Influence of inoculation method, spot inoculation site, and inoculation size on the efficacy of acidic electrolyzed water against pathogens on lettuce

The influence of bacterial inoculation methods on the efficacy of sanitizers against pathogens was examined. Dip and spot inoculation methods were employed in this study to evaluate the effectiveness of acidic electrolyzed water (AcEW) and chlorinated water (200 ppm free available chlorine) against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. Ten pieces of lettuce leaf (5 by 5 cm) were inoculated by each method then immersed in 1.5 liters of AcEW, chlorinated water, or sterile distilled water for 1 min with agitation (150 rpm) at room temperature. The outer (abaxial) and inner (adaxial) surfaces of the lettuce leaf were distinguished in the spot inoculation. Initial inoculated pathogen population was in the range 7.3 to 7.8 log CFU/g. Treatment with AcEW and chlorinated water resulted in a 1 log CFU/g or less reduction of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella populations inoculated with the dip method. Spot inoculation of the inner surface of the lettuce leaf with AcEW and chlorinated water reduced the number of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella by approximately 2.7 and 2.5 log CFU/g, respectively. Spot inoculation of the outer surface of the lettuce leaf with both sanitizers resulted in approximately 4.6 and 4.4 log CFU/g reductions of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, respectively. The influence of inoculation population size was also examined. Each sanitizer could not completely eliminate the pathogens when E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella cells inoculated on the lettuce were of low population size (10(3) to 10(4) CFU/g), regardless of the inoculation technique.     

Water exchange-minimizing DCE-MRI protocol to detect changes in tumor vascular parameters: effect of bevacizumab/paclitaxel combination therapy

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in the tumor microvasculature induced by combination antiangiogenic therapy in MCF-7 breast tumor mouse models, using a noninvasive DCE-MRI method that minimizes the effect of water exchange.

Materials and methods

3D quantitative DCE-MRI images were acquired with a heavily T ₁-weighted saturation recovery gradient echo sequence with a recovery delay of 20 ms. Tumor vascular volume (VV) and vascular permeability-surface area product (PS) were obtained through a linear regression of the albumin-Gd-DTPA-enhanced dynamic image intensity on MCF-7 breast tumor mouse models treated with combination bevacizumab/paclitaxel therapy.

Results

Measured tumor VV values were significantly higher than the values that have been reported previously using quantitative T ₁ mapping, and are in good agreement with micro-CT (computed tomography) results reported earlier from other tumor models. A trend of decreasing tumor PS was detected in the group of MCF-7 tumor bearing mice treated with the bevacizumab/paclitaxel combination regimen.

Conclusion

VV and PS maps obtained by a heavily T ₁-weighted acquisition protocol revealed the large peripheral blood vessels as well as the permeable areas within the tumor. A 12-day/three-dose combination treatment of bevacizumab and paclitaxel resulted in delayed tumor growth and a trend of decreasing tumor vascular permeability surface area product.     

Effect of Water Hardness on the Taste of Alkaline Electrolyzed Water

ABSTRACT: The effect of water hardness on the taste of alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) was examined by sensory evaluation. Sensory test 1 of commercial bottled mineral water to which calcium and/or magnesium salts had been added was performed by panelists who evaluated the effect of hardness on the taste of water using a scoring method (hedonic scaling test) and a 1-pair comparison method. The water, in which the calcium concentration and the magnesium concentration was 20 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively, was found to taste better than any water containing other concentrations of calcium and magnesium. Sensory test 2 of bottled mineral waters having hardnesses of 30 mg/L to 290 mg/L, of activated carbon filtration water having a hardness of 50 mg/L, and of AEWs was performed by panelists using a scoring method (hedonic scaling test) and a pair test, and their preferences for the taste of AEWs was surveyed. The taste of AEW made by electrolyzing activated carbon filtration water did not differ from that of the water before it was electrolyzed. The same was true of AEW made by electrolyzing bottled mineral water having a hardness of 80 mg/L. However, 3 kinds of AEWs made by electrolyzing bottled mineral waters having hardnesses of 30 mg/L, 170 mg/L, and 290 mg/L were found to taste less pleasant than each bottled mineral water before being electrolyzed. The results of sensory tests 1 and 2 show that good-tasting AEW could be produced by an alkaline water electrolyzed from most tap water of Japan because its hardness varies from approximately 50 mg/L to 80 mg/L.     

An interactive rendering system using hierarchical data structure for earth-scale clouds

This paper presents an interactive system for realistic visualization of earth-scale clouds. Realistic images can be generated at interactive frame rates while the viewpoint and the sunlight directions can be changed interactively. The realistic display of earth-scale clouds requires us to render large volume data representing the density distribution of the clouds. However, this is generally time-consuming and it is difficult to achieve the interactive performance, especially when the sunlight direction ca...     

Performance evaluation of a two-stage adsorption refrigeration cycle with different mass ratio

The performance of a two-stage adsorption chiller with different mass allocation between upper and bottom beds has been investigated numerically. It is found that the chiller can be driven effectively by the waste heat of temperature 55 °C with the heat sink at environment temperature. Results show that cooling capacity can be improved with the optimum allocation of adsorbent mass to the bottom beds than that to the upper beds. The improvement in Coefficient of Performance (COP) values, however, is less significant. It is also seen that the improvement in cooling capacity is more significant for the relatively higher heat source temperature. It is shown that the cooling capacity can be improved up to 20% if the heat source temperature is 80 °C and the average outlet temperature is fixed at 7 °C.     

Elderly drivers’ everyday behavior as a predictor of crash involvement—Questionnaire responses by drivers’ family members

When or whether elderly drivers stop driving is concerning not only to the drivers themselves but also to their family members. Therefore, it is important for family members to take the initiative if they wish to obtain information on the likelihood of the drivers’ involvement in crashes. On the basis of the older drivers’ Everyday Behavior Questionnaire (EBQ) developed in this paper, we attempt to predict drivers’ involvement in crashes using the responses given by their family members. The results revealed that this 14-item questionnaire has a sufficient level of internal consistency as well as a significant correlation (r = 0.29) with the experience of involvement in crashes in the last three years (p < 0.01). Although the EBQ is a proxy-reported questionnaire and does not include items directly related to driving behaviors, the correlation between the EBQ and crash involvement is stronger than that of the self-reported Driver Behavior Questionnaire reported in deWinter and Dodou (2010), who conducted a meta-analysis and estimated the overall correlation among samples of earlier studies. In addition, logistic regression analysis showed that the EBQ score and the exposure to driving risks, measured by the frequency of driving, are significant predictors of involvement in crashes.     

Roles of Macrophages in Advanced Liver Fibrosis,Identified Using a Newly Established Mouse Model of Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Macrophages play critical roles in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, it is unclear which macrophage subsets are critically involved in the development of inflammation and fibrosis in NASH. In TSNO mice fed a high-fat/cholesterol/cholate-based diet, which exhibit advanced liver fibrosis that mimics human NASH, we found that Kupffer cells (KCs) were less abundant and recruited macrophages were more abundant, forming hepatic crown-like structures (hCLS) in the liver. The recruited macrophages comprised two subsets: CD11c⁺/Ly6C⁻ and CD11c⁻/Ly6C⁺ cells. CD11c⁺ cells were present in a mesh-like pattern around the lipid droplets, constituting the hCLS. In addition, CD11c⁺ cells colocalized with collagen fibers, suggesting that this subset of recruited macrophages might promote advanced liver fibrosis. In contrast, Ly6C⁺ cells were present in doughnut-like inflammatory lesions, with a lipid droplet in the center. Finally, RNA sequence analysis indicates that CD11c⁺/Ly6C⁻ cells promote liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, whereas CD11c⁻/Ly6C⁺ cells are a macrophage subset that play an anti-inflammatory role and promote tissue repair in NASH. Taken together, our data revealed changes in liver macrophage subsets during the development of NASH and shed light on the roles of the recruited macrophages in the pathogenesis of advanced fibrosis in NASH.