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Sample records for acid based black

  1. Efficient degradation of tannic acid by black Aspergillus species

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diepeningen, van A.D.; Debets, A.J.M.; Varga, J.; Gaag, van der M.; Swart, K.; Hoekstra, R.F.

    2004-01-01

    A set of aspergillus strains from culture collections and wild-type black aspergilli isolated on non-selective media were used to validate the use of media with 20 % tannic acid for exclusive and complete selection of the black aspergilli. The 20% tannic acid medium proved useful for both

  2. Efficient degradation of tannic acid by black Aspergillus species

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Diepeningen, Anne D; Debets, Alfons J M; Varga, Janos; van der Gaag, Marijn; Swart, Klaas; Hoekstra, Rolf F

    A set of aspergillus strains from culture collections and wild-type black aspergilli isolated on non-selective media were used to validate the use of media with 20% tannic acid for exclusive and complete selection of the black aspergilli. The 20% tannic acid medium proved useful for both

  3. Salicylic Acid Treatment Increases the Levels of Triterpene Glycosides in Black Cohosh (Actaea Racemosa) Rhizomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Capite, Annette; Lancaster, Tyler; Puthoff, David

    2016-01-01

    Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) serves as the host plant for the Appalachian azure butterfly, Celastrina neglectamajor. Overharvesting of Black cohosh for the dietary supplement industry may result in its extirpation, and may also cause the elimination of the dependent butterfly. One way to increase or maintain the number of host plants in forested environments would be to reduce the number harvested, for example by increasing the levels of the desired metabolites in Black cohosh rhizomes. The secondary metabolites actein and deoxyactein are triterpene glycosides and are among the compounds associated with the putative activity of Black cohosh extracts. Acetein and deoxyacetein are used to standardize Black cohosh supplements. To gain an understanding of mechanisms that may control actein and deoxyactein accumulation, Black cohosh rhizomes were treated with exogenous salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, or ethylene, or were mechanically wounded. Salicylic acid treatment significantly increased the levels of actein and deoxyactein in the rhizome of Black cohosh, suggesting that the synthesis of triterpene glycosides is controlled in part by salicylic acid. Using salicylic acid or related chemicals to increase the levels of actein and deoxyactein in rhizomes may help supply the supplement industry and, simultaneously, help conserve Black cohosh and species dependent upon it.

  4. Fatty acids, essential oil, and phenolics modifications of black cumin fruit under NaCl stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourgou, Soumaya; Bettaieb, Iness; Saidani, Moufida; Marzouk, Brahim

    2010-12-08

    This research evaluated the effect of saline conditions on fruit yield, fatty acids, and essential oils compositions and phenolics content of black cumin (Nigella sativa). This plant is one of the most commonly found aromatics in the Mediterranean kitchen. Increasing NaCl levels to 60 mM decreased significantly the fruits yield by 58% and the total fatty acids amount by 35%. Fatty acids composition analysis indicated that linoleic acid was the major fatty acid (58.09%) followed by oleic (19.21%) and palmitic (14.77%) acids. Salinity enhanced the linoleic acid percentage but did not affect the unsaturation degree of the fatty acids pool and thus the oil quality. The essential oil yield was 0.39% based on the dry weight and increased to 0.53, 0.56, and 0.72% at 20, 40, and 60 mM NaCl. Salinity results on the modification of the essential oil chemotype from p-cymene in controls to γ-terpinene/p-cymene in salt-stressed plants. The amounts of total phenolics were lower in the treated plants. Salinity decreased mainly the amount of the major class, benzoics acids, by 24, 29, and 44% at 20, 40, and 60 mM NaCl. The results suggest that salt treatment may regulate bioactive compounds production in black cumin fruits, influencing their nutritional and industrial values.

  5. Synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of acid-base bifunctional materials through protection of amino groups

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shao, Yanqiu [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023 (China); College of Chemistry, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang 157012 (China); Liu, Heng; Yu, Xiaofang [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023 (China); Guan, Jingqi, E-mail: guanjq@jlu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023 (China); Kan, Qiubin, E-mail: qkan@mail.jlu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023 (China)

    2012-03-15

    Graphical abstract: Acid-base bifunctional mesoporous material SO{sub 3}H-SBA-15-NH{sub 2} was successfully synthesized under low acidic medium through protection of amino groups. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The acid-base bifunctional material SO{sub 3}H-SBA-15-NH{sub 2} was successfully synthesized through protection of amino groups. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The obtained bifunctional material was tested for aldol condensation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The SO{sub 3}H-SBA-15-NH{sub 2} catalyst containing amine and sulfonic acid groups exhibited excellent acid-basic properties. -- Abstract: Acid-base bifunctional mesoporous material SO{sub 3}H-SBA-15-NH{sub 2} was successfully synthesized under low acidic medium through protection of amino groups. X-ray diffraction (XRD), N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption, transmission electron micrographs (TEM), back titration, {sup 13}C magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR and {sup 29}Si magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR were employed to characterize the synthesized materials. The obtained bifunctional material was tested for aldol condensation reaction between acetone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde. Compared with monofunctional catalysts of SO{sub 3}H-SBA-15 and SBA-15-NH{sub 2}, the bifunctional sample of SO{sub 3}H-SBA-15-NH{sub 2} containing amine and sulfonic acid groups exhibited excellent acid-basic properties, which make it possess high activity for the aldol condensation.

  6. Phenolic acids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, antioxidant activity, minerals and their correlations in non-pigmented, red, and black rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Yafang; Hu, Zhanqiang; Yu, Yonghong; Mou, Renxiang; Zhu, Zhiwei; Beta, Trust

    2018-01-15

    Soluble-free, soluble-conjugated, insoluble-bound phenolics and antioxidant activity, flavonoid (TFC), proanthocyanidins (TPAC), anthocyanins and minerals of fifteen whole rice grains with different colors were investigated. Soluble-free protocatechuic and vanillic acids were only quantified in black rice, which had the most quantities. Non-pigmented rice had no detectable conjugated protocatechuic and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acids both of which were found in black and red rice, respectively. The main bound phenolic acids were ferulic and p-coumaric, as well as 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic in red rice and protocatechuic and vanillic acids in black rice. Soluble-conjugated phenolics, TFC, and anthocyanins were negatively correlated with L ∗ , b ∗ , C and H° values. TPAC was positively correlated with a ∗ (Pblack rice groups. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. O2 electrocatalysis in acid media on iron naphthalocyanine impregnations. Effect of nitric acid treatment on different carbon black supports

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coowar, F.; Contamin, O.; Savy, M.; Scarbeck, G.; van den Ham, D.; Riga, J.; Verbist, J.J.

    1991-01-01

    O2 electrocatalysis on (2,3)FeNPc impregnations on different carbon blacks was investigated in H2SO4 medium. The effect of nitric acid treatment on the carbon black support is to enhance both the activity and stability of the catalyst. Moreover, as seen by XPS, the dissolution of iron is impeded by

  8. 2-Furoylmethyl amino acids as indicators of Maillard reaction during the elaboration of black garlic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ríos-Ríos, Karina L; Vázquez-Barrios, M Estela; Gaytán-Martínez, Marcela; Olano, Agustín; Montilla, Antonia; Villamiel, Mar

    2018-02-01

    This study reports the formation of 2-furomethyl-amino acids (2-FM-AA) as indicators of Maillard reaction (MR) in black garlic elaboration, followed by the determination of furosine by ion-pair RP-HPLC-UV. The method was assessed for accuracy, repeatability and detection and quantitation limits indicating its adequacy. Traditional procedure of black garlic obtainment and the inclusion of convective drying (CDP) and ohmic heating (OHP) were assayed. For comparison purposes, three commercial black garlic samples were used. Together with furosine (2-FM-lysine), 2-furoylmethyl-γ-aminobutyric acid and 2-FM-arginine were detected. Levels of furosine were higher in CDP (46.6-110.1mg/100g protein) than in OHP (13.7-42.0mg/100g protein) samples, probably due to the most severe processing conditions used in the former. These results highlight the suitability of 2-FM-AA as chemical indicators to monitor the process of black garlic elaboration in order to obtain high quality products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Cancer through black eyes - The views of UK based black men towards cancer: A constructivist grounded theory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulugeta, Betselot; Williamson, Susan; Monks, Rob; Hack, Thomas; Beaver, Kinta

    2017-08-01

    Little is known about black African (BA) and black African-Caribbean (BAC) men's views towards cancer; yet culture and acculturation can contribute to the way in which people understand, explain and develop their attitudes towards cancer. Hence, cancer prevention and early detection strategies may not be sensitive to United Kingdom (UK)-based black men's views, affecting their awareness of risk factors and early detection services. This study explored the views of UK-based BA and BAC men towards cancer. In collaboration with black community organisations based in four major cities in the UK, 25 participants were recruited using convenience and theoretical sampling methods. Data were collected using 33 semi-structured interviews, and analysed using grounded theory analytic procedures. One core category (cancer through black eyes) and seven sub-categories emerged; 'cultural views', 'religious beliefs', 'avoiding Babylon', 'alienation', 'suspicious mind', 'advertisements and information influence very little', and 'gap in service provision (bridging the gap)'. Participants' views towards cancer were linked to socially constructed perspectives, linked with cultural and religious beliefs, and shaped by what being a black male means in society. Risk factors such as smoking and obesity had different meanings and symbolisation through black eyes. There were macro- and micro-level similarities and differences between BA and BAC men. Cancer services and related public-health campaigns aimed at black men need to understand cancer through black eyes. Public health campaigns based solely on the clinical meaning of cancer are incongruent with black men's understandings of cancer, and therefore ineffective at reducing health inequality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Biosorption of the metal-complex dye Acid Black 172 by live and heat-treated biomass of Pseudomonas sp. strain DY1: Kinetics and sorption mechanisms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Du, Lin-Na; Wang, Bing [College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province (China); Li, Gang [Department of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology, 325006 Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province (China); Wang, Sheng [College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province (China); Crowley, David E., E-mail: crowley@ucr.edu [Department of Environmental Science, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Zhao, Yu-Hua, E-mail: yhzhao225@zju.edu.cn [College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province (China)

    2012-02-29

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The maximum amount of Acid Black 172 sorption was about 2.98 mmol/g biomass. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Amine groups played a major role in the biosorption of Acid Black 172. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The reasons of increased dye sorption by heat-treated biomass were proposed. - Abstract: The ability of Pseudomonas sp. strain DY1 to adsorb Acid Black 172 was studied to determine the kinetics and mechanisms involved in biosorption of the dye. Kinetic data for adsorption fit a pseudo-second-order model. Increased initial dye concentration could significantly enhance the amount of dye adsorbed by heat-treated biomass in which the maximum amount of dye adsorbed was as high as 2.98 mmol/g biomass, whereas it had no significant influence on dye sorption by live biomass. As treated temperature increased, the biomass showed gradual increase of dye sorption ability. Experiments using potentiometric titration and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that amine groups (NH{sub 2}) played a prominent role in biosorption of Acid Black 172. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis indicated that heat treatment of the biomass increased the permeability of the cell walls and denatured the intracellular proteins. The results of biosorption experiments by different cell components confirmed that intracellular proteins contributed to the increased biosorption of Acid Black 172 by heat-treated biomass. The data suggest that biomass produced by this strain may have application for removal of metal-complex dyes from wastewater streams generated from the dye products industry.

  11. Clustering of 18 Local Black Rice Base on Total Anthocyanin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristamtini Kristamtini

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Black rice has a high anthocyanin content in the pericarp layer, which provides a dark purple color. Anthocyanin serve as an antioxidant that control cholesterol level in the blood, prevent anemia, potentially improve the body's resistance to disease, improve damage to liver cells (hepatitis and chirrosis, prevent impaired kidney function, prevent cancer/tumors, slows down antiaging, and prevent atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Exploration results at AIAT Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 2011 to 2014 obtained 18 cultivar of local black rice Indonesia. The names of the rice are related to the color (black, red or purple formed by anthocyanin deposits in the pericarp layer, seed coat or aleuron. The objective of the study was to classify several types of local black rice from explorations based on the total anthocyanin content. The study was conducted by clustering analyzing the total anthocyanin content of 18 local black rice cultivars in Indonesia. Cluster analysis of total anthocyanin content were done using SAS ver. 9.2. Clustering dendogram shows that there were 4 groups of black rice cultivars based on the total anthocyanin content. Group I consists of Melik black rice, Patalan black rice, Yunianto black rice, Muharjo black rice, Ngatijo black rice, short life of Tugiyo black rice, Andel hitam 1, Jlitheng, and Sragen black rice. Group II consists of Pari ireng, Magelang black hairy rice, Banjarnegara-Wonosobo black rice, and Banjarnegara black rice. Group III consists of NTT black rice, Magelang non hairy black rice, Sembada hitam, and longevity Tugiyo black rice. Group IV consist only one type of black rice namely Cempo ireng. The grouping result indicate the existence of duplicate names among the black rice namely Patalan with Yunianto black rice, and short life Tugiyo with Andel hitam 1 black rice.

  12. Optimization of Acid Black 172 decolorization by electrocoagulation using response surface methodology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    This paper utilizes a statistical approach, the response surface optimization methodology, to determine the optimum conditions for the Acid Black 172 dye removal efficiency from aqueous solution by electrocoagulation. The experimental parameters investigated were initial pH: 4–10; initial dye concentration: 0–600 mg/L; applied current: 0.5-3.5 A and reaction time: 3–15 min. These parameters were changed at five levels according to the central composite design to evaluate their effects on decolorization through analysis of variance. High R2 value of 94.48% shows a high correlation between the experimental and predicted values and expresses that the second-order regression model is acceptable for Acid Black 172 dye removal efficiency. It was also found that some interactions and squares influenced the electrocoagulation performance as well as the selected parameters. Optimum dye removal efficiency of 90.4% was observed experimentally at initial pH of 7, initial dye concentration of 300 mg/L, applied current of 2 A and reaction time of 9.16 min, which is close to model predicted (90%) result. PMID:23369574

  13. Black hole based tests of general relativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yagi, Kent; Stein, Leo C

    2016-01-01

    General relativity has passed all solar system experiments and neutron star based tests, such as binary pulsar observations, with flying colors. A more exotic arena for testing general relativity is in systems that contain one or more black holes. Black holes are the most compact objects in the Universe, providing probes of the strongest-possible gravitational fields. We are motivated to study strong-field gravity since many theories give large deviations from general relativity only at large field strengths, while recovering the weak-field behavior. In this article, we review how one can probe general relativity and various alternative theories of gravity by using electromagnetic waves from a black hole with an accretion disk, and gravitational waves from black hole binaries. We first review model-independent ways of testing gravity with electromagnetic/gravitational waves from a black hole system. We then focus on selected examples of theories that extend general relativity in rather simple ways. Some important characteristics of general relativity include (but are not limited to) (i) only tensor gravitational degrees of freedom, (ii) the graviton is massless, (iii) no quadratic or higher curvatures in the action, and (iv) the theory is four-dimensional. Altering a characteristic leads to a different extension of general relativity: (i) scalar–tensor theories, (ii) massive gravity theories, (iii) quadratic gravity, and (iv) theories with large extra dimensions. Within each theory, we describe black hole solutions, their properties, and current and projected constraints on each theory using black hole based tests of gravity. We close this review by listing some of the open problems in model-independent tests and within each specific theory. (paper)

  14. Fatty acids composition of Spanish black (Morus nigra L.) and white (Morus alba L.) mulberries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Salcedo, Eva M; Sendra, Esther; Carbonell-Barrachina, Ángel A; Martínez, Juan José; Hernández, Francisca

    2016-01-01

    This research has determined qualitatively and quantitatively the fatty acids composition of white (Morus alba) and black (Morus nigra) fruits grown in Spain, in 2013 and 2014. Four clones of each species were studied. Fourteen fatty acids were identified and quantified in mulberry fruits. The most abundant fatty acids were linoleic (C18:2), palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1), and stearic (C18:0) acids in both species. The main fatty acid in all clones was linoleic (C18:2), that ranged from 69.66% (MN2) to 78.02% (MA1) of the total fatty acid content; consequently Spanish mulberry fruits were found to be rich in linoleic acid, which is an essential fatty acid. The fatty acid composition of mulberries highlights the nutritional and health benefits of their consumption. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Nutritional and fatty acid profiles of sun-dried edible black ants (Polyrhachis vicina Roger

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duo Li

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Determination of the nutritional composition of sun-dried edible black ants (Polyrhachis vicina Roger cultivated in Zhejiang and Guizhou Provinces, China, was carried out. The Zhejiang and Guizhou ants contained 31.5% and 41.5% protein, 15.7% and 15.9% lipid, and 25.4% and 26.4% fibre respectively. Monounsaturated fatty acids were the most predominant fatty acids (71.472.7% of total fatty acids found in both ant samples, followed by saturated fatty acids (23.825.5% and polyunsaturated fatty acids (3.13.7%. A significant amount of n-3 fatty acids was detected: 87.4 mg/100g and 145.6 mg/100g in Zhejiang and Guizhou ants respectively. Phosphorus, iron and calcium were the main minerals found in the ant samples. A small amount of selenium was also found.

  16. Black hole thermodynamics based on unitary evolutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Yu-Lei; Chen, Yi-Xin

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we try to construct black hole thermodynamics based on the fact that the formation and evaporation of a black hole can be described by quantum unitary evolutions. First, we show that the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy S BH may not be a Boltzmann or thermal entropy. To confirm this statement, we show that the original black hole's ‘first law’ may not simply be treated as the first law of thermodynamics formally, due to some missing metric perturbations caused by matter. Then, by including those (quantum) metric perturbations, we show that the black hole formation and evaporation can be described effectively in a unitary manner, through a quantum channel between the exterior and interior of the event horizon. In this way, the paradoxes of information loss and firewall can be resolved effectively. Finally, we show that black hole thermodynamics can be constructed in an ordinary way, by constructing statistical mechanics. (paper)

  17. Carbon nanotube-based black coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehman, J.; Yung, C.; Tomlin, N.; Conklin, D.; Stephens, M.

    2018-03-01

    Coatings comprising carbon nanotubes are very black, that is, characterized by uniformly low reflectance over a broad range of wavelengths from the visible to far infrared. Arguably, there is no other material that is comparable. This is attributable to the intrinsic properties of graphitic material as well as the morphology (density, thickness, disorder, and tube size). We briefly describe a history of other coatings such as nickel phosphorous, gold black, and carbon-based paints and the comparable structural morphology that we associate with very black coatings. The need for black coatings is persistent for a variety of applications ranging from baffles and traps to blackbodies and thermal detectors. Applications for space-based instruments are of interest and we present a review of space qualification and the results of outgassing measurements. Questions of nanoparticle safety depend on the nanotube size and aspect ratio as well as the nature and route of exposure. We describe the growth of carbon nanotube forests along with the catalyst requirements and temperature limitations. We also describe coatings derived from carbon nanotubes and applied like paint. Building the measurement apparatus and determining the optical properties of something having negligible reflectance are challenging and we summarize the methods and means for such measurements. There exists information in the literature for effective media approximations to model the dielectric function of vertically aligned arrays. We summarize this along with the refractive index of graphite from the literature that is necessary for modeling the optical properties. In our experience, the scientific questions can be overshadowed by practical matters, so we provide an appendix of recipes for making as-grown and sprayed coatings along with an example of reflectance measurements.

  18. Higher acid-chlorite reactivity of cell corner middle lamella lignin in black spruce

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umesh P. Agarwal

    2007-01-01

    To determine if there was a delignification behavior difference between secondary wall (S2) and middle lamella (cell corner or CC) lignin, black spruce cross-sections were acid-chlorite delignified and the tissue was evaluated in-situ by Raman imaging. Lignin concentration in S2 and CC was determined in numerous latewood cell areas in the two hour delignified cross...

  19. DNA-based population density estimation of black bear at northern ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) microsatellites from hair samples obtained by the non-invasive method of traps was used to estimate the population density of black bears (Ursus americanus eremicus) in a mountain located at the county of Lampazos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The genotyping of bears was ...

  20. Fiber-based broadband black-light source

    OpenAIRE

    Sylvestre , Thibaut; Lee , Min Won; Ragueh , A. R.; Stiller , Birgit; Fanjoux , Gil; Barviau , B.; Mussot , A.; Kudlinski , A.

    2012-01-01

    International audience; Black-Light or Wood's lamp refers to sources that emit long-wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UV-A) from 315 nm and little visible light till 410 nm (blue). In this paper, we present a new fibre-based source of "black light", a source that emits broadband ultraviolet radiation but only small amounts of visible light and no infrared light. We made this source by pumping a specially designed silica photonic crystal fibre (PCF) with 355 nm light pulses from a Q-switched f...

  1. THE ROLE OF BACTERIAL SYMBIONTS IN AMINO ACID COMPOSITION OF BLACK BEAN APHIDS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    MingGan; De-ChengDing; Xue-xiaMiao

    2003-01-01

    To evaluate the role of bacterial symbionts ( Buchnera spp. ) in the black bean aphids ( Aphis craccivora Koch), the aphids were treated with the antibiotic, rifampicin, to eliminate their intracellular symbiotic bacteria. Analysis of protein and amino acid concentration in 7-day-old of aposymbiotic aphids showed that the total protein content per mg fresh weight was significantly reduced by 29 %, but free amino acid titers were increased by 17% . The ratio of the essential amino acids was in general only around 20% essential amino acids in phloem sap of broad bean, whereas it was 44% and 37% in symbiotic and aposymbiotic aphids, respectively,suggesting that the composition of the free amino acids was unbalanced. For example, the essential amino acid,threonine represented 21. 6% of essential amino acids in symbiotic aphids, but it was only 16.7% in aposymbiotic aphids. Likewise, two nonessential amino acids, tyrosine and serine, represented 8.9% and 5.6% of total amino acids in symbiontic aphids, respectively, but they enhanced to 21.1% and 13.6% in aposymbiotic aphids. It seems likely that the elevated free amino acid concentration in aposymbiotic aphids was caused by the limited protein anabolism as the result of the unbalanced amino acid composition.

  2. Development of an Electrochemical Sensor for NADH Determination Based on a Caffeic Acid Redox Mediator Supported on Carbon Black

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiara Zanardi

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Screen-printed electrode (SPE modified with carbon black nanoparticles (CB has been tested as a new platform for the stable deposition of caffeic acid (CFA on the electrode surface. The electrochemical performance from varying the amount of CFA/CB composite has been tested with respect to NADH determination. The electrocatalytic activity of CFA/CB has also been compared with that of SPEs modified by a single component of the coating, i.e., either CFA or CB. Finally, glycerol dehydrogenase, a typical NADH-dependent enzyme, was deposited on the CFA/CB coating in order to test the applicability of the sensor in glycerol determination.

  3. Increased Pre- and Post-Meal Free Fatty Acid Levels in Black, Obese Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cazeau, Rachel-Marie; Rauch, Lindsey; Huang, Hong; Bauer, John A; Hoffman, Robert P

    2016-09-01

    Black adolescents are at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease but have lower fasting triglyceride, which is usually associated with decreased risk. No one has studied racial differences in triglycerides or free fatty acids (FFAs) after a high-fat meal. Oral glucose tolerance testing was used to assess insulin secretion, sensitivity, and disposition index (DI). Endothelial function, triglycerides, FFA, c-reactive protein, interleukin 6 (IL6), and adiponectin were measured both pre- and 3 hr postprandially (McDonald's Big Breakfast(®) and 12 ounce Sprite(®)) in obese adolescents (10-13 years, 9 black and 7 white). Endothelial function was assessed using reactive hyperemic changes in forearm vascular resistance (FVR). Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) showed no difference in insulin sensitivity, but blacks tended to have (P = 0.08) higher insulin secretion and had increased DI (P = 0.003). After a high-fat meal, triglycerides increased in both groups (P < 0.001), tended to be lower in blacks compared with whites preprandially (64 ± 33 mg/dL vs 110 ± 80, P = 0.064), and was lower postprandially (112 ± 63 vs 188 ± 112, P = 0.039). Pre- and postprandial FFA (Black: 0.58 ± 0.15 and 0.39 ± 0.18 vs. white: 0.44 ± 0.14 and 0.26 ± 0.06, P = 0.020) and adiponectin (P = 0.002) were increased in blacks. FFA decreased in both groups postprandially (P = 0.002). IL6 increased after the meal (P = 0.022). Endothelial function decreased postprandially (P < 0.02), but this was due to a decrease in preocclusion FVR. These results indicate that differences in fat metabolism are present in both black and white obese adolescents. How these differences explain higher rates of cardiometabolic disease in blacks is unclear.

  4. REDSHIFT EVOLUTION IN BLACK HOLE-BULGE RELATIONS: TESTING C IV-BASED BLACK HOLE MASSES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greene, Jenny E.; Peng, Chien Y.; Ludwig, Randi R.

    2010-01-01

    We re-examine claims for redshift evolution in black hole-bulge scaling relations based on lensed quasars. In particular, we refine the black hole (BH) mass estimates using measurements of Balmer lines from near-infrared spectroscopy obtained with Triplespec at Apache Point Observatory. In support of previous work, we find a large scatter between Balmer and UV line widths, both Mg IIλλ2796, 2803 and C IVλλ1548, 1550. There is tentative evidence that C III]λ1909, despite being a blend of multiple transitions, may correlate well with Mg II, although a larger sample is needed for a real calibration. Most importantly, we find no systematic changes in the estimated BH masses for the lensed sample based on Balmer lines, providing additional support to the interpretation that black holes were overly massive compared to their host galaxies at high redshift.

  5. Alcoholic Beverages Obtained from Black Mulberry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacinto Darias-Martín

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Black mulberry (Morus nigra is a fruit not known only for its nutritional qualities and its flavour, but also for its traditional use in natural medicine as it has a high content of active therapeutic compounds. However, this fruit is not widely produced in Spain but some trees are still found growing in the Canary Islands, particularly on the edges of the ravine. The inhabitants of these islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro and Lanzarote collect the fruit and prepare homemade beverages for medicinal purposes. Numerous authors have reported that type II diabetes mellitus can be controlled by taking a mixture containing black mulberry and water. Apart from that, this fruit has been used for the treatment of mouth, tongue and throat inflammations. In this study we present some characteristics of black mulberry juice (TSS, pH, titratable acidity, citric acid, lactic acid, polyphenols, anthocyanins, the potassium etc. and alcoholic beverages (alcoholic grade, pH, total acidity, volatile acidity, tannins, phenols etc. obtained from black mulberry. Moreover, we have studied the quality of liquors obtained from black mulberry in Canary Islands.

  6. Acids and bases solvent effects on acid-base strenght

    CERN Document Server

    Cox, Brian G

    2013-01-01

    Acids and bases are ubiquitous in chemistry. Our understanding of them, however, is dominated by their behaviour in water. Transfer to non-aqueous solvents leads to profound changes in acid-base strengths and to the rates and equilibria of many processes: for example, synthetic reactions involving acids, bases and nucleophiles; isolation of pharmaceutical actives through salt formation; formation of zwitter- ions in amino acids; and chromatographic separation of substrates. This book seeks to enhance our understanding of acids and bases by reviewing and analysing their behaviour in non-aqueous solvents. The behaviour is related where possible to that in water, but correlations and contrasts between solvents are also presented.

  7. Metal dispersion in groundwater in an area with natural and processed black shale - Nationwide perspective and comparison with acid sulfate soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lavergren, Ulf; Astroem, Mats E.; Falk, Helena; Bergbaeck, Bo

    2009-01-01

    Black shale is often rich in sulfides and trace elements, and is thus a potential environmental threat in a manner similar to acid sulfate soils and active or abandoned sulfide mines. This study aims at characterising how exposed and processed (mined and burnt) black shale (alum shale) in Degerhamn, SE Sweden, affects the chemistry (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, K, Si, Na, Sr, S, U, V and Zn) of the groundwater. There were large variations in groundwater chemistry between nearby sampling points, while the temporal variations generally were small. Acidic groundwater (around pH 4), found in deposits of burnt and carbonate-poor shale where the conditions for sulfide oxidation were favourable, was strongly elevated in Al, U and several chalcophilic metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni and Zn). Cadmium and U were also, together with Mo, abundant in many of the near-neutral waters, both in the non-mined black shale bedrock and in the deposits of burnt shale. An extrapolation to a national level suggests that the dispersion of Ni from naturally occurring black shale is similar to that from anthropogenic point sources, while for Cd and As it is assessed to be approximately one tenth of that from point sources. The processed shale was, however, a much larger source of metals than the black shale bedrock itself, showing this material's potential as a massive supplier of metals to the aquatic environment. A comparison of waters in contact with the processed Cambrian-Ordovician black shale in Degerhamn and acid sulfate soils of the region shows that these two sulfide-bearing materials, in many respects very different, delivers basically the same suite of trace elements to the aquatic environment. This has implications for environmental planning and protection in areas where these types of materials exist

  8. Further Rehabilitating CIV-based Black Hole Mass Estimates in Quasars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brotherton, Michael S.; Runnoe, Jessie C.; Shang, Zhaohui; Varju, Melinda

    2016-06-01

    Virial black hole masses are routinely estimated for high-redshift quasars using the C IV lambda 1549 emission line using single-epoch spectra that provide a gas velocity and a continuum luminosity. Such masses are very uncertain, however, especially because C IV likely possesses a non-virial component that varies with the Eddington ratio. We have previously used the 1400 feature, a blend of S i IV and O IV] emission that does not suffer the problems of C IV, to rehabilitate C IV-based mases by providing a correction term. The C IV profile itself, however, provides enough information to correct the black hole masses and remove the effects of the non-virial component. We use Mg II-based black hole masses to calibrate and test a new C IV-based black hole mass formula using only C IV and continuum measurements superior to existing formulations, as well as to test for additional dependencies on luminosity.

  9. Enhanced performance of VOx-based bolometer using patterned gold black absorber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Evan M.; Panjwani, Deep; Ginn, James; Warren, Andrew; Long, Christopher; Figuieredo, Pedro; Smith, Christian; Perlstein, Joshua; Walter, Nick; Hirschmugl, Carol; Peale, Robert E.; Shelton, David J.

    2015-06-01

    Patterned highly absorbing gold black film has been selectively deposited on the active surfaces of a vanadium-oxide-based infrared bolometer array. Patterning by metal lift-off relies on protection of the fragile gold black with an evaporated oxide, which preserves gold black's near unity absorption. This patterned gold black also survives the dry-etch removal of the sacrificial polyimide used to fabricate the air-bridge bolometers. Infrared responsivity is substantially improved by the gold black coating without significantly increasing noise. The increase in the time constant caused by the additional mass of gold black is a modest 14%.

  10. Nonenzymatic determination of glucose at near neutral pH values based on the use of nafion and platinum black coated microneedle electrode array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinnadayyala, Somasekhar R; Park, Ilhwan; Cho, Sungbo

    2018-04-07

    The authors report on a microneedle-based amperometric nonenzymatic glucose sensor for painless and continuous monitoring of glucose. It consists of 3 × 5 sharp stainless steel microneedles micromachined from a stainless steel substrate. The microneedles are 600 and 100 μm in height and width, respectively. Nafion and platinum black were sequentially coated onto the tip of gold-coated microneedles and used for nonenzymatic (direct) sensing of glucose. Attractive features of the modified microneedle electrode include (a) a low working potential (+0.12 V vs. Ag/AgCl), (b) a linear response in the physiologically relevant range (1-40 mM), (c) a sensitivity as high as 175 μA mM -1  cm -2 , (d) a 23 μM detection limit, and (e) a response time of 2 s. The sensor also exhibits good reproducibility and stability. The sensor is selective for glucose even in the presence of 10-fold higher concentrations of ascorbic acid, lactic acid, dopamine, uric acid, and acetaminophen. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the fabrication sequence for a nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor using Nafion and platinum black coated microneedle electrode array. The sensor is based on measuring the faradaic current at +0.12 V vs. Ag/AgCl by the direct electrochemical oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid on the surface of a Pt black sensing layer.

  11. Effects of high pressure processing on fatty acid composition and volatile compounds in Korean native black goat meat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Geunho; Cho, Soohyun; Seong, Pilnam; Park, Beomyoung; Kim, Sangwoo; Kim, Donghun; Kim, Youngjun; Kang, Sunmun; Park, Kyoungmi

    2013-08-01

    This study investigated the effects of high pressure processing (HPP) on fatty acid composition and volatile compounds in Korean native black goat (KNBG) meat. Fatty acid content in KNBG meat was not significantly (p > 0.05) different among the control goats and those subjected HPP. The 9,12-octadecadienoic acid and octadecanoic acid, well-known causes of off-flavors, were detected from meat of some KNBG. A difference between the control and HPP treatment was observed in the discriminated function analysis using an electronic nose. The results suggest that the volatile compounds in KNBG meat were affected by HPP.

  12. Process of super-black shading material applied to the star sensor based on Ni-P alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Fengdeng; Xing, Fei; Wu, Yuelong; You, Zheng

    2014-12-01

    Super-black materials based on Nanotechnology have very important applications in many science fields. Super-black materials which have been reported currently, although have excellent light-trapping properties, most of them need the use of sophisticated equipment , the long-time synthesis , high temperature environment and release flammable, explosive and other dangerous gases. So many kinds of problems have hindered the application of such super-black material in practice. This project had nano super-black material developed with simple equipment and process, instead of complicated and dangerous process steps in high temperature and high pressure. On the basis of literature research, we successfully worked out a set of large-area Ni-P alloy plating method through a series of experiments exploring and analyze the experimental results. In the condition of the above Ni-P alloy, we took the solution, which anodized the Ni-P alloy immersed in the non-oxidizing acid, instead of conventional blackening process. It`s a big break for changing the situation in which oxidation, corrosion, vigorous evolution of hydrogen gas in the process are performed at the same location. As a result, not only the reaction process decreased sensitivity to time error, but also the position of the bubble layer no longer located in the surface of the workpiece which may impede observing the process of reaction. Consequently, the solution improved the controllability of the blackening process. In addition, we conducted the research of nano super-black material, exploring nano-super-black material in terms of space optical sensor.

  13. Effect of Salicylic Acid on Yield, Component Yield and Essential Oil of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L. under Water Deficit Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Rezaei Chiyaneh

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Since the production of medicinal plants can be influenced by environmental factors such as water limitation. In other hand salicylic acid as a plant regulator can enhance drought resistance in plants. In order to investigate the effect of different irrigation intervals on yield, yield components and essential oil of black cumin (Nigella sativa L., a field experiment was conducted a farm located in West Azerbaijan province- city Nagadeh, West- Azerbaijan, during growing season of 2011- 2012. The experiment was arranged as split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrigation intervals (6, 12 and 18 days and three levels of salicylic acid concentration (0, 0.5 and 1 mM considered as in main plots and sub-plots, respectively. Results showed that irrigation had significant effects on all characteristics such as Plant height, number of follicule per plant, number of seed per follicule, biological yield, grain yield, essential oil content and essential oil yield with the exception of 1000- seed weight. With increasing irrigation intervals from 6 to 18 days, plant height, number of follicule per plant, number of seed per follicule, biological yield, grain yield, essential oil percentage and essential oil yield were decreased up to 49, 52, 40, 35, 43, 20 and 55 %, respectively. In contrast, yield components and yield were enhanced up to treatments 0.5 mM of salicylic acid. Grain yield and essential oil yield with application of 0.5 mM salicylic acid increased up to 13 and 11 % compared to control, respectively. It seems that due to the limited sources of water in the region irrigation after 12 days and 0.5 mM salicylic acid concentration are suitable for black cumin grain production.

  14. The stability of rutin and chlorogenic acid during the processing of black elder (Sambucus nigra) inflorescence

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dadáková, E.; Vrchotová, Naděžda; Chmelová, Š.; Šerá, Božena

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 40, č. 3 (2011), s. 327-334 ISSN 0139-3006 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA525/05/2546 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520 Keywords : black elder * Sambucus nigra L * rutin * chlorogenic acid * high-performance liquid chromatography * micellar electrokinetic chromatography Subject RIV: GM - Food Processing Impact factor: 0.444, year: 2011

  15. Influence of photoperiod and temperature on frost hardiness and free amino acid concentrations in black spruce seedlings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-01-01

    Because photoperiod and temperature both influence amino acid metabolism in plants, seasonal reductions in day length and temperature may be responsible for the changes in amino acid concentrations that occur in conifers with the onset of winter. Since such fluctuations in conifers occur in association with the development of frost hardiness, it has been suggested that the accumulation of specific free amino acids may be related to the development of frost hardiness. This study was designed to determine the effects of photoperiod and temperature on proline, arginine, and tryptophan concentrations in the shoots of black spruce seedlings in relation to the development of hardiness to -20C.

  16. Phytochemistry of cimicifugic acids and associated bases in Cimicifuga racemosa root extracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gödecke, Tanja; Nikolic, Dejan; Lankin, David C; Chen, Shao-Nong; Powell, Sharla L; Dietz, Birgit; Bolton, Judy L; van Breemen, Richard B; Farnsworth, Norman R; Pauli, Guido F

    2009-01-01

    Earlier studies reported serotonergic activity for cimicifugic acids (CA) isolated from Cimicifuga racemosa. The discovery of strongly basic alkaloids, cimipronidines, from the active extract partition and evaluation of previously employed work-up procedures has led to the hypothesis of strong acid/base association in the extract. Re-isolation of the CAs was desired to permit further detailed studies. Based on the acid/base association hypothesis, a new separation scheme of the active partition was required, which separates acids from associated bases. A new 5-HT(7) bioassay guided work-up procedure was developed that concentrates activity into one partition. The latter was subjected to a new two-step centrifugal partitioning chromatography (CPC) method, which applies pH zone refinement gradient (pHZR CPC) to dissociate the acid/base complexes. The resulting CA fraction was subjected to a second CPC step. Fractions and compounds were monitored by (1)H NMR using a structure-based spin-pattern analysis facilitating dereplication of the known acids. Bioassay results were obtained for the pHZR CPC fractions and for purified CAs. A new CA was characterised. While none of the pure CAs was active, the serotonergic activity was concentrated in a single pHZR CPC fraction, which was subsequently shown to contain low levels of the potent 5-HT(7) ligand, N(omega)-methylserotonin. This study shows that CAs are not responsible for serotonergic activity in black cohosh. New phytochemical methodology (pHZR CPC) and a sensitive dereplication method (LC-MS) led to the identification of N(omega)-methylserotonin as serotonergic active principle. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. A Black Theological Response to Race-Based Medicine: Reconciliation in Minority Communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kirk A

    2017-06-01

    The harm race-based medicine inflicts on minority bodies through race-based experimentation and the false solutions a race-based drug ensues within minority communities provokes concern. Such areas analyze the minority patient in a physical proxy. Though the mind and body are important entities, we cannot forget about the spirit. Healing is not just a physical practice; it includes spiritual practice. Efficient medicine includes the holistic elements of the mind, body, and spirit. Therefore, the spiritual discipline of black theology can be used as a tool to mend the harms of race-based medicine. It can be an avenue of research to further particular concerns for justice in medical care . Such theology contributes to the discussion of race-based medicine indicating the need for the voice, participation, and interdependence of minorities. Black theology can be used as a tool of healing and empowerment for health equity and awareness by exploring black theology's response to race-based medicine, analyzing race in biblical literature, using biblical literature as a tool for minority patient empowerment, building on past and current black church health advocacy with personal leadership in health advocacy.

  18. VBSM: VCC-Based Black Box Service Model with Enhanced Data Integrity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Won Min Kang

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Recently, intelligent transport systems have been applied to vehicle cloud environments. Such technology is especially useful for the systematic management of road traffic. Moreover, automobiles are increasingly equipped with a black box for accident prevention and preservation of evidence. Vehicle black boxes have become mandatory because black box images and voice data have served as forensic evidence in courts. However, the data from black boxes can be forged or modified by man-in-the-middle (MITM attacks and message hijacking. In this paper, we propose a vehicle cloud computing-based black box service model that can provide integrity for black box data through digital signatures in vehicle cloud computing (VCC environments. Our proposed model protects against MITM attacks and message hijacking using only a hash value and digital signature. Moreover, a mirroring technique (RAID 1 provides backup and recovery to protect the data from a traffic accident.

  19. The Acid-Base Titration of a Very Weak Acid: Boric Acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celeste, M.; Azevedo, C.; Cavaleiro, Ana M. V.

    2012-01-01

    A laboratory experiment based on the titration of boric acid with strong base in the presence of d-mannitol is described. Boric acid is a very weak acid and direct titration with NaOH is not possible. An auxiliary reagent that contributes to the release of protons in a known stoichiometry facilitates the acid-base titration. Students obtain the…

  20. Studies on inhibition characteristics of corn steep liquor and black sulphite liquor on corrosion of mild steel in acid media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deb, P C; Mukherjea, R N

    1968-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to economically reduce the attack by acid on the parent metal, during the process of removing mill scale by acid pickling. Two inhibitors, by-products of the starch industry and pulp industry, were studied due to their cheapness and availability in India. The inhibition efficiency of the corn steep liquor and black sulfite liquor was found to be below that of thiourea. For example, in 6.2% (w/w) H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ (at 50/sup 0/C), an inhibition efficiency of 90.5% and 84.5% is reached for inhibitor concentrations of 10 g per liter in the case of corn steep liquor and black sulfite liquor, respectively, while a concentration of 0.25 g per liter of thiourea was required to reach an inhibition efficiency of 98.6%.

  1. Nutritional evaluation of aquaculture mussels (M. galloprovincialis from the Black Sea, Bulgaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Merdzhanova Albena

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In recent years black mussels are one of the most commercially important species from the Bulgarian Black Sea. The marine mollusks are valuable healthy food, low in calories and fats and high in proteins. They are a major dietary source of fat soluble pigments - astaxanthin, carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA. To our knowledge the information about the nutritional quality of mussels from the Bulgarian Black Sea waters, based on chemical composition, fat soluble pigments, cholesterol and PUFA content is very limited. The aim of the present study is to determine and compare protein, lipid, carbohydrate and energy values, fat soluble pigments, cholesterol and fatty acid composition in farmed mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Bulgarian northern and southern parts of the Black Sea coast. The mussel samples were analyzed for lipids (Bligh & Dyer method, crude proteins (Kjeldahl method, carbohydrates and moistures according to the AOAC (1990 methods. Fatty acids were analyzed by the GC-MS system. Fat soluble pigments and cholesterol were analyzed simultaneously by the RP-HPLC system. Lipid and protein content were found to be higher in mussels from the northern region. In accordance with the Commission Regulation (EC No. 116/2010 all analyzed mussel samples can be classified as high in protein and low in fats and carbohydrates. The amount of cholesterol, contained in all mussel populations is significantly low, while the omega-3 (n-3 is significantly higher than the omega-6 PUFA. A portion of 100 g edible tissue provides 0.500 g more of the required amount of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3 PUFA according to EFSA (2012. It can be concluded that the studied mussel aquaculture in the Black Sea is beneficial food for the human health and it is advisable to be part of a proper or a preventive diet of Bulgarian consumers.

  2. Comprehensive NMR analysis of compositional changes of black garlic during thermal processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Tingfu; Wei, Feifei; Lu, Yi; Kodani, Yoshinori; Nakada, Mitsuhiko; Miyakawa, Takuya; Tanokura, Masaru

    2015-01-21

    Black garlic is a processed food product obtained by subjecting whole raw garlic to thermal processing that causes chemical reactions, such as the Maillard reaction, which change the composition of the garlic. In this paper, we report a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based comprehensive analysis of raw garlic and black garlic extracts to determine the compositional changes resulting from thermal processing. (1)H NMR spectra with a detailed signal assignment showed that 38 components were altered by thermal processing of raw garlic. For example, the contents of 11 l-amino acids increased during the first step of thermal processing over 5 days and then decreased. Multivariate data analysis revealed changes in the contents of fructose, glucose, acetic acid, formic acid, pyroglutamic acid, cycloalliin, and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (5-HMF). Our results provide comprehensive information on changes in NMR-detectable components during thermal processing of whole garlic.

  3. Church-Based Social Support Among Caribbean Blacks in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Ann W.; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Chatters, Linda M.

    2016-01-01

    An emerging body of research notes the importance of church-based social support networks in the daily lives of Americans. However, few studies examine church-based support, and especially among ethnic subgroups within the U.S. Black population, such as Caribbean Blacks. This study uses data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to examine demographic and religious participation (e.g., attendance, interaction) correlates of church-based social support (e.g., receipt of emotional support, receipt of general support, provision of support to others, and negative interaction) among Caribbean Blacks residing in the U.S. Multiple regression analyses indicated that religious participation was associated with all four dependent variables. Church attendance was positively associated with receiving emotional support, general social support, and providing support to others, but was not associated with negative interaction. Frequency of interaction with fellow congregants was positively associated with receiving emotional support, receiving general support, providing support to others and negative interaction. Demographic findings indicated that women provided more support to church members and experienced more negative interactions with members than did men. Education was positively associated with frequency of support; household income was negatively associated with receiving emotional support and providing social support to others. Findings are discussed in relation to the role of church-based support networks in the lives of Caribbean Black immigrants and communities. PMID:27942078

  4. Binding constants of Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus Coat Protein with ferulic acid derivatives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Longlu Ran

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The data present binding constants between ferulic acid derivatives and the Coat Protein (P10 by fluorescence titration in this article, which is hosted in the research article entitled “Interaction Research on an Antiviral Molecule that Targets the Coat Protein of Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus’’ (Ran et al., 2017 [1]. The data include fluorescence quenching spectrum, Stern–Volmer quenching constants, and binding parameters. In this article, a more comprehensive data interpretation and analysis is explained.

  5. Recovery of uranium from uranium bearing black shale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Amrita; Yadav, Manoj; Singh, Ajay K.

    2016-01-01

    Black shale is the unconventional resource of uranium. Recovery of uranium from black shale has been carried out by the following steps: i) size reduction, ii) leaching of uranium in the aqueous medium, iii) fluoride ion removal, iv) solvent extraction of uranium from the aqueous leach solution, v) scrubbing of the loaded solvent after extraction to remove impurities as much as possible and vi) stripping of uranium from the loaded organic into the aqueous phase. Leaching of black shale has been carried out in hydrochloric acid. Free acidity of the leach solution has been determined by potentiometric titration method. Removal of fluoride ions has been done using sodium chloride. Solvent extraction has been carried out by both tributyl phosphate and alamine-336 as extractants. Scrubbing has been tried with oxalic acid and sulphuric acid. Stripping with sodium carbonate solution has been carried out. Overall recovery of uranium is 95%. (author)

  6. Spectroscopy of Kerr Black Holes with Earth- and Space-Based Interferometers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berti, Emanuele; Sesana, Alberto; Barausse, Enrico; Cardoso, Vitor; Belczynski, Krzysztof

    2016-09-02

    We estimate the potential of present and future interferometric gravitational-wave detectors to test the Kerr nature of black holes through "gravitational spectroscopy," i.e., the measurement of multiple quasinormal mode frequencies from the remnant of a black hole merger. Using population synthesis models of the formation and evolution of stellar-mass black hole binaries, we find that Voyager-class interferometers will be necessary to perform these tests. Gravitational spectroscopy in the local Universe may become routine with the Einstein Telescope, but a 40-km facility like Cosmic Explorer is necessary to go beyond z∼3. In contrast, detectors like eLISA (evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) should carry out a few-or even hundreds-of these tests every year, depending on uncertainties in massive black hole formation models. Many space-based spectroscopical measurements will occur at high redshift, testing the strong gravity dynamics of Kerr black holes in domains where cosmological corrections to general relativity (if they occur in nature) must be significant.

  7. Graft polymerization of vynil monomers at carbon black surface (1)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haryono Arumbinang.

    1976-01-01

    Effect of aromatic condensates containing functional group on carbon black surface, effect of pH condensates on carbon black chemisorption, analysis and configuration of functional group, the crystal structure, property measurement standard, particle diameter measurement, oil adsorption, colour capacity, volatile acid content, electric resistence and the volume of the granular or carbon black dust, are given. Electron paramagnetic resonance determination of the amount of free radicals on carbon black surface, its oxidation and effects on the surface and inner structure of carbon black, and graft polymerization by radiation copolymerization, are discussed. Experiments on radiation graft copolymerization by acrylic acid, methacrylate, and glycidol methacrylate, in a vacuum condition, have been carried out. It is concluded that further research on the modification and configuration of carbon black should be developed. (author)

  8. Influence of black tea concentrate on kombucha fermentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malbaša Radomir V.

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Kombucha is cultivated on substrates prepared with different concentrations of black tea and substrate obtained by diluting a substrate with highest concentration of black tea with cold tap water. Qualify of produced beverages is compared with the beverage obtained in traditional fermentation of 1.5 g/L of black tea, sweetened with 70 g/L of sucrose. Inoculation was performed with 10% (v/v of fermentation liquid from previous process, and the fermentation was carried out at 28°C under aerobic conditions, for ten days. Process of fermentation was monitored by following pH, total acids. D-gluconic acid and caffeine content. Beverages obtained in fermentation with diluted black tea concentrate had similar amounts of investigated metabolites compared with traditional one. Use of diluted black tea concentrate as a substrate needs the shorter time for the substrate preparation, which significantly saves energy.

  9. Black silicon with black bus-bar strings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Tang, Peter Torben; Mizushima, Io

    2016-01-01

    We present the combination of black silicon texturing and blackened bus-bar strings as a potential method for obtaining all-black solar panels, while using conventional, front-contacted solar cells. Black silicon was realized by mask-less reactive ion etching resulting in total, average reflectance...... below 0.5% across a 156x156 mm2 silicon wafer. Black bus-bars were realized by oxidized copper resulting in reflectance below 3% in the entire visible wavelength range. The combination of these two technologies may result in aesthetic, all-black panels based on conventional, front-contacted solar cells...

  10. Black Silicon Solar Cells with Black Ribbons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Tang, Peter Torben; Mizushima, Io

    2016-01-01

    We present the combination of mask-less reactive ion etch (RIE) texturing and blackened interconnecting ribbons as a method for obtaining all-black solar panels, while using conventional, front-contacted solar cells. Black silicon made by mask-less reactive ion etching has total, average...... in the range 15.7-16.3%. The KOH-textured reference cell had an efficiency of 17.9%. The combination of black Si and black interconnecting ribbons may result in aesthetic, all-black panels based on conventional, front-contacted silicon solar cells....... reflectance below 0.5% across a 156x156 mm2 silicon (Si) wafer. Black interconnecting ribbons were realized by oxidizing copper resulting in reflectance below 3% in the visible wavelength range. Screen-printed Si solar cells were realized on 156x156 mm2 black Si substrates with resulting efficiencies...

  11. Taxonomic re-evaluation of black koji molds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hong, S.B.; Yamada, O.; Samson, R.A.

    2013-01-01

    Black koji molds including its albino mutant, the white koji mold, have been widely used for making the distilled spirit shochu in Northeast Asia because they produce citric acid which prevents undesirable contamination from bacteria. Since Inui reported Aspergillus luchuensis from black koji in

  12. Black start research of the wind and storage system based on the dual master-slave control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leng, Xue; Shen, Li; Hu, Tian; Liu, Li

    2018-02-01

    Black start is the key to solving the problem of large-scale power failure, while the introduction of new renewable clean energy as a black start power supply was a new hotspot. Based on the dual master-slave control strategy, the wind and storage system was taken as the black start reliable power, energy storage and wind combined to ensure the stability of the micorgrid systems, to realize the black start. In order to obtain the capacity ratio of the storage in the small system based on the dual master-slave control strategy, and the black start constraint condition of the wind and storage combined system, obtain the key points of black start of wind storage combined system, but also provide reference and guidance for the subsequent large-scale wind and storage combined system in black start projects.

  13. The first proton sponge-based amino acids: synthesis, acid-base properties and some reactivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozeryanskii, Valery A; Gorbacheva, Anastasia Yu; Pozharskii, Alexander F; Vlasenko, Marina P; Tereznikov, Alexander Yu; Chernov'yants, Margarita S

    2015-08-21

    The first hybrid base constructed from 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (proton sponge or DMAN) and glycine, N-methyl-N-(8-dimethylamino-1-naphthyl)aminoacetic acid, was synthesised in high yield and its hydrobromide was structurally characterised and used to determine the acid-base properties via potentiometric titration. It was found that the basic strength of the DMAN-glycine base (pKa = 11.57, H2O) is on the level of amidine amino acids like arginine and creatine and its structure, zwitterionic vs. neutral, based on the spectroscopic (IR, NMR, mass) and theoretical (DFT) approaches has a strong preference to the zwitterionic form. Unlike glycine, the DMAN-glycine zwitterion is N-chiral and is hydrolytically cleaved with the loss of glycolic acid on heating in DMSO. This reaction together with the mild decarboxylative conversion of proton sponge-based amino acids into 2,3-dihydroperimidinium salts under air-oxygen was monitored with the help of the DMAN-alanine amino acid. The newly devised amino acids are unique as they combine fluorescence, strongly basic and redox-active properties.

  14. Evaluation of optimal reuse system for hydrofluoric acid wastewater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Won, Chan-Hee [Department of Environmental Engineering, Chonbuk National University, 567 Bakje-daero, Deokjin-Gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-Do, 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jeongyun [R and D Center, Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd., 415-10 Woncheon-Dong, Youngtong-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 443-823 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Jinwook, E-mail: jin-wook.chung@samsung.com [R and D Center, Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd., 415-10 Woncheon-Dong, Youngtong-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 443-823 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-11-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Coagulation and ion exchange technologies were ineffective in removing fluoride. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Polyamide RO was more efficacious than cellulose RO due to its high flux and rejection. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spiral wound RO system was more preferential to disc tube RO system for reusing raw hydrofluoric acid wastewater. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Combined coagulation and RO technology can be applied to reuse raw hydrofluoric acid wastewater. - Abstract: The treatment of hydrofluoric acid (HF) wastewater has been an important environmental issue in recent years due to the extensive use of hydrofluoric acid in the chemical and electronics industries, such as semiconductor manufacturers. Coagulation/precipitation and ion exchange technologies have been used to treat HF wastewater, but these conventional methods are ineffective in removing organics, salts, and fluorides, limiting its reuse for water quality and economic feasibility. One promising alternative is reverse osmosis (RO) after lime treatment. Based on pilot-scale experiment using real HF wastewater discharged from semiconductor facility, the spiral wound module equipped with polyamide membranes has shown excellent flux and chemical cleaning cycles. Our results suggest that coagulation/precipitation and spiral wound RO constitute the optimal combination to reuse HF wastewater.

  15. LNA probe-based assay for the detection of Tomato black ring virus isolates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasiów-Jaroszewska, Beata; Rymelska, Natalia; Borodynko, Natasza

    2015-02-01

    Tomato black ring virus (TBRV) infects a wide range of economically important plant species worldwide. In the present study we developed a locked nucleic acid (LNA) real-time RT-PCR assay for accurate detection of genetically diverse TBRV isolates collected from different hosts. The assay based on the LNA probe has a wide detection range, high sensitivity, stability and amplification efficiency. The assay amplified all tested TBRV isolates, but no signal was observed for the RNA from other nepoviruses and healthy plant species. Under optimum reaction conditions, the detection limit was estimated around 17 copies of the TBRV target region in total RNA. Real-time RT-PCR with the LNA probe described in this paper will serve as a valuable tool for robust, sensitive and reliable detection of TBRV isolates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. [Black urine or black sclera of the eyes? Consider alkaptonuria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gubbels, Nanda P; Sijbrand, Merijn H; Onstenk, Ron

    2014-01-01

    Alkaptonuria is a rare metabolic disorder due to a defect in the gene for homogentisic acid oxidase. This results in an accumulation of homogentisic acid, which leads to the deposit of pigment in the connective tissue in the body. This causes problems and symptoms in various organ systems, such as early artropathy, dark-coloured urine, black sclerae, dark-coloured aortic valves and an increased risk of kidney stones and gall stones. Various specialists may see patients with this disease. The diagnosis is often missed. We describe a 69-year-old woman who underwent surgery due to joint problems, which showed up black cartilage. It turned out that for many years she had also had eye and heart problems. Not until later in life was she diagnosed with alkaptonuria. There is no curative treatment for alkaptonuria at the moment. Early recognition of the disease can increase the quality of life. Preventative check-ups and guidance are also therefore necessary.

  17. Catalyst Degradation in High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Based on Acid Doped Polybenzimidazole Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cleemann, Lars Nilausen; Buazar, F.; Li, Qingfeng

    2013-01-01

    and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes were used as supports for electrode catalysts and evaluated in accelerated durability tests under potential cycling at 150 °C. Measurements of open circuit voltage, area specific resistance and hydrogen permeation through the membrane were carried out, indicating little...... contribution of the membrane degradation to the performance losses during the potential cycling tests. As the major mechanism of the fuel cell performance degradation, the electrochemical active area of the cathodic catalysts showed a steady decrease in the cyclic voltammetric measurements, which was also......Degradation of carbon supported platinum catalysts is a major failure mode for the long term durability of high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells based on phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole membranes. With Vulcan carbon black as a reference, thermally treated carbon black...

  18. Chemically treated carbon black waste and its potential applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dong, Pengwei; Maneerung, Thawatchai; Ng, Wei Cheng; Zhen, Xu [NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 1 Create Way, Create Tower #15-02, 138602 (Singapore); Dai, Yanjun [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Tong, Yen Wah [NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 1 Create Way, Create Tower #15-02, 138602 (Singapore); Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585 (Singapore); Ting, Yen-Peng [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585 (Singapore); Koh, Shin Nuo [Sembcorp Industries Ltd., 30 Hill Street #05-04, 179360 (Singapore); Wang, Chi-Hwa, E-mail: chewch@nus.edu.sg [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585 (Singapore); Neoh, Koon Gee, E-mail: chenkg@nus.edu.sg [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585 (Singapore)

    2017-01-05

    Highlights: • Hazardous impurities separated from carbon black waste with little damage to solid. • Heavy metals were effectively removed from carbon black waste by HNO{sub 3} leaching. • Treated carbon black waste has high adsorption capacity (∼356.4 mg{sub dye}/g). • Carbon black waste was also found to show high electrical conductivity (10 S/cm). - Abstract: In this work, carbon black waste – a hazardous solid residue generated from gasification of crude oil bottom in refineries – was successfully used for making an absorbent material. However, since the carbon black waste also contains significant amounts of heavy metals (especially nickel and vanadium), chemical leaching was first used to remove these hazardous impurities from the carbon black waste. Acid leaching with nitric acid was found to be a very effective method for removal of both nickel and vanadium from the carbon black waste (i.e. up to 95% nickel and 98% vanadium were removed via treatment with 2 M nitric acid for 1 h at 20 °C), whereas alkali leaching by using NaOH under the same condition was not effective for removal of nickel (less than 10% nickel was removed). Human lung cells (MRC-5) were then used to investigate the toxicity of the carbon black waste before and after leaching. Cell viability analysis showed that the leachate from the original carbon black waste has very high toxicity, whereas the leachate from the treated samples has no significant toxicity. Finally, the efficacy of the carbon black waste treated with HNO{sub 3} as an absorbent for dye removal was investigated. This treated carbon black waste has high adsorption capacity (∼361.2 mg {sub dye}/g {sub carbonblack}), which can be attributed to its high specific surface area (∼559 m{sup 2}/g). The treated carbon black waste with its high adsorption capacity and lack of cytotoxicity is a promising adsorbent material. Moreover, the carbon black waste was found to show high electrical conductivity (ca. 10 S

  19. Black hole based quantum computing in labs and in the sky

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dvali, Gia [Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Department fuer Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY (United States); Panchenko, Mischa [Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Department fuer Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen (Germany)

    2016-08-15

    Analyzing some well established facts, we give a model-independent parameterization of black hole quantum computing in terms of a set of macro and micro quantities and their relations. These include the relations between the extraordinarily-small energy gap of black hole qubits and important time-scales of information-processing, such as, scrambling time and Page's time. We then show, confirming and extending previous results, that other systems of nature with identical quantum informatics features are attractive Bose-Einstein systems at the critical point of quantum phase transition. Here we establish a complete isomorphy between the quantum computational properties of these two systems. In particular, we show that the quantum hair of a critical condensate is strikingly similar to the quantum hair of a black hole. Irrespectively whether one takes the similarity between the two systems as a remarkable coincidence or as a sign of a deeper underlying connection, the following is evident. Black holes are not unique in their way of quantum information processing and we can manufacture black hole based quantum computers in labs by taking advantage of quantum criticality. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  20. Black hole based quantum computing in labs and in the sky

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dvali, Gia; Panchenko, Mischa

    2016-01-01

    Analyzing some well established facts, we give a model-independent parameterization of black hole quantum computing in terms of a set of macro and micro quantities and their relations. These include the relations between the extraordinarily-small energy gap of black hole qubits and important time-scales of information-processing, such as, scrambling time and Page's time. We then show, confirming and extending previous results, that other systems of nature with identical quantum informatics features are attractive Bose-Einstein systems at the critical point of quantum phase transition. Here we establish a complete isomorphy between the quantum computational properties of these two systems. In particular, we show that the quantum hair of a critical condensate is strikingly similar to the quantum hair of a black hole. Irrespectively whether one takes the similarity between the two systems as a remarkable coincidence or as a sign of a deeper underlying connection, the following is evident. Black holes are not unique in their way of quantum information processing and we can manufacture black hole based quantum computers in labs by taking advantage of quantum criticality. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  1. Keloids in rural black South Africans. Part 2: dietary fatty acid intake and total phospholipid fatty acid profile in the blood of keloid patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louw, L; Dannhauser, A

    2000-11-01

    In the second part of this study, emphasis is placed on nutritional intakes (fatty acids and micronutrients) and fatty acid intake and metabolism in the blood, respectively, according to a combined 24 h recall and standardized food frequency questionnaire analyses of keloid prone patients (n=10), compared with normal black South Africans (n=80), and total phospholipid blood (plasma and red blood cell ) analyses of keloid patients (n=20), compared with normal individuals (n=20). Lipid extraction and fractionation by standard procedures, total phospholipid (TPL) separation with thin layer chromatography, and fatty acid methyl ester analyses with gas liquid chromatography techniques were used. Since nutrition may play a role in several disease disorders, the purpose of this study was to confirm or refute a role for essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the hypothesis of keloid formations stated in part 1 of this study. (1)According to the Canadian recommendation (1991), we observed that in keloid patients linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA) dietary intakes, as EFAs of the omega-6-series, are higher than the recommended 7-11 g/d. However, the a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dietary intakes, as EFAs of the omega-3 series, are lower than the recommendation of 1.1-1.5 g/d. This was also the case in the control group, where a higher dietary intake of the omega-6 fatty acids and a slightly lower dietary intake of the omega-3 fatty acids occurred. Thus, we confirm a high dietary intake of LA (as a product of organ meats, diary products and many vegetable oils) and AA (as a product of meats and egg yolks), as well as lower dietary intakes of ALA (as a product of grains, green leafy vegetables, soy oil, rapeseed oil and linseed), and EPA and DHA (as products of marine oils). Lower micronutrient intakes than the recommended dietary allowances were observed in the keloid group that may influence EFA metabolism and/or collagen

  2. Stability of black holes based on horizon thermodynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng-Sen Ma

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available On the basis of horizon thermodynamics we study the thermodynamic stability of black holes constructed in general relativity and Gauss–Bonnet gravity. In the framework of horizon thermodynamics there are only five thermodynamic variables E, P, V, T, S. It is not necessary to consider concrete matter fields, which may contribute to the pressure of black hole thermodynamic system. In non-vacuum cases, we can derive the equation of state, P=P(V,T. According to the requirements of stable equilibrium in conventional thermodynamics, we start from these thermodynamic variables to calculate the heat capacity at constant pressure and Gibbs free energy and analyze the local and global thermodynamic stability of black holes. It is shown that P>0 is the necessary condition for black holes in general relativity to be thermodynamically stable, however this condition cannot be satisfied by many black holes in general relativity. For black hole in Gauss–Bonnet gravity negative pressure can be feasible, but only local stable black hole exists in this case.

  3. Complexity in Acid-Base Titrations: Multimer Formation Between Phosphoric Acids and Imines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malm, Christian; Kim, Heejae; Wagner, Manfred; Hunger, Johannes

    2017-08-10

    Solutions of Brønsted acids with bases in aprotic solvents are not only common model systems to study the fundamentals of proton transfer pathways but are also highly relevant to Brønsted acid catalysis. Despite their importance the light nature of the proton makes characterization of acid-base aggregates challenging. Here, we track such acid-base interactions over a broad range of relative compositions between diphenyl phosphoric acid and the base quinaldine in dichloromethane, by using a combination of dielectric relaxation and NMR spectroscopy. In contrast to what one would expect for an acid-base titration, we find strong deviations from quantitative proton transfer from the acid to the base. Even for an excess of the base, multimers consisting of one base and at least two acid molecules are formed, in addition to the occurrence of proton transfer from the acid to the base and simultaneous formation of ion pairs. For equimolar mixtures such multimers constitute about one third of all intermolecular aggregates. Quantitative analysis of our results shows that the acid-base association constant is only around six times larger than that for the acid binding to an acid-base dimer, that is, to an already protonated base. Our findings have implications for the interpretation of previous studies of reactive intermediates in organocatalysis and provide a rationale for previously observed nonlinear effects in phosphoric acid catalysis. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

  4. The synthesis of poly(vinylphosphonic acid-co-methacrylic acid) microbeads by suspension polymerization and the characterization of their indium adsorption properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwak, Noh-Seok; Baek, Youngmin [Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Chungnam National University, 79 Daehangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Taek Sung, E-mail: tshwang@cnu.ac.kr [Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Chungnam National University, 79 Daehangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-02-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Microbeads were synthesized by suspension polymerization based on VPA, MAA and PEGDA. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The best preparation condition was determined from the yield, water uptake and IEC. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The adsorption isotherm of indium was fit to the Langmuir and Freundlich models. - Abstract: Poly(vinylphosphonic acid-co-methacrylic acid) microbeads were synthesized by suspension polymerization, and their indium adsorption properties were investigated. The obtained microbeads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microbeads were wrinkled spheres, irrespective of the components, and their sizes ranged from 100 to 200 {mu}m. The microbeads were thermally stable up to 260 Degree-Sign C. As the vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) content was increased, the synthetic yields and ion-exchange capacities decreased and the water uptakes increased. The optimum synthetic yield, ion-exchange capacity and water uptake were obtained at a 0.5 mol ratio of VPA. In addition, the maximum adsorption predicted by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model was greatest at a 0.5 mol ratio of VPA.

  5. Naturally fermented Jijelian black olives: microbiological characteristics and isolation of lactic acid bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karam, Nour-Eddine

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available A study of the microflora of traditionally fermented black olives in Eastern Algeria is presented. A count of the following microbial groups was carried out: mesophilic bacteria, enterobacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB, staphylococci and yeast. In a second phase, the identification and assessment of the technological traits of LAB was performed. Seventeen lactic acid bacteria were isolated and identified. These isolates were represented by two genera: Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc. The results showed that Lactobacillus plantarum was the predominant species in this traditional product.Un estudio sobre la microflora de aceitunas negras fermentada por métodos tradicionales en el Este de Argelia es presentado. Se realizo el siguiente recuento de grupos de microorganismos: bacterias mesófilas, enterobacterias, bacterias ácido lácticas (LAB, staphylococcus y levaduras. En una segunda fase, la identificación y evaluación de aspectos tecnológicos de LAB fue realizada. Setenta bacterias ácido lácticas fueron aisladas e identificadas. Estos aislados contenían principalmente dos géneros: Lactobacillus y Leuconostoc. Los resultados mostraron que Lactobacillus plantarum fue la especie predominante en este producto tradicional.

  6. Black liquor-derived carbonaceous solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of pretreated rice straw in ionic liquid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Chenxi; Zhu, Linfeng; Shen, Feng; Qi, Xinhua

    2016-11-01

    Lignin-containing black liquor from pretreatment of rice straw by KOH aqueous solution was applied to prepare a carbonaceous solid acid catalyst, in which KOH played dual roles of extracting lignin from rice straw and developing porosity of the carbon material as an activation agent. The synthesized black liquor-derived carbon material was applied in catalytic hydrolysis of the residue solid from the pretreatment of rice straw, which was mainly composed of cellulose and hemicellulose, and showed excellent activity for the production of total reducing sugars (TRS) in ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride. The highest TRS yield of 63.4% was achieved at 140°C for 120min, which was much higher than that obtained from crude rice straw under the same reaction conditions (36.6% TRS yield). Overall, this study provides a renewable strategy for the utilization of all components of lignocellulosic biomass. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. 78 FR 50410 - Black Bear Development Holdings, LLC; Supplemental Notice that Initial Market-Based Rate Filing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. ER13-2143-000] Black Bear Development Holdings, LLC; Supplemental Notice that Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for... Black Bear Development Holdings, LLC's application for market-based rate authority, with an accompanying...

  8. Recovery of Vanadium from H2SO4-HF Acidic Leaching Solution of Black Shale by Solvent Extraction and Precipitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xingbin Li

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The recovery of vanadium from sulfuric and hydrofluoric mixed acid solutions generated by the direct leaching of black shale was investigated using solvent extraction and precipitation methods. The process consisted of reduction, solvent extraction, and stripping, followed by precipitation and calcination to yield vanadium pentoxide. The influence of various operating parameters on the extraction and recovery of vanadium was studied. Vanadium (IV was selectively extracted using a mixture of 10% (v/v di(2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid and 5% (v/v tri-n-butylphosphate in sulfonated kerosene. Using six extraction and five stripping stages, the extraction efficiency for vanadium was 96.7% and the stripping efficiency was 99.7%. V2O5 with a purity of 99.52% was obtained by oxidation of the loaded strip solution and precipitation of ammonium polyvanadate at pH 1.8 to 2.2, followed by calcination of the dried precipitate at 550 °C for 2 h. It was concluded that the combination of solvent extraction and precipitation is an efficient method for the recovery of vanadium from a multi-element leach solution generated from black shale.

  9. From binary black hole simulation to triple black hole simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai Shan; Cao Zhoujian; Han, Wen-Biao; Lin, Chun-Yu; Yo, Hwei-Jang; Yu, Jui-Ping

    2011-01-01

    Black hole systems are among the most promising sources for a gravitational wave detection project. Now, China is planning to construct a space-based laser interferometric detector as a follow-on mission of LISA in the near future. Aiming to provide some theoretical support to this detection project on the numerical relativity side, we focus on black hole systems simulation in this work. Considering the globular galaxy, multiple black hole systems also likely to exist in our universe and play a role as a source for the gravitational wave detector we are considering. We will give a progress report in this paper on our black hole system simulation. More specifically, we will present triple black hole simulation together with binary black hole simulation. On triple black hole simulations, one novel perturbational method is proposed.

  10. Black hole levitron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arsiwalla, Xerxes D.; Verlinde, Erik P.

    2010-01-01

    We study the problem of spatially stabilizing four dimensional extremal black holes in background electric/magnetic fields. Whilst looking for stationary stable solutions describing black holes placed in external fields we find that taking a continuum limit of Denef et al.'s multicenter supersymmetric black hole solutions provides a supergravity description of such backgrounds within which a black hole can be trapped within a confined volume. This construction is realized by solving for a levitating black hole over a magnetic dipole base. We comment on how such a construction is akin to a mechanical levitron.

  11. Proximate and fatty acid composition of some commercially important fish species from the Sinop region of the Black Sea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocatepe, Demet; Turan, Hülya

    2012-06-01

    The proximate and fatty acid compositions of the commercially important fish species (Engraulis encrasicolus, Alosa alosa, Belone belone, Scorpaena porcus, Pomatomus saltatrix, Mullus barbatus) from the Sinop region of the Black Sea were examined. The fat contents ranged from 1.26% (for scorpion fish) to 18.12% (for shad). The protein contents were min 14.54% (for red mullet) and maximum 20.26% (for belone). The fatty acid compositions of the fish ranged from 27.83 to 35.91% for saturated fatty acids, 19.50-33.80% for monounsaturated fatty acids and 15.25-40.02% for polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among the saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid (16:0) (17.75-22.20%) was the dominant fatty acid for all the fish species. As a second saturated fatty acid, myristic acid (14:0) was observed in four of the fish species and its content ranged from 4.72 to 7.31%. Whereas, for the other two fish species, the second saturated fatty acid was stearic acid (18:0) ranging between 4.54 and 10.64%. Among the monounsaturated fatty acids, those occurring in the highest proportions were oleic acid (18:1n-9c) (11.67-22.45%) and palmitoleic acid (16:1) (4.50-9.40%). Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) (5.41-28.52%), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) (4.68-11.06) and linoleic acid (18:2n-6) (1.38-3.49%) were dominant polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively. All the species, in particular the belone, the anchovy and the shad had high levels of the n-3 series.

  12. Complexity in Acid?Base Titrations: Multimer Formation Between Phosphoric Acids and Imines

    OpenAIRE

    Malm, Christian; Kim, Heejae; Wagner, Manfred; Hunger, Johannes

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Solutions of Br?nsted acids with bases in aprotic solvents are not only common model systems to study the fundamentals of proton transfer pathways but are also highly relevant to Br?nsted acid catalysis. Despite their importance the light nature of the proton makes characterization of acid?base aggregates challenging. Here, we track such acid?base interactions over a broad range of relative compositions between diphenyl phosphoric acid and the base quinaldine in dichloromethane, by u...

  13. Biodegradable black phosphorus-based nanomaterials in biomedicine: theranostic applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhen; Liu, Zhiming; Su, Chengkang; Yang, Biwen; Fei, Xixi; Li, Yi; Hou, Yuqing; Zhao, Henan; Guo, Yanxian; Zhuang, Zhengfei; Zhong, Huiqing; Guo, Zhouyi

    2017-09-20

    Ascribe to the unique two-dimensional planar nanostructure with exceptional physical and chemical properties, black phosphorous (BP) as the emerging inorganic two-dimensional nanomaterial with high biocompatibility and degradability has been becoming one of the most promising materials of great potentials in biomedicine. The exfoliated BP sheets possess ultra-high surface area available for valid bio-conjugation and molecular loading for chemotherapy. Utilizing the intrinsic near-infrared optical absorbance, BP-based photothermal therapy in vivo, photodynamic therapy and biomedical imaging has been realized, achieving unprecedented anti-tumor therapeutic efficacy in animal experiments. Additionally, the BP nanosheets can strongly react with oxygen and water, and finally degrade to non-toxic phosphate and phosphonate in the aqueous solution. This manuscript aimed to summarize the preliminary progresses on theranostic application of BP and its derivatives black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs), and discussed the prospects and the state-of-art unsolved critical issues of using BP-based material for theranostic applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  14. Effect of different compound feeds on the fatty acid composition and other quality indicators in the meat of Lithuanian black-and-white bulls

    OpenAIRE

    Baltrukonienė, Gintarė

    2015-01-01

    Aim and objectives – To evaluate the effect of compound feed on the milk and dairy Black-and white bulls grawing and beef quality, fatty acids composition in the meat and liver, to evaluate meat sensory and textere characteristics. Objectives of the study: 1. to analyze the chemical composition of rapeseed, linseed and sunflower cakes and accordingly that of compound feeds and to determine the content and ratio of fatty acids; 2. to evaluate the growth rate of bulls and carry out contro...

  15. Identification of Black Spots Based on Reliability Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmadreza Ghaffari

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Identifying crash “black-spots”, “hot-spots” or “high-risk” locations is one of the most important and prevalent concerns in traffic safety and various methods have been devised and presented for solving this issue until now. In this paper, a new method based on the reliability analysis is presented to identify black-spots. Reliability analysis has an ordered framework to consider the probabilistic nature of engineering problems, so crashes with their probabilistic na -ture can be applied. In this study, the application of this new method was compared with the commonly implemented Frequency and Empirical Bayesian methods using simulated data. The results indicated that the traditional methods can lead to an inconsistent prediction due to their inconsider -ation of the variance of the number of crashes in each site and their dependence on the mean of the data.

  16. Magnetized black holes and black rings in the higher dimensional dilaton gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yazadjiev, Stoytcho S.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we consider magnetized black holes and black rings in the higher dimensional dilaton gravity. Our study is based on exact solutions generated by applying a Harrison transformation to known asymptotically flat black hole and black ring solutions in higher dimensional spacetimes. The explicit solutions include the magnetized version of the higher dimensional Schwarzschild-Tangherlini black holes, Myers-Perry black holes, and five-dimensional (dipole) black rings. The basic physical quantities of the magnetized objects are calculated. We also discuss some properties of the solutions and their thermodynamics. The ultrarelativistic limits of the magnetized solutions are briefly discussed and an explicit example is given for the D-dimensional magnetized Schwarzschild-Tangherlini black holes

  17. Effect of acute acid loading on acid-base and calcium metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Osther, Palle J

    2006-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the acid-base and calcium metabolic responses to acute non-carbonic acid loading in idiopathic calcium stone-formers and healthy males using a quantitative organ physiological approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Five-h ammonium chloride loading studies were performed in 12...... male recurrent idiopathic calcium stone-formers and 12 matched healthy men using a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Arterialized capillary blood, serum and urine were collected hourly for measurement of electrolytes, ionized calcium, magnesium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone and acid-base...... status. Concentrations of non-metabolizable base (NB) and acid (NA) were calculated from measured concentrations of non-metabolizable ions. RESULTS: The extracellular acid-base status in the stone-formers during basal conditions and acid loading was comparable to the levels in the healthy controls...

  18. Black silicon solar cells with black bus-bar strings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Tang, Peter Torben; Mizushima, Io

    2016-01-01

    We present the combination of black silicon texturing and blackened bus-bar strings as a potential method for obtaining all-black solar panels, while using conventional, front-contacted solar cells. Black silicon was realized by maskless reactive ion etching resulting in total, average reflectance...... below 0.5% across a 156x156 mm2 silicon wafer. Four different methods to obtain blackened bus-bar strings were compared with respect to reflectance, and two of these methods (i.e., oxidized copper and etched solder) were used to fabricate functional allblack solar 9-cell panels. The black bus-bars (e.......g., by oxidized copper) have a reflectance below 3% in the entire visible wavelength range. The combination of black silicon cells and blackened bus-bars results in aesthetic, all-black panels based on conventional, front-contacted solar cells without compromising efficiency....

  19. Modulation of nutrient composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae by feeding seaweed-enriched media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liland, Nina S; Biancarosa, Irene; Araujo, Pedro; Biemans, Daan; Bruckner, Christian G; Waagbø, Rune; Torstensen, Bente E; Lock, Erik-Jan

    2017-01-01

    Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae are a promising source of protein and lipid for animal feeds. The nutritional composition of the BSF larvae depend partly on the composition of the feeding medium. The BSF lipid profile in part mimics the feeding media lipid profile, and micronutrients, like minerals and vitamins, can readily accumulate in black soldier fly larvae. However, investigative studies on bioconversion and accumulation of nutrients from media to black soldier fly larvae are scarce. Here we show that inclusion of the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum in the substrate for black soldier fly larvae can introduce valuable nutrients, commonly associated with the marine environment, into the larvae. The omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), iodine and vitamin E concentrations increased in the larvae when more seaweed was included in the diet. When the feeding media consisted of more than 50% seaweed, the larvae experienced poorer growth, lower nutrient retention and lower lipid levels, compared to a pure plant based feeding medium. Our results confirm the plasticity of the nutritional make-up of black soldier fly larvae, allowing it to accumulate both lipid- and water-soluble compounds. A broader understanding of the effect of the composition of the feeding media on the larvae composition can help to tailor black soldier fly larvae into a nutrient profile more suited for specific feed or food purposes.

  20. Sequential injection redox or acid-base titration for determination of ascorbic acid or acetic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenghor, Narong; Jakmunee, Jaroon; Vilen, Michael; Sara, Rolf; Christian, Gary D; Grudpan, Kate

    2002-12-06

    Two sequential injection titration systems with spectrophotometric detection have been developed. The first system for determination of ascorbic acid was based on redox reaction between ascorbic acid and permanganate in an acidic medium and lead to a decrease in color intensity of permanganate, monitored at 525 nm. A linear dependence of peak area obtained with ascorbic acid concentration up to 1200 mg l(-1) was achieved. The relative standard deviation for 11 replicate determinations of 400 mg l(-1) ascorbic acid was 2.9%. The second system, for acetic acid determination, was based on acid-base titration of acetic acid with sodium hydroxide using phenolphthalein as an indicator. The decrease in color intensity of the indicator was proportional to the acid content. A linear calibration graph in the range of 2-8% w v(-1) of acetic acid with a relative standard deviation of 4.8% (5.0% w v(-1) acetic acid, n=11) was obtained. Sample throughputs of 60 h(-1) were achieved for both systems. The systems were successfully applied for the assays of ascorbic acid in vitamin C tablets and acetic acid content in vinegars, respectively.

  1. Retinol, alpha-tocopherol and fatty acid content in Bulgarian black Sea fish species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stancheva, M.

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to measure and evaluate the total lipids, fatty acid profile, retinol content and alpha-tocopherol content in the edible tissue of four commercially important fish species from the Bulgarian Black sea: Sprat (Sprattus sprattus, Round Goby (Neogobius rattan, Black Sea Horse Mackerel (Trahurus medditeraneus ponticus and Shad (Alosa pontica. Fat soluble vitamins were analyzed simultaneously using an HPLC system. The highest content of retinol was established in the Sprat (142.3 ± 4.4 μg/100g and the highest content of alphatocopherol was found in the Black Sea Horse Mackerel (1112.7 ± 39.2 μg/100g. The fatty acid (FA composition was analyzed by GC/MS. The content of omega 3 (n3 FAs was significantly higher (p , 0.001 than the content of omega 6 (n6 FAs in each of the analyzed fish samples. The n6/n3 FA ratio was within the recommended range (0.20–1.50 for Sprat, Round Goby and Shad. Relatively high levels of retinol and alpha-tocopherol, FA composition, n3/n6 FA and PUFA/SFA ratios indicate that these fish species have good nutritional quality.

    El objeto de la investigación presentada es definir y comparar los lípidos totales, el perfil de ácidos grasos y el contenido de retinol y alfa-tocoferol en el tejido comestible de cuatro especies de peces con importancia comercial del Mar Negro búlgaro —espadín (Sprattus Sprattus, gobio de boca negra (Neogobius Melanostomus, chicharro (Trachurus Trachurus y sábalo del Mar Negro (Caspialosa Pontica. Dos vitaminas liposolubles son analizadas simultáneamente mediante cromatografía líquida de alta eficacia (HPLC. El contenido mayor de retinol se encuentra en el espadín (142.3 ± 4.4 μg/100g, y de alfa-tocoferol en el chicharro (1112.7 ± 39.2 μg/100g. El contenido de ácidos grasos ha sido analizado mediante cromatografía gaseosa/espectrometría de masas (GC/MS. El contenido de ácidos grasos (AG

  2. Black GE based on crystalline/amorphous core/shell nanoneedle arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javey, Ali; Chueh, Yu-Lun; Fan, Zhiyong

    2014-03-04

    Direct growth of black Ge on low-temperature substrates, including plastics and rubber is reported. The material is based on highly dense, crystalline/amorphous core/shell Ge nanoneedle arrays with ultrasharp tips (.about.4 nm) enabled by the Ni catalyzed vapor-solid-solid growth process. Ge nanoneedle arrays exhibit remarkable optical properties. Specifically, minimal optical reflectance (<1%) is observed, even for high angles of incidence (.about.75.degree.) and for relatively short nanoneedle lengths (.about.1 .mu.m). Furthermore, the material exhibits high optical absorption efficiency with an effective band gap of .about.1 eV. The reported black Ge can have important practical implications for efficient photovoltaic and photodetector applications on nonconventional substrates.

  3. N-(sulfoethyl) iminodiacetic acid-based lanthanide coordination polymers: Synthesis, magnetism and quantum Monte Carlo studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhuang Guilin, E-mail: glzhuang@zjut.edu.cn [Institute of Industrial Catalysis, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032 (China); Chen Wulin [Institute of Industrial Catalysis, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032 (China); Zheng Jun [Center of Modern Experimental Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230039 (China); Yu Huiyou [Institute of Industrial Catalysis, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032 (China); Wang Jianguo, E-mail: jgw@zjut.edu.cn [Institute of Industrial Catalysis, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032 (China)

    2012-08-15

    A series of lanthanide coordination polymers have been obtained through the hydrothermal reaction of N-(sulfoethyl) iminodiacetic acid (H{sub 3}SIDA) and Ln(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} (Ln=La, 1; Pr, 2; Nd, 3; Gd, 4). Crystal structure analysis exhibits that lanthanide ions affect the coordination number, bond length and dimension of compounds 1-4, which reveal that their structure diversity can be attributed to the effect of lanthanide contraction. Furthermore, the combination of magnetic measure with quantum Monte Carlo(QMC) studies exhibits that the coupling parameters between two adjacent Gd{sup 3+} ions for anti-anti and syn-anti carboxylate bridges are -1.0 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} and -5.0 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} cm{sup -1}, respectively, which reveals weak antiferromagnetic interaction in 4. - Graphical abstract: Four lanthanide coordination polymers with N-(sulfoethyl) iminodiacetic acid were obtained under hydrothermal condition and reveal the weak antiferromagnetic coupling between two Gd{sup 3+} ions by Quantum Monte Carlo studies. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Four lanthanide coordination polymers of H{sub 3}SIDA ligand were obtained. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Lanthanide ions play an important role in their structural diversity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetic measure exhibits that compound 4 features antiferromagnetic property. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quantum Monte Carlo studies reveal the coupling parameters of two Gd{sup 3+} ions.

  4. Association between an Internet-Based Measure of Area Racism and Black Mortality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David H Chae

    Full Text Available Racial disparities in health are well-documented and represent a significant public health concern in the US. Racism-related factors contribute to poorer health and higher mortality rates among Blacks compared to other racial groups. However, methods to measure racism and monitor its associations with health at the population-level have remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the utility of a previously developed Internet search-based proxy of area racism as a predictor of Black mortality rates. Area racism was the proportion of Google searches containing the "N-word" in 196 designated market areas (DMAs. Negative binomial regression models were specified taking into account individual age, sex, year of death, and Census region and adjusted to the 2000 US standard population to examine the association between area racism and Black mortality rates, which were derived from death certificates and mid-year population counts collated by the National Center for Health Statistics (2004-2009. DMAs characterized by a one standard deviation greater level of area racism were associated with an 8.2% increase in the all-cause Black mortality rate, equivalent to over 30,000 deaths annually. The magnitude of this effect was attenuated to 5.7% after adjustment for DMA-level demographic and Black socioeconomic covariates. A model controlling for the White mortality rate was used to further adjust for unmeasured confounders that influence mortality overall in a geographic area, and to examine Black-White disparities in the mortality rate. Area racism remained significantly associated with the all-cause Black mortality rate (mortality rate ratio = 1.036; 95% confidence interval = 1.015, 1.057; p = 0.001. Models further examining cause-specific Black mortality rates revealed significant associations with heart disease, cancer, and stroke. These findings are congruent with studies documenting the deleterious impact of racism on health among Blacks. Our

  5. Association between an Internet-Based Measure of Area Racism and Black Mortality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chae, David H.; Clouston, Sean; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.; Kramer, Michael R.; Cooper, Hannah L. F.; Wilson, Sacoby M.; Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth I.; Gold, Robert S.; Link, Bruce G.

    2015-01-01

    Racial disparities in health are well-documented and represent a significant public health concern in the US. Racism-related factors contribute to poorer health and higher mortality rates among Blacks compared to other racial groups. However, methods to measure racism and monitor its associations with health at the population-level have remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the utility of a previously developed Internet search-based proxy of area racism as a predictor of Black mortality rates. Area racism was the proportion of Google searches containing the “N-word” in 196 designated market areas (DMAs). Negative binomial regression models were specified taking into account individual age, sex, year of death, and Census region and adjusted to the 2000 US standard population to examine the association between area racism and Black mortality rates, which were derived from death certificates and mid-year population counts collated by the National Center for Health Statistics (2004–2009). DMAs characterized by a one standard deviation greater level of area racism were associated with an 8.2% increase in the all-cause Black mortality rate, equivalent to over 30,000 deaths annually. The magnitude of this effect was attenuated to 5.7% after adjustment for DMA-level demographic and Black socioeconomic covariates. A model controlling for the White mortality rate was used to further adjust for unmeasured confounders that influence mortality overall in a geographic area, and to examine Black-White disparities in the mortality rate. Area racism remained significantly associated with the all-cause Black mortality rate (mortality rate ratio = 1.036; 95% confidence interval = 1.015, 1.057; p = 0.001). Models further examining cause-specific Black mortality rates revealed significant associations with heart disease, cancer, and stroke. These findings are congruent with studies documenting the deleterious impact of racism on health among Blacks. Our study

  6. Association between an Internet-Based Measure of Area Racism and Black Mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chae, David H; Clouston, Sean; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Kramer, Michael R; Cooper, Hannah L F; Wilson, Sacoby M; Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth I; Gold, Robert S; Link, Bruce G

    2015-01-01

    Racial disparities in health are well-documented and represent a significant public health concern in the US. Racism-related factors contribute to poorer health and higher mortality rates among Blacks compared to other racial groups. However, methods to measure racism and monitor its associations with health at the population-level have remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the utility of a previously developed Internet search-based proxy of area racism as a predictor of Black mortality rates. Area racism was the proportion of Google searches containing the "N-word" in 196 designated market areas (DMAs). Negative binomial regression models were specified taking into account individual age, sex, year of death, and Census region and adjusted to the 2000 US standard population to examine the association between area racism and Black mortality rates, which were derived from death certificates and mid-year population counts collated by the National Center for Health Statistics (2004-2009). DMAs characterized by a one standard deviation greater level of area racism were associated with an 8.2% increase in the all-cause Black mortality rate, equivalent to over 30,000 deaths annually. The magnitude of this effect was attenuated to 5.7% after adjustment for DMA-level demographic and Black socioeconomic covariates. A model controlling for the White mortality rate was used to further adjust for unmeasured confounders that influence mortality overall in a geographic area, and to examine Black-White disparities in the mortality rate. Area racism remained significantly associated with the all-cause Black mortality rate (mortality rate ratio = 1.036; 95% confidence interval = 1.015, 1.057; p = 0.001). Models further examining cause-specific Black mortality rates revealed significant associations with heart disease, cancer, and stroke. These findings are congruent with studies documenting the deleterious impact of racism on health among Blacks. Our study contributes to

  7. Aspergillus uvarum sp. nov., an uniseriate black Aspergillus species isolated from grapes in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perrone, Giancarlo; Varga, János; Susca, Antonia

    2008-01-01

    uvarum sp. nov. isolates produced secalonic acid, common to other Aspergillus japonicus-related taxa, and geodin, erdin and dihydrogeodin, which are not produced by any other black aspergilli. None of the isolates were found to produce ochratoxin A. The novel species is most closely related to two......A novel species, Aspergillus uvarum sp. nov., is described within Aspergillus section Nigri. This species can be distinguished from other black aspergilli based on internal transcribed spacers (ITS), beta-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences, by AFLP analysis and by extrolite profiles. Aspergillus...

  8. Synergistic Application of Black Tea Extracts and Lactic Acid Bacteria in Protecting Human Colonocytes against Oxidative Damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Danyue; Shah, Nagendra P

    2016-03-23

    In view of the potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to enhance the antioxidant activity of food products, this work explored the effectiveness of LAB fermented black tea samples in alleviating H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human colonocytes. The antioxidant capacity of tea samples was evaluated in terms of cyto-protectiveness, mitochondria membrane potential (Δψm)-stabilizing activity, ROS-inhibitory effect, and antioxidant enzyme-modulating activity. The effect on oxidative DNA damage and repair was studied in CCD 841 by comet assay. Results showed that the protective effect of tea pretreatment was more pronounced in normal cells (CCD 841) than in carcinomas (Caco-2), and fermented samples were invariably more effective. Higher cell viability and Δψm were maintained and ROS production was markedly inhibited with tea pretreatment. The fermented tea samples also remarkably stimulated DNA repair, resulting in fewer strand breaks and oxidative lesions. Our study implied that LAB fermentation may be an efficient way to enhance the antioxidative effectiveness of black tea flavonoid-enriched foods.

  9. Optimization of Consignment-Store-Based Supply Chain with Black Hole Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ágota Bányai

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The globalization of economy and market led to increased networking in the field of manufacturing and services. These manufacturing and service processes including supply chain became more and more complex. The supply chain includes in many cases consignment stores. The design and operation of these complex supply chain processes can be described as NP-hard optimization problems. These problems can be solved using sophisticated models and methods based on metaheuristic algorithms. This research proposes an integrated supply model based on consignment stores. After a careful literature review, this paper introduces a mathematical model to formulate the problem of consignment-store-based supply chain optimization. The integrated model includes facility location and assignment problems to be solved. Next, an enhanced black hole algorithm dealing with multiobjective supply chain model is presented. The sensitivity analysis of the heuristic black hole optimization method is also described to check the efficiency of new operators to increase the convergence of the algorithm. Numerical results with different datasets demonstrate how the proposed model supports the efficiency, flexibility, and reliability of the consignment-store-based supply chain.

  10. PHYSIOLOGY OF ACID BASE BALANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Awati

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Acid-base, electrolyte, and metabolic disturbances are common in the intensive care unit. Almost all critically ill patients often suffer from compound acid-base and electrolyte disorders. Successful evaluation and management of such patients requires recognition of common patterns (e.g., metabolic acidosis and the ability to dissect one disorder from another. The intensivists needs to identify and correct these condition with the easiest available tools as they are the associated with multiorgan failure. Understanding the elements of normal physiology in these areas is very important so as to diagnose the pathological condition and take adequate measures as early as possible. Arterial blood gas analysis is one such tool for early detection of acid base disorder. Physiology of acid base is complex and here is the attempt to simplify it in our day to day application for the benefit of critically ill patients.

  11. Characterizing the Secondary Protein Structure of Black Widow Dragline Silk Using Solid-State NMR & X-ray Diffraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Janelle E.; Sampath, Sujatha; Butler, Emily; Kim, Jihyun; Henning, Robert W.; Holland, Gregory P.; Yarger, Jeffery L.

    2013-01-01

    This study provides a detailed secondary structural characterization of major ampullate dragline silk from Latrodectus hesperus (black widow) spiders. X-ray diffraction results show that the structure of black widow major ampullate silk fibers is comprised of stacked β-sheet nanocrystallites oriented parallel to the fiber axis and an amorphous region with oriented (anisotropic) and isotropic components. The combination of two-dimensional (2D) 13C-13C through-space and through-bond solid-state NMR experiments provide chemical shifts that are used to determine detailed information about amino acid motif secondary structure in black widow spider dragline silk. Individual amino acids are incorporated into different repetitive motifs that make up the majority of this protein-based biopolymer. From the solid-state NMR measurements, we assign distinct secondary conformations to each repetitive amino acid motif and hence to the amino acids that make up the motifs. Specifically, alanine is incorporated in β-sheet (poly(Alan) and poly(Gly-Ala)), 31-helix (poly(Gly-Gly-Xaa), and α-helix (poly(Gln-Gln-Ala-Tyr)) components. Glycine is determined to be in β-sheet (poly(Gly-Ala)) and 31-helical (poly(Gly-Gly-Xaa)) regions, while serine is present in β-sheet (poly(Gly-Ala-Ser)), 31-helix (poly(Gly-Gly-Ser)), and β-turn (poly(Gly-Pro-Ser)) structures. These various motif-specific secondary structural elements are quantitatively correlated to the primary amino acid sequence of major ampullate spidroin 1 and 2 (MaSp1 and MaSp2) and are shown to form a self-consistent model for black widow dragline silk. PMID:24024617

  12. Black to Black

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Langkjær, Michael Alexander

    2012-01-01

    Pop musicians performing in black stage costume take advantage of cultural traditions relating to matters black. Stylistically, black is a paradoxical color: although a symbol of melancholy, pessimism, and renunciation, black also expresses minimalist modernity and signifies exclusivity (as is hi...

  13. The Conjugate Acid-Base Chart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treptow, Richard S.

    1986-01-01

    Discusses the difficulties that beginning chemistry students have in understanding acid-base chemistry. Describes the use of conjugate acid-base charts in helping students visualize the conjugate relationship. Addresses chart construction, metal ions, buffers and pH titrations, and the organic functional groups and nonaqueous solvents. (TW)

  14. Poly (ricinoleic acid) based novel thermosetting elastomer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebata, Hiroki; Yasuda, Mayumi; Toshima, Kazunobu; Matsumura, Shuichi

    2008-01-01

    A novel bio-based thermosetting elastomer was prepared by the lipase-catalyzed polymerization of methyl ricinoleate with subsequent vulcanization. Some mechanical properties of the cured carbon black-filled polyricinoleate compounds were evaluated as a thermosetting elastomer. It was found that the carbon black-filled polyricinoleate compounds were readily cured by sulfur curatives to produce a thermosetting elastomer that formed a rubber-like sheet with a smooth and non-sticky surface. The curing behaviors and mechanical properties were dependent on both the molecular weight of the polyricinoleate and the amount of the sulfur curatives. Cured compounds consisting of polyricinoleate with a molecular weight of 100,800 showed good mechanical properties, such as a hardness of 48 A based on the durometer A measurements, a tensile strength at break of 6.91 MPa and an elongation at break of 350%.

  15. EFFECT OF CASEIN-BASED SEMISYNTHETIC FOOD ON RENAL ACID EXCRETION AND ACID-BASE STATE OF BLOOD IN DOGS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ZIJLSTRA, WG; LANGBROEK, AJM; KRAAN, J; RISPENS, P; NIJMEIJER, A

    1995-01-01

    Urinary acid excretion and blood acid-base stare were determined in dogs fed a casein-based semi-synthetic food (SSF), to which different amounts of salts had been added, in comparison with feeding normal dog food. Net acid excretion (NAE) and inorganic acid excretion (IAE) increased during SSF

  16. Modulation of nutrient composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens larvae by feeding seaweed-enriched media.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nina S Liland

    Full Text Available Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens larvae are a promising source of protein and lipid for animal feeds. The nutritional composition of the BSF larvae depend partly on the composition of the feeding medium. The BSF lipid profile in part mimics the feeding media lipid profile, and micronutrients, like minerals and vitamins, can readily accumulate in black soldier fly larvae. However, investigative studies on bioconversion and accumulation of nutrients from media to black soldier fly larvae are scarce. Here we show that inclusion of the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum in the substrate for black soldier fly larvae can introduce valuable nutrients, commonly associated with the marine environment, into the larvae. The omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, iodine and vitamin E concentrations increased in the larvae when more seaweed was included in the diet. When the feeding media consisted of more than 50% seaweed, the larvae experienced poorer growth, lower nutrient retention and lower lipid levels, compared to a pure plant based feeding medium. Our results confirm the plasticity of the nutritional make-up of black soldier fly larvae, allowing it to accumulate both lipid- and water-soluble compounds. A broader understanding of the effect of the composition of the feeding media on the larvae composition can help to tailor black soldier fly larvae into a nutrient profile more suited for specific feed or food purposes.

  17. Determination of phenolic acids in seeds of black cumin, flax, pomegranate and pumpkin and their by-products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krimer-Malešević Vera M.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Ten phenolic acids, contained in the seeds of black cumin (Nigella sativa L., flax (Linum usitatissimum L., pomegranate (Punica granatum L. and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. and their oil industry by-products, separated into the free, esterified, and insoluble-bound forms, were quantitatively analysed by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector. The chromatographic data were interpreted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA. The PCA model with three principal components (PC1-PC2-PC3 fitted well with 12 examined plant samples, allowing their division into groups according to their origin. The total phenolic variables could be represented by two PCs and for the pattern recognition of the analysed samples, 13 phenolic variables are sufficient, including: free, esterified and insoluble-bound forms of gallic and syringic acids, free vanillic, insoluble bound p-coumaric, esterified p-hydroxybenzaldehide, and free and insoluble-bound forms of p-hydroxybenzoic and trans-synapic acids. This might have potential application in simplified screening of phenolic compounds in seeds and their oil industry by-products or in food component analysis or authenticity detection in such plant materials.[Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 46010

  18. Fusion of Potentiometric & Voltammetric Electronic Tongue for Classification of Black Tea Taste based on Theaflavins (TF) Content

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, Nabarun; Legin, Andrey; Papieva, Irina; Sarkar, Subrata; Kirsanov, Dmitry; Kartsova, Anna; Ghosh, Arunangshu; Bandyopadhyay, Rajib

    2011-09-01

    Black tea is an extensively consumed beverage worldwide with an expanding market. The final quality of black tea depends upon number of chemical compounds present in the tea. Out of these compounds, theaflavins (TF), which is responsible for astringency in black tea, plays an important role in determining the final taste of the finished black tea. The present paper reports our effort to correlate the theaflavins contents with the voltammetric and potentiometric electronic tongue (e-tongue) data. Noble metal-based electrode array has been used for collecting data though voltammetric electronic tongue where as liquid filled membrane based electrodes have been used for potentiometric electronic tongue. Black tea samples with tea taster score and biochemical results have been collected from Tea Research Association, Tocklai, India for the analysis purpose. In this paper, voltammetric and potentiometric e-tongue responses are combined to demonstrate improvement of cluster formation among tea samples with different ranges of TF values.

  19. Isolation and identification of phenolic antioxidants in black rice bran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jun, Hyun-Il; Shin, Jae-Wook; Song, Geun-Seoup; Kim, Young-Soo

    2015-02-01

    Black rice bran contains phenolic compounds of a high antioxidant activity. In this study, the 40% acetone extract of black rice bran was sequentially fractionated to obtain 5 fractions. Out of the 5 fractions, ethyl acetate fraction was subfractionated using the Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. The antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds in the extracts was investigated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay, 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylenebenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation assay, reducing power. The subfraction 2 from ethyl acetate fraction had the highest total phenolic contents (TPC) (816.0 μg/mg) and the lowest EC50 values (47.8 μg/mL for DPPH radical assay, 112.8 μg/mL for ABTS radical cation assay, and 49.2 μg/mL for reducing power). These results were 3.1, 1.3, and 2.6 times lower than those of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), respectively. At a concentration of 100 μg/mL, the antioxidant activity and TPC of various extracts was closely correlated, with correlation coefficients (R(2) ) higher than 0.86. The major phenolic acid in subfraction 2 was identified as ferulic acid (178.3 μg/mg) by HPLC and LC-ESI/MS/MS analyses. Our finding identified ferulic acid as a major phenolic compound in black rice bran, and supports the potential use of black rice bran as a natural source of antioxidant. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  20. A General Simulator for Acid-Base Titrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Levie, Robert

    1999-07-01

    General formal expressions are provided to facilitate the automatic computer calculation of acid-base titration curves of arbitrary mixtures of acids, bases, and salts, without and with activity corrections based on the Davies equation. Explicit relations are also given for the buffer strength of mixtures of acids, bases, and salts.

  1. A Dancing Black Hole

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoemaker, Deirdre; Smith, Kenneth; Schnetter, Erik; Fiske, David; Laguna, Pablo; Pullin, Jorge

    2002-04-01

    Recently, stationary black holes have been successfully simulated for up to times of approximately 600-1000M, where M is the mass of the black hole. Considering that the expected burst of gravitational radiation from a binary black hole merger would last approximately 200-500M, black hole codes are approaching the point where simulations of mergers may be feasible. We will present two types of simulations of single black holes obtained with a code based on the Baumgarte-Shapiro-Shibata-Nakamura formulation of the Einstein evolution equations. One type of simulations addresses the stability properties of stationary black hole evolutions. The second type of simulations demonstrates the ability of our code to move a black hole through the computational domain. This is accomplished by shifting the stationary black hole solution to a coordinate system in which the location of the black hole is time dependent.

  2. Photonic devices based on black phosphorus and related hybrid materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitiello, M.S.; Viti, L.

    2016-01-01

    Artificial semiconductor heterostructures played a pivotal role in modern electronic and photonic technologies, providing a highly effective means for the manipulation and control of carriers, from the visible to the far-infrared, leading to the development of highly efficient devices like sources, detectors and modulators. The discovery of graphene and the related fascinating capabilities have triggered an unprecedented interest in devices based on inorganic two-dimensional (2D) materials. Amongst them, black phosphorus (BP) recently showed an extraordinary potential in a variety of applications across micro-electronics and photonics. With an energy gap between the gapless graphene and the larger gap transition metal dichalcogenides, BP can form the basis for a new generation of high-performance photonic devices that could be specifically engineered to comply with different applications, like transparent saturable absorbers, fast photocounductive switches and low noise photodetectors, exploiting its peculiar electrical, thermal and optical anisotropy. This paper will review the latest achievements in black-phosphorus–based THz photonics and discuss future perspectives of this rapidly developing research field.

  3. Biodegradation of clofibric acid and identification of its metabolites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salgado, R. [REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); ESTS-IPS, Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setubal do Instituto Politecnico de Setubal, Rua Vale de Chaves, Campus do IPS, Estefanilha, 2910-761 Setubal (Portugal); Oehmen, A. [REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Carvalho, G. [REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (IBET), Av. da Republica (EAN), 2784-505 Oeiras (Portugal); Noronha, J.P. [REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Reis, M.A.M., E-mail: amr@fct.unl.pt [REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal)

    2012-11-30

    Graphical abstract: Metabolites produced during clofibric acid biodegradation. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Clofibric acid is biodegradable. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mainly heterotrophic bacteria degraded the clofibric acid. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Metabolites of clofibric acid biodegradation were identified. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The metabolic pathway of clofibric acid biodegradation is proposed. - Abstract: Clofibric acid (CLF) is the pharmaceutically active metabolite of lipid regulators clofibrate, etofibrate and etofyllinclofibrate, and it is considered both environmentally persistent and refractory. This work studied the biotransformation of CLF in aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) with mixed microbial cultures, monitoring the efficiency of biotransformation of CLF and the production of metabolites. The maximum removal achieved was 51% biodegradation (initial CLF concentration = 2 mg L{sup -1}), where adsorption and abiotic removal mechanisms were shown to be negligible, showing that CLF is indeed biodegradable. Tests showed that the observed CLF biodegradation was mainly carried out by heterotrophic bacteria. Three main metabolites were identified, including {alpha}-hydroxyisobutyric acid, lactic acid and 4-chlorophenol. The latter is known to exhibit higher toxicity than the parent compound, but it did not accumulate in the SBRs. {alpha}-Hydroxyisobutyric acid and lactic acid accumulated for a period, where nitrite accumulation may have been responsible for inhibiting their degradation. A metabolic pathway for the biodegradation of CLF is proposed in this study.

  4. Black painted pottery, Kildehuse II, Odense County, Denmark

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trąbska, Joanna; Wesełucha-Birczyńska, Aleksandra; Zięba-Palus, Janina; Runge, Mads Thagård

    2011-08-01

    This work aimed at characterization of a black layer covering a Bronze Age (period VI) pot surface. To solve research problems plane polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning microscopy with X-ray microanalyser (SEM/EDS), Raman and FTIR microspectroscopies were applied. Observation of the black layer under the PLM suggests that we deal with an opaque, isotropic layer, purposely put on leather-hard, burnished surface of a pot. No traces of organic substances that might have modified a pot surface before painting were detected. The black layer coats the pot with a continuous 0.2-0.4 μm thick layer. The black layer must have been applied while warm or hot. It is recognized that the black layer is a true painting layer. Spectroscopic analyses (Raman and FTIR) point that birch tar or a birch-pine tar had been applied. Carbon black should be definitely excluded. The analyzed organic substance is structurally ordered in various degrees, due to varying temperature influence. Some Raman spectra reveal, in second-order region of the spectrum (>2000 cm -1), the graphite presence. Scarce points reveal the presence of inorganic admixtures: clay minerals, feldspars and quartz. The next question is: Is it an organic paint or a carbon-based, "mixed" paint? Inorganic admixtures are only casual. Relatively high concentration of alumina is expected to have appeared due to aluminum mobility in acidic environment and this was provided by organic tar/pitch substances. Phosphorus (usually with calcium) mostly concentrates together with clay minerals. Thus, hypothesis on bone powder or ash addition to tar/pitch should be excluded. Some elements may originate not only from inorganic substances but also from wood ashes.

  5. A Computer-Based Simulation of an Acid-Base Titration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boblick, John M.

    1971-01-01

    Reviews the advantages of computer simulated environments for experiments, referring in particular to acid-base titrations. Includes pre-lab instructions and a sample computer printout of a student's use of an acid-base simulation. Ten references. (PR)

  6. Amphibia and insects as potential bioindicators of high acid and aluminium levels in the northern part of the Black Forest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boehmer, J.; Vollmer, W.; Rahmann, H.

    1992-01-01

    Atmospheric sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide loads have caused an acidification of numerous surface waters in the calcium-deficient regions of Europe. The effects of acidification on aquatic organisms was examined in the Northern Black Forest. High acid loads and correlatively high aluminium loads were found to decrease the diversity of aquatic species. Both in wild conditions and in the aquarium embryonic and larval mortality rates were seen to be elevated, leading to a decrease in population of many species. Sublethal impairments such as damage to organs or growth or behavioural disorders were also found. The observed changes in amphibian spawn and populations were used exemplarily as a bioindication of the acid state of the 37 standing waters studied. (orig.) [de

  7. Electrodeposited ultrafine NbOx, ZrOx, and TaO x nanoparticles on carbon black supports for oxygen reduction electrocatalysts in acidic media

    KAUST Repository

    Seo, Jeongsuk

    2013-09-06

    A remarkable electrocatalytic activity was obtained for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic solutions on ultrafine nano-oxide catalysts based on group IV or V elements. By potentiostatic electrodepostion in nonaqueous solutions at 298 K followed by heat treatment in H2 gas, highly dispersed fine nanoparticles of NbOx, ZrOx, and TaOx with sizes of less than 5 nm were prepared and deposited on carbon black (CB) loaded electrodes. These oxide nanoparticles showed high catalytic activities with high onset potentials of 0.96 VRHE (NbOx), 1.02 VRHE (ZrOx), and 0.93 V RHE (TaOx) for the ORR. Owing to the high chemical stability of group IV and V oxides, the catalysts were very stable during the ORR in acidic solutions. Surface characterization and chemical identification were performed using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All results clearly indicate the formation of nano-oxide electrocatalysts that show an outstanding ORR performance, whereas the bulk oxides are not active because of the absence of electronic conductivity. The present work demonstrates potential candidates for highly stable, non-noble-metal cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), where the catalysts are exposed to highly acidic and oxidizing conditions. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  8. Electrodeposited ultrafine NbOx, ZrOx, and TaO x nanoparticles on carbon black supports for oxygen reduction electrocatalysts in acidic media

    KAUST Repository

    Seo, Jeongsuk; Cha, Dong Kyu; Takanabe, Kazuhiro; Kubota, Jun; Domen, Kazunari

    2013-01-01

    A remarkable electrocatalytic activity was obtained for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic solutions on ultrafine nano-oxide catalysts based on group IV or V elements. By potentiostatic electrodepostion in nonaqueous solutions at 298 K followed by heat treatment in H2 gas, highly dispersed fine nanoparticles of NbOx, ZrOx, and TaOx with sizes of less than 5 nm were prepared and deposited on carbon black (CB) loaded electrodes. These oxide nanoparticles showed high catalytic activities with high onset potentials of 0.96 VRHE (NbOx), 1.02 VRHE (ZrOx), and 0.93 V RHE (TaOx) for the ORR. Owing to the high chemical stability of group IV and V oxides, the catalysts were very stable during the ORR in acidic solutions. Surface characterization and chemical identification were performed using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All results clearly indicate the formation of nano-oxide electrocatalysts that show an outstanding ORR performance, whereas the bulk oxides are not active because of the absence of electronic conductivity. The present work demonstrates potential candidates for highly stable, non-noble-metal cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), where the catalysts are exposed to highly acidic and oxidizing conditions. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  9. Frequency Control Strategy for Black Starts via PMSG-Based Wind Power Generation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Tang

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The use of wind power generation (WPG as a source for black starts will significantly enhance the resiliency of power systems and shorten their recovery time from blackouts. Given that frequency stability is the most serious issue during the initial recovery period, virtual inertia control can enable wind turbines to provide frequency support to an external system. In this study, a general procedure of WPG participating in black starts is presented, and the key issues are discussed. The adaptability of existing virtual inertia control strategies is analyzed, and improvement work is performed. A new coordinated frequency control strategy is proposed based on the presented improvement work. A local power network with a permanent-magnet synchronous generator (PMSG-based wind farm is modeled and used to verify the effectiveness of the strategy.

  10. Investigating Students' Reasoning about Acid-Base Reactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Melanie M.; Kouyoumdjian, Hovig; Underwood, Sonia M.

    2016-01-01

    Acid-base chemistry is central to a wide range of reactions. If students are able to understand how and why acid-base reactions occur, it should provide a basis for reasoning about a host of other reactions. Here, we report the development of a method to characterize student reasoning about acid-base reactions based on their description of…

  11. Thickness effect on electric resistivity on polystyrene and carbon black- based composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hernandez-Lopez, S; Vigueras-Santiago, E [Laboratorio de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Materiales Avanzados (LIDMA) Facultad de Quimica, Paseo Colon Esquina con Paseo Tollocan, s/n, CP 50000, Toluca (Mexico); Mayorga-Rojas, M; Reyes-Contreras, D, E-mail: eviguerass@uaemex.m [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico. Av. Instituto Literario 100 Ote. C. P. 50000, Toluca (Mexico)

    2009-05-01

    Changes on electrical resistivity were experimentally studied for polystyrene and carbon black-based composites respect to the temperature. 22% w/w carbon black composite films at 30{mu}m, 2mm y 1cm thick were submitted to thermal heating-cooling cycles from room temperature to 100 deg. C, slightly up to T{sub g} of the composite. For each cycle changes on electrical resistivity constituent a hysteresis loop that depends on the sample thickness. The changes during the heating stage could be explained as a consequence of the thermal expansion and mobility of the polymer chains at T{sub g}, producing a disconnecting of the electrical contacts among carbon black particles and an important increasing (200%) of the electrical resistivity. For each cycle, the hysteresis loop was observed in thicker samples, whereas for 30 mu m thickness sample the hysteresis loop was lost after four cycles.

  12. A Validation of the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale in Formerly Incarcerated Black and Latino Men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valera, Pamela; Boyas, Javier F; Bernal, Camila; Chiongbian, Victoria Briones; Chang, Yvonne; Shelton, Rachel C

    2016-05-04

    While there is a growing body of literature on medical mistrust and its relevance to public health, research on formerly incarcerated Black and Latino men and their perception of mistrust toward medical providers and medical institutions remains scant. Very little is known about whether formerly incarcerated Black and Latino men mistrust medical and clinical providers given their previous experiences with the criminal justice system. It is important to determine whether medical mistrust play a key role in the health and health behaviors of released Black and Latino men. The purpose of this study is to validate and assess the psychometric properties of the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale for use among formerly incarcerated Black and Latino men in New York City. The findings of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses state that a two-factor structure fit the data best. Two dimensions emerged as important subscales: discrimination and suspicion. The current findings suggest the two-factor Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale is a valid and reliable assessment tool to discern medical mistrust levels among formerly incarcerated Black and Latino men. © The Author(s) 2016.

  13. Technical Report Cellulosic Based Black Liquor Gasification and Fuels Plant Final Technical Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fornetti, Micheal [Escanaba Paper Company, MI (United States); Freeman, Douglas [Escanaba Paper Company, MI (United States)

    2012-10-31

    The Cellulosic Based Black Liquor Gasification and Fuels Plant Project was developed to construct a black liquor to Methanol biorefinery in Escanaba, Michigan. The biorefinery was to be co-located at the existing pulp and paper mill, NewPage’s Escanaba Paper Mill and when in full operation would: • Generate renewable energy for Escanaba Paper Mill • Produce Methanol for transportation fuel of further refinement to Dimethyl Ether • Convert black liquor to white liquor for pulping. Black liquor is a byproduct of the pulping process and as such is generated from abundant and renewable lignocellulosic biomass. The biorefinery would serve to validate the thermochemical pathway and economic models for black liquor gasification. It was a project goal to create a compelling new business model for the pulp and paper industry, and support the nation’s goal for increasing renewable fuels production and reducing its dependence on foreign oil. NewPage Corporation planned to replicate this facility at other NewPage Corporation mills after this first demonstration scale plant was operational and had proven technical and economic feasibility. An overview of the process begins with black liquor being generated in a traditional Kraft pulping process. The black liquor would then be gasified to produce synthesis gas, sodium carbonate and hydrogen sulfide. The synthesis gas is then cleaned with hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide removed, and fed into a Methanol reactor where the liquid product is made. The hydrogen sulfide is converted into polysulfide for use in the Kraft pulping process. Polysulfide is a known additive to the Kraft process that increases pulp yield. The sodium carbonate salts are converted to caustic soda in a traditional recausticizing process. The caustic soda is then part of the white liquor that is used in the Kraft pulping process. Cellulosic Based Black Liquor Gasification and Fuels Plant project set out to prove that black liquor gasification could

  14. Astrophysical black holes

    CERN Document Server

    Gorini, Vittorio; Moschella, Ugo; Treves, Aldo; Colpi, Monica

    2016-01-01

    Based on graduate school lectures in contemporary relativity and gravitational physics, this book gives a complete and unified picture of the present status of theoretical and observational properties of astrophysical black holes. The chapters are written by internationally recognized specialists. They cover general theoretical aspects of black hole astrophysics, the theory of accretion and ejection of gas and jets, stellar-sized black holes observed in the Milky Way, the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes in galactic centers and quasars as well as their influence on the dynamics in galactic nuclei. The final chapter addresses analytical relativity of black holes supporting theoretical understanding of the coalescence of black holes as well as being of great relevance in identifying gravitational wave signals. With its introductory chapters the book is aimed at advanced graduate and post-graduate students, but it will also be useful for specialists.

  15. Teaching Acid/Base Physiology in the Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friis, Ulla G.; Plovsing, Ronni; Hansen, Klaus; Laursen, Bent G.; Wallstedt, Birgitta

    2010-01-01

    Acid/base homeostasis is one of the most difficult subdisciplines of physiology for medical students to master. A different approach, where theory and practice are linked, might help students develop a deeper understanding of acid/base homeostasis. We therefore set out to develop a laboratory exercise in acid/base physiology that would provide…

  16. The dependence of natural regeneration of forest trees on upper soil conditions and acidity at damaged sites in the Black Forest, Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Littek, T.

    1993-06-01

    It was the goal of this study to investigate the influence of different upper soil conditions on the germination and establishment, as well as the growth, of young plants of various tree species. For this purpose, four test plots in the region of the Black Forest were laid out, in which, by various means of site preparation and fertilization, the upper soils were changed. Natural seeding of common spruce, European silver-fir, beech, sycamore maple, European mountainash, and grey alder was simulated by means of controlled sowing. For comparison, a greenhouse experiment was carried out, examining the germination and development of the same tree species in various soil substrata, using different fertilizers, and under the influence of artificial acid rain. The most important results - with a high level of variation depending on the tree species examined - can be summarized as follows: Based on the results of field and greenhouse experiments, as well as on the investigations of other authors, it can be concluded that natural regeneration of forest stands is considerably impeded under conditions of increasing soil acidity and by high acid depositions. This is seen directly as the result of unfavorable chemical conditions in the upper soil, as well as indirectly due to deteriorating competitiveness against other vegetation. Site preparation and lime or dolomite fertilization can be important measures in the practice of forestry, to encourage natural regeneration in highly acidic sites with an unfavourable humus layer and a high presence of competing vegetation. (orig./UWA). 2 figs., 85 tabs., 269 refs [de

  17. Omega-6 Fatty Acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omega-6 fatty acids are types of fats. Some types are found in vegetable oils, including corn, evening primrose seed, safflower, and soybean oils. Other types of omega-6 fatty acids are found in black currant seed, borage seed, ...

  18. Ritual Black Drink consumption at Cahokia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crown, Patricia L.; Emerson, Thomas E.; Gu, Jiyan; Hurst, W. Jeffrey; Pauketat, Timothy R.; Ward, Timothy

    2012-01-01

    Chemical analyses of organic residues in fragments of pottery from the large site of Cahokia and surrounding smaller sites in Illinois reveal theobromine, caffeine, and ursolic acid, biomarkers for species of Ilex (holly) used to prepare the ritually important Black Drink. As recorded during the historic period, men consumed Black Drink in portions of the American Southeast for ritual purification. This first demonstrated discovery of biomarkers for Ilex occurs in beaker vessels dating between A.D. 1050 and 1250 from Cahokia, located far north of the known range of the holly species used to prepare Black Drink during historic times. The association of Ilex and beaker vessels indicates a sustained ritual consumption of a caffeine-laced drink made from the leaves of plants grown in the southern United States. PMID:22869743

  19. Combined effects of retinol, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol on diurnal variations in rectal temperature of Black Harco pullets subjected to heat stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinkalu, Victor Olusegun; Ayo, Joseph Olusegun

    2018-01-01

    The experiment was performed with the aim of determining the effect of co-administration of antioxidant vitamins, retinol, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol on rectal temperature (RT) fluctuations in pullets during the hot-dry season in Nigeria. Forty-eight Black Harco pullets, aged 16 weeks and weighing 1.5 ± 0.03 kg were divided by simple random sampling into two groups, consisting of 28 treated and 20 control Black Harco pullets. The RTs of 28 treated and 20 control Black Harco pullets were measured hourly for 3 days, 3 days apart, from 06:00 to 19:00 h (GMT + 1) with a standard clinical thermometer. The treated pullets were administered individually with the vitamins orally in water, while the control pullets were given only water. The lowest hourly RT of 40.9 ± 0.04 °C was obtained in treated pullets at 06:00 h, while the highest value of 41.1 ± 0.01 °C was recorded from 17:00 to 19:00 h ( P stress, and may enhance productivity of pullets reared under unfavourable, thermal environment conditions.

  20. Trans Fatty Acids Provide Evidence of Anthropogenic Feeding by Black Bears

    OpenAIRE

    Thiemann, Gregory W.; Stahl, Randal S.; Baruch-Mordo, Sharon; Breck, Stewart W.

    2008-01-01

    Bears (Ursus spp.) that become conditioned to anthropogenic food sources pose a risk to human safety and generally need to be relocated, rehabilitated, or destroyed. Identifying food-conditioned bears may be difficult if the animal is not captured or killed while immediately engaged in the nuisance behavior. Fatty acid signature analysis has been used to examine the dietary habits of bears and other carnivores and is based on the predictable incorporation of ingested fatty acids into the cons...

  1. Acid–base interaction between carbon black and polyurethane molecules with different amine values: Dispersion stability of carbon black suspension for use in lithium ion battery cathodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kil, Ki Chun; Kim, Gu Yeon; Cho, Chae-Woong; Lim, Myung Duk; Kim, Kijun; Jeong, Kyung-Min; Lee, Jinuk; Paik, Ungyu

    2013-01-01

    The dispersion properties of carbon black (CB) slurries as well as the accompanying electrochemical properties of Li(Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 )O 2 (NCM) electrodes were investigated by controlling the amine value of polyurethane-based dispersants. The increase in amine value of dispersants leads to an increase in adsorption level on CB surface due to a strong acid/base interaction between dispersants and CB particles, providing the improvement of steric repulsion between particles at the solid–liquid interface. This results in the enhancement of the dispersion stability of CB and the related microstructure of the electrodes. Electrochemical experiments indicated that the rate capabilities and cycle performance of the electrodes are in good agreement with dispersion properties of CB slurries. However, it was found that the excessive addition of the dispersant was deleterious to electrochemical properties because the non-adsorbed dispersants act as an electronic conduction barrier between solid phases. Therefore, it is suggested that the amine value of dispersant and tailored amount of dispersant addition can be key roles for obtaining the optimized dispersion stability of CB and the corresponding excellent electrochemical properties of the cathode

  2. Assessment of acid-base balance. Stewart's approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fores-Novales, B; Diez-Fores, P; Aguilera-Celorrio, L J

    2016-04-01

    The study of acid-base equilibrium, its regulation and its interpretation have been a source of debate since the beginning of 20th century. Most accepted and commonly used analyses are based on pH, a notion first introduced by Sorensen in 1909, and on the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation (1916). Since then new concepts have been development in order to complete and make easier the understanding of acid-base disorders. In the early 1980's Peter Stewart brought the traditional interpretation of acid-base disturbances into question and proposed a new method. This innovative approach seems more suitable for studying acid-base abnormalities in critically ill patients. The aim of this paper is to update acid-base concepts, methods, limitations and applications. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. Porous structure and surface chemistry of phosphoric acid activated carbon from corncob

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sych, N.V.; Trofymenko, S.I.; Poddubnaya, O.I.; Tsyba, M.M. [Institute for Sorption and Endoecology Problems, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 13 General Naumov St., 03164 Kyiv (Ukraine); Sapsay, V.I.; Klymchuk, D.O. [M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2 Tereshchenkivska St., 01601 Kyiv (Ukraine); Puziy, A.M., E-mail: alexander.puziy@ispe.kiev.ua [Institute for Sorption and Endoecology Problems, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 13 General Naumov St., 03164 Kyiv (Ukraine)

    2012-11-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phosphoric acid activation results in formation of carbons with acidic surface groups. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Maximum amount of surface groups is introduced at impregnation ratio 1.25. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phosphoric acid activated carbons show high capacity to copper. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phosphoric acid activated carbons are predominantly microporous. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Maximum surface area and pore volume achieved at impregnation ratio 1.0. - Abstract: Active carbons have been prepared from corncob using chemical activation with phosphoric acid at 400 Degree-Sign C using varied ratio of impregnation (RI). Porous structure of carbons was characterized by nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy. Surface chemistry was studied by IR and potentiometric titration method. It has been shown that porosity development was peaked at RI = 1.0 (S{sub BET} = 2081 m{sup 2}/g, V{sub tot} = 1.1 cm{sup 3}/g), while maximum amount of acid surface groups was observed at RI = 1.25. Acid surface groups of phosphoric acid activated carbons from corncob includes phosphate and strongly acidic carboxylic (pK = 2.0-2.6), weakly acidic carboxylic (pK = 4.7-5.0), enol/lactone (pK = 6.7-7.4; 8.8-9.4) and phenol (pK = 10.1-10.7). Corncob derived carbons showed high adsorption capacity to copper, especially at low pH. Maximum adsorption of methylene blue and iodine was observed for carbon with most developed porosity (RI = 1.0).

  4. Characterization of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated from acid mine drainage and black shale samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sajjad, W.; Bhatti, T. M.; Hasan, F.; Khan, S.; Badshah, M.

    2016-01-01

    Acid mine drainage (AMD) and black shale (BS) are the main habitats of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from extreme acidic habitats (AMD and BS). Concentration of metals in samples from AMD and BS varied significantly from the reference samples and exceeded the acceptable limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). A total of 24 bacteria were isolated from these samples that were characterized both morphologically as well as through biochemical tests. All the bacteria were gram-negative rods that could efficiently oxidize sulfur into sulfate ions (SO/sub 4/-2), resulted into decrease in pH up to 1.0 when grown in thiosulfate medium with initial pH 4.0. Out of 24, only 06 isolates were selected for phylogenetic analysis through 16S rRNA sequencing, on the basis of maximum sulfur-oxidizing efficiency. The isolates were identified as the species from different genera such as Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas, Bordetella, and Stenotrophomonas on the basis of maximum similarity index. The concentration of sulfate ions produced was estimated in the range of 179-272 mg/L. These acidophiles might have various potential applications such as biological leaching of metals from low-grade ores, alkali soil reclamation and to minimize the use of chemical S-fertilizers and minimize environmental pollution. (author)

  5. Whole body acid-base modeling revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ring, Troels; Nielsen, Søren

    2017-04-01

    The textbook account of whole body acid-base balance in terms of endogenous acid production, renal net acid excretion, and gastrointestinal alkali absorption, which is the only comprehensive model around, has never been applied in clinical practice or been formally validated. To improve understanding of acid-base modeling, we managed to write up this conventional model as an expression solely on urine chemistry. Renal net acid excretion and endogenous acid production were already formulated in terms of urine chemistry, and we could from the literature also see gastrointestinal alkali absorption in terms of urine excretions. With a few assumptions it was possible to see that this expression of net acid balance was arithmetically identical to minus urine charge, whereby under the development of acidosis, urine was predicted to acquire a net negative charge. The literature already mentions unexplained negative urine charges so we scrutinized a series of seminal papers and confirmed empirically the theoretical prediction that observed urine charge did acquire negative charge as acidosis developed. Hence, we can conclude that the conventional model is problematic since it predicts what is physiologically impossible. Therefore, we need a new model for whole body acid-base balance, which does not have impossible implications. Furthermore, new experimental studies are needed to account for charge imbalance in urine under development of acidosis. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  6. Carbon black vs. black carbon and other airborne materials containing elemental carbon: Physical and chemical distinctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long, Christopher M.; Nascarella, Marc A.; Valberg, Peter A.

    2013-01-01

    Airborne particles containing elemental carbon (EC) are currently at the forefront of scientific and regulatory scrutiny, including black carbon, carbon black, and engineered carbon-based nanomaterials, e.g., carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene. Scientists and regulators sometimes group these EC-containing particles together, for example, interchangeably using the terms carbon black and black carbon despite one being a manufactured product with well-controlled properties and the other being an undesired, incomplete-combustion byproduct with diverse properties. In this critical review, we synthesize information on the contrasting properties of EC-containing particles in order to highlight significant differences that can affect hazard potential. We demonstrate why carbon black should not be considered a model particle representative of either combustion soots or engineered carbon-based nanomaterials. Overall, scientific studies need to distinguish these highly different EC-containing particles with care and precision so as to forestall unwarranted extrapolation of properties, hazard potential, and study conclusions from one material to another. -- Highlights: •Major classes of elemental carbon-containing particles have distinct properties. •Despite similar names, carbon black should not be confused with black carbon. •Carbon black is distinguished by a high EC content and well-controlled properties. •Black carbon particles are characterized by their heterogenous properties. •Carbon black is not a model particle representative of engineered nanomaterials. -- This review demonstrates the significant physical and chemical distinctions between elemental carbon-containing particles e.g., carbon black, black carbon, and engineered nanomaterials

  7. Nutritional composition of Polyrhachis vicina Roger (Edible Chinese black ant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yucui Ren

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Edible black ant (Polyrhachis vicina Roger is a traditional edible insect species in China. It has been used as a functional ingredient in various tonics or health foods. This study determined the nutritional composition of the black ant, which included minerals, amino acids, superoxide dismutase (SOD, Vitamin E, and total acid. Supercritical CO2 fluid extraction was used to extract the organic compounds. The compounds were identified and quantified by GC-MS. Results showed that the ant powder contained 77000 IU/100g of SOD, 56.6g/100g protein, 9.0g/100g fat, 13.2g/100g volatile oil, 6.0g/100g moisture, 1.6g/100g total acid and 6.3g/100g ash. There were 18 amino acids, of which, glutamic acid, glycine, aspartic acid, alanine, leucine, proline and tyrosine were predominant. Among the 16 minerals, K, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn were predominant. More than 20 organic components were identified, the main ones were 9-octadecenoic acid, ethyl oleate, cholesterol and n-hexadecanoic acid. Six of the compounds found, i.e. hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, linoleic acid, ethyl oleate, oleic acid and cholesta-3, 5-diene, have not been reported previously. The results indicate that P. vicina Roger is rich in nutrients and is a potential ingredient for health food.

  8. A church-based intervention to change attitudes about physical activity among Black adolescent girls: a feasibility study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Wanda M; Berry, Diane; Hu, Jie

    2013-05-01

    To feasibility test a 12-week church-based physical activity intervention that was culturally sensitive, age- and gender specific directed at changing attitudes of Black adolescent girls' to be more physically active. A one-group pre- and posttest design was used. A convenience sample of Black adolescent girls between the age of 12-18 (n = 41). A 60-min 12-week church-based program that included interactive educational sessions followed by a high energy dance aerobics class was used. Data were collected on biophysical measures. Surveys were used to assess the following variables: attitudes, enjoyment, self-efficacy, intention, social and family support, and PA levels. Paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant changes in key variables. Positive changes were noted in the odds ratios for attitudes, self-efficacy, and intention. Body mass index, metabolic equivalent tasks, and fitness showed positive trends from pre to post intervention. Family support was significantly correlated with physical activity level (p Black churches aimed at Black adolescent girls are feasible. Participants evaluated the intervention very favorably. Family support may be a key factor in increasing physical activity levels in Black adolescent girls. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Comparative effects of irradiation, fumigation, and storage on the free amino acids and sugar contents of green, black and oolong teas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kausar, Tusneem; Akram, Kashif; Kwon, Joong-Ho

    2013-01-01

    Food irradiation or chemical fumigation can be used to ensure the hygienic quality of teas. The comparative effects of gamma irradiation (5 and 10 kGy) and fumigation (MeBr and PH 3 ) were investigated on the amino acids and sugar contents of Camellia sinensis (green, black and oolong teas) during storage (15±12 °C). The major amino acids found in teas were theanine and glutamic acid. Irradiation increased amino acids such as, leucine, alanine, and glutamic acid, and decreased the histidine. PH 3 fumigation resulted in a decrease of tyrosine content; however, the effect of MeBr fumigation was negligible. Storage showed no significant effect on the amino acid content of the irradiated and fumigated teas. Sucrose, glucose, and fructose contents significantly increased upon gamma irradiation (p≤0.05). However, fumigation and subsequent storage did not affect the sugar contents. Irradiation could be a preferred alternative choice to address food safety problems as fumigation is restricted in many countries. - Highlights: ► Teas were investigated for the changes during storage on irradiation and fumigation. ► The effect on amino acid contents was more prominent on irradiation than fumigation. ► The sucrose, glucose, and fructose contents increased on gamma irradiation. ► Fumigation and storage did not affect the sugar contents in the teas. ► Irradiation could be an effective alternative for fumigants

  10. 77 FR 66975 - Black Bear SO, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. ER13-203-000] Black Bear SO, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization This is a supplemental notice in the above-referenced proceeding of Black Bear SO...

  11. Black ringoids: spinning balanced black objects in d≥5 dimensions — the codimension-two case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kleihaus, Burkhard; Kunz, Jutta; Radu, Eugen

    2015-01-01

    We propose a general framework for the study of asymptotically flat black objects with k+1 equal magnitude angular momenta in d≥5 spacetime dimensions (with 0≤k≤[((d−5)/2)]). In this approach, the dependence on all angular coordinates but one is factorized, which leads to a codimension-two problem. This framework can describe black holes with spherical horizon topology, the simplest solutions corresponding to a class of Myers-Perry black holes. A different set of solutions describes balanced black objects with S"n"+"1×S"2"k"+"1 horizon topology. The simplest members of this family are the black rings (k=0). The solutions with k>0 are dubbed black ringoids. Based on the nonperturbative numerical results found for several values of (n,k), we propose a general picture for the properties and the phase diagram of these solutions and the associated black holes with spherical horizon topology: n=1 black ringoids repeat the k=0 pattern of black rings and Myers-Perry black holes in 5 dimensions, whereas n>1 black ringoids follow the pattern of higher dimensional black rings associated with ‘pinched’ black holes and Myers-Perry black holes.

  12. Processing black mulberry into jam: Effects on antioxidant potential and in vitro bioaccessibility

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tomas, Merve; Toydemir, Gamze; Boyacioglu, Dilek; Hall, R.D.; Beekwilder, M.J.; Capanoglu, Esra

    2017-01-01

    Black mulberries (Morus nigra) were processed into jam on an industrialized scale, including the major steps of: selection of frozen black mulberries, adding glucose-fructose syrup and water, cooking, adding citric acid and apple pectin, removing seeds, and pasteurization. Qualitative and

  13. Quantification of Lewis acid induced Brønsted acidity of protogenic Lewis bases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lathem, A Paige; Heiden, Zachariah M

    2017-05-09

    Proton transfer promoted by the coordination of protogenic Lewis bases to a Lewis acid is a critical step in catalytic transformations. Although the acidification of water upon coordination to a Lewis acid has been known for decades, no attempts have been made to correlate the Brønsted acidity of the coordinated water molecule with Lewis acid strength. To probe this effect, the pK a 's (estimated error of 1.3 pK a units) in acetonitrile of ten protogenic Lewis bases coordinated to seven Lewis acids containing Lewis acidities varying 70 kcal mol -1 , were computed. To quantify Lewis acid strength, the ability to transfer a hydride (hydride donor ability) from the respective main group hydride was used. Coordination of a Lewis acid to water increased the acidity of the bound water molecule between 20 and 50 pK a units. A linear correlation exhibiting a 2.6 pK a unit change of the Lewis acid-water adduct per ten kcal mol -1 change in hydride donor ability of the respective main group hydride was obtained. For the ten protogenic Lewis bases studied, the coordinated protogenic Lewis bases were acidified between 10 and 50 pK a units. On average, a ten kcal mol -1 change in hydride donor ability of the respective main group hydride resulted in about a 2.8 pK a unit change in the Brønsted acidity of the Lewis acid-Lewis base adducts. Since attempts to computationally investigate the pK a of main group dihydrogen complexes were unsuccessful, experimental determination of the first reported pK a of a main group dihydrogen complex is described. The pK a of H 2 -B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 was determined to be 5.8 ± 0.2 in acetonitrile.

  14. [Biologically active substances of black currant of new varieties].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miasishcheva, N V; Artemova, E N

    2013-01-01

    The assortment of black currant actively replenishes and is constantly updated as a result of successful work of domestic and foreign selectors. New grades of black currant are characterized by the raised content of biologically active substances, including vitamin C, P-active agents, pectin and are of special interest for studying. Fresh berries of seven grades (Azhurnaya, Arapka, Iskushenie, Kreolka, Ladushka, Orel serenade, Ocharovanie) of black currant which were selected by the All-Russian research institute of selection of fruit crops and are perspective for cultivation in the Central Chernozem Region of Russia were chosen as objects for research. The nutritional value of fresh berries was found to vary. Average content of soluble solids was 14.1%, while those below the average were observed in Kreolka (12.1%). The maximum amount of sugars characterized Ladushka grade (11.05%), minimum--Kreolka (9.00%). It has been found that most varieties have fairly high acidity. It is worth noting grade Ladushka, which had the highest sugar-acid index (4.39), with the lowest acidity (2.51%). The highest content of ascorbic acid was found in varieties Orel Serenade--183.7 mg/100 g, the smallest--Ocharovanie--110 mg/100 g, grade Azhurnaya, Kreolka, Ladushka exceeded this indicator average value (144.9 mg/100 g). In terms of the amount of P-active substances stood grades having values above the average (722.2 mg/100 g): Azhurnaya (789.8 mg/100 g), Kreolka (864.5 mg/100 g), Oryol serenade (765.6 mg/100 g). The average content of pectin in the studied berries of black currant was 7.92%, with a minimum of 6.30% was observed in grades Azhurnaya, maximum 9.90%--the kind Oryol serenade. High values of this index were characterized by grade Ladushka, Ocharovanie. Azhurnaya varieties, Creole, Orel serenade had high levels of ascorbic acid and P-active substances. Sort Ladushka marked as a dessert due to the largest sugar-acid ratio. Ladushka, Orel Serenade, Ocharovanie have the

  15. Evaluation of nitric and acetic acid resistance of cement mortars containing high-volume black rice husk ash.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatveera, B; Lertwattanaruk, P

    2014-01-15

    This paper presents the performance of cement mortar containing black rice husk ash (BRHA) under nitric and acetic acid attacks. The BRHA, collected from an electrical generating power plant that uses rice husk as fuel, was ground using a grinding machine. The compressive strength loss, weight loss, and expansion of mortars under nitric and acetic acid attack were investigated. The test results of BRHA properties in accordance with the ASTM C 618 standard found that the optimal grinding time was 4 h as this achieved a Blaine fineness of 5370 cm(2)/g. For parametric study, BRHA were used as a Portland cement Type 1 replacement at the levels of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by weight of binder. The water-to-binder ratios were 0.55, 0.60, and 0.65. From test results, when the percentage replacements of BRHA in cement increased, it was observed that the strength loss and weight loss of mortars containing BRHA under acetic acid attack were higher than those of the mortars against nitric acid attack. It was found that, of the various BHRA mortars, the strength loss and weight loss due to nitric and acetic acid attacks were the lowest in the mortar with 10% BRHA replacement. For 10%, 20% and 30% BRHA replacements, the rate of expansion of the BRHA mortar decreased when compared with the control mortar. For the mortars with other percentage replacements of BRHA, the rate of expansion increased. Furthermore, the effective water-to-binder ratios of control and BRHA mortars were the primary factor for determining the durability of mortar mixed with BRHA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Elucidating the hard/soft acid/base principle: A perspective based on half-reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayers, Paul W.; Parr, Robert G.; Pearson, Ralph G.

    2006-01-01

    A comprehensive analysis is presented for the acid-base double-exchange reaction as well as the associated acid-displacement and base-displacement 'half-reactions' with the goal of elucidating the meaning of the hard/soft acid/base (HSAB) principle and the conditions for its validity. When electron-transfer effects are important and other effects are negligible, the HSAB principle is driven by the surpassing stability of the soft acid/soft base product. When electrostatic effects dominate the reactivity, the HSAB principle is driven by the surpassing stability of the hard acid/hard base product. Because electron-transfer effects favor soft/soft interactions, while electrostatic effects favor hard/hard interactions, acid-base exchange reactions may be used to determine whether a reagent's reactivity is dominated by electron-transfer or by electrostatic effects. Because electron-transfer and electrostatic considerations separately favor the HSAB principle whenever the electronic chemical potentials of the acids and bases involved in the reaction are similar, our analysis provides strong support for the HSAB principle. The electronic chemical potential measures the intrinsic strength of acids and bases

  17. Merging Black Holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Centrella, Joan

    2012-01-01

    The final merger of two black holes is expected to be the strongest source of gravitational waves for both ground-based detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, as well as future. space-based detectors. Since the merger takes place in the regime of strong dynamical gravity, computing the resulting gravitational waveforms requires solving the full Einstein equations of general relativity on a computer. For many years, numerical codes designed to simulate black hole mergers were plagued by a host of instabilities. However, recent breakthroughs have conquered these instabilities and opened up this field dramatically. This talk will focus on.the resulting 'gold rush' of new results that is revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wave detection, testing general relativity, and astrophysics

  18. Selection and Characterization of Carbon Black and Surfactants for Development of Small Scale Uranium Oxicarbide Kernels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Contescu, Cristian I [ORNL

    2006-01-01

    This report supports the effort for development of small scale fabrication of UCO (a mixture of UO{sub 2} and UC{sub 2}) fuel kernels for the generation IV high temperature gas reactor program. In particular, it is focused on optimization of dispersion conditions of carbon black in the broths from which carbon-containing (UO{sub 2} {center_dot} H{sub 2}O + C) gel spheres are prepared by internal gelation. The broth results from mixing a hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and urea solution with an acid-deficient uranyl nitrate (ADUN) solution. Carbon black, which is previously added to one or other of the components, must stay dispersed during gelation. The report provides a detailed description of characterization efforts and results, aimed at identification and testing carbon black and surfactant combinations that would produce stable dispersions, with carbon particle sizes below 1 {micro}m, in aqueous HMTA/urea and ADUN solutions. A battery of characterization methods was used to identify the properties affecting the water dispersability of carbon blacks, such as surface area, aggregate morphology, volatile content, and, most importantly, surface chemistry. The report introduces the basic principles for each physical or chemical method of carbon black characterization, lists the results obtained, and underlines cross-correlations between methods. Particular attention is given to a newly developed method for characterization of surface chemical groups on carbons in terms of their acid-base properties (pK{sub a} spectra) based on potentiometric titration. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to confirm the identity of surfactants, both ionic and non-ionic. In addition, background information on carbon black properties and the mechanism by which surfactants disperse carbon black in water is also provided. A list of main physical and chemical properties characterized, samples analyzed, and results obtained, as well as information on the desired trend or

  19. Antimicrobial activity of gallic acid against food-related Pseudomonas strains and its use as biocontrol tool to improve the shelf life of fresh black truffles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorrentino, Elena; Succi, Mariantonietta; Tipaldi, Luca; Pannella, Gianfranco; Maiuro, Lucia; Sturchio, Marina; Coppola, Raffaele; Tremonte, Patrizio

    2018-02-02

    Refrigeration alone or in combination with other technologies represents the main tool used in the last decades to preserve the freshness of black truffles. This is principally due to the delicateness and vulnerability of this edible hypogeous fungus, so that other invasive preservation practices cannot be adopted. However, the proliferation of some microbial species during the cold storage still represents an unsolved problem. Pseudomonads are among the main spoiler bacteria responsible for the deterioration of refrigerated black truffles. Their growth ability at low temperatures requires the use of additional hurdles to prolong the shelf-life of truffles without altering their major features. The use of natural compounds may represent an alternative system for the biocontrol of this kind of product. Specifically, gallic acid (GA) is a phenolic acid naturally present in different foods, whose effectiveness was in vitro demonstrated against Pseudomonas spp. In our study, we reported the antimicrobial activity expressed by GA not only in vitro, using as target bacteria Pseudomonas putida DSMZ 291 T , P. fluorescens DSMZ 50090 T , P. fragi DSMZ 3456 T and Pseudomonas spp. P30-4, previously isolated from black truffles, but also in situ on fresh black truffles stored at 4°C for 28days. Our results showed Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) of 2.5mg/mL GA for all tested strains, except for P. fluorescens DSMZ 50090 T , having a MIC corresponding to 5mg/mL GA. The Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) was 10mg/mL for all strains. The analysis of kinetic parameters showed that the survival declined passing from 2.5 to 10mg/mL GA concentrations, with P. fluorescens confirmed to be the most resistant strain. Moreover, images obtained from Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed that Pseudomonas cells were strongly injured by the treatment with GA at 2.5mg/mL concentration, displaying visible pores on the cellular surfaces, absence of flagella and lysis with loss of

  20. VBSM: VCC-Based Black Box Service Model with Enhanced Data Integrity

    OpenAIRE

    Kang, Won; Lee, Jae; Park, Jong

    2014-01-01

    Recently, intelligent transport systems have been applied to vehicle cloud environments. Such technology is especially useful for the systematic management of road traffic. Moreover, automobiles are increasingly equipped with a black box for accident prevention and preservation of evidence. Vehicle black boxes have become mandatory because black box images and voice data have served as forensic evidence in courts. However, the data from black boxes can be forged or modified by man-in-the-midd...

  1. A Direct, Biomass-Based Synthesis of Benzoic Acid: Formic Acid-Mediated Deoxygenation of the Glucose-Derived Materials Quinic Acid and Shikimic Acid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arceo, Elena; Ellman, Jonathan; Bergman, Robert

    2010-05-03

    An alternative biomass-based route to benzoic acid from the renewable starting materials quinic acid and shikimic acid is described. Benzoic acid is obtained selectively using a highly efficient, one-step formic acid-mediated deoxygenation method.

  2. Analysis of urinary stone based on a spectrum absorption FTIR-ATR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asyana, V; Haryanto, F; Fitri, L A; Ridwan, T; Anwary, F; Soekersi, H

    2016-01-01

    This research analysed the urinary stone by measuring samples using Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection spectroscopy and black box analysis. The main objective of this study is to find kinds of urinary stone and determine a total spectrum, which is a simple model of the chemical and mineral composition urinary stone through black box analysis using convolution method. The measurements result showed that kinds of urinary stone were pure calcium oxalate monohydrate, ion amino acid calcium oxalate monohydrate, a mixture of calcium oxalate monohydrate with calcium phosphate, a mixture of ion amino acid calcium oxalate monohydrate and calcium phosphate,pure uric acid, ion amino acid uric acid, and a mixture of calcium oxalate monohydrate with ion amino acid uric acid. The results of analysis of black box showed characteristics as the most accurate and precise to confirm the type of urinary stones based on theregion absorption peak on a graph, the results of the convolution, and the shape of the total spectrum on each urinary stones. (paper)

  3. Adsorption removal of acid black 1 from aqueous solution using ordered mesoporous carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peng, Xiaoming, E-mail: pengxiaoming70@126.com [School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096 (China); Hu, Xijun [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong,China (China); Fu, Dafang, E-mail: fdf@seu.edu.cn [School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096 (China); Lam, Frank L.Y. [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong,China (China)

    2014-03-01

    Highlights: • Ordered mesoporous carbon was prepared using template. • Ordered mesoporous carbon was introduced of N-containing group by Chemical vapor deposition method. • Modified CMK-3 have better adsorption capacity and efficiency than virgin CMK-3 to removal AB1 dye. - Abstract: A novel ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3 and synthetic CMK-3 containing nitrogen functional groups by ammonia-treated were applied for acid black 1(AB1) dye adsorption. The ammonia-treated(chemical vapor deposition method) before and after CMK-3 were characterized by using a Micrometitics ASAP 2020 surface area analyzer (ASAP 2020), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT–IR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and equilibrium studies. This result indicates that the prepared CMK-3 and modified CMK-3 were almost uniform, as rope-like domains and their uniform mesopore with diameter centered at 3.2 nm and 3.7 nm. The FIIR analysis depicted that the presence of a variety of new basic functional groups on the modified CMK-3 surface. Several effect variables of pH, dye concentration and temperature were studied. The pseudo second-order model showed the fitter well to agree with the kinetic data. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich models, with the latter found to closely the isotherm model. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results show that CMK-3 using ammonia gas modified by thermal treatment system is an effective method to improvement capacity as it shows the highest adsorption capacity of AB1, as compared to the unmodified CMK-3 and the bamboo-based carbon, respectively.

  4. Looking for the invisible universe - Black matter, black energy, black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elbaz, David

    2016-01-01

    As the discovery of the expansion of the universe and of black holes put the study of cosmology into question again because it now refers to invisible things such as black holes, black energy and black matter, the author proposes an other view on the universe within such a context. He first discusses these three enigmas of black matter, black energy and black holes. In a second part, he addresses, discusses and comments five illusions: the Uranian illusion (questions of the existence of an anti-world, of black matter temperature), the Mercurian illusion (quantum gravity, the string theory), the Martian illusion (a patchwork universe, the illusion of the infinite), the cosmic Maya (the John Wheeler's cup, the holographic universe), and the narcissistic illusion

  5. BlackMax: A black-hole event generator with rotation, recoil, split branes, and brane tension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai Dechang; Starkman, Glenn; Stojkovic, Dejan; Issever, Cigdem; Tseng, Jeff; Rizvi, Eram

    2008-01-01

    We present a comprehensive black-hole event generator, BlackMax, which simulates the experimental signatures of microscopic and Planckian black-hole production and evolution at the LHC in the context of brane world models with low-scale quantum gravity. The generator is based on phenomenologically realistic models free of serious problems that plague low-scale gravity, thus offering more realistic predictions for hadron-hadron colliders. The generator includes all of the black-hole gray-body factors known to date and incorporates the effects of black-hole rotation, splitting between the fermions, nonzero brane tension, and black-hole recoil due to Hawking radiation (although not all simultaneously). The generator can be interfaced with Herwig and Pythia. The main code can be downloaded from http://www-pnp.physics.ox.ac.uk/~issever/BlackMax/blackmax.html.

  6. The Potency of White Rice (Oryza sativa), Black Rice (Oryza sativa L. indica), and Red Rice (Oryza nivara) as Antioxidant and Tyrosinase Inhibitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batubara, I.; Maharni, M.; Sadiah, S.

    2017-04-01

    Rice is known to have many beneficial biological activities and is often used as “bedak dingin”, a face powder. The content of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and several types of antioxidants, such as ferulic acid, phytic acid, tocopherol, and oryzanols [1-2] are predicted to be potential as a tyrosinase inhibitor. The purpose of this study is to determine the potency of extracts from there types of rice, namely white, red, and black rice as an antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitor. The rice was extracted with three different solvents, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The results showed that the highest antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl method was found in the methanol extract of black rice (IC50 290 μg/mL). Meanwhile, ethyl acetate extract of white rice has the highest antioxidant activity withphosphomolybdic acid method (41 mmol α-tocopherol equivalents/g sample). Thus, methanol extract of black rice and ethyl acetate extract of white rice are potential as an antioxidant. For tyrosinase inhibitor, n-hexane extract of red rice (IC50 3156 μg/mL) was the most active extract. The active component for radical scavenging is polar compound and for antioxidant by phosphomolybdate method is less polar compounds in black rice methanol extract based on TLC bioautogram. In conclusion, the black rice is the most potent in antioxidant while red rice is for tyrosinase inhibition.

  7. Assessing Acid-Base Status: Physiologic Versus Physicochemical Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adrogué, Horacio J; Madias, Nicolaos E

    2016-11-01

    The physiologic approach has long been used in assessing acid-base status. This approach considers acids as hydrogen ion donors and bases as hydrogen ion acceptors and the acid-base status of the organism as reflecting the interaction of net hydrogen ion balance with body buffers. In the physiologic approach, the carbonic acid/bicarbonate buffer pair is used for assessing acid-base status and blood pH is determined by carbonic acid (ie, Paco 2 ) and serum bicarbonate levels. More recently, the physicochemical approach was introduced, which has gained popularity, particularly among intensivists and anesthesiologists. This approach posits that the acid-base status of body fluids is determined by changes in the dissociation of water that are driven by the interplay of 3 independent variables: the sum of strong (fully dissociated) cation concentrations minus the sum of strong anion concentrations (strong ion difference); the total concentration of weak acids; and Paco 2 . These 3 independent variables mechanistically determine both hydrogen ion concentration and bicarbonate concentration of body fluids, which are considered as dependent variables. Our experience indicates that the average practitioner is familiar with only one of these approaches and knows very little, if any, about the other approach. In the present Acid-Base and Electrolyte Teaching Case, we attempt to bridge this knowledge gap by contrasting the physiologic and physicochemical approaches to assessing acid-base status. We first outline the essential features, advantages, and limitations of each of the 2 approaches and then apply each approach to the same patient presentation. We conclude with our view about the optimal approach. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. The Kidney and Acid-Base Regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koeppen, Bruce M.

    2009-01-01

    Since the topic of the role of the kidneys in the regulation of acid base balance was last reviewed from a teaching perspective (Koeppen BM. Renal regulation of acid-base balance. Adv Physiol Educ 20: 132-141, 1998), our understanding of the specific membrane transporters involved in H+, HCO , and NH transport, and especially how these…

  9. Acid-base properties of 2-phenethyldithiocarbamoylacetic acid, an antitumor agent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novozhilova, N. E.; Kutina, N. N.; Petukhova, O. A.; Kharitonov, Yu. Ya.

    2013-07-01

    The acid-base properties of the 2-phenethyldithiocarbamoylacetic acid (PET) substance belonging to the class of isothiocyanates and capable of inhibiting the development of tumors on many experimental models were studied. The acidity and hydrolysis constants of the PET substance in ethanol, acetone, aqueous ethanol, and aqueous acetone solutions were determined from the data of potentiometric (pH-metric) titration of ethanol and acetone solutions of PET with aqueous solidum hydroxide at room temperature.

  10. Black tea: Phytochemicals, cancer chemoprevention, and clinical studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Brahma N; Rawat, A K S; Bhagat, R M; Singh, B R

    2017-05-03

    Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is the most popular, flavored, functional, and therapeutic non-alcoholic drink consumed by two-thirds of the world's population. Black tea leaves are reported to contain thousands of bioactive constituents such as polyphenols, amino acids, volatile compounds, and alkaloids that exhibit a range of promising pharmacological properties. Due to strong antioxidant property, black tea inhibits the development of various cancers by regulating oxidative damage of biomolecules, endogenous antioxidants, and pathways of mutagen and transcription of antioxidant gene pool. Regular drinking of phytochemicals-rich black tea is linked to regulate several molecular targets, including COX-2, 5-LOX, AP-1, JNK, STAT, EGFR, AKT, Bcl2, NF-κB, Bcl-xL, caspases, p53, FOXO1, TNFα, PARP, and MAPK, which may be the basis of how dose of black tea prevents and cures cancer. In vitro and preclinical studies support the anti-cancer activity of black tea; however, its effect in human trails is uncertain, although more clinical experiments are needed at molecular levels to understand its anti-cancer property. This review discusses the current knowledge on phytochemistry, chemopreventive activity, and clinical applications of black tea to reveal its anti-cancer effect.

  11. [Acid-base imbalance in acute obstructive uropathies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belyĭ, L E

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate impairment of acid-base balance (ABB) in acute obstructive uropathies. Evaluation of acid-base balance was performed by pH, partial carbon dioxide pressure, plasma bicarbonate concentration, buffer bases, basis excess, hydrogen ion concentration. An automatic gas analyzer was used, plasma anion gap was calculated. Characteristic ABB alterations in different acute obstructive uropathies were detected. Acidotic shifts in acute obstruction of the upper urinary tracts and its inflammatory complications were assessed pathophysiologically. A comparative study of pathological acid-base disorders in acute supra- and infravesical obstructive uropathies was performed.

  12. Clinical, immunologic and insulin secretory characteristics of young black South African patients with diabetes: Hospital based single centre study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekpebegh, C O; Longo-Mbenza, B

    2013-03-01

    To classify and characterize the clinical features of various diabetes classes among young black South Africans. Cross sectional study of 60 black patients with diabetes, all less than 30 years of age and attending Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, Mthatha, South Africa. Diabetes was classified as Types 1A, 1B and 2 based on the anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase status and serum C-peptide response to intravenous injection of glucagon. Mean age was 19.6±4.8 years (n=60) with similar gender distribution. The mean duration of diabetes was 24.2±45.1 months. Type 1A was the class of diabetes in 55% (n=33/60) of patients. Type 1B and 2 accounted for 30% (n=18/60) and 15% (n=9/60) of patients respectively. Patients classified as Type 2 had higher waist circumference and higher prevalence of acanthosis nigricans than Types 1A and 1B groups. History of diabetes in a first degree relative and hypertension were found in similar proportions of patients with Types 1A, 1B and 2 diabetes. Five Type 1A diabetes patients had body mass index of 26.2-41kg/m(2) and this included two newly diagnosed patients with body mass index of 26.7kg/m(2) and 33.2kg/m(2). The majority of our young black South Africans with diabetes are of the Type 1A class. Acanthosis nigricans was not found in any patient with Type 1 A diabetes. A minority of Type 1 A diabetes patients were obese at initial diagnosis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Nanostructural effect of acid-etching and fluoride application on human primary and permanent tooth enamels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheong, Youjin [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Industry Research Institute, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Samjin [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Industry Research Institute, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Department of Orthodontics, College of Dental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, So Jung [Department of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hun-Kuk, E-mail: sigmoidus@khu.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Industry Research Institute, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Program of Medical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-07-01

    This study examined the nanostructural effects of fluoride application and the acid-etching time with respect to the time elapsed after fluoride application on the primary and permanent tooth enamel layers using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 192 non-carious teeth were assigned to sixteen experimental groups (n = 12) including primary (1 to 8) and permanent (9 to 16) teeth, based on the timing of acid-etching with 37% phosphoric acid after an acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) pre-treatment. The APF pre-treatment led to a decrease in surface roughness in both the primary and permanent teeth. After the APF treatment, the roughness in both primary and permanent teeth increased with the time elapsed. An acid-etching time of 40 s led to increased nanostructural changes in the enamel surfaces compared to the conventional acid-etching time of 20 s. This acid-etching process led to a higher roughness changes in the primary teeth than in the permanent teeth. To obtain proper enamel adhesion of a sealant after APF pre-treatment, it is important to apply acid-etching two weeks after pre-treatment. In addition, the acid-etching time should be prolonged to apply etching more quickly than two weeks, regardless of the primary and permanent teeth. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer APF pre-treatment led to decreased surface roughness in the enamel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer After APF treatment, the more roughness increased with increasing time elapsed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Acid-etching should be performed two weeks after fluoride application.

  14. Bromine accumulation in acidic black colluvial soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez Cortizas, Antonio; Ferro Vázquez, Cruz; Kaal, Joeri; Biester, Harald; Costa Casais, Manuela; Taboada Rodríguez, Teresa; Rodríguez Lado, Luis

    2016-02-01

    Recent investigations showed that bromine is incorporated to soil organic matter (SOM), its content increasing with humification. But few research was done on its long-term accumulation and the role played by pedogenetic processes, as those involved in organic matter stabilization. We investigated bromine content and distribution in four deep, acidic, organic-rich, Holocene soils from an oceanic area of Western Europe. Bromine concentrations (93-778 μg g-1) in the silt + clay (stabilized as aluminium-OM associations, and to a lesser extent on soil acidity (pH) and iron-OM associations. Thus, at scales of thousands of years, bromine accumulation in acidic soils is linked to the pool of metal-clay-stabilized organic matter.

  15. Comparison of CYP1A2 and NAT2 phenotypes between black and white smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muscat, Joshua E; Pittman, Brian; Kleinman, Wayne; Lazarus, Philip; Stellman, Steven D; Richie, John P

    2008-10-01

    The lower incidence rate of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in blacks than in whites may be due to racial differences in the catalytic activity of enzymes that metabolize carcinogenic arylamines in tobacco smoke. To examine this, we compared cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2) and N-acetyltransferase-2 activities (NAT2) in black and white smokers using urinary caffeine metabolites as a probe for enzyme activity in a community-based study of 165 black and 183 white cigarette smokers. The paraxanthine (1,7-dimethylxanthine, 17X)/caffeine (trimethylxanthine, 137X) ratio or [17X+1,7-dimethyluric acid (17U)]/137X ratio was used as an indicator of CYP1A2 activity. The 5-acetyl-amino-6-formylamino-3-methyluracil (AFMU)/1-methylxanthine (1X) ratio indicated NAT2 activity. The odds ratio for the slow NAT2 phenotype associated with black race was 0.4; 95% confidence intervals 0.2-0.7. The putative combined low risk phenotype (slow CYP1A2/rapid NAT2) was more common in blacks than in whites (25% vs. 15%, Pwhites.

  16. The Crisis in Black and Black.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutchinson, Earl Ofari

    These essays explore why the historic conflict between blacks and whites in the United States has become a crisis that divides many African Americans. The changing racial dynamic is not marked by conflicts. between the black middle class and the poor, black men and women, the black intellectual elite and rappers, black politicians and the urban…

  17. Chemical Composition and Fatty Acid Content of Some Spices and Herbs under Saudi Arabia Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fahad Mohammed Al-Jasass

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Some Saudi herbs and spices were analyzed. The results indicated that mustard, black cumin, and cress seeds contain high amount of fat 38.45%, 31.95% and 23.19%, respectively, as compared to clove (16.63%, black pepper (5.34% and fenugreek (4.51% seeds. Cress, mustard, black cumin and black pepper contain higher protein contents ranging from 26.61 to 25.45%, as compared to fenugreek (12.91% and clove (6.9%. Crude fiber and ash content ranged from 6.36 to 23.6% and from 3.57 to 7.1%, respectively. All seeds contain high levels of potassium (ranging from 383 to 823 mg/100g, followed by calcium (ranging from 75 to 270 mg/100g, Magnesium (ranged from 42 to 102 mg/100g and iron (ranged from 20.5 to 65 mg/100g. However, zinc, manganese and copper were found at low levels. The major fatty acids in cress and mustard were linolenic acid (48.43% and erucic acid (29.81%, respectively. The lenoleic acid was the major fatty acid in black cumin, fenugreek, black pepper and clove oils being 68.07%, 34.85%, 33.03% and 44.73%, respectively. Total unsaturated fatty acids were 83.24, 95.62, 86.46, 92.99, 81.34 and 87.82% for cress, mustard, black cumin, fenugreek, black pepper and clove, respectively. The differences in the results obtained are due to environmental factors, production areas, cultivars used to produce seeds and also due to the different methods used to prepare these local spices.

  18. Renal acidification responses to respiratory acid-base disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madias, Nicolaos E

    2010-01-01

    Respiratory acid-base disorders are those abnormalities in acid-base equilibrium that are expressed as primary changes in the arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2). An increase in PaCO2 (hypercapnia) acidifies body fluids and initiates the acid-base disturbance known as respiratory acidosis. By contrast, a decrease in PaCO2 (hypocapnia) alkalinizes body fluids and initiates the acid-base disturbance known as respiratory alkalosis. The impact on systemic acidity of these primary changes in PaCO2 is ameliorated by secondary, directional changes in plasma [HCO3¯] that occur in 2 stages. Acutely, hypercapnia or hypocapnia yields relatively small changes in plasma [HCO3¯] that originate virtually exclusively from titration of the body's nonbicarbonate buffers. During sustained hypercapnia or hypocapnia, much larger changes in plasma [HCO3¯] occur that reflect adjustments in renal acidification mechanisms. Consequently, the deviation of systemic acidity from normal is smaller in the chronic forms of these disorders. Here we provide an overview of the renal acidification responses to respiratory acid-base disorders. We also identify gaps in knowledge that require further research.

  19. Ambazone-lipoic acid salt: Structural and thermal characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kacso, Irina [National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Racz, Csaba-Pal; Santa, Szabolcs [Babes-Bolyai' University, Faculty of Chemistry, 11 Arany Janos street, Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Rus, Lucia [' Iuliu Hatieganu' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Dadarlat, Dorin; Borodi, Gheorghe [National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Bratu, Ioan, E-mail: ibratu@gmail.com [National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

    2012-12-20

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Salt of Ambazone with lipoic acid obtained by solvent-drop grinding. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ambazone lipoate salt crystallizes in monoclinic system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer FTIR data suggest the deprotonation of the lipoic acid. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermal behaviour different of ambazone salt as compared to the starting compounds. - Abstract: A suitable method for increasing the solubility, dissolution rate and consequently the bioavailability of poor soluble acidic or basic drugs is their salt formation. The aim of this study is to investigate the structural and thermal properties of the compound obtained by solvent drop grinding (SDG) method at room temperature, starting from the 1:1 molar ratios of ambazone (AMB) and {alpha}-lipoic acid (LA). The structural characterization was performed with X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The thermal behaviour of the obtained compound (AMB{center_dot}LA) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). The photopyroelectric calorimetry, in front detection configuration (FPPE), was applied to measure and compare the room temperature values of one dynamic thermal parameter (thermal effusivity) for starting and resulting compounds. Both structural and supporting calorimetric techniques pointed out a salt structure for AMB{center_dot}LA compound as compared to those of the starting materials.

  20. Determination of theanine, GABA, and other amino acids in green, oolong, black, and Pu-erh teas with dabsylation and high-performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syu, Kai-Yang; Lin, Chih-Li; Huang, Hsiu-Chen; Lin, Jen-Kun

    2008-09-10

    Dabsyl chloride (dimethylaminoazobenzene sulfonyl chloride), a useful chromophoric labeling reagent for amino acids and amines, was developed in this laboratory in 1975. Although several methods have been developed to determine various types of amino acids, a quick and easy method of determining theanine, GABA, and other amino acids has not been developed in one HPLC system. In this paper are analyzed the free amino acid contents of theanine and GABA in different teas (green tea, black tea, oolong tea, Pu-erh tea, and GABA tea) with a dabsylation and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system coupled with a detector at 425 nm absorbance. Two reverse phase columns, Hypersil GOLD and Zorbax ODS, were used and gave different resolutions of dabsyl amino acids in the gradient elution program. The data suggest that the tea source or the steps of tea-making may contribute to the theanine contents variations. High theanine contents of high-mountain tea were observed in both green tea and oolong tea. Furthermore, the raw (natural fermented) Pu-erh tea contained more theanine than ripe (wet fermented) Pu-erh tea, and the GABA contents in normal teas were generally lower than that in GABA tea.

  1. [Role of black bean Phaseolus vulgaris on the nutritional status of Guatemalan population].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrano, José; Goñi, Isabel

    2004-03-01

    Guatemala provides an example of epidemiological superposition, in which health problems typical of developed countries and developing countries are both observed. Nutritional deficiencies in some micronutrients like vitamin A and iron coexist alongside chronic diseases such as diabetes type II and cardiovascular diseases. The importance of black beans in the normal Guatemala diet is well known:70g per capita of black beans are consumed daily. Black beans are an important sources of protein and energy in the diet. They contain "lente" digestion carbohydrates and a high proportion of non-digested carbohydrates that may be fermented in the large intestine. Theses types of carbohydrates are associated with a low glycemic response, low serum cholesterol levels, and a decrease of colon cancer risk factors. These physiological effects may be related to colonic fermentation end products (propionic and butyric acids). Black beans also contain several antinutritional compounds (enzymatic inhibitors, haemaglutenins, saponins and phytic acid, etc.), some of them thermolabiles that are partially eliminated during culinary processes and may modify the nutritional quality of beans. Black beans play a crucial role in the etiology of several diseases in Guatemala.

  2. Determination of contents and antioxidant activity of free and bound phenolics compounds and in vitro digestibility of commercial black and red rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumczynski, Daniela; Kotásková, Eva; Družbíková, Helena; Mlček, Jiří

    2016-11-15

    Black and red rices (Oryza sativa L.) were analysed for total flavonoids and phenolics and the HPLC profile including both free and bound phenolic fractions. Moreover, antioxidant activity and in vitro digestibility was determined. Content of flavonoids and polyphenols as well as antioxidant activity was higher in free phenolic fractions. Bound flavonoids in black rices were not significant contributors to antioxidant activity. The main free phenolics in black rices were ferulic, protocatechuic and trans-p-coumaric acids, while the major free phenolics in red rices were catechin, protocatechuic and caffeic acids. The main bound phenolics in black rices were ferulic and vanillic acids and quercetin, in red rice types, they were ferulic, syringic, trans-p-coumaric acids and quercetin. Newly, the presence of m-coumaric acid in red rices was detected. Steam cooked rices showed very high levels of organic matter digestibility, whereas red rices were significantly more digestible than black rices (p<0.05). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Application of a mechanism-based rate equation to black liquor gasification rate data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Overacker, N.L.; Waag, K.J.; Frederick, W.J. [Oregon State University, OR (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Whitty, K.J.

    1995-09-01

    There is growing interest worldwide to develop alternate chemical recovery processes for paper mills which are cheaper, safer, more efficient and more environmentally sound than traditional technology. Pressurized gasification of black liquor is the basis for many proposed schemes and offers the possibility to double the amount of electricity generated per unit of dry black liquor solids. Such technology also has capital, safety and environmental advantages. One of the most important considerations regarding this emerging technology is the kinetics of the gasification reaction. This has been studied empirically at Aabo Akademi University for the pressurized gasification with carbon dioxide and steam. For the purposes of reactor modeling and scale-up, however, a thorough understanding of the mechanism behind the reaction is desirable. This report discusses the applicability of a mechanism-based rate equation to gasification of black liquor. The mechanism considered was developed for alkali-catalyzed gasification of carbon and is tested using black liquor gasification data obtained during simultaneous reaction with H{sub 2}O and CO. Equilibrium considerations and the influence of the water-gas shift reaction are also discussed. The work presented here is a cooperative effort between Aabo Akademi University and Oregon State University. The experimental work and some of the data analysis was performed at Aabo Akademi University. Development of the models and consideration of their applicability was performed primarily at Oregon State University

  4. Acid-base titrations using microfluidic paper-based analytical devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karita, Shingo; Kaneta, Takashi

    2014-12-16

    Rapid and simple acid-base titration was accomplished using a novel microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD). The μPAD was fabricated by wax printing and consisted of ten reservoirs for reaction and detection. The reaction reservoirs contained various amounts of a primary standard substance, potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHPth), whereas a constant amount of phenolphthalein was added to all the detection reservoirs. A sample solution containing NaOH was dropped onto the center of the μPAD and was allowed to spread to the reaction reservoirs where the KHPth neutralized it. When the amount of NaOH exceeded that of the KHPth in the reaction reservoirs, unneutralized hydroxide ion penetrated the detection reservoirs, resulting in a color reaction from the phenolphthalein. Therefore, the number of the detection reservoirs with no color change determined the concentration of the NaOH in the sample solution. The titration was completed within 1 min by visually determining the end point, which required neither instrumentation nor software. The volumes of the KHPth and phenolphthalein solutions added to the corresponding reservoirs were optimized to obtain reproducible and accurate results for the concentration of NaOH. The μPADs determined the concentration of NaOH at orders of magnitude ranging from 0.01 to 1 M. An acid sample, HCl, was also determined using Na2CO3 as a primary standard substance instead of KHPth. Furthermore, the μPAD was applicable to the titrations of nitric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, and ammonia solutions. The μPADs were stable for more than 1 month when stored in darkness at room temperature, although this was reduced to only 5 days under daylight conditions. The analysis of acidic hot spring water was also demonstrated in the field using the μPAD, and the results agreed well with those obtained by classic acid-base titration.

  5. Phytochemical Content of Some Black (Morus nigra L. and Purple (Morus rubra L. Mulberry Genotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat Tosun

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Bright black (Morus nigra and purple mulberry (Morus rubra are particularly desirable fruits in Turkey. More recently, the interest in these bright black and purple mulberry fruits has also increased because of the popularization of healthy properties of these fruits. The study was carried out in 2008 aiming to determine the antioxidant activity (ferric reducing ability of plasma, FRAP, total phenolic, total anthocyanin, mineral, soluble solid, vitamin C, and total acid content of four black and four purple mulberry genotypes grown in Turkey. The results show that black mulberry genotypes have a higher bioactive content than purple mulberry genotypes. The average total phenolic content and total anthocyanins of black mulberry genotypes were 2149 μg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE per g and 719 μg of cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalent (Cy 3-glu per g of fresh mass. In purple mulberry, these values were for GAE 1690 μg/g and for Cy 3-glu 109 μg/g on fresh mass basis. The average antioxidant activity of black mulberry genotypes was also found to be higher than that of the purple ones according to FRAP assay (Trolox equivalent (TE per fresh mass of black and purple mulberries was 13.35 and 6.87 μmol/g, respectively.

  6. An unusual case of black teeth

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schuurs, A. H.; Abraham-Inpijn, L.; van Straalen, J. P.; Sastrowijoto, S. H.

    1987-01-01

    Loss of enamel and a deep black stain of the teeth in a 40-year-old diabetic patient are strongly suggested to be caused by the daily consumption of a cheap white wine and, possibly, by the chewing of cayenne. The wine proved to be rather acid, thereby promoting abrasion as a result of gnashing, and

  7. To Be Alone or in a Group: An Exploration into How the School-Based Experiences Differ for Black Male Teachers across One Urban School District

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bristol, Travis J.

    2018-01-01

    One urban district administered the Black Male Teacher Environment Survey (BMTES) to each of its Black male teachers to measure their school-based experiences. This article highlights descriptive statistics from the 86 Black male teacher respondents. Findings suggest that participants' background characteristics and school-based experiences varied…

  8. Thermodynamics of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole: Thermal stability of the Nariai black hole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myung, Yun Soo

    2008-01-01

    We study the thermodynamics of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole in five dimensions by introducing two temperatures based on the standard and Bousso-Hawking normalizations. We use the first-law of thermodynamics to derive thermodynamic quantities. The two temperatures indicate that the Nariai black hole is thermodynamically unstable. However, it seems that black hole thermodynamics favors the standard normalization and does not favor the Bousso-Hawking normalization

  9. Integrated evaluation of malonyl ginsenosides, amino acids and polysaccharides in fresh and processed ginseng.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Jin-Yi; Fan, Yong; Yu, Qing-Tao; Ge, Ya-Zhong; Yan, Chen-Pu; Alolga, Raphael N; Li, Ping; Ma, Zhong-Hua; Qi, Lian-Wen

    2015-03-25

    Many analytical methods have been developed to characterize ginsenosides in ginseng. Relatively less attention has been paid to the malonyl ginsenosides, amino acids and polysaccharides in various processing ginsengs. In this study, malonyl ginsenosides were characterized by LC-Q-TOF/MS. In positive mode, the most abundant ions at m/z 425.38 were observed corresponding to the protopanoxadiol-type ginsenosides. A rich diagnostic ion at 835.48 was shown representing the malonyl ginsenosides with at least two glucosides. Twelve malonyl ginsenosides were rapidly screened using 835.48-835.49 to restructure ion chromatograms. In negative mode, besides the high deprotonated ion, a neutral loss of 44 Da (CO2) was found. High-energy collision-induced dissociation at 50 V produced the most abundant product ion [M-H-malonyl](-) by a neutral loss of 86 Da. Determination of 17 common amino acids was performed on an automatic amino acid analyzer. Arginine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid were abundant. The contents of amino acids were 9.1% in fresh ginseng and 3.1% in black ginseng. Phenol-sulfuric acid method was applied to analysis of polysaccharides. The contents of polysaccharides were 29.1% in fresh ginseng and 11.1% in black ginseng. The optimal growth age for the accumulation of constituents was supposed to be 5-6 years. In conclusion, the contents of malonyl ginsenosides, amino acids, and polysaccharides, based on decreasing order, ranked as follows: fresh ginseng>frozen ginseng>white ginseng>stoved ginseng>red ginseng>black ginseng. Processing should be paid more attention for the quality control of ginseng products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Implementing Lumberjacks and Black Swans Into Model-Based Tools to Support Human-Automation Interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sebok, Angelia; Wickens, Christopher D

    2017-03-01

    The objectives were to (a) implement theoretical perspectives regarding human-automation interaction (HAI) into model-based tools to assist designers in developing systems that support effective performance and (b) conduct validations to assess the ability of the models to predict operator performance. Two key concepts in HAI, the lumberjack analogy and black swan events, have been studied extensively. The lumberjack analogy describes the effects of imperfect automation on operator performance. In routine operations, an increased degree of automation supports performance, but in failure conditions, increased automation results in more significantly impaired performance. Black swans are the rare and unexpected failures of imperfect automation. The lumberjack analogy and black swan concepts have been implemented into three model-based tools that predict operator performance in different systems. These tools include a flight management system, a remotely controlled robotic arm, and an environmental process control system. Each modeling effort included a corresponding validation. In one validation, the software tool was used to compare three flight management system designs, which were ranked in the same order as predicted by subject matter experts. The second validation compared model-predicted operator complacency with empirical performance in the same conditions. The third validation compared model-predicted and empirically determined time to detect and repair faults in four automation conditions. The three model-based tools offer useful ways to predict operator performance in complex systems. The three tools offer ways to predict the effects of different automation designs on operator performance.

  11. Adsorption of Remazol Black B dye on Activated Carbon Felt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donnaperna Lucio

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available The adsorption of Remazol Black B (anionic dye on a microporous activated carbon felt is investigated from its aqueous solution. The surface chemistry of activated carbon is studied using X-ray microanalysis, "Boehm" titrations and pH of PZC measurements which indicates that the surface oxygenated groups are mainly acidic in nature. The kinetics of Remazol Black B adsorption is observed to be pH dependent and governed by the diffusion of the dye molecules. The experimental data can be explained by "intra-particle diffusion model". For Remazol Black B, the Khan model is best suited to simulate the adsorption isotherms.

  12. Black layers on historical architecture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toniolo, Lucia; Zerbi, Carlotta M; Bugini, Roberto

    2009-03-01

    separation is particularly evident in 'recent' crust, where the sulphation process is more active. Black compact deposits show a higher porosity than black crusts because gypsum is not coming from the chemical corrosion of the substrate but from outside; actually, in the former case, the substrate is sound. Encrustations show a highly regular crystal organisation of gypsum (close packed tabular crystals) that cannot be traced back to casual atmospheric deposit or to corrosion of the substrate but rather to the crystallisation of a solution coming from an external source. Also in this case, the marble is sound; evidence of the effect of some protection treatment is pointed out. In spite of the apparent similarity of the examined samples, analytical results have evidenced three main types of black crusts: black crust with decayed substrate, compact deposit and black encrustation showing a sound substrate underneath. Experimental evidence of calcite grains sulphation in progress, taking place according to a model recently proposed, has been observed. Sulphation process is prevented where particular conservation treatments had been applied in the past. New experimental studies can be focussed to understand the specific conditions (measurements of micro-climatic and thermodynamic parameters) and mechanisms for black crusts formation in situ. The problem of the kinetic of the sulphation process of marble, the assessment of black layers formation in the case of different carbonate stone materials and the study of acid attack in presence of surface protecting layers deserve further investigation.

  13. Facile synthesis of graphene hybrid tube-like structure for simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid and tryptophan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Wen [Education Ministry Key Laboratory on Luminescence and Real-Time Analysis, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Chai Yaqin, E-mail: yqchai@swu.edu.cn [Education Ministry Key Laboratory on Luminescence and Real-Time Analysis, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Yuan Ruo, E-mail: yuanruo@swu.edu.cn [Education Ministry Key Laboratory on Luminescence and Real-Time Analysis, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Chen Shihong; Han Jing; Yuan Dehua [Education Ministry Key Laboratory on Luminescence and Real-Time Analysis, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China)

    2012-12-05

    Graphical abstract: A tube-like structure of graphene hybrid (GS-PTCA) was synthesized via {pi}-{pi} stacking interaction, and was used as modifier to fabricate electrode for simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA) and tryptophan (Trp). SEM images of GS, PTCA and GS-PTCA were presented. Under the synergistic effects between GS and PTCA, the modified electrode displayed high catalytic activity and selectivity toward the oxidation of AA, DA, UA, and Trp. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A simple strategy for simultaneous detection of AA, DA, UA and Trp has been constructed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The tube-like structure of graphene hybrid (GS-PTCA) was synthesized. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The GS-PTCA provided a selective interface for discrimination of AA, DA, UA and Trp. - Abstract: In the present work, a tube-like structure of graphene hybrid as modifier to fabricate electrode for simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA) and tryptophan (Trp) was reported. The hybrid was synthesized by a simple method based on graphene sheets (GS) and 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) via {pi}-{pi} stacking interaction under ultrasonic condition. The combination of GS and PTCA could effectively improve the dispersion of GS, owing to PTCA with the carboxylic-functionalized interface. Comparing with pure GS or PTCA modified electrode, GS-PTCA displayed high catalytic activity and selectivity toward the oxidation of AA, DA, UA, and Trp. Moreover, cyclic voltammetry, different pulse voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the sensors. The experiment results showed that the linear response range for simultaneous detection of AA, DA, UA, and Trp were 20-420 {mu}M, 0.40-374 {mu}M, 4-544 {mu}M and 0.40-138 {mu}M, respectively, and the detection limits were 5.60 {mu}M, 0.13 {mu}M, 0.92 {mu}M and 0.06 {mu}M (S/N = 3). Importantly, the proposed method offers

  14. Mefenamic Acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mefenamic acid comes as a capsule to take by mouth. It is usually taken with food every 6 hours as needed for up to 1 week. Follow ... pain vomit that is bloody or looks like coffee grounds black, tarry, or bloody stools slowed breathing ...

  15. Stability of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Masashi; Ishihara, Hideki; Murata, Keiju; Soda, Jiro

    2008-01-01

    The stability of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes is studied. The squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole looks like a five-dimensional black hole in the vicinity of horizon and looks like a four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime with a circle at infinity. In this sense, squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes can be regarded as black holes in the Kaluza-Klein spacetimes. Using the symmetry of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes, SU(2)xU(1)≅U(2), we obtain master equations for a part of the metric perturbations relevant to the stability. The analysis based on the master equations gives strong evidence for the stability of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes. Hence, the squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes deserve to be taken seriously as realistic black holes in the Kaluza-Klein spacetime.

  16. Substance Abuse Among Blacks Across the Diaspora.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lacey, Krim K; Mouzon, Dawne M; Govia, Ishtar O; Matusko, Niki; Forsythe-Brown, Ivy; Abelson, Jamie M; Jackson, James S

    2016-07-28

    Lower rates of substance abuse are found among Black Americans compared to Whites, but little is known about differences in substance abuse across ethnic groups within the black population. We examined prevalence rates of substance abuse among Blacks across three geographic regions (US, Jamaica, Guyana). The study also sought to ascertain whether length of time, national context and major depressive episodes (MDE) were associated with substance abuse. We utilized three different data sources based upon probability samples collected in three different countries. The samples included 3,570 African Americans and 1,621 US Caribbean Black adults from the 2001-2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL). An additional 1,142 Guyanese Blacks and 1,176 Jamaican Blacks living in the Caribbean region were included from the 2005 NSAL replication extension study, Family Connections Across Generations and Nations (FCGN). Mental disorders were based upon DSM-IV criteria. For the analysis, we used descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multivariate logistic regression analytic procedures. Prevalence of substance abuse varied by national context, with higher rates among Blacks within the United States compared to the Caribbean region. Rates of substance abuse were lower overall for women, but differ across cohorts by nativity and length of time in the United States, and in association with major depressive episode. The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested.

  17. The acid-base resistant zone in three dentin bonding systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Go; Nikaido, Toru; Foxton, Richard M; Tagami, Junji

    2009-11-01

    An acid-base resistant zone has been found to exist after acid-base challenge adjacent to the hybrid layer using SEM. The aim of this study was to examine the acid-base resistant zone using three different bonding systems. Dentin disks were applied with three different bonding systems, and then a resin composite was light-cured to make dentin disk sandwiches. After acid-base challenge, the polished surfaces were observed using SEM. For both one- and two-step self-etching primer systems, an acid-base resistant zone was clearly observed adjacent to the hybrid layer - but with differing appearances. For the wet bonding system, the presence of an acid-base resistant zone was unclear. This was because the self-etching primer systems etched the dentin surface mildly, such that the remaining mineral phase of dentin and the bonding agent yielded clear acid-base resistant zones. In conclusion, the acid-base resistant zone was clearly observed when self-etching primer systems were used, but not so for the wet bonding system.

  18. Antimicrobial activity, phyto chemical profile and trace minerals of black mulberry (morus nigra l.) fresh juice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalid, N.; Fawad, S.A.; Ahmed, I.

    2011-01-01

    In the present work, the fresh juice of black mulberry (Morus nigra) was tested for antimicrobial activity against various pathogenic microorganisms. Total antioxidant contents, total phenolic contents, total anthocyanins, trace minerals, total acid contents, total solids and ascorbic acid content were also evaluated. The results showed good antimicrobial activity both for Gram- positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with highest zones of inhibition for Bacillus spizizenii (19.68 mm, Gram-positive) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.87 mm, Gram-negative). The black mulberry juice was rich in ascorbic acid (23.45 mg/100 g), had low overall acid content (1.60 %) and had 19% total soluble solids. The average total anthocyanins and total phenolic contents of black mulberry juice were 769 mu g/g of cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalent (Cy 3-gly) per gram and 2050 mu g of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of fresh juice. The average antioxidant activity (Trolox equivalent, TE) of fresh juice was 14.00 mu mol/g according to a FRAP assay and 20.10 mu mol/g according to a DPPH assay. The fresh juice was also rich in a variety of trace minerals. (author)

  19. Spatial consideration of black rainfall region using geographical information system and based on witness of A-bomb survivors and newspaper articles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Yuya; Satoh, Kenichi; Shimamoto; Kawano, Noriyuki

    2012-01-01

    The black rainfall area after the A-bomb explosion was investigated using informational materials in the title because orographic precipitate is important for radioactive substances to spread. Witnesses were collected from questionnaires about exposure done by Asahi Newspapers (Apr., 2005) and by Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nov., 1985-Mar., 1986); from Newspaper Data Base in Hiroshima University about articles concerning A-bomb, exposure and black rain; and about geography, from National Digital Cartographic Data Base of Geographical Survey Institute. Geographical Information System was used for identifying the valley and ridge to plot the keywords about the above exposure, black rain and so on. It was found that black rain was experienced in Hiroshima City alone whereas witness of seeing the mushroom cloud was obtained at many places nearby around the City, suggesting the biased black rainfall region within the City. Particularly, when the black rain witnesses in the City were summing up for each region, they were found biased in the west to northern west areas of the hypocenter, that were downwind of the first ridge from the explosion site. Thus the black rainfall was found localized western to northern western from the hypocenter, which was thought to be further confirmed by other evidence like soil analysis. (T.T.)

  20. Altered cultivar resistance of kimchi cabbage seedlings mediated by salicylic Acid, jasmonic Acid and ethylene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Young Hee; Kim, Sang Hee; Yun, Byung-Wook; Hong, Jeum Kyu

    2014-09-01

    Two cultivars Buram-3-ho (susceptible) and CR-Hagwang (moderate resistant) of kimchi cabbage seedlings showed differential defense responses to anthracnose (Colletotrichum higginsianum), black spot (Alternaria brassicicola) and black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, Xcc) diseases in our previous study. Defense-related hormones salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene led to different transcriptional regulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) gene expression in both cultivars. In this study, exogenous application of SA suppressed basal defenses to C. higginsianum in the 1st leaves of the susceptible cultivar and cultivar resistance of the 2nd leaves of the resistant cultivar. SA also enhanced susceptibility of the susceptible cultivar to A. brassicicola. By contrast, SA elevated disease resistance to Xcc in the resistant cultivar, but not in the susceptible cultivar. Methyl jasmonate (MJ) treatment did not affect the disease resistance to C. higginsianum and Xcc in either cultivar, but it compromised the disease resistance to A. brassicicola in the resistant cultivar. Treatment with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) ethylene precursor did not change resistance of the either cultivar to C. higginsianum and Xcc. Effect of ACC pretreatment on the resistance to A. brassicicola was not distinguished between susceptible and resistant cultivars, because cultivar resistance of the resistant cultivar was lost by prolonged moist dark conditions. Taken together, exogenously applied SA, JA and ethylene altered defense signaling crosstalk to three diseases of anthracnose, black spot and black rot in a cultivar-dependent manner.

  1. Altered Cultivar Resistance of Kimchi Cabbage Seedlings Mediated by Salicylic Acid, Jasmonic Acid and Ethylene

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Hee Lee

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Two cultivars Buram-3-ho (susceptible and CR-Hagwang (moderate resistant of kimchi cabbage seedlings showed differential defense responses to anthracnose (Colletotrichum higginsianum, black spot (Alternaria brassicicola and black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, Xcc diseases in our previous study. Defense-related hormones salicylic acid (SA, jasmonic acid (JA and ethylene led to different transcriptional regulation of pathogenesis-related (PR gene expression in both cultivars. In this study, exogenous application of SA suppressed basal defenses to C. higginsianum in the 1st leaves of the susceptible cultivar and cultivar resistance of the 2nd leaves of the resistant cultivar. SA also enhanced susceptibility of the susceptible cultivar to A. brassicicola. By contrast, SA elevated disease resistance to Xcc in the resistant cultivar, but not in the susceptible cultivar. Methyl jasmonate (MJ treatment did not affect the disease resistance to C. higginsianum and Xcc in either cultivar, but it compromised the disease resistance to A. brassicicola in the resistant cultivar. Treatment with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC ethylene precursor did not change resistance of the either cultivar to C. higginsianum and Xcc. Effect of ACC pretreatment on the resistance to A. brassicicola was not distinguished between susceptible and resistant cultivars, because cultivar resistance of the resistant cultivar was lost by prolonged moist dark conditions. Taken together, exogenously applied SA, JA and ethylene altered defense signaling crosstalk to three diseases of anthracnose, black spot and black rot in a cultivar-dependent manner.

  2. Application of acid-modified Imperata cylindrica powder for latent fingerprint development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, Wei Zeng; Khoo, Bee Ee; Aziz, Zalina Binti Abdul; Low, Ling Wei; Teng, Tjoon Tow; bin Abdullah, Ahmad Fahmi Lim

    2015-09-01

    A novel powdering material that utilizes acid-modified Imperata cylindrica (IC) powder for the development of fingermarks was studied. Experiments were carried out to determine the suitability, adherence quality and sensitivity of the acid-modified IC powder. Fingermarks of different constituents (eccrine, sebaceous and natural fingermarks) on different types of surfaces were used. Acid-modified IC powder was also used to develop fingermarks of different ages as well as aged fingermarks recovered from the water. From the visual inspection, acid-modified IC powder was able to interact with different fingermark constituents and produced distinct ridge details on the examined surfaces. It was also able to develop aged fingermarks and fingermarks that were submerged in water. A statistical comparison was made against the Sirchie® Hi-Fi black powder in terms of the powders' sensitivity and quality of the developed natural fingermarks. The image quality was analyzed using MITRE's Image Quality of Fingerprint (IQF) software. From the experiments, acid-modified IC powder has the potential as a fingermark development powder, although natural fingermarks developed by Sirchie® black powder showed better quality and sensitivity based on the results of the statistical comparison. Copyright © 2015 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Characterization and discrimination of Taihe black-boned silky fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson) muscles using LC/MS-based lipidomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mi, Si; Shang, Ke; Jia, Wei; Zhang, Chun-Hui; Li, Xia; Fan, Yu-Qing; Wang, Hang

    2018-07-01

    Taihe black-boned silky fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson) has a history of over 2200 years of being consumed as a curative food in China. In this work, an LC/MS-based lipidomics approach was employed to investigate the characteristic lipid composition of Taihe black-boned silky fowls from different ages and genders as well as from different carcass parts. Data were processed using an orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis and one-way analysis of variance. A total of 1127 lipids were detected in Taihe black-boned silky fowl muscles. Among them, 88, 11 and 1 lipid species were found to have both a variable influence on a projection value >1 and a p-value smaller than 0.05 between different age, gender and part groups. These results illustrate that the influence of the 3 investigated factors on the lipid profiles of Taihe black-boned silky fowl decreased in the order of age > gender > part. Lipid profile differences will facilitate a better understanding of the curative properties of Taihe black-boned silky fowl. Taihe and crossbred black-boned silky fowls were compared in terms of their lipid compositions based on the same strategy. The results showed that the two groups were able to discriminate from each other effectively. 47 lipid compounds were determined to be potential markers for the authentication of Taihe black-boned silky fowl. This work demonstrates the successful application of lipidomics for lipid profiling in food raw materials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Acid-base status and changes in Swedish forest soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karltun, Erik; Stendahl, Johan; Lundin, Lars

    2003-01-01

    In this paper we use data from the Swedish National Survey of Forest Soils and Vegetation (NSFSV) to evaluate the present acid-base status of forest soils to try to answer the following questions. Which role do anthropogenic and biological acidification play for the present acid-base status of the soil profile? What is the present acid-base status of Swedish forest soils and how large areas may be considered as severely acidified? Do the current tendencies in soil acid-base status correspond with the positive development in surface waters?

  5. Mobile technology use and desired technology-based intervention characteristics among HIV+ Black men who have sex with men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senn, Theresa E; Braksmajer, Amy; Coury-Doniger, Patricia; Urban, Marguerite A; Carey, Michael P

    2017-04-01

    HIV positive Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are retained in HIV medical care at suboptimal rates. Interventions targeted to Black MSM are needed to help to improve their retention in care. The purposes of this study were to investigate the use of mobile technology among HIV+ Black MSM and to explore participants' thoughts about the use of mobile technology for HIV retention in care interventions. Twenty-two HIV+ Black MSM completed a technology use survey and participated in a qualitative interview regarding technology-based interventions. The majority of participants (95%) had access to a cell phone, and used their phones frequently (median 3 hours/day). Men preferred interventions that would allow for anonymous participation and that would provide individually tailored support. Mobile technology is a promising approach to intervention delivery for both younger and older HIV+ Black MSM. These interventions should incorporate features that are desirable to men (i.e., anonymous participation and individual tailoring).

  6. Sound-scattering layers of the Black Sea based on ADCP observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morozov, A. N.; Lemeshko, E. M.; Fedorov, S. V.

    2017-09-01

    The paper discusses the results of expeditions to the northwestern part of the Black Sea carried out in 2004-2008. Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) with an operating frequency of 150 and 300 kHz were used as the echo sounders. The characteristic scales of the spatial variability of sound scattering in the Black Sea were determined; the revealed peculiarities are interpreted. The characteristics of a deep soundscattering layer in the Black Sea are given.

  7. Skyrmion black hole hair: Conservation of baryon number by black holes and observable manifestations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dvali, Gia [Arnold Sommerfeld Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80333 München (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Werner-Heisenberg-Institut, 80805 München (Germany); Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Gußmann, Alexander, E-mail: alexander.gussmann@physik.uni-muenchen.de [Arnold Sommerfeld Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80333 München (Germany)

    2016-12-15

    We show that the existence of black holes with classical skyrmion hair invalidates standard proofs that global charges, such as the baryon number, cannot be conserved by a black hole. By carefully analyzing the standard arguments based on a Gedankenexperiment in which a black hole is seemingly-unable to return the baryon number that it swallowed, we identify inconsistencies in this reasoning, which does not take into the account neither the existence of skyrmion black holes nor the baryon/skyrmion correspondence. We then perform a refined Gedankenexperiment by incorporating the new knowledge and show that no contradiction with conservation of baryon number takes place at any stage of black hole evolution. Our analysis also indicates no conflict between semi-classical black holes and the existence of baryonic gauge interaction arbitrarily-weaker than gravity. Next, we study classical cross sections of a minimally-coupled massless probe scalar field scattered by a skyrmion black hole. We investigate how the skyrmion hair manifests itself by comparing this cross section with the analogous cross section caused by a Schwarzschild black hole which has the same ADM mass as the skyrmion black hole. Here we find an order-one difference in the positions of the characteristic peaks in the cross sections. The peaks are shifted to smaller scattering angles when the skyrmion hair is present. This comes from the fact that the skyrmion hair changes the near horizon geometry of the black hole when compared to a Schwarzschild black hole with same ADM mass. We keep the study of this second aspect general so that the qualitative results which we obtain can also be applied to black holes with classical hair of different kind.

  8. Assessing College Students' Understanding of Acid Base Chemistry Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Yanjun Jean

    2014-01-01

    Typically most college curricula include three acid base models: Arrhenius', Bronsted-Lowry's, and Lewis'. Although Lewis' acid base model is generally thought to be the most sophisticated among these three models, and can be further applied in reaction mechanisms, most general chemistry curricula either do not include Lewis' acid base model, or…

  9. Validity of a multipass, web-based, 24-hour self-administered recall for assessment of total energy intake in blacks and whites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arab, Lenore; Tseng, Chi-Hong; Ang, Alfonso; Jardack, Patricia

    2011-12-01

    To date, Web-based 24-hour recalls have not been validated using objective biomarkers. From 2006 to 2009, the validity of 6 Web-based DietDay 24-hour recalls was tested among 115 black and 118 white healthy adults from Los Angeles, California, by using the doubly labeled water method, and the results were compared with the results of the Diet History Questionnaire, a food frequency questionnaire developed by the National Cancer Institute. The authors performed repeated measurements in a subset of 53 subjects approximately 6 months later to estimate the stability of the doubly labeled water measurement. The attenuation factors for the DietDay recall were 0.30 for blacks and 0.26 for whites. For the Diet History Questionnaire, the attenuation factors were 0.15 and 0.17 for blacks and whites, respectively. Adjusted correlations between true energy intake and the recalls were 0.50 and 0.47 for blacks and whites, respectively, for the DietDay recall. For the Diet History Questionnaire, they were 0.34 and 0.36 for blacks and whites, respectively. The rate of underreporting of more than 30% of calories was lower with the recalls than with the questionnaire (25% and 41% vs. 34% and 52% for blacks and whites, respectively). These findings suggest that Web-based DietDay dietary recalls offer an inexpensive and widely accessible dietary assessment alternative, the validity of which is equally strong among black and white adults. The validity of the Web-administered recall was superior to that of the paper food frequency questionnaire.

  10. Ten Myths, Half-Truths and Misunderstandings About Black History.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruffins, Paul

    1997-01-01

    Common myths and misconceptions about Blacks in American history and evidence that refutes them are presented. Issues addressed include Black enslavement patterns, social status within the Black community based on skin color, the legality of slaves learning to read, resistance to slavery, African influences in modern Black culture, Black names and…

  11. Phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains at four stages of development after flowering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Yafang; Xu, Feifei; Sun, Xiao; Bao, Jinsong; Beta, Trust

    2014-01-15

    This study investigated differences in total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity, and phenolic acids in free, conjugated and bound fractions of white (unpolished), red and black rice at 1-, 2-, and 3-weeks of grain development after flowering and at maturity. Unlike the TPC (mg/100g) of white rice (14.6-33.4) and red rice (66.8-422.2) which was significantly higher at 1-week than at later stages, the TPC of black rice (56.5-82.0) was highest at maturity. The antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH radical scavenging and ORAC methods generally followed a similar trend as TPC. Only black rice had detectable anthocyanins (26.5-174.7mg/100g). Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) and peonidin-3-glucoside (P3G) were the main anthocyanins in black rice showing significantly higher levels at 2- and 3-weeks than at 1-week development and at maturity. At all stages, the phenolic acids existed mainly in the bound form as detected by HPLC and confirmed by LC-MS/MS. Black rice (20.1-31.7mg/100g) had higher total bound phenolic acids than white rice and red rice (7.0-11.8mg/100g). Protocatechuic acid was detected in red rice and black rice with relatively high levels at 1-week development (1.41mg/100g) and at maturity (4.48mg/100g), respectively. Vanillic acid (2.4-5.4mg/100g) was detected only in black rice where it peaked at maturity. p-Coumaric acid (black rice. Ferulic acid (4.0-17.9mg/100g), the most abundant bound phenolic acid, had an inconsistent trend with higher levels being observed in black rice where it peaked at maturity. Isoferulic acid levels (0.8-1.6mg/100g) were generally low with slightly elevated values being observed at maturity. Overall black rice had higher total bound phenolic acids than white and red rice while white rice at all stages of development after flowering. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Preparation and Optimization of Amorphous Ursodeoxycholic Acid Nano-suspensions by Nanoprecipitation based on Acid-base Neutralization for Enhanced Dissolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Yike; Chen, Zhongjian; Su, Rui; Li, Ye; Qi, Jianping; Wu, Wei; Lu, Yi

    2017-01-01

    Ursodeoxycholic acid, usually used to dissolve cholesterol gallstones in clinic, is a typical hydrophobic drug with poor oral bioavailability due to dissolution rate-limited performance. The objective of this study was to increase the dissolution of ursodeoxycholic acid by amorphous nanosuspensions. Nanoprecipitation based on acid-base neutralization was used to prepare the nanosuspensions with central composite design to optimize the formula. The nanosuspensions were characterized by particle size, morphology, crystallology and dissolution. The ursodeoxycholic acid nanosuspensions showed mean particle size around 380 nm with polydispersion index value about 0.25. Scanning electron microscope observed high coverage of HPMC-E50 onto the surface of the nanosuspensions. Differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffractometry revealed amorphous structure of the ursodeoxycholic acid nanosuspensions. A significant increase of dissolution in acidic media was achieved by the amorphous nanosuspensions compared with the physical mixture. It can be predicted that the amorphous nanosuspensions show great potential in improving the oral bioavailability of ursodeoxycholic acid. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  13. Polylactic acid coating on a biodegradable magnesium alloy: An in vitro degradation study by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alabbasi, Alyaa; Liyanaarachchi, S.; Kannan, M. Bobby, E-mail: bobby.mathan@jcu.edu.au

    2012-09-30

    Polylactic acid (PLA) was coated on a biodegradable magnesium alloy, AZ91, using spin coating technique for temporary implant applications. The degradation behaviour of the coated alloy samples was evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method in simulated body fluid (SBF). EIS results suggested that the PLA coating enhanced the degradation resistance of the alloy significantly. Increase in the PLA coating thickness was found to increase the degradation resistance, but resulted in poor adhesion. Long-term EIS experiments of the PLA coated samples suggested that their degradation resistance gradually decreased with increase in SBF exposure time. However, the degradation resistance of the PLA coated samples was significantly higher than that of the bare metal even after a 48 h exposure to SBF. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Polylactic acid (PLA) was coated on a magnesium-based alloy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PLA coating enhanced the in vitro degradation resistance of the alloy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Increase in the PLA coating thickness improved the alloy degradation resistance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thin film PLA coating exhibited both good degradation resistance and adhesion.

  14. DIETARY BLACK CUMIN (NIGELLA SATIVA SEED OIL AFFECTS SERUM LIPIDS IN CHICKEN BROILERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aida Hodžić

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The research was performed on 40 chicken broilers of Cobb provenience to investigate the effect of dietary black cumin seed oil on some blood biochemical parameters in chicken broilers. 40 chicken broilers who were included in the 42 days lasting experiment were divided into two groups, each one of 20 individuals. Group K was the control – with no added oil in feed mixture and the second group P was the experimental one – chickens were fed with 0,025 g of p.o. administered black cumin seed oil. Feed and water supplies were ad libitum. Microclimate conditions (light, temperature and airflow were maintained according to the technological procedure. Blood samples were taken from the wing vein of all animals from both groups at age of 25, 32 and 39 days. The following blood serum biochemical parameters were determined: total lipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol, albumen and calcium. Dietary black cumin seed oil significantly (P<0.05 affected serum lipid components, particularly total lipids, but not albumen and calcium in chicken broilers. Possible reason for these findings could be dietary fat component as well as fatty-acid composition of added black cumin seed oil. Key words: black cumin seed oil, chicken broilers, blood serum biochemical parameters, fatty acid composition of oil

  15. History of Medical Understanding and Misunderstanding of Acid Base Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aiken, Christopher Geoffrey Alexander

    2013-01-01

    To establish how controversies in understanding acid base balance arose, the literature on acid base balance was reviewed from 1909, when Henderson described how the neutral reaction of blood is determined by carbonic and organic acids being in equilibrium with an excess of mineral bases over mineral acids. From 1914 to 1930, Van Slyke and others established our acid base principles. They recognised that carbonic acid converts into bicarbonate all non-volatile mineral bases not bound by mineral acids and determined therefore that bicarbonate represents the alkaline reserve of the body and should be a physiological constant. They showed that standard bicarbonate is a good measure of acidosis caused by increased production or decreased elimination of organic acids. However, they recognised that bicarbonate improved low plasma bicarbonate but not high urine acid excretion in diabetic ketoacidosis, and that increasing pCO2 caused chloride to shift into cells raising plasma titratable alkali. Both indicate that minerals influence pH. In 1945 Darrow showed that hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis in preterm infants fed milk with 5.7 mmol of chloride and 2.0 mmol of sodium per 100 kcal was caused by retention of chloride in excess of sodium. Similar findings were made but not recognised in later studies of metabolic acidosis in preterm infants. Shohl in 1921 and Kildeberg in 1978 presented the theory that carbonic and organic acids are neutralised by mineral base, where mineral base is the excess of mineral cations over anions and organic acid is the difference between mineral base, bicarbonate and protein anion. The degree of metabolic acidosis measured as base excess is determined by deviation in both mineral base and organic acid from normal. PMID:24179938

  16. Processing black mulberry into jam: effects on antioxidant potential and in vitro bioaccessibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomas, Merve; Toydemir, Gamze; Boyacioglu, Dilek; Hall, Robert D; Beekwilder, Jules; Capanoglu, Esra

    2017-08-01

    Black mulberries (Morus nigra) were processed into jam on an industrialised scale, including the major steps of: selection of frozen black mulberries, adding glucose-fructose syrup and water, cooking, adding citric acid and apple pectin, removing seeds, and pasteurisation. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of antioxidants in black mulberry samples were performed using spectrophotometric methods, as well as HPLC- and LC-QTOF-MS-based measurements. These analyses included the determination of total polyphenolic content, % polymeric colour, total and individual anthocyanin contents, antioxidant capacity, and in vitro bioaccessibility in processing samples. Jam processing led to a significant reduction in total phenolics (88%), total flavonoids (89%), anthocyanins (97%), and antioxidant capacity (88-93%) (P < 0.05). Individual anthocyanin contents, determined using HPLC analysis, also showed a significant decrease (∼99% loss). In contrast, % recovery of bioaccessible total phenolics, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay) increased after jam processing (16%, 12%, and 37%, respectively). Fruit processing resulted in losses of polyphenols, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity of black mulberry jam. Optimisation of food processing could help to protect the phenolic compounds in fruits which might be helpful for the food industry to minimise the antioxidant loss and improve the final product quality. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. Effect of phenols and carboxylic acids on photochromism of 1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazoles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gayen, Pallab [Inorganic Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India); Sinha, Chittaranjan, E-mail: c_r_sinha@yahoo.com [Inorganic Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India)

    2012-09-15

    Light irradiated trans-to-cis isomerization of 1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazole in the presence of phenol, catechol, benzoic acid and salicylic acid (called co-factors) has been studied in this work. The rate of trans{yields}cis photoisomerization is decreased in the presence of co-factor in the medium and is dependent on the concentration of active quotient about photochrome. The decrease in rate follows catechol>benzoic acid>phenol>salicylic acid. This trend is due to the effects of dissociation ability of -O-H/-COOH, intermolecular association of the molecules etc. The reverse change, cis-to-trans, is very slow in light irradiation and has been carried out by a thermal process in the dark. The quantum yield of isomerization follows the same sequence of effects of co-factors. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Photoisomerisation of 1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazoles, trans-to-cis, is described in this work. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The process is sensitive to the environment of the photochrome and the solution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The rate of photoisomerization decreases as catechol>benzoic acid>phenol>salicylic acid. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The reverse isomerization, cis-to-trans is very slow with light and has been carried out with heat. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The activation energy is less than these values when carried out in fresh solution only.

  18. Using Willie's Acid-Base Box for Blood Gas Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietz, John R.

    2011-01-01

    In this article, the author describes a method developed by Dr. William T. Lipscomb for teaching blood gas analysis of acid-base status and provides three examples using Willie's acid-base box. Willie's acid-base box is constructed using three of the parameters of standard arterial blood gas analysis: (1) pH; (2) bicarbonate; and (3) CO[subscript…

  19. Students' Alternate Conceptions on Acids and Bases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Hanqing; Henriques, Laura

    2015-01-01

    Knowing what students bring to the classroom can and should influence how we teach them. This study is a review of the literature associated with secondary and postsecondary students' ideas about acids and bases. It was found that there are six types of alternate ideas about acids and bases that students hold. These are: macroscopic properties of…

  20. Functionality of novel black silicon based nanostructured surfaces studied by TOF SIMS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Talian, Ivan; Aranyosiova, M.; Orinak, A.

    2010-01-01

    A functionality of the novel black silicon based nanostructured surfaces (BS 2) with different metal surface modifications was tested by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF SIMS). Mainly two surface functions were studied: analytical signal enhancement and analyte pre-ionization e......A functionality of the novel black silicon based nanostructured surfaces (BS 2) with different metal surface modifications was tested by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF SIMS). Mainly two surface functions were studied: analytical signal enhancement and analyte pre......-ionization effect in SIMS due to nanostructure type and the assistance of the noble metal surface coating (Ag or Au) for secondary ion formation. As a testing analyte a Rhodamine 6G was applied. Bi+ has been used as SIMS primary ions. It was found out that SIMS signal enhancement of the analyte significantly...... depends on Ag layer thickness and measured ion mode (negative, positive). The best SIMS signal enhancement was obtained at BS2 surface coated with 400 nm of Ag layer. SIMS fragmentation schemes were developed for a model analyte deposited onto a silver and gold surface. Significant differences in pre...

  1. LIPIDS OF BLACK SEA ALGAE: UNVEILING THEIR POTENTIAL FOR PHARMACEUTICAL AND COSMETIC APPLICATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veselina Panayotova

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bulgarian Black Sea coast is rich in algae, regarding biomass and algal biodiversity. The red algae Gelidium crinale (Rhodophyta and brown algae Cystoseira barbata (Phaeophytes are among the most abundant species along the Bulgarian Black Sea shore. Yet information about their lipid composition is limited. Purpose: Present study was conducted to investigate biologically active substances in two underexplored seaweed lipids. Total lipids, total phospholipids, fat soluble vitamins and carotenoids were analysed. In addition, the specific distribution of fatty acids group among the total lipids and total phospholipids were elucidated. Material/Methods: The saponifiable lipid fraction was derivatized into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS to identify and quantify the fatty acids. The fat soluble non-saponifiable lipids were identified by high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with UV/Vis and fluorescence detectors (HPLC-UV-FL. Results: Results showed that Rhodophyta and Phaeophytes have high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, particularly from the n-3 series, thereby being a good source of these compounds. They presented a “healthy” n-6/n-3 ratio. Both seaweed species showed considerably high amounts of α-tocopherol, β-carotene and astaxanthin. Conclusions: The study reveals that lipids from Black Sea algae have a high potential as natural sources of biologically active ingredients. They are balanced source of fatty acids and contained beneficial antioxidants, such as α-tocopherol, β-carotene and astaxanthin.

  2. Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Calibration of the Black Hole Mass-Velocity Dispersion Relationship for Active Galactic Nuclei

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Onken, Christopher A.; Ferrarese, Laura; Merritt, David

    2004-01-01

    We calibrate reverberation-based black hole masses in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by using the correlation between black hole mass, M, and bulge/spheroid stellar velocity dispersion, sigma. We use new measurements of sigma for 6 AGNs and published velocity dispersions for 10 others......, in conjunction with improved reverberation mapping results, to determine the scaling factor required to bring reverberation-based black hole masses into agreement with the quiescent galaxy M-sigma relationship. The scatter in the AGN black hole masses is found to be less than a factor of 3. The current...

  3. Kinetics of leather dyeing pretreated with enzymes: role of acid protease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanth, Swarna Vinodh; Venba, Rajangam; Jayakumar, Gladstone Christopher; Chandrababu, Narasimhan Kannan

    2009-04-01

    In the present investigation, kinetics of dyeing involving pretreatment with acid protease has been presented. Application of acid protease in dyeing process resulted in increased absorption and diffusion of dye into the leather matrix. Enzyme treatment at 1% concentration, 60 min duration and 50 degrees C resulted in maximum of 98% dye exhaustion and increased absorption rate constants. The final exhaustion (C(infinity)) for the best fit of CI Acid Black 194 dye has been 98.5% with K and r2 values from the modified Cegarra-Puente isotherm as 0.1033 and 0.0631. CI Acid Black 194 being a 2:1 metal complex acid dye exhibited higher absorption rate than the acid dye CI Acid Black 210. A reduction in 50% activation energy calculated from Arrhenius equation has been observed in enzyme assisted dyeing process of both the dyes that substantiates enhanced dye absorption. The absorption rate constant calculated with modified Cegarra-Puente equation confirm higher rate constants and faster kinetics for enzyme assisted dyeing process. Enzyme treated leather exhibited richness of color and shade when compared with control. The present study substantiates the essential role of enzyme pretreatment as an eco-friendly leather dyeing process.

  4. Radical-scavenging-linked antioxidant activities of extracts from black chokeberry and blueberry cultivated in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Seok Joon; Yoon, Won Byong; Lee, Ok-Hwan; Cha, Seung Ju; Kim, Jong Dai

    2014-03-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the radical-scavenging-linked antioxidant properties of the extracts from black chokeberry and blueberry cultivated in Korea. The 70% ethanol extracts were prepared from black chokeberry and blueberry, and evaluated for total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total proanthocyanidin content, and antioxidative activities, using various in vitro assays, such as DPPH(2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS(2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylenebenzothiozoline-6-sulphonic acid)) radical-scavenging activity, FRAP(ferric-reducing antioxidant power) and reducing power. The major phenolic compounds, including cyanidin-3-galactoside, cyanidin-3-arabinoside, neochlorogenic acid, procyanidin B1, were analysed by HPLC with a photodiode array detector. Results showed that total phenol, flavonoid and proanthocyanidin contents of black chokeberry extract were higher than those of blueberry extract. In addition, black chokeberry extract exhibited higher free radical-scavenging activity and reducing power than did blueberry extract. Cyanidin-3-galactoside was identified as a major phenolic compound, with considerable content in black chokeberry, that correlated with its higher antioxidant and radical-scavenging effects. These results suggest that black chokeberry extracts could be considered as a good source of natural antioxidants and functional food ingredients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Noncommutative Black Holes at the LHC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villhauer, Elena Michelle

    2017-12-01

    Based on the latest public results, 13 TeV data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has not indicated any evidence of hitherto tested models of quantum black holes, semiclassical black holes, or string balls. Such models have predicted signatures of particles with high transverse momenta. Noncommutative black holes remain an untested model of TeV-scale gravity that offers the starkly different signature of particles with relatively low transverse momenta. Considerations for a search for charged noncommutative black holes using the ATLAS detector will be discussed.

  6. EPR imaging and HPLC characterization of the pigment-based organic free radical in black soybean seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Kouichi; Maeda, Hayato

    2017-02-01

    We investigated the location and distribution of paramagnetic species in dry black, brown, and yellow (normal) soybean seeds using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-band (9 GHz) EPR imaging (EPRI), and HPLC. EPR primarily detected two paramagnetic species in black soybean. These two different radical species were assigned as stable organic radical and Mn 2+  species based on the g values and hyperfine structures. The signal from the stable radical was noted at g ≈ 2.00 and was relatively strong and stable. Subsequent noninvasive two-dimensional (2D) EPRI of the radical present in black soybean revealed that the stable radical was primarily located in the pigmented region of the soybean coat, with very few radicals observed in the soybean cotyledon (interior). Pigments extracted from black soybean were analyzed using HPLC. The major compound was found to be cyanidin-3-glucoside. Multi-EPR and HPLC results indicate that the stable radical was only found within the pigmented region of the soybean coat, and it could be cyanidin-3-glucoside or an oxidative decomposition product.

  7. Boronic acid-based autoligation of nucleic acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barbeyron, R.; Vasseur, J.-J.; Smietana, M.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract: The development of synthetic systems displaying dynamic and adaptive characteristics is a formidable challenge with wide applications from biotechnology to therapeutics. Recently, we described a dynamic and programmable nucleic acid-based system relying on the formation of reversible bo....... Evidence suggests that geometric and steric factors are key features for controlling the equilibria. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]...

  8. Preparation of polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrates from the liver oil of dogfish (Squalus acanthias from the Black Sea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefanova, K.

    1997-06-01

    Full Text Available The fatty acid composition of the liver oil from the Black Sea dogfish Squalus acanthias, as well as its seasonal variations were determined. A scheme for concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids from the dogfish liver oil by urea complexation was proposed. From 360g of free fatty acids a 48g concentrate was obtained, containing 7,8% C20:4, 16,4% C20:5. 9,2% C22:5 and 49,7% C22:6.

    Se ha determinado la composición en ácidos grasos del aceite de hígado de cazón (Squalus acanthias del Mar Negro, así como sus variaciones estacionales. Se propone un esquema para la concentración de ácidos grasos poliinsaturados de aceite de hígado de cazón mediante complexión de urea. A partir de 360g de ácidos grasos libres se obtuvo un concentrado de 48g, que contenía 7,8% C20:4, 16,4% C20:5, 9,2% C22:5 y 49,7% C22:6.

  9. The Black Sea one decade after the Bucharest Convention an overview of the international activities in the Black Sea region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goektepe, G.

    2002-01-01

    The catastrophic degradation of the Black Sea in a period of four decade has been the major concern of the Black Sea countries and international communities since Bucharest Convention signed in 1992. The Black Sea Region has became a challenging international arena for political scientific and socio-economic activities. Intensive international programmes and establishment of governmental and Non Governmental Organizational structures of the 1990s including Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Black Sea Environmental Programme(BSEP), Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin, Marine Environmental Assessment of the Black Sea Region Technical Cooperation Programme by the IAEA and establishment of the Black Sea Commission Permanent Secretariat are some of the major international efforts of the past decade that emphasizes the multi-nationality and large dimension of the Black Sea environmental management issues. The environmental degradation of the Black Sea is briefly reviewed based on the BSEP reports and data available for land based pollution sources. The environmental risk of marine vessel accidents are indicated and environmental safety concern is emphasized under the current conditions of intense energy transportation projects in the Black Sea and Caspian regions. The international policy actions, co-operation issues and scientific programmes of the past decade are overviewed with emphasis on the international achievements. Concluding remarks include the vital importance of continuation of the international commitments and sharing the political, scientific and socio-economic responsibility on the transboundary environmental pollution, rehabilitation and the safety issues of the Black Sea

  10. Pattern of acid base abnormalities in critically ill patinets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, T.M.; Mehmood, A.; Malik, T.M.

    2015-01-01

    To find out the pattern of acid base abnormalities in critically ill patients in a tertiary care health facility. Study Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the department of pathology, Combined Military Hospital Kharian from January 2013 to June 2013. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients suffering from various diseases and presenting with exacerbation of their clinical conditions were studied. These patients were hospitalized and managed in acute care units of the hospital. Arterial blood gases were analysed to detect acid base status and their correlation with their clinical condition. Concomitant analysis of electrolytes was carried out. Tests related to concurrent illnesses e.g. renal and liver function tests, cardiac enzymes and plasma glucose were assayed by routine end point and kinetic methods. Standard reference materials were used to ensure internal quantify control of analyses. Results: Two hundred and fifteen patients out of 250 studied suffered from acid base disorders. Gender distribution showed a higher percentage of male patients and the mean age was 70.5 ± 17.4 years. Double acid base disorders were the commonest disorders (34%) followed by metabolic acidosis (30%). Anion gap was calculated to further stratify metabolic acidosis and cases of diabetic ketoacidosis were the commonest in this category (47%). Other simple acid base disorders were relatively less frequent. Delta bicarbonate was calculated to unmask the superimposition of respiratory alkalosis or acidosis with metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis. Though triple acid base disorders were noted in a small percentage of cases (05%), but were found to be the most complicated and challenging. Mixed acid base disorders were associated with high mortality. Conclusion: A large number of critically ill patients manifested acid base abnormalities over the full spectrum of these disorders. Mixed acid base disorders were

  11. Black hole evaporation: a paradigm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashtekar, Abhay; Bojowald, Martin

    2005-01-01

    A paradigm describing black hole evaporation in non-perturbative quantum gravity is developed by combining two sets of detailed results: (i) resolution of the Schwarzschild singularity using quantum geometry methods and (ii) time evolution of black holes in the trapping and dynamical horizon frameworks. Quantum geometry effects introduce a major modification in the traditional spacetime diagram of black hole evaporation, providing a possible mechanism for recovery of information that is classically lost in the process of black hole formation. The paradigm is developed directly in the Lorentzian regime and necessary conditions for its viability are discussed. If these conditions are met, much of the tension between expectations based on spacetime geometry and structure of quantum theory would be resolved

  12. Soil acid phosphomonoesterase activity and phosphorus forms in ancient and post-agricultural black alder [Alnus glutinosa (L. Gaertn.] woodlands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Orczewska

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Black alder, an N-fixing tree is considered to accelerate the availability of phosphorus in soils due to the increased production of phosphatase enzymes, which are responsible for the P release from the litter. Acid phosphatase activity plays a pivotal role in organic P mineralization in forest soils and in making P available to plants. In order to check whether Alnus glutinosa stimulates acid phosphomonoesterase (PHACID activity, we compared enzyme activities, total P concentration (PTOT, plant-available P (PAVAIL, organic P (PORG and inorganic P (PINORG, and organic matter content in 27 ancient and 27 post-agricultural alder woods (the latter ones representing different age classes: 11-20, 21-40 and 41-60 years of soil samples taken from the litter and the mineral layers. Phosphomonoesterase activity, organic matter, PTOT, PINORG and PORG concentrations were significantly higher in ancient alder woods than in the soils of post-agricultural forests. Significant differences in the acid phosphatase activity, organic matter and PAVAIL concentration were noted between the litter and mineral layers within the same forest type. In recent stands the amount of organic matter and phosphatase activity increased significantly with the age of alder stands, although only in the mineral layer of their soils. Phosphomonoesterase activity, organic matter and PAVAIL content were higher in a litter layer and decreased significantly at a mineral depth of the soil. The acid phosphatase activity was significantly correlated with organic matter content in both ancient and recent stands. There was no significant relationship between PHACID activity and any P forms.

  13. Acid-base transport in pancreas-new challenges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Novak, Ivana; Haanes, Kristian Agmund; Wang, Jing

    2013-01-01

    Along the gastrointestinal tract a number of epithelia contribute with acid or basic secretions in order to aid digestive processes. The stomach and pancreas are the most extreme examples of acid (H+) and base (HCO-3) transporters, respectively. Nevertheless, they share the same challenges...... to consider in pancreas are the proton pumps (H-K-ATPases), as well as the calcium-activated K and Cl channels, such as K3.1 and TMEM16A/ANO1. Local regulators, such as purinergic signaling, fine-tune, and coordinate pancreatic secretion. Lastly, we speculate whether dys-regulation of acid-base transport...

  14. Preparation of carbon black masterbatch for PET using polymeric dispersing agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oh, D.H. [Kyungpook National University, Taegu (Korea, Republic of); Lim, J.C. [Pukyong National University, Pusan (Korea, Republic of); Seo, K.H. [Yeungnam College of Science and Technology, Taegu (Korea, Republic of)

    1999-03-01

    Three kinds of copolyesters, dispersing agents, were synthesized from the polycondensation reaction of dimethylterephthalate (DMT), dimethylisophthalate (DMI), sebacic acid (SA), and 1,4-butanediol (BD). Carbon black masterbatches were prepared by mixing carbon black into the dispersing agents (1 : 1.3 weight ratio) in a Brabender Plasticorder Using single screw extruder, masterbatches were compounded with poly(ethylene terephthalate) in 3 wt% concentration and mechanical properties of the compounds were investigated Gel permeation chromatography data implied that thermal degradation of polymeric dispersing agents was not significant through dispersion. Capillary rheometer test showed that PBTI has the highest viscosity and shear sensitivity among the there dispersing agents. Volume resistivities of masterbatch and transmission electron micrographs showed that dispersity of carbon black was improved with increasing melt viscosity of dispersing agent. The ultimate performance and mechanical characteristics of carbon black filled PET compounds depended directly on dispersion quality of the carbon black in masterbatch. Mechanical properties of compounds were improved with increasing dispersity of carbon black and with increasing content of rigid aromatic group in the copolyester dispersing agent. 30 refs., 9 figs., 5 tabs.

  15. Acid-base interactions in microbial adhesion to hexadecane and chloroform

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, R; Busscher, HJ; Geertsema-Doornbusch, GI; Van Der Mei, HC; Mittal, KL

    2000-01-01

    Acid-base interactions play an important role in adhesion, including microbial adhesion to surfaces. Qualitatively acid-base interactions in microbial adhesion can be demonstrated by comparing adhesion to hexadecane (a negatively charged interface in aqueous solutions, unable to exert acid-base

  16. A REVERBERATION-BASED BLACK HOLE MASS FOR MCG-06-30-15

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bentz, Misty C.; Crenshaw, D. Michael; Ou-Yang, Benjamin; Cackett, Edward M.; Horne, Keith; Street, Rachel

    2016-01-01

    We present the results of a reverberation campaign targeting MGC-06-30-15. Spectrophotometric monitoring and broad-band photometric monitoring over the course of four months in spring 2012 allowed a determination of a time delay in the broad H β emission line of τ = 5.3 ± 1.8 days in the rest frame of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Combined with the width of the variable portion of the emission line, we determine a black hole mass of M BH = (1.6 ± 0.4) × 10 6 M ⊙ . Both the H β time delay and the black hole mass are in good agreement with expectations from the R BLR – L and M BH – σ ⋆ relationships for other reverberation-mapped AGNs. The H β time delay is also in good agreement with the relationship between H β and broad-band near-IR delays, in which the effective size of the broad-line region is ∼4–5 times smaller than the inner edge of the dust torus. Additionally, the reverberation-based mass is in good agreement with estimates from the scaling relationship of the break in the X-ray power spectral density, and with constraints based on stellar kinematics derived from integral field spectroscopy of the inner ∼0.5 kpc of the galaxy.

  17. A REVERBERATION-BASED BLACK HOLE MASS FOR MCG-06-30-15

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bentz, Misty C.; Crenshaw, D. Michael; Ou-Yang, Benjamin [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Cackett, Edward M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University, 666 W. Hancock St., Detroit, MI 48201 (United States); Horne, Keith [SUPA Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Street, Rachel, E-mail: bentz@astro.gsu.edu [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740B Cortona Drive, Goleta, CA 93117 (United States)

    2016-10-20

    We present the results of a reverberation campaign targeting MGC-06-30-15. Spectrophotometric monitoring and broad-band photometric monitoring over the course of four months in spring 2012 allowed a determination of a time delay in the broad H β emission line of τ = 5.3 ± 1.8 days in the rest frame of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Combined with the width of the variable portion of the emission line, we determine a black hole mass of M {sub BH} = (1.6 ± 0.4) × 10{sup 6} M {sub ⊙}. Both the H β time delay and the black hole mass are in good agreement with expectations from the R {sub BLR}– L and M {sub BH}– σ {sub ⋆} relationships for other reverberation-mapped AGNs. The H β time delay is also in good agreement with the relationship between H β and broad-band near-IR delays, in which the effective size of the broad-line region is ∼4–5 times smaller than the inner edge of the dust torus. Additionally, the reverberation-based mass is in good agreement with estimates from the scaling relationship of the break in the X-ray power spectral density, and with constraints based on stellar kinematics derived from integral field spectroscopy of the inner ∼0.5 kpc of the galaxy.

  18. Acid-base titrations by stepwise addition of equal volumes of titrant with special reference to automatic titrations-II Theory of titration of mixtures of acids, polyprotic acids, acids in mixture with weak bases, and ampholytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pehrsson, L; Ingman, F; Johansson, S

    A general method for evaluating titration data for mixtures of acids and for acids in mixture with weak bases is presented. Procedures are given that do not require absolute [H]-data, i.e., relative [H]-data may be used. In most cases a very rough calibration of the electrode system is enough. Further, for simple systems, very approximate values of the stability constants are sufficient. As examples, the titration of the following are treated in some detail: a mixture of two acids, a diprotic acid, an acid in presence of its conjugate base, and an ampholyte.

  19. Black Urine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahim Vakili

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available A 2-year-old boy was born at term of healthy, non-consanguineous Iranian parents. His mother attended in the clinic with the history of sometimes discoloration of diapers after passing urine. She noticed that first at the age of one month with intensified in recent months. His Physical examination and growth parameters were normal. His mother denied taking any medication (sorbitol, nitrofurantoin, metronidazole, methocarbamol, sena and methyldopa (5. Qualitative urine examination showed dark black discoloration. By this history, alkaptonuria was the most clinical suspicious. A 24-hour-urine sample was collected and sent for quantitative measurements. The urine sample was highly positive for homogentisic acid and negative for porphyrin metabolites.

  20. Synthesis of bio-based methacrylic acid by decarboxylation of itaconic acid and citric acid catalyzed by solid transition-metal catalysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Nôtre, Jérôme; Witte-van Dijk, Susan C M; van Haveren, Jacco; Scott, Elinor L; Sanders, Johan P M

    2014-09-01

    Methacrylic acid, an important monomer for the plastics industry, was obtained in high selectivity (up to 84%) by the decarboxylation of itaconic acid using heterogeneous catalysts based on Pd, Pt and Ru. The reaction takes place in water at 200-250 °C without any external added pressure, conditions significantly milder than those described previously for the same conversion with better yield and selectivity. A comprehensive study of the reaction parameters has been performed, and the isolation of methacrylic acid was achieved in 50% yield. The decarboxylation procedure is also applicable to citric acid, a more widely available bio-based feedstock, and leads to the production of methacrylic acid in one pot in 41% selectivity. Aconitic acid, the intermediate compound in the pathway from citric acid to itaconic acid was also used successfully as a substrate. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Salicylic acid induces apoptosis in colon carcinoma cells grown in-vitro: Influence of oxygen and salicylic acid concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zitta, Karina; Meybohm, Patrick; Bein, Berthold; Huang, Ying; Heinrich, Christin; Scholz, Jens; Steinfath, Markus; Albrecht, Martin, E-mail: Albrecht@anaesthesie.uni-kiel.de

    2012-04-15

    In solid tumors the hypoxic environment can promote tumor progression and resistance to therapy. Recently, acetylsalicylic acid a major component of analgesic drugs and its metabolite salicylic acid (SA) have been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer, but the mechanisms of action remain still unclear. Here we elucidate the effects of physiologically relevant concentrations of SA on colon carcinoma cells (CaCo-2) grown under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Western blotting, caspase-3/7 apoptosis assays, MTS cell-proliferation assays, LDH cytotoxicity assays and hydrogen peroxide measurements were performed to investigate the effects of 1 and 10 {mu}M SA on CaCo-2 cells grown under normoxic conditions and cells exposed to hypoxia. Under normoxic conditions, SA did not influence cell proliferation or LDH release of CaCo-2 cells. However, caspase-3/7 activity was significantly increased. Under hypoxia, cell proliferation was reduced and LDH release and caspase-3/7 activities were increased. None of these parameters was altered by the addition of SA under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia increased hydrogen peroxide concentrations 300-fold and SA significantly augmented the release of hydrogen peroxide under normoxic, but not under hypoxic conditions. Phosphorylation of the pro-survival kinases akt and erk1/2 was not changed by SA under hypoxic conditions, whereas under normoxia SA reduced phosphorylation of erk1/2 after 2 hours. We conclude that in colon carcinoma cells effects of SA on apoptosis and cellular signaling are dependent on the availability of oxygen. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Effects of salicylic acid on colon carcinoma cells grown under normoxic and hypoxic conditions Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Salicylic acid increases caspase-3/7 activity and hydrogen peroxide release under normoxia Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Salicylic acid decreases pro-survival erk-1/2 phosphorylation under normoxia Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Salicylic acid does

  2. Black holes, qubits and octonions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borsten, L.; Dahanayake, D.; Duff, M.J.; Ebrahim, H.; Rubens, W.

    2009-01-01

    We review the recently established relationships between black hole entropy in string theory and the quantum entanglement of qubits and qutrits in quantum information theory. The first example is provided by the measure of the tripartite entanglement of three qubits (Alice, Bob and Charlie), known as the 3-tangle, and the entropy of the 8-charge STU black hole of N=2 supergravity, both of which are given by the [SL(2)] 3 invariant hyperdeterminant, a quantity first introduced by Cayley in 1845. Moreover the classification of three-qubit entanglements is related to the classification of N=2 supersymmetric STU black holes. There are further relationships between the attractor mechanism and local distillation protocols and between supersymmetry and the suppression of bit flip errors. At the microscopic level, the black holes are described by intersecting D3-branes whose wrapping around the six compact dimensions T 6 provides the string-theoretic interpretation of the charges and we associate the three-qubit basis vectors, |ABC>(A,B,C=0 or 1), with the corresponding 8 wrapping cycles. The black hole/qubit correspondence extends to the 56 charge N=8 black holes and the tripartite entanglement of seven qubits where the measure is provided by Cartan's E 7 contains [SL(2)] 7 invariant. The qubits are naturally described by the seven vertices ABCDEFG of the Fano plane, which provides the multiplication table of the seven imaginary octonions, reflecting the fact that E 7 has a natural structure of an O-graded algebra. This in turn provides a novel imaginary octonionic interpretation of the 56=7x8 charges of N=8: the 24=3x8 NS-NS charges correspond to the three imaginary quaternions and the 32=4x8 R-R to the four complementary imaginary octonions. We contrast this approach with that based on Jordan algebras and the Freudenthal triple system. N=8 black holes (or black strings) in five dimensions are also related to the bipartite entanglement of three qutrits (3-state systems

  3. A Closer Look at Acid-Base Olfactory Titrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neppel, Kerry; Oliver-Hoyo, Maria T.; Queen, Connie; Reed, Nicole

    2005-01-01

    Olfactory titrations using raw onions and eugenol as acid-base indicators are reported. An in-depth investigation on olfactory titrations is presented to include requirements for potential olfactory indicators and protocols for using garlic, onions, and vanillin as acid-base olfactory indicators are tested.

  4. Orbital resonances around black holes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brink, Jeandrew; Geyer, Marisa; Hinderer, Tanja

    2015-02-27

    We compute the length and time scales associated with resonant orbits around Kerr black holes for all orbital and spin parameters. Resonance-induced effects are potentially observable when the Event Horizon Telescope resolves the inner structure of Sgr A*, when space-based gravitational wave detectors record phase shifts in the waveform during the resonant passage of a compact object spiraling into the black hole, or in the frequencies of quasiperiodic oscillations for accreting black holes. The onset of geodesic chaos for non-Kerr spacetimes should occur at the resonance locations quantified here.

  5. Entropy of black holes with multiple horizons

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yun; Ma, Meng-Sen; Zhao, Ren

    2018-05-01

    We examine the entropy of black holes in de Sitter space and black holes surrounded by quintessence. These black holes have multiple horizons, including at least the black hole event horizon and a horizon outside it (cosmological horizon for de Sitter black holes and "quintessence horizon" for the black holes surrounded by quintessence). Based on the consideration that the two horizons are not independent each other, we conjecture that the total entropy of these black holes should not be simply the sum of entropies of the two horizons, but should have an extra term coming from the correlations between the two horizons. Different from our previous works, in this paper we consider the cosmological constant as the variable and employ an effective method to derive the explicit form of the entropy. We also try to discuss the thermodynamic stabilities of these black holes according to the entropy and the effective temperature.

  6. Black esophagus: exploring the dark

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Forster

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Black esophagus is a rare but underdiagnosed disease. It occurs most frequently in severely ill patients and carries a high mortality rate. Cause of death is usually attributed to the comorbid conditions. Treatment is directed at the underlying cause, acid suppression and keeping the patient nil-per-os. Surgery is needed in complicated cases and stenosis is the most feared longterm sequel. In the present article, two cases are described and literature is reviewed.

  7. Study On The Uranium Adsorption Capability Of Bone Black In Radioactive Waste Water Treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phan Dinh Tuan

    2008-01-01

    It has been found that bone black can adsorb uranium and radium from radioactive wastewater. Nevertheless, bone black is not so competitive for the low adsorption capability and the slow adsorption rate. The article describes the research results in increasing the uranium adsorption capability of bone black by treating it with hydrochloric acid. The influences of pH on adsorption capability and the results of batch- and column tests have been investigated. Column tests for elution process have pointed out that HCl is quite good eluent for uranium. It is recommended to apply the treated bone black for radioactive wastewater treatment and uranium recovery. (author)

  8. Room temperature high-detectivity mid-infrared photodetectors based on black arsenic phosphorus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Mingsheng; Gao, Anyuan; Wang, Peng; Xia, Hui; Ott, Claudia; Pan, Chen; Fu, Yajun; Liu, Erfu; Chen, Xiaoshuang; Lu, Wei; Nilges, Tom; Xu, Jianbin; Wang, Xiaomu; Hu, Weida; Miao, Feng

    2017-06-01

    The mid-infrared (MIR) spectral range, pertaining to important applications, such as molecular "fingerprint" imaging, remote sensing, free space telecommunication, and optical radar, is of particular scientific interest and technological importance. However, state-of-the-art materials for MIR detection are limited by intrinsic noise and inconvenient fabrication processes, resulting in high-cost photodetectors requiring cryogenic operation. We report black arsenic phosphorus-based long-wavelength IR photodetectors, with room temperature operation up to 8.2 μm, entering the second MIR atmospheric transmission window. Combined with a van der Waals heterojunction, room temperature-specific detectivity higher than 4.9 × 10 9 Jones was obtained in the 3- to 5-μm range. The photodetector works in a zero-bias photovoltaic mode, enabling fast photoresponse and low dark noise. Our van der Waals heterojunction photodetectors not only exemplify black arsenic phosphorus as a promising candidate for MIR optoelectronic applications but also pave the way for a general strategy to suppress 1/ f noise in photonic devices.

  9. Black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feast, M.W.

    1981-01-01

    This article deals with two questions, namely whether it is possible for black holes to exist, and if the answer is yes, whether we have found any yet. In deciding whether black holes can exist or not the central role in the shaping of our universe played by the forse of gravity is discussed, and in deciding whether we are likely to find black holes in the universe the author looks at the way stars evolve, as well as white dwarfs and neutron stars. He also discusses the problem how to detect a black hole, possible black holes, a southern black hole, massive black holes, as well as why black holes are studied

  10. Communication Apprehension among Black Students on Predominantly White Campuses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrd, Marquita L.; Sims, Anntarie L.

    1987-01-01

    A study of 114 Black undergraduates in two predominantly White midwestern universities demonstrates that communication apprehension (CA) among Blacks appears to be an audience-based phenomenon. Black females scored lower than Black males on the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24 (PRCA-24). The higher the CA score, the higher the…

  11. Optimization of conditions to achieve high content of gamma amino butyric acid in germinated black rice, and changes in bioactivities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaiyavat CHAIYASUT

    Full Text Available Abstract The present study estimated the optimum germination conditions to achieve high content of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA and other phytochemicals in Thai black rice cultivar Kum Payao (BR. The Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology was employed to optimize the germination conditions. The changes in the GABA, phytochemical content, impact of salt, and temperature stress variation on phytochemical content, and stability of GABA were studied. The results showed that 12 h of soaking at pH 7, followed by 36 h of germination was the optimum condition to achieve maximum GABA content (0.2029 mg/g of germinated BR (GBR. The temperature (8 and 30 °C, and salt (50-200 mM NaCl content affected the phytochemicals of GBR, especially GABA, and anthocyanins. Obviously, the antioxidant capability, and enzyme (α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibiting nature of BR was significantly (P < 0.001 increased after germination. The storage of GBR at 4 °C significantly, preserved the GABA content (∼80% for 45 days. Primarily, the current study revealed the changes in phytochemical content, and bioactivity of Thai black rice cr. Kum Payao during germination. More studies should be carried out on pharmacological benefits of GABA-rich GBR.

  12. A thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method developed for estimating the stoichiometric ratio of solid-state {alpha}-cyclodextrin-based inclusion complexes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bai, Yuxiang; Wang, Jinpeng; Bashari, Mohanad; Hu, Xiuting [The State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Feng, Tao [School of Perfume and Aroma Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418 (China); Xu, Xueming [The State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Jin, Zhengyu, E-mail: jinlab2008@yahoo.com [The State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Tian, Yaoqi, E-mail: yqtian@jiangnan.edu.cn [The State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China)

    2012-08-10

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We develop a TGA method for the measurement of the stoichiometric ratio. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A series of formulas are deduced to calculate the stoichiometric ratio. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Four {alpha}-CD-based inclusion complexes were successfully prepared. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The developed method is applicable. - Abstract: An approach mainly based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was developed to evaluate the stoichiometric ratio (SR, guest to host) of the guest-{alpha}-cyclodextrin (Guest-{alpha}-CD) inclusion complexes (4-cresol-{alpha}-CD, benzyl alcohol-{alpha}-CD, ferrocene-{alpha}-CD and decanoic acid-{alpha}-CD). The present data obtained from Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy showed that all the {alpha}-CD-based inclusion complexes were successfully prepared in a solid-state form. The stoichiometric ratios of {alpha}-CD to the relative guests (4-cresol, benzyl alcohol, ferrocene and decanoic acid) determined by the developed method were 1:1, 1:2, 2:1 and 1:2, respectively. These SR data were well demonstrated by the previously reported X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and the NMR confirmatory experiments, except the SR of decanoic acid with a larger size and longer chain was not consistent. It is, therefore, suggested that the TGA-based method is applicable to follow the stoichiometric ratio of the polycrystalline {alpha}-CD-based inclusion complexes with smaller and shorter chain guests.

  13. Hematologic and biochemistry values for black-faced spoonbills (Platalea minor) with and recovering from botulism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Shih-Jen; Shieh, Yao-Ching; Yu, Chang-You

    2008-07-01

    Type C1 botulism outbreaks in Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor) occurred in Taiwan from 2002 to 2003, and hematologic and biochemistry parameters from botulism-paralyzed birds and recovered birds were compared. Values for creatinine and uric acid were higher (Pbirds with botulism than in recovered birds. Lower white blood cell counts (Pbirds. Based on these observations, we suggest that hematologic and biochemistry analyses should be performed to assess the health condition of birds recovering from botulism.

  14. Surface modification of calcium-copper hydroxyapatites using polyaspartic acid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Othmani, Masseoud; Aissa, Abdallah; Bachoua, Hassen [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Materiaux, Faculte des Sciences de Monastir, 5019 Monastir (Tunisia); Debbabi, Mongi, E-mail: m.debbabi@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Materiaux, Faculte des Sciences de Monastir, 5019 Monastir (Tunisia)

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The reaction of polyaspartic acid with calcium hydroxyapatite and mixed calcium-copper hydroxyapatite is tested. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Chemical analysis shows that the presence of copper in the apatitic structure increases the reactivity of the apatite surface. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer X-ray powder analysis shows the conservation of unique crystalline phase of hydroxyapatite after copper incorporation and/or PASP acid reacting. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer IR spectra show the formation of the formation of organometallic bond M-O-C (M=Ca or Cu) on the apatitic surface. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated that the texture surface was changed by the grafting. - Abstract: Mixed calcium-copper hydroxyapatite (Ca-CuHAp), with general formula Ca{sub (10-x)}Cu{sub x}(PO{sub 4}){sub 6}(OH){sub 2}, where 0 {<=} x {<=} 0.75 was prepared in aqueous medium in the presence of different concentrations of poly-L-aspartic acid (PASP). XRD, IR, TG-DTA, TEM-EDX, AFM and chemical analyses were used to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the products. All techniques show the formation of new hybrid compounds Ca-CuHAp-PASP. The presence of the grafting moiety on the apatitic material is more significant with increasing of copper amount and/or organic concentration in the starting solution. These increases lead to the affectation of apatite crystallinity. The IR spectroscopy shows the conservation of (P-OH) band of (HPO{sub 4}){sup 2-} groups, suggesting that PASP acid was interacted only with metallic cations of hydroxyapatite.

  15. Serum urea and uric acid concentration in pregnant women in sub ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    pregnant blackAfrican women. Uric acid levels for the pregnant women were significantly raised, and the relationship between uric acid elevation and gestational proteinuric hypertensionwas discussed. In conclusion, we recommend that uric acid ...

  16. Entropy of black holes with multiple horizons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun He

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available We examine the entropy of black holes in de Sitter space and black holes surrounded by quintessence. These black holes have multiple horizons, including at least the black hole event horizon and a horizon outside it (cosmological horizon for de Sitter black holes and “quintessence horizon” for the black holes surrounded by quintessence. Based on the consideration that the two horizons are not independent each other, we conjecture that the total entropy of these black holes should not be simply the sum of entropies of the two horizons, but should have an extra term coming from the correlations between the two horizons. Different from our previous works, in this paper we consider the cosmological constant as the variable and employ an effective method to derive the explicit form of the entropy. We also try to discuss the thermodynamic stabilities of these black holes according to the entropy and the effective temperature.

  17. Acid-base homeostasis in the human system

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, R. J.

    1974-01-01

    Acid-base regulation is a cooperative phenomena in vivo with body fluids, extracellular and intracellular buffers, lungs, and kidneys all playing important roles. The present account is much too brief to be considered a review of present knowledge of these regulatory systems, and should be viewed, instead, as a guide to the elements necessary to construct a simple model of the mutual interactions of the acid-base regulatory systems of the body.

  18. Bicarbonate Concentration, Acid-Base Status, and Mortality in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raphael, Kalani L; Murphy, Rachel A; Shlipak, Michael G; Satterfield, Suzanne; Huston, Hunter K; Sebastian, Anthony; Sellmeyer, Deborah E; Patel, Kushang V; Newman, Anne B; Sarnak, Mark J; Ix, Joachim H; Fried, Linda F

    2016-02-05

    Low serum bicarbonate associates with mortality in CKD. This study investigated the associations of bicarbonate and acid-base status with mortality in healthy older individuals. We analyzed data from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study, a prospective study of well functioning black and white adults ages 70-79 years old from 1997. Participants with arterialized venous blood gas measurements (n=2287) were grouped into respiratory alkalosis, and 1.35 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.69) for metabolic alkalosis categories. Respiratory acidosis did not associate with mortality. In generally healthy older individuals, low serum bicarbonate associated with higher mortality independent of systemic pH and potential confounders. This association seemed to be present regardless of whether the cause of low bicarbonate was metabolic acidosis or respiratory alkalosis. Metabolic alkalosis also associated with higher mortality. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.

  19. Black rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emparan, Roberto; Reall, Harvey S

    2006-01-01

    A black ring is a five-dimensional black hole with an event horizon of topology S 1 x S 2 . We provide an introduction to the description of black rings in general relativity and string theory. Novel aspects of the presentation include a new approach to constructing black ring coordinates and a critical review of black ring microscopics. (topical review)

  20. "Black Like Me": Reframing Blackness for Decolonial Politics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dei, George J. Sefa

    2018-01-01

    From a particular vantage point, as an African-born scholar with a politics to affirm my Black subjectivity and Indigeneity in a diasporic context, my article engages a (re)theorization of Blackness for decolonial politics. Building on existing works of how Black scholars, themselves, have theorized Blackness, and recognizing the fluid,…

  1. Black perithecial pigmentation in Fusarium species is due to the accumulation of 5-deoxybostrycoidin-based melanin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frandsen, Rasmus John Normand; Rasmussen, Silas Anselm; Knudsen, Peter Boldsen

    2016-01-01

    Biosynthesis of the black perithecial pigment in the filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum is dependent on the polyketide synthase PGL1 (oPKS3). A seven-membered PGL1 gene cluster was identified by over-expression of the cluster specific transcription factor pglR. Targeted gene replacement showed...... anthrone (4) and purpurfusarin (5). The novel dimeric bostrycoidin purpurfusarin (5) was found to inhibit the growth of Candida albicans with an IC50 of 8.0 +/-1.9 mu M. The results show that Fusarium species with black perithecia have a previously undescribed form of 5-deoxybostrycoidin based melanin...

  2. Black phosphorus-based one-dimensional photonic crystals and microcavities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kriegel, Ilka; Toffanin, Stefano; Scotognella, Francesco

    2016-11-10

    The latest achievements in the fabrication of thin layers of black phosphorus (BP), toward the technological breakthrough of a phosphorene atomically thin layer, are paving the way for their use in electronics, optics, and optoelectronics. In this work, we have simulated the optical properties of one-dimensional photonic structures, i.e., photonic crystals and microcavities, in which few-layer BP is one of the components. The insertion of the 5-nm black phosphorous layers leads to a photonic band gap in the photonic crystals and a cavity mode in the microcavity that is interesting for light manipulation and emission enhancement.

  3. Acid-base characteristics of powdered-activated-carbon surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reed, B.E. (West Virginia Univ., Morgantown (United States)); Jensen, J.N.; Matsumoto, M.R. (State Univ. of New York, Buffalo (United States))

    Adsorption of heavy metals onto activated carbon has been described using the surface-complex-formation (SCF) model, a chemical equilibrium model. The SCF model requires a knowledge of the amphoteric nature of activated carbon prior to metal adsorption modeling. In the past, a single-diprotic-acid-site model had been employed to describe the amphoteric nature of activated-carbon surfaces. During this study, the amphoteric nature of two powdered activated carbons were investigated, and a three-monoprotic site surface model was found to be a plausible alternative. The single-diprotic-acid-site and two-monoprotic-site models did not describe the acid-base behavior of the two carbons studied adequately. The two-diprotic site was acceptable for only one of the study carbons. The acid-base behavior of activated carbon surfaces seem to be best modeled as a series of weak monoprotic acids.

  4. Holographic duals of Kaluza-Klein black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azeyanagi, Tatsuo; Ogawa, Noriaki; Terashima, Seiji

    2009-01-01

    We apply Brown-Henneaux's method to the 5D extremal rotating Kaluza-Klein black holes essentially following the calculation of the Kerr/CFT correspondence, which is not based on supersymmetry nor string theory. We find that there are two completely different Virasoro algebras that can be obtained as the asymptotic symmetry algebras according to appropriate boundary conditions. The microscopic entropies are calculated by using the Cardy formula for both boundary conditions and they perfectly agree with the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. The rotating Kaluza-Klein black holes contain a 4D dyonic Reissner-Nordstroem black hole and Myers-Perry black hole. Since the D-brane configurations corresponding to these black holes are known, we expect that our analysis will shed some light on deeper understanding of chiral CFT 2 's dual to extremal black holes.

  5. New insight into photo-bromination processes in saline surface waters: The case of salicylic acid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamtam, Fatima; Chiron, Serge, E-mail: serge.chiron@msem.univ-montp2.fr

    2012-10-01

    It was shown, through a combination of field and laboratory observations, that salicylic acid can undergo photo-bromination reactions in sunlit saline surface waters. Laboratory-scale experiments revealed that the photochemical yields of 5-bromosalicylic acid and 3,5-dibromosalicylic acid from salicylic acid were always low (in the 4% range at most). However, this might be of concern since these compounds are potential inhibitors of the 20{alpha}-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme, with potential implications in endocrine disruption processes. At least two mechanisms were involved simultaneously to account for the photo-generation of brominated substances. The first one might involve the formation of reactive brominated radical species (Br{center_dot}, Br{sub 2}{center_dot}{sup -}) through hydroxyl radical mediated oxidation of bromide ions. These ions reacted more selectively than hydroxyl radicals with electron-rich organic pollutants such as salicylic acid. The second one might involve the formation of hypobromous acid, through a two electron oxidation of bromine ions by peroxynitrite. This reaction was catalyzed by nitrite, since these ions play a crucial role in the formation of nitric oxide upon photolysis. This nitric oxide further reacts with superoxide radical anions to yield peroxynitrite and by ammonium through the formation of N-bromoamines, probably due to the ability of N-bromoamines to promote the aromatic bromination of phenolic compounds. Field measurements revealed the presence of salicylic acid together with 5-bromosalicylic and 3,5-dibromosalicylic acid in a brackish coastal lagoon, thus confirming the environmental significance of the proposed photochemically induced bromination pathways. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Brominated derivatives of salicylic acid were detected in a brackish lagoon. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A photochemical pathway was hypothesized to account for bromination of salicylic acid. Black

  6. A dipstick sensor for coulometric acid-base titrations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Olthuis, Wouter; van der Schoot, B.H.; Chavez, F.; Bergveld, Piet

    1989-01-01

    By performing an acid-base titration by coulometric generation of OH− or H+ ions at an inert electrode in close proximity to the pH-sensitive gate of an ISFET, it is possible to determine the acid or base concentration of a solution using the ISFET as an indicator device for the equivalence point in

  7. Knowledge, group-based medical mistrust, future expectations, and perceived disadvantages of medical genetic testing: perspectives of Black African immigrants/refugees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buseh, A; Kelber, S; Millon-Underwood, S; Stevens, P; Townsend, L

    2014-01-01

    Reasons for low participation of ethnic minorities in genetic studies are multifactorial and often poorly understood. Based on published literature, participation in genetic testing is low among Black African immigrants/refugees although they are purported to bear disproportionate disease burden. Thus, research involving Black African immigrant/refugee populations that examine their perspectives on participating in genetic studies is needed. This report examines and describes the knowledge of medical genetics, group-based medical mistrust, and future expectations of genetic research and the influence of these measures on the perceived disadvantages of genetic testing among Black African immigrants/refugees. Using a cross-sectional survey design, a nonprobability sample (n = 212) of Black African immigrants/refugees was administered a questionnaire. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 61 years (mean = 38.91, SD = 9.78). The questionnaire consisted of 5 instruments: (a) sociodemographic characteristics, (b) Knowledge of Medical Genetics scale, (c) Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale, (d) Future Expectations/Anticipated Consequences of Genetics Research scale, and (e) Perceived Disadvantages of Genetic Testing scale. Participants were concerned that genetic research may result in scientists 'playing God,' interfering with the natural order of life. In multivariate analyses, the perceived disadvantages of genetic testing increased as medical mistrust and anticipated negative impacts of genetic testing increased. Increase in genetic knowledge contributed to a decrease in perceived disadvantages. Our findings suggest that recruitment of Black African immigrants/refugees in genetic studies should address potential low knowledge of genetics, concerns about medical mistrust, the expectations/anticipated consequences of genetic research, and the perceived disadvantages of genetic testing.

  8. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on novel black silicon-based nanostructured surfaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Talian, Ivan; Mogensen, Klaus Bo; Orinak, A.

    2009-01-01

    , effects of Ti and Ti/Pt adhesion layers underneath the gold layers on the analytical signal enhancement were tested. An enhancement factor of 7.6 x 10(7) with the excitation laser 785 nm was achieved for the tested analyte, Rhodamine 6G, and non-resonance SER spectra were recorded in a 5 s acquisition...... mode. Such an enhancement enables to achieve a detection limit down to 2.4 pg of Rhodamine 6G on a black silicon-based nanosurface coated with a 400-nm-thin layer of gold....

  9. Tailoring peritoneal dialysis fluid for optimal acid-base targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feriani, Mariano

    2009-01-01

    Mild derangements of acid-base status are common features in peritoneal dialysis patients, metabolic acidosis being the most frequent alteration. One of the main tasks of dialysis is to correct these derangements and the target is the normalization of the acid-base parameters since they affect several organs and functions. Since factors affecting acid-base homeostasis are intrinsic characteristics of the individual patient (metabolic acid production, distribution space for bicarbonate, dialytic prescription, etc.), it is not surprising that only relatively few patients achieve the normal range. Only a certain modulation of buffer infusion by using different buffer concentrations in the dialysis fluid may ensure a good correction in a large percentage of patients.

  10. Application of AzollaFiliculoides Biomass in Acid Black 1 Dye Adsorption from Aqueous Solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Zazouli

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: The textile dyes are considered as important pollutants due to the toxicity on human and environment. Therefore, the dye removal from industrial effluents is necessary. This study evaluates the ability of Azolla for the adsorption of acid black 1 (AB1 dye from aqueous solution. Materials and Methods: This was an experimental-laboratory study. The Azolla biomass was sun dried, crushed and sieved to particle sizes in the range of 1-2 mm. Then, it treated with 0.1 M HCl for 5 h, followed by washing with distilled water, and it used as an adsorbent. The effect of study parameter was investigated, and the residues AB1 concentration was measured by DR2800 spectrophotometer at in λmax = 622 nm. Results: The results indicated that the efficiency of AB1 adsorption decreased with increased initial dye concentration. It increased with increased contact time and adsorbent. The highest adsorption efficiency was occurred at pH = 2. The equilibrium data were the best fitted on Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Conclusion: The Azolla could present high ability in dye removal. Therefore, it can be used as inexpensive and effective adsorbent in textile effluent treatment.

  11. Quantum aspects of black hole entropy

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Four dimensional supersymmetric extremal black holes in string-based ... elements in the construction of black holes are our concepts of space and time. They are, thus, almost by definition, the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in ... Appealing to the Cardy formula for the asymptotic degeneracy of these states, one.

  12. Continuous creation of matter across the black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manjunath, R

    2006-01-01

    The mass distribution in a galaxy that gets evolved around a black hole exhibits a certain degree of deterministic abstraction. The present work is based on the outcome of this abstraction. A black hole or a neutron star at the centre of a galaxy emits radiation when the edge of the galaxy gets disintegrated by getting absorbed in to another black hole or becomes a member of another galactic distribution. This is necessary for the existence of the black hole to counter for the surrounding structure with its own internal formation. The radiation is emitted as self similar pulses that exactly resemble the pattern of absorption of the rim of the galaxy. This concept is based on information geometry. An additional term that accounts for the feedback energy is appended to the energy momentum tensor. It has been shown that the mass around the black hole is distributed in bands that exhibit multiple resolutions. This translates on to self similarity in the emission pattern from the black hole. The recent emission of radiation from a neutron star is interpreted as one such phenomenon

  13. Stable black strings in anti-de sitter space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirayama, Takayuki

    2002-01-01

    In my talk I show a black string which is a foliation of anti-de Sitter (AdS) Schwarzschild black hole becomes classically stable if the size of black hole horizon is larger than the AdS radius even if the black string extends infinitely. I will also give a comment on the relation with the Gubser-Mitra conjecture. This talk is based on our paper (Phys. Rev. D64: 064010, 2001) which is a collaboration with Gungwon Kang

  14. Acid-base equilibrium: The best clinical approach

    OpenAIRE

    Aristizábal-Salazar, Raúl E; Calvo-Torres, L. Felipe; Valencia-Arango, Luis Alfonso; Montoya-Canon, Mauricio; Barbosa-Gantiva, Oscar; Hincapié-Baena, Vanessa

    2015-01-01

    Acid-base balance disorders can be found in a primary or secondary form in patients with a disease process such as Diabetes Mellitus or acute renal failure, among others. The objective of this article is to explain and guide the correlation ship between the clinical findings in the patient and the parameters of arterial blood gases in a simple and precise manner, in order to make the correct acid-base balance diagnosis and adequate therapeutic interventions. A non-systematic review of the sci...

  15. Black Alcoholism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Thomas D.; Wright, Roosevelt

    1988-01-01

    Examines some aspects of the problem of alcoholism among Blacks, asserting that Black alcoholism can best be considered in an ecological, environmental, sociocultural, and public health context. Notes need for further research on alcoholism among Blacks and for action to reduce the problem of Black alcoholism. (NB)

  16. Acid-base transport in pancreas – new challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivana eNovak

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Along the gastrointestinal tract a number of epithelia contribute with acid or basic secretions in order to aid digestive processes. The stomach and pancreas are the most extreme examples of acid (H+ and base (HCO3- transporters, respectively. Nevertheless, they share the same challenges of transporting acid and bases across epithelia and effectively regulating their intracellular pH. In this review, we will make use of comparative physiology to enlighten the cellular mechanisms of pancreatic HCO3- and fluid secretion, which is still challenging physiologists. Some of the novel transporters to consider in pancreas are the proton pumps (H+-K+-ATPases, as well as the calcium-activated K+ and Cl- channels, such as KCa3.1 and TMEM16A/ANO1. Local regulators, such as purinergic signalling, fine-tune and coordinate pancreatic secretion. Lastly, we speculate whether dys-regulation of acid-base transport contributes to pancreatic diseases including cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis and cancer.

  17. The normal acid-base status of mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iversen, Nina K; Malte, Hans; Baatrup, Erik; Wang, Tobias

    2012-03-15

    Rodent models are commonly used for various physiological studies including acid-base regulation. Despite the widespread use of especially genetic modified mice, little attention have been made to characterise the normal acid-base status in these animals in order to reveal proper control values. Furthermore, several studies report blood gas values obtained in anaesthetised animals. We, therefore, decided to characterise blood CO(2) binding characteristic of mouse blood in vitro and to characterise normal acid-base status in conscious BALBc mice. In vitro CO(2) dissociation curves, performed on whole blood equilibrated to various PCO₂ levels in rotating tonometers, revealed a typical mammalian pK' (pK'=7.816-0.234 × pH (r=0.34)) and a non-bicarbonate buffer capacity (16.1 ± 2.6 slyke). To measure arterial acid-base status, small blood samples were taken from undisturbed mice with indwelling catheters in the carotid artery. In these animals, pH was 7.391 ± 0.026, plasma [HCO(3)(-)] 18.4 ± 0.83 mM, PCO₂ 30.3 ± 2.1 mm Hg and lactate concentration 4.6 ± 0.7 mM. Our study, therefore, shows that mice have an arterial pH that resembles other mammals, although arterial PCO₂ tends to be lower than in larger mammals. However, pH from arterial blood sampled from mice anaesthetised with isoflurane was significantly lower (pH 7.239 ± 0.021), while plasma [HCO(3)(-)] was 18.5 ± 1.4 mM, PCO₂ 41.9 ± 2.9 mm Hg and lactate concentration 4.48 ± 0.67 mM. Furthermore, we measured metabolism and ventilation (V(E)) in order to determine the ventilation requirements (VE/VO₂) to answer whether small mammals tend to hyperventilate. We recommend, therefore, that studies on acid-base regulation in mice should be based on samples taken for indwelling catheters rather than cardiac puncture of terminally anaesthetised mice. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. The Thermodynamic Relationship between the RN-AdS Black Holes and the RN Black Hole in Canonical Ensemble

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Bo Ma

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, by analyzing the thermodynamic properties of charged AdS black hole and asymptotically flat space-time charged black hole in the vicinity of the critical point, we establish the correspondence between the thermodynamic parameters of asymptotically flat space-time and nonasymptotically flat space-time, based on the equality of black hole horizon area in the two different types of space-time. The relationship between the cavity radius (which is introduced in the study of asymptotically flat space-time charged black holes and the cosmological constant (which is introduced in the study of nonasymptotically flat space-time is determined. The establishment of the correspondence between the thermodynamics parameters in two different types of space-time is beneficial to the mutual promotion of different time-space black hole research, which is helpful to understand the thermodynamics and quantum properties of black hole in space-time.

  19. Reactive Distillation for Esterification of Bio-based Organic Acids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fields, Nathan; Miller, Dennis J.; Asthana, Navinchandra S.; Kolah, Aspi K.; Vu, Dung; Lira, Carl T.

    2008-09-23

    The following is the final report of the three year research program to convert organic acids to their ethyl esters using reactive distillation. This report details the complete technical activities of research completed at Michigan State University for the period of October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2006, covering both reactive distillation research and development and the underlying thermodynamic and kinetic data required for successful and rigorous design of reactive distillation esterification processes. Specifically, this project has led to the development of economical, technically viable processes for ethyl lactate, triethyl citrate and diethyl succinate production, and on a larger scale has added to the overall body of knowledge on applying fermentation based organic acids as platform chemicals in the emerging biorefinery. Organic acid esters constitute an attractive class of biorenewable chemicals that are made from corn or other renewable biomass carbohydrate feedstocks and replace analogous petroleum-based compounds, thus lessening U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum and enhancing overall biorefinery viability through production of value-added chemicals in parallel with biofuels production. Further, many of these ester products are candidates for fuel (particularly biodiesel) components, and thus will serve dual roles as both industrial chemicals and fuel enhancers in the emerging bioeconomy. The technical report from MSU is organized around the ethyl esters of four important biorenewables-based acids: lactic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and propionic acid. Literature background on esterification and reactive distillation has been provided in Section One. Work on lactic acid is covered in Sections Two through Five, citric acid esterification in Sections Six and Seven, succinic acid in Section Eight, and propionic acid in Section Nine. Section Ten covers modeling of ester and organic acid vapor pressure properties using the SPEAD (Step Potential

  20. [Fluorescence spectroscopic characteristics of fulvic acid from the long-term located fertilization in black soil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yan-Ping; Wei, Dan; Zhou, Bao-Ku; Zhao, Yue; Zhang, Xi-Lin; Wei, Zi-Min; Li, Shu-Ling

    2011-10-01

    In order to investigate the effect of long-term located fertilization on soil fulvic acid (FA), in this study, four soil samples were taken from black soil with long-term located fertilization (about 30 year) in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. The fertilization treatments included control (CK), N, P and K fertilization (NPK), horse manure (OM), combination of organic manure and chemical fertilizations (MNPK). Soil FA was extracted from the samples and purified. The excitation, emission, synchronous, and three-dimensional-excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (3DEEM) characteristics of the FA were determined. The excitation, emission and synchronous scan spectra all indicated that the main peaks of FA in the NPK treatment exhibited a significantly blue shift compared with CK, while those of MNPK, OM treatment caused a red shift to some extent. 3DEEM spectra of FA in all treatments exhibited four peaks (peak a, peak b, peak c, and peak d), compared with FA in CK, the wavelengths shift tendency of peak a, peak b, and peak c of FA 3DEEM in NPK, MNPK and OM treatments were similar to that of traditional spectra in FA. In order to provide quantitative information of FA humification degree in different treatments, we investigated the fluorescence index f450/500 (FI), area integration (A370-600 nm, A1 370-412 nm, A4 538-600 nm). Compared with CK, the f450/500, ratio of A1/A in NPK and A4/A in MNPK treatment increased by 4.62%, 6.12%, 7.22%, respectively. However, the f450/500, the ratio of A1/A in MNPK and A4/A in NPK treatment decreased by 3.86%, 15.31%, and 7.22% respectively. This indicated that NPK application gave a lower degree of FA humification, and combination of organic manure and chemical fertilizations would lead to a greater degree of FA aromatization in black soil with long-term located fertilization than CK.

  1. A knowledge based advisory system for acid/base titrations in non-aqueous solvents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, M.; van der Linden, W.E.

    1996-01-01

    A computer program was developed that could advice on the choice of solvent and titrant for acid/base titrations in nonaqueous media. It is shown that the feasibility of a titration in a given solvent can be calculated from solvent properties and intrinsic acid/base properties of the sample

  2. Cosmology with primordial black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindley, D.

    1981-09-01

    Cosmologies containing a substantial amount of matter in the form of evaporating primordial black holes are investigated. A review of constraints on the numbers of such black holes, including an analysis of a new limit found by looking at the destruction of deuterium by high energy photons, shows that there must be a negligible population of small black holes from the era of cosmological nucleosynthesis onwards, but that there are no strong constraints before this time. The major part of the work is based on the construction of detailed, self-consistent cosmological models in which black holes are continually forming and evaporating The interest in these models centres on the question of baryon generation, which occurs via the asymmetric decay of a new type of particle which appears as a consequence of the recently developed Grand Unified Theories of elementary particles. Unfortunately, there is so much uncertainty in the models that firm conclusions are difficult to reach; however, it seems feasible in principle that primordial black holes could be responsible for a significant part of the present matter density of the Universe. (author)

  3. Water quality impacts from mining in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahn, P.H.; Davis, A.D.; Webb, C.J.; Nichols, A.D.

    1996-01-01

    The focus of this research was to determine if abandoned mines constitute a major environmental hazard in the Black Hills. Many abandoned gold mines in the Black Hills contribute acid and heavy metals to streams. In some areas of sulfide mineralization local impacts are severe, but in most areas the impacts are small because most ore deposits consist of small quartz veins with few sulfides. Pegmatite mines appear to have negligible effects on water due to the insoluble nature of pegmatite minerals. Uranium mines in the southern Black Hills contribute some radioactivity to surface water, but he impact is limited because of the dry climate and lack of runoff in that area. 26 refs

  4. Extracts of black and brown rice powders improve hepatic lipid accumulation via the activation of PPARα in obese and diabetic model mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felix, Angelina Dr; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Takahashi, Mami; Katsumata-Tsuboi, Rie; Satoh, Ryo; Soon Hui, Teoh; Miyajima, Katsuhiro; Nakae, Dai; Inoue, Hirofumi; Uehara, Mariko

    2017-11-01

    Rice powder extract (RPE) from black and brown rice (Oryza sativa L. indica) improves hepatic lipid accumulation in obese and diabetic model mice via peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation. RPE showed PPARα agonistic activity which did not differ between black and brown RPE despite a higher anthocyanin content in black RPE.

  5. Black Zira essential oil: Chemical compositions and antimicrobial activity against the growth of some pathogenic strain causing infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noshad, Mohammad; Hojjati, Mohammad; Alizadeh Behbahani, Behrooz

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this study was to perform chemical compositions and phytochemical analysis of Black Zira essential oil and other goal of this research was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of Black Zira essential oil against Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Candida albicans. Black Zira essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation method using clevenger apparatus. Black Zira essential oil chemical composition was identified through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. γ-terpinene with a percentage of 24.8% was the major compound of Black Zira essential oil. The antimicrobial effect Black Zira essential oil was evaluated by several qualitative and quantitative methods (disk diffusion, well diffusion, microdilution broth, agar dilution and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration). Phytochemical analysis Black Zira essential oil were appraised based on qualitative methods. Antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and β-carotene/linoleic acid inhibition) and total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu) were examined. The results of phytochemical analysis of Black Zira essential oil showed the existence of phenolic, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids and tannins. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (reported as IC 50 ) of Black Zira essential oil were equal to 120.50 ± 0.50 mg GAE/g and 11.55 ± 0.25 μg/ml, respectively. The MIC of the Black Zira essential oil ranged from 1 mg/ml to 8 mg/ml, while its MBC and MFC ranged from 1 mg/ml to 16 mg/ml. The results presented that the longest and the shortest inhibition zone diameter at the concentration of 8 mg/ml pertained to C. albicans and E. aerogenes, respectively. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. The relationship between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids and microbial nucleic acid bases in rumen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keyuan Liu

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective This study aims to identify the relationship between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFAs and microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen, and to establish a model to accurately predict microbial protein flow by using OBCFA. Methods To develop the regression equations, data on the rumen contents of individual cows were obtained from 2 feeding experiments. In the first experiment, 3 rumen-fistulated dry dairy cows arranged in a 3×3 Latin square were fed diets of differing forage to concentration ratios (F:C. The second experiment consisted of 9 lactating Holstein dairy cows of similar body weights at the same stage of pregnancy. For each lactation stage, 3 cows with similar milk production were selected. The rumen contents were sampled at 4 time points of every two hours after morning feeding 6 h, and then to analyse the concentrations of OBCFA and microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen samples. Results The ruminal bacteria nucleic acid bases were significantly influenced by feeding diets of differing forge to concentration ratios and lactation stages of dairy cows (p<0.05. The concentrations of OBCFAs, especially odd-chain fatty acids and C15:0 isomers, strongly correlated with the microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen (p<0.05. The equations of ruminal microbial nucleic acid bases established by ruminal OBCFAs contents showed a good predictive capacity, as indicated by reasonably low standard errors and high R-squared values. Conclusion This finding suggests that the rumen OBCFA composition could be used as an internal marker of rumen microbial matter.

  7. In situ Recovery of Bio-Based Carboxylic Acids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karp, Eric M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Saboe, Patrick [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Manker, Lorenz [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Michener, William E [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Peterson, Darren J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Brandner, David [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Deutch, Stephen P [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cywar, Robin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Beckham, Gregg T [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kumar, Manish [Pennsylvania State University

    2018-03-16

    The economics of chemical and biological processes is often dominated by the expense of downstream product separations from dilute product streams. Continuous separation techniques, such as in situ product recovery (ISPR), are attractive in that they can concentrate products from a reactor and minimize solvent loss, thereby increasing purity and sustainability of the process. In bioprocesses, ISPR can have an additional advantage of increasing productivity by alleviating product inhibition on the microorganism. In this work, we developed a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE)-based ISPR system integrated with downstream distillation to selectively purify free carboxylic acids, which were selected as exemplary bioproducts due to their ability to be produced at industrially relevant titers and productivities. Equilibrium constants for the extraction of carboxylic acids into a phosphine-oxide based organic phase were experimentally determined. Complete recovery of acids from the extractant and recyclability of the organic phase were demonstrated through multiple extraction-distillation cycles. Using these data, an equilibrium model was developed to predict the acid loading in the organic phase as a function of the extraction equilibrium constant, initial aqueous acid concentration, pH, organic to aqueous volume ratio, and temperature. A distillation process model was then used to predict the energy input required to distill neat acid from an organic phase as a function of the acid loading in the organic phase feed. The heat integrated distillation train can achieve neat recovery of acetic acid with an energy input of 2.6 MJ kg-1 of acetic acid. This LLE-based ISPR system integrated with downstream distillation has an estimated carbon footprint of less than 0.36 kg CO2 per kg of acetic acid, and provides a green approach to enable both new industrial bioprocesses, and process intensification of existing industrial operations by (1) increasing the productivity and titer of

  8. Black holes

    OpenAIRE

    Brügmann, B.; Ghez, A. M.; Greiner, J.

    2001-01-01

    Recent progress in black hole research is illustrated by three examples. We discuss the observational challenges that were met to show that a supermassive black hole exists at the center of our galaxy. Stellar-size black holes have been studied in x-ray binaries and microquasars. Finally, numerical simulations have become possible for the merger of black hole binaries.

  9. Sacrificial Template-Based Synthesis of Unified Hollow Porous Palladium Nanospheres for Formic Acid Electro-Oxidation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyu Qiu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Large scale syntheses of uniform metal nanoparticles with hollow porous structure have attracted much attention owning to their high surface area, abundant active sites and relatively efficient catalytic activity. Herein, we report a general method to synthesize hollow porous Pd nanospheres (Pd HPNSs by templating sacrificial SiO2 nanoparticles with the assistance of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH through layer-by-layer self-assembly. The chemically inert PAH is acting as an efficient stabilizer and complex agent to control the synthesis of Pd HPNSs, probably accounting for its long aliphatic alkyl chains, excellent coordination capability and good hydrophilic property. The physicochemical properties of Pd HPNSs are thoroughly characterized by various techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The growth mechanism of Pd HPNSs is studied based on the analysis of diverse experimental observations. The as-prepared Pd HPNSs exhibit clearly enhanced electrocatalytic activity and durability for the formic oxidation reaction (FAOR in acid medium compared with commercial Pd black.

  10. The phase structure of higher-dimensional black rings and black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emparan, Roberto; Harmark, Troels; Niarchos, Vasilis; Obers, Niels A.; RodrIguez, Maria J.

    2007-01-01

    We construct an approximate solution for an asymptotically flat, neutral, thin rotating black ring in any dimension D ≥ 5 by matching the near-horizon solution for a bent boosted black string, to a linearized gravity solution away from the horizon. The rotating black ring solution has a regular horizon of topology S 1 x S D-3 and incorporates the balancing condition of the ring as a zero-tension condition. For D = 5 our method reproduces the thin ring limit of the exact black ring solution. For D ≥ 6 we show that the black ring has a higher entropy than the Myers-Perry black hole in the ultra-spinning regime. By exploiting the correspondence between ultra-spinning black holes and black membranes on a two-torus, we take steps towards qualitatively completing the phase diagram of rotating blackfolds with a single angular momentum. We are led to propose a connection between MP black holes and black rings, and between MP black holes and black Saturns, through merger transitions involving two kinds of 'pinched' black holes. More generally, the analogy suggests an infinite number of pinched black holes of spherical topology leading to a complicated pattern of connections and mergers between phases

  11. South African managers' perceptions of black economic empowerment

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    8Key words: transformation, black economic empowerment (BEE), broad-based black economic empowerment .... mclviiCode series reference ... range of available literature from articles and books as well as newspaper clippings was studied ...

  12. On the Charter Question: Black Marxism and Black Nationalism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Mark; Hussain, Khuram

    2015-01-01

    This article brings two black intellectual traditions to bear on the question of charter schools: black Marxism and black nationalism. The authors examine the theoretical and rhetorical devices used to talk about charters schools by focusing on how notions of "black liberation" are deployed by the charter movement, and to what end. The…

  13. "Be Real Black for Me": Imagining BlackCrit in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumas, Michael J.; ross, kihana miraya

    2016-01-01

    The authors put forward a theorization of a Black Critical Theory, or what might be called BlackCrit, within, and in response to, Critical Race Theory, and then outline ways that BlackCrit in education helps us to more incisively analyze how the specificity of (anti)blackness matters in explaining how Black bodies become marginalized, disregarded,…

  14. Black hole astrophysics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blandford, R.D.; Thorne, K.S.

    1979-01-01

    Following an introductory section, the subject is discussed under the headings: on the character of research in black hole astrophysics; isolated holes produced by collapse of normal stars; black holes in binary systems; black holes in globular clusters; black holes in quasars and active galactic nuclei; primordial black holes; concluding remarks on the present state of research in black hole astrophysics. (U.K.)

  15. Development of a new approach based on midwave infrared spectroscopy for post-consumer black plastic waste sorting in the recycling industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozenstein, Offer; Puckrin, Eldon; Adamowski, Jan

    2017-10-01

    Waste sorting is key to the process of waste recycling. Exact identification of plastic resin and wood products using Near Infrared (NIR, 1-1.7µm) sensing is currently in use. Yet, dark targets characterized by low reflectance, such as black plastics, are hard to identify by this method. Following the recent success of Midwave Infrared (MWIR, 3-12µm) measurements to identify coloured plastic polymers, the aim of this study was to assess whether this technique is applicable to sorting black plastic polymers and wood products. We performed infrared reflectance contact measurements of 234 plastic samples and 29 samples of wood and paper products. Plastic samples included black, coloured and transparent Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene (PE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polystyrene (PS). The spectral signatures of the black and coloured plastic samples were compared with clear plastic samples and signatures documented in the literature to identify the polymer spectral features in the presence of coloured material. This information was used to determine the spectral bands that best suit the sorting of black plastic polymers. The main NIR-MWIR absorption features of wood, cardboard and paper were identified as well according to the spectral measurements. Good agreement was found between our measurements and the absorption features documented in the literature. The new approach using MWIR spectral features appears to be useful for black plastics as it overcomes some of the limitations in the NIR region to identify them. The main limitation of this technique for industrial applications is the trade-off between the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor operating in standoff mode and the speed at which waste is moved under the sensor. This limitation can be resolved by reducing the system's spectral resolution to 16cm -1 , which allows for faster spectra acquisition while maintaining a reasonable signal-to-noise ratio

  16. Gallic Acid as an Oxygen Scavenger in Bio-Based Multilayer Packaging Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pant, Astrid F; Sängerlaub, Sven; Müller, Kajetan

    2017-05-03

    Oxygen scavengers are used in food packaging to protect oxygen-sensitive food products. A mixture of gallic acid (GA) and sodium carbonate was used as an oxygen scavenger (OSc) in bio-based multilayer packaging films produced in a three-step process: compounding, flat film extrusion, and lamination. We investigated the film surface color as well as oxygen absorption at different relative humidities (RHs) and temperatures, and compared the oxygen absorption of OSc powder, monolayer films, and multilayer films. The films were initially brownish-red in color but changed to greenish-black during oxygen absorption under humid conditions. We observed a maximum absorption capacity of 447 mg O₂/g GA at 21 °C and 100% RH. The incorporation of GA into a polymer matrix reduced the rate of oxygen absorption compared to the GA powder because the polymer acted as a barrier to oxygen and water vapor diffusion. As expected, the temperature had a significant effect on the initial absorption rate of the multilayer films; the corresponding activation energy was 75.4 kJ/mol. Higher RH significantly increased the oxygen absorption rate. These results demonstrate for the first time the production and the properties of a bio-based multilayer packaging film with GA as the oxygen scavenger. Potential applications include the packaging of food products with high water activity (a w > 0.86).

  17. Black Hole Entanglement and Quantum Error Correction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verlinde, E.; Verlinde, H.

    2013-01-01

    It was recently argued in [1] that black hole complementarity strains the basic rules of quantum information theory, such as monogamy of entanglement. Motivated by this argument, we develop a practical framework for describing black hole evaporation via unitary time evolution, based on a holographic

  18. Kinetic and mechanistic study of microcystin-LR degradation by nitrous acid under ultraviolet irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Qingwei; Ren, Jing [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Huang, Honghui [Key Laboratory of Fisheries Ecology Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510300 (China); Wang, Shoubing [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Wang, Xiangrong, E-mail: xrxrwang@vip.sina.com [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Fan, Zhengqiu, E-mail: zhqfan@fudan.edu.cn [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

    2012-05-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer For the first time, degradation of MC-LR by nitrous acid under UV 365 nm was discovered. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effects of factors on MC-LR degradation were analyzed based on kinetic study. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mass spectrometry was applied for identification of intermediates and products. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Special intermediates involved in this study were identified. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Degradation mechanisms were proposed according to the results of LC-MS analysis. - Abstract: Degradation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in the presence of nitrous acid (HNO{sub 2}) under irradiation of 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) was studied for the first time. The influence of initial conditions including pH value, NaNO{sub 2} concentration, MC-LR concentration and UV intensity were studied. MC-LR was degraded in the presence of HNO{sub 2}; enhanced degradation of MC-LR was observed with 365 nm UV irradiation, caused by the generation of hydroxyl radicals through the photolysis of HNO{sub 2}. The degradation processes of MC-LR could well fit the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Mass spectrometry was applied for identification of the byproducts and the analysis of degradation mechanisms. Major degradation pathways were proposed according to the results of LC-MS analysis. The degradation of MC-LR was initiated via three major pathways: attack of hydroxyl radicals on the conjugated carbon double bonds of Adda, attack of hydroxyl radicals on the benzene ring of Adda, and attack of nitrosonium ion on the benzene ring of Adda.

  19. Heavy metals distribution in the Dead Sea black mud, Jordan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Momani, K.; El-Hasan, T.; Auaydeh, S.

    2009-01-01

    The concentrations of trace metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, Co, Cr, Cu and Pb) were investigated in the Dead Sea black mud and river sediments in the northern basin of the Dead Sea region, Jordan. The pH of the mud was slightly above 8 while it was around 6 for the seawater. All analyzed heavy metal content in the black mud, except Pb, was less than their contents in other types of mud. Tlis might be due to the effect of the mildly acideic pH of seawater, which would enhance the metal solubility or incorporation within salt mineral structure, rather than precipitation. The sequential extraction results showed that Ni and Co transferred into the carbonate fraction, Mn is found mostly as manganese-iron oxide, and the residual phase contained Cr, Cu, Fe,and Pb. This study illustrated that the black mud had low heavy metal contents, thus indicating low toxicity. additionally, it shows insignificance effect of the mixing of freshwater with seawater on the heavy metal contents in the black mud. (authors).

  20. Effects of different black mediators on the shear strength of orthodontic bracket to the enamel treated with Nd-Yag laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shun-Te; Lin, I.-Shueng; Tsai, Chi-Cheng

    1995-04-01

    The Nd:YAG laser has ablation, crack, and crater effects on the dental enamel through black mediators which are very similar to the acid etching effects of phosphoric acid. This study was designed for searching how the different black mediators influence the shear strengths of the brackets bound to the enamel surfaces which were treated with the Nd:YAG laser. 90 bovine enamels divided into 5 groups were painted with 5 kinds of black mediators including Chinese ink, oil ink, black ball pen, water ink and black transfer paper. The enamel surfaces painted with black mediators were then radiated by Nd:YAG laser (ADL; American Dental Laser 300dl, power: 20 pps, 87.5 mj). Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the radiated surfaces. Then the shear strengths of the brackets to the enamels were measured by Instron. The results showed that the Chinese ink group and oil ink group has the strongest shear strength, ball pen group and water ink group showed the second strength, and the transfer paper group has the lowest shear strength. In addition, scanning electronic microscope also was used to observe the topographic changes of the enamel surfaces induced by the laser ablation.

  1. Lewis Acid-Base Chemistry of 7-Azaisoindigo-Based Organic Semiconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randell, Nicholas M; Fransishyn, Kyle M; Kelly, Timothy L

    2017-07-26

    Low-band-gap organic semiconductors are important in a variety of organic electronics applications, such as organic photovoltaic devices, photodetectors, and field effect transistors. Building on our previous work, which introduced 7-azaisoindigo as an electron-deficient building block for the synthesis of donor-acceptor organic semiconductors, we demonstrate how Lewis acids can be used to further tune the energies of the frontier molecular orbitals. Coordination of a Lewis acid to the pyridinic nitrogen of 7-azaisoindigo greatly diminishes the electron density in the azaisoindigo π-system, resulting in a substantial reduction in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy. This results in a smaller highest occupied molecular orbital-LUMO gap and shifts the lowest-energy electronic transition well into the near-infrared region. Both H + and BF 3 are shown to coordinate to azaisoindigo and affect the energy of the S 0 → S 1 transition. A combination of time-dependent density functional theory and UV/vis and 1 H NMR spectroscopic titrations reveal that when two azaisoindigo groups are present and high concentrations of acid are used, both pyridinic nitrogens bind Lewis acids. Importantly, we demonstrate that this acid-base chemistry can be carried out at the solid-vapor interface by exposing thin films of aza-substituted organic semiconductors to vapor-phase BF 3 ·Et 2 O. This suggests the possibility of using the BF 3 -bound 7-azaisoindigo-based semiconductors as n-type materials in various organic electronic applications.

  2. Synergy effect of naphthenic acid corrosion and sulfur corrosion in crude oil distillation unit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, B.S., E-mail: yinwenfeng2010@163.com [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610500 (China); Yin, W.F. [College of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610500 (China); Sang, D.H. [Sheng Li Construction Group International Engineering Department, Shandong, Dongying, 257000 (China); Jiang, Z.Y. [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610500 (China)

    2012-10-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The corrosion of a carbon-manganese steel and a stainless steel in sulfur and/or naphthenic acid media was investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The corrosion rate of the carbon-manganese steel increased with the increase of the acid value and sulfur content. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The critical values of the concentration of sulfur and acid for corrosion rate of the stainless steel were ascertained respectively. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The stainless steel is superior to the carbon-manganese steel in corrosion resistance because of the presence of stable Cr{sub 5}S{sub 8} phases. - Abstract: The synergy effect of naphthenic acid corrosion and sulfur corrosion at high temperature in crude oil distillation unit was studied using Q235 carbon-manganese steel and 316 stainless steel. The corrosion of Q235 and 316 in corrosion media containing sulfur and/or naphthenic acid at 280 Degree-Sign C was investigated by weight loss, scanning electron microscope (SEM), EDS and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis. The results showed that in corrosion media containing only sulfur, the corrosion rate of Q235 and 316 first increased and then decreased with the increase of sulfur content. In corrosion media containing naphthenic acid and sulfur, with the variations of acid value or sulfur content, the synergy effect of naphthenic acid corrosion and sulfur corrosion has a great influence on the corrosion rate of Q235 and 316. It was indicated that the sulfur accelerated naphthenic acid corrosion below a certain sulfur content but prevented naphthenic acid corrosion above that. The corrosion products on two steels after exposure to corrosion media were investigated. The stable Cr{sub 5}S{sub 8} phases detected in the corrosion products film of 316 were considered as the reason why 316 has greater corrosion resistance to that of Q235.

  3. Boronic acid-based chemical sensors for saccharides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiao-Tai; Liu, Guang-Jian; Ning, Zhang-Wei; Xing, Guo-Wen

    2017-11-27

    During the past decades, the interaction between boronic acids-functionalized sensors and saccharides is of great interest in the frontier domain of the interdiscipline concerning both biology and chemistry. Various boronic acid-based sensing systems have been developed to detect saccharides and corresponding derivatives in vitro as well as in vivo, which embrace unimolecular sensors, two-component sensing ensembles, functional assemblies, and boronic acid-loaded nanomaterials or surfaces. New sensing strategies emerge in endlessly with excellent selectivity and sensitivity. In this review, several typical sensing systems were introduced and some promising examples were highlighted to enable the deep insight of saccharides sensing on the basis of boronic acids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Active galaxies. A strong magnetic field in the jet base of a supermassive black hole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martí-Vidal, Ivan; Muller, Sébastien; Vlemmings, Wouter; Horellou, Cathy; Aalto, Susanne

    2015-04-17

    Active galactic nuclei (AGN) host some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. AGN are thought to be powered by accretion of matter onto a rotating disk that surrounds a supermassive black hole. Jet streams can be boosted in energy near the event horizon of the black hole and then flow outward along the rotation axis of the disk. The mechanism that forms such a jet and guides it over scales from a few light-days up to millions of light-years remains uncertain, but magnetic fields are thought to play a critical role. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we have detected a polarization signal (Faraday rotation) related to the strong magnetic field at the jet base of a distant AGN, PKS 1830-211. The amount of Faraday rotation (rotation measure) is proportional to the integral of the magnetic field strength along the line of sight times the density of electrons. The high rotation measures derived suggest magnetic fields of at least tens of Gauss (and possibly considerably higher) on scales of the order of light-days (0.01 parsec) from the black hole. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  5. Acidic-Basic Properties of Three Alanine-Based Peptides Containing Acidic and Basic Side Chains: Comparison Between Theory and Experiment

    OpenAIRE

    Makowska, Joanna; Bagińska, Katarzyna; Liwo, Adam; Chmurzyński, Lech; Scheraga, Harold A.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of the nature of the ionizable end groups, and the solvent, on their acid-base properties in alanine-based peptides. Hence, the acid-base properties of three alanine-based peptides: Ac-KK-(A)7-KK-NH2 (KAK), Ac-OO-(A)7-DD-NH2 (OAD), Ac-KK-(A)7-EE-NH2 (KAE), where A, D, E, K, and O denote alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, lysine, and ornithine, respectively, were determined in water and in methanol by potentiometry. With the availability ...

  6. Activities of Heterogeneous Acid-Base Catalysts for Fragrances Synthesis: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hartati Hartati

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews various types of heterogeneous acid-base catalysts for fragrances preparation. Catalytic activities of various types of heterogeneous acid and base catalysts in fragrances preparation, i.e. non-zeolitic, zeolitic, and mesoporous molecular sieves have been reported. Generally, heterogeneous acid catalysts are commonly used in fragrance synthesis as compared to heterogeneous base catalysts. Heteropoly acids and hydrotalcites type catalysts are widely used as heterogeneous acid and base catalysts, respectively. © 2013 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reservedReceived: 20th January 2013; Revised: 31st March 2013; Accepted: 1st April 2013[How to Cite: Hartati, H., Santoso, M., Triwahyono, S., Prasetyoko, D. (2013. Activities of Heterogeneous Acid-Base Catalysts for Fragrances Synthesis: A Review. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 8 (1: 14-33. (doi:10.9767/bcrec.8.1.4394.14-33][Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.8.1.4394.14-33] | View in  |

  7. Evaluating Interest in Acids-Bases: Development of an Acid-Base Interest Scale (ABIS) and Assessment of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Interest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çiçek, Ö.; Ilhan, N.

    2017-01-01

    Students are more likely to be successful in topics they are interested in than others. This study aims to develop an Acid-Base Interest Scale (ABIS) and subsequently evaluate the interest of pre-service science teachers in acids-bases according to gender, years at the university, type of high school the pre-service science teachers attended, and…

  8. Effect of different carbon fillers and dopant acids on electrical ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The nature of both the carbon filler and the dopant acid can significantly influence the conductivity of these nanocomposites. This paper describes the effects of carbon fillers like carbon black (CB), graphite (GR) and muti-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and of dopant acids like methane sulfonic acid (MSA), camphor ...

  9. Morphology and Optical Properties of Black-Carbon Particles Relevant to Engine Emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michelsen, H. A.; Bambha, R.; Dansson, M. A.; Schrader, P. E.

    2013-12-01

    Black-carbon particles are believed to have a large influence on climate through direct radiative forcing, reduction of surface albedo of snow and ice in the cryosphere, and interaction with clouds. The optical properties and morphology of atmospheric particles containing black carbon are uncertain, and characterization of black carbon resulting from engines emissions is needed. Refractory black-carbon particles found in the atmosphere are often coated with unburned fuel, sulfuric acid, water, ash, and other combustion by-products and atmospheric constituents. Coatings can alter the optical and physical properties of the particles and therefore change their optical properties and cloud interactions. Details of particle morphology and coating state can also have important effects on the interpretation of optical diagnostics. A more complete understanding of how coatings affect extinction, absorption, and incandescence measurements is needed before these techniques can be applied reliably to a wide range of particles. We have investigated the effects of coatings on the optical and physical properties of combustion-generated black-carbon particles using a range of standard particle diagnostics, extinction, and time-resolved laser-induced incandescence (LII) measurements. Particles were generated in a co-flow diffusion flame, extracted, cooled, and coated with oleic acid. The diffusion flame produces highly dendritic soot aggregates with similar properties to those produced in diesel engines, diffusion flames, and most natural combustion processes. A thermodenuder was used to remove the coating. A scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) was used to monitor aggregate sizes; a centrifugal particle mass analyzer (CPMA) was used to measure coating mass fractions, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize particle morphologies. The results demonstrate important differences in optical measurements between coated and uncoated particles.

  10. Effects of humic acid and solution chemistry on the aggregation and dispersion of carboxyl-functionalized carbon black nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, G.; Gomez-Flores, A.; Choi, S.; Han, Y., , Dr; Kim, H.

    2017-12-01

    The influence of humic acid, ionic strength and ionic species on the aggregation and dispersion of carboxyl-functionalized carbon black nanoparticles (CB-NPs) was systemically investigated in aqueous media. The experimental conditions of stability tests were selected to the changes in the solution chemistry (0.1-10 mM NaCl and 0.01-1 mM CaCl2) and in the presence/absence of humic acid (1 and 5 mg L-1) in an aquatic environment. The CB-NPs suspension was more rapidly settled in NaCl solution than in CaCl2. Specifically, in the case of NaCl, the aggregation rate of CB-NPs increased with ionic strength. Contrary, CB-NPs dispersed in CaCl2 were insensitive to the aggregation as the ionic strength increased; that was because specific adsorption of the divalent cation Ca2+ occurred since the zeta potential of the CB-NPs is reversed to a positive charge with increasing of the ionic strength. It was confirmed that humic acid greatly influences the stability of the CB-NPs. In particular, the dispersion of CB-NPs was improved in the whole range of ionic strengths of NaCl as well as of CaCl2. To support the results, the interaction energy between CB-NPs was calculated for each condition by using the classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) and modified-DLVO theories. In the presence of humic acid, the improved stability of CB-NPs is attributed to the steric repulsive force.This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2015R1D1A3A01020766), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) through the Human Resource Training Project for Regional Innovation (2015H1C1A1035930) and Korea Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering Program (KEMREP).

  11. Soluble adenylyl cyclase is an acid-base sensor in epithelial base-secreting cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roa, Jinae N; Tresguerres, Martin

    2016-08-01

    Blood acid-base regulation by specialized epithelia, such as gills and kidney, requires the ability to sense blood acid-base status. Here, we developed primary cultures of ray (Urolophus halleri) gill cells to study mechanisms for acid-base sensing without the interference of whole animal hormonal regulation. Ray gills have abundant base-secreting cells, identified by their noticeable expression of vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase (VHA), and also express the evolutionarily conserved acid-base sensor soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC). Exposure of cultured cells to extracellular alkalosis (pH 8.0, 40 mM HCO3 (-)) triggered VHA translocation to the cell membrane, similar to previous reports in live animals experiencing blood alkalosis. VHA translocation was dependent on sAC, as it was blocked by the sAC-specific inhibitor KH7. Ray gill base-secreting cells also express transmembrane adenylyl cyclases (tmACs); however, tmAC inhibition by 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine did not prevent alkalosis-dependent VHA translocation, and tmAC activation by forskolin reduced the abundance of VHA at the cell membrane. This study demonstrates that sAC is a necessary and sufficient sensor of extracellular alkalosis in ray gill base-secreting cells. In addition, this study indicates that different sources of cAMP differentially modulate cell biology. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  12. Respiratory Acid-Base Disorders in the Critical Care Unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopper, Kate

    2017-03-01

    The incidence of respiratory acid-base abnormalities in the critical care unit (CCU) is unknown, although respiratory alkalosis is suspected to be common in this population. Abnormal carbon dioxide tension can have many physiologic effects, and changes in Pco 2 may have a significant impact on outcome. Monitoring Pco 2 in CCU patients is an important aspect of critical patient assessment, and identification of respiratory acid-base abnormalities can be valuable as a diagnostic tool. Treatment of respiratory acid-base disorders is largely focused on resolution of the primary disease, although mechanical ventilation may be indicated in cases with severe respiratory acidosis. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Thermodynamics of mixed-ligand complex formation of mercury (II) ethylenediaminetetraacetate with amino acids in solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pyreu, Dmitrii, E-mail: pyreu@mail.ru [Department of Inorganic and Analytic Chemistry, Ivanovo State University, Ermak 39, Ivanovo 153025 (Russian Federation); Kozlovskii, Eugenii [Department of Inorganic and Analytic Chemistry, Ivanovo State University, Ermak 39, Ivanovo 153025 (Russian Federation); Gruzdev, Matvei; Kumeev, Roman [Institute of Solution Chemistry, Ivanovo (Russian Federation)

    2012-11-20

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stable mixed ligand complexes of HgEdta with amino acids at physiological pH value. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The thermodynamic and NMR data evident the ambidentate coordination mode of arginine. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Participation of the guanidinic group of Arg in coordination process. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Binuclear complexes (HgEdta){sub 2}L with the bridging function of amino acid. - Abstract: The mixed-ligand complex formation in the systems Hg{sup 2+} - Edta{sup 4-} - L{sup -}(L = Arg, Orn, Ser) has been studied by means of calorimetry, pH-potentiometry and NMR spectroscopy in aqueous solution at 298.15 K and the ionic strength of I = 0.5 (KNO{sub 3}). The thermodynamic parameters of formation of the HgEdtaL, HgEdtaHL and (HgEdta){sub 2}L complexes have been determined. The most probable coordination mode for the complexone and the amino acid in the mixed-ligand complexes was discussed.

  14. Acidity constants from DFT-based molecular dynamics simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sulpizi, Marialore; Sprik, Michiel

    2010-01-01

    In this contribution we review our recently developed method for the calculation of acidity constants from density functional theory based molecular dynamics simulations. The method is based on a half reaction scheme in which protons are formally transferred from solution to the gas phase. The corresponding deprotonation free energies are computed from the vertical energy gaps for insertion or removal of protons. Combined to full proton transfer reactions, the deprotonation energies can be used to estimate relative acidity constants and also the Broensted pK a when the deprotonation free energy of a hydronium ion is used as a reference. We verified the method by investigating a series of organic and inorganic acids and bases spanning a wide range of pK a values (20 units). The thermochemical corrections for the biasing potentials assisting and directing the insertion are discussed in some detail.

  15. Volatile fatty acids production in ruminants and the role of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Yomi

    organic volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and microbial protein then become available to the host. .... BE, Drewes LR (2003). Molecular features, regulation and ... Dynamics of ruminal volatile fatty acids in black and white bulls before and after feeding ...

  16. An analysis of the changes on intermediate products during the thermal processing of black garlic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Heng; Sun, Linjuan; Chen, Min; Wang, Jun

    2018-01-15

    The thermal processing of black garlic was simulated. Fresh garlic was incubated at 55°C with 80% humidity and sampled every 5 or 10days. The changes in relevant products were as follows: the fructan content was decreased by 84.79%, and the fructose content was increased by 508.11%. The contents of Maillard reaction intermediate products were first increased and then decreased. The colour of garlic gradually became dark and the pH decreased from 6.13 to 4.00. By analyzing these changes, the mechanism of black garlic formation and the changes on the Maillard reaction were revealed. The sweetness of black garlic resulted mainly from the fructose that was produced, and the black colour was largely due to the Maillard reaction between fructose/glucose and amino acids. An understanding of this process is useful to explain the formation mechanism of black garlic and could lead to better control of the quality of black garlic. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Contemporary Black Theatre.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Pearl

    The distinguishable black theatre in America, mirroring a distinguishable black experience, is an artistic product which demands audience involvement. Both the Afro-American oral tradition and the art of gesture are integral aspects of black theatre. In addition, the tragedy found black theatre is not tragedy in the classic sense, as blacks feel…

  18. Respiratory Adaptations in Acid-base Disturbances: Role of Cerebral Fluids,

    Science.gov (United States)

    1979-06-19

    The respiratory and metabolic components of acid-base homeostasis are defined. A quantitative empirical description of the (incomplete) mutual...literature. Respiratory adaptations in steady acid-base disturbances of metabolic origin (hyperventilation with hypocapnia in primary metabolic acidosis, and...hypoventilation with hypercapnia in metabolic alkalosis ) are analyzed as a function of the acidity of the cerebral fluids (cerebrospinal and cerebral interstitial fluid). (Author)

  19. The FAITH Trial: Baseline Characteristics of a Church-based Trial to Improve Blood Pressure Control in Blacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoenthaler, Antoinette; Lancaster, Kristie; Midberry, Sara; Nulty, Matthew; Ige, Elizabeth; Palfrey, Amy; Kumar, Niketa; Ogedegbe, Gbenga

    2015-08-07

    To describe the baseline characteristics of participants in the Faith-based Approaches in the Treatment of Hypertension (FAITH) Trial. FAITH evaluates the effectiveness of a faith-based lifestyle intervention vs health education control on blood pressure (BP) reduction among hypertensive Black adults. Participants included 373 members of 32 Black churches in New York City. Baseline data collected included participant demographic characteristics, clinical measures (eg, blood pressure), behaviors (eg, diet, physical activity), and psychosocial factors (eg, self-efficacy, depressive symptoms). Participants had a mean age of 63.4 ± 11.9 years and 76% were female. About half completed at least some college (53%), 66% had an income ≥$20,000, and 42.2% were retired or on disability. Participants had a mean systolic and diastolic BP of 152.1 ± 16.8 mm Hg and 86.2 ± 12.2 mm Hg, respectively, and a mean BMI of 32 kg/m2. Hypertension (HTN) medications were taken by 95% of participants, but most (79.1%) reported non-adherence to their regimen. Participants reported consuming 3.4 ± 2.6 servings of fruits and vegetables and received 30.9% of their energy from fat. About one-third (35.9%) reported a low activity level. Participants in the FAITH trial exhibited several adverse clinical and behavioral characteristics at baseline. Future analyses will evaluate the effectiveness of the faith-based lifestyle intervention on changes in BP and lifestyle behaviors among hypertensive Black adults.

  20. Acid-base equilibria inside amine-functionalized mesoporous silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Akira; Namekawa, Manato; Kamijo, Toshio; Itoh, Tetsuji; Teramae, Norio

    2011-04-15

    Acid-base equilibria and effective proton concentration inside a silica mesopore modified with a trimethyl ammonium (TMAP) layer were studied by steady-state fluorescence experiments. The mesoporous silica with a dense TMAP layer (1.4 molecules/nm(2)) was prepared by a post grafting of N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium at surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (diameter of silica framework =3.1 nm). The resulting TMAP-modified mesoporous silica strongly adsorbed of anionic fluorescence indicator dyes (8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (pyranine), 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS), 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphinetetrasulfonic acid disulfuric acid (TPPS), 2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonate (2NT)) and fluorescence excitation spectra of these dyes within TMAP-modified mesoporous silica were measured by varying the solution pH. The fluorescence experiments revealed that the acid-base equilibrium reactions of all pH indicator dyes within the TMAP-modified silica mesopore were quite different from those in bulk water. From the analysis of the acid-base equilibrium of pyranine, the following relationships between solution pH (pH(bulk)) and the effective proton concentration inside the pore (pH(pore)) were obtained: (1) shift of pH(pore) was 1.8 (ΔpH(pore)=1.8) for the pH(bulk) change from 2.1 to 9.1 (ΔpH(bulk)=7.0); (2) pH(pore) was not simply proportional to pH(bulk); (3) the inside of the TMAP-modified silica mesopore was suggested to be in a weak acidic or neutral condition when pH(bulk) was changed from 2.0 to 9.1. Since these relationships between pH(bulk) and pH(pore) could explain the acid-base equilibria of other pH indicator dyes (APTS, TPPS, 2NT), these relationships were inferred to describe the effective proton concentration inside the TMAP-modified silica mesopore. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  1. Population-based assessment of heartburn in urban Black Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedenberg, F K; Makipour, K; Palit, A; Shah, S; Vanar, V; Richter, J E

    2013-08-01

    Prevalence data for heartburn in the urban Black American community is lacking. In order to estimate prevalence for this community, we analyzed data from an ongoing cohort study in progress at our hospital. Comprehensive interviews allowed for exploration of factors associated with heartburn. Complex, stratified sampling design was the method used. Survey invitations are hand-delivered to random blocks in a single zip code tabulation area. One member per eligible household is invited to complete a computer-based survey. Heartburn was defined as ≥ 3 days/week of symptoms as defined by the Montreal Definition and Classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Scaling and weighting factors were utilized to estimate population level prevalence. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictor variables for heartburn. Enrolled 379 participants corresponding to a weighted sample size of 22,409 (20,888-23,930) citizens. Demographic characteristics of the sample closely matched those of the entire targeted population. Overall, the weighted prevalence of heartburn ≥ 3 times per week was 17.6% (16.4-18.8%). Variables independently associated with heartburn were body mass index, daily caloric and fat intake, diabetes mellitus (odds ratio = 2.95; 2.59-3.36), cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption (odds ratio = 2.55; 2.25-2.89). Factors inversely associated included illicit drug use and increased physical activity. Waist : hip ratio showed no relationship. The prevalence of heartburn ≥ 3 times per week is high in the Black American community. Adverse lifestyle behaviors showed particularly important associations. Our study needs to be replicated in other communities with similar demographics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

  2. An Alternative to Synthetic Acid Base Indicator-Tagetes Erecta Linn

    OpenAIRE

    *A. Elumalai; M. C. Eswariah; M. K. Chinna; B. A. Kumar

    2012-01-01

    The present work highlights the use of the methanolic extract of the flowers of Tagetes erecta as an acid-base indicator in acid-base titrations. This natural indicator is easy to extract as well as easily available. Indicators used in titration show well marked changes of colour in certain intervals of pH. Most of these indicators are organic dyes and are of synthetic origin. Today synthetic indicators are the choice of acid-base titrations. But due to environmental pollution, availability a...

  3. Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of new higher amino acid Schiff base derivatives of 6-aminopenicillanic acid and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özdemir (nee Güngör), Özlem; Gürkan, Perihan; Özçelik, Berrin; Oyardı, Özlem

    2016-02-01

    Novel β-lactam derivatives (1c-3c) (1d-3d) were produced by using 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA), 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) and the higher amino acid Schiff bases. The synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H/13C NMR and UV-vis spectra. Antibacterial activities of all the higher amino acid Schiff bases (1a-3a) (1b-3b) and β-lactam derivatives were screened against three gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Acinetobacter baumannii RSKK 02026), three gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 07005, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633) and their drug-resistant isolates by using broth microdilution method. Two fungi (Candida albicans and Candida krusei) were used for antifungal activity.

  4. Caged black holes: Black holes in compactified spacetimes. I. Theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kol, Barak; Sorkin, Evgeny; Piran, Tsvi

    2004-01-01

    In backgrounds with compact dimensions there may exist several phases of black objects including a black hole and a black string. The phase transition between them raises questions and touches on fundamental issues such as topology change, uniqueness, and cosmic censorship. No analytic solution is known for the black hole, and moreover one can expect approximate solutions only for very small black holes, while phase transition physics happens when the black hole is large. Hence we turn to numerical solutions. Here some theoretical background to the numerical analysis is given, while the results will appear in a subsequent paper. The goals for a numerical analysis are set. The scalar charge and tension along the compact dimension are defined and used as improved order parameters which put both the black hole and the black string at finite values on the phase diagram. The predictions for small black holes are presented. The differential and the integrated forms of the first law are derived, and the latter (Smarr's formula) can be used to estimate the 'overall numerical error'. Field asymptotics and expressions for physical quantities in terms of the numerical values are supplied. The techniques include the 'method of equivalent charges', free energy, dimensional reduction, and analytic perturbation for small black holes

  5. When acid-base titrations are carried out in unusual conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Domenico De Marco

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Uncommon aspects in acid-base titrations are presented, which occur in titrations between both mono- and/or poly-functional acid and bases but are rarely introduced in ordinary analytical chemistry courses.

  6. Hard and soft acids and bases: atoms and atomic ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, James L

    2008-07-07

    The structural origin of hard-soft behavior in atomic acids and bases has been explored using a simple orbital model. The Pearson principle of hard and soft acids and bases has been taken to be the defining statement about hard-soft behavior and as a definition of chemical hardness. There are a number of conditions that are imposed on any candidate structure and associated property by the Pearson principle, which have been exploited. The Pearson principle itself has been used to generate a thermodynamically based scale of relative hardness and softness for acids and bases (operational chemical hardness), and a modified Slater model has been used to discern the electronic origin of hard-soft behavior. Whereas chemical hardness is a chemical property of an acid or base and the operational chemical hardness is an experimental measure of it, the absolute hardness is a physical property of an atom or molecule. A critical examination of chemical hardness, which has been based on a more rigorous application of the Pearson principle and the availability of quantitative measures of chemical hardness, suggests that the origin of hard-soft behavior for both acids and bases resides in the relaxation of the electrons not undergoing transfer during the acid-base interaction. Furthermore, the results suggest that the absolute hardness should not be taken as synonymous with chemical hardness but that the relationship is somewhat more complex. Finally, this work provides additional groundwork for a better understanding of chemical hardness that will inform the understanding of hardness in molecules.

  7. Primary black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Novikov, I.; Polnarev, A.

    1981-01-01

    Proves are searched for of the formation of the so-called primary black holes at the very origin of the universe. The black holes would weigh less than 10 13 kg. The formation of a primary black hole is conditional on strong fluctuations of the gravitational field corresponding roughly to a half of the fluctuation maximally permissible by the general relativity theory. Only big fluctuations of the gravitational field can overcome the forces of the hot gas pressure and compress the originally expanding matter into a black hole. Low-mass black holes have a temperature exceeding that of the black holes formed from stars. A quantum process of particle formation, the so-called evaporation takes place in the strong gravitational field of a black hole. The lower the mass of the black hole, the shorter the evaporation time. The analyses of processes taking place during the evaporation of low-mass primary black holes show that only a very small proportion of the total mass of the matter in the universe could turn into primary black holes. (M.D.)

  8. The Roles of Acids and Bases in Enzyme Catalysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, Hilton M.

    2007-01-01

    Many organic reactions are catalyzed by strong acids or bases that protonate or deprotonate neutral reactants leading to reactive cations or anions that proceed to products. In enzyme reactions, only weak acids and bases are available to hydrogen bond to reactants and to transfer protons in response to developing charges. Understanding this…

  9. Complexity in Acid–Base Titrations: Multimer Formation Between Phosphoric Acids and Imines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malm, Christian; Kim, Heejae; Wagner, Manfred

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Solutions of Brønsted acids with bases in aprotic solvents are not only common model systems to study the fundamentals of proton transfer pathways but are also highly relevant to Brønsted acid catalysis. Despite their importance the light nature of the proton makes characterization of acid–base aggregates challenging. Here, we track such acid–base interactions over a broad range of relative compositions between diphenyl phosphoric acid and the base quinaldine in dichloromethane, by using a combination of dielectric relaxation and NMR spectroscopy. In contrast to what one would expect for an acid–base titration, we find strong deviations from quantitative proton transfer from the acid to the base. Even for an excess of the base, multimers consisting of one base and at least two acid molecules are formed, in addition to the occurrence of proton transfer from the acid to the base and simultaneous formation of ion pairs. For equimolar mixtures such multimers constitute about one third of all intermolecular aggregates. Quantitative analysis of our results shows that the acid‐base association constant is only around six times larger than that for the acid binding to an acid‐base dimer, that is, to an already protonated base. Our findings have implications for the interpretation of previous studies of reactive intermediates in organocatalysis and provide a rationale for previously observed nonlinear effects in phosphoric acid catalysis. PMID:28597513

  10. Entropy of Iterated Function Systems and Their Relations with Black Holes and Bohr-Like Black Holes Entropies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Corda

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we consider the metric entropies of the maps of an iterated function system deduced from a black hole which are known the Bekenstein–Hawking entropies and its subleading corrections. More precisely, we consider the recent model of a Bohr-like black hole that has been recently analysed in some papers in the literature, obtaining the intriguing result that the metric entropies of a black hole are created by the metric entropies of the functions, created by the black hole principal quantum numbers, i.e., by the black hole quantum levels. We present a new type of topological entropy for general iterated function systems based on a new kind of the inverse of covers. Then the notion of metric entropy for an Iterated Function System ( I F S is considered, and we prove that these definitions for topological entropy of IFS’s are equivalent. It is shown that this kind of topological entropy keeps some properties which are hold by the classic definition of topological entropy for a continuous map. We also consider average entropy as another type of topological entropy for an I F S which is based on the topological entropies of its elements and it is also an invariant object under topological conjugacy. The relation between Axiom A and the average entropy is investigated.

  11. Black hole as a wormhole factory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sung-Won Kim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available There have been lots of debates about the final fate of an evaporating black hole and the singularity hidden by an event horizon in quantum gravity. However, on general grounds, one may argue that a black hole stops radiation at the Planck mass (ħc/G1/2∼10−5 g, where the radiated energy is comparable to the black hole's mass. And also, it has been argued that there would be a wormhole-like structure, known as “spacetime foam”, due to large fluctuations below the Planck length (ħG/c31/2∼10−33 cm. In this paper, as an explicit example, we consider an exact classical solution which represents nicely those two properties in a recently proposed quantum gravity model based on different scaling dimensions between space and time coordinates. The solution, called “Black Wormhole”, consists of two different states, depending on its mass parameter M and an IR parameter ω: For the black hole state (with ωM2>1/2, a non-traversable wormhole occupies the interior region of the black hole around the singularity at the origin, whereas for the wormhole state (with ωM2<1/2, the interior wormhole is exposed to an outside observer as the black hole horizon is disappearing from evaporation. The black hole state becomes thermodynamically stable as it approaches the merging point where the interior wormhole throat and the black hole horizon merges, and the Hawking temperature vanishes at the exact merge point (with ωM2=1/2. This solution suggests the “Generalized Cosmic Censorship” by the existence of a wormhole-like structure which protects the naked singularity even after the black hole evaporation. One could understand the would-be wormhole inside the black hole horizon as the result of microscopic wormholes created by “negative” energy quanta which have entered the black hole horizon in Hawking radiation process; the quantum black hole could be a wormhole factory! It is found that this speculative picture may be consistent with the

  12. 77 FR 70423 - Black Bear Hydro Partners, LLC and Black Bear Development Holdings, LLC and Black Bear SO, LLC...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-26

    ... Bear Hydro Partners, LLC and Black Bear Development Holdings, LLC and Black Bear SO, LLC; Notice of..., 2012, Black Bear Hydro Partners, LLC, sole licensee (transferor) and Black Bear Development Holdings, LLC and Black Bear SO, LLC (transferees) filed an application for the partial the transfer of licenses...

  13. Structure and functioning of the acid-base system in the Baltic Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuliński, Karol; Schneider, Bernd; Szymczycha, Beata; Stokowski, Marcin

    2017-12-01

    The marine acid-base system is relatively well understood for oceanic waters. Its structure and functioning is less obvious for the coastal and shelf seas due to a number of regionally specific anomalies. In this review article we collect and integrate existing knowledge of the acid-base system in the Baltic Sea. Hydrographical and biogeochemical characteristics of the Baltic Sea, as manifested in horizontal and vertical salinity gradients, permanent stratification of the water column, eutrophication, high organic-matter concentrations and high anthropogenic pressure, make the acid-base system complex. In this study, we summarize the general knowledge of the marine acid-base system as well as describe the peculiarities identified and reported for the Baltic Sea specifically. In this context we discuss issues such as dissociation constants in brackish water, different chemical alkalinity models including contributions by organic acid-base systems, long-term changes in total alkalinity, anomalies of borate alkalinity, and the acid-base effects of biomass production and mineralization. Finally, we identify research gaps and specify limitations concerning the Baltic Sea acid-base system.

  14. Carbon-based strong solid acid for cornstarch hydrolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nata, Iryanti Fatyasari; Irawan, Chairul; Mardina, Primata; Lee, Cheng-Kang

    2015-10-01

    Highly sulfonated carbonaceous spheres with diameter of 100-500 nm can be generated by hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the presence of hydroxyethylsulfonic acid and acrylic acid at 180 °C for 4 h. The acidity of the prepared carbonaceous sphere C4-SO3H can reach 2.10 mmol/g. It was used as a solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cornstarch. Total reducing sugar (TRS) concentration of 19.91 mg/mL could be obtained by hydrolyzing 20 mg/mL cornstarch at 150 °C for 6 h using C4-SO3H as solid acid catalyst. The solid acid catalyst demonstrated good stability that only 9% decrease in TRS concentration was observed after five repeat uses. The as-prepared carbon-based solid acid catalyst can be an environmentally benign replacement for homogeneous catalyst.

  15. Phase transition for black holes with scalar hair and topological black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myung, Yun Soo

    2008-01-01

    We study phase transitions between black holes with scalar hair and topological black holes in asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetimes. As the ground state solutions, we introduce the non-rotating BTZ black hole in three dimensions and topological black hole with hyperbolic horizon in four dimensions. For the temperature matching only, we show that the phase transition between black hole with scalar hair (Martinez-Troncoso-Zanelli black hole) and topological black hole is second-order by using differences between two free energies. However, we do not identify what order of the phase transition between scalar and non-rotating BTZ black holes occurs in three dimensions, although there exists a possible decay of scalar black hole to non-rotating BTZ black hole

  16. Developing nucleic acid-based electrical detection systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabig-Ciminska Magdalena

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Development of nucleic acid-based detection systems is the main focus of many research groups and high technology companies. The enormous work done in this field is particularly due to the broad versatility and variety of these sensing devices. From optical to electrical systems, from label-dependent to label-free approaches, from single to multi-analyte and array formats, this wide range of possibilities makes the research field very diversified and competitive. New challenges and requirements for an ideal detector suitable for nucleic acid analysis include high sensitivity and high specificity protocol that can be completed in a relatively short time offering at the same time low detection limit. Moreover, systems that can be miniaturized and automated present a significant advantage over conventional technology, especially if detection is needed in the field. Electrical system technology for nucleic acid-based detection is an enabling mode for making miniaturized to micro- and nanometer scale bio-monitoring devices via the fusion of modern micro- and nanofabrication technology and molecular biotechnology. The electrical biosensors that rely on the conversion of the Watson-Crick base-pair recognition event into a useful electrical signal are advancing rapidly, and recently are receiving much attention as a valuable tool for microbial pathogen detection. Pathogens may pose a serious threat to humans, animal and plants, thus their detection and analysis is a significant element of public health. Although different conventional methods for detection of pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins exist and are currently being applied, improvements of molecular-based detection methodologies have changed these traditional detection techniques and introduced a new era of rapid, miniaturized and automated electrical chip detection technologies into pathogen identification sector. In this review some developments and current directions in

  17. Einstein's Gift: Stellar Mass Black Holes in the LIGO Era

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadonati, Laura; Georgia Institute of Technology, LIGO-Virgo Collaboration

    2017-01-01

    The discovery of gravitational waves from the coalescence of black hole binary systems in LIGO has provided the first evidence for heavy stellar mass black holes. In this talk, I will review the observational evidence for black holes in LIGO data, its astrophysical implications and the plans for the near and long term future of ground based gravitational wave detection of black hole binary coalescences.

  18. The coulometric titration of acids and bases in m-cresol medium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, M.; Dahmen, E.A.M.F.

    1974-01-01

    A method is described for the coulometric titration of acids and bases in the solvent m-cresol. The method is suitable for bases with pKa values greater than 11 in m-cresol, or for acids with pKa values below 13 in m-cresol. Amounts of 5–50 μeq of acid or base can be determined with a relative

  19. Magnitude Differences in Bioactive Compounds, Chemical Functional Groups, Fatty Acid Profiles, Nutrient Degradation and Digestion, Molecular Structure, and Metabolic Characteristics of Protein in Newly Developed Yellow-Seeded and Black-Seeded Canola Lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodoridou, Katerina; Zhang, Xuewei; Vail, Sally; Yu, Peiqiang

    2015-06-10

    Recently, new lines of yellow-seeded (CS-Y) and black-seeded canola (CS-B) have been developed with chemical and structural alteration through modern breeding technology. However, no systematic study was found on the bioactive compounds, chemical functional groups, fatty acid profiles, inherent structure, nutrient degradation and absorption, or metabolic characteristics between the newly developed yellow- and black-seeded canola lines. This study aimed to systematically characterize chemical, structural, and nutritional features in these canola lines. The parameters accessed include bioactive compounds and antinutrition factors, chemical functional groups, detailed chemical and nutrient profiles, energy value, nutrient fractions, protein structure, degradation kinetics, intestinal digestion, true intestinal protein supply, and feed milk value. The results showed that the CS-Y line was lower (P ≤ 0.05) in neutral detergent fiber (122 vs 154 g/kg DM), acid detergent fiber (61 vs 99 g/kg DM), lignin (58 vs 77 g/kg DM), nonprotein nitrogen (56 vs 68 g/kg DM), and acid detergent insoluble protein (11 vs 35 g/kg DM) than the CS-B line. There was no difference in fatty acid profiles except C20:1 eicosenoic acid content (omega-9) which was in lower in the CS-Y line (P structure spectral profile, there were no significant differences in functional groups of amides I and II, α helix, and β-sheet structure as well as their ratio between the two new lines, indicating no difference in protein structure makeup and conformation between the two lines. In terms of energy values, there were significant differences in total digestible nutrient (TDN; 149 vs 133 g/kg DM), metabolizable energy (ME; 58 vs 52 MJ/kg DM), and net energy for lactation (NEL; 42 vs 37 MJ/kg DM) between CS-Y and CS-B lines. For in situ rumen degradation kinetics, the two lines differed in soluble fraction (S; 284 vs 341 g/kg CP), potential degradation fraction (D; 672 vs 590 g/kg CP), and effective degraded

  20. Surface geometry of 5D black holes and black rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frolov, Valeri P.; Goswami, Rituparno

    2007-01-01

    We discuss geometrical properties of the horizon surface of five-dimensional rotating black holes and black rings. Geometrical invariants characterizing these 3D geometries are calculated. We obtain a global embedding of the 5D rotating black horizon surface into a flat space. We also describe the Kaluza-Klein reduction of the black ring solution (along the direction of its rotation) which, though it is nakedly singular, relates this solution to the 4D metric of a static black hole distorted by the presence of external scalar (dilaton) and vector ('electromagnetic') fields. The properties of the reduced black hole horizon and its embedding in E 3 are briefly discussed

  1. Separation and Precipitation of Nickel from Acidic Sulfate Leaching Solution of Molybdenum-Nickel Black Shale by Potassium Nickel Sulfate Hexahydrate Crystallization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Zhigan; Wei, Chang; Fan, Gang; Li, Xingbin; Li, Minting; Li, Cunxiong

    2018-02-01

    Nickel was separated and precipitated with potassium nickel sulfate hexahydrate [K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O] from acidic sulfate solution, a leach solution from molybdenum-nickel black shale. The effects of the potassium sulfate (K2SO4) concentration, crystallization temperature, solution pH, and crystallization time on nickel(II) recovery and iron(III) precipitation were investigated, revealing that nickel and iron were separated effectively. The optimum parameters were K2SO4 concentration of 200 g/L, crystallization temperature of 10°C, solution pH of 0.5, and crystallization time of 24 h. Under these conditions, 97.6% nickel(II) was recovered as K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O crystals while only 2.0% of the total iron(III) was precipitated. After recrystallization, 98.4% pure K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O crystals were obtained in the solids. The mother liquor was purified by hydrolysis-precipitation followed by cooling, and more than 99.0% K2SO4 could be crystallized. A process flowsheet was developed to separate iron(III) and nickel(II) from acidic-sulfate solution.

  2. Acid-base chemistry of white wine: analytical characterisation and chemical modelling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prenesti, Enrico; Berto, Silvia; Toso, Simona; Daniele, Pier Giuseppe

    2012-01-01

    A chemical model of the acid-base properties is optimized for each white wine under study, together with the calculation of their ionic strength, taking into account the contributions of all significant ionic species (strong electrolytes and weak one sensitive to the chemical equilibria). Coupling the HPLC-IEC and HPLC-RP methods, we are able to quantify up to 12 carboxylic acids, the most relevant substances responsible of the acid-base equilibria of wine. The analytical concentration of carboxylic acids and of other acid-base active substances was used as input, with the total acidity, for the chemical modelling step of the study based on the contemporary treatment of overlapped protonation equilibria. New protonation constants were refined (L-lactic and succinic acids) with respect to our previous investigation on red wines. Attention was paid for mixed solvent (ethanol-water mixture), ionic strength, and temperature to ensure a thermodynamic level to the study. Validation of the chemical model optimized is achieved by way of conductometric measurements and using a synthetic "wine" especially adapted for testing.

  3. Acid-Base Chemistry of White Wine: Analytical Characterisation and Chemical Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enrico Prenesti

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A chemical model of the acid-base properties is optimized for each white wine under study, together with the calculation of their ionic strength, taking into account the contributions of all significant ionic species (strong electrolytes and weak one sensitive to the chemical equilibria. Coupling the HPLC-IEC and HPLC-RP methods, we are able to quantify up to 12 carboxylic acids, the most relevant substances responsible of the acid-base equilibria of wine. The analytical concentration of carboxylic acids and of other acid-base active substances was used as input, with the total acidity, for the chemical modelling step of the study based on the contemporary treatment of overlapped protonation equilibria. New protonation constants were refined (L-lactic and succinic acids with respect to our previous investigation on red wines. Attention was paid for mixed solvent (ethanol-water mixture, ionic strength, and temperature to ensure a thermodynamic level to the study. Validation of the chemical model optimized is achieved by way of conductometric measurements and using a synthetic “wine” especially adapted for testing.

  4. Acid-Base Chemistry of White Wine: Analytical Characterisation and Chemical Modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prenesti, Enrico; Berto, Silvia; Toso, Simona; Daniele, Pier Giuseppe

    2012-01-01

    A chemical model of the acid-base properties is optimized for each white wine under study, together with the calculation of their ionic strength, taking into account the contributions of all significant ionic species (strong electrolytes and weak one sensitive to the chemical equilibria). Coupling the HPLC-IEC and HPLC-RP methods, we are able to quantify up to 12 carboxylic acids, the most relevant substances responsible of the acid-base equilibria of wine. The analytical concentration of carboxylic acids and of other acid-base active substances was used as input, with the total acidity, for the chemical modelling step of the study based on the contemporary treatment of overlapped protonation equilibria. New protonation constants were refined (L-lactic and succinic acids) with respect to our previous investigation on red wines. Attention was paid for mixed solvent (ethanol-water mixture), ionic strength, and temperature to ensure a thermodynamic level to the study. Validation of the chemical model optimized is achieved by way of conductometric measurements and using a synthetic “wine” especially adapted for testing. PMID:22566762

  5. Comparison of the Level of Boron Concentrations in Black Teas with Fruit Teas Available on the Polish Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anetta Zioła-Frankowska

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The determination of boron by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry has been carried in water-soluble and acid soluble (total content fractions of 36 samples of traditional black tea and fruit brew. The estimation of the impact of the type of tea on the concentration of boron in water-soluble and acid extracts and potential human health risk from the daily intake of boron was carried out in this study. The levels of boron differed significantly in black and fruit tea types. The mean total content of boron ranged from 8.31 to 18.40 mg/kg in black teas, from 12.85 to 15.13 mg/kg in black tea with fruit flavor, and from 12.09 to 22.77 mg/kg in fruit brews. The degree of extraction of boron in black tea ranged from 8% to 27% and for fruit tea from 17% to 69%. In addition, the values below 25% were of black teas with fruit flavors. The daily intake of B from tea infusions (three cups/day is still within the average daily intake except for some of the fruit brews which exceed acceptable regulations of the daily intake of total boron by humans. Hence, it may not produce any health risks for human consumption, if other sources of metal contaminated food are not taken at the same time.

  6. Effect of Irrigation Intervals, Black Plastic Mulch and Biofertilizers on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Abbasi

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. Styriaca is one of the medicinal plants belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. It is valuable in terms of seed oil and its fatty acids. The seed oil of this crop is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Reduction of agrochemicals (herbicides and fertilizers is considered as research priority in medicinal plants production. Therefore, the selected practices and inputs should be environmentally sound, cost-effective and lead to high yield. Because of large inter-row space in pumpkin field, there is vast area of the bare soil which leads to weed establishment and loss of soil moisture. It seems that black plastic mulch protects soil moisture and controls weeds, thus increases seed yield. Also, biofertilizers due to available micronutrients, solubility of phosphorus, biological nitrogen fixation and phyto-hormones production increase the yield and improve the quality characteristics such as the seed oil and seed protein content. Therefore, in this research, the effect of black plastic mulch and biofertilizer on yield and quality of pumpkin under different irrigation intervals were studied. Materials and Methods This experiment was carried out as split plot factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications at Agricultural Research Station, Bu-Ali Sina University of Hamedan during 2013 growing season. Treatments were included two irrigation intervals (I1: 7 days and I2: 12 days interval, black plastic mulch in two levels (M1: mulch and M2: no mulch, and four fertilizer regimes (F1: Supply 25% of nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of plants from chemical sources (urea + triple super phosphate + biofertilizers (nitroxin+bio-phosphate, F2: Supply 50% of nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of plants from chemical sources + biofertilizers, F3: Supply 75% of nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of plants from chemical sources + biofertilizers and F4: Supply 100% of nitrogen and

  7. Carbon-based strong solid acid for cornstarch hydrolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nata, Iryanti Fatyasari, E-mail: yanti_tkunlam@yahoo.com [Chemical Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, Lambung Mangkurat University, Jl. A. Yani Km. 36 Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan 70714 (Indonesia); Irawan, Chairul; Mardina, Primata [Chemical Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, Lambung Mangkurat University, Jl. A. Yani Km. 36 Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan 70714 (Indonesia); Lee, Cheng-Kang, E-mail: cklee@mail.ntust.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 43 Keelung Rd. Sec.4, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China)

    2015-10-15

    Highly sulfonated carbonaceous spheres with diameter of 100–500 nm can be generated by hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the presence of hydroxyethylsulfonic acid and acrylic acid at 180 °C for 4 h. The acidity of the prepared carbonaceous sphere C4-SO{sub 3}H can reach 2.10 mmol/g. It was used as a solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cornstarch. Total reducing sugar (TRS) concentration of 19.91 mg/mL could be obtained by hydrolyzing 20 mg/mL cornstarch at 150 °C for 6 h using C4-SO{sub 3}H as solid acid catalyst. The solid acid catalyst demonstrated good stability that only 9% decrease in TRS concentration was observed after five repeat uses. The as-prepared carbon-based solid acid catalyst can be an environmentally benign replacement for homogeneous catalyst. - Highlights: • Carbon solid acid was successfully prepared by one-step hydrothermal carbonization. • The acrylic acid as monomer was effectively reduce the diameter size of particle. • The solid acid catalyst show good catalytic performance of starch hydrolysis. • The solid acid catalyst is not significantly deteriorated after repeated use.

  8. Carbon-based strong solid acid for cornstarch hydrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nata, Iryanti Fatyasari; Irawan, Chairul; Mardina, Primata; Lee, Cheng-Kang

    2015-01-01

    Highly sulfonated carbonaceous spheres with diameter of 100–500 nm can be generated by hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the presence of hydroxyethylsulfonic acid and acrylic acid at 180 °C for 4 h. The acidity of the prepared carbonaceous sphere C4-SO 3 H can reach 2.10 mmol/g. It was used as a solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cornstarch. Total reducing sugar (TRS) concentration of 19.91 mg/mL could be obtained by hydrolyzing 20 mg/mL cornstarch at 150 °C for 6 h using C4-SO 3 H as solid acid catalyst. The solid acid catalyst demonstrated good stability that only 9% decrease in TRS concentration was observed after five repeat uses. The as-prepared carbon-based solid acid catalyst can be an environmentally benign replacement for homogeneous catalyst. - Highlights: • Carbon solid acid was successfully prepared by one-step hydrothermal carbonization. • The acrylic acid as monomer was effectively reduce the diameter size of particle. • The solid acid catalyst show good catalytic performance of starch hydrolysis. • The solid acid catalyst is not significantly deteriorated after repeated use

  9. Black Holes

    OpenAIRE

    Townsend, P. K.

    1997-01-01

    This paper is concerned with several not-quantum aspects of black holes, with emphasis on theoretical and mathematical issues related to numerical modeling of black hole space-times. Part of the material has a review character, but some new results or proposals are also presented. We review the experimental evidence for existence of black holes. We propose a definition of black hole region for any theory governed by a symmetric hyperbolic system of equations. Our definition reproduces the usu...

  10. Thermal cooking changes the profile of phenolic compounds, but does not attenuate the anti-inflammatory activities of black rice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sassy Bhawamai

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Evidence on biological activities of cooked black rice is limited. This study examined the effects of washing and cooking on the bioactive ingredients and biological activities of black rice. Methods: Cooked rice was prepared by washing 0–3 times followed by cooking in a rice cooker. The acidic methanol extracts of raw and cooked rice were used for the analyses. Results: Raw black rice, both washed and unwashed, had higher contents of polyphenols, anthocyanins, and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G, but lower protocatechuic acid (PA, than did cooked samples. Similarly, raw rice extracts were higher in ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP activities than extracts of cooked samples. Nonetheless, extracts of raw and cooked rice showed similar inhibitory potencies on nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 productions in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages, whereas equivalent amounts of C3G and PA did not possess such inhibitory effects. Conclusions: Thermal cooking decreased total anthocyanin and C3G contents and the FRAP antioxidative capacity, but did not affect anti-inflammatory activities of black rice. Neither C3G nor PA contributed to the anti-inflammatory activity of black rice.

  11. Efficacy of pretreating oil palm fronds with an acid-base mixture catalyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Young Hoon; Park, Hyun Min; Park, Yong-Cheol; Park, Kyungmoon; Kim, Kyoung Heon

    2017-07-01

    Oil palm fronds are abundant but recalcitrant to chemical pretreatment. Herein, an acid-base mixture was applied as a catalyst to efficiently pretreat oil palm fronds. Optimized conditions for the pretreatment were a 0.1M acidic acid-base mixture and 3min ramping to 190°C and 12min holding. The oil palm fronds pretreated and washed with the acid-base mixture exhibited an enzymatic digestibility of 85% by 15 FPU Accellerase 1000/g glucan after 72h hydrolysis, which was significantly higher than the enzymatic digestibilities obtained by acid or alkali pretreatment alone. This could be attributed to the synergistic actions of the acid and base, producing an 87% glucose recovery with 100% and 40.3% removal of xylan and lignin, respectively, from the solids. Therefore, an acid-base mixture can be a feasible catalyst to deconstruct oil palm fronds for sugar production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Crystal and molecular structure of eight organic acid-base adducts from 2-methylquinoline and different acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jing; Jin, Shouwen; Tao, Lin; Liu, Bin; Wang, Daqi

    2014-08-01

    Eight supramolecular complexes with 2-methylquinoline and acidic components as 4-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzoic acid, salicylic acid, 5-chlorosalicylic acid, 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid, malic acid, sebacic acid, and 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid were synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, IR, mp, and elemental analysis. All of the complexes are organic salts except compound 2. All supramolecular architectures of 1-8 involve extensive classical hydrogen bonds as well as other noncovalent interactions. The results presented herein indicate that the strength and directionality of the classical hydrogen bonds (ionic or neutral) between acidic components and 2-methylquinoline are sufficient to bring about the formation of binary organic acid-base adducts. The role of weak and strong noncovalent interactions in the crystal packing is ascertained. These weak interactions combined, the complexes 1-8 displayed 2D-3D framework structure.

  13. Selected correlates of white nursing students' attitudes toward black American patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, B S

    1983-01-01

    Multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationships between white nursing students' attitudes toward black American patients and variables selected within a theoretical framework of prejudice which included socialization factors and personality-based factors. The variables selected were: authoritarianism and self-esteem (personality-based factors), parents' attitudes toward black Americans, peer attitudes toward black Americans, interracial contact and socioeconomic status (socialization factors). The study also examined the differences in the relationship among white nursing students enrolled in baccalaureate degree, associate degree and diploma nursing programs. Data were collected from 201 senior nursing students enrolled in the three types of nursing programs in Rhode Island during the late fall and winter of 1979-1980. Although baccalaureate degree, associate degree and diploma students were similar in terms of peer attitudes toward black Americans, fathers' attitudes toward black Americans, self-esteem and attitudes toward black American patients, they were significantly different in terms of age, socioeconomic status, mothers' attitudes toward black Americans, interracial contact and authoritarianism. The major findings of this study indicate that the socialization explanation of prejudice is more significant than the personality-based explanation. The variables socioeconomic status, interracial contact and peer attitudes toward black Americans (all socialization variables) accounted for 22.0% of the total variance in attitudes toward black American patients for the total sample of nursing students. However, this relationship was not generalizable across the three different types of nursing programs.

  14. Soil base saturation combines with Beech Bark Disease to influence composition and structure of Sugar Maple-Beech forests in an acid rain-impacted region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Gregory B.; McDonnell, Todd C.; Sullivan, Timothy J.; Dovciak, Martin; Bailey, Scott W.; Antidormi, Michael; Zarfos, Michael R.

    2018-01-01

    Sugar maple, an abundant and highly valued tree species in eastern North America, has experienced decline from soil calcium (Ca) depletion by acidic deposition, while beech, which often coexists with sugar maple, has been afflicted with beech bark disease (BBD) over the same period. To investigate how variations in soil base saturation combine with effects of BBD in influencing stand composition and structure, measurements of soils, canopy, subcanopy, and seedlings were taken in 21 watersheds in the Adirondack region of NY (USA), where sugar maple and beech were the predominant canopy species and base saturation of the upper B horizon ranged from 4.4 to 67%. The base saturation value corresponding to the threshold for Al mobilization (16.8%) helped to define the species composition of canopy trees and seedlings. Canopy vigor and diameter at breast height (DBH) were positively correlated (P soils, soil-Ca depletion and BBD may have created opportunities for gap-exploiting species such as red maple and black cherry, whereas in high-base saturation soils, sugar maple dominated the canopy. Where soils were beginning to recover from acidic deposition effects, sugar maple DBH and basal area increased progressively from 2000 to 2015, whereas for beech, average DBH did not change and basal area did not increase after 2010.

  15. Teaching acid/base physiology in the laboratory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Ulla G; Plovsing, Ronni; Hansen, Klaus

    2010-01-01

    exercise in acid/base physiology that would provide students with unambiguous and reproducible data that clearly would illustrate the theory in practice. The laboratory exercise was developed to include both metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. Data were collected from 56 groups of medical...... students that had participated in this laboratory exercise. The acquired data showed very consistent and solid findings after the development of both metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. All results were consistent with the appropriate diagnosis of the acid/base disorder. Not one single group...... failed to obtain data that were compatible with the diagnosis; it was only the degree of acidosis/alkalosis and compensation that varied....

  16. Effect of genuine non-anthocyanin phenolics and chlorogenic acid on color and stability of black carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus var. atrorubens Alef.) anthocyanins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gras, Claudia C; Bogner, Hanna; Carle, Reinhold; Schweiggert, Ralf M

    2016-07-01

    This work aimed at studying the color intensity and stability of black carrot anthocyanins as influenced by intermolecular co-pigmentation. For this purpose, purified anthocyanin solutions were supplemented with purified genuine black carrot phenolics, chlorogenic acid, and an aqueous phenolic-rich green coffee bean extract at various anthocyanin:co-pigment ratios (1:0-1:162; pH 3.6). The hyperchromic co-pigmentation effect depended on the concentration of added co-pigments, resulting in an absorbance increase of up to 22% at the absorption maximum. Anthocyanin stability during heating (90°C, 5h) was barely improved unless the concentrations of co-pigments exceeded those of their natural source. When adding co-pigments at ratios above 1:9.4, anthocyanin heat stability was significantly improved. As acylated anthocyanins were most stable, breeders might aim at increasing their content in the future, while breeding for high levels of colorless polyphenols may be unreachable. Nevertheless, we provided proof-of-concept for the successful color enhancement by the addition of a phenolic-rich green coffee bean extract, being useful for food-grade applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. 'I'm Black and I'm Proud': A Majority Ecological Context Protects Affective Aspects of Black Identity Under Stereotype Threat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, Andre'; Andemeskel, Ghilamichael; King, Carlise R; Wallace, Lyndsey; McDougal, Serie; Monteiro, Kenneth P; Ben-Zeev, Avi

    2017-12-01

    We provide evidence that stereotype threat, a phenomenon that causes stigmatized individuals to experience group-based evaluative concerns (Steele in Am Psychol 52:613-629, 1997; Whistling Vivaldi and other clues to how stereotypes affect us, W.W. Norton, New York, 2010), impacts affective aspects of Black identity as a function of majority versus minority ecological contexts. Black/African-American students, enrolled in either Africana Studies (Black ecological majority) or Psychology (Black ecological minority), completed private and public regard subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (Sellers et al. in Pers Soc Psychol Rev 2:18-39, 1998) at baseline (Time 1) and after being randomly assigned to a stereotype threat or no-threat/control condition (Time 2). In threat, participants were introduced to a 'puzzle' task as diagnostic of intellectual abilities, whereas in no-threat the same task was introduced as culture fair, such that people from different racial/ethnic groups had performed similarly on this task in the past. In Psychology, students under threat exhibited a simultaneous decrease and increase in private and public regard, respectively, a pattern shown in the literature to be associated with discrimination-based distress and lesser well-being in Black ecological minority environments. In contrast, Africana Studies students' racial identity under threat remained intact. We discuss the protective effects of Africana Studies on racial identity and implications for educational reform.

  18. Distortion of Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter black holes to black strings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomimatsu, Akira

    2005-01-01

    Motivated by the existence of black holes with various topologies in four-dimensional spacetimes with a negative cosmological constant, we study axisymmetric static solutions describing any large distortions of Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter black holes parametrized by the mass m. Under the approximation such that m is much larger than the anti-de Sitter radius, it is found that a cylindrically symmetric black string is obtained as a special limit of distorted spherical black holes. Such a prolonged distortion of the event horizon connecting a Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter black hole to a black string is allowed without violating both the usual black hole thermodynamics and the hoop conjecture for the horizon circumference

  19. The cost of respirable coal mine dust: an analysis based on new black lung claims

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Page, S.J.; Organiscak, J.A.; Lichtman, K. [US Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Dept. of the Interior

    1997-12-01

    The article provides summation of the monetary costs of new compensation claims associated with levels of unmitigated respirable coal mine dust and the resultant lung disease known as black lung and compares these compensation costs to the cost of dust control technology research by the US Bureau of Mines. It presents an analysis of these expenditures and projects these costs over the period from 1991 to 2010, based on projected future new claims which are assumed to be approved for federal and state benefit payment. Since current and future dust control research efforts cannot change past claim histories, a valid comparison of future research spending with other incurred costs must examine only the cost of future new claims. The bias of old claim costs was eliminated in this analysis by examining only claims since 1980. The results estimate that for an expected 339 new approved claims annually from 1991 to 2010, the Federal Trust Fund costs will be 985 million dollars. During this same period, state black lung compensation is estimated to be 18.2 billion dollars. The Bureau of Mines dust control research expenditures are estimated as 0.44% of the projected future black lung-related costs. 9 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

  20. Low-mass black holes as the remnants of primordial black hole formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greene, Jenny E

    2012-01-01

    Bridging the gap between the approximately ten solar mass 'stellar mass' black holes and the 'supermassive' black holes of millions to billions of solar masses are the elusive 'intermediate-mass' black holes. Their discovery is key to understanding whether supermassive black holes can grow from stellar-mass black holes or whether a more exotic process accelerated their growth soon after the Big Bang. Currently, tentative evidence suggests that the progenitors of supermassive black holes were formed as ∼10(4)-10(5) M(⊙) black holes via the direct collapse of gas. Ongoing searches for intermediate-mass black holes at galaxy centres will help shed light on this formation mechanism.

  1. The relationship between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids and microbial nucleic acid bases in rumen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Keyuan; Hao, Xiaoyan; Li, Yang; Luo, Guobin; Zhang, Yonggen; Xin, Hangshu

    2017-11-01

    This study aims to identify the relationship between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFAs) and microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen, and to establish a model to accurately predict microbial protein flow by using OBCFA. To develop the regression equations, data on the rumen contents of individual cows were obtained from 2 feeding experiments. In the first experiment, 3 rumen-fistulated dry dairy cows arranged in a 3×3 Latin square were fed diets of differing forage to concentration ratios (F:C). The second experiment consisted of 9 lactating Holstein dairy cows of similar body weights at the same stage of pregnancy. For each lactation stage, 3 cows with similar milk production were selected. The rumen contents were sampled at 4 time points of every two hours after morning feeding 6 h, and then to analyse the concentrations of OBCFA and microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen samples. The ruminal bacteria nucleic acid bases were significantly influenced by feeding diets of differing forge to concentration ratios and lactation stages of dairy cows (pacids and C15:0 isomers, strongly correlated with the microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen (pacid bases established by ruminal OBCFAs contents showed a good predictive capacity, as indicated by reasonably low standard errors and high R-squared values. This finding suggests that the rumen OBCFA composition could be used as an internal marker of rumen microbial matter.

  2. Sugar Dehydration without Sulfuric Acid: No More Choking Fumes in the Classroom!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverstein, Todd P.; Zhang, Yi

    1998-06-01

    Sugar is a common reagent often used in colorful classroom demonstrations. It produces a growing column of black ash when dehydrated by concentrated sulfuric acid, and it produces a brilliant purple flame when combusted with potassium chlorate. Unfortunately, both of these reactions also produce copious quantities of noxious fumes which make them problematic as lecture demonstrations. We have modified and combined these two reactions. Our demonstration uses no sulfuric acid, yields relatively little smoke, and produces an exciting and unpredictable growing column of black carbon.

  3. Variation in the fatty-acid content in seeds of various black, red, and white currant varieties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šavikin, Katarina P; Ðorđević, Boban S; Ristić, Mihailo S; Krivokuća-Ðokić, Dragana; Pljevljakušić, Dejan S; Vulić, Todor

    2013-01-01

    Currant seeds, a by-product of juice production, are recognized as a valuable source of oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. We have evaluated 28 currant varieties for their oil content and fatty-acid composition. The oil content in the seeds ranged from 18.2-27.7%, and no statistical difference between varieties of different fruit color were recorded. Furthermore, the estimated oil yields in the field production ranged from 26.4-212.4 kg/ha. The GC and GC/MS chemical profiles of the seed oils extracted from all examined varieties were common for currants. Linoleic acid (LA) was the major component, with contents ranging from 32.7-46.9% of total fatty acids, followed by α-linolenic acid (ALA; 2.9-32.0 %), oleic acid (OA; 9.8-19.9%), γ-linolenic acid (GLA; 3.3-18.5%), palmitic acid (PA; 4.4-8.1%), stearidonic acid (SDA; 2.2-4.7%), and stearic acid (SA; 1.2-2.4%). Quantitative differences in the fatty-acid profiles between varieties of different fruit color were observed. Blackcurrant varieties showed significantly higher contents of LA, GLA, and PA than red and white currant varieties, whereas significantly higher amounts of ALA and OL were detected in the red and white varieties. Cluster analysis based on the chemical oil profiles joined the blackcurrants in one group, while most of the red and white cultivars joined in a second group at the same linkage distance. Copyright © 2013 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.

  4. The role of acid-base imbalance in statin-induced myotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taha, Dhiaa A; De Moor, Cornelia H; Barrett, David A; Lee, Jong Bong; Gandhi, Raj D; Hoo, Chee Wei; Gershkovich, Pavel

    2016-08-01

    Disturbances in acid-base balance, such as acidosis and alkalosis, have potential to alter the pharmacologic and toxicologic outcomes of statin therapy. Statins are commonly prescribed for elderly patients who have multiple comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular, and renal diseases. These patients are at risk of developing acid-base imbalance. In the present study, the effect of disturbances in acid-base balance on the interconversion of simvastatin and pravastatin between lactone and hydroxy acid forms have been investigated in physiological buffers, human plasma, and cell culture medium over pH ranging from 6.8-7.8. The effects of such interconversion on cellular uptake and myotoxicity of statins were assessed in vitro using C2C12 skeletal muscle cells under conditions relevant to acidosis, alkalosis, and physiological pH. Results indicate that the conversion of the lactone forms of simvastatin and pravastatin to the corresponding hydroxy acid is strongly pH dependent. At physiological and alkaline pH, substantial proportions of simvastatin lactone (SVL; ∼87% and 99%, respectively) and pravastatin lactone (PVL; ∼98% and 99%, respectively) were converted to the active hydroxy acid forms after 24 hours of incubation at 37°C. At acidic pH, conversion occurs to a lower extent, resulting in greater proportion of statin remaining in the more lipophilic lactone form. However, pH alteration did not influence the conversion of the hydroxy acid forms of simvastatin and pravastatin to the corresponding lactones. Furthermore, acidosis has been shown to hinder the metabolism of the lactone form of statins by inhibiting hepatic microsomal enzyme activities. Lipophilic SVL was found to be more cytotoxic to undifferentiated and differentiated skeletal muscle cells compared with more hydrophilic simvastatin hydroxy acid, PVL, and pravastatin hydroxy acid. Enhanced cytotoxicity of statins was observed under acidic conditions and is attributed to increased

  5. Effects of long-term fertilization on soil humic acid composition and structure in Black Soil.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiuming Zhang

    Full Text Available The composition and structure of humic acid (HA can be affected by fertilization, but the short-term effects are difficult to detect using traditional analysis methods. Using a 35-year long-term experiment in Black Soil, the molecular structure of HA was analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Variation in HA was analyzed after long-term fertilization, including fertilization with manure (M, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK, manure combined with inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (MNPK, and a no-fertilizer control (CK. The application of each fertilizer treatment increased crop yields compared with the CK treatment, and the MNPK treatment increased crop yield the most. The ratio of main IR absorption peak of HA at 2,920 cm-1 compared with the peak at 2,850 cm-1 (2920/2850 was higher in the NPK and MNPK treatments compared with the CK treatment. The application of manure (MNPK and M treatments increased the ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C in HA, and raised the ratio of the main IR absorption peak of HA at 2920 cm-1 to that at 1720 cm-1 (2920/1720. Manure treatments also raised the ratio of aliphatic carbon (C to aromatic C, alkyl C to alkoxy C and hydrophobic C to hydrophilic C and the fluorescence index (f 450/500, but decreased the degree of aromatization of HA, when compared with the CK treatment. The ratio between each type of C in HA was similar among all the fertilizer treatments, but NPK had a lower ratio of H/C and a lower content of aliphatic C compared with the CK treatment. These results indicated that the molecular structure of HA in Black Soil tends to be aliphatic, simpler, and younger after the application of manure. While the application of inorganic fertilizers increased in the degree of condensation of HA and made HA structure complicated. The application of manure alone or combined with inorganic fertilizers may be an

  6. Effects of long-term fertilization on soil humic acid composition and structure in Black Soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jiuming; Wang, Jingkuan; An, Tingting; Wei, Dan; Chi, Fengqin; Zhou, Baoku

    2017-01-01

    The composition and structure of humic acid (HA) can be affected by fertilization, but the short-term effects are difficult to detect using traditional analysis methods. Using a 35-year long-term experiment in Black Soil, the molecular structure of HA was analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and fluorescence spectroscopy. Variation in HA was analyzed after long-term fertilization, including fertilization with manure (M), inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK), manure combined with inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (MNPK), and a no-fertilizer control (CK). The application of each fertilizer treatment increased crop yields compared with the CK treatment, and the MNPK treatment increased crop yield the most. The ratio of main IR absorption peak of HA at 2,920 cm-1 compared with the peak at 2,850 cm-1 (2920/2850) was higher in the NPK and MNPK treatments compared with the CK treatment. The application of manure (MNPK and M treatments) increased the ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C) in HA, and raised the ratio of the main IR absorption peak of HA at 2920 cm-1 to that at 1720 cm-1 (2920/1720). Manure treatments also raised the ratio of aliphatic carbon (C) to aromatic C, alkyl C to alkoxy C and hydrophobic C to hydrophilic C and the fluorescence index (f 450/500), but decreased the degree of aromatization of HA, when compared with the CK treatment. The ratio between each type of C in HA was similar among all the fertilizer treatments, but NPK had a lower ratio of H/C and a lower content of aliphatic C compared with the CK treatment. These results indicated that the molecular structure of HA in Black Soil tends to be aliphatic, simpler, and younger after the application of manure. While the application of inorganic fertilizers increased in the degree of condensation of HA and made HA structure complicated. The application of manure alone or combined with inorganic fertilizers may be an effective way

  7. Photodegradation of Acid Black 1 and Removing Heavy Metals from the Water by an Inorganic Nanocomposite Synthesized via Simple Co-Precipitation Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marziyeh Mohammadi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In this experimental work, PbS/ZnS/ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized via a simple co-precipitation method. The effect of Zn2+/Pb2+ mole ratio was investigated on the product size and morphology. The products were characterized via scanning electron microscopy to obtain product size and morphology. The optical properties of the nanocomposites were studied by ultra violet-visible spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity of the product was examine by decomposition of acid black 1 as dye. To investigation of the effect of as synthesized nanocomposite on the water treatment, the influences of the nanocomposite to remove heavy ions was studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that the synthesized nanocomposite has well optical properties, photocatalytic and water treatment activities.

  8. New Possibilities: (Re)Engaging Black Male Youth within Community-Based Educational Spaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldridge, Bianca J.; Hill, Marc Lamont; Davis, James Earl

    2011-01-01

    Despite the assertion that due to an Obama presidency America has become a post-racial society, Black males still face a unique social crisis. In this article, we hold that both race and gender continue to work in tandem to produce a certain set of social outcomes for young Black men in America despite this assertion. The educational, economic,…

  9. Best management practices in counting urban black bears

    OpenAIRE

    Fusaro, Jonathan L.; Conner, Mary M.; Conover, Michael R.; Taylor, Timothy J.; Kenyon, Marc W., Jr.

    2017-01-01

    DNA-based capture-mark-recapture (CMR) techniques are commonly used to obtain population parameters of black bears (Ursus americanus) in rural and wildland landscapes; however, these techniques have not been implemented in urban clusters (i.e., 2,500 to 50,000 residents). Black bears can readily habituate to urban clusters, and wildlife managers need to monitor and manage these urban bear populations. We modified DNAbased CMR for black bear using hair-snares to take into account the small hom...

  10. Black Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Khristin Brown

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The migration of blacks in North America through slavery became united.  The population of blacks past downs a tradition of artist through art to native born citizens. The art tradition involved telling stories to each generation in black families. The black culture elevated by tradition created hope to determine their personal freedom to escape from poverty of enslavement and to establish a way of life through tradition. A way of personal freedoms was through getting a good education that lead to a better foundation and a better way of life.

  11. A Population-Based Assessment of Heartburn in Urban Black Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedenberg, Frank K.; Makipour, Kian; Palit, Amiya; Shah, Sweetang; Vanar, Vishwas; Richter, Joel E.

    2013-01-01

    Background Prevalence data for heartburn in the urban Black American community is lacking. In order to estimate prevalence for this community we analyzed data from an ongoing cohort study in progress at our hospital. Comprehensive interviews allowed for exploration of factors associated with heartburn. Methods Complex, stratified sampling design. Survey invitations are hand delivered to random blocks in a single zip code tabulation area. One member per eligible household is invited to complete a computer-based survey. Heartburn was defined as ≥ 3 days/week of symptoms as defined by the Montreal Definition and Classification of GERD. Scaling and weighting factors were utilized to estimate population-level prevalence. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictor variables for heartburn. Results Enrolled 379 participants corresponding to a weighted sample size of 22,409 (20,888–23,930) citizens. Demographic characteristics of the sample closely matched those of the entire targeted population. Overall, the weighted prevalence of heartburn ≥ 3 times per week was 17.6% (16.4%–18.8%). Variables independently associated with heartburn were BMI, daily caloric and fat intake, diabetes mellitus (OR=2.95; 2.59–3.36), cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption (OR=2.55; 2.25–2.89). Factors inversely associated included illicit drug use and increased physical activity. Waist: hip ratio showed no relationship. Conclusions The prevalence of heartburn ≥ 3 times per week is high in the Black American community. Adverse lifestyle behaviors showed particularly important associations. Our study needs to be replicated in other communities with similar demographics. PMID:23237330

  12. Extraction of domoic acid from seawater and urine using a resin based on 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piletska, Elena V; Villoslada, Fernando Navarro; Chianella, Iva; Bossi, Alessandra; Karim, Kal; Whitcombe, Michael J; Piletsky, Sergey A; Doucette, Gregory J; Ramsdell, John S

    2008-03-03

    A new solid-phase extraction (SPE) matrix with high affinity for the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) was designed and tested. A computational modelling study led to the selection of 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid (TFMAA) as a functional monomer capable of imparting affinity towards domoic acid. Polymeric adsorbents containing TFMAA were synthesised and tested in high ionic strength solutions such as urine and seawater. The TFMAA-based polymers demonstrated excellent performance in solid-phase extraction of domoic acid, retaining the toxin while salts and other interfering compounds such as aspartic and glutamic acids were removed by washing and selective elution. It was shown that the TFMAA-based polymer provided the level of purification of domoic acid from urine and seawater acceptable for its quantification by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without any additional pre-concentration and purification steps.

  13. Mechanisms of acid-base regulation in peritoneal dialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sow, Amadou; Morelle, Johann; Hautem, Nicolas; Bettoni, Carla; Wagner, Carsten A; Devuyst, Olivier

    2017-11-22

    Peritoneal dialysis (PD) contributes to restore acid-base homeostasis in patients with end-stage renal disease. The transport pathways for buffers and carbon dioxide (CO2) across the peritoneal membrane remain poorly understood. Combining well-established PD protocols, whole-body plethysmography and renal function studies in mice, we investigated molecular mechanisms of acid-base regulation in PD, including the potential role of the water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1). After instillation in peritoneal cavity, the pH of acidic dialysis solutions increased within minutes to rapidly equilibrate with blood pH, whereas the neutral pH of biocompatible solutions remained constant. Predictions from the three-pore model of peritoneal transport suggested that local production of HCO3- accounts at least in part for the changes in intraperitoneal pH observed with acidic solutions. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) isoforms were evidenced in the peritoneal membrane and their inhibition with acetazolamide significantly decreased local production of HCO3- and delayed changes in intraperitoneal pH. On the contrary, genetic deletion of AQP1 had no effect on peritoneal transport of buffers and diffusion of CO2. Besides intraperitoneal modifications, the use of acidic dialysis solutions enhanced acid excretion both at pulmonary and renal levels. These findings suggest that changes in intraperitoneal pH during PD are mediated by bidirectional buffer transport and by CA-mediated production of HCO3- in the membrane. The use of acidic solutions enhances acid excretion through respiratory and renal responses, which should be considered in patients with renal failure. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

  14. Poly(Lactic Acid) Based Flexible Films

    OpenAIRE

    Fathilah binti Ali; Jamarosliza Jamaluddin; Arun Kumar Upadhyay

    2014-01-01

    Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer which has good mechanical properties, however, its brittleness limits its usage especially in packaging materials. Therefore, in this work, PLA based polyurethane films were prepared by synthesizing with different types of isocyanates; methylene diisocyanate (MDI) and hexamethylene diisocyanates (HDI). For this purpose, PLA based polyurethane must have good strength and flexibility. Therefore, polycaprolactone which has b...

  15. The MaBwana Black men's study: community and belonging in the lives of African, Caribbean and other Black gay men in Toronto.

    Science.gov (United States)

    George, Clemon; Adam, Barry A; Read, Stanley E; Husbands, Winston C; Remis, Robert S; Makoroka, Lydia; Rourke, Sean B

    2012-01-01

    In Canada, there is a paucity of research aimed at understanding Black gay men and the antecedents to risk factors for HIV. This study is an attempt to move beyond risk factor analysis and explore the role of sexual and ethnic communities in the lives of these men. The study utilized a community-based research and critical race theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight key informants to augment our understanding of Black gay men and to facilitate recruitment of participants. In-depth interviews were done with 24 Black gay men. Our data showed that the construction of community for Black gay men is challenged by their social and cultural environment. However, these men use their resilience to navigate gay social networks. Black gay men expressed a sense of abjuration from both gay and Black communities because of homophobia and racism. It is essential for health and social programmers to understand how Black gay men interact with Black and gay communities and the complexities of their interactions in creating outreach educational, preventive and support services.

  16. Black holes with gravitational hair in higher dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anabalon, Andres; Canfora, Fabrizio; Giacomini, Alex; Oliva, Julio

    2011-01-01

    A new class of vacuum black holes for the most general gravity theory leading to second order field equations in the metric in even dimensions is presented. These space-times are locally anti-de Sitter in the asymptotic region, and are characterized by a continuous parameter that does not enter in the conserve charges, nor it can be reabsorbed by a coordinate transformation: it is therefore a purely gravitational hair. The black holes are constructed as a warped product of a two-dimensional space-time, which resembles the r-t plane of the Banados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole, times a warp factor multiplying the metric of a D-2-dimensional Euclidean base manifold, which is restricted by a scalar equation. It is shown that all the Noether charges vanish. Furthermore, this is consistent with the Euclidean action approach: even though the black hole has a finite temperature, both the entropy and the mass vanish. Interesting examples of base manifolds are given in eight dimensions which are products of Thurston geometries, giving then a nontrivial topology to the black hole horizon. The possibility of introducing a torsional hair for these solutions is also discussed.

  17. Black and White Viewers' Perception and Recall of Occupational Characters on Television.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appiah, Osei

    2002-01-01

    Examines the differences in how Black and White viewers process messages based on the race of television characters representing five occupations. Notes that findings from male college students suggest that Black viewers have better recall of Black occupational characters than White characters on television. Reveals evidence that both Black and…

  18. Facile Synthesis of Nickel Chromite Nanostructures by Hydrothermal Route for Photocatalytic Degradation of Acid Black 1 under Visible Light

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Beshkar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available NiCr2O4 normal spinel nanostructures were prepared via hydrothermal treatment at 180 °C for 12 h in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS and poly vinylpyrrolidone-25000 (PVP-25000 as capping agents and subsequent calcination process at 500 °C for 3 h . In this method, [Ni(en2(H2O2](NO32 and [Cr(en3]Cl3.3H2O used as precursors and not utilized any alkaline or precipitating agent. Detailed characterization of  the as-prepared nanostructures were carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS. XRD revealed the formation of pure nickel chromite spinel phase and SEM showed the formation of uniform sphere-like nanoparticles. Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation of acid black 1 as diazo dye used in textile and dyeing water pollutants was Investigated.

  19. Structure and properties of carbon black particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wei

    Structure and properties of carbon black particles were investigated using atomic force microscopy, gas adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Supplementary information was obtained using TEM and neutron scattering. The AFM imaging of carbon black aggregates provided qualitative visual information on their morphology, complementary to that obtained by 3-D modeling based on TEM images. Our studies showed that carbon black aggregates were relatively flat. The surface of all untreated carbon black particles was found to be rough and its fractal dimension was 2.2. Heating reduced the roughness and fractal dimension for all samples heat treated at above 1300 K to 2.0. Once the samples were heat treated rapid cooling did not affect the surface roughness. However, rapid cooling reduced crystallite sizes, and different Raman spectra were obtained for carbon blacks of various history of heat treatment. By analyzing the Raman spectra we determined the crystallite sizes and identified amorphous carbon. The concentration of amorphous carbon depends on hydrogen content. Once hydrogen was liberated at increased temperature, the concentration of amorphous carbon was reduced and crystallites started to grow. Properties of carbon blacks at high pressure were also studied. Hydrostatic pressure did not affect the size of the crystallites in carbon black particles. The pressure induced shift in Raman frequency of the graphitic component was a result of increased intermolecular forces and not smaller crystallites. Two methods of determining the fractal dimension, the FHH model and the yardstick technique based on the BET theory were used in the literature. Our study proved that the FHH model is sensitive to numerous assumptions and leads to wrong conclusions. On the other hand the yardstick method gave correct results, which agreed with the AFM results.

  20. Environmentally Benign Bifunctional Solid Acid and Base Catalysts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Elmekawy, A.; Shiju, N.R.; Rothenberg, G.; Brown, D.R.

    2014-01-01

    Solid bifunctional acid-​base catalysts were prepd. in two ways on an amorphous silica support: (1) by grafting mercaptopropyl units (followed by oxidn. to propylsulfonic acid) and aminopropyl groups to the silica surface (NH2-​SiO2-​SO3H)​, and (2) by grafting only aminopropyl groups and then

  1. Black hole thermodynamics under the microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falls, Kevin; Litim, Daniel F.

    2014-04-01

    A coarse-grained version of the effective action is used to study the thermodynamics of black holes, interpolating from largest to smallest masses. The physical parameters of the black hole are linked to the running couplings by thermodynamics, and the corresponding equation of state includes quantum corrections for temperature, specific heat, and entropy. If quantum gravity becomes asymptotically safe, the state function predicts conformal scaling in the limit of small horizon area and bounds on black hole mass and temperature. A metric-based derivation for the equation of state and quantum corrections to the thermodynamical, statistical, and phenomenological definition of entropy are also given. Further implications and limitations of our study are discussed.

  2. The Black Lives Matter Movement and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasman, Marybeth

    2017-01-01

    This article looks at the Black Lives Matter Movement and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) continue to play an important role in society. However, what the Black Lives Matter movement shows consistently is that predominantly White institutions need to change, to step up and embrace…

  3. Direct monophasic replacement of fatty acid by DMSA on SPION surface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gogoi, M. [Department of Physics, Tezpur University (Central University), Tezpur 784028 (India); Deb, P., E-mail: pdeb@tezu.ernet.in [Department of Physics, Tezpur University (Central University), Tezpur 784028 (India); Interface Chemistry and Surface Engineering, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Eisenforschung GmbH, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 40237 Duesseldorf (Germany); Vasan, G.; Keil, P.; Kostka, A.; Erbe, A. [Interface Chemistry and Surface Engineering, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Eisenforschung GmbH, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 40237 Duesseldorf (Germany)

    2012-10-01

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Monophasic replacement of fatty acid coating. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ultrastable dispersion of hydrophilic SPION in a wide pH range. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Unaltered microstructure and property on surface modification. - Abstract: Tailoring the surface and understanding the surface characteristics is necessary for biomedical applications of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. In this paper, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were prepared by thermal decomposition of iron nitrate in presence of stearic acid as surfactant. Due to the multilayer organization of surfactant molecules over the nanoparticle surface, the surface potential can be tuned by pH changes and hence the nanoparticles can be made dispersible in nonpolar as well as in polar solvents. We have presented a simple, facile procedure for controlled replacement of stearic acid from maghemite surface and subsequent derivatization by biocompatible dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) to obtain ultrastable hydrophilic nanoparticles with unaltered morphology, phase and properties. The surface chemistry of the functionalized SPIONs was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealing the presence of bound and unbound thiol groups and disulfides, leading to its prolonged stability in aqueous medium. The consequence of spatially selective functionalization on the stability and solubility of surface hydrophilic SPION has also been realized.

  4. Assessment of the surface chemistry of carbon blacks by TGA-MS, XPS and inverse gas chromatography using statistical chemometric analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strzemiecka, Beata; Voelkel, Adam; Donate-Robles, Jessica; Martín-Martínez, José Miguel

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Carbon blacks with lower specific surface area had basic character (electron donor) due to C=O and C-O groups. • Carbon blacks with higher specific surface area had acidic character (acceptor electron) due to OH groups. • Total surface energy and its dispersive component of carbon blacks increased by increasing their specific surface area. (table) - Abstract: Four carbon blacks with different specific surface areas and surface chemistries (C32, C71, C159 and C178) were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K. Their surface chemistries were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) and inverse gas chromatography (IGC). The carbon blacks contained 2.7–5.8 wt% volatiles corresponding to -OH, C-O, C=O and COO groups. The surface chemistry parameters obtained with the different experimental techniques were inter-related by using chemometric statistical analysis tools. The application of this methodology showed that the carbon blacks with lower specific surface area (C32 and C71) had basic character (electron donor) mainly due to C=O and C-O groups, whereas the carbon black with the highest specific surface area (C178) showed acidic character (acceptor electron) due to its high content of OH groups. Moreover, the total surface energy and the dispersive component of the surface energy of the carbon blacks increased with the increase of their specific surface area. In general the specific interactions of the carbon blacks also increased with the increase of their specific surface area although C71 is exceptional due to higher oxygen content corresponding to C-O groups

  5. Resilient modulus of black cotton soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K.H. Mamatha

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Resilient modulus (MR values of pavement layers are the basic input parameters for the design of pavements with multiple layers in the current mechanistic empirical pavement design guidelines. As the laboratory determination of resilient modulus is costly, time consuming and cumbersome, several empirical models are developed for the prediction of resilient modulus for different regions of the world based on the database of resilient modulus values of local soils. For use of these relationships there is a need to verify the suitability of these models for local conditions. Expansive clay called black cotton soil (BC soil is found in several parts of India and is characterized by low strength and high compressibility. This soil shows swell – shrink behaviour upon wetting and drying and are problematic. The BC soil shows collapse behaviour on soaking and therefore the strength of the soil needs to be improved. Additive stabilization is found to be very effective in stabilizing black cotton soils and generally lime is used to improve the strength and durability of the black cotton soil. In this paper, the results of repeated load tests on black cotton soil samples for the determination of MR under soaked and unsoaked conditions at a relative compaction levels of 100% and 95% of both standard and modified proctor conditions are reported. The results indicate that the black cotton soil fails to meet the density requirement of the subgrade soil and shows collapse behaviour under soaked condition. To overcome this, lime is added as an additive to improve the strength of black cotton soil and repeated load tests were performed as per AASHTO T 307 - 99 for MR determination. The results have shown that the samples are stable under modified proctor condition with MR values ranging from 36 MPa to 388 MPa for a lime content of 2.5% and curing period ranging from 7 to 28 days. Also, it is observed that, the CBR based resilient modulus is not in agreement

  6. Assessment of the Wave Energy in the Black Sea Based on a 15-Year Hindcast with Data Assimilation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liliana Rusu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The principal target of the present work is to assess the wave energy potential in the Black Sea, identifying also some relevant energetic features and possible patterns. A wave prediction system based on the Simulating Waves Nearshore model (SWAN has been implemented and intensively tested in the entire sea basin. Moreover, considering an optimal interpolation technique, an assimilation scheme of the satellite data has been developed, leading to a visible improvement of the wave model predictions in terms of significant wave heights and, consequently, also in terms of wave power. Using this wave prediction system with data assimilation, simulations have been performed for a 15-year period (1999–2013. Considering the results of this 15-year wave hindcast, an analysis of the wave energy conditions in the basin of the Black Sea has been carried out. This provided a more comprehensive picture concerning the wave energy patterns in the coastal environment of the Black Sea focused on the average wave conditions that might be expected in this sea. Following the results presented, it can be concluded that the wave energy extraction in the Black Sea can become an issue of interest, especially from the perspective of the hybrid solutions.

  7. Essentials in the diagnosis of acid-base disorders and their high altitude application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulev, P E; Zubieta-Calleja, G R

    2005-09-01

    This report describes the historical development in the clinical application of chemical variables for the interpretation of acid-base disturbances. The pH concept was already introduced in 1909. Following World War II, disagreements concerning the definition of acids and bases occurred, and since then two strategies have been competing. Danish scientists in 1923 defined an acid as a substance able to give off a proton at a given pH, and a base as a substance that could bind a proton, whereas the North American Singer-Hasting school in 1948 defined acids as strong non-buffer anions and bases as non-buffer cations. As a consequence of this last definition, electrolyte disturbances were mixed up with real acid-base disorders and the variable, strong ion difference (SID), was introduced as a measure of non-respiratory acid-base disturbances. However, the SID concept is only an empirical approximation. In contrast, the Astrup/Siggaard-Andersen school of scientists, using computer strategies and the Acid-base Chart, has made diagnosis of acid-base disorders possible at a glance on the Chart, when the data are considered in context with the clinical development. Siggaard-Andersen introduced Base Excess (BE) or Standard Base Excess (SBE) in the extracellular fluid volume (ECF), extended to include the red cell volume (eECF), as a measure of metabolic acid-base disturbances and recently replaced it by the term Concentration of Titratable Hydrogen Ion (ctH). These two concepts (SBE and ctH) represent the same concentration difference, but with opposite signs. Three charts modified from the Siggaard-Andersen Acid-Base Chart are presented for use at low, medium and high altitudes of 2500 m, 3500 m, and 4000 m, respectively. In this context, the authors suggest the use of Titratable Hydrogen Ion concentration Difference (THID) in the extended extracellular fluid volume, finding it efficient and better than any other determination of the metabolic component in acid-base

  8. Black Phosphorus: Critical Review and Potential for Water Splitting Photocatalyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tae Hyung Lee

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A century after its first synthesis in 1914, black phosphorus has been attracting significant attention as a promising two-dimensional material in recent years due to its unique properties. Nowadays, with the development of its exfoliation method, there are extensive applications of black phosphorus in transistors, batteries and optoelectronics. Though, because of its hardship in mass production and stability problems, the potential of the black phosphorus in various fields is left unexplored. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of crystal structure, electronic, optical properties and synthesis of black phosphorus. Recent research works about the applications of black phosphorus is summarized. Among them, the possibility of black phosphorous as a solar water splitting photocatalyst is mainly discussed and the feasible novel structure of photocatalysts based on black phosphorous is proposed.

  9. Acid-base disorders in calves with chronic diarrhea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bednarski, M; Kupczyński, R; Sobiech, P

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze disorders of acid-base balance in calves with chronic diarrhea caused by mixed, viral, bacterial and Cryptosporydium parvum infection. We compared results ob- tained with the classic model (Henderson-Hasselbalch) and strong ion approach (the Steward model). The study included 36 calves aged between 14 and 21 days. The calves were allocated to three groups: I - (control) non-diarrheic calves, group II - animals with compensated acid-base imbalance and group III calves with compensated acid-base disorders and hypoalbuminemia. Plasma concentrations of Na+, K+, Cl-, C12+, Mg2+, P, albumin and lactate were measured. In the classic model, acid-base balance was determined on the basis of blood pH, pCO2, HCO3-, BE and anion gap. In the strong ion model, strong ion difference (SID), effective strong anion difference, total plasma concentration of nonvolatile buffers (A(Tot)) and strong ion gap (SIG) were measured. The control calves and the animals from groups II and III did not differ significantly in terms of their blood pH. The plasma concentration of HCO3-, BE and partial pressure of CO2 in animals from the two groups with chronic diarrhea were significantly higher than those found in the controls. The highest BE (6.03 mmol/l) was documented in calves from group II. The animals from this group presented compensation resulted from activation of metabolic mechanisms. The calves with hypoal- buminemia (group III) showed lower plasma concentrations of albumin (15.37 g/L), Cl (74.94 mmol/L), Mg2+ (0.53 mmol/L), P (1.41 mmol/L) and higher value of anion gap (39.03 mmol/L). This group III presented significantly higher SID3 (71.89 mmol/L), SID7 (72.92 mmol/L) and SIG (43.53 mmol/L) values than animals from the remaining groups (P acid-base disturbance in these cases suggests that classic model have some limitations. This model can not be recommended for use whenever serum albumin or phosphate concentrations are markedly abnormal.

  10. Acid-base properties of complexes with three-dimensional polyligands. Complexes with three-dimensional polyphosphoric acids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopylova, V.D.; Bojko, Eh.T.; Saldadze, K.M.

    1985-01-01

    By the method of potentiometric titration acid-base properties of uranyl (2) complexes with three-dimensional polyphosphoric acids, KRF-8p, KF-1, KF-7 prepared by phosphorylation of copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene or saponification of the copolymers of di-2,2'-chloroethyl ester of vinylphosphonic acid with divinyl benzene are studied. It is shown that in case of formation in the phase of three-dimensional polyphosphoric acids of UO 2 2+ complexes with the growth of bond covalence of metal ion-phosphonic group the acidjty of the second hydroxyl of the phosphonic group increases

  11. BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES AND RAPID GROWTH OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN LUMINOUS z ∼ 3.5 QUASARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zuo, Wenwen; Wu, Xue-Bing [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Fan, Xiaohui; Green, Richard [Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Wang, Ran [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Bian, Fuyan [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Cotter Road, Weston ACT 2611 (Australia)

    2015-02-01

    We present new near-infrared (IR) observations of the Hβ λ4861 and Mg II λ2798 lines for 32 luminous quasars with 3.2 < z < 3.9 using the Palomar Hale 200 inch telescope and the Large Binocular Telescope. We find that the Mg II FWHM is well correlated with the Hβ FWHM, confirming itself as a good substitute for the Hβ FWHM in the black hole mass estimates. The continuum luminosity at 5100 Å well correlates with the continuum luminosity at 3000 Å and the broad emission line luminosities (Hβ and Mg II). With simultaneous near-IR spectroscopy of the Hβ and Mg II lines to exclude the influences of flux variability, we are able to evaluate the reliability of estimating black hole masses based on the Mg II line for high redshift quasars. With the reliable Hβ line based black hole mass and Eddington ratio estimates, we find that the z ∼ 3.5 quasars in our sample have black hole masses 1.90 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} ≲ M {sub BH} ≲ 1.37 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉}, with a median of ∼5.14 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} and are accreting at Eddington ratios between 0.30 and 3.05, with a median of ∼1.12. Assuming a duty cycle of 1 and a seed black hole mass of 10{sup 4} M {sub ☉}, we show that the z ∼ 3.5 quasars in this sample can grow to their estimated black hole masses within the age of the universe at their redshifts.

  12. Synthesis of bio-based methacrylic acid by decarboxylation of itaconic acid and citric acid catalyzed by solid transition-metal catalysts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Notre, le J.E.L.; Witte-van Dijk, S.C.M.; Haveren, van J.; Scott, E.L.; Sanders, J.P.M.

    2014-01-01

    Methacrylic acid, an important monomer for the plastics industry, was obtained in high selectivity (up to 84%) by the decarboxylation of itaconic acid using heterogeneous catalysts based on Pd, Pt and Ru. The reaction takes place in water at 200–2508C without any external added pressure, conditions

  13. Black hole entropy functions and attractor equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopes Cardoso, Gabriel; Wit, Bernard de; Mahapatra, Swapna

    2007-01-01

    The entropy and the attractor equations for static extremal black hole solutions follow from a variational principle based on an entropy function. In the general case such an entropy function can be derived from the reduced action evaluated in a near-horizon geometry. BPS black holes constitute special solutions of this variational principle, but they can also be derived directly from a different entropy function based on supersymmetry enhancement at the horizon. Both functions are consistent with electric/magnetic duality and for BPS black holes their corresponding OSV-type integrals give identical results at the semi-classical level. We clarify the relation between the two entropy functions and the corresponding attractor equations for N = 2 supergravity theories with higher-derivative couplings in four space-time dimensions. We discuss how non-holomorphic corrections will modify these entropy functions

  14. Black Holes Have Simple Feeding Habits

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-06-01

    The biggest black holes may feed just like the smallest ones, according to data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based telescopes. This discovery supports the implication of Einstein's relativity theory that black holes of all sizes have similar properties, and will be useful for predicting the properties of a conjectured new class of black holes. The conclusion comes from a large observing campaign of the spiral galaxy M81, which is about 12 million light years from Earth. In the center of M81 is a black hole that is about 70 million times more massive than the Sun, and generates energy and radiation as it pulls gas in the central region of the galaxy inwards at high speed. In contrast, so-called stellar mass black holes, which have about 10 times more mass than the Sun, have a different source of food. These smaller black holes acquire new material by pulling gas from an orbiting companion star. Because the bigger and smaller black holes are found in different environments with different sources of material to feed from, a question has remained about whether they feed in the same way. Using these new observations and a detailed theoretical model, a research team compared the properties of M81's black hole with those of stellar mass black holes. The results show that either big or little, black holes indeed appear to eat similarly to each other, and produce a similar distribution of X-rays, optical and radio light. AnimationMulti-wavelength Images of M81 One of the implications of Einstein's theory of General Relativity is that black holes are simple objects and only their masses and spins determine their effect on space-time. The latest research indicates that this simplicity manifests itself in spite of complicated environmental effects. "This confirms that the feeding patterns for black holes of different sizes can be very similar," said Sera Markoff of the Astronomical Institute, University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, who led the study

  15. Floatable, Self-Cleaning, and Carbon-Black-Based Superhydrophobic Gauze for the Solar Evaporation Enhancement at the Air-Water Interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yiming; Chen, Jingwei; Guo, Dawei; Cao, Moyuan; Jiang, Lei

    2015-06-24

    Efficient solar evaporation plays an indispensable role in nature as well as the industry process. However, the traditional evaporation process depends on the total temperature increase of bulk water. Recently, localized heating at the air-water interface has been demonstrated as a potential strategy for the improvement of solar evaporation. Here, we show that the carbon-black-based superhydrophobic gauze was able to float on the surface of water and selectively heat the surface water under irradiation, resulting in an enhanced evaporation rate. The fabrication process of the superhydrophobic black gauze was low-cost, scalable, and easy-to-prepare. Control experiments were conducted under different light intensities, and the results proved that the floating black gauze achieved an evaporation rate 2-3 times higher than that of the traditional process. A higher temperature of the surface water was observed in the floating gauze group, revealing a main reason for the evaporation enhancement. Furthermore, the self-cleaning ability of the superhydrophobic black gauze enabled a convenient recycling and reusing process toward practical application. The present material may open a new avenue for application of the superhydrophobic substrate and meet extensive requirements in the fields related to solar evaporation.

  16. Black Holes

    OpenAIRE

    Horowitz, Gary T.; Teukolsky, Saul A.

    1998-01-01

    Black holes are among the most intriguing objects in modern physics. Their influence ranges from powering quasars and other active galactic nuclei, to providing key insights into quantum gravity. We review the observational evidence for black holes, and briefly discuss some of their properties. We also describe some recent developments involving cosmic censorship and the statistical origin of black hole entropy.

  17. How Do Undergraduate Students Conceptualize Acid-Base Chemistry? Measurement of a Concept Progression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romine, William L.; Todd, Amber N.; Clark, Travis B.

    2016-01-01

    We developed and validated a new instrument, called "Measuring Concept progressions in Acid-Base chemistry" (MCAB) and used it to better understand the progression of undergraduate students' understandings about acid-base chemistry. Items were developed based on an existing learning progression for acid-base chemistry. We used the Rasch…

  18. Jigsaw Cooperative Learning: Acid-Base Theories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarhan, Leman; Sesen, Burcin Acar

    2012-01-01

    This study focused on investigating the effectiveness of jigsaw cooperative learning instruction on first-year undergraduates' understanding of acid-base theories. Undergraduates' opinions about jigsaw cooperative learning instruction were also investigated. The participants of this study were 38 first-year undergraduates in chemistry education…

  19. Search for black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cherepashchuk, Anatolii M

    2003-01-01

    Methods and results of searching for stellar mass black holes in binary systems and for supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei of different types are described. As of now (June 2002), a total of 100 black hole candidates are known. All the necessary conditions Einstein's General Relativity imposes on the observational properties of black holes are satisfied for candidate objects available, thus further assuring the existence of black holes in the Universe. Prospects for obtaining sufficient criteria for reliably distinguishing candidate black holes from real black holes are discussed. (reviews of topical problems)

  20. On explicit thermodynamic functions and extremal limits of Myers-Perry black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aaman, Jan E.; Pidokrajt, Narit

    2013-01-01

    We study thermodynamic geometries of Myers-Perry (MP) black holes with arbitrary number of angular momenta. This geometric method allows us to visualize thermodynamic state spaces of the MP black holes as wedges embedded in a Minkowski-like parameter space. The opening angles of these wedges are uniquely determined by the number of spacetime dimensions d, and the number of angular momenta associated with the MP black holes, n. The geometric structure captures extremal limits of the MP black holes, and hence serves as a method for identifying the black hole's extremal limit. We propose that classification of the MP black hole solutions should based on these uncovered structures. In order for the ultraspinning regime to exist, at least one of the angular momenta has to be set to zero. Finally, we conjecture that the membrane phase of ultraspinning MP black holes is reached at the minimum temperature in the case where 2n< d-3 based on the thermodynamic curvature obtained. (orig.)

  1. Noncommutative black holes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez-DomInguez, J C [Instituto de Fisica de la Universidad de Guanajuato PO Box E-143, 37150 Leoen Gto. (Mexico); Obregon, O [Instituto de Fisica de la Universidad de Guanajuato PO Box E-143, 37150 Leoen Gto. (Mexico); RamIrez, C [Facultad de Ciencias FIsico Matematicas, Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, PO Box 1364, 72000 Puebla (Mexico); Sabido, M [Instituto de Fisica de la Universidad de Guanajuato PO Box E-143, 37150 Leoen Gto. (Mexico)

    2007-11-15

    We study noncommutative black holes, by using a diffeomorphism between the Schwarzschild black hole and the Kantowski-Sachs cosmological model, which is generalized to noncommutative minisuperspace. Through the use of the Feynman-Hibbs procedure we are able to study the thermodynamics of the black hole, in particular, we calculate Hawking's temperature and entropy for the 'noncommutative' Schwarzschild black hole.

  2. Nutraceutical Value of Black Cherry Prunus serotina Ehrh. Fruits: Antioxidant and Antihypertensive Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco J. Luna-Vázquez

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In Mexico black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh. fruits are consumed fresh, dried or prepared in jam. Considering the evidence that has linked intake of fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenols to cardiovascular risk reduction, the aim of this study was to characterize the phenolic profile of black cherry fruits and to determine their antioxidant, vasorelaxant and antihypertensive effects. The proximate composition and mineral contents of these fruits were also assessed. Black cherry fruits possess a high content of phenolic compounds and display a significant antioxidant capacity. High-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis indicated that hyperoside, anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid were the main phenolic compounds found in these fruits. The black cherry aqueous extract elicited a concentration-dependent relaxation of aortic rings and induced a significant reduction on systolic blood pressure in L-NAME induced hypertensive rats after four weeks of treatment. Proximate analysis showed that black cherry fruits have high sugar, protein, and potassium contents. The results derived from this study indicate that black cherry fruits contain phenolic compounds which elicit significant antioxidant and antihypertensive effects. These findings suggest that these fruits might be considered as functional foods useful for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

  3. Absorption and excretion of black currant anthocyanins in human and Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic rabbits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, I. L.. F.; Ravn-Haren, Gitte; Dragsted, L. O.

    2003-01-01

    Anthocyanins are thought to protect against cardiovascular diseases. Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits are hypercholesterolemic and used as a model of the development of atherosclerosis. To compare the uptake and excretion of anthocyanins in humans and WHHL rabbits, single-dose black......). The excretion and absorption of anthocyanins from black currant juice were found to be within the same order of magnitude in the two species regarding urinary excretion within the first 4 h (rabbits, 0.035%; humans, 0.072%) and t(ma)x (rabbits, similar to30 min; humans, similar to45 min). A food matrix effect...... was detected in rabbits, resulting in the absorption of a higher proportion of the anthocyanins from black currant juice than from an aqueous citric acid matrix. In humans the absorption and urinary excretion of anthocyanins from black currant juice were found to be proportional with dose and not influenced...

  4. Deactivation of vanadia-based commercial SCR catalysts by polyphosphoric acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Castellino, Francesco; Rasmussen, Søren Birk; Jensen, Anker Degn

    2008-01-01

    Commercial vanadia-based SCR monoliths have been exposed to flue gases in a pilot-scale Setup into which phosphoric acid has been added and the deactivation has been followed during the exposure time. Separate measurements by SMPS showed that the phosphoric acid formed polyphosphoric acid aerosols...

  5. Vapor pressure data for fatty acids obtained using an adaptation of the DSC technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matricarde Falleiro, Rafael M. [LPT, Departamento de Processos Quimicos (DPQ), Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-852 Campinas - SP (Brazil); Akisawa Silva, Luciana Y. [Departamento de Ciencias Exatas e da Terra, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), 09972-270 Diadema - SP (Brazil); Meirelles, Antonio J.A. [EXTRAE, Departamento de Engenharia de Alimentos (DEA), Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-862 Campinas - SP (Brazil); Kraehenbuehl, Maria A., E-mail: mak@feq.unicamp.br [LPT, Departamento de Processos Quimicos (DPQ), Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-852 Campinas - SP (Brazil)

    2012-11-10

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Vapor pressure data of fatty acids were measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The DSC technique is especially advantageous for expensive chemicals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High heating rate was used for measuring the vapor pressure data. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Antoine constants were obtained for the selected fatty acids. - Abstract: The vapor pressure data for lauric (C{sub 12:0}), myristic (C{sub 14:0}), palmitic (C{sub 16:0}), stearic (C{sub 18:0}) and oleic (C{sub 18:1}) acids were obtained using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The adjustments made in the experimental procedure included the use of a small sphere (tungsten carbide) placed over the pinhole of the crucible (diameter of 0.8 mm), making it possible to use a faster heating rate than that of the standard method and reducing the experimental time. The measurements were made in the pressure range from 1333 to 9333 Pa, using small sample quantities of fatty acids (3-5 mg) at a heating rate of 25 K min{sup -1}. The results showed the effectiveness of the technique under study, as evidenced by the low temperature deviations in relation to the data reported in the literature. The Antoine constants were fitted to the experimental data whose values are shown in Table 5.

  6. The Black Presence in London Theatre, 1974-1979.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanback, T.W.

    1983-01-01

    Based on studies conducted by the Afro-Asian Committee of British Actors Equity and others, discusses the limited opportunities for minority actors in British theatre. Identifies plays in which Black performers were cast during the late 1970s and describes a number of fringe theatre groups which employ Black actors. (GC)

  7. The Deconstruction of the Cartesian Dichotomy of Black and Whitein William Blake’s The Little Black Boy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Gunes

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The Deconstruction of the Cartesian Dichotomy of Black and Whitein William Blake’s The Little Black Boy Abstract This paper discusses English Romantic Poet William Blake’s anti-racial views in his poem The Little Black Boy. In so doing, it focuses upon how Blake attempts to deconstruct the Cartesian dichotomy of Western world view, a dichotomy which has usually been based on “the theory that the universe has been ruled from its origins by two conflicting powers, one good and one evil, both existing as equally ultimate first causes.” In this binary and hierarchal relationship, there are two essential terms in which one term is absolutely regarded as primary or fundamental in its essence, whereas the other term is considered secondary or something that lacks originality and presence. Once this equation is applied to the relationship between black and white people, it will easily be seen in the Western world that white people are always primary or fundamental to black-skinned people, and thus the perception behind this binary and hierarchal relationship seems the root of all the racial problems between black and white. This paper argues that Blake strives to deconstruct radically in The Little Black Boy the basis of this binary and hierarchal relationship which has been carried out for centuries in the Western world to segregate and then control the lives of black people. Finally, the paper maintains that Blake also shows a strong aspiration for creating an egalitarian society free of discrimination and injustices at a time when anti-slavery campaigns hit the top on both sides of Atlantic.

  8. Cardiorespiratory effects of isoflurane in Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) anesthetized with intramuscular medetomidine and zolazepam/tiletamine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Dong-Hyuk; Yang, Jeong-Jin; Seok, Seong-Hoon; Song, Dong-Joo; Yeon, Seong-Chan

    2017-01-20

    The objective of this study was to determine the dose-dependent effects of isoflurane on various cardiovascular parameters and the stable range of isoflurane concentrations in Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus). Seven Asiatic black bears were intramuscularly injected with medetomidine, zolazepam and tiletamine (MZT) to induce anesthesia, and anesthesia was maintained by administering isoflurane in 100% oxygen (4 l/min) without mechanical ventilation. Several cardiovascular parameters were measured at five end-tidal isoflurane concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5%). Blood was collected from the femoral artery before administration of isoflurane and after each administration for immediate blood gas analysis. Isoflurane produced dose-dependent increases in heart rate, respiratory rate, minute volume, end-tidal carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) partial pressure and the partial pressure of arterial CO 2 , and dose-dependent decreases in non-invasive blood pressure and tidal volume. Rectal temperature, oxygenation and acid-base balance were unaffected by isoflurane. All parameters in this study were in a clinically acceptable range at all times. The data show that the combination of MZT and isoflurane is suitable for general anesthesia in Asiatic black bears with spontaneous breathing during prolonged procedures. End-tidal isoflurane concentrations of 0.5 to 2.5% can be used in Asiatic black bears without adverse side effects.

  9. The immediate environment of an astrophysical black hole

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contopoulos, I.

    2018-01-01

    In view of the upcoming observations with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), we present our thoughts on the immediate environment of an astrophysical black hole. We are concerned that two approximations used in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations, namely numerical density floors implemented near the base of the black hole jet, and a magnetic field that comes from large distances, may mislead our interpretation of the observations. We predict that three physical processes will manifest themselves in EHT observations, namely dynamic pair formation just above the horizon, electromagnetic energy dissipation along the boundary of the black hole jet, and a region of weak magnetic field separating the black hole jet from the disc wind.

  10. Molecular genetic diversity and maternal origin of Chinese black-bone chicken breeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, W Q; Li, H F; Wang, J Y; Shu, J T; Zhu, C H; Song, W T; Song, C; Ji, G G; Liu, H X

    2014-04-29

    Chinese black-bone chickens are valued for the medicinal properties of their meat in traditional Chinese medicine. We investigated the genetic diversity and systematic evolution of Chinese black-bone chicken breeds. We sequenced the DNA of 520 bp of the mitochondrial cyt b gene of nine Chinese black-bone chicken breeds, including Silky chicken, Jinhu black-bone chicken, Jiangshan black-bone chicken, Yugan black-bone chicken, Wumeng black-bone chicken, Muchuan black-bone chicken, Xingwen black-bone chicken, Dehua black-bone chicken, and Yanjin black-bone chicken. We found 13 haplotypes. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity of the nine black-bone chicken breeds ranged from 0 to 0.78571 and 0.00081 to 0.00399, respectively. Genetic diversity was the richest in Jinhu black-bone chickens and the lowest in Yanjin black-bone chickens. Analysis of phylogenetic trees for all birds constructed based on hyplotypes indicated that the maternal origin of black-bone chickens is predominantly from three subspecies of red jungle fowl. These results provide basic data useful for protection of black-bone chickens and help determine the origin of domestic chickens.

  11. Black holes, information, and the universal coefficient theorem

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patrascu, Andrei T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

    2016-07-15

    General relativity is based on the diffeomorphism covariant formulation of the laws of physics while quantum mechanics is based on the principle of unitary evolution. In this article, I provide a possible answer to the black hole information paradox by means of homological algebra and pairings generated by the universal coefficient theorem. The unitarity of processes involving black holes is restored by the demanding invariance of the laws of physics to the change of coefficient structures in cohomology.

  12. Black hole critical phenomena without black holes

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    large values of Ф, black holes do form and for small values the scalar field ... on the near side of the ridge ultimately evolve to form black holes while those configu- ... The inset shows a bird's eye view looking down on the saddle point.

  13. Changes in the Quality of Black Mulberry and Blueberry Sherbets During Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahsen Rayman Ergün

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was evaluated the quality properties of traditional drink sherbets that are prepared from black mulberry and blueberry fruits. After production sherbets were investigated to determine their pH, acidity, °brix and colour values, total sugar, phenolic, anthocyanin and antioxidant contents. Moreover the sherbets stored at 4°C during 2 months and the changes in these quality properties were examined per month. As a result statistically significant changes were observed in the quality properties of these sherbets of black mulberry and blueberry fruits which are known with their rich content of phytochemical compounds. The results show that in blueberry sherbet the degradation of phenolics was faster than black mulberry sherbet. Anthocyanins that are higher in black mulberry sherbets after production were preserved better in blueberry sherbets at the end of 2nd month. L*and a* values decreased for blackberry and blueberry sherbets during storage. b* value decreased from 5.59 to 4.92 for blackberry sherbet while it increased from 0.62 to 0.79 for blueberry sherbet at the end of the storage time.

  14. Fermented probiotic beverages based on acid whey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skryplonek, Katarzyna; Jasińska, Małgorzata

    2015-01-01

    Production of fermented probiotic beverages can be a good method for acid whey usage. The obtained products combine a high nutritional value of whey with health benefits claimed for probiotic bacteria. The aim of the study was to define quality properties of beverages based on fresh acid whey and milk with addition of buttermilk powder or sweet whey powder. Samples were inoculated with two strains of commercial probiotic cultures: Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 or Bifidobacterium animalis Bb-12. After fermentation, samples were stored at refrigerated conditions. After 1, 4, 7, 14 and 21 days sensory characteristics, hardness, acetaldehyde content, titratable acidity, pH acidity and count of bacteria cells were evaluated. Throughout all storage period, the number of bacteria was higher than 8 log cfu/ml in the all samples. Beverages with La-5 strain had higher hardness and acidity, whilst samples with Bb-12 contained more acetaldehyde. Samples with buttermilk powder had better sensory properties than with sweet whey powder. Obtained products made of acid whey combined with milk and fortified with buttermilk powder or sweet whey powder, are good medium for growth and survival of examined probiotic bacteria strains. The level of bacteria was sufficient to provide health benefits to consumers.

  15. Electrochemistry of acid-base reactions in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masson, J.P.; Devynck, J.; Tremillon, B.

    1975-01-01

    Electrochemical studies were made in following media: water-HF mixtures, anhydrous HF and KF solutions in HF, solutions of the SbF5 type in HF. The acidity level of these solutions was evaluated using the R(H) functions based on the strehlow hypotheses. From the pH measurement in anhydrous HF, it was possible to get acid-base titration curves and pH buffers. The behavior of quinones in anhydrous HF is presented [fr

  16. Black widow spider

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002858.htm Black widow spider To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. The black widow spider (Latrodectus) has a shiny black body with a ...

  17. Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Fruit Extract as Natural Indicator in Acid-Base Titration

    OpenAIRE

    Manoj A. Suva

    2014-01-01

    In routine experiments synthetic indicators are the choice of acid base titrations. But there are some limitations like environmental pollution, availability and higher cost which leads to search for natural compounds as an acid base indicator was started. The present work highlights theexploit of the methanolic and aqueous extract of the fruit of Opuntia ficus indica plants as a natural acid base indicator in acid base titrations. Opuntia ficus indica plant was identified and fruits were was...

  18. Effects of acid-base imbalance on vascular reactivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.C. Celotto

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Acid-base homeostasis maintains systemic arterial pH within a narrow range. Whereas the normal range of pH for clinical laboratories is 7.35-7.45, in vivo pH is maintained within a much narrower range. In clinical and experimental settings, blood pH can vary in response to respiratory or renal impairment. This altered pH promotes changes in vascular smooth muscle tone with impact on circulation and blood pressure control. Changes in pH can be divided into those occurring in the extracellular space (pHo and those occurring within the intracellular space (pHi, although, extracellular and intracellular compartments influence each other. Consistent with the multiple events involved in the changes in tone produced by altered pHo, including type of vascular bed, several factors and mechanisms, in addition to hydrogen ion concentration, have been suggested to be involved. The scientific literature has many reports concerning acid-base balance and endothelium function, but these concepts are not clear about acid-base disorders and their relations with the three known mechanisms of endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity: nitric oxide (NO/cGMP-dependent, prostacyclin (PGI2/cAMP-dependent and hyperpolarization. During the last decades, many studies have been published and have given rise to confronting data on acid-base disorder and endothelial function. Therefore, the main proposal of this review is to provide a critical analysis of the state of art and incentivate researchers to develop more studies about these issues.

  19. Parameter Optimization of Black Tea Fermentation Machine Based on RSM and BP-AdaBoost-GA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dong, Chunwang; Zhao, Jiewen; Zhu, Hongkai

    2017-01-01

    Fermentation is the key procedure in processing of congou black tea, which directly decides the quality and flavor of tea products. Fermentation experiments were conducted on a novel drum-type fermentation machine as the platform, the performance parameters of fermentation machine were clarified...... of black tea, moderate rotation and mixing material can enhance the quality of black tea and shorten the fermentation time....

  20. Bird specimens track 135 years of atmospheric black carbon and environmental policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    DuBay, Shane G.; Fuldner, Carl C.

    2017-10-01

    Atmospheric black carbon has long been recognized as a public health and environmental concern. More recently, black carbon has been identified as a major, ongoing contributor to anthropogenic climate change, thus making historical emission inventories of black carbon an essential tool for assessing past climate sensitivity and modeling future climate scenarios. Current estimates of black carbon emissions for the early industrial era have high uncertainty, however, because direct environmental sampling is sparse before the mid-1950s. Using photometric reflectance data of >1,300 bird specimens drawn from natural history collections, we track relative ambient concentrations of atmospheric black carbon between 1880 and 2015 within the US Manufacturing Belt, a region historically reliant on coal and dense with industry. Our data show that black carbon levels within the region peaked during the first decade of the 20th century. Following this peak, black carbon levels were positively correlated with coal consumption through midcentury, after which they decoupled, with black carbon concentrations declining as consumption continued to rise. The precipitous drop in atmospheric black carbon at midcentury reflects policies promoting burning efficiency and fuel transitions rather than regulating emissions alone. Our findings suggest that current emission inventories based on predictive modeling underestimate levels of atmospheric black carbon for the early industrial era, suggesting that the contribution of black carbon to past climate forcing may also be underestimated. These findings build toward a spatially dynamic emission inventory of black carbon based on direct environmental sampling.

  1. Acid-base balance in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) subjected to acid stresses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eddy, F.B.

    1976-01-01

    The respiratory properties of rainbow-trout blood were investigated in acid-stressed fish. In the first group acid was introduced into the bloodstream and in the second the carbon dioxide content of the ambient water was increased. Initially the introduction of the acid to the blood caused a decrease in blood pH and bicarbonate, and increases in oxygen uptake and ventilation volume. After 2 to 3 h these values had returned to the control levels. Trout subjected to high ambient CO/sub 2/ (about 10 mmHg) showed a decrease in blood pH while PCO/sub 2/ and bicarbonate increased. After 8 h the trout began to show signs of compensation to the acidosis. In each experiment the blood PO/sub 2/ was little changed but blood O/sub 2/ content was decreased and tended not to resume the control value even after several hours. The results are discussed in terms of the various acid-base mechanisms thought to be available to the fish. These include branchial ion exchanges and the possible buffering roles of the extracellular and intracellular fluids.

  2. Thai Grade 11 Students' Alternative Conceptions for Acid-Base Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artdej, Romklao; Ratanaroutai, Thasaneeya; Coll, Richard Kevin; Thongpanchang, Tienthong

    2010-01-01

    This study involved the development of a two-tier diagnostic instrument to assess Thai high school students' understanding of acid-base chemistry. The acid-base diagnostic test (ABDT) comprising 18 items was administered to 55 Grade 11 students in a science and mathematics programme during the second semester of the 2008 academic year. Analysis of…

  3. Effect Of Using Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) As Natural Antioxidant On Hyperlipidaemia And Antioxidant Activities In Senile Rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    HAMZA, R.G.; MAHMOUD, K.A.

    2009-01-01

    The black cumin (Nigella sativa) is one of the important herbal plants that used widely in most of human diseases and food preservation. Chemical composition of irradiated black cumin (10 kGy); moisture, ash, crude protein, crude lipid, total carbohydrate and crude fiber, were evaluated. The GC for analysis of fatty acids showed that the number of identified fatty acids was 9; the important one was linoleic (natural antioxidant). GC/MS used for analysis of essential oil showed that the number of identified compounds was 16; the important ones were thymoquinone, eugenol and linalool (natural antioxidants). Also, this study was performed to examine the efficacy of the black cumin to ameliorate the induced hyperlipidemia in senile rats. Twenty eight male rats were equally and randomly categorized into four groups. High fat diet (20g fat / 100g diet) was daily administered to rats for 6 weeks. Other animals where fed daily on either raw or irradiated black cumin diet (1% w/w) for 6 weeks. The results revealed that high fat diet fed to rats significantly induced an increase in serum phospholipids, TG, TC, LDL-C, atherogenic index and lipid peroxides (MDA). Significant decrease was observed in HDL-C, blood antioxidant enzymes activity (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH). The results obtained revealed that feeding rats on diet containing either raw or irradiated black cumin (1% w/w) induced significant improvement in the above mentioned parameters. There was non- significant difference between non-irradiated and irradiated black cumin. Moreover, supplementation of black cumin in diet of rats can offer protection against free radicals generated through oxidative stress as a consequence of hyperlipidemic food.

  4. Effect Of Using Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) As Natural Antioxidant On Hyperlipidaemia And Antioxidant Activities In Senile Rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    HAMZA, R G; MAHMOUD, K A [Food Irradiation Research Dept., National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt)

    2009-07-01

    The black cumin (Nigella sativa) is one of the important herbal plants that used widely in most of human diseases and food preservation. Chemical composition of irradiated black cumin (10 kGy); moisture, ash, crude protein, crude lipid, total carbohydrate and crude fiber, were evaluated. The GC for analysis of fatty acids showed that the number of identified fatty acids was 9; the important one was linoleic (natural antioxidant). GC/MS used for analysis of essential oil showed that the number of identified compounds was 16; the important ones were thymoquinone, eugenol and linalool (natural antioxidants). Also, this study was performed to examine the efficacy of the black cumin to ameliorate the induced hyperlipidemia in senile rats. Twenty eight male rats were equally and randomly categorized into four groups. High fat diet (20g fat / 100g diet) was daily administered to rats for 6 weeks. Other animals where fed daily on either raw or irradiated black cumin diet (1% w/w) for 6 weeks. The results revealed that high fat diet fed to rats significantly induced an increase in serum phospholipids, TG, TC, LDL-C, atherogenic index and lipid peroxides (MDA). Significant decrease was observed in HDL-C, blood antioxidant enzymes activity (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH). The results obtained revealed that feeding rats on diet containing either raw or irradiated black cumin (1% w/w) induced significant improvement in the above mentioned parameters. There was non- significant difference between non-irradiated and irradiated black cumin. Moreover, supplementation of black cumin in diet of rats can offer protection against free radicals generated through oxidative stress as a consequence of hyperlipidemic food.

  5. IR-BASED SATELLITE PRODUCTS FOR THE MONITORING OF ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR OVER THE BLACK SEA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VELEA LILIANA

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The amount of precipitable water (TPW in the atmospheric column is one of the important information used weather forecasting. Some of the studies involving the use of TPW relate to issues like lightning warning system in airports, tornadic events, data assimilation in numerical weather prediction models for short-range forecast, TPW associated with intense rain episodes. Most of the available studies on TPW focus on properties and products at global scale, with the drawback that regional characteristics – due to local processes acting as modulating factors - may be lost. For the Black Sea area, studies on the climatological features of atmospheric moisture are available from sparse or not readily available observational databases or from global reanalysis. These studies show that, although a basin of relatively small dimensions, the Black Sea presents features that may significantly impact on the atmospheric circulation and its general characteristics. Satellite observations provide new opportunities for extending the knowledge on this area and for monitoring atmospheric properties at various scales. In particular, observations in infrared (IR spectrum are suitable for studies on small-scale basins, due to the finer spatial sampling and reliable information in the coastal areas. As a first step toward the characterization of atmospheric moisture over the Black Sea from satellite-based information, we investigate three datasets of IR-based products which contain information on the total amount of moisture and on its vertical distribution, available in the area of interest. The aim is to provide a comparison of these data with regard to main climatological features of moisture in this area and to highlight particular strengths and limits of each of them, which may be helpful in the choice of the most suitable dataset for a certain application.

  6. The promise of a utopian home, or capitalism's commoditization of blackness

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guadeloupe, F.; de Rooij, V.A.

    2014-01-01

    This essay argues that the way in which black, brown, and white youngsters in the Netherlands are taking on a new anti-essentialist version of black identity fabricated by the culture industry offers a mode of post-racialism in multicultural Europe. This new version of black identity is based upon

  7. The Cosmogony of Super-Massive Black Holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duschl, Wolfgang J; Strittmatter, Peter A

    2012-01-01

    We summarize our recent results on the evolution of super-massive black holes in the cores of galaxies. Our models are based on the viscous, Eddington-limited evolution of self-gravitating accretion disks. We find that, within this framework, one can explain the growth time scales and the luminosities of individual objects as well as the variation of these quantities for AGN with different black hole masses.

  8. Active-learning versus teacher-centered instruction for learning acids and bases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acar Sesen, Burcin; Tarhan, Leman

    2011-07-01

    Background and purpose: Active-learning as a student-centered learning process has begun to take more interest in constructing scientific knowledge. For this reason, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of active-learning implementation on high-school students' understanding of 'acids and bases'. Sample The sample of this study was 45 high-school students (average age 17 years) from two different classes, which were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 21) and control groups (n = 25), in a high school in Turkey. Design and methods A pre-test consisting of 25 items was applied to both experimental and control groups before the treatment in order to identify student prerequisite knowledge about their proficiency for learning 'acids and bases'. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the pre-test scores for groups and no significant difference was found between experimental (ME = 40.14) and control groups (MC = 41.92) in terms of mean scores (F 1,43 = 2.66, p > 0.05). The experimental group was taught using an active-learning curriculum developed by the authors and the control group was taught using traditional course content based on teacher-centered instruction. After the implementation, 'Acids and Bases Achievement Test' scores were collected for both groups. Results ANOVA results showed that students' 'Acids and Bases Achievement Test' post-test scores differed significantly in terms of groups (F 1,43 = 102.53; p acid and base theories'; 'metal and non-metal oxides'; 'acid and base strengths'; 'neutralization'; 'pH and pOH'; 'hydrolysis'; 'acid-base equilibrium'; 'buffers'; 'indicators'; and 'titration'. Based on the achievement test and individual interview results, it was found that high-school students in the experimental group had fewer misconceptions and understood the concepts more meaningfully than students in control group. Conclusion The study revealed that active-learning implementation is more effective at

  9. Design of cinnamaldehyde amino acid Schiff base compounds based on the quantitative structure–activity relationship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hui Wang; Mingyue Jiang; Shujun Li; Chung-Yun Hse; Chunde Jin; Fangli Sun; Zhuo Li

    2017-01-01

    Cinnamaldehyde amino acid Schiff base (CAAS) is a new class of safe, bioactive compounds which could be developed as potential antifungal agents for fungal infections. To design new cinnamaldehyde amino acid Schiff base compounds with high bioactivity, the quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) for CAAS compounds against Aspergillus niger (A. niger) and...

  10. Syntheses and structure characterization of ten acid-base hybrid crystals based on N-containing aromatic brønsted bases and mineral acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Zhihao; Jin, Shouwen; Li, Xiaoliang; Xiao, Xiao; Hu, Kaikai; Guo, Ming; Chi, Xinchen; Liu, Hui; Wang, Daqi

    2017-10-01

    Cocrystallization of the aromatic brønsted bases with a series of mineral acids gave a total of ten hybrid salts with the compositions: (2-methylquinoline)2: (hydrochloride acid): 3H2O [(HL1)+. (L1)·· (Cl-) · (H2O)3] (1), (6-bromobenzo[d]thiazol-2-amine): (hydrochloride acid) [(HL2)+. (Cl-)] (2), (6-bromobenzo[d]thiazol-2-amine): (nitric acid) [(HL2)+. (NO3-)] (3), (6-bromobenzo[d]thiazol-2-amine): (sulfuric acid) [(HL2)+ · (HSO4)-] (4), (6-bromobenzo[d]thiazol-2-amine): (phosphoric acid) [(HL2)+ · (H2PO4)-] (5), (5,7-dimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine-2-amine): (hydrochloride acid): 3H2O [(HL3)+ · (Cl-) (H2O)3] (6), (5,7-dimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine-2-amine): (hydrobromic acid): CH3OH [(HL3)+ · (Br)- · CH3OH] (7), (5,7-dimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine-2-amine): (sulfuric acid): H2O [(HL3)+ · (HSO4)- · H2O] (8), (2-aminophenol): (phosphoric acid) [(HL4)+ · (H2PO4)-] (9), and (2-amino-4-chlorophenol): (phosphoric acid) [(HL5)+ · (H2PO4)-] (10). The ten salts have been characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, IR, and elemental analysis, and the melting points of all the salts were also reported. And their structural and supramolecular aspects are fully analyzed. The result reveals that among the ten investigated crystals the ring N of the heterocycle or the NH2 in the aminophenol are protonated when the acids are deprotonated, and the crystal packing is interpreted in terms of the strong charge-assisted classical hydrogen bonds between the NH+/NH3+ and deprotonated acidic groups. Further analysis of the crystal packing of the salts indicated that a different family of additional CHsbnd O, CHsbnd Cl, CH3sbnd N, CH3sbnd O, CHsbnd Br, CH3sbnd Br, Brsbnd Cl, Clsbnd S, Osbnd S, Osbnd O, Brsbnd S, Hsbnd H, and π-π associations contribute to the stabilization and expansion of the total high-dimensional frameworks. For the coexistence of the various weak nonbonding interactions these structures adopted homo or hetero supramolecular synthons or both. Some classical

  11. Black holes as mirrors: quantum information in random subsystems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayden, Patrick; Preskill, John

    2007-01-01

    We study information retrieval from evaporating black holes, assuming that the internal dynamics of a black hole is unitary and rapidly mixing, and assuming that the retriever has unlimited control over the emitted Hawking radiation. If the evaporation of the black hole has already proceeded past the ''half-way'' point, where half of the initial entropy has been radiated away, then additional quantum information deposited in the black hole is revealed in the Hawking radiation very rapidly. Information deposited prior to the half-way point remains concealed until the half-way point, and then emerges quickly. These conclusions hold because typical local quantum circuits are efficient encoders for quantum error-correcting codes that nearly achieve the capacity of the quantum erasure channel. Our estimate of a black hole's information retention time, based on speculative dynamical assumptions, is just barely compatible with the black hole complementarity hypothesis

  12. Amino acid-based dithiazines: synthesis and photofragmentation of their benzaldehyde adducts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurchan, Alexei N; Kutateladze, Andrei G

    2002-11-14

    Alpha-amino acids and GABA are functionalized with dithiazine rings via reaction with sodium hydrosulfide in aqueous formaldehyde. The resulting dithiazines are lithiated at -78 degrees C and reacted with benzaldehyde furnishing amino acid-based 2,5-bis-substituted dithiazines. These adducts undergo externally sensitized photofragmentation with quantum efficiency comparable to that of the parent dithiane adducts, thus offering a novel approach to amino acid-based photolabile tethers. [reaction: see text

  13. Simultaneous Determination of Salicylic Acid, Jasmonic Acid, Methyl Salicylate, and Methyl Jasmonate from Ulmus pumila Leaves by GC-MS

    OpenAIRE

    Huang, Zhi-hong; Wang, Zhi-li; Shi, Bao-lin; Wei, Dong; Chen, Jian-xin; Wang, Su-li; Gao, Bao-jia

    2015-01-01

    Salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, methyl salicylate, and methyl jasmonate are important phytohormones and defensive signaling compounds, so it is of great importance to determine their levels rapidly and accurately. The study uses Ulmus pumila leaves infected by Tetraneura akinire Sasaki at different stages as materials; after extraction with 80% methanol and ethyl acetate and purification with primary secondary amine (PSA) and graphitized carbon blacks (GCB), the contents of signal compounds sa...

  14. Sonoelectrochemical one-pot synthesis of Pt - Carbon black nanocomposite PEMFC electrocatalyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karousos, Dionysios S; Desdenakis, Kostantinos I; Sakkas, Petros M; Sourkouni, Georgia; Pollet, Bruno G; Argirusis, Christos

    2017-03-01

    Simultaneous electrocatalytic Pt-nanoparticle synthesis and decoration of Vulcan XC-72 carbon black substrate was achieved in a novel one-step-process, combining galvanostatic pulsed electrodeposition and pulsed ultrasonication with high power, low-frequency (20kHz) ultrasound. Aqueous chloroplatinic acid precursor baths, as well as carbon black suspensions in the former, were examined and decoration was proven by a combination of characterization methods, namely: dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with EDX-analysis and cyclic voltammetry. In particular, PVP was shown to have a beneficial stabilizing effect against free nanoparticle aggregation, ensuring narrow size distributions of the nanoparticles synthesized, but is also postulated to prevent the establishment of a strong metal-substrate interaction. Current pulse amplitude was identified as the most critical nanoparticle size-determining parameters, while only small size particles, under 10nm, appeared to be attached to carbon black. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Novel {beta}-cyclodextrin modified CdTe quantum dots as fluorescence nanosensor for acetylsalicylic acid and metabolites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Algarra, M. [Centro de Geologia do Porto, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Campos, B.B.; Aguiar, F.R.; Rodriguez-Borges, J.E. [Centro de Investigacao em Quimica (CIQ-UP), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 169-007 Porto (Portugal); Esteves da Silva, J.C.G., E-mail: jcsilva@fc.up.pt [Centro de Investigacao em Quimica (CIQ-UP), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 169-007 Porto (Portugal)

    2012-05-01

    {beta}-Cyclodextrin was modified with 11-[(ethoxycarbonyl)thio]undecanoic acid and used as a capping agent, together with mercaptosuccinic acid, to prepare water-stable CdTe quantum dots. The water soluble quantum dot obtained displays fluorescence with a maximum emission at 425 nm (under excitation at 300 nm) with lifetimes of 0.53, 4.8, 181, and 44.1 ns, respectively. The S-{beta}CD-MSA-CdTe can act as a nanoprobe that is due to the affinity of the cyclodextrin moiety for selected substances such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and its metabolites as foreign species. The fluorescence of the S-{beta}CD-MSA-CdTe is enhanced on addition of ASA. Linear calibration plots are observed with ASA in concentrations between 0 and 1 mg/l, with a limit of detection at 8.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -9} mol/l (1.5 ng/ml) and a precision as relative standard deviation of 1% (0.05 mg/l). The interference effect of certain compounds as ascorbic acid and its main metabolites such as salicylic, gentisic and salicyluric acid upon the obtained procedure was studied. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanosensors constituted by CdTe quantum dots capped with modified cyclodextrin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This nanomaterial shows fluorescence properties compatible with a semiconductor quantum dot. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The nanosensor shows fluorescence enhancement when inclusion complexes are formed with acetylsalicylic acid. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This nanomaterial has nanosensor potential taking into consideration the formation stability of the inclusion complex.

  16. A Comparison of Different Teaching Designs of "Acids and Bases" Subject

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ültay, Neslihan; Çalik, Muammer

    2016-01-01

    Inability to link the acid-base concepts with daily life phenomena (as contexts) highlights the need for further research on the context-based acid-base chemistry. In this vein, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of different teaching designs (REACT strategy, 5Es learning model and traditional (existing) instruction) relevant with…

  17. Destruction and recreation of black holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Peter M.

    Even though the existence of the gravitationally collapsed concentrations of matter in space known as ‘black holes’ is accepted at all educational levels in our society, the basis for the black hole concept is really only the result of approximate calculations done over 40 years ago. The concept of the black hole is an esoteric subject, and recently the mathematical and physical frailties of the concept have come to light in an interesting round of theoretical shuffling. The recent activity in theorizing about black holes began about 10 years ago, when Cambridge University mathematican Stephen Hawking calculated that black holes could become unstable by losing mass and thus ‘evaporate.’ Hawking's results were surprisingly well received, considering the lack of theoretical understanding of the relations between quantum mechanics and relativity. (There is no quantized theory of gravitation, even today.) Nonetheless, his semiclassical calculations implied that the rate of ‘evaporation’ of a black hole would be slower than the rate of degradation of the universe. In fact, based on these and other calculations, the British regard Hawking as ‘the nearest thing we have to a new Einstein’ [New Scientist, Oct. 9, 1980]. Within the last few months, Frank Tipler, provocative mathematical physicist at the University of Texas, has reexamined Hawking's calculations [Physical Review Letters, 45, 941, 1980], concluding, in simple terms, (1) that because of possible vital difficulties in the assumptions, the very concept of black holes could be wrong; (2) that Hawkings' evaporation hypothesis is so efficient that a black hole once created must disappear in less than a second; or (3) that he, Tipler, may be wrong. The latter possibility has been the conclusion of physicist James Bardeen of the University of Washington, who calculated that black hole masses do evaporate but they do so according to Hawking's predicted rate and that Tipler's findings cause only a second

  18. Special data base of Informational - Computational System 'INM RAS - Black Sea' for solving inverse and data assimilation problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakharova, Natalia; Piskovatsky, Nicolay; Gusev, Anatoly

    2014-05-01

    Development of Informational-Computational Systems (ICS) for data assimilation procedures is one of multidisciplinary problems. To study and solve these problems one needs to apply modern results from different disciplines and recent developments in: mathematical modeling; theory of adjoint equations and optimal control; inverse problems; numerical methods theory; numerical algebra and scientific computing. The above problems are studied in the Institute of Numerical Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Science (INM RAS) in ICS for personal computers. In this work the results on the Special data base development for ICS "INM RAS - Black Sea" are presented. In the presentation the input information for ICS is discussed, some special data processing procedures are described. In this work the results of forecast using ICS "INM RAS - Black Sea" with operational observation data assimilation are presented. This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No 13-01-00753) and by Presidium Program of Russian Academy of Sciences (project P-23 "Black sea as an imitational ocean model"). References 1. V.I. Agoshkov, M.V. Assovskii, S.A. Lebedev, Numerical simulation of Black Sea hydrothermodynamics taking into account tide-forming forces. Russ. J. Numer. Anal. Math. Modelling (2012) 27, No.1, pp. 5-31. 2. E.I. Parmuzin, V.I. Agoshkov, Numerical solution of the variational assimilation problem for sea surface temperature in the model of the Black Sea dynamics. Russ. J. Numer. Anal. Math. Modelling (2012) 27, No.1, pp. 69-94. 3. V.B. Zalesny, N.A. Diansky, V.V. Fomin, S.N. Moshonkin, S.G. Demyshev, Numerical model of the circulation of Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Russ. J. Numer. Anal. Math. Modelling (2012) 27, No.1, pp. 95-111. 4. Agoshkov V.I.,Assovsky M.B., Giniatulin S. V., Zakharova N.B., Kuimov G.V., Parmuzin E.I., Fomin V.V. Informational Computational system of variational assimilation of observation data "INM RAS - Black sea"// Ecological

  19. Characteristics of weak base-induced vacuoles formed around individual acidic organelles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiruma, Hiromi; Kawakami, Tadashi

    2011-01-01

    We have previously found that the weak base 4-aminopyridine induces Brownian motion of acidic organelles around which vacuoles are formed, causing organelle traffic disorder in neurons. Our present study investigated the characteristics of vacuoles induced by weak bases (NH(4)Cl, aminopyridines, and chloroquine) using mouse cells. Individual vacuoles included acidic organelles identified by fluorescent protein expression. Mitochondria and actin filaments were extruded outside the vacuoles, composing the vacuole rim. Staining with amine-reactive fluorescence showed no protein/amino acid content in vacuoles. Thus, serous vacuolar contents are probably partitioned by viscous cytosol, other organelles, and cytoskeletons, but not membrane. The weak base (chloroquine) was immunochemically detected in intravacuolar organelles, but not in vacuoles. Early vacuolization was reversible, but long-term vacuolization caused cell death. The vacuolization and cell death were blocked by the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase inhibitor and Cl--free medium. Staining with LysoTracker or LysoSensor indicated that intravacuolar organelles were strongly acidic and vacuoles were slightly acidic. This suggests that vacuolization is caused by accumulation of weak base and H(+) in acidic organelles, driven by vacuolar H(+)-ATPase associated with Cl(-) entering, and probably by subsequent extrusion of H(+) and water from organelles to the surrounding cytoplasm.

  20. Massive Black Holes and Galaxies

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    Evidence has been accumulating for several decades that many galaxies harbor central mass concentrations that may be in the form of black holes with masses between a few million to a few billion time the mass of the Sun. I will discuss measurements over the last two decades, employing adaptive optics imaging and spectroscopy on large ground-based telescopes that prove the existence of such a massive black hole in the Center of our Milky Way, beyond any reasonable doubt. These data also provide key insights into its properties and environment. Most recently, a tidally disrupting cloud of gas has been discovered on an almost radial orbit that reached its peri-distance of ~2000 Schwarzschild radii in 2014, promising to be a valuable tool for exploring the innermost accretion zone. Future interferometric studies of the Galactic Center Black hole promise to be able to test gravity in its strong field limit.

  1. Dynamical ejecta from precessing neutron star-black hole mergers with a hot, nuclear-theory based equation of state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foucart, F; Kasen, D; Desai, D; Brege, W; Duez, M D; Hemberger, D A; Scheel, M A; Kidder, L E; Pfeiffer, H P

    2017-01-01

    Neutron star-black hole binaries are among the strongest sources of gravitational waves detectable by current observatories. They can also power bright electromagnetic signals (gamma-ray bursts, kilonovae), and may be a significant source of production of r-process nuclei. A misalignment of the black hole spin with respect to the orbital angular momentum leads to precession of that spin and of the orbital plane, and has a significant effect on the properties of the post-merger remnant and of the material ejected by the merger. We present a first set of simulations of precessing neutron star-black hole mergers using a hot, composition dependent, nuclear-theory based equation of state (DD2). We show that the mass of the remnant and of the dynamical ejecta are broadly consistent with the result of simulations using simpler equations of state, while differences arise when considering the dynamics of the merger and the velocity of the ejecta. We show that the latter can easily be understood from assumptions about the composition of low-density, cold material in the different equations of state, and propose an updated estimate for the ejecta velocity which takes those effects into account. We also present an updated mesh-refinement algorithm which allows us to improve the numerical resolution used to evolve neutron star-black hole mergers. (paper)

  2. Global equity allocation with index of economic freedom—A Black-Litterman equilibrium approach

    OpenAIRE

    Mohanty, Subhransu Sekhar

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of Index of Economic Freedom (IEF) in strategic equity allocation process, in ternis of riskreturn efficiency, across 49 countries using the Black-Litterman's Absolute View approach. We have attempted to carry an ex-post comparative risk-return performance analysis of traditional CAPM, the Black-Litterman Equilibrium model and our view based strategy based on Black-Litterman's Absolute View approach to analyse whether our view-based st...

  3. Profiling of major fatty acids in different raw and roasted sesame ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of this study was to investigate the fatty acids profile of five sesame cultivars including Branching Naz, Darab, Karaj, Dezful and Black sesame and the effect of time and temperature roasting procedure. The seeds oil content varied from 43±0.28 to 47±0.41% with the average content of 44.4±1.87%. Darab and Black ...

  4. Phylogeographic and Demographic Analysis of the Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) Based on Mitochondrial DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jiaqi; Kohno, Naoki; Mano, Shuhei; Fukumoto, Yukio; Tanabe, Hideyuki; Hasegawa, Masami; Yonezawa, Takahiro

    2015-01-01

    The Asian black bear Ursus thibetanus is widely distributed in Asia and is adapted to broad-leaved deciduous forests, playing an important ecological role in the natural environment. Several subspecies of U. thibetanus have been recognized, one of which, the Japanese black bear, is distributed in the Japanese archipelago. Recent molecular phylogeographic studies clarified that this subspecies is genetically distantly related to continental subspecies, suggesting an earlier origin. However, the evolutionary relationship between the Japanese and continental subspecies remained unclear. To understand the evolution of the Asian black bear in relation to geological events such as climatic and transgression-regression cycles, a reliable time estimation is also essential. To address these issues, we determined and analyzed the mt-genome of the Japanese subspecies. This indicates that the Japanese subspecies initially diverged from other Asian black bears in around 1.46Ma. The Northern continental population (northeast China, Russia, Korean peninsula) subsequently evolved, relatively recently, from the Southern continental population (southern China and Southeast Asia). While the Japanese black bear has an early origin, the tMRCAs and the dynamics of population sizes suggest that it dispersed relatively recently in the main Japanese islands: during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene, probably during or soon after the extinction of the brown bear in Honshu in the same period. Our estimation that the population size of the Japanese subspecies increased rapidly during the Late Pleistocene is the first evidential signal of a niche exchange between brown bears and black bears in the Japanese main islands. This interpretation seems plausible but was not corroborated by paleontological evidence that fossil record of the Japanese subspecies limited after the Late Pleistocene. We also report here a new fossil record of the oldest Japanese black bear from the Middle Pleistocene

  5. Phylogeographic and Demographic Analysis of the Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus Based on Mitochondrial DNA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiaqi Wu

    Full Text Available The Asian black bear Ursus thibetanus is widely distributed in Asia and is adapted to broad-leaved deciduous forests, playing an important ecological role in the natural environment. Several subspecies of U. thibetanus have been recognized, one of which, the Japanese black bear, is distributed in the Japanese archipelago. Recent molecular phylogeographic studies clarified that this subspecies is genetically distantly related to continental subspecies, suggesting an earlier origin. However, the evolutionary relationship between the Japanese and continental subspecies remained unclear. To understand the evolution of the Asian black bear in relation to geological events such as climatic and transgression-regression cycles, a reliable time estimation is also essential. To address these issues, we determined and analyzed the mt-genome of the Japanese subspecies. This indicates that the Japanese subspecies initially diverged from other Asian black bears in around 1.46Ma. The Northern continental population (northeast China, Russia, Korean peninsula subsequently evolved, relatively recently, from the Southern continental population (southern China and Southeast Asia. While the Japanese black bear has an early origin, the tMRCAs and the dynamics of population sizes suggest that it dispersed relatively recently in the main Japanese islands: during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene, probably during or soon after the extinction of the brown bear in Honshu in the same period. Our estimation that the population size of the Japanese subspecies increased rapidly during the Late Pleistocene is the first evidential signal of a niche exchange between brown bears and black bears in the Japanese main islands. This interpretation seems plausible but was not corroborated by paleontological evidence that fossil record of the Japanese subspecies limited after the Late Pleistocene. We also report here a new fossil record of the oldest Japanese black bear from the

  6. Metabolism and prebiotics activity of anthocyanins from black rice (Oryza sativa L.) in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yongsheng; Sun, Hanju; He, Shudong; Lou, Qiuyan; Yu, Min; Tang, Mingming; Tu, Lijun

    2018-01-01

    Anthocyanins are naturally active substances. In this study, anthocyanins from black rice were obtained by membrane filtration and column chromatography separation. Five anthocyanin monomers in black rice extract were identified by HPLC-MS/MS, and the major anthocyanin monomer (cyanidin-3-glucoside, C3G) was purified by preparative HPLC (Pre-HPLC). The proliferative effects of the anthocyanins on Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus were investigated by determining the media pH, bacterial populations and metabolic products. After anaerobic incubation at 37 °C for 48 h, not only the pH of the media containing C3G was lower than that of the extract of black rice anthocyanin (BRAE), but the numbers of both Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus were also significantly increased. Furthermore, hydroxyphenylpropionic, hydroxyphenylacetic, and hydroxybenzoic acids and other metabolites were detected by GC-MS in vitro. Our results revealed that the anthocyanins and anthocyanin monomers from black rice had prebiotic activity and they were metabolized into several small molecules by Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus.

  7. Overkill: Black Lives and the Spectacle of the Atlanta Cheating Scandal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Royal, Camika; Dodo Seriki, Vanessa

    2018-01-01

    This article examines the 2015 Atlanta cheating scandal trials and sentencing. Using critical race theory, the authors argue that cheating is a natural outgrowth of market-based school reform and that racial realism will always lead to scrutiny of Black performance. The sentences of these Black educators is overkill, rooted in anti-Blackness, and…

  8. Surface acid-base behaviors of Chinese loess.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Zhaosheng; Liu, Wenxin; Tang, Hongxiao; Qian, Tianwei; Li, Shushen; Li, Zhentang; Wu, Guibin

    2002-08-15

    Acid-base titration was applied to investigate the surface acid-base properties of a Chinese loess sample at different ionic strengths. The acidimetric supernatant was regarded as the system blank of titration to correct the influence of particle dissolution on the estimation of proton consumption. The titration behavior of the system blank could be described by the hydrolysis of Al3+ and Si(OH)4 in aqueous solution as well as the production of hydroxyaluminosilicates. The formation of Al-Si species on homogeneous surface sites by hydrous aluminum and silicic acid, released from solid substrate during the acidic titration, was considered in the model description of the back-titration procedure. A surface reaction model was suggested as follows: >SOHSO(-)+H+, pK(a)(int)=3.48-3.98;>SOH+Al(3+)+H4SiO4SOAl(OSi(OH)3(+)+2H+, pK(SC)=3.48-4.04. Two simple surface complexation models accounted for the interfacial structure, i.e., the constant capacitance model (CCM) and the diffuse layer model (DLM), and gave a satisfactory description of the experimental data. Considering the effect of ionic strength on the electrostatic profile at the solid-aqueous interface, the DLM was appropriate at the low concentrations (0.01 and 0.005 mol/L) of background electrolyte (NaNO3 in this study), while the CCM was preferable in the case of high ionic strength (0.1 mol/L).

  9. A Clinical Approach to the Diagnosis of Acid-Base Disorders

    OpenAIRE

    Bear, Robert A.

    1986-01-01

    The ability to diagnose and manage acid-base disorders rapidly and effectively is essential to the care of critically ill patients. This article presents an approach to the diagnosis of pure and mixed acid-base disorders, metabolic or respiratory. The approach taken is based on using the law of mass-action equation as it applies to the bicarbonate buffer system (Henderson equation), using sub-classifications for diagnostic purposes of causes of metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis, and ...

  10. Black coal 1981/82. Annual report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1982-10-01

    Above all, the report places the part played by coal in the world's energy supply into the foreground. Aspects of energy economy (trend and supply of the world's energy demand, world coal market, energy market of the Federal Republic of Germany), of energy policy (long-term sales prospects, stabilization of production capacity, the markets of German black coal, the scope of action required, environmental protection, carbon dioxide immission, acid rain and forest deterioration, coal upgrading) and sociopolitical aspects (status of personnel, protection against occupational accidents and diseases) are dealt with. The statistical part is attached in the form of a folder.

  11. Enhanced tribology durability of a self-assembled monolayer of alkylphosphonic acid on a textured copper substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wan Yong, E-mail: wanyong@qtech.edu.cn [School of Mechanical Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao 266033 (China); Wang Yinhu; Zhang Quan; Wang Zhongqian; Xu Zhen; Liu Changsong [School of Mechanical Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao 266033 (China); Zhang Junyan [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

    2012-10-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A textured surface is prepared on the copper substrate by chemical etching. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The alkylphosphonic acid is assembled on the etched copper substrate. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Combining texturing and alkylphosphonic acid coating render the films hydrophobicity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The dual-layer films possess low friction with extremely long duration. - Abstract: A simple two-step process was developed to render the copper surface with lower friction and long durability. The copper substrate was immersed in a 0.01 M NaOH solution to fabricate a textured Cu{sub 2}O film. A self-assembled monolayer of alkylphosphonic acid was then deposited on the Cu{sub 2}O film to acquire high hydrophobicity. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared microscopy and water contact angle measurements were used to analyze the morphological features, the chemical composition and hydrophobicity of freshly prepared samples, respectively. Moreover, the friction-reducing behavior of the organic-inorganic composite film sliding against steel was evaluated in a ball-on-plate configuration. It was found that the alkylphosphonic acid films on the textured Cu{sub 2}O film led to decreased friction with significantly extended life. For a constant load, the increase in chain length of alkylphosphonic acid yields the films that are dramatically more stable against tribological deformation and provide low coefficients of friction over much longer periods of time.

  12. Physico-chemical, microbial and sensory properties of kunu zaki beverage sweetened with black velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. O. Dauda

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This work determined the physicochemical, microbial and sensory characteristics of kunu zaki sweetened with black velvet tamarind (Dialium guinnense flour. The outer covering and seed of black velvet was removed while the pulp was pulverized to obtain the flour. The tamarind pulp was analysed for its proximate and sugar contents. Kunu zaki was prepared according to standard method and 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g of the black velvet pulp was added to 1000 ml each of kunu zaki along with a control sample. The kunu zaki samples were stored at refrigeration temperature (4 ºC for a period of 5 days. The physico-chemical properties (pH, ºbrix, total titratable acidity, color, beta-carotene and vitamin C, microbial load and sensory attributes of the kunu zaki were analysed. The black velvet tamarind pulp had 42.01 g/100 g of total solid. The addition of black velvet tamarind (Dialium guinnense to kunu zaki lowered the pH, thereby improving the keeping quality of the kunu zaki samples. The pH of kunu zaki ranged from 2.69-4.15 while the titratable acidity ranged from 5.44-10.06 %, the beta-carotene and vitamin C content were high with a range of 3.10–36.6 mg/100 g and 4.73–47.25 mg/100 g respectively. The bacterial count ranged from 1-8.8 × 103 cfu/mL and a fungal count of 1-4.9 × 103 cfu/mL. Kunu zaki with 50 g of black velvet tamarind was the most preferred in terms of taste, appearance, aroma and general acceptability.

  13. Linear Titration Curves of Acids and Bases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, N R

    1959-05-29

    The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, by a simple transformation, becomes pH - pK = pA - pB, where pA and pB are the negative logarithms of acid and base concentrations. Sigmoid titration curves then reduce to straight lines; titration curves of polyelectrolytes, to families of straight lines. The method is applied to the titration of the dipeptide glycyl aminotricarballylic acid, with four titrable groups. Results are expressed as Cartesian and d'Ocagne nomograms. The latter is of a general form applicable to polyelectrolytes of any degree of complexity.

  14. Lumpy AdS5× S5 black holes and black belts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Óscar J.C.; Santos, Jorge E.; Way, Benson

    2015-01-01

    Sufficiently small Schwarzschild black holes in global AdS 5 ×S 5 are Gregory-Laflamme unstable. We construct new families of black hole solutions that bifurcate from the onset of this instability and break the full SO(6) symmetry group of the S 5 down to SO(5). These new “lumpy" solutions are labelled by the harmonics ℓ. We find evidence that the ℓ=1 branch never dominates the microcanonical/canonical ensembles and connects through a topology-changing merger to a localised black hole solution with S 8 topology. We argue that these S 8 black holes should become the dominant phase in the microcanonical ensemble for small enough energies, and that the transition to Schwarzschild black holes is first order. Furthermore, we find two branches of solutions with ℓ=2. We expect one of these branches to connect to a solution containing two localised black holes, while the other branch connects to a black hole solution with horizon topology S 4 ×S 4 which we call a “black belt”.

  15. Black holes in binary stars

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wijers, R.A.M.J.

    1996-01-01

    Introduction Distinguishing neutron stars and black holes Optical companions and dynamical masses X-ray signatures of the nature of a compact object Structure and evolution of black-hole binaries High-mass black-hole binaries Low-mass black-hole binaries Low-mass black holes Formation of black holes

  16. Acid-Base Disorders--A Computer Simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maude, David L.

    1985-01-01

    Describes and lists a program for Apple Pascal Version 1.1 which investigates the behavior of the bicarbonate-carbon dioxide buffer system in acid-base disorders. Designed specifically for the preclinical medical student, the program has proven easy to use and enables students to use blood gas parameters to arrive at diagnoses. (DH)

  17. Additivity of the entropies of black holes and matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, E.A.; York, J.W. Jr.

    1989-01-01

    The principal object of this work is to address two related questions about thermodynamic equilibrium between black holes and matter: is there gravitational entropy other than that for black holes? In particular, is there gravitational entropy associated with matter in addition to its usual thermodynamic entropy? The authors treat here the case when the black hole and matter are minimally coupled and in equilibrium; nonequilibrium creation of entropy will not be considered and if black holes and matter are in thermal equilibrium, in what sense are their entropies additive? In order to answer these questions, the authors present a model in which a black hole is surrounded by a thin shell of matter and construct the thermodynamics of the system based on the current approach to black hole thermodynamics. The authors review the essential aspects of this approach and then apply it to the present example. Finally, some further thermodynamical properties of the system are presented

  18. Black Interpretation, Black American Literature, and Grey Audiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Washington, Earl M.

    1981-01-01

    Defines and illustrates language techniques used by Black authors writing to and for Blacks in the 1960s and 1970s. Suggests how language and theme barriers of such literature might be overcome in a contemporary integrated oral interpretation classroom. (PD)

  19. #BlackBabiesMatter: Analyzing Black Religious Media in Conservative and Progressive Evangelical Communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monique Moultrie

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article explores how conservative and progressive black Protestants interrogate the theological theme of the sacrality of black life through digital media. The innovations of religious media in black evangelical communities remain an understudied phenomenon in African American religion, making this an apt arena for further discovery. This current intervention into the study of African American Religion examines digital activism through examples of religious media produced by blacks for black audiences. This article begins its interrogation of the sacrality of black life by juxtaposing those who contend that Black Babies Matter as pro-birth-oriented, religiously motivated activists with those religious opponents asserting Black Lives Matter who present an intersectional pro-life approach. The comparison of views relies on womanist cultural analysis as its main methodology to analyze and interpret digital media and explore its ramifications for African American Religion.

  20. [Acid-base equilibrium and the brain].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabary, O; Boussofara, M; Grimaud, D

    1994-01-01

    In physiological conditions, the regulation of acid-base balance in brain maintains a noteworthy stability of cerebral pH. During systemic metabolic acid-base imbalances cerebral pH is well controlled as the blood/brain barrier is slowly and poorly permeable to electrolytes (HCO3- and H+). Cerebral pH is regulated by a modulation of the respiratory drive, triggered by the early alterations of interstitial fluid pH, close to medullary chemoreceptors. As blood/brain barrier is highly permeable to Co2, CSF pH is corrected in a few hours, even in case of severe metabolic acidosis and alkalosis. Conversely, during ventilatory acidosis and alkalosis the cerebral pH varies in the same direction and in the same range than blood pH. Therefore, the brain is better protected against metabolic than ventilatory acid-base imbalances. Ventilatory acidosis and alkalosis are able to impair cerebral blood flow and brain activity through interstitial pH alterations. During respiratory acidosis, [HCO3-] increases in extracellular fluids to control cerebral pH by two main ways: a carbonic anhydrase activation at the blood/brain and blood/CSF barriers level and an increase in chloride shift in glial cells (HCO3- exchanged for Cl-). During respiratory alkalosis, [HCO3-] decreases in extracellular fluids by the opposite changes in HCO3- transport and by an increase in lactic acid synthesis by cerebral cells. The treatment of metabolic acidosis with bicarbonates may induce a cerebral acidosis and worsen a cerebral oedema during ketoacidosis. Moderate hypocapnia carried out to treat intracranial hypertension is mainly effective when cerebral blood flow is high and vascular CO2 reactivity maintained. Hypocapnia may restore an altered cerebral blood flow autoregulation. Instrumental hypocapnia requires a control of cerebral perfusion pressure and cerebral arteriovenous difference for oxygen, to select patients for whom this kind of treatment may be of benefit, to choose the optimal level of

  1. DISORDERS OF ACID-BASE STATE

    OpenAIRE

    P. F. Litvitskiy

    2011-01-01

    The lecture describes modern data on disorders of acid-base state (ABS): their types, etiology, key stages of pathogenesis, main symptoms, and principles of treatment. The first part of the lecture in present journal characterizes main conception, parameters of ABS in normal state, buffer systems, common mechanisms of BS shifts elimination, etiology and pathogenesis of gas-induced (respiratory) disorders of ABS. The second part of the lecture in following journal will describe not gas-induced...

  2. Acidic deposition: State of science and technology. Report 14. Methods for projecting future changes in surface water acid-base chemistry. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thornton, K.W.; Marmorek, D.; Ryan, P.F.; Heltcher, K.; Robinson, D.

    1990-09-01

    The objectives of the report are to: critically evaluate methods for projecting future effects of acidic deposition on surface water acid-base chemistry; review and evaluate techniques and procedures for analyzing projection uncertainty; review procedures for estimating regional lake and stream population attributes; review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Direct/Delayed Response Project (DDRP) methodology for projecting the effects of acidic deposition on future changes in surface water acid-base chemistry; and present the models, uncertainty estimators, population estimators, and proposed approach selected to project the effects of acidic deposition on future changes in surface water acid-base chemistry in the NAPAP 1990 Integrated Assessment and discuss the selection rationale

  3. Acid-base disturbance in patients with cirrhosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Jens H; Bendtsen, Flemming; Møller, Søren

    2015-01-01

    (r=-0.25, Psodium (r=-0.38, Preduced standard base excess in all patients (P...PURPOSE: Acid-base disturbances were investigated in patients with cirrhosis in relation to hemodynamic derangement to analyze the hyperventilatory effects and the metabolic compensation. METHODS: A total of 66 patients with cirrhosis and 44 controls were investigated during a hemodynamic study......, and effects of unidentified ions (all P

  4. Black holes. Chapter 6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Penrose, R.

    1980-01-01

    Conditions for the formation of a black hole are considered, and the properties of black holes. The possibility of Cygnus X-1 as a black hole is discussed. Einstein's theory of general relativity in relation to the formation of black holes is discussed. (U.K.)

  5. Acid base activity of live bacteria: Implications for quantifying cell wall charge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claessens, Jacqueline; van Lith, Yvonne; Laverman, Anniet M.; Van Cappellen, Philippe

    2006-01-01

    To distinguish the buffering capacity associated with functional groups in the cell wall from that resulting from metabolic processes, base or acid consumption by live and dead cells of the Gram-negative bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens was measured in a pH stat system. Live cells exhibited fast consumption of acid (pH 4) or base (pH 7, 8, 9, and 10) during the first few minutes of the experiments. At pH 5.5, no acid or base was required to maintain the initial pH constant. The initial amounts of acid or base consumed by the live cells at pH 4, 8, and 10 were of comparable magnitudes as those neutralized at the same pHs by intact cells killed by exposure to gamma radiation or ethanol. Cells disrupted in a French press required higher amounts of acid or base, due to additional buffering by intracellular constituents. At pH 4, acid neutralization by suspensions of live cells stopped after 50 min, because of loss of viability. In contrast, under neutral and alkaline conditions, base consumption continued for the entire duration of the experiments (5 h). This long-term base neutralization was, at least partly, due to active respiration by the cells, as indicated by the build-up of succinate in solution. Qualitatively, the acid-base activity of live cells of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis resembled that of S. putrefaciens. The pH-dependent charging of ionizable functional groups in the cell walls of the live bacteria was estimated from the initial amounts of acid or base consumed in the pH stat experiments. From pH 4 to 10, the cell wall charge increased from near-zero values to about -4 × 10 -16 mol cell -1 and -6.5 × 10 -16 mol cell -1 for S. putrefaciens and B. subtilis, respectively. The similar cell wall charging of the two bacterial strains is consistent with the inferred low contribution of lipopolysaccharides to the buffering capacity of the Gram-negative cell wall (of the order of 10%).

  6. An Olfactory Indicator for Acid-Base Titrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flair, Mark N.; Setzer, William N.

    1990-01-01

    The use of an olfactory acid-base indicator in titrations for visually impaired students is discussed. Potential olfactory indicators include eugenol, thymol, vanillin, and thiophenol. Titrations performed with each indicator with eugenol proved to be successful. (KR)

  7. Black theology in South Africa – A theology of human dignity and black identity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy van Aarde

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Black theology in South Africa is still relevant 20 years after the apartheid regime ended. It is a theology that gave to Black South Africans human dignity and a black identity. Black theology in South Africa confronted the imbalances of power and abusive power structures through an affirmation of human dignity and the uniqueness of the identity of black people. The biblical narrative of the Exodus is a definitive narrative in American black theology and liberation theology in overcoming oppression understood as political victimisation. Black theology in South Africa is not primarily about power and economics but also about the rediscovery of human dignity and black identity and to a lesser extent about victimisation. A third generation of black theology in South Africa will gain impetus through a rediscovery of human dignity and identity as its core values instead of a Black American liberation theology of victimisation or a Marxist liberation theology of the eradication of all power or economic imbalances.

  8. Biodegradation and Osteosarcoma Cell Cultivation on Poly(aspartic acid) Based Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juriga, Dávid; Nagy, Krisztina; Jedlovszky-Hajdú, Angéla; Perczel-Kovách, Katalin; Chen, Yong Mei; Varga, Gábor; Zrínyi, Miklós

    2016-09-14

    Development of novel biodegradable and biocompatible scaffold materials with optimal characteristics is important for both preclinical and clinical applications. The aim of the present study was to analyze the biodegradability of poly(aspartic acid)-based hydrogels, and to test their usability as scaffolds for MG-63 osteoblast-like cells. Poly(aspartic acid) was fabricated from poly(succinimide) and hydrogels were prepared using natural amines as cross-linkers (diaminobutane and cystamine). Disulfide bridges were cleaved to thiol groups and the polymer backbone was further modified with RGD sequence. Biodegradability of the hydrogels was evaluated by experiments on the base of enzymes and cell culture medium. Poly(aspartic acid) hydrogels possessing only disulfide bridges as cross-links proved to be degradable by collagenase I. The MG-63 cells showed healthy, fibroblast-like morphology on the double cross-linked and RGD modified hydrogels. Thiolated poly(aspartic acid) based hydrogels provide ideal conditions for adhesion, survival, proliferation, and migration of osteoblast-like cells. The highest viability was found on the thiolated PASP gels while the RGD motif had influence on compacted cluster formation of the cells. These biodegradable and biocompatible poly(aspartic acid)-based hydrogels are promising scaffolds for cell cultivation.

  9. Mathematical modeling of acid-base physiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Occhipinti, Rossana; Boron, Walter F

    2015-01-01

    pH is one of the most important parameters in life, influencing virtually every biological process at the cellular, tissue, and whole-body level. Thus, for cells, it is critical to regulate intracellular pH (pHi) and, for multicellular organisms, to regulate extracellular pH (pHo). pHi regulation depends on the opposing actions of plasma-membrane transporters that tend to increase pHi, and others that tend to decrease pHi. In addition, passive fluxes of uncharged species (e.g., CO2, NH3) and charged species (e.g., HCO3(-), [Formula: see text] ) perturb pHi. These movements not only influence one another, but also perturb the equilibria of a multitude of intracellular and extracellular buffers. Thus, even at the level of a single cell, perturbations in acid-base reactions, diffusion, and transport are so complex that it is impossible to understand them without a quantitative model. Here we summarize some mathematical models developed to shed light onto the complex interconnected events triggered by acids-base movements. We then describe a mathematical model of a spherical cells-which to our knowledge is the first one capable of handling a multitude of buffer reactions-that our team has recently developed to simulate changes in pHi and pHo caused by movements of acid-base equivalents across the plasma membrane of a Xenopus oocyte. Finally, we extend our work to a consideration of the effects of simultaneous CO2 and HCO3(-) influx into a cell, and envision how future models might extend to other cell types (e.g., erythrocytes) or tissues (e.g., renal proximal-tubule epithelium) important for whole-body pH homeostasis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Characterization of wood-based molding bonded with citric acid

    OpenAIRE

    Umemura, Kenji; Ueda, Tomohide; Kawai, Shuichi

    2012-01-01

    The wood-based moldings were fabricated by using only citric acid as an adhesive. The mechanical properties, water resistances, thermal properties and chemical structure were investigated. Wood powder obtained from Acacia mangium was mixed with citric acid under certain weight ratios (0-40 wt%), and each powder mixture was molded using two types of metal molds at 200 °C and 4MPa for 10 min. The modulus of rupture (MOR) and the modulus of elasticity (MOE) values of the wood-based molding conta...

  11. Black hole hair removal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banerjee, Nabamita; Mandal, Ipsita; Sen, Ashoke

    2009-01-01

    Macroscopic entropy of an extremal black hole is expected to be determined completely by its near horizon geometry. Thus two black holes with identical near horizon geometries should have identical macroscopic entropy, and the expected equality between macroscopic and microscopic entropies will then imply that they have identical degeneracies of microstates. An apparent counterexample is provided by the 4D-5D lift relating BMPV black hole to a four dimensional black hole. The two black holes have identical near horizon geometries but different microscopic spectrum. We suggest that this discrepancy can be accounted for by black hole hair - degrees of freedom living outside the horizon and contributing to the degeneracies. We identify these degrees of freedom for both the four and the five dimensional black holes and show that after their contributions are removed from the microscopic degeneracies of the respective systems, the result for the four and five dimensional black holes match exactly.

  12. [Development and practice evaluation of blood acid-base imbalance analysis software].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bo; Huang, Haiying; Zhou, Qiang; Peng, Shan; Jia, Hongyu; Ji, Tianxing

    2014-11-01

    To develop a blood gas, acid-base imbalance analysis computer software to diagnose systematically, rapidly, accurately and automatically determine acid-base imbalance type, and evaluate the clinical application. Using VBA programming language, a computer aided diagnostic software for the judgment of acid-base balance was developed. The clinical data of 220 patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The arterial blood gas [pH value, HCO(3)(-), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO₂)] and electrolytes included data (Na⁺ and Cl⁻) were collected. Data were entered into the software for acid-base imbalances judgment. At the same time the data generation was calculated manually by H-H compensation formula for determining the type of acid-base imbalance. The consistency of judgment results from software and manual calculation was evaluated, and the judgment time of two methods was compared. The clinical diagnosis of the types of acid-base imbalance for the 220 patients: 65 cases were normal, 90 cases with simple type, mixed type in 41 cases, and triplex type in 24 cases. The accuracy of the judgment results of the normal and triplex types from computer software compared with which were calculated manually was 100%, the accuracy of the simple type judgment was 98.9% and 78.0% for the mixed type, and the total accuracy was 95.5%. The Kappa value of judgment result from software and manual judgment was 0.935, P=0.000. It was demonstrated that the consistency was very good. The time for software to determine acid-base imbalances was significantly shorter than the manual judgment (seconds:18.14 ± 3.80 vs. 43.79 ± 23.86, t=7.466, P=0.000), so the method of software was much faster than the manual method. Software judgment can replace manual judgment with the characteristics of rapid, accurate and convenient, can improve work efficiency and quality of clinical doctors and has great

  13. Quantum corrections to thermodynamics of quasitopological black holes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudhaker Upadhyay

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Based on the modification to area-law due to thermal fluctuation at small horizon radius, we investigate the thermodynamics of charged quasitopological and charged rotating quasitopological black holes. In particular, we derive the leading-order corrections to the Gibbs free energy, charge and total mass densities. In order to analyze the behavior of the thermal fluctuations on the thermodynamics of small black holes, we draw a comparative analysis between the first-order corrected and original thermodynamical quantities. We also examine the stability and bound points of such black holes under effect of leading-order corrections.

  14. Problem of mathematical deduction of the existence of black holes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan-Shun Chin

    1990-01-01

    Full Text Available The mathematical proof of existence of Black Hole is based on the assumption of mass being independent of speed. Considering the effect of special relativity of the dependence of mass with speed there is no Black hole.

  15. Investigation of freeze concentration as a process for industrial energy conservation in black liquor, acetic acid, and citrus juice applications. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1979-07-01

    One of the largest consumers of energy in industrial processing is the equipment that concentrates weak aqueous solutions to stronger more sellable or reusable concentrations. The technical and economic feasibility of applying freeze concentration (that is, crystallization and removal from solution of pure solvent - water) as an alternative to heat evaporation (or distillation) to three industrial applications is established. For each of the applications - pulp mill black liquor concentration, acetic acid recovery and orange juice concentration - the economic analyses indicate that the energy savings achievable by freezing justify the respective capital investments with pay out periods of generally one to three years. Past freeze concentration operations have been in the 10,000 to 100,000 gallons per day range for sea water desalination. Research and development work will be required to adapt this work to the three industrial applications.

  16. Acid-base synergistic flame retardant wood pulp paper with high thermal stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ning; Liu, Yuansen; Xu, Changan; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Qi

    2017-12-15

    Acid-catalytic degradation caused by acid source flame retardants is the main reason for a decline in thermal stability of flame-retarded lignocellulosic materials. In the present research, a guanidine phosphate (GP)/borax (BX) flame retardant system based on acid-base synergistic interaction was designed and used in wood pulp paper (WPP) to solve this problem. Results showed that the treated WPP obtained good flame retardancy with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 35.7%. As a basic flame retardant, borax could chemically combine with the acids released by guanidine phosphate, thus decreasing the acidity of the system in the initial heating stage. In this way, acid-catalytic degradation is greatly retarded on the lignocelluloses to improve thermal stability (the temperature of maximum degradation peak from 286°C to 314°C). Meanwhile, borax was also advantageous to form a denser and firmer condensed phase through reinforcement of the acid-base reaction product, borophosphates, allowing it to provide a protective barrier with higher quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Stereoselective assembly of amino acid-based metal-biomolecule nanofibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hong; Tian, Chunyong; Zhang, Yufei; Yang, Chen; Zhang, Songping; Jiang, Zhongyi

    2015-04-14

    A series of amino acid-based metal-biomolecule nanofibers are fabricated through a coordination-directed assembly process. The chirality and carbon chain length of the amino acids exert a pronounced influence on the assembly process. This study may be extended to design diverse kinds of 1-D metal-biomolecule frameworks (MBioFs).

  18. Study on tea leaves extract as green corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in hydrochloric acid solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamdan, A. B.; Suryanto; Haider, F. I.

    2018-01-01

    Corrosion inhibitor from extraction of plant has been considered as the most preferable and most chosen technique to prevent corrosion of metal in acidic medium because of the environmental friendly factor. In this study, black tea leaves extraction was tested as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 0.1M of hydrochloric acid (HCl) with the absence and presence of corrosion inhibitor. The efficiency and effectiveness of black tea as corrosion inhibitor was tested by using corrosion weight loss measurement experiment was carried out with varies parameters which with different concentration of black tea extract solution. The extraction of black tea solution was done by using aqueous solvent method. The FT-IR result shows that black tea extract containing compounds such as catechin, caffeine and tannins that act as anti-corrosive reagents and responsible to enhance the effectiveness of black tea extract as corrosion inhibitor by forming the hydrophobic thin film through absorption process. As a result of weight loss measurement, it shows that loss in weight of mild steel reduces as the concentration of inhibitor increases. The surface analysis was done on the mild steel samples by using SEM.

  19. Jerusalem lectures on black holes and quantum information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harlow, D.

    2016-01-01

    These lectures give an introduction to the quantum physics of black holes, including recent developments based on quantum information theory such as the firewall paradox and its various cousins. An introduction is also given to holography and the anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, focusing on those aspects which are relevant for the black hole information problem.

  20. UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter (UH-60M Black Hawk)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-341 UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter (UH-60M Black Hawk ) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget Defense...Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) March 21, 2016 18:25:45 UNCLASSIFIED UH-60M Black Hawk December 2015 SAR March 21, 2016 18...Operational Requirements Document OSD - Office of the Secretary of Defense O&S - Operating and Support PAUC - Program Acquisition Unit Cost UH-60M Black Hawk

  1. Black American and Nigerian Pentecostalism: A Black Religious ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Black American and Nigerian Pentecostalism: A Black Religious Schizophrenia, 1910-2010. ... in American and African Pentecostalism as is related to social crisis, the dislocation of masses brought on by economic deprivation, urbanization, the break up of traditional society and consequence loss of traditional values.

  2. Black Tea

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... mental alertness as well as learning, memory, and information processing skills. It is also used for treating headache; ... of carbamazepine. Since black tea contains caffeine, in theory taking black tea with carbamazepine might decrease the ...

  3. Hawking Temperature of an Arbitrarily Accelerating Black Hole Wei ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Introduction. In 1974, Hawking (1974) made a striking discovery that black holes could produce thermal radiation. In this paper, we will obtain Hawking temperature of an arbitrarily accelerating black hole based on the Klein–Gordon equation, which is identical to the one obtained by the Hamilton–Jacobi equation under the ...

  4. Acid-base properties of a limed pyritic overburden during simulated weathering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doolittle, J.J.; Hossner, L.R. [South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD (United States). Plant Science Dept.

    1997-11-01

    Surface-mine reclamation is often hindered by the formation of acid mine soil and acid mine drainage from FeS{sub 2} oxidation. Surface soils containing FeS{sub 2} are often treated with crushed limestone (predominately CaCO{sub 3}) to prevent aid minesoil formation. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of liming pyritic minesoil to prevent the formation of acid minesoil and acid mine drainage. Pyritic minesoils that did not receive lime became acidic very rapidly and produced acidic leachate. Almost all of the FeS{sub 2} in this treatment oxidized during the first 200 d. The addition of lime at a rate of 25% of the theoretical acid-base account (ABA) significantly slowed FeS{sub 2} oxidation, but rapid oxidation ensued after the added lime was neutralized. Treatments receiving a liming rate of 50% ABA or greater remained neutral to alkaline throughout the study. Acid-base values and residual FeS{sub 2}-CO{sub 3} data, however, indicate that the lime was dissolving from the system faster than the FeS{sub 2} was oxidizing, and all the treatments would eventually become acidic. The results indicate that the liming of a pyritic overburden to an ABA of 125% is not a sustainable solution to preventing acid minesoil and acid mine drainage. 25 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.

  5. Adsorption of nucleic acid bases and amino acids on single-walled carbon and boron nitride nanotubes: a first-principles study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Jiaxin; Song, Wei; Wang, Lu; Lu, Jing; Luo, Guangfu; Zhou, Jing; Qin, Rui; Li, Hong; Gao, Zhengxiang; Lai, Lin; Li, Guangping; Mei, Wai Ning

    2009-11-01

    We study the adsorptions of nucleic acid bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), thymine (T), and uracil (U) and four amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, alanine on the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and boron nitride nanotubes (SWBNNTs) by using density functional theory. We find that the aromatic content plays a critical role in the adsorption. The adsorptions of nucleic acid bases and amino acids on the (7, 7) SWBNNT are stronger than those on the (7, 7) SWCNT. Oxidative treatment of SWCNTs favors the adsorption of biomolecules on nanotubes.

  6. BOOK REVIEW: Introduction to Black Hole Physics Introduction to Black Hole Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Takahiro

    2012-07-01

    Introduction to Black Hole Physics is a large volume (504 pages), and yet despite this it is still really an introductory text. The book gives an introduction to general relativity, but most of the text is dedicated to attracting the reader's attention to the interesting world of black hole physics. In this sense, the book is very distinct from other textbooks on general relativity. We are told that it was based on the lectures given by Professor Frolov, one of the authors, over the last 30 years. One can obtain the basic ideas about black holes, and also the necessary tips to understand general relativity at a very basic level. For example, in the discussion about particle motion in curved space, the authors start with a brief review on analytical mechanics. The book does not require its readers to have a great deal of knowledge in advance. If you are familiar with such a basic subject, you can simply omit that section. The reason why I especially picked up on this topic as an example is that the book devotes a significant number of pages to geodesic motions in black hole spacetime. One of the main motivations to study black holes is related to how they will actually be observed, once we develop the ability to observe them clearly. The book does explain such discoveries as, for instance, how the motion of a particle is related to a beautiful mathematical structure arising from the hidden symmetry of spacetime, which became transparent via the recent progress in the exploration of black holes in higher dimensions; a concise introduction to this latest topic is deferred to Appendix D, so as not to distract the reader with its mathematical complexities. It should be also mentioned that the book is not limited to general relativistic aspects: quantum fields on a black hole background and Hawking radiation are also covered. Also included are current hot topics, for instance the gravitational waves from a system including black holes, whose first direct detection is

  7. Remnant for all black objects due to gravity's rainbow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, Ahmed Farag, E-mail: afarag@zewailcity.edu.eg [Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (United States); Center for Fundamental Physics, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza 12588 (Egypt); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518 (Egypt); Faizal, Mir, E-mail: f2mir@uwaterloo.ca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada); Khalil, Mohammed M., E-mail: moh.m.khalil@gmail.com [Department of Electrical Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria 12544 (Egypt)

    2015-05-15

    We argue that a remnant is formed for all black objects in gravity's rainbow. This will be based on the observation that a remnant depends critically on the structure of the rainbow functions, and this dependence is a model independent phenomena. We thus propose general relations for the modified temperature and entropy of all black objects in gravity's rainbow. We explicitly check this to be the case for Kerr, Kerr–Newman-dS, charged-AdS, and higher dimensional Kerr–AdS black holes. We also try to argue that a remnant should form for black saturn in gravity's rainbow. This work extends our previous results on remnants of Schwarzschild black holes and black rings.

  8. Dissociation and homoconjugation equilibria of some acids and bases in N,N-dimethylformamide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roletto, E; Vanni, A

    1977-01-01

    The following monoprotic acids have been studied in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF): p-toluenesulphonic acid; 2,6-dichlorobenzoic acid; 2,5-dichlorophenol; the anilinium ion; the N-methyl-anilinium ion. The first dissociation step of malonic and succinic acids has also been studied. Dissociation and homoconjugation constants have been determined potentiometrically, at 25 degrees , in buffer solutions containing either the acid and its tetraethylammonium salt or the base and its picrate. Homoconjugation equilibria between unchanged acid and univalent conjugate base have been found not only for benzoic acid and phenol derivatives, but also between undissociated diprotic carboxylic acids and the corresponding monoanions, which are strongly intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded. Results are discussed with reference to previously published values.

  9. Boundary counterterms and the thermodynamics of 2-D black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, Joshua L.; McNees, Robert

    2005-01-01

    We utilize a novel method to study the thermodynamics of two dimensional type 0A black holes with constant RR flux. Our approach is based on the Hamilton-Jacobi method of deriving boundary counterterms. We demonstrate this approach by recovering the standard results for a well understood example, Witten's black hole. Between this example and the 0A black hole we find universal expressions for the entropy and black hole mass, as well as the infra-red divergence of the partition function. As a non-trivial check of our results we verify the first law of thermodynamics for these systems. Our results for the mass disagree with the predictions of a proposed matrix model dual of the 0A black hole

  10. A mathematical model of pH, based on the total stoichiometric concentration of acids, bases and ampholytes dissolved in water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mioni, Roberto; Mioni, Giuseppe

    2015-10-01

    In chemistry and in acid-base physiology, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation plays a pivotal role in studying the behaviour of the buffer solutions. However, it seems that the general function to calculate the valence of acids, bases and ampholytes, N = f(pH), at any pH, has only been provided by Kildeberg. This equation can be applied to strong acids and bases, pluriprotic weak acids, bases and ampholytes, with an arbitrary number of acid strength constants, pKA, including water. By differentiating this function with respect to pH, we obtain the general equation for the buffer value. In addition, by integrating the titration curve, TA, proposed by Kildeberg, and calculating its Legendre transform, we obtain the Gibbs free energy of pH (or pOH)-dependent titratable acid. Starting from the law of electroneutrality and applying suitable simplifications, it is possible to calculate the pH of the buffer solutions by numerical methods, available in software packages such as Excel. The concept of buffer capacity has also been clarified by Urbansky, but, at variance with our approach, not in an organic manner. In fact, for each set of monobasic, dibasic, tribasic acids, etc., various equations are presented which independently fit each individual acid-base category. Consequently, with the increase in acid groups (pKA), the equations become more and more difficult, both in practice and in theory. Some examples are proposed to highlight the boundary that exists between acid-base physiology and the thermodynamic concepts of energy, chemical potential, amount of substance and acid resistance.

  11. Affirmative action and the Black women in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serote, P

    1994-02-01

    An overview was given of how affirmative action for Blacks and women in South Africa in fact marginalizes Black women. The definition of the problem influences the solution; affirmative action obscures the complex nature of discrimination experienced by Black women by class, role, and culture and focuses only on gender and race. Secondly, the power of White women and Black men supercede the power of Black women. Apartheid benefitted White women over Black men. Affirmative action, as shifting power between groups, would solidify White women's power. The debates have taken place within university and academic contexts, a place where Black women have been excluded and the dominant groups are White men, followed by White women, and then Black men. The debate in the private sector also is devoid of Black women's voices; multinationals began to hire and train Black male managers, and there was criticism that standards were falling. Recruitment of Black women is unknown, but only 1.1% of managers are Black. Visibility within the academic and private sector debates has excluded Black women. In the articulation of ideas, most literature has been written by White men. The intersection of power and privilege belongs to males and White women as part of the larger dominant ideology. Black women's marginalization means their issues will not be addressed. The people who stand to benefit the most from affirmative action are those who are in need of improved living conditions, literacy, and employment, or those excluded from jobs and position in spite of being qualified. Black women without a societal power base have no bargaining power. To insure that Black women benefit, there is need to treat Black women as a distinctive group with priority. There is also a need to examine the myths that have been spun around Black women, their needs, abilities, and controlling images. There is a need to integrate Black womens ideas into the mainstream and recognize that maybe Black women need

  12. ECOLOGICAL SAFETY OF CITIZENS OF RECREATIONAL ZONES OF THE BLACK SEA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Г. Білявський

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to meaningfulness estimation of ecological control of sea aquatory in forming ofsafety ecological conditions for citizens of the Black Sea. The pecularity and the role of technogenic pollution ofsea aquatory of the Black Sea are estimated. The degrees of ecological safety and negative influences of technogenicobjects on people living in the Black Sea coast are defined. The reccomendations for ecologization of recreationalzones of the Black Seat are characterized. The main goal of the work is the ecological estimation of livingconditions for sitizens in the Black Sea on the bases of using of methodology of complex searching andmarking of protecting laws

  13. Horizons of radiating black holes in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, S. G.; Deshkar, D. W.

    2008-01-01

    A Vaidya-based model of a radiating black hole is studied in a 5-dimensional Einstein gravity with Gauss-Bonnet contribution of quadratic curvature terms. The structure and locations of the apparent and event horizons of the radiating black hole are determined

  14. Lectures on Black Hole Quantum Mechanics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilczek, Frank

    The lectures that follow were originally given in 1992, and written up only slightly later. Since then there have been dramatic developments in the quantum theory of black holes, especially in the context of string theory. None of these are reflected here. The concept of quantum hair, which is discussed at length in the lectures, is certainly of permanent interest, and I continue to believe that in some generalized form it will prove central to the whole question of how information is stored in black holes. The discussion of scattering and emission modes from various classes of black holes could be substantially simplified using modern techniques, and from currently popular perspectives the choice of examples might look eccentric. On the other hand fashions have changed rapidly in the field, and the big questions as stated and addressed here, especially as formulated for "real" black holes (nonextremal, in four-dimensional, asymptotically flat space-time, with supersymmetry broken), remain pertinent even as the tools to address them may evolve. The four lectures I gave at the school were based on two lengthy papers that have now been published, "Black Holes as Elementary Particles," Nuclear Physics B380, 447 (1992) and "Quantum Hair on Black Holes," Nuclear Physics B378, 175 (1992). The unifying theme of this work is to help make plausible the possibility that black holes, although they are certainly unusual and extreme states of matter, may be susceptible to a description using concepts that are not fundamentally different from those we use in describing other sorts of quantum-mechanical matter. In the first two lectures I discussed dilaton black holes. The fact that apparently innocuous changes in the "matter" action can drastically change the properties of a black hole is already very significant: it indicates that the physical properties of small black holes cannot be discussed reliably in the abstract, but must be considered with due regard to the rest of

  15. Merging Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, and Numerical Relativity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Centrella, Joan M.

    2009-01-01

    The final merger of two black holes will emit more energy than all the stars in the observable universe combined. This energy will come in the form of gravitational waves, which are a key prediction of Einstein's general relativity and a new tool for exploring the universe. Observing these mergers with gravitational wave detectors, such as the ground-based LIGO and the space-based LISA, requires knowledge of the radiation waveforms. Since these mergers take place in regions of extreme gravity, we need to solve Einstein's equations of general relativity on a computer. For more than 30 years, scientists have tried to compute black hole mergers using the methods of numerical relativity. The resulting computer codes were long plagued by instabilities, causing them to crash well before the black holes in the binary could complete even a single orbit. Within the past few years, however, this situation has changed dramatically, with a series of remarkable breakthroughs. This talk will focus on new simulations that are revealing the dynamics and w aefo rms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wave detection, testing general relativity, and astrophysics.

  16. Black holes are warm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ravndal, F.

    1978-01-01

    Applying Einstein's theory of gravitation to black holes and their interactions with their surroundings leads to the conclusion that the sum of the surface areas of several black holes can never become less. This is shown to be analogous to entropy in thermodynamics, and the term entropy is also thus applied to black holes. Continuing, expressions are found for the temperature of a black hole and its luminosity. Thermal radiation is shown to lead to explosion of the black hole. Numerical examples are discussed involving the temperature, the mass, the luminosity and the lifetime of black mini-holes. It is pointed out that no explosions corresponding to the prediction have been observed. It is also shown that the principle of conservation of leptons and baryons is broken by hot black holes, but that this need not be a problem. The related concept of instantons is cited. It is thought that understanding of thermal radiation from black holes may be important for the development of a quantified gravitation theory. (JIW)

  17. Is It because I'm Black? A Black Female Research Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maylor, Uvanney

    2009-01-01

    This article examines what it means to be a Black female researcher in contemporary Britain. Drawing on Black feminist theory and critical race theory (CRT), this article seeks to highlight some of the experiences and challenges that Black female researchers face when undertaking research, particularly research that has diversity, equality or…

  18. Promotion of Crystal Growth on Biomass-based Carbon using Phosphoric Acid Treatments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liwei Yu

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The effect of phosphoric acid treatments on graphitic microcrystal growth of biomass-based carbons was investigated using X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Although biomass-based carbons are believed to be hard to graphitize even after heat treatments well beyond 2000 °C, we found that graphitic microcrystals of biomass-based carbons were significantly promoted by phosphoric acid treatments above 800 °C. Moreover, twisted spindle-like whiskers were formed on the surface of the carbons. This suggests that phosphorus-containing groups turn graphitic microcrystalline domains into graphite during phosphoric acid treatments. In addition, the porous texture of the phosphoric acid-treated carbon has the advantage of micropore development.

  19. Acid-base transport by the renal proximal tubule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skelton, Lara A; Boron, Walter F; Zhou, Yuehan

    2010-01-01

    Each day, the kidneys filter 180 L of blood plasma, equating to some 4,300 mmol of the major blood buffer, bicarbonate (HCO3-). The glomerular filtrate enters the lumen of the proximal tubule (PT), and the majority of filtered HCO3- is reclaimed along the early (S1) and convoluted (S2) portions of the PT in a manner coupled to the secretion of H+ into the lumen. The PT also uses the secreted H+ to titrate non-HCO3- buffers in the lumen, in the process creating "new HCO3-" for transport into the blood. Thus, the PT - along with more distal renal segments - is largely responsible for regulating plasma [HCO3-]. In this review we first focus on the milestone discoveries over the past 50+ years that define the mechanism and regulation of acid-base transport by the proximal tubule. Further on in the review, we will summarize research still in progress from our laboratory, work that addresses the problem of how the PT is able to finely adapt to acid-base disturbances by rapidly sensing changes in basolateral levels of HCO3- and CO2 (but not pH), and thereby to exert tight control over the acid-base composition of the blood plasma.

  20. Mobility of gamma-emitting fission products in typical black and laterite soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Souza, T.J.; Mistry, K.B.

    1981-01-01

    Studies on the movement of the gamma-emitting fission products 106 Ru, 125 Sb, 137 Cs and 144 Ce, surface deposited on columns of the black and laterite soils revealed that the mobility of these nuclides in the two soils depended mainly on the ionic form of the nuclide, soil reaction and predominant clay mineral type in the soil. Results showed a rapid breakthrough of 106 Ru in the black soil and considerable migration to the lower layers in the laterite soil on leaching with rain water, or moderately high calcium or sodium irrigation waters. While near complete fixation of 144 Ce and 137 Cs in the top contaminated layer of both soils was observed, a slight movement of 125 Sb only in the black soil was noticed. Incorporation of organic matter had no effects on the movement of fission products in both soil types, whereas ethylenediaminetraacetic acid (EDTA) induced variable movement of the different radionuclides in the two soil types. (author)

  1. Extraction and characterization of gelatin biopolymer from black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) scales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sockalingam, K., E-mail: gd130106@siswa.uthm.edu.my; Abdullah, H. Z., E-mail: hasan@uthm.edu.my [Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor (Malaysia)

    2015-07-22

    Black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) fish wastes (scales) were evaluated for its suitability as sources of gelatin. Scales were subjected to acid treatment for demineralization before it undergoes thermal extraction process. The raw scales were characterized via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which demarcated the cycloid pattern of the scales. SEM images also reveal the presence of collagen fiber in the fish scale. The black tilapia fish scales yields 11.88 % of gelatin, indicating the possibility of this fish species as sources of gelatin. Further characterizations were done on both raw scale and extracted gelatin through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and proximate analysis. The scale gelatin shows high protein content (86.9 %) with low moisture (8.2 %) and ash (1.4 %). This further proves the effectiveness of the demineralization and extraction method used. The black tilapia fish scale is found to be a prospective source of gelatin with good chemical and functional properties.

  2. Extraction and characterization of gelatin biopolymer from black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) scales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sockalingam, K.; Abdullah, H. Z.

    2015-01-01

    Black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) fish wastes (scales) were evaluated for its suitability as sources of gelatin. Scales were subjected to acid treatment for demineralization before it undergoes thermal extraction process. The raw scales were characterized via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which demarcated the cycloid pattern of the scales. SEM images also reveal the presence of collagen fiber in the fish scale. The black tilapia fish scales yields 11.88 % of gelatin, indicating the possibility of this fish species as sources of gelatin. Further characterizations were done on both raw scale and extracted gelatin through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and proximate analysis. The scale gelatin shows high protein content (86.9 %) with low moisture (8.2 %) and ash (1.4 %). This further proves the effectiveness of the demineralization and extraction method used. The black tilapia fish scale is found to be a prospective source of gelatin with good chemical and functional properties

  3. Extraction and characterization of gelatin biopolymer from black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sockalingam, K.; Abdullah, H. Z.

    2015-07-01

    Black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) fish wastes (scales) were evaluated for its suitability as sources of gelatin. Scales were subjected to acid treatment for demineralization before it undergoes thermal extraction process. The raw scales were characterized via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which demarcated the cycloid pattern of the scales. SEM images also reveal the presence of collagen fiber in the fish scale. The black tilapia fish scales yields 11.88 % of gelatin, indicating the possibility of this fish species as sources of gelatin. Further characterizations were done on both raw scale and extracted gelatin through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and proximate analysis. The scale gelatin shows high protein content (86.9 %) with low moisture (8.2 %) and ash (1.4 %). This further proves the effectiveness of the demineralization and extraction method used. The black tilapia fish scale is found to be a prospective source of gelatin with good chemical and functional properties.

  4. Sizes of Black Holes Throughout the Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2018-05-01

    What is the distribution of sizes of black holes in our universe? Can black holes of any mass exist, or are there gaps in their possible sizes? The shape of this black-hole mass function has been debated for decades and the dawn of gravitational-wave astronomy has only spurred further questions.Mind the GapsThe starting point for the black-hole mass function lies in the initial mass function (IMF) for stellar black holes the beginning size distribution of black holes after they are born from stars. Instead of allowing for the formation of stellar black holes of any mass, theoretical models propose two gaps in the black-hole IMF:An upper mass gap at 50130 solar masses, due to the fact that stellar progenitors of black holes in this mass range are destroyed by pair-instability supernovae.A lower mass gap below 5 solar masses, which is argued to arise naturally from the mechanics of supernova explosions.Missing black-hole (BH) formation channels due to the existence of the lower gap (LG) and the upper gap (UG) in the initial mass function. a) The number of BHs at all scales are lowered because no BH can merge with BHs in the LG to form a larger BH. b) The missing channel responsible for the break at 10 solar masses, resulting from the LG. c) The missing channel responsible for the break at 60 solar masses, due to the interaction between the LG and the UG. [Christian et al. 2018]We can estimate the IMF for black holes by scaling a typical IMF for stars and then adding in these theorized gaps. But is this initial distribution of black-hole masses the same as the distribution that we observe in the universe today?The Influence of MergersBased on recent events, the answer appears to be no! Since the first detections of gravitational waves in September 2015, we now know that black holes can merge to form bigger black holes. An initial distribution of black-hole masses must therefore evolve over time, as mergers cause the depletion of low-mass black holes and an increase in

  5. School accountability and the black-white test score gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaddis, S Michael; Lauen, Douglas Lee

    2014-03-01

    Since at least the 1960s, researchers have closely examined the respective roles of families, neighborhoods, and schools in producing the black-white achievement gap. Although many researchers minimize the ability of schools to eliminate achievement gaps, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) increased pressure on schools to do so by 2014. In this study, we examine the effects of NCLB's subgroup-specific accountability pressure on changes in black-white math and reading test score gaps using a school-level panel dataset on all North Carolina public elementary and middle schools between 2001 and 2009. Using difference-in-difference models with school fixed effects, we find that accountability pressure reduces black-white achievement gaps by raising mean black achievement without harming mean white achievement. We find no differential effects of accountability pressure based on the racial composition of schools, but schools with more affluent populations are the most successful at reducing the black-white math achievement gap. Thus, our findings suggest that school-based interventions have the potential to close test score gaps, but differences in school composition and resources play a significant role in the ability of schools to reduce racial inequality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Common Acid-Base Disorders to Medical Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Marie Warrer; Toksvang, Linea Natalie; Plovsing, Ronni R.; Berg, Ronan M. G.

    2014-01-01

    The ability to recognize and diagnose acid-base disorders is of the utmost importance in the clinical setting. However, it has been the experience of the authors that medical students often have difficulties learning the basic principles of acid-base physiology in the respiratory physiology curriculum, particularly when applying this knowledge to…

  7. Jasmonic acid-mediated defense suppresses brassinosteroid-mediated susceptibility to Rice black streaked dwarf virus infection in rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yuqing; Zhang, Hehong; Sun, Zongtao; Li, Junmin; Hong, Gaojie; Zhu, Qisong; Zhou, Xuebiao; MacFarlane, Stuart; Yan, Fei; Chen, Jianping

    2017-04-01

    Plant hormones play a vital role in plant immune responses. However, in contrast to the relative wealth of information on hormone-mediated immunity in dicot plants, little information is available on monocot-virus defense systems. We used a high-throughput-sequencing approach to compare the global gene expression of Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV)-infected rice plants with that of healthy plants. Exogenous hormone applications and transgenic rice were used to test RBSDV infectivity and pathogenicity. Our results revealed that the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway was induced while the brassinosteroid (BR) pathway was suppressed in infected plants. Foliar application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) or brassinazole (BRZ) resulted in a significant reduction in RBSDV incidence, while epibrassinolide (BL) treatment increased RBSDV infection. Infection studies using coi1-13 and Go mutants demonstrated JA-mediated resistance and BR-mediated susceptibility to RBSDV infection. A mixture of MeJA and BL treatment resulted in a significant reduction in RBSDV infection compared with a single BL treatment. MeJA application efficiently suppressed the expression of BR pathway genes, and this inhibition depended on the JA coreceptor OsCOI1. Collectively, our results reveal that JA-mediated defense can suppress the BR-mediated susceptibility to RBSDV infection. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

  8. Efficient aspartic acid production by a psychrophile-based simple biocatalyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tajima, Takahisa; Hamada, Mai; Nakashimada, Yutaka; Kato, Junichi

    2015-10-01

    We previously constructed a Psychrophile-based Simple bioCatalyst (PSCat) reaction system, in which psychrophilic metabolic enzymes are inactivated by heat treatment, and used it here to study the conversion of aspartic acid from fumaric acid mediated by the activity of aspartate ammonia-lyase (aspartase). In Escherichia coli, the biosynthesis of aspartic acid competes with that of L-malic acid produced from fumaric acid by fumarase. In this study, E. coli aspartase was expressed in psychrophilic Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10 heat treated at 50 °C for 15 min. The resultant PSCat could convert fumaric acid to aspartic acid without the formation of L-malic acid because of heat inactivation of psychrophilic fumarase activity. Furthermore, alginate-immobilized PSCat produced high yields of aspartic acid and could be re-used nine times. The results of our study suggest that PSCat can be applied in biotechnological production as a new approach to increase the yield of target compounds.

  9. Acid-base properties of Baltic Sea dissolved organic matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammer, Karoline; Schneider, Bernd; Kuliński, Karol; Schulz-Bull, Detlef E.

    2017-09-01

    Calculations related to the marine CO2 system that are based on alkalinity data may be strongly biased if the contributions of organic compounds are ignored. In coastal seas, concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are frequently high and alkalinity from inorganic compounds is low. In this study, based on measurements of total alkalinity, total CO2, and pH, we determined the organic alkalinity, Aorg, in water from the central Baltic Sea. The maximum Aorg measured in the surface mixed layer during the spring bloom was > 50 μmol/kg-SW but the Aorg decreased with depth and approached zero below the permanent halocline. This behavior could be attributed to the decreased pH of deeper water layers. The data were used to calculate the bulk dissociation constant, KDOM, for marine DOM and the fraction f of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that acts as a carrier for acid-base functional groups. The p KDOM (7.27) agreed well with the value (7.34) previously estimated in a preliminary study of organic alkalinity in the Baltic Sea. The fraction of carbon atoms carrying acid-base groups was 17% and was somewhat higher than previously reported (12%). Spike experiments performed using artificial seawater and three different humic/fulvic substances tested whether the acid-base properties of these substances explain the results of our field study. Specifically, Aorg was determined at different concentrations (DOC) of the added humic/fulvic substances. The relationship between Aorg and the DOC concentrations indicated that humic/fulvic substances are more acidic (p KDOM < 6.5) than the bulk DOC natural occurring in the Baltic Sea.

  10. The stable problem of the black-hole connected region in the Schwarzschild black hole

    OpenAIRE

    Tian, Guihua

    2005-01-01

    The stability of the Schwarzschild black hole is studied. Using the Painlev\\'{e} coordinate, our region can be defined as the black-hole-connected region(r>2m, see text) of the Schwarzschild black hole or the white-hole-connected region(r>2m, see text) of the Schwarzschild black hole. We study the stable problems of the black-hole-connected region. The conclusions are: (1) in the black-hole-connected region, the initially regular perturbation fields must have real frequency or complex frequen...

  11. Acidic deposition: State of science and technology. Report 9. Current status of surface-water acid-base chemistry. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, L.A.; Kaufmann, P.R.; Brakke, D.F.; Herlihy, A.T.; Eilers, J.M.

    1990-09-01

    The report is based largely upon the National Surface Water Survey (NSWS), augmented by numerous smaller state and university surveys and many detailed watershed studies. In describing the current status of surface waters, the authors go far beyond the description of population statistics, although some of this is necessary, and direct their attention to the interpretation of these data. They address the question of the sources of acidity to surface waters in order to determine the relative importance of acidic deposition compared with other sources, such as naturally produced organic acids and acid mine drainage. They also examine in some detail what they call 'high interest' populations-the specific groups of lakes and streams most likely to be impacted by acidic deposition. The authors then turn to the general question of uncertainty, and finally examine low alkalinity surface waters in several other parts of the world to develop further inferences about the acid-base status of surface waters in the United States

  12. Intracellular pH regulation by acid-base transporters in mammalian neurons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruffin, Vernon A.; Salameh, Ahlam I.; Boron, Walter F.; Parker, Mark D.

    2014-01-01

    Intracellular pH (pHi) regulation in the brain is important in both physiological and physiopathological conditions because changes in pHi generally result in altered neuronal excitability. In this review, we will cover 4 major areas: (1) The effect of pHi on cellular processes in the brain, including channel activity and neuronal excitability. (2) pHi homeostasis and how it is determined by the balance between rates of acid loading (JL) and extrusion (JE). The balance between JE and JL determine steady-state pHi, as well as the ability of the cell to defend pHi in the face of extracellular acid-base disturbances (e.g., metabolic acidosis). (3) The properties and importance of members of the SLC4 and SLC9 families of acid-base transporters expressed in the brain that contribute to JL (namely the Cl-HCO3 exchanger AE3) and JE (the Na-H exchangers NHE1, NHE3, and NHE5 as well as the Na+- coupled HCO3− transporters NBCe1, NBCn1, NDCBE, and NBCn2). (4) The effect of acid-base disturbances on neuronal function and the roles of acid-base transporters in defending neuronal pHi under physiopathologic conditions. PMID:24592239

  13. Relativistic effects on acidities and basicities of Brønsted acids and bases containing gold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koppel, Ilmar A; Burk, Peeter; Kasemets, Kalev; Koppel, Ivar

    2013-11-07

    It is usually believed that relativistic effects as described by the Dirac-Schrödinger equation (relative to the classical or time-independent Schrödinger equation) are of little importance in chemistry. A closer look, however, reveals that some important and widely known properties (e.g., gold is yellow, mercury is liquid at room temperature) stem from relativistic effects. So far the influence of relativistic effects on the acid-base properties has been mostly ignored. Here we show that at least for compounds of gold such omission is completely erroneous and would lead to too high basicity and too low acidity values with errors in the range of 25-55 kcal mol(-1) (or 20 to 44 powers of ten in pK(a) units) in the gas-phase. These findings have important implications for the design of new superstrong acids and bases, and for the understanding of gold-catalysed reactions.

  14. Retarded coordinates based at a world line and the motion of a small black hole in an external universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poisson, Eric

    2004-01-01

    In the first part of this article I present a system of retarded coordinates based at an arbitrary world line of an arbitrary curved spacetime. The retarded-time coordinate labels forward light cones that are centered on the world line, the radial coordinate is an affine parameter on the null generators of these light cones, and the angular coordinates are constant on each of these generators. The spacetime metric in the retarded coordinates is displayed as an expansion in powers of the radial coordinate and expressed in terms of the world line's acceleration vector and the spacetime's Riemann tensor evaluated at the world line. The formalism is illustrated in two examples, the first involving a comoving world line of a spatially flat cosmology, the other featuring an observer in circular motion in the Schwarzschild spacetime. The main application of the formalism is presented in the second part of the article, in which I consider the motion of a small black hole in an empty external universe. I use the retarded coordinates to construct the metric of the small black hole perturbed by the tidal field of the external universe, and the metric of the external universe perturbed by the presence of the black hole. Matching these metrics produces the MiSaTaQuWa equations of motion for the small black hole

  15. Aerosol Fragmentation Driven by Coupling of Acid-Base and Free-Radical Chemistry in the Heterogeneous Oxidation of Aqueous Citric Acid by OH Radicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Matthew J; Wiegel, Aaron A; Wilson, Kevin R; Houle, Frances A

    2017-08-10

    A key uncertainty in the heterogeneous oxidation of carboxylic acids by hydroxyl radicals (OH) in aqueous-phase aerosol is how the free-radical reaction pathways might be altered by acid-base chemistry. In particular, if acid-base reactions occur concurrently with acyloxy radical formation and unimolecular decomposition of alkoxy radicals, there is a possibility that differences in reaction pathways impact the partitioning of organic carbon between the gas and aqueous phases. To examine these questions, a kinetic model is developed for the OH-initiated oxidation of citric acid aerosol at high relative humidity. The reaction scheme, containing both free-radical and acid-base elementary reaction steps with physically validated rate coefficients, accurately predicts the experimentally observed molecular composition, particle size, and average elemental composition of the aerosol upon oxidation. The difference between the two reaction channels centers on the reactivity of carboxylic acid groups. Free-radical reactions mainly add functional groups to the carbon skeleton of neutral citric acid, because carboxylic acid moieties deactivate the unimolecular fragmentation of alkoxy radicals. In contrast, the conjugate carboxylate groups originating from acid-base equilibria activate both acyloxy radical formation and carbon-carbon bond scission of alkoxy radicals, leading to the formation of low molecular weight, highly oxidized products such as oxalic and mesoxalic acid. Subsequent hydration of carbonyl groups in the oxidized products increases the aerosol hygroscopicity and accelerates the substantial water uptake and volume growth that accompany oxidation. These results frame the oxidative lifecycle of atmospheric aerosol: it is governed by feedbacks between reactions that first increase the particle oxidation state, then eventually promote water uptake and acid-base chemistry. When coupled to free-radical reactions, acid-base channels lead to formation of low molecular

  16. Carbonic anhydrase 5 regulates acid-base homeostasis in zebrafish.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruben Postel

    Full Text Available The regulation of the acid-base balance in cells is essential for proper cellular homeostasis. Disturbed acid-base balance directly affects cellular physiology, which often results in various pathological conditions. In every living organism, the protein family of carbonic anhydrases regulate a broad variety of homeostatic processes. Here we describe the identification, mapping and cloning of a zebrafish carbonic anhydrase 5 (ca5 mutation, collapse of fins (cof, which causes initially a collapse of the medial fins followed by necrosis and rapid degeneration of the embryo. These phenotypical characteristics can be mimicked in wild-type embryos by acetazolamide treatment, suggesting that CA5 activity in zebrafish is essential for a proper development. In addition we show that CA5 regulates acid-base balance during embryonic development, since lowering the pH can compensate for the loss of CA5 activity. Identification of selective modulators of CA5 activity could have a major impact on the development of new therapeutics involved in the treatment of a variety of disorders.

  17. Quantum aspects of black holes

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    Beginning with an overview of the theory of black holes by the editor, this book presents a collection of ten chapters by leading physicists dealing with the variety of quantum mechanical and quantum gravitational effects pertinent to black holes. The contributions address topics such as Hawking radiation, the thermodynamics of black holes, the information paradox and firewalls, Monsters, primordial black holes, self-gravitating Bose-Einstein condensates, the formation of small black holes in high energetic collisions of particles, minimal length effects in black holes and small black holes at the Large Hadron Collider. Viewed as a whole the collection provides stimulating reading for researchers and graduate students seeking a summary of the quantum features of black holes.

  18. Pride and Purpose as Antidotes to Black Homicidal Violence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Charles W.

    1987-01-01

    The incidence of black male homicide is a major public menace. The lowest incidence of black male homicide was when the black power movement was visible and flourishing. Psychohistorical data support the contention that racial pride is an effective means for regulating intragroup tensions. In the absence of an Afrocentric orientation that promotes community power and self-determination, the need for self-reliance is eroded by value illnesses. The value orientation of the black movement supplied the pride used to obtain academic success, to reduce juvenile delinquency, and to help Afro-Americans to structure their lives for personal satisfactions. Blackness has always been about personal power and social control, but society does not allow much access to either for Afro-Americans. As a consequence, stress from racism is severe, asymptomatic, and multi-faceted. The best antidote to black homicidal violence comes from a pro-social effort based upon a self-image that gives a feeling of positive accomplishment and appreciation. Afrocentric pride promotes or enhances pro-social behavior. PMID:3560242

  19. Influence of cooking on anthocyanins in black rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica var. SBR).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiemori, Miki; Koh, Eunmi; Mitchell, Alyson E

    2009-03-11

    The composition and thermal stability of anthocyanins in black rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica var. SBR) produced in California were investigated. Six anthocyanin pigments were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography using photo diode-array detection (HPLC-PDA) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry [LC-(ESI)MS/MS]. The predominant anthocyanins are cyanidin-3-glucoside (572.47 microg/g; 91.13% of total) and peonidin-3-glucoside (29.78 microg/g; 4.74% of total). Minor constituents included three cyanidin-dihexoside isomers and one cyanidin hexoside. Thermal stability of anthocyanins was assessed in rice cooked using a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or on a gas range. All cooking methods caused significant (P rice cooker (74.2%) and gas range (65.4%). Conversely, levels of protocatechuic acid increased 2.7 to 3.4 times in response to all cooking methods. These findings indicate that cooking black rice results in the thermal degradation of cyanidin-3-glucoside and concomitant production of protocatechuic acid.

  20. Synthesis of acid-base bifunctional mesoporous materials by oxidation and thermolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Xiaofang [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Jiefang Road 2519, Changchun 130023 (China); Zou, Yongcun [State Key Laboratory of Inoranic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistryg, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Wu, Shujie; Liu, Heng [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Jiefang Road 2519, Changchun 130023 (China); Guan, Jingqi, E-mail: guanjq@jlu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Jiefang Road 2519, Changchun 130023 (China); Kan, Qiubin, E-mail: qkan@jlu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Jiefang Road 2519, Changchun 130023 (China)

    2011-06-15

    Graphical abstract: A novel and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of acid-base bifunctional catalyst. The obtained sample of SO{sub 3}H-MCM-41-NH{sub 2} containing amine and sulfonic acids exhibits excellent catalytic activity in aldol condensation reaction. Research highlights: {yields} Synthesize acid-base bifunctional mesoporous materials SO{sub 3}H-MCM-41-NH{sub 2}. {yields} Oxidation and then thermolysis to generate acidic site and basic site. {yields} Exhibit good catalytic performance in aldol condensation reaction between acetone and various aldehydes. -- Abstract: A novel and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of acid-base bifunctional catalyst SO{sub 3}H-MCM-41-NH{sub 2}. This method was achieved by co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) carbamicacid-1-methylcyclohexylester (3TAME) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), followed by oxidation and then thermolysis to generate acidic site and basic site. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM) show that the resultant materials keep mesoporous structure. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), back titration, solid-state {sup 13}C CP/MAS NMR and solid-state {sup 29}Si MAS NMR confirm that the organosiloxanes were condensed as a part of the silica framework. The bifunctional sample (SO{sub 3}H-MCM-41-NH{sub 2}) containing amine and sulfonic acids exhibits excellent acid-basic properties, which make it possess high activity in aldol condensation reaction between acetone and various aldehydes.