Mechanical processing of Fe powders

Fe powders were mechanically processed by ball milling. The average size of coherent diffraction domains and the average strain content were determined by X-ray diffraction. A mathematical model was developed to describe the microstructural refinement process as a function of the number of collisions and to estimate the amount of powder effectively processed at individual collisions. The density of dislocations was also estimated. The obtained values suggest that Fe powders can locally undergo extremely severe deformation conditions.     

Sintering and Microwave Properties of Zirconium Tin Titanate Doped with Select Oxides

Zirconium tin titanate (ZST) is often used as a dielectric resonator for the fabrication of microwave devices. Pure compositions do not sinter easily by solid state sintering; therefore, sintering ZST requires sintering aids capable of creating defects that could improve diffusion processes and/or promote liquid phase sintering. The mechanisms by which the additives influence the microstructure and, consequently, the ZSTs dielectric properties are not very clear. The effects of ZnO, Bi₂O₃, and La₂O₃, on the stoichiometry and dielectric properties of ZST sintered at different temperatures were investigated in this study.     

Juice and by-products from pomegranate to enrich pancake: characterisation and shelf-life evaluation

In this study, a fortified pancake with all parts of pomegranate as juice and by-products, added in the formulation, was designed. The influence of pomegranate addition on nutritional and sensory quality of pancake, as well as on its shelf-life, was assessed. As one would expect, the enrichment significantly improved the pancake polyphenolic content as compared to the control sample. Surprisingly, pomegranate addition did not affect its sensory quality. In fact, the enriched pancake was greatly appreciated from the sensory point of view. Results also suggested that the addition of pomegranate improved the glycemic index (GI). In fact, while a value of GI equal to 100 was obtained for the control sample, a GI of 71 was measured for the fortified sample. In terms of shelf-life, 30 days were obtained for the enriched pancake, whereas the control sample remained acceptable for about 26 days.     

The effect of co-encapsulation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 with inulin on alginate/chitosan matrix: the viability in fermented soy blend and simulated digestive system

This research verified the ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus encapsulated with inulin to tolerate the simulated digestive system and their viability in a soy blend. Probiotic encapsulated in alginate-chitosan matrix without inulin presented a better encapsulation efficiency (80.92%) than encapsulation with inulin (57.39%). On the 28th day, the count of probiotics decreased by 3.42 and 1.99 logarithmic cycles of free and encapsulated cells without inulin, respectively. In contrast, the microorganisms encapsulated with inulin showed an increase of 1.26 logs CFU g⁻¹. During gastrointestinal simulation, cell counts decreased by 0.78, 1.55 and 1.95 CFU g⁻¹ logs for encapsulated cells without inulin, free and encapsulated with inulin, respectively. Sensory panellists liked the fermented soy blend with encapsulated lactobacilli, and this result shows the possibility to create new probiotic foods of plant origin. Therefore, the alginate/chitosan matrix can be considered adequate for the encapsulation of L. rhamnosus. The inulin reduces the encapsulation efficiency and increases the cell loss in gastrointestinal simulation. Considering cellular losses, the best option for preparing a fermented soy blend is to use L. rhamnosus encapsulated without inulin.     

The Tumor Microenvironment in Liver Metastases from Colorectal Carcinoma in the Context of the Histologic Growth Patterns

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common cancer. Likewise, it is a disease that has a long survival if it is prematurely detected. However, more than 50% of patients will develop metastases, mainly in the liver (LM-CRC), throughout the evolution of their disease, which accounts for most CRC-related deaths. Treatment it is certainly a controversial issue, since it has not been shown to increase overall survival in the adjuvant setting, although it does improve disease free survival (DFS). Moreover, current chemotherapy combinations are administered based on data extrapolated from primary tumors (PT), not considering that LM-CRC present a very particular tumor microenvironment that can radically condition the effectiveness of treatments designed for a PT. The liver has a particular histology and microenvironment that can determine tumor growth and response to treatments: double blood supply, vascularization through fenestrated sinusoids and the presence of different mesenchymal cell types, among other particularities. Likewise, the liver presents a peculiar immune response against tumor cells, a fact that correlates with the poor response to immunotherapy. All these aspects will be addressed in this review, putting them in the context of the histological growth patterns of LM-CRC, a particular pathologic feature with both prognostic and predictive repercussions.     

Leachability of degradation products from hard chairside reline resins in artificial saliva: Effect of water‐bath post‐polymerization treatment

The effect of a post‐polymerization treatment on the leaching of methacrylic acid (MA) and benzoic acid (BA) from the reline resins [Kooliner (K), New Truliner (N), Ufi Gel hard (U), and Tokuso Rebase Fast (T)] was evaluated. Specimens of each material were divided into two groups: Group C (control) – left untreated; Group WB (water‐bath) – immersion in water at 55 ± 1°C for 10 min. Specimens were placed in artificial saliva at 37 ± 1°C and, after 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, 24‐h and 3‐, 7‐, 14‐, and 30‐day intervals, aliquots were removed and analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Data were analyzed by using Wilcoxon, Mann–Whitney or Kruskal–Wallis tests (α = 0.05). At 1 h, the concentration of MA released from U control specimens was higher than those of the other ones, and decreased after 3 h. WB specimens released lower amounts of MA than control specimens only for material U, at the 1‐ and 3‐h periods. For all control specimens, concentrations of leached BA progressively decreased within 5 h and from 24 h to the end. WB specimens released significantly lower amounts of BA than did the control groups. The highest concentration of MA was leached from control specimens of Ufi Gel hard. Water‐bath post‐polymerization treatment caused a significant reduction in elution of BA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011