Evaluation of the Genotoxicity of Chitosan Nanoparticles for Use in Food Packaging Films

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of gamma-irradiation on caprolactam level from multilayer PA-6 films for food packaging: Development and validation of a gas chromatographic method

A gas chromatographic method to determine caprolactam in multilayer PA-6 films used for meat foodstuffs and cheese was developed and validated. A wide linear range (0.8-400 mu g/ml), RSD <= 4.1% and recovery higher than 90.0% were obtained for the chromatographic system, while precision and accuracy of the method showed RSD <= 3.8%, recovery from 95.5-100.0% and LOQ of 32 mu g/g. Irradiated (3, 7 and 12 kGy) and non-irradiated commercial films were analyzed. Most of them increased caprolactam levels with the increase of irradiation doses. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MIGRATION MEASUREMENTS FROM PLASTIC PACKAGING: A SIMULATION STUDY ON INFLUENCE OF INITIAL CONCENTRATION PROFILE

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The transformation between exploration and exploitation applied to inventors of packaging innovations

While the inventor is often the driver of an invention in the early stages, he/she needs to move between different social networks for knowledge in order to create and capture value. The main objective of this research is to propose a literature-based framework based on innovation network theory and complemented with C-K theory, in order to analyze the invention/innovation process of inventors and the product concepts in a packaging industry context. Empirical input from three case studies of packaging inventions and their inventors is used to elaborate the suggested framework.The article identifies important gaps in the literature of innovation networks. This is addressed through a theoretical framework based on network theories, complemented with C-K theory for the product design level. The strength-of-ties dimension of the theoretical framework suggests, in agreement with the mainstream literature and the cases presented, that weak ties are required to access the knowledge related to exploration networks and strong ties are required to utilize the knowledge in the exploitation network. The transformation network is an intermediate step acting as a bridge where entrepreneurs can find required knowledge. The transformation network is also an intermediate step where entrepreneurs find financing and companies interested in commercializing inventions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A method for plotting the complementary root locus using the root-locus (positive gain) rules

The root-locus method is a well-known and commonly used tool in control system analysis and design. It is an important topic in introductory undergraduate engineering control disciplines. Although complementary root locus (plant with negative gain) is not as common as root locus (plant with positive gain) and in many introductory textbooks for control systems is not presented, it has been shown a valuable tool in control system design. This paper shows that complementary root locus can be plotted using only the well-known construction rules to plot root locus. It can offer for the students a better comprehension on this subject. These results present a procedure to avoid problems that appear in root-locus plots for plants with the same number of poles and zeros.

Large nuclear vacuoles are indicative of abnormal chromatin packaging in human spermatozoa

The aim of this investigation was to determine the presence of abnormal sperm chromatin packaging in spermatozoa with large nuclear vacuoles (LNV) selected via high magnification by analysing the pattern of chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining. A prospective observational study was designed to analyse semen samples obtained from 66 men undergoing infertility diagnosis and treatment. The numbers of cells with normal (dull yellow staining of the sperm head/CMA3-negative) and abnormal (bright yellow fluorescence of the sperm head/CMA3-positive) chromatin packaging were determined on slides with normal and LNV spermatozoa. The presence of bright yellow fluorescence (CMA3-positive) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in spermatozoa with LNV than in normal spermatozoa (719/1351; 53.2% vs. 337/835; 40.3%, respectively), reflecting a higher percentage of abnormal chromatin packaging in spermatozoa with large LNV. Our data support the hypothesis that the presence of LNV reflects the presence of abnormal chromatin packaging, which may facilitate sperm DNA damage. As sperm nuclear vacuoles are evaluated more precisely at high magnifications using motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME), the present results support the use of high-magnification sperm selection for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Acrosomal ultrastructure of stallion spermatozoa cryopreserved with ethylene glycol using two packaging systems

The present experiments aimed to examine the substitution of glycerol (G) by ethylene glycol (E) as a cryoprotective agent for stallion spermatozoa. Two different ethylene glycol concentrations (5% and 10%) and also the association of glycerol (2%) and ethylene glycol (3%) (E/G) were studied (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, two packing systems (0.5 x 4.0 ml) were evaluated using both cryoprotectors. In both experiments, the sperm membrane integrity after freezing was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy. The mean post-thaw motility was 34.25, 36.5, 29.25 and 34.75% for G5%, E5%, E10% and E/G, respectively. It was observed that the percentage of motile spermatozoa was significantly smaller (P<0.05) when semen was processed with E10%. A decrease in the acrosome integrity was observed in frozen thawed spermatozoa from all treated groups. It was observed that 28.0, 22.5, 25.5 and 22.5 % of the sperm cells had a normal acrosome following freezing with G5%, E5%, E10% and E/G, respectively. Undulation of the outer acrosomal membrane, acrosomal swelling and loss of acrosomal content density and homogeneity were the most evident ultrastructural alterations observed. In Experiment 2, the post-thaw motility was higher (P<0.05) for sperm frozen in 0.5 ml straws than in 4.0 mi straws, regardless of the cryoprotector used. The ultrastructural evaluation showed 26.7 and 16.0% of intact acrosomes for sperm frozen in 0.5 ml and 4.0 ml straws, respectively. We concluded that ethylene glycol has similar cryoprotective properties to glycerol and that utilisation of 0.5 ml straws improved the ability of horse sperm cells to withstand damage after the cryopreservation process.

Rhamnolipid emulsifying activity and emulsion stability: pH rules

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Gaussian quadrature rules with simple node-weight relations

In this paper, we consider the symmetric Gaussian and L-Gaussian quadrature rules associated with twin periodic recurrence relations with possible variations in the initial coefficient. We show that the weights of the associated Gaussian quadrature rules can be given as rational functions in terms of the corresponding nodes where the numerators and denominators are polynomials of degree at most 4. We also show that the weights of the associated L-Gaussian quadrature rules can be given as rational functions in terms of the corresponding nodes where the numerators and denominators are polynomials of degree at most 5. Special cases of these quadrature rules are given. Finally, an easy to implement procedure for the evaluation of the nodes is described.

Charmonium-pion cross section from QCD sum rules

The J/psipi --> (D) over barD*, D (D) over bar*, (D) over bar *D* and (D) over barD cross sections as a function of roots are evaluated in a QCD sum rule calculation. We study the Borel sum rule for the four point function involving pseudoscalar and vector meson currents, up to dimension four in the operator product expansion. We find that our results are smaller than the J/psipi --> charmed mesons cross sections obtained with models based on meson exchange, but are close to those obtained with quark exchange models. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantization rules for bound states in quantum wells

An algebraic reformulation of the Bohr-Sommerfeld (BS) quantization rule is suggested and applied to the study of bound states in one-dimensional quantum wells. The energies obtained with the present quantization rule are compared to those obtained with the usual BS and WKB quantization rules and with the exact solution of the Schrodinger equation. We find that, in diverse cases of physical interest in molecular physics, the present quantization rule not only yields a good approximation to the exact solution of the Schrodinger equation, but yields more precise energies than those obtained with the usual BS and/or WKB quantization rules. Among the examples considered numerically are the Poeschl-Teller potential and several anharmonic oscillator potentials. which simulate molecular vibrational spectra and the problem of an isolated quantum well structure subject to an external electric field.

Reply to comment on 'Quantization rules for bound states in quantum wells'

In this reply to the comment on 'Quantization rules for bound states in quantum wells' we point out some interesting differences between the supersymmetric Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) quantization rule and a matrix generalization of usual WKB (mWKB) and Bohr-Sommerfeld (mBS) quantization rules suggested by us. There are certain advantages in each of the supersymmetric WKB (SWKB), mWKB and mBS quantization rules. Depending on the quantum well, one of these could be more useful than the other and it is premature to claim unconditional superiority of SWKB over mWKB and mBS quantization rules.

Qcd Sum Rules for the G(KK*pi)(Q(2)) form factor

The QCD Sum Rules have been used to evaluate the form factor in the vertex KK*pi. The method of QCD Sum Rules is based on the duality principle in which it is assumed that the hadrons can simultaneously be described in two levels: quarks and hadrons. This work showed that the, axial current, used to describe the meson K is not appropriated to study the form factor.

Sum rules in the oscillator radiation processes

We consider the problem of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a scalar field in the framework of recently introduced dressed coordinates. We compute all the probabilities associated with the decay process of an excited level of the oscillator. Instead of doing direct quantum mechanical calculations we establish some sum rules from which we infer the probabilities associated to the different decay processes of the oscillator. Thus, the sum rules allows to show that the transition probabilities between excited levels follow a binomial distribution. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.