Microheterogeneous polymer systems prepared by suspension polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of poly(ε‐caprolactone)

Poly(methyl methacrylate) – polycaprolactone (PMMA/PCL) microheterogeneous beads were synthesized by suspension polymerization starting from methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer and PCL, which was synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone using ZnCl₂ as initiator. The resulting polymer was fully characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The size distribution and morphology of the resulting beads were investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, blends of PMMA beads and PCL in different proportions were prepared and the morphology of the films was examined by optical microscopy. The low compatibility between PMMA and PCL was clearly evidenced through these experiments.     

Residence time distribution in spouted bed drying of maltodextrin solutions on a bed of inert particles

Residence time distributions (RTD) for aqueous maltodextrin solutions were determined in two kinds of spouted bed dryers: (1) conventional spouted bed (CSB) 0.305 m diameter with a bed of polypropylene beads and (2) spout‐fluid bed 0.143 m diameter with draft tube submerged in a bed of FEP® pellets (S‐FBDT). RTD, mean residence time t_m, and spread of the distribution σ², were determined at different drying temperatures, spouting velocities, bed depths, spraying pressures, and feed concentrations. Average values of t_m and σ² were 6.5 min and 26.6 min² for the CSB and 6.9 min and 36 min² for the S‐FBDT, respectively, for all operating conditions except spraying pressure. RTD curves were well represented by the response of an ideal stirred tank with a superimposed bypass of 15% on average for the CSB and 7% on average for the S‐FBDT dryer for all operating conditions. Increase in spraying pressure produced a reduction of t_m and an increase in the bypass fraction of the product in both dryers. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Rancidity development during frozen storage of mackerel (Scomber scombrus): effect of catching season and commercial presentation

Hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity development and its effect on quality loss were studied in frozen mackerel (Scomber scombrus) by biochemical and sensory indices. The effect of the lipid content on fish damage at a commercial freezer temperature (?20 °C) was studied for up to 12 months; thus, mackerel caught at two different times of the year (May and November) was checked, May being the period of minimum lipid content, while November is known to be the time of maximum lipid content. The study was also focused on two different kinds of fish products (whole fish and fillets). Increasing lipid hydrolysis was observed for all kinds of samples during the frozen storage; no differences (p >0.05) between whole fish and fillets were found for free fatty acid formation; however, mackerel from May showed a higher (p <0.05) hydrolysis development than its counterpart from November. Increasing lipid oxidation (peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid index) was observed for all kinds of samples during the frozen storage. Fillet lipid oxidation was found to be higher (p <0.05) than in whole fish. Fattier mackerel (November fish) showed a higher (p <0.05) oxidation development than its counterpart from May in the case of fillet products. Results of fluorescence assessment, related to interaction compound formation, proved to be higher (p <0.05) in fillets than in whole fish, although they were higher (p <0.05) in May samples. Sensory analysis corroborated the biochemical analyses, so that fillets showed a shorter shelf life (1 and 3 months for November and May fish, respectively) than their whole fish counterparts (5 months for November and May mackerel).     

Polarized light emission from aligned luminescent liquid crystal films based on 4,7-disubstituted-2,1,3-benzothiadiazoles

The physical properties of a series of light emitting liquid crystal compounds based on 4,7-disubstituted-2,1,3-benzothiadiazoles were investigated in thin solid films. The films were produced on glass plates via spin-coating and then heated to give their liquid crystal mesophases leading to an anisotropic organization of the molecules inside the films after subsequent cooling down to the room temperature. An important finding was that the induced film anisotropy exhibited photo-emission of polarized light. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of the heated films had significant differences compared to the non-heated ones and interesting differences in the organization of the molecules were observed when the films were deposited on anisotropic substrates. Optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were performed to investigate the texture and morphology of the films.     

New strategies for old problems: tardive dyskinesia (TD). Review and report on severe TD cases treated with clozapine, with 12, 8 and 5 years of video follow-up

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is the most feared and troublesome extrapyramidal side-effect of prolonged neuroleptic (NL) treatment. We present a review of TD. Its pathophysiology remains elusive, although extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) increase the liability for TD. Nowadays, therefore, avoidance of all EPS remains the best preventive strategy, as it is not possible to predict which liable patients will develop TD, or of what type or severity. TD frequently includes dystonic features, and is more disabling when these dystonias are present. Clozapine (CLZ) has been reported to be effective in suppressing nearly 60% of TD syndromes, specially those with dystonic features. Based on the few reports in the literature on CLZ and TD by the early 1980s, we started to videotape the first severe TD patient treated with CLZ in 1984. We present the first three case reports of severe TD, with prominent disabling dystonic features, treated with CLZ and videotaped since pretreatment and then periodically for 12, 8 and 5 years of follow-up, respectively. The patients' current diagnosis, gender and age are: Case 1, DSM-IV Schizophrenia Residual Type, male, 39 years; Case 2, DSM-IV Polysubstance Related Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, female, 28 years; Case 3, DSM-IV Schizoaffective Disorder, male, 40 years. Two of them presented with a recurrence of TD because of CLZ interruption within the first 2 months of treatment, with no further breakthrough to date. The first two cases have complete remission of TD; the third case is still improving after 5 years of CLZ treatment, with only minor dystonic features persisting that constitute no impairment for work or daily routines at present. All patients, independent of their psychiatric primary diagnosis, have shown significant and progressive improvement in both motor and psychosocial aspects. None of them has been rehospitalized. Long-term treatment and follow-up is required to avoid TD recurrence and to assure full assessment of treatment effectiveness. Ideally, periodic video recording with standardized examination is advisable for long-term follow-up and outcome assessment. At present, CLZ could be regarded as the drug of choice for patients with TD, specially for those with disabling and or dystonic features and who require ongoing NL therapy. The use of novel antipsychotic agents for TD treatment and prevention, with their low EPS liability, is promising, but has yet to be tested.     

Reproduction-associated immunoreactive peptides in the nervous systems of prosobranch gastropods

Antibodies against reproductive peptides of Aplysia and Lymnaea were used to localize homologous immunoreactive peptides in the nervous systems of three prosobranch species: Busycon canaliculatum, Concholepas concholepas, and Tegula atra. Positive control experiments in L. stagnalis demonstrated the broad species range of the anti-egg-laying hormone (anti-ELH) antibody used in this study, and showed binding of anti-alpha-caudodorsal-cell peptide (anti-alpha-CDCP) to the same cells in cerebral and buccal ganglia. Dot immunoassays with synthetic ELH confirmed the reactivity and sensitivity (< 0.1 microgram) of the anti-ELH antibody. Experiments with preadsorbed antibody or no primary antibody confirmed its specificity. In B. canaliculatum, clusters of more than 300 neuronal cell bodies immunoreactive to both anti-ELH and anti-alpha-CDCP were observed along the medial margins of left and right cerebral ganglia. Anti-alpha-CDCP reacted with additional small populations of cerebral ganglion neurons not stained by anti-ELH. Anti-ELH and anti-alpha-CDCP also reacted with overlapping but different small populations of neurons in buccal ganglia. In C. concholepas and T atra, ELH-like immunoreactivity was found in cerebral ganglia, and in T. atra in fibers in the cerebral ganglia and cerebral-pedal connectives. Thus, cerebral ganglia are the major locus of the ELH-like immunoreactivity in prosobranchs.     

Finding low autocorrelation binary sequences with memetic algorithms

This paper deals with the construction of binary sequences with low autocorrelation, a very hard problem with many practical applications. The paper analyzes several metaheuristic approaches to tackle this kind of sequences. More specifically, the paper provides an analysis of different local search strategies, used as stand-alone techniques and embedded within memetic algorithms. One of our proposals, namely a memetic algorithm endowed with a Tabu Search local searcher, performs at the state-of-the-art, as it consistently finds optimal sequences in considerably less time than previous approaches reported in the literature. Moreover, this algorithm is also able to provide new best-known solutions for large instances of the problem. In addition, a variant of this algorithm that explores only a promising subset of the whole search space (known as skew-symmetric sequences) is also analyzed. Experimental results show that this new algorithm provides new best-known solutions for very large instances of the problem.     

Cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and chronic oral tegafur modulated by folinic acid in the treatment of patients with advanced breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS/METHODS: The distribution characteristics of a human colon carcinoma cell line, KM12-HX cells, were examined. After intraportal vein (i.p.v.) or intravenous (i.v.) injection into rats, almost all the injected tumor cells are distributed to liver or lung, respectively, both after 30 s and 30 min. Our previous kinetic analysis of the fate of tumor cells revealed that the cumulative amount of tumor cells distributed in the liver is a factor determining the degree of metastasis. Thus, we examined the mechanism of initial efficient trapping of tumor cells by the liver in more detail. RESULTS: Thirty minutes after tumor cells were injected into the left ventricle of the heart, the distribution of tumor cells was more restricted in several tissues (kidney, small intestine, large intestine and spleen), as compared with the distribution of microspheres undergoing 100% extraction, indicating that the first-pass extraction of KM12-HX cells is incomplete in these organs. The hepatic first-pass distribution of these tumor cells was unaffected by pretreatment of liposomes, such that the preinjected amount was sufficient to saturate the phagocytotic function of macrophages. Thus, the mechanism of initial distribution of the tumor cells to the liver is different from the mechanism of liposome uptake by macrophages. Considering that the diameter of microvessels in sinusoid and KM12-HX cells is approximately 7 and 12 microm, respectively, it is possible that these tumor cells are trapped physically in hepatic microvessels. In fact, after i.p.v. injection of microspheres 5 microm in diameter, only 20% of the dose was distributed to liver and the rest to other tissues. In contrast, almost 100% of microspheres 10 microm in diameter were distributed to the liver. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that the initial organ distribution of blood-borne tumor cells is determined by mechanical and physical properties of the cells.     

Assessment of mammography spectra using compton spectrometry techniques

The quality control of mammography units is necessary to reduce the dose imparted to women as much as possible. An accurate characterisation of the primary X-ray spectra is very useful for this purpose. Primary spectra can be obtained using Compton spectrometry techniques. In this work, a commercial spectrometer used to characterise a mammography X-ray tube has been simulated using the Monte Carlo method by means of the MCNP code. Using the developed model, a Response matrix is obtained. Owing to the fact that this matrix is ill-conditioned, the inversion is not a simple process. This problem has been solved using the truncated singular value decomposition method. Results obtained when this methodology was applied have been compared with theoretical X-ray spectra.     

Preservation of the endogenous antioxidant system of fish muscle by grape polyphenols during frozen storage

The capacity of a phenolic extract, OW, obtained from grape (Vitis vinifera) by-products, and of a purified fraction of procyanidins from OW, fraction IV, for preservation of endogenous antioxidants of fatty fish was investigated during frozen storage. They were used in muscle concentrations of 0.01% (w/w). Grape polyphenols were compared with propyl gallate, a synthetic antioxidant. The exogenous compounds were added to minced mackerel (Scomber scombrus) muscle and horse mackerel (Trauchurus trauchurus) fillets, before freezing at –10 °C. The results demonstrated that grape polyphenols and propyl gallate inhibit the depletion of endogenous -tocopherol, ubiquinone-10 and total glutathione. Grape polyphenols and propyl gallate showed similar efficiency for preservation of ubiquinone, in both minced and filleted muscle, and total glutathione, in minced muscle. Total glutathione in the fillets was better maintained by propyl gallate than grape polyphenols. The endogenous antioxidant more efficiently preserved by grape polyphenols and propyl gallate was -tocopherol. Its loss elapsed faster in the order control> OW>fraction IV>propyl gallate. The depletion of -tocopherol was highly correlated with the evolution of lipid oxidation. The development of lipid oxidation was repressed, while the concentration of -tocopherol was not reduced up to critical levels.