High extraction efficiency ultraviolet light-emitting diode

DOEpatents

Wierer, Jonathan; Montano, Ines; Allerman, Andrew A.

2015-11-24

Ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with tailored AlGaN quantum wells can achieve high extraction efficiency. For efficient bottom light extraction, parallel polarized light is preferred, because it propagates predominately perpendicular to the QW plane and into the typical and more efficient light escape cones. This is favored over perpendicular polarized light that propagates along the QW plane which requires multiple, lossy bounces before extraction. The thickness and carrier density of AlGaN QW layers have a strong influence on the valence subband structure, and the resulting optical polarization and light extraction of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes. At Al>0.3, thinner QW layers (<2.5 nm are preferred) result in light preferentially polarized parallel to the QW plane. Also, active regions consisting of six or more QWs, to reduce carrier density, and with thin barriers, to efficiently inject carriers in all the QWs, are preferred.

PLATSIM: An efficient linear simulation and analysis package for large-order flexible systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maghami, Periman; Kenny, Sean P.; Giesy, Daniel P.

1995-01-01

PLATSIM is a software package designed to provide efficient time and frequency domain analysis of large-order generic space platforms implemented with any linear time-invariant control system. Time domain analysis provides simulations of the overall spacecraft response levels due to either onboard or external disturbances. The time domain results can then be processed by the jitter analysis module to assess the spacecraft's pointing performance in a computationally efficient manner. The resulting jitter analysis algorithms have produced an increase in speed of several orders of magnitude over the brute force approach of sweeping minima and maxima. Frequency domain analysis produces frequency response functions for uncontrolled and controlled platform configurations. The latter represents an enabling technology for large-order flexible systems. PLATSIM uses a sparse matrix formulation for the spacecraft dynamics model which makes both the time and frequency domain operations quite efficient, particularly when a large number of modes are required to capture the true dynamics of the spacecraft. The package is written in MATLAB script language. A graphical user interface (GUI) is included in the PLATSIM software package. This GUI uses MATLAB's Handle graphics to provide a convenient way for setting simulation and analysis parameters.

Development of tea extracts and chitosan composite films for active packaging materials.

PubMed

Peng, Yong; Wu, Yan; Li, Yunfei

2013-08-01

The effects of 0.5%, 1% and 2% green tea extracts (GTE) and black tea extracts (BTE) on the physical, structural and antioxidant properties of chitosan films were investigated. Results showed that the addition of tea extracts significantly decreased water vapour permeability and increased the antioxidant ability of films. The DPPH radical scavenging ability of GTE films was stronger than that of BTE films in all food simulants (0%, 20%, 75% and 95% ethanol). The equilibration time in different food simulants decreased with the increased ethanol concentration. DSC and FTIR spectra analysis indicated that there was strong interaction in film matrix, which could be reflected by the physical and mechanical properties of composite films. This study revealed that an active chitosan film could be obtained by incorporation of tea extracts, which may provide new formulation options for developing an antioxidant active packaging. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of sequence and size of DNA on packaging efficiency of parvovirus MVM-based vectors.

PubMed

Brandenburger, A; Coessens, E; El Bakkouri, K; Velu, T

1999-05-01

We have derived a vector from the autonomous parvovirus MVM(p), which expresses human IL-2 specifically in transformed cells (Russell et al., J. Virol 1992;66:2821-2828). Testing the therapeutic potential of these vectors in vivo requires high-titer stocks. Stocks with a titer of 10(9) can be obtained after concentration and purification (Avalosse et al., J. Virol. Methods 1996;62:179-183), but this method requires large culture volumes and cannot easily be scaled up. We wanted to increase the production of recombinant virus at the initial transfection step. Poor vector titers could be due to inadequate genome amplification or to inefficient packaging. Here we show that intracellular amplification of MVM vector genomes is not the limiting factor for vector production. Several vector genomes of different size and/or structure were amplified to an equal extent. Their amplification was also equivalent to that of a cotransfected wild-type genome. We did not observe any interference between vector and wild-type genomes at the level of DNA amplification. Despite equivalent genome amplification, vector titers varied greatly between the different genomes, presumably owing to differences in packaging efficiency. Genomes with a size close to 100% that of wild type were packaged most efficiently with loss of efficiency at lower and higher sizes. However, certain genomes of identical size showed different packaging efficiencies, illustrating the importance of the DNA sequence, and probably its structure.

Antioxidant Extracts from Acorns (Quercus ilex L.) Effectively Protect Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Chicken Patties Irrespective of Packaging Atmosphere.

PubMed

Ferreira, Valquíria C S; Morcuende, David; Hérnandez-López, Silvia H; Madruga, Marta S; Silva, Fábio A P; Estévez, Mario

2017-03-01

This study evaluated the impact of a phenolic-rich acorn extract (200 ppm gallic acid equivalents) and the concentration of oxygen in the packaging system (low-oxygen modified atmosphere; 5% vs. normal-oxygen; 21%) on lipid and protein oxidation and consumers acceptance of the ready-to-eat chicken patties. Samples were subjected to cooking (electric oven, 170 °C/16 min), cold storage (14 d at 4 °C), and reheating (microwave, 600 mW/1 min). Samples treated with acorn extract kept thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances numbers and lipid-derived volatiles at basal levels throughout the whole processing irrespective of the oxygen concentration in the packaging atmosphere. Consistently, treated patties had lower protein carbonyls than control ones. The acorn extract also controlled color and texture deterioration during chilled storage and reheating and improved the color and odor acceptance of the products. Formulating with acorn extract is a feasible strategy to inhibit the oxidation-driven changes and preserve the quality of reheated samples as if there were freshly cooked. Compared to the effect of the antioxidant extract, the concentration of oxygen in the packaging system was negligible in terms of quality preservation. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Improving the Efficiency of Free Energy Calculations in the Amber Molecular Dynamics Package.

PubMed

Kaus, Joseph W; Pierce, Levi T; Walker, Ross C; McCammont, J Andrew

2013-09-10

Alchemical transformations are widely used methods to calculate free energies. Amber has traditionally included support for alchemical transformations as part of the sander molecular dynamics (MD) engine. Here we describe the implementation of a more efficient approach to alchemical transformations in the Amber MD package. Specifically we have implemented this new approach within the more computational efficient and scalable pmemd MD engine that is included with the Amber MD package. The majority of the gain in efficiency comes from the improved design of the calculation, which includes better parallel scaling and reduction in the calculation of redundant terms. This new implementation is able to reproduce results from equivalent simulations run with the existing functionality, but at 2.5 times greater computational efficiency. This new implementation is also able to run softcore simulations at the λ end states making direct calculation of free energies more accurate, compared to the extrapolation required in the existing implementation. The updated alchemical transformation functionality will be included in the next major release of Amber (scheduled for release in Q1 2014) and will be available at http://ambermd.org, under the Amber license.

Improving the Efficiency of Free Energy Calculations in the Amber Molecular Dynamics Package

PubMed Central

Pierce, Levi T.; Walker, Ross C.; McCammont, J. Andrew

2013-01-01

Alchemical transformations are widely used methods to calculate free energies. Amber has traditionally included support for alchemical transformations as part of the sander molecular dynamics (MD) engine. Here we describe the implementation of a more efficient approach to alchemical transformations in the Amber MD package. Specifically we have implemented this new approach within the more computational efficient and scalable pmemd MD engine that is included with the Amber MD package. The majority of the gain in efficiency comes from the improved design of the calculation, which includes better parallel scaling and reduction in the calculation of redundant terms. This new implementation is able to reproduce results from equivalent simulations run with the existing functionality, but at 2.5 times greater computational efficiency. This new implementation is also able to run softcore simulations at the λ end states making direct calculation of free energies more accurate, compared to the extrapolation required in the existing implementation. The updated alchemical transformation functionality will be included in the next major release of Amber (scheduled for release in Q1 2014) and will be available at http://ambermd.org, under the Amber license. PMID:24185531

Development of an active food packaging system with antioxidant properties based on green tea extract.

PubMed

Carrizo, Daniel; Gullo, Giuseppe; Bosetti, Osvaldo; Nerín, Cristina

2014-01-01

A formula including green tea extract (GTE) was developed as an active food packaging material. This formula was moulded to obtain an independent component/device with antioxidant properties that could be easily coupled to industrial degassing valves for food packaging in special cases. GTE components (i.e., gallic acid, catechins and caffeine) were identified and quantified by HPLC-UV and UPLC-MS and migration/diffusion studies were carried out. Antioxidant properties of the formula alone and formula-valve were measured with static and dynamic methods. The results showed that the antioxidant capacity (scavenging of free radicals) of the new GTE formula was 40% higher than the non-active system (blank). This antioxidant activity increased in parallel with the GTE concentration. The functional properties of the industrial target valve (e.g., flexibility) were studied for different mixtures of GTE, and good results were found with 17% (w/w) of GTE. This new active formula can be an important addition for active packaging applications in the food packaging industry, with oxidative species-scavenging capacity, thus improving the safety and quality for the consumer and extending the shelf-life of the packaged food.

Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High Efficiency OLED Lighting Products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2008-06-30

The objective of the 'Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High Efficiency OLED Lighting Products' project is to demonstrate thin film packaging solutions based on SiC hermetic coatings that, when applied to glass and plastic substrates, support OLED lighting devices by providing longer life with greater efficiency at lower cost than is currently available. Phase I Objective: Demonstrate thin film encapsulated working phosphorescent OLED devices on optical glass with lifetime of 1,000 hour life, CRI greater than 75, and 15 lm/W. Phase II Objective: Demonstrate thin film encapsulated working phosphorescent OLED devices on plastic or glass composite with 25 lm/W, 5,000more » hours life, and CRI greater than 80. Phase III Objective: Demonstrate 2 x 2 ft{sup 2} thin film encapsulated working phosphorescent OLED with 40 lm/W, 10,000 hour life, and CRI greater than 85. This report details the efforts of Phase III (Budget Period Three), a fourteen month collaborative effort that focused on optimization of high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED devices and thin-film encapsulation of said devices. The report further details the conclusions and recommendations of the project team that have foundation in all three budget periods for the program. During the conduct of the Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High Efficiency OLED Lighting Products program, including budget period three, the project team completed and delivered the following achievements: (1) a three-year marketing effort that characterized the near-term and longer-term OLED market, identified customer and consumer lighting needs, and suggested prototype product concepts and niche OLED applications lighting that will give rise to broader market acceptance as a source for wide area illumination and energy conservation; (2) a thin film encapsulation technology with a lifetime of nearly 15,000 hours, tested by calcium coupons, while stored at 16 C and 40% relative humidity ('RH'). This encapsulation technology was

[Efficient extraction of transmembrane proteins using ProteoExtract Transmembrane Protein Extraction Kit].

PubMed

Błachnio, Karina

2010-01-01

Detergents commonly used for solubilization of membrane proteins may be ionic or non-ionic. Exposing membrane proteins to detergents, however, can adversely affect their native structure, which can be a major hindrance for functional studies. This is especially true for proteins with multiple transmembrane domains. The ProteoExtract Transmembrane Protein Extraction Kit (TM-PEK), offered by Merck, provides a detergent-free novel reagents to enable the mild and efficient extraction of proteins containing seven transmembrane domains, such as GPCRs (G-Protein Coupled Receptors) e.g.: Frizzled-4 and CELSR-3, from mammalian cells. The fraction enriched in transmembrane proteins using TM-PEK is directly compatible with enzyme assays, non-denaturing gel electrophoresis, 1- and 2-D SDS-PAGE, MS analysis, Western blotting, immunoprecipitation and ELISA. Unlike many alternatives, TM-PEK extraction procedure does not require sonication, extended rigorous vortexing, ultracentrifugation, or incubation of samples at elevated temperatures--thus minimizing the risk of post-extraction degradation or modifications.

Efficient extraction of vaccines formulated in aluminum hydroxide gel by including surfactants in the extraction buffer

PubMed Central

Zhu, Daming; Huang, Shuhui; McClellan, Holly; Dai, Weili; Syed, Najam R; Gebregeorgis, Elizabeth; Mullen, Gregory E. D.; Long, Carole; Martin, Laura B.; Narum, David; Duffy, Patrick; Miller, Louis H.; Saul, Allan

2011-01-01

Efficient antigen extraction from vaccines formulated on aluminum hydroxide gels is a critical step for the evaluation of the quality of vaccines following formulation. It has been shown in our laboratory that the efficiency of antigen extraction from vaccines formulated on Alhydrogel decreased significantly with increased storage time. To increase antigen extraction efficiency, the present study determined the effect of surfactants on antigen recovery from vaccine formulations. The Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) formulated on Alhydrogel and stored at 2-8 °C for three years was used as a model in this study. The AMA1 on Alhydrogel was extracted in the presence or absence of 30 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or 20 mM cetylpyridinium chloride in the extraction buffer (0.60 M citrate, 0.55 M phosphate, pH 8.5) using our standard antigen extraction protocols. Extracted AMA1 antigen was analyzed by 4-20% Tris-glycine SDS-PAGE followed by silver staining or western blotting. The results showed that inclusion of SDS or cetylpyridinium chloride in extraction buffer increased the antigen recovery dramatically and can be used for efficient characterization of Alhydrogel vaccines. PMID:22107848

Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity studies on migration extracts from nanocomposites with potential use in food packaging.

PubMed

Maisanaba, Sara; Pichardo, Silvia; Jordá-Beneyto, María; Aucejo, Susana; Cameán, Ana M; Jos, Ángeles

2014-04-01

Clays are used in the food packaging industry to obtain nanocomposites. The use of these new materials is a concern, because they could reach consumers by oral exposure through possible migration, and potential toxic effects could be derived. In the present study, several in vitro basal cytotoxicity and mutagenicity tests on migration extracts obtained from a nanocomposite material with poly (lactic) acid (PLA) and two modified clays, Clay1 and Clay2, are shown. Migration extracts in distilled water showed values of 0.1 ± 0.2mg/dm(2) in all samples. Also, the content of characteristic metals of the clays structure (Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, Si) was studied and no statistical differences were observed. For the cytotoxicity assays, the human intestinal Caco-2 and human liver HepG2 cells were selected. Cells were exposed to concentrations between 2.5% and 100% extracts determining three different biomarkers of cellular viability. No significant differences were observed in the cytotoxicity assays. Finally, mutagenicity was evaluated by the Ames test and resulted in the absence of mutagenic response at all the concentrations assayed. Taking in account all above mentioned, these new materials show a good profile for their use in food packaging although further research is still needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synergistic effect of spice extracts and modified atmospheric packaging towards non-thermal preservation of chicken meat under refrigerated storage.

PubMed

Sivarajan, M; Lalithapriya, U; Mariajenita, Peter; Vajiha, B Aafrin; Harini, K; Madhushalini, D; Sukumar, M

2017-08-01

This study investigates the integrated approach of spice extracts and modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) chicken meat preservation. Specifically, extracts from clove (CL), cinnamon (CI) individually and in combination (3% w/w) along with MAP (30% CO2/70% N2 and 10% O2/30% CO2/60% N2) were used to increase the shelf life of fresh chicken meat stored at 4°C. The parameters evaluated as shelf life indications are microbiological (total viable count, Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and Enterobacteriaceae), physicochemical (pH, Lipid oxidation, color changes) and Sensory attributes. Microbial population were reduced by 2.5 to 5 log cfu/g, with the greater impact being accomplished by the blend of clove and cinnamon extract with 30% CO2/70% N2 MAP. Thiobarbituric values for all treated and MAP packed samples remained lower than 1 mg malondialdehyde (MDA)/kg all through the 24 day storage period. pH values varied from 5.5 for fresh sample on day 0 to 7.11 (day 25) on combined extract treated and MAP packaged samples. The estimations of the color parameters L*, a*, and b* were well maintained in oxygen deficient MAP. Finally, sensory investigation demonstrated that combined clove and cinnamon extract of 3% conferred acceptable sensory attributes to the samples on day 24 of storage. These results indicate the extended shelf life of chicken meat from 4 days to 24 days for samples when coated with 3% of combined clove and cinnamon extract and packaged under MAP without oxygen. These pooled extracts along with MAP displayed expanded the usability and the organoleptic qualities of chicken meat. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

[Simultaneous determination of 9 ultraviolet stabilizers in food plastic packaging materials by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Zhang, Juzhou; Li, Jing; Shao, Dongliang; Yao, Bangben; Jiang, Junshu

2012-02-01

An effective high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 9 ultraviolet stabilizers in food plastic packaging materials. The food packaging samples were firstly extracted by methanol-ethyl acetate, and then purified by a C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. The target compounds were separated on a ZORBAX SB-C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) in gradient elution mode using methanol and water as mobile phases. The detection wavelength was at 310 nm. The linear plots of the nine ultraviolet stabilizers were obtained between 0.2 and 10 mg/L, with the correlation coefficients of above 0. 999 for the nine ultraviolet stabilizers. The limits of detection for this method were in the range from 0.05 to 0.1 mg/L. The recoveries spiked in commercial food plastic packaging materials were in the range of 70.2% - 89.0% with the relative standard deviations of 0.4% - 4.5%. The results indicated that the method is simple, accurate, and suitable for the simultaneous determination of the nine ultraviolet stabilizers in food plastic packaging materials.

Automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) LC/NMR Applied to the Structural Analysis of Extractable Compounds from a Pharmaceutical Packaging Material of Construction.

PubMed

Norwood, Daniel L; Mullis, James O; Davis, Mark; Pennino, Scott; Egert, Thomas; Gonnella, Nina C

2013-01-01

The structural analysis (i.e., identification) of organic chemical entities leached into drug product formulations has traditionally been accomplished with techniques involving the combination of chromatography with mass spectrometry. These include gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for volatile and semi-volatile compounds, and various forms of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS or HPLC/MS) for semi-volatile and relatively non-volatile compounds. GC/MS and LC/MS techniques are complementary for structural analysis of leachables and potentially leachable organic compounds produced via laboratory extraction of pharmaceutical container closure/delivery system components and corresponding materials of construction. Both hyphenated analytical techniques possess the separating capability, compound specific detection attributes, and sensitivity required to effectively analyze complex mixtures of trace level organic compounds. However, hyphenated techniques based on mass spectrometry are limited by the inability to determine complete bond connectivity, the inability to distinguish between many types of structural isomers, and the inability to unambiguously determine aromatic substitution patterns. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) does not have these limitations; hence it can serve as a complement to mass spectrometry. However, NMR technology is inherently insensitive and its ability to interface with chromatography has been historically challenging. This article describes the application of NMR coupled with liquid chromatography and automated solid phase extraction (SPE-LC/NMR) to the structural analysis of extractable organic compounds from a pharmaceutical packaging material of construction. The SPE-LC/NMR technology combined with micro-cryoprobe technology afforded the sensitivity and sample mass required for full structure elucidation. Optimization of the SPE-LC/NMR analytical method was achieved using a series of model compounds

Determination of Polymer Additives-Antioxidants, Ultraviolet Stabilizers, Plasticizers and Photoinitiators in Plastic Food Package by Accelerated Solvent Extraction Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.

PubMed

Li, Bo; Wang, Zhi-Wei; Lin, Qin-Bao; Hu, Chang-Ying; Su, Qi-Zhi; Wu, Yu-Mei

2015-07-01

An analytical method for the quantitative determination of 4 antioxidants, 9 ultraviolet (UV) stabilizers, 12 phthalate plasticizers and 2 photoinitiators in plastic food package using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) has been developed. Parameters affecting the efficiency in the process such as extraction and chromatographic conditions were studied in order to determine operating conditions. The analytical method of ASE-HPLC showed good linearity with good correlation coefficients (R ≥ 0.9833). The limits of detection and quantification were between 0.03 and 0.30 µg mL(-1) and between 0.10 and 1.00 µg mL(-1) for 27 analytes. Average spiked recoveries for most analytes in samples were >70.4% at 10, 20 and 40 µg g(-1) spiked levels, except UV-9 and Irganox 1010 (58.6 and 64.0% spiked at 10 µg g(-1), respectively), the relative standard deviations were in the range from 0.4 to 15.4%. The methodology has been proposed for the analysis of 27 polymer additives in plastic food package. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Occurrence of extractable ink residuals in packaging materials used in the Czech Republic.

PubMed

Dupáková, Z; Dobiás, J; Votavová, L; Klaudisová, K; Voldrich, M

2010-01-01

Residues of printing ink components were determined in 94 samples of packaging materials commercially used in the Czech Republic for food packaging. The samples tested included printed polyethylene and polypropylene films, co-extruded and laminated films, paperboard beverages boxes, foils for thermo sealing of polystyrene cups, and polypropylene cups. Printing ink components were extracted with diethylether, then separated and determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Fifty compounds potentially originating from printing were isolated, identified and quantified. No acute health risk for consumers were identified, even though several findings of high levels of photo-initiators (e.g. in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films for thermo sealing of polystyrene cups) as well as plasticizers (acetyl tributyl citrate, tributyl aconitate, 2-butoxyethyl oleate and 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate in co-extruded films) indicate that their real migration into food and/or food simulants needs to be undertaken for a proper safety evaluation.

Antioxidant activities of distiller dried grains with solubles as protein films containing tea extracts and their application in the packaging of pork meat.

PubMed

Yang, Hyun-Ju; Lee, Ji-Hyeon; Won, Misun; Song, Kyung Bin

2016-04-01

Distiller dried grains with solubles (DDGS) as protein (DP) films were prepared. Additionally, to prepare anti-oxidant films, green tea extract (GTE), oolong tea extract (OTE), and black tea extract (BTE) were incorporated into the DP films. Consequently, the incorporation of the tea extracts did not alter the physical properties of the films much, whereas the antioxidant activities, such as ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities were observed. To apply the DP films containing tea extracts to food packaging, pork meat was wrapped with the films and stored at 4 °C for 10 d. During storage, the pork meat wrapped with the DP films containing GTE, OTE, and BTE had less lipid oxidation than did the control. Among the tea extracts, the DP film containing GTE had the greatest antioxidant activity. These results indicate that the DP films containing green tea extracts can be utilized as an anti-oxidative packaging material for pork meat. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of phthalates released from paper packaging materials by solid-phase extraction-high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Yang, Bofeng; Tang, Zhixu; Luo, Xin; Wang, Fengmei; Xu, Hui; Cai, Xue

2014-01-01

A solid phase extraction (SPE) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 10 phthalic acid esters (dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate, benzylbutyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, diamyl phthalate, di-n-hexyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) released from food paper packaging materials. The use of distilled water, 3% acetic acid (w/v), 10% ethanol (v/v) and 95% ethanol (v/v) instead of the different types of food simulated the migration of 10 phthalic acid esters from food paper packaging materials; the phthalic acid esters in four food simulants were enriched and purified by a C18 SPE column and nitrogen blowing, and quantified by HPLC with a diode array detector. The chromatographic conditions and extraction conditions were optimized and all 10 of the phthalate acid esters had a maximum absorbance at 224 nm. The method showed limitations of detection in the range of 6.0-23.8 ng/mL the correlation coefficients were greater than 0.9999 in all cases, recovery values ranged between 71.27 and 106.97% at spiking levels of 30, 60 and 90 ng/mL and relative standard deviation values ranged from 0.86 to 8.00%. The method was considered to be simple, fast and reliable for a study on the migration of these 10 phthalic acid esters from food paper packaging materials into food.

Scaling up malaria intervention "packages" in Senegal: using cost effectiveness data for improving allocative efficiency and programmatic decision-making.

PubMed

Faye, Sophie; Cico, Altea; Gueye, Alioune Badara; Baruwa, Elaine; Johns, Benjamin; Ndiop, Médoune; Alilio, Martin

2018-04-10

Senegal's National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) implements control interventions in the form of targeted packages: (1) scale-up for impact (SUFI), which includes bed nets, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy, rapid diagnostic tests, and artemisinin combination therapy; (2) SUFI + reactive case investigation (focal test and treat); (3) SUFI + indoor residual spraying (IRS); (4) SUFI + seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis (SMC); and, (5) SUFI + SMC + IRS. This study estimates the cost effectiveness of each of these packages to provide the NMCP with data for improving allocative efficiency and programmatic decision-making. This study is a retrospective analysis for the period 2013-2014 covering all 76 Senegal districts. The yearly implementation cost for each intervention was estimated and the information was aggregated into a package cost for all covered districts. The change in the burden of malaria associated with each package was estimated using the number of disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted. The cost effectiveness (cost per DALY averted) was then calculated for each package. The cost per DALY averted ranged from $76 to $1591 across packages. Using World Health Organization standards, 4 of the 5 packages were "very cost effective" (less than Senegal's GDP per capita). Relative to the 2 other packages implemented in malaria control districts, the SUFI + SMC package was the most cost-effective package at $76 per DALY averted. SMC seems to make IRS more cost effective: $582 per DALY averted for SUFI + IRS compared with $272 for the SUFI + IRS + SMC package. The SUFI + focal test and treat, implemented in malaria elimination districts, had a cost per DALY averted of $1591 and was only "cost-effective" (less than three times Senegal's per capita GDP). Senegal's choice of deploying malaria interventions by packages seems to be effectively targeting high burden areas with a wide range of interventions

Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Highway Lodging Buildings: Development of 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Wei; Gowri, Krishnan; Thornton, Brian A.

2010-06-30

This paper presents the process, methodology, and assumptions for development of the 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages for Highway Lodging Buildings, a design guidance document that provides specific recommendations for achieving 50% energy savings in roadside motels (highway lodging) above the requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004. This 50% solution represents a further step toward realization of the U.S. Department of Energy’s net-zero energy building goal, and go beyond the 30% savings in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series (upon which this work was built). This work can serve as the technical feasibility study for the development of a 50%more » saving Advanced Energy Design Guide for highway lodging, and thus should greatly expedite the development process. The purpose of this design package is to provide user-friendly design assistance to designers, developers, and owners of highway lodging properties. It is intended to encourage energy-efficient design by providing prescriptive energy-efficiency recommendations for each climate zone that attains the 50% the energy savings target. This paper describes the steps that were taken to demonstrate the technical feasibility of achieving a 50% reduction in whole-building energy use with practical and commercially available technologies. The energy analysis results are presented, indicating the recommended energy-efficient measures achieved a national-weighted average energy savings of 55%, relative to Standard 90.1-2004. The cost-effectiveness of the recommended technology package is evaluated and the result shows an average simple payback of 11.3 years.« less

Optimization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Extraction Efficiency Parameters for Sub- and Supercritical Water Extraction (SCWE) Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okada, Asahi A.

2005-01-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a class of molecules composed of multiple, bonded benzene rings. As PAHS are believed to be present on Mars, positive confirmation of their presence on Mars is highly desirable. To extract PAHS, which have low volatility, a fluid extraction method is ideal, and one that does not utilize organic solvents is especially ideal for in situ instrumental analysis. The use of water as a solvent, which at subcritical pressures and temperatures is relatively non-Polar, has significant potential. As SCWE instruments have not yet been commercialized, all instruments are individually-built research prototypes: thus, initial efforts were intended to determine if extraction efficiencies on the JPL-built laboratory-scale SCWE instrument are comparable to differing designs built elsewhere. Samples of soil with certified reference concentrations of PAHs were extracted using SCWE as well as conventional Soxhlet extraction. Continuation of the work would involve extractions on JPL'S newer, portable SCWE instrument prototype to determine its efficiency in extracting PAHs.

Methods for extracting aerodynamic accelerations from Orbiter High Resolution Accelerometer Package flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, J. M.; Russell, J. W.; Blanchard, R. C.

1987-01-01

This report presents a process for extracting the aerodynamic accelerations of the Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle from the High Resolution Accelerometer Package (HiRAP) flight data during reentry. The methods for obtaining low-level aerodynamic accelerations, principally in the rarefied flow regime, are applied to 10 Orbiter flights. The extraction process is presented using data obtained from Space Transportation System Flight 32 (Mission 61-C) as a typical example. This process involves correcting the HiRAP measurements for the effects of temperature bias and instrument offset from the Orbiter center of gravity, and removing acceleration data during times they are affected by thruster firings. The corrected data are then made continuous and smooth and are further enhanced by refining the temperature bias correction and removing effects of the auxiliary power unit actuation. The resulting data are the current best estimate of the Orbiter aerodynamic accelerations during reentry and will be used for further analyses of the Orbiter aerodynamics and the upper atmosphere characteristics.

Antimicrobial activity of several herb and spice extracts in culture medium and in vacuum-packaged pork.

PubMed

Kong, Baohua; Wang, Jinzhi; Xiong, Youling L

2007-03-01

Extracts prepared from honeysuckle, Scutellaria, Forsythia suspensa (Thunb), cinnamon, and rosemary with 75% ethanol and from clove oil dissolved in 75% ethanol were applied to inoculated agar media to observe their inhibitory effects on the growth of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Lactobacillus plantarum. All the extracts suppressed the growth of these bacteria; Scutellaria exhibited the strongest effect against E. coli. An orthogonal test revealed that the most effective antimicrobial composite extracts were equal-volume mixtures of 0.125 g/ml Scutellaria + 0.5 g/ml honeysuckle + 0.125 g/ml Forsythia + 0.25 g/ml cinnamon and 0.25 g/ml cinnamon + 0.125 g/ml rosemary + 0.25% clove oil. These mixed extracts also produced strong antimicrobial effects in vacuum-packaged fresh pork, with 1.81- to 2.32-log reductions in microbial counts compared with the control when stored for up to 28 days. The sensory panel detected minimal differences in surface color and off-odors between meat samples treated with herb-spice extracts and the control. These results indicate that combined herb and spice extracts can be used as natural antimicrobials for food preservation.

ELiXIR—Solid-State Luminaire With Enhanced Light Extraction by Internal Reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Steven C.; Steckl, Andrew J.

2007-06-01

A phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pcLED) luminaire featuring enhanced light extraction by internal reflection (ELiXIR) with efficacy of 60 lm/W producing 18 lumens of yellowish green light at 100 mA is presented. The luminaire consists of a commercial blue high power LED, a polymer hemispherical shell lens with interior phosphor coating, and planar aluminized reflector. High extraction efficiency of the phosphor-converted light is achieved by separating the phosphor from the LED and using internal reflection to steer the light away from lossy reflectors and the LED package and out of the device. At 10 and 500 mA, the luminaire produces 2.1 and 66 lumens with efficacies of 80 and 37 lm/W, respectively. Technological improvements over existing commercial LEDs, such as more efficient pcLED packages or, alternatively, higher efficiency green or yellow for color mixing, will be essential to achieving 150 200 lm/W solid-state lighting. Advances in both areas are demonstrated.

Batteries for efficient energy extraction from a water salinity difference.

PubMed

La Mantia, Fabio; Pasta, Mauro; Deshazer, Heather D; Logan, Bruce E; Cui, Yi

2011-04-13

The salinity difference between seawater and river water is a renewable source of enormous entropic energy, but extracting it efficiently as a form of useful energy remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate a device called "mixing entropy battery", which can extract and store it as useful electrochemical energy. The battery, containing a Na(2-x)Mn(5)O(10) nanorod electrode, was shown to extract energy from real seawater and river water and can be applied to a variety of salt waters. We demonstrated energy extraction efficiencies of up to 74%. Considering the flow rate of river water into oceans as the limiting factor, the renewable energy production could potentially reach 2 TW, or ∼13% of the current world energy consumption. The mixing entropy battery is simple to fabricate and could contribute significantly to renewable energy in the future.

Efficiency of beef extract for the recovery of poliovirus from wastewater effluents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Landry, E.F.; Vaughn, J.M.; Thomas, M.Z.

1978-10-01

The efficiency of poliovirus elution from fiber glass cartridge filters (K27), epoxy-fiber glass-asbestos filters (M780), and pleated cartridge filters was assessed by using 3% beef extract (pH 9.0) or 0.1 M glycine (pH 11.5). Poliovirus type I, strain LSc, was seeded into 20 to 25 gallon (ca. 75.6 to 95.6 liter) samples of treated sewage effluent and concentrated by using a filter adsorption-elution technique. Virus elution was accomplished by using either two 600-ml portions of 3% beef extract (pH 9.0), or two 1 liter portions of 0.1 M glycine (pH 11.5). In all experiments, beef extract elution followed by organicmore » flocculation was found to be superior, yielding a mean recovery efficiency of 85%, with recoveries ranging from 68 to 100%. Elution with 0.1 M glycine (pH 11.5) followed by inorganic flocculation resulted in a mean recovery efficiency of 36%. The variable range of recoveries with beef extract could not be significantly improved by varying the type of beef extract or by extending the elution time to 30 min. Second-step reconcentration of 1 liter seeded sewage effluent and renovated wastewater samples indicated that organic flocculation was a more efficient method for virus recovery than inorganic flocculation. Beef extract concentrations of less than 3% were found to be efficient in the recovery of poliovirus from renovated wastewater.« less

Uniform rotating field network structure to efficiently package a magnetic bubble domain memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, Glen W. (Inventor); Chen, Thomas T. (Inventor); Wolfshagen, Ronald G. (Inventor); Ypma, John E. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A unique and compact open coil rotating magnetic field network structure to efficiently package an array of bubble domain devices is disclosed. The field network has a configuration which effectively enables selected bubble domain devices from the array to be driven in a vertical magnetic field and in an independent and uniform horizontal rotating magnetic field. The field network is suitably adapted to minimize undesirable inductance effects, improve capabilities of heat dissipation, and facilitate repair or replacement of a bubble device.

Packaged die heater

DOEpatents

Spielberger, Richard; Ohme, Bruce Walker; Jensen, Ronald J.

2011-06-21

A heater for heating packaged die for burn-in and heat testing is described. The heater may be a ceramic-type heater with a metal filament. The heater may be incorporated into the integrated circuit package as an additional ceramic layer of the package, or may be an external heater placed in contact with the package to heat the die. Many different types of integrated circuit packages may be accommodated. The method provides increased energy efficiency for heating the die while reducing temperature stresses on testing equipment. The method allows the use of multiple heaters to heat die to different temperatures. Faulty die may be heated to weaken die attach material to facilitate removal of the die. The heater filament or a separate temperature thermistor located in the package may be used to accurately measure die temperature.

Application of a puffer fish skin gelatin film containing Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf extract to the packaging of Gouda cheese.

PubMed

Lee, Ka-Yeon; Yang, Hyun-Ju; Song, Kyung Bin

2016-11-01

This study aims to develop a puffer fish skin gelatin (PSG) film that contains Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf extract (ME) as a new biodegradable film. With the increase in ME concentration, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the PSG film increased, whereas the oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability decreased. In addition, the PSG film with ME exhibited antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and antioxidant activity. To apply the ME-containing PSG film to food packaging, Gouda cheese was wrapped with the ME-containing PSG film. During storage, the cheese packaging with the ME-containing PSG film effectively inhibited the microbial growth and retarded the lipid oxidation of cheese compared with the control sample. Thus, the ME-containing PSG film can be used as an antimicrobial and antioxidative packaging material to improve the quality of food products.

A reduction package for cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph data in IDL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Jeffrey C.; Neff, James E.

1992-12-01

We have written in IDL a data reduction package that performs reduction and extraction of cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph data. The present package includes a complete set of tools for extracting data from any number of spectral orders with arbitrary tilt and curvature. Essential elements include debiasing and flatfielding of the raw CCD image, removal of scattered light background, either nonoptimal or optimal extraction of data, and wavelength calibration and continuum normalization of the extracted orders. A growing set of support routines permits examination of the frame being processed to provide continuing checks on the statistical properties of the data and on the accuracy of the extraction. We will display some sample reductions and discuss the algorithms used. The inherent simplicity and user-friendliness of the IDL interface make this package a useful tool for spectroscopists. We will provide an email distribution list for those interested in receiving the package, and further documentation will be distributed at the meeting.

Spoilage and safety characteristics of ground beef packaged in traditional and modified atmosphere packages.

PubMed

Brooks, J C; Alvarado, M; Stephens, T P; Kellermeier, J D; Tittor, A W; Miller, M F; Brashears, M M

2008-02-01

Two separate studies, one with pathogen-inoculated product and one with noninoculated product, were conducted to determine the safety and spoilage characteristics of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and traditional packaging of ground beef patties. Ground beef patties were allotted to five packaging treatments (i) control (foam tray with film overwrap; traditional), (ii) high-oxygen MAP (80% 02, 20% CO2), (iii) high-oxygen MAP with added rosemary extract, (iv) low-oxygen carbon monoxide MAP (0.4% CO, 30% CO2, 69.6% N2), and (v) low-oxygen carbon monoxide MAP with added rosemary extract. Beef patties were evaluated for changes over time (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days) during lighted display. Results indicated low-oxygen carbon monoxide gas flush had a stabilizing effect on meat color after the formation of carboxymyoglobin and was effective for preventing the development of surface discoloration. Consumers indicated that beef patties packaged in atmospheres containing carbon monoxide were more likely to smell fresh at 7, 14, and 21 days of display, but the majority would probably not consume these products after 14 days of display because of their odor. MAP suppressed the growth of psychrophilic aerobic bacteria when compared with control packages. Generally, control packages had significantly higher total aerobic bacteria and Lactobacillus counts than did modified atmosphere packages. In the inoculated ground beef (approximately 10(5) CFU/g) in MAP, Escherichia coli O157 populations ranged from 4.51 to 4.73 log CFU/g with no differences among the various packages, but the total E. coli O157:H7 in the ground beef in the control packages was significantly higher at 5.61 log CFU/g after 21 days of storage. On days 14 and 21, the total Salmonella in the ground beef in control packages was at 5.29 and 5.27 log CFU/g, respectively, which was significantly higher than counts in the modified atmosphere packages (3.99 to 4.31 log CFU/g on day 14 and 3.76 to 4.02 log CFU

An Efficient Method for Genomic DNA Extraction from Different Molluscs Species

PubMed Central

Pereira, Jorge C.; Chaves, Raquel; Bastos, Estela; Leitão, Alexandra; Guedes-Pinto, Henrique

2011-01-01

The selection of a DNA extraction method is a critical step when subsequent analysis depends on the DNA quality and quantity. Unlike mammals, for which several capable DNA extraction methods have been developed, for molluscs the availability of optimized genomic DNA extraction protocols is clearly insufficient. Several aspects such as animal physiology, the type (e.g., adductor muscle or gills) or quantity of tissue, can explain the lack of efficiency (quality and yield) in molluscs genomic DNA extraction procedure. In an attempt to overcome these aspects, this work describes an efficient method for molluscs genomic DNA extraction that was tested in several species from different orders: Veneridae, Ostreidae, Anomiidae, Cardiidae (Bivalvia) and Muricidae (Gastropoda), with different weight sample tissues. The isolated DNA was of high molecular weight with high yield and purity, even with reduced quantities of tissue. Moreover, the genomic DNA isolated, demonstrated to be suitable for several downstream molecular techniques, such as PCR sequencing among others. PMID:22174651

rEHR: An R package for manipulating and analysing Electronic Health Record data.

PubMed

Springate, David A; Parisi, Rosa; Olier, Ivan; Reeves, David; Kontopantelis, Evangelos

2017-01-01

Research with structured Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is expanding as data becomes more accessible; analytic methods advance; and the scientific validity of such studies is increasingly accepted. However, data science methodology to enable the rapid searching/extraction, cleaning and analysis of these large, often complex, datasets is less well developed. In addition, commonly used software is inadequate, resulting in bottlenecks in research workflows and in obstacles to increased transparency and reproducibility of the research. Preparing a research-ready dataset from EHRs is a complex and time consuming task requiring substantial data science skills, even for simple designs. In addition, certain aspects of the workflow are computationally intensive, for example extraction of longitudinal data and matching controls to a large cohort, which may take days or even weeks to run using standard software. The rEHR package simplifies and accelerates the process of extracting ready-for-analysis datasets from EHR databases. It has a simple import function to a database backend that greatly accelerates data access times. A set of generic query functions allow users to extract data efficiently without needing detailed knowledge of SQL queries. Longitudinal data extractions can also be made in a single command, making use of parallel processing. The package also contains functions for cutting data by time-varying covariates, matching controls to cases, unit conversion and construction of clinical code lists. There are also functions to synthesise dummy EHR. The package has been tested with one for the largest primary care EHRs, the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), but allows for a common interface to other EHRs. This simplified and accelerated work flow for EHR data extraction results in simpler, cleaner scripts that are more easily debugged, shared and reproduced.

treeman: an R package for efficient and intuitive manipulation of phylogenetic trees.

PubMed

Bennett, Dominic J; Sutton, Mark D; Turvey, Samuel T

2017-01-07

Phylogenetic trees are hierarchical structures used for representing the inter-relationships between biological entities. They are the most common tool for representing evolution and are essential to a range of fields across the life sciences. The manipulation of phylogenetic trees-in terms of adding or removing tips-is often performed by researchers not just for reasons of management but also for performing simulations in order to understand the processes of evolution. Despite this, the most common programming language among biologists, R, has few class structures well suited to these tasks. We present an R package that contains a new class, called TreeMan, for representing the phylogenetic tree. This class has a list structure allowing phylogenetic trees to be manipulated more efficiently. Computational running times are reduced because of the ready ability to vectorise and parallelise methods. Development is also improved due to fewer lines of code being required for performing manipulation processes. We present three use cases-pinning missing taxa to a supertree, simulating evolution with a tree-growth model and detecting significant phylogenetic turnover-that demonstrate the new package's speed and simplicity.

The Extraction and Recovery Efficiency of Pure DNA for Different Types of Swabs.

PubMed

Bruijns, Brigitte B; Tiggelaar, Roald M; Gardeniers, Han

2018-06-11

The extraction and recovery efficiency of swabs used to collect evidence at crime scenes is relatively low (typically <50%) for bacterial spores and body fluids. Cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an interesting alternative compared to whole cells as a source for forensic analysis, but extraction and recovery from swabs has not been tested before using pure DNA. In this study cotton, foam, nylon flocked, polyester and rayon swabs are investigated in order to collect pure DNA isolated from saliva samples. The morphology and absorption capacity of swabs is studied. Extraction and recovery efficiencies are determined and compared to the maximum theoretical efficiency. The results indicate that a substantial part of DNA is not extracted from the swab and some types of swab seem to bind effectively with DNA. The efficiency of the different types of swab never exceeds 50%. The nylon flocked 4N6FLOQSwab used for buccal sampling performs the best. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Forensic Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Improving enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of wheat straw through sequential autohydrolysis and alkaline post-extraction.

PubMed

Wu, Xinxing; Huang, Chen; Zhai, Shengcheng; Liang, Chen; Huang, Caoxing; Lai, Chenhuan; Yong, Qiang

2018-03-01

In this work, a two-step pretreatment process of wheat straw was established by combining autohydrolysis pretreatment and alkaline post-extraction. The results showed that employing alkaline post-extraction to autohydrolyzed wheat straw could significantly improve its enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency from 36.0% to 83.7%. Alkaline post-extraction lead to the changes of the structure characteristics of autohydrolyzed wheat straw. Associations between enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and structure characteristics were also studied. The results showed that the factors of structure characteristics such as delignification, xylan removal yield, crystallinity, accessibility and hydrophobicity are positively related to enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency within a certain range for alkaline post-extracted wheat straw. The results demonstrated that autohydrolysis coupled with alkaline post-extraction is an effective and promising method to gain fermentable sugars from biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Compilation of Metals and Trace Elements Extracted from Materials Relevant to Pharmaceutical Applications such as Packaging Systems and Devices.

PubMed

Jenke, Dennis; Rivera, Christine; Mortensen, Tammy; Amin, Parul; Chacko, Molly; Tran, Thang; Chum, James

2013-01-01

Nearly 100 individual test articles, representative of materials used in pharmaceutical applications such as packaging and devices, were extracted under exaggerated conditions and the levels of 32 metals and trace elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ge, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti, V, Zn, and Zr) were measured in the extracts. The extracting solvents included aqueous mixtures at low and high pH and an organic solvent mixture (40/60 ethanol water). The sealed vessel extractions were performed by placing an appropriate portion of the test articles and an appropriate volume of extracting solution in inert extraction vessels and exposing the extraction units (and associated extraction blanks) to defined conditions of temperature and duration. The levels of extracted target elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The overall reporting threshold for most of the targeted elements was 0.05 μg/mL, which corresponds to 0.5 μg/g for the most commonly utilized extraction stoichiometry (1 g of material per 10 mL of extracting solvent). The targeted elements could be classified into four major groups depending on the frequency with which they were present in the over 250 extractions reported in this study. Thirteen elements (Ag, As, Be, Cd, Co, Ge, Li, Mo, Ni, Sn, Ti, V, and Zr) were not extracted in reportable quantities from any of the test articles under any of the extraction conditions. Eight additional elements (Bi, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, Sb, Se, and Sr) were rarely extracted from the test articles at reportable levels, and three other elements (Ba, Fe, and P) were infrequently extracted from the test articles at reportable levels. The remaining eight elements (Al, B, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Si, and Zn) were more frequently present in the extracts in reportable quantities. These general trends in accumulation behavior were compared to compiled lists of elements of concern as impurities in

Analysis of entropy extraction efficiencies in random number generation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chao; Wang, Shuang; Chen, Wei; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Han, Zheng-Fu

2016-05-01

Random numbers (RNs) have applications in many areas: lottery games, gambling, computer simulation, and, most importantly, cryptography [N. Gisin et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 74 (2002) 145]. In cryptography theory, the theoretical security of the system calls for high quality RNs. Therefore, developing methods for producing unpredictable RNs with adequate speed is an attractive topic. Early on, despite the lack of theoretical support, pseudo RNs generated by algorithmic methods performed well and satisfied reasonable statistical requirements. However, as implemented, those pseudorandom sequences were completely determined by mathematical formulas and initial seeds, which cannot introduce extra entropy or information. In these cases, “random” bits are generated that are not at all random. Physical random number generators (RNGs), which, in contrast to algorithmic methods, are based on unpredictable physical random phenomena, have attracted considerable research interest. However, the way that we extract random bits from those physical entropy sources has a large influence on the efficiency and performance of the system. In this manuscript, we will review and discuss several randomness extraction schemes that are based on radiation or photon arrival times. We analyze the robustness, post-processing requirements and, in particular, the extraction efficiency of those methods to aid in the construction of efficient, compact and robust physical RNG systems.

Magnetic covalent triazine framework for rapid extraction of phthalate esters in plastic packaging materials followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection.

PubMed

Yan, Zijun; He, Man; Chen, Beibei; Gui, Bo; Wang, Cheng; Hu, Bin

2017-11-24

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), featuring with high surface area, good thermal, chemical and mechanical stability, are good adsorbents in sample pretreatment. Herein, magnetic CTFs/Ni composite was prepared by in situ reduction of nickel ions on CTFs matrix with a solvothermal method. The prepared CTFs/Ni composite exhibited good preparation reproducibility, high chemical stability, and high extraction efficiency for targeted phthalate esters (PAEs) due to π-π interaction and hydrophobic effect. The porous structure of CTFs/Ni composite benefited the fast transfer of target PAEs from aqueous solution to the adsorbents, and the integrated magnetism contributed to the rapid separation of adsorbents from sample and elution solution. Based on it, a novel method of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) combined with gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was developed for the analysis of PAEs including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-2-ethylhexl phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) in plastic packaging materials. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limits of detection (LODs, S/N=3) for six PAEs were found to be in the range of 0.024-0.085mg/kg. The linear range was 0.32-16mg/kg for DMP, DEP, 0.08-80mg/kg for DBP, 0.16-32mg/kg for BBP, DEHP, and 0.32-32mg/kg for DNOP, respectively. The enrichment factors ranged from 59 to 88-fold (theoretical enrichment factor was 133-fold). The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of PAEs in various plastic packaging materials with recoveries in the range of 70.6-119% for the spiked samples. This method is characterized with short operation time, high sensitivity, low consumption of harmful organic solvents and can be extended to the analysis of other trace aromatic compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reevaluation of microplastics extraction efficiency with the aim of Munich Plastic Sediment Separator.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zobkov, Mikhail; Esiukova, Elena; Grave, Aleksei; Khatmullina, Liliya

2017-04-01

Invading of microplastics into marine environment is known as a global ecological threat. Specific density of microplastics can vary significantly depending on a polymer type, technological processes of its production, additives, weathering, and biofouling. Plastic particles can sink or float on the sea surface, but with time, most of drifting plastics become negatively buoyant and sink to the sea floor due to biofouling or adherence of denser particles. As a result, the seabed becomes the ultimate repository for microplastic particles and fibres. A study of microplastics content in aquatic sediments is an important source of information about ways of their migration, sink and accumulation zones. The Munich Plastic Sediment Separator (MPSS), proposed by Imhoff et al. (2012), is considered as the most effective tool for microplastic extraction. However, we observed that the numbers of marine microplastics extracted with this tool from different kinds of bottom sediments were significantly underestimated. We examined the extraction efficiency of the MPSS by adding artificial reference particles (ARPs) to marine sediment sample before the extraction procedure. Extraction was performed by two different methods: the modified NOAA method and using the MPSS. The separation solution with specific density 1.5 g/ml was used. Subsequent cleaning, drying and microscope detection procedures were identical. The microplastics content was determined in supernatant fraction, in the bulk of the extraction solution, in spoil dump fraction of MPSS and in instrument wash-out. While the extraction efficiency from natural sediments of ARPs by the MPSS was really high (100% in most cases), the extraction efficiency of marine microplastics was up to 10 times lower than that obtained with modified NOAA method for the same samples. Less than 40% of the total marine microplastics content has been successfully extracted with the MPSS. Large amounts of marine microplastics were found in the

Functional chitosan-based grapefruit seed extract composite films for applications in food packaging technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tan, Y.M.; Lim, S.H.; Tay, B.Y.

Highlights: • Chitosan-based grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) films were solution casted. • GFSE was uniformly dispersed within all chitosan film matrices. • All chitosan-based composite films showed remarkable transparency. • Increasing amounts of GFSE incorporated increased the elongation at break of films. • Chitosan-based GFSE composite films inhibited the proliferation of fungal growth. - Abstract: Chitosan-based composite films with different amounts of grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% v/v) were fabricated via solution casting technique. Experimental results showed that GFSE was uniformly dispersed within all chitosan film matrices. The presence of GFSE made the films more amorphous andmore » tensile strength decreased, while elongation at break values increased as GFSE content increased. Results from the measurement of light transmission revealed that increasing amounts of GFSE (from 0.5 to 1.5% v/v) did not affect transparency of the films. Furthermore, packaging of bread samples with chitosan-based GFSE composite films inhibited the proliferation of fungal growth as compared to control samples. Hence, chitosan-based GFSE composite films have the potential to be a useful material in the area of food technology.« less

Development of magnetic micro-solid phase extraction for analysis of phthalate esters in packaged food.

PubMed

Makkliang, Fonthip; Kanatharana, Proespichaya; Thavarungkul, Panote; Thammakhet, Chongdee

2015-01-01

A novel, simple and low cost magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes-poly (vinyl alcohol) cryogel-micro-solid phase extraction (magnetic-MWCNTs-PVA cryogel-μ-SPE) sorbent was synthesized by incorporating magnetic particles and MWCNTs into a PVA cryogel. The magnetic-MWCNTs-PVA cryogel-μ-SPE sorbent developed, with a large surface area and macro-porous structure, provided good sorbent-to-sorbent reproducibility (%RSD<8) and each sorbent could be used up to 30 times (%RSD<6). This sorbent was applied for the extraction of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-(ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in packaged food prior to analysis by gas chromatograph coupled with flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). The concentration of DBP and DEHP in hot-water samples from plastic bags were found in the range 0.04-0.15 μg mL(-1) and 0.03-0.20 μg mL(-1), respectively, but only DEHP was found in clear chicken soup samples in the range 0.02-0.07 μg mL(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid phase microextraction for highly sensitive simultaneous determination of three endocrine disrupting compounds in food packaging.

PubMed

Wang, Lingling; Zhang, Danfeng; Xu, Xu; Zhang, Lei

2016-04-15

Ionic liquid (IL) dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) method was successfully developed for extracting three endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) (bisphenol A, bisphenol AF and bisphenol AP) from the food packaging. 1-Octyl-3-methylimidazoliumhexafluorophosphate ([C8MIM][PF6]) was selected as extraction solution. The extraction procedure did not require a dispersive solvent. Three EDCs extraction kinetics were found to be very fast and the equilibrium was attained within 3.0 min following the pseudo-first-order model. The H-bonding and hydrophobic interactions play an important role in the partitioning of EDCs into IL from aqueous solution. The recovered IL could be reused for three runs without significant loss of extraction efficiencies. The spiked recoveries of three targets in food packaging were in the range of 97.8-103.1%. The limits of detection ranged from 0.50 to 1.50 ng mL(-1) (S/N=3). As a result, this method has been successfully applied for the sensitive detection of three EDCs in real samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The GRIDView Visualization Package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kent, B. R.

2011-07-01

Large three-dimensional data cubes, catalogs, and spectral line archives are increasingly important elements of the data discovery process in astronomy. Visualization of large data volumes is of vital importance for the success of large spectral line surveys. Examples of data reduction utilizing the GRIDView software package are shown. The package allows users to manipulate data cubes, extract spectral profiles, and measure line properties. The package and included graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are designed with pipeline infrastructure in mind. The software has been used with great success analyzing spectral line and continuum data sets obtained from large radio survey collaborations. The tools are also important for multi-wavelength cross-correlation studies and incorporate Virtual Observatory client applications for overlaying database information in real time as cubes are examined by users.

Optimal segmentation and packaging process

DOEpatents

Kostelnik, Kevin M.; Meservey, Richard H.; Landon, Mark D.

1999-01-01

A process for improving packaging efficiency uses three dimensional, computer simulated models with various optimization algorithms to determine the optimal segmentation process and packaging configurations based on constraints including container limitations. The present invention is applied to a process for decontaminating, decommissioning (D&D), and remediating a nuclear facility involving the segmentation and packaging of contaminated items in waste containers in order to minimize the number of cuts, maximize packaging density, and reduce worker radiation exposure. A three-dimensional, computer simulated, facility model of the contaminated items are created. The contaminated items are differentiated. The optimal location, orientation and sequence of the segmentation and packaging of the contaminated items is determined using the simulated model, the algorithms, and various constraints including container limitations. The cut locations and orientations are transposed to the simulated model. The contaminated items are actually segmented and packaged. The segmentation and packaging may be simulated beforehand. In addition, the contaminated items may be cataloged and recorded.

Optimal segmentation and packaging process

DOEpatents

Kostelnik, K.M.; Meservey, R.H.; Landon, M.D.

1999-08-10

A process for improving packaging efficiency uses three dimensional, computer simulated models with various optimization algorithms to determine the optimal segmentation process and packaging configurations based on constraints including container limitations. The present invention is applied to a process for decontaminating, decommissioning (D and D), and remediating a nuclear facility involving the segmentation and packaging of contaminated items in waste containers in order to minimize the number of cuts, maximize packaging density, and reduce worker radiation exposure. A three-dimensional, computer simulated, facility model of the contaminated items are created. The contaminated items are differentiated. The optimal location, orientation and sequence of the segmentation and packaging of the contaminated items is determined using the simulated model, the algorithms, and various constraints including container limitations. The cut locations and orientations are transposed to the simulated model. The contaminated items are actually segmented and packaged. The segmentation and packaging may be simulated beforehand. In addition, the contaminated items may be cataloged and recorded. 3 figs.

Effect of solvent addition sequence on lycopene extraction efficiency from membrane neutralized caustic peeled tomato waste.

PubMed

Phinney, David M; Frelka, John C; Cooperstone, Jessica L; Schwartz, Steven J; Heldman, Dennis R

2017-01-15

Lycopene is a high value nutraceutical and its isolation from waste streams is often desirable to maximize profits. This research investigated solvent addition order and composition on lycopene extraction efficiency from a commercial tomato waste stream (pH 12.5, solids ∼5%) that was neutralized using membrane filtration. Constant volume dilution (CVD) was used to desalinate the caustic salt to neutralize the waste. Acetone, ethanol and hexane were used as direct or blended additions. Extraction efficiency was defined as the amount of lycopene extracted divided by the total lycopene in the sample. The CVD operation reduced the active alkali of the waste from 0.66 to <0.01M and the moisture content of the pulp increased from 93% to 97% (wet basis), showing the removal of caustic salts from the waste. Extraction efficiency varied from 32.5% to 94.5%. This study demonstrates a lab scale feasibility to extract lycopene efficiently from tomato processing byproducts. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

High Efficiency DNA Extraction by Graphite Oxide/Cellulose/Magnetite Composites Under Na+ Free System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akceoglu, Garbis Atam; Li, Oi Lun; Saito, Nagahiro

2016-04-01

DNA extraction is the key step at various research areas like biotechnology, diagnostic development, paternity determination, and forensic science . Solid support extraction is the most common method for DNA purification. In this method, Na+ ions have often been applied as binding buffers in order to obtain high extraction efficiency and high quality of DNA; however, the presence of Na+ ions might be interfering with the downstream DNA applications. In this study, we proposed graphite oxide (GO)/magnetite composite/cellulose as an innovative material for Na+-free DNA extraction. The total wt.% of GO was fixed at 4.15% in the GO/cellulose/magnetite composite . The concentration of magnetite within the composites were controlled at 0-3.98 wt.%. The extraction yield of DNA increased with increasing weight percentage of magnetite. The highest yield was achieved at 3.98 wt.% magnetite, where the extraction efficiency was reported to be 338.5 ng/µl. The absorbance ratios between 260 nm and 280 nm (A260/A280) of the DNA elution volume was demonstrated as 1.81, indicating the extracted DNA consisted of high purity. The mechanism of adsorption of DNA was provided by (1) π-π interaction between the aromatic ring in GO and nucleobases of DNA molecule, and (2) surface charge interaction between the positive charge magnetite and anions such as phosphates within the DNA molecules. The results proved that the GO/cellulose/magnetite composite provides a Na+-free method for selective DNA extraction with high extraction efficiency of pure DNA.

Eco-sustainable systems based on poly(lactic acid), diatomite and coffee grounds extract for food packaging.

PubMed

Cacciotti, Ilaria; Mori, Stefano; Cherubini, Valeria; Nanni, Francesca

2018-06-01

In the food packaging sector many efforts have been (and are) devoted to the development of new materials in order to reply to an urgent market demand for green and eco-sustainable products. Particularly a lot of attention is currently devoted both to the use of compostable and biobased polymers as innovative and promising alternative to the currently used petrochemical derived polymers, and to the re-use of waste materials coming from agriculture and food industry. In this work, multifunctional eco-sustainable systems, based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as biopolymeric matrix, diatomaceous earth as reinforcing filler and spent coffee grounds extract as oxygen scavenger, were produced for the first time, in order to provide a simultaneous improvement of mechanical and gas barrier properties. The influence of the diatomite and the spent coffee grounds extract on the microstructural, mechanical and oxygen barrier properties of the produced films was deeply investigated by means of X-Ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), uniaxial tensile tests, O 2 permeabilimetry measurements. An improvement of both mechanical and oxygen barrier properties was recorded for systems characterised by the co-presence of diatomite and coffee grounds extract, suggesting a possible synergic effect of the two additives. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative Efficiency of the Fenwick Can and Schuiling Centrifuge in Extracting Nematode Cysts from Different Soil Types

PubMed Central

Bellvert, Joaquim; Crombie, Kieran; Horgan, Finbarr G.

2008-01-01

The Fenwick can and Schuiling centrifuge are widely used to extract nematode cysts from soil samples. The comparative efficiencies of these two methods during cyst extraction have not been determined for different soil types under different cyst densities. Such information is vital for statutory laboratories that must choose a method for routine, high-throughput soil monitoring. In this study, samples of different soil types seeded with varying densities of potato cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis) cysts were processed using both methods. In one experiment, with 200 ml samples, recovery was similar between methods. In a second experiment with 500 ml samples, cyst recovery was higher using the Schuiling centrifuge. For each method and soil type, cyst extraction efficiency was similar across all densities tested. Extraction was efficient from pure sand (Fenwick 72%, Schuiling 84%) and naturally sandy soils (Fenwick 62%, Schuiling 73%), but was significantly less efficient from clay-soil (Fenwick 42%, Schuiling 44%) and peat-soil with high organic matter content (Fenwick 35%, Schuiling 33%). Residual moisture (<10% w/w) in samples prior to analyses reduced extraction efficiency, particularly for sand and sandy soils. For each soil type and method, there were significant linear relationships between the number of cysts extracted and the numbers of cysts in the samples. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each extraction method for cyst extraction in statutory soil laboratories. PMID:19259516

FTIR Spectroscopy for Evaluation and Monitoring of Lipid Extraction Efficiency for Oleaginous Fungi.

PubMed

Forfang, Kristin; Zimmermann, Boris; Kosa, Gergely; Kohler, Achim; Shapaval, Volha

2017-01-01

To assess whether Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy could be used to evaluate and monitor lipid extraction processes, the extraction methods of Folch, Bligh and Lewis were used. Biomass of the oleaginous fungi Mucor circinelloides and Mortierella alpina were employed as lipid-rich material for the lipid extraction. The presence of lipids was determined by recording infrared spectra of all components in the lipid extraction procedure, such as the biomass before and after extraction, the water and extract phases. Infrared spectra revealed the incomplete extraction after all three extraction methods applied to M.circinelloides and it was shown that mechanical disruption using bead beating and HCl treatment were necessary to complete the extraction in this species. FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify components, such as polyphosphates, that may have negatively affected the extraction process and resulted in differences in extraction efficiency between M.circinelloides and M.alpina. Residual lipids could not be detected in the infrared spectra of M.alpina biomass after extraction using the Folch and Lewis methods, indicating their complete lipid extraction in this species. Bligh extraction underestimated the fatty acid content of both M.circinelloides and M.alpina biomass and an increase in the initial solvent-to-sample ratio (from 3:1 to 20:1) was needed to achieve complete extraction and a lipid-free IR spectrum. In accordance with previous studies, the gravimetric lipid yield was shown to overestimate the potential of the SCO producers and FAME quantification in GC-FID was found to be the best-suited method for lipid quantification. We conclude that FTIR spectroscopy can serve as a tool for evaluating the lipid extraction efficiency, in addition to identifying components that may affect lipid extraction processes.

FTIR Spectroscopy for Evaluation and Monitoring of Lipid Extraction Efficiency for Oleaginous Fungi

PubMed Central

Zimmermann, Boris; Kosa, Gergely; Kohler, Achim; Shapaval, Volha

2017-01-01

To assess whether Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy could be used to evaluate and monitor lipid extraction processes, the extraction methods of Folch, Bligh and Lewis were used. Biomass of the oleaginous fungi Mucor circinelloides and Mortierella alpina were employed as lipid-rich material for the lipid extraction. The presence of lipids was determined by recording infrared spectra of all components in the lipid extraction procedure, such as the biomass before and after extraction, the water and extract phases. Infrared spectra revealed the incomplete extraction after all three extraction methods applied to M.circinelloides and it was shown that mechanical disruption using bead beating and HCl treatment were necessary to complete the extraction in this species. FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify components, such as polyphosphates, that may have negatively affected the extraction process and resulted in differences in extraction efficiency between M.circinelloides and M.alpina. Residual lipids could not be detected in the infrared spectra of M.alpina biomass after extraction using the Folch and Lewis methods, indicating their complete lipid extraction in this species. Bligh extraction underestimated the fatty acid content of both M.circinelloides and M.alpina biomass and an increase in the initial solvent-to-sample ratio (from 3:1 to 20:1) was needed to achieve complete extraction and a lipid-free IR spectrum. In accordance with previous studies, the gravimetric lipid yield was shown to overestimate the potential of the SCO producers and FAME quantification in GC-FID was found to be the best-suited method for lipid quantification. We conclude that FTIR spectroscopy can serve as a tool for evaluating the lipid extraction efficiency, in addition to identifying components that may affect lipid extraction processes. PMID:28118388

Rapid and efficient method to extract metagenomic DNA from estuarine sediments.

PubMed

Shamim, Kashif; Sharma, Jaya; Dubey, Santosh Kumar

2017-07-01

Metagenomic DNA from sediments of selective estuaries of Goa, India was extracted using a simple, fast, efficient and environment friendly method. The recovery of pure metagenomic DNA from our method was significantly high as compared to other well-known methods since the concentration of recovered metagenomic DNA ranged from 1185.1 to 4579.7 µg/g of sediment. The purity of metagenomic DNA was also considerably high as the ratio of absorbance at 260 and 280 nm ranged from 1.88 to 1.94. Therefore, the recovered metagenomic DNA was directly used to perform various molecular biology experiments viz. restriction digestion, PCR amplification, cloning and metagenomic library construction. This clearly proved that our protocol for metagenomic DNA extraction using silica gel efficiently removed the contaminants and prevented shearing of the metagenomic DNA. Thus, this modified method can be used to recover pure metagenomic DNA from various estuarine sediments in a rapid, efficient and eco-friendly manner.

Watermarking spot colors in packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Alastair; Filler, TomáÅ.¡; Falkenstern, Kristyn; Bai, Yang

2015-03-01

In January 2014, Digimarc announced Digimarc® Barcode for the packaging industry to improve the check-out efficiency and customer experience for retailers. Digimarc Barcode is a machine readable code that carries the same information as a traditional Universal Product Code (UPC) and is introduced by adding a robust digital watermark to the package design. It is imperceptible to the human eye but can be read by a modern barcode scanner at the Point of Sale (POS) station. Compared to a traditional linear barcode, Digimarc Barcode covers the whole package with minimal impact on the graphic design. This significantly improves the Items per Minute (IPM) metric, which retailers use to track the checkout efficiency since it closely relates to their profitability. Increasing IPM by a few percent could lead to potential savings of millions of dollars for retailers, giving them a strong incentive to add the Digimarc Barcode to their packages. Testing performed by Digimarc showed increases in IPM of at least 33% using the Digimarc Barcode, compared to using a traditional barcode. A method of watermarking print ready image data used in the commercial packaging industry is described. A significant proportion of packages are printed using spot colors, therefore spot colors needs to be supported by an embedder for Digimarc Barcode. Digimarc Barcode supports the PANTONE spot color system, which is commonly used in the packaging industry. The Digimarc Barcode embedder allows a user to insert the UPC code in an image while minimizing perceptibility to the Human Visual System (HVS). The Digimarc Barcode is inserted in the printing ink domain, using an Adobe Photoshop plug-in as the last step before printing. Since Photoshop is an industry standard widely used by pre-press shops in the packaging industry, a Digimarc Barcode can be easily inserted and proofed.

Rotating-disk sorptive extraction: effect of the rotation mode of the extraction device on mass transfer efficiency.

PubMed

Jachero, Lourdes; Ahumada, Inés; Richter, Pablo

2014-05-01

The extraction device used in rotating-disk sorptive extraction consists of a Teflon disk in which a sorptive phase is fixed on one of its surfaces. Depending on the configuration, the rotation axis of the disk device can be either perpendicular or parallel to its radius, giving rise to two different mass transfer patterns when rotating-disk sorptive extraction is applied in liquid samples. In the perpendicular case (configuration 1), which is the typical configuration, the disk contains an embedded miniature stir bar that allows the disk rotation to be driven using a common laboratory magnetic stirrer. In the parallel case (configuration 2), the disk is driven by a rotary rod connected to an electric stirrer. In this study, triclosan and its degradation product methyl triclosan were used as analyte models to demonstrate the significant effect of the rotation configuration of the disk on the efficiency of analyte mass transfer from water to a sorptive phase of polydimethylsiloxane. Under the same experimental conditions and at a rotation velocity of 1,250 rpm, extraction equilibrium was reached at 80 min when the disk was rotated in configuration 1 and at 30 min when the disk was rotated in configuration 2. The extraction equilibration time decreased to 14 min when the rotation velocity was increased to 2,000 rpm in configuration 2. Because the rotation pattern affects the mass transfer efficiency, each rotation configuration was characterized through the Reynolds number; Re values of 6,875 and 16,361 were achieved with configurations 1 and 2, respectively, at 1,250 rpm.

Profiling of metal ions leached from pharmaceutical packaging materials.

PubMed

Fliszar, Kyle A; Walker, David; Allain, Leonardo

2006-01-01

Metal leachables from packaging components can affect the safety and efficacy of a pharmaceutical formulation. As liquid formulations continue to contain surfactants, salts, and chelating agents coupled with lower drug levels, the interaction between the formulation and the packaging material becomes more important. This study examines the interaction of commonly used packaging materials with extraction solvents representative of liquid formulations found in the pharmaceutical industry stressed under conditions encountered during accelerated stability studies.

Advanced Manufacturing Systems in Food Processing and Packaging Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafie Sani, Mohd; Aziz, Faieza Abdul

2013-06-01

In this paper, several advanced manufacturing systems in food processing and packaging industry are reviewed, including: biodegradable smart packaging and Nano composites, advanced automation control system consists of fieldbus technology, distributed control system and food safety inspection features. The main purpose of current technology in food processing and packaging industry is discussed due to major concern on efficiency of the plant process, productivity, quality, as well as safety. These application were chosen because they are robust, flexible, reconfigurable, preserve the quality of the food, and efficient.

The efficient packaging of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus-specific RNAs into viral particles is determined by nsP1–3 synthesis

PubMed Central

Volkova, Eugenia; Gorchakov, Rodion; Frolov, Ilya

2008-01-01

Alphaviruses are regarded as attractive systems for expression of heterologous genes and development of recombinant vaccines. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE)-based vectors are particularly promising because of their specificity to lymphoid tissues and strong resistance to interferon. To improve understanding of the VEE genome packaging and optimize application of this virus as a vector, we analyzed in more detail the mechanism of packaging of the VEE-specific RNAs. The presence of the RNAs in the VEE particles during serial passaging in tissue culture was found to depend not only on the presence of packaging signal(s), but also on the ability of these RNAs to express in cis nsP1, nsP2 and nsP3 in the form of a P123 precursor. Packaging of VEE genomes into infectious virions was also found to be more efficient compared to that of Sindbis virus, in spite of lower levels of RNA replication and structural protein production. PMID:16239019

High-efficient extraction of principal medicinal components from fresh Phellodendron bark (cortex phellodendri).

PubMed

Xu, Keqin; He, Gongxiu; Qin, Jieming; Cheng, Xuexiang; He, Hanjie; Zhang, Dangquan; Peng, Wanxi

2018-05-01

There are three key medicinal components (phellodendrine, berberine and palmatine) in the extracts of Phellodendron bark, as one of the fundamental herbs of traditional Chinese medicine. Different extraction methods and solvent combinations were investigated to obtain the optimal technologies for high-efficient extraction of these medicinal components. The results showed that combined solvents have higher extracting effect of phellodendrine, berberine and palmatine than single solvent, and the effect of ultrasonic extraction is distinctly better than those of distillation and soxhlet extraction. The hydrochloric acid/methanol-ultrasonic extraction has the best effect for three medicinal components of fresh Phellodendron bark, providing an extraction yield of 103.12 mg/g berberine, 24.41 mg/g phellodendrine, 1.25 mg/g palmatine.

Pressurized liquid extraction of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) with bioethanol: an efficient and sustainable approach.

PubMed

Hu, Jiajin; Guo, Zheng; Glasius, Marianne; Kristensen, Kasper; Xiao, Langtao; Xu, Xuebing

2011-08-26

To develop an efficient green extraction approach for recovery of bioactive compounds from natural plants, we examined the potential of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) with bioethanol/water as solvents. The advantages of PLE over other extraction approaches, in addition to reduced time/solvent cost, the extract of PLE showed a distinct constituent profile from that of Soxhlet extraction, with significantly improved recovery of diarylheptanoids, etc. Among the pure solvents tested for PLE, bioethanol yield the highest efficiency for recovering most constituents of gingerol-related compounds; while for a broad concentration spectrum of ethanol aqueous solutions, 70% ethanol gave the best performance in terms of yield of total extract, complete constituent profile and recovery of most gingerol-related components. PLE with 70% bioethanol operated at 1500 psi and 100 °C for 20 min (static extraction time: 5 min) is recommended as optimized extraction conditions, achieving 106.8%, 109.3% and 108.0% yield of [6]-, [8]- and [10]-gingerol relative to the yield of corresponding constituent obtained by 8h Soxhlet extraction (absolute ethanol as extraction solvent). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A small and efficient dimerization/packaging signal of rat VL30 RNA and its use in murine leukemia virus-VL30-derived vectors for gene transfer.

PubMed Central

Torrent, C; Gabus, C; Darlix, J L

1994-01-01

Retroviral genomes consist of two identical RNA molecules associated at their 5' ends by the dimer linkage structure located in the packaging element (Psi or E) necessary for RNA dimerization in vitro and packaging in vivo. In murine leukemia virus (MLV)-derived vectors designed for gene transfer, the Psi + sequence of 600 nucleotides directs the packaging of recombinant RNAs into MLV virions produced by helper cells. By using in vitro RNA dimerization as a screening system, a sequence of rat VL30 RNA located next to the 5' end of the Harvey mouse sarcoma virus genome and as small as 67 nucleotides was found to form stable dimeric RNA. In addition, a purine-rich sequence located at the 5' end of this VL30 RNA seems to be critical for RNA dimerization. When this VL30 element was extended by 107 nucleotides at its 3' end and inserted into an MLV-derived vector lacking MLV Psi +, it directed the efficient encapsidation of recombinant RNAs into MLV virions. Because this VL30 packaging signal is smaller and more efficient in packaging recombinant RNAs than the MLV Psi + and does not contain gag or glyco-gag coding sequences, its use in MLV-derived vectors should render even more unlikely recombinations which could generate replication-competent viruses. Therefore, utilization of the rat VL30 packaging sequence should improve the biological safety of MLV vectors for human gene transfer. Images PMID:8289369

A small and efficient dimerization/packaging signal of rat VL30 RNA and its use in murine leukemia virus-VL30-derived vectors for gene transfer.

PubMed

Torrent, C; Gabus, C; Darlix, J L

1994-02-01

Retroviral genomes consist of two identical RNA molecules associated at their 5' ends by the dimer linkage structure located in the packaging element (Psi or E) necessary for RNA dimerization in vitro and packaging in vivo. In murine leukemia virus (MLV)-derived vectors designed for gene transfer, the Psi + sequence of 600 nucleotides directs the packaging of recombinant RNAs into MLV virions produced by helper cells. By using in vitro RNA dimerization as a screening system, a sequence of rat VL30 RNA located next to the 5' end of the Harvey mouse sarcoma virus genome and as small as 67 nucleotides was found to form stable dimeric RNA. In addition, a purine-rich sequence located at the 5' end of this VL30 RNA seems to be critical for RNA dimerization. When this VL30 element was extended by 107 nucleotides at its 3' end and inserted into an MLV-derived vector lacking MLV Psi +, it directed the efficient encapsidation of recombinant RNAs into MLV virions. Because this VL30 packaging signal is smaller and more efficient in packaging recombinant RNAs than the MLV Psi + and does not contain gag or glyco-gag coding sequences, its use in MLV-derived vectors should render even more unlikely recombinations which could generate replication-competent viruses. Therefore, utilization of the rat VL30 packaging sequence should improve the biological safety of MLV vectors for human gene transfer.

Fair Package Assignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahaie, Sébastien; Parkes, David C.

We consider the problem of fair allocation in the package assignment model, where a set of indivisible items, held by single seller, must be efficiently allocated to agents with quasi-linear utilities. A fair assignment is one that is efficient and envy-free. We consider a model where bidders have superadditive valuations, meaning that items are pure complements. Our central result is that core outcomes are fair and even coalition-fair over this domain, while fair distributions may not even exist for general valuations. Of relevance to auction design, we also establish that the core is equivalent to the set of anonymous-price competitive equilibria, and that superadditive valuations are a maximal domain that guarantees the existence of anonymous-price competitive equilibrium. Our results are analogs of core equivalence results for linear prices in the standard assignment model, and for nonlinear, non-anonymous prices in the package assignment model with general valuations.

Co-concentration effect of silane with natural extract on biodegradable polymeric films for food packaging.

PubMed

Bashir, Anbreen; Jabeen, Sehrish; Gull, Nafisa; Islam, Atif; Sultan, Misbah; Ghaffar, Abdul; Khan, Shahzad Maqsood; Iqbal, Sadia Sagar; Jamil, Tahir

2018-01-01

Novel biodegradable films were prepared by blending guar gum, chitosan and poly (vinyl alcohol) having mint (ME) and grapefruit peel (GE) extracts and crosslinked with nontoxic tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The co-concentration effect of TEOS with natural extracts on the films was studied. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of incorporated components and the developed interactions among the polymer chains. The surface morphology of the films by SEM showed the hydrophilic character due to porous network structure. The films having both ME and GE with maximum amount of crosslinker (100μL), showed maximum swelling (58g/g) and stability while the optical properties showed increased protection against UV light. This film sample showed compact network structure which enhanced the ultimate tensile strength (40.03MPa) and elongation at break (104.8%). ME/GE conferred the antioxidant properties determined by radical scavenging activity and total phenolic contents (TPC) as ME films have greater TPC compared to GE films. The soil burial test exhibited the degradation of films rapidly (6days) confirming their strong microbial activity in soil. The lower water vapour transmission rate and water vapour permeability showed better shelf life; hence, these biodegradable films are environmental friendly and have potential for food and other packaging. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Active packaging of cheese with allyl isothiocyanate, an alternative to modified atmosphere packaging.

PubMed

Winther, Mette; Nielsen, Per Vaeggemose

2006-10-01

The natural antimicrobial compound allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), found in mustard oil, is effective against cheese-related fungi both on laboratory media and cheese. Penicillium commune, Penicillium roqueforti, and Aspergillus flavus were more sensitive to AITC when it was added just after the spores had completed 100% germination and branching had started on Czapek yeast extract agar than were spores in the dormant phase. The use of 1 AITC label (Wasaouro interior labels, LD30D, 20 by 20 mm) in combination with atmospheric air in the packaging extended the shelf life of Danish Danbo cheese from 4 1/2 to 13 weeks. Two AITC labels extended the shelf life from 4 1/2 to 28 weeks. Both 1 and 2 labels in combination with modified atmosphere packaging extended the shelf life of the cheese from 18 to 28 weeks. This study showed that AITC was absorbed in the cheese, but it was not possible to detect any volatile breakdown products from AITC in the cheese. Cheese stored for up to 12 weeks with an AITC label had an unacceptable mustard flavor. The mustard flavor decreased to an acceptable level between weeks 12 and 28. Cheese stored in atmospheric air had a fresher taste without a CO2 off-flavor than did cheese stored in modified atmosphere packaging. AITC may be a good alternative to modified atmosphere packaging for cheese. The extended shelf life of cheese in the package is very desirable: the cheese can be transported longer distances, and the packaging can be used for the final maturing of the cheese. Furthermore, AITC can address problems such as pinholes and leaking seals in cheese packaging.

A compilation of safety impact information for extractables associated with materials used in pharmaceutical packaging, delivery, administration, and manufacturing systems.

PubMed

Jenke, Dennis; Carlson, Tage

2014-01-01

Demonstrating suitability for intended use is necessary to register packaging, delivery/administration, or manufacturing systems for pharmaceutical products. During their use, such systems may interact with the pharmaceutical product, potentially adding extraneous entities to those products. These extraneous entities, termed leachables, have the potential to affect the product's performance and/or safety. To establish the potential safety impact, drug products and their packaging, delivery, or manufacturing systems are tested for leachables or extractables, respectively. This generally involves testing a sample (either the extract or the drug product) by a means that produces a test method response and then correlating the test method response with the identity and concentration of the entity causing the response. Oftentimes, analytical tests produce responses that cannot readily establish the associated entity's identity. Entities associated with un-interpretable responses are termed unknowns. Scientifically justifiable thresholds are used to establish those individual unknowns that represent an acceptable patient safety risk and thus which do not require further identification and, conversely, those unknowns whose potential safety impact require that they be identified. Such thresholds are typically based on the statistical analysis of datasets containing toxicological information for more or less relevant compounds. This article documents toxicological information for over 540 extractables identified in laboratory testing of polymeric materials used in pharmaceutical applications. Relevant toxicological endpoints, such as NOELs (no observed effects), NOAELs (no adverse effects), TDLOs (lowest published toxic dose), and others were collated for these extractables or their structurally similar surrogates and were systematically assessed to produce a risk index, which represents a daily intake value for life-long intravenous administration. This systematic approach

Versatile and efficient pore network extraction method using marker-based watershed segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gostick, Jeff T.

2017-08-01

Obtaining structural information from tomographic images of porous materials is a critical component of porous media research. Extracting pore networks is particularly valuable since it enables pore network modeling simulations which can be useful for a host of tasks from predicting transport properties to simulating performance of entire devices. This work reports an efficient algorithm for extracting networks using only standard image analysis techniques. The algorithm was applied to several standard porous materials ranging from sandstone to fibrous mats, and in all cases agreed very well with established or known values for pore and throat sizes, capillary pressure curves, and permeability. In the case of sandstone, the present algorithm was compared to the network obtained using the current state-of-the-art algorithm, and very good agreement was achieved. Most importantly, the network extracted from an image of fibrous media correctly predicted the anisotropic permeability tensor, demonstrating the critical ability to detect key structural features. The highly efficient algorithm allows extraction on fairly large images of 5003 voxels in just over 200 s. The ability for one algorithm to match materials as varied as sandstone with 20% porosity and fibrous media with 75% porosity is a significant advancement. The source code for this algorithm is provided.

Graphene Oxide by UV-Ozone Treatment as an Efficient Hole Extraction Layer for Highly Efficient and Stable Polymer Solar Cells.

PubMed

Xia, Yingdong; Pan, Yufeng; Zhang, Haijuan; Qiu, Jian; Zheng, Yiting; Chen, Yonghua; Huang, Wei

2017-08-09

The hole extraction layer has a significant impact on the achievement of high-efficiency polymer solar cells (PSCs). Here, we report an efficient approach to direct UV-ozone treatment by larger device performance enhancement employing graphene oxide (GO). The dramatic performance enhancement of PSCs with the P3HT:PCBM blend as an active layer was demonstrated by the UV-ozone treatment of GO for 30 min: best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.18%, fill factor of 0.63, J sc of 10.94 mA cm -2 , and V oc of 0.61 V, which are significantly higher than those of the untreated GO (1.82%) and highly comparable PEDOT:PSS-based PSCs (3.73%). In addition, PSCs with UV-ozone-treated GO showed a longer stability than PSCs with PEDOT:PSS. The significant enhancement of PCEs of PSCs can be attributed to the fact that ozone molecules can oxidize GO into CO 2 and leave highly conductive graphene particles. We suggest that this simple UV-ozone treatment can provide an efficient method for highly efficient GO hole extraction in high-performance PSCs.

Comparison of the Solubilization Properties of Polysorbate 80 and Isopropanol/Water Solvent Systems for Organic Compounds Extracted from Three Pharmaceutical Packaging Configurations.

PubMed

Zdravkovic, Steven A

2016-10-10

It has been reported that the presence of polysorbate 80 in a pharmaceutical product's formulation may increase the number and/or amount of impurities leached from materials used during its manufacture, storage, and/or administration. However, it is uncertain if/how the solubilization properties of this surfactant compare to non-surfactant solvent systems. The goal of this study is to provide insight into this area of uncertainty by comparing the solubilization properties of polysorbate 80 to those of isopropanol/water solutions while in contact with a plasticized polyvinylchloride parenteral delivery bag, a single-use type manufacturing bag, and a polypropylene bottle. These properties were determined via a binding experiment, in which a set of model compounds was introduced into the solutions, and via an extraction experiment, in which compounds were extracted from the packaging material by the solutions. In both experiments, the amount of each compound present at equilibrium was assayed to determine the extent they were solubilized by the solution from the packaging material. Results from these experiments illustrate differences in the magnitude of solubilization obtained from solutions containing polysorbate 80 as compared to those composed of isopropanol/water. However, it was also demonstrated that their solubilization properties can be linked via a mathematical model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimal Non-Invasive Fault Classification Model for Packaged Ceramic Tile Quality Monitoring Using MMW Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Smriti; Singh, Dharmendra

2016-04-01

Millimeter wave (MMW) frequency has emerged as an efficient tool for different stand-off imaging applications. In this paper, we have dealt with a novel MMW imaging application, i.e., non-invasive packaged goods quality estimation for industrial quality monitoring applications. An active MMW imaging radar operating at 60 GHz has been ingeniously designed for concealed fault estimation. Ceramic tiles covered with commonly used packaging cardboard were used as concealed targets for undercover fault classification. A comparison of computer vision-based state-of-the-art feature extraction techniques, viz, discrete Fourier transform (DFT), wavelet transform (WT), principal component analysis (PCA), gray level co-occurrence texture (GLCM), and histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) has been done with respect to their efficient and differentiable feature vector generation capability for undercover target fault classification. An extensive number of experiments were performed with different ceramic tile fault configurations, viz., vertical crack, horizontal crack, random crack, diagonal crack along with the non-faulty tiles. Further, an independent algorithm validation was done demonstrating classification accuracy: 80, 86.67, 73.33, and 93.33 % for DFT, WT, PCA, GLCM, and HOG feature-based artificial neural network (ANN) classifier models, respectively. Classification results show good capability for HOG feature extraction technique towards non-destructive quality inspection with appreciably low false alarm as compared to other techniques. Thereby, a robust and optimal image feature-based neural network classification model has been proposed for non-invasive, automatic fault monitoring for a financially and commercially competent industrial growth.

cis-Acting elements important for retroviral RNA packaging specificity.

PubMed

Beasley, Benjamin E; Hu, Wei-Shau

2002-05-01

Spleen necrosis virus (SNV) proteins can package RNA from distantly related murine leukemia virus (MLV), whereas MLV proteins cannot package SNV RNA efficiently. We used this nonreciprocal recognition to investigate regions of packaging signals that influence viral RNA encapsidation specificity. Although the MLV and SNV packaging signals (Psi and E, respectively) do not contain significant sequence homology, they both contain a pair of hairpins. This hairpin pair was previously proposed to be the core element in MLV Psi. In the present study, MLV-based vectors were generated to contain chimeric SNV/MLV packaging signals in which the hairpins were replaced with the heterologous counterpart. The interactions between these chimeras and MLV or SNV proteins were examined by virus replication and RNA analyses. SNV proteins recognized all of the chimeras, indicating that these chimeras were functional. We found that replacing the hairpin pair did not drastically alter the ability of MLV proteins to package these chimeras. These results indicate that, despite the important role of the hairpin pair in RNA packaging, it is not the major motif responsible for the ability of MLV proteins to discriminate between the MLV and SNV packaging signals. To determine the role of sequences flanking the hairpins in RNA packaging specificity, vectors with swapped flanking regions were generated and evaluated. SNV proteins packaged all of these chimeras efficiently. In contrast, MLV proteins strongly favored chimeras with the MLV 5'-flanking regions. These data indicated that MLV Gag recognizes multiple elements in the viral packaging signal, including the hairpin structure and flanking regions.

Small Cold Temperature Instrument Packages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, P. E.; Millar, P. S.; Yeh, P. S.; Feng, S.; Brigham, D.; Beaman, B.

We are developing a small cold temperature instrument package concept that integrates a cold temperature power system with ultra low temperature ultra low power electronics components and power supplies now under development into a 'cold temperature surface operational' version of a planetary surface instrument package. We are already in the process of developing a lower power lower temperature version for an instrument of mutual interest to SMD and ESMD to support the search for volatiles (the mass spectrometer VAPoR, Volatile Analysis by Pyrolysis of Regolith) both as a stand alone instrument and as part of an environmental monitoring package. We build on our previous work to develop strategies for incorporating Ultra Low Temperature/Ultra Low Power (ULT/ULP) electronics, lower voltage power supplies, as well as innovative thermal design concepts for instrument packages. Cryotesting has indicated that our small Si RHBD CMOS chips can deliver >80% of room temperature performance at 40K (nominal minimum lunar surface temperature). We leverage collaborations, past and current, with the JPL battery development program to increase power system efficiency in extreme environments. We harness advances in MOSFET technology that provide lower voltage thresholds for power switching circuits incorporated into our low voltage power supply concept. Conventional power conversion has a lower efficiency. Our low power circuit concept based on 'synchronous rectification' could produce stable voltages as low as 0.6 V with 85% efficiency. Our distributed micro-battery-based power supply concept incorporates cold temperature power supplies operating with a 4 V or 8 V battery. This work will allow us to provide guidelines for applying the low temperature, low power system approaches generically to the widest range of surface instruments.

Analysis of simulated angiographic procedures. Part 2: extracting efficiency data from audio and video recordings.

PubMed

Duncan, James R; Kline, Benjamin; Glaiberman, Craig B

2007-04-01

To create and test methods of extracting efficiency data from recordings of simulated renal stent procedures. Task analysis was performed and used to design a standardized testing protocol. Five experienced angiographers then performed 16 renal stent simulations using the Simbionix AngioMentor angiographic simulator. Audio and video recordings of these simulations were captured from multiple vantage points. The recordings were synchronized and compiled. A series of efficiency metrics (procedure time, contrast volume, and tool use) were then extracted from the recordings. The intraobserver and interobserver variability of these individual metrics was also assessed. The metrics were converted to costs and aggregated to determine the fixed and variable costs of a procedure segment or the entire procedure. Task analysis and pilot testing led to a standardized testing protocol suitable for performance assessment. Task analysis also identified seven checkpoints that divided the renal stent simulations into six segments. Efficiency metrics for these different segments were extracted from the recordings and showed excellent intra- and interobserver correlations. Analysis of the individual and aggregated efficiency metrics demonstrated large differences between segments as well as between different angiographers. These differences persisted when efficiency was expressed as either total or variable costs. Task analysis facilitated both protocol development and data analysis. Efficiency metrics were readily extracted from recordings of simulated procedures. Aggregating the metrics and dividing the procedure into segments revealed potential insights that could be easily overlooked because the simulator currently does not attempt to aggregate the metrics and only provides data derived from the entire procedure. The data indicate that analysis of simulated angiographic procedures will be a powerful method of assessing performance in interventional radiology.

Enforcement of food packaging legislation.

PubMed

van Lierop, J B

1997-01-01

A survey of the results of the analysis of samples of packaging materials, obtained from the Dutch market during the last 5 years is presented. The diethylether extracts of food contact polymers were analysed by GC-MS according to the Dutch testing system. Lists of the identified constituents in the extracts of polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthlate (PET) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) are given. More than 50 constituents were identified in the more than 1000 samples investigated. An estimation of the quantities of the extracted constituents has been made. In PVC the following compounds were present in relatively large quantities (10 times the height of the internal standards): diethylhexyladipate, dinonylphthalate, and other phthalates. However 68% of the extracts contained no peaks higher than the internal standards.

Thermal management of LEDs: package to system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arik, Mehmet; Becker, Charles A.; Weaver, Stanton E.; Petroski, James

2004-01-01

Light emitting diodes, LEDs, historically have been used for indicators and produced low amounts of heat. The introduction of high brightness LEDs with white light and monochromatic colors have led to a movement towards general illumination. The increased electrical currents used to drive the LEDs have focused more attention on the thermal paths in the developments of LED power packaging. The luminous efficiency of LEDs is soon expected to reach over 80 lumens/W, this is approximately 6 times the efficiency of a conventional incandescent tungsten bulb. Thermal management for the solid-state lighting applications is a key design parameter for both package and system level. Package and system level thermal management is discussed in separate sections. Effect of chip packages on junction to board thermal resistance was compared for both SiC and Sapphire chips. The higher thermal conductivity of the SiC chip provided about 2 times better thermal performance than the latter, while the under-filled Sapphire chip package can only catch the SiC chip performance. Later, system level thermal management was studied based on established numerical models for a conceptual solid-state lighting system. A conceptual LED illumination system was chosen and CFD models were created to determine the availability and limitations of passive air-cooling.

Status and Trend of Automotive Power Packaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liang, Zhenxian

2012-01-01

Comprehensive requirements in aspects of cost, reliability, efficiency, form factor, weight, and volume for power electronics modules in modern electric drive vehicles have driven the development of automotive power packaging technology intensively. Innovation in materials, interconnections, and processing techniques is leading to enormous improvements in power modules. In this paper, the technical development of and trends in power module packaging are evaluated by examining technical details with examples of industrial products. The issues and development directions for future automotive power module packaging are also discussed.

General method for extracting the quantum efficiency of dispersive qubit readout in circuit QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bultink, C. C.; Tarasinski, B.; Haandbæk, N.; Poletto, S.; Haider, N.; Michalak, D. J.; Bruno, A.; DiCarlo, L.

2018-02-01

We present and demonstrate a general three-step method for extracting the quantum efficiency of dispersive qubit readout in circuit QED. We use active depletion of post-measurement photons and optimal integration weight functions on two quadratures to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the non-steady-state homodyne measurement. We derive analytically and demonstrate experimentally that the method robustly extracts the quantum efficiency for arbitrary readout conditions in the linear regime. We use the proven method to optimally bias a Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier and to quantify different noise contributions in the readout amplification chain.

Item Response Data Analysis Using Stata Item Response Theory Package

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Ji Seung; Zheng, Xiaying

2018-01-01

The purpose of this article is to introduce and review the capability and performance of the Stata item response theory (IRT) package that is available from Stata v.14, 2015. Using a simulated data set and a publicly available item response data set extracted from Programme of International Student Assessment, we review the IRT package from…

Research and Development of Fully Automatic Alien Smoke Stack and Packaging System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xudong; Ge, Qingkuan; Peng, Tao; Zuo, Ping; Dong, Weifu

2017-12-01

The problem of low efficiency of manual sorting packaging for the current tobacco distribution center, which developed a set of safe efficient and automatic type of alien smoke stack and packaging system. The functions of fully automatic alien smoke stack and packaging system adopt PLC control technology, servo control technology, robot technology, image recognition technology and human-computer interaction technology. The characteristics, principles, control process and key technology of the system are discussed in detail. Through the installation and commissioning fully automatic alien smoke stack and packaging system has a good performance and has completed the requirements for shaped cigarette.

A Simple and Efficient Method of Extracting DNA from Aged Bones and Teeth.

PubMed

Liu, Qiqi; Liu, Liyan; Zhang, Minli; Zhang, Qingzhen; Wang, Qiong; Ding, Xiaoran; Shao, Liting; Zhou, Zhe; Wang, Shengqi

2018-05-01

DNA is often difficult to extract from old bones and teeth due to low levels of DNA and high levels of degradation. This study established a simple yet efficient method for extracting DNA from 20 aged bones and teeth (approximately 60 years old). Based on the concentration and STR typing results, the new method of DNA extraction (OM) developed in this study was compared with the PrepFiler™ BTA Forensic DNA Extraction Kit (BM). The total amount of DNA extracted using the OM method was not significantly different from that extracted using the commercial kit (p > 0.05). However, the number of STR loci detected was significantly higher in the samples processed using the OM method than using the BM method (p < 0.05). This study aimed to establish a DNA extraction method for aged bones and teeth to improve the detection rate of STR typing and reduce costs compared to the BM technique. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

An assessment of the efficiency of fungal DNA extraction methods for maximizing the detection of medically important fungi using PCR.

PubMed

Karakousis, A; Tan, L; Ellis, D; Alexiou, H; Wormald, P J

2006-04-01

To date, no single reported DNA extraction method is suitable for the efficient extraction of DNA from all fungal species. The efficiency of extraction is of particular importance in PCR-based medical diagnostic applications where the quantity of fungus in a tissue biopsy may be limited. We subjected 16 medically relevant fungi to physical, chemical and enzymatic cell wall disruption methods which constitutes the first step in extracting DNA. Examination by light microscopy showed that grinding with mortar and pestle was the most efficient means of disrupting the rigid fungal cell walls of hyphae and conidia. We then trialled several published DNA isolation protocols to ascertain the most efficient method of extraction. Optimal extraction was achieved by incorporating a lyticase and proteinase K enzymatic digestion step and adapting a DNA extraction procedure from a commercial kit (MO BIO) to generate high yields of high quality DNA from all 16 species. DNA quality was confirmed by the successful PCR amplification of the conserved region of the fungal 18S small-subunit rRNA multicopy gene.

Physical properties of Gelidium corneum-gelatin blend films containing grapefruit seed extract or green tea extract and its application in the packaging of pork loins.

PubMed

Hong, Y-H; Lim, G-O; Song, K B

2009-01-01

Edible Gelidium corneum-gelatin (GCG) blend films containing grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) or green tea extract (GTE) were manufactured, and the quality of pork loins packed with the film during storage was determined. Tensile strength (TS) and water vapor permeability (WVP) of the films containing GFSE or GTE were better than those of the control. The film's antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes increased with increasing antimicrobial concentration, resulting in a decrease in the populations of bacteria by 0.77 to 2.08 and 0.91 to 3.30 log CFU/g, respectively. Pork loin samples were inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes. The samples packed with the GCG film containing GFSE (0.08%) or GTE (2.80%) had a decrease in the populations of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes of 0.69 to 1.11 and 1.05 to 1.14 log CFU/g, respectively, compared to the control after 4 d of storage. The results showed that the quality of pork loins during storage could be improved by packaging them with the GCG film containing GFSE or GTE.

Nanostructured bioactive polymers used in food-packaging.

PubMed

Mateescu, Andreea L; Dimov, Tatiana V; Grumezescu, Alexandru M; Gestal, Monica C; Chifiriuc, Mariana C

2015-01-01

The development of effective packaging materials is crucial, because food microorganisms determine economic and public health issues. The current paper describes some of the most recent findings in regards of food preservation through novel packaging methods, using biodegradable polymers, efficient antimicrobial agents and nanocomposites with improved mechanical and oxidation stability, increased biodegradability and barrier effect comparatively with conventional polymeric matrices.

Development and characterization of carrageenan/grapefruit seed extract composite films for active packaging.

PubMed

Kanmani, Paulraj; Rhim, Jong-Whan

2014-07-01

Carrageenan-based antimicrobial films were developed by incorporation of grape fruit seed extract (GSE) at different concentration into the polymer using a solvent casing method and their physical, mechanical, and antimicrobial properties were examined. The carrageenan/GSE composite films appeared yellowish tint due to the polyphenolic compounds in the GSE. SEM analysis showed rough surface with sponge like structures on the cross section of the films. FT-IR results indicated at GSE had good compatibility with carrageenan. The amorphous structure of polymer films was not changed by the incorporation of GSE. But, the addition of GSE increased moisture content, water vapor permeability, and surface hydrophilicity of the films. The tensile strength and elastic modulus decreased with increasing content of GSE, however, the elongation at break increased significantly up to 6.6μg/mL of GSE then decreased thereafter. Thermal stability of the films was not influenced by GSE incorporation. The carrageenan/GSE composite films exhibited great antibacterial activity against food borne pathogens. These results suggest that the carrageenan-based composite films have a high potential for being used as an antimicrobial or active food packaging applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Remediation efficiency of lead-contaminated soil at an industrial site by ultrasonic-assisted chemical extraction].

PubMed

Wang, Xin-jie; Huang, Jin-lou; Liu, Zhi-qiang; Yue, Xi

2013-09-01

This research chose five lead-contaminated sites of a lead-acid battery factory to analyze the speciation distribution and concentration of lead. Under the same conditions (0.1 mol x L(-1) EDTA,30 min, 25 degrees C), the removal effect of heavy metal was compared between ultrasonic-assisted chemical extraction (UCE) and conventional chemical extraction ( CCE), and the variation of lead speciation was further explored. The results showed that the lead removal efficiency of UCE was significantly better than CCE. The lead removal efficiency of WS, A, B, C and BZ was 10.06%, 48.29%, 48.69%, 53.28% and 36.26% under CCE. While the removal efficiency of the UCE was 22.42%, 69.31%, 71.00%, 74.49% and 71.58%, with the average efficiency higher by 22%. By comparing the speciation distribution of the two washing methods, it was found that the acid extractable content maintained or decreased after UCE, whereas it showed an increasing trend after CCE. The reduction effect of the reducible was as high as 98% by UCE. UCE also showed a more efficient reduction effect of the organic matter-sulfite bounded form and the residual form. Hence, it is feasible to improve the washing efficiency of heavy metal contained in soil by conducting the cleaning process with the help of ultrasonic wave, which is a simple and fast mean to remove lead from contaminated sites.

Factors Affecting the Capture Efficiency of a Fume Extraction Torch for Gas Metal Arc Welding.

PubMed

Bonthoux, Francis

2016-07-01

Welding fumes are classified as Group 2B 'possibly carcinogenic' and this prompts to the implementation of local exhaust ventilation (LEV). The fume extraction torch with LEV integrated into the tool is the most attractive solution but its capture efficiency is often disappointing in practice. This study assesses the main parameters affecting fume capture efficiency namely the extraction flow rate, the positioning of the suction openings on the torch, the angle of inclination of the torch to the workpiece during welding, the metal transfer modes, and the welding deposition rate. The theoretical velocity induced by suction, estimated from the extraction flow rate and the position of the suction openings, is the main parameter affecting effectiveness of the device. This is the design parameter and its value should never be <0.25 m s(-1) The angle of the torch relative to the workpiece also has a great deal of influence. To improve efficiency, work station layouts need to favour positions where the torch is held with angles closer to perpendicular (<15°). Welding with high deposition rates (>1.1g s(-1)) and spray transfer leads to low capture efficiency if induced velocities are <0.5 m s(-1) The results of the study can be used in the design of integrated on-torch extraction systems and provide information for fixing system objectives. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

SPEXTRA: Optimal extraction code for long-slit spectra in crowded fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkisyan, A. N.; Vinokurov, A. S.; Solovieva, Yu. N.; Sholukhova, O. N.; Kostenkov, A. E.; Fabrika, S. N.

2017-10-01

We present a code for the optimal extraction of long-slit 2D spectra in crowded stellar fields. Its main advantage and difference from the existing spectrum extraction codes is the presence of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a convenient visualization system of data and extraction parameters. On the whole, the package is designed to study stars in crowded fields of nearby galaxies and star clusters in galaxies. Apart from the spectrum extraction for several stars which are closely located or superimposed, it allows the spectra of objects to be extracted with subtraction of superimposed nebulae of different shapes and different degrees of ionization. The package can also be used to study single stars in the case of a strong background. In the current version, the optimal extraction of 2D spectra with an aperture and the Gaussian function as PSF (point spread function) is proposed. In the future, the package will be supplemented with the possibility to build a PSF based on a Moffat function. We present the details of GUI, illustrate main features of the package, and show results of extraction of the several interesting spectra of objects from different telescopes.

Application of GA package in functional packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belousova, D. A.; Noskova, E. E.; Kapulin, D. V.

2018-05-01

The approach to application program for the task of configuration of the elements of the commutation circuit for design of the radio-electronic equipment on the basis of the genetic algorithm is offered. The efficiency of the used approach for commutation circuits with different characteristics for computer-aided design on radio-electronic manufacturing is shown. The prototype of the computer-aided design subsystem on the basis of a package GA for R with a set of the general functions for optimization of multivariate models is programmed.

An Object-Oriented Serial DSMC Simulation Package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hongli; Cai, Chunpei

2011-05-01

A newly developed three-dimensional direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) simulation package, named GRASP ("Generalized Rarefied gAs Simulation Package"), is reported in this paper. This package utilizes the concept of simulation engine, many C++ features and software design patterns. The package has an open architecture which can benefit further development and maintenance of the code. In order to reduce the engineering time for three-dimensional models, a hybrid grid scheme, combined with a flexible data structure compiled by C++ language, are implemented in this package. This scheme utilizes a local data structure based on the computational cell to achieve high performance on workstation processors. This data structure allows the DSMC algorithm to be very efficiently parallelized with domain decomposition and it provides much flexibility in terms of grid types. This package can utilize traditional structured, unstructured or hybrid grids within the framework of a single code to model arbitrarily complex geometries and to simulate rarefied gas flows. Benchmark test cases indicate that this package has satisfactory accuracy for complex rarefied gas flows.

Highly efficient extraction of anthocyanins from grape skin using deep eutectic solvents as green and tunable media.

PubMed

Jeong, Kyung Min; Zhao, Jing; Jin, Yan; Heo, Seong Rok; Han, Se Young; Yoo, Da Eun; Lee, Jeongmi

2015-12-01

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were investigated as tunable, environmentally benign, yet superior extraction media to enhance the extraction of anthocyanins from grape skin, which is usually discarded as waste. Ten DESs containing choline chloride as hydrogen bond acceptor combined with different hydrogen bond donors were screened for high extraction efficiencies based on the anthocyanin extraction yields. As a result, citric acid, D-(+)-maltose, and fructose were selected as the effective DES components, and the newly designed DES, CM-6 that is composed of citric acid and D-(+)-maltose at 4:1 molar ratio, exhibited significantly higher levels of anthocyanin extraction yields than conventional extraction solvents such as 80% aqueous methanol. The final extraction method was established based on the ultrasound-assisted extraction under conditions optimized using response surface methodology. Its extraction yields were double or even higher than those of conventional methods that are time-consuming and use volatile organic solvents. Our method is truly a green method for anthocyanin extraction with great extraction efficiency using a minimal amount of time and solvent. Moreover, this study suggested that grape skin, the by-products of grape juice processing, could serve as a valuable source for safe, natural colorants or antioxidants by use of the eco-friendly extraction solvent, CM-6.

Validation a solid-phase extraction-HPLC method for determining the migration behaviour of five aromatic amines from packaging bags into seafood simulants.

PubMed

OuYang, Xiao-Kun; Luo, Yu-Yang; Wang, Yang-Guang; Yang, Li-Ye

2014-01-01

The simultaneous determination of five aromatic amines and their potential migration from packaging bags into seafood simulants were investigated. A validated HPLC method was developed for the separation and qualification of five aromatic amines in seafood simulants. By combining solid-phase extraction (SPE), these amines were efficiently separated on a Halo C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm i.d., 2.7 μm, particle size) using a mobile phase of methanol/phosphate buffer solution (5 mmol l(-1), pH 6.9) with gradient elution. The linear range was 0.1-10.0 mg l(-1); the absolute recoveries ranged from 85.3% to 98.4%; and the limits of detection of the five aromatic amines were between 0.015 and 0.08 mg l(-1). In this work the migration profile of aromatic amines from black plastic bags was investigated at temperatures of 4°C with water, 3% acetic acid solution, 10% ethanol solution and 50% ethanol solution as seafood simulants, respectively. The migration of the five aromatic amines under different conditions showed that residual o-methoxyaniline, p-chloroaniline, aniline and 2,6-dimethylaniline leaching from black plastic bags increased with incubation time. No detectable 3,3´-dimethylbenzidine was found to leach from the bags.

pyRMSD: a Python package for efficient pairwise RMSD matrix calculation and handling.

PubMed

Gil, Víctor A; Guallar, Víctor

2013-09-15

We introduce pyRMSD, an open source standalone Python package that aims at offering an integrative and efficient way of performing Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD)-related calculations of large sets of structures. It is specially tuned to do fast collective RMSD calculations, as pairwise RMSD matrices, implementing up to three well-known superposition algorithms. pyRMSD provides its own symmetric distance matrix class that, besides the fact that it can be used as a regular matrix, helps to save memory and increases memory access speed. This last feature can dramatically improve the overall performance of any Python algorithm using it. In addition, its extensibility, testing suites and documentation make it a good choice to those in need of a workbench for developing or testing new algorithms. The source code (under MIT license), installer, test suites and benchmarks can be found at https://pele.bsc.es/ under the tools section. victor.guallar@bsc.es Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Efficient, trans-complementing packaging systems for chimeric, pseudoinfectious dengue 2/yellow fever viruses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shustov, Alexandr V.; Frolov, Ilya, E-mail: ivfrolov@UAB.ed

In our previous studies, we have stated to build a new strategy for developing defective, pseudoinfectious flaviviruses (PIVs) and applying them as a new type of vaccine candidates. PIVs combined the efficiency of live vaccines with the safety of inactivated or subunit vaccines. The results of the present work demonstrate further development of chimeric PIVs encoding dengue virus 2 (DEN2V) glycoproteins and yellow fever virus (YFV)-derived replicative machinery as potential vaccine candidates. The newly designed PIVs have synergistically functioning mutations in the prM and NS2A proteins, which abolish processing of the latter proteins and make the defective viruses capable ofmore » producing either only noninfectious, immature and/or subviral DEN2V particles. The PIV genomes can be packaged to high titers into infectious virions in vitro using the NS1-deficient YFV helper RNAs, and both PIVs and helpers can then be passaged as two-component genome viruses at an escalating scale.« less

[Effect of grain-bean package, grain-bean package dietary fiber and single whole grain dietary fiber on dyslipidemia rats].

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Zhai, Chengkai; Sun, Guiju; Zhang, Hong; Jiang, Mingxia; Zhang, Haifeng; Guo, Junling; Lan, Xi

2014-05-01

To observe and compare the effects of grain-bean package, dietary fiber (DF) extracted from grain-bean package, and DF from grain corn on the blood lipids and fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity in high-fat, high-cholesterol feeding induced dyslipidemia rats, and observe its effects on regulation of sterol regulatory element protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA expression in rat liver. Consolidation 50 SD rats of clean grade feeding adaptation for one week, randomly assigned into normal control group, hyperlipidemia model group, grain-bean package group, grain-bean package DF group and grain corn group. Feed with corresponding diets for 8 weeks, and measure the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceridaemia (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), FAS, SREBP-1c mRNA of all groups. Compared with control group, TC, TG, FBG levels of hyperlipidemia model group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with model group, TC, TG, FBG levels of grain-bean package group, grain-bean package DF group were significantly decreased, HDL-C levels significantly increased, and activity of FAS, regulation of SREBP-1c were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The Grain-bean package dietary fiber can improve blood lipids levels of dyslipidemia rats, and decrease FAS activity and SREBP-1c mRNA expression.

PLATSIM: A Simulation and Analysis Package for Large-Order Flexible Systems. Version 2.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maghami, Peiman G.; Kenny, Sean P.; Giesy, Daniel P.

1997-01-01

The software package PLATSIM provides efficient time and frequency domain analysis of large-order generic space platforms. PLATSIM can perform open-loop analysis or closed-loop analysis with linear or nonlinear control system models. PLATSIM exploits the particular form of sparsity of the plant matrices for very efficient linear and nonlinear time domain analysis, as well as frequency domain analysis. A new, original algorithm for the efficient computation of open-loop and closed-loop frequency response functions for large-order systems has been developed and is implemented within the package. Furthermore, a novel and efficient jitter analysis routine which determines jitter and stability values from time simulations in a very efficient manner has been developed and is incorporated in the PLATSIM package. In the time domain analysis, PLATSIM simulates the response of the space platform to disturbances and calculates the jitter and stability values from the response time histories. In the frequency domain analysis, PLATSIM calculates frequency response function matrices and provides the corresponding Bode plots. The PLATSIM software package is written in MATLAB script language. A graphical user interface is developed in the package to provide convenient access to its various features.

An Efficient Extraction Method for Fragrant Volatiles from Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait.

PubMed

Ye, Qiuping; Jin, Xinyi; Zhu, Xinliang; Lin, Tongxiang; Hao, Zhilong; Yang, Qian

2015-01-01

The sweet smell of aroma of Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait. is releasing while the flowers are blooming. Although components of volatile oil have been extensively studied, there are problematic issues, such as low efficiency of yield, flavour distortion. Here, the subcritical fluid extraction (SFE) was performed to extract fragrant volatiles from activated carbon that had absorbed the aroma of jasmine flowers. This novel method could effectively obtain main aromatic compounds with quality significantly better than solvent extraction (SE). Based on the analysis data with response surface methodology (RSM), we optimized the extraction conditions which consisted of a temperature of 44°C, a solvent-to-material ratio of 3.5:1, and an extraction time of 53 min. Under these conditions, the extraction yield was 4.91%. Furthermore, the key jasmine essence oil components, benzyl acetate and linalool, increase 7 fold and 2 fold respectively which lead to strong typical smell of the jasmine oil. The new method can reduce spicy components which lead to the essential oils smelling sweeter. Thus, the quality of the jasmine essence oil was dramatically improved and yields based on the key component increased dramatically. Our results provide a new effective technique for extracting fragrant volatiles from jasmine flowers.

[Efficient packaging retrovirus and construction of transgenic chicken technical platform].

PubMed

Man, Chaolai; Zhang, Qing; Chen, Yan; Zhu, Dahai

2007-10-01

Transgenic chicken and oviduct bioreactor are growing to be one of the hotspot of scientific study in the field of biology. The most successful method of producing transgenic chicken is pseudotyped retrovirus vector system, but no one has reported the production of transgenic chicken by retrovirus system recently in our country. In order to accelerate our study in this field, we introduced the relevant technical methods such as packaging retrovirus and vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein (VSV-G) pseudotyped retrovirus, optimizing the conditions of packaging retrovirus, concentrating VSV-G pseudotyped retrovirus, helper virus assays, and microinjection of retrovirus. Furthermore, we successfully conducted in vivo study for detecting the marker gene EGFP of chicken embryo as well as in vitro study for detecting that gene of chicken embryo myoblast (CFM), thus we have provided an applied technical platform for studies of transgenic chicken in the future.

Packaging signals in single-stranded RNA viruses: nature's alternative to a purely electrostatic assembly mechanism.

PubMed

Stockley, Peter G; Twarock, Reidun; Bakker, Saskia E; Barker, Amy M; Borodavka, Alexander; Dykeman, Eric; Ford, Robert J; Pearson, Arwen R; Phillips, Simon E V; Ranson, Neil A; Tuma, Roman

2013-03-01

The formation of a protective protein container is an essential step in the life-cycle of most viruses. In the case of single-stranded (ss)RNA viruses, this step occurs in parallel with genome packaging in a co-assembly process. Previously, it had been thought that this process can be explained entirely by electrostatics. Inspired by recent single-molecule fluorescence experiments that recapitulate the RNA packaging specificity seen in vivo for two model viruses, we present an alternative theory, which recognizes the important cooperative roles played by RNA-coat protein interactions, at sites we have termed packaging signals. The hypothesis is that multiple copies of packaging signals, repeated according to capsid symmetry, aid formation of the required capsid protein conformers at defined positions, resulting in significantly enhanced assembly efficiency. The precise mechanistic roles of packaging signal interactions may vary between viruses, as we have demonstrated for MS2 and STNV. We quantify the impact of packaging signals on capsid assembly efficiency using a dodecahedral model system, showing that heterogeneous affinity distributions of packaging signals for capsid protein out-compete those of homogeneous affinities. These insights pave the way to a new anti-viral therapy, reducing capsid assembly efficiency by targeting of the vital roles of the packaging signals, and opens up new avenues for the efficient construction of protein nanocontainers in bionanotechnology.

Green and Efficient Processing of Cinnamomum cassia Bark by Using Ionic Liquids: Extraction of Essential Oil and Construction of UV-Resistant Composite Films from Residual Biomass.

PubMed

Mehta, Mohit J; Kumar, Arvind

2017-12-14

There is significant interest in the development of a sustainable and integrated process for the extraction of essential oils and separation of biopolymers by using novel and efficient solvent systems. Herein, cassia essential oil enriched in coumarin is extracted from Cinnamomum cassia bark by using a protic ionic liquid (IL), ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), through dissolution and the creation of a biphasic system with the help of diethyl ether. The process has been perfected, in terms of higher biomass dissolution ability and essential oil yield through the addition of aprotic ILs (based on the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (C 4 mim) cation and chloride or acetate anions) to EAN. After extraction of oil, cellulose-rich material and free lignin were regenerated from biomass-IL solutions by using a 1:1 mixture of acetone-water. The purity of the extracted essential oil and biopolymers were ascertained by means of FTIR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and GC-MS techniques. Because lignin contains UV-blocking chromophores, the oil-free residual lignocellulosic material has been directly utilized to construct UV-light-resistant composite materials in conjunction with the biopolymer chitosan. Composite material thus obtained was processed to form biodegradable films, which were characterized for mechanical and optical properties. The films showed excellent UV-light resistance and mechanical properties, thereby making it a material suitable for packaging and light-sensitive applications. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Solution Processed Flexible Nanocomposite Electrode with Efficient Light Extraction for Organic Light Emitting Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lu; Liang, Jiajie; Chou, Shu-Yu; Zhu, Xiaodan; Niu, Xiaofan; Zhibinyu; Pei, Qibing

2014-03-01

Highly efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on multiple layers of vapor evaporated small molecules, indium tin oxide transparent electrode, and glass substrate have been extensively investigated and are being commercialized. The light extraction from the exciton radiative decay is limited to less than 30% due to plasmonic quenching on the metallic cathode and the waveguide in the multi-layer sandwich structure. Here we report a flexible nanocomposite electrode comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires stacked and embedded in the surface of a polymer substrate. Nanoparticles of barium strontium titanate are dispersed within the substrate to enhance light extraction efficiency. Green polymer OLED (PLEDs) fabricated on the nanocomposite electrode exhibit a maximum current efficiency of 118 cd/A at 10,000 cd/m2 with the calculated external quantum efficiency being 38.9%. The efficiencies of white PLEDs are 46.7 cd/A and 30.5%, respectively. The devices can be bent to 3 mm radius repeatedly without significant loss of electroluminescent performance. The nanocomposite electrode could pave the way to high-efficiency flexible OLEDs with simplified device structure and low fabrication cost.

A solution processed flexible nanocomposite electrode with efficient light extraction for organic light emitting diodes.

PubMed

Li, Lu; Liang, Jiajie; Chou, Shu-Yu; Zhu, Xiaodan; Niu, Xiaofan; ZhibinYu; Pei, Qibing

2014-03-17

Highly efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on multiple layers of vapor evaporated small molecules, indium tin oxide transparent electrode, and glass substrate have been extensively investigated and are being commercialized. The light extraction from the exciton radiative decay is limited to less than 30% due to plasmonic quenching on the metallic cathode and the waveguide in the multi-layer sandwich structure. Here we report a flexible nanocomposite electrode comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires stacked and embedded in the surface of a polymer substrate. Nanoparticles of barium strontium titanate are dispersed within the substrate to enhance light extraction efficiency. Green polymer OLED (PLEDs) fabricated on the nanocomposite electrode exhibit a maximum current efficiency of 118 cd/A at 10,000 cd/m(2) with the calculated external quantum efficiency being 38.9%. The efficiencies of white PLEDs are 46.7 cd/A and 30.5%, respectively. The devices can be bent to 3 mm radius repeatedly without significant loss of electroluminescent performance. The nanocomposite electrode could pave the way to high-efficiency flexible OLEDs with simplified device structure and low fabrication cost.

A Solution Processed Flexible Nanocomposite Electrode with Efficient Light Extraction for Organic Light Emitting Diodes

PubMed Central

Li, Lu; Liang, Jiajie; Chou, Shu-Yu; Zhu, Xiaodan; Niu, Xiaofan; ZhibinYu; Pei, Qibing

2014-01-01

Highly efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on multiple layers of vapor evaporated small molecules, indium tin oxide transparent electrode, and glass substrate have been extensively investigated and are being commercialized. The light extraction from the exciton radiative decay is limited to less than 30% due to plasmonic quenching on the metallic cathode and the waveguide in the multi-layer sandwich structure. Here we report a flexible nanocomposite electrode comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires stacked and embedded in the surface of a polymer substrate. Nanoparticles of barium strontium titanate are dispersed within the substrate to enhance light extraction efficiency. Green polymer OLED (PLEDs) fabricated on the nanocomposite electrode exhibit a maximum current efficiency of 118 cd/A at 10,000 cd/m2 with the calculated external quantum efficiency being 38.9%. The efficiencies of white PLEDs are 46.7 cd/A and 30.5%, respectively. The devices can be bent to 3 mm radius repeatedly without significant loss of electroluminescent performance. The nanocomposite electrode could pave the way to high-efficiency flexible OLEDs with simplified device structure and low fabrication cost. PMID:24632742

Efficiency of RNA extraction from selected bacteria in the context of biogas production and metatranscriptomics.

PubMed

Stark, Lucy; Giersch, Tina; Wünschiers, Röbbe

2014-10-01

Understanding the microbial population in anaerobic digestion is an essential task to increase efficient substrate use and process stability. The metabolic state, represented e.g. by the transcriptome, of a fermenting system can help to find markers for monitoring industrial biogas production to prevent failures or to model the whole process. Advances in next-generation sequencing make transcriptomes accessible for large-scale analyses. In order to analyze the metatranscriptome of a mixed-species sample, isolation of high-quality RNA is the first step. However, different extraction methods may yield different efficiencies in different species. Especially in mixed-species environmental samples, unbiased isolation of transcripts is important for meaningful conclusions. We applied five different RNA-extraction protocols to nine taxonomic diverse bacterial species. Chosen methods are based on various lysis and extraction principles. We found that the extraction efficiency of different methods depends strongly on the target organism. RNA isolation of gram-positive bacteria was characterized by low yield whilst from gram-negative species higher concentrations can be obtained. Transferring our results to mixed-species investigations, such as metatranscriptomics with biofilms or biogas plants, leads to the conclusion that particular microorganisms might be over- or underrepresented depending on the method applied. Special care must be taken when using such metatranscriptomics data for, e.g. process modeling. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinematics Simulation Analysis of Packaging Robot with Joint Clearance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. W.; Meng, W. J.; Wang, L. Q.; Cui, G. H.

2018-03-01

Considering the influence of joint clearance on the motion error, repeated positioning accuracy and overall position of the machine, this paper presents simulation analysis of a packaging robot — 2 degrees of freedom(DOF) planar parallel robot based on the characteristics of high precision and fast speed of packaging equipment. The motion constraint equation of the mechanism is established, and the analysis and simulation of the motion error are carried out in the case of turning the revolute clearance. The simulation results show that the size of the joint clearance will affect the movement accuracy and packaging efficiency of the packaging robot. The analysis provides a reference point of view for the packaging equipment design and selection criteria and has a great significance on the packaging industry automation.

Highly Efficient Flexible Quantum Dot Solar Cells with Improved Electron Extraction Using MgZnO Nanocrystals.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoliang; Santra, Pralay Kanti; Tian, Lei; Johansson, Malin B; Rensmo, Håkan; Johansson, Erik M J

2017-08-22

Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have high potential for realizing an efficient and lightweight energy supply for flexible or wearable electronic devices. To achieve highly efficient and flexible CQD solar cells, the electron transport layer (ETL), extracting electrons from the CQD solid layer, needs to be processed at a low-temperature and should also suppress interfacial recombination. Herein, a highly stable MgZnO nanocrystal (MZO-NC) layer is reported for efficient flexible PbS CQD solar cells. Solar cells fabricated with MZO-NC ETL give a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.4% and 9.4%, on glass and flexible plastic substrates, respectively. The reported flexible CQD solar cell has the record efficiency to date of flexible CQD solar cells. Detailed theoretical simulations and extensive characterizations reveal that the MZO-NCs significantly enhance charge extraction from CQD solids and diminish the charge accumulation at the ETL/CQD interface, suppressing charge interfacial recombination. These important results suggest that the low-temperature processed MZO-NCs are very promising for use in efficient flexible solar cells or other flexible optoelectronic devices.

Statistical issues in signal extraction from microarrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergemann, Tracy; Quiaoit, Filemon; Delrow, Jeffrey J.; Zhao, Lue Ping

2001-06-01

Microarray technologies are increasingly used in biomedical research to study genome-wide expression profiles in the post genomic era. Their popularity is largely due to their high throughput and economical affordability. For example, microarrays have been applied to studies of cell cycle, regulatory circuitry, cancer cell lines, tumor tissues, and drug discoveries. One obstacle facing the continued success of applying microarray technologies, however, is the random variaton present on microarrays: within signal spots, between spots and among chips. In addition, signals extracted by available software packages seem to vary significantly. Despite a variety of software packages, it appears that there are two major approaches to signal extraction. One approach is to focus on the identification of signal regions and hence estimation of signal levels above background levels. The other approach is to use the distribution of intensity values as a way of identifying relevant signals. Building upon both approaches, the objective of our work is to develop a method that is statistically rigorous and also efficient and robust. Statistical issues to be considered here include: (1) how to refine grid alignment so that the overall variation is minimized, (2) how to estimate the signal levels relative to the local background levels as well as the variance of this estimate, and (3) how to integrate red and green channel signals so that the ratio of interest is stable, simultaneously relaxing distributional assumptions.

MOPEX: a software package for astronomical image processing and visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makovoz, David; Roby, Trey; Khan, Iffat; Booth, Hartley

2006-06-01

We present MOPEX - a software package for astronomical image processing and display. The package is a combination of command-line driven image processing software written in C/C++ with a Java-based GUI. The main image processing capabilities include creating mosaic images, image registration, background matching, point source extraction, as well as a number of minor image processing tasks. The combination of the image processing and display capabilities allows for much more intuitive and efficient way of performing image processing. The GUI allows for the control over the image processing and display to be closely intertwined. Parameter setting, validation, and specific processing options are entered by the user through a set of intuitive dialog boxes. Visualization feeds back into further processing by providing a prompt feedback of the processing results. The GUI also allows for further analysis by accessing and displaying data from existing image and catalog servers using a virtual observatory approach. Even though originally designed for the Spitzer Space Telescope mission, a lot of functionalities are of general usefulness and can be used for working with existing astronomical data and for new missions. The software used in the package has undergone intensive testing and benefited greatly from effective software reuse. The visualization part has been used for observation planning for both the Spitzer and Herschel Space Telescopes as part the tool Spot. The visualization capabilities of Spot have been enhanced and integrated with the image processing functionality of the command-line driven MOPEX. The image processing software is used in the Spitzer automated pipeline processing, which has been in operation for nearly 3 years. The image processing capabilities have also been tested in off-line processing by numerous astronomers at various institutions around the world. The package is multi-platform and includes automatic update capabilities. The software

Performance characterization of high quantum efficiency metal package photomultiplier tubes for time-of-flight and high-resolution PET applications.

PubMed

Ko, Guen Bae; Lee, Jae Sung

2015-01-01

Metal package photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) with a metal channel dynode structure have several advanced features for devising such time-of-flight (TOF) and high spatial resolution positron emission tomography (PET) detectors, thanks to their high packing density, large effective area ratio, fast time response, and position encoding capability. Here, we report on an investigation of new metal package PMTs with high quantum efficiency (QE) for high-resolution PET and TOF PET detector modules. The latest metal package PMT, the Hamamatsu R11265 series, is served with two kinds of photocathodes that have higher quantum efficiency than normal bialkali (typical QE ≈ 25%), super bialkali (SBA; QE ≈ 35%), and ultra bialkali (UBA; QE ≈ 43%). In this study, the authors evaluated the performance of the new PMTs with SBA and UBA photocathodes as a PET detector by coupling various crystal arrays. They also investigated the performance improvements of high QE, focusing in particular on a block detector coupled with a lutetium-based scintillator. A single 4 × 4 × 10 mm(3) LYSO, a 7 × 7 array of 3 × 3 × 20 mm(3) LGSO, a 9 × 9 array of 1.2 × 1.2 × 10 mm(3) LYSO, and a 6 × 6 array of 1.5 × 1.5 × 7 mm(3) LuYAP were used for evaluation. All coincidence data were acquired with a DRS4 based fast digitizer. This new PMT shows promising crystal positioning accuracy, energy and time discrimination performance for TOF, and high-resolution PET applications. The authors also found that a metal channel PMT with SBA was enough for both TOF and high-resolution application, although UBA gave a minor improvement to time resolution. However, significant performance improvement was observed in relative low light output crystals (LuYAP) coupled with UBA. The results of this study will be of value as a useful reference to select PMTs for high-performance PET detectors.

Effect of gamma irradiation under various atmospheres of packaging on the microbial and physicochemical properties of turmeric powder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esmaeili, Saeideh; Barzegar, Mohsen; Sahari, Mohammad Ali; Berengi-Ardestani, Samira

2018-07-01

This study investigated the effect of gamma irradiation (0, 5, 10, and 15 kGy) under various atmospheres of packaging (air, N₂, and vacuum) on the microbial load and physicochemical properties of turmeric powder, including antioxidant activities, total phenolic content (TPC), color parameters, and curcuminoid content. The efficiency of irradiation in reducing microbial contamination in the samples was observed even at the lowest dose. By increasing the irradiation dose, the microbial load was not detectable. Irradiation in the presence of oxygen had synergistic effects on the extraction of curcuminoids and TPC, and increased the antioxidant activity of the methanolic extracts: highest activity was observed at 15 kGy. Generally, gamma irradiation up to the dose of 10 kGy under air atmosphere not only ensured microbial safety and desirability of turmeric powder, but also improved the extraction yield of bioactive compounds and, consequently, antioxidant activities of the samples.

Long-term purification efficiency of a wetland constructed to treat runoff from peat extraction.

PubMed

Karjalainen, Satu M; Heikkinen, Kaisa; Ihme, Raimo; Kløve, Bjørn

2016-01-01

Peat extraction increases the phosphorus, nitrogen, organic matter, suspended solids, and iron concentrations in runoff, resulting in negative effects on downstream water bodies. Wetlands are commonly used as natural cost-effective solutions to mitigate these negative effects. This study analyzed changes in the quality of runoff water from peat extraction areas and the long-term efficiency of constructed wetlands. The results indicate that the quality of runoff water changed after the initial drainage and during peat extraction. Nitrogen leached at high concentrations in the early stages of peat extraction following drainage, whereas the leaching of iron and phosphorus increased after peat extraction from deeper layers. Comparison of water quality and impurities retained immediately after treatment wetland construction and 14 years later showed that the treatment wetland remained functional, with good retention capacity, over a long period.

Parallel Climate Data Assimilation PSAS Package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Hong Q.; Chan, Clara; Gennery, Donald B.; Ferraro, Robert D.

1996-01-01

We have designed and implemented a set of highly efficient and highly scalable algorithms for an unstructured computational package, the PSAS data assimilation package, as demonstrated by detailed performance analysis of systematic runs on up to 512node Intel Paragon. The equation solver achieves a sustained 18 Gflops performance. As the results, we achieved an unprecedented 100-fold solution time reduction on the Intel Paragon parallel platform over the Cray C90. This not only meets and exceeds the DAO time requirements, but also significantly enlarges the window of exploration in climate data assimilations.

Characterisation and antimicrobial activity of active polypropylene films containing oregano essential oil and Allium extract to be used in packaging for meat products.

PubMed

Llana-Ruiz-Cabello, María; Pichardo, Silvia; Bermudez, José María; Baños, Alberto; Ariza, Juan José; Guillamón, Enrique; Aucejo, Susana; Cameán, Ana M

2018-04-01

Cooked ham is more prone to spoilage than other meat products, making preservation a key step in its commercialisation. One of the most promising preservation strategies is the use of active packaging. Oregano essential oil (OEO) and Proallium® (an Allium extract) have previously been shown to be useful in polylactic acid (PLA)-active films for ready-to-eat salads. The present work aims to study the suitability of polypropylene (PP) films containing OEO and Proallium® in the preservation of cooked ham. Concerning the technological features of the studied material, no significant changes in the mechanical or optical properties of PP films containing the active substances were recorded in comparison to the PP film without extracts. However, films containing both active substances were more flexible than the control film and less strong, highlighting the plasticisation effect of the natural extracts. Moreover, physical properties changed when active substances were added to the film. Incorporation of 4% Proallium® affected the transparency of the film to a higher extent compared to 8% OEO, undergoing decreases in transparency of 40% and 45%, respectively. Moreover, only the film containing the highest amount of OEO (8%) significantly decreased the thickness. Both active substances showed antibacterial properties; however, Proallium®-active films seemed to be more effective against Brochothrix thermosphacta than PP films containing OEO, with all percentages of Proallium® killing the bacterial population present in the ham after 60 days. In addition, materials containing the lowest Proallium® content exhibited higher acceptability by consumers in the sensory analyses with 63-100% willing to purchase, better even than the control package (56-89%). In fact, 2% of Proallium® obtained the best results in the odour study performed by the panellists.

graphkernels: R and Python packages for graph comparison

PubMed Central

Ghisu, M Elisabetta; Llinares-López, Felipe; Borgwardt, Karsten

2018-01-01

Abstract Summary Measuring the similarity of graphs is a fundamental step in the analysis of graph-structured data, which is omnipresent in computational biology. Graph kernels have been proposed as a powerful and efficient approach to this problem of graph comparison. Here we provide graphkernels, the first R and Python graph kernel libraries including baseline kernels such as label histogram based kernels, classic graph kernels such as random walk based kernels, and the state-of-the-art Weisfeiler-Lehman graph kernel. The core of all graph kernels is implemented in C ++ for efficiency. Using the kernel matrices computed by the package, we can easily perform tasks such as classification, regression and clustering on graph-structured samples. Availability and implementation The R and Python packages including source code are available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=graphkernels and https://pypi.python.org/pypi/graphkernels. Contact mahito@nii.ac.jp or elisabetta.ghisu@bsse.ethz.ch Supplementary information Supplementary data are available online at Bioinformatics. PMID:29028902

graphkernels: R and Python packages for graph comparison.

PubMed

Sugiyama, Mahito; Ghisu, M Elisabetta; Llinares-López, Felipe; Borgwardt, Karsten

2018-02-01

Measuring the similarity of graphs is a fundamental step in the analysis of graph-structured data, which is omnipresent in computational biology. Graph kernels have been proposed as a powerful and efficient approach to this problem of graph comparison. Here we provide graphkernels, the first R and Python graph kernel libraries including baseline kernels such as label histogram based kernels, classic graph kernels such as random walk based kernels, and the state-of-the-art Weisfeiler-Lehman graph kernel. The core of all graph kernels is implemented in C ++ for efficiency. Using the kernel matrices computed by the package, we can easily perform tasks such as classification, regression and clustering on graph-structured samples. The R and Python packages including source code are available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=graphkernels and https://pypi.python.org/pypi/graphkernels. mahito@nii.ac.jp or elisabetta.ghisu@bsse.ethz.ch. Supplementary data are available online at Bioinformatics. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Prevalence of pesticides in postconsumer agrochemical polymeric packaging.

PubMed

Eras, J; Costa, J; Vilaró, F; Pelacho, A M; Canela-Garayoa, R; Martin-Closas, L

2017-02-15

Pesticide remains contained in agrochemical packaging waste are a source of uncontrolled risk for human health; they are also a quality feedstock for the plastic recycling industry. Many governments have recently started to establish laws and regulations to develop systems for recovering and recycling the polymeric packages used for pesticides. There is also a demand in having a procedure to control the suitability of the pesticide packages to be reused. We have developed a two-step operation process to assess the pesticide residues in agricultural containers made of a variety of polymeric matrices. The procedure is based on an extraction with a solvent mixture followed by UPLC-MS/MS determination. Solvents for neutral pesticides were selected considering the Hildebrand solubility (δ) of solvents and polymers together with those estimated for the pesticides. The proposed technique is effective in recovering imbibed pesticides in polymeric matrices. Also, a simplified extraction procedure has been tested to become a routine method for these wastes. We have found that in many cases a significant amount of pesticides remain into the polymeric matrix, even after a standardized cleaning; the impact of releasing these hazardous compounds into the environment is to be of further consideration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of white light OLED efficiency by combining both internal and external light extraction structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, I.-Ling; Ku, Chun-Neng; Chen, Yi-Ping; Lin, Ding-Zheng

2012-09-01

We proposed an internal nanostructure with a high reflective index planarization layer to solve the optical loss due to the reflective index mismatch between ITO and glass substrate. In our experiments, we found the electrical property of OLED device was significantly influenced by the internal nanostructures without planarization layer. Moreover, the internal extraction structure (IES) is not necessarily beneficial for light extraction. Therefore, we proposed a new substrate combine both internal and external extraction structure (EES) to extract trapping light. We successfully developed a high refractive index (N 1.7) planarization material with flat surface (RMS roughness < 2 nm), and improved about 70% device efficiency compared to traditional glass substrate.

Materials in Manufacturing and Packaging Systems as Sources of Elemental Impurities in Packaged Drug Products: A Literature Review.

PubMed

Jenke, Dennis R; Stults, Cheryl L M; Paskiet, Diane M; Ball, Douglas J; Nagao, Lee M

Elemental impurities in drug products can arise from a number of different sources and via a number of different means, including the active pharmaceutical ingredient, excipients, the vehicle, and leaching of elemental entities that are present in the drug product's manufacturing or packaging systems. Thus, knowledge about the presence, level, and likelihood of leaching of elemental entities in manufacturing and packaging systems is relevant to understanding how these systems contribute to a drug product's total elemental impurity burden. To that end, a joint team from the Extractables and Leachables Safety Information Exchange (ELSIE) Consortium and the International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium on Regulation and Science (IPAC-RS) has conducted a review of the available literature on elemental entities in pharmaceutically relevant polymers and the presence of these elemental entities in material extracts and/or drug products. This review article contains the information compiled from the available body of literature and considers two questions: (1) What elemental entities are present in the relevant polymers and materials and at what levels are they present? (2) To what extent are these elemental entities leached from these materials under conditions relevant to the manufacturing and storage/distribution of solution drug products? Conclusions drawn from the compiled data are as follows: (1) Elemental entities are present in the materials used to construct packaging and manufacturing systems as these materials either contain these elemental entities as additives or are exposed to elemental entities during their production. (2) Unless the elemental entities are parts of the materials themselves (for example, SiO 2 in glass) or intentionally added to the materials (for example, metal stearates in polymers), their incidental amounts in the materials are generally low. (3) When elemental entities are present in materials and systems, generally only a very small

Preparation and application of agar/alginate/collagen ternary blend functional food packaging films.

PubMed

Wang, Long-Feng; Rhim, Jong-Whan

2015-09-01

Ternary blend agar/alginate/collagen (A/A/C) hydrogel films with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and grapefruit seed extract (GSE) were prepared. Their performance properties, transparency, tensile strength (TS), water vapor permeability (WVP), water contact angle (CA), water swelling ratio (SR), water solubility (WS), and antimicrobial activity were determined. The A/A/C film was highly transparent, and both AgNPs and GSE incorporated blend films (A/A/C(AgNPs) and A/A/C(GSE)) exhibited UV-screening effect, especially, the A/A/C(GSE) film had high UV-screening effect without sacrificing the transmittance. In addition, the A/A/C blend films formed efficient hydrogel film with the water holding capacity of 23.6 times of their weight. Both A/A/C(AgNPs) and A/A/C(GSE) composite films exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) food-borne pathogenic bacteria. The test results of fresh potatoes packaging revealed that all the A/A/C ternary blend films prevented forming of condensed water on the packaged film surface, both A/A/C(AgNPs) and A/A/C(GSE) composite films prevented greening of potatoes during storage. The results indicate that the ternary blend hydrogel films incorporated with AgNPs or GSE can be used not only as antifogging packaging films for highly respiring fresh agriculture produce, but also as an active food packaging system utilizing their strong antimicrobial activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Porphyrin-based magnetic nanocomposites for efficient extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples.

PubMed

Yu, Jing; Zhu, Shukui; Pang, Liling; Chen, Pin; Zhu, Gang-Tian

2018-03-09

Stable and reusable porphyrin-based magnetic nanocomposites were successfully synthesized for efficient extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental water samples. Meso-Tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP), a kind of porphyrin, can connect the copolymer after amidation and was linked to Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 magnetic nanospheres via cross-coupling. Several characteristic techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, vibrating sample magnetometry and a tensiometer were used to characterize the as-synthesized materials. The structure of the copolymer was similar to that of graphene, possessing sp 2 -conjugated carbon rings, but with an appropriate amount of delocalized π-electrons giving rise to the higher extraction efficiency for heavy PAHs without sacrificing the performance in the extraction of light PAHs. Six extraction parameters, including the TCPP:Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 (m:m) ratio, the amount of adsorbents, the type of desorption solvent, the desorption solvent volume, the adsorption time and the desorption time, were investigated. After the optimization of extraction conditions, a comparison of the extraction efficiency of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -TCPP and Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @GO was carried out. The adsorption mechanism of TCPP to PAHs was studied by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Combining experimental and calculated results, it was shown that the π-π stacking interaction was the main adsorption mechanism of TCPP for PAHs and that the amount of delocalized π-electrons plays an important role in the elution process. Under the optimal conditions, Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -porphyrin showed good precision in intra-day (<8.9%) and inter-day (<13.0%) detection, low method detection limits (2-10 ng L -1 ), and wide linearity (10-10000 ng L -1 ). The method was applied to simultaneous analysis of 15 PAHs with

Comparison of the capture efficiency, prey processing, and nutrient extraction in a generalist and a specialist spider predator.

PubMed

García, Luis Fernando; Viera, Carmen; Pekár, Stano

2018-04-02

Predators are traditionally classified as generalists and specialists based on the presence of adaptations that increase efficiency of prey capture and consumption and selection of particular prey types. Nevertheless, empirical evidence comparing foraging efficiency between generalist and specialist carnivores is scarce. We compared the prey-capture and feeding efficiency in a generalist and a specialist (araneophagous) spider predator. By using two related species, the generalist Harpactea rubicunda (Dysderidae) and the specialist Nops cf. variabilis (Caponiidae), we evaluated their fundamental trophic niche by studying the acceptance of different prey. Then, we compared their predatory behavior, efficiency in capturing prey of varying sizes, feeding efficiency, and nutrient extraction. Nops accepted only spiders as prey, while Harpactea accepted all offered prey, confirming that Nops is stenophagous, while Harpactea is euryphagous. Further, Nops displayed more specialized (stereotyped) capture behavior than Harpactea, suggesting that Nops is a specialist, while Harpactea is a generalist. The specialist immobilized prey faster, overcame much larger prey, and gained more mass (due to feeding on larger prey) than the generalist. Both the specialist and the generalist spider extracted more proteins than lipids, but the extraction of macronutrients in the specialist was achieved mainly by consuming the prosoma of the focal prey. We show that the specialist has more efficient foraging strategy than the generalist.

DMRfinder: efficiently identifying differentially methylated regions from MethylC-seq data.

PubMed

Gaspar, John M; Hart, Ronald P

2017-11-29

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that is studied at a single-base resolution with bisulfite treatment followed by high-throughput sequencing. After alignment of the sequence reads to a reference genome, methylation counts are analyzed to determine genomic regions that are differentially methylated between two or more biological conditions. Even though a variety of software packages is available for different aspects of the bioinformatics analysis, they often produce results that are biased or require excessive computational requirements. DMRfinder is a novel computational pipeline that identifies differentially methylated regions efficiently. Following alignment, DMRfinder extracts methylation counts and performs a modified single-linkage clustering of methylation sites into genomic regions. It then compares methylation levels using beta-binomial hierarchical modeling and Wald tests. Among its innovative attributes are the analyses of novel methylation sites and methylation linkage, as well as the simultaneous statistical analysis of multiple sample groups. To demonstrate its efficiency, DMRfinder is benchmarked against other computational approaches using a large published dataset. Contrasting two replicates of the same sample yielded minimal genomic regions with DMRfinder, whereas two alternative software packages reported a substantial number of false positives. Further analyses of biological samples revealed fundamental differences between DMRfinder and another software package, despite the fact that they utilize the same underlying statistical basis. For each step, DMRfinder completed the analysis in a fraction of the time required by other software. Among the computational approaches for identifying differentially methylated regions from high-throughput bisulfite sequencing datasets, DMRfinder is the first that integrates all the post-alignment steps in a single package. Compared to other software, DMRfinder is extremely efficient and unbiased in

Short communication: investigating the effect of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) nano-sizing on its colour extraction efficiency: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Abootalebian, Mehrdad; Karbasi, Maryam; Sadeghi, Maliheh; Abdinian, Mahnaz; Polikarpov, Igor

2017-10-01

This study investigated the effect of saffron nano-sizing on its the colour extraction yield. The whole stigma was ball-milled at three different times (10, 20 and 100 h), immediately or with a 24 h delay was submitted to absorption test, and then the colour extraction efficiency was determined. When stigma was milled for 100 h, its particle size was reduced to less than 20 nm, as shown by SEM and TEM images, and its extraction efficiency was considerably increased by 19.8% as compared with the stigma blended for 10 min. However with a 24 h delay between the end of milling and absorption test, the yield of colour extraction significantly decreased. The recommended milling conditions resulting in extraction efficiency of 16.2% (in comparison with stigma blended for 10 min) were determined to be the milling for 10 h with initial tendering prior to milling operation.

Multiwell CO2 injectivity: impact of boundary conditions and brine extraction on geologic CO2 storage efficiency and pressure buildup.

PubMed

Heath, Jason E; McKenna, Sean A; Dewers, Thomas A; Roach, Jesse D; Kobos, Peter H

2014-01-21

CO2 storage efficiency is a metric that expresses the portion of the pore space of a subsurface geologic formation that is available to store CO2. Estimates of storage efficiency for large-scale geologic CO2 storage depend on a variety of factors including geologic properties and operational design. These factors govern estimates on CO2 storage resources, the longevity of storage sites, and potential pressure buildup in storage reservoirs. This study employs numerical modeling to quantify CO2 injection well numbers, well spacing, and storage efficiency as a function of geologic formation properties, open-versus-closed boundary conditions, and injection with or without brine extraction. The set of modeling runs is important as it allows the comparison of controlling factors on CO2 storage efficiency. Brine extraction in closed domains can result in storage efficiencies that are similar to those of injection in open-boundary domains. Geomechanical constraints on downhole pressure at both injection and extraction wells lower CO2 storage efficiency as compared to the idealized scenario in which the same volumes of CO2 and brine are injected and extracted, respectively. Geomechanical constraints should be taken into account to avoid potential damage to the storage site.

FDTD analysis of the light extraction efficiency of OLEDs with a random scattering layer.

PubMed

Kim, Jun-Whee; Jang, Ji-Hyang; Oh, Min-Cheol; Shin, Jin-Wook; Cho, Doo-Hee; Moon, Jae-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Ik

2014-01-13

The light extraction efficiency of OLEDs with a nano-sized random scattering layer (RSL-OLEDs) was analyzed using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. In contrast to periodic diffraction patterns, the presence of an RSL suppresses the spectral shift with respect to the viewing angle. For FDTD simulation of RSL-OLEDs, a planar light source with a certain spatial and temporal coherence was incorporated, and the light extraction efficiency with respect to the fill factor of the RSL and the absorption coefficient of the material was investigated. The design results were compared to the experimental results of the RSL-OLEDs in order to confirm the usefulness of FDTD in predicting experimental results. According to our FDTD simulations, the light confined within the ITO-organic waveguide was quickly absorbed, and the absorption coefficients of ITO and RSL materials should be reduced in order to obtain significant improvement in the external quantum efficiency (EQE). When the extinction coefficient of ITO was 0.01, the EQE in the RSL-OLED was simulated to be enhanced by a factor of 1.8.

Trends in the use of natural antioxidants in active food packaging: a review.

PubMed

Sanches-Silva, Ana; Costa, Denise; Albuquerque, Tânia G; Buonocore, Giovanna Giuliana; Ramos, Fernando; Castilho, Maria Conceição; Machado, Ana Vera; Costa, Helena S

2014-01-01

The demand for natural antioxidant active packaging is increasing due to its unquestionable advantages compared with the addition of antioxidants directly to the food. Therefore, the search for antioxidants perceived as natural, namely those that naturally occur in herbs and spices, is a field attracting great interest. In line with this, in the last few years, natural antioxidants such as α-tocopherol, caffeic acid, catechin, quercetin, carvacrol and plant extracts (e.g. rosemary extract) have been incorporated into food packaging. On the other hand, consumers and the food industry are also interested in active biodegradable/compostable packaging and edible films to reduce environmental impact, minimise food loss and minimise contaminants from industrial production and reutilisation by-products. The present review focuses on the natural antioxidants already applied in active food packaging, and it reviews the methods used to determine the oxidation protection effect of antioxidant active films and the methods used to quantify natural antioxidants in food matrices or food simulants. Lastly consumers' demands and industry trends are also addressed.

The fastclime Package for Linear Programming and Large-Scale Precision Matrix Estimation in R.

PubMed

Pang, Haotian; Liu, Han; Vanderbei, Robert

2014-02-01

We develop an R package fastclime for solving a family of regularized linear programming (LP) problems. Our package efficiently implements the parametric simplex algorithm, which provides a scalable and sophisticated tool for solving large-scale linear programs. As an illustrative example, one use of our LP solver is to implement an important sparse precision matrix estimation method called CLIME (Constrained L 1 Minimization Estimator). Compared with existing packages for this problem such as clime and flare, our package has three advantages: (1) it efficiently calculates the full piecewise-linear regularization path; (2) it provides an accurate dual certificate as stopping criterion; (3) it is completely coded in C and is highly portable. This package is designed to be useful to statisticians and machine learning researchers for solving a wide range of problems.

Caring for people efficiently.

PubMed

Hughes, D

1993-09-01

The UK government's plans and objectives for community care in the 1990s are examined. The objective of providing care in the community 'wherever possible' is unlikely to be efficient unless the costs and benefits of providing such care are accounted for. Even if it were efficient to provide more care in the community, the mechanisms aimed at ensuring the transfer of funds have been inadequate in terms of encouraging such an objective. These same principles (i.e. the need to assess costs and benefits) should be applied to the design of individual packages of care in the community, when the costs and benefits of carers' time become more important. Case management offers the opportunity to assess individual circumstances which is necessary for the design of efficient packages of care. However, case management is likely to suffer from the problems of fragmentation which makes organisation of flexible packages of care difficult.

An Optimal Control Method for Maximizing the Efficiency of Direct Drive Ocean Wave Energy Extraction System

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhongxian; Yu, Haitao; Wen, Cheng

2014-01-01

The goal of direct drive ocean wave energy extraction system is to convert ocean wave energy into electricity. The problem explored in this paper is the design and optimal control for the direct drive ocean wave energy extraction system. An optimal control method based on internal model proportion integration differentiation (IM-PID) is proposed in this paper though most of ocean wave energy extraction systems are optimized by the structure, weight, and material. With this control method, the heavy speed of outer heavy buoy of the energy extraction system is in resonance with incident wave, and the system efficiency is largely improved. Validity of the proposed optimal control method is verified in both regular and irregular ocean waves, and it is shown that IM-PID control method is optimal in that it maximizes the energy conversion efficiency. In addition, the anti-interference ability of IM-PID control method has been assessed, and the results show that the IM-PID control method has good robustness, high precision, and strong anti-interference ability. PMID:25152913

An optimal control method for maximizing the efficiency of direct drive ocean wave energy extraction system.

PubMed

Chen, Zhongxian; Yu, Haitao; Wen, Cheng

2014-01-01

The goal of direct drive ocean wave energy extraction system is to convert ocean wave energy into electricity. The problem explored in this paper is the design and optimal control for the direct drive ocean wave energy extraction system. An optimal control method based on internal model proportion integration differentiation (IM-PID) is proposed in this paper though most of ocean wave energy extraction systems are optimized by the structure, weight, and material. With this control method, the heavy speed of outer heavy buoy of the energy extraction system is in resonance with incident wave, and the system efficiency is largely improved. Validity of the proposed optimal control method is verified in both regular and irregular ocean waves, and it is shown that IM-PID control method is optimal in that it maximizes the energy conversion efficiency. In addition, the anti-interference ability of IM-PID control method has been assessed, and the results show that the IM-PID control method has good robustness, high precision, and strong anti-interference ability.

An RF-Powered Micro-Reactor for Efficient Extraction and Hydrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, V.

2014-12-01

An RF sample-processing micro-reactor that was developed as part of potential in situ Exploration Missions to inner- and outer-planetary bodies was designed to utilize aqueous solutions subjected to 60 GHz radiation at 730 mW of input power to extract target organic compounds and molecular and inorganic ions as well as to hydrolyze complex polymeric materials. Successful identification and characterization of these molecules relies on the sample-processing techniques utilized alongside state-of-the-art detection and analysis. For mass and power restrictions put on space exploration missions, smaller and more efficient instruments are highly desirable. The RF micro-reactor potentially offers a simplified alternative to the typical gold-standard extractions that often use solvents, chemicals, and conditions that can vary wildly and depend on the targeted molecules. Instead, this instrument uses a single solvent ­— water — that can be "tuned" under the different experimental conditions, leveraging the operating principles of the Sub-Critical Water Extractor. Proof-of-concept experiments examining the hydrolysis of glycosidic and peptide bonds were successful in demonstrating the RF micro-reactor's capabilities. Progress toward coupling the reactor with a micro-scale sample-handling system enabling slurry delivery has been made and preliminary results on heterogeneous reactions and extractions will be presented.

Database extraction strategies for low-template evidence.

PubMed

Bleka, Øyvind; Dørum, Guro; Haned, Hinda; Gill, Peter

2014-03-01

Often in forensic cases, the profile of at least one of the contributors to a DNA evidence sample is unknown and a database search is needed to discover possible perpetrators. In this article we consider two types of search strategies to extract suspects from a database using methods based on probability arguments. The performance of the proposed match scores is demonstrated by carrying out a study of each match score relative to the level of allele drop-out in the crime sample, simulating low-template DNA. The efficiency was measured by random man simulation and we compared the performance using the SGM Plus kit and the ESX 17 kit for the Norwegian population, demonstrating that the latter has greatly enhanced power to discover perpetrators of crime in large national DNA databases. The code for the database extraction strategies will be prepared for release in the R-package forensim. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perovskite solar cells with CuSCN hole extraction layers yield stabilized efficiencies greater than 20%

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arora, Neha; Dar, M. Ibrahim; Hinderhofer, Alexander; Pellet, Norman; Schreiber, Frank; Zakeeruddin, Shaik Mohammed; Grätzel, Michael

2017-11-01

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with efficiencies greater than 20% have been realized only with expensive organic hole-transporting materials. We demonstrate PSCs that achieve stabilized efficiencies exceeding 20% with copper(I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) as the hole extraction layer. A fast solvent removal method enabled the creation of compact, highly conformal CuSCN layers that facilitate rapid carrier extraction and collection. The PSCs showed high thermal stability under long-term heating, although their operational stability was poor. This instability originated from potential-induced degradation of the CuSCN/Au contact. The addition of a conductive reduced graphene oxide spacer layer between CuSCN and gold allowed PSCs to retain >95% of their initial efficiency after aging at a maximum power point for 1000 hours under full solar intensity at 60°C. Under both continuous full-sun illumination and thermal stress, CuSCN-based devices surpassed the stability of spiro-OMeTAD-based PSCs.

Extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides from soils: a comparison between Soxhlet extraction, microwave-assisted extraction and accelerated solvent extraction techniques.

PubMed

Wang, Wentao; Meng, Bingjun; Lu, Xiaoxia; Liu, Yu; Tao, Shu

2007-10-29

The methods of simultaneous extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from soils using Soxhlet extraction, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) were established, and the extraction efficiencies using the three methods were systemically compared from procedural blank, limits of detection and quantification, method recovery and reproducibility, method chromatogram and other factors. In addition, soils with different total organic carbon contents were used to test the extraction efficiencies of the three methods. The results showed that the values obtained in this study were comparable with the values reported by other studies. In some respects such as method recovery and reproducibility, there were no significant differences among the three methods for the extraction of PAHs and OCPs. In some respects such as procedural blank and limits of detection and quantification, there were significant differences among the three methods. Overall, ASE had the best extraction efficiency compared to MAE and Soxhlet extraction, and the extraction efficiencies of MAE and Soxhlet extraction were comparable to each other depending on the property such as TOC content of the studied soil. Considering other factors such as solvent consumption and extraction time, ASE and MAE are preferable to Soxhlet extraction.

Field Demonstration of a High-Efficiency Packaged Rooftop Air Conditioning Unit at Fort Gordon, Augusta, GA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Armstrong, Peter R.; Sullivan, Gregory P.; Parker, Graham B.

2006-03-31

As part of a larger program targeting the market transformation of packaged rooftop air conditioning, five high-efficiency rooftop air conditioning products were selected in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Unitary Air Conditioner (UAC) Technology Procurement (http://www.pnl.gov/uac). In February 2003, Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia was chosen as the demonstration site. With the goal of validating the field performance and operation of one of the awarded products, a 10-ton high-efficiency packaged rooftop unit (RTU) manufactured by Global Energy Group (GEG) was installed at Fort Gordon in October 2003. Following equipment installation, power metering, air- and refrigerant-sidemore » instrumentation was installed on the GEG RTU and a 4-year old typical-efficiency 20-ton RTU manufactured by AAON . The GEG and AAON units were instrumented identically and operated May through July, 2005, to observe performance under a range of conditions. Based on the data collected as part of this demonstration, the GEG equipment performed at least 8% better in stage-1 (single compressor running) cooling and at least 16% better in stage-2 (both compressors running) than the baseline AAON equipment. Performance comparisons are based on what we call application EER normalized to equivalent specific fan power. The full-load, specific-fan-power-normalized application EERs at ARI design conditions were 10.48 Btu/Wh for the GEG and 9.00 Btu/Wh for the baseline machine. With a cost premium of nearly 50%, and slightly higher maintenance costs, the life-cycle cost analysis shows that the GEG technology pays for itself--a positive net-present value (NPV)--only in climates and buildings with long cooling seasons. Manufacture of this equipment on a larger scale can be expected to reduce costs to the point where it is more broadly cost-effective. The assumed 10-ton baseline and new-technology unit costs are $3824.00 and $5525.00 respectively. If the new technology cost is

Efficient extraction and preparative separation of four main isoflavonoids from Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen leaves by deep eutectic solvents-based negative pressure cavitation extraction followed by macroporous resin column chromatography.

PubMed

Li, Lu; Liu, Ju-Zhao; Luo, Meng; Wang, Wei; Huang, Yu-Yan; Efferth, Thomas; Wang, Hui-Mei; Fu, Yu-Jie

2016-10-15

In this study, green and efficient deep eutectic solvent-based negative pressure cavitation-assisted extraction (DES-NPCE) followed by macroporous resin column chromatography was developed to extract and separate four main isoflavonoids, i.e. prunetin, tectorigenin, genistein and biochanin A from Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen leaves. The extraction procedure was optimized systematically by single-factor experiments and a Box-Behnken experimental design combined with response surface methodology. The maximum extraction yields of prunetin, tectorigenin, genistein and biochanin A reached 1.204, 1.057, 0.911 and 2.448mg/g dry weight, respectively. Moreover, the direct enrichment and separation of four isoflavonoids in DES extraction solution was successfully achieved by macroporous resin AB-8 with recovery yields of more than 80%. The present study provides a convenient and efficient method for the green extraction and preparative separation of active compounds from plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficient analysis of large-scale genome-wide data with two R packages: bigstatsr and bigsnpr.

PubMed

Privé, Florian; Aschard, Hugues; Ziyatdinov, Andrey; Blum, Michael G B

2017-03-30

Genome-wide datasets produced for association studies have dramatically increased in size over the past few years, with modern datasets commonly including millions of variants measured in dozens of thousands of individuals. This increase in data size is a major challenge severely slowing down genomic analyses, leading to some software becoming obsolete and researchers having limited access to diverse analysis tools. Here we present two R packages, bigstatsr and bigsnpr, allowing for the analysis of large scale genomic data to be performed within R. To address large data size, the packages use memory-mapping for accessing data matrices stored on disk instead of in RAM. To perform data pre-processing and data analysis, the packages integrate most of the tools that are commonly used, either through transparent system calls to existing software, or through updated or improved implementation of existing methods. In particular, the packages implement fast and accurate computations of principal component analysis and association studies, functions to remove SNPs in linkage disequilibrium and algorithms to learn polygenic risk scores on millions of SNPs. We illustrate applications of the two R packages by analyzing a case-control genomic dataset for celiac disease, performing an association study and computing Polygenic Risk Scores. Finally, we demonstrate the scalability of the R packages by analyzing a simulated genome-wide dataset including 500,000 individuals and 1 million markers on a single desktop computer. https://privefl.github.io/bigstatsr/ & https://privefl.github.io/bigsnpr/. florian.prive@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr & michael.blum@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr. Supplementary materials are available at Bioinformatics online.

Analysis of light extraction efficiency enhancement for thin-film-flip-chip InGaN quantum wells light-emitting diodes with GaN micro-domes.

PubMed

Zhao, Peng; Zhao, Hongping

2012-09-10

The enhancement of light extraction efficiency for thin-film flip-chip (TFFC) InGaN quantum wells (QWs) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with GaN micro-domes on n-GaN layer was studied. The light extraction efficiency of TFFC InGaN QWs LEDs with GaN micro-domes were calculated and compared to that of the conventional TFFC InGaN QWs LEDs with flat surface. The three dimensional finite difference time domain (3D-FDTD) method was used to calculate the light extraction efficiency for the InGaN QWs LEDs emitting at 460nm and 550 nm, respectively. The effects of the GaN micro-dome feature size and the p-GaN layer thickness on the light extraction efficiency were studied systematically. Studies indicate that the p-GaN layer thickness is critical for optimizing the TFFC LED light extraction efficiency. Significant enhancement of the light extraction efficiency (2.5-2.7 times for λ(peak) = 460nm and 2.7-2.8 times for λ(peak) = 550nm) is achievable from TFFC InGaN QWs LEDs with optimized GaN micro-dome diameter and height.

Comparative efficiency of different methods of gluten extraction in indigenous varieties of wheat.

PubMed

Imran, Samra; Hussain, Zaib; Ghafoor, Farkhanda; Nagra, Saeedahmad; Ziai, Naheeda Ashbeal

2013-06-01

The present study investigated six varieties of locally grown wheat (Lasani, Sehar, Miraj-08, Chakwal-50, Faisalabad-08 and Inqlab) procured from Punjab Seed Corporation, Lahore, Pakistan for their proximate contents. On the basis of protein content and ready availability, Faisalabad-08 (FD-08) was selected to be used for the assessment of comparative efficiency of various methods used for gluten extraction. Three methods, mechanical, chemical and microbiological were used for the extraction of gluten from FD-08. Each method was carried out under ambient conditions using a drying temperature of 55 degrees C. Mechanical method utilized four different processes viz:- dough process, dough batter process, batter process and ethanol washing process using standard 150 mesh. The starch thus obtained was analyzed for its proximate contents. Dough batter process proved to be the most efficient mechanical method and was further investigated using 200 and 300 mesh. Gluten content was determined using sandwich omega-gliadin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The results of dough batter process using 200 mesh indicated a starch product with gluten content of 678 ppm. Chemical method indicated high gluten content of more than 5000 ppm and the microbiological method reduced the gluten content from 2500 ppm to 398 ppm. From the results it was observed that no gluten extraction method is viable to produce starch which can fulfill the criteria of a gluten free product (20 ppm).

Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Mint Extract and their Application in Chitosan/Gelatin Composite Packaging Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhoir, Shraddha A.; Chawla, S. P.

The present study reports synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using mint extract (ME) in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as capping material. PVA, ME and silver nitrate at concentration of 1%, 0.01% and 0.02%, respectively were found to be optimum for the synthesis of nanoparticles. The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by measuring surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak. The intensity of SPR peak remained unaltered thus suggesting stability of colloid without aggregation during storage. The nanoparticles inhibited the growth of food borne bacteria namely Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus. The incorporation of these nanoparticles in chitosan and gelatin blend resulted in homogenous films. Mechanical properties and water vapor transmission rate of chitosan-gelatin films improved due to addition of AgNPs, whereas optical (opacity and UV light transmittance) and oxygen permeability properties remained unchanged. These films had the ability to inhibit growth of 5 log CFU of the above test organisms. These findings suggest that the AgNPs obtained by reduction of silver by ME can be effectively utilized to prepare antibacterial eco-friendly food packaging material.

Hydropy: Python package for hydrological time series handling based on Python Pandas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Hoey, Stijn; Balemans, Sophie; Nopens, Ingmar; Seuntjens, Piet

2015-04-01

Most hydrologists are dealing with time series frequently. Reading in time series, transforming them and extracting specific periods for visualisation are part of the daily work. Spreadsheet software is used a lot for these operations, but has some major drawbacks. It is mostly not reproducible, it is prone to errors and not easy to automate, which results in repetitive work when dealing with large amounts of data. Scripting languages like R and Python on the other hand, provide flexibility, enable automation and reproducibility and, hence, increase efficiency. Python has gained popularity over the last years and currently, tools for many aspects of scientific computing are readily available in Python. An increased support in controlling and managing the dependencies between packages (e.g. the Anaconda environment) allows for a wide audience to use the huge variety of available packages. Pandas is a powerful Python package for data analysis and has a lot of functionalities related to time series. As such, the package is of special interest to hydrologists. Some other packages, focussing on hydrology (e.g. Hydroclimpy by Pierre Gerard-Marchant and Hydropy by Javier Rovegno Campos), stopped active development, mainly due to the superior implementation of Pandas. We present a (revised) version of the Hydropy package that is inspired by the aforementioned packages and builds on the power of Pandas. The main idea is to add hydrological domain knowledge to the already existing Pandas functionalities. Besides, the package attempts to make the time series handling intuitive and easy to perform, thus with a clear syntax. Some illustrative examples of the current implementation starting from a Pandas DataFrame named flowdata: Creating the object flow to work with: flow = HydroAnalysis(flowdata) Retrieve only the data during winter (across all years): flow.get_season('winter') Retrieve only the data during summer of 2010: flow.get_season('summer').get_year('2010') which is

[The development and operation of a package inserts service system for electronic medical records].

PubMed

Yamada, Hidetoshi; Nishimura, Sachiho; Shimamori, Yoshimitsu; Sato, Seiji; Hayase, Yukitoshi

2003-03-01

To promote the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals and to prevent side effects, physicians need package inserts on medicinal drugs as soon as possible. A medicinal drug information service system was established for electronic medical records to speed up and increase the efficiency of package insert communications within a medical institution. Development of this system facilitates access to package inserts by, for example, physicians. The time required to maintain files of package inserts was shortened, and the efficiency of the drug information service increased. As a source of package inserts for this system, package inserts using a standard generalized markup language (SGML) form were used, which are accessible to the public on the homepage of the Organization for Pharmaceutical Safety and Research (OPSR). This study found that a delay occurred in communicating revised package inserts from pharmaceutical companies to the OPSR. Therefore a pharmaceutical department page was set up as part of the homepage of the medical institution for electronic medical records to shorten the delay in the revision of package inserts posted on the medicinal drug information service homepage of the OPSR. The usefulness of this package insert service system for electronic medical records is clear. For more effective use of this system based on the OPSR homepage pharmaceutical companies have been requested to provide quicker updating of package inserts.

Towards co-packaging of photonics and microelectronics in existing manufacturing facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janta-Polczynski, Alexander; Cyr, Elaine; Bougie, Jerome; Drouin, Alain; Langlois, Richard; Childers, Darrell; Takenobu, Shotaro; Taira, Yoichi; Lichoulas, Ted W.; Kamlapurkar, Swetha; Engelmann, Sebastian; Fortier, Paul; Boyer, Nicolas; Barwicz, Tymon

2018-02-01

The impact of integrated photonics on optical interconnects is currently muted by challenges in photonic packaging and in the dense integration of photonic modules with microelectronic components on printed circuit boards. Single mode optics requires tight alignment tolerance for optical coupling and maintaining this alignment in a cost-efficient package can be challenging during thermal excursions arising from downstream microelectronic assembly processes. In addition, the form factor of typical fiber connectors is incompatible with the dense module integration expected on printed circuit boards. We have implemented novel approaches to interfacing photonic chips to standard optical fibers. These leverage standard high throughput microelectronic assembly tooling and self-alignment techniques resulting in photonic packaging that is scalable in manufacturing volume and in the number of optical IOs per chip. In addition, using dense optical fiber connectors with space-efficient latching of fiber patch cables results in compact module size and efficient board integration, bringing the optics closer to the logic chip to alleviate bandwidth bottlenecks. This packaging direction is also well suited for embedding optics in multi-chip modules, including both photonic and microelectronic chips. We discuss the challenges and rewards in this type of configuration such as thermal management and signal integrity.

Transformation of food packaging from passive to innovative via nanotechnology: concepts and critiques.

PubMed

Mlalila, Nichrous; Kadam, Dattatreya M; Swai, Hulda; Hilonga, Askwar

2016-09-01

In recent decades, there is a global advancement in manufacturing industry due to increased applications of nanotechnology. Food industry also has been tremendously changing from passive packaging to innovative packaging, to cope with global trends, technological advancements, and consumer preferences. Active research is taking place in food industry and other scientific fields to develop innovative packages including smart, intelligent and active food packaging for more effective and efficient packaging materials with balanced environmental issues. However, in food industry the features behind smart packaging are narrowly defined to be distinguished from intelligent packaging as in other scientific fields, where smart materials are under critical investigations. This review presents some scientific concepts and features pertaining innovative food packaging. The review opens new research window in innovative food packaging to cover the existing disparities for further precise research and development of food packaging industry.

Active and smart biodegradable packaging based on starch and natural extracts.

PubMed

Medina-Jaramillo, Carolina; Ochoa-Yepes, Oswaldo; Bernal, Celina; Famá, Lucía

2017-11-15

Active and smart biodegradable films from cassava starch and glycerol with 5wt.% of different natural extracts such as green tea and basil were obtained by casting. Their functional capacity as antioxidants and their physicochemical properties achieved from the incorporation of these types of extracts were evaluated. The content of phenolic compounds in the extracts led to films with significant antioxidant activity, being greater in the case of the system containing green tea extract. Color changes in both materials after immersion in different media (acid and basic) due to the presence of chlorophyll and carotenoids in the extracts were observed, but the film with basil extract reacted most notably to the different pH. These films degraded in soil under two weeks and were thermal stable up to 240°C. Finally, the incorporation of extracts of green tea and basil led to thermoplastic starch films with lower water vapor permeability retaining their flexibility. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction of agarose gel as a green membrane in electromembrane extraction: An efficient procedure for the extraction of basic drugs with a wide range of polarities.

PubMed

Tabani, Hadi; Asadi, Sakine; Nojavan, Saeed; Parsa, Mitra

2017-05-12

Developing green methods for analyte extraction is one of the most important topics in the field of sample preparation. In this study, for the first time, agarose gel was used as membrane in electromembrane extraction (EME) without using any organic solvent, for the extraction of four model basic drugs (rivastigmine (RIV), verapamil (VER), amlodipine (AML), and morphine (MOR)) with a wide polarity window (log P from 0.43 to 3.7). Different variables playing vital roles in the proposed method were evaluated and optimized. As a driving force, a 25V electrical field was applied to make the analyte migrate from sample solution with pH 7.0, through the agarose gel 3% (w/v) with 5mm thickness, into an acceptor phase (AP) with pH 2.0. The best extraction efficiency was obtained with an extraction duration of 25min. With this new methodology, MOR with high polarity (log P=0.43) was efficiently extracted without using any carrier or ion pair reagents. Limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were in the ranges of 1.5-1.8ngmL -1 and 5.0-6.0ngmL -1 , respectively. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to determine concentrations of the model drugs in the wastewater sample. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Evaluation of the results of high-speed handpiece and minimally invasive extraction in impacted mandibular third molar extraction].

PubMed

Yang, Ying-yang; DU, Sheng-nan; Lv, Zong-kai

2015-08-01

To compare the results of high-speed handpiece and minimally invasive extraction in impacted mandibular third molar extraction. From May 2011 to May 2014, 83 patients undergoing impacted mandibular third molar extraction were enrolled into the study and randomly divided into 2 groups: 42 patients in group A (experimental group) and 41 patients in group B (control group). Group B underwent extraction with traditional method and group A underwent high-speed handpiece and minimally invasive extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar. The occurrences of the root fracture, gingival laceration, tooth mobility, lingual bone plate fracture, jaw fracture and dislocation of temporomandibular joint during operation and lower lip numbness, dry socket, facial swelling and limitation of mouth opening after operation were observed and compared between 2 groups. The operation time, integrity of extraction sockets, VAS pain score and satisfaction from patients were collected and compared. SPSS 19.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. The occurrences of root fracture, gingival laceration, tooth mobility, lingual bone plate fracture, jaw fracture, and dislocation of temporomandibular joint during operation in group A significantly decreased compared with group B (P<0.05). The occurrences of lower lip numbness, dry socket, facial swelling and limitation of mouth opening after operation in group A significantly decreased compared with group B (P<0.05). The operation time, integrity of extraction sockets, VAS pain scores and satisfaction scores in group A improved significantly compared with group B (P<0.05). High-speed handpiece and minimally invasive extraction should be widely used in impacted mandibular third molar extraction, due to the advantages of simple operation, high efficiency, minimal trauma, and few perioperative complications.

Chromatographic and Spectral Analysis of Two Main Extractable Compounds Present in Aqueous Extracts of Laminated Aluminum Foil Used for Protecting LDPE-Filled Drug Vials

PubMed Central

Akapo, Samuel O.; Syed, Sajid; Mamangun, Anicia; Skinner, Wayne

2009-01-01

Laminated aluminum foils are increasingly being used to protect drug products packaged in semipermeable containers (e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE)) from degradation and/or evaporation. The direct contact of such materials with primary packaging containers may potentially lead to adulteration of the drug product by extractable or leachable compounds present in the closure system. In this paper, we described a simple and reliable HPLC method for analysis of an aqueous extract of laminated aluminum foil overwrap used for packaging LDPE vials filled with aqueous pharmaceutical formulations. By means of combined HPLC-UV, GC/MS, LC/MS/MS, and NMR spectroscopy, the two major compounds detected in the aqueous extracts of the representative commercial overwraps were identified as cyclic oligomers with molecular weights of 452 and 472 and are possibly formed from poly-condensation of the adhesive components, namely, isophthalic acid, adipic acid, and diethylene glycol. Lower molecular weight compounds that might be associated with the “building blocks” of these compounds were not detected in the aqueous extracts. PMID:20140083

Efficient Boundary Extraction of BSP Solids Based on Clipping Operations.

PubMed

Wang, Charlie C L; Manocha, Dinesh

2013-01-01

We present an efficient algorithm to extract the manifold surface that approximates the boundary of a solid represented by a Binary Space Partition (BSP) tree. Our polygonization algorithm repeatedly performs clipping operations on volumetric cells that correspond to a spatial convex partition and computes the boundary by traversing the connected cells. We use point-based representations along with finite-precision arithmetic to improve the efficiency and generate the B-rep approximation of a BSP solid. The core of our polygonization method is a novel clipping algorithm that uses a set of logical operations to make it resistant to degeneracies resulting from limited precision of floating-point arithmetic. The overall BSP to B-rep conversion algorithm can accurately generate boundaries with sharp and small features, and is faster than prior methods. At the end of this paper, we use this algorithm for a few geometric processing applications including Boolean operations, model repair, and mesh reconstruction.

Determination of alkylphenols and phthalate esters in vegetables and migration studies from their packages by means of stir bar sorptive extraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Cacho, J I; Campillo, N; Viñas, P; Hernández-Córdoba, M

2012-06-08

This paper describes a method for the determination of three alkylphenols (APs), 4-tert-octylphenol (tOP), 4-n-octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (NP), and six phthalate esters (PEs), dimethylphthalate (DMP), diethylphthalate (DEP), di-n-butylphthalate (DBP), n-butylbenzylphthalate (BBP), di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) and di-n-octylphthalate (DOP), in vegetables using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) in combination with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Ultrasonic radiation was used to extract the analytes from the solid food matrix, and the extract obtained was preconcentrated by SBSE. The different parameters affecting both stages were carefully optimized. The method was applied to analyze commercial vegetables, in the form of plastic packed salads and canned greens, as well as the corresponding filling liquids of the canned food. Quantification of the samples was carried out against aqueous standards using an internal standard (anthracene). The analysis of a 2 g vegetable sample provided detection limits between 12.7 and 105.8 pg g⁻¹ for OP and DEHP, respectively. Migration studies from the plastic packages of the vegetables samples analyzed were carried out. DEP, DBP and DEHP were found to have migrated from the bags to the simulant and the same compounds were quantified in lettuce, corn salad, arugula, parsley and chard, at concentration levels in the 8-51 ng g⁻¹ range. However, OP and NP were found in only two vegetable samples and one filling liquid, but neither was detected in any package. The proposed method provided recoveries of 83-118%. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The empowerment of sustainable design in food packaging as designer responsibilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiadi, V.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this paper is emphasized on the empowerment of sustainable design in providing the dual function of a food packaging. Which can extend the life of paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum foil so as to reduce the contribution of waste on earth. The methodology used in this research is using qualitative research. With the main approach taken on the layout of the packaging design, the approach that relies heavily on the data in the form of packaging design. For the process of observation, the authors should compare with the forms of food packaging designs that are contained in the diversity of food packaging types from products outside Indonesia. The purpose of this study is also intended as a recommendation through observation of data interviews and survey related products. Conclusion through material exploration, packaging structure exploration, efficient exploration of ink usage and packaging usage patterns.

Increasing Flexibility in Energy Code Compliance: Performance Packages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hart, Philip R.; Rosenberg, Michael I.

Energy codes and standards have provided significant increases in building efficiency over the last 38 years, since the first national energy code was published in late 1975. The most commonly used path in energy codes, the prescriptive path, appears to be reaching a point of diminishing returns. As the code matures, the prescriptive path becomes more complicated, and also more restrictive. It is likely that an approach that considers the building as an integrated system will be necessary to achieve the next real gains in building efficiency. Performance code paths are increasing in popularity; however, there remains a significant designmore » team overhead in following the performance path, especially for smaller buildings. This paper focuses on development of one alternative format, prescriptive packages. A method to develop building-specific prescriptive packages is reviewed based on a multiple runs of prototypical building models that are used to develop parametric decision analysis to determines a set of packages with equivalent energy performance. The approach is designed to be cost-effective and flexible for the design team while achieving a desired level of energy efficiency performance. A demonstration of the approach based on mid-sized office buildings with two HVAC system types is shown along with a discussion of potential applicability in the energy code process.« less

Module Extraction for Efficient Object Queries over Ontologies with Large ABoxes

PubMed Central

Xu, Jia; Shironoshita, Patrick; Visser, Ubbo; John, Nigel; Kabuka, Mansur

2015-01-01

The extraction of logically-independent fragments out of an ontology ABox can be useful for solving the tractability problem of querying ontologies with large ABoxes. In this paper, we propose a formal definition of an ABox module, such that it guarantees complete preservation of facts about a given set of individuals, and thus can be reasoned independently w.r.t. the ontology TBox. With ABox modules of this type, isolated or distributed (parallel) ABox reasoning becomes feasible, and more efficient data retrieval from ontology ABoxes can be attained. To compute such an ABox module, we present a theoretical approach and also an approximation for SHIQ ontologies. Evaluation of the module approximation on different types of ontologies shows that, on average, extracted ABox modules are significantly smaller than the entire ABox, and the time for ontology reasoning based on ABox modules can be improved significantly. PMID:26848490

Supercritical CO(2) fluid extraction of crystal water from trehalose dihydrate. Efficient production of form II (T(alpha)) phase.

PubMed

Akao, Ken-ichi; Okubo, Yusei; Inoue, Yoshio; Sakurai, Minoru

2002-10-11

Form II is a kind of metastable crystalline form of trehalose anhydrate, and it is easily converted to the dihydrate crystal by absorbing water in moist atmosphere at room temperature (Akao et al., Carbohydr. Res. 2001, 334, 233-241). It can be utilized as an edible and nontoxic desiccant, and thus its efficient production from the dihydrate is significant from a viewpoint of industrial applications. In this study, we attempt to extract crystal water from the dihydrate using supercritical CO(2). We examine the dependence of extraction efficiency on the extraction time, the temperature and pressure of the fluid. Then, FTIR measurements are carried out to detect the extracted water and to identify the polymorphic phase of the sugar sample after the extraction treatment. In particular, the so-called first derivative euclidean distance analysis for IR spectra is shown to be quite useful for the structural identification. Consequently, we demonstrate that form II is produced from the dihydrate through supercritical CO(2) fluid extraction if appropriate temperature and pressure conditions (around 80 degrees C and 20 MPa) are maintained.

DAM package version 7807: Software fixes and enhancements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlosser, E.

1979-01-01

The Detection and Mapping package is an integrated set of manual procedures, computer programs, and graphic devices designed for efficient production of precisely registered, formatted, and interpreted maps from digital LANDSAT multispectral scanner data. This report documents changes to the DAM package in support of its use by the Corps of Engineers for inventorying impounded surface water. Although these changes are presented in terms of their application to detecting and mapping surface water, they are equally relevant to other land surface materials.

Shelf life of packaged bakery goods--a review.

PubMed

Galić, K; Curić, D; Gabrić, D

2009-05-01

Packaging requirements for fresh bakery goods are often minimal as many of the products are for immediate consumption. However, packaging can be an important factor in extending the shelf life of other cereal-based goods (toast, frozen products, biscuits, cakes, pastas). Some amount of the texture changes and flavor loss manifest over the shelf life of a soft-baked good can usually be minimized or delayed by effective use of packaging materials. The gains in the extension of shelf life will be application specific. It is recognized that defining the shelf life of a food is a difficult task and is an area of intense research for food product development scientists (food technologists, microbiologists, packaging experts). Proper application of chemical kinetic principles to food quality loss allows for efficiently designing appropriate shelf-life tests and maximizing the useful information that can be obtained from the resulting data. In the development of any new food product including reformulating, change of packaging, or storage/distribution condition (to penetrate into a new market), one important aspect is the knowledge of shelf life.

Highly Efficient Extraction of Phenolic Compounds by Use of Magnetic Room Temperature Ionic Liquids for Environmental Remediation

PubMed Central

Deng, Ning; Li, Min; Zhao, Lijie; Lu, Chengfei; de Rooy, Sergio L.; Warner, Isiah M.

2011-01-01

A hydrophobic magnetic room temperature ionic liquid (MRTIL), trihexyltetradecylphosphonium tetrachloroferrate(III) ([3C6PC14][FeCl4]), was synthesized from trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride and FeCl3·6H2O. This MRTIL was investigated as a possible separation agent for solvent extraction of phenolic compounds from aqueous solution. Due to its strong paramagnetism, [3C6PC14][FeCl4] responds to an external neodymium magnet, which was employed in the design of a novel magnetic extraction technique. The conditions for extraction, including extraction time, volume ratio between MRTIL and aqueous phase, pH of aqueous solution, and structures of phenolic compounds were investigated and optimized. The magnetic extraction of phenols achieved equilibrium in 20 min and the phenolic compounds were found to have higher distribution ratios under acidic conditions. In addition, it was observed that phenols containing a greater number of chlorine or nitro substitutents exhibited higher distribution ratios. For example, the distribution ratio of phenol (DPh) was 107. In contrast, 3,5-dichlorophenol distribution ratio (D3,5-DCP) had a much higher value of 6372 under identical extraction conditions. When compared with four selected traditional non-magnetic room temperature ionic liquids, our [3C6PC14][FeCl4] exhibited significantly higher extraction efficiency under the same experimental conditions used in this work. Pentachlorophenol, a major component in the contaminated soil sample obtained from a superfund site, was successfully extracted and removed by use of [3C6PC14][FeCl4] with high extraction efficiency. Pentachlorophenol concentration was dramatically reduced from 7.8 μg.mL−1 to 0.2 μg.mL−1 after the magnetic extraction by use of [3C6PC14][FeCl4]. PMID:21783320

A Low-Storage-Consumption XML Labeling Method for Efficient Structural Information Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Wenxin; Takahashi, Akihiro; Yokota, Haruo

Recently, labeling methods to extract and reconstruct the structural information of XML data, which are important for many applications such as XPath query and keyword search, are becoming more attractive. To achieve efficient structural information extraction, in this paper we propose C-DO-VLEI code, a novel update-friendly bit-vector encoding scheme, based on register-length bit operations combining with the properties of Dewey Order numbers, which cannot be implemented in other relevant existing schemes such as ORDPATH. Meanwhile, the proposed method also achieves lower storage consumption because it does not require either prefix schema or any reserved codes for node insertion. We performed experiments to evaluate and compare the performance and storage consumption of the proposed method with those of the ORDPATH method. Experimental results show that the execution times for extracting depth information and parent node labels using the C-DO-VLEI code are about 25% and 15% less, respectively, and the average label size using the C-DO-VLEI code is about 24% smaller, comparing with ORDPATH.

Efficient charge-carrier extraction from Ag₂S quantum dots prepared by the SILAR method for utilization of multiple exciton generation.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoliang; Liu, Jianhua; Johansson, Erik M J

2015-01-28

The utilization of electron-hole pairs (EHPs) generated from multiple excitons in quantum dots (QDs) is of great interest toward efficient photovoltaic devices and other optoelectronic devices; however, extraction of charge carriers remains difficult. Herein, we extract photocharges from Ag2S QDs and investigate the dependence of the electric field on the extraction of charges from multiple exciton generation (MEG). Low toxic Ag2S QDs are directly grown on TiO2 mesoporous substrates by employing the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The contact between QDs is important for the initial charge separation after MEG and for the carrier transport, and the space between neighbor QDs decreases with more SILAR cycles, resulting in better charge extraction. At the optimal electric field for extraction of photocharges, the results suggest that the threshold energy (hνth) for MEG is 2.41Eg. The results reveal that Ag2S QD is a promising material for efficient extraction of charges from MEG and that QDs prepared by SILAR have an advantageous electrical contact facilitating charge separation and extraction.

Promoter classifier: software package for promoter database analysis.

PubMed

Gershenzon, Naum I; Ioshikhes, Ilya P

2005-01-01

Promoter Classifier is a package of seven stand-alone Windows-based C++ programs allowing the following basic manipulations with a set of promoter sequences: (i) calculation of positional distributions of nucleotides averaged over all promoters of the dataset; (ii) calculation of the averaged occurrence frequencies of the transcription factor binding sites and their combinations; (iii) division of the dataset into subsets of sequences containing or lacking certain promoter elements or combinations; (iv) extraction of the promoter subsets containing or lacking CpG islands around the transcription start site; and (v) calculation of spatial distributions of the promoter DNA stacking energy and bending stiffness. All programs have a user-friendly interface and provide the results in a convenient graphical form. The Promoter Classifier package is an effective tool for various basic manipulations with eukaryotic promoter sequences that usually are necessary for analysis of large promoter datasets. The program Promoter Divider is described in more detail as a representative component of the package.

Efficient Execution Methods of Pivoting for Bulk Extraction of Entity-Attribute-Value-Modeled Data

PubMed Central

Luo, Gang; Frey, Lewis J.

2017-01-01

Entity-attribute-value (EAV) tables are widely used to store data in electronic medical records and clinical study data management systems. Before they can be used by various analytical (e.g., data mining and machine learning) programs, EAV-modeled data usually must be transformed into conventional relational table format through pivot operations. This time-consuming and resource-intensive process is often performed repeatedly on a regular basis, e.g., to provide a daily refresh of the content in a clinical data warehouse. Thus, it would be beneficial to make pivot operations as efficient as possible. In this paper, we present three techniques for improving the efficiency of pivot operations: 1) filtering out EAV tuples related to unneeded clinical parameters early on; 2) supporting pivoting across multiple EAV tables; and 3) conducting multi-query optimization. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques through implementation. We show that our optimized execution method of pivoting using these techniques significantly outperforms the current basic execution method of pivoting. Our techniques can be used to build a data extraction tool to simplify the specification of and improve the efficiency of extracting data from the EAV tables in electronic medical records and clinical study data management systems. PMID:25608318

Variations in algorithm implementation among quantitative texture analysis software packages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foy, Joseph J.; Mitta, Prerana; Nowosatka, Lauren R.; Mendel, Kayla R.; Li, Hui; Giger, Maryellen L.; Al-Hallaq, Hania; Armato, Samuel G.

2018-02-01

Open-source texture analysis software allows for the advancement of radiomics research. Variations in texture features, however, result from discrepancies in algorithm implementation. Anatomically matched regions of interest (ROIs) that captured normal breast parenchyma were placed in the magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 20 patients at two time points. Six first-order features and six gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) features were calculated for each ROI using four texture analysis packages. Features were extracted using package-specific default GLCM parameters and using GLCM parameters modified to yield the greatest consistency among packages. Relative change in the value of each feature between time points was calculated for each ROI. Distributions of relative feature value differences were compared across packages. Absolute agreement among feature values was quantified by the intra-class correlation coefficient. Among first-order features, significant differences were found for max, range, and mean, and only kurtosis showed poor agreement. All six second-order features showed significant differences using package-specific default GLCM parameters, and five second-order features showed poor agreement; with modified GLCM parameters, no significant differences among second-order features were found, and all second-order features showed poor agreement. While relative texture change discrepancies existed across packages, these differences were not significant when consistent parameters were used.

Antioxidant effect of an innovative active plastic film containing olive leaves extract on fresh pork meat and its evaluation by Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Moudache, M; Nerín, C; Colon, M; Zaidi, F

2017-08-15

An antioxidant food packaging material was developed and applied to fresh minced pork meat. The material consists of a multilayer polyethylene film in which 4 different concentrations (2%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of olive leaves (OL) extract were immobilized in an adhesive formula used to build the multilayer. The antioxidants were not in direct contact with the meat. The packaged meat was kept at 4°C during 16days and finally analyzed by two methods: Raman spectroscopy and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Raman demonstrated a higher sensitivity for antioxidant evaluation than TBARS. Color of fresh meat packaged with the active film was also measured to evaluate the shelf life of packaged meat. The results showed that active film containing natural antioxidants efficiently enhanced the stability of fresh meat against oxidation processes, thus being a promising way to extend the shelf life of fresh minced meat for about two days. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Biodegradation of PVP-CMC hydrogel film: a useful food packaging material.

PubMed

Roy, Niladri; Saha, Nabanita; Kitano, Takeshi; Saha, Petr

2012-06-20

Hydrogels can offer new opportunities for the design of efficient packaging materials with desirable properties (i.e. durability, biodegradability and mechanical strength). It is a promising and emerging concept, as most of the biopolymer based hydrogels are supposed to be biodegradable, they can be considered as alternative eco-friendly packaging materials. This article reports about synthetic (polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)) and biopolymer (carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)) based a novel hydrogel film and its nature of biodegradability under controlled environmental condition. The dry hydrogel films were prepared by solution casting method and designated as 'PVP-CMC hydrogel films'. The hydrogel film containing PVP and CMC in a ratio of 20:80 shows best mechanical properties among all the test samples (i.e. 10:90, 20:80, 50:50, 80:20 and 90:10). Thus, PVP-CMC hydrogel film of 20:80 was considered as a useful food packaging material and further experiments were carried out with this particular hydrogel film. Biodegradation of the PVP-CMC hydrogel films were studied in liquid state (Czapec-Dox liquid medium+soil extracts) until 8 weeks. Variation in mechanical, viscoelastic properties and weight loss of the hydrogel films with time provide the direct evidence of biodegradation of the hydrogels. About 38% weight loss was observed within 8 weeks. FTIR spectra of the hydrogel films (before and after biodegradation) show shifts of the peaks and also change in the peak intensities, which refer to the physico-chemical change in the hydrogel structure and SEM views of the hydrogels show how internal structure of the PVP-CMC film changes in the course of biodegradation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of the clean-up efficiency of the solid-phase extraction of rosemary extracts: Application of full-factorial design in hyphenation with Gaussian peak fit function.

PubMed

Meischl, Florian; Kirchler, Christian Günter; Jäger, Michael Andreas; Huck, Christian Wolfgang; Rainer, Matthias

2018-02-01

We present a novel method for the quantitative determination of the clean-up efficiency to provide a calculated parameter for peak purity through iterative fitting in conjunction with design of experiments. Rosemary extracts were used and analyzed before and after solid-phase extraction using a self-fabricated mixed-mode sorbent based on poly(N-vinylimidazole/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate). Optimization was performed by variation of washing steps using a full three-level factorial design and response surface methodology. Separation efficiency of rosmarinic acid from interfering compounds was calculated using an iterative fit of Gaussian-like signals and quantifications were performed by the separate integration of the two interfering peak areas. Results and recoveries were analyzed using Design-Expert® software and revealed significant differences between the washing steps. Optimized parameters were considered and used for all further experiments. Furthermore, the solid-phase extraction procedure was tested and compared with commercial available sorbents. In contrast to generic protocols of the manufacturers, the optimized procedure showed excellent recoveries and clean-up rates for the polymer with ion exchange properties. Finally, rosemary extracts from different manufacturing areas and application types were studied to verify the developed method for its applicability. The cleaned-up extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for detailed compound evaluation to exclude any interference from coeluting molecules. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of stability of allergen extracts for sublingual immunotherapy during transport under unfavourable temperature conditions with an innovative thermal insulating packaging.

PubMed

Puccinelli, P; Natoli, V; Dell'albani, I; Scurati, S; Incorvaia, C; Barbieri, S; Masieri, S; Frati, F

2013-10-01

Many pharmaceutical and biotechnological products are temperature-sensitive and should normally be kept at a controlled temperature, particularly during transport, in order to prevent the loss of their stability and activity. Therefore, stability studies should be performed for temperature-sensitive products, considering product characteristics, typical environmental conditions, and anticipating environmental extremes that may occur during product transport in a specific country. Staloral products for sublingual immunotherapy are temperature sensitive and are labelled for maintenance under refrigerated conditions (2-8°C). Given the peculiar climatic context of Italy and the great temperature fluctuations that may occur during transport, this study was aimed at evaluating the impact of a new engineered thermal insulating packaging for Staloral. In particular, the purpose was to assess whether the new packaging could create a container condition able to preserve the stability and immunological activity of the product during the transport phase throughout Italy. The results showed that the range of temperatures that can affect the product, in the area surrounding the product packaging, may reach a peak of 63°C during transport under the most unfavourable climatic conditions, i.e. in a non-refrigerated van during the summer season, from the site of production in France to the patient's house in Catania, the city with the highest temperatures in Italy. However, the highest temperature reached inside the vaccine did not exceed 45°C over a period of about 2 h. The ELISA inhibition test on samples subjected to the extreme temperature conditions previously defined (45°C) showed an immunological activity higher than 75% of that initially measured and was comparable to those obtained with samples stored at controlled temperature (5°C). This means that, even in the worst case scenario, the structure of the allergen extracts is not influenced and the vaccine potency is

Seawater-Cultured Botryococcus braunii for Efficient Hydrocarbon Extraction

PubMed Central

Furuhashi, Kenichi; Saga, Kiyotaka; Okada, Shigeru; Imou, Kenji

2013-01-01

As a potential source of biofuel, the green colonial microalga Botryococcus braunii produces large amounts of hydrocarbons that are accumulated in the extracellular matrix. Generally, pretreatment such as drying or heating of wet algae is needed for sufficient recoveries of hydrocarbons from B. braunii using organic solvents. In this study, the Showa strain of B. braunii was cultured in media derived from the modified Chu13 medium by supplying artificial seawater, natural seawater, or NaCl. After a certain period of culture in the media with an osmotic pressure corresponding to 1/4-seawater, hydrocarbon recovery rates exceeding 90% were obtained by simply mixing intact wet algae with n-hexane without any pretreatments and the results using the present culture conditions indicate the potential for hydrocarbon milking. Highlights Seawater was used for efficient hydrocarbon extraction from Botryococcus braunii. The alga was cultured in media prepared with seawater or NaCl. Hydrocarbon recovery rate exceeding 90% was obtained without any pretreatment. PMID:23799107

Seawater-cultured Botryococcus braunii for efficient hydrocarbon extraction.

PubMed

Furuhashi, Kenichi; Saga, Kiyotaka; Okada, Shigeru; Imou, Kenji

2013-01-01

As a potential source of biofuel, the green colonial microalga Botryococcus braunii produces large amounts of hydrocarbons that are accumulated in the extracellular matrix. Generally, pretreatment such as drying or heating of wet algae is needed for sufficient recoveries of hydrocarbons from B. braunii using organic solvents. In this study, the Showa strain of B. braunii was cultured in media derived from the modified Chu13 medium by supplying artificial seawater, natural seawater, or NaCl. After a certain period of culture in the media with an osmotic pressure corresponding to 1/4-seawater, hydrocarbon recovery rates exceeding 90% were obtained by simply mixing intact wet algae with n-hexane without any pretreatments and the results using the present culture conditions indicate the potential for hydrocarbon milking. Seawater was used for efficient hydrocarbon extraction from Botryococcus braunii. The alga was cultured in media prepared with seawater or NaCl. Hydrocarbon recovery rate exceeding 90% was obtained without any pretreatment.

Qualification and Reliability for MEMS and IC Packages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghaffarian, Reza

2004-01-01

Advanced IC electronic packages are moving toward miniaturization from two key different approaches, front and back-end processes, each with their own challenges. Successful use of more of the back-end process front-end, e.g. microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) Wafer Level Package (WLP), enable reducing size and cost. Use of direct flip chip die is the most efficient approach if and when the issues of know good die and board/assembly are resolved. Wafer level package solve the issue of known good die by enabling package test, but it has its own limitation, e.g., the I/O limitation, additional cost, and reliability. From the back-end approach, system-in-a-package (SIAP/SIP) development is a response to an increasing demand for package and die integration of different functions into one unit to reduce size and cost and improve functionality. MEMS add another challenging dimension to electronic packaging since they include moving mechanical elements. Conventional qualification and reliability need to be modified and expanded in most cases in order to detect new unknown failures. This paper will review four standards that already released or being developed that specifically address the issues on qualification and reliability of assembled packages. Exposures to thermal cycles, monotonic bend test, mechanical shock and drop are covered in these specifications. Finally, mechanical and thermal cycle qualification data generated for MEMS accelerometer will be presented. The MEMS was an element of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) qualified for NASA Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs), Spirit and Opportunity that successfully is currently roaring the Martian surface

Evaluation of two spike-and-recovery controls for assessment of extraction efficiency in microbial source tracking studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoeckel, D.M.; Stelzer, E.A.; Dick, L.K.

2009-01-01

Quantitative PCR (qPCR), applied to complex environmental samples such as water, wastewater, and feces, is susceptible to methodological and sample related biases. In this study, we evaluated two exogenous DNA spike-and-recovery controls as proxies for recovery efficiency of Bacteroidales 16S rDNA gene sequences (AllBac and qHF183) that are used for microbial source tracking (MST) in river water. Two controls-(1) the plant pathogen Pantoea stewartii, carrying the chromosomal target gene cpsD, and (2) Escherichia coli, carrying the plasmid-borne target gene DsRed2-were added to raw water samples immediately prior to concentration and DNA extraction for qPCR. When applied to samples processed in replicate, recovery of each control was positively correlated with the observed concentration of each MST marker. Adjustment of MST marker concentrations according to recovery efficiency reduced variability in replicate analyses when consistent processing and extraction methodologies were applied. Although the effects of this procedure on accuracy could not be tested due to uncertainties in control DNA concentrations, the observed reduction in variability should improve the strength of statistical comparisons. These findings suggest that either of the tested spike-and-recovery controls can be useful to measure efficiency of extraction and recovery in routine laboratory processing. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

A highly efficient bead extraction technique with low bead number for digital microfluidic immunoassay

PubMed Central

Tsai, Po-Yen; Lee, I-Chin; Hsu, Hsin-Yun; Huang, Hong-Yuan; Fan, Shih-Kang; Liu, Cheng-Hsien

2016-01-01

Here, we describe a technique to manipulate a low number of beads to achieve high washing efficiency with zero bead loss in the washing process of a digital microfluidic (DMF) immunoassay. Previously, two magnetic bead extraction methods were reported in the DMF platform: (1) single-side electrowetting method and (2) double-side electrowetting method. The first approach could provide high washing efficiency, but it required a large number of beads. The second approach could reduce the required number of beads, but it was inefficient where multiple washes were required. More importantly, bead loss during the washing process was unavoidable in both methods. Here, an improved double-side electrowetting method is proposed for bead extraction by utilizing a series of unequal electrodes. It is shown that, with proper electrode size ratio, only one wash step is required to achieve 98% washing rate without any bead loss at bead number less than 100 in a droplet. It allows using only about 25 magnetic beads in DMF immunoassay to increase the number of captured analytes on each bead effectively. In our human soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNF-RI) model immunoassay, the experimental results show that, comparing to our previous results without using the proposed bead extraction technique, the immunoassay with low bead number significantly enhances the fluorescence signal to provide a better limit of detection (3.14 pg/ml) with smaller reagent volumes (200 nl) and shorter analysis time (<1 h). This improved bead extraction technique not only can be used in the DMF immunoassay but also has great potential to be used in any other bead-based DMF systems for different applications. PMID:26858807

Investigation of factors influencing chloride extraction efficiency during electrochemical chloride extraction from reinforcing concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharp, Stephen R.

2005-11-01

residue revealed that it contains calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, and other yet unidentified minor components when calcium hydroxide was used as the electrolyte. The surface film can be completely removed mechanically or to some extent inhibited chemically, with both of these processes resulting in an increase in the efficiency of the electrochemical chloride extraction process. In addition, an obvious relationship between the cover depth, water-to-cement ratio, and chloride extraction efficiency does not exist, however, cover depth does influence the current density. The final phase of this study will be presented in a VTRC/FHWA final report. This report will include the results that are presented in this dissertation, in addition to the results from the ongoing research. It will also include an estimation of the additional service life that can be expected following treatment.

Development of an Efficient Entire-Capsid-Coding-Region Amplification Method for Direct Detection of Poliovirus from Stool Extracts

PubMed Central

Kilpatrick, David R.; Nakamura, Tomofumi; Burns, Cara C.; Bukbuk, David; Oderinde, Soji B.; Oberste, M. Steven; Kew, Olen M.; Pallansch, Mark A.; Shimizu, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

Laboratory diagnosis has played a critical role in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since 1988, by isolating and identifying poliovirus (PV) from stool specimens by using cell culture as a highly sensitive system to detect PV. In the present study, we aimed to develop a molecular method to detect PV directly from stool extracts, with a high efficiency comparable to that of cell culture. We developed a method to efficiently amplify the entire capsid coding region of human enteroviruses (EVs) including PV. cDNAs of the entire capsid coding region (3.9 kb) were obtained from as few as 50 copies of PV genomes. PV was detected from the cDNAs with an improved PV-specific real-time reverse transcription-PCR system and nucleotide sequence analysis of the VP1 coding region. For assay validation, we analyzed 84 stool extracts that were positive for PV in cell culture and detected PV genomes from 100% of the extracts (84/84 samples) with this method in combination with a PV-specific extraction method. PV could be detected in 2/4 stool extract samples that were negative for PV in cell culture. In PV-positive samples, EV species C viruses were also detected with high frequency (27% [23/86 samples]). This method would be useful for direct detection of PV from stool extracts without using cell culture. PMID:25339406

Efficacy of Antimicrobial Agents for Food Contact Applications: Biological Activity, Incorporation into Packaging, and Assessment Methods: A Review.

PubMed

Mousavi Khaneghah, Amin; Hashemi, Seyed Mohammad Bagher; Eş, Ismail; Fracassetti, Daniela; Limbo, Sara

2018-07-01

Interest in the utilization of antimicrobial active packaging for food products has increased in recent years. Antimicrobial active packaging involves the incorporation of antimicrobial compounds into packaging materials, with the aim of maintaining or extending food quality and shelf life. Plant extracts, essential oils, organic acids, bacteriocins, inorganic substances, enzymes, and proteins are used as antimicrobial agents in active packaging. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of packaging materials using different methods has become a critical issue for both food safety and the commercial utilization of such packaging technology. This article reviews the different types of antimicrobial agents used for active food packaging materials, the main incorporation techniques, and the assessment methods used to examine the antimicrobial activity of packaging materials, taking into account their safety as food contact materials.

Magnetic hydrophilic-lipophilic balance sorbent for efficient extraction of chemical warfare agents from water samples.

PubMed

Singh, Varoon; Purohit, Ajay Kumar; Chinthakindi, Sridhar; Goud D, Raghavender; Tak, Vijay; Pardasani, Deepak; Shrivastava, Anchal Roy; Dubey, Devendra Kumar

2016-02-19

Magnetic hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (MHLB) hybrid resin was prepared by precipitation polymerization using N-vinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and divinylbenzene (DVB) as monomers and Fe2O3 nanoparticles as magnetic material. These resins were successfully applied for the extraction of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and their markers from water samples through magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction (MDSPE). By varying the ratios of monomers, resin with desired hydrophilic-lipophilic balance was prepared for the extraction of CWAs and related esters of varying polarities. Amongst different composites Fe2O3 nanoparticles coated with 10% PVP+90% DVB exhibited the best recoveries varying between 70.32 and 97.67%. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiencies, such as extraction time, desorption time, nature and volume of desorption solvent, amount of extraction sorbent and the effect of salts on extraction were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, linearity was obtained in the range of 0.5-500 ng mL(-1) with correlation ranging from 0.9911-0.9980. Limits of detection and limits of quantification were 0.5-1.0 and 3.0-5.0 ng mL(-1) respectively with RSDs varying from 4.88-11.32% for markers of CWAs. Finally, the developed MDSPE method was employed for extraction of analytes from water samples of various sources and the OPCW proficiency test samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GERMINATOR: a software package for high-throughput scoring and curve fitting of Arabidopsis seed germination.

PubMed

Joosen, Ronny V L; Kodde, Jan; Willems, Leo A J; Ligterink, Wilco; van der Plas, Linus H W; Hilhorst, Henk W M

2010-04-01

Over the past few decades seed physiology research has contributed to many important scientific discoveries and has provided valuable tools for the production of high quality seeds. An important instrument for this type of research is the accurate quantification of germination; however gathering cumulative germination data is a very laborious task that is often prohibitive to the execution of large experiments. In this paper we present the germinator package: a simple, highly cost-efficient and flexible procedure for high-throughput automatic scoring and evaluation of germination that can be implemented without the use of complex robotics. The germinator package contains three modules: (i) design of experimental setup with various options to replicate and randomize samples; (ii) automatic scoring of germination based on the color contrast between the protruding radicle and seed coat on a single image; and (iii) curve fitting of cumulative germination data and the extraction, recap and visualization of the various germination parameters. The curve-fitting module enables analysis of general cumulative germination data and can be used for all plant species. We show that the automatic scoring system works for Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica spp. seeds, but is likely to be applicable to other species, as well. In this paper we show the accuracy, reproducibility and flexibility of the germinator package. We have successfully applied it to evaluate natural variation for salt tolerance in a large population of recombinant inbred lines and were able to identify several quantitative trait loci for salt tolerance. Germinator is a low-cost package that allows the monitoring of several thousands of germination tests, several times a day by a single person.

Heat and Bleach: A Cost-Efficient Method for Extracting Microplastics from Return Activated Sludge.

PubMed

Sujathan, Surya; Kniggendorf, Ann-Kathrin; Kumar, Arun; Roth, Bernhard; Rosenwinkel, Karl-Heinz; Nogueira, Regina

2017-11-01

The extraction of plastic microparticles, so-called microplastics, from sludge is a challenging task due to the complex, highly organic material often interspersed with other benign microparticles. The current procedures for microplastic extraction from sludge are time consuming and require expensive reagents for density separation as well as large volumes of oxidizing agents for organic removal, often resulting in tiny sample sizes and thus a disproportional risk of sample bias. In this work, we present an improved extraction method tested on return activated sludge (RAS). The treatment of 100 ml of RAS requires only 6% hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) for bleaching at 70 °C, followed by density separation with sodium nitrate/sodium thiosulfate (SNT) solution, and is completed within 24 h. Extracted particles of all sizes were chemically analyzed with confocal Raman microscopy. An extraction efficiency of 78 ± 8% for plastic particle sizes 20 µm and up was confirmed in a recovery experiment. However, glass shards with a diameter of less than 20 µm remained in the sample despite the density of glass exceeding the density of the separating SNT solution by 1.1 g/cm 3 . This indicates that density separation may be unreliable for particle sizes in the lower micrometer range.

Graded Heterojunction Engineering for Hole-Conductor-Free Perovskite Solar Cells with High Hole Extraction Efficiency and Conductivity.

PubMed

Li, Bo; Zhang, Yanan; Zhang, Luyuan; Yin, Longwei

2017-10-01

Despite great progress in the photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the large-scale application of PSCs still faces serious challenges due to the poor-stability and high-cost of the spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer (HTL). It is of great fundamental importance to rationally address the issues of hole extraction and transfer arising from HTL-free PSCs. Herein, a brand-new PSC architecture is designed by introducing multigraded-heterojunction (GHJ) inorganic perovskite CsPbBr x I 3- x layers as an efficient HTL. The grade adjustment can be achieved by precisely tuning the halide proportion and distribution in the CsPbBr x I 3- x film to reach an optimal energy alignment of the valance and conduction band between MAPbI 3 and CsPbBr x I 3- x . The CsPbBr x I 3- x GHJ as an efficient HTL can induce an electric field where a valance/conduction band edge is leveraged to bend at the heterojunction interface, boosting the interfacial electron-hole splitting and photoelectron extraction. The GHJ architecture enhances the hole extraction and conduction efficiency from the MAPbI 3 to the counter electrode, decreases the recombination loss during the hole transfer, and benefits in increasing the open-circuit voltage. The optimized HTL-free PCS based on the GHJ architecture demonstrates an outstanding thermal stability and a significantly improved PCE of 11.33%, nearly 40% increase compared with 8.16% for pure HTL-free devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Package-X 2.0: A Mathematica package for the analytic calculation of one-loop integrals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Hiren H.

2017-09-01

This article summarizes new features and enhancements of the first major update of Package-X. Package-X 2.0 can now generate analytic expressions for arbitrarily high rank dimensionally regulated tensor integrals with up to four distinct propagators, each with arbitrary integer weight, near an arbitrary even number of spacetime dimensions, giving UV divergent, IR divergent, and finite parts at (almost) any real-valued kinematic point. Additionally, it can generate multivariable Taylor series expansions of these integrals around any non-singular kinematic point to arbitrary order. All special functions and abbreviations output by Package-X 2.0 support Mathematica's arbitrary precision evaluation capabilities to deal with issues of numerical stability. Finally, tensor algebraic routines of Package-X have been polished and extended to support open fermion chains both on and off shell. The documentation (equivalent to over 100 printed pages) is accessed through Mathematica's Wolfram Documentation Center and contains information on all Package-X symbols, with over 300 basic usage examples, 3 project-scale tutorials, and instructions on linking to FEYNCALC and LOOPTOOLS. Program files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/yfkwrd4d5t.1 Licensing provisions: CC by 4.0 Programming language: Mathematica (Wolfram Language) Journal reference of previous version: H. H. Patel, Comput. Phys. Commun 197, 276 (2015) Does the new version supersede the previous version?: Yes Summary of revisions: Extension to four point one-loop integrals with higher powers of denominator factors, separate extraction of UV and IR divergent parts, testing for power IR divergences, construction of Taylor series expansions of one-loop integrals, numerical evaluation with arbitrary precision arithmetic, manipulation of fermion chains, improved tensor algebraic routines, and much expanded documentation. Nature of problem: Analytic calculation of one-loop integrals in relativistic quantum field theory. Solution

Combination of counterpropagation artificial neural networks and antioxidant activities for comprehensive evaluation of associated-extraction efficiency of various cyclodextrins in the traditional Chinese formula Xue-Zhi-Ning.

PubMed

Sun, Lili; Yang, Jianwen; Wang, Meng; Zhang, Huijie; Liu, Yanan; Ren, Xiaoliang; Qi, Aidi

2015-11-10

Xue-Zhi-Ning (XZN) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine formula to treat hyperlipidemia. Recently, cyclodextrins (CDs) have been extensively used to minimize problems relative to medicine bioavailability, such as low solubility and poor stability. The objective of this study was to determine the associated-extraction efficiency of various CDs in XZN. Three various type CDs were evaluated, including native CDs (α-CD, β-CD), hydrophilic CD derivatives (HP-β-CD and Me-β-CD), and ionic CD derivatives (SBE-β-CD and CM-β-CD). An ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) fingerprint was applied to determine the components in CD extracts and original aqueous extract (OAE). A counterpropagation artificial neural network (CP-ANN) was used to analyze the components in different extracts and compare the selective extraction of various CDs. Extraction efficiencies of the various CDs in terms of extracted components follow the ranking, ionic CD derivatives>hydrophilic CD derivatives>native CDs>OAE. Besides, different types of CDs have their own selective extraction and ionic CD derivatives present the strongest associated-extraction efficiency. Antioxidant potentials of various extracts were evaluated by determining the inhibition of spontaneous, H2O2-induced, CCl4-induced and Fe(2+)/ascorbic acid-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) and analyzing the scavenging capacity for DPPH and hydroxyl radicals. The order of extraction efficiencies of the various CDs relative to antioxidant activities is as follows: SBE-β-CD>CM-β-CD>HP-β-CD>Me-β-CD>β-CD>α-CD. It can be demonstrated that all of the CDs studied increase the extraction efficiency and that ionic CD derivatives (SBE-β-CD and CM-β-CD) present the highest extraction capability in terms of amount extracted and antioxidant activities of extracts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DEsubs: an R package for flexible identification of differentially expressed subpathways using RNA-seq experiments.

PubMed

Vrahatis, Aristidis G; Balomenos, Panos; Tsakalidis, Athanasios K; Bezerianos, Anastasios

2016-12-15

DEsubs is a network-based systems biology R package that extracts disease-perturbed subpathways within a pathway network as recorded by RNA-seq experiments. It contains an extensive and customized framework with a broad range of operation modes at all stages of the subpathway analysis, enabling so a case-specific approach. The operation modes include pathway network construction and processing, subpathway extraction, visualization and enrichment analysis with regard to various biological and pharmacological features. Its capabilities render DEsubs a tool-guide for both the modeler and experimentalist for the identification of more robust systems-level drug targets and biomarkers for complex diseases. DEsubs is implemented as an R package following Bioconductor guidelines: http://bioconductor.org/packages/DEsubs/ CONTACT: tassos.bezerianos@nus.edu.sgSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of pyrite and sphalerite on population compositions, dynamics and copper extraction efficiency in chalcopyrite bioleaching process.

PubMed

Xiao, Yunhua; Liu, Xueduan; Dong, Weiling; Liang, Yili; Niu, Jiaojiao; Gu, Yabing; Ma, Liyuan; Hao, Xiaodong; Zhang, Xian; Xu, Zhen; Yin, Huaqun

2017-07-01

This study used an artificial microbial community with four known moderately thermophilic acidophiles (three bacteria including Acidithiobacillus caldus S1, Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans ST and Leptospirillum ferriphilum YSK, and one archaea, Ferroplasma thermophilum L1) to explore the variation of microbial community structure, composition, dynamics and function (e.g., copper extraction efficiency) in chalcopyrite bioleaching (C) systems with additions of pyrite (CP) or sphalerite (CS). The community compositions and dynamics in the solution and on the ore surface were investigated by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The results showed that the addition of pyrite or sphalerite changed the microbial community composition and dynamics dramatically during the chalcopyrite bioleaching process. For example, A. caldus (above 60%) was the dominant species at the initial stage in three groups, and at the middle stage, still dominated C group (above 70%), but it was replaced by L. ferriphilum (above 60%) in CP and CS groups; at the final stage, L. ferriphilum dominated C group, while F. thermophilum dominated CP group on the ore surface. Furthermore, the additions of pyrite or sphalerite both made the increase of redox potential (ORP) and the concentrations of Fe 3+ and H + , which would affect the microbial community compositions and copper extraction efficiency. Additionally, pyrite could enhance copper extraction efficiency (e.g., improving around 13.2% on day 6) during chalcopyrite bioleaching; on the contrary, sphalerite restrained it.

Feature extraction using first and second derivative extrema (FSDE) for real-time and hardware-efficient spike sorting.

PubMed

Paraskevopoulou, Sivylla E; Barsakcioglu, Deren Y; Saberi, Mohammed R; Eftekhar, Amir; Constandinou, Timothy G

2013-04-30

Next generation neural interfaces aspire to achieve real-time multi-channel systems by integrating spike sorting on chip to overcome limitations in communication channel capacity. The feasibility of this approach relies on developing highly efficient algorithms for feature extraction and clustering with the potential of low-power hardware implementation. We are proposing a feature extraction method, not requiring any calibration, based on first and second derivative features of the spike waveform. The accuracy and computational complexity of the proposed method are quantified and compared against commonly used feature extraction methods, through simulation across four datasets (with different single units) at multiple noise levels (ranging from 5 to 20% of the signal amplitude). The average classification error is shown to be below 7% with a computational complexity of 2N-3, where N is the number of sample points of each spike. Overall, this method presents a good trade-off between accuracy and computational complexity and is thus particularly well-suited for hardware-efficient implementation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of an efficient entire-capsid-coding-region amplification method for direct detection of poliovirus from stool extracts.

PubMed

Arita, Minetaro; Kilpatrick, David R; Nakamura, Tomofumi; Burns, Cara C; Bukbuk, David; Oderinde, Soji B; Oberste, M Steven; Kew, Olen M; Pallansch, Mark A; Shimizu, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

Laboratory diagnosis has played a critical role in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since 1988, by isolating and identifying poliovirus (PV) from stool specimens by using cell culture as a highly sensitive system to detect PV. In the present study, we aimed to develop a molecular method to detect PV directly from stool extracts, with a high efficiency comparable to that of cell culture. We developed a method to efficiently amplify the entire capsid coding region of human enteroviruses (EVs) including PV. cDNAs of the entire capsid coding region (3.9 kb) were obtained from as few as 50 copies of PV genomes. PV was detected from the cDNAs with an improved PV-specific real-time reverse transcription-PCR system and nucleotide sequence analysis of the VP1 coding region. For assay validation, we analyzed 84 stool extracts that were positive for PV in cell culture and detected PV genomes from 100% of the extracts (84/84 samples) with this method in combination with a PV-specific extraction method. PV could be detected in 2/4 stool extract samples that were negative for PV in cell culture. In PV-positive samples, EV species C viruses were also detected with high frequency (27% [23/86 samples]). This method would be useful for direct detection of PV from stool extracts without using cell culture. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Alternative and Efficient Extraction Methods for Marine-Derived Compounds

PubMed Central

Grosso, Clara; Valentão, Patrícia; Ferreres, Federico; Andrade, Paula B.

2015-01-01

Marine ecosystems cover more than 70% of the globe’s surface. These habitats are occupied by a great diversity of marine organisms that produce highly structural diverse metabolites as a defense mechanism. In the last decades, these metabolites have been extracted and isolated in order to test them in different bioassays and assess their potential to fight human diseases. Since traditional extraction techniques are both solvent- and time-consuming, this review emphasizes alternative extraction techniques, such as supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized solvent extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, pulsed electric field-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, and extraction with switchable solvents and ionic liquids, applied in the search for marine compounds. Only studies published in the 21st century are considered. PMID:26006714

Fabrication of Natural Sensitizer Extracted from Mixture of Purple Cabbage, Roselle, Wormwood and Seaweed with High Conversion Efficiency for DSSC.

PubMed

Chang, Ho; Lai, Xuan-Rong

2016-02-01

This study aims to deal with the influence of different solvent in extraction of natural sensitizer and different thickness of photoelectrode thin film on the photoelectric conversion efficiency and the electron transport properties for the prepared dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The natural dyes of anthocyanin and chlorophyll dyes are extracted from mixture of purple cabbage and roselle and mixture of wormwood and seaweed, respectively. The experimental results show the cocktail dye extracted with ethanol and rotating speed of spin coating at 1000 rpm can achieve the greatest photoelectric conversion efficiency up to 1.85%. Electrochemical impedance result shows that the effective diffusion coefficient for the prepared DSSC with the thickness of photoelectrode thin film at 21 microm are 5.23 x 10(-4) cm2/s.

A route to improved extraction efficiency of light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, H.; Shan, C. X.; Wang, L. K.; Yang, Y.; Zhang, J. Y.; Yao, B.; Shen, D. Z.; Fan, X. W.

2010-01-01

The electroluminescence from an n-MgZnO/i-ZnO/MgO/p-GaN asymmetric double heterojunction has been demonstrated. With the injection of electrons from n-MgZnO and holes from p-GaN, an intense ultraviolet emission coming from the ZnO active layer was observed. It is revealed that the emission intensity of the diode recorded from the MgZnO side is significantly larger than that from the MgO side because of the asymmetric waveguide structure formed by the lower refractive index of MgO than that of MgZnO. The asymmetric waveguide structure reported in this letter may promise a simple and effective route to light-emitting diodes with improved light-extraction efficiency.

An efficient microwave-assisted extraction process of stevioside and rebaudioside-A from Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni).

PubMed

Jaitak, Vikas; Bikram Singh, Bandna; Kaul, V K

2009-01-01

Stevioside and rebaudioside-A are major low-calorie diterpene steviol glycosides in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. They are widely used as natural sweeteners for diabetic patients, but the long extraction procedures required and the optimisation of product yield present challenging problems. To develop a rapid and effective methodology for the extraction of stevioside and rebaudioside-A from S. rebaudiana leaves and to compare yields using different extraction techniques. Dried and powdered leaves of S. rebaudiana were extracted by conventional, ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction techniques using methanol, ethanol and water as single solvents as well as in binary mixtures. Conventional cold extraction was performed at 25 degrees C for 12 h while ultrasound extraction was carried out at temperature of 35 +/- 5 degrees C for 30 min. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was carried out at a power level of 80 W for 1 min at 50 degrees C. MAE yielded 8.64 and 2.34% of stevioside and rebaudioside-A, respectively, while conventional and ultrasound techniques yielded 6.54 and 1.20%, and 4.20 and 1.98% of stevioside and rebaudioside-A, respectively. A rapid and efficient method has been developed for the extraction of stevioside and rebaudioside-A in optimum yields using MAE procedure. This method has the advantage of rapid extraction and fast screening of a large number of S. rebaudiana samples for assessment of planting material. MAE saves considerable time, energy and has implications in the quality assessment of stevioside and rebaudioside-A prior to their industrial production from the leaves of S. rebaudiana. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Efficient Light Extraction of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes on a Fully Solution-Processed Flexible Substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tong, Kwing; Liu, Xiaofeng; Zhao, Fangchao

A flexible, nanocomposite substrate for maximizing light outcoupling efficiencies of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is introduced. In depth investigation is performed on designing the integrated strategy based on considerations of surface conductivity, microcavity tuning, and internal light scattering. The resulting nanocomposite substrate consists of silver nanowires as the electrode and a high-index polymer layer and a light-scattering layer for light extraction. It is able to outcouple both the waveguide and the substrate modes, two modes accounting for significant losses in OLED device efficiency. With enhanced light outcoupling, white OLEDs subsequently fabricated on the nanocomposite substrates demonstrate performance metrics of 107more » lm W -1 power efficiency and 49% external quantum efficiency at 1000 cd m -2. Thus, the nanocomposite substrate is fabricated by solution processes at low temperatures for potentially low manufacturing cost.« less

Efficient Light Extraction of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes on a Fully Solution-Processed Flexible Substrate

DOE PAGES

Tong, Kwing; Liu, Xiaofeng; Zhao, Fangchao; ...

2017-07-18

A flexible, nanocomposite substrate for maximizing light outcoupling efficiencies of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is introduced. In depth investigation is performed on designing the integrated strategy based on considerations of surface conductivity, microcavity tuning, and internal light scattering. The resulting nanocomposite substrate consists of silver nanowires as the electrode and a high-index polymer layer and a light-scattering layer for light extraction. It is able to outcouple both the waveguide and the substrate modes, two modes accounting for significant losses in OLED device efficiency. With enhanced light outcoupling, white OLEDs subsequently fabricated on the nanocomposite substrates demonstrate performance metrics of 107more » lm W -1 power efficiency and 49% external quantum efficiency at 1000 cd m -2. Thus, the nanocomposite substrate is fabricated by solution processes at low temperatures for potentially low manufacturing cost.« less

Packaging system with cleaning channel and method of making the same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, Lu

A packaging structure and method for surface mount integrated circuits reduces electrochemical migration (ECM) problems by including one or more cleaning channels to effectively and efficiently remove flux residue that may otherwise remain lodged in gaps between the surface mount package and the printed circuit board. A cleaning channel may be formed along a bottom surface of the surface mount package (i.e., the surface facing the printed circuit board), or along a portion of a top surface of the printed circuit board. In either case, the inclusion of a cleaning channel enlarges the gap between the bottom surface of themore » surface mount package and the printed circuit board and creates a path for contaminants to be flushed out during a cleaning process.« less

Assessment of the Extraction Methods for Monitoring Phthalate Emerging Contaminants in Groundwater and Tap Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotto, I.; Padilla, I. Y.; De Jesús, N. H.; Torres, P. M.

2015-12-01

Trace organic contaminants such as phthalates, among other chemicals of emerging concerns, have not historically been considered as pollutants but are being detected in water, posing a potential risk to public health and the environment. One of the most common phthalates of particular concern is di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plasticizer normally found in plastics and consumer products, including: cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food packages, water bottles, and wiring cables. DEHP has been associated with preterm birth, a major cause of neonatal mortality and health complications. This study aims at monitoring the presence and concentration of DEHP and other phthalates in groundwater and tap water systems in Puerto Rico, which has one of the highest rates of preterm birth in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests a liquid-liquid extraction method that uses methylene chloride as the preferred organic solvent for the extractions. This work presents modified EPA methods that reduce the volume of sample and solvent used, lower the time of analysis, increase productivity, and decrease hazards and waste. Distribution coefficient of DEHP between methylene chloride and water are estimated and related to sample extraction efficiency. Research results indicate that DEHP is in fact distributed between water and methylene chloride with a distribution coefficient average value of 1.24. The study concludes that the sample and solvent volumes have influence on the efficiency but have not an effect on the distribution coefficient. The tests show higher extraction efficiencies for lower DEHP concentrations and higher extraction volumes. Results from the water analysis show presence of DEHP in 55% of groundwater and 44% of tap water samples, indicating a potential exposure through water.

Platform technologies for hybrid optoelectronic integration and packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datta, Madhumita

In order to bring fiber-optics closer to individual home and business services, the optical network components have to be inexpensive and reliable. Integration and packaging of optoelectronic devices holds the key to high-volume low-cost component manufacturing. The goal of this dissertation is to propose, study, and demonstrate various ways to integrate optoelectronic devices on a packaging platform to implement cost-effective, functional optical modules. Two types of hybrid integration techniques have been proposed: flip-chip solder bump bonding for high-density two-dimensional array packaging of surface-emitting devices, and solder preform bonding for fiber-coupled edge-emitting semiconductor devices. For flip-chip solder bump bonding, we developed a simple, inexpensive remetallization process called "electroless plating", which converts the aluminum bond pads of foundry-made complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chips into solder-bondable and wire-bondable gold surfaces. We have applied for a patent on this remetallization technique. For fiber-pigtailed edge-emitting laser modules, we have studied the coupling characteristics of different types of lensed single-mode fibers including semispherically lensed fiber, cylindrically lensed fiber and conically lensed fiber. We have experimentally demonstrated 66% coupling efficiency with semispherically lensed fiber and 50% efficiency with conically lensed fibers. We have proposed and designed a packaging platform on which lensed fibers can be actively aligned to a laser and solder-attached reliably to the platform so that the alignment is retained. We have designed thin-film nichrome heaters on fused quartz platforms as local heat source to facilitate on-board solder alignment and attachment of fiber. The thermal performance of the heaters was simulated using finite element analysis tool ANSYS prior to fabrication. Using the heater's reworkability advantage, we have estimated the shift of the fiber due to

Hi-Corrector: a fast, scalable and memory-efficient package for normalizing large-scale Hi-C data.

PubMed

Li, Wenyuan; Gong, Ke; Li, Qingjiao; Alber, Frank; Zhou, Xianghong Jasmine

2015-03-15

Genome-wide proximity ligation assays, e.g. Hi-C and its variant TCC, have recently become important tools to study spatial genome organization. Removing biases from chromatin contact matrices generated by such techniques is a critical preprocessing step of subsequent analyses. The continuing decline of sequencing costs has led to an ever-improving resolution of the Hi-C data, resulting in very large matrices of chromatin contacts. Such large-size matrices, however, pose a great challenge on the memory usage and speed of its normalization. Therefore, there is an urgent need for fast and memory-efficient methods for normalization of Hi-C data. We developed Hi-Corrector, an easy-to-use, open source implementation of the Hi-C data normalization algorithm. Its salient features are (i) scalability-the software is capable of normalizing Hi-C data of any size in reasonable times; (ii) memory efficiency-the sequential version can run on any single computer with very limited memory, no matter how little; (iii) fast speed-the parallel version can run very fast on multiple computing nodes with limited local memory. The sequential version is implemented in ANSI C and can be easily compiled on any system; the parallel version is implemented in ANSI C with the MPI library (a standardized and portable parallel environment designed for solving large-scale scientific problems). The package is freely available at http://zhoulab.usc.edu/Hi-Corrector/. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

[Rapid and efficient extraction of soluble proteins from gram-negative microorganisms without disruption of cell walls].

PubMed

Danilevich, V N; Petrovskaia, L E; Grishin, E V

2006-01-01

The ability of buffer solutions containing low concentrations of nonionic detergents (Triton X-100, Tween 20, Brij 58, and Lubrol PX) and the anionic detergent sodium deoxycholate, as well as mixtures of these detergents with chaeotropes (urea and guanidine hydrochloride), to extract intracellular proteins of Gram-negative microorganisms (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was studied. It was established that the solutions containing Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate and the mixtures of these detergents with urea are the most effective. It was shown that the extraction of proteins from bacterial cells under the studied conditions is not accompanied by a release of DNA into solution but is associated with extraction of low-molecular RNAs. The level of protein extraction reaches 80%. No disruption of the bacterial cell wall occurs during the extraction, and proteins probably permeate through meshes of the murein network. The efficiencies of our buffer mixtures are close to or higher than that of the commercial reagent CelLytic B (Sigma, United States). The practical uses of the chaeotropic mixtures developed are discussed.

49 CFR 173.24 - General requirements for packagings and packages.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) New packagings and packagings which are reused; and (3) Specification and non-specification packagings..., sufficient ullage (outage) must be left to ensure that neither leakage nor permanent distortion of the...

Efficient co-packaging and co-transport yields post-synaptic co-localization of neuromodulators associated with synaptic plasticity

PubMed Central

Lochner, J. E.; Spangler, E.; Chavarha, M.; Jacobs, C.; McAllister, K.; Schuttner, L. C.; Scalettar, B. A.

2009-01-01

Recent data suggest that tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) influences long-term plasticity at hippocampal synapses by converting plasminogen into plasmin, which then generates mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) from its precursor, proBDNF. Motivated by this hypothesis, we used fluorescent chimeras, expressed in hippocampal neurons, to elucidate (1) mechanisms underlying plasminogen secretion from hippocampal neurons, (2) if tPA, plasminogen, and proBDNF are co-packaged and co-transported in hippocampal neurons, especially within dendritic spines, and (3) mechanisms mediating the transport of these neuromodulators to sites of release. We find that plasminogen chimeras traffic through the regulated secretory pathway of hippocampal neurons in dense-core granules (DCGs) and that tPA, plasminogen, and proBDNF chimeras are extensively co-packaged in DCGs throughout hippocampal neurons. We also find that 80% of spines that contain DCGs contain chimeras of these neuromodulators in the same DCG. Finally, we demonstrate, for the first time, that neuromodulators undergo co-transport along dendrites in rapidly mobile DCGs, indicating that neuromodulators can be efficiently recruited into active spines. These results support the hypothesis that tPA mediates synaptic activation of BDNF by demonstrating that tPA, plasminogen, and proBDNF co-localize in DCGs in spines, where these neuromodulators can undergo activity-dependent release and then interact and/or mediate changes that influence synaptic efficacy. The results also raise the possibility that frequency-dependent changes in extents of neuromodulator release from DCGs influence the direction of plasticity at hippocampal synapses by altering the relative proportions of two proteins, mBDNF and proBDNF, that exert opposing effects on synaptic efficacy. PMID:18563704

Determination of bisphenol-type endocrine disrupting compounds in food-contact recycled-paper materials by focused ultrasonic solid-liquid extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Pérez-Palacios, David; Fernández-Recio, Miguel Ángel; Moreta, Cristina; Tena, María Teresa

2012-09-15

Focused ultrasonic solid-liquid extraction (FUSLE) and reverse-phase ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to a quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF-MS) was applied to the determination of bisphenol-type endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in food-contact recycled-paper materials. Recycled paper is a potential source of EDCs. Bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF) and their derivatives bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) are used for the production of epoxy resins employed in the formulation of printing inks. The FUSLE of bisphenol-type EDCs from packaging is reported for the first time. First, different extraction solvents were studied and methanol was selected. Then, the main FUSLE factors affecting the extraction efficiency (solvent volume, extraction time and ultrasonic irradiation power) were studied by means of a central composite design. The FUSLE conditions selected for further experiments were 20 ml of methanol at ultrasonic amplitude of 100% for 5s. Finally, the number of extraction cycles necessary for complete extraction was established in two. The analysis of the FUSLE extracts was carried out by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS with electrospray ionization and the determination of the four analytes took place in only 4 min. The FUSLE and UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS method was validated and applied to the analysis of different food-contact recycled-paper-based materials and packaging. The proposed method provided recoveries from 72% to 97%, repeatability and intermediate precision under 9% and 14%, respectively, and detection limits of 0.33, 0.16, 0.65 and 0.40 μg/g for BPA, BPF, BADGE and BFDGE, respectively. The analysis of paper and cardboard samples confirmed the presence of EDCs in these packaging. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly efficient micellar extraction of toxic picric acid into novel ionic liquid: Effect of parameters, solubilization isotherm, evaluation of thermodynamics and design parameters.

PubMed

Bhatt, Darshak R; Maheria, Kalpana C; Parikh, Jigisha K

2015-12-30

A simple and new approach in cloud point extraction (CPE) method was developed for removal of picric acid (PA) by the addition of N,N,N,N',N',N'-hexaethyl-ethane-1,2-diammonium dibromide ionic liquid (IL) in non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114 (TX-114). A significant increase in extraction efficiency was found upon the addition of dicationic ionic liquid (DIL) at both nearly neutral and high acidic pH. The effects of different operating parameters such as pH, temperature, time, concentration of surfactant, PA and DIL on extraction of PA were investigated and optimum conditions were established. The extraction mechanism was also proposed. A developed Langmuir isotherm was used to compute the feed surfactant concentration required for the removal of PA up to an extraction efficiency of 90%. The effects of temperature and concentration of surfactant on various thermodynamic parameters were examined. It was found that the values of ΔG° increased with temperature and decreased with surfactant concentration. The values of ΔH° and ΔS° increased with surfactant concentration. The developed approach for DIL mediated CPE has proved to be an efficient and green route for extraction of PA from water sample. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unit-dose packaged drugs for treating malaria.

PubMed

Orton, L; Barnish, G

2005-04-18

Unit-dose packaging of antimalarial drugs may improve malaria cure by making it easier for patients to take their treatment correctly. To summarize the effects of unit-dose packaged treatment on cure and treatment adherence in people with uncomplicated malaria. We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register (November 2004), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2004), MEDLINE (1966 to November 2004), EMBASE (1980 to November 2004), LILACS (November 2004), conference proceedings, and reference lists of articles. We also contacted pharmaceutical companies, organizations, and researchers in the field. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster-RCTs, quasi-RCTs, and controlled before-and-after studies of unit-dose packaged drugs for treating uncomplicated malaria. We independently assessed study eligibility and methodological quality, and extracted data for an intention to treat analysis, where possible. We combined binary data using relative risk (RR) and the fixed-effect model, and presented them with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We attempted to contact study authors for additional information. Three quasi-RCTs (895 participants) and one cluster-RCT (6 health facilities) met the inclusion criteria. Trials were of poor methodological quality, and none adequately assessed treatment failure. Unit-dose packaged drugs (in conjunction with prescriber training and patient information) appeared to be associated with higher participant-reported treatment adherence in all trials.A meta-analysis of two trials (596 participants) showed that participant-reported treatment adherence was higher with blister-packed tablets compared with tablets in paper envelopes (RR 1.18, 1.12 to 1.25). Two trials using tablets in sectioned polythene bags as the intervention also noted an increase in participant-reported treatment adherence: the cluster-RCT (6 clusters) compared it with tablets in paper envelopes, and the other trial compared it with syrup in bottles

Wheat extracts as an efficient cryoprotective agent for primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

PubMed

Hamel, Francine; Grondin, Mélanie; Denizeau, Francine; Averill-Bates, Diana A; Sarhan, Fathey

2006-11-05

Hepatocytes are an important physiological model for evaluation of metabolic and biological effects of xenobiotics. They do not proliferate in culture and are extremely sensitive to damage during freezing and thawing, even after the addition of classical cryoprotectants. Thus improved cryopreservation techniques are needed to reduce cell injury and functional impairment. Here, we describe a new and efficient cryopreservation method, which permits long-term storage and recovery of large quantities of healthy cells that maintain high hepatospecific functions. In culture, the morphology of hepatocytes cryopreserved with wheat protein extracts (WPE) was similar to that of fresh cells. Furthermore, hepatospecific functions such as albumin secretion and biotransformation of ammonium to urea were well maintained during 4 days in culture. Inductions of CYP1A1 and CYP2B in hepatocytes cryopreserved with WPEs were similar to those in fresh hepatocytes. These findings clearly show that WPEs are an excellent cryopreservant for primary hepatocytes. The extract was also found to cryopreserve other human and animal cell types such as lung carcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, Chinese hamster ovary transfected with TGF-b1 cDNA, cervical cancer taken from Henrietta Lacks, intestinal epithelium, and T cell leukemia. WPEs have potential as a universal cryopreservant agent of mammalian cells. It is an economic, efficient and non-toxic agent. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Determination of perfluorocompounds in popcorn packaging by pressurised liquid extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Martínez-Moral, María Pilar; Tena, María Teresa

2012-11-15

The development and characterisation of a method based on reverse-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to a quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF-MS) with negative electrospray ionisation (ESI) to determine perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in packaging is presented in this paper. Analytes were quantitatively recovered from packaging with methanol in only one PLE cycle of 6 min at 100 °C. The UPLC allowed the successful separation of the studied PFCs in less than 4 min. The whole method presented good precision, with RSDs below 8%, LODs from 0.6 to 16 ng g(-1); and excellent recovery values, around 100% in all cases, were achieved. The PLE-UPLC-MS method was applied to the analysis of popcorn packaging for microwave cooking. Besides the most commonly studied PFCs: PFOA and PFOS, the presence of other perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) in popcorn packaging is evidenced in this work. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling of efficient light extraction in light-pipes through specular surfaces with elliptical and lineal front shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Guerrero, Guillermo E.; Viera-González, Perla M.; Ceballos-Herrera, Daniel E.; Martínez-Guerra, Edgar

2016-09-01

Extraction light in light-pipes with different specular surfaces was analyzed. In the analysis, the impact of the surface shape in all properties of the extracted light in order to obtain an efficient extraction and a uniform illumination using a LED as light source. Also, several parameters of the specular surface to obtain spatial uniformity inside the light-pipe are considered. In this case, the simulation was made for a rectangular light­pipe. One objective of this work is to compare how the front face shape of the specular surface can affect the extraction of light in the lateral face of the light-pipe, only straight and elliptical front faces were used in this work and the comparison between them at different tilts and lengths were made. The main purpose of the front face was extract the light uniformly at the lateral face and this was done by studying simulations on OpticStudio Zemax. The results show how the extraction length is lower in the elliptical front but its total power performs better than the line front.

Enhanced Charge Extraction of Li-Doped TiO₂ for Efficient Thermal-Evaporated Sb₂S₃ Thin Film Solar Cells.

PubMed

Lan, Chunfeng; Luo, Jingting; Lan, Huabin; Fan, Bo; Peng, Huanxin; Zhao, Jun; Sun, Huibin; Zheng, Zhuanghao; Liang, Guangxing; Fan, Ping

2018-02-28

We provided a new method to improve the efficiency of Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells. The TiO₂ electron transport layers were doped by lithium to improve their charge extraction properties for the thermal-evaporated Sb₂S₃ solar cells. The Mott-Schottky curves suggested a change of energy band and faster charge transport in the Li-doped TiO₂ films. Compared with the undoped TiO₂, Li-doped mesoporous TiO₂ dramatically improved the photo-voltaic performance of the thermal-evaporated Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells, with the average power conversion efficiency ( PCE ) increasing from 1.79% to 4.03%, as well as the improved open-voltage ( V oc ), short-circuit current ( J sc ) and fill factors. The best device based on Li-doped TiO₂ achieved a power conversion efficiency up to 4.42% as well as a V oc of 0.645 V, which are the highest values among the reported thermal-evaporated Sb₂S₃ solar cells. This study showed that Li-doping on TiO₂ can effectively enhance the charge extraction properties of electron transport layers, offering a new strategy to improve the efficiency of Sb₂S₃-based solar cells.

A new glass option for parenteral packaging.

PubMed

Schaut, Robert A; Peanasky, John S; DeMartino, Steven E; Schiefelbein, Susan L

2014-01-01

Glass is the ideal material for parenteral packaging because of its chemical durability, hermeticity, strength, cleanliness, and transparency. Alkali borosilicate glasses have been used successfully for a long time, but they do have some issues relating to breakage, delamination, and variation in hydrolytic performance. In this paper, alkali aluminosilicate glasses are introduced as a possible alternative to alkali borosilicate glasses. An example alkali aluminosilicate glass is shown to meet the compendial requirements, and to have similar thermal, optical, and mechanical attributes as the current alkali borosilicate glasses. In addition, the alkali aluminosilicate performed as well or better than the current alkali borosilicates in extractables tests and stability studies, which suggests that it would be suitable for use with the studied liquid product formulation. The physical, mechanical, and optical properties of glass make it an ideal material for packaging injectable drugs and biologics. Alkali borosilicate glasses have been used successfully for a long time for these applications, but there are some issues. In this paper, alkali aluminosilicate glasses are introduced as a possible alternative to alkali borosilicate glasses. An example alkali aluminosilicate glass is shown to meet the requirements for packaging injectable drugs and biologics, and to be suitable for use with a particular liquid drug. © PDA, Inc. 2014.

Pre-Packaged Commercial PACE Financing Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wallander, Michael

The objective of this project was to demonstrate a more streamlined method for facilitating commercial property assessed clean energy (PACE) retrofits. The Recipient aimed to prove that energy efficiency performance of simple, pre-packaged technologies (e.g., lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)) can be accurately estimated without the need for a detailed energy audit. A successful project would inspire consumer confidence in undertaking cost-effective retrofits.

Advancements in meat packaging.

PubMed

McMillin, Kenneth W

2017-10-01

Packaging of meat provides the same or similar benefits for raw chilled and processed meats as other types of food packaging. Although air-permeable packaging is most prevalent for raw chilled red meat, vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging offer longer shelf life. The major advancements in meat packaging have been in the widely used plastic polymers while biobased materials and their integration into composite packaging are receiving much attention for functionality and sustainability. At this time, active and intelligent packaging are not widely used for antioxidant, antimicrobial, and other functions to stabilize and enhance meat properties although many options are being developed and investigated. The advances being made in nanotechnology will be incorporated into food packaging and presumably into meat packaging when appropriate and useful. Intelligent packaging using sensors for transmission of desired information and prompting of subsequent changes in packaging materials, environments or the products to maintain safety and quality are still in developmental stages. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of an efficient ultrasound assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) seeds.

PubMed

Corbin, Cyrielle; Fidel, Thibaud; Leclerc, Emilie A; Barakzoy, Esmatullah; Sagot, Nadine; Falguiéres, Annie; Renouard, Sullivan; Blondeau, Jean-Philippe; Ferroud, Clotilde; Doussot, Joël; Lainé, Eric; Hano, Christophe

2015-09-01

Flaxseed accumulates in its seedcoat a macromolecular complex composed of lignan (secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, SDG), flavonol (herbacetin diglucoside, HDG) and hydroxycinnamic acids (p-couramic, caffeic and ferulic acid glucosides). Their antioxidant and/or cancer chemopreventive properties support their interest in human health and therefore, the demand for their extraction. In the present study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of flaxseed phenolic compounds was investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy imaging and histochemical analysis revealed the deep alteration of the seedcoat ultrastructure and the release of the mucilage following ultrasound treatment. Therefore, this method was found to be very efficient for the reduction of mucilage entrapment of flaxseed phenolics. The optimal conditions for UAE phenolic compounds extraction from flaxseeds were found to be: water as solvent supplemented with 0.2N of sodium hydroxide for alkaline hydrolysis of the SDG-HMG complex, an extraction time of 60 min at a temperature of 25°C and an ultrasound frequency of 30 kHz. Under these optimized and validated conditions, highest yields of SDG, HDG and hydroxycinnamic acid glucosides were detected in comparison to other published methods. Therefore, the procedure presented herein is a valuable method for efficient extraction and quantification of the main flaxseed phenolics. Moreover, this UAE is of particular interest within the context of green chemistry in terms of reducing energy consumption and valuation of flaxseed cakes as by-products resulting from the production of flax oil. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal management and light extraction in multi-chip and high-voltage LEDs by cup-shaped copper heat spreader technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horng, Ray-Hua; Hu, Hung-Lieh; Tang, Li-Shen; Ou, Sin-Liang

2013-03-01

For LEDs with original structure and copper heat spreader, the highest surface temperatures of 3×3 array LEDs modules were 52.6 and 42.67 °C (with 1050 mA injection current), while the highest surface temperatures of 4×4 array LEDs modules were 58.55 and 48.85 °C (with 1400 mA injection current), respectively. As the 5×5 array LEDs modules with original structure and copper heat spreader were fabricated, the highest surface temperatures at 1750 mA injection current were 68.51 and 56.73 °C, respectively. The thermal resistance of optimal LEDs array module with copper heat spreader on heat sink using compound solder is reduced obviously. On the other hand, the output powers of 3×3, 4×4 and 5×5 array LEDs modules with original structure were 3621.7, 6346.3 and 9760.4 mW at injection currents of 1050, 1400 and 1750 mA, respectively. Meanwhile, the output powers of these samples with copper heat spreader can be improved to 4098.5, 7150.3 and 10919.6 mW, respectively. The optical and thermal characteristics of array LEDs module have been improved significantly using the cup-shaped copper structure. Furthermore, various types of epoxy-packaged LEDs with cup-shaped structure were also fabricated. It is found that the light extraction efficiency of LED with semicircle package has 55% improvement as compared to that of LED with flat package. The cup-shaped copper structure was contacted directly with sapphire to enhance heat dissipation. In addition to efficient heat dissipation, the light extraction of the lateral emitting in high-power LEDs can be improved.

Efficient extraction strategies of tea (Camellia sinensis) biomolecules.

PubMed

Banerjee, Satarupa; Chatterjee, Jyotirmoy

2015-06-01

Tea is a popular daily beverage worldwide. Modulation and modifications of its basic components like catechins, alkaloids, proteins and carbohydrate during fermentation or extraction process changes organoleptic, gustatory and medicinal properties of tea. Through these processes increase or decrease in yield of desired components are evident. Considering the varied impacts of parameters in tea production, storage and processes that affect the yield, extraction of tea biomolecules at optimized condition is thought to be challenging. Implementation of technological advancements in green chemistry approaches can minimize the deviation retaining maximum qualitative properties in environment friendly way. Existed extraction processes with optimization parameters of tea have been discussed in this paper including its prospects and limitations. This exhaustive review of various extraction parameters, decaffeination process of tea and large scale cost effective isolation of tea components with aid of modern technology can assist people to choose extraction condition of tea according to necessity.

Essential oils: extraction, bioactivities, and their uses for food preservation.

PubMed

Tongnuanchan, Phakawat; Benjakul, Soottawat

2014-07-01

Essential oils are concentrated liquids of complex mixtures of volatile compounds and can be extracted from several plant organs. Essential oils are a good source of several bioactive compounds, which possess antioxidative and antimicrobial properties. In addition, some essential oils have been used as medicine. Furthermore, the uses of essential oils have received increasing attention as the natural additives for the shelf-life extension of food products, due to the risk in using synthetic preservatives. Essential oils can be incorporated into packaging, in which they can provide multifunctions termed "active or smart packaging." Those essential oils are able to modify the matrix of packaging materials, thereby rendering the improved properties. This review covers up-to-date literatures on essential oils including sources, chemical composition, extraction methods, bioactivities, and their applications, particularly with the emphasis on preservation and the shelf-life extension of food products. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Evidence that viral RNAs have evolved for efficient, two-stage packaging.

PubMed

Borodavka, Alexander; Tuma, Roman; Stockley, Peter G

2012-09-25

Genome packaging is an essential step in virus replication and a potential drug target. Single-stranded RNA viruses have been thought to encapsidate their genomes by gradual co-assembly with capsid subunits. In contrast, using a single molecule fluorescence assay to monitor RNA conformation and virus assembly in real time, with two viruses from differing structural families, we have discovered that packaging is a two-stage process. Initially, the genomic RNAs undergo rapid and dramatic (approximately 20-30%) collapse of their solution conformations upon addition of cognate coat proteins. The collapse occurs with a substoichiometric ratio of coat protein subunits and is followed by a gradual increase in particle size, consistent with the recruitment of additional subunits to complete a growing capsid. Equivalently sized nonviral RNAs, including high copy potential in vivo competitor mRNAs, do not collapse. They do support particle assembly, however, but yield many aberrant structures in contrast to viral RNAs that make only capsids of the correct size. The collapse is specific to viral RNA fragments, implying that it depends on a series of specific RNA-protein interactions. For bacteriophage MS2, we have shown that collapse is driven by subsequent protein-protein interactions, consistent with the RNA-protein contacts occurring in defined spatial locations. Conformational collapse appears to be a distinct feature of viral RNA that has evolved to facilitate assembly. Aspects of this process mimic those seen in ribosome assembly.

Herpes simplex virus DNA packaging sequences adopt novel structures that are specifically recognized by a component of the cleavage and packaging machinery.

PubMed

Adelman, K; Salmon, B; Baines, J D

2001-03-13

The product of the herpes simplex virus type 1 U(L)28 gene is essential for cleavage of concatemeric viral DNA into genome-length units and packaging of this DNA into viral procapsids. To address the role of U(L)28 in this process, purified U(L)28 protein was assayed for the ability to recognize conserved herpesvirus DNA packaging sequences. We report that DNA fragments containing the pac1 DNA packaging motif can be induced by heat treatment to adopt novel DNA conformations that migrate faster than the corresponding duplex in nondenaturing gels. Surprisingly, these novel DNA structures are high-affinity substrates for U(L)28 protein binding, whereas double-stranded DNA of identical sequence composition is not recognized by U(L)28 protein. We demonstrate that only one strand of the pac1 motif is responsible for the formation of novel DNA structures that are bound tightly and specifically by U(L)28 protein. To determine the relevance of the observed U(L)28 protein-pac1 interaction to the cleavage and packaging process, we have analyzed the binding affinity of U(L)28 protein for pac1 mutants previously shown to be deficient in cleavage and packaging in vivo. Each of the pac1 mutants exhibited a decrease in DNA binding by U(L)28 protein that correlated directly with the reported reduction in cleavage and packaging efficiency, thereby supporting a role for the U(L)28 protein-pac1 interaction in vivo. These data therefore suggest that the formation of novel DNA structures by the pac1 motif confers added specificity on recognition of DNA packaging sequences by the U(L)28-encoded component of the herpesvirus cleavage and packaging machinery.

TargetSearch--a Bioconductor package for the efficient preprocessing of GC-MS metabolite profiling data.

PubMed

Cuadros-Inostroza, Alvaro; Caldana, Camila; Redestig, Henning; Kusano, Miyako; Lisec, Jan; Peña-Cortés, Hugo; Willmitzer, Lothar; Hannah, Matthew A

2009-12-16

Metabolite profiling, the simultaneous quantification of multiple metabolites in an experiment, is becoming increasingly popular, particularly with the rise of systems-level biology. The workhorse in this field is gas-chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The high-throughput of this technology coupled with a demand for large experiments has led to data pre-processing, i.e. the quantification of metabolites across samples, becoming a major bottleneck. Existing software has several limitations, including restricted maximum sample size, systematic errors and low flexibility. However, the biggest limitation is that the resulting data usually require extensive hand-curation, which is subjective and can typically take several days to weeks. We introduce the TargetSearch package, an open source tool which is a flexible and accurate method for pre-processing even very large numbers of GC-MS samples within hours. We developed a novel strategy to iteratively correct and update retention time indices for searching and identifying metabolites. The package is written in the R programming language with computationally intensive functions written in C for speed and performance. The package includes a graphical user interface to allow easy use by those unfamiliar with R. TargetSearch allows fast and accurate data pre-processing for GC-MS experiments and overcomes the sample number limitations and manual curation requirements of existing software. We validate our method by carrying out an analysis against both a set of known chemical standard mixtures and of a biological experiment. In addition we demonstrate its capabilities and speed by comparing it with other GC-MS pre-processing tools. We believe this package will greatly ease current bottlenecks and facilitate the analysis of metabolic profiling data.

Packaging Your Training Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espeland, Pamela

1977-01-01

The types of packaging and packaging materials to use for training materials should be determined during the planning of the training programs, according to the packaging market. Five steps to follow in shopping for packaging are presented, along with a list of packaging manufacturers. (MF)

Edible packaging materials.

PubMed

Janjarasskul, Theeranun; Krochta, John M

2010-01-01

Research groups and the food and pharmaceutical industries recognize edible packaging as a useful alternative or addition to conventional packaging to reduce waste and to create novel applications for improving product stability, quality, safety, variety, and convenience for consumers. Recent studies have explored the ability of biopolymer-based food packaging materials to carry and control-release active compounds. As diverse edible packaging materials derived from various by-products or waste from food industry are being developed, the dry thermoplastic process is advancing rapidly as a feasible commercial edible packaging manufacturing process. The employment of nanocomposite concepts to edible packaging materials promises to improve barrier and mechanical properties and facilitate effective incorporation of bioactive ingredients and other designed functions. In addition to the need for a more fundamental understanding to enable design to desired specifications, edible packaging has to overcome challenges such as regulatory requirements, consumer acceptance, and scaling-up research concepts to commercial applications.

High-pressure processing and antimicrobial biodegradable packaging to control Listeria monocytogenes during storage of cooked ham.

PubMed

Marcos, Begonya; Aymerich, Teresa; Monfort, Josep M; Garriga, Margarita

2008-02-01

The efficiency of combining high-pressure processing (HPP) and active packaging technologies to control Listeria monocytogenes growth during the shelf life of artificially inoculated cooked ham was assessed. Three lots of cooked ham were prepared: control, packaging with alginate films, and packaging with antimicrobial alginate films containing enterocins. After packaging, half of the samples were pressurized. Sliced cooked ham stored at 6 degrees C experienced a quick growth of L. monocytogenes. Both antimicrobial packaging and pressurization delayed the growth of the pathogen. However, at 6 degrees C the combination of antimicrobial packaging and HPP was necessary to achieve a reduction of inoculated levels without recovery during 60 days of storage. Further storage at 6 degrees C of pressurized antimicrobial packed cooked ham resulted in L. monocytogenes levels below the detection limit (day 90). On the other hand, storage at 1 degrees C controlled the growth of the pathogen until day 39 in non-pressurized ham, while antimicrobial packaging and storage at 1 degrees C exerted a bacteriostatic effect for 60 days. All HPP lots stored at 1 degrees C led to counts <100CFU/g at day 60. Similar results were observed when combining both technologies. After a cold chain break no growth of L. monocytogenes was observed in pressurized ham packed with antimicrobial films, showing the efficiency of combining both technologies.

Energy metabolic state in hypothermically stored boar spermatozoa using a revised protocol for efficient ATP extraction.

PubMed

Nguyen, Quynh Thu; Wallner, Ulrike; Schmicke, Marion; Waberski, Dagmar; Henning, Heiko

2016-11-15

Mammalian spermatozoa utilize ATP as the energy source for key functions on the route to fertilization. ATP and its precursor nucleotides ADP and AMP are regularly investigated in sperm physiology studies, mostly by bioluminescence assays. Assay results vary widely, mainly due to different efficiencies in nucleotide extraction and prevention of their enzymatic degradation. Here, we describe a revised, validated protocol for efficient phosphatase inhibition and adenine nucleotide extraction resulting in consistently high ATP concentrations exceeding previously reported values for boar spermatozoa up to 20-fold. The revised assay is applicable for determining ATP concentrations and adenylate energy charge in extracts from fresh and frozen samples, thereby allowing simultaneous assessment of semen samples from long-term storage experiments. After validation, the assay was applied to liquid-preserved boar spermatozoa stored at 17°C and 5°C for 24 and 72 h. Cooling to 5°C, but not storage duration, reduced ATP concentration in spermatozoa (P<0.05), which was accompanied by the appearance of AMP and ADP in the preservation medium. ATP and energy charge were highly correlated to the proportion of membrane-intact spermatozoa, supporting the idea of nucleotides leaking through disrupted membranes in cold-shocked cells. The present assay allows highly standardized studies of energy metabolism in spermatozoa. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Energy metabolic state in hypothermically stored boar spermatozoa using a revised protocol for efficient ATP extraction

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Quynh Thu; Wallner, Ulrike; Schmicke, Marion; Waberski, Dagmar

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Mammalian spermatozoa utilize ATP as the energy source for key functions on the route to fertilization. ATP and its precursor nucleotides ADP and AMP are regularly investigated in sperm physiology studies, mostly by bioluminescence assays. Assay results vary widely, mainly due to different efficiencies in nucleotide extraction and prevention of their enzymatic degradation. Here, we describe a revised, validated protocol for efficient phosphatase inhibition and adenine nucleotide extraction resulting in consistently high ATP concentrations exceeding previously reported values for boar spermatozoa up to 20-fold. The revised assay is applicable for determining ATP concentrations and adenylate energy charge in extracts from fresh and frozen samples, thereby allowing simultaneous assessment of semen samples from long-term storage experiments. After validation, the assay was applied to liquid-preserved boar spermatozoa stored at 17°C and 5°C for 24 and 72 h. Cooling to 5°C, but not storage duration, reduced ATP concentration in spermatozoa (P<0.05), which was accompanied by the appearance of AMP and ADP in the preservation medium. ATP and energy charge were highly correlated to the proportion of membrane-intact spermatozoa, supporting the idea of nucleotides leaking through disrupted membranes in cold-shocked cells. The present assay allows highly standardized studies of energy metabolism in spermatozoa. PMID:27612509

The impact of desorption kinetics from albumin on hepatic extraction efficiency and hepatic clearance: a model study.

PubMed

Krause, Sophia; Goss, Kai-Uwe

2018-05-23

Until now, the question whether slow desorption of compounds from transport proteins like the plasma protein albumin can affect hepatic uptake and thereby hepatic metabolism of these compounds has not yet been answered conclusively. This work now combines recently published experimental desorption rate constants with a liver model to address this question. For doing so, the used liver model differentiates the bound compound in blood, the unbound compound in blood and the compound within the hepatocytes as three well-stirred compartments. Our calculations show that slow desorption kinetics from albumin can indeed limit hepatic metabolism of a compound by decreasing hepatic extraction efficiency and hepatic clearance. The extent of this decrease, however, depends not only on the value of the desorption rate constant but also on how much of the compound is bound to albumin in blood and how fast intrinsic metabolism of the compound in the hepatocytes is. For strongly sorbing and sufficiently fast metabolized compounds, our calculations revealed a twentyfold lower hepatic extraction efficiency and hepatic clearance for the slowest known desorption rate constant compared to the case when instantaneous equilibrium between bound and unbound compound is assumed. The same desorption rate constant, however, has nearly no effect on hepatic extraction efficiency and hepatic clearance of weakly sorbing and slowly metabolized compounds. This work examines the relevance of desorption kinetics in various example scenarios and provides the general approach needed to quantify the effect of flow limitation, membrane permeability and desorption kinetics on hepatic metabolism at the same time.

The bifurcated stem loop 4 (SL4) is crucial for efficient packaging of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) genomic RNA.

PubMed

Mustafa, Farah; Vivet-Boudou, Valérie; Jabeen, Ayesha; Ali, Lizna M; Kalloush, Rawan M; Marquet, Roland; Rizvi, Tahir A

2018-06-21

Packaging the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) genomic RNA (gRNA) requires the entire 5' untranslated region (UTR) in conjunction with the first 120 nucleotides of the gag gene. This region includes several palindromic (pal) sequence(s) and stable stem loops (SLs). Among these, stem loop 4 (SL4) adopts a bifurcated structure consisting of three stems, two apical loops, and an internal loop. Pal II, located in one of the apical loops, mediates gRNA dimerization, a process intricately linked to packaging. We thus hypothesized that the bifurcated SL4 structure could constitute the major gRNA packaging determinant. To test this hypothesis, the two apical loops and the flanking sequences forming the bifurcated SL4 were individually mutated. These mutations all had deleterious effects on gRNA packaging and propagation. Next, single and compensatory mutants were designed to destabilize then recreate the bifurcated SL4 structure. A structure-function analysis using bioinformatics predictions and RNA chemical probing revealed that mutations that led to the loss of the SL4 bifurcated structure abrogated RNA packaging and propagation, while compensatory mutations that recreated the native SL4 structure restored RNA packaging and propagation to wild type levels. Altogether, our results demonstrate that SL4 constitutes the principal packaging determinant of MMTV gRNA. Our findings further suggest that SL4 acts as a structural switch that can not only differentiate between RNA for translation versus packaging/dimerization, but its location also allows differentiation between spliced and unspliced RNAs during gRNA encapsidation.

Accelerator mass spectrometry analysis of aroma compound absorption in plastic packaging materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenström, Kristina; Erlandsson, Bengt; Hellborg, Ragnar; Wiebert, Anders; Skog, Göran; Nielsen, Tim

1994-05-01

Absorption of aroma compounds in plastic packaging materials may affect the taste of the packaged food and it may also change the quality of the packaging material. A method to determine the aroma compound absorption in polymers by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is being developed at the Lund Pelletron AMS facility. The high sensitivity of the AMS method makes it possible to study these phenomena under realistic conditions. As a first test low density polyethylene exposed to 14C-doped ethyl acetate is examined. After converting the polymer samples with the absorbed aroma compounds to graphite, the {14C }/{13C } ratio of the samples is measured by the AMS system and the degree of aroma compound absorption is established. The results are compared with those obtained by supercritical fluid extraction coupled to gas chromatography (SFE-GC).

Optimisation of extraction and sludge dewatering efficiencies of bio-flocculants extracted from Abelmoschus esculentus (okra).

PubMed

Lee, Chai Siah; Chong, Mei Fong; Robinson, John; Binner, Eleanor

2015-07-01

The production of natural biopolymers as flocculants for water treatment is highly desirable due to their inherent low toxicity and low environmental footprint. In this study, bio-flocculants were extracted from Hibiscus/Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) by using a water extraction method, and the extract yield and its performance in sludge dewatering were evaluated. Single factor experimental design was employed to obtain the optimum conditions for extraction temperature (25-90 °C), time (0.25-5 h), solvent loading (0.5-5 w/w) and agitation speed (0-225 rpm). Results showed that extraction yield was affected non-linearly by all experimental variables, whilst the sludge dewatering ability was only influenced by the temperature of the extraction process. The optimum extraction conditions were obtained at 70 °C, 2 h, solvent loading of 2.5 w/w and agitation at 200 rpm. Under the optimal conditions, the extract yield was 2.38%, which is comparable to the extraction of other polysaccharides (0.69-3.66%). The bio-flocculants displayed >98% removal of suspended solids and 68% water recovery during sludge dewatering, and were shown to be comparable with commercial polyacrylamide flocculants. This work shows that bio-flocculants could offer a feasible alternative to synthetic flocculants for water treatment and sludge dewatering applications, and can be extracted using only water as a solvent, minimising the environmental footprint of the extraction process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patient assessment within the context of healthcare delivery packages: A comparative analysis.

PubMed

Rossen, Camilla Blach; Buus, Niels; Stenager, Egon; Stenager, Elsebeth

2016-01-01

Due to an increased focus on productivity and cost-effectiveness, many countries across the world have implemented a variety of tools for standardizing diagnostics and treatment. In Denmark, healthcare delivery packages are increasingly used for assessment of patients. A package is a tool for creating coordination, continuity and efficient pathways; each step is pre-booked, and the package has a well-defined content within a predefined category of diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate how assessment processes took place within the context of healthcare delivery packages. The study used a constructivist Grounded Theory approach. Ethnographic fieldwork was carried out in three specialized units: a mental health unit and two multiple sclerosis clinics in Southern Denmark, which all used assessment packages. Several types of data were sampled through theoretical sampling. Participant observation was conducted for a total of 126h. Formal and informal interviews were conducted with 12 healthcare professionals and 13 patients. Furthermore, audio recordings were made of 9 final consultations between physicians and patients; 193min of recorded consultations all in all. Lastly, the medical records of 13 patients and written information about packages were collected. The comparative, abductive analysis focused on the process of assessment and the work made by all the actors involved. In this paper, we emphasized the work of healthcare professionals. We constructed five interrelated categories: 1. "Standardized assessing", 2. "Flexibility", which has two sub-categories, 2.1. "Diagnostic options" and 2.2. "Time and organization", and, finally, 3. "Resisting the frames". The process of assessment required all participants to perform the predefined work in the specified way at the specified time. Multidisciplinary teamwork was essential for the success of the process. The local organization of the packages influenced the assessment process, most notably the pre

Antioxidant films based on cross-linked methyl cellulose and native Chilean berry for food packaging applications.

PubMed

López de Dicastillo, Carol; Rodríguez, Francisco; Guarda, Abel; Galotto, Maria José

2016-01-20

Development of antioxidant and antimicrobial active food packaging materials based on biodegradable polymer and natural plant extracts has numerous advantages as reduction of synthetic additives into the food, reduction of plastic waste, and food protection against microorganisms and oxidation reactions. In this way, active films based on methylcellulose (MC) and maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) berry fruit extract, as a source of antioxidants agents, were studied. On the other hand, due to the high water affinity of MC, this polymer was firstly cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GA) at different concentrations. The results showed that the addition of GA decreased water solubility, swelling, water vapor permeability of MC films, and the release of antioxidant substances from the active materials increased with the concentration of GA. Natural extract and active cross-linked films were characterized in order to obtain the optimal formulation with the highest antioxidant activity and the best physical properties for latter active food packaging application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the antibacterial efficiency of neem leaf extracts, grape seed extracts and 3% sodium hypochlorite against E. feacalis – An in vitro study

PubMed Central

Ghonmode, Wasudeo Namdeo; Balsaraf, Omkar D; Tambe, Varsha H; Saujanya, K P; Patil, Ashishkumar K; Kakde, Deepak D

2013-01-01

article: Ghonmode WN, Balsaraf OD, Tambe VH, Saujanya KP, Patil AK, Kakde DD. Comparison of the antibacterial efficiency of neem leaf extracts, grape seed extracts and 3% sodium hypochlorite against E. feacalis – An in vitro study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(6):61-6 . PMID:24453446

Efficient Separation and Extraction of Vanadium and Chromium in High Chromium Vanadium Slag by Selective Two-Stage Roasting-Leaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jing; Jiang, Tao; Xu, Yingzhe; Liu, Jiayi; Xue, Xiangxin

2018-06-01

Vanadium and chromium are important rare metals, leading to a focus on high chromium vanadium slag (HCVS) as a potential raw material to extract vanadium and chromium in China. In this work, a novel method based on selective two-stage roasting-leaching was proposed to separate and extract vanadium and chromium efficiently in HCVS. XRD, FT-IR, and SEM were utilized to analyze the phase evolutions and microstructure during the whole process. Calcification roasting, which can calcify vanadium selectively using thermodynamics, was carried out in the first roasting stage to transfer vanadium into acid-soluble vanadate and leave chromium in the leaching residue as (Fe0.6Cr0.4)2O3 after H2SO4 leaching. When HCVS and CaO were mixed in the molar ratio CaO/V2O3 (n(CaO)/n(V2O3)) of 0.5 to 1.25, around 90 pct vanadium and less than 1 pct chromium were extracted in the first leaching liquid, thus achieving the separation of vanadium and chromium. In the second roasting stage, sodium salt, which combines with chromium easily, was added to the first leaching residue to extract chromium and 95.16 pct chromium was extracted under the optimal conditions. The total vanadium and chromium leaching rates were above 95 pct, achieving the efficient separation and extraction of vanadium and chromium. The established method provides a new technique to separate vanadium and chromium during roasting rather than in the liquid form, which is useful for the comprehensive application of HCVS.

Efficient Separation and Extraction of Vanadium and Chromium in High Chromium Vanadium Slag by Selective Two-Stage Roasting-Leaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jing; Jiang, Tao; Xu, Yingzhe; Liu, Jiayi; Xue, Xiangxin

2018-04-01

Vanadium and chromium are important rare metals, leading to a focus on high chromium vanadium slag (HCVS) as a potential raw material to extract vanadium and chromium in China. In this work, a novel method based on selective two-stage roasting-leaching was proposed to separate and extract vanadium and chromium efficiently in HCVS. XRD, FT-IR, and SEM were utilized to analyze the phase evolutions and microstructure during the whole process. Calcification roasting, which can calcify vanadium selectively using thermodynamics, was carried out in the first roasting stage to transfer vanadium into acid-soluble vanadate and leave chromium in the leaching residue as (Fe0.6Cr0.4)2O3 after H2SO4 leaching. When HCVS and CaO were mixed in the molar ratio CaO/V2O3 (n(CaO)/n(V2O3)) of 0.5 to 1.25, around 90 pct vanadium and less than 1 pct chromium were extracted in the first leaching liquid, thus achieving the separation of vanadium and chromium. In the second roasting stage, sodium salt, which combines with chromium easily, was added to the first leaching residue to extract chromium and 95.16 pct chromium was extracted under the optimal conditions. The total vanadium and chromium leaching rates were above 95 pct, achieving the efficient separation and extraction of vanadium and chromium. The established method provides a new technique to separate vanadium and chromium during roasting rather than in the liquid form, which is useful for the comprehensive application of HCVS.

Packaging - Materials review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrmann, Matthias

2014-06-01

Nowadays, a large number of different electrochemical energy storage systems are known. In the last two decades the development was strongly driven by a continuously growing market of portable electronic devices (e.g. cellular phones, lap top computers, camcorders, cameras, tools). Current intensive efforts are under way to develop systems for automotive industry within the framework of electrically propelled mobility (e.g. hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, full electric vehicles) and also for the energy storage market (e.g. electrical grid stability, renewable energies). Besides the different systems (cell chemistries), electrochemical cells and batteries were developed and are offered in many shapes, sizes and designs, in order to meet performance and design requirements of the widespread applications. Proper packaging is thereby one important technological step for designing optimum, reliable and safe batteries for operation. In this contribution, current packaging approaches of cells and batteries together with the corresponding materials are discussed. The focus is laid on rechargeable systems for industrial applications (i.e. alkaline systems, lithium-ion, lead-acid). In principle, four different cell types (shapes) can be identified - button, cylindrical, prismatic and pouch. Cell size can be either in accordance with international (e.g. International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC) or other standards or can meet application-specific dimensions. Since cell housing or container, terminals and, if necessary, safety installations as inactive (non-reactive) materials reduce energy density of the battery, the development of low-weight packages is a challenging task. In addition to that, other requirements have to be fulfilled: mechanical stability and durability, sealing (e.g. high permeation barrier against humidity for lithium-ion technology), high packing efficiency, possible installation of safety devices (current interrupt device

TargetSearch - a Bioconductor package for the efficient preprocessing of GC-MS metabolite profiling data

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Metabolite profiling, the simultaneous quantification of multiple metabolites in an experiment, is becoming increasingly popular, particularly with the rise of systems-level biology. The workhorse in this field is gas-chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The high-throughput of this technology coupled with a demand for large experiments has led to data pre-processing, i.e. the quantification of metabolites across samples, becoming a major bottleneck. Existing software has several limitations, including restricted maximum sample size, systematic errors and low flexibility. However, the biggest limitation is that the resulting data usually require extensive hand-curation, which is subjective and can typically take several days to weeks. Results We introduce the TargetSearch package, an open source tool which is a flexible and accurate method for pre-processing even very large numbers of GC-MS samples within hours. We developed a novel strategy to iteratively correct and update retention time indices for searching and identifying metabolites. The package is written in the R programming language with computationally intensive functions written in C for speed and performance. The package includes a graphical user interface to allow easy use by those unfamiliar with R. Conclusions TargetSearch allows fast and accurate data pre-processing for GC-MS experiments and overcomes the sample number limitations and manual curation requirements of existing software. We validate our method by carrying out an analysis against both a set of known chemical standard mixtures and of a biological experiment. In addition we demonstrate its capabilities and speed by comparing it with other GC-MS pre-processing tools. We believe this package will greatly ease current bottlenecks and facilitate the analysis of metabolic profiling data. PMID:20015393

Evaluation of RDBMS packages for use in astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, C. G.; Davenhall, A. C.

1992-01-01

Tabular data sets arise in many areas of astronomical data analysis, from raw data (such as photon event lists) to final results (such as source catalogs). The Starlink catalog access and reporting package, SCAR, was originally developed to handle IRAS data and it has been the principal relational DBMS in the Starlink software collection for several years. But SCAR has many limitations and is VMS-specific, while Starlink is in transition from VMS to Unix. Rather than attempt a major re-write of SCAR for Unix, it seemed more sensible to see whether any existing database packages are suitable for general astronomical use. The authors first drew up a list of desirable properties for such a system and then used these criteria to evaluate a number of packages, both free ones and those commercially available. It is already clear that most commercial DBMS packages are not very well suited to the requirements; for example, most cannot carry out efficiently even fairly basic operations such as joining two catalogs on an approximate match of celestial positions. This paper reports the results of the evaluation exercise and notes the problems in using a standard DBMS package to process scientific data. In parallel with this the authors have started to develop a simple database engine that can handle tabular data in a range of common formats including simple direct-access files (such as SCAR and Exosat DBMS tables) and FITS tables (both ASCII and binary).

Characterization of an Olive Flounder Bone Gelatin-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Film and Evaluation of Its Potential Application in Spinach Packaging.

PubMed

Beak, Songee; Kim, Hyeri; Song, Kyung Bin

2017-11-01

Olive flounder bone gelatin (OBG) was used for a film base material in this study. In addition, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) were incorporated into the OBG film to prepare a nanocomposite film and to impart antimicrobial activity to it. The tensile strength of the OBG film increased by 6.62 MPa, and water vapor permeability and water solubility decreased by 0.93 × 10 -9 g/m s Pa and 13.79%, respectively, by the addition of ZnO to the OBG film. In particular, the OBG-ZnO film exhibited antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes. To investigate the applicability of the OBG-ZnO packaging film, fresh spinach was wrapped in this film and stored for a week. The results indicated that the OBG-ZnO film showed antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes inoculated on spinach without affecting the quality of spinach, such as vitamin C content and color. Thus, the OBG-ZnO nanocomposite film can be applied as an efficient antimicrobial food packaging material. As a base material of edible films, gelatin was extracted from olive flounder bone, which is fish processing by-product. Olive flounder bone gelatin (OBG) nanocomposite films were prepared with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO). For an application to antimicrobial packaging, spinach was wrapped with the OBG-ZnO nanocomposite film. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

StreamThermal: A software package for calculating thermal metrics from stream temperature data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tsang, Yin-Phan; Infante, Dana M.; Stewart, Jana S.; Wang, Lizhu; Tingly, Ralph; Thornbrugh, Darren; Cooper, Arthur; Wesley, Daniel

2016-01-01

Improving quality and better availability of continuous stream temperature data allows natural resource managers, particularly in fisheries, to understand associations between different characteristics of stream thermal regimes and stream fishes. However, there is no convenient tool to efficiently characterize multiple metrics reflecting stream thermal regimes with the increasing amount of data. This article describes a software program packaged as a library in R to facilitate this process. With this freely-available package, users will be able to quickly summarize metrics that describe five categories of stream thermal regimes: magnitude, variability, frequency, timing, and rate of change. The installation and usage instruction of this package, the definition of calculated thermal metrics, as well as the output format from the package are described, along with an application showing the utility for multiple metrics. We believe this package can be widely utilized by interested stakeholders and greatly assist more studies in fisheries.

Two-color light-emitting diodes with polarization-sensitive high extraction efficiency based on graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

H, Sattarian; S, Shojaei; E, Darabi

2016-05-01

In the present study, graphene photonic crystals are employed to enhance the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of two-color, red and blue, light-emitting diode (LED). The transmission characteristics of one-dimensional (1D) Fibonacci graphene photonic crystal LED (FGPC-LED) are investigated by using the transfer matrix method and the scaling study is presented. We analyzed the influence of period, thickness, and permittivity in the structure to enhance the LEE. The transmission spectrum of 1D FGPC has been optimized in detail. In addition, the effects of the angle of incidence and the state of polarization are investigated. As the main result, we found the optimum values of relevant parameters to enhance the extraction of red and blue light from an LED as well as provide perfect omnidirectional and high peak transmission filters for the TE and TM modes.

VLED for Si wafer-level packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Chen-Fu; Chen, Chiming; Yen, Jui-Kang; Chen, Yung-Wei; Tsou, Chingfu; Chang, Chunming; Doan, Trung; Tran, Chuong Anh

2012-03-01

In this paper, we introduced the advantages of Vertical Light emitting diode (VLED) on copper alloy with Si-wafer level packaging technologies. The silicon-based packaging substrate starts with a <100> dou-ble-side polished p-type silicon wafer, then anisotropic wet etching technology is done to construct the re-flector depression and micro through-holes on the silicon substrate. The operating voltage, at a typical cur-rent of 350 milli-ampere (mA), is 3.2V. The operation voltage is less than 3.7V under higher current driving conditions of 1A. The VLED chip on Si package has excellent heat dissipation and can be operated at high currents up to 1A without efficiency degradation. The typical spatial radiation pattern emits a uniform light lambertian distribution from -65° to 65° which can be easily fit for secondary optics. The correlated color temperature (CCT) has only 5% variation for daylight and less than 2% variation for warm white, when the junction temperature is increased from 25°C to 110°C, suggesting a stable CCT during operation for general lighting application. Coupled with aspheric lens and micro lens array in a wafer level process, it has almost the same light distribution intensity for special secondary optics lighting applications. In addition, the ul-tra-violet (UV) VLED, featuring a silicon substrate and hard glass cover, manufactured by wafer level pack-aging emits high power UV wavelengths appropriate for curing, currency, document verification, tanning, medical, and sterilization applications.

EFTofPNG: a package for high precision computation with the effective field theory of post-Newtonian gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levi, Michele; Steinhoff, Jan

2017-12-01

We present a novel public package ‘EFTofPNG’ for high precision computation in the effective field theory of post-Newtonian (PN) gravity, including spins. We created this package in view of the timely need to publicly share automated computation tools, which integrate the various types of physics manifested in the expected increasing influx of gravitational wave (GW) data. Hence, we created a free and open source package, which is self-contained, modular, all-inclusive, and accessible to the classical gravity community. The ‘EFTofPNG’ Mathematica package also uses the power of the ‘xTensor’ package, suited for complicated tensor computation, where our coding also strategically approaches the generic generation of Feynman contractions, which is universal to all perturbation theories in physics, by efficiently treating n-point functions as tensors of rank n. The package currently contains four independent units, which serve as subsidiaries to the main one. Its final unit serves as a pipeline chain for the obtainment of the final GW templates, and provides the full computation of derivatives and physical observables of interest. The upcoming ‘EFTofPNG’ package version 1.0 should cover the point mass sector, and all the spin sectors, up to the fourth PN order, and the two-loop level. We expect and strongly encourage public development of the package to improve its efficiency, and to extend it to further PN sectors, and observables useful for the waveform modelling.

Efficiency of extracting stereo-driven object motions

PubMed Central

Jain, Anshul; Zaidi, Qasim

2013-01-01

Most living things and many nonliving things deform as they move, requiring observers to separate object motions from object deformations. When the object is partially occluded, the task becomes more difficult because it is not possible to use two-dimensional (2-D) contour correlations (Cohen, Jain, & Zaidi, 2010). That leaves dynamic depth matching across the unoccluded views as the main possibility. We examined the role of stereo cues in extracting motion of partially occluded and deforming three-dimensional (3-D) objects, simulated by disk-shaped random-dot stereograms set at randomly assigned depths and placed uniformly around a circle. The stereo-disparities of the disks were temporally oscillated to simulate clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the global shape. To dynamically deform the global shape, random disparity perturbation was added to each disk's depth on each stimulus frame. At low perturbation, observers reported rotation directions consistent with the global shape, even against local motion cues, but performance deteriorated at high perturbation. Using 3-D global shape correlations, we formulated an optimal Bayesian discriminator for rotation direction. Based on rotation discrimination thresholds, human observers were 75% as efficient as the optimal model, demonstrating that global shapes derived from stereo cues facilitate inferences of object motions. To complement reports of stereo and motion integration in extrastriate cortex, our results suggest the possibilities that disparity selectivity and feature tracking are linked, or that global motion selective neurons can be driven purely from disparity cues. PMID:23325345

49 CFR 173.24a - Additional general requirements for non-bulk packagings and packages.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... subchapter. (b) Non-bulk packaging filling limits. (1) A single or composite non-bulk packaging may be filled... gross mass marked on the packaging. (3) A single or composite non-bulk packaging which is tested and... marked on the packaging, or 1.2 if not marked. In addition: (i) A single or composite non-bulk packaging...

49 CFR 173.24a - Additional general requirements for non-bulk packagings and packages.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... subchapter. (b) Non-bulk packaging filling limits. (1) A single or composite non-bulk packaging may be filled... gross mass marked on the packaging. (3) A single or composite non-bulk packaging which is tested and... marked on the packaging, or 1.2 if not marked. In addition: (i) A single or composite non-bulk packaging...

49 CFR 173.24a - Additional general requirements for non-bulk packagings and packages.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... subchapter. (b) Non-bulk packaging filling limits. (1) A single or composite non-bulk packaging may be filled... gross mass marked on the packaging. (3) A single or composite non-bulk packaging which is tested and... marked on the packaging, or 1.2 if not marked. In addition: (i) A single or composite non-bulk packaging...

Chip-scale thermal management of high-brightness LED packages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arik, Mehmet; Weaver, Stanton

2004-10-01

The efficiency and reliability of the solid-state lighting devices strongly depend on successful thermal management. Light emitting diodes, LEDs, are a strong candidate for the next generation, general illumination applications. LEDs are making great strides in terms of lumen performance and reliability, however the barrier to widespread use in general illumination still remains the cost or $/Lumen. LED packaging designers are pushing the LED performance to its limits. This is resulting in increased drive currents, and thus the need for lower thermal resistance packaging designs. As the power density continues to rise, the integrity of the package electrical and thermal interconnect becomes extremely important. Experimental results with high brightness LED packages show that chip attachment defects can cause significant thermal gradients across the LED chips leading to premature failures. A numerical study was also carried out with parametric models to understand the chip active layer temperature profile variation due to the bump defects. Finite element techniques were utilized to evaluate the effects of localized hot spots at the chip active layer. The importance of "zero defects" in one of the more popular interconnect schemes; the "epi down" soldered flip chip configuration is investigated and demonstrated.

Extracting rate coefficients from single-molecule photon trajectories and FRET efficiency histograms for a fast-folding protein.

PubMed

Chung, Hoi Sung; Gopich, Irina V; McHale, Kevin; Cellmer, Troy; Louis, John M; Eaton, William A

2011-04-28

Recently developed statistical methods by Gopich and Szabo were used to extract folding and unfolding rate coefficients from single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) data for proteins with kinetics too fast to measure waiting time distributions. Two types of experiments and two different analyses were performed. In one experiment bursts of photons were collected from donor and acceptor fluorophores attached to a 73-residue protein, α(3)D, freely diffusing through the illuminated volume of a confocal microscope system. In the second, the protein was immobilized by linkage to a surface, and photons were collected until one of the fluorophores bleached. Folding and unfolding rate coefficients and mean FRET efficiencies for the folded and unfolded subpopulations were obtained from a photon by photon analysis of the trajectories using a maximum likelihood method. The ability of the method to describe the data in terms of a two-state model was checked by recoloring the photon trajectories with the extracted parameters and comparing the calculated FRET efficiency histograms with the measured histograms. The sum of the rate coefficients for the two-state model agreed to within 30% with the relaxation rate obtained from the decay of the donor-acceptor cross-correlation function, confirming the high accuracy of the method. Interestingly, apparently reliable rate coefficients could be extracted using the maximum likelihood method, even at low (<10%) population of the minor component where the cross-correlation function was too noisy to obtain any useful information. The rate coefficients and mean FRET efficiencies were also obtained in an approximate procedure by simply fitting the FRET efficiency histograms, calculated by binning the donor and acceptor photons, with a sum of three-Gaussian functions. The kinetics are exposed in these histograms by the growth of a FRET efficiency peak at values intermediate between the folded and unfolded peaks as the bin

Enhancing the photon-extraction efficiency of site-controlled quantum dots by deterministically fabricated microlenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaganskiy, Arsenty; Fischbach, Sarah; Strittmatter, André; Rodt, Sven; Heindel, Tobias; Reitzenstein, Stephan

2018-04-01

We report on the realization of scalable single-photon sources (SPSs) based on single site-controlled quantum dots (SCQDs) and deterministically fabricated microlenses. The fabrication process comprises the buried-stressor growth technique complemented with low-temperature in-situ electron-beam lithography for the integration of SCQDs into microlens structures with high yield and high alignment accuracy. The microlens-approach leads to a broadband enhancement of the photon-extraction efficiency of up to (21 ± 2)% and a high suppression of multi-photon events with g (2)(τ = 0) < 0.06 without background subtraction. The demonstrated combination of site-controlled growth of QDs and in-situ electron-beam lithography is relevant for arrays of efficient SPSs which, can be applied in photonic quantum circuits and advanced quantum computation schemes.

Deep Eutectic Solvents as Efficient Media for the Extraction and Recovery of Cynaropicrin from Cynara cardunculus L. Leaves.

PubMed

de Faria, Emanuelle L P; do Carmo, Rafael S; Cláudio, Ana Filipa M; Freire, Carmen S R; Freire, Mara G; Silvestre, Armando J D

2017-10-30

In recent years a high demand for natural ingredients with nutraceutical properties has been witnessed, for which the development of more environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient extraction solvents and methods play a primary role. In this perspective, in this work, the application of deep eutectic solvents (DES), composed of quaternary ammonium salts and organic acids, as alternative solvents for the extraction of cynaropicrin from Cynara cardunculus L. leaves was studied. After selecting the most promising DES, their aqueous solutions were investigated, allowing to obtain a maximum cynaropicrin extraction yield of 6.20 wt %, using 70 wt % of water. The sustainability of the extraction process was further optimized by carrying out several extraction cycles, reusing either the biomass or the aqueous solutions of DES. A maximum cynaropicrin extraction yield of 7.76 wt % by reusing the solvent, and of 8.96 wt % by reusing the biomass, have been obtained. Taking advantage of the cynaropicrin solubility limit in aqueous solutions, water was added as an anti-solvent, allowing to recover 73.6 wt % of the extracted cynaropicrin. This work demonstrates the potential of aqueous solutions of DES for the extraction of value-added compounds from biomass and the possible recovery of both the target compounds and solvents.

GENERAL PURPOSE ADA PACKAGES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klumpp, A. R.

1994-01-01

Ten families of subprograms are bundled together for the General-Purpose Ada Packages. The families bring to Ada many features from HAL/S, PL/I, FORTRAN, and other languages. These families are: string subprograms (INDEX, TRIM, LOAD, etc.); scalar subprograms (MAX, MIN, REM, etc.); array subprograms (MAX, MIN, PROD, SUM, GET, and PUT); numerical subprograms (EXP, CUBIC, etc.); service subprograms (DATE_TIME function, etc.); Linear Algebra II; Runge-Kutta integrators; and three text I/O families of packages. In two cases, a family consists of a single non-generic package. In all other cases, a family comprises a generic package and its instances for a selected group of scalar types. All generic packages are designed to be easily instantiated for the types declared in the user facility. The linear algebra package is LINRAG2. This package includes subprograms supplementing those in NPO-17985, An Ada Linear Algebra Package Modeled After HAL/S (LINRAG). Please note that LINRAG2 cannot be compiled without LINRAG. Most packages have widespread applicability, although some are oriented for avionics applications. All are designed to facilitate writing new software in Ada. Several of the packages use conventions introduced by other programming languages. A package of string subprograms is based on HAL/S (a language designed for the avionics software in the Space Shuttle) and PL/I. Packages of scalar and array subprograms are taken from HAL/S or generalized current Ada subprograms. A package of Runge-Kutta integrators is patterned after a built-in MAC (MIT Algebraic Compiler) integrator. Those packages modeled after HAL/S make it easy to translate existing HAL/S software to Ada. The General-Purpose Ada Packages program source code is available on two 360K 5.25" MS-DOS format diskettes. The software was developed using VAX Ada v1.5 under DEC VMS v4.5. It should be portable to any validated Ada compiler and it should execute either interactively or in batch. The largest package

Extraction efficiency and implications for absolute quantitation of propranolol in mouse brain, liver and kidney thin tissue sections using droplet-based liquid microjunction surface sampling-HPLC ESI-MS/MS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kertesz, Vilmos; Weiskittel, Taylor M.; Vavek, Marissa

Currently, absolute quantitation aspects of droplet-based surface sampling for thin tissue analysis using a fully automated autosampler/HPLC-ESI-MS/MS system are not fully evaluated. Knowledge of extraction efficiency and its reproducibility is required to judge the potential of the method for absolute quantitation of analytes from thin tissue sections. Methods: Adjacent thin tissue sections of propranolol dosed mouse brain (10- μm-thick), kidney (10- μm-thick) and liver (8-, 10-, 16- and 24- μm-thick) were obtained. Absolute concentration of propranolol was determined in tissue punches from serial sections using standard bulk tissue extraction protocols and subsequent HPLC separations and tandem mass spectrometric analysis. Thesemore » values were used to determine propranolol extraction efficiency from the tissues with the droplet-based surface sampling approach. Results: Extraction efficiency of propranolol using 10- μm-thick brain, kidney and liver thin tissues using droplet-based surface sampling varied between ~45-63%. Extraction efficiency decreased from ~65% to ~36% with liver thickness increasing from 8 μm to 24 μm. Randomly selecting half of the samples as standards, precision and accuracy of propranolol concentrations obtained for the other half of samples as quality control metrics were determined. Resulting precision ( ±15%) and accuracy ( ±3%) values, respectively, were within acceptable limits. In conclusion, comparative quantitation of adjacent mouse thin tissue sections of different organs and of various thicknesses by droplet-based surface sampling and by bulk extraction of tissue punches showed that extraction efficiency was incomplete using the former method, and that it depended on the organ and tissue thickness. However, once extraction efficiency was determined and applied, the droplet-based approach provided the required quantitation accuracy and precision for assay validations. Furthermore, this means that once the extraction

Extraction efficiency and implications for absolute quantitation of propranolol in mouse brain, liver and kidney thin tissue sections using droplet-based liquid microjunction surface sampling-HPLC ESI-MS/MS

DOE PAGES

Kertesz, Vilmos; Weiskittel, Taylor M.; Vavek, Marissa; ...

2016-06-22

Currently, absolute quantitation aspects of droplet-based surface sampling for thin tissue analysis using a fully automated autosampler/HPLC-ESI-MS/MS system are not fully evaluated. Knowledge of extraction efficiency and its reproducibility is required to judge the potential of the method for absolute quantitation of analytes from thin tissue sections. Methods: Adjacent thin tissue sections of propranolol dosed mouse brain (10- μm-thick), kidney (10- μm-thick) and liver (8-, 10-, 16- and 24- μm-thick) were obtained. Absolute concentration of propranolol was determined in tissue punches from serial sections using standard bulk tissue extraction protocols and subsequent HPLC separations and tandem mass spectrometric analysis. Thesemore » values were used to determine propranolol extraction efficiency from the tissues with the droplet-based surface sampling approach. Results: Extraction efficiency of propranolol using 10- μm-thick brain, kidney and liver thin tissues using droplet-based surface sampling varied between ~45-63%. Extraction efficiency decreased from ~65% to ~36% with liver thickness increasing from 8 μm to 24 μm. Randomly selecting half of the samples as standards, precision and accuracy of propranolol concentrations obtained for the other half of samples as quality control metrics were determined. Resulting precision ( ±15%) and accuracy ( ±3%) values, respectively, were within acceptable limits. In conclusion, comparative quantitation of adjacent mouse thin tissue sections of different organs and of various thicknesses by droplet-based surface sampling and by bulk extraction of tissue punches showed that extraction efficiency was incomplete using the former method, and that it depended on the organ and tissue thickness. However, once extraction efficiency was determined and applied, the droplet-based approach provided the required quantitation accuracy and precision for assay validations. Furthermore, this means that once the extraction

White organic light emitting diodes with enhanced internal and external outcoupling for ultra-efficient light extraction and Lambertian emission.

PubMed

Bocksrocker, Tobias; Preinfalk, Jan Benedikt; Asche-Tauscher, Julian; Pargner, Andreas; Eschenbaum, Carsten; Maier-Flaig, Florian; Lemme, Uli

2012-11-05

White organic light emitting diodes (WOLEDs) suffer from poor outcoupling efficiencies. The use of Bragg-gratings to enhance the outcoupling efficiency is very promising for light extraction in OLEDs, but such periodic structures can lead to angular or spectral dependencies in the devices. Here we present a method which combines highly efficient outcoupling by a TiO(2)-Bragg-grating leading to a 104% efficiency enhancement and an additional high quality microlens diffusor at the substrate/air interface. With the addition of this diffusor, we achieved not only a uniform white emission, but also further increased the already improved device efficiency by another 94% leading to an overall enhancement factor of about 4.

Detecting small holes in packages

DOEpatents

Kronberg, James W.; Cadieux, James R.

1996-01-01

A package containing a tracer gas, and a method for determining the presence of a hole in the package by sensing the presence of the gas outside the package. The preferred tracer gas, especially for food packaging, is sulfur hexafluoride. A quantity of the gas is added to the package and the package is closed. The concentration of the gas in the atmosphere outside the package is measured and compared to a predetermined value of the concentration of the gas in the absence of the package. A measured concentration greater than the predetermined value indicates the presence of a hole in the package. Measuring may be done in a chamber having a lower pressure than that in the package.

Obstruction of critical information on over-the-counter medication packages by external tags.

PubMed

Sansgiry, Sujit S; Pawaskar, Manjiri D

2005-02-01

Over-the-counter (OTC) medication packages are important sources of information for consumers during product selection and use. Consumers may not be able to access information from OTC packages if external tags, namely price or anti-theft tags, are improperly placed. To determine the amount and type of information concealed by anti-theft tags and price tags affixed on OTC drug packages. A field study was performed by evaluating packages containing acetaminophen and combinations of acetaminophen in stores located in Houston. Five packages for 4 products selected from each store after an initial survey for presence of an external tag were examined. A data collection sheet was prepared that extracted the type and amount of information concealed by these tags. Data were analyzed by performing descriptive analyses to provide an understanding of the information obscured. A total of 24 stores were considered in the study, and 67 products and 285 packages were evaluated. External tags, both anti-theft and price tags, obscured significant amounts of information on the principal display panel (53.4%) and the Drug Facts panel (47.7%) of OTC packages. These tags concealed crucial information on various aspects of labels such as brand names (42.3%), product description (36.3%), warnings (51.5%), uses (10.4%), and purposes (7.2%). Results suggest that improper use of external tags clearly obscured important information on OTC medication packages necessary for consumers to make informed decisions regarding product selection and use. Tagging practices should be altered to allow consumers full access to drug information on the product.

Stiffness-independent highly efficient on-chip extraction of cell-laden hydrogel microcapsules from oil emulsion into aqueous solution by dielectrophoresis

PubMed Central

Huang, Haishui; Sun, Mingrui; Heisler-Taylor, Tyler; Kiourti, Asimina; Volakis, John; Lafyatis, Gregory

2015-01-01

A dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based method is reported to achieve highly efficient on-chip extraction of cell-laden microcapsules of any stiffness from oil into aqueous solution. The hydrogel microcapsules can be extracted into the aqueous solution by DEP and interfacial tension (IFT) forces with no trapped oil while the encapsulated cells are free from the electrical damages due to the Faraday cage effect. PMID:26297051

Packaging for Food Service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stilwell, E. J.

1985-01-01

Most of the key areas of concern in packaging the three principle food forms for the space station were covered. It can be generally concluded that there are no significant voids in packaging materials availability or in current packaging technology. However, it must also be concluded that the process by which packaging decisions are made for the space station feeding program will be very synergistic. Packaging selection will depend heavily on the preparation mechanics, the preferred presentation and the achievable disposal systems. It will be important that packaging be considered as an integral part of each decision as these systems are developed.

Enhanced thermaly managed packaging for III-nitride light emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudsieh, Nicolas

In this Dissertation our work on `enhanced thermally managed packaging of high power semiconductor light sources for solid state lighting (SSL)' is presented. The motivation of this research and development is to design thermally high stable cost-efficient packaging of single and multi-chip arrays of III-nitrides wide bandgap semiconductor light sources through mathematical modeling and simulations. Major issues linked with this technology are device overheating which causes serious degradation in their illumination intensity and decrease in the lifetime. In the introduction the basics of III-nitrides WBG semiconductor light emitters are presented along with necessary thermal management of high power cingulated and multi-chip LEDs and laser diodes. This work starts at chip level followed by its extension to fully packaged lighting modules and devices. Different III-nitride structures of multi-quantum well InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN based LEDs and LDs were analyzed using advanced modeling and simulation for different packaging designs and high thermal conductivity materials. Study started with basic surface mounted devices using conventional packaging strategies and was concluded with the latest thermal management of chip-on-plate (COP) method. Newly discovered high thermal conductivity materials have also been incorporated for this work. Our study also presents the new approach of 2D heat spreaders using such materials for SSL and micro LED array packaging. Most of the work has been presented in international conferences proceedings and peer review journals. Some of the latest work has also been submitted to well reputed international journals which are currently been reviewed for publication. .

Analytical strategies for organic food packaging contaminants.

PubMed

Sanchis, Yovana; Yusà, Vicent; Coscollà, Clara

2017-03-24

In this review, we present current approaches in the analysis of food-packaging contaminants. Gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detection have been widely used in the analysis of some relevant families of these compounds such as primary aromatic amines, bisphenol A, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and related compounds, UV-ink photoinitiators, perfluorinated compounds, phthalates and non-intentionally added substances. Main applications for sample treatment and different types of food-contact material migration studies have been also discussed. Pressurized Liquid Extraction, Solid-Phase Microextraction, Focused Ultrasound Solid-Liquid Extraction and Quechers have been mainly used in the extraction of food contact material (FCM) contaminants, due to the trend of minimising solvent consumption, automatization of sample preparation and integration of extraction and clean-up steps. Recent advances in analytical methodologies have allowed unequivocal identification and confirmation of these contaminants using Liquid Chromatography coupled to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) through mass accuracy and isotopic pattern applying. LC-HRMS has been used in the target analysis of primary aromatic amines in different plastic materials, but few studies have been carried out applying this technique in post-target and non-target analysis of FCM contaminants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GillesPy: A Python Package for Stochastic Model Building and Simulation.

PubMed

Abel, John H; Drawert, Brian; Hellander, Andreas; Petzold, Linda R

2016-09-01

GillesPy is an open-source Python package for model construction and simulation of stochastic biochemical systems. GillesPy consists of a Python framework for model building and an interface to the StochKit2 suite of efficient simulation algorithms based on the Gillespie stochastic simulation algorithms (SSA). To enable intuitive model construction and seamless integration into the scientific Python stack, we present an easy to understand, action-oriented programming interface. Here, we describe the components of this package and provide a detailed example relevant to the computational biology community.

GillesPy: A Python Package for Stochastic Model Building and Simulation

PubMed Central

Abel, John H.; Drawert, Brian; Hellander, Andreas; Petzold, Linda R.

2017-01-01

GillesPy is an open-source Python package for model construction and simulation of stochastic biochemical systems. GillesPy consists of a Python framework for model building and an interface to the StochKit2 suite of efficient simulation algorithms based on the Gillespie stochastic simulation algorithms (SSA). To enable intuitive model construction and seamless integration into the scientific Python stack, we present an easy to understand, action-oriented programming interface. Here, we describe the components of this package and provide a detailed example relevant to the computational biology community. PMID:28630888

Evaluation of CNT Energy Savers Retrofit Packages Implemented in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farley, Jenne; Ruch, Russell

This evaluation explored the feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25%-30% source energy savings through the study of three case studies. There is an urgent need to scale up energy efficiency retrofitting of Chicago's multifamily buildings in order to address rising energy costs and a rapidly depleting rental stock. Aimed at retrofit program administrators and building science professionals, this research project investigates the possibility of using prescriptive retrofit packages as a time- and resource-effective approach to the process of retrofitting multifamily buildings.

Evaluation of CNT Energy Savers Retrofit Packages Implemented in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farley, Jenne; Ruch, Russell

This evaluation explored the feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25%-30% source energy savings through the study of three case studies. There is an urgent need to scale up energy efficiency retrofitting of Chicago's multifamily buildings in order to address rising energy costs and a rapidly depletingrental stock. Aimed at retrofit program administrators and building science professionals, this research project investigates the possibility of using prescriptive retrofit packages as a time- and resource-effective approach to the process of retrofitting multifamily buildings.

Detecting small holes in packages

DOEpatents

Kronberg, J.W.; Cadieux, J.R.

1996-03-19

A package containing a tracer gas, and a method for determining the presence of a hole in the package by sensing the presence of the gas outside the package are disclosed. The preferred tracer gas, especially for food packaging, is sulfur hexafluoride. A quantity of the gas is added to the package and the package is closed. The concentration of the gas in the atmosphere outside the package is measured and compared to a predetermined value of the concentration of the gas in the absence of the package. A measured concentration greater than the predetermined value indicates the presence of a hole in the package. Measuring may be done in a chamber having a lower pressure than that in the package. 3 figs.

Hidden costs of HIV treatment in Spain: inefficiency of the antiretroviral drug packaging.

PubMed

Llibre-Codina, Josep M; Andreu-Crespo, Angels; Cardona-Peitx, Gloria; Sala-Piñol, Ferran; Clotet-Sala, Bonaventura; Bonafont-Pujol, Xavier

2014-01-01

Antiretroviral drugs in Spain are delivered by law only in hospital pharmacies. Commercial packages meet variable quality standards when dispensed drugs are returned due to treatment changes or adherence problems Nearly 20-25% of the initial regimens will be changed at 48 weeks for different reasons. We evaluated the economic impact on public health system of the inability of using returned drugs due to inefficient packaging. We defined socially efficient packaging as the best adapted one to being delivered in unit dose to outpatients and classified: Class A - Drug packed in unit doses with complete info (name of drug, dosage in mg, lot, and expiring date) in each unit, maintaining complete information of the drug if returned when the external package is opened. Class B - packed in blisters with complete info in the blister, but not in unit doses, without special conservation conditions (should be re-packed in unit doses in the pharmacy before its dispensation to assure a class A excellence). Class C - packed in plastic containers with complete info written only on a label over the container, would allow repackaging only before its initial delivery, but not when returned. Class D - drug packed in plastic containers with manufacturer's warning that the product cannot be placed outside of the original package due to special conditions of conservation (fridge, humidity) that doesn't allow a unit dose repackaging or reusing an opened container. We analysed a 12-month period (July 2011-June 2012) in a hospital-based HIV outpatient pharmacy that serves 2413 treated individuals. Patients generated 23,574 visits to pharmacy, and received 48,325 drug packages, with 2.529.137 pills delivered. The patients suffered 1051 treatment changes for any reason. A total amount of 122.945€ in treatment were returned to pharmacy in opened packages during the study period. 47.139.91€ would be totally lost, mainly due to being packaged in class C and D boxes, the equivalent of

Anhydrous Ammonia Training Module. Trainer's Package. Participant's Package.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaudin, Bart; And Others

This document contains a trainer's and a participant's package for teaching employees on site safe handling procedures for working with anhydrous ammonia, especially on farms. The trainer's package includes the following: a description of the module; a competency; objectives; suggested instructional aids; a training outline (or lesson plan) for…

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Mahkota Dewa (Phaleria Macrocarpa) Extract in Subcritical Water Extraction Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashim, N. A.; Mudalip, S. K. Abdul; Harun, N.; Che Man, R.; Sulaiman, S. Z.; Arshad, Z. I. M.; Shaarani, S. M.

2018-05-01

Mahkota Dewa (Phaleria Macrocarpa), a good source of saponin, flavanoid, polyphenol, alkaloid, and mangiferin has an extensive range of medicinal effects. The intermolecular interactions between solute and solvents such as hydrogen bonding considered as an important factor that affect the extraction of bioactive compounds. In this work, molecular dynamics simulation was performed to elucidate the hydrogen bonding exists between Mahkota Dewa extracts and water during subcritical extraction process. A bioactive compound in the Mahkota Dewa extract, namely mangiferin was selected as a model compound. The simulation was performed at 373 K and 4.0 MPa using COMPASS force field and Ewald summation method available in Material Studio 7.0 simulation package. The radial distribution functions (RDF) between mangiferin and water signify the presence of hydrogen bonding in the extraction process. The simulation of the binary mixture of mangiferin:water shows that strong hydrogen bonding was formed. It is suggested that, the intermolecular interaction between OH2O••HMR4(OH1) has been identified to be responsible for the mangiferin extraction process.

A cost and technical efficiency analysis of two alternative models for implementing the basic package of health services in Afghanistan.

PubMed

Blaakman, Aaron Philip; Salehi, Ahmad Shah; Boitard, Romain

2014-01-01

Since 2003, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and international partners have directed a contracting-out model through which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) deliver the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) in 31 of the 34 Afghan provinces. The MoPH also managed health service delivery in three provinces under an alternative initiative entitled Strengthening Mechanisms (SM). In 2011, under the authority of the MoPH and Delegation of the European Union to Afghanistan, EPOS Health Management conducted a cost and technical efficiency study of the contracting-out and SM mechanisms in six provinces to examine economic trade-offs in the provision of the BPHS. The study provides analyses of all resource inputs and primary outputs of the BPHS in the six provinces during 2008 and 2009. The authors examined technical efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) at the BPHS facility level. Cost analysis results indicate that the weighted average cost per BPHS outpatient visit totalled $3.41 in the SM provinces and $5.39 in the NGO-led provinces in 2009. Furthermore, the data envelopment analyses (DEAs) indicate that facilities in the three NGO-led provinces scored 0.168 points higher on the DEA scale (0-1) than SM facilities. The authors conclude that an approximate 60% increase in costs yielded a 16.8% increase in technical efficiency in the delivery of the BPHS during 2009 in the six provinces.

Stiffness-Independent Highly Efficient On-Chip Extraction of Cell-Laden Hydrogel Microcapsules from Oil Emulsion into Aqueous Solution by Dielectrophoresis.

PubMed

Huang, Haishui; Sun, Mingrui; Heisler-Taylor, Tyler; Kiourti, Asimina; Volakis, John; Lafyatis, Gregory; He, Xiaoming

2015-10-28

A dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based method achieves highly efficient on-chip extraction of cell-laden microcapsules of any stiffness from oil into aqueous solution. The hydrogel microcapsules can be extracted into the aqueous solution by DEP and interfacial tension forces with no trapped oil, while the encapsulated cells are free from electrical damage due to the Faraday cage effect. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

LC-MS/MS analytical procedure to quantify tris(nonylphenyl)phosphite, as a source of the endocrine disruptors 4-nonylphenols, in food packaging materials.

PubMed

Mottier, Pascal; Frank, Nancy; Dubois, Mathieu; Tarres, Adrienne; Bessaire, Thomas; Romero, Roman; Delatour, Thierry

2014-01-01

Tris(nonylphenyl)phosphite, an antioxidant used in polyethylene resins for food applications, is problematic since it is a source of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals 4-nonylphenols (4NP) upon migration into packaged foods. As a response to concerns surrounding the presence of 4NP-based compounds in packaging materials, some resin producers and additive suppliers have decided to eliminate TNPP from formulations. This paper describes an analytical procedure to verify the "TNPP-free" statement in multilayer laminates used for bag-in-box packaging. The method involves extraction of TNPP from laminates with organic solvents followed by detection/quantification by LC-MS/MS using the atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) mode. A further acidic treatment of the latter extract allows the release of 4NP from potentially extracted TNPP. 4NP is then analysed by LC-MS/MS using electrospray ionisation (ESI) mode. This two-step analytical procedure ensures not only TNPP quantification in laminates, but also allows the flagging of other possible sources of 4NP in such packaging materials, typically as non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). The limits of quantification were 0.50 and 0.48 µg dm⁻² for TNPP and 4NP in laminates, respectively, with recoveries ranging between 87% and 114%. Usage of such analytical methodologies in quality control operations has pointed to a lack of traceability at the packaging supplier level and cross-contamination of extrusion equipment at the converter level, when TNPP-containing laminates are processed on the same machine beforehand.

IN-PACKAGE CHEMISTRY ABSTRACTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

E. Thomas

2005-07-14

This report was developed in accordance with the requirements in ''Technical Work Plan for Postclosure Waste Form Modeling'' (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173246]). The purpose of the in-package chemistry model is to predict the bulk chemistry inside of a breached waste package and to provide simplified expressions of that chemistry as a function of time after breach to Total Systems Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA). The scope of this report is to describe the development and validation of the in-package chemistry model. The in-package model is a combination of two models, a batch reactor model, which uses the EQ3/6more » geochemistry-modeling tool, and a surface complexation model, which is applied to the results of the batch reactor model. The batch reactor model considers chemical interactions of water with the waste package materials, and the waste form for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) waste packages and codisposed (CDSP) waste packages containing high-level waste glass (HLWG) and DOE spent fuel. The surface complexation model includes the impact of fluid-surface interactions (i.e., surface complexation) on the resulting fluid composition. The model examines two types of water influx: (1) the condensation of water vapor diffusing into the waste package, and (2) seepage water entering the waste package as a liquid from the drift. (1) Vapor-Influx Case: The condensation of vapor onto the waste package internals is simulated as pure H{sub 2}O and enters at a rate determined by the water vapor pressure for representative temperature and relative humidity conditions. (2) Liquid-Influx Case: The water entering a waste package from the drift is simulated as typical groundwater and enters at a rate determined by the amount of seepage available to flow through openings in a breached waste package.« less

Child-resistant and tamper-resistant packaging: A systematic review to inform tobacco packaging regulation.

PubMed

Jo, Catherine L; Ambs, Anita; Dresler, Carolyn M; Backinger, Cathy L

2017-02-01

We aimed to investigate the effects of special packaging (child-resistant, adult-friendly) and tamper-resistant packaging on health and behavioral outcomes in order to identify research gaps and implications for packaging standards for tobacco products. We searched seven databases for keywords related to special and tamper-resistant packaging, consulted experts, and reviewed citations of potentially relevant studies. 733 unique papers were identified. Two coders independently screened each title and abstract for eligibility. They then reviewed the full text of the remaining papers for a second round of eligibility screening. Included studies investigated a causal relationship between type of packaging or packaging regulation and behavioral or health outcomes and had a study population composed of consumers. Studies were excluded on the basis of publication type, if they were not peer-reviewed, and if they had low external validity. Two reviewers independently coded each paper for study and methodological characteristics and limitations. Discrepancies were discussed and resolved. The review included eight studies: four assessing people's ability to access the contents of different packaging types and four evaluating the impact of packaging requirements on health-related outcomes. Child-resistant packaging was generally more difficult to open than non-child-resistant packaging. Child-resistant packaging requirements have been associated with reductions in child mortality. Child-resistant packaging holds the expectation to reduce tobacco product poisonings among children under six. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Scoring Package

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

NIST Scoring Package (PC database for purchase)   The NIST Scoring Package (Special Database 1) is a reference implementation of the draft Standard Method for Evaluating the Performance of Systems Intended to Recognize Hand-printed Characters from Image Data Scanned from Forms.

Package Up Your Troubles--An Introduction to Package Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Colin

1978-01-01

Discusses a "package deal" library--a prefabricated building including interior furnishing--in terms of costs, fitness for purpose, and interior design, i.e., shelving, flooring, heating, lighting, and humidity. Advantages and disadvantages of the package library are also considered. (Author/MBR)

From Cells to Virus Particles: Quantitative Methods to Monitor RNA Packaging

PubMed Central

Ferrer, Mireia; Henriet, Simon; Chamontin, Célia; Lainé, Sébastien; Mougel, Marylène

2016-01-01

In cells, positive strand RNA viruses, such as Retroviridae, must selectively recognize their full-length RNA genome among abundant cellular RNAs to assemble and release particles. How viruses coordinate the intracellular trafficking of both RNA and protein components to the assembly sites of infectious particles at the cell surface remains a long-standing question. The mechanisms ensuring packaging of genomic RNA are essential for viral infectivity. Since RNA packaging impacts on several essential functions of retroviral replication such as RNA dimerization, translation and recombination events, there are many studies that require the determination of RNA packaging efficiency and/or RNA packaging ability. Studies of RNA encapsidation rely upon techniques for the identification and quantification of RNA species packaged by the virus. This review focuses on the different approaches available to monitor RNA packaging: Northern blot analysis, ribonuclease protection assay and quantitative reverse transcriptase-coupled polymerase chain reaction as well as the most recent RNA imaging and sequencing technologies. Advantages, disadvantages and limitations of these approaches will be discussed in order to help the investigator to choose the most appropriate technique. Although the review was written with the prototypic simple murine leukemia virus (MLV) and complex human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in mind, the techniques were described in order to benefit to a larger community. PMID:27556480

The Efficiency of Random Forest Method for Shoreline Extraction from LANDSAT-8 and GOKTURK-2 Imageries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayram, B.; Erdem, F.; Akpinar, B.; Ince, A. K.; Bozkurt, S.; Catal Reis, H.; Seker, D. Z.

2017-11-01

Coastal monitoring plays a vital role in environmental planning and hazard management related issues. Since shorelines are fundamental data for environment management, disaster management, coastal erosion studies, modelling of sediment transport and coastal morphodynamics, various techniques have been developed to extract shorelines. Random Forest is one of these techniques which is used in this study for shoreline extraction.. This algorithm is a machine learning method based on decision trees. Decision trees analyse classes of training data creates rules for classification. In this study, Terkos region has been chosen for the proposed method within the scope of "TUBITAK Project (Project No: 115Y718) titled "Integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Sustainable Coastal Zone Monitoring Model - Three-Dimensional Automatic Coastline Extraction and Analysis: Istanbul-Terkos Example". Random Forest algorithm has been implemented to extract the shoreline of the Black Sea where near the lake from LANDSAT-8 and GOKTURK-2 satellite imageries taken in 2015. The MATLAB environment was used for classification. To obtain land and water-body classes, the Random Forest method has been applied to NIR bands of LANDSAT-8 (5th band) and GOKTURK-2 (4th band) imageries. Each image has been digitized manually and shorelines obtained for accuracy assessment. According to accuracy assessment results, Random Forest method is efficient for both medium and high resolution images for shoreline extraction studies.

Variation in the Extraction Efficiency of Estradiol and Progesterone in Moist and Lyophilized Feces of the Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta pigra): Alternative Methods

PubMed Central

Torres-Pelayo, Vianey del R.; Rovirosa-Hernández, M. J.; García-Orduña, F.; Chavira-Ramírez, R. D.; Boeck, L.; Canales-Espinosa, D.; Rodríguez-Landa, J. F.

2011-01-01

Several fecal steroid extraction techniques have been developed to measure the ovary function in different species of mammals. However, regardless of the method of extraction and the sample type chosen, it has been observed that they can yield results with different percentages of recuperation. The objective of this study was to determine whether the type of substratum, solvent and extraction method used have any influence on the extraction efficiency in the feces of Alouatta pigra (black howler monkey). For this purpose we used two methods: agitation and ebullition. With each method, we utilized moist and lyophilized feces. The validation of radioimmunoassay method was accurate and precise for quantify estradiol and progesterone in lyophilized feces of A. pigra. To both of which ethanol and methanol, absolute and at 80%, were added, besides the hormones 125I-Estradiol and 125I-Progesterone. The extraction efficiency for 125I-Estradiol was from 87.72 ± 3.97 to 41.24 ± 2.67%, and for 125I-Progesterone from 71.15 ± 4.24 to 42.30 ± 1.19% when we used the agitation method. Whereas with the ebullition method, the extraction efficiency for 125I-Estradiol ranged from 86.89 ± 2.66 to 71.68 ± 3.02% and for 125I-Progesterone from 98.31 ± 1.26 to 85.40 ± 1.98%. Due to the differences found in these assays, which depend on the method used, the type of feces employed and the type of solvent added to them, we recommend the ebullition method and the lyophilized feces of A. pigra for extracting the hormones, since in moist feces there may exist variables which might interfere in the quantification of 125I-Estradiol and 125I-Progesterone. PMID:22194723

Efficient microplastics extraction from sand. A cost effective methodology based on sodium iodide recycling.

PubMed

Kedzierski, Mikaël; Le Tilly, Véronique; César, Guy; Sire, Olivier; Bruzaud, Stéphane

2017-02-15

Evaluating the microplastics pollution on the shores requires overcoming the technological and economical challenge of efficient plastic extraction from sand. The recovery of dense microplastics requires the use of NaI solutions, a costly process. The aim of this study is to decrease this cost by recycling the NaI solutions and to determine the impact of NaI storage. For studying the NaI recyclability, the solution density and the salt mass have been monitored during ten life cycles. Density, pH and salt mass have been measured for 40days to assess the storage effect. The results show that NaI solutions are recyclable without any density alterations with a total loss of 35.9% after the 10cycles of use. During storage, chemical reactions may appear but are reversible. Consequently, the use of recycling methods allows for a significant cost reduction. How far the plastic extraction by dense solutions is representative is discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Raman Spectroscopy of DNA Packaging in Individual Human Sperm Cells distinguishes Normal from Abnormal Cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huser, T; Orme, C; Hollars, C

Healthy human males produce sperm cells of which about 25-40% have abnormal head shapes. Increases in the percentage of sperm exhibiting aberrant sperm head morphologies have been correlated with male infertility, and biochemical studies of pooled sperm have suggested that sperm with abnormal shape may contain DNA that has not been properly repackaged by protamine during spermatid development. We have used micro-Raman spectroscopy to obtain Raman spectra from individual human sperm cells and examined how differences in the Raman spectra of sperm chromatin correlate with cell shape. We show that Raman spectra of individual sperm cells contain vibrational marker modesmore » that can be used to assess the efficiency of DNA-packaging for each cell. Raman spectra obtained from sperm cells with normal shape provide evidence that DNA in these sperm is very efficiently packaged. We find, however, that the relative protein content per cell and DNA packaging efficiencies are distributed over a relatively wide range for sperm cells with both normal and abnormal shape. These findings indicate that single cell Raman spectroscopy should be a valuable tool in assessing the quality of sperm cells for in-vitro fertilization.« less

Child-resistant and tamper-resistant packaging: A systematic review to inform tobacco packaging regulation

PubMed Central

Jo, Catherine L.; Ambs, Anita; Dresler, Carolyn M.; Backinger, Cathy L.

2017-01-01

Objective We aimed to investigate the effects of special packaging (child-resistant, adult-friendly) and tamper-resistant packaging on health and behavioral outcomes in order to identify research gaps and implications for packaging standards for tobacco products. Methods We searched seven databases for keywords related to special and tamper-resistant packaging, consulted experts, and reviewed citations of potentially relevant studies. 733 unique papers were identified. Two coders independently screened each title and abstract for eligibility. They then reviewed the full text of the remaining papers for a second round of eligibility screening. Included studies investigated a causal relationship between type of packaging or packaging regulation and behavioral or health outcomes and had a study population composed of consumers. Studies were excluded on the basis of publication type, if they were not peer-reviewed, and if they had low external validity. Two reviewers independently coded each paper for study and methodological characteristics and limitations. Discrepancies were discussed and resolved. Results The review included eight studies: four assessing people’s ability to access the contents of different packaging types and four evaluating the impact of packaging requirements on health-related outcomes. Child-resistant packaging was generally more difficult to open than non-child-resistant packaging. Child-resistant packaging requirements have been associated with reductions in child mortality. Conclusions Child-resistant packaging holds the expectation to reduce tobacco product poisonings among children under six. PMID:27939602

Development and validation of an improved method for the determination of chloropropanols in paperboard food packaging by GC-MS.

PubMed

Mezouari, S; Liu, W Yun; Pace, G; Hartman, T G

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop an improved analytical method for the determination of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) and 1,3-dichloropropanol (1,3-DCP) in paper-type food packaging. The established method includes aqueous extraction, matrix spiking of a deuterated surrogate internal standard (3-MCPD-d₅), clean-up using Extrelut solid-phase extraction, derivatisation using a silylation reagent, and GC-MS analysis of the chloropropanols as their corresponding trimethyl silyl ethers. The new method is applicable to food-grade packaging samples using European Commission standard aqueous extraction and aqueous food stimulant migration tests. In this improved method, the derivatisation procedure was optimised; the cost and time of the analysis were reduced by using 10 times less sample, solvents and reagents than in previously described methods. Overall the validation data demonstrate that the method is precise and reliable. The limit of detection (LOD) of the aqueous extract was 0.010 mg kg(-1) (w/w) for both 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP. Analytical precision had a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.36% for 3-MCPD and an RSD of 7.65% for 1,3-DCP. The new method was satisfactorily applied to the analysis of over 100 commercial paperboard packaging samples. The data are being used to guide the product development of a next generation of wet-strength resins with reduced chloropropanol content, and also for risk assessments to calculate the virtual safe dose (VSD).

Changes in the specific migration characteristics of packaging-food simulant combinations caused by ionizing radiation: Effect of food simulant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zygoura, Panagiota D.; Paleologos, Evangelos K.; Kontominas, Michael G.

2011-08-01

The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the extent to which the affinity of the surrounding medium for the migrant, as well as the packaging material, affects the specific migration characteristics of the latter. For this purpose, migration tests were conducted with vinylidene chloride copolymer (PVDC/PVC) in contact with the EU specified solvents simulating all food types: namely, distilled water, 3% w/v acetic acid, 10% v/v ethanol and isooctane. Migration testing was carried out at 40 °C for 10 days for the aqueous simulants, and at 20 °C for 2 days for the fatty food simulant (EC, 1997; EEC, 1993). In addition, food-grade saran film was subjected to ionizing radiation treatment with a [60Co] source at doses equal to 5, 15 and 25 kGy. Acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) plasticizer levels were monitored as a function of time for untreated, as well as gamma-irradiated packaging material, with a secondary objective to investigate the effect of ionizing radiation on polymer/migrant/surrounding medium interactions. Depending on the food simulant, determination of the analyte was performed by either direct gas chromatographic analysis, or surfactant (Triton X-114) mediated extraction followed by gas chromatographic-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). ATBC concentrations determined in aqueous and fatty food simulants were 0.216-0.497 and 5.0-5.9 mg/L, respectively. Therefore, the most efficient extracting medium of plasticizers in vinyl chloride copolymers is the non-polar isooctane. Moreover, an extremely high rate of ATBC migration into isooctane during the early stages of contact was observed. The above observation verifies the aggressiveness of isooctane towards plastic packaging materials. Amongst the aqueous food simulants tested, the 10% ethanol solution demonstrated the highest migration levels. Gamma-irradiation enhanced ATBC migration; specific migration levels increased with increasing contact time and radiation dose. This was expected

Biosynthesis and Characterization of AgNPs–Silk/PVA Film for Potential Packaging Application

PubMed Central

Tao, Gang; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Song, Kai; Guo, Pengchao; Zhao, Ping; Zuo, Hua; He, Huawei

2017-01-01

Bionanocomposite packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industries. Antimicrobial packaging is one of the bionanocomposite packaging materials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is one of the most attractive antimicrobial agents for its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. However, the traditional method of preparing AgNPs-functionalized packaging material is cumbersome and not environmentally friendly. To develop an efficient and convenient biosynthesis method to prepare AgNPs-modified bionanocomposite material for packaging applications, we synthesized AgNPs in situ in a silk fibroin solution via the reduction of Ag+ by the tyrosine residue of fibroin, and then prepared AgNPs–silk/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film by blending with PVA. AgNPs were synthesized evenly on the surface or embedded in the interior of silk/PVA film. The prepared AgNPs–silk/PVA film exhibited excellent mechanical performance and stability, as well as good antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. AgNPs–silk/PVA film offers more choices to be potentially applied in the active packaging field. PMID:28773026

Biosynthesis and Characterization of AgNPs-Silk/PVA Film for Potential Packaging Application.

PubMed

Tao, Gang; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Song, Kai; Guo, Pengchao; Zhao, Ping; Zuo, Hua; He, Huawei

2017-06-17

Bionanocomposite packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industries. Antimicrobial packaging is one of the bionanocomposite packaging materials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is one of the most attractive antimicrobial agents for its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. However, the traditional method of preparing AgNPs-functionalized packaging material is cumbersome and not environmentally friendly. To develop an efficient and convenient biosynthesis method to prepare AgNPs-modified bionanocomposite material for packaging applications, we synthesized AgNPs in situ in a silk fibroin solution via the reduction of Ag⁺ by the tyrosine residue of fibroin, and then prepared AgNPs-silk/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film by blending with PVA. AgNPs were synthesized evenly on the surface or embedded in the interior of silk/PVA film. The prepared AgNPs-silk/PVA film exhibited excellent mechanical performance and stability, as well as good antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. AgNPs-silk/PVA film offers more choices to be potentially applied in the active packaging field.

In-tube electro-membrane extraction with a sub-microliter organic solvent consumption as an efficient technique for synthetic food dyes determination in foodstuff samples.

PubMed

Bazregar, Mohammad; Rajabi, Maryam; Yamini, Yadollah; Asghari, Alireza; Abdossalami asl, Yousef

2015-09-04

A simple and efficient extraction technique with a sub-microliter organic solvent consumption termed as in-tube electro-membrane extraction (IEME) is introduced. This method is based upon the electro-kinetic migration of ionized compounds by the application of an electrical potential difference. For this purpose, a thin polypropylene (PP) sheet placed inside a tube acts as a support for the membrane solvent, and 30μL of an aqueous acceptor solution is separated by this solvent from 1.2mL of an aqueous donor solution. This method yielded high extraction recoveries (63-81%), and the consumption of the organic solvent used was only 0.5μL. By performing this method, the purification is high, and the utilization of the organic solvent, used as a mediator, is very simple and repeatable. The proposed method was evaluated by extraction of four synthetic food dyes (Amaranth, Ponceau 4R, Allura Red, and Carmoisine) as the model analytes. Optimization of variables affecting the method was carried out in order to achieve the best extraction efficiency. These variables were the type of membrane solvent, applied extraction voltage, extraction time, pH range, and concentration of salt added. Under the optimized conditions, IEME-HPLC-UV provided a good linearity in the range of 1.00-800ngmL(-1), low limits of detection (0.3-1ngmL(-1)), and good extraction repeatabilities (RSDs below 5.2%, n=5). It seems that this design is a proper one for the automation of the method. Also the consumption of the organic solvent in a sub-microliter scale, and its simplicity, high efficiency, and high purification can help one getting closer to the objectives of the green chemistry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced light extraction efficiency of micro-ring array AlGaN deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bekele Fayisa, Gabisa; Lee, Jong Won; Kim, Jungsub; Kim, Yong-Il; Park, Youngsoo; Kim, Jong Kyu

2017-09-01

An effective approach to overcome inherently poor light extraction efficiency of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is presented. We demonstrated the 5 × 5 array micro-ring DUV LED having an inclined sidewall at the outer perimeter and a p-GaN-removed inner circle of the micro-ring, together with MgF2/Al omnidirectional reflectors. The micro-ring array DUV LED shows remarkably higher light output power by 70% than the reference, consistent with the calculated result, as well as comparable turn-on and operational voltages, which are attributed to the effective extraction of strong transverse-magnetic polarized anisotropic emission and the reduction of the absorption loss by the p-GaN contact layer, simultaneously.

High Efficiency Energy Extraction from a Relativistic Electron Beam in a Strongly Tapered Undulator

DOE PAGES

Sudar, N.; Musumeci, P.; Duris, J.; ...

2016-10-19

Here we present results of an experiment where, using a 200 GW CO 2 laser seed, a 65 MeV electron beam was decelerated down to 35 MeV in a 54-cm-long strongly tapered helical magnetic undulator, extracting over 30% of the initial electron beam energy to coherent radiation. These results, supported by simulations of the radiation field evolution, demonstrate unparalleled electro-optical conversion efficiencies for a relativistic beam in an undulator field and represent an important step in the development of high peak and average power coherent radiation sources.

New Finsler package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youssef, Nabil L.; Elgendi, S. G.

2014-03-01

The book “Handbook of Finsler geometry” has been included with a CD containing an elegant Maple package, FINSLER, for calculations in Finsler geometry. Using this package, an example concerning a Finsler generalization of Einstein’s vacuum field equations was treated. In this example, the calculation of the components of the hv-curvature of Cartan connection leads to wrong expressions. On the other hand, the FINSLER package works only in dimension four. We introduce a new Finsler package in which we fix the two problems and solve them. Moreover, we extend this package to compute not only the geometric objects associated with Cartan connection but also those associated with Berwald, Chern and Hashiguchi connections in any dimension. These improvements have been illustrated by a concrete example. Furthermore, the problem of simplifying tensor expressions is treated. This paper is intended to make calculations in Finsler geometry more easier and simpler.

Extraction of three bioactive diterpenoids from Andrographis paniculata: effect of the extraction techniques on extract composition and quantification of three andrographolides using high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Kumar, Satyanshu; Dhanani, Tushar; Shah, Sonal

2014-10-01

Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) wall.ex Nees (Acanthaceae) or Kalmegh is an important medicinal plant finding uses in many Ayurvedic formulations. Diterpenoid compounds andrographolides (APs) are the main bioactive phytochemicals present in leaves and herbage of A. paniculata. The efficiency of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using carbon dioxide was compared with the solid-liquid extraction techniques such as solvent extraction, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction and microwave-assisted solvent extraction with methanol, water and methanol-water as solvents. Also a rapid and validated reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the three biologically active compounds, AP, neoandrographolide and andrograpanin, in the extracts of A. paniculata. Under the best SFE conditions tested for diterpenoids, which involved extraction at 60°C and 100 bar, the extractive efficiencies were 132 and 22 µg/g for AP and neoandrographolide, respectively. The modifier percentage significantly affected the extraction efficiency. © The Author [2013]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Paperless Work Package Application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kilgore, Jr., William R.; Morrell, Jr., Otto K.; Morrison, Dan

2014-07-31

Paperless Work Package (PWP) System is a computer program process that takes information from Asset Suite, provides a platform for other electronic inputs, Processes the inputs into an electronic package that can be downloaded onto an electronic work tablet or laptop computer, provides a platform for electronic inputs into the work tablet, and then transposes those inputs back into Asset Suite and to permanent SRS records. The PWP System will basically eliminate paper requirements from the maintenance work control system. The program electronically relays the instructions given by the planner to work on a piece of equipment which is currentlymore » relayed via a printed work package. The program does not control/approve what is done. The planner will continue to plan the work package, the package will continue to be routed, approved, and scheduled. The supervisor reviews and approves the work to be performed and assigns work to individuals or to a work group. (The supervisor conducts pre job briefings with the workers involved in the job) The Operations Manager (Work Controlling Entity) approves the work package electronically for the work that will be done in his facility prior to work starting. The PWP System will provide the package in an electronic form. All the reviews, approvals, and safety measures taken by people outside the electronic package does not change from the paper driven work packages.« less

Short Communication An efficient method for simultaneous extraction of high-quality RNA and DNA from various plant tissues.

PubMed

Oliveira, R R; Viana, A J C; Reátegui, A C E; Vincentz, M G A

2015-12-29

Determination of gene expression is an important tool to study biological processes and relies on the quality of the extracted RNA. Changes in gene expression profiles may be directly related to mutations in regulatory DNA sequences or alterations in DNA cytosine methylation, which is an epigenetic mark. Correlation of gene expression with DNA sequence or epigenetic mark polymorphism is often desirable; for this, a robust protocol to isolate high-quality RNA and DNA simultaneously from the same sample is required. Although commercial kits and protocols are available, they are mainly optimized for animal tissues and, in general, restricted to RNA or DNA extraction, not both. In the present study, we describe an efficient and accessible method to extract both RNA and DNA simultaneously from the same sample of various plant tissues, using small amounts of starting material. The protocol was efficient in the extraction of high-quality nucleic acids from several Arabidopsis thaliana tissues (e.g., leaf, inflorescence stem, flower, fruit, cotyledon, seedlings, root, and embryo) and from other tissues of non-model plants, such as Avicennia schaueriana (Acanthaceae), Theobroma cacao (Malvaceae), Paspalum notatum (Poaceae), and Sorghum bicolor (Poaceae). The obtained nucleic acids were used as templates for downstream analyses, such as mRNA sequencing, quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction, bisulfite treatment, and others; the results were comparable to those obtained with commercial kits. We believe that this protocol could be applied to a broad range of plant species, help avoid technical and sampling biases, and facilitate several RNA- and DNA-dependent analyses.

Prevention policies addressing packaging and packaging waste: Some emerging trends.

PubMed

Tencati, Antonio; Pogutz, Stefano; Moda, Beatrice; Brambilla, Matteo; Cacia, Claudia

2016-10-01

Packaging waste is a major issue in several countries. Representing in industrialized countries around 30-35% of municipal solid waste yearly generated, this waste stream has steadily grown over the years even if, especially in Europe, specific recycling and recovery targets have been fixed. Therefore, an increasing attention starts to be devoted to prevention measures and interventions. Filling a gap in the current literature, this explorative paper is a first attempt to map the increasingly important phenomenon of prevention policies in the packaging sector. Through a theoretical sampling, 11 countries/states (7 in and 4 outside Europe) have been selected and analyzed by gathering and studying primary and secondary data. Results show evidence of three specific trends in packaging waste prevention policies: fostering the adoption of measures directed at improving packaging design and production through an extensive use of the life cycle assessment; raising the awareness of final consumers by increasing the accountability of firms; promoting collaborative efforts along the packaging supply chains. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Food packages for Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fohey, M. F.; Sauer, R. L.; Westover, J. B.; Rockafeller, E. F.

1978-01-01

The paper reviews food packaging techniques used in space flight missions and describes the system developed for the Space Shuttle. Attention is directed to bite-size food cubes used in Gemini, Gemini rehydratable food packages, Apollo spoon-bowl rehydratable packages, thermostabilized flex pouch for Apollo, tear-top commercial food cans used in Skylab, polyethylene beverage containers, Skylab rehydratable food package, Space Shuttle food package configuration, duck-bill septum rehydration device, and a drinking/dispensing nozzle for Space Shuttle liquids. Constraints and testing of packaging is considered, a comparison of food package materials is presented, and typical Shuttle foods and beverages are listed.

Fluid extraction

DOEpatents

Wai, Chien M.; Laintz, Kenneth E.

1999-01-01

A method of extracting metalloid and metal species from a solid or liquid material by exposing the material to a supercritical fluid solvent containing a chelating agent is described. The chelating agent forms chelates that are soluble in the supercritical fluid to allow removal of the species from the material. In preferred embodiments, the extraction solvent is supercritical carbon dioxide and the chelating agent is a fluorinated .beta.-diketone. In especially preferred embodiments the extraction solvent is supercritical carbon dioxide, and the chelating agent comprises a fluorinated .beta.-diketone and a trialkyl phosphate, or a fluorinated .beta.-diketone and a trialkylphosphine oxide. Although a trialkyl phosphate can extract lanthanides and actinides from acidic solutions, a binary mixture comprising a fluorinated .beta.-diketone and a trialkyl phosphate or a trialkylphosphine oxide tends to enhance the extraction efficiencies for actinides and lanthanides. The method provides an environmentally benign process for removing contaminants from industrial waste without using acids or biologically harmful solvents. The method is particularly useful for extracting actinides and lanthanides from acidic solutions. The chelate and supercritical fluid can be regenerated, and the contaminant species recovered, to provide an economic, efficient process.

Packaging - Materials review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herrmann, Matthias

2014-06-16

Nowadays, a large number of different electrochemical energy storage systems are known. In the last two decades the development was strongly driven by a continuously growing market of portable electronic devices (e.g. cellular phones, lap top computers, camcorders, cameras, tools). Current intensive efforts are under way to develop systems for automotive industry within the framework of electrically propelled mobility (e.g. hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, full electric vehicles) and also for the energy storage market (e.g. electrical grid stability, renewable energies). Besides the different systems (cell chemistries), electrochemical cells and batteries were developed and are offered in manymore » shapes, sizes and designs, in order to meet performance and design requirements of the widespread applications. Proper packaging is thereby one important technological step for designing optimum, reliable and safe batteries for operation. In this contribution, current packaging approaches of cells and batteries together with the corresponding materials are discussed. The focus is laid on rechargeable systems for industrial applications (i.e. alkaline systems, lithium-ion, lead-acid). In principle, four different cell types (shapes) can be identified - button, cylindrical, prismatic and pouch. Cell size can be either in accordance with international (e.g. International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC) or other standards or can meet application-specific dimensions. Since cell housing or container, terminals and, if necessary, safety installations as inactive (non-reactive) materials reduce energy density of the battery, the development of low-weight packages is a challenging task. In addition to that, other requirements have to be fulfilled: mechanical stability and durability, sealing (e.g. high permeation barrier against humidity for lithium-ion technology), high packing efficiency, possible installation of safety devices (current interrupt

In-Package Chemistry Abstraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

E. Thomas

2004-11-09

This report was developed in accordance with the requirements in ''Technical Work Plan for: Regulatory Integration Modeling and Analysis of the Waste Form and Waste Package'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171583]). The purpose of the in-package chemistry model is to predict the bulk chemistry inside of a breached waste package and to provide simplified expressions of that chemistry as function of time after breach to Total Systems Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA). The scope of this report is to describe the development and validation of the in-package chemistry model. The in-package model is a combination of two models, amore » batch reactor model that uses the EQ3/6 geochemistry-modeling tool, and a surface complexation model that is applied to the results of the batch reactor model. The batch reactor model considers chemical interactions of water with the waste package materials and the waste form for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) waste packages and codisposed waste packages that contain both high-level waste glass (HLWG) and DOE spent fuel. The surface complexation model includes the impact of fluid-surface interactions (i.e., surface complexation) on the resulting fluid composition. The model examines two types of water influx: (1) the condensation of water vapor that diffuses into the waste package, and (2) seepage water that enters the waste package from the drift as a liquid. (1) Vapor Influx Case: The condensation of vapor onto the waste package internals is simulated as pure H2O and enters at a rate determined by the water vapor pressure for representative temperature and relative humidity conditions. (2) Water Influx Case: The water entering a waste package from the drift is simulated as typical groundwater and enters at a rate determined by the amount of seepage available to flow through openings in a breached waste package. TSPA-LA uses the vapor influx case for the nominal scenario for simulations where the waste package has been

Programmed packaging of multicomponent envelope-type nanoparticle system for gene delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pozzi, Daniela; Marianecci, Carlotta; Carafa, Maria; Marchini, Cristina; Montani, Maura; Amici, Augusto; Caracciolo, Giulio

2010-05-01

A programmed packaging strategy to develop a multicomponent envelope-type nanoparticle system (MENS) is presented. To this end, we took specific advantage of using in-house tailored liposomes that have been recently shown to exhibit intrinsic endosomal rupture properties that allow plasmid DNA to escape from endosomes and to enter the nucleus with extremely high efficiency. Transfection efficiency experiments on NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblasts indicate that MENS is a promising transfection candidate.

Improved efficiency of extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material Diesel Particulate Matter (SRM 2975) using accelerated solvent extraction.

PubMed

Masala, Silvia; Ahmed, Trifa; Bergvall, Christoffer; Westerholm, Roger

2011-12-01

The efficiency of extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with molecular masses of 252, 276, 278, 300, and 302 Da from standard reference material diesel particulate matter (SRM 2975) has been investigated using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) with dichloromethane, toluene, methanol, and mixtures of toluene and methanol. Extraction of SRM 2975 using toluene/methanol (9:1, v/v) at maximum instrumental settings (200 °C, 20.7 MPa, and five extraction cycles) with 30-min extraction times resulted in the following elevations of the measured concentration when compared with the certified and reference concentrations reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): benzo[b]fluoranthene, 46%; benzo[k]fluoranthene, 137%; benzo[e]pyrene, 103%; benzo[a]pyrene, 1,570%; perylene, 37%; indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, 41%; benzo[ghi]perylene, 163%; and coronene, 361%. The concentrations of the following PAHs were comparable to the reference values assigned by NIST: indeno[1,2,3-cd]fluoranthene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and picene. The measured concentration of dibenzo[a,e]-pyrene was lower than the information value reported by the NIST. The measured concentrations of other highly carcinogenic PAHs (dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, dibenzo[a,i]pyrene, and dibenzo[a,h]pyrene) in SRM 2975 are also reported. Comparison of measurements using the optimized ASE method and using similar conditions to those applied by the NIST for the assignment of PAH concentrations in SRM 2975 indicated that the higher values obtained in the present study were associated with more complete extraction of PAHs from the diesel particulate material. Re-extraction of the particulate samples demonstrated that the deuterated internal standards were more readily recovered than the native PAHs, which may explain the lower values reported by the NIST. The analytical results obtained in the study demonstrated that the efficient extraction of PAHs from SRM 2975 is a critical requirement for the

GENLIB: an R package for the analysis of genealogical data.

PubMed

Gauvin, Héloïse; Lefebvre, Jean-François; Moreau, Claudia; Lavoie, Eve-Marie; Labuda, Damian; Vézina, Hélène; Roy-Gagnon, Marie-Hélène

2015-05-15

Founder populations have an important role in the study of genetic diseases. Access to detailed genealogical records is often one of their advantages. These genealogical data provide unique information for researchers in evolutionary and population genetics, demography and genetic epidemiology. However, analyzing large genealogical datasets requires specialized methods and software. The GENLIB software was developed to study the large genealogies of the French Canadian population of Quebec, Canada. These genealogies are accessible through the BALSAC database, which contains over 3 million records covering the whole province of Quebec over four centuries. Using this resource, extended pedigrees of up to 17 generations can be constructed from a sample of present-day individuals. We have extended and implemented GENLIB as a package in the R environment for statistical computing and graphics, thus allowing optimal flexibility for users. The GENLIB package includes basic functions to manage genealogical data allowing, for example, extraction of a part of a genealogy or selection of specific individuals. There are also many functions providing information to describe the size and complexity of genealogies as well as functions to compute standard measures such as kinship, inbreeding and genetic contribution. GENLIB also includes functions for gene-dropping simulations. The goal of this paper is to present the full functionalities of GENLIB. We used a sample of 140 individuals from the province of Quebec (Canada) to demonstrate GENLIB's functions. Ascending genealogies for these individuals were reconstructed using BALSAC, yielding a large pedigree of 41,523 individuals. Using GENLIB's functions, we provide a detailed description of these genealogical data in terms of completeness, genetic contribution of founders, relatedness, inbreeding and the overall complexity of the genealogical tree. We also present gene-dropping simulations based on the whole genealogy to

Highly Efficient and Uniform 1 cm 2 Perovskite Solar Cells with an Electrochemically Deposited NiO x Hole-Extraction Layer

DOE PAGES

Park, Ik Jae; Kang, Gyeongho; Park, Min Ah; ...

2017-05-10

Here, given that the highest certified conversion efficiency of the organic-inorganic perovskite solar cell (PSC) already exceeds 22%, which is even higher than that of the polycrystalline silicon solar cell, the significance of new scalable processes that can be utilized for preparing large-area devices and their commercialization is rapidly increasing. From this perspective, the electrodeposition method is one of the most suitable processes for preparing large-area devices because it is an already commercialized process with proven controllability and scalability. Here, a highly uniform NiO x layer prepared by electrochemical deposition is reported as an efficient hole-extraction layer of a p-i-n-typemore » planar PSC with a large active area of >1 cm 2. It is demonstrated that the increased surface roughness of the NiO x layer, achieved by controlling the deposition current density, facilitates the hole extraction at the interface between perovskite and NiO x, and thus increases the fill factor and the conversion efficiency. The electrochemically deposited NiO x layer also exhibits extremely uniform thickness and morphology, leading to highly efficient and uniform large-area PSCs. As a result, the p-i-n-type planar PSC with an area of 1.084 cm 2 exhibits a stable conversion efficiency of 17.0% (19.2% for 0.1 cm 2) without showing hysteresis effects.« less

FTOOLS: A FITS Data Processing and Analysis Software Package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackburn, J. Kent; Greene, Emily A.; Pence, William

1993-05-01

FTOOLS, a highly modular collection of utilities for processing and analyzing data in the FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format, has been developed in support of the HEASARC (High Energy Astrophysics Research Archive Center) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Each utility performs a single simple task such as presentation of file contents, extraction of specific rows or columns, appending or merging tables, binning values in a column or selecting subsets of rows based on a boolean expression. Individual utilities can easily be chained together in scripts to achieve more complex operations such as the generation and displaying of spectra or light curves. The collection of utilities provides both generic processing and analysis utilities and utilities common to high energy astrophysics data sets. The FTOOLS software package is designed to be both compatible with IRAF and completely stand alone in a UNIX or VMS environment. The user interface is controlled by standard IRAF parameter files. The package is self documenting through the IRAF help facility and a stand alone help task. Software is written in ANSI C and FORTRAN to provide portability across most computer systems. The data format dependencies between hardware platforms are isolated through the FITSIO library package.

FormTracer. A mathematica tracing package using FORM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cyrol, Anton K.; Mitter, Mario; Strodthoff, Nils

2017-10-01

We present FormTracer, a high-performance, general purpose, easy-to-use Mathematica tracing package which uses FORM. It supports arbitrary space and spinor dimensions as well as an arbitrary number of simple compact Lie groups. While keeping the usability of the Mathematica interface, it relies on the efficiency of FORM. An additional performance gain is achieved by a decomposition algorithm that avoids redundant traces in the product tensors spaces. FormTracer supports a wide range of syntaxes which endows it with a high flexibility. Mathematica notebooks that automatically install the package and guide the user through performing standard traces in space-time, spinor and gauge-group spaces are provided. Program Files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/7rd29h4p3m.1 Licensing provisions: GPLv3 Programming language: Mathematica and FORM Nature of problem: Efficiently compute traces of large expressions Solution method: The expression to be traced is decomposed into its subspaces by a recursive Mathematica expansion algorithm. The result is subsequently translated to a FORM script that takes the traces. After FORM is executed, the final result is either imported into Mathematica or exported as optimized C/C++/Fortran code. Unusual features: The outstanding features of FormTracer are the simple interface, the capability to efficiently handle an arbitrary number of Lie groups in addition to Dirac and Lorentz tensors, and a customizable input-syntax.

PharmacoGx: an R package for analysis of large pharmacogenomic datasets.

PubMed

Smirnov, Petr; Safikhani, Zhaleh; El-Hachem, Nehme; Wang, Dong; She, Adrian; Olsen, Catharina; Freeman, Mark; Selby, Heather; Gendoo, Deena M A; Grossmann, Patrick; Beck, Andrew H; Aerts, Hugo J W L; Lupien, Mathieu; Goldenberg, Anna; Haibe-Kains, Benjamin

2016-04-15

Pharmacogenomics holds great promise for the development of biomarkers of drug response and the design of new therapeutic options, which are key challenges in precision medicine. However, such data are scattered and lack standards for efficient access and analysis, consequently preventing the realization of the full potential of pharmacogenomics. To address these issues, we implemented PharmacoGx, an easy-to-use, open source package for integrative analysis of multiple pharmacogenomic datasets. We demonstrate the utility of our package in comparing large drug sensitivity datasets, such as the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia. Moreover, we show how to use our package to easily perform Connectivity Map analysis. With increasing availability of drug-related data, our package will open new avenues of research for meta-analysis of pharmacogenomic data. PharmacoGx is implemented in R and can be easily installed on any system. The package is available from CRAN and its source code is available from GitHub. bhaibeka@uhnresearch.ca or benjamin.haibe.kains@utoronto.ca Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The role of assessment packages for diagnostic consultations: A conversation analytic perspective.

PubMed

Rossen, Camilla B; Buus, Niels; Stenager, Egon; Stenager, Elsebeth

2015-05-01

This article reports a conversation analysis of assessment package consultations. Healthcare delivery packages belong to a highly structured mode of healthcare delivery, in which specific courses of healthcare interventions related to assessment and treatment are predefined, both as to timing and content. Assessment packages are widely used in an increasing number of medical specialities; however, there is a lack of knowledge about how packaged assessment influences the interaction between doctor and patient. In this study, we investigate the final consultation in assessment packages, which is when the final clarification of the patient's symptoms takes place. The primary data of the study were eight audio recordings of consultations, and the secondary data were ethnographic field descriptions. In most consultations, packaged assessment was a resource as it provided fast and efficient clarification. In most cases, clarification was treated as good news since it either confirmed the absence of a serious disease or resulted in a diagnosis leading to relevant treatment offers. However, in some cases, clarification was not perceived as good news. This was the case in consultations with patients whose goal was to leave the consultation with clarification in the form of a definite diagnosis, but who were not offered such clarification. These patients negotiated the outcome of the consultation by applying implicit and explicit pressure, which induced the doctors to disregard the boundaries of the package and offer the patient more tests. The study highlights some of the problems related to introducing narrow, specialized package assessment. © The Author(s) 2014.

Tobacco packaging design for reducing tobacco use.

PubMed

McNeill, Ann; Gravely, Shannon; Hitchman, Sara C; Bauld, Linda; Hammond, David; Hartmann-Boyce, Jamie

2017-04-27

Tobacco use is the largest single preventable cause of death and disease worldwide. Standardised tobacco packaging is an intervention intended to reduce the promotional appeal of packs and can be defined as packaging with a uniform colour (and in some cases shape and size) with no logos or branding, apart from health warnings and other government-mandated information, and the brand name in a prescribed uniform font, colour and size. Australia was the first country to implement standardised tobacco packaging between October and December 2012, France implemented standardised tobacco packaging on 1 January 2017 and several other countries are implementing, or intending to implement, standardised tobacco packaging. To assess the effect of standardised tobacco packaging on tobacco use uptake, cessation and reduction. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and six other databases from 1980 to January 2016. We checked bibliographies and contacted study authors to identify additional peer-reviewed studies. Primary outcomes included changes in tobacco use prevalence incorporating tobacco use uptake, cessation, consumption and relapse prevention. Secondary outcomes covered intermediate outcomes that can be measured and are relevant to tobacco use uptake, cessation or reduction. We considered multiple study designs: randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental and experimental studies, observational cross-sectional and cohort studies. The review focused on all populations and people of any age; to be included, studies had to be published in peer-reviewed journals. We examined studies that assessed the impact of changes in tobacco packaging such as colour, design, size and type of health warnings on the packs in relation to branded packaging. In experiments, the control condition was branded tobacco packaging but could include variations of standardised packaging. Screening and data extraction followed standard Cochrane methods. We used different 'Risk of bias' domains for

Comparative analysis of essential oil composition of Iranian and Indian Nigella sativa L. extracted using supercritical fluid extraction and solvent extraction

PubMed Central

Ghahramanloo, Kourosh Hasanzadeh; Kamalidehghan, Behnam; Akbari Javar, Hamid; Teguh Widodo, Riyanto; Majidzadeh, Keivan; Noordin, Mohamed Ibrahim

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to compare the oil extraction yield and essential oil composition of Indian and Iranian Nigella sativa L. extracted by using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) and solvent extraction methods. In this study, a gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrophotometer detector was employed for qualitative analysis of the essential oil composition of Indian and Iranian N. sativa L. The results indicated that the main fatty acid composition identified in the essential oils extracted by using SFE and solvent extraction were linoleic acid (22.4%–61.85%) and oleic acid (1.64%–18.97%). Thymoquinone (0.72%–21.03%) was found to be the major volatile compound in the extracted N. sativa oil. It was observed that the oil extraction efficiency obtained from SFE was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that achieved by the solvent extraction technique. The present study showed that SFE can be used as a more efficient technique for extraction of N. Sativa L. essential oil, which is composed of higher linoleic acid and thymoquinone contents compared to the essential oil obtained by the solvent extraction technique. PMID:28814830

Comparative analysis of essential oil composition of Iranian and Indian Nigella sativa L. extracted using supercritical fluid extraction and solvent extraction.

PubMed

Ghahramanloo, Kourosh Hasanzadeh; Kamalidehghan, Behnam; Akbari Javar, Hamid; Teguh Widodo, Riyanto; Majidzadeh, Keivan; Noordin, Mohamed Ibrahim

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to compare the oil extraction yield and essential oil composition of Indian and Iranian Nigella sativa L. extracted by using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) and solvent extraction methods. In this study, a gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrophotometer detector was employed for qualitative analysis of the essential oil composition of Indian and Iranian N. sativa L. The results indicated that the main fatty acid composition identified in the essential oils extracted by using SFE and solvent extraction were linoleic acid (22.4%-61.85%) and oleic acid (1.64%-18.97%). Thymoquinone (0.72%-21.03%) was found to be the major volatile compound in the extracted N. sativa oil. It was observed that the oil extraction efficiency obtained from SFE was significantly ( P <0.05) higher than that achieved by the solvent extraction technique. The present study showed that SFE can be used as a more efficient technique for extraction of N. Sativa L. essential oil, which is composed of higher linoleic acid and thymoquinone contents compared to the essential oil obtained by the solvent extraction technique.

New method for the rapid extraction of natural products: efficient isolation of shikimic acid from star anise.

PubMed

Just, Jeremy; Deans, Bianca J; Olivier, Wesley J; Paull, Brett; Bissember, Alex C; Smith, Jason A

2015-05-15

A new, practical, rapid, and high-yielding process for the pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) of multigram quantities of shikimic acid from star anise (Illicium verum) using an unmodified household espresso machine has been developed. This operationally simple and inexpensive method enables the efficient and straightforward isolation of shikimic acid and the facile preparation of a range of its synthetic derivatives.

Components of Adenovirus Genome Packaging

PubMed Central

Ahi, Yadvinder S.; Mittal, Suresh K.

2016-01-01

Adenoviruses (AdVs) are icosahedral viruses with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. Genome packaging in AdV is thought to be similar to that seen in dsDNA containing icosahedral bacteriophages and herpesviruses. Specific recognition of the AdV genome is mediated by a packaging domain located close to the left end of the viral genome and is mediated by the viral packaging machinery. Our understanding of the role of various components of the viral packaging machinery in AdV genome packaging has greatly advanced in recent years. Characterization of empty capsids assembled in the absence of one or more components involved in packaging, identification of the unique vertex, and demonstration of the role of IVa2, the putative packaging ATPase, in genome packaging have provided compelling evidence that AdVs follow a sequential assembly pathway. This review provides a detailed discussion on the functions of the various viral and cellular factors involved in AdV genome packaging. We conclude by briefly discussing the roles of the empty capsids, assembly intermediates, scaffolding proteins, portal vertex and DNA encapsidating enzymes in AdV assembly and packaging. PMID:27721809

Packaging waste recycling in Europe: Is the industry paying for it?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferreira da Cruz, Nuno, E-mail: nunocruz@ist.utl.pt; Ferreira, Sandra; Cabral, Marta

Highlights: • We study the recycling schemes of France, Germany, Portugal, Romania and the UK. • The costs and benefits of recycling are compared for France, Portugal and Romania. • The balance of costs and benefits depend on the perspective (strictly financial/economic). • Financial supports to local authorities ought to promote cost-efficiency. - Abstract: This paper describes and examines the schemes established in five EU countries for the recycling of packaging waste. The changes in packaging waste management were mainly implemented since the Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste entered into force. The analysis of the five systems allowedmore » the authors to identify very different approaches to cope with the same problem: meet the recovery and recycling targets imposed by EU law. Packaging waste is a responsibility of the industry. However, local governments are generally in charge of waste management, particularly in countries with Green Dot schemes or similar extended producer responsibility systems. This leads to the need of establishing a system of financial transfers between the industry and the local governments (particularly regarding the extra costs involved with selective collection and sorting). Using the same methodological approach, the authors also compare the costs and benefits of recycling from the perspective of local public authorities for France, Portugal and Romania. Since the purpose of the current paper is to take note of who is paying for the incremental costs of recycling and whether the industry (i.e. the consumer) is paying for the net financial costs of packaging waste management, environmental impacts are not included in the analysis. The work carried out in this paper highlights some aspects that are prone to be improved and raises several questions that will require further research. In the three countries analyzed more closely in this paper the industry is not paying the net financial cost of packaging

''Do-it-yourself'' software program calculates boiler efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1984-03-01

An easy-to-use software package is described which runs on the IBM Personal Computer. The package calculates boiler efficiency, an important parameter of operating costs and equipment wellbeing. The program stores inputs and calculated results for 20 sets of boiler operating data, called cases. Cases can be displayed and modified on the CRT screen through multiple display pages or copied to a printer. All intermediate calculations are performed by this package. They include: steam enthalpy; water enthalpy; air humidity; gas, oil, coal, and wood heat capacity; and radiation losses.

FTOOLS: A FITS Data Processing and Analysis Software Package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackburn, J. K.

FTOOLS, a highly modular collection of over 110 utilities for processing and analyzing data in the FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format, has been developed in support of the HEASARC (High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Each utility performs a single simple task such as presentation of file contents, extraction of specific rows or columns, appending or merging tables, binning values in a column or selecting subsets of rows based on a boolean expression. Individual utilities can easily be chained together in scripts to achieve more complex operations such as the generation and displaying of spectra or light curves. The collection of utilities provides both generic processing and analysis utilities and utilities specific to high energy astrophysics data sets used for the ASCA, ROSAT, GRO, and XTE missions. A core set of FTOOLS providing support for generic FITS data processing, FITS image analysis and timing analysis can easily be split out of the full software package for users not needing the high energy astrophysics mission utilities. The FTOOLS software package is designed to be both compatible with IRAF and completely stand alone in a UNIX or VMS environment. The user interface is controlled by standard IRAF parameter files. The package is self documenting through the IRAF help facility and a stand alone help task. Software is written in ANSI C and \\fortran to provide portability across most computer systems. The data format dependencies between hardware platforms are isolated through the FITSIO library package.

Green Packaging Management of Logistics Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guirong; Zhao, Zongjian

From the connotation of green logistics management, we discuss the principles of green packaging, and from the two levels of government and enterprises, we put forward a specific management strategy. The management of green packaging can be directly and indirectly promoted by laws, regulations, taxation, institutional and other measures. The government can also promote new investment to the development of green packaging materials, and establish specialized institutions to identify new packaging materials, standardization of packaging must also be accomplished through the power of the government. Business units of large scale through the packaging and container-based to reduce the use of packaging materials, develop and use green packaging materials and easy recycling packaging materials for proper packaging.

Modular avionics packaging standardization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austin, M.; McNichols, J. K.

The Modular Avionics Packaging (MAP) Program for packaging future military avionics systems with the objective of improving reliability, maintainability, and supportability, and reducing equipment life cycle costs is addressed. The basic MAP packaging concepts called the Standard Avionics Module, the Standard Enclosure, and the Integrated Rack are summarized, and the benefits of modular avionics packaging, including low risk design, technology independence with common functions, improved maintainability and life cycle costs are discussed. Progress made in MAP is briefly reviewed.

Context-Sensitive Clinical Alert Packages Written in Arden Syntax.

PubMed

Zeckl, Julia; Adlassnig, Katharina; Fossler, Renate; Blacky, Alexander; de Bruin, Jeroen S; Koller, Walter; Rappelsberger, Andrea; Adlassnig, Klaus-Peter

2017-01-01

An increasing body of raw patient data is generated on each day of a patient's stay at a hospital. It is of paramount importance that critical patient information be extracted from these large data volumes and presented to the patient's clinical caregivers as early as possible. Contemporary clinical alert systems attempt to provide this service with moderate success. The efficacy of the systems is limited by the fact that they are too general to fit specific patient populations or healthcare institutions. In this study we present an extendable alerting framework implemented in Arden Syntax, which can be configured to the needs and preferences of healthcare institutions and individual patient caregivers. We illustrate the potential of this alerting framework via an alert package that analyzes hematological laboratory results with data from intensive care units at the Vienna General Hospital, Austria. The results show the effectiveness of this alert package and its ability to generate key alerts while avoiding over-alerting.

Impact of industrial hammer mill rotor speed on extraction efficiency and quality of extra virgin olive oil.

PubMed

Polari, Juan J; Garcí-Aguirre, David; Olmo-García, Lucía; Carrasco-Pancorbo, Alegría; Wang, Selina C

2018-03-01

Crushing is a key step during olive oil extraction. Among commercial crushers, the hammer mill is the most widely used due to its robustness and high throughput. In the present work, the impact of hammer mill rotor speed on extraction yield and overall quality of super-high-density Arbosana olive oils were assessed in an industrial facility. Our results show that increasing the rotor speed from 2400rpm to 3600rpm led to a rise in oil yield of 1.2%, while conserving quality parameters. Sensory analysis showed more pungency with increased rotation speed, while others attributes were unaffected. Volatile compounds showed little variation with the differences in crusher speed; however, total phenols content, two relevant secoiridoids, and triterpenoids levels increased with rotor speed. Hammer mill rotor speed is a processing variable that can be tuned to increase the extraction efficiency and modulate the chemical composition of extra virgin olive oil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Food packaging history and innovations.

PubMed

Risch, Sara J

2009-09-23

Food packaging has evolved from simply a container to hold food to something today that can play an active role in food quality. Many packages are still simply containers, but they have properties that have been developed to protect the food. These include barriers to oxygen, moisture, and flavors. Active packaging, or that which plays an active role in food quality, includes some microwave packaging as well as packaging that has absorbers built in to remove oxygen from the atmosphere surrounding the product or to provide antimicrobials to the surface of the food. Packaging has allowed access to many foods year-round that otherwise could not be preserved. It is interesting to note that some packages have actually allowed the creation of new categories in the supermarket. Examples include microwave popcorn and fresh-cut produce, which owe their existence to the unique packaging that has been developed.

Trends in Food Packaging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ott, Dana B.

1988-01-01

This article discusses developments in food packaging, processing, and preservation techniques in terms of packaging materials, technologies, consumer benefits, and current and potential food product applications. Covers implications due to consumer life-style changes, cost-effectiveness of packaging materials, and the ecological impact of…

Phenopix: a R package to process digital images of a vegetation cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippa, Gianluca; Cremonese, Edoardo; Migliavacca, Mirco; Galvagno, Marta; Morra di Cella, Umberto; Richardson, Andrew

2015-04-01

Plant phenology is a globally recognized indicator of the effects of climate change on the terrestrial biosphere. Accordingly, new tools to automatically track the seasonal development of a vegetation cover are becoming available and more and more deployed. Among them, near-continuous digital images are being collected in several networks in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia in a range of different ecosystems, including agricultural lands, deciduous and evergreen forests, and grasslands. The growing scientific interest in vegetation image analysis highlights the need of easy to use, flexible and standardized processing techniques. In this contribution we illustrate a new open source package called "phenopix" written in R language that allows to process images of a vegetation cover. The main features include: (i) define of one or more areas of interest on an image and process pixel information within them, (ii) compute vegetation indexes based on red green and blue channels, (iii) fit a curve to the seasonal trajectory of vegetation indexes and extract relevant dates (aka thresholds) on the seasonal trajectory; (iv) analyze image pixels separately to extract spatially explicit phenological information. The utilities of the package will be illustrated in detail for two subalpine sites, a grassland and a larch stand at about 2000 m in the Italian Western Alps. The phenopix package is a cost free and easy-to-use tool that allows to process digital images of a vegetation cover in a standardized, flexible and reproducible way. The software is available for download at the R forge web site (r-forge.r-project.org/projects/phenopix/).

A software package for interactive motor unit potential classification using fuzzy k-NN classifier.

PubMed

Rasheed, Sarbast; Stashuk, Daniel; Kamel, Mohamed

2008-01-01

We present an interactive software package for implementing the supervised classification task during electromyographic (EMG) signal decomposition process using a fuzzy k-NN classifier and utilizing the MATLAB high-level programming language and its interactive environment. The method employs an assertion-based classification that takes into account a combination of motor unit potential (MUP) shapes and two modes of use of motor unit firing pattern information: the passive and the active modes. The developed package consists of several graphical user interfaces used to detect individual MUP waveforms from a raw EMG signal, extract relevant features, and classify the MUPs into motor unit potential trains (MUPTs) using assertion-based classifiers.

Enhanced light extraction efficiency of GaN-based light-emittng diodes by nitrogen implanted current blocking layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Yong Deok; Oh, Seung Kyu; Park, Min Joo

Highlights: • A nitrogen implanted current-blocking layer was successfully demonstrated. • Light-extraction efficiency and radiant intensity was increased by more than 20%. • Ion implantation was successfully implemented in GaN based light-emitting diodes. - Abstract: GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) with a nitrogen implanted current-blocking layer (CBL) were successfully demonstrated for improving the light extraction efficiency (LEE) and radiant intensity. The LEE and radiant intensity of the LEDs with a shallow implanted CBL with nitrogen was greatly increased by more than 20% compared to that of a conventional LED without the CBL due to an increase in the effective currentmore » path, which reduces light absorption at the thick p-pad electrode. Meanwhile, deep implanted CBL with a nitrogen resulted in deterioration of the LEE and radiant intensity because of formation of crystal damage, followed by absorption of the light generated at the multi-quantum well(MQW). These results clearly suggest that ion implantation method, which is widely applied in the fabrication of Si based devices, can be successfully implemented in the fabrication of GaN based LEDs by optimization of implanted depth.« less

A novel superparamagnetic surface molecularly imprinted nanoparticle adopting dummy template: an efficient solid-phase extraction adsorbent for bisphenol A.

PubMed

Lin, Zhenkun; Cheng, Wenjing; Li, Yanyan; Liu, Zhiren; Chen, Xiangping; Huang, Changjiang

2012-03-30

Leakage of the residual template molecules is one of the biggest challenges for application of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) in solid-phase extraction (SPE). In this study, bisphenol F (BPF) was adopted as a dummy template to prepare MIP of bisphenol A (BPA) with a superparamagnetic core-shell nanoparticle as the supporter, aiming to avoid residual template leakage and to increase the efficiency of SPE. Characterization and test of the obtained products (called mag-DMIP beads) revealed that these novel nanoparticles not only had excellent magnetic property but also displayed high selectivity to the target molecule BPA. As mag-DMIP beads were adopted as the adsorbents of solid-phase extraction for detecting BPA in real water samples, the recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 84.7% to 93.8% with the limit of detection of 2.50 pg mL(-1), revealing that mag-DMIP beads were efficient SPE adsorbents. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Food Packaging Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

The photos show a few of the food products packaged in Alure, a metallized plastic material developed and manufactured by St. Regis Paper Company's Flexible Packaging Division, Dallas, Texas. The material incorporates a metallized film originally developed for space applications. Among the suppliers of the film to St. Regis is King-Seeley Thermos Company, Winchester, Ma'ssachusetts. Initially used by NASA as a signal-bouncing reflective coating for the Echo 1 communications satellite, the film was developed by a company later absorbed by King-Seeley. The metallized film was also used as insulating material for components of a number of other spacecraft. St. Regis developed Alure to meet a multiple packaging material need: good eye appeal, product protection for long periods and the ability to be used successfully on a wide variety of food packaging equipment. When the cost of aluminum foil skyrocketed, packagers sought substitute metallized materials but experiments with a number of them uncovered problems; some were too expensive, some did not adequately protect the product, some were difficult for the machinery to handle. Alure offers a solution. St. Regis created Alure by sandwiching the metallized film between layers of plastics. The resulting laminated metallized material has the superior eye appeal of foil but is less expensive and more easily machined. Alure effectively blocks out light, moisture and oxygen and therefore gives the packaged food long shelf life. A major packaging firm conducted its own tests of the material and confirmed the advantages of machinability and shelf life, adding that it runs faster on machines than materials used in the past and it decreases product waste; the net effect is increased productivity.

Processing and characteristics of canola protein-based biodegradable packaging: A review.

PubMed

Zhang, Yachuan; Liu, Qiang; Rempel, Curtis

2018-02-11

Interest increased recently in manufacturing food packaging, such as films and coatings, from protein-based biopolymers. Among various protein sources, canola protein is a novel source for manufacturing polymer films. It can be concentrated or isolated by aqueous extraction technology followed by protein precipitation. Using this procedure, it was claimed that more than 99% of protein was extracted from the defatted canola meal, and protein recovery was 87.5%. Canola protein exhibits thermoplastic properties when plasticizers are present, including water, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, and sorbitol. Addition of these plasticizers allows the canola protein to undergo glass transition and facilitates deformation and processability. Normally, canola protein-based bioplastics showed low mechanical properties, which had tensile strength (TS) of 1.19 to 4.31 MPa. So, various factors were explored to improve it, including blending with synthetic polymers, modifying protein functionality through controlled denaturation, and adding cross-linking agents. Canola protein-based bioplastics were reported to have glass transition temperature, T g , below -50°C but it highly depends on the plasticizer content. Canola protein-based bioplastics have demonstrated comparable mechanical and moisture barrier properties compared with other plant protein-based bioplastics. They have great potential in food packaging applications, including their use as wraps, sacks, sachets, or pouches.

Packaging of electronic modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katzin, L.

1966-01-01

Study of design approaches that are taken toward optimizing the packaging of electronic modules with respect to size, shape, component orientation, interconnections, and structural support. The study does not present a solution to specific packaging problems, but rather the factors to be considered to achieve optimum packaging designs.

Redesigning the continuous vacuum sealer packaging machine to improve the processing speed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belo, J. B.; Widyanto, S. A.; Jamari, J.

2017-01-01

Vacuum sealer as a product packaging tool of food products to be able to vacuum air inside the plastic which is filled with food products and it causes the pressure lower. In this condition, the optimal heating temperature is reached in a shorter time, so that damage on plastic sealer of vacuumed food products could be prevented to be more effective and efficient. The purpose of this redesigning is to design a vacuum sealer packaging machine continuously through a conveyor mechanism on the packaging quality, time of processing speed of vacuuming food product in the plastic package. This designing process is conducted through several steps of designing and constructing tools until the products are ready to operate. Data analysis is done through quality test of vacuum and sealer to the plastic thickness of 75 µm, 80 µm, and 100 µm with temperature of 170°C, 180°C, 190°C and vacuum duration of 5 seconds, 8 seconds, and 60 seconds. Results of this designing process indicate that vacuum sealer works practically and more optimally with the time of vacuum processing speed of 0 to 1 minute/s; whereas, the pressure of vacuuming suction is until 1e-5 MPa. The results of tensile strength test are at a maximum of 32,796 (N/mm2) and a minimum of 20,155 (N/mm2) and the analysis of plastic composite with EDX. This result shows that the vacuum pressure and the quality of vacuum sealer are better and more efficient.

Motofit - integrating neutron reflectometry acquisition, reduction and analysis into one, easy to use, package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Andrew

2010-11-01

The efficient use of complex neutron scattering instruments is often hindered by the complex nature of their operating software. This complexity exists at each experimental step: data acquisition, reduction and analysis, with each step being as important as the previous. For example, whilst command line interfaces are powerful at automated acquisition they often reduce accessibility by novice users and sometimes reduce the efficiency for advanced users. One solution to this is the development of a graphical user interface which allows the user to operate the instrument by a simple and intuitive "push button" approach. This approach was taken by the Motofit software package for analysis of multiple contrast reflectometry data. Here we describe the extension of this package to cover the data acquisition and reduction steps for the Platypus time-of-flight neutron reflectometer. Consequently, the complete operation of an instrument is integrated into a single, easy to use, program, leading to efficient instrument usage.

On the Selective Packaging of Genomic RNA by HIV-1.

PubMed

Comas-Garcia, Mauricio; Davis, Sean R; Rein, Alan

2016-09-12

Like other retroviruses, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) selectively packages genomic RNA (gRNA) during virus assembly. However, in the absence of the gRNA, cellular messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are packaged. While the gRNA is selected because of its cis-acting packaging signal, the mechanism of this selection is not understood. The affinity of Gag (the viral structural protein) for cellular RNAs at physiological ionic strength is not much higher than that for the gRNA. However, binding to the gRNA is more salt-resistant, implying that it has a higher non-electrostatic component. We have previously studied the spacer 1 (SP1) region of Gag and showed that it can undergo a concentration-dependent conformational transition. We proposed that this transition represents the first step in assembly, i.e., the conversion of Gag to an assembly-ready state. To explain selective packaging of gRNA, we suggest here that binding of Gag to gRNA, with its high non-electrostatic component, triggers this conversion more readily than binding to other RNAs; thus we predict that a Gag-gRNA complex will nucleate particle assembly more efficiently than other Gag-RNA complexes. New data shows that among cellular mRNAs, those with long 3'-untranslated regions (UTR) are selectively packaged. It seems plausible that the 3'-UTR, a stretch of RNA not occupied by ribosomes, offers a favorable binding site for Gag.

Highly Efficient and Uniform 1 cm2 Perovskite Solar Cells with an Electrochemically Deposited NiOx Hole-Extraction Layer.

PubMed

Park, Ik Jae; Kang, Gyeongho; Park, Min Ah; Kim, Ju Seong; Seo, Se Won; Kim, Dong Hoe; Zhu, Kai; Park, Taiho; Kim, Jin Young

2017-06-22

Given that the highest certified conversion efficiency of the organic-inorganic perovskite solar cell (PSC) already exceeds 22 %, which is even higher than that of the polycrystalline silicon solar cell, the significance of new scalable processes that can be utilized for preparing large-area devices and their commercialization is rapidly increasing. From this perspective, the electrodeposition method is one of the most suitable processes for preparing large-area devices because it is an already commercialized process with proven controllability and scalability. Here, a highly uniform NiO x layer prepared by electrochemical deposition is reported as an efficient hole-extraction layer of a p-i-n-type planar PSC with a large active area of >1 cm 2 . It is demonstrated that the increased surface roughness of the NiO x layer, achieved by controlling the deposition current density, facilitates the hole extraction at the interface between perovskite and NiO x , and thus increases the fill factor and the conversion efficiency. The electrochemically deposited NiO x layer also exhibits extremely uniform thickness and morphology, leading to highly efficient and uniform large-area PSCs. As a result, the p-i-n-type planar PSC with an area of 1.084 cm 2 exhibits a stable conversion efficiency of 17.0 % (19.2 % for 0.1 cm 2 ) without showing hysteresis effects. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thyra Abstract Interface Package

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bartlett, Roscoe A.

2005-09-01

Thrya primarily defines a set of abstract C++ class interfaces needed for the development of abstract numerical atgorithms (ANAs) such as iterative linear solvers, transient solvers all the way up to optimization. At the foundation of these interfaces are abstract C++ classes for vectors, vector spaces, linear operators and multi-vectors. Also included in the Thyra package is C++ code for creating concrete vector, vector space, linear operator, and multi-vector subclasses as well as other utilities to aid in the development of ANAs. Currently, very general and efficient concrete subclass implementations exist for serial and SPMD in-core vectors and multi-vectors. Codemore » also currently exists for testing objects and providing composite objects such as product vectors.« less

The results of pre-design studies on the development of a new design of gas turbine compressor package of GPA-C-16 type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, A. V.; Chobenko, V. M.; Shcherbakov, O. M.; Ushakov, S. M.; Parafiynyk, V. P.; Sereda, R. M.

2017-08-01

The article summarizes the results of analysis of data concerning the operation of turbocompressor packages at compressor stations for the natural gas transmission system of Ukraine. The basic requirements for gas turbine compressor packages used for modernization and reconstruction of compressor stations are considered. Using a 16 MW gas turbine package GPA-C-16S/76-1,44M1 as an example, the results of pre-design studies and some technical solutions that improve the energy efficiency of gas turbine compressor packages and their reliability, as well as its environmental performance are given. In particular, the article deals with the matching of performance characteristics of a centrifugal compressor (hereinafter compressor) and gas turbine drive to reduce fuel gas consumption; as well as application of energy efficient technologies, in particular, exhaust gas heat recovery units and gas-oil heat exchangers in turbocompressor packages oil system; as well as reducing emissions of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere using a catalytic exhaust system. Described technical solutions can be used for development of other types of gas turbine compressor packages.

Modular assembly of chimeric phi29 packaging RNAs that support DNA packaging.

PubMed

Fang, Yun; Shu, Dan; Xiao, Feng; Guo, Peixuan; Qin, Peter Z

2008-08-08

The bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor is a protein/RNA complex that can produce strong force to condense the linear-double-stranded DNA genome into a pre-formed protein capsid. The RNA component, called the packaging RNA (pRNA), utilizes magnesium-dependent inter-molecular base-pairing interactions to form ring-shaped complexes. The pRNA is a class of non-coding RNA, interacting with phi29 motor proteins to enable DNA packaging. Here, we report a two-piece chimeric pRNA construct that is fully competent in interacting with partner pRNA to form ring-shaped complexes, in packaging DNA via the motor, and in assembling infectious phi29 virions in vitro. This is the first example of a fully functional pRNA assembled using two non-covalently interacting fragments. The results support the notion of modular pRNA architecture in the phi29 packaging motor.

Modular assembly of chimeric phi29 packaging RNAs that support DNA packaging

PubMed Central

Fang, Yun; Shu, Dan; Xiao, Feng; Guo, Peixuan; Qin, Peter Z.

2008-01-01

The bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor is a protein/RNA complex that can produce strong force to condense the linear-double stranded DNA genome into a pre-formed protein capsid. The RNA component, called the packaging RNA (pRNA), utilizes magnesium-dependent intermolecular base-pairing interactions to form ring-shaped complexes. The pRNA is a class of non-coding RNA, interacting with phi29 motor proteins to enable DNA packaging. Here, we report a 2-piece chimeric pRNA construct that is fully competent in interacting with partner pRNA to form ring-shaped complexes, in packaging DNA via the motor, and in assembling infectious phi29 virions in vitro. This is the first example of a fully functional pRNA assembled using two non-covalently interacting fragments. The results support the notion of modular pRNA architecture in the phi29 packaging motor. PMID:18514064

An efficient deletion mutant packaging system for defective herpes simplex virus vectors: Potential applications to human gene therapy and neuronal physiology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geller, A.I.; Keyomarsi, K.; Bryan, J.

1990-11-01

The authors have previously described a defective herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) vector system that permits that introduction of virtually any gene into nonmitotic cells. pHSVlac, the prototype vector, stably expresses Escherichia coli {beta}-galactosidase from a constitutive promoter in many human cell lines, in cultured rat neurons from throughout the nervous system, and in cells in the adult rat brain. HSV-1 vectors expressing other genes may prove useful for studying neuronal physiology or performing human gene therapy for neurological diseases, such as Parkinson disease or brain tumors. A HSV-1 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant, ts K, has been used as helper virus; tsmore » mutants revert to wild type. In contrast, HSV-1 deletion mutants essentially cannot revert to wild type; therefore, use of a deletion mutant as helper virus might permit human gene therapy with HSV-1 vectors. They now report an efficient packaging system for HSV-1 VECTORS USING A DELETION MUTANT, d30EBA, as helper virus; virus is grown on the complementing cell line M64A. pHSVlac virus prepared using the deletion mutant packaging system stably expresses {beta}-galactosidase in cultured rat sympathetic neurons and glia. Both D30EBA and ts K contain a mutation in the IE3 gene of HSV-1 strain 17 and have the same phenotype; therefore, changing the helper virus from ts K to D30EBA does not alter the host range or other properties of the HSV-1 vector system.« less

Online Condition Monitoring of Bearings to Support Total Productive Maintenance in the Packaging Materials Industry.

PubMed

Gligorijevic, Jovan; Gajic, Dragoljub; Brkovic, Aleksandar; Savic-Gajic, Ivana; Georgieva, Olga; Di Gennaro, Stefano

2016-03-01

The packaging materials industry has already recognized the importance of Total Productive Maintenance as a system of proactive techniques for improving equipment reliability. Bearing faults, which often occur gradually, represent one of the foremost causes of failures in the industry. Therefore, detection of their faults in an early stage is quite important to assure reliable and efficient operation. We present a new automated technique for early fault detection and diagnosis in rolling-element bearings based on vibration signal analysis. Following the wavelet decomposition of vibration signals into a few sub-bands of interest, the standard deviation of obtained wavelet coefficients is extracted as a representative feature. Then, the feature space dimension is optimally reduced to two using scatter matrices. In the reduced two-dimensional feature space the fault detection and diagnosis is carried out by quadratic classifiers. Accuracy of the technique has been tested on four classes of the recorded vibrations signals, i.e., normal, with the fault of inner race, outer race, and ball operation. The overall accuracy of 98.9% has been achieved. The new technique can be used to support maintenance decision-making processes and, thus, to increase reliability and efficiency in the industry by preventing unexpected faulty operation of bearings.

Online Condition Monitoring of Bearings to Support Total Productive Maintenance in the Packaging Materials Industry

PubMed Central

Gligorijevic, Jovan; Gajic, Dragoljub; Brkovic, Aleksandar; Savic-Gajic, Ivana; Georgieva, Olga; Di Gennaro, Stefano

2016-01-01

The packaging materials industry has already recognized the importance of Total Productive Maintenance as a system of proactive techniques for improving equipment reliability. Bearing faults, which often occur gradually, represent one of the foremost causes of failures in the industry. Therefore, detection of their faults in an early stage is quite important to assure reliable and efficient operation. We present a new automated technique for early fault detection and diagnosis in rolling-element bearings based on vibration signal analysis. Following the wavelet decomposition of vibration signals into a few sub-bands of interest, the standard deviation of obtained wavelet coefficients is extracted as a representative feature. Then, the feature space dimension is optimally reduced to two using scatter matrices. In the reduced two-dimensional feature space the fault detection and diagnosis is carried out by quadratic classifiers. Accuracy of the technique has been tested on four classes of the recorded vibrations signals, i.e., normal, with the fault of inner race, outer race, and ball operation. The overall accuracy of 98.9% has been achieved. The new technique can be used to support maintenance decision-making processes and, thus, to increase reliability and efficiency in the industry by preventing unexpected faulty operation of bearings. PMID:26938541

Chinese License Plates Recognition Method Based on A Robust and Efficient Feature Extraction and BPNN Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ming; Xie, Fei; Zhao, Jing; Sun, Rui; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Yue

2018-04-01

The prosperity of license plate recognition technology has made great contribution to the development of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). In this paper, a robust and efficient license plate recognition method is proposed which is based on a combined feature extraction model and BPNN (Back Propagation Neural Network) algorithm. Firstly, the candidate region of the license plate detection and segmentation method is developed. Secondly, a new feature extraction model is designed considering three sets of features combination. Thirdly, the license plates classification and recognition method using the combined feature model and BPNN algorithm is presented. Finally, the experimental results indicate that the license plate segmentation and recognition both can be achieved effectively by the proposed algorithm. Compared with three traditional methods, the recognition accuracy of the proposed method has increased to 95.7% and the consuming time has decreased to 51.4ms.

Comparative Packaging Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perchonok, Michele H.; Oziomek, Thomas V.

2009-01-01

Future long duration manned space flights beyond low earth orbit will require the food system to remain safe, acceptable and nutritious. Development of high barrier food packaging will enable this requirement by preventing the ingress and egress of gases and moisture. New high barrier food packaging materials have been identified through a trade study. Practical application of this packaging material within a shelf life test will allow for better determination of whether this material will allow the food system to meet given requirements after the package has undergone processing. The reason to conduct shelf life testing, using a variety of packaging materials, stems from the need to preserve food used for mission durations of several years. Chemical reactions that take place during longer durations may decrease food quality to a point where crew physical or psychological well-being is compromised. This can result in a reduction or loss of mission success. The rate of chemical reactions, including oxidative rancidity and staling, can be controlled by limiting the reactants, reducing the amount of energy available to drive the reaction, and minimizing the amount of water available. Water not only acts as a media for microbial growth, but also as a reactant and means by which two reactants may come into contact with each other. The objective of this study is to evaluate three packaging materials for potential use in long duration space exploration missions.

Growth and survival of uninjured and sublethally heat-injured Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef extract medium as influenced by package atmosphere and storage temperature.

PubMed

Semanchek, J J; Golden, D A; Williams, R C

1999-03-01

The effect of atmospheric composition and storage temperature on growth and survival of uninjured and sublethally heat-injured Escherichia coli O157:H7, inoculated onto brain heart infusion agar containing 0.3% beef extract (BEM), was determined. BEM plates were packaged in barrier bags in air, 100% CO2, 100% N2, 20% CO2: 80% N2, and vacuum and were stored at 4, 10, and 37 degrees C for up to 20 days. Package atmosphere and inoculum status (i.e., uninjured or heat-injured) influenced (P < 0.01) growth and survival of E. coli O157:H7 stored at all test temperatures. Growth of heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 was slower (P < 0.01) than uninjured E. coli O157:H7 stored at 37 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, uninjured E. coli O157:H7 reached stationary phase growth earlier than heat-injured populations. Uninjured E. coli O157:H7 grew during 10 days of storage at 10 degrees C, while heat-injured populations declined during 20 days of storage at 10 degrees C. Uninjured E. coli O157:H7 stored at 10 degrees C reached stationary phase growth within approximately 10 days in all packaging atmospheres except CO2. Populations of uninjured and heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 declined throughout storage for 20 days at 4 degrees C. Survival of uninjured populations stored at 4 degrees C, as well as heat-injured populations stored at 4 and 10 degrees C, was enhanced in CO2 atmosphere. Survival of heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 at 4 and 10 degrees C was not different (P > 0.05). Uninjured and heat-injured E. coli O157:H7 are able to survive at low temperatures in the modified atmospheres used in this study.

Creative Thinking Package

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Clive

1972-01-01

A look at the latest package from a British managment training organization, which explains and demonstrates creative thinking techniques, including brainstorming. The package, designed for groups of twelve or more, consists of tapes, visuals, and associated exercises. (Editor/JB)

Comparative Packaging Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perchonok, Michele; Antonini, David

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes a comparative packaging study for use on long duration space missions. The topics include: 1) Purpose; 2) Deliverables; 3) Food Sample Selection; 4) Experimental Design Matrix; 5) Permeation Rate Comparison; and 6) Packaging Material Information.

19 CFR 191.13 - Packaging materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Packaging materials. 191.13 Section 191.13 Customs... (CONTINUED) DRAWBACK General Provisions § 191.13 Packaging materials. (a) Imported packaging material... packaging material when used to package or repackage merchandise or articles exported or destroyed pursuant...

Warpage of QFN Package in Post Mold Cure Process of integrated circuit packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriwithoon, Nattha; Ugsornrat, Kessararat; Srisuwitthanon, Warayoot; Thonglor, Panakamon

2017-09-01

This research studied about warpage of QFN package in post mold cure process of integrated circuit (IC) packages using pre-plated (PPF) leadframe. For IC package, epoxy molding compound (EMC) are molded by cross linking of compound stiffness but incomplete crosslinked network and leading the fully cured thermoset by post mold cure (PMC) process. The cure temperature of PMC can change microstructure of EMC in term of stress inside the package and effect to warpage of the package due to coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between EMC and leadframe. In experiment, cure temperatures were varied to check the effect of internal stress due to different cure temperature after completed post mold cure for TDFN 2×3 8L. The cure temperature were varied with 180 °C, 170 °C, 160 °C, and 150°C with cure time 4 and 6 hours, respectively. For analysis, the TDFN 2×3 8L packages were analyzed the warpage by thickness gauge and scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) after take the test samples out from the oven cure. The results confirmed that effect of different CTE between EMC and leadframe due to different cure temperature resulting to warpage of the TDFN 2×3 8L packages.

Active cooling of microvascular composites for battery packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pety, Stephen J.; Chia, Patrick X. L.; Carrington, Stephen M.; White, Scott R.

2017-10-01

Batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) require a packaging system that provides both thermal regulation and crash protection. A novel packaging scheme is presented that uses active cooling of microvascular carbon fiber reinforced composites to accomplish this multifunctional objective. Microvascular carbon fiber/epoxy composite panels were fabricated and their cooling performance assessed over a range of thermal loads and experimental conditions. Tests were performed for different values of coolant flow rate, channel spacing, panel thermal conductivity, and applied heat flux. More efficient cooling occurs when the coolant flow rate is increased, channel spacing is reduced, and thermal conductivity of the host composite is increased. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were also performed and correlate well with the experimental data. CFD simulations of a typical EV battery pack confirm that microvascular composite panels can adequately cool battery cells generating 500 W m-2 heat flux below 40 °C.

Spatiotemporal modelling of groundwater extraction in semi-arid central Queensland, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keir, Greg; Bulovic, Nevenka; McIntyre, Neil

2016-04-01

The semi-arid Surat Basin in central Queensland, Australia, forms part of the Great Artesian Basin, a groundwater resource of national significance. While this area relies heavily on groundwater supply bores to sustain agricultural industries and rural life in general, measurement of groundwater extraction rates is very limited. Consequently, regional groundwater extraction rates are not well known, which may have implications for regional numerical groundwater modelling. However, flows from a small number of bores are metered, and less precise anecdotal estimates of extraction are increasingly available. There is also an increasing number of other spatiotemporal datasets which may help predict extraction rates (e.g. rainfall, temperature, soils, stocking rates etc.). These can be used to construct spatial multivariate regression models to estimate extraction. The data exhibit complicated statistical features, such as zero-valued observations, non-Gaussianity, and non-stationarity, which limit the use of many classical estimation techniques, such as kriging. As well, water extraction histories may exhibit temporal autocorrelation. To account for these features, we employ a separable space-time model to predict bore extraction rates using the R-INLA package for computationally efficient Bayesian inference. A joint approach is used to model both the probability (using a binomial likelihood) and magnitude (using a gamma likelihood) of extraction. The correlation between extraction rates in space and time is modelled using a Gaussian Markov Random Field (GMRF) with a Matérn spatial covariance function which can evolve over time according to an autoregressive model. To reduce computational burden, we allow the GMRF to be evaluated at a relatively coarse temporal resolution, while still allowing predictions to be made at arbitrarily small time scales. We describe the process of model selection and inference using an information criterion approach, and present some

Pathology report data extraction from relational database using R, with extraction from reports on melanoma of skin as an example.

PubMed

Ye, Jay J

2016-01-01

Different methods have been described for data extraction from pathology reports with varying degrees of success. Here a technique for directly extracting data from relational database is described. Our department uses synoptic reports modified from College of American Pathologists (CAP) Cancer Protocol Templates to report most of our cancer diagnoses. Choosing the melanoma of skin synoptic report as an example, R scripting language extended with RODBC package was used to query the pathology information system database. Reports containing melanoma of skin synoptic report in the past 4 and a half years were retrieved and individual data elements were extracted. Using the retrieved list of the cases, the database was queried a second time to retrieve/extract the lymph node staging information in the subsequent reports from the same patients. 426 synoptic reports corresponding to unique lesions of melanoma of skin were retrieved, and data elements of interest were extracted into an R data frame. The distribution of Breslow depth of melanomas grouped by year is used as an example of intra-report data extraction and analysis. When the new pN staging information was present in the subsequent reports, 82% (77/94) was precisely retrieved (pN0, pN1, pN2 and pN3). Additional 15% (14/94) was retrieved with certain ambiguity (positive or knowing there was an update). The specificity was 100% for both. The relationship between Breslow depth and lymph node status was graphed as an example of lesion-specific multi-report data extraction and analysis. R extended with RODBC package is a simple and versatile approach well-suited for the above tasks. The success or failure of the retrieval and extraction depended largely on whether the reports were formatted and whether the contents of the elements were consistently phrased. This approach can be easily modified and adopted for other pathology information systems that use relational database for data management.

Silver free III-nitride flip chip light-emitting-diode with wall plug efficiency over 70% utilizing a GaN tunnel junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yonkee, B. P.; Young, E. C.; DenBaars, S. P.; Nakamura, S.; Speck, J. S.

2016-11-01

A molecular beam epitaxy regrowth technique was demonstrated on standard industrial patterned sapphire substrate light-emitting diode (LED) epitaxial wafers emitting at 455 nm to form a GaN tunnel junction. By using an HF pretreatment on the wafers before regrowth, a voltage of 3.08 V at 20 A/cm2 was achieved on small area devices. A high extraction package was developed for comparison with flip chip devices which utilize an LED floating in silicone over a BaSO4 coated header and produced a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 78%. A high reflectivity mirror was designed using a seven-layer dielectric coating backed by aluminum which has a calculated angular averaged reflectivity over 98% between 400 and 500 nm. This was utilized to fabricate a flip chip LED which had a peak EQE and wall plug efficiency of 76% and 73%, respectively. This flip chip could increase light extraction over a traditional flip chip LED due to the increased reflectivity of the dielectric based mirror.

Packaging Concerns/Techniques for Large Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sampson, Michael J.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews packaging challenges and options for electronic parts. The presentation includes information about non-hermetic packages, space challenges for packaging and complex package variations.

Mechanical algal disruption for efficient biodiesel extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krehbiel, Joel David

Biodiesel from algae provides several benefits over current biodiesel feedstocks, but the energy requirements of processing algae into a useable fuel are currently so high as to be prohibitive. One route to improving this is via disruption of the cells prior to lipid extraction, which can significantly increase energy recovery. Unfortunately, several obvious disruption techniques require more energy than can be gained. This dissertation examines the use of microbubbles to improve mechanical disruption of algal cells using experimental, theoretical, and computational methods. New laboratory experiments show that effective ultrasonic disruption of algae is achieved by adding microbubbles to an algal solution. The configuration studied flows the solution through a tube and insonifies a small section with a high-pressure ultrasound wave. Previous biomedical research has shown effective cell membrane damage on animal cells with similar methods, but the present research is the first to extend such study to algal cells. Results indicate that disruption increases with peak negative pressure between 1.90 and 3.07 MPa and with microbubble concentration up to 12.5 x 107 bubbles/ml. Energy estimates of this process suggest that it requires only one-fourth the currently most-efficient laboratory-scale disruption process. Estimates of the radius near each bubble that causes disruption (i.e. the disruption radius) suggest that it increases with peak negative pressure and is near 9--20 microm for all cases tested. It is anticipated that these procedures can be designed for better efficiency and efficacy, which will be facilitated by identifying the root mechanisms of the bubble-induced disruption. We therefore examine whether bubble expansion alone creates sufficient cell deformation for cell rupture. The spherically-symmetric Marmottant model for bubble dynamics allows estimation of the flow regime under experimental conditions. Bubble expansion is modeled as a point source of

Enhanced Charge Extraction of Li-Doped TiO2 for Efficient Thermal-Evaporated Sb2S3 Thin Film Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Lan, Chunfeng; Luo, Jingting; Lan, Huabin; Fan, Bo; Peng, Huanxin; Zhao, Jun; Sun, Huibin; Zheng, Zhuanghao; Liang, Guangxing; Fan, Ping

2018-01-01

We provided a new method to improve the efficiency of Sb2S3 thin film solar cells. The TiO2 electron transport layers were doped by lithium to improve their charge extraction properties for the thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 solar cells. The Mott-Schottky curves suggested a change of energy band and faster charge transport in the Li-doped TiO2 films. Compared with the undoped TiO2, Li-doped mesoporous TiO2 dramatically improved the photo-voltaic performance of the thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 thin film solar cells, with the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) increasing from 1.79% to 4.03%, as well as the improved open-voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Jsc) and fill factors. The best device based on Li-doped TiO2 achieved a power conversion efficiency up to 4.42% as well as a Voc of 0.645 V, which are the highest values among the reported thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 solar cells. This study showed that Li-doping on TiO2 can effectively enhance the charge extraction properties of electron transport layers, offering a new strategy to improve the efficiency of Sb2S3-based solar cells. PMID:29495612

Active food packaging evolution: transformation from micro- to nanotechnology.

PubMed

Imran, Muhammad; Revol-Junelles, Anne-Marie; Martyn, Agnieszka; Tehrany, Elmira Arab; Jacquot, Muriel; Linder, Michel; Desobry, Stéphane

2010-10-01

Predicting which attributes consumers are willing to pay extra for has become straightforward in recent years. The demands for the prime necessity of food of natural quality, elevated safety, minimally processed, ready-to-eat, and longer shelf-life have turned out to be matters of paramount importance. The increased awareness of environmental conservation and the escalating rate of foodborne illnesses have driven the food industry to implement a more innovative solution, i.e. bioactive packaging. Owing to nanotechnology application in eco-favorable coatings and encapsulation systems, the probabilities of enhancing food quality, safety, stability, and efficiency have been augmented. In this review article, the collective results highlight the food nanotechnology potentials with special focus on its application in active packaging, novel nano- and microencapsulation techniques, regulatory issues, and socio-ethical scepticism between nano-technophiles and nano-technophobes. No one has yet indicated the comparison of data concerning food nano- versus micro-technology; therefore noteworthy results of recent investigations are interpreted in the context of bioactive packaging. The next technological revolution in the domain of food science and nutrition would be the 3-BIOS concept enabling a controlled release of active agents through bioactive, biodegradable, and bionanocomposite combined strategy.

HDDTOOLS: an R package serving Hydrological Data Discovery Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitolo, C.; Buytaert, W.

2014-12-01

Many governmental bodies and institutions are currently committed to publish open data as the result of a trend of increasing transparency, based on which a wide variety of information produced at public expense is now becoming open and freely available to improve public involvement in the process of decision and policy making. Discovery, access and retrieval of information is, however, not always a simple task. Especially when programmatic access to data resources is not allowed, downloading metadata catalogue, select the information needed, request datasets, de-compression, conversion, manual filtering and parsing can become rather tedious. The R package "hddtools" is an open source project, designed to make all the above operations more efficient by means of re-usable functions. The package facilitate non programmatic access to various online data sources such as the Global Runoff Data Centre, NASA's TRMM mission, the Data60UK database amongst others. This package complements R's growing functionality in environmental web technologies to bridge the gap between data providers and data consumers and it is designed to be the starting building block of scientific workflows for linking data and models in a seamless fashion.

Reference gene validation for RT-qPCR, a note on different available software packages.

PubMed

De Spiegelaere, Ward; Dern-Wieloch, Jutta; Weigel, Roswitha; Schumacher, Valérie; Schorle, Hubert; Nettersheim, Daniel; Bergmann, Martin; Brehm, Ralph; Kliesch, Sabine; Vandekerckhove, Linos; Fink, Cornelia

2015-01-01

An appropriate normalization strategy is crucial for data analysis from real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-qPCR). It is widely supported to identify and validate stable reference genes, since no single biological gene is stably expressed between cell types or within cells under different conditions. Different algorithms exist to validate optimal reference genes for normalization. Applying human cells, we here compare the three main methods to the online available RefFinder tool that integrates these algorithms along with R-based software packages which include the NormFinder and GeNorm algorithms. 14 candidate reference genes were assessed by RT-qPCR in two sample sets, i.e. a set of samples of human testicular tissue containing carcinoma in situ (CIS), and a set of samples from the human adult Sertoli cell line (FS1) either cultured alone or in co-culture with the seminoma like cell line (TCam-2) or with equine bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (eBM-MSC). Expression stabilities of the reference genes were evaluated using geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. Similar results were obtained by the three approaches for the most and least stably expressed genes. The R-based packages NormqPCR, SLqPCR and the NormFinder for R script gave identical gene rankings. Interestingly, different outputs were obtained between the original software packages and the RefFinder tool, which is based on raw Cq values for input. When the raw data were reanalysed assuming 100% efficiency for all genes, then the outputs of the original software packages were similar to the RefFinder software, indicating that RefFinder outputs may be biased because PCR efficiencies are not taken into account. This report shows that assay efficiency is an important parameter for reference gene validation. New software tools that incorporate these algorithms should be carefully validated prior to use.

Effects of surfactant and salt species in reverse micellar forward extraction efficiency of isoflavones with enriched protein from soy flour.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaoyan; Wei, Zhiyi; Du, Fangling; Zhu, Junqing

2010-11-01

Suitability of reverse micelles of anionic surfactant sodium bis(2-ethyl hexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cationic surfactant hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and nonionic surfactant polyoxyethylene p-t-octylphenol (TritonX-100) in organic solvent isooctane for extraction of soy isoflavone-enriching proteins was investigated. The results showed that the order of combined isoflavone contents was SDS>CTAB>Triton X-100>AOT, while the order of protein recovery was SDS>AOT>TritonX-100>CTAB. As compared with ACN-HCl extraction, the total amount of isoflavones was lower than reverse micellar extraction. Ion strength was one of the important conditions to control extraction of isoflavone-enriching proteins with AOT reversed micelles. For the six salt systems, KNO(3), KCl, MgCl(2), CaCl(2), NaCl, and Na(2)SO(4), extracted fraction of isoflavone-enriching proteins was measured. Salt solutions greatly influenced the extraction efficiency of isoflavones in an order of KNO(3)>MgCl(2)>CaCl(2)>KCl>NaCl>Na(2)SO(4), while protein in an order of MgCl(2)>CaCl(2)>NaCl>KNO(3)>Na(2)SO(4)>KCl.

Integrated Approach to Industrial Packaging Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorobeva, O.

2017-11-01

The article reviews studies in the field of industrial packaging design. The major factors which influence technological, ergonomic, economic and ecological features of packaging are established. The main modern trends in packaging design are defined, the principles of marketing communications and their influence on consumers’ consciousness are indicated, and the function of packaging as a transmitter of brand values is specified. Peculiarities of packaging technology and printing techniques in modern printing industry are considered. The role of designers in the stage-by-stage development of the construction, form and graphic design concept of packaging is defined. The examples of authentic packaging are given and the mention of the tetrahedron packaging history is made. At the end of the article, conclusions on the key research aspects are made.

A novel molybdenum disulfide nanosheet self-assembled flower-like monolithic sorbent for solid-phase extraction with high efficiency and long service life.

PubMed

Ran, Fanpeng; Liu, Hongmei; Wang, Xiaoqi; Guo, Yong

2017-07-21

A novel material consisting of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanosheet that self-assemble into flower-like microspheres which aggregate to form a monolithic matrix with a micro or nano-scaled mesopore structure was successfully synthesized and used as an efficient sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) due to its large specific adsorption area and good stability. The extraction properties of the as-prepared sorbent were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography with variable wavelength detection (HPLC-VWD) by analyzing four flavonoids (apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol). Under optimal conditions, the LODs and LOQs were found to be in the ranges of 0.1-0.25 and 0.4-0.5μgL -1 , respectively, and wide linear ranges were obtained with correlation coefficients (R) ranging from 0.9991 to 0.9996. Compared with commercial C18 and Alumina-N sorbents, the as-prepared sorbent showed high extraction efficiency at different concentrations of flavonoids. After 100 uses, the extraction ability of the self-assembled MoS 2 nanosheet monolithic sorbent had no evident decline, denoting a long service life. Finally, the SPE-HPLC-VWD method using the as-prepared sorbent was applied to flavonoid analysis in beverage samples with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MULTIVARIATERESIDUES : A Mathematica package for computing multivariate residues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Kasper J.; Rietkerk, Robbert

2018-01-01

Multivariate residues appear in many different contexts in theoretical physics and algebraic geometry. In theoretical physics, they for example give the proper definition of generalized-unitarity cuts, and they play a central role in the Grassmannian formulation of the S-matrix by Arkani-Hamed et al. In realistic cases their evaluation can be non-trivial. In this paper we provide a Mathematica package for efficient evaluation of multivariate residues based on methods from computational algebraic geometry.

FTOOLS: A general package of software to manipulate FITS files

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackburn, J. K.; Shaw, R. A.; Payne, H. E.; Hayes, J. J. E.; Heasarc

1999-12-01

FTOOLS, a highly modular collection of utilities for processing and analyzing data in the FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format, has been developed in support of the HEASARC (High Energy Astrophysics Research Archive Center) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The FTOOLS package contains many utility programs which perform modular tasks on any FITS image or table, as well as higher-level analysis programs designed specifically for data from current and past high energy astrophysics missions. The utility programs for FITS tables are especially rich and powerful, and provide functions for presentation of file contents, extraction of specific rows or columns, appending or merging tables, binning values in a column or selecting subsets of rows based on a boolean expression. Individual FTOOLS programs can easily be chained together in scripts to achieve more complex operations such as the generation and displaying of spectra or light curves. FTOOLS development began in 1991 and has produced the main set of data analysis software for the current ASCA and RXTE space missions and for other archival sets of X-ray and gamma-ray data. The FTOOLS software package is supported on most UNIX platforms and on Windows machines. The user interface is controlled by standard parameter files that are very similar to those used by IRAF. The package is self documenting through a stand alone help task called fhelp. Software is written in ANSI C and FORTRAN to provide portability across most computer systems. The data format dependencies between hardware platforms are isolated through the FITSIO library package.

DeePMD-kit: A deep learning package for many-body potential energy representation and molecular dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Han; Zhang, Linfeng; Han, Jiequn; E, Weinan

2018-07-01

Recent developments in many-body potential energy representation via deep learning have brought new hopes to addressing the accuracy-versus-efficiency dilemma in molecular simulations. Here we describe DeePMD-kit, a package written in Python/C++ that has been designed to minimize the effort required to build deep learning based representation of potential energy and force field and to perform molecular dynamics. Potential applications of DeePMD-kit span from finite molecules to extended systems and from metallic systems to chemically bonded systems. DeePMD-kit is interfaced with TensorFlow, one of the most popular deep learning frameworks, making the training process highly automatic and efficient. On the other end, DeePMD-kit is interfaced with high-performance classical molecular dynamics and quantum (path-integral) molecular dynamics packages, i.e., LAMMPS and the i-PI, respectively. Thus, upon training, the potential energy and force field models can be used to perform efficient molecular simulations for different purposes. As an example of the many potential applications of the package, we use DeePMD-kit to learn the interatomic potential energy and forces of a water model using data obtained from density functional theory. We demonstrate that the resulted molecular dynamics model reproduces accurately the structural information contained in the original model.

Impact of Nisin-Activated Packaging on Microbiota of Beef Burgers during Storage

PubMed Central

Ferrocino, Ilario; Greppi, Anna; La Storia, Antonietta; Rantsiou, Kalliopi; Ercolini, Danilo

2015-01-01

Beef burgers were stored at 4°C in a vacuum in nisin-activated antimicrobial packaging. Microbial ecology analyses were performed on samples collected between days 0 and 21 of storage to discover the population diversity. Two batches were analyzed using RNA-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and pyrosequencing. The active packaging retarded the growth of the total viable bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. Culture-independent analysis by pyrosequencing of RNA extracted directly from meat showed that Photobacterium phosphoreum, Lactococcus piscium, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc carnosum were the major operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared between control and treated samples. Beta diversity analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence data and RNA-DGGE showed a clear separation between two batches based on the microbiota. Control samples from batch B showed a significant high abundance of some taxa sensitive to nisin, such as Kocuria rhizophila, Staphylococcus xylosus, Leuconostoc carnosum, and Carnobacterium divergens, compared to control samples from batch A. However, only from batch B was it possible to find a significant difference between controls and treated samples during storage due to the active packaging. Predicted metagenomes confirmed differences between the two batches and indicated that the use of nisin-based antimicrobial packaging can determine a reduction in the abundance of specific metabolic pathways related to spoilage. The present study aimed to assess the viable bacterial communities in beef burgers stored in nisin-based antimicrobial packaging, and it highlights the efficacy of this strategy to prolong beef burger shelf life. PMID:26546424

Impact of Nisin-Activated Packaging on Microbiota of Beef Burgers during Storage.

PubMed

Ferrocino, Ilario; Greppi, Anna; La Storia, Antonietta; Rantsiou, Kalliopi; Ercolini, Danilo; Cocolin, Luca

2016-01-15

Beef burgers were stored at 4°C in a vacuum in nisin-activated antimicrobial packaging. Microbial ecology analyses were performed on samples collected between days 0 and 21 of storage to discover the population diversity. Two batches were analyzed using RNA-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and pyrosequencing. The active packaging retarded the growth of the total viable bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. Culture-independent analysis by pyrosequencing of RNA extracted directly from meat showed that Photobacterium phosphoreum, Lactococcus piscium, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc carnosum were the major operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared between control and treated samples. Beta diversity analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence data and RNA-DGGE showed a clear separation between two batches based on the microbiota. Control samples from batch B showed a significant high abundance of some taxa sensitive to nisin, such as Kocuria rhizophila, Staphylococcus xylosus, Leuconostoc carnosum, and Carnobacterium divergens, compared to control samples from batch A. However, only from batch B was it possible to find a significant difference between controls and treated samples during storage due to the active packaging. Predicted metagenomes confirmed differences between the two batches and indicated that the use of nisin-based antimicrobial packaging can determine a reduction in the abundance of specific metabolic pathways related to spoilage. The present study aimed to assess the viable bacterial communities in beef burgers stored in nisin-based antimicrobial packaging, and it highlights the efficacy of this strategy to prolong beef burger shelf life. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A comparison of accelerated solvent extraction, Soxhlet extraction, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction for analysis of terpenoids and sterols in tobacco.

PubMed

Shen, Jinchao; Shao, Xueguang

2005-11-01

The performance of accelerated solvent extraction in the analysis of terpenoids and sterols in tobacco samples was investigated and compared with those of Soxhlet extraction and ultrasonically assisted extraction with respect to yield, extraction time, reproducibility and solvent consumption. The results indicate that although the highest yield was achieved by Soxhlet extraction, ASE appears to be a promising alternative to classical methods since it is faster and uses less solvent, especially when applied to the investigation of large batch tobacco samples. However, Soxhlet extraction is still the preferred method for analyzing sterols since it gives a higher extraction efficiency than other methods.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Metal Chelate: A Review.

PubMed

Ding, Xin; Liu, Qinli; Hou, Xiongpo; Fang, Tao

2017-03-04

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), as a new green extraction technology, has been used in extracting various metal species. The solubilities of chelating agents and corresponding metal chelates are the key factors which influence the efficiency of SFE. Other main properties of them such as stability and selectivity are also reviewed. The extraction mechanisms of mainly used chelating agents are explained by typical examples in this paper. This is the important aspect of SFE of metal ions. Moreover, the extraction efficiencies of metal species also depend on other factors such as temperature, pressure, extraction time and matrix effect. The two main complexation methods namely in-situ and on-line chelating SFE are described in detail. As an efficient chelating agent, tributyl phosphate-nitric acid (TBP-HNO 3 ) complex attracts much attention. The SFE of metal ions, lanthanides and actinides as well as organometallic compounds are also summarized. With the proper selection of ligands, high efficient extraction of metal species can be obtained. As an efficient sample analysis method, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is introduced in this paper. Recently, the extraction method combining ionic liquids (ILs) with supercritical fluid has been becoming a novel technology for treating metal ions. The kinetics related to SFE of metal species is discussed with some specific examples.

Romanian experience on packaging testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vieru, G.

2007-07-01

With more than twenty years ago, the Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti (INR), through its Reliability and Testing Laboratory, was licensed by the Romanian Nuclear Regulatory Body- CNCAN and to carry out qualification tests [1] for packages intended to be used for the transport and storage of radioactive materials. Radioactive materials, generated by Romanian nuclear facilities [2] are packaged in accordance with national [3] and the IAEA's Regulations [1,6] for a safe transport to the disposal center. Subjecting these packages to the normal and simulating test conditions accomplish the evaluation and certification in order to prove the package technical performances.more » The paper describes the qualification tests for type A and B packages used for transport and storage of radioactive materials, during a period of 20 years of experience. Testing is used to substantiate assumption in analytical models and to demonstrate package structural response. The Romanian test facilities [1,3,6] are used to simulate the required qualification tests and have been developed at INR Pitesti, the main supplier of type A packages used for transport and storage of low radioactive wastes in Romania. The testing programme will continue to be a strong option to support future package development, to perform a broad range of verification and certification tests on radioactive material packages or component sections, such as packages used for transport of radioactive sources to be used for industrial or medical purposes [2,8]. The paper describes and contain illustrations showing some of the various tests packages which have been performed during certain periods and how they relate to normal conditions and minor mishaps during transport. Quality assurance and quality controls measures taken in order to meet technical specification provided by the design there are also presented and commented. (authors)« less

Solvent Extraction of Sodium Hydroxide Using Alkylphenols and Fluorinated Alcohols: Understanding the Extraction Mechanism by Equilibrium Modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kang, Hyun-Ah; Engle, Nancy L.; Bonnesen Peter V.

2004-03-29

In the present work, it has been the aim to examine extraction efficiencies of nine proton-ionizable alcohols (HAs) in 1-octanol and to identify both the controlling equilibria and predominant species involved in the extraction process within a thermochemical model. Distribution ratios for sodium (DNa) extraction were measured as a function of organic-phase HA and aqueous-phase NaOH molarity at 25 °C. Extraction efficiency follows the expected order of acidity of the HAs, 4-(tert-octyl) phenol (HA 1a) and 4-noctyl- a,a-bis-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl alcohol (HA 2a) being the most efficient extractants among the compounds tested. By use of the equilibrium-modeling program SXLSQI, a model formore » the extraction of NaOH has been advanced based on an ion-pair extraction by the diluent to give organic-phase Na+OH- and corresponding free ions and cation exchange by the weak acids to form monomeric organic-phase Na+A- and corresponding free organic-phase ions.« less

Extending R packages to support 64-bit compiled code: An illustration with spam64 and GIMMS NDVI3g data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerber, Florian; Mösinger, Kaspar; Furrer, Reinhard

2017-07-01

Software packages for spatial data often implement a hybrid approach of interpreted and compiled programming languages. The compiled parts are usually written in C, C++, or Fortran, and are efficient in terms of computational speed and memory usage. Conversely, the interpreted part serves as a convenient user-interface and calls the compiled code for computationally demanding operations. The price paid for the user friendliness of the interpreted component is-besides performance-the limited access to low level and optimized code. An example of such a restriction is the 64-bit vector support of the widely used statistical language R. On the R side, users do not need to change existing code and may not even notice the extension. On the other hand, interfacing 64-bit compiled code efficiently is challenging. Since many R packages for spatial data could benefit from 64-bit vectors, we investigate strategies to efficiently pass 64-bit vectors to compiled languages. More precisely, we show how to simply extend existing R packages using the foreign function interface to seamlessly support 64-bit vectors. This extension is shown with the sparse matrix algebra R package spam. The new capabilities are illustrated with an example of GIMMS NDVI3g data featuring a parametric modeling approach for a non-stationary covariance matrix.

Highly efficient extraction and lipase-catalyzed transesterification of triglycerides from Chlorella sp. KR-1 for production of biodiesel.

PubMed

Lee, Ok Kyung; Kim, Young Hyun; Na, Jeong-Geol; Oh, You-Kwan; Lee, Eun Yeol

2013-11-01

We developed a method for the highly efficient lipid extraction and lipase-catalyzed transesterification of triglyceride from Chlorella sp. KR-1 using dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Almost all of the total lipids, approximately 38.9% (w/w) of microalgae dry weight, were extracted from the dried microalgae biomass using a DMC and methanol mixture (7:3 (v/v)). The extracted triglycerides were transesterified into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) using Novozyme 435 as the biocatalyst in DMC. Herein, DMC was used as the reaction medium and acyl acceptor. The reaction conditions were optimized and the FAMEs yield was 293.82 mg FAMEs/g biomass in 6 h of reaction time at 60 °C in the presence of 0.2% (v/v) water. Novozyme 435 was reused more than ten times while maintaining relative FAMEs conversion that was greater than 90% of the initial FAMEs conversion. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-efficient Extraction of Drainage Networks from Digital Elevation Model Data Constrained by Enhanced Flow Enforcement from Known River Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, T.; Li, T.; Li, J.; Wang, G.

2017-12-01

Improved drainage network extraction can be achieved by flow enforcement whereby information of known river maps is imposed to the flow-path modeling process. However, the common elevation-based stream burning method can sometimes cause unintended topological errors and misinterpret the overall drainage pattern. We presented an enhanced flow enforcement method to facilitate accurate and efficient process of drainage network extraction. Both the topology of the mapped hydrography and the initial landscape of the DEM are well preserved and fully utilized in the proposed method. An improved stream rasterization is achieved here, yielding continuous, unambiguous and stream-collision-free raster equivalent of stream vectors for flow enforcement. By imposing priority-based enforcement with a complementary flow direction enhancement procedure, the drainage patterns of the mapped hydrography are fully represented in the derived results. The proposed method was tested over the Rogue River Basin, using DEMs with various resolutions. As indicated by the visual and statistical analyses, the proposed method has three major advantages: (1) it significantly reduces the occurrences of topological errors, yielding very accurate watershed partition and channel delineation, (2) it ensures scale-consistent performance at DEMs of various resolutions, and (3) the entire extraction process is well-designed to achieve great computational efficiency.

Packaging of electro-microfluidic devices

DOEpatents

Benavides, Gilbert L.; Galambos, Paul C.; Emerson, John A.; Peterson, Kenneth A.; Giunta, Rachel K.; Zamora, David Lee; Watson, Robert D.

2003-04-15

A new architecture for packaging surface micromachined electro-microfluidic devices is presented. This architecture relies on two scales of packaging to bring fluid to the device scale (picoliters) from the macro-scale (microliters). The architecture emulates and utilizes electronics packaging technology. The larger package consists of a circuit board with embedded fluidic channels and standard fluidic connectors (e.g. Fluidic Printed Wiring Board). The embedded channels connect to the smaller package, an Electro-Microfluidic Dual-Inline-Package (EMDIP) that takes fluid to the microfluidic integrated circuit (MIC). The fluidic connection is made to the back of the MIC through Bosch-etched holes that take fluid to surface micromachined channels on the front of the MIC. Electrical connection is made to bond pads on the front of the MIC.

Packaging of electro-microfluidic devices

DOEpatents

Benavides, Gilbert L.; Galambos, Paul C.; Emerson, John A.; Peterson, Kenneth A.; Giunta, Rachel K.; Watson, Robert D.

2002-01-01

A new architecture for packaging surface micromachined electro-microfluidic devices is presented. This architecture relies on two scales of packaging to bring fluid to the device scale (picoliters) from the macro-scale (microliters). The architecture emulates and utilizes electronics packaging technology. The larger package consists of a circuit board with embedded fluidic channels and standard fluidic connectors (e.g. Fluidic Printed Wiring Board). The embedded channels connect to the smaller package, an Electro-Microfluidic Dual-Inline-Package (EMDIP) that takes fluid to the microfluidic integrated circuit (MIC). The fluidic connection is made to the back of the MIC through Bosch-etched holes that take fluid to surface micromachined channels on the front of the MIC. Electrical connection is made to bond pads on the front of the MIC.

TCGA Workflow: Analyze cancer genomics and epigenomics data using Bioconductor packages

PubMed Central

Bontempi, Gianluca; Ceccarelli, Michele; Noushmehr, Houtan

2016-01-01

Biotechnological advances in sequencing have led to an explosion of publicly available data via large international consortia such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), and The NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Mapping Consortium (Roadmap). These projects have provided unprecedented opportunities to interrogate the epigenome of cultured cancer cell lines as well as normal and tumor tissues with high genomic resolution. The Bioconductor project offers more than 1,000 open-source software and statistical packages to analyze high-throughput genomic data. However, most packages are designed for specific data types (e.g. expression, epigenetics, genomics) and there is no one comprehensive tool that provides a complete integrative analysis of the resources and data provided by all three public projects. A need to create an integration of these different analyses was recently proposed. In this workflow, we provide a series of biologically focused integrative analyses of different molecular data. We describe how to download, process and prepare TCGA data and by harnessing several key Bioconductor packages, we describe how to extract biologically meaningful genomic and epigenomic data. Using Roadmap and ENCODE data, we provide a work plan to identify biologically relevant functional epigenomic elements associated with cancer. To illustrate our workflow, we analyzed two types of brain tumors: low-grade glioma (LGG) versus high-grade glioma (glioblastoma multiform or GBM). This workflow introduces the following Bioconductor packages: AnnotationHub, ChIPSeeker, ComplexHeatmap, pathview, ELMER, GAIA, MINET, RTCGAToolbox,  TCGAbiolinks. PMID:28232861

TCGA Workflow: Analyze cancer genomics and epigenomics data using Bioconductor packages.

PubMed

Silva, Tiago C; Colaprico, Antonio; Olsen, Catharina; D'Angelo, Fulvio; Bontempi, Gianluca; Ceccarelli, Michele; Noushmehr, Houtan

2016-01-01

Biotechnological advances in sequencing have led to an explosion of publicly available data via large international consortia such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), and The NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Mapping Consortium (Roadmap). These projects have provided unprecedented opportunities to interrogate the epigenome of cultured cancer cell lines as well as normal and tumor tissues with high genomic resolution. The Bioconductor project offers more than 1,000 open-source software and statistical packages to analyze high-throughput genomic data. However, most packages are designed for specific data types (e.g. expression, epigenetics, genomics) and there is no one comprehensive tool that provides a complete integrative analysis of the resources and data provided by all three public projects. A need to create an integration of these different analyses was recently proposed. In this workflow, we provide a series of biologically focused integrative analyses of different molecular data. We describe how to download, process and prepare TCGA data and by harnessing several key Bioconductor packages, we describe how to extract biologically meaningful genomic and epigenomic data. Using Roadmap and ENCODE data, we provide a work plan to identify biologically relevant functional epigenomic elements associated with cancer. To illustrate our workflow, we analyzed two types of brain tumors: low-grade glioma (LGG) versus high-grade glioma (glioblastoma multiform or GBM). This workflow introduces the following Bioconductor packages: AnnotationHub, ChIPSeeker, ComplexHeatmap, pathview, ELMER, GAIA, MINET, RTCGAToolbox,  TCGAbiolinks.

Aspects of perturbation theory in quantum mechanics: The BenderWuMATHEMATICA® package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulejmanpasic, Tin; Ünsal, Mithat

2018-07-01

We discuss a general setup which allows the study of the perturbation theory of an arbitrary, locally harmonic 1D quantum mechanical potential as well as its multi-variable (many-body) generalization. The latter may form a prototype for regularized quantum field theory. We first generalize the method of Bender-Wu,and derive exact recursion relations which allow the determination of the perturbative wave-function and energy corrections to an arbitrary order, at least in principle. For 1D systems, we implement these equations in an easy to use MATHEMATICA® package we call BenderWu. Our package enables quick home-computer computation of high orders of perturbation theory (about 100 orders in 10-30 s, and 250 orders in 1-2 h) and enables practical study of a large class of problems in Quantum Mechanics. We have two hopes concerning the BenderWu package. One is that due to resurgence, large amount of non-perturbative information, such as non-perturbative energies and wave-functions (e.g. WKB wave functions), can in principle be extracted from the perturbative data. We also hope that the package may be used as a teaching tool, providing an effective bridge between perturbation theory and non-perturbative physics in textbooks. Finally, we show that for the multi-variable case, the recursion relation acquires a geometric character, and has a structure which allows parallelization to computer clusters.

Moving towards Universal Health Coverage through the Development of Integrated Service Delivery Packages for Primary Health Care in the Solomon Islands

PubMed Central

Whiting, Stephen; Postma, Sjoerd; Jamshaid de Lorenzo, Ayesha; Aumua, Audrey

2016-01-01

The Solomon Islands Government is pursuing integrated care with the goal of improving the quality of health service delivery to rural populations. Under the auspices of Universal Health Coverage, integrated service delivery packages were developed which defined the clinical and public health services that should be provided at different levels of the health system. The process of developing integrated service delivery packages helped to identify key policy decisions the government needed to make in order to improve service quality and efficiency. The integrated service delivery packages have instigated the revision of job descriptions and are feeding into the development of a human resource plan for health. They are also being used to guide infrastructure development and health system planning and should lead to better management of resources. The integrated service delivery packages have become a key tool to operationalise the government’s policy to move towards a more efficient, equitable, quality and sustainable health system. PMID:28321177

Ultra Low Temperature Ultra Low Power Instrument Packages for Planetary Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, P. E.; Millar, P. S.; Beaman, B.; Yeh, P. S.; Cooper, L.; Feng, S.; Young, E.

2010-01-01

Achievement of solar system exploration roadmap goals will involve robotic or human deployment and longterm operation of surface science packages remote from human presence, thus requiring autonomous, self-powered operation. The major challenge such packages face will be operating during long periods of darkness in extreme cold potentially without the Pu238 based power and thermal systems available to Apollo era packages (ALSEP). Development of such science payloads will thus require considerable optimization of instrument and subsystem design, packaging and integration for a variety of planetary surface environments in order to support solar system exploration fully. Our work supports this process through the incorporation of low temperature operational components and design strategies which radically minimize power, mass, and cost while maximizing the performance under extreme surface conditions that are in many cases more demanding than those routinely experienced by spacecraft in deep space. Chief instruments/instrument package candidates include those which could provide long-term monitoring of the surface and subsurface environments for fundamental science and human crew safety. The initial attempt to design a 10 instrument environmental monitoring package with a solar/battery based power system led to a package with a unacceptably large mass (500 kg) of which over half was battery mass. In phase 1, a factor of 5 reduction in mass was achieved, first through the introduction of high performance electronics capable of operating at far lower temperature and then through the use of innovative thermal balance strategies involving the use of multi-layer thin materials and gravity-assisted heat pipes. In phase 2, reported here, involves strategies such as universal incorporation of ULT/ULP digital and analog electronics, and distributed or non-conventionally packaged power systems. These strategies will be required to meet the far more challenging thermal

Electro-Microfluidic Packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benavides, G. L.; Galambos, P. C.

2002-06-01

There are many examples of electro-microfluidic products that require cost effective packaging solutions. Industry has responded to a demand for products such as drop ejectors, chemical sensors, and biological sensors. Drop ejectors have consumer applications such as ink jet printing and scientific applications such as patterning self-assembled monolayers or ejecting picoliters of expensive analytes/reagents for chemical analysis. Drop ejectors can be used to perform chemical analysis, combinatorial chemistry, drug manufacture, drug discovery, drug delivery, and DNA sequencing. Chemical and biological micro-sensors can sniff the ambient environment for traces of dangerous materials such as explosives, toxins, or pathogens. Other biological sensors can be used to improve world health by providing timely diagnostics and applying corrective measures to the human body. Electro-microfluidic packaging can easily represent over fifty percent of the product cost and, as with Integrated Circuits (IC), the industry should evolve to standard packaging solutions. Standard packaging schemes will minimize cost and bring products to market sooner.

Nano selenium as antioxidant agent in a multilayer food packaging material.

PubMed

Vera, Paula; Echegoyen, Yolanda; Canellas, Elena; Nerín, Cristina; Palomo, María; Madrid, Yolanda; Cámara, Carmen

2016-09-01

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were incorporated in a flexible multilayer plastic material using a water-base adhesive as vehicle for SeNPs. The antioxidant performance of the original solutions containing spherical SeNPs of 50-60 nm diameter, the adhesive containing these SeNPs, and the final multilayer plastic material to be used as food packaging were quantitatively measured. The radical scavenging capacity due to SeNPs was quantified by a free radical assay developed in the laboratory and by the diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. DPPH was not efficient to measure the scavenging capacity in the multilayer when the free radical scavenger is not in the surface in contact with it. Several multilayer laminated structures composed by [PET (20 m)-adhesive-LDPE (with variable thickness from 35 to 90 μm)] were prepared and measured, demonstrating for the first time that free radicals derived from oxygen (OH·, O2·, and O2H) cross the PE layer and arrive at the adhesive. SeNPs remain as such after manufacture and the final laminate is stable after 3 months of storage. The antioxidant multilayer is a non-migrating efficient free radical scavenger, able to protect the packaged product versus oxidation and extending the shelf life without being in direct contact with the product. Migration tests of both Se and SeNPs to simulants and hazelnuts demonstrated the non-migrating performance of this new active packaging. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

An R package for analyzing and modeling ranking data

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In medical informatics, psychology, market research and many other fields, researchers often need to analyze and model ranking data. However, there is no statistical software that provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of ranking data. Here, we present pmr, an R package for analyzing and modeling ranking data with a bundle of tools. The pmr package enables descriptive statistics (mean rank, pairwise frequencies, and marginal matrix), Analytic Hierarchy Process models (with Saaty’s and Koczkodaj’s inconsistencies), probability models (Luce model, distance-based model, and rank-ordered logit model), and the visualization of ranking data with multidimensional preference analysis. Results Examples of the use of package pmr are given using a real ranking dataset from medical informatics, in which 566 Hong Kong physicians ranked the top five incentives (1: competitive pressures; 2: increased savings; 3: government regulation; 4: improved efficiency; 5: improved quality care; 6: patient demand; 7: financial incentives) to the computerization of clinical practice. The mean rank showed that item 4 is the most preferred item and item 3 is the least preferred item, and significance difference was found between physicians’ preferences with respect to their monthly income. A multidimensional preference analysis identified two dimensions that explain 42% of the total variance. The first can be interpreted as the overall preference of the seven items (labeled as “internal/external”), and the second dimension can be interpreted as their overall variance of (labeled as “push/pull factors”). Various statistical models were fitted, and the best were found to be weighted distance-based models with Spearman’s footrule distance. Conclusions In this paper, we presented the R package pmr, the first package for analyzing and modeling ranking data. The package provides insight to users through descriptive statistics of ranking data. Users can also visualize

An R package for analyzing and modeling ranking data.

PubMed

Lee, Paul H; Yu, Philip L H

2013-05-14

In medical informatics, psychology, market research and many other fields, researchers often need to analyze and model ranking data. However, there is no statistical software that provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of ranking data. Here, we present pmr, an R package for analyzing and modeling ranking data with a bundle of tools. The pmr package enables descriptive statistics (mean rank, pairwise frequencies, and marginal matrix), Analytic Hierarchy Process models (with Saaty's and Koczkodaj's inconsistencies), probability models (Luce model, distance-based model, and rank-ordered logit model), and the visualization of ranking data with multidimensional preference analysis. Examples of the use of package pmr are given using a real ranking dataset from medical informatics, in which 566 Hong Kong physicians ranked the top five incentives (1: competitive pressures; 2: increased savings; 3: government regulation; 4: improved efficiency; 5: improved quality care; 6: patient demand; 7: financial incentives) to the computerization of clinical practice. The mean rank showed that item 4 is the most preferred item and item 3 is the least preferred item, and significance difference was found between physicians' preferences with respect to their monthly income. A multidimensional preference analysis identified two dimensions that explain 42% of the total variance. The first can be interpreted as the overall preference of the seven items (labeled as "internal/external"), and the second dimension can be interpreted as their overall variance of (labeled as "push/pull factors"). Various statistical models were fitted, and the best were found to be weighted distance-based models with Spearman's footrule distance. In this paper, we presented the R package pmr, the first package for analyzing and modeling ranking data. The package provides insight to users through descriptive statistics of ranking data. Users can also visualize ranking data by applying a thought

Sensory impacts of food-packaging interactions.

PubMed

Duncan, Susan E; Webster, Janet B

2009-01-01

Sensory changes in food products result from intentional or unintentional interactions with packaging materials and from failure of materials to protect product integrity or quality. Resolving sensory issues related to plastic food packaging involves knowledge provided by sensory scientists, materials scientists, packaging manufacturers, food processors, and consumers. Effective communication among scientists and engineers from different disciplines and industries can help scientists understand package-product interactions. Very limited published literature describes sensory perceptions associated with food-package interactions. This article discusses sensory impacts, with emphasis on oxidation reactions, associated with the interaction of food and materials, including taints, scalping, changes in food quality as a function of packaging, and examples of material innovations for smart packaging that can improve sensory quality of foods and beverages. Sensory evaluation is an important tool for improved package selection and development of new materials.

Modular electronics packaging system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Don J. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A modular electronics packaging system includes multiple packaging slices that are mounted horizontally to a base structure. The slices interlock to provide added structural support. Each packaging slice includes a rigid and thermally conductive housing having four side walls that together form a cavity to house an electronic circuit. The chamber is enclosed on one end by an end wall, or web, that isolates the electronic circuit from a circuit in an adjacent packaging slice. The web also provides a thermal path between the electronic circuit and the base structure. Each slice also includes a mounting bracket that connects the packaging slice to the base structure. Four guide pins protrude from the slice into four corresponding receptacles in an adjacent slice. A locking element, such as a set screw, protrudes into each receptacle and interlocks with the corresponding guide pin. A conduit is formed in the slice to allow electrical connection to the electronic circuit.

Effect of Xylopia aethiopica aqueous extract on antioxidant properties of refrigerated Roma tomato variety packaged in low density polyethylene bags.

PubMed

Babarinde, Grace Oluwakemi; Adegoke, Gabriel O

2015-03-01

Effects of Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Richard aqueous extract on the antioxidants of matured tomato fruits at red stage were investigated at 13 ± 2 °C and 80 ± 5 % relative humidity. A sample treated with sodium bicarbonate and untreated samples were included. Samples packaged in low density polyethylene (30 μm thickness) bags were analysed at intervals of 5 days. The treatments revealed statistically significant differences in ascorbic acid content of stored tomato fruits. Fruits treated with 5 % X. aethiopica on day 5 of storage had 21.0 mg/100 g which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 18.2 mg/100 g in untreated control samples. At 15th day of storage, ascorbic acid was 10.0 and 14.2 mg/100 g in tomato fruits treated with sodium bicarbonate and 5 % X. aethiopica respectively. The carotenoid and lycopene contents were lower in sodium bicarbonate-treated and the untreated control samples than in X. aethiopica-treated sample. The total phenolic contents were better retained in X. aethiopica-treated tomato than in control. Treatment of tomato fruits with X. aethiopica at 4 & 5 % levels significantly retained the qualities evaluated.

Efficient Transduction of Human and Rhesus Macaque Primary T Cells by a Modified Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Based Lentiviral Vector.

PubMed

He, Huan; Xue, Jing; Wang, Weiming; Liu, Lihong; Ye, Chaobaihui; Cong, Zhe; Kimata, Jason T; Qin, Chuan; Zhou, Paul

2017-03-01

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based lentiviral vectors efficiently transduce genes to human, but not rhesus, primary T cells and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The poor transduction of HIV-1 vectors to rhesus cells is mainly due to species-specific restriction factors such as rhesus TRIM5α. Previously, several strategies to modify HIV-1 vectors were developed to overcome rhesus TRIM5α restriction. While the modified HIV-1 vectors efficiently transduce rhesus HSCs, they remain suboptimal for rhesus primary T cells. Recently, HIV-1 variants that encode combinations of LNEIE mutations in capsid (CA) protein and SIVmac239 Vif were found to replicate efficiently in rhesus primary T cells. Thus, the present study tested whether HIV-1 vectors packaged by a packaging construct containing these CA substitutions could efficiently transduce both human and rhesus primary CD4 T cells. To accomplish this, LNEIE mutations were made in the packaging construct CEMΔ8.9, and recombinant HIV-1 vectors packaged by Δ8.9 WT or Δ8.9 LNEIE were generated. Transduction rates, CA stability, and vector integration in CEMss-CCR5 and CEMss-CCR5-rhTRIM5α/green fluorescent protein cells, as well as transduction rates in human and rhesus primary CD4 T cells by Δ8.9 WT or Δ8.9 LNEIE-packaged HIV-1 vectors, were compared. Finally, the influence of rhesus TRIM5α variations in transduction rates to primary CD4 T cells from a cohort of 37 Chinese rhesus macaques was studied. While it maintains efficient transduction for human T-cell line and primary CD4 T cells, Δ8.9 LNEIE-packaged HIV-1 vector overcomes rhesus TRIM5α-mediated CA degradation, resulting in significantly higher transduction efficiency of rhesus primary CD4 T cells than Δ8.9 WT-packaged HIV-1 vector. Rhesus TRIM5α variations strongly influence transduction efficiency of rhesus primary CD4 T cells by both Δ8.9 WT or Δ8.9 LNEIE-packaged HIV-1 vectors. Thus, it is concluded that Δ8.9 LNEIE-packaged HIV-1

Natural biopolimers in organic food packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieczynska, Justyna; Cavoski, Ivana; Chami, Ziad Al; Mondelli, Donato; Di Donato, Paola; Di Terlizzi, Biagio

2014-05-01

Concerns on environmental and waste problems caused by use of non-biodegradable and non-renewable based plastic packaging have caused an increase interest in developing biodegradable packaging using renewable natural biopolymers. Recently, different types of biopolymers like starch, cellulose, chitosan, casein, whey protein, collagen, egg white, soybean protein, corn zein, gelatin and wheat gluten have attracted considerable attention as potential food packaging materials. Recyclable or biodegradable packaging material in organic processing standards is preferable where possible but specific principles of packaging are not precisely defined and standards have to be assessed. There is evidence that consumers of organic products have specific expectations not only with respect to quality characteristics of processed food but also in social and environmental aspects of food production. Growing consumer sophistication is leading to a proliferation in food eco-label like carbon footprint. Biopolymers based packaging for organic products can help to create a green industry. Moreover, biopolymers can be appropriate materials for the development of an active surfaces designed to deliver incorporated natural antimicrobials into environment surrounding packaged food. Active packaging is an innovative mode of packaging in which the product and the environment interact to prolong shelf life or enhance safety or sensory properties, while maintaining the quality of the product. The work will discuss the various techniques that have been used for development of an active antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials focusing on a recent findings in research studies. With the current focus on exploring a new generation of biopolymer-based food packaging materials with possible applications in organic food packaging. Keywords: organic food, active packaging, biopolymers , green technology

Pressurized liquid extraction of diesel and air particulate standard reference materials: effect of extraction temperature and pressure.

PubMed

Schantz, Michele M; McGaw, Elizabeth; Wise, Stephen A

2012-10-02

Four particulate matter Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were used to evaluate the effect of solvent, number of static cycles and static times, pressure, and temperature when using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrated-PAHs. The four materials used in the study were SRM 1648a Urban Particulate Matter, SRM 1649b Urban Dust, SRM 1650b Diesel Particulate Matter, and SRM 2975 Diesel Particulate Matter (Industrial Forklift). The results from the study indicate that the choice of solvent, dichloromethane compared to toluene and toluene/methanol mixtures, had little effect on the extraction efficiency. With three to five extraction cycles, increasing the extraction time for each cycle from 5 to 30 min had no significant effect on the extraction efficiency. The differences in extraction efficiency were not significant (with over 95% of the differences being <10%) when the pressure was increased from 13.8 to 20.7 MPa. The largest increase in extraction efficiency occurred for selected PAHs when the temperature of extraction was increased from 100 to 200 °C. At 200 °C naphthalene, biphenyl, fluorene, dibenzothiophene, and anthracene show substantially higher mass fractions (>30%) than when extracted at 100 °C in all the SRMs studied. For SRM 2975, large increases (>100%) are also observed for some other PAHs including benz[a]anthracene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[e]pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[ghi]perylene, and benzo[b]chrysene when extracted at the higher temperatures; however, similar trends were not observed for the other diesel particulate sample, SRM 1650b. The results are discussed in relation to the use of the SRMs for evaluating analytical methods.

Estimates of Dietary Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) from Light Metal Packaging using Food Consumption and Packaging usage Data: A Refined Deterministic Approach and a Fully Probabilistic (FACET) Approach

PubMed Central

Oldring, P.K.T.; Castle, L.; O'Mahony, C.; Dixon, J.

2013-01-01

The FACET tool is a probabilistic model to estimate exposure to chemicals in foodstuffs, originating from flavours, additives and food contact materials. This paper demonstrates the use of the FACET tool to estimate exposure to BPA (bisphenol A) from light metal packaging. For exposure to migrants from food packaging, FACET uses industry-supplied data on the occurrence of substances in the packaging, their concentrations and construction of the packaging, which were combined with data from a market research organisation and food consumption data supplied by national database managers. To illustrate the principles, UK packaging data were used together with consumption data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) dietary survey for 19–64 year olds for a refined deterministic verification. The UK data were chosen mainly because the consumption surveys are detailed, data for UK packaging at a detailed level were available and, arguably, the UK population is composed of high consumers of packaged foodstuffs. Exposures were run for each food category that could give rise to BPA from light metal packaging. Consumer loyalty to a particular type of packaging, commonly referred to as packaging loyalty, was set. The BPA extraction levels used for the 15 types of coating chemistries that could release BPA were in the range of 0.00005–0.012 mg dm−2. The estimates of exposure to BPA using FACET for the total diet were 0.0098 (mean) and 0.0466 (97.5th percentile) mg/person/day, corresponding to 0.00013 (mean) and 0.00059 (97.5th percentile) mg kg−1 body weight day−1 for consumers of foods packed in light metal packaging. This is well below the current EFSA (and other recognised bodies) TDI of 0.05 mg kg−1 body weight day. These probabilistic estimates were compared with estimates using a refined deterministic approach drawing on the same input data. The results from FACET for the mean, 95th and 97.5th percentile exposures to BPA lay between the lowest

Estimates of dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) from light metal packaging using food consumption and packaging usage data: a refined deterministic approach and a fully probabilistic (FACET) approach.

PubMed

Oldring, P K T; Castle, L; O'Mahony, C; Dixon, J

2014-01-01

The FACET tool is a probabilistic model to estimate exposure to chemicals in foodstuffs, originating from flavours, additives and food contact materials. This paper demonstrates the use of the FACET tool to estimate exposure to BPA (bisphenol A) from light metal packaging. For exposure to migrants from food packaging, FACET uses industry-supplied data on the occurrence of substances in the packaging, their concentrations and construction of the packaging, which were combined with data from a market research organisation and food consumption data supplied by national database managers. To illustrate the principles, UK packaging data were used together with consumption data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) dietary survey for 19-64 year olds for a refined deterministic verification. The UK data were chosen mainly because the consumption surveys are detailed, data for UK packaging at a detailed level were available and, arguably, the UK population is composed of high consumers of packaged foodstuffs. Exposures were run for each food category that could give rise to BPA from light metal packaging. Consumer loyalty to a particular type of packaging, commonly referred to as packaging loyalty, was set. The BPA extraction levels used for the 15 types of coating chemistries that could release BPA were in the range of 0.00005-0.012 mg dm(-2). The estimates of exposure to BPA using FACET for the total diet were 0.0098 (mean) and 0.0466 (97.5th percentile) mg/person/day, corresponding to 0.00013 (mean) and 0.00059 (97.5th percentile) mg kg(-1) body weight day(-1) for consumers of foods packed in light metal packaging. This is well below the current EFSA (and other recognised bodies) TDI of 0.05 mg kg(-1) body weight day(-1). These probabilistic estimates were compared with estimates using a refined deterministic approach drawing on the same input data. The results from FACET for the mean, 95th and 97.5th percentile exposures to BPA lay between the

RH Packaging Program Guidance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

The purpose of this program guidance document is to provide the technical requirements for use, operation, inspection, and maintenance of the RH-TRU 72-B Waste Shipping Package (also known as the "RH-TRU 72-B cask") and directly related components. This document complies with the requirements as specified in the RH-TRU 72-B Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Certificate of Compliance (C of C) 9212. If there is a conflict between this document and the SARP and/or C of C, the C of C shall govern. The C of C states: "...each package must be prepared for shipmentmore » and operated in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 7.0, Operating Procedures, of the application." It further states: "...each package must be tested and maintained in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 8.0, Acceptance Tests and Maintenance Program of the Application." Chapter 9.0 of the SARP tasks the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Management and Operating (M&O) Contractor with assuring the packaging is used in accordance with the requirements of the C of C. Because the packaging is NRC-approved, users need to be familiar with Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §71.8, "Deliberate Misconduct." Any time a user suspects or has indications that the conditions of approval in the C of C were not met, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) shall be notified immediately. The CBFO will evaluate the issue and notify the NRC if required.In accordance with 10 CFR Part 71, "Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material," certificate holders, packaging users, and contractors or subcontractors who use, design, fabricate, test, maintain, or modify the packaging shall post copies of (1) 10 CFR Part 21, "Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance," regulations, (2) Section 206 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and (3) NRC Form 3, Notice to Employees. These documents must be posted in a

RH Packaging Program Guidance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

The purpose of this program guidance document is to provide the technical requirements for use, operation, inspection, and maintenance of the RH-TRU 72-B Waste Shipping Package and directly related components. This document complies with the requirements as specified in the RH-TRU 72-B Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Certificate of Compliance (C of C) 9212. If there is a conflict between this document and the SARP and/or C of C, the C of C shall govern. The C of C states: "...each package must be prepared for shipment and operated in accordance with the proceduresmore » described in Chapter 7.0, Operating Procedures, of the application." It further states: "...each package must be tested and maintained in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 8.0, Acceptance Tests and Maintenance Program of the Application." Chapter 9.0 of the SARP tasks the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Management and Operating (M&O) Contractor with assuring the packaging is used in accordance with the requirements of the C of C. Because the packaging is NRC-approved, users need to be familiar with 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §71.8, "Deliberate Misconduct." Any time a user suspects or has indications that the conditions of approval in the C of C were not met, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) shall be notified immediately. CBFO will evaluate the issue and notify the NRC if required. In accordance with 10 CFR Part 71, "Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material," certificate holders, packaging users, and contractors or subcontractors who use, design, fabricate, test, maintain, or modify the packaging shall post copies of (1) 10 CFR Part 21, "Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance," regulations, (2) Section 206 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and (3) NRC Form 3, Notice to Employees. These documents must be posted in a conspicuous location where the activities subject

Space station power semiconductor package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balodis, Vilnis; Berman, Albert; Devance, Darrell; Ludlow, Gerry; Wagner, Lee

1987-01-01

A package of high-power switching semiconductors for the space station have been designed and fabricated. The package includes a high-voltage (600 volts) high current (50 amps) NPN Fast Switching Power Transistor and a high-voltage (1200 volts), high-current (50 amps) Fast Recovery Diode. The package features an isolated collector for the transistors and an isolated anode for the diode. Beryllia is used as the isolation material resulting in a thermal resistance for both devices of .2 degrees per watt. Additional features include a hermetical seal for long life -- greater than 10 years in a space environment. Also, the package design resulted in a low electrical energy loss with the reduction of eddy currents, stray inductances, circuit inductance, and capacitance. The required package design and device parameters have been achieved. Test results for the transistor and diode utilizing the space station package is given.

Cloud point extraction: an alternative to traditional liquid-liquid extraction for lanthanides(III) separation.

PubMed

Favre-Réguillon, Alain; Draye, Micheline; Lebuzit, Gérard; Thomas, Sylvie; Foos, Jacques; Cote, Gérard; Guy, Alain

2004-06-17

Cloud point extraction (CPE) was used to extract and separate lanthanum(III) and gadolinium(III) nitrate from an aqueous solution. The methodology used is based on the formation of lanthanide(III)-8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) complexes soluble in a micellar phase of non-ionic surfactant. The lanthanide(III) complexes are then extracted into the surfactant-rich phase at a temperature above the cloud point temperature (CPT). The structure of the non-ionic surfactant, and the chelating agent-metal molar ratio are identified as factors determining the extraction efficiency and selectivity. In an aqueous solution containing equimolar concentrations of La(III) and Gd(III), extraction efficiency for Gd(III) can reach 96% with a Gd(III)/La(III) selectivity higher than 30 using Triton X-114. Under those conditions, a Gd(III) decontamination factor of 50 is obtained.

40 CFR 157.27 - Unit packaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Unit packaging. 157.27 Section 157.27 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS FOR PESTICIDES AND DEVICES Child-Resistant Packaging § 157.27 Unit packaging. Pesticide products...

Slow cooling and efficient extraction of C-exciton hot carriers in MoS2 monolayer

PubMed Central

Wang, Lei; Wang, Zhuo; Wang, Hai-Yu; Grinblat, Gustavo; Huang, Yu-Li; Wang, Dan; Ye, Xiao-Hui; Li, Xian-Bin; Bao, Qiaoliang; Wee, AndrewThye-Shen; Maier, Stefan A; Chen, Qi-Dai; Zhong, Min-Lin; Qiu, Cheng-Wei; Sun, Hong-Bo

2017-01-01

In emerging optoelectronic applications, such as water photolysis, exciton fission and novel photovoltaics involving low-dimensional nanomaterials, hot-carrier relaxation and extraction mechanisms play an indispensable and intriguing role in their photo-electron conversion processes. Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted much attention in above fields recently; however, insight into the relaxation mechanism of hot electron-hole pairs in the band nesting region denoted as C-excitons, remains elusive. Using MoS2 monolayers as a model two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide system, here we report a slower hot-carrier cooling for C-excitons, in comparison with band-edge excitons. We deduce that this effect arises from the favourable band alignment and transient excited-state Coulomb environment, rather than solely on quantum confinement in two-dimension systems. We identify the screening-sensitive bandgap renormalization for MoS2 monolayer/graphene heterostructures, and confirm the initial hot-carrier extraction for the C-exciton state with an unprecedented efficiency of 80%, accompanied by a twofold reduction in the exciton binding energy. PMID:28054546

High-Performance Power-Semiconductor Packages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Renz, David; Hansen, Irving; Berman, Albert

1989-01-01

A 600-V, 50-A transistor and 1,200-V, 50-A diode in rugged, compact, lightweight packages intended for use in inverter-type power supplies having switching frequencies up to 20 kHz. Packages provide low-inductance connections, low loss, electrical isolation, and long-life hermetic seal. Low inductance achieved by making all electrical connections to each package on same plane. Also reduces high-frequency losses by reducing coupling into inherent shorted turns in packaging material around conductor axes. Stranded internal power conductors aid conduction at high frequencies, where skin effect predominates. Design of packages solves historical problem of separation of electrical interface from thermal interface of high-power semiconductor device.

Effect of Plant Antimicrobial Agents Containing Marinades on Storage Stability and Microbiological Quality of Broiler Chicken Cuts Packed with Modified Atmosphere Packaging.

PubMed

Alakomi, H-L; Maukonen, J; Honkapää, K; Storgårds, E; Quirin, K-W; Yang, B; Saarela, M

2017-10-01

The food industry, including the meat industry, is currently looking for natural preservatives to prevent the growth of harmful microbes in foods. The potential of plant-derived antimicrobial extracts to increase the shelf life and to delay the microbiological spoilage of marinated broiler chicken cuts in modified atmosphere packages during cold storage was investigated in this study. We evaluated the impact of aqueous ethanolic extracts of Finnish sea buckthorn berries and lingonberries and supercritical CO 2 -extracted herbal extracts from an antimicrobial blend and oregano leaves on the shelf life of broiler meat. The commercial antimicrobial blend extract and the oregano extract inhibited the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Brochothrix thermosphacta in the marinated samples. The antimicrobial blend extract also reduced the growth of psychrotrophic aerobic bacteria, whereas the sea buckthorn and lingonberry extracts did not. Only minor antimicrobial activity against Enterobacteriaceae by all the extracts was observed. Plate count analysis, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and quantitative real-time PCR indicated that LAB, which are the major spoilage group in marinated modified atmosphere-packaged poultry products, were not significantly affected by the berry extracts studied. During this shelf-life study, LAB isolates of Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc were identified in the marinated samples. Antimicrobial blends and oregano leaf extracts can act as antimicrobial agents in marinade blends, although tailoring of the dose is needed because of their strong taste. Further studies for exploiting synergistic effects of plant extracts could contribute to the development of potential and more effective antimicrobial blends. Studies are needed in meat matrices and in product applications to demonstrate the efficacy of these compounds.

Sustainable Library Development Training Package

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peace Corps, 2012

2012-01-01

This Sustainable Library Development Training Package supports Peace Corps' Focus In/Train Up strategy, which was implemented following the 2010 Comprehensive Agency Assessment. Sustainable Library Development is a technical training package in Peace Corps programming within the Education sector. The training package addresses the Volunteer…

40 CFR 262.30 - Packaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Packaging. 262.30 Section 262.30... APPLICABLE TO GENERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Pre-Transport Requirements § 262.30 Packaging. Before... the waste in accordance with the applicable Department of Transportation regulations on packaging...

Packaging Software Assets for Reuse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattmann, C. A.; Marshall, J. J.; Downs, R. R.

2010-12-01

The reuse of existing software assets such as code, architecture, libraries, and modules in current software and systems development projects can provide many benefits, including reduced costs, in time and effort, and increased reliability. Many reusable assets are currently available in various online catalogs and repositories, usually broken down by disciplines such as programming language (Ibiblio for Maven/Java developers, PyPI for Python developers, CPAN for Perl developers, etc.). The way these assets are packaged for distribution can play a role in their reuse - an asset that is packaged simply and logically is typically easier to understand, install, and use, thereby increasing its reusability. A well-packaged asset has advantages in being more reusable and thus more likely to provide benefits through its reuse. This presentation will discuss various aspects of software asset packaging and how they can affect the reusability of the assets. The characteristics of well-packaged software will be described. A software packaging domain model will be introduced, and some existing packaging approaches examined. An example case study of a Reuse Enablement System (RES), currently being created by near-term Earth science decadal survey missions, will provide information about the use of the domain model. Awareness of these factors will help software developers package their reusable assets so that they can provide the most benefits for software reuse.

Theoretical study of the design and performance of a high-gain, high-extraction-efficiency FEL oscillator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldstein, J.; Nguyen, D.C.; Sheffield, R.L.

1996-10-01

We present the results of theoretical and simulation studies of the design and performance of a new F type of FEL oscillator. This device, known by the acronym RAFEL for Regenerative Amplifier Free-Electron Laser, will be constructed in the space presently occupied by the AFEL (Advanced FEL) at Los Alamos, and will be driven by an upgraded (to higher average power) version of the present AFEL linac. In order to achieve a long-time-averaged optical output power of {approximately} 1 kW using an electron beam with an average power of {approximately} 20 kW, a rather high extraction efficiency {eta} {approximately} 5%more » is required. We have designed a 2-m-long undulator to attain this goal: the first meter is untapered and provides high gain while the second meter is linearly-tapered in magnetic field amplitude to provide high extraction efficiency in the standard K-M-R manner. Two-plane focusing and linear polarization of the undulator are assumed. Electron-beam properties from PARMEIA simulations of the AFEL accelerator were used in the design. A large saturated gain, {approximately} 500, requires a very small optical feedback to keep the device operating at steady-state. However, the large gain leads to distorted optical modes which require two- and three-dimensional simulations to adequately treat diffraction effects. This FEL will be driven by 17 MeV electrons and will operate in the 16 {mu}m spectral region.« less

Study on Suitable Light Conditions and Efficient Lipid Extraction Technologies for Biodiesel Production Based on Microalgae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yao; Zhang, Qingtao; Sun, Yuan; Yang, Chengjia

2018-01-01

As a new generation biodiesel feedstock, microalgae have most potential to replace fossil fuel. However, the limited scale and high cost are two bottleneck problems. Efficient microwave-assisted lipid extraction technologies and suitable light conditions for Chlorella Sorokiniana need further study for lowering the cost. In this study, three photoperiod groups(24L:0D, 12L:12D, 0L:24D), three illumination intensity groups (1800 lux, 3600 lux, 5400 lux)and four light spectrum groups (Red, green, blue, and white) were used to culture Chlorella Sorokiniana to investigate those effects on algae growth rate and biomass accumulation. The suitable microwave treatment was also studied to achieve an optimizing quantum fracturing technology. 400 w, 750 w and 1000 w microwave power were set and 60 °C, 75 °C, 90 °C microwave conditions were investigated. The results showed that Chlorella Sorokiniana under 24L:0D photoperiod with 5400 lux white light can achieve better growth rate. The 90 °C / 1000w microwave treatment was identified as the most simple, easy, and effective way for lipid extraction from Chlorella Sorokiniana. As the raw material of biodiesel production, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 have accounted for important components of fatty acid in Chlorella Sorokiniana. Therefore, Chlorella Sorokiniana is a good raw material for the production of good quality biodiesel under suitable and efficient technologies.

Numerical investigation of the efficiency of emission reduction and heat extraction in a sedimentary geothermal reservoir: a case study of the Daming geothermal field in China.

PubMed

Guo, Xuyang; Song, Hongqing; Killough, John; Du, Li; Sun, Pengguang

2018-02-01

The utilization of geothermal energy is clean and has great potential worldwide, and it is important to utilize geothermal energy in a sustainable manner. Mathematical modeling studies of geothermal reservoirs are important as they evaluate and quantify the complex multi-physical effects in geothermal reservoirs. However, previous modeling efforts lack the study focusing on the emission reduction efficiency and the deformation at geothermal wellbores caused by geothermal water extraction/circulation. Emission efficiency is rather relevant in geothermal projects introduced in areas characterized by elevated air pollution where the utilization of geothermal energy is as an alternative to burning fossil fuels. Deformation at geothermal wellbores is also relevant as significant deformation caused by water extraction can lead to geothermal wellbore instability and can consequently decrease the effectiveness of the heat extraction process in geothermal wells. In this study, the efficiency of emission reduction and heat extraction in a sedimentary geothermal reservoir in Daming County, China, are numerically investigated based on a coupled multi-physical model. Relationships between the efficiency of emission reduction and heat extraction, deformation at geothermal well locations, and geothermal field parameters including well spacing, heat production rate, re-injection temperature, rock stiffness, and geothermal well placement patterns are analyzed. Results show that, although large heat production rates and low re-injection temperatures can lead to decreased heat production in the last 8 years of heat extraction, they still improve the overall heat production capacity and emission reduction capacity. Also, the emission reduction capacity is positively correlated with the heat production capacity. Deformation at geothermal wellbore locations is alleviated by smaller well spacing, lower heat production rates, and smaller numbers of injectors in the well pattern, and by