Wide-angle chromatic aberration corrector for the human eye

The human eye is affected by large chromatic aberration. This may limit vision and makes it difficult to see fine retinal details in ophthalmoscopy. We designed and built a two-triplet system for correcting the average longitudinal chromatic aberration of the eye while keeping a reasonably wide field of view. Measurements in real eyes were conducted to examine the level and optical quality of the correction. We also performed some tests to evaluate the effect of the corrector on visual performance.     

Reducing the formation of glucose degradation products in peritoneal dialysis solutions by ultrahigh temperature ohmic heating

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is commonly performed by using preprepared dialysis solutions containing glucose, which are thermally treated to achieve commercial sterilization. A series of glucose degradation products (GDPs) are being formed, which react with the tissue during the dialysis procedure, thus baring a negative effect on the patient and the dialysis process. The present study tested the efficacy of ohmic heating as an alternative thermal treatment for continuous sterilization of PD solutions. The process was compared to conventional retort treatment, and GDPs accumulation was measured. Thermal treatments using the ohmic heating system were performed at three temperatures (105, 125, and 150 degrees C) with residence time at each temperature ranging from 0.84 to 12.0 s. The resulting concentrations of glyoxal (GO), methylglyoxal (MGO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) in the PD solutions were measured. None of these GDPs were found in PD fluids treated by ohmic heating at 105 degrees C. The concentration of 3-DG, after a standard sterilization treatment (121 degrees C, 20 or 40 min) was one order of magnitude higher (approximately 140 and 242 microM) than after ohmic heating treatment at 125 degrees C. The results of the present study suggest that this technique can be used to produce solutions with much lower content of GDPs. It also demonstrates the advantage of using the ohmic heating technology as a tool for high temperature short time treatment of PD fluids.     

Performance evaluation of large capacity broadcast-and-select optical crossconnects

In this work, two bufferless high capacity broadcast-and-select optical switching node architectures are presented and their performance is evaluated. The architectures are modular permitting the expansion from basic to complex structures by adding new blocks/components in a gradual way, enhancing at the same time the corresponding network functionality. The blocking performance is assessed and scheduling algorithms are proposed to solve contention for a single node. Finally, physical layer modeling is carried out in order to investigate node scalability and node cascadeability. Overall, the proposed solutions are offering modularity, transparency to switching technology, graceful evolution and high performance at an affordable cost.     

Dietary intake and stress fractures among elite male combat recruits

Background

We examined the effect of four weeks of ??-alanine supplementation on isometric endurance of the knee extensors at 45% maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC).

Methods

Thirteen males (age 23?±?6 y; height 1.80?±?0.05?m; body mass 81.0?±?10.5?kg), matched for pre-supplementation isometric endurance, were allocated to either a placebo (n?=?6) or ??-alanine (n?=?7; 6.4?g·d^-1 over 4?weeks) supplementation group. Participants completed an isometric knee extension test (IKET) to fatigue, at an intensity of 45% MVIC, before and after supplementation. In addition, two habituation tests were completed in the week prior to the pre-supplementation test and a further practice test was completed in the week prior to the post-supplementation test. MVIC force, IKET hold-time, and impulse generated were recorded.

Results

IKET hold-time increased by 9.7?±?9.4?s (13.2%) and impulse by 3.7?±?1.3 kN·s^-1 (13.9%) following ??-alanine supplementation. These changes were significantly greater than those in the placebo group (IKET: t ₍₁₁₎?=?2.9, p ??0.05; impulse: t ₍₁₁₎?=?3.1, p????0.05). There were no significant changes in MVIC force in either group.

Conclusion

Four weeks of ??-alanine supplementation at 6.4?g·d^-1 improved endurance capacity of the knee extensors at 45% MVIC, which most likely results from improved pH regulation within the muscle cell as a result of elevated muscle carnosine levels.     

Cold-set whey protein microgels for the stable immobilization of lipids

Novel sub-millimeter cold-set whey protein isolate (WPI) microgels for the stable immobilization of lipids were prepared by an emulsification/internal gelation technique. Microgels were prepared by the addition of a denatured WPI/lipid primary emulsion (containing a micronized calcium source) into an oil bath with gentle stirring, into which an oil soluble acid was added to liberate calcium and initiate gelling of the whey-based matrices. The efficiency of these matrices to entrap lipids was assessed by comparing to extrusion/externally gelled matrices, where the production process is potentially less destructive, but microgels under 1 mm in diameter are difficult to achieve. The micron-sized (below 100 μm in diameter) internally gelled matrices produced by an optimized process, successfully immobilized incorporated lipids, with greater than 93% retention of lipids, regardless of the investigated manufacturing conditions. Migration of exterior oil, during the O/W/O production process, into the microgels was also avoided. Examination of the micro-structure by scanning electron microscopy revealed voids uniformly distributed throughout the matrix, representative in size (under 0.4 μm) of the original primary emulsion lipid droplets. The study shows relevant feasibility for the stable inclusion of a wide range of sensitive lipophilic bioactive ingredients into these matrices, where the sub-millimeter size of the microgels represents potential for incorporation into a variety of food systems.     

Miscibility of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) with high molecular weight poly(lactic acid) blends determined by thermal analysis

An important strategy used in the polymer industry in recent years is blending two bio‐based polymers to attain desirable properties similar to traditional thermoplastics, thus increasing the application potential for bio‐based and bio‐degradable polymers. Miscibility of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) with poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLA) were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Three different grades of commercially available PLAs and one type of PHBV were blended in different ratios of 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, and 80/20 (PHBV/PLA) using a micro‐compounder at 175°C. The DSC and TGA analysis showed the blends were immiscible due to different stereo configuration of PLA polymer and two distinct melting temperatures. However, some compatibility between PHBV and PLA polymers was observed due to decreases in PLA's glass transition temperatures. Additionally, the blends do not show clear separation by SEM analysis, as observed in the thermal analysis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Effect of humic acid on pyrene removal from water by polycation-clay mineral composites and activated carbon

Pyrene removal by polycation-montmorillonite (MMT) composites and granulated activated carbon (GAC) in the presence of humic acid (HA) was examined. Pyrene, HA, and sorbent interactions were characterized by FTIR, fluorescence and zeta measurements, adsorption, and column filtration experiments. Pyrene binding coefficients to the macromolecules were in the order of PVPcoS (poly-4-vinylpiridine-co-styrene) > HA > PDADMAC (poly diallyl-dimethyl-ammonium-chloride), correlating to pyrene-macromolecules compatibility. Electrostatic interactions explained the high adsorption of HA to both composites (～100%), whereas HA adsorption by GAC was low. Pyrene removal by the composites, unlike GAC, was enhanced in the presence of HA; removal by PDADMAC-MMT increased from ～50 (k(d) = 2.2 × 10(3) kg/L) to ～70% (k(d) = 2.4 × 10(3) kg/L) in the presence of HA. This improvement was attributed to the adsorption of pyrene-HA complexes. PVPcoS-MMT was most efficient in removing pyrene (k(d) = 1.1 × 10(4) kg/L, >95% removal) which was explained in terms of specific π donor-π acceptor interactions. Pyrene uptake by column filters of GAC reached ～50% and decreased to ～30% in the presence of HA. Pyrene removal by the PVPcoS-MMT filter was significantly higher (100-85% removal), exhibiting only a small decrease in the presence of HA. The utilization of HA as an enhancing agent in pollutant removal is novel and of major importance in water treatment.     

“Andromaly”: a behavioral malware detection framework for android devices

This article presents Andromaly—a framework for detecting malware on Android mobile devices. The proposed framework realizes a Host-based Malware Detection System that continuously monitors various features and events obtained from the mobile device and then applies Machine Learning anomaly detectors to classify the collected data as normal (benign) or abnormal (malicious). Since no malicious applications are yet available for Android, we developed four malicious applications, and evaluated Andromaly’s ability to detect new malware based on samples of known malware. We evaluated several combinations of anomaly detection algorithms, feature selection method and the number of top features in order to find the combination that yields the best performance in detecting new malware on Android. Empirical results suggest that the proposed framework is effective in detecting malware on mobile devices in general and on Android in particular.     

Spatial and seasonal patterns of fluorescent organic matter in Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and its catchment basin

Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is one of the major water resources in Israel. The origin and characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) in the lake and its tributary rivers were studied using fluorescence excitation emission matrices (EEM) and parallel factor analysis. Two humic-like and one proteinous components were sufficient to describe EEM variability among 167 water samples collected between 2/2005 and 9/2006. The two humic-like components showed different relations in lake and riverine samples. Their vertical distribution in the lake was affected by seasonal stratification and distance from water surface, presumably reflecting the release of humic-like matter from sediments, its production via NOM transformation in the bottom layers, and its photodegradation in the upper layers. Vertical distribution of the proteinous component, indicating biological activity at upper water layers, did not correlate with that of the humic-like components. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations did not show any vertical stratification, emphasizing the power of EEM to explore NOM dynamics.     

Harnessing Split-Inteins as a Tool for the Selective Modification of Surface Receptors in Live Cells

Biochemical studies of integral membrane proteins are often hampered by low purification yields and technical limitations such as aggregation causing in vitro manipulations to be challenging. The ability of controlling proteins in live cells bypasses these limitations while broadening the scope of accessible questions owing to the proteins being in their native environment. Here we take advantage of the intein biorthogonality to mammalian systems, site specificity, fast kinetics, and auto-processing nature as an attractive option for modifying surface proteins. Using EGFR as a model, we demonstrate that the split-intein pair Ava^N/Npu^C can be used to efficiently and specifically modify target membrane proteins with a synthetic adduct for downstream live cell application.