Tensile properties of various cotton and Dyneema® blend yarns

376-380A series of ring- and rotor-spun yarns has been produced from the low-level blends of Dyneema®, a gel-spun ultra-high molecular weight, high-density polyethylene fiber (HDPE) of varied types, with selected white and naturally colored cottons and the tensile properties of blended yarns studied. The Dyneema® fiber is commonly referred to as high performance polyethylene (HPPE) due to its exceptionally high strength. The addition of small quantities of certain HPPE fibers substantially increases the yarn tenacity and breaking elongation of certain cotton blended yarns, particularly those made from naturally colored cottons. The resultant yarn tenacity appears to be influenced by the fineness of the constituent fibers and the level of yarn twist. The effect is more pronounced for the colored cottons than for the H PPE blends with white cotton. Whereas the yarn strength tends to increase for the pure brown and white cottons as the twist increases, it decreases in the green cotton yarns with the increase in twist within the range studied. However, the addition of small quantities of HPPE fiber results in substantial increase in tenacity for all at a constant level of twist. Finer HPPE fibers provide a greater improvement in yarn strength as compared to coarser HPPE fibers. The different frictional properties and geometries of the constituent cottons and synthetic fibers play a role in their blending and associated resultant yarn strength. The use of small quantities of l-denier HPPE fiber significantly increases the strength and elongation of cotton blended yarns, particularly those made from brown cotton, with the minimal change in observed color. Such cotton and Dyneema® blends may find application in special purpose denims, where pure cotton yarns (whether white or naturally colored) or the traditional cotton-rich blends with conventional synthetics may not meet the performance requirements for fabric strength

A generalized Weyl structure with arbitrary non-metricity

A Weyl structure is usually defined by an equivalence class of pairs (\mathbf{g}, {\varvec{\omega }}) related by Weyl transformations, which preserve the relation \nabla \mathbf{g}={\varvec{\omega }}\otimes \mathbf{g}, where $$\mathbf{g}$$ and {\varvec{\omega }} denote the metric tensor and a 1-form field. An equivalent way of defining such a structure is as an equivalence class of conformally related metrics with a unique affine connection \Gamma _{({\varvec{\omega }})}, which is invariant under Weyl transformations. In a standard Weyl structure, this unique connection is assumed to be torsion-free and have vectorial non-metricity. This second view allows us to present two different generalizations of standard Weyl structures. The first one relies on conformal symmetry while allowing for a general non-metricity tensor, and the other comes from extending the symmetry to arbitrary (disformal) transformations of the metric

Chitosan-coated alginate micro-particles delivery of active principles through conventional pelleted food - A study in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The search for alternatives to antibiotics in aquaculture has focused on the use of vaccines for immune-prophylaxis. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and characteristics of chitosan-alginate microparticles for the oral delivery of immune-prophylactics to finfish. The microparticles, which incorporate fluorescent-labelled lysozyme, were produced by spray-drying method; their structural properties and uptake from the gastrointestinal tract of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were assessed by microscopy. The main findings show that the microparticles are able to retain their content in an acidic environment and to release it later in slightly alkaline conditions such as those found in the intestines. Moreover, both the microencapsulation procedure and the biopolymers used have no deleterious impact on the lysozyme lytic activity, which is maintained after the protein has been released from the microparticles. Administered in vivo in Tilapia by medicated food, the microparticles transit unaffected through the stomach, and reach the anterior intestines, in particular the villum sectum and the basal lamina of epithelial cells, 2 and 4 h after feeding. Overall, the evidence obtained here supports the potential of these chitosan-alginate microparticles as agents for oral immune-prophylaxis in the management of fish diseases

Spontaneous Lorentz symmetry breaking and one-loop effective action in the metric-affine bumblebee gravity

The metric-affine bumblebee model in the presence of fermionic matter minimally coupled to the connection is studied. We show that the model admits an Einstein frame representation in which the matter sector is described by a non-minimal Dirac action without any analogy in the literature. Such non-minimal terms involve unconventional couplings between the bumblebee and the fermion field. We then rewrite the quadratic fermion action in the Einstein frame in the basis of 16 Dirac matrices in order to identify the coefficients for Lorentz/CPT violation in all orders of the non-minimal coupling $\xi$. The exact result for the fermionic determinant in the Einstein frame, including all orders in $\xi$, is also provided. We demonstrate that the axial contributions are at least of second order in the perturbative expansion of $\xi$. Furthermore, we compute the one-loop effective potential within the weak field approximation.Comment: 27 pages, 1 figure, version accepted for publication to JCA

The Antifungal Mechanism of Amphotericin B Elucidated in Ergosterol and Cholesterol-Containing Membranes Using Neutron Reflectometry

We have characterized and compared the structures of ergosterol- and cholesterol-containing 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) membranes before and after interaction with the amphiphilic antifungal drug amphotericin B (AmB) using neutron reflection. AmB inserts into both pure POPC and sterol-containing membranes in the lipid chain region and does not significantly perturb the structure of pure POPC membranes. By selective per-deuteration of the lipids/sterols, we show that AmB extracts ergosterol but not cholesterol from the bilayers and inserts to a much higher degree in the cholesterol-containing membranes. Ergosterol extraction by AmB is accompanied by membrane thinning. Our results provide new insights into the mechanism and antifungal effect of AmB in these simple models of fungal and mammalian membranes and help understand the molecular origin of its selectivity and toxic side effects

Simultaneous trans-hepatic portal and hepatic vein embolization before major hepatectomy: the liver venous deprivation technique.

To assess technical feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the liver venous deprivation (LVD) technique that combines both portal and hepatic vein embolization during the same procedure for liver preparation before major hepatectomy. Seven patients (mean age:63.6y[42-77y]) underwent trans-hepatic LVD for liver metastases (n = 2), hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 1), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 3) and Klatskin tumour (n = 1). Assessment of future remnant liver (FRL) volume, liver enzymes and histology was performed. Technical success was 100 %. No complication occurred before surgery. Resection was performed in 6/7 patients. CT-scan revealed hepatic congestion in the venous-deprived area (6/7 patients). A mean of 3 days (range: 1-8 days) after LVD, transaminases increased (AST: from 42 ± 24U/L to 103 ± 118U/L, ALT: from 45 ± 25U/L to 163 ± 205U/L). Twenty-three days (range: 13-30 days) after LVD, FRL increased from 28.2 % (range: 22.4-33.3 %) to 40.9 % (range: 33.6-59.3 %). During the first 7 days, venous-deprived liver volume increased (+13.4 %) probably reflecting vascular congestion, whereas it strongly decreased (-21.3 %) at 3-4 weeks. Histology (embolized lobe) revealed sinusoidal dilatation, hepatocyte necrosis and important atrophy in all patients. Trans-hepatic LVD technique is feasible, well tolerated and provides fast and important hypertrophy of the FRL. This new technique needs to be further evaluated and compared to portal vein embolization. • Twenty-three days after LVD, FRL increased from 28.2 % (range:22.4-33.3 %) to 40.9 % (range:33.6-59.3 %) • During the first 7 days, venous-deprived liver volume increased (+13.4 %) • Venous-deprived liver volume strongly decreased (mean atrophy:229 cc; -21.3 %) at 3-4 weeks • Histology of venous-deprived liver revealed sinusoidal dilatation, hepatocyte necrosis and important atrophy

Simultaneous trans-hepatic portal and hepatic vein embolization before major hepatectomy: the liver venous deprivation technique

To assess technical feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the liver venous deprivation (LVD) technique that combines both portal and hepatic vein embolization during the same procedure for liver preparation before major hepatectomy. Seven patients (mean age:63.6y[42-77y]) underwent trans-hepatic LVD for liver metastases (n = 2), hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 1), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 3) and Klatskin tumour (n = 1). Assessment of future remnant liver (FRL) volume, liver enzymes and histology was performed. Technical success was 100 %. No complication occurred before surgery. Resection was performed in 6/7 patients. CT-scan revealed hepatic congestion in the venous-deprived area (6/7 patients). A mean of 3 days (range: 1-8 days) after LVD, transaminases increased (AST: from 42 +/- 24U/L to 103 +/- 118U/L, ALT: from 45 +/- 25U/L to 163 +/- 205U/L). Twenty-three days (range: 13-30 days) after LVD, FRL increased from 28.2 % (range: 22.4-33.3 %) to 40.9 % (range: 33.6-59.3 %). During the first 7 days, venous-deprived liver volume increased (+13.4 %) probably reflecting vascular congestion, whereas it strongly decreased (-21.3 %) at 3-4 weeks. Histology (embolized lobe) revealed sinusoidal dilatation, hepatocyte necrosis and important atrophy in all patients. Trans-hepatic LVD technique is feasible, well tolerated and provides fast and important hypertrophy of the FRL. This new technique needs to be further evaluated and compared to portal vein embolization. aEuro cent Twenty-three days after LVD, FRL increased from 28.2 % (range:22.4-33.3 %) to 40.9 % (range:33.6-59.3 %) aEuro cent During the first 7 days, venous-deprived liver volume increased (+13.4 %) aEuro cent Venous-deprived liver volume strongly decreased (mean atrophy:229 cc; -21.3 %) at 3-4 weeks aEuro cent Histology of venous-deprived liver revealed sinusoidal dilatation, hepatocyte necrosis and important atrophy