The use of confocal Raman microscopy and microfluidic channels to monitor the location and mobility of ß-carotene incorporated in droplet-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions.

This study sought to explore the combined use of confocal Raman microscopy and microfluidic channels to probe the location and mobility of hydrophobic antioxidant (ß-carotene) incorporated at the interface of food-grade droplet-stabilized emulsions (DSEs). Microfluidic channels were used to isolate emulsion droplets for efficient investigation of antioxidant mobility. This approach proved more conclusive than fixing the sample in agarose, because a single layer of droplets could be obtained. Results also indicated that the migration of ß-carotene incorporated in shell droplets of olive oil and trimyristin DSEs to core droplets was minimal and beta-carotene remained mostly localised at the interface even after 3 days of production. This work demonstrates that microfluidic isolation of emulsion droplets combined with confocal Raman microscopy can give new insights into the spatial variation of chemical composition within emulsions. This study revealed that the migration of ß-carotene between shell and core was minimal and hence it may be possible to concurrently deliver two incompatible compounds by spatially segregating them between shell and core compartments of DSEs.

Where rivers jump course.

Rivers can abruptly shift pathways in rare events called avulsions, which cause devastating floods. The controls on avulsion locations are poorly understood as a result of sparse data on such features. We analyzed nearly 50 years of satellite imagery and documented 113 avulsions across the globe that indicate three distinct controls on avulsion location. Avulsions on fans coincide with valley-confinement change, whereas avulsions on deltas are primarily clustered within the backwater zone, indicating a control by spatial flow deceleration or acceleration during floods. However, 38% of avulsions on deltas occurred upstream of backwater effects. These events occurred in steep, sediment-rich rivers in tropical and desert environments. Our results indicate that avulsion location on deltas is set by the upstream extent of flood-driven erosion, which is typically limited to the backwater zone but can extend far upstream in steep, sediment-laden rivers. Our findings elucidate how avulsion hazards might respond to land use and climate change.

An unusual case of cavitating pulmonary nodules: Lemierre's syndrome with isolated involvement of the external jugular vein.

A 65-year-old female presented with symptoms of tonsillitis and sepsis. Despite initial treatment with i.v. fluid and antibiotics, her condition deteriorated and she became hypoxaemic. CT pulmonary angiography showed no filling defects in the pulmonary arteries, but there were multiple cavitating lung nodules, initially thought to represent metastases. A subsequent contrast-enhanced CT of the neck and thorax demonstrated thrombosis of the left external jugular vein (EJV), leading to a revised diagnosis of Lemierre's syndrome (i.e. septic embolization from jugular thrombophlebitis). Noteworthy aspects of the case include the initial misdiagnosis of the cavitating lung nodules by the reporting radiologist and the isolated involvement of the EJV-Lemierre's syndrome usually involves the internal jugular vein. The case highlights the importance of septic emboli in the differential diagnosis of cavitating lung nodules, and of assessment of the EJV as well as internal jugular vein in the context of oropharyngeal infection.

Filamentous Phage: Structure and Biology.

Ff filamentous phage (fd, M13 and f1) of Escherichia coli have been the workhorse of phage display technology for the past 30 years. Dominance of Ff over other bacteriophage in display technology stems from the titres that are about 100-fold higher than any other known phage, efficacious transformation ensuring large library size and superior stability of the virion at high temperatures, detergents and pH extremes, allowing broad range of biopanning conditions in screening phage display libraries. Due to the excellent understanding of infection and assembly requirements, Ff phage have also been at the core of phage-assisted continual protein evolution strategies (PACE). This chapter will give an overview of the Ff filamentous phage structure and biology, emphasizing those properties of the Ff phage life cycle and virion that are pertinent to phage display applications.