Comparison of plane mirror vs retroreflector performance for laser-self-mixing displacement sensors

n/

Determination of commercial animal and vegetable milks’ lipid profile and its correlation with cell viability and antioxidant activity on human intestinal caco-2 cells

Lipids from milk are important nutritional components, although their health effects, especially for animal milks, are still questioned. Four types of commercial milks, two semi-skimmed animal milks (bovine and goat) and two vegetable ones (soy and rice), along with their total and free lipid fractions recovered by sequential centrifugation or by ethyl acetate extraction, respectively, have been analyzed. A higher antioxidant ability, reported as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, was found for all raw milks compared to that of rice. This trend was confirmed, except for soy milk, as ROS reduction in Caco-2 cells. The free lipid fraction was shown to have the highest antioxidant potential in both chemical and biological tests. Moreover, goat and soy raw milks positively regulated Caco-2 cell viability after an inflammatory stimulus. This effect was lost when their total lipid fraction was tested. Finally, only the free lipid fraction from rice milk preserved the Caco-2 viability after LPS stimulation. Our data demonstrated that the lipid profile of each milk, characterized by GC-MS analysis, could contribute to dictate its biological effects, and, although additional in vitro and in vivo studies are needed, they could support the literature re-evaluating the health effects of animal-based versus plant-based milks in the intestinal cellular model

Human, All Too Human? An All-Around Appraisal of the “Artificial Intelligence Revolution” in Medical Imaging

Artificial intelligence (AI) has seen dramatic growth over the past decade, evolving from a niche super specialty computer application into a powerful tool which has revolutionized many areas of our professional and daily lives, and the potential of which seems to be still largely untapped. The field of medicine and medical imaging, as one of its various specialties, has gained considerable benefit from AI, including improved diagnostic accuracy and the possibility of predicting individual patient outcomes and options of more personalized treatment. It should be noted that this process can actively support the ongoing development of advanced, highly specific treatment strategies (e.g., target therapies for cancer patients) while enabling faster workflow and more efficient use of healthcare resources. The potential advantages of AI over conventional methods have made it attractive for physicians and other healthcare stakeholders, raising much interest in both the research and the industry communities. However, the fast development of AI has unveiled its potential for disrupting the work of healthcare professionals, spawning concerns among radiologists that, in the future, AI may outperform them, thus damaging their reputations or putting their jobs at risk. Furthermore, this development has raised relevant psychological, ethical, and medico-legal issues which need to be addressed for AI to be considered fully capable of patient management. The aim of this review is to provide a brief, hopefully exhaustive, overview of the state of the art of AI systems regarding medical imaging, with a special focus on how AI and the entire healthcare environment should be prepared to accomplish the goal of a more advanced human-centered world

Solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography mass spectrometry: a fast and simple screening method for the assessment of organophosphorus pesticides residues in wine and fruit juices

A SPME-GCMS method for the determination of a mixture of organophosphorus pesticides (phorate, diazinon, methylparathion, fenitrothion, malathion, fenthion, ethyl-parathion and methidathion) in wine and different fruit juices was developed. The procedure is solvent-free, simple (direct SPME without further sample pre-treatment) and highly sensitive. Estimated LOD and LOQ ranged from 2 to 33 ng/ml and from 7 to 109 ng/ml, respectively, in wine, and from 2 to 90 ng/ml and from 7 to 297 ng/ml, respectively, in fruit juices. LOQ achieved by the present method are almost always below the maximum residue levels recommended by the European legislation

A NEW THREE DEGREES-OF-FREEDOM MOTION SENSOR BASED ON LASER SELF-MIXING WITH PIGTAILED SOURCES

Real time simultaneous measurement by remote laser source of long range longitudinal displacement and small angle wobbling of a sliding target is demonstrated. The compact self-aligned laser-self-mixing interferometer achieves 0.8 µm axial resolution over 1 m linear and 17 µrad of pitch and yaw resolution over 2 mrad angular ranges, respectively

Solid-Phase Microextraction - Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry: a Fast and Simple Screening Method for the Assessment or Organophosphorus Pesticides Residues in Wine and Fruit Juices

A SPME-GCMS method for the determination of a mixture of organophosphorus pesticides (phorate, diazinon, methylparathion, fenitrothion, malathion, fenthion, ethyl-parathion and methidathion) in wine and different fruit juices was developed. The procedure is solvent-free, simple (direct SPME without further sample pre-treatment) and highly sensitive. Estimated LOD and LOQ ranged from 2 to 33 ng/ml and from 7 to 109 ng/ml, respectively, in wine, and from 2 to 90 ng/ml and from 7 to 297 ng/ml, respectively, in fruit juices. LOQ achieved by the present method are almost always below the maximum residue levels recommended by the European legislation

Tuning the Acid/Base Surface Character of Carbonaceous Materials by Means of Cold Plasma Treatments

Carbonaceous materials, in the form of flat graphite slabs and carbon black granules, are surface-modified in radio frequency (RF, 13.56 MHz) glow discharges fed with NH3/O-2 mixtures at different power values, in order to graft oxygen-containing and/or nitrogen-containing chemical groups. In this way, it is possible to adjust the acid/base character of the material surfaces in a predictable way, as a function of the feed composition and of the power. A plasma reactor equipped with a rotating vacuum chamber and internal glass wings is used to keep the granular materials homogeneously stirred and to modify the surface of both graphite slabs and carbon black granules. The chemical modifications have been evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Water contact angle measurements have been carried out on flat graphite, with water solutions at different pH, in order to study the acid/base character imparted to the functionalized surface. Scanning electron microscopy analysis has been performed to check the effects of plasma treatments on the morphology of the substrates