Physicochemical analysis of non-fermented probiotic milk with probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Ln1 isolated from Korea traditional fermented food

Food Science and Biotechnology - The objective of this study was to develop a non-fermented probiotic milk that maintains its physicochemical properties, microbial properties, antioxidant activity,...     

Principled analytic classifier for positive-unlabeled learning via weighted integral probability metric

Machine Learning - We consider the problem of learning a binary classifier from only positive and unlabeled observations (called PU learning). Recent studies in PU learning have shown superior...     

Prophylactic effects of probiotics on respiratory viruses including COVID-19: a review

Food Science and Biotechnology - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets....     

Materials and Wireless Microfluidic Systems for Electronics Capable of Chemical Dissolution on Demand

Electronics that are capable of destroying themselves, on demand and in a harmless way, might provide the ultimate form of data security. This paper presents materials and device architectures for triggered destruction of conventional microelectronic systems by means of microfluidic chemical etching of the constituent materials, including silicon, silicon dioxide, and metals (e.g., aluminum). Demonstrations in an array of home‐built metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors that exploit ultrathin sheets of monocrystalline silicon and in radio‐frequency identification devices illustrate the utility of the approaches.     

Miniaturized Flexible Electronic Systems with Wireless Power and Near‐Field Communication Capabilities

A class of thin, lightweight, flexible, near‐field communication (NFC) devices with ultraminiaturized format is introduced, and systematic investigations of the mechanics, radio frequency characteristics, and materials aspects associated with their optimized construction are presented. These systems allow advantages in mechanical strength, placement versatility, and minimized interfacial stresses compared to other NFC technologies and wearable electronics. Detailed experimental studies and theoretical modeling of the mechanical and electromagnetic properties of these systems establish understanding of the key design considerations. These concepts can apply to many other types of wireless communication systems including biosensors and electronic implants.     

Sintering and optical properties of transparent ZnS ceramics by pre-heating treatment temperature

The main objective of our work is to increase transmittance in the mid infrared region by removing impurities through the pre-heating treatment of zinc sulfide (ZnS) produced by hydrothermal synthesis. The pre-heating treatment proceeded at 450 to 600 °C for 2 h under vacuum atmosphere (10^?2 Torr). It was confirmed that the particle size increased as the pre-heating temperature increased. Additionally, all ZnS nano powders had a sphalerite (cubic) structure unaffected by pre-heating treatment. The ZnS nano powders were sintered by hot-press sintering method. As the pre-heating temperature increased, transmittance was improved due to the decreasing of porosity, increase of particle size, and the removal of impurities (carbon and sulfate). However, when the pre-heating treatment temperature was 600 °C, the transmittance slightly decreased due to the formation of a hexagonal phase. The ZnS ceramic with pre-heating treatment at 550 °C showed the highest transmittance (71.6%) and density (99.9%).     

Correction to: Comparative study on anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of hydroponic ginseng and soil-cultured ginseng

Food Science and Biotechnology - The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The presentation of the row “Total (μg/g)” in Table 2 was incorrect.     

Comprehensibility of universal healthcare symbols for wayfinding in healthcare facilities

Healthcare facilities are often complex and overwhelming for visitors, and wayfinding in healthcare facilities can be challenging. As there is an increasing number of global citizens who travel to seek medical care in another country, it is critical to make wayfinding easy for visitors who are not familiar with the language in a foreign country. Among many wayfinding aids, symbols are helpful for those visitors who have limited ability to understand written language. This study tested universal healthcare symbols in the United States, South Korea, and Turkey to compare the comprehension of symbols cross-country and identify predictors of the correct comprehension. To explore statistically significant relationships between symbol comprehension and countries, Pearson's Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and ANOVA were conducted. The test results showed that ten symbols among 14 tested have significant relationship with countries. Results of this study demonstrate that symbol comprehension can be varied significantly in different countries.     

Anti-inflammatory and anti-genotoxic activity of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages

Food Science and Biotechnology - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-genotoxic activity of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)...     

Characterization of subtilin KU43 Produced by Bacillus subtilis KU43 isolated from traditional Korean fermented foods

An antimicrobial peptide produced by Bacillus subtilis KU25, KU43, and KU44 was isolated from traditional Korean fermented foods and characterized. It was named as subtilin KU25, KU43, and KU44. Subtilin KU25, KU43, and KU44 were sensitive against α-chymotrypsin, protease XIII, and various proteinase enzymes, respectively. B. subtilis KU43 was selected as the producer with the broadest antimicrobial spectrum. Subtilin KU43 was stable at a pH range of 3 to 9 for 4 h, and withstood exposure to temperatures of 50–90°C for 30 min. The mode of inhibition against Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 15313 involved a bactericidal effect by a reduction in the cell numbers and breakage of the indicator cell membranes. The molecular mass of subtilin KU43 was measured at approximately 3.5 kDa. These results demonstrate the development of novel strains from traditional Korean fermented foods, and illustrate the possibility that some of these strains might generate a natural preservative compound.