Characteristics and Nutritional and Cardiovascular-Health Properties of Seaweeds

Aránzazu Bocanegra,Sara Bastida,Juana Benedí,Sofía Ródenas,Francisco J. Sánchez-Muniz 한국식품영양과학회 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.2

While marine algae have traditionally formed part of the Oriental diet, their major use in Western countries has been in the phytocolloid industry. Only a few coastal communities outside Asia have customarily used seaweeds as components of special dishes. Of late, however, seaweeds have gained importance as foodstuffs in Western countries and most recently as components of functional foods because of their high dietary fiber, mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical content, low energy levels, and high concentrations of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The present paper reviews the available data for some of the components of the major edible algae and studies several factors that can affect their physiochemical properties (e.g., hydration, water and oil-holding capacity, fermentability, binding capacity, etc.) and, in turn, their nutritional importance. The effects of marine alga consumption on growth and body weight, mineral availability, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and antioxidant properties are reviewed, together with preliminary data on the effects of some functional foods containing seaweeds on lipid metabolism and gene expression of enzymes engaged in antioxidant protection. This review concludes with some remarks regarding the danger of the improper use of seaweeds in herbal medications. In addition, as the properties of algae are highly dependent on their individual composition, any generalization regarding these properties may be considered misleading and scientifically inappropriate.

Parametric analysis based on energy and exergy balances of a condensing boiler

Rubén Arévalo-Ramírez,Javier Aros-Taglioni 대한기계학회 2023 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.37 No.3

Condensing boilers are highly efficient equipment increasingly used to heat water for heating or industrial use, characterized by taking advantage of the residual heat of the combustion gases, including the condensation latent heat of water vapor. The present work analyzes important aspects to optimize the design and operation of this type of equipment from the energy and exergy point of view, specifically, the effect that changes in fuel, water inlet temperature (20-70 °C), excess air used in combustion (5-100 %) and relative humidity of the air (10-100 %), have on their energy and exergy efficiencies. For this purpose, the energy and exergy balance equations for the reactive and heat exchange processes that occur within it were implemented and solved using the computational program engineering equation solver (EES). The model was validated by comparing its results with the efficiency curve of a commercial condensing boiler model. The results show an important effect of the fuel type on the operating ranges in condensing and non-condensing modes and on the energy efficiency values, finding that the technology is widely justified when used with natural gas, and not so much with the other fuels analyzed. Likewise, a favorable effect of the reduction of excess air for combustion on energy efficiency can be seen, which is why it is advisable to operate this equipment with the least possible amount of air that guarantees good combustion. On the other hand, exergy efficiency has the highest values using natural gas, and benefits from a higher water return temperature and lower excess air. The greatest irreversibilities are found in the main coil and the combustion chamber.

Temperature-responsive Poly(acrylamide-co-N-isopropyl acrylamide) Hydrogel: Synthesis, Characterization, and Sorption Application

?eyda Ta?ar,Ramazan Orhan 한국고분자학회 2020 폴리머 Vol.44 No.1

Acrylamide-based hydrogels were used to remove cationic Basic Blue 3 (BB3) dye from aqueous solutions, in this study. First, acrylamide-based hydrogel was synthesized and characterized using SEM, FTIR and swelling analysis. The effects of various parameters were investigated to determine the removal of the BB3 dye from aqueous solutions. The sorption yield of BB3 dye of the hydrogel was determined to be 99%. The desorption efficiency was found to be above 90%. The sorption experimental data were evaluated using applying the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. It was determined that the Langmuir was more suitable for isotherm the process. The maximum sorption capacity was calculated as 28.3 mg/g. Pseudo first order, pseudo second order, intraparticle diffusion, and Endovich kinetic models were used to calculate the kinetic parameters. It was concluded that the pseudo second-order kinetic model was described by the adsorption data very well.

Levels of Stress and Coping Styles of High School Students

Fatma Av?ar,Sultan Ayaz,Melek Balci 한국간호과학회 2015 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2015 No.10

Implications of a two-step procedure in surgical management of patients with early-stage endometrioid endometrial cancer

Emmanuelle Arsène,Géraldine Bleu,Benjamin Merlot,Loïc Boulanger,Denis Vinatier,Olivier Kerdraon,Pierre Collinet 대한부인종양학회 2015 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.26 No.2

Objective: Since European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) recommendations and French guidelines, pelvic lymphadenectomyshould not be systematically performed for women with early-stage endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) preoperativelyassessed at presumed low- or intermediate-risk. The aim of our study was to evaluate the change of our surgical practices afterESMO recommendations, and to evaluate the rate and morbidity of second surgical procedure in case of understaging after thefirst surgery. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included women with EEC preoperatively assessed at presumed low- orintermediate-risk who had surgery between 2006 and 2013. Two periods were defined the times before and after ESMOrecommendations. Demographics characteristics, surgical management, operative morbidity, and rate of understaging werecompared. The rate of second surgical procedure required for lymph node resection during the second period and its morbiditywere also studied. Results: Sixty-one and sixty-two patients were operated for EEC preoperatively assessed at presumed low-or intermediate-riskbefore and after ESMO recommendations, respectively. Although immediate pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed morefrequently during the first period than the second period (88.5% vs. 19.4%; p<0.001), the rate of postoperative risk-elevating orupstaging were comparable between the two periods (31.1% vs. 27.4%; p=0.71). Among the patients requiring second surgicalprocedure during the second period (21.0%), 30.8% did not undergo the second surgery due to their comorbidity or old age. For the patients who underwent second surgical procedure, mean operative time of the second procedure was 246.1±117.8minutes. Third operation was required in 33.3% of them because of postoperative complications. Conclusion: Since ESMO recommendations, second surgical procedure for lymph node resection is often required for womenwith EEC presumed at low- or intermediate-risk. This reoperation is not always performed due to age/comorbidity of thepatients, and presents a significant morbidity.

Evaluation of Microbial Load in Oropharyngeal Mucosa from Tannery Workers

Diana C. Castellanos-Arévalo,Andrea P. Castellanos-Arévalo,David A. Camarena-Pozos,Juan G. Colli-Mull,María Maldonado-Vega 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원 2015 Safety and health at work Vol.6 No.1

Background: Animal skin provides an ideal medium for the propagation of microorganisms and it is usedlike raw material in the tannery and footware industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate and identifythe microbial load in oropharyngeal mucosa of tannery employees. Methods: The health risk was estimated based on the identification of microorganisms found in theoropharyngeal mucosa samples. The study was conducted in a tanners group and a control group. Samples were taken from oropharyngeal mucosa and inoculated on plates with selective medium. In thesamples, bacteria were identified by 16S ribosomal DNA analysis and the yeasts through a presumptivemethod. In addition, the sensitivity of these microorganisms to antibiotics/antifungals was evaluated. Results: The identified bacteria belonged to the families Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Neisseriaceae,Alcaligenaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae, of which some species are consideredas pathogenic or opportunistic microorganisms; these bacteria were not present in the control group. Forty-two percent of bacteria identified in the tanners group are correlated with respiratory diseases. Yeasts were also identified, including the following species: Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, Candidaalbicans, and Candida krusei. Regarding the sensitivity test of bacteria identified in the tanners group, 90%showed sensitivity to piperacillin/tazobactam, 87% showed sensitivity to ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, 74%showed sensitivity to ampicillin/sulbactam, and 58% showed sensitivity to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Conclusion: Several of the bacteria and yeast identified in the oropharyngeal mucosa of tanners havebeen correlated with infections in humans and have already been reported as airborne microorganismsin this working environment, representing a health risk for workers.

Determinants of Trade Openness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Do Institutions Matter?

Ngouhouo Ibrahim,Nchofoung Tii,Njamen Kengdo Arsène Aurelien 한국국제경제학회 2021 International Economic Journal Vol.35 No.1

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of trade openness in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries focusing on the role play by domestic institutions. To achieve this, the Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) is carried out on 36 SSA countries over the period 1996-2017. The results of our estimation reveal that domestic institutions as a composite index determines trade openness as a composite share of Squalli and Wilson (2011). In addition, government effectiveness, Regulatory quality and rule of law were all enhancing on trade openness. Moreover, access to sea, foreign direct investment, and trade openness lagged by one period all significantly determine trade openness in our estimations, with all these effects positive. When trade share was considered as a robustness check, inflation and population growth were further found to be significantly determine trade openness, whereas GDP per capital was significantly trade enhancing. This result was robust to alternative institutional measures and sensitive to the choices of countries and sample periods considered. The policy implications of study engaged the different states of SSA to focus on improving the quality of their domestic institutions in elaborating their international trade policies.

Evaluation of the Contribution of Masonry Infill Panels on the Seismic Behaviour of Two Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings

João Milheiro,Hugo Rodrigues,António Arêde 대한토목학회 2016 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.20 No.4

Reinforced concrete frames infilled with masonry panels without proper seismic design can protect or potentiate the risk of structures when subject to earthquakes. This paper presents two case studies of existing reinforced concrete buildings with masonry infill panels located in Portugal in different seismic zones according with the EuroCode 8. The RC buildings were studied with and without the infill panels using non-linear dynamic analysis, comparing the different seismic response in terms of global storey displacements, inter-storey drifts, storey shear and ductility demands in the columns. The results show that in one building it is safe and conservative not to take the panels into account, however in the case with irregular infill distribution in elevation the results are significantly different and the presence of the infills plays and important role.

Estimating the Self-reported Prevalence of Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity in the Korean Population

Oscar G Figueroa-Salcido,Jesús G Arámburo-Gálvez,Noé Ontiveros 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2022 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.28 No.3

Long-term evolution of continence and quality of life after sphincteroplasty for obstetric fecal incontinence

Vicente Pla-Martí,Jose Martín-Arévalo,Rosa Martí-Fernández,David Moro-Valdezate,Stephanie García-Botello,Alejandro Espí-Macías,Miguel Mínguez-Pérez,Maria Dolores Ruiz-Carmona,Jose Vicente Roig-Vila 대한대장항문학회 2022 Annals of Coloproctolgy Vol.38 No.1

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the long-term evolution of continence and patient’s quality of life after surgical treatment for obstetric fecal incontinence. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted including consecutive patients who underwent sphincteroplasty for severe obstetric fecal incontinence. The first phase analyzed changes in continence and impact on quality of life. The second phase studied the long-term evolution reevaluating the same group of patients 6 years later. Degree of fecal incontinence was calculated using the Cleveland Clinic Score (CCS). Quality of life assessment was carried out with the Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life scale. Results: Thirty-five patients with median age of 55 years (range, 28 to 73 years) completed the study. Phase 1 results: after a postoperative follow-up of 30 months (4 to 132 months), CCS had improved significantly from a preoperative of 15.7±3.1 to 6.1±5.0 (P<0.001). Phase 2 results: median follow-up in phase 2 was 110 months (76 to 204 months). The CCS lowered to 8.4±4.9 (P=0.04). There were no significant differences between phases 1 and 2 in terms of quality of life; lifestyle (3.47± 0.75 vs. 3.16±1.04), coping/behavior (3.13±0.83 vs. 2.80±1.09), depression/self-perception (3.65±0.80 vs. 3.32± 0.98), and embarrassment (3.32±0.90 vs. 3.12±1.00). Conclusion: Sphincteroplasty offers good short-medium term outcomes in continence and quality of life for obstetric fecal incontinence treatment. Functional clinical results deteriorate over time but did not impact on patients’ quality of life.