Effects of irradiation on the rate of water vapor transmission of food packaging materials

Food can be preserved by irradiation which is the exposure of food to ionising radiation, high energy electron from electron beams or X-rays or gamma rays from Cobalt-60 or Cesium-137 radioisotopes. Irradiation does not leave a residue in the food and it does not make it radioactive. The low level energy levels of Cobalt and Cesium isotopic gamma rays does not induce any radioactivity. Irradiation has the same preservative effect on food as heat treatment, but because irradiation does not appreciably raise the temperature of the food, it is known as \u27cold sterilization\u27. Irradiation can potentially be used to preserve fresh meat, poultry, sea food, vegetables, fruits, grain and other foods which harbor disease causing microorganisms and also extend shelf-life. Other potential advantages include replacement of chemical fumigation to control insect infestation of grains, cereals, flour, fruits and vegetables, and partial replacement of food additives such as nitrite in cured meat. One of the characteristic advantages of the irradiation process is that the product can be irradiated after it has been placed within its container, and sealed so that recontamination after processing is prevented. It is not possible for the product itself to become radioactive, and there are no residue of any kind left by the process. Once treated, foods are ready for use or consumption. Irradiation can cause changes in the physical properties of some packaging materials which alters the strength, color, sealability, or barrier properties of the materials hence this study was to confirm the effects of irradiation on the rate of water vapor transmission of the food packaging materials selected for the test

Domains relating to the everyday impact of hearing loss, as reported by patients or their communication partner(s): protocol for a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Hearing loss is a highly prevalent condition that affects around 1 in 6 people in the UK alone. This number is predicted to rise by the year 2031 to a staggering 14.5 million people due to the ageing population of the UK. Currently, the most common intervention for hearing loss is amplification with hearing aid(s) which serve to address the issue of audibility due to hearing loss, but cannot reverse its effects. The consequences of hearing loss are multifaceted, as it is a complex condition that can detrimentally affect various aspects of an individual's life, including communication and personal relationships. The scope of these reported issues is so broad that it calls on the need for patient-centred management plans that are tailored to each patient as well as appropriate measures to assess intervention benefit. It is unclear whether current outcome instruments adequately match what patients report as the most important problems for them. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The systematic review aims to capture existing knowledge about patients and their communication partner's perspective on the everyday impact of hearing loss. Methods are defined according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses for Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethical issues are foreseen. Findings will be reported in student's thesis as well as at national and international ENT/audiology conferences and in a peer-reviewed journal. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42015024914

Local multipunctual corticosteroid injections for medial tibial stress syndrome: a novel approach.

El síndrome de estrés medial de la tibia (SEMT) constituye una de las afecciones más comunes del miembro inferior. Los resultados obtenidos con terapias convencionales en esta patología son dispares. La infiltración local de corticoides ha mostrado producir efectos favorables en el tratamiento de diversos problemas musculoesqueléticos. Elefecto de la infiltración local multipuntual de un corticoide encombinación con un anestésico se estudió en 47 pacientes (29 hombres y 18 mujeres, con una edad media de 23.8) afectos de SEMT. La consulta directa y el examen físico se emplearon para valorar los resultados. Los pacientes fueron valorados una vez a la semana tras la primera aplicación durante las primeras cuatro semanas y 3 meses después del tratamiento. El nivel de actividad en ausencia de síntomas fue registrado en cada caso. Los resultados de la infiltración multipuntual se determinaron comparando los niveles de actividad en ausencia de síntomas preintervención y posintervención y la capacidad de los deportistas para volver a los niveles de actividad presintomáticos. Los resultados sugieren que este tratamiento reduce el tiempo de recuperación y mejora los resultados funcionales

Fast screening method for wine headspace compounds using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and capillary GC technique

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for determination of volatile wine components. This combination offers a simple, quick, and sensitive approach suitable for characterization of wine aroma compounds without a complicated sample preparation procedure. Wines are characterized by "aromagrams", a set of identified components with corresponding relative abundances. Reproducibility (RSD errors of relative peak abundances) due to the analytical procedure are ca. 4%; variations among different samples of the same type of wine from the same region are ca. 8%. SPME-GC(-MS) has been shown to yield far larger differences among different wine types (Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, and Tramini) and among the same type of wine produced in different regions, showing the utility of the technique in wine analysis

Investigation of fiber/matrix adhesion: test speed and specimen shape effects in the cylinder test

The cylinder test, developed from the microdroplet test, was adapted to assess the interfacial adhesion strength between fiber and matrix. The sensitivity of cylinder test to pull-out speed and specimen geometry was measured. It was established that the effect of test speed can be described as a superposition of two opposite, simultaneous effects which have been modeled mathematically by fitting two parameter Weibull curves on the measured datas. Effects of the cylinder size and its geometrical relation on the measured strength values have been analyzed by finite element method. It was concluded that the geometry has a direct influence on the stress formation. Based on the results achieved, recommendations were given on how to perform the novel single fiber cylinder test