Authenticity green coffee bean species and geographical origin using near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics

To prevent the adulteration of agricultural resources and provide a solution to enhance the green coffee bean supply chain, authentication using the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique was investigated. Partial least square with discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) models combined with various preprocessing methods were built from NIR spectra of 153 Vietnamese green coffee samples. The model combined with the standard normal variate and the first order of derivative yielded excellent performance in predicting coffee species with the error cross-validation of 0.0261. PLS-DA model of mean centre and first-order derivative spectra also yielded good performance in verifying geographical indication of green coffee with the error of 0.0656. By contrast, the predicting abilities of post-harvest methods were poor. The overall results showed a high potential of the NIRS in online authentication practices.     

Cerebral microbleeds and cognitive decline in a hemodialysis patient: Case report and review of literature

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are small hemosiderin deposits indicative of prior cerebral microscopic hemorrhage and previously thought to be clinically silent. Recent population‐based cross‐sectional studies and prospective longitudinal cohort studies have revealed association between CMB and cognitive dysfunction. In the general population, CMBs are associated with age, hypertension, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. In the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population, diminished estimated glomerular filtration rate has been found to be an independent risk factor for CMB, raising the possibility that a uremic milieu may predispose to microbleeds. In the end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) population on hemodialysis, the incidence of microbleeds is significantly higher compared with a control group without history of CKD or stroke. We present an ESRD patient on chronic hemodialysis with a history of gradual cognitive decline and progressive CMBs. Through this case and literature review, we illustrate the need to develop detection and prediction models to treat this frequent development in ESRD patients.     

Fabrication of tungsten oxide photoanode by doctor blade technique and investigation on its photocatalytic operation mechanism

WO₃ is a potential material candidate for construction of photoanode for solar driven water splitting. In this work, μm-thick porous WO₃ photoanode is prepared by depositing a stable ink made of WO₃ nanoparticles and Aristoflex velvet polymer in water using the doctor blade technique, followed by a sintering in air. The nature of WO₃ nanoparticles, its loading mass on F-doped tin oxide electrode as well as sintering temperature are examined in order to optimize the photocatalytic activity of the resultant WO₃ photoanode. The operation of WO₃ photoanode is investigated by varying the light illumination direction and light incident intensity as well as changing the nature of the electrolyte. Dissolved tungsten in electrolyte is quantified by ICP-MS providing insights into the influences of electrolyte nature and operating conditions to the corrosion of WO₃. It is proposed that the H₂O₂ and OH^. radical generated as by-products of the photo-driven water oxidation on the photoanode surface are harmful species that accelerate the dissolution of WO₃.     

Controlling thickness to tune performance of high-mobility transparent conducting films deposited from Ga-doped ZnO ceramic target

Structure modification has been found to tune significantly the transparent-conducting performance, especially mobility and conductivity of hydrogenated Ga-doped ZnO (HGZO) films. The strong correlation between film thickness and mobility of the films is revealed. The mobility increases quickly with increasing the thickness from 350 to 900 nm, and then tends to be saturated at further thicknesses. A higher mobility than 50 cm²/Vs can be achieved, which is an extra-high value for polycrystalline ZnO films deposited by using the sputtering technique. The thickness-dependent mobility originates from scatterings on grain boundaries and dislocation-induced defects controlled by thin-film growth. Based on the Volmer-Weber model, an expansion model is built up to describe the thickness-dependent crystal growth of the HGZO films, especially at the thick films. As a result, the 800 nm-thick HGZO film obtains the highest performance with high mobility of 51.5 cm²/Vs, low resistivity of 5.3 × 10^?4 Ωcm, and good transmittance of 83.3 %.     

Effect of coupling agent content on properties of composites made from polylactic acid and chrysanthemum waste

Chrysanthemum flower is among one of the highly sought after and widely planted flower crops, in particular for cultural and religious ceremonies. However, the chrysanthemum stem and stalk have little value and usually discard as by‐product waste from floristry. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential value of utilizing chrysanthemum stem and stalk as reinforcing fillers for thermoplastic composites. In this study, 2‐mm thick composite sheet containing predefined formulations of polylactic acid (PLA), chrysanthemum waste filler (CWF) ranging from 15 to 60 phr, and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent up to 5 phr were prepared with the aid of Haake internal mixer and compression molding. The effect of MAPE loading on tensile, thermal, and morphological properties of PLA/CWF composites was investigated. The findings revealed that PLA/CWF composite attained improved tensile modulus compared to the neat PLA, and the tensile modulus increases with higher concentration of CWF. However, both tensile strength and elongation at break reduces with increase loading of CWF. Overall, PLA/CWF composites with MAPE shows better performance compared to those without MAPE, where an optimum strength of 21.8 MPa can be achieved with 60 phr CW and 3 phr MAPE. The measured tensile strength is comparable to alternatives natural fiber thermoplastic composites demonstrating its potential to be used in non‐structurally demanding application. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 26:10–16, 2020. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Role of the hemobiologist in the detection and prevention of post-transfusional hepatitis

To prevent post-transfusional hepatitis B and C, two epidemiologic studies were performed. The first, based on the frequencies distribution of hepatitis B virus serological markers versus sex and classes of age, has permitted the assessment of the profile of the infection in a population composed of 573 north vietnamese blood donors. There is no significant difference between men and women frequencies of HBs antigen (11.5%), anti-HBs antibody (70.2%) and anti-HBc antibody alone (3.8%), but a significant difference of no-marker frequencies: 7.8% and 17.9% in men and women respectively (X2 = 9.11; p = 0.010). The percentage of no-marker decreases when the mean age of each class increases. The second, using the increase of the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) activity as an indirect marker of non-A, non-B hepatitis for determining in a population of more than 25,000 parisian blood donors, the percentage of donors eliminated. They are between 0.70 and 0.76 in women and 2.26 and 2.46 in men. These investigations can be applied to prevent the hepatitis B transmission in a population of 102 south vietnamese women in age to procreate or to determine the percentage of blood donors eliminated (3.12%) in a population of 2,950 Parisians composed in majority (50.9%) of new donors. The hemobiologist will have an important role to elaborate strategies for orientation of blood gifts with hepatitis B and C virus markers.     

Surface localization of the sea urchin egg receptor for sperm

The sea urchin egg receptor for sperm is thought to be involved in species-specific sperm-egg interactions at the egg surface. Recent revisions in the deduced amino acid sequence of the cloned cDNAs indicate that the protein encoded does not possess the common structural hallmarks of a membrane protein. Thus, investigation of the localization and association of the protein with the egg surface is crucial. We describe and characterize a new monoclonal antibody raised against recombinant sperm receptor protein. This antibody, in conjunction with several polyclonal antibodies, was used to study the receptor protein in eggs. Immunoprecipitation studies indicated that the antibodies recognize the high Mr (ca. 350 K) sperm receptor protein which copurified with egg plasma membrane-vitelline layer complexes. The sperm receptor protein was solubilized only by detergents and not by treatments designed to solubilize peripherally associated or lipid-anchored membrane proteins, suggesting a tight association with the membrane fraction. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of live eggs indicated surface staining. Finally, lysylendoproteinase C treatment of live eggs resulted in a loss of the high Mr receptor protein epitopes, and the concomitant release of a 70-kDa proteolytic fragment, which correlated with a reduced ability of the eggs to be fertilized. Taken together, these data indicate that at least some fraction of the sperm receptor protein is present on the egg surface, a requisite locale for a sperm binding protein.     

Integrated Personal Mobility Architecture: A Complete Personal Mobility Solution

The high expectations and demand for users to access the Internet from anywhere at anytime has made user mobility an important part of the design and development of the next generation mobile communications and computing. Traditionally user mobility has been divided into two areas: Terminal Mobility and Personal Mobility. In recent years terminal mobility has focused on the movement of the terminal and developed extensions to IP protocols such as Mobile IP. In contrast, personal mobility has only received limited attention, and is somewhat lagging behind. This research has either focussed on personal mobility in communications or personalisation of operating environments. As a result, to date no framework for providing true personal mobility has emerged. In this paper, we introduce a new personal mobility framework called IPMoA (Integrated Personal Mobility Architecture), which integrates both aspects of personal mobility to provide a complete personal mobility solution, and illustrate the viability of this approach through a proof-of-concept implementation.     

Effect of maturation on alpha-adrenoceptor activity in newborn piglet mesentery

To characterize the mesenteric alpha1- and alpha2-adrenoceptor populations in newborn piglets, an extracorporeal circuit was established to control intestinal blood flow in 0- to 2-day old and 10- to 14-day old animals. In both groups, alpha-adrenoceptor activation was first documented by observing dose-dependent increases in mesenteric perfusion pressure after intramesenteric arterial injection of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists. In the 10- to 14-day old piglets, mesenteric vasoconstrictor responses to alpha1-adrenoceptor agonists (methoxamine and norepinephrine) and an alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist (BHT-933) were each blunted (P < 0.05, analysis of variance) by peripheral intravenous injections of prazosin (an alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist) and yohimbine (an alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist), respectively. The mesenteric vasoconstrictor responses to those agonists were not significantly attenuated by prazosin or yohimbine in 0- to 2-day old animals, nor were they blunted by YM-12617 (alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist) or idazoxan (alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist)--compounds that are structurally unrelated to prazosin and yohimbine, respectively. In addition, mesenteric vasoconstrictor responses to other known vasoconstrictor agents--angiotensin II, neuropeptide Y, and a thromboxane A2 mimic (U-46619)--were not effected in either age group by prazosin or yohimbine, implying these agents act independently of alpha-adrenoceptor mechanisms. These data suggest that (1) there exists functional mesenteric alpha1- and alpha2-adrenoceptor-like activity in 10- to 14-day old piglets that, in 0- to 2-day old animals, is not specifically expressed; and (2) mesenteric alpha-adrenoceptor function becomes more selective as newborn piglets mature.