Estimating Glycemia From HbA1c and CGM: Analysis of Accuracy and Sources of Discrepancy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the accuracy of different periods of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and their combination for estimating mean glycemia over 90 days (AG90). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 985 CGM periods of 90 days with <10% missing data from 315 adults (86% of whom had type 1 diabetes) with paired HbA1c measurements. The impact of mean red blood cell age as a proxy for nonglycemic effects on HbA1c was estimated using published theoretical models and in comparison with empirical data. Given the lack of a gold standard measurement for AG90, we applied correction methods to generate a reference (eAG90) that we used to assess accuracy for HbA1c and CGM. RESULTS: Using 14 days of CGM at the end of the 90-day period resulted in a mean absolute error (95th percentile) of 14 (34) mg/dL when compared with eAG90. Nonglycemic effects on HbA1c led to a mean absolute error for average glucose calculated from HbA1c of 12 (29) mg/dL. Combining 14 days of CGM with HbA1c reduced the error to 10 (26) mg/dL. Mismatches between CGM and HbA1c >40 mg/dL occurred more than 5% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of estimates of eAG90 from limited periods of CGM can be improved by averaging with an HbA1c-based estimate or extending the monitoring period beyond ∼26 days. Large mismatches between eAG90 estimated from CGM and HbA1c are not unusual and may persist due to stable nonglycemic factors.

Hematologic setpoints are a stable and patient-specific deep phenotype.

The complete blood count is an important screening tool for healthy adults and is the most commonly ordered test at periodic physical exams. However, results are usually interpreted relative to one-size-fits-all reference intervals, undermining the goal of precision medicine to tailor medical care to the needs of individual patients based on their unique characteristics. Here we show that standard complete blood count indices in healthy adults have robust homeostatic setpoints that are patient-specific and stable, with the typical healthy adult's set of 9 blood count setpoints distinguishable from 98% of others, and with these differences persisting for decades. These setpoints reflect a deep physiologic phenotype, enabling improved detection of both acquired and genetic determinants of hematologic regulation, including discovery of multiple novel loci via GWAS analyses. Patient-specific reference intervals derived from setpoints enable more accurate personalized risk assessment, and the setpoints themselves are significantly correlated with mortality risk, providing new opportunities to enhance patient-specific screening and early intervention. This study shows complete blood count setpoints are sufficiently stable and patient-specific to help realize the promise of precision medicine for healthy adults.

Computer vision quantitation of erythrocyte shape abnormalities provides diagnostic, prognostic, and mechanistic insight.

Examination of red blood cell (RBC) morphology in peripheral blood smears can help diagnose hematologic diseases, even in resource-limited settings, but this analysis remains subjective and semiquantitative with low throughput. Prior attempts to develop automated tools have been hampered by their poor reproducibility and limited clinical validation. Here, we present a novel, open-source machine-learning approach (denoted as RBC-diff) to quantify abnormal RBCs in peripheral smear images and generate an RBC morphology differential. RBC-diff cell counts showed high accuracy for single-cell classification (mean AUC, 0.93) and quantitation across smears (mean R2, 0.76 compared with experts, interexperts R2, 0.75). RBC-diff counts were concordant with the clinical morphology grading for 300 000+ images and recovered the expected pathophysiologic signals in diverse clinical cohorts. Criteria using RBC-diff counts distinguished thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome from other thrombotic microangiopathies, providing greater specificity than clinical morphology grading (72% vs 41%; P < .001) while maintaining high sensitivity (94% to 100%). Elevated RBC-diff schistocyte counts were associated with increased 6-month all-cause mortality in a cohort of 58 950 inpatients (9.5% mortality for schist. >1%, vs 4.7% for schist; <0.5%; P < .001) after controlling for comorbidities, demographics, clinical morphology grading, and blood count indices. RBC-diff also enabled the estimation of single-cell volume-morphology distributions, providing insight into the influence of morphology on routine blood count measures. Our codebase and expert-annotated images are included here to spur further advancement. These results illustrate that computer vision can enable rapid and accurate quantitation of RBC morphology, which may provide value in both clinical and research contexts.

Assessment of the effect of two regimens of milrinone infusion in paediatric patients with pulmonary artery hypertension undergoing corrective cardiac procedure: A prospective observational study.

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the effect of two different regimens of milrinone in pediatric patients with pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) undergoing corrective procedure. Materials and Methods: This randomized prospective study included 100 pediatric patients undergoing corrective cardiac surgeries. Group E: Milrinone was started as infusion 0.5 µg/kg/min without a loading dose after induction of anesthesia and continued as infusion 0.5-0.75 µg/kg/min in the pediatric cardiac surgical intensive care unit (PSICU). Group L: Milrinone was started as a loading dose 50 µg/kg over 10 min before weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) followed by infusion 0.5-0.75 µg/kg/min in the PSICU. We compared heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, cardiac index (CI), mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP), serum lactate level, urine output, vasoactive inotropic score, mechanical ventilation duration, and intensive care unit (ICU)- and hospital length of stay between the groups. Results: There was an increase in mean arterial blood pressure, CI, and urine output in Group E compared to Group L (P < 0.05). MPAP, serum lactate level, and requirement of inotropes and vasopressors were lower in Group E compared to Group L (P < 0.05). Mechanical ventilation duration, ICU, and hospital length of stay were shorter in Group E than Group L (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Early use of milrinone in patients with PAH undergoing corrective cardiac surgeries improved CI and mean arterial pressure, decreased MPAP, improved urine output, decreased serum lactate level, and decreased requirement of inotropes and vasopressors after weaning from CPB compared to the milrinone bolus group.

Discrete Open-Shell Tris(bipyridinium radical cationic) Inclusion Complexes in the Solid State.

The solid-state properties of organic radicals depend on radical-radical interactions that are influenced by the superstructure of the crystalline phase. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a substituted tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat-p-1,4-dimethoxyphenylene), which associates in its bisradical dicationic redox state with the methyl viologen radical cation (MV•+) to give a 1:1 inclusion complex. The (super)structures of the reduced cyclophane and this 1:1 complex in the solid state deviate from the analogous (super)structures observed for the reduced state of cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) and that of its trisradical tricationic complex. Titration experiments reveal that the methoxy substituents on the p-phenylene linkers do not influence binding of the cyclophane toward small neutral guests-such as dimethoxybenzene and tetrathiafulvalene-whereas binding of larger radical cationic guests such as MV•+ by the reduced cyclophane decreases 10-fold. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the solid-state superstructure of the 1:1 complex constitutes a discrete entity with weak intermolecular orbital overlap between neighboring complexes. Transient nutation EPR experiments and DFT calculations confirm that the complex has a doublet spin configuration in the ground state as a result of the strong orbital overlap, while the quartet-state spin configuration is higher in energy and inaccessible at ambient temperature. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements reveal that the trisradical tricationic complexes interact antiferromagnetically and form a one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain along the a-axis of the crystal. These results offer insights into the design and synthesis of organic magnetic materials based on host-guest complexes.

Organically modified layered magnesium silicates to improve rheology of reservoir drilling fluids.

Petroleum well drilling fluids are one of the most significant constituents in the subterranean drilling processes to meet an increasing global demand for oil and gas. Drilling fluids experience exceptional wellbore conditions, e.g. high temperature and high pressure that adversely affect the rheology of these fluids. Gas and oil well drilling operations have to adjourn due to changes in fluid rheology, since the drilling fluids may lose their effectiveness to suspend heavy particles and to carry drilled cuttings to the surface. The rheological properties of drilling fluids can be controlled by employing viscosifiers that should have exceptional stability in downhole environments. Here, we have developed next-generation viscosifiers-organically modified magnesium silicates (MSils)-for reservoir drilling fluids where organic functionalities are directly linked through the Si-C bond, unlike the industry's traditional viscosifier, organoclay, that has electrostatic linkages. The successful formation of covalently-linked hexadecyl and phenyl functionalized magnesium silicates (MSil-C16 and MSil-Ph) were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Identical drilling fluid formulations were designed for comparison using MSils and a commercial viscosifier. The rheological properties of fluids were measured at ambient conditions as well as at high temperatures (up to 150 °C) and high pressure (70 MPa). Owing to strong covalent linkages, drilling fluids that were formulated with MSils showed a 19.3% increase in yield point (YP) and a 31% decrease in apparent viscosity (AV) at 150 °C under 70 MPa pressure, as compared to drilling fluids that were formulated with traditional organoclay. The higher yield point and lower apparent viscosity are known to facilitate and increased drilling rate of penetration of the fluids and an enhanced equivalent circulation density (ECD), the dynamic density condition, for efficient oil and gas wells drilling procedures.

Effect of Goal-directed Hemodynamic Therapy in Postcardiac Surgery Patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) provides preset goals to be achieved by intravenous fluid therapy and inotropic therapy with earliest detection of change in the hemodynamic profile. Improved outcome in cardiac surgery patients has been shown by perioperative volume optimization, while postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) stay can be decreased by improving oxygen delivery. Our aim of this study was to study the outcome of EGDT in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective single institute study involving a total of 478 patients. Patients were divided into group I, who received standard hospital care, and group II, who received EGDT. Postoperatively, patients were observed in ICU for 72 hours. Hemodynamics, laboratory data, fluid bolus, inotrope score, complication, ventilatory time, and mortality data were collected. RESULTS: Postoperative ventilatory period (11.12 ± 10.11 vs 9.45 ± 8.87, p = 0.0719) and frequency of change in inotropes (1.900 ± 0.9 vs 1.19 ± 0.61, p = 0.0717) were lower in group II. Frequency of crystalloid boluses (1.33 ± 0.65 vs 1.75 ± 1.09, p = 0.0126), and quantity of packed cell volume (PCV) used (1.63 ± 1.03 vs 2.04 ± 1.42, p = 0.0364) were highly significant in group II. Use of colloids was higher in group II and was statistically significant (1.98 ± 1.99 vs 3.05 ± 2.17, p = 0.0012). The acute kidney injury (AKI) rate was (58 (23.10%) vs 30 (13.21%), p = 0.007) lower and statistically significant (p = 0.007) in group II. CONCLUSION: Early goal-directed therapy reduces the postoperative ventilatory period, frequency of changes in inotropes, and incidence of AKI, and decreases ventilation hours, number of times inotropes changed, and AKI. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Patel H, Parikh N, Shah R, Patel R, Thosani R, Shah P, et al. Effect of Goal-directed Hemodynamic Therapy in Postcardiac Surgery Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(5):321-326.

Discrete Dimers of Redox-Active and Fluorescent Perylene Diimide-Based Rigid Isosceles Triangles in the Solid State.

The development of rigid covalent chiroptical organic materials, with multiple, readily available redox states, which exhibit high photoluminescence, is of particular importance in relation to both organic electronics and photonics. The chemically stable, thermally robust, and redox-active perylene diimide (PDI) fluorophores have received ever-increasing attention owing to their excellent fluorescence quantum yields in solution. Planar PDI derivatives, however, generally suffer from aggregation-caused emission quenching in the solid state. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of two chiral isosceles triangles, wherein one PDI fluorophore and two pyromellitic diimide (PMDI) or naphthalene diimide (NDI) units are arranged in a rigid cyclic triangular geometry. The optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of the rigid isosceles triangles are fully characterized by a combination of optical spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry, and computational modeling techniques. Single-crystal XRD analysis shows that both isosceles triangles form discrete, nearly cofacial PDI-PDI π-dimers in the solid state. While the triangles exhibit fluorescence quantum yields of almost unity in solution, the dimers in the solid state exhibit very weak-yet at least an order of magnitude higher-excimer fluorescence yield in comparison with the almost completely quenched fluorescence of a reference PDI. The triangle containing both NDI and PDI subunits shows superior intramolecular energy transfer from the lowest excited singlet state of the NDI to that of the PDI subunit. Cyclic voltammetry suggests that both isosceles triangles exhibit multiple, easily accessible, and reversible redox states. Applications beckon in arenas related to molecular optoelectronic devices.

Proton Conduction in Tröger's Base-Linked Poly(crown ether)s.

Exactly 50 years ago, the ground-breaking discovery of dibenzo[18]crown-6 (DB18C6) by Charles Pedersen led to the use of DB18C6 as a receptor in supramolecular chemistry and a host in host-guest chemistry. We have demonstrated proton conductivity in Tröger's base-linked polymers through hydrogen-bonded networks formed from adsorbed water molecules on the oxygen atoms of DB18C6 under humid conditions. Tröger's base-linked polymers-poly(TBL-DB18C6)- t and poly(TBL-DB18C6)- c-synthesized by the in situ alkylation and cyclization of either trans- or cis-di(aminobenzo) [18]crown-6 at room temperature have been isolated as high-molecular-weight polymers. The macromolecular structures of the isomeric poly(TBL-DB18C6)s have been established by spectroscopic techniques and size-exclusion chromatography. The excellent solubility of these polymers in chloroform allows the formation of freestanding membranes, which are thermally stable and also show stability under aqueous conditions. The hydrophilic nature of the DB18C6 building blocks in the polymer facilitates retention of water as confirmed by water vapor adsorption isotherms, which show a 23 wt % water uptake. The adsorbed water is retained even after reducing the relative humidity to 25%. The proton conductivity of poly(TBL-DB18C6)- t, which is found to be 1.4 × 10-4 mS cm-1 in a humid environment, arises from the hydrogen bonding and the associated proton-hopping mechanism, as supported by a modeling study. In addition to proton conductivity, the Tröger's base-linked polymers reported here promise a wide range of applications where the sub-nanometer-sized cavities of the crown ethers and the robust film-forming ability are the governing factors in dictating their properties.

The effect of spray drying on the difference in flavor and functional properties of liquid and dried whey proteins, milk proteins, and micellar casein concentrates.

Traditionally most protein ingredients are sold as a powder due to transport ease and longer shelf life. Many high-protein powder ingredients such as milk protein concentrate with 85% protein and micellar casein concentrate have poor rehydration properties (e.g., solubility) after storage, which might limit their use. An alternative to the production of dried protein ingredients is the option to use liquid protein ingredients, which saves the cost of spray drying, but may also improve flavor and offer different functional properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of spray drying on the flavor and functionality of high-protein ingredients. Liquid and dried protein ingredients (whey protein concentrate with 80% protein, whey protein isolate, milk protein concentrate with 85% protein, and micellar casein concentrate) were manufactured from the same lot of milk at the North Carolina State University pilot plant. Functional differences were evaluated by measurement of foam stability and heat stability. Heat stability was evaluated by heating at 90°C for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min followed by micro-bicinchoninic acid and turbidity loss measurements. Sensory properties were evaluated by descriptive analysis, and volatile compounds were evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. No differences were detected in protein heat stability between liquids and powders when spray dried under these conditions. Whey protein concentrate with 80% protein (liquid or spray dried) did not produce a foam. All powders had higher aroma intensity and cooked flavors compared with liquids. Powder proteins also had low but distinct cardboard flavor concurrent with higher relative abundance of volatile aldehydes compared with liquids. An understanding of how spray drying affects both flavor and functionality may help food processors better use the ingredients they have available to them.

Noninvasive Substitution of K+ Sites in Cyclodextrin Metal-Organic Frameworks by Li+ Ions.

Co-crystallization of K+ and Li+ ions with γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) has been shown to substitute the K+ ion sites partially by Li+ ions, while retaining the structural integrity and accessible porosity of CD-MOF-1 (MOF, metal-organic framework). A series of experiments, in which the K+/Li+ ratio was varied with respect to that of γ-CD, have been conducted in order to achieve the highest possible proportion of Li+ ions in the framework. Attempts to obtain a CD-MOF containing only Li+ ions resulted in nonporous materials. The structural occupancy on the part of the Li+ ions in the new CD-MOF has been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis by determining the vacancies of K+-ion sites and accounting for the cation/γ-CD ratio in CD-MOF-1. The proportion of Li+ ions has also been confirmed by elemental analysis, whereas powder X-ray diffraction has established the stability of the extended framework. This noninvasive synthetic approach to generating mixed-metal CD-MOFs is a promising method for obtaining porous framework unattainable de novo. Furthermore, the CO2 and H2 capture capacities of the Li+-ion-substituted CD-MOF have been shown to exceed the highest sorption capacities reported so far for CD-MOFs.

Monitoring Microcirculatory Blood Flow during Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients as a Predictor for Anaerobic Metabolism.

INTRODUCTION: Improving tissue oxygenation is one of most important tasks in management of low cardiac output. Central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) and lactate are established criteria for monitoring the adequacy of tissue oxygenation. The venous-to-arterial carbon dioxide difference [P(v-a)CO2] is inversely associated with cardiac output. AIM: To study the use of P(v-a)CO2/C(a-v)O2 ratio as a marker of low cardiac output during Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB) in paediatric cardiac surgical patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a prospective observational study conducted over a period of nine months from 1st August 2015 to 30th April 2016. A total of 110 children were enrolled, who underwent CPB during cardiac surgery. The CPB time, Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP), flow rate, cross clamp time, were recorded for all the patients as well as Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) and Venous Blood Gas (VBG) were checked at four different points of time: 1) Before CPB, 2) 10 minutes after initiation of CPB, 3) 30 minutes on CPB and 4) off CPB. RESULTS: The results indicated that Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC curve) at 30 minute of CPB time P(v-a)CO2/C(a-v)O2 was more specific and sensitive than lactate to detect anaerobic metabolism. Decrease platelet count was significant on second postoperative day. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests the use of P(v-a)CO2/C(a-v)O2 ratio as a marker to detect low flow on CPB. Our study was single centric and with a small size, studies involving large population and multiple centers are required to support the recent findings.

Selective removal of heavy metal ions by disulfide linked polymer networks.

Heavy metal contaminated surface water is one of the oldest pollution problems, which is critical to ecosystems and human health. We devised disulfide linked polymer networks and employed as a sorbent for removing heavy metal ions from contaminated water. Although the polymer network material has a moderate surface area, it demonstrated cadmium removal efficiency equivalent to highly porous activated carbon while it showed 16 times faster sorption kinetics compared to activated carbon, owing to the high affinity of cadmium towards disulfide and thiol functionality in the polymer network. The metal sorption mechanism on polymer network was studied by sorption kinetics, effect of pH, and metal complexation. We observed that the metal ions-copper, cadmium, and zinc showed high binding affinity in polymer network, even in the presence of competing cations like calcium in water.

Effect of hydrogen peroxide on improving the heat stability of whey protein isolate solutions.

Whey protein isolate (WPI) solutions (12.8%w/w protein) were treated with varying concentrations of H2O2 in the range of 0-0.144 H2O2 to protein ratios (HTPR) by the addition of the required quantity of H2O2 and deionized water. The samples were analyzed for heat stability, rheological properties, denaturation level of ß-lactoglobulin (ß-LG) and α-lactalbumin (α-LA). The samples treated with H2O2 concentration >0.072 (HTPR) showed significant improvement in the heat stability, and decreased whey protein denaturation and aggregation. The WPI solution treated with H2O2 (>0.072 HTPR) remained in the liquid state after heat treatment at 120°C, whereas the control samples formed gel upon heat treatment. Detailed analysis of these samples suggested that the improvement in the heat stability of H2O2 treated WPI solution was attributed to the significant reduction in the sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange reaction during denaturation of ß-LG and α-LA.

Carbon Dioxide Capture Adsorbents: Chemistry and Methods.

Excess carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions and their inevitable consequences continue to stimulate hard debate and awareness in both academic and public spaces, despite the widespread lack of understanding on what really is needed to capture and store the unwanted CO2 . Of the entire carbon capture and storage (CCS) operation, capture is the most costly process, consisting of nearly 70 % of the price tag. In this tutorial review, CO2 capture science and technology based on adsorbents are described and evaluated in the context of chemistry and methods, after briefly introducing the current status of CO2 emissions. An effective sorbent design is suggested, whereby six checkpoints are expected to be met: cost, capacity, selectivity, stability, recyclability, and fast kinetics.

Charge-specific size-dependent separation of water-soluble organic molecules by fluorinated nanoporous networks.

Molecular architecture in nanoscale spaces can lead to selective chemical interactions and separation of species with similar sizes and functionality. Substrate specific sorbent chemistry is well known through highly crystalline ordered structures such as zeolites, metal organic frameworks and widely available nanoporous carbons. Size and charge-dependent separation of aqueous molecular contaminants, on the contrary, have not been adequately developed. Here we report a charge-specific size-dependent separation of water-soluble molecules through an ultra-microporous polymeric network that features fluorines as the predominant surface functional groups. Treatment of similarly sized organic molecules with and without charges shows that fluorine interacts with charges favourably. Control experiments using similarly constructed frameworks with or without fluorines verify the fluorine-cation interactions. Lack of a σ-hole for fluorine atoms is suggested to be responsible for this distinct property, and future applications of this discovery, such as desalination and mixed matrix membranes, may be expected to follow.

Superacidity in Nafion/MOF Hybrid Membranes Retains Water at Low Humidity to Enhance Proton Conduction for Fuel Cells.

A hybrid membrane of superacid sulfated Zr-MOF (SZM) and Nafion shows much superior performance to Nafion, particularly for fuel cell operating under low humidity. The Brønsted acidic sites in SZM networks retain an ample amount of water which facilitated proton conduction under low humidity. The water retention properties of Nafion-SZM hybrid membranes with 1 wt % loading of SZM increased at 35% relative humidity and outperformed commercial unfilled Nafion membrane. The proton conductivity increases by 23% for Nafion-SZM hybrid compared to unfilled Nafion membrane. The Nafion-SZM membrane also shows higher performance stability at 35% relative humidity than Nafion, as confirmed by close monitoring of the change of open circuit voltage for 24 h.

Influence of hydrodynamic cavitation on the rheological properties and microstructure of formulated Greek-style yogurts.

With limited applications of acid whey generated during the manufacture of Greek yogurts, an alternate processing technology to sidestep the dewheying process was developed. Milk protein concentrate (MPC) and carbon dioxide-treated milk protein concentrate (TMPC) were used as sources of protein to fortify skim milk to 9% (wt/wt) protein for the manufacture of Greek-style yogurts (GSY). The GSY bases were inoculated and fermented with frozen direct vat set yogurt culture to a pH of 4.6. Owing to the difference in buffering of MPC and TMPC, GSY with TMPC and MPC exhibited different acidification kinetics, with GSY containing TMPC having a lower fermentation time. The GSY with TMPC had a titratable acidity of 1.45% lactic acid and was comparable to acidity of commercial Greek yogurt (CGY). Hydrodynamic cavitation at 4 different rotor speeds (0, 15, 30, and 60 Hz) as a postfermentation tool reduced the consistency coefficient (K) of GSY containing TMPC from 79.4 Pa·sn at 0 Hz to 17.59 Pa·sn at 60 Hz. Similarly for GSY containing MPC, K values decreased from 165.74 Pa·sn at 0 Hz to 53.04 Pa·sn at 60 Hz. The apparent viscosity (η100) was 0.25 Pa·s for GSY containing TMPC and 0.66 Pa·s for GSY containing MPC at 60 Hz. The CGY had a η100 value of 0.74 Pa·s. Small amplitude rheological analysis performed on GSY indicated a loss of elastic modulus dependency on frequency caused by the breakdown of protein interactions with increasing cavitator rotor speeds. A steady decrease in hardness and adhesiveness values of GSY was observed with increasing cavitational intensities. Numbers of grains with a perimeter of >1mm of cavitated GSY with TMPC and MPC were 35 and 13 grains/g of yogurt, respectively, and were lower than 293 grains/g observed in CGY. The water-holding capacity of GSY was higher than that observed for a commercial strained Greek yogurt. The ability to scale up the process of hydrodynamic cavitation industrially, and the ease of controlling events of cavitation that can influence final textural properties of the product, make this technology promising for large-scale industrial application. Overall, the current set of experiments employed in the manufacture of GSY, which included the use of TMPC as a protein source in conjunction with hydrodynamic cavitation, could help achieve comparable titratable acidity values, rheological properties, and microstructure to that of a commercial strained Greek yogurt.

Investigation of Ester- and Amide-Linker-Based Porous Organic Polymers for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Separation at Wide Temperatures and Pressures.

Organic compounds, such as covalent organic framework, metal-organic frameworks, and covalent organic polymers have been under investigation to replace the well-known amine-based solvent sorption technology of CO2 and introduce the most efficient and economical material for CO2 capture and storage. Various organic polymers having different function groups have been under investigation both for low and high pressure CO2 capture. However, search for a promising material to overcome the issues of lower selectivity, less capturing capacity, lower mass transfer coefficient and instability in materials performance at high pressure and various temperatures is still ongoing process. Herein, we report synthesis of six covalent organic polymers (COPs) and their CO2, N2, and CH4 adsorption performances at low and high pressures up to 200 bar. All the presented COPs materials were characterized by using elemental analysis method, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques. Physical properties of the materials such as surface areas, pore volume and pore size were determined through BET analysis at 77 K. All the materials were tested for CO2, CH4, and N2 adsorption using state of the art equipment, magnetic suspension balance (MSB). Results indicated that, amide based material i.e. COP-33 has the largest pore volume of 0.2 cm(2)/g which can capture up to the maximum of 1.44 mmol/g CO2 at room temperature and at pressure of 10 bar. However, at higher pressure of 200 bar and 308 K ester-based compound, that is, COP-35 adsorb as large as 144 mmol/g, which is the largest gas capturing capacity of any COPs material obtained so far. Importantly, single gas measurement based selectivity of COP-33 was comparatively better than all other COPs materials at all condition. Nevertheless, overall performance of COP-35 rate of adsorption and heat of adsorption has indicated that this material can be considered for further exploration as efficient and cheaply available solid sorbent material for CO2 capture and separation.

Geriatric Respondents and Non-Respondents to Probiotic Intervention Can be Differentiated by Inherent Gut Microbiome Composition.

SCOPE: Probiotic interventions are known to have been shown to influence the composition of the intestinal microbiota in geriatrics. The growing concern is the apparent variation in response to identical strain dosage among human volunteers. One factor that governs this variation is the host gut microbiome. In this study, we attempted to define a core gut metagenome, which could act as a predisposition signature marker of inherent bacterial community that can help predict the success of a probiotic intervention. METHODS AND RESULTS: To characterize the geriatric gut microbiome, we designed primers targeting the 16S rRNA hypervariable region V2-V3 followed by semiconductor sequencing using Ion Torrent PGM. Among respondents and non-respondents, the chief genera of phylum Firmicutes that showed significant differences are Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Eubacterium, and Blautia (q < 0.002), while in the genera of phylum Proteobacteria included Shigella, Escherichia, Burkholderia and Camphylobacter (q < 0.002). CONCLUSION: We have identified potential microbial biomarkers and taxonomic patterns that correlate with a positive response to probiotic intervention in geriatric volunteers. Future work with larger cohorts of geriatrics with diverse dietary influences could reveal the potential of the signature patterns of microbiota for personalized nutrition.