Degrees of Antioxidant Protection: A 2‐Year Study of the Bioactive Properties of Organic Milk in Poland

The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional value of organic milk in Poland, investigate the influence of diet on antioxidant capacity and degree of antioxidant protection (DAP), and to examine the effect of season on the bioactive properties of milk from organic farms. From 2014 to 2015, 820 milk samples were collected from 6 organic farms during indoor feeding season (IDS) and pasture feeding season (PS). Pasture feeding season + corn grain (PSCG) cows’ daily ration during pasture feeding season was enriched with 4 kg a day of corn to improve dietary energy balance. Milk obtained during PS was found to have a higher fat content, slight but significantly lower protein content compared with milk from IDS. The study showed that the content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in milk fat was strongly linked to the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and, to a lesser extent, on the supply of MUFA. The IDS data (concentration of vitamin E, A, and β‐carotene) showed the lowest values compared with the PS and PSCG groups. Total antioxidant status (TAS) and DAP showed an increasing trend in organic milk. PSCG was associated with highest level of DAP (9% higher than PS and 79% higher than IDS) and TAS (37% higher than PS and 79% higher than IDS). The results obtained show that supplementation of the basic ration with corn grain improved both TAS and DAP. The higher DAP and TAS value is responsible for product stability, considering the risk factor related to levels of cholesterol‐oxide intake in humans.     

Double criterion optimisation of transparent fa?ades based on solar thermal processes

This work aimed to find the best possible solution for transparent fa?ades. The evaluation was formulated to assure the highest user comfort criteria corresponding to energy efficiency—two criterion optimisation. The analyses were based on BESTEST, south-oriented zone geometry. Computer model was designed using Finite Control Volume Techniques with assumptions for applied materials and specified boundary conditions, plus reference year for energy calculation (WYEC2). The natural ventilation fa?ade system was designed to determine airflow network inside thefa?ade. The adjustable size of openings(inlets and outlets)was selected at the level of 80% for the cold season and totally closed during the hot season. Environmental parameters for thermal comfort evaluation were: zone resultant temperature and solar radiation in zone space. Energy efficiency was assessed based on heat flux between the zone with controlled temperature and external environment. Results showed that well selected design of buffer zone section could improve energy efficiency of adjacent zones for both winter and summer periods. The most profitable Double Skin fa?ade solutionis DGC (double glazing with lowe coating) combined with single glazing with internal blinds (SGB) or coloured glazing.     

Wetting behavior and interfacial microstructure of palladium- and silver-based braze alloys with C–C and SiC–SiC composites

High-temperature sessile-drop wettability tests were conducted on unpolished C–C and SiC–SiC composite substrates using commercial braze alloys Palco (Pd-35Co), Palni (Pd-40Ni), Cusil-ABA (63Ag–35.3Cu–1.75Ti), and Ticusil (68.8Ag–26.7Cu–4.5Ti). Observations revealed non-uniform, anisotropic spreading, copious braze infiltration of the composite substrates, particularly C–C composite, and Ti enrichment at the composite/braze interface together with dissolution of Si (from SiC–SiC composite) in braze and diffusion of Co (from Palco) in the composite. The droplet/composite contact region near the droplet center revealed intimate and microstructurally sound bonding. However, inter-laminar shear cracking within the SiC–SiC composite in contact with Ticusil, Palco, and Palni, and partial substrate/droplet de-cohesion near the edge of the droplet were also observed. In Palco and Palni droplets, fiber tows in the contact region de-laminated from the main body of the composite via inter-laminar shear cracking resulting in fiber flotation, segregation, and surface degradation. The study is one of the first empirical enquiries into the complex wetting and spreading behavior of brazes on commercial C–C and SiC–SiC composites.     

Experimental and theoretical investigations of birefringent holey fibers with a triple defect

We have manufactured and characterized a birefringent holey fiber of a new construction. The birefringence in this fiber is induced by the highly elliptical shape of the core, which consists of a triple defect in a hexagonal structure. Using a hybrid edge-nodal finite-element method, we calculated the spectral dependence of phase and group modal birefringence for spatial modes E11 and E21 in idealized and in real fiber, whose geometry we determined by using a scanning-electron microscope. Results of our calculations show that technological imperfections significantly affect the fiber's birefringence. Normalized cutoff wavelengths for higher-order modes relative to the filling factor were also determined for the idealized structure. We observed a significant disagreement between theoretical and experimental values of cutoff wavelengths, which was attributed to high confinement losses near the cutoff condition. We also measured the spectral dependence of the phase and the group modal birefringence for spatial modes E11 and E21. The measured parameters showed good agreement with the results of modeling.     

Benziporphyrins: exploring arene chemistry in a macrocyclic environment

Benziporphyrins are synthetic porphyrin analogues, in which one of the pyrroles is replaced with a benzenoid ring. The arene can be incorporated into the macrocycle in several ways leading to molecules with distinct physical and chemical properties. By appropriately changing the structure of benziporphyrins, it is possible to affect their aromaticity, tautomeric equilibria, and reactivity. Benziporphyrins are versatile ligands, which offer a means to study the metal-arene couple in a macrocyclic environment. The coordination brings the metal ion into the vicinity of the arene fragment leading to activation of C-H bonds or weak interactions, which can be observed spectroscopically.     

Real-time fusion of endoscopic views with dynamic 3-D cardiac images: a phantom study

Minimally invasive robotically assisted cardiac surgical systems currently do not routinely employ 3-D image guidance. However, preoperative magnetic resonance and computed tomography (CT) images have the potential to be used in this role, if appropriately registered with the patient anatomy and animated synchronously with the motion of the actual heart. This paper discusses the fusion of optical images of a beating heart phantom obtained from an optically tracked endoscope, with volumetric images of the phantom created from a dynamic CT dataset. High quality preoperative dynamic CT images are created by first extracting the motion parameters of the heart from the series of temporal frames, and then applying this information to animate a high-quality heart image acquired at end systole. Temporal synchronization of the endoscopic and CT model is achieved by selecting the appropriate CT image from the dynamic set, based on an electrocardiographic trigger signal. The spatial error between the optical and virtual images is 1.4 +/- 1.1 mm, while the time discrepancy is typically 50-100 ms. Index Terms-Image guidance, image warping, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, virtual endoscopy, virtual reality.     

The switch mechanism of the cell death mode from apoptosis to necrosis in menadione-treated human osteosarcoma cell line 143B cells

Time-dependent changes in the cell death mode from apoptosis to necrosis were studied in cultured 143B cells treated with menadione, an anti-cancerous drug, excluding a possible involvement of "secondary necrosis." The population of apoptotic cells judged by FITC-Annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) double staining reached its maximum at 6 hours after 100 microM menadione treatment followed by an abrupt decrease thereafter, while that of necrotic cells continuously increased reaching 90% at 24 hours. Electron microscopically, cells attached to the culture dish at 6 hours after the treatment consisted of two different types of cells: cells with typical apoptotic features occupying the major population and those with condensed nuclei and swollen cytoplasm. Cells attached to the culture dish at 8 hours after the treatment consisted exclusively of those with condensed nuclei and swollen cytoplasm. Mitochondria in these cells showed various structural changes: those swollen to various degrees with deposition of flocculent densities, or those with highly condensed matrix. Distinct decreases both in intracellular levels of ATP and caspase-3-like activities and remarkable elevations of intracellular levels of superoxide, which were partly suppressed by NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors, occurred at 6 hours after the treatment. These results may suggest that distinct increases of the intracellular level of superoxide derived from plasma membrane NAD(P)H oxidase besides that from mitochondria have triggered the transition of cell death mode from apoptosis to necrosis. Transition of highly condensed mitochondria to extremely swollen ones may reflect necrotic processes in menadione-treated cells. The present study strongly suggests that time-dependent study is essential using the electron microscopic technique to analyze detailed processes in the changes of the cell death mode.     

Multicolour micropatterning of thin films of dry gels

Micropatterning of surfaces with several chemicals at different spatial locations usually requires multiple stamping and registration steps. Here, we describe an experimental method based on reaction-diffusion phenomena that allows for simultaneous micropatterning of a substrate with several coloured chemicals. In this method, called wet stamping (WETS), aqueous solutions of two or more inorganic salts are delivered onto a film of dry, ionically doped gelatin from an agarose stamp patterned in bas relief. Once in conformal contact, these salts diffuse into the gelatin, where they react to give deeply coloured precipitates. Separation of colours in the plane of the surface is the consequence of the differences in the diffusion coefficients, the solubility products, and the amounts of different salts delivered from the stamp, and is faithfully reproduced by a theoretical model based on a system of reaction-diffusion partial differential equations. The multicolour micropatterns are useful as non-binary optical elements, and could potentially form the basis of new applications in microseparations and in controlled delivery.