The formation and characterization of nanocrystalline phases by mechanical milling of biphasic calcium phosphate/poly-L-lactide biocomposite

Biphasic calcium phosphate/poly-L-lactide granules of 150-200 mu m sizes were subjected to high-energy mechanical milling in a planetary ball mill for up to 480 minutes. Characterization of the material obtained was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), environmentally scanning electronic microscopy (ESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). These techniques confirmed that mechanical milling induced significant changes in the biocomposite structure and properties. The most significant changes are reduction of the HAp crystallites size from 99.8 to 26.7 nm and beta-TCP from 97.3 to 29.6, as well as crystallinity of PLLA phases. Homogeneous phase distribution (arrangement) is obtained by extending the duration of mechanical milling

Dietary fibers and bread: Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge among young population

The link between dietary fibers and prevention of non-communicable diseases is well documented in the existing scientific literature. Despite that, most of the population still do not have enough knowledge about fibers and their presence in certain food. This study intended to make an insight in the knowledge of the Serbian young population about dietary fibers and bioactive compounds through a questionnaire survey. A survey was conducted to a sample of 173 individuals, (37% male and 63% female) randomly selected among students from elementary, high school and university in the Novi Sad municipality. Topics covered by the questionnaire included knowledge of the term dietary fiber, fiber content in different bread types, the relationship between fibers and health and bioactive compounds sources in food. The results for each of the particular topics addressed varied among studied groups, but generally level of knowledge was related to the education level. The highest overall knowledge about dietary fibers and bioactive compounds was expressed by the university students, although elementary and high school students showed a considerable level of knowledge on the subject. Male participants appeared as more familiar with the questions related to bioactive compounds, while females were more informed on questions regarding dietary fiber. This survey revealed that young population in Serbia is well informed about the contribution of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds in promoting health. However, further expansion of existing knowledge will be beneficial in order to improve general health of the entire community

LTE Network Radio Planning

In this paper different ways of planning the radio resources within an LTE network are analyzed. All simulations were carried out using 3GPP recommendations. Soft frequency reuse (SFR), soft fractional frequency reuse (SFFR) and hard fractional frequency reuse (HFFR) radio resource allocation schemes are compared to fixed frequency reuse 1 (R1) and reuse 3 (R3) radio resource allocation schemes. An optimum way of planning radio resources in a LTE network is proposed at the end of paper

Effects of quantity and layers number of low trans margarines on puff pastry quality

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of puff pastry margarine with reduced content of trans isomers in production of puff pastry with enhanced nutritional value. Experiments were carried out on the basis of 32 factorial design, wherein the independent variables were the amount of puff pastry margarines (30, 40 and 50%, on flour weight) and number of margarine layers formed during the dough processing (108, 144, and 256). In order to determine the optimum values of independent parameters, the study was focused on defining of relevant qualitative indicators of the final product. By investigation of influence of the type of puff pastry margarine (ML1 and ML2) on the quality of puff pastry, it was determined that physico-chemical properties of margarine ML1 were not optimal for puff pastry production. Margarine ML1 had lower hardness by 50-60%, lower SFC by 20-35% and worse thermal characteristics compared to margarine ML2. Only by application of the maximum amount of margarine ML1 and 144 margarine layers a satisfactory quality of puff pastry was obtained: the lift of 2.89, hardness of 17.7 kgs, volume 83.6 cm3 and the total number of points of 14.8. Because of its better technological characteristics, margarine ML2 is favorable for making puff pastry. Significantly better physical properties and excellent pastry quality was obtained in samples with margarine ML2 in an amount of 50% of margarine and 256 layers: higher lift by 45%, volume by 25% and the total number of points by about 20% compared to sample ML1 with the best quality

Patients with Crohn's disease have longer post-operative in-hospital stay than patients with colon cancer but no difference in complications' rate

BACKGROUNDRight hemicolectomy or ileocecal resection are used to treat benign conditions like Crohn's disease (CD) and malignant ones like colon cancer (CC).AIMTo investigate differences in pre- and peri-operative factors and their impact on post-operative outcome in patients with CC and CD.METHODSThis is a sub-group analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology's prospective, multi-centre snapshot audit. Adult patients with CC and CD undergoing right hemicolectomy or ileocecal resection were included. Primary outcome measure was 30-d post-operative complications. Secondary outcome measures were post-operative length of stay (LOS) at and readmission.RESULTSThree hundred and seventy-five patients with CD and 2,515 patients with CC were included. Patients with CD were younger (median = 37 years for CD and 71 years for CC (P < 0.01), had lower American Society of Anesthesiology score (ASA) grade (P < 0.01) and less comorbidity (P < 0.01), but were more likely to be current smokers (P < 0.01). Patients with CD were more frequently operated on by colorectal surgeons (P < 0.01) and frequently underwent ileocecal resection (P < 0.01) with higher rate of de-functioning/primary stoma construction (P < 0.01). Thirty-day post-operative mortality occurred exclusively in the CC group (66/2515, 2.3%). In multivariate analyses, the risk of post-operative complications was similar in the two groups (OR 0.80, 95%CI: 0.54-1.17; P = 0.25). Patients with CD had a significantly longer LOS (Geometric mean 0.87, 95%CI: 0.79-0.95; P < 0.01). There was no difference in re-admission rates. The audit did not collect data on post-operative enhanced recovery protocols that are implemented in the different participating centers.CONCLUSIONPatients with CD were younger, with lower ASA grade, less comorbidity, operated on by experienced surgeons and underwent less radical resection but had a longer LOS than patients with CC although complication's rate was not different between the two groups

Tobramycin at subinhibitory concentration inhibits the RhlI/R quorum sensing system in a <it>Pseudomonas aeruginosa </it>environmental isolate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antibiotics are not only small molecules with therapeutic activity in killing or inhibiting microbial growth, but can also act as signaling molecules affecting gene expression in bacterial communities. A few studies have demonstrated the effect of tobramycin as a signal molecule on gene expression at the transcriptional level and its effect on bacterial physiology and virulence. These have shown that subinhibitory concentrations (SICs) of tobramycin induce biofilm formation and enhance the capabilities of <it>P. aeruginosa </it>to colonize specific environments.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Environmental <it>P. aeruginosa </it>strain PUPa3 was grown in the presence of different concentrations of tobramycin and it was determined at which highest concentration SIC, growth, total protein levels and translation efficiency were not affected. At SIC it was then established if phenotypes related to cell-cell signaling known as quorum sensing were altered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study it was determined whether tobramycin sensing/response at SICs was affecting the two independent AHL QS systems in an environmental <it>P. aeruginosa </it>strain. It is reasonable to assume that <it>P. aeruginosa </it>encounters tobramycin in nature since it is produced by niche mate <it>Streptomyces tenebrarius</it>. It was established that SICs of tobramycin inhibited the RhlI/R system by reducing levels of C4-HSL production. This effect was not due to a decrease of <it>rhlI </it>transcription and required tobramycin-ribosome interaction.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Tobramycin signaling in <it>P. aeruginosa </it>occurs and different strains can have a different response. Understanding the tobramycin response by an environmental <it>P. aeruginosa </it>will highlight possible inter-species signalling taking place in nature and can possible also have important implications in the mode of utilization for human use of this very important antibiotic.</p