The physicochemical, mechanical, and antifungal properties of sodium alginate film containing Japanese rice vinegar and peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil as bio-composite packaging.

Sodium Alginate has a high demand and is favored for food packaging; however, this film typically exhibits poor antimicrobial activity. In this study, sodium alginate film containing peppermint essential oil, Japanese rice vinegar, or a combination of both, is used to analyze antimicrobial, mechanical, structural, and optical properties. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique is utilized to observe the film's surface and cross-section homogeneity.

The incorporation of chitosan nanoparticles enhances the barrier properties and antifungal activity of chitosan-based nanocomposite coating films.

The potential alternative of exploring the development of nanocomposites through a single-molecule approach, such as combining chitosan nanoparticles (ChiNP) with chitosan (Chi), remains to be investigated. To maintain the insolubility of the ChiNP filler in the system, the protonation of weakly basic amino groups necessitates the pH of the coating solution above the pKa (6-6.5).

Effect of coatings containing 1-methylcyclopropane or mandarin peel extract on the freshness and metabolic profiles of cold stored strawberry.

The application of coatings is a strategy for maintaining the freshness of highly perishable fruits. This research aimed to evaluate the quality indices of strawberries (Amaou) coated with new coatings based on the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and cellulose nanofibres (CNF) with incorporated mandarin peel extract (ME) or 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) during storage at 20days at 5 °C and 85% relative humidity (RH). Dissolving the coating solution containing ME in 1-MCP maintained its colour for up to 50 days.

Improvement of cross-linked films based on chitosan/diepoxy-poly (ethylene glycol) incorporating trans-cinnamaldehyde essential oil: Preparation, properties, and application in banana storage.

In this study, development of bioactive coatings containing 1 % (w/v) chitosan (CS), 0.6 % (w/v) diepoxy-polyethylene glycol (PEG), and trans-cinnamaldehyde (CIN) was achieved. The physicochemical and biological properties of the coatings were investigated.

Persimmon preservation using edible coating of chitosan enriched with ginger oil and visualization of internal structure changes using X-ray computed tomography.

The incorporation of ginger oil (GO) influenced the physical, optical, and structural properties of the chitosan (CH) film including the decreases of moisture content (60.15 %), water solubility (35.37 %) and water vapor permeability (WVP) (32.

UV-Crosslinked Poly(-isopropylacrylamide) Interpenetrated into Chitosan Structure with Enhancement of Mechanical Properties Implemented as Anti-Fouling Materials.

High-performance properties of interpenetration polymer network (IPN) hydrogels, based on physically crosslinked chitosan (CS) and chemically crosslinked poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAM), were successfully developed. The IPN of CS/PNiPAM is proposed to overcome the limited mechanical properties of the single CS network. In this study, the viscoelastic behaviors of prepared materials in both solution and gel states were extensively examined, considering the UV exposure time and crosslinker concentration as key factors.

Thermoreversible Gelation with Supramolecularly Polymerized Cross-Link Junctions.

Structure and reversibility of cross-link junctions play pivotal roles in determining the nature of thermoreversible gelation and dynamic mechanical properties of the produced polymer networks. We attempt to theoretically explore new types of sol-gel transitions with mechanical sharpness by allowing cross-links to grow without upper bound. We consider thermoreversible gelation of the primary molecules R{Af} carrying the number of low molecular weight functional groups (gelators) A.

Characterization and bio-functional performance of chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol)/trans-cinnamaldehyde ternary biopolymeric films.

Bioactive films of chitosan (CS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/trans-cinnamaldehyde (CIN) were prepared by co-blending, and the impact of varying concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 1.

Wavy Graphene-Like Network Forming during Pyrolysis of Polyacrylonitrile into Carbon Fiber.

Carbon fiber (CF) obtained by pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN-CF) surpasses metals in properties suitable for diverse applications such as aircraft manufacture and power turbine blades. PAN-CF obtained by pyrolysis at 1200-1400 °C shows a remarkably high tensile strength of 7 GPa, much higher than pitch-based CF (pb-CF) consisting of piles of pure graphene networks. However, little information has been available on the atomistic structure of PAN-CF and on how it forms during pyrolysis.

Gelation Time of Network-Forming Polymer Solutions with Reversible Cross-Link Junctions of Variable Multiplicity.

The gelation time tg necessary for a solution of functional (associating) molecules to reach its gel point after a temperature jump, or a sudden concentration change, is theoretically calculated on the basis of the kinetic equation for the stepwise cross-linking reaction as a function of the concentration, temperature, functionality of the molecules, and multiplicity of the cross-link junctions. It is shown that quite generally tg can be decomposed into the product of the relaxation time tR and a thermodynamic factor . They are functions of a single scaled concentration x≡λ(T)ϕ, where λ(T) is the association constant and ϕ is the concentration.

Comparative Study on the Models of Thermoreversible Gelation.

A critical survey on the various theoretical models of thermoreversible gelation, such as the droplet model of condensation, associated-particle model, site-bond percolation model, and adhesive hard sphere model, is presented, with a focus on the nature of the phase transition predicted by them. On the basis of the classical tree statistics of gelation, combined with a thermodynamic theory of associating polymer solutions, it is shown that, within the mean-field description, the thermoreversible gelation of polyfunctional molecules is a third-order phase transition analogous to the Bose-Einstein condensation of an ideal Bose gas. It is condensation without surface tension.

Edible film of native jicama starch, agarwood Aetoxylon Bouya essential oil and calcium propionate: Processing, mechanical, thermal properties and structure.

The objective of this study was to determine the properties of natural jicama starch and edible film made from the starch. The film was prepared by adding agarwood aetoxylon bouya essential oil and calcium propionate to investigate its properties as an edible coating for fruit or vegetables. The microstructure of the edible film was observed using scanning electron microscopy.

Examination of the body composition of patients with Werner syndrome using bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Aim: This study performed anthropometric measurements for Werner syndrome (WS) using bioelectrical impedance analysis and compared them with the Japanese reference data.

Methods: The analytical sample included nine participants with WS (four men, five women, 49.6 ± 9.

Thermoreversible Gelation of Associating Polymers in Hydrogen-Bonding Mixed Solvents.

The thermoreversible gelation of associating polymers in hydogen-bonding mixed solvents is studied theoretically on the basis of the model ternary solution in which polymers carrying functional group A are dissolved in a primary solvent SB (mainly water) and cosolvent SC. Functional group A forms intermolecular cross-links (A-A) leading to gelation. It can also form hydrogen bonds with either solvent molecule SB or SC (A-SB, A-SC).

Antifungal features and properties of chitosan/sandalwood oil Pickering emulsion coating stabilized by appropriate cellulose nanofiber dosage for fresh fruit application.

A novel composite edible coating film was developed from 0.8% chitosan (CS) and 0.5% sandalwood oil (SEO).

Thermoreversible Gelation with Two-Component Mixed Cross-Link Junctions of Variable Multiplicity in Ternary Polymer Solutions.

Theoretical scheme is developed to study thermoreversible gelation interfering with liquid-liquid phase separation in mixtures of reactive -functional molecules R{Af} and -functional ones R{Bg} dissolved in a common solvent. Formed polymer networks are assumed to include multiple cross-link junctions containing arbitrary numbers k1 and k2 of functional groups A and B of each species. Sol-gel transition lines and spinodal lines are drawn on the ternary phase plane for some important models of multiple cross-link junctions with specified microscopic structure.

Thermoreversible gelation with ion-binding cross-links of variable multiplicity.

Thermoreversible gelation and liquid-liquid phase separation are theoretically studied for the gels of polyfunctional molecules (polymers) whose network junctions are formed by complexation of functional groups on the polymer chains with added metal ions. Phase diagrams on the polymer/ion/solvent concentration plane, including both sol-gel transition lines and liquid-liquid phase separation lines (spinodals), are derived as functions of the polymer functionality, molecular weight, maximum coordination number of ions, and temperature. Binding isotherms of ions are also calculated as functions of the ion concentration.

Phase Behavior of Co-Nonsolvent Systems: Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) in Mixed Solvents of Water and Methanol.

Cloud points of poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous mixed solvents, with methanol as the cosolvent, are experimentally measured for polymer concentrations varied up to as high as the weight fraction 0.25. They are shown to form closed loops on the ternary phase plane in the temperature region between 5 and 30 °C, and hence co-nonsolvency is complete.

Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome accompanied by pulmonary arteriovenous malformation.

A 25-year-old male with Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome who developed hemothorax caused by ruptured of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation was reported. The patient was admitted to the hospital due to chest pain. A chest X-ray showed pleural fluid in his left lung, and a chest CT showed the presence of a tumor with enhanced contrast in the lower left lobe of approximately 5 cm in a diameter.

Rate effect in the fracture of rubbers and chemically cross-linked gels.

Stationary crack propagation in rubbers and chemically cross-linked gels is studied by a new molecular theory of fracture in polymer networks. The fracture energy G (energy required to create a unit free surface by fracture) as a function of the crack velocity V is shown to obey, when measured in the unit of νlkBT, a master curve as a function of the dimensionless velocity 2tan θV/lβ0(T), where ν is the number density of the network chains, T is absolute temperature, θ is the angle of the crack tip, l is the mean distance between the adjacent cross-links, and β0(T) is the scission rate of the chains. The slope of the master curve in logarithmic scale depends on the nature of chain rupture; it takes a small value 0.

Noninvasive assessment of insulin resistance in the liver using the fasting (13)C-glucose breath test.

Evaluating hepatic insulin resistance (IR) is the key to making a sensitive an accurate diagnosis of glucose intolerance. However, there is currently no suitable method to perform this procedure. This study was conducted to investigate whether the fasting (13)C-glucose breath test (FGBT) is useful as a convenient and highly sensitive clinical test for evaluating hepatic IR.

Topological classification of Brownian orbits.

This paper presents the exact formula for the bivariate probability distribution function of a Brownian particle as a function of its position and velocity, whose orbit makes a specified number of turns around an infinite straight line. In the limit of large friction constant, the solution reduces to the well-known results for random Wiener paths. Topological entanglements of stiff polymers are discussed on the basis of this solution.

Hydration, phase separation and nonlinear rheology of temperature-sensitive water-soluble polymers.

The collapse of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chain upon heating and the phase diagrams of aqueous PNIPAM solutions with a very flat lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase separation line are theoretically studied on the basis of cooperative dehydration (simultaneous dissociation of bound water molecules in a group of correlated sequence), and compared with the experimental observation of temperature-induced coil-globule transition by light scattering methods. The transition becomes sharper with the cooperativity parameter σ of hydration. The reentrant coil-globule-coil transition and cononsolvency in a mixed solvent of water and methanol are also studied from the viewpoint of competitive hydrogen bonds between polymer-water and polymer-methanol.

18F-FDG-PET/CT findings in primary pulmonary mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma.

A 55-year-old female had an abnormal shadow on chest radiograph. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a 26-mm tumor mass in the left upper lobe. No malignant findings were obtained by bronchoscopic cytology or histopathological diagnostics, but on positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) examination the maximum SUV was 9.

Transient network theory of wormlike micelles: topological force accelerates relaxation.

A new transient network theory is developed to study the rheological properties of entangled wormlike micelles. The dynamic mechanical moduli are calculated on the basis of the model network in which local structure of the wormlike micelles is represented by the entangled loops. These loops interact with each other by statistical force due to the topological constraints.