Effects of Apple Vinegar Addition on Aerobic Deterioration of Fermented High Moisture Maize Using Infrared Thermography as an Indicator

This study was carried out to determine the effects of apple vinegar and sodium diacetate addition on the aerobic stability of fermented high moisture maize grain (HMM) silage after opening. In the study, the effect of three different levels (0%, 0.5% and 1%) of apple vinegar (AV) and sodium diacetate (SDA) supplementation to fermented HMM at two different storage conditions (27–29?C, 48% Humidity; 35–37?C, 26% Humidity) were investigated. The material of the study was fermented rolled maize grain with 62% moisture content stored for about 120 days. Silage samples were subjected to aerobic stability test with three replicates for each treatment group. Wendee and microbiological analyses were made at 0, 2, 4, 7, and 12 days. Meanwhile, samples were displayed in the T200 IR brand thermal camera. According to the thermogram results, 1% SDA addition positively affected HMM silages at the second and fourth days of aerobic stability at both storage conditions (p < 0.05). Aerobic stability and infrared thermography analysis indicated that 1% AV, 0.5%, and 1% SDA additions to HMM silages had promising effects. Due to our results, we concluded that thermal camera images might be used as an alternative quality indicator for silages in laboratory conditions. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The authors are grateful to the technical support of the Agricultural Faculty, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Turkey

Improved quantum efficiency in InGaN light emitting diodes with multi-double-heterostructure active regions

InGaN light emitting diodes(LEDs) with multiple thin double-heterostrucutre (DH) active regions separated by thin and low energy barriers were investigated to shed light on processes affecting the quantum efficiency and means to improve it. With increasing number of 3 nm-thick DH active layers up to four, the electroluminescence efficiency scaled nearly linearly with the active region thickness owing to reduced carrier overflow with increasing total thickness, showing almost no discernible efficiency degradation at high injection levels up to the measured current density of 500 A/cm2. Comparison of the resonant excitation dependent photoluminescence measurements at 10 K and room temperature also confirmed that further increasing the number of DH layers beyond six results in degradation of the material quality, and therefore, increasing nonradiative recombination. Using multiple DH active regions is shown to be a superior approach for quantum efficiency enhancement compared with simply increasing the single DH thickness or the number of quantum wells in LED structures due to better material quality and larger number of states available

Investigation of temporal bone asymmetry in cases with unilateral tinnitus: morphometric and multicentric clinical study

The aim of this multicentric study was to compare the anatomical structures of temporal bone in patients with unilateral tinnitus with their healthy ears. We also aimed at evaluating whether age and gender-related asymmetrical changes occur in temporal bones or not. Fifty two ears of 26 patients who had unilateral tinnitus were included into the retrospective study. The patients who had subjective nonpulsatile tinnitus and who previously had temporal computed tomography according to their file records were accepted to study. Temporal CT scans and audiometric results of patients were examined retrospectively. Middle ear volume, diameter of internal acoustic meats and diameter of jugular bulb were evaluated by both anatomist and radiologist, interobserverly. Internal acoustic meats and jugular bulb were found larger in the ears that had tinnitus than healthy ears; however, there was no statistically significance. The stereological morphometrical study of temporal bone asymmetry in humans correlate with sex is of importance for both otolarygologs and anatomists. These results will contribute to data on middle ear volume, internal acustic meats and jugular bulb sizes

First Experiences with Navigated Radio-Guided Surgery Using Freehand SPECT

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in melanoma using one-dimensional gamma probes is a standard of care worldwide. Reports on the performance are claimed by most groups to successfully detect the SLNs during the surgical procedure in almost 100% of the patients. In clinical practice, however, several issues remain which are usually not addressed: the difficulty of intraoperative detection of deeply located nodes, SLN detection in obese patients or in the groin and the impossibility to make a scan of the entire wound after SLN resection to avoid false negative testing for eventually remaining SLNs. Materials and Methods: The concept behind freehand SPECT is to combine a gamma probe as used for conventional radio-guided surgery with a tracking system as used in neurosurgical navigation. From this combination and a proper algorithm framework the 3D reconstruction of radioactivity distributions and displaying these intraoperatively is possible. Conclusion: In summary, the feasibility of freehand SPECT could be shown and provides an image-guided SLNB and a truly minimally invasive and optimized surgical procedure

Isolated recessive nail dysplasia caused by <i>FZD6 </i>mutations:report of three families and review of the literature

Congenital abnormalities of the nail are rare conditions that are most frequently associated with congenital ectodermal syndromes involving several of the epidermal appendages including the skin, teeth, hair and nails. Isolated recessive nail dysplasia (IRND) is much rarer but has recently been recognized as a condition resulting in 20‐nail dystrophy in the absence of other cutaneous or extracutaneous findings. A few case reports have identified mutations in the Frizzled 6 (FZD6) gene in families presenting with abnormal nails consistent with IRND. These reports have highlighted the role of Wnt–FZD signalling in the process of nail formation. We report three families presenting with features of IRND, in whom we identified mutations in FZD6, including one previously unreported mutation

Clinical and genetic characterization of individuals with predicted deleterious PHIP variants

Heterozygous deleterious variants in PHIP have been associated with behavioral problems, intellectual disability/developmental delay, obesity/overweight, and dysmorphic features (BIDOD syndrome). We report an additional 10 individuals with pleckstrin homology domain-interacting protein (PHIP)-predicted deleterious variants (four frameshift, three missense, two nonsense, and one splice site; six of which are confirmed de novo). The mutation spectrum is diverse, and there is no clustering of mutations across the protein. The clinical phenotype of these individuals is consistent with previous reports and includes behavioral problems, intellectual disability, developmental delay, hypotonia, and dysmorphic features. The additional individuals we report have a lower frequency of obesity than previous reports and a higher frequency of gastrointestinal problems, social deficits, and behavioral challenges. Characterizing additional individuals with diverse mutations longitudinally will provide better natural history data to assist with medical management and educational and behavioral support

Ethanol production from xylose by pichia stipitis NRRL Y-7124 in a stirred tank bioreactor

The ethanol production by Pichia stipitis was evaluated in a stirred tank bioreactor using semidefined medium containing xylose (90.0 g/l) as the main carbon source. Experimental assays were performed according to a 22 full factorial design to evaluate the influence of aeration (0.25 to 0.75 vvm) and agitation (150 to 250 rpm) conditions on ethanol production. In the studied range of values, the agitation increase and aeration decrease favored ethanol production, which was maximum (26.7 g/l) using 250 rpm and 0.25 vvm, conditions that gave a volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa value) of 4.9 h-1. Under these conditions, the ethanol yield factor, ethanol productivity, and the process efficiency were 0.32 g/g, 0.32 g/l.h, and 63%, respectively. These results are promising and contribute to the development of a suitable process for ethanol production from xylose by Pichia stipitis.The authors gratefully acknowledge Santander, Fapesp, Capes, and CNPq (Brazil)

An unusual location of retroperitoneal epidermoid cyst in a child: case report and a review of the literature

We report the case of a 4-year-old girl presenting with the retroperitoneal epidermoid cyst. The lesion presented as an intra-abdominal cyst on physical examination and was followed up with more specific investigations by ultrasound and computed tomographic scanning. The final diagnosis was obtained only after laparotomy where the cystic mass was completely excised and pathological examination was done. The patient is well at 3-year follow-up. epidermoid cyst of the reteroperitoneal space, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of incidentally discovered intra-abdominal cysts during investigation of irrelevant illnesses or during routine abdominal ultrasound scan

The influence of initial xylose concentration, agitation, and aeration on ethanol production by Pichia stipitis from rice straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate

Rice straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate was used as fermentation medium for ethanol production by Pichia stipitis NRRL Y-7124. Shaking bath experiments were initially performed aiming to establish the best initial xylose concentration to be used in this bioconversion process. In the sequence, assays were carried out under different agitation (100 to 200 rpm) and aeration (V flask/V medium ratio varying from 2.5 to 5.0) conditions, and the influence of these variables on the fermentative parameters values (ethanol yield factor, Y P/S; cell yield factor, Y X/S; and ethanol volumetric productivity, Q P) was investigated through a 22 full-factorial design. Initial xylose concentration of about 50 g/l was the most suitable for the development of this process, since the yeast was able to convert substrate in product with high efficiency. The factorial design assays showed a strong influence of both process variables in all the evaluated responses. The agitation and aeration increase caused a deviation in the yeast metabolism from ethanol to biomass production. The best results (Y P/S = 0.37 g/g and Q P = 0.39 g/l.h) were found when the lowest aeration (2.5 V flask/V medium ratio) and highest agitation (200 rpm) levels were employed. Under this condition, a process efficiency of 72.5% was achieved. These results demonstrated that the establishment of adequate conditions of aeration is of great relevance to improve the ethanol production from xylose by Pichia stipitis, using rice straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate as fermentation medium.The financial support from Fapesp (Brazil) is gratefully acknowledged