Bending and tensile properties of cotton/metal wire complex yarns produced for electromagnetic shielding and conductivity applications

Recently, there has been a growing interest in protective textiles that are produced in order to reduce detrimental effects that arise from electric and magnetic fields on biological organisms and particularly on human health. The main goal of this investigation is to develop conductive metal-based yarns with desirable properties. For the purpose of this study, by using copper and stainless steel wires and cotton yarns, core spinning technique was applied in order to manufacture hybrid yarns in modified ring spinning machine. Physical behaviour of complex yarns consisting of cotton yarn and metal wire was evaluated by investigating bending rigidity, tensile and hairiness properties of the samples.     

Performance improvement in direct borohydride/peroxide fuel cells

Direct borohydride/peroxide fuel cells (DBPFCs) show progressively deteriorating performance during operation for various reasons such as decreasing reactant concentrations, gas evolution and uneven distribution of liquids. The present study aims to emphasize the importance of certain design parameters, such as bipolar plate materials, flow fields and manifold design, in determining the DBPFC performance. Bipolar materials and flow channel design have been investigated. A power density of 67 mW cm^?2 has been obtained with composite graphite and parallel flow channel bipolar plates. It has increased to 87 mW cm^?2 using sintered graphite and then to 93.3 mW cm^?2 using sintered graphite with serpentine flow fields. The stacking of DBPFCs results in a loss of performance and unstable output. The performance has remained nearly unchanged as the cell number was increased by applying an independent cell liquid distribution network (ICLDN). Using an ICLDN, power densities of 98.3, 83.3 and 82 mW cm^?2 have been obtained for single-cell, 3-cell and 6-cell stacks, respectively. Finally, a controlled oxidant feeding system (COFS) has been developed to provide stable output power, and it has demonstrated a stable output power of 6 W for 2.5 h.     

Lactobacillus fermentum strains from human breast milk with probiotic properties and cholesterol-lowering effects

Food Science and Biotechnology - The study aimed to identify two lactic acid bacteria from human breast milk and evaluate for their probiotic potential. Lactobacillus fermentum strains showed...     

Barriers and benefits of the implementation of food safety management systems among the Turkish dairy industry: A case study

The aim of this research was to determine the barriers and advantages of the Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and food safety programs (FSPS) employed by the dairy industry in Ayd?n, Turkey. By conducting face-to-face interviews and using questionnaires, the structure of Ayd?n dairy plants’ food safety management systems was characterized. The questionnaires elicited information about the applications of food safety systems, dairy plant managers’ opinions about any inspection systems, and their expectations for government and local legal authorities in food safety systems. Twenty-eight operating dairy plants in Ayd?n with a production licence from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock show activity in the sector for more than 10 years (53.5%) with joint-stock or limited company status (60.7%). These plants produce white cheese, fermented milk products and butter. Implementing a clear and efficient food safety management system can improve legal issues (85.7%) and increase client trust (64.3%). This is positively correlated with the ages of dairy plant managers in the dairy industry in Ayd?n (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). All the same, not understanding the HACCP was specified as one of the main barriers to its utilization. Almost half of managers (46.5%) reported not really knowing what HACCP was, while 35.8% reported that it was too expensive to employ. On the other hand, the main difficulties with prerequisite program (PRP) applications in Ayd?n dairy plants was determined to be a result of insufficient physical conditions (35.7%) and cost (46.4%).A lack of knowledge relating to and the cost of HACCP and other food safety programs were the main barriers to implementation in the Ayd?n dairy industry. Providing periodical training and consultation services for FSMS applications in the dairy industry by the government and also providing financial support must be provided.     

Thermophilic dark fermentation of acid hydrolyzed waste ground wheat for hydrogen gas production

Batch dark fermentation experiments were performed to investigate the effects of biomass and substrate concentration on bio-hydrogen production from acid hydrolyzed ground wheat at 55 °C. In the first set of experiments, the substrate concentration was constant at 20 g total sugar L⁻¹ and biomass concentration was varied between 0.52 and 2.58 g L⁻¹. Total sugar concentration was varied between 4.2 and 23.7 g L⁻¹ in the second set of experiments with a 1.5 g L⁻¹ constant biomass concentration. The highest cumulative hydrogen formation (582 mL, 30 °C, 1 atm), formation rate (5.43 mL h⁻¹) and final total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentration (6.54 g L⁻¹) were obtained with 1.32 g L⁻¹ biomass concentration. In variable substrate concentration experiments, the highest cumulative hydrogen (365 mL) and TVFA concentration (4.8 g L⁻¹) were obtained with 19.25 g L⁻¹ initial total sugar concentration while hydrogen gas formation rate (12.95 mL h⁻¹) and the yield (200 mL H₂ g⁻¹ total sugar) were the highest with 4.2 g L⁻¹ total sugar concentration.     

High‐Throughput Scaffold System for Studying the Effect of Local Geometry and Topology on the Development and Orientation of Sprouting Blood Vessels

Live tissues require vascular networks for cell nourishing. Mimicking the complex structure of native vascular networks in vitro requires understanding the governing factors of early tubulogenesis. Current vascularization protocols allow for spontaneous formation of vascular networks; however, there is still a need to provide control over the defined network structure. Moreover, there is little understanding on sprouting decision and migration, especially within 3D environments. Here, tessellated polymer scaffolds with various compartment geometries and a novel two‐step seeding protocol are used to study vessel sprouting decisions. Endothelial cells first organize into hollow vessels tracing the shape contour with high fidelity. Subsequent sprouts emerge in specific directions, responding to compartment geometry. Time‐lapse imaging is used to track vessel migration, evidencing that sprouts frequently emerge from the side centers, mainly migrating toward opposing corners, where the density of support cells (SCs) is the highest, providing the highest levels of angiogenic factors. SCs distribution is quantified by smooth muscle actin expression, confirming the cells preference for curved compartment surfaces and corners. Displacements within the hydrogel correlate with SCs distribution during the initial tubulogenesis phase. This work provides new insight regarding vessel sprouting decisions that should be considered when designing scaffolds for vascularized engineered tissues.     

A Review of the Alleged Health Hazards of Monosodium Glutamate

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an umami substance widely used as flavor enhancer. Although it is generally recognized as being safe by food safety regulatory agencies, several studies have questioned its long‐term safety. The purpose of this review was to survey the available literature on preclinical studies and clinical trials regarding the alleged adverse effects of MSG. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the reported possible risks that may potentially arise following chronic exposure. Preclinical studies have associated MSG administration with cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, low‐grade inflammation, metabolic disarray, and premalignant alterations, along with behavioral changes. However, in reviewing the available literature, we detected several methodological flaws, which led us to conclude that these studies have limited relevance for extrapolation to dietary human intake of MSG risk exposure. Clinical trials have focused mainly on MSG effects on food intake and energy expenditure. Besides its well‐known impact on food palatability, MSG enhances salivary secretion and interferes with carbohydrate metabolism, while the impact on satiety and post‐meal recovery of hunger varied in relation to meal composition. Reports on MSG hypersensitivity or links of its use to increased pain sensitivity and atopic dermatitis were found to have little supporting evidence. Many of the reported negative health effects of MSG have little relevance for chronic human exposure and are poorly informative as they are based on excessive dosing that does not meet with levels normally consumed in food products. We conclude that further clinical and epidemiological studies are needed, with an appropriate design, accounting for both added and naturally occurring dietary MSG.     

Dry eye and Meibomian gland dysfunction with meibography in patients with lamellar ichthyosis

Purpose

To evaluate the dry eye findings and Meibomian gland dysfunction as demonstrated with meibography in patients with lamellar ichthyosis.

Polymeric nanopore membranes for hydrophobicity-based separations by conformal initiated chemical vapor deposition

High-aspect ratio hydrophobic, cylindrical nanopores having diameters as low as 5 nm are rapidly fabricated using conformal vapor deposition of fluorinated polymeric layers into porous track-etched polycarbonate membranes. The resultant selectivity of these membranes for pairs of small molecules of similar size, but of different hydrophobicity, arises from solute-pore wall interactions emphasized by confinement. Increasing selectivity was observed as pore diameter decreased and as the surface of the pore became more hydrophobic. Cylindrical pores provided higher selectivity than bottleneck-shaped pores having the same minimum diameter. A maximum selectivity of 234 was achieved between mesitylene and phloroglucinol by the best performing membrane. Membranes with small fluorinated pores exhibited an effective cutoff based on the polar surface area of the molecules, with limited correlation with solute size. This technology could lead to a new generation of membrane separations based on specific interactions.