%) and short reaction time (0.5–2 h).
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In performance evaluations, data without explicit inputs (such as index data, pure output data) are widely used. To directly use such data, this paper presents a study on building DEA models without ...explicit inputs, so-called DEA-WEI models, which are applicable to the evaluation applications where inputs are not directly considered. We provide an axiom foundation of these kinds of models, and further discuss how to incorporate value judgments of decision makers into these DEA-WEI models. Several such models are derived. Finally, applications of the DEA-WEI models are presented.
1 Department of Physiological Science, University of California, Los Angeles, California; 2 1st Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University; 3 ...Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Matsumoto Dental University, Nagano, Japan; 4 School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and 5 The Neurosciences Institute, San Diego, California
Submitted 23 October 2004;
accepted in final form 22 December 2004
The functional and biophysical properties of a persistent sodium current ( I NaP ) previously proposed to participate in the generation of subthreshold oscillations and burst discharge in mesencephalic trigeminal sensory neurons (Mes V) were investigated in brain stem slices (rats, p7p12) using whole cell patch-clamp methods. I NaP activated around 76 mV and peaked at 48 mV, with V 1/2 of 58.7 mV. Ramp voltage-clamp protocols showed that I NaP undergoes time- as well as voltage-dependent inactivation and recovery from inactivation in the range of several seconds ( onset = 2.04 s, recov = 2.21 s). Riluzole ( 5 µM) substantially reduced I NaP , membrane resonance, postinhibitory rebound (PIR), and subthreshold oscillations, and completely blocked bursting, but produced modest effects on the fast transient Na + current ( I NaT ). Before complete cessation, burst cycle duration was increased substantially, while modest and inconsistent changes in burst duration were observed. The properties of the I NaT were obtained and revealed that the amplitude and voltage dependence of the resulting "window current" were not consistent with those of the observed I NaP recorded in the same neurons. This suggests an additional mechanism for the origin of I NaP . A neuronal model was constructed using Hodgkin-Huxley parameters obtained experimentally for Na + and K + currents that simulated the experimentally observed membrane resonance, subthreshold oscillations, bursting, and PIR. Alterations in the model g NaP parameters indicate that I NaP is critical for control of subthreshold and suprathreshold Mes V neuron membrane excitability and burst generation.
Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: S. H. Chandler, Dept. of Physiological Science, UCLA, 2859 Slichter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (E-mail: schandler{at}physci.ucla.edu )
The figures in the paper present the structure of the DBD reactor with catalyst in situ and the experimental setup; the effect of oxygen content and gas flow rate on toluene decomposition; the ...combination effect with catalyst, including toluene removal efficiency, ozone concentration and carbon dioxide selectivity. The characterization of the catalyst before/after discharge by XRD, SEM, and FT-IR are also indicated.
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Laboratory-scale experiments were performed to evaluate the efficiency of toluene decomposition by using a wire-plate dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with manganese oxide/alumina/nickel foam catalyst in the discharge area at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The effects of oxygen content and gas flow rate were investigated. Under the optimal oxygen content and gas flow rate conditions, the combination effect of DBD and catalyst was observed, and the catalyst before/after discharge was structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). It has been found that combining DBD with catalyst in situ could improve the toluene removal efficiency, increase carbon dioxide selectivity and suppress byproducts formation. Whether the catalyst existed or not, the major products were carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide when oxygen was enough. The characterization of the catalyst suggested that DBD enhanced the dispersion of the active species, increased the stability as well as the activity of the catalyst, and strengthened the oxidation capability of the catalyst, therefore the removal of toluene was promoted.
We aimed to compare changes in insulin levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) during pregnancy and those with gestational diabetes ...mellitus (GDM). Overall, 105 pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks' gestation, 50 with NGT and 55 with GDM according to NDDG standard, were enrolled into the study. The levels of fasting blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) and the insulin levels, blood glucose levels at 1, 2 and 3 hours post oral glucose administration during an OGTT (5.8, 10.6, 9.2 and 8.1 mmol/L, respectively) were measured. Then, insulin resistance (IR) index was calculated. There was no significant difference in fasting, 3-h insulin levels and 3-h blood glucose levels between those with NGT and those with GDM (P > 0.05). However, 1-h and 2-h insulin levels, fasting and 1-h and 2-h blood glucose levels in women with GDM were significantly higher than those in the NGT group (P < 0.05). Fasting TC and TG levels in the GDM group were significantly higher than those with NGT (P = 0.031 and P = 0.025, respectively). Correlation analysis showed that TG and TC levels were positively correlated with homoeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) (r = 0.67 and r = 0.78, respectively; P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that insulin sensitivity in women with GDM was significantly lower than that observed in those with NGT. Reducing IR and blood lipids in women with GDM could potentially improve maternal and foetal outcomes.
