Significant Appearance Changes Research Articles

SADGFeat: Learning local features with layer spatial attention and domain generalization

Local feature plays a pivotal role in various robotic tasks, including 3D reconstruction and visual localization. Although deep learning-based local features have proven superior to their traditional counterparts, they still face challenges in practical applications due to matching failures. These challenges primarily stem from inaccuracies in keypoint localization and the limited robustness of descriptors particularly with significant appearance changes. In this study, we introduce a novel method for local feature learning based on layer spatial attention and domain generalization. Firstly, a keypoint extraction strategy driven by layer spatial attention from high-level feature is proposed to enhance the accuracy of keypoint localization, progressing from coarse to fine granularity. Secondly, a new learning paradigm based on domain generalization is developed to extract local features with resilience against variations in illumination. To enrich the domain diversity within the training dataset, a real-time and lossless Fourier transform-based domain augmentation method is introduced. This method seamlessly integrates into the training process, enhancing the model's adaptability to varying domains. Additionally, explicit feature alignment-based representation learning is performed, further reinforcing the extraction of domain-invariant local features. Experimental results on public datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance across various downstream tasks reliant on local feature matching, such as image matching, 3D reconstruction, and long-term visual localization.

The Macroscopic Measurement Of The Liver And Kidney Of Male Mice (Rattus Norvegicus Berkenhout) Treated With Neptunia Plena Lour Leaf Extract

The Supan Supan Laki plant (N. plena Lour) has been used traditionally by a group of people in Pal Batu Village, Paminggir District, North Hulu Sungai Regency as a herbal medicine to increase male sexual activity. Based on previous research, this plant has been proven to have a positive effect in increasing fertility in test animals. However, until now, there is no certainty regarding the safety of using this plant. This study aims to examine the effects and safety of consuming Supan Supan Laki extract on the macroscopic appearance of the liver and kidneys in mice. This research was carried out, there were four treatment groups in this study, namely Na-CMC 0.5%; 87.5mg/KgBW; 175mg/KgBW; and 350mg/KgBW, given for 28 days using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) trial design. On the 29th day, surgery was performed to observe the liver and kidney macroscopically. Measurement of color, surface and relative organ weight parameters of the kidneys and liver of mice. The results of the study showed that administration of Supan Supan Laki leaf extract caused significant changes in the macroscopic appearance of the liver and kidney organs. In the research analysis using the One Way Anova test, the results of the test showed that the liver (p>0.05) did not have a significant level of variation, while the kidney (p<0.05) had a significant level of variation so that it could be concluded that the effect of N.plena Lour leaf extract have different effects on the relative weight of the heart and kidney organs.

Occlusion-aware visual object tracking based on multi-template updating Siamese network

Visual object tracking is a crucial area of computer vision research. It aims to accurately track objects in videos with challenges such as occlusion, deformation, and lighting variations. Existing algorithms face difficulties when objects leave the camera or reappear after being occluded, and they also struggle to track objects with significant appearance changes. To address these issues, this study proposed a novel tracking algorithm. It combines tracking and detection, enabling global searching when objects are occluded or disappear and redetecting them when they reappear. A multi-template updating mechanism was used to adapt to changes in appearance. The study proposed the OTB100-AB and UAV123-AB datasets to evaluate the tracker's ability to handle target disappearance, along with the TNR metric. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on these datasets, as were OTB50 and UAV20L, which outperformed state-of-the-art algorithms and significantly improved tracking performance.

Odour reduction of kraft lignin by wet oxidation

This study assesses wet oxidation of partially concentrated Kraft black liquor (40% dry matter) as a method for odour reduction of the lignin obtained from it by acid precipitation. To this end, and for the first time ever, the effects of wet oxidation temperature (120–150 ºC) and pressure (10–50 bar) on the odour profile of both the black liquor and the acid precipitated lignin were analysed. 2-methoxyphenol, dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl trisulphide were the main responsible compounds of the black liquor odour and, in the case of the precipitated lignin, aldehydes and organic acids also contributed. The most odourless lignin was the one precipitated from Kraft black liquor oxidised at the most severe conditions tested (150 °C and 50 bar for 2 h). However, these also caused a reduction in the lignin yield, as well as significant compositional and appearance changes, thus limiting its use in certain fields.

Formulation and evaluation of topical gels incorporated with solid dispersions of an antiinflammatory drug

Formulation and development of a most effective product from poorly soluble drugs is one of the most challenging tasks in pharmaceutical industries. Solid dispersion is an efficient solubility enhancement method to overcome the solubility problem. The aim of this study was to formulate topical gels incorporated with solid dispersion of Aceclofenac to enhance permeability through the skin. Aceclofenac solid dispersions were prepared using suitable hydrophilic carriers to increase its aqueous solubility. In this study, solid dispersions of Aceclofenac were prepared by solvent evaporation and co-grinding method with two different hydrophilic carriers such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVPk-30), and HPMC E15 LV. These were used in the ratio of (drug: carrier) 1: 1, 1:2 & 1:3 respectively. Evaluation parameters for formulation optimization were drug content, percentage practical yield, DSC, , in-vitro dissolution studies & FTIR. The optimized SD (F3) solid dispersion is incorporated in topical gels of different concentrations prepared by using two gelling agents such as Carbopol 934 and HPMC K100M. From the results of in-vitro dissolution studies it was found that formulation F3 containing PVP k30 (1 : 3 ratio of drug: PVP k30) shows a higher dissolution rate compared with other formulations and pure drug. Optimized solid dispersion was incorporated into topical gels prepared by using two gelling agents in different concentrations. From the stability data obtained, no significant changes in physical appearance, viscosity, pH, and drug contents were seen. The present research work could be concluded as a successful production of topical gels incorporated with Aceclofenac solid dispersion. Improvement in aqueous solubility and thereby greater skin permeation is expected

Study on development of aircraft design theory

Nowadays, the aircraft has become a very important part of human life. The invention of the aircraft is a shining point in human civilization. During the development of aircraft, there have been significant changes in aircrafts appearance, power systems, design theories, and applications. In order to provide a clearer understanding of the development process of aircraft and lay the groundwork for future development of the aircraft, this article reviews the three important stages in the development of aircraft and elaborates on the development of aircraft from the perspectives of structural changes, theoretical updates, and applications. While introducing the development process, this article emphasizes the difficulties at each stage and the measures to solve them. In a hundred years of development, human beings have evolved from relying solely on the experience and imitation of birds in the early stages to developing and applying aerodynamics and then combining theory and practice to design.

IVIVC assessment, pharmacokinetic evaluation, and X-ray radiography mapping of Novel Parteck® SRP 80 and hypromellose-loaded LTD4 receptor antagonist chronosystem

BackgroundThe current research aims to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters, mucoadhesive strength, and IVIVC correlation of the novel chronotherapeutic drug delivery system of montelukast sodium (MTS) loaded Parteck® SRP80 and hypromellose system. To accomplish this, an HPLC method was developed which is highly sensitive, precise, and rapid for quantifying pure MTS in rabbit plasma. Mucoadhesive strength and time-dependent mobility of developed formulation were established by ex-vivo study and X-ray radiography, respectively. Using a fraction of drug absorbed (FDA) and a fraction of drug released (FDR), Level-A in-vitro in-vivo correlation (IVIVC) was developed. According to ICH Q1A (R2) standards, stability experiments were conducted for 180 days.ResultMTS retention time came as 3.971 min with a mobile phase of methanol: acetonitrile: 0.2 mM sodium acetate buffer (5:90:5). In-vitro dissolution showed pulsatile release of the drug up to 24 h with two lag phases. The in-vivo study showed a Cmax of 490.16 ± 33.95 ng/ml, Tmax of 9 h, and MRT of 14.08 ± 1.21 h. The correlation coefficient of 0.9899 confirmed the level-A IVIVC. Uncoated matrix tablet of Parteck® SRP 80 displayed mucoadhesive strength 1.25-fold higher than hypromellose. Stability experiments found no significant changes in drug content, physical appearance, and cumulative percentage release with a similarity factor of 87–90.ConclusionA single oral dose in-vivo study proved the sustained release of the drug for 24 h with satisfactory mucoadhesive strength. Moreover, X-ray radiography has confirmed the time-dependent presence of formulation at the needed spot. This study fulfilled all the requirements for chronotherapy of asthma and can be scaled up in the future.Graphical abstract

Degradation of viscosity of vegetable oils employed for thermal energy storage due to oxidation in ambient temperature

There is growing interest in applying vegetable oils for the purpose of sensible thermal energy storage. The main advantages have been the availability and relatively lower cost compared to commercial thermal oils. However, during tests deterioration of the physical properties of vegetable oils has been observed. In order to study the viscosity of oils after long term exposure to air, samples of sunflower oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil and for a comparison Duratherm oil were kept for more than 12 months in a laboratory ambient room temperature. Physical appearance, color change and measurement of viscosity was carried out on the samples. It was observed that there was significant appearance and color change in all type of oils. The viscosity of Duratherm oil remained unchanged while significant increase in the viscosity was observed in all the vegetable oils. Specifically, sunflower oil was converted from liquid into near solid state with adhesive characteristics. The viscosity of rapeseed oil and olive oil increased by 100 and 10 folds, respectively, while both oils remained in liquid state. It is recommended that such deterioration of the viscosity of vegetable oils be considered when employing them for thermal energy storage.

Remote Sensing Neural Radiance Fields for Multi-View Satellite Photogrammetry

Neural radiance fields (NeRFs) combining machine learning with differentiable rendering have arisen as one of the most promising approaches for novel view synthesis and depth estimates. However, NeRFs only applies to close-range static imagery and it takes several hours to train the model. The satellites are hundreds of kilometers from the earth. Satellite multi-view images are usually captured over several years, and the scene of images is dynamic in the wild. Therefore, multi-view satellite photogrammetry is far beyond the capabilities of NeRFs. In this paper, we present a new method for multi-view satellite photogrammetry of Earth observation called remote sensing neural radiance fields (RS-NeRFs). It aims to generate novel view images and accurate elevation predictions quickly. For each scene, we train an RS-NeRF using high-resolution optical images without labels or geometric priors and apply image reconstruction losses for self-supervised learning. Multi-date images exhibit significant changes in appearance, mainly due to cars and varying shadows, which brings challenges to satellite photogrammetry. Robustness to these changes is achieved by the input of solar ray direction and the vehicle removal method. NeRFs make it intolerable by requiring a very long time to train an easy scene. In order to significantly reduce the training time of RS-NeRFs, we build a tiny network with HashEncoder and adopted a new sampling technique with our custom CUDA kernels. Compared with previous work, our method performs better on novel view synthesis and elevation estimates, taking several minutes.

Enhancing Oral Absorption of Orlistat through Gastroretentive Mucoadhesive Pellets: Formulation and Evaluation

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop gastroretentive mucoadhesive pellets of Orlistat to improve its oral bioavailability and enhance its absorption.
 Methods: Orlistat pellets were prepared using Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC) K100M, Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (NaCMC), Carbopol 934P, and Polyvinyl Pyrrollidone (PVP) K30 in varying ratios. Physical characteristics of the tablets were evaluated, and compatibility studies were performed between Orlistat and the excipients. Swelling index, mucoadhesion strength and drug release were measured for each formulation. Drug release kinetics and stability studies were carried out.
 Results: The combination of HPMC K100M, NaCMC, Carbopol 934P and PVP K30 provided balanced release and mucoadhesion with F13 showing sustained release up to 16 hours. The calibration curve demonstrated a good linear relationship between Orlistat concentration and absorbance over the range of 10 to 50 ?g/ml. Swelling index increased with time and polymer concentration and mucoadhesion strength increased with polymer viscosity and concentration. Drug release from formulations containing HPMC K100M, NaCMC and Carbopol 934P were 12-14 hours, 10-12 hours and 8-11 hours, respectively. Combination polymers in F10-F13 provided balanced release and mucoadhesion, with F13 showing sustained release up to 16 hours. The drug release followed zero order kinetics with non-Fickian diffusion. Stability studies on the optimized F13 formulation showed no significant changes in appearance, hardness, mucoadhesion or drug release over 3 months.
 Conclusion: The combination of HPMC K100M, NaCMC, Carbopol 934P and PVP K30 improved the oral bioavailability and absorption of Orlistat. The study demonstrated the importance of compatibility studies and the use of calibration curves for quantitative analysis. The findings provide valuable insights into the development of drug delivery systems for poorly bioavailable drugs.

Compatibility and aerosol characteristics of beclomethasone mixed with N-acetylcysteine

Mixing different kind inhalation medications for simultaneous inhalation is widely used in the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, and it can minimize the administration time and improve patient adherence. To our knowledge, it is unclear whether beclomethasone (BDP, Clenil®) can bemixed with acetylcysteine (NAC, Fluimucil®), because the in vitro physico-chemical compatibility and aerosol characteristics of the mixture are unknown. In this study, we investigated physical compatibility, including the appearance, pH, osmotic pressure and chemical stability, as well as aerosol characteristics, including particle size corresponding to 10%/50%/90% of the cumulative percentage of total particle volume (X10/X50/X90), volume median droplet diameter (VMD), mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), fine particle fraction (FPF), fine particle dose (FPD) and geometric standard deviation (GSD), delivery rate, and total delivery of the above solutions. After mixing, there were no significant changes in visual appearance, pH, osmolality and drug content of the mixtures at room temperature for 12 h. The FDP of BDP in the mixture decreased by 16.49%, whereas the NAC increased by 10.85%. The delivery rates of BDP and NAC in the mixture decreased by 66.05% and 45.54%, and total delivery increased by 13.20% and 25.29%, respectively. However, the MMAD, FPF, particle size and GSD of the mixture were almost unchanged. We demonstrated that these admixtures are physico-chemically compatible but that coadministration of beclomethasone with acetylcysteine can markedly affect output and aerosol characteristics.

A Thermostable Lipase Isolated from Brevibacillus thermoruber Strain 7 Degrades Ɛ-Polycaprolactone.

The tremendous problem with plastic waste accumulation has determined an interest in biodegradation by effective degraders and their enzymes, such as thermophilic enzymes, which are characterized by high catalytic rates, thermostability, and optimum temperatures close to the melting points of some plastics. In the present work, we report on the ability of a thermophilic lipase, by Brevibacillus thermoruber strain 7, to degrade Ɛ-polycaprolactone (PCL), as well as the enzyme purification, the characterization of its physicochemical properties, the product degradation, and its disruptive effect on the PCL surface. The pure enzyme showed the highest reported optimum temperature at 55 °C and a pH of 7.5, while its half-life at 60 °C was more than five hours. Its substrate specificity referred the enzyme to the subgroup of lipases in the esterase group. A strong inhibitory effect was observed by detergents, inhibitors, and Fe3+ while Ca2+ enhanced its activity. The monomer Ɛ-caprolactone was a main product of the enzyme degradation. Similar elution profiles of the products received after treatment with ultra-concentrate and pure enzyme were observed. The significant changes in PCL appearance comprising the formation of shallower or deeper in-folds were observed after a week of incubation. The valuable enzyme properties of the lipase from Brevibacillus thermoruber strain 7, which caused a comparatively quick degradation of PCL, suggests further possible exploration of the enzyme for effective and environment-friendly degradation of PCL wastes in the area of thermal basins, or in thermophilic remediation processes.

Filtering Bleb Characteristics in Combined Cataract Surgery with Ex-PRESS Implant vs. Non-Penetrating Deep Sclerectomy. A Prospective, Randomized, Multi-center Study

(1) Background: After filtering surgery, bleb morphology is an indicator of the factors that may determine the final intraocular pressure (IOP). The present study aimed to evaluate and compare filtering bleb characteristics after combined cataract and glaucoma surgery. (2) Methods: We conducted a prospective multi-center randomized trial. Eyes with glaucoma and cataract were randomly assigned to either phacoemulsification and filtration surgery with an EX-PRESS implant (Alcon) or non-penetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) with an ESNOPER implant (AJL). The bleb characteristics were assessed with the Moorfields bleb grading system at months 1 and 12 of follow-up, and the relationship with IOP was analyzed. (3) Results: There were significant changes in bleb appearance between the assessments at month 1 and month 12. The changes in bleb appearance were more evident in the EX-PRESS group. The central area in the EX-PRESS group decreased from 2.9 at month 1 to 2.4 at month 12 (p = 0.014). Bleb height in the EX-PRESS group decreased from 2.3 at month 1 to 1.8 at month 12 (p = 0.034). The vascularity of the central area in the NPDS group decreased from 1.8 at month 1 to 1.3 at month 12 (p = 0.02). The maximal bleb area was inversely related (r = −0.39; p = 0.03) to the IOP in the NPDS group at month 1. Vascularity in the central area was directly related (r = 0.39; p = 0.01) to a higher IOP in the EX-PRESS group at month 1. Vascularity in the central area (r = 0.56; p < 0.001) and maximal area (r = 0.37; p = 0.012) at month 1 was directly related to a higher IOP in the EX-PRESS group at month 12. (4) Conclusions: More intense vascularity at month 1 was related to a higher final IOP in the EX-PRESS group. Larger blebs were associated with a lower IOP in the NPDS group.

Feature Descriptor based on Differential Evolution for Visual Navigation in Dynamic Environments

This work proposes to use a teach-and-repeat method to navigate in an outdoor environment. Instead of using state-of-the-art feature point descriptors to match the current images to the database, we rely on the Generated Binary Robust Independent Elementary Features (GRIEF), a model robust to changes in illumination and weather. These descriptors are obtained via a training process employing evolutionary methods and binary comparison tests. The objective is to obtain visual feature descriptors designed for a given task. For the teach-and-repeat task, they are trained to optimize the estimate of the robot heading error with respect to a learned path. In this work, we propose to investigate how Differential Evolution (DE) can improve the performance of the GRIEF in terms of the convergence rate during the training phase and of fitness score. The new approach, named GRIEF-DE, is trained with the Michigan data set, made of pictures of an outdoor environment with significant changes in appearance caused by seasonal weather variations and illumination, and compared with the original GRIEF. The proposed model was applied to 4 different data sets and the experimental results suggest that the use of Differential Evolution improves the training performance as well as the estimation of the robot orientation with respect to the path of reference.

Detecting the Phase of Marine Boundary Layer Clouds: Some Implications for Cloud Albedo

AbstractThis study examines rare examples of marine boundary layer clouds that show a sharp transition from supercooled to glaciated phase without other significant changes in appearance. We used the Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization's (CALIOP) cloud phase detection algorithm and cloud top height to identify these cases. Measurements by CALIOP were co‐located with those by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to determine spectral changes in reflected and emitted radiation along the glaciated to supercooled transition path. In every case, the MODIS 8.5–11 µm brightness temperature difference abruptly changed from positive to negative, with a relatively constant cloud top temperature. No change was seen in visible reflectivity, and only weak changes were detected in shortwave infrared reflectivity. These glaciated‐to‐supercooled transitions were incorrectly classified with the MODIS cloud phase classification algorithm. We show that, for boundary layer clouds, it is possible to improve the (passive) remote sensing of the cloud phase using only a single spectral difference in brightness temperature. Using this approach, we closely match CALIOP's climatological distributions of the cloud phase. Our work also indicates that a sudden change in the boundary layer cloud thermodynamic phase from supercooled to glaciated is not accompanied by a shift in shortwave albedo.

Time-dependent in situ structural and cellular aberrations in rabbit cornea in vivo after mustard gas exposure

An array of corneal pathologies collectively called mustard gas keratopathy (MGK) resulting from ocular exposure to sulfur mustard (SM) gas are the most prevalent chemical warfare injury. MGK involves chronic ocular discomfort that results in vision impairment. The etiology of MGK remains unclear and poorly understood primarily due to a lack of scientific data regarding structural and cellular changes in different layers of the cornea altered by mustard vapor exposure in vivo. The goals of this study were to (a) characterize time-dependent changes in different layers of corneal epithelium, stroma, and endothelium in live animals in situ by employing state-of-the-art multimodal clinical ophthalmic imaging techniques and (b) determine if SM-induced acute changes in corneal cells could be rescued by a topical eye drop (TED) treatment using in an established rabbit in vivo model. Forty-five New Zealand White Rabbit eyes were divided into four groups (Naïve, TED, SM, and SM + TED). Only one eye was exposed to SM (200 mg-min/m3 for 8 min), and each group had three time points with six eyes each (Table-1). TED was topically applied twice a day for seven days. Clinical eye examinations and imaging were performed in live rabbits with stereo, Slit-lamp, HRT-RCM3, and Spectralis microscopy system. Fantes grading, fluorescein staining, Schirmer's tests, and applanation tonometry were conducted to measure corneal haze, ocular surface aberrations, tears, and intraocular pressure respectively. H&E and PSR staining were used for histopathological cellular changes in the cornea. In vivo confocal and OCT imaging revealed significant changes in structural and morphological appearance of corneal epithelium, stroma, and endothelium in vivo in SM-exposed rabbit corneas in a time-dependent manner compared to naïve cornea. Also, SM-exposed eyes showed loss of corneal transparency characterized by increased stromal thickness and light-scattering myofibroblasts or activated keratocytes, representing haze formation in the cornea. Neither naive nor TED-alone treated eyes showed any structural, cellular, and functional abnormalities. Topical TED treatment significantly reduced SM-induced abnormalities in primary corneal layers. We conclude that structural and cellular changes in primary corneal layers are early pathological events contributing to MGK in vivo, and efficient targeting of them with suitable agents has the potential to mitigate SM ocular injury.

An Enhanced Visual Object Tracking Approach based on Combined Features of Neural Networks, Wavelet Transforms, and Histogram of Oriented Gradients

In this paper, a new Visual Object Tracking (VOT) approach is proposed to overcome the main problem the existing approaches encounter, i.e. the significant appearance changes which are mainly caused by heavy occlusion and illumination variation. The proposed approach is based on a combination of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs), Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) features, and discrete wavelet packet transforms. The problem of illumination variation is solved by incorporating the coefficients of the image discrete wavelet packet transform instead of the image template to handle the case of images with high saturation in the input of the used CNN, whereas the inverse discrete wavelet packet transforms are used at the output for extracting the CNN features. By combining four learned correlation filters with the convolutional features, the target location is deduced using multichannel correlation maps at the CNN output. On the other side, the maximum value of the resulting maps from the correlation filters with convolutional features produced by the previously obtained HOG feature of the image template are calculated and are used as an updating parameter of the correlation filters extracted from CNN and from HOG. The major aim is to ensure long-term memory of the target appearance so that the target item may be recovered if tracking fails. In order to increase the performance of HOG, the coefficients of the discrete packet wavelet transform are employed instead of the image template. The obtained results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach.

Dynamic feature fusion with spatial-temporal context for robust object tracking

Feature fusion has been widely used for improving the tracking performance. However, how to effectively analyze the characteristics of different visual features to realize dynamical feature fusion is still a challenging task. In this paper, we propose a spatial-temporal context-based dynamic feature fusion method (STCDFF) with the correlation filters framework for object tracking. The proposed STCDFF method exploits spatial-temporal context to deeply analyze the characteristics of multiple visual features (e.g., HOG, Color-Names and CNN features) to perform feature fusion. On the one hand, spatial context is employed to evaluate the discriminative ability of different features to distinguish the target object from the background. On the other hand, temporal context is utilized to consider the representative ability of different features to capture significant appearance changes of the target object. The weight of a feature is decided by both its discriminative ability and representative ability. By exploring spatial-temporal context for feature fusion, the STCDFF method can fully utilize the strengths of different features to handle complex appearance changes and background clutters to achieve better performance. Extensive experiments on multiple object tracking datasets prove that our STCDFF method performs competitively against several popular tracking methods.

High-pressuretreatment of water-filled co-extruded polylactide films: Effect on microstructure, barrier, thermal, and rheological properties.

The impact of high-pressure treatments (450 and 600MPa) on the morphological, thermal, structural, and barrier properties of commercial coextruded polylactide (PLA) packaging films has been explored to evaluate their applicability in food processing. Pouches filled with water as a food simulant were subjected to high-pressure treatment for 15min at ambient temperature. Results indicated no significant changes in the visual appearance, color, integrity, or water barrier properties of the post-process pouches. However, high-pressure treatment affected mechanical property results. Thermal analysis of the film showed endothermic double melting peaks (165.12 and 170.55°C), which did not change with the pressurization; however, the exothermic crystallization peak (118.08°C) varied significantly. Both SEM and AFM micrographs demonstrated that the surface morphology and roughness parameters (arithmetic mean [Sa ] and root mean square height [Sq ]) of the films were significantly affected by the HP treatment, which is further complemented by the FTIR spectra and XRD diffractogram. Melt rheology (175-205°C) of the pressure-treated films showed a significant drop (20-30%) in mechanical rigidity (G') when compared to the untreated sample. Changes in the microstructure/crystallinity in the PLA films were indicated by van Gurp and Palmen plot. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results reported here can help to improve the design of the coextruded packaging materials so that it can be successfully implemented to high-pressure processing and high pressure-assisted thermal processing of food.

Nonsurgical rhinoplasty with hyaluronic acid to enhance precise areas of the nose and improve its overall shape and contour

Background: Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty (NSR) using soft-cohesive crosslinked hyaluronic acid (HA) was performed to reshape the nose appearance. Knowledge of the nasal anatomy mostly the blood supply, adequate placement of the HA, and potential complications became NSRHA safe and effective. Method: Twenty females underwent NSR to enhance their nose appearance. Injection points were distributed along the nose midline from columella to the bridge. HA was injected supraperichondrial and supraperiosteally on columella, into the interdomal fat pad on tip, and into the deep fatty layer on dorsum and bridge. Bolus injection was made in the tip and columella. A single row retrograde flow injection was made in the dorsum-bridge line. ROE questionnaire assessed quantitatively the patient's self-consciousness of the nose appearance and the scores correlated with the images of the nose before- and after-NSR. Results: NSR-HA was performed in a single session. Volume average per patient/treatment was 0.73 ml and per point/treatment was 0.17 ml. Comparing images of the nose before- and after-NSR showed a significant improvement of the nose appearance. Patient satisfaction was quantitatively demonstrated by the ROE questionnaire scores of 31.04% before-NSR against 73.33% and 70.00% at months one and twelve, respectively, after-NSR. The difference of 3.33%, greater at month one than month twelve, indicated no significant changes in the nose appearance for twelve months. Conclusions: Positive evaluation of NSR-HA was evidenced comparing the nose images before, and at months one and twelve after HA injection validated by the patient self-consciousness of the nose appearance measured by the ROE questionnaire.