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The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of selected essential oils as more environmentally friendly, sustainable antimicrobial agents in photographic films for long‐term data storage. For this purpose, essential oils of oregano, thyme, and lemongrass were added in concentrations ranging from 0.4% to 4% to the gelatin comprising a protective layer for photographic microfilms. The emulsions were analyzed via UV‐Vis for their optical transparency, then tested for their antimicrobial efficacy against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus hominis and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Thin coatings generated by spreading and drying the emulsions onto photographic film substrates were then characterized morphologically via SEM before and after standardized artificial aging procedures. It was found that oregano oil at a concentration of 0.4% maintained the optical and physical properties of the emulsion and proved highly effective against all tested bacteria. Thyme and lemongrass oil also exhibited some antimicrobial activity, however, were not able to inhibit the bacterial growth completely. At higher concentrations of the oils, the gelatin coatings cracked after artificial aging, which makes them unsuitable for the application. To conclude, selected essential oils like oregano oil can be used as an effective antimicrobial agent without compromising the quality of the photographic films. Practical Applications: The results of our research can be applied directly to the manufacturing of photographic films, specifically ones intended for long‐term data storage. Furthermore, many applications of gelatin or related materials which require antimicrobial activity, such as food packaging, could be enhanced by the addition of essential oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on enormous firsthand materials such as archives, diaries and newspapers etc., this article tries to clarify the exchange service between the National Library of Peiping and American academics by Microfilm Camera from 1936 to 1950s. By doing so, the author analyzes the cause, process and impact of this services from the perspective of library interaction between China and the United States, and the history of the development of Chinese studies in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For many historical collections, microfiche is only the surviving record available • Assessment of microfiche digitization image quality through subjective evaluation • Study suggests alternative imaging device viable option for microfiche digitization • Contrast stretching can enhance the visual quality of microfiche digitization Before the advent of digital formats, microfiche, a type of microform, was widely utilized for archiving and preserving historical documents. As a result, numerous historical collections and documents can only be found in microfiche format, transforming them into valuable artifacts and indispensable aspects of our cultural heritage. Although microfiche can last a long time, it is still susceptible to damage and requires digitization for preservation and broader accessibility. In addition, traditional microfiche readers are not always available and are primarily designed for reading rather than digitization. In this study, we evaluated the performance of two alternative imaging devices compared to a traditional microfiche reader and the impact of enhancement on image quality using subjective image quality assessment. The experiments were carried out in a controlled environment with twenty-one participants, including an expert. Our results showed that the reproduction of alternative devices was preferred over that of a traditional microfiche reader. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that image enhancement techniques significantly improved image quality. This study suggests that alternative imaging devices may be a viable option for digitizing microfiche and improving access to historical collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on past issues of the "International Social Science Journal," including where it can be purchased and the availability of its microfilms and microfiches, articles and reprint series.

How did microfilm come to shape patent work? This article shows that, despite initial resistance to the new medium, microfilms changed not just search rooms but international connections and collaborations. It traces how legal and media technologies coalesced by considering how microfilm changed the patent office and the work of patent examiners and information brokers. As a photographic medium, microfilm enabled patents to be seen differently: not merely as documents, but as a distinct literature that could be abstracted, linked, and disseminated. The article explores how microfilm technology changed the ways that patents were organized, distributed, and used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The birefringence analysis of thin ≈1μ$\approx 1\hspace*{3.33333pt}\umu $m SiO2 films deposited via evaporation at a glancing angle of 70∘$\hspace*{3.33333pt}{70}^{\circ}$ to the normal on resist pillar arrays on Si and nanopatterned SiO2 substrates is carried out by spectral and color (red–green–blue [RGB]) imaging modes. Retardance and birefringence of the films deposited over flat and structured regions can be distinguished with only ≈1% difference between neighboring regions for the visible spectral range using RGB numerical analysis of images. The Michel‐Lévy color map is used for color rendering of birefringence to make quantitative measurements by numerical RGB color filtering. It is shown that by using λ/2$\lambda /2$ at 530 nm waveplate inserted at π/4$\pi /4$ angle to the cross polarizer‐analyzer setup, the range of changes in chromaticity xy‐coordinates expands approximately twice upon angular rotation of a birefringent sample. This facilitates a better signal‐to‐noise determination of birefringence. The proposed method with λ/2$\lambda /2$‐plate color shifting can be directly used to determine birefringence from step‐like spectral features in reflection and transmission polariscopy. Direct measurement of birefringence (Δn=0.023${\Delta}n=0.023$) and retardance of SiO2 chevron film is carried out using Berek compensator as a benchmark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a personal encounter with a four-minute sequence in the film Brokeback Mountain and attempts to understand how the film functions as an entanglement of formal properties and affective charges. Topics include media-affect theory, the ontology of a work of art, and reconciling formal analysis with idiosyncratic-subjective viewing experiences.

Experimental characteristics of bottom-gate-contact organic thin film field-effect transistors (OTFTs) with 70 nm thick films of solution processed non-peripherally octahexyl-substituted copper tetrabenzotriazaporphyrin (6CuTBTAP) novel asymmetric molecules as active layers on silicon substrates are analyzed by both linear and non-linear parameter extraction methods in order to examine the field-dependent mobility and contact effects. Both linear and saturation field effect mobilities of OTFTs have been computationally determined as a function of gate voltage in the presence of the contact resistances. The Poole-Frankel mechanism is found to be responsible for charge transport during the saturation regime, giving the highest mobility of 6.9 × 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1 at the gate-source voltage (VG) of 50 V. The on-off ratio is found to be 106. The contact resistance at the interface between gold electrodes and the 6CuTBTAP active layer decreases with VG sharply from 75 MΩ corresponding to VG = 0 V to 10 MΩ once the transistor is turned on at the threshold voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the explosive growth of the number of miniature electronic devices in the 5 G era, higher requirements have been raised for electromagnetic pollution protection materials. The production of effective electromagnetic (EM) interference (EMI) shielding materials is still challenging. In this research, Ti 3 C 2 T x microspheres were successfully synthesized by the self-developed spray freezing technology and 43 µm-thick spherical Ti 3 C 2 T x microfilm was prepared by vacuum filtration. The spherical film can block 5 G communication signals and its EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) is 51 dB, which is 50% higher than that of the 2D Ti 3 C 2 T x film of approximately the same thickness. Additionally, the effects of transmitting X-band EM waves through a 43 µm-thick spherical Ti 3 C 2 T x sheet were simulated employing Comsol Multiphsics. It is found that an annular current traveling perpendicular to the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation will be induced in the spherical Ti 3 C 2 T x , which leads an extra larger EM loss. This discovery provides a novel avenue for the structural design of EMI shielding materials. [Display omitted] • The spherical Ti 3 C 2 T x was synthesized through spray freezing for the first time. • The EMI SE of spherical Ti 3 C 2 T x film exceeds that of 2D Ti 3 C 2 T x film by 47%. • Circular current loss on Ti 3 C 2 T x microspheres was found by Comsol simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microform collections have become less utilized in recent decades. Specifically, the use of newspapers on microfilm has become seemingly superfluous as more and more newspapers become available electronically. This study examines graduate student opinions of and experiences with newspaper resources on microfilm to illustrate its perception among some academic library users. It also examines published opinions from researchers on the benefits of accessing newspapers on microfilm. Through an understanding of these benefits, libraries can weigh them against microforms' physical footprint when making decisions about the fate of these collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1989 and 2002 Norman Ross (Figure 1) published tens of thousands of microfilms and microfiches, created in Russia and Eastern Europe for his company, Norman Ross Publishing. He also published 33 reference books, Over the course of 25 visits to Russia, as well as on frequent trips to Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, Ross developed microfilm and book projects with national libraries and local academic institutions and organized the local filming of major current newspapers. In these endeavors he was assisted by local representatives, a multi-lingual in-house staff in New York, and guidance from Edward Kasinec, the late Robert T. Whittaker, and others. This was the most rewarding segment of owning his own publishing company, which began in 1972 and continues nearly 50 years later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquakes are relatively rare in Queensland. Nevertheless, since European settlement, most parts of the state's east coast have felt the impacts of several moderate to high-magnitude events. Knowledge of seismic activity in Queensland is limited owing to sparse historical seismograph coverage, and the relatively short period (ca 1825 onwards) for which records are available. Previously published compilations of observational records for several high-magnitude historical earthquakes and their effects on local communities are incomplete. The National Library of Australia Trove newspaper collection and newspaper microfilm records were used to document 12 moderate–high-magnitude earthquakes that impacted major population centres in Queensland between 1879 and 1958, before the establishment of effective seismic monitoring. The Trove newspaper collection facilitates access to details on the timing, duration and intensity of events, and the damage caused for many locations where these earthquakes were felt. Newspaper reports for the 12 earthquakes were used to define their regions of impact and a re-evaluation of felt radii, epicentre locations and magnitudes against previously published interpretations. The Trove records are consistent with existing interpretations for the Gayndah 1883, Atherton Tablelands 1928, Bundaberg 1918, Gayndah 1935 and Cairns 1958 events. In contrast, previously published interpretations for the Townsville 1879, Cairns 1896, Mundubbera 1910, Coalstoun Lakes/Kilcoy 1913, Ravenswood 1913, Daintree 1942 and Atherton 1950 earthquakes are not consistent with Trove records, which facilitate improved estimates of epicentre locations and magnitudes. This study has identified and documented three earthquakes in southern Queensland previously unrecognised in the seismological literature that impacted Degilbo in ca 1873, Nanango in 1876 and Toowoomba in 1877. Inconsistencies were found between data on an event that impacted Toowoomba in 1875 and Trove records. This review demonstrates the usefulness of the Trove archive to better identify and document the attributes and impacts of historical earthquakes. Newspapers in the Trove archive are a useful source of information on historical earthquakes. Information from the Trove archive can be used to re-evaluate interpretations of historical earthquakes and discover previously unidentified earthquake events. The nature of historical buildings influenced the effects and the amount of damage caused by historical earthquakes in Queensland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We presented a systematic study on the transport properties of the La0.67A0.33MnO3 (LAMO) (A=Ba, Ca) and La0.67Ca0.33MnO3/LaMnO3 (LCMO/LMO) films with the LAMO layer of the thickness from 0 to 50 nm and a fixed LMO thickness of 3 nm. An interface layer with degenerated magnetic and conductive properties has been observed. It is interesting that the dead layer in LBMO is much thinner than that in LCMO. The thickness for the dead layer is, deduced from the conductivity-film thickness relation at 5K, ∼6 nm for LCMO and ∼3 nm for LBMO, essentially weakly dependent of magnetic field. After introducing the LMO buffer layer, the magnetic field dependence is considerably enhanced; a simple estimate indicates that a field of 5 T depresses the layer thickness from ∼6 nm to ∼3 nm. It indicates that the LMO layer enhances the sensitivity of trapped charge carriers at the interface to magnetic field, thus activates the dead layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author presents his genealogical research of his family's history during the 1930s and 1940s in Cumbria, England. Topics discussed include understanding of the refugee experience and attitudes prevalent before 1941 when refugee communities were able to settle down and contribute to Britain's war effort; examination of microfilm reels of Cumbria's newspapers in the local studies libraries for research; and education records in Kendal Archive Centre for refugee admissions.

Lauded for providing equitable access to rare and unique materials that previously required significant resources to view, microfilm collections quickly became an intrinsic part of any academic library collection development program. Their popularity as use copies for archival material, for space conservation, and perceived durability lasted into the opening decade of the 21st century; entire departments were created to house, care for, and provide access to these collections. However, as methods and standards for digitization developed and access to the internet became an intrinsic aspect of everyday life, the central role of microfilm quickly began to fade along with much of the institutional knowledge and expertise surrounding their care and management. Many libraries housing smaller but nonetheless precious microfilm collections still must provide a base level of care and management for their microfilm but lack contemporary literature on the subject to provide guidance. The information and experiences described in this article provide a needed contemporary perspective on conducting a comprehensive microfilm condition assessment project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Foam concrete with 3D superhydrophobicity was developed by a one-step method. • PMHS reacted with Ca(OH) 2 to foam and contributed to the superhydrophobicity. • PMHS transformed as silicone films enhancing the robustness of superhydrophobicity. • The foam concrete possessed excellent chemical durability and weathering resistance. The poor durability of lightweight foam concrete, stemming from its highly porous and hydrophilic nature, is a major limitation for its wider application. Designing a superhydrophobic structure would be an effective approach to improving the durability of foam concrete. In this study, a facile strategy was developed to produce 3D superhydrophobic foam concrete using Poly(methyl hydrogen)siloxane (PMHS) by means of in-situ foaming and low surface energy characteristic. Results show that PMHS could be hydrolyzed and released hydrogen gas by reacting with the hydration product of Ca(OH) 2. The resulting self-foaming lightweight concrete exhibits controllable average pore sizes ranging from 229 to 430 μm, with a density between 610 and 1177 kg/m3. The hydrolyzed PMHS self-assembles on the foam films, and the micrometer pores are carried with gel-like silicone microfilms through PMHS liquid–solid phase transition after 90℃ steam curing. With the synergetic effect of the dense silicone films and the particular pore frame, the superhydrophobic foam concrete demonstrates good fundamental properties, including thermal insulation and sound absorption, mechanical robustness, chemical durability, and weathering resistance. This study provides a practical solution for developing superhydrophobic lightweight concrete, which substantially enhances the durability of porous cement-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of microphotography in libraries has its roots in the 1930s and 1940s. Microforms have served many functions within libraries and archives, primarily to save space and preserve scarcely used or rare materials. While the benefits to libraries are substantial, unfortunately microform materials are susceptible to damage and deterioration over time, resulting in a tremendous loss of information in libraries and archives across the world. Unfortunately, once damage to microforms occurs, it cannot be stopped, just slowed. This article discusses the efforts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Edith Garland Dupré Library to manage significant damage to its microform holdings. Based on personal experiences and rooted in practices documented in the research literature, the author identifies best practices and remediation options for managing deteriorating microform collections in libraries and archives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The memex has been hailed as an inspiration by many innovators since it was first described in 1945. Allowing users to combine and annotate information from diverse sources stored in microfilm and to create links between related items, the memex is said to predict today's information devices. In this way, the memex is presented as a cultural imperative, yet few of the innovators who invoke the memex account for the introspective thinking that the memex was supposed to provide. Even those who did respect the memex's disruptive potential were unable to divert the direction of innovation because their ideal users conflicted with existing paradigms. The repeated misunderstanding of the memex—which this article observes in early information science, commercial versions of hypertext, and the Web—is an important warning about the use of simplistic historical arguments to undergird innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white spots known as microbubbles that are formed in cellulose acetate film, significantly affects the texture of the image. However, the formation of microbubbles and their corresponding microstructure are poorly understood. In this paper, cellulose acetate microfilm from the Republic of China (AD 1912–1949) collected in the Second Historical Archives of China was chosen as a prototype to investigate the causes of microbubble disease for the first time. A comparative study was conducted between the film samples with and without microbubbles. Herein, the microstructural analyses including optical and SEM microscopy were conducted. The crystals in the microbubbles proved to be triphenyl phosphate as identified by NMR spectroscopy and SEM–EDX. Comparative properties of the film substrate with and without microbubbles were measured by TG, XRD and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results show that formation of microbubbles was generally accompanied with the vinegar syndrome and was produced between the protective and emulsion layers with the different types of shapes along the closed structure (the diameter of ~ 0.1–2 mm). The formed microbubble was filled with plasticizer. Based on the above-mentioned results, the possible formation process of microbubble was proposed in the present study. The results can provide support for the cause of microbubbles and basis for the conservation of photographic films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author talks about Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, which significantly developed and promoted African film over the past half century. It also informs about Film Week to showcase African films produced on the continent and share creative ideas, which was hosted in Ouagadougou. It also informs about significant event in the promotion and development of African film through its biennial festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

As with the US and EU media landscapes, the Chinese film industry is dominated by platforms similar to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, most notably in the form of the BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) companies that according to He ((2015, August 10). Chinese internet companies are taking over the film industry. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://uk.businessinsider.com/chinese-internet-companies-are-taking-over-the-film-industry-2015-8?IR=T) are "taking over the film industry". These have been described as "imperialistic" in the monopolization of their respective markets and in the use of their financial muscle to squeeze content creators' incomes (Jin, D. Y. (2015). Digital Platforms, Imperialism and Political Culture. New York: Routledge.). While in the western market this undermines the mainly middle-class professionals who drive creativity (Timberg, S. (2015). Culture Crash. The Killing of the Creative Class. New Haven: YUP.), in China it limits the opportunities for new talent to grow. This paper will, therefore, give an overview of the Chinese microfilm (online short movies) industry and investigate how Chinese BAT companies and other online video providers could enhance the Chinese film industry by developing infrastructure to direct revenue of microfilms to the creators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1957 to 1977, the Office of Charles and Ray Eames worked with IBM on a series of films and exhibitions to promote the social benefits of the computer. Across these projects, the office developed strategies of programming spectator journeys through spaces of information. It is in this context that one should understand the Eameses' most iconic film, Powers of Ten (1968, 1977). Recognizing film as an information medium, the Eames Office produced Powers of Ten as a form of visual software capable of preprocessing a vast archive of scientific images for the viewer, just as a computer executes its most fundamental processes behind the interface. Their efforts, alongside developments in microfilm storage and retrieval, point to film's role as the first universal medium to process image, sound, text, and data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-focused journalists increasingly publish their work for global audiences. This project defines a circle of "community privacy"—the understanding that some information is ethically appropriate for a local population but inappropriate beyond that community. This new consideration of privacy should be used by news organizations and others to accompany traditional considerations of "public" and "private" spheres of life. It provides examples when information needed by local residents was inappropriately handled outside that community. It identifies some practical solutions to this technology-derived problem and argues that local journalists should consider the global implications of what they publish locally about private people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preservation of paper-based artifacts is an essential issue for collection management in academic libraries. In recent years, the library science profession has often favored reformatting through microfilm or digitization, assuming too quickly that information matters, whereas an artifact's medium does not. However, much recent humanities scholarship has demonstrated the significance of physical artifacts per se. In fact, it is often the most cutting-edge scholarship on race, gender, and history that requires the physical artifact itself for research. Although librarians obviously cannot save every physical artifact, any decision on which artifacts to preserve, deaccession, or reformat (and, for that matter, on how to reformat) requires an understanding of the importance of the original physical format. Since texts acquire meaning through an intricate interplay between physical form and abstract information, the reduction of texts to abstract information alone evinces a misunderstanding of the artifacts in our care and an inadequate theory on which to base preservation decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing the newly available, high-resolution images of Codex Regius (L019) with the IGNTP edition of John, this article shows that there is room for improvement in the transcription of the edition. The improvements include corrections and additions to the transcribed text, the scribal corrections, and the segmentation in the manuscript. In particular, further clarification is needed with regard to the use of capitalization in the current transcription. The comparison also suggests that the reasons for such shortcomings can partially be attributed to the limitation of the inferior material that the IGNTP collators had to work with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk management approaches have been increasingly used at the British Library to inform and support collection care decisions. This paper addresses the ways in which these methods have been used to address specific preservation issues at the Library, using appropriate case studies: rehousing the microfilm collection, adapting pest management protocols, replacing box-making equipment and assessing the environmental conditions of the philatelic collection. As well as allowing complex, multi-faceted preservation problems to be addressed, this approach also allows options to be presented in a succinct and readily understandable manner to non-specialist colleagues and other stakeholders and helps to ensure buy-in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Microfilm™ Test System is intended for quantitative microbiology and consists of three types of Microfilms for aerobic plate count (Microfilm APC), total coliform and Escherichia coli count (Microfilm TCEc), and yeast and mold count (Microfilm YMC). This study evaluated the performance of the Microfilm Test System against International Organization for Standardization (ISO) methods on 20 food matrixes and 2 environmental surfaces. Ruggedness, robustness, and stability were also determined, while inclusivity and exclusivity studies were performed on Microfilm TCEc and YMC. An independent laboratory evaluated the performance on four food matrixes and one environmental surface. No significant differences and high correlation coefficients were observed between the Microfilm Test System and the corresponding ISO methods (ISO 4833-1:2013 for APC, ISO 4832:2006 for total coliform count, ISO 16649-2: 2001 for E. coli, and ISO 21527 Part 1 and Part 2 for YMC) in spiked food matrixes and environmental samples. These results were corroborated by the independent laboratory. Inclusivity and exclusivity studies for Microfilm TCEc showed expected results for all the E. coli strains tested (blue-violet or violet color), while the related coliforms showed the expected blue-green colonies on the Microfilm. Similarly, all 100 fungal strains tested showed typical growth on Microfilm YMC. Exclusivity testing on Microfilm TCEc and YMC showed no growth of nontarget organisms. Robustness and ruggedness studies showed no significant differences in mean difference counts at varying incubation temperatures and times. Stability studies on three lots of the Microfilm Test System showed that it is stable at 2-25°C for 12 months and at 45°C for 6 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friendship microfilms produced by students can be used to understand how students make their relationships meaningful. Hence, in this study, friendship microfilms made by Taiwanese students from 2000 to 2013 and uploaded on YouTube were collected and evaluated through a textual analysis aimed at deriving suggestions for relationship education curricula. Four types of narrative were identified in these films. A common theme was addressing romantic concerns among close friends and the effects that follow. The films present scenarios such as ‘I want to be more than merely your friend’ and ‘A conflict arises from a love triangle’, and the predicaments related to trust, honesty, loyalty and supportiveness that consequently arise. The films also reveal the anxiety of gay adolescents trapped in dilemmas involving being neither a love interest nor a best friend and wondering whether to come out of the closet. Moreover, the practices of homosociality in the film manifest gender differences. On the basis of the research findings, this paper provides suggestions for gender and relationship education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on the changes in the optical and electrical properties of a-Si:H and a-SiC:H films doped with diborane. Insight on spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements; Discussion based on the consequences on a-Si:H based solar cell through the changes of the open-circuit voltage.

We integrated the determinant persuasive messages of microfilms with the elaboration likelihood model to examine consumers' affective and cognitive attitude change and purchase intention. Participants were 316 Taiwanese consumers who had seen "House of Little Moments," a successful microfilm marketing campaign in Taiwan. The empirical results of confirmatory factory analysis with structural equation modeling revealed that argument quality predicted cognitive responses and story plot predicted affective responses; celebrity effect and microfilm popularity had positive effects on both affective and cognitive responses; and purchase intention was affected by both cognitive and affective responses, with affective responses having the stronger effect. These results imply that the extent of consumers' emotional reaction to persuasive messages has a particularly important influence on purchase intention in story-based advertising. Therefore, understanding the effect of persuasive messages in microfilm marketing is essential for both advertisers and marketers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Measurement of tear film stability is commonly used to give an indication of tear film quality but a number of non-invasive techniques exists within the clinical setting. This study sought to compare three non-invasive tear film stability measurement techniques: instrument-mounted wide-field white light clinical interferometry, instrument-mounted keratoscopy and hand-held keratoscopy.Methods: Twenty-two subjects were recruited in a prospective, randomised, masked, cross-over study. Tear film break-up or thinning time was measured non-invasively by independent experienced examiners, with each of the three devices, in a randomised order, within an hour.Results: Significant correlation was observed between instrument-mounted interferometric and keratoscopic measurements (p < 0.001) but not between the hand-held device and the instrument-mounted techniques (all p > 0.05). Tear film stability values obtained from the hand-held device were significantly shorter and demonstrated narrower spread than the other two instruments (all p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed between the two instrument-mounted devices (all p > 0.05).Conclusion: Good clinical agreement exists between the instrument-mounted interferometric and keratoscopic measurements but not between the hand-held device and either of the instrument-mounted techniques. The results highlight the importance of specifying the instrument employed to record non-invasive tear film stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin is considered as an important route of administration of drugs for both local and systemic effects. The effectiveness of topical therapy depends on the physicochemical properties of the drug and adherence of the patient to the treatment regimen as well as the system's ability to adhere to skin during the therapy so as to promote drug penetration through the skin barrier. Conventional formulations for topical and dermatological administration of drugs have certain limitations like poor adherence to skin, poor permeability and compromised patient compliance. For the treatment of diseases of body tissues and wounds, the drug has to be maintained at the site of treatment for an effective period of time. Topical film forming systems are such developing drug delivery systems meant for topical application to the skin, which adhere to the body, forming a thin transparent film and provide delivery of the active ingredients to the body tissue. These are intended for skin application as emollient or protective and for local action or transdermal penetration of medicament for systemic action. The transparency is an appreciable feature of this polymeric system which greatly influences the patient acceptance. In the current discussion, the film forming systems are described as a promising choice for topical and transdermal drug delivery. Further the various types of film forming systems (sprays/solutions, gels and emulsions) along with their evaluation parameters have also been reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mesoporous NiO x (m-NiO x ) film which is deposited from a precursor using solution-derived Ni(OH) 2 nanosheets as the starting material is employed as the hole transport layer to fabricate the perovskite solar cell. A simple annealing process at 500 °C in air decomposes the Ni(OH) 2 nanosheets into NiO x nanoparticles, removes organic components, and produces nanopores in the film, leading to the formation of m-NiO x films at once. Results indicate that the annealing time has a great effect on the morphology and crystallinity of the resulting m-NiO x films, and prolonging the annealing time leads to smaller NiO x nanoparticles, bigger pores and higher crystallinity, which contribute to a better device performance. After a careful optimization, the highest power conversion efficiency of 11.97% is achieved on the device based on the m-NiO x film annealed at 500 °C for 3 h. This work provides a new method to prepare efficient m-NiO x films for high performance perovskite solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the use of the geographic information system (GIS) by a team of scholars, with Ken Sochats as technical collaborator, to study Lancelot-Grail manuscripts. The study aims to understand more about the reception and making of manuscripts of popular romance in a comparative framework. The scholars initially worked from printouts, microfilms and text edition, and gradually were able to download digital images.

This study investigated mechanical and bioactive properties of kafirin films consisting of 2.5% citral (CK), 2% quercetin (QK) or 1.25% citral + 1% quercetin (CQK). Incorporation of citral reduced the maximum stress (σmax) and stiffness, accompanied by an increase in the strain at break (εb), and yield stress (σy) of the films. Compared to the plain kafirin films (PK) and QK, citral–containing films showed significant antimicrobial activity (p < 0.05) against the total viable count on chicken fillets stored at 2 ± 0.5 °C for 96 h. The final thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were lower for PK, CQK, and QK (0.18, 0.16 and 0.23 mg MDA/kg respectively), compared to unwrapped fillets and CK (0.41 and 0.59 mg MDA/kg respectively). These findings implied that quercetin and those polyphenolics likely co-extracted with kafirin possessed the ability to inhibit the development of lipid oxidative products. CIE L*a*b* colour values showed pronounced yellowness (b*) of wrapped samples. This colouration was attributed to the sorghum phytochemical co-extracted with the kafirin, and the intrinsic colour of citral, and quercetin. Kafirin edible films incorporating citral and quercetin demonstrated potential as a packaging material to improve food safety and quality of the chicken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, in an analog world, libraries--to meet their informational responsibilities--preserved newspapers in analog form and on microfilm. With the emergence of digital technologies, preservation has evolved, and so has the creation of news. These evolutions have challenged libraries to meet their old (and ongoing) responsibilities, and they have faced this challenge by continuing to think of news in the old way: as a commodity to be captured and stored as they have always done it, by themselves, in traditional ways. Today news is not as static as it once was: a version produced for a morning audience; another, modified, for an afternoon or evening audience; each discrete and preservable by itself. News is fluid: it is created and grows as it emerges; and the news media let the information evolve as it evolves in real time. Capturing and preserving this new kind of resource forces libraries and other news-preservation agencies to rethink the old models of operation. Preservation of the news should be done with a new model of cooperation, as the present essay explains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the various tools and strategies that can be used by scholars for research on Western history in the United States. Use of microfilms; Electronic databases; Web sites on Western history; Information contained in historical museums and scholarly journals.

Almost one-third of crop yields are lost every year due to microbial alterations and diseases. The main control strategy to limit these losses is the use of an array of chemicals active against spoilage and unwanted pathogenic microorganisms. Their massive use has led to extensive environmental pollution, human poisoning and a variety of diseases. An emerging alternative to this chemical approach is the use of microbial biocontrol agents. Biopesticides have been used with success in several fields, but a better understanding of their mode of action is necessary to better control their activity and increase their use. Very few studies have considered that biofilms are the preferred mode of life of microorganisms in the target agricultural biotopes. Increasing evidence shows that the spatial organization of microbial communities on crop surfaces may drive important bioprotection mechanisms. The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence of biofilm formation by biocontrol agents on crops and discuss how this surface-associated mode of life may influence their biology and interactions with other microorganisms and the host and, finally, their overall beneficial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell nucleation plays a pivotal role in polymer foaming because it significantly affects the foam's cellular structure and properties. One of the major drawbacks of classical cell-nucleation theory is that it ignores elastic strain energy's effect on cell nucleation. Hereby, we conducted an experimental study to clarify elastic strain energy's role in cell nucleation. We found that not only gas super-saturation but also elastic strain energy can offer a driving force for cell nucleation. Meanwhile, not only interfacial energy barrier but also material's elastic energy barrier can act as a cell nucleation resistance. The uniaxial stretching-assisted foaming process and the uniaxial compressing-assisted foaming process were explored and conducted to investigate the stretching strain energy's effect and the compressive strain energy's effect on cell nucleation, respectively. We demonstrated that both stretching and compressing can promote cell nucleation, but stretching is much more effective than compressing. The larger the elastic strain energy, the higher the cell nucleation density and the more uniform the cellular morphology. Whereas no foam structure was developed in the regular foaming process, sub-microcellular thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) microfilms were achieved by applying the uniaxial or biaxial stretching-assisted foaming process. The fine sub-microcellular TPU microfilm with an average cell size of 382.6 nm has a void fraction of 0.64, which is to the best of our knowledge the largest void fraction of the porous polymer microfilm. Thus, we reported a promising and versatile way to control cell nucleation and to develop new techniques by which to produce novel multi-functional porous polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes the preparation, characterization, mechanical properties,in vitrodegradability, and cytocompatibility of two aliphatic segmented polyesterurethanes (SPEU-II, SPEU-III) based on poly(ε-caprolactone-co-L-lactide) and aliphatic urethane diisocyanate chain extenders. Two novel chain extenders containing two and four urethane groups, respectively, were synthesized and used in SPEU formulation. The influences of well-defined hard segment length on the degradability and mechanical properties of SPEU films were researched. The results of differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray powder diffraction showed that the long well-defined hard segments improved the phase separation of soft and hard segments, which led to satisfactory mechanical properties of SPEU films (ultimate stress: 24.8–35.4 MPa; strain at break: 601–669%). And the initial modulus increased from 31.9 MPa (SPEU-II) to 41.7 MPa (SPEU-III) with the increasing length of hard segments. SPEU-III with longer well-defined hard segment containing more urethane groups exhibited slower hydrolytic degradation rate (∼67 days) and lower water absorption (∼4 wt%) than SPEU-II. The results could be due to the formation of more hydrogen bonds among the hard segments and between the soft and hard segments, which strengthened the interchain attraction and gave a more compact network structure. The SPEU films showed similar thermostability, indicating that the length of hard segments marginally affects the thermostability. Cytotoxicity test of film extracts was conducted using L929 mouse fibroblasts, and the relative growth rate exceeded 90% after incubation for 24, 48, and 72 h, showing excellent cytocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Herein, for the first time, anisotropic magnetotransport phenomenon in amorphous carbon (a-C) thin films has been examined on the basis of Brysksin – Klein (B-K) model. The sign of magnetoresistance turns negative at (θ, ϕ) = (0°, 90°) to positive at (θ, ϕ) = (90°, 90°) where θ and ϕ are the angle between applied magnetic field and normal to the plane and the angle between applied magnetic field and current, respectively. The sign of magnetoresistance of a-C thin films varies continuously at θ = 0–360° and ϕ=0–90°, suggesting good potential for the position sensing of large magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]