Increase In Mean Diameter Research Articles

Structural and morphological characterization of ternary nanocrystalline Cu-In-S thin films prepared by laser ablation

Thin nanocrystalline Cu-In-S films are prepared by pulsed laser ablation in vacuum with Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm on Si (100) substrates. As a target, a CuInS2 quantum dots powder, synthesized by sonochemical template-free colloidal approach and pressed to form a pellet is used. The structure and morphology of the deposited films were studied employing X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy techniques. The analysis of the deposited thin films revealed predominant cubic Cu1.7In0.05S phase. It has been found that deposited films were nanocrystalline. The effect of laser pulse energy and deposition time on the structure and morphology of as-prepared films is studied. Slight mean diameter increase from 8 nm to 13 nm with deposition time and applied power was observed, as the time dependence is more pronounced. On the contrary, six fold increase from 7.4 to 44.3 nm of the surface root mean square roughness was estimated with augmentation of the applied laser pulse energy.

A shell-crosslinked polymeric micelle system for pH/redox dual stimuli-triggered DOX on-demand release and enhanced antitumor activity

Based on targeted amphiphilic block copolymer N-acetyl glucosamine-poly (styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)58-b-polystyrene130 (NAG-P(St-alt-MA)58-b-PSt130), a pH/redox dual-triggered shell-crosslinked polymeric micelle system was constructed. The shell-crosslinked micelles (CLM) were prepared by post-crosslinking method to regulate drug release kinetics using cystamine as linkers between carboxy groups of the shell. Compared with non-crosslinked micelles (NCLM), CLM showed spherical shapes with little increased mean diameter of 102.40±0.54nm, low polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.19±0.36, enlarged zeta potential value from −41.46±0.99 to −9.31±0.50mV, indicating the successful modification of disulfide bonds in shell. In vitro drug release study clearly exhibited a pH and redox dual-sensitive drug release profile with significantly accelerated drug release under pH 5.0 and 10mM GSH conditions (46.84% in 96h) without burst release. Both CLM and NCLM showed quite different release profiles between physiological (pH 7.4) and tumoral microenvironment (pH 5.0), effectively avoiding the premature drug leakage and realizing on-demand drug release. The MTT assay implied that CLM presented a time- and concentration-dependent manner to inhibit proliferation of A549 and MCF-7 cells and much lower IC50 values in comparison with that of NCLM after 72h incubation. Both FCM and CLSM results showed that CLM displayed much higher cellular uptake efficiency and anti-tumor activities than NCLM and free DOX. CLM and NCLM could be internalized by energy-dependent endocytosis mechanism due to similar surface properties. Overall, this dual-stimuli triggered micelle system provided a promising tumor-responsive platform for cancer therapy.

Supplement of cilostamide in growth medium improves oocyte maturation and developmental competence of embryos derived from small antral follicles in pigs

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of cyclic AMP (cAMP) modulator cilostamide (CIL) and forskolin (FSK) treatment during in vitro growth (IVG) on growth, maturation, and embryonic development of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) derived from small antral follicles < 3 mm in diameter (SAFCOCs). SAFCOCs were untreated (control) or treated with 20 μM CIL and/or 50 μM FSK for 2 days for IVG. Next, IVG oocytes were cultured for maturation and then induced for parthenogenesis (PA) or used as recipient ooplasts for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Nuclear maturation of oocytes was significantly lower in the control (49.6 ± 9.3%) group than in other groups (67.2 ± 5.0–79.8 ± 7.9%). The cumulus expansion score after IVG-IVM was significantly higher in the control and CIL group than in the FSK and CIL + FSK groups. CIL significantly increased mean diameter SAF-derived oocytes (120.0 ± 0.5 μm) compared to the control, FSK, and CIL + FSK (114.8 ± 0.5–116.7 ± 0.6 μm) and showed a comparable level of intracellular glutathione (GSH) contents (0.84 ± 0.07 pixels/oocyte) to medium antral follicle (MAF)-derived oocytes (1.00 ± 0.08 pixels/oocyte), but was higher than those of oocytes treated with FSK and CIL + FSK (0.29 ± 0.05 and 0.37 ± 0.05 pixels/oocyte, respectively). CIL treatment significantly increased blastocyst formation (55.1 ± 4.7%) after PA relative to the control (29.4 ± 6.4%), FSK (34.8 ± 7.1%), and CIL + FSK (41.1 ± 5.2%). A higher proportion of oocytes treated with CIL, FSK, and CIL + FSK (73.3 ± 1.7–82.8 ± 9.1%) remained at the germinal vesicle stage after IVG culture than control oocytes (40.0 ± 5.0%). Following SCNT, blastocyst formation of SAFCOCs treated with CIL (22.4 ± 6.3%) was higher than that of oocytes (0–10.4 ± 5.3%) in control, FSK, and CIL + FSK, but similar to that (25.3 ± 3.5%) of MAF-derived COCs not cultured for IVG. The cAMP level of SAFCOCs before IVG was 0.1 ± 0.03 fmol/oocyte. After 2 days of IVG culture, cAMP level was increased significantly by treatment with FSK and CIL + FSK (3.0 ± 0.57 and 12.1 ± 0.62 fmol/oocyte, respectively) relative to the control and CIL treatment (0.1 ± 0.03 and 0.3 ± 0.04 fmol/oocyte, respectively). Our results demonstrate that CIL treatment during IVG improves the low developmental competence of SAFCOCs to levels comparable to MAFCOCs by allowing oocyte growth while inhibiting premature meiotic maturation, probably via maintenance of cAMP concentrations at appropriate levels.

Aerosol indirect effect from turbulence-induced broadening of cloud-droplet size distributions

The influence of aerosol concentration on the cloud-droplet size distribution is investigated in a laboratory chamber that enables turbulent cloud formation through moist convection. The experiments allow steady-state microphysics to be achieved, with aerosol input balanced by cloud-droplet growth and fallout. As aerosol concentration is increased, the cloud-droplet mean diameter decreases, as expected, but the width of the size distribution also decreases sharply. The aerosol input allows for cloud generation in the limiting regimes of fast microphysics ([Formula: see text]) for high aerosol concentration, and slow microphysics ([Formula: see text]) for low aerosol concentration; here, [Formula: see text] is the phase-relaxation time and [Formula: see text] is the turbulence-correlation time. The increase in the width of the droplet size distribution for the low aerosol limit is consistent with larger variability of supersaturation due to the slow microphysical response. A stochastic differential equation for supersaturation predicts that the standard deviation of the squared droplet radius should increase linearly with a system time scale defined as [Formula: see text], and the measurements are in excellent agreement with this finding. The result underscores the importance of droplet size dispersion for aerosol indirect effects: increasing aerosol concentration changes the albedo and suppresses precipitation formation not only through reduction of the mean droplet diameter but also by narrowing of the droplet size distribution due to reduced supersaturation fluctuations. Supersaturation fluctuations in the low aerosol/slow microphysics limit are likely of leading importance for precipitation formation.

Monitoring of Ovarian Follicular Development and Ovulation with Transvaginal Sonography (TVS) in Infertile Women in Eastern Region of Nepal

Background Ultrasonography is the first line imaging modality for evaluation of ovaries, monitoring ovarian follicular development and detecting ovulation in infertile women; thus plays a significant role in infertility management. This study was undertaken to evaluate the pattern of ovarian follicular growth and to predict and detect ovulation in infertile women by transvaginal sonography in eastern region of Nepal.Material and Methods Hospital based prospective cross-sectional study on 100 infertile patients referred for ultrasonographic monitoring of ovarian follicle was conducted over duration of 26 months. Serial transvaginal sonography of the patients was performed using standard procedure daily from day 10 of menstrual cycle till detection of ovulation. Identification of ovarian dominant follicle, monitoring of dominant follicle development and detection of ovulation was assessed in relation to the day of menstrual cycle.Results Increase in mean diameter of the dominant follicle was seen in serial ultrasound scan till ovulation, which occurred in all cases by day 16 of menstrual cycle. The average daily follicular growth rate ± SD from day 10 of menstrual cycle till detection of ovulation was 2.2 ± 0.2 mm per day and the mean diameter ± SD of dominant follicle on the day prior to ovulation was 21.4 ± 2.8 mm (range: 17.2 – 26.3 mm).Conclusion Transvaginal sonography is an excellent method for monitoring of ovarian follicular development and shows a linear increase in mean diameter of dominant follicle from day 10 of menstrual cycle till detection of ovulation.Journal of Nobel Medical CollegeVolume 5, Number 1, Issue 8, January-July 2016, 43-48

Growth and physiological responses to intensity and timing of thinning in short rotation tropical Acacia hybrid plantations in South Vietnam

Acacia hybrid plantations are widely planted for pulpwood in Vietnam, but have the potential to be managed for high value saw-logs. This study examined the growth and physiological responses to thinning as a management option to increase the sawlog yield and value. Treatments were: unthinned (planting density 1111treesha−1), thinned to 833 or 600treesha−1 in a single thinning at either age 2 (early) or 3 (late)years, and progressively thinned from 1111 to 833treesha−1 at age 2years, and then to 600treesha−1 at age 3years. Three years after early thinning to 600stemsha−1, mean stem diameter was increased by 16.7% and the stand volume was reduced by 15.8%; thinning to 833stemsha−1 resulted in no significant loss in stand volume and increased mean diameter by 7.5%. The leaf area index, LAI of stands thinned to 600stemsha−1 recovered rapidly and there was no significant difference between unthinned and thinned treatments 1year after thinning; this recovery was also associated with a reduction in litterfall. Thinning to 600stemsha−1 increased A1500 of the lower crown by 23.5 and 17.4% at age 2 and 3yr, respectively; and this was associated with increased foliar phosphorus concentration. Thinning reduced leaf water stress during the dry season; leaf water potential and tree growth were significantly influenced by season. It was concluded that thinning to 600treesha−1 at age 2years or to 833treesha−1 at age 3years will produce wood with the highest diameter.

Quality and quantitative assessment of the impact of magnetic field and ultra sound on water with different concentration of deuterium

The paper gives results of experimental research of changes of the dimensional spectrum of gigantic heterophase clusters of water with various content of deuterium under the effect of magnetic field. It is found that th magnetic field effect (0.6 T) results in an increase of arithmetic mean diameter of clusters for light, deionized and heavy water respectively by 21, 15 and 10%. One may observe the relationship between the content of clusters and the value and time of action of the magnetic field. Ultra sound effect (44 kHz), on the contrary is conducive to a decrease of the arithmetic mean diameter of clusters of specified waters respectively by 16; 11 and 8%.

A Supercritical Fluid-Based Process for the Production of Fluorescein-Loaded Liposomes

Fluorescein is a synthetic dye used as a marker to monitor the absorption of liposomes into tissues, but its efficient entrapment is still challenging. In this work, we apply a supercritical fluid process that allows the production of liposomes with a high drug encapsulation efficiency. The effects of operating parameters such as the diameter of the injector, the concentration of phospholipids, and the concentration of fluorescein were studied. Liposomes with mean diameters down to ∼300 nm were obtained with fluorescein encapsulation efficiencies of ≤96%. In detail, the increase in the concentration of phospholipids produced a relative increase in liposome mean diameter and particle size distribution width. With an increase in fluorescein theoretical loading, instead, a reduction in liposome mean diameters and standard deviation was obtained. Smaller liposomes were produced using smaller injector diameters; however, the reduction of the injector diameter from 80 to 40 μm caused a reduction in the fluoresc...

Fabrication and in vitro characterization of electrospun poly (γ-glutamic acid)-silica hybrid scaffolds for bone regeneration

To mimic the structure and composition of the natural bone extracellular matrix (ECM), fibrous hybrid scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning a sol–gel derived mixture of poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) and hydrolyzed tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The introduction of NaHCO3 caused the formation of the sodium salt form of γ-PGA, making the polymer soluble in aqueous-based solution. To improve the stability of electrospun γ-PGA-silica hybrid scaffolds under physiological environment, 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) was employed as a coupling agent to link γ-PGA and silanols of the hydrolyzed TEOS. The effect of the TEOS content on the physicochemical properties of the electrospun hybrid scaffolds, such as morphology, microstructure, mechanical behavior, degradation, as well as in vitro biocompatibility were investigated. The resultant fibers revealed a uniform morphology with the increased mean diameter as the content of TEOS increased. The results of FTIR and 29Si MAS-NMR indicated that γ-PGA and silica networks were successfully covalent-linked in the presence of GPTMS. All of these electrospun hybrid scaffolds showed stable soluble silica release without any initial burst release in Tris–HCl buffer solution and the content of released silicon can also be adjusted by the TEOS content. In addition, the tensile mechanical performances, thermal stability, and in vitro proliferation and ALP activity of fibrous scaffolds were effectively improved by the increasing TEOS content. The results suggest that the γ-PGA-silica hybrid scaffolds with tailorable physiochemical properties can provide an excellent ECM for bone tissue regeneration.

Inhalable polymer-glycerosomes as safe and effective carriers for rifampicin delivery to the lungs

Rifampicin loaded glycerosomes, vesicles composed of phospholipids, glycerol and water, were combined with trimethyl chitosan chloride (TMC) to prepare TMC-glycerosomes or, alternatively, with sodium hyaluronate (HY) to obtain HY-glycerosomes. These new hybrid nanovesicles were tested as carriers for pulmonary delivery of rifampicin. Glycerosomes without polymers were also prepared and characterized. All vesicles were similar: they were spherical, multilamellar and able to incorporate good amount of rifampicin (EE%∼55%). The addition of the polymers to the formulations allowed an increase of mean diameter. All the glycerosomes, in particular HY-glycerosomes, were able to deliver the drug to the furthest stages of the Next Generation Impactor and the aptitude of the vesicles to be nebulized was always higher than that of drug dispersion. Rifampicin nanoincorporation in vesicles reduced the in vitro drug toxicity on A549 cells, as well as increased its efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus. Finally, the in vivo biodistribution and accumulation, evaluated after intra-tracheal administration to rats, confirmed the improvement of rifampicin accumulation in lungs.

Droplet synthesis of silver nanoparticles by a microfluidic device

Silver nanoparticles are synthesized by the reduction of metal salt solutions from sodium borohydride in a microfluidic chip. The influence of different operating conditions on silver particle diameter, morphology, size distribution, and elemental compositions has been investigated. The results demonstrated that ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) serving as a complexant significantly affected the particle size of synthesized silver nanoparticles. An increase in the silver nanoparticle mean diameter was observed with decreasing NaBH4/AgNO3 molar concentration ratios, and increasing fluid flow rates.

Magnetic interactions and hysteresis loops study of Co/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles

Co/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles with the mean size of 8.8, 10.8 and 16.9nm were prepared by thermal decomposition of metal salts in the presence of citric acid. The X-ray diffraction patterns and Rietveld refinements confirmed coexistence of Co-ferrite and metallic cobalt phases in the nano-powders. Scanning electron microscope images showed an increase in particles aggregates mean diameter with increasing the annealing temperature. Magnetic hysteresis loops showed a demagnetization jump at low fields, which was attributed to different reversal fields of ferrite and the cobalt phases. Field-dependent behavior of maximum magnetization (Mmax), remanence (Mr), squareness (S) and coercivity (Hc) were studied through minor loops measurements. The calculated S value of the loops showed a maximum, between anisotropy and coercive fields. A sharp increase in Hc of larger particles was observed with increasing the applied field when compared to smaller particles. Henkel plots showed that the samples are interacting. Negative deviation of Henkel plots from linear behavior and negative δm plots revealed the dominant role of dipole–dipole interactions in the nano-aggregates.

Study of atherosclerotic risk markers in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is described as hepatic component of metabolic syndrome as close association exists between the two. It has gained lots of importance in midst of rising epidemic of obesity worldwide in recent times as one of the predisposing risk factors of cardiovascular events. Study Design: The study design was a cross-sectional hospital-based study. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients diagnosed to have NAFLD were assessed for insulin resistance (IR) and noninvasive markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and compared with age, gender, and body mass index-matched controls. Results: The patients with NAFLD had significantly higher waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment-IR, and significantly lower levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. They also had significantly higher carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) than controls. Mean CIMT was 0.76 ± 0.12 mm in patients with NAFLD and 0.54 ± 0.18 mm in controls. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The mean increase in brachial artery diameter was 0.26 ± 0.13 mm in patients and 0.48 ± 0.09 mm in controls. Conclusion: Patients with NAFLD have greater propensity to develop cardiovascular disease in view of the presence of subclinical atherosclerotic markers compared to controls.

The Effect of a Sputtered Al-Doped ZnO Seed Layer on the Morphological, Structural and Optical Properties of Electrochemically Grown ZnO Nanorod Arrays

The effect of both a RF sputtered Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin film seed layer onto a FTO/glass substrate and its growth time onto the morphological, structural and optical properties of the resulting electrochemically grown ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) have been studied. ZnO NRs grown onto the different AZO seed layers exhibit smaller mean diameter and length than those grown onto a bare FTO/glass substrate, but ZnO NR density presents an opposite behavior, by using an AZO seed layer ZnO nanorod density can be increased by a factor of six. ZnO nanorods are highly crystalline with a wurtzite hexagonal structure and with a preferential growth perpendicular to the substrate. The c-axis of most of the ZnO NRs grown onto an AZO seed layer is aligned within ±6° from the substrate surface normal. Both NRAs mean length and density increases light scattering, without greatly affecting the spectra shape. The diffuse reflectance intensity is more sensitive to NR density variations than to length or diameter variations. NR diameter affects directly the shape of these diffuse reflectance spectra: they red-shifts and broadens when NR mean diameter increases. A small influence in the UV edge due to size quantization may be also present.

Identification of the fragmentation of brittle particles during compaction process by the acoustic emission technique

Some nuclear fuels are currently manufactured by a powder metallurgy process that consists of three main steps, namely preparation of the powders, powder compaction, and sintering of the compact. An optimum between size, shape and cohesion of the particles of the nuclear fuels must be sought in order to obtain a compact with a sufficient mechanical strength, and to facilitate the release of helium and fission gases during irradiation through pores connected to the outside of the pellet after sintering. Being simple to adapt to nuclear-oriented purposes, the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique is used to control the microstructure of the compact by monitoring the compaction of brittle Uranium Dioxide (UO2) particles of a few hundred micrometers. The objective is to identify in situ the mechanisms that occur during the UO2 compaction, and more specifically the particle fragmentation that is linked to the open porosity of the nuclear matter. Three zones of acoustic activity, strongly related to the applied stress, can be clearly defined from analysis of the continuous signals recorded during the compaction process. They correspond to particle rearrangement and/or fragmentation. The end of the noteworthy fragmentation process is clearly defined as the end of the significant process that increases the compactness of the material. Despite the fact that the wave propagation strongly evolves during the compaction process, the acoustic signature of the fragmentation of a single UO2 particle and a bed of UO2 particles under compaction is well identified. The waveform, with a short rise time and an exponential-like decay of the signal envelope, is the most reliable descriptor. The impact of the particle size and cohesion on the AE activity, and then on the fragmentation domain, is analyzed through the discrete AE signals. The maximum amplitude of the burst signals, as well as the mean stress corresponding to the end of the recorded AE, increase with increasing mean diameter of the particles. Moreover, the maximum burst amplitude increases with increasing particle cohesion.

Characterization of mechanical properties of hybrid contrast agents by combining atomic force microscopy with acoustic/optic assessments

Multi-parameter fitting algorithms, which are currently used for the characterization of coated-bubbles, inevitably introduce uncertainty into the results. Therefore, a better technique that can accurately determine the microbubbles׳ mechanical properties is urgently needed. A comprehensive technology combining atomic force microscopy, optical, and acoustic measurements with simulations of coated-bubble dynamics was developed. Using this technique, the mechanical parameters (size distribution, shell thickness, elasticity, and viscosity) of hybrid (ultrasound/magnetic-resonance-imaging) contrast microbubbles and their structure–property relationship were determined. The measurements indicate that when more superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are embedded in the microbubbles׳ shells, their mean diameter and effective viscosity increase, and their elastic modulus decreases. This reduces the microbubbles׳ resonance frequency and thus enhances acoustic scattering and attenuation effects.

A deterministic approach for predicting the transformation of starch suspensions in tubular heat exchangers

Numerical modeling of fluid flow, heat transfer and transformation is conducted for an aqueous suspension of starch granules running throughout a four-heating-section tubular exchanger. The numerical model considers the transformation kinetics and the rheological behavior of the starch suspension as determined from laboratory work; further, the model includes the geometrical characteristics of the heat exchanger, as well as the operating conditions which were considered in running it. Model predictions are compared with results from experimental work, after sampling the starch suspension under thermal processing and later characterizing it using laboratory techniques. The numerical model predicts the bulk swelling state of the starch suspension at a level of agreement (−41% in volume mean diameter increase) which is better than the one reached after assuming plug-flow and radially-independent temperature (−66%). The inclusion of two-way coupling between the relevant phenomena constitutes therefore a positive improvement.

Effect of leptin on in vitro development of ovine preantral ovarian follicles

The influence of human or ovine leptin on in vitro culture of preantral follicles (PFs) isolated from sheep ovaries was investigated. Among the 12 different concentrations (0–1000 ng/mL) of human leptin tested, proportion of PFs exhibiting growth, mean increase in diameter, antrum formation, and maturation of the oocytes to MII stage were the best in 10 ng/mL. Culture of sheep ovarian PFs in TCM 199 supplemented with 10 ng/mL of human or ovine leptin FSH (2.5 μg/mL), thyroxine (1 μg/mL), insulinlike growth factor I (10 ng/mL), and GH (1 mIU/mL) resulted in significantly (P ≤ 0.05) greater average increase in diameter (11 and 9 vs. 6 μm), better proportions of PFs exhibiting growth (66% and 58% vs. 48%), antrum formation (51% and 51% vs. 34%), and maturation of oocytes to MII stage (24% and 22% vs. 7%) than the control medium. It is concluded that (1) the optimum dose of leptin for the growth of sheep PFs in vitro was 10 ng/mL, (2) human or ovine leptin supported similar development in vitro of PFs in sheep, (3) inclusion of leptin along with FSH, thyroxine, insulinlike growth factor I, and GH resulted in only a marginal further improvements in in vitro development of sheep PFs'.

Nutlin-3 loaded nanocarriers: Preparation, characterization and in vitro antineoplastic effect against primary effusion lymphoma

In this investigation, Nutlin-3 (Nut3), a novel antitumor drug with low water solubility (<0.1mg/L at 25°C), was loaded into liposomes (Lipo-Nut3), polymeric nanoparticles (NPs-Nut3) and nanoparticles engineered with an antibody direct against Syndecan-1/CD 138 (Syn-NPs-Nut3) to obtain carriers targeted to PEL (primary effusion lymphoma). The physicochemical properties of these carriers were determined. Atomic force microscopy showed that all the particles were well formed and spherical in shape. The presence of the antibody on surface led to a significant increase of mean diameter (280±63nm), PDI (0.3) and the shift of zeta potential towards neutrality (−1mV). The entrapment efficiency of Lipo-Nut3, NPs-Nut3 and Syn-NPs-Nut3 was 30, 52 and 29%, and drug loading was 1.4, 4.5 and 2.6%, respectively. By performing cytofluorimetric analyses and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assay, the efficacy of nanocarriers to deliver the antineoplastic drug into a PEL cell line namely BCBL-1 (immortalized body cavity B-cell lymphoma) was investigated. Two days after the treatment with 20μM of Syn-NPs-Nut3, the cell density decreased at about 60% while the cell viability decreased at 56% only 5 days after transfection, when compared with untreated cells. A cell cycle arrest was observed with a significant decrease of cells in S-phase and increasing of apoptotic cell, if compared with untreated control. These results confirms the potential of nanocarriers approaches to deliver antitumor drug with unfavorable chemico-physical properties. Moreover, this study strongly suggests that Syn-NPs-Nut3 can be a valuable drug carrier system for the treatment of PEL lymphoma.

Effect of high speed jet on the physical properties of tapioca starch

Tapioca starch-water suspension was subjected to high speed jet (HSJ) treatment and the physical properties were investigated by Particle size analysis, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). Particle size analysis revealed a significant increase in volume mean diameter from 17.00 to 40.35 μm. SEM studies showed that treated tapioca starch (TS) was prone to aggregate with each other and markedly damaged at starch granule surface which eventually disintegrated into gel-like structures at high pressure level. XRD patterns showed that all samples exhibited A-type and there was an evident loss of crystallinity after treated over 160 MPa. The TS showed similarity on FTIR spectral pattern but had different intensity in some peaks at increasing pressure. DSC analysis confirmed that TS was partly gelatinized after HSJ treatment, and the degree of gelatinization increased to 34.34 ± 1.0% when the pressure was 240 MPa. These results provided the basic information on the physical properties of TS treated at different pressures and indicated the potential possibility of HSJ for starch modification.