1,024 research outputs found
Use of sweeteners in osmotic pretreatment before freeze-drying of pear and pineapple
The aim of the study was to analyse the influence of the type of osmotic substance (sucrose, glucose, xylitol, trehalose, and sorbitol) on the physicochemical properties of freeze-dried fruit (pear and pineapple). Controlling the functional properties of freeze-dried fruit after osmotic dehydration with aqueous solutions at water activity of a w=0.90 is presented. Decrease in the water adsorption index (WAI) was recorded for all dehydrated samples. The largest decrease (for pears and pineapples by 25 and 65%, respectively) was observed in osmoactive solutions containing trehalose. Considerable increase in the FAI was recorded in samples of dehydrated pineapple. In osmoactive trehalose solutions that increase hardly reached 46%, whereas in sorbitol and xylitol its value elevated to 39% and 13%, respectively. Regardless of the osmoactive sweetener applied prior to freeze-drying, an increase in specific surface area (SBET) of dried materials was observed. For dehydrated pears, SBET ranged from 96 to 697 m2 gâ1, and for pineapple, from 115 to 938 m2 gâ1. Osmotic dehydration before lyophilisation of fruit samples weakened rehydration relative to the control. The dehydration carried out with osmoactive sweeteners, that is, sorbitol, xylitol, and trehalose, allows obtaining a product with good functional properties that can be successfully used for supplementation of dietary products, in particular for diabetics
Sensitivity and specificity of faecal tumour M2 pyruvate kinase for detection of colorectal adenomas in a large screening study
The measurement of faecal tumour M2 pyruvate kinase (tumour M2 PK) has been proposed as a novel approach for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, as regards the potential of the test to detect precursors to CRC, an issue that is highly relevant to estimate its use in reducing CRC incidence and mortality, the available evidence is scant and controversial. The aim of our study was to determine the performance characteristics of the tumour M2 PK test with respect to colorectal adenomas in the target population of screening. Among 1082 participants of screening colonoscopy in Germany, of whom 30% had any adenoma and 10% had an advanced adenoma, the median (interquartile range) tumour M2 PK level in the whole study population was 1.3âUâmlâ1 (0.3â3.3). At a cutoff value of 4âUâmlâ1, sensitivity was 22 and 23% for detection of advanced and other adenomas, respectively, whereas specificity was 82%. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (95% confidence interval) was 0.54 (0.51â0.58) and 0.56 (0.52â0.59) for advanced and other adenomas, respectively. In conclusion, the tumour M2 PK test has only very limited potential to distinguish between people bearing precursors to CRC and people with no finding at colonoscopy
Extraction of thermal and electromagnetic properties in 45Ti
The level density and gamma-ray strength function of 45Ti have been
determined by use of the Oslo method. The particle-gamma coincidences from the
46Ti(p,d gamma)45Ti pick-up reaction with 32 MeV protons are utilized to obtain
gamma-ray spectra as function of excitation energy. The extracted level density
and strength function are compared with models, which are found to describe
these quantities satisfactorily. The data do not reveal any single-particle
energy gaps of the underlying doubly magic 40Ca core, probably due to the
strong quadruple deformation
Tumour M2-PK as a stool marker for colorectal cancer: comparative analysis in a large sample of unselected older adults vs colorectal cancer patients
Stool testing based on tumour-derived markers might offer a promising approach for non-invasive colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The aim of this study was to estimate the potential of a new test for faecal tumour M2-PK to discriminate patients with CRC from a large sample of unselected older adults. Faecal tumour M2-PK concentrations were determined in 65 CRC patients and in a population-based sample of 917 older adults (median age: 65 and 62 years, respectively). Sensitivity and specificity of the test were calculated at different cutoff values, and receiver-operating characteristic curves (ROC) were constructed to visualise the discriminatory power of the test. The median (interquartile range) faecal tumour M2-PK concentration was 8.6âUâmlâ1 (2.8â18.0) among CRC patients and <2âUâmlâ1 (<2â3.2; P<0.0001) in the population sample. At a cutoff value of 4âUâmlâ1, sensitivity (95% confidence interval) was 85% (65â96%) for colon cancer and 56% (41â74%) for rectum cancer. Specificity (95% confidence interval) was estimated to be 79% (76â81%). Given the comparatively high sensitivity of the tumour M2-PK stool test (especially for colon cancer) and its simple analysis, the potential use of the test for early detection of CRC merits further investigation. Possibilities to enhance specificity of the test should be explored
Search for Fingerprints of Tetrahedral Symmetry in
Theoretical predictions suggest the presence of tetrahedral symmetry as an
explanation for the vanishing intra-band E2-transitions at the bottom of the
odd-spin negative parity band in . The present study reports on
experiment performed to address this phenomenon. It allowed to determine the
intra-band E2 transitions and branching ratios B(E2)/B(E1) of two of the
negative-parity bands in .Comment: presented by Q.T. Doan at XLII Zakopane School of Physics: Breaking
Frontiers: Submicron Structures in Physics and Biology, May 2008. 5 pages,
minor corrections. To be published in the proceeding
Evidence for a Novel Reaction Mechanism of a Prompt Shock-Induced Fission Following the Fusion of 78Kr and 40Ca Nuclei at E/A =10 MeV
An analysis of experimental data from the inverse-kinematics ISODEC
experiment on 78Kr+40Ca reaction at a bombarding energy of 10 AMeV has revealed
signatures of a hitherto unknown reaction mechanism, intermediate between the
classical damped binary collisions and fusion-fission, but also substantially
different from what is being termed in the literature as fast fission or quasi
fission. These signatures point to a scenario where the system fuses
transiently while virtually equilibrating mass asymmetry and energy and, yet,
keeping part of the energy stored in a collective shock-imparted and, possibly,
angular momentum bearing form of excitation. Subsequently the system fissions
dynamically along the collision or shock axis with the emerging fragments
featuring a broad mass spectrum centered around symmetric fission, relative
velocities somewhat higher along the fission axis than in transverse direction,
and virtually no intrinsic spin. The class of massasymmetric fission events
shows a distinct preference for the more massive fragments to proceed along the
beam direction, a characteristic reminiscent of that reported earlier for
dynamic fragmentation of projectile-like fragments alone and pointing to the
memory of the initial mass and velocity distribution.Comment: 5 PAGES, 6 FIGURE
The sudden change phenomenon of quantum discord
Even if the parameters determining a system's state are varied smoothly, the
behavior of quantum correlations alike to quantum discord, and of its classical
counterparts, can be very peculiar, with the appearance of non-analyticities in
its rate of change. Here we review this sudden change phenomenon (SCP)
discussing some important points related to it: Its uncovering,
interpretations, and experimental verifications, its use in the context of the
emergence of the pointer basis in a quantum measurement process, its appearance
and universality under Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics, its theoretical
and experimental investigation in some other physical scenarios, and the
related phenomenon of double sudden change of trace distance discord. Several
open questions are identified, and we envisage that in answering them we will
gain significant further insight about the relation between the SCP and the
symmetry-geometric aspects of the quantum state space.Comment: Lectures on General Quantum Correlations and their Applications, F.
F. Fanchini, D. O. Soares Pinto, and G. Adesso (Eds.), Springer (2017), pp
309-33
ZawartoĆÄ metalicznych i niemetalicznych pierwiastkĂłw w homogenatach prĂłbek tkankowych pobranych z amputowanych na poziomie uda z powodu miaĆŒdĆŒycy koĆczyn dolnych. Doniesienie wstÄpne
Background: Metallic and non-metallic elements have influence on the development the changes within
structure and function of arteries in different regions of vascular tree. The content of elements into
arterial walls varies according to geographical origin of people.
Material and methods: Tissue specimens were taken from the six lower limbs amputated on the level of
thigh due to atherosclerosis. The mean age was 69 (57 to 84). Tissue specimens were collected from the
limbs from the level of amputation, the popliteal fossa and the dorsal artery of foot. After chemical processing
of the tissues homogenates determination of the content of elements using atomic emission spectrometry
method with inductively coupled plasma (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy)
was performed. The content of Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, S, Sr and Zn was determined.
Results: As a point of reference mean absolute value occurred from six specimens on the level of thigh
was assumed as 100%. Content of non-metallic elements such as Ca, P and S rise towards to periphery
of amputated limb reaching few times higher values on the level of dorsal artery of foot. Content of some
metallic elements such as: Fe, Zn, K and Sr also rise towards to periphery of extremity. The Cu accumulation
was the highest on the level of popliteal fossa, while Mn, Al and Mg concentration was the lowest
on this same level and the highest in dorsal artery of foot.
Conclusions: The influence of individual elements on development the atherosclerosis especially on
necrotic changes requires further investigations.
Described problem pose a preliminary report only in order to indicate the issue and to check the method
of analysis
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