Toward the reduction of population obesity: Macrolevel environmental approaches to the problems of food, eating, and obesity.

The authors reviewed the evidential basis of three environmental approaches to reducing population obesity: What are the effects of (a) taxing or subsidizing foods, (b) manipulating the ease of food access, and (c) restricting access to certain foods? A narrative review evaluated evidence using National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria. There was strong evidence that subsidization influences food purchases, but not necessarily food consumption or body weight. Ease of food access may influence food purchases, and possibly food intake and body weight. Data on restriction were lacking. More studies are needed to justify that altering these macro-environmental variables will necessarily reduce population obesity. A proposed conceptual model posits that the steps through environmental interventions may exert intended and unintended influences on body weight and obesity prevalence. Contemplated policy changes should weigh scientific evidence with social judgments and values concerning changes to the environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermal Analysis of Sulphamethoxazole - Sugar Physical Mixes

Differential scanning calorimetry and hot stage microscopy have been used to study the interactions between sulphamethoxazole and the sugars maltose, glucose, sucrose and mannitol. Only the sulphamethoxazole-mannitol system appeared to be stable and presented a eutectic containing 90.3% sulphamethoxazole. Heats of fusion for sulphamethoxazole, mannitol and their eutectic were 33.4, 73.6 and 39.9 cal g respectively.     

Is there a role for continuation phase cognitive therapy for depressed outpatients?

Two pilot studies evaluated the rate of relapse or recurrence (i.e., major depressive disorder) after cognitive therapy (CT). Two sequential cohorts included outpatients who responded to acute phase CT (A-CT) and who agreed to monthly, treatment-free follow-up. In Study 1, the Kaplan-Meier technique estimated relapse and recurrence rates of 40% at 6 months, 45% at 8 months, 50% at 12 months, 67% at 18 months, and 74% at 24 months. In Study 2, responders to A-CT received 8 months (10 sessions) of continuation phase CT (C-CT). In Study 2, relapse or recurrence was 20% at 6 and 8 months, 27% at 12 months, and 36% at 18 and 24 months after A-CT. An exploratory log-rank test showed that relapse or recurrence-free survival was greater in Study 2 than in Study 1. If replicated, this result suggests that C-CT can reduce depressive relapse or recurrence. Alternative explanations are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microfluidic motion for a direct investigation of solvent interactions with PDMS microchannels

Solid surface/liquid interactions play an important role in microfluidics and particularly in manipulation of films, drops and bubbles, a basic requirement for a number of lab-on-chip applications. The behavior of solvents in coated microchannels is difficult to be predicted considering theories; therefore, experimental methods able to estimate the properties at the interface in real time and during the operational regime are amenable. Here, we propose to use an experimental setup to evaluate the effective dynamics of solvents inside PDMS microchannels. The influence of the solvent properties as well as of the channel wall’s wettability on the fluid movements was evaluated. Modification of the channel properties was achieved by introducing Teflon coatings that allow producing stable hydrophobic microchannel walls. The results were fitted according to Washburn-type power-law and compared with theoretical calculations of the parameter β that expresses the dependence of capillary dynamics on surface tension γ, liquid viscosity η, contact angles θ and the hydraulic radius R _H. A comparison between the calculated and the experimental values reveled that parameters other than the contemplated ones influenced the measurements. The main parameter that affects the flow of solvents such as water, methanol ethanol, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile and acetone was found to be the γ/η ratio. Considering these results, the investigation tool described here is believed to be promising to predict the dynamics of common organic solvents inside integrated functional fluidic devices and to accurately control solvent flow, particularly in capillary-driven pumpless systems, a basic requirement for widening the application range of PDMS lab-on-chip devices.     

Resistant starch formation during baking -effect of baking time and temperature and variations in the recipe

Summary The dietary fibre content in white wheat bread, measured with an enzymatic, gravimetric method, was almost 20% higher than in the corresponding flour. The increment was largely explained by the formation of resistant starch, i.e. starch available to amyloglucosidase only after solubilization with 2m-KOH. The resistant starch was formed in the oven or upon cooling of the finished bread. The water content in the dough seemed to influence the extent of the resistant starch formation, whereas changes in the fat content had no effect. The results indicate that the resistant starch might be hard retrograded starch, possibly amylose.

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Bildung von resistenter Stärke während des Backens in Abhängigkeit von Backzeit, Backtemperatur und Rezeptvariationen

Zusammenfassung Die Menge an Ballaststoffen, die nach einer enzymatisch-gravimetrischen Methode bestimmt wurde, war in weißem Weizenbrot fast 20% höher als in dem entsprechendem Mehl. Die Erhöhung konnte zum großen Teil auf die Bildung von resistenter Stärke zurückgeführt werden, d. h. auf eine Stärkefraktion, die nur nach Auflösung mit 2m-KOH für Amyloglucosidase zugänglich ist. Die resistente Stärke wird während des Backens oder während der Abkühlung des Brotes gebildet, und die Menge scheint vom Wassergehalt des Teiges, aber nicht vom Fettgehalt abhängig zu sein. Die Resultate dieser Untersuchung weisen darauf hin, daß die resistente Stärke retrogradierte Stärke, möglicherweise Amylose, ist.

     

Differential Action of Connexin Hemichannel and Pannexin Channel Therapeutics for Potential Treatment of Retinal Diseases

Dysregulation of retinal function in the early stages of light-induced retinal degeneration involves pannexins and connexins. These two types of proteins may contribute to channels that release ATP, leading to activation of the inflammasome pathway, spread of inflammation and retinal dysfunction. However, the effect of pannexin channel block alone or block of both pannexin channels and connexin hemichannels in parallel on retinal activity in vivo is unknown. In this study, the pannexin channel blocker probenecid and the connexin hemichannel blocker tonabersat were used in the light-damaged rat retina. Retinal function was evaluated using electroretinography (ERG), retinal structure was analyzed using optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and the tissue response to light-induced injury was assessed immunohistochemically with antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) and Connexin43 (Cx43). Probenecid did not further enhance the therapeutic effect of connexin hemichannel block in this model, but on its own improved activity of certain inner retina neurons. The therapeutic benefit of blocking connexin hemichannels was further evaluated by comparing these data against results from our previously published studies that also used the light-damaged rat retina model. The analysis showed that treatment with tonabersat alone was better than probenecid alone at restoring retinal function in the light-damaged retina model. The results assist in the interpretation of the differential action of connexin hemichannel and pannexin channel therapeutics for potential treatment of retinal diseases.     

Novel (Phenothiazinyl)Vinyl-Pyridinium Dyes and Their Potential Applications as Cellular Staining Agents

We report here the synthesis and structural characterization of novel cationic (phenothiazinyl)vinyl-pyridinium (PVP) dyes, together with optical (absorption/emission) properties and their potential applicability as fluorescent labels. Convective heating, ultrasound irradiation and mechanochemical synthesis were considered as alternative synthetic methodologies proficient for overcoming drawbacks such as long reaction time, nonsatisfactory yields or solvent requirements in the synthesis of novel dye (E)-1-(3-chloropropyl)-4-(2-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)vinyl)pyridin-1-ium bromide 3d and its N-alkyl-2-methylpyridinium precursor 1c. The trans geometry of the newly synthesized (E)-4-(2-(7-bromo-10-ethyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)vinyl)-1-methylpyridin-1-ium iodide 3b and (E)-1-methyl-4-(2-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)vinyl)pyridin-1-ium tetrafluoroborate 3a′ was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. A negative solvatochromism of the dyes in polar solvents was highlighted by UV-Vis spectroscopy and explanatory insights were supported by molecular modeling which suggested a better stabilization of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO). The photostability of the dye 3b was investigated by irradiation at 365 nm in different solvents, while the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence properties of dye 3b and 3a′ in solid state were evaluated under one-photon excitation at 485 nm. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the new PVP dyes on B16-F10 melanoma cells was evaluated by WST-1 assay, while their intracellular localization was assessed by epi-fluorescence conventional microscopy imaging as well as one- and two-photon excited confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). PVP dyes displayed low cytotoxicity, good internalization inside melanoma cells and intense fluorescence emission inside the B16-F10 murine melanoma cells, making them suitable staining agents for imaging applications.     

Reliability Analysis Applied on Land Subsidence Effects of Groundwater Remediation: Probabilistic vs. Deterministic Approach

The quantification of soil variability is one of the most important aspects in the geo-engineering context. The uncertainty analysis is the main part of the reliability assessment for which a quantitative evaluation was performed in this study. The Reliability Index and the Probability of Failure using the First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) represents both, an effective method which is easy to implement at the same time. This work analyzes possible effects of compaction induced into the aquifer of the Scarlino Plain, caused by the extension of the hydraulic barrier for groundwater remediation. The currently implemented vertical barrier is composed of 12 wells which reach the depth of 10 m. The improvement of the project involves the construction of a further 40 clusters, each consisting of a doublet which intercepts different depths (10 and 18 m). The models of the subsoil stratigraphy and of the groundwater were built using a numerical model. The groundwater flow and the piezometric surface in the current configuration of the barrier were studied and the project configuration was evaluated. Using the Aquitard drainage model, the land subsidence was estimated to calculate the maximum admissible displacement related to exhibited goods, the so called territorial vulnerability. The evaluation analysis was performed using a traditional deterministic approach, followed by a reliability method based on probabilistic models. Finally, the respective results were reported in a soil mapping with overlapping layers.     

Bi-objective optimization of the reliability-redundancy allocation problem for series-parallel system

The main objective of this paper is to solve the bi-objective reliability redundancy allocation problem for series-parallel system where reliability of the system and the corresponding designing cost are considered as two different objectives. In their formulation, reliability of each component is considered as a triangular fuzzy number. In order to solve the problem, developed fuzzy model is converted to a crisp model by using expected values of fuzzy numbers and taking into account the preference of decision maker regarding cost and reliability goals. Finally the obtained crisp optimization problem has been solved with particle swarm optimization (PSO) and compared their results with genetic algorithm (GA). Examples are shown to illustrate the method. Finally statistical simulation has been performed for supremacy the approach.     

Evaluation of hydraulic excavator Human–Machine Interface concepts using NASA TLX

This study evaluated newly proposed Human–Machine Interface (HMI) design concepts for improving the ergonomics of hydraulic excavators. The design concepts were based on an augmented interaction technique which involved the use of heads-up display (HUD) and coordinated control as HMI elements. Two alternative HMI designs were elaborated in order to separately evaluate the ergonomic impacts of the head-up display and the coordinated control by comparing them to the standard HMI design. The effectiveness of these three HMI designs in terms of the reduction of the operators' mental and physical workload were assessed by conducting experiments utilizing human subjects, ages 23–35 years. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Task Load Index (NASA TLX) method was used for collecting subjective workload scores based on a weighted average of ratings of six factors: Mental Demand, Physical Demand, Temporal Demand, Own Performance, Effort, and Frustration Level. The results showed that the type of HMI design affects different aspects of the operator's workload. Indeed, it showed how the proposed augmented interaction is an effective solution for reducing the ergonomic gaps in terms of mental workload, and to a lesser extent the physical workload, subjected by the standard HMI design.