A comparison between conductive and infrared devices for measuring mean skin temperature at rest, during exercise in the heat, and recovery

Purpose: Skin temperature assessment has historically been undertaken with conductive devices affixed to the skin. With the development of technology, infrared devices are increasingly utilised in the measurement of skin temperature. Therefore, our purpose was to evaluate the agreement between four skin temperature devices at rest, during exercise in the heat, and recovery. Methods: Mean skin temperature (T̅sk) was assessed in thirty healthy males during 30 min rest (24.0± 1.2°C, 56 ± 8%), 30 min cycle in the heat (38.0 ± 0.5°C, 41 ± 2%), and 45 min recovery(24.0 ± 1.3°C, 56 ± 9%). T̅sk was assessed at four sites using two conductive devices(thermistors, iButtons) and two infrared devices (infrared thermometer, infrared camera). Results: Bland–Altman plots demonstrated mean bias ± limits of agreement between the thermistors and iButtons as follows (rest, exercise, recovery): -0.01 ± 0.04, 0.26 ± 0.85, -0.37 ± 0.98°C; thermistors and infrared thermometer: 0.34 ± 0.44, -0.44 ± 1.23, -1.04 ± 1.75°C; thermistors and infrared camera (rest, recovery): 0.83 ± 0.77, 1.88 ± 1.87°C. Pairwise comparisons of T̅sk found significant differences (p < 0.05) between thermistors and both infrared devices during resting conditions, and significant differences between the thermistors and all other devices tested during exercise in the heat and recovery. Conclusions: These results indicate poor agreement between conductive and infrared devices at rest, during exercise in the heat, and subsequent recovery. Infrared devices may not be suitable for monitoring T̅sk in the presence of, or following, metabolic and environmental induced heat stress.

Porosity: Establishing the relationship between drying parameters and dried food quality [SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition]

The preservation technique of drying offers a significant increase in the shelf life of food materials, along with the modification of quality attributes due to simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Variations in porosity are just one of the microstructural changes that take place during the drying of most food materials. Some studies found that there may be a relationship between porosity and the properties of dried foods. However, no conclusive relationship has yet been established in the literature. This paper presents an overview of the factors that influence porosity, as well as the effects of porosity on dried food quality attributes. The effect of heat and mass transfer on porosity is also discussed along with porosity development in various drying methods. After an extensive review of the literature concerning the study of porosity, it emerges that a relationship between process parameters, food qualities, and sample properties can be established. Therefore, we propose a hypothesis of relationships between process parameters, product quality attributes, and porosity.

Food structure : its formation and relationships with other properties

Food materials are complex in nature as it has heterogeneous, amorphous, hygroscopic and porous properties. During processing, microstructure of food materials changes which significantly affects other properties of food. An appropriate understanding of the microstructure of the raw food material and its evolution during processing is critical in order to understand and accurately describe dehydration processes and quality anticipation. This review critically assesses the factors that influence the modification of microstructure in the course of drying of fruits and vegetables. The effect of simultaneous heat and mass transfer on microstructure in various drying methods is investigated. Effects of changes in microstructure on other functional properties of dried foods are discussed. After an extensive review of the literature, it is found that development of food structure significantly depends on fresh food properties and process parameters. Also, modification of microstructure influences the other properties of final product. An enhanced understanding of the relationships between food microstructure, drying process parameters and final product quality will facilitate the energy efficient optimum design of the food processor in order to achieve high-quality food

Effect of cell wall properties on porosity and shrinkage of dried apple

Water removal during drying depends on the pathway of water migration from food materials. Moreover, the water removal rate also depends on the characteristics of the cell wall of plant tissue. In this study, the influence of cell wall properties (such as moisture distribution, stiffness, thickness and cell dimension) on porosity and shrinkage of dried product was investigated. Cell wall stiffness depends on a complex combination of plant cell microstructure, composition of food materials and the water-holding capacity of the cell. In this work, a preliminary investigation of the cell wall properties of apple was conducted in order to predict changes of porosity and shrinkage during drying. Cell wall characteristics of two types of apple (Granny Smith and Red Delicious) were investigated under convective drying to correlate with porosity and shrinkage. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), 2kN Intron, pycnometer and ImageJ software were used in order to measure and analyse cell characteristics, water holding capacity of cell walls, porosity and shrinkage. The cell firmness of the Red Delicious apple was found to be higher than for Granny Smith apples. A remarkable relationship was observed between cell wall characteristics when compare with heat and mass transfer characteristics. It was also found that the evolution of porosity and shrinkage are noticeably influenced by the nature of the cell wall during convective drying. This study has revealed a better understanding of porosity and the shrinkage of dried food at microscopy (cell) level, and will provide better insights to attain energy-effective drying processes and improved quality of dried foods.

Teaching manufacturing engineering at tertiary institutions in conjunction with engineering design and engineering materials

Tertiary institutions now face serious challenges. Modern industry requires engineering graduates with strong knowledge of modern technologies, highly practical focus, management skills, ability to work individually and in a team, understanding of environmental issues and many other skills and graduate attributes. Institutions in the tertiary sector change courses and modify curriculum to reflect challenges of the modern industry and make engineering graduates better prepared for the “real world”. Queensland University of Technology in the recent years introduced an innovative structure of engineering courses with a common core for Bachelor of Engineering Mechanical, Infomechatronics and Medical, where manufacturing is taught in conjunction with engineering design and engineering materials. In this paper we discuss the innovative curriculum structure, teaching and learning approaches of coherent delivery of manufacturing in conjunction with engineering design and

Fibroin-based materials support co-cultivation of limbal epithelial and stromal cells

The silk protein fibroin (Bombyx mori) provides a potential substrate for use in ocular tissue reconstruction. We have previously demonstrated that transparent membranes produced from fibroin support cultivation of human limbal epithelial (HLE) cells (Tissue Eng A. 14(2008)1203-11). We extend this body of work to studies of human limbal stromal cell (HLS) growth on fibroin in the presence and absence of serum. Also, we investigate the ability to produce a bi-layered composite scaffold of fibroin with an upper HLE layer and lower HLS layer.

First-principle engineering magnetism in low-dimensional boron nitride materials

Nanotubes and nanosheets are low-dimensional nanomaterials with unique properties that can be exploited for numerous applications. This book offers a complete overview of their structure, properties, development, modeling approaches, and practical use. It focuses attention on boron nitride (BN) nanotubes, which have had major interest given their special high-temperature properties, as well as graphene nanosheets, BN nanosheets, and metal oxide nanosheets. Key topics include surface functionalization of nanotubes for composite applications, wetting property changes for biocompatible environments, and graphene for energy storage applications

A conjugative plasmid carrying the carbapenem resistance gene blaOXA-23 in AbaR4 in an extensively resistant GC1 Acinetobacter baumannii isolate

OBJECTIVES: To locate the acquired bla(OXA-23) carbapenem resistance gene in an Australian A. baumannii global clone 1 (GC1) isolate. METHODS: The genome of the extensively antibiotic-resistant GC1 isolate A85 harbouring bla(OXA-23) in Tn2006 was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq, and the reads were used to generate a de novo assembly. PCR was used to assemble relevant contigs. Sequences were compared with ones in GenBank. Conjugation experiments were conducted. RESULTS: The sporadic GC1 isolate A85, recovered in 2003, was extensively resistant, exhibiting resistance to imipenem, meropenem and ticarcillin/clavulanate, to cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones and to the older antibiotics gentamicin, kanamycin and neomycin, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim and tetracycline. Genes for resistance to older antibiotics are in the chromosome, in an AbaR3 resistance island. A second copy of the ampC gene in Tn6168 confers cephalosporin resistance and the gyrA and parC genes have mutations leading to fluoroquinolone resistance. An 86 335 bp repAci6 plasmid, pA85-3, carrying bla(OXA-23) in Tn2006 in AbaR4, was shown to transfer imipenem, meropenem and ticarcillin/clavulanate resistance into a susceptible recipient. A85 also contains two small cryptic plasmids of 2.7 and 8.7 kb. A85 is sequence type ST126 (Oxford scheme) and carries a novel KL15 capsule locus and the OCL3 outer core locus. CONCLUSIONS: A85 represents a new GC1 lineage identified by the novel capsule locus but retains AbaR3 carrying genes for resistance to older antibiotics. Resistance to imipenem, meropenem and ticarcillin/clavulanate has been introduced into A85 by pA85-3, a repAci6 conjugative plasmid carrying Tn2006 in AbaR4.

Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii Strain A1, an Early Example of Antibiotic-Resistant Global Clone 1

Acinetobacter baumannii isolate A1 was recovered in the United Kingdom in 1982 and belongs to global clone 1 (GC1). Here, we present its complete 3.91-Mbp genome sequence, generated via a combination of short-read sequencing (Illumina), long-read sequencing (PacBio), and manual finishing.

Fabrication of macro–mesoporous titania/alumina core–shell materials in oil/water interface

A series of macro–mesoporous TiO2/Al2O3 nanocomposites with different morphologies were synthesized. The materials were calcined at 723 K and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, Infrared Emission Spectroscopy (IES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–visible). A modified approach was proposed for the synthesis of 1D (fibrous) nanocomposite with higher Ti/Al molar ratio (2:1) at lower temperature (<100 °C), which makes it possible to synthesize such materials on industrial scale. The performance–morphology relationship of as-synthesized TiO2/Al2O3 nanocomposites was investigated by the photocatalytic degradation of a model organic pollutant under UV irradiation. The samples with 1D (fibrous) morphology exhibited superior catalytic performance than the samples without, such as titania microspheres.

Drug accumulation into single drug-sensitive and drug-resistant prostate cancer cells conducted on the single cell bioanalyzer

Multidrug resistance (MDR) occurs in prostate cancer, and this happens when the cancer cells resist chemotherapeutic drugs by pumping them out of the cells. MDR inhibitors such as cyclosporin A (CsA) can stop the pumping and enhance the drugs accumulated in the cells. The cellular drug accumulation is monitored using a microfluidic chip mounted on a single cell bioanalyzer. This equipment has been developed to measure accumulation of drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX) and fluorescently labeled paclitaxel (PTX) in single prostate cancer cells. The inhibition of drug efflux on the same prostate cell was examined in drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells. Accumulation of these drug molecules was not found in the MDR cells, PC-3 RX-DT2R cells. Enhanced drug accumulation was observed only after treating the MDR cell in the presence of 5 μM of CsA as the MDR inhibitor. We envision this monitoring of the accumulation of fluorescent molecules (drug or fluorescent molecules), if conducted on single patient cancer cells, can provide information for clinical monitoring of patients undergoing chemotherapy in the future.

Graphene-oxide-modified β-tricalcium phosphate bioceramics stimulate in vitro and in vivo osteogenesis

Graphene oxide (GO) has attracted much interest for applications in bone tissue engineering; however, until now the interaction between GO and stem cells, and the in vivo bone-forming ability of GO has not been explored. The aim of this study was to produce a GO-modified β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP-GRA) biceramics and then explore the material’s osteogenic capacity in vitro and in vivo, as well as unravel some of the molecular mechanisms behind this. β-TCP-GRA disks and scaffolds were successfully prepared by a simple GO/water suspension soaking method in combination with heat treatment. These scaffolds were found to significantly enhance the proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic gene expression of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs), when compared to β-TCP without GO modification (controls). Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in hBMSCs appears to be the mechanism behind this osteogenic induction by β-TCP-GRA. β-TCP-GRA scaffolds led to an increased rate of in vivo new bone formation compared to β-TCP controls, indicative of the stimulatory effect of GO on in vivo osteogenesis, making GO modification of β-TCP a very promising method for applications in bone tissue engineering, in particular for the regeneration of large bone defects.

Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructured Materials

This Special Issue presents recent research advances in various aspects of advanced nanomaterials including synthesis, micro- and nanostructures, mechanical properties, modeling, and applications for material nanotechnology community. In particular, it aims to reflect recent advances in mechanical behaviors, for example, stiffness, strength, ductility, fatigue, and wear resistance, of various nanomaterials including nanocrystalline, inorganic, nonmetallic nanomaterials, composites with nanosized fillers, and biomaterials with nanosized structures. The role of this Special Issue is to bridge the gaps among fabrication techniques, experimental techniques, numerical modeling, and applications for some new nanomaterials and to investigate some key issues related to the mechanical properties of the nanomaterials. It brings together researchers working at the frontier of the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials...

3D cultures of prostate cancer cells cultured in a novel high-throughput culture platform are more resistant to chemotherapeutics compared to cells cultured in monolayer

Despite monolayer cultures being widely used for cancer drug development and testing, 2D cultures tend to be hypersensitive to chemotherapy and are relatively poor predictors of whether a drug will provide clinical benefit. Whilst generally more complicated, three dimensional (3D) culture systems often better recapitulate true cancer architecture and provide a more accurate drug response. As a step towards making 3D cancer cultures more accessible, we have developed a microwell platform and surface modification protocol to enable high throughput manufacture of 3D cancer aggregates. Herein we use this novel system to characterize prostate cancer cell microaggregates, including growth kinetics and drug sensitivity. Our results indicate that prostate cancer cells are viable in this system, however some non-cancerous prostate cell lines are not. This system allows us to consistently control for the presence or absence of an apoptotic core in the 3D cancer microaggregates. Similar to tumor tissues, the 3D microaggregates display poor polarity. Critically the response of 3D microaggregates to the chemotherapeutic drug, docetaxel, is more consistent with in vivo results than the equivalent 2D controls. Cumulatively, our results demonstrate that these prostate cancer microaggregates better recapitulate the morphology of prostate tumors compared to 2D and can be used for high-throughput drug testing.