Uniform Approximation by Rational Functions Which All Satisfy the Same Algebraic Differential Equation

AbstractWe prove that given two disjoint compact setsK1andK2in the complex plane, without any holes in them, there exists a sequencepn(z) of rational functions, all of them satisfying one and the same algebraic differential equation, such thatpn(z) converges uniformly to 1 onK1and uniformly to 0 onK2

Impact of Chlorella vulgaris on the rheology of wheat flour dough and bread texture

Modern foods lead to healthier, cheaper and more convenient products to increasingly demanding consumers. Microalgae are an enormous biological resource, representing one of the most promising sources for new products and applications and can be used to enhance the nutritional and technological value of food products. The enrichment of bread with microalgae biomass is a great challenge resulting from its impact on the development of the gluten structure. The addition of Chlorella vulgaris in a wheat flour dough was studied, to evaluate its influence on the dough rheology and bread texture. Microalgae contents from 1.0 to 5.0 g per 100 g of wheat flour were tested and it was observed that up to 3.0 g of microalgae biomass addition, a positive impact on dough rheology and viscoelastic characteristics, with strengthening of the gluten network, was observed. For higher microalgae content, a negative effect on dough rheology, bread texture and flavor was noticed and an acceleration on bread aging was relevant. No impact on the kinetics of yeast fermentation, neither on the time required for fermentation, was induced by the biomass additioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aerosol and droplet generation from mandible and midface fixation: Surgical risk in the pandemic era

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns over transmission risk from healthcare procedures, especially when operating in the head and neck such as during surgical repair of facial fractures. This study aims to quantify aerosol and droplet generation from mandibular and midface open fixation and measure mitigation of airborne particles by a smoke evacuating electrocautery hand piece. Materials and methods The soft tissue of the bilateral mandible and midface of two fresh frozen cadaveric specimens was infiltrated using a 0.1% fluorescein solution. Surgical fixation via oral vestibular approach was performed on each of these sites. Droplet splatter on the surgeon's chest, facemask, and up to 198.12 cm (6.5 ft) away from each surgical site was measured against a blue background under ultraviolet-A (UV-A) light. Aerosol generation was measured using an optical particle sizer. Results No visible droplet contamination was observed for any trials of mandible or midface fixation. Total aerosolized particle counts from 0.300–10.000 μm were increased compared to baseline following each use of standard electrocautery (n = 4, p < 0.001) but not with use of a suction evacuating electrocautery hand piece (n = 4, p = 0.103). Total particle counts were also increased during use of the powered drill (n = 8, p < 0.001). Conclusions Risk from visible droplets during mandible and midface fixation is low. However, significant increases in aerosolized particles were measured after electrocautery use and during powered drilling. Aerosol dispersion is significantly decreased with the use of a smoke evacuating electrocautery hand piece

Neurod1 Suppresses Hair Cell Differentiation in Ear Ganglia and Regulates Hair Cell Subtype Development in the Cochlea

Background: At least five bHLH genes regulate cell fate determination and differentiation of sensory neurons, hair cells and supporting cells in the mammalian inner ear. Cross-regulation of Atoh1 and Neurog1 results in hair cell changes in Neurog1 null mice although the nature and mechanism of the cross-regulation has not yet been determined. Neurod1, regulated by both Neurog1 and Atoh1, could be the mediator of this cross-regulation. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used Tg(Pax2-Cre) to conditionally delete Neurod1 in the inner ear. Our data demonstrate for the first time that the absence of Neurod1 results in formation of hair cells within the inner ear sensory ganglia. Three cell types, neural crest derived Schwann cells and mesenchyme derived fibroblasts (neither expresses Neurod1) and inner ear derived neurons (which express Neurod1) constitute inner ear ganglia. The most parsimonious explanation is that Neurod1 suppresses the alternative fate of sensory neurons to develop as hair cells. In the absence of Neurod1, Atoh1 is expressed and differentiates cells within the ganglion into hair cells. We followed up on this effect in ganglia by demonstrating that Neurod1 also regulates differentiation of subtypes of hair cells in the organ of Corti. We show that in Neurod1 conditional null mice there is a premature expression of several genes in the apex of the developing cochlea and outer hair cells are transformed into inner hair cells. Conclusions/Significance: Our data suggest that the long noted cross-regulation of Atoh1 expression by Neurog1 migh

Amorphous and Polycrystalline Photoconductors for Direct Conversion Flat Panel X-Ray Image Sensors

In the last ten to fifteen years there has been much research in using amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors as x-ray photoconductors in various x-ray image sensor applications, most notably in flat panel x-ray imagers (FPXIs). We first outline the essential requirements for an ideal large area photoconductor for use in a FPXI, and discuss how some of the current amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors fulfill these requirements. At present, only stabilized amorphous selenium (doped and alloyed a-Se) has been commercialized, and FPXIs based on a-Se are particularly suitable for mammography, operating at the ideal limit of high detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Further, these FPXIs can also be used in real-time, and have already been used in such applications as tomosynthesis. We discuss some of the important attributes of amorphous and polycrystalline x-ray photoconductors such as their large area deposition ability, charge collection efficiency, x-ray sensitivity, DQE, modulation transfer function (MTF) and the importance of the dark current. We show the importance of charge trapping in limiting not only the sensitivity but also the resolution of these detectors. Limitations on the maximum acceptable dark current and the corresponding charge collection efficiency jointly impose a practical constraint that many photoconductors fail to satisfy. We discuss the case of a-Se in which the dark current was brought down by three orders of magnitude by the use of special blocking layers to satisfy the dark current constraint. There are also a number of polycrystalline photoconductors, HgI2 and PbO being good examples, that show potential for commercialization in the same way that multilayer stabilized a-Se x-ray photoconductors were developed for commercial applications. We highlight the unique nature of avalanche multiplication in a-Se and how it has led to the development of the commercial HARP video-tube. An all solid state version of the HARP has been recently demonstrated with excellent avalanche gains; the latter is expected to lead to a number of novel imaging device applications that would be quantum noise limited. While passive pixel sensors use one TFT (thin film transistor) as a switch at the pixel, active pixel sensors (APSs) have two or more transistors and provide gain at the pixel level. The advantages of APS based x-ray imagers are also discussed with examples