Structures of OppA and PstS from Yersinia pestis indicate variability of interactions with transmembrane domains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanabe, Mikio; Mirza, Osman; Bertrand, Thomas

2007-01-01

-infective development. Here, the crystallization of five proteins (OppA, PstS, PiuA, YrbD and CysP) from Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, are reported that diffracted to resolution limits ranging from 1.6 to 5 A. The first crystal structures of ABC system components from Y. pestis, OppA and Pst...

Effects of subsoil compaction on hydraulic properties and preferential flow in a Swedish clay soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mossadeghi-Björklund, M; Arvidsson, J.; Keller, Thomas

2016-01-01

in saturated hydraulic conductivity, air permeability and number of macropores at the second site. At this site, the traffic also significantly reduced the strength of preferential flow, presumably due to compaction-induced disruption of macropore continuity. In apparent contrast, some previous studies have shown......Soil compaction by vehicular traffic modifies the pore structure and soil hydraulic properties. These changes potentially influence the occurrence of preferential flow, which so far has been little studied. Our aim was to study the effect of compaction on soil hydraulic and transport properties...... transport derived from non-reactive tracer breakthrough curves and measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and air permeability at the field moisture content (Ka). Although the traffic treatment did not cause any compaction effects at one of the two sites, it did result in significant reductions...

Dispersion Stability of O/W Emulsions with Different Oil Contents Under Various Freezing and Thawing Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Katsuki, Kazutaka; Miyagawa, Yayoi; Nakagawa, Kyuya; Adachi, Shuji

2017-07-01

Freezing and thawing of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion-type foods bring about oil-water separation and deterioration; hence, the effects of freezing and thawing conditions on the destabilization of O/W emulsions were examined. The freezing rate and thawing temperature hardly affected the stability of the O/W emulsion. O/W emulsions having different oil fractions were stored at temperatures ranging from -30 to -20 °C and then thawed. The stability after thawing depended on the storage temperature, irrespective of the oil fraction of the emulsion. A good correlation was found between the time at which the stability began to decrease and the time taken for the oil to crystalize. These results indicated that the dominant cause for the destabilization of the O/W emulsion during freezing and thawing is the crystallization of the oil phase and that the effects of the freezing and thawing rates on the stability are insignificant. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Organophosphorus pollutants (OPP) in aquatic environment at Damietta Governorate, Egypt: implications for monitoring and biomarker responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Halim, K Y; Salama, A K; El-Khateeb, E N; Bakry, N M

2006-06-01

The study was carried out from spring 1999 to spring 2001 to monitor the residue levels of organophosphorus pollutants (OPP) in aquatic environment of the drainage canal surrounding a pesticide factory at Damietta Governorate. Water, sediment, and fish samples were collected at six different seasonal periods. OPPs were analyzed by GLC and confirmed using GC-MS. Chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, malathion, diazinon, pirimiphos-methyl and profenofos were detected in most samples. Chlorpyrifos was dominant in all water and sediment samples. It was ranged from 24.5 to 303.8 and 0.9 to 303.8 ppb in water and sediment samples, respectively. Diazinon level was slightly similar to chlorpyrifos in fish samples. Data based on the grand total concentration of OPP showed that the most polluted samples were collected either at spring 1999 or autumn 2000. They were 675.5 and 303.8 ppb in water samples and 43.0 and 52.2 ppb in fish collected at spring 1999 and autumn 2000, respectively. The obtained results are in parallel to that found in case of cholinesterase activity where the activity of both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) was declined at these seasonal period. The activity levels of AChE and BuChE were found to be 77.18% and 59.67% of control at spring 1999 and 78.62% and 85.80% of control, at autumn 2000, respectively. Thus, AChE and BuChE could be used as biomarkers for tracing and biomonitoring OPP pollution.

Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) Frequently ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Alejandra

GrOW will take a broad perspective on the types of questions and evidence on ... question; (2) set the outcome in the broader context of the underlying programme theory, ... Communications from the GrOW team with applicants during the ... There are specific criteria and application processes for this call that should be.

OPP og indkøb af Facilities Management ydelser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Kristian

Dette er den 3. og sidste rapport i forskningsprojektet om OPP og indkøb af Facilities Management ydelser. Fokus er denne gang rettet mod bestræbelserne på at skabe større integration i byggeprocessen. Det vil blive undersøgt, hvorvidt sådanne bestræbelser – som der kan findes eksempler på både i...... UK og i Danmark – vil kunne fremme en inddragelse af Facilities Management viden i planlægning, projektering og udførelse. Denne problemstilling skal ses i forlængelse af det forudgående arbejde i forskningsprojektet....

Grid enablement of OpenGeospatial Web Services: the G-OWS Working Group

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzetti, Paolo

2010-05-01

In last decades two main paradigms for resource sharing emerged and reached maturity: the Web and the Grid. They both demonstrate suitable for building Distributed Computing Infrastructures (DCIs) supporting the coordinated sharing of resources (i.e. data, information, services, etc) on the Internet. Grid and Web DCIs have much in common as a result of their underlying Internet technology (protocols, models and specifications). However, being based on different requirements and architectural approaches, they show some differences as well. The Web's "major goal was to be a shared information space through which people and machines could communicate" [Berners-Lee 1996]. The success of the Web, and its consequent pervasiveness, made it appealing for building specialized systems like the Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs). In this systems the introduction of Web-based geo-information technologies enables specialized services for geospatial data sharing and processing. The Grid was born to achieve "flexible, secure, coordinated resource sharing among dynamic collections of individuals, institutions, and resources" [Foster 2001]. It specifically focuses on large-scale resource sharing, innovative applications, and, in some cases, high-performance orientation. In the Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) the most part of handled information is geo-referred (geo-information) since spatial and temporal meta-information is of primary importance in many application domains: Earth Sciences, Disasters Management, Environmental Sciences, etc. On the other hand, in several application areas there is the need of running complex models which require the large processing and storage capabilities that the Grids are able to provide. Therefore the integration of geo-information and Grid technologies might be a valuable approach in order to enable advanced ESS applications. Currently both geo-information and Grid technologies have reached a high level of maturity, allowing to build such an

77 FR 38043 - TRICARE; Revised Guideline for Determining the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-26

... within these private pay norms was chosen as a method to more equitably meet DoD's objectives in making...) Amount AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Notice of revised guideline for determining TRICARE's... the methodology to calculate TRICARE's OPPS General TMCPA amount for qualifying hospitals. DATES: The...

Systematic revision and palaeobiology of Rosenfeldia triasica and Rogeryon oppeli gen. et comb. nov. (Eucrustacea, Polychelida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Audo

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Polychelidan lobsters (Decapoda: Polychelida are crustaceans with extant species which are restricted to deep water environments. Fossil species, however, used to live in more varied palaeoenvironments, from shallow water to deep water, and were more diverse morphologically. We redescribe two species of polychelidan lobsters, the Late Triassic Rosenfeldia triasica Garassino, Teruzzi & Dalla Vecchia, 1996 and the Late Jurassic Eryon oppeli Woodward, 1866, recently assigned to the same genus, Rosenfeldia, based upon only a few characters. Our investigation of all available material of both species leads us to distinguish these two species and to erect Rogeryon gen. nov. to accommodate Eryon oppeli. The palaeobiology of both species is interpreted for the first time. Rosenfeldia triasica with its stout first pereiopods and mandibles with both incisor and molar processes (documented for the first time in Polychelida was benthic and probably fed either on slow-moving sedentary preys or was a scavenger. Rogeryon oppeli gen. et comb. nov. was benthic, visually adapted to shallow water palaeoenvironments, and possibly had a diet similar to that of slipper lobsters and horseshoe crabs. The redescription of these two species highlights the palaeobiological diversity of fossil polychelidans.

Incorporation of water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) double emulsion in a set-type yogurt model.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalou, Sofia; Kadri, Hani El; Gkatzionis, Konstantinos

2017-10-01

The effect of W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion incorporation in set-type yogurt on the acidification process, physicochemical properties, bacterial growth kinetics and structural characteristics was investigated. The W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion was formed by using a two-step homogenisation process and milk as the W 1 and W 2 phases, and stability was monitored with optical microscopy and cryo-SEM. Adding the W 1 /O/W 2 emulsions reduced the acidification rate, viscosity and water retention capacity. Texture (adhesiveness, cohesiveness, hardness, and gumminess) differed in yogurts containing W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion compared to controls during the acidification process, however, trends became stable during storage. The growth of S. thermophilus during the acidification process of yogurt was reduced in the presence of W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion while L. bulgaricus trended higher during storage. This study shows that yogurts containing W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion are feasible subject to processing modification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making Growth Work for Women in Low-income Countries (GrOW ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

This project is part of the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) program. GrOW is a five-year, multi-funder partnership with the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), The William ... In addition to 10 projects addressing the barriers to women's economic ... Careers · Contact Us · Site map.

Effects of quenched impurities on surface diffusion, spreading, and ordering of O/W(110)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nikunen, P.; Vattulainen, Ilpo Tapio; Ala-Nissila, T.

2002-01-01

We study how quenched impurities affect the surface diffusion and ordering of strongly interacting adsorbate atoms on surfaces. To this end, we carry out Monte Carlo simulations for a lattice-gas model of O/W(110), including small concentrations of immobile impurities which block their adsorption...

Do oil-in-water (O/W) nano-emulsions have an effect on survival and growth of bacteria?

Science.gov (United States)

Kadri, Hani El; Devanthi, Putu Virgina Partha; Overton, Tim W; Gkatzionis, Konstantinos

2017-11-01

Nano-emulsions (typically droplet diameternano-emulsions even in reference to similar microbial species and formulations. Following up, this study aimed to investigate the effect of nano-emulsions on four bacterial species (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and five Escherichia coli strains) possessing different surface charge and hydrophobicity. Model oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with different size of oil droplets were prepared with sunflower oil stabilised by polysorbate 80 (Tween80) emulsifier (hydrophilic), using high shear mixing followed by ultrasonication. The viability of bacteria was monitored by culture, membrane integrity was assessed with flow cytometric analysis with propidium iodide (PI) staining and fluorescence microscopy monitored the spatial distribution of cells within the O/W emulsions. The stability of the nano-O/W emulsions in the presence of bacteria was assessed by monitoring the droplet size [D (4, 3)] and creaming height. In contrast to other reports the survival and growth of bacteria was not affected by the size of the oil droplets, no damage to the bacterial membrane was evident with flow cytometry and emulsion stability was not affected by the presence of bacteria during 7days of storage. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of caprylic acid (CA) was compared between O/W coarse and nano-emulsions while varying the concentration of the hydrophilic surfactant Tween80. The activity of CA was similar in nano-emulsion and coarse emulsion; however, it was higher than in bulk oil and was reduced with increasing Tween80 concentration, suggesting that its efficacy is dictated by formulation rather than oil droplet size. The results demonstrated no enhanced antimicrobial activity due to nano-sized oil droplets and that conclusions on nano-emulsions should be taken with caution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding sustainable seafood consumption behavior: an examination of the Ocean Wise (OW initiative in British Columbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine M. Dolmage

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Sustainable seafood labeling programs have been developed as one of several efforts to address the current dire trends in fish stocks. The Ocean Wise (OW program, started at the Vancouver Aquarium (Canada, works with restaurateurs and suppliers to simplify sustainable purchasing decisions. By aiding restaurateurs with responsible purchasing, OW hopes to shift demand to sustainable seafood products. OW has grown in numbers and spread across Canada quickly; we examine the factors associated with individual and organizational decisions to participate in the program, including personal, business, and program-related factors. These factors were examined in relation to OW membership by Vancouver restaurateurs. Results show that restaurateurs with greater knowledge of seafood issues and restaurants with greater commitment to a range of green initiatives are more likely to participate in the OW program. By focusing efforts on education and incorporating a range of green values into marketing, OW can maximize their limited resources to grow membership.

Shear flow behaviour and emulsion-stabilizing effect of natural polysaccharide-protein gum in aqueous system and oil/water (O/W) emulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Amid, Bahareh Tabatabaee; Mirhosseini, Hamed

2013-03-01

The main objective of the current work was to characterize the shear rheological flow behaviour and emulsifying properties of the natural biopolymer from durian seed. The present study revealed that the extraction condition significantly affected the physical and functional characteristics of the natural biopolymer from durian seed. The dynamic oscillatory test indicated that the biopolymer from durian seed showed more gel (or solid) like behaviour than the viscous (or liquid) like behaviour (G'>G″) at a relatively high concentration (20%) in the fixed frequency (0.1 Hz). This might be explained by the fact that the gum coils disentangle at low frequencies during the long period of oscillation, thus resulting in more gel like behaviour than the viscous like behaviour. The average droplet size of oil in water (O/W) emulsions stabilized by durian seed gum significantly varied from 0.42 to 7.48 μm. The results indicated that O/W emulsions showed significant different stability after 4 months storage. This might be interpreted by the considerable effect of the extraction condition on the chemical and molecular structure of the biopolymer, thus affecting its emulsifying capacity. The biopolymer extracted by using low water to seed (W/S) ratio at the low temperature under the alkaline condition showed a relatively high emulsifying activity in O/W emulsion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigation of re-entry aerodynamic phenomena - Development of non-intrusive ?ow diagnostics in a Ludwieg tube

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schrijer, F.F.J.

2010-01-01

To further improve the design of hypersonic vehicles so that fully reusable systems become a reality, the detailed understanding of the ?ow ?eld that the vehicle generates is of paramount importance. The thesis deals with the aspects of experimental ?ow research which includes also the ?ow facility

Shell model description of 16O(p,γ)17F and 16O(p,p)16O reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennaceur, K.; Michel, N.; Okolowicz, J.; Ploszajczak, M.; Bennaceur, K.; Nowacki, F.; Okolowicz, J.

2000-01-01

We present shell model calculations of both the structure of 17 F and the reactions 16 O(p,γ) 17 F, 16 O(p,p) 16 O. We use the ZBM interaction which provides a fair description of the properties of 16 O and neighbouring nuclei and, in particular it takes account for the complicated correlations in coexisting low-lying states of 16 O. (authors)

Liquid waveguide spectrophotometric measurement of nanomolar ammonium in seawater based on the indophenol reaction with o-phenylphenol (OPP).

Science.gov (United States)

Hashihama, Fuminori; Kanda, Jota; Tauchi, Ami; Kodama, Taketoshi; Saito, Hiroaki; Furuya, Ken

2015-10-01

We describe a highly sensitive colorimetric method for the determination of nanomolar concentrations of ammonium in seawater based on the indophenol reaction with o-phenylphenol [(1,1'-biphenyl)-2-ol, abbreviated as OPP]. OPP is available as non-toxic, stable flaky crystals with no caustic odor and has some advantages over phenol in practical use. The method was established by using a gas-segmented continuous flow analyzer equipped with two types of long path liquid waveguide capillary cell, LWCCs (100 cm and 200 cm) and an UltraPath (200 cm), which have inner diameters of 0.55 mm and 2 mm, respectively. The reagent concentrations, flow rates of the pumping tubes, and reaction path and temperature were determined on the basis of a manual indophenol blue method with OPP (Kanda, Water Res. 29 (1995) 2746-2750). The sample mixed with reagents that form indophenol blue dye was measured at 670 nm. Aged subtropical surface water was used as a blank, a matrix of standards, and the carrier. The detection limits of the analytical systems with a 100 cm LWCC, a 200 cm LWCC, and a 200 cm UltraPath were 6, 4, and 4 nM, respectively. These systems had high precision (<4% at 100 nM) and a linear dynamic range up to 200 nM. Non-linear baseline drift did not occur when using the UltraPath system. This is due to the elimination of cell clogging because of the larger inner diameter of the UltraPath compared to the LWCCs. The UltraPath system is thus more suitable for long-term measurements compared with the LWCC systems. The results of the proposed sensitive colorimetry and a conventional colorimetry for the determination of seawater samples showed no significant difference. The proposed analytical systems were applied to underway surface monitoring and vertical observation in the oligotrophic South Pacific. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Utilisation of water-in-oil-water (W1/O/W2) double emulsion in a set-type yogurt model for the delivery of probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei.

Science.gov (United States)

El Kadri, Hani; Lalou, Sofia; Mantzouridou, FaniTh; Gkatzionis, Konstantinos

2018-05-01

W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion in set-type yogurt has the potential to segregate probiotics in order to avoid interference with the starter culture as well as protection against harsh processing and digestion conditions. Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei DC 412 probiotic cells in milk-based W 1 /O/W 2 emulsions were incorporated in yogurt, in addition to starter cultures Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, and the effect on the fermentation, bacterial growth kinetics, physicochemical properties, and structural characteristics was investigated. Stability of W 1 /O/W 2 was monitored with optical microscopy and cryo-SEM and localisation of encapsulated L. paracasei in yogurt was monitored using fluorescent microscopy. During fermentation, starter culture was not affected by introduction of L. paracasei and/or W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion. The viability of L. paracasei encapsulated in W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion was enhanced during storage and after exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. L. paracasei remained within the inner W 1 phase till the end of the storage period (28 days at 4 °C). Moreover, W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion altered physicochemical and textural properties; however, these were within acceptable range. These results demonstrate the capability of W 1 /O/W 2 emulsion to be utilised for probiotic fortification of yogurt to increase functionality without interfering with starter culture and fermentation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of gelation of inner dispersed phase on stability of (w1/o/w2) multiple emulsions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oppermann, A.K.L.; Renssen, M.; Schuch, A.; Stieger, M.A.; Scholten, E.

2015-01-01

The use of water-in-oil-in-water (w1/o/w2) multiple emulsions offers a method for the reduction of oil in foods. In this study we investigated the influence of osmotic pressure tailoring and gelation of the inner dispersed w1 water droplets on the stability and yield of multiple emulsions. Yield is

Physical characteristic and irritation index of Syzigium aromaticum essential oil in O/W and W/O creams

Science.gov (United States)

Safriani, R.; Sugihartini, N.; Yuliani, S.

2017-11-01

Essential oil of Syzigium aromaticum has been formulated in O/W and W/O creams as anti-inflammatory dosage form. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical characteristic and irritation index of S. aromaticum essential oil in O/W and W/O creams. The creams were made by fusion method. The creams then were evaluated the physical characteristic including pH, viscosity, spreadability and adhesivity. The irritation index was obtained by irritation skin test in male rabbit. The results showed that the W/O and O/W creams have the value of pH: 6.3 and 6.27; spreadability: 3,18 and 4.17 cm2; adhesivity: 5.59 and 0.07 minutes; viscosity: 4.43 and 2.88 Pa.S, respectively. The irritation test showed that the control enhancer caused mild irritation in both of W/O and O/W creams. These findings indicated that type of cream might influence the physical characteristic and irritation index of S. aromaticum essential oil cream.

Stabilizing effect of cetostearyl alcohol and glyceryl monostearate as co-emulsifiers on hydrocarbon-free O/W glyceride creams.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballmann, C; Mueller, B W

2008-01-01

The structure of a stable O/W cream is characterized by a more or less pronounced mixed crystal bilayer. The addition of co-emulsifiers in order to achieve a soft formulation often leads to a mixed crystal bilayer network of high viscosity and even phase separation. In order to ovoid this components of different chemical identities are used which often are not inert or harmless if they are absorbed. For this reason it seems to be interesting to use only components from one chemical family, e.g. to use only glycerides and their derivatives because in the case of absorption they are metabolized. The disadvantages of glyceride creams are, however, their low viscosity. The aim of this investigation was to find the optimum amount of co-emulsifier as consistency excipient for the basic formulation of an O/W glyceride cream. This was achieved by using differential scanning calorimetry; thermogravimetry, oscillation rheology and various stress tests. The amount of co-emulsifier used should not be too high, as it would crystallize increasingly during storage which gives the preparation an optical inhomogenity and a lack in softness which is needed for a suitable cosmetic acceptance. A slightly higher concentration than is necessary for the mixed emulsifier system can be advantageous, as the formation of a separate crystalline lipophilic network in the preparation increases its viscosity which will lead to a higher physico-chemical stability of the formulation. These results were obtained with the co-emulsifiers glyceryl monostearate (Imwitor 900), cetylstearyl alcohol (Lanette O), and PEG-20-glycerolstearate (Tagat S2) as O/W emulsifier. As oil phase a mixture of Miglyol 812 (caprylic/capric triglyceride) and Avocado oil was used.

Semantic Mediation via Access Broker: the OWS-9 experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Santoro, Mattia; Papeschi, Fabrizio; Craglia, Massimo; Nativi, Stefano

2013-04-01

Even with the use of common data models standards to publish and share geospatial data, users may still face semantic inconsistencies when they use Spatial Data Infrastructures - especially in multidisciplinary contexts. Several semantic mediation solutions exist to address this issue; they span from simple XSLT documents to transform from one data model schema to another, to more complex services based on the use of ontologies. This work presents the activity done in the context of the OGC Web Services Phase 9 (OWS-9) Cross Community Interoperability to develop a semantic mediation solution by enhancing the GEOSS Discovery and Access Broker (DAB). This is a middleware component that provides harmonized access to geospatial datasets according to client applications preferred service interface (Nativi et al. 2012, Vaccari et al. 2012). Given a set of remote feature data encoded in different feature schemas, the objective of the activity was to use the DAB to enable client applications to transparently access the feature data according to one single schema. Due to the flexible architecture of the Access Broker, it was possible to introduce a new transformation type in the configured chain of transformations. In fact, the Access Broker already provided the following transformations: Coordinate Reference System (CRS), spatial resolution, spatial extent (e.g., a subset of a data set), and data encoding format. A new software module was developed to invoke the needed external semantic mediation service and harmonize the accessed features. In OWS-9 the Access Broker invokes a SPARQL WPS to retrieve mapping rules for the OWS-9 schemas: USGS, and NGA schema. The solution implemented to address this problem shows the flexibility and extensibility of the brokering framework underpinning the GEO DAB: new services can be added to augment the number of supported schemas without the need to modify other components and/or software modules. Moreover, all other transformations (CRS

Stability of O/W Emulsion with Synthetic Perfumes Oxidized by Singlet Oxygen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naoki Watabe

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We prepared O/W emulsion composed of a synthetic perfume, n-dodecane, protoporphyrin IX disodium salt (PpIX-2Na, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and water and investigated oxidative decomposition of the synthetic perfume in the emulsion and change in the stability of the emulsion by singlet oxygen (1O2 generated by photosensitization of PpIX-2Na. We used eugenol, linalool, benzyl acetate, α-ionone, α-hexylcinnamaldehyde, and d-limonene as a synthetic perfume. The stability of the O/W emulation including eugenol and linalool significantly decreased with increasing light irradiation time. The decrease in the emulsion stability may be attributable to oxidative decomposition of eugenol and linalool by 1O2 and enlargement of the oil droplet size.

LES of flow in the street canyon

OpenAIRE

Brechler Josef; Fuka Vladimír

2012-01-01

Results of computer simulation of flow over a series of street canyons are presented in this paper. The setup is adapted from an experimental study by [4] with two different shapes of buildings. The problem is simulated by an LES model CLMM (Charles University Large Eddy Microscale Model) and results are analysed using proper orthogonal decomposition and spectral analysis. The results in the channel (layout from the experiment) are compared with results with a free top boundary.

OPPE, FPPE, QPS, and why the alphabet soup of physician assessment is essential for safer patient care.

Science.gov (United States)

Loftus, Michael L

Creating a successful quality and patient safety program requires a multifaceted approach that systematically reviews overall systems and processes, but also creates a standardized framework for evaluating individual practitioner performance on a routine basis. There are two required elements of competency assessment that are typically tied to the hospital credentialing process: ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) and focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE). Each of these processes are mandated by the Joint Commission, and form an important cornerstone for ensuring adequate physician performance and knowledge base. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Evaluation of a mid-career investigator career development award: Assessing the ability of OppNet K18 awardees to obtain NIH follow-on research funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Pomeroy-Carter, Cassidy A; Williams, Sharon R; Han, Xueying; Elwood, William N; Zuckerman, Brian L

2018-01-01

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) K18 award mechanism provides funded opportunities for established investigators to gain knowledge in fields outside of their primary disciplines, but outcomes associated with these awards have not been evaluated to date. NIH's Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences Opportunity Network (OppNet) is one of the few initiatives that has used this award mechanism. We explored how the unique features of K18 awards affect the ability of recipients to obtain follow-on NIH research funding. We compared outcomes (ability to obtain follow-on funding and interval between receipt of the primary award and receipt of the first follow-on award) associated with OppNet K18 awards to findings from evaluations of other NIH career development (K) awards, which usually target early-career investigators. We hypothesized that K18 award recipients might be (1) more successful than are other K award recipients in obtaining follow-on NIH research funding due to their career experience or (2) less successful due to the competing demands of other projects. By analyzing follow-on NIH research awards and interview data, we found that OppNet K18 award recipients were at least as successful as were other K award recipients in obtaining follow-on funding and may have been more successful by certain measures. K18 awards produce their outcomes with a lower investment per investigator than do other K awards, suggesting continued or enhanced use of the mechanism.

Evaluation of a mid-career investigator career development award: Assessing the ability of OppNet K18 awardees to obtain NIH follow-on research funding.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cassidy A Pomeroy-Carter

Full Text Available The National Institutes of Health (NIH K18 award mechanism provides funded opportunities for established investigators to gain knowledge in fields outside of their primary disciplines, but outcomes associated with these awards have not been evaluated to date. NIH's Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences Opportunity Network (OppNet is one of the few initiatives that has used this award mechanism. We explored how the unique features of K18 awards affect the ability of recipients to obtain follow-on NIH research funding. We compared outcomes (ability to obtain follow-on funding and interval between receipt of the primary award and receipt of the first follow-on award associated with OppNet K18 awards to findings from evaluations of other NIH career development (K awards, which usually target early-career investigators. We hypothesized that K18 award recipients might be (1 more successful than are other K award recipients in obtaining follow-on NIH research funding due to their career experience or (2 less successful due to the competing demands of other projects. By analyzing follow-on NIH research awards and interview data, we found that OppNet K18 award recipients were at least as successful as were other K award recipients in obtaining follow-on funding and may have been more successful by certain measures. K18 awards produce their outcomes with a lower investment per investigator than do other K awards, suggesting continued or enhanced use of the mechanism.

LES of flow in the street canyon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brechler Josef

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Results of computer simulation of flow over a series of street canyons are presented in this paper. The setup is adapted from an experimental study by [4] with two different shapes of buildings. The problem is simulated by an LES model CLMM (Charles University Large Eddy Microscale Model and results are analysed using proper orthogonal decomposition and spectral analysis. The results in the channel (layout from the experiment are compared with results with a free top boundary.

Long-term stability investigation of o/w cosmetic creams stabilized by mixed emulsifier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đekić Ljiljana M.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate (PMD, TEGO® Care 450, Evonik, Germanyis natural (vegetable, non-ionic, PEG-free emulsifier, suitable for the formulation of oil-in-water (o/w cosmetic creams and lotions. The oil phase components can be selected from mineral oils, vegetable oils and synthetic esters, which enable different variety of application profile of these emulsions. It is possible to prepare stable emulsions using low-level concentration of the PMD (2-3% if lotions contain 10-25%, and creams 20-40 % of oil phase. PMD forms liquid crystal structure in the presence of stearic acid, glyceryl stearate, fatty alcohols, or their combinations. The o/w type creams, stabilized by these mixed emulsifiers are complex, multiphase systems. The aim of this work was to formulate, prepare and investigate long-term stability of the o/w creams stabilized by mixed emulsifier polyglyceryl-3 methylglucose distearate/glyceryl stearate/stearyl alcohol, depending on concentration levels of PMD (2% or 3% and oil:water phase ratio (20:80 and 30:70. The samples were prepared using hot/hot procedure. Organoleptic inspection, centrifugation test, rheological measurements, electric conductivity and pH value measurements were performed 72 h, 1, 3, 12 and 30 months after preparation. The prepared samples were apparently white and homogenous creams. The consistency and homogeneity were preserved after centrifugation of the creams after 72 h, 1, 3, 12 and 30 months storage, and no phase separation could be detected. The pH values obtained are suitable for skin application. Conductivity values (25.2-63.7 μS cm1, 72 h after preparation were attributed to the multiple phase o/w emulsions with high percentages of fixed water. Results of the rheological measurements have shown that the investigated creams exhibited non-Newtonian thyxotropic behavior. The concentration of emulsifier PMD and oil phase content had an influence on the rheological parameters of investigated

Effectiveness of water-air and octanol-air partition coefficients to predict lipophilic flavor release behavior from O/W emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamaru, Shunji; Igura, Noriyuki; Shimoda, Mitsuya

2018-01-15

Flavor release from food matrices depends on the partition of volatile flavor compounds between the food matrix and the vapor phase. Thus, we herein investigated the relationship between released flavor concentrations and three different partition coefficients, namely octanol-water, octanol-air, and water-air, which represented the oil, water, and air phases present in emulsions. Limonene, 2-methylpyrazine, nonanal, benzaldehyde, ethyl benzoate, α-terpineol, benzyl alcohol, and octanoic acid were employed. The released concentrations of these flavor compounds from oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were measured under equilibrium using static headspace gas chromatography. The results indicated that water-air and octanol-air partition coefficients correlated with the logarithms of the released concentrations in the headspace for highly lipophilic flavor compounds. Moreover, the same tendency was observed over various oil volume ratios in the emulsions. Our findings therefore suggest that octanol-air and water-air partition coefficients can be used to predict the released concentration of lipophilic flavor compounds from O/W emulsions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Graphene Quantum Dots/Eggshell Membrane Composite as a Nano-sorbent for Preconcentration and Determination of Organophosphorus Pesticides by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

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Vahideh Abdollahi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this study graphene quantum dots/eggshell membrane nanocomposite (GQDS/ESM is prepared and used as an efficient solid-phase extraction (SPE sorbent for preconcentration of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs from aqueous solutions. The retained analytes on the sorbent are stripped by acetonitrile and subsequently are determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of OPPs on the GQDS/ESM, such as solution pH, amount of nano-sorbent, sample loading flow rate, elution conditions and sample volume are investigated. The results demonstrated that the proposed method has a wide dynamic linear range (0.05–100 ng mL-1, good linearity (R2>0.997 and low detection limits (0.006-0.32 ng mL-1. High enrichment factors are achieved ranging from 110 to 140. In the optimum experimental conditions, the established method is successfully applied for the determination of OPPs in spiked water samples (well, tap, shaft and canal and apple juice. Satisfactory recovery results show that the sample matrices under consideration do not significantly affect the extraction process.

Spatial affects and imitations in OWS and Distortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Samson, Kristine

the notions of affect (Thrift 2008, Ash & Amin 2002, Anderson & Holden 2008) and imitation (Tarde 1903), the paper will discuss recent urban crowd movements. OWS has spread a global social activist movement using affective bodily means of communication, whereas Distortion is a cultural street festival taking...... manner. For instance, both crowds do not merely gather and organize in terms of verbal communication, rather they organize virally, visually and through bodily affects and imitation. In that sense they appropriate urban space and its architectural design ”like viruses that hop between people, thereby...

Oil palm phenolics confer neuroprotective effects involving cognitive and motor functions in mice

Science.gov (United States)

Leow, Soon-Sen; Sekaran, Shamala Devi; Tan, YewAi; Sundram, Kalyana; Sambanthamurthi, Ravigadevi

2013-01-01

Objectives Phenolics are important phytochemicals which have positive effects on chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative ailments. The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a rich source of water-soluble phenolics. This study was carried out to discover the effects of administering oil palm phenolics (OPP) to mice, with the aim of identifying whether these compounds possess significant neuroprotective properties. Methods OPP was given to BALB/c mice on a normal diet as fluids for 6 weeks while the controls were given distilled water. These animals were tested in a water maze and on a rotarod weekly to assess the effects of OPP on cognitive and motor functions, respectively. Using Illumina microarrays, we further explored the brain gene expression changes caused by OPP in order to determine the molecular mechanisms involved. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction experiments were then carried out to validate the microarray data. Results We found that mice given OPP showed better cognitive function and spatial learning when tested in a water maze, and their performance also improved when tested on a rotarod, possibly due to better motor function and balance. Microarray gene expression analysis showed that these compounds up-regulated genes involved in brain development and activity, such as those under the regulation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor. OPP also down-regulated genes involved in inflammation. Discussion These results suggest that the improvement of mouse cognitive and motor functions by OPP is caused by the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of the extract. PMID:23433062

Interfacial (o/w) properties of naphthetic acids and metal naphthenates, naphtenic acid characterization and metal naphthenate inhibition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandal, Oeystein

2005-07-01

Deposition of metal naphthenates in process facilities is becoming a huge problem for petroleum companies producing highly acidic crudes. In this thesis, the main focus has been towards the oil-water (o/w) interfacial properties of naphthenic acids and their ability to react with different divalent cations across the interface to form metal naphthenates. The pendant drop technique was utilized to determine dynamic interfacial tensions (IFT) between model oil containing naphthenic acid, synthetic as well as indigenous acid mixtures, and pH adjusted water upon addition of different divalent cations. Changes in IFT caused by the divalent cations were correlated to reaction mechanisms by considering two reaction steps with subsequent binding of acid monomers to the divalent cation. The results were discussed in light of degree of cation hydration and naphthenic acid conformation, which affect the interfacial conditions and thus the rate of formation of 2:1 complexes of acid and cations. Moreover, addition of non-ionic oil-soluble surfactants used as basis compounds in naphthenate inhibitors was found to hinder a completion of the reaction through interfacial dilution of the acid monomers. Formation and stability of metal naphthenate films at o/w interfaces were studied by means of Langmuir technique with a trough designed for liquid-liquid systems. The effects of different naphthenic acids, divalent cations, and pH of the subphase were investigated. The results were correlated to acid structure, cation hydration, and degree of dissociation, which all affect the film stability against compression. Naphthenic acids acquired from a metal naphthenate deposit were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. The sample was found to consist of a narrow family of 4-protic naphthenic acids with molecular weights around 1230 g/mol. These acids were found to be very o/w interfacially active compared to normal crude acids, and to form Langmuir monolayers with stability

New Oils for Cosmetic O/W Emulsions: In Vitro/In Vivo Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovana Damasceno Sousa

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to design new cosmetic formulations containing oils from catolé, licuri and spent coffee grounds, and to evaluate their immediate and long-term effects on skin barrier function and skin hydration. Nonionic oil-in-water (o/w emulsions were prepared and physicochemically characterized. The effects of the formulations were assessed by volunteers and by measuring the water content of the epidermis (WCE and transepidermal water loss (TEWL both two hours and 20 days after daily application. The irritation potential was evaluated using three different methods: the Hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane test (HET-CAM; the observation of undesirable effects after skin formulation application, and by using the L*a*b* system to verify changes in skin coloring. The results obtained showed that the formulations containing 10% of these oils presented promising characteristics in the improvement of hydration and skin barrier function when compared to the baseline values and with the placebo cream. According to the sensory evaluation performed, all creams were found to have great acceptability.

Relationship between concentration of surfactant and pressure for droplet creation, and effect on droplet size in microchannel O/W emulsification; Maikurochaneru ni yoru O/W nyukaho ni okeru kaimen kasseizai nodo to ekiteki seisei atsuryoku no kankei, oyobi koreraga ekitekikei ni oyobosu eikyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawakatsu, T.; Komori, H.; Oda, N.; Yonemoto, T. [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Graduate School of Engineering

1998-03-01

O/W (oil in water) emulsion is produced by micro-channel emulsification method, and the effects of surfactant concentration on the pressures at which droplet generation starts and stops are evaluated in connection with the water phase and oil phase interfacial tension. In addition, the effects of surfactant concentration and operational pressure on the droplet size are investigated by measuring the generated droplet distribution, mean droplet size, standard deviation, geometrical standard deviation, and the possibility of producing mono-dispersion emulsion whose droplet size is large than 10 micron. The breakthrough pressure and the minimum pressure for droplet generation become low with the increase of SDS (sodium lauryl sulfate) concentration. The surfactant concentration, however, is found to have no effect on the breakthrough pressure and the minimum pressure for droplet generation when the SDS concentration exceeds the critical micelle concentration. It is true also for a system added with NaCl. As regards droplet size, uniform 20{mu}m droplet is obtained irrespective of the surfactant concentration and pressure. 13 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

extrap: Software to assist the selection of extrapolation methods for moving-boat ADCP streamflow measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, David S.

2013-01-01

Selection of the appropriate extrapolation methods for computing the discharge in the unmeasured top and bottom parts of a moving-boat acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) streamflow measurement is critical to the total discharge computation. The software tool, extrap, combines normalized velocity

Oil encapsulation in core-shell alginate capsules by inverse gelation II: comparison between dripping techniques using W/O or O/W emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Evandro; Poncelet, Denis; Rodrigues, Ramila Cristiane; Renard, Denis

2017-09-01

In the first part of this article, it was described an innovative method of oil encapsulation from dripping-inverse gelation using water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. It was noticed that the method of oil encapsulation was quite different depending on the emulsion type (W/O or oil-in-water (O/W)) used and that the emulsion structure (W/O or O/W) had a high impact on the dripping technique and the capsules characteristics. The objective of this article was to elucidate the differences between the dripping techniques using both emulsions and compare the capsule properties (mechanical resistance and release of actives). The oil encapsulation using O/W emulsions was easier to perform and did not require the use of emulsion destabilisers. However, capsules produced from W/O emulsions were more resistant to compression and showed the slower release of actives over time. The findings detailed here widened the knowledge of the inverse gelation and gave opportunities to develop new techniques of oil encapsulation.

Treatment of trace organic compounds in common onsite wastewater systems

Science.gov (United States)

Robert Siegrist,; Conn, Kathleen E.

2015-01-01

Onsite wastewater systems (OWS) have historically been relied on to treat conventional pollutants and pathogens in a fashion similar to that expected from centralized wastewater systems. However, based on the occurrence of, and potential effects from, contaminants of emerging concern in wastewaters, OWS as well as centralized systems need to account for these compounds in system design and use. One group of contaminants involves organic compounds such as those associated with consumer product chemicals and pharmaceuticals, which are collectively referred to as trace organic compounds (TOrCs) due to their very low levels (e.g., ng/L to ug/L) relative to other pollutants. The question being confronted today is how best to account for TOrCs in onsite system design and use while also achieving other goals such as system simplicity, limited operation and maintenance requirements, low cost, and sustainability. In contrast to conventional pollutants such as nutrients and pathogens which have specific and achievable treatment goals, there are currently no enforceable treatment standards for TOrCs, which often have non-traditional toxicological endpoints (i.e. endocrine disruption). As highlighted in this paper, there are a large number of TOrCs that can be present in OWS and they have different properties, can be present at different frequencies of occurrence and concentrations, and have different susceptibilities to treatment in OWS. In general, based on the studies summarized in this paper, TOrCs normally should not require additional considerations beyond those for conventional pollutants and pathogens (e.g., nitrogen or bacteria and virus) during design and use of OWS. That said, there are situations where TOrCs could be a serious concern warranting special consideration in system design and use. In this paper, the frequency of occurrence of TOrCs and the range of concentrations encountered are highlighted. An evolving approach is outlined that could help assess the

In vivo postprandial bioavailability of interesterified-lipids in sodium-caseinate or chitosan based O/W emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Farfán, M; Villalón, M J; Ortíz, M E; Nieto, S; Bouchon, P

2015-03-15

Recent studies have shown that it should be possible to control lipid bioavailability through food structural approaches. Nevertheless, the gastrointestinal-tract physiological conditions must also be considered. To get a better understanding of this phenomenon, we evaluated the effect of emulsification, as well as the use of sodium caseinate or chitosan, on the postprandial bioavailability of interesterified-lipids in O/W emulsions after oral gastric feeding Sprague-Dawley rats. We verified that emulsification may increase lipid absorption, as determined after feeding sodium-caseinate emulsions. However, this result could not be generalised. Interesterified-lipids that were emulsified with chitosan were equally absorbed as those contained in non-emulsified interesterified-lipids/distilled-water blends. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Exposing the impact of opp(reg)ressive policies on teacher development and on student learning

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Alberto J.

2010-12-01

This case study draws attention to Pedro's story, a Grade 6 Latino teacher who, along with other grade 4-6 teachers, participated in a three-year professional development research project. By using data analyzed from multiple ethnographic interviews with teachers and students, and by drawing from the quantitative analyzes of concept map unit tests, we illustrate how Pedro's significant professional growth and his students' learning were truncated by top-down school district policies. These policies were implemented because of the punitive nature of the No Child Left Behind Act. Simply put, this case study exposes the impact of opp(reg)ressive policies on learning, that is, policies simultaneously oppressive and regressive. The critical perspective of the project, and its emphasis on assisting teachers to make their pedagogy and curriculum more culturally and socially relevant, was informed by sociotransformative constructivism (sTc). This is a theoretical framework that affords equal importance to cross-cultural education (learning about and acting on socially/culturally relevant issues) and social constructivism (learning to critically produce and consume knowledge). We hope that this case study will provide additional insights into the slow progress we continue to make in science teacher professional development and in closing the achievement gap.

Transdermal delivery of hydrophobic and hydrophilic local anesthetics from o/w and w/o Brij 97-based microemulsions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Junyaprasert, Varaporn Buraphacheep; Boonme, Prapaporn; Songkro, Sarunyoo

2007-01-01

To characterize the physicochemical properties of drug-loaded oil-in-water (o/w) and water-in-oil (w/o) Brij 97-based microemulsions in comparison to their blank counterparts and to investigate the influence of microemulsion type on in vitro skin permeation of model hydrophobic drugs...

Highly effective catalytic peroxymonosulfate activation on N-doped mesoporous carbon for o-phenylphenol degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Jifei; Yang, Shasha; Wan, Haiqin; Fu, Heyun; Qu, Xiaolei; Xu, Zhaoyi; Zheng, Shourong

2018-04-01

As a broad-spectrum preservative, toxic o-phenylphenol (OPP) was frequently detected in aquatic environments. In this study, N-doped mesoporous carbon was prepared by a hard template method using different nitrogen precursors and carbonization temperatures (i.e., 700, 850 and 1000 °C), and was used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for OPP degradation. For comparison, mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) was also prepared. Characterization results showed that the N-doped mesoporous carbon samples prepared under different conditions were perfect replica of their template. In comparison with ethylenediamine (EDA) and dicyandiamide (DCDA) as the precursors, N-doped mesoporous carbon prepared using EDA and carbon tetrachloride as the precursors displayed a higher catalytic activity for OPP degradation. Increasing carbonization temperature of N-doped mesoporous carbon led to decreased N content and increased graphitic N content at the expense of pyridinic and pyrrolic N. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis showed that PMS activation on N-doped mesoporous carbon resulted in highly active species and singlet oxygen, and catalytic PMS activation for OPP degradation followed a combined radical and nonradical reaction mechanism. Increasing PMS concentration enhanced OPP degradation, while OPP degradation rate was independent on initial OPP concentration. Furthermore, the dependency of OPP degradation on PMS concentration followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, reflecting that the activation of adsorbed PMS was the rate controlling step. Based on the analysis by time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the degradation pathway of OPP was proposed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phase behavior and formation of o/w nano-emulsion in vegetable oil/ mixture of polyglycerol polyricinoleate and polyglycerin fatty acid ester/water systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wakisaka, Satoshi; Nakanishi, Masami; Gohtani, Shoichi

2014-01-01

It is reported that mixing polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and polyglycerol laurilester has a great emulsifying capacity, and consequently fine oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions can be formed. However, the role of PGPR is not clear. The objective of this research is to investigate the phase behavior of vegetable oil/mixture of PGPR and polyglycerol fatty acid ester/water systems, and to clarify the role of PGPR in making a fine emulsion. Phase diagrams were constructed to elucidate the optimal process for preparing fine emulsions. In all the systems examined in this study, the phases, including the liquid crystal phase (L(c)) and sponge phase (L(3)), spread widely in the phase diagrams. We examined droplet size of the emulsions prepared from each phase and found that o/w nano-emulsions with droplet sizes as small as 50 nm were formed by emulsifying either from a single L(3) phase or a two-phase region, L(c) + L(3). These results indicate that a sponge phase L(3) or liquid crystal phase L(c) or both is necessary to form an o/w nano-emulsion whose average droplet diameter is less than 50 nm for PGPR and polyglycerin fatty acid ester mixtures used as surfactant.

Microarray analysis of toxicogenomic effects of Ortho-phenylphenol in Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toghrol Freshteh

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, is responsible for many infectious diseases, ranging from benign skin infections to life-threatening endocarditis and toxic shock syndrome. Ortho-phenylphenol (OPP is an antimicrobial agent and an active ingredient of EPA-registered disinfectants with wide human exposure in various agricultural, hospital and veterinary disinfectant products. Despite many uses, an understanding of a cellular response to OPP and it's mechanism of action, targeted genes, and the connectivity between targeted genes and the rest of cell metabolism remains obscure. Results Herein, we performed a genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the cellular responses of S. aureus when exposed to 0.82 mM of OPP for 20 and 60 min. Our data indicated that OPP downregulated the biosynthesis of many amino acids, which are required for protein synthesis. In particular, the genes encoding the enzymes of the diaminopimelate (DAP pathway which results in lysine biosynthesis were significantly downregualted. Intriguingly, we revealed that the transcription of genes encoding ribosomal proteins was upregulated by OPP and at the same time, the genes encoding iron acquisition and transport were downregulated. The genes encoding virulence factors were upregulated and genes encoding phospholipids were downregulated upon 20 min exposure to OPP. Conclusion By using microarray analysis that enables us to simultaneously and globally examine the complete transcriptome during cellular responses, we have revealed novel information regarding the mode of action of OPP on Staphylococcus: OPP inhibits anabolism of many amino acids and highly downregulates the genes that encode the enzymes involved in the DAP pathway. Lysine and DAP are essential for building up the peptidoglycan cell wall. It was concluded that the mode of action of OPP is similar to the mechanism of action of some antibiotics. The discovery of this phenomenon provides useful

Holdup of O/W emulsion in a packed column for liquid membrane separation of hydrocarbon; Tankasuiso no ekimaku bunri ni okeru jutento nai no emarushon horudo appu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Egashira, R.; Sugimoto, T.; Kawasaki, J. [Tokyo Inst. of Technology, Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1993-07-10

Liquid membrane separation of hydrocarbon is an energy saving separation method that is expected of practical use. If the method uses a packed column, the holdup of O/W emulsion affects the effective contact area and residence time of the emulsion. Therefore, this paper describes an attempt to correlate the dynamic emulsion holdup in a packed column in liquid membrane separation of hydrocarbon with property values of the emulsion and external oil phase, and operation variables. The experiment used a mixture of toluene + n - heptane + n - decane for oil phase in the O/W emulsion and saponin aqueous solution for liquid phase (liquid membrane phase). The packed column with an inner diameter of 37 mm used stainless steel McMahon packing. As a result of the experiment, the dynamic emulsion holdup showed a correlation according to the Reynolds number and Galilei number, regardless of whether the emulsion permeates the liquid membrane. The correlation made it possible to estimate in a simple manner the emulsion holdup in the packed column when this separation method is used. 5 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.

Does lipophilicity of toxic compounds determine effects on drought tolerance of the soil collembolan Folsomia candida?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skovlund, Gitte; Damgaard, Christian; Bayley, Mark; Holmstrup, Martin

2006-01-01

The ability of Collembola to survive drought stress is crucial for their distribution in the terrestrial environment. Previous studies have suggested that several toxic compounds affect the drought tolerance of Folsomia candida in a synergistic manner and that these compounds have the feature in common that they elicit their toxicity by causing membrane damage. We hypothesised that the detrimental effect of toxic chemicals on drought tolerance in F. candida depends on the lipophilicity (log K ow ) of the compound because a higher log K ow would mean a closer interaction with membranes. In this study the three chemicals 4-nonylphenol, pyrene and p,p'-DDE were tested. Surprisingly, 4-nonylphenol, with the lowest log K ow , was the most potent with respect to reducing drought tolerance followed by pyrene, suggesting that interactions between drought tolerance and chemical stress do not depend on lipophilicity alone. - Toxic stress may reduce drought tolerance of Collembola

FORMULASI MIKROEMULSI MINYAK DALAM AIR (O/W YANG STABIL MENGGUNAKAN KOMBINASI TIGA SURFAKTAN NON IONIK DENGAN NILAI HLB RENDAH, TINGGI DAN SEDANG Stable O/W Microemulsion Formulation Using Combination of Three Nonionic Surfactants with Low, High and Med

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sih Yuwanti

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to determine the proportion of oil, surfactant and water which could produce a stable O/W microemulsion using combination of three nonionic surfactants with low, high and medium HLB values; and to determine the role of surfactant with a medium HLB value in O/W microemulsion formulation. The first group of microemulsions were prepared using combination of Tween 80, Span 80 and Span 40 (80 %:10 %:10 % with dif- ferent proportions of VCO:surfactant (1:3, 1:3.5 dan 1:4.  The second goups of microemulsion were prepared using combination of Tween 80, Span 80 and Span 40 (90 %:5 %:5 % with different proportions of VCO:surfactant 1:4,1:4.5 dan 1:5.  The stability of microemulsion was determined during storage at room temperature and after being ovened at 105 0C 5 hours and centrifuged at 2300 g 15 minutes. Microemulsion stability was determined by measur- ing absorbance of the microemulsion at 502 nm and then converted to turbidity (%.  In order to determine the role of surfactant with a medium HLB value in the formulation of O/W microemulsion, one set microemulsions were made without surfactant with a medium HLB value, and another set of microemulsions were prepared with different ratios of low and medium HLB surfactant (1:1, 2:1 and 1:2. The most stable microemulsion was achieved when the proportion of VCO:surfactant:water was 4:20:76 and combination of Tween 80:Span 80:Span 40 with the ratio of 90:3.33:6.67. A more stable O/W microemulsion could be obtained when surfactant with a medium HLB value was added to O/W microemulsion formulation. Surfactant with a medium HLB value would link the oil phase and water phase with sur- factant layer, interaction of surfactant-oil and surfactant-water increased. It provided a smooth transition between oil phase and water phase, and the microemulsion became more stable. ABSTRAK Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menentukan proporsi minyak, surfaktan dan air yang dapat

Research on Control Strategies of an Open-End Winding Permanent Magnet Synchronous Driving Motor (OW-PMSM-Equipped Dual Inverter with a Switchable Winding Mode for Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Chu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available An open-end winding permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM has a larger range of speed regulation than normal PMSM with the same DC voltage, and the control method is more flexible. It can also manage energy distribution between two power sources without a DC/DC converter. This paper aims at an electric vehicle equipped with OW-PMSM drive system with dual power sources and dual inverters; based on analyzing the external characteristics of each winding mode, we propose a winding mode switching strategy whose torque saturation judgmental algorithm, which is insensitive to motor’s parameters, could automatically realize upswitching of the winding mode. The proposed multi-level current hysteresis modulation algorithm could set the major power source and switch it at any time in independent mode, which accomplishes energy distribution between two power sources; its two control methods, low switching frequency method and high power difference method, could achieve different energy distribution effects. Simulation results confirm the validity and effectiveness of the winding mode switching strategy and current modulation method. They also show that an electric vehicle under the proposed control methods has better efficiency than one equipped with a traditional OW-PMSM drive system under traditional control.

Postural effects on intraocular pressure and ocular perfusion pressure in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jee Myung; Park, Sang Woo; Ji, Yong Sok; Kim, Jaeryung; Yoo, Chungkwon; Heo, Hwan

2017-04-20

To investigate postural effects on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) in patients with non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). IOP and blood pressure (BP) were measured in 20 patients with unilateral NAION 10 min after changing to each of the following positions sequentially: sitting, supine, right lateral decubitus position (LDP), supine, left LDP, and supine. IOP was measured using a rebound tonometer and OPP was calculated using formulas based on mean BP. The dependent LDP (DLDP) was defined as the position when the eye of interest (affected or unaffected eye) was placed on the dependent side in the LDP. IOPs were significantly higher (P = 0.020) and OPPs were significantly lower (P = 0.041) in the affected eye compare with the unaffected eye, with the affected eye in DLDP. Compared with the mean IOP of the unaffected eyes, the mean IOP of the affected eyes increased significantly (+2.9 ± 4.4 versus +0.7 ± 3.1 mmHg, respectively; P = 0.003) and the mean OPP decreased significantly (-6.7 ± 9.4 versus -4.9 ± 8.0 mmHg, respectively; P = 0.022) after changing positions from supine to DLDP. In addition, changing position from supine to DLDP showed significantly larger absolute changes in IOP (4.13 ± 3.19 mmHg versus 2.51 ± 1.92 mmHg, respectively; P = 0.004) and OPP (9.86 ± 5.69 mmHg versus 7.50 ± 5.49 mmHg, respectively; P = 0.009) in the affected eye compared with the unaffected eye. In the affected eye, there was a significant positive correlation between absolute change in IOP and OPP when changing position from supine to DLDP (Rho = 0.512, P = 0.021). A postural change from supine to DLDP caused significant fluctuations in IOP and OPP of the affected eye, and may significantly increase IOP and decrease OPP. Posture-induced IOP changes may be a predisposing factor for NAION development.

Analysis and Suppression of Zero Sequence Circulating Current in Open Winding PMSM Drives With Common DC Bus

OpenAIRE

Zhan, H.; Zhu, Z.Q.; Odavic, M.

2017-01-01

In this paper, the zero sequence circulating current in open winding permanent magnet synchronous machine (OW-PMSM) drives with common dc bus is systematically analyzed for the first time. It is revealed that the zero sequence circulating current is affected by zero sequence back-electromotive force, cross coupling voltages in zero sequence from the machine side, pulse-width modulation induced zero sequence voltage, and inverter nonlinearity from the inverter side. Particularly, the influence...

Rheology and microstructure of gluten and soya-based o/w emulsions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bengoechea, Carlos; Cordobes, Felipe; Guerrero, Antonio [Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Sevilla (Spain)

2006-10-15

Highly concentrated oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion stabilised by means of gluten and soya protein isolate (SPI) at low pH have been characterized by means of linear dynamic viscoelasticity and droplet size distribution analysis (DSD). The microstructure of these emulsions has been characterized at a colloidal level by using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and light microscopy (LM). These emulsions always exhibited a behaviour characteristic of highly flocculated emulsions with a mechanical spectrum showing a well-developed plateau region. DSD results generally showed log normal bimodal profiles. Microstructure images revealed occurrence of a close packing of droplets with a broad distribution of sizes participating in the formation of a three dimensional flocculated network. The Mason model of elasticity of compressed emulsions has been used to correlate viscoelastic and microstructural parameters giving adequate fitting but underestimating the elastic properties obtained for the highest concentration of gluten. These deviations may be explained in terms of an enhancement of the elastic network formed in the aqueous phase in which the glutenin fraction must play an important role. (orig.)

Effects of model chemistry and data biases on stratospheric ozone assimilation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Coy

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The innovations or observation minus forecast (O–F residuals produced by a data assimilation system provide a convenient metric of evaluating global analyses. In this study, O–F statistics from the Global Ozone Assimilation Testing System (GOATS are used to examine how ozone assimilation products and their associated O–F statistics depend on input data biases and ozone photochemistry parameterizations (OPP. All the GOATS results shown are based on a 6-h forecast and analysis cycle using observations from SBUV/2 (Solar Backscatter UltraViolet instrument-2 during September–October 2002. Results show that zonal mean ozone analyses are more independent of observation biases and drifts when using an OPP, while the mean ozone O–Fs are more sensitive to observation drifts when using an OPP. In addition, SD O–Fs (standard deviations are reduced in the upper stratosphere when using an OPP due to a reduction of forecast model noise and to increased covariance between the forecast model and the observations. Experiments that changed the OPP reference state to match the observations by using an "adaptive" OPP scheme reduced the mean ozone O–Fs at the expense of zonal mean ozone analyses being more susceptible to data biases and drifts. Additional experiments showed that the upper boundary of the ozone DAS can affect the quality of the ozone analysis and therefore should be placed well above (at least a scale height the region of interest.

Thermodynamic compatibility and interactions between Speckled Sugar bean protein and xanthan gum for production of multilayer O/W emulsion.

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Rahmati, Nazanin Fatemeh; Koocheki, Arash; Varidi, Mehdi; Kadkhodaee, Rassoul

2018-03-01

Thermodynamic compatibility and probable interactions between Speckled Sugar been protein (SSBP) and xanthan gum for production of multilayer O/W emulsion (30% oil) were investigated. Different interactions were observed between SSBP and xanthan at different pH (3-7) including electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding. These interactions were predominant at pH 3. When low xanthan gum concentration (0.1%) was used, phase separation and complex coacervation observed at this pH (negative effect of interactions). However, at pH 5, only 0.1% xanthan was enough to drastically reduce non-dissolved protein and its precipitation which normally occurs at this pH. In addition, incompatibility or segregative phase behavior which normally occurs when protein and polysaccharide have same charges was not observed (positive effects of interactions). Protein-gum interactions influenced emulsion properties (zeta potential, particle size, PDI, rheology, emulsion capacity, heat stability and creaming rate). Interactions had considerable influence on emulsion shelf life and produced completely stable emulsions at all pH values. Results confirmed that SSBP-xanthan gum mixture has a high potential for production of multilayer emulsions.

A novel method to produce solid lipid nanoparticles using n-butanol as an additional co-surfactant according to the o/w microemulsion quenching technique.

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Mojahedian, Mohammad M; Daneshamouz, Saeid; Samani, Soliman Mohammadi; Zargaran, Arman

2013-09-01

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) are novel medicinal carriers for controlled drug release and drug targeting in different roots of administration such as parenteral, oral, ophthalmic and topical. These carriers have some benefits such as increased drug stability, high drug payload, the incorporation of lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs, and no biotoxicity. Therefore, due to the cost-efficient, proportionally increasable, and reproducible preparation of SLN/NLC and the avoidance of organic solvents used, the warm microemulsion quenching method was selected from among several preparation methods for development in this research. To prepare the warm O/W microemulsion, lipids (distearin, stearic acid, beeswax, triolein alone or in combination with others) were melted at a temperature of 65°C. After that, different ratios of Tween60 (10-22.5%) and glyceryl monostearate (surfactant and co-surfactant) and water were added, and the combination was stirred. Then, 1-butanol (co-surfactant) was added dropwise until a clear microemulsion was formed and titration continued to achieve cloudiness (to obtain the microemulsion zone). The warm o/w microemulsions were added dropwise into 4°C water (1:5 volume ratio) while being stirred at 400 or 600 rpm. Lipid nanosuspensions were created upon the addition of the warm o/w microemulsion to the cold water. The SLN were obtained over a range of concentrations of co-surfactants and lipids and observed for microemulsion stability (clearness). For selected preparations, characterization involved also determination of mean particle size, polydispersity and shape. According to the aim of this study, the optimum formulations requiring the minimum amounts of 1-butanol (1.2%) and lower temperatures for creation were selected. Mono-disperse lipid nanoparticles were prepared in the size range 77 ± 1 nm to 124 ± 21 nm according to a laser diffraction particle size analyzer and transmission electron

Temperature-sensitive microemulsion gel: an effective topical delivery system for simultaneous delivery of vitamins C and E.

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Rozman, Branka; Zvonar, Alenka; Falson, Francoise; Gasperlin, Mirjana

2009-01-01

Microemulsions (ME)--nanostructured systems composed of water, oil, and surfactants--have frequently been used in attempts to increase cutaneous drug delivery. The primary objective addressed in this work has been the development of temperature-sensitive microemulsion gel (called gel-like ME), as an effective and safe delivery system suitable for simultaneous topical application of a hydrophilic vitamin C and a lipophilic vitamin E. By changing water content of liquid o/w ME (o/w ME), a gel-like ME with temperature-sensitive rheological properties was formed. The temperature-driven changes in its microstructure were confirmed by rotational rheometry, viscosity measurements, and droplet size determination. The release studies have shown that the vitamins' release at skin temperature from gel-like ME were comparable to those from o/w ME and were much faster and more complete than from o/w ME conventionally thickened with polymer (o/w ME carbomer). According to effectiveness in skin delivery of both vitamins, o/w ME was found the most appropriate, followed by gel-like ME and by o/w ME carbomer, indicating that no simple correlation between vitamins release and skin absorption could be found. The cytotoxicity studies revealed good cell viability after exposure to ME and confirmed all tested microemulsions as nonirritant.

Encapsulation of carotenoids extracted from halophilic Archaea in oil-in-water (O/W) micro- and nano-emulsions.

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Chaari, Marwa; Theochari, Ioanna; Papadimitriou, Vassiliki; Xenakis, Aristotelis; Ammar, Emna

2018-01-01

Carotenoids extracted from halophilc Archaea have potential health benefits. Their poor water-solubility and low bioavailability is a challenge to their incorporation into foods. The aim of this work was the carotenoids encapsulation into two oil-in-water (O/W) dispersions, to increase their use as functional food applications. A nanoemulsion produced by high pressure homogenization and a spontaneously formed microemulsion were conceived. The limonene was the dispersed oil phase, and mixtures of Triton X-100/Tween-80 (3:1) as emulsifiers and of water/glycerol (2:1) as the continuous aqueous phase. The microemulsion monophasic area was determined through the pseudo-ternary phase diagram. Dynamic Light Scattering was used for the structural characterization of the nano- and micro-emulsions in the presence of the carotenoids. Moreover, the radical scavenging activity of the encapsulated carotenoids was examined by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The results confirmed the delivery systems design effectiveness to encapsulate and stabilize the carotenoids for food applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synergistic effect of energy drinks and overweight/obesity on cardiac autonomic testing using the Valsalva maneuver in university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Majeed, Farrukh; Yar, Talay; Alsunni, Ahmed; Alhawaj, Ali Fouad; AlRahim, Ahmed; Alzaki, Muneer

2017-01-01

Obesity and caffeine consumption may lead to autonomic disturbances that can result in a wide range of cardiovascular disorders. To determine autonomic disturbances produced by the synergistic effects of overweight or obesity (OW/OB) and energy drinks. Cross-sectional, analytical. Physiology department at a university in Saudi Arabia. University students, 18-22 years of age, of normal weight (NW) and OW/OB were recruited by convenience sampling. Autonomic testing by the Valsalva ratio (VR) along with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and mean arterial blood pressure were measured at baseline (0 minute) and 60 minutes after energy drink consumption. Autonomic disturbance, hemodynamic changes. In 50 (27 males and 23 females) subjects, 21 NW and 29 OW/OB, a significant decrease in VR was observed in OW/OB subjects and in NW and OW/OB females at 60 minutes after energy drink consumption. Values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure and mean arterial blood pressure were also significantly higher in OW/OB and in females as compared to NW and males. BMI was negatively correlated with VR and diastolic blood pressure at 60 minutes. Obesity and energy drinks alter autonomic functions. In some individuals, OW/OB may augment these effects. Due to time and resource restraints, only the acute effects of energy drinks were examined.

Development and Evaluation of Photoprotective O/W Emulsions Containing Hydroalcoholic Extract of Neoglaziovia variegata (Bromeliaceae

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Raimundo Gonçalves de Oliveira-Júnior

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Neoglaziovia variegata is a Bromeliaceae plant species widely found in Brazil with several pharmacological properties, including photoprotective activity. Although herbal-based active ingredients have been applied in cosmetic products, especially for skin treatment, its application in sunscreen formulations remains unexplored. The aim of this work is to evaluate the photoprotective effect of cosmetic formulations containing hydroalcoholic extract of N. variegata (Nv-HA. Initially, the phenolic and flavonoid total content of Nv-HA were determined. The photoprotective activity of Nv-HA was subsequently assessed using a spectrophotometric method. Nv-HA was incorporated in O/W emulsions in the presence or absence of synthetic filters and their photoprotective efficacy was evaluated by spectrophotometric SPF determination. Finally, the stability study of the formulations was performed through the freezing/defrosting method. Nv-HA showed significant phenolic and flavonoids content (61.66±5.14 mg GAE/g and 90.27±5.03 mg CE/g, resp.. Nv-HA showed SPF values of 5.43±0.07 and 11.73±0.04 for the concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0% (v/v, respectively. It was verified that Nv-HA potentiated the photoprotective effect of formulations containing only synthetic filters. Furthermore, the formulations have remained stable at the end of the preliminary stability study. According to the results, it was concluded that Nv-HA can be used as a chemical filter in cosmetic formulations.

Development and Evaluation of Photoprotective O/W Emulsions Containing Hydroalcoholic Extract of Neoglaziovia variegata (Bromeliaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira-Júnior, Raimundo Gonçalves; Souza, Grasielly Rocha; Ferraz, Christiane Adrielly Alves; de Oliveira, Ana Paula; Araújo, Camila de Souza; de Lima-Saraiva, Sarah Raquel Gomes; Reis, Silvio Alan Gonçalves Bomfim; Gonçalves, Talita Mota; Rolim, Larissa Araújo; Rolim-Neto, Pedro José; César, Francine Celise Siqueira; Almeida, Jackson Roberto Guedes da Silva

2017-01-01

Neoglaziovia variegata is a Bromeliaceae plant species widely found in Brazil with several pharmacological properties, including photoprotective activity. Although herbal-based active ingredients have been applied in cosmetic products, especially for skin treatment, its application in sunscreen formulations remains unexplored. The aim of this work is to evaluate the photoprotective effect of cosmetic formulations containing hydroalcoholic extract of N. variegata (Nv-HA). Initially, the phenolic and flavonoid total content of Nv-HA were determined. The photoprotective activity of Nv-HA was subsequently assessed using a spectrophotometric method. Nv-HA was incorporated in O/W emulsions in the presence or absence of synthetic filters and their photoprotective efficacy was evaluated by spectrophotometric SPF determination. Finally, the stability study of the formulations was performed through the freezing/defrosting method. Nv-HA showed significant phenolic and flavonoids content (61.66 ± 5.14 mg GAE/g and 90.27 ± 5.03 mg CE/g, resp.). Nv-HA showed SPF values of 5.43 ± 0.07 and 11.73 ± 0.04 for the concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0% (v/v), respectively. It was verified that Nv-HA potentiated the photoprotective effect of formulations containing only synthetic filters. Furthermore, the formulations have remained stable at the end of the preliminary stability study. According to the results, it was concluded that Nv-HA can be used as a chemical filter in cosmetic formulations.

CelOWS: an ontology based framework for the provision of semantic web services related to biological models.

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, Ely Edison; Campos, Fernanda; Braga, Regina; Palazzi, Daniele

2010-02-01

The amount of information generated by biological research has lead to an intensive use of models. Mathematical and computational modeling needs accurate description to share, reuse and simulate models as formulated by original authors. In this paper, we introduce the Cell Component Ontology (CelO), expressed in OWL-DL. This ontology captures both the structure of a cell model and the properties of functional components. We use this ontology in a Web project (CelOWS) to describe, query and compose CellML models, using semantic web services. It aims to improve reuse and composition of existent components and allow semantic validation of new models.

Combined effect of diuron and simazine on photosystem II photochemistry in a sandy soil and soil amended with solid olive-mill waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Redondo-Gómez, Susana; Cox, Lucía; Cornejo, Juan; Figueroa, Enrique

2007-01-01

Diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)- = 1,1-dimethylurea) and simazine (6-chloro-N(2), N(4)-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) are soil-applied herbicides used in olive crops. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of these herbicides on Photosystem II photochemistry of Olea europaea L., and whether the amendment of soil with an organic waste (OW) from olive oil production industry modifies this effect. For this purpose, herbicide soil adsorption studies, with unamended and OW-amended soil, and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements in adult olive leaves, after one, two and three weeks of soil herbicide treatment and/or OW amendment, were performed. Soil application of these herbicides reduced the efficiency of Photosystem II photochemistry of olive trees due to chronic photoinhibition, and this effect is counterbalanced by the addition of OW to the soil. OW reduces herbicide uptake by the plant due to an increase in herbicide adsorption.

Hydrophilic Surface Modification of PDMS Microchannel for O/W and W/O/W Emulsions

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Shazia Bashir

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A surface modification method for bonded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS microchannels is presented herein. Polymerization of acrylic acid was performed on the surface of a microchannel using an inline atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier microplasma technique. The surface treatment changes the wettability of the microchannel from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This is a challenging task due to the fast hydrophobic recovery of the PDMS surface after modification. This modification allows the formation of highly monodisperse oil-in-water (O/W droplets. The generation of water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W double emulsions was successfully achieved by connecting in series a hydrophobic microchip with a modified hydrophilic microchip. An original channel blocking technique to pattern the surface wettability of a specific section of a microchip using a viscous liquid comprising a mixture of honey and glycerol, is also presented for generating W/O/W emulsions on a single chip.

Design of Cobalt Nanoparticles with Tailored Structural and Morphological Properties via O/W and W/O Microemulsions and Their Deposition onto Silica

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Gabriella Di Carlo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Cobalt nanostructures with different size and morphology, i.e., spherical nanoparticles, nanorods, and particles arranged into elongated structures, were prepared using micelles and microemulsions as confined reaction media. The syntheses were carried out using three types of systems: aqueous surfactant solutions, oil-in water (O/W, and water-in-oil (W/O microemulsions. The influence of the surfactant and the precipitating agent used for synthesis was also investigated. For this purpose, cobalt nanostructures were prepared using different non-ionic surfactants, namely Synperonic® 10/6, Pluronic® P123 and a mixture of SPAN 20–TWEEN 80. Three different precipitating agents were used: sodium borohydride, sodium hydroxide, and oxalic acid. Our findings revealed that by changing the type of reaction media as well as the precipitating agent it is possible to modify the shape and size of the cobalt nanostructures. Moreover, the use of O/W microemulsion generates better results in terms of colloidal stability and uniformity of particle size with respect to W/O microemulsion. The different cobalt nanostructures were supported on commercial and mesoporous silica; transmission electron microscopy (TEM images showed that after deposition the Co nanocrystals remain well dispersed on the silica supports. This behavior suggests their great potential in catalytic applications.

Application of D-optimal experimental design method to optimize the formulation of O/W cosmetic emulsions.

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Djuris, J; Vasiljevic, D; Jokic, S; Ibric, S

2014-02-01

This study investigates the application of D-optimal mixture experimental design in optimization of O/W cosmetic emulsions. Cetearyl glucoside was used as a natural, biodegradable non-ionic emulsifier in the relatively low concentration (1%), and the mixture of co-emulsifiers (stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol and glyceryl stearate) was used to stabilize the formulations. To determine the optimal composition of co-emulsifiers mixture, D-optimal mixture experimental design was used. Prepared emulsions were characterized with rheological measurements, centrifugation test, specific conductivity and pH value measurements. All prepared samples appeared as white and homogenous creams, except for one homogenous and viscous lotion co-stabilized by stearic acid alone. Centrifugation testing revealed some phase separation only in the case of sample co-stabilized using glyceryl stearate alone. The obtained pH values indicated that all samples expressed mild acid value acceptable for cosmetic preparations. Specific conductivity values are attributed to the multiple phases O/W emulsions with high percentages of fixed water. Results of the rheological measurements have shown that the investigated samples exhibited non-Newtonian thixotropic behaviour. To determine the influence of each of the co-emulsifiers on emulsions properties, the obtained results were evaluated by the means of statistical analysis (ANOVA test). On the basis of comparison of statistical parameters for each of the studied responses, mixture reduced quadratic model was selected over the linear model implying that interactions between co-emulsifiers play the significant role in overall influence of co-emulsifiers on emulsions properties. Glyceryl stearate was found to be the dominant co-emulsifier affecting emulsions properties. Interactions between the glyceryl stearate and other co-emulsifiers were also found to significantly influence emulsions properties. These findings are especially important

Common Spatialities: The Production of the Multitude

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Lucía Jalón Oyrazún

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Gezi Park barricades in Istanbul, the OWS occupation of Zucotti Park in New York City, the tents of the Indignados movement in Spain, the London Blackberry riots and the seizure of Tahrir Square in Cairo to demand the overthrow of a dictator. As new forms of social coexistence and relationships are being configured, and new spaces for encounter and conflict are produced, architecture feels that essential questions regarding its activity are being addressed in each and every one of these situations. And yet we seem unable to relate to them and grasp their significance as we repeatedly turn to old metaphors and tools. If modern architecture pursues the modern liberal state techniques of management and administration of life, then recent forms of political action, which claim a new relation to the sensible, demand – and might help develop – a new understanding of architecture. We are moving from technical and disciplinary knowledge towards a critical practice that integrates with the action of the multitude. Starting from a definition of commons as the production of the multitude, we seek not only to understand the spatial dimension of this production, but also to acknowledge space as common. 

Consideration of the FQPA Safety Factor and Other Uncertainty Factors in Cumulative Risk Assessment of Chemicals Sharing a Common Mechanism of Toxicity

Science.gov (United States)

This guidance document provides OPP's current thinking on application of the provision in FFDCA about an additional safety factor for the protection of infants and children in the context of cumulative risk assessments.

Effects of a Program for Improving Biomechanical Characteristics During Walking and Running in Children Who Are Obese.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, Nili; Rubinstein, Meron; Nemet, Dan; Ayalon, Moshe; Zeev, Aviva; Pantanowitz, Michal; Brosh, Tamar; Eliakim, Alon

2017-10-01

To investigate the influence of a weight-reduction program with locomotion-emphasis on improving biomechanical characteristics of children who are obese (OW). Ten children who are OW participated in a 6-month multidisciplinary childhood obesity management program (GRP1); another 10 children who are OW participated in the same multidisciplinary childhood obesity management program with additional locomotion-emphasis exercises for improving biomechanical characteristics (GRP2); and 10 control children who are OW with no intervention program. Outcomes were anthropometric measurements and temporal and foot pressure parameters. GRP2 had significantly improved foot pressure in the different walking/running speeds compared with GRP1. In the temporal parameters, pretests by speed by group interactions were significantly improved for GRP2 compared with GRP1. We found evidence to support beneficial effects of combined dietary and physical activity/locomotion-emphasis exercises on the movement characteristics of children who are OW.

Preparation, characterization and bioavailability by oral administration of O/W curcumin nanoemulsions stabilized with lysophosphatidylcholine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chávez-Zamudio, Rubi; Ochoa-Flores, Angélica A; Soto-Rodríguez, Ida; Garcia-Varela, Rebeca; García, Hugo Sergio

2017-09-20

Curcumin is the main and most abundant bioactive component in Curcuma longa L. with documented properties in the prevention and treatment of chronic degenerative and infectious diseases. However, curcumin has low solubility in aqueous media, hence low bioavailability when administered orally. The use of nanoemulsions as carriers can provide a partial solution to bioavailability restrictions. In our study, O/W nanoemulsions of curcumin were prepared using lysophosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid with proven emulsification capacity; nevertheless, such qualities have not been previously reported in the preparation of nanoemulsions. Lysophosphatidylcholine was obtained by enzymatic removal of one fatty acid residue from phosphatidylcholine. The objective of our work was to formulate stable curcumin nanoemulsions and evaluate their bioavailability in BALB/c mice plasma after oral administration. Formulated nanoemulsions had a droplet size mean of 154.32 ± 3.10 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.34 ± 0.07 and zeta potential of -10.43 ± 1.10 mV; stability was monitored for 12 weeks. Lastly, in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters, using BALB/c mice, were obtained; namely, C max of 610 ± 65.0 μg mL -1 and T max of 2 h. Pharmacokinetic data revealed a higher bioavailability of emulsified as opposed to free curcumin. Research regarding other potential emulsifiers that may provide better health benefits and carry nano-encapsulated bioactive compounds more effectively, is necessary. This study provides important data on the preparation and design of nanoencapsulated Curcumin using lysophosphatidylcholine as an emulsifier.

The effect of puberty on fat oxidation rates during exercise in overweight and normal-weight girls.

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Chu, L; Riddell, M C; Schneiderman, J E; McCrindle, B W; Hamilton, J K

2014-01-01

Excess weight is often associated with insulin resistance (IR) and may disrupt fat oxidation during exercise. This effect is further modified by puberty. While studies have shown that maximal fat oxidation rates (FOR) during exercise decrease with puberty in normal-weight (NW) and overweight (OW) boys, the effect of puberty in NW and OW girls is unclear. Thirty-three NW and OW girls ages 8-18 yr old completed a peak aerobic capacity test on a cycle ergometer. FOR were calculated during progressive submaximal exercise. Body composition and Tanner stage were determined. For each participant, a best-fit polynomial curve was constructed using fat oxidation vs. exercise intensity to estimate max FOR. In a subset of the girls, IR derived from an oral glucose tolerance test (n = 20), and leptin and adiponectin levels (n = 11) were assessed in relation to FOR. NW pre-early pubertal girls had higher max FOR [6.9 ± 1.4 mg·kg fat free mass (FFM)(-1)·min(-1)] than NW mid-late pubertal girls (2.2 ± 0.9 mg·kg FFM(-1)·min(-1)) (P = 0.002), OW pre-early pubertal girls (3.8 ± 2.1 mg·kg FFM(-1)·min(-1)), and OW mid-late pubertal girls (3.3 ± 0.9 mg·kg FFM(-1)·min(-1)) (P puberty; however, this decrease associated with puberty was blunted in OW girls due to lower FOR in pre-early puberty. The presence of IR due to obesity potentially masks the effect of puberty on FOR during exercise in girls.

Susceptibility of nine organophosphorus pesticides in skimmed milk towards inoculated lactic acid bacteria and yogurt starters.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xin-Wei; Zhao, Xin-Huai

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that fresh milk might be polluted by some organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs). In this study the dissipation of nine OPPs, namely chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, diazinon, dichlorvos, fenthion, malathion, phorate, pirimiphos-methyl and trichlorphon, in skimmed milk was investigated to clarify their susceptibility towards lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yogurt starters. Skimmed milk was spiked with nine OPPs, inoculated with five strains of LAB and two commercial yogurt starters at 42 °C for 24 and 5 h respectively and subjected to quantitative OPP analysis by gas chromatography. Degradation kinetic constants of these OPPs were calculated based on a first-order reaction model. OPP dissipation in the milk was enhanced by the inoculated strains and starters, resulting in OPP concentrations decreasing by 7.0-64.6 and 7.4-19.2% respectively. Totally, the nine OPPs were more susceptible to Lactobacillus bulgaricus, as it enhanced their degradation rate constants by 18.3-133.3%. Higher phosphatase production of the assayed stains was observed to bring about greater OPP degradation in the milk. Both LAB and yogurt starters could enhance OPP dissipation in skimmed milk, with the nine OPPs studied having different susceptibilities towards them. Phosphatase was a key factor governing OPP dissipation. The LAB of higher phosphatase production have more potential to decrease OPPs in fermented foods. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Zirconium(IV) functionalized magnetic nanocomposites for extraction of organophosphorus pesticides from environmental water samples.

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Jiang, Li; Huang, Tengjun; Feng, Shun; Wang, Jide

2016-07-22

The widespread use of organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) in agriculture leads to residue accumulation in the environment which is dangerous to human health and disrupts the ecological balance. In this work, one nanocomposite immobilized zirconium (Zr, IV) was prepared and used as the affinity probes to quickly and selectively extract organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) from water samples. The Fe3O4-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)@Zr(IV) nanocomposites (NPs) were prepared by simply mixing Zr(IV) ions with Fe3O4-EDTA NPs synthesized by one-pot chemical co-precipitation method. The immobilized Zr(IV) ions were further utilized to capture OPPs based on their high affinity for the phosphate moiety in OPPs. Coupled with GC-MS, four OPPs were used as models to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection for target OPPs were in the range of 0.10-10.30ngmL(-1) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.61-4.40% (n=3), respectively. The linear ranges were over three orders of magnitudes (correlation coefficients, R(2)>0.9995). The Fe3O4-EDTA@Zr(IV) NPs were successfully applied to extract OPPs samples with recoveries of 86.95-112.60% and RSDs of 1.20-10.42% (n=3) from two spiked real water. By the proposed method, the matrix interference could be effectively eliminated. We hope our finding can provide a promising alternative for the fast extraction of OPPs from complex real samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Developing novel one-step processes for obtaining food-grade O/W emulsions from pressurized fluid extracts: processes description, state of the art and perspectives

OpenAIRE

SANTOS, Diego Tresinari; MEIRELES, Maria Angela de Almeida

2015-01-01

Abstract In this work, a novel on-line process for production of food-grade emulsions containing oily extracts, i.e. oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, in only one step is presented. This process has been called ESFE, Emulsions from Supercritical Fluid Extraction. With this process, emulsions containing supercritical fluid extracts can be obtained directly from plant materials. The aim in the conception of this process is to propose a new rapid way to obtain emulsions from supercritical fluid extr...

The influence of alkali fatty acids on the properties and the stability of parenteral O/W emulsions modified with solutol HS 15.

Science.gov (United States)

Buszello, K; Harnisch, S; Müller, R H; Müller, B W

2000-03-01

Arachis oil based parenteral O/W emulsions were prepared using soya bean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and different combinations of co-emulsifiers containing polyethylene glycol fatty acid esters (Solutol HS 15) and alkali fatty acids (sodium laurate, sodium stearate). The parameters measured were droplet size (both by photon correlation spectroscopy and laser diffractometry), pH and zeta potential. All emulsions were subjected to autoclaving. The addition of polyethylene glycol 12-hydroxy stearate (Solutol HS 15) led to a significant decrease of mean oil droplet size. For long-term stability the amount added turned out to be the most important factor. With increased amounts of Solutol HS 15 the packing density of the emulsifier layer and the zeta potential decreased leading to instability. The optimum load of Solutol HS 15 was found to be 15 micromol/ml. Alkali fatty acids markedly improved the physical stability of the emulsions. Improved stability properties conferred to emulsions by alkali fatty acids could be attributed to the zeta potential increase even in the presence of Solutol HS 15. Consequently a mixed emulsifier film was established in which the ionized fatty acids determined the interface charge. In addition to this a strengthening of the molecular interactions occurring between phospholipid and Solutol HS 15 emulsifier in the presence of ionized fatty acids at the O/W interface can be assumed (L. Rydhag, The importance of the phase behaviour of phospholipids for emulsion stability, Fette Seifen Anstrichm. 81 (1979) 168-173). Different co-emulsifier mixtures were shown to have a pronounced impact on the plasma protein adsorption onto emulsion droplets.

Aplicación de microondas en el tratamiento de emulsiones del tipo agua en aceite (w/o) y aceite en agua (o/w).

OpenAIRE

PÉREZ PÁEZ, ROCIO

2011-01-01

Las emulsiones del tipo agua en aceite (w/o) y aceite en agua (o/w) están compuestas por una mezcla de aceite, agua, lodo y otros agentes. Se pueden encontrar en el proceso y/o en los vertidos de diferentes tipos de industrias, tales como refinerías de petróleo, plantas procesadoras de aceite de consumo, industrias farmacéuticas, industrias de alimentos, etc. El calentamiento de un material a una frecuencia de microondas depende de la frecuencia de la onda electromagnética y de las propie...

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cell in vitro system to test the efficacy of food bioactive compounds: Effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids and their relation with BMI

KAUST Repository

Cifre, Margalida

2016-11-22

Scope: To analyse the usefulness of isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to rapidly/easily reflect n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) effects on lipid metabolism/inflammation gene profile, and evaluate if these effects are body mass index (BMI) dependent. Methods and results: PBMC from normoweight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) subjects were incubated with physiological doses of docosahexaenoic (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), or their combination. PBMC reflected increased beta-oxidation-like capacity (CPT1A expression) in OW/OB but only after DHA treatment. However, insensitivity to n-3 LCPUFA was evident in OW/OB for lipogenic genes: both PUFA diminished FASN and SREBP1C expression in NW, but no effect was observed for DHA in PBMC from high-BMI subjects. This insensitivity was also evident for inflammation gene profile: all treatments inhibited key inflammatory genes in NW; nevertheless, no effect was observed in OW/OB after DHA treatment, and EPA effect was impaired. SLC27A2, IL6 and TNFα PBMC expression analysis resulted especially interesting to determine obesity-related n-3 LCPUFA insensitivity. Conclusion: A PBMC-based human in vitro system reflects n-3 LCPUFA effects on lipid metabolism/inflammation which is impaired in OW/OB. These results confirm the utility of PBMC ex vivo systems for bioactive-compound screening to promote functional food development and to establish appropriate dietary strategies for obese population.

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cell in vitro system to test the efficacy of food bioactive compounds: Effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids and their relation with BMI.

Science.gov (United States)

Cifre, Margalida; Díaz-Rúa, Rubén; Varela-Calviño, Rubén; Reynés, Bàrbara; Pericás-Beltrán, Jordi; Palou, Andreu; Oliver, Paula

2017-04-01

To analyse the usefulness of isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to rapidly/easily reflect n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) effects on lipid metabolism/inflammation gene profile, and evaluate if these effects are body mass index (BMI) dependent. PBMC from normoweight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) subjects were incubated with physiological doses of docosahexaenoic (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), or their combination. PBMC reflected increased beta-oxidation-like capacity (CPT1A expression) in OW/OB but only after DHA treatment. However, insensitivity to n-3 LCPUFA was evident in OW/OB for lipogenic genes: both PUFA diminished FASN and SREBP1C expression in NW, but no effect was observed for DHA in PBMC from high-BMI subjects. This insensitivity was also evident for inflammation gene profile: all treatments inhibited key inflammatory genes in NW; nevertheless, no effect was observed in OW/OB after DHA treatment, and EPA effect was impaired. SLC27A2, IL6 and TNFα PBMC expression analysis resulted especially interesting to determine obesity-related n-3 LCPUFA insensitivity. A PBMC-based human in vitro system reflects n-3 LCPUFA effects on lipid metabolism/inflammation which is impaired in OW/OB. These results confirm the utility of PBMC ex vivo systems for bioactive-compound screening to promote functional food development and to establish appropriate dietary strategies for obese population. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Controlling the Performance of P-type Cu2O/SnO Bilayer Thin-Film Transistors by Adjusting the Thickness of the Copper Oxide Layer

KAUST Repository

Al-Jawhari, Hala A.; Caraveo-Frescas, Jesus Alfonso; Hedhili, Mohamed N.

2014-01-01

The effect of copper oxide layer thickness on the performance of Cu2O/SnO bilayer thin-film transistors was investigated. By using sputtered Cu2O films produced at an oxygen partial pressure, Opp, of 10% as the upper layer and 3% Opp SnO films

Cerebral effects of commonly used vasopressor-inotropes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hahn, Gitte Holst; Hyttel-Sorensen, Simon; Petersen, Sandra Meinich

2013-01-01

Despite widespread use in sick infants, it is still debated whether vasopressor-inotropes have direct cerebral effects that might affect neurological outcome. We aimed to test direct cerebrovascular effects of three commonly used vasopressor-inotropes (adrenaline, dopamine and noradrenaline...

[Asymmetric effect of in-group social values on identity with common-identity and common-bond in-groups].

Science.gov (United States)

Nakashima, Ken'ichiro; Isobe, Chikae; Toshihiko, Souma; Ura, Mitsuhiro

2013-06-01

Moderating effects of group type on the relationship between in-group social values and group identity were investigated. Previous research has indicated that values attached to the in-group, such as its status, privileges, and power, lead to increased group identity. However, these studies have not investigated the role of the type of in-groups on this effect. We conducted an experiment that manipulated the in-group type. In the common-identity type of in-group condition, formation of in- and out-groups on the basis of social categorization was established. In the common-bond type of in-group condition, interactions between the group members were conducted. Results indicated that in the former condition, the degree of in-group social values affected group identity; however, this effect was not found in the latter condition. These results suggest that social values of the in-group have an asymmetric effect on group identity, depending upon the in-group type as a common-identity or common-bond group.

Strengthening Health Systems of Developing Countries: Inclusion of Surgery in Universal Health Coverage.

Science.gov (United States)

Okoroh, Juliet S; Chia, Victoria; Oliver, Emily A; Dharmawardene, Marisa; Riviello, Robert

2015-08-01

Universal health coverage (UHC) has its roots in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and has recently gained momentum. Out-of-pocket payments (OPP) remain a significant barrier to care. There is an increasing global prevalence of non-communicable diseases, many of which are surgically treatable. We sought to provide a comparative analysis of the inclusion of surgical care in operating plans for UHC in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). We systematically searched PubMed and Google Scholar using pre-defined criteria for articles published in English, Spanish, or French between January 1991 and November 2013. Keywords included "insurance," "OPP," "surgery," "trauma," "cancer," and "congenital anomalies." World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, and Joint Learning Network for UHC websites were searched for supporting documents. Ministries of Health were contacted to provide further information on the inclusion of surgery. We found 696 articles and selected 265 for full-text review based on our criteria. Some countries enumerated surgical conditions in detail (India, 947 conditions). Other countries mentioned surgery broadly. Obstetric care was most commonly covered (19 countries). Solid organ transplantation was least covered. Cancer care was mentioned broadly, often without specifying the therapeutic modality. No countries were identified where hospitals are required to provide emergency care regardless of insurance coverage. OPP varied greatly between countries. Eighty percent of countries had OPP of 60% or more, making these services, even if partially covered, largely inaccessible. While OPP, delivery, and utilization continue to represent challenges to health care access in many LMICs, the inclusion of surgery in many UHC policies sets an important precedent in addressing a growing global prevalence of surgically treatable conditions. Barriers to access, including inequalities in financial protection in the form of high OPP, remain a fundamental

Investigation of a Modern Incipient Stromatolite from Obsidian Pool Prime, Yellowstone National Park: Implications for Early Lithification in the Formation of Light-Dark Stromatolite Laminae

Science.gov (United States)

Corsetti, F. A.; Berelson, W.; Pepe-Ranney, C. P.; Mata, S. A.; Spear, J. R.

2016-12-01

Stromatolites have been defined multiple ways, but the presence of lamination is common to all definitions. Despite this commonality, the origin of the lamination in many ancient stromatolites remains vague. Lamination styles vary, but sub-mm light-dark couplets are common in many ancient stromatolites. Here, we investigate an actively forming incipient stromatolite from Obsidian Pool Prime (OPP), a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, to better understand the formation of light-dark couplets similar to many ancient stromatolites in texture and structure. In the OPP stromatolites, a dense network of layer-parallel bundles of cyanobacterial filaments (a dark layer) is followed by an open network of layer-perpendicular or random filaments (a light layer) that reflect a diurnal cycle in the leading edge of the microbial mat that coats the stromatolite's surface. Silica crust encases the cyanobacterial filaments maintaining the integrity of the lamination. Bubbles formed via oxygenic photosynthesis are commonly trapped within the light layers, indicating that lithification occurs rapidly before the bubbles can collapse. The filamentous, non-heterocystous stromatoite-building cyanobacterium from OPP is most closely related to a stromatolite-building cyanobacterium from a hot spring in Japan. Once built, "tenants" from multiple microbial phyla move into the structure, mixing and mingling to produce a complicated integrated biogeochemical signal that may be difficult to untangle in ancient examples. While the cyanobacterial response to the diurnal cycle has been previously implicated in the formation of light-dark couplets, the OPP example highlights the importance of early lithification in maintaining the fabric. Thus, the presence of light-dark couplets and bubble structures may indicate very early lithification and therefore a certain degree of mineral saturation in the ancient ocean or other aquatic system, and that bubble structures, if present, may be evidence

Mechanistic-Based Pavement Damage Associated Cost from Oversize and Overweight Vehicles in Nevada.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-16

The movement of overweight (OW) vehicles has become more common over the years due to its vital necessity for many important industries such as chemical, oil, defense, etc. Using OW vehicles reduces the number of vehicles on highways, potentially dec...

Jump Squat is More Related to Sprinting and Jumping Abilities than Olympic Push Press.

Science.gov (United States)

Loturco, I; Kobal, R; Maldonado, T; Piazzi, A F; Bottino, A; Kitamura, K; Abad, C C C; Pereira, L A; Nakamura, F Y

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to test the relationships between jump squat (JS) and Olympic push press (OPP) power outputs and performance in sprint, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and change of direction (COD) speed tests in elite soccer players. 27 athletes performed a maximum power load test to determine their bar mean propulsive power (MPP) and bar mean propulsive velocity (MPV) in the JS and OPP exercises. Magnitude-based inference was used to compare the exercises. The MPV was almost certainly higher in the OPP than in the JS. The MPP relative to body mass (MPP REL) was possibly higher in the OPP. Only the JS MPP REL presented very large correlations with linear speed ( r> 0.7, for speed in 5, 10, 20 and 30 m) and vertical jumping abilities ( r> 0.8, for SJ and CMJ), and moderate correlation with COD speed ( r= 0.45). Although significant (except for COD), the associations between OPP outcomes and field-based measurements (speed, SJ and CMJ) were all moderate, ranging from 0.40 to 0.48. In a group composed of elite soccer players, the JS exercise is more associated with jumping and sprinting abilities than the OPP. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm if these strong relationships imply superior training effects in favor of the JS exercise. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Common carp disrupt ecosystem structure and function through middle-out effects

Science.gov (United States)

Kaemingk, Mark A.; Jolley, Jeffrey C.; Paukert, Craig P.; Willis, David W.; Henderson, Kjetil R.; Holland, Richard S.; Wanner, Greg A.; Lindvall, Mark L.

2016-01-01

Middle-out effects or a combination of top-down and bottom-up processes create many theoretical and empirical challenges in the realm of trophic ecology. We propose using specific autecology or species trait (i.e. behavioural) information to help explain and understand trophic dynamics that may involve complicated and non-unidirectional trophic interactions. The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) served as our model species for whole-lake observational and experimental studies; four trophic levels were measured to assess common carp-mediated middle-out effects across multiple lakes. We hypothesised that common carp could influence aquatic ecosystems through multiple pathways (i.e. abiotic and biotic foraging, early life feeding, nutrient). Both studies revealed most trophic levels were affected by common carp, highlighting strong middle-out effects likely caused by common carp foraging activities and abiotic influence (i.e. sediment resuspension). The loss of water transparency, submersed vegetation and a shift in zooplankton dynamics were the strongest effects. Trophic levels furthest from direct pathway effects were also affected (fish life history traits). The present study demonstrates that common carp can exert substantial effects on ecosystem structure and function. Species capable of middle-out effects can greatly modify communities through a variety of available pathways and are not confined to traditional top-down or bottom-up processes.

Reduction of diazinon and dimethoate in apple juice by pulsed electric field treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuanyuan; Hou, Yaxi; Zhang, Yan; Chen, Jie; Chen, Fang; Liao, Xiaojun; Hu, Xiaosong

2012-03-15

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are widely used in agricultural production in China, and residues of OPPs in agro-products and foods have become a public health concern. Chronic exposure to OPPs can result in potential immunosuppressive effects, cytotoxicity and mutagenicity. Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) have the potential to be used as an alternative to conventional techniques of food production. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of PEFs on the degradation of diazinon and dimethoate added to apple juice. PEF treatment significantly promoted the degradation of both pesticides (P apple juice and in mitigating sample toxicity. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

The Effect of Forward-Facing Steps on Stationary Crossflow Instability Growth and Breakdown

Science.gov (United States)

Eppink, Jenna L.

2018-01-01

The e?ect of a forward-facing step on stationary cross?ow transition was studied using standard stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) and time-resolved PIV. Step heights ranging from 53 to 71% of the boundary-layer thickness were studied in detail. The steps above a critical step height of approximately 60% of the boundary-layer thickness had a signi?cant impact on the stationary cross?ow growth downstream of the step. For the critical cases, the stationary cross?ow amplitude grew suddenly downstream of the step, decayed for a short region, then grew again. The adverse pressure gradient upstream of the step resulted in a region of cross?ow reversal. A secondary set of vortices, rotating in the opposite direction to the primary vortices, developed underneath the uplifted primary vortices. The wall-normal velocity disturbance (V' ) created by these secondary vortices impacted the step, and is believed to feed into the strong vortex that developed downstream of the step. A large but very short negative cross?ow region formed for a short region downstream of the step due to a sharp inboard curvature of the streamlines near the wall. For the larger step height cases, a cross?ow-reversal region formed just downstream of the strong negative cross?ow region. This cross?ow reversal region is believed to play an important role in the growth of the stationary cross?ow vortices downstream of the step, and may be a good indication of the critical forward-facing step height.

Development of O/W emulsions containing Euterpe oleracea extract and evaluation of photoprotective efficacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cláudia Cecilio Daher

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Euterpe oleraceaMart. is a palm tree popularly known as açai, which is primarily found in northern Brazil. The açai's fruits contain anthocyanins, a class of polyphenols to which antioxidant properties have been attributed. The aim of this work was to develop O/W sunscreens emulsions containing açai glycolic extract (AGE and to evaluate both their physical stability and photoprotective efficacy. Emulsions containing AGE and sunscreens were formulated using different types and concentrations of polymeric surfactant (acrylates/C 10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer and sodium polyacrylate. The influence of two rheology modifiers (polyacrylamide (and C13-14/isoparaffin (and Laureth-7 and Carbomer on the stability was also investigated. Physical stability was evaluated by preliminary and accelerated studies. Emulsions with 1.0% sodium polyacrylate were stable and exhibited non-newtonian pseudoplastic behavior and thixotropy. Photoprotective efficacy was evaluated by in vivo Sun Protection Factor (SPF and determination of Protection Factor of UVA (PF-UVA. When AGE was added to the sunscreen emulsion, no significant increase in the in vivo SPF value was observed. The emulsion containing AGE showed PF-UVA = 14.97, 1.69 of the SPF/PF-UVA ratio and a critical wavelength value of 378 nm, and may therefore be considered a sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection.

Antimicrobial effects of a microemulsion and a nanoemulsion on enteric and other pathogens and biofilms

OpenAIRE

Teixeira, Paula C.; Leite, Gonçalo M.; Domingues, Ricardo J.; Silva, Joana; Gibbs, Paul A.; Ferreira, João Paulo

2007-01-01

Some microemulsions and nanoemulsions may have antimicrobial properties and be effective anti-biofilm agents. We examined the abilities of two fine emulsions, designated BCTP and TEOP, to inactivate suspensions of vegetative cells of Salmonella spp. Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (VT-), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. BCTP is an O/W nanoemulsion of soybean oil and tri-n-butyl phosphate emulsified with Triton X-100, while TEOP is an O/W microemulsion of ethy...

Genetic and biochemical analysis of peptide transport in Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, J.C.

1986-01-01

E. coli peptide transport mutants have been isolated based on their resistance to toxic tripeptides. These genetic defects were found to map in two distinct chromosomal locations. The transport systems which require expression of the trp-linked opp genes and the oppE gene(s) for activity were shown to have different substrate preferences. Growth of E. coli in medium containing leucine results in increased entry of exogenously supplied tripeptides into the bacterial cell. This leucine-mediated elevation of peptide transport required expression of the trp-linked opp operon and was accompanied by increased sensitivity to toxic tripeptides, by an enhanced capacity to utilize nutritional peptides, and by an increase in both the velocity and apparent steady-state level of L-(U- 14 C)alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine accumulation for E. coli grown in leucine-containing medium relative to these parameters of peptide transport measured with bacteria grown in media lacking leucine. Direct measurement of opp operon expression by pulse-labeling experiments demonstrated that growth of E. coli in the presence of leucine resulted in increased synthesis of the oppA-encoded periplasmic binding protein. The transcriptional regulation of the trp-linked opp operon of E. coli was investigated using λ placMu51-generated lac operon fusions. Synthesis of β-galactosidase by strains harboring oppA-lac, oppB-lac, and oppD-lac fusions occurred at a basal level when the fusion-containing strains were grown in minimal medium

Effect of montmorillonite on arsenic accumulation in common carp

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Yomi

2012-02-01

Feb 1, 2012 ... The effect of montmorillonite (MMT) on dietary arsenic (As(III)) accumulation in tissues of common carp ..... by clay minerals has been primarily attributed to the .... Trace elements (Cu or Zn) concentration in sampled tissues of common carp after .... interactions among mixtures of lead, cadmium and arsenic.

Effect of Spermidine Analogues on Cell Growth of Escherichia coli Polyamine Requiring Mutant MA261.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taketo Yoshida

Full Text Available The effects of spermidine analogues [norspermidine (NSPD, 33, spermidine (SPD, 34, homospermidine (HSPD, 44 and aminopropylcadaverine (APCAD, 35] on cell growth were studied using Escherichia coli polyamine-requiring mutant MA261. Cell growth was compared at 32°C, 37°C, and 42°C. All four analogues were taken up mainly by the PotABCD spermidine-preferential uptake system. The degree of stimulation of cell growth at 32°C and 37°C was NSPD ≥ SPD ≥ HSPD > APCAD, and SPD ≥ HSPD ≥ NSPD > APCAD, respectively. However, at 42°C, it was HSPD » SPD > NSPD > APCAD. One reason for this is HSPD was taken up effectively compared with other triamines. In addition, since natural polyamines (triamines and teteraamines interact mainly with RNA, and the structure of RNA is more flexible at higher temperatures, HSPD probably stabilized RNA more tightly at 42°C. We have thus far found that 20 kinds of protein syntheses are stimulated by polyamines at the translational level. Among them, synthesis of OppA, RpoE and StpA was more strongly stimulated by HSPD at 42°C than at 37°C. Stabilization of the initiation region of oppA and rpoE mRNA was tighter by HSPD at 42°C than 37°C determined by circular dichroism (CD. The degree of polyamine stimulation of OppA, RpoE and StpA synthesis by NSPD, SPD and APCAD was smaller than that by HSPD at 42°C. Thus, the degree of stimulation of cell growth by spermidine analogues at the different temperatures is dependent on the stimulation of protein synthesis by some components of the polyamine modulon.

Preparation, characterization and relative bioavailability of oral elemene o/w microemulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Zhaowu; Zhou, Guanglin; Wang, Xiaoli; Huang, Eric Zhijian; Zhan, Xiaori; Liu, Jun; Wang, Shuling; Wang, Anming; Li, Haifeng; Pei, Xiaolin; Xie, Tian

2010-01-01

The objective was to develop an elemene oil/water (o/w) microemulsion and evaluate its characteristics and oral relative bioavailability in rats. Elemene was used as the oil phase and drug, polysorbate 80 as a surfactant along with ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerol as the cosurfactants. The microemulsion was prepared by mixing method, or ultrasonication method in an ultrasonic bath. Its three-dimensional response surface diagram was drawn by Mathcad software. The microemulsion was characterized by visual observation, cross-polarized microscopy, size, zeta potential, acidity, viscosity, and surface tension measurement. The drug content and entrapment efficiency were determined by ultra fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) and liquid surface method. Blood was drawn from rats at different time points after oral administration of an elemene microemulsion or a commercial elemene emulsion for measurement of the drug in plasma by UFLC to establish the pharmacokinetic parameters and relative bioavailability. The elemene microemulsion as a clarified and isotropic system containing 1% elemene (w/v), 5% ethanol (v/v), 15% propylene glycol (v/v), 15% glycerol (v/v), and 5% polysorbate 80 (w/v), was characterized as (57.7 ± 2.8) nm in size, 0.485 ± 0.032 in polydispersity index, (3.2 ± 0.4) mv in zeta potential, (5.19 ± 0.08) in pH, 6 mpa·s in viscosity, (31.8 ± 0.3) mN·m−1 in surface tension, (8.273 ± 0.018) mg·mL−1 in content of β-elemene, and (99.81 ± 0.24)% in average entrapment efficiency. The area under the concentration-time curves from 0 h to 24 h (AUC0→24h) of the elemene microemulsion and commercial elemene emulsion were integrated to be 3.092 mg·h·L−1 and 1.896 mg·h·L−1 respectively, yielding a relative bioavailability of 163.1%. The present study demonstrates the elemene microemulsion as a new formulation with ease of preparation, high entrapment efficiency, excellent clarity, good stability, and improved bioavailability. PMID:20856831

Preparation, characterization and relative bioavailability of oral elemene o/w microemulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Zhaowu; Zhou, Guanglin; Wang, Xiaoli; Huang, Eric Zhijian; Zhan, Xiaori; Liu, Jun; Wang, Shuling; Wang, Anming; Li, Haifeng; Pei, Xiaolin; Xie, Tian

2010-09-07

The objective was to develop an elemene oil/water (o/w) microemulsion and evaluate its characteristics and oral relative bioavailability in rats. Elemene was used as the oil phase and drug, polysorbate 80 as a surfactant along with ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerol as the cosurfactants. The microemulsion was prepared by mixing method, or ultrasonication method in an ultrasonic bath. Its three-dimensional response surface diagram was drawn by Mathcad software. The microemulsion was characterized by visual observation, cross-polarized microscopy, size, zeta potential, acidity, viscosity, and surface tension measurement. The drug content and entrapment efficiency were determined by ultra fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) and liquid surface method. Blood was drawn from rats at different time points after oral administration of an elemene microemulsion or a commercial elemene emulsion for measurement of the drug in plasma by UFLC to establish the pharmacokinetic parameters and relative bioavailability. The elemene microemulsion as a clarified and isotropic system containing 1% elemene (w/v), 5% ethanol (v/v), 15% propylene glycol (v/v), 15% glycerol (v/v), and 5% polysorbate 80 (w/v), was characterized as (57.7 ± 2.8) nm in size, 0.485 ± 0.032 in polydispersity index, (3.2 ± 0.4) mv in zeta potential, (5.19 ± 0.08) in pH, 6 mpa·s in viscosity, (31.8 ± 0.3) mN·m(-1) in surface tension, (8.273 ± 0.018) mg·mL(-1) in content of β-elemene, and (99.81 ± 0.24)% in average entrapment efficiency. The area under the concentration-time curves from 0 h to 24 h (AUC(0→24h)) of the elemene microemulsion and commercial elemene emulsion were integrated to be 3.092 mg·h·L(-1) and 1.896 mg·h·L(-1) respectively, yielding a relative bioavailability of 163.1%. The present study demonstrates the elemene microemulsion as a new formulation with ease of preparation, high entrapment efficiency, excellent clarity, good stability, and improved bioavailability.

Prevalence of and risk factors associated with ovine progressive pneumonia in Wyoming sheep flocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerstner, Shelley; Adamovicz, Jeffrey J; Duncan, John V; Laegreid, William W; Marshall, Katherine L; Logan, James R; Schumaker, Brant A

2015-10-15

To determine the prevalence of antibodies against small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV), the causative agent of ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP), and to identify risk factors associated with OPP in Wyoming sheep flocks. Cross-sectional study. 1,415 sheep from 54 flocks in Wyoming. Flocks were surveyed as part of the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) 2011 sheep study. Serum samples obtained from sheep in Wyoming were analyzed for anti-SRLV antibodies by use of a competitive-inhibition ELISA. The prevalence of seropositive animals overall and within each flock was calculated. Respective associations between flock OPP status and various demographic and management variables were assessed. The estimated prevalence of sheep seropositive for anti-SRLV antibodies and OPP-infected flocks in Wyoming was 18.0% and 47.5%, respectively. Within OPP-infected flocks, the prevalence of seropositive sheep ranged from 3.9% to 96%. Flocks maintained on nonfenced range were more likely to be infected with OPP than were flocks maintained on fenced range (OR, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 10.7). The estimated prevalence of OPP-infected flocks in Wyoming did not vary substantially from that at the regional or national level reported in the NAHMS 2001 sheep study. Compared with results of the NAHMS 2011 sheep study, Wyoming producers were more familiar with OPP than were other US sheep producers, but only 61% of Wyoming producers surveyed reported being very or somewhat familiar with the disease. Results indicated that OPP is prevalent in many Wyoming sheep flocks, which suggested that continued efforts are necessary to increase producer knowledge about the disease and investigate practices to minimize economic losses associated with OPP.

Oilfield water treatment by electrocoagulation-reverse osmosis for agricultural use: effects on germination and early growth characteristics of sunflower.

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza, Paulo S A; Cerqueira, Alexandre A; Rigo, Michelle M; de Paiva, Julieta L; Couto, Rafael S P; Merçon, Fábio; Perez, Daniel V; Marques, Monica R C

2017-05-01

This study aims to evaluate the effects of oilfield water (OW), treated by a hybrid process of electrocoagulation and reverse osmosis (EC-RO), on seed germination and early growth characteristics of sunflower (Heliantus annus L.). In the EC step, tests were conducted with 28.6 A m -2 current density and 4 min. reaction time. In the RO step, the system was operated with 1 L min -1 constant flow and 2 MPa, 2.5 MPa and 3 MPa feed pressures. In all feed pressures, RO polymeric membranes achieved very high removals of chemical oxygen demand (up to 89%) and oils and greases (100%) from EC-treated effluent. In best feed pressure (2.5 MPa), turbidity, total dissolved salts, electrical conductivity, salinity, toxic ions and sodium adsorption ratio values attained internationally recognized standards for irrigation water. Using EC-RO (feed pressure:2.5 MPa) treated OW, germinated sunflower seeds percentage (86 ± 6%), speed of germination (30 ± 2) and biomass production (49 ± 5 mg) were statistically similar to control (distilled water) results. Vigor index average values obtained using OW treated by EC-RO (3871)were higher than that obtained by OW water treated by EC (3300). The results of this study indicate that EC-RO seems to be a promising alternative for treatment of OW aiming sunflower crops irrigation, since the use of this treated effluent did not affect adversely seed germination and seedling development, and improved seedling vigor. Furthermore, OW treatment by EC-RO reduces sodium levels into acceptable standards values avoiding soil degradation.

A novel evaluation method for extrapolated retention factor in determination of n-octanol/water partition coefficient of halogenated organic pollutants by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shu-ying; Liang, Chao; Qiao, Jun-qin; Lian, Hong-zhen; Ge, Xin; Chen, Hong-yuan

2012-02-03

The retention factor corresponding to pure water in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), k(w), was commonly obtained by extrapolation of retention factor (k) in a mixture of organic modifier and water as mobile phase in tedious experiments. In this paper, a relationship between logk(w) and logk for directly determining k(w) has been proposed for the first time. With a satisfactory validation, the approach was confirmed to enable easy and accurate evaluation of k(w) for compounds in question with similar structure to model compounds. Eight PCB congeners with different degree of chlorination were selected as a training set for modeling the logk(w)-logk correlation on both silica-based C(8) and C(18) stationary phases to evaluate logk(w) of sample compounds including seven PCB, six PBB and eight PBDE congeners. These eight model PCBs were subsequently combined with seven structure-similar benzene derivatives possessing reliable experimental K(ow) values as a whole training set for logK(ow)-logk(w) regressions on the two stationary phases. Consequently, the evaluated logk(w) values of sample compounds were used to determine their logK(ow) by the derived logK(ow)-logk(w) models. The logK(ow) values obtained by these evaluated logk(w) were well comparable with those obtained by experimental-extrapolated logk(w), demonstrating that the proposed method for logk(w) evaluation in this present study could be an effective means in lipophilicity study of environmental contaminants with numerous congeners. As a result, logK(ow) data of many PCBs, PBBs and PBDEs could be offered. These contaminants are considered to widely exist in the environment, but there have been no reliable experimental K(ow) data available yet. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Occurrence, composition and ecological restoration of organic pollutants in water environment of South Canal, China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y. Z.; Lin, C.; Zhou, X. S.; Zhang, Y.; Han, C. G.

2017-08-01

Ecological restoration of polluted river water was carried out in South Canal by adding microbial water purifying agents and biological compound enzymes. The objective of present study was to investigate the ecological restoration effect of organic pollutants by this efficient immobilized microbial technologies, analysis the occurrence and composition of organic pollutants including fifteen persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), seventeen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and eighteen organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) both in natural water environment and ecological restoration area of South Canal, China. Results showed that the total concentrations of OCPs ranged from 1.11 to 1.78 ng·L-1, PAHs from 52.76 to 60.28 ng·L-1, and OPPs from 6.51 to 17.50 ng·L-1. Microbial water purifying agents and biological compound enzymes essentially had no effects on biological degradation of OCPs and PAHs in the river, but could remove OPPs with degradation rates ranging from 19.6% to 62.8% (35.2% in average). Degradation mechanisms of microbial water purifying agents and biological compound enzymes on OCPs, PAHs and OPPs remained to be further studied. This technology has a certain value in practical ecological restoration of organic pollutants in rivers and lakes.

Operations program plan: Revision 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-07-01

This document, the Operations Program Plan (OPP), has been developed as the seven-year master plan for operation of WIPP. The OPP was authorized by the Albuquerque Field Office of the Department of Energy (DOE-AL) and that organization's WIPP Project Office (DOE-WPO) in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The OPP is the directive from the DOE-WPO Project Manager as to how the WIPP is to be managed, operated, and administered. As the top tier management document for WIPP, the OPP establishes organizational responsibilities and an organizational structure for the Waste Isolation Division (WID) of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The OPP sets policy and tone for conducting WIPP operations; it requires and specifically authorizes implementing documents (e.g., manuals). It has also proven instrumental in the budgeting and planning process, most particularly in expediting the preparation of specific budgets and detailed schedules for each of the numerous work packages. The OPP is also used to communicate information about WIPP operations

Effect of sucrose ester concentration on the interfacial characteristics and physical properties of sodium caseinate-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qiangzhong; Liu, Daolin; Long, Zhao; Yang, Bao; Fang, Min; Kuang, Wanmei; Zhao, Mouming

2014-05-15

The effect of sucrose ester (SE) concentration on interfacial tension and surface dilatational modulus of SE and sodium caseinate (NaCas)-SE solutions were investigated. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SE was presumed to be 0.05% by measuring interfacial tension of SE solution. The interfacial tension of NaCas-SE solution decreased with increased SE concentration. A sharp increase in surface dilatational modulus of NaCas solution was observed when 0.01% SE was added and a decline was occurred at higher SE level. The influence of SE concentration on droplet size and confocal micrograph, surface protein concentration, ζ-potential and rheological properties of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions prepared with 1% NaCas was also examined. The results showed that addition of SE reduced droplet size and surface protein concentration of the O/W emulsions. The ζ-potential of the O/W emulsions increased initially and decreased afterward with increased SE concentration. All the O/W emulsions exhibited a shear-thinning behaviour and the data were well-fitted into the Herschel-Bulkley model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fragment-based approach to calculate hydrophobicity of anionic and nonionic surfactants derived from chromatographic retention on a C18 stationary phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammer, Jort; Haftka, Joris J-H; Scherpenisse, Peter; Hermens, Joop L M; de Voogt, Pim W P

2017-02-01

To predict the fate and potential effects of organic contaminants, information about their hydrophobicity is required. However, common parameters to describe the hydrophobicity of organic compounds (e.g., octanol-water partition constant [K OW ]) proved to be inadequate for ionic and nonionic surfactants because of their surface-active properties. As an alternative approach to determine their hydrophobicity, the aim of the present study was therefore to measure the retention of a wide range of surfactants on a C 18 stationary phase. Capacity factors in pure water (k' 0 ) increased linearly with increasing number of carbon atoms in the surfactant structure. Fragment contribution values were determined for each structural unit with multilinear regression, and the results were consistent with the expected influence of these fragments on the hydrophobicity of surfactants. Capacity factors of reference compounds and log K OW values from the literature were used to estimate log K OW values for surfactants (log KOWHPLC). These log KOWHPLC values were also compared to log K OW values calculated with 4 computational programs: KOWWIN, Marvin calculator, SPARC, and COSMOThermX. In conclusion, capacity factors from a C 18 stationary phase are found to better reflect hydrophobicity of surfactants than their K OW values. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:329-336. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Building a better Faraday cage

Science.gov (United States)

MartinAlfven; Wright, David; skocpol; Rounce, Graham; Richfield, Jon; W, Nick; wheelsonfire

2015-11-01

In reply to the physicsworld.com news article “Are Faraday cages less effective than previously thought?” (15 September, http://ow.ly/SfklO), about a study that indicated, based on mathematical modelling, that conducting wire-mesh cages may not be as good at excluding electromagnetic radiation as is commonly assumed.

Effect of Hemodialysis on Eye Coats, Axial Length, and Ocular Perfusion Pressure in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To investigate changes in eye coats, axial length, and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP in hemodialysis (HD patients with chronic renal failure (CRF. Methods. We included HD patients who were diagnosed with CRF in our hospital from January to December 2015. Fifty-two patients met the inclusion criteria; all right eyes were used for observation. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were recorded to calculate OPP. Approximately 30 minutes before and after HD, we recorded multiple parameters, including lens thickness (LT, axial length of vitreous (VAL, axial length of eye (EAL, ciliary body thickness (CBT, choroidal thickness (CT, and retinal thickness (RT. Results. After HD, OPP significantly decreased (P<0.01, F=7.023 and CBT became significantly thinner (P<0.01, t=3.461. CT was significantly thinner and differed among measurement locations (P<0.01, t=6.240; P<0.01, t=6.169; P<0.01, t=3.405, respectively, fovea, nasal, and temporal side 1500 μm beside the fovea. Further, RT thickened and differed among measurement locations (P<0.05, t=−2.265; P<0.05, t=−2.624; P<0.05, t=−2.220, respectively, fovea, nasal, and temporal side 1500 μm beside fovea, whereas LT, VAL, and EAL significantly increased after HD (P<0.05, t=−2.076; P<0.01, t=−3.817; P<0.01, t=−4.010. Conclusions. HD impacts the thickness of the eye coats and VAL, particularly affecting CBT, CT, and RT. OPP transiently decreases during HD, which may contribute to an ischemic state.

75 FR 45769 - Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-03

... conversion factor used to determine payment rates under the OPPS on an annual basis using the OPD fee.... Therefore, the only changes to the conversion factor, and thus to the CY 2010 OPPS payment rates, that are... recalculated CY 2010 final conversion factor of $67.241 is reflected in the revised CY 2010 OPPS payment rates...

A comparative analysis of the postural and diurnal ocular perfusion pressure of young healthy individuals of different ethnicities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alvin J. Munsamy

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Ocular perfusion pressure (OPP regulates the flow of blood to the optic nerve and is determined by the interaction between intraocular pressure (IOP and blood pressure (BP. Low OPP increases the incidence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG. The aim is to compare the diurnal (i.e. morning vs. afternoon and postural (i.e. seated vs. supine OPP in healthy individuals from different ethnicities aged between 18 and 30 years. Methodology: Averaged IOP and BP measurements were obtained with an ICare rebound tonometer and an automated sphygmomanometer, respectively. Measurements were taken in the morning and afternoon, in the supine and seated positions in healthy young adults: Africans (n = 10, white people (n = 10, mixed-race people (n = 10 and Indians (n = 10. Results: The whole sample (N = 40 displayed a statistically significant reduction in postural and diurnal OPP both in the supine position and in the morning, respectively. A comparative analysis revealed that Africans displayed statistically significant reduction in OPP when compared to other ethnicities. Discussion: A change in posture to the supine position has a greater impact on the reduction of OPP when compared to diurnal changes. Africans displayed clinically significant reduction in OPP which may increase the incidence of POAG in this ethnicity at an early age. Conclusion: Our findings question whether OPP should be considered as a biomarker in the dark-skinned individuals. An evaluation of BP and IOP in the supine position is recommended for all patients to obtain more conclusive readings.

Impact of organizational policies and practices on workplace injuries in a hospital setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Tveito, T H; Sembajwe, G; Boden, L I; Dennerlein, J T; Wagner, G R; Kenwood, C; Stoddard, A M; Reme, S E; Hopcia, K; Hashimoto, D; Shaw, W S; Sorensen, G

2014-08-01

This study aimed to assess relationships between perceptions of organizational practices and policies (OPP), social support, and injury rates among workers in hospital units. A total of 1230 hospital workers provided survey data on OPP, job flexibility, and social support. Demographic data and unit injury rates were collected from the hospitals' administrative databases. Injury rates were lower in units where workers reported higher OPP scores and high social support. These relationships were mainly observed among registered nurses. Registered nurses perceived coworker support and OPP as less satisfactory than patient care associates (PCAs). Nevertheless, because of the low number of PCAs at each unit, results for the PCAs are preliminary and should be further researched in future studies with larger sample sizes. Employers aiming to reduce injuries in hospitals could focus on good OPP and supportive work environment.

Effects of an intervention strategy for school children aimed at reducing overweight and obesity within the State of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales-Ruán, María del Carmen; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Amaya-Castellanos, Claudia Isabel; Salazar-Coronel, Araceli Apolonia; Jiménez-Aguilar, Alejandra; Amaya-Castellanos, Maritza Alejandra; Méndez-Gómez Humarán, Ignacio

2014-01-01

This study explored the intervention effect of the "Nutrition on the Go" strategy on the prevalence of overweight and obesity (OW+O), according to the role played by different patterns. Pattern Groups (PG) were determined based on schools' food availability and other variables at individual level: nutrition knowledge, physical activity, socioeconomic level and self-efficacy, using an ecological approach. The PG classification was achieved using Ward's cluster method. The prevalence of OW+O was higher in PGI (intermediate food availability and high socioeconomic index [SEI]) compared to PG 2 (high availability of food and lower SEI) and PG 3 (low availability of food and medium SEI) with a lower prevalence (p<0.00I). The PG-intervention interaction showed differences for PG 3 (p=0.066), the stage-PG interaction showed differences between PGs I and 3 (p=0.014) and between PGs 2 and 3 (p=0.055). Differences between PGs have important implications for the prevalence of OW+O.

Preparation, characterization and relative bioavailability of oral elemene o/w microemulsion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaowu Zeng

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Zhaowu Zeng1, Guanglin Zhou1, Xiaoli Wang2, Eric Zhijian Huang1, Xiaori Zhan1, Jun Liu1, Shuling Wang1, Anming Wang1, Haifeng Li1, Xiaolin Pei1, Tian Xie11Research Center for Biomedicine and Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; 2Yichun University of Jiangxi Province, Yichun, Jiangxi, ChinaAbstract: The objective was to develop an elemene oil/water (o/w microemulsion and evaluate its characteristics and oral relative bioavailability in rats. Elemene was used as the oil phase and drug, polysorbate 80 as a surfactant along with ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerol as the cosurfactants. The microemulsion was prepared by mixing method, or ultrasonication method in an ultrasonic bath. Its three-dimensional response surface diagram was drawn by Mathcad software. The microemulsion was characterized by visual observation, cross-polarized microscopy, size, zeta potential, acidity, viscosity, and surface tension measurement. The drug content and entrapment efficiency were determined by ultra fast liquid chromatography (UFLC and liquid surface method. Blood was drawn from rats at different time points after oral administration of an elemene microemulsion or a commercial elemene emulsion for measurement of the drug in plasma by UFLC to establish the pharmacokinetic parameters and relative bioavailability. The elemene microemulsion as a clarified and isotropic system containing 1% elemene (w/v, 5% ethanol (v/v, 15% propylene glycol (v/v, 15% glycerol (v/v, and 5% polysorbate 80 (w/v, was characterized as (57.7 ± 2.8 nm in size, 0.485 ± 0.032 in polydispersity index, (3.2 ± 0.4 mv in zeta potential, (5.19 ± 0.08 in pH, 6 mpa•s in viscosity, (31.8 ± 0.3 mN•m-1 in surface tension, (8.273 ± 0.018 mg•mL-1 in content of ß-elemene, and (99.81 ± 0.24% in average entrapment efficiency. The area under the concentration-time curves from 0 h to 24 h (AUC0→24h of the elemene microemulsion and commercial elemene emulsion were

Studies on the effect of solvents on self-assembly of thioctic acid and Mercaptohexanol on gold

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Zhiguo; Niu Tianxing [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry of China and Key Laboratory of MOE for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Zhang Zhenjiang [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry of China and Key Laboratory of MOE for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Feng Guiying [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry of China and Key Laboratory of MOE for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Bi Shuping, E-mail: bisp@nju.edu.c [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry of China and Key Laboratory of MOE for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2011-04-29

In this article we investigated the effect of solvents (CCl{sub 4}, CH{sub 3}CN, DMF, ethanol, ethanol-H{sub 2}O and H{sub 2}O) on self-assembly of Thioctic acid (TA) and Mercaptohexanol (MCH) on gold by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Electrochemical characteristics of TA and MCH self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed in different solvents were evaluated by inspecting the ions permeability (interfacial capacitance C and phase angle {phi}{sub 1Hz}) and electron transfer capability (current density difference {Delta}i and charge transfer resistance R{sub ct}). Experimental results indicated that the ability of solvents availing the ordering of SAMs was: for TA, CCl{sub 4} > ethanol > CH{sub 3}CN > ethanol-H{sub 2}O > DMF; for MCH, H{sub 2}O > ethanol-H{sub 2}O {approx} CCl{sub 4} > ethanol {approx} CH{sub 3}CN > DMF. Through relating the C, {phi}{sub 1Hz}, {Delta}i and R{sub ct} of SAMs (TA and MCH) with parameters of solvent (polarity E{sub T}{sup N}, solubility parameter {delta} and octanol/water partition coefficients logP{sub ow}), it was found that solvents with bigger logP{sub ow} (smaller E{sub T}{sup N} and {delta}) availed the ordering of TA-SAMs but the effect of solvents on MCH self-assembly was complex and MCH-SAMs formed in H{sub 2}O (the biggest E{sub T}{sup N}, {delta} and the smallest logP{sub ow}) and CCl{sub 4} (the smallest E{sub T}{sup N}, {delta} and the biggest logP{sub ow}) were more ordered than in other solvents.

Effects of Model Chemistry and Data Biases on Stratospheric Ozone Assimilation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Coy, L; Allen, D. R; Eckermann, S. D; McCormack, J. P; Stajner, I; Hogan, T. F

2007-01-01

.... In this study, O-F statistics from the Global Ozone Assimilation Testing System (GOATS) are used to examine how ozone assimilation products and their associated O-F statistics depend on input data biases and ozone photochemistry parameterizations (OPP...

Potencial de uso agrícola e nutricional de cultivares crioulas de feijão Cropping and nutritional potential of common bean land varieties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nerinéia Dalfollo Ribeiro

2008-06-01

Full Text Available O valor nutricional e o potencial de uso agrícola de cultivares crioulas de feijão não têm sido suficientemente avaliados, sendo este o objetivo deste trabalho. O experimento foi conduzido nos anos agrícolas 2004/05 e 2005/06, em Santa Maria, RS, no delineamento experimental de látice triplo 6 x 6. Os tratamentos consistiram de 32 cultivares crioulas de feijão e quatro cultivares desenvolvidas pela pesquisa. Interação cultivar x ano foi observada em relação ao rendimento de grãos, à coloração do tegumento dos grãos e ao ciclo, evidenciando resposta diferenciada das cultivares crioulas aos anos de avaliação. Foi possível a identificação de cultivares crioulas com elevado potencial de rendimento de grãos, com coloração de tegumento de grãos adequada para os diferentes grupos comerciais, com precocidade e teor elevado de fibra alimentar. Nesse sentido, as cultivares crioulas - "21 INT-ps 1", "9 BR-ps 5", "9 BR-ps 15", "9 BR-ps 13", "9 BR-ps 7", "38 MO M-ps 11" e "36 BR MP-ps 14" - são promissoras para uso em programas de melhoramento genético devido ao elevado potencial de uso agrícola. A cultivar crioula "24 OP-ps 1" apresentou o maior teor de fibra alimentar e o seu potencial de uso como alimento funcional deve ser investigado.The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrition and the crop values of common bean land varieties. The experiments were conducted in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in 2004/05 and 2005/06 cropping years, in a 6x6 triple lattice design. Treatments were composed of 32 common bean land varieties and four research-derived cultivars. Cultivar x environment interaction was detected for grain yield, seed coat color and cycle, what reveals a differential response of the land varieties to the different crop years. Land varieties were identified with high grain yield potential, commercially acceptable seed coat color from different commercial groups, early maturity and high dietary fiber content. '21

Identification of a phytotoxic photo-transformation product of diclofenac using effect-directed analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulze, Tobias, E-mail: tobias.schulze@ufz.d [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Weiss, Sara [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Department of Chemical Risk Assessment, Nikolai-Fuchs-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover (Germany); Schymanski, Emma; Ohe, Peter Carsten von der [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Schmitt-Jansen, Mechthild; Altenburger, Rolf [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Streck, Georg; Brack, Werner [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany)

2010-05-15

The pharmaceutical diclofenac (DCF) is released in considerably high amounts to the aquatic environment. Photo-transformation of DCF was reported as the main degradation pathway in surface waters and was found to produce metabolites with enhanced toxicity to the green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus. We identified and subsequently confirmed 2-[2-(chlorophenyl)amino]benzaldehyde (CPAB) as a transformation product with enhanced toxicity using effect-directed analysis. The EC{sub 50} of CPAB (4.8 mg/L) was a factor of 10 lower than that for DCF (48.1 mg/L), due to the higher hydrophobicity of CPAB (log K{sub ow} = 3.62) compared with DCF (log D{sub ow} = 2.04) at pH 7.0. - Effect-directed analysis of irradiated diclofenac results in the identification of one photo-transformation product responsible for the enhanced toxicity to Scenedesmus vacuolatus.

An Effective Framework for Distributed Geospatial Query Processing in Grids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHEN, B.

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The emergence of Internet has greatly revolutionized the way that geospatial information is collected, managed, processed and integrated. There are several important research issues to be addressed for distributed geospatial applications. First, the performance of geospatial applications is needed to be considered in the Internet environment. In this regard, the Grid as an effective distributed computing paradigm is a good choice. The Grid uses a series of middleware to interconnect and merge various distributed resources into a super-computer with capability of high performance computation. Secondly, it is necessary to ensure the secure use of independent geospatial applications in the Internet environment. The Grid just provides the utility of secure access to distributed geospatial resources. Additionally, it makes good sense to overcome the heterogeneity between individual geospatial information systems in Internet. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC proposes a number of generalized geospatial standards e.g. OGC Web Services (OWS to achieve interoperable access to geospatial applications. The OWS solution is feasible and widely adopted by both the academic community and the industry community. Therefore, we propose an integrated framework by incorporating OWS standards into Grids. Upon the framework distributed geospatial queries can be performed in an interoperable, high-performance and secure Grid environment.

The influence of asphaltenes of the petroleum on the rheology of O/W (Oil/Water) emulsions; Influencia de asfaltenos do petroleo sobre a reologia de emulsoes O/A (Oleo/Agua)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Ronaldo Goncalves dos; Mohamed, Rahoma Sadeg; Loh, Watson; Bannwart, Antonio Carlos [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil)

2004-07-01

Heavy oils represent a large fraction of the Brazilian petroleum reserves and display a great potential for application as substitute to the conventional oils, provided a suitable technology for their transportation is available. The high viscosity of these heavy oils leads to high flow resistance and increase in the recovery and transportation costs. Methodologies employed to reduce these problems involve application of heat of addition of diluents or lighter oils, but are associated with high costs. Formation of low viscosity oil-in-water emulsions has been proposed as an alternative for the transportation of heavy oils, as investigated in this work. Preliminary results indicate significant viscosity decreases upon emulsification of heavy oils (viscosities greater than 1,000 cP) forming o/w emulsions with high oil content (between 50-65 vol. %), which display viscosities within 4-25 cP. Additionally, the effect of different surfactants, methodology of preparation and oil asphaltene content on the emulsion stability was also evaluated. These results confirm the potential of emulsification as a viable methodology for heavy oil transportation. (author)

Inhibitory effect of common microfluidic materials on PCR outcome

KAUST Repository

Kodzius, Rimantas; Xiao, Kang; Wu, Jinbo; Yi, Xin; Gong, Xiuqing; Foulds, Ian G.; Wen, Weijia

2013-01-01

In this study, we established a simple method for evaluating the PCR compatibility of various common materials employed when fabricating microfluidic chips, including silicon, several kinds of silicon oxide, glasses, plastics, wax, and adhesives. Two-temperature PCR was performed with these materials to determine their PCR-inhibitory effect. In most cases, adding bovine serum albumin effectively improved the reaction yield. We also studied the individual PCR components from the standpoint of adsorption. Most of the materials did not inhibit the DNA, although they noticeably interacted with the polymerase. We provide a simple method of performing PCR-compatibility testing of materials using inexpensive instrumentation that is common in molecular biology laboratories. Furthermore, our method is direct, being performed under actual PCR conditions with high temperature. Our results provide an overview of materials that are PCR-friendly for fabricating microfluidic devices. The PCR reaction, without any additives, performed best with pyrex glass, and it performed worst with PMMA or acrylic glue materials.

Inhibitory effect of common microfluidic materials on PCR outcome

KAUST Repository

Kodzius, Rimantas

2013-10-10

In this study, we established a simple method for evaluating the PCR compatibility of various common materials employed when fabricating microfluidic chips, including silicon, several kinds of silicon oxide, glasses, plastics, wax, and adhesives. Two-temperature PCR was performed with these materials to determine their PCR-inhibitory effect. In most cases, adding bovine serum albumin effectively improved the reaction yield. We also studied the individual PCR components from the standpoint of adsorption. Most of the materials did not inhibit the DNA, although they noticeably interacted with the polymerase. We provide a simple method of performing PCR-compatibility testing of materials using inexpensive instrumentation that is common in molecular biology laboratories. Furthermore, our method is direct, being performed under actual PCR conditions with high temperature. Our results provide an overview of materials that are PCR-friendly for fabricating microfluidic devices. The PCR reaction, without any additives, performed best with pyrex glass, and it performed worst with PMMA or acrylic glue materials.

Effect of herbicide and soil amendment on growth and photosynthetic responses in olive crops.

Science.gov (United States)

Redondo-Gómez, Susana; Mateos-Naranjo, Enrique; Cox, Lucía; Cornejo, Juan; Figueroa, Enrique

2007-01-01

Diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)- = 1,1-dimethylurea] and simazine (6-chloro-N(2), N(4)-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) are soil-applied herbicides used in olive crops. The objective of this study is to investigate the combined effect of these herbicides and the amendment of soil with an organic waste (OW) from the olive oil production industry on the growth and photosynthetic apparatus of adult olive trees and to compare the results with those obtained by Redondo-Gómez et al. for two-year-old trees. For this purpose, growth rate, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured in 38-year-old olive trees, after one and two months of soil herbicide treatment and/or OW amendment. Soil co-application of OW and herbicide increases the quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (PSII) and the assimilation of CO(2) in olive trees, which led to a higher relative growth rate of the branches and leaves in length. Herbicide treatment reduced the photosynthetic efficiency in olive trees after two months of soil application, while this reduction is evident from week one in younger trees.

Organophosphorus pesticides effect on early stages of the axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum (Amphibia: Caudata).

Science.gov (United States)

Robles-Mendoza, C; García-Basilio, C; Cram-Heydrich, S; Hernández-Quiroz, M; Vanegas-Pérez, C

2009-02-01

Ambystoma mexicanum is an endemic salamander of Xochimilco, a wetland of the basin of Mexico valley. Nowadays, axolotl populations are decreasing due environmental stressors. Particularly, studies about organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs; i.e. chlorpyrifos and malathion) toxicity are of great importance due to their intensive use in agricultural activities in Xochimilco. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate under controlled conditions the toxicity of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and malathion (MLT) on embryos and larvae (stage 44 and 54) of A. mexicanum. Embryos and larvae were exposure 96h from 0.5 to 3mg CPFL(-1) and from 10 to 30mg MLTL(-1) in independent tests. Embryos at the end of this period were maintained 9d without pesticide in order to identify possible recuperation. Differences obtained in mortality, hatching success, development, morphological abnormalities, behaviour and activity, suggest that toxicity of CPF and MLT differs in embryos and larval stages. Embryos were less sensitive to OPPs acute exposure than axolotl larvae; additionally, toxicity of CPF in larval stages was greater than MLT. On the other hand, data obtained in axolotl embryos during the period of recuperation to CPF in particular as delay and inhibition of development, malformations and success of hatching, indicated that these responses turned out more sensitive than mortality. This study allowed to identify the toxicological potential of OPPs on early developmental stages of A. mexicanum and it is a valuable contribution for the future management of the axolotl wild population.

Formulation and optimization of pH sensitive drug releasing O/W emulsions using Albizia lebbeck L. seed polysaccharide.

Science.gov (United States)

Varma, Chekuri Ashok Kumar; Jayaram Kumar, K

2018-04-30

Smart polymers, one of the class of polymers with extensive growth in the last few decades due to their wide applications in drug targeting and controlled delivery systems. With this in mind, the aim of the present study is to design and formulate smart releasing o/w emulsion by using Albizia lebbeck L. seed polysaccharide (ALPS). For this purpose, the physicochemical and drug release characteristics like emulsion capacity (EC), emulsion stability (ES), viscosity, microscopy, zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI) and in-vitro drug release were performed. The EC and ES values were found to increase with an increased concentration of ALPS. The emulsion formulations were statistically designed by using 3 2 full factorial design. All the emulsions showed a shear-thinning behavior. The zeta potential and polydispersity index were found to be in the range of -35.83 mV to -19.00 mV and 0.232-1.000 respectively. Further, the percent cumulative drug release of the emulsions at 8 h was found to be in the range of 30.19-82.65%. The drug release profile exhibited zero order release kinetics. In conclusion, the ALPS can be used as a natural emulsifier and smart polymer for the preparation of pH sensitive emulsions in drug delivery systems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Erosive effects of common beverages on extracted premolar teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Seow, W K; Thong, K M

2005-09-01

Dental erosion is highly prevalent today, and acidic drinks are thought to be an important cause. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the erosive potential of a range of common beverages on extracted human teeth. The beverages were tested for their individual pHs using a pH meter. The clinical effects of the most erosive beverages were determined by the degree of etching and Vickers microhardness of enamel. The results showed that many common beverages have pHs sufficiently low to cause enamel erosion. Lime juice concentrate (pH 2.1) had the lowest pH, followed by Coca-cola and Pepsi (both with pH 2.3) and Lucozade (pH 2.5). The erosive potential of these beverages was demonstrated by the deep etching of the enamel after five minutes. The Vickers Hardness of enamel was reduced by about 50 per cent in the case of lime juice (p case of Coca-cola (p Coca-cola completely reversed the erosive effects on the enamel. Although only a few of the beverages with the lowest pHs were tested, the present study showed that the most acidic drinks had the greatest erosive effects on enamel. While saliva was protective against erosion, relatively large volumes were required to neutralize the acidity.

The role of urinary pH in o-phenylphenol-induced cytotoxicity and chromosomal damage in the bladders of F344 rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Balakrishnan, S; Hasegawa, L; Eastmond, D A

2016-04-01

o-Phenylphenol (OPP) is a widely used fungicide and antibacterial agent that at high doses has been shown to cause bladder cancer in male F344 rats. The mechanisms underlying OPP-induced bladder carcinogenicity remain unclear but it has been proposed that a non-enzymatic pH-dependent autoxidation of phenylhydroquinone (PHQ), a primary metabolite of OPP, may be a key step in OPP-induced rat bladder carcinogenesis. To investigate this mechanism and to provide insights into the potential human health relevance of OPP-induced cancer, a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted. In human lymphoblastoid TK-6 cells and rat bladder epithelial NBT-II cells, strong increases in cytotoxicity were seen at a constant concentration of PHQ by increasing the buffer pH as well as by increasing concentrations of PHQ at a constant pH. In in vivo studies, male rats were administered OPP (4,000 and 8,000 ppm) in a diet supplemented with either 1% ammonium chloride or 3% sodium bicarbonate to produce acidic and alkaline urinary pH, respectively. Significant increases in cell proliferation as detected by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation and micronucleus formation were seen in the bladder cells of OPP-treated rats with neutral or alkaline urinary pH but not in animals with the acidified urine. The results from these in vitro and in vivo studies provide support for the autoxidation hypothesis of bioactivation, and provide additional evidence that urinary pH can significantly influence the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of this important agent. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In vivo tracing of organophosphorus pesticides in cabbage (Brassica parachinensis) and aloe (Barbadensis)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, Junlang; Chen, Guosheng; Zhou, Hong; Xu, Jianqiao; Wang, Fuxin; Zhu, Fang; Ouyang, Gangfeng

2016-01-01

In vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling method coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis was employed to trace the uptake and elimination of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in two kinds of edible plants, cabbage (Brassica parachinensis) and aloe (Barbadensis). The metabolism of fenthion in aloe was also investigated by the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC–MS/MS) to understand the fate of OPPs in living plants better. Transpiration stream concentration factor (TSCF) and depuration rate constants of the OPPs in living plants were obtained therein. The health risk of the OPPs treated aloe was estimated by the maximum residue limit (MRL) approach, and it revealed that the OPPs were rather safe for their fast degradable property. However, peak concentration of fenthion-sulfoxide was found to exceed the MRL and was higher than that of the parent fenthion, which indicated the potential risk of pesticide metabolites. This study highlighted the application of in vivo SPME for contaminant tracing in different living edible plants. The in vivo tracing method is very convenient and can provide more data to evaluate the risk of different pesticides, which are very important for the safety of agriculture production. - Highlights: • In vivo SPME was employed to sample organophosphorus pesticides in vegetables. • Uptake and elimination of OPPs were traced in cabbage and aloe. • In vivo tracing of fenthion demonstrated its metabolites could be rather dangerous. • The risks of OPPs were assessed based on the in vivo tracing data.

In vivo tracing of organophosphorus pesticides in cabbage (Brassica parachinensis) and aloe (Barbadensis)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu, Junlang; Chen, Guosheng; Zhou, Hong; Xu, Jianqiao; Wang, Fuxin; Zhu, Fang, E-mail: ceszf@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Ouyang, Gangfeng, E-mail: cesoygf@mail.sysu.edu.cn

2016-04-15

In vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling method coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis was employed to trace the uptake and elimination of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in two kinds of edible plants, cabbage (Brassica parachinensis) and aloe (Barbadensis). The metabolism of fenthion in aloe was also investigated by the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC–MS/MS) to understand the fate of OPPs in living plants better. Transpiration stream concentration factor (TSCF) and depuration rate constants of the OPPs in living plants were obtained therein. The health risk of the OPPs treated aloe was estimated by the maximum residue limit (MRL) approach, and it revealed that the OPPs were rather safe for their fast degradable property. However, peak concentration of fenthion-sulfoxide was found to exceed the MRL and was higher than that of the parent fenthion, which indicated the potential risk of pesticide metabolites. This study highlighted the application of in vivo SPME for contaminant tracing in different living edible plants. The in vivo tracing method is very convenient and can provide more data to evaluate the risk of different pesticides, which are very important for the safety of agriculture production. - Highlights: • In vivo SPME was employed to sample organophosphorus pesticides in vegetables. • Uptake and elimination of OPPs were traced in cabbage and aloe. • In vivo tracing of fenthion demonstrated its metabolites could be rather dangerous. • The risks of OPPs were assessed based on the in vivo tracing data.

Formation Dynamics of Oral Oil Coatings and Their Effect on Subsequent Sweetness Perception of Liquid Stimuli

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Camacho, S.; Eck, van Arianne; De Velde, Van Fred; Stieger, M.A.

2015-01-01

Knowledge of the formation of oral coatings and their influence on subsequent taste perception is necessary to understand possible taste-masking effects by oil coatings. This study investigated (a) the dynamics of the formation of oral oil coatings formed by o/w emulsions and (b) the effect of oral

Effects of gamma irradiation on Commercial Food Packaging films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabalar, P.J.; Abad, L.V.; Laurio, C.

2015-01-01

Gamma Radiation is a well-known technology to inactivate bacterial pathogens in food products. Currently, there is a growing interest in this technology considering its advantage of being a non-thermal process and the convenience of food being pre-packaged in its final form before treatment that prevents possible recontamination. The process of irradiating pre-packaged food requires that appropriate packaging materials are chosen as this would play a vital role in the quality assessment and safety evaluation of the irradiated products. Irradiation can cause changes to the packaging materials that might affect its integrity and functionality as a barrier e.g. to chemical or microbial contamination. Likewise, components of packaging materials that have been irradiated may migrate to food as a result of irradiation. Hence, this study was conducted to screen locally available commercial packaging films and determine its effect with radiation. Commercials packaging films made up of PET / FOIL / PE, Plain PET 12 / Foil 7 / PE 100, VMPET 12 / PE 70, OPP 20 / Foil 6.5 / PE 40, PET 12 / CPS 40, PET 12 / PE 50, Laminated PET / PE, Nylon / PE, and Nylon 15 / PE 50 were investigated for its effect with gamma radiation at 10 kGy. Their mechanical and thermal properties generally did not show any changes after irradiation except for OPP 20/ Foil 6.5 / PE 40. Gel Permeation Chromatography of leachates from water samples detected the presence of high molecular weight radiolytic products especially from laminated PET/PE films. Radiation effects were minimal for VMPET12/PE70, Nylon/PE and Nylon 15/PE 50 films. Preliminary results, using the stable isotope technique, to study the leachates in the water samples in contact with the packaging materials reveal an indicative increase in δ"1"8O"0/_0_0 and δD 0/_0_0.(author)

Experiment list: SRX191051 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available || strain description=C57 black 6, the most common inbred strain of laboratory mo...owDensity-bin20-win+/-75 || replicate=1,2 || strain description=C57 black 6, the most common inbred strain of labor

Progress in wind tunnel experimental techniques for wind turbine?

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jingping XIAO; Li CHEN; Qiang WANG; Qiao WANG

2016-01-01

Based on the unsteady aerodynamics experiment (UAE) phase VI and the model experiment in controlled conditions (MEXICO) projects and the related research carried out in China Aerodynamic Research and Development Center (CARDC), the recent progress in the wind tunnel experimental techniques for the wind turbine is sum-marized. Measurement techniques commonly used for di?erent types of wind tunnel ex-periments for wind turbine are reviewed. Important research achievements are discussed, such as the wind tunnel disturbance, the equivalence of the airfoil in?ow condition, the three-dimensional (3D) e?ect, the dynamic in?ow in?uence, the ?ow ?eld structure, and the vortex induction. The corresponding research at CARDC and some ideas on the large wind turbine are also introduced.

Soil drying effects on the carbon isotope composition of soil respiration

Science.gov (United States)

Stable isotopes are used widely as a tool for determining sources of carbon (C) fluxes in ecosystem C studies. Environmental factors that change over time, such as moisture, can create dynamic changes in the isotopic composition of C assimilated by plants, and offers a unique opp...

Ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsions: roles played by stabilization surfactants of oil droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Ma, Jun

2015-04-07

Oil/water (O/W) emulsion stabilized by surfactants is the part of oily wastewater that is most difficult to handle. Ceramic membrane ultrafiltration presently is an ideal process to treat O/W emulsions. However, little is known about the fouling mechanism of the ceramic membrane during O/W emulsion treatment. This paper investigated how stabilization surfactants of O/W emulsions influence the irreversible fouling of ceramic membranes during ultrafiltration. An unexpected phenomenon observed was that irreversible fouling was much less when the charge of the stabilization surfactant of O/W emulsions is opposite to the membrane. The less ceramic membrane fouling in this case was proposed to be due to a synergetic steric effect and demulsification effect which prevented the penetration of oil droplets into membrane pores and led to less pore blockage. This proposed mechanism was supported by cross section images of fouled and virgin ceramic membranes taken with scanning electron microscopy, regression results of classical fouling models, and analysis of organic components rejected by the membrane. Furthermore, this mechanism was also verified by the existence of a steric effect and demulsification effect. Our finding suggests that ceramic membrane oppositely charged to the stabilization surfactant should be applied in ultrafiltration of O/W emulsions to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling. It could be a useful rule for ceramic membrane ultrafiltration of oily wastewater.

Ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsions: Roles played by stabilization surfactants of oil droplets

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei

2015-04-07

Oil/water (O/W) emulsion stabilized by surfactants is the part of oily wastewater that is most difficult to handle. Ceramic membrane ultrafiltration presently is an ideal process to treat O/W emulsions. However, little is known about the fouling mechanism of the ceramic membrane during O/W emulsion treatment. This paper investigated how stabilization surfactants of O/W emulsions influence the irreversible fouling of ceramic membranes during ultrafiltration. An unexpected phenomenon observed was that irreversible fouling was much less when the charge of the stabilization surfactant of O/W emulsions is opposite to the membrane. The less ceramic membrane fouling in this case was proposed to be due to a synergetic steric effect and demulsification effect which prevented the penetration of oil droplets into membrane pores and led to less pore blockage. This proposed mechanism was supported by cross section images of fouled and virgin ceramic membranes taken with scanning electron microscopy, regression results of classical fouling models, and analysis of organic components rejected by the membrane. Furthermore, this mechanism was also verified by the existence of a steric effect and demulsification effect. Our finding suggests that ceramic membrane oppositely charged to the stabilization surfactant should be applied in ultrafiltration of O/W emulsions to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling. It could be a useful rule for ceramic membrane ultrafiltration of oily wastewater. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Simultaneous determination of organophosphorous insecticides in bean samples by gas chromatography - flame photometric detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keyller Bastos Borges

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The indiscriminate use of organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs in crops may leave residues in food and may cause poisoning in the applicators. A method was developed for the determination of five OPPs in bean samples by Gas Chromatography-Flame Photometric Detection (GC-FPD. Validation parameters comprised linearity between 0.24 and 8.56 μg g-1 (r = 0.9985 for diazinon; 0.23 and 8.14 μg g-1 (r = 0.9959 for methyl parathion; 0.28 and 10.25 μg g-1 (r = 0.9987 for methyl pirimiphos; 0.52 and 18.87 μg g-1 (r = 0.9955 for malathion; 0.86 and 13.67 μg g-1 (r = 0.9919 for ethion. The limits of quantification (equal to those of detection were the lowest rates of ranges mentioned above for each compound. The extraction method showed approximately 95% recovery, with CV% < 15%. Although twenty-eight bean samples obtained in the southern region of the state of Minas Gerais,Brazil, were analyzed, they failed to match any of the OPPs under analysis. The absence of OPPs in the samples could be due to the degradation that occurred between the use of OPPs and bean commercialization, levels below the detection /quantification limits and the non-use of OPPs in bean cultivation.

How the multiple antioxidant properties of ascorbic acid affect lipid oxidation in oil-in-water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Uluata, Sibel; McClements, D Julian; Decker, Eric A

2015-02-18

Lipid oxidation is a serious problem for oil-containing food products because it negatively affects shelf life and nutritional composition. An antioxidant strategy commonly employed to prevent or delay oxidation in foods is to remove oxygen from the closed food-packaging system. An alternative technique is use of an edible oxygen scavenger to remove oxygen within the food. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a particularly promising antioxidant because of its natural label and multiple antioxidative functions. In this study, AA was tested as an oxygen scavenger in buffer and an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion. The effects of transition metals on the ability of AA to scavenge oxygen were determined. Headspace oxygen decrease less than 1% in the medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT) O/W emulsion system (pH 3 and 7). AA was able to almost completely remove dissolved oxygen (DO) in a buffered solution. Transition metals (Fe(2+) and Cu(+)) significantly accelerated the degradation of AA; however, iron and copper only increased DO depletion rates, by 10.6-16.4% from day 1 to 7, compared to the control. AA (2.5-20 mM) decreased DO in a 1% O/W emulsion system 32.0-64.0% and delayed the formation of headspace hexanal in the emulsion from 7 to over 20 days. This research shows that, when AA is used in an O/W emulsion system, oxidation of the emulsion system can be delay by multiple mechanisms.

Common approach to common interests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-06-01

In referring to issues confronting the energy field in this region and options to be exercised in the future, I would like to mention the fundamental condition of the utmost importance. That can be summed up as follows: any subject in energy area can never be solved by one country alone, given the geographical and geopolitical characteristics intrinsically possessed by energy. So, a regional approach is needed and it is especially necessary for the main players in the region to jointly address problems common to them. Though it may be a matter to be pursued in the distant future, I am personally dreaming a 'Common Energy Market for Northeast Asia,' in which member countries' interests are adjusted so that the market can be integrated and the region can become a most economically efficient market, thus formulating an effective power to encounter the outside. It should be noted that Europe needed forty years to integrate its market as the unified common market. It is necessary for us to follow a number of steps over the period to eventually materialize our common market concept, too. Now is the time for us to take a first step to lay the foundation for our descendants to enjoy prosperity from such a common market.

Harnessing electro driven separation technique for the separation of selected agrochemicals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim; Alam, S.M. Monjurul; Azli Sulaiman

2008-01-01

Electro driven separation techniques offer a different approach to the analysis of complex mixtures than do traditional pressure-driven chromatographic system; it may rely on electrophoresis, the transport of charged species through a medium by an applied field or may rely on electro driven mobile phase to provide a true chromatographic separation. In the current work the potential of an electro driven separation technique viz. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), is harnessed for the separation of selected agrochemicals (organophosphorus pesticides, OPPs) widely used in the agriculture sector in Malaysia. The current study compares the use of MEKC in normal mode (NM) and reverse mode (RM) for the separation of the selected OPPS. This study also highlights the difference in separations produced by performing separations in normal mode-MEKC (NM-MEKC) and reverse mode-MEKC (RM-MEKC) for the selected OPPs. In RM-MEKC, separation is conducted at acidic pH (pH 2.5 in the current work) where the electro osmotic flow (EOF) is weak whereas in NM-MEKC, the separation is carried out under basic pH (9.3 in this work) where the EOF is strong. A reverse migration order of the OPPs was observed under RM-MEKC. Separation under NM-MEKC was found to be superior to those of RM- MEKC. A comparison is also made between separations performed under sweeping-NM-MEKC and sweeping-RM-MEKC. In sweeping, the OPPs are prepared in the same background solution (BGS) minus the micelles and is adjusted to the same conductivity as the BGS. The study showed that NM-MEKC is more sensitive than RM-MEKC but sweeping-RM-MEKC is superior to sweeping-NM-MEKC. However, sweeping-RM-MEKC only separates two of the OPPs in a single run whereas sweeping-NM-MEKC separates four OPPs in a single run. The better choice of separation mode would be sweeping-NM- MEKC for more OPPs separation in a single run. (author)

Ecologically relevant levels of multiple, common marine stressors suggest antagonistic effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, Rolanda; Marshall, Dustin

2017-07-24

Stressors associated with global change will be experienced simultaneously and may act synergistically, so attempts to estimate the capacity of marine systems to cope with global change requires a multi-stressor approach. Because recent evidence suggests that stressor effects can be context-dependent, estimates of how stressors are experienced in ecologically realistic settings will be particularly valuable. To enhance our understanding of the interplay between environmental effects and the impact of multiple stressors from both natural and anthropogenic sources, we conducted a field experiment. We explored the impact of multiple, functionally varied stressors from both natural and anthropogenic sources experienced during early life history in a common sessile marine invertebrate, Bugula neritina. Natural spatial environmental variation induced differences in conspecific densities, allowing us to test for density-driven context-dependence of stressor effects. We indeed found density-dependent effects. Under high conspecific density, individual survival increased, which offset part of the negative effects of experiencing stressors. Experiencing multiple stressors early in life history translated to a decreased survival in the field, albeit the effects were not as drastic as we expected: our results are congruent with antagonistic stressor effects. We speculate that when individual stressors are more subtle, stressor synergies become less common.

Free convection effects and radiative heat transfer in MHD Stokes ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The present note deals with the effects of radiative heat transfer and free convection in MHD for a flow of an electrically conducting, incompressible, dusty viscous fluid past an impulsively started vertical non-conducting plate, under the influence of transversely applied magnetic field. The heat due to viscous dissipation and ...

Regional Welfare Effects of the Common Agricultural Policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rüdiger ELSHOLZ

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework to analyseregional welfare effects of EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Given the mix ofagricultural policy measures on the one hand and the differences in the agriculturalproduction structure on the other hand the question how regions are affected iscrucial for analysing the overall welfare effects arising from the CAP. For thisreason the composition of transfers, the program design and the financing of themeasures are on the focus of this paper for regions in the federal state of Hesse,Germany. The analysis wants to contribute to the relevant literature in a twofoldway. Firstly, the federal structure of Germany is taken into account explicitly. Thishas important aspects in regard to the different co-financing rules as well as to thefinancing of the measures or funds. Secondly, much smaller regions – the Hessiancommunities – are considered in this study to obtain exact welfare effects at theregional level. The theoretical framework of this study shows that for rural regionsthe overall CAP generates positive welfare effects while it generates negativeeffects for urban regions.

Carbon dynamics in no-till soil due to the use of industrial organic waste and mineral fertilizer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jucimare Romaniw

Full Text Available ABSTRACTThe use of organic waste from industrial processes in agriculture is a strategy not only for improving soil properties but also for promoting the utilization of recycled nutrients by market crops and for reducing environmental impact. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of using organic waste from pork and poultry slaughterhouses (OWS applied alone or in combination with mineral fertilizer (MF on the dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM compartments. The experimental design adopted was that of completely randomized blocks with six treatments and three replicates. The treatments consisted of a general control (T1 without the addition of MF and OWS, the application of MF alone at 100% of the recommended fertilizer levels for the crops (T2,the application of OWS alone at a fixed dose of 2 Mg ha-1 (T3, and the following three combinations of MF and OWS: 75% MF + 25% OWS (T4; 50% MF + 50% OWS (T5; and 25% MF + 75% OWS (T6. The application of OWS promoted increase in the labile fractions extracted by potassium permanganate (C-OXP and hot water (C-HW compared with using MF alone. Using OWS in the combination of 50% MF + 50% OWS increased the content and stock of total organic carbon (TOC in the 0-20 cm layer and of particulate organic C (POC and C-OXP in the 0-5 cm layer.

Low-Order Modeling of Dynamic Stall on Airfoils in Incompressible Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Narsipur, Shreyas

flap to model the effect of the separated boundary-layer. Unsteady RANS results for several pitch and plunge motions showed that the differences in aerodynamic loads between steady and unsteady flows can be attributed to the boundary-layer convection lag, which can be modeled by choosing an appropriate value of the time lag parameter, tau2. In order to provide appropriate viscous corrections to inviscid unsteady calculations, the non-linear decambering flap is applied with a time lag determined by the tau2 value, which was found to be independent of motion kinematics for a given airfoil and Reynolds number. The predictions of the aerodynamic loads, unsteady stall, hysteresis loops, and ow reattachment from the low-order model agree well with CFD and experimental results, both for individual cases and for trends between motions. The model was also found to perform as well as existing semi-empirical models while using only a single empirically defined parameter. Inclusion of LEV shedding capabilities and combining the resulting algorithm with phase one's trailing-edge separation model was the primary objective of phase two. Computational results at low and high Reynolds numbers were used to analyze the ow morphology of the LEV to identify the common surface signature associated with LEV initiation at both low and high Reynolds numbers and relate it to the critical leading-edge suction parameter (LESP ) to control the initiation and termination of LEV shedding in the low-order model. The critical LESP, like the tau2 parameter, was found to be independent of motion kinematics for a given airfoil and Reynolds number. Results from the final low-order model compared excellently with CFD and experimental solutions, both in terms of aerodynamic loads and vortex ow pattern predictions. Overall, the final combined dynamic stall model that resulted from the current research was successful in accurately modeling the physics of unsteady ow thereby helping restrict the number of

Effect of Pleurotus eryngii Mushroom β-Glucan on Quality Characteristics of Common Wheat Pasta.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, SunHee; Lee, Jo-Won; Heo, Yena; Moon, BoKyung

2016-04-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of β-glucan-rich fractions (BGRFs) from Pleurotus eryngii mushroom powder on the quality, textural properties, and sensory evaluation of common wheat pasta. Pasta was prepared from semolina flour and common wheat flour by replacing common wheat flour at 2%, 4%, and 6% with BGRFs. Semolina flour showed significantly higher viscosities than common wheat flour samples. However, all viscosities, except the breakdown viscosity, were reduced with increasing percentages of BGRFs. Replacement of the common wheat flour with BGRFs resulted in a reddish brown colored pasta with a lower L* value and a higher a* value. The common wheat pastas containing up to 4% BGRFs were not significantly different from semolina pasta with regard to cooking loss. Addition of up to 2% BGRFs had no significant impact on swelling index and water absorption. The addition of BGRFs in common wheat flour had a positive effect on the quality of common wheat pasta and resulted in hardness values similar to those of semolina pasta. In a sensory evaluation, cooked pasta with 2% BGRFs had the highest overall acceptability score. In summary, the results showed that common wheat flour containing 4% BGRFs could be used to produce pasta with an improved quality and texture properties similar to semolina pasta. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

77 FR 217 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment; Ambulatory Surgical...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-04

... lines was not applied correctly. We have corrected our programming logic in the OPPS data process to... made to the programming logic described in the CY 2012 OPPS/ASC final (see 76 FR 74141). The correct...

SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR RISK ASSESSMENTS TO PROTECT NON-TARGET PLANTS FROM HERBICIDES

Science.gov (United States)

SCIENCE QUESTIONS:EPA's Office of Pesticides Programs (OPP) requires scientifically credible information and methods to assess health and ecological risks from chemical pesticides. However the suite of standard bioassays and approaches available to OPP to determine these ...

Antioxidant Properties of Astaxanthin in Oil-in-Water Emulsions with Differently-Charged Emulsifiers Under Chlorophyll Photosensitization.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, BoRa; Kim, Mi-Ja; Lee, JaeHwan

2018-03-01

The antioxidative or prooxidative properties of astaxanthin at the concentrations of 0, 10, and 100 μM were determined in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing neutral, anionic, and cationic emulsifiers, which was Tween 20, sodium dodecyl sulfate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), respectively, under chlorophyll photosensitization. The oxidative parameters and headspace volatiles were analyzed in O/W emulsions. In the 24 h period of visible light irradiation, 100 μM of astaxanthin acted as an antioxidant in O/W emulsions containing neutral and anionic emulsifiers. However, astaxanthin in O/W emulsions with a cationic emulsifier was neither an antioxidant nor a prooxidant. The profiles of volatile compounds showed that astaxanthin served as a singlet oxygen quencher in O/W emulsions containing neutral and anionic emulsifiers. However, in O/W emulsion with a cationic emulsifier, astaxanthin was neither a singlet oxygen quencher nor a free radical scavenger because prooxidant properties of CTAB overwhelmed the antioxidant effects of astaxanthin. Therefore, the antioxidant properties of astaxanthin were influenced by the emulsifier charges in O/W emulsions. Astaxanthin is a lipid-soluble pigment and has antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases. Many lipid-based foods are displayed on the shelves in the markets under fluorescent light. The addition of astaxanthin can extend the shelf life of O/W emulsion type foods such as beverage and dressing products under visible light irradiation. Also, oxidative stability in emulsion type foods containing astaxanthin rich natural ingredients can be predicted. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Common pitfalls in statistical analysis: "No evidence of effect" versus "evidence of no effect"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priya Ranganathan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article is the first in a series exploring common pitfalls in statistical analysis in biomedical research. The power of a clinical trial is the ability to find a difference between treatments, where such a difference exists. At the end of the study, the lack of difference between treatments does not mean that the treatments can be considered equivalent. The distinction between "no evidence of effect" and "evidence of no effect" needs to be understood.

The effect of β-saturated pyrrolic rings on the electronic structures and aromaticity of magnesium porphyrin derivatives: a density functional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Liang; Qi, Dongdong; Zhang, Yuexing

2011-09-01

Density functional theory (DFT) calculation on the molecular structures, molecular orbitals, electronic absorption spectra, and magnetic properties of magnesium porphyrin (MgPor) and a series of five hydrogenated magnesium porphyrin complexes with different number of β-saturated pyrrolic rings, namely MgPor-β-1Hy, MgPor-β-opp-2Hy, MgPor-β-adj-2Hy, MgPor-β-3Hy, and MgPor-β-4Hy, clarifies the red-shift of the lowest energy absorption band from chlorophyll a to bacteriochlorophyll and reveals the strong chemical stability for both of them. The energy levels of highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) and HOMO-1 for MgPor are reversed upon hydrogenation at β-positions (2 and 3, 7 and 8, 12 and 13, and 17 and 18) of porphyrin ring. Along with the increase of β-saturated pyrrolic rings from 1, 2, 3, to 4, the HOMO energy increases from -4.78 eV to -3.10 eV in a regular manner. In contrast, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) energy levels of MgPor, MgPor-β-1Hy, and MgPor-β-opp-2Hy are very similar with each other. As a result, the lowest energy absorption band involving main transition from HOMO to LUMO is red-shifted from MgPor-β-1Hy to MgPor-β-opp-2Hy which is representative of chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll, respectively. Natural hydroporphyrins represented by MgPor, MgPor-β-1Hy, and MgPor-β-opp-2Hy have turned out to be aromatic and stable enough, in good accordance with the ubiquity of their derivatives in the nature. In contrast, MgPor-β-adj-2Hy, MgPor-β-3Hy, and MgPor-β-4Hy with relatively weak aromaticity seem to be unstable and therefore were not found in nature. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Food branding influences ad libitum intake differently in children depending on weight status. Results of a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Forman, Jamie; Halford, Jason C G; Summe, Heather; MacDougall, Megan; Keller, Kathleen L

2009-08-01

Environmental changes have facilitated the rapid increase in childhood obesity. One such change is increased presence of food marketing which promotes intake of high-fat, energy-dense foods. This study tested the hypotheses that overweight (OW) children are more sensitive to the intake-enhancing effects of food branding than non-OW children, and that the relationship between weight status and intake of branded foods is mediated by level of food brand awareness. Forty-three non-OW (n = 23) and OW (n = 20) children from diverse ethnic backgrounds participated in four dinnertime visits to test their intake of meals where food brands were present ("branded") or absent ("unbranded"). Food brand awareness was assessed by testing children's abilities to match food brand logos with correct foods and name specific brands from recall. Weight and height were measured on the first visit to determine BMI z-score and weight status. OW children consumed significantly more energy per meal than non-OW. Child age and brand awareness were positively associated. OW children consumed an additional 40 kcal in branded vs. unbranded meals whereas non-OW children consumed 45 kcal less in branded meals. Overweight children showed greater responsiveness to food branding, and they may be at risk in environments that are highly inundated with messages about food.

Overcoming the ten most common barriers to effective team communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Hills, Laura

2013-01-01

Communication is at the heart of medical practice management. Yet there are many barriers to effective communication that can interfere with the smooth running of the practice. This article describes the 10 most common barriers to effective medical practice team communication and offers six steps the practice manager can take to break them down. This article also suggests that the practice develop a team communication strategy. It suggests 10 communication principles readers can share directly with their teams and describes three hallmarks of effective team communication. Finally, this article provides a list of 25 practical questions practice managers can use to improve their team's communication.

Effect of emulsification on the skin permeation and UV protection of catechin.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshino, Sachie; Mitoma, Tomoaki; Tsuruta, Keiko; Todo, Hiroaki; Sugibayashi, Kenji

2014-06-01

An anti-aging effect may be obtained by skin application of tea catechins (Camellia sinensis) since they have high ultraviolet (UV)-protection activity. In this study, the skin permeation of catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECg) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) was determined and compared, and the effect of emulsification on the skin permeation of C was measured. The UV-protective effect of C was also determined. The in vitro skin permeability of each catechin derivative was determined using side-by-side diffusion of cells. The UV-protective effect of C was determined by applying different concentrations of C to the solution or emulsion on a three-dimensional cultured human skin model or normal human epidermal keratinocytes with UV-irradiation. ECg and EGCg with gallate groups showed lower skin permeability than C, EC and EGC without gallate groups, suggesting that the skin permeability of catechin derivatives may be dependent on the existence of a gallate group. Interestingly, the skin permeation of C was increased by an o/w emulsification. In addition, the C emulsion showed a significantly higher UV-protective effect by C than that with its aqueous solution. These results suggest that the o/w emulsion of catechin derivatives is probably useful as a cosmetic formulation with anti-aging efficacy.

Toxic effects of chromic sulphate on the common carp, Cyprinus carpio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, M.H.; Lau, W.M.; Tong, T.Y.; Liu, W.K.; Luk, K.C.

1982-02-01

The effects of chromic sulphate, which is commonly used in the tanning of leather, on the common carp, Cyprinus carpio and the bighead, Aristichthys nobilis, were studied. C. carpio was found to be more susceptible than A. nobilis to chromic sulphate at the lowest concentration tested (100 mg/l) whereas results obtained at other concentration were similar for both species. Damage to the gills, liver and intestine was observed by histopathological examination. A wide range of chemicals is used in the different stages of treating leather and a possible treatment of the effluent from the tanneries is suggested.

Trophic magnification of PCBs and Its relationship to the octanol-water partition coefficient.

Science.gov (United States)

Walters, David M; Mills, Marc A; Cade, Brian S; Burkard, Lawrence P

2011-05-01

We investigated polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) bioaccumulation relative to octanol-water partition coefficient (K(OW)) and organism trophic position (TP) at the Lake Hartwell Superfund site (South Carolina). We measured PCBs (127 congeners) and stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) in sediment, organic matter, phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and fish. TP, as calculated from δ¹⁵N, was significantly, positively related to PCB concentrations, and food web trophic magnification factors (TMFs) ranged from 1.5-6.6 among congeners. TMFs of individual congeners increased strongly with log K(OW), as did the predictive power (r²) of individual TP-PCB regression models used to calculate TMFs. We developed log K(OW)-TMF models for eight food webs with vastly different environments (freshwater, marine, arctic, temperate) and species composition (cold- vs warmblooded consumers). The effect of K(OW) on congener TMFs varied strongly across food webs (model slopes 0.0-15.0) because the range of TMFs among studies was also highly variable. We standardized TMFs within studies to mean = 0, standard deviation (SD) = 1 to normalize for scale differences and found a remarkably consistent K(OW) effect on TMFs (no difference in model slopes among food webs). Our findings underscore the importance of hydrophobicity (as characterized by K(OW)) in regulating bioaccumulation of recalcitrant compounds in aquatic systems, and demonstrate that relationships between chemical K(OW) and bioaccumulation from field studies are more generalized than previously recognized.

The combined antiandrogenic effects of five commonly used pesticides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærstad, Mia Birkhøj; Nellemann, Christine Lydia; Jarfelt, Kirsten

2004-01-01

In this study, mixture effects of five dissimilarly acting pesticides were analyzed for antiandrogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. Deltamethrin, methiocarb, prochloraz, simazine, and tribenuron-methyl are all commonly used for agricultural and horticultural purposes. Concentration-response curves...... for the inhibition of R1881-induced transcriptional activity of the androgen receptor (AR) in vitro of each pesticide alone and in an equimolar mixture were obtained. The IC25 values for deltamethrin, methiocarb, prochloraz, and the mixture were 5.8, 5.8, 3.5, and 7.5 muM, respectively. Simazine and tribenuron...... of the pesticides in vitro. In vivo, each of the five pesticides and a mixture of the pesticides were tested for antiandrogenic effects in castrated testosterone-treated Wistar rats. The mixture induced a significant change of weights of the levator ani/bulbocavernosus muscle and adrenal glands. Changes in gene...

Expression, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of octaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase from Helicobacter pylori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jinyong; Zhang, Xiaoli; Mao, Xuhu; Zou, Quanming; Li, Defeng

2011-01-01

Octaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase from H. pylori has been expressed, purified and crystallized, and a diffraction data set was collected to 2.00 Å resolution. Octaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase (OPPs) is involved in the synthesis of the side chains of ubiquinone and menaquinone and catalyzes consecutive condensation reactions of farnesyl pyrophosphate with isopentenyl pyrophosphate to generate polyprenyl pyrophosphate and pyrophosphate. In order to investigate the roles played by OPPs in the metabolism of ubiquinone and menaquinone and the enzymatic mechanisms of these enzymes, analysis of the structure–function relationship of OPPs from Helicobacter pylori was initiated. The gene for OPPs was cloned, the protein was expressed, purified and crystallized and a diffraction data set was collected to 2.00 Å resolution. The crystals belonged to space group P4 1 2 1 2 or P4 3 2 1 2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 109.33, c = 103.41 Å

Routing in opportunistic networks

CERN Document Server

Dhurandher, Sanjay; Anpalagan, Alagan; Vasilakos, Athanasios

2013-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive guide to selected topics, both ongoing and emerging, in routing in OppNets. The book is edited by worldwide technical leaders, prolific researchers and outstanding academics, Dr. Isaac Woungang and co-editors, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Dhurandher, Prof. Alagan Anpalagan and Prof. Athanasios Vasilakos. Consisting of contributions from well known and high profile researchers and scientists in their respective specialties, the main topics that are covered in this book include mobility and routing, social-aware routing, context-based routing, energy-aware routing, incentive-aware routing, stochastic routing, modeling of intermittent connectivity, in both infrastructure and infrastructure-less OppNets. Key Features: Discusses existing and emerging techniques for routing in infrastructure and infrastructure-less OppNets. Provides a unified covering of otherwise disperse selected topics on routing in infrastructure and infrastructure-less OppNets.  Includes a set of PowerPoint slides and g...

A Serious Adverse Effect of Pseudoephedrine Used For Common Cold Treatment : Ventricular Arrhythmia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cenk Aypak

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Common cold is one of the frequently seen disease in childhood. Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (PEH is a sympathomimetic drug which is widely used for treatment of common cold as a decongestant on children. The aim of this case report is, to draw attention to serious adverse effects of PEH treatment. [Cukurova Med J 2013; 38(3.000: 506-510

NTWEAR15

OpenAIRE

Dølvik, Lars Bendik; Fjeld, John Christian G.

2015-01-01

Vi har laget en webapplikasjon for Norsk Tipping. Denne applikasjonen skal hjelpe Norsk Tipping i å aktivisere og sosialisere grasrotlagenes medlemmer. Ved å bruke vår applikasjon har man tjene opp grasrotcoins ved å være aktiv og sosial. Man kan møte opp på området og støtte grasrotlaget å få grasrocoins for dette. Man kan også gå til jobbe eller trimme en tur og få grasrotcoins for det. Som bruker kan man støtte grasrotlag og evetuelle undrgrupper av grasrotlagene. Når man tjener opp grasro...

A genetic algorithm approach for open-pit mine production scheduling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aref Alipour

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In an Open-Pit Production Scheduling (OPPS problem, the goal is to determine the mining sequence of an orebody as a block model. In this article, linear programing formulation is used to aim this goal. OPPS problem is known as an NP-hard problem, so an exact mathematical model cannot be applied to solve in the real state. Genetic Algorithm (GA is a well-known member of evolutionary algorithms that widely are utilized to solve NP-hard problems. Herein, GA is implemented in a hypothetical Two-Dimensional (2D copper orebody model. The orebody is featured as two-dimensional (2D array of blocks. Likewise, counterpart 2D GA array was used to represent the OPPS problem’s solution space. Thereupon, the fitness function is defined according to the OPPS problem’s objective function to assess the solution domain. Also, new normalization method was used for the handling of block sequencing constraint. A numerical study is performed to compare the solutions of the exact and GA-based methods. It is shown that the gap between GA and the optimal solution by the exact method is less than % 5; hereupon GA is found to be efficiently in solving OPPS problem.

Link Data to Learning Goals: Common District Assessments Connect Teaching Effectiveness to Student Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Psencik, Kay; Baldwin, Rhonda

2012-01-01

In 2010, district leaders of Douglas County Public Schools, Douglasville, Georgia, launched an ambitious initiative to ensure that teachers set goals that focus on increasing their effectiveness and show student growth. To achieve this goal, the district leadership team focused on common district assessments to establish common learning…

77 FR 59611 - Notice of Receipt of Pesticide Products; Registration Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-28

... Symbol: 85004-RN. Docket ID Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2012- 0609. Applicant: Pasteuria Bioscience, Inc., 12085 Research Dr., Suite 185, Alachua, FL 32615. Active ingredient: Nematicide with Pasteuria spp. (Hoplolaimus... Symbol: 85004-RR. Docket ID Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2012- 0609. Applicant: Pasteuria Bioscience, Inc., 12085...

76 FR 41250 - Formetanate HCl and Acephate; Notice of Receipt of Requests to Voluntarily Amend Registrations To...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-13

... registrations to delete uses. The requests would delete formetanate HCl use in or on apple, pear and peach...: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001. Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P...

Stability of bisphenol A (BPA) in oil-in water emulsions under riboflavin photosensitization.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Eun Yeong; Park, Chan Uk; Kim, Mi-Ja; Lee, JaeHwan

2012-08-01

Effects of riboflavin photosensitization on the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) were determined in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or sodium azide, which are a metal chelator or a singlet oxygen quencher, respectively. Also, the distribution of BPA between the continuous and dispersed phases in O/W emulsions was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The concentration of BPA in O/W emulsions significantly decreased by 38.6% after 2 h under visible light irradiation and in the presence of riboflavin (P riboflavin photosensitization (P riboflavin photodegradation in O/W emulsions. Concentration of BPA, an endocrine disrupting chemical, was decreased significantly in oil-in-water emulsions under riboflavin and visible light irradiation. BPA in continuous aqueous phase was major target of riboflavin photosensitization. However, BPA was distributed more densely in lipid phase and more protected from riboflavin photosensitized O/W emulsions. This study can help to decrease the level of BPA in foods made of O/W emulsions containing riboflavin, which could be displayed under visible light irradiation. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Subsea HIPPS design procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaroe, R.; Lund, B.F.; Onshus, T.

1995-01-01

The paper is based on a feasibility study investigating the possibilities of using a HIPPS (High Integrity Pressure Protection System) to protect a subsea pipeline that is not rated for full wellhead shut-in pressure. The study was called the Subsea OPPS Feasibility Study, and was performed by SINTEF, Norway. Here, OPPS is an acronym for Overpressure Pipeline Protection System. A design procedure for a subsea HIPPS is described, based on the experience and knowledge gained through the ''Subsea OPPS Feasibility Study''. Before a subsea HIPPS can be applied, its technical feasibility, reliability and profitability must be demonstrated. The subsea HIPPS design procedure will help to organize and plan the design activities both with respect to development and verification of a subsea HIPPS. The paper also gives examples of how some of the discussed design steps were performed in the Subsea OPPS Feasibility Study. Finally, further work required to apply a subsea HIPPS is discussed

Desenvolvimento e estudos de estabilidade preliminares de emulsões O/A contendo Cetoconazol 2,0% = Development and Preliminary Stability Evaluations of O/W emulsion containing Ketoconazole 2.0%

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa Catalá Casteli

2008-07-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver emulsões O/A contendo Cetoconazol 2,0% e avaliar sua estabilidade preliminar por meio da análise de suas características físicoquímicas, tais como homogeneidade, formação de agregados, floculação, cremeação ecoalescência. As emulsões foram formuladas utilizando diferentes bases autoemulsionantes, compostas por álcool cetoestearílico, álcool etoxilado, álcool graxos superiores, ácido esteárico, lanolina e outros. As emulsões foram submetidas aos testes de centrifugação,estresse térmico e ciclo gela-degela, e suas características organolépticas e físico-químicas foram avaliadas no início e no final de cada ensaio. Todas as amostras mantiveram sua homogeneidade após o teste de centrifugação, mas somente os sistemas preparados comceras autoemulsionáveis constituídas por álcool graxos superiores (Polawax NF® e Copolímero de Amônio Acriloil dimetiltaurato VP, Trilauril 4 fosfato, Sesquisosterato de metil glicose, Óleo de flores de verão e Tetradibutil pentaeritritil hidroxihidrocinamato deGlicerina (Hostacerin NCB® mantiveram sua estabilidade após testes de estresse térmico e ciclo gela-degela.The objective of this work was the development of O/W emulsions containing Ketoconazole 2.0% and to evaluate their preliminary stability by analyzing physical-chemical characteristics such as homogeneity, aggregation formation, flocculation, creaming and coalescence. The emulsions were formulated using different self-emulsifying bases, composed of cetearyl alcohol, ethoxylalcohol, higher fatty alcohol, stearic acid, lanolin and others. The O/W emulsions were evaluated by centrifugation test, thermal stress test, and freezing/defrosting cycles, and its organoleptic and physical-chemistry characteristics were analyzed before and after eachassay. All samples maintained their homogeneity after the centrifugation test, but only the systems prepared with self emulsifying composed of

Sadhana | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The effect of fundamental excitation on the flow is studied by using these turbulent ... the detailed turbulent kinetic energy budget and higher order statistics of flow ... Product design and fabrication constitute an important business activity in any ...

Effects of the Formula for Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base Apportionment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe MATEI

2010-10-01

Full Text Available For solving the existing difficulties in corporate income taxation, the European Commission proposed the introduction of measures for coordination, solution contested by some Member States but supported by most professionals and many organizations representing the interests of European employers. Disputes in connection with the introduction of the “Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base” system are determined by the uncertainty regarding its effects. In this context, we intend to present and analyze some effects of applying the EU formula apportionment.

75 FR 26754 - Pesticide Products; Registration Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-12

.../Use: End-use/ Terrestrial Non-food Crops: Landscape ornamentals (including non- bearing fruit trees..., strawberry, and tree nut group. Docket ID Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0349. New Active Ingredient: Penthiopyrad..., stone fruit group, strawberry, and tree nut group. Docket ID Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0349. New Active...

Paediatric organophosphate poisoning - a rural hospital experience ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives. To document the presentation and course of organophosphate poisoning (OPP) in children and to record the frequency of atropine toxicity during treatment. Design. A retrospective observational study was conducted of all recorded paediatric cases of OPP admitted to a regional hospital over a 5-year period from ...

Effect of process control agent (PCA) on the characteristics of mechanically alloyed Ti-Mg powders [Conference paper

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Machio, Christopher N

2010-10-01

Full Text Available of he A f e n ow fo P eld u to ca et tio R P ea ts id uti ern M als , H __ pu m ty as ec der 80 m am pow flo and d r ow p sin me nn erm n t es art n p are n on Af eta Co K ___ rity fo...

Oxidative Stability in Oil-in-Water Emulsions with Quercetin or Rutin Under Iron Catalysis or Riboflavin Photosensitization.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, BoRa; Ka, HaeJung; Kwon, YongJun; Choi, HyungSeok; Kim, Sunghwa; Kim, Jisu; Kim, Mi-Ja; Lee, JaeHwan

2017-04-01

The effects of quercetin and rutin on the oxidative stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were tested under riboflavin (RF) photosensitization in the presence or absence of FeCl 2 . The degree of oxidation in O/W emulsions was determined by headspace oxygen content, conjugated dienes, and lipid hydroperoxides. Quercetin chelated more metal than did rutin in iron catalyzed O/W emulsions. Generally, 0.1 mM quercetin and rutin was oxidative while 0.5 and 1.0 mM quercetin and rutin was antioxidative in O/W emulsions under RF photosensitization. Depending on the analysis method, the antioxidants had different strengths. The antioxidative or oxidative properties of quercetin and rutin vary in O/W emulsions and depend the quercetin and rutin concentrations and oxidative forces like transition metals, RF photosensitization, or a combination thereof. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

76 FR 6465 - Notice of Receipt of Several Pesticide Petitions Filed for Residues of Pesticide Chemicals in or...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-04

...-HQ-OPP-2010-0805). Pasteuria Bioscience, Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Suite 185, Alachua, FL 32615... pesticide Pasteuria reniformis--Pr3 [SD-5834], in or on all raw agricultural crops. The petitioner believes...), e-mail address: [email protected] . 4. PP 0F7749. (EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0807). Pasteuria Bioscience...

Professor: Lær af Canada

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Greve, Carsten

2013-01-01

Transportdebatten: En mulig finansiering af fremtidige infrastrukturprojekter kunne være OPP. Danmark bør tage ved lære af erfaringer fra Canada.......Transportdebatten: En mulig finansiering af fremtidige infrastrukturprojekter kunne være OPP. Danmark bør tage ved lære af erfaringer fra Canada....

Associations of maternal employment and three-generation families with pre-school children's overweight and obesity in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, E; Lee, J S; Kawakubo, K

2011-07-01

Maternal employment has been shown to be associated with childhood overweight and obesity (Ow/Ob), but the presence of family members who care for children in place of the mothers might influence children's Ow/Ob and lifestyles. The influence of maternal employment on children's Ow/Ob should be examined together with the presence of caregivers such as grandparents. The effects of maternal employment and the presence of grandparents on lifestyles and Ow/Ob in Japanese pre-school children were investigated. Cross-sectional study on 2114 children aged 3-6 years who attended all childcare facilities in a city and primary caregivers was conducted. Children's weight and height, family environments (family members, maternal employment, single parent, number of siblings and parental Ow/Ob) and lifestyles (dietary, physical activity and sleeping habits) were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Ow/Ob was defined by the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. The eligible participants were 1765 children. The prevalence of Ow/Ob was 8.4% in boys and 9.9% in girls. Maternal employment was associated positively with irregular mealtimes, unfixed snacking times, bedtime after 10 p.m. and nighttime sleep duration of less than 10 h, whereas three-generation families were associated negatively with irregular mealtimes after adjustment for children's characteristics and family environments. Irregular mealtimes (OR (95% CI); 2.03 (1.36, 3.06)) and nighttime sleep duration of less than 10 h (1.96 (1.28, 3.01)) were associated with increased risks of being Ow/Ob. Both maternal employment and three-generation families were significantly associated with children's Ow/Ob. However, three-generation families maintained a significant association (1.59 (1.08, 2.35)) after adjustment for maternal employment. These study results suggest that the grandparents who care for pre-school children in place of mothers are more likely to contribute to childhood Ow/Ob than maternal

Phase Noise Effect on MIMO-OFDM Systems with Common and Independent Oscillators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoming Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of oscillator phase noises (PNs on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM systems are studied. It is shown that PNs of common oscillators at the transmitter and at the receiver have the same influence on the performance of (single-stream beamforming MIMO-OFDM systems, yet different influences on spatial multiplexing MIMO-OFDM systems with singular value decomposition (SVD based precoding/decoding. When each antenna is equipped with an independent oscillator, the PNs at the transmitter and at the receiver have different influences on beamforming MIMO-OFDM systems as well as spatial multiplexing MIMO-OFDM systems. Specifically, the PN effect on the transmitter (receiver can be alleviated by having more transmit (receive antennas for the case of independent oscillators. It is found that the independent oscillator case outperforms the common oscillator case in terms of error vector magnitude (EVM.

Discharge estimation in compound channels with fixed and mobile ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

flowdata.bham.ac.uk (university website). 2-D formulae generally account for bed shear, lateral shear, and secondary flow effects via 3 coefficients f, and . In this paper, the secondary flow term() used within the 2-D methods analysed here ...

Ecotoxicological study of insecticide effects on arthropods in common bean.

Science.gov (United States)

de Barros, Emerson Cristi; Ventura, Hudson Vaner; Gontijo, Pablo Costa; Pereira, Renata Ramos; Picanço, Marcelo Coutinho

2015-01-01

Arthropods are an important group of macroorganisms that work to maintain ecosystem health. Despite the agricultural benefits of chemical control against arthropod pests, insecticides can cause environmental damage. We examined the effects of one and two applications of the insecticides chlorfenapyr (0.18 liters a.i. ha-1) and methamidophos (0.45 liters a.i. ha-1), both independently and in combination, on arthropods in plots of common bean. The experiment was repeated for two growing seasons. Principal response curve, richness estimator, and Shannon-Wiener diversity index analyses were performed. The insecticides generally affected the frequency, richness, diversity, and relative abundance of the arthropods. In addition, the arthropods did not experience recovery after the insecticide applications. The results suggest that the insecticide impacts were sufficiently drastic to eliminate many taxa from the studied common bean plots. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

On the common mechanism for initiation of different effects of low doses of ionizing radiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehjdus, L.Kh.

1996-01-01

Main regularities of different endpoints of ionizing radiation low dose effects (adaptive response, stimulation of proliferation, special radiosensitivity of lymphoid cells, and others) have been examined. It has been shown that these endpoints have a commonness for the dose interval, the shape of the dose-response curve, the reverse effect of dose rate, non-specificity toward initiating agents, and others. An explanation is suggested for the common mechanism of the initiation of all the studied low dose effects, basing on the theory of the non-specific reaction of cell to external influences. It is concluded that initiation of the low dose effects is conditioned by radiation induced damage of functions of plasmic and internal membranes

Phase Noise Effect on MIMO-OFDM Systems with Common and Independent Oscillators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Xiaoming; Wang, Hua; Fan, Wei

2018-01-01

In this paper, the effects of oscillator phase noises (PNs) on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems are studied. It is shown that PNs of common oscillators at the transmitter and at the receiver have the same influence on the performance ...

75 FR 81878 - Imazosulfuron; Pesticide Tolerances

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

.../safety RfD, PAD, LOC for risk Study and toxicological factors assessment effects Acute dietary (Females...-generation reproduction toxicity study in rats. No developmental effects were observed at the HDT in the... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 180 [EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0205; FRL-8857-4] Imazosulfuron...

76 FR 69648 - Trifloxystrobin; Pesticide Tolerances

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-09

... which adverse effects of concern are identified (the LOAEL). Uncertainty/safety factors are used in... and females in the 2-generation reproduction study. The effect was not seen in any other toxicity... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 180 [EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0456; FRL-8890-1] Trifloxystrobin...

Peripheral ovine progressive pneumonia provirus levels correlate with and predict histological tissue lesion severity in naturally infected sheep.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann-Hoesing, Lynn M; Noh, Susan M; White, Stephen N; Snekvik, Kevin R; Truscott, Thomas; Knowles, Donald P

2009-04-01

Studies were undertaken to determine whether anti-ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV) antibody responses in serum or OPP provirus levels in peripheral blood associate with the degree of histologically measured tissue lesions in naturally OPPV-infected sheep. Sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, and hematoxylin- and eosin-stained lung, mammary gland, carpal synovial membrane, and brain tissues from 11 OPPV-infected ewes (mean age of 8.6 years) and 5 OPPV-uninfected ewes (mean age of 6 years) were evaluated for lesion severity. Ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP) provirus levels and anti-OPPV antibody titers in peripheral blood and serum samples, respectively, were measured upon euthanasia and 3 years prior to euthanasia. Both mean peripheral OPP provirus levels and mean serum anti-surface envelope glycoprotein (anti-SU) antibody titers at the time of euthanasia were significantly higher in ewes with moderate to severe histological lesions than in ewes with no to mild histological lesions. However, although mean peripheral blood OPP provirus levels at euthanasia and 3 years prior to euthanasia significantly correlated with the highest histological lesion score for any affected tissue (two-tailed P values, 0.03 and 0.02), mean serum anti-SU antibody titers, anti-capsid antibody titers, and anti-transmembrane 90 antibody titers at euthanasia did not show a significant correlation with the highest histological lesion score for any tissue (two-tailed P values, 0.32, 0.97, and 0.18, respectively). These data are the first to show that OPP provirus levels predict and correlate with the extent of OPPV-related histological lesions in various OPPV-affected tissues. These findings suggest that peripheral OPP provirus levels quantitatively contribute more to the development of histological lesions than the systemic anti-SU antibody host immune response.

77 FR 24409 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment; Ambulatory Surgical...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-24

..., to correct our programming logic in the OPPS data process to apply the line item trim correctly. We... center crosswalk in our programming logic and the packaging status of two drug codes. III. Summary of... dataset used to model the OPPS. In reviewing the program logic used to establish the APC median costs for...

Effects of two commonly used fungicides on the amphipod Austrochiltonia subtenuis.

Science.gov (United States)

Vu, Hung T; Keough, Michael J; Long, Sara M; Pettigrove, Vincent J

2017-03-01

Fungicides are used widely in agriculture and have been detected in adjacent rivers and wetlands. However, relatively little is known about the potential effects of fungicides on aquatic organisms. The present study investigated the effects of 2 commonly used fungicides, the boscalid fungicide Filan ® and the myclobutanil fungicide Systhane ™ 400 WP, on life history traits (survival, growth, and reproduction) and energy reserves (lipid, protein, and glycogen content) of the amphipod Austrochiltonia subtenuis under laboratory conditions, at concentrations detected in aquatic environments. Amphipods were exposed to 3 concentrations of Filan (1 μg active ingredient [a.i.]/L, 10 μg a.i./L, and 40 μg a.i./L) and Systhane (0.3 μg a.i./L, 3 μg a.i./L, and 30 μg a.i./L) over 56 d. Both fungicides had similar effects on the amphipod at the organism level. Reproduction was the most sensitive endpoint, with offspring produced in controls but none produced in any of the fungicide treatments, and total numbers of gravid females in all fungicide treatments were reduced by up to 95%. Female amphipods were more sensitive than males in terms of growth. Systhane had significant effects on survival at all concentrations, whereas significant effects of Filan on survival were observed only at 10 μg a.i./L and 40 μg a.i./L. The effects of fungicides on energy reserves of the female amphipod were different. Filan significantly reduced amphipod protein content, whereas Systhane significantly reduced the lipid content. The present study demonstrates wide-ranging effects of 2 common fungicides on an ecologically important species that has a key role in trophic transfer and nutrient recycling in aquatic environments. These results emphasize the importance of considering the long-term effects of fungicides in the risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:720-726. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Assessing and mitigating the effects of windblown soil on rare and common vegetation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gleason, Sean M; Faucette, Dave T; Toyofuku, Mai M; Torres, Carlos A; Bagley, Calvin F

2007-12-01

Acting under the auspices of the US Endangered Species Act, we quantified wind erosion and its effects on rare and common plant species on a semi-arid military installation in Hawaii. Our goal was to develop management strategies, based on local data, to aid the conservation of rare and common indigenous plants and their habitats. We collected windblown soil coming off of roads and other disturbed soils to assess likely impacts to plants occurring at certain heights and distances from disturbed surfaces. We then subjected plants in a glasshouse to windblown dust treatments, designed from our field data to simulate erosion events, and evaluated the effect of these treatments on photosynthesis and survival. We also designed several field experiments to examine the in-situ effects of windblown soil and soil substrate on germination, growth rate, and survival of indigenous and nonindigenous plants. We conclude from these experiments that most direct effects of windblown soil to plants can be effectively mitigated by locating roads and training areas at least 40 m from sensitive plant habitats and through vegetation management to maintain at least 11% aerial cover on disturbed surfaces. Effects of soil type on germination, growth, and survival was species-specific, emphasizing the importance of species trials prior to, or during, rehabilitation efforts.

Design, preparation, and application of ordered porous polymer materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Qingquan; Tang, Zhe; Ou, Baoli; Liu, Lihua; Zhou, Zhihua; Shen, Shaohua; Duan, Yinxiang

2014-01-01

Ordered porous polymer (OPP) materials have extensively application prospects in the field of separation and purification, biomembrane, solid supports for sensors catalysts, scaffolds for tissue engineering, photonic band gap materials owing to ordered pore arrays, uniform and tunable pore size, high specific surface area, great adsorption capacity, and light weight. The present paper reviewed the preparation techniques of OPP materials like breath figures, hard template, and soft template. Finally, the applications of OPP materials in the field of separation, sensors, and biomedicine are introduced, respectively. - Highlights: • Breath figures involve polymer casting under moist ambience. • Hard template employs monodisperse colloidal spheres as a template. • Soft template utilizes the etched block in copolymers as template

Finite element model predicts current density distribution for clinical applications of tDCS and tACS

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Toralf eNeuling

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has been applied in numerous scientific studies over the past decade. However, the possibility to apply tDCS in therapy of neuropsychiatric disorders is still debated. While transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS has been approved for treatment of major depression in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, tDCS is not as widely accepted. One of the criticisms against tDCS is the lack of spatial specificity. Focality is limited by the electrode size (35 cm2 are commonly used and the bipolar arrangement. However, a current flow through the head directly from anode to cathode is an outdated view. Finite element (FE models have recently been used to predict the exact current flow during tDCS. These simulations have demonstrated that the current flow depends on tissue shape and conductivity. Toface the challenge to predict the location, magnitude and direction of the current flow induced by tDCS and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS, we used a refined realistic FE modeling approach. With respect to the literature on clinical tDCS and tACS, we analyzed two common setups for the location of the stimulation electrodes which target the frontal lobe and the occipital lobe, respectively. We compared lateral and medial electrode configuration with regard to theirusability. We were able to demonstrate that the lateral configurations yielded more focused stimulation areas as well as higher current intensities in the target areas. The high resolution of our simulation allows one to combine the modeled current flow with the knowledge of neuronal orientation to predict the consequences of tDCS and tACS. Our results not only offer a basis for a deeper understanding of the stimulation sites currently in use for clinical applications but also offer a better interpretation of observed effects.

MANAGEMENT OF CASH FLOWS OF THE ENTERPRISE AND THEIR OPTIMIZATION

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Natalie V. Gryzunova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this work is the analysis of structure and process of management of cash flows of the enterprise, researchof a financial position and development of recommendationsabout increase of effective management of cash fl ows. When performing work various methods of research were applied:fi nancial, coeffi cient, ekonomiсo-mathematical, etc. As a result of the analysis reserves of increase of management efficiency are revealed and models of free cash flows, the most actual for group of the considered enterprises are offered.

Dietary exposure of juvenile common sole (Solea solea L.) to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs): Part 1. Bioaccumulation and elimination kinetics of individual congeners and their debrominated metabolites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munschy, C.; Heas-Moisan, K.; Tixier, C.; Olivier, N.; Gastineau, O.; Le Bayon, N.; Buchet, V.

2011-01-01

The uptake and elimination of six PBDE congeners (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -209) were studied in juvenile common sole (Solea solea L.) exposed to spiked contaminated food over a three-month period, then depurated over a five-month period. The results show that all of the studied PBDEs accumulate in fish tissues, including the higher brominated congener BDE-209. Several additional PBDE congeners were identified in the tissues of exposed fish, revealing PBDE transformation, mainly via debromination. The identified congeners originating from PBDE debromination include BDE-49 and BDE-202 and a series of unidentified tetra-, penta-, and hepta- BDEs. Contaminant assimilation efficiencies (AEs) were related to their hydrophobicity (log K ow ) and influenced by PBDE biotransformation. Metabolism via debromination appears to be a major degradation route of PBDEs in juvenile sole in comparison to biotransformation into hydroxylated metabolites. - Juvenile sole exposed to artificially-contaminated food accumulate PBDEs, including the higher brominated congeners, and have a debromination capacity.

Renewable Bio-solar Hydrogen Production from Robust Oxygenic Phototrophs: The Second Generation

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-22

the fermentative media, switch the carbohydrate catabolism through OPP pathway, to meet out the NADPH demand for nitrate reduction. Under nitrate...cyanobacterial mutant strains studied for their fermentative metabolism during dark/anaerobic conditions. Metabolic engineering of these glycolysis/OPP pathways...intensity under photoautotrophic growth. Incorporation of vBOF adds greater metabolic flexibility for simulation of more realistic compositional changes

12om Limited Objective Experiment #2: Final Results Summary and Recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-31

Acronym Definition ARP CD CF CFD CG CIM COA CONOPS CSE Dev DFATD DP DRDC FGS Gov HREC IDP KR LOE LOC MA MARS NASA TLX NGO OP OPP Ops ROC SA...weight Ratings (OPP Support) Ratings (IP) Ratings (CU) Ratings (CS) Ratings (Usability) Ratings (Training T/E) Ratings (Use T/E) NASA TLX Mental demand

An integrated study of photochemical function and expression of a key photochemical gene (psbA) in photosynthetic communities of Lake Bonney (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kong, W.; Wei, L.; Romancová, Ingrid; Prášil, Ondřej; Morgan-Kiss, R. M.

2014-01-01

Roč. 89, č. 6 (2014), s. 293-302 ISSN 0168-6496 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED2.1.00/03.0110 Grant - others:NSF Office of Polar Programs(US) OPP-0631659, OPP-1056396 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : photochemistry * lake Bonnney * communities Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 3.568, year: 2014

Who is more likely to be obese or overweight among siblings? A nationally representative study in rural China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiajin Hu

Full Text Available The aims of this study were to determine the association between sibling rank and childhood obesity among children ≤ 5 years of age in rural China, and to investigate the effect of child gender and the obesity status of other siblings on this association.Data from the China Family Panel Studies, a nationally representative survey, was used for the analysis. Sibling rank was defined as the birth order of all children with the same biological mother. A total of 1116 children ≤ 5 years of age were divided into four groups: children without siblings, first-born children, second-born children, and third-born or younger children. For each child, the body mass index and standard deviation (BMI z score was calculated according to WHO standards; children with BMI z scores > 2 were classified as obese or overweight (ObOw. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between sibling rank and ObOw status, and the possible influence of gender and ObOw status among other siblings.The second and third-born or younger children had a significantly higher risk of becoming ObOw than children without siblings (odds ratio [OR]: 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.63 and OR:1.38, 95% CI: 1.17-1.63, respectively. Specifically, female second-born children and male third-born or younger children had a significantly higher risk of ObOw (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.11-2.01 and OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.07-2.32, respectively. Having an ObOw sibling increased the probability of being ObOw and the magnitude of the effect was larger if siblings were younger.Sibling rank was shown to be associated with ObOw status among children 0-5 years of age in rural China. Our findings can help healthcare practitioners and authorities to identify children at risk of obesity. Future studies should focus on the mechanisms of this association.

Prooxidative and antioxidative properties of β-carotene in chlorophyll and riboflavin photosensitized oil-in-water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, JungWoo; Kim, Tae Soo; Kim, Mi-Ja; Lee, JaeHwan

2013-09-01

Effects of β-carotene on the oxidative stability of chlorophyll or riboflavin photosensitized oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were determined by analysing the depleted headspace oxygen content, lipid hydroperoxides, fluorescence intensity, and headspace volatiles. As the concentration of β-carotene increased from 0 to 10, 100, and 1000 μM, the oxidative stability of samples containing chlorophylls decreased in a concentration-dependent manner under light, indicating that β-carotene acted as a prooxidant. However, in riboflavin photosensitized O/W emulsions, 100 and 1000 μM β-carotene inhibited lipid oxidation. Although β-carotene protected both photosensitisers in O/W emulsions, β-carotene displayed antioxidative or prooxidative properties, which depended on the polarity of the photosensitisers. The development of t-2-heptenal and 1-octen-3-ol increased greatly in chlorophyll sensitised O/W emulsions with an increase in β-carotene concentration, implying that more singlet oxygen oxidation occurred due to the higher levels of remaining chlorophylls. However, the content of t-2-heptenal and 1-octen-3-ol in the riboflavin sensitised O/W emulsions was not significantly correlated with the β-carotene concentration, which indicates that β-carotene in the lipid particles effectively quenched singlet oxygen. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Development of a Cryogenic Over-Pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alvarez, Matthew L. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States)

2012-01-01

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) project will study the accelerated expansion of the universe. In order to further study this phenomenon, scientists have devised a method of creating an array of charged couple devices (CCD) to capture images that will be studied. These CCDs must be cooled and remain at 173K to eliminate thermal gradients and dark current. Therefore, a two-phase CCD liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling system was designed to maintain the array of CCDs at a constant temperature. However, the centrifugal pump used to supply LN2 has a mean time between failure (MTBF) of approximately two thousand-eight hundred hours (116 days). Because of the low MTBF of the centrifugal pump, a new pump is being considered to replace the existing one. This positive displacement pump is a simpler design that is expected to have a MTBF that will exceed 116 days (2800hrs). This positive displacement reciprocating pump, also known as, the cryogenic over-pressure pump (OPP), was tested in February 2012 and successfully cooled the CCD array to 173K. Though unfit for service for DES CCD cooling system, the overall concept of this pump has been proven. Typical ow rates, pressures, and temperatures trends have been captured via instrumentation and are specific to the operation of future over-pressure pumps.

Analysis of the association of leptin and adiponectin concentrations with metabolic syndrome in children: Results from the IDEFICS study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nappo, A; González-Gil, E M; Ahrens, W; Bammann, K; Michels, N; Moreno, L A; Kourides, Y; Iacoviello, L; Mårild, S; Fraterman, A; Molnàr, D; Veidebaum, T; Siani, A; Russo, P

2017-06-01

Adipokines may play a role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children. We aimed to evaluate the association of leptin, adiponectin, and its ratio (L/A ratio) with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a subsample of the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS) cohort. Leptin, adiponectin and MetS parameters were measured in a subsample of 1253 children (3-9.9 years) participating to the IDEFICS study, grouped as: Non-OW (underweight/normal weight) and OW/Ob (overweight/obese). MetS was defined using the sex- and age-specific cut-offs based on the distribution of MetS components in the IDEFICS cohort. The prevalence of the MetS among OW/Ob was 24.8% and 27.1% in boys and girls respectively, whereas ≤2% among Non-OW. OW/Ob had significantly higher leptin and L/A ratio as compared to Non-OW. Significantly higher leptin was found in OW/Ob with MetS as compared with OW/Ob without MetS. Significantly lower adiponectin was observed only in OW/Ob girls as compared to Non-OW. A 1SD increase in leptin and L/A ratio z-scores or a 1SD decrease in adiponectin z-score were significantly associated with higher risk of MetS. After adjustment for BMI or body fat mass (BFM) the association remained significant only for leptin. We showed that in European children, higher leptin concentration is associated with MetS, even after adjusting for BMI or BFM, confirming an early role of leptin in MetS, while the association of adiponectin with MetS seems be mediated by body fat in this age range. Copyright © 2017 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

USER MANUAL FOR EXPRESS, THE EXAMS-PRZM EXPOSURE SIMULATION SHELL

Science.gov (United States)

The Environmental Fate and Effects Division (EFED) of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs(OPP) uses a suite of ORD simulation models for the exposure analysis portion of regulatory risk assessments. These models (PRZM, EXAMS, AgDisp) are complex, process-based simulation codes tha...

Sadhana | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Keywords. Compound bend; gravel-bed; sediment transport; shear-stress distribution; flow resistance; fluvial hydraulics. Abstract. In this paper, the effect of a gravel-bed in a compound bend (similar to sinusoidal top view) of a natural river (Zayandehrud River flowing through Isfahan, Iran) has been investigated for flow ...

Multiple mitigation mechanisms: Effects of submerged plants on the toxicity of nine insecticides to aquatic animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Brogan, William R; Relyea, Rick A

2017-01-01

Understanding the processes that regulate contaminant impacts in nature is an increasingly important challenge. For insecticides in surface waters, the ability of aquatic plants to sorb, or bind, hydrophobic compounds has been identified as a primary mechanism by which toxicity can be mitigated (i.e. the sorption-based model). However, recent research shows that submerged plants can also rapidly mitigate the toxicity of the less hydrophobic insecticide malathion via alkaline hydrolysis (i.e. the hydrolysis-based model) driven by increased water pH resulting from photosynthesis. However, it is still unknown how generalizable these mitigation mechanisms are across the wide variety of insecticides applied today, and whether any general rules can be ascertained about which types of chemicals may be mitigated by each mechanism. We quantified the degree to which the submerged plant Elodea canadensis mitigated acute (48-h) toxicity to Daphnia magna using nine commonly applied insecticides spanning three chemical classes (carbamates: aldicarb, carbaryl, carbofuran; organophosphates: malathion, diazinon, chlorpyrifos; pyrethroids: permethrin, bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin). We found that insecticides possessing either high octanol-water partition coefficients (log K ow ) values (i.e. pyrethroids) or high susceptibility to alkaline hydrolysis (i.e. carbamates and malathion) were all mitigated to some degree by E. canadensis, while the plant had no effect on insecticides possessing intermediate log K ow values and low susceptibility to hydrolysis (i.e. chlorpyrifos and diazinon). Our results provide the first general insights into which types of insecticides are likely to be mitigated by different mechanisms based on known chemical properties. We suggest that current models and mitigation strategies would be improved by the consideration of both mitigation models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of innovative and conventional sanitizing treatments on the reduction of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera defects on industrial durum wheat bread.

Science.gov (United States)

Giannone, Virgilio; Pitino, Iole; Pecorino, Biagio; Todaro, Aldo; Spina, Alfio; Lauro, Maria Rosaria; Tomaselli, Filippo; Restuccia, Cristina

2016-10-17

Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Hyphopichia burtonii and Saccharomycopsis fibuligera are spoilage yeasts causing chalk mold defects on sliced bread packaged under modified atmosphere. The first objective of this study, carried out in a bread-making company for two consecutive years, was to genetically identify yeasts isolated from spoiled sliced bread in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and to determine the dominant species among identified strains. The second objective was to evaluate the effects of hydrogen peroxide and silver solution 12% (HPS) treatment in the leavening cells and cooling chambers, in comparison with the conventional Ortho-Phenylphenol (OPP) fumigating treatment, on the incidence of chalk defects of the commercialized products. One-hundred percent of the isolated yeasts were identified as S. fibuligera, while H. burtonii and W. anomalus were not detected. Concerning mean water activity (aw) and moisture content values, packaged bread samples were, respectively, included in the range 0.922-0.940 and 33.40-35.39%. S. fibuligera was able to grow in a wide range of temperature (11.5 to 28.5°C) and relative humidity (70.00 to 80.17%) in the processing environments, and product aw<0.94. Compared to OPP, the combined treatment with hydrogen peroxide and silver solution, in association with MAP, reduced to a negligible level yeast contamination of industrial sliced bread. The identification of the spoilage organisms and a comprehensive understanding of the combined effects of aw, pO2/pCO2 inside the packages, environmental conditions and sanitizing treatment on the growth behaviour is essential for future development of adequate preventive process strategies against chalk mold defects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of variation in mobile phase pH and solute pK(a) with the change of organic modifier fraction on QSRRs of hydrophobicity and RP-HPLC retention of weakly acidic compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shu-ying; Liang, Chao; Zou, Kuan; Qiao, Jun-qin; Lian, Hong-zhen; Ge, Xin

2012-11-15

The variation in mobile phase pH and ionizable solute dissociation constant (pK(a)) with the change of organic modifier fraction in hydroorganic mobile phase has seemingly been a troublesome problem in studies and applications of reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Most of the early studies regarding the RP-HPLC of acid-base compounds have to measure the actual pH of the mixed mobile phase rigorously, sometimes bringing difficulties in the practices of liquid chromatographic separation. In this paper, the effect of this variation on the apparent n-octanol/water partition coefficient (K(ow)″) and the related quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) of logK(ow)″ vs. logk(w), the logarithm of retention factor of analytes in neat aqueous mobile phases, was investigated for weakly acidic compounds. This QSRR is commonly used as a classical method for K(ow) measurement by RP-HPLC. The theoretical and experimental derivation revealed that the variation in mobile phase pH and solute pK(a) will not affect the QSRRs of acidic compounds. This conclusion is proved to be suitable for various types of ion-suppressors, i.e., strong acid (perchloric acid), weak acid (acetic acid) and buffer salt (potassium dihydrogen phosphate/phosphoric acid, PBS). The QSRRs of logK(ow)″ vs. logk(w) were modeled by 11 substituted benzoic acids using different types of ion-suppressors in a binary methanol-water mobile phase to confirm our deduction. Although different types of ion-suppressor all can be used as mobile phase pH modifiers, the QSRR model obtained by using perchloric acid as the ion-suppressor was found to have the best result, and the slightly inferior QSRRs were obtained by using acetic acid or PBS as the ion-suppressor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acute retinal ischemia caused by controlled low ocular perfusion pressure in a porcine model. Electrophysiological and histological characterisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kyhn, Maria Voss; Warfvinge, Karin; Scherfig, Erik

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish, and characterize a porcine model of acute, controlled retinal ischemia. The controlled retinal ischemia was produced by clamping the ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) in the left eye to 5 mm Hg for 2 h. The OPP was defined as mean arterial blood pressure...... of the amplitudes obtained in the experimental, left eye, and the control, right eye. Quantitative histology was performed to measure the survival of ganglion cells, amacrine cells and horizontal cells 2-6 weeks after the ischemic insult. An OPP of 5 mm Hg for 2h induced significant reductions in the amplitudes...... the ischemic insult. This model seems to be suitable for investigations of therapeutic initiatives in diseases involving acute retinal ischemia....

Thermoactivated persulfate oxidation of pesticide chlorpyrifos in aquatic system: kinetic and mechanistic investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lei; Zhang, Ya; Ying, Rongrong; Wang, Guoqing; Long, Tao; Li, Jianhua; Lin, Yusuo

2017-04-01

The widespread occurrence of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in the environment poses risks to both ecologic system as well as human health. This study investigated the oxidation kinetics of chlorpyrifos (CP), one of the typical OPPs, by thermoactivated persulfate (PS) oxidation process, and evaluated the influence of key kinetic factors, such as PS concentrations, pH, temperature, bicarbonate, and chloride ions. The reaction pathways and mechanisms were also proposed based on products identification by LC-MS techniques. Our results revealed that increasing initial PS concentration and temperature favored the decomposition of CP, whereas the oxidation efficiency was not affected by pH change ranging from 3 to 11. Bicarbonate was found to play a detrimental role on CP removal rates, while chloride showed no effect. The oxidation pathways including initial oxidation of P=S bond to P=O, dechlorination, dealkylation, and the dechlorination-hydroxylation were proposed, and the detailed underlying mechanisms were also discussed. Molecular orbital (MO) calculations indicated that P=S bond was the most favored oxidation site of the molecule. The toxicity of reaction solution was believed to increase due to the formation of products with P=O structures. This work demonstrates that OPPs can readily react with SO 4 ·- and provides important information for further research on the oxidation of these contaminants.

Compensation of F0 and formant frequencies in a real-time pitch-perturbation paradigm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eckey, Andreas; MacDonald, Ewen

2015-01-01

While producing speech, talkers monitor both somatosensory and auditory feedback. Many studies have demonstrated that if auditory feedback is manipulated in real-time (e.g., using an effects processor to shift the frequency spectrum), subjects compensate by modifying their F0 in the direction opp...

Effects of thinning and mixed plantations with Alnus cordata on growth and efficiency of common walnut (Juglans regia L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giannini T

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Results about the effects of thinning and mixed plantations with Italian alder (Alnus cordata Loisel. on growth and efficiency of common walnut (Juglans regia L. plantations for wood production are reported. The study, carried out for six years on sixteen year old plantations, compared three theses: pure common walnut plantation (pure common walnut; 50% common walnut - 50% Italian alder plantation; 25% common walnut - 75% Italian alder plantation. Beyond annual surveys of girth at breast height, total height, stem volume and biomass, several variables, useful to describe canopy and foliage characteristics such as leaf area index (LAI, leaf biomass and photosynthetic active radiation below the canopy, were recorded. Data collected allowed to compare growth at individual and whole stand level, to calculate the net assimilation rate (NAR and to compare the growth efficiency of the three theses. Mixed plantations performed results significantly higher than the pure plantation in terms of growth, LAI and leaf biomass both before and after experimental thinning. With reference only to common walnut, growth in mixed plantations was higher than the pure plantation with differences ranging from +40% to +100%. More relevant differences among pure common walnut, 50% common walnut and 25% common walnut at canopy and foliage characteristics were observed, with LAI values of 1.07, 3.96 e 4.35 m2 m-2 respectively. Results accounted for a general positive effect of Italian alder as accessory tree species on growth and efficiency of mixed plantations, mainly due to the good performances induced in common walnut trees. Such performances were enabled by the good ecological integration between the two species and by the positive effects of N-fixing activity of Italian alder. Experimental thinning applied, although heavy, did not biased the dynamics observed before thinning both in pure and mixed plantations. In addition, they had positive effects on common walnut

Determination of organophosphorus pesticides using molecularly imprinted polymer solid phase extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Marsin Sanagi; Syairah Salleh; Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim

2011-01-01

Molecularly imprinted polymer solid phase extraction (MIP-SPE) method has been developed for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The MIP was prepared by thermo-polymerization method using methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinker, acetonitrile as porogenic solvent and quinalphos as the template molecule. The three OPPs (diazinon, quinalphos and chloropyrifos) were selected as target analytes as they are widely used in agriculture sector. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the imprinted polymers have been evaluated to optimize the selective preconcentration of OPPs from aqueous samples. The characteristics of the MIP-SPE method were validated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The accuracy and selectivity of the MIP-SPE process developed were verified using non-imprinted polymer solid phase extraction (NIP-SPE) and a commercial C 18 -SPE was used for comparison. The recoveries of the target analytes obtained using the MIPs as the solid phase sorbent ranged from 83% to 98% (RSDs 1.05 - 1.98 %; n=3) for water sample. The developed MIP-SPE method demonstrates that it could be applied for the determination of OPPs in water samples. (author)

The Impact of Message Replication on the Performance of Opportunistic Networks for Sensed Data Collection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tekenate E. Amah

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Opportunistic networks (OppNets provide a scalable solution for collecting delay‑tolerant data from sensors for their respective gateways. Portable handheld user devices contribute significantly to the scalability of OppNets since their number increases according to user population and they closely follow human movement patterns. Hence, OppNets for sensed data collection are characterised by high node population and degrees of spatial locality inherent to user movement. We study the impact of these characteristics on the performance of existing OppNet message replication techniques. Our findings reveal that the existing replication techniques are not specifically designed to cope with these characteristics. This raises concerns regarding excessive message transmission overhead and throughput degradations due to resource constraints and technological limitations associated with portable handheld user devices. Based on concepts derived from the study, we suggest design guidelines to augment existing message replication techniques. We also follow our design guidelines to propose a message replication technique, namely Locality Aware Replication (LARep. Simulation results show that LARep achieves better network performance under high node population and degrees of spatial locality as compared with existing techniques.

Influence of the formulation type (o/w, w/o/w emulsions and ointment on the topical delivery of paromomycin Influência da forma farmacêutica (emulsão múltipla A/O/A, emulsão O/A e pomada sobre a permeação e retenção cutânea da paromomicina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sérgio Fernandes de Oliveira Gomes

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Ointments containing paromomycin (PA have been used for topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Although influence of the vehicle on skin permeation is crucial for optimization of formulations containing PA, this aspect has not been investigated experimentally. In this study, we have evaluated the influence of the formulation type [oil-in-water (o/w, water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w emulsions and ointment] on in vitro release and skin permeation of PA and experiments were carried out on cellulose acetate membrane and skin biopsies from hairless mice, respectively. PA release from o/w emulsion (51.7% ± 0.9 of dose applied was faster than that observed for w/o/w emulsion (3.0% ± 0.5. PA absorption from o/w emulsion (87.1% ± 3.9 through stripped skin was 5 to 6 times higher than that observed for w/o/w multiple emulsion (14.7% ± 0.5 and ointment (16.6% ± 0.1. PA permeation through intact (normal skin was negligible for all tested formulations. Skin uptake from o/w emulsion (0.9% ± 0.1 was greater than that observed for w/o/w multiple emulsion (0.3% ± 0.1 and ointment (0.1% ± 0.1. These results suggest that a hydrophilic vehicle (o/w emulsion could be an interesting alternative to improve topical delivery of PA.Pomadas contendo paromomicina (PA são utilizadas no tratamento tópico da leishmaniose cutânea. Embora a influência do veículo seja crucial para otimização de formulações contendo PA, este aspecto não tem sido investigado experimentalmente. Neste estudo, nós avaliamos a influência do tipo de formulação [emulsões óleo-em-água (o/a, múltipla água-em-óleo-em-água (a/o/a e pomadas] sobre a liberação e permeação cutânea in vitro da PA e os experimentos foram conduzidos sobre membranas de acetato de celulose e biópsias de pele de camundongos glabros, respectivamente. A liberação de PA a partir da emulsão o/a (51,7% da dose aplicada foi mais rápida do que aquela observada a partir da emulsão múltipla a

[Magnetic solid phase extraction combined with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in juice samples].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Qian; He, Man; Chen, Beibei; Hu, Bin

2014-10-01

A novel method for the determination of organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in fresh juice samples was developed. Fe3O4 @ P (St-co-MAA) magnetic microparticles were synthesized and modified with styrene (St) and methacrylic acid (MAA) by coating St and MAA on magnetic particles and characterized by a series of techniques. The results indicated that Fe3 O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been successfully modified with St and MAA. Based on the prepared FeO4 @ P (St-co-MAA) magnetic microparticles, a novel method of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE)-gas chromatography (GC)-flame photometric detection (FPD) was developed for the determination of OPPs. The extraction/desorption conditions of MSPE were optimized, and the analytical performance was evaluated under the optimal conditions. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) for target OPPs were in the range of 0.013-0.305 μg/L with the RSDs (n = 7) ranging from 3.1% to 8.8%. The enrichment factors varied from 406 to 951. The linear ranges were over three orders of magnitudes (R2 > 0.99) and the reproducibilities were 7.4%-14.5% (n = 5). Finally, the proposed MSPE-GC-FPD method was successfully applied to the analysis of the five OPPs in fresh tomato and strawberry juice samples, with the recoveries of target OPPs in the range of 85.4%-118.9% for the spiked samples. The proposed MSPE-GC-FPD method is featured with low cost, fast separation and high enrichment factor.

Is insulin the most effective injectable antihyperglycaemic therapy?

Science.gov (United States)

Buse, J B; Peters, A; Russell-Jones, D; Furber, S; Donsmark, M; Han, J; MacConell, L; Maggs, D; Diamant, M

2015-02-01

The recent type 2 diabetes American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ADA/EASD) position statement suggested insulin is the most effective glucose-lowering therapy, especially when glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is very high. However, randomized studies comparing glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) exenatide once-weekly [OW; DURATION-3 (Diabetes therapy Utilization: Researching changes in A1c, weight, and other factors Through Intervention with exenatide ONce-Weekly)] and liraglutide once-daily [OD; LEAD-5 (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes)] with insulin glargine documented greater HbA1c reduction with GLP-1RAs, from baseline HbA1c ∼8.3% (67 mmol/mol). This post hoc analysis of DURATION-3 and LEAD-5 examined changes in HbA1c, fasting glucose and weight with exenatide OW or liraglutide and glargine, by baseline HbA1c quartile. Descriptive statistics were provided for change in HbA1c, fasting glucose, weight, and insulin dose, and subjects (%) achieving HbA1c <7.0%, by baseline HbA1c quartile. Inferential statistical analysis on the effect of baseline HbA1c quartile was performed for change in HbA1c. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model was used to evaluate similarity in change in HbA1c across HbA1c quartiles. At 26 weeks, in both studies, HbA1c reduction, and proportion of subjects reaching HbA1c <7.0%, were similar or numerically greater with the GLP-1RAs than glargine for all baseline HbA1c quartiles. Fasting glucose reduction was similar or numerically greater with glargine. Weight decreased with both GLP-1RAs across all quartiles; subjects taking glargine gained weight, more at higher baseline HbA1c. Adverse events were uncommon although gastrointestinal events occurred more frequently with GLP-1RAs. HbA1c reduction with the GLP-1RAs appears at least equivalent to that with basal insulin, irrespective of baseline HbA1c. This suggests that liraglutide and exenatide OW may be appropriate

Sadhana | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In this paper, we develop a new preflow algorithm for the minimum flow problem, called deficit scaling algorithm. This is a special implementation of the generic preflow algorithm for the minimum flow problem developed by Ciurea and Ciupală earlier. The bottleneck operation in the generic preflow algorithm is the number ...

OW COADS Climatology

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — COADS (Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set) is a ocean-atmosphere data set generated by means of in-situ (ship) measurements and reports from around the world's...

GrOW brochure

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). It is housed within ... latory frameworks that restrict women's opportunities to engage fully in markets and ... growth could be harnessed to close persistent gender gaps in opportunities ... out policy implications, identifying what works and what does not work in ...

OW Levitus Climatology

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The dataset consists of global temperature and salinity climatologies with a spatial resolution of 1x1 degree, and consists of 19 levels (surface - 5000m). It was...

Identification of a new genetic marker in Mycoplasma synoviae vaccine strain MS-H and development of a strategy using polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution melting curve analysis for differentiating MS-H from field strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Ling; Konsak, Barbara M; Olaogun, Olusola M; Agnew-Crumptona, Rebecca; Kanci, Anna; Marenda, Marc S; Browning, Glenn F; Noormohammadi, Amir H

2017-10-01

Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is an economically important avian pathogen worldwide, causing subclinical respiratory tract infection and infectious synovitis in chickens and turkeys. A temperature-sensitive (ts + ) live attenuated vaccine MS-H, derived from the Australian field strain 86079/7NS, is now widely used in many countries to control the disease induced by MS. Differentiation of MS-H vaccine from field strains is crucial for monitoring vaccination programs in commercial poultry. Comparison of genomic sequences of MS-H and its parent strain revealed an adenine deletion at nucleotide position 468 of the MS-H oppF-1 gene. This mutation was shown to be unique to MS-H in further comparative analyses of oppF-1 genes of MS-H re-isolates and field strains from Australia and other countries. Based on this single nucleotide, a combination of nested PCR and high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis was used to evaluate its potential for use in differentiation of MS-H from field strains. The mean genotype confidence percentages of 99.27 and 48.20 for MS-H and field strains, respectively, demonstrated the high discriminative power of the newly developed assay (oppF PCR-HRM). A set of 13 tracheal swab samples collected from MS-H vaccinated specific pathogen free birds and commercial chicken flocks infected with MS were tested using the oppF PCR-HRM test and results were totally consistent with those obtained using vlhA genotyping. The nested-PCR HRM method established in this study proved to be a rapid, simple and cost effective tool for discriminating the MS-H vaccine strain from Australian and international strains in pure cultures and on tracheal swabs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Evidence Framework for Off-Patent Pharmaceutical Review (EFOR) for Health Technology Assessment in Emerging Markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Brixner, Diana; Kaló, Zoltán; Maniadakis, Nikos; Kim, Kyoo; Wijaya, Kalman

2018-03-29

This article introduces an Evidence Framework for Off-Patent Pharmaceutical Review (EFOR), which establishes value-based criteria in a template that manufacturers use to provide evidence showing how their products meet those criteria. Health authorities in emerging markets can then use the evidence presented in the EFOR to evaluate off-patent pharmaceuticals (OPPs) in a consistent, transparent, and evidence-based manner to support policy decisions, including pricing, reimbursement, formulary listing, and drug procurement. A literature search found no multi-criteria evidence framework for evaluating OPPs in emerging markets. An International Outcomes Research Board (IORB) of academia and industry experts conducted extensive research, meetings, and workshops to define high-priority criteria to incorporate into an evidence-based health technology assessment (HTA) tool using the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique. The resulting framework was further tailored for country-specific needs in workshops in three emerging countries (Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Indonesia). The IORB defined nine criteria four categories (Product, Manufacturing, Service, and Value Assessment), which OPP manufacturers can use to provide evidence for reimbursement and health policy decision making. Then the IORB developed the EFOR as a base case document, which can be adapted and used as a template by health authorities in emerging countries. Emerging countries have a significant need for an HTA tool that balances affordability with accurate evidence showing the value differentiation of OPPs. The value attributes in this setting often are different from those in developed markets, which emphasize new products and have high regulation and manufacturing standards. The EFOR is an easy-to-use, adaptable framework that emerging countries can use to increase the consistency, transparency, and effectiveness of drug decision making. The open source EFOR is available as Supplemental Materials

The concept of the conservative operating policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Idita, S.A.

1997-01-01

In the context of the nuclear operating environment, the conservative operating policy is one that promotes a culture of moderation and caution. This policy requires compliance with the intent of the Reactor Operation Licence (ROL) and adherence with the limitations stipulated in the facility Operating Policies and Principles (OPP). While ROL is the document prescribing the laws governing the operation and maintenance the OPP are the statements defining the boundaries within which the facility will be operated. A conservative operating policy, that is well understood by all plant facility personnel provides assurance that plant operation and maintenance will be carried out in compliance with approved operating and maintenance procedures. In an abnormal plant operating situation where OPP's may be challenged, the provision of 'Abnormal Plant Operating Procedures' (APOP's) will stipulate actions designed to return the plant to a condition where normal procedures can be followed i.e. acceptably within OPP limitations. When in a NPP an operating scenario will develop where the the situation is not covered by normal approved operating procedures a conservative operating policy will empower the duty Shift Supervisor (SS) to initiate actions that will move the plant in the 'safe direction'. The paper enumerates the decisions which the SS has to make in order to ensure that the reactor power is correctly controlled, the reactor fuel remains cooled and the radioactivity remains contained. It is stressed that a corporate operating policy will be of little use if its existence is known only by corporate management. To be effective, and to be instrumental in the promotion of a facility safety culture, the conservative operating philosophy must be known about and fully understood by all personnel working at a nuclear facility. It is up to management to 'get the word out' and lead by example. (author)

Adverse Effects with Ambulatory Intravenous Immunoglobulin Administration in Adult Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Alicia Rodríguez-Mireles

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Common variable immunode ciency (CVID is the most frequent symptomatic primary immunodeficiency, affecting 1:25,000- 75,000 people. It is characterized by the absence or decrease antibody production. Treatment for CVID consists on human immunoglobulin administration, and the intravenous route is the most common route for administration, at 400-800 mg/kg of weight every 3-4 weeks. Adverse effects associated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg use occur in 25% of all infusions, with severe adverse reactions presenting in less than 1% of all patients. Acute renal failure can occur as a severe adverse reaction, which presents 1-10 days after starting IVIg treatment. In our center we implemented an ambulatory scheme for IVIg administration, which allows its administration in an average of 3 hours, without severe adverse effects. Objectives: To describe adverse effects and to evaluate the frequency of renal failure secondary to ambulatory IVIg administration in patients with common variable immunode ciency. Material and method: A descriptive and prospective study was done including adult patients con de nitive diagnosis of common variable immunodeficiency, receiving IVIg at replacement dose every 3 weeks. All patients were evaluated with clinical exploration, somatometry, serum creatinine, albumin and urea determination, 24 hours creatinine clearance, glomerular ltration rate with CKD-EPI, and immediate renal function associated with accumulated IVIg. Results were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: We determined adverse effects in 25 patients with common variable immunode ciency (15 women and 10 men, average age 36.7 years, during a 10 months period (January-September 2013. During this period 284 IVIg infusions were administered using our scheme, frequency of adverse effects were 12.9%, with 5.2% of early adverse effects and 7.7% late adverse effects, all being mild to moderate, in some cases required analgesic and

Effects of Aflatoxin-Contaminated Feed on Immunological Parameters of Common Carp (Cyprinus Carpio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amal Bitsayah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Aflatoxin contamination is a common natural phenomenon that is difficult to avoid or control and it can occur during pre and post-harvest periods under high humidity and temperature conditions, and are potentially dangerous to fish. In the present study, a feeding trial evaluated the effects of diets contaminated with aflatoxin on certain immunological parameters of common carp. Methods: The immunotoxicity assessment of juvenile common carp was performed on 180 fish divided into five groups with triplicate: Control group received normal feed (Group I; group II was fed diets contaminated with extraction solution (methanol, acetone and diluted water as a positive control. Group III-V was respectively fed diets contaminated with 0.5, 0.7 and 1.4 mg kg-1 feed for 3 wk. Results: Lysozyme activities, total immunoglobulin contents, complement C3 and C4 activities in plasma of common carp fed with different concentrations of aflatoxins significantly decreased when compared to that of the control fish. Although plasma ACH50 contents remained unchanged in 0.5 mg kg-1 aflatoxins, ACH50 contents decreased in 0.7 and 1.4 mg kg-1 groups after 21 d of aflatoxin treatment. No significant changes were observed in immunological parameters between the control positive and control groups throughout the experimental periods. Conclusion: Oral exposure to aflatoxin (0.5 mg kg-1≤ could adversely affect immunological parameters of common carp.

Essays on Trade and Equity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H. Rojas-Romagosa

2005-01-01

textabstractGlobalization is a central topic of current economic and public debate. The term glob­alizatio n is associated with the increase of tradevolumes,investmentflows, outsourcing activities and the expansion of multinational enterprises. However, a commonly accepted definition does not exist

Oxygen isotope fractionation between bird bone phosphate and drinking water

Science.gov (United States)

Amiot, Romain; Angst, Delphine; Legendre, Serge; Buffetaut, Eric; Fourel, François; Adolfssen, Jan; André, Aurore; Bojar, Ana Voica; Canoville, Aurore; Barral, Abel; Goedert, Jean; Halas, Stanislaw; Kusuhashi, Nao; Pestchevitskaya, Ekaterina; Rey, Kevin; Royer, Aurélien; Saraiva, Antônio Álamo Feitosa; Savary-Sismondini, Bérengère; Siméon, Jean-Luc; Touzeau, Alexandra; Zhou, Zhonghe; Lécuyer, Christophe

2017-06-01

Oxygen isotope compositions of bone phosphate (δ18Op) were measured in broiler chickens reared in 21 farms worldwide characterized by contrasted latitudes and local climates. These sedentary birds were raised during an approximately 3 to 4-month period, and local precipitation was the ultimate source of their drinking water. This sampling strategy allowed the relationship to be determined between the bone phosphate δ18Op values (from 9.8 to 22.5‰ V-SMOW) and the local rainfall δ18Ow values estimated from nearby IAEA/WMO stations (from -16.0 to -1.0‰ V-SMOW). Linear least square fitting of data provided the following isotopic fractionation equation: δ18Ow = 1.119 (±0.040) δ18Op - 24.222 (±0.644); R 2 = 0.98. The δ18Op-δ18Ow couples of five extant mallard ducks, a common buzzard, a European herring gull, a common ostrich, and a greater rhea fall within the predicted range of the equation, indicating that the relationship established for extant chickens can also be applied to birds of various ecologies and body masses. Applied to published oxygen isotope compositions of Miocene and Pliocene penguins from Peru, this new equation computes estimates of local seawater similar to those previously calculated. Applied to the basal bird Confuciusornis from the Early Cretaceous of Northeastern China, our equation gives a slightly higher δ18Ow value compared to the previously estimated one, possibly as a result of lower body temperature. These data indicate that caution should be exercised when the relationship estimated for modern birds is applied to their basal counterparts that likely had a metabolism intermediate between that of their theropod dinosaur ancestors and that of advanced ornithurines.

Predictors of obesity and overweight in preschoolers: The role of parenting styles and feeding practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Melis Yavuz, H; Selcuk, Bilge

2018-01-01

Childhood obesity/overweight (OB/OW) displayed a rapid increase and high prevalence in the last few decades in preschool-aged children, which raised health concerns across the world and motivated researchers to investigate the factors that underlie childhood obesity. The current study examined parenting styles and child-feeding practices as potential predictors for OB/OW in preschool children, controlling for child's temperament, which has been shown to be linked with OB/OW. The sample included 61 normal weight (NW) and 61 obese/overweight (OB/OW) Turkish pre-schoolers (M age = 62.2 months; SD = 7.64, range = 45-80 months). Parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative), child-feeding practices (restriction, pressure to eat, monitoring), and child's temperament (negative affectivity) were measured with mothers' reports. Results showed that authoritarian parenting and maternal pressure to eat were the two parenting variables that significantly predicted child's weight status; the odds of being OB/OW was 4.71 times higher in children whose mothers used higher authoritarian parenting style, and was 0.44 times lower when mothers pressured their child to eat. These findings suggest that understanding the unique role of different aspects of parenting in the risk of early OB/OW status of children would be important in developing more effective interventions from early years in life. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temperature profiles from MBT casts from the DUANE from Ocean Weather Station B (OWS-B), C (OWS-C), D (OWS-D), E (OWS-E), H (OWS-H), J (OWS-J), and K (OWS-K) in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1955-04-07 to 1968-02-15 (NODC Accession 7500471)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Bathythermograph data were collected from the DUANE within a 1-mile radius of Ocean Weather Station B (5630N 05100W), C (5245N 03530W), D (4400N 04100W), E (3500N...

Effect of using Falcaria vulgaris on skin wound healing and immune response of common carp (Cyprinus carpio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

nasrin Choobkar

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Antibiotics are generally used to increase the immune response and wound healing of aquatic animals but due to the residual effects of these drugs, researchers are looking to replace them with natural materials such as medicinal plant extract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of Falcaria vulgaris on wound healing and enhancement of immune system in common carp (Cyprinus carpio.The effect of Falcaria vulgaris at concentrations of 0, 2 and 10% with Lofag foods used on wound healing, immune response, and weight gain and survival of common carp was investigated during a 21 day period with twice per day feeding on the basis of body weight. The results showed that using Falcaria vulgaris at the 10% concentration had the greatest effect on wound healing, stimulation of the immune system by increasing white blood cells, weight gain and survival of carp in comparison with the control group. This herb can be used in wound healing, increasing resistance to disease and weight gain of common carp.

Effect of breastfeeding on common pediatric infections: a 5-year prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ardiç, Cüneyt; Yavuz, Erdinç

2018-04-01

The studies conducted revealed that breastfeeding duration has a reducing effect on common infectious diseases in the children during breastfeeding period. The aim of the present study was to address the association between breastfeeding duration and common infectious diseases in the children until 5 years of age to show long-term protective effects of the breast milk. The study included 411 infants who were born in Rize (Turkey) between January 2011 and December 2011. The present prospective-cohort study lasted for 5 years and 11 interviews were conducted with each mother of the infants during this period. The infants were divided into two groups as those who were breastfed more and less than 12 months and the association between breastfeeding and infections such as acute otitis media, acute gastroenteritis, acute respiratory tract infections and acute urinary system infections was investigated. Of 270 infants 193 (71.5%) were breastfed longer than 12 months and 77 (28.5%) were breastfed less than 12 months. Infants in the first group had less acute otitis media and acute gastroenteritis (n= 77, 28.52%) when compared with the infants breastfed less than 12 months during 5-year period (p <0.05). The present study detected that breastfeeding duration longer than 12 months significantly reduces the common childhood infections such as otitis media and gastroenteritis during the first 5 years of life. Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.

Developing novel one-step processes for obtaining food-grade O/W emulsions from pressurized fluid extracts: processes description, state of the art and perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Tresinari SANTOS

2015-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractIn this work, a novel on-line process for production of food-grade emulsions containing oily extracts, i.e. oil-in-water (O/W emulsions, in only one step is presented. This process has been called ESFE, Emulsions from Supercritical Fluid Extraction. With this process, emulsions containing supercritical fluid extracts can be obtained directly from plant materials. The aim in the conception of this process is to propose a new rapid way to obtain emulsions from supercritical fluid extracts. Nowadays the conventional emulsion formulation method is a two-step procedure, i.e. first supercritical fluid extraction for obtaining an extract; secondly emulsion formulation using another device. Other variation of the process was tested and successfully validated originating a new acronymed process: EPFE (Emulsions from Pressurized Fluid Extractions. Both processes exploit the supercritical CO2-essential oils miscibility, in addition, EPFE process exploits the emulsification properties of saponin-rich pressurized aqueous plant extracts. The feasibility of this latter process was demonstrated using Pfaffia glomerata roots as source of saponin-rich extract, water as extracting solvent and clove essential oil, directly extracted using supercritical CO2, as a model dispersed phase. In addition, examples of pressurized fluid-based coupled processes applied for adding value to food bioactive compounds developed in the past five years are reviewed.

Organophosphorus and Organochlorine Pesticides Bioaccumulation by Eichhornia crassipes in Irrigation Canals in an Urban Agricultural System.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercado-Borrayo, B M; Cram Heydrich, Silke; Pérez, Irma Rosas; Hernández Quiroz, Manuel; De León Hill, Claudia Ponce

2015-01-01

A natural wetland in Mexico City Metropolitan Area is one of the main suppliers of crops and flowers, and in consequence its canals hold a high concentration of organochlorine (OC) and organophosphorus (OP) pesticides. There is also an extensive population of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), which is considered a plague; but literature suggests water hyacinth may be used as a phytoremediator. This study demonstrates bioaccumulation difference for the OC in vivo suggesting their bioaccumulation is ruled by their log K(ow), while all the OP showed bioaccumulation regardless of their log K(ow). The higher bioaccumulation factors (BAF) of the accumulated OC pesticides cannot be explained by their log K(ow), suggesting that the OC pesticides may also be transported passively into the plant. Translocation ratios showed that water hyacinth is an accumulating plant with phytoremediation potential for all organophosphorus pesticides studied and some organochlorine pesticides. An equation for free water surface wetlands with floating macrophytes, commonly used for the construction of water-cleaning wetlands, showed removal of the pesticides by the wetland with room for improvement with appropriate management.

The secret to successful solute-transport modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Konikow, Leonard F.

2011-01-01

Modeling subsurface solute transport is difficult—more so than modeling heads and flows. The classical governing equation does not always adequately represent what we see at the field scale. In such cases, commonly used numerical models are solving the wrong equation. Also, the transport equation is hyperbolic where advection is dominant, and parabolic where hydrodynamic dispersion is dominant. No single numerical method works well for all conditions, and for any given complex field problem, where seepage velocity is highly variable, no one method will be optimal everywhere. Although we normally expect a numerically accurate solution to the governing groundwater-flow equation, errors in concentrations from numerical dispersion and/or oscillations may be large in some cases. The accuracy and efficiency of the numerical solution to the solute-transport equation are more sensitive to the numerical method chosen than for typical groundwater-flow problems. However, numerical errors can be kept within acceptable limits if sufficient computational effort is expended. But impractically long

Investigation of defects on PAMS microspheres fabricated with microencapsulation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Sufen; Li Bo; Liu Yiyang; Zhang Zhanwen; Qi Xiaobo

2012-01-01

Poly-(α-methylstyrene) (PAMS) microspheres were fabricated with W1/O/W2 double emulsion microencapsulation method, and the effects of polyvinylalcohol (PVA) and CaCl 2 weight concentrations and the O/W2 phase ratio on the percentages of defected PAMS microspheres were studied. The weight concentrations of PVA and CaCl 2 and the O/W2 phase ratio in the fabrication process of PAMS microspheres were optimized. The results show that, for the three parameters being 1.0%, 1.5%, and 0.01, respectively, the percentage of the defect-free PAMS microspheres without vacuoles in the shell wall can be up to 60%. (authors)

Effect of Common Visual Dysfunctions on Reading.

Science.gov (United States)

McPartland, Brian P.

1985-01-01

Six common visual dysfunctions are briefly explained and their relationships to reading noted: (1) ametropia, refractive error; (2) inaccurate saccades, the small jumping eye movements used in reading; (3) inefficient binocularity/fusion; (4) insufficient convergence/divergence; (5) heterophoria, imbalance in extra-ocular muscles; and (6)…

Physical Activity and Obesity: Biomechanical and Physiological Key Concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Nantel

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Overweight (OW and obesity (OB are often associated with low levels of physical activity. Physical activity is recommended to reduce excess body weight, prevent body weight regain, and decrease the subsequent risks of developing metabolic and orthopedic conditions. However, the impact of OW and OB on motor function and daily living activities must be taken into account. OW and OB are associated with musculoskeletal structure changes, decreased mobility, modification of the gait pattern, and changes in the absolute and relative energy expenditures for a given activity. While changes in the gait pattern have been reported at the ankle, knee, and hip, modifications at the knee level might be the most challenging for articular integrity. This review of the literature combines concepts and aims to provide insights into the prescription of physical activity for this population. Topics covered include the repercussions of OW and OB on biomechanical and physiological responses associated with the musculoskeletal system and daily physical activity. Special attention is given to the effect of OW and OB in youth during postural (standing and various locomotor (walking, running, and cycling activities.

75 FR 9527 - Trichoderma asperellum strain ICC 012; Exemption from the Requirement of a Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-03

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 180 [EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0750; FRL-8800-9] Trichoderma... of a tolerance for residues of the Trichoderma asperellum strain ICC 012 on all food/feed commodities... residues of Trichoderma asperellum strain ICC 012. DATES: This regulation is effective March 3, 2010...

75 FR 8504 - Trichoderma gamsii strain ICC 080; Exemption from the Requirement of a Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-25

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 180 [EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0749; FRL-8799-4] Trichoderma... of a tolerance for residues of the Trichoderma gamsii strain ICC 080 on all food/feed commodities... residues of Trichoderma gamsii strain ICC 080. DATES: This regulation is effective February 25, 2010...

77 FR 8746 - Indoxacarb; Pesticide Tolerances

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-15

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 180 [EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0578; FRL-9336-7] Indoxacarb... regulation establishes tolerances for residues of indoxacarb in or on egg, poultry fat, poultry meat, and... under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). DATES: This regulation is effective February 15...

Effect of a certain class of potential common mode failures on the reliability of redundant systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apostolakis, G.E.

1975-11-01

This is a theoretical investigation of the importance of common mode failures on the reliability of redundant systems. These failures are assumed to be the result of fatal shocks (e.g., from earthquakes, explosions, etc.) which occur at a constant rate. This formulation makes it possible to predict analytically results obtained in the past which showed that the probability of a common mode failure of the redundant channels of the protection system of a typical nuclear power plant was orders of magnitude larger than the probability of failure from chance failures alone. Furthermore, since most reliability analyses of redundant systems do not include potential common mode failures in the probabilistic calculations, criteria are established which can be used to decide either that the common-mode-failure effects are indeed insignificant or that such calculations are meaningless, and more sophisticated methods of analysis are required, because common mode failures cannot be ignored

Acute and chronic environmental effects of clandestine methamphetamine waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Kates, Lisa N; Knapp, Charles W; Keenan, Helen E

2014-09-15

The illicit manufacture of methamphetamine (MAP) produces substantial amounts of hazardous waste that is dumped illegally. This study presents the first environmental evaluation of waste produced from illicit MAP manufacture. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured to assess immediate oxygen depletion effects. A mixture of five waste components (10mg/L/chemical) was found to have a COD (130 mg/L) higher than the European Union wastewater discharge regulations (125 mg/L). Two environmental partition coefficients, K(OW) and K(OC), were measured for several chemicals identified in MAP waste. Experimental values were input into a computer fugacity model (EPI Suite™) to estimate environmental fate. Experimental log K(OW) values ranged from -0.98 to 4.91, which were in accordance with computer estimated values. Experimental K(OC) values ranged from 11 to 72, which were much lower than the default computer values. The experimental fugacity model for discharge to water estimates that waste components will remain in the water compartment for 15 to 37 days. Using a combination of laboratory experimentation and computer modelling, the environmental fate of MAP waste products was estimated. While fugacity models using experimental and computational values were very similar, default computer models should not take the place of laboratory experimentation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using variable transformations to perform common event analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worrell, R.B.

1977-01-01

Any analytical method for studying the effect of common events on the behavior of a system is considered as being a form of common event analysis. The particular common events that are involved often represent quite different phenomena, and this has led to the development of different kinds of common event analysis. For example, common mode failure analysis, common cause analysis, critical location analysis, etc., are all different kinds of common event analysis for which the common events involved represent different phenomena. However, the problem that must be solved for each of these different kinds of common event analysis is essentially the same: Determine the effect of common events on the behavior of a system. Thus, a technique that is useful in achieving one kind of common event analysis is often useful in achieving other kinds of common event analysis

Effective atomic numbers and effective electron densities for trommel sieve waste and some commonly used building materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurudirek, M.; Canimkurbey, B.; Coban, M.; Ayguen, M.; Erzeneoglu, S. Z.

2010-01-01

Trommel sieve waste and some commonly used building materials (Portland cement, lime and pointing) have been investigated in terms of effective atomic numbers (Z e ff) and effective electron densities (N e ) by using X- and γ- rays at 22.1, 25 and 88 keV photon energies. A high resolution Si(Li) detector was employed to detect X- and/or γ- radiation coming through in a narrow beam good geometry set-up. Chemical compositions of the materials used in the present study were determined using a wave length dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (WDXRFS). The variations in photon interaction parameters were discussed regarding the photon energy and chemical composition. The experimental values of effective atomic numbers and effective electron densities were compared with the ones obtained from theory.

A grey relational analytical approach to orange peel filler particulates for tapped density experiments of green composite reinforcements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oluwaseyi Ayodele Ajibade

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Monitoring density changes during transportation of composite fillers is the principal reason for composite industries implementing the tapped density concept. Till date, very sparse literature information exists on tapped density optimisation for orange peel particles (OPPs. A unique application of grey relational analysis (GRA in the optimisation of tapped process parameters for OPPs is contributed in this paper. Experimental results on the principal process parameters indicate G1H1I2J3 as the best experimental run, which translates to 257.956 g and 78.076 cm3 as well as 254.939 g and 72.94 cm3 for masses and volumes of the 0.425 and 0.600 mm OPPs, respectively. In addition, Taguchi method was applied to arrive at an optimal parametric setting of G2H2I1J1 for comparative purposes which translate to 257.723 g and 75.031 cm3 for mass and volume of the 0.425 OPPs, as well as 254.952 g and 77.982 cm3 for the mass and volume of 0.600 mm OPPs. By comparison, the GRA values produced positive percentage improvement over other optimal values. The unique contribution of this paper are principally the (i application of GRA in a novel manner, incorporating harmonic mean in factor-level determination and computation of S/N responses; (ii development of new indices of tapped density; and (iii introduction of economic factors in tapped density computations, incorporating inflation and interest factors. The practical utility of the demonstrated approach lies in reducing the uncertainties about density measurements in the transportation of green fillers for use as composite reinforcements.

Selectivity improvement of positive photoionization ion mobility spectrometry for rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticides by switching dopant concentration.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qinghua; Li, Jia; Wang, Bin; Wang, Shuang; Li, Haiyang; Chen, Jinyuan

2018-01-01

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) opened a potential avenue for the rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), though an improved selectivity of stand-alone IMS was still in high demand. In this study, a stand-alone positive photoionization ion mobility spectrometry (PP-IMS) apparatus was constructed for the rapid detection of OPPs with acetone as dopant. The photoionization of acetone molecules was induced by the ultraviolet irradiation to produce the reactant ions (Ac) 2 H + , which were employed to ionize the OPPs including fenthion, imidan, phosphamidon, dursban, dimethoate and isocarbophos via the proton transfer reaction. Due to the difference in proton affinity, the tested OPPs exhibited the different dopant-dependent manners. Based on this observation, the switching of dopant concentration was implemented to improve the selectivity of PP-IMS for OPPs detection. For instance, a mixture of fenthion, dursban and dimethoate was tested. By switching the concentration of doped acetone from 0.07 to 2.33 to 19.94mgL -1 , the ion peaks of fenthion and dursban were inhibited in succession, achieving the selective detection of dimethoate at last. In addition, another mixture of imidan and phosphamidon was initially detected by PP-IMS with a dose of 0.07mgL -1 acetone, indicating that their ion peaks were severely overlapped; when the concentration of doped acetone was switched to 19.94mgL -1 , the inhibition of imidan signals promised the accurate identification of phosphamidon in mixture. Finally, the PP-IMS in combination of switching dopant concentration was applied to detect the mixed fenthion, dursban and dimethoate in Chinese cabbage, demonstrating the applicability of proposed method to real samples. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of different cavity‑disinfectants and potassium titanyl ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

disinfectants and potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser on microtensile bond strength to primary dentin. Chlorhexidine (CHX), propolis (PRO), ozonated water (OW), gaseous ozone (OG) and KTP laser were used for this purpose. Methodology: ...

Effects of sodium caseinate concentration and storage conditions on the oxidative stability of oil-in-water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

O' Dwyer, Sandra P; O' Beirne, David; Eidhin, Deirdre Ní; O' Kennedy, Brendan T

2013-06-01

The oxidative stability of various oils (sunflower, camelina and fish) and 20% oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, were examined. The mean particle size decreased from 1179 to 325 nm as sodium caseinate (emulsifier) concentration was increased from 0.25% to 3% in O/W emulsions (Psodium caseinate concentration increased, and similarly decreased as microfluidisation pressure increased (P<0.05). Increasing storage temperature of the emulsions from 5 to 60°C, resulted in lower detectable lipid oxidation products during storage (P<0.05). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commons - Whose Commons? - considering conceptual approaches to rural space of production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingemann, Jan Holm

spectrum of connotations and is engaged for descriptive, prescriptive, and normative purposes. The content, character and meaning thus depend on context and dimensions in focus; the point is illustrated by means of the historical Danish commons. In a consecutive investigation of implicated concepts from...... at a lower level of abstraction. Returned to Danish farming – but now in its contemporary settings – it is concluded that the framework of commons not adequately can be copied-and-pasted into present context due to the complex interconnectivity where local agriculture have boundless prerequisites and effects....

Contents and effects of contracts - Lessons to learn from the Common European Sales Law

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Colombi Ciacchi, Aurelia

2016-01-01

This book presents a critical analysis of the rules on the contents and effects of contracts included in the proposal for a Common European Sales Law (CESL). The European Commission published this proposal in October 2011 and then withdrew it in December 2014, notwithstanding the support the

75 FR 29431 - Coat Protein of Plum Pox Virus; Exemption from the Requirement of a Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-26

... Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg..., please submit a copy of the filing that does not contain any CBI for inclusion in the public docket... Chile, have, to the knowledge of EPA, experienced hypersensitivity or other adverse effects. Therefore...

ξ common cause failure model and method for defense effectiveness estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhaohuan

1991-08-01

Two issues have been dealt. One is to develop an event based parametric model called ξ-CCF model. Its parameters are expressed in the fraction of the progressive multiplicities of failure events. By these expressions, the contribution of each multiple failure can be presented more clearly. It can help to select defense tactics against common cause failures. The other is to provide a method which is based on the operational experience and engineering judgement to estimate the effectiveness of defense tactics. It is expressed in terms of reduction matrix for a given tactics on a specific plant in the event by event form. The application of practical example shows that the model in cooperation with the method can simply estimate the effectiveness of defense tactics. It can be easily used by the operators and its application may be extended

Batch versus continuous feeding strategies for pharmaceutical removal by subsurface flow constructed wetland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Dongqing; Gersberg, Richard M.; Zhu, Junfei; Hua, Tao; Jinadasa, K.B.S.N.; Tan, Soon Keat

2012-01-01

This study evaluated the effect of continuous and batch feeding on the removal of 8 pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, caffeine, salicylic acid, ketoprofen and clofibric acid) from synthetic wastewater in mesocosm-scale constructed wetlands (CWs). Both loading modes were operated at hydraulic application rates of 5.6 cm day −1 and 2.8 cm day −1 . Except for carbamazepine, clofibric acid and naproxen, removal in CWs was significantly (p ow ) and removal efficiencies of pharmaceutical compounds in the CWs, showed that pharmaceutical removal efficiency was significantly (p ow value, but not with log K ow value. - Highlights: ► Batch feeding in mesocosm-scale constructed wetlands enhances pharmaceutical removal. ► K values for the 8 pharmaceuticals were in the range of 0.01–0.1 m day −1 . ► The pharmaceutical removal efficiency was inversely correlated with log D ow value. - Batch (drain and fill) feeding in mesocosm-scale constructed wetlands enhances pharmaceutical removal.

Facile synthesis of Cu/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker compounds with enhanced photocatalytic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hong; Liu, Huarong; Fan, Ximei

2017-09-01

Cu/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker (T-ZnOw) compounds were successfully synthesized using N2H4 \\cdot H2O as a reducing agent by a simple reduction method without any insert gas at room temperature. The crystal phase composition and morphology of the as-prepared samples were investigated by XRD, SEM and FESEM tests. The photocatalytic property of the as-prepared samples was detected by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) aqueous solution under UV irradiation. It can be found that Cu nanoparticles (CuNPs) dispersed on the surface of T-ZnOw increased with the increasing of Cu/Zn molar ratios (Cu/Zn MRs), and an octahedral structure of CuNPs was obtained when the sample was prepared with less than and equal to 7.30% Cu/Zn MR, but tended to a spherical or nanorod structure of CuNPs densely arranged on the surface of T-ZnOw, which is prepared by Cu/Zn MRs up to 22.00%. All the compounds exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity in decomposing of MO than T-ZnOw, the photocatalytic property of the samples increased with the increasing of Cu/Zn MRs up to 7.30%, while it decreases when further increasing the Cu/Zn MRs. The Schottky barrier of the Cu/T-ZnOw compound can effectively capture photoinduced electrons from the interface and enhanced the photocatalytic property of T-ZnOw.

Are effects of common ragwort in the Ames test caused by pyrrolizidine alkaloids?

Science.gov (United States)

Bovee, Toine F H; Helsdingen, Richard J R; Hoogenboom, Ron L A P; de Nijs, Monique W C M; Liu, Xiaojie; Vrieling, Klaas; Klinkhamer, Peter G L; Peijnenburg, Ad A C M; Mulder, Patrick P J

2015-08-01

It has previously been demonstrated by others that acetone extracts of Senecio jacobaea (syn. Jacobaea vulgaris, common or tansy ragwort) test positive in the Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity test (Ames test). Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are thought to be responsible for these mutagenic effects. However, it was also observed that the major PA present in common ragwort, jacobine, produced a negative response (with and without the addition of rat liver S9) in Salmonella test strains TA98, TA100, TA1535 and TA1537. To investigate which compounds in the plant extracts were responsible for the positive outcome, the present study investigated the contents and mutagenic effects of methanol and acetone extracts prepared from dried ground S. jacobaea and Senecio inaequidens (narrow-leafed ragwort). Subsequently, a fractionation approach was set up in combination with LC-MS/MS analysis of the fractions. It was shown that the positive Ames test outcomes of S. jacobaea extracts are unlikely to be caused by PAs, but rather by the flavonoid quercetin. This study also demonstrates the importance of identifying compounds responsible for positive test results in bioassays. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of dietary selenium exposure in captive American common eiders

Science.gov (United States)

Franson, J.C.; Hoffman, D.J.; Wells-Berlin, A. M.; Perry, M.C.; Bochsler, V.S.; Finley, D.L.; Flint, Paul L.; Hollmen, T.

2005-01-01

We conducted two studies of Se exposure in captive common eiders (Somateria mollissima). In Study 1, eiders were fed diets with added Se (as L-selenomethionine) in concentrations increasing from 10 ppm to 80 ppm. In Study 2, eiders received control, low exposure (20 ppm Se), and high exposure (60 ppm Se) diets. One duck in the high exposure group in Study 2 died after 36 days. Remaining high exposure ducks in Study 2 and ducks in Study 1 were euthanized after losing 25-30% of their body weight, which occurred after 41 days and 60-78 days, respectively. Body weights did not differ between control and low exposure ducks in Study 2. At the end of Study 1, the mean Se concentration in blood was 32 ppm wet weight (ww). In Study 2, mean blood Se reached 14 ppm ww in the low exposure group and 17 ppm ww in high exposure ducks. Mean Se concentrations in liver were 1252 ppm dry weight (dw) in Study 1, and 351 and 735 ppm dw, respectively, in the low and high exposure groups of Study 2. Oxidative stress was evidenced by Se-associated effects on glutathione metabolism, but not entirely in the same manner as with previous laboratory studies in mallards. In plasma, activities of total and Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase increased with time. As Se concentrations in liver increased, Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, oxidized glutathione, and the ratio of hepatic oxidized to reduced glutathione increased. Total and protein bound sulfhydryl concentrations, reduced glutathione, glutathione-S-transferase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in liver were negatively correlated with Se concentrations in the liver. In Study 2, spleen weights were significantly lower in ducks receiving 60 ppm Se than in those receiving 20 ppm. Gross lesions associated with high Se exposure included emaciation, absence of thymus, loss of nails from digits, and alopecia. Microscopic lesions included severe depletion of lymphoid organs, hepatopathy, and necrosis of feather

A review of the effects on IRT item parameter estimates with a focus on misbehaving common items in test equating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michalis P Michaelides

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Many studies have investigated the topic of change or drift in item parameter estimates in the context of Item Response Theory. Content effects, such as instructional variation and curricular emphasis, as well as context effects, such as the wording, position, or exposure of an item have been found to impact item parameter estimates. The issue becomes more critical when items with estimates exhibiting differential behavior across test administrations are used as common for deriving equating transformations. This paper reviews the types of effects on IRT item parameter estimates and focuses on the impact of misbehaving or aberrant common items on equating transformations. Implications relating to test validity and the judgmental nature of the decision to keep or discard aberrant common items are discussed, with recommendations for future research into more informed and formal ways of dealing with misbehaving common items.

A Review of the Effects on IRT Item Parameter Estimates with a Focus on Misbehaving Common Items in Test Equating.

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelides, Michalis P

2010-01-01

Many studies have investigated the topic of change or drift in item parameter estimates in the context of item response theory (IRT). Content effects, such as instructional variation and curricular emphasis, as well as context effects, such as the wording, position, or exposure of an item have been found to impact item parameter estimates. The issue becomes more critical when items with estimates exhibiting differential behavior across test administrations are used as common for deriving equating transformations. This paper reviews the types of effects on IRT item parameter estimates and focuses on the impact of misbehaving or aberrant common items on equating transformations. Implications relating to test validity and the judgmental nature of the decision to keep or discard aberrant common items are discussed, with recommendations for future research into more informed and formal ways of dealing with misbehaving common items.

Governing for the Common Good.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruger, Jennifer Prah

2015-12-01

The proper object of global health governance (GHG) should be the common good, ensuring that all people have the opportunity to flourish. A well-organized global society that promotes the common good is to everyone's advantage. Enabling people to flourish includes enabling their ability to be healthy. Thus, we must assess health governance by its effectiveness in enhancing health capabilities. Current GHG fails to support human flourishing, diminishes health capabilities and thus does not serve the common good. The provincial globalism theory of health governance proposes a Global Health Constitution and an accompanying Global Institute of Health and Medicine that together propose to transform health governance. Multiple lines of empirical research suggest that these institutions would be effective, offering the most promising path to a healthier, more just world.

The effect of formulative parameters on the size and physical stability of SLN based on "green" components.

Science.gov (United States)

Soddu, Elena; Rassu, Giovanna; Cossu, Massimo; Giunchedi, Paolo; Cerri, Guido; Gavini, Elisabetta

2016-01-01

Cocoa butter (CB) is a largely used excipient in pharmaceutical field. Aim of this work was to set formulative parameters for the preparation of SLN based on "green" lipid matrix for drug delivery as natural, both human and environmental safe systems. Double emulsion technique (w1/o/w2) was selected for SLN preparation. The effect on the dimensional properties of different surfactants (Tween 80 and PEG 40 monostearate) and co-surfactants (PEG400 monostearate, Emulium® Kappa2 and Plurol®Stearique) at different concentrations was evaluated. Stability tests were performed. SLN dispersions were exsiccated and the effect of the dried process on SLN size was evaluated. The influence of temperature on SLN dimensions was investigated at 37 °C. MTT test was performed on raw materials and formulations. The w1/o/w2 is suitable, rapid and economic technique for the preparation of CB SLN. Tween 80-Plurol Stearique combination gives the best results: particles size less than 400 nm and PI of about 0.4 are obtained when PS 2% is used. Both raw materials and formulations are safe. The importance to evaluate the effect of different surfactant and/or co-surfactant on the dimensional properties of SLN is evident by selecting substances with preferable safety profiles, and favorable environmental properties to develop stable "green" SLN.

Multichannel Singular Spectrum Analysis in the Estimates of Common Environmental Effects Affecting GPS Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Gruszczynska, Marta; Rosat, Severine; Klos, Anna; Gruszczynski, Maciej; Bogusz, Janusz

2018-03-01

We described a spatio-temporal analysis of environmental loading models: atmospheric, continental hydrology, and non-tidal ocean changes, based on multichannel singular spectrum analysis (MSSA). We extracted the common annual signal for 16 different sections related to climate zones: equatorial, arid, warm, snow, polar and continents. We used the loading models estimated for a set of 229 ITRF2014 (International Terrestrial Reference Frame) International GNSS Service (IGS) stations and discussed the amount of variance explained by individual modes, proving that the common annual signal accounts for 16, 24 and 68% of the total variance of non-tidal ocean, atmospheric and hydrological loading models, respectively. Having removed the common environmental MSSA seasonal curve from the corresponding GPS position time series, we found that the residual station-specific annual curve modelled with the least-squares estimation has the amplitude of maximum 2 mm. This means that the environmental loading models underestimate the seasonalities observed by the GPS system. The remaining signal present in the seasonal frequency band arises from the systematic errors which are not of common environmental or geophysical origin. Using common mode error (CME) estimates, we showed that the direct removal of environmental loading models from the GPS series causes an artificial loss in the CME power spectra between 10 and 80 cycles per year. When environmental effect is removed from GPS series with MSSA curves, no influence on the character of spectra of CME estimates was noticed.

The Effect of Emulation Formulation to Encapsulation of Fe3O4 Magnetic nanoparticle with Poly (Lactic Acid)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evi Yuliyanti; Sudaryanto; Mujamilah; Yoki Yulizar

2008-01-01

The research to study the effect of emulsion formulation to encapsulation Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticle with Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA) has been done. Microemulsion by ultrasonic probe is used in encapsulation process and continued by solvent evaporation. Emulsion formulation has been varied by changing oil phase volume in the oil in water (o/w) emulsion system from 6 mL, 8 mL, 10 mL, 12 mL and 14 mL, whereas water phase volume is constant (55 mL). Sample characterization is carried on by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to know the morphology and sample size. X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) is used to identify the phase, Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) is used to measure magnetic saturation while Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) is used to measure encapsulation percentage of Fe 3 O 4 with PLA. The smallest nanosphere is resulted by emulsion formulation (o/w) of 14/55 with the main sample size 382 nm. The maximum magnetic saturation of Fe 3 O 4 + PLA nanosphere is 2.556 emu/g and encapsulation percentage is 24.94 %. (author)

Adverse Effects of Common Sports and Recreational Activities on Male Reproduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Panara, Kush; Masterson, John M; Savio, Luis F; Ramasamy, Ranjith

2018-05-03

Male factor infertility plays a significant role in infertility. Many factors have been associated with male infertility; however, the link between many sports and recreational factors and male reproduction remains poorly characterized. To evaluate the current literature regarding the impact of many common sports and recreational factors on male reproduction. A comprehensive PubMed and Embase search for relevant articles published between 1970 and 2017 was performed by combining the following search terms: male, sports (including individual sports), traumatic brain injury, sauna, hot tub, fertility, erectile dysfunction, varicocele, environment, cell phone, and laptop computer. Hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction can be associated with sports with high rates of head injuries, such as American football. Although early reports linked other sports, such as bicycling, to erectile dysfunction, subsequent studies isolated these associations to sports cycling rather than recreational cycling. Certain sports (football, basketball, handball, and volleyball) were linked to increasing prevalence and severity of varicocele, offering a potential link to male infertility. In addition, recreational activities such as sauna, hot tubs, Jacuzzis, heated car seats, and laptop use were associated with high testicular temperature, which can impair spermatogenesis. Radio frequency electromagnetic waves from cell phones and laptops have also been shown to have deleterious effects on sperm viability and motility. Many common sports and daily activities represent potential sources of male infertility. Clinicians should be aware of these associations in explaining idiopathic infertility in males. Male infertility is an often overlooked component of a couple's inability to conceive. We outline many common and often overlooked sports and recreational exposures that have been associated with male infertility. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All

Understanding the Effects of Users' Behaviors on Effectiveness of Different Exogenous Regulatory Common Pool Resource Management Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Madani, K.; Dinar, A.

2013-12-01

Tragedy of the commons is generally recognized as one of the possible destinies for common pool resources (CPRs). To avoid the tragedy of the commons and prolonging the life of CPRs, users may show different behavioral characteristics and use different rationales for CPR planning and management. Furthermore, regulators may adopt different strategies for sustainable management of CPRs. The effectiveness of different regulatory exogenous management institutions cannot be evaluated through conventional CPR models since they assume that either users base their behavior on individual rationality and adopt a selfish behavior (Nash behavior), or that the users seek the system's optimal solution without giving priority to their own interests. Therefore, conventional models fail to reliably predict the outcome of CPR problems in which parties may have a range of behavioral characteristics, putting them somewhere in between the two types of behaviors traditionally considered. This work examines the effectiveness of different regulatory exogenous CPR management institutions through a user-based model (as opposed to a system-based model). The new modeling framework allows for consideration of sensitivity of the results to different behavioral characteristics of interacting CPR users. The suggested modeling approach is applied to a benchmark groundwater management problem. Results indicate that some well-known exogenous management institutions (e.g. taxing) are ineffective in sustainable management of CPRs in most cases. Bankruptcy-based management can be helpful, but determination of the fair level of cutbacks remains challenging under this type of institution. Furthermore, some bankruptcy rules such as the Constrained Equal Award (CEA) method are more beneficial to wealthier users, failing to establish social justice. Quota-based and CPR status-based management perform as the most promising and robust regulatory exogenous institutions in prolonging the CPR's life and

Developing osteopathic competencies in geriatrics for medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Noll, Donald R; Channell, Millicent King; Basehore, Pamela M; Pomerantz, Sherry C; Ciesielski, Janice; Eigbe, Patrick Arekhandia; Chopra, Anita

2013-04-01

Minimum core competencies for allopathic medical students in the specialty area of geriatrics have been developed, comprising 26 competencies divided into 8 topical domains. These competencies are appropriate for osteopathic medical students, but they do not include competencies relating to osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) in geriatrics. There remains a need within the osteopathic profession to develop specialty-specific competencies specific to OPP. To develop more specific and comprehensive minimum competencies in OPP for osteopathic medical students in the field of geriatric medicine. The Delphi technique (a structured communication technique that uses a panel of experts to reach consensus) was adapted to generate new core competencies relating to OPP. Osteopathic geriatricians and members of the Educational Council on Osteopathic Principles (ECOP) of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine participated in a breakout session and 2 rounds of surveys. Proposed competencies with 80% of the participants ranking it as "very important and should be added as a competency" were retained. Participants were also asked if they agreed that competencies in OPP should include specific types of osteopathic manipulative treatment techniques for the elderly. Responses were received from 26 osteopathic physician experts: 17 ECOP members and 9 geriatricians. Fourteen proposed competencies were developed: 7 related to the existing topic domains, and 7 were placed into a new domain of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). Six proposed competencies were retained, all of which were in the new OMM domain. These competencies related to using OMM for gait and balance assessment, knowing adverse events and contraindications of OMM, using OMM for pain relief and end-of-life care, using OMM in the hospital and nursing home setting, adapting OMM to fit an elderly individual, and using OMM to address limited range of motion and ability to perform activities of

Effects of Three Commonly-used Diuretics on the Urinary Proteome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xundou Li

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Biomarker is the measurable change associated with a physiological or pathophysiological process. Unlike blood which has mechanisms to keep the internal environment homeostatic, urine is more likely to reflect changes of the body. As a result, urine is likely to be a better biomarker source than blood. However, since the urinary proteome is affected by many factors, including diuretics, careful evaluation of those effects is necessary if urinary proteomics is used for biomarker discovery. Here, we evaluated the effects of three commonly-used diuretics (furosemide, F; hydrochlorothiazide, H; and spirolactone, S on the urinary proteome in rats. Urine samples were collected before and after intragastric administration of diuretics at therapeutic doses and the proteomes were analyzed using label-free liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS. Based on the criteria of P ⩽ 0.05, a fold change ⩾2, a spectral count ⩾5, and false positive rate (FDR ⩽1%, 14 proteins (seven for F, five for H, and two for S were identified by Progenesis LC–MS. The human orthologs of most of these 14 proteins are stable in the healthy human urinary proteome, and ten of them are reported as disease biomarkers. Thus, our results suggest that the effects of diuretics deserve more attention in future urinary protein biomarker studies. Moreover, the distinct effects of diuretics on the urinary proteome may provide clues to the mechanisms of diuretics.

Effects of three commonly-used diuretics on the urinary proteome.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xundou; Zhao, Mindi; Li, Menglin; Jia, Lulu; Gao, Youhe

2014-06-01

Biomarker is the measurable change associated with a physiological or pathophysiological process. Unlike blood which has mechanisms to keep the internal environment homeostatic, urine is more likely to reflect changes of the body. As a result, urine is likely to be a better biomarker source than blood. However, since the urinary proteome is affected by many factors, including diuretics, careful evaluation of those effects is necessary if urinary proteomics is used for biomarker discovery. Here, we evaluated the effects of three commonly-used diuretics (furosemide, F; hydrochlorothiazide, H; and spirolactone, S) on the urinary proteome in rats. Urine samples were collected before and after intragastric administration of diuretics at therapeutic doses and the proteomes were analyzed using label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Based on the criteria of P≤0.05, a fold change ≥2, a spectral count ≥5, and false positive rate (FDR) ≤1%, 14 proteins (seven for F, five for H, and two for S) were identified by Progenesis LC-MS. The human orthologs of most of these 14 proteins are stable in the healthy human urinary proteome, and ten of them are reported as disease biomarkers. Thus, our results suggest that the effects of diuretics deserve more attention in future urinary protein biomarker studies. Moreover, the distinct effects of diuretics on the urinary proteome may provide clues to the mechanisms of diuretics. Copyright © 2014. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.

Overweight/obesity status in preschool children associates with worse asthma but robust improvement on inhaled corticosteroids.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Jason E; Fitzpatrick, Anne M; Mauger, David T; Guilbert, Theresa W; Jackson, Daniel J; Lemanske, Robert F; Martinez, Fernando D; Strunk, Robert C; Zeiger, Robert S; Phipatanakul, Wanda; Bacharier, Leonard B; Pongracic, Jacqueline A; Holguin, Fernando; Cabana, Michael D; Covar, Ronina A; Raissy, Hengameh H; Tang, Monica; Szefler, Stanley J

2018-04-01

Overweight/obesity (OW) is linked to worse asthma and poorer inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) response in older children and adults. We sought to describe the relationships between OW and asthma severity and response to ICS in preschool children. This post hoc study of 3 large multicenter trials involving 2- to 5-year-old children compared annualized asthma symptom days and exacerbations among normal weight (NW) (body mass index: 10th-84th percentiles) versus OW (body mass index: ≥85th percentile) participants. Participants had been randomized to daily ICS, intermittent ICS, or daily placebo. Simple and multivariable linear regression was used to compare body mass index groups. Within the group not treated with a daily controller, OW children had more asthma symptom days (90.7 vs 53.2, P = .020) and exacerbations (1.4 vs 0.8, P = .009) thanNW children did. Within the ICS-treated groups, OW and NW children had similar asthma symptom days (daily ICS: 47.2 vs 44.0 days, P = .44; short-term ICS: 61.8 vs 52.9 days, P = .46; as-needed ICS: 53.3 vs 47.3 days, P = .53), and similar exacerbations (daily ICS: 0.6 vs 0.8, P = .10; short-term ICS: 1.1 vs 0.8 days, P = .25; as-needed ICS: 1.0 vs 1.1, P = .72). Compared with placebo, daily ICS in OW led to fewer annualized asthma symptom days (90.7 vs 41.2, P = .004) and exacerbations (1.4 vs 0.6, P = .006), while similar protective ICS effects were less apparent among NW. In preschool children off controller therapy, OW is associated with greater asthma impairment and exacerbations. However, unlike older asthmatic patients, OW preschool children do not demonstrate reduced responsiveness to ICS therapy. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determination of organophosphorus pesticides by dispersive liquid-liquid micro extraction coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Marsin Sanagi; Siti Umairah Mokhtar; Mazidatul Akmam Miskam; Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim

2011-01-01

A simple, rapid and sensitive method termed as dispersive liquid-liquid micro extraction (DLLME) combined with gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) was developed for the determination of selected organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) namely chloropyrifos, dimethoate and diazinon in water sample. In this method, a mixture of carbon disulfide, CS 2 (extraction solvent) and methanol (disperser solvent) was rapidly injected using syringe into the 5.00 mL water sample to form a cloudy solution where the OPPs were extracted into the fine droplets of extraction solvent. Upon centrifugation for 3 min at 3500 rpm, the fine droplets were sedimented at the bottom of the centrifuge tube. Sedimented phase (1 μL) was injected into the GC-ECD for separation and determination of OPPs. Important extraction parameters, such as type of disperser solvent, volume of extraction solvent and volume of disperser solvent were investigated. The optimized conditions for DLLME of the selected OPPs were methanol as disperser solvent, 30 μL of extraction solvent (CS 2 ) and 1.0 mL of disperser solvent (methanol). Under the optimum extraction conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 μg/ mL with correlation coefficient (r 2 ), in the range of 0.9976 to 0.9994 and low limits of detection (LOD) between 0.047 and 0.201 μg/ mL. The proposed method provided acceptable recoveries (72.67- 144 %) with good RSDs ranging from 2.74 % to 7.48 %. This method was successfully applied to the determination of OPPs in water samples obtained from a golf course and chloropyrifos and diazinon were detected at concentration 0.18 μg/ mL and 0.07 μg/ mL, respectively. (author)

Investigation of the effect of different parameters on the phase inversion temperature O/W nanoemulsions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Kaviani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Nanoemulsions are a kind of emulsions that can be transparent, translucent (size range 50-200 nm or “milky” (up to 500 nm. Nanoemulsions are adequatly effective for transfer of active component through skin which facilitate the entrance of the active component . The transparent nature of the system and lack of the thickener and fluidity are among advantages of nanoemulsion. Materials and Methods: In this study, a nanoemulsion of lemon oil in water was prepared by the phase inversion temperature (PIT emulsification method in which the tween 40 was used as surfactant. The effect of concentration of NaCl in aqueous phase, pH and weight percent of surfactant and aqueous on the PIT and droplet size were investigated. Results: The results showed that with increasing of concentration of NaCl from 0.05 M to 1 M, PIT decrease from 72 to 50. The average droplet sizes, for 0.1, 0.5 and 1 M of NaCl in 25 ºC are 497.3, 308.1 and 189.9 nm, respectively and the polydispersity indexes are 0.348, 0.334 and 0.307, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the characteristics of nanoemulsions such as being transparent, endurance of solution and droplet size can provide suitable reaction environment for polymerization process used in making hygienic and medical materials.

Controlling the Performance of P-type Cu2O/SnO Bilayer Thin-Film Transistors by Adjusting the Thickness of the Copper Oxide Layer

KAUST Repository

Al-Jawhari, Hala A.

2014-11-11

The effect of copper oxide layer thickness on the performance of Cu2O/SnO bilayer thin-film transistors was investigated. By using sputtered Cu2O films produced at an oxygen partial pressure, Opp, of 10% as the upper layer and 3% Opp SnO films as the lower layer we built a matrix of bottom-gate Cu2O/SnO bilayer thin-film transistors of different thickness. We found that the thickness of the Cu2O layer is of major importance in oxidation of the SnO layer underneath. The thicker the Cu2O layer, the more the underlying SnO layer is oxidized, and, hence, the more transistor mobility is enhanced at a specific temperature. Both device performance and the annealing temperature required could be adjusted by controlling the thickness of each layer of Cu2O/SnO bilayer thin-film transistors.

In vivo wound healing effects of Symphytum officinale L. leaves extract in different topical formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Araújo, L U; Reis, P G; Barbosa, L C O; Saúde-Guimarães, D A; Grabe-Guimarães, A; Mosqueira, V C F; Carneiro, C M; Silva-Barcellos, N M

2012-04-01

The present work evaluates wound healing activity of leaves extracts of Symphytum officinale L. (comfrey) incorporated in three pharmaceutical formulations. Wound healing activity of comfrey was determined by qualitative and quantitative histological analysis of open wound in rat model, using allantoin as positive control. Three topical formulations, carbomer gel, glycero-alcoholic solution and O/W emulsion (soft lotion) were compared. The histological analysis of the healing process shows significant differences in treatment, particularly on its intensity and rate. The results indicate that emulsion containing both extracts, commercial and prepared, induced the largest and furthest repair of damaged tissue. This could be evidenced from day 3 to 28 by increase in collagen deposition from 40% to 240% and reduction on cellular inflammatory infiltrate from 3% to 46%. However, 8% prepared extract in emulsion presented the best efficacy. This work clearly demonstrates that comfrey leaves have a wound healing activity. The O/W emulsion showed to be the vehicle most effective to induce healing activity, particularly with extracts obtained from comfrey leaves collected in Minas Gerais state in Brazil. It shows the best efficacy to control the inflammatory process and to induce collagen deposition at 8% concentration.

Solving the minimum flow problem with interval bounds and flows

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... with crisp data. In this paper, the idea of Ghiyasvand was extended for solving the minimum flow problem with interval-valued lower, upper bounds and flows. This problem can be solved using two minimum flow problems with crisp data. Then, this result is extended to networks with fuzzy lower, upper bounds and flows.

MDEP Generic Common Position No DICWG-01. Common position on the treatment of common cause failure caused by software within digital safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Common cause failures (CCF)2 have been a significant safety concern for nuclear power plant systems. The increasing dependence on software-in safety systems for nuclear power plants has increased the safety significance of CCF caused by software, when software in redundant channels or portions of safety systems has some common dependency. For example, the effect of systematic failures can lead to a loss of safety in many ways: unwanted actuations, a safety function is not provided when needed. Therefore, nuclear power plants should be systematically protected from the effects of common cause failures caused by software in DI and C safety systems. Software for nuclear power plant safety systems should be of the high quality necessary to help assure against the loss of safety (i.e. developed with high-quality engineering practices, commensurate quality assurance applied, with continuous improvement through corrective actions based on lessons learned from operating experience). However, demonstrating adequate software quality only through verification and validation activities and controls on the development process has proved to be problematic. Therefore, this common position provides guidance for the assessment of the potential for CCF for software. It is recognized that programmable logic devices do not execute software in the conventional sense; however, the application development process using these devices have many similarities with software development, and the deficiencies that may be introduced during the application development process may induce errors in the programmable logic devices that can result in common cause failures of these devices of a type similar to software common cause failure. Although deficiencies with the potential to give rise to software common cause failures can be introduced at all phases of the software life cycle, this common position will only consider the potential for software common cause failures within digital safety system

[Effect of climate change on the fisheries conununity pattern in the overwintering ground of open waters of northern East China Sea].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zun-lei; Yuan, Xing-wei; Yang, Lin-lin; Yan, Li-ping; Tian, Yong-jun; Chen, Jia-hua

2015-03-01

Data sets of 26 fisheries target species from the fishery-depen-dent and fishery-independent surveys in the overwintering ground of open waters of northern East China Sea (OW-NECS), combined sea surface temperature (SST), were used to examine the links between diversity index, pattern of common variability and climate changes based on the principal component analysis (PCA) and generalized additive model (GAM). The results showed that the shift from a cold regime to a warm regime was detected in SST during the 1970s-2011 with step changes around 1982/ 1983. SST increased during the cold regime and the warm regime before 1998 (warming trend period, 1972-1998), and decreased during the warm regime after 1998 (cooling trend period, 1999-2011). Shannon diversity index was largely dependent on the filefish, which contributed up to 50% of the total production as a single species, with low diversity in the waters of the OW-NECS, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Excluding the filefish, the diversity index linearly increased and decreased during 1972-1998 and 1999-2011, respectively. The variation pattern generally corresponds with the trend in water temperature, strongly suggesting the effect of the SST on the diversity. The first two components (PC1 and PC2) of PCA for target species, which accounted for 32.43% of the total variance, showed evident decadal variation patterns with a step change during 1992-1999 and inter-annual variability with short-period fluctuation, respectively. It seems that PC1 was associated with large scale climatic change, while PC2 was related to inter-annual oceanographic variability such as ENSO events. Linear fitting results showed winEOF1 had significant effect on PC1, and GAM analysis for PC1 showed that winter EOF1 (winEOF1) and summer EOF2 (sumEOF2) can explain 88.9% of the total variance. Nonlinear effect was also found between PC2 and win EOF1, indicating that the fish community structure, which had predominantly decadal

Effects of methyl mercury exposure on the growth of juvenile common loons

Science.gov (United States)

Kenow, K.P.; Gutreuter, S.; Hines, R.K.; Meyer, M.W.; Fournier, F.; Karasov, W.H.

2003-01-01

We conducted a dose-response laboratory study to quantify the level of mercury exposure associated with negative effects on the development of common loon chicks reared in captivity from hatch to 105 days. A dose regimen was implemented that provided exposure levels that bracketed relevant exposure levels of methyl mercury found in loon chicks across North America. We observed no overt signs of mercury toxicosis and detected no significant effect of dietary mercury exposure on growth or food consumption. However, asymptotic mass was lower in chicks that hatched from eggs collected from nests on low pH lakes relative to eggs from neutral pH lakes. Rapid excretion of methyl mercury during feather growth likely provides loon chicks protection from methyl mercury toxicity and may explain the lack of convincing toxicological findings in this study. Lake-source effects suggest that in ovo exposure to methyl mercury or other factors related to lake pH have consequences on chick development.

Effects of Active Sting Damping on Common Research Model Data Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Acheson, Michael J.; Balakrishna, S.

2011-01-01

Recent tests using the Common Research Model (CRM) at the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF) and the Ames 11-foot Transonic Wind Tunnel (11' TWT) produced large sets of data that have been used to examine the effects of active damping on transonic tunnel aerodynamic data quality. In particular, large statistically significant sets of repeat data demonstrate that the active damping system had no apparent effect on drag, lift and pitching moment repeatability during warm testing conditions, while simultaneously enabling aerodynamic data to be obtained post stall. A small set of cryogenic (high Reynolds number) repeat data was obtained at the NTF and again showed a negligible effect on data repeatability. However, due to a degradation of control power in the active damping system cryogenically, the ability to obtain test data post-stall was not achieved during cryogenic testing. Additionally, comparisons of data repeatability between NTF and 11-ft TWT CRM data led to further (warm) testing at the NTF which demonstrated that for a modest increase in data sampling time, a 2-3 factor improvement in drag, and pitching moment repeatability was readily achieved not related with the active damping system.

Antioxidant activity and emulsion-stabilizing effect of pectic enzyme treated pectin in soy protein isolate-stabilized oil/water emulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ping-Hsiu; Lu, Hao-Te; Wang, Yuh-Tai; Wu, Ming-Chang

2011-09-14

The antioxidant activity of pectic enzyme treated pectin (PET-pectin) prepared from citrus pectin by enzymatic hydrolysis and its potential use as a stabilizer and an antioxidant for soy protein isolate (SPI)-stabilized oil in water (O/W) emulsion were investigated. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was found to be positively associated with molecular weight (M(w)) of PET-pectin and negatively associated with degree of esterification (DE) of PET-pectin. PET-pectin (1 kDa and 11.6% DE) prepared from citrus pectin after 24 h of hydrolysis by commercial pectic enzyme produced by Aspergillus niger expressed higher α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, TEAC, and reducing power than untreated citrus pectin (353 kDa and 60% DE). The addition of PET-pectin could increase both emulsifying activity (EA) and emulsion stability (ES) of SPI-stabilized O/W emulsion. When the SPI-stabilized lipid droplet was coated with the mixture of PET-pectin and pectin, the EA and ES of the emulsion were improved more than they were when the lipid droplet was coated with either pectin or PET-pectin alone. The amount of secondary oxidation products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) produced in the emulsion prepared with the mixture of SPI and PET-pectin was less than the amount produced in the emulsion prepared with either SPI or SPI/pectin. These results suggest that PET-pectin has an emulsion-stabilizing effect and lipid oxidation inhibition ability on SPI-stabilized emulsion. Therefore, PET-pectin can be used as a stabilizer as well as an antioxidant in plant origin in SPI-stabilized O/W emulsion and thus prolong the shelf life of food emulsion.

Rearrangement and convergence improvement of the Born series in scattering theory on the basis of orthogonal projections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukulin, V.I.; Pomerantsev, V.N.

1976-01-01

Method of rearrangement of the Born series in scattering theory is proposed which uses the corthogonal projecting pseudopotentials (OPP) proposed recently. It is proved vigorously that the rearranged Born series will converge for all negative and small positive energy value seven in the presence of bound states. Method of correct introduction of scattering operators in orthogonal subspaces is displayed. Comparison of the OPP method with the projection technique developed by Feschbach is given. Physical applications of the method formulated are discussed

Common Courses for Common Purposes:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schaub Jr, Gary John

2014-01-01

(PME)? I suggest three alternative paths that increased cooperation in PME at the level of the command and staff course could take: a Nordic Defence College, standardized national command and staff courses, and a core curriculum of common courses for common purposes. I conclude with a discussion of how...

Temperature profiles from MBT casts from the BIBB from Ocean Weather Station B (OWS-B), C (OWS-C), D (OWS-D), E (OWS-E), H (OWS-H), and J (OWS-J) in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1955-03-26 to 1966-10-13 (NODC Accession 7600309)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Bathythermograph data were collected from the YAKUTAT within a 1-mile radius of Ocean Weather Station B (5630N 05100W), C (5245N 03530W), D (4400N 04100W), E (3500N...

Preventive and curative effects of acupuncture on the common cold: a multicentre randomized controlled trial in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakita, Kenji; Shichidou, Toshiyuki; Inoue, Etsuko; Nabeta, Tomoyuki; Kitakouji, Hiroshi; Aizawa, Shigekatsu; Nishida, Atsushi; Yamaguchi, Nobuo; Takahashi, Norihito; Yano, Tadashi; Tanzawa, Syouhachi

2004-12-01

To determine the preventive and curative effects of manual acupuncture on the symptoms of the common cold. Students and staff in five Japanese acupuncture schools (n=326) were randomly allocated to acupuncture and no-treatment control groups. A specific needling point (Y point) on the neck was used bilaterally. Fine acupuncture needles were gently manipulated for 15 s, evoking de qi sensation. Acupuncture treatments were performed four times during the 2-week experimental period with a 2-week follow-up period. A common cold diary was scored daily for 4 weeks, and a common cold questionnaire was scored before each acupuncture treatment and twice at weekly intervals. A reliability test for the questionnaire was performed on the last day of recording. Five of the 326 subjects who were recruited dropped out. The diary score in the acupuncture group tended to decrease after treatment, but the difference between groups was not significant (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, log rank test P=0.53, Cox regression analysis, P>0.05). Statistically significantly fewer symptoms were reported in the questionnaire by the acupuncture group than control group (P=0.024, general linear model, repeated measure). Significant inter-centre (Pcold. A significantly positive effect of acupuncture was demonstrated in the summed questionnaire data, although a highly significant inter-centre difference was observed. Needling on the neck using the Japanese fine needle manipulating technique was shown to be effective and safe. The use of acupuncture for symptoms of the common cold symptoms should be considered, although further evidence from placebo controlled RCTs is required.

Fast quantitation of opioid isomers in human plasma by differential mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry via SPME/open-port probe sampling interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chang; Gómez-Ríos, Germán Augusto; Schneider, Bradley B; Le Blanc, J C Yves; Reyes-Garcés, Nathaly; Arnold, Don W; Covey, Thomas R; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2017-10-23

Mass spectrometry (MS) based quantitative approaches typically require a thorough sample clean-up and a decent chromatographic step in order to achieve needed figures of merit. However, in most cases, such processes are not optimal for urgent assessments and high-throughput determinations. The direct coupling of solid phase microextraction (SPME) to MS has shown great potential to shorten the total sample analysis time of complex matrices, as well as to diminish potential matrix effects and instrument contamination. In this study, we demonstrate the use of the open-port probe (OPP) as a direct and robust sampling interface to couple biocompatible-SPME (Bio-SPME) fibres to MS for the rapid quantitation of opioid isomers (i.e. codeine and hydrocodone) in human plasma. In place of chromatography, a differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) device was implemented to provide the essential selectivity required to quantify these constitutional isomers. Taking advantage of the simplified sample preparation process based on Bio-SPME and the fast separation with DMS-MS coupling via OPP, a high-throughput assay (10-15 s per sample) with limits of detection in the sub-ng/mL range was developed. Succinctly, we demonstrated that by tuning adequate ion mobility separation conditions, SPME-OPP-MS can be employed to quantify non-resolved compounds or those otherwise hindered by co-extracted isobaric interferences without further need of coupling to other separation platforms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Toxicological studies for adults and children of insecticide residues with common mode of action (MoA) in pome, stone, berries and other small fruit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lozowicka, B.; Mojsak, P.; Jankowska, M.; Kaczynski, P.; Hrynko, I.; Rutkowska, E.; Szabunko, J.; Borusiewicz, A.

2016-01-01

The presence of pesticide residues in fruit is a serious health concern. This paper for the first time demonstrated the Hazard Index (HI) method to carry out acute, chronic and cumulative health risk assessment to the 14 groups of insecticides for three subpopulations. The challenge of this study was to present results from a long period of research (years 2005–2014) with toxicological aspects, especially in multiresidue samples. Near 1000 fresh pome, stone, berries and small fruit were prepared by two accredited MSPD and QuEChERS methods followed by liquid and gas chromatography analyses with various systems of detection ECD/NPD/MS/MS. Twenty percent of the fruit samples contained 16 insecticide residues in the range of 0.01–0.81 mg/kg and 3% over MRL. The class of pesticide with the highest contribution to the ADI was found to be OPPs: dimethoate and diazinon for adults 48% and 66% of the ADI whereas for infants 144% and 294% of the ADI. The highest contributions of the cHQ to common MoA pesticides were AChE inhibitors: 135% for adults and 528% for infants, sodium channel modulators 4.9% and 20%, nicotic acetylocholine receptor < 2.9% and < 10.6% for adults and infants, respectively. The fruit with the highest contribution to the ADI were found to be apples (316%, 58%), cherries (96%, 37%) and pears (129%, 33%) for infants and adults. The study findings indicated that dietary exposures to insecticide residues in fruit would be unlikely to pose unacceptable health risks for the infants, toddlers and adults. - Highlights: • Health risk assessment of insecticide via dietary intake of fruit was estimated. • Sixteen residues in pome, stone, berries and small fruit ranged from 0.01 to 0.8 mg/kg. • Organophosphates were the most frequently occurring group with common MoA. • Dietary exposures for adults and children were below the safety reference values. • Toxicological study provided important date of human health.

Toxicological studies for adults and children of insecticide residues with common mode of action (MoA) in pome, stone, berries and other small fruit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lozowicka, B., E-mail: B.Lozowicka@iorpib.poznan.pl [Plant Protection Institute - National Research Institute, Laboratory of Pesticide Residues, Chelmonskiego 22, 15-195 Bialystok (Poland); Mojsak, P.; Jankowska, M.; Kaczynski, P.; Hrynko, I.; Rutkowska, E.; Szabunko, J. [Plant Protection Institute - National Research Institute, Laboratory of Pesticide Residues, Chelmonskiego 22, 15-195 Bialystok (Poland); Borusiewicz, A. [Department of Agronomy, The Academy of Agrobusiness in Łomza (Poland)

2016-10-01

The presence of pesticide residues in fruit is a serious health concern. This paper for the first time demonstrated the Hazard Index (HI) method to carry out acute, chronic and cumulative health risk assessment to the 14 groups of insecticides for three subpopulations. The challenge of this study was to present results from a long period of research (years 2005–2014) with toxicological aspects, especially in multiresidue samples. Near 1000 fresh pome, stone, berries and small fruit were prepared by two accredited MSPD and QuEChERS methods followed by liquid and gas chromatography analyses with various systems of detection ECD/NPD/MS/MS. Twenty percent of the fruit samples contained 16 insecticide residues in the range of 0.01–0.81 mg/kg and 3% over MRL. The class of pesticide with the highest contribution to the ADI was found to be OPPs: dimethoate and diazinon for adults 48% and 66% of the ADI whereas for infants 144% and 294% of the ADI. The highest contributions of the cHQ to common MoA pesticides were AChE inhibitors: 135% for adults and 528% for infants, sodium channel modulators 4.9% and 20%, nicotic acetylocholine receptor < 2.9% and < 10.6% for adults and infants, respectively. The fruit with the highest contribution to the ADI were found to be apples (316%, 58%), cherries (96%, 37%) and pears (129%, 33%) for infants and adults. The study findings indicated that dietary exposures to insecticide residues in fruit would be unlikely to pose unacceptable health risks for the infants, toddlers and adults. - Highlights: • Health risk assessment of insecticide via dietary intake of fruit was estimated. • Sixteen residues in pome, stone, berries and small fruit ranged from 0.01 to 0.8 mg/kg. • Organophosphates were the most frequently occurring group with common MoA. • Dietary exposures for adults and children were below the safety reference values. • Toxicological study provided important date of human health.

Is there a common mechanism underlying genomic instability, bystander effects and other nontargeted effects of exposure to ionizing radiation?

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, William F.

2003-01-01

A number of nontargeted and delayed effects associated with radiation exposure have now been described. These include radiation-induced genomic instability, death-inducing and bystander effects, clastogenic factors and transgenerational effects. It is unlikely that these nontargeted effects are directly induced by cellular irradiation. Instead, it is proposed that some as yet to be identified secreted factor can be produced by irradiated cells that can stimulate effects in nonirradiated cells (death-inducing and bystander effects, clastogenic factors) and perpetuate genomic instability in the clonally expanded progeny of an irradiated cell. The proposed factor must be soluble and capable of being transported between cells by cell-to-cell gap junction communication channels. Furthermore, it must have the potential to stimulate cellular cytokines and/or reactive oxygen species. While it is difficult to imagine a role for such a secreted factor in contributing to transgenerational effects, the other nontargeted effects of radiation may all share a common mechanism.

Simplifying the ELA Common Core; Demystifying Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Schmoker, Mike; Jago, Carol

2013-01-01

The English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards ([CCSS], 2010) could have a transformational effect on American education. Though the process seems daunting, one can begin immediately integrating the essence of the ELA Common Core in every subject area. This article shows how one could implement the Common Core and create coherent,…

Effects of nitrogen availability and spore concentration on the biocontrol activity of Ascochyta caulina in common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghorbani, R.; Scheepens, P.C.; Zweerde, van der W.; Leifert, C.; McDonald, A.J.S.; Seel, W.

2002-01-01

Common lambsquarters is an annual weed of many important crops. Ascochyta caulina is a plant pathogenic fungus that causes necrotic lesions on the leaves and stems of common lambsquarters. The objective of the present study was to estimate the effect of plant N supply on the biocontrol activity of

The most common friend first immunization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nian Fu-Zhong; Hu Cha-Sheng

2016-01-01

In this paper, a standard susceptible-infected-recovered-susceptible(SIRS) epidemic model based on the Watts–Strogatz (WS) small-world network model and the Barabsi–Albert (BA) scale-free network model is established, and a new immunization scheme — “the most common friend first immunization” is proposed, in which the most common friend’s node is described as being the first immune on the second layer protection of complex networks. The propagation situations of three different immunization schemes — random immunization, high-risk immunization, and the most common friend first immunization are studied. At the same time, the dynamic behaviors are also studied on the WS small-world and the BA scale-free network. Moreover, the analytic and simulated results indicate that the immune effect of the most common friend first immunization is better than random immunization, but slightly worse than high-risk immunization. However, high-risk immunization still has some limitations. For example, it is difficult to accurately define who a direct neighbor in the life is. Compared with the traditional immunization strategies having some shortcomings, the most common friend first immunization is effective, and it is nicely consistent with the actual situation. (paper)

Reduced blood nrf-2 mRNA in local overweight boys at risk of metabolic complications: a study in San Luis City, San Luis, Argentina.

Science.gov (United States)

Santillán, Lucas D; Moyano, Marta; Frau, Martín; Flores, Orlando; Siewert, Susana; Zirulnick, Fanny; Ramirez, Dario C; Giménez, Maria S

2013-10-01

Childhood overweight (OW) is a matter of public health concern because of its long-term impact on adulthood health. NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) regulates the antioxidant/lipogenic response to a sustained positive energy balance that prevails during weight gain. Here we aimed at studying a possible link between OW and Nrf-2-dependent antioxidant/lipogenic response in a local population of boys at risk of metabolic complications. We measured clinical and biochemical parameters related to lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and metabolic syndrome in a population of OW boys [body mass index (BMI) percentile ≥85(th) and Luis City, San Luis, Argentina. Compared to NW, OW boys had lower insulin sensitivity, an altered plasma lipid profile, and increased markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory fatty acids. OW boys also had a higher atherogenic index and peripheral insulin resistance than NW boys. We also found that glutathione peroxidase activity and the reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione ratio were lower in OW boys than NW boys, suggesting that OW boys may have an altered antioxidant response to oxidative stress. Finally, Nrf-2 expression negatively correlated with metabolic syndrome parameters in OW boys. Our data suggest that OW boys have a reduced antioxidant and lipogenic response to a positive energy balance, resulting in oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and risk of developing metabolic complications. Our data also provide a rationale for nutritional interventions aimed at restoring Nrf-2 expression to reduce the risk of metabolic complications in OW boys.

Effects of Common Cause Failure on Electrical Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pepper, Kevin

2015-01-01

The essential electrical systems of reactor designs have developed progressively with an increased focus on the use of redundant, segregated and independent safety system equipment 'trains'. In this arrangement, essential safety functions associated with safe shutdown and cooling of the reactor are replicated on near identical electrical systems with each of the trains of safety system equipment supported by a fully rated standby generator. Development in designs has seen the number of trains increased to enable maintenance to be undertaken with reactors at power, improving the economics of the units whilst maintaining nuclear safety. This paper provides a background to common cause failure and provides examples where supporting guidance and international experience is available. It also highlights the regulatory guidance available to UK licensees. Recent examples of common cause failures on plant in the UK are presented together with an issue identified during the recent Generic Design Assessment review of new reactor designs within the UK. It was identified that one design was claiming a very low probability of failure associated with the loss of a single break and no-break voltage level, orders of magnitude below the target figure within ONR's Safety Assessment Principles. On closer scrutiny it was established that a significant safety function provided from identical low voltage switchboards would be lost in the event of a common cause failure affecting these boards. The paper will explain the action that has been taken by the requesting party to improve the resilience of the design and how this impacts on the ONR reliability targets for reactor designs within the UK. (authors)

Implementation and Re nement of a Comprehensive Model for Dense Granular Flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundaresan, Sankaran [The Trustees Of Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (United States)

2015-09-30

Dense granular ows are ubiquitous in both natural and industrial processes. They manifest three di erent ow regimes, each exhibiting its own dependence on solids volume fraction, shear rate, and particle-level properties. This research project sought to develop continuum rheological models for dense granular ows that bridges multiple regimes of ow, implement them in open-source platforms for gas-particle ows and perform test simulations. The rst phase of the research covered in this project involved implementation of a steady- shear rheological model that bridges quasi-static, intermediate and inertial regimes of ow into MFIX (Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges - a general purpose computer code developed at the National Energy Technology Laboratory). MFIX simulations of dense granular ows in hourglass-shaped hopper were then performed as test examples. The second phase focused on formulation of a modi ed kinetic theory for frictional particles that can be used over a wider range of particle volume fractions and also apply for dynamic, multi- dimensional ow conditions. To guide this work, simulations of simple shear ows of identical mono-disperse spheres were also performed using the discrete element method. The third phase of this project sought to develop and implement a more rigorous treatment of boundary e ects. Towards this end, simulations of simple shear ows of identical mono-disperse spheres con ned between parallel plates were performed and analyzed to formulate compact wall boundary conditions that can be used for dense frictional ows at at frictional boundaries. The fourth phase explored the role of modest levels of cohesive interactions between particles on the dense phase rheology. The nal phase of this project focused on implementation and testing of the modi ed kinetic theory in MFIX and running bin-discharge simulations as test examples.

Seasonal variation in the behaviour of a short-lived rodent.

Science.gov (United States)

Eccard, Jana A; Herde, Antje

2013-11-15

Short lived, iteroparous animals in seasonal environments experience variable social and environmental conditions over their lifetime. Animals can be divided into those with a "young-of-the-year" life history (YY, reproducing and dying in the summer of birth) and an "overwinter" life history (OW, overwintering in a subadult state before reproducing next spring).We investigated how behavioural patterns across the population were affected by season and sex, and whether variation in behaviour reflects the variation in life history patterns of each season. Applications of pace-of-life (POL) theory would suggest that long-lived OW animals are shyer in order to increase survival, and YY are bolder in order to increase reproduction. Therefore, we expected that in winter and spring samples, when only OW can be sampled, the animals should be shyer than in summer and autumn, when both OW and YY animals can be sampled.We studied common vole (Microtus arvalis) populations, which express typical, intra-annual density fluctuation. We captured a total of 492 voles at different months over 3 years and examined boldness and activity level with two standardised behavioural experiments. Behavioural variables of the two tests were correlated with each other. Boldness, measured as short latencies in both tests, was extremely high in spring compared to other seasons. Activity level was highest in spring and summer, and higher in males than in females. Being bold in laboratory tests may translate into higher risk-taking in nature by being more mobile while seeking out partners or valuable territories. Possible explanations include asset-protection, with OW animals being rather old with low residual reproductive value in spring. Therefore, OW may take higher risks during this season. Offspring born in spring encounter a lower population density and may have higher reproductive value than offspring of later cohorts. A constant connection between life history and animal personality, as

Estabilidad a la congelación descongelación de emulsiones o/w preparadas con aislados de soja nativos y desnaturalizados con diferente solubilidad

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Gonzalo Palazolo

2011-05-01

Full Text Available En este trabajo se evaluó la estabilidad a la congelación de emulsiones modelo aceite en agua (o/w preparadas con cuatro aislados de soja: dos nativos (ASN-1 y ASN-2, de similar composición pero diferente solubilidad, >90% y ~75%, respectivamente y dos desnaturalizados (ASD-1 y ASD-2, resultantes de calentar los respectivos aislados nativos (90 ‹C, 5 minutos. Las emulsiones preparadas con dispersiones acuosas al 2% p/v de ASN o ASD y aceite de girasol refinado (ƒ³ =0,25, se congelaron a -20 ‹C por 24 horas y luego se descongelaron a 20 ‹C. La estabilidad se evaluo a partir de medidas de distribución de tamano de partícula (difraccion laser y aceite liberado (AL, metodo de dilucion del colorante. Las emulsiones preparadas con ASN-2 y ASD-2 resultaron muy inestables despues de ser congeladas y descongeladas, resultadoque se evidenció por el aumento del tamano de partícula y un AL>25%. Al usar el aislado ASN-1 de mayor solubilidad, las emulsiones fueron mas estables y se observó un marcado incremento de la estabilidad cuando sus proteínas eran desnaturalizadas (ASD-1, no observándose prácticamente coalescencia ni aceite separado. En conclusión, la solubilidad y la desnaturalización proteíca de los aislados de soja son factores decisivos en la estabilidad de emulsiones frente a la congelación-descongelación.

Effects of edge reconstruction on the common groups terminated zigzag phosphorene nanoribbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Huaping; Guo, Sumei; Zhang, Chunxiao; He, Chaoyu; Zhong, Jianxin

2017-01-01

Edge configuration plays an important role in the electronic properties of nano-structures. In this work, we perform first-principles calculations to study the effects of the cooperation between neighbor groups on the edge configuration and the electronic properties of zigzag-PNRs (ZPNRs) terminated by common groups H, F, O, S and OH. We find that the cooperation has little effect on the H(F)-terminated ZPNRs, but gives rise to an edge reconstruction for the O(S)-terminated ZPNRs. The edge reconstruction derives from the repulsion between neighbor O atoms and the distortion of the P skeleton induced by the p state coupling among the edge, second edge and third edge P atoms. In comparison to the H-terminated ZPNRs, O-terminated ZPNRs are also a semiconductor and enlarge the band gap, but bring about an extra transport channel for the charge transport at the edge and decreases the effective mass of the electron and hole. OH-terminated ZPNRs also undergo a doubling of the unit cell (UC) along the periodic direction because of the different directions of the neighbor O–H bonds. In comparison with the H-terminated ZPNRs, OH-terminated ZPNRs show a similar band gap and electronic effective mass, but increase the effective mass of the hole. (paper)

Effects of bifenthrin on some haematological, biochemical and histopathological parameters of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Velisek, J; Svobodova, Z; Machova, J

2009-11-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of bifenthrin on common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). The 96-h LC50 value of Talstar EC 10 (active substance 100 g l(-1) bifenthrin) was found to be 57.5 microg l(-1). Examination of haematological and biochemical profiles and histological tissue examination was performed on common carp after 96 h of exposure to Talstar EC 10 (57.5 microg l(-1)). The experimental group showed significantly higher (P bifenthrin-based Talstar EC 10 pesticide preparation was classified as a substance strongly toxic for fish.

Mealtime exposure to food advertisements while watching television increases food intake in overweight and obese girls but has a paradoxical effect in boys.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, G Harvey; Khodabandeh, Shokoufeh; Patel, Barkha; Luhovyy, Bohdan L; Bellissimo, Nick; Mollard, Rebecca C

2015-02-01

Food advertisements (ads) in TV programs influence food choice and have been associated with higher energy intake from snacks in children; however, their effects at mealtime have not been reported. Therefore, we measured energy intake at a pizza meal consumed by normal weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) children (aged 9-14 years) while they watched a TV program with or without food ads and following pre-meal consumption of a sweetened beverage with or without calories. NW and OW/OB boys (experiment 1, n = 27) and girls (experiment 2, n = 23) were randomly assigned to consume equally sweetened drinks containing glucose (1.0 g/kg body weight) or sucralose (control). Food intake was measured 30 min later while children watched a program containing food or nonfood ads. Appetite was measured before (0-30 min) and after (60 min) the meal. Both boys and girls reduced energy intake at the meal in compensation for energy in the glucose beverage (p pre-meal energy consumption in children differ by sex and body mass index.

Twenty-First Century Diseases: Commonly Rare and Rarely Common?

Science.gov (United States)

Daunert, Sylvia; Sittampalam, Gurusingham Sitta; Goldschmidt-Clermont, Pascal J

2017-09-20

Alzheimer's drugs are failing at a rate of 99.6%, and success rate for drugs designed to help patients with this form of dementia is 47 times less than for drugs designed to help patients with cancers ( www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-alzheimer-s-drugs-keep-failing/2014 ). How can it be so difficult to produce a valuable drug for Alzheimer's disease? Each human has a unique genetic and epigenetic makeup, thus endowing individuals with a highly unique complement of genes, polymorphisms, mutations, RNAs, proteins, lipids, and complex sugars, resulting in distinct genome, proteome, metabolome, and also microbiome identity. This editorial is taking into account the uniqueness of each individual and surrounding environment, and stresses the point that a more accurate definition of a "common" disorder could be simply the amalgamation of a myriad of "rare" diseases. These rare diseases are being grouped together because they share a rather constant complement of common features and, indeed, generally respond to empirically developed treatments, leading to a positive outcome consistently. We make the case that it is highly unlikely that such treatments, despite their statistical success measured with large cohorts using standardized clinical research, will be effective on all patients until we increase the depth and fidelity of our understanding of the individual "rare" diseases that are grouped together in the "buckets" of common illnesses. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 511-516.

Effective doses associated with the common hybrid scans performed in nuclear medicine to adult patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camacho Lopez, C.; Garcia Martinez, M. T.; Martin Vidal, J. F.; Falgas Lacuela, M.; Vercher Conejero, J. L.

2011-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to outline the effective dose (E) that can be taught in hybrid SPECT-CT scans and PET-CT performed more common in adult patients. E is expressed as the Natural Radiation Equivalent Time (TERN) and consider, for each scan, the percentage of the total dose due to TC.

Conserved oligopeptide permeases modulate sporulation initiation in Clostridium difficile.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Adrianne N; Nawrocki, Kathryn L; McBride, Shonna M

2014-10-01

The anaerobic gastrointestinal pathogen Clostridium difficile must form a metabolically dormant spore to survive in oxygenic environments and be transmitted from host to host. The regulatory factors by which C. difficile initiates and controls the early stages of sporulation in C. difficile are not highly conserved in other Clostridium or Bacillus species. Here, we investigated the role of two conserved oligopeptide permeases, Opp and App, in the regulation of sporulation in C. difficile. These permeases are known to positively affect sporulation in Bacillus species through the import of sporulation-specific quorum-sensing peptides. In contrast to other spore-forming bacteria, we discovered that inactivating these permeases in C. difficile resulted in the earlier expression of early sporulation genes and increased sporulation in vitro. Furthermore, disruption of opp and app resulted in greater virulence and increased the amounts of spores recovered from feces in the hamster model of C. difficile infection. Our data suggest that Opp and App indirectly inhibit sporulation, likely through the activities of the transcriptional regulator SinR and its inhibitor, SinI. Taken together, these results indicate that the Opp and App transporters serve a different function in controlling sporulation and virulence in C. difficile than in Bacillus subtilis and suggest that nutrient availability plays a significant role in pathogenesis and sporulation in vivo. This study suggests a link between the nutritional status of the environment and sporulation initiation in C. difficile. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Chemical composition of open pollinated and hybrid population of sunflower (helianthus annuus l.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nisar, M.; Hussain, S.; Nausheen, A.; Siddique, F.

2011-01-01

Sunflower is the world fourth most important sources of edible oil. A lot of work has been done for varietal improvement through conventional breeding in Pakistan. Sunflower is the cash crop and is easily adapted to many region of Pakistan, genetic and agronomical improvement was needed so that economically valuable crop could be harvested. In the present work, 16 cultivars (open pollinated population 'OPP' and hybrid population 'HP' eight each) of sunflower was evaluated. The study was aimed at evaluating the mineral composition, estimation of moisture contents, measuring electrical conductivity and 100 seeds weight. The mineral composition was fractionated though Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, which indicate that Zn +2 was 8.54 and 9.35%; Cu/sup +2/ 0.5 and 0.02%; Mn/sup +2/ 3.48 and 9.72%; Co/sup +2/ 18.67 and 16.81%; Mg/sup +2/ 68.27 and 83.53%; Fe/sup +3/ 4.32 and 4.35% were estimated in HP and OPP respectively. Similarly, moisture contents 6.26 and 6.78%, and 1000-seeds weight 510.8 and 598 g were calculated in the HP and OPP respectively. In comparative picture the mineral concentration, moisture contents and 100 seeds weight in open pollinated population were high as compared to hybrid. A total of 11.7 % genetic diversity was observed in mineral composition of both the populations. The EC was high in HP ranging from 70. 85-137.8, while comparatively low in OPP ranged 46.81 - 120.18. (author)

Analytical Study of Common Rigid Steel Connections under the Effect of Heat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohola Rahnavard

2014-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most important members of steel structure’s connection region is beam-to-column connection. Rigid connection in steel moment frame has special role in the behavior of these structures and the fire resistance of these connections can be important. In this paper the behaviors of three common types of rigid connections in Iran under the effect of heat were studied by the use of numerical finite element methods through ABAQUS software. The models were verified by the use of an experimental model through elastic and plastic amplitudes up to collapse and during numerical results, and the effect of large deformation in the nonlinear region has also been considered. The results show that the connection with the end plate had a better performance against heat than other connections. Also reduced stiffness and lateral buckling in this connection were less than other connections.

Surveying for "artifacts": the susceptibility of the OCB-performance evaluation relationship to common rater, item, and measurement context effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Podsakoff, Nathan P; Whiting, Steven W; Welsh, David T; Mai, Ke Michael

2013-09-01

Despite the increased attention paid to biases attributable to common method variance (CMV) over the past 50 years, researchers have only recently begun to systematically examine the effect of specific sources of CMV in previously published empirical studies. Our study contributes to this research by examining the extent to which common rater, item, and measurement context characteristics bias the relationships between organizational citizenship behaviors and performance evaluations using a mixed-effects analytic technique. Results from 173 correlations reported in 81 empirical studies (N = 31,146) indicate that even after controlling for study-level factors, common rater and anchor point number similarity substantially biased the focal correlations. Indeed, these sources of CMV (a) led to estimates that were between 60% and 96% larger when comparing measures obtained from a common rater, versus different raters; (b) led to 39% larger estimates when a common source rated the scales using the same number, versus a different number, of anchor points; and (c) when taken together with other study-level predictors, accounted for over half of the between-study variance in the focal correlations. We discuss the implications for researchers and practitioners and provide recommendations for future research. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Hull-Propeller Interaction and Its Effect on Propeller Cavitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Regener, Pelle Bo

In order to predict the required propulsion power for a ship reliably and accurately, it is not sufficient to only evaluate the resistance of the hull and the propeller performance in open water alone. Interaction effects between hull and propeller can even be a decisive factor in ship powering...... prediction and design optimization. The hull-propeller interaction coefficients of effective wake fraction, thrust deduction factor, and relative rotative efficiency are traditionally determined by model tests. Self-propulsion model tests consistently show an increase in effective wake fractions when using...... velocities. This offers an opportunity for additional insight into hull-propeller interaction and the propeller’s actual operating condition behind the ship, as the actual (effective) inflow is computed. Self-propulsion simulations at model and full scale were carried out for a bulk carrier, once...

EFFECT OF THE ADDITION OF COMMON BEAN FLOUR ON THE COOKING QUALITY AND ANTIOXIDANT CHARACTERISTICS OF SPAGHETTI

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José Alberto

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Pasta is a nutritionally unbalanced food, due to its low fat and fiber and low value of its protein. It is considered an adequate vehicle for food supplementation with minerals, proteins and other healthy components such as bioactive compounds present in common beans. The effect of composite pasta (wheat – common bean; 30 % w/w on the cooking quality (optimal cooking time, cooking loss, weight loss, firmness, color, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity by DPPH and ORAC assays and phenolic acid profile was investigated. According to the quality parameters, pasta added with bean flour was less hard with respect to the pasta made from durum wheat. The total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity by DPPH and ORAC assays were higher in the pasta with common bean flour than in the pasta control. Also, more phenolic acids were identified in cooked pasta containing common bean flour as analyzed by HPLC.

Overweight and obesity in New Caledonian adults: Results from measured and adjusted self-reported anthropometric data.

Science.gov (United States)

Corsenac, Philippe; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; Hoy, Damian; Roth, Adam; Rouchon, Bernard; Capart, Isabelle; Taylor, Richard

2017-11-01

To estimate the overweight (OW) and obesity (Ob) prevalence and associated socio-demographic risk factors in New Caledonian adults aged 18-67years. From a randomly selected cross-sectional population survey, self-reported (n=2513) and measured (n=736) height and weight data were collected. Separate linear regression analyses for measured weight and height were performed, using cases with both self-reported weight and height and socio-demographic variables. The final weight and height assigned to each case was either measured or predicted from the regression (n=2075). OW prevalence was defined as: Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥25 and F) OW was 26% (95% CI: 23-28), Ob 34% (95% CI: 31-37) and OW-Ob 60% (95% CI: 57-63). Compared to Melanesians (OR=1.0) for male/female: Polynesians had the highest prevalence of OW (1.7/1.5), Ob (4.7/3.5), and OW-Ob (3.0/2.5); New Caledonian-born Europeans had greater OW, Ob and OW-Ob (0.3/0.4) than immigrant Europeans (0.2/0.2). Findings contribute to obesity comparisons with other Pacific Islands, and they establish trends in New Caledonia for targeting policies and strategies of prevention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Calendula Essential Oil-Based Cream on Biochemical Parameters of Skin of Albino Rats against Ultraviolet B Radiation

OpenAIRE

MISHRA, Arun; MISHRA, Amrita; VERMA, Anurag; CHATTOPADHYAY, Pronobesh

2012-01-01

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from UV-B radiation have the capacity to cause oxidative decomposition which leads to the formation of toxic components as well as lipid peroxidation. Considering this fact, the present study was performed to evaluate the effect of a cream (O/W) containing the essential oil of Calendula officinalis on biochemical parameters of the skin of albino rats against UV-B radiation. The fingerprint analysis of Calendula essential oil was performed by HPLC with s...

Common Core State Standards and Teacher Effectiveness. Q&A with Ross Wiener, Ph.D. REL Mid-Atlantic Teacher Effectiveness Webinar Series

Science.gov (United States)

Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, 2013

2013-01-01

In this REL Mid-Atlantic webinar, Dr. Ross Wiener, Vice President and Executive Director of the Education and Society Program, Aspen Institute, discussed strategies for integrating the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into teacher effectiveness systems, including ways in which the CCSS can support professional growth and inform teacher…

Effects of common mental disorders and physical conditions on role functioning in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbaglia, Gabriela; Duran, Núria; Vilagut, Gemma; Forero, Carlos García; Haro, Josep Maria; Alonso, Jordi

2013-01-01

To examine the effects of common mental disorders and physical conditions on role functioning in Spain. Cross-sectional study of the general adult population of Spain (n = 2,121). Non-psychotic mental disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0) and physical conditions with a checklist. The role functioning dimension of the WHO-Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) was used to asses the number of days in the past month in which respondents were fully or partially limited to perform daily activities. Generalized linear models were used to estimate individual-level associations of specific conditions and role functioning, controlling for co-morbidity. Societal level estimates were calculated using population attributable risk proportions (PARP). Mental disorders and physical conditions showed similar number of days with full role limitation (about 20 days per year); in contrast mental disorders were responsible for twice as many days with partial role limitation than physical conditions (42 vs 21 days, respectively). If the population were entirely unexposed to mental and physical conditions, days with full limitation would be reduced by 73% and days with partial limitation by 41%. Common health conditions in Spain are associated with considerably more days with role limitation than other Western countries. There is need of mainstreaming disability in the Spanish public health agenda in order to reduce role limitation among individuals with common conditions. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Dose rate effects on survival of two insect species which commonly infest stored corn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adem, E.; Uribe, R.M.; Watters, F.L.

1979-01-01

A study of the dose rate effects on survival of two species of insects which commonly infest commercial maize in Mexico was undertaken using 60 Co γ radiation and 1.0 MeV electrons, to determine whether an optimum dose rate exists for the irradiation of grain infested with these insects. Experiments have shown that the effectiveness of γ and electron irradiation were not influenced by dose rates from 10 to 120 Gy/min for 60 Co and 35 to 300 Gy/min for electrons when the insects were irradiated at 2500 Gy. Survival curves for each species are presented for both types of radiation. (author)

Physico-mechanical and chemical screening of packaging plastics and laminates for food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabalar, Patrick Jay E.; Laurio, Christian D.

2014-03-01

Evaluation of selected commercially-available packaging plastics and laminated plastics i.e., PET12/PE50, PET12/CPS40, Laminaed PET/PE, VMPET12/PE70, Nylon/PE, Nylon15/PE50, PET/Foil/PE, PlainPET/FOIL7/PE100, and OPP20/Foil6.5/PE40, are conducted by employing methods for determining physico-mechanical properties and performing chemical analyses to assess the suitability for food irradiation at 10kGy. Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IR-MS0 is also performed to measure isotopic ratio changes of 18 O/ 16 O and 2 H/ 1 H to determine raqdiolysis on water in contact with the packaging materials. IR-MS suggests that PET/FOIL PE and OPP 20/Foil 6.5/PE40 in δ 18 O%o after irradiation has significantly increased. Tensile strength and Young's modulus are obtained to assess physical changes between irradiated samples. Data showed that PET12/CPS40 have the highet tensile strength 60.2 MPa and Young's modulus (141.80GPa) value, after irradiation and has no significant difference to their non irradiated samples. Other packaging materials with the same result are OPP20/FOIL6.5/PE40, PET12/PE50 and NYLON50/PE. Residual test gives information on the extent of leaching or radiolytic byproduct evolved upon irradiation. Based on the result, all packaging plastics and laminates passess the overall migration test since residues did not significanty migrated. Chemical screening includes GPC and GC-MS analyses in determining the possible radiolytic by-products that liberate upon rdiation of the samples s well as determining the components that is already present prior to irradiation. Based on the comparison of the chromatograms ofGPC for both samples of VMPET12/PE70 and OPP20/Foil6.5/PE40, radiation has small effect on the yield of radiolytic leachates aside from increasing the abundance of the componenet that is already present prior to irradiation. GC-MS results suggest that PET/FOIL/PE produced volatile compounds before and after irradiation namely 3,3-Dimethylheptane (8

Effects of common chronic medical conditions on psychometric tests used to diagnose minimal hepatic encephalopathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, M M; Poulsen, L; Rasmussen, C K

2016-01-01

Many chronic medical conditions are accompanied by cognitive disturbances but these have only to a very limited extent been psychometrically quantified. An exception is liver cirrhosis where hepatic encephalopathy is an inherent risk and mild forms are diagnosed by psychometric tests. The preferred...... diagnostic test battery in cirrhosis is often the Continuous Reaction Time (CRT) and the Portosystemic Encephalopathy (PSE) tests but the effect on these of other medical conditions is not known. We aimed to examine the effects of common chronic (non-cirrhosis) medical conditions on the CRT and PSE tests. We...

Common Vocal Effects and Partial Glottal Vibration in Professional Nonclassical Singers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caffier, Philipp P; Ibrahim Nasr, Ahmed; Ropero Rendon, Maria Del Mar; Wienhausen, Sascha; Forbes, Eleanor; Seidner, Wolfram; Nawka, Tadeus

2018-05-01

To multidimensionally investigate common vocal effects in experienced professional nonclassical singers, to examine their mechanism of production and reproducibility, to demonstrate the existence of partial glottal vibration, and to assess the potential of damage to the voice from nonclassical singing. Individual cohort study. Ten male singers aged between 25 and 46 years (34 ± 7 years [mean ± SD]) with different stylistic backgrounds were recruited (five pop/rock/metal, five musical theater). Participants repeatedly presented the usual nonclassical vocal effects and techniques in their repertoire. All performances were documented and analyzed using established instruments (eg, auditory-perceptual assessment, videolaryngostroboscopy, electroglottography, voice function diagnostics). The vocal apparatus of all singers was healthy and capable of high performance. Typical nonclassical vocal effects were breathy voice, creaky voice, vocal fry, grunting, distortion, rattle, belt, and twang. All effects could be easily differentiated from each other. They were intraindividually consistently repeatable and also interindividually produced in a similar manner. A special feature in one singer was the first evidence of partial glottal vibration when belting in the high register. The unintended transition to this reduced voice quality was accompanied by physical fatigue and inflexible respiratory support. The long-lasting use of the investigated nonclassical vocal effects had no negative impact on trained singers. The possibility of long-term damage depends on the individual constitution, specific use, duration, and extent of the hyperfunction. The incidence of partial glottal vibration and its consequences require continuing research to learn more about efficient and healthy vocal function in nonclassical singing. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is the World Health Organization-recommended dose of pralidoxime effective in the treatment of organophosphorus poisoning? A randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumaya Syed

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Organophosphorus poisoning (OPP is a major global public health problem. Pralidoxime has been used in a complimentary role to atropine for the management of OPP. World Health Organization (WHO recommends use of pralidoxime but studies regarding its role have been inconclusive, ranging from being ineffective to harmful or beneficial. Materials and Methods: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of pralidoxime. Eddleston′s study was the most compelling factor for our study, as he showed worst outcomes using pralidoxime. Our practice of continuous use of pralidoxime was based on the WHO guidelines and the study by Pawar (2006, which showed better outcome with higher doses of pralidoxime. These conflicting results suggested that a re-evaluation of its use in our clinical practice was indicated. Results: There was no difference in mortality rates, hemodynamic parameters and atropine requirements between the AP and A groups. Mean duration of ventilation (3.6 ± 4.6 in AP group vs. 3.6 ± 4.4 in A group and Intensive Care Unit stay (7.1 ± 5.4 in AP group vs. 6.8 ± 4.7 in A group was comparable. Serum sodium concentrations showed a correlation with mortality, with lower concentrations associated with better outcomes. Conclusion: The study suggests that add-on WHO-recommended pralidoxime therapy does not provide any benefit over atropine monotherapy. Adding pralidoxime does not seem to be beneficial and at the same time does not result in increased mortality rates. Our practice changed after completion of this study, and it has proven to be of significant benefit to patients who had to bear the expense of treatment.

Behavioural Effects of Tourism on Oceanic Common Dolphins, Delphinus sp., in New Zealand: The Effects of Markov Analysis Variations and Current Tour Operator Compliance with Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

Meissner, Anna M.; Christiansen, Fredrik; Martinez, Emmanuelle; Pawley, Matthew D. M.; Orams, Mark B.; Stockin, Karen A.

2015-01-01

Common dolphins, Delphinus sp., are one of the marine mammal species tourism operations in New Zealand focus on. While effects of cetacean-watching activities have previously been examined in coastal regions in New Zealand, this study is the first to investigate effects of commercial tourism and recreational vessels on common dolphins in an open oceanic habitat. Observations from both an independent research vessel and aboard commercial tour vessels operating off the central and east coast Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand were used to assess dolphin behaviour and record the level of compliance by permitted commercial tour operators and private recreational vessels with New Zealand regulations. Dolphin behaviour was assessed using two different approaches to Markov chain analysis in order to examine variation of responses of dolphins to vessels. Results showed that, regardless of the variance in Markov methods, dolphin foraging behaviour was significantly altered by boat interactions. Dolphins spent less time foraging during interactions and took significantly longer to return to foraging once disrupted by vessel presence. This research raises concerns about the potential disruption to feeding, a biologically critical behaviour. This may be particularly important in an open oceanic habitat, where prey resources are typically widely dispersed and unpredictable in abundance. Furthermore, because tourism in this region focuses on common dolphins transiting between adjacent coastal locations, the potential for cumulative effects could exacerbate the local effects demonstrated in this study. While the overall level of compliance by commercial operators was relatively high, non-compliance to the regulations was observed with time restriction, number or speed of vessels interacting with dolphins not being respected. Additionally, prohibited swimming with calves did occur. The effects shown in this study should be carefully considered within conservation management

Behavioural effects of tourism on oceanic common dolphins, Delphinus sp., in New Zealand: the effects of Markov analysis variations and current tour operator compliance with regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Meissner, Anna M; Christiansen, Fredrik; Martinez, Emmanuelle; Pawley, Matthew D M; Orams, Mark B; Stockin, Karen A

2015-01-01

Common dolphins, Delphinus sp., are one of the marine mammal species tourism operations in New Zealand focus on. While effects of cetacean-watching activities have previously been examined in coastal regions in New Zealand, this study is the first to investigate effects of commercial tourism and recreational vessels on common dolphins in an open oceanic habitat. Observations from both an independent research vessel and aboard commercial tour vessels operating off the central and east coast Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand were used to assess dolphin behaviour and record the level of compliance by permitted commercial tour operators and private recreational vessels with New Zealand regulations. Dolphin behaviour was assessed using two different approaches to Markov chain analysis in order to examine variation of responses of dolphins to vessels. Results showed that, regardless of the variance in Markov methods, dolphin foraging behaviour was significantly altered by boat interactions. Dolphins spent less time foraging during interactions and took significantly longer to return to foraging once disrupted by vessel presence. This research raises concerns about the potential disruption to feeding, a biologically critical behaviour. This may be particularly important in an open oceanic habitat, where prey resources are typically widely dispersed and unpredictable in abundance. Furthermore, because tourism in this region focuses on common dolphins transiting between adjacent coastal locations, the potential for cumulative effects could exacerbate the local effects demonstrated in this study. While the overall level of compliance by commercial operators was relatively high, non-compliance to the regulations was observed with time restriction, number or speed of vessels interacting with dolphins not being respected. Additionally, prohibited swimming with calves did occur. The effects shown in this study should be carefully considered within conservation management

Behavioural effects of tourism on oceanic common dolphins, Delphinus sp., in New Zealand: the effects of Markov analysis variations and current tour operator compliance with regulations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna M Meissner

Full Text Available Common dolphins, Delphinus sp., are one of the marine mammal species tourism operations in New Zealand focus on. While effects of cetacean-watching activities have previously been examined in coastal regions in New Zealand, this study is the first to investigate effects of commercial tourism and recreational vessels on common dolphins in an open oceanic habitat. Observations from both an independent research vessel and aboard commercial tour vessels operating off the central and east coast Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand were used to assess dolphin behaviour and record the level of compliance by permitted commercial tour operators and private recreational vessels with New Zealand regulations. Dolphin behaviour was assessed using two different approaches to Markov chain analysis in order to examine variation of responses of dolphins to vessels. Results showed that, regardless of the variance in Markov methods, dolphin foraging behaviour was significantly altered by boat interactions. Dolphins spent less time foraging during interactions and took significantly longer to return to foraging once disrupted by vessel presence. This research raises concerns about the potential disruption to feeding, a biologically critical behaviour. This may be particularly important in an open oceanic habitat, where prey resources are typically widely dispersed and unpredictable in abundance. Furthermore, because tourism in this region focuses on common dolphins transiting between adjacent coastal locations, the potential for cumulative effects could exacerbate the local effects demonstrated in this study. While the overall level of compliance by commercial operators was relatively high, non-compliance to the regulations was observed with time restriction, number or speed of vessels interacting with dolphins not being respected. Additionally, prohibited swimming with calves did occur. The effects shown in this study should be carefully considered within

Production Optimization of Oil Reservoirs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Völcker, Carsten

with emphasis on optimal control of water ooding with the use of smartwell technology. We have implemented immiscible ow of water and oil in isothermal reservoirs with isotropic heterogenous permeability elds. We use the method of lines for solution of the partial differential equation (PDE) system that governs...... the uid ow. We discretize the the two-phase ow model spatially using the nite volume method (FVM), and we use the two point ux approximation (TPFA) and the single-point upstream (SPU) scheme for computing the uxes. We propose a new formulation of the differential equation system that arise...... as a consequence of the spatial discretization of the two-phase ow model. Upon discretization in time, the proposed equation system ensures the mass conserving property of the two-phase ow model. For the solution of the spatially discretized two-phase ow model, we develop mass conserving explicit singly diagonally...

Toxic effects of some major polyaromatic hydrocarbons found in crude oil and aquatic sediments on Scenedesmus subspicatus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djomo, J.E. [Universite de Dschang Cameroun, Toulouse (France). Laboratoire de Biologie Animale; Dauta, A. [Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse (France). CESAC; Ferrier, V. [UMR-CNRS 9925 affiliee a l' INSERM, Toulouse (France); Narbonne, J.F. [Universite de Bordeaux I, Talence (France). Laboratoire de Toxicologie Alimentaire; Monkiedje, A.; Njine, T. [Universite de Yaounde 1, Cameroun, Toulouse (France). Laboratoire de Biologie et Physiologie Animales; Garrigues, P. [Universite de Bordeaux I, Talence (France). UPRES A 5472 CNRS

2004-04-01

The green alga, Scenedesmus subspicatus was exposed for 7 days to a series of PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons) of increased molecular weight from two to five rings [naphthalene (Nap), anthracene (Ant), phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)]. The toxicity measured as population growth inhibition by individual PAH to the S. subspicatus followed the order: BaP>Pyr>Ant>Phe>Nap. These results confirmed that the toxicity potential of PAHs seems to be strongly influenced by their physico-chemical properties (aqueous solubility, K{sub ow}, coefficient of volatilization, etc.) and the conditions of algae culture (light, presence of nitrate ions, etc.). Consequently, Nap, Phe and Ant having low K{sub ow} values and low coefficient of volatilization values were less toxic than BaP with the highest k{sub ow} value, indicating for example why Nap with the lowest EC{sub 50} value was nearly 2x10{sup 5} times lower than that of BaP. Moreover, nitrate ions seemed to act directly on the degree of hydroxylated radical reactivity of PAHs, since BaP always remained the most toxic of the compounds tested. The results were also agreed with the QSAR model for toxicity prediction of PAHs to many aquatic organisms. (author)

Exchanging the Context between OGC Geospatial Web clients and GIS applications using Atom

Science.gov (United States)

Maso, Joan; Díaz, Paula; Riverola, Anna; Pons, Xavier

2013-04-01

Currently, the discovery and sharing of geospatial information over the web still presents difficulties. News distribution through website content was simplified by the use of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and Atom syndication formats. This communication exposes an extension of Atom to redistribute references to geospatial information in a Spatial Data Infrastructure distributed environment. A geospatial client can save the status of an application that involves several OGC services of different kind and direct data and share this status with other users that need the same information and use different client vendor products in an interoperable way. The extensibility of the Atom format was essential to define a format that could be used in RSS enabled web browser, Mass Market map viewers and emerging geospatial enable integrated clients that support Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) services. Since OWS Context has been designed as an Atom extension, it is possible to see the document in common places where Atom documents are valid. Internet web browsers are able to present the document as a list of items with title, abstract, time, description and downloading features. OWS Context uses GeoRSS so that, the document can be to be interpreted by both Google maps and Bing Maps as items that have the extent represented in a dynamic map. Another way to explode a OWS Context is to develop an XSLT to transform the Atom feed into an HTML5 document that shows the exact status of the client view window that saved the context document. To accomplish so, we use the width and height of the client window, and the extent of the view in world (geographic) coordinates in order to calculate the scale of the map. Then, we can mix elements in world coordinates (such as CF-NetCDF files or GML) with elements in pixel coordinates (such as WMS maps, WMTS tiles and direct SVG content). A smarter map browser application called MiraMon Map Browser is able to write a context document and read

Chemical characteristics and Kraft pulping of tension wood from Eucalyptus globulus labill Características químicas e polpação Kraft de madeira de tração de Eucalyptus globulus labill

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Graciela Aguayo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Tension (TW and opposite wood (OW of Eucalyptus globulus trees were analyzed for its chemical characteristics and Kraft pulp production. Lignin content was 16% lower and contained 32% more syringyl units in TW than in OW. The increase in syringyl units favoured the formation of β-O-4 bonds that was also higher in TW than in OW (84% vs. 64%, respectively. The effect of these wood features was evaluated in the production of Kraft pulps from both types of wood. At kappa number 16, Kraft pulps obtained from TW demanded less active alkali in delignification and presented slightly higher or similar pulp yield than pulps made with OW. Fiber length, coarseness and intrinsic viscosity were also higher in tension than in opposite pulps. When pulps where refined to 30°SR, TW pulps needed 18% more revolutions in the PFI mill to achieve the same beating degree than OW pulps. Strength properties (tensile, tear and burst indexes were slightly higher or similar in tension as compared with opposite wood pulps. After an OD0(EOD1 bleaching sequence, both pulps achieved up to 89% ISO brightness. Bleached pulps from TW presented higher viscosity and low amount of hexenuronic acids than pulps from OW. Results showed that TW presented high xylans and low lignin content that caused a decrease in alkali consumption, increase pulp strength properties and similar bleaching performance as compared with pulps from OW.Madeira de tração e oposta de árvores de Eucalyptus globulus foram analisadas quanto a suas características químicas e produção de polpa Kraft. A caracterização química da madeira de tração (TW de Eucalyptus globulus Labill. mostrou um conteúdo similar de celulose, alto conteúdo de xilanas e baixo conteúdo de lignina quando comparada com a madeira oposta (OW de uma mesma árvore. O conteúdo de lignina foi 16% menor e contém 32% mais unidades siringila em TW que em OW. O aumento das unidades siringila favoreceu a formação de ligações �

OGCM Simulations of Equatorial Pacific Current and Temperature to ERS-1, FSU and NMC Surface Winds and to Assimilation of Subsurface Temperature Data

Science.gov (United States)

Halpern, David

1995-01-01

The relative accuracies of three surface wind data products for the tropical Pacific Ocean during April 1992 to March 1994 were examined by analyzing temperature and current fields along the equator, which were simulated with an ocean general circulation model. Simulations were made with and without assimilation of surface and subsurface temperature data. Simulated currents were compared with observations at three sites (170oW, 140oW, 110oW) at the equator. Model-generated currents and temperatures indicated that the ERS-1 westward wind speeds were low compared to the FSU and NMC winds. With data assimilation, the agreement between simulated and observed currents was highest at 170oW and lowest at 110oW.

Influence of Surface Properties of Filtration-Layer Metal Oxide on Ceramic Membrane Fouling during Ultrafiltration of Oil/Water Emulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Gutierrez, Leo; Ma, Jun; Croué, Jean-Philippe

2016-05-03

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. A distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e., surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). Consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides is quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides toward oil droplets, consistent with the irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with the lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Influence of surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxide on ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Gutierrez, Leo; Ma, Jun; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2016-01-01

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. Distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e. surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). In consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides are quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides towards oil droplets which consists very well with irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Influence of surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxide on ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei

2016-04-01

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. Distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e. surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). In consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides are quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides towards oil droplets which consists very well with irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Oval window transport of Gd-dOTA from rat middle ear to vestibulum and scala vestibuli visualized by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Jing; Poe, Dennis; Ramadan, Usama Abo; Pyykkö, Ilmari

2012-02-01

We tested our hypothesis that the oval window (OW) potentially functions as a route to carry substances from the middle ear to the vestibulum and then the scala vestibuli through the annular ligament across the stapediovestibular joint. Gd-DOTA was either injected into the lateral attic compartment of rats with a high-performance polyimide tube in a selective OW delivery group, or administered to the middle ear cavity of two groups of rats in which the OW was either sealed or not sealed. The dynamic uptake of Gd-DOTA in the inner ear was visualized with a 4.7-T magnetic resonance imaging machine. In the selective OW delivery group, Gd-DOTA appeared in the vestibulum and in the basal turn of the scala vestibuli but not in the scala tympani on T1-weighted images acquired at 10 minutes after Gd-DOTA administration (the earliest available time point of magnetic resonance imaging). In the sealed-OW group, immediate uptake of Gd-DOTA was absent in the vestibulum and scala vestibuli. Measurement of the signal ratio of the vestibulum to that of the scala tympani showed that selective OW delivery induced the greatest signal ratio and that sealing of the OW induced the lowest signal ratio. The OW is a genuine and efficient pathway to transport Gd-DOTA from the middle ear to the vestibulum.

Ocular Perfusion Pressure and Pulsatile Ocular Blood Flow in Normal and Systemic Hypertensive Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanadani, Fabio N; Figueiredo, Carlos R; Miranda, Rafaela Morais; Cunha, Patricia Lt; M Kanadani, Tereza Cristina; Dorairaj, Syril

2015-01-01

Glaucomatous neuropathy can be a consequence of insufficient blood supply, increase in intraocular pressure (IOP), or other risk factors that diminish the ocular blood flow. To determine the ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) in normal and systemic hypertensive patients. One hundred and twenty-one patients were enrolled in this prospective and comparative study and underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including slit lamp examination, Goldmann applanation tonometry, stereoscopic fundus examination, and pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) measurements. The OPP was calculated as being the medium systemic arterial pressure (MAP) less the IOP. Only right eye values were considered for calculations using Student's t-test. The mean age of the patients was 57.5 years (36-78), and 68.5% were women. There was a statistically significant difference in the OPP of the normal and systemic hypertensive patients (p cite this article: Kanadani FN, Figueiredo CR, Miranda RM, Cunha PLT, Kanadani TCM, Dorairaj S. Ocular Perfusion Pressure and Pulsatile Ocular Blood Flow in Normal and Systemic Hypertensive Patients. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2015;9(1):16-19.

Disability management practices in Ontario workplaces: employees' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Westmorland, Muriel G; Williams, Renee M; Amick, Ben C; Shannon, Harry; Rasheed, Farah

2005-07-22

The purpose of this study was to obtain employees' perceptions about disability management (DM) at their workplaces. Data were obtained from focus group interviews and individual telephone interviews with 58 employees who had sustained a work-related injury or disability in Ontario, Canada. Participants also completed a 22-item Organizational Policies and Practices (OPP) Questionnaire that asked questions about workplace DM practices. Respondents emphasized the need for job accommodation, the importance of open and clear communication and the necessity of job retraining. The provision of ergonomic modifications to their worksites and the development of meaningful and specific DM policies and procedures were seen as key to a comprehensive workplace DM program. Education about health and safety also was identified as an important component of creating a supportive workplace environment. The OPP questionnaire showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.95) and discriminant validity. This study demonstrates the importance of workplaces communicating with their employees and respecting their opinions when establishing and carrying out DM policies and practices. The OPP Questionnaire is useful in determining how DM is managed in the workplace.

In-vivo validation of fast spectral velocity estimation techniques – preliminary results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Kristoffer Lindskov; Gran, Fredrik; Pedersen, Mads Møller

2008-01-01

Spectral Doppler is a common way to estimate blood velocities in medical ultrasound (US). The standard way of estimating spectrograms is by using Welch's method (WM). WM is dependent on a long observation window (OW) (about 100 transmissions) to produce spectrograms with sufficient spectral...... resolution and contrast. Two adaptive filterbank methods have been suggested to circumvent this problem: the Blood spectral Power Capon method (BPC) and the Blood Amplitude and Phase Estimation method (BAPES). Previously, simulations and flow rig experiments have indicated that the two adaptive methods can...... was scanned using the experimental ultrasound scanner RASMUS and a B-K Medical 5 MHz linear array transducer with an angle of insonation not exceeding 60deg. All 280 spectrograms were then randomised and presented to a radiologist blinded for method and OW for visual evaluation: useful or not useful. WMbw...

Walking at speeds close to the preferred transition speed as an approach to obesity treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilić Duško

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Increasing energy expenditure through certain exercise is an important component of effective interventions to enhance initial weight loss and prevent weight regain. Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 16-week weight loss exercise programme on morpho-functional changes in female adults and to examine the programme effects on two subpopulations with different levels of obesity. Methods. Fifty-six middle-aged women were divided into 2 groups according to their body mass index (BMI: 25-29.9 kg/m2 - overweight (OW and ≥30 kg/m2 - obese (OB. The exercise protocol included a walking technique based on hip rotation at horizontal plane at speeds close to the preferred transition speed (PTS. At the initiation of the study and after 16 weeks of the programme, anthropometric, morphological and cardiovascular parameters of all subjects were assessed. The main effects of Group (OW and OB and Time and the interaction effect of Group by Time were tested by time repeated measures General Linear Model (mixed between-within subjects ANOVA. Results. Mean weight loss during the programme was 10.3 kg and 20.1 kg in OW and OB, respectively. The average fat mass (FM loss was 9.4 kg in OW and 16.9 kg in OB. The Mixed ANOVA revealed a significant Group by Time interaction effects for waist circumference, body weight, body water, fat free mass, FM, %FM and BMI (p<0.05. Conclusion. The applied exercise protocol has proved as beneficial in the treatment of obesity, since it resulted in a significant weight loss and body composition changes. The reduction in body weight was achieved mainly on account of the loss of fat mass.

Effects of food store quality on hibernation performance in common hamsters.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carina Siutz

Full Text Available Hibernating animals can adjust torpor expression according to available energy reserves. Besides the quantity, the quality of energy reserves could play an important role for overwintering strategies. Common hamsters are food-storing hibernators and show high individual variation in hibernation performance, which might be related to the quality of food hoards in the hibernacula. In this study, we tested the effects of food stores high in fat content, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs, on hibernation patterns under laboratory conditions. Control animals received standard rodent pellets only, while in the other group pellets were supplemented with sunflower seeds. We recorded body temperature during winter using subcutaneously implanted data loggers, documented total food consumption during winter, and analysed PUFA proportions in white adipose tissue (WAT before and after the winter period. About half of the individuals in both groups hibernated and torpor expression did not differ between these animals. Among the high-fat group, however, individuals with high sunflower seeds intake strongly reduced the time spent in deep torpor. PUFA proportions in WAT decreased during winter in both groups and this decline was positively related to the time an individual spent in deep torpor. Sunflower seeds intake dampened the PUFA decline resulting in higher PUFA levels in animals of the high-fat group after winter. In conclusion, our results showed that common hamsters adjusted torpor expression and food intake in relation to the total energy of food reserves, underlining the importance of food hoard quality on hibernation performance.

The Effects of Scripted Peer Tutoring and Programming Common Stimuli on Social Interactions of a Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Petursdottir, Anna-Lind; McComas, Jennifer; McMaster, Kristen; Horner, Kathy

2007-01-01

This study examined the effects of scripted peer-tutoring reading activities, with and without programmed common play-related stimuli, on social interactions between a kindergartner with autism spectrum disorder and his typically developing peer-tutoring partners during free play. A withdrawal design with multiple baselines across peers showed no effects of peer tutoring on social interactions. A withdrawal design with 1 peer and continuing baselines across the other 2 peers showed that adding play-related common stimuli to the peer-tutoring activity increased social interactions during free play. PMID:17624077

Antibacterial Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Punica granatum Linn. Petal on Common Oral Microorganisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajifattahi, Farnaz; Moravej-Salehi, Elham; Taheri, Maryam; Mahboubi, Arash; Kamalinejad, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Objectives. This study aimed to assess the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Punica granatum Linn. (P. granatum) petal on Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sobrinus, and Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and Methods. In this in vitro study, P. granatum extract was prepared using powdered petals and water-ethanol solvent. Antibacterial effect of the extract, chlorhexidine (CHX), and ampicillin was evaluated on brain heart infusion agar (BHIA) using the cup-plate method. By assessing the diameter of the growth inhibition zone, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extract were determined for the above-mentioned bacteria. Results. Hydroalcoholic extract of P. granatum petal had inhibitory effects on the proliferation of all five bacterial strains with maximum effect on S. mutans with MIC and MBC of 3.9 mg/mL. The largest growth inhibition zone diameter belonged to S. sanguinis and the smallest to E. faecalis. Ampicillin and CHX had the greatest inhibitory effect on S. sanguinis. Conclusions. Hydroalcoholic extract of P. granatum had a significant antibacterial effect on common oral bacterial pathogens with maximum effect on S. mutans, which is the main microorganism responsible for dental plaque and caries.

Association of Obesity, BMI, and Hispanic Ethnicity on Ambulatory Status in Children with Spinal Dysraphism followed near the California-Mexico Border.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Michelle L; Huang, Andy; Proudfoot, James A; Le, Joan T; Chiang, George J; Bush, Ruth A

2016-01-01

Evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI), overweight status (OW), or obesity (OB) and ambulatory status in a predominantly Hispanic population of children with spinal dysraphism (SD). Retrospective data were extracted from records of 272 children and youth aged 0-24 years with a diagnosis of SD. Body mass index (BMI) and OW / OB rates were calculated for children 0-3 years, 4-11 years, and adolescents older than 11. Ethnicity was predominantly Hispanic (65.4%). No difference in mean BMI or OW / OB rate was found between ambulation groups (p = .20; p = .72). Mean BMI and OW / OB rate increased with increasing age in all groups (p < .001; p = .02). Forty-four percent of patients were OW / OB, which was greater among Hispanics (48.2%) compared with non-Hispanics [(35.2%), p = .03]. Female gender was a risk factor for increased BMI among Hispanics (p = .00). Despite no difference in ambulatory status, increasing BMI and OW / OB are associated with Hispanic ethnicity and increasing age.

Long term effects of crude oil on common murres (Uria aalge) following rehabilitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, R.A.; Ryan, P.

1991-01-01

Oil spilled or discharged at sea is known to contaminate and cause mortality in seabirds and in some instances, these losses can be substantial as reported recently following an oil spill from the Exxon Valdez in Alaskan waters. Crude petroleum alters the arrangement of the feather barbules causing a loss of buoyancy and hypothermia. Attempts to rehabilitate birds with light to moderate amounts of oil exposure have met with modest success. Following cleaning and release, many of these birds never recovered and little is known of their survival rate in nature subsequently. A number of oiled sea birds, primarily common murres (Uria aalge), were retrieved recently by the Canadian Coast Guard and attempts to rehabilitate them were conducted. Since the majority of birds were retained longer than the usual 4 to 5 days recommended by the Bird Rescue International Centre after retrieval, it soon became apparent that many were suffering from problems other than diet or thermoregulation. Following autopsy/necropsy, extensive organ damage was observed in all of the birds. The purpose of this communication is to report the long term effects of crude oil on common murres

Potential for bioremediation of agro-industrial effluents with high loads of pesticides by selected fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Karas, Panagiotis A; Perruchon, Chiara; Exarhou, Katerina; Ehaliotis, Constantinos; Karpouzas, Dimitrios G

2011-02-01

Wastewaters from the fruit packaging industry contain a high pesticide load and require treatment before their environmental discharge. We provide first evidence for the potential bioremediation of these wastewaters. Three white rot fungi (WRF) (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor, Pleurotus ostreatus) and an Aspergillus niger strain were tested in straw extract medium (StEM) and soil extract medium (SEM) for degrading the pesticides thiabendazole (TBZ), imazalil (IMZ), thiophanate methyl (TM), ortho-phenylphenol (OPP), diphenylamine (DPA) and chlorpyrifos (CHL). Peroxidase (LiP, MnP) and laccase (Lac) activity was also determined to investigate their involvement in pesticide degradation. T. versicolor and P. ostreatus were the most efficient degraders and degraded all pesticides (10 mg l⁻¹) except TBZ, with maximum efficiency in StEM. The phenolic pesticides OPP and DPA were rapidly degraded by these two fungi with a concurrent increase in MnP and Lac activity. In contrast, these enzymes were not associated with the degradation of CHL, IMZ and TM implying the involvement of other enzymes. T. versicolor degraded spillage-level pesticide concentrations (50 mg l⁻¹) either fully (DPA, OPP) or partially (TBZ, IMZ). The fungus was also able to rapidly degrade a mixture of TM/DPA (50 mg l⁻¹), whereas it failed to degrade IMZ and TBZ when supplied in a mixture with OPP. Overall, T. versicolor and P. ostreatus showed great potential for the bioremediation of wastewaters from the fruit packaging industry. However, degradation of TBZ should be also achieved before further scaling up.

Combined analyses of 20 common obesity susceptibility variants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandholt, Camilla Helene; Sparsø, Thomas; Grarup, Niels

2010-01-01

Genome-wide association studies and linkage studies have identified 20 validated genetic variants associated with obesity and/or related phenotypes. The variants are common, and they individually exhibit small-to-modest effect sizes.......Genome-wide association studies and linkage studies have identified 20 validated genetic variants associated with obesity and/or related phenotypes. The variants are common, and they individually exhibit small-to-modest effect sizes....

Clinical Manifestations of the Opiate Withdrawal Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faniya Shigakova

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Currently, substance abuse is one of the most serious problems facing our society. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestations of the opiate withdrawal syndrome (OWS. The study included 112 patients (57 women and 55 men aged from 18 to 64 years with opium addiction according to the DSM-IV. To study the clinical manifestation of OWS, the special 25-score scale with four sections to assess severity of sleep disorders, pain syndrome, autonomic disorders, and affective symptoms was used. Given the diversity of the OWS symptoms, attention was focused on three clinical variants, affective, algic and mixed. The OWS affective variant was registered more frequently in women, while the mixed type of OWS was more typical of men.

Overweight and Obesity: Prevalence, Consequences, and Causes of a Growing Public Health Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Ellen P; Mesidor, Marie; Winters, Karen; Dubbert, Patricia M; Wyatt, Sharon B

2015-09-01

This review considers a variety of perspectives on overweight and obesity (OW/obesity), including measurement and classification; prevalence and changes in prevalence in recent years; genetic, biological, medical, individual, and social correlates of OW/obesity; and treatment approaches. Despite increased attention, OW/obesity is escalating in prevalence worldwide, and the causes are exceedingly complex. A range of innovative studies, including basic research on gut microflora, dietary composition, pharmacologic interventions, and surgical procedures, is generating findings with potential for future prevention and treatment of OW/obesity. Social system changes such as school programs and the awareness of the roles of personal, family, health provider, and cultural experiences related to OW/obesity have also gained traction for vital prevention and treatment efforts over the past decade.

Monochloroacetic acid application is an effective alternative to cryotherapy for common and plantar warts in primary care: a randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruggink, S.C.; Gussekloo, J.; Egberts, P.F.; Bavinck, J.N.; Waal, M.W. de; Assendelft, W.J.J.; Eekhof, J.A.

2015-01-01

Cryotherapy and salicylic acid (SA) often fail as treatments for skin warts. We examined the effectiveness of monochloroacetic acid (MCA) for patients with common or plantar warts. Consecutive patients aged 4 years and older with one or more newly diagnosed common or plantar warts were recruited in

Evaluation of the organophosphorus hydrolase enzyme activity in creams and investigation of its stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariye Rajaie

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this project is investigation of the organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH enzyme activity in water in oil (w/o and oil in water (o/w creams and investigation of the OPH enzyme stability in formulated creams. OPH enzyme was extracted and purified from strain flavobacterium. The w/o and o/w creams were prepared using different formulations. In order to achieve an emulsion with maximum stability, appropriate percentage of the cream components was selected by studying different formulations and the physical and chemical stability of the produced cream were considered. 5Uenzyme/90gcream enzyme was used for each formulation. To measure the enzyme activity in creams, extraction method was used and enzyme activity was determined based on parathion hydrolysis. The thermal stability of OPH in both types of w/o and o/w creams was studied at 4 and 30  °C for various time periods. The average enzyme activity was about 0.0065 U/gcream and 0.018 U/gcream for w/o and o/w creams respectivly. According to the results, the relative activity at 4 °C was reduced to 50% after 26 and 45 days in w/o and o/w creams, respectivly. The results showed that the OPH enzyme activity in o/w cream was 2.6 times more than that of w/o cream, because of the higher hydrophobicity of o/w cream compared to w/o. The OPH enzyme stability in o/w cream was greater in comparison to w/o cream. The OPH enzyme was active for nearly 2 months on o/w creams at 4 °C .

Dietary and physical activity patterns in French children are related to overweight and socioeconomic status.

Science.gov (United States)

Lioret, Sandrine; Touvier, Mathilde; Lafay, Lionel; Volatier, Jean-Luc; Maire, Bernard

2008-01-01

Sedentary behavior (SED) has already been identified as a risk factor of childhood overweight (OW) but less is known about the dietary patterns related to adiposity. Our objective was to investigate if lifestyle patterns combining overall diet and physical activity were associated with childhood OW and if they were involved in the reverse association between socioeconomic status (SES) and OW. Dietary intake was assessed using a 7-d food record in 748 French children aged 3-11 y from the 1998-1999 cross-sectional French Enquête Individuelle et Nationale sur les Consommations Alimentaires national food consumption survey. Weight and height, leisure time physical activity, SED (television viewing), and SES were reported by parents or children by answering questionnaires. Scores for lifestyle patterns were assessed with factor analysis and their relationship with OW was explored by logistic regression analysis. Two similar lifestyle patterns were identified in children aged 3-6 y and 7-11 y: "snacking and sedentary" and "varied food and physically active." The snacking and sedentary pattern was positively associated with OW in the youngest children (P-trend = 0.0161) and partly mediated the negative association of SES to OW. The varied food and physically active pattern was inversely correlated with OW in the eldest children only (P-trend = 0.0401). A third pattern called "big eaters at main meals" was derived in children aged 7-11 y and was positively correlated with OW (P-trend = 0.0165). From a public health perspective, the combinations of identifiable dietary and physical activity behaviors may be useful as a basis for recommendations on preventing OW.

Simulated population responses of common carp to commercial exploitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weber, Michael J.; Hennen, Matthew J.; Brown, Michael L.

2011-12-01

Common carp Cyprinus carpio is a widespread invasive species that can become highly abundant and impose deleterious ecosystem effects. Thus, aquatic resource managers are interested in controlling common carp populations. Control of invasive common carp populations is difficult, due in part to the inherent uncertainty of how populations respond to exploitation. To understand how common carp populations respond to exploitation, we evaluated common carp population dynamics (recruitment, growth, and mortality) in three natural lakes in eastern South Dakota. Common carp exhibited similar population dynamics across these three systems that were characterized by consistent recruitment (ages 3 to 15 years present), fast growth (K = 0.37 to 0.59), and low mortality (A = 1 to 7%). We then modeled the effects of commercial exploitation on size structure, abundance, and egg production to determine its utility as a management tool to control populations. All three populations responded similarly to exploitation simulations with a 575-mm length restriction, representing commercial gear selectivity. Simulated common carp size structure modestly declined (9 to 37%) in all simulations. Abundance of common carp declined dramatically (28 to 56%) at low levels of exploitation (0 to 20%) but exploitation >40% had little additive effect and populations were only reduced by 49 to 79% despite high exploitation (>90%). Maximum lifetime egg production was reduced from 77 to 89% at a moderate level of exploitation (40%), indicating the potential for recruitment overfishing. Exploitation further reduced common carp size structure, abundance, and egg production when simulations were not size selective. Our results provide insights to how common carp populations may respond to exploitation. Although commercial exploitation may be able to partially control populations, an integrated removal approach that removes all sizes of common carp has a greater chance of controlling population abundance

Effects of Subchronic Exposure to N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide on Selected Biomarkers in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.

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Andrea Slaninova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide is the most common active ingredient in the insect repellents commonly detected in European groundwater. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of subchronic DEET exposure on biochemical and haematological parameters, antioxidant enzymes, including catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione S-transferase, and the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.. Two specific proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes were selected to assess an immunological status of the fish. Fish were exposed for 28 days to three concentrations of DEET (1.0 µg/L, 0.1 mg/L, and 1.0 mg/L where 1 µg/L is corresponding to the concentration found in the environment. DEET had a significant (P<0.05 effect on increased RBC, decreased mean corpuscular volume (MCV, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin value (MCH compared to control groups in the concentration of 1 mg/L. A significant decline (P<0.05 in triacylglycerols (TAG in plasma was found in the concentration of 1 mg/L compared to the control groups. The parameters of oxidative stress in tissues of common carp were weekly affected and immunological parameters were not affected.

Effects of Subchronic Exposure to N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide on Selected Biomarkers in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Science.gov (United States)

Slaninova, Andrea; Modra, Helena; Hostovsky, Martin; Sisperova, Eliska; Blahova, Jana; Matejova, Iveta; Vicenova, Monika; Faldyna, Martin; Zelnickova, Lenka; Tichy, Frantisek; Svobodova, Zdenka

2014-01-01

DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is the most common active ingredient in the insect repellents commonly detected in European groundwater. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of subchronic DEET exposure on biochemical and haematological parameters, antioxidant enzymes, including catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione S-transferase, and the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Two specific proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes were selected to assess an immunological status of the fish. Fish were exposed for 28 days to three concentrations of DEET (1.0 µg/L, 0.1 mg/L, and 1.0 mg/L) where 1 µg/L is corresponding to the concentration found in the environment. DEET had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on increased RBC, decreased mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin value (MCH) compared to control groups in the concentration of 1 mg/L. A significant decline (P < 0.05) in triacylglycerols (TAG) in plasma was found in the concentration of 1 mg/L compared to the control groups. The parameters of oxidative stress in tissues of common carp were weekly affected and immunological parameters were not affected. PMID:24795897

Negative role of the environmental endocrine disruptors in the human neurodevelopment

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Luca Roncati

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The endocrine disruptors (EDs are able to influence the endocrine system, mimicking or antagonizing hormonal molecules. They are bio-persistent for their degradation resistance in the environment. Our research group has investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS the EDs presence in 35 brain samples, coming from 27 cases of sudden intrauterine unexplained death syndrome (SIUDS and 8 cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, collected by centralization in the last year (2015. More in detail, a mixture of 25 EDs has been subjected to analytical procedure, following standard protocols. Among the target analytes, some organochlorine pesticides (OCPs, that is α-chlordane, γ-chlordane, heptachlor, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDT, and the two most commonly used organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs, chlorpyrifos and chlorfenvinfos, have been found in 7 and 3 samples, respectively. The analytical procedure used to detect the presence of environmental EDs in cortex samples has been successfully implemented on SIUDS and SIDS victims. The environmental EDs have been found to be able to overcome the placental barrier, reaching also the basal ganglia assigned to the control of the vital functions. This finding, related to the OPPs bio-persistence, implies a conceptual redefinition of the fetal-placental and fetal blood-brain barriers: not real safety barriers, but simply time-deferral mechanisms of absorption.

Predicting the oral uptake efficiency of chemicals in mammals: Combining the hydrophilic and lipophilic range

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Connor, Isabel A., E-mail: i.oconnor@science.ru.nl [Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, P.O. Box 9010, NL-6500 GL, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Huijbregts, Mark A.J., E-mail: m.huijbregts@science.ru.nl [Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, P.O. Box 9010, NL-6500 GL, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Ragas, Ad M.J., E-mail: a.ragas@science.ru.nl [Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, P.O. Box 9010, NL-6500 GL, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Open University, School of Science, P.O. Box 2960,6401 DL Heerlen (Netherlands); Hendriks, A. Jan, E-mail: a.j.hendriks@science.ru.nl [Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, P.O. Box 9010, NL-6500 GL, Nijmegen (Netherlands)

2013-01-01

Environmental risk assessment requires models for estimating the bioaccumulation of untested compounds. So far, bioaccumulation models have focused on lipophilic compounds, and only a few have included hydrophilic compounds. Our aim was to extend an existing bioaccumulation model to estimate the oral uptake efficiency of pollutants in mammals for compounds over a wide K{sub ow} range with an emphasis on hydrophilic compounds, i.e. compounds in the lower K{sub ow} range. Usually, most models use octanol as a single surrogate for the membrane and thus neglect the bilayer structure of the membrane. However, compounds with polar groups can have different affinities for the different membrane regions. Therefore, an existing bioaccumulation model was extended by dividing the diffusion resistance through the membrane into an outer and inner membrane resistance, where the solvents octanol and heptane were used as surrogates for these membrane regions, respectively. The model was calibrated with uptake efficiencies of environmental pollutants measured in different mammals during feeding studies combined with human oral uptake efficiencies of pharmaceuticals. The new model estimated the uptake efficiency of neutral (RMSE = 14.6) and dissociating (RMSE = 19.5) compounds with logK{sub ow} ranging from − 10 to + 8. The inclusion of the K{sub hw} improved uptake estimation for 33% of the hydrophilic compounds (logK{sub ow} < 0) (r{sup 2} = 0.51, RMSE = 22.8) compared with the model based on K{sub ow} only (r{sup 2} = 0.05, RMSE = 34.9), while hydrophobic compounds (logK{sub ow} > 0) were estimated equally by both model versions with RMSE = 15.2 (K{sub ow} and K{sub hw}) and RMSE = 15.7 (K{sub ow} only). The model can be used to estimate the oral uptake efficiency for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds. -- Highlights: ► A mechanistic model was developed to estimate oral uptake efficiency. ► Model covers wide logK{sub ow} range (- 10 to + 8) and several mammalian

Personally important posttraumatic growth in adolescents: The effect on self-esteem beyond commonly defined posttraumatic growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Taku, Kanako; McDiarmid, Leah

2015-10-01

Research on posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive psychological changes that may occur as a result of highly stressful life events, reveals adolescents are able to experience PTG. The current study tests individual differences among adolescents in relative importance of PTG and examines the relationships among personally important PTG, commonly defined PTG, and self-esteem. Adolescents (N = 145) with the mean age of 15.75 (SD = 1.13) completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and PTG Inventory, and then reported which items on the PTG Inventory were personally important to them. Results indicated within-scale differences in item importance on the PTG Inventory. Personally important PTG was a better predictor of adolescent self-esteem than commonly defined PTG, measured as total PTGI score or each of the five factors. These findings suggest future research should look at both short-term and long-term effects of personally important PTG as well as commonly defined PTG. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calibration of hydroclimate proxies in freshwater bivalve shells from Central and West Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Kelemen, Zita; Gillikin, David P.; Graniero, Lauren E.; Havel, Holly; Darchambeau, François; Borges, Alberto V.; Yambélé, Athanase; Bassirou, Alhou; Bouillon, Steven

2017-07-01

, most of the shells analyzed did not record these variations adequately, likely due to the complication of vital effects including the variable contribution of metabolic CO2. Thus, tropical African unionid δ18Oshell values can be used to reconstruct δ18Ow values with high confidence to provide insight on past hydroclimate such as precipitation-evaporation balance and periods of low discharge.

A generalized relationship for swirl decay in laminar pipe flow

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Swirling flow is of great importance in heat and mass transfer enhancements and in flow measurements. In this study, laminar swirling flow in a straight pipe was considered. Steady three-dimensional axisymmetric Navier–Stokes equations were solved numerically using a control volume approach. The swirl number ...

Clinical Variability in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Screening and Management in Adolescent and Young Adult Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Baer, Tamara E; Milliren, Carly E; Walls, Courtney; DiVasta, Amy D

2015-10-01

To review the clinical presentation, evaluation, and management of normal-weight (NW), overweight (OW), and obese (OB) adolescent and young adult women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) during a 2-year follow-up. Retrospective chart review. One hundred seventy-three adolescent and young adult women, aged 12-22 years, diagnosed with PCOS. Demographic, health data, and laboratory measures were abstracted from 3 clinic visits: baseline and 1- and 2-year follow-up. Subjects were classified as NW, OW, or OB. Longitudinal data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Body mass index, self-reported concerns, and lifestyle changes. Most patients (73%) were OW or OB. Family history of type 2 diabetes was greater in OW (38%) and OB (53%) patients compared with NW (22%) patients (P = .002). Acanthosis nigricans was identified in OW (62%) and OB (21%) patients but not in NW patients (0%; P insulin (P PCOS were OW or OB. Substantial clinical variability existed in cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening; among those screened, OW and OB patients had greater CVD risk factors. Despite self-reported concerns about weight and diabetes risk among OW and OB patients, no clinically significant change in body mass index percentile occurred. Evidence-based interventions and recommendations for screening tests are needed to address CVD risk in adolescents and young adults with PCOS. Copyright © 2015 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of participatory selection of varieties on the identification of outstanding common bean genotypes (Phaseolus vulgaris L.

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Alexis Lamz Piedra

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Among the main factors affecting bean production is poor distribution of varieties for different environmental conditions in which its are grown. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of participatory selection of foreign genetic materials and national commercial and pre-commercial common bean in identifying genotypes for their outstanding performance and resistance to common bacteriosis (Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Smith Dye (Xcp. In the "El Mulato" farm belonging to the Empowered Cooperative of Credit and Services (CCSF "Orlando Cuellar" in the municipality San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, two experiments were conducted. In the first one, 15 genotypes were planted in 13 September 2014 (early season in experimental plots to develop a diversity Fair and evaluate the natural incidence of common bean bacteriosis. In the second experiment, they were sown on 25 December (late season the materials selected by farmers with superior agronomic performance (7 genotypes to validate the stability of its performance. Among the results, an effective range of 93,33 % between the selected materials and selective criteria that this diversity was identified were high performance, resistance to common bacteriosis and color of beans. It was found that the selection of the diversity of beans by farmers is not influenced by the origin of materials and participatory selection identified common bean genotypes with high yield potential and stability between planting seasons.

Monochloroacetic acid application is an effective alternative to cryotherapy for common and plantar warts in primary care: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruggink, Sjoerd C; Gussekloo, Jacobijn; Egberts, Paulette F; Bavinck, Jan Nico Bouwes; de Waal, Margot W M; Assendelft, Willem J J; Eekhof, Just A H

2015-05-01

Cryotherapy and salicylic acid (SA) often fail as treatments for skin warts. We examined the effectiveness of monochloroacetic acid (MCA) for patients with common or plantar warts. Consecutive patients aged 4 years and older with one or more newly diagnosed common or plantar warts were recruited in 53 Dutch general practices. We randomly allocated eligible patients to 13-week treatment protocols of office-applied MCA versus liquid nitrogen cryotherapy every 2 weeks for patients with common warts (n=188), and MCA versus cryotherapy combined with daily SA self-application for patients with plantar warts (n=227). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients whose warts were all cured at 13 weeks. In the common wart group, cure rates were 40/92 (43%, 95% confidence interval 34-54) for MCA and 50/93 (54%, 44-64) for cryotherapy (risk difference (RD) -10%, -25-4.0, P=0.16). In the plantar wart group, cure rates were 49/106 (46%, 37-56) for MCA and 45/115 (39%, 31-48) for cryotherapy combined with SA (RD 7.1, 5.9-20, P=0.29). For common warts, MCA is an effective alternative to cryotherapy to avoid pain during the treatment, although pain after the treatment is similar. For plantar warts, office-applied MCA may be preferred over cryotherapy combined with SA, on the basis of comparable effectiveness, less treatment pain, and less treatment burden.

Determination of octanol-water partition coefficients of polar polycyclic aromatic compounds (N-PAC) by high performance liquid chromatography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helweg, C.; Nielsen, T.; Hansen, P.E.

1997-01-01

Prediction of 1-octanol water partition coefficients for a range of polar N-PAC from HPLC capacity coefficients has been investigated. Two commercially available columns, an ODS column and a Diol column were tested with water-methanol eluents. The best prediction of log K-ow for N-PAC was achieve...... with size and log K-ow for N-PAC was 1.1-1.3 lower than log K-ow for the equivalent PAH. Shielding of the nitrogen atom in the N-PAC compounds caused an increase in log K-ow. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd....

ETLMR: A Highly Scalable Dimensional ETL Framework based on MapReduce

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiufeng, Liu; Thomsen, Christian; Pedersen, Torben Bach

2011-01-01

Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) flows periodically populate data warehouses (DWs) with data from different source systems. An increasing challenge for ETL fl ows is processing huge volumes of data quickly. MapReduce is establishing itself as the de-facto standard for large-scale data-intensive process......Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) flows periodically populate data warehouses (DWs) with data from different source systems. An increasing challenge for ETL fl ows is processing huge volumes of data quickly. MapReduce is establishing itself as the de-facto standard for large-scale data...

Lipid–water partition coefficients and correlations with uptakes by algae of organic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, Wei-Nung; Chiou, Cary T.; Lin, Tsair-Fuh

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Partition coefficients of contaminants with lipid triolein (K tw ) are measured. • Measured K tw values are nearly the same as the respective K ow . • Sorption of the contaminants to a dry algal powder is similarly measured. • Algal uptake of a compound occurs primarily by partition into the algal lipid. - Abstract: In view of the scarcity of the lipid–water partition coefficients (K tw ) for organic compounds, the log K tw values for many environmental contaminants were measured using ultra-pure triolein as the model lipid. Classes of compounds studied include alkyl benzenes, halogenated benzenes, short-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides. In addition to log K tw determination, the uptakes of these compounds from water by a dry algal species were measured to evaluate the lipid effect on the algal uptake. The measured log K tw are closely related to their respective log K ow (octanol–water), with log K ow = 1.9 to 6.5. A significant difference is observed between the present and early measured log K tw for compounds with log K ow > ∼5, which is attributed to the presence and absence of a triolein microemulsion in water affecting the solute partitioning. The observed lipid-normalized algae–water distribution coefficients (log K aw/lipid ) are virtually identical to the respective log K tw values, which manifests the dominant lipid-partition effect of the compounds with algae

Cumulative incidence of youth obesity is associated with low cardiorespiratory fitness levels and with maternal overweight

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Anelise Reis Gaya

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract This longitudinal study evaluated the association between the incidence of youth overweight/obesity (Ow/Ob and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF over 4 years and youths' and their parents' demographic and nutritional characteristics. The randomized sample comprised 398 youth, aged 7-17 years at baseline, from a city in southern Brazil. Subjects were classified as being Ow/Ob according to international body mass index (BMI parameters. Parental weight and height were determined by direct questioning. Youth CRF was measured by a 9-minute walk-and-run test. The cumulative incidences of Ow/Ob and of low CRF levels were 25.1% and 20.5%, respectively. Relative to other youth, youth who were classified as "unhealthy" at baseline (with respect to CRF and by the fourth year were more likely to be classified as Ow/Ob (relative risks: 1.12 and 1.10, respectively. Youth whose mothers were categorized as Ow/Ob were at higher risk of being classified as Ow/Ob than youth whose mothers had normal BMIs (relative risks: 1.19 at baseline and 1.20 in the fourth year. The incidence of Ow/Ob among the former youth was associated with low CRF levels and with maternal Ob.

Histochemical Effects of “Verita WG” on Glycogen and Lipid Storage in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L. Liver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elenka Georgieva

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We aimed in the present work is to study the effects of fosetyl-Al and fenamidone based fungicide (“Verita WG” on glycogen storage and expression of lipid droplets in common carp (Cyprinus carpio, L. liver. Concentrations of the test chemical were 30 mg/L, 38 mg/L and 50 mg/L under laboratory conditions. We used PAS-reaction for detection of glycogen storage and Sudan III staining for detection of lipid droplets in common carp hepatocytes. Hence, we found that the amount of glycogen and the fat storage in the liver increased proportionally with the increased fungicide concentrations. We also found conglomerates of accumulated glycogen in certain hepatocytes at all used concentrations. Overall, the results demonstrated enhanced glyconeogenesis and fat accumulation in the common carp liver, exposed to the test chemical.

Memory Effects and Coverage Dependence of Surface Diffusion in a Model Adsorption System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vattulainen, Ilpo Tapio; Ying, S. C.; Ala-Nissila, T.

1999-01-01

in tracer and collective diffusion. We show that memory effects can be very pronounced deep inside the ordered phases and in regions close to first and second order phase transition boundaries. Particular attention is paid to the details of the time dependence of memory effects. The memory effect in tracer......We study the coverage dependence of surface diffusion coefficients for a strongly interacting adsorption system O/W(110) via Monte Carlo simulations of a lattice-gas model. In particular, we consider the nature and emergence of memory effects as contained in the corresponding correlation factors...... diffusion is found to decay following a power law after an initial transient period. This behavior persists until the hydrodynamic regime is reached, after which the memory effect decays exponentially. The time required to reach the hydrodynamical regime and the related exponential decay is strongly...

Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... volume and the gas volumetric flow were increased by increasing the electrode separation keeping the gas flow velocity constant. The discharge voltage too remained almost constant with the change of electrode separation at the same gas flow velocity. This necessitated revision of the scaling laws for designing this type ...

Effects of Acute Supramaximal Cycle Exercise on Plasma FFA Concentration in Obese Adolescent Boys.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georges Jabbour

Full Text Available The aims of the present study are 1 to evaluate the free fatty acid (FFA profile and 2 to determine the relative anaerobic and aerobic contributions to total energy consumption during repeated supramaximal cycling bouts (SCE in adolescent boys with different body weight statuses.Normal-weight (NW, overweight (OW, and obese (OB adolescent boys (n =15 per group completed a SCE sessions consisted of 6 x 6s maximal sprints with 2 min of passive rest between each repetition. Plasma FFA levels were determined at rest, immediately after a 10 min warm-up, and immediately at the end of SCE. The anaerobic and aerobic contributions (% were measured via repeated SCE bouts. Insulin resistance was calculated using the homoeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR index.The FFA concentrations measured immediately after SCE were higher in the OB group than in the OW and NW (p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively groups. Moreover, the anaerobic contributions to SCE were significantly lower in obese adolescents (p<0.01 and decreased significantly during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th repetitions. The FFA levels were significantly associated with the HOMA-IR index and aerobic contribution among adolescent boys (r=0.83 and r=0.91, respectively, p<0.01.In contrast to the NW and OW groups, there is an increase in lipid mobilization and sift to aerobic energy metabolism during SCE in the OB group.

Effects of beta-blockers and nicardipine on oxotremorine-induced tremor in common marmosets.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitsuda, M; Nomoto, M; Iwata, S

1999-10-01

Effects of beta-blockers (propranolol, arotinolol and nipradilol) and a Ca2+ channel blocker (nicardipine) on oxotremorine-induced tremor were studied in common marmosets. Generalized tremor was elicited by an intraperitoneal administration of 0.25 mg/kg oxotremorine. Intensity of the tremor was classified into 7 degrees, and it was evaluated every 10 min. The total intensity of oxotremorine-induced tremor for each drug was expressed as "points", which were the sum of tremor intensity scores evaluated every 10 min up to 190 min following the administration of oxotremorine. Beta-blockers significantly suppressed the tremor. On the other hand, the Ca2+ channel blocker exacerbated the tremor.

Acute effect of copper exposure on serum biochemical characteristics of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melika Ghelichpour

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Effects of ambient copper was investigated on serum stress markers, sodium and enzyme levels in Common carp (Cyprinus carpio L. over a 14-d exposure period. Fish were exposed to 0, 25 and 100 μg L-1 copper (as copper sulfate and blood was sampled at 0, 3, 7 and 14 d after exposure. Serum profile was significantly affected by copper concentration, sampling time and their interaction. Increase in serum levels of cortisol, glucose, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase and decrease in serum sodium levels were observed in both copper-exposed groups, 3 d after copper exposure, which lasted until the end of the experiment. It is concluded that copper exposure causes stress response and sodium loss in common carp. Likewise alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase increase after exposure which might be as results of either tissue damage or stress.

Estudo do coeficiente de partição octanol-água de bifenilas policloradas (PCBs utilizando parâmetros topológicos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silva Lucicleide Ribeiro da

2003-01-01

Full Text Available A model based on chemical structure was developed for the accurate prediction of octanol/water partition coefficient (K OW of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, which are molecules of environmental interest. Partial least squares (PLS was used to build the regression model. Topological indices were used as molecular descriptors. Variable selection was performed by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA. In the modeling process, the experimental K OW measured for 30 PCBs by thin-layer chromatography - retention time (TLC-RT has been used. The developed model (Q² = 0,990 and r² = 0,994 was used to estimate the log K OW values for the 179 PCB congeners whose K OW data have not yet been measured by TLC-RT method. The results showed that topological indices can be very useful to predict the K OW.

Validation of a vortex ring wake model suited for aeroelastic simulations of floating wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vaal, J.B., de; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver; Moan, T.

2014-01-01

In order to evaluate aerodynamic loads on floating oshore wind turbines, advanced dynamic analysis tools are required. As a unied model that can represent both dynamic in ow and skewed in ow effects in it basic formulation, a wake model based on a vortex ring formulation is discussed. Such a model...... presents a good intermediate solution between computationally efficient but simple momentum balance methods and computationally expensive but complete computational fluid dynamics models. The model introduced is shown to be capable of modelling typical steady and unsteady test cases with reasonable...

Creating a Common Data Model for Comparative Effectiveness with the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership.

Science.gov (United States)

FitzHenry, F; Resnic, F S; Robbins, S L; Denton, J; Nookala, L; Meeker, D; Ohno-Machado, L; Matheny, M E

2015-01-01

Adoption of a common data model across health systems is a key infrastructure requirement to allow large scale distributed comparative effectiveness analyses. There are a growing number of common data models (CDM), such as Mini-Sentinel, and the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) CDMs. In this case study, we describe the challenges and opportunities of a study specific use of the OMOP CDM by two health systems and describe three comparative effectiveness use cases developed from the CDM. The project transformed two health system databases (using crosswalks provided) into the OMOP CDM. Cohorts were developed from the transformed CDMs for three comparative effectiveness use case examples. Administrative/billing, demographic, order history, medication, and laboratory were included in the CDM transformation and cohort development rules. Record counts per person month are presented for the eligible cohorts, highlighting differences between the civilian and federal datasets, e.g. the federal data set had more outpatient visits per person month (6.44 vs. 2.05 per person month). The count of medications per person month reflected the fact that one system's medications were extracted from orders while the other system had pharmacy fills and medication administration records. The federal system also had a higher prevalence of the conditions in all three use cases. Both systems required manual coding of some types of data to convert to the CDM. The data transformation to the CDM was time consuming and resources required were substantial, beyond requirements for collecting native source data. The need to manually code subsets of data limited the conversion. However, once the native data was converted to the CDM, both systems were then able to use the same queries to identify cohorts. Thus, the CDM minimized the effort to develop cohorts and analyze the results across the sites.

Objectively measured physical activity, physical activity related personality and body mass index in 6- to 10-yr-old children: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The prevalence and level of overweight in childhood is rapidly increasing. One potential contributor to the rise in overweight is a decline in physical activity (PA. The purpose of this study was to compare levels and patterns of PA and PA related personality in normal-weight (NW and overweight (OW 6- to 10-yr-old children. Methods Subjects were grouped into OW (N = 59, BMI = 24.2 ± 4.8 kg/m2 or NW (N = 61, BMI = 15.7 ± 1.5 kg/m2 according to International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. PA was assessed by accelerometry. Parents filled in a questionnaire on PA and sedentary behaviour and PA related personality of their child (born tired, moves slowly, is often tired, lacks energy, avoids physical efforts, prefers watching playing children instead of joining them, is always active, needs to let himself/herself go, has a lot of energy. Results NW children spent on average 77 min/day in MVPA, whereas OW children only 57 min/day (p = .001. OW children had fewer 5, 10 and 20 min bouts of MVPA (p = .01. OW and NW children showed identical PA patterns on both week days and weekends, although at different levels. According to parents' report, a greater percentage of OW children was not engaged in any sport (46% versus 23%, chi2 = 6.3, p = .01. OW children had a less active personality (p Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate that NW children spent on average 20 min per day more in MVPA. PA patterns were similar in NW versus OW children, although at different levels. Greatest differences in PA according to weight status were found in the afternoon during after school hours. This is the first study to show distinct PA related personality traits in OW children compared to NW peers.

Low pain intensity after opioid withdrawal as a first step of a comprehensive pain rehabilitation program predicts long-term nonuse of opioids in chronic noncancer pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Krumova, Elena K; Bennemann, Philipp; Kindler, Doris; Schwarzer, Andreas; Zenz, Michael; Maier, Christoph

2013-09-01

In specialized pain clinics there is an increasing number of patients with severe chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) despite long-term opioid medication. Few clinical studies show short-term pain relief after opioid withdrawal (OW). We have evaluated the relation between pain intensity after OW and long-term opioid nonuse. One hundred two consecutive patients with severe CNCP despite opioid medication (mean treatment duration, 43 mo) reported pain intensity (numerical rating scale, 0 to 10), Pain Disability Index, mood (CES-D), and quality of life (Short Form 36) before, shortly, and 12 to 24 months after inpatient OW. Total opioid withdrawal (n = 78) or significant dose reduction (DR; n = 24, mean reduction, 82%) was performed after individual decision. Opioid intake 12 to 24 months later, respectively dose increase ≥ 100% (DR group), was considered relapse. T tests, multivariable analysis of variance, logistic regression. After OW current pain intensity significantly decreased on an average by 41% (6.4 ± 2.4 vs. 3.8 ± 2.5), maximal and average pain by 18% and 24%, respectively. Twelve to 24 months later 42 patients (41%) relapsed (31 of the total opioid withdrawal group, 6 of the DR group, 5 lost). Patients without later relapse showed significantly lower pain scores than the later relapsed patients already shortly after OW (5.0 ± 2.2 vs. 5.9 ± 2.1) and 12 to 24 months later (5.5 ± 2.4 vs. 6.5 ± 2.0). There was a significant relation between relapse probability and pain intensity immediately after OW. In many patients with severe CNCP, despite opioid medication, sustainable pain relief can be achieved if OW is included in the rehabilitation program. Consequently, we recommend OW for opioid-resistant CNCP before any opioid escalation. Lower pain intensity shortly after OW may predict the long-term opioid nonuse probability.

Sadhana | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Sadhana. Mehdi Ghiyasvand. Articles written in Sadhana. Volume 37 Issue 6 December 2012 pp 665-674. Solving the minimum flow problem with interval bounds and flows · Mehdi Ghiyasvand · More Details Abstract Fulltext PDF. The minimum cost flow problem with interval data can be solved using two ...

Comparing groundwater recharge and base flow in the Bukmoongol ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Groundwater recharge and base flow using different investigated methods are simulated in the 15-ha Bukmoongol small-forested watershed located at the southern part of Korea.The WHAT system, PART,RORA,PULSE,BFI,and RAP software are used to estimate groundwater recharge or base flow and base flow index from ...

Assessing the cumulative environmental effects of marine renewable energy developments: Establishing common ground.

Science.gov (United States)

Willsteed, Edward; Gill, Andrew B; Birchenough, Silvana N R; Jude, Simon

2017-01-15

Assessing and managing the cumulative impacts of human activities on the environment remains a major challenge to sustainable development. This challenge is highlighted by the worldwide expansion of marine renewable energy developments (MREDs) in areas already subject to multiple activities and climate change. Cumulative effects assessments in theory provide decision makers with adequate information about how the environment will respond to the incremental effects of licensed activities and are a legal requirement in many nations. In practise, however, such assessments are beset by uncertainties resulting in substantial delays during the licensing process that reduce MRED investor confidence and limit progress towards meeting climate change targets. In light of these targets and ambitions to manage the marine environment sustainably, reducing the uncertainty surrounding MRED effects and cumulative effects assessment are timely and vital. This review investigates the origins and evolution of cumulative effects assessment to identify why the multitude of approaches and pertinent research have emerged, and discusses key considerations and challenges relevant to assessing the cumulative effects of MREDs and other activities on ecosystems. The review recommends a shift away from the current reliance on disparate environmental impact assessments and limited strategic environmental assessments, and a move towards establishing a common system of coordinated data and research relative to ecologically meaningful areas, focussed on the needs of decision makers tasked with protecting and conserving marine ecosystems and services. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Functional brain response to food images in successful adolescent weight losers compared with normal-weight and overweight controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Chad D; Kirwan, C Brock

2015-03-01

Research conducted with adults suggests that successful weight losers demonstrate greater activation in brain regions associated with executive control in response to viewing high-energy foods. No previous studies have examined these associations in adolescents. Functional neuroimaging was used to assess brain response to food images among groups of overweight (OW), normal-weight (NW), and successful weight-losing (SWL) adolescents. Eleven SWL, 12 NW, and 11 OW participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing images of high- and low-energy foods. When viewing high-energy food images, SWLs demonstrated greater activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared with OW and NW controls. Compared with NW and SWL groups, OW individuals demonstrated greater activation in the ventral striatum and anterior cingulate in response to food images. Adolescent SWLs demonstrated greater neural activation in the DLPFC compared with OW/NW controls when viewing high-energy food stimuli, which may indicate enhanced executive control. OW individuals' brain responses to food stimuli may indicate greater reward incentive processes than either SWL or NW groups. © 2015 The Obesity Society.

EFFECTS OF COMMONLY USED COOKING PRACTICES ON TOTAL MERCURY CONCENTRATION IN FISH AND THEIR IMPACT ON EXPOSURE ASSESSMENTS

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The effects of cooking practices commonly used by Native Americans on total mercury concentrations in fish were investigated. A preparation factor relating mercury concentrations in fish as prepared for consumption to mercury concentration data as measured in typical environmenta...

Data from three prospective longitudinal human cohorts of prenatal marijuana exposure and offspring outcomes from the fetal period through young adulthood

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Gabrielle L. McLemore

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article includes data from three prospective longitudinal human cohorts of prenatal marijuana exposure (PME and offspring outcomes from the fetal period through young adulthood. The table herein contains an overview of the major adverse effects associated with PME from the following human cohorts: (1 The Ottawa Prenatal Prospective Study (OPPS; (2 The Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Study (MHPCD; and (3 The Generation R Study (Gen R. In the OPPS, fetal gestational age was measured and age-appropriate standardized neuropsychological instruments were used to assess neonatal responses, and infant–child and adolescent–young adult cognitive and behavioral skills. In the MHPCD, birth length and weight, neonatal body length, and infant–child sleep, cognition, and behavioral parameters were measured. In the Gen R, birth weight and growth were measured, as were infant–child attention and aggression. The data in this article are in support of our report entitled “Prenatal Cannabis Exposure - The "First Hit" to the Endocannabinoid System” (K.A. Richardson, A.K. Hester, G.L. McLemore, 2016 [13].

The effectiveness of common thermo-regulatory behaviours in a cool temperate grasshopper.

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Harris, Rebecca M B; McQuillan, Peter; Hughes, Lesley

2015-08-01

Behavioural thermoregulation has the potential to alleviate the short-term impacts of climate change on some small ectotherms, without the need for changes to species distributions or genetic adaptation. We illustrate this by measuring the effect of behaviour in a cool temperate species of grasshopper (Phaulacridium vittatum) over a range of spatial and temporal scales in laboratory and natural field experiments. Microhabitat selection at the site scale was tested in free-ranging grasshoppers and related to changing thermal quality over a daily period. Artificial warming experiments were then used to measure the temperature at which common thermoregulatory behaviours are initiated and the subsequent reductions in body temperature. Behavioural means such as timing of activity, choice of substrates with optimum surface temperatures, shade seeking and postural adjustments (e.g. stilting, vertical orientation) were found to be highly effective at maintaining preferred body temperature. The maximum voluntarily tolerated temperature (MVT) was determined to be 44°C±0.4°C, indicating the upper bounds of thermal flexibility in this species. Behavioural thermoregulation effectively enables small ectotherms to regulate exposure to changing environmental temperatures and utilize the spatially and temporally heterogeneous environments they occupy. Species such as the wingless grasshopper, although adapted to cool temperate conditions, are likely to be well equipped to respond successfully to coarse scale climate change. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematics of elliptic flow in heavy-ion collisions

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We analyze elliptic flow from SIS to RHIC energies systematically in a realistic dynamical cascade model. We compare our results with the recent data from STAR and PHOBOS collaborations on elliptic flow of charged particles at midrapidity in Au + Au collisions at RHIC. In the analysis of elliptic flow at RHIC energy, we find ...

Overweight and obesity: overrepresentation in the pediatric reconstructive burn population.

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Mayes, Theresa; Gottschlich, Michele M; Allgeier, Chris; Khoury, Jane; Kagan, Richard J

2010-01-01

Pediatric burn patients are predisposed to excessive weight gain in the reconstructive period, but the cause is unclear. An overweight (OW) or obese (OB) condition is associated with numerous health risks, decreased physical function, and increased morbidity. The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of OW status in reconstructive, pediatric burn patients with the prevalence in the US population. The authors reviewed the records of 1533 pediatric patients, >1 year from acute burn, admitted for an elective reconstructive procedure. Body mass index between 85th and 95th percentile, according to the National Center for Health Statistics for 2000 growth charts, was classified as OW, and body mass index >95th percentile was classified as OB. Frequency of OW and OB and racial disparity was calculated as a percentage of total patients and compared with pediatric data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999 to 2006, a nationally representative sample. The rate of OW and OB was 16.3 and 24.1%, respectively, in the authors' pediatric burn population. White patients had OW and OB rates of 15.9 and 23.6%, respectively, compared with 18.2 and 30.2%, respectively, in black patients. All OW and OB rates were outside the 95% confidence interval of the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey population. The rates of OW and OB in pediatric reconstructive burn patients exceed the US population standard across age and race stratifications. The prevention and treatment of excessive weight gain should be a component of rehabilitation in pediatric burns.

Harsh Parenting and Food Insecurity in Adolescence: The Association With Emerging Adult Obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohman, Brenda J; Gillette, Meghan T; Neppl, Tricia K

2016-07-01

As the first study of its kind, the overall purpose of this article was to examine the relationships and interactions between harsh parenting (HP) and food insecurity (FI) in adolescence on the development of overweight/obesity (OW/OB) in emerging adulthood. Data came from the Iowa Youth and Families Project, a longitudinal study of 451 adolescent youth and their families that began in 1989 in the rural Midwest. Adolescents were aged 13 years at the initial assessment, and weight status in emerging adulthood was measured 10 years later at age 23. Experiencing HP in adolescence predicted greater odds of OW/OB at 23 years old. Higher body mass indexes of the adolescent and his or her father in adolescence also increased the odds of being OW/OB at 23 years. Having parents with higher levels of education lowered the odds of being OW/OB in emerging adulthood. Finally, females who experienced high levels of FI and HP in adolescence had higher odds of OW/OB at 23 years in comparison to males. HP, in combination with FI in adolescence, predicted OW/OB for females in emerging adulthood but not for males. This study contributes to an understanding of the interplay between multiple influences in adolescence: namely, parenting and economic influences. Assessing antecedents to OW/OB in emerging adulthood via multiple pathways provides a more complex understanding of how and why adolescents turn into OW/OB adults. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparison of octanol-water partitioning between organic chemicals and their metabolites in mammals.

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Pirovano, Alessandra; Borile, Nicolò; Jan Hendriks, A

2012-08-01

Bioaccumulation models take various elimination and uptake processes into account, estimating rates from chemical lipophilicity, expressed as the octanol-water partition ratio (K(ow)). Here, we focussed on metabolism, which transforms parent compounds into usually more polar metabolites, thus enhancing elimination. The aim of this study was to quantify the change in lipophilicity of relevant organic pollutants undergoing various biotransformation reactions in mammals. We considered oxidation reactions catalyzed by three enzyme groups: cytochrome P450 (CYP), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Estimated logK(ow) values of a selected dataset of parent compounds were compared with the logK(ow) of their first metabolites. The logK(ow) decreased by a factor that varies between 0 and -2, depending on the metabolic pathway. For reactions mediated by CYP, the decrease in K(ow) was one order of magnitude for hydroxylated and epoxidated compounds and two orders of magnitude for dihydroxylated and sulphoxidated xenobiotics. On the other hand, no significant change in lipophilicity was observed for compounds N-hydroxylated by CYP and for alcohols and aldehydes metabolized by ADH and ALDH. These trends could be anticipated by the calculus method of logK(ow). Yet, they were validated using experimental logK(ow) values, when available. These relationships estimate the extent to which the elimination of pollutants is increased by biotransformation. Thus, the quantification of the K(ow) reduction can be considered as a first necessary step in an alternative approach to anticipate biotransformation rates, which are hard to estimate with existing methods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population and life-stage-specific effects of two herbicide formulations on the aquatic development of European common frogs (Rana temporaria).

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Norman; Veith, Michael; Lötters, Stefan; Viertel, Bruno

2017-01-01

Environmental contamination is suggested to contribute to amphibian population declines. However, the effects of a contaminant on a particular amphibian species can differ among populations. The authors investigated the toxic effects of 2 herbicide formulations on different populations and on representative developmental stages of the European common frog (Rana temporaria). Larvae from forest populations were more sensitive to a commonly used glyphosate-based herbicide compared with individuals from agrarian land. Median lethal concentrations correlated with measured glyphosate levels in the breeding ponds, which may be a sign of evolved tolerances. The reverse result was observed for a less commonly used cycloxydim-based herbicide. Effects of the glyphosate-based herbicide were stronger for earlier larval stages compared with later larval stages. Hence, applications in early spring (when early larvae are present in breeding ponds) pose greater risk concerning acute toxic effects on R. temporaria. With regard to late larval stages, short exposure (96 h) of prometamorphic larvae prolonged time to metamorphosis, but only at the highest test concentration that did not significantly induce mortality. This could be due to impairment of the thyroid axis. Notably, nearly all test concentrations of the 2 herbicides provoked growth retardation. Further research on how evolved or induced tolerances are acquired, actual contamination levels of amphibian habitats, and potential endocrine effects of glyphosate-based herbicides is necessary. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:190-200. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Temperature effects on snapping performance in the common snapper Chelydra serpentina (Reptilia, Testudines).

Science.gov (United States)

Vervust, Bart; Brecko, Jonathan; Herrel, Anthony

2011-01-01

Studies on the effect of temperature on whole-animal performance traits other than locomotion are rare. Here we investigate the effects of temperature on the performance of the turtle feeding apparatus in a defensive context. We measured bite force and the kinematics of snapping in the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) over a wide range of body temperatures. Bite force performance was thermally insensitive over the broad range of temperatures typically experienced by these turtles in nature. In contrast, neck extension (velocity, acceleration, and deceleration) and jaw movements (velocity, acceleration, and deceleration) showed clear temperature dependence with peak acceleration and deceleration capacity increasing with increasing temperatures. Our results regarding the temperature dependence of defensive behavior are reflected by the ecology and overall behavior of this species. These data illustrate the necessity for carefully controlling T(b) when carrying out behavioral and functional studies on turtles as temperature affects the velocity, acceleration, and deceleration of jaw and neck extension movements. More generally, these data add to the limited but increasing number of studies showing that temperature may have important effects on feeding and defensive performance in ectotherms. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Stigmatisation of a Formerly Obese Young Female

Science.gov (United States)

Tucci, Sonia A.; Boyland, Emma J.; Halford, Jason C.G.; Harrold, Joanne A.

2013-01-01

Background Weight loss does not necessarily decrease the negative appraisal of a formerly overweight individual. Since past weight history tends to be disclosed in several contexts, this study aims to investigate whether negative appraisals are gender-specific and if they are modulated by the evaluators’ own BMI. Methods 202 young adults (106 male and 96 female) viewed a picture of a young attractive female (target) accompanied by one of two statements about her past weight (overweight (OW) or always kept a normal weight (NW)), and then rated her using the Fat Phobia Scale (FPS). Results Female evaluators rated the target with the OW statement more negatively than the target with the NW statement. In contrast, males exposed to the OW statement rated the target as having fewer emotional/psychological problems and being less stupid/uncreative. BMI only influenced ratings in males, where those with higher BMI ascribed more negative attributes to the target with the NW statement than the OW statement. Conclusion Information on weight history impacts upon the appraisal of peers. These effects are dependent on gender and BMI. Knowing that a young female was overweight triggered negative evaluations from females but did not appear to impact the judgment of males. PMID:24107842

Stigmatisation of a Formerly Obese Young Female

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonia A. Tucci

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Weight loss does not necessarily decrease the negative appraisal of a formerly overweight individual. Since past weight history tends to be disclosed in several contexts, this study aims to investigate whether negative appraisals are gender-specific and if they are modulated by the evaluators' own BMI. Methods: 202 young adults (106 male and 96 female viewed a picture of a young attractive female (target accompanied by one of two statements about her past weight (overweight (OW or always kept a normal weight (NW, and then rated her using the Fat Phobia Scale (FPS. Results: Female evaluators rated the target with the OW statement more negatively than the target with the NW statement. In contrast, males exposed to the OW statement rated the target as having fewer emotional/psychological problems and being less stupid/uncreative. BMI only influenced ratings in males, where those with higher BMI ascribed more negative attributes to the target with the NW statement than the OW statement. Conclusion: Information on weight history impacts upon the appraisal of peers. These effects are dependent on gender and BMI. Knowing that a young female was overweight triggered negative evaluations from females but did not appear to impact the judgment of males.

Can trans-generational experiments be used to enhance species resilience to ocean warming and acidification?

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Chakravarti, Leela J; Jarrold, Michael D; Gibbin, Emma M; Christen, Felix; Massamba-N'Siala, Gloria; Blier, Pierre U; Calosi, Piero

2016-10-01

Human-assisted, trans-generational exposure to ocean warming and acidification has been proposed as a conservation and/or restoration tool to produce resilient offspring. To improve our understanding of the need for and the efficacy of this approach, we characterized life-history and physiological responses in offspring of the marine polychaete Ophryotrocha labronica exposed to predicted ocean warming (OW: + 3°C), ocean acidification (OA: pH -0.5) and their combination (OWA: + 3°C, pH -0.5), following the exposure of their parents to either control conditions ( within-generational exposure ) or the same conditions ( trans-generational exposure ). Trans-generational exposure to OW fully alleviated the negative effects of within-generational exposure to OW on fecundity and egg volume and was accompanied by increased metabolic activity. While within-generational exposure to OA reduced juvenile growth rates and egg volume, trans-generational exposure alleviated the former but could not restore the latter. Surprisingly, exposure to OWA had no negative impacts within- or trans-generationally. Our results highlight the potential for trans-generational laboratory experiments in producing offspring that are resilient to OW and OA. However, trans-generational exposure does not always appear to improve traits and therefore may not be a universally useful tool for all species in the face of global change.

Learning commons evolution and collaborative essentials

CERN Document Server

Schader, Barbara

2008-01-01

This book examines successfully planned and implemented learning commons at several different academic institutions around the world. These case studies provide a methodology for effective planning, implementation and assessment. Practical information is provided on how to collaborate with campus stakeholders, estimate budgeting and staffing and determine the equipment, hardware and software needs. Also provided are memoranda of understandings (MOUs), planning checklists and assessment tools. This book reflects a unifying focus on both the evolution of learning commons to learning spaces and t

Supplementary data: Wheat k erneldimensions: h ow do they ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

do they contribute to kernelweight at an. individualQ. TL level? Fa. Cui,. Anming. Ding,. Jun. L i,. Chunhua. Zhao,. X ingfeng. L i,. Deshun. Feng,. Xiuqin. W ang,. Lin. W ang,. Jurong. Gao and. Honggang. W ang. J. Genet. 90. ,. 409–425. Ta b le. 1 . Unconditional. Q. TL with significant additive effects for thousand-kernel.

Efficacy of zinc against common cold viruses: an overview.

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Hulisz, Darrell

2004-01-01

To review the laboratory and clinical evidence of the medicinal value of zinc for the treatment of the common cold. Published articles identified through Medline (1980-2003) using the search terms zinc, rhinovirus, and other pertinent subject headings. Additional sources were identified from the bibliographies of the retrieved articles. By the author. By the author. Human rhinoviruses, by attaching to the nasal epithelium via the intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) receptor, cause most colds. Ionic zinc, based on its electrical charge, also has an affinity for ICAM-1 receptor sites and may exert an antiviral effect by attaching to the ICAM-1 receptors in the rhinovirus structure and nasal epithelial cells. Clinical tests of zinc for treatment of common colds have been inconsistent, primarily because of study design, blinding, and lozenge contents. Early formulations of lozenges also were unpalatable. In three trials with similar study designs, methodologies, and efficacy assessments, zinc effectively and significantly shortened the duration of the common cold when it was administered within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. Recent reports of trials with zinc gluconate administered as a nasal gel have supported these findings; in addition, they have shown that treatment with zinc nasal gel is effective in reducing the duration and severity of common cold symptoms in patients with established illness. Clinical trial data support the value of zinc in reducing the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold when administered within 24 hours of the onset of common cold symptoms. Additional clinical and laboratory evaluations are warranted to further define the role of ionic zinc for the prevention and treatment of the common cold and to elucidate the biochemical mechanisms through which zinc exerts its symptom-relieving effects.

An Innovative Rapid Method for Analysis of 10 Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Wheat by HS-SPME-GC-FPD/MSD.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Xin; Ren, YongLin; Beckett, Stephen J

2016-01-01

The rapid detection of pesticide residues in wheat has become a top food security priority. A solvent-free headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) has been evaluated for rapid screening of organophosphorus pesticide (OPP) residues in wheat with high sensitivity. Individual wheat samples (1.7 g), spiked with 10 OPPs, were placed in a 4 mL sealed amber glass vial and heated at 60°C for 45 min. During this time, the OPP residues were extracted with a 50 μm/30 μm divinylbenzene (DVB)/carboxen (CAR)/plasma desorption mass spectroscopy polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber from the headspace above the sample. The fiber was then removed and injected into the GC injection port at 250°C for desorption of the extracted chemicals. The multiple residues were identified by a GC mass spectrometer detector (GC-MSD) and quantified with a GC flame photometric detector (GC-FPD). Seven spiked levels of 10 OPPs on wheat were analyzed. The GC responses for a 50 μm/30 μm DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber increased with increasing spiking levels, yielding significant (R(2) > 0.98) linear regressions. The lowest LODs of the multiple pesticide standards were evaluated under the conditions of the validation study in a range of levels from 0 (control) to 100 ng of pesticide residue per g of wheat that separated on a low-polar GC capillary column (Agilent DB-35UI). The results of the HS-SPME method were compared with the QuEChERS AOAC 2007.01 method and they showed several advantages over the latter. These included improved sensitivity, selectivity, and simplicity.

Gestalt grouping and common onset masking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahan, Todd A; Mathis, Katherine M

2002-11-01

A four-dot mask that surrounds and is presented simultaneously with a briefly presented target will reduce a person's ability to identity that target if the mask persists beyond target offset and attention is divided (Enns & Di Lollo, 1997, 2000). This masking effect, referred to as common onset masking, reflects reentrant processing in the visual system and can best be explained with a theory of object substitution (Di Lollo, Enns, & Rensink, 2000). In the present experiments, we investigated whether Gestalt grouping variables would influence the strength of common onset masking. The results indicated that (1) masking was impervious to grouping by form, similarity of color, position, luminance polarity, and common region and (2) masking increased with the number of elements in the masking display.

Structures for common-cause failure analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaurio, J.K.

1981-01-01

Common-cause failure methodology and terminology have been reviewed and structured to provide a systematical basis for addressing and developing models and methods for quantification. The structure is based on (1) a specific set of definitions, (2) categories based on the way faults are attributable to a common cause, and (3) classes based on the time of entry and the time of elimination of the faults. The failure events are then characterized by their likelihood or frequency and the average residence time. The structure provides a basis for selecting computational models, collecting and evaluating data and assessing the importance of various failure types, and for developing effective defences against common-cause failure. The relationships of this and several other structures are described

Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in fodder and milk samples along Musi river belt, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Korrapati Kotinagu

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Aim: The present study was conducted to find the organochlorine pesticide (OCP and organophosphorus pesticide (OPP residues in fodder and milk samples along Musi river belt, India. Materials and Methods: Fodder and milk samples collected from the six zones of Musi river belt, Hyderabad India were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector for OCP residues and pulsated flame photometric detector for the presence of OPP residues. Results: The gas chromatographic analysis of fodder samples of Zone 5 of Musi river showed the residues of dicofol at concentration of 0.07±0.0007 (0.071-0.077. Among organophosphorus compounds, dimetheoate was present in milk samples collected from Zone 6 at a level of 0.13±0.006 (0.111-0.167. The residues of OCPs, OPPs and cyclodies were below the detection limit in the remaining fodder and milk samples collected from Musi river belt in the present study. Conclusion: The results indicate that the pesticide residues in fodder and milk samples were well below the maximum residue level (MRL values, whereas dicofol in fodder and dimethoate in milk were slightly above the MRL values specified by EU and CODEX.

Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in fodder and milk samples along Musi river belt, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotinagu, Korrapati; Krishnaiah, Nelapati

2015-04-01

The present study was conducted to find the organochlorine pesticide (OCP) and organophosphorus pesticide (OPP) residues in fodder and milk samples along Musi river belt, India. Fodder and milk samples collected from the six zones of Musi river belt, Hyderabad India were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector for OCP residues and pulsated flame photometric detector for the presence of OPP residues. The gas chromatographic analysis of fodder samples of Zone 5 of Musi river showed the residues of dicofol at concentration of 0.07±0.0007 (0.071-0.077). Among organophosphorus compounds, dimetheoate was present in milk samples collected from Zone 6 at a level of 0.13±0.006 (0.111-0.167). The residues of OCPs, OPPs and cyclodies were below the detection limit in the remaining fodder and milk samples collected from Musi river belt in the present study. The results indicate that the pesticide residues in fodder and milk samples were well below the maximum residue level (MRL) values, whereas dicofol in fodder and dimethoate in milk were slightly above the MRL values specified by EU and CODEX.

Dietary effects on fatty acid metabolism of common carp.

Science.gov (United States)

Csengeri, I

1996-01-01

The paper summarises experimental data demonstrating effects of various dietary factors exerting changes in the fatty acid composition and fatty acid metabolism of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Among the dietary factors (1) supplementary feeding in fish ponds, (2) absence of essential fatty acids (EFA) in the diet, (3) starvation, and (4) ration level were studied. It was concluded that supplementary feeding in carp rearing ponds is frequently excessive in the Hungarian carp culture practice, inducing slight EFA-deficiency and enhancing de novo fatty acid synthesis. This latter caused enlarged fat depots with high oleic acid contents in the fish organs and tissues. EFA-deficient diets enhanced the synthesis of oleic acid except when high rate of de novo fatty acid synthesis was suppressed by dietary fatty acids. Feeding EFA-deficient diets caused gradual decrease in the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and gradual increase in that of Mead's acid: 20:3(n-9), an indicator of the EFA-deficiency. At prolonged starvation, polyunsaturated fatty acids of the structural lipids were somehow protected and mainly oleic acid was utilised for energy production. At high ration levels, excessive exogenous polyunsaturates were decomposed, and probably converted to oleic acid or energy. Starvation subsequent to the feeding the fish at various ration levels, reflected adaptive changes in the fatty acid metabolism: Below and above the ration level required for the most efficient feed utilisation for growth, decomposition processes of the fatty acid metabolism were accelerated.

Distinct biological effects of different nanoparticles commonly used in cosmetics and medicine coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Julia X

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Metal oxides in nanoparticle form such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide now appear on the ingredient lists of household products as common and diverse as cosmetics, sunscreens, toothpaste, and medicine. Previous studies of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in non-nanoparticle format using animals have found few adverse effects. This has led the FDA to classify zinc oxide as GRAS (generally recognized as safe for use as a food additive. However, there is no regulation specific for the use of these chemicals in nanoparticle format. Recent studies, however, have begun to raise concerns over the pervasive use of these compounds in nanoparticle forms. Unfortunately, there is a lack of easily-adaptable screening methods that would allow for the detection of their biological effects. Results We adapted two image-based assays, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based caspase activation assay and a green fluorescent protein coupled-LC3 assay, to test for the biological effects of different nanoparticles in a high-throughput format. We show that zinc oxide nanoparticles are cytotoxic. We also show that titanium dioxide nanoparticles are highly effective in inducing autophagy, a cellular disposal mechanism that is often activated when the cell is under stress. Conclusion We suggest that these image-based assays provide a method of screening for the biological effects of similar compounds that is both efficient and sensitive as well as do not involve the use of animals.

Effects of green tea extract and α-tocopherol on the lipid oxidation rate of omega-3 oils, incorporated into table spreads, prepared using multiple emulsion technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dwyer, Sandra P O'; O'Beirne, David; Ní Eidhin, Deirdre; O'Kennedy, Brendan T

2012-12-01

This study examined the effectiveness of fat and water soluble antioxidants on the oxidative stability of omega (ω)-3 rich table spreads, produced using novel multiple emulsion technology. Table spreads were produced by dispersing an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion (500 g/kg 85 camelina/15 fish oil blend) in a hardstock/rapeseed oil blend, using sodium caseinate and polyglycerol polyricinoleate as emulsifiers. The O/W and oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) emulsions contained either a water soluble antioxidant (green tea extract [GTE]), an oil soluble antioxidant (α-Tocopherol), or both. Spreads containing α-Tocopherol had the highest lipid hydroperoxide values, whereas spreads containing GTE had the lowest (P < 0.05), during storage at 5°C, while p-Anisidine values did not differ significantly. Particle size was generally unaffected by antioxidant type (P < 0.05). Double emulsion (O/W/O) structures were clearly seen in confocal images of the spreads. By the end of storage, none of the spreads had significantly different G' values. Firmness (Newtons) of all spreads generally increased during storage (P < 0.05). © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Effect of Common Species of Florida Landscaping Plants on the Efficacy of Attractive Toxic Sugar Baits Against Aedes albopictus.

Science.gov (United States)

Seeger, Kelly E; Scott, Jodi M; Muller, Gunter C; Qualls, Whitney A; Xue, Rui-De

2017-06-01

Attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) was applied to 5 different types of commonly found plants in landscaping of northeastern Florida. The ATSB applications were assessed for possible plant effects and preference against Aedes albopictus in semifield evaluations. Positive and negative controls consisted of plants sprayed with attractive sugar bait (no toxicant) and plants with nothing applied. Bioassays were conducted on stems with leaf clippings and on full plants to assess any difference in mosquito mortality on the different plants. Plants utilized in these evaluations were Indian hawthorne, Yaupon holly, Japanese privet, Loropetalum ruby, and podocarpus. In both assays, no significant difference was observed in the effect of ATSBs on adult female mosquitoes based on the type of plant. ATSB could be applied to common landscape plants for adult Ae. albopictus control.

Effect of various tooth whitening modalities on microhardness, surface roughness and surface morphology of the enamel.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, So Ran; Kurti, Steven R; Oyoyo, Udochukwu; Li, Yiming

2015-09-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of four whitening modalities on surface enamel as assessed with microhardness tester, profilometer, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Whitening was performed according to manufacturer's directions for over-the-counter (OTC), dentist dispensed for home use (HW) and in-office (OW) whitening. Do-it-yourself (DIY) whitening consisted of a strawberry and baking soda mix. Additionally, negative and positive controls were used. A total of 120 enamel specimens were used for microhardness testing at baseline and post-whitening. Following microhardness testing specimens were prepared for SEM observations. A total of 120 enamel specimens were used for surface roughness testing at baseline and post-whitening (n = 20 per group). Rank-based Analysis of Covariance was performed to compare microhardness and surface roughness changes. Tests of hypotheses were two-sided with α = 0.05. There was a significant difference in Knoop hardness changes (ΔKHN) among the groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, p whitening modalities-DIY, OTC, HW and OW induced minimal surface morphology changes when observed with SEM. It can be concluded that none of the four whitening modalities adversely affected enamel surface morphology. However, caution should be advised when using a DIY regimen as it may affect enamel microhardness and an OTC product as it has the potential to increase surface roughness.

Overweight and Obesity among Preschool Children from Fars Province of Iran: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassanzadeh-Rostami, Zahra; Kavosi, Elham; Nasihatkon, Aliasghar

2016-01-01

The global prevalence of overweight and obesity had risen in recent decades, and obesity is taken into consideration as a public health concern and a major risk factor of common chronic disease. The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to identify its underlying factors among children 2-6 yr of age in Fars Province, southern Iran. A total of 8911 children, aged 2-6 yr age, were selected thorough multi-stage sampling in 30 cities of Fars Province in 2012-13. Overweight and obesity status was assessed through comparison by standard BMI for age and for sex percentiles (NCHS/CDC). In addition, socio-demographic measures obtained from structured questionnaire were compared between normal and overweight plus obese (ow/ob) groups. We used backward stepwise Logistic Regression, Chi-square and Independent sample t-test to relate the underlying factors to the nutritional indices. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 5.7% (95% CI: 5.2%, 6.1%) and 5.2% (95% CI: 4.7%, 5.6%), respectively. The ow/ob was significantly correlated with male sex, urbanization, type of father's occupation, universal education of mothers, the higher birth weight, low access to household facilities, and not using health-care services (P<0.05). Besides, the logistic regression analysis showed urbanization (OR=1.46, CI: 1.26, 1.70), second sibling (OR=1.183, CI: 1.00, 1.39), and less access to a variety of food groups (OR=1.32, CI: 1.05, 1.65) as ow/ob risk factors. The rate of overweight and obesity in the study population is at an alarming level. Therefore, a preventive program is needed to control ow/ob since early childhood considering the underlying factors for each region and individual groups.

Inhibitory effect of common microfluidic materials on PCR outcome

KAUST Repository

Kodzius, Rimantas

2012-02-20

compatibility of various materials commonly used while producing microfluidic devices is also pertinent and beneficial to other enzymatic reactions in microfluidic devices. Most PCR-friendly materials exhibit similar signals regardless of the inclusion or not of BSA in the PCR mixture; these materials are PP, PTFE, PDMS, wax (Tm 80°C), SiO2 quartz, pyrex and soda-lime glasses, NOA68, and mineral oil. Our results showed that there was near total adsorption of template DNA when the wax (Tm 60°C) was used (RBI = 9.2×101). In contrast, when NOA61, mineral oil and acrylic glue materials were employed, significant adsorption occurred (RBI < 1.5×103). The polymerase-inhibition experiments indicate that following materials do not have strong effects (RBI > 1.1×103) on polymerase: PC, PP, PTFE, PDMS, silicon with a layer of 560 nm SiO2, SiO2 quartz, pyrex, and soda-lime glass. Slight polymerase inhibition (RBI < 9.2×102) was observed with PMMA, PVC, waxes (Tm 56°C and 80°C), silicon, and NOA68. A very strong or near total inhibition (RBI < 1.8×102) was observed with wax (Tm 60°C), ITO glass, SU-8, NOA61, metal tubes, mineral oil, epoxy, and the acrylic glues. \\tOur results show that material selection for microfluidic PCR chips, which are characterized by large SAVR, is a vital part of optimizing PCR outcome. This study of the inhibitory effect of various common microfluidics materials has provided a new rapid testing method using only a PCR cycler, and it has confirmed and expanded the list of tested materials. The type of PCR compatibility test enables the most effectual choice of materials for use in biology-related experiments.

Antivirulence effects of pomegranate peel extracts on most common urinary tract infection pathogens in pregnant women

OpenAIRE

Wafaa Sadeq Al-Wazni; Bashair Sami Hadi

2016-01-01

Objective This study includes the investigation of antibacterial and antivirulence activities of three types of pomegranate peel extracts and then determines the interaction between the extracts and antibiotic in vitro. Methods The ability of most common isolated bacteria from urinary tract infection (UTI) to produce different virulence factors were tested and the effect of plant extracts on virulence factors were determined; in addition the correlation between extracts and antibioti...

A General Solution Framework for Component-Commonality Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nils Boysen

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Component commonality - the use of the same version of a component across multiple products - is being increasingly considered as a promising way to offer high external variety while retaining low internal variety in operations. However, increasing commonality has both positive and negative cost effects, so that optimization approaches are required to identify an optimal commonality level. As components influence to a greater or lesser extent nearly every process step along the supply chain, it is not surprising that a multitude of diverging commonality problems is being investigated in literature, each of which are developing a specific algorithm designed for the respective commonality problem being considered. The paper on hand aims at a general framework which is flexible and efficient enough to be applied to a wide range of commonality problems. Such a procedure based on a two-stage graph approach is presented and tested. Finally, flexibility of the procedure is shown by customizing the framework to account for different types of commonality problems.

Adsorption of Selected Pharmaceutical Compounds onto Activated Carbon in Dilute Aqueous Solutions Exemplified by Acetaminophen, Diclofenac, and Sulfamethoxazole

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, E.-E.; Wan, Jan-Chi; Liang, Chung-Huei; Dai, Yung-Dun; Chiang, Pen-Chi

2015-01-01

The adsorption of three pharmaceuticals, namely, acetaminophen, diclofenac, and sulfamethoxazole onto granular activated carbon (GAC), was investigated. To study competitive adsorption, both dynamic and steady-state adsorption experiments were conducted by careful selection of pharmaceuticals with various affinities and molecular size. The effective diffusion coefficient of the adsorbate was increased with decease in particle size of GAC. The adsorption affinity represented as Langmuir was consistent with the ranking of the octanol-water partition coefficient, K ow. The adsorption behavior in binary or tertiary systems could be described by competition adsorption. In the binary system adsorption replacement occurred, under which the adsorbate with the smaller K ow was replaced by the one with larger K ow. Results also indicated that portion of the micropores could be occupied only by the small target compound, but not the larger adsorbates. In multiple-component systems the competition adsorption might significantly be affected by the macropores and less by the meso- or micropores. PMID:26078989

Toxic effects, bioconcentration and depuration of verapamil in the early life stages of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steinbach, Christoph, E-mail: steinbach@frov.jcu.cz [Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, South Bohemian Research Centre of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, CZ-38925 Vodnany (Czech Republic); Fedorova, Ganna [Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, South Bohemian Research Centre of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, CZ-38925 Vodnany (Czech Republic); Prokes, Miroslav [Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Kvetna 8, 603 65 Brno (Czech Republic); Grabicova, Katerina; Machova, Jana; Grabic, Roman; Valentova, Olga; Kroupova, Hana Kocour [Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, South Bohemian Research Centre of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, CZ-38925 Vodnany (Czech Republic)

2013-09-01

Verapamil is a pharmaceutical that belongs to a group of calcium channel blockers and is mainly used as a treatment of angina pectoris and arterial hypertension. Verapamil has been detected in aquatic environments in concentrations ranging from ng L{sup −1} to μg L{sup −1}. In the present study, a series of acute toxicity tests of verapamil on various developmental stages of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were conducted. As a result, 96hLC{sub 50} values of verapamil were estimated at 16.4 ± 9.2, 7.3 ± 1.5 and 4.8 ± 0.2 mg L{sup −1} for embryos (E5–E9) and common carp larvae L2 and L5, respectively. Lethal concentrations of verapamil decreased with an increase in the age of the fish. Acute exposure to verapamil significantly reduced the heart rate in the embryos and larvae. In an embryo-larval toxicity test (sub-chronic exposure), the bioconcentration, depuration, and toxic effects of verapamil were assessed in common carp. The fish were exposed to verapamil in a concentration of 0.463 (environmentally relevant), 4.63, 46.3 and 463 μg L{sup −1}. Verapamil had no effect on the accumulated mortality, hatching, condition factor, growth or ontogeny of the fish in any of the tested concentrations. In carp exposed to 463 and 46.3 μg L{sup −1} of verapamil, significantly higher occurrences of malformations and edemas were observed compared to the control. The bioconcentration factor of verapamil in whole fish homogenates ranged between 6.6 and 16.6 and was therefore below the critical value for hazard substances (BCF > 500). The half-life and the 95% depuration time for the tested compound were estimated to be 10.2 ± 1.6 days and 44.2 ± 8.6 days, respectively. No effects of verapamil on the studied endpoints were observed at environmentally relevant concentrations. - Highlights: • Study of the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of verapamil on early-life stages of common carp. • Acute exposure to verapamil reduced the heart rate in early-life stages of

Toxic effects, bioconcentration and depuration of verapamil in the early life stages of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinbach, Christoph; Fedorova, Ganna; Prokes, Miroslav; Grabicova, Katerina; Machova, Jana; Grabic, Roman; Valentova, Olga; Kroupova, Hana Kocour

2013-01-01

Verapamil is a pharmaceutical that belongs to a group of calcium channel blockers and is mainly used as a treatment of angina pectoris and arterial hypertension. Verapamil has been detected in aquatic environments in concentrations ranging from ng L −1 to μg L −1 . In the present study, a series of acute toxicity tests of verapamil on various developmental stages of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were conducted. As a result, 96hLC 50 values of verapamil were estimated at 16.4 ± 9.2, 7.3 ± 1.5 and 4.8 ± 0.2 mg L −1 for embryos (E5–E9) and common carp larvae L2 and L5, respectively. Lethal concentrations of verapamil decreased with an increase in the age of the fish. Acute exposure to verapamil significantly reduced the heart rate in the embryos and larvae. In an embryo-larval toxicity test (sub-chronic exposure), the bioconcentration, depuration, and toxic effects of verapamil were assessed in common carp. The fish were exposed to verapamil in a concentration of 0.463 (environmentally relevant), 4.63, 46.3 and 463 μg L −1 . Verapamil had no effect on the accumulated mortality, hatching, condition factor, growth or ontogeny of the fish in any of the tested concentrations. In carp exposed to 463 and 46.3 μg L −1 of verapamil, significantly higher occurrences of malformations and edemas were observed compared to the control. The bioconcentration factor of verapamil in whole fish homogenates ranged between 6.6 and 16.6 and was therefore below the critical value for hazard substances (BCF > 500). The half-life and the 95% depuration time for the tested compound were estimated to be 10.2 ± 1.6 days and 44.2 ± 8.6 days, respectively. No effects of verapamil on the studied endpoints were observed at environmentally relevant concentrations. - Highlights: • Study of the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of verapamil on early-life stages of common carp. • Acute exposure to verapamil reduced the heart rate in early-life stages of common carp. • The

Back to the basics: identifying positive youth development as the theoretical framework for a youth drug prevention program in rural Saskatchewan, Canada amidst a program evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dell, Colleen Anne; Duncan, Charles Randy; DesRoches, Andrea; Bendig, Melissa; Steeves, Megan; Turner, Holly; Quaife, Terra; McCann, Chuck; Enns, Brett

2013-10-22

Despite endorsement by the Saskatchewan government to apply empirically-based approaches to youth drug prevention services in the province, programs are sometimes delivered prior to the establishment of evidence-informed goals and objectives. This paper shares the 'preptory' outcomes of our team's program evaluation of the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region Mental Health and Addiction Services' Outreach Worker Service (OWS) in eight rural, community schools three years following its implementation. Before our independent evaluation team could assess whether expectations of the OWS were being met, we had to assist with establishing its overarching program goals and objectives and 'at-risk' student population, alongside its alliance with an empirically-informed theoretical framework. A mixed-methods approach was applied, beginning with in-depth focus groups with the OWS staff to identify the program's goals and objectives and targeted student population. These were supplemented with OWS and school administrator interviews and focus groups with school staff. Alignment with a theoretical focus was determined though a review of the OWS's work to date and explored in focus groups between our evaluation team and the OWS staff and validated with the school staff and OWS and school administration. With improved understanding of the OWS's goals and objectives, our evaluation team and the OWS staff aligned the program with the Positive Youth Development theoretical evidence-base, emphasizing the program's universality, systems focus, strength base, and promotion of assets. Together we also gained clarity about the OWS's definition of and engagement with its 'at-risk' student population. It is important to draw on expert knowledge to develop youth drug prevention programming, but attention must also be paid to aligning professional health care services with a theoretically informed evidence-base for evaluation purposes. If time does not permit for the establishment of

How well do commonly used data presentation formats support comparative effectiveness evaluations?

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, James G; Qian, Feng; Veazie, Peter J

2012-01-01

Good decisions depend on an accurate understanding of the comparative effectiveness of decision alternatives. The best way to convey data needed to support these comparisons is unknown. To determine how well 5 commonly used data presentation formats convey comparative effectiveness information. The study was an Internet survey using a factorial design. Participants consisted of 279 members of an online survey panel. Study participants compared outcomes associated with 3 hypothetical screening test options relative to 5 possible outcomes with probabilities ranging from 2 per 5000 (0.04%) to 500 per 1000 (50%). Data presentation formats included a table, a "magnified" bar chart, a risk scale, a frequency diagram, and an icon array. Outcomes included the number of correct ordinal judgments regarding the more likely of 2 outcomes, the ratio of perceived versus actual relative likelihoods of the paired outcomes, the intersubject consistency of responses, and perceived clarity. The mean number of correct ordinal judgments was 12 of 15 (80%), with no differences among data formats. On average, there was a 3.3-fold difference between perceived and actual likelihood ratios (95% confidence interval = 3.0-3.6). Comparative judgments based on flowcharts, icon arrays, and tables were all significantly more accurate and consistent than those based on risk scales and bar charts (P charts, and flow diagrams. None of the data presentation formats studied can reliably provide patients, especially those with low subjective numeracy, with an accurate understanding of comparative effectiveness information.

Lipid–water partition coefficients and correlations with uptakes by algae of organic compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hung, Wei-Nung [Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 30011, Taiwan (China); Chiou, Cary T., E-mail: carychio@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Environment Research Laboratory, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 (United States); Lin, Tsair-Fuh, E-mail: tflin@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Environment Research Laboratory, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

2014-08-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Partition coefficients of contaminants with lipid triolein (K{sub tw}) are measured. • Measured K{sub tw} values are nearly the same as the respective K{sub ow}. • Sorption of the contaminants to a dry algal powder is similarly measured. • Algal uptake of a compound occurs primarily by partition into the algal lipid. - Abstract: In view of the scarcity of the lipid–water partition coefficients (K{sub tw}) for organic compounds, the log K{sub tw} values for many environmental contaminants were measured using ultra-pure triolein as the model lipid. Classes of compounds studied include alkyl benzenes, halogenated benzenes, short-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides. In addition to log K{sub tw} determination, the uptakes of these compounds from water by a dry algal species were measured to evaluate the lipid effect on the algal uptake. The measured log K{sub tw} are closely related to their respective log K{sub ow} (octanol–water), with log K{sub ow} = 1.9 to 6.5. A significant difference is observed between the present and early measured log K{sub tw} for compounds with log K{sub ow} > ∼5, which is attributed to the presence and absence of a triolein microemulsion in water affecting the solute partitioning. The observed lipid-normalized algae–water distribution coefficients (log K{sub aw/lipid}) are virtually identical to the respective log K{sub tw} values, which manifests the dominant lipid-partition effect of the compounds with algae.

Water flow at all scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sand-Jensen, K.

2006-01-01

Continuous water fl ow is a unique feature of streams and distinguishes them from all other ecosystems. The main fl ow is always downstream but it varies in time and space and can be diffi cult to measure and describe. The interest of hydrologists, geologists, biologists and farmers in water fl ow......, and its physical impact, depends on whether the main focus is on the entire stream system, the adjacent fi elds, the individual reaches or the habitats of different species. It is important to learn how to manage fl ow at all scales, in order to understand the ecology of streams and the biology...

Toward Design, Modelling and Analysis of Dynamic Workflow Reconfigurations - A Process Algebra Perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazzara, M.; Abouzaid, F.; Dragoni, Nicola

2011-01-01

This paper describes a case study involving the dynamic re- conguration of an oce work ow. We state the requirements on a sys- tem implementing the work ow and its reconguration, and describe the system's design in BPMN. We then use an asynchronous -calculus and Web1 to model the design and to ve......This paper describes a case study involving the dynamic re- conguration of an oce work ow. We state the requirements on a sys- tem implementing the work ow and its reconguration, and describe the system's design in BPMN. We then use an asynchronous -calculus and Web1 to model the design...

Investigation into the effect of common factors on rolling resistance of belt conveyor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Yan

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Since indentation rolling resistance accounts for the major part of total resistance of belt conveyor, it is important to compute it using a proper method during the design and application study of the belt conveyor. First, an approximate formula for computing the indentation rolling resistance is offered. In this formula, a one-dimensional Winkler foundation and a three-parameter viscoelastic Maxwell solid model of the belt backing material are used to determine the resistance to motion of a conveyor belt over idlers. With the help of this formula, the authors analyze the effect of common factors on the rolling resistance. Finally, experiments are carried out under certain condition compared with theoretical analysis. A reasonable correlation exists between the experimental results and the theoretical formulae.

Effect in field of the native strain COL6 of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae on common bean cv. Percal in Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klever Iván Granda-Mora

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Inoculation with selected Rhizobium strains of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. contributes to the agricultural yield of this legume, improves soil fertility and reduces the use of nitrogen fertilizers in sustainable agricultural systems. The research aimed to determine the effect in field of the native strain Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae COL6 on growth, N fixation and agricultural yield in common bean cv. Percal. A field trial was carried out to evaluate the parameters of nodulation, biomass, nitrogen fixation, yield components and agricultural yield in common bean. In addition, soil analyzes were performed before and after experimentation. Prior to planting an inoculant was formulated with the strain COL6. The seeds of cv. Percal were mixed in 250 g inoculant per 10 kg of seed and it was sown manually in the soil. The results of growth, N fixation (total N % and agricultural yield demonstrated the positive effect of inoculation with the bacterial inoculant comparable with chemical fertilizers. The increase in agricultural yield with bacterial inoculant application and chemical fertilization with respect to control was 62 and 64 %, respectively. The results of the soil analysis were variable with respect to the initial physical-chemical characteristics. The promising results of bacterial inoculant use and the effective stimulation in common bean, open the doors for its potential use in Ecuadorian soils and with that the desired potential yield can be reached.

The Effect of Aromatherapy on Insomnia and Other Common Symptoms Among Patients With Acute Leukemia

Science.gov (United States)

Blackburn, Lisa; Achor, Sara; Allen, Betty; Bauchmire, Nicole; Dunnington, Danielle; Klisovic, Rebecca; Naber, Steven; Roblee, Kirsten; Samczak, Angela; Tomlinson-Pinkham, Kelly; Chipps, Esther

2017-07-01

To determine if the use of aromatherapy improves insomnia and other common symptoms in hospitalized patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia. A randomized, crossover, washout trial. An inpatient acute leukemia unit at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard L. Solove Research Institute of the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University in Columbus. 50 patients who were newly diagnosed with acute leukemia and hospitalized to receive their initial four weeks of intensive induction chemotherapy. Patients were offered a choice of three scents to be used during the trial: lavender, peppermint, or chamomile. Each patient was randomized to receive either the chosen aromatherapy intervention or a placebo intervention during alternate weeks, with a washout period in between. Sleep quality and other common symptoms were measured. Aromatherapy, sleep, insomnia, pain, tiredness, drowsiness, nausea, lack of appetite, shortness of breath, depression, anxiety, and well-being. Most patients reported poor quality sleep at baseline, but aromatherapy had a statistically significant positive impact. Improvements were noted in tiredness, drowsiness, lack of appetite, depression, anxiety, and well-being because of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a viable intervention for improving insomnia and other symptoms commonly experienced by patients with acute leukemia. Oncology nurses can employ aromatherapy safely and inexpensively, and with minimal training, as an effective tool in decreasing many symptoms that plague patients with leukemia. Patients can exercise a greater sense of control over their treatment environments through the use of aromatherapy.

The effect of the glycaemic response of three commonly consumed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2015-06-30

Jun 30, 2015 ... classifying glycaemic response to carbohydrate-containing foods. The GI is defined as ... of conducting this study was to evaluate the glycaemic response of some commonly ... basis was determined according to the Association of Analytic ... medical laboratory scientist using the glucose oxidation method.

Fate of pharmaceutical compounds in hydroponic mesocosms planted with Scirpus validus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Dong Qing; Gersberg, Richard M.; Hua, Tao; Zhu, Junfei; Goyal, Manish Kumar; Ng, Wun Jern; Tan, Soon Keat

2013-01-01

A systematic approach to assess the fate of selected pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, naproxen, diclofenac, clofibric acid and caffeine) in hydroponic mesocosms is described. The overall objective was to determine the kinetics of depletion (from solution) and plant uptake for these compounds in mesocosms planted with S. validus growing hydroponically. The potential for translocation of these pharmaceuticals from the roots to the shoots was also assessed. After 21 days of incubation, nearly all of the caffeine, naproxen and diclofenac were eliminated from solution, whereas carbamazepine and clofibric acid were recalcitrant to both photodegradation and biodegradation. The fact that the BAFs for roots for carbamazepine and clofibric acid were greater than 5, while the BAFs for naproxen, diclofenac and caffeine were less than 5, implied that the latter two compounds although recalcitrant to biodegradation, still had relatively high potential for plant uptake. Naproxen was sensitive to both photodegradation (30–42%) and biodegradation (>50%), while diclofenac was particularly sensitive (>70%) to photodegradation alone. No significant correlations (p > 0.05) were found between the rate constants of depletion or plant tissue levels of the pharmaceuticals and either log K ow or log D ow . -- Highlights: •All of pharmaceuticals were removed from solution efficiently after 21 d of incubation. •Effects of photodegradation and biodegradation on pharmaceutical removal were studied. •The pharmaceutical concentrations in the plant tissues were detected. •No correlation was found between pharmaceutical levels in plant tissues and log K ow or log D ow . •Log K ow is the most significant parameter for predicting pharmaceutical levels. -- All the tested pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, naproxen, diclofenac, clofibric acid and caffeine) were efficiently removed from nutrient solution

Effect of subinhibitory concentrations of four commonly used biocides on the conjugative transfer of Tn916 in Bacillus subtilis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seier-Petersen, Maria Amalie; Jasni, A.; Aarestrup, Frank Møller

2014-01-01

Objectives Large amounts of biocides are used to reduce and control bacterial growth in the healthcare sector, food production and agriculture. This work explores the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of four commonly used biocides (ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine digluconate...

Wound healing trajectories in burn patients and their impact on mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Nitzschke, Stephanie L; Aden, James K; Serio-Melvin, Maria L; Shingleton, Sarah K; Chung, Kevin K; Waters, J A; King, Booker T; Burns, Christopher J; Lundy, Jonathan B; Salinas, José; Wolf, Steven E; Cancio, Leopoldo C

2014-01-01

The rate of wound healing and its effect on mortality has not been well described. The objective of this article is to report wound healing trajectories in burn patients and analyze their effects on in-hospital mortality. The authors used software (WoundFlow) to depict burn wounds, surgical results, and healing progression at multiple time points throughout admission. Data for all patients admitted to the intensive care unit with ≥ 20% TBSA burned were collected retrospectively. The open wound size (OWS), which includes both unhealed burns and unhealed donor sites, was measured. We calculated the rate of wound closure (healing rate), which we defined as the change in OWS/time. We also determined the time delay (DAYS) from day of burn until day on which there was a reduction in OWS healing (H), and 13 did not (NH). H differed from NH on age (38 years [32-57] vs 63 [51-74]), body mass index (27 [21-28] vs 32 [19-52]), 24-hour fluid resuscitation (12 L [10-16] vs 18 [15-20]), pressors during first 48 hours (72% vs 100%), use of renal replacement therapy (32% vs 92%), and mortality (4% vs 100%). Repeated measures analysis of covariance showed a significant difference between survivors and nonsurvivors on OWS as a function of time (Phealing rate (+2%/day) after postburn day 20 had 100% survival whereas those with a negative healing rate (-2%/day) had 100% mortality. For H patients, median DAYS was 41 (28-54); median DAYS/TBSA was 1.3 (1.0-1.9). Survivors had a 0.62% drop in OWS/day, or 4.3%/week. In this cohort of patients with ≥ 20% TBSA, there was a difference in mortality after postburn day 20, between patients with a positive healing rate (+2%/day, 100% survival) and those with a negative healing rate (-2%/day, 100% mortality, P < .05).

The relative biological effectiveness of radiations of different quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

This paper is a review of the literature relevant to the selection of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values for use in arriving at values of the quality factor (Q). Emphasis is placed on response to small ( M . In a wide variety of systems, the RBE M for fast (fission) neutrons, with low doses and dose rates, appears to be of the order of 20 or more compared to moderately filtered 250 kVp x rays and 40 or more compared to higher energy gamma rays. These values, which are much larger than those observed with large doses delivered at high dose rates, are due mainly, but not entirely, to a decrease in the slope of the curve for the ow-LET reference radiation at low dose

Prediction of microwave absorption properties of tetrapod-needle zinc oxide whisker radar absorbing material without prior knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yu-Chen; Wang, Jie; Liu, Jiang-Fan; Song, Zhong-Guo; Xi, Xiao-Li

2017-07-01

The radar absorbing material (RAM) containing a tetrapod-needle zinc oxide whisker (T-ZnOw) has been proved to have good efficiency of microwave absorption. However, the available theoretical models, which are intended to predict the microwave absorbing properties of such an interesting composite, still cannot work well without some prior knowledge, like the measured effective electromagnetic parameters of the prepared T-ZnOw composite. Hence, we propose a novel predictive method here to calculate the reflectivity of T-ZnOw RAM without prior knowledge. In this method, the absorbing ability of this kind of material is divided into three main aspects: the unstructured background, the conductive network, and the nanostructured particle. Then, the attenuation properties of these three parts are represented, respectively, by three different approaches: the equivalent spherical particle and the static strong fluctuation theory, the equivalent circuit model obtained from the complex impedance spectra technology, and the combination of four different microscopic electromagnetic responses. The operational calculation scheme can be obtained by integrating these three absorption effects into the existing theoretical attenuation model. The reasonable agreement between the theoretical and experimental data of a T-ZnON/SiO2 composite in the range of 8-14 GHz shows that the proposed scheme can predict the microwave absorption properties of the T-ZnOw RAM. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of these three mechanisms indicates that, on the one hand, the background plays a dominant role in determining the real part of the effective permittivity of the T-ZnOw composite while the network and the particle are the decisive factors of its material loss; on the other hand, an zero-phase impedance, i.e., a pure resistance, with appropriate resonance characteristic might be a rational physical description of the attenuation property of the conductive network, but it is difficult to realize

OW CCMP Ocean Surface Wind

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP) Ocean Surface Wind Vector Analyses (Atlas et al., 2011) provide a consistent, gap-free long-term time-series of monthly...

OW ASCAT Ocean Surface Winds

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) sensor onboard the EUMETSAT MetOp polar-orbiting satellite provides ocean surface wind observations by means of radar...

Temperature profiles from MBT casts from the CAMPBELL from Ocean Weather Station B (OWS-B), C (OWS-C), D (OWS-D), E (OWS-E), and H (OWS-H) in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1953-10-23 to 1966-11-08 (NODC Accession 7500359)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Bathythermograph data were collected from the CAMPBELL within a 1-mile radius of Ocean Weather Station B (5630N 05100W), C (5245N 03530W), D (4400N 04100W), E (3500N...

Evaluation of stir-bar sorptive extraction coupled with thermal desorption GC-MS for the detection of leachables from polymer single use systems to drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Nicole; Marcseková, Klaudia; Posset, Tobias; Winter, Gerhard

2018-04-15

Stir-bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) in combination with thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) is widely accepted as the gold-standard analysis method for trace amounts of organic substances, including leachables in aqueous matrices. Meanwhile, as far as pharmaceutical quality control in protein-based parenteral drugs is concerned, the use of SBSE analysis remains unexplored. Previous studies reported a strong influence of the matrix on the method's recovery. The scope of the present work was to fill in the unexplored territory in a threefold manner 1) by quantifying the effects that various matrices commonly found in pharmaceutical processing have on the recovery, 2) by comparing between different coating materials for stir bar (namely between polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material and ethylene-glycol (EG)-PDMS), and 3) by proposing a preparation step for stir-bar to mitigate inhibitory effects. The current study shows no inhibition of SBSE by protein matrices (p > 0.15). Further the influence of various drug matrices on the recovery of leachables with a log K o/w  ≥ 3.6 is negligible (-3.9 to 3.8%). In contrast, the inhibition effect caused by an alkaline media led to a recovery decrease of -42.9%. For leachables with a log K o/w   0.992). On average, the conventional PDMS coating resulted in a 28-fold higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to EG-PDMS. Furthermore, a broader range of leachables was detectable with the PDSM coating. Preceding stir-bar preparation consisting of a simple soaking step improved the enrichment by 14%, effectively lowering the limit of detection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dithiocarbamates have a common toxic effect on zebrafish body axis formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tilton, Fred; La Du, Jane K.; Vue, Meng; Alzarban, Noor; Tanguay, Robert L.

2006-01-01

We previously determined that the dithiocarbamate pesticide sodium metam (NaM) and its active ingredient methylisothiocyanate (MITC) were developmentally toxic causing notochord distortions in the zebrafish. In this study, developing zebrafish were exposed to isothiocyanates (ITCs), dithiocarbamates (DTCs) and several degradation products to determine the teratogenic relationship of these chemical classes at the molecular level. All dithiocarbamates tested elicited notochord distortions with notochord NOELs from 2 ), a common DTC degradate, also caused distortions at concentrations >200 times the DTCs. Whole mount in situ hybridization of developmental markers for collagen (collagen2a1), muscle (myoD), and body axis formation (no tail) was perturbed well after cessation of treatment with pyrolidine-DTC (PDTC), dimethyl-DTC (DMDTC), NaM, MITC, and CS 2 . Therefore, distinct albeit related chemical classes share a common toxic effect on zebrafish notochord development. To test the responsiveness of the distortion to metal perturbation, five metal chelators and 2 metals were studied. The membrane permeable copper chelator neocuproine (NCu) was found to cause notochord distortions similar to DTC-related molecules. DMDTC and NCu treated animals were protected with copper, and collagen 2a1 and no tail gene expression patterns were identical to controls in these animals. PDTC, NaM, MITC, and CS 2 were not responsive to copper indicating that the chelation of metals is not the primary means by which these molecules elicit their developmental toxicity. Embryos treated with DMDTC, NaM, and NCu were rescued by adding triciaine (MS-222) which abolishes the spontaneous muscle contractions that begin at 18 hpf. In these animals, only collagen 2a1 expression showed a similar pattern to the other notochord distorting molecules. This indicates that the perturbation of no tail expression is in response to the muscle contractions distorting the notochord, while collagen 2a1 is

The effects of common footwear on stance-phase mechanical properties of the prosthetic foot-shoe system.

Science.gov (United States)

Major, Matthew J; Scham, Joel; Orendurff, Michael

2018-04-01

Prosthetic feet are prescribed based on their mechanical function and user functional level. Subtle changes to the stiffness and hysteresis of heel, midfoot, and forefoot regions can influence the dynamics and economy of gait in prosthesis users. However, the user's choice of shoes may alter the prosthetic foot-shoe system mechanical characteristics, compromising carefully prescribed and rigorously engineered performance of feet. Observe the effects of footwear on the mechanical properties of the prosthetic foot-shoe system including commonly prescribed prosthetic feet. Repeated-measures, Mechanical characterization. The stiffness and energy return was measured using a hydraulic-driven materials test machine across combinations of five prosthetic feet and four common shoes as well as a barefoot condition. Heel energy return decreased by an average 4%-9% across feet in all shoes compared to barefoot, with a cushioned trainer displaying the greatest effect. Foot designs that may improve perceived stability by providing low heel stiffness and rapid foot-flat were compromised by the addition of shoes. Shoes altered prosthesis mechanical characteristics in the sagittal and frontal planes, suggesting that shoe type should be controlled or reported in research comparing prostheses. Understanding of how different shoes could alter certain gait-related characteristics of prostheses may aid decisions on footwear made by clinicians and prosthesis users. Clinical relevance Shoes can alter function of the prosthetic foot-shoe system in unexpected and sometimes undesirable ways, often causing similar behavior across setups despite differences in foot design, and prescribing clinicians should carefully consider these effects on prosthesis performance.

Simulation of a 3D unsteady flow in an axial turbine stage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Straka Petr

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The contribution deals with a numerical simulation of an unsteady flow in an axial turbine stage. The solution is performed using an in-house numerical code developed in the Aeronautical and Test Institute, Plc. in Prague. The numerical code is based on a finite volume discretization of governing equations (Favre averaged Navier-Stokes equations and a two-equations turbulence model. The temporal integration is based on the implicit second-order backward Euler formula, which is realized through the iteration process in dual time. The proposed numerical method is used for solution of the 3D, unsteady, viscous turbulent flow of a perfect gas in the axial turbine stage. The flow path consists of an input nozzle, stator blade-wheel, rotor blade-wheel, a shroud-seal gap and a diffuser. Attention is paid to the influence of a secondary flow structures, such as generated vortices and flow in shroud-seal gap.

Improvements of the cash-flow statement control function in financial reporting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Metka Duhovnik

2008-06-01

Full Text Available On the basis of deductive considerations applying professional judgement, the article focuses on the additional value of accounting information that can be given to the users of fi nancial statements by a properly prepared statement of cash fl ows. It is based on the fi nding that the professional literature is inconsistent in distinguishing liquidity and profi tability information, and consequently also in distinguishing between the ratios calculated on that basis. It therefore stimulates an improvement in the quality of accounting information with a direct statement of cash fl ows, based on tracing instead of calculating the actual cash fl ow. On the basis of fi nancial statements, including a direct statement of cash fl ows, the ratio analysis of fi nancial statements should be approached from both aspects of profi tability and cash return. The cash fl ow ratios would serve as a control mechanism over the assumptions used when preparing the balance sheet and income statement within the chosen financial reporting framework.

Synthesis of Mg(OH)2, MgO, and Mg nanoparticles using laser ablation of magnesium in water and solvents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tran, P.X.; Howard, B.H.; Martello, D.V.; Soong, Y.; Chyu, M.K.

2008-01-01

laser ablation of magnesium in deionized water (OW), solutions of OW and sodium dodecyl sulfate (50S) with different concentrations, acetone and 2-propanol has been conducted, The results showed that ablation in acetone and 2-propanol yielded MgO and Mg nanocrystallites as isolated particles and agglomerated chains probably intermixed with organic residues resulting from the alterationj decomposition of the solvents under the high-energy conditions. Brucite-like Mg(OH)2 particles were mainly produced by laser ablation of Mg in either OW or OW~SOS solutions. Ablation in OW yielded particles of fiber-like shapes having a diameter of about 5-lOnm and length as long as 150nm. Materials produced in DW-SOS solutions were composed of various size and shape particles, Some had rough surfaces with irregular shapes. Small particles were about 20-30nm and larger particles were about 120 nm. Particles with rod-like, triangular, and plate-like shapes were also observed.

Biodegradation and bioremediation potential of diazinon-degrading Serratia marcescens to remove other organophosphorus pesticides from soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Cycoń, Mariusz; Żmijowska, Agnieszka; Wójcik, Marcin; Piotrowska-Seget, Zofia

2013-03-15

The ability of diazinon-degrading Serratia marcescens to remove organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), i.e. chlorpyrifos (CP), fenitrothion (FT), and parathion (PT) was studied in a mineral salt medium (MSM) and in three soils of different characteristics. This strain was capable of using all insecticides at concentration of 50 mg/l as the only carbon source when grown in MSM, and 58.9%, 70.5%, and 82.5% of the initial dosage of CP, FT, and PT, respectively was degraded within 14 days. The biodegradation experiment showed that autochthonous microflora in all soils was characterized by a degradation potential of all tested OPPs; however, the initial lag phases for degradation of CP and FT, especially in sandy soil, were observed. During the 42-day experiment, 45.3%, 61.4% and 72.5% of the initial dose of CP, FT, and PT, respectively, was removed in sandy soil whereas the degradation of CP, FT, and PT in the same period, in sandy loam and silty soils reached 61.4%, 79.7% and 64.2%, and 68.9%, 81.0% and 63.6%, respectively. S. marcescens introduced into sterile soils showed a higher degradation potential (5-13%) for OPPs removal than those observed in non-sterile soil with naturally occurring attenuation. Inoculation of non-sterile soils with S. marcescens enhanced the disappearance rates of all insecticides, and DT50 for CP, FT, and PT was reduced by 20.7, 11.3 and 13.0 days, and 11.9, 7.0 and 8.1 days, and 9.7, 14.5 and 12.6 days in sandy, sandy loam, and silty soils, respectively, in comparison with non-sterile soils with only indigenous microflora. This ability of S. marcescens makes it a suitable strain for bioremediation of soils contaminated with OPPs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reconstruction of drip-water δ18O based on calcite oxygen and clumped isotopes of speleothems from Bunker Cave (Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Kluge

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The geochemical signature of many speleothems used for reconstruction of past continental climates is affected by kinetic isotope fractionation. This limits quantitative paleoclimate reconstruction and, in cases where the kinetic fractionation varies with time, also affects relative paleoclimate interpretations. In carbonate archive research, clumped isotope thermometry is typically used as proxy for absolute temperatures. In the case of speleothems, however, clumped isotopes provide a sensitive indicator for disequilibrium effects. The extent of kinetic fractionation co-varies in Δ47 and δ18O so that it can be used to account for disequilibrium in δ18O and to extract the past drip-water composition. Here we apply this approach to stalagmites from Bunker Cave (Germany and calculate drip-water δ18Ow values for the Eemian, MIS3, and the Holocene, relying on independent temperature estimates and accounting for disequilibrium. Applying the co-variation method to modern calcite precipitates yields drip-water δ18Ow values in agreement with modern cave drip-water δ18Ow of −7.9 ± 0.3‰, despite large and variable disequilibrium effects in both calcite δ18Oc and Δ47. Reconstructed paleo-drip-water δ18Ow values are lower during colder periods (e.g., MIS3: −8.6 ± 0.4‰ and the early Holocene at 11 ka: −9.7 ± 0.2‰ and show higher values during warmer climatic periods (e.g., the Eemian: −7.6 ± 0.2‰ and the Holocene Climatic Optimum: −7.2 ± 0.3‰. This new approach offers a unique possibility for quantitative climate reconstruction including the assessment of past hydrological conditions while accounting for disequilibrium effects.

Guided self-help for the treatment of pediatric obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Boutelle, Kerri N; Norman, Gregory J; Rock, Cheryl L; Rhee, Kyung E; Crow, Scott J

2013-05-01

Clinic-based programs for childhood obesity are not available to a large proportion of the population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a guided self-help treatment of pediatric obesity (GSH-PO) compared with a delayed treatment control and to evaluate the impact of GSH-PO 6-months posttreatment. Fifty overweight or obese 8- to 12-year-old children and their parents were randomly assigned to immediate treatment or to delayed treatment. The GSH-PO includes 12 visits over 5 months and addresses key components included in more intensive clinic-based programs. Children and parents in the immediate treatment arm were assessed at time 1 (T1), participated in GSH-PO between T1 and T2, and completed their 6-month posttreatment assessment at T3. Children and parents in the delayed treatment arm were assessed at T1, participated in GSH-PO between T2 and T3, and completed their 6-month posttreatment assessment at T4. The main outcome measures were BMI, BMI z score, and percentage overweight (%OW). Children in the immediate treatment GSH-PO arm decreased their BMI significantly more than did the delayed treatment arm (BMI group × time = -1.39; P < .001). Similar results were found for BMI z score and %OW. At the 6-month posttreatment assessment, changes resulting from GSH-PO were maintained for BMI z score and %OW but not BMI (BMI time effect = -0.06, not significant; BMI z score time effect = -0.10, P < .001; %OW time effect = -4.86, P < .05). The GSH-PO showed initial efficacy in decreasing BMI for children in this study. Additional efficacy and translational studies are needed to additionally evaluate GSH-PO.

In-vivo Validation of Fast Spectral Velocity Estimation Techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Kristoffer Lindskov; Gran, Fredrik; Pedersen, Mads Møller

2010-01-01

. BAPES and BPC compared to WM had better resolution (lower FWHM) for all OW equally well (p > 0.05) at OW 128 and 64, while W.BOX scored less (p ..., and that OW can be reduced to 32 using BPC and 16 using BAPES without reducing the usefulness of the spectrogram. This could potentially increase the temporal resolution of the spectrogram or the frame-rate of the interleaved B-mode images....

Markers of Oxidative Stress in Human Milk do not Differ by Maternal BMI But are Related to Infant Growth Trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Bridget E; Patinkin, Zachary W; Pyle, Laura; de la Houssaye, Becky; Davidson, Barbara S; Geraghty, Sheela; Morrow, Ardythe L; Krebs, Nancy

2017-06-01

Objective Obesity in adults is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. Whether or not this phenotype is reflected in human milk (HM) composition, or may impact infant growth remains unknown. We investigated whether HM from overweight/obese (OW/Ob) mothers exhibited higher concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and markers of oxidative stress. We also correlated these bioactive components with infant growth patterns. Methods This was an observational cohort of 56 breastfeeding mothers and their infants [33 normal weight (NW) and 23 OW/Ob]. Infants were followed until 6 months of age and HM collected at 2-weeks and 4-months. Results Markers of oxidative stress, 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) and 4-hydroxynonenol (HNE), decreased in HM over time (p < 0.001) and did not differ between NW and OW/Ob women. Concentrations of inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, were all inter-correlated (p < 0.001) but did not differ between NW and OW/Ob women. HM fat, protein, lactose, and total calories did not differ between NW and OW/Ob women. Infant growth patterns did not differ by group. In a model of infant weight-for-length-Z score trajectory, there was a significant interaction between both lactose and 8OHdG with maternal group: HM lactose and 8OHdG concentrations were both positively associated with increases in WLZ trajectory only among infants breastfed by OW/Ob mothers. Conclusions for Practice HM composition was relatively stable between NW and OW/Ob women. In exclusively breastfed infants, HM concentrations of lactose and 8OHdG, a marker of oxidative stress, may contribute to regulation of infant weight gain, especially among infants of OW/Ob women.

Correlates of Overweight and Obesity Among Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A).

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Benjamin I; Blanco, Carlos; He, Jian-Ping; Merikangas, Kathleen

2016-12-01

Despite substantial evidence on the prevalence and correlates of overweight and obesity (OW/OB) in adults with bipolar disorder (BD), little is known about this topic in adolescents with BD. The method consisted of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement, a face-to-face survey of mental disorders from 2001 through 2004, using a modified version of the fully structured World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Participants were adolescents 13 to 17 years of age, with bipolar disorder I or II (n = 295), major depressive disorder (n = 1,112), or controls with neither mood disorder (n = 8,716). Analyses examined for group differences in the prevalence of OW/OB and for correlates of OW/OB in the group with BD. There were no significant differences in weight categories across groups. OW and OB in adolescents with BD were associated with significantly higher lifetime rates of suicide attempt (odds ratio 3.02, 95% CI 1.11-8.24), physical or sexual abuse (2.82, 1.20-6.60), binge eating or bulimia (2.66, 1.13-6.26), and conduct disorder (2.60, 1.10-6.13) in covariate-adjusted analyses. OW and OB also were significantly associated with seeing a professional for depression, being hospitalized overnight for depression, and receiving general medical treatment. The similar prevalence of OW/OB in adolescents with and without BD suggests that this potent association in adults likely comprises a consequence of BD or its correlates. In contrast, the strong association of OW/OB with proxies for depression severity, including suicide attempts and hospitalization, is already evident even in this young, nonclinical sample. Studies are warranted to determine whether early intervention of OW/OB in BD might optimize physical and mental health. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

Chromatographic retention prediction and octanol-water partition coefficient determination of monobasic weak acidic compounds in ion-suppression reversed-phase liquid chromatography using acids as ion-suppressors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, Xin; Han, Shu-ying; Qi, Zheng-chun; Sheng, Dong; Lian, Hong-zhen

2009-08-15

Although simple acids, replacing buffers, have been widely applied to suppress the ionization of weakly ionizable acidic analytes in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), none of the previously reported works focused on the systematic studies about the retention behavior of the acidic solutes in this ion-suppression RPLC mode. The subject of this paper was therefore to investigate the retention behavior of monobasic weak acidic compounds using acetic, perchloric and phosphoric acids as the ion-suppressors. The apparent octanol-water partition coefficient (K" ow) was proposed to calibrate the octanol-water partition coefficient (K(ow)) of these weak acidic compounds, which resulted in a better linear correlation with log k(w), the logarithm of the hypothetical retention factor corresponding to neat aqueous fraction of hydroorganic mobile phase. This log K" ow-log k w linear correlation was successfully validated by the results of monocarboxylic acids and monohydrating phenols, and moreover by the results under diverse experimental conditions for the same solutes. This straightforward relationship not only can be used to effectively predict the retention values of weak acidic solutes combined with Snyder-Soczewinski equation, but also can offer a promising medium for directly measuring K(ow) data of these compounds via Collander equation. In addition, the influence of the different ion-suppressors on the retention of weak acidic compounds was also compared in this RPLC mode.

Spatial variability of greenhouse gases emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) in a tropical hydroelectric reservoir flooding primary forest (Petit Saut Reservoir, French Guiana)

Science.gov (United States)

Cailleaud, Emilie; Guérin, Frédéric; Bouillon, Steven; Sarrazin, Max; Serça, Dominique

2014-05-01

At the Petit Saut Reservoir (PSR, French Guiana, South America), vertical profiles were performed at 5 stations in the open waters (OW) and 6 stations in two shallow flooded forest (FF) areas between April 2012 and September 2013. Measurements included physico-chemical parameters, ammonium, nitrate and dissolved greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) concentrations, dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC, POC) and nitrogen (PN), δ13C-POC and δ15N-PN . The diffusive fluxes were calculated from surface concentrations. The aim of this study was to estimate the spatial variations of greenhouse gas emissions at a dentrical hydroelectric reservoir located in the tropics and flooding primary forest. Twenty years after impoundment, the water column of the PSR is permanently and tightly stratified thermally in the FF whereas in the OW, the thermal gradients are not as stable. The different hydrodynamical behaviours between the two different zones have significant consequences on the biogeochemistry: oxygen barely diffuses down to the hypolimnion in the FF whereas destratification occurs sporadically during the rainy season in the OW. Although we found the same range of POC in the FF and the OW (2.5-29 μmol L-1) and 20% more DOC at the bottom of OW than in the FF (229-878 μmol L-1), CO2 and CH4 concentrations were always significantly higher in the FF (CO2: 11-1412 μmol L-1, CH4: 0.001-1015 μmol L-1) than in the OW. On average, the CO2 concentrations were 30-40% higher in the FF than in the OW and the CH4 concentrations were three times higher in the FF than in the OW. The δ13C-POC and C:N values did not suggest substantial differences in the sources of OM between the FF and OW. At all stations, POC at the bottom has an isotopic signature slightly lighter than the terrestrial OM in the surrounding forest whereas the isotopic signature of surface POM would result from phytoplankton and methanotrophs. The vertical profiles of nitrogen compounds reveal that the main

Effect of different nitrogen sources on plant characteristics and yield of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Luqueño, F; Reyes-Varela, V; Martínez-Suárez, C; Salomón-Hernández, G; Yáñez-Meneses, J; Ceballos-Ramírez, J M; Dendooven, L

2010-01-01

Wastewater sludge can be used to fertilize crops, especially after vermicomposting (composting with earthworms to reduce pathogens). How wastewater sludge or vermicompost affects bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) growth is still largely unknown. In this study the effect of different forms of N fertilizer on common bean plant characteristics and yield were investigated in a Typic Fragiudepts (sandy loam) soil under greenhouse conditions. Beans were fertilized with wastewater sludge, or wastewater sludge vermicompost, or urea, or grown in unamended soil, while plant characteristics and yield were monitored (the unamended soil had no fertilization). Yields of common bean plants cultivated in unamended soil or soil amended with urea were lower than those cultivated in wastewater sludge-amended soil. Application of vermicompost further improved plant development and increased yield compared with beans cultivated in wastewater amended soil. It was found that application of organic waste products improved growth and yield of bean plants compared to those amended with inorganic fertilizer.

Effect of estradiol-17β on the sex ratio, growth and survival of juvenile common snook (Centropomus undecimalis)

OpenAIRE

Cristina Vaz Avelar de Carvalho; Gabriel Passini; Wanessa de Melo Costa; Beatriz Nunes Vieira; Vinicius Ronzani Cerqueira

2014-01-01

Sex control in fish is a promising technique for aquaculture, since it gives advantages associated with one sex. The aim of this study was to investigate the feminization of common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) by oral administration of two doses of estradiol-17β (50 and 100 mg E2 kg-1 feed) and control treatment for 45 days and to evaluate their effects on the sex ratio, growth and survival of common snook juveniles. After this period, fish were fed only with commercial feed without hormon...

Genetics in psychiatry: common variant association studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buxbaum Joseph D

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Many psychiatric conditions and traits are associated with significant heritability. Genetic risk for psychiatric conditions encompass rare variants, identified due to major effect, as well as common variants, the latter analyzed by association analyses. We review guidelines for common variant association analyses, undertaking after assessing evidence of heritability. We highlight the importance of: suitably large sample sizes; an experimental design that controls for ancestry; careful data cleaning; correction for multiple testing; small P values for positive findings; assessment of effect size for positive findings; and, inclusion of an independent replication sample. We also note the importance of a critical discussion of any prior findings, biological follow-up where possible, and a means of accessing the raw data.

Effects of methylmercury exposure on glutathione metabolism, oxidative stress, and chromosomal damage in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenow, Kevin P.; Hoffman, David J.; Hines, Randy K.; Meyer, Michael W.; Bickham, John W.; Matson, Cole W.; Stebbins, Katie R.; Montagna, Paul; Elfessi, Abdulaziz

2008-01-01

We quantified the level of dietary mercury (Hg), delivered as methylmercury chloride (CH 3 HgCl), associated with negative effects on organ and plasma biochemistries related to glutathione (GSH) metabolism and oxidative stress, and chromosomal damage in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks reared from hatch to 105 days. Mercury-associated effects related to oxidative stress and altered glutathione metabolism occurred at 1.2 μg Hg/g and 0.4 μg Hg/g, an ecologically relevant dietary mercury level, but not at 0.08 μg Hg/g. Among the variables that contributed most to dissimilarities in tissue chemistries between control and treatment groups were increased levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH peroxidase, and the ratio of GSSG to GSH in brain tissue; increased levels of hepatic GSH; and decreased levels of hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH). Our results also suggest that chronic exposure to environmentally relevant dietary Hg levels did not result in statistically significant somatic chromosomal damage in common loon chicks. - Oxidative stress and altered glutathione metabolism were evident in common loon chicks exposed to ≥0.4 μg Hg as CH 3 HgCl per gram wet food intake

Density profile evolution and nonequilibrium effects in partial and full spreading measurements of surface diffusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nikunen, P.; Vattulainen, Ilpo Tapio; Ala-Nissila, T.

2001-01-01

in D-C(theta) depend on the initial density gradient and the initial state from which the spreading starts. To this end, we carry out extensive Monte Carlo simulations for a lattice-gas model of the O/W(110) system. Studies of submonolayer spreading from an initially ordered p(2x1) phase at theta = 1....../2 reveal that the spreading and diffusion rates in directions parallel and perpendicular to rows of oxygen atoms are significantly different within the ordered phase. Aside from this effect, we find that the degree of ordering in the initial phase has a relatively small impact on the overall behavior of D...

Molecular Characterization, Tissue Distribution and Expression, and Potential Antiviral Effects of TRIM32 in the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yeda; Li, Zeming; Lu, Yuanan; Hu, Guangfu; Lin, Li; Zeng, Lingbing; Zhou, Yong; Liu, Xueqin

2016-01-01

Tripartite motif-containing protein 32 (TRIM32) belongs to the tripartite motif (TRIM) family, which consists of a large number of proteins containing a RING (Really Interesting New Gene) domain, one or two B-box domains, and coiled coil motif followed by different C-terminal domains. The TRIM family is known to be implicated in multiple cellular functions, including antiviral activity. However, it is presently unknown whether TRIM32 of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) has the antiviral effect. In this study, the sequence, expression, and antiviral function of TRIM32 homolog from common carp were analyzed. The full-length coding sequence region of trim32 was cloned from common carp. The results showed that the expression of TRIM32 (mRNA) was highest in the brain, remained stably expressed during embryonic development, and significantly increased following spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) infection. Transient overexpression of TRIM32 in affected Epithelioma papulosum cyprinid cells led to significant decrease of SVCV production as compared to the control group. These results suggested a potentially important role of common carp TRIM32 in enhancing host immune response during SVCV infection both in vivo and in vitro. PMID:27735853

Intrapartum Ultrasound Assessment of Fetal Spine Position

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Salvatore Gizzo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated the role of foetal spine position in the first and second labour stages to determine the probability of OPP detection at birth and the related obstetrical implications. We conducted an observational-longitudinal cohort study on uncomplicated cephalic single foetus pregnant women at term. We evaluated the accuracy of ultrasound in predicting occiput position at birth, influence of fetal spine in occiput position during labour, labour trend, analgesia request, type of delivery, and indication to CS. The accuracy of the foetal spinal position to predict the occiput position at birth was high at the first labour stage. At the second labour stage, CS (40.3% and operative vaginal deliveries (23.9% occurred more frequently in OPP than in occiput anterior position (7% and 15.2%, resp., especially in cases of the posterior spine. In concordant posterior positions labour length was greater than other ones, and analgesia request rate was 64.1% versus 14.7% for all the others. The assessment of spinal position could be useful in obstetrical management and counselling, both before and during labour. The detection of spinal position, more than OPP, is predictive of successful delivery. In concordant posterior positions, the labour length, analgesia request, operative delivery, and caesarean section rate are higher than in the other combination.

Repetitive obidoxime treatment induced increase of red blood cell acetylcholinesterase activity even in a late phase of a severe methamidophos poisoning: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinritz, Dirk; Eyer, Florian; Worek, Franz; Thiermann, Horst; John, Harald

2016-02-26

Accidental self-poisoning or deliberate use in suicidal intent of organophosphorus pesticides (OPP), which are widely used in agriculture, represent a health problem worldwide. Symptoms of poisoning are characterized by acute cholinergic crisis caused by inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. A 75-year-old male patient ingested 20ml of an OPP solution containing 10% methamidophos in suicidal intent. In the course of poisoning typical clinical symptoms of cholinergic crisis (miosis, bradycardia, hypotension, hypersalivation and impairment of neurologic status) were evident. Butyryl (plasma) cholinesterase (BChE) and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase (RBC-AChE) revealed decreased activities, thus specific treatment with the enzyme reactivator obidoxime was started. Inhibitory activity of the patient's plasma indicated significant amounts of persisting methamidophos in the circulation and was still found on day 4 after ingestion. Due to missing spontaneous breathing on day 6, obidoxime was administered again. Afterwards a significant increase of RBC-AChE activity was found. The patient was extubated on day 10 and a restitution ad integrum was achieved. In conclusion, obidoxime is a potent reactivator of OPP-inhibited AChE. A repetitive and prolonged administration of obidoxime should be considered in cases of severe methamidophos poisoning and should be tailored with an advanced analytical biomonitoring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Optic Nerve Head Blood Flow Autoregulation among Quadrants Induced by Decreased Ocular Perfusion Pressure during Vitrectomy

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Ryuya Hashimoto

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The present study aimed to examine changes in optic nerve head (ONH blood flow autoregulation in 4 quadrants (superior, nasal, inferior, and temporal with decreased ocular perfusion pressure (OPP during vitrectomy in order to determine whether there is a significant difference of autoregulatory capacity in response to OPP decrease at each ONH quadrant. Methods. This study included 24 eyes with an epiretinal membrane or macular hole that underwent vitrectomy at Toho University Sakura Medical Center. Following vitrectomy, the tissue mean blur rate (MBR, which reflects ONH blood flow, was measured. Mean tissue MBRs in the four quadrants were generated automatically in the software analysis report. Measurements were conducted before and 5 and 10 min after intraocular pressure (IOP elevation of approximately 15 mmHg in the subjects without systemic disorders. Results. The baseline tissue MBR of the temporal quadrant was significantly lower than that of the other 3 quadrants (all P<0.05. However, the time courses of tissue MBR in response to OPP decrease were not significantly different among the four quadrants during vitrectomy (P=0.23. Conclusions. There is no significant difference in the autoregulatory capacity of the four ONH quadrants in patients without systemic disorders during vitrectomy.

Overweight and obesity in Mexican children and adolescents during the last 25 years.

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Hernández-Cordero, S; Cuevas-Nasu, L; Morán-Ruán, M C; Méndez-Gómez Humarán, I; Ávila-Arcos, M A; Rivera-Dommarco, J A

2017-03-13

The objective of the study was to provide current estimates of the prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity (OW+OB) in Mexican children and adolescents. Body mass index objectively measured was analyzed for 37 147 children and adolescents aged 0-19 years obtained in 2012 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-2012), a nationally representative sample of the Mexican population. In addition, data from previous National Nutrition Surveys obtained in 1988, 1999 and 2006 were compared with analyze trends over a 24-year period (1988-2012) for children children. World Health Organization Child Growth Standard was used to define OW+OB. In 2012, 33.5% of children overweight or were overweight (OW); 32% and 36.9% of girls and boys 5-11 years of age were OW+OB, respectively, and 35.8% and 34.1% of female and male adolescents were OW+OB, respectively. Statistically significant trends were documented for all age groups during the study period. Overall change in the combined prevalence in preschool children was 6.3±1.0 percentage points (pp; Pchildren and adolescents in the lowest quintile of the household living condition index. Prevalence of OW+OB among children and adolescents increased significantly during the last 13-24 years. The rate of increase has declined in the last 6 years in all age groups. Changes in prevalence of OW+OB presented here suggest that, in Mexico, the burden of obesity is shifting toward the groups with lower socioeconomic level.

Interactive Effects of Early Exclusive Breastfeeding and Pre-Pregnancy Maternal Weight Status on Young Children's BMI - A Chinese Birth Cohort.

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Hong Mei

Full Text Available To assess if the maternal pre-pregnancy weight status (MPWS alters the association of early infant feeding pattern (at one and third months with infant body mass index (BMI in the first two years of life.A cohort of 2,220 neonates were recruited in a community-based study conducted in China. Body weight and length were measured at birth, at age one and two, with BMI calculated accordingly. The BMI z-scores (BMI-Z were computed according to the World Health Organization Growth Standard (2006. Feeding patterns were classified as exclusive breastfeeding (EBF, mixed feeding (MF, and formula feeding (FF. General linear models (GLM were employed to estimate main and interaction effects of EBF and MPWS on children's BMI-Z.No main effect of MPWS was found on child BMI-Z at ages one and two, nor the feeding patterns. An interaction between MPWS and feeding patterns was detected (p<0.05. For children who were formula fed during the first month, those who were born to overweight/obesity (OW/OB mothers had a significantly greater BMI-Z at ages one and two, compared with those with underweight/normal weight (UW/NW mothers. FF children had greater BMI-Z at ages one and two compared with their EBF and MF counterparts, when they were born to OW/OB mothers.Maternal pre-pregnancy weight control and early initiation of EBF for children are essential for healthy development in children's BMI, hence the prevention of early life obesity.

A common signal detection model accounts for both perception and discrimination of the watercolor effect.

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Devinck, Frédéric; Knoblauch, Kenneth

2012-03-21

Establishing the relation between perception and discrimination is a fundamental objective in psychophysics, with the goal of characterizing the neural mechanisms mediating perception. Here, we show that a procedure for estimating a perceptual scale based on a signal detection model also predicts discrimination performance. We use a recently developed procedure, Maximum Likelihood Difference Scaling (MLDS), to measure the perceptual strength of a long-range, color, filling-in phenomenon, the Watercolor Effect (WCE), as a function of the luminance ratio between the two components of its generating contour. MLDS is based on an equal-variance, gaussian, signal detection model and yields a perceptual scale with interval properties. The strength of the fill-in percept increased 10-15 times the estimate of the internal noise level for a 3-fold increase in the luminance ratio. Each observer's estimated scale predicted discrimination performance in a subsequent paired-comparison task. A common signal detection model accounts for both the appearance and discrimination data. Since signal detection theory provides a common metric for relating discrimination performance and neural response, the results have implications for comparing perceptual and neural response functions.

Assessing Granger Causality in Electrophysiological Data: Removing the Adverse Effects of Common Signals via Bipolar Derivations.

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Trongnetrpunya, Amy; Nandi, Bijurika; Kang, Daesung; Kocsis, Bernat; Schroeder, Charles E; Ding, Mingzhou

2015-01-01

Multielectrode voltage data are usually recorded against a common reference. Such data are frequently used without further treatment to assess patterns of functional connectivity between neuronal populations and between brain areas. It is important to note from the outset that such an approach is valid only when the reference electrode is nearly electrically silent. In practice, however, the reference electrode is generally not electrically silent, thereby adding a common signal to the recorded data. Volume conduction further complicates the problem. In this study we demonstrate the adverse effects of common signals on the estimation of Granger causality, which is a statistical measure used to infer synaptic transmission and information flow in neural circuits from multielectrode data. We further test the hypothesis that the problem can be overcome by utilizing bipolar derivations where the difference between two nearby electrodes is taken and treated as a representation of local neural activity. Simulated data generated by a neuronal network model where the connectivity pattern is known were considered first. This was followed by analyzing data from three experimental preparations where a priori predictions regarding the patterns of causal interactions can be made: (1) laminar recordings from the hippocampus of an anesthetized rat during theta rhythm, (2) laminar recordings from V4 of an awake-behaving macaque monkey during alpha rhythm, and (3) ECoG recordings from electrode arrays implanted in the middle temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex of an epilepsy patient during fixation. For both simulation and experimental analysis the results show that bipolar derivations yield the expected connectivity patterns whereas the untreated data (referred to as unipolar signals) do not. In addition, current source density signals, where applicable, yield results that are close to the expected connectivity patterns, whereas the commonly practiced average re-reference method

Common views of potentially attractive fusion concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piet, S.J.

1986-01-01

Fusion is viewed through three windows to help determine what constitutes a very attractive fusion concept. These windows are economics, maintenance and reliability, and safety and environment. Achievement of many desired features cannot yet be quantified. Although these differing perspectives can lead to some conflicting desires, five common desired features are apparent - (a) minimum failure rates, (b) minimum failure effects, (c) minimum complexity, (d) minimum short-term radioactivity, and (e) maximum mass power density. Some innovative fusion concepts are briefly examined in the light of these commonalities

Leading-Edge Flow Sensing for Aerodynamic Parameter Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Saini, Aditya

ow over a at plate at different freestream velocities in the NCSU subsonic wind tunnel. Experiments were also conducted to characterize the directional sensitivity of the microstructures by creating ow reversal at the sensor location to assess the sensor response. The results show that the direction of microfence deflection correctly reflects the local ow behavior as the ow direction is reversed at the sensor location and the magnitude of deflection correlates qualitatively to an increase in the freestream velocity. The knowledge of the ow-separation location integrated with the LEFS algorithm allows the possibility of extending the LEFS analysis to post-stall flight regimes, which is explored in the current work. Finally, the application of the LEFS algorithm to unsteady aerodynamics is investigated to identify the critical sequence of events associated with the formation of leading-edge vortices. Signatures of vortex formation on the airfoil surface can be captured in the surface-pressure measurements. Real-time knowledge of the unsteady ow phenomena holds significant potential for exploiting the enhanced-lift characteristics related to vortex formation and inhibiting the detrimental effects of dynamic stall in engineering applications such as helicopters, wind turbines, bio-inspired flight, and energy harvesting devices. Computational data was used to assess the capability of the LEFS outputs to identity the signatures associated with vortex formation, i.e. onset of vortex shedding, detachment, and termination. The results demonstrate useful correlation between the LEFS outputs and the LEV signatures.

Common morality and moral reform.

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Wallace, K A

2009-01-01

The idea of moral reform requires that morality be more than a description of what people do value, for there has to be some measure against which to assess progress. Otherwise, any change is not reform, but simply difference. Therefore, I discuss moral reform in relation to two prescriptive approaches to common morality, which I distinguish as the foundational and the pragmatic. A foundational approach to common morality (e.g., Bernard Gert's) suggests that there is no reform of morality, but of beliefs, values, customs, and practices so as to conform with an unchanging, foundational morality. If, however, there were revision in its foundation (e.g., in rationality), then reform in morality itself would be possible. On a pragmatic view, on the other hand, common morality is relative to human flourishing, and its justification consists in its effectiveness in promoting flourishing. Morality is dependent on what in fact does promote human flourishing and therefore, could be reformed. However, a pragmatic approach, which appears more open to the possibility of moral reform, would need a more robust account of norms by which reform is measured.

78 FR 40138 - Chlorpyrifos; Cancellation Order for Certain Pesticide Registrations

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-03

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0057; FRL-9389-6] Chlorpyrifos; Cancellation... and accepted by the Agency, of products containing chlorpyrifos, pursuant to the Federal Insecticide... 40139

Pesticide Registration Information System

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — PRISM provides an integrated, web portal for all pesticide related data, communications, registrations and transactions for OPP and its stakeholders, partners and...

The effect of social networks and social support on common mental disorders following specific life events.

Science.gov (United States)

Maulik, P K; Eaton, W W; Bradshaw, C P

2010-08-01

This study examined the association between life events and common mental disorders while accounting for social networks and social supports. Participants included 1920 adults in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Cohort who were interviewed in 1993-1996, of whom 1071 were re-interviewed in 2004-2005. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data. Social support from friends, spouse or relatives was associated with significantly reduced odds of panic disorder and psychological distress, after experiencing specific life events. Social networks or social support had no significant stress-buffering effect. Social networks and social support had almost no direct or buffering effect on major depressive disorder, and no effect on generalized anxiety disorder and alcohol abuse or dependence disorder. The significant association between social support and psychological distress, rather than diagnosable mental disorders, highlights the importance of social support, especially when the severity of a mental health related problem is low.

Philosophy vs the common sense

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V. V. Chernyshov

2017-01-01

analysis. However, the authentic project of philosophy has not always remained faithful to itself, keeping its self-identity. A considerable part of that which now bears the name of philosophy has rather been an alienation of the original idea. Among these phenomena of the alienated philosophy, for example, we can mention a number of cases: the emergence of the philosophical paideia, political and social engineering, scholastics, and the interpretation of philosophy as a science that can (and should be directed to gaining the ultimate positive result. All these witness the alienation from the authentic philosophical tradition, degrading philosophy to the role of a «servant-maid», which eventually brought to the ultimate rejection and denial of its profundity and its values. Finally, the study considers the place that the Modern philosophy has taken in emergence of the modern and contemporary science. He states that there were a number of efforts – beginning with Rene Descartes – to create a new philosophy not upon the foundations of the love of wisdom, but upon the ones of the common sense. Although philosophers had easily recognised the falsity of this enterprise and had rejected this idea, these efforts did not pass away without effect, having caused the emergence of the modern and contemporary science, recognising as its true basis the common sense rather than any metaphysics.

Stoichiometry and phase purity control of radio frequency magnetron sputter deposited Ba0.45Sr0.55TiO3 thin films for tunable devices

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Alema, Fikadu; Reinholz, Aaron; Pokhodnya, Konstantin

2013-11-01

The systematic study of the oxygen partial pressure (OPP) and total chamber gas pressure (TGP) effects on the stoichiometry and crystal structure of rf sputtered Ba0.45Sr0.55TiO3 (BST) films and their phase purity allowed identifying close to optimal sputtering parameters for BST single phase polycrystalline film. The film with a Ba/Sr ratio equal to that of the source target and (Ba + Sr)/Ti ratio close to unity demonstrated the enhanced permittivity value of 553 and tunability of 69%. It was confirmed that the increase of TGP enables better match of the film and target stoichiometry. However, using O2/Ar ratio as a parameter should be utilized cautiously since exceeding a threshold OPP (2 mTorr in our case) may facilitate secondary phase formation. Relatively large dielectric losses were observed in both films sputtered at high (30 mTorr) and low (5 mTor) TGPs. The presence of oxygen vacancies was identified as a probable cause of losses, which is indirectly confirmed by the deviation of the film lattice constant from that of the bulk target.

Strategi Mengatasi Common Measures Bias dalam Balanced Scorecard

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Sekar Akrom Faradiza

2016-06-01

Balanced Scorecard (BSC is a comprehensive performance measurement. BSC is not only used financial indicators but also non financial indicators there are customer, internal process business and learning and growth perspective. By using BSC, evaluators have common and unique measures. When evaluate manager performance, evaluator tends to only use common measures and ignore unique measures. This is called common measures bias. This study aims to investigate whether dissaggregated and aggregated BSC and management communication can overcome common measures bias and intent to BSC approach. This study also will evaluate whether these approach will affect evaluator decision when allocated compensation. We conduct 2x2x2 experiment of undergraduate accounting students. Participant act as a senior manager and evaluate the performance of two divisions and then allocated the bonus. ANOVA repeated measurement are used to conduct hypothesis test. The results showed that dissaggregated BSC and management communication could not overcome common measures bias but effected  management decision when allocated compensation.

Common Vestibular Disorders

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Dimitrios G. Balatsouras

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The three most common vestibular diseases, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV, Meniere's disease (MD and vestibular neuritis (VN, are presented in this paper. BPPV, which is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder, can be defined as transient vertigo induced by a rapid head position change, associated with a characteristic paroxysmal positional nystagmus. Canalolithiasis of the posterior semicircular canal is considered the most convincing theory of its pathogenesis and the development of appropriate therapeutic maneuvers resulted in its effective treatment. However, involvement of the horizontal or the anterior canal has been found in a significant rate and the recognition and treatment of these variants completed the clinical picture of the disease. MD is a chronic condition characterized by episodic attacks of vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, aural pressure and a progressive loss of audiovestibular functions. Presence of endolymphatic hydrops on postmortem examination is its pathologic correlate. MD continues to be a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Patients with the disease range from minimally symptomatic, highly functional individuals to severely affected, disabled patients. Current management strategies are designed to control the acute and recurrent vestibulopathy but offer minimal remedy for the progressive cochlear dysfunction. VN is the most common cause of acute spontaneous vertigo, attributed to acute unilateral loss of vestibular function. Key signs and symptoms are an acute onset of spinning vertigo, postural imbalance and nausea as well as a horizontal rotatory nystagmus beating towards the non-affected side, a pathological headimpulse test and no evidence for central vestibular or ocular motor dysfunction. Vestibular neuritis preferentially involves the superior vestibular labyrinth and its afferents. Symptomatic medication is indicated only during the acute phase to relieve the vertigo and nausea

Making the Common Good Common

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Chase, Barbara

2011-01-01

How are independent schools to be useful to the wider world? Beyond their common commitment to educate their students for meaningful lives in service of the greater good, can they educate a broader constituency and, thus, share their resources and skills more broadly? Their answers to this question will be shaped by their independence. Any…

Markup heterogeneity, export status ans the establishment of the euro

OpenAIRE

Guillou , Sarah; Nesta , Lionel

2015-01-01

We investigate the effects of the establishment of the euro on the markups of French manufacturing firms. Merging firm-level census data with customs data, we estimate time-varying firm-specific markups and distinguish between eurozone exporters from other firms between 1995 and 2007. We find that the establishment of the euro has had a pronounced pro-competitive impact by reducing firm markups by 14 percentage points. By reducing export costs, the euro represented an opp...

Effects of Commonly Used Pesticides in China on the Mitochondria and Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in Parkinson’s Disease

OpenAIRE

Chen, Tingting; Tan, Jieqiong; Wan, Zhengqing; Zou, Yongyi; Kessete Afewerky, Henok; Zhang, Zhuohua; Zhang, Tongmei

2017-01-01

Evidence continues to accumulate that pesticides are the leading candidates of environmental toxins that may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. The mechanisms, however, remain largely unclear. According to epidemiological studies, we selected nine representative pesticides (paraquat, rotenone, chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin, endosulfan, fenpyroximate, tebufenpyrad, trichlorphon and carbaryl) which are commonly used in China and detected the effects of the pesticides on mitoch...

Effects of methylmercury exposure on glutathione metabolism, oxidative stress, and chromosomal damage in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kenow, Kevin P. [U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603 (United States)], E-mail: kkenow@usgs.gov; Hoffman, David J. [U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705 (United States)], E-mail: djhoffman@usgs.gov; Hines, Randy K. [U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603 (United States)], E-mail: rkhines@usgs.gov; Meyer, Michael W. [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 107 Sutliff Avenue, Rhinelander, WI 54501 (United States)], E-mail: michael.meyer@dnr.state.wi.us; Bickham, John W. [Center for the Environment and Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)], E-mail: bickham@purdue.edu; Matson, Cole W. [Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 (United States)], E-mail: matson@duke.edu; Stebbins, Katie R. [U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705 (United States); Montagna, Paul [Texas A and M University-Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute, Corpus Christi, TX (United States)], E-mail: paul.montagna@tamucc.edu; Elfessi, Abdulaziz [University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601 (United States)], E-mail: elfessi.abdu@uwlax.edu

2008-12-15

We quantified the level of dietary mercury (Hg), delivered as methylmercury chloride (CH{sub 3}HgCl), associated with negative effects on organ and plasma biochemistries related to glutathione (GSH) metabolism and oxidative stress, and chromosomal damage in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks reared from hatch to 105 days. Mercury-associated effects related to oxidative stress and altered glutathione metabolism occurred at 1.2 {mu}g Hg/g and 0.4 {mu}g Hg/g, an ecologically relevant dietary mercury level, but not at 0.08 {mu}g Hg/g. Among the variables that contributed most to dissimilarities in tissue chemistries between control and treatment groups were increased levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH peroxidase, and the ratio of GSSG to GSH in brain tissue; increased levels of hepatic GSH; and decreased levels of hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH). Our results also suggest that chronic exposure to environmentally relevant dietary Hg levels did not result in statistically significant somatic chromosomal damage in common loon chicks. - Oxidative stress and altered glutathione metabolism were evident in common loon chicks exposed to {>=}0.4 {mu}g Hg as CH{sub 3}HgCl per gram wet food intake.

Preparation of hydroxyapatite/poly(lactic acid) hybrid microparticles for local drug delivery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loca, D; Locs, J; Berzina-Cimdina, L

2013-01-01

Calcium phosphate (CaP) bioceramic is well known as bioactive and biocompatible material in bone tissue regeneration applications. Apatitic CaP, especially nano sized hydroxyapatite (NHAp), is more similar to the natural apatite presented in the bone tissue than CaP bioceramics. In the current research NHAp was modified using biodegradable polymer – poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to develop composites providing bone regeneration and local drug delivery. NHAp/PLA microcapsules were prepared using solid-in-water-in-oil-in-water (s/w 1 /o/w 2 ) encapsulation technology. The impact of primary and secondary emulsion stability on the emulsion droplet and microparticle properties was evaluated. The stability of final emulsion can be increased by varying the process parameters. Stable s/w 1 /o/w 2 emulsion using 3ml of NHAp suspension, not less than 100ml of 4% PVA water solution and 10ml of 10% PLA solution in dichloromethane can be obtained. S/w 1 /o/w 2 microencapuslation method can be effectively used for the preparation of multi-domain microcapsules achieving high NHAp encapsulation efficacy (93%)

Effects of an Offshore Wind Farm (OWF on the Common Shore Crab Carcinus maenas: Tagging Pilot Experiments in the Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm (Sweden.

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Olivia Langhamer

Full Text Available Worldwide growth of offshore renewable energy production will provide marine organisms with new hard substrate for colonization in terms of artificial reefs. The artificial reef effect is important when planning offshore installations since it can create habitat enhancement. Wind power is the most advanced technology within offshore renewable energy sources and there is an urgent need to study its impacts on the marine environment. To test the hypothesis that offshore wind power increases the abundance of reef species relative to a reference area, we conduct an experiment on the model species common shore crab (Carcinus maenas.Overall, 3962 crabs were captured, observed, marked and released in 2011 and 1995 crabs in 2012. Additionally, carapace size, sex distribution, color morphs and body condition was recorded from captured crabs. We observed very low recapture rates at all sites during both years which made evaluating differences in population sizes very difficult. However, we were able to estimate population densities from the capture record for all three sites. There was no obvious artificial reef effect in the Lillgrund wind farm, but a spill-over effect to nearby habitats cannot be excluded. We could not find any effect of the wind farm on either, morphs, sex distribution or condition of the common shore crab. Our study found no evidence that Lillgrund wind farm has a negative effect on populations of the common shore crab. This study provides the first quantitative and experimental data on the common shore crab in relation to offshore wind farms.

Effects of common groundwater ions on chromate removal by magnetite: importance of chromate adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Meena, Amanda H; Arai, Yuji

2016-01-01

Reductive precipitation of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) with magnetite is a well-known Cr(VI) remediation method to improve water quality. The rapid (important as the reductive precipitation of Cr(III) in describing the removal of Cr(VI) by magnetite, and these interfacial adsorption processes could be impacted by common groundwater ions like sulfate and nitrate. The results of this study highlight new information about the large quantity of adsorbed Cr(VI) surface complexes at the magnetite-water interface. It has implications for predicting the long-term stability of Cr at the magnetite-water interface.Graphical abstractEffects of background anions (sulfate and nitrate) on the Cr(VI) surface coverage at the magnetite-water interface at pH 4 and 9.

Identification of genotoxic compounds in crude oil using fractionation according to distillation, polarity and Kow.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Shin Yeong; Lee, Hyo Jin; Khim, Jong Seong; Kim, Gi Beum

2017-01-30

We examined the degree of DNA damage caused by fractions of crude oil in accordance with the boiling points, polarity and log K ow . Relatively high DNA damage was observed in the aromatic fraction (290-330°C) and resin and polar fraction (350-400°C). The resin and polar fraction showed relatively high genotoxicity compared with the aliphatic and aromatic fraction at the 1-4 log K ow range. At the 6-7 log K ow range, the aromatic fraction showed relatively high DNA damage compared with the aliphatic and resin and polar fraction. In particular, every detailed fraction in accordance with the log K ow values (aliphatic and aromatic (310-320°C) and resins and polar fractions (370-380°C)) showed one or less than one DNA damage. However, the fractions before separation in accordance with log K ow values (aliphatic and aromatic (310-320°C) and resin and polar (370-380°C) fractions) showed high DNA damage. Thus, we confirm the synergistic action between the detailed compounds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

QSPR models for predicting generator-column-derived octanol/water and octanol/air partition coefficients of polychlorinated biphenyls.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jintao; Yu, Shuling; Zhang, Ting; Yuan, Xuejie; Cao, Yunyuan; Yu, Xingchen; Yang, Xuan; Yao, Wu

2016-06-01

Octanol/water (K(OW)) and octanol/air (K(OA)) partition coefficients are two important physicochemical properties of organic substances. In current practice, K(OW) and K(OA) values of some polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are measured using generator column method. Quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models can serve as a valuable alternative method of replacing or reducing experimental steps in the determination of K(OW) and K(OA). In this paper, two different methods, i.e., multiple linear regression based on dragon descriptors and hologram quantitative structure-activity relationship, were used to predict generator-column-derived log K(OW) and log K(OA) values of PCBs. The predictive ability of the developed models was validated using a test set, and the performances of all generated models were compared with those of three previously reported models. All results indicated that the proposed models were robust and satisfactory and can thus be used as alternative models for the rapid assessment of the K(OW) and K(OA) of PCBs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal diagnostic of the optical window on board LISA Pathfinder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nofrarias, M; MarIn, A F GarcIa; Lobo, A; Heinzel, G; Ramos-Castro, J; Sanjuan, J; Danzmann, K

2007-01-01

Vacuum conditions inside the LTP gravitational reference sensor must be under 10 -5 Pa, a rather demanding requirement. The optical window (OW) is an interface which seals the vacuum enclosure and, at the same time, lets the laser beam go through for interferometric metrology with the test masses. The OW is a plane-parallel plate clamped in a titanium flange, and is considerably sensitive to thermal and stress fluctuations. It is critical for the required precision measurements, hence its temperature will be carefully monitored in flight. This paper reports on the results of a series of OW characterization laboratory runs, intended to study its response to selected thermal signals, as well as their fit to numerical models, and the meaning of the latter. We find that a single-pole ARMA transfer function provides a consistent approximation to the OW response to thermal excitations, and derive a relationship with the physical processes taking place in the OW. We also show how the system noise reduction can be accomplished by means of that transfer function

The Effect of PSII Inhibitors on Kautsky Curve and Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Common Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L. and Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.A. Chitband

2016-03-01

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Spraying was performed by overhead trolley sprayer (Matabi 121030 Super Agro 20 litre sprayer, 8002 flat-fan nozzle at 300 kPa and a spray volume of 200 Lha-1. The plants were treated at 21 days (at the four- to six-true leaf stage after planting. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were carried out on dark-adapted leaves at the same stages of development among pots. Fluorescence emissions were measured using a portable chlorophyll fluorometer (Handy-PEA, which emits light of 650 nm wavelength with an intensity of 3000 µmol photons m−2 s−1 for 10s. Leaves were dark adapted for a minimum of 30 min prior to measurement. The fluorescence measurements were taken 4 hours after spraying (HAS for common lambsquarters and common purslane and again at 24, 48, 72 and 168 HAS. The Kautsky curves were visually examined for the effects of time and dose by the BIOLYZER program with OJIP steps as fix points. Results Discussion: The results showed that the parameters of measured had different sensitivity to the herbicides application, So that, four hours after desmedipham + phenmedipham + ethofumesate application on weeds mentioned, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm, did not show any change whereas the relative change in J stage fluorescence (Fvj and the area between the curve and Kautsky (Area Fm strongly reduced during this period, but chloridazon usage was not changes on Kautsky curve and their parameters during this period due to lower solubility, and sediment deposition in the sprayer tank mix. Common purslane was more affected by desmedipham + phenmedipham + ethofumesate application because of sponge leaves and stems while common lambsquarters had lesser sensitivity to both of herbicides application due to powdery and white cover over leaves and stems. Among chlorophyll fluorescence parameters measured, Fvj was appropriate parameter and quicker to detect the herbicides effects on both of experiments plants. Conclusion: In

Sooting Characteristics and Modeling in Counterflow Diffusion Flames

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yu

2013-11-01

Soot formation is one of the most complex phenomena in combustion science and an understanding of the underlying physico-chemical mechanisms is important. This work adopted both experimental and numerical approaches to study soot formation in laminar counterfl ow diffusion flames. As polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the precursors of soot particles, a detailed gas-phase chemical mechanism describing PAH growth upto coronene for fuels with 1 to 4 carbon atoms was validated against laminar premixed and counter- flow diffusion fl ames. Built upon this gas-phase mechanism, a soot model was then developed to describe soot inception and surface growth. This soot model was sub- sequently used to study fuel mixing effect on soot formation in counterfl ow diffusion flames. Simulation results showed that compared to the baseline case of the ethylene flame, the doping of 5% (by volume) propane or ethane in ethylene tends to increase the soot volume fraction and number density while keeping the average soot size almost unchanged. These results are in agreement with experimental observations. Laser light extinction/scattering as well as laser induced fluorescence techniques were used to study the effect of strain rate on soot and PAH formation in counterfl ow diffusion ames. The results showed that as strain rate increased both soot volume fraction and PAH concentrations decreased. The concentrations of larger PAH were more sensitive to strain rate compared to smaller ones. The effect of CO2 addition on soot formation was also studied using similar experimental techniques. Soot loading was reduced with CO2 dilution. Subsequent numerical modeling studies were able to reproduce the experimental trend. In addition, the chemical effect of CO2 addition was analyzed using numerical data. Critical conditions for the onset of soot were systematically studied in counterfl ow diffusion ames for various gaseous hydrocarbon fuels and at different strain rates. A sooting

Desenvolvimento e estudos de estabilidade preliminares de emulsões O/A contendo Cetoconazol 2,0% - DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v30i2.812 Development and Preliminary Stability Evaluations of O/W emulsion containing Ketoconazole 2.0% - DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v30i2.812

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcio Augusto Leite de Campos

2008-12-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver emulsões O/A contendo Cetoconazol 2,0% e avaliar sua estabilidade preliminar por meio da análise de suas características físico-químicas, tais como homogeneidade, formação de agregados, floculação, cremeação e coalescência. As emulsões foram formuladas utilizando diferentes bases autoemulsionantes, compostas por álcool cetoestearílico, álcool etoxilado, álcool graxos superiores, ácido esteárico, lanolina e outros. As emulsões foram submetidas aos testes de centrifugação, estresse térmico e ciclo gela-degela, e suas características organolépticas e físico-químicas foram avaliadas no início e no final de cada ensaio. Todas as amostras mantiveram sua homogeneidade após o teste de centrifugação, mas somente os sistemas preparados com ceras autoemulsionáveis constituídas por álcool graxos superiores (Polawax NF® e Copolímero de Amônio Acriloil dimetiltaurato VP, Trilauril 4 fosfato, Sesquisosterato de metil glicose, Óleo de flores de verão e Tetradibutil pentaeritritil hidroxihidrocinamato de Glicerina (Hostacerin NCB® ; mantiveram sua estabilidade após testes de estresse térmico e ciclo gela-degelaThe objective of this work was the development of O/W emulsions containing Ketoconazole 2.0% and to evaluate their preliminary stability by analyzing physical-chemical characteristics such as homogeneity, aggregation formation, flocculation, creaming and coalescence. The emulsions were formulated using different self-emulsifying bases, composed of cetearyl alcohol, ethoxyl alcohol, higher fatty alcohol, stearic acid, lanolin and others. The O/W emulsions were evaluated by centrifugation test, thermal stress test, and freezing/defrosting cycles, and its organoleptic and physical-chemistry characteristics were analyzed before and after each assay. All samples maintained their homogeneity after the centrifugation test, but only the systems prepared with self emulsifying

75 FR 38533 - Medicare Program; Second Semi-Annual Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-02

... clarify their relationship to the organization that they represent in the presentation. Note: Issues that... of the OPPS conversion factor, charge compression, pass-through payments, or wage adjustments are not...

Cost-effectiveness analysis of endoscopic ultrasound versus magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in patients with suspected common bile duct stones.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen Morris

Full Text Available Patients with suspected common bile duct (CBD stones are often diagnosed using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP, an invasive procedure with risk of significant complications. Using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS or Magnetic Resonance CholangioPancreatography (MRCP first to detect CBD stones can reduce the risk of unnecessary procedures, cut complications and may save costs.This study sought to compare the cost-effectiveness of initial EUS or MRCP in patients with suspected CBD stones.This study is a model based cost-utility analysis estimating mean costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs per patient from the perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS over a 1 year time horizon. A decision tree model was constructed and populated with probabilities, outcomes and cost data from published sources, including one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.Using MRCP to select patients for ERCP was less costly than using EUS to select patients or proceeding directly to ERCP ($1299 versus $1753 and $1781, respectively, with similar QALYs accruing to each option (0.998, 0.998 and 0.997 for EUS, MRCP and direct ERCP, respectively. Initial MRCP was the most cost-effective option with the highest monetary net benefit, and this result was not sensitive to model parameters. MRCP had a 61% probability of being cost-effective at $29,000, the maximum willingness to pay for a QALY commonly used in the UK.From the perspective of the UK NHS, MRCP was the most cost-effective test in the diagnosis of CBD stones.