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Nanotechnology‐inspired small‐sized water‐enabled electricity generation (WEG) has sparked widespread research interest, especially when applied as an electricity source for off‐grid low‐power electronic equipment and systems. Currently, WEG encompasses a wide range of physical phenomena, generator structures, and power generation environments. However, a systematic framework to clearly describe the connections and differences between these technologies is unavailable. In this review, a comprehensive overview of generator technologies and the typical mechanisms for harvesting water energy is provided. Considering the different roles of water in WEG processes, the related technologies are presented as two different scenarios. Moreover, a detailed analysis of the electrical potential formation in each WEG process is presented, and their similarities and differences are elucidated. Furthermore, a comprehensive compilation of advanced generator architectures and system designs based on hydrological cycle processes is presented, along with their respective energy efficiencies. These nanotechnology‐inspired small‐sized WEG devices show considerable potential for applications in the Internet of Things ecosystem (i.e., microelectronic devices, integrated circuits, and smart clothing). Finally, the prospects and future challenges of WEG devices are also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is devoted to the development of a neural network‐free radial field flexible scale ultra‐high resolution parallax map generation method to improve the generation of ultra‐high resolution parallax maps for naked eye 3D display. In naked eye 3D display, the acquisition of parallax maps is crucial, the traditional method is to shoot the object by camera array, which requires high hardware conditions, in recent years, with the advancement of technology, the generation of parallax maps by Nerf has appeared, but this method generates lower quality images and requires a longer time to train the model, with a single GPU training taking more than one hour. In this paper, we propose a method to generate parallax maps based on neural network‐free radial field and arbitrary scale super‐resolution, firstly, we generate sparse voxel mesh by neural network‐free radial field (Plenoxels), and the optimization time on a single Titan RTX GPU is more than ten minutes, and then we get parallax maps by setting up a virtual camera, however, the parallax maps obtained are low‐resolution and can't match with the size of the naked‐eye 3D displays, therefore, we introduce an arbitrary scale super‐resolution network for the parallax maps, and we get high‐resolution parallax maps and can match the size of the naked‐eye 3D displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare intra‐ and postoperative outcomes between off‐clamp and on‐clamp robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN), using data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or covariate‐matched studies (propensity score‐matched or matched‐pair analysis). Methods: A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses‐compliant literature review was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and CENTRAL for relevant studies comparing off‐clamp to on‐clamp RAPN. Primary outcomes were estimated blood loss, postoperative percentage decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and margin positive rate. Secondary outcomes were operative time, postoperative eGFR, length of stay, all postoperative complications, major complications, and need for transfusion. Random‐effects meta‐analyses were performed to generate mean differences (MDs) or odds ratios (ORs). Results: A total of 10 studies (2307 patients) were shortlisted for analysis. There was no significant difference in estimated operative blood loss between off‐clamp and on‐clamp RAPN (MD 21.9 mL, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.9 to 44.7 mL; P = 0.06, I2 = 58%). Off‐clamp RAPN yielded a smaller postoperative eGFR deterioration (MD 3.10%, 95% CI 1.05–5.16%; P = 0.008, I2 = 13%) and lower odds of margin positivity (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.40–0.94; P = 0.03, I2 = 0%). No significant differences were found for all secondary outcomes. Conclusions: Off‐clamp and on‐clamp RAPN are similarly effective approaches for selected renal masses. Within the classic trifecta of PN outcomes, off‐clamp RAPN yields similar rates of perioperative complications and may possibly offer better preservation of renal function and reduced margin‐positive rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric capacitors with excellent energy storage performance (ESP) are in great demand in the power electronics industry due to their high power density. For the dielectric materials, the dielectric breakdown strength (BDS) is the key factor to improve ESP, which is the focus and bottleneck of current research, especially in the relaxor ferroelectric (RFE) materials with already low residual polarization (Pr). Here, we stimulate the ESP of the BaTiO3 (BT)‐based RFE ceramics by band structure engineering. The Ta element is selected to enhance the band gap of doped ceramics, occupying Ti‐site in supercell of BT and optimizing the bonds length of Ti‐O bond to increase the energy band of Ti 3d states. In this way, the band gap of the doped ceramics is efficiently enhanced from 1.8 eV to 2.22 eV resulting in the large BDS. Prospectively, combined with the advantage of fine grain size, the highest recoverable energy storage density (Wrec) of 2.85 J/cm3 is obtained at 350 kV/cm and the ultra‐high energy efficiency (η) of 95.26% is found at 200 kV/cm. Our work reveals the relationship between elements doping in B‐site and band structure, being expected to benefit for designing energy storage materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the oxygen‐mediated effects of clinical and daily activities demands an on‐skin device that can track multi‐vital regional tissue hemodynamics simultaneously. For example, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the third most prevalent cardiovascular disease, but the means of diagnosing and monitoring this disease are limited because the affected area is usually in the non‐pulsatile area away from the heart. Herein, we report on an ultrathin and ultralight multi‐vital near‐infrared optoelectronic biosensor for the diagnosis and rehabilitation monitoring of regional tissue hemodynamics, which is suitable for mounting on the skin for long‐term measurement. The device can simultaneously detect tissue oxygen saturation, heart rate, arterial blood oxygen, and tissue perfusion and shows potential for various hypoxia monitoring applications. Moreover, the tissue hemodynamics detected by this device showed a highly accordance with the ankle‐brachial index and CT angiography obtained by traditional clinical methods. Therefore, our design was able to accurately diagnose and effectively evaluate PAD patients before and after surgery. The on‐skin optoelectronic biosensor shows potential in biological oxygen‐mediated behavior evaluation, injury‐state monitoring, PAD clinical diagnosis optimization, and after surgery care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exercise‐induced microRNA (miRNA) and HIPPO pathways participate in the regulation of skeletal muscle plasticity but their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the effect of high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) on miRNA expression and the HIPPO pathway in the skeletal muscle of aging rats to determine its role in the amelioration of muscle aging. Thirty‐six 18‐month‐old female rats were randomly divided into sedentary control (SED, n = 12), moderate‐intensity continuous training (MICT, n = 12), and HIIT (n = 12) groups, with continuous exercise for 8 months. Quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, KEGG enrichment, and dual‐luciferase assays were performed on the target skeletal muscle. Compared with the SED group, the MICT and HIIT groups showed a significant trend of improvement in Lee's index and grip strength and a marked increase in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function, apoptosis, antioxidant, and lipolysis‐related protein expression. They also exhibited PI3K/AKT pathway activation and a decrease in expression of HIPPO pathway‐related proteins; 20 miRNAs were differentially expressed and enriched in the exercise group compared with the SED group, including the HIPPO pathway and metabolic pathways. Further analysis of L6 cells confirmed that miR‐182 may target PTEN, which indirectly regulates HIPPO signaling, but not Mob1. the combined application of HIIT and MICT increased the antioxidant and lipolytic capacities of skeletal muscle and improved atrophy of aging skeletal muscle; HIIT was more effective than MICT. This may be related to HIIT‐mediated AKT pathway activation and HIPPO pathway inhibition by miRNAs (miR‐486 and miR‐182). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose‐based conductive gels are representative nanomaterials and have a good flexibility, biodegradability, and biocompatibility due to the cellulose. Therefore, they are considered as important candidates for the development of next generation nanoarchitectonics materials for electronics and green energy. To date, conductive cellulose gels have been widely investigated for various applications, including sensors, energy storage devices, energy generators, and actuators. A number of studies has shown that cellulose‐based conductive gels have a superior performance compared to gels prepared using petroleum‐derived chemicals. Therefore, in this review, we will introduce the general preparation method of cellulose‐based conductive gels in order to present the latest research results and to provide information for future nanoscience and research studies. Also, the main applications of cellulose‐based conductive gels and the progress of their research will be described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simulations and experiments for two 400 W low‐speed direct‐drive permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) installed in a Floating Kuroshio Turbine (FKT) were implemented. The towing tank experiments were carried out at National Taiwan University. A generator can start to harvest current energy at the rotation speed of 30 rpm (corresponding to the current flow rate of 0.36 m/s), and produce the rated power of 400 W at 150 rpm. The speed is very low compared with the published reports. The energy conversion efficiency of the FKT is up to 0.85. The results show that the generated direct current (DC) power is more than 800 W at a flow rate of 1.5 m/s. The power coefficient for the FKT is about 0.4. The energy loss at each stage and the power difference between the testing platform and the towing tank experiment were also analyzed. Moreover, the shape of the FKT is a new design. Compared with other structures, the proposed FKT can easily follow the direction of the ocean current and the depth of the FKT can be adjustable; when it doesn't operate, it will float on the surface so that it is easy for maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible electronic devices to obtain accurate and efficient information interactions between humans and machines have gained increasing attention in recent years. A series of soft materials for flexible electronics have been developed to improve device performance in terms of electrical and mechanical properties. Among them, conductive polymer‐based hydrogels (CPHs), which combine the tunable electronic properties of conductive polymers and the soft mechanical properties of hydrogels, are promising candidates for next‐generation wearable electronic devices. This review summarized the material design and preparation of CPHs, and presented the properties of CPHs, including tunable conductivity, outstanding mechanical performance, biocompatibility, self‐healing capability, resistance to freezing, and solution processability. In particular, their emerging applications in flexible electronics devices including flexible supercapacitors, flexible sensors, and biomedical electronics are highlighted. Furthermore, perspectives on existing challenges and opportunities in this field are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclocarya paliurus (CP) extracts have been shown to lower sugar and lipid levels in blood, but the material basis is not clear. We analyzed CP aqueous extracts using high‐performance liquid chromatography "fingerprinting", checked their pharmacological parameters using virtual screening, and undertook molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Also, the inhibitory effects of CP components upon α‐glucosidase in vitro were evaluated. Fingerprinting and virtual screening showed that the aqueous extract of CP contained the active components protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and rutin, which were safe and had no side effects in vivo. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations showed that chlorogenic acid and rutin might have a potent inhibitory effect on α‐glucosidase. An enzyme‐activity assay in vitro showed that the half‐maximal inhibitory values of chlorogenic acid and rutin were 398.9 and 351.8 μg/ml, respectively. Chlorogenic acid and rutin had an inhibitory effect on α‐glucosidase. Cyclocarya paliurus could be developed as a natural α‐glucosidase inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic anomalies on the surface of the Moon interact with the solar wind plasma flow, resulting in both magnetic and electrostatic deflection/reflection of charged particles. Consequently, surface charging in these regions differs from regions without magnetic fields. Using the Colorado Solar Wind Experiment facility, this interaction is investigated with high-energy flowing plasmas (100-800 eV beam ions) that are incident upon a magnetic dipole embedded beneath an insulating surface. The dipole moment is perpendicular to the surface. The plasma potential distribution is measured above the surface using an emissive probe. In the dipole lobe regions the surface is charged to significantly higher positive potentials by the unmagnetized ion beam impinging on the surface while the electrons remain excluded by the magnetic field. At low ion beam energies the results agree with these expectations as the surface potential follows the ion beam energy. However, at high beam energies, the surface potentials in the electron-shielded lobe regions remain significantly lower than the expected magnitude. Surprisingly, electrons are detected in the shielded regions by a Langmuir probe. A test particle simulation indicates that secondary electrons induced by the high energy ion beams impinging on the surface can enter the shielded regions, thus lowering the surface potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copula‐based survival regression models, which consist of a copula function and marginal distribution (i.e., marginal survival function), have been widely used for analyzing clustered multivariate survival data. Archimedean copula functions are useful for modeling such dependence. For the likelihood inference, one‐stage and two‐stage estimation methods have been usually used. The two‐stage procedure can give inefficient estimation results because of separate estimation of the marginal and copula's dependence parameters. The more efficient one‐stage procedure has been mainly developed under a restrictive parametric assumption of marginal distribution due to complexity of the full likelihood with unknown marginal baseline hazard functions. In this paper, we propose a flexible parametric Archimedean copula modeling approach using a one‐stage likelihood procedure. In order to reduce the complexity of the full likelihood, the unknown marginal baseline hazards are modeled based on a cubic M‐spline basis function that does not require a specific parametric form. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed one‐stage estimation method gives a consistent estimator and also provides more efficient results over existing one‐ and two‐stage methods. The new method is illustrated with three clinical data sets. The Appendix provides an R function so that the proposed method becomes directly accessible to interested readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional approaches to sound localization and separation are based on microphone arrays in artificial systems. Inspired by the selective perception of the human auditory system, a multisource listening system which can separate simultaneous overlapping sounds and localize the sound sources in 3D space, using only a single microphone with a metamaterial enclosure is designed. The enclosure modifies the frequency response of the microphone in a direction‐dependent manner by giving each direction a characteristic signature. Thus, the information about the location and the audio content of sound sources can be experimentally reconstructed from the modulated mixed signals using a compressive sensing algorithm. Due to the low computational complexity of the proposed reconstruction algorithm, the designed system can also be applied in source identification and tracking. The effectiveness of the system in multiple real‐life scenarios is evaluated through multiple random listening tests. The proposed metamaterial‐based single‐sensor listening system opens a new way of sound localization and separation, which can be applied to intelligent scene monitoring and robot audition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic noncovalent interaction between the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and 1,3‐diphenylguanidine (DPG) was employed to control the interfacial activity of the surfactant. At high HCl concentration (1000 mg L−1), the SDBS/DPGn+ system could reduce the water/oil interfacial tension (IFT) to 10−4 mN m−1 order of magnitude, which was much lower than the IFT values in the SDBS/DPG+ system with a low HCl concentration (100 mg L−1) and the individual SDBS system by three and four orders of magnitude, respectively. The pH‐switchable protonation of amido groups in DPG molecules determines the SDBS/DPG molecular interaction and the amplitude of IFT reduction, which was confirmed by control experiments using two other surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS] and dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide [DTAB]). Moreover, the investigation of the NaCl and temperature effects on the IFT indicated the intensity of mixed SDBS/DPGn+ adsorption layers at the water/oil interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moringa oleifera has been considered as a potential functional feed or food, since it contains multiple components beneficial to animal and human. However, little is known about the effects of Moringa oleifera supplementation on productive performances in sows. In the current study, the results showed that dietary Moringa oleifera significantly decreased the farrowing length and the number of stillborn (p <.05), while had an increasing trend in the number of live‐born (0.05 < p <.10). Furthermore, 8% Moringa oleifera supplementation significantly elevated protein levels in the colostrum (p <.05); 4% Moringa oleifera lowed serum urea nitrogen of sows after 90 days of gestation (p <.05) and significantly decreased serum glucose on 10 days of lactation (p <.05). Both groups showed significant elevation in serum T‐AOC activity (p <.05). The serum malondialdehyde (MDA) of sows declined significantly in 4% Moringa oleifera addition group (p <.05). 8% Moringa oleifera meal significantly elevated serum CAT activity after 60 days of gestation (p <.05), while decreased the serum MDA level and increased the serum GSH‐Px activity of sows at 10 days of lactation (p <.05). Of piglets, both two dosages of Moringa oleifera supplementation essentially reduced the serum urea nitrogen (p <.05), and 4% Moringa oleifera meal increased serum total protein (p <.05). In addition, piglets that received 8% Moringa oleifera had the highest serum CAT and SOD activities among all groups (p <.05). The present study indicated that Moringa oleifera supplementation could enhance the reproduction performances, elevate protein levels in the colostrum and improve the serum antioxidant indices in both sows and piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous report, the mixed cationic/anionic surfactant system consisting of N‐dodecyl‐N‐methylpyrrolidinium bromide (L12) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) showed good interfacial tension (IFT) reduction of water/model oil (Vtoluene:Vn‐decane = 1:1). In the present study, the effects of divalent salts (MgCl2 or CaCl2) on the interfacial activity were systematically evaluated. The additional Mg2+ ions greatly reduced the IFT to an ultralow value, whereas Ca2+ ions caused the generation of the precipitates and resulted in increased IFT values. The precipitates disappeared in binary divalent salt solutions, and the IFT values remained at a low level. Based on the valence, polarizability, and hydrated radius of the ions, we proposed a model to explain the abnormal changes. The effects of NaCl and temperature were investigated to further verify our proposed mechanism. Moreover, the additional divalent salts obviously enhanced the stability of L12/SDS stabilized emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is an urgent issue to enhance oil recovery for unconventional reservoirs with high salinity. Focused on this topic, salt addition is a powerful tool to motivate the surfactant assembly at the water/oil interface and improve the interfacial activity. We used a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and an anionic salt dicarboxylic acid sodium (CnDNa) to construct gemini‐like surfactants at the interface and evaluated their ability to reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) between model oil (toluene and n‐decane, v:v = 1:1) and water. Interestingly, the fabrication of a (CTAB)2/C4DNa gemini‐like surfactant was hardly achieved at the fresh water/model oil interface, but accomplished at the brine/model oil interface. At a high NaCl concentration (100,000 mg L−1), the IFT value is reduced to 10−3 mN m−1 order of magnitude, which is generally desired in practical applications. The control experiments displacing the surfactant type and the spacer length further confirmed the NaCl effects on the interfacial assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Consumer psychology is an interdisciplinary subject that ties together theories and methods from psychology, marketing, advertising, economics, sociology, and anthropology. Since the 1960s, the field of consumer psychology has been the focus of hundreds of research contributions and has emerged as a major research field. However, no study has yet provided a unified perspective on the evolution of the field. This research provides a holistic, quantitative overview of 728 papers in consumer psychology from 1960 to 2016. Utilizing a bibliometric approach and networking methods, it maps out the evolution of the research, provides a comprehensive view of the dynamics of the field, and identifies the key authors and their collaboration networks. Results show that this field has grown dramatically, especially since 2006, with research focusing on psychology, business, and social science, with themes extending to cross culture and gender difference. The findings also indicate that the field of consumer psychology is still developing and many themes remain undeveloped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the ever‐increasing number of family cars in China, pollution and traffic jams seriously affect residents' daily lives. Motivating residents to select green travel modes is becoming a major issue. Based on the theory of planned behavior, a framework is developed to identify influencing factors and then examine how these factors affect residential green travel behavior (GTB). An empirical study with 332 valid questionnaires finds that personal factors mediate the relationship between soft environmental factors and green travel intentions (GTIs), whereas hard environmental factors could help GTIs transform into GTB. Such results indicate that the Chinese government needs to improve GTIs by developing related policies and transport systems to motivate people to select green travel modes. GTIs are improved directly by addressing personal factors and indirectly by perfecting green travel policies and campaigns. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the problem triad of population, environment and development has been joined by the added element of consumption, with a consequent boom in studies on sustainable consumption. This study provides a holistic and quantitative overview of these studies, aiming to track the evolution of research on sustainable consumption, and identify the key authors and co-authorship network. Using the bibliometric method and network analysis, this study traces the development of the research themes at hand, and the research network concerned with them, through the analysis of core literature and journals dated 1995-2014. The findings highlight that the research on sustainable consumption can be divided into two periods. These findings clearly illustrate that sustainable consumption has evolved from being a single practice-oriented research topic into diverse topics studied in a systematized manner, involving the key factors of sustainability, consumption behavior, energy utilization and environmental impact. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND High levels of soluble Mn( II) are often detected in groundwater in many countries, including the northeast region of China. It is necessary to remove excess amounts of Mn( II) from groundwater, especially in country sites, outside big cities. Coating manganese oxides onto a stable, cheap granular media provides an attractive alternative for Mn( II) removal from water. RESULTS Manganese oxide coated sand ( MOCS) was prepared by base activation of sand with 9% NaOH for 24 h, soaking base activated sand with 7% KMnO4 for 24 h and finally calcination at 250 °C for 4 h. The MOCS had a significantly rougher surface and its surface was apparently coated with newly formed clusters of crystalline manganese oxide with a mixed manganese oxidation state of (Mn( III) and Mn( IV)). The manganese oxide effectively oxidized Mn( II) in the water to Mn( III) and Mn( IV). MOCS exhibited good Mn( II) removal performance in the filter bed experiment. The results suggested that a new catalytic flocculent manganese oxide layer was generated on the MOCS surface after filtration. CONCLUSION The new prepared MOCS in this study has potential as a catalytic adsorbent for Mn( II) removal in small waterworks in country sites. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we design an innovative method for answering students' or scholars' academic questions (for a specific scientific publication) by automatically recommending e-learning resources in a cyber-infrastructure-enabled learning environment to enhance the learning experiences of students and scholars. By using information retrieval and metasearch methodologies, different types of referential metadata (related Wikipedia pages, data sets, source code, video lectures, presentation slides, and online tutorials) for an assortment of publications and scientific topics will be automatically retrieved, associated, and ranked (via the language model and the inference network model) to provide easily understandable cyberlearning resources to answer students' questions. We also designed an experimental system to automatically answer students' questions for a specific academic publication and then evaluated the quality of the answers (the recommended resources) using mean reciprocal rank and normalized discounted cumulative gain. After examining preliminary evaluation results and student feedback, we found that cyberlearning resources can provide high-quality and straightforward answers for students' and scholars' questions concerning the content of academic publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiblock poly(ether ester urethane)s comprising poly(ε-caprolactone), poly(ethylene glycol), and poly(propylene glycol) segments was synthesized. The aqueous copolymer solution exhibited thermogelling behavior at a critical gelation concentration of 3 wt %. The chemical structure and molecular characteristic of the copolymers were studied by gel permeation chromatography, NMR, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Rheological characterizations on the thermogel were carried out. Drug release studies using paclitaxel showed that sustained drug release of more than 2 weeks can be achieved with this system. The paclitaxel-loaded gels showed efficiency in the control of the growth of HeLa cells when compared with the paclitaxel dissolved in solution or paclitaxel encapsulated in Pluronics F127. The results demonstrated that the copolymers could be potentially used in chemotherapeutic applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A 100A:2686-2694, 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate survival of Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Saintpaul in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) at pH 1.9 or at 56C after storage in mango or pineapple juice at 4 or 24C for 24 h. In SGF, only Salmonella Saintpaul adapted to mango juice at 4C significantly ( P < 0.05) enhanced its acid resistance with D value of 3.88 min, whereas both serovars stored in mango juice at 24C had significantly lower D values with 0.88 and 0.72 min, respectively. The D56C values of both serovars adapted to juices significantly decreased compared with nonadapted cells, except for Salmonella Newport stored in pineapple juice at 24C. Overall, two Salmonella serovars tested in this study did not show the enhanced acid or heat resistance after storage in these two tropical fruit juices, indicating that introduction of Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Saintpaul to mango and pineapple juices is unlikely to enhance their survival during gastric transit or thermal processing. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Salmonella spp., one of the leading causative agents of gastroenteritis, are a major public health concern in the world. It has been reported that Salmonella spp. can survive in unpasteurized orange juice or apple cider and become more resistant to subsequent exposure to acid or heat conditions. However, there is limited information in the literature on the effect of survival of Salmonella spp. in tropical fruit juices on their acid and heat resistance. This research was conducted to investigate the survivability of Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Saintpaul in simulated gastric fluid at pH 1.9 or at 56C after adaptation in mango or pineapple juice. The results of this study would enrich our understanding on the stress response of Salmonella spp. in these juices, as well as provide guidance to developing intervention technology to eliminate Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Saintpaul in mango and pineapple juices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictability in the visual environment provides a powerful cue for efficient processing of scenes and objects. Recently, studies have suggested that the directionality and magnitude of saccade curvature can be informative as to how the visual system processes predictive information. The present study investigated the role of the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) in shaping saccade curvatures in the context of predictive and non-predictive visual cues. We used an orienting paradigm that incorporated manipulation of target location predictability and delivered transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over rPPC. Participants were presented with either an informative or uninformative cue to upcoming target locations. Our results showed that rPPC TMS generally increased saccade latency and saccade error rates. Intriguingly, rPPC TMS increased curvatures away from the distractor only when the target location was unpredictable and decreased saccadic errors towards the distractor. These effects on curvature and accuracy were not present when the target location was predictable. These results dissociate the strong contingency between saccade latency and saccade curvature and also indicate that rPPC plays an important role in allocating and suppressing attention to distractors when the target demands visual disambiguation. Furthermore, the present study suggests that, like the frontal eye fields, rPPC is critically involved in determining saccade curvature and the generation of saccadic behaviors under conditions of differing target predictability. Hum Brain Mapp, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commercial Malaysian kaolin powder made into an aqueous slurry was cast into green tapes ∼200 lm in thickness using the doctor-blade technique. A kaolinite (001)K(aolinite) texture was found on the green tapes using X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Subsequent sintering at 16001C/1 h induces the preferred crystallographic orientations of (100)M(ullite), (110)M, (120)M, and (210)M in the mullite crystals thus formed by vitrification, as determined using electron backscatter diffraction. A nonunique orientation was observed on these crystals, suggesting that the texture is morphological with the c-axis, i.e., [001]M lying parallel to the sample surface, rather than crystallographical. An additional preferred orientation on (100)M, a forbidden reflection of the systematic absence from XRD is detected using pole figure. Kaolin is vitrified at 16001C into mullite when the texture is developed, and sintering is initially facilitated by an SiO2-Al2O3 liquid formed at > 1260°C, the eutectic temperature of metastable equilibrium. Further densification is promoted by additional particle rearrangement in an SiO2-mullite liquid formed at >1587°C, the stable equilibrium eutectic temperature. Alumina used as a substrate for the kaolin sintering does not play a significant role in developing the mullite morphological texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore further the role of substance P (SP) in wound healing and scar formation, SP concentrations in wounds of scalded rats were assayed. Expressions of apoptosis-associated genes in fibroblasts cultured with SP were detected. SP concentrations in superficial wounds increased earlier than those in deep wounds. SP was associated with an increased proliferation and a decreased apoptosis of fibroblasts. It had a greater influence on keloid fibroblasts than on hypertrophic scar fibroblasts by elevating the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and BCL-2 in fibroblasts. Spantide completely suppressed the effects of SP on hypertrophic scar fibroblasts, and partly inhibited its effects on keloid scar fibroblasts. SP may play an important role in wound healing by promoting wound fibroblast proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. It may also participate in pathological scar formation by modulating the expression of apoptosis-associated genes. SP is postulated to play a dual role in wound repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response surface methodology was used to optimize some operating parameters on the effects of alcalase treatment extraction of lutein, zeaxanthin andβ -cryptoxanthin from corn gluten meal (CGM) on the yield of total xanthophylls. Three independent variables tested were enzyme concentration, substrate concentration and hydrolyzing time. The t -test and P value indicated that the quadratic of the three variables, enzyme concentration and hydrolyzing time were important linear variables affecting the total xanthophyll yield (P < 0.005), followed by substrate concentration (P < 0.01). The interaction effect between enzyme concentration and hydrolyzing time was also significant (P < 0.005). Considering the efficiency, the economy of materials and the feasibility of experiment, the technique parameters were optimized by constrained complex method. The optimum conditions were obtained as follows: the enzyme concentration, the substrate concentration and the hydrolyzing time were 4,367 U/g, 11.3% and 2.4 h, respectively. The highest total xanthophyll yield was predicted of 65.69 µ g/g when CGM was hydrolyzed under the optimum condition. The suitability of the model equation for predicting the optimal response values was tested using the selected optimum conditions; the experimental yield was 65.06 ± 0.78 µ g/g, which was found to be in agreement with the predicted yield. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Corn gluten meal (CGM), a major by-product of corn wet milling, contains (on a dry basis) 200–400 µg/g carotenoids. There are ∼840,000 tons of CGM produced in China every year. If a part of CGM produced was manufactured further to produce carotenoids as foods, materials of foods and additives of pharmaceutical products, its value and presence in the marketplace would be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hg atom in the title compound, (C14H18N2)[HgBr2I2], is coordinated by four halogen atoms in a tetrahedral geometry. The four halogen atoms are disordered between I and Br, with the I:Br ratios being 0.824 (2):0.176 (2), 0.614 (2):0.386 (2), 0.325 (2):0.675 (2) and 0.237 (2):0.763 (2). The cation is disordered over two orientations and each was refined with an occupancy of 0.50. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]