Bacterial population in counter flow and parallel flow water chilling of poultry meat

In this study, a survey was carried out to determine the hygiene aspects of counter flow and parallel flow water chilling of poultry meat. Samples were taken in five sectors: in the sector subsequent to evisceration of the poultry, in the sector after water chilling, and in the sector after final washing. At the same time, the samples of water were taken from the pre-chilling sector and in the chilling sector. Bacterial detection of the inherence of various bacteria, their isolation, identification and determination was carried out. The results showed higher numbers of positive samples obtained from the section of water chilling in comparison to other sections, as well as a higher number of positive samples in the process of parallel flow water chilling in comparison to the results from counter flow chilling.     

A general SPICE compatible circuit model for single‐electron devices and application to bit‐error‐rate calculations

The main purpose of this paper is study of the single‐electron devices (SEDs) behavior, having metal islands, in the time domain. On this basis, some new conceptions, such as division of islands in independent type and dependent type and introduction of multi‐dimensional state space for a SED, have been presented. Then, a new circuit model is introduced for SEDs in general N‐dimensional case. This model is based on the orthodox theory and the solution of the time‐dependent master equation with the capability of installation in the HSPICE software. Hence, one can simulate behavior of the compound circuits including SEDs and other circuit elements by help of this model. Another interesting characteristic of the introduced circuit model is the possibility of using it in calculation of bit error rate in single‐electron logical gates considering both the time and the temperature effects. The behavior of various SEDs in low frequencies is studied, and the results are compared with the results of SIMON, often used as a reference. Furthermore, the time‐dependent results of these devices in high frequencies are calculated and compared with the analytic results for step inputs. These comparisons indicate accuracy and validity of the model. Finally, the model is used for simulating time‐dependent behavior of some single‐electron logic gates, and their total error rate are calculated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Customer oriented enterprise IT architecture framework

Due to the rapid expansion and complexity of mechanisms, technologies, systems, processes and communications in organizations, governance and management has become something beyond the control of hardware and software systems and include integration and convergence of all components of an organization. Enterprise architecture (EA) by breaking down the organization’s systems to its components and determining the relationship between them in different layers offers an appropriate solution for understanding and investigating relationships and processes of organizations which develop strategies and information technology plans. This paper proposes a conceptual model for enterprise IT architecture. For this purpose, conceptual and reference models of enterprise architecture are investigated and key concepts of them are described. By identifying dimensions of reviewed models, key dimensions of the proposed model are extracted and by using Shannon’s entropy, weight and priority of each dimension is determined. In order to determine building blocks of each dimension, a mapping has been established between customer and functional requirements by using axiomatic method and relations between customer and functional requirements has been validated by experts’ opinions using Quality Function Development (QFD) method. Proposed model has been described by determining goals, components and relations. Then the model is validated by surveying experts. Finally an Iranian telecommunication enterprise is selected for a case study and the model is tested there and promoting solutions are proposed to improve the status of the organization for implementing the model.     

Surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate film by CO2 laser‐induced graft copolymerization of acrylamide

Graft copolymerization of acrylamide onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using a CO₂ pulsed laser was performed to improve water wettability. After laser irradiation in air, the films were placed in the aqueous solution of monomer and then heated to decompose peroxides formed onto the irradiated PET film. Peroxide density was determined spectrophotometrically by means of the iodide method. The grafted PET surfaces were characterized by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle measurements. The electron micrographs showed that the grafting changed the surface morphology of the PET film, which is consistent with the infrared spectra of the grafted films. To evaluate the surface hydrophilicity, water drop contact angle was determined. The contact angle decreased as a result of graft polymerization. It was also found that the hydrophilicity is related to the surface morphology and grafting level. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 401–407, 2000     

Tethered drug release from model contact lenses

Drug delivery to the eye remains a challenge due to low compliance and high amounts of drug loss resulting from anatomical barriers. Contact lens-based delivery systems offer many advantages since their increased corneal residence time can increase drug bioavailability. A releasable, sustained delivery system from a contact lens has been evaluated in the current work. Using a labile lactide spacer, comprised of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, varying numbers of lactide units and succinic anhydride, a model drug, R-roscovitine, was covalently incorporated into model silicone lenses (consisting of 80 mol% N,N-dimethylacrylamide and 20 mol% of a modified silicone). This enabled a greater amount of the drug to remain in the material following extraction with isopropyl alcohol, a common purification procedure used in lens manufacturing. The incorporation of the tether and drug did not substantially alter the bulk properties of the materials, with their water content remaining between 32% and 36% and their transmittance remaining at over 90% at 600 nm. Drug release from these materials exceeded 2 weeks, with the longer lactide tethers showing greater release as expected. This demonstrates that these covalently modified materials have the potential to be used to deliver drugs in a sustained manner. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.     

Titanium-Based Nanoarchitectures for Sonodynamic Therapy-Involved Multimodal Treatments

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has considerably revolutionized the healthcare sector as a viable noninvasive therapeutic procedure. It employs a combination of low-intensity ultrasound and chemical entities, known as a sonosensitizer, to produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) for cancer and antimicrobial therapies. With nanotechnology, several unique nanoplatforms are introduced as a sonosensitizers, including, titanium-based nanomaterials, thanks to their high biocompatibility, catalytic efficiency, and customizable physicochemical features. Additionally, developing titanium-based sonosensitizers facilitates the integration of SDT with other treatment modalities (for example, chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and immunotherapy), hence increasing overall therapeutic results. This review summarizes the most recent developments in cancer therapy and tissue engineering using titanium nanoplatforms mediated SDT. The synthesis strategies and biosafety aspects of Titanium-based nanoplatforms for SDT are also discussed. Finally, various challenges and prospects for its further development and potential clinical translation are highlighted.     

Recapitulating Antioxidant and Antibacterial Compounds into a Package for Tissue Regeneration: Dual Function Materials with Synergistic Effect

Oxidative damage and infection can prevent or delay tissue repair. Moreover, infection reinforces reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, which makes the wound's condition even worse. Therefore, the need for antioxidant and antibacterial agents is felt for tissue regeneration. There are emerging up-and-coming biomaterials that recapitulate both properties into a package, offering an effective solution to turn the wound back into a healing state. In this article, the principles of antioxidant and antibacterial activity are summarized. The review starts with biological aspects, getting the readers to familiarize themselves with tissue barriers against infection. This is followed by the chemistry and mechanism of action of antioxidant and antibacterial materials (dual function). Eventually, the outlook and challenges are underlined to provide where the dual-function biomaterials are and where they are going in the future. It is expected that the present article inspires the designing of dual-function biomaterials to more advanced levels by providing the fundamentals and comparative points of view and paving the clinical way for these materials.     

Synthesis of Graphene Oxide/Iron Oxide/Au Nanocomposite for Quercetin Delivery

This study focused on developing a superparamagnetic graphene oxide-based nanocomposite consisting of iron oxide (IO) and gold nanoparticles for quercetin delivery. For this purpose, the structure and morphology of the designed nanocomposite (GO/IO/Au) were investigated by several characterization methods such as fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, the biocompatibility of the synthesized nanocomposite was studied by Brine shrimp Artemia lethality assay, red blood cell hemolysis assay, and MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Moreover, the GO/IO/Au nanocomposite efficiency as an anticancer drug delivery system was evaluated in vitro conditions. The results showed that the designed nanocomposite is highly biocompatible and possesses a favorable magnetization (M_s?=?29.2 emu.g^?1) making it a good candidate for biomedical applications. Also, it was confirmed that GO/IO/Au nanocomposite is a potent drug carrier that can effectively deliver quercetin to cancer cells.

     

Studying the Role of Gelation Agents in Gelcasting Non-porous Si3N4 Bodies by Pressureless Sintering

Silicon - The monomer content in the gelcasting process affects the kinetics of cross-linking reactions which determines the quality of the gel network structure and the final properties of the...