Future emissions and atmospheric fate of HFC-1234yf from mobile air conditioners in Europe.

PubMed

Henne, Stephan; Shallcross, Dudley E; Reimann, Stefan; Xiao, Ping; Brunner, Dominik; O'Doherty, Simon; Buchmann, Brigitte

2012-02-07

HFC-1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene) is under discussion for replacing HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) as a cooling agent in mobile air conditioners (MACs) in the European vehicle fleet. Some HFC-1234yf will be released into the atmosphere, where it is almost completely transformed to the persistent trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Future emissions of HFC-1234yf after a complete conversion of the European vehicle fleet were assessed. Taking current day leakage rates and predicted vehicle numbers for the year 2020 into account, European total HFC-1234yf emissions from MACs were predicted to range between 11.0 and 19.2 Gg yr(-1). Resulting TFA deposition rates and rainwater concentrations over Europe were assessed with two Lagrangian chemistry transport models. Mean European summer-time TFA mixing ratios of about 0.15 ppt (high emission scenario) will surpass previously measured levels in background air in Germany and Switzerland by more than a factor of 10. Mean deposition rates (wet + dry) of TFA were estimated to be 0.65-0.76 kg km(-2) yr(-1), with a maxium of ∼2.0 kg km(-2) yr(-1) occurring in Northern Italy. About 30-40% of the European HFC-1234yf emissions were deposited as TFA within Europe, while the remaining fraction was exported toward the Atlantic Ocean, Central Asia, Northern, and Tropical Africa. Largest annual mean TFA concentrations in rainwater were simulated over the Mediterranean and Northern Africa, reaching up to 2500 ng L(-1), while maxima over the continent of about 2000 ng L(-1) occurred in the Czech Republic and Southern Germany. These highest annual mean concentrations are at least 60 times lower than previously determined to be a safe level for the most sensitive aquatic life-forms. Rainwater concentrations during individual rain events would still be 1 order of magnitude lower than the no effect level. To verify these results future occasional sampling of TFA in the atmospheric environment should be considered. If future HFC-1234yf emissions surpass amounts used here studies of TFA accumulation in endorheic basins and other sensitive areas should be aspired.

Trans fatty acid content in Malaysian supermarket foods: a field-to-laboratory approach in assessing food risk.

PubMed

Karupaiah, Tilakavati; Tan, Hui Kuen; Ong, Wei Wen; Tan, Choon Heen; Sundram, Kalyana

2014-01-01

The extent of industrial trans fatty acids (TFA) in the food supply is unknown in Malaysia, whilst TFA disclosure on food labels is not mandatory by Malaysian food standards. Supermarket foods such as dairy products, fats and oils, meat products, snack foods, soups, and confectionery are commonly cited to be major contributors of TFA in the diet. A consumer survey (n = 622) was used to develop a food listing of these 'high risk' foods. TFA content of high-risk foods were analysed by gas chromatography. Food samples (n = 158) were analysed and their total TFA content were compared with Malaysian Food Standards. A wide variation in TFA content within food categories was indicated. Of the foods containing TFA, many food labels did not cite TFA content or the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO) as an ingredient. Hypothesised estimates of TFA intake from these supermarket foods in a sample day's menu providing 2000 kcal projected a minimum intake of 0.5 g and a maximum intake of 5.2 g TFA. This study found there was no voluntary disclosure of TFA content on food labels or identifying PHVO as an ingredient. It appears that health education targeting consumers to minimise TFA consumption is required supported by mandatory PHVO disclosure on the food label.

Cultivating Political Powerhouses: TFA Corps Members Experiences That Shape Local Political Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobsen, Rebecca; White, Rachel; Reckhow, Sarah

2016-01-01

In recent years, Teach for America (TFA) has invested in developing corps members as leaders. Although TFA asks corps members for a two-year commitment, TFA celebrates the achievements of alumni who have gone on to careers in politics, public policy, and advocacy. Thus, many community leaders see the arrival of TFA corps members as having a…

Toxicity of trifluoroacetate to aquatic organisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berends, A.G.; Rooij, C.G. de; Boutonnet, J.C.

1999-05-01

As a result of the atmospheric degradation of several hydrofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, trifluoroacetate (TFA) will be formed. Through precipitation, TFA will enter aquatic ecosystems. To evaluate the impact on the aquatic environment, an aquatic toxicity testing program was carried out with sodium trifluoroacetate (NaTFA). During acute toxicity tests, no effects of NaTFA on water fleas (Daphnia magna) and zebra fish (Danio retrio) were found at a concentration of 1,200 mg/L. A 7-d study with duckweed (Lemna gibba Ge) revealed a NOEC of 300 mg/L. On the basis of the results of five toxicity tests with Selenastrum capricornutum, they determined amore » NOEC of 0.12 mg/L. However, algal toxicity tests with NaTFA and Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus subspicatus, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Eugelan gracilis, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Navicula pelliculosa, Skeletonema costatum, Anabaena flos-aquae, and Microcystis aeruginosa resulted in EC50 values that were all higher than 100 mg/L. The toxicity of TFA to S. capricornutum could be due to metabolic defluorination to monofluoroacetate (MFA), which is known to inhibit the citric acid cycle. A toxicity test with MFA and S. capricornutum revealed it to be about three orders of magnitude more toxic than TFA. However, a bioactivation study revealed that defluorination of TFA was less than 4%. On the other hand, S. capricornutum exposed to a toxic concentration of NaTFA showed a recovery of growth when citric acid was added, suggesting that TFA (or a metabolite of TFA) interferes with the citric acid cycle. A recovery of the growth of S. capricornutum was also found when TFA was removed from the test solutions. Therefore, TFA should be considered algistatic and not algicidic for S. capricornutum. On the basis of the combined results of the laboratory tests and a previously reported semi-field study, they can consider a TFA concentration of 0.10 mg/L as safe for the aquatic ecosystem.« less

Mortality and operator experience with vascular access for percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndromes: A pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Shah, Rahman; Askari, Reza; Haji, Showkat A; Rashid, Abdul

2017-12-01

Recently, several meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that transradial access (TRA) reduces mortality compared to transfemoral access (TFA). However, a critical appraisal of these RCTs suggests that the findings could have resulted from a greater incidence of adverse events in the TFA groups rather than a beneficial effect of TRA. Scientific databases and websites were searched for RCTs. Patients were divided into groups based on access type and whether the operator was a radial expert (RE) or non-radial expert (NRE). The groups were TFA-RE, TFA-NRE, TRA-RE, and TRA-NRE. Both a traditional meta-analysis and a network meta-analysis using mixed-treatment comparison models were performed. Data from 13 trials including 15,615 patients were analyzed. The mortality rate for TFA-RE (3.54%) was more than double compared to TFA-NRE (1.61%). In pairwise meta-analysis, TFA-RE was associated with increased risk of mortality (RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.13-2.62; p=0.011) compared to TFA-NRE. In subgroup analysis, TFA-RE was associated with increased mortality (RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.24-2.34; p=0.001) compared to TRA, but TRA-NRE was not. Similarly, in mixed comparison models, TFA-RE was associated with increased mortality compared to TRA-NRE, TRA-RE, and TFA-NRE, but TFA-NRE was not, compared to TRA-RE and TRA-NRE. Recently-reported survival differences between TRA and TFA may have been driven by adverse events in the TFA groups of the RCTs rather than a beneficial effect of TRA. This issue needs further investigation before labeling radial access a lifesaving procedure in invasively-managed patients with ACS. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Trends in Trans Fatty Acids Reformulations of US Supermarket and Brand-Name Foods From 2007 Through 2011

PubMed Central

Otite, Fadar O.; Jacobson, Michael F.; Dahmubed, Aspan

2013-01-01

Introduction Although some US food manufacturers have reduced trans fatty acids (TFA) in their products, it is unknown how much TFA is being reduced, whether pace of reformulation has changed over time, or whether reformulations vary by food type or manufacturer. Methods In 2007, we identified 360 brand-name products in major US supermarkets that contained 0.5 g TFA or more per serving. In 2008, 2010, and 2011, product labels were re-examined to determine TFA content; ingredients lists were also examined in 2011 for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO). We assessed changes in TFA content among the 270 products sold in all years between 2007 and 2011 and conducted sensitivity analyses on the 90 products discontinued after 2007. Results By 2011, 178 (66%) of the 270 products had reduced TFA content. Most reformulated products (146 of 178, 82%) reduced TFA to less than 0.5 g per serving, although half of these 146 still contained PHVO. Among all 270 products, mean TFA content decreased 49% between 2007 and 2011, from 1.9 to 0.9 g per serving. Yet, mean TFA reduction slowed over time, from 30.3% (2007–2008) to 12.1% (2008–2010) to 3.4% (2010–2011) (P value for trend < .001). This slowing pace was due to both fewer reformulations among TFA-containing products at start of each period and smaller TFA reductions among reformulated products. Reformulations also varied substantially by both food category and manufacturer, with some eliminating or nearly eliminating TFA and others showing no significant changes. Sensitivity analyses were similar to main findings. Conclusions Some US products and food manufacturers have made progress in reducing TFA, but substantial variation exists by food type and by parent company, and overall progress has significantly slowed over time. Because TFA consumption is harmful even at low levels, our results emphasize the need for continued efforts toward reformulating or discontinuing foods to eliminate PHVO. PMID:23701722

Dietary Intake of Trans Fatty Acids in Children Aged 4-5 in Spain: The INMA Cohort Study.

PubMed

Scholz, Alexander; Gimenez-Monzo, Daniel; Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva Maria; Garcia-de-la-Hera, Manuela; Fernandez-Somoano, Ana; Tardon, Adonina; Santa Marina, Loreto; Irazabal, Amaia; Romaguera, Dora; Guxens, Mònica; Julvez, Jordi; Llop, Sabrina; Lopez-Espinosa, Maria-Jose; Vioque, Jesus

2016-10-10

Trans fatty acid (TFA) intake has been identified as a health hazard in adults, but data on preschool children are scarce. We analyzed the data from the Spanish INMA Project to determine the intake of total, industrial and natural TFA, their main sources and the associated socio-demographic and lifestyle factors in children aged 4-5 ( n = 1793). TFA intake was estimated using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire, and multiple linear regression was used to explore associated factors. The mean daily intakes of total, industrial and natural TFA were 1.36, 0.60, and 0.71 g/day, respectively. Ten percent of the children obtained >1% of their energy intake from TFA. The main sources of industrial TFA were fast food, white bread and processed baked goods. Milk, red and processed meat and processed baked goods were the main sources of natural TFA. Having parents from countries other than Spain was significantly associated with higher natural TFA (in mg/day) intake (β 45.5) and television viewing was significantly associated with higher industrial TFA intake (β 18.3). Higher fruits and vegetables intake was significantly associated with lower intakes of all TFAs, whereas higher sweetened beverages intake was significantly associated with lower total and natural TFA intake. Thus, total and industrial TFA intake was associated with less healthy food patterns and lifestyles in Spanish preschool children.

Trans-fatty acid content of food products in Spain in 2015.

PubMed

Pérez-Farinós, Napoleón; Dal Re Saavedra, María Ángeles; Villar Villalba, Carmen; Robledo de Dios, Teresa

2016-01-01

To ascertain the content of trans-fatty acids (TFA) in food products in Spain in 2015 and assess trends in TFA content since 2010. We analysed the fat content of 277 food products purchased in Spanish supermarkets in 2015 and calculated both the total fat and TFA content and the proportion of TFA to total fats. The results obtained in 2015 were compared to those yielded by a similar study in 2010. In 2015, the majority of food products studied had a TFA content of less than 0.2g/100g product, and a TFA/total fat ratio of less than 2%. No significant increases were found compared to 2010. Food groups with a higher TFA content were dairy products of possible natural origin. TFA content in Spain is low and has significantly fallen since 2010. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Impact of WHO recommendations to eliminate industrial trans-fatty acids from the food supply in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Colón-Ramos, Uriyoán; Monge-Rojas, Rafael; Campos, Hannia

2014-08-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed that there is enough evidence to recommend the elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) from the food supply. This article evaluates government-led public health strategies in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and factors perceived to affect following WHO's recommendation to eliminate industrially produced TFA. Descriptive, prospective multiple case studies integrated data from open-ended questionnaires to representatives of ministries of health, and systematic review of internal and publicly available documents in 13 LAC countries. Overall, government efforts to follow WHO recommendations have not been well co-ordinated throughout the region. Evidence for this includes the lack of standardization of TFA definitions. For example, some countries exclude naturally occurring TFA from the definitions, whereas others leave the option open to their inclusion. As a consequence, the criteria for trans-free nutrient claims and labelling requirements are inconsistent across the region. Government-led strategies varied from banning or limiting TFA content in the food supply to voluntary labelling of TFA. The identified challenges to the implementation of policies to reduce TFA include the shortage of information on TFA content of diets and foods, consumer unawareness of TFA and lack of monitoring and surveillance. The identified enabling factors were intersectoral collaboration with industry, mandatory labelling regulation and international and national visibility of the topic, which facilitated reduction of TFA content. A co-ordinated effort is required to achieve virtual elimination of all TFA in the region, as recommended by WHO. Standardization of the definition of TFA across the region would facilitate regulation, consumer education efforts and monitoring and surveillance efforts. Simultaneously, countries need to determine their level of exposure to TFA through the implementation of small surveys to assess blood TFA levels using blood spots, and the evaluation of TFA in fat sources that are commonly used. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

Deposition and rainwater concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid in the United States from the use of HFO-1234yf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazil, J.; McKeen, S.; Kim, S.-W.; Ahmadov, R.; Grell, G. A.; Talukdar, R. K.; Ravishankara, A. R.

2014-12-01

Currently, HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) is the most common refrigerant in automobile air conditioners. This high global warming potential substance (100 year GWP of 1370) will likely be phased out and replaced with HFO-1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene) that has a 100 year GWP of 4. HFO-1234yf will be oxidized to produce trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in clouds. TFA, a mildly toxic substance with detrimental effects on some aquatic organisms at high concentrations (≥100μgL-1), would be transported by rain to the surface and enter bodies of water. We investigated the dry and wet deposition of TFA from HFO-1234yf over the contiguous USA using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting model (ARW) with interactive chemical, aerosol, and cloud processes (WRF/Chem) model. Special focus was placed on emissions from three continental USA regions with different meteorological characteristics. WRF/Chem simulated meteorology, cloud processes, gas and aqueous phase chemistry, and dry and wet deposition between May and September 2006. The model reproduced well the multimonth total sulfate wet deposition (4% bias) and its spatial variability (r = 0.86) observed by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. HFO-1234yf emissions were obtained by assuming the number of automobile air conditioners to remain unchanged, and substituting HFO-1234yf, mole-per-mole for HFC-134a. Our estimates of current HFC-134a emissions were in agreement with field data. Average TFA rainwater concentration was 0.89μgL-1, with peak values of 7.8μgL-1, for the May-September 2006 period over the contiguous USA. TFA rainwater concentrations over the dry western USA were often significantly higher, but wet-deposited TFA amounts remained relatively low at such locations.

Recovery and fine structure variability of RGII sub-domains in wine (Vitis vinifera Merlot)

PubMed Central

Buffetto, F.; Ropartz, D.; Zhang, X. J.; Gilbert, H. J.; Guillon, F.; Ralet, M.-C.

2014-01-01

Background and Aims Rhamnogalacturonan II (RGII) is a structurally complex pectic sub-domain composed of more than 12 different sugars and 20 different linkages distributed in five side chains along a homogalacturonan backbone. Although RGII has long been described as highly conserved over plant evolution, recent studies have revealed variations in the structure of the polysaccharide. This study examines the fine structure variability of RGII in wine, focusing on the side chains A and B obtained after sequential mild acid hydrolysis. Specifically, this study aims to differentiate intrinsic structural variations in these RGII side chains from structural variations due to acid hydrolysis. Methods RGII from wine (Vitis vinifera Merlot) was sequentially hydrolysed with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and the hydrolysis products were separated by anion-exchange chromatography (AEC). AEC fractions or total hydrolysates were analysed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Key Results The optimal conditions to recover non-degraded side chain B, side chain A and RGII backbone were 0·1 m TFA at 40 °C for 16 h, 0·48 m TFA at 40 °C for 16 h (or 0·1 m TFA at 60 °C for 8 h) and 0·1 m TFA at 60 °C for 16 h, respectively. Side chain B was particularly prone to acid degradation. Side chain A and the RGII GalA backbone were partly degraded by 0·1 m TFA at 80 °C for 1–4 h. AEC allowed separation of side chain B, methyl-esterified side chain A and non-methyl-esterified side chain A. The structure of side chain A and the GalA backbone were highly variable. Conclusions Several modifications to the RGII structure of wine were identified. The observed dearabinosylation and deacetylation were primarily the consequence of acidic treatment, while variation in methyl-esterification, methyl-ether linkages and oxidation reflect natural diversity. The physiological significance of this variability, however, remains to be determined. PMID:24908680

Small, mobile, persistent: Trifluoroacetate in the water cycle - Overlooked sources, pathways, and consequences for drinking water supply.

PubMed

Scheurer, Marco; Nödler, Karsten; Freeling, Finnian; Janda, Joachim; Happel, Oliver; Riegel, Marcel; Müller, Uwe; Storck, Florian Rüdiger; Fleig, Michael; Lange, Frank Thomas; Brunsch, Andrea; Brauch, Heinz-Jürgen

2017-12-01

Elevated concentrations of trifluoroacetate (TFA) of more than 100 μg/L in a major German river led to the occurrence of more than 20 μg/L TFA in bank filtration based tap waters. Several spatially resolved monitoring programs were conducted and discharges from an industrial company were identified as the point source of TFA contamination. Treatment options for TFA removal were investigated at full-scale waterworks and in laboratory batch tests. Commonly applied techniques like ozonation or granulated activated carbon filtration are inappropriate for TFA removal, whereas TFA was partly removed by ion exchange and completely retained by reverse osmosis. Further investigations identified wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as additional TFA dischargers into the aquatic environment. TFA was neither removed by biological wastewater treatment, nor by a retention soil filter used for the treatment of combined sewer overflows. WWTP influents can even bear a TFA formation potential, when appropriate CF 3 -containing precursors are present. Biological degradation and ozonation batch experiments with chemicals of different classes (flurtamone, fluopyram, tembotrione, flufenacet, fluoxetine, sitagliptine and 4:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate) proved that there are yet overlooked sources and pathways of TFA, which need to be addressed in the future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching for All? Teach For America’s Effects across the Distribution of Student Achievement

PubMed Central

Penner, Emily K.

2016-01-01

This paper examines the effect of Teach For America (TFA) on the distribution of student achievement in elementary school. It extends previous research by estimating quantile treatment effects (QTE) to examine how student achievement in TFA and non-TFA classrooms differs across the broader distribution of student achievement. It also updates prior distributional work on TFA by correcting for previously unidentified missing data and estimating unconditional, rather than conditional QTE. Consistent with previous findings, results reveal a positive impact of TFA teachers across the distribution of math achievement. In reading, however, relative to veteran non-TFA teachers, students at the bottom of the reading distribution score worse in TFA classrooms, and students in the upper half of the distribution perform better. PMID:27668032

Regulation of trans fats: the gap, the Polder, and McDonald's French fries.

PubMed

Katan, Martijn B

2006-05-01

Lowering the intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) probably reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. Estimates of the reduction vary from 4% based on changes in plasma LDL and HDL concentrations alone, to > 20% based on epidemiological associations when TFA intake is lowered by 2% of energy (5 g/day). Even the lowest estimate represents enough cases to justify measures to reduce TFA intake. In The Netherlands, a major reduction in TFA content of retail foods has been achieved in the 1990s through efforts of industry; government intervention has been minimal. Societal pressure is now helping to reduce the TFA content of fast foods. McDonald's French fries in The Netherlands now have less than 4% trans and 24% saturates, as opposed to 21% trans and 21% saturates in the USA. This illustrates the feasibility of reducing TFA in fast foods without increasing saturates. As a result of these developments, dairy and meat have become the major remaining source of TFA in Europe. The question whether these ruminant TFA have the same effect on coronary heart disease risk as industrial TFA has not been settled.

Trans fatty acids and cholesterol levels: An evidence map of the available science.

PubMed

Liska, DeAnn J; Cook, Chad M; Wang, Ding Ding; Gaine, P Courtney; Baer, David J

2016-12-01

High intakes of industrial trans fatty acids (iTFA) increase circulating low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which has implicated iTFA in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Published data on iTFA and LDL-C, however, represent higher intake levels than the U.S. population currently consume. This study used state-of-the-art evidence mapping approaches to characterize the full body of literature on LDL-C and iTFA at low intake levels. A total of 32 independent clinical trials that included at least one intervention or control group with iTFA at ≤3%en were found. Findings indicated that a wide range of oils and interventions were used, limiting the ability to determine an isolated effect of iTFA intake. Few data points were found for iTFA at <3%en, with the majority of low-level exposures actually representing control group interventions containing non-partially hydrogenated (PHO) oils. Further, it appears that few dose-response data points are available to assess the relationship of low levels of iTFA, particularly from PHO exposure, and LDL-C. Therefore, limited evidence is available to determine the effect of iTFA at current consumption levels on CHD risk. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Progress towards elimination of trans-fatty acids in foods commonly consumed in four Latin American cities.

PubMed

Monge-Rojas, Rafael; Colón-Ramos, Uriyoán; Jacoby, Enrique; Alfaro, Thelma; Tavares do Carmo, Maria das Graças; Villalpando, Salvador; Bernal, Claudio

2017-09-01

To assess progress towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids (TFA) in foods after the 2008 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommendation of virtual elimination of TFA in Latin America. A descriptive, comparative analysis of foods that were likely to contain TFA and were commonly consumed in four cities in Latin America. San José (Costa Rica), Mexico City (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina). Foods from each city were sampled in 2011; TFA content was analysed using GC. TFA of selected foods was also monitored in 2016. In 2011-2016, there was a significant decrease in the content of TFA in the sampled foods across all sites, particularly in Buenos Aires (from 12·6-34·8 % range in 2011-2012 to nearly 0 % in 2015-2016). All sample products met the recommended levels of TFA content set by the PAHO. TFA were replaced with a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats. Our results indicate a virtual elimination of TFA from major food sources in the cities studied. This could be due to a combination of factors, including recommendations by national and global public health authorities, voluntary and/or mandatory food reformulation made by the food industry.

An exploration of socio-economic and food characteristics of high trans fatty acid consumers in the Dutch and UK national surveys after voluntary product reformulation.

PubMed

Rippin, H L; Hutchinson, J; Ocke, M; Jewell, J; Breda, J J; Cade, J E

2017-01-01

Trans fatty acids (TFA) increase the risk of mortality and chronic diseases. TFA intakes have fallen since reformulation, but may still be high in certain, vulnerable, groups. This paper investigates socio-economic and food consumption characteristics of high TFA consumers after voluntary reformulation in the Netherlands and UK. Post-reformulation data of adults aged 19-64 was analysed in two national surveys: the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS) collected 2007-2010 using 2*24hr recalls (N = 1933) and the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) years 3&4 collected 2010/11 and 2011/12 using 4-day food diaries (N = 848). The socio-economic and food consumption characteristics of the top 10% and remaining 90% TFA consumers were compared. Means of continuous data were compared using t-tests and categorical data means using chi-squared tests. Multivariate logistic regression models indicated which socio-demographic variables were associated with high TFA consumption. In the Dutch analyses, women and those born outside the Netherlands were more likely to be top 10% TFA consumers than men and Dutch-born. In the UK unadjusted analyses there was no significant trend in socio-economic characteristics between high and lower TFA consumers, but there were regional differences in the multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the Netherlands, high TFA consumers were more likely to be consumers of cakes, buns & pastries; cream; and fried potato than the remaining 90%. Whereas in the UK, high TFA consumers were more likely to be consumers of lamb; cheese; and dairy desserts and lower crisps and savoury snack consumers. Some socio-demographic differences between high and lower TFA consumers were evident post-reformulation. High TFA consumers in the Dutch 2007-10 survey appeared more likely to obtain TFA from artificial sources than those in the UK survey. Further analyses using more up-to-date food composition databases may be needed.

Trifluoroacetic Acid from Degradation of HCFCs and HFCs: A Three-dimensional Modeling Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotamarthi, V. R.; Rodriguez, J. M.; Ko, M. K. W.; Tromp, T. K.; Sze, N. D.

1998-01-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; CF3 COOH) is produced by the degradation of the halocarbon replacements HFC-134a, HCFC-124, and HCFC-123. The formation of TFA occurs by HFC/HCFC reacting with OH to yield CF3COX (X = F or CI), followed by in-cloud hydrolysis of CF3COX to form TFA. The TFA formed in the clouds may be reevaporated but is finally deposited onto the surface by washout or dry deposition. Concern has been expressed about the possible long-term accumulation of TFA in certain aquatic environments, pointing to the need to obtain information on the concentrations of TFA in rainwater over scales ranging from local to continental. Based on projected concentrations for HFC-134a, HCFC-124, and HCFC-123 of 80, 10, and 1 pptv in the year 2010, mass conservation arguments imply an annually averaged global concentration of 0.16 microg/L if washout were the only removal mechanism for TFA. We present 3-D simulations of the HFC/HCFC precursors of TFA that include the rates of formation and deposition of TFA based on assumed future emissions. An established (GISS/Harvard/ UCI) but coarse-resolution (8 deg latitude by 10 deg longitude) chemical transport model was used. The anually averaged rainwater concentration of 0.12 gg/L (global) was calculated for the year 2010, when both washout and dry deposition are included as the loss mechanism for TFA from the atmosphere. For some large regions in midnorthern latitudes, values are larger, 0.15-0.20 microg/L. The highest monthly averaged rainwater concentrations of TFA for northern midlatitudes were calculated for the month of July, corresponding to 0.3-0.45 microg/L in parts of North America and Europe. Recent laboratory experiments have suggested that a substantial amount of vibrationally excited CF3CHFO is produced in the degradation of HFC-134a, decreasing the yield of TFA from this compound by 60%. This decrease would reduce the calculated amounts of TFA in rainwater in the year 2010 by 26%, for the same projected concentrations of precursors.

Trifluoroacetic Acid from Degradation of HCFCs and HFCs: A Three-Dimensional Modeling Study. Appendix P

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotamarthi, V. R.; Rodriquez, J. M.; Ko, M. K. W.; Tromp, T. K.; Sze, N. D.; Prather, Michael J.

1998-01-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; CF3 COOH) is produced by the degradation of the halocarbon replacements HFC-134a, HCFC-124, and HCFC-123. The formation of TFA occurs by HFC/HCFC reacting with OH to yield CF3COX (X = F or CI), followed by in-cloud hydrolysis of CF to form TFA. The TFA formed in the clouds may be reevaporated but is finally deposited onto the surface by washout or dry deposition. Concern has been expressed about the possible long-term accumulation of TFA in certain aquatic environments, pointing to the need to obtain information on the concentrations of TFA in rainwater over scales ranging from local to continental. Based on projected concentrations for HFC-134a, HCFC-124, and HCFC-123 of 80, 10, and 1 pptv in the year 2010, mass conservation arguments imply an annually averaged global concentration of 0.16 micro g/L if washout were the only removal mechanism for TFA. We present 3-D simulations of the HFC/HCFC precursors of TFA that include the rates of formation and deposition of TFA based on assumed future emissions. An established (GISS[Harvard/ UCI) but coarse-resolution (8 deg latitude by 10 deg longitude) chemical transport model was used. The annually averaged rainwater concentration of 0.12 micro g/L (global) was calculated for the year 2010, when both washout and dry deposition are included as the loss mechanism for TFA from the atmosphere. For some large regions in midnorthern latitudes, values are larger. 0.15-0.20 micro g/L. The highest monthly averaged rainwater concentrations of TFA for northern midlatitudes were calculated for the month of July, corresponding to 0.3 - 0.45 micro g/L in parts of North America and Europe. Recent laboratory experiments have suggested that a substantial amount of vibrationally excited CF3CHFO is produced in the degradation of HFC-134a, decreasing the yield of TFA from this compound by 60%. This decrease would reduce the calculated amounts of TFA in rainwater in the year 2010 by 26%, for the same projected concentrations of precursors.

Trifluoroacetic Acid from Degradation of HCFCs and HFCs: A Three-Dimensional Modeling Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotamarthi, V. R.; Rodriquez, J. M.; Ko, M. K. W.; Tromp, T. K.; Sze, N. D.

1998-01-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; CF3COOH) is produced by the degradation of the halocarbon replacements HFC-134a, HCFC-124, and HCFC-123. The formation of TFA occurs by HFC/HCFC reacting with OH to yield CF3COX (X = F or CI), followed by in-cloud hydrolysis of CF3COX to form TFA. The TFA formed in the clouds may be reevaporated but is finally deposited onto the surface by washout or dry deposition. Concern has been expressed about the possible long-term accumulation of TFA in certain aquatic environments, pointing to the need to obtain information on the concentrations of TFA in rainwater over scales ranging from local to continental. Based on projected concentrations for HFC-134a, HCFC-124, and HCFC-123 of 80, 10, and 1 pptv in the year 2010, mass conservation arguments imply an annually averaged global concentration of 0.16 micro g/L if washout were the only removal mechanism for TFA. We present 3-D simulations of the HFC/HCFC precursors of TFA that include the rates of formation and deposition of TFA based on assumed future emissions. An established (GISS/Harvard/ UCI) but coarse-resolution (8 deg latitude by 10 deg longitude) chemical transport model was used. The annually averaged rainwater concentration of 0.12 micro g/L (global) was calculated for the year 2010, when both washout and dry deposition are included as the loss mechanism for TFA from the atmosphere. For some large regions in midnorthern latitudes, values are larger, 0.15-0.20 micro g/L. The highest monthly averaged rainwater concentrations of TFA for northern midlatitudes were calculated for the month of July, corresponding to 0.3-0.45 micro g/L in parts of North America and Europe. Recent laboratory experiments have suggested that a substantial amount of vibrationally excited CF3CHFO is produced in the degradation of HFC-134a, decreasing the yield of TFA from this compound by 60%. This decrease would reduce the calculated amounts of TFA in rainwater in the year 2010 by 26%, for the same projected concentrations of precursors.

Fatty acid composition including trans-fatty acids in edible oils and fats: probable intake in Indian population.

PubMed

Dixit, Sumita; Das, Mukul

2012-10-01

The susceptibility of trans-fat to the human health risk prompted the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to prepare regulations or compulsory claims for trans-fatty acids (TFA) in edible oils and fats. In this study, analysis of fatty acid composition and TFA content in edible oils and fats along with the possible intake of trans-fat in Indian population was carried out. The analysis was carried out as per the Assn. of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methodology and the results were statistically analyzed. The average TFA content in nonrefined mustard and refined soybean oils exceeded by 1.16- to 1.64-fold as compared to the Denmark limit of 2% TFA in fats and oils destined for human consumption. In branded/nonbranded butter and butter oil samples, average TFA limit exceeded by 4.2- to 9.5-fold whereas hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) samples exceeded the limit by 9.8-fold, when compared to Denmark standards. The probable TFA intake per day through different oils in Indian population were found to be less than WHO recommendation. However Punjab having highest consumption of HVO (-15 g/d) showed 1.09-fold higher TFA intake than the WHO recommendation, which is alarming and may be one of the factors for high cardiovascular disease mortality rate that needs further elucidation. Thus there is a need to prescribe TFA limit for edible oil, butter, and butter oil in India and to reduce the already proposed TFA levels in HVO to safeguard the health of consumers. The probable daily intake of trans-fatty acid (TFA) especially through hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) was assessed. In absence of any specification for TFA and fatty acid composition for edible oils, butter, and butter samples, a pressing need was felt to prescribe TFA limit in India. The study indicates that TFA intake through HVO consumption is higher in States like Punjab than the recommended daily intake prescribed by WHO. Hence, strategies should be adopted to either decrease the consumption of HVO or to modify the industrial processing method of HVO with less content of TFA to safeguard the health of consumers. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Quantifying Silica Reactivity in Subsurface Environments: Reaction Affinity and Solute Matrix Controls on Quartz and SiO2 Glass Dissolution Kinetics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patricia M. Dove

2000-12-13

During the three years of this project, Professor Dove's laboratory made tremendous progress in understanding controls on amorphous silica dissolution kinetics in aqueous solutions. Our findings have already received considerable attention. In hydrothermal and low temperature studies, the work focused on determining quantitative and mechanistic controls on the most abundant silica polymorphs in Earth environments--quartz and amorphous silica. Our studies achieved goals set forth in the original proposal to establish a new quantitative understanding of amorphous silica dissolution. This support has resulted in 10 journal, 12 abstracts and 2 thesis publications. The PI and students were also recognized with 6more » awards during this period. The 1998 EMSP conference in Chicago was an important meeting for our project. The symposium, enabled P.I. Dove to establish valuable contacts with ''users'' having specific needs for the findings of our EMSP project related to the urgency of problems in the Tanks Focus Area (TFA). Since that time, our working relations developed as Dove interacted with TFA scientists and engineers on the problems of waste glass properties. These interactions refined our experimental objectives to better meet their needs. Dove presented the results of EMSP research findings to a TFA subgroup at a Product Acceptance Workshop held in Salt Lake City during December 1998. The travel costs to attend this unanticipated opportunity were paid from EMSP project funds. In January 2000, Dove also attended a similar meeting in Atlanta with PNNL, SRL and BNF scientists/engineers to discuss new issues and make another level of decisions on the Product Acceptance goals. Our EMSP-funded research interfaced very well with the ongoing studies of Dr. Pete McGrail and colleagues in the Applied Geochemistry Group at PNNL. The value of our work to ''users'' was further demonstrated when Dove's EMSP-funded Postdoc, Dr. Jonathan Icenhower was hired by the same PNNL group. With the Icenhower move from postdoc in the Dove lab to a senior scientist position at PNNL, we directly facilitated information transfer from the ''university to user'' environment. Icenhower brought experience in silica-water reactivity and the experimental expertise in high-quality methods of mineral-water reaction kinetics to the PNNL waste clean-up effort. In a further interaction, M.S. student Troy Lorier was hired at the Savannah River Laboratory for a staff position with the Bill Holtzcheiter glass group. His research meshed well with on-going efforts at SRL. In short, our EMSP project went well beyond the academic goals of producing high quality scientific knowledge to establish connections with on-site users to solve problems in TFA. This project also produced new talent for the waste immobilization effort. This EMSP project was highly successful and we thank our sponsors for the opportunity to advance scientific knowledge in this important area of research.« less

Teach for America Placement and Teacher Vacancies: Evidence from the Mississippi Delta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, Chris

2017-01-01

Background/Context: TFA represents an influential yet controversial preparation route for new teachers. In recent years, TFA has received criticism from traditionally trained teachers and schools of education on the basis that they are crowding out or taking positions away from non-TFA teachers. Despite this criticism, research on TFA has tended…

Trans fatty acids in the Portuguese food market.

PubMed

Costa, Nádia; Cruz, Rebeca; Graça, Pedro; Breda, João; Casal, Susana

2016-06-01

Consistent evidence exist on the harmful health effects of industrial trans fatty acids (TFA). In order to have accurate data on TFA intake and implement adequate measures to reduce their intake, each country should have updated estimates of TFA content in the diet. The objective of the present study was to provide data on the TFA content in food commercialized in the Portuguese market. The results on the TFA content of 268 samples acquired between October and December 2013 are reported. Samples were categorized as margarines and shortenings (n = 16), spreadable chocolate fats (n = 6), fried potatoes and chips (n = 25), industrial bakery (n = 4), breakfast cereals (n = 3), pastry products (n = 120), seasonings (n = 5), instant soups (n = 5), instant desserts (n = 6), chocolate snacks (n = 4), microwave popcorn (n = 4), cookies, biscuits and wafers (n = 53), and fast-food (n = 13), with butter (n = 4) included for comparison purposes. TFA were quantified by gas chromatography. Total TFA content in the fat ranged from 0.06% to 30.2% (average 1.9%), with the highest average values in the "biscuits, wafers and cookies" group (3.4% TFA), followed by the pastry group (2.0%). Fifty samples (19%) had TFA superior to 2% in the fat. These findings highlight there is still much need for improvement in terms of the TFA content in Portuguese foods, particularly in traditional pastry.

Trans fatty acids in the Portuguese food market

PubMed Central

Costa, Nádia; Cruz, Rebeca; Graça, Pedro; Breda, João; Casal, Susana

2016-01-01

Consistent evidence exist on the harmful health effects of industrial trans fatty acids (TFA). In order to have accurate data on TFA intake and implement adequate measures to reduce their intake, each country should have updated estimates of TFA content in the diet. The objective of the present study was to provide data on the TFA content in food commercialized in the Portuguese market. The results on the TFA content of 268 samples acquired between October and December 2013 are reported. Samples were categorized as margarines and shortenings (n = 16), spreadable chocolate fats (n = 6), fried potatoes and chips (n = 25), industrial bakery (n = 4), breakfast cereals (n = 3), pastry products (n = 120), seasonings (n = 5), instant soups (n = 5), instant desserts (n = 6), chocolate snacks (n = 4), microwave popcorn (n = 4), cookies, biscuits and wafers (n = 53), and fast-food (n = 13), with butter (n = 4) included for comparison purposes. TFA were quantified by gas chromatography. Total TFA content in the fat ranged from 0.06% to 30.2% (average 1.9%), with the highest average values in the “biscuits, wafers and cookies” group (3.4% TFA), followed by the pastry group (2.0%). Fifty samples (19%) had TFA superior to 2% in the fat. These findings highlight there is still much need for improvement in terms of the TFA content in Portuguese foods, particularly in traditional pastry. PMID:27274619

Active vibration control for piezoelectricity cantilever beam: an adaptive feedforward control method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qiao; Yue, Jun-Zhou; Liu, Wei-Qun; Wang, Xu-Dong; Chen, Jun; Hu, Guang-Di

2017-04-01

This work is focused on the active vibration control of piezoelectric cantilever beam, where an adaptive feedforward controller (AFC) is utilized to reject the vibration with unknown multiple frequencies. First, the experiment setup and its mathematical model are introduced. Due to that the channel between the disturbance and the vibration output is unknown in practice, a concept of equivalent input disturbance (EID) is employed to put an equivalent disturbance into the input channel. In this situation, the vibration control can be achieved by setting the control input be the identified EID. Then, for the EID with known multiple frequencies, the AFC is introduced to perfectly reject the vibration but is sensitive to the frequencies. In order to accurately identify the unknown frequencies of EID in presence of the random disturbances and un-modeled nonlinear dynamics, the time-frequency-analysis (TFA) method is employed to precisely identify the unknown frequencies. Consequently, a TFA-based AFC algorithm is proposed to the active vibration control with unknown frequencies. Finally, four cases are given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed TFA-based AFC algorithm by experiment.

Saturated and trans-fatty acids in UK takeaway food.

PubMed

Davies, Ian Glynn; Blackham, Toni; Jaworowska, Agnieszka; Taylor, Catherine; Ashton, Matthew; Stevenson, Leonard

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to analyze the saturated fatty acid (SFA) and trans-fatty acid (TFA) contents of popular takeaway foods in the UK (including English, pizza, Chinese, Indian and kebab cuisine). Samples of meals were analyzed by an accredited public analyst laboratory for SFA and TFA. The meals were highly variable for SFA and TFA. English and Pizza meals had the highest median amount of SFA with 35.7 g/meal; Kebab meals were high in TFA with up to 5.2 g/meal. When compared to UK dietary reference values, some meals exceeded SFA and TFA recommendations from just one meal. Takeaway food would be an obvious target to reduce SFA and TFA contents and increase the potential of meeting UK recommendations. Strategies such as reformulation and smaller takeaway portion sizes warrant investigation.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of eliminating industrial and all trans fats in England and Wales: modelling study.

PubMed

Pearson-Stuttard, Jonathan; Hooton, William; Critchley, Julia; Capewell, Simon; Collins, Marissa; Mason, Helen; Guzman-Castillo, Maria; O'Flaherty, Martin

2017-09-01

Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a leading cause of UK mortality. Dietary trans fats (TFA) represent a powerful CHD risk factor. However, UK efforts to reduce intake have been less successful than other nations. We modelled the potential health and economic effects of eliminating industrial and all TFA up to 2020. We extended the previously validated IMPACTsec model, to estimate the potential effects on health and economic outcomes of mandatory reformulation or a complete ban on dietary TFA in England and Wales from 2011 to 2020. We modelled two policy scenarios: 1) Elimination of industrial TFA consumption, from 0.8% to 0.4% daily energy 2) Elimination of all TFA consumption, from 0.8% to 0. Elimination of industrial TFA across the England and Wales population could result in approximately 1600 fewer deaths per year, with some 4000 fewer hospital admissions; gaining approximately 14 000 additional life years. Health inequalities would be substantially reduced in both scenarios. Elimination of industrial TFA would be cost saving. This would include approximately £100 m saved in direct healthcare costs. Elimination of all TFA would double the health and economic gains. Eliminating industrial or all UK dietary intake of TFA could substantially reduce CHD mortality and inequalities, while resulting in substantial annual savings. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Fatty acid composition of Swedish bakery products, with emphasis on trans-fatty acids.

PubMed

Trattner, Sofia; Becker, Wulf; Wretling, Sören; Öhrvik, Veronica; Mattisson, Irene

2015-05-15

Trans-fatty acids (TFA) have been associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease, by affecting blood lipids and inflammation factors. Current nutrition recommendations emphasise a limitation of dietary TFA intake. The aim of this study was to investigate fatty acid composition in sweet bakery products, with emphasis on TFA, on the Swedish market and compare fatty acid composition over time. Products were sampled in 2001, 2006 and 2007 and analysed for fatty acid composition by using GC. Mean TFA levels were 0.7% in 2007 and 5.9% in 2001 of total fatty acids. In 1995-97, mean TFA level was 14.3%. In 2007, 3 of 41 products had TFA levels above 2% of total fatty acids. TFA content had decreased in this product category, while the proportion of saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids had increased, mostly through increased levels of 16:0 and 18:2 n-6, respectively. The total fat content remained largely unchanged. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Margarines and Fast-Food French Fries: Low Content of trans Fatty Acids.

PubMed

Astiasarán, Iciar; Abella, Elena; Gatta, Giulia; Ansorena, Diana

2017-06-28

The lipid fraction of margarines and fast food French fries, two types of foods traditionally high in trans fatty acids (TFA), is assessed. TFA data reported worldwide during the last 20 years have been gathered and show that some countries still report high TFA amounts in these products. The content of TFA was analysed in margarines (two store and four premium brands) and French-fries from fast-food restaurants (five chains). All samples were collected in Pamplona (Navarra, Spain). The margarines showed mean values of 0.68% and 0.43% (g TFA/100 g fat) for the store and premium brands, respectively. The French fries' values ranged from 0.49% to 0.89%. All samples were lower than the 2% set by some European countries as the maximum legal content of TFA in fats, and contained less than 0.5 g/serving, so they could also be considered " trans free products". This work confirmed that the presence of TFA is not significant in the two analysed products and contributes updated food composition tables, key tools for epidemiological and nutrition studies.

Margarines and Fast-Food French Fries: Low Content of trans Fatty Acids

PubMed Central

Astiasarán, Iciar; Abella, Elena; Gatta, Giulia; Ansorena, Diana

2017-01-01

The lipid fraction of margarines and fast food French fries, two types of foods traditionally high in trans fatty acids (TFA), is assessed. TFA data reported worldwide during the last 20 years have been gathered and show that some countries still report high TFA amounts in these products. The content of TFA was analysed in margarines (two store and four premium brands) and French-fries from fast-food restaurants (five chains). All samples were collected in Pamplona (Navarra, Spain). The margarines showed mean values of 0.68% and 0.43% (g TFA/100 g fat) for the store and premium brands, respectively. The French fries’ values ranged from 0.49% to 0.89%. All samples were lower than the 2% set by some European countries as the maximum legal content of TFA in fats, and contained less than 0.5 g/serving, so they could also be considered “trans free products”. This work confirmed that the presence of TFA is not significant in the two analysed products and contributes updated food composition tables, key tools for epidemiological and nutrition studies. PMID:28657612

Dietary fat type influences total milk fat content in lean women.

PubMed

Anderson, Nicole K; Beerman, Kathy A; McGuire, Mark A; Dasgupta, Nairanjana; Griinari, J Mikko; Williams, Janet; McGuire, Michelle K

2005-03-01

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are found naturally in some foods (e.g., dairy products) as well as many processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO). Data from a growing literature suggest that some TFA decrease milk fat in lactating animals. Because the physiologic effects of TFA in lactating women are unknown, this study was designed to investigate the effects of TFA consumption on human milk fat. A randomized, crossover design (n = 12) was used to study the effect of 3 dietary treatments: high PHVO (regular margarine), low PHVO (low TFA margarine), or low PHVO but high in naturally occurring TFA (butter) on milk fat. Treatments were administered for 5 d, with 7-d washout periods. Maternal adiposity was estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Milk and blood were collected on d 5 of each intervention period. In general, milk and serum fatty acid concentrations mirrored those of the dietary treatments. There were significant interactions between treatment and maternal adiposity on milk fat and infant milk consumption, as well as on serum glucose and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations. Consumption of regular margarine, compared with low TFA margarine, resulted in lower milk fat in leaner, but not in more obese women. Consumption of either regular or low TFA margarine, compared with butter, elevated serum NEFA concentrations in the more obese women. In summary, consumption of regular margarine, compared with low TFA margarine, decreased milk fat in lean women. Further studies are required to determine whether infant milk consumption might compensate for this potentially important change in milk composition.

The intake of high fat diet with different trans fatty acid levels differentially induces oxidative stress and non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are known as a risk factor for coronary artery diseases, insulin resistance and obesity accompanied by systemic inflammation, the features of metabolic syndrome. Little is known about the effects on the liver induced by lipids and also few studies are focused on the effect of foods rich in TFAs on hepatic functions and oxidative stress. This study investigates whether high-fat diets with different TFA levels induce oxidative stress and liver dysfunction in rats. Methods Male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four groups (n = 12/group): C receiving standard-chow; Experimental groups that were fed high-fat diet included 20% fresh soybean oil diet (FSO), 20% oxidized soybean oil diet (OSO) and 20% margarine diet (MG). Each group was kept on the treatment for 4 weeks. Results A liver damage was observed in rats fed with high-fat diet via increase of liver lipid peroxidation and decreased hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase). The intake of oxidized oil led to higher levels of lipid peroxidation and a lower concentration of plasma antioxidants in comparison to rats fed with FSO. The higher inflammatory response in the liver was induced by MG diet. Liver histopathology from OSO and MG groups showed respectively moderate to severe cytoplasm vacuolation, hypatocyte hypertrophy, hepatocyte ballooning, and necroinflammation. Conclusion It seems that a strong relationship exists between the consumption of TFA in the oxidized oils and lipid peroxidation and non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The extent of the peroxidative events in liver was also different depending on the fat source suggesting that feeding margarine with higher TFA levels may represent a direct source of oxidative stress for the organism. The present study provides evidence for a direct effect of TFA on NAFLD. PMID:21943357

Pregnancy termination for fetal abnormality: are health professionals' perceptions of women's coping congruent with women's accounts?

PubMed

Lafarge, Caroline; Mitchell, Kathryn; Breeze, Andrew C G; Fox, Pauline

2017-02-08

Pregnancy termination for fetal abnormality (TFA) may have profound psychological consequences for those involved. Evidence suggests that women's experience of care influences their psychological adjustment to TFA and that they greatly value compassionate healthcare. Caring for women in these circumstances presents challenges for health professionals, which may relate to their understanding of women's experience. This qualitative study examined health professionals' perceptions of women's coping with TFA and assessed to what extent these perceptions are congruent with women's accounts. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with health professionals in three hospitals in England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and compared with women's accounts of their own coping processes to identify similarities and differences. Health professionals' perceptions of women's coping processes were congruent with women's accounts in identifying the roles of support, acceptance, problem-solving, avoidance, another pregnancy and meaning attribution as key coping strategies. Health professionals regarded coping with TFA as a unique grieving process and were cognisant of women's idiosyncrasies in coping. They also considered their role as information providers as essential in helping women cope with TFA. The findings also indicate that health professionals lacked insight into women's long-term coping processes and the potential for positive growth following TFA, which is consistent with a lack of aftercare following TFA reported by women. Health professionals' perceptions of women's coping with TFA closely matched women's accounts, suggesting a high level of understanding. However, the lack of insight into women's long-term coping processes has important clinical implications, as research suggests that coping with TFA is a long-term process and that the provision of aftercare is beneficial to women. Together, these findings call for further research into the most appropriate ways to support women post-TFA, with a view to developing a psychological intervention to better support women in the future.

Selection of transformation-efficient barley genotypes based on TFA (transformation amenability) haplotype and higher resolution mapping of the TFA loci.

PubMed

Hisano, Hiroshi; Meints, Brigid; Moscou, Matthew J; Cistue, Luis; Echávarri, Begoña; Sato, Kazuhiro; Hayes, Patrick M

2017-04-01

The genetic substitution of transformation amenability alleles from 'Golden Promise' can facilitate the development of transformation-efficient lines from recalcitrant barley cultivars. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) cv. 'Golden Promise' is one of the most useful and well-studied cultivars for genetic manipulation. In a previous report, we identified several transformation amenability (TFA) loci responsible for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using the F 2 generation of immature embryos, derived from 'Haruna Nijo' × 'Golden Promise,' as explants. In this report, we describe higher density mapping of these TFA regions with additional SNP markers using the same transgenic plants. To demonstrate the robustness of transformability alleles at the TFA loci, we genotyped 202 doubled haploid progeny from the cross 'Golden Promise' × 'Full Pint.' Based on SNP genotype, we selected lines having 'Golden Promise' alleles at TFA loci and used them for transformation. Of the successfully transformed lines, DH120366 came the closest to achieving a level of transformation efficiency comparable to 'Golden Promise.' The results validate that the genetic substitution of TFA alleles from 'Golden Promise' can facilitate the development of transformation-efficient lines from recalcitrant barley cultivars.

Uptake of trifluoroacetate by Pinus ponderosa via atmospheric pathway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benesch, J. A.; Gustin, M. S.

Trifluoroacetate (TFA, CF 3COO -), a break down product of hydro(chloro)-fluorocarbons (HFC/HCFCs), has been suggested to contribute to forest decline syndrome. To investigate the possible effects, Pinus ponderosa was exposed to TFA applied as mist (150 and 10,000 ng l -1) to foliar surfaces. Needles accumulated TFA as a function of concentration and time. However, no adverse physiological responses, as plant morphology, photosynthetic and conductance rates, were observed at the TFA concentrations used in this study.

Effect of heating oils and fats in containers of different materials on their trans fatty acid content.

PubMed

Kala, A L Amrutha; Joshi, Vishal; Gurudutt, K N

2012-08-30

The nature of the container material and temperature employed for deep-frying can have an influence on the development of trans fatty acids (TFAs) in the fat used. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of heating vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated vegetable fats with different initial TFA content in stainless steel, Hindalium (an aluminium alloy), cast iron and glass containers. Ground nut oil (oil 1), refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palmolein (oil 2) and two partially hydrogenated vegetable oils with low (fat 1) and high (fat 2) TFA content were uniformly heated at 175-185 °C over a period of 12 h. An increase in TFA content to 20 g kg⁻¹ was observed in oil 2 in the cast iron container, while a decrease in TFA content of 20-30 g kg⁻¹ was observed in fat 2 in all containers. The heating process of fats and oils also led to an increase in Butyro refractometer reading and colour values. This study showed that the TFA 18:1t content of oil 1, oil 2 and fat 1 increased with repeated or prolonged heating. The cast iron container showed the highest increase in TFA 18:1t for RBD palmolein (oil 2). The amount of linoleic acid trans isomers formed in the heating process was negligible. Fat 2 with high initial TFA content showed a decrease in TFA 18:1 and 18:2 on heating in all containers. Oils heated in glass and stainless steel containers showed less TFA 18:1t formation. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Trans-fatty acids--effects on coronary heart disease].

PubMed

Karbowska, Joanna; Kochan, Zdzisław

2011-07-01

Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are formed during the industrial process of hydrogenation of vegetable oils. The consumption of hydrogenated fats has increased significantly over the last few decades. In Poland, the average daily intake of TFA for adults was estimated to be 2.8 to 6.9 g; which greatly exceeds the recommended daily maximum of 2 g/day (less than 1% of total energy intake). Increasing trans-fatty acid intake has detrimental effects on the lipid profile: TFA raise total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and decrease HDL-cholesterol levels. Moreover, dietary trans-fatty acids may increase plasma levels of lipoprotein (a) and biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Several studies have demonstrated that a high intake of TFA is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, TFA consumption has been implicated as an independent risk factor for sudden cardiac arrest. It is therefore necessary to reduce the intake of hydrogenated fats rich in trans-fatty acids in order to minimize the adverse effects of TFA on health.

Impacts of the Degradation of 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene into Trifluoroacetic Acid from Its Application in Automobile Air Conditioners in China, the United States, and Europe.

PubMed

Wang, Ziyuan; Wang, Yuhang; Li, Jianfeng; Henne, Stephan; Zhang, Boya; Hu, Jianxin; Zhang, Jianbo

2018-03-06

HFO-1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene) was proposed as an automobile air conditioner (MAC) refrigerant worldwide. However, its atmospheric degradation product is the highly soluble and phytotoxic trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which persists in aquatic environments. We used a global three-dimensional chemical transport model to assess the potential environmental effects resulting from complete future conversion of the refrigerant in all MAC to HFO-1234yf in China, the United States, and Europe. The annual mean atmospheric concentrations of HFO-1234yf were 2.62, 2.20, and 2.73 pptv, and the mean deposition rates of TFA were 0.96, 0.45, and 0.52 kg km -2 yr -1 , in three regions. The regional TFA deposition sources mainly came from emissions within the same region. The annual TFA deposition in the North Pole region was lower than the global average and mainly originated from European emissions. A potential doubling in the future HFO-1234yf emissions in China mainly affected the local TFA depositions. The TFA concentrations in rainwater were strongly affected by the regional precipitation rates. North Africa and the Middle East, regions with scant rainfall, had extremely high TFA concentrations. The rainwater concentrations of TFA during individual rain events can exceed the level considered to be safe, indicating substantial potential regional risks from future HFO-1234yf use.

Leadership, Not Magic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farr, Steven

2011-01-01

For the last decade, Steven Farr and his colleagues at Teach For America (TFA) have studied the most highly effective TFA teachers--those whose students make remarkable academic progress. In this article, Farr describes the qualities that distinguish these great teachers from less effective TFA teachers. They have identified six leadership…

Trans fatty acid isomers and the trans-9/trans-11 index in fat containing foods

PubMed Central

Kuhnt, Katrin; Baehr, Melanie; Rohrer, Carsten; Jahreis, Gerhard

2011-01-01

To determine trans fatty acid (TFA) distribution of contemporary foods, especially regarding individual trans octadecenoic acids (trans C18:1), 339 German foods of six categories (semi-solid fats, deep-fried potato products, bakery products, confectioneries, instant products and butter) were analysed using two GC methods. Results showed a high variation of TFA content between and within the categories containing between 0 and 40.5% of FAME except in butter, which is a source of natural TFA. The mean TFA values were below 2.0% of FAME, however, bakery products contained 4.5% and butter fat 3.2%, respectively. In addition, the distribution of individual trans C18:1 differed. In samples containing ruminant fat (butter and various confectioneries), vaccenic acid (t11-C18:1, t11) predominated, while in foods containing industrially hydrogenated fats, elaidic acid (trans-9, t9-) and t10-C18:1 were the major trans isomers.. This was reflected by a low t9/t11 index of 0.3 and 0.5 in butter and ruminant fat containing confectioneries, respectively, whilst the highest index was observed in shortenings and deep-fried potato products at 5.2 and 6.8, respectively. In conclusion, the TFA content of foods available on the German market is generally declining, but substantial variations are present. The t9/t11 index could be used as an indicator to determine ruminant fat. Practical applications: A number of studies provide evidence that a high TFA intake, particularly of industrial origin, adversely affects human health. The TFA content of foods could be reduced due to the introduction of several mandatory regulations and modifications regarding the hydrogenation process of oils. The most abundant dietary TFA are the isomers of trans C18:1. Unfortunately, the differentiation of these isomers is not yet very common, though the trans C18:1 profile differs depending on its origin (bacterial hydrogenation in the rumen or industrial hydrogenation). To date, data for TFA content including the trans C18:1 profile of different food categories are limited. The present study confirmed that the TFA contents in German foods are declining. However, TFA are still elevated, especially in bakery products and confectioneries, which are produced using mainly industrial but also ruminant fats. Therefore, the t9/t11 index imparts important information on the source of TFA in processed foods. PMID:22164125

Efficacy and indications of transradial and transfemoral approaches for peripheral artery stent implantation.

PubMed

Chen, Peng; Li, Huijie; Zeng, Chunyu; Fang, Yuqiang; Shi, Weibin; Zhang, Xiaoqun; Yang, Chengming

2017-06-01

The transradial approach (TRA) has become an attractive alternative to the transfemoral approach (TFA) in percutaneous coronary intervention. To date, however, these two approaches have not been systematically compared in various percutaneous peripheral artery interventions (PPAIs). In the present study 258 patients with peripheral artery disease that underwent PPAI via the TRA (n=75) or the TFA (n=183) were analyzed. Clinical factors and outcomes in these two groups were compared. The puncture time was significantly longer (P<0.05) and the prevalence of artery vasospasm significantly higher (P<0.05) in patients who underwent PPAI via the TRA rather than via the TFA. However, the complication rate was significantly lower (P<0.05) and the artery compression time (P<0.05) and time bedridden (P<0.05) were significantly shorter via the TRA than via the TFA. These results suggest that PPAI via the TRA was associated with a lower complication rate, and shorter artery compression time and bedridden time than PPAI via the TFA. The TRA may be preferable for bilateral vertebral artery stenosis, whereas the TFA may be preferable for interventional treatment of carotid and subclavian artery stenosis. Therefore, the catheter length, artery support and push force should be comprehensively considered before choosing the TRA or TFA in the interventional treatment of renal artery stenosis.

BIOENERGETIC DIFFERENCES DURING WALKING AND RUNNING IN TRANSFEMORAL AMPUTEE RUNNERS USING ARTICULATING AND NON-ARTICULATING KNEE PROSTHESES

PubMed Central

Highsmith, M. Jason; Kahle, Jason T.; Miro, Rebecca M.; Mengelkoch, Larry J.

2016-01-01

Transfemoral amputation (TFA) patients require considerably more energy to walk and run than non-amputees. The purpose of this study was to examine potential bioenergetic differences (oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE)) for TFA patients utilizing a conventional running prosthesis with an articulating knee mechanism versus a running prosthesis with a non-articulating knee joint. Four trained TFA runners (n = 4) were accommodated to and tested with both conditions. VO2 and HR were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) in five of eight fixed walking and running speeds for the prosthesis with an articulating knee mechanism. TFA demonstrated a trend for lower RPE at six of eight walking speeds using the prosthesis with the articulated knee condition. A trend was observed for self-selected walking speed, self-selected running speed, and maximal speed to be faster for TFA subjects using the prosthesis with the articulated knee condition. Finally, all four TFA participants subjectively preferred running with the prosthesis with the articulated knee condition. These findings suggest that, for trained TFA runners, a running prosthesis with an articulating knee prosthesis reduces ambulatory energy costs and enhances subjective perceptive measures compared to using a non-articulating knee prosthesis. PMID:28066524

Comparison of extraction methods for the analysis of natural dyes in historical textiles by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Valianou, Lemonia; Karapanagiotis, Ioannis; Chryssoulakis, Yannis

2009-12-01

Different methods for the extraction of Dactylopius coccus Costa, Rubia tinctorum L., Isatis tinctoria L., Reseda luteola L., Curcuma longa L. and Cotinus coggygria Scop. from wool fibres are investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The efficiencies of five extraction methods which include the use of HCl (widely used extraction method), citric acid, oxalic acid, TFA and a combination of HCOOH and EDTA are compared on the basis of the (a) number, (b) relative quantities, measured as HPLC peak areas and (c) signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) of the compounds extracted from the wool substrates. Flavonoid glycosides and curcuminoids contained in R. luteola L. and C. longa L., respectively, according to liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) identifications, are not detected after treating the fibres with HCl. All the other milder methods are successful in extracting these compounds. Experiments are performed using HPLC-DAD to compare the HPLC peak areas and the S/N of the following extracted compounds: indigotin, indirubin, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, fisetin, sulfuretin, luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, apigenin, carminic acid, alizarin, puruprin and rubiadin. It is shown that the TFA method provides overall the best results as it gives elevated extraction yields except for fisetin, luteolin, apigenin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside and highest S/N except for fisetin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside. It is noteworthy that treatment of the fibres with the typical HCl extraction method results overall in very low S/N. The TFA method is selected for further studies, as follows. First, it is applied on silk dyed samples and compared with the HCl method. The same relative differences of the TFA and HCl methods observed for the wool dyed samples are reported for the silk dyed samples too, except for rubiadin, luteolin and apigenin. Thus, in most cases, the nature of the substrate (wool or silk) appears to have negligible effects on the relative difference of the two extraction methods. Second, the selected TFA method is applied to treat wool and silk historical samples extracted from textiles of the Mamluk period, resulting in the identification of several colouring compounds. In all extraction methods mentioned above, DMSO is used to dissolve the dyes, after acid treatment.

The effectiveness of policies for reducing dietary trans fat: a systematic review of the evidence

PubMed Central

Thow, Anne Marie; Leeder, Stephen R

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective To systematically review evidence for the effectiveness of policies, including self-regulation, aimed at reducing industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs) in food. Methods The Medline, Embase and Cinahl databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed articles examining the effect of TFA policies. In addition, the first 20 pages of Google searches were examined for articles from the grey literature. A study was included if: (i) it was empirical and conducted in a “real-world” setting (i.e. modelling studies were excluded); (ii) it examined a TFA policy involving, for example, labelling, voluntary limits or bans; and (iii) it examined a policy’s effect on TFA levels in food, people’s diets, blood or breast milk. Findings Twenty-six articles met the inclusion criteria: 5 involved voluntary self-regulation; 8, labelling alone; 4, labelling and voluntary limits; 5, local bans and 4, national bans. Overall, the TFA content of food decreased with all types of policy intervention. In general, saturated fat levels increased or decreased, depending on the product type, and total fat content remained stable. National and local bans were most effective at eliminating TFAs from the food supply, whereas mandatory TFA labelling and voluntary TFA limits had a varying degree of success, which largely depended on food category. Conclusion Policies aimed at restricting the TFA content of food were associated with significant reductions in TFA levels, without increasing total fat content. Such policies are feasible, achievable and likely to have an effect on public health. PMID:23599549

Trans fatty acids and cholesterol levels: an evidence map of the available science

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High intakes of industrial trans fatty acids (iTFA) increase circulating low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which has implicated iTFA in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Published data on iTFA and LDL-C, however, represent higher intake levels than the U.S. population currently co...

TFaNS-Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System: Users' Manual TFaNS Version 1.5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Topol, David A.; Huff, Dennis L. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

TFaNS is the Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System developed by Pratt & Whitney under contract to NASA Glenn. The purpose of this system is to predict tone noise emanating from a fan stage including the effects of reflection and transmission by the rotor and stator and by the duct inlet and nozzle. The first version of this design system was developed under a previous NASA contract. Several improvements have been made to TFaNS. This users' manual shows how to run this new system. TFaNS consists of the codes that compute the acoustic properties (reflection and transmission coefficients) of the various elements and writes them to files, CUP3D Fan Noise Coupling Code that reads these files, solves the coupling problem, and outputs the desired noise predictions, and AWAKEN CFD/Measured Wake Postprocessor which reformats CFD wake predictions and/or measured wake data so they can be used by the system. This report provides information on code input and file structure essential for potential users of TFaNS.

2012: no trans fatty acids in Spanish bakery products.

PubMed

Ansorena, Diana; Echarte, Andrea; Ollé, Rebeca; Astiasarán, Iciar

2013-05-01

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are strongly correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. Current dietary recommendations exclude bakery products from frequent consumption basically due to their traditionally high content of TFA. The aim of this work was to analyse the lipid profile of different bakery products currently commercialised in Spain and with a conventionally high fat and TFA content. Premium and store brands for each product were included in the study. No significant amounts of TFA were found in any of the analysed products, regardless the brand. TFA content ranged between 0.17 g and 0.22 g/100 g product (mean=0.19 g/100 g product). Expressed on percentage of fatty acids, the maximum value was 0.87 g/100 g fatty acids and the mean value was 0.68%. These data are significantly lower than those observed in previously published papers for these types of products, and highlighted the importance of updating food composition databases in order to accurately estimate the real and current intake of TFA. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Public health economic evaluation of different European Union-level policy options aimed at reducing population dietary trans fat intake.

PubMed

Martin-Saborido, Carlos; Mouratidou, Theodora; Livaniou, Anastasia; Caldeira, Sandra; Wollgast, Jan

2016-11-01

The adverse relation between dietary trans fatty acid (TFA) intake and coronary artery disease risk is well established. Many countries in the European Union (EU) and worldwide have implemented different policies to reduce the TFA intake of their populations. The aim of this study was to assess the added value of EU-level action by estimating the cost-effectiveness of 3 possible EU-level policy measures to reduce population dietary TFA intake. This was calculated against a reference situation of not implementing any EU-level policy (i.e., by assuming only national or self-regulatory measures). We developed a mathematical model to compare different policy options at the EU level: 1) to do nothing beyond the current state (reference situation), 2) to impose mandatory TFA labeling of prepackaged foods, 3) to seek voluntary agreements toward further reducing industrially produced TFA (iTFA) content in foods, and 4) to impose a legislative limit for iTFA content in foods. The model indicated that to impose an EU-level legal limit or to make voluntary agreements may, over the course of a lifetime (85 y), avoid the loss of 3.73 and 2.19 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), respectively, and save >51 and 23 billion euros when compared with the reference situation. Implementing mandatory TFA labeling can also avoid the loss of 0.98 million DALYs, but this option incurs more costs than it saves compared with the reference option. The model indicates that there is added value of an EU-level action, either via a legal limit or through voluntary agreements, with the legal limit option producing the highest additional health benefits. Introducing mandatory TFA labeling for the EU common market may provide some additional health benefits; however, this would likely not be a cost-effective strategy.

Public health economic evaluation of different European Union–level policy options aimed at reducing population dietary trans fat intake12

PubMed Central

Mouratidou, Theodora; Livaniou, Anastasia

2016-01-01

Background: The adverse relation between dietary trans fatty acid (TFA) intake and coronary artery disease risk is well established. Many countries in the European Union (EU) and worldwide have implemented different policies to reduce the TFA intake of their populations. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the added value of EU-level action by estimating the cost-effectiveness of 3 possible EU-level policy measures to reduce population dietary TFA intake. This was calculated against a reference situation of not implementing any EU-level policy (i.e., by assuming only national or self-regulatory measures). Design: We developed a mathematical model to compare different policy options at the EU level: 1) to do nothing beyond the current state (reference situation), 2) to impose mandatory TFA labeling of prepackaged foods, 3) to seek voluntary agreements toward further reducing industrially produced TFA (iTFA) content in foods, and 4) to impose a legislative limit for iTFA content in foods. Results: The model indicated that to impose an EU-level legal limit or to make voluntary agreements may, over the course of a lifetime (85 y), avoid the loss of 3.73 and 2.19 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), respectively, and save >51 and 23 billion euros when compared with the reference situation. Implementing mandatory TFA labeling can also avoid the loss of 0.98 million DALYs, but this option incurs more costs than it saves compared with the reference option. Conclusions: The model indicates that there is added value of an EU-level action, either via a legal limit or through voluntary agreements, with the legal limit option producing the highest additional health benefits. Introducing mandatory TFA labeling for the EU common market may provide some additional health benefits; however, this would likely not be a cost-effective strategy. PMID:27680991

Design and validation of a method for evaluation of interocular interaction.

PubMed

Lai, Xin Jie Angela; Alexander, Jack; Ho, Arthur; Yang, Zhikuan; He, Mingguang; Suttle, Catherine

2012-02-01

To design a simple viewing system allowing dichoptic masking, and to validate this system in adults and children with normal vision. A Trial Frame Apparatus (TFA) was designed to evaluate interocular interaction. This device consists of a trial frame, a 1 mm pinhole in front of the tested eye and a full or partial occluder in front of the non-tested eye. The difference in visual function in one eye between the full- and partial-occlusion conditions was termed the Interaction Index. In experiment 1, low-contrast acuity was measured in six adults using five types of partial occluder. Interaction Index was compared between these five, and the occluder showing the highest Index was used in experiment 2. In experiment 2, low-contrast acuity, contrast sensitivity, and alignment sensitivity were measured in the non-dominant eye of 45 subjects (15 older adults, 15 young adults, and 15 children), using the TFA and an existing well-validated device (shutter goggles) with full and partial occlusion of the dominant eye. These measurements were repeated on 11 subjects of each group using TFA in the partial-occlusion condition only. Repeatability of visual function measurements using TFA was assessed using the Bland-Altman method and agreement between TFA and goggles in terms of visual functions and interactions was assessed using the Bland-Altman method and t-test. In all three subject groups, the TFA showed a high level of repeatability in all visual function measurements. Contrast sensitivity was significantly poorer when measured using TFA than using goggles (p < 0.05). However, Interaction Index of all three visual functions showed acceptable agreement between TFA and goggles (p > 0.05). The TFA may provide an acceptable method for the study of some forms of dichoptic masking in populations where more complex devices (e.g., shutter goggles) cannot be used.

Association between trans fatty acid intake and cardiovascular risk factors in Europe: the TRANSFAIR study.

PubMed

van de Vijver, L P; Kardinaal, A F; Couet, C; Aro, A; Kafatos, A; Steingrimsdottir, L; Amorim Cruz, J A; Moreiras, O; Becker, W; van Amelsvoort, J M; Vidal-Jessel, S; Salminen, I; Moschandreas, J; Sigfússon, N; Martins, I; Carbajal, A; Ytterfors, A; Poppel, G

2000-02-01

High intakes of trans fatty acids (TFA) have been found to exert an undesirable effect on serum lipid profiles, and thus may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. Investigation of the association between TFA intake and serum lipids. Cross-sectional study in eight European countries (Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden) among 327 men and 299 women (50-65 y). Using a dietary history method, food consumption was assessed and TFA intake was calculated with recent figures on TFA levels of foods, collected in the TRANSFAIR study. Mean (+/-s.d.) TFA intake was 2.40+/-1.53 g/day for men and 1.98+/-1.49 g/day for women (0.87+/-0.48% and 0. 95+/-0.55% of energy, respectively), with the highest consumption in Iceland and the lowest in the Mediterranean countries. No associations were found between total TFA intake and LDL, HDL or LDL/HDL ratio after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Additional adjustment for other fatty acid clusters resulted in a significant inverse trend between total TFA intake and total cholesterol (Ptrend<0.03). The most abundantly occurring TFA isomer, C18:1 t, contributed substantially to this inverse association. The TFA isomers C14:1 t9, C16:1 t9 and C22:1 t were not associated or were positively associated with LDL or total cholesterol. From this study we conclude that at the current European intake levels of trans fatty acids they are not associated with an unfavourable serum lipid profile. Unilever Research Laboratorium, the Dutch Dairy Foundation on Nutrition and Health, Cargill BV, the Institute of Food Research Norwich Laboratory, the Nutrition Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the International Fishmeal and Oil Manufacturers' Association, Kraft Foods, NV Vandemoortele Coordination Center, Danone Group, McDonalds Deutschland Inc, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Valio Ltd, Raisio Group. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000) 54, 126-135

trans Fatty acids in the Canadian food supply: an updated analysis.

PubMed

Arcand, JoAnne; Scourboutakos, Mary J; Au, Jennifer T C; L'Abbe, Mary R

2014-10-01

Dietary trans fatty acids (TFAs) increase the risk of heart disease. In 2007, Canada set voluntary TFA limits for industrial TFAs added to food and encouraged substitution of TFAs with unsaturated fats during reformulation. No longitudinal follow-up assessment of TFA amounts in foods has occurred in Canada since termination of a government-led Trans Fat Monitoring Program (TFMP). The objective was to conduct an updated assessment and longitudinally evaluate TFA amounts in the food supply and to determine whether saturated fats have replaced TFAs in reformulation. This was a cross-sectional study that used 3 databases: TFMP (Health Canada, 2005-2009; n = 921), the University of Toronto Food Label Information Program (2010-2011; n = 5544), and the Restaurant Database (2010; n = 4272). Outcomes were TFAs as a percentage of fat, proportion of foods meeting TFA limits, and saturated fat amounts in foods with high or low TFAs. The proportion of foods meeting TFA limits improved from 75% in 2005-2009 to 97% in 2010-2011, particularly in the following packaged foods: croissants (25% to 100%), pies (36% to 98%), cakes (43% to 90%), and garlic spreads (33% to 100%). Most restaurant categories assessed by the TFMP had 100% of foods meeting TFA limits. Some categories had a large proportion that exceeded TFA limits: dairy-free cheeses (100%), frosting (72.0%), lard and shortening (66.7%), coffee whiteners (66.7%), and restaurant-prepared biscuits and scones (47.4%). Saturated fat amounts were significantly higher (P < 0.05) among some foods with the lowest TFAs, such as cookies, brownies and squares, cakes with pudding/mousse, dessert toppings, and lard and shortening. There has been an impressive improvement in TFA amounts in the Canadian food supply since the termination of the TFMP. However, action by the food industry is required to reduce TFAs in foods that exceed the recommended TFA limits and to minimize the use of saturated fats in replacing TFAs during reformulation. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Characterization, monitoring, and sensor technology crosscutting program: Technology summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-06-01

The purpose of the Characterization, Monitoring, and Sensor Technology Crosscutting Program (CMST-CP) is to deliver appropriate characterization, monitoring, and sensor technology (CMST) to the Office of Waste Management (EM-30), the Office of Environmental Restoration (EM-40), and the Office of Facility Transition and Management (EM-60). The technology development must also be cost effective and appropriate to EM-30/40/60 needs. Furthermore, the required technologies must be delivered and implemented when needed. Accordingly, and to ensure that available DOE and other national resources are focused an the most pressing needs, management of the technology development is concentrated on the following Focus Areas: Contaminant Plumemore » Containment and Remediation (PFA); Landfill Stabilization (LSFA); High-Level Waste Tank Remediation (TFA); Mixed Waste Characterization, Treatment, and Disposal (MWFA); and Facility Deactivation, Decommissioning, and Material Disposition (FDDMDFA). Brief descriptions of CMST-CP projects funded in FY95 are presented.« less

Evaluation of the Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System (TFaNS) at the NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, L. Danielle

1999-01-01

Version 1.4 of TFaNS, the Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System. has recently been evaluated at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Data from tests of the Allison Ultra High Bypass Fan (UHBF) were used to compare to predicted farfield directivities for the radial stator configuration. There was good agreement between measured and predicted directivities at low fan speeds when rotor effects were neglected in the TFaNS calculations. At higher fan speeds, TFaNS is shown to be useful in predicting overall trends rather than absolute sound pressure levels.

Efficacy and indications of transradial and transfemoral approaches for peripheral artery stent implantation

PubMed Central

Chen, Peng; Li, Huijie; Zeng, Chunyu; Fang, Yuqiang; Shi, Weibin; Zhang, Xiaoqun; Yang, Chengming

2017-01-01

The transradial approach (TRA) has become an attractive alternative to the transfemoral approach (TFA) in percutaneous coronary intervention. To date, however, these two approaches have not been systematically compared in various percutaneous peripheral artery interventions (PPAIs). In the present study 258 patients with peripheral artery disease that underwent PPAI via the TRA (n=75) or the TFA (n=183) were analyzed. Clinical factors and outcomes in these two groups were compared. The puncture time was significantly longer (P<0.05) and the prevalence of artery vasospasm significantly higher (P<0.05) in patients who underwent PPAI via the TRA rather than via the TFA. However, the complication rate was significantly lower (P<0.05) and the artery compression time (P<0.05) and time bedridden (P<0.05) were significantly shorter via the TRA than via the TFA. These results suggest that PPAI via the TRA was associated with a lower complication rate, and shorter artery compression time and bedridden time than PPAI via the TFA. The TRA may be preferable for bilateral vertebral artery stenosis, whereas the TFA may be preferable for interventional treatment of carotid and subclavian artery stenosis. Therefore, the catheter length, artery support and push force should be comprehensively considered before choosing the TRA or TFA in the interventional treatment of renal artery stenosis. PMID:28587369

Between-centre variability in transfer function analysis, a widely used method for linear quantification of the dynamic pressure–flow relation: The CARNet study

PubMed Central

Meel-van den Abeelen, Aisha S.S.; Simpson, David M.; Wang, Lotte J.Y.; Slump, Cornelis H.; Zhang, Rong; Tarumi, Takashi; Rickards, Caroline A.; Payne, Stephen; Mitsis, Georgios D.; Kostoglou, Kyriaki; Marmarelis, Vasilis; Shin, Dae; Tzeng, Yu-Chieh; Ainslie, Philip N.; Gommer, Erik; Müller, Martin; Dorado, Alexander C.; Smielewski, Peter; Yelicich, Bernardo; Puppo, Corina; Liu, Xiuyun; Czosnyka, Marek; Wang, Cheng-Yen; Novak, Vera; Panerai, Ronney B.; Claassen, Jurgen A.H.R.

2014-01-01

Transfer function analysis (TFA) is a frequently used method to assess dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) using spontaneous oscillations in blood pressure (BP) and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV). However, controversies and variations exist in how research groups utilise TFA, causing high variability in interpretation. The objective of this study was to evaluate between-centre variability in TFA outcome metrics. 15 centres analysed the same 70 BP and CBFV datasets from healthy subjects (n = 50 rest; n = 20 during hypercapnia); 10 additional datasets were computer-generated. Each centre used their in-house TFA methods; however, certain parameters were specified to reduce a priori between-centre variability. Hypercapnia was used to assess discriminatory performance and synthetic data to evaluate effects of parameter settings. Results were analysed using the Mann–Whitney test and logistic regression. A large non-homogeneous variation was found in TFA outcome metrics between the centres. Logistic regression demonstrated that 11 centres were able to distinguish between normal and impaired CA with an AUC > 0.85. Further analysis identified TFA settings that are associated with large variation in outcome measures. These results indicate the need for standardisation of TFA settings in order to reduce between-centre variability and to allow accurate comparison between studies. Suggestions on optimal signal processing methods are proposed. PMID:24725709

Reframing Teach for America: A Conceptual Framework for the Next Generation of Scholarship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Janelle; Trujillo, Tina; Rivera, Marialena D.

2016-01-01

In this article, we advance a conceptual framework for the study of Teach For America (TFA) as a political and social movement with implicit and explicit ideological and political underpinnings. We argue that the second branch of TFA's mission statement, which maintains that TFA's greatest point of influence in public education is not in…

Vaccenic acid and trans fatty acid isomers from partially hydrogenated oil both adversely affect LDL cholesterol: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Evidence of the adverse effects of industrially-produced trans fatty acids (iTFA) on risk of cardiovascular disease is consistent and well documented in the scientific literature; however, the cardiovascular effects of naturally-occurring TFA synthesized in ruminant animals (rTFA), such as vaccenic ...

Teaching or Service?: The Site-Based Realities of Teach for America Teachers in Poor, Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veltri, Barbara Torre

2008-01-01

"Business Week" and "Fortune Magazine" suggest that Teach for America (TFA) is a beneficial postgraduation option for corps members, who teach for a finite commitment in low-socioeconomic status urban school districts. This longitudinal qualitative study examines the complex issues that surround TFA through the voices of TFA corps members,…

Teach for St. Louis: Cross-Cultural Challenges and Successes of New Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tao, Sarah A.

2009-01-01

Teach For America (TFA) teachers are placed in urban, impoverished, and highly diverse schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges faced by TFA teachers (or corps members) in culturally and linguistically diverse schools in urban St. Louis. In examining how TFA teachers perceive and navigate these challenges, educators will…

TFA and the Magical Thinking of the "Best and the Brightest"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumenreich, Megan; Rogers, Bethany L.

2016-01-01

This article draws on oral history testimonies to examine the experiences of participants in the inaugural 1990 cohort of Teach For America (TFA)--a group of young people dubbed the "best and brightest" of their generation and tasked with "saving" urban education. For 25 years, TFA has operated according to the principle of the…

Preparation of functional polyamine scaffolds via Mitsunobu post-polymerization modification reactions.

PubMed

Kakuchi, Ryohei; Theato, Patrick

2014-03-01

A Mitsunobu reaction of trifluoroacetamide (TFA amide) and alcohols is used in a postpolymerization modification process. The reaction is conducted on polystyrene (PSt) bearing 20 mol% TFA amide groups with 4-methyl benzyl alcohol in the presence of a N,N,N′,N ′-tetramethylazodicarboxamide and tributylphosphine as mediators. The Mitsunobu reaction on polymer proceeds efficiently, as confirmed by the obvious precipitation generation during the reaction and the conversion of TFA amide moiety reached 88.6% confirmed by 19 F NMR measurement, yielding PSt bearing tertiary TFA amide moieties. The obtained polymers featuring tertiary TFA amide moieties are deprotected in the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as a base to afford corresponding polymers featuring functionalized polyamine scaffolds with 92.5% conversion. In addition, the precise structural assignment is proven by synthesis and analysis of the model monomeric compounds and the respective model polymers.

Portrait of a "Teach for All" (TFA) Teacher: Media Narratives of the Universal TFA Teacher in 12 Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gautreaux, Michelle; Delgado, Sandra

2016-01-01

This article employs narrative analysis to examine how the media in 12 different countries characterize the "Teach for All" (TFA) teacher. Examining mass media narratives in these 12 countries illustrates that there are some remarkable commonalities in the narratives and character portraits co-constructed and propagated by the media. At…

The Impact of Teach for America on Non-Test Academic Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backes, Ben; Hansen, Michael

2018-01-01

Recent evidence on teacher productivity suggests that teachers meaningfully influence non-test academic student outcomes that are commonly overlooked by narrowly focusing on test scores. Despite a large number of studies investigating the Teach For America (TFA) effect on math and English achievement, little is known about non-tested academic…

Investigations of the total flavonoids extracted from flowers of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic against α-naphthylisothiocyanate-induced cholestatic liver injury in rats.

PubMed

Yan, Jia-Yin; Ai, Guo; Zhang, Xiao-Jian; Xu, Hai-Jiang; Huang, Zheng-Ming

2015-08-22

The decoction of the flowers of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic was traditionally used for the treatment of jaundice and various types of chronic and acute hepatitis in Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces of China for hundreds of years. Phytochemical studies have indicated that total flavonoids extracted from flowers of A. manihot (L.) Medic (TFA) were the major constituents of the flowers. Our previous studies have investigated the hepatoprotective effects of the TFA against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatocyte damage in vitro and liver injury in vivo. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of TFA on α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced cholestatic liver injury in rats. The hepatoprotective activities of TFA (125, 250 and 500mg/kg) were investigated on ANIT-induced cholestatic liver injury in rats. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were used as indices of hepatic cell damage and measured. Meanwhile, the serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), and total bile acid (TBA) were used as indices of biliary cell damage and cholestasis and evaluated. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione transferase (GST), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) were measured in the liver homogenates. The bile flow in 4h was estimated and the histopathology of the liver tissue was evaluated. Furthermore, the expression of transporters, bile salt export pump (BSEP), multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), and Na(+)-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) were studied by western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to elucidate the protective mechanisms of TFA against ANIT-induced cholestasis. The oral administration of TFA to ANIT-treated rats could reduce the increases in serum levels of ALT, AST, LDH, ALP, GGT, TBIL, DBIL and TBA. Decreased bile flow by ANIT was restored with TFA treatment. Concurrent administration of TFA reduced the severity of polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration and other histological damages, which were consistent with the serological tests. Hepatic MDA and GSH contents in liver tissue were reduced, while SOD and GST activities, which had been suppressed by ANIT, were elevated in the groups pretreated with TFA. With TFA intervention, levels of TNF-α and NO in liver were decreased. Additionally, TFA was found to increase the expression of liver BSEP, MRP2, and NTCP in both protein and mRNA levels in ANIT-induced liver injury with cholestasis. TFA exerted protective effects against ANIT-induced liver injury. The possible mechanisms could be related to anti-oxidative damage, anti-inflammation and regulating the expression of hepatic transporters. It layed the foundation for the further research on the mechanisms of cholestasis as well as the therapeutic effects of A. manihot (L.) Medic for the treatment of jaundice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Racio-Economic Analysis of Teach for America: Counterstories of TFA Teachers of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lapayese, Yvette V.; Aldana, Ursula S.; Lara, Eduardo

2014-01-01

This article discusses Teach for America (TFA), one of the alternative education programs of the U.S. Department of Education designed to address the achievement gap of students of color in the country. Topics explored in this research include issues of racism and race in the recruitment and support of its teacher corp; how TFA educators of color…

Supplying Disadvantaged Schools with Effective Teachers: Experimental Evidence on Secondary Math Teachers from Teach For America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiang, Hanley S.; Clark, Melissa A.; McConnell, Sheena

2017-01-01

Teach For America (TFA) is an important but controversial source of teachers for hard-to-staff subjects in high-poverty U.S. schools. We present findings from the first large-scale experimental study of secondary math teachers from TFA. We find that TFA teachers are more effective than other math teachers in the same schools, increasing student…

Labeling of trans fatty acid content in food, regulations and limits-the FDA view.

PubMed

Moss, Julie

2006-05-01

With the scientific evidence associating trans fatty acid (TFA) intake with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule that requires the declaration of the amount of TFA present in foods, including dietary supplements, on the nutrition label by January 1, 2006. The addition of TFA to the nutrition label will lead to the prevention of 600 to 1200 cases of CHD and 240-480 deaths each year saving Dollars 900 million to Dollars 1.8 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity, and pain and suffering. For the purpose of nutrition labeling, TFA are defined as the sum of all unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more isolated (i.e. non-conjugated) double bonds in a trans configuration. There are many issues that FDA has yet to resolve: (1) defining nutrient content claims for "free" and "reduced" levels of trans fat, (2) placing limits on the amount of TFA in conjunction with saturated fat limits for nutrient content claims, health claims, and disclosure and disqualifying levels, (3) a daily value, and (4) a possible footnote or disclosure statement to enhance consumer understanding of cholesterol raising lipids. FDA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) requesting comments on the unresolved issues. FDA will also be conducting consumer research to determine consumer understanding of various TFA labeling possibilities. Comments to the ANPR, results of consumer research and current science will be used by FDA to resolve these issues and to determine future rulemaking for TFA labeling.

Developmental pattern of tibiofemoral angle in healthy north-east Indian children.

PubMed

Baruah, R K; Kumar, S; Harikrishnan, S V

2017-10-01

Physiological range of tibiofemoral angle (TFA) is poorly defined and may lead to unnecessary therapeutic interventions. Studies on TFA developmental pattern suggest that racial and ethnic differences are present; children in north-east India who have not yet been studied need to be evaluated. Cross-sectional study of clinical TFA, intermalleolar distance and intercondylar distance in 1020 healthy north-east Indian children aged from 2 to 18 years was done. Height, weight and body mass index were also recorded. At two years of age the mean TFA was valgus. The values reached a peak of 8.55° (standard deviation (SD) 1.01) valgus at seven years of age. The TFA then gradually stabilised to 3.18° (SD 1.18) valgus by 18 years of age. There was no significant difference in TFA between male and female patients. The present study is the largest and only the third such study on Indian children and the first on healthy northeast Indian children. By the end of two years most children had valgus angulation. This, along with the peak angulation observed, was similar to most of the other studies. The age at peak angulation and subsequent stabilisation of valgus angulation varied greatly among children of different origins, especially non-Indian children. Data can be used to identify children who require further follow-up/evaluation and can serve as guidelines during deformity correction and future studies. The development of TFA in this cohort is not different from other children of India but differs from children of other ethnic origins.

Sources, fates, toxicity, and risks of trifluoroacetic acid and its salts: Relevance to substances regulated under the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols.

PubMed

Solomon, Keith R; Velders, Guus J M; Wilson, Stephen R; Madronich, Sasha; Longstreth, Janice; Aucamp, Pieter J; Bornman, Janet F

2016-01-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a breakdown product of several hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), regulated under the Montreal Protocol (MP), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) used mainly as refrigerants. Trifluoroacetic acid is (1) produced naturally and synthetically, (2) used in the chemical industry, and (3) a potential environmental breakdown product of a large number (>1 million) chemicals, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and polymers. The contribution of these chemicals to global amounts of TFA is uncertain, in contrast to that from HCFC and HFC regulated under the MP. TFA salts are stable in the environment and accumulate in terminal sinks such as playas, salt lakes, and oceans, where the only process for loss of water is evaporation. Total contribution to existing amounts of TFA in the oceans as a result of the continued use of HCFCs, HFCs, and hydrofluoroolefines (HFOs) up to 2050 is estimated to be a small fraction (<7.5%) of the approximately 0.2 μg acid equivalents/L estimated to be present at the start of the millennium. As an acid or as a salt TFA is low to moderately toxic to a range of organisms. Based on current projections of future use of HCFCs and HFCs, the amount of TFA formed in the troposphere from substances regulated under the MP is too small to be a risk to the health of humans and environment. However, the formation of TFA derived from degradation of HCFC and HFC warrants continued attention, in part because of a long environmental lifetime and due many other potential but highly uncertain sources.

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) mixture toxicity to the macrophytes Myriophyllum spicatum and Myriophyllum sibiricum in aquatic microcosms.

PubMed

Hanson, Mark L; Sibley, Paul K; Mabury, Scott A; Solomon, Keith R; Muir, Derek C G

2002-02-21

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) have been detected together in environmental water samples throughout the world. TCA may enter into aquatic systems via rainout as the degradation product of chlorinated solvents, herbicide use, as a by-product of water disinfection and from emissions of spent bleach liquor of kraft pulp mills. Sources of TFA include degradation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) refrigerants and pesticides. These substances are phytotoxic and widely distributed in aquatic environments. A study to assess the risk of a binary mixture of TCA and TFA to macrophytes in aquatic microcosms was conducted as part of a larger study on haloacetic acids. M. spicatum and M. sibiricum were exposed to 0.1, 1, 3 and 10 mg/l of both TCA and TFA (neutralized with sodium hydroxide) in replicate (n = 3) 12000 l aquatic microcosms for 49 days in an one-way analysis of variance design. Each microcosm was stocked with 14 individual apical shoots per species. The plants were sampled at regular intervals and assessed for the somatic endpoints of plant length, root growth, number of nodes and wet and dry mass and the biochemical endpoints of chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, carotenoid content and citric acid levels. Results indicate that there were statistically significant effects of the TCA/TFA mixture on certain pigment concentrations immediately after the start of exposure (2-7 days), but the plants showed no signs of stress thereafter. These data suggest that TCA/TFA mixtures at environmentally relevant concentrations do not pose a significant risk to these aquatic macrophytes.

A trans European Union difference in the decline in trans fatty acids in popular foods: a market basket investigation

PubMed Central

Stender, Steen; Astrup, Arne; Dyerberg, Jørn

2012-01-01

Objectives To minimise the intake of industrial trans fatty acids (I-TFA) some countries have introduced labelling, while others have introduced legislative limits on the content of I-TFA in food. However, most countries still rely on food producers to voluntarily reduce the I-TFA content in food. The objective of the present study was to investigate the efficiency of these strategies in the EU. Design The potential consumption of I-TFA was assessed in a market basket investigation by analysing the I-TFA content in popular foods. Setting A standardised purchase methodology was used in 16 EU countries in 2005 and again in 2009. Samples Seventy servings of French fries and chicken nuggets, 90 packages of microwave popcorn, and 442 samples of biscuits/cakes/wafers with ‘partially hydrogenated vegetable fat’ listed high on the list of ingredients were analysed. A high-trans menu was defined as a large serving of French fries and nuggets, 100 g of microwave popcorn and 100 g of biscuits/wafers/cakes. Results In 2005, a high-trans menu provided above 30 g of I-TFA in five EU countries in Eastern Europe and 20–30 g in eight EU countries in Western Europe. In 2009 the values in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic remained high between 10 and 20 g, whereas they were less than 2 g in Germany, France and the UK. Conclusions In 2009 contents of I-TFA in popular foods in Western Europe appear low but, in spite of some reduction, still high in Eastern European EU countries. These findings suggest that millions of people in the EU still consume I-TFA in amounts that substantially increase their risk of coronary heart disease. PMID:22986123

N-3 fatty acids reduced trans fatty acids retention and increased docosahexaenoic acid levels in the brain.

PubMed

Lavandera, Jimena Verónica; Saín, Juliana; Fariña, Ana Clara; Bernal, Claudio Adrián; González, Marcela Aída

2017-09-01

The levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) are critical for the normal structure and function of the brain. Trans fatty acids (TFA) and the source of the dietary fatty acids (FA) interfere with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) biosynthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TFA supplementation in diets containing different proportions of n-9, n-6, and n-3 FA on the brain FA profile, including the retention of TFA, LC-PUFA levels, and n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios. These parameters were also investigated in the liver, considering that LC-PUFA are mainly bioconverted from their dietary precursors in this tissue and transported by serum to the brain. Also, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) gene expressions were evaluated. Male CF1 mice were fed (16 weeks) diets containing different oils (olive, corn, and rapeseed) with distinct proportions of n-9, n-6, and n-3 FA (55.2/17.2/0.7, 32.0/51.3/0.9, and 61.1/18.4/8.6), respectively, substituted or not with 0.75% of TFA. FA composition of the brain, liver, and serum was assessed by gas chromatography. TFA were incorporated into, and therefore retained in the brain, liver, and serum. However, the magnitude of retention was dependent on the tissue and type of isomer. In the brain, total TFA retention was lower than 1% in all diets. Dietary n-3 PUFA decreased TFA retention and increased DHA accretion in the brain. The results underscore the importance of the type of dietary FA on the retention of TFA in the brain and also on the changes of the FA profile.

Consumption Safety of Pastries, Confectioneries, and Potato Products as Related to Fat Content.

PubMed

Żbikowska, Anna; Rutkowska, Jarosława; Kowalska, Małgorzata

2015-01-01

To determine the content of the main groups of fatty acids in pastries, confectionery, and potato products, paying special attention to trans fatty acids and the products of fat oxidation and hydrolysis, as factors affecting the safety of consumption. A total of 157 products were collected in Poland in 2009-2010. In fats extracted from samples, products of oxidation and hydrolysis were assayed using peroxide (PV), anisidine (AnV), and acid (AV) values. The fatty acid (FA) composition, especially the trans FAs (TFAs) content, was determined by gas chromatography. When assessing the TFA intake, Household Budget Surveys were considered. Highest content of fat was found for wafers with filling and crisps (32.3% and 29.3%, respectively). In 4 out of 9 groups of pastry and confectionery products studied, the quality of fat was decreased due to an excessive oxidation, as evidenced by a substantial content of secondary products of fat oxidation. The extracted fat was rich in SFA (on average, 50 g SFA/100 g FA) except fries and mixes. A great diversity of TFA content in fat of the products was found (0.1-24.8 g TFA/100 g FA). Wafers were characterized by the highest average content of TFA in the group of pastries (1.94 g TFA/100 g of product). Products of natural origin supplied 0.496 g of TFA per day, and those of industrial origin supplied about 1.5 g. The average TFA consumption, about 2 g/day, does not seem to affect health. However, an excessive consumption of pastry and confectionery products may present a risk, due not only to TFA but also to a high consumption of toxic secondary oxidation lipid products. Moreover, because 75% of TFAs in the diet were isomers of industrial origin, their further limitation and monitoring of their level in food seems highly recommendable.

Preparation of enteric coated timed-release press-coated tablets and evaluation of their function by in vitro and in vivo tests for colon targeting.

PubMed

Fukui, E; Miyamura, N; Uemura, K; Kobayashi, M

2000-08-25

As a new oral drug delivery system for colon targeting, enteric coated timed-release press-coated tablets (ETP tablets) were developed by coating enteric polymer on timed-release press-coated tablets composed of an outer shell of hydroxypropylcellulose and core tablet containing diltiazem hydrochloride (DIL) as a model drug. The results of the in vitro dissolution tests in JP 1st fluid (pH 1.2) and JP 2nd fluid (pH 6.8) indicated that these tablets showed both acid resistance and timed-release. To clarify whether ETP tablets could have been of use in the gastrointestinal tract, ETP tablets with a layer of phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA) (a marker of gastric emptying) between the enteric coating layer and outer shell were prepared, and were administered to beagle dogs. The gastric emptying time and lag time after gastric emptying were evaluated by determining the times at which PPA and DIL first appeared in the plasma (TFA(PPA) and TFA(DIL), respectively). TFA(PPA) and TFA(DIL) were about 4 and 7 h, respectively. This value of TFA(PPA) indicated that ETP tablets displayed acid resistance in the stomach as well as in JP Ist fluid. Subtraction of TFA(PPA) from TFA(DIL) gave a value of about 3 h which agreed well with the lag time determined by in vitro dissolution test in JP 2nd fluid. Also, the results seemed to be in accordance with the time at which the tablets reached the colon after gastric emptying. Therefore, ETP tablets seemed to be an effective tool for oral site-specific delivery including targeting of the colon.

Systematic review of dietary trans-fat reduction interventions

PubMed Central

Bromley, Helen; Kypridemos, Chris; O’Flaherty, Martin; Lloyd-Williams, Ffion; Guzman-Castillo, Maria; Pearson-Stuttard, Jonathan; Capewell, Simon

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective To systematically review published studies of interventions to reduce people’s intake of dietary trans-fatty acids (TFAs). Methods We searched online databases (CINAHL, the CRD Wider Public Health database, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Ovid®, MEDLINE®, Science Citation Index and Scopus) for studies evaluating TFA interventions between 1986 and 2017. Absolute decrease in TFA consumption (g/day) was the main outcome measure. We excluded studies reporting only on the TFA content in food products without a link to intake. We included trials, observational studies, meta-analyses and modelling studies. We conducted a narrative synthesis to interpret the data, grouping studies on a continuum ranging from interventions targeting individuals to population-wide, structural changes. Results After screening 1084 candidate papers, we included 23 papers: 12 empirical and 11 modelling studies. Multiple interventions in Denmark achieved a reduction in TFA consumption from 4.5 g/day in 1976 to 1.5 g/day in 1995 and then virtual elimination after legislation banning TFAs in manufactured food in 2004. Elsewhere, regulations mandating reformulation of food reduced TFA content by about 2.4 g/day. Worksite interventions achieved reductions averaging 1.2 g/day. Food labelling and individual dietary counselling both showed reductions of around 0.8 g/day. Conclusion Multicomponent interventions including legislation to eliminate TFAs from food products were the most effective strategy. Reformulation of food products and other multicomponent interventions also achieved useful reductions in TFA intake. By contrast, interventions targeted at individuals consistently achieved smaller reductions. Future prevention strategies should consider this effectiveness hierarchy to achieve the largest reductions in TFA consumption. PMID:29200523

Changes in dietary intake and food sources of saturated and cis and trans unsaturated fatty acids in Costa Rican adolescents: 1996 versus 2006.

PubMed

Monge-Rojas, Rafael; Aragón, M Catalina; Chinnock, Anne; Campos, Hannia; Colón-Ramos, Uriyoán

2013-04-01

To identify how dietary intake and food sources of saturated (SFA) and cis (PUFA) and trans (TFA) unsaturated fatty acids in the diet of Costa Rican adolescents changed from 1996 to 2006--a period with several public health nutrition changes. Cross-sectional comparisons used data from measured food records of 133 adolescents (ages 12-17 y) surveyed in 1996 and a similar group of adolescents surveyed in 2006. Values obtained in 1996 and 2006 were compared with the current World Health Organization guidelines for chronic disease prevention. Adolescents surveyed in 2006 reported a significantly higher mean daily energy intake from linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (0.9% and 7.8%, respectively) compared with the 1996 cohort, whereas SFA and TFA were significantly lower (9.5% and 1.3%, respectively). Food sources of fat also changed. In 2006, 2% of SFA in the diet came from palm shortening (compared with 34% in 1996); 39% of TFA came from ruminant-derived foods (in 1996, soybean oil was the main contributor of TFA, 34%), and bakery products (mainly pre-packaged cookies) provided 25% of the source of TFA, compared with only 11% in 1996. Dietary fatty intake of Costa Rican adolescents in 2006 is closer to WHO guidelines compared with 1996. After public health initiatives that changed fatty acid profile of most foods, intakes of TFA, SFA, and food sources of fatty acids in adolescents' diets improved. Public health nutrition efforts should continue to strengthen diets that are low in SFA and TFA and higher in ALA content among Costa Rican adolescents. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An analytical method for trifluoroacetic Acid in water and air samples using headspace gas chromatographic determination of the methyl ester.

PubMed

Zehavi, D; Seiber, J N

1996-10-01

An analytical method has been developed for the determination of trace levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), an atmospheric breakdown product of several of the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) replacements for the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants, in water and air. TFA is derivatized to the volatile methyl trifluoroacetate (MTFA) and determined by automated headspace gas chromatography (HSGC) with electron-capture detection or manual HSGC using GC/MS in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The method is based on the reaction of an aqueous sample containing TFA with dimethyl sulfate (DMS) in concentrated sulfuric acid in a sealed headspace vial under conditions favoring distribution of MTFA to the vapor phase. Water samples are prepared by evaporative concentration, during which TFA is retained as the anion, followed by extraction with diethyl ether of the acidified sample and then back-extraction of TFA (as the anion) in aqueous bicarbonate solution. The extraction step is required for samples with a relatively high background of other salts and organic materials. Air samples are collected in sodium bicarbonate-glycerin-coated glass denuder tubes and prepared by rinsing the denuder contents with water to form an aqueous sample for derivatization and analysis. Recoveries of TFA from spiked water, with and without evaporative concentration, and from spiked air were quantitative, with estimated detection limits of 10 ng/mL (unconcentrated) and 25 pg/mL (concentrated 250 mL:1 mL) for water and 1 ng/m(3) (72 h at 5 L/min) for air. Several environmental air, fogwater, rainwater, and surface water samples were successfully analyzed; many showed the presence of TFA.

Protective effect of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot L. Medic against poststroke depression injury in mice and its action mechanism.

PubMed

Liu, Mei; Jiang, Qiu-Hong; Hao, Ji-Li; Zhou, Lan-Lan

2009-03-01

Total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot L. Medic (TFA) is the major active component isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Abelmoschus manihot L. Medic. We investigated the protective effect of TFA against poststroke depression (PSD) injury in mice and its action mechanism. A mouse model of PSD was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MACO) 30 min/reperfusion, followed by isolation feeding and chronic unpredictable mild stress for 2 weeks. Treatment groups received TFA at three different doses (160, 80, and 40 mg/kg, p.o.) or fluoxetine (Flu, 2.5 mg/kg, p.o.) daily for 24 days. Change in behavior, brain tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was detected by immunohistochemistry, and mRNA expression of BDNF and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Treatment with TFA (160, 80, and 40 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated mice escape-directed behavioral impairment induced by PSD, markedly reduced MDA levels, and increased the activity of SOD, GSH-Px close to normal levels. TFA administration also attenuated PSD-induced neuronal death/losses, upregulated expression of BDNF both at mRNA and protein levels, as well as CREB mRNA levels. TFA had a protective effect against PSD injury in mice. Cardioprotection involves the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and upregulation of BDNF-CREB levels in the hippocampus, which may also be important mechanism of its antidepressants. This potential protection makes TFA a promising therapeutic agent for the PSD. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The proportion of total C18:1 trans-fatty acids in red blood cell membranes relates to carotid plaque prevalence.

PubMed

Herreras, Zoe; Cofán, Montserrat; Catalan, Marta; Calvo, Carlos; Pinyol, Montserrat; Amor, Antonio J; Gilabert, Rosa; Ros, Emilio; Sala-Vila, Aleix; Ortega, Emilio

2016-12-01

Consistent evidence supports the pro-atherogenic properties of dietary trans-fatty acids (TFAs). However, there are no clinical data on TFA intake and atheroma plaque. We cross sectionally investigated whether the proportion of total C18:1 TFA in red blood cells (RBCs), which mirrors dietary TFA intake, independently relates to carotid plaque prevalence in subjects with new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus without prior cardiovascular disease (n=101, 56% men, mean age 61 years) and age- and sex-matched controls (n=96). RBC fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography. Plaque (defined as carotid intima-media thickness ≥1.5 mm) was sonographically assessed at three bilateral carotid segments. In multivariate models adjusting for group (diabetes or control) and classical cardiovascular risk factors, for each 0.1% increase in RBC total C18:1 TFA isomers, plaque prevalence increased by 53% (P=.002). In contrast, for each 0.1% increase in RBC alpha-linolenic acid, the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid, plaque prevalence decreased by 43% (P<.001). We conclude that the RBC membrane proportion of total C18:1 TFA, considered a proxy of intake, directly relates to the ultrasound feature that best predicts future cardiovascular events. Our findings support current recommendations to limit TFA intake for cardiovascular health promotion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of the Trend Filtering Algorithm for Photometric Time Series Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopalan, Giri; Plavchan, Peter; van Eyken, Julian; Ciardi, David; von Braun, Kaspar; Kane, Stephen R.

2016-08-01

Detecting transient light curves (e.g., transiting planets) requires high-precision data, and thus it is important to effectively filter systematic trends affecting ground-based wide-field surveys. We apply an implementation of the Trend Filtering Algorithm (TFA) to the 2MASS calibration catalog and select Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) photometric time series data. TFA is successful at reducing the overall dispersion of light curves, however, it may over-filter intrinsic variables and increase “instantaneous” dispersion when a template set is not judiciously chosen. In an attempt to rectify these issues we modify the original TFA from the literature by including measurement uncertainties in its computation, including ancillary data correlated with noise, and algorithmically selecting a template set using clustering algorithms as suggested by various authors. This approach may be particularly useful for appropriately accounting for variable photometric precision surveys and/or combined data sets. In summary, our contributions are to provide a MATLAB software implementation of TFA and a number of modifications tested on synthetics and real data, summarize the performance of TFA and various modifications on real ground-based data sets (2MASS and PTF), and assess the efficacy of TFA and modifications using synthetic light curve tests consisting of transiting and sinusoidal variables. While the transiting variables test indicates that these modifications confer no advantage to transit detection, the sinusoidal variables test indicates potential improvements in detection accuracy.

Updated estimate of trans fat intake by the US population.

PubMed

Doell, D; Folmer, D; Lee, H; Honigfort, M; Carberry, S

2012-01-01

The dietary intake of industrially-produced trans fatty acids (IP-TFA) was estimated for the US population (aged 2 years or more), children (aged 2-5 years) and teenage boys (aged 13-18 years) using the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) food consumption database, market share information and trans fat levels based on label survey data and analytical data for packaged and in-store purchased foods. For fast foods, a Monte Carlo model was used to estimate IP-TFA intake. Further, the intake of trans fat was also estimated using trans fat levels reported in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22 (SR 22, 2009) and the 2003-2006 NHANES food consumption database. The cumulative intake of IP-TFA was estimated to be 1.3 g per person per day (g/p/d) at the mean for the US population. Based on this estimate, the mean dietary intake of IP-TFA has decreased significantly from that cited in the 2003 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) final rule that established labelling requirements for trans fat (4.6 g/p/d for adults). Although the overall intake of IP-TFA has decreased as a result of the implementation of labelling requirements, individuals with certain dietary habits may still consume high levels of IP-TFA if certain brands or types of food products are frequently chosen.

Hepatoprotective evaluation of the total flavonoids extracted from flowers of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic: In vitro and in vivo studies.

PubMed

Ai, Guo; Liu, Qingchuan; Hua, Wei; Huang, Zhengming; Wang, Dewen

2013-04-19

The decoction of the flowers of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic is traditionally used for the treatment of jaundice and various types of chronic and acute hepatitis in Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces of China. Phytochemical studies have indicated that total flavonoids extracted from flowers of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic (TFA) were the major constituents of the flowers. The present study was designed to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of the plant extracts against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatocyte damage in vitro and liver injury in vivo. In the in vitro studies, freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were exposed to CCl4 (1%) along with/without various concentrations of TFA (4.5-72mg/L). Cell damage was assessed by the trypan blue exclusion method and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the medium were analyzed. In the in vivo studies, the hepatoprotective activity of TFA (125, 250 and 500mg/kg) were investigated on CCl4-induced liver damages in mice. The levels of ALT, AST and ALP, gamma glutamyltransferase (γ-GT), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and nitric oxide (NO) were determined in serum. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and glutathione transferase (GST) were measured in the liver homogenates. Cytokine transcript levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the liver tissues of mice were measured using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Livers were dissected out and evaluated for histomorphological changes. A concentration-dependent increase in the percentage viability was observed when CCl4-exposed hepatocytes were treated with different concentrations of TFA. Levels of ALT, AST and ALP in the medium were significantly decreased. In the animal studies, TFA showed significant protection with the depletion of ALT, AST, ALP and γ-GT in serum as was raised by the induction of CCl4. Moreover, TFA decreased the MDA level and elevated the content of GSH in the liver as compared to those in the CCl4 group. Furthermore, activities of antioxidative enzymes, including SOD, GPx, CAT and GST, were enhanced dose dependently with TFA. Meanwhile, the inflammatory mediators (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β and NO) were inhibited by TFA treatment both at the serum and mRNA levels. Additionally, histological analyses also showed that TFA reduced the extent of liver lesions induced by CCl4. These results suggested that TFA protected mice against CCl4-induced liver injury through antioxidant stress and antiinflammatory effects. This finding justified the use of this plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disease. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transcardiac endograft delivery for endovascular treatment of the ascending aorta: a feasibility study in pigs.

PubMed

Wipper, Sabine; Lohrenz, Christina; Ahlbrecht, Oliver; Carpenter, Sebastian W; Tsilimparis, Nikolaos; Kersten, Jan Felix; Detter, Christian; Debus, Eike S; Kölbel, Tilo

2015-06-01

To compare the technical feasibility and hemodynamic alterations during antegrade transcardiac access routes vs conventional transfemoral access (TFA) for endovascular treatment of the ascending aorta in a porcine model. Antegrade transseptal access (TSA), transapical access (TAA), and TFA were used for implantation of custom-made endografts into the ascending aorta under fluoroscopy (6 pigs each). Hemodynamic parameters, myocardial and cerebral blood flow, and carotid artery blood flow were evaluated during baseline (T1), sheath advancement (T2), after sheath retraction (T3), and after endograft deployment (T4). Endograft deployment was feasible in all animals; all coronary arteries remained patent. Hemodynamic parameters were comparable in all 3 study groups during all measurements. During T2, transient hemodynamic alteration occurred in all groups, with transient severe valve insufficiency in TSA and TAA reflected by the higher pulmonary to mean arterial pressure ratio (p<0.05) as compared with TFA. Values stabilized again at T3 and remained stable until T4. The innominate artery was partially occluded in 4 (TSA), 3 (TAA), and 5 (TFA) animals. There was no deterioration of myocardial or cerebral perfusion during the procedures. Endograft deployment and fluoroscopy times during TAA were shorter than in TSA and TFA. TSA, TFA, and TAA to the ascending aorta are feasible for endograft delivery to the ascending aorta in a porcine model. Transient hemodynamic instability in TSA and TAA recovered to near preoperative values. TAA appeared technically easier. © The Author(s) 2015.

Meta-regression analysis of the effect of trans fatty acids on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

PubMed

Allen, Bruce C; Vincent, Melissa J; Liska, DeAnn; Haber, Lynne T

2016-12-01

We conducted a meta-regression of controlled clinical trial data to investigate quantitatively the relationship between dietary intake of industrial trans fatty acids (iTFA) and increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Previous regression analyses included insufficient data to determine the nature of the dose response in the low-dose region and have nonetheless assumed a linear relationship between iTFA intake and LDL-C levels. This work contributes to the previous work by 1) including additional studies examining low-dose intake (identified using an evidence mapping procedure); 2) investigating a range of curve shapes, including both linear and nonlinear models; and 3) using Bayesian meta-regression to combine results across trials. We found that, contrary to previous assumptions, the linear model does not acceptably fit the data, while the nonlinear, S-shaped Hill model fits the data well. Based on a conservative estimate of the degree of intra-individual variability in LDL-C (0.1 mmoL/L), as an estimate of a change in LDL-C that is not adverse, a change in iTFA intake of 2.2% of energy intake (%en) (corresponding to a total iTFA intake of 2.2-2.9%en) does not cause adverse effects on LDL-C. The iTFA intake associated with this change in LDL-C is substantially higher than the average iTFA intake (0.5%en). Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Intention detection of gait initiation using EMG and kinematic data.

PubMed

Wentink, E C; Beijen, S I; Hermens, H J; Rietman, J S; Veltink, P H

2013-02-01

Gait initiation in transfemoral amputees (TFA) is different from non-amputees. This is mainly caused by the lack of stability and push-off from the prosthetic leg. Adding control and artificial push-off to the prosthesis may therefore be beneficial to TFA. In this study the feasibility of real-time intention detection of gait initiation was determined by mimicking the TFA situation in non-amputees. EMG and inertial sensor data was measured in 10 non-amputees. Only data available in TFA was used to determine if gait initiation can be predicted in time to control a transfemoral prosthesis to generate push-off and stability. Toe-off and heel-strike of the leading limb are important parameters to be detected, to control a prosthesis and to time push-off. The results show that toe-off and heel-strike of the leading limb can be detected using EMG and kinematic data in non-amputees 130-260 ms in advance. This leaves enough time to control a prosthesis. Based on these results we hypothesize that similar results can be found in TFA, allowing for adequate control of a prosthesis during gait initiation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Posttraumatic growth following pregnancy termination for fetal abnormality: the predictive role of coping strategies and perinatal grief.

PubMed

Lafarge, Caroline; Mitchell, Kathryn; Fox, Pauline

2017-09-01

Research about termination for fetal abnormality (TFA) suggests that it is a traumatic event with potential negative psychological consequences. However, evidence also indicates that following traumatic events individuals may experience growth. Although TFA's negative psychological outcomes are well documented, little is known of the potential for growth following this event. Therefore, the study's objectives were to measure posttraumatic growth (PTG) post-TFA, examine the relationship between PTG, perinatal grief and coping, and determine the predictors of PTG. An online, retrospective survey was conducted with 161 women. Eligible participants were women over 18 who had undergone TFA. Participants were recruited from a support organisation. They completed the Brief COPE, Short Perinatal Grief Scale and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Data were analysed using regression analyses. Moderate levels of PTG were observed for "relating to others," "personal strengths" and "appreciation of life." "Positive reframing" was a significant predictor of PTG. Despite using mainly "adaptive" coping strategies, women's grief levels were high. "Adaptive" coping strategies such as, "positive reframing" are relevant to TFA. They may act as protective factors against distress and as foundations for growth, implicating that interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which aim to reframe women's experience, may be beneficial.

In Vivo Performance of a Novel Fluorinated Magnetic Resonance Imaging Agent for Functional Analysis of Bile Acid Transport

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A novel trifluorinated cholic acid derivative, CA-lys-TFA, was designed and synthesized for use as a tool to measure bile acid transport noninvasively using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the present study, the in vivo performance of CA-lys-TFA for measuring bile acid transport by MRI was investigated in mice. Gallbladder CA-lys-TFA content was quantified using MRI and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Results in wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice were compared to those in mice lacking expression of Asbt, the ileal bile acid transporter. 19F signals emanating from the gallbladders of WT mice 7 h after oral gavage with 150 mg/kg CA-lys-TFA were reproducibly detected by MRI. Asbt-deficient mice administered the same dose had undetectable 19F signals by MRI, and gallbladder bile CA-lys-TFA levels were 30-fold lower compared to WT animals. To our knowledge, this represents the first report of in vivo imaging of an orally absorbed drug using 19F MRI. Fluorinated bile acid analogues have potential as tools to measure and detect abnormal bile acid transport by MRI. PMID:24708306

A Mixed Methods Study of Teach for America Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs, Knowledge, and Classroom Teaching Practices during a Reform-Based University Mathematics Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swars, Susan Lee

2015-01-01

This mixed methods study examined the mathematical preparation of elementary teachers in a Teach for America (TFA) program, focal participants for whom there is scant extant research. Data collection occurred before and after a university mathematics methods course, with a particular focus on the participants' (n = 22) mathematical beliefs,…

Cerebral hemodynamics with intra-aortic balloon pump: business as usual?

PubMed

Caldas, J R; Panerai, R B; Bor-Seng-Shu, E; Almeida, J P; Ferreira, G S R; Camara, L; Nogueira, R C; Oliveira, M L; Jatene, F B; Robinson, T G; Hajjar, L A

2017-06-22

Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is commonly used as mechanical support after cardiac surgery or cardiac shock. Although its benefits for cardiac function have been well documented, its effects on cerebral circulation are still controversial. We hypothesized that transfer function analysis (TFA) and continuous estimates of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) provide consistent results in the assessment of cerebral autoregulation in patients with IABP. Continuous recordings of blood pressure (BP, intra-arterial line), end-tidal CO 2 , heart rate and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV, transcranial Doppler) were obtained (i) 5 min with IABP ratio 1:3, (ii) 5 min, starting 1 min with the IABP-ON, and continuing for another 4 min without pump assistance (IABP-OFF). Autoregulation index (ARI) was estimated from the CBFV response to a step change in BP derived by TFA and as a function of time using an autoregressive moving-average model during removal of the device (ARI t ). Critical closing pressure and resistance area-product were also obtained. ARI with IABP-ON (4.3  ±  1.2) were not different from corresponding values at IABP-OFF (4.7  ±  1.4, p  =  0.42). Removal of the balloon had no effect on ARI t , CBFV, BP, cerebral critical closing pressure or resistance area-product. IABP does not disturb cerebral hemodynamics. TFA and continuous estimates of dynamic CA can be used to assess cerebral hemodynamics in patients with IABP. These findings have important implications for the design of studies of critically ill patients requiring the use of different invasive support devices.

A novel apparatus for interocular interaction evaluation in children with and without anisometropic amblyopia.

PubMed

Lai, Xin Jie Angela; Alexander, Jack; He, Ming Guang; Yang, Zhi Kuan; Suttle, Catherine

2012-07-01

Dichoptic visual stimulation may be achieved using shutter goggles and mirror systems. These methods vary in their feasibility for use in children. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of use of a simple trial frame-based system to evaluate interactions in children. Low contrast acuity, contrast sensitivity and alignment sensitivity were measured in the non-dominant eye of 10 normally-sighted children, 14 anisometropic children without amblyopia and 14 anisometropic amblyopic children (aged 5-11 years) using goggles and a trial frame apparatus (TFA). The dominant eye was either fully or partially occluded. The difference in visual functions in the non-dominant eye between the full and partial occlusion conditions was termed the 'interaction index'. Agreement between the TFA and goggles in terms of visual functions and interactions was assessed in anisometropic children with and without amblyopia using the Bland-Altman method and t-test. Training sessions allowed subjects to become accustomed to the systems and tasks. The duration of training, the number of breaks requested by subjects and their willingness to attend further experiments were recorded in 10 subjects from each group and were compared between groups and between systems. Both Bland-Altman and t-test methods indicated acceptable agreement between the TFA and goggles in visual function and interaction measures (p > 0.05), except for contrast sensitivity measured in anisometropic children without amblyopia (p = 0.042). For all subject groups, contrast sensitivity training was significantly longer using goggles than using the TFA (p ≤ 0.001). Significantly more breaks were requested in acuity and contrast sensitivity testing, when goggles were used than when the TFA was used (p < 0.045). Anisometropic children without amblyopia showed a significantly greater willingness to attend more experiments using the TFA than using goggles (p = 0.025). The TFA may be a useful tool in studies of interactions in amblyopes, particularly in studies of children's vision. © 2012 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2012 Optometrists Association Australia.

Impact of Nonoptimal Intakes of Saturated, Polyunsaturated, and Trans Fat on Global Burdens of Coronary Heart Disease.

PubMed

Wang, Qianyi; Afshin, Ashkan; Yakoob, Mohammad Yawar; Singh, Gitanjali M; Rehm, Colin D; Khatibzadeh, Shahab; Micha, Renata; Shi, Peilin; Mozaffarian, Dariush

2016-01-20

Saturated fat (SFA), ω-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), and trans fat (TFA) influence risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but attributable CHD mortalities by country, age, sex, and time are unclear. National intakes of SFA, n-6 PUFA, and TFA were estimated using a Bayesian hierarchical model based on country-specific dietary surveys; food availability data; and, for TFA, industry reports on fats/oils and packaged foods. Etiologic effects of dietary fats on CHD mortality were derived from meta-analyses of prospective cohorts and CHD mortality rates from the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases study. Absolute and proportional attributable CHD mortality were computed using a comparative risk assessment framework. In 2010, nonoptimal intakes of n-6 PUFA, SFA, and TFA were estimated to result in 711 800 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 680 700-745 000), 250 900 (95% UI 236 900-265 800), and 537 200 (95% UI 517 600-557 000) CHD deaths per year worldwide, accounting for 10.3% (95% UI 9.9%-10.6%), 3.6%, (95% UI 3.5%-3.6%) and 7.7% (95% UI 7.6%-7.9%) of global CHD mortality. Tropical oil-consuming countries were estimated to have the highest proportional n-6 PUFA- and SFA-attributable CHD mortality, whereas Egypt, Pakistan, and Canada were estimated to have the highest proportional TFA-attributable CHD mortality. From 1990 to 2010 globally, the estimated proportional CHD mortality decreased by 9% for insufficient n-6 PUFA and by 21% for higher SFA, whereas it increased by 4% for higher TFA, with the latter driven by increases in low- and middle-income countries. Nonoptimal intakes of n-6 PUFA, TFA, and SFA each contribute to significant estimated CHD mortality, with important heterogeneity across countries that informs nation-specific clinical, public health, and policy priorities. © 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Mechanism of extractive/oxidative desulfurization using the ionic liquid inimidazole acetate: a computational study.

PubMed

Wang, Hanlu; Xu, Mingsheng; Zhou, Rujin

2017-02-01

The dual role of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium trifluoroacetic acid ([C 4 mim]TFA) as an extractant for thiophene (TH) and a catalyst for the oxidation of TH was explored at the molecular level by performing density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The calculated interaction energies demonstrated why [C 4 mim]TFA is a better extractant for thiophene sulfone (THO 2 ) than for TH. Two pathways were proposed for the oxidation of TH to THO 2 with [C 4 mim]TFA acting as a catalyst. In the dominant pathway, a peracid is formed which then oxidizes TH to the sulfoxide and sulfones. The presence of [C 4 mim]TFA was found to greatly reduce the barrier to the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of TH using H 2 O 2 as an oxidant. Graphical Abstract Possible reaction mechanisms of TH with the aid of [C4mim]TFAᅟ.

Exposure to the chlorofluorocarbon substitute 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1- trifluoroethane and the anesthetic agent halothane is associated with transient protein adduct formation in the heart

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huwyler, J.; Gut, J.

1992-05-15

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that are structural analogues of the anesthetic agent halothane may follow a common pathway of bioactivation and formation of adducts to cellular targets of distinct tissues. Exposure of rats to a single dose of HCFC 123 (2,2-dichloro- 1,1,1-trifluoroethane) or its structural analogue halothane (2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane) in vivo resulted in the formation of one prominent trifluoroacetylated protein adduct (TFA-protein adduct) in the heart. In contrast, a variety of distinct TFA-protein adducts were formed in the liver and the kidney of the same animals. The TFA-protein adduct in the heart was processed rapidly; t1/2 of the intact TFA-protein adduct was lessmore » than 12 h.« less

Survey of duckweed diversity in Lake Chao and total fatty acid, triacylglycerol, profiles of representative strains.

PubMed

Tang, J; Li, Y; Ma, J; Cheng, J J

2015-09-01

Lemnaceae (duckweeds) are widely distributed aquatic flowering plants. Their high growth rate, starch content and suitability for bioremediation make them potential feedstock for biofuels. However, few natural duckweed resources have been investigated in China, and there is no information about total fatty acid (TFA) and triacylglycerol (TAG) composition of duckweeds from China. Here, the genetic diversity of a natural duckweed population collected from Lake Chao, China, was investigated using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The 54 strains were categorised into four species in four genera, representing 12 distinct sequence types. Strains representing Lemna aequinoctialis and Spirodela polyrhiza were predominant. Interestingly, a surprisingly high degree of genetic diversification within L. aequinoctialis was observed. The four duckweed species revealed a uniform fatty acid composition, with three fatty acids, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, accounting for more than 80% of the TFA. The TFA in biomass varied among species, ranging from 1.05% (of dry weight, DW) for L. punctata and S. polyrhiza to 1.62% for Wolffia globosa. The four duckweed species contained similar TAG contents, 0.02% mg · DW(-1). The fatty acid profiles of TAG were different from those of TFA, and also varied among the four species. The survey investigated the genetic diversity of duckweeds from Lake Chao, and provides an initial insight into TFA and TAG of four duckweed species, indicating that intraspecific and interspecific variations exist in the content and composition of both TFA and TAG in comparison with other studies. © 2015 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Effect of variation of trans-fatty acid in lactating rats' diet on lipoprotein lipase activity in mammary gland, liver, and adipose tissue.

PubMed

Assumpção, Renata Pereira; dos Santos, Flávia Duarte; de Mattos Machado Andrade, Priscila; Barreto, Giselle Freire; das Graças Tavares do Carmo, Maria

2004-09-01

Lactation is associated with an increase in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in the mammary gland (MG) and a decrease in adipose tissue because lactation redirects circulating substrates to the MG for milk synthesis. We investigated the effects of different dietary contents of trans-fatty acid (TFA) on LPL activity in maternal tissues and fatty acid composition in milk. Lactating rats were fed semisynthetic isocaloric diets containing 7% soy oil (control), 7% partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (7%-PHVO), 5% PHVO plus 2% soy oil (5%-PHVO), or 3.5% PHVO plus 3.5% soy oil (3.5%-PHVO). On lactation day 14, animals were decapitated and MG, liver, and parametrial adipose tissue were extracted to determine total lipid contents, percentages of TFA, and LPL activity. Milk lipid composition was examined by gas chromatographic analysis of the gastric content of 14-d-old suckling pups. Maternal consumption of TFA increased dietary TFA incorporation in MG and liver and decreased it in parametrial adipose tissue. Diets with higher trans concentrations (7%-PHVO) significantly increased lipid content in the MG, and all groups fed trans-based diets showed significant increases in LPL activity in the MG. Although LPL increased in the MG, milk of rats fed TFA-based diets had significant decreases in the percentage of essential fatty acids. TFA intake during lactation alters maternal lipid metabolism and the percentage of essential fatty acids in milk; therefore, it is important to alert the population to avoid excessive intake of TFAs during lactation.

Consumption of trans fats and estimated effects on coronary heart disease in Iran.

PubMed

Mozaffarian, D; Abdollahi, M; Campos, H; Houshiarrad, A; Willett, W C

2007-08-01

To investigate the consumption of industrial trans-fatty acids (TFAs) in Iranian homes and the proportion of coronary heart disease (CHD) events in Iran attributable to such intake. The consumption of industrial TFAs was determined using (1) detailed in-home assessments of dietary intake among 7158 urban and rural households containing 35 924 individuals and (2) gas chromatography to determine TFA contents of the most commonly consumed partially hydrogenated oils. The population-attributable risk for CHD owing to TFA consumption was calculated on the basis of (1) documented effects of TFAs on total:high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in randomized controlled dietary trials and (2) relationships of TFA intake with incidence of CHD in prospective observational studies. Partially hydrogenated oils were used extensively for cooking in Iranian homes with average per-person intake of 14 g/1000 kcal. TFAs accounted for 33% of fatty acids in these products, or 4.2% of all calories consumed (12.3 g/day). On the basis of total:HDL cholesterol effects alone, 9% of CHD events would be prevented by replacement of TFA in Iranian homes with cis-unsaturated fats (8% by replacement with saturated fats). On the basis of relationships of TFA intake with CHD incidence in prospective studies, 39% of CHD events would be prevented by replacement of TFA with cis-unsaturated fats (31% by replacement with saturated fats). These population-attributable risks may be overestimates owing to competing risks and because not all the fat used for cooking might actually be consumed. If actual TFA consumption were only half as large, the estimated proportion of CHD events prevented by TFA elimination would be 5% on the basis of total:HDL cholesterol effects and replacement with cis-unsaturated (4% for replacement with saturated fats), and 22% on the basis of prospective studies and replacement with cis-unsaturated fats (17% for replacement with saturated fats). These estimates do not include possible additional benefits derived from replacing TFAs with vegetable oils containing n-3 fatty acids. Intake of TFAs is high in Iranian homes and contributes to a sizeable proportion of CHD events. Replacement of partially hydrogenated oils with unhydrogenated oils would likely produce substantial reductions in CHD incidence. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA. National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.

Facile N...N coupling of manganese(V) imido species.

PubMed

Yiu, Shek-Man; Lam, William W Y; Ho, Chi-Ming; Lau, Tai-Chu

2007-01-31

(Salen)manganese(V) nitrido species are activated by electrophiles such as trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) or trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) to produce N2. Mechanistic studies suggest that the manganese(V) nitrido species first react with TFAA or TFA to produce an imido species, which then undergoes N...N coupling. It is proposed that the resulting manganese(III) mu-diazene species decomposes via internal redox to give N2 and manganese(II). The manganese(II) species is then rapidly oxidized by manganese(V) imide to give manganese(III) and CF3CONH2 (for TFAA) or NH3 (for TFA).

Structural and physicochemical characterization of pyridine derivative salts of anti-inflammatory drugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nechipadappu, Sunil Kumar; Trivedi, Darshak R.

2017-08-01

Salts of common anti-inflammatory drugs mefenamic acid (MFA), tolfenamic acid (TFA) and naproxen (NPX) with various pyridine derivatives (4-amino pyridine (4AP), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) and 2-amino pyridine (2AP)) were synthesized by crystal engineering approach based on the pKa values of API's and the salt former. All the salts were characterized systematically by various spectroscopic methods including FT-IR and 1H NMR and the crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques (SCXRD). DMAP salt of NPX and 2AP salts of MFA and TFA were not obtained in the salt screening experiments. All the molecular salts exhibited 1:1 molecular stoichiometry in the asymmetric unit and except NPX-2AP salt, all the molecular salts included a water molecule in the crystal lattice. Physicochemical and structural properties between drug-drug molecular salts of MFA-4AP, TFA-4AP and NPX-4AP have been evaluated and it was found that these molecular salts were found to be stable for a time period of six months at ambient condition and further hydration of molecular salts were not observed even at accelerated humid conditions (∼75% RH). It was found that 4AP salts of MFA and TFA and DMAP salts of MFA and TFA are isostructural.

Apical extrusion of debris during root canal preparation using a novel nickel-titanium file system: WaveOne gold.

PubMed

Dincer, Asiye Nur; Guneser, Mehmet Burak; Arslan, Dilara

2017-01-01

This study was intended to evaluate the amount of apically extruded debris following root canal preparation with three different instrumentation systems. Sixty mandibular incisor teeth were selected and randomly divided into three groups ( n = 20/group) according to the instrumentation system used: the ProTaper Next (PTN; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), the Twisted File Adaptive (TFA; SybronEndo, Orange, CA, USA), and the WaveOne Gold (WOG; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). All apically extruded debris was collected and dried in preweighed glass vials. The mean weight of the apically extruded debris was obtained using a microbalance. The time for root canal preparation was also recorded. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. The mean weights of apically extruded debris were 0.00035 ± 0.00014 g (PTN); 0.00023 ± 0.0001 g (TFA); and 0.00019 ± 0.0001 g (WOG) ( P < 0.01). The mean preparation time value was 301,13 ± 62.14 s (PTN); 234.27 ± 34.88 s (TFA); and 239.8 ± 58.6 s (WOG) ( P < 0.05). The PTN system extruded more debris than the TFA and WOG systems. The TFA and WOG systems were faster than the PTN system.

Crystal Structure and Properties of Imidazo-Pyridine Ionic Liquids.

PubMed

Farren-Dai, Marco; Cameron, Stanley; Johnson, Michel B; Ghandi, Khashayar

2018-07-05

Computational studies were performed on novel protic ionic liquids imidazolium-[1,2-a]-pyridine trifluoroacetate [ImPr][TFA] synthesized by the reaction of imidazo-[1,2a]-pyridine (ImPr) with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), and on fused salt imidazolium-[1,2-a]-pyridine maleamic carbonate [ImPr][Mal] synthesized by reaction of ImPr with maleamic acid (Mal). Synthesis was performed as one-pot reactions, which applies green chemistry tenets. Both these compounds begin to decompose at 180°C. Our computational studies suggest another thermal reaction channel, in which [ImPr][Mal] can also thermally polymerizes to polyacrylamide which then cyclizes. This is thermal product remains stable up to 700 degrees, consistent with our thermogravimetric studies. [ImPr][TFA] exhibited good conductivity and ideal ionic behavior, as evaluated by a Walden plot. X-ray crystallography of [ImPr][TFA] revealed a tightly packed system for the crystals as a result of strong ionic interaction, pi-stacking, and fluorine-CH interactions. Both synthesized compounds exhibited some CO 2 absorptivity, with [ImPr][Mal] outperforming [ImPr][TFA] in this regard. The quantum chemistry based computational methods can shed light on many properties of these ionic liquids, but they are challenged in fully describing their ionic nature. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Changes in tropospheric composition and air quality due to stratospheric ozone depletion.

PubMed

Solomon, Keith R; Tang, Xiaoyan; Wilson, Stephen R; Zanis, Prodromos; Bais, Alkiviadis F

2003-01-01

Increased UV-B through stratospheric ozone depletion leads to an increased chemical activity in the lower atmosphere (the troposphere). The effect of stratospheric ozone depletion on tropospheric ozone is small (though significant) compared to the ozone generated anthropogenically in areas already experiencing air pollution. Modeling and experimental studies suggest that the impacts of stratospheric ozone depletion on tropospheric ozone are different at different altitudes and for different chemical regimes. As a result the increase in ozone due to stratospheric ozone depletion may be greater in polluted regions. Attributable effects on concentrations are expected only in regions where local emissions make minor contributions. The vertical distribution of NOx (NO + NO2), the emission of volatile organic compounds and the abundance of water vapor, are important influencing factors. The long-term nature of stratospheric ozone depletion means that even a small increase in tropospheric ozone concentration can have a significant impact on human health and the environment. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and chlorodifluoroacetic acid (CDFA) are produced by the atmospheric degradation of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). TFA has been measured in rain, rivers, lakes, and oceans, the ultimate sink for these and related compounds. Significant anthropogenic sources of TFA other than degradation HCFCs and HFCs have been identified. Toxicity tests under field conditions indicate that the concentrations of TFA and CDFA currently produced by the atmospheric degradation of HFCs and HCFCs do not present a risk to human health and the environment. The impact of the interaction between ozone depletion and future climate change is complex and a significant area of current research. For air quality and tropospheric composition, a range of physical parameters such as temperature, cloudiness and atmospheric transport will modify the impact of UV-B. Changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere including aerosols will also have an impact. For example, tropospheric OH is the 'cleaning' agent of the troposphere. While increased UV-B increases the OH concentration, increases in concentration of gases like methane, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds will act as sinks for OH in troposphere and hence change air quality and chemical composition in the troposphere. Also, changes in the aerosol content of the atmosphere resulting from global climate change may affect ozone photolysis rate coefficients and hence reduce or increase tropospheric ozone concentrations.

Signal enhancement for gradient reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis with trifluoroacetic and other strong acid modifiers by postcolumn addition of propionic acid and isopropanol.

PubMed

Kuhlmann, F E; Apffel, A; Fischer, S M; Goldberg, G; Goodley, P C

1995-12-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and other volatile strong acids, used as modifiers in reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, cause signal suppression for basic compounds when analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Evidence is presented that signal suppression is caused by strong ion pairing between the TFA anion and the protonated sample cation of basic sample molecules. The ion-pairing process "masks" the protonated sample cations from the ESI-MS electric fields by rendering them "neutral. " Weakly basic molecules are not suppressed by this process. The TFA signal suppression effect is independent from the well-known spray problem that electrospray has with highly aqueous solutions that contain TFA. This previously reported spray problem is caused by the high conductivity and surface tension of aqueous TFA solutions. A practical method to enhance the signal for most basic analytes in the presence of signal-suppressing volatile strong acids has been developed. The method employs postcolumn addition of a solution of 75% propionic acid and 25% isopropanol in a ratio 1:2 to the column flow. Signal enhancement is typically 10-50 times for peptides and other small basic molecules. Thus, peptide maps that use ESI-MS for detection can be performed at lower levels, with conventional columns, without the need to use capillary chromatography or reduced mass spectral resolution to achieve satisfactory sensitivity. The method may be used with similar results for heptafluorobutyric acid and hydrochloric acid. A mechanism for TFA signal suppression and signal enhancement by the foregoing method, is proposed.

Improved docosahexaenoic acid production in Aurantiochytrium by glucose limited pH-auxostat fed-batch cultivation.

PubMed

Janthanomsuk, Panyawut; Verduyn, Cornelis; Chauvatcharin, Somchai

2015-11-01

Fed-batch, pH auxostat cultivation of the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-producing microorganism Aurantiochytrium B072 was performed to obtain high cell density and record high productivity of both total fatty acid (TFA) and DHA. Using glucose feeding by carbon excess (C-excess) and by C-limitation at various feeding rates (70%, 50% or 20% of C-excess), high biomass density was obtained and DHA/TFA content (w/w) was improved from 30% to 37% with a 50% glucose feed rate when compared with C-excess. To understand the biochemistry behind these improvements, lipogenic enzyme assays and in silico metabolic flux calculations were used and revealed that enzyme activity and C-fluxes to TFA were reduced with C-limited feeding but that the carbon flux to the polyketide synthase pathway increased relative to the fatty acid synthase pathway. As a result, a new strategy to improve the DHA to TFA content while maintaining relatively high DHA productivity is proposed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced development of TFA-MOD coated conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupich, M. W.; Li, X.; Sathyamurthy, S.; Thieme, C.; Fleshler, S.

2011-11-01

American Superconductor is manufacturing 2G wire for initial commercial applications. The 2G wire properties satisfy the requirements for these initial projects; however, improvements in the critical current, field performance and cost are required to address the broad range of potential commercial and military applications. In order to meet the anticipated the performance and cost requirements, AMSC's R&D effort is focused on two major areas: (1) higher critical current and (2) enhanced flux pinning. AMSC's current 2G production wire, designed around a 0.8 μm thick YBCO layer deposited by a Metal Organic Deposition (MOD) process, carries a critical current in the range of 200-300 A/cm-w (77 K, sf). Achieving higher critical current requires increasing the thickness of the YBCO layer. This paper describes recent progress at AMSC on increasing the critical current of MOD-YBCO films using processes compatible with low-cost, high-rate manufacturing.

Trans-fatty acid consumption and heart rate variability in two separate cohorts of older and younger adults

PubMed Central

Soares-Miranda, Luisa; Stein, Phyllis K; Imamura, Fumiaki; Sattelmair, Jacob; Lemaitre, Rozenn N; Siscovick, David S; Mota, Jorge; Mozaffarian, Dariush

2014-01-01

Background Trans-fatty acid (TFA) consumption is associated with risk of coronary heart disease, and trans-18:2, but not trans-18:1, in red blood cells membranes has been associated with sudden cardiac arrest. Abnormal heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic dysfunction and predicts cardiac death. Relationships between TFA consumption and HRV remain under-studied. We determined whether total TFA consumption, as well as trans-18:1 and trans-18:2 TFA consumption, were independently associated with HRV in two independent cohorts in the US and Portugal. Methods and Results In two independent cohorts of older US adults (Cardiovascular Health Study ([CHS], age=72±5yrs, 1989/1995) and young Portuguese adults (Porto, age=19±2yrs, 2008/2010), we assessed habitual TFA intake by food frequency questionnaires in CHS (separately estimating trans-18:1 and trans-18:2) and multiple 24-hour recalls in Porto (estimating total TFA only, which in a subset correlated with circulating trans-18:2, but not trans-18:1, suggesting that we captured the former). HRV was assessed using 24-hour Holters in CHS (N=1,076) and repeated short-term (5-min) ECGs in Porto (N=160). We used multivariate-adjusted linear regression to relate TFA consumption to HRV cross-sectionally (CHS, Porto) and longitudinally (CHS). In CHS, higher trans-18:2 consumption was associated with lower 24-hour standard-deviation-of-all-normal-to-normal-intervals (SDNN) both cross-sectionally (−12%, 95%CI=6–19%, p=0.001) and longitudinally (−15%, 95%CI=4–25 %, p= 0.009), and lower 24-hour SDANN and SDNN-index (p<0.05 each). Higher trans-18:1 consumption in CHS was associated with more favorable 24-hour HRV, in particular time-domain indices (SDNN, SDANN, SDNN-index; p<0.05 each). In Porto, each higher SD TFA consumption was associated with 4% lower 5-min SDNN (95%CI=1–8%, p=0.04), and 7% lower 5-min rMSSD (95%CI=1–13%, p=0.04). Conclusions Trans-18:2 consumption is associated with specific, less favorable indices of HRV in both older and young adults. Trans-18:1 consumption is associated with more favorable HRV indices in older adults. Our results support the need to investigate potential HRV related mechanisms whereby trans-18:2 may increase arrhythmic risk. PMID:22772898

Comparison of liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/IRMS) and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) for the determination of collagen amino acid δ13C values for palaeodietary and palaeoecological reconstruction.

PubMed

Dunn, Philip J H; Honch, Noah V; Evershed, Richard P

2011-10-30

Results are presented of a comparison of the amino acid (AA) δ(13)C values obtained by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) and liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/IRMS). Although the primary focus was the compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis of bone collagen AAs, because of its growing application for palaeodietary and palaeoecological reconstruction, the results are relevant to any field where AA δ(13)C values are required. We compare LC/IRMS with the most up-to-date GC/C/IRMS method using N-acetyl methyl ester (NACME) AA derivatives. This comparison involves the analysis of standard AAs and hydrolysates of archaeological human bone collagen, which have been previously investigated as N-trifluoroacetyl isopropyl esters (TFA/IP). It was observed that, although GC/C/IRMS analyses required less sample, LC/IRMS permitted the analysis of a wider range of AAs, particularly those not amenable to GC analysis (e.g. arginine). Accordingly, reconstructed bulk δ(13)C values based on LC/IRMS-derived δ(13)C values were closer to the EA/IRMS-derived δ(13)C values than those based on GC/C/IRMS values. The analytical errors for LC/IRMS AA δ(13)C values were lower than GC/C/IRMS determinations. Inconsistencies in the δ(13)C values of the TFA/IP derivatives compared with the NACME- and LC/IRMS-derived δ(13)C values suggest inherent problems with the use of TFA/IP derivatives, resulting from: (i) inefficient sample combustion, and/or (ii) differences in the intra-molecular distribution of δ(13)C values between AAs, which are manifested by incomplete combustion. Close similarities between the NACME AA δ(13)C values and the LC/IRMS-derived δ(13)C values suggest that the TFA/IP derivatives should be abandoned for the natural abundance determinations of AA δ(13)C values. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

TFaNS Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System. Volume 1; System Description, CUP3D Technical Documentation and Manual for Code Developers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Topol, David A.

1999-01-01

TFaNS is the Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System developed by Pratt & Whitney under contract to NASA Lewis (presently NASA Glenn). The purpose of this system is to predict tone noise emanating from a fan stage including the effects of reflection and transmission by the rotor and stator and by the duct inlet and nozzle. These effects have been added to an existing annular duct/isolated stator noise prediction capability. TFaNS consists of: The codes that compute the acoustic properties (reflection and transmission coefficients) of the various elements and write them to files. Cup3D: Fan Noise Coupling Code that reads these files, solves the coupling problem, and outputs the desired noise predictions. AWAKEN: CFD/Measured Wake Postprocessor which reformats CFD wake predictions and/or measured wake data so it can be used by the system. This volume of the report provides technical background for TFaNS including the organization of the system and CUP3D technical documentation. This document also provides information for code developers who must write Acoustic Property Files in the CUP3D format. This report is divided into three volumes: Volume I: System Description, CUP3D Technical Documentation, and Manual for Code Developers; Volume II: User's Manual, TFaNS Vers. 1.4; Volume III: Evaluation of System Codes.

[Effects of astragalus and its active ingredients on ischemia reperfusion injury in isolated guinea-pig heart].

PubMed

Zhang, Haining; Min, Dongyu; Fu, Mingyu; Tian, Jing; Wang, Qingwen; An, Xinjiang

2014-09-01

To explore the effects of astragalus (AST) , total flavone of astragalus (TFA), total saponins of astragalus (TSA) and astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on ischemia/reperfusion (40 min/60 min) injury in isolated guinea-pig heart. Isolated guinea-pig hearts underwent ischemia, then followed by K-H perfusion (I/R group), AST (60 mg/L),AST (60 mg/L), TFA (60 mg/L), TSA (60 mg/L) and APS (60 mg/L) perfusion (n = 6 each).Isolated hearts without ischemia serve as control group (n = 6). Activity of lactate dehydrogenas (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) in effluent were measured.Infarct size, myocardial superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondiadehyde (MDA) contents were also determined. Compared to control hearts, heart rate, coronary flow and myocardial superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were significantly reduced, while LDH and CK in effluent as well as myocardial MDA were significantly increased in the I/R hearts during reperfusion (all P < 0.05), these changes could be partly reversed by AST and TFA perfusion.Infarct size was also significantly reduced in AST (11.9 ± 2.03) % and TFA (13.31 ± 1.17) % treated hearts compared to that in I/R group (18.9 ± 2.27) % (all P < 0.01). The findings indicate that AST and TFA could attenuate I/R injury in isolated guinea-pig heart possibly through enhancing the activity of SOD and reducing lipid peroxidation.

Teach for America. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2016

2016-01-01

"Teach For America" ("TFA") is a highly selective route to teacher certification that aims to place non-traditionally trained teachers in high-need public schools. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified seven studies of teachers trained through "TFA" that both fall within the scope of the Teacher Training,…

Hydrogenation of cottonseed oil with nickel, palladium and platinum catalysts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A number of commercial catalysts have been used to study hydrogenation of cottonseed oil, with the goal of minimizing trans fatty acid (TFA) content. Despite the different temperatures used, catalyst levels, and reaction times, the data from each catalyst type fall on the same curve when the TFA le...

Telecommunications and Development in Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiplagat, B. A., Ed.; Werner, M. C. M., Ed.

The Telecommunications Foundation of Africa (TFA) was created in 1992 out of a conviction that insufficient telecommunications in Africa are an impediment to economic growth, and that more resources could be mobilized to strengthen this sector. This volume was made by TFA for readers both inside and outside of Africa and the telecommunications…

On statistical analysis of factors affecting anthocyanin extraction from Ixora siamensis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat Nor, N. A.; Arof, A. K.

2016-10-01

This study focused on designing an experimental model in order to evaluate the influence of operative extraction parameters employed for anthocyanin extraction from Ixora siamensis on CIE color measurements (a*, b* and color saturation). Extractions were conducted at temperatures of 30, 55 and 80°C, soaking time of 60, 120 and 180 min using acidified methanol solvent with different trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) contents of 0.5, 1.75 and 3% (v/v). The statistical evaluation was performed by running analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression calculation to investigate the significance of the generated model. Results show that the generated regression models adequately explain the data variation and significantly represented the actual relationship between the independent variables and the responses. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed high coefficient determination values (R2) of 0.9687 for a*, 0.9621 for b* and 0.9758 for color saturation, thus ensuring a satisfactory fit of the developed models with the experimental data. Interaction between TFA content and extraction temperature exhibited to the highest significant influence on CIE color parameter.

Novice Veterans: An Exploration of the Roles Teach for America Teachers Inhabit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bialka, Christa S.; Andrus, Shannon

2017-01-01

The development of one's teaching identity is a dynamic and multi-layered process, which becomes more immediate when one enters the profession through an alternative route, such as Teach For America (TFA). This grounded theory study examines how participation in three interrelated institutions--the urban school, the university, and TFA--directly…

Still Teaching for America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kronholz, June

2013-01-01

In this article, June Kronholz talks to co-chief executives of Teach For America (TFA), Elisa Villanueva Beard and Matt Kramer about how TFA has managed to keep its forward momentum for almost 24 years. Four primary reasons are discussed: (1) Common Vision, Regional Innovation; (2) Data-Driven Improvement; (3) Global Reach; and (4) Stoking the…

Mapping the Terrain: Teach for America, Charter School Reform, and Corporate Sponsorship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kretchmar, Kerry; Sondel, Beth; Ferrare, Joseph J.

2014-01-01

In this paper we illustrate the relationships between Teach For America (TFA) and federal charter school reform to interrogate how policy decisions are shaped by networks of individuals, organizations, and private corporations. We use policy network analysis to create a visual representation of TFA's key role in developing and connecting…

Doing Good and Doing Well: Credentialism and Teach for America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maier, Adam

2012-01-01

In recent years, Teach for America (TFA) has placed thousands of high-achieving college graduates in hard-to-staff schools, and its popularity continues to grow. TFA thus represents an anomaly: it attracts higher education's top students to primary and secondary education's least desired jobs. This article reviews the current explanations for…

Supporting New Science Teachers in Pursuing Socially Just Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruggirello, Rachel; Flohr, Linda

2018-01-01

This forum explores contradictions that arose within the partnership between Teach for America (TFA) and a university teacher education program. TFA is an alternate route teacher preparation program that places individuals into K-12 classrooms in low-income school districts after participating in an intense summer training program and provides…

The Teach for America Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raymond, Margaret; Fletcher, Stephen

2002-01-01

Since 1990 the New York-based Teach for America (TFA) program has placed more than 7,000 teachers in some of the nation's most challenging school districts. Most TFA recruits serve in schools that qualify for funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act due to their high concentrations of students living in poverty. These…

An Implantable MEMS Drug Delivery Device for Rapid Delivery in Ambulatory Emergency Care

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

controlled devices provide advantages over passive release devices, as the drug delivery process can be controlled actively after implantation and...mm, 5 μm, 100 Å, Alltech Associates, USA), with methanol and 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water. The gradient used was 2 % TFA/min, starting

After the Two-Year Commitment: A Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry of Teach For America Teacher Retention and Attrition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heineke, Amy J.; Mazza, Bonnie Streff; Tichnor-Wagner, Ariel

2014-01-01

Teach For America (TFA), an organization that places college graduates as teachers in low-income areas for 2 years, contributes to teacher attrition. With this mixed methods study in one urban region, we investigated teachers' professional decisions at the end of 2 years. Respondents fell into categories in relation to the organization's 2-year…

Perinatal grief following a termination of pregnancy for foetal abnormality: the impact of coping strategies.

PubMed

Lafarge, Caroline; Mitchell, Kathryn; Fox, Pauline

2013-12-01

Pregnancy termination for foetal abnormality (TFA) can have significant psychological repercussions, but little is known about the coping strategies involved in dealing with TFA. This study examined the relationships between women's coping strategies and perinatal grief. A total of 166 women completed a survey online. Coping and perinatal grief were measured using the Brief COPE and Short Perinatal Grief Scales. Data were analysed through multiple regression analyses. Despite using mostly adaptive coping strategies, women's levels of grief were high and varied according to obstetric and termination variables. Grief was predicted by behavioural disengagement, venting, planning, religion, self-blame, being recently bereaved, being childless at the time of TFA, not having had children/being pregnant since TFA and uncertainty about the decision to terminate the pregnancy. Acceptance and positive reframing negatively predicted grief. Identifying women vulnerable to poor psychological adjustment and promoting coping strategies associated with lower levels of grief may be beneficial. This could be addressed through information provision and interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Noncontrast computed tomography can predict the outcome of shockwave lithotripsy via accurate stone measurement and abdominal fat distribution determination.

PubMed

Geng, Jiun-Hung; Tu, Hung-Pin; Shih, Paul Ming-Chen; Shen, Jung-Tsung; Jang, Mei-Yu; Wu, Wen-Jen; Li, Ching-Chia; Chou, Yii-Her; Juan, Yung-Shun

2015-01-01

Urolithiasis is a common disease of the urinary system. Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) has become one of the standard treatments for renal and ureteral stones; however, the success rates range widely and failure of stone disintegration may cause additional outlay, alternative procedures, and even complications. We used the data available from noncontrast abdominal computed tomography (NCCT) to evaluate the impact of stone parameters and abdominal fat distribution on calculus-free rates following SWL. We retrospectively reviewed 328 patients who had urinary stones and had undergone SWL from August 2012 to August 2013. All of them received pre-SWL NCCT; 1 month after SWL, radiography was arranged to evaluate the condition of the fragments. These patients were classified into stone-free group and residual stone group. Unenhanced computed tomography variables, including stone attenuation, abdominal fat area, and skin-to-stone distance (SSD) were analyzed. In all, 197 (60%) were classified as stone-free and 132 (40%) as having residual stone. The mean ages were 49.35 ± 13.22 years and 55.32 ± 13.52 years, respectively. On univariate analysis, age, stone size, stone surface area, stone attenuation, SSD, total fat area (TFA), abdominal circumference, serum creatinine, and the severity of hydronephrosis revealed statistical significance between these two groups. From multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent parameters impacting SWL outcomes were stone size, stone attenuation, TFA, and serum creatinine. [Adjusted odds ratios and (95% confidence intervals): 9.49 (3.72-24.20), 2.25 (1.22-4.14), 2.20 (1.10-4.40), and 2.89 (1.35-6.21) respectively, all p < 0.05]. In the present study, stone size, stone attenuation, TFA and serum creatinine were four independent predictors for stone-free rates after SWL. These findings suggest that pretreatment NCCT may predict the outcomes after SWL. Consequently, we can use these predictors for selecting the optimal treatment for patients with urinary stones. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

High quality uniform YBCO film growth by the metalorganic deposition using trifluoroacetates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S. S.; Zhang, Z. L.; Wang, L.; Gao, L. K.; Liu, J.

2017-03-01

A need exists for the large-area superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films with high critical current density for microwave communication and/or electric power applications. Trifluoroacetic metalorganic (TFA-MOD) method is a promising low cost technique for large-scale production of YBCO films, because it does not need high vacuum device and is easily applicable to substrates of various shape and size. In this paper, double-sided YBCO films with maximum 2 in diameter were prepared on LaAlO3 substrates by TFA-MOD method. Inductive critical current densitiy Jc, microwave surface resistance Rs, as well as the microstructure were characterized. A newly homemade furnace system was used to epitaxially grown YBCO films, which can improve the uniformity of YBCO film significantly by gas supply and temperature distribution proper design. Results showed that the large area YBCO films were very uniform in microstructure and thickness distribution, an average inductive Jc in excess of 6 MA/cm2 with uniform distribution, and low Rs (10 GHz) below 0.3 mΩ at 77 K were obtained. Andthe film filter may be prepared to work at temperatures lower than 74 K. These results are very close to the highest value of YBCO films made by conventional vacuum method, so we show a very promising route for large-scale production of high quality large-area YBCO superconducting films at a lower cost.

Evaluation of the influence of ionization states and spacers in the thermotropic phase behaviour of amino acid-based cationic lipids and the transfection efficiency of their assemblies.

PubMed

Sarker, Satya Ranjan; Arai, Satoshi; Murate, Motohide; Takahashi, Hiroshi; Takata, Masaki; Kobayashi, Toshihide; Takeoka, Shinji

2012-01-17

The influence of both the ionization states and the hydrocarbon chain spacer of a series of amino acid-based cationic lipids was evaluated in terms of gene delivery efficiency and cytotoxicity to the COS-7 cell line and compared with that of Lipofectamine 2000. We synthesized a series of amino acid-based cationic lipids with different ionization states (i.e., -NH(2), -NH(3)(+)Cl(-) or -NH(3)(+)TFA(-)) in the lysine head group and different hydrocarbon chain spacers (i.e., 0, 3, 5 or 7 carbon atoms) between the hydrophilic head group and hydrophobic moieties. In the 3-carbon series, the cationic assemblies formed a micellar structure in the presence of -NH(3)(+)Cl(-) and a vesicular structure both in the presence of -NH(2) and -NH(3)(+)TFA(-). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data revealed a significantly lower (8.1°C) gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature for cationic assemblies bearing -NH(3)(+)TFA(-) when compared to their -NH(2) counterparts. Furthermore, the zeta potential of cationic assemblies having -NH(3)(+)TFA(-) in the hydrophilic head group was maximum followed by -NH(3)(+)Cl(-) and -NH(2) irrespective of their hydrocarbon chain spacer length. The gene delivery efficiency in relation to the ionization states of the hydrophilic head group was as follows: -NH(3)(+)TFA(-)>-NH(3)(+)Cl(-)>-NH(2). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ozone and TFA impacts in North America from degradation of 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf), a potential greenhouse gas replacement.

PubMed

Luecken, Deborah J; L Waterland, Robert; Papasavva, Stella; Taddonio, Kristen N; Hutzell, William T; Rugh, John P; Andersen, Stephen O

2010-01-01

We use a regional-scale, three-dimensional atmospheric model to evaluate U.S. air quality effects that would result from replacing HFC-134a in automobile air conditioners in the U.S. with HFO-1234yf. Although HFO-1234yf produces tropospheric ozone, the incremental amount is small, averaging less than 0.01% of total ozone formed during the simulation. We show that this production of ozone could be compensated for by a modest improvement in air conditioner efficiency. Atmospheric decomposition of HFO-1234yf produces trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which is subject to wet and dry deposition. Deposition and concentrations of TFA are spatially variable due to HFO-1234yf's short atmospheric lifetime, with more localized peaks and less global transport when compared to HFC-134a. Over the 2.5 month simulation, deposition of TFA in the continental U.S. from mobile air conditioners averages 0.24 kg km(-2), substantially higher than previous estimates from all sources of current hydrofluorocarbons. Automobile air conditioning HFO-1234yf emissions are predicted to produce concentrations of TFA in Eastern U.S. rainfall at least double the values currently observed from all sources, natural and man-made. Our model predicts peak concentrations in rainfall of 1264 ng L(-1), a level that is 80x lower than the lowest level considered safe for the most sensitive aquatic organisms.

Effect of trans-fatty acid intake on insulin sensitivity and intramuscular lipids--a randomized trial in overweight postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Bendsen, Nathalie T; Haugaard, Steen B; Larsen, Thomas M; Chabanova, Elizaveta; Stender, Steen; Astrup, Arne

2011-07-01

Intake of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) has been linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in observational studies. We investigated the causality of this association by examining if a high intake of TFA impairs measures of glucose homeostasis and induces intramuscular lipid deposition in abdominally obese women. In a double-blind, parallel dietary intervention study, 52 healthy but overweight postmenopausal women were randomized to receive either partially hydrogenated soybean oil (15 g/d TFA) or a control oil (mainly oleic and palmitic acid) for 16 weeks. Three markers of glucose homeostasis and 4 markers of lipolysis were derived from glucose, insulin, C-peptide, nonesterified fatty acid, and glycerol concentrations during a 3-hour frequent sampling oral glucose tolerance test. Intramuscular lipids were assessed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Forty-nine women completed the study. Insulin sensitivity (assessed by ISI(composite)), β-cell function (the disposition index), and the metabolic clearance rate of insulin were not significantly affected by the dietary intervention. Neither was the ability of insulin to suppress plasma nonesterified fatty acid and glycerol during oral glucose ingestion nor the intramuscular lipid deposition. In conclusion, high TFA intake did not affect glucose metabolism over 16 weeks in postmenopausal overweight women. A study population with a stronger predisposition to insulin resistance and/or a longer duration of exposure may be required for insulin sensitivity to be affected by intake of industrial TFA. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control of artificial pinning centers in REBCO coated conductors derived from the trifluoroacetate metal-organic deposition process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izumi, T.; Nakaoka, K.

2018-07-01

The metal-organic deposition (MOD) process using metal trifluoroacetate salts (TFA) has the advantages of low-cost and high-scalability for the fabrication of REBa2Cu3O y (REBCO, RE: rare earth elements) superconducting coated conductors (CCs) with high critical current density, in principle, because of its non-vacuum process. For the magnetic applications of CCs such as motors, magnetic resonance imaging and superconducting magnetic energy storage, further improvement of superconducting performance under magnetic fields is required. However, the in-field superconducting performance of REBCO CCs derived from the TFA-MOD process had been inferior to those derived from the vapor-phase process. In order to improve the in-field performance, the size control of the artificial pinning centers has been known as an effective way. In the early stage, the BaZrO3 (BZO) material, which was one of the effective materials in the CCs by the vapor-phase process, was also introduced in the TFA-MOD-derived CCs. The unique feature of the BZO material in the TFA-MOD process is the shape. The BZO in the TFA-MOD process formed the particle shape, although in the vapor-phase process it has a rod shape with a long axis elongating along the thickness direction. In addition, a special heat treatment for refining the BZO particles was developed, which is called the ‘interim heat treatment’. This heating profile made the in-field characteristics higher, although they were still lower than those of the vapor-phase process. Then, the new MOD process including ‘ultra-thin once coating’ was recently developed for further refinement of the BZO particles. The characteristics of the new TFA-MOD-derived CCs in magnetic fields have become compatible with those of the CCs derived from the vapor-phase process.

The fluoroscopy time, door to balloon time, contrast volume use and prevalence of vascular access site failure with transradial versus transfemoral approach in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction: A systematic review & meta-analysis.

PubMed

Singh, Sukhchain; Singh, Mukesh; Grewal, Navsheen; Khosla, Sandeep

2015-12-01

The authors aimed to conduct first systematic review and meta-analysis in STEMI patients evaluating vascular access site failure rate, fluoroscopy time, door to balloon time and contrast volume used with transradial vs transfemoral approach (TRA vs TFA) for PCI. The PubMed, CINAHL, clinicaltrials.gov, Embase and CENTRAL databases were searched for randomized trials comparing TRA versus TFA. Random effect models were used to conduct this meta-analysis. Fourteen randomized trials comprising 3758 patients met inclusion criteria. The access site failure rate was significantly higher TRA compared to TFA (RR 3.30, CI 2.16-5.03; P=0.000). Random effect inverse variance weighted prevalence rate meta-analysis showed that access site failure rate was predicted to be 4% (95% CI 3.0-6.0%) with TRA versus 1% (95% CI 0.0-1.0 %) with TFA. Door to balloon time (Standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.30 min, 95% CI 0.23-0.37 min; P=0.000) and fluoroscopy time (Standardized mean difference 0.14 min, 95% CI 0.06-0.23 min; P=0.001) were also significantly higher in TRA. There was no difference in the amount of contrast volume used with TRA versus TFA (SMD -0.05 ml, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.04 ml; P=0.275). Statistical heterogeneity was low in cross-over rate and contrast volume use, moderate in fluoroscopy time but high in the door to balloon time comparison. Operators need to consider higher cross-over rate with TRA compared to TFA in STEMI patients while attempting PCI. Fluoroscopy and door to balloon times are negligibly higher with TRA but there is no difference in terms of contrast volume use. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controlling behaviours and technology-facilitated abuse perpetrated by men receiving substance use treatment in England and Brazil: Prevalence and risk factors.

PubMed

Gilchrist, Gail; Canfield, Martha; Radcliffe, Polly; D'Oliveira, Ana Flavia Pires Lucas

2017-01-01

Controlling behaviours are highly prevalent forms of non-physical intimate partner violence (IPV). The prevalence of perpetrating controlling behaviours and technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) was compared by men receiving substance use treatment in England (n = 223) and Brazil (n = 280). Factors associated with perpetrating these behaviours towards their current/most recent partner and their association with other types of IPV were explored. Secondary analysis from two cross-sectional studies was performed. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, infidelity, IPV perpetration and victimisation, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), attitudes towards gender relations and roles, substance use, depressive symptoms and anger expression were collected. Sixty-four percent (143/223) and 33% (73/223) of participants in England and 65% (184/280) and 20% (57/280) in Brazil reported controlling behaviours and TFA, respectively, during their current/most recent relationship. Excluding IPV victimisation from the multivariate models; perpetrating controlling behaviours was associated with a higher number of ACE, higher anger expression (England) and severe physical IPV perpetration (Brazil), and perpetrating TFA was associated with younger age. Including both IPV victimisation and perpetration in the multivariate models; perpetrating controlling behaviour was associated with experiencing a higher number of ACE, higher anger expression (England), emotional IPV victimisation (England) and experiencing controlling behaviour from a partner (England). The perpetration of TFA was associated with younger age and experiencing TFA from a partner. Technological progress provides opportunities for perpetrators to control and abuse their partners. Controlling behaviours and TFA should be addressed to reduce IPV perpetration by males in substance use treatment. [Gilchrist G, Canfield M,Radcliffe P, d'Oliveira AFPL. Controlling behaviours and technology-facilitated abuse perpetrated by men receiving substance use treatment in England and Brazil: Prevalence and risk factors. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:52-63]. © 2017 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Controlling behaviours and technology‐facilitated abuse perpetrated by men receiving substance use treatment in England and Brazil: Prevalence and risk factors

PubMed Central

Canfield, Martha; Radcliffe, Polly; D'Oliveira, Ana Flavia Pires Lucas

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction and Aims Controlling behaviours are highly prevalent forms of non‐physical intimate partner violence (IPV). The prevalence of perpetrating controlling behaviours and technology‐facilitated abuse (TFA) was compared by men receiving substance use treatment in England (n = 223) and Brazil (n = 280). Factors associated with perpetrating these behaviours towards their current/most recent partner and their association with other types of IPV were explored. Design and Methods Secondary analysis from two cross‐sectional studies was performed. Data on socio‐demographic characteristics, infidelity, IPV perpetration and victimisation, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), attitudes towards gender relations and roles, substance use, depressive symptoms and anger expression were collected. Results Sixty‐four percent (143/223) and 33% (73/223) of participants in England and 65% (184/280) and 20% (57/280) in Brazil reported controlling behaviours and TFA, respectively, during their current/most recent relationship. Excluding IPV victimisation from the multivariate models; perpetrating controlling behaviours was associated with a higher number of ACE, higher anger expression (England) and severe physical IPV perpetration (Brazil), and perpetrating TFA was associated with younger age. Including both IPV victimisation and perpetration in the multivariate models; perpetrating controlling behaviour was associated with experiencing a higher number of ACE, higher anger expression (England), emotional IPV victimisation (England) and experiencing controlling behaviour from a partner (England). The perpetration of TFA was associated with younger age and experiencing TFA from a partner. Conclusions Technological progress provides opportunities for perpetrators to control and abuse their partners. Controlling behaviours and TFA should be addressed to reduce IPV perpetration by males in substance use treatment. [Gilchrist G, Canfield M,Radcliffe P, d'Oliveira AFPL. Controlling behaviours and technology‐facilitated abuse perpetrated by men receiving substance use treatment in England and Brazil: Prevalence and risk factors. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:52–63] PMID:28134494

Trans fatty acids adversely affect blood lipids but not intra-abdominal and liver fat deposition - a randomized trial in overweight postmenopausal women

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFA) is, according to observational studies, associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the causal mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Besides inducing dyslipidemia, TFA intake is suspected of promoting abdominal and liv...

Teach for America and the Politics of Progressive Neoliberalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lahann, Randall; Reagan, Emilie Mitescu

2011-01-01

Teach for America (TFA), a non-profit organization designed to recruit recent college graduates to commit two years to teach in understaffed urban and rural schools across the country, has been heralded by private organizations and state agencies as a poster child for alternative pathways to teaching. However, at the same time, TFA has also been…

National Affiliation or Local Representation: When TFA Alumni Run for School Board

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobsen, Rebecca; Linkow, Tamara Wilder

2014-01-01

Historically power to govern public schools has been delegated to local school boards. However, this arrangement of power has been shifting over the past half century and increasingly, local school boards are targeted as ineffective and antiquated. Teach For America (TFA), typically examined for its placement of teachers, also seeks to develop…

Random Assignment within Schools: Lessons Learned from the Teach for America Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazerman, Steven

2012-01-01

Randomized trials are a common way to provide rigorous evidence on the impacts of education programs. This article discusses the trade-offs associated with study designs that involve random assignment of students within schools and describes the experience from one such study of Teach for America (TFA). The TFA experiment faced challenges with…

Comparison of soybean and cottonseed oils upon hydrogenation with nickel, palladium and platinum catalysts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is current interest in reducing the trans fatty acids (TFA) in hydrogenated vegetable oils because consumption of foods high in TFA has been linked to increased serum cholesterol content. In this work, hydrogenation was carried out on soybean oil and cottonseed oil at two pressures (2 and 5 b...

Looking Past the Spin: Teach for America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miner, Barbara

2010-01-01

Teach for America (TFA) is perceived as a major player in the education wars over the future of public schools, and a key ally of those who disparage teacher unions and schools of education, and who are enamored of entrepreneurial reforms that bolster the privatization of a once-sacred public responsibility. But what exactly is TFA's role in these…

Cu(OAc)2/TFA-promoted formal [3 + 3] cycloaddition/oxidation of enamines and enones for synthesis of multisubstituted aromatic amines.

PubMed

Li, Liang; Zhao, Mi-Na; Ren, Zhi-Hui; Li, Jian-Li; Guan, Zheng-Hui

2012-07-06

New strategies for the oxidative cycloaddition of enones with enamines are developed. These cycloaddition reactions directly afford substituted aromatic amines, which are important in organic chemistry, in moderate to good yield. Cu(OAc)(2)/TFA is shown to be essential to achieve high reaction efficiency.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Teach for America and the Making of Educational Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trujillo, Tina; Scott, Janelle; Rivera, Marialena

2017-01-01

This article reports findings from a study that explores how Teach For America (TFA) alumni interpret the causes of and interventions for educational inequality, the leadership pathways for remedying inequality, and the career opportunities available to them as TFA affiliates. Analyzing data from 117 alumni interviews, we find that the majority of…

Enhancing Sensitivity of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry of Peptides and Proteins Using Supercharging Agents.

PubMed

Nshanian, Michael; Lakshmanan, Rajeswari; Chen, Hao; Ogorzalek Loo, Rachel R; Loo, Joseph A

2018-04-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is often used as a mobile phase modifier to enhance reversed phase chromatographic performance. TFA adjusts solution pH and is an ion-pairing agent, but it is not typically suitable for electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and liquid chromatography/MS (LC/MS) because of its significant signal suppression. Supercharging agents elevate peptide and protein charge states in ESI, increasing tandem MS (MS/MS) efficiency. Here, LC/MS protein supercharging was effected by adding agents to LC mobile phase solvents. Significantly, the ionization suppression generally observed with TFA was, for the most part, rescued by supercharging agents, with improved separation efficiency (higher number of theoretical plates) and lowered detection limits.

An interactive control algorithm used for equilateral triangle formation with robotic sensors.

PubMed

Li, Xiang; Chen, Hongcai

2014-04-22

This paper describes an interactive control algorithm, called Triangle Formation Algorithm (TFA), used for three neighboring robotic sensors which are distributed randomly to self-organize into and equilateral triangle (E) formation. The algorithm is proposed based on the triangular geometry and considering the actual sensors used in robotics. In particular, the stability of the TFA, which can be executed by robotic sensors independently and asynchronously for E formation, is analyzed in details based on Lyapunov stability theory. Computer simulations are carried out for verifying the effectiveness of the TFA. The analytical results and simulation studies indicate that three neighboring robots employing conventional sensors can self-organize into E formations successfully regardless of their initial distribution using the same TFAs.

An Interactive Control Algorithm Used for Equilateral Triangle Formation with Robotic Sensors

PubMed Central

Li, Xiang; Chen, Hongcai

2014-01-01

This paper describes an interactive control algorithm, called Triangle Formation Algorithm (TFA), used for three neighboring robotic sensors which are distributed randomly to self-organize into and equilateral triangle (E) formation. The algorithm is proposed based on the triangular geometry and considering the actual sensors used in robotics. In particular, the stability of the TFA, which can be executed by robotic sensors independently and asynchronously for E formation, is analyzed in details based on Lyapunov stability theory. Computer simulations are carried out for verifying the effectiveness of the TFA. The analytical results and simulation studies indicate that three neighboring robots employing conventional sensors can self-organize into E formations successfully regardless of their initial distribution using the same TFAs. PMID:24759118

[Influences of ion-suppressors on retention behaviors of nine food additives in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic separation].

PubMed

Zhao, Yonggang; Chen, Xiaohong; Li, Xiaoping; Yao, Shanshan; Jin, Micong

2011-10-01

The influences of ion-suppressors on retention behaviors of nine food additives, i.e., acesulfame, saccharin, caffeine, aspartame, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, stevioside, dehydroacetic acid and neotame in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) separation were investigated. The organic modification effects of acids, i. e. , trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and buffer salts, i. e. , TFA-ammonium acetate (AmAc) were studied emphatically. The relationships between retention factors of solutes and volume percentages of ion-suppressors in the mobile phase systems of acetonitrile-TFA aqueous solution and acetonitrile-TFA-AmAc aqueous solution were quantitatively established, separately. The separation of nine food additives was completed by a gradient elution with acetonitrile-TFA (0.01%, v/v)-AmAc (2. 5 mmol/L) aqueous solution as the mobile phases. An RP-HPLC method was established for the simultaneous determination of nine food additives in red wine. In the range of 10. 0 - 100. 0 mg/L, nine food additives showed good linearity with the correlation coefficients ( r2 ) larger than 0. 999 1. The limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 0. 33 - 2. 36 mg/L and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 1. 11 - 7. 80 mg/L. The spiked recoveries were between 87. 61% and 108. 4% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2. 2% -9. 4%. These results are of referential significance for the rapid establishment and accu- rate optimization of RP-HPLC separation for the simultaneous determination of food additives in other foods.

Rhetoric and Practice in Pre-Service Teacher Education: The Case of Teach for America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Jack

2014-01-01

Teach For America (TFA), an organization that places college graduates in urban and rural classrooms for two-year terms of service, is lauded by reformers who see its five-week summer training institute as evidence that teachers have little to learn before entering classrooms. Yet, while boosters see TFA as a radical alternative to traditional…

Teach for America and Teacher Ed: Heads They Win, Tails We Lose

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labaree, David

2010-01-01

Teach for America (TFA) is a marvel at marketing, offering elite college students a win-win option: by becoming corps members, they can do good and do well at the same time. Teacher education (TE) programs are in a hopeless position in trying to compete with TFA for prospective students. They cannot provide students with the opportunity to do…

Teacher Resilience in High-Poverty Schools: How Do High-Quality Teachers Become Resilient?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Kate Mansi

2013-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to understand how high-quality teachers who began their career through Teach For America (TFA) became resilient while teaching in challenging, high-poverty schools. A secondary purpose of this study was to ascertain how, if at all, the teaching experiences of TFA teachers who stayed in the profession differed…

The Power of the Network: Teach for America's Impact on the Deregulation of Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kretchmar, Kerry; Sondel, Beth; Ferrare, Joseph J.

2018-01-01

In this article, we illustrate the relationships between Teach For America (TFA) and the deregulation of university-based teacher education programs. We use policy network analysis to create a visual representation of TFA's connections to individuals, organizations, and private corporations who are working to shift the way teachers are prepared.…

Association of Taq I, Fok I and Apa I polymorphisms in Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) gene with leprosy.

PubMed

Neela, Venkata Sanjeev Kumar; Suryadevara, Naveen Chandra; Shinde, Vidya Gouri; Pydi, Satya Sudheer; Jain, Suman; Jonnalagada, Subbanna; Singh, Surya Satyanarayana; Valluri, Vijaya Lakshmi; Anandaraj, M P J S

2015-06-01

Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) is a transacting transcription factor which mediates immunomodulatory function and plays a key role in innate and adaptive immune responses through its ligand and polymorphisms in VDR gene may affect its regulatory function. To investigate the association of three VDR gene polymorphisms (TaqI rs731236, FokI rs2228570 and ApaI rs7975232) with leprosy. The study group includes 404 participants of which 222 were leprosy patients (paucibacillary=87, multibacillary=135) and 182 healthy controls. Genotyping was done using PCR-RFLP technique. Statistical analysis was performed using SNP Stats and PLINK software. The VDR FokI (rs2228570) ff genotype, ApaI (rs7975232) AA, Aa genotype and haplotype T-f-a, T-F-A were positively associated with leprosy when compared to healthy controls. The two variants at Fok and Apa positions in VDR gene are significantly associated with leprosy. Genotypes at FokI (ff), ApaI (aa) and haplotype (T-F-a, T-f-a) may contribute to the risk of developing leprosy by altering VDR phenotype/levels subsequently modulation of immune response. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Signal enhancement for peptide analysis in liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with trifluoroacetic acid containing mobile phase by postcolumn electrophoretic mobility control.

PubMed

Wang, Nan-Hsuan; Lee, Wan-Li; Her, Guor-Rong

2011-08-15

A strategy based on postcolumn electrophoretic mobility control (EMC) was developed to alleviate the adverse effect of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) on the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of peptides. The device created to achieve this goal consisted of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based junction reservoir, a short connecting capillary, and an electrospray ionization (ESI) sprayer connected to the outlet of the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column. By apply different voltages to the junction reservoir and the ESI emitter, an electric field was created across the connecting capillary. Due to the electric field, positively charged peptides migrated toward the ESI sprayer, whereas TFA anions remained in the junction reservoir and were removed from the ionization process. Because TFA did not enter the ESI source, ion suppression from TFA was alleviated. Operation of the postcolumn device was optimized using a peptide standard mixture. Under optimized conditions, signals for the peptides were enhanced 9-35-fold without a compromise in separation efficiency. The optimized conditions were also applied to the LC-MS analysis of a tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin.

Effect of magnetic field annealing on soft magnetic properties of Co71Fe2Si14-xB9+xMn4 amorphous alloys with low permeability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Xingdu; Li, Meng; Zhang, Tao; Yuan, Chenchen; Shen, Baolong

2018-05-01

The effect of transverse magnetic field annealing (TFA) on soft magnetic properties of Co71Fe2Si14-xB9+xMn4 amorphous alloys was investigated with the aim of reducing effective permeability (μe). It was revealed that the increasing B content improved thermal stability, increased saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) of as-quenched alloys, while the samples exhibited a slightly larger coercivity (Hc) when the atom percentages of Si and B were similar. Permeability decreased dramatically after TFA. The decrease of permeability mainly depended on annealing temperature and magnetic field intensity. Besides, flat hysteresis loops were obtained after TFA, Lorentz micrograph observation revealed the TFA sample exhibited denser magnetic domain walls, which confirmed it was more difficult to be saturated. The Co71Fe2Si9B14Mn4 alloy was successful prepared with low μe of 3020, low Hc of 1.7 A/m and high resistance to DC bias 6 times that of as-quenched alloy at the DC field of 300 A/m.

Design, synthesis, nuclear localization, and biological activity of a fluorescent duocarmycin analog, HxTfA.

PubMed

Kiakos, Konstantinos; Englinger, Bernhard; Yanow, Stephanie K; Wernitznig, Debora; Jakupec, Michael A; Berger, Walter; Keppler, Bernhard K; Hartley, John A; Lee, Moses; Patil, Pravin C

2018-05-01

HxTfA 4 is a fluorescent analog of a potent cytotoxic and antimalarial agent, TfA 3, which is currently being investigated for the development of an antimalarial vaccine, PlasProtect®. HxTfA contains a p-anisylbenzimidazole or Hx moiety, which is endowed with a blue emission upon excitation at 318 nm; thus enabling it to be used as a surrogate for probing the cellular fate of TfA using confocal microscopy, and addressing the question of nuclear localization. HxTfA exhibits similar selectivity to TfA for A-tract sequences of DNA, alkylating adenine-N3, albeit at 10-fold higher concentrations. It also possesses in vitro cytotoxicity against A549 human lung carcinoma cells and Plasmodium falciparum. Confocal microscopy studies showed for the first time that HxTfA, and by inference TfA, entered A549 cells and localized in the nucleus to exert its biological activity. At biologically relevant concentrations, HxTfA elicits DNA damage response as evidenced by a marked increase in the levels of γH2AX observed by confocal microscopy and immunoblotting studies, and ultimately induces apoptosis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mandatory trans fat labeling regulations and nationwide product reformulations to reduce trans fatty acid content in foods contributed to lowered concentrations of trans fat in Canadian women's breast milk samples collected in 2009-2011.

PubMed

Ratnayake, Wm Nimal; Swist, Eleonora; Zoka, Rana; Gagnon, Claude; Lillycrop, William; Pantazapoulos, Peter

2014-10-01

Recent efforts in Canada to reduce industrial trans fatty acids (TFAs) in foods include mandated inclusion of TFA content on food labels and recommendations by Health Canada that encourage the food industry to voluntarily limit TFA content in all vegetable oils and soft margarines and in all other prepackaged foods to <2% and <5% of total fat, respectively. To assess the impact of these efforts, we measured the concentration of TFAs in human breast milk samples. The TFA content in 639 breast milk samples collected in 2009, 2010, and 2011 from breastfeeding mothers in 10 major cities across Canada was analyzed by gas chromatography. The mean (±SD) TFA contents were 2.7 ± 0.9% (n = 153, range: 1.4-7.2%), 2.2 ± 0.7% (n = 309, range: 1.0-6.8%), and 1.9 ± 0.5% (n = 177, range: 0.9-3.4%) of total milk fat for samples collected in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. These values are considerably lower than the value of 7.2 ± 3.0% (range: 0.1-17.2%) found previously for Canadian human milk in 1992. On the basis of a linear correlation between the percentage of TFAs in the diet and human milk fat established by Craig-Schmidt et al, and assuming that 30% of energy of a lactating mother's diet is derived from fat, we estimated from the TFA human milk fat data that TFA intake of Canadian breastfeeding mothers was 0.9%, 0.5%, and 0.3% of total energy in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. These estimated values are lower than the WHO's maximum recommended intake of 1% of total energy for a healthy diet. The results suggest that the trans fat labeling regulations introduced in 2003 and recommendations by Health Canada in 2007 instructing the food manufacturers and restaurants to limit TFAs in foods have resulted in significant reductions in TFAs in the diets of Canadian breastfeeding mothers and their breast milk. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Utilization of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash in blended cement Part 1: Processing and characterization of MSWI fly ash.

PubMed

Aubert, J E; Husson, B; Sarramone, N

2006-08-25

This paper is the first of a series of two articles dealing with the processes applied to MSWI fly ash with a view to reusing it safely in cement-based materials. Part 1 presents two stabilization processes and Part 2 deals with the use of the two treated fly ashes (TFA) in mortars. Two types of binder were used: an Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) containing more than 95% clinker (CEM I 52.5R) and a binary blend cement composed of 70% ground granulated blast furnace slag and 30% clinker (CEM III-B 42.5N). In this first part, two stabilization processes are presented: the conventional process, called "A", based on the washing, phosphation and calcination of the ash, and a modified process, called "B", intended to eliminate metallic aluminum and sulfate contained in the ash. The physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the two TFA were comparable. The main differences observed were those expected, i.e. TFA-B was free of metallic aluminum and sulfate. The mineralogical characterization of the two TFAs highlighted the presence of large amounts of a calcium aluminosilicate phase taking two forms, a crystalline form (gehlenite) and an amorphous form. Hydration studies on pastes containing mixed TFA and calcium hydroxide showed that this phase reacted with calcium hydroxide to form calcium aluminate hydrates. This formation of hydrates was accompanied by a hardening of the pastes. These results are very encouraging for the reuse of such TFA in cement-based materials because they can be considered as pozzolanic additions and could advantageously replace a part of the cement in cement-based materials. Finally, leaching tests were carried out to evaluate the environmental impact of the two TFAs. The elements which were less efficiently stabilized by process A were zinc, cadmium and antimony but, when the results of the leaching tests were compared with the thresholds of the European landfill directive, TFA-A could nevertheless be accepted at landfills for non-hazardous waste. The modifications of the process led to a significant reduction in the stabilization of chromium, selenium and antimony.

Plasma trans-fatty acid concentrations continue to be associated with metabolic syndrome among US adults after reductions in trans-fatty acid intake.

PubMed

Zhang, Zefeng; Gillespie, Cathleen; Yang, Quanhe

2017-07-01

No study examined and compared the association between intake of trans-fatty acids (TFAs) and risk of metabolic syndrome before and after significant reduction of TFA intakes in the US population. We hypothesized that the relationship might remain significant after substantial reduction of TFA intakes in the population. We used data on 1442 and 2233 adults aged ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000 and 2009-2010, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between plasma TFA concentrations and metabolic syndrome, including each of its 5 components. The median plasma TFA concentrations were reduced from 79.8 μmol/L in 1999-2000 to 36.9 μmol/L in 2009-2010. The fully adjusted prevalence ratios comparing the highest vs the lowest quintile of plasma TFA concentrations in 1999-2000 were 3.43 (95% confidence interval, 2.39-4.92) for metabolic syndrome, 1.72 (1.38-2.14) for large waistline, 8.25 (6.34-10.74) for high triglycerides, 1.96 (1.46-2.62) for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 1.14 (0.85-1.55) for high blood pressure, and 1.48 (1.19-1.85) for high fasting glucose, respectively. The corresponding prevalence ratios in 2009-2010 were 2.93 (2.41-3.54), 1.62 (1.39-1.89), 14.93 (9.28-24.02), 3.09 (2.18-4.37), 1.27 (1.11-1.46), and 1.24 (1.06-1.46), respectively. The pattern of association between TFAs and metabolic syndrome and its components did not differ by cycles. The observed associations were consistent across the subgroups examined. Despite a 54% decline in plasma TFA concentrations from 1999-2000 to 2009-2010, it was positively associated with risk of metabolic syndrome and its individual components except for blood pressure in 1999-2000. Our findings support Food and Drug Administration initiatives to remove TFAs from the industrially-produced foods. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Suppressive and proinflammatory roles for IL-4 in the pathogenesis of experimental DILI

PubMed Central

Njoku, Dolores B.; Li, Zhaoxia; Washington, Nicole D.; Mellerson, Jenelle L.; Talor, Monica V.; Sharma, Rajni; Rose, Noel R.

2009-01-01

Summary The pathogenesis of immune-mediated drug-induced liver injury (DILI) following halogenated anesthetics, carbamazepine, or alcohol has not been fully elucidated. Detecting cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) IgG4 autoantibodies in anesthetic DILI patients suggests a role for interleukin IL-4 in this hapten-mediated process. We investigated IL-4-mediated mechanisms using our model of experimental DILI induced by immunizing BALB/c (WT) and IL-4−/− (KO) mice with S100 liver proteins covalently modified by a trifluoroacetyl chloride (TFA) hapten formed following halogenated anesthetic metabolism by CYP2E1. WT mice developed more hepatitis, TFA and S100 antibodies (p<0.01), as well as T cell proliferation to CYP2E1 and TFA (p<0.01) than KO mice. Additionally, WT CD4+T cells adoptively transferred hepatitis to naïve Rag−/− mice (p<0.01). Pro-inflammatory cytokines were expectedly decreased in TFA hapten-stimulated KO splenocyte supernatants (p<0.001); however, IL-2 and interferon-γ (p<0.05), as well as IL-6 and IL-10 (p<0.001) levels were elevated in CYP2E1-stimulated KO splenocyte supernatants, suggesting dual IL-4-mediated proinflammatory and regulatory responses. Anti-IL-10 administered to KO mice increased hepatitis, TFA and CYP2E1 antibodies in KO mice confirming a critical role for IL-4. This is the first demonstration of dual roles for IL-4 in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated DILI by suppressing autoantigen-induced regulatory responses while promoting hapten-induced pro-inflammatory responses. PMID:19499520

The effect of light, salinity, and nitrogen availability on lipid production by Nannochloropsis sp.

PubMed

Pal, Dipasmita; Khozin-Goldberg, Inna; Cohen, Zvi; Boussiba, Sammy

2011-05-01

We examined responses of batch cultures of the marine microalga Nannochloropsis sp. to combined alterations in salinity (13, 27, and 40 g/l NaCl) and light intensity (170 and 700 μmol photons/m(2)·s). Major growth parameters and lipid productivity (based on total fatty acid determination) were determined in nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-depleted cultures of an initial biomass of 0.8 and 1.4 g/l, respectively. On the nitrogen-replete medium, increases in light intensity and salinity increased the cellular content of dry weight and lipids due to enhanced formation of triacylglycerols (TAG). Maximum average productivity of ca. 410 mg TFA/l/d were obtained at 700 μmol photons/m(2)·s and 40 g/l NaCl within 7 days. Under stressful conditions, content of the major LC-PUFA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), was significantly reduced while TAG reached 25% of biomass. In contrast, lower salinity tended to improve major growth parameters, consistent with less variation in EPA contents. Combined higher salinity and light intensity was detrimental to lipid productivity under nitrogen starvation; biomass TFA content, and lipid productivity amounted for only 33% of DW and ca. 200 mg TFA/l/day, respectively. The highest biomass TFA content (ca. 47% DW) and average lipid productivity of ca. 360 mg TFA/l/day were achieved at 13 g/l NaCl and 700 μmol photons/m(2)·s. Our data further support selecting Nannochloropsis as promising microalgae for biodiesel production. Moreover, appropriate cultivation regimes may render Nannochloropsis microalgae to produce simultaneously major valuable components, EPA, and TAG, while sustaining relatively high biomass growth rates.

Vertical Load Induced with Twisted File Adaptive System during Canal Shaping.

PubMed

Jamleh, Ahmed; Alfouzan, Khalid

2016-12-01

To evaluate the vertical load induced with the Twisted File Adaptive (TFA; SybronEndo, Orange, CA) system during canal shaping of extracted teeth by comparing it with the Twisted File (TF, SybronEndo), ProTaper Next (PTN; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), and ProTaper Universal (PTU, Dentsply Maillefer) systems. Fifty-two root canals were shaped using the TFA, TF, PTN, or PTU systems (n = 13 for each system). They were shaped gently according to the manufacturers' instructions. During canal shaping, vertical loads were recorded and shown in 2 directions, apically and coronally directed loads. The vertical peak loads of 3 instrumentation stages were used for comparison. The effects of rotary systems on the mean positive and negative peak loads were analyzed statistically using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests at a confidence level of 95%. The overall pattern of the instantaneous loads appeared to increase with the use of successive instruments within the system. During canal shaping in all groups, the apically and coronally directed peak loads ranged from 0.84-7.55 N and 2.16-2.79 N, respectively. There were significant differences in both peak loads among the tested systems at each instrumentation stage. TFA had the lowest apically directed peak loads. In terms of coronally directed peak loads, the TFA and TF had a significantly lower amount of loads developed with their instruments than PTN and PTU. The choice of instrument system had an influence on the loads developed during canal shaping. TFA instruments were associated favorably with the lowest values of peak loads followed by TF, PTN, and PTU. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Semantic and Phonological Encoding Times in Adults Who Stutter: Brain Electrophysiological Evidence.

PubMed

Maxfield, Nathan D

2017-10-17

Some psycholinguistic theories of stuttering propose that language production operates along a different time course in adults who stutter (AWS) versus typically fluent adults (TFA). However, behavioral evidence for such a difference has been mixed. Here, the time course of semantic and phonological encoding in picture naming was compared in AWS (n = 16) versus TFA (n = 16) by measuring 2 event-related potential (ERP) components: NoGo N200, an ERP index of response inhibition, and lateralized readiness potential, an ERP index of response preparation. Each trial required a semantic judgment about a picture in addition to a phonemic judgment about the target label of the picture. Judgments were mapped onto a dual-choice (Go-NoGo/left-right) push-button response paradigm. On each trial, ERP activity time-locked to picture onset was recorded at 32 scalp electrodes. NoGo N200 was detected earlier to semantic NoGo trials than to phonemic NoGo trials in both groups, replicating previous evidence that semantic encoding generally precedes phonological encoding in language production. Moreover, N200 onset was earlier to semantic NoGo trials in TFA than in AWS, indicating that semantic information triggering response inhibition became available earlier in TFA versus AWS. In contrast, the time course of N200 activity to phonemic NoGo trials did not differ between groups. Lateralized readiness potential activity was influenced by strategic response preparation and, thus, could not be used to index real-time semantic and phonological encoding. NoGo N200 results point to slowed semantic encoding in AWS versus TFA. Discussion considers possible factors in slowed semantic encoding in AWS and how fluency might be impacted by slowed semantic encoding.

Semantic and Phonological Encoding Times in Adults Who Stutter: Brain Electrophysiological Evidence

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Purpose Some psycholinguistic theories of stuttering propose that language production operates along a different time course in adults who stutter (AWS) versus typically fluent adults (TFA). However, behavioral evidence for such a difference has been mixed. Here, the time course of semantic and phonological encoding in picture naming was compared in AWS (n = 16) versus TFA (n = 16) by measuring 2 event-related potential (ERP) components: NoGo N200, an ERP index of response inhibition, and lateralized readiness potential, an ERP index of response preparation. Method Each trial required a semantic judgment about a picture in addition to a phonemic judgment about the target label of the picture. Judgments were mapped onto a dual-choice (Go–NoGo/left–right) push-button response paradigm. On each trial, ERP activity time-locked to picture onset was recorded at 32 scalp electrodes. Results NoGo N200 was detected earlier to semantic NoGo trials than to phonemic NoGo trials in both groups, replicating previous evidence that semantic encoding generally precedes phonological encoding in language production. Moreover, N200 onset was earlier to semantic NoGo trials in TFA than in AWS, indicating that semantic information triggering response inhibition became available earlier in TFA versus AWS. In contrast, the time course of N200 activity to phonemic NoGo trials did not differ between groups. Lateralized readiness potential activity was influenced by strategic response preparation and, thus, could not be used to index real-time semantic and phonological encoding. Conclusion NoGo N200 results point to slowed semantic encoding in AWS versus TFA. Discussion considers possible factors in slowed semantic encoding in AWS and how fluency might be impacted by slowed semantic encoding. PMID:28973156

Decay of random correlation functions for unimodal maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baladi, Viviane; Benedicks, Michael; Maume-Deschamps, Véronique

2000-10-01

Since the pioneering results of Jakobson and subsequent work by Benedicks-Carleson and others, it is known that quadratic maps tfa( χ) = a - χ2 admit a unique absolutely continuous invariant measure for a positive measure set of parameters a. For topologically mixing tfa, Young and Keller-Nowicki independently proved exponential decay of correlation functions for this a.c.i.m. and smooth observables. We consider random compositions of small perturbations tf + ωt, with tf = tfa or another unimodal map satisfying certain nonuniform hyperbolicity axioms, and ωt chosen independently and identically in [-ɛ, ɛ]. Baladi-Viana showed exponential mixing of the associated Markov chain, i.e., averaging over all random itineraries. We obtain stretched exponential bounds for the random correlation functions of Lipschitz observables for the sample measure μωof almost every itinerary.

Improved Catalytic Activity and Stability of a Palladium Pincer Complex by Incorporation into a Metal-Organic Framework.

PubMed

Burgess, Samantha A; Kassie, Abebu; Baranowski, Sarah A; Fritzsching, Keith J; Schmidt-Rohr, Klaus; Brown, Craig M; Wade, Casey R

2016-02-17

A porous metal-organic framework Zr6O4(OH)4(L-PdX)3 (1-X) has been constructed from Pd diphosphinite pincer complexes ([L-PdX](4-) = [(2,6-(OPAr2)2C6H3)PdX](4-), Ar = p-C6H4CO2(-), X = Cl, I). Reaction of 1-X with PhI(O2CCF3)2 facilitates I(-)/CF3CO2(-) ligand exchange to generate 1-TFA and I2 as a soluble byproduct. 1-TFA is an active and recyclable catalyst for transfer hydrogenation of benzaldehydes using formic acid as a hydrogen source. In contrast, the homogeneous analogue (t)Bu(L-PdTFA) is an ineffective catalyst owing to decomposition under the catalytic conditions, highlighting the beneficial effects of immobilization.

The clinical, radiological, microbiological, and molecular profile of the skin‐penetration site of transfemoral amputees treated with bone‐anchored prostheses

PubMed Central

Lennerås, Maria; Tsikandylakis, Georgios; Trobos, Margarita; Omar, Omar; Vazirisani, Forugh; Palmquist, Anders; Berlin, Örjan; Brånemark, Rickard

2016-01-01

Abstract The breach of the skin barrier is a critical issue associated with the treatment of individuals with transfemoral amputation (TFA) using osseointegrated, percutaneous titanium implants. Thirty TFA patients scheduled for abutment exchange or removal were consecutively enrolled. The aims were to determine the macroscopic skin signs, the presence of bacteria and the gene expression in abutment‐adherent cells and to conduct correlative and comparative analyses between the different parameters. Redness and a granulation ring were present in 47% of the patients. Bacteria were detected in 27/30 patients, commonly in the bone canal. Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase‐negative staphylococci, streptococci, and Enterococcus faecalis were the most common. A positive correlation was found between TNF‐α expression and the detection of S. aureus. Staphylococcus aureus together with other bacterial species revealed a positive relationship with MMP‐8 expression. A negative correlation was demonstrated between the length of the residual femur bone and the detection of a granulation ring and E. faecalis. A positive correlation was revealed between fixture loosening and pain and the radiological detection of endosteal bone resorption. Fixture loosening was also correlated with the reduced expression of interleukin‐10 and osteocalcin. It is concluded that several relationships exist between clinical, radiological, microbiological, and molecular assessments of the percutaneous area of TFAs. Further long term studies on larger patient cohorts are required to determine the precise cause‐effect relationships and unravel the role of host‐bacteria interactions in the skin, bone canal and on the abutment for the longevity of percutaneous implants as treatment of TFA. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 578–589, 2017. PMID:27750392

Sources of excessive saturated fat, trans fat and sugar consumption in Brazil: an analysis of the first Brazilian nationwide individual dietary survey

PubMed Central

Pereira, Rosangela A; Duffey, Kiyah J; Sichieri, Rosely; Popkin, Barry M

2013-01-01

Objective To examine the patterns of consumption of foods high in Solid Fats and Added Sugars (SoFAS) in Brazil. Design Cross-sectional study; individual dietary intake survey. Food intake was assessed by means of two non-consecutive food records. Foods providing >9.1% of energy from SAFA, or >1.3% of energy from TFA, or >13% of energy from added sugars per 100g were classified as high in SoFAS. Setting Brazilian nationwide survey, 2008-09. Subjects ≥10 years old individuals. Results Mean energy intake was 8,037 kJ [1,921kcal], 52% of calories came from SoFAS foods. Contribution of SoFAS foods to total energy intake was higher among women (52%) and adolescents (54%). Subjects in rural areas (43%) and in the lowest quartile of per capita family income (43%) reported the smallest contribution of SoFAS foods to total energy intake. SoFAS foods were large contributors to total SAFA (87%), TFA (89%), added sugar (98%), and total sugar (96%) consumption. The SoFAS food groups that contributed most to total energy intake were the meats and beverages. Top SoFAS foods contributing to SAFA and TFA intakes were meats and fats and oils. Most of the added and total sugar in the diet was supplied by SoFAS beverages and sweets and desserts. Conclusions SoFAS foods play an important role in the Brazilian diet. This study identifies options for improving the Brazilian diet and reducing nutrition-related non communicable chronic diseases, but also points out some limitations of the nutrient-based criteria. PMID:23190560

Viewing the Roots of Polynomial Functions in Complex Variable: The Use of Geogebra and the CAS Maple

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alves, Francisco Regis Vieira

2013-01-01

Admittedly, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus-TFA holds an important role in the Complex Analysis-CA, as well as in other mathematical branches. In this article, we bring a discussion about the TFA, the Rouché's theorem and the winding number with the intention to analyze the roots of a polynomial equation. We propose also a description for a…

High speed production of YBCO precursor films by advanced TFA-MOD process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichikawa, H.; Nakaoka, K.; Miura, M.; Sutoh, Y.; Nakanishi, T.; Nakai, A.; Yoshizumi, M.; Izumi, T.; Shiohara, Y.

2009-10-01

YBa 2Cu 3O 7-y (YBCO) long tapes derived from the metal-organic deposition (MOD) method using the starting solution containing trifluoroacetate (TFA) have been developed with high critical currents ( I c) over 200 A/cm-width. However, high speed production of YBCO films is simultaneously necessary to satisfy the requirements of electric power device applications in terms of cost and the amounts of the tapes. In this work, we developed a new TFA-MOD starting solution using F-free salt of Y, TFA salt of Ba and Cu-Octylate for application to the coating/calcination process and discussed several issues by using the Multi-turn (MT) Reel-to-Reel (RTR) system calcination furnace for the purpose of high throughput without degradation of the properties. The coating system was improved for uniform deposition qualities in both longitudinal and transversal directions. YBCO films using the new starting solution at the traveling rate of 10 m/h in coating/calcination by the MT-RTR calcination furnace showed the values of the critical current density of 1.6 MA/cm 2 as thick as 1.5 μm at 77 K under the self fields after firing at the high heating rate in the crystallization.

Present status and strategy of reel-to-reel TFA-MOD process for coated conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izumi, T.; Yoshizumi, M.; Miura, M.; Nakaoka, K.; Ichikawa, Y.; Sutoh, Y.; Miyata, S.; Fukushima, H.; Yamada, Y.; Shiohara, Y.

2009-10-01

On the research and development of a reel-to-reel TFA-MOD (Metal Organic Deposition using Trifluoro-acetates) process, a present status is reviewed and its future strategy is addressed. As a base of the study, the 90 m long tape with uniform I c distribution of the 300 A/cm-width level was obtained on the CeO 2 buffered IBAD-Gd 2Zr 2O 7/Hastelloy C276 substrate. The tape has the 56 m region with the end-to-end I c value of 250 A, which corresponds to maximum product of I c × L of 14,000 Am. Based on the results, several directions on R&D have been studied such as “higher I c”, “higher I c- B”, “higher production rate both in coating/calcinations and crystallization steps” and lower cost buffer/substrate”. Then, an extremely high I c value of 735 A/cm-width was achieved in a short tape by the compositional control (e.g. Ba-deficient), in the starting solutions. On the efforts for achieving higher I c- B properties, high I c values of 115 and 35 A/cm-width under the magnetic fields of 1 and 3 T were obtained by the RE mixture of Y and Gd in REBCO, addition of Zr and a growth rate control process. On the other hand, the production rate for the coating/calcinations process was improved by development of new starting solutions, which uses F-free Y salt instead of TFA salt of Y. The high J c value of 1.9 MA/cm 2 was confirmed using the precursor films fabricated at a high traveling rate of 10 m/h. Concerning a higher rate in the crystallization step, the multi-turning system with a vertical gas flow system was developed. The validity of the concept was confirmed using 2-turn parts of the furnace. The high I c value of 250 A/cm-width was realized in the 5 m tape crystallized with a traveling rate of 3 m/h, which is equivalent to 15 m/h for usage of entire area of the furnace of 10-turns. Furthermore, in order to achieve the lower cost, the architecture of the coated conductor with a low cost buffer/substrate system has been developed. An IBAD buffered substrate using IBAD-MgO layer (CeO 2/LMO/IBAD-MgO/Hastelloy C276) was developed and a high production rate of 24 m/h was realized for IBAD-MgO layer using a small ion gun system with the area of 6 × 22 cm 2. The grain texturing of the substrate was reached the Δ ϕ value of 4° in the CeO 2 layer. This substrate was applied to the above mentioned multi-turning crystallization furnace for TFA-MOD process. Then, a 5 m long tape with 260 A/cm-width (@77 K. s.f.) was achieved. According to the TFA-MOD process in the above achievements, the prospects of each issue for the future stage were independently confirmed. Consequently, R&D combining the above-mentioned achievements for longer tapes are expected in the next stage.

Sex-dimorphism in Cardiac Nutrigenomics: effect of Trans fat and/or Monosodium Glutamate consumption

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background A paucity of information on biological sex-specific differences in cardiac gene expression in response to diet has prompted this present nutrigenomics investigation. Sexual dimorphism exists in the physiological and transcriptional response to diet, particularly in response to high-fat feeding. Consumption of Trans-fatty acids (TFA) has been linked to substantially increased risk of heart disease, in which sexual dimorphism is apparent, with males suffering a higher disease rate. Impairment of the cardiovascular system has been noted in animals exposed to Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) during the neonatal period, and sexual dimorphism in the growth axis of MSG-treated animals has previously been noted. Processed foods may contain both TFA and MSG. Methods We examined physiological differences and changes in gene expression in response to TFA and/or MSG consumption compared to a control diet, in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Results Heart and % body weight increases were greater in TFA-fed mice, who also exhibited dyslipidemia (P < 0.05). Hearts from MSG-fed females weighed less than males (P < 0.05). 2-factor ANOVA indicated that the TFA diet induced over twice as many cardiac differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in males compared to females (P < 0.001); and 4 times as many male DEGs were downregulated including Gata4, Mef2d and Srebf2. Enrichment of functional Gene Ontology (GO) categories were related to transcription, phosphorylation and anatomic structure (P < 0.01). A number of genes were upregulated in males and downregulated in females, including pro-apoptotic histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC2). Sexual dimorphism was also observed in cardiac transcription from MSG-fed animals, with both sexes upregulating approximately 100 DEGs exhibiting sex-specific differences in GO categories. A comparison of cardiac gene expression between all diet combinations together identified a subset of 111 DEGs significant only in males, 64 DEGs significant in females only, and 74 transcripts identified as differentially expressed in response to dietary manipulation in both sexes. Conclusion Our model identified major changes in the cardiac transcriptional profile of TFA and/or MSG-fed mice compared to controls, which was reflected by significant differences in the physiological profile within the 4 diet groups. Identification of sexual dimorphism in cardiac transcription may provide the basis for sex-specific medicine in the future. PMID:22078008

Cationic amino acid based lipids as effective nonviral gene delivery vectors for primary cultured neurons.

PubMed

Aoshima, Yumiko; Hokama, Ryosuke; Sou, Keitaro; Sarker, Satya Ranjan; Iida, Kabuto; Nakamura, Hideki; Inoue, Takafumi; Takeoka, Shinji

2013-12-18

The delivery of specific genes into neurons offers a potent approach for treatment of diseases as well as for the study of neuronal cell biology. Here we investigated the capabilities of cationic amino acid based lipid assemblies to act as nonviral gene delivery vectors in primary cultured neurons. An arginine-based lipid, Arg-C3-Glu2C14, and a lysine-based lipid, Lys-C3-Glu2C14, with two different types of counterion, chloride ion (Cl-) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA-), were shown to successfully mediate transfection of primary cultured neurons with plasmid DNA encoding green fluorescent protein. Among four types of lipids, we optimized their conditions such as the lipid-to-DNA ratio and the amount of pDNA and conducted a cytotoxicity assay at the same time. Overall, Arg-C3-Glu2C14 with TFA- induced a rate of transfection in primary cultured neurons higher than that of Lys-C3-Glu2C14 using an optimal weight ratio of lipid-to-plasmid DNA of 1. Moreover, it was suggested that Arg-C3-Glu2C14 with TFA- showed the optimized value higher than that of Lipofectamine2000 in experimental conditions. Thus, Arg-C3-Glu2C14 with TFA- is a promising candidate as a reliable transfection reagent for primary cultured neurons with a relatively low cytotoxicity.

Real-time processing in picture naming in adults who stutter: ERP evidence

PubMed Central

Maxfield, Nathan D.; Morris, Kalie; Frisch, Stefan A.; Morphew, Kathryn; Constantine, Joseph L.

2014-01-01

Objective The aim was to compare real-time language/cognitive processing in picture naming in adults who stutter (AWS) versus typically-fluent adults (TFA). Methods Participants named pictures preceded by masked prime words. Primes and target picture labels were Identical or mismatched. Priming effects on naming and picture-elicited ERP activity were analyzed. Vocabulary knowledge correlations with these measures were assessed. Results Priming improved naming RTs and accuracy in both groups. RTs were longer for AWS, and correlated positively with receptive vocabulary in TFA. Electrophysiologically, posterior-P1 amplitude negatively correlated with expressive vocabulary in TFA versus receptive vocabulary in AWS. Frontal/temporal-P1 amplitude correlated positively with expressive vocabulary in AWS. Identity priming enhanced frontal/posterior-N2 amplitude in both groups, and attenuated P280 amplitude in AWS. N400 priming was topographically-restricted in AWS. Conclusions Results suggest that conceptual knowledge was perceptually-grounded in expressive vocabulary in TFA versus receptive vocabulary in AWS. Poorer expressive vocabulary in AWS was potentially associated with greater suppression of irrelevant conceptual information. Priming enhanced N2-indexed cognitive control and visual attention in both groups. P280-indexed focal attention attenuated with priming in AWS only. Topographically-restricted N400 priming suggests that lemma/word form connections were weaker in AWS. Significance Real-time language/cognitive processing in picture naming operates differently in AWS. PMID:24910149

Knee alignment can help predict sedentary behaviour in children: a pilot study.

PubMed

Shultz, S P; Kagawa, M; Fink, P W; Hills, A P

2014-10-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to introduce knee alignment as a potential predictor of sedentary activity levels in boys and girls. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and anthropometric assessment were conducted on 47 children (21 boys and 26 girls; 5-14 y) and their gender-matched parent. Body Mass Index (BMI) and abdominal-to-height ratio were calculated. Lower extremity alignment was determined by anatomic tibiofemoral angle (TFA) measurements from DXA images. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary activities were obtained from a parent-reported questionnaire. Stepwise multiple regression analyses identified anthropometric, musculoskeletal, and activity factors of parents and children for predicting total time spent in sedentary behaviour. Weight, total sedentary time of parents and TFA are moderate predictors of sedentary behaviour in children (R2=0.469). When stratifying for gender, TFA and total sedentary time of the parent, as well as waist circumference, are the most useful predictors of sedentary behaviour in boys (R2=0.648). However, weight is the only predictor of sedentary behaviour in girls (R2=0.479). Negative associations between TFA and sedentary behaviour indicate that even slight variations in musculoskeletal alignment may influence a child's motivation to be physically active. Although growth and development is complicated by many potentialities, this pilot study suggests that orthopaedic factors should also be considered when evaluating physical activity in children.

Solution-Based Approaches to Fabrication of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO): Precursors of Tri-Fluoroacetate (TFA) and Nanoparticle Colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhopadhyay, S. M.; Su, J.; Chintamaneni, V.

2007-10-01

Detailed investigation of superconducting films of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) prepared from solution-based precursors have been performed. Two precursors have been compared in this study: the presently used trifluoroacetate (TFA) solution and a recently developed colloidal suspension containing nanoparticles of mixed oxide. Detailed analyses of the evolution of microstructure and chemistry of the films have been performed, and process parameters have been correlated with final superconducting properties. Both films need two heating steps: a low temperature calcination and a higher temperature crystallization step. For TFA films, it was seen that the heating rate during calcination needs to be carefully optimized and is expected to be slow. For the alternate process using a nanoparticle precursor, a significantly faster calcination rate is possible. In the TFA process, the Ba ion remains as fluoride and the Y remains as oxyfluoride after calcination. This implies that, during the final crystallization stage to form YBCO, fluorine-containing gases will evolve, resulting in residual porosity. On the other hand, the film from the nanoparticle process is almost fully oxidized after calcination. Therefore, no gases evolve at the final firing (crystallization) stage, and the film has much lower porosity. The superconducting properties of both types of films are adequate, but the nanoparticle films appear to have persistently higher J c values. Moreover, they show improved flux pinning in higher magnetic fields, probably due to nanoscale precipitates of a Cu-rich phase. In addition, the nanocolloid films seem to show additionally enhanced flux pinning when doped with minute amounts of second phase precipitates. It therefore appears that, whereas the TFA process is already quite successful, the newly developed nanoparticle process has significant scope for additional improvement. It can be scaled-up with ease, and can be easily adapted to incorporate nanoscale flux pinning defects for in-field performance.

Comparison of [Ni(PPh2NPh2)2(CH3CN)]2+ and [Pd(PPh2NPh2)2]2+ as Electrocatalysts for H2 Production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiedner, Eric S.; Helm, Monte L.

The complexes [Ni(PPh2NPh2)2(CH3CN)]2+ and [Pd(PPh2NPh2)2]2+, where PPh2NPh2 is 1,5-diphenyl-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane, are compared as electrocatalysts for H2 production under identical experimental conditions. With [(DMF)H]+ as the acid in acetonitrile solution, [Pd(PPh2NPh2)2]2+ afforded a turnover frequency (TOF) of 230 s-1 for formation of H2 under dry conditions and a TOF of 640 s-1 when H2O was added. These rates are similar to the TOF’s of 590 s-1 (dry) and 720 s-1 (wet) that were previously measured for [Ni(PPh2NPh2)2(CH3CN)]2+ using [(DMF)H]+. The [Ni(PPh2NPh2)2(CH3CN)]2+ and [Pd(PPh2NPh2)2]2+ complexes both exhibited large current enhancements when treated with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). At a TFA concentration of 1.8 M,more » TOF values of 5670 s-1 and 2060 s-1 were measured for [Ni(PPh2NPh2)2(CH3CN)]2+ and [Pd(PPh2NPh2)2]2+, respectively. The fast rates observed using TFA are, in part, attributed to homoconjugation of TFA in acetonitrile solutions, which decreases the effective pKa of the acid. In support of this hypothesis, dramatically lower rates of H2 production were observed using p anisidinium, which has a pKa comparable to TFA but does not homoconjugate significantly in acetonitrile solutions. This research was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is oper-ated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.« less

Kinematics in the terminal swing phase of unilateral transfemoral amputees: microprocessor-controlled versus swing-phase control prosthetic knees.

PubMed

Mâaref, Khaled; Martinet, Noël; Grumillier, Constance; Ghannouchi, Slaheddine; André, Jean Marie; Paysant, Jean

2010-06-01

To analyze the spatiotemporal parameters in the terminal swing phase of the prosthetic limb in unilateral transfemoral amputees (TFAs) compared with a group of asymptomatic subjects, and to identify a latency period (LP) in the TFA between the full extension of the prosthetic knee and the initial ground contact of the ipsilateral foot. To study the correlation between the LP and the duration of the swing phase. To evaluate the influence of the type of knee, the time since amputation, and the amputation level on the latency period. Three-dimensional gait analysis with an optoelectronic device. Gait analysis laboratory of a re-education and functional rehabilitation service. TFA (n=29) and able-bodied (n=15) subjects. Not applicable. Spatiotemporal and kinematics gait parameters. The swing phase and the LP of the prosthetic limb, associated with a consequently longer single-limb stance phase in the intact limb, were significantly longer than those measured in the intact limbs of these subjects, as well as those measured on both lower limbs of the able-bodied subjects (P<.05). There is a positive correlation (P<.05; r(2)=.58 between the LP and the swing phase on the TFA's prosthetic side. The LP measured in the prosthetic limb of TFA with a swing-phase control prosthetic knee is significantly greater than in those using the microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee (P<.05). Of negligible duration in able-bodied subjects and in the intact limb of TFA, the LP is significantly greater in the prosthetic limb. It can explain the lengthened swing phase on the prosthetic side of those subjects. The use of a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee allows the LP to be reduced. This LP appears to be necessary to insure the stability of the prosthetic knee. We suggest calling this time "confidence time." Copyright 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous liquid chromatographic determination of metals and organic compounds in pharmaceutical and food-supplement formulations using evaporative light scattering detection.

PubMed

Spacil, Zdenek; Folbrova, Jana; Megoulas, Nikolaos; Solich, Petr; Koupparis, Michael

2007-02-05

A novel method for the non-derivatization liquid chromatographic determination of metals (potassium, aluminium, calcium and magnesium) and organic compounds (ascorbate and aspartate) was developed and validated based on evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). Separation of calcium, magnesium and aluminium was achieved by the cation exchange column Dionex CS-14 and an aqueous TFA mobile phase according to the following time program: 0-6 min TFA 0.96 mL L(-1), 6-7 min linear gradient from TFA 0.96-6.4 mL L(-1). Separation of potassium, magnesium and aspartate was achieved by the lipophilic C18 Waters Spherisorb column and isocratic aqueous 0.2 mL L(-1) TFA mobile phase. Separation of sodium, magnesium, ascorbate and citrate was also achieved by the C18 analytical column, according to the following elution program: 0-2.5 min aqueous nonafluoropentanoic acid (NFPA) 0.5 mL L(-1); 2.5-3.5 min linear gradient from 0.5 mL L(-1) NFPA to 1.0 mL L(-1) TFA. In all cases, evaporation temperature was 70 degrees C, pressure of the nebulizing gas (nitrogen) 3.5 bar, gain 11 and the flow rate 1.0 mL min(-1). Resolution among calcium and magnesium was 1.8, while for all other separations was > or = 3.2. Double logarithmic calibration curves were obtained within various ranges from 3-24 to 34-132 microg mL(-1), and with good correlation (r>0.996). Asymmetry factor ranged from 0.9 to 1.9 and limit of detection from 1.3 (magnesium) to 17 microg mL(-1) (ascorbate). The developed method was applied for the assay of potassium, magnesium, calcium, aluminium, aspartate and ascorbate in pharmaceuticals and food-supplements. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using spiked samples (%recovery 95-105%, %R.S.D. < 2) and the absence of constant or proportional errors was confirmed by dilution experiments.

Catalytic two-electron reduction of dioxygen by ferrocene derivatives with manganese(V) corroles.

PubMed

Jung, Jieun; Liu, Shuo; Ohkubo, Kei; Abu-Omar, Mahdi M; Fukuzumi, Shunichi

2015-05-04

Electron transfer from octamethylferrocene (Me8Fc) to the manganese(V) imidocorrole complex (tpfc)Mn(V)(NAr) [tpfc = 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole; Ar = 2,6-Cl2C6H3] proceeds efficiently to give an octamethylferrocenium ion (Me8Fc(+)) and [(tpfc)Mn(IV)(NAr)](-) in acetonitrile (MeCN) at 298 K. Upon the addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), further reduction of [(tpfc)Mn(IV)(NAr)](-) by Me8Fc gives (tpfc)Mn(III) and ArNH2 in deaerated MeCN. TFA also results in hydrolysis of (tpfc)Mn(V)(NAr) with residual water to produce a protonated manganese(V) oxocorrole complex ([(tpfc)Mn(V)(OH)](+)) in deaerated MeCN. [(tpfc)Mn(V)(OH)](+) is rapidly reduced by 2 equiv of Me8Fc in the presence of TFA to give (tpfc)Mn(III) in deaerated MeCN. In the presence of dioxygen (O2), (tpfc)Mn(III) catalyzes the two-electron reduction of O2 by Me8Fc with TFA in MeCN to produce H2O2 and Me8Fc(+). The rate of formation of Me8Fc(+) in the catalytic reduction of O2 follows zeroth-order kinetics with respect to the concentrations of Me8Fc and TFA, whereas the rate increases linearly with increasing concentrations of (tpfc)Mn(V)(NAr) and O2. These kinetic dependencies are consistent with the rate-determining step being electron transfer from (tpfc)Mn(III) to O2, followed by further proton-coupled electron transfer from Me8Fc to produce H2O2 and [(tpfc)Mn(IV)](+). Rapid electron transfer from Me8Fc to [(tpfc)Mn(IV)](+) regenerates (tpfc)Mn(III), completing the catalytic cycle. Thus, catalytic two-electron reduction of O2 by Me8Fc with (tpfc)Mn(V)(NAr) as a catalyst precursor proceeds via a Mn(III)/Mn(IV) redox cycle.

Transradial access: lessons learned from cardiology.

PubMed

Snelling, Brian M; Sur, Samir; Shah, Sumedh Subodh; Marlow, Megan M; Cohen, Mauricio G; Peterson, Eric C

2018-05-01

Innovations in interventional cardiology historically predate those in neuro-intervention. As such, studying trends in interventional cardiology can be useful in exploring avenues to optimise neuro-interventional techniques. One such cardiology innovation has been the steady conversion of arterial puncture sites from transfemoral access (TFA) to transradial access (TRA), a paradigm shift supported by safety benefits for patients. While neuro-intervention has unique anatomical challenges, the access itself is identical. As such, examining the extensive cardiology literature on the radial approach has the potential to offer valuable lessons for the neuro-interventionalist audience who may be unfamiliar with this body of work. Therefore, we present here a report, particularly for neuro-interventionalists, regarding the best practices for TRA by reviewing the relevant cardiology literature. We focused our review on the data most relevant to our audience, namely that surrounding the access itself. By reviewing the cardiology literature on metrics such as safety profiles, cost and patient satisfaction differences between TFA and TRA, as well as examining the technical nuances of the procedure and post-procedural care, we hope to give physicians treating complex cerebrovascular disease a broader data-driven understanding of TRA. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Saturated and trans fatty acids content in unpackaged traditional bakery products in Santa Fe city, Argentina: nutrition labeling relevance.

PubMed

Negro, Emilse; González, Marcela Aída; Bernal, Claudio Adrián; Williner, María Rosa

2017-08-01

Studies have reported the relationship between the excessive intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and trans fatty acids (t-FA) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Since 2006, the MERCOSUR countries require that the mandatory nutrition labeling should include information not only about the content of SFA but also about the content of t-FA. This does not apply to fractionated products at the point of retail, such as bakery products. This paper aimed to determine the total fat content and the fatty acid profile in unpackaged traditional bakery products (breads, biscuits and pastries) in Santa Fe, Argentina. Except for French bread, the contribution of t-FA and SFA to the total FA consumption from baked products was high. On the other hand, due to the high variability detected in the FA composition of bakery products between bakeries, it would be necessary to implement regulations making nutrition labeling mandatory in these products.

Global Environmental Data for Mapping Infectious Disease Distribution

PubMed Central

Hay, S.I.; Tatem, A.J.; Graham, A.J.; Goetz, S.J.; Rogers, D.J.

2011-01-01

This contribution documents the satellite data archives, data processing methods and temporal Fourier analysis (TFA) techniques used to create the remotely sensed datasets on the DVD distributed with this volume. The aim is to provide a detailed reference guide to the genesis of the data, rather than a standard review. These remotely sensed data cover the entire globe at either 1 × 1 or 8 × 8 km spatial resolution. We briefly evaluate the relationships between the 1 × 1 and 8 × 8 km global TFA products to explore their inter-compatibility. The 8 × 8 km TFA surfaces are used in the mapping procedures detailed in the subsequent disease mapping reviews, since the 1 × 1 km products have been validated less widely. Details are also provided on additional, current and planned sensors that should be able to provide continuity with these environmental variable surfaces, as well as other sources of global data that may be used for mapping infectious disease. PMID:16647967

Selective Detection of Peptide-Oligonucleotide Heteroconjugates Utilizing Capillary HPLC-ICPMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catron, Brittany; Caruso, Joseph A.; Limbach, Patrick A.

2012-06-01

A method for the selective detection and quantification of peptide:oligonucleotide heteroconjugates, such as those generated by protein:nucleic acid cross-links, using capillary reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (cap-RPHPLC) coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection (ICPMS) is described. The selective detection of phosphorus as 31P+, the only natural isotope, in peptide-oligonucleotide heteroconjugates is enabled by the elemental detection capabilities of the ICPMS. Mobile phase conditions that allow separation of heteroconjugates while maintaining ICPMS compatibility were investigated. We found that trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) mobile phases, used in conventional peptide separations, and hexafluoroisopropanol/triethylamine (HFIP/TEA) mobile phases, used in conventional oligonucleotide separations, both are compatible with ICPMS and enable heteroconjugate separation. The TFA-based separations yielded limits of detection (LOD) of ~40 ppb phosphorus, which is nearly seven times lower than the LOD for HFIP/TEA-based separations. Using the TFA mobile phase, 1-2 pmol of a model heteroconjugate were routinely separated and detected by this optimized capLC-ICPMS method.

Effect of Pineapple Leaf Fibers (PALF) concentration on nanofibers formation by electrospinning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surip, S. N.; Aziz, F. M. Abdul; Bonnia, N. N.; Sekak, K. A.

2018-01-01

Electrospinning method has been studied widely in producing nanofibers due to its straightforward and versatile method. In this study, Pineapple Leaf Fibers (PALF) solution were electrospinning to obtain mat of PALF electrospun. PALF were diluted in Trifluoacetic Acid (TFA) into five different concentrations to study the effect of concentration to the nanofibers formation. Raw sample of PALF (PALFraw), PALF after dewax (PALFdewax) and PALF after dilute with TFA (PALFTFA) were analyzed and compared using FTIR to study the structural change occur. TFA solvent has removed and recreated some of the functional group in PALF thus disrupt strong hydrogen bonds that hold hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin together. All the PALF sample has been proceed to electrospinning process. Low concentration of solution cause the solution jet to break up even before reach the collector however high concentration of solution made the solvent volatile faster and the solution dried easily. Therefore, PALF with optimum concentration of 0.02 gml-1 had favors the formation of nanofibers and succeed in forming membrane at the collector.

Oxidative C-H/C-H Cross-Coupling Reactions between N-Acylanilines and Benzamides Enabled by a Cp*-Free RhCl3/TFA Catalytic System.

PubMed

You, Jingsong; Shi, Yang; Zhang, Luoqiang; Lan, Jingbo; Zhang, Min; Zhou, Fulin; Wei, Wenlong

2018-06-03

Using the dual chelation-assisted strategy, a completely regiocontrolled oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling reaction between an N-acylaniline and a benzamide has been accomplished for the first time, which enables a step-economical and highly efficient pathway to 2-amino-2'-carboxybiaryl scaffolds from readily available substrates. A Cp*-free RhCl3/TFA catalytic system has been developed to replace the generally used [Cp*RhCl2]2/AgSbF6 (Cp* = pentamethyl cyclopentadienyl) in oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling reactions between two (hetero)arenes. The RhCl3/TFA system avoids the use of expensive Cp* ligand and AgSbF6. As an illustrative example, the protocol developed herein greatly streamlines access to naturally occurring benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloid oxynitidine in an excellent overall yield. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Is vaccenic acid (18:1t n-7) associated with an increased incidence of hip fracture? An explanation for the calcium paradox.

PubMed

Hamazaki, Kei; Suzuki, Nobuo; Kitamura, Kei-Ichiro; Hattori, Atsuhiko; Nagasawa, Tetsuro; Itomura, Miho; Hamazaki, Tomohito

2016-06-01

High calcium intake may increase hip fracture (HF) incidence. This phenomenon, known as the calcium paradox, might be explained by vaccenic acid (18:1t n-7, VA), the highly specific trans fatty acid (TFA) present in dairy products. First, we ecologically investigated the relationship between 18:1 TFA intake and HF incidence using data from 12 to 13 European countries collected before 2000; then we measured the effects of VA and elaidic acid (18:1t n-9, EA) on osteoblasts from goldfish scales (tissues very similar to mammalian bone), with alkaline phosphatase as a marker; and finally we measured the effect of VA on mRNA expression in the scales for the major bone proteins type I collagen and osteocalcin. HF incidence was significantly correlated with 18:1 TFA intake in men (r=0.57) and women (r=0.65). Incubation with 1μmol/L VA and EA for 48h significantly decreased alkaline phosphatase activity by 25% and 21%, respectively. Incubation of scales with 10μmol/L VA for 48h significantly decreased mRNA expression for type I collagen and osteocalcin (by about 50%). In conclusion, VA may be causatively related to HF and could explain the calcium paradox. It may be prudent to reduce 18:1 TFA intake, irrespective of trans positions, to prevent HF. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EFFECTS OF THE GENIUM MICROPROCESSOR KNEE SYSTEM ON KNEE MOMENT SYMMETRY DURING HILL WALKING.

PubMed

Highsmith, M Jason; Klenow, Tyler D; Kahle, Jason T; Wernke, Matthew M; Carey, Stephanie L; Miro, Rebecca M; Lura, Derek J

2016-09-01

Use of the Genium microprocessor knee (MPK) system reportedly improves knee kinematics during walking and other functional tasks compared to other MPK systems. This improved kinematic pattern was observed when walking on different hill conditions and at different speeds. Given the improved kinematics associated with hill walking while using the Genium, a similar improvement in the symmetry of knee kinetics is also feasible. The purpose of this study was to determine if Genium MPK use would reduce the degree of asymmetry (DoA) of peak stance knee flexion moment compared to the C-Leg MPK in transfemoral amputation (TFA) patients. This study used a randomized experimental crossover of TFA patients using Genium and C-Leg MPKs ( n = 20). Biomechanical gait analysis by 3D motion tracking with floor mounted force plates of TFA patients ambulating at different speeds on 5° ramps was completed. Knee moment DoA was significantly different between MPK conditions in the slow and fast uphill as well as the slow and self-selected downhill conditions. In a sample of high-functioning TFA patients, Genium knee system accommodation and use improved knee moment symmetry in slow speed walking up and down a five degree ramp compared with C-Leg. Additionally, the Genium improved knee moment symmetry when walking downhill at comfortable speed. These results likely have application in other patients who could benefit from more consistent knee function, such as older patients and others who have slower walking speeds.

HPLC-DAD-MS identification of bioactive secondary metabolites from Ferula communis roots.

PubMed

Arnoldi, Lolita; Ballero, Mauro; Fuzzati, Nicola; Maxia, Andrea; Mercalli, Enrico; Pagni, Luca

2004-06-01

A simple HPLC method was developed to distinguish between 'poisonous' and 'non-poisonous' chemotypes of Ferula communis. The method was performed on a C8 reverse phase analytical column using a binary eluent (aqueous TFA 0.01%-TFA 0.01% in acetonitrile) under gradient condition. The two chemotypes showed different fingerprints. The identification of five coumarins and eleven daucane derivatives by HPLC-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and HPLC-MS is described. A coumarin, not yet described, was detected. Copyright 2004 Elsevier B.V.

Dietary fat intake and quality of life: the SUN project.

PubMed

Ruano, Cristina; Henriquez, Patricia; Bes-Rastrollo, Maira; Ruiz-Canela, Miguel; del Burgo, Cristina López; Sánchez-Villegas, Almudena

2011-11-02

Few studies have related nutritional factors with quality of life in healthy populations. The purpose of the study was to assess whether dietary fat intake is associated to mental and physical quality of life. This analysis included 8,430 participants from the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) Project. The intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), trans unsaturated fatty acids (TFA), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) was assessed through a 136-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Quality of life was measured with the SF-36 Health Survey after 4 years of follow-up. Generalized Linear Models were fitted to assess the regression coefficients (b) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the 8 domains of the SF-36 according to successive quintiles of each kind of fatty acids intake. The multivariate-adjusted models revealed a significant inverse association for SFA intake (in quintiles) and two of the physical domains (physical functioning and general health). E.g. for general health domain: (highest quintile of intake (Q5) vs. lowest quintile (Q1), b = -1.6; 95% CI = -3.1, -0.1. General health also showed a dose-response relationship (p for trend < 0.05). For TFA intake (in quintiles), a significant inverse association was found for most of the mental domains (vitality, social functioning and role emotional). E.g. for vitality domain (Q5) vs. (Q1), b = -2.0, 95% CI = -3.4 to -0.6. We also found an inverse association between TFA intake and the bodily pain domain: (Q5 vs. Q1), b = -2.6; 95% CI = -4.4 to -0.8, with a statistically significant dose-response relationship (p for trend < 0.05). Except for TFA intake and the mental domains, the rest of the associations were attenuated when we repeated the analysis adjusting for adherence to the Mediterranean diet. A detrimental relationship between TFA intake at baseline and most of the SF-36 mental domains measured 4 years later were found, whereas weak inverse associations were found for SFA intake and some physical domains.

Preparation and characterization of biomimetic silk fibroin/chitosan composite nanofibers by electrospinning for osteoblasts culture.

PubMed

Chen, Jyh-Ping; Chen, Shih-Hsien; Lai, Guo-Jyun

2012-03-06

In this study, we have successfully fabricated electrospun bead-free silk fibroin [SF]/chitosan [CS] composite nanofibers [NFs] covering the whole range of CS content (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). SF/CS spinning solutions were prepared in a mixed solvent system of trifluoroacetic acid [TFA] and dichloromethane. The morphology of the NFs was observed by scanning electron microscope, and the average fiber diameter ranges from 215 to 478 nm. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirms the uniform distribution of SF and CS within the composite NFs. To increase biocompatibility and preserve nanostructure when seeded with cells in culture medium, NFs were treated with an ethanol/ammonia aqueous solution to remove residual TFA and to change SF protein conformation. After the chemical treatment, SF/CS NFs could maintain the original structure for up to 54 days in culture medium. Properties of pristine and chemically treated SF/CS NFs were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy [FT-IR], X-ray diffraction [XRD], and thermogravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry [TG/DSC]. Shift of absorption peaks in FT-IR spectra confirms the conformation change of SF from random coil to β-sheet by the action of ethanol, which is also consistent with the SF crystalline diffraction patterns measured by XRD. From TG/DSC analysis, the decomposition temperature peaks due to salt formation from TFA and protonated amines disappeared after chemical treatment, indicating complete removal of TFA by binding with ammonium ions during the treatment. This was also confirmed with the disappearance of F1s peak in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra and disappearance of TFA salt peaks in FT-IR spectra. The composite NFs could support the growth and osteogenic differentiation of human fetal osteoblastic [hFOB] cells, but each component in the composite NF shows distinct effect on cell behavior. SF promotes hFOB proliferation while CS enhances hFOB differentiation. The composite SF/CS NFs will be suitable for bone tissue engineering applications by choosing a suitable blend composition.PACS: 87.85.jf; 87.85.Rs; 68.37.Hk.

Reconstructing genome-wide regulatory network of E. coli using transcriptome data and predicted transcription factor activities

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Gene regulatory networks play essential roles in living organisms to control growth, keep internal metabolism running and respond to external environmental changes. Understanding the connections and the activity levels of regulators is important for the research of gene regulatory networks. While relevance score based algorithms that reconstruct gene regulatory networks from transcriptome data can infer genome-wide gene regulatory networks, they are unfortunately prone to false positive results. Transcription factor activities (TFAs) quantitatively reflect the ability of the transcription factor to regulate target genes. However, classic relevance score based gene regulatory network reconstruction algorithms use models do not include the TFA layer, thus missing a key regulatory element. Results This work integrates TFA prediction algorithms with relevance score based network reconstruction algorithms to reconstruct gene regulatory networks with improved accuracy over classic relevance score based algorithms. This method is called Gene expression and Transcription factor activity based Relevance Network (GTRNetwork). Different combinations of TFA prediction algorithms and relevance score functions have been applied to find the most efficient combination. When the integrated GTRNetwork method was applied to E. coli data, the reconstructed genome-wide gene regulatory network predicted 381 new regulatory links. This reconstructed gene regulatory network including the predicted new regulatory links show promising biological significances. Many of the new links are verified by known TF binding site information, and many other links can be verified from the literature and databases such as EcoCyc. The reconstructed gene regulatory network is applied to a recent transcriptome analysis of E. coli during isobutanol stress. In addition to the 16 significantly changed TFAs detected in the original paper, another 7 significantly changed TFAs have been detected by using our reconstructed network. Conclusions The GTRNetwork algorithm introduces the hidden layer TFA into classic relevance score-based gene regulatory network reconstruction processes. Integrating the TFA biological information with regulatory network reconstruction algorithms significantly improves both detection of new links and reduces that rate of false positives. The application of GTRNetwork on E. coli gene transcriptome data gives a set of potential regulatory links with promising biological significance for isobutanol stress and other conditions. PMID:21668997

Influence of operator experience and PCI volume on transfemoral access techniques: A collaboration of international cardiovascular societies.

PubMed

Nelson, Daniel W; Damluji, Abdulla A; Patel, Nish; Valgimigli, Marco; Windecker, Stephan; Byrne, Robert; Nolan, James; Patel, Tejas; Brilakis, Emmanouil; Banerjee, Subhash; Mayol, Jorge; Cantor, Warren J; Alfonso, Carlos E; Rao, Sunil V; Moscucci, Mauro; Cohen, Mauricio G

2018-03-01

Transfemoral access (TFA) is widely used for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The influence of operator age, gender, experience, and procedural volume on performance of femoral arterial access has not been studied. A survey instrument was developed and distributed via e-mail from professional societies to interventional cardiologists worldwide from March to December 2016. A total of 988 physicians from 88 countries responded to the survey. TFA is the preferred approach for patients with cardiogenic shock, left main or bifurcation PCI, and procedures with mechanical circulatory support. Older (<50years: 56.4%; ≥50years: 66.8%, p<0.0039) and high PCI volume operators (<100 PCI: 57.3%; 100-299 PCI: 58.7%; ≥300 PCI: 64.3%, p<0.134) preferred palpation only without imaging (fluoroscopy or ultrasound (US)) for TFA. Most respondents preferred not to use micropuncture needle to puncture the femoral artery. Older (≥50years: 64.4%; <50years: 71.5%, p<0.04) and high PCI volume operators (≥300 PCI: 64.1%; 100-299 PCI: 72.6%; <100 PCI: 67.9%, p<0.072) tended not to perform femoral angiography (FA). Of those performing FA, the majority opted to do it at the end of the procedure. Despite best practice guideline recommendations, older and high PCI volume interventional cardiologists prefer not to use imaging for femoral access or perform femoral angiography during TF procedures. These data highlight opportunities to further reduce TFA complications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhanced rates of enzymatic saccharification and catalytic synthesis of biofuel substrates in gelatinized cellulose generated by trifluoroacetic acid

DOE PAGES

Shiga, Tânia M.; Xiao, Weihua; Yang, Haibing; ...

2017-12-27

The crystallinity of cellulose is a principal factor limiting the efficient hydrolysis of biomass to fermentable sugars or direct catalytic conversion to biofuel components. We evaluated the impact of TFA-induced gelatinization of crystalline cellulose on enhancement of enzymatic digestion and catalytic conversion to biofuel substrates. Low-temperature swelling of cotton linter cellulose in TFA at subzero temperatures followed by gentle heating to 55 degrees C dissolves the microfibril structure and forms composites of crystalline and amorphous gels upon addition of ethanol. The extent of gelatinization of crystalline cellulose was determined by reduction of birefringence in darkfield microscopy, loss of X-ray diffractability,more » and loss of resistance to acid hydrolysis. Upon freeze-drying, an additional degree of crystallinity returned as mostly cellulose II. Both enzymatic digestion with a commercial cellulase cocktail and maleic acid/AlCl3-catalyzed conversion to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid were markedly enhanced with the low-temperature swollen cellulose. Only small improvements in rates and extent of hydrolysis and catalytic conversion were achieved upon heating to fully dissolve cellulose. Low-temperature swelling of cellulose in TFA substantially reduces recalcitrance of crystalline cellulose to both enzymatic digestion and catalytic conversion. In a closed system to prevent loss of fluorohydrocarbons, the relative ease of recovery and regeneration of TFA by distillation makes it a potentially useful agent in large-scale deconstruction of biomass, not only for enzymatic depolymerization but also for enhancing rates of catalytic conversion to biofuel components and useful bio-products.« less

Enhanced rates of enzymatic saccharification and catalytic synthesis of biofuel substrates in gelatinized cellulose generated by trifluoroacetic acid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shiga, Tânia M.; Xiao, Weihua; Yang, Haibing

The crystallinity of cellulose is a principal factor limiting the efficient hydrolysis of biomass to fermentable sugars or direct catalytic conversion to biofuel components. We evaluated the impact of TFA-induced gelatinization of crystalline cellulose on enhancement of enzymatic digestion and catalytic conversion to biofuel substrates. Low-temperature swelling of cotton linter cellulose in TFA at subzero temperatures followed by gentle heating to 55 degrees C dissolves the microfibril structure and forms composites of crystalline and amorphous gels upon addition of ethanol. The extent of gelatinization of crystalline cellulose was determined by reduction of birefringence in darkfield microscopy, loss of X-ray diffractability,more » and loss of resistance to acid hydrolysis. Upon freeze-drying, an additional degree of crystallinity returned as mostly cellulose II. Both enzymatic digestion with a commercial cellulase cocktail and maleic acid/AlCl3-catalyzed conversion to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid were markedly enhanced with the low-temperature swollen cellulose. Only small improvements in rates and extent of hydrolysis and catalytic conversion were achieved upon heating to fully dissolve cellulose. Low-temperature swelling of cellulose in TFA substantially reduces recalcitrance of crystalline cellulose to both enzymatic digestion and catalytic conversion. In a closed system to prevent loss of fluorohydrocarbons, the relative ease of recovery and regeneration of TFA by distillation makes it a potentially useful agent in large-scale deconstruction of biomass, not only for enzymatic depolymerization but also for enhancing rates of catalytic conversion to biofuel components and useful bio-products.« less

Time frequency analysis of olfactory induced EEG-power change.

PubMed

Schriever, Valentin Alexander; Han, Pengfei; Weise, Stefanie; Hösel, Franziska; Pellegrino, Robert; Hummel, Thomas

2017-01-01

The objective of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of time-frequency analysis (TFA) of olfactory-induced EEG change with a low-cost, portable olfactometer in the clinical investigation of smell function. A total of 78 volunteers participated. The study was composed of three parts where olfactory stimuli were presented using a custom-built olfactometer. Part I was designed to optimize the stimulus as well as the recording conditions. In part II EEG-power changes after olfactory/trigeminal stimulation were compared between healthy participants and patients with olfactory impairment. In Part III the test-retest reliability of the method was evaluated in healthy subjects. Part I indicated that the most effective paradigm for stimulus presentation was cued stimulus, with an interstimulus interval of 18-20s at a stimulus duration of 1000ms with each stimulus quality presented 60 times in blocks of 20 stimuli each. In Part II we found that central processing of olfactory stimuli analyzed by TFA differed significantly between healthy controls and patients even when controlling for age. It was possible to reliably distinguish patients with olfactory impairment from healthy individuals at a high degree of accuracy (healthy controls vs anosmic patients: sensitivity 75%; specificity 89%). In addition we could show a good test-retest reliability of TFA of chemosensory induced EEG-power changes in Part III. Central processing of olfactory stimuli analyzed by TFA reliably distinguishes patients with olfactory impairment from healthy individuals at a high degree of accuracy. Importantly this can be achieved with a simple olfactometer.

Analysis of nine food additives in red wine by ion-suppression reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using trifluoroacetic acid and ammonium acetate as ion-suppressors.

PubMed

Zhao, Yong-Gang; Chen, Xiao-Hong; Yao, Shan-Shan; Pan, Sheng-Dong; Li, Xiao-Ping; Jin, Mi-Cong

2012-01-01

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of nine food additives, i.e., acesulfame, saccharin, caffeine, aspartame, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, stevioside, dehydroacetic acid and neotame in red wine. The effects of ion-suppressors, i.e., trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and ammonium acetate (AmAc) on retention behavior of nine food additives in RP-HPLC separation were discussed in detail. The relationships between retention factors of solutes and volume percent of ion-suppressors in the mobile-phase systems of acetonitrile-TFA aqueous solution and acetonitrile-TFA-AmAc aqueous solution were quantitatively established, respectively. The results showed that the ion suppressors had not only an ion suppression effect, but also an organic modification effect on the acidic analytes. The baseline separation of nine food additives was completed by a gradient elution with acetonitrile-TFA(0.01%, v/v)-AmAc(2.5 mmol L(-1)) aqueous solution as the mobile phase. The recoveries were between 80.2 - 99.5% for all analytes with RSDs in the range of 1.5 - 8.9%. The linearities were in the range of 0.2 - 100.0 mg L(-1) with determination coefficients (r(2)) higher than 0.9991 for all analytes. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were between 0.53 - 0.99 mg L(-1). The applicability of the proposed method to detect and quantify food additives has been demonstrated in the analysis of 30 real samples.

Production of silk sericin/silk fibroin blend nanofibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xianhua; Tsukada, Masuhiro; Morikawa, Hideaki; Aojima, Kazuki; Zhang, Guangyu; Miura, Mikihiko

2011-08-01

Silk sericin (SS)/silk fibroin (SF) blend nanofibers have been produced by electrospinning in a binary SS/SF trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) solution system, which was prepared by mixing 20 wt.% SS TFA solution and 10 wt.% SF TFA solution to give different compositions. The diameters of the SS/SF nanofibers ranged from 33 to 837 nm, and they showed a round cross section. The surface of the SS/SF nanofibers was smooth, and the fibers possessed a bead-free structure. The average diameters of the SS/SF (75/25, 50/50, and 25/75) blend nanofibers were much thicker than that of SS and SF nanofibers. The SS/SF (100/0, 75/25, and 50/50) blend nanofibers were easily dissolved in water, while the SS/SF (25/75 and 0/100) blend nanofibers could not be completely dissolved in water. The SS/SF blend nanofibers could not be completely dissolved in methanol. The SS/SF blend nanofibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and differential thermal analysis. FTIR showed that the SS/SF blend nanofibers possessed a random coil conformation and ß-sheet structure.

Determination of trans Fat in Selected Fast Food Products and Hydrogenated Fats of India Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Khan, Mohd Umar; Hassan, Mohammad Fahimul; Rauf, Abdul

2017-01-01

This paper reports the application of a simple and rapid method for the determination of trans fatty acid (TFA) content in some of the selected Indian fast food products and hydrogenated fats using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in conjunction with second derivative procedure. FTIR spectroscopy has been successfully applied to trans measurement using the absorbance bands at or near 966 cm -1 in the FTIR spectra. It was found from the analysis that TFA content of fast food product was ranging from 1.57% to 3.83% of the total fat while for hydrogenated fats, comparatively large quantity of TFA was detected in the range of 3.31% to 4.73%. Since GC-FID is most widely used method for the determination of fatty acid (FA) composition, this method was used for the sake of comparison. Value of regression coefficient was found very close to one (0.99503) with standard deviation of 0.10247 showing a good agreement between GC-FID and proposed ATR-FTIR method.

Rapid purification of staphylococcal enterotoxin B by high-pressure liquid chromatography.

PubMed Central

Strickler, M P; Neill, R J; Stone, M J; Hunt, R E; Brinkley, W; Gemski, P

1989-01-01

The Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins represent a group of proteins that cause emesis and diarrhea in humans and other primates. We have developed a rapid two-step high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure for purification of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). Sterile filtrates (2.5 liters) of strain 10-275 were adsorbed directly onto a reversed-phase column (50 mm by 30 cm Delta Pak; 300 A [30 nm], 15 microns, C18). SEB was obtained by using a unique sequential gradient system. First, an aqueous ammonium acetate to acetonitrile gradient followed by an aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) wash was used to remove contaminants. A subsequent TFA to acetonitrile-TFA gradient eluted the bound SEB. Further purification was obtained by rechromatography on a cation-exchange column. From 35 to 45% of the SEB in starting filtrates was recovered. Analysis by immunoblotting of samples separated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels indicated that HPLC-purified SEB exhibited immunological and biochemical properties similar to those of the SEB standard. Induction of an emetic response in rhesus monkeys showed that the HPLC-purified toxin also retained biological activity. Images PMID:2745678

Indium/TFA-catalyzed synthesis of tetracyclic [6,5,5,6] indole ring, via a tandem cycloannulation of β-oxodithioester with tryptamine.

PubMed

Singh, Thokchom Prasanta; Bhattarcharya, Suman; Singh, Okram Mukherjee

2013-04-19

The cycloannulation of β-oxodithioesters and tryptamine in dichloromethane in the presence of a catalytic amount of InCl3 and TFA gave the novel 5-aryl/heteroaryl 2a(1),9b-dihydro-1H-2a,5a-diaza-cyclopenta[jk]fluorene-3(2H)-thiones in moderate to good yields. The reaction was proposed to involve a tandem transformation of thioamide, protonation, and dehydrative cyclization. KMnO4-oxidation of these newly prepared compounds yielded oxidative desulfurization products in good yields.

Facile reductive amination of aldehydes with electron-deficient anilines by acyloxyborohydrides in TFA: application to a diazaindoline scale-up.

PubMed

Boros, Eric E; Thompson, James B; Katamreddy, Subba R; Carpenter, Andrew J

2009-05-01

A scale-up of diazaindoline 1 was achieved in four stages and 32% overall yield. The key step involved rapid reductive amination of aldehyde 8 with aniline 5 by sodium triacetoxyborohydride (STAB-H) and TFA followed by ring closure of intermediate amine 9 to compound 1 in the same pot. These reaction conditions were also applied to facile reductive aminations with anilines known to have little reactivity under STAB-H/AcOH conditions. Spectral data supported the tris(trifluoroacetoxy)borohydride anion (16) as the active reducing agent.

Spatiotemporal distribution and source apportionment of low molecular weight organic acids in wet precipitation at a coastal city, China.

PubMed

Du, Wenjiao; Hong, Zhenyu; Chen, Yanting; Deng, Junjun; Chen, Jinsheng; Xu, Lingling; Hong, Youwei; Xiao, Hang

2017-03-01

To investigate the characteristics and sources of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids in wet precipitation at a coastal city, Xiamen, a total of 313 rainwater samples were collected at seven different functional areas from September 2012 to August 2013. Spatiotemporal characteristics of LMW organic acids as well as pH and electrical conductivity were analyzed. Meanwhile, air mass clusters in different seasons and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportion model were comprehensively used to identify the sources of organic acids. In conclusion, the volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentration of formic (3.20 μmol/L), acetic (1.84 μmol/L), lactic (0.44 μmol/L), and oxalic acid (0.53 μmol/L) were obtained, which jointly contributed to 4.33% of the total free acidity (TFA). At the same time, the highest wet deposition flux of LMW organic acids and contribution of that to TFA were achieved at the forest protection area during growing season in Xiamen. In addition, biogenic emissions (77.12%), sea salts (13.77%), regional agriculture activities (3.92%), soil emissions (2.56%), biomass burning (1.47%), and secondary aerosols (1.15%) were determined as the source of LMW organic acids. Besides, the dominancy of biomass burning via long-range transport in non-growing season (NGS) and the contribution of biogenic emission in growing season (GS) were recognized. Finally, the considerable influence of sea salts on the LMW organic acids (13.77%) in Xiamen was quantified, especially for oxalic acid.

Present status and future prospect of coated conductor development and its application in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiohara, Y.; Yoshizumi, M.; Izumi, T.; Yamada, Y.

2008-03-01

The current national project on coated conductors using Y-system superconductors has been carried out over the project period (FY2003-FY2007). In this paper, the current status and the future prospect of this project are reviewed. The high performance tape development group, consisting of Fujikura and SRL-NCCC, has worked on the tape by PLD-REBCO superconducting layers on PLD-CeO2/IBAD-GZO buffered substrates. A high product of Ic and L, higher than 112 166 A m, was achieved in a 368 m-304.8 A GdBCO tape whose Ic value is mostly above 350 A/cm in width. The performance under magnetic field was also improved up to 42 A at 3 T in a GdBCO short film with doping of ZrO2. 61 m long GdBCO tape with ZrO2 doping showed a high Ic value of 220 A at self field and 30 A at 3 T. On the other hand, another group focusing on low production cost has worked on TFA-MOD and MOCVD processes. The extremely high Ic value of 735 A/cm-w was obtained in TFA-MOD films on PLD-CeO2/IBAD-GZO/Hastelloy substrate due to the effect of Ba-poor nominal composition. In efforts towards long tape production by the SWCC group, a 200 m long tape with a high Ic value of 200 A/cm-w was obtained using a batch-type furnace. The Ic × L value of this tape was 40 000 A m, which is the highest value in the world obtained by the TFA-MOD process. Based on the above achievements in coated conductor process development, two new additional goals were set in the project. One is the development of extremely low cost tape and the other is the development of the basic technologies for making electric power devices of cables, transformers, motors, current-limiters and cryocoolers. Some of the new investigations have already revealed marvellous results, such as a 15 kW motor, low AC loss coils, low AC loss cables, etc.

Hyperhomocysteinemia associated skeletal muscle weakness involves mitochondrial dysfunction and epigenetic modifications

PubMed Central

Veeranki, Sudhakar; Winchester, Lee J; Tyagi, Suresh C

2015-01-01

HHcy has been implicated in elderly frailty, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Using C57 and CBS+/- mice and C2C12 cell line, we investigated mechanisms behind HHcy induced skeletal muscle weakness and fatigability. Possible alterations in metabolic capacity (levels of LDH, CS, MM-CK and COX-IV), in structural proteins (levels of dystrophin) and in mitochondrial function (ATP production) were examined. An exercise regimen was employed to reverse HHcy induced changes. CBS+/- mice exhibited more fatigability, and generated less contraction force. No significant changes in muscle morphology were observed. However, there is corresponding reduction in large muscle fiber number in CBS+/- mice. Excess fatigability was not due to changes in key enzymes involved in metabolism, but was due to reduced ATP levels. A marginal reduction in dystrophin levels along with a decrease in mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) were observed. There was also an increase in the mir-31, and mir-494 quantities that were implicated in dystrophin and mtTFA regulation respectively. The molecular changes elevated during HHcy, with the exception of dystrophin levels, were reversed after exercise. In addition, amount of NRF-1, one of the transcriptional regulators of mtTFA, was significantly decreased. Furthermore, there was enhancement in mir-494 levels and a concomitant decline in mtTFA protein quantity in homocysteine treated cells. These changes in C2C12 cells were also accompanied by an increase in DNMT3a and DNMT3b proteins and global DNA methylation levels. Together, these results suggest that HHcy plays a causal role in enhanced fatigability through mitochondrial dysfunction which involves epigenetic changes. PMID:25615794

Efficacy of Different Nickel-Titanium Instruments in Removing Gutta-percha during Root Canal Retreatment.

PubMed

Özyürek, Taha; Demiryürek, Ebru Özsezer

2016-04-01

The aim of this study was to compare the cleanliness of root canal walls after retreatment using ProTaper Next (PTN; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), Twisted File Adaptive (TFA; Axis/SybronEndo, Orange, CA), Reciproc (PRC; VDW, Munich, Germany), and ProTaper Universal retreatment (PTR, Dentsply Maillefer) nickel-titanium systems and the time required for gutta-percha and sealer removal. Eighty human maxillary central incisors with single and straight root canals were instrumented up to #40.02 with manual K-files (Dentsply Maillefer) and obturated using the continuous wave of condensation technique. Removal of the gutta-percha and sealer was performed using 1 of the following nickel-titanium systems: PTN, TFA, RPC, or PTR. The teeth were sectioned, and digital images were captured. The photographs were analyzed using AutoCAD software (Autodesk, San Rafael, CA). Also, the total time required for gutta-percha removal was calculated by a chronometer. The total retreatment time was significantly shorter in the PTR group compared with the other groups (P < .05). There was a significant difference between the groups according to the total residual gutta-percha and sealer (P < .05). The PTN and PTR groups left significantly less gutta-percha and sealer remnant than the TFA and RPC groups (P < .05). Within the limitations of this study, the PTN and the PTR groups showed less residual gutta-percha and sealer than the TFA and RPC groups. The time required for gutta-percha and sealer removal was similar for all the groups, except for the PTR group. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phosphate limitation promotes unsaturated fatty acids and arachidonic acid biosynthesis by microalgae Porphyridium purpureum.

PubMed

Su, Gaomin; Jiao, Kailin; Li, Zheng; Guo, Xiaoyi; Chang, Jingyu; Ndikubwimana, Theoneste; Sun, Yong; Zeng, Xianhai; Lu, Yinghua; Lin, Lu

2016-07-01

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are highly appreciated on their nutritive value for human health and aquaculture. P. purpureum, one of the red microalgae acknowledged as a promising accumulator of ARA, was chosen as the target algae in the present research. Effects of sodium bicarbonate (0.04-1.2 g/L), temperature (25, 30 and 33 °C) and phosphate (0.00-0.14 g/L) on biomass yield, total fatty acids (TFA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) accumulation were investigated systemically. NaHCO3 dose of 0.8 g/L and moderate temperature of 30 °C were preferred. In addition, TFA and ARA production were significantly enhanced by an appropriate concentration of phosphate, and the highest TFA yield of 666.38 mg/L and ARA yield of 159.74 mg/L were obtained at a phosphate concentration of 0.035 g/L. Interestingly, with phosphate concentration continuing to fall, UFA/TFA and ARA/EPA ratios were increased accordingly, suggesting that phosphate limitation promoted unsaturated fatty acids and arachidonic acid biosynthesis. Low concentration of phosphate may be favored to increase the enzymatic activities of ∆6-desaturase, which played a key role in catalyzing the conversion of C16:0 to C18:2, and thus the selectivity of UFA increased. Meanwhile, the increase of ARA selectivity could be attributed to ω6 pathway promotion and ∆17-desaturase activity inhibition with phosphate limitation. Phosphate limitation strategy enhanced unsaturated fatty acids and ARA biosynthesis in P. purpureum, and can be applied in commercial scale manufacturing and commercialization of ARA.

Biodiscovery of new Australian thraustochytrids for production of biodiesel and long-chain omega-3 oils.

PubMed

Lee Chang, Kim Jye; Dunstan, Graeme A; Abell, Guy C J; Clementson, Lesley A; Blackburn, Susan I; Nichols, Peter D; Koutoulis, Anthony

2012-03-01

Heterotrophic growth of thraustochytrids has potential in co-producing a feedstock for biodiesel and long-chain (LC, ≥C(20)) omega-3 oils. Biodiscovery of thraustochytrids from Tasmania (temperate) and Queensland (tropical), Australia, covered a biogeographic range of habitats including fresh, brackish, and marine waters. A total of 36 thraustochytrid strains were isolated and separated into eight chemotaxonomic groups (A-H) based on fatty acid (FA) and sterol composition which clustered closely with four different genera obtained by 18S rDNA molecular identification. Differences in the relative proportions (%FA) of long-chain C(20), C(22), omega-3, and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and saturated FA, as well as the presence of odd-chain PUFA (OC-PUFA) were the major factors influencing the separation of these groups. OC-PUFA were detected in temperate strains of groups A, B, and C (Schizochytrium and Thraustochytrium). Group D (Ulkenia) had high omega-3 LC-PUFA (53% total fatty acids (TFA)) and EPA up to 11.2% TFA. Strains from groups E and F (Aurantiochytrium) contained DHA levels of 50-61% TFA after 7 days of growth in basal medium at 20 °C. Groups G and H (Aurantiochytrium) strains had high levels of 15:0 (20-30% TFA) and the sum of saturated FA was in the range of 32-51%. β,β-Carotene, canthaxanthin, and astaxanthin were identified in selected strains. Phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic groupings demonstrated similar patterns for the majority of strains. Our results demonstrate the potential of these new Australian thraustochytrids for the production of biodiesel in addition to omega-3 LC-PUFA-rich oils.

Solubility of acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid in low-temperature (207-245 k) sulfuric acid solutions: implications for the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.

PubMed

Andersen, Mads P Sulbaek; Axson, Jessica L; Michelsen, Rebecca R H; Nielsen, Ole John; Iraci, Laura T

2011-05-05

The solubility of gas-phase acetic acid (CH(3)COOH, HAc) and trifluoroacetic acid (CF(3)COOH, TFA) in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions was measured in a Knudsen cell reactor over ranges of temperature (207-245 K) and acid composition (40-75 wt %, H(2)SO(4)). For both HAc and TFA, the effective Henry's law coefficient, H*, is inversely dependent on temperature. Measured values of H* for TFA range from 1.7 × 10(3) M atm(-1) in 75.0 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 242.5 K to 3.6 × 10(8) M atm(-1) in 40.7 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 207.8 K. Measured values of H* for HAc range from 2.2 × 10(5) M atm(-1) in 57.8 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 245.0 K to 3.8 × 10(8) M atm(-1) in 74.4 wt % H(2)SO(4) at 219.6 K. The solubility of HAc increases with increasing H(2)SO(4) concentration and is higher in strong sulfuric acid than in water. In contrast, the solubility of TFA decreases with increasing sulfuric acid concentration. The equilibrium concentration of HAc in UT/LS aerosol particles is estimated from our measurements and is found to be up to several orders of magnitude higher than those determined for common alcohols and small carbonyl compounds. On the basis of our measured solubility, we determine that HAc in the upper troposphere undergoes aerosol partitioning, though the role of H(2)SO(4) aerosol particles as a sink for HAc in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere will only be discernible under high atmospheric sulfate perturbations.

TFaNS Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System. Volume 2; User's Manual; 1.4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Topol, David A.; Eversman, Walter

1999-01-01

TFaNS is the Tone Fan Noise Design/Prediction System developed by Pratt & Whitney under contract to NASA Lewis (presently NASA Glenn). The purpose of this system is to predict tone noise emanating from a fan stage including the effects of reflection and transmission by the rotor and stator and by the duct inlet and nozzle. These effects have been added to an existing annular duct/isolated stator noise prediction capability. TFaNS consists of: the codes that compute the acoustic properties (reflection and transmission coefficients) of the various elements and write them to files. CUP3D: Fan Noise Coupling Code that reads these files, solves the coupling problem, and outputs the desired noise predictions. AWAKEN: CFD/Measured Wake Postprocessor which reformats CFD wake predictions and/or measured wake data so it can be used by the system. This volume of the report provides information on code input and file structure essential for potential users of TFANS. This report is divided into three volumes: Volume 1. System Description, CUP3D Technical Documentation, and Manual for Code Developers; Volume 2. User's Manual, TFANS Vers. 1.4; Volume 3. Evaluation of System Codes.

Comparison of time-frequency distribution techniques for analysis of spinal somatosensory evoked potential.

PubMed

Hu, Y; Luk, K D; Lu, W W; Holmes, A; Leong, J C

2001-05-01

Spinal somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) has been employed to monitor the integrity of the spinal cord during surgery. To detect both temporal and spectral changes in SSEP waveforms, an investigation of the application of time-frequency analysis (TFA) techniques was conducted. SSEP signals from 30 scoliosis patients were analysed using different techniques; short time Fourier transform (STFT), Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD), Choi-Williams distribution (CWD), cone-shaped distribution (CSD) and adaptive spectrogram (ADS). The time-frequency distributions (TFD) computed using these methods were assessed and compared with each other. WVD, ADS, CSD and CWD showed better resolution than STFT. Comparing normalised peak widths, CSD showed the sharpest peak width (0.13+/-0.1) in the frequency dimension, and a mean peak width of 0.70+/-0.12 in the time dimension. Both WVD and CWD produced cross-term interference, distorting the TFA distribution, but this was not seen with CSD and ADS. CSD appeared to give a lower mean peak power bias (10.3%+/-6.2%) than ADS (41.8%+/-19.6%). Application of the CSD algorithm showed both good resolution and accurate spectrograms, and is therefore recommended as the most appropriate TFA technique for the analysis of SSEP signals.

The use of O-trifluoroacetyl protection and profound influence of the nature of glycosyl acceptor in benzyl-free arabinofuranosylation.

PubMed

Abronina, Polina I; Fedina, Ksenia G; Podvalnyy, Nikita M; Zinin, Alexander I; Chizhov, Alexander O; Kondakov, Nikolay N; Torgov, Vladimir I; Kononov, Leonid O

2014-09-19

The influence of O-trifluoroacetyl (TFA) groups at different positions of thioglycoside glycosyl donors on stereoselectivity of α-arabinofuranosylation leading to corresponding disaccharides was studied. It was shown that TFA group in thioglycoside glycosyl donors, when combined with 2-O-(triisopropylsilyl) (TIPS) non-participating group, may be regarded as an electron-withdrawing protecting group that may enhance 1,2-cis-selectivity in arabinofuranosylation, the results strongly depending on the nature of glycosyl acceptor. The reactivities of the glycosyl donors were compared with those of a similar thioglycoside with O-pentafluoropropionyl groups and the known phenyl 3,5-O-(di-tert-butylsilylene)-1-thio-α-d-arabinofuranosides with 2-O-TIPS and 2-O-benzyl groups. The 'matching' in the donor-acceptor combination was found to be critical for achieving both high reactivity of glycosyl donor and β-stereoselectivity of arabinofuranosylation. The use of glycosyl donors with TFA and silyl protection may be useful in the realization of the benzyl-free approach to oligoarabinofuranosides with azido group in aglycon-convenient building blocks for the preparation of neoglycoconjugates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detrending Algorithms in Large Time Series: Application to TFRM-PSES Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Ser, D.; Fors, O.; Núñez, J.; Voss, H.; Rosich, A.; Kouprianov, V.

2015-07-01

Certain instrumental effects and data reduction anomalies introduce systematic errors in photometric time series. Detrending algorithms such as the Trend Filtering Algorithm (TFA; Kovács et al. 2004) have played a key role in minimizing the effects caused by these systematics. Here we present the results obtained after applying the TFA, Savitzky & Golay (1964) detrending algorithms, and the Box Least Square phase-folding algorithm (Kovács et al. 2002) to the TFRM-PSES data (Fors et al. 2013). Tests performed on these data show that by applying these two filtering methods together the photometric RMS is on average improved by a factor of 3-4, with better efficiency towards brighter magnitudes, while applying TFA alone yields an improvement of a factor 1-2. As a result of this improvement, we are able to detect and analyze a large number of stars per TFRM-PSES field which present some kind of variability. Also, after porting these algorithms to Python and parallelizing them, we have improved, even for large data samples, the computational performance of the overall detrending+BLS algorithm by a factor of ˜10 with respect to Kovács et al. (2004).

[Trans fatty acids: consumption effect on human health and regulation challenges].

PubMed

Ballesteros-Vásquez, M N; Valenzuela-Calvillo, L S; Artalejo-Ochoa, E; Robles-Sardin, A E

2012-01-01

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are stable to oxidative rancidity which allows them to have a long shelf-life: also they have an intermediate melting point between saturated and unsaturated fats. For these reasons they have been widely used by the food industry. However, in recent years a large number of epidemiological and clinical evidence has indicated that trans fats are a significant risk factor to suffer a cardiovascular event and appear to be involved in the process of inflammation, diabetes and cancer. The increase of 2% of the daily energy by TFA is associated with a 23% increase cardiovascular risk. Therefore, international organizations like WHO and PAHO recommend virtually eliminate them or make their consumption as low as possible, less than 1%. Considering this recommendation and the risk involved in its consumption, some countries in Europe and America have legislated to achieve a gradual reduction of these fats. Denmark is a country that has shown a reduced prevalence of cardiovascular disease by reducing sources of trans fats in the diet. Despite the evidence of their impact on health in many countries still do not take any action and significant amounts of TFA remain in their foods and therefore in the diet of its population.

Production of silk sericin/silk fibroin blend nanofibers

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Silk sericin (SS)/silk fibroin (SF) blend nanofibers have been produced by electrospinning in a binary SS/SF trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) solution system, which was prepared by mixing 20 wt.% SS TFA solution and 10 wt.% SF TFA solution to give different compositions. The diameters of the SS/SF nanofibers ranged from 33 to 837 nm, and they showed a round cross section. The surface of the SS/SF nanofibers was smooth, and the fibers possessed a bead-free structure. The average diameters of the SS/SF (75/25, 50/50, and 25/75) blend nanofibers were much thicker than that of SS and SF nanofibers. The SS/SF (100/0, 75/25, and 50/50) blend nanofibers were easily dissolved in water, while the SS/SF (25/75 and 0/100) blend nanofibers could not be completely dissolved in water. The SS/SF blend nanofibers could not be completely dissolved in methanol. The SS/SF blend nanofibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and differential thermal analysis. FTIR showed that the SS/SF blend nanofibers possessed a random coil conformation and ß-sheet structure. PMID:21867508

Effect of Left Versus Right Radial Artery Approach for Coronary Angiography on Radiation Parameters in Patients with Predictors of Transradial Access Failure

PubMed Central

Shah, Binita; Burdowski, Joseph; Guo, Yu; de Villa, Bryan Velez; Huynh, Andrew; Farid, Meena; Maini, Mansi; Serrano-Gomez, Claudia; Staniloae, Cezar; Feit, Frederick; Attubato, Michael J.; Slater, James; Coppola, John

2016-01-01

Left transradial approach (TRA) for coronary angiography is associated with lower radiation parameters than right TRA in an all-comers population. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of left versus right TRA on radiation parameters in patients with predictors of TRA failure. Patients with predictors of TRA failure (≥3 of 4 following criteria: age ≥70 years, female sex, height ≤64 inches, hypertension) referred to TRA operators were randomized to either right (n=50) or left (n=50) TRA, while those referred to transfemoral approach (TFA) operators were enrolled in a prospective registry (n=50). The primary endpoint was the radiation measure of dose area product (DAP). In an intention-to-treat analysis, DAP (34.1 Gy*cm2 [24.9–45.6] vs 41.9 Gy*cm2 [27.3–58.0], p=0.08), fluoroscopy time (3.7 min [2.4–6.3] vs 5.6 min [3.1–8.7], p=0.07), and operator radiation exposure (516 uR [275–967] vs. 730 uR [503–1165], p=0.06) were not significantly different between left and right TRA, but total dose (411 mGy [310–592] vs 537 mGy [368–780], p=0.03) was significantly lower with left versus right TRA. Radiation parameters were lowest in the TFA cohort (DAP 24.5 Gy*cm2 [15.7–33.2], p<0.001; fluoroscopy time 2.3 min [1.5–3.7], p<0.001; operator radiation exposure 387 uR [264–557]; total dose 345 mGy [250–468], p=0.001). Results were similar after adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics. In conclusion, median measures of radiation were overall not significantly different between left versus right TRA in this select population of patients with predictors of TRA failure. All measures of radiation were lowest in the TFA group. PMID:27328954

Hmb(off/on) as a switchable thiol protecting group for native chemical ligation.

PubMed

Qi, Yun-Kun; Tang, Shan; Huang, Yi-Chao; Pan, Man; Zheng, Ji-Shen; Liu, Lei

2016-05-04

A new thiol protecting group Hmb(off/on) is described, which has a switchable activity that may be useful in the chemical synthesis of proteins. When placed on the side chain of Cys, Cys(Hmb(off)) is stable to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the process of solid-phase peptide synthesis. When Cys(Hmb(off)) is treated with neutral aqueous buffers, it is cleanly converted to acid-labile Cys(Hmb(on)), which can later be fully deprotected by TFA to generate free Cys. The utility of Cys(Hmb(off/on)) is demonstrated by the chemical synthesis of an erythropoietin segment, EPO[Cys(98)-Arg(166)]-OH through native chemical ligation.

Toxicology of atmospheric degradation products of selected hydrochlorofluorocarbons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaminsky, Laurence S.

1990-01-01

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a liquid with a sharp biting odor. It has been proposed as the product of environmental degradation of the hydrochlorofluorocarbons HCFC-123, HCFC-124, HFC-134a, and HFC-125. Compounds HCFC-141b and HCFC-142b could yield mixed fluorochloroacetic acids, for which there is no available toxicologic data. The release of hydrochlorofluorocarbons into the environment could also give rise to HF, but the additional fluoride burden (1 to 3 ppb) in rainwater is trivial compared to levels in fluoridated drinking water (1 ppm), and would provide an insignificant risk to humans. Thus, in this paper only the toxocologic data on TFA is reviewed to assess the potential risks of environmental exposure.

Apical extrusion of debris in flat-oval root canals after using different instrumentation systems.

PubMed

Kirchhoff, Alison Luís; Fariniuk, Luiz Fernando; Mello, Isabel

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the amount of apically extruded debris in flat-oval root canal systems during cleaning and shaping with different instrumentation systems. Seventy-two mandibular incisors were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 18) according to the instrumentation system to be used: the ProTaper Next rotary system (PTN; Dentsply Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK), the WaveOne reciprocating system (WO, Dentsply Tulsa Dental), the Twisted File Adaptive (TFA; SybronEndo, Orange, CA) rotary/reciprocating system, and the Self-Adjusting File (SAF) system (ReDent-Nova, Ra'anana, Israel). Debris extruded during the instrumentation was collected and dried in preweighed Eppendorf tubes. Three consecutive weights were obtained for each tube, and the average was calculated. The data were analyzed using the t test and analysis of variance (Games-Howell test). The SAF produced significantly more debris compared with the other systems (P < .05). No significant difference was noted amongst the PTN, WO, and TFA (P > .05). Regardless of the instrumentation system used, apical extrusion of debris was exhibited at some level, regardless of the instrumentation system used. The SAF was associated with the highest amount of debris extrusion compared with PTN, WO, and TFA. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Additive free preparative chiral SFC separations of 2,2-dimethyl-3-aryl-propanoic acids.

PubMed

Wu, Dauh-Rurng; Yip, Shiuhang Henry; Li, Peng; Sun, Dawn; Kempson, James; Mathur, Arvind

2016-11-30

A series of racemic 2,2-dimethyl-3-aryl-propanoic acids were resolved by chiral supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) without the use of an acidic additive, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The use of additive-free protic methanol as co-solvent in CO 2 was expanded to successfully resolve other series of carboxylic acid containing racemates. Large-scale SFC of racemic acid 4, 3-(1-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yl)-2,2-dimethyl-3-phenylpropanoic acid, in methanol without TFA as additive on both Chiralpak AD-H and Chiralcel OJ-H will be discussed, along with impact on throughput and solvent consumption. Investigation of co-solvent effect on peak sharpening of acid racemate 20, 2-(2-chloro-9-fluoro-5H-chromeno[2,3-b]pyridin-5-yl)-2-methylpropanoic acid, without TFA further indicated that methanol in CO 2 provided improved peak shape compared with isopropanol (IPA) and acetonitrile. Finally, we discuss the resolution of basic aromatic chiral amines without the addition of basic additives such as diethylamine (DEA) and application of this protocol for the large-scale SFC separation of weakly basic indazole-containing racemate 14, methyl 3-(1H-indazol-5-yl)-2,2-dimethyl-3-phenylpropanoate, in methanol without DEA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Benefits of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees to limited community ambulators: systematic review.

PubMed

Kannenberg, Andreas; Zacharias, Britta; Pröbsting, Eva

2014-01-01

The benefits of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees (MPKs) have been well established in community ambulators (Medicare Functional Classification Level [MFCL]-3) with a transfemoral amputation (TFA). A systematic review of the literature was performed to analyze whether limited community ambulators (MFCL-2) may also benefit from using an MPK in safety, performance-based function and mobility, and perceived function and satisfaction. We searched 10 scientific databases for clinical trials with MPKs and identified six publications with 57 subjects with TFA and MFCL-2 mobility grade. Using the criteria of a Cochrane Review on prosthetic components, we rated methodological quality moderate in four publications and low in two publications. MPK use may significantly reduce uncontrolled falls by up to 80% as well as significantly improve indicators of fall risk. Performance-based outcome measures suggest that persons with MFCL-2 mobility grade may be able to walk about 14% to 25% faster on level ground, be around 20% quicker on uneven surfaces, and descend a slope almost 30% faster when using an MPK. The results of this systematic review suggest that trial fittings may be used to determine whether or not individuals with TFA and MFCL-2 mobility grade benefit from MPK use. Criteria for patient selection and assessment of trial fitting success or failure are proposed.

β-NMR measurements of molecular-scale lithium-ion dynamics in poly(ethylene oxide)-lithium-salt thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, Iain; Cortie, David L.; Harada, Masashi; Kiefl, Robert F.; Levy, C. D. Philip; MacFarlane, W. Andrew; McFadden, Ryan M. L.; Morris, Gerald D.; Ogata, Shin-Ichi; Pearson, Matthew R.; Sugiyama, Jun

2017-06-01

β -detected NMR (β -NMR) has been used to study the molecular-scale dynamics of lithium ions in thin films of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) containing either lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) or lithium trifluoroacetate (LiTFA) salts at monomer-to-salt ratios (EO/Li) of 8.3. The results are compared with previous β -NMR measurements on pure PEO and PEO with lithium triflate (LiOTf) at the same loading [McKenzie et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136, 7833 (2014)]. Activated hopping of 8Li+ was observed in all of the films above ˜250 K, with the hopping parameters strongly correlated with the ionicity of the lithium salt rather than the polymer glass transition temperature. The pre-exponential factor increases exponentially with ionicity, while the activation energy for hopping increases approximately linearly, going from 6.3 ±0.2 kJ mol-1 in PEO:LiTFA to 17.8 ±0.2 kJ mol-1 in PEO:LiTFSI. The more rapid increase in the pre-exponential factor outweighs the effect of the larger activation energy and results in 8Li+ hopping being fastest in PEO followed by PEO:LiTFSI, PEO:LiOTf, and PEO:LiTFA.

β-NMR measurements of molecular-scale lithium-ion dynamics in poly(ethylene oxide)-lithium-salt thin films.

PubMed

McKenzie, Iain; Cortie, David L; Harada, Masashi; Kiefl, Robert F; Levy, C D Philip; MacFarlane, W Andrew; McFadden, Ryan M L; Morris, Gerald D; Ogata, Shin-Ichi; Pearson, Matthew R; Sugiyama, Jun

2017-06-28

β-detected NMR (β-NMR) has been used to study the molecular-scale dynamics of lithium ions in thin films of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) containing either lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) or lithium trifluoroacetate (LiTFA) salts at monomer-to-salt ratios (EO/Li) of 8.3. The results are compared with previous β-NMR measurements on pure PEO and PEO with lithium triflate (LiOTf) at the same loading [McKenzie et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136, 7833 (2014)]. Activated hopping of 8 Li + was observed in all of the films above ∼250 K, with the hopping parameters strongly correlated with the ionicity of the lithium salt rather than the polymer glass transition temperature. The pre-exponential factor increases exponentially with ionicity, while the activation energy for hopping increases approximately linearly, going from 6.3±0.2 kJ mol -1 in PEO:LiTFA to 17.8±0.2 kJ mol -1 in PEO:LiTFSI. The more rapid increase in the pre-exponential factor outweighs the effect of the larger activation energy and results in 8 Li + hopping being fastest in PEO followed by PEO:LiTFSI, PEO:LiOTf, and PEO:LiTFA.

Synthesis, characterization and DFT studies of two new silver(I) complexes with 3,4-lutidine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soliman, Saied M.; Assem, Rania; Abu-Youssef, Morsy A. M.; Kassem, Taher S.

2015-04-01

The synthesis, characterization and molecular structure of two new Ag(I) complexes with 3,4-lutidine (34lut) have been reported. The [Ag(34lut)3(OAC)]; 1 and [Ag(34lut)2(TFA)]; 2 complexes, where OAC and TFA are acetate and trifluoroacetate respectively, have been characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR and mass spectra. Their molecular structures were calculated using DFT quantum chemical calculations. Both 1 and 2 were found to have distorted tetrahedral geometry around the Ag(I). The spectroscopic properties of the studied complexes have been calculated using the same level of theory. The Infrared vibrational frequencies of the COO stretches confirmed that the OAC is monodentate in 1 while the TFA is bidentate in 2. The calculated polarizability (α0) and HOMO-LUMO energy gap (ΔE) values indicated that 1 has higher NLO activity than 2. The electronic spectra of these complexes are calculated using the TD-DFT calculations. The calculated 1H NMR chemical shift values using GIAO approach showed good correlations with the experimental data. The interaction energies using the second order perturbation theory have been used to study the different intramolecular charge transfer interactions in the studied complexes. The NBO calculations indicated that both the Agsbnd O bonds are almost identical in 2 but not in 1.

The gas chromatographic resolution of DL-isovaline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flores, J. J.; Bonner, W. A.; Van Dort, M. A.

1977-01-01

Isovaline is of cosmological interest because it is one of the 12 non-protein amino acids which have been isolated from the Murchison meteorite, and unlike the other chiral amino acids in this meteorite, it has no alpha-hydrogen at its asymmetric center and hence cannot racemize by the customary alpha-hydrogen-dependent mechanisms which engender racemization in ordinary amino acids. Experiments were conducted in which a .01 M solution of N-TFA-DL-isovalyl-L-leucine isopropyl ester in nitromethane was injected into the capillary column of a gas chromatograph coupled to a digital electronic integrator-recorder. Efflux times and integrated peak area percents are shown next to each diastereometer peak.

Do small changes in rotation affect measurements of lower extremity limb alignment?

PubMed

Jamali, Amir A; Meehan, John P; Moroski, Nathan M; Anderson, Matthew J; Lamba, Ramit; Parise, Carol

2017-05-22

The alignment of the lower extremity has important implications in the development of knee arthritis. The effect of incremental rotations of the limb on common parameters of alignment has not been studied. The purpose of the study was to (1) determine the standardized neutral position measurements of alignment and (2) determine the effect of rotation on commonly used measurements of alignment. Eighty-seven full length CT angiography studies (49 males and 38 females, average age 66 years old) were included. Three-dimensional models were created using a rendering software program and placed on a virtual plane. An image of the extremity was obtained. Thirty scans were randomly selected, and those models were rotated in 3° intervals around the longitudinal axis and additional images were obtained. In the neutral position, the mechanical lateral distal femoral articular angle (mLDFA) was 85.6 ± 2.3°, medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) was 86.1 ± 2.8°, and mechanical tibiofemoral angle (mTFA) was -0.7 ± 3.1°. Females had a more valgus alignment with a mTFA of 0.5 ± 2.9° while males had a more varus alignment with a mTFA of -1.7 ± 2.9°. The anatomic tibiofemoral angle (aTFA) was 4.8 ± 2.6°, the anatomic lateral distal femoral angle (aLDFA) measured 80.2 ± 2.2°, and the anatomical-mechanical angle (AMA) was 5.4 ± 0.7°. The prevalence of constitutional varus was 18%. The effect of rotation on the rotated scans led to statistically significant differences relative to the 0° measurement for all measurements. These effects may be small, and their clinical importance is unknown. This study provides new information on standardized measures of lower extremity alignment and the relationship between discreet axial rotations of the entire lower extremity and these parameters.

Modelling the implications of reducing smoking prevalence: the public health and economic benefits of achieving a 'tobacco-free' UK.

PubMed

Hunt, Daniel; Knuchel-Takano, André; Jaccard, Abbygail; Bhimjiyani, Arti; Retat, Lise; Selvarajah, Chit; Brown, Katrina; Webber, Laura L; Brown, Martin

2018-03-01

Smoking is still the most preventable cause of cancer, and a leading cause of premature mortality and health inequalities in the UK. This study modelled the health and economic impacts of achieving a 'tobacco-free' ambition (TFA) where, by 2035, less than 5% of the population smoke tobacco across all socioeconomic groups. A non-linear multivariate regression model was fitted to cross-sectional smoking data to create projections to 2035. These projections were used to predict the future incidence and costs of 17 smoking-related diseases using a microsimulation approach. The health and economic impacts of achieving a TFA were evaluated against a predicted baseline scenario, where current smoking trends continue. If trends continue, the prevalence of smoking in the UK was projected to be 10% by 2035-well above a TFA. If this ambition were achieved by 2035, it could mean 97 300 +/- 5 300 new cases of smoking-related diseases are avoided by 2035 (tobacco-related cancers: 35 900+/- 4 100; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 29 000 +/- 2 700; stroke: 24 900 +/- 2 700; coronary heart disease: 7600 +/- 2 700), including around 12 350 diseases avoided in 2035 alone. The consequence of this health improvement is predicted to avoid £67 +/- 8 million in direct National Health Service and social care costs, and £548 million in non-health costs, in 2035 alone. These findings strengthen the case to set bold targets on long-term declines in smoking prevalence to achieve a tobacco 'endgame'. Results demonstrate the health and economic benefits that meeting a TFA can achieve over just 20 years. Effective ambitions and policy interventions are needed to reduce the disease and economic burden of smoking. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Atom-replaced pins in a Y-based superconductor—single-crystalline perovskite structure including both PrBa2Cu3O7‑x and YBa2Cu3O7‑y

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Mariko; Araki, Takeshi; Ishii, Hirotaka; Nishijima, Gen; Matsumoto, Akiyoshi

2018-05-01

Metal organic deposition using trifluoroacetates (TFA-MOD) provides many uniform superconductors on long metal tapes. The large numbers of long wires have been applied for power grids or superconducting fault current limiters. The related applications worked for a long time without fatal trouble. The quasi-liquid produced during the firing process assisted the perfectly uniform structure in TFA-MOD. On the other hand, when it was desired to introduce artificial pinning centers, the quasi-liquid also enlarged the diameter of the artificial pinning centers to several tens of nanometers. In other words, due to the nature of TFA-MOD, there is very little chance of using TFA-MOD to prepare several nm-sized artificial pinning centers. By proposing atom-replaced pins (ARPs), we aim to overcome the impasse. ARPs are realized by replacing yttrium (Y) with praseodymium (Pr) whose valence number changes from 3+ to approximately 4+. Analytical results suggested that Pr makes pinning centers on a PrBa2Cu3O7‑x (PrBCO) unit cell, and the weak-linked superconductivity derived from PrBCO extends to the adjacent unit cells in the a/b-plane. J c decrease by Pr is five times as large as the volume fraction of Pr in the Y-site of the perovskite structure. On the other hand, T c does not show large degradation in YBCO including 10% PrBCO. These results suggest that PrBCO unit cells are fully dispersed in YBa2Cu3O7‑y matrix. With regard to J c in the magnetic field, (Y0.98, Pr0.02)BCO has been slightly improved compared with pure YBCO only in the region of high temperature and low magnetic field of less than 1 T.

Descriptive Quantitative Analysis of Rearfoot Alignment Radiographic Parameters.

PubMed

Meyr, Andrew J; Wagoner, Matthew R

2015-01-01

Although the radiographic parameters of the transverse talocalcaneal angle (tTCA), calcaneocuboid angle (CCA), talar head uncovering (THU), calcaneal inclination angle (CIA), talar declination angle (TDA), lateral talar-first metatarsal angle (lTFA), and lateral talocalcaneal angle (lTCA) form the basis of the preoperative evaluation and procedure selection for pes planovalgus deformity, the so-called normal values of these measurements are not well-established. The objectives of the present study were to retrospectively evaluate the descriptive statistics of these radiographic parameters (tTCA, CCA, THU, CIA, TDA, lTFA, and lTCA) in a large population, and, second, to determine an objective basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. As a secondary outcome, the relationship of these variables to the body mass index was assessed. Anteroposterior and lateral foot radiographs from 250 consecutive patients without a history of previous foot and ankle surgery and/or trauma were evaluated. The results revealed a mean measurement of 24.12°, 13.20°, 74.32%, 16.41°, 26.64°, 8.37°, and 43.41° for the tTCA, CCA, THU, CIA, TDA, lTFA, and lTCA, respectively. These were generally in line with the reported historical normal values. Descriptive statistical analysis demonstrated that the tTCA, THU, and TDA met the standards to be considered normally distributed but that the CCA, CIA, lTFA, and lTCA demonstrated data characteristics of both parametric and nonparametric distributions. Furthermore, only the CIA (R = -0.2428) and lTCA (R = -0.2449) demonstrated substantial correlation with the body mass index. No differentiations in deformity progression were observed when the radiographic parameters were plotted against each other to lead to a quantitative basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. Copyright © 2015 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Infection Control in Retreatment Cases: In Vivo Antibacterial Effects of 2 Instrumentation Systems.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Renata C V; Antunes, Henrique S; Neves, Mônica A S; Siqueira, José F; Rôças, Isabela N

2015-10-01

This in vivo study compared the antibacterial effects of 2 instrumentation systems in root canal-treated teeth with apical periodontitis. Forty-eight teeth with a single root and a single canal showing post-treatment apical periodontitis were selected for this study. For retreatment, teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the instrumentation system used: Self-Adjusting File (SAF; ReDent-Nova, Ra'anana, Israel) and Twisted File Adaptive (TFA; SybronEndo, Orange, CA). In both groups, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite was the irrigant. Bacteriological samples were taken before (S1) and after chemomechanical preparation (S2). In the TFA group, passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) was performed after instrumentation, and samples were also taken after this supplementary step (S2b). DNA was extracted from the clinical samples and subjected to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the levels of total bacteria, streptococci, and Enterococcus faecalis. Statistical analyses from quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction data were performed within groups using the Wilcoxon matched pairs test and between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Fisher exact test with the significance level set at P < .05. Bacteria were detected in S1 samples from 43 teeth, which were then included in the antibacterial experiment. Both SAF and TFA instrumentation protocols showed a highly significant intracanal bacterial reduction (P < .001). Intergroup quantitative comparisons disclosed no significant differences between TFA with or without PUI and SAF (P > .05). PUI did not result in significant improvement in disinfection (P > .05). Both instrumentation systems/treatment protocols were highly effective in significantly reducing the intracanal bacterial counts. No significant difference was observed between the 2 systems in disinfecting the canals of teeth with post-treatment apical periodontitis. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trans fatty acids exacerbate dextran sodium sulphate-induced colitis by promoting the up-regulation of macrophage-derived proinflammatory cytokines involved in T helper 17 cell polarization.

PubMed

Okada, Y; Tsuzuki, Y; Sato, H; Narimatsu, K; Hokari, R; Kurihara, C; Watanabe, C; Tomita, K; Komoto, S; Kawaguchi, A; Nagao, S; Miura, S

2013-12-01

Numerous reports have shown that a diet containing large amounts of trans fatty acids (TFAs) is a major risk factor for metabolic disorders. Although recent studies have shown that TFAs promote intestinal inflammation, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of dietary fat containing TFAs on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis. C57 BL/6 mice were fed a diet containing 1·3% TFAs (mainly C16:1, C18:1, C18:2, C20:1, C20:2 and C22:1), and then colitis was induced with 1·5% DSS. Colonic damage was assessed, and the mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines and major regulators of T cell differentiation were measured. The TFA diet reduced survival and exacerbated histological damage in mice administered DSS compared with those fed a TFA-free diet. The TFA diet significantly elevated interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12p40, IL-23p19 and retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (ROR)γt mRNA levels in the colons of DSS-treated animals. Moreover, IL-17A mRNA levels were elevated significantly by the TFA diet, with or without DSS treatment. We also examined the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages. These cells were exposed to TFAs (linoelaidic acid or elaidic acid) with or without LPS and the mRNA levels of various cytokines were measured. IL-23p19 mRNA levels were increased significantly by TFAs in the absence of LPS. Cytokine expression was also higher in LPS-stimulated cells exposed to TFAs than in unexposed LPS-stimulated cells. Collectively, our results suggest that TFAs exacerbate colonic inflammation by promoting Th17 polarization and by up-regulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the inflamed colonic mucosa. © 2013 British Society for Immunology.

Robust trace analysis of polar (C2-C8) perfluorinated carboxylic acids by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: method development and application to surface water, groundwater and drinking water.

PubMed

Janda, Joachim; Nödler, Karsten; Brauch, Heinz-Jürgen; Zwiener, Christian; Lange, Frank T

2018-03-19

A simple and robust analytical method for the determination of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) with C 2 to C 8 chains, based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), was developed, validated and applied to tap water, groundwater and surface water. Two stationary phases for LC (Obelisc N and Kinetex C 18 ) and two materials with weak anion-exchange properties for SPE (Strata X-AW and Oasis WAX) were evaluated. Robust separation and retention was achieved with the reversed phase column and an acidic eluent. Quantitative extraction recoveries were generally achieved for PFCAs with C > 3, but extraction efficiencies were different for the two shortest chained analytes: 36 to 114% of perfluoropropanoate (PFPrA) and 14 to 99% of trifluoroacetate (TFA) were recovered with Strata X-AW, while 93 to 103% of PFPrA and 40 to 103% of TFA were recovered with Oasis WAX. The sample pH was identified as a key parameter in the extraction process. One-step elution-filtration was introduced in the workflow, in order to remove sorbent particles and minimise sample preparation steps. Validation resulted in limits of quantification for all PFCAs between 0.6 and 26 ng/L. Precision was between 0.7 and 15% and mean recoveries ranged from 83 to 107%. In groundwater samples from sites impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), PFCA concentrations ranged from 0.056 to 2.2 μg/L. TFA and perfluorooctanoate were the predominant analytes. TFA, however, revealed a more ubiquitous occurrence and was found in concentrations between 0.045 and 17 μg/L in drinking water, groundwater and surface water, which were not impacted by PFASs.

Ion-water wires in imidazolium-based ionic liquid/water solutions induce unique trends in density.

PubMed

Ghoshdastidar, Debostuti; Senapati, Sanjib

2016-03-28

Ionic liquid/water binary mixtures are rapidly gaining popularity as solvents for dissolution of cellulose, nucleobases, and other poorly water-soluble biomolecules. Hence, several studies have focused on measuring the thermophysical properties of these versatile mixtures. Among these, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ([emim]) cation-based ILs containing different anions exhibit unique density behaviours upon addition of water. While [emim][acetate]/water binary mixtures display an unusual rise in density with the addition of low-to-moderate amounts of water, those containing the [trifluoroacetate] ([Tfa]) anion display a sluggish decrease in density. The density of [emim][tetrafluoroborate] ([emim][BF4])/water mixtures, on the other hand, declines rapidly in close accordance with the experimental reports. Here, we unravel the structural basis underlying this unique density behavior of [emim]-based IL/water mixtures using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results revealed that the distinct nature of anion-water hydrogen bonded networks in the three systems was a key in modulating the observed unique density behaviour. Vast expanses of uninterrupted anion-water-anion H-bonded stretches, denoted here as anion-water wires, induced significant structuring in [emim][Ac]/water mixtures that resulted in the density rise. Conversely, the presence of intermittent large water clusters disintegrated the anion-water wires in [emim][Tfa]/water and [emim][BF4]/water mixtures to cause a monotonic density decrease. The differential nanostructuring affected the dynamics of the solutions proportionately, with the H-bond making and breaking dynamics found to be greatly retarded in [emim][Ac]/water mixtures, while it exhibited a faster relaxation in the other two binary solutions.

Distinct solvent- and temperature-dependent packing arrangements of anti-parallel β-sheet polyalanines studied with solid-state 13C NMR and MD simulation.

PubMed

Kametani, Shunsuke; Tasei, Yugo; Nishimura, Akio; Asakura, Tetsuo

2017-08-09

Polyalanine (polyA) sequences are well known as the simplest sequence that naturally forms anti-parallel β-sheets and constitute a key element in the structure of spider and wild silkworm silk fibers. We have carried out a systematic analysis of the packing of anti-parallel β-sheets for (Ala) n , n = 5, 6, 7 and 12, using primarily 13 C solid-state NMR and MD simulation. HFIP and TFA are frequently used as the dope solvents for recombinant silks, and polyA was solidified from both HFIP and TFA solutions by drying. An analysis of Ala Cβ peaks in the 13 C CP/MAS NMR spectra indicated that polyA from HFIP was mainly rectangular but polyA from TFA was mainly staggered. The transition from the rectangular to the staggered arrangement in (Ala) 6 was observed for the first time from the change in the Ala Cβ peak through heat treatment at 200 °C for 4 h. The removal of the bound water was confirmed by thermal analysis. This transition could be reproduced by MD simulation of (Ala) 6 molecules at 200 °C after removal of the bound water molecules. In this way, the origin of the stability of the different packing arrangements of polyA was clarified.

Cerebral pressure–flow relationship in lowlanders and natives at high altitude

PubMed Central

Smirl, Jonathan D; Lucas, Samuel J E; Lewis, Nia C S; duManior, Gregory R; Smith, Kurt J; Bakker, Akke; Basnyat, Aperna S; Ainslie, Philip N

2014-01-01

We investigated if dynamic cerebral pressure–flow relationships in lowlanders are altered at high altitude (HA), differ in HA natives and after return to sea level (SL). Lowlanders were tested at SL (n=16), arrival to 5,050 m, after 2-week acclimatization (with and without end-tidal PO2 normalization), and upon SL return. High-altitude natives (n=16) were tested at 5,050 m. Testing sessions involved resting spontaneous and driven (squat–stand maneuvers at very low (VLF, 0.05 Hz) and low (LF, 0.10 Hz) frequencies) measures to maximize blood pressure (BP) variability and improve assessment of the pressure–flow relationship using transfer function analysis (TFA). Blood flow velocity was assessed in the middle (MCAv) and posterior (PCAv) cerebral arteries. Spontaneous VLF and LF phases were reduced and coherence was elevated with acclimatization to HA (P<0.05), indicating impaired pressure–flow coupling. However, when BP was driven, both the frequency- and time-domain metrics were unaltered and comparable with HA natives. Acute mountain sickness was unrelated to TFA metrics. In conclusion, the driven cerebral pressure–flow relationship (in both frequency and time domains) is unaltered at 5,050 m in lowlanders and HA natives. Our findings indicate that spontaneous changes in TFA metrics do not necessarily reflect physiologically important alterations in the capacity of the brain to regulate BP. PMID:24169852

IP-10 protects while MIP-2 promotes experimental anesthetic hapten - induced hepatitis

PubMed Central

Njoku, Dolores B.; Li, Zhaoxia; Mellerson, Jenelle L; Sharma, Rajni; Talor, Monica V.; Barat, Nicole; Rose, Noel R.

2009-01-01

MIP-2 and IFN-γ inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and their respective receptors, CXCR2 and CXCR3, modulate tissue inflammation by recruiting neutrophils or T cells from the spleen or bone marrow. Yet, how these chemokines modulate diseases such as immune-mediated drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is essentially unknown. To investigate how chemokines modulate experimental DILI in our model we used susceptible BALB/c (WT) and IL-4−/− (KO) mice that develop significantly reduced hepatitis and splenic T cell priming to anesthetic haptens and self proteins following TFA-S100 immunizations. We detected CXCR2+ splenic granulocytes in all mice two weeks following immunizations; by 3 weeks, MIP-2 levels (p<0.001) and GR1+ cells were elevated in WT livers, suggesting MIP-2-recruited granulocytes. Elevated splenic CXCR3+ CD4+T cells were identified after 2 weeks in KO mice indicating elevated IP-10 levels which were confirmed during T cell priming. This result suggested that IP-10 reduced T cell priming to critical DILI antigens. Increased T cell proliferation following co-culture of TFA-S100-primed WT splenocytes with anti-IP-10 (p<0.05) confirmed that IP-10 reduced T cell priming to CYP2E1 and TFA. We propose that MIP-2 promotes and IP-10 protects against the development of hepatitis and T cell priming in this murine model. PMID:19131211

Effect of heating/reheating of fats/oils, as used by Asian Indians, on trans fatty acid formation.

PubMed

Bhardwaj, Swati; Passi, Santosh Jain; Misra, Anoop; Pant, Kamal K; Anwar, Khalid; Pandey, R M; Kardam, Vikas

2016-12-01

Heating/frying and reuse of edible fats/oils induces chemical changes such as formation of trans fatty acids (TFAs). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of heating/frying on formation of TFAs in fats/oils. Using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detector, TFA was estimated in six commonly used fat/oils in India (refined soybean oil, groundnut oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil, clarified butter, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil), before and after subjecting them to heating/frying at 180°C and 220°C. All six fats/oils subjected to heating/frying demonstrated an increase in TFAs (p<0.001), saturated fatty acids (p<0.001) and decrease in cis-unsaturated fatty acids (p<0.001). The absolute increase in TFA content of edible oils (after subjecting to heating/reheating) ranged between 2.30±0.89g/100g and 4.5±1.43g/100g; amongst edible fats it ranged between 2.60±0.38g/100g and 5.96±1.94g/100g. There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups (heating and frying; p=0.892). Considering the undesirable health effects of TFA, appropriate guidelines for heating/re-frying of edible fats/oils by Asian Indians should be devised. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phase Evolution of YBa2Cu3O7-x films by all-chemical solution deposition route for coated conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yue; Tang, Xiao; Wu, Wei; Grivel, Jean-Claude

2014-05-01

In order to understand the all-chemical-solution-deposition (CSD) processes for manufacturing coated conductors, we investigated the phase evolution of YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films deposited by a low-fluorine metal-organic solution deposition (LF-MOD) method on CSD derived Ce0.9La0.1O2/Gd2Zr2O7/NiW. It is shown that the phase transition from the pyrolyzed film to fully converted YBCO film in the LF-MOD process is similar to that in typical trifluoroacetates-metal organic deposition (TFA-MOD) processes even though the amount of TFA in the solution is reduced by almost one half compared with typical TFA-MOD cases. Moreover, we found that the formation of impurities (mainly BaCeO3, NiWO4 and NiO) is strongly related to the annealing temperature, i.e., the diffusion controlled reactions become intensive from 760 oC, which might be connected with the poor structural and superconducting properties of the films deposited at high sintering temperatures. Based on these results, the optimized growth conditions of YBCO films were established, and a high critical current density (Jc) of about 2 MA/cm2 (77 K, self field) is achieved in a 200 nm thick YBCO film in the architecture made by our all CSD route.

Cerebral pressure-flow relationship in lowlanders and natives at high altitude.

PubMed

Smirl, Jonathan D; Lucas, Samuel J E; Lewis, Nia C S; duManoir, Gregory R; Dumanior, Gregory R; Smith, Kurt J; Bakker, Akke; Basnyat, Aperna S; Ainslie, Philip N

2014-02-01

We investigated if dynamic cerebral pressure-flow relationships in lowlanders are altered at high altitude (HA), differ in HA natives and after return to sea level (SL). Lowlanders were tested at SL (n=16), arrival to 5,050 m, after 2-week acclimatization (with and without end-tidal PO2 normalization), and upon SL return. High-altitude natives (n=16) were tested at 5,050 m. Testing sessions involved resting spontaneous and driven (squat-stand maneuvers at very low (VLF, 0.05 Hz) and low (LF, 0.10 Hz) frequencies) measures to maximize blood pressure (BP) variability and improve assessment of the pressure-flow relationship using transfer function analysis (TFA). Blood flow velocity was assessed in the middle (MCAv) and posterior (PCAv) cerebral arteries. Spontaneous VLF and LF phases were reduced and coherence was elevated with acclimatization to HA (P<0.05), indicating impaired pressure-flow coupling. However, when BP was driven, both the frequency- and time-domain metrics were unaltered and comparable with HA natives. Acute mountain sickness was unrelated to TFA metrics. In conclusion, the driven cerebral pressure-flow relationship (in both frequency and time domains) is unaltered at 5,050 m in lowlanders and HA natives. Our findings indicate that spontaneous changes in TFA metrics do not necessarily reflect physiologically important alterations in the capacity of the brain to regulate BP.

Immunological screening of drugs of abuse and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric confirmation of opiates and cocaine in hair.

PubMed

Segura, J; Stramesi, C; Redón, A; Ventura, M; Sanchez, C J; González, G; San, L; Montagna, M

1999-03-05

The work presents an analytical strategy to detect drugs of abuse in hair. It involves two sequential steps: a screening by a simple enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methodology to detect opiates, cocaine and its metabolites, and benzodiacepines, followed by confirmation of opiates and cocaine metabolites in positive samples by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the same GC-MS run other drugs for substitution therapy (e.g. methadone and its main metabolite) can also be detected. After a double washing of hair samples with dichloromethane, hair specimens were cut into small pieces and 10 mg samples were incubated in 2 ml of methanol-trifluoroacetic acid (9:1) mixture, overnight at 37 degrees C. Aliquots of the extract were then evaporated, reconstituted in buffer and analysed according to the ELISA procedure. Confirmation involved solid-phase extraction of another fraction of the extract kept at -20 degrees C, derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and hexafluoroisopropanol and detection of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methylester, cocaethylene, morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, methadone and 2-ethylidene-1.5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpirrolidine (methadone metabolite) by selective ion monitoring after gas chromatographic separation. During the development of the method it was verified that no more than 10% of cocaine, opiates and benzodiacepines were lost when dichloromethane was used to wash real samples. The results also confirmed the increase of extractability power of TFA when it was added to methanol: the recovery for the analytes (cocaine and its metabolites and opiates) added to methanol-TFA alone was of the order of 90% except for benzoylecgonine (75%), and the recovery for the analytes added to methanol-TFA extract of drug-free hair was about 90% for all analytes except for benzoylecgonine and 6-MAM (around 70%). Regarding the stability of labile compounds, only small amounts of ecgonine methylester (2.3%) and morphine (7.2%) were produced, from cocaine and 6-MAM respectively, after the whole extraction procedure and two weeks of storage of methanol-TFA extracts at -20 degrees C. Satisfactory results were obtained when the procedures were applied to the analysis of external proficiency testing hair samples and actual specimens from drug addicts.

Facile solid-phase synthesis of sulfated tyrosine-containing peptides: total synthesis of human big gastrin-II and cholecystokinin (CCK)-39.

PubMed

Kitagawa, K; Aida, C; Fujiwara, H; Yagami, T; Futaki, S; Kogire, M; Ida, J; Inoue, K

2001-01-12

Chemical synthesis of tyrosine O-sulfated peptides is still a laborious task for peptide chemists because of the intrinsic acid-lability of the sulfate moiety. An efficient cleavage/deprotection procedure without loss of the sulfate is the critical difficulty remaining to be solved for fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-based solid-phase synthesis of sulfated peptides. To overcome the difficulty, TFA-mediated solvolysis rates of a tyrosine O-sulfate [Tyr(SO3H)] residue and two protecting groups, tBu for the hydroxyl group of Ser and 2,2,4,6,7-pentamethyldihydrobenzofuran-5-sulfonyl (Pbf) for the guanidino group of Arg, were examined in detail. The desulfation obeyed first-order kinetics with a large entropy (59.6 J.K-1.mol-1) and enthalpy (110.5 kJ.mol-1) of activation. These values substantiated that the desulfation rate of the rigidly solvated Tyr(SO3H) residue was strongly temperature-dependent. By contrast, the SN1-type deprotections were less temperature-dependent and proceeded smoothly in TFA of a high ionizing power. Based on the large rate difference between the desulfation and the SN1-type deprotections in cold TFA, an efficient deprotection protocol for the sulfated peptides was developed. Our synthetic strategy for Tyr(SO3H)-containing peptides with this effective deprotection protocol is as follows: (i) a sulfated peptide chain is directly constructed on 2-chlorotrityl resin with Fmoc-based solid-phase chemistry using Fmoc-Tyr(SO3Na)-OH as a building block; (ii) the protected peptide-resin is treated with 90% aqueous TFA at 0 degree C for an appropriate period of time for the cleavage and deprotection. Human cholecystokinin (CCK)-12, mini gastrin-II (14 residues), and little gastrin-II (17 residues) were synthesized with this method in 26-38% yields without any difficulties. This method was further applied to the stepwise synthesis of human big gastrin-II (34 residues), CCK-33 and -39. Despite the prolonged acid treatment (15-18 h at 0 degree C), the ratios of the desulfated peptides were less than 15%, and the pure sulfated peptides were obtained in around 10% yields.

C-terminal N-alkylated peptide amides resulting from the linker decomposition of the Rink amide resin: a new cleavage mixture prevents their formation.

PubMed

Stathopoulos, Panagiotis; Papas, Serafim; Tsikaris, Vassilios

2006-03-01

Decomposition of the resin linkers during TFA cleavage of the peptides in the Fmoc strategy leads to alkylation of sensitive amino acids. The C-terminal amide alkylation, reported for the first time, is shown to be a major problem in peptide amides synthesized on the Rink amide resin. This side reaction occurs as a result of the Rink amide linker decomposition under TFA treatment of the peptide resin. The use of 1,3-dimethoxybenzene in a cleavage cocktail prevents almost quantitatively formation of C-terminal N-alkylated peptide amides. Oxidized by-product in the tested Cys- and Met-containing peptides were not observed, even if thiols were not used in the cleavage mixture. Copyright (c) 2005 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Anhydrous trifluoroacetic acid pretreatment converts insoluble polyglutamine peptides to soluble monomers.

PubMed

Burra, Gunasekhar; Thakur, Ashwani Kumar

2015-12-01

The data provided in this article are related to the research article entitled "Unaided trifluoroacetic acid pretreatment solubilizes polyglutamine (polyGln) peptides and retains their biophysical properties of aggregation" by Burra and Thakur (in press) [1]. This research article reports data from size exclusion chromatography (SEC), reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) assays. This data show that trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) has the ability to convert insoluble polyGln peptides to soluble monomers. The data also clarify the possibility of trifluoroacetylation modification caused due to TFA. We hope the data presented here will enhance the understanding of polyGln disaggregation and solubilization. For more insightful and useful discussions, see the research article published in Analytical Biochemistry: Methods in the Biological Sciences (Burra and Thakur, in press [1]).

Contrast use in relation to the arterial access site for percutaneous coronary intervention: A comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized trials

PubMed Central

Shah, Rahman; Mattox, Anthony; Khan, M Rehan; Berzingi, Chalak; Rashid, Abdul

2017-01-01

AIM To compare the amount of contrast used during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via trans-radial access (TRA) vs trans-femoral access (TFA). METHODS Scientific databases and websites were searched for:randomizedcontrolledtrials (RCTs). Data were extracted by two independent reviewers and was summarized as the weighted mean difference (WMD) of contrast used with a 95%CI using a random-effects model. RESULTS The meta-analysis included 13 RCTs with a total of 3165 patients. There was no difference between the two strategies in the amount of contrast used (WMD = - 0.65 mL, 95%CI: -10.94-9.46 mL; P = 0.901). CONCLUSION This meta-analysis shows that in patients undergoing PCI, the amount of contrast volume used was not different between TRA and TFA. PMID:28515857

Enhancement of neutral lipid productivity in the microalga Isochrysis affinis Galbana (T-Iso) by a mutation-selection procedure.

PubMed

Bougaran, Gaël; Rouxel, Catherine; Dubois, Nolwenn; Kaas, Raymond; Grouas, Sophie; Lukomska, Ewa; Le Coz, Jean-René; Cadoret, Jean-Paul

2012-11-01

Microalgae offer a high potential for energetic lipid storage as well as high growth rates. They are therefore considered promising candidates for biofuel production, with the selection of high lipid-producing strains a major objective in projects on the development of this technology. We developed a mutation-selection method aimed at increasing microalgae neutral lipid productivity. A two step method, based on UVc irradiation followed by flow cytometry selection, was applied to a set of strains that had an initial high lipid content and improvement was assessed by means of Nile-red fluorescence measurements. The method was first tested on Isochrysis affinis galbana (T-Iso). Following a first round of mutation-selection, the total fatty acid content had not increased significantly, being 262 ± 21 mgTFA (gC)-1 for the wild type (WT) and 269 ± 49 mgTFA (gC)-1 for the selected population (S1M1). Conversely, fatty acid distribution among the lipid classes was affected by the process, resulting in a 20% increase for the fatty acids in the neutral lipids and a 40% decrease in the phospholipids. After a second mutation-selection step (S2M2), the total fatty acid content reached 409 ± 64 mgTFA (gC)-1 with a fatty acid distribution similar to the S1M1 population. Growth rate remained unaffected by the process, resulting in a 80% increase for neutral lipid productivity. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stimulation of progesterone production by phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in cultured Leydig tumor cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chaudhary, L.R.; Raju, V.S.; Stocco, D.M.

1987-05-01

It has been shown that addition of hCG or c-AMP to cultured Leydig tumor cells (MA-10) increases synthesis of progesterone as the major steroid. To investigate the possible involvement of protein kinase C (PK-C) in the regulation of steroid synthesis, the authors have studied the effect of PMA, an activator of PK-C, on progesterone production in MA-10 cells. The addition of PMA (100 ng/ml) stimulated steroid production whereas 4 -phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, an inactive phorbol ester, did not have any effects. Like hCG and c-AMP, PMA-stimulated progesterone production was inhibited by cycloheximide. hCG-stimulated steroid synthesis was inhibited by PMA. The addition ofmore » PMA to MA-10 Leydig cells further increased the c-AMP-stimulated progesterone production. To determine whether c-AMP has a obligatory role in the regulation of steroid production, the effect of adenylate cyclase inhibitor, 9-(tetrahydro-2-furyl)adenine (TFA), was studied on progesterone production in the presence of hCG. At lower dose (17 ng/ml) hCG-stimulated intracellular c-AMP levels and steroid production were inhibited by TFA (300 M). At higher dose of hCG (34 ng/ml) TFA did not inhibit the hCG-stimulated intracellular c-AMP levels, however, progesterone production was inhibited. Results suggest that the action of hCG, c-AMP and PMA in controlling steroidogenesis might be regulated by similar but different mechanisms.« less

Perceived self-efficacy and specific self-reported outcomes in persons with lower-limb amputation using a non-microprocessor-controlled versus a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee.

PubMed

Möller, Saffran; Hagberg, Kerstin; Samulesson, Kersti; Ramstrand, Nerrolyn

2018-04-01

To measure self-efficacy in a group of individuals who have undergone a lower-limb amputation and investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and prosthetic-specific outcomes including prosthetic use, mobility, amputation-related problems and global health. A second purpose was to examine if differences exist in outcomes based upon the type of prosthetic knee unit being used. Cross-sectional study using the General Self-Efficacy (GSE) Scale and the Questionnaire for Persons with a Transfemoral Amputation (Q-TFA). Forty-two individuals participated in the study. Twenty-three used a non-microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joint (non-MPK) and 19 used a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joint (MPK). The study sample had quite high GSE scores (32/40). GSE scores were significantly correlated to the Q-TFA prosthetic use, mobility and problem scores. High GSE scores were related to higher levels of prosthetic use, mobility, global scores and negatively related to problem score. No significant difference was observed between individuals using a non-MPK versus MPK joints. Individuals with high self-efficacy used their prosthesis to a higher degree and high self-efficacy was related to higher level of mobility, global scores and fewer problems related to the amputation in individuals who have undergone a lower-limb amputation and were using a non-MPK or MPK knee. Implications for rehabilitation Perceived self-efficacy has has been shown to be related to quality of life, prosthetic mobility and capability as well as social activities in daily life. Prosthetic rehabilitation is primary focusing on physical improvement rather than psychological interventions. More attention should be directed towards the relationship between self-efficacy and prosthetic related outcomes during prosthetic rehabilitation after a lower-limb amputation.

A liquid chromatography method for determination of selected amino acids, coenzymes, growth regulators, and vitamins from Cicer arietinum (L.) and Solanum lycopersicum (L.).

PubMed

Meher, Hari Charan; Gajbhiye, Vijay T; Singh, Ghanendra

2012-01-01

A bottleneck in crosstalk and QC research has been the quantification of diverse chemotypes in small amounts of tissue. An LC-UV method for estimating 28 selected metabolites of the regulatory network underlying growth, development, maintenance, vital functions, defense reactions, and food quality is reported. The method was based on binary gradient resolutions of the analytes in an RP C18 column. The mobile phase comprised solvent A [water+0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)] and B (acetonitrile + 0.085% TFA at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. Twenty-three metabolites (selected amino acids, coenzymes, growth regulators, phenolic antioxidant, and water-soluble vitamins) were detected at 254 nm, and four fat-soluble vitamins at 280 nm. Jasmonic acid was quantified at 210 nm. The RSDs of peak area and retention time for each metabolite were <5.8%. The calibration graphs were linear with R2 values ranging from 0.98 to 0.99. The LODs (microg/mL) were about 0.01-1.0 for 23 metabolites quantified at 254 nm, 0.1-0.2 for fat-soluble vitamins, and 0.1 for jasmonic acid. The recoveries ranged from 80 to 105%, with RSDs of 2.8 to 11.2%. The method has been satisfactorily applied for determination of 28 metabolites from Cicer arietinum (L.) and Solanum lycopersicum (L.). It could be an alternative and competitive method of choice that can cheaply and easily perform routine analysis for food quality and targeted metabolomics of chickpea and tomato in response to stressors.

Expanding the family of heterobimetallic Bi-Rh paddlewheel carboxylate complexes via equatorial carboxylate exchange.

PubMed

Sunderland, Travis L; Berry, John F

2016-01-07

Five novel homoleptic heterobimetallic bismuth(II)-rhodium(II) carboxylate complexes--BiRh(TPA)4 (1), BiRh(but)4 (2), BiRh(piv)4 (3), BiRh(esp)2 (4), and BiRh(OAc)4 (5)--were synthesized in good yields by equatorial ligand substitution starting from BiRh(TFA)4 (TPA = triphenylacetate, but = butyrate, piv = pivalate, esp = α,α,α',α'-tetramethyl-1,3-benzenedipropionate, OAc = acetate, and TFA = trifluoroacetate). We report here (1)H and (13)C{(1)H} NMR spectra and cyclic voltammograms for complexes , and IR spectra for all complexes. Irreversible redox waves appear between -1.4 to -1.5 V for [BiRh](3+/4+) couples and 1.3 to 1.5 V vs. Fc/Fc(+) for [BiRh](4+/5+) couples for complexes indicating a wide range of stability for the compounds. The X-ray crystal structure of reveals a Bi-Rh distance of 2.53 Å.

1-(3-aminopropyl)-3-butylimidazolium bromide for carboxyl group derivatization: potential applications in high sensitivity peptide identification by mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Qiao, Xiaoqiang; Zhou, Yuan; Hou, Chunyan; Zhang, Xiaodan; Yang, Kaiguang; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2013-03-01

The cationic reagent 1-(3-aminopropyl)-3-butylimidazolium bromide (BAPI) was exploited for the derivatization of carboxyl groups on peptides. Nearly 100% derivatization efficiency was achieved with the synthetic peptide RVYVHPI (RI-7). Furthermore, the peptide derivative was stable in a 0.1% TFA/water solution or a 0.1% (v/v) TFA/acetonitrile/water solution for at least one week. The effect of BAPI derivatization on the ionization of the peptide RI-7 was further investigated, and the detection sensitivity was improved >42-fold via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), thus outperforming the commercial piperazine derivatization approach. Moreover, the charge states of the peptide were largely increased via BAPI derivatization by electrospray ionization (ESI) MS. The results indicate the potential merits of BAPI derivatization for high sensitivity peptide analysis by MS.

Decreased sensitivity associated with an altered formulation of a commercially available kit for detection of protein carbonyls

PubMed Central

Wang, Ping; Powell, Saul R.

2010-01-01

Carbonylation is a commonly studied form of oxidative modification to proteins which can be conveniently detected using commercially available kits. The most common of these kits is the Oxyblot™ Protein Oxidation Detection Kit (Chemicon/Millipore). Over the past year we have observed severely diminished sensitivity of these kits which was shown to be a result of a change in the formulation of one of the components supplied in the kit. This component, the 10X 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatization solution, which had previously been dissolved in 100% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), was now dissolved in 2N hydrochloric acid, which according to our results is not acid enough. Further, we observed that upon storage even DNPH dissolved in TFA is subject to degradation. Based on these studies, we make recomendations that should improve the sensitivity and reproducibilty of this assay. PMID:20230891

Application of point-to-point matching algorithms for background correction in on-line liquid chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (LC-FTIR).

PubMed

Kuligowski, J; Quintás, G; Garrigues, S; de la Guardia, M

2010-03-15

A new background correction method for the on-line coupling of gradient liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry has been developed. It is based on the use of a point-to-point matching algorithm that compares the absorption spectra of the sample data set with those of a previously recorded reference data set in order to select an appropriate reference spectrum. The spectral range used for the point-to-point comparison is selected with minimal user-interaction, thus facilitating considerably the application of the whole method. The background correction method has been successfully tested on a chromatographic separation of four nitrophenols running acetonitrile (0.08%, v/v TFA):water (0.08%, v/v TFA) gradients with compositions ranging from 35 to 85% (v/v) acetonitrile, giving accurate results for both, baseline resolved and overlapped peaks. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of the very acid-sensitive Fmoc-Cys(Mmt)-OH and its application in solid-phase peptide synthesis.

PubMed

Barlos, K; Gatos, D; Hatzi, O; Koch, N; Koutsogianni, S

1996-03-01

S-4-methoxytrityl cysteine was synthesized and converted into the corresponding Fmoc-Cys(Mmt)-OH by its reaction with Fmoc-OSu. As compared to the corresponding Fmoc-Cys(Trt)-OH, the S-Mmt-function was found to be considerably more acid labile. Quantitative S-Mmt-removal occurs selectively in the presence of groups of the tert butyl type and S-Trt by treatment with 0.5-1.0% TFA. The new derivative was successfully utilized in the SPPS of Tyr1-somatostatin on 2-chlorotrityl resin. In this synthesis groups of the Trt-type were exclusively used for amino acid side-chain protection. Quantitative cleavage from the resin and complete deprotection was performed by treatment with 3% TFA in DCM-TES (95:5) for 30 min at RT. We observed no reduction of tryptophan under these conditions.

Enzymatic production of trans fatty acid free fat from partially hydrogenated soybean oil (PHSO)--theory, strategy and practicability.

PubMed

Jala, Ram Chandra Reddy; Xu, Xuebing; Guo, Zheng

2013-12-01

Development of an advanced process/production technology for healthful fats constitutes a major interest of plant oil refinery industry. In this work, a strategy to produce trans fatty acid (TFA) free (or low TFA) products from partially hydrogenated soybean oil by lipase-catalysed selective hydrolysis was proposed, where a physically founded mathematic model to delineate the multi-responses of the reaction as a function of selectivity factor was defined for the first time. The practicability of this strategy was assessed with commercial trans-selective Candida antarctica lipase A (CAL-A) as a model biocatalyst based on a parameter study and fitting to the model. CAL-A was found to have a selectivity factor 4.26 and to maximally remove 73.3% of total TFAs at 46.5% hydrolysis degree. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Use of Ammonium Formate as a Mobile-Phase Modifier for LC-MS/MS Analysis of Tryptic Digests

PubMed Central

Johnson, Darryl; Boyes, Barry; Orlando, Ron

2013-01-01

A major challenge facing current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics research is the large concentration range displayed in biological systems, which far exceeds the dynamic range of commonly available mass spectrometers. One approach to overcome this limitation is to improve online reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) separation methodologies. LC mobile-phase modifiers are used to improve peak shape and increase sample load tolerance. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a commonly used mobile-phase modifier, as it produces peptide separations that are far superior to other additives. However, TFA leads to signal suppression when incorporated with electrospray ionization (ESI), and thus, other modifiers, such as formic acid (FA), are used for LC-MS applications. FA exhibits significantly less signal suppression, but is not as effective of a modifier as TFA. An alternative mobile-phase modifier is the combination of FA and ammonium formate (AF), which has been shown to improve peptide separations. The ESI-MS compatibility of this modifier has not been investigated, particularly for proteomic applications. This work compares the separation metrics of mobile phases modified with FA and FA/AF and explores the use of FA/AF for the LC-MS analysis of tryptic digests. Standard tryptic-digest peptides were used for comparative analysis of peak capacity and sample load tolerance. The compatibility of FA/AF in proteomic applications was examined with the analysis of soluble proteins from canine prostate carcinoma tissue. Overall, the use of FA/AF improved online RP-LC separations and led to significant increases in peptide identifications with improved protein sequence coverage. PMID:24294112

The use of ammonium formate as a mobile-phase modifier for LC-MS/MS analysis of tryptic digests.

PubMed

Johnson, Darryl; Boyes, Barry; Orlando, Ron

2013-12-01

A major challenge facing current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics research is the large concentration range displayed in biological systems, which far exceeds the dynamic range of commonly available mass spectrometers. One approach to overcome this limitation is to improve online reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) separation methodologies. LC mobile-phase modifiers are used to improve peak shape and increase sample load tolerance. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a commonly used mobile-phase modifier, as it produces peptide separations that are far superior to other additives. However, TFA leads to signal suppression when incorporated with electrospray ionization (ESI), and thus, other modifiers, such as formic acid (FA), are used for LC-MS applications. FA exhibits significantly less signal suppression, but is not as effective of a modifier as TFA. An alternative mobile-phase modifier is the combination of FA and ammonium formate (AF), which has been shown to improve peptide separations. The ESI-MS compatibility of this modifier has not been investigated, particularly for proteomic applications. This work compares the separation metrics of mobile phases modified with FA and FA/AF and explores the use of FA/AF for the LC-MS analysis of tryptic digests. Standard tryptic-digest peptides were used for comparative analysis of peak capacity and sample load tolerance. The compatibility of FA/AF in proteomic applications was examined with the analysis of soluble proteins from canine prostate carcinoma tissue. Overall, the use of FA/AF improved online RP-LC separations and led to significant increases in peptide identifications with improved protein sequence coverage.

Feasibility of recommending certain replacement or alternative fats.

PubMed

Skeaff, C M

2009-05-01

Expert groups and public health authorities recommend that trans-fatty acid (TFA) intakes from industrially produced partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVOs) should be less than 1% of total energy intake. The starting point for any regulatory or nonregulatory response to this recommendation is to assess the extent of the problem by determining where in the food supply TFAs are found and the amounts consumed in the population. Unfortunately, this is a particularly difficult task using traditional methods of dietary assessment inasmuch as food composition databases with TFA data are either nonexistent or incomplete in most countries. Current evidence on estimates of intake suggests there is high variability in TFA intakes and their food sources between countries. The ubiquitous presence of PHVOs in the global food supply in bakery products, deep-fried foods, snack foods, confectionery products and table spreads attests to their commercial value and convenience. However, their common use is more the result of historical convenience from an industry infrastructure developed over 50 years based on efficient, cost-effective hydrogenation of vegetable oils rather than any inherent sensory or physical superiority of the hydrogenated fats over purpose-made zero-trans fats and oils. Current global supply of appropriate zero-trans replacement fats high in cis-unsaturated fatty acids is insufficient to meet the demand if all PHVOs in the food supply were replaced. Regulatory action needs to be coordinated with supply to maximize the opportunity for health gains by replacing partially hydrogenated fats with purpose-ready zero-trans vegetable oils low in saturates and high in cis-unsaturates rather than animal fats and tropical oils high in saturated fatty acids.

The influence of prenatal exposure to trans-fatty acids for development of childhood haematopoietic neoplasms (EnTrance): a natural societal experiment and a case-control study.

PubMed

Specht, Ina Olmer; Huybrechts, Inge; Frederiksen, Peder; Steliarova-Foucher, Eva; Chajes, Veronique; Heitmann, Berit Lilienthal

2018-01-24

Little is known about the causes of childhood cancer, partly as not many children develop cancer, although childhood cancer is a leading cause of death by disease in the young. The young age of the children suggests that risk factors for childhood cancer may be present during pregnancy. Previous studies have shown that exposure to trans-fat, a type of unsaturated fat common in industrially produced foods (iTFA), has adverse health effects in adults, including the risk of developing cancer. Haematopoietic neoplasms are the most common cancer types among European children under the age of 15 years. This study will bring new knowledge as to whether trans-fat and other fatty acids may also increase the risk of developing haematopoietic neoplasms during childhood. We will investigate if the Danish iTFA legislation ban, which radically reduced the use of iTFA in foodstuffs, influenced the risk of childhood haematopoietic neoplasms in children born either before or after the change in legislation, adjusting for relevant secular trends. Further, in a case-control study, we will examine if levels of fatty acids in dried blood spots from newborns can predict the risk of developing childhood haematopoietic neoplasms. Permission from the Danish Data Protection Agency and the Ethical Committee has been granted. The results from this study will provide important information about fatty acids in the mother's diet as a contributor to development of haematopoietic neoplasms during childhood, which may result in relevant preventive action. Not relevant.

Incidence of apical crack formation and propagation during removal of root canal filling materials with different engine driven nickel-titanium instruments.

PubMed

Özyürek, Taha; Tek, Vildan; Yılmaz, Koray; Uslu, Gülşah

2017-11-01

To determine the incidence of crack formation and propagation in apical root dentin after retreatment procedures performed using ProTaper Universal Retreatment (PTR), Mtwo-R, ProTaper Next (PTN), and Twisted File Adaptive (TFA) systems. The study consisted of 120 extracted mandibular premolars. One millimeter from the apex of each tooth was ground perpendicular to the long axis of the tooth, and the apical surface was polished. Twenty teeth served as the negative control group. One hundred teeth were prepared, obturated, and then divided into 5 retreatment groups. The retreatment procedures were performed using the following files: PTR, Mtwo-R, PTN, TFA, and hand files. After filling material removal, apical enlargement was done using apical size 0.50 mm ProTaper Universal (PTU), Mtwo, PTN, TFA, and hand files. Digital images of the apical root surfaces were recorded before preparation, after preparation, after obturation, after filling removal, and after apical enlargement using a stereomicroscope. The images were then inspected for the presence of new apical cracks and crack propagation. Data were analyzed with χ 2 tests using SPSS 21.0 software. New cracks and crack propagation occurred in all the experimental groups during the retreatment process. Nickel-titanium rotary file systems caused significantly more apical crack formation and propagation than the hand files. The PTU system caused significantly more apical cracks than the other groups after the apical enlargement stage. This study showed that retreatment procedures and apical enlargement after the use of retreatment files can cause crack formation and propagation in apical dentin.

Apically Extruded Debris after Retreatment Procedure with Reciproc, ProTaper Next, and Twisted File Adaptive Instruments.

PubMed

Yılmaz, Koray; Özyürek, Taha

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to compare the amount of debris extruded from the apex during retreatment procedures with ProTaper Next (PTN; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), Reciproc (RCP; VDW, Munich, Germany), and Twisted File Adaptive (TFA; SybronEndo, Orange, CA) files and the duration of these retreatment procedures. Ninety upper central incisor teeth were prepared and filled with gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer (Dentsply DeTrey, Konstanz, Germany) using the vertical compaction technique. The teeth were randomly divided into 3 groups of 30 for removal of the root filling material with PTN, RCP, and TFA files. The apically extruded debris was collected in preweighed Eppendorf tubes. The time for gutta-percha removal was recorded. Data were statistically analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and 1-way analysis of variance tests. The amount of debris extruded was RPC > TFA > PTN, respectively. Compared with the PTN group, the amount of debris extruded in the RPC group was statistically significantly higher (P < .001). There was no statistically significant difference among the RCP, TFA, and PTN groups regarding the time for retreatment (P > .05). Within the limitations of this in vitro study, all groups were associated with debris extrusion from the apex. The RCP file system led to higher levels of apical extrusion in proportion to the PTN file system. In addition, there was no significant difference among groups in the duration of the retreatment procedures. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

76 FR 62801 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-11

... Pseudo PGA with Mesquite Solar 1 to be effective 11/1/2011. Filed Date: 09/30/2011. Accession Number... Electric Company submits tariff filing per 35.13(a)(2)(iii: Western USBR TFA for Red Bluff Pumping Plant to...

Assessing Lower Limb Alignment: Comparison of Standard Knee Xray vs Long Leg View.

PubMed

Zampogna, Biagio; Vasta, Sebastiano; Amendola, Annunziato; Uribe-Echevarria Marbach, Bastian; Gao, Yubo; Papalia, Rocco; Denaro, Vincenzo

2015-01-01

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a well-established and commonly utilized technique in medial knee osteoarthritis secondary to varus malalignment. Accurate measurement of the preoperative limb alignment, and the amount of correction required are essential when planning limb realignment surgery. The hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) measured on a full length weightbearing (FLWB) X-ray in the standing position is considered the gold standard, since it allows for reliable and accurate measurement of the mechanical axis of the whole lower extremity. In general practice, alignment is often evaluated on standard anteroposterior weightbearing (APWB) X-rays, as the angle between the femur and tibial anatomic axis (TFa). It is, therefore, of value to establish if measuring the anatomical axis from limited APWB is an effective measure of knee alignment especially in patients undergoing osteotomy about the knee. Three independent observers measured preoperative and postoperative FTa with standard method (FTa1) and with circles method (FTa2) on APWB X-ray and the HKA on FLWB X-ray at three different time-points separated by a two-week period. Intra-observer and inter-observer reliabilities and the comparison and relationship between anatomical and mechanical alignment were calculated. Intra- and interclass coefficients for all the three methods indicated excellent reliability, having all the values above 0.80. Using the mean of paired t-student test, the comparison of HKA versus TFa1 and TFa2 showed a statistically significant difference (p<.0001) both for the pre-operative and post-operative sets of values. The correlation between the HKA and FTal was found poor for the preoperative set (R=0.26) and fair for the postoperative one (R=0.53), while the new circles method showed a higher correlation in both the preoperative (R=0.71) and postoperative sets (R=0.79). Intra-observer reliability was high for HKA, FTal and FTa2 on APWB x-rays in the pre- and post-operative setting. Inter-rater reliability was higher for HKA and TFa2 compared to FTal. The femoro-tibial angle as measured on APWB with the traditional method (FTal) has a weak correlation with the HKA, and based on these findings, should not be used in everyday practice. The FTa2 showed better correlation with the HKA, although not excellent. Level III, Retrospective study.

Assessing Lower Limb Alignment: Comparison of Standard Knee Xray vs Long Leg View

PubMed Central

Zampogna, Biagio; Vasta, Sebastiano; Amendola, Annunziato; Uribe-Echevarria Marbach, Bastian; Gao, Yubo; Papalia, Rocco; Denaro, Vincenzo

2015-01-01

Background High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a well-established and commonly utilized technique in medial knee osteoarthritis secondary to varus malalignment. Accurate measurement of the preoperative limb alignment, and the amount of correction required are essential when planning limb realignment surgery. The hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) measured on a full length weightbearing (FLWB) X-ray in the standing position is considered the gold standard, since it allows for reliable and accurate measurement of the mechanical axis of the whole lower extremity. In general practice, alignment is often evaluated on standard anteroposterior weightbearing (APWB) X-rays, as the angle between the femur and tibial anatomic axis (TFa). It is, therefore, of value to establish if measuring the anatomical axis from limited APWB is an effective measure of knee alignment especially in patients undergoing osteotomy about the knee. Methods Three independent observers measured preoperative and postoperative FTa with standard method (FTa1) and with circles method (FTa2) on APWB X-ray and the HKA on FLWB X-ray at three different time-points separated by a two-week period. Intra-observer and inter-observer reliabilities and the comparison and relationship between anatomical and mechanical alignment were calculated. Results Intra- and interclass coefficients for all the three methods indicated excellent reliability, having all the values above 0.80. Using the mean of paired t-student test, the comparison of HKA versus TFa1 and TFa2 showed a statistically significant difference (p<.0001) both for the pre-operative and post-operative sets of values. The correlation between the HKA and FTal was found poor for the preoperative set (R=0.26) and fair for the postoperative one (R=0.53), while the new circles method showed a higher correlation in both the preoperative (R=0.71) and postoperative sets (R=0.79). Conclusions Intra-observer reliability was high for HKA, FTal and FTa2 on APWB x-rays in the pre- and post-operative setting. Inter-rater reliability was higher for HKA and TFa2 compared to FTal. The femoro-tibial angle as measured on APWB with the traditional method (FTal) has a weak correlation with the HKA, and based on these findings, should not be used in everyday practice. The FTa2 showed better correlation with the HKA, although not excellent Level of Evidence Level III, Retrospective study. PMID:26361444

Archaeological Investigations in the Gainesville Lake Area of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Volume III. Gainesville Lake Area Lithics: Chronology, Technology and Use.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

CIALC CHjin? 3 C4A ’ TC Ii ;3.4 EPStI A 10SIO (t.1001 R Cr CiA Ls 3 2 Cht I IILC0 0% 244 4 .9I - LeL I CPa (-.,’ (2391 0A rI 2 --- 11 1C kLCM 16C (1...A A(a rS LO’%E* 644 -211’ LI.PLJ Fi!,. tdii NC I40 V4~E 1:,l Ii-i r ii UCA.~CA Aii CLS fiddle xri (4741(if I (luAU CPA 6CLS)APV CrPE cl’ Cd U I !C I...9E jF itTCL BIFACIAL TrOOLS NOT tFA) IIFOA TOOLSa7A𔃻AA NC? PEtAT TNIC HAT TOLAITO LCC-L CSOTI1C LCOAL E XOTIC L CA4L (11,110 LCCs.L EACl1t SCMAPINS

Deciphering the record of short-term base-level changes in Gilbert-type deltas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gobo, Katarina; Ghinassi, Massimiliano; Nemec, Wojciech

2016-04-01

The geometrical relationship of fluvial topset to subaqueous foreset in a Gilbert-type delta may be 'sigmoidal' (transitional) or 'oblique' (erosional), which is generally attributed - respectively - to a rise or fall of the delta shoreline's time-distance trajectory and considered to reflect base-level changes. However, since every episode of a base-level fall forces the fluvial distributary system to cut down, the delta-brink sigmoidal signature of a preceding base-level rise tends to be removed. The geometrical record of short-term base-level changes in a Gilbert-type delta thus tends to be obliterated by fluvial erosion. The issue addressed in this presentation is whether the fully-preserved foreset to bottomset deposits may serve as a key for deciphering the base-level history of an ancient Gilbert-type delta. Outcrop studies of Plio-Pleistocene Gilbert-type deltas at the southern margin of the Corinth Rift, Greece, reveal a genetic relationship between the delta-brink morphodynamics controlled by base level behaviour and the processes of subaqueous sediment dispersal on the delta slope and in its foot zone. The component facies are deposits of turbidity currents (whether slope-derived brief surges or longer-duration hyperpycnal flows), cohesionless debrisflows and loose-gravel debrisfalls. The development of sigmoidal delta-brink architecture appears to be accompanied by deposition of a debrite-dominated facies assemblage (DFA) of delta foreset beds, thought to form when the aggrading delta front tends to store sediment and undergoes discrete gravitational collapses. Development of oblique delta-brink architecture is accompanied by deposition of a turbidite-dominated facies assemblage (TFA) of foreset beds, which is thought to form when the delta-front accommodation decreases and the sediment carried by hyperpycnal effluent largely bypasses the front. The alternation of TFA and DFA facies assemblages in delta foreset is thus attributed to changes in delta-front accommodation driven by short-term base-level changes, with some accompanying inevitable 'noise' in the facies record due to the system autogenic variability and regional climatic fluctuations. Comparison of delta coeval foreset and toeset/bottomset deposits in a delta shows further a reverse pattern of reciprocal changes in facies assemblages, with the TFA assemblage of foreset deposits passing downdip into a DFA assemblage of delta-foot deposits, and the DFA assemblage of foreset deposits passing downdip into a TFA assemblage. This reverse reciprocal alternation of TFA and DFA facies assemblages is attributed to the delta-slope own morphodynamics. When the delta slope is dominated by deposition of debrisflows, only the most diluted turbulent flows and chute bypassing turbidity currents are reaching the delta-foot zone. When the delta slope is dominated by turbiditic sedimentation, larger chutes and gullies form - triggering and conveying debrisflows to the foot zone. These case studies as a whole shed a new light on the varying pattern of subaqueous sediment dispersal processes in an evolving Gilbert-type deltaic system and point to an the attractive possibility of the recognition of a 'hidden' record of base-level changes on the basis of detailed facies analysis.

Supporting new science teachers in pursuing socially just science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggirello, Rachel; Flohr, Linda

2017-10-01

This forum explores contradictions that arose within the partnership between Teach for America (TFA) and a university teacher education program. TFA is an alternate route teacher preparation program that places individuals into K-12 classrooms in low-income school districts after participating in an intense summer training program and provides them with ongoing support. This forum is a conversation about the challenges we faced as new science teachers in the TFA program and in the Peace Corps program. We both entered the teaching field with science degrees and very little formal education in science education. In these programs we worked in a community very different from the one we had experienced as students. These experiences allow us to address many of the issues that were discussed in the original paper, namely teaching in an unfamiliar community amid challenges that many teachers face in the first few years of teaching. We consider how these challenges may be amplified for teachers who come to teaching through an alternate route and may not have as much pedagogical training as a more traditional teacher education program provides. The forum expands on the ideas presented in the original paper to consider the importance of perspectives on socially just science education. There is often a disconnect between what is taught in teacher education programs and what teachers actually experience in urban classrooms and this can be amplified when the training received through alternate route provides a different framework as well. This forum urges universities and alternate route programs to continue to find ways to authentically partner using practical strategies that bring together the philosophies and goals of all stakeholders in order to better prepare teachers to partner with their students to achieve their science learning goals.

The Mixture of Salvianolic Acids from Salvia miltiorrhiza and Total Flavonoids from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Attenuate Sulfur Mustard-Induced Injury

PubMed Central

Li, Jianzhong; Chen, Linlin; Wu, Hongyuan; Lu, Yiming; Hu, Zhenlin; Lu, Bin; Zhang, Liming; Chai, Yifeng; Zhang, Junping

2015-01-01

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a vesicating chemical warfare agent used in numerous military conflicts and remains a potential chemical threat to the present day. Exposure to SM causes the depletion of cellular antioxidant thiols, mainly glutathione (GSH), which may lead to a series of SM-associated toxic responses. MSTF is the mixture of salvianolic acids (SA) of Salvia miltiorrhiza and total flavonoids (TFA) of Anemarrhena asphodeloides. SA is the main water-soluble phenolic compound in Salvia miltiorrhiza. TFA mainly includes mangiferin, isomangiferin and neomangiferin. SA and TFA possess diverse activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities. In this study, we mainly investigated the therapeutic effects of MSTF on SM toxicity in Sprague Dawley rats. Treatment with MSTF 1 h after subcutaneous injection with 3.5 mg/kg (equivalent to 0.7 LD50) SM significantly increased the survival levels of rats and attenuated the SM-induced morphological changes in the testis, small intestine and liver tissues. Treatment with MSTF at doses of 60 and 120 mg/kg caused a significant (p < 0.05) reversal in SM-induced GSH depletion. Gene expression profiles revealed that treatment with MSTF had a dramatic effect on gene expression changes caused by SM. Treatment with MSTF prevented SM-induced differential expression of 93.8% (973 genes) of 1037 genes. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were mainly involved in a total of 36 pathways, such as the MAPK signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, antigen processing and presentation. These data suggest that MSTF attenuates SM-induced injury by increasing GSH and targeting multiple pathways, including the MAPK signaling pathway, as well as antigen processing and presentation. These results suggest that MSTF has the potential to be used as a potential therapeutic agent against SM injuries. PMID:26501264

The role of socioeconomic status and serum fatty acids in the relationship between intake of animal foods and cardiovascular risk factors.

PubMed

Yeh, L L; Kuller, L H; Bunker, C H; Ukoli, F A; Huston, S L; Terrell, D F

1996-07-01

Little is known regarding the relationship of serum fatty acids to cardiovascular risk factors in Nigerian populations. Civil servants with higher socioeconomic status (SES) in Nigeria appear to be in cultural transition toward a more Westernized lifestyle. For this study the food intakes of 397 civil servants were estimated from two 24-h recalls. Fatty acids in serum total lipids were measured in both absolute weight concentration and percentage composition. Daily meat intake was 43.5 g, and fish intake was 70.5 g. The intakes of meat, eggs, and milk were higher in high SES Nigerians than in low SES Nigerians. The concentration of total fatty acids (TFA, the sum of 12 serum fatty acids) was also higher in high SES men and women, as compared with low SES men and women (2064, 2060, 1831, and 1776 mg/L, respectively). There were significant direct associations between meat intake and serum level of arachidonic acid, and between fish intake and serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. TFA was positively associated with cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), and triglycerides across gender and SES groups after adjustment for body mass index, fasting insulin level, and age. Nigerian women were compared with two groups of American women. We concluded that fatty acids in absolute weight concentration reflected the amount of fat intake. The level of TFA was directly related to cardiovascular risk factors in Nigerians. Follow-up of such populations in cultural transition can facilitate the understanding of the true roles of animal food intake in the early evolution of atherosclerosis.

A novel process for recycling and resynthesizing LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 from the cathode scraps intended for lithium-ion batteries.

PubMed

Zhang, Xihua; Xie, Yongbing; Cao, Hongbin; Nawaz, Faheem; Zhang, Yi

2014-09-01

To solve the recycling challenge for aqueous binder based lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a novel process for recycling and resynthesizing LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 from the cathode scraps generated during manufacturing process is proposed in this study. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is employed to separate the cathode material from the aluminum foil. The effects of TFA concentration, liquid/solid (L/S) ratio, reaction temperature and time on the separation efficiencies of the cathode material and aluminum foil are investigated systematically. The cathode material can be separated completely under the optimal experimental condition of 15vol.% TFA solution, L/S ratio of 8.0 mL g(-1), reacting at 40°C for 180 min along with appropriate agitation. LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 is successfully resynthesized from the separated cathode material by solid state reaction method. Several kinds of characterizations are performed to verify the typical properties of the resynthesized LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 powder. Electrochemical tests show that the initial charge and discharge capacities of the resynthesized LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 are 201 mAh g(-)(1) and 155.4 mAh g(-1) (2.8-4.5 V, 0.1C), respectively. The discharge capacity remains at 129 mAh g(-1) even after 30 cycles with a capacity retention ratio of 83.01%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transport performance of a HTS current lead prepared by the TFA-MOD processed YBCO tapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiohara, K.; Sakai, S.; Ohki, S.; Yamada, Y.; Tachikawa, K.; Koizumi, T.; Aoki, Y.; Hikichi, Y.; Nishioka, J.; Hasegawa, T.

2009-10-01

A superconducting current lead has been prepared using 12 tapes of the trifluoroacetates - metal organic deposition (TFA-MOD) processed Y 1Ba 2Cu 3O 7-δ (YBCO) coated conductors with critical current ( I c) of about 100 A at 77 K in self-field. The tapes are 4.5 mm in width, 220 mm in length and about 120 μm in overall thickness. The 1 μm thick superconducting YBCO layer was formed through the TFA-MOD process on Hastelloy TM substrate tapes with two buffer oxide layers of Gd 2Zr 2O 7 (GZO) and CeO 2. The 12 YBCO tapes were arrayed on the both sides (six tapes on each side) of a stainless steel board with 3 mm in thickness for a board type shape. They were similarly soldered to copper caps at the both ends. The transport current of 1000 A was stably applied for 10 min in the liquid nitrogen temperature without any voltage generation in all tapes. Although some voltage in some YBCO tapes generated at the applied currents of about 1100 A, the transport current of 1200 A was successfully applied without quenching. The voltage between both copper caps linearly increased with increasing the transport current, and it was about 300 μV at an applied current of 1000 A. A low joint resistance between the YBCO tapes and the copper caps resulted in small amounts of the Joule heating at the joints when 1000 A was applied. The overall (effective) thermal conductivity of the current leads composed of YBCO tapes and the stainless steel board was much lower than that of Non-superconducting current leads. Therefore, the present current leads with small heat leakage seemed to be practically promising for superconducting magnets.

Role of adipose tissue in methionine-choline-deficient model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

PubMed

Jha, Pooja; Knopf, Astrid; Koefeler, Harald; Mueller, Michaela; Lackner, Carolin; Hoefler, Gerald; Claudel, Thierry; Trauner, Michael

2014-07-01

Methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet is a widely used dietary model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rodents. However, the contribution of adipose tissue to MCD-induced steatosis, and inflammation as features of NASH are not fully understood. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of adipose tissue fatty acid (FA) metabolism, adipogenesis, lipolysis, inflammation and subsequent changes in FA profiles in serum and liver in the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis. We therefore fed ob/ob mice with control or MCD diet for 5 weeks. MCD-feeding increased adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone sensitive lipase activities in all adipose depots which may be attributed to increased systemic FGF21 levels. The highest lipase enzyme activity was exhibited by visceral WAT. Non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA)-18:2n6 was the predominantly elevated FA species in serum and liver of MCD-fed ob/ob mice, while overall serum total fatty acid (TFA) composition was reduced. In contrast, an overall increase of all FA species from TFA pool was found in liver, reflecting the combined effects of increased FA flux to liver, decreased FA oxidation and decrease in lipase activity in liver. NAFLD activity score was increased in liver, while WAT showed no changes and BAT showed even reduced inflammation. This study demonstrates a key role for adipose tissue lipases in the pathogenesis of NASH and provides a comprehensive lipidomic profiling of NEFA and TFA homeostasis in serum and liver. Our findings provide novel mechanistic insights for the role of WAT in progression of MCD-induced liver injury. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Influence of cerebrovascular resistance on the dynamic relationship between blood pressure and cerebral blood flow in humans.

PubMed

Smirl, J D; Tzeng, Y C; Monteleone, B J; Ainslie, P N

2014-06-15

We examined the hypothesis that changes in the cerebrovascular resistance index (CVRi), independent of blood pressure (BP), will influence the dynamic relationship between BP and cerebral blood flow in humans. We altered CVRi with (via controlled hyperventilation) and without [via indomethacin (INDO, 1.2 mg/kg)] changes in PaCO2. Sixteen subjects (12 men, 27 ± 7 yr) were tested on two occasions (INDO and hypocapnia) separated by >48 h. Each test incorporated seated rest (5 min), followed by squat-stand maneuvers to increase BP variability and improve assessment of the pressure-flow dynamics using linear transfer function analysis (TFA). Beat-to-beat BP, middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv), posterior cerebral artery velocity (PCAv), and end-tidal Pco2 were monitored. Dynamic pressure-flow relations were quantified using TFA between BP and MCAv/PCAv in the very low and low frequencies through the driven squat-stand maneuvers at 0.05 and 0.10 Hz. MCAv and PCAv reductions by INDO and hypocapnia were well matched, and CVRi was comparably elevated (P < 0.001). During the squat-stand maneuvers (0.05 and 0.10 Hz), the point estimates of absolute gain were universally reduced, and phase was increased under both conditions. In addition to an absence of regional differences, our findings indicate that alterations in CVRi independent of PaCO2 can alter cerebral pressure-flow dynamics. These findings are consistent with the concept of CVRi being a key factor that should be considered in the correct interpretation of cerebral pressure-flow dynamics as indexed using TFA metrics. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Low Trans Hydrogenation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although hydrogenation has been the technology of choice for fat formulation for many years recent concerns over the health and nutrition of trans fatty acids have had a profound effect on the edible oil industry. Since Jan. 1, 2006, TFA has been required on nutrition labels along with saturated an...

Efficiency index: a new parameter to define breathing patterns during dynamic Xe-127 ventilation studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slosman, D.; Susskind, H.; Bossuyt, A.

1986-03-01

Ventilation imaging can be improved by gating scintigraphic data with the respiratory cycle using temporal Fourier analysis (TFA) to quantify the temporal behavior of the ventilation. Sixteen consecutive images, representing equal-time increments of an average respiratory cycle, were produced by TFA in the posterior view on a pixel-by-pixel basis. An Efficiency Index (EFF), defined as the ratio of the summation of all the differences between maximum and minimum counts for each pixel to that for the entire lung during the respiratory cycle, was derived to describe the pattern of ventilation. The gated ventilation studies were carried out with Xe-127 inmore » 12 subjects: normal lung function (4), small airway disease (2), COPD (5), and restrictive disease (1). EFF for the first three harmonics correlated linearly with FEV1 (r = 0.701, p< 0.01). This approach is suggested as a very sensitive method to quantify the extent and regional distribution of airway obstruction.« less

Effect of Coriolis force on counter-current chromatographic separation by centrifugal partition chromatography.

PubMed

Ikehata, Jun-Ichi; Shinomiya, Kazufusa; Kobayashi, Koji; Ohshima, Hisashi; Kitanaka, Susumu; Ito, Yoichiro

2004-02-06

The effect of Coriolis force on the counter-current chromatographic separation was studied using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) with four different two-phase solvent systems including n-hexane-acetonitrile (ACN); tert-butyl methyl ether (MtBE)-aqueous 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) (1:1); MtBE-ACN-aqueous 0.1% TFA (2:2:3); and 12.5% (w/w) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000-12.5% (w/w) dibasic potassium phosphate. Each separation was performed by eluting either the upper phase in the ascending mode or the lower phase in the descending mode, each in clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise column rotation. Better partition efficiencies were attained by the CW rotation in both mobile phases in all the two-phase solvent systems examined. The mathematical analysis also revealed the Coriolis force works favorably under the CW column rotation for both mobile phases. The overall results demonstrated that the Coriolis force produces substantial effects on CPC separation in both organic-aqueous and aqueous-aqueous two-phase systems.

Separation of Intercepted Multi-Radar Signals Based on Parameterized Time-Frequency Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, W. L.; Xie, J. W.; Wang, H. M.; Sheng, C.

2016-09-01

Modern radars use complex waveforms to obtain high detection performance and low probabilities of interception and identification. Signals intercepted from multiple radars overlap considerably in both the time and frequency domains and are difficult to separate with primary time parameters. Time-frequency analysis (TFA), as a key signal-processing tool, can provide better insight into the signal than conventional methods. In particular, among the various types of TFA, parameterized time-frequency analysis (PTFA) has shown great potential to investigate the time-frequency features of such non-stationary signals. In this paper, we propose a procedure for PTFA to separate overlapped radar signals; it includes five steps: initiation, parameterized time-frequency analysis, demodulating the signal of interest, adaptive filtering and recovering the signal. The effectiveness of the method was verified with simulated data and an intercepted radar signal received in a microwave laboratory. The results show that the proposed method has good performance and has potential in electronic reconnaissance applications, such as electronic intelligence, electronic warfare support measures, and radar warning.

CFD simulation of copper(II) extraction with TFA in non-dispersive hollow fiber membrane contactors.

PubMed

Muhammad, Amir; Younas, Mohammad; Rezakazemi, Mashallah

2018-04-01

This study presents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of dispersion-free liquid-liquid extraction of copper(II) with trifluoroacetylacetone (TFA) in hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC). Mass and momentum balance Navier-Stokes equations were coupled to address the transport of copper(II) solute across membrane contactor. Model equations were simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics™. The simulation was run to study the detailed concentration distribution of copper(II) and to investigate the effects of various parameters like membrane characteristics, partition coefficient, and flow configuration on extraction efficiency. Once-through extraction was found to be increased from 10 to 100% when partition coefficient was raised from 1 to 10. Similarly, the extraction efficiency was almost doubled when porosity to tortuosity ratio of membrane was increased from 0.05 to 0.81. Furthermore, the study revealed that CFD can be used as an effective optimization tool for the development of economical membrane-based dispersion-free extraction processes.

Exploring semantic and phonological picture-word priming in adults who stutter using event-related potentials

PubMed Central

Maxfield, Nathan D.; Pizon-Moore, Angela A.; Frisch, Stefan A.; Constantine, Joseph L.

2011-01-01

Objective Our aim was to investigate how semantic and phonological information is processed in adults who stutter (AWS) preparing to name pictures, following-up a report that event-related potentials (ERPs) in AWS evidenced atypical semantic picture-word priming (Maxfield et al., 2010). Methods Fourteen AWS and 14 typically-fluent adults (TFA) participated. Pictures, named at a delay, were followed by probe words. Design elements not used in Maxfield et al. (2010) let us evaluate both phonological and semantic picture-word priming. Results TFA evidenced typical priming effects in probe-elicited ERPs. AWS evidenced diminished Semantic priming, and reverse Phonological N400 priming. Conclusions Results point to atypical processing of semantic and phonological information in AWS. Discussion considers whether AWS ERP effects reflect unstable activation of target label semantic and phonological representations, strategic inhibition of target label phonological neighbors, and/or phonological label-probe competition. Significance Results raise questions about how mechanisms that regulate activation spreading operate in AWS. PMID:22055837

Organic chemistry. A rhodium catalyst for single-step styrene production from benzene and ethylene.

PubMed

Vaughan, Benjamin A; Webster-Gardiner, Michael S; Cundari, Thomas R; Gunnoe, T Brent

2015-04-24

Rising global demand for fossil resources has prompted a renewed interest in catalyst technologies that increase the efficiency of conversion of hydrocarbons from petroleum and natural gas to higher-value materials. Styrene is currently produced from benzene and ethylene through the intermediacy of ethylbenzene, which must be dehydrogenated in a separate step. The direct oxidative conversion of benzene and ethylene to styrene could provide a more efficient route, but achieving high selectivity and yield for this reaction has been challenging. Here, we report that the Rh catalyst ((Fl)DAB)Rh(TFA)(η(2)-C2H4) [(Fl)DAB is N,N'-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadiene; TFA is trifluoroacetate] converts benzene, ethylene, and Cu(II) acetate to styrene, Cu(I) acetate, and acetic acid with 100% selectivity and yields ≥95%. Turnover numbers >800 have been demonstrated, with catalyst stability up to 96 hours. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Comparative studies of cutins from lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) after TFA hydrolysis.

PubMed

Hernández Velasco, Brenda Liliana; Arrieta-Baez, Daniel; Cortez Sotelo, Pedro Iván; Méndez-Méndez, Juan Vicente; Berdeja Martínez, Blanca Margarita; Gómez-Patiño, Mayra Beatriz

2017-12-01

Grapefruit and lime cutins were analyzed and compared in order to obtain information about their cutin architecture. This was performed using a sequential hydrolysis, first with trifluoroacetic acid to remove most of the polysaccharides present in the cutins, followed by an alkaline hydrolysis in order to obtain the main aliphatic compounds. Analysis by CPMAS 13 C NMR and ATR FT-IR of the cutins after 2.0 M TFA revealed that grapefruit cutin has independent aliphatic and polysaccharide domains while in the lime cutin these components could be homogeneously distributed. These observations were in agreement with an AFM analysis of the cutins obtained in the hydrolysis reactions. The main aliphatic compounds were detected and characterized as 16-hydroxy-10-oxo-hexadecanoic acid and 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acid. These were present in grapefruit cutin at 35.80% and 21.86% and in lime cutin at 20.44% and 40.36% respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Light intensity and N/P nutrient affect the accumulation of lipid and unsaturated fatty acids by Chlorella sp.

PubMed

Guo, Xiaoyi; Su, Gaomin; Li, Zheng; Chang, Jingyu; Zeng, Xianhai; Sun, Yong; Lu, Yinghua; Lin, Lu

2015-09-01

In this study, different light intensities (80, 160, 240 and 320 μmol/m(2) s) and various mediums including control medium (CM), N/P rich medium (NPM), N rich medium (NM), and P rich medium (PM) were applied for cultivation of Chlorella sp. It was revealed that cultivation of Chlorella sp. in CM under the light intensity of 320 μmol/m(2) s led to a lipid content up to 30% enhancement, which was higher than the results of other cases. A rather high unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content of 7.5% and unsaturated fatty acid/total fatty acid (UFA/TFA) ratio of 0.73 were obtained under 320 μmol/m(2) s in CM, indicating that the CM-320 system was applicable for the generation of UFA. Moreover, Chlorella sp. cultivated in PM under 320 μmol/m(2) s provided higher TFA content (7.3%), which was appropriate for biofuel production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric characterization of thebaol, an opium constituent, and its structural analogs.

PubMed

Megutnishvili, Levan; Todua, Nino; Stein, Stephen; Mikaia, Anzor

2018-05-18

A GC-MS method is described for the characterization of thebaol, a component of opium poppy. The method includes preliminary sample derivatization to TMS, TBDMS, TFA, PFP and HFB substituted products. Fragmentation of resulting derivatives is unique under electron ionization, and proceeds via consecutive loss of two radicals that violate the "even-electron rule". Peaks of [M-2CH 3 ] +. and [M-C 4 H 9 -CH 3 ] +. ions show maximum intensities in the spectra of trimethyl- and tert-butyldimethylsilyl-thebaols. Elimination of perfluoroalkyl and methyl radicals from M +. is characteristic for TFA, PFP and HFB thebaols. The same fragmentation peculiarity is characteristic for derivatives prepared from related natural compounds containing vicinal 2-methoxyphenol moieties. The unique fragmentation of trialkylsilyl and perfluoroacyl derivatives of thebaol can be successfully used for thebaol determination within complex mixtures. This is part 4 from the series "Analytical derivatives in mass spectrometry", parts 1, 2 and 3 see [1-3]. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitric acid in polar stratospheric clouds - Similar temperature of nitric acid condensation and cloud formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pueschel, Rudolf F.; Snetsinger, Kenneth G.; Hamill, Patrick; Goodman, Jindra K.; Mccormick, M. Patrick

1990-01-01

As shown independently by two different techniques, nitric acid aerosols and polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) both form below similar threshold temperatures. This supports the idea that the PSC particles involved in chlorine activation and ozone depletion in the winter polar stratosphere are composed of nitric acid. One technique used to show this is the inertial impaction of nitric acid aerosols using an Er-2 aircraft; the other method is remote sensing of PSCs by the Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM II) satellite borne optical sensor. Both procedures were in operation during the Arctic Airborne Stratospheric Expedition in 1989, and the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment in 1987. Analysis of Arctic particles gathered in situ indicates the presence of nitric acid below a 'first appearance' temperature Tfa = 202 K. This is the same highest temperature at which PSCs are seen by the SAM II satellite. In comparison, a 'first appearance' temperature Tfa = 198 K as found for the Antarctic samples.

Acceptability of healthcare interventions: an overview of reviews and development of a theoretical framework.

PubMed

Sekhon, Mandeep; Cartwright, Martin; Francis, Jill J

2017-01-26

It is increasingly acknowledged that 'acceptability' should be considered when designing, evaluating and implementing healthcare interventions. However, the published literature offers little guidance on how to define or assess acceptability. The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-construct theoretical framework of acceptability of healthcare interventions that can be applied to assess prospective (i.e. anticipated) and retrospective (i.e. experienced) acceptability from the perspective of intervention delivers and recipients. Two methods were used to select the component constructs of acceptability. 1) An overview of reviews was conducted to identify systematic reviews that claim to define, theorise or measure acceptability of healthcare interventions. 2) Principles of inductive and deductive reasoning were applied to theorise the concept of acceptability and develop a theoretical framework. Steps included (1) defining acceptability; (2) describing its properties and scope and (3) identifying component constructs and empirical indicators. From the 43 reviews included in the overview, none explicitly theorised or defined acceptability. Measures used to assess acceptability focused on behaviour (e.g. dropout rates) (23 reviews), affect (i.e. feelings) (5 reviews), cognition (i.e. perceptions) (7 reviews) or a combination of these (8 reviews). From the methods described above we propose a definition: Acceptability is a multi-faceted construct that reflects the extent to which people delivering or receiving a healthcare intervention consider it to be appropriate, based on anticipated or experienced cognitive and emotional responses to the intervention. The theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) consists of seven component constructs: affective attitude, burden, perceived effectiveness, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, and self-efficacy. Despite frequent claims that healthcare interventions have assessed acceptability, it is evident that acceptability research could be more robust. The proposed definition of acceptability and the TFA can inform assessment tools and evaluations of the acceptability of new or existing interventions.

Richey, D.G.; Driscoll, C.T.; Likens, G.B.

Treesearch

1997-01-01

The phase out of chlorofluorocharbons (CFCs) has resulted in the use of hydrochlorofluorocharbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as environmentally acceptable alternative chemicles. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) has been identified as a degradation byproduct of these compounds, which largely returns the Earth's surface via precipitation. Little is known about...

Light contamination during the dark phase in "photoperiodically controlled" animal rooms: effect on tumor growth and metabolism in rats.

PubMed

Dauchy, R T; Sauer, L A; Blask, D E; Vaughan, G M

1997-10-01

Enhanced neoplastic growth and metabolism have been reported in animals maintained in a constant light (24L:0D) environment. Results from this laboratory indicate that tumor growth is directly dependent upon increased ambient blood concentrations of arachidonic and linoleic acids, particularly linoleic acid. Tumor linoleic acid utilization and production if its putative mitogenic metabolite, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE), are suppressed by the circadian neurohormone melatonin, the production of which is itself regulated by light in all mammals. This study was performed to determine whether minimal light contamination (0.2 lux) in an animal room during an otherwise normal dark phase may disrupt normal circadian production of melatonin and affect tumor growth and metabolism. Animals of groups I (12L:12D), II (12L:12-h light-contaminated dark phase), and III (24L:0D) had plasma total fatty acid (TFA), linoleic acid (LA), and melatonin concentrations measured prior to tumor implantation; groups I and II had daily cycles in plasma TFA and LA values, whereas group III had constant values throughout the day. The integrated mean TFA and LA values for the entire day were similar in all groups. Although group-I animals had a normal nocturnal surge of melatonin (127.0 pg/ml) at 2400 h, the nocturnal amplitude was suppressed in group-II animals (16.0 pg/ml); circadian variation in melatonin concentration was not seen in group-III animals (7.4 pg/ml). At 12 weeks of age, rats had the Morris hepatoma 7288CTC implanted as "tissue-isolated" tumors grown subcutaneously. Latency to onset of palpable tumor mass for groups I, II, and III was 11, 9, and 5 days respectively. Tumor growth rates were 0.72 +/- 0.09, 1.30 +/- 0.15, and 1.48 +/- 0.17 g/d (mean +/- SD, n = 6/group) in groups I, II, and III respectively. Arteriovenous difference measurements for TFA and LA across the tumors were 4.22 +/- 0.89 and 0.83 +/- 0.18 (group I), 8.26 +/- 0.66 and 1.64 +/- 0.13 (group II), and 7.10 +/- 0.78 and 1.50 +/- 0.16 (group III)/min/g, and groups II and III were significantly different from group I (P < 0.05). Tumor TFA and LA contents were 14.3 +/- 1.7 and 1.8 +/- 0.3 (group I), 52.9 +/- 5.5 and 7.9 +/- 0.8 (group II), and 106.0 +/- 12.0 and 18.5 +/- 2.4 (group III) micrograms/g and were significantly different from each other (P < 0.001). Production of 13-HODE by the hepatomas in groups I, II, and III was 35.5 +/- 6.3, 109.6 +/- 10.6, and 196.2 +/- 34.9 ng/min/g respectively, values which also were significantly different among groups (P < 0.001). The results indicate that minimal light contamination of only 0.2 lux during an otherwise normal dark phase inhibits host melatonin secretion and increases the rate of tumor growth and lipid uptake and metabolism. These data suggest that great care must be taken to prevent "light-leaks" in animal rooms during the dark phase of a diurnal cycle because such contamination may adversely affect the outcome of tumor growth investigations.

Effects of industrially produced trans fat on markers of systemic inflammation: evidence from a randomized trial in women

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Intake of industrial trans fatty acids (TFA) has been positively associated to systemic markers of low-grade inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in cross-sectional studies, but results from intervention studies are inconclusive. Objective: To examine the effect of a high intake of T...

Dietary docosahexaenoic acid and trans-10, cis-12-conjugated linoleic acid alter oxylipins profiles in mouse adipose tissue

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Diets containing high amounts of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decrease inflammation and the incidence of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease while trans-fatty acids (TFA) intake increases the incidence of these conditions. Some n-3 PUFA-a...

Reframing the Conversation: Insights from the Oral Histories of Three 1990 TFA Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Bethany; Blumenreich, Megan

2013-01-01

Background/Context: Researchers have examined the challenges of staffing urban, under served classrooms primarily through large-scale data sets; policymakers have responded with strategies intended to recruit more or "better" teachers into the classroom through programs such as the popular Teach for America. Yet there is little…

Semantic and Phonological Encoding Times in Adults Who Stutter: Brain Electrophysiological Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maxfield, Nathan D.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Some psycholinguistic theories of stuttering propose that language production operates along a different time course in adults who stutter (AWS) versus typically fluent adults (TFA). However, behavioral evidence for such a difference has been mixed. Here, the time course of semantic and phonological encoding in picture naming was compared…

Constraints and Negotiations: TFA, Accountability, and Scripted Programs in Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavanagh, Kara M.; Fisher-Ari, Teresa R.

2017-01-01

As the educational community continues to consider the impact of the proliferation of accountability-aimed reform on students, schools, and communities, the consequences of said reforms on teachers must be included. Results of this study indicate that even distant, broad educational policies manifest in specific and profound ways in teachers'…

Is "Teach for All" Knocking on Your Door?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Anne; McConney, Andrew

2013-01-01

Over the past few decades there has been a rapid expansion in alternative "fast track" routes for teacher preparation. Among the most aggressive of these are Teach for All (TFA) schemes characterized not only by their ultra fast entry to teaching (6-7 week course) but also by their underlying philosophy that the so called…

Building the Movement to End Educational Inequity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopp, Wendy

2009-01-01

Teach for America (TFA) exists to address educational inequity--the stunning reality that in this nation, which aspires so admirably to be a land of equal opportunity, where one is born still largely determines one's educational outcomes. Despite plenty of evidence that children growing up in poverty can do well academically--when given the…

Filipino Arts among Elders in Institutionalized Care Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Guzman, Allan B.; Satuito, James Cyril B.; Satumba, Miko Anne E.; Segui, Diego Rey A.; Serquina, Faith Evelyn C.; Serrano, Lawrence Jan P.; Sevilla, Madelyn D.

2011-01-01

The use of traditional art in recreational therapies is unexplored. This paper, thus, attempts to surface the unique power of traditional Filipino arts (TFA) as synergizing lens in capturing the individual and the collective experiences of a select group of Filipino elderly in an institutionalized care setting relative to their feelings of…

Sisyphean Neoliberal Reforms: The Intractable Mythology of Student Growth and Achievement Master Narratives within the Testing and TFA Era

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher-Ari, Teresa; Kavanagh, Kara M.; Martin, Anne

2017-01-01

Neoliberal discourses defining and measuring "student achievement" and "teacher success" through myopic high-stakes testing-driven criteria for "accountability," can perpetuate the very inequities these reforms purport to address. Nested within a five-year inquiry using grounded theory to investigate experiences of…

[Effect of food television advertising on the preference and food consumption: systematic review].

PubMed

Díaz Ramírez, G; Souto-Gallardo, M C; Bacardí Gascón, M; Jiménez-Cruz, A

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of papers that assess the effect of television food advertisings (TFA) in the food preferences and consumption in different age groups. Randomized clinical trials published up to November 2010 were searched in Pubmed, Ebsco, Cochrane and Scielo. Studies were included if they assessed the effect of direct exposition to TFA over the food preferences, demand, and consumption. Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In the three studies conducted on preschooler children an increase in selection and demand of advertized foods was reported. All the fives studies conducted on scholar children reported negative outcomes in those children exposed to unhealthy food. An increase on food consumption was observed in two of the three studies conducted on adults. The assess studies show that in pre-school and school children the effect of advertising on food consumption was consistent, while in adults there is a trend toward an strong association of exposure food advertising and preference, consumption and demand of the food advertised.

Fabrication of band gap engineered nanostructured tri-metallic (Mn-Co-Ti) oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansoor, Muhammad Adil; Yusof, Farazila Binti; Nay-Ming, Huang

2018-04-01

In continuation of our previous studies on photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of titanium based composite oxide thin films, an effort is made to develop thin films of 1:1:2 manganese-cobalt-titanium oxide composite, Mn2O3-Co2O3-4TiO2 (MCT), using Co(OAc)2 and a bimetallic manganese-titanium complex, [Mn2Ti4(TFA)8(THF)6(OH)4(O)2].0.4THF (1), where OAc = acetato, TFA = trifluoroacetato and THF = tetrahydrofuran, via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopic analyses confirmed formation of thin film of Mn2O3-Co2O3-4TiO2 composite material with uniformly distributed agglomerated particles. The average size of 39.5 nm, of the particles embedded inside agglomerates, was estimated by Scherer's equation. Further, UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to estimate the band gap of 2.62 eV for MCT composite thin film.

Construction of Well-Defined Redox-Responsive CO2 -Based Polycarbonates: Combination of Immortal Copolymerization and Prereaction Approach.

PubMed

Liu, Shunjie; Zhao, Xun; Guo, Hongchen; Qin, Yusheng; Wang, Xianhong; Wang, Fosong

2017-05-01

Due to the axial group initiation in traditional (salen)CoX/quaternary ammonium catalyst system, it is difficult to construct single active center propagating polycarbonates for copolymerization of CO 2 /epoxides. Here a redox-responsive poly(vinyl cyclohexene carbonate) (PVCHC) with detachable disulfide-bond backbone is synthesized in a controllable manner using (salen)CoTFA/[bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium, [PPN]TFA binary catalyst, where the axial group initiation is depressed by judiciously choosing 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid as starter. While for those comonomers failing to obtain polycarbonate with unimodal gel permeation chromatography (GPC) curve, a versatile method is developed by combination of immortal copolymerization and prereaction approach, and functional aliphatic polycarbonates having well-defined architecture and narrow polydispersity can be prepared. The resulting PVCHC can be further functionalized with alkenes by versatile cross-metathesis reaction to tune the physicochemical properties. The combination of immortal polymerization and prereaction approach creates a powerful platform for controllable synthesis of functional CO 2 -based polycarbonates. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation of the very acid-sensitive Fmoc-Lys(Mtt)-OH. Application in the synthesis of side-chain to side-chain cyclic peptides and oligolysine cores suitable for the solid-phase assembly of MAPs and TASPs.

PubMed

Aletras, A; Barlos, K; Gatos, D; Koutsogianni, S; Mamos, P

1995-05-01

N alpha-9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-N epsilon-4=methyltrityl-lysine, [Fmoc-Lys(Mtt)-OH], was prepared in two steps from lysine, in 42% overall yield. The N epsilon-Mtt function can be quantitatively removed upon treatment with 1% TFA in dichloromethane or with a 1:2:7 mixture of acetic acid/trifluoroethanol/dichloromethane for 30 min and 1 h at room temperature, respectively. Under these conditions, groups of the tert-butyl type and peptide ester bonds to TFA-labile resins, such as the 2-chlorodiphenylmethyl- and the Wang-resin, remained intact. The utility of the new derivative in peptide synthesis has been exemplified with the synthesis of a cyclic cholecystokinin analog. As an example of further application, five types of lysine cores suitable for the solid-phase synthesis of one, two or three epitopes containing antigenic peptides or template-assembled synthetic proteins have been synthesized on Merrifield, Wang and 2-chlorodiphenylmethyl resin.

Evaluation of food grade solvents for lipid extraction and impact of storage temperature on fatty acid composition of edible seaweeds Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae) and Palmaria palmata (Rhodophyta).

PubMed

Schmid, Matthias; Guihéneuf, Freddy; Stengel, Dagmar B

2016-10-01

This study evaluated the impact of different food- and non-food grade extraction solvents on yield and fatty acid composition of the lipid extracts of two seaweed species (Palmaria palmata and Laminaria digitata). The application of chloroform/methanol and three different food grade solvents (ethanol, hexane, ethanol/hexane) revealed significant differences in both, extraction yield and fatty acid composition. The extraction efficiency, in terms of yields of total fatty acids (TFA), was in the order: chloroform/methanol>ethanol>hexane>ethanol/hexane for both species. Highest levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were achieved by the extraction with ethanol. Additionally the effect of storage temperature on the stability of PUFA in ground and freeze-dried seaweed biomass was investigated. Seaweed samples were stored for a total duration of 22months at three different temperatures (-20°C, 4°C and 20°C). Levels of TFA and PUFA were only stable after storage at -20°C for the two seaweed species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arginine-based cationic liposomes for efficient in vitro plasmid DNA delivery with low cytotoxicity.

PubMed

Sarker, Satya Ranjan; Aoshima, Yumiko; Hokama, Ryosuke; Inoue, Takafumi; Sou, Keitaro; Takeoka, Shinji

2013-01-01

Currently available gene delivery vehicles have many limitations such as low gene delivery efficiency and high cytotoxicity. To overcome these drawbacks, we designed and synthesized two cationic lipids comprised of n-tetradecyl alcohol as the hydrophobic moiety, 3-hydrocarbon chain as the spacer, and different counterions (eg, hydrogen chloride [HCl] salt or trifluoroacetic acid [TFA] salt) in the arginine head group. Cationic lipids were hydrated in 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer to prepare cationic liposomes and characterized in terms of their size, zeta potential, phase transition temperature, and morphology. Lipoplexes were then prepared and characterized in terms of their size and zeta potential in the absence or presence of serum. The morphology of the lipoplexes was determined using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The gene delivery efficiency was evaluated in neuronal cells and HeLa cells and compared with that of lysine-based cationic assemblies and Lipofectamine™ 2000. The cytotoxicity level of the cationic lipids was investigated and compared with that of Lipofectamine™ 2000. We synthesized arginine-based cationic lipids having different counterions (ie, HCl-salt or TFA-salt) that formed cationic liposomes of around 100 nm in size. In the absence of serum, lipoplexes prepared from the arginine-based cationic liposomes and plasmid (p) DNA formed large aggregates and attained a positive zeta potential. However, in the presence of serum, the lipoplexes were smaller in size and negative in zeta potential. The morphology of the lipoplexes was vesicular. Arginine-based cationic liposomes with HCl-salt showed the highest transfection efficiency in PC-12 cells. However, arginine-based cationic liposomes with TFA salt showed the highest transfection efficiency in HeLa cells, regardless of the presence of serum, with very low associated cytotoxicity. The gene delivery efficiency of amino acid-based cationic assemblies is influenced by the amino acids (ie, arginine or lysine) present as the hydrophilic head group and their associated counterions.

Arginine-based cationic liposomes for efficient in vitro plasmid DNA delivery with low cytotoxicity

PubMed Central

Sarker, Satya Ranjan; Aoshima, Yumiko; Hokama, Ryosuke; Inoue, Takafumi; Sou, Keitaro; Takeoka, Shinji

2013-01-01

Background Currently available gene delivery vehicles have many limitations such as low gene delivery efficiency and high cytotoxicity. To overcome these drawbacks, we designed and synthesized two cationic lipids comprised of n-tetradecyl alcohol as the hydrophobic moiety, 3-hydrocarbon chain as the spacer, and different counterions (eg, hydrogen chloride [HCl] salt or trifluoroacetic acid [TFA] salt) in the arginine head group. Methods Cationic lipids were hydrated in 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer to prepare cationic liposomes and characterized in terms of their size, zeta potential, phase transition temperature, and morphology. Lipoplexes were then prepared and characterized in terms of their size and zeta potential in the absence or presence of serum. The morphology of the lipoplexes was determined using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The gene delivery efficiency was evaluated in neuronal cells and HeLa cells and compared with that of lysine-based cationic assemblies and Lipofectamine™ 2000. The cytotoxicity level of the cationic lipids was investigated and compared with that of Lipofectamine™ 2000. Results We synthesized arginine-based cationic lipids having different counterions (ie, HCl-salt or TFA-salt) that formed cationic liposomes of around 100 nm in size. In the absence of serum, lipoplexes prepared from the arginine-based cationic liposomes and plasmid (p) DNA formed large aggregates and attained a positive zeta potential. However, in the presence of serum, the lipoplexes were smaller in size and negative in zeta potential. The morphology of the lipoplexes was vesicular. Arginine-based cationic liposomes with HCl-salt showed the highest transfection efficiency in PC-12 cells. However, arginine-based cationic liposomes with TFA salt showed the highest transfection efficiency in HeLa cells, regardless of the presence of serum, with very low associated cytotoxicity. Conclusion The gene delivery efficiency of amino acid-based cationic assemblies is influenced by the amino acids (ie, arginine or lysine) present as the hydrophilic head group and their associated counterions. PMID:23630419

Separation of polar betalain pigments from cacti fruits of Hylocereus polyrhizus by ion-pair high-speed countercurrent chromatography.

PubMed

Wybraniec, Sławomir; Stalica, Paweł; Jerz, Gerold; Klose, Bettina; Gebers, Nadine; Winterhalter, Peter; Spórna, Aneta; Szaleniec, Maciej; Mizrahi, Yosef

2009-10-09

Polar betacyanin pigments together with betaxanthins from ripe cactus fruits of Hylocereus polyrhizus (Cactaceae) were fractionated by means of preparative ion-pair high-speed countercurrent chromatography (IP-HSCCC) also using the elution-extrusion (EE) approach for a complete pigment recovery. HSCCC separations were operated in the classical 'head-to-tail' mode with an aqueous mobile phase. Different CCC solvent systems were evaluated in respect of influence and effectiveness of fractionation capabilities to separate the occurring pigment profile of H. polyrhizus. For that reason, the additions of two different volatile ion-pair forming perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCA) were investigated. For a direct comparison, five samples of Hylocereus pigment extract were run on preparative scale (900 mg) in 1-butanol-acetonitrile-aqueous TFA 0.7% (5:1:6, v/v/v) and the modified systems tert.-butyl methyl ether-1-butanol-acetonitrile-aqueous PFCA (2:2:1:5, v/v/v/v) using 0.7% and 1.0% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) in the aqueous phase, respectively. The chemical affinity to the organic stationary CCC solvent phases and in consequence the retention of these highly polar betalain pigments was significantly increased by the use of the more lipophilic fluorinated ion-pair reagent HFBA instead of TFA. The HFBA additions separated more effectively the typical cacti pigments phyllocactin and hylocerenin from betanin as well as their iso-forms. Unfortunately, similar K(D) ratios and selectivity factors alpha around 1.0-1.1 in all tested solvent systems proved that the corresponding diastereomers, 15S-type pigments cannot be resolved from the 15R-epimers (iso-forms). Surprisingly, additions of the stronger ion-pair reagent (HFBA) resulted in a partial separation of hylocerenin from phyllocactin which were not resolved in the other solvent systems. The pigments were detected by means of HPLC-DAD and HPLC-electrospray ionization-MS using also authentic reference materials.

Influence of the Apical Preparation Size and the Irrigant Type on Bacterial Reduction in Root Canal-treated Teeth with Apical Periodontitis.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Renata Costa Val; Zandi, Homan; Kristoffersen, Anne Karin; Enersen, Morten; Mdala, Ibrahimu; Ørstavik, Dag; Rôças, Isabela N; Siqueira, José F

2017-07-01

This clinical study evaluated the influence of the apical preparation size using nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation and the effect of a disinfectant on bacterial reduction in root canal-treated teeth with apical periodontitis. Forty-three teeth with posttreatment apical periodontitis were selected for retreatment. Teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the irrigant used (2.5% sodium hypochlorite [NaOCl], n = 22; saline, n = 21). Canals were prepared with the Twisted File Adaptive (TFA) system (SybronEndo, Orange, CA). Bacteriological samples were taken before preparation (S1), after using the first instrument (S2), and then after the third instrument of the TFA system (S3). In the saline group, an additional sample was taken after final irrigation with 1% NaOCl (S4). DNA was extracted from the clinical samples and subjected to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the levels of total bacteria and streptococci. S1 from all teeth were positive for bacteria. Preparation to the first and third instruments from the TFA system showed a highly significant intracanal bacterial reduction regardless of the irrigant (P < .01). Apical enlargement to the third instrument caused a significantly higher decrease in bacterial counts than the first instrument (P < .01). Intergroup comparison revealed no significant difference between NaOCl and saline after the first instrument (P > .05). NaOCl was significantly better than saline after using the largest instrument in the series (P < .01). Irrespective of the type of irrigant, an increase in the apical preparation size significantly enhanced root canal disinfection. The disinfecting benefit of NaOCl over saline was significant at large apical preparation sizes. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dye sensitized solar cell applications of CdTiO{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite thin films deposited from single molecular complex

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ehsan, Muhammad Ali; Khaledi, Hamid; Pandikumar, Alagarsamy

2015-10-15

A heterobimetallic complex [Cd{sub 2}Ti{sub 4}(μ-O){sub 6}(TFA){sub 8}(THF){sub 6}]·1.5THF (1) (TFA=trifluoroacetato, THF=tetrahydrofuran) comprising of Cd:Ti (1:2) ratio was synthesized by a chemical reaction of cadmium (II) acetate with titanium (IV) isopropoxide and triflouroacetic acid in THF. The stoichiometry of (1) was recognized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic and elemental analyses. Thermal studies revealed that (1) neatly decomposes at 450 °C to furnish 1:1 ratio of cadmium titanate:titania composite oxides material. The thin films of CdTiO{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite oxides were deposited at 550 °C on fluorine doped tin oxide coated conducting glass substrate in air ambient. The micro-structure, crystallinity,more » phase identification and chemical composition of microspherical architectured CdTiO{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite thin film have been determined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The scope of composite thin film having band gap of 3.1 eV was explored as photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell application. - Graphical abstarct: Microspherical designed CdTiO{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite oxides photoanode film has been fabricated from single source precursor [Cd{sub 2}Ti{sub 4}(μ-O){sub 6}(TFA){sub 8}(THF){sub 6}]·1.5THF via aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition technique for dye sensitized solar cell application. - Highlights: • Synthesis and characterization of a heterobimetallic Cd–Ti complex. • Fabrication of CdTiO{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} thin film photoelectrode. • Application as dye sensitized photoanode for solar application.« less

Fatty acid intake and its dietary sources in relation with markers of type 2 diabetes risk: The NEO study.

PubMed

Wanders, A J; Alssema, M; de Koning, E J P; le Cessie, S; de Vries, J H; Zock, P L; Rosendaal, F R; Heijer, M den; de Mutsert, R

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to examine the relations between intakes of total, saturated, mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated and trans fatty acids (SFA, MUFA, PUFA and TFA), and their dietary sources (dairy, meat and plant) with markers of type 2 diabetes risk. This was a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of 5675 non-diabetic, middle-aged participants of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study. Associations between habitual dietary intake and fasting and postprandial blood glucose and insulin, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), HOMA of β-cell function (HOMA-B) and Disposition Index were assessed through multivariable linear regression models with adjustments for demographic, lifestyle and dietary factors. Mean (s.d.) intakes in percent of energy (En%) were 34.4 (5.8) for total fatty acids, 12.4 (2.9) for SFA, 12.2 (2.4) for MUFA, 6.9 (1.9) for PUFA and 0.6 (0.2) for TFA. As compared with carbohydrates, only SFA was weakly inversely associated with fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B. When stratified by dietary source, all fatty acids from meat were positively associated with fasting insulin - total fatty acids meat (per 5 En%: 10.0%; 95% confidence interval: 4.0, 16.3), SFA meat (per 1 En%: 3.7%; 0.4, 7.2), MUFA meat (per 1 En%: 5.0%; 2.0, 8.1), PUFA meat (per 1 En%: 17.3%; 6.0, 29.7) and TFA meat (per 0.1 En%: 10.5%; 3.2, 18.3). Similarly, all fatty acids from meat were positively associated with HOMA-IR and HOMA-B and inversely with Disposition Index. Our study suggests that the relations between fatty acid intakes and markers of type 2 diabetes risk may depend on the dietary sources of the fatty acids. More epidemiological studies on diet and cardiometabolic disease are needed, addressing possible interactions between nutrients and their dietary sources.

Impact of blood hypercoagulability on in vitro fertilization outcomes: a prospective longitudinal observational study.

PubMed

Gerotziafas, Grigoris T; Van Dreden, Patrick; Mathieu d'Argent, Emmanuelle; Lefkou, Eleftheria; Grusse, Matthieu; Comtet, Marjorie; Sangare, Rabiatou; Ketatni, Hela; Larsen, Annette K; Elalamy, Ismail

2017-01-01

Blood coagulation plays a crucial role in the blastocyst implantation process and its alteration may be related to in vitro fertilization (IVF) failure. We conducted a prospective observational longitudinal study in women eligible for IVF to explore the association between alterations of coagulation with the IVF outcome and to identify the biomarkers of hypercoagulability which are related with this outcome. Thirty-eight women eligible for IVF (IVF-group) and 30 healthy, age-matched women (control group) were included. In the IVF-group, blood was collected at baseline, 5-8 days after administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH), before and two weeks after administration of human follicular stimulating hormone (FSH). Pregnancy was monitored by measurement of β HCG performed 15 days after embryo transfer. Thrombin generation (TG), minimal tissue factor-triggered whole blood thromboelastometry (ROTEM®), procoagulant phospholipid clotting time (Procoag-PPL®), thrombomodulin (TMa), tissue factor activity (TFa), factor VIII (FVIII), factor von Willebrand (FvW), D-Dimers and fibrinogen were assessed at each time point. Positive IVF occurred in 15 women (40%). At baseline, the IVF-group showed significantly increased TG, TFa and TMa and significantly shorter Procoag-PPL versus the control group. After initiation of hormone treatment TG was significantly higher in the IVF-positive as compared to the IVF-negative group. At all studied points, the Procoag-PPL was significantly shorter and the levels of TFa were significantly higher in the IVF-negative group compared to the IVF-positive one. The D-Dimers were higher in the IVF negative as compared to IVF positive group. Multivariate analysis retained the Procoag-PPL and TG as predictors for the IVF outcome. Diagnosis of women with hypercoagulability and their stratification to risk of IVF failure using a model based on the Procoag-PPL and TG is a feasible strategy for the optimization of IVF efficiency that needs to be validated in prospective trials.

Transradial Approach for Hepatic Radioembolization: Initial Results and Technique.

PubMed

Bishay, Vivian L; Biederman, Derek M; Ward, Thomas J; van der Bom, Imramsjah Martijn J; Patel, Rahul S; Kim, Edward; Nowakowski, Francis S; Lookstein, Robert A; Fischman, Aaron M

2016-11-01

The transradial approach (TRA) has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with arterial coronary interventions. Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) performed via the TRA can enhance patient comfort, compared with the traditional transfemoral approach (TFA), by allowing immediate ambulation and precluding potential complications associated with the TFA, such as closure device injury or retroperitoneal hematoma. We report our initial experience with and technique for using the TRA for SIRT. Between May 1, 2012, and April 30, 2015, a total of 574 procedures, including planning angiograms (n = 329) and infusions of 90 Y (n = 245), were performed for 318 patients (mean age, 64.5 years). Of the 245 patients who received 90 Y infusions, 52 had SIRT performed with the use of a permanent single-use implant of 90 Y resin microspheres and 193 had SIRT performed with the use of millions of small glass microspheres containing radioactive 90 Y. Procedural details, technical success, the radial artery (RA) occlusion rate noted at 30 days (as assessed via pulse examination), and the major and minor adverse events noted at 30 days were evaluated. Technical success was achieved in 561 of 574 cases (97.7%). The reasons for crossover to use of the TFA included an RA loop (n = 2), RA occlusion (n = 9), and type D response as determined by use of a Barbeau test (n = 2). Patients had undergone between zero and six previous TRA procedures. The mortality rate at 30 days was 0%. Superficial bruising occurred in 13 of 574 cases (2.3%). A grade 2 hematoma that required a second nonocclusive hemostasis cuff occurred in one case. Transient forearm numbness or pain occurred in two of 574 cases. One patient had a transient convulsive event occur after receiving intraarterial infusion of verapamil. RA occlusion occurred in nine of 574 cases (1.6%). Use of the TRA for SIRT is safe, feasible, and well tolerated and is associated with high rates of technical success and rare complications.

The Influence of Teach for America on Algebra I Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Curtis Andrew

2013-01-01

This non-experimental study examined the influence of an initiative that High Risk School District (pseudonym) implemented to offset the effect of low student academic performance in low performing-schools. The study attempted to answer the following research question: Does having a Teach For America (TFA) teacher have an influence on a student's…

Facile, novel two-step syntheses of benzimidazoles, bis-benzimidazoles, and bis-benzimidazole-dihydroquinoxalines.

PubMed

Xu, Zhigang; Shaw, Arthur Y; Dietrich, Justin; Cappelli, Alexandra P; Nichol, Gary; Hulme, Christopher

2012-02-01

Three scaffolds of benzimidazoles, bis-benzimidazoles, and bis-benzimidazole-dihydroquinoxalines were synthesized via Ugi/de-protection/cyclization methodology. Benzimidazole forming ring closure was enabled under microwave irradiation in the presence of 10% TFA/DCE. The methodology demonstrates the utility of 2-(N-Boc-amino)-phenyl-isocyanide for the generation of new molecular diversity.

Archeology, Legos, and Haunted Houses: Novice Teachers' Shifting Understandings of Self and Curricula through Metaphor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher-Ari, Teresa R.; Lynch, Heather L.

2015-01-01

As teacher educators in an alternative certification and master's programme, we support Teach For America (TFA) teachers who are developing understandings of learning, teaching, and curriculum while they are already working full-time in classrooms. Using critical discourse analysis, we analysed 109 metaphors for curriculum created by 27 novice TFA…

"But How Long Will They Stay?" Alternative Certification and New Teacher Retention in an Urban District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mac Iver, Martha Abele; Vaughn, E. Sidney, III

2007-01-01

This study compares the retention rates of urban teachers in the Baltimore City Public School System who were recruited through a federal program called Teach for America (TFA) and selected alternative certification programs, with those of certified teachers and teachers who do not possess regular teaching credentials. The authors researched…

A Case Study of One Teach for America Corps Member's Use of Equity Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Lindsay Anne Kwock

2009-01-01

This study investigates equitable practices used by a Teach For America (TFA) corps member (CM) in her second year of teaching low income, minority students. This study's conceptual framework is based on a contemporary conceptualization of equity pedagogy that includes: (a) tools of power and access (Delpit, 1988); (b) culturally relevant…

Strange Bedfellows in Science Teacher Preparation: Conflicting Perspectives on Social Justice Presented in a Teach for America-University Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNew-Birren, Jill; Hildebrand, Tyra; Belknap, Gabrielle

2018-01-01

Teach For America (TFA), a widespread and well-known route into the teaching profession, frequently partners with university-based education programs to prepare and certify its corps members. However, university-based teacher education programs frequently emphasize very different understandings of socially just education and priorities for…

Help Needed: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study of the Experience of Teach for America Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pack, Mamie L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand, interpret, and present the finding of how second year participants of the Teach for America (TFA) program perceived their professional needs from the mentor assigned to then within the school district and within the Teach for America program. The participants were Teach for…

Teacher Attrition and Mobility during the Teach for America Clustering Strategy in Miami-Dade County Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Michael; Backes, Ben; Brady, Victoria

2016-01-01

Retaining effective teachers is a key policy priority nationwide, particularly in districts that serve large numbers of disadvantaged students. We investigate whether a change in the Miami region's Teach for America (TFA) placement strategy was accompanied by changes in teacher attrition and mobility decisions. Our results suggest that the…

What School Movies and "TFA" Teach Us about Who Should Teach Urban Youth: Dominant Narratives as Public Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cann, Colette N.

2015-01-01

White teacher savior films (WTSFs) depict the teaching profession as one for which conventional credentialing is unnecessary. White teachers with little training and experience perform miracles in urban classrooms where trained, experienced teachers have failed. This same narrative is echoed in alternative credential programs such as Teach For…

Fast Track Teacher Education: A Review of the Research Literature on "Teach For All" Schemes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConney, Andrew; Price, Anne; Woods-McConney, Amanda

2012-01-01

This review of the research literature was commissioned by the New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua as a means of informing the decision-making of the Association and its members about the Teach For All (TFA) scheme seeking to prepare teachers for New Zealand's schools. The systematic review is about fast track…

Facile, novel two-step syntheses of benzimidazoles, bis-benzimidazoles, and bis-benzimidazole-dihydroquinoxalines

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhigang; Shaw, Arthur Y.; Dietrich, Justin; Cappelli, Alexandra P.; Nichol, Gary; Hulme, Christopher

2012-01-01

Three scaffolds of benzimidazoles, bis-benzimidazoles, and bis-benzimidazole-dihydroquinoxalines were synthesized via Ugi/de-protection/cyclization methodology. Benzimidazole forming ring closure was enabled under microwave irradiation in the presence of 10% TFA/DCE. The methodology demonstrates the utility of 2-(N-Boc-amino)-phenyl-isocyanide for the generation of new molecular diversity. PMID:22237832

Working Together in Urban Schools: How a University Teacher Education Program and Teach for America Partner to Support Alternatively Certified Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heineke, Amy J.; Carter, Heather; Desimone, Melissa; Cameron, Quanna

2010-01-01

The College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL) at Arizona State University (ASU) embraced the opportunity to partner with Teach For America (TFA) to tailor existing teacher preparation programs to meet the unique needs of alternatively certified teachers in urban schools. Rather than harp on the distinctions between ideologies and…

Teach for America, Relay Graduate School, and the Charter School Networks: The Making of a Parallel Education Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mungal, Angus Shiva

2016-01-01

In New York City, a partnership between Teach For America (TFA), the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), the Relay Graduate School of Education (Relay), and three charter school networks produced a "parallel education structure" within the public school system. Driving the partnership and the parallel education structure are…

Structural Technology Evaluation and Analysis Program (STEAP). Delivery Order 0046: Multiscale Modeling of Composite Structures Subjected to Cyclic Loading

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

on transformation field analysis [19], proper orthogonal decomposition [63], eigenstrains [23], and others [1, 29, 39] have brought significant...commercial finite element software (Abaqus) along with the user material subroutine utility ( UMAT ) is employed to solve these problems. In this section...Symmetric Coefficients TFA: Transformation Field Analysis UMAT : User Material Subroutine

So NOT Amazing! Teach for America Corps Members' Evaluation of the First Semester of Their Teacher Preparation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Heather; Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey; Hansen, Cory Cooper

2011-01-01

Background: Much of the research related to Teach For America (TFA) is related to the concerns surrounding whether such teachers should assume primary teaching responsibility and whether alternatively certified teachers are effective in the classroom. This research study takes a different approach and moves the conversation into a new domain of…

Do I Really Teach for America? Reflections of a Teach for America Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamond, Alex

2010-01-01

If one knows what to look for, it is not hard to spot a Teach for America (TFA) classroom. Typically, on one wall, a "Big Goal" poster proclaims the class objective: "Students will, on average, achieve 80 percent of their learning goals based on state standards." On another, tracking charts show the progress of individual students toward meeting…

Moving the Education Needle: A Conversation with Scott Hamilton

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Joanne

2014-01-01

Scott Hamilton is the Forrest Gump of education reform, although with a lot more IQ points and fewer chocolates. He worked for Bill Bennett in the U.S. Department of Education and for Benno Schmidt at the Edison Project. He authorized charter schools in Massachusetts, co-founded the KIPP network, quadrupled the size of Teach For America (TFA), and…

Teach for America's Paradoxical Diversity Initiative: Race, Policy, and Black Teacher Displacement in Urban Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Terrenda

2016-01-01

This article examines the paradox of Teach For America's diversity gains and its support for policies that contribute to Black teacher decline in urban communities. TFA has countered claims that its expansion is connected to teacher displacement, but its two-pronged structure--as an alternative certification program and an influential policy actor…

Traditional Filipino Arts in Enhancing Older People's Self-Esteem in a Penal Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Guzman, Allan B.; Santos, Joel Ian M.; Santos, Maria Lourdes B.; Santos, Mark Timothy O.; Sarmiento, Vianney Vhon T.; Sarnillo, Edward John E.; Sarsagat, Jino Mart Erik D.

2010-01-01

Numerous studies have tirelessly and comprehensively accounted for the effects of art as a recreational therapy on mental well-being. However, there has been no previous study on the use of TFA (Traditional Filipino Arts) in the form of "Puni" as an intervention in facilitating the enhancement of self-esteem of Filipino elderly in a…

Teach For America Teachers: How Long Do They Teach? Why Do They Leave?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donaldson, Morgaen L.; Johnson, Susan Moore

2011-01-01

A large-scale, nationwide analysis of Teach For America teacher turnover presents a deeper picture of which TFAers stay, which ones leave the profession and some suggestions about why they leave. The authors learned that nearly two-thirds (60.5%) of TFA teachers continue as public school teachers beyond their two-year commitment; more than half…

WWC Review of the Report "The Effectiveness of Secondary Math Teachers from Teach for America and the Teaching Fellows Programs." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The 2013 study, "The Effectiveness of Secondary Math Teachers from Teach for America and the Teaching Fellows Programs," examined whether students taught by teachers in the "Teach for America" ("TFA") and "The New Teacher Project Teaching Fellows" ("Teaching Fellows") programs had greater…

Trans fatty acid content in Serbian margarines: Urgent need for legislative changes and consumer information.

PubMed

Vučić, Vesna; Arsić, Aleksandra; Petrović, Snježana; Milanović, Sandra; Gurinović, Mirjana; Glibetić, Maria

2015-10-15

This study examined the fatty acid (FA) composition of 13 (7 soft and 6 hard) Serbian margarines. Significantly higher amounts of trans fatty acids (TFA) were found in hard margarines (up to 28.84% of total FA), than in soft ones (0.17-6.89%). Saturated FA (SFA) were present with 22.76-51.17%. Oleic acid ranged from 26.78% to 43.78%. The proportion of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) was 22.15-49.29% in soft margarines, but only 8.02-15.28% in hard margarines, probably due to the hydrogenisation process. The atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes (AI and TI, respectively) in soft margarines were relatively low (AI 0.23-0.63 and TI 0.44-0.97), but in hard margarines AI and particularly TI were high (1.03-1.67 and 1.96-3.04, respectively). These findings suggest that FA composition of Serbian margarines should be improved by replacing atherogenic TFA and SFA with beneficial ones, in order to avoid adverse effects on health. Therefore legislative changes and consumer information are urgently needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physiological inhibitory effect of ocs in arachidonic acid-rich Parietochloris incisa (trebouxiophyceae, chlorophyta)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jian-Guo; Zhang, Cheng-Wu; Cohen, Zvi; Richmond, Amos

2002-09-01

Parietochloris incisa is an arachidonic acid-rich snow green alga. The main physiological profiles, such as ash free dry weight (AFDW), chlorophyll, carotenoid, protein and total fatty acids (TFA), in this alga exposed to old culture supernatant (OCS) at the decline phase or its crude ethyl acetate extracts (CEAE) were investigated by using tubular photobioreactors of different diameters. Results showed that both OCS and CEAE had strong inhibitory effect on the above physiological parameters. The longer the culture was exposed to OCS and the more CEAE were added into the algal culture, the more the above physiological properties were inhibited. Arachidonic acid (AA), the dominant component of fatty acids in this alga, was also seriously inhibited with respect to total TFA, AFDW of cell mass, or culture volume, due to a probable reduction of enzymes activities catalyzing chain elongation from C18; 1ω9 to AA. These results incontestably evidenced that some CEAE dissolving substances existing in OCS. like auto-inhibitors, inhibited P. incisa growth through feedback. Hence, any efficient removal of auto-inhibitors from algal culture to decrease their bioactivity could be good for maximal production of desired products like AA.

Dye sensitized solar cell applications of CdTiO3-TiO2 composite thin films deposited from single molecular complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehsan, Muhammad Ali; Khaledi, Hamid; Pandikumar, Alagarsamy; Huang, Nay Ming; Arifin, Zainudin; Mazhar, Muhammad

2015-10-01

A heterobimetallic complex [Cd2Ti4(μ-O)6(TFA)8(THF)6]·1.5THF (1) (TFA=trifluoroacetato, THF=tetrahydrofuran) comprising of Cd:Ti (1:2) ratio was synthesized by a chemical reaction of cadmium (II) acetate with titanium (IV) isopropoxide and triflouroacetic acid in THF. The stoichiometry of (1) was recognized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic and elemental analyses. Thermal studies revealed that (1) neatly decomposes at 450 °C to furnish 1:1 ratio of cadmium titanate:titania composite oxides material. The thin films of CdTiO3-TiO2 composite oxides were deposited at 550 °C on fluorine doped tin oxide coated conducting glass substrate in air ambient. The micro-structure, crystallinity, phase identification and chemical composition of microspherical architectured CdTiO3-TiO2 composite thin film have been determined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The scope of composite thin film having band gap of 3.1 eV was explored as photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell application.

Haloacetates in fog and rain.

PubMed

Römpp, A; Klemm, O; Fricke, W; Frank, H

2001-04-01

Atmospheric haloacetates can arise from photochemical degradation of halogenated hydrocarbons and from direct anthropogenic emissions. Furthermore, there is also evidence of natural sources although these are quantitatively uncertain. As haloacetates are highly soluble in water, hydrometeors are most significant for their deposition. Fogwater (96 samples) and rainwater samples (over 100 samples) were collected from July 1998 to March 1999 at an ecological research site in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. They were analyzed for monofluoroacetate (MFA), difluoroacetate (DFA), trifluoroacetate (TFA), monochloroacetate (MCA), dichloroacetate (DCA), trichloroacetate (TCA), monobromoacetate (MBA), and dibromoacetate (DBA). The major inorganic ions were also determined. High concentrations of up to 11 microg/L MCA, 5 microg/L DCA, 2 microg/L TCA, and 2 microg/L TFA were found in fogwater associated with westerly winds. Backward trajectories were calculated to determine the origin of the air masses. MBA and DBA have highest concentrations in fogwater advected with air originating from the Atlantic, suggesting the marine origin of these two compounds. All analyzed substances show higher average concentrations in fog than in rain. Estimates of the deposition of haloacetates suggest that the contribution of fog may be more important than rain for the total burden of a forest ecosystem.

Combined target factor analysis and Bayesian soft-classification of interference-contaminated samples: forensic fire debris analysis.

PubMed

Williams, Mary R; Sigman, Michael E; Lewis, Jennifer; Pitan, Kelly McHugh

2012-10-10

A bayesian soft classification method combined with target factor analysis (TFA) is described and tested for the analysis of fire debris data. The method relies on analysis of the average mass spectrum across the chromatographic profile (i.e., the total ion spectrum, TIS) from multiple samples taken from a single fire scene. A library of TIS from reference ignitable liquids with assigned ASTM classification is used as the target factors in TFA. The class-conditional distributions of correlations between the target and predicted factors for each ASTM class are represented by kernel functions and analyzed by bayesian decision theory. The soft classification approach assists in assessing the probability that ignitable liquid residue from a specific ASTM E1618 class, is present in a set of samples from a single fire scene, even in the presence of unspecified background contributions from pyrolysis products. The method is demonstrated with sample data sets and then tested on laboratory-scale burn data and large-scale field test burns. The overall performance achieved in laboratory and field test of the method is approximately 80% correct classification of fire debris samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A simple and rapid infrared-assisted self enzymolysis extraction method for total flavonoid aglycones extraction from Scutellariae Radix and mechanism exploration.

PubMed

Wang, Liping; Duan, Haotian; Jiang, Jiebing; Long, Jiakun; Yu, Yingjia; Chen, Guiliang; Duan, Gengli

2017-09-01

A new, simple, and fast infrared-assisted self enzymolysis extraction (IRASEE) approach for the extraction of total flavonoid aglycones (TFA) mainly including baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A from Scutellariae Radix is presented to enhance extraction yield. Extraction enzymolysis temperature, enzymolysis liquid-to-solid ratio, enzymolysis pH, enzymolysis time and infrared power, the factors affecting IRASEE procedure, were investigated in a newly designed, temperature-controlled infrared-assisted extraction (TC-IRAE) system to acquire the optimum analysis conditions. The results illustrated that IRASEE possessed great advantages in terms of efficiency and time compared with other conventional extraction techniques. Furthermore, the mechanism of IRASEE was preliminarily explored by observing the microscopic change of the samples surface structures, studying the main chemical compositions change of the samples before and after extraction and investigating the kinetics and thermodynamics at three temperature levels during the IRASEE process. These findings revealed that IRASEE can destroy the surface microstructures to accelerate the mass transfer and reduce the activation energy to intensify the chemical process. This integrative study presents a simple, rapid, efficient, and environmental IRASEE method for TFA extraction which has promising prospects for other similar herbal medicines. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Increasing Protein Charge State When Using Laser Electrospray Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karki, Santosh; Flanigan, Paul M.; Perez, Johnny J.; Archer, Jieutonne J.; Levis, Robert J.

2015-05-01

Femtosecond (fs) laser vaporization is used to transfer cytochrome c, myoglobin, lysozyme, and ubiquitin from the condensed phase into an electrospray (ES) plume consisting of a mixture of a supercharging reagent, m-nitrobenzyl alcohol ( m-NBA), and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), acetic acid (AA), or formic acid (FA). Interaction of acid-sensitive proteins like cytochrome c and myoglobin with the highly charged ES droplets resulted in a shift to higher charge states in comparison with acid-stable proteins like lysozyme and ubiquitin. Laser electrospray mass spectrometry (LEMS) measurements showed an increase in both the average charge states (Zavg) and the charge state with maximum intensity (Zmode) for acid-sensitive proteins compared with conventional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) under equivalent solvent conditions. A marked increase in ion abundance of higher charge states was observed for LEMS in comparison with conventional electrospray for cytochrome c (ranging from 19+ to 21+ versus 13+ to 16+) and myoglobin (ranging from 19+ to 26+ versus 18+ to 21+) using an ES solution containing m-NBA and TFA. LEMS measurements as a function of electrospray flow rate yielded increasing charge states with decreasing flow rates for cytochrome c and myoglobin.

Replacing trans fat: the argument for palm oil with a cautionary note on interesterification.

PubMed

Hayes, K C; Pronczuk, Andrzej

2010-06-01

To replace dietary trans fatty acids (TFA), two practical options exist: revert to a natural saturated fat without cholesterol (most likely palm oil or its fractions) or move to a newer model of modified fat hardened by interesterification (IE). This review summarizes the relative risks for cardiovascular disease inherent in these options. Interestingly, both types of fat have been the subject of nutritional scrutiny for approximately the last 40 years, and both have positive and negative attributes. Only during that period has palm oil production developed to the point where it has become the major edible oil in world markets, making clinical studies of it an important objective. On the other hand, approximately 25 human studies have fed interesterified fat in one form or another over this period, some for weeks, some as a single meal. Two types of diet designs exist. Several fed a small amount of interesterified fat, usually incorporated within a margarine, and stayed below the radar of biological detection of any abnormal metabolism. A few fed interesterified fat that incorporated stearic acid, as interesterified 18:0 (IE-18:0), even comparing it to trans fat and saturated fat, as a major part of total daily calories to assess its metabolic impact per se. These latter 5 to 6 studies clearly reveal negative biological effects on lipoproteins, blood glucose, insulin, immune function, or liver enzymes when relatively high intake of IE-18:0 or palmitic acid (IE-16:0) were fed in fats with sn2-saturated fatty acids. High intake of 18:0 in natural fats can depress total lipoproteins, while IE-18:0 and IE-16:0 at high levels adversely affect lipoprotein metabolism. Still other studies have supplied interesterified fat as a single meal or fed such fat daily only in a single snack, as opposed to incorporating the fat into the entire fat pool consumed at all meals in association with most foods (which is the more physiological approach and more apt to elicit effects). Even in meal studies, IE-18:0 typically delayed fat absorption postprandially, indicating its effect on fat metabolism originating, in part, in the intestine. Mainly 2 saturated fatty acids (18:0 or 16:0) have been interesterified to harden oils, using the 16:0 from fully hydrogenated palm oil or 18:0 from fully hydrogenated soybean oil as the source material. It is not clear that IE-16:0 is as problematic as IE-18:0, but IE-16:0 has been studied less. Levels between 8% energy (%E) and 12%E from 18:0 as interesterified fat (the typical diet provides about 2%E-4%E as 18:0 from natural fats) show the most effect. Detection of adverse effects would seem to start around 7%E-8%E as IE-18:0, but one can assume that effects are initiated, even if undetected, at a lower intake, similar to the situation with TFA. Thus, although an intake of 1%E to 4%E from IE-18:0 does not appear to influence lipoproteins, it is not necessarily the only system affected. The negative effects of IE-18:0 may be alleviated or masked by dilution with other fats, especially by adding 18:2-rich polyunsaturated oils to the diet. This is similar to the trans fat story, i.e., if a limited intake of TFA is heavily diluted with other oils, the consumption of TFA fails to be detected as an adverse effect. Accordingly, more research is warranted to determine the appropriateness of interesterified fat consumption, particularly before it becomes insidiously embedded in the food supply similar to TFA and intake levels are achieved that compromise long-term health.

Teach for America: A Review of the Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heilig, Julian Vasquez; Jez, Su Jin

2010-01-01

Teach For America (TFA) aims to address teacher shortages by sending graduates from elite colleges, most of whom do not have a background in education, to teach in low-income rural and urban schools for a two-year commitment. The impact of these graduates is hotly debated by those who, on the one hand, see this as a way to improve the supply of…

Teach for America's Long Arc: A Critical Race Theory Textual Analysis of Wendy Kopp's Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Michael C.; Germain, Emily K.; Valenzuela, Angela

2016-01-01

We read and analyzed 165,000 words and uncover a series of counter-stories buried within a textual corpus, authored by Teach For America (TFA) founder Wendy Kopp (Kopp, 1989, 2001; Kopp & Farr, 2011), that offers insight into the forms of racism endemic to Teach For America. All three counter-stories align with a critical race theory (CRT)…

Amavadin and other vanadium complexes as remarkably efficient catalysts for one-pot conversion of ethane to propionic and acetic acids.

PubMed

Kirillova, Marina V; Kuznetsov, Maxim L; da Silva, José A L; Guedes da Silva, Maria Fátima C; Fraústo da Silva, João J R; Pombeiro, Armando J L

2008-01-01

Synthetic amavadin Ca[V{ON[CH(CH(3))COO](2)}(2)] and its models Ca[V{ON(CH(2)COO)(2)}(2)] and [VO{N(CH(2)CH(2)O)(3)}], in the presence of K(2)S(2)O(8) in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), exhibit remarkable catalytic activity for the one-pot carboxylation of ethane to propionic and acetic acids with the former as the main product (overall yields up to 93 %, catalyst turnover numbers (TONs) up to 2.0 x 10(4)). The simpler V complexes [VO(CF(3)SO(3))(2)], [VO(acac)(2)] and VOSO(4) are less active. The effects of various factors, namely, C(2)H(6) and CO pressures, time, temperature, and amounts of catalyst, TFA and K(2)S(2)O(8), have been investigated, and this allowed optimisation of the process and control of selectivity. (13)C-labelling experiments indicated that the formation of acetic acid follows two pathways, the dominant one via oxidation of ethane with preservation of the C--C bond, and the other via rupture of this bond and carbonylation of the methyl group by CO; the C--C bond is retained in the formation of propionic acid upon carbonylation of ethane. The reactions proceed via both C- and O-centred radicals, as shown by experiments with radical traps. On the basis of detailed DFT calculations, plausible reaction mechanisms are discussed. The carboxylation of ethane in the presence of CO follows the sequential formation of C(2)H(5) (*), C(2)H(5)CO(*), C(2)H(5)COO(*) and C(2)H(5)COOH. The C(2)H(5)COO(*) radical is easily formed on reaction of C(2)H(5)CO(*) with a peroxo V catalyst via a V{eta(1)-OOC(O)C(2)H(5)} intermediate. In the absence of CO, carboxylation proceeds by reaction of C(2)H(5) (*) with TFA. For the oxidation of ethane to acetic acid, either with preservation or cleavage of the C-C bond, metal-assisted and purely organic pathways are also proposed and discussed.

The Teach for America RockCorps, Year 2: Using Authentic Research Experiences in Geophysics for STEM Teachers to Inspire Earth Science-Themed Lessons in High School Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, B.; Kassimu, R.; Borjas, C. N.; Griffith, W. A.

2016-12-01

Brooke Parsons1, Rahmatu Kassimu2, Christopher Borjas3, and W. Ashley Griffith31Uplift Hampton Preparatory High School, Dallas, TX, 75232 2H. Grady Spruce High School, Dallas, TX, 75217 3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019 As Earth Science courses appear in fewer high school curricula, we seek to find creative ways to integrate Earth Science themes as contextual examples into other K-12 STEM courses in order to develop (A) Earth Science literacy, and (B) a pipeline of young talent into our field. This presentation details the efforts of the 2nd year Teach for America (TFA) Rock Corps, a five year NSF-sponsored partnership between TFA and the University of Texas at Arlington designed to provide STEM teachers with genuine research opportunities using components that can be extrapolated to develop dynamic Geophysics-themed lesson plans and materials for their classrooms. Two teachers were selected from the Dallas-Fort Worth region of TFA to participate in original research modeling off-fault damage that occurs during earthquakes in a lab setting using a Split-Hopkinson-Pressure Bar (SHPB). In particular, we simulate a coseismic transient stress perturbation in a fault damage zone by combining traditional SHPB with a traveling harmonic oscillator: Two striker bars attached by an elastic spring are launched with a gas gun allowing us to create the double stress pulse expected during an earthquake rupture. This research affords teachers inspiration to implement Geophysics-themed lesson plans for their courses, Physics/Pre-AP Physics and Chemistry. The physics course will adopt principles of seismic wave propagation to teach concepts of impulse, momentum, conservation of energy, harmonic motion, wave velocity, wave propagation, and real world applications of waves. The chemistry course will implement geochemistry themed techniques into applying the scientific method, density, isotopic composition, pH calculations, and conservation of mass/energy. These course adaptations will address different learning objectives specified by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and provide students with concrete labs, examples, and demonstrations of concepts through a geoscience lens.

A novel process for recycling and resynthesizing LiNi{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}O{sub 2} from the cathode scraps intended for lithium-ion batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Xihua; Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Process Pollution Control, Beijing 100190

Highlights: • A simple process to recycle cathode scraps intended for lithium-ion batteries. • Complete separation of the cathode material from the aluminum foil is achieved. • The recovered aluminum foil is highly pure. • LiNi{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}O{sub 2} is directly resynthesized from the separated cathode material. - Abstract: To solve the recycling challenge for aqueous binder based lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a novel process for recycling and resynthesizing LiNi{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}O{sub 2} from the cathode scraps generated during manufacturing process is proposed in this study. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is employed to separate the cathode material from the aluminummore » foil. The effects of TFA concentration, liquid/solid (L/S) ratio, reaction temperature and time on the separation efficiencies of the cathode material and aluminum foil are investigated systematically. The cathode material can be separated completely under the optimal experimental condition of 15 vol.% TFA solution, L/S ratio of 8.0 mL g{sup −1}, reacting at 40 °C for 180 min along with appropriate agitation. LiNi{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}O{sub 2} is successfully resynthesized from the separated cathode material by solid state reaction method. Several kinds of characterizations are performed to verify the typical properties of the resynthesized LiNi{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}O{sub 2} powder. Electrochemical tests show that the initial charge and discharge capacities of the resynthesized LiNi{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}O{sub 2} are 201 mAh g{sup −1} and 155.4 mAh g{sup −1} (2.8–4.5 V, 0.1 C), respectively. The discharge capacity remains at 129 mAh g{sup −1} even after 30 cycles with a capacity retention ratio of 83.01%.« less

Lipotoxicity: Effects of Dietary Saturated and Transfatty Acids

PubMed Central

Estadella, Débora; da Penha Oller do Nascimento, Claudia M.; Oyama, Lila M.; Ribeiro, Eliane B.; Dâmaso, Ana R.; de Piano, Aline

2013-01-01

The ingestion of excessive amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and transfatty acids (TFAs) is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The focus of this paper was to elucidate the influence of dietary SFA and TFA intake on the promotion of lipotoxicity to the liver and cardiovascular, endothelial, and gut microbiota systems, as well as on insulin resistance and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The saturated and transfatty acids favor a proinflammatory state leading to insulin resistance. These fatty acids can be involved in several inflammatory pathways, contributing to disease progression in chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, allergy, cancer, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart hypertrophy as well as other metabolic and degenerative diseases. As a consequence, lipotoxicity may occur in several target organs by direct effects, represented by inflammation pathways, and through indirect effects, including an important alteration in the gut microbiota associated with endotoxemia. Interactions between these pathways may perpetuate a feedback process that exacerbates an inflammatory state. The importance of lifestyle modification, including an improved diet, is recommended as a strategy for treatment of these diseases. PMID:23509418

Inhibition of Estrogen-induced Growth of Breast Cancer by Targeting Mitochondrial Oxidants

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

chemical antioxidants, [N- acetylcysteine (NAC) and ebselen], inhibits estrogen induced expression of cell cycle genes as well as prevention of...the original First Task (i) both antioxidants, N- acetylcysteine and ebselen, overexpression of ROS lowering genes, such as, catalase or PrxIII; and... acetylcysteine and ebselen; overexpression of MnSOD, catalase, PrxIII, Trx2, or mtTFA silencing. Major findings are described in detail below: 1

Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy.

PubMed

Stender, S; Dyerberg, J; Astrup, A

2007-06-01

Although nutrition experts might be able to navigate the menus of fast-food restaurant chains, and based on the nutritional information, compose apparently 'healthy' meals, there are still many reasons why frequent fast-food consumption at most chains is unhealthy and contributes to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Fast food generally has a high-energy density, which, together with large portion sizes, induces over consumption of calories. In addition, we have found it to be a myth that the typical fast-food meal is the same worldwide. Chemical analyses of 74 samples of fast-food menus consisting of French fries and fried chicken (nuggets/hot wings) bought in McDonalds and KFC outlets in 35 countries in 2005-2006 showed that the total fat content of the same menu varies from 41 to 65 g at McDonalds and from 42 to 74 g at KFC. In addition, fast food from major chains in most countries still contains unacceptably high levels of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (IP-TFA). IP-TFA have powerful biological effects and may contribute to increased weight gain, abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. The food quality and portion size need to be improved before it is safe to eat frequently at most fast-food chains.

EGRINs (Environmental Gene Regulatory Influence Networks) in Rice That Function in the Response to Water Deficit, High Temperature, and Agricultural Environments[OPEN

PubMed Central

Hafemeister, Christoph; Nicotra, Adrienne B.; Jagadish, S.V. Krishna; Bonneau, Richard; Purugganan, Michael

2016-01-01

Environmental gene regulatory influence networks (EGRINs) coordinate the timing and rate of gene expression in response to environmental signals. EGRINs encompass many layers of regulation, which culminate in changes in accumulated transcript levels. Here, we inferred EGRINs for the response of five tropical Asian rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars to high temperatures, water deficit, and agricultural field conditions by systematically integrating time-series transcriptome data, patterns of nucleosome-free chromatin, and the occurrence of known cis-regulatory elements. First, we identified 5447 putative target genes for 445 transcription factors (TFs) by connecting TFs with genes harboring known cis-regulatory motifs in nucleosome-free regions proximal to their transcriptional start sites. We then used network component analysis to estimate the regulatory activity for each TF based on the expression of its putative target genes. Finally, we inferred an EGRIN using the estimated transcription factor activity (TFA) as the regulator. The EGRINs include regulatory interactions between 4052 target genes regulated by 113 TFs. We resolved distinct regulatory roles for members of the heat shock factor family, including a putative regulatory connection between abiotic stress and the circadian clock. TFA estimation using network component analysis is an effective way of incorporating multiple genome-scale measurements into network inference. PMID:27655842

Reproductive and developmental toxicity of degradation products of refrigerants in experimental animals.

PubMed

Ema, Makoto; Naya, Masato; Yoshida, Kikuo; Nagaosa, Ryuichi

2010-01-01

The present paper summarizes the results of animal studies on the reproductive and developmental toxicity of the degradation products of refrigerants, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), carbon dioxide (CO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), carbonyl fluoride (CF), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and formic acid (FA). Excessive CO(2) in the atmosphere is testicular and reproductive toxic, embryolethal, developmentally neurotoxic and teratogenic in experimental animals. As for CO, maternal exposure causes prenatal and postnatal lethality and growth retardation, skeletal variations, cardiomegaly, blood biochemical, immunological and postnatal behavioral changes, and neurological impairment in offspring of several species. Very early studies of CO in rats and guinea pigs reported fetal malformations in exposed dams. The results of toxicological studies on sodium fluoride (NaF) were used to obtain insight into the toxicity of CF and HF, because CF is rapidly hydrolyzed in contact with water yielding CO(2) and HF, and NaF is similar in kinetics and dynamics to HF. Increased fetal skeletal variation, but not malformation, was noted after the maternal administration of NaF. Rat multiple-generation studies revealed that NaF caused retarded ossification and degenerative changes in the lung and kidney in offspring. There is a lack of information about the toxicity of TFA and FA. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel colorimetric aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of cocaine based on the formation of three-way junction pockets on the surfaces of gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Abnous, Khalil; Danesh, Noor Mohammad; Ramezani, Mohammad; Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad; Emrani, Ahmad Sarreshtehdar

2018-08-22

Herein, a novel colorimetric aptasensor was introduced for detection of cocaine based on the formation of three-way junction pockets on the surfaces of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and the catalytic activity of the surfaces of AuNPs. Simplicity and detection of cocaine in a short time (only 35 min) are some of the unique features of the proposed sensing strategy. In the presence of cocaine, triple-fragment aptamer (TFA) forms on the surfaces of AuNPs, leading to a significant decrease of the catalytic activity of AuNPs and the color of samples remains yellow. In the absence of target, TFA does not form on the surfaces of AuNPs and 4-Nitrophenol, as a colorimetric agent, has more access to the surfaces of AuNPs, resulting in the reduction of 4-Nitrophenol and the color of sample changes from yellow to colorless. The sensing strategy showed good specificity, a limit of detection (LOD) of 440 pM and a dynamic range over 2-100 nM. The sensing method was also successfully applied to detect cocaine in spiked human serum samples with recovery of 94.71-98.63%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of new superficially porous particles with carbon core and nanodiamond-polymer shell for proteins characterization.

PubMed

Bobály, Balázs; Guillarme, Davy; Fekete, Szabolcs

2015-02-01

A new superficially porous material possessing a carbon core and nanodiamond-polymer shell and pore size of 180Å was evaluated for the analysis of large proteins. Because the stationary phase on this new support contains a certain amount of protonated amino groups within the shell structure, the resulting retention mechanism is most probably a mix between reversed phase and anion exchange. However, under the applied conditions (0.1-0.5% TFA in the mobile phase), it seemed that the main retention mechanism for proteins was hydrophobic interaction with the C18 alkylchains on this carbon based material. In this study, we demonstrated that there was no need to increase mobile phase temperature, as the peak capacity was not modified considerably between 30 and 80°C for model proteins. Thus, the risk of thermal on-column degradation or denaturation of large proteins is not relevant. Another important difference compared to silica-based materials is that this carbon-based column requires larger amount of TFA, comprised between 0.2 and 0.5%. Finally, it is important to mention that selectivity between closely related proteins (oxidized, native and reduced forms of Interferon α-2A variants) could be changed mostly through mobile phase temperature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Solvent Choice on the Self-Assembly Properties of a Diphenylalanine Amphiphile Stabilized by an Ion Pair.

PubMed

Mayans, Enric; Ballano, Gema; Sendros, Javier; Font-Bardia, Merçè; Campos, J Lourdes; Puiggalí, Jordi; Cativiela, Carlos; Alemán, Carlos

2017-07-19

A diphenylalanine (FF) amphiphile blocked at the C terminus with a benzyl ester (OBzl) and stabilized at the N terminus with a trifluoroacetate (TFA) anion was synthetized and characterized. Aggregation of peptide molecules was studied by considering a peptide solution in an organic solvent and adding pure water, a KCl solution, or another organic solvent as co-solvent. The choice of the organic solvent and co-solvent and the solvent/co-solvent ratio allowed the mixture to be tuned by modulating the polarity, the ionic strength, and the peptide concentration. Differences in the properties of the media used to dissolve the peptides resulted in the formation of different self-assembled microstructures (e.g. fibers, branched-like structures, plates, and spherulites). Furthermore, crystals of TFA⋅FF-OBzl were obtained from the aqueous peptide solutions for X-ray diffraction analysis. The results revealed a hydrophilic core constituted by carboxylate (from TFA), ester, and amide groups, and the core was found to be surrounded by a hydrophobic crown with ten aromatic rings. This segregated organization explains the assemblies observed in the different solvent mixtures as a function of the environmental polarity, ionic strength, and peptide concentration. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Leveling the Field Is Not Enough: Promoting Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Teach for America through the Evaluation of Intercultural Competence, Colorblindness, White Racial Identity Attitudes, and the Belief That Culture Matters in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Amber K.

2012-01-01

This research study examined constructs and beliefs essential to culturally responsive teachers for the purpose of understanding corps members' needs and promoting culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in the Colorado region of Teach for America (TFA). This study employed a transformative, sequential mixed methods design with a theoretical lens of…

Serum Trans Fatty Acids Are Not Associated with Weight Gain or Linear Growth in School-Age Children123

PubMed Central

Baylin, Ana; Perng, Wei; Mora-Plazas, Mercedes; Marin, Constanza; Villamor, Eduardo

2015-01-01

Background: Animal and human adult studies indicate that long-term intake of trans fatty acids (TFAs) may be associated with weight gain. High intake of fast foods and snacks, which are rich in TFAs, is linked to overweight status among school-age children. However, the specific effects of TFAs in this population are unknown. Objective: We examined whether serum TFAs, used as biomarkers of intake, are associated with faster weight gain and linear growth during school years. Methods: We quantified TFAs by GLC in serum samples of 668 children aged 5–12 y at the time of recruitment into an ongoing cohort study performed in Bogota (Colombia) since 2006. Serum proportions of trans palmitoleic acid (16:1t), trans oleic acid (18:1t), trans linoleic acid (18:2t), and total TFAs were used as biomarkers of intake. Anthropometric characteristics were measured periodically for a median of 30 mo. Body mass index-for-age z scores (BAZs) and height-for-age z scores (HAZs) were calculated with the use of the WHO reference. We estimated mean changes in BAZs and HAZs over follow-up according to quartiles of each TFA at baseline by using mixed-effects regression models with restricted cubic splines. Results: Proportions of trans palmitoleic acid, trans oleic acid, trans linoleic acid, and total TFAs (mean ± SD, % of total serum FAs), were 0.22 ± 0.06, 0.91 ± 0.37, 0.96 ± 0.27, and 2.10 ± 0.59, respectively. Serum TFAs were not associated with changes in BAZs and HAZs after adjusting for sex, baseline age, and socioeconomic status. In a subgroup analysis by sex, serum trans palmitoleic acid was positively associated with the estimated change in HAZs from ages 6 to 14 y in boys (with use of the first quartile as the reference, differences in HAZs for trans palmitoleic acid quartiles were 0.73, 0.53, and 0.70, P-trend = 0.03). Conclusions: Proportions of serum TFAs, used as biomarkers of TFA intake, were not associated with weight gain in children aged 6–14 y in low- and middle-income populations in Bogota. The proportion of trans palmitoleic acid was positively associated with linear growth in boys. Longer follow-up and studies in diverse cohorts with wider ranges of TFA intake are warranted. PMID:26180252

Crystal growth of YBCO coated conductors by TFA MOD method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshizumi, M.; Nakanishi, T.; Matsuda, J.; Nakaoka, K.; Sutoh, Y.; Izumi, T.; Shiohara, Y.

2008-09-01

The crystal growth mechanism of TFA (trifluoroacetates)-MOD (metal organic deposition) derived YBa 2Cu 3O y has been investigated to understand the process for higher production rates of the conversion process. YBCO films were prepared by TFA-MOD on CeO 2/Gd 2Zr 2O 7/Hastelloy C276 substrates. The growth rates of YBCO derived from Y:Ba:Cu = 1:2:3 and 1:1.5:3 starting solutions were investigated by XRD and TEM analyses. YBCO growth proceeds in two steps of the epitaxial one from the substrate and solid state reaction. The overall growth rate estimated from the residual amounts of BaF 2 with time measured by XRD is proportional to a square root of P(H 2O). The trend was independent of the composition of starting solutions, however, the growth rate obtained from the 1:1.5:3 starting solutions was high as twice as that of 1:2:3, which could not be explained by the composition of BaF 2 included in the precursor films. On the other hand, the growth rate measured from the thickness of the YBCO quenched film at the same process time showed no difference between the samples of 1:2:3 and 1:1.5:3. The epitaxial growth rate of 1:1.5:3 was also the same as the overall growth rate of that, which means there was no solid state reaction to form YBCO after the epitaxial growth. The YBCO growth mechanism was found to be as follows; YBCO crystals nucleate at the surface of the substrate and epitaxially grow into the precursor by layer-by-layer by a manner with trapping unreacted particles. The amounts of YBCO and the unreacted particles trapped in the YBCO film are independent of the composition of the starting solution in this step. Unreacted particles react with each other to form YBCO and pores by solid state reaction as long as there is BaF 2 left in the film. The Ba-poor starting solution gives little BaF 2 left in the film and so the solid state reaction is completed within a short time, resulting in the fast overall growth rate.

Culturable diversity and biochemical features of thraustochytrids from coastal waters of Southern China.

PubMed

Liu, Ying; Singh, Purnima; Sun, Yuan; Luan, Shengji; Wang, Guangyi

2014-04-01

Thraustochytrids are ubiquitous marine osmo-heterotrophic fungi-like microorganisms with only about 40 identified species till now. In this study, a total of 60 thraustochytrid strains were isolated from marine coastal habitats. Analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that they belonged to three genera, i.e., Schizochytrium, Aurantiochytrium, and Thraustochytrium. All of the isolates were found to show considerable cellulolytic and lipolytic activities. Strains of Aurantiochytrium sp. and Thraustochytrium sp. were found to produce the highest levels of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), which reached 345 μg ml(-1) in the growth media. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the EPS samples derived from two thraustochytrids (PKU#Sed1 and #SW1) displayed peaks for carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, uronic acids, and nucleic acids. Fatty acid profiles of four thraustochytrids comprised of palmitic acid (C16:0) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as their major constituents. Schizochytrium sp. demonstrated the highest DHA production at 44 % of total fatty acids (TFA) with biomass and DHA yield of 7.1 and 1.6 g l(-1), respectively, on the fourth day of growth. All the four isolates exhibited considerable production of palmitic acid (16:0) in their fatty acid profiles ranging from 35 to 50 % TFA. This is the first report on extracellular enzymes, EPS, and DHA production from thraustochytrids isolated from the coastal habitats of China.

Rapid purification method for vitamin A-derived aging pigments A2E and iso-A2E using cation exchange resin.

PubMed

Jee, Eun Hye; Kim, So Ra; Jang, Young Pyo

2012-08-17

A2E, known to be involved in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is one of the major compounds that accumulate as fluorescent pigments in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with age and in some retinal disorders. While the biomimetic synthesis of A2E and its cis-isomer, iso-A2E is as simple as 'one-pot' reaction, the purification of these amphiphillic compounds has been a bottleneck for the mass production of these pathophysiologically important eye pigments. In order to provide a new method of rapid purification of A2E and iso-A2E, we employed a cation exchange resin for the separation of these pigments from crude reaction mixture. The reaction mixture was loaded on a weak acid resin and was eluted with 80% methanol with sodium hydroxide (pH 12), 100% methanol, and 100% methanol with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in sequence. A2E and isoA2E were eluted only with 100% methanol solution containing TFA. Most of unreacted starting materials and intermediates were removed with 80% methanol containing sodium hydroxide. The new method can be used as a relatively simple and economic way to purify A2E and iso-A2E compared to conventional HPLC technique. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A three-dimensional model of the atmospheric chemistry of E and Z-CF3CH=CHCl (HCFO-1233(zd) (E/Z))

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulbaek Andersen, Mads P.; Schmidt, Johan A.; Volkova, Aleksandra; Wuebbles, Donald J.

2018-04-01

Using a 3-dimensional global atmospheric chemistry and transport model we investigated the atmospheric degradation of HCFO-1233zd(E), E-CF3CH=CHCl, a commercially important, new hydrofluorocarbon replacement compound. Atmospheric degradation of E-CF3CH=CHCl is initiated by reaction with OH radicals, which leads to several chemical oxidation products. Dissemination of these oxidation products to the environment is of concern due to the possible formation of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a degradation product. The model indicates that the average global yield of TFA from atmospheric processing of E-CF3CH=CHCl is approximately 2%. The annually averaged atmospheric lifetime of E-CF3CH=CHCl was found to be approximately 36 days (12 days for Z-CF3CH=CHCl). As E-CF3CH=CHCl is short lived, by far the majority of its Cl atoms will be released and deposited in the lower atmosphere, and the impact on stratospheric ozone is insignificant. An Ozone Depletion Potential of 0.00030 was determined. The Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential was evaluated and a value of 3.6 determined. Finally, we derive a Global Warming Potential for E-CF3CH=CHCl for a 100 year time horizon of <5. For comparison, data for the stereoismeric analogue, Z-CF3CH=CHCl, was also obtained from the model.

Mode-of-action evaluation for the effect of trans fatty acids on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

PubMed

Reichard, John F; Haber, Lynne T

2016-12-01

The purpose of this work is to systematically consider the data relating to the mode of action (MOA) for the effects of industrially produced trans fatty acid (iTFA) on plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. The hypothesized MOA is composed of two key events: increased LDL production and decreased LDL clearance. A substantial database supports this MOA, although the key events are likely to be interdependent, rather than sequential. Both key events are functions of nonlinear biological processes including rate-limited clearance, receptor-mediated transcription, and both positive and negative feedback regulation. Each key event was evaluated based on weight-of-evidence analysis and for human relevance. We conclude that the data are inadequate for a detailed dose-response analysis in the context of the evolved Bradford Hill considerations; however, the weight of evidence is strong and the overall shape of the dose-response curves for markers of the key events and the key determinants of those relationships is well understood in many cases and is nonlinear. Feedback controls are responsible for maintaining homeostasis of cholesterol and triglyceride levels and underlie both of the key events, resulting in a less-than-linear or thresholded relationship between TFA and LDL-C. The inconsistencies and gaps in the database are discussed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Strong Fluorescent Smart Organogel as a Dual Sensing Material for Volatile Acid and Organic Amine Vapors.

PubMed

Xue, Pengchong; Yao, Boqi; Wang, Panpan; Gong, Peng; Zhang, Zhenqi; Lu, Ran

2015-11-23

An L-phenylalanine derivative (C12PhBPCP) consisting of a strong emission fluorophore with benzoxazole and cyano groups is designed and synthesized to realize dual responses to volatile acid and organic amine vapors. The photophysical properties and self-assembly of the said derivative in the gel phase are also studied. C12PhBPCP can gelate organic solvents and self-assemble into 1 D nanofibers in the gels. UV/Vis absorption spectral results show H-aggregate formation during gelation, which indicates strong exciton coupling between fluorophores. Both wet gel and xerogel emit strong green fluorescence because the cyano group suppresses fluorescence quenching in the self-assemblies. Moreover, the xerogel film with strong green fluorescence can be used as a dual chemosensor for quantitative detection of volatile acid and organic amine vapors with fast response times and low detection limits owing to its large surface area and amplified fluorescence quenching. The detection limits are 796 ppt and 25 ppb for gaseous aniline and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), respectively. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Inhibition of Estrogen-induced Growth of Breast Cancer by Targeting Mitochondrial Oxidants

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

oxidant production as well as in mtTFA silenced cells, E2 produced fewer colony compared to E2 alone (Figure 2). Antioxidant ebselen also inhibited E2...Colonies formed by E2 (A), is mitigated by over expression biological antioxidant catalase (B) or MnSOD (C). In addition, 40uM treatment with ebselen , a...expression biological antioxidant catalase (B) or MnSOD (C). In addition, 40uM treatment with ebselen , a chemical antioxidants antioxidant, also

Mental Health in Corrections Symposium (1993) Held in Kansas City, Missouri on June 9 - 11, 1993

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-11

draftees in our unit with advanced degrees. This fact made it I incumbent on the Navy to provide us intellectuals with proper stimulation , and they...federal prison was the United State Penitentiary at Leavenworth, which physically occupied the grounds of Fort Leavenworth, on loan from the Army. This...Disorders SNo Physical Dependence Effece n2. Dependen Dis Produces Change In The Way A Patient2 epnemDiodr Thinks, Fe And Acts (TFA) Physical Dependence

Can we improve the nutritional quality of meat?

PubMed

Scollan, Nigel D; Price, Eleri M; Morgan, Sarah A; Huws, Sharon A; Shingfield, Kevin J

2017-11-01

The nutritional value of meat is an increasingly important factor influencing consumer preferences for poultry, red meat and processed meat products. Intramuscular fat content and composition, in addition to high quality protein, trace minerals and vitamins are important determinants of nutritional value. Fat content of meat at retail has decreased substantially over the past 40 years through advances in animal genetics, nutrition and management and changes in processing techniques. Evidence of the association between diet and the incidence of human non-communicable diseases has driven an interest in developing production systems for lowering total SFA and trans fatty acid (TFA) content and enrichment of n-3 PUFA concentrations in meat and meat products. Typically, poultry and pork has a lower fat content, containing higher PUFA and lower TFA concentrations than lamb or beef. Animal genetics, nutrition and maturity, coupled with their rumen microbiome, are the main factors influencing tissue lipid content and relative proportions of SFA, MUFA and PUFA. Altering the fatty acid (FA) profile of lamb and beef is determined to a large extent by extensive plant and microbial lipolysis and subsequent microbial biohydrogenation of dietary lipid in the rumen, and one of the major reasons explaining the differences in lipid composition of meat from monogastrics and ruminants. Nutritional strategies can be used to align the fat content and FA composition of poultry, pork, lamb and beef with Public Health Guidelines for lowering the social and economic burden of chronic disease.

Acoustic Scattering by Three-Dimensional Stators and Rotors Using the SOURCE3D Code. Volume 1; Analysis and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Harold D.

1999-01-01

This report provides a study of rotor and stator scattering using the SOURCE3D Rotor Wake/Stator Interaction Code. SOURCE3D is a quasi-three-dimensional computer program that uses three-dimensional acoustics and two-dimensional cascade load response theory to calculate rotor and stator modal reflection and transmission (scattering) coefficients. SOURCE3D is at the core of the TFaNS (Theoretical Fan Noise Design/Prediction System), developed for NASA, which provides complete fully coupled (inlet, rotor, stator, exit) noise solutions for turbofan engines. The reason for studying scattering is that we must first understand the behavior of the individual scattering coefficients provided by SOURCE3D, before eventually understanding the more complicated predictions from TFaNS. To study scattering, we have derived a large number of scattering curves for vane and blade rows. The curves are plots of output wave power divided by input wave power (in dB units) versus vane/blade ratio. Some of these plots are shown in this report. All of the plots are provided in a separate volume. To assist in understanding the plots, formulas have been derived for special vane/blade ratios for which wavefronts are either parallel or normal to rotor or stator chords. From the plots, we have found that, for the most part, there was strong transmission and weak reflection over most of the vane/blade ratio range for the stator. For the rotor, there was little transmission loss.

-HPLC determination of acidic d-amino acids and their N-methyl derivatives in biological tissues

PubMed Central

Tsesarskaia, Mara; Galindo, Erika; Szókán, Gyula; Fisher, George

2015-01-01

d-aspartate (d-Asp) and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) occur in the neuroendocrine systems of vertebrates and invertebrates where they play a role in hormone release and synthesis, neurotransmission, and memory and learning. N-methyl-d-glutamate (NMDG) has also been detected in marine bivalves. Several methods have been used to detect these amino acids, but they require pretreatment of tissue samples with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) to remove primary amino acids which interfere with the detection of NMDA and NMDG. We report here a one step derivatization procedure with the chiral reagent N-α-(5-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl)-(d or l)-valine amide, FDNP-Val-NH2, a close analog of Marfey’s reagent but with better resolution and higher molar absorptivity. The diastereomers formed are separated by HPLC on an ODS-Hypersil column eluted with TFA/water – TFA/MeCN. UV absorption at 340 nm permits detection levels as low as 5–10 picomoles. D-Asp, NMDA and NMDG peaks are not obscured by other primary or secondary amino acids; hence pretreatment of tissues with OPA is not required. This method is highly reliable and fast (less than 40 minutes HPLC run). Using this method, we have detected D-Asp, NMDA and NMDG in several biological tissues (octopus brain, optical lobe, and bucchal mass; foot and mantle of the mollusk Scapharca broughtonii), confirming the results of other researchers. PMID:19277955

Development of an 19F NMR method for the analysis of fluorinated acids in environmental water samples.

PubMed

Ellis, D A; Martin, J W; Muir, D C; Mabury, S A

2000-02-15

This investigation was carried out to evaluate 19F NMR as an analytical tool for the measurement of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and other fluorinated acids in the aquatic environment. A method based upon strong anionic exchange (SAX) chromatography was also optimized for the concentration of the fluoro acids prior to NMR analysis. Extraction of the analyte from the SAX column was carried out directly in the NMR solvent in the presence of the strong organic base, DBU. The method allowed the analysis of the acid without any prior cleanup steps being involved. Optimal NMR sensitivity based upon T1 relaxation times was investigated for seven fluorinated compounds in four different NMR solvents. The use of the relaxation agent chromium acetylacetonate, Cr(acac)3, within these solvent systems was also evaluated. Results show that the optimal NMR solvent differs for each fluorinated analyte. Cr(acac)3 was shown to have pronounced effects on the limits of detection of the analyte. Generally, the optimal sensitivity condition appears to be methanol-d4/2M DBU in the presence of 4 mg/mL of Cr-(acac)3. The method was validated through spike and recovery for five fluoro acids from environmentally relevant waters. Results are presented for the analysis of TFA in Toronto rainwater, which ranged from < 16 to 850 ng/L. The NMR results were confirmed by GC-MS selected-ion monitoring of the fluoroanalide derivative.

Effects of Light and Temperature on Fatty Acid Production in Nannochloropsis Salina

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Wagenen, Jonathan M.; Miller, Tyler W.; Hobbs, Samuel J.

2012-03-12

Accurate prediction of algal biofuel yield will require empirical determination of physiological responses to the climate, particularly light and temperature. One strain of interest, Nannochloropsis salina, was subjected to ranges of light intensity (5-850 {mu}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}) and temperature (13-40 C); exponential growth rate, total fatty acids (TFA) and fatty acid composition were measured. The maximum acclimated growth rate was 1.3 day{sup -1} at 23 C and 250 {mu}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}. Fatty acids were detected by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) after transesterification to corresponding fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). A sharp increase inmore » TFA containing elevated palmitic acid (C16:0) and palmitoleic acid (C16:1) during exponential growth at high light was observed, indicating likely triacylglycerol accumulation due to photo-oxidative stress. Lower light resulted in increases in the relative abundance of unsaturated fatty acids; in thin cultures, increases were observed in palmitoleic and eicosapentaenoeic acids (C20:5{omega}3). As cultures aged and the effective light intensity per cell converged to very low levels, fatty acid profiles became more similar and there was a notable increase of oleic acid (C18:1{omega}9). The amount of unsaturated fatty acids was inversely proportional to temperature, demonstrating physiological adaptations to increase membrane fluidity. This data will improve prediction of fatty acid characteristics and yields relevant to biofuel production.« less

Osseointegrated total knee replacement connected to a lower limb prosthesis: 4 cases

PubMed Central

Khemka, Aditya; Frossard, Laurent; Lord, Sarah J; Bosley, Belinda; Al Muderis, Munjed

2015-01-01

Background and purpose — Osseointegrated implants are an alternative for prosthetic attachment in individuals with amputation who are unable to wear a socket. However, the load transmitted through the osseointegrated fixation to the residual tibia and knee joint can be unbearable for those with transtibial amputation and knee arthritis. We report on the feasibility of combining total knee replacement (TKR) with an osseointegrated implant for prosthetic attachment. Patients and methods — We retrospectively reviewed all 4 cases (aged 38–77 years) of transtibial amputations managed with osseointegration and TKR in 2012–2014. The below-the-knee prosthesis was connected to the tibial base plate of a TKR, enabling the tibial residuum and knee joint to act as weight-sharing structures. A 2-stage procedure involved connecting a standard hinged TKR to custom-made implants and creation of a skin-implant interface. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 1–3 years of follow-up using standard measures of health-related quality of life, ambulation, and activity level including the questionnaire for transfemoral amputees (Q-TFA) and the 6-minute walk test. Results — There were no major complications, and there was 1 case of superficial infection. All patients showed improved clinical outcomes, with a Q-TFA improvement range of 29–52 and a 6-minute walk test improvement range of 37–84 meters. Interpretation — It is possible to combine TKR with osseointegrated implants. PMID:26145721

Development and application of a robust N-glycan profiling method for heightened characterization of monoclonal antibodies and related glycoproteins.

PubMed

Shang, Tanya Q; Saati, Andrew; Toler, Kelly N; Mo, Jianming; Li, Heyi; Matlosz, Tonya; Lin, Xi; Schenk, Jennifer; Ng, Chee-Keng; Duffy, Toni; Porter, Thomas J; Rouse, Jason C

2014-07-01

A highly robust hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) method that involves both fluorescence and mass spectrometric detection was developed for profiling and characterizing enzymatically released and 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB)-derivatized mAb N-glycans. Online HILIC/mass spectrometry (MS) with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer provides accurate mass identifications of the separated, 2-AB-labeled N-glycans. The method features a high-resolution, low-shedding HILIC column with acetonitrile and water-based mobile phases containing trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a modifier. This column and solvent system ensures the combination of robust chromatographic performance and full compatibility and sensitivity with online MS in addition to the baseline separation of all typical mAb N-glycans. The use of TFA provided distinct advantages over conventional ammonium formate as a mobile phase additive, such as, optimal elution order for sialylated N-glycans, reproducible chromatographic profiles, and matching total ion current chromatograms, as well as minimal signal splitting, analyte adduction, and fragmentation during HILIC/MS, maximizing sensitivity for trace-level species. The robustness and selectivity of HILIC for N-glycan analyses allowed for method qualification. The method is suitable for bioprocess development activities, heightened characterization, and clinical drug substance release. Application of this HILIC/MS method to the detailed characterization of a marketed therapeutic mAb, Rituxan(®), is described. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Origin of bombesin-like peptides in human fetal lung.

PubMed

Yoshizaki, K; de Bock, V; Solomon, S

1984-02-27

Four different forms of bombesin-like immunoreactive peaks were detected in extracts of human fetal lung by the use of reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Peaks I, II, III and IV, (increasing retention time), were eluted using a 14-38% of acetonitrile gradient containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Peak II was the major material found in the extract of human fetal lung obtained at 16-20 weeks gestation. None of the four compounds contained in the eluted peaks had the same retention time as amphibian bombesin or porcine gastrin releasing peptide (GRP). On reversed-phase HPLC using two different solvent systems TFA or heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) as a hydrophobic counter ion, and in gel filtration chromatography, the chromatographic behavior of the main peak (peak II) was the same as that of the carboxyl terminal fragments of GRP, GRP18-27 or GRP19-27. This suggested that the peptide(s) in peak II resembled in composition the carboxy terminal 9 or 10 amino acids of porcine GRP. Following tryptic digestion the material in peak IV was converted to the more polar compound present in peak II. Two other peptide peaks were eluted close to peak II and these were presumed to be a modification of this main peak. One of the possible biosynthetic steps in the formation of bombesin-like peptides in human fetal lung could be a tryptic conversion of a less polar peptide to a more polar form (peak IV to II).

Recent developments in altering the fatty acid composition of ruminant-derived foods.

PubMed

Shingfield, K J; Bonnet, M; Scollan, N D

2013-03-01

There is increasing evidence to indicate that nutrition is an important factor involved in the onset and development of several chronic human diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), type II diabetes and obesity. Clinical studies implicate excessive consumption of medium-chain saturated fatty acids (SFA) and trans-fatty acids (TFA) as risk factors for CVD, and in the aetiology of other chronic conditions. Ruminant-derived foods are significant sources of medium-chain SFA and TFA in the human diet, but also provide high-quality protein, essential micronutrients and several bioactive lipids. Altering the fatty acid composition of ruminant-derived foods offers the opportunity to align the consumption of fatty acids in human populations with public health policies without the need for substantial changes in eating habits. Replacing conserved forages with fresh grass or dietary plant oil and oilseed supplements can be used to lower medium-chain and total SFA content and increase cis-9 18:1, total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to a variable extent in ruminant milk. However, inclusion of fish oil or marine algae in the ruminant diet results in marginal enrichment of 20- or 22-carbon PUFA in milk. Studies in growing ruminants have confirmed that the same nutritional strategies improve the balance of n-6/n-3 PUFA, and increase CLA and long-chain n-3 PUFA in ruminant meat, but the potential to lower medium-chain and total SFA is limited. Attempts to alter meat and milk fatty acid composition through changes in the diet fed to ruminants are often accompanied by several-fold increases in TFA concentrations. In extreme cases, the distribution of trans 18:1 and 18:2 isomers in ruminant foods may resemble that of partially hydrogenated plant oils. Changes in milk fat or muscle lipid composition in response to diet are now known to be accompanied by tissue-specific alterations in the expression of one or more lipogenic genes. Breed influences both milk and muscle fat content, although recent studies have confirmed the occurrence of genetic variability in transcript abundance and activity of enzymes involved in lipid synthesis and identified polymorphisms for several key lipogenic genes in lactating and growing cattle. Although nutrition is the major factor influencing the fatty acid composition of ruminant-derived foods, further progress can be expected through the use of genomic or marker-assisted selection to increase the frequency of favourable genotypes and the formulation of diets to exploit this genetic potential.

In situ generation of sulfoxides with predetermined chirality via a structural template with a chiral-at-metal ruthenium complex.

PubMed

Li, Zheng-Zheng; Yao, Su-Yang; Wu, Jin-Ji; Ye, Bao-Hui

2014-05-30

The reaction of Δ/Λ-[Ru(bpy)2(py)2](2+) with a prochiral sulfide ligand, and then in situ oxidation, provide the corresponding Δ-[Ru(bpy)2{(R)-OSO-iPr}](+) and Λ-[Ru(bpy)2{(S)-OSO-iPr}](+) (OSO-iPr = 2-isopropylsulfonylbenzonate) enantiomers in a yield of 83% with 98% ee. The chiral sulfoxides were obtained by treatment of the sulfoxide complexes with TFA in a yield of 90% with 88-91% ee.

New Efficient Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones Catalyzed by Benzotriazolium-Based Ionic Liquids under Solvent-Free Conditions.

PubMed

Liu, Zhiqing; Ma, Rong; Cao, Dawei; Liu, Chenjiang

2016-04-07

An efficient synthesis of novel 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones (DHPMs) and their derivatives, using Brønsted acidic ionic liquid [C₂O₂BBTA][TFA] as a catalyst, from the condensation of aryl aldehyde, β-ketoester and urea was described. Reactions proceeded smoothly for 40 min under solvent-free conditions and gave the desirable products with good to excellent yields (up to 99%). The catalyst could be easily recycled and reused with similar efficacies for at least six cycles.

o-Naphthoquinone-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Amines to (Ket)imines: A Modular Catalyst Approach.

PubMed

Goriya, Yogesh; Kim, Hun Young; Oh, Kyungsoo

2016-10-07

A modular aerobic oxidation of amines to imines has been achieved using an ortho-naphthoquinone (o-NQ) catalyst. The cooperative catalyst system of o-NQ and Cu(OAc) 2 enabled the formation of homocoupled imines from benzylamines, while the presence of TFA helped the formation of cross-coupled imines in excellent yields. The current mild aerobic oxidation protocol could also be applied to the oxidation of secondary amines to imines or ketimines with the help of cocatalyst, Ag 2 CO 3 , with excellent yields.

Overview of ATMT and Analysis of Subphase IIB

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-12-01

relationships among maximum gunner error and target, vehicle motion. 1 INC LAS SI I F D I II TechidTfa-F ’•-RpoiTLTR-:7- 77 becemboer 1977 Directorate of...of- si ght interruptions, s ijrii i cant. difficulties weri etrcuo (t’red early in the effort to dioitize the anal uj iunnonr error dtta from thi s...and is classified SECRET. h. Phone I si •Jiu, ry. (I) The purpose of the Pha,ne I effort was to identify an array of co(.ddidate Lafneuvern ho b u.,ed

Current status and future prospects of Japanese national project on coated conductor development and its applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiohara, Y.; Yoshizumi, M.; Izumi, T.; Yamada, Y.

2008-09-01

Four years of the current five-year national project since 2003 for development of coated conductors using Y-system superconductors have passed and lots of remarkable results have been achieved. In this paper, the current status and the future prospect of this project are reviewed. The current national project comprises several groups of national laboratories, universities and private companies. The group of high performance tape development, consisting of Fujikura and SRL-NCCC, has worked on the tape by PLD-REBCO superconducting tapes on the PLD-CeO 2/IBAD-GZO buffered substrates. The high product of Ic and L equal to 112,166 A m was achieved in the 368 m-304.8 A GdBCO tape whose Ic value is mostly above 350 A/cm-w. The performance under the magnetic fields was also improved up to 42 A at 3 T in a GdBCO short film with doping of ZrO 2. About 61 m long GdBCO tape with ZrO 2 doping showed a high Ic value of 220 A at self field and 30 A at 3 T. On the other hand, the other group focusing on the low production cost has worked on processes of TFA-MOD and MOCVD, etc. The extremely high Ic value of 735 A/cm-w was attained in the TFA-MOD films on PLD-CeO 2/IBAD-GZO/Hastelloy C276 substrate by means of using the effect of Ba-poor nominal composition. In the efforts for long tape production, 200 m long tapes with high Ic values of 200 A/cm-w and 205 A/cm-w were obtained by MOD-YBCO/PLD-CeO 2/IBAD-GZO/Hastelloy C276 and PLD-HoBCO on buffered NiW substrate, respectively. The Ic × L value of the MOD-derived tape was 40,000 A m, which is the highest value in the world by the MOD process. Based on the above achievements on the coated conductor process development, two new additional goals were set in the project. One is the development for the extremely low cost tape and another is the development of the basic technologies for making the electric power devices including cables, transformers, motors, current-limiters and cryocoolers. Some of the new themes already revealed the marvellous results such as 15 kW motor, low AC loss coils, low AC loss cables, etc.

Separation of chlorogenic acid and concentration of trace caffeic acid from natural products by pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography.

PubMed

Lu, Yuanyuan; Dong, Genlai; Gu, Yanxiang; Ito, Yoichiro; Wei, Yun

2013-07-01

Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were selected as test samples for separation by the pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography (CCC). The separation of these test samples was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl-tert-butyl-ether/acetonitrile/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:5 v/v/v where trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; 8 mM) was added to the organic stationary phase as a retainer and NH4 OH (10 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. Chlorogenic acid was successfully separated from Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze (F. bidentis) and Lonicerae Flos by pH-zone-refining CCC, a slightly polar two-phase solvent system composed of methyl-tert-butyl-ether/acetonitrile/n-butanol/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:1:5 v/v/v/v was selected where TFA (3 mM) was added to the organic stationary phase as a retainer and NH4 OH (3 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. A 16.2 mg amount of chlorogenic acid with the purity of 92% from 1.4 g of F. bidentis, and 134 mg of chlorogenic acid at the purity of 99% from 1.3 g of crude extract of Lonicerae Flos have been obtained. These results suggest that pH-zone-refining CCC is suitable for the isolation of the chlorogenic acid from the crude extracts of F. bidentis and Lonicerae Flos. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fish Intake and the Risk of Incident Heart Failure: The Women’s Health Initiative

PubMed Central

Belin, Rashad J.; Greenland, Philip; Martin, Lisa; Oberman, Albert; Tinker, Lesley; Robinson, Jennifer; Larson, Joseph; Horn, Linda Van; Lloyd-Jones, Donald

2012-01-01

Background Whether fish or the fatty acids they contain are independently associated with risk for incident heart failure (HF) among postmenopausal women is unclear. Methods and Results The baseline Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS) cohort consisted of 93,676 women aged 50–79 of diverse ethnicity and background of which 84,493 were eligible for analyses. Intakes of baked/broiled fish, fried fish and omega-3 fatty acid (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), α-linolenic acid (ALA)), and trans fatty acid (TFA) were determined from the WHI food frequency questionnaire. Baked/broiled fish consumption was divided into 5 frequency categories: <1/mo (referent), 1–3/mo, 1–2/wk, 3–4/wk, ≥5/wk. Fried fish intake was grouped into 3 frequency categories: <1/mo (referent), 2) 1–3/mo, and 3) ≥1/wk. Associations between fish or fatty acid intake and incident HF were determined using Cox models adjusting for HF risk factors and dietary factors. Baked/broiled fish consumption (≥5 servings/wk at baseline) was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.70 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.95) for incident HF. In contrast, fried fish consumption (≥1 serving/wk at baseline) was associated with a HR of 1.48 (95% CI: 1.19, 1.84) for incident HF. No significant associations were found between EPA+DHA, ALA, or TFA intake and incident HF. Conclusions Increased baked/broiled fish intake may lower HF risk, while increased fried fish intake may increase HF risk in postmenopausal women. PMID:21610249

Biochemical composition of three algal species proposed as food for captive freshwater mussels

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gatenby, C.M.; Orcutt, D.M.; Kreeger, D.A.; Parker, B.C.; Jones, V.A.; Neves, R.J.

2003-01-01

To identify potential diets for rearing captive freshwater mussels, the protein, carbohydrate (CHO), and lipid contents of two green algae, Neochloris oleoabundans, Bracteacoccus grandis, and one diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, were compared at different growth stages. The fatty acid and sterol composition were also identified. Protein was greatest (55-70%) for all species at late log growth stage (LL), and declined in late stationary (LS) growth. CHO was greatest at LS stage for all species (33.9-56.4% dry wt). No significant change in lipid levels occurred with growth stage, but tended to increase in N. oleoabundans. Mean lipid content differed significantly in the order: N. oleoabundans > P. tricornutum > B. grandis. Total fatty acids (TFA) were higher at LS stage compared to other stages in the two green algae, and stationary stage in the diatom. Mean unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) as %TFA was significantly higher in N. oleoabundans than the other species. The green algae contained high percentages of C-18 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), while the diatom was abundant in C-16 saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids and C-20 PUFA fatty acids. Growth stage had no effect on sterol concentration of any species. B. grandis showed significantly higher sterol levels than the other species except P. tricornutum at S stage. B. grandis was characterized by predominantly ??5, C-29 sterols, while N. oleoabundans synthesized ??5,7, ??5,7,22, and ??7, C-28 sterols. P. tricornutum produced primarily a ??5,22, C-28 sterol, and a small amount of a ??7,22, C-28 sterol.

Influence of trans fat and omega-3 on the preference of psychostimulant drugs in the first generation of young rats.

PubMed

Kuhn, Fábio T; Roversi, Karine; Antoniazzi, Caren T D; Pase, Camila S; Trevizol, Fabíola; Barcelos, Raquel C S; Dias, Verônica T; Roversi, Katiane; Boufleur, Nardeli; Benvegnú, Dalila M; Piccolo, Jaqueline; Emanuelli, Tatiana; Bürger, Marilise E

2013-09-01

The current Western diet often provides considerable amounts of saturated and trans fatty acids (TFA), whose incorporation into neuronal membranes has been implicated in changes of brain neurochemical functions. Such influence has caused concerns due to precipitation of neuropsychiatric disorders, whose data are still unclear. Here we evaluated the influence of different fats on preference parameters for amphetamine (AMPH): adolescent rats were orally supplemented with soybean oil (SO, rich in n-6 FA, which was considered an isocaloric control group), fish oil (FO, rich in n-3 FA) and hydrogenated vegetable fat (HVF, rich in saturated and trans FA) from weaning, which were born of dams supplemented with the same fat from pregnancy and lactation. AMPH preference, anxiety-like symptoms and locomotor index were evaluated in conditioned place preference (CPP), elevated plus maze (EPM) and open-field (OF), respectively, while brain oxidative status was determined in cortex, striatum and hippocampus. HVF increased AMPH-CPP and was associated with withdrawal signs, as observed by increased anxiety-like symptoms. Moreover, SO and FO were not associated with AMPH preference, but only FO-supplemented rats did not show any anxiety-like symptoms or increased locomotion. FO supplementation was related to lower oxidative damages to proteins and increased CAT activity in striatum and hippocampus, as well as increased GSH levels in blood, while HVF was related to increased oxidative status. In conclusion, our study showed the harmful influence of TFA on AMPH-CPP and drug craving symptoms, which can be related to dopaminergic neurotransmission. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A simple HPLC method for simultaneous determination of lopinavir, ritonavir and efavirenz.

PubMed

Usami, Yoshiko; Oki, Tsuyoshi; Nakai, Masahiko; Sagisaka, Masafumi; Kaneda, Tsuguhiro

2003-06-01

We developed a simple HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of lopinavir (LPV), ritonavir (RTV) and efavirenz (EFV) to evaluate the efficiency of co-administration of LPV/RTV and EFV in Japanese patients enrolled in a clinical study. The monitoring of LPV plasma concentration is important because co-administration of LPV/RTV with EFV sometimes decreases plasma concentrations of LPV caused by EFV activation of cytochrome P-450 3A. A solution of acetonitrile, methanol and tetramethylammonium perchlorate (TMAP) in dilute aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) has been used as the mobile phase in a HPLC method to elute LPV and RTV. We found that a solvent ratio of 45 : 5 : 50 (v/v/v) of acetonitrile/methanol/0.02 M TMAP in 0.2% TFA optimized separation of LPV, RTV and EFV. A column temperature of 30 degrees C was necessary for the reproducibility of the analyses. Standard curves were linear in the range 0.060 to 24.06 micro g/ml for LPV, 0.010 to 4.16 micro g/ml for RTV, and 0.047 to 37.44 micro g/ml for EFV. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of LPV, RTV and EFV in intraday and interday assays ranged from 1.5 to 4.0%, 2.5 to 16.8% and 1.0 to 7.7%, respectively. Accuracies ranged from 100 to 110%, 101 to 116% and 99 to 106% for LPV, RTV and EFV, respectively. The extraction recoveries were 77-87, 77-83 and 81-91% for LPV, RTV and EFV, respectively.

A novel route to recognizing quaternary ammonium cations using electrospray mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Shackman, Holly M; Ding, Wei; Bolgar, Mark S

2015-01-01

Characterizing and elucidating structures is a commonplace and necessary activity in the pharmaceutical industry with mass spectrometry and NMR being the primary tools for analysis. Although many functional groups are readily identifiable, quaternary ammonium cations have proven to be difficult to unequivocally identify using these techniques. Due to the lack of an N-H bond, quaternary ammonium groups can only be detected in the (1)H NMR spectra by weak signals generated from long-range (14)N-H coupling, which by themselves are inconclusive evidence of a quaternary ammonium functional group. Due to their low intensity, these signals are frequently not detected. Additionally, ions cannot be differentiated in a mass spectrum as an M(+) or [M + H](+) ion without prior knowledge of the compound's structure. In order to utilize mass spectrometry as a tool for determining this functionality, ion cluster formation of quaternary ammonium cations and non-quaternary amines was studied using electrospray ionization. Several mobile phase modifiers were compared; however, the addition of small amounts of trifluoroacetic acid proved superior in producing characteristic and intense [M +2TFA](-) clusters for compounds containing quaternary ammonium cations when using negative electrospray. By fragmenting this characteristic ion using CID, nearly all compounds studied could be unambiguously identified as containing a quaternary ammonium cation or a non-quaternary amine attributable to the presence (non-quaternary amine) or absence (quaternary ammonium cation) of the resulting [2TFA + H](-) ion in the product spectra. This method of analysis provides a rapid, novel, and reliable technique for indicating the presence of quaternary ammonium cations in order to aid in structural elucidation.

The effect of vacuum assisted socket suspension on prospective, community-based falls by users of lower limb prostheses.

PubMed

Rosenblatt, Noah J; Ehrhardt, Tess

2017-06-01

Individuals with lower limb amputation are at increased risk of falling compared to age-matched peers. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of socket suspension on the risk of falling, by comparing prospectively tracked falls between a group of participants that used vacuum assisted socket suspension (VASS) and a group that did not use this system. Fifteen current users of VASS and 12 non-VASS users received an email every two weeks for one year, with a link to an online survey that asked whether they fell (i.e., "unintentionally came to rest on a lower surface") or stumbled (i.e., lost balance but did not fall) in the prior two weeks. A Chi-squared test was used to compare fall and stumble risk between groups, after stratifying by level of amputation, and the phi coefficient (φ) was used to quantify effect size. While the use of VASS did not affect the rate of falling (i.e., falls per person year) for either persons with transtibial amputation (TTA) or those with transfemoral amputation (TFA), the absolute risk of having multiple falls was reduced by nearly 75% in the former (φ=0.83), which is particularly important given that recurrent falls are associated with more severe injuries. There was no effect of VASS on the risk of falls in TFA. Further work is warranted to demonstrate the persistence of these effects in larger, more controlled samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Walking ability and quality of life in subjects with transfemoral amputation: a comparison of osseointegration with socket prostheses.

PubMed

Van de Meent, Hendrik; Hopman, Maria T; Frölke, Jan Paul

2013-11-01

To investigate walking ability and quality of life of osseointegrated leg prostheses compared with socket prostheses. Prospective case-control study. University medical center. Subjects (N=22) with transfemoral amputation (1 bilateral) referred to our center because of socket-related skin and residual limb problems resulting in limited prosthesis use. Their mean age was 46.5 years (range, 23-67y) and mean time since amputation was 16.4 years (range, 2-45y). Causes of amputation were trauma (n=20) and tumor (n=2). Implantation of an osseointegration prosthesis (OIP). Global score of the Questionnaire for Persons With a Transfemoral Amputation (Q-TFA), prosthesis use, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), Timed Up & Go (TUG) test, and oxygen consumption during treadmill walking. With the socket prosthesis, the mean ± SD Q-TFA global score, prosthesis use, 6MWT, TUG, and oxygen consumption were 39±4.7 points, 56±7.9h/wk, 321±28m, 15.1±2.1 seconds, and 1330±310mL/min, respectively, and significantly improved with OIP to 63±5.3 points, 101±2.4h/wk, 423±21m, 8.1±0.7 seconds, and 1093±361mL/min, respectively. Osseointegration is a suitable intervention for persons whose prosthesis use is reduced because of socket-related problems. Subjects with OIP significantly increased their walking ability and prosthesis-related quality of life. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strategies for the solid-phase diversification of poly-L-proline-type II peptide mimic scaffolds and peptide scaffolds through guanidinylation.

PubMed

Flemer, Stevenson; Wurthmann, Alexander; Mamai, Ahmed; Madalengoitia, José S

2008-10-03

A strategy for the solid-phase diversification of PPII mimic scaffolds through guanidinylation is presented. The approach involves the synthesis N-Pmc-N'-alkyl thioureas as diversification reagents. Analogues of Fmoc-Orn(Mtt)-OH can be incorporated into a growing peptide chain on Wang resin. Side chain deprotection with 1% TFA/CH2Cl2 followed by EDCI-mediated reaction of N-Pmc-N'-alkyl thioureas with the side chain amine affords arginine analogues with modified guanidine head groups. The scope, limitations, and incidental chemistry are discussed.

Genetic analysis of biodegradation of tetralin by a Sphingomonas strain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hernaez, M.J.; Santero, E.; Reineke, W.

Tetralin (1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene) is produced for industrial purposes from naphthalene by catalytic hydrogenation or from anthracene by cracking. A strain designated TFA which very efficiently utilizes tetralin has been isolated from the Rhine river. The strain has been identified as Sphingomonas macrogoltabidus, based on 16S rDNA sequence similarity. Genetic analysis of tetralin biodegradation has been performed by insertion mutagenesis and by physical analysis and analysis of complementation between the mutants. The genes involved in tetralin utilization are clustered in a region of 9 kb, comprising at least five genes grouped in two divergently transcribed operons.

New method for a two-step hydrolysis and chromatographic analysis of pectin neutral sugar chains.

PubMed

Garna, Haikel; Mabon, Nicolas; Wathelet, Bernard; Paquot, Michel

2004-07-28

A new method for the determination of the main neutral sugars in pectin has been developed. The sample preparation involves a mild chemical attack followed by an enzymatic hydrolysis. The completeness and nondestructive character of the method are demonstrated by comparison of the results obtained with different acids such as H2SO4, HCl, and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) at different concentrations (2, 1, or 0.2 M) at two temperatures (80 or 100 degrees C). The chemical hydrolysis of pectin neutral sugar chains with strong acid (1 or 2 M) and high temperature (100 degrees C) shows that the liberation of the pectin sugars is not realized at the same rate for each sugar. Different optimum conditions are thus obtained. However, the chemical pectin hydrolysis with 0.2 M TFA at 80 degrees C is characterized by the liberation of pectin neutral sugar side chains without any degradation within 72 h of hydrolysis. Under these conditions, the liberation of some pectin sugars, essentially galactose, glucose, and rhamnose, was not complete. An enzymatic hydrolysis is necessary to obtain a complete release of all the sugars. The combination of the two treatments, a chemical hydrolysis realized with diluted acid (0.2 M) for 72 h at low temperature (80 degrees C) on one hand and an enzymatic hydrolysis on the other hand, allow a total liberation of pectin sugars. The quantitative analysis of the carbohydrates is realized with accuracy, high selectivity, and sensitivity with high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed-amperometric detection. The sugars can be analyzed without any derivatization with a limit of quantification of 0.1 mM. Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society

Drug interactions with potential rubber closure extractables. Identification of thiol-disulfide exchange reaction products of captopril and thiurams.

PubMed

Corredor, Claudia; Tomasella, Frank P; Young, Joel

2009-01-02

Mixtures of thiuram disulfides are frequently used as accelerators in rubber stoppers for injectables and sterilized powders for injection. Rapid reactions of thiuram disulfides between themselves and with thiols yield mixed disulfides due to thiol-disulfide exchange. The possibility of exchange reactions of thiuram disulfides extracted from rubber stoppers and drug products containing pendant thiol groups have not been reported in the analysis of potential stopper extractables. In this paper we report the formation and identification of mixed thiuram disulfides of N,N,N',N'-dimethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), N,N,N',N'-dibutylthiuram disulfide (TBTD), and captopril (a thiol-containing drug). A reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the determination of TMTD, TBTD, captopril and their disulfides in aqueous vehicles, using a YMC ODS AQ column at 35 degrees C and mobile phases A and B consisting of acetonitrile:water:trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) (20:80:0.1) and acetonitrile:TFA (100:0.1), respectively. The captopril-TBTD and captopril-TMTD disulfides were identified by MS, with molecular ions at m/z 420.9 and m/z of 337.1, respectively. Possible structures for the fragment ions in the spectra are provided. Mixed captopril-thiuram formation was studied as a function of pH. Captopril-TMTD formation was enhanced at pH 6.0, reaching a maximum of 31.3% in 4.1h. At pH 4.0 and 2.2, the mixed captopril adduct product was still detected in solution after 20h. The impact of the formation of mixed disulfide products of thiol-containing drugs with thiurams in the HPLC profile of extractables and leachables studies is discussed.

Multi-stimuli responsive luminescent azepane-substituted β-diketones and difluoroboron complexes.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; DeRosa, Christopher A; Daly, Margaret L; Song, Daniel; Fraser, Cassandra L

2017-09-01

Difluoroboron β-diketonate (BF 2 bdk) compounds show environment-sensitive optical properties in solution, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and multi-stimuli responsive fluorescence switching in the solid state. Here, a series of 4-azepane-substituted β-diketone (bdk) ligands ( L-H , L-OMe , L-Br ) and their corresponding difluoroboron dyes ( D-H , D-OMe , D-Br ) were synthesized, and various responsive fluorescence properties of the compounds were studied, including solvatochromism, viscochromism, AIE, mechanochromic luminescence (ML) and halochromism. Compared to the β-diketones, the boron complexes exhibited higher extinction coefficients but lower quantum yields, and red-shifted absorption and emission in CH 2 Cl 2 . Computational studies showed that intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) dominated rather than π-π* transitions in all the compounds regardless of boron coordination. In solution, all the bdk ligands and boron dyes showed red-shifted emission in more polar solvents and increased fluorescence intensity in more viscous media. Upon aggregation, the emission of the β-diketones was quenched, however, the boronated dyes showed increased emission, indicative of AIE. Solid-state emission properties, ML and halochromism, were investigated on spin cast films. For ML, smearing caused a bathochromic emission shift for L-Br , and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that the "as spun" and thermally annealed states were more crystalline and the smeared state was amorphous. No obvious ML emission shift was observed for L-H or L-OMe , and the boronated dyes were not mechano-active. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and triethylamine (TEA) vapors were used to study halochromism. Large hypsochromic emission shifts were observed for all the compounds after TFA vapor was applied, and reversible fluorescence switching was achieved using the acid/base pair.

Ruminant-produced trans-fatty acids raise plasma HDL particle concentrations in intact and ovariectomized female Hartley guinea pigs.

PubMed

Rice, Beth H; Kraft, Jana; Destaillats, Frédéric; Bauman, Dale E; Lock, Adam L

2012-09-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women worldwide, and risk for developing CVD increases postmenopause. Consumption of trans-fatty acids (tFA) has been positively associated with CVD incidence and mortality. The current study was designed to assess the effects of diets high in industrially produced (IP)-tFA, from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO), and ruminant-produced (RP)-tFA, from butter oil (BO), on risk factors for CVD. Thirty-two female Hartley guinea pigs, one-half of which were ovariectomized (OVX) to mimic the postmenopausal condition, were fed hypercholesterolemic diets containing 9% by weight PHVO or BO (n = 8/diet and ovariectomy) for 8 wk. The plasma and hepatic lipids did not differ between IP- and RP-tFA groups or between intact and OVX guinea pigs. The BO diet resulted in higher concentrations of plasma total and small HDL particle subclass concentrations than the PHVO diet regardless of ovariectomy status. The intact BO group had higher concentrations of large HDL particles than the intact PHVO group. HDL mean particle size tended to be larger (P = 0.07) in the PHVO groups compared with the BO groups regardless of ovariectomy status. There was a trend toward an interaction between diet and ovariectomy status for LDL mean particle size, which tended to be larger in OVX guinea pigs fed PHVO (P = 0.07). In summary, consumption of IP- and RP-tFA resulted in differential effects on HDL particle subclass profiles in female guinea pigs. The effect of tFA consumption and hormonal status on HDL particle subclass metabolism and the subsequent impact on CVD in females warrants further investigation.

Results of total knee replacement with a cruciate-retaining model for severe valgus deformity--a study of 48 patients followed for an average of 9 years.

PubMed

Koskinen, Esa; Remes, Ville; Paavolainen, Pekka; Harilainen, Arsi; Sandelin, Jerker; Tallroth, Kaj; Kettunen, Jyrki; Ylinen, Pekka

2011-06-01

The objectives of the present study were to find out the results and the factors affecting survival after primary knee arthroplasty with a cruciate-retaining prosthesis in severe valgus deformity. Forty-eight patients (52 knees) participated in the current follow-up study. All patients were followed at least 5 years or to first revision. Mean follow-up time was 9 years (range, 1 to 17 years).The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed 79% (95% CI 68% to 91%) survival rate with revision for any reason and 81% (95% CI 70% to 93%) survival rate with revision for instability as an endpoint at 10 years. Preoperatively TFA was 23° (range, 15°-51°) in valgus and 7° (range, 21° valgus-4° varus) in valgus postoperatively. Of the 14 re-operated patients, eight were revised because of progressive postoperative medial collateral ligament instability. All re-operations were performed during the first 4 years of the follow-up. The mean TFA was 15.5° valgus postoperatively for those eight and the odds ratio for a revision was 2 (95% CI 1-3, p = 0.025) when compared to the rest of the study population. The residual valgus deformity increases the risk of re-operation and it should be avoided. If proper soft-tissue balance cannot be achieved or there is no functional medial collateral ligament present more constrained implants should be used. In selected cases where both bony correction and ligament balancing have properly been achieved the use of a cruciate-retaining type of prosthesis is justified. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trans fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids in the milk of urban women and nomadic Fulani of northern Nigeria.

PubMed

Glew, Robert H; Herbein, Joseph H; Moya, Monica H; Valdez, Jessica M; Obadofin, Michael; Wark, Wendy A; Vanderjagt, Dorothy J

2006-05-01

Trans fatty acids (TFAs) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are present in dairy products and human milk and can have detrimental and beneficial effects in humans. The content of TFAs and CLAs in milk is determined largely by the diet of the mother. We compared the proportions of TFAs and CLAs in the milk of rural Fulani in northern Nigeria who consume dairy products to that of women living in an urban center who consume little in the way of dairy products. Lactating Fulani women (n=41) and women residing in the city of Jos, Nigeria (n=41) were recruited into the study. We predicted that the milk of the Fulani pastoralists would contain higher amounts of TFAs and CLAs compared to their urban counterparts. The mean total TFA proportions for the Fulani and urban women were 0.22% and 0.34%, respectively, and were not significantly different. The percentages of CLAs in milk fat were not different between rural and urban women (0.16% vs 0.14%). These TFA and CLA values were 4- to 10-fold lower than for milk of women elsewhere in the world. The percentages of TFAs and CLAs in milk were not different between rural and urban dwellers in northern Nigeria whose diets differ greatly in the amounts of dairy products they contain. However, the fact that the percentages of TFAs and CLAs in the milk of Nigerian women were much lower than the percentages reported from other parts of the world may have implications for the long-term growth and development of infants in the northern Nigeria and elsewhere in the Western Sahel.

Effects of dietary cis and trans unsaturated and saturated fatty acids on the glucose metabolites and enzymes of rats.

PubMed

Bernal, Claudio A; Rovira, Jordi; Colandré, María E; Cussó, Roser; Cadefau, Joan A

2006-05-01

The aim of the present study was to examine whether the level of dietary cis fatty acid (cFA), or the isomers (trans or cis) and/or the saturation of the fatty acids at high dietary fat levels altered the intracellular glucose metabolites and certain regulatory enzyme activities in the skeletal muscle and liver of rats. The animals were fed for 30 d on either a recommended control diet (7 % cFA, w/w) or a high-fat diet (20 % fatty acids, w/w). The high-fat diet was enriched with either cFA, trans fatty acid (tFA), a moderate proportion of saturated fatty acid (MSFA), or a high proportion of saturated fatty acid (HSFA). The most striking findings were observed in the gastrocnemius muscle with a HSFA diet. There was a significant increase in glucose-6-phosphate (306 %), glucose-1-phosphate (245 %), fructose-6-phosphate (400 %), fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (86 %), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (38 %), pyruvate (341 %), lactate (325 %), citrate (79 %) and the bisphosphorylated sugars as compared with the cFA diet. These changes were paralleled by an increase in muscle triacylglycerol content (49 %) and a decrease in glucose (39 %). In addition, the amount of cFA and the other types of fatty acid (i.e. tFA and MSFA) led to no great differences in glucose metabolism as compared with the respective control group. These data support the hypothesis that glucose changes induced by a HSFA diet are a multifaceted abnormality. Glucose and lactate transport and intracellular glucose metabolism could be the key biochemical defects involved in this detrimental effect on glucose metabolism.

Image Subtraction Reduction of Open Clusters M35 & NGC 2158 in the K2 Campaign 0 Super Stamps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soares-Furtado, M.; Hartman, J. D.; Bakos, G. Á.; Huang, C. X.; Penev, K.; Bhatti, W.

2017-04-01

We observed the open clusters M35 and NGC 2158 during the initial K2 campaign (C0). Reducing these data to high-precision photometric timeseries is challenging due to the wide point-spread function (PSF) and the blending of stellar light in such dense regions. We developed an image-subtraction-based K2 reduction pipeline that is applicable to both crowded and sparse stellar fields. We applied our pipeline to the data-rich C0 K2 super stamp, containing the two open clusters, as well as to the neighboring postage stamps. In this paper, we present our image subtraction reduction pipeline and demonstrate that this technique achieves ultra-high photometric precision for sources in the C0 super stamp. We extract the raw light curves of 3960 stars taken from the UCAC4 and EPIC catalogs and de-trend them for systematic effects. We compare our photometric results with the prior reductions published in the literature. For de-trended TFA-corrected sources in the 12-12.25 {{{K}}}{{p}} magnitude range, we achieve a best 6.5-hour window running rms of 35 ppm, falling to 100 ppm for fainter stars in the 14-14.25 {{{K}}}{{p}} magnitude range. For stars with {K}p> 14, our de-trended and 6.5-hour binned light curves achieve the highest photometric precision. Moreover, all our TFA-corrected sources have higher precision on all timescales investigated. This work represents the first published image subtraction analysis of a K2 super stamp. This method will be particularly useful for analyzing the Galactic bulge observations carried out during K2 campaign 9. The raw light curves and the final results of our de-trending processes are publicly available at http://k2.hatsurveys.org/archive/.

Controls on the surface chemical reactivity of volcanic ash investigated with probe gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maters, Elena C.; Delmelle, Pierre; Rossi, Michel J.; Ayris, Paul M.; Bernard, Alain

2016-09-01

Increasing recognition that volcanic ash emissions can have significant impacts on the natural and human environment calls for a better understanding of ash chemical reactivity as mediated by its surface characteristics. However, previous studies of ash surface properties have relied on techniques that lack the sensitivity required to adequately investigate them. Here we characterise at the molecular monolayer scale the surfaces of ash erupted from Eyjafjallajökull, Tungurahua, Pinatubo and Chaitén volcanoes. Interrogation of the ash with four probe gases, trimethylamine (TMA; N(CH3)3), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; CF3COOH), hydroxylamine (HA; NH2OH) and ozone (O3), reveals the abundances of acid-base and redox sites on ash surfaces. Measurements on aluminosilicate glass powders, as compositional proxies for the primary constituent of volcanic ash, are also conducted. We attribute the greater proportion of acidic and oxidised sites on ash relative to glass surfaces, evidenced by comparison of TMA/TFA and HA/O3 uptake ratios, in part to ash interaction with volcanic gases and condensates (e.g., H2O, SO2, H2SO4, HCl, HF) during the eruption. The strong influence of ash surface processing in the eruption plume and/or cloud is further supported by particular abundances of oxidised and reduced sites on the ash samples resulting from specific characteristics of their eruptions of origin. Intense interaction with water vapour may result in a higher fraction of oxidised sites on ash produced by phreatomagmatic than by magmatic activity. This study constitutes the first quantification of ash chemical properties at the molecular monolayer scale, and is an important step towards better understanding the factors that govern the role of ash as a chemical agent within atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic or biotic systems.

Patient preference for radial versus femoral vascular access for elective coronary procedures: The PREVAS study.

PubMed

Kok, Marlies M; Weernink, Marieke G M; von Birgelen, Clemens; Fens, Anneloes; van der Heijden, Liefke C; van Til, Janine A

2018-01-01

To explore patient preference for vascular access site in percutaneous coronary procedures, the perceived importance of benefits and risks of transradial access (TRA) and transfemoral access (TFA) were assessed. In addition, direct preference for vascular access and preference for shared decision making (SDM) were evaluated. TRA has gained significant ground on TFA during the last decades. Surveys on patient preference have mostly been performed in dedicated TRA trials. In the PREVAS study (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02625493) a stated preference elicitation method best-worst scaling (BWS) was used to determine patient preference for six treatment attributes: bleeding, switch of access-site, postprocedural vessel quality, mobilization and comfort, and over-night stay. Based on software-generated treatment scenarios, 142 patients indicated which characteristics they perceived most and least important in treatment choice. Best-minus-Worst scores and attribute importance were calculated. Bleeding risk was considered most important (attribute importance 31.3%), followed by length of hospitalization (22.6%), and mobilization(20.2%). Most patients preferred the approach of their current procedure (85.9%); however, 71.1% of patients with experience with both access routes favored TRA (P < 0.001). Most patients (38.0%) appreciated SDM, balanced between patient and cardiologist. Patients appreciate lower bleeding risk and early ambulation, factors favoring TRA. Previous experience with a single access route has a major impact on preference, while experience with both routes generally resulted in preference for TRA. Most patients prefer balanced SDM. © 2017 The Authors Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 The Authors Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development and validation of an HPLC method for the determination of dibenzoylmethane in rat plasma and its application to the pharmacokinetic study.

PubMed

Shen, Guoxiang; Hong, Jin-Liern; Kong, Ah-Ng Tony

2007-06-01

A highly sensitive and simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay has been developed and validated for the quantification of dibenzoylmethane (DBM) in rat plasma. DBM and internal standard (I.S.) 1-(5-chloro-2-hydroxy-4-methylphenyl)-3-phenyl-1,3-propanedione (CHMPP) were extracted from rat plasma by ethyl acetate/methanol (95:5, v/v) and analyzed using reverse-phase gradient elution with a Phenomenex Gemini C18 5-mum column. A gradient of mobile phase (mobile phase A: water/methanol (80:20, v/v) with 0.1% TFA and mobile phase B: acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, and ultraviolet (UV) detection at 335 nm were utilized. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) using 50 microL rat plasma was 0.05 microg/mL. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 0.05-20 microg/mL. The mean recoveries were 80.6+/-5.7, 83.4+/-1.6 and 77.1+/-3.4% with quality control (QC) level of 0.05, 1 and 20 microg/mL, respectively. Intra- and inter-day assay accuracy and precision fulfilled US FDA guidance for industry bioanalytical method validation. Stability studies showed that DBM was stable in rat plasma after 4h incubation at room temperature, one month storage at -80 degrees C and three freeze/thaw cycles, as well as in reconstitute buffer for 48 h at 4 degrees C. The utility of the assay was confirmed by the successful analysis of plasma samples from DBM pharmacokinetics studies in the rats after oral and intravenous administrations.

Urbanized South Asians' susceptibility to coronary heart disease: The high-heat food preparation hypothesis.

PubMed

Kakde, Smitha; Bhopal, Raj S; Bhardwaj, Swati; Misra, Anoop

2017-01-01

Known risk factors do not fully explain the comparatively high susceptibility to coronary heart disease (CHD) in South Asians (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan populations in South Asia and overseas). The search for explanatory hypotheses and cofactors that raise susceptibility of South Asians to CHD continues. The aim of this study was to propose "the high-heat food preparation hypothesis," where neo-formed contaminants (NFCs) such as trans-fatty acids (TFAs) and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are the cofactors. We reviewed the actions of AGEs and TFAs, the burden of these products in tissues and blood in South Asians, the relationship between these products and CHD, the effects of preparing food and reheating oils at high temperatures on NFCs, and the foods and mode of preparation in South Asian and Chinese cuisines. Animal and human studies show NFCs increase the risk for CHD. Evidence on the consumption and body burden of these products across ethnic groups is not available, and comparable data on the NFC content of the cuisine of South Asians and potential comparison populations (e.g., the Chinese with lower CHD rates) are limited. South Asians' cuisine is dominated by frying and roasting techniques that use high temperatures. South Asian foods have high TFA content primarily through the use of partially hydrogenated fats, reheated oils, and high-heat cooking. Reheating oils greatly increases the TFA content. In comparison, Chinese cuisine involves mostly braising, steaming, and boiling rather than frying. We hypothesize that South Asians' susceptibility to CHD is partly attributable to high-heat treated foods producing high NFCs. Research to accrue direct evidence is proposed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between blood pressure and cerebral blood flow during supine cycling: influence of aging

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Keegan; Tzeng, Yu-Chieh; Hansen, Alex; Ainslie, Philip N.

2015-01-01

The cerebral pressure-flow relationship can be quantified as a high-pass filter, where slow oscillations are buffered (<0.20 Hz) and faster oscillations are passed through relatively unimpeded. During moderate intensity exercise, previous studies have reported paradoxical transfer function analysis (TFA) findings (altered phase or intact gain). This study aimed to determine whether these previous findings accurately represent this relationship. Both younger (20–30 yr; n = 10) and older (62–72 yr; n = 9) adults were examined. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, large oscillations in blood pressure (via oscillatory lower body negative pressure; OLBNP) were induced during steady-state moderate intensity supine exercise (∼45–50% of heart rate reserve). Beat-to-beat blood pressure, cerebral blood velocity, and end-tidal Pco2 were monitored. Very low frequency (0.02–0.07 Hz) and low frequency (0.07–0.20 Hz) range spontaneous data were quantified. Driven OLBNP point estimates were sampled at 0.05 and 0.10 Hz. The OLBNP maneuvers augmented coherence to >0.97 at 0.05 Hz and >0.98 at 0.10 Hz in both age groups. The OLBNP protocol conclusively revealed the cerebrovascular system functions as a high-pass filter during exercise throughout aging. It was also discovered that the older adults had elevations (+71%) in normalized gain (+0.46 ± 0.36%/%: 0.05 Hz) and reductions (−34%) in phase (−0.24 ± 0.22 radian: 0.10 Hz). There were also age-related phase differences between resting and exercise conditions. It is speculated that these age-related changes in the TFA metrics are mediated by alterations in vasoactive factors, sympathetic tone, or the mechanical buffering of the compliance vessels. PMID:26586907

Simultaneous analysis of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances including ultrashort-chain C2 and C3 compounds in rain and river water samples by ultra performance convergence chromatography.

PubMed

Yeung, Leo W Y; Stadey, Christopher; Mabury, Scott A

2017-11-03

An analytical method using ultra performance convergence chromatography (UPC 2 ) coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer operated in negative electrospray mode was developed to measure perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) including the ultrashort-chain PFASs (C2-C3). Compared to the existing liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method using an ion exchange column, the new method has a lower detection limit (0.4pg trifluoroacetate (TFA) on-column), narrower peak width (3-6s), and a shorter run time (8min). Using the same method, different classes of PFASs (e.g., perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) and perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs), perfluorinated phosphonates (PFPAs) and phosphinates (PFPiAs), polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diesters (diPAPs)) can be measured in a single analysis. Rain (n=2) and river water (n=2) samples collected in Toronto, ON, were used for method validation and application. Results showed that short-chain PFAS (C2-C7 PFCAs and C4 PFSA) contributed to over 80% of the detectable PFASs in rain samples and the C2-C3 PFASs alone accounted for over 40% of the total. Reports on environmental levels of these ultrashort-chain PFASs are relatively scarce. Relatively large contribution of these ultrashort-chain PFASs to the total PFASs indicate the need to include the measurement of short-chain PFASs, especially C2 and C3 PFASs, in environmental monitoring. The sources of TFA and other short-chain PFASs in the environment are not entirely clear. The newly developed analytical method may help further investigation on the sources and the environmental levels of these ultrashort-chain PFASs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of adding dexamethasone to bupivacaine on transversus abdominis plane block for abdominal hysterectomy: A prospective randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Ammar, Amany S.; Mahmoud, Khaled M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Different adjuvants have been used to improve the quality and increase the duration of local anesthetics during various nerve block techniques. The current study was aimed to evaluate the effect of adding dexamethasone to bupivacaine on the quality and duration of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block. Methods: Sixty adult patients undergoing elective open abdominal hysterectomy were randomly allocated to receive TAP block using 20 mL of bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.25% + 2 mL saline 0.9% (control group, n=30) or 20 mL of bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.25% + 2 mL dexamethasone “8 mg” (dexamethasone group, n=30). The primary outcome was postoperative pain, as evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) for pain scoring at 1, 2, 4, 12, 24 and 48 h postoperatively, whereas the secondary outcomes were time to first analgesia (TFA), morphine consumption and the occurrence of nausea, vomiting or somnolence. Results: The pain VAS score was significantly lower at the postoperative 2 h (4.9 vs. 28.1, P=0.01), 4 h (12.2 vs. 31.1, P=0.01) and 12 h (15.7 vs. 25.4, P=0.02). Furthermore, TFA was significantly longer in the dexamethasone group (459.8 vs. 325.4 min, P=0.002), with lesser morphine requirements in the postoperative 48 h (4.9 vs. 21.2 mg, P=0.003) and lower incidence of nausea and vomiting (6 vs. 14, P=0.03). No complications attributed to the block were recorded. Conclusion: Addition of dexamethasone to bupivacaine in TAP block prolonged the duration of the block and decreased the incidence of nausea and vomiting. PMID:23162395

Mechanistic Studies on the Cis to Trans Epimerization of Trisubstituted-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-β-Carbolines

PubMed Central

Van Linn, Michael L.; Cook, James M.

2010-01-01

It is well known that Nb-benzyl tryptophan alkyl esters undergo the Pictet-Spengler reaction with aldehydes to furnish both cis and trans 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carbolines, with the trans isomer predominating. Epimerization at C-1 took place under acidic conditions to produce, exclusively, the thermodynamically more stable trans diastereomer via internal asymmetric induction. Recent kinetic experiments provided insight into the cis to trans epimerization mechanism involved in the Pictet-Spengler reaction of 1,2,3-trisubsituted tetrahydro-β-carbolines. Since the epimerization reaction had been shown to be sensitive to electronic effects at C-1, the rate data for a series of 1-phenyl-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carbolines was investigated via a Hammett study. Analysis of the data supported the presence of a positively charged intermediate with a ρ value of −1.4, although the existence of an iminium ion intermediate or a carbocationic intermediate could not be determined from this data alone. Analysis of the rate of epimerization demonstrated first-order kinetics with respect to TFA following the initial protonation of the substrate. This observation was consistent with the formation of a doubly protonated intermediate as the rate determining step in the carbocation-mediated cis to trans epimerization process. In addition, the observed first-order rate dependence was inconsistent with the retro Pictet-Spengler mechanism since protonation at the indole-2 position was not rate determining as demonstrated by kinetic isotope effects. Based on this kinetic data, the retro Pictet-Spengler pathway was ruled out for the cis to trans epimerization of 1,2,3-trisubstituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carbolines, while the olefinic mechanism had been ruled out by experiments carried out in TFA-d. PMID:20429580

The anterior trochlear line as a reference for femoral component positioning in total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Morizane, Kazuki; Takahashi, Toshiaki; Konishi, Fumihiko; Yamamoto, Haruyasu

2011-12-01

A new radiographic method using the anterior and posterior femoral condyles as a landmark to determine the rotational alignment of the femoral component in TKA had been developed. The new radiograph presents an axial view of the distal femur. The patients were asked to lie in the supine position and flex the knee approximately 120° to 130°. Radiographs were applied at an inclination angle of 20° to 30°. The condylar twist angle (CTA), the external rotational angle between the posterior condylar (PC) line and the clinical transepicondylar axis (TEA), and the trochlear line angle (TLA), and the internal rotational angle between the anterior trochlear line and the clinical TEA were measured. Images were taken of 129 knees in 87 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The measurement values obtained using our method with those obtained using 3D reconstructed images from a 3-dimensional helical CT system (n = 35) were compared. The average CTA was 5.7° ± 2.8° and the average TLA was -5.6° ± 3.2°. The CTA was negatively correlated with the tibiofemoral angle (TFA). The average TLA was positively correlated with the TFA. The average difference between the TLA values obtained with this view and those obtained using the 3D-CT was 0.5° ± 1.6°. The relationship between the radiograph and 3D-CT in TLA was higher than that in CTA. This radiographic technique allows easy and simultaneous measurement of the CTA and TLA and may provide an alternative method for assessing the TEA of the femur during preoperative planning for TKA.

Randomized controlled study of the effect of a butter naturally enriched in trans fatty acids on blood lipids in healthy women123

PubMed Central

Lacroix, Émilie; Charest, Amélie; Cyr, Audrey; Baril-Gravel, Lisa; Lebeuf, Yolaine; Paquin, Paul; Chouinard, P Yvan; Couture, Patrick; Lamarche, Benoît

2012-01-01

Background: Whereas the negative effect of consuming trans fatty acids found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is well established, the effect of trans fatty acids from ruminant sources (rTFAs) on CVD risk factors has not yet been established, particularly among women. Objective: We investigated the effects of a butter naturally enriched in rTFAs, of which vaccenic acid is the predominant isomer, on plasma lipid concentrations among healthy women. Design: In a double-blind, randomized, crossover controlled study, 61 healthy women aged 19–70 y were fed 2 isoenergetic diets lasting 4 wk each. The 2 diets were defined as moderately high in rTFAs (3.7 g/d, 1.5% of daily energy) and control (0.9 g/d, 0.3% of daily energy). Results: No significant effect of the rTFA diet was found on total plasma cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, and triglyceride concentrations compared with the control diet. There was a small yet statistically significant reduction in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations with the rTFA diet (−2.8%; P = 0.004), which was significant (P for the BMI × treatment interaction = 0.006) among women with a BMI (in kg/m2) ≥25 (−5.2%; P = 0.004; n = 18) but not among women with a BMI <25 (−1.2%; P = 0.13; n = 43). Conclusions: These results suggest that an increase in dietary rTFAs equivalent to ∼1% of daily energy has no significant effect on LDL but may be associated with a reduction in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations, particularly in overweight women. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00930137. PMID:22205319

Raman Spectroscopy of the Interferon-Induced 2’,5’-Oligoadenylates

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-25

generation of the Raman spectrum of triethyl ammonium ion ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 41 12. structures of purine, adenine, purine riboside , adenosine...ribose 5 1-phosphate, AMP, and ATP........ 48 13. Raman spectra of adenine and purine •••••••.••••••••• 49 14. Raman spectra of purine riboside and... nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; TFAB, triethyl anunonium bicarbonate; TFA, triethyl amm::mium. ion; CD circular _dichroism; NMR, nuclear magnetic

Changes in tropospheric composition and air quality due to stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change.

PubMed

Wilson, S R; Solomon, K R; Tang, X

2007-03-01

It is well-understood that reductions in air quality play a significant role in both environmental and human health. Interactions between ozone depletion and global climate change will significantly alter atmospheric chemistry which, in turn, will cause changes in concentrations of natural and human-made gases and aerosols. Models predict that tropospheric ozone near the surface will increase globally by up to 10 to 30 ppbv (33 to 100% increase) during the period 2000 to 2100. With the increase in the amount of the stratospheric ozone, increased transport from the stratosphere to the troposphere will result in different responses in polluted and unpolluted areas. In contrast, global changes in tropospheric hydroxyl radical (OH) are not predicted to be large, except where influenced by the presence of oxidizable organic matter, such as from large-scale forest fires. Recent measurements in a relatively clean location over 5 years showed that OH concentrations can be predicted by the intensity of solar ultraviolet radiation. If this relationship is confirmed by further observations, this approach could be used to simplify assessments of air quality. Analysis of surface-level ozone observations in Antarctica suggests that there has been a significant change in the chemistry of the boundary layer of the atmosphere in this region as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion. The oxidation potential of the Antarctic boundary layer is estimated to be greater now than before the development of the ozone hole. Recent modeling studies have suggested that iodine and iodine-containing substances from natural sources, such as the ocean, may increase stratospheric ozone depletion significantly in polar regions during spring. Given the uncertainty of the fate of iodine in the stratosphere, the results may also be relevant for stratospheric ozone depletion and measurements of the influence of these substances on ozone depletion should be considered in the future. In agreement with known usage and atmospheric loss processes, tropospheric concentrations of HFC-134a, the main human-made source of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), is increasing rapidly. As HFC-134a is a potent greenhouse gas, this increasing concentration has implications for climate change. However, the risks to humans and the environment from substances, such as TFA, produced by atmospheric degradation of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are considered minimal. Perfluoropolyethers, commonly used as industrial heat transfer fluids and proposed as chlorohydrofluorocarbon (CHFC) substitutes, show great stability to chemical degradation in the atmosphere. These substances have been suggested as substitutes for CHFCs but, as they are very persistent in the atmosphere, they may be important contributors to global warming. It is not known whether these substances will contribute significantly to global warming and its interaction with ozone depletion but they should be considered for further evaluation.

Construction of divergent fused heterocycles via an acid-promoted intramolecular ipso-Friedel-Crafts alkylation of phenol derivatives.

PubMed

Yokosaka, Takuya; Shiga, Naoki; Nemoto, Tetsuhiro; Hamada, Yasumasa

2014-05-02

Two different cascade cyclization processes were developed using aryl group-substituted propargyl alcohol derivatives with a p-hydroxybenzylamine unit as common substrates. Using TFA as an acid promoter, an intramolecular ipso-Friedel-Crafts alkylation of phenol derivatives, formation of an iminium cation via a rearomatization-promoted C-C bond cleavage, an aza-Prins reaction, and a 6-membered ring formation proceeded sequentially, producing a variety of fused-tricyclic dihydroquinoline derivatives in 45-99% yield. In addition, a one-pot sequential silver acetate-catalyzed hydroamination/etherification-acid-promoted skeletal rearrangement was examined using the same series of substrates, affording fused-tricyclic indole/benzofuran derivatives in 66-89% yield.

Localized dark solitons and vortices in defocusing media with spatially inhomogeneous nonlinearity.

PubMed

Zeng, Jianhua; Malomed, Boris A

2017-05-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that defocusing cubic nonlinearity with local strength growing from the center to the periphery faster than r^{D}, in space of dimension D with radial coordinate r, supports a vast variety of robust bright solitons. In the framework of the same model, but with a weaker spatial-growth rate ∼r^{α} with α≤D, we test here the possibility to create stable localized continuous waves (LCWs) in one-dimensional (1D) and 2D geometries, localized dark solitons (LDSs) in one dimension, and localized dark vortices (LDVs) in two dimensions, which are all realized as loosely confined states with a divergent norm. Asymptotic tails of the solutions, which determine the divergence of the norm, are constructed in a universal analytical form by means of the Thomas-Fermi approximation (TFA). Global approximations for the LCWs, LDSs, and LDVs are constructed on the basis of interpolations between analytical approximations available far from (TFA) and close to the center. In particular, the interpolations for the 1D LDS, as well as for the 2D LDVs, are based on a deformed-tanh expression, which is suggested by the usual 1D dark-soliton solution. The analytical interpolations produce very accurate results, in comparison with numerical findings, for the 1D and 2D LCWs, 1D LDSs, and 2D LDVs with vorticity S=1. In addition to the 1D fundamental LDSs with the single notch and 2D vortices with S=1, higher-order LDSs with multiple notches are found too, as well as double LDVs, with S=2. Stability regions for the modes under consideration are identified by means of systematic simulations, the LCWs being completely stable in one and two dimensions, as they are ground states in the corresponding settings. Basic evolution scenarios are identified for those vortices that are unstable. The settings considered in this work may be implemented in nonlinear optics and in Bose-Einstein condensates.

Localized dark solitons and vortices in defocusing media with spatially inhomogeneous nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Jianhua; Malomed, Boris A.

2017-05-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that defocusing cubic nonlinearity with local strength growing from the center to the periphery faster than rD, in space of dimension D with radial coordinate r , supports a vast variety of robust bright solitons. In the framework of the same model, but with a weaker spatial-growth rate ˜rα with α ≤D , we test here the possibility to create stable localized continuous waves (LCWs) in one-dimensional (1D) and 2D geometries, localized dark solitons (LDSs) in one dimension, and localized dark vortices (LDVs) in two dimensions, which are all realized as loosely confined states with a divergent norm. Asymptotic tails of the solutions, which determine the divergence of the norm, are constructed in a universal analytical form by means of the Thomas-Fermi approximation (TFA). Global approximations for the LCWs, LDSs, and LDVs are constructed on the basis of interpolations between analytical approximations available far from (TFA) and close to the center. In particular, the interpolations for the 1D LDS, as well as for the 2D LDVs, are based on a deformed-tanh expression, which is suggested by the usual 1D dark-soliton solution. The analytical interpolations produce very accurate results, in comparison with numerical findings, for the 1D and 2D LCWs, 1D LDSs, and 2D LDVs with vorticity S =1 . In addition to the 1D fundamental LDSs with the single notch and 2D vortices with S =1 , higher-order LDSs with multiple notches are found too, as well as double LDVs, with S =2 . Stability regions for the modes under consideration are identified by means of systematic simulations, the LCWs being completely stable in one and two dimensions, as they are ground states in the corresponding settings. Basic evolution scenarios are identified for those vortices that are unstable. The settings considered in this work may be implemented in nonlinear optics and in Bose-Einstein condensates.

Investigation of the adsorption mechanism of a peptide in reversed phase liquid chromatography, from pH controlled and uncontrolled solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gritti, Fabrice; Guiochon, Georges A

2009-01-01

The single-component equilibrium adsorption of the tripeptide Leucyl-Leucyl-Leucine (LLL) on a high-efficiency Jupiter Proteo column (C{sub 12}) was investigated experimentally and modeled theoretically. The experimental equilibrium isotherms of LLL for adsorption on a C{sub 12} packing material from an aqueous solution of methanol (48%) and trifluoroacetic acid (0.1%) were measured by frontal analysis (FA). The FA measurements were done with two solutions, one in which the pH was controlled, the other in which it was not. Two solutions of LLL in the mobile phase were prepared (4.3 and 5.4 g/L) and their pH measured (2.94 and 2.88), respectively. The firstmore » solution was titrated with TFA to match the pH of the mobile phase (2.03), so its pH was controlled. The pH of the other solution was left uncontrolled. In both cases the isotherms could be modeled by a bi-Langmuir equation, a choice consistent with the bimodal affinity energy distribution (AED) obtained for LLL. The isotherm parameters derived from the inverse method (IM) of isotherm determination under controlled pH conditions (by fitting calculated profiles to experimental breakthrough profiles) are in a good agreement with those derived from the FA data. Under uncontrolled pH conditions, the application of IM suggests the coexistence of two different adsorption mechanisms. According to the isotherm parameters found by these three methods (FA, AED and IM), the C{sub 12}-bonded silica can adsorb around 500 and 70 g/L of LLL under controlled and uncontrolled pH conditions, respectively. The adsorption of LLL on the C{sub 12} material strongly depends on the pH of the mobile phase and on the quantity of TFA added, which plays the role of an ion-pairing agent.« less

Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hunter, J Edward; Zhang, Jun; Kris-Etherton, Penny M

2010-01-01

High stearic acid (STA) soybean oil is a trans-free, oxidatively stable, non-LDL-cholesterol-raising oil that can be used to replace trans fatty acids (TFAs) in solid fat applications. The objective was to assess the cardiovascular health effects of dietary STA compared with those of trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids. We reviewed epidemiologic and clinical studies that evaluated the relation between STA and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including plasma lipids and lipoproteins, hemostatic variables, and inflammatory markers. In comparison with other saturated fatty acids, STA lowered LDL cholesterol, was neutral with respect to HDL cholesterol, and directionally lowered the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol. STA tended to raise LDL cholesterol, lower HDL cholesterol, and increase the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol in comparison with unsaturated fatty acids. In 2 of 4 studies, high-STA diets increased lipoprotein(a) in comparison with diets high in saturated fatty acids. Three studies showed increased plasma fibrinogen when dietary STA exceeded 9% of energy (the current 90th percentile of intake is 3.5%). Replacing industrial TFAs with STA might increase STA intake from 3.0% (current) to approximately 4% of energy and from 4% to 5% of energy at the 90th percentile. One-to-one substitution of STA for TFAs showed a decrease or no effect on LDL cholesterol, an increase or no effect on HDL cholesterol, and a decrease in the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol. TFA intake should be reduced as much as possible because of its adverse effects on lipids and lipoproteins. The replacement of TFA with STA compared with other saturated fatty acids in foods that require solid fats beneficially affects LDL cholesterol, the primary target for CVD risk reduction; unsaturated fats are preferred for liquid fat applications. Research is needed to evaluate the effects of STA on emerging CVD risk markers such as fibrinogen and to understand the responses in different populations.

Reverse-phase liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry for the quantification of pseudoephedrine in human plasma and application to a bioequivalence study.

PubMed

Kim, Jin-Ki; Jee, Jun-Pil; Park, Jeong-Sook; Kim, Hyung Tae; Kim, Chong-Kook

2011-01-01

A sensitive and selective reverse-phase liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method was developed and validated to quantify pseudoephedrine (CAS 90-82-4) in human plasma. Phenacetin was used as the internal standard (I.S.). Sample preparation was performed with a deproteinization step using acetonitrile. Pseudoephedrine and I.S. were successfully separated using gradient elution with 0.5% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water and 0.5% TFA in methanol at a flow-rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection was performed on a single quadrupole mass spectrometer by a selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode via electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The ESI source was set at positive ionization mode. The ion signals of m/z 166.3 and 180.2 were measured for the protonated molecular ions of pseudoephedrine and I.S., respectively. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of pseudoephedrine in human plasma was 10 ng/mL and good linearity was observed in the range of concentrations 10-500 ng/mL (R2 = 1). The intra-day accuracy of the drug containing plasma samples was more than 97.60% with a precision of 3.99-11.82%. The inter-day accuracy was 99.36% or more, with a precision of 7.65-18.42%. By using this analytical method, the bioequivalence study of the pseudoephedrine preparation was performed and evaluated by statistical analysis of the log transformed mean ratios of pharmacokinetic parameters. All the results fulfilled the standard criteria of bioequivalence, being within the 80-125% range which is required by the Korea FDA, US FDA, and EMEA to conclude bioequivalence. Consequently, the developed reverse-phase LC-ESI-MS method was successfully applied to bioequivalence studies of pseudoephedrine in healthy male volunteers.

Satisfactory functional and radiological outcomes can be expected in young patients under 45 years old after open wedge high tibial osteotomy in a long-term follow-up.

PubMed

Hantes, Michael E; Natsaridis, Prodromos; Koutalos, Antonios A; Ono, Yohei; Doxariotis, Nikolaos; Malizos, Konstantinos N

2017-11-30

To report the long-term outcomes of medial open wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) for the treatment of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis in patients younger than 45 years old. It was hypothesized that the correction of knee alignment would result in preservation of knee function in a long-term follow-up. Patients under 45 years old, who underwent MOWHTO for symptomatic medial compartment knee osteoarthritis between 2001 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed after a minimum of 10 years. The osteotomy was performed utilizing a locking plate without the use of bone graft. Patients were evaluated pre- and postoperatively using the International Knee Documentation Committee Score, the Oxford Knee Score, the Knee injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and the Short Form-12 Score. Standardized standing whole-limb radiographs were also obtained to assess mechanical tibiofemoral angle (mTFA) and the grade of osteoarthritis. A total of 20 patients (18 males, 2 females, mean age 35.4 years) with a mean follow-up of 12.3 years were included in the study. During the follow-up period, one patient required conversion to total knee replacement (95% survival rate). All clinical outcome scores (IKDC, KOOS, OKS, and SF-12) significantly improved postoperatively (p < 0.05), with no significant deterioration over time. Preoperative varus alignment with an mTFA of - 5.8 ± 2.4° was corrected to 2.5 ± 1.9° immediately after surgery (p < 0.05), and remained 2.2 ± 1.7° at the last follow-up. Furthermore, no significant radiographic progression of osteoarthritis was observed. MWOHTO with a locking plate is an effective joint preservation method to treat medial compartment OA in active patients less than 45 years. Clinical and radiological results are satisfactory and the survival rate is 95%, 12 years after the procedure. Level IV therapeutic, retrospective, cohort study.

Race-ethnicity is a strong correlate of circulating fat-soluble nutrient concentrations in a representative sample of the US population1,2,3

PubMed Central

Schleicher, Rosemary L; Sternberg, Maya R; Pfeiffer, Christine M

2016-01-01

Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors exert important influences on nutritional status; however, information on their association with biomarkers of fat-soluble nutrients is limited, particularly in a representative sample of adults. Serum or plasma concentrations of vitamin A (VIA), vitamin E (VIE), carotenes (CAR), xanthophylls (XAN), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), saturated- (SFA), monounsaturated- (MUFA), polyunsaturated- (PUFA) and total fatty acids (tFA) were measured in adults (≥20 y) during all or part of NHANES 2003–2006. Simple and multiple linear regression were used to assess 5 sociodemographic variables (age, sex, race-ethnicity, education, income) and 5 lifestyle behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, supplement use) and their relation to biomarker concentrations. Adjustment for total serum cholesterol and lipid-altering drug use was added to the full regression model. Adjustment for latitude and season was added to the full model for 25OHD. Based on simple linear regression, race-ethnicity, BMI and supplement use were significantly related to all fat-soluble biomarkers. Sociodemographic variables as a groupexplained 5–17% of biomarker variability, whereas together, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables explained 22–23% (25OHD, VIE, XAN), 17% (VIA), 15% (MUFA), 10–11% (SFA, CAR, tFA) and 6% (PUFA). Although lipid adjustment explained additional variability for all biomarkers except 25OHD, it appeared to be largely independent of sociodemographic and lifestyle variables. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle and lipid-related variables, major differences in biomarkers were associated with race-ethnicity (from −44% to 57%); smoking (up to −25%); supplement use (up to 21%); and BMI (up to −15%). Latitude and season attenuated some race-ethnic differences. Of the sociodemographic and lifestyle variables examined, with or without lipid-adjustment, most fat-soluble nutrient biomarkers were significantly associated with race-ethnicity. PMID:23596163

Superior triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in starchless mutants of Scenedesmus obliquus: (I) mutant generation and characterization

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Microalgae are a promising platform for producing neutral lipids, to be used in the application for biofuels or commodities in the feed and food industry. A very promising candidate is the oleaginous green microalga Scenedesmus obliquus, because it accumulates up to 45% w/w triacylglycerol (TAG) under nitrogen starvation. Under these conditions, starch is accumulated as well. Starch can amount up to 38% w/w under nitrogen starvation, which is a substantial part of the total carbon captured. When aiming for optimized TAG production, blocking the formation of starch could potentially increase carbon allocation towards TAG. In an attempt to increase TAG content, productivity and yield, starchless mutants of this high potential strain were generated using UV mutagenesis. Previous studies in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have shown that blocking the starch synthesis yields higher TAG contents, although these TAG contents do not surpass those of oleaginous microalgae yet. So far no starchless mutants in oleaginous green microalgae have been isolated that result in higher TAG productivities. Results Five starchless mutants have been isolated successfully from over 3,500 mutants. The effect of the mutation on biomass and total fatty acid (TFA) and TAG productivity under nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-depleted conditions was studied. All five starchless mutants showed a decreased or completely absent starch content. In parallel, an increased TAG accumulation rate was observed for the starchless mutants and no substantial decrease in biomass productivity was perceived. The most promising mutant showed an increase in TFA productivity of 41% at 4 days after nitrogen depletion, reached a TAG content of 49.4% (% of dry weight) and had no substantial change in biomass productivity compared to the wild type. Conclusions The improved S. obliquus TAG production strains are the first starchless mutants in an oleaginous green microalga that show enhanced TAG content under photoautotrophic conditions. These results can pave the way towards a more feasible microalgae-driven TAG production platform. PMID:24920957

Genetic characteristic of swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from Pampangan, South Sumatra based on blood protein profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windusari, Yuanita; Hanum, Laila; Wahyudi, Rizki

2017-11-01

Swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is an endemic species and one of the genetic wealth of South Sumatra with a distribution area in the district of Pampangan (OganIlir and OganOganIlir). Suspected inbreeding causes decreased phenotypic properties. Inbreeding among various swamp buffalo is certainly not only lower the qualities but also genotypes and phenotypes. It is of interest to determine kinship variants swamp buffaloes from Pampangan through the analysis of a blood protein profile. Blood protein profile of four variants swamps buffalo was studied by using five electrophoresis system i.e. pre-albumin (Palb), albumin (Alb), ceruloplasmin (Cp), transferrin (Tf) and transferrin post (Ptf). In this paper, it is obtained that there was no significant differences among the four variants of the buffaloes were used as a sample. Prealbumin has two alleles (Palb1 and Palb2), albumin has three alleles (Alba, AlbB, AlbC), ceruloplasmin has one allele (BPA), post-transferrin has one allele (PTFA) with an allele frequency 1.0000 at any time transferrin has two alleles (TFA and TFB) with the allele frequency of 0.7500 and 1.0000. Characteristics prealbumin (Palb), albumin (Alb), ceruloplasmin (Cp), and post-transferrin (P-tf) is monomorphic, while transferrin is polymorphic average heterozygosity values all loci (H) 0.1286. Based on average heterozygosity, the swamp buffalo (Bubalusbubalis) from Pampangan has low genetic variation and closest genetic relationship.

Isolation and characterization of feruloylated arabinoxylan oligosaccharides from the perennial cereal grain intermediate wheat grass (Thinopyrum intermedium).

PubMed

Schendel, Rachel R; Becker, Andreas; Tyl, Catrin E; Bunzel, Mirko

2015-04-30

In comparison to the annual grain crops dominating current agricultural production, perennial grain species require fewer chemical and energy inputs and improve soil health and erosion control. The possibility for producing sustainable grain harvests from marginal land areas is motivating research initiatives to integrate perennial grains into commercial cropping and food processing systems. In this study, the feruloylated arabinoxylans from intermediate wheat grass (Thinopyrum intermedium, IWG), a promising perennial grain candidate in agronomic screening studies, were investigated. Insoluble fiber isolated from IWG whole grain flour was subjected to either mildly acidic (50 mM TFA, 100 °C, 2 h) or enzymatic (Driselase) hydrolysis. The liberated feruloylated arabinoxylan oligosaccharides were concentrated with Amberlite XAD-2, separated with gel chromatography (Sephadex LH-20, water), and purified with reversed-phase HPLC (C18, water-MeOH gradient). Thirteen feruloylated oligosaccharides were isolated (including eight structures described for the first time) and identified by LC-ESI-MS and NMR. Linkage-type analysis via methylation analysis, as well as the monosaccharide and phenolic acid profiles of the IWG insoluble fiber were also determined. IWG feruloylated arabinoxylans have a relatively simple structure with only short feruloylated side chains, a lower backbone substitution rate than annual rye and wheat varieties, and a moderate phenolic acid content. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Persistent Self-Association of Solute Molecules in Solution.

PubMed

Tang, Weiwei; Mo, Huaping; Zhang, Mingtao; Parkin, Sean; Gong, Junbo; Wang, Jingkang; Li, Tonglei

2017-11-02

The structural evolvement of a solute determines the crystallization outcome. The self-association mechanism leading to nucleation, however, remains poorly understood. Our current study explored the solution chemistry of a model compound, tolfenamic acid (TFA), in three different solvents mainly by solution NMR. It was found that hydrogen-bonded pairs of solute-solute or solute-solvent stack with each through forming a much weaker π-π interaction as the concentration increases. Depending on the solvent, configurations of the solution species may be retained in the resultant crystal structure or undergo rearrangement. Yet, the π-π stacking is always retained in the crystal regardless of the solvent used for the crystallization. The finding suggests that nucleation not only involves the primary intermolecular interaction (hydrogen bonding) but also engages the secondary forces in the self-assembly process.

Highly specific and reversible fluoride sensor based on an organic semiconductor.

PubMed

Aboubakr, Hecham; Brisset, Hugues; Siri, Olivier; Raimundo, Jean-Manuel

2013-10-15

A novel sulfonamide-conjugated benzo-[2,1-b:3,4-b']bithiophene semiconductor has been designed and synthetized in order to develop a probe for specific detection of anions both in the homogeneous (solution) and heterogeneous phase. Its photophysical and electrochemical data were reported in this study. On the basis of the optical and NMR titrations analysis, the chelator was found to be highly selective for fluoride compared to others anions (Ka = 1.6 × 10(4) M(-1) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)). In addition, from an intricate sample, the novel chelator shows exceptional specificity toward fluoride and reveals a complete reversibility after addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Sensing films were obtained by electrochemical polymerization of the probe on an electrode surface, which clearly show effective detection of fluoride.

Determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in spices using a multifunctional column clean-up.

PubMed

Akiyama, H; Goda, Y; Tanaka, T; Toyoda, M

2001-10-12

A rapid and simple method using a multifunctional column, which contains lipophilic and charged active sites, was developed to analyse aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in various spices, such as red pepper and nutmeg. After extraction by acetonitrile:water (9:1) and clean-up using MultiSep #228 column, the aflatoxins and aflatoxin-TFA derivatives are determined using LC with fluorescence detection. Recoveries of each aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 spiked to red pepper, white pepper, black pepper, nutmeg and tear grass at the level of 10 ng/g were over 80-85% in all instances. The minimum detectable concentration for aflatoxins in red pepper was 0.5 ng/g.

Impact of Regulatory Interventions to Reduce Intake of Artificial Trans–Fatty Acids: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Almíron-Roig, Eva; Monsivais, Pablo; Jebb, Susan A.; Benjamin Neelon, Sara E.; Griffin, Simon J.; Ogilvie, David B.

2015-01-01

We examined the impact of regulatory action to reduce levels of artificial trans–fatty acids (TFAs) in food. We searched Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, and EconLit (January 1980 to December 2012) for studies related to government regulation of food- or diet-related health behaviors from which we extracted the subsample of legislative initiatives to reduce artificial TFAs in food. We screened 38 162 articles and identified 14 studies that examined artificial TFA controls limiting permitted levels or mandating labeling. These measures achieved good compliance, with evidence of appropriate reformulation. Regulations grounded on maximum limits and mandated labeling can lead to reductions in actual and reported TFAs in food and appear to encourage food producers to reformulate their products. PMID:25602897

Zinc-coordinated MOFs complexes regulated by hydrogen bonds: Synthesis, structure and luminescence study toward broadband white-light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Hui; Dan, Wenyan; Fang, Xiangdong

2018-04-01

Two new compounds, namely {[Zn(apc)2]·H2O}n (1) and [Zn(apc)2(H2O)2] (2), have been designed and synthesized with a multi-functional ligand 2-aminopyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid (Hapc). Both compounds were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (SC-XRD), elemental analysis (EA), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). In solid-state structures, 1 features a two-fold interpenetrating pillared-layer 3D framework with point symbol {83}2{86}, referring to tfa topology; while 2 exhibits a 3D framework based on super unit of Zn(apc)2(H2O)2 interconnected via hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, the luminescent properties of 1 and 2 were discussed.

Solvent-based and solvent-free characterization of low solubility and low molecular weight polyamides by mass spectrometry: a complementary approach.

PubMed

Barrère, Caroline; Hubert-Roux, Marie; Lange, Catherine M; Rejaibi, Majed; Kebir, Nasreddine; Désilles, Nicolas; Lecamp, Laurence; Burel, Fabrice; Loutelier-Bourhis, Corinne

2012-06-15

Polyamides (PA) belong to the most used classes of polymers because of their attractive chemical and mechanical properties. In order to monitor original PA design, it is essential to develop analytical methods for the characterization of these compounds that are mostly insoluble in usual solvents. A low molecular weight polyamide (PA11), synthesized with a chain limiter, has been used as a model compound and characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). In the solvent-based approach, specific solvents for PA, i.e. trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), were tested. Solvent-based sample preparation methods, dried-droplet and thin layer, were optimized through the choice of matrix and salt. Solvent-based (thin layer) and solvent-free methods were then compared for this low solubility polymer. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization (UHPLC/ESI)-TOF-MS analyses were then used to confirm elemental compositions through accurate mass measurement. Sodium iodide (NaI) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB) are, respectively, the best cationizing agent and matrix. The dried-droplet sample preparation method led to inhomogeneous deposits, but the thin-layer method could overcome this problem. Moreover, the solvent-free approach was the easiest and safest sample preparation method giving equivalent results to solvent-based methods. Linear as well as cyclic oligomers were observed. Although the PA molecular weights obtained by MALDI-TOF-MS were lower than those obtained by (1)H NMR and acido-basic titration, this technique allowed us to determine the presence of cyclic and linear species, not differentiated by the other techniques. TFA was shown to induce modification of linear oligomers that permitted cyclic and linear oligomers to be clearly highlighted in spectra. Optimal sample preparation conditions were determined for the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of PA11, a model of polyamide analogues. The advantages of the solvent-free and solvent-based approaches were shown. Molecular weight determination using MALDI was discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[C–H···anion] interactions mediate the templation and anion binding properties of topologically non-trivial metal–organic structures in aqueous solutions† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: For general methods, further details of synthesis and characterization, anions binding, and DFT and PM6 calculations. CCDC 1409618. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c5sc04246a Click here for additional data file. Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Bilbeisi, Rana A.; Prakasam, Thirumurugan; Lusi, Matteo; El Khoury, Roberto; Platas-Iglesias, Carlos; Charbonnière, Loïc J.; Olsen, John-Carl

2016-01-01

Two synthetic approaches—temperature variation and anion templation—allowed for the selective formation of a [2]catenane ([2]C4+) or a trefoil knot (TK6+), or for the enhanced formation of a Solomon link (SL8+), all from a simple set of starting materials (Zn(ii) acetate, diformylpyridine (DFP) and a diamino-2,2′-bipyridine (DAB)) in mixed aqueous solutions. The catenane formed exclusively at 90 °C in a 1 : 1 mixed solvent of D2O and MeOD. In the presence of bromide ion as template, TK6+ formed exclusively at 50 °C in the same solvent. In the solid state, TK6+ hosts two bromide ions in its central cavity by forming six Csp2–H hydrogen bonds. In D2O, TK6+, which was originally prepared as a trifluoroacetate (TFA) salt, was found to exchange two TFA counterions for two monovalent anions of different sizes and shapes, which lodged within the knot's central cavity. In contrast to bromide, the larger triflate anion (CF3SO3 –) promoted the formation of SL8+, which was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Two dimensional heteronuclear 19F-1H-HOSEY NMR experiments detected CH···F interactions inside the cavity of SL8+. Thus, the product distribution of this dynamic link forming system is sensitive to temperature and the size and shape of the anion template, and one of the products, TK6+, is capable of binding a variety of monovalent anions in D2O with high affinity (with log β 2 values of 4 to 6 being typical). PMID:28660022

The Teach for America RockCorps, Year 1: Turning Authentic Research Experiences in Geophysics for STEM Teachers into Modeling Instruction™ in High School Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrison, D. R., Jr.; Neubauer, H.; Barber, T. J.; Griffith, W. A.

2015-12-01

National reform efforts such as the Next Generation Science Standards, Modeling Instruction™, and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) seek to more closely align K-12 students' STEM learning experiences with the practices of scientific and engineering inquiry. These reform efforts aim to lead students toward deeper understandings constructed through authentic scientific and engineering inquiry in classrooms, particularly via model building and testing, more closely mirroring the professional practice of scientists and engineers, whereas traditional instructional approaches have typically been lecture-driven. In this vein, we describe the approach taken in the first year of the Teach for America (TFA) RockCorps, a five-year, NSF-sponsored project designed to provide authentic research experiences for secondary teachers and foster the development of Geophysics-themed teaching materials through cooperative lesson plan development and purchase of scientific equipment. Initially, two teachers were selected from the local Dallas-Fort Worth Region of TFA to participate in original research studying the failure of rocks under impulsive loads using a Split-Hopkinson-Pressure Bar (SHPB). For the teachers, this work provides a context from which to derive Geophysics-themed lesson plans for their courses, Physics/Pre-AP and Principles of Engineering (POE), offered at two large public high schools in Dallas ISD. The Physics course will incorporate principles of seismic wave propagation to allow students to develop a model of wave behavior, including velocity, refraction, and resonance, and apply the model to predict propagation properties of a variety of waves through multiple media. For the PLTW POE course, tension and compression testing of a variety of rock samples will be incorporated into materials properties and testing units. Also, a project will give a group of seniors in the PLTW Engineering Design and Development course at this certified NAF Academy of Engineering the opportunity to collaborate with UT Arlington scientists to design and prototype a fixturing solution for material testing. These course adaptations address learning objectives specified by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, using geoscience examples to make abstract concepts more concrete.

Cross-generational trans fat intake facilitates mania-like behavior: oxidative and molecular markers in brain cortex.

PubMed

Trevizol, F; Roversi, Kr; Dias, V T; Roversi, K; Barcelos, R C S; Kuhn, F T; Pase, C S; Golombieski, R; Veit, J C; Piccolo, J; Pochmann, D; Porciúncula, L O; Emanuelli, T; Rocha, J B T; Bürger, M E

2015-02-12

Since that fast food consumption have raised concerns about people's health, we evaluated the influence of trans fat consumption on behavioral, biochemical and molecular changes in the brain-cortex of second generation rats exposed to a model of mania. Two successive generations of female rats were supplemented with soybean oil (SO, rich in n-6 FA, control group), fish oil (FO, rich in n-3 FA) and hydrogenated vegetable fat (HVF, rich in trans FA) from pregnancy, lactation to adulthood, when male rats from 2nd generation received amphetamine (AMPH-4 mg/kg-i.p., once a day, for 14 days) treatment. AMPH increased locomotor index in all animals, which was higher in the HVF group. While the FO group showed increased n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) incorporation and reduced n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, HVF allowed trans fatty acid (TFA) incorporation and increased n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in the brain-cortex. In fact, the FO group showed minor AMPH-induced hyperactivity, decreased reactive species (RS) generation per se, causing no changes in protein carbonyl (PC) levels and dopamine transporter (DAT). FO supplementation showed molecular changes, since proBDNF was increased per se and reduced by AMPH, decreasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level following drug treatment. Conversely, HVF was related to increased hyperactivity, higher PC level per se and higher AMPH-induced PC level, reflecting on DAT, whose levels were decreased per se as well as in AMPH-treated groups. In addition, while HVF increased BDNF-mRNA per se, AMPH reduced this value, acting on BDNF, whose level was lower in the same AMPH-treated experimental group. ProBDNF level was influenced by HVF supplementation, but it was not sufficient to modify BDNF level. These findings reinforce that prolonged consumption of trans fat allows TFA incorporation in the cortex, facilitating hyperactive behavior, oxidative damages and molecular changes. Our study is a warning about cross-generational consumption of processed food, since high trans fat may facilitate the development of neuropsychiatric conditions, including bipolar disorder (BD). Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-generational trans fat intake modifies BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus: Impact on memory loss in a mania animal model.

PubMed

Trevizol, Fabíola; Dias, Verônica T; Roversi, Katiane; Barcelos, Raquel C S; Kuhn, Fábio T; Roversi, Karine; Pase, Camila S; Golombieski, Ronaldo; Veit, Juliana C; Piccolo, Jaqueline; Emanuelli, Tatiana; Rocha, João B T; Bürger, Marilise E

2015-05-01

Recently, we have described the influence of dietary fatty acids (FA) on mania-like behavior of first generation animals. Here, two sequential generations of female rats were supplemented with soybean oil (SO, rich in n-6 FA, control group), fish oil (FO, rich in n-3 FA) and hydrogenated vegetable fat (HVF, rich in trans FA) from pregnancy and during lactation. In adulthood, half of each group was exposed to an amphetamine (AMPH)-induced mania animal model for behavioral, biochemical and molecular assessments. FO supplementation was associated with lower reactive species (RS) generation and protein carbonyl (PC) levels and increased dopamine transporter (DAT) levels, while HVF increased RS and PC levels, thus decreasing catalase (CAT) activity and DAT levels in hippocampus after AMPH treatment. AMPH impaired short- (1 h) and long- (24 h) term memory in the HVF group. AMPH exposure was able to reduce hippocampal BDNF- mRNA expression, which was increased in FO. While HVF was related to higher trans FA (TFA) incorporation in hippocampus, FO was associated with increased percentage of n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) together with lower n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. Interestingly, our data showed a positive correlation between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and short- and long-term memory (r(2)  = 0.53; P = 0.000/r(2)  = 0.32; P = 0.011, respectively), as well as a negative correlation between PC and DAT levels (r(2)  = 0.23; P = 0.015). Our findings confirm that provision of n-3 or TFA during development over two generations is able to change the neuronal membrane lipid composition, protecting or impairing the hippocampus, respectively, thus affecting neurothrophic factor expression such as BDNF mRNA. In this context, chronic consumption of trans fats over two generations can facilitate the development of mania-like behavior, so leading to memory impairment and emotionality, which are related to neuropsychiatric conditions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Antioxidative ability and membrane integrity in salt-induced responses of Casuarina glauca Sieber ex Spreng. in symbiosis with N2-fixing Frankia Thr or supplemented with mineral nitrogen.

PubMed

Scotti-Campos, Paula; Duro, Nuno; Costa, Mário da; Pais, Isabel P; Rodrigues, Ana P; Batista-Santos, Paula; Semedo, José N; Leitão, A Eduardo; Lidon, Fernando C; Pawlowski, Katharina; Ramalho, José C; Ribeiro-Barros, Ana I

2016-06-01

The actinorhizal tree Casuarina glauca tolerates extreme environmental conditions, such as high salinity. This species is also able to establish a root-nodule symbiosis with N2-fixing bacteria of the genus Frankia. Recent studies have shown that C. glauca tolerance to high salt concentrations is innate and linked to photosynthetic adjustments. In this study we have examined the impact of increasing NaCl concentrations (200, 400 and 600mM) on membrane integrity as well as on the control of oxidative stress in branchlets of symbiotic (NOD+) and non-symbiotic (KNO3+) C. glauca. Membrane selectivity was maintained in both plant groups at 200mM NaCl, accompanied by an increase in the activity of antioxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and catalase). Regarding cellular membrane lipid composition, linolenic acid (C18:3) showed a significant decline at 200mM NaCl in both NOD+ and KNO3+ plants. In addition, total fatty acids (TFA) and C18:2 also decreased in NOD+ plants at this salt concentration, resulting in malondialdehyde (MDA) production. Such initial impact at 200mM NaCl is probably due to the fact that NOD+ plants are subjected to a double stress, i.e., salinity and low nitrogen availability. At 400mM NaCl a strong reduction of TFA and C18:3 levels was observed in both plant groups. This was accompanied by a decrease in the unsaturation degree of membrane lipids in NOD+. However, in both NOD+ and KNO3+ lipid modifications were not reflected by membrane leakage at 200 or 400mM, suggesting acclimation mechanisms at the membrane level. The fact that membrane selectivity was impaired only at 600mM NaCl in both groups of plants points to a high tolerance of C. glauca to salt stress independently of the symbiotic relation with Frankia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Aircraft Hydraulic Systems Dynamic Analysis. Volume 8. Transient Thermal Analysis (HYTTHA). Computer Program Technical Description

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-02-01

8217P(V, .’f\\,, OCA A, 4 6), V"D(S4, 3LL) X , )lq , 5)\\8, 1( 5) , + ITP ,V0L.L,ACVI;’ D ’k-11AY VA[.IL11:3 + , ’AV./24,/, PLAC/25/,r~ f/26/ ,’A/27/, ITP /28...8217) DT(TFA2)=D( ITF) DT( rPN) =D( irF) DT(’TVF1)=D( ITF) iT(TrVF2) =D( I’rF) L1=L( 1) L2=L( 2) TF( Ll)D( ITP ) TF( L,2)=D( IT F) TC ( L1) =D( ITC) TC( L2)=D...34Gas Dynamics", McGraw Hill, 1958 7. Report GH20-0205-4 "System/360 Scientific Subroutine Package - Version III, Programmer’s Manual," IBM Corp., August

Impact of solvent conditions on separation and detection of basic drugs by micro liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry under overloading conditions.

PubMed

Schubert, Birthe; Oberacher, Herbert

2011-06-03

In this study the impact of solvent conditions on the performance of μLC/MS for the analysis of basic drugs was investigated. Our aim was to find experimental conditions that enable high-performance chromatographic separation particularly at overloading conditions paired with a minimal loss of mass spectrometric detection sensitivity. A focus was put on the evaluation of the usability of different kinds of acidic modifiers (acetic acid (HOAc), formic acid (FA), methansulfonic acid (CH₃SO₃H), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), pentafluoropropionic acid (PFPA), and heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA)). The test mixture consisted of eleven compounds (bunitrolol, caffeine, cocaine, codeine, diazepam, doxepin, haloperidol, 3,4-methylendioxyamphetamine, morphine, nicotine, and zolpidem). Best chromatographic performance was obtained with the perfluorinated acids. Particularly, 0.010-0.050% HFBA (v/v) was found to represent a good compromise in terms of chromatographic performance and mass spectrometric detection sensitivity. Compared to HOAc, on average a 50% reduction of the peak widths was observed. The use of HFBA was particularly advantageous for polar compounds such as nicotine; only with such a hydrophobic ion-pairing reagent chromatographic retention of nicotine was observed. Best mass spectrometric performance was obtained with HOAc and FA. Loss of detection sensitivity induced by HFBA, however, was moderate and ranged from 0 to 40%, which clearly demonstrates that improved chromatographic performance is able to compensate to a large extent the negative effect of reduced ionization efficiency on detection sensitivity. Applications of μLC/MS for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of clinical and forensic toxicological samples are presented. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

WASTE CONDITIONING FOR TANK HEEL TRANSFER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

M.A. Ebadian, Ph.D.

1999-01-01

This report summarizes the research carried out at Florida International University's Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology (FIU-HCET) for the fiscal year 1998 (FY98) under the Tank Focus Area (TFA) project ''Waste Conditioning for Tank Slurry Transfer.'' The objective of this project is to determine the effect of chemical and physical properties on the waste conditioning process and transfer. The focus of this research consisted in building a waste conditioning experimental facility to test different slurry simulants under different conditions, and analyzing their chemical and physical properties. This investigation would provide experimental data and analysis results that can make the tankmore » waste conditioning process more efficient, improve the transfer system, and influence future modifications to the waste conditioning and transfer system. A waste conditioning experimental facility was built in order to test slurry simulants. The facility consists of a slurry vessel with several accessories for parameter control and sampling. The vessel also has a lid system with a shaft-mounted propeller connected to an air motor. In addition, a circulation system is connected to the slurry vessel for simulant cooling and heating. Experimental data collection and analysis of the chemical and physical properties of the tank slurry simulants has been emphasized. For this, one waste slurry simulant (Fernald) was developed, and another two simulants (SRS and Hanford) obtained from DOE sites were used. These simulants, composed of water, soluble metal salts, and insoluble solid particles, were used to represent the actual radioactive waste slurries from different DOE sites. The simulants' chemical and physical properties analyzed include density, viscosity, pH, settling rate, and volubility. These analyses were done to samples obtained from different experiments performed at room temperature but different mixing time and strength. The experimental results indicate that the viscosity of the slurries follow the Bingham plastic model, especially when the solids concentration is increased. At low concentrations slurries may behave as Newtonian fluids. The three simulants follow a similar settling rate behavior. This behavior can be explained as a combination of one or more decreasing exponential curves. This means that the particle settling rate of the simulants decreases exponentially as time increases. The pH range for the three simulants was from 8 to 13 at all concentrations. The SRS simulant showed the highest pH, around 12; the other two simulants, Hanford and Fernald, had about the same pH range, from 3 to 9. When comparing volubility of the three simulants at the same concentration, SRS simulant showed higher volubility, followed by the Hanford simulant and the Fernald simulant, in that order. Further work is scheduled for next year (FY99) in this project, when other parameters like simulants particle size distribution, particle shape, and crystallization behavior will be studied. The same tests performed this period also will be performed at different temperatures for data comparison.« less

Amino acids in the Yamato carbonaceous chrondrite from Antarctica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shimoyama, A.; Ponnamperuma, C.; Yanai, K.

1979-01-01

Evidence for the presence of amino acids of extraterrestrial origin in the Antarctic Yamato carbonaceous chrondrite is presented. Hydrolyzed and nonhydrolyzed water-extracted amino acid samples from exterior, middle and interior portions of the meteorite were analyzed by an amino acid analyzer and by gas chromatography of N-TFA-isopropyl amino acid derivatives. Nine protein and six nonprotein amino acids were detected in the meteorite at abundances between 34 and less than one nmole/g, with equal amounts in interior and exterior portions. Nearly equal abundances of the D and L enantiomers of alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid were found, indicating the abiotic, therefore extraterrestrial, origin of the amino acids. The Antarctic environment and the uniformity of protein amino acid abundances are discussed as evidence against the racemization of terrestrially acquired amino acids, and similarities between Yamato amino acid compositions and the amino acid compositions of the Murchison and Murray type II carbonaceous chrondrites are indicated.

A novel coumarin-pyrazole-triazine based fluorescence chemosensor for fluoride detection via deprotonation process: Experimental and theoretical studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yalçın, Ergin; Alkış, Meltem; Seferoğlu, Nurgül; Seferoğlu, Zeynel

2018-03-01

A novel fluorescence coumarin-pyrazole-triazine based chemosensor (CPT) bearing 5-hydroxypyrazole as a receptoric part was synthesized and characterized by using IR, 1H/13C NMR and HRMS for the purpose of recognition of anions in DMSO. The most stable tautomeric form of CPT was determined by experimental techniques and theoretical calculations. The selectivity and sensitivity of CPT towards anions (CN-, F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, AcO-, HSO4-, H2PO4- and ClO4-) were determined using spectrophotometric and 1H NMR titration techniques as the experimental approach, and the results were explained by employing theoretical calculations. It was found to be suitable for the selective detection of F- in the presence of CN- and AcO- as competing anions. In addition, CPT exhibits significant "light-up" effect after interaction with TFA in CH2Cl2.

Strong Flux Pinning of Nano-Sized Ysz Particles in Ybco Films Prepared by Mod Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, S.; Suo, H. L.; Liu, M.; Tang, X.; Wu, Z. P.; Zhao, Y.; Zhou, M. L.

The YBCO films with doped YSZ nanoparticles have been prepared successfully by metal organic doepositon method using trifluoroacetates (TFA-MOD) through dissolving Zr organic salt into the YBCO precursor solution. The doped films have well in-plane and out-plane textures detected by both XRD Φ-scan and ω-scan. The YSZ nanoparticles with the size of about 5 ~ 15 nm were observed on the surface of the YBCO films using both FE-SEM and TEM. By comparing the superconducting properties, it was found that the doped YBCO films had lower Tc than that of undoped YBCO films. However, as increasing the applied magnetic field, Jc of the doped YBCO films were much better than that of undoped one. The Jc was as higher as 2.5 times than that of undoped YBCO film at 77 K and 1 T applied field.

A Novel HPLC Method for the Concurrent Analysis and Quantitation of Seven Water-Soluble Vitamins in Biological Fluids (Plasma and Urine): A Validation Study and Application

PubMed Central

Grotzkyj Giorgi, Margherita; Howland, Kevin; Martin, Colin; Bonner, Adrian B.

2012-01-01

An HPLC method was developed and validated for the concurrent detection and quantitation of seven water-soluble vitamins (C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B12) in biological matrices (plasma and urine). Separation was achieved at 30°C on a reversed-phase C18-A column using combined isocratic and linear gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of 0.01% TFA aqueous and 100% methanol. Total run time was 35 minutes. Detection was performed with diode array set at 280 nm. Each vitamin was quantitatively determined at its maximum wavelength. Spectral comparison was used for peak identification in real samples (24 plasma and urine samples from abstinent alcohol-dependent males). Interday and intraday precision were <4% and <7%, respectively, for all vitamins. Recovery percentages ranged from 93% to 100%. PMID:22536136

Improving resolution of crosswell seismic section based on time-frequency analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luo, H.; Li, Y.

1994-12-31

According to signal theory, to improve resolution of seismic section is to extend high-frequency band of seismic signal. In cross-well section, sonic log can be regarded as a reliable source providing high-frequency information to the trace near the borehole. In such case, what to do is to introduce this high-frequency information into the whole section. However, neither traditional deconvolution algorithms nor some new inversion methods such as BCI (Broad Constraint Inversion) are satisfied because of high-frequency noise and nonuniqueness of inversion results respectively. To overcome their disadvantages, this paper presents a new algorithm based on Time-Frequency Analysis (TFA) technology whichmore » has been increasingly received much attention as an useful signal analysis too. Practical applications show that the new method is a stable scheme to improve resolution of cross-well seismic section greatly without decreasing Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR).« less

A novel HPLC method for the concurrent analysis and quantitation of seven water-soluble vitamins in biological fluids (plasma and urine): a validation study and application.

PubMed

Giorgi, Margherita Grotzkyj; Howland, Kevin; Martin, Colin; Bonner, Adrian B

2012-01-01

An HPLC method was developed and validated for the concurrent detection and quantitation of seven water-soluble vitamins (C, B(1), B(2), B(5), B(6), B(9), B(12)) in biological matrices (plasma and urine). Separation was achieved at 30°C on a reversed-phase C18-A column using combined isocratic and linear gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of 0.01% TFA aqueous and 100% methanol. Total run time was 35 minutes. Detection was performed with diode array set at 280 nm. Each vitamin was quantitatively determined at its maximum wavelength. Spectral comparison was used for peak identification in real samples (24 plasma and urine samples from abstinent alcohol-dependent males). Interday and intraday precision were <4% and <7%, respectively, for all vitamins. Recovery percentages ranged from 93% to 100%.

A reversible and reusable selective chemosensor for fluoride detection using a phenolic OH-containing BODIPY dye by both colorimetric 'naked-eye' and fluorometric modes.

PubMed

Wang, Lingyun; Fang, Guipo; Cao, Derong

2014-11-01

A novel BODIPY-based probe 1 was designed and synthesized as a selective fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensor for fluoride. The spectral responses of 1 to fluoride in acetonitrile were studied: an approximately 118 nm red shift in absorption and 'turn-off' emission response was observed. The striking pink to indigo change in ambient light was thought to be due to the deprotonation of the phenol moiety by way of O-H · · · F hydrogen bonding interactions. Interestingly, when the nonfluorescent 1-F(-) solution treated with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) resulted in color change from indigo to pink and a significant enhancement of fluorescence intensity (10-fold). Furthermore, the reversibility and reusability of probe 1 for the detection of F(-) ion was tested for four cycles indicating the probe 1 could be used in reversible manner.

Optimization of parameters for coverage of low molecular weight proteins

PubMed Central

Müller, Stephan A.; Kohajda, Tibor; Findeiß, Sven; Stadler, Peter F.; Washietl, Stefan; Kellis, Manolis; von Bergen, Martin

2010-01-01

Proteins with molecular weights of <25 kDa are involved in major biological processes such as ribosome formation, stress adaption (e.g., temperature reduction) and cell cycle control. Despite their importance, the coverage of smaller proteins in standard proteome studies is rather sparse. Here we investigated biochemical and mass spectrometric parameters that influence coverage and validity of identification. The underrepresentation of low molecular weight (LMW) proteins may be attributed to the low numbers of proteolytic peptides formed by tryptic digestion as well as their tendency to be lost in protein separation and concentration/desalting procedures. In a systematic investigation of the LMW proteome of Escherichia coli, a total of 455 LMW proteins (27% of the 1672 listed in the SwissProt protein database) were identified, corresponding to a coverage of 62% of the known cytosolic LMW proteins. Of these proteins, 93 had not yet been functionally classified, and five had not previously been confirmed at the protein level. In this study, the influences of protein extraction (either urea or TFA), proteolytic digestion (solely, and the combined usage of trypsin and AspN as endoproteases) and protein separation (gel- or non-gel-based) were investigated. Compared to the standard procedure based solely on the use of urea lysis buffer, in-gel separation and tryptic digestion, the complementary use of TFA for extraction or endoprotease AspN for proteolysis permits the identification of an extra 72 (32%) and 51 proteins (23%), respectively. Regarding mass spectrometry analysis with an LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer, collision-induced fragmentation (CID and HCD) and electron transfer dissociation using the linear ion trap (IT) or the Orbitrap as the analyzer were compared. IT-CID was found to yield the best identification rate, whereas IT-ETD provided almost comparable results in terms of LMW proteome coverage. The high overlap between the proteins identified with IT-CID and IT-ETD allowed the validation of 75% of the identified proteins using this orthogonal fragmentation technique. Furthermore, a new approach to evaluating and improving the completeness of protein databases that utilizes the program RNAcode was introduced and examined. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00216-010-4093-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PMID:20803007

High-valent manganese–oxo valence tautomers and the influence of Lewis/Brönsted acids on C–H bond cleavage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baglia, Regina A.; Krest, Courtney M.; Yang, Tzuhsiung

The addition of Lewis or Brönsted acids (LA = Zn(OTf) 2, B(C 6F 5) 3, HBAr F, TFA) to the high-valent manganese–oxo complex Mn V(O)(TBP 8Cz) results in the stabilization of a valence tautomer Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+). The Zn II and B(C 6F 5) 3 complexes were characterized by manganese K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The position of the edge energies and the intensities of the pre-edge (1s to 3d) peaks confirm that the Mn ion is in the +4 oxidation state. Fitting of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) region reveals 4 N/O ligands at Mn–N avemore » = 1.89 Å and a fifth N/O ligand at 1.61 Å, corresponding to the terminal oxo ligand. This Mn–O bond length is elongated compared to the Mn V(O) starting material (Mn–O = 1.55 Å). The reactivity of Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+) toward C–H substrates was examined, and it was found that H • abstraction from C–H bonds occurs in a 1:1 stoichiometry, giving a Mn IV complex and the dehydrogenated organic product. The rates of C–H cleavage are accelerated for the Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+) valence tautomer as compared to the MnV(O) valence tautomer when LA = Zn II, B(C 6F 5) 3, and HBArF, whereas for LA = TFA, the C–H cleavage rate is slightly slower than when compared to MnV(O). A large, nonclassical kinetic isotope effect of k H/ k D = 25–27 was observed for LA = B(C 6F 5) 3 and HBAr F, indicating that H-atom transfer (HAT) is the rate-limiting step in the C–H cleavage reaction and implicating a potential tunneling mechanism for HAT. Furthermore, the reactivity of Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+) toward C–H bonds depends on the strength of the Lewis acid. The HAT reactivity is compared with the analogous corrole complex Mn IV(O–H)(tpfc •+) recently reported.« less

A systematic review of high-oleic vegetable oil substitutions for other fats and oils on cardiovascular disease risk factors: implications for novel high-oleic soybean oils.

PubMed

Huth, Peter J; Fulgoni, Victor L; Larson, Brian T

2015-11-01

High-oleic acid soybean oil (H-OSBO) is a trait-enhanced vegetable oil containing >70% oleic acid. Developed as an alternative for trans-FA (TFA)-containing vegetable oils, H-OSBO is predicted to replace large amounts of soybean oil in the US diet. However, there is little evidence concerning the effects of H-OSBO on coronary heart disease (CHD)(6) risk factors and CHD risk. We examined and quantified the effects of substituting high-oleic acid (HO) oils for fats and oils rich in saturated FAs (SFAs), TFAs, or n-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) on blood lipids in controlled clinical trials. Searches of online databases through June 2014 were used to select studies that defined subject characteristics; described control and intervention diets; substituted HO oils compositionally similar to H-OSBO (i.e., ≥70% oleic acid) for equivalent amounts of oils high in SFAs, TFAs, or n-6 PUFAs for ≥3 wk; and reported changes in blood lipids. Studies that replaced saturated fats or oils with HO oils showed significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (apoB) (P < 0.05; mean percentage of change: -8.0%, -10.9%, -7.9%, respectively), whereas most showed no changes in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), the ratio of TC to HDL cholesterol (TC:HDL cholesterol), and apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1). Replacing TFA-containing oil sources with HO oils showed significant reductions in TC, LDL cholesterol, apoB, TGs, TC:HDL cholesterol and increased HDL cholesterol and apoA-1 (mean percentage of change: -5.7%, -9.2%, -7.3%, -11.7%, -12.1%, 5.6%, 3.7%, respectively; P < 0.05). In most studies that replaced oils high in n-6 PUFAs with equivalent amounts of HO oils, TC, LDL cholesterol, TGs, HDL cholesterol, apoA-1, and TC:HDL cholesterol did not change. These findings suggest that replacing fats and oils high in SFAs or TFAs with either H-OSBO or oils high in n-6 PUFAs would have favorable and comparable effects on plasma lipid risk factors and overall CHD risk. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

A Systematic Review of High-Oleic Vegetable Oil Substitutions for Other Fats and Oils on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: Implications for Novel High-Oleic Soybean Oils12

PubMed Central

Huth, Peter J; Fulgoni, Victor L; Larson, Brian T

2015-01-01

High–oleic acid soybean oil (H-OSBO) is a trait-enhanced vegetable oil containing >70% oleic acid. Developed as an alternative for trans-FA (TFA)-containing vegetable oils, H-OSBO is predicted to replace large amounts of soybean oil in the US diet. However, there is little evidence concerning the effects of H-OSBO on coronary heart disease (CHD)6 risk factors and CHD risk. We examined and quantified the effects of substituting high-oleic acid (HO) oils for fats and oils rich in saturated FAs (SFAs), TFAs, or n–6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) on blood lipids in controlled clinical trials. Searches of online databases through June 2014 were used to select studies that defined subject characteristics; described control and intervention diets; substituted HO oils compositionally similar to H-OSBO (i.e., ≥70% oleic acid) for equivalent amounts of oils high in SFAs, TFAs, or n–6 PUFAs for ≥3 wk; and reported changes in blood lipids. Studies that replaced saturated fats or oils with HO oils showed significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (apoB) (P < 0.05; mean percentage of change: −8.0%, −10.9%, −7.9%, respectively), whereas most showed no changes in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), the ratio of TC to HDL cholesterol (TC:HDL cholesterol), and apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1). Replacing TFA-containing oil sources with HO oils showed significant reductions in TC, LDL cholesterol, apoB, TGs, TC:HDL cholesterol and increased HDL cholesterol and apoA-1 (mean percentage of change: −5.7%, −9.2%, −7.3%, −11.7%, −12.1%, 5.6%, 3.7%, respectively; P < 0.05). In most studies that replaced oils high in n–6 PUFAs with equivalent amounts of HO oils, TC, LDL cholesterol, TGs, HDL cholesterol, apoA-1, and TC:HDL cholesterol did not change. These findings suggest that replacing fats and oils high in SFAs or TFAs with either H-OSBO or oils high in n–6 PUFAs would have favorable and comparable effects on plasma lipid risk factors and overall CHD risk. PMID:26567193

High-valent manganese–oxo valence tautomers and the influence of Lewis/Brönsted acids on C–H bond cleavage

DOE PAGES

Baglia, Regina A.; Krest, Courtney M.; Yang, Tzuhsiung; ...

2016-09-30

The addition of Lewis or Brönsted acids (LA = Zn(OTf) 2, B(C 6F 5) 3, HBAr F, TFA) to the high-valent manganese–oxo complex Mn V(O)(TBP 8Cz) results in the stabilization of a valence tautomer Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+). The Zn II and B(C 6F 5) 3 complexes were characterized by manganese K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The position of the edge energies and the intensities of the pre-edge (1s to 3d) peaks confirm that the Mn ion is in the +4 oxidation state. Fitting of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) region reveals 4 N/O ligands at Mn–N avemore » = 1.89 Å and a fifth N/O ligand at 1.61 Å, corresponding to the terminal oxo ligand. This Mn–O bond length is elongated compared to the Mn V(O) starting material (Mn–O = 1.55 Å). The reactivity of Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+) toward C–H substrates was examined, and it was found that H • abstraction from C–H bonds occurs in a 1:1 stoichiometry, giving a Mn IV complex and the dehydrogenated organic product. The rates of C–H cleavage are accelerated for the Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+) valence tautomer as compared to the MnV(O) valence tautomer when LA = Zn II, B(C 6F 5) 3, and HBArF, whereas for LA = TFA, the C–H cleavage rate is slightly slower than when compared to MnV(O). A large, nonclassical kinetic isotope effect of k H/ k D = 25–27 was observed for LA = B(C 6F 5) 3 and HBAr F, indicating that H-atom transfer (HAT) is the rate-limiting step in the C–H cleavage reaction and implicating a potential tunneling mechanism for HAT. Furthermore, the reactivity of Mn IV(O-LA)(TBP 8Cz •+) toward C–H bonds depends on the strength of the Lewis acid. The HAT reactivity is compared with the analogous corrole complex Mn IV(O–H)(tpfc •+) recently reported.« less

Promoting health: media advocacy opportunities in English- and Spanish-language masthead editorials.

PubMed

Lingas, Elena O

2013-01-01

This study examines two newspapers' editorial coverage of issues related to the Healthy People 2010 focus areas and compares the two newspapers. A qualitative study. Two Los Angeles, California, newspapers. The masthead editorials of the Los Angeles Times and La Opinión in the year following the release of Healthy People 2010. A structured data abstraction instrument was used for descriptive coding. Correspondence to 1 of the 28 Healthy People 2010 focus areas determined whether domestic editorials were about health. An ethnographic content analysis. There were 1075 editorials from the Los Angeles Times and 361 from La Opinión; 17% were focused on domestic health issues. Three Healthy People 2010 focus areas dominated: Environmental Health, Injury and Violence Prevention, and Access to Quality Health Services. Ten focus areas did not receive a single mention in the Los Angeles Times, and 19 focus areas lacked editorials in La Opinión. Editorial writers regularly tackled issues related to a Healthy People 2010 focus area. Public health practitioners can meet with their local newspaper editorial board and discuss the nation's health objectives as manifested by Healthy People 2020 and the National Prevention Strategy, thereby promoting policies that support individual and population health.

Changes in air quality and tropospheric composition due to depletion of stratospheric ozone and interactions with climate.

PubMed

Tang, X; Wilson, S R; Solomon, K R; Shao, M; Madronich, S

2011-02-01

Air pollution will be directly influenced by future changes in emissions of pollutants, climate, and stratospheric ozone, and will have significant consequences for human health and the environment. UV radiation is one of the controlling factors for the formation of photochemical smog, which includes tropospheric ozone (O(3)) and aerosols; it also initiates the production of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), which control the amount of many climate- and ozone-relevant gases (e.g., methane and HCFCs) in the atmosphere. Numerical models predict that future changes in UV radiation and climate will modify the trends and geographic distribution of ˙OH, thus affecting the formation of photochemical smog in many urban and regional areas. Concentrations of ˙OH are predicted to decrease globally by an average of 20% by 2100, with local concentrations varying by as much as a factor of two above and below current values. However, significant differences between modelled and measured values in a limited number of case studies show that chemistry of hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere is not fully understood. Photochemically produced tropospheric ozone is projected to increase. If emissions of anthropogenic air pollutants from combustion of fossil fuels, burning of biomass, and agricultural activities continue to increase, concentrations of tropospheric O(3) will tend to increase over the next 20-40 years in certain regions of low and middle latitudes because of interactions of emissions, chemical processes, and climate change. Climate-driven increases in temperature and humidity will also increase production of tropospheric O(3) in polluted regions, but reduce it in more pristine regions. Higher temperatures tend to increase emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) from some soils and release of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation, leading to greater background concentrations of ozone in the troposphere. The net effects of future changes in UV radiation, meteorological conditions, and anthropogenic emissions may be large, thus posing challenges for prediction and management of air quality. Aerosols composed of organic substances have a major role in both climate and air quality, and contribute a large uncertainty to the energy budget of the atmosphere. These aerosols are mostly formed via the UV-initiated oxidation of VOCs from anthropogenic and biogenic sources, although the details of the chemistry are still poorly understood and current models under-predict their abundance. A better understanding of their formation, chemical composition, and optical properties is required to assess their significance for air quality and to better quantify their direct and indirect radiative forcing of climate. Emissions of compounds containing fluorine will continue to have effects on the chemistry of the atmosphere and on climate change. The HCFCs and HFCs used as substitutes for ozone-depleting CFCs can break down into trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which will accumulate in oceans, salt lakes, and playas. Based on historical use and projections of future uses, including new products entering the market, such as the fluoro-olefins, increased loadings of TFA in these environmental sinks will be small. Even when added to existing amounts from natural sources, risks to humans or the environment from the historical use of CFCs or continued use of their replacements is judged to be negligible.

A novel liquid chromatography method using diode-array detector for the determination of oleuropein in dietary supplements.

PubMed

Bertolini, Tiziana; Vicentini, Lorenza; Boschetti, Silvia; Andreatta, Paolo; Gatti, Rita

2016-09-10

A simple and fast chromatographic method using ultraviolet diode-array detector (UV-DAD) was developed for the automatic high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of the title of oleuropein in a new dietary supplements in form of effervescent granules. The chromatographic separations were performed on a C18 core-shell column with detection at λ=232nm. The mobile phase consisted of deionized water with 0.1% TFA and acetonitrile under gradient conditions at a flow-rate of 0.8mL/min. Oleuropein and oleuroside present in the raw material were characterized by high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The validation of the analytical procedure has been performed determining the following parameters: specificity, linearity, repeatability, reproducibility, accuracy, limit of quantification (LOQ), stability of the standard and sample solutions. Linear response was observed in fortified placebo solutions (determination coefficient: 0.9998). Intra-day precision (relative standard deviation, RSD) was ≤5.0% for peak area and for retention times (tR) without significant differences between intra- and inter-day data. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) was about 5μg/mL and 9pmol/inject. Oleuropein recovery studies gave good results (99.9%) with a R.S.D. of 0.5%. The speed of analysis and the stability of the solutions with a fluctuation Δ (%) ≤2.0 at room temperature means an undoubted advantage of the method allowing the simultaneous preparation of many samples and consecutive chromatographic analyses by using an autosampler. The developed method is suitable for the quality control of oleuropein in raw material and industrial products. The method can be applied in any analytical laboratory not requiring a sophisticated instrumentation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EPA Region 7 Aquatic Focus Areas (ECO_RES.R7_AQUATIC_FOCUS_AREAS)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This shapefile consists of 347 individual Aquatic Ecological System (AES) polygons that are the Aquatic Conservation Focus Areas for EPA Region 7. The focus areas are those areas within each aquatic ecological system types that, if preserved, would maintain the biological and ecological diversity extant within that ecological system type. The layer consists of those polygons from the R7_AES.shp shapefile that had the highest ranks. The AES polygons in the Missouri portion of the file were appended and are those that contain the 158 aquatic conservation opportunity areas identified in Missouri as part of another project (Missouri Department of Conservation Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment 2005). Note that the identifiers in the Missouri portion of this file will not match the ID's in any Missouri specific files.

Assessment of Geothermal Resource Potential at a High-Priority Area on the Utah Testing and Training Range–South (UTTR–S)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richard P. Smith, PhD., PG; Robert P. Breckenridge, PhD.; Thomas R. Wood, PhD.

2012-04-01

Field investigations conducted during 2011 support and expand the conclusion of the original Preliminary Report that discovery of a viable geothermal system is possible in the northwestern part of the Utah Testing and Training Range-South (UTTR-S), referred to henceforth as Focus Area 1. The investigations defined the southward extent of the Wendover graben into and near Focus Area 1, enhanced the understanding of subsurface conditions, and focused further geothermal exploration efforts towards the northwestern-most part of Focus Area 1. Specifically, the detailed gravity survey shows that the Wendover graben, first defined by Cook et al. (1964) for areas north ofmore » Interstate Highway 80, extends and deepens southwest-ward to the northwest corner of Focus Area 1. At its deepest point, the intersection with a northwest-trending graben there is favorable for enhanced permeability associated with intersecting faults. Processing and modeling of the gravity data collected during 2011 provide a good understanding of graben depth and distribution of faults bounding the graben and has focused the interest area of the study. Down-hole logging of temperatures in wells made available near the Intrepid, Inc., evaporation ponds, just north of Focus Area 1, provide a good understanding of the variability of thermal gradients in that area and corroborate the more extensive temperature data reported by Turk (1973) for the depth range of 300-500 m. Moderate temperature gradients in the northern part of the Intrepid area increase to much higher gradients and bottom-hole temperatures southeastward, towards graben-bounding faults, suggesting upwelling geothermal waters along those faults. Water sampling, analysis, and temperature measurements of Blue Lakes and Mosquito Willey's springs, on the western boundary of Focus Area 1, also show elevated temperatures along the graben-bounding fault system. In addition, water chemistry suggests origin of those waters in limestone rocks beneath the graben in areas with temperatures as high as 140 C (284 F). In conclusion, all of the field data collected during 2011 and documented in the Appendices of this report indicate that there is reasonable potential for a viable geothermal resource along faults that bound the Wendover graben. Prospects for a system capable of binary electrical generation are especially good, and the possibility of a flash steam system is also within reason. The next steps should focus on securing the necessary funding for detailed geophysical surveys and for drilling a set of temperature gradient wells to further evaluate the resource, and to focus deep exploration efforts in the most promising areas.« less

A novel procedure for the extraction of protein deposits from soft hydrophilic contact lenses for analysis.

PubMed

Keith, D; Hong, B; Christensen, M

1997-05-01

A quick, simple, and efficient extraction technique was developed for the removal of protein from soft hydrophilic contact lenses. An extraction solvent consisting of a 50:50 mix of 0.2% trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile was used to remove protein from in vitro laboratory-deposited and human-worn contact lenses. The protein removed was analyzed using HPLC, bicinchoninic acid (BCA) analysis, and SDS-PAGE gel electreophoresis. Extraction efficiency for lysozyme from laboratory-deposited Group IV lenses was determined to be approximately 100%. Group IV human-worn contact lenses were extracted and analyzed for lysozyme by HPLC and total protein by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) analysis. Groups I, II, III, and IV contact lenses deposited with an artificial tear protein solution and human-worn lenses were extracted and analyzed by SDS-PAGE gel electreophoresis and micro-BCA. The ACN/TFA procedure offers a simple, quick, and efficient extraction technique for removal of protein from contact lenses for subsequent analysis.

Light enhanced the accumulation of total fatty acids (TFA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in a newly isolated heterotrophic microalga Crypthecodinium sp. SUN.

PubMed

Sun, Dongzhe; Zhang, Zhao; Mao, Xuemei; Wu, Tao; Jiang, Yue; Liu, Jin; Chen, Feng

2017-03-01

In the present study, light illumination was found to be efficient in elevating the total fatty acid content in a newly isolated heterotrophic microalga, Crypthecodinium sp. SUN. Under light illumination, the highest total fatty acid and DHA contents were achieved at 96h as 24.9% of dry weight and 82.8mgg -1 dry weight, respectively, which were equivalent to 1.46-fold and 1.68-fold of those under the dark conditions. The elevation of total fatty acid content was mainly contributed by an increase of neutral lipids at the expense of starches. Moreover, light was found to alter the cell metabolism and led to a higher specific growth rate, higher glucose consumption rate and lower non-motile cell percentage. This is the first report that light can promote the total fatty acids accumulation in Crypthecodinium without growth inhibition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trans fatty acids (tFA): sources and intake levels, biological effects and content in commercial Spanish food.

PubMed

Fernández-San Juan, P-M

2009-01-01

Recent studies of dietary habits in children and adolescents performed in Spain show that a high percentage of the daily energy intake corresponds to fat (42.0-43.0%). These findings show an excessive contribution of saturated fatty acids and also a considerable supply of trans fatty acids. These compounds are formed generally during partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils, a process that converts vegetable oils into semisolid fats. Also, in some cases naturally occurring trans fatty acids in smaller amounts in meat and dairy products from ruminants (cows, sheep), these trans fatty acids are produced by the action of bacteria in the ruminant stomach by reactions of biohydrogenation. On the other hand, metabolic studies have clearly shown that trans fatty acids increase LDL cholesterol and reduce HDL cholesterol. Our results show that major sources of trans fatty acids in commercial Spanish foods are fast-food (hamburger, French fries), snacks, bakery products (cakes, donuts, biscuits), margarines and dehydrated soups.

High-resolution time-frequency representation of EEG data using multi-scale wavelets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Cui, Wei-Gang; Luo, Mei-Lin; Li, Ke; Wang, Lina

2017-09-01

An efficient time-varying autoregressive (TVAR) modelling scheme that expands the time-varying parameters onto the multi-scale wavelet basis functions is presented for modelling nonstationary signals and with applications to time-frequency analysis (TFA) of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. In the new parametric modelling framework, the time-dependent parameters of the TVAR model are locally represented by using a novel multi-scale wavelet decomposition scheme, which can allow the capability to capture the smooth trends as well as track the abrupt changes of time-varying parameters simultaneously. A forward orthogonal least square (FOLS) algorithm aided by mutual information criteria are then applied for sparse model term selection and parameter estimation. Two simulation examples illustrate that the performance of the proposed multi-scale wavelet basis functions outperforms the only single-scale wavelet basis functions or Kalman filter algorithm for many nonstationary processes. Furthermore, an application of the proposed method to a real EEG signal demonstrates the new approach can provide highly time-dependent spectral resolution capability.

Structure Reassignment and Synthesis of Jenamidines A1/A2, Synthesis of (+)-NP25302, and Formal Synthesis of SB-311009 Analogues

PubMed Central

Duvall, Jeremy R.; Wu, Fanghui; Snider, Barry B.

2008-01-01

The proposed structures of jenamidines A, B, and C (1−3) were revised to jenamidines A1/A2, B1/B2, and C (8-10). Jenamidines A1/A2 (8) were synthesized from activated proline derivative 43 by conversion to 26 in two steps and 50% overall yield. Acylation of 26 with acid chloride 38d gave 39d, which was deprotected with TFA and then mild base to give 8 in 45% yield from 26. (−)-trans-2,5-Dimethylproline ethyl ester (49) was prepared by the enantioselective Michael reaction of ethyl 2-nitropropionate (51) and methyl vinyl ketone (50) using modified dihydroquinine 60 as the catalyst. Further elaboration converted 49 to natural (+)-NP25302 (12). A Wittig reaction of proline NCA (76) with ylide 79 gave 72 as a 9/1 E/Z mixture in 27% yield completing a one step formal synthesis of SB-311009 analogues. PMID:17064037

Effects of simulated flue gas on components of Scenedesmus raciborskii WZKMT.

PubMed

Li, Xie-kun; Xu, Jing-liang; Guo, Ying; Zhou, Wei-zheng; Yuan, Zhen-hong

2015-08-01

Scenedesmus raciborskii WZKMT cultured with simulated flue gas was investigated. Cellular components, including total sugar, starch, chlorophyll, protein and lipid, were compared between simulated flue gas and 7% (v/v) CO2. Dissolution of SO2 and NO in simulated flue gas led to pH decrease and toxicity to microalgae cells. Furthermore, the death or aging of microalgae cells reduced the buffer capacity and caused decrease of simulated flue gas absorption. With 7% CO2, the highest total sugar and starch content could attain to 66.76% and 53.16%, respectively, which indicated S. raciborskii WZKMT is a desired feedstock candidate for bioethanol production. Microalgae growth and starch accumulation was inhibited, while cells produced more chlorophyll, protein and lipid when simulated flue gas was the carbon source. Fatty acids composition analysis indicated that there was no significant distinction on fatty acids relative content (fatty acid/TFA) between cells aerated using simulated flue gas and 7% CO2. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mass Spectrometry Based Ultrasensitive DNA Methylation Profiling Using Target Fragmentation Assay.

PubMed

Lin, Xiang-Cheng; Zhang, Ting; Liu, Lan; Tang, Hao; Yu, Ru-Qin; Jiang, Jian-Hui

2016-01-19

Efficient tools for profiling DNA methylation in specific genes are essential for epigenetics and clinical diagnostics. Current DNA methylation profiling techniques have been limited by inconvenient implementation, requirements of specific reagents, and inferior accuracy in quantifying methylation degree. We develop a novel mass spectrometry method, target fragmentation assay (TFA), which enable to profile methylation in specific sequences. This method combines selective capture of DNA target from restricted cleavage of genomic DNA using magnetic separation with MS detection of the nonenzymatic hydrolysates of target DNA. This method is shown to be highly sensitive with a detection limit as low as 0.056 amol, allowing direct profiling of methylation using genome DNA without preamplification. Moreover, this method offers a unique advantage in accurately determining DNA methylation level. The clinical applicability was demonstrated by DNA methylation analysis using prostate tissue samples, implying the potential of this method as a useful tool for DNA methylation profiling in early detection of related diseases.

Decontamination & decommissioning focus area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-08-01

In January 1994, the US Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM) formally introduced its new approach to managing DOE`s environmental research and technology development activities. The goal of the new approach is to conduct research and development in critical areas of interest to DOE, utilizing the best talent in the Department and in the national science community. To facilitate this solutions-oriented approach, the Office of Science and Technology (EM-50, formerly the Office of Technology Development) formed five Focus AReas to stimulate the required basic research, development, and demonstration efforts to seek new, innovative cleanup methods. In Februarymore » 1995, EM-50 selected the DOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) to lead implementation of one of these Focus Areas: the Decontamination and Decommissioning (D & D) Focus Area.« less

Three series of heterometallic NiII-LnIII Schiff base complexes: synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic characterization.

PubMed

Jiang, Lin; Liu, Yue; Liu, Xin; Tian, Jinlei; Yan, Shiping

2017-09-26

Three series of Ni II -Ln III complexes were synthesized with the general formulae [(μ 3 -CO 3 ) 2 {Ni(HL)(CH 3 -CH 2 OH)Ln(CH 3 COO)} 2 ]·2CH 3 CH 2 OH (1-6) (Ln = Tb (1), Dy (2), Ho (3), Er (4), Tm (5), Yb (6); H 3 L = N,N'-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)-1,3-diamino-2-prop-anol), [Ni(HL)Ln(dbm) 3 ]·CH 3 OH 2 ·2CH 2 Cl 2 (7-10) (Ln = Tb (7), Eu (8), Gd (9), Ho (10); Hdbm = 1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedione) and [Ni(HL)(H 2 O)(tfa)Ln(hfac) 2 ] (11-15) (Ln = Tb (11), Dy (12), Eu (13), Gd (14), Ho (15); Hhfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione, tfa - = trifluoroacetate) using compartmental Schiff base ligands in conjunction with auxiliary ligands. For the NiLn series, the tetranuclear structure could be considered as two Ni II -Ln III dinuclear subunits bridged by two carbonates derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide. The Ln III ions of complexes 1-6 were octa-coordinated with distorted triangular dodecahedral geometry, while the Ln III ions of the dinuclear complexes 7-15 were nona-coordinated with distorted muffin geometry. The magnetic properties of the three series complexes were studied using dc and ac magnetic measurements. For the Ni II -Gd III complexes, the dc magnetic susceptibility measurements suggested the existence of the anticipated ferromagnetic interaction between Ni II and Gd III ions. The fitting of the χ M T vs. T data processed by PHI software provided the parameters g = 2.08 (J = +0.87 cm -1 ) for 9 and g = 2.02 (J = +1.83 cm -1 ) for 14. The interaction exchange was magneto-structurally correlated to the Ni-O-Gd angle (α) and Ni(μ-O)Gd dihedral angle (β). With an applied dc field, complexes 1 (Tb), 2 (Dy), 7 (Tb) and 12 (Dy) exhibited single magnetic relaxation with SMM parameters of U eff /k = 13.60 K, 11.52 K, 7.69 K and 5.14 K, respectively. Analysis of the Cole-Cole plots for complexes 2 and 7 suggested that a single relaxation process was mainly involved in the relaxation process, with α values in the range of 0.37-0.17 and 0.14-0.11, respectively.

Effects of Structural Deformations of the Crank-Slider Mechanism on the Estimation of the Instantaneous Engine Friction Torque

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

CHALHOUB, N. G.; NEHME, H.; HENEIN, N. A.; BRYZIK, W.

1999-07-01

The focus on the current study is to assess the effects of structural deformations of the crankshaft/connecting-rod/piston mechanism on the computation of the instantaneous engine friction torque. This study is performed in a fully controlled environment in order to isolate the effects of structural deformations from those of measurement errors or noise interference. Therefore, a detailed model, accounting for the rigid and flexible motions of the crank-slider mechanism and including engine component friction formulations, is considered in this study. The model is used as a test bed to generate the engine friction torque,Tfa, and to predict the rigid and flexible motions of the system in response to the cylinder gas pressure. The torsional vibrations and the rigid body angular velocity of the crankshaft, as predicted by the detailed model of the crank-slider mechanism, are used along with the engine load torque and the cylinder gas pressure in the (P-ω) method to estimate the engine friction torque,Tfe. This method is well suited for the purpose of this study because its formulation is based on the rigid body model of the crank-slider mechanism. The digital simulation results demonstrate that the exclusion of the structural deformations of the crank-slider mechanism from the formulation of the (P-ω) method leads to an overestimation of the engine friction torque near the top-dead-center (TDC) position of the piston under firing conditions. Moreover, for the remainder of the engine cycle, the estimated friction torque exhibits large oscillations and takes on positive numerical values as if it is inducing energy into the system. Thus, the adverse effects of structural deformations of the crank-slider mechanism on the estimation of the engine friction torque greatly differ in their nature from one phase of the engine cycle to another.

NASA's Earth Science Enterprise's Water and Energy Cycle Focus Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Entin, J. K.

2004-05-01

Understanding the Water and Energy cycles is critical towards improving our understanding of climate change, as well as the consequences of climate change. In addition, using results from water and energy cycle research can help improve water resource management, agricultural efficiency, disaster management, and public health. To address this, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) has an end-to-end Water and Energy Cycle Focus Area, which along with the ESE's other five focus areas will help NASA answer key Earth Science questions. In an effort to build upon the pre-existing discipline programs, which focus on precipitation, radiation sciences, and terrestrial hydrology, NASA has begun planning efforts to create an implementation plan for integrative research to improve our understanding of the water and energy cycles. The basics of this planning process and the core aspects of the implementation plan will be discussed. Roadmaps will also be used to show the future direction for the entire focus area. Included in the discussion, will be aspects of the end-to-end nature of the Focus Area that encompass current and potential actives to extend research results to operational agencies to enable improved performance of policy and management decision support systems.

Mississippi Department of Transportation research peer exchange : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-06-01

Peer Exchange Focus Areas : The MDOT Research Division developed focus areas for the exchange as follows: : Maintaining Adequate Resources for Research Activities : Implementation of Research Results : Outreach to Transportation Partners ...

Personality traits predict brain activation and connectivity when witnessing a violent conflict.

PubMed

Van den Stock, Jan; Hortensius, Ruud; Sinke, Charlotte; Goebel, Rainer; de Gelder, Beatrice

2015-09-04

As observers we excel in decoding the emotional signals telling us that a social interaction is turning violent. The neural substrate and its modulation by personality traits remain ill understood. We performed an fMRI experiment in which participants watched videos displaying a violent conflict between two people. Observers' attention was directed to either the aggressor or the victim. Focusing on the aggressor (vs. focusing on the victim) activated the superior temporal sulcus (STS), extra-striate body area (EBA), occipital poles and centro-medial amygdala (CMA). Stronger instantaneous connectivity occurred between these and the EBA, insula, and the red nucleus. When focusing on the victim, basolateral amygdala (BLA) activation was related to trait empathy and showed increased connectivity with the insula and red nucleus. STS activation was associated with trait aggression and increased connectivity with the hypothalamus. The findings reveal that focusing on the aggressor of a violent conflict triggers more activation in categorical (EBA) and emotion (CMA, STS) areas. This is associated with increased instantaneous connectivity among emotion areas (CMA-insula) and between categorical and emotion (EBA-STS) areas. When the focus is on the victim, personality traits (aggression/empathy) modulate activity in emotion areas (respectively STS and postcentral gyrus/ BLA), along with connectivity in the emotional diencephalon (hypothalamus) and early visual areas (occipital pole).

Microgravity methods for characterization of groundwater-storage changes and aquifer properties in the karstic Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 2009-12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koth, Karl R.; Long, Andrew J.

2012-01-01

A study of groundwater storage in the karstic Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of South Dakota using microgravity methods was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with West Dakota Water Development District, South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Lawrence County. Microgravity measurements from 2009 to 2012 were used to investigate groundwater-storage changes and effective porosity in unconfined areas of the Madison aquifer. Time-lapse microgravity surveys that use portable high-sensitivity absolute and relative gravimeters indicated temporal-gravity changes as a result of changing groundwater mass. These extremely precise measurements of gravity required characterization and removal of internal instrumental and external environmental effects on gravity from the raw data. The corrected data allowed groundwater-storage volume to be quantified with an accuracy of about plus or minus 0.5 foot of water per unit area of aquifer. Quantification of groundwater-storage change, coupled with water-level data from observation wells located near the focus areas, also was used to calculate the effective porosity at specific altitudes directly beneath gravity stations. Gravity stations were established on bedrock outcrops in three separate focus areas for this study. The first area, the Spring Canyon focus area, is located to the south of Rapid City with one gravity station on the rim of Spring Canyon near the area where Spring Creek sinks into the Madison aquifer. The second area, the Doty focus area, is located on outcrops of the Madison Limestone and Minnelusa Formation to the northwest of Rapid City, and consists of nine gravity stations. The third area, the Limestone Plateau focus area, consists of a single gravity station in the northwestern Black Hills located on an outcrop of the Madison Limestone. An absolute-gravity station, used to tie relative-gravity survey data together, was established on a relatively impermeable bedrock outcrop to minimize groundwater-storage change at the reference location. Data from the three focus areas allow for interpretation of groundwater-storage characteristics using microgravity measurements. Gravity measurements, together with water-level data from an observation well located 2 miles from the Spring Canyon focus area and measured streamflow in Spring Creek, provided evidence that rapid groundwater-storage change, responding to changes in sinking streamflow over the recharge area of the aquifer, occurred in the Madison aquifer directly beneath the gravity station at Spring Canyon. This phenomenon likely was a result of groundwater movement through caverns, conduits, and fractures, which are common in karst aquifers. Spatially and temporally separated microgravity data for the Doty focus area indicated horizontal and vertical heterogeneity of effective porosity for the Madison aquifer. One such example of this was indicated by water-level measurements at an observation well and gravity measurements at four gravity stations in the southeastern part of the Doty area, which were used to estimate effective porosity values ranging from greater than 0 to 0.18. A decrease in groundwater storage determined by microgravity measurements during the spring recharge period for five upgradient stations in the Doty focus area indicated the possibility of rapid release and downgradient cascading of perched groundwater. Evidence for similar phenomena was documented for Wind Cave and Brooks Cave in the Black Hills. Absolute-gravity measurements at the Limestone Plateau focus area confirmed the relation between water levels in an observation well and changes in groundwater storage. Comparison of these gravity measurements with water levels in a nearby observation well resulted in an effective porosity estimate of 0.02 for the Madison aquifer beneath the gravity station.

Analysis of a SCADA System Anomaly Detection Model Based on Information Entropy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

20 Intrusion Detection...alarms ( Rem ). ............................................................................................................. 86 Figure 25. TP% for...literature concerning the focus areas of this research. The focus areas include SCADA vulnerabilities, information theory, and intrusion detection

Intracellular delivery of universal proteins using a lysine headgroup containing cationic liposomes: deciphering the uptake mechanism.

PubMed

Sarker, Satya Ranjan; Hokama, Ryosuke; Takeoka, Shinji

2014-01-06

An amino acid-based cationic lipid having a TFA counterion (trifluoroacetic acid counterion) in the lysine headgroup was used to deliver functional proteins into human cervical cancer cells, HeLa, in the presence of serum. Proteins used in the study were fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled bovine serum albumin, mouse anti-F actin antibody [NH3], and goat anti mouse IgG conjugated with FITC. The formation of liposome/protein complexes was confirmed using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, the complexes were characterized in terms of their size and zeta potential at different pH values and found to be responsive to changes in pH. The highest delivery efficiency of the liposome/albumin complexes was 99% at 37 °C. The liposomes effectively delivered albumin and antibodies as confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Inhibition studies showed that the cellular uptake mechanism of the complexes was via caveolae-mediated endocytosis, and the proteins were subsequently released from either the early endosomes or the caveosomes as suggested by CLSM. Thus, lysine-based cationic liposomes can be a useful tool for intracellular protein delivery.

Quantitative analysis of iridoids, secoiridoids, xanthones and xanthone glycosides in Gentiana lutea L. roots by RP-HPLC and LC-MS.

PubMed

Aberham, Anita; Schwaiger, Stefan; Stuppner, Hermann; Ganzera, Markus

2007-11-05

The here described HPLC-method enables the determination of all major, currently known bioactive compounds in gentian roots. A separation of iridoids (loganic acid), secoiridoids (swertiamarin, gentiopicroside, amarogentin, sweroside), xanthones (gentisin, isogentisin) and two xanthone glycosides (gentiosides) was possible on RP-18 column material, using 0.025% aqueous TFA, acetonitrile and n-propanol as mobile phase. The method is sensitive (LOD

Separation of 1,3-substituted imidazoles for quality control of a Lewis acidic ionic liquid for aluminum electroplating.

PubMed

Kosmus, Patrick; Steiner, Oliver; Goessler, Walter; Gollas, Bernhard

2014-05-01

Ionic liquids (ILs) are already used or have great potential in many industrial applications. Knowledge about their unique physicochemical characteristics makes ILs suitable for the electrodeposition of metals with very low negative potentials. Aluminum with its good corrosion protection behavior has great capability to be electroplated from IL electrolytes on steel substrates. The stability of the chosen electrolyte is very important to ensure industrial applicability. In this study, temperature and electrochemical long-term stability from electrolytes based on a Lewis acidic mixture of AlCl3 and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride are investigated. A published method was modified to identify possible degradation products using mass spectrometric detection. The optimized method used an Agilent Zorbax SB-Phenyl column (2.0 × 150 mm, 5 μm particles) with a 20 mmol TFA and 5% ACN mobile phase. This method allowed the quantification of several imidazoles from 0.1 to 100 mg/L. When analyzing the long-term stressed electrolytes, no significant changes in electrolyte composition could be observed. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Text mining factor analysis (TFA) in green tea patent data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmawati, Sela; Suprijadi, Jadi; Zulhanif

2017-03-01

Factor analysis has become one of the most widely used multivariate statistical procedures in applied research endeavors across a multitude of domains. There are two main types of analyses based on factor analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Both EFA and CFA aim to observed relationships among a group of indicators with a latent variable, but they differ fundamentally, a priori and restrictions made to the factor model. This method will be applied to patent data technology sector green tea to determine the development technology of green tea in the world. Patent analysis is useful in identifying the future technological trends in a specific field of technology. Database patent are obtained from agency European Patent Organization (EPO). In this paper, CFA model will be applied to the nominal data, which obtain from the presence absence matrix. While doing processing, analysis CFA for nominal data analysis was based on Tetrachoric matrix. Meanwhile, EFA model will be applied on a title from sector technology dominant. Title will be pre-processing first using text mining analysis.

A motif for infinite metal atom wires.

PubMed

Yin, Xi; Warren, Steven A; Pan, Yung-Tin; Tsao, Kai-Chieh; Gray, Danielle L; Bertke, Jeffery; Yang, Hong

2014-12-15

A new motif for infinite metal atom wires with tunable compositions and properties is developed based on the connection between metal paddlewheel and square planar complex moieties. Two infinite Pd chain compounds, [Pd4(CO)4(OAc)4Pd(acac)2] 1 and [Pd4(CO)4(TFA)4Pd(acac)2] 2, and an infinite Pd-Pt heterometallic chain compound, [Pd4(CO)4(OAc)4Pt(acac)2] 3, are identified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In these new structures, the paddlewheel moiety is a Pd four-membered ring coordinated by bridging carboxylic ligands and μ2 carbonyl ligands. The planar moiety is either Pd(acac)2 or Pt(acac)2 (acac = acetylacetonate). These moieties are connected by metallophilic interactions. The results showed that these one-dimensional metal wire compounds have photoluminescent properties that are tunable by changing ligands and metal ions. 3 can also serve as a single source precursor for making Pd4Pt bimetallic nanostructures with precise control of metal composition. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Clustered atom-replaced structure in single-crystal-like metal oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araki, Takeshi; Hayashi, Mariko; Ishii, Hirotaka; Yokoe, Daisaku; Yoshida, Ryuji; Kato, Takeharu; Nishijima, Gen; Matsumoto, Akiyoshi

2018-06-01

By means of metal organic deposition using trifluoroacetates (TFA-MOD), we replaced and localized two or more atoms in a single-crystalline structure having almost perfect orientation. Thus, we created a new functional structure, namely, clustered atom-replaced structure (CARS), having single-crystal-like metal oxide. We replaced metals in the oxide with Sm and Lu and localized them. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy results, where the Sm signal increases with the Lu signal in the single-crystalline structure, confirm evidence of CARS. We also form other CARS with three additional metals, including Pr. The valence number of Pr might change from 3+ to approximately 4+, thereby reducing the Pr–Ba distance. We directly observed the structure by a high-angle annular dark-field image, which provided further evidence of CARS. The key to establishing CARS is an equilibrium chemical reaction and a combination of additional larger and smaller unit cells to matrix cells. We made a new functional metal oxide with CARS and expect to realize CARS in other metal oxide structures in the future by using the above-mentioned process.

A rapid HPLC method for simultaneous determination of tretinoin and isotretinoin in dermatological formulations.

PubMed

Tashtoush, Bassam M; Jacobson, Elaine L; Jacobson, Myron K

2007-02-19

A rapid method using an isocratic high-pressure liquid chromatography and UV detection for determination of both all-trans retinoic acid (tretinoin) and 13-cis retinoic acid (isotretinoin) in dermatological preparations is presented. Tretinoin and isotretinoin samples were extracted with acetonitrile by a procedure that can be completed in less than 10 min. Subsequent separation and quantification of amounts as low as 10 pmol was accomplished in less than 15 min using reversed-phase HPLC with isocratic elution with 0.01% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)/acetonitrile (15:85, v/v). Validation experiments confirmed the precision and accuracy of the method. When applied to commercial tretinoin samples, recoveries of 104.9% for cream formulations and 107.7% for gel formulations were obtained. Application of the method for analysis of a tretinoin cream exposed to solar simulated light (SSL) demonstrated detection of the major photoisomerization product isotretinoin as well as 9-cis retinoic acid, demonstrating the utility of the method for studies of tretinoin photostability. The method should also facilitate studies of the formulation compatibility and photocompatibility of tretinoin with agents that may improve its clinical tolerability.

Biomass and nutrient productivities of Tetraselmis chuii under mixotrophic culture conditions with various C:N ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Lin; Wang, Jun; Yang, Guanpin; Zhu, Baohua; Pan, Kehou

2017-03-01

Mass microalgal culture plays an irreplaceable role in aquaculture, but microalgal productivity is restricted by traditional autotrophic culture conditions. In the present study, a Tetraselmis chuii strain belonging to the phylum Chlorophyta was isolated from south Yellow Sea. The growth rate and biomass productivity of this strain was higher under mixotrophic conditions with different carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratios than those under autotrophic conditions. When the C:N ratio was 16, the optical density and biomass productivity were 3.7- and 5-fold higher than their corresponding values under autotrophic culture conditions, respectively. Moreover, T. chuii synthesized more polysaccharides and total lipids under mixotrophic conditions. In addition, T. chuii cultured under mixotrophic conditions synthesized more types of fatty acids than autotrophic culture conditions. At a C:N ratio of 16, the percentage of C16:0 and C18:1 reached 30.08% and 24.65% of the total fatty acid (TFA) content, respectively. These findings may provide a basis for large-scale mixotrophic culture of T. chuii, as a potential bait-microalga.

The disadvantages of mating outside home: How breeding in captivity affects the reproductive success of seahorses?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faleiro, Filipa; Narciso, Luís

2013-04-01

In captivity, husbandry conditions are distinct from those experienced by fish in the wild and may have a significant effect on reproductive success. This study evaluates the effect of supportive breeding (i.e., breeding animals in captivity using wild parents) on some quantitative and qualitative aspects of the reproductive success of the long-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus. Wild and captive broods were compared in terms of juvenile number, size, condition and fatty acid profile at birth. Reproductive investment and breeding success of H. guttulatus decreased considerably in captivity. Juveniles from captive broods were fewer in number, smaller, generally thinner and with lower fatty acid contents (per juvenile) than those from wild broods, although their fatty acid composition (μg mg- 1 DW or %TFA) was not significantly affected. Although not greatly encouraging, the poor reproductive performance of captive seahorses should not, however, efface the potential of supportive breeding as a tool for seahorse conservation. Enhanced conditions and long-term breeding in captivity will allow to improve the reproductive success of the species and the quality of the fingerlings.

Chromaticity and color saturation of ultraviolet irradiated poly(vinyl alcohol)-anthocyanin coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat Nor, N. A.; Aziz, N.; Mohd-Adnan, A. F.; Taha, R. M.; Arof, A. K.

2016-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the chromaticity and color saturation of anthocyanin extraction from fruit pericarps of Ixora siamensis in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. The colored PVA matrix was exposed to UV-B irradiation for 93 days at UV intensity of 17.55 lux. Anthocyanin colorant has been extracted using methanol acidified with 0.5% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Different concentrations of ferulic acid (FA) (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt.%) have been added to the anthocyanin extractions before mixing with PVA to form a coating system. The PVA-anthocyanin-FA mixtures have been coated on glass slides and kept overnight in the dark for curing before exposure to UV-B irradiation. The FA-free sample undergoes more color degradation compared to samples containing FA. The coating with 2% FA has the most stable color with chromaticity of 41% and color saturation of 0.88 compared to other FA containing coats. The FA-free coat exhibits 29% chromaticity and color saturation of 0.38 at the end of the experiment.

Hybridation of different chiral separation techniques with ICP-MS detection for the separation and determination of selenomethionine enantiomers: chiral speciation of selenized yeast.

PubMed

Méndez, S P; González, E B; Sanz-Medel, A

2001-05-01

Enantioseparation and determination of selenomethionine enantiomers in selenized yeast was investigated using chiral separation techniques based on different principles, coupled on-line to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for selenium-specific detection. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a beta-cyclodestrin (beta-CD) column, cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC), gas chromatography (GC) on a Chirasil-L-Val column, and HPLC on a Chirobiotic T column have been investigated as the chiral separation techniques. For HPLC separation on the beta-CD column, and also for CD-MEKC, selenomethionine enantiomers were derivatized with NDA/CN(-). For chiral separation by GC, selenomethionine enantiomers were converted into their N-trifluoroacetyl (TFA)-O-alkyl esters. The developed hybridation methodologies are compared with respect to enantioselectivity, sensitivity and analysis time. The usefulness of the best-suited method [HPLC (Chirobiotic T)-ICP-MS] was demonstrated by its application to the successful chiral speciation of selenium and D-and L-selenomethionine content determination in selenized yeast. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Protein separations using enhanced-fluidity liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Bennett, Raffeal; Olesik, Susan V

2017-11-10

Enhanced-fluidity liquid chromatography (EFLC) methods using methanol/H 2 O/CO 2 and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) were explored for the separation of proteins and peptides. EFLC is a separation mode that uses a mobile phase made of conventional solvents combined with liquid carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in subcritical conditions. The addition of liquid CO 2 enhances diffusivity and decreases viscosity while maintaining mixture polarity, which typically results in reduced time of analysis. TFA additive and elevated temperature were leveraged as key factors in the separation of a 13-analyte intact protein mixture in under 5min. Under these conditions EFLC showed modest improvement in terms of peak asymmetry and analysis time over the competing ACN/H 2 O separation. Protein analytes detected by electrospray ionization - quadrupole time of flight, were shown to be unaffected by the addition of CO 2 in the mobile phase. Herein, the feasibility of separating hydrophilic proteins up to 80kDa (with transferrin) is demonstrated for CO 2 -containing mobile phases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chlorophylls, proteins and fatty acids amounts of arthrospira platensis growing under saline conditions.

PubMed

Ayachi, Samah; El Abed, Amor; Dhifi, Wissal; Marzouk, Brahim

2007-07-15

Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira platensis) is a Tunisian strain isolated for the first time, in Tunisia, in Oued Essed (Sidi Bou Ali, in Sousse region). Evolution of biomass, proteins, chlorophylls and fatty acids (FA) has been followed during Spirulina growth. Experiments were carried out by varying sodium chloride concentrations in the culture medium in a range from 1 g L(-1) (natural environment) to 60 g L(-1). Results analysis showed an increase in chlorophyll amounts at 15 g L(-1) NaCl in 10 days old cultures but a decrease at high NaCl concentrations. Optimal proteins amounts was observed at 15 g L(-1) NaCl in young cultures (5 and 10 days). FA composition was modified by NaCl and depended on culture age. Cultures exposed to high salinity concentrations showed not only a decrease in growth rate but also a loss in total fatty acids TFA quantities. Samples cultured over 15 days at 30 g L(-1) NaCl rendered optimal quantities of lipids and gamma-linolenic acid.

RP-HPLC Method Development and Validation for Determination of Eptifibatide Acetate in Bulk Drug Substance and Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms.

PubMed

Bavand Savadkouhi, Maryam; Vahidi, Hossein; Ayatollahi, Abdul Majid; Hooshfar, Shirin; Kobarfard, Farzad

2017-01-01

A new, rapid, economical and isocratic reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for the determination of eptifibatide acetate, a small synthetic antiplatelet peptide, in bulk drug substance and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The developed method was validated as per of ICH guidelines. The chromatographic separation was achieved isocratically on C18 column (150 x 4.60 mm i.d., 5 µM particle size) at ambient temperature using acetonitrile (ACN), water and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as mobile phase at flow rate of 1 mL/min and UV detection at 275 nm. Eptifibatide acetate exhibited linearity over the concentration range of 0.15-2 mg/mL (r 2 =0.997) with limit of detection of 0.15 mg/mL The accuracy of the method was 96.4-103.8%. The intra-day and inter-day precision were between 0.052% and 0.598%, respectively. The present successfully validated method with excellent selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy was applicable for the assay of eptifibatide acetate in bulk drug substance and pharmaceutical dosage forms.

The OsSPL16-GW7 regulatory module determines grain shape and simultaneously improves rice yield and grain quality.

PubMed

Wang, Shaokui; Li, Shan; Liu, Qian; Wu, Kun; Zhang, Jianqing; Wang, Shuansuo; Wang, Yi; Chen, Xiangbin; Zhang, Yi; Gao, Caixia; Wang, Feng; Huang, Haixiang; Fu, Xiangdong

2015-08-01

The deployment of heterosis in the form of hybrid rice varieties has boosted grain yield, but grain quality improvement still remains a challenge. Here we show that a quantitative trait locus for rice grain quality, qGW7, reflects allelic variation of GW7, a gene encoding a TONNEAU1-recruiting motif protein with similarity to C-terminal motifs of the human centrosomal protein CAP350. Upregulation of GW7 expression was correlated with the production of more slender grains, as a result of increased cell division in the longitudinal direction and decreased cell division in the transverse direction. OsSPL16 (GW8), an SBP-domain transcription factor that regulates grain width, bound directly to the GW7 promoter and repressed its expression. The presence of a semidominant GW7(TFA) allele from tropical japonica rice was associated with higher grain quality without the yield penalty imposed by the Basmati gw8 allele. Manipulation of the OsSPL16-GW7 module thus represents a new strategy to simultaneously improve rice yield and grain quality.

A multiscale-based approach for composite materials with embedded PZT filaments for energy harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Etriby, Ahmed E.; Abdel-Meguid, Mohamed E.; Hatem, Tarek M.; Bahei-El-Din, Yehia A.

2014-03-01

Ambient vibrations are major source of wasted energy, exploiting properly such vibration can be converted to valuable energy and harvested to power up devices, i.e. electronic devices. Accordingly, energy harvesting using smart structures with active piezoelectric ceramics has gained wide interest over the past few years as a method for converting such wasted energy. This paper provides numerical and experimental analysis of piezoelectric fiber based composites for energy harvesting applications proposing a multi-scale modeling approach coupled with experimental verification. The multi-scale approach suggested to predict the behavior of piezoelectric fiber-based composites use micromechanical model based on Transformation Field Analysis (TFA) to calculate the overall material properties of electrically active composite structure. Capitalizing on the calculated properties, single-phase analysis of a homogeneous structure is conducted using finite element method. The experimental work approach involves running dynamic tests on piezoelectric fiber-based composites to simulate mechanical vibrations experienced by a subway train floor tiles. Experimental results agree well with the numerical results both for static and dynamic tests.

Experimental Investigation into Beam-Riding Physics of Lightcraft Engines: Progress Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenoyer, David A.; Myrabo, Leik N.; Notaro, Samuel J.; Bragulla, Paul W.

2010-05-01

A twin Lumonics K922M pulsed TFA CO2 laser system (pulse duration of approximately 200 ns FWHM spike with 1 us tail) was employed to experimentally measure beam-riding behavior of Type ♯200 lightcraft engines, using the Angular Impulse Measurement Device (AIMD). Beam-riding forces and moments were examined along with engine thrust-vectoring behavior, as a function of: a) laser beam angular and lateral offset from the vehicle axis of symmetry; b) laser pulse energy 12 to 36 joules); c) pulse duration (100 ns and 1 μs); and d) engine size (97.7 mm to 161.2 mm). Maximum lateral momentum coupling coefficients (CM) of 135 N-s/MJ were achieved with the K922M laser whereas previous PLVTS laser (420 J, 18 μs duration) results indicated 15-30 N-s/MJ—an improvement of 4.5x to 9x. Maximum axial CM performance with the K922M is li1ely to be 4x to 7x larger than lateral CM values, but must await confirmation in upcoming tests.

The role of hydrogen bonds in the crystals of 2-amino-4-methyl-5-nitropyridinium trifluoroacetate monohydrate and 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate - X-ray and spectroscopic studies.

PubMed

Bryndal, I; Marchewka, M; Wandas, M; Sąsiadek, W; Lorenc, J; Lis, T; Dymińska, L; Kucharska, E; Hanuza, J

2014-04-05

Two new organic-organic salts, 2-amino-4-methyl-5-nitropyridinium trifluoroacetate monohydrate (AMNP-TFA), and 2-amino-4-methyl-5-nitropyridinium 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate (AMNP-HBS), were obtained and characterized by means of FT-IR, FT-Raman and single crystal X-ray crystallography. In the former crystal, the cations, anions and water molecules are linked into layers by three types of hydrogen bonds, NPH⋯O, NAH⋯O and OH⋯O. These layers are connected by weaker CH⋯O hydrogen bonds. In the latter crystal, the cations and anions form one-dimensional structure through a number of hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the OH, NH(+) and NH2 groups as donors. In this case the NPH⋯O and NAH⋯O hydrogen bonds are formed. The combination of interactions between cations and anions results in the formation of columns. Additionally, there are π-π stacking interactions between the columns. The obtained X-ray structural data are related to the vibrational spectra of the studied crystals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Comprehensive Structural Study of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation and Non-Model Based Damage Detection using Effective Mass with Application to Small Components/ Cables and a Truss Wind Turbine Tower

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Scott A.

This research has two areas of focus. The first area is to investigate offshore wind turbine (OWT) designs, for use in the Maryland offshore wind area (MOWA), using intensive modeling techniques. The second focus area is to investigate a way to detect damage in wind turbine towers and small electrical components.

Delineating Focus Areas for Bird Conservation in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region

Treesearch

Jane A. Fitzgerald; C. Diane True; David D. Diamond; Troy Ettel; Laurel Moore; Timothy A. Nigh; Shawchyi Vorisek; Greg Wathen

2005-01-01

This paper reports on a process used to identify landscape-scale focus areas for the conservation of priority grassland, grass-shrubland, wetland and forest-woodland birds in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region (CHBCR). The areas were delineated by biologists and other technical staff of partner agencies and organizations in the CHBCR with the use of...

Atomic and electronic structures of BaHfO3-doped TFA-MOD-derived YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina-Luna, Leopoldo; Duerrschnabel, Michael; Turner, Stuart; Erbe, Manuela; Martinez, Gerardo T.; Van Aert, Sandra; Holzapfel, Bernhard; Van Tendeloo, Gustaaf

2015-11-01

Tailoring the properties of oxide-based nanocomposites is of great importance for a wide range of materials relevant for energy technology. YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) superconducting thin films containing nanosized BaHfO3 (BHO) particles yield a significant improvement of the magnetic flux pinning properties and a reduced anisotropy of the critical current density. These films were prepared by chemical solution deposition (CSD) on (100) SrTiO3 (STO) substrates yielding critical current densities up to 3.6 MA cm-2 at 77 K and self-field. Transport in-field J c measurements demonstrated a high pinning force maximum of around 6 GN/m3 for a sample annealed at T = 760 °C that has a doping of 12 mol% of BHO. This sample was investigated by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in combination with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) yielding strain and spectral maps. Spherical BHO nanoparticles of 15 nm in size were found in the matrix, whereas the particles at the interface were flat. A 2 nm diffusion layer containing Ti was found at the YBCO (BHO)/STO interface. Local lattice deformation mapping at the atomic scale revealed crystal defects induced by the presence of both sorts of BHO nanoparticles, which can act as pinning centers for magnetic flux lines. Two types of local lattice defects were identified and imaged: (i) misfit edge dislocations and (ii) Ba-Cu-Cu-Ba stacking faults (Y-248 intergrowths). The local electronic structure and charge transfer were probed by high energy resolution monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy. This technique made it possible to distinguish superconducting from non-superconducting areas in nanocomposite samples with atomic resolution in real space, allowing the identification of local pinning sites on the order of the coherence length of YBCO (˜1.5 nm) and the determination of 0.25 nm dislocation cores.

Erythrocyte trans-fatty acids, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older Chinese individuals

PubMed Central

Yu, D.X.; Sun, Q.; Ye, X.W.; Pan, A.; Zong, G.; Zhou, Y.H.; Li, H.X.; Hu, F.B.; Lin, X.

2013-01-01

Aims/hypothesis Few data are available about intakes and food sources of trans-fatty acids (TFAs) or their associations with cardiometabolic outcomes in Asian people who consume a prudent diet but are experiencing rapid nutritional transitions. We aimed to investigate the relationships between TFA biomarkers and type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese individuals. Methods Erythrocyte fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography among 3,107 men and women (50–70 years) recruited from urban and rural areas in Beijing and Shanghai, China. Results Total trans-18:1 and two trans-18:2 isomers were detected and accounted for 0.37% of the total fatty acids in the erythrocytes. Concentrations of TFAs were higher in women than men, and in urban than rural residents. Of the TFAs, trans-18:1, but not trans-18:2, showed a modest association with dairy consumption (β=0.27), but not with other foods. After adjustment for BMI, social-demographic, lifestyle and dietary factors and other TFAs, erythrocyte trans-18:1 was shown to be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (OR comparing extreme quartiles=0.68, 95% CI=0.48, 0.97, ptrend=0.02), as well as 20–50% lower odds of central obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. In contrast, trans-18:2 fatty acids were positively associated with high triacylglycerol (ptrend<0.001) and LDL-cholesterol (ptrend=0.03) levels, but not with diabetes and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Conclusions/interpretation Among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals with overall low erythrocyte TFAs levels, trans-18:1 might serve as a marker of dairy intake. Higher trans-18:1 levels were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas higher trans-18:2 levels were associated with dyslipidaemia. PMID:22886370

Nuclear Materials Focus Area Fiscal Year 2002 Mid Year Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thiel, Elizabeth Chilcote

2002-05-01

The Nuclear Materials Focus Area (NMFA) held its annual mid-year review on February 12 and 14, 2002, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The purpose of this review was to examine both the technical aspects and the programmatic aspects of its technology development program. The focus area activities were reviewed by a panel consisting of personnel representing the end users of the technologies, and technical experts in nuclear materials. This year's review was somewhat different than in the past, as the stress was on how well the various projects being managed through the NMFA aligned with the two thrust areas andmore » nine key goals and priorities recently issued by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM).« less