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Ovomucin (OVM) is a natural glycoprotein with various biological activities but poor solubility. This study aimed to enhance the solubility of OVM by using an ultrasonic-assisted method. The effect of ultrasound (US) on the structure, thermal stability and biological functions of OVM aggregates was evaluated. It was found that insoluble OVM aggregates were dissociated and the solubility increased significantly to 90.0 % after US under 400 W for 45 min. US also improved the onset temperature (To) and denaturation temperature (Td) of OVM. More importantly, the cholesterol binding capacity of both OVM and its digestion products were significantly improved after US (p 0.05). The gastrointestinal digestion products of US-OVM also showed higher α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition than native OVM aggregates. US-induced dissociation of OVM aggregates and the conversion of β-sheet and β-turn to random coil, resulting in the exposure of hydrophobic binding sites may be an important reason for the enhanced stability and adsorption capacity. These findings suggested that US was an effective method for preparing soluble OVM and improved its adsorption capacity, which can further facilitate the application of OVM in the food industry.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can result in considerable disability and pain. The metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint is the most common diseased joint in RA. In clinical practice, MCP synovitis is commonly diagnosed on the basis of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) images. However, because of the vague criteria, the consistency in grading MCP synovitis based on MSUS images fluctuates between ultrasound imaging practitioners. Therefore, a new method for diagnosis of MCP synovitis is needed. Deep learning has developed rapidly in the medical area, which often requires a large-scale data set. However, the total number of MCP-MSUS images fell far short of the demand, and the distribution of different medical grades of images was unbalanced. With use of the traditional image augmentation methods, the diversity of the data remains insufficient. In this study, a high-resolution generative adversarial network (HRGAN) method that generates enough images for network training and enriches the diversity of the training data set is described. In comparison experiments, our proposed diagnostic system based on MSUS images provided more consistent results than those provided by clinical physicians. As the proposed method is image relevant, this study might provide a reference for other medical image classification research with insufficient data sets.

Hybrid bonded/bolted (HBB) joint has been widely used in engineering practice because it can overcome the potential weakness of pure bonded and pure bolted joints. However, studies on HBB joint are still at the initial stage. In this paper, tensile properties of a composite–metal single-lap HBB joint was investigated experimentally. And a detailed finite element model (FEM) was established to simulate the tensile behavior of the joint. The model was verified by the experimental results. Then the damage propagation and load transfer mechanism were explored based on the FEM. The results show that the HBB joint can provide multi-load transmission paths and resist damage propagation in the adhesive. The HBB joint has higher strength and energy absorption capacity than the pure bonded joint. And the HBB joint has greater initial damage load and tensile stiffness than pure bolted joint. Adhesive fillets can obviously improve the tensile performances of the HBB joint. Lateral stiffness of the joint boundary and testing machine show obvious effects on tensile performances of single-lap hybrid joints.

Few data are available on hospital-wide incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates in patients with central venous catheter (CVC) in China, where many systemic obstacles holding back evidence-based guidelines implementation exist.This study was conducted prospectively in 2 phases. The baseline and intervention phases were performed in a teaching hospital in China, between January 2017 and October 2018. A systematic quality improvement (SQI) and multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT) CLABSI infection control program was introduced in the intervention phase. In the intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs, CLABSIs were continuously monitored, data collected, then analyzed.After intervention, the CLABSI rate decreased from 2.84-0.56 per 1,000 CVC days in ICUs (P.001), and from 0.82-0.47 per 1,000 CVC days in non-ICUs (P = .003). The length of time until CLABSI occurrence increased from 8.72-13.60 days in ICUs (P = .046), and from 10.00-12.00 days in non-ICUs (P = .048). The number of multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from CLABSI episodes decreased both in ICUs and in non-ICUs.The SQI and MDT CLABSI infection control program is effective in reducing hospital-wide CLABSI in patients with CVC, both in ICUs and in non-ICUs.

The present work aimed to fabricate food-grade Pickering emulsions stabilized by heteroprotein complexes formed by ovotransferrin (OVT) and lysozyme (LYS) as lipid-based nutraceutical delivery vehicles. The heteroprotein complexation, as confirmed by turbidity titrations, was proved to be an effective means to prepare food-grade particles. Multiple parameters such as particle size, zeta potential and dispersion stability were characterized in screening for proper OVT–LYS particles as Pickering stabilizers. OVT–LYS particles with OVT/LYS ratio of 8:1 at pH 9.3 met all requirements of eligible Pickering stabilizers such as intermediate wettability. Titrations in the presence of sodium chloride demonstrated that primary driving force of OVT–LYS particle formation was electrostatic attraction. Afterwards, food-grade Pickering emulsions were fabricated using OVT–LYS particles. Visual observation indicated that Pickering emulsions stabilized by OVT–LYS particles at various particle concentrations and oil fractions were stable during one-month storage at room temperature, and OVT–LYS particles could stabilize high internal phase Pickering emulsions at oil fraction of 0.75. Rheological measurements revealed that viscosity and gel-like structures of Pickering emulsions were dependent on particle concentration and oil fraction. When compared with the extent of lipolysis (32.1%) in bulk oil, the extent of lipolysis (71.5%) in OVT–LYS particle-stabilized Pickering emulsion was increased by 39.4%. Curcumin bioaccessibility was increased from 16.1% to 38.3% after encapsulation of curcumin into OVT–LYS particle-stabilized Pickering emulsion. Such improved bioaccessibility demonstrated that OVT–LYS particle-stabilized Pickering emulsion was an effective delivery vehicle for curcumin.

Composite-to-metal 2D (two dimensional) scarf bonded joint (SBJ) specimens with 4scarf angles were tested to study their tensile behaviors. Based on the experimental results, progressive damage finite element models (FEM) were established in ABAQUS/Standard, and the effects of three variables: the metal material, composite stacking sequence and adhesive properties, with respect to the joint tensile properties were investigated. The results show that the metal plasticity and scarf angle can affect the tensile plastic behavior of the joint. Compared with Q235 (steel), 7075-T6 (aluminium) and 30CrMnSiNi2A (steel) plates, TC4 (titanium) plate makes the joint possess higher tensile strength. Changing the composite plate (laminate) stacking sequences can result in the variation of plastic behavior and failure location of the joints. The adhesive properties have significant effects on the joint plastic behavior and ultimate loads.

Low-velocity impact performance of scarf-repaired composite laminates was investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The numerical model was built using continuum damage mechanics and cohesive elements were used in all the interfaces of the adherends (i.e. the patch and the parent). The model was verified to be efficient. Based on it, damage profiles and damage mechanism were studied, and the effects of the scarf angle, the adhesive thickness and the patch off-axis angles were analyzed. Results show that the patch damage occurs in its center region through the thickness, while the damages in the parent and adhesive mainly occur around the back face. Damage area of the patch is obviously more serious than that of the parent, and the adhesive can protect the parent to some degree. The scarf angle, the adhesive thickness and the patch off-axis angles have effects on the impact properties. The scarf angles ranging from 7° to 8°, the adhesive thicknesses of 0.15 mm, the patch off-axis angles ranging from 135° to 160° are recommended for better impact performances.

Failure envelope method is comprehensively used in failure mode prediction of multi-bolt composite joints. The method is based on the assumption that bolt load distribution proportion is constant till failure. However, bearing damage and net-section damage must have some influence on the load distribution and then change structure failure mode. In this paper, tensile experiments of two-bolt and three-bolt joints were conducted to obtain the failure modes and other properties. Three dimensional (3D) finite element models involving damage were constructed, and the results were consistent with experimental data. Then, the models were used to study the effect of damage on failure mode of multi-bolt composite joints. The results show that failure mode prediction with failure envelope method should involve the effect of composite damage. Compared with net-section damage, bearing damage has greater influence on failure mode. Based on conventional failure envelope method, a new evaluation procedure involving damage was proposed.

In this paper, tensile behavior of box-joint structure fabricated by resin transfer moulding (RTM) was investigated. A finite element model (FEM) of the box joint based on cohesive zone model was established to study the joint tensile behavior. Hashin failure criterion and degradation rules were applied to simulate damage modes and to predict failure strength. The FEM results show a good agreement with experimental results. Based on the model, the influences of bolt location and lap length on the joint tensile performances were analyzed. The results show that the delamination between the L-shape part and box-shape parts is the main failure mode. Bolt location affects the damage modes, ultimate load and structure stiffness of the joint, and longer lap length has a tendency to promote ultimate load and structure stiffness.

In this paper, tensile experiments were conducted into single-lap bolted joint between composite laminate and steel with countersunk fastener, and two three-dimensional explicit finite element models were developed using Abaqus/Explicit. Continuum shell elements (SC8R) were used to model in-plane ply failure with built-in damage model while cohesive elements were selected to predict interlaminar damage in model I. 8-node reduced integration solid elements (C3D8R) were chosen to model all the parts with 3D Hashin-type initiation criteria and Camanho degradation law implemented in a VUSDFLD subroutine in model II. The results simulated by both models accurately predicted the elastic loading response and captured overall damage profile compared with the experimental results. The numerical analysis using explicit solver provided acceptable accuracy which highlighted the robust nature and high computational efficiency without convergence issues compared with implicit solver. In addition, the effect of cohesive elements on computational efficiency was investigated to simplify the countersunk joints analysis.

The present study aimed to investigate protection and bioaccessibility of curcumin in ovotransferrin (OVT) fibril-stabilized Pickering emulsions. Curcumin protection of OVT fibril-stabilized emulsions against ultraviolet light exposure was studied. OVT fibril-stabilized Pickering emulsion at an ionic strength of 1000 mM provided the best curcumin protection. OVT fibril-stabilized Pickering emulsion at pH 6 provided better curcumin protection than those at pH 2 and 4. Afterwards, digestion of OVT fibril-stabilized curcumin emulsion was investigated in both TNO dynamic digestion model (TIM-1) and pH-stat static digestion model. In terms of TIM-1 result, curcumin bioaccessibility in OVT fibril-stabilized emulsion increased by 129% when compared with that in bulk oil. In pH-stat digestion model, curcumin bioaccessibility increased by 114% after formulated into OVT fibril-stabilized droplets, which was due to higher extent of lipolysis. Interestingly, both TIM-1 and pH-stat digestion models gave almost consistent measurements of improved percentage in curcumin bioaccessibility. Curcumin bioaccessibility of the emulsion in TIM-1 and pH-stat model was 15.3% and 33.8% respectively, indicating bioaccessibility overestimation in pH-stat model. The novel findings in this work could facilitate designing food-grade Pickerinng emulsion with excellent nutraceutical protection and enhanced nutraceutical bioaccessibility.