NMR imaging and differential scanning calorimetry study on drying of pine,birch, and reed pulps and their mixtures

Drying, water fractions, and water distribution were investigated for pine, birch, and reed pulps and pine–birch, pine–reed, and pine–birch–reed pulp mixtures. Gravimetrically determined drying times showed that the drying rates of the pulps decreased at two to four inflection points. Characterizations of the dried pulps by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed a faster removal of free water than freezing and nonfreezing bound waters; all decreased simultaneously, however. DSC also revealed the critical water contents at which the free water and freezing bound water disappeared. The gravimetrically determined inflection points of the drying curves corresponded with the critical points determined by DSC. NMR line widths and images produced by ¹H‐NMR imaging revealed the nature and regions of the pulp drying. The constant growth rate of the NMR line widths with decreasing water content appeared to change at two inflection points, which fell approximately in the same water content regions as the inflection points of the drying curves. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 937–945, 2006     

A new method for evaluating the subjective image quality of photographs: dynamic reference

The Dynamic Reference (DR) method has been developed for subjective image quality experiments in which original or undistorted images are unavailable. The DR method creates reference image series from test images. Reference images are presented to observers as a slide show prior to evaluating their quality. As the observers view the set of reference images, they determine the overall variation in quality within the set of test images. This study compared the performance of the DR method to that of the standardized absolute category rating (ACR) and paired comparison (PC) methods. We measured the performance of each method in terms of time effort and discriminability. The results showed that the DR method is faster than the PC method and more accurate than the ACR method. The DR method is especially suitable for experiments that require highly accurate results in a short time.     

The oxidation of bitumen witnessed in-situ by infrared spectroscopy

During the production and recycling of asphalt concrete, bitumen in contact with inorganic particles is exposed to air at high temperatures. As a result an oxidation of bitumen, also known as aging, occurs. The reaction between bitumen and air at 163 °C was studied insitu with and without the presence of inorganic impurities by means of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated reflectance mode. This oxidation was discovered to be a step-wise reaction facilitated by the oxidation of thiols and creation of peroxides within the system. The rate of reaction was demonstrated to depend on the type of impurity present, of which iron (III) chloride was the strongest catalyst. It was further demonstrated that the oxidation reaction is inhibited by the adsorption of thiol species present in the system on copper particles. Combining copper with the iron (III) chloride-containing system also resulted in the inhibition of signal increase in the sulfoxide region of the spectra. The results of this preliminary research on the bitumen oxidation reaction presented are proposed for further research regarding control of aging of asphalt concrete, especially during the recycling works.     

Efficacy of 5-day parenteral versus intramammary benzylpenicillin for treatment of clinical mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria susceptible to penicillin in vitro

The efficacy of parenteral (intramuscular) or intramammary (IMM) benzylpenicillin treatment for clinical mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria susceptible to penicillin in vitro was investigated. Cows with clinical mastitis in 1 udder quarter were randomly placed into 2 treatment groups. The preliminary bacteriological diagnosis of intramammary infection (IMI) was based on on-farm culturing, and the bacteriological diagnoses were later confirmed by a quantitative PCR assay. Clinical mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria susceptible to benzylpenicillin was treated with penicillin via either the parenteral route (20 mg/kg) or IMM route (600 mg) once per day for 5 d. The outcome of the treatment was evaluated 3 to 4 wk after the onset of the treatment. The affected quarter was examined to assess the clinical cure, and milk samples were collected from the affected quarter to determine the bacteriological cure and milk N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activity. The survival and the composite milk somatic cell counts of the treated cows were followed up for 6 and 3 mo after treatment, respectively. A total of 140 cows with clinical mastitis were included in the study, 61 being treated with benzylpenicillin parenterally and 79 via the IMM route. From all quarters treated, 108 of 140 (77.1%) were cured clinically and 77 of 140 (55.0%) were cured bacteriologically. The route of treatment did not significantly affect the outcome of the treatment; 80.3% of the quarters with parenteral treatment and 74.7% of the quarters with IMM treatment showed a clinical cure, and 54.1 and 55.7% a bacteriological cure, respectively. The milk N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activity was significantly lower in the quarters with a clinical or bacteriological cure than in the quarters with no cure. The 6-mo survival and the proportion of cows with composite milk somatic cell counts <200,000/mL among the treated cows during the 3-mo follow-up period did not significantly differ between the treatment groups. In conclusion, the outcome of either parenteral or IMM benzylpenicillin treatment of clinical mastitis caused by penicillin-susceptible bacteria was similar.     

Alterations in Serum Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids in Patients with Mild to Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Smoking is a major risk factor for several diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To better understand the systemic effects of cigarette smoke exposure and mild to moderate COPD—and to support future biomarker development—we profiled the serum lipidomes of healthy smokers, smokers with mild to moderate COPD (GOLD stages 1 and 2), former smokers, and never-smokers (n = 40 per group) (ClinicalTrials.gov registration: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01780298","term_id":"NCT01780298"}}NCT01780298). Serum lipidome profiling was conducted with untargeted and targeted mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. Guided by weighted lipid co-expression network analysis, we identified three main trends comparing smokers, especially those with COPD, with non-smokers: a general increase in glycero(phospho)lipids, including triglycerols; changes in fatty acid desaturation (decrease in ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and an increase in monounsaturated fatty acids); and an imbalance in eicosanoids (increase in 11,12- and 14,15-DHETs (dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids), and a decrease in 9- and 13-HODEs (hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids)). The lipidome profiles supported classification of study subjects as smokers or non-smokers, but were not sufficient to distinguish between smokers with and without COPD. Overall, our study yielded further insights into the complex interplay between smoke exposure, lung disease, and systemic alterations in serum lipid profiles.     

Construction Management of a Small-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility

Research in accelerated pavement testing (APT) facilities has traditionally focused on the pavement performance such as rutting and fatigue cracking, but documentation on construction management and information of the actual pavement construction quality is limited. There are typically four critical factors that need to be considered to achieve the best possible outcome in construction: cost, schedule, construction process, and quality control, and management. With the objective of developing guidelines for planning and executing construction of a small-scale APT facility, this paper presents a case study documenting and evaluating the construction process and construction management efforts of two sensor-instrumented hot mix asphalt pavement test sections built in a small-scale APT facility. The focus of the experiment was to study bottom-up fatigue cracking of the flexible pavement structure. The presented information and lessons learned serve as a template and guide for agencies pursuing this type of research and pavement construction.     

Mutation analysis for prenatal diagnosis of hereditary tyrosinaemia type 1

Presentation of 11 cases of retroperitoneal sarcoma. Mean time from the beginning of symptoms to diagnosis is 6 months. The primary complementary study is CT. Surgery was performed in all cases, using complete resection in 6 cases, and partial resection in 5. Ten patients relapsed. 9 of which were treated with surgical rescue, in one or more occasions; chemotherapy was added in 6 cases and radiotherapy in 7. Survival at five years is 68%, with a mean follow-up of 66 months.     

Epidemiology of encephalitis in children. A prospective multicentre study

We found 175 cases with acute encephalitis in a population of 791,712 children aged 1 month-15 years during a 2-year surveillance period in 1993-1994. The overall incidence was 10.5/100,000 child-years with the highest figure in children < 1 year of age, 18.4/100,000 child-years. The microbial diagnosis was considered proven or suggested in 110 cases (63%); varicella zoster, respiratory and enteroviruses comprised 61% of these, and adeno, Epstein Barr-, herpes simplex and rota viruses comprised 5% each. A clearcut change seems to have occurred in the aetiology of encephalitis. Mumps, measles, and rubella virus associated encephalitides have been almost eliminated. Varicella zoster, respiratory, and enteroviruses have increased in frequency and occur in younger age groups. New causes were identified, especially Chlamydia pneumoniae and HHV-6. Our data should assist in making a specific diagnosis and defining appropriate antimicrobial therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of encephalitis in children has changed due to vaccination programs. The incidence, however, appears to be about the same due to increasing frequency of other associated old and new microbes.     

IN-LINE MEASUREMENT OF THE REFINING EFFECT-AN IMPORTANT NEW TOOL FOR USE IN THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY

In the production of paper, pulp fibers are put through a refining stage. This greatly enhances the fiber characteristics and the resulting quality and properties of the paper that is being produced.

This paper outlines the various detailed processes which occur during the refining stage and what the resulting effects are on paper quality. It discusses the measurements of 'freeness' and 'drainage rate', which are used today as the primary means of measuring the'refining effect', and provides a brief evaluation of the effectiveness and limitations of these techniques.

With the Scanning Laser Microscope, one can now observe the 'refining effect' on a microscopic basis by analyzing the structure of individual fibers. In particular one can measure the changes in the mean fiber diameter and the amount of fines that are produced. These changes are measured on a statistically significant basis in real time and provide valuable information for control of the refining process itself.

This paper reports actual test results and provides a preliminary analysis of the significance of these results and how the findings could best be implemented in an actual control strategy for operating a refiner.