Development and Use of Quantitative Competitive PCR Assay for Detection of Poultry DNA in Sausage

This study focused on the development and evaluation of a quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction (QC-PCR) for detection and quantification of poultry DNA in sausage. PCR is well known to be quantitative if internal DNA standards are co-amplified together with the target DNA. A DNA competitor differing by 83 bp in length from the poultry target sequence was constructed and used for PCR together with the target DNA. Specificity of the new primers was evaluated with DNA from cattle and sheep. The results of QC-PCR showed that the percentage of contamination was in the range of 23.87–52.06%.     

Reconstructing the Equation of State in Holographic Dark Energy in 5D Brans-Dicke Theory,and Comparison with ΛCDM Model and CPL Parametrization

We study Holographic dark energy in 5D Brans-Dicke cosmology. To investigate the stability and attractor solutions, we fit the model with the SNIa and Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) observational data. We also examine the holographic nature of dark energy in the model through the equation of state (EoS). In addition, a reconstructed form of the EoS from holographic dark energy on the model is driven The model strongly exhibits the present cosmic accelerating. It also shows that the universe starts from an unstable radiation-dominated epoch and reaches a stable late-time accelerated phase originating from holographic dark energy in the Brans-Dicke model.     

Bone Regeneration in rat using a gelatin/bioactive glass nanocomposite scaffold along with endothelial cells (HUVECs)

In our previous study, a three‐dimensional gelatin/bioactive glass nanocomposite scaffold with a total porosity of about 85% and pore sizes ranging from 200 to 500 μm was prepared through layer solvent casting combined with lamination technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro biocompatibility and in vivo bone regeneration potential of these scaffolds with and without endothelial cells when implanted into a critical‐sized rat calvarial defect. MTT assay, SEM observation, and DAPI staining were used to evaluate cell viability and adhesion in macroporous scaffolds and results demonstrated that the scaffolds were biocompatible enough to support cell attachment and proliferation. To investigate the in vivo osteogenesis of the scaffold, blank scaffolds and endothelial/scaffold constructs were implanted in critical‐sized defects, whereas in control group defects were left untreated. Bone regeneration and vascularization were evaluated at 1, 4, and 12 weeks postsurgery by histological, immunohistochemical, and histomorphometric analysis. It was shown that both groups facilitated bone growth into the defect area but improved bone regeneration was seen with the incorporation of endothelial cells. The data showed that the porous Gel/BaG nanocomposite scaffolds could well support new bone formation, indicating that the proposed strategy is a promising alternative for tissue‐engineered bone defects.     

Bioinduced changes in the colored nitrocellulose‐coated cellophane films,induced by the Shewanella J18 143 strain

Two types of the nitrocellulose (NC)‐coated cellophane films, denoted 335 MS films (uncolored) and 335 MSC films (dyed with C.I. Direct Red 81), were incubated with Shewanella J18 143 for a period of 1 month at 50°C. The colored films were decolorized by Shewanella strain throughout this process. Changes in the NC coating of the films were studied by FTIR analysis, by determination of the surface wettability, and by ESEM evaluations. The colored films that were exposed to the Shewanella culture and decolorized, lost a significant amount of nitrate groups and became enriched in the hydroxyl group content. Moreover, the critical surface tension of the colored NC‐coated cellophane films increased, from 18.7 mN/m, for the original films, to 33.1 mN/m, for the film that was treated by the Shewanella strain. Unlike the colored film, the uncolored NC‐coated films did not give any considerable changes in their NC coating when exposed to the Shewanella culture, for the same time period. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Evaluation of a new ultraviolet-emitting rare-earth film-screen combination

The performance of a 400 speed class DuPont Ultra Vision Rapid (UVR) film-screen combination has been evaluated and compared with that of DuPont Quanta Fast Detail screens with Cronex 10L film (QFD-200 speed class). The speed was calculated from the constructed characteristic curves (H&D) at different energies. Image quality was derived objectively using the Leeds test object TOR (CDR). An anthropomorphic phantom was then employed to determine image quality subjectively by means of radiologist appraisal. Lumbar spine and chest radiography of patients were performed to evaluate the potential for dose reduction in clinical conditions by measuring skin entrance doses with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). UVR provided better resolution (9 lp mm-1 as opposed to 8 lp mm-1) and contrast response than QFD. UVR has accommodated a wider exposure latitude than might be expected with conventional 400 speed class film-screen combinations. Use of UVR resulted in better image quality than use of QFD over a wide range of exposure factors. The use of UVR can result in a dose reduction of 50% with no loss in image quality.     

Polytropic Inspired Inflation on the Brane

The brane inflationary model inspired by a polytropic inflationary idea is studied. In the slow-roll approximation and high energy limit, for a chaotic potential, the model is developed, and its characteristics are discussed. We obtain explicit expressions for the scalar power spectrum, the tensor-scalar ratio, the scalar spectral index and its running in terms of the polytropic parameters. We find a new constraint on the energy scale of the inflation and the brane tension using the WMAP9 data.     

Heat transfer of nanofluids in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Heat transfer characteristics of γ-Al₂O₃/water and TiO₂/water nanofluids were measured in a shell and tube heat exchanger under turbulent flow condition. The effects of Peclet number, volume concentration of suspended nanoparticles, and particle type on the heat characteristics were investigated. Based on the results, adding of naoparticles to the base fluid causes the significant enhancement of heat transfer characteristics. For both nanofluids, two different optimum nanoparticle concentrations exist. Comparison of the heat transfer behavior of two nanofluids indicates that at a certain Peclet number, heat transfer characteristics of TiO₂/water nanofluid at its optimum nanoparticle concentration are greater than those of γ-Al₂O₃/water nanofluid while γ-Al₂O₃/water nanofluid possesses better heat transfer behavior at higher nanoparticle concentrations.     

Thermodynamic and economic evaluation and optimization of the applicability of integrating an innovative multi-heat recovery with a dual-flash binary geothermal power plant

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Generally, a stand-alone flash-binary geothermal power plant loses most of its input energy, so its efficiency declines accordingly. Its overall...