Delayed luminescence: An experimental protocol for Chinese herbal medicines

In Chinese medicine, raw herbal materials are used in processed and unprocessed forms aiming to meet the different requirements of clinical practice. To assure the chemical quality and therapeutic properties of the herbs, fast and integrated systematic assays are required. So far, such assays have not been established. Delayed luminescence (DL)...

A depolarisation lidar-based method for the determination of liquid-cloud microphysical properties

The fact that polarisation lidars measure a depolarisation signal in liquid clouds due to the occurrence of multiple scattering is well known. The degree of measured depolarisation depends on the lidar characteristics (e.g. wavelength and receiver field of view) as well as the cloud macrophysical (e.g. cloud-base altitude) and microphysical (e.g...

Observations and modeling of fog by cloud radar and optical sensors

Fog is a significant factor affecting the public traffic because visibility is reduced to a large extent. Therefore the determination of optical visibility in fog from radar instruments has received much interest. To observe fog with radar, high frequency bands (millimeter waves) have the best option. A 35 GHz cloud radar at the Cabauw...

Moisture transport in coated wood

Moisture accumulation inside wood causes favorable conditions for decay. Application of a coating alters the moisture sorption of wood and prevents accumulation of moisture. This paper presents the results of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study on the influence of a coating on the moisture absorption of wood. NMR allows to determine both...

Colloidal aspects of texture perception

Recently, considerable attention has been given to the understanding of texture attributes that cannot directly be related to physical properties of food, such as creamy, crumbly and watery. The perception of these attributes is strongly related to the way the food is processed during food intake, mastication, swallowing of it and during the...

Identification of the thermal transitions in potato starch at a low water content as studied by preparative DSC

The aim of this work was to identify the transitions in the complex DSC profiles of potato starch at a low water content. Preparative DSC involves the thermal processing of samples in stainless steel DSC pans in a way that allows their subsequent structural characterization. The low temperature (LT), dual melting (M1-M2), and high temperature ...

Fracture behaviour of bread crust: Effect of ingredient modification

The influence of the formulation on the crispness of bread crust was studied. Crispness is a relevant sensory attribute that depends on several factors particularly the plasticizer content (water), the mechanical properties of the solid matrix and the morphological architecture of the bread. Enzymes and additives were used to modify the bread...

Achilles tendinosis: Changes in biochemical composition and collagen turnover rate

Background: Understanding biochemical and structural changes of the extracellular matrix in Achilles tendinosis might be important for developing mechanism-based therapies. Hypothesis: In Achilles tendinosis, changes occur in biochemical composition and collagen turnover rate. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: From 10 patients...

Net analyte signal based statistical quality control

Net analyte signal statistical quality control (NAS-SQC) is a new methodology to perform multivariate product quality monitoring based on the net analyte signal approach. The main advantage of NAS-SQC is that the systematic variation in the product due to the analyte (or property) of interest is separated from the remaining systematic variation...

Changes in Water Content, Collagen Degradation, Collagen Content, and Concentration in Repeated Biopsies of the Cervix of Pregnant Cows

The objective of the present study was to assess if cervical ripeness could be quantified by measuring the percentage of denaturation of the collagen network of the stromal layer. Biopsy specimens from the caudal part of the cervix were obtained from nine pluriparous cows between Days 149 and 157 of gestation (second-trimester biopsy), at...

Biochemical development of subchondral bone from birth until age eleven months and the influence of physical activity

Subchondral bone provides structural support to the overlying articular cartilage, and plays an important role in osteochondral diseases. There is growing insight that the mechanical features of bone are related to the biochemistry of the collagen network and the mineral content. In the present study, part of the normal developmental process and...

Compositional and metabolic changes in damaged cartilage are peak- stress, stress-rate, and loading-duration dependent

The first objective of this study was to determine if the cumulative effects of impact or smoothly arising compression would damage the matrix of articular cartilage. Canine cartilage explants were subjected to repeated impacts or to smoothly arising compressions of as much as 20 MPa at 0.3 Hz for as long as 120 minutes. An increase in the water...

Ground penetrating radar for determining volumetric soil water content ; results of comparative measurements at two test sites

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) can provide information on the soil water content of the unsaturated zone in sandy deposits via measurements from the surface, and so avoids drilling. Proof of this was found from measurements of radar wave velocities carried out ten times over 13 months at two test sites in the Netherlands. At these same locations...