Lead-poisoned wildfowl in Spain: a significant threat for human consumers.

PubMed

Guitart, Raimon; Serratosa, Jordi; Thomas, Vernon G

2002-12-01

Each year, 1.2 million Spanish hunters and shooters discharge 6,000 t of lead shot, of which 30-50 t are deposited in wetlands of this European country. Waterfowl may accidentally ingest lead pellets in these aquatic habitats and become fatally lead poisoned. It has been estimated that 50,000 birds die from this cause in Spain each year, but many more are chronically affected. Most of them are species that can be hunted legally, and the lead toxicosis enhances their susceptibility to being killed by hunting. Consequently, about 30,000 waterfowl hunters and their families, especially children, are at risk from secondary lead ingestion from these poisoned birds. The consumption of a single liver (often eaten in Spain) from any waterfowl shot in this country may result in the direct uptake of 0.01-2.3 mg of lead in 40.4% of cases. This is based on the percentage of 411 analyzed waterfowl having liver lead contents over 0.5 mg kg(-1) wet weight, the maximum lead level in poultry offal that current EU regulations permit. Therefore, health management authorities should draw urgent attention to this environmental problem that presents such an established risk to human health.

Giant liposomes as delivery system for ecophysiological studies in copepods.

PubMed

Buttino, Isabella; De Rosa, Giuseppe; Carotenuto, Ylenia; Ianora, Adrianna; Fontana, Angelo; Quaglia, Fabiana; La Rotonda, Maria Immacolata; Miralto, Antonio

2006-03-01

Giant liposomes are proposed as a potential delivery system in marine copepods, the dominant constituent of the zooplankton. Liposomes were prepared in the same size range as the food ingested by copepods (mean diameter of about 7 microm). The encapsulation of a hydrophilic and high molecular mass fluorescent compound, fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FitcDx), within the liposomes provided a means of verifying copepod ingestion when viewed with the confocal laser-scanning microscope. Females of the calanoid copepod Temora stylifera were fed with FitcDx-encapsulated liposomes alone or mixed with the dinoflagellate alga Prorocentrum minimum. Control copepods were incubated with the P. minimum diet alone. Egg production rates, percentage egg-hatching success and number of faecal pellets produced were evaluated after 24 h and 48 h of feeding. Epifluorescence of copepod gut and faecal pellets indicated that the liposomes were actively ingested by T. stylifera in both experimental food conditions, with or without the dinoflagellate diet. Ingestion rates calculated using 3H-labelled liposomes indicated that females ingested more liposomes when P. minimum was added to the solution (16% vs 7.6% of uptake). When liposomes were supplied together with the algal diet, egg production rate, egg-hatching success and faecal pellet production were as high as those observed for the control diet. By contrary, egg production and hatching success were very low with a diet of liposomes alone and faecal pellet production was similar to that recorded in starved females. This results suggest that liposomes alone did not add any nutritive value to the diet, making them a good candidate as inert carriers to study the nutrient requirements or biological activity of different compounds. In particular, such liposomes are proposed as carriers for diatom-derived polyunsaturated aldehydes, which are known to impair copepod embryo viability. Other potential applications of liposomes as a delivery system of drugs and nutrients in copepod mass cultivation, or as carriers of pollutants to study copepod physiology in ecotoxicological experiments, are also discussed.

Accumulation in and effects of lead and cadmium on waterfowl and passerines in northern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blus, L.J.; Henny, C.J.; Hoffman, D.J.; Grove, R.A.

1995-01-01

Waterfowl and passerines in northern Idaho in 1987 had high levels of lead in their blood and tissues that originated primarily from mining and smelting activities. Four Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and one common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) found dead contained 8 to 38 microg/g (wet mass) of lead in their livers. These levels exceed the lower lethal limit of 5 microg/g in experimental birds. Two of the Canada geese (one each from the contaminated and reference areas) died with ingested lead shotgun pellets (shot) in their gizzards, whereas the other three birds from the contaminated area contained no ingested shot and evidently died from ingesting environmental lead in sediment or biota. Lead burdens in most American robins (Turdus migratorius) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were high, whereas those in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were slightly elevated. Lead accumulated to potentially hazardous levels in blood and tissues of some nestling robins (maxima of 0.87 microg/g in blood and 5.6 microg/g in liver) and mallards (maxima of 10.2 microg/g in blood and 2.8 microg/g in liver). In mallards, lead levels and associated physiological characteristics of blood were significantly different in juveniles (HY) versus adults (AHY). Activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) was about 87 to 95% lower than values for control birds in experimental studies. Activity of ALAD was significantly inversely correlated with blood lead levels. Cadmium was detected in kidneys of most birds, but even the maximum concentration of 7.5 microg/g in an AHY mallard was below known harmful levels.

A review of lead poisoning in swans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blus, L.J.

1994-01-01

Nearly 10,000 swans of six species or subspecies from 14 countries have died from poisoning caused by lead that originated from ingestion of fishing weights, shotgun pellets (shot), or contaminated vegetation or sediments associated with mining and smelting wastes. Lead contamination in mute swans in England caused local population declines during the late 1970s and 1980s. More tundra swans died from lead poisoning than any other species. The extreme record involved an estimated 7200 tundra swans that died over five winters at one locality in North Carolina. The recent legislation to ban lead fishing weights in most of England and Wales and recent replacement of lead shot with steel shot for waterfowl hunting in the United States and a few areas of Europe, including Denmark, are expected to reduce the incidence of lead poisoning in swans.

Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in plastics ingested by seabirds.

PubMed

Colabuono, Fernanda Imperatrice; Taniguchi, Satie; Montone, Rosalinda Carmela

2010-04-01

The occurrence of plastic objects in the digestive tract was assessed in eight species of Procellariiformes collected in southern Brazil and the occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the ingested plastics pellets and plastic fragments was evaluated. PCBs were detected in plastic pellets (491 ng g(-1)) and plastic fragments (243-418 ng g(-1)). Among the OCPs, p,p'-DDE had the highest concentrations, ranging from 68.0 to 99.0 ng g(-1). The occurrence of organic pollutants in post-consumer plastics supports the fact that plastics are an important source carrying persistent organic pollutants in the marine environment. Although transfer through the food chain may be the main source of exposure to POPs to seabirds, plastics could be an additional source for the organisms which ingest them, like Procellariiformes which are the seabirds most affected by plastic pollution. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of microplastic toxicity to embryonic development of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea).

PubMed

Nobre, C R; Santana, M F M; Maluf, A; Cortez, F S; Cesar, A; Pereira, C D S; Turra, A

2015-03-15

Apart from the physiological impacts on marine organisms caused by ingesting microplastics, the toxicity caused by substances leaching from these particles into the environment requires investigation. To understand this potential risk, we evaluated the toxicity of virgin (raw) and beach-stranded plastic pellets to the development of embryos of Lytechinus variegatus, simulating transfers of chemical compounds to interstitial water and water column by assays of pellet-water interface and elutriate, respectively. Both assays showed that virgin pellets had toxic effects, increasing anomalous embryonic development by 58.1% and 66.5%, respectively. The toxicity of stranded pellets was lower than virgin pellets, and was observed only for pellet-water interface assay. These results show that (i) plastic pellets act as a vector of pollutants, especially for plastic additives found on virgin particles; and that (ii) the toxicity of leached chemicals from pellets depends on the exposure pathway and on the environmental compartment in which pellets accumulate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survival characteristics of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes and Helicobacter pylori during passage through the free-living ciliate, Tetrahymena sp.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ciliates prey on bacteria in water and waste water systems. Compartmentalization of ingested material (including bacteria) in the food vacuoles of Tetrahymena and its egestion in the fecal pellet has been described and the survival of Salmonella enterica and E. coli O157:H7 in such fecal pellets ha...

Seabirds indicate changes in the composition of plastic litter in the Atlantic and south-western Indian Oceans.

PubMed

Ryan, Peter G

2008-08-01

I compare plastic ingested by five species of seabirds sampled in the 1980s and again in 1999-2006. The numbers of ingested plastic particles have not changed significantly, but the proportion of virgin pellets has decreased 44-79% in all five species: great shearwater Puffinus gravis, white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis, broad-billed prion Pachyptila vittata, white-faced storm petrel Pelagodroma marina and white-bellied storm petrel Fregetta grallaria. The populations sampled range widely in the South Atlantic and western Indian Oceans. The most marked reduction occurred in great shearwaters, where the average number of pellets per bird decreased from 10.5 to 1.6. This species migrates between the South and North Atlantic each year. Similar decreases in virgin pellets have been recorded in short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris in the Pacific Ocean and northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis in the North Sea. More data are needed on the relationship between plastic loads in seabirds and the density of plastic at sea in their foraging areas, but the consistent decrease in pellets in birds suggests there has been a global change in the composition of small plastic debris at sea over the last two decades.

Presence of plastic litter in pellets from Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) in Ireland.

PubMed

Acampora, Heidi; Berrow, Simon; Newton, Stephen; O'Connor, Ian

2017-04-15

Plastic pollution has been the subject of much research in the last decade. Seabirds can mistake plastic fragments for prey, which can perforate or block the digestive tract and cause ulcers. Most commonly, seabirds accumulate this indigestible matter in their stomachs, obtaining no nutrition and may die from starvation. Certain species of seabirds however, have the ability of regurgitating indigestible matter in the form of pellets. This study aimed to investigate the ingestion of plastics by live seabirds through the examination of regurgitated pellets (n=92) from a Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) breeding colony and a winter roost in Ireland. Plastic prevalence was consistently 3.2% at both sites. The presence of plastic litter highlights the fact that all species of seabird are susceptible to interact with marine litter regardless of feeding habits, although at different rates. More research is needed to understand the driving factors involved in plastic ingestion among different species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Capture, swallowing, and egestion of microplastics by a planktivorous juvenile fish.

PubMed

Ory, Nicolas Christian; Gallardo, Camila; Lenz, Mark; Thiel, Martin

2018-09-01

Microplastics (<5 mm) have been found in many fish species, from most marine environments. However, the mechanisms underlying microplastic ingestion by fish are still unclear, although they are important to determine the pathway of microplastics along marine food webs. Here we conducted experiments in the laboratory to examine microplastic ingestion (capture and swallowing) and egestion by juveniles of the planktivorous palm ruff, Seriolella violacea (Centrolophidae). As expected, fish captured preferentially black microplastics, similar to food pellets, whereas microplastics of other colours (blue, translucent, and yellow) were mostly co-captured when floating close to food pellets. Microplastics captured without food were almost always spit out, and were only swallowed when they were mixed with food in the fish's mouth. Food probably produced a 'gustatory trap' that impeded the fish to discriminate and reject the microplastics. Most fish (93% of total) egested all the microplastics after 7 days, on average, and 49 days at most, substantially longer than food pellets (<2 days). No acute detrimental effects of microplastics on fish were observable, but potential sublethal effects of microplastics on the fish physiological and behavioural responses still need to be tested. This study highlights that visually-oriented planktivorous fish, many species of which are of commercial value and ecological importance within marine food webs, are susceptible to ingest microplastics resembling or floating close to their planktonic prey. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Secondary poisoning of kestrels by white phosphorus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparling, D.W.; Federoff, N.E.

1997-01-01

Since 1982, extensive waterfowl mortality due to white phosphorus (P4) has been observed at Eagle River Flats, a tidal marsh near Anchorage, Alaska. Ducks and swans that ingest P4 pellets become lethargic and may display severe convulsions. Intoxicated waterfowl attract raptors and gulls that feed on dead or dying birds. To determine if avian predators can be affected by secondary poisoning, we fed American kestrels (Falco sparverius) 10-day-old domestic chickens that had been dosed with white phosphorus. Eight of 15 kestrels fed intact chicks with a pellet of P4 implanted in their crops died within seven days. Three of 15 kestrels fed chicks that had their upper digestive tracts removed to eliminate any pellets of white phosphorus also died. Hematocrit and hemoglobin in kestrels decreased whereas lactate dehydrogenaseL, glucose, and alanine aminotransferase levels in plasma increased with exposure to contaminated chicks. Histological examination of liver and kidneys showed that the incidence and severity of lesions increased when kestrels were fed contaminated chicks. White phosphorus residues were measurable in 87% of the kestrels dying on study and 20% of the survivors. This study shows that raptors can become intoxicated either by ingesting portions of digestive tracts containing white phosphorus pellets or by consuming tissues of P4 contaminated prey.

Dietary cadmium and benzo(a)pyrene increased intestinal metallothionein expression in the fish Fundulus heteroclitus

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

Roesijadi, Guritno; Rezvankhah, Saeid; Perez-Matus, Alejandro

2008-10-17

To test the effect of dietary exposure to cadmium and benzo(a)pyrene on induction of metallothionein mRNA in the Fundulus heteroclitus, fish were individually fed a pelletized gel food containing cadmium, benzo(a)pyrene, or a combination of the two over a period of seven days, then analyzed for relative levels of metallothionein mRNA in the intestine, liver, and gill using real-time RT-qPCR. An initial experiment with only cadmium exposure showed an apparent 10-fold induction in the intestine, but no induction in liver or gill. Ingestion of contaminated pellets varied in individual fish, and because it was possible to monitor individual ingestion ratesmore » with our method, individual cadmium doses were estimated from the amount of ingested cadmium. When the levels of metallothionein mRNA were related to the dose to each fish, a linear dose-response relationship was observed for the intestine, but not the other organs, which showed no induction. In a second experiment, dose was controlled by placing the entire daily cadmium dose into a single contaminated pellet that was fed first (thereby, effectively controlling the effect of variable ingestion rates), and the interaction between cadmium and benzo(a)pyrene was also investigated. The intestine was again the primary organ for metallothionein induction by cadmium, with a 20-fold increase in metallothionein mRNA over control levels. When benzo(a)pyrene was administered together with cadmium, induction of metallothionein was potentiated by the presence of benzo(a)pyrene, with the main effect seen in the intestine, where already high levels of induction by cadmium alone increased by 1.74-fold when benzo(a)pyrene was present.« less

Palatability of water-soluble extracts of protein sources and replacement of fishmeal by a selected mixture of protein sources for juvenile turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Chun; He, Gen; Mai, Kangsen; Zhou, Huihui; Xu, Wei

2016-06-01

Poor palatability is a limiting factor for replacing fishmeal with other protein sources in aquaculture. The water-soluble molecules with low molecular weights are the major determinants of the palatability of diets. The present study was conducted to investigate the palatability of water-soluble extracts from single protein source (single extract pellets) and the mixture of these extracts with different proportions (blended extract pellets) in juvenile turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus). Then according to the palatability of blended extract pellets, an optimal mixture proportion was selected, and a new protein source made from raw protein materials with the selected proportion was formulated to replace fishmeal. Summarily, the palatability of single extract pellets for turbot was descendent from fishmeal to pet-food grade poultry by-product meal, wheat gluten meal, soybean meal, peanut meal, meat and bone meal, and corn gluten meal. Subsequently, according to the palatability of single extract pellets, 52 kinds of blended extract pellets were designed to test their palatability. The results showed that the pellets presented remarkably different palatability, and the optimal one was diet 52 (wheat gluten meal: pet-food grade poultry by-product meal: meat and bone meal: corn gluten meal = 1:6:1:2). The highest ingestion ratio (the number of pellets ingested/the number of pellets fed) was 0.73 ± 0.03, which was observed in Diet 52. Then five isonitrogenous (52% crude protein) and isocaloric (20 kJ g-1 gross energy) diets were formulated by replacing 0 (control), 35%, 50%, 65% and 80% of fishmeal with No.52 blending proportion. After a 10-weeks feeding trial, a consistent feed intake was found among all replacement treatments. Replacement level of fishmeal up to 35% did not significantly influence final body weight, specific growth rate, feed efficiency ratio, and protein efficiency ratio of turbot. Therefore, the water-soluble extracts of protein sources play an important role in improving the palatability of non-fishmeal protein sources in aquafeed.

Copper pellets simulating oral exposure to copper ammunition: Absence of toxicity in American kestrels (Falco sparverius)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Lahner, Lesanna L.; Meteyer, Carol U.; Rattner, Barnett A.

2012-01-01

To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper (Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered 5 mg Cu/g body mass in the form of Cu pellets (1.18–2.00 mm in diameter) nine times during 38 days and 10 controls were sham gavaged on the same schedule. With one exception, all birds retained the pellets for at least 1 h, but most (69%) regurgitated pellets during a 12-h monitoring period. Hepatic Cu concentrations were greater in kestrels administered Cu than in controls, but there was no difference in Cu concentrations in the blood between treated and control birds. Concentration of the metal-binding protein metallothionein was greater in male birds that received Cu than in controls, whereas concentrations in female birds that received Cu were similar to control female birds. Hepatic Cu and metallothionein concentrations in kestrels were significantly correlated. Histopathologic alterations were noted in the pancreas of four treated kestrels and two controls, but these changes were not associated with hepatic or renal Cu concentrations, and no lesions were seen in other tissues. No clinical signs were observed, and there was no treatment effect on body mass; concentrations of Cu, hemoglobin, or methemoglobin in the blood; or Cu concentrations in kidney, plasma biochemistries, or hematocrit. Based on the parameters we measured, ingested Cu pellets pose little threat to American kestrels (and presumably phylogenetically related species), although the retention time of pellets in the stomach was of relatively short duration. Birds expected to regurgitate Cu fragments with a frequency similar to kestrels are not likely to be adversely affected by Cu ingestion, but the results of our study do not completely rule out the potential for toxicity in species that might retain Cu fragments for a longer time.

Increasing frequency of plastic particles ingested by seabirds in the subarctic North Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robards, Martin D.; Piatt, John F.; Wohl, Kenton D.

1995-01-01

We examined gut contents of 1799 seabirds comprising 24 species collected in 1988-1990 to assess the types and quantities of plastic particles ingested by seabirds in the subarctic waters of Alaska. Of the 15 species found to ingest plastic, most were surface-feeders (shearwaters, petrels, gulls) or plankton-feeding divers (auklets, puffins). Of 4417 plastic particles examined, 76% were industrial pellets and 21% were fragments of ‘user’ plastic. Ingestion rates varied geographically, but no trends were evident and rates of plastic ingestion varied far more among species within areas than within species among areas. Comparison with similar data from 1968 seabirds comprising 37 species collected in 1969-1977 revealed that plastic ingestion by seabirds has increased significantly during the 10–15-year interval between studies. This was demonstrated by: (i) an increase in the total number of species ingesting plastic; (ii) an increase in the frequency of occurrence of plastic particles within species that ingested plastic; and, (iii) an increase in the mean number of plastic particles ingested by individuals of those species.

Ultrastructural study of liver and lead tissue concentrations in young mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) after ingestion of single lead shot.

PubMed

Pineau, Alain; Fauconneau, Bernard; Plouzeau, Eric; Fernandez, Béatrice; Quellard, Nathalie; Levillain, Pierre; Guillard, Olivier

2017-01-01

Lead (Pb) represents a serious threat to wildlife and ecosystems. The aim of this study was to examine the subcellular effects of dietary Pb pellet ingestion on mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) livers. After ingestion of a single Pb shot (LS4 size class: 0.177 ± 0.03 g) in 41 mallard ducks (22 males and 19 females) versus 10 controls (5 males and 5 females), all 7-week old, a morphologic study was conducted by TEM (transmission electron microscopy) of liver at the subcellular level. The results in treated mallards showed at a magnification of 2500 X that hepatic parenchyma was altered as evidenced by intralysosomal electron-dense deposits, which are compatible with Pb deposits. Further, at a higher magnification (15,000 X) in both genders, deterioration of mitochondria was observed in which the crests and, to a lesser extent, outer membrane were lysed. While the rough endoplasmic reticulum was fragmented, intracytoplasmic electron-dense material compatible with Pb deposits was maximally visible, thereby underscoring the deeply destructive effect of this metal on the subcellular architecture of the liver. In addition, applying an optimized and validated method in a clean room using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometer (ETAAS) with Zeeman background correction, the objective was to improve and refine certain indispensable measurements pertaining to Pb impregnation in tissues other than liver such as kidneys, bones, and feathers of mallards. Data demonstrated show that compared with controls, Pb accumulation increases significantly, not only in the liver (3-fold), but also in the bones and the feathers (14-fold). No significant difference was noted between males and females. Bearing in mind the marked subcellular toxicity attributed to Pb, this study reinforces present-day arguments advocating limitation of game consumption.

Copper pellets simulating oral exposure to copper ammunition: absence of toxicity in American kestrels (Falco sparverius).

PubMed

Franson, J Christian; Lahner, Lesanna L; Meteyer, Carol U; Rattner, Barnett A

2012-01-01

To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper (Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered 5 mg Cu/g body mass in the form of Cu pellets (1.18-2.00 mm in diameter) nine times during 38 days and 10 controls were sham gavaged on the same schedule. With one exception, all birds retained the pellets for at least 1 h, but most (69%) regurgitated pellets during a 12-h monitoring period. Hepatic Cu concentrations were greater in kestrels administered Cu than in controls, but there was no difference in Cu concentrations in the blood between treated and control birds. Concentration of the metal-binding protein metallothionein was greater in male birds that received Cu than in controls, whereas concentrations in female birds that received Cu were similar to control female birds. Hepatic Cu and metallothionein concentrations in kestrels were significantly correlated. Histopathologic alterations were noted in the pancreas of four treated kestrels and two controls, but these changes were not associated with hepatic or renal Cu concentrations, and no lesions were seen in other tissues. No clinical signs were observed, and there was no treatment effect on body mass; concentrations of Cu, hemoglobin, or methemoglobin in the blood; or Cu concentrations in kidney, plasma biochemistries, or hematocrit. Based on the parameters we measured, ingested Cu pellets pose little threat to American kestrels (and presumably phylogenetically related species), although the retention time of pellets in the stomach was of relatively short duration. Birds expected to regurgitate Cu fragments with a frequency similar to kestrels are not likely to be adversely affected by Cu ingestion, but the results of our study do not completely rule out the potential for toxicity in species that might retain Cu fragments for a longer time.

What Do Great Horned Owls Eat?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandelier, Kenneth J.

1993-01-01

Presents an activity to determine the identity of animals that owls ingest. Students dissect and examine the contents of "owl pellets" which are the indigestible parts of animals that are regurgitated after eating. Provides instructions for implementing and extending the activity. (MDH)

Ingestion of marine debris by the White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis): Is it increasing over time off southern Brazil?

PubMed

Petry, Maria V; Benemann, Victória R F

2017-04-15

Seabirds are amongst the most affected organisms by plastic pollution worldwide. Ingestion of marine debris has been reported in at least 122 species, and owing to the increasing global production and persistence of these anthropogenic materials within the marine environment, it is expected to be a growing problem to the marine fauna. Here we report evidence of an increasing frequency in marine debris ingestion and a decrease in the amount of plastic pellets ingested by White-chinned Petrels attending south Brazilian waters during the last three decades. Future studies comprising large temporal scales and large sample sizes are needed to better understand the trends of marine debris ingestion by seabirds. We expect our findings to highlight the need for prevention policies and mitigation measures to reduce the amount of solid litter in the oceans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Secondary toxicity in raptors caused by white phosphorus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparling, D.W.

1995-01-01

White phosphorus (WP) has caused waterfowl die-offs in a tidal saltmarsh used by the U.S. Army for artillery practice for > 40 years. Bald (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)and golden (Aquila chrysaetos) eagles have been observed feeding on dead and dying waterfowl on the marsh and may be exposed to WP through ingestion of contaminated birds. One carcass of each eagle species has been found with measurable levels of WP in fat. To determine if raptors can become intoxicated by ingesting prey that have been exposed to WP we fed live, 10-day-old white leghorn chicks three sublethal doses of WP. Six hrs after the last dose we euthanized the chicks and separated them into two groups--one with the digestive system from gizzard anteriorly removed (NoGut) and one with the digestive system intact and a 1.1 mg pellet of WP implanted deep into the crop (Pel). A third group of same-aged chicks unexposed to WP was used for controls. Fifteen kestrels (Fa/co sparverius) were randomly assigned to each of the treatments and 10 to the control diet. By 7 d of the study 8 of the kestrels had died on the Pel and 3 on the NoGut diet. Survivors on the Pel diet had significantly lower hematocrit, hemoglobin, final body weights and greater liver/body weight ratios and weight loss than control birds. The study showed that raptors and possibly other predators are at risk both when consuming flesh of prey that have succumbed to WP poisoning and when ingesting WP pellets that are incorporated in body parts but that the risk is greater when pellets are present.

Microplastics Alter the Properties and Sinking Rates of Zooplankton Faecal Pellets.

PubMed

Cole, Matthew; Lindeque, Penelope K; Fileman, Elaine; Clark, James; Lewis, Ceri; Halsband, Claudia; Galloway, Tamara S

2016-03-15

Plastic debris is a widespread contaminant, prevalent in aquatic ecosystems across the globe. Zooplankton readily ingest microscopic plastic (microplastic, < 1 mm), which are later egested within their faecal pellets. These pellets are a source of food for marine organisms, and contribute to the oceanic vertical flux of particulate organic matter as part of the biological pump. The effects of microplastics on faecal pellet properties are currently unknown. Here we test the hypotheses that (1) faecal pellets are a vector for transport of microplastics, (2) polystyrene microplastics can alter the properties and sinking rates of zooplankton egests and, (3) faecal pellets can facilitate the transfer of plastics to coprophagous biota. Following exposure to 20.6 μm polystyrene microplastics (1000 microplastics mL(-1)) and natural prey (∼1650 algae mL(-1)) the copepod Calanus helgolandicus egested faecal pellets with significantly (P < 0.001) reduced densities, a 2.25-fold reduction in sinking rates, and a higher propensity for fragmentation. We further show that microplastics, encapsulated within egests of the copepod Centropages typicus, could be transferred to C. helgolandicus via coprophagy. Our results support the proposal that sinking faecal matter represents a mechanism by which floating plastics can be vertically transported away from surface waters.

Long-term persistence of spent lead shot in tundra wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, Paul L.; Schamber, Jason L.

2010-01-01

We seeded experimental plots with number 4 lead pellets and sampled these plots for 10 years to assess the settlement rate of pellets in tundra wetland types commonly used by foraging waterfowl. After 10 years, about 10% of pellets remained within 6 cm of the surface, but >50% remained within 10 cm. We predict that spent lead pellets will eventually become unavailable to waterfowl; however, it will likely require >25 years for all pellets to exceed depths at which waterfowl species may forage.

Atypical sources of childhood lead poisoning in the United States: a systematic review from 1966-2006.

PubMed

Gorospe, Emmanuel C; Gerstenberger, Shawn L

2008-09-01

Lead poisoning from atypical sources, which excludes the well-established lead-based paint ingestions and exposure in occupational settings, are increasingly reported in medical literature. Our objective is to increase awareness on atypical sources of lead exposure and to formulate recommendations for their detection based on actual reported cases. We systematically retrieved and reviewed reports on pediatric lead poisoning in the U.S. from atypical sources by searching Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, AltHealth, websites of state lead poisoning prevention programs, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission database for reports published from January 1966 to December 2006. We retrieved 28 published reports that met our inclusion criteria. Of these reports, 20 are case reports and 8 case series, documenting a total of 82 incidents of lead poisoning in children from atypical sources. There are varied sources of atypical lead exposure among U.S. children. The sources were grouped in the following categories based on their utility: fashion accessories, folk remedies, imported condiments & candies, pellets & bullets, and lastly, recreational & domestic items. Based on these findings, we have formulated a questionnaire that may assist in the identification of atypical lead sources in the home.

Reducing Pb poisoning in birds and Pb exposure in game meat consumers: the dual benefit of effective Pb shot regulation.

PubMed

Mateo, Rafael; Vallverdú-Coll, Núria; López-Antia, Ana; Taggart, Mark A; Martínez-Haro, Monica; Guitart, Raimon; Ortiz-Santaliestra, Manuel E

2014-02-01

The use of lead (Pb) ammunition in the form of shot pellets has been identified as a Pb exposure risk in wildlife and their human consumers. We explore the hypothesis that Pb shot ban enforcement reduces the risk of avian Pb poisoning as well as Pb exposure in game meat consumers. We assessed compliance with a partial ban on Pb shot commencing in 2003 by examination of 937 waterbirds harvested by hunters between 2007 and 2012 in the Ebro delta (Spain). Prevalence of Pb shot ingestion was determined, as were Pb concentrations in liver and muscle tissue to evaluate the potential for Pb exposure in game meat consumers. Hunted birds with only embedded Pb shot (no steel) declined from 26.9% in 2007-08 to <2% over the following three hunting seasons after ban reinforcement. Pb shot ingestion in mallards decreased from a pre-ban value of 30.2% to 15.5% in the post-ban period. Liver Pb levels were predominantly defined by the presence of ingested shot, whereas muscle levels were defined by the presence of both ingested and embedded shot. Only 2.5% of mallard muscle tissue had Pb levels above European Union regulations for meat (0.1μg/g wet weight) in the 2008-09 season, when Pb shot ingestion prevalence was also at a minimum (5.1%). Effective restrictions in Pb ammunition use have a dual benefit since this reduces Pb exposure for game meat consumers due to embedded ammunition as well as reducing Pb poisoning in waterbirds. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plastic in Cassin's Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) from the 2014 stranding on the Northeast Pacific Coast.

PubMed

Floren, Hannah P; Shugart, Gary W

2017-04-15

Oceanic plastic debris found in the digestive tracts of seabirds includes industrial plastic pellets and post-consumer user plastics. We examined whether the amount and type of plastic ingested by Cassin's Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) is changing by surveying the stomach contents of 171 Cassin's Auklets stranded along the Washington and Oregon coasts in 2014. We found that 41.5% of the birds contained plastic in their ventriculi, similar to values from the North Subarctic Pacific reported in the 1980s. Industrial pellets were found in 22.8% of our samples, and accounted for 28.1% of all the plastic pieces found. Industrial pellets tended to be larger than pieces of user plastic and accounted for 40.2% of total plastic weight. These industrial pellets were significantly smaller than those found in other species, suggesting either that Cassin's Auklets selected smaller plastic particles or that plastic was retained in ventriculi and worn down. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutritional responses to different diet quality in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tucos).

PubMed

Martino, Natalia S; Zenuto, Roxana R; Busch, Cristina

2007-08-01

Nutritional response to different diet quality was examined in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco). Animals maintained in captive conditions were fed with three plant species that differed in their fibre content. Tuco-tucos showed the ability to perform adjusts in short time lapse in response to diet quality; food ingestion, egestion and feces ingestion changed in animals under different plant species diets. Time budget, mainly time devoted to feeding and activity accompanied such changes. Coprophagy was practiced along the day and night following the arrhythmic activity pattern found for this species. Feces reingestion was not associated to resting. Furthermore, it was observed during fresh food ingestion, being pellets chewed. Soft and hard feces differed in morphological and nutritional characteristics.

Plastic ingestion by fulmars and shearwaters at Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.

PubMed

Bond, Alexander L; Provencher, Jennifer F; Daoust, Pierre-Yves; Lucas, Zoe N

2014-10-15

Plastic pollution is widespread in the marine environment, and plastic ingestion by seabirds is now widely reported for dozens of species. Beached Northern Fulmars, Great Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters and Cory's Shearwaters are found on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada regularly, and they can be used to assess plastic pollution. All species except Cory's Shearwaters contained plastic debris in their gastrointestinal tracts. Northern Fulmars, Sooty Shearwaters and Great Shearwaters all showed high prevalence of plastic ingestion (>72%), with Northern Fulmars having the highest number and mass of plastics among the species examined. There was no difference in plastic ingestion between sexes or age classes. In all species user plastics made up the majority of the pieces found, with industrial pellets representing only a small proportion in the samples. Sable Island could be an important monitoring site for plastic pollution in Atlantic Canada. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of the Monoamine Stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 on Binge-Like Eating and Cue-Controlled Food-Seeking Behavior in Rats.

PubMed

Feltmann, Kristin; Giuliano, Chiara; Everitt, Barry J; Steensland, Pia; Alsiö, Johan

2018-02-01

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurring episodes of excessive consumption of palatable food and an increased sensitivity to food cues. Patients with BED display an addiction-like symptomatology and the dopamine system might be a potential treatment target. The clinically safe monoamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 (OSU6162) restores dopaminergic dysfunction in long-term alcohol-drinking rats and shows promise as a novel treatment for alcohol use disorder. Here, the effects of OSU6162 on consummatory (binge-like eating) and appetitive (cue-controlled seeking) behavior motivated by chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets were evaluated in non-food-restricted male Lister Hooded rats. OSU6162 significantly reduced binge-like intake of chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets without affecting prior chow intake. Furthermore, OSU6162 significantly reduced the cue-controlled seeking of chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets under a second-order schedule of reinforcement before, but not after, the delivery and ingestion of reward, indicating a selective effect on incentive motivational processes. In contrast, the dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist raclopride reduced the seeking of chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets both pre- and post reward ingestion and also reduced responding under simpler schedules of seeking behavior. The D1/5 receptor antagonist SCH23390 had no effect on instrumental behavior under any reinforcement schedule tested. Finally, local administration of OSU6162 into the nucleus accumbens core, but not dorsolateral striatum, selectively reduced cue-controlled sucrose seeking. In conclusion, the present results show that OSU6162 reduces binge-like eating behavior and attenuates the impact of cues on seeking of palatable food. This indicates that OSU6162 might serve as a novel BED medication.

Impacts of ontogenetically migrating copepods on downward carbon flux in the western subarctic Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobari, Toru; Steinberg, Deborah K.; Ueda, Ai; Tsuda, Atsushi; Silver, Mary W.; Kitamura, Minoru

2008-07-01

To evaluate the impacts of ontogenetically (seasonally) migrating copepods on carbon transport to the mesopelagic zone, we investigated depth distribution, population structure, and feeding activity of the ontogentic copepod community in the western subarctic Pacific Ocean from day-night pairs of zooplankton samples down to 1000 m during the VERtical Transport In the Global Ocean (VERTIGO) program. Over the 31 July-16 August 2005 study period, the biomass of Neocalanus cristatus and Neocalanus plumchrus predominated in the near surface waters, while Neocalanus flemingeri was already dormant at depth. We observed a strong diel migration for Metridia pacifica, and a seasonal downward migration for Eucalanus bungii. Based on gut pigment analysis, ingestion rate of the copepod community was 214-375 mg C m -2 day -1, which was equal to 26-37% of the concurrent primary production. However, comparison of grazing estimated from gut pigments to calculated carbon demand of the copepod community indicates that phytoplankton comprised 37-59% of the ingested carbon. Thus, the copepod community appears to have also relied on detritus and microzooplankton for their nutrition, likely because primary production during this time was dominated by picophytoplankton too small to be grazed by these large copepods. Fecal pellet flux by the copepod community was estimated to account for 141-223% of the sedimentary particulate organic carbon (POC) flux at 150 m, suggesting considerable fragmentation and consumption of pellets in the upper layers. Fecal pellets alone were adequate to meet copepod carbon demand in the surface 0-150 m layer. Active carbon flux by diel migration of M. pacifica (respiration, egestion, and mortality) was 4-17 mg C m -2 day -1, equal to 6-44% of sedimentary POC flux at 150 m. Active carbon flux by N. flemingeri ontogenetic migration (i.e., respiration and mortality at depth) contributed 246 mg C m -2 year -1, equal to 9% of sedimentary POC flux at 1000 m. The imminent downward migration of N. cristatus and N. plumchrus would lead to an additional ontogenetic carbon flux on the order of 1719 mg C m -2 year -1. Copepod fecal pellet transport and active transport by diel and ontogenetic migration are thus important carbon fluxes during a season dominated by small phytoplankton, and ontogenetic migrants in the subarctic Pacific Ocean play a relatively more important role in active carbon flux compared with other open-ocean regions.

[Comparative study of three feeding methods for draught horses of the Swiss army].

PubMed

Riond, J L; Leoni, S; Wanner, M

2000-10-01

Three feeding methods were compared in 36 4- to 6-year-old Franche-Montagne horses during the military school of St-Luzisteig (GR) of Spring 1992. The horses were separated into 3 groups: a group with the traditional oats-hay ration (OH), a group with a pelleted feed and hay ration (PFH), and a group with the complete diet (CD). Feed analyses were performed and food consumption, eating behavior and digestibility were studied. The horses received their daily amount of feed in 3 portions covering the requirements for a medium work: OH = 8 kg hay and 3 kg oats, PFH = 8 kg hay and 3 kg pelleted feed and CD = 10 kg of the complete diet. For the 3 rations, the amount of digestible crude protein for horses was higher than the reference value for the requirement of a 600 kg horse with a medium work. In the 3 diets, the calcium content was higher than the required 32 g per day (g/d). Not enough sodium (OH: 1.2 g/d; PFH: 7.3 g/d; CD: 9.6 g/d) and too much potassium (OH: 140.3 g/d; PFH 153.0 g/d; CD: 167.5 g/d) were present in the diets, both without consequences for the blood parameters. In 3 meals of 60 minutes, the horses of the group OH, PFH and CD ingested 82%, 89% and 92%, respectively, of the daily ration. The complete diet was ingested more quickly than the hay. The number of mastications per minute was smaller for the complete diet than for the hay. Ingestion times were similar for oats and pelleted feed. However, the number of mastications per minute was smaller for the pelleted feed. The digestibility of nutrients was not influenced by the method of feeding. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the 3 types of ration studied here are adequate for the swiss army horses if sodium is added to the diet. However, despite the fact that both PFH and CD correct excessive supply or deficiencies of nutrients and despite the fact that these two feeding methods offer nutrients in amounts that are closer to the requirements of the horse, the method PFH was introduced in 1994.

Impacts of plastic ingestion on post-hatchling loggerhead turtles off South Africa.

PubMed

Ryan, Peter G; Cole, Georgina; Spiby, Kevin; Nel, Ronel; Osborne, Alexis; Perold, Vonica

2016-06-15

Twenty-four of 40 (60%) loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta post-hatchlings (carapace<9cm) that died within 2months of stranding on southern Cape beaches in April 2015 contained ingested anthropogenic debris. Plastic comprised of 99% of debris: 77% hard plastic fragments, 10% flexible packaging and 8% fibres; industrial pellets comprised only 3%, compared to ~70% in 1968-1973, when 12% of stranded post-hatchlings contained plastics. Turtles selected for white (38%) and blue (19%) items, but translucent items (23%) were under-represented compared to beach mesodebris. Ingested loads did not decrease up to 52days in captivity, indicating long retention times. Plastic killed 11 turtles by blocking their digestive tracts or bladders, and contributed to the deaths of five other turtles. Our results indicate that the amount and diversity of plastic ingested by post-hatchling loggerhead turtles off South Africa have increased over the last four decades, and now kill some turtles. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pathogenesis of lead shot poisoning in the mallard duck

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

Clemens, E.T.; Krook, L.; Aronson, A.L.

1975-04-01

Adult mallard ducks were administered steel pellets to determine the rate of excretion from the gastrointestinal tract. In separate studies the ducks were administered 5 number 6 lead pellets. Birds were examined for clinical signs and sacrificed at given intervals over a 20 day period to assess changes in tissue structure and concentrations of lead with time. The rate of steel pellet excretion on birds on a low fiber diet decreased with an increase in pellet size. Pellet excretion was greatly reduced in birds fed a high fiber diet. Administration of lead shot resulted in the development of green diarrhea,more » anorexia and weakness. It also produced high concentrations of lead in the blood, kidney, liver and bone with lower concentrations in skeletal muscle. The major lesions were destruction of the mitotically active proventricular epithelium and medullary osteocytes, destruction of pectoral muscle cells and the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies in the proximal tubular epithelium of the kidney. Birds on the high fiber diet demonstrated more severe clinical signs and higher concentrations of lead in the tissues.« less

50 CFR 20.134 - Nontoxic shot.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... relevant data, predicting the toxic effect in waterfowl of complete erosion and absorption of one shot or... pellet of lead shot. Dose one group (8 males and 8 females) with eight size No. 4 pellets of steel shot...) and provide commercial breeder mash. Dosing of the 3 groups with one pellet of No. 4 lead shot...

50 CFR 20.134 - Nontoxic shot.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... relevant data, predicting the toxic effect in waterfowl of complete erosion and absorption of one shot or... pellet of lead shot. Dose one group (8 males and 8 females) with eight size No. 4 pellets of steel shot...) and provide commercial breeder mash. Dosing of the 3 groups with one pellet of No. 4 lead shot...

50 CFR 20.134 - Nontoxic shot.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... relevant data, predicting the toxic effect in waterfowl of complete erosion and absorption of one shot or... pellet of lead shot. Dose one group (8 males and 8 females) with eight size No. 4 pellets of steel shot...) and provide commercial breeder mash. Dosing of the 3 groups with one pellet of No. 4 lead shot...

50 CFR 20.134 - Nontoxic shot.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... relevant data, predicting the toxic effect in waterfowl of complete erosion and absorption of one shot or... pellet of lead shot. Dose one group (8 males and 8 females) with eight size No. 4 pellets of steel shot...) and provide commercial breeder mash. Dosing of the 3 groups with one pellet of No. 4 lead shot...

Toxicity of lead-contaminated sediment to mallards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heinz, G.H.; Hoffman, D.J.; Sileo, L.; Audet, D.J.; LeCaptain, L.J.

1999-01-01

Because consumption of lead-contaminated sediment has been suspected as the cause of waterfowl mortality in the Coeur d?Alene River basin in Idaho, we studied the bioavailability and toxicity of this sediment to mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). In experiment 1, one of 10 adult male mallards died when fed a pelleted commercial duck diet that contained 24% lead-contaminated sediment (with 3,400 μg/g lead in the sediment). Protoporphyrin levels in the blood increased as the percentage of lead-contaminated sediment in the diet increased. Birds fed 24% lead-contaminated sediment exhibited atrophy of the breast muscles, green staining of the feathers around the vent, viscous bile, green staining of the gizzard lining, and renal tubular intranuclear inclusion bodies. Mallards fed 24% lead-contaminated sediment had means of 6.1 μg/g of lead in the blood and 28 μg/g in the liver (wet-weight basis) and 1,660 μg/g in the feces (dry-weight basis). In experiment 2, we raised the dietary concentration of the lead-contaminated sediment to 48%, but only about 20% sediment was actually ingested due to food washing by the birds. Protoporphyrin levels were elevated in the lead-exposed birds, and all of the mallards fed 48% lead-contaminated sediment had renal tubular intranuclear inclusion bodies. The concentrations of lead in the liver were 9.1 μg/g for mallards fed 24% lead-contaminated sediment and 16 μg/g for mallards fed 48% lead-contaminated sediment. In experiment 3, four of five mallards died when fed a ground corn diet containing 24% lead-contaminated sediment (with 4,000 μg/g lead in this sample of sediment), but none died when the 24% lead-contaminated sediment was mixed into a nutritionally balanced commercial duck diet; estimated actual ingestion rates for sediment were 14% and 17% for the corn and commercial diets. Lead exposure caused elevations in protoporphyrin, and four of the five mallards fed 24% lead-contaminated sediment in a commercial diet and all five fed the contaminated sediment in a corn diet had renal intranuclear inclusion bodies. Lead was higher in the livers of mallards fed 24% lead-contaminated sediment in the corn diet (38 μg/g) than in the commercial diet (13 μg/g).

Management and Case Outcome of Gastric Impaction in Four Raptors: A Case Series.

PubMed

Applegate, Jeffrey R; Van Wettere, Arnaud; Christiansen, Emily F; Degernes, Laurel A

2017-03-01

Four captive raptors, an American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ), peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ), and barn owl ( Tyto alba ), were diagnosed with ventricular and/or proventricular foreign material impactions consisting of artificial turf substrate, paper and plastic substrate, grass, and newspaper. Partial or total anorexia was reported in all birds and decreased casting in 2 birds. Survey radiographs confirmed presence of gastric enlargement in all 4 birds. The kestrel and eagle were treated unsuccessfully with gastroscopy and gastric lavage, respectively, followed by surgical intervention to remove the ventricular impactions. Both birds died of undetermined causes after surgery. The peregrine falcon died before medical or surgical intervention was started, and the owl was managed successfully with oral mineral oil and liquid diet to facilitate egestion of the foreign material as a pellet. Lead poisoning was suspected as the predisposing cause for foreign body ingestion in the eagle, but underlying causes for pica in the other birds were not determined. Radiographs can provide useful diagnostic information in sick raptors that exhibit vomiting or changes in appetite or casting frequency, and may help guide treatment decisions of impacted birds. Careful consideration of substrate, enrichment items, and access to potential foreign material that could be ingested may be the best pre-emptive management strategy in captive raptors.

Lead toxicity and endoscopic removal of ingested firearm cartridges.

PubMed

Hatten, B W; Bueso, A; Craven, P; Hendrickson, R G; Horowitz, B Z

2013-06-01

Lead toxicity from the ingestion of a lead foreign body has been described in several case reports. Management of ingested live ammunition presents its own challenges due to the risk of accidental discharge. A safe and effective method of retrieving a live cartridge must be considered. We present two cases of lead toxicity due to intact firearm cartridge ingestion with the removal of the cartridges via endoscopy. The first case is of severe pediatric lead toxicity due to the ingestion of 30-mm rifle cartridges. The second case is an adult ingestion of .22 caliber cartridges resulting in mild lead toxicity. These cases illustrate a diagnostic dilemma in both the diagnosis of lead toxicity and the removal of live ammunition from the stomach.

Acid-fast intranuclear inclusion bodies in the kidneys of mallards fed lead shot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Locke, L.N.; Bagley, George E.; Irby, H.D.

1966-01-01

Acid-fast intranuclear inclusion bodies were found in the cells of the proximal convoluted tubules of the kidneys of mallards fed one, two, three or eight number 6 lead shot and maintained on cracked or whole corn and on grain-duck pellet diets. No acid-fast inclusion bodies were found in mallards fed one or three lead shot but maintained on a duck pellet ration. Dietary factors may be responsible for the failure of mallards fed a duck pellet ration to develop lead Inclusion bodies when treated with one or three lead shot. The authors suggest these inclusion bodies can be used as presumptive evidence for lead intoxication in mallards.

Intoxication from an accidentally ingested lead shot retained in the gastrointestinal tract.

PubMed

Gustavsson, Per; Gerhardsson, Lars

2005-04-01

A 45-year-old woman was referred to the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health in January 2002 because of increased blood lead concentrations of unknown origin. She suffered from malaise, fatigue, and diffuse gastrointestinal symptoms. She had a blood lead level of 550 microg/L (normal range < 40 microg/L). The patient had not been occupationally exposed to lead, and no potential lead sources, such as food products or lead-glazed pottery, could be identified. Her food habits were normal, but she did consume game occasionally. Clinical examination, including standard neurologic examination, was normal. No anemia was present. Laboratory tests showed an increased excretion of lead in the urine, but there were no signs of microproteinuria. An abdominal X ray in October 2002 revealed a 6-mm rounded metal object in the colon ascendens. Before the object could be further localized, the patient contracted winter vomiting disease (gastroenteritis) and the metal object was spontaneously released from the colon during a diarrhea attack. The object was a lead shot pellet, possibly but not normally used in Sweden for hunting wild boar or roe deer. Blood lead levels slowly decreased. Nine months later the patient's blood lead levels were almost normal (approximately 70 microg/L) and her symptoms had almost completely disappeared. In this case, a rare source of lead exposure was found. In investigations of blood lead elevations of unknown origin, we recommend abdominal X ray in parallel with repeated blood lead determinations.

Variable food absorption by Antarctic krill: Relationships between diet, egestion rate and the composition and sinking rates of their fecal pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkinson, A.; Schmidt, K.; Fielding, S.; Kawaguchi, S.; Geissler, P. A.

2012-01-01

The kinetics of food processing by zooplankton affects both their energy budgets and the biogeochemical fate of their fecal pellets. We sampled 40 schools of krill across the Scotia Sea during spring, summer and autumn and found that in all 3 seasons, every aspect of their absorption and defecation varied greatly. The C content of fecal pellets varied from 0.85% to 29% of their dry mass (median 9.8%) and C egestion rates varied 75-fold. C:N mass ratios of pellets ranged from 4.9 to 13.2 (median 7.8), higher than values of 3.9 in the krill and 5.4 in their food, pointing to enhanced uptake of N. Pellet sinking rates equated to 27-1218 m d -1 (median 304 m d -1), being governed mainly by pellet diameter (80-600 μm, mean 183 μm) and density (1.038-1.391 g cm -3, mean 1.121 g cm -3). Pellets showed little loss of C or N in filtered seawater over the first 2 days and were physically robust. When feeding rates were low, slow gut passage time and high absorption efficiency resulted in low egestion rates of pellets that were low in C and N content. These pellets were compact, dense and fast-sinking. Conversely, in good feeding conditions much food tended to pass quickly through the gut and was not efficiently absorbed, producing C and N-rich, slow-sinking pellets. Such "superfluous feeding" probably maximises the absolute rates of nutrient absorption. Food composition was also important: diatom-rich diets depressed the C content of the pellets but increased their sinking rates, likely due to silica ballasting. So depending on how krill process food, their pellets could represent both vehicles for rapid export and slow sinking, C and N-rich food sources for pelagic scavengers. C egestion rates by krill averaged 3.4% of summer primary production (and ingestion rates would be 2-10-fold higher than this) so whatever the fate of the pellets, krill are an important re-packager within the food web. While salp pellets tend to sink faster than those of krill, it is the latter that tend to prevail in sediment traps. We suggest that this is because krill schools are more compact, producing "rain showers" of pellets that exceed the capacity of pelagic scavengers to reprocess them.

Has pellet production affected SE US forests?

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

Dale, Virginia H.; Kline, Keith L.; Parish, Esther S.

Wood pellet export volumes from the Southeastern United States (SE US) to Europe have been growing since 2009, leading to concerns about potential environmental effects. Biomass pellets are intended to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming by replacing coal in European power plants. Yet, stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean worry that increased pellet production might lead to changes in SE US forests that harm water and soil quality, or endanger sensitive species—such as birds, tortoises, and snakes—and their habitats. Stakeholders have also expressed concern that increasing pellet demand might accelerate a fifty-year trend in which naturallymore » regenerating mixed hardwood and pine forests native to the SE US are being replaced by plantation pine forests.« less

Has pellet production affected SE US forests?

DOE PAGES

Dale, Virginia H.; Kline, Keith L.; Parish, Esther S.

2017-10-01

Wood pellet export volumes from the Southeastern United States (SE US) to Europe have been growing since 2009, leading to concerns about potential environmental effects. Biomass pellets are intended to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming by replacing coal in European power plants. Yet, stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean worry that increased pellet production might lead to changes in SE US forests that harm water and soil quality, or endanger sensitive species—such as birds, tortoises, and snakes—and their habitats. Stakeholders have also expressed concern that increasing pellet demand might accelerate a fifty-year trend in which naturallymore » regenerating mixed hardwood and pine forests native to the SE US are being replaced by plantation pine forests.« less

Lead pollution from waterfowl hunting in wetlands and rice fields in Argentina.

PubMed

Romano, Marcelo; Ferreyra, Hebe; Ferreyroa, Gisele; Molina, Fernando V; Caselli, Andrea; Barberis, Ignacio; Beldoménico, Pablo; Uhart, Marcela

2016-03-01

The pollution of wetlands by lead derived from waterfowl hunting with lead shot was investigated. We determined soil pellet density and Pb concentration in soil, water and vegetation in natural wetlands and rice fields in central-eastern Santa Fe province, Argentina. Pellet density varied greatly among hunting sites (between 5.5-141 pellets/m(2)) and pellets were present in some control sites. Soil Pb concentration in most hunting sites (approximately 10-20 mg kg(-1)) was not much higher than in control sites (~5-10 mg kg(-1)), with the exception of the site with highest pellet density, which also had a high Pb soil concentration. In water, on the other hand, Pb concentration was similar in all sites (~4-7 μg L(-1)), both control and hunting, and higher than reference values for aquatic media. Lead was also present in vegetation, including grasses and rice crops, in almost all cases. Most soil-collection sites were slightly acidic, and were frequently flooded. These results strongly suggest that metallic Pb from spent shot is oxidized and dissolved due to wetland conditions. Thus, the pollutant is readily mobilized and distributed across all wetland areas, effectively homogenizing its concentration in locations with and without hunting activities. The replacement of lead by nontoxic materials in pellets appears to be the only effective way to prevent Pb pollution in wetlands. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ballistic parameters of .177 (4.5 mm) caliber plastic-sleeved composite projectiles compared to conventional lead pellets.

PubMed

Frank, Matthias; Schönekeß, Holger; Jäger, Frank; Herbst, Jörg; Ekkernkamp, Axel; Nguyen, Thanh Tien; Bockholdt, Britta

2013-11-01

The capability of conventional air gun lead pellets (diabolo pellets) to cause severe injuries or fatalities even at low kinetic energy levels is well documented in medical literature. Modern composite hunting pellets, usually a metal core (made of steel, lead, zinc, or a zinc and aluminum alloy) encased in a plastic sleeve, are of special forensic and traumatological interest. These projectiles are advertised by the manufacturers to discharge at higher velocities than conventional air gun pellets, thus generating very high tissue-penetrating capabilities. Lack of experimental data on these uncommon air gun projectiles induced this work. Ballistic parameters of 12 different caliber .177 (4.5 mm) composite pellets, discharged from two spring-piston air guns (Weihrauch HW 35, Webley CUB) and three pneumatic air guns (Walther LGR, Walther LG400, Walther LP300), were investigated using a ballistic speed measurement system and compared to a conventional diabolo pellet (RWS Meisterkugel) as reference projectile. Although overall results were inconsistent, for some projectile-weapon combinations (particularly spring-piston air guns), a significant change of the kinetic energy (-53 up to +48 %) to the reference projectile was observed. The data provided in this work may serve as a basis for forensic investigation as well as traumatological diagnosis and treatment of injuries caused by these uncommon projectiles.

The effect of lead poisoning on hematologic and biochemical values in trumpeter swans and Canada geese.

PubMed

Katavolos, P; Staempfli, S; Sears, W; Gancz, A Y; Smith, D A; Bienzle, D

2007-12-01

Lead is a persistent contaminant in the environment, and waterfowl are susceptible to lead toxicity from ingestion of lead pellets and fishing weights. Lead affects numerous physiologic processes through inhibition of enzyme activity and protein function, but its effects on commonly assessed avian blood values are incompletely understood. Our aim was to evaluate hematologic and biochemical changes associated with blood lead concentrations in trumpeter swans and Canada geese. Data for CBCs, plasma biochemical profiles (total protein, albumin, glucose, cholesterol, total bilirubin, calcium, phosphorus, gamma-glutamyltransferase [GGT], aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, amylase, and lipase), and whole blood lead concentrations were retrospectively analyzed for 69 trumpeter swans and 52 Canada geese. Laboratory data obtained prospectively from an additional 20 trumpeter swans also were included. RBC morphology was semiquantitated in blood smears from 70 of the birds. Data were analyzed initially by ANOVA and covariance. A statistical model then was constructed to determine the relationship between each parameter and lead concentration. In both avian species, PCV, hemoglobin concentration, and MCHC decreased significantly (P < .05) with increasing blood lead concentration. Uric acid concentration and GGT activity were increased in trumpeter swans and phosphorus concentration was decreased in Canada geese in association with high blood lead concentration (P < .05). Lead toxicosis induced significant changes in the values of commonly measured hematologic parameters in waterfowl. These changes may be useful indicators of severe lead intoxication during routine laboratory assessment. Changes in clinical chemistry values, although statistically significant, were too inconsistent to serve as indicators of lead toxicosis.

Upgrading of consumer characteristics of granulated solid fuel from mixture of low-grade coal and biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmina, J. S.; Milovanov, O. Yu; Sinelshchikov, V. A.; Sytchev, G. A.; Zaichenko, V. M.

2015-11-01

Effect of torrefaction on consumer characteristics of fuel pellets made of low-grade and agricultural waste is shown. Data on the volatile content, ash content, calorific value and hygroscopicity for initial pellets and pellets, heat-treated at various temperatures are presented. The experimental study of the combustion process of initial and heat-treated pellets showed that torrefaction of pellets leads to a decreasing of the ignition temperature and an increasing of the efficiency of boiler plant.

Controlling Properties of Agglomerates for Chemical Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halt, Joseph A.

Iron ore pellets are hard spheres made from powdered ore and binders. Pellets are used to make iron, mainly in blast furnaces. Around the time that the pelletizing process was developed, starch was proposed as a binder because it's viscous, adheres well to iron oxides, does not contaminate pellets and is relatively cheap. In practice, however, starch leads to weak pellets with rough surfaces - these increase the amount of dust generated within process equipment and during pellet shipping and handling. Thus, even though the usual binder (bentonite clay) contaminates pellets, pelletizers prefer it to starch or other organics. This dissertation describes three ways to make good starch-based binders for pellets. Importantly, they solve the usual problems of weak rough pellets and lots of dust. The three approaches are: (1) Addition of clay to starch. This is not a novel idea. In fact, it is the standard method used for their improvement. However, it has not been tested extensively with starch. This approach was expected to be - and indeed was - successful. (2) Addition of a clay-rich layer to green ball surfaces. This approach is a novel idea. The coating's purpose was to mimic the good surface properties of standard bentonite-clay bonded pellets; as a benefit, clay consumption was significantly reduced. This approach was successful. (3) Addition of dispersants to starch. This approach was a novel idea. The intent of the dispersants was to enable pelletization to occur at lower moisture contents, thus leading to denser particle packing and lower porosity. The dispersants resulted in significantly stronger, smoother pellets without contaminating them with silica. Using approaches 1 and 3, starch can be used directly in traditional pelletizing operations, and importantly, in new pelletizing processes for new iron making operations. For approach 2, new application methods must be developed. Future engineering work is suggested as follows: design better dispersants for magnetic magnetite ores; incorporate the dispersing agent and starch into bead form for easy use; design a simple way to add coatings in existing drum-based pelletizing circuits; and optimize the coating composition to decrease both abrasion losses and pellet clustering (for new Direct Reduction pellets).

Coumestrol and its metabolite in mares' plasma after ingestion of phytoestrogen-rich plants: potent endocrine disruptors inducing infertility.

PubMed

Ferreira-Dias, G; Botelho, M; Zagrajczuk, A; Rebordão, M R; Galvão, A M; Bravo, P Pinto; Piotrowska-Tomala, K; Szóstek, A Z; Wiczkowski, W; Piskula, M; Fradinho, M J; Skarzynski, D J

2013-10-01

Phytoestrogens exist in plants that are present in forages fed to horses. They may compete with 17-β estradiol and influence the estrous cycle. Therefore, the objective was to determine whether coumestrol from clover-mixed pastures is present in mare's plasma after their ingestion (experiment I), and when this phytoestrogen was present in mare's plasma after ingestion (experiment II). The effect of a long-term ingestion of phytoestrogens on estrous cycle disruption was assessed (experiment III; clinical case). Experiment I was carried out in nonpregnant anestrous and cyclic Lusitano mares (n = 14) kept on clover and grass-mixed pastures, and supplemented with concentrate and hay or cereal straw. Blood and feedstuff were obtained from November to March. In experiment II, stabled cyclic Lusitano mares (n = 6) were fed for 14 days with increasing amounts of alfalfa pellets (250 g to 1 kg/day). Sequential blood samples were obtained for 8 hours after feed intake on Day 0 (control) and on Days 13 and 14 (1 kg/day alfalfa pellets). Experiment III mares were fed with a mixture of alfalfa and clover haylage for 5 months (group 1; n = 4) or for 9 months (group 2; n = 12). Estrous cycle was determined on the basis of plasma estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), and ultrasound (experiment III). Concentrations of phytoestrogen coumestrol and its metabolite methoxycoumestrol were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Phytoestrogens decreased in pasture from November until March (P < 0.01) (experiment I), but were always detected in mares' plasma. In experiment II, plasma-conjugated forms of coumestrol and methoxycoumestrol were higher on Days 13 and 14 than in control (P < 0.05). The highest concentrations of conjugated form of coumestrol were at 1.5 and 4 hours (P < 0.001), whereas its free forms peaked at 1 and at 3.5 hours after ingestion (P < 0.05). Methoxycoumestrol-conjugated form concentration was the highest at 1.5 and 5 hours (P < 0.001), whereas its free form peaked at 1 hour (P < 0.05) and at 1.5 hours (P < 0.001). Long-term intake of coumestrol caused lack of ovulation, uterine edema, and uterine fluid accumulation (experiment III). Coumestrol and methoxycoumestrol in both forms were higher in group 2 (while still ingesting haylage) than in group 1, after haylage withdrawal (P < 0.001). These data show that in the mare, coumestrol and its metabolite increase in blood after ingestion of estrogenic plants and can influence reproduction in mares as potent endocrine disruptors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of estuarine pollution on birds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blus, L.J.; Wiemeyer, Stanley N.; Kerwin, J.A.; Stendell, R.C.; Ohlendorf, H.M.; Stickel, L.F.

1977-01-01

Pollution of estuaries affects bird populations indirectly through changes in habitat and food supply. The multi-factor pollution of Chesapeake Bay has resulted in diminution of submerged aquatic plants and consequent change in food habits of the canvasback duck. Although dredge-spoil operations can improve wildlife habitat, they often result in its demise. Pollution of estuaries also affects birds directly, through chemical toxication, which may result in outright mortality or in reproductive impairment. Lead from industrial sources and roadways enters the estuaries and is accumulated in tissues of birds. Lead pellets deposited in estuaries as a result of hunting are consumed by ducks with sufficient frequency .to result m large annual die-offs from lead poisoning. Fish in certain areas, usually near industrial sources, may contain levels of mercury high enough to be hazardous to birds that consume them. Other heavy metals are present in estuarine birds, but their significance is poorly known. Oil exerts lethal or sublethal effects on birds by oiling their feathers, oiling eggs and young by contaminated parents, and by ingestion of oil-contaminated food. Organochlorine chemicals, of both agricultural and industrial origin, travel through the food chains and reach harmful levels in susceptible species of birds in certain estuarine ecosystems. Both outright mortality and reproductive impairment have occurred.

Inhibition of ovarian development by methyl farnesoate in the tadpole shrimp, Triops longicaudatus.

PubMed

Tsukimura, B; Nelson, W K; Linder, C J

2006-06-01

Methyl farnesoate (MF), a putative crustacean hormone, is the immediate precursor of insect juvenile hormone III (JHIII) in the biosynthetic pathway. We examined whether MF, shown to inhibit adult metamorphosis in several crustacean species, is a juvenilizing factor in the tadpole shrimp, Triops longicaudatus. Oocyte production was chosen as a parameter for measuring reproductive development. MF was administered to juveniles by ingestion via biological vector (Artemia nauplii), MF-coated food pellets, and MF liposome food pellets. Artemia were incubated in 30 microl of 5 microg/ml MF. The MF-coated and MF liposome pellets were prepared with MF concentrations ranging between 0.1 microg/g and 10 microg/g MF by weight. Groups of tadpole shrimp were treated with these vectors from the time of hatching for 5 or 10 days in laboratory and field studies. The treatment groups of all the MF vectors showed reductions in oocyte production. Lower concentrations of MF (0.75 microg/g-3.8 microg/g MF) appeared to have a physiological effect on fecundity, but higher concentrations (10 microg/g MF) reduced somatic growth. MF-coated pellets (1 microg/g MF) administered to adults (after 5 days) caused no difference in oocyte production. The observed reductions of fecundity and the disparity of results between MF treatment on juveniles and adults suggest that MF may regulate ovarian development.

The effects of ingested plastic on growth and survival of albatross chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sievert, Paul R.; Sileo, Louis

1993-01-01

We studied the effects of ingested plastic on the growth and survival of chicks of Laysan Albatrosses Diomedea immutabilis and Black-footed albatrosses D. nigripes on Midway Atoll during the nesting seasons of 1986 and 1987. Weights and proventricular contents of the chicks were determined periodically through the nesting cycle. Large (>22 cm1)volumes of plastic were present in the proventriculi of 27% of the Laysan and 16% of the Black-footed albatross chicks examined by endoscopy. Prior to fledging, albatross chicks regurgitated pellets composed of plastic and other indigestible material from their proventriculi. Laysan Albatross chicks with large volumes of proventricular plastic had asymptotic fledging weights significantly lower (122 g) than did chicks with low amounts of plastic. The effect of depresses fledging weights on postfledging survival was not determined. Plastic had no detectable effect on the growth of Black-footed Albatross chicks. All chicks that died were examined by necropsy. Mechanical lesions from ingested plastic were the cause of death of one of 45 Laysan Albatross chicks examined in 1986, but were not the cause of death of 93 individuals examined in 1987. Dehydration was the most common cause of death. In general, ingested plastic was not a significant direct cause of death in nestlings, but there was some evidence that it may have affected survival in 1986, when the volume of plastic ingested was highest.

Daily feeding of diclazuril top dress pellets in foals reduces seroconversion to Sarcocystis neurona.

PubMed

Pusterla, Nicola; Packham, Andrea; Mackie, Sarah; Kass, Philip H; Hunyadi, Laszlo; Conrad, Patricia A

2015-11-01

Thirty-three foals from a farm with a high exposure rate to Sarcocystis neurona were assigned to either an untreated or a diclazuril-treated group. Treated foals received daily 0.5 mg/kg of diclazuril pellets from 1 to 12 months of age. Monthly blood was tested for IgG against S. neurona using the indirect fluorescent antibody test. Following ingestion of colostral antibodies to S. neurona, there was a steady and continuous decline in seroprevalence to S. neurona until foals from both groups reached weaning age. Thereafter, the untreated foal group showed a significant increase in monthly seroprevalence compared to the diclazuril-treated foal group. The difference in temporal seroprevalence could be explained by the successful reduction of S. neurona infection in foals receiving a daily low-dose diclazuril. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review.

PubMed

Derraik, José G B

2002-09-01

The deleterious effects of plastic debris on the marine environment were reviewed by bringing together most of the literature published so far on the topic. A large number of marine species is known to be harmed and/or killed by plastic debris, which could jeopardize their survival, especially since many are already endangered by other forms of anthropogenic activities. Marine animals are mostly affected through entanglement in and ingestion of plastic litter. Other less known threats include the use of plastic debris by "invader" species and the absorption of polychlorinated biphenyls from ingested plastics. Less conspicuous forms, such as plastic pellets and "scrubbers" are also hazardous. To address the problem of plastic debris in the oceans is a difficult task, and a variety of approaches are urgently required. Some of the ways to mitigate the problem are discussed.

Interaction between loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and marine litter in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea).

PubMed

Camedda, Andrea; Marra, Stefano; Matiddi, Marco; Massaro, Giorgio; Coppa, Stefania; Perilli, Angelo; Ruiu, Angelo; Briguglio, Paolo; de Lucia, G Andrea

2014-09-01

Anthropogenic debris in the environment affects many species that accidentally ingest it. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quantity and composition of marine litter ingested by loggerheads in Sardinia, thus supplying for the lack of data in the existing literature for this area. Seventeen of the 121 (14.04%) monitored turtles presented debris in their digestive tracts. Litter in faecal pellet of alive individuals (n = 91) and in gastro-intestinal contents of dead ones (n = 30) was categorized, counted and weighed. User plastic was the main category of ingested debris with a frequency of occurrence of 13.22% of the total sample, while sheet (12.39%) and fragments (9.09%) were the most relevant sub-categories. This study highlights for the first time the incidence of litter in alive turtles in Sardinia. This contribution improves the knowledge about marine litter interaction on Caretta caretta as bio-indicator. Results will be useful for the Marine Strategy implementation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of the direct reduction of pellets in a rotary hearth furnace for zinc-containing metallurgical dust treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yu-liang; Jiang, Ze-yi; Zhang, Xin-xin; Wang, Peng; She, Xue-feng

2013-07-01

A mathematical model was established to describe the direct reduction of pellets in a rotary hearth furnace (RHF). In the model, heat transfer, mass transfer, and gas-solid chemical reactions were taken into account. The behaviors of iron metallization and dezincification were analyzed by the numerical method, which was validated by experimental data of the direct reduction of pellets in a Si-Mo furnace. The simulation results show that if the production targets of iron metallization and dezincification are up to 80% and 90%, respectively, the furnace temperature for high-temperature sections must be set higher than 1300°C. Moreover, an undersupply of secondary air by 20% will lead to a decline in iron metallization rate of discharged pellets by 10% and a decrease in dezincing rate by 13%. In addition, if the residence time of pellets in the furnace is over 20 min, its further extension will hardly lead to an obvious increase in production indexes under the same furnace temperature curve.

Shot Ingestion by Wintering Female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) in the Texas Coastal Plain, 2012-14.

PubMed

Huck, Nathaniel R; Ballard, Bart M; Fedynich, Alan M; Kraai, Kevin J; Castro, Mauro E

2016-01-01

Historically, lead poisoning through lead shot ingestion was one of the largest health issues affecting waterfowl in North America. Lead shot was banned for use in waterfowl hunting in the US in 1991 and was banned in Canada in 1997. However, biologists need to understand how, and if, lead shot remaining in the environment will continue to impact waterfowl. Our goal was to estimate lead and nontoxic shot consumption by female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) wintering along the Texas coast. We found shot or metal fragments (or both) in the gizzards of 39 (17%) of 227 female Northern Pintails collected along the Texas coast. Of these, lead shot was found in seven gizzards, steel shot was found in 24 gizzards, and other metal and fragments were found in 20 gizzards. Some females consumed multiple shot types. Overall, shot (lead and nontoxic combined) ingestion rates were similar to those found prior to the lead shot ban in Texas (14%) and Louisiana (17%); however, lead shot ingestion rates were considerably lower, suggesting that it is becoming less available over time. All Northern Pintails that had lead shot in their gizzards were collected from coastal habitats. While it seems that lead shot ingestion by Northern Pintails has decreased since the ban was put in place, monitoring lead shot ingestion rates from different regions will provide insight into its availability in different habitats and under various environmental conditions.

Can Ingestion of Lead Shot and Poisons Change Population Trends of Three European Birds: Grey Partridge, Common Buzzard, and Red Kite?

PubMed Central

Meyer, Carolyn B.; Meyer, Joseph S.; Francisco, Alex B.; Holder, Jennifer; Verdonck, Frederik

2016-01-01

Little is known about the magnitude of the effects of lead shot ingestion alone or combined with poisons (e.g., in bait or seeds/granules containing pesticides) on population size, growth, and extinction of non-waterbird avian species that ingest these substances. We used population models to create example scenarios demonstrating how changes in these parameters might affect three susceptible species: grey partridge (Perdix perdix), common buzzard (Buteo buteo), and red kite (Milvus milvus). We added or subtracted estimates of mortality due to lead shot ingestion (4–16% of mortality, depending on species) and poisons (4–46% of mortality) reported in the UK or France to observed mortality of studied populations after models were calibrated to observed population trends. Observed trends were decreasing for partridge (in continental Europe), stable for buzzard (in Germany), and increasing for red kite (in Wales). Although lead shot ingestion and poison at modeled levels did not change the trend direction for the three species, they reduced population size and slowed population growth. Lead shot ingestion at modeled rates reduced population size of partridges by 10%, and when combined with bait and pesticide poisons, by 18%. For buzzards, decrease in mean population size by lead shot and poisons combined was much smaller (≤ 1%). The red kite population has been recovering; however, modeled lead shot ingestion reduced its annual growth rate from 6.5% to 4%, slowing recovery. If mortality from poisoned baits could be removed, the kite population could potentially increase at a rapid annual rate of 12%. The effects are somewhat higher if ingestion of these substances additionally causes sublethal reproductive impairment. These results have uncertainty but suggest that declining or recovering populations are most sensitive to lead shot or poison ingestion, and removal of poisoned baits can have a positive impact on recovering raptor populations that frequently feed on carrion. PMID:26799815

Can Ingestion of Lead Shot and Poisons Change Population Trends of Three European Birds: Grey Partridge, Common Buzzard, and Red Kite?

PubMed

Meyer, Carolyn B; Meyer, Joseph S; Francisco, Alex B; Holder, Jennifer; Verdonck, Frederik

2016-01-01

Little is known about the magnitude of the effects of lead shot ingestion alone or combined with poisons (e.g., in bait or seeds/granules containing pesticides) on population size, growth, and extinction of non-waterbird avian species that ingest these substances. We used population models to create example scenarios demonstrating how changes in these parameters might affect three susceptible species: grey partridge (Perdix perdix), common buzzard (Buteo buteo), and red kite (Milvus milvus). We added or subtracted estimates of mortality due to lead shot ingestion (4-16% of mortality, depending on species) and poisons (4-46% of mortality) reported in the UK or France to observed mortality of studied populations after models were calibrated to observed population trends. Observed trends were decreasing for partridge (in continental Europe), stable for buzzard (in Germany), and increasing for red kite (in Wales). Although lead shot ingestion and poison at modeled levels did not change the trend direction for the three species, they reduced population size and slowed population growth. Lead shot ingestion at modeled rates reduced population size of partridges by 10%, and when combined with bait and pesticide poisons, by 18%. For buzzards, decrease in mean population size by lead shot and poisons combined was much smaller (≤ 1%). The red kite population has been recovering; however, modeled lead shot ingestion reduced its annual growth rate from 6.5% to 4%, slowing recovery. If mortality from poisoned baits could be removed, the kite population could potentially increase at a rapid annual rate of 12%. The effects are somewhat higher if ingestion of these substances additionally causes sublethal reproductive impairment. These results have uncertainty but suggest that declining or recovering populations are most sensitive to lead shot or poison ingestion, and removal of poisoned baits can have a positive impact on recovering raptor populations that frequently feed on carrion.

Fast Ignition Thermonuclear Fusion: Enhancement of the Pellet Gain by the Colossal-Magnetic-Field Shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefan, V. Alexander

2013-10-01

The fast ignition fusion pellet gain can be enhanced by a laser generated B-field shell. The B-field shell, (similar to Earth's B-field, but with the alternating B-poles), follows the pellet compression in a frozen-in B-field regime. A properly designed laser-pellet coupling can lead to the generation of a B-field shell, (up to 100 MG), which inhibits electron thermal transport and confines the alpha-particles. In principle, a pellet gain of few-100s can be achieved in this manner. Supported in part by Nikola Tesla Labs, Stefan University, 1010 Pearl, La Jolla, CA 92038-1007.

Lead fishing weights and other fishing tackle in selected waterbirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J.C.; Hansen, Scott P.; Creekmore, T.E.; Brand, C.J.; Evers, D.C.; Duerr, A.E.; DeStefano, S.

2003-01-01

From 1995 through 1999, 2,240 individuals of 28 species of waterbirds were examined in the United States for ingested lead fishing weights. A combination of radiography and visual examination of stomachs was used to search for lead weights and blood and liver samples from live birds and carcasses, respectively, were collected for lead analysis. Ingested lead weights were found most frequently in the Common Loon (Gavia immer) (11 of 313 = 3.5%) and Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) (10 of 365 = 2.7%), but also in one of 81 (1.2%) Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and one of 11 (9.1%) Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax). Birds with ingested lead fishing weights (including split shot, jig heads, and egg, bell, and pyramid sinkers) were found in California, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. The size and mass of ingested lead weights ranged from split shot of 7 mm in the longest dimension, weighing less than 2 g, to a 22 ?? 39 mm pyramid sinker that weighed 78.2 g. Six ingested lead weights were more than 25.4 mm in the longest dimension. Lead concentrations in the blood and liver of birds with lead fishing weights in their stomachs ranged up to 13.9 ppm and 26.0 ppm (wet weight basis), respectively. During the study, we also noted the presence of ingested or entangled fishing tackle, with no associated lead weights, in eight species.

Development of a Feedstock-to-Product Chain Model for Densified Biomass Pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McPherrin, Daniel

The Q’Pellet is a spherical, torrefied biomass pellet currently under development. It aims to improve on the shortcomings of commercially available cylindrical white and torrefied pellets. A spreadsheet-based model was developed to allow for techno-economic analysis and simplified life cycle analysis of Q’Pellets, torrefied pellets and white pellets. A case study was developed to compare the production of white, torrefied and Q’Pellet production based on their internal rates of return and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. The case study was based on a commercial scale plant built in Williams Lake BC with product delivery in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Q’Pellets had the highest modelled internal rate of return, at 12.7%, with white pellets at 11.1% and torrefied pellets at 8.0%. The simplified life cycle analysis showed that Q’Pellets had the lowest life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of the three products, 6.96 kgCO2eq/GJ, compared to 21.50 kgCO2eq/GJ for white pellets and 10.08 kgCO2eq/GJ for torrefied pellets. At these levels of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, white pellets are above the maximum life cycle emissions to be considered sustainable under EU regulations. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the model by modifying input variables, and showed that white pellets are more sensitive to uncontrollable market variables, especially pellet sale prices, raw biomass prices and transportation costs. Monte Carlo analysis was also performed, which showed that white pellet production is less predictable and more likely to lead to a negative internal rate of return compared to Q’Pellet production.

Pellet fuelling requirements to allow self-burning on a helical-type fusion reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, R.; Miyazawa, J.; Yamada, H.; Masuzaki, S.; Sagara, A.; the FFHR Design Group

2012-08-01

Pellet refuelling conditions to sustain a self-burning plasma have been investigated by extrapolating the confinement property of the LHD plasma, which appears to be governed by a gyro-Bohm-type confinement property. The power balance of the burning plasma is calculated taking into account the profile change with pellet deposition and subsequent density relaxation. A self-burning plasma is achieved within the scope of conventional pellet injection technology. However, a very small burn-up rate of 0.18% is predicted. Higher velocity pellet injection is effective in improving the burn-up rate by deepening particle deposition, whereas deep fuelling leads to undesirable fluctuation of the fusion output.

Improved compaction of dried tannery wastewater sludge.

PubMed

Della Zassa, M; Zerlottin, M; Refosco, D; Santomaso, A C; Canu, P

2015-12-01

We quantitatively studied the advantages of improving the compaction of a powder waste by several techniques, including its pelletization. The goal is increasing the mass storage capacity in a given storage volume, and reducing the permeability of air and moisture, that may trigger exothermic spontaneous reactions in organic waste, particularly as powders. The study is based on dried sludges from a wastewater treatment, mainly from tanneries, but the indications are valid and useful for any waste in the form of powder, suitable to pelletization. Measurements of bulk density have been carried out at the industrial and laboratory scale, using different packing procedures, amenable to industrial processes. Waste as powder, pellets and their mixtures have been considered. The bulk density of waste as powder increases from 0.64 t/m(3) (simply poured) to 0.74 t/m(3) (tapped) and finally to 0.82 t/m(3) by a suitable, yet simple, packing procedure that we called dispersion filling, with a net gain of 28% in the compaction by simply modifying the collection procedure. Pelletization increases compaction by definition, but the packing of pellets is relatively coarse. Some increase in bulk density of pellets can be achieved by tapping; vibration and dispersion filling are not efficient with pellets. Mixtures of powder and pellets is the optimal packing policy. The best compaction result was achieved by controlled vibration of a 30/70 wt% mixture of powders and pellets, leading to a final bulk density of 1t/m(3), i.e. an improvement of compaction by more than 54% with respect to simply poured powders, but also larger than 35% compared to just pellets. That means increasing the mass storage capacity by a factor of 1.56. Interestingly, vibration can be the most or the least effective procedure to improve compaction of mixtures, depending on characteristics of vibration. The optimal packing (30/70 wt% powders/pellets) proved to effectively mitigate the onset of smouldering, leading to self-heating, according to standard tests, whereas the pure pelletization totally removes the self-heating hazard. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel insight into the role of heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the fate of crude oil in the sea.

PubMed

Almeda, Rodrigo; Connelly, Tara L; Buskey, Edward J

2014-12-19

Although planktonic protozoans are likely to interact with dispersed crude oil after a spill, protozoan-mediated processes affecting crude oil pollution in the sea are still not well known. Here, we present the first evidence of ingestion and defecation of physically or chemically dispersed crude oil droplets (1-86 μm in diameter) by heterotrophic dinoflagellates, major components of marine planktonic food webs. At a crude oil concentration commonly found after an oil spill (1 μL L(-1)), the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Noctiluca scintillans and Gyrodinium spirale grew and ingested ~0.37 μg-oil μg-C(dino)(-1) d(-1), which could represent ~17% to 100% of dispersed oil in surface waters when heterotrophic dinoflagellates are abundant or bloom. Egestion of faecal pellets containing crude oil by heterotrophic dinoflagellates could contribute to the sinking and flux of toxic petroleum hydrocarbons in coastal waters. Our study indicates that crude oil ingestion by heterotrophic dinoflagellates is a noteworthy route by which petroleum enters marine food webs and a previously overlooked biological process influencing the fate of crude oil in the sea after spills.

Novel insight into the role of heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the fate of crude oil in the sea

PubMed Central

Almeda, Rodrigo; Connelly, Tara L.; Buskey, Edward J.

2014-01-01

Although planktonic protozoans are likely to interact with dispersed crude oil after a spill, protozoan-mediated processes affecting crude oil pollution in the sea are still not well known. Here, we present the first evidence of ingestion and defecation of physically or chemically dispersed crude oil droplets (1–86 μm in diameter) by heterotrophic dinoflagellates, major components of marine planktonic food webs. At a crude oil concentration commonly found after an oil spill (1 μL L−1), the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Noctiluca scintillans and Gyrodinium spirale grew and ingested ~0.37 μg-oil μg-Cdino−1 d−1, which could represent ~17% to 100% of dispersed oil in surface waters when heterotrophic dinoflagellates are abundant or bloom. Egestion of faecal pellets containing crude oil by heterotrophic dinoflagellates could contribute to the sinking and flux of toxic petroleum hydrocarbons in coastal waters. Our study indicates that crude oil ingestion by heterotrophic dinoflagellates is a noteworthy route by which petroleum enters marine food webs and a previously overlooked biological process influencing the fate of crude oil in the sea after spills. PMID:25523528

Study on the Structures of Two Booster Pellets Having High Initiation Capacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuang-Qi, Hu; Hong-Rong, Liu; Li-shuang, Hu; Xiong, Cao; Xiang-Chao, Mi; Hai-Xia, Zhao

2014-05-01

Insensitive munitions (IM) improve the survivability of both weapons and their associated platforms, which can lead to a reduction in casualties, mission losses, and whole life costs. All weapon systems contain an explosive train that needs to meet IM criteria but reliably initiate a main charge explosive. To ensure that these diametrically opposed requirements can be achieved, new highly effective booster charge structures were designed. The initiation capacity of the two booster pellets was studied using varied composition and axial-steel-dent methods. The results showed that the two new booster pellets can initiate standard main charge pellets with less explosive mass than the ordinary cylindrical booster pellet. The numerical simulation results were in good agreement with the experiment results.

Aerodynamic Characterization of a Thin, High-Performance Airfoil for Use in Ground Fluids Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broeren, Andy P.; Lee, Sam; Clark, Catherine

2013-01-01

The FAA has worked with Transport Canada and others to develop allowance times for aircraft operating in ice-pellet precipitation. Wind-tunnel testing has been carried out to better understand the flowoff characteristics and resulting aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids contaminated with ice pellets using a thin, high-performance wing section at the National Research Council of Canada Propulsion and Icing Wind Tunnel. The objective of this paper is to characterize the aerodynamic behavior of this wing section in order to better understand the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination. Aerodynamic performance data, boundary-layer surveys and flow visualization were conducted at a Reynolds number of approximately 6.0 x 10(exp 6) and a Mach number of 0.12. The clean, baseline model exhibited leading-edge stall characteristics including a leading-edge laminar separation bubble and minimal or no separation on the trailing edge of the main element or flap. These results were consistent with expected 2-D aerodynamics and showed no anomalies that could adversely affect the evaluation of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on the wing. Tests conducted with roughness and leading-edge flow disturbances helped to explain the aerodynamic impact of the anti-icing fluids and contamination. The stalling characteristics of the wing section with fluid and contamination appear to be driven at least partially by the effects of a secondary wave of fluid that forms near the leading edge as the wing is rotated in the simulated takeoff profile. These results have provided a much more complete understanding of the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on this wing section. This is important since these results are used, in part, to develop the ice-pellet allowance times that are applicable to many different airplanes.

Aerodynamic Characterization of a Thin, High-Performance Airfoil for Use in Ground Fluids Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broeren, Andy P.; Lee, Sam; Clark, Catherine

2013-01-01

The FAA has worked with Transport Canada and others to develop allowance times for aircraft operating in ice-pellet precipitation. Wind-tunnel testing has been carried out to better understand the flowoff characteristics and resulting aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids contaminated with ice pellets using a thin, high-performance wing section at the National Research Council of Canada Propulsion and Icing Wind Tunnel. The objective of this paper is to characterize the aerodynamic behavior of this wing section in order to better understand the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination. Aerodynamic performance data, boundary-layer surveys and flow visualization were conducted at a Reynolds number of approximately 6.0×10(exp 6) and a Mach number of 0.12. The clean, baseline model exhibited leading-edge stall characteristics including a leading-edge laminar separation bubble and minimal or no separation on the trailing edge of the main element or flap. These results were consistent with expected 2-D aerodynamics and showed no anomalies that could adversely affect the evaluation of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on the wing. Tests conducted with roughness and leading-edge flow disturbances helped to explain the aerodynamic impact of the anti-icing fluids and contamination. The stalling characteristics of the wing section with fluid and contamination appear to be driven at least partially by the effects of a secondary wave of fluid that forms near the leading edge as the wing is rotated in the simulated takeoff profile. These results have provided a much more complete understanding of the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on this wing section. This is important since these results are used, in part, to develop the ice-pellet allowance times that are applicable to many different airplanes.

Determination of surface energies of hot-melt extruded sugar-starch pellets.

PubMed

Yeung, Chi-Wah; Rein, Hubert

2018-02-01

Hot-melt extruded sugar-starch pellets are an alternative for commercial sugar spheres, but their coating properties remain to be studied. Both the European Pharmcopoeia 8.6 and the United States Pharmacopoeia 40 specify the composition of sugar-starch pellets without giving requirements for the manufacturing process. Due to various fabrication techniques, the physicochemical properties of pellets may differ. Therefore, the adhesion energies of three coating dispersions (sustained, enteric and immediate release) on different types of pellets were investigated. In this context, the surface energies of various kinds of corn starch (normal, waxy, high-amylose) and sucrose pellets were analyzed using the sessile drop method, whereas the surface tensions of the coating dispersions were examined using the pendant drop method. The adhesion forces were calculated from the results of these studies. Furthermore, sugar spheres were characterized in terms of particle size distribution, porosity and specific surface area. An increase of the pellets' sucrose content leads to a more porous surface structure, which gives them an enhanced wetting behavior with coating dispersions. The adhesion energies of extruded sugar-starch pellets are similar to those of commercial sugar spheres, which comply with pharmacopeial requirements. Both types of pellets are equally suited for coating.

Estimating Children's Soil/Dust Ingestion Rates through Retrospective Analyses of Blood Lead Biomonitoring from the Bunker Hill Superfund Site in Idaho.

PubMed

von Lindern, Ian; Spalinger, Susan; Stifelman, Marc L; Stanek, Lindsay Wichers; Bartrem, Casey

2016-09-01

Soil/dust ingestion rates are important variables in assessing children's health risks in contaminated environments. Current estimates are based largely on soil tracer methodology, which is limited by analytical uncertainty, small sample size, and short study duration. The objective was to estimate site-specific soil/dust ingestion rates through reevaluation of the lead absorption dose-response relationship using new bioavailability data from the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site (BHSS) in Idaho, USA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in vitro bioavailability methodology was applied to archived BHSS soil and dust samples. Using age-specific biokinetic slope factors, we related bioavailable lead from these sources to children's blood lead levels (BLLs) monitored during cleanup from 1988 through 2002. Quantitative regression analyses and exposure assessment guidance were used to develop candidate soil/dust source partition scenarios estimating lead intake, allowing estimation of age-specific soil/dust ingestion rates. These ingestion rate and bioavailability estimates were simultaneously applied to the U.S. EPA Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children to determine those combinations best approximating observed BLLs. Absolute soil and house dust bioavailability averaged 33% (SD ± 4%) and 28% (SD ± 6%), respectively. Estimated BHSS age-specific soil/dust ingestion rates are 86-94 mg/day for 6-month- to 2-year-old children and 51-67 mg/day for 2- to 9-year-old children. Soil/dust ingestion rate estimates for 1- to 9-year-old children at the BHSS are lower than those commonly used in human health risk assessment. A substantial component of children's exposure comes from sources beyond the immediate home environment. von Lindern I, Spalinger S, Stifelman ML, Stanek LW, Bartrem C. 2016. Estimating children's soil/dust ingestion rates through retrospective analyses of blood lead biomonitoring from the Bunker Hill Superfund Site in Idaho. Environ Health Perspect 124:1462-1470; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510144.

Potential Hazard to Human Health from Exposure to Fragments of Lead Bullets and Shot in the Tissues of Game Animals

PubMed Central

Pain, Deborah J.; Cromie, Ruth L.; Newth, Julia; Brown, Martin J.; Crutcher, Eric; Hardman, Pippa; Hurst, Louise; Mateo, Rafael; Meharg, Andrew A.; Moran, Annette C.; Raab, Andrea; Taggart, Mark A.; Green, Rhys E.

2010-01-01

Background Lead is highly toxic to animals. Humans eating game killed using lead ammunition generally avoid swallowing shot or bullets and dietary lead exposure from this source has been considered low. Recent evidence illustrates that lead bullets fragment on impact, leaving small lead particles widely distributed in game tissues. Our paper asks whether lead gunshot pellets also fragment upon impact, and whether lead derived from spent gunshot and bullets in the tissues of game animals could pose a threat to human health. Methodology/Principal Findings Wild-shot gamebirds (6 species) obtained in the UK were X-rayed to determine the number of shot and shot fragments present, and cooked using typical methods. Shot were then removed to simulate realistic practice before consumption, and lead concentrations determined. Data from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate Statutory Surveillance Programme documenting lead levels in raw tissues of wild gamebirds and deer, without shot being removed, are also presented. Gamebirds containing ≥5 shot had high tissue lead concentrations, but some with fewer or no shot also had high lead concentrations, confirming X-ray results indicating that small lead fragments remain in the flesh of birds even when the shot exits the body. A high proportion of samples from both surveys had lead concentrations exceeding the European Union Maximum Level of 100 ppb w.w. (0.1 mg kg−1 w.w.) for meat from bovine animals, sheep, pigs and poultry (no level is set for game meat), some by several orders of magnitude. High, but feasible, levels of consumption of some species could result in the current FAO/WHO Provisional Weekly Tolerable Intake of lead being exceeded. Conclusions/Significance The potential health hazard from lead ingested in the meat of game animals may be larger than previous risk assessments indicated, especially for vulnerable groups, such as children, and those consuming large amounts of game. PMID:20436670

Potential hazard to human health from exposure to fragments of lead bullets and shot in the tissues of game animals.

PubMed

Pain, Deborah J; Cromie, Ruth L; Newth, Julia; Brown, Martin J; Crutcher, Eric; Hardman, Pippa; Hurst, Louise; Mateo, Rafael; Meharg, Andrew A; Moran, Annette C; Raab, Andrea; Taggart, Mark A; Green, Rhys E

2010-04-26

Lead is highly toxic to animals. Humans eating game killed using lead ammunition generally avoid swallowing shot or bullets and dietary lead exposure from this source has been considered low. Recent evidence illustrates that lead bullets fragment on impact, leaving small lead particles widely distributed in game tissues. Our paper asks whether lead gunshot pellets also fragment upon impact, and whether lead derived from spent gunshot and bullets in the tissues of game animals could pose a threat to human health. Wild-shot gamebirds (6 species) obtained in the UK were X-rayed to determine the number of shot and shot fragments present, and cooked using typical methods. Shot were then removed to simulate realistic practice before consumption, and lead concentrations determined. Data from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate Statutory Surveillance Programme documenting lead levels in raw tissues of wild gamebirds and deer, without shot being removed, are also presented. Gamebirds containing > or =5 shot had high tissue lead concentrations, but some with fewer or no shot also had high lead concentrations, confirming X-ray results indicating that small lead fragments remain in the flesh of birds even when the shot exits the body. A high proportion of samples from both surveys had lead concentrations exceeding the European Union Maximum Level of 100 ppb w.w. (0.1 mg kg(-1) w.w.) for meat from bovine animals, sheep, pigs and poultry (no level is set for game meat), some by several orders of magnitude. High, but feasible, levels of consumption of some species could result in the current FAO/WHO Provisional Weekly Tolerable Intake of lead being exceeded. The potential health hazard from lead ingested in the meat of game animals may be larger than previous risk assessments indicated, especially for vulnerable groups, such as children, and those consuming large amounts of game.

Prediction of the mechanical properties of zeolite pellets for aerospace molecular decontamination applications.

PubMed

Rioland, Guillaume; Dutournié, Patrick; Faye, Delphine; Daou, T Jean; Patarin, Joël

2016-01-01

Zeolite pellets containing 5 wt % of binder (methylcellulose or sodium metasilicate) were formed with a hydraulic press. This paper describes a mathematical model to predict the mechanical properties (uniaxial and diametric compression) of these pellets for arbitrary dimensions (height and diameter) using a design of experiments (DOE) methodology. A second-degree polynomial equation including interactions was used to approximate the experimental results. This leads to an empirical model for the estimation of the mechanical properties of zeolite pellets with 5 wt % of binder. The model was verified by additional experimental tests including pellets of different dimensions created with different applied pressures. The optimum dimensions were found to be a diameter of 10-23 mm, a height of 1-3.5 mm and an applied pressure higher than 200 MPa. These pellets are promising for technological uses in molecular decontamination for aerospace-based applications.

Influences on particle shape in underwater pelletizing processes

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

Kast, O., E-mail: oliver.kast@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: matthias.musialek@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: kalman.geiger@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: christian.bonten@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de; Musialek, M., E-mail: oliver.kast@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: matthias.musialek@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: kalman.geiger@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: christian.bonten@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de; Geiger, K., E-mail: oliver.kast@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: matthias.musialek@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: kalman.geiger@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de, E-mail: christian.bonten@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de

2014-05-15

Underwater pelletizing has gained high importance within the last years among the different pelletizing technologies, due to its advantages in terms of throughput, automation, pellet quality and applicability to a large variety of thermoplastics. The resulting shape and quality of pellets, however, differ widely, depending on material characteristics and effects not fully understood yet. In an experimental set-up, pellets of different volumes and shapes were produced and the medium pellet mass, the pellet surface and the bulk density were analyzed in order to identify the influence of material properties and process parameters. Additionally, the shaping kinetics at the die openingmore » were watched with a specially developed camera system. It was found that rheological material properties correlate with process parameters and resulting particle form in a complex way. Higher cutting speeds were shown to have a deforming influence on the pellets, leading to less spherical s and lower bulk densities. More viscous materials, however, showed a better resistance against this. Generally, the viscous properties of polypropylene proofed to be dominant over the elastic ones in regard to their influence on pellet shape. It was also shown that the shapes filmed at the die opening and the actual form of the pellets after a cooling track do not always correlate, indicating a significant influence of thermodynamic properties during the cooling.« less

Lightning arrestor connector lead magnesium niobate qualification pellet test procedures.

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

Tuohig, W.; Mahoney, Patrick A.; Tuttle, Bruce Andrew

2009-02-01

Enhanced knowledge preservation for DOE DP technical component activities has recently received much attention. As part of this recent knowledge preservation effort, improved documentation of the sample preparation and electrical testing procedures for lead magnesium niobate--lead titanate (PMN/PT) qualification pellets was completed. The qualification pellets are fabricated from the same parent powders used to produce PMN/PT lightning arrestor connector (LAC) granules at HWF&T. In our report, the procedures for fired pellet surface preparation, electrode deposition, electrical testing and data recording are described. The dielectric measurements described in our report are an information only test. Technical reasons for selecting the electrodemore » material, electrode size and geometry are presented. The electrical testing is based on measuring the dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the pellet during cooling from 280 C to 220 C. The most important data are the temperature for which the peak dielectric constant occurs (Curie Point temperature) and the peak dielectric constant magnitude. We determined that the peak dielectric constant for our procedure would be that measured at 1 kHz at the Curie Point. Both the peak dielectric constant and the Curie point parameters provide semi-quantitative information concerning the chemical and microstructural homogeneity of the parent material used for the production of PMN/PT granules for LACs. Finally, we have proposed flag limits for the dielectric data for the pellets. Specifically, if the temperature of the peak dielectric constant falls outside the range of 250 C {+-} 30 C we propose that a flag limit be imposed that will initiate communication between production agency and design agency personnel. If the peak dielectric constant measured falls outside the range 25,000 {+-} 10,000 we also propose that a flag limit be imposed.« less

AN ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF LEAD SHOT EXPOSURE IN NON-WATERFOWL AVIAN SPECIES: UPLAND GAME BIRDS AND RAPTORS

EPA Science Inventory

There is increasing concern that birds in terrestrial ecosystems may be exposed to spent lead shot. Evidence exists that upland birds, particularly mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), ingest spent lead shot and that raptors ingest lead shot by consuming wounded game. Mortality, ne...

Lead isotope ratio measurements as indicators for the source of lead poisoning in Mute swans (Cygnus olor) wintering in Puck Bay (northern Poland).

PubMed

Binkowski, Łukasz J; Meissner, Włodzimierz; Trzeciak, Marta; Izevbekhai, Kelvin; Barker, James

2016-12-01

Lead (Pb) poisoning is most commonly linked amongst anthropogenically-caused deaths in waterfowl and this is often associated with hunting and fishing activities. However, the exact identification of the source may be difficult with commonly-used techniques. We have studied isotope ratios using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to investigate the source of Pb in the blood of Mute swans (n = 49) wintering in northern Poland. We compared the values of isotopic ratios from blood and ammunition pellets available on the Polish market. The mean Pb concentrations found was 0.241 μg/g (w/w) and nearly half of the blood specimens had elevated Pb levels (higher than the cited 0.23 μg/g w/w threshold of poisoning). Only the mean 208/206 Pb isotope ratio was similar in blood and pellet samples. Mean ratios of isotopes 206/204, 206/207 and 208/207 in swans' blood and in pellets differed significantly. Moreover, coefficients of variation were higher in blood samples than in pellets. These discrepancies and significant differences in abundance of 204 Pb and 207 Pb isotopes in both materials indicated that pellets available today on the Polish market were not the source of Pb in the blood of Mute swans wintering in northern Poland. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Severe neurotoxicity following ingestion of tetraethyl lead.

PubMed

Wills, Brandon K; Christensen, Jason; Mazzoncini, Joe; Miller, Michael

2010-03-01

Organic lead compounds are potent neurotoxins which can result in death even from small exposures. Traditionally, these compounds are found in fuel stabilizers, anti-knock agents, and leaded gasoline. Cases of acute organic lead intoxication have not been reported for several decades. We report a case of a 13-year-old Iraqi male who unintentionally ingested a fuel stabilizer containing 80-90% tetraethyl lead, managed at our combat support hospital. The patient developed severe neurologic symptoms including agitation, hallucinations, weakness, and tremor. These symptoms were refractory to escalating doses of benzodiazepines and ultimately required endotracheal intubation and a propofol infusion. Adjunctive therapies included chelation, baclofen, and nutrition provided through a gastrostomy tube. The patient slowly recovered and was discharged in a wheelchair 20 days after ingestion, still requiring tube feeding. Follow-up at 62 days post-ingestion revealed near-resolution of symptoms with residual slurred speech and slight limp. This case highlights the profound neurotoxic manifestations of acute organic lead compounds.

ARM Climate Research Facility Quarterly Ingest Status Report

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

Koontz, A.; Sivaraman, C.

2016-10-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise status update for ingests maintained by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility. The report is divided into the following sections: (1) new ingests for which development has begun, (2) progress on existing ingests, (3) future ingests that have been recently approved, (4) other work that leads to an ingest, and (5) top requested ingests from the ARM Data Archive. New information is highlighted in blue text.

ARM Climate Research Facility Quarterly Ingest Status Report

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

Koontz, A.; Sivaraman, C.

2016-07-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise status update for ingests maintained by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility. The report is divided into the following sections: (1) new ingests for which development has begun, (2) progress on existing ingests, (3) future ingests that have been recently approved, (4) other work that leads to an ingest, and (5) top requested ingests from the ARM Data Archive. New information is highlighted in blue text.

Steam explosion of oil palm residues for the production of durable pellets

DOE PAGES

Lam, Pak Sui; Lam, Pak Yiu; Sokhansanj, Shahab; ...

2015-01-03

Here we investigated the effect of steam explosion pretreatment on the physical and mechanical properties of the pellets made from empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm kernel shell (PKS) and we compared to that of softwood Douglas fir (DF). We found that the high heating value of the empty fruit bunch was increased by 21% after steam explosion pretreatment. The pellet density of EFB and Douglas fir pellets did not change while the pellet density of PKS increased from 1.13 to 1.21 g/cm 3 after steam explosion. That may be attributed to the rapid volatilization of high mass fraction extractivesmore » during high pressure steaming and lead to the shrinkage of micropores of the PKS fibers. The maximum brealdng strength of steam exploded EFB and PKS were increased by 63% and 45%, respectively. The required compaction energy for the steam exploded EFB pellet is 44.50 J/g while that of the untreated EFB pellet is 30.15 J/g. Similar to Douglas fir, the required extrusion energy for the steam exploded EFB pellet was about 6 times than that of the untreated EFB pellet. The increased extrusion energy is mainly contributed by the increase in mono-saccharides by auto-hydrolysis during steam explosion pretreatment.« less

Steam explosion of oil palm residues for the production of durable pellets

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

Lam, Pak Sui; Lam, Pak Yiu; Sokhansanj, Shahab

Here we investigated the effect of steam explosion pretreatment on the physical and mechanical properties of the pellets made from empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm kernel shell (PKS) and we compared to that of softwood Douglas fir (DF). We found that the high heating value of the empty fruit bunch was increased by 21% after steam explosion pretreatment. The pellet density of EFB and Douglas fir pellets did not change while the pellet density of PKS increased from 1.13 to 1.21 g/cm 3 after steam explosion. That may be attributed to the rapid volatilization of high mass fraction extractivesmore » during high pressure steaming and lead to the shrinkage of micropores of the PKS fibers. The maximum brealdng strength of steam exploded EFB and PKS were increased by 63% and 45%, respectively. The required compaction energy for the steam exploded EFB pellet is 44.50 J/g while that of the untreated EFB pellet is 30.15 J/g. Similar to Douglas fir, the required extrusion energy for the steam exploded EFB pellet was about 6 times than that of the untreated EFB pellet. The increased extrusion energy is mainly contributed by the increase in mono-saccharides by auto-hydrolysis during steam explosion pretreatment.« less

Estimating Children’s Soil/Dust Ingestion Rates through Retrospective Analyses of Blood Lead Biomonitoring from the Bunker Hill Superfund Site in Idaho

PubMed Central

von Lindern, Ian; Spalinger, Susan; Stifelman, Marc L.; Stanek, Lindsay Wichers; Bartrem, Casey

2016-01-01

Background: Soil/dust ingestion rates are important variables in assessing children’s health risks in contaminated environments. Current estimates are based largely on soil tracer methodology, which is limited by analytical uncertainty, small sample size, and short study duration. Objectives: The objective was to estimate site-specific soil/dust ingestion rates through reevaluation of the lead absorption dose–response relationship using new bioavailability data from the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site (BHSS) in Idaho, USA. Methods: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in vitro bioavailability methodology was applied to archived BHSS soil and dust samples. Using age-specific biokinetic slope factors, we related bioavailable lead from these sources to children’s blood lead levels (BLLs) monitored during cleanup from 1988 through 2002. Quantitative regression analyses and exposure assessment guidance were used to develop candidate soil/dust source partition scenarios estimating lead intake, allowing estimation of age-specific soil/dust ingestion rates. These ingestion rate and bioavailability estimates were simultaneously applied to the U.S. EPA Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children to determine those combinations best approximating observed BLLs. Results: Absolute soil and house dust bioavailability averaged 33% (SD ± 4%) and 28% (SD ± 6%), respectively. Estimated BHSS age-specific soil/dust ingestion rates are 86–94 mg/day for 6-month- to 2-year-old children and 51–67 mg/day for 2- to 9-year-old children. Conclusions: Soil/dust ingestion rate estimates for 1- to 9-year-old children at the BHSS are lower than those commonly used in human health risk assessment. A substantial component of children’s exposure comes from sources beyond the immediate home environment. Citation: von Lindern I, Spalinger S, Stifelman ML, Stanek LW, Bartrem C. 2016. Estimating children’s soil/dust ingestion rates through retrospective analyses of blood lead biomonitoring from the Bunker Hill Superfund Site in Idaho. Environ Health Perspect 124:1462–1470; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510144 PMID:26745545

Distribution and health risk assessment of trace metals in freshwater tilapia from three different aquaculture sites in Jelebu Region (Malaysia).

PubMed

Low, Kah Hin; Zain, Sharifuddin Md; Abas, Mhd Radzi; Md Salleh, Kaharudin; Teo, Yin Yin

2015-06-15

The trace metal concentrations in edible muscle of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) sampled from a former tin mining pool, concrete tank and earthen pond in Jelebu were analysed with microwave assisted digestion-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results were compared with established legal limits and the daily ingestion exposures simulated using the Monte Carlo algorithm for potential health risks. Among the metals investigated, arsenic was found to be the key contaminant, which may have arisen from the use of formulated feeding pellets. Although the risks of toxicity associated with consumption of red tilapia from the sites investigated were found to be within the tolerable range, the preliminary probabilistic estimation of As cancer risk shows that the 95th percentile risk level surpassed the benchmark level of 10(-5). In general, the probabilistic health risks associated with ingestion of red tilapia can be ranked as follows: former tin mining pool > concrete tank > earthen pond. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Linking cases of illegal shootings of the endangered California condor using stable lead isotope analysis

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

Finkelstein, Myra E., E-mail: myraf@ucsc.edu; Kuspa, Zeka E.; Welch, Alacia

Lead poisoning is preventing the recovery of the critically endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and lead isotope analyses have demonstrated that ingestion of spent lead ammunition is the principal source of lead poisoning in condors. Over an 8 month period in 2009, three lead-poisoned condors were independently presented with birdshot embedded in their tissues, evidencing they had been shot. No information connecting these illegal shooting events existed and the timing of the shooting(s) was unknown. Using lead concentration and stable lead isotope analyses of feathers, blood, and recovered birdshot, we observed that: i) lead isotope ratios of embedded shot frommore » all three birds were measurably indistinguishable from each other, suggesting a common source; ii) lead exposure histories re-constructed from feather analysis suggested that the shooting(s) occurred within the same timeframe; and iii) two of the three condors were lead poisoned from a lead source isotopically indistinguishable from the embedded birdshot, implicating ingestion of this type of birdshot as the source of poisoning. One of the condors was subsequently lead poisoned the following year from ingestion of a lead buckshot (blood lead 556 µg/dL), illustrating that ingested shot possess a substantially greater lead poisoning risk compared to embedded shot retained in tissue (blood lead ∼20 µg/dL). To our knowledge, this is the first study to use lead isotopes as a tool to retrospectively link wildlife shooting events. - Highlights: • We conducted a case-based analysis of illegal shootings of California condors. • Blood and feather Pb isotopes were used to reconstruct the illegal shooting events. • Embedded birdshot from the three condors had the same Pb isotope ratios. • Feather and blood Pb isotopes indicated that the condors were shot in a common event. • Ingested shot causes substantially greater lead exposure compared to embedded shot.« less

Seasonal ingestion of toxic and nontoxic shot by Canada geese

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeStefano, S.; Brand, C.J.; Samuel, M.D.

1995-01-01

We used rates of ingested shot and elevated blood-lead levels (≥0.18 ppm) to estimate the proportion of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) exposed to lead on 3 study areas in Manitoba, Minnesota, and Missouri. Lead exposure was prevalent on all areas and was common after the hunting season closed, when up to 15% of geese could have been exposed to lead shot. However, the proportion of steel shot ingested by geese has increased during the past 2 decades. We suggest that lead exposure is still a source of indirect hunting mortality in Canada geese but project that the prevalence of lead exposure in the Eastern Prairie Population and other waterfowl populations will decrease as nontoxic shot regulations persist and hunters use steel or other nontoxic shot.

Digesting the data - Effects of predator ingestion on the oxygen isotopic signature of micro-mammal teeth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barham, Milo; Blyth, Alison J.; Wallwork, Melinda D.; Joachimski, Michael M.; Martin, Laure; Evans, Noreen J.; Laming, Belinda; McDonald, Bradley J.

2017-11-01

Biogenic minerals such as dental apatite have become commonly analysed archives preserving geochemical indicators of past environmental conditions and palaeoecologies. However, post-mortem, biogenic minerals are modified due to the alteration/replacement of labile components, and recent moves to utilise micro-mammal tooth δ18O signatures for refined Cenozoic terrestrial palaeoclimate reconstructions has lacked consideration of the chemical effects of predator digestion. Here, the physical and chemical condition of laboratory-raised mouse (Mus musculus) teeth have been investigated in conjunction with their bulk phosphate and tissue-specific δ18O values prior, and subsequent, to ingestion and excretion by various predator species (owls, mammals and a reptile). Substantial variability (up to 2‰) in the δ18O values of both undigested teeth and those ingested by specific predators suggests significant natural heterogeneity of individual prey δ18O. Statistically distinct, lower δ18O values (∼0.7‰) are apparent in teeth ingested by barn owls compared to undigested controls as a result of the chemically and enzymatically active digestive and waste-pellet environments. Overall, dentine tissues preserve lower δ18O values than enamel, while the greatest modification of oxygen isotope signals is exhibited in the basal enamel of ingested teeth as a result of its incompletely mineralised state. However, recognition of 18O-depletion in chemically purified phosphate analyses demonstrates that modification of original δ18O values is not restricted to labile oxygen-bearing carbonate and organic phases. The style and magnitude of digestive-alteration varies with predator species and no correlation was identified between specific physical or minor/trace-element (patterns or concentrations) modification of ingested teeth and disruption of their primary oxygen isotope values. Therefore, there is a current lack of any screening tool for oxygen isotope disruption as a result of predation. These results point to the need for careful application of the micro-mammal oxygen isotope palaeoenvironmental proxy in future studies.

Characterization of fly ash ceramic pellet for phosphorus removal.

PubMed

Li, Shiyang; Cooke, Richard A; Wang, Li; Ma, Fang; Bhattarai, Rabin

2017-03-15

Phosphorus has been recognized as a leading pollutant for surface water quality deterioration. In the Midwestern USA, subsurface drainage not only provides a pathway for excess water to leave the field but it also drains out nutrients like nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Fly ash has been identified as one of the viable materials for phosphorus removal from contaminated waters. In this study, a ceramic pellet was manufactured using fly ash for P absorption. Three types of pellet with varying lime and clay proportions by weight (type 1: 10% lime + 30% clay, type 2: 20% lime + 20% clay, and type 3: 30% lime + 10% clay) were characterized and evaluated for absorption efficiency. The result showed that type 3 pellet (60% fly ash with 30% lime and 10% clay) had the highest porosity (14%) and absorption efficiency and saturated absorption capacity (1.98 mg P/g pellet) compared to type 1 and 2 pellets. The heavy metal leaching was the least (30 μg/L of chromium after 5 h) for type 3 pellet compared to other two. The microcosmic structure of pellet from scanning electron microscope showed the type 3 pellet had the better distribution of aluminum and iron oxide on the surface compared other two pellets. This result indicates that addition of lime and clay can improve P absorption capacity of fly ash while reducing the potential to reduce chromium leaching. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimating Children's Soil/Dust Ingestion Rates through ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Background: Soil/dust ingestion rates are important variables in assessing children’s health risks in contaminated environments. Current estimates are based largely on soil tracer methodology, which is limited by analytical uncertainty, small sample size, and short study duration. Objectives: The objective was to estimate site-specific soil/dust ingestion rates through reevaluation of the lead absorption dose–response relationship using new bioavailability data from the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site (BHSS) in Idaho, USA. Methods: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in vitro bioavailability methodology was applied to archived BHSS soil and dust samples. Using age-specific biokinetic slope factors, we related bioavailable lead from these sources to children’s blood lead levels (BLLs) monitored during cleanup from 1988 through 2002. Quantitative regression analyses and exposure assessment guidance were used to develop candidate soil/dust source partition scenarios estimating lead intake, allowing estimation of age-specific soil/dust ingestion rates. These ingestion rate and bioavailability estimates were simultaneously applied to the U.S. EPA Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children to determine those combinations best approximating observed BLLs. Results: Absolute soil and house dust bioavailability averaged 33% (SD ± 4%) and 28% (SD ± 6%), respectively. Estimated BHSS age-specific soil/du

The interprocess NIR sampling as an alternative approach to multivariate statistical process control for identifying sources of product-quality variability.

PubMed

Marković, Snežana; Kerč, Janez; Horvat, Matej

2017-03-01

We are presenting a new approach of identifying sources of variability within a manufacturing process by NIR measurements of samples of intermediate material after each consecutive unit operation (interprocess NIR sampling technique). In addition, we summarize the development of a multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) model for the production of enteric-coated pellet product of the proton-pump inhibitor class. By developing provisional NIR calibration models, the identification of critical process points yields comparable results to the established MSPC modeling procedure. Both approaches are shown to lead to the same conclusion, identifying parameters of extrusion/spheronization and characteristics of lactose that have the greatest influence on the end-product's enteric coating performance. The proposed approach enables quicker and easier identification of variability sources during manufacturing process, especially in cases when historical process data is not straightforwardly available. In the presented case the changes of lactose characteristics are influencing the performance of the extrusion/spheronization process step. The pellet cores produced by using one (considered as less suitable) lactose source were on average larger and more fragile, leading to consequent breakage of the cores during subsequent fluid bed operations. These results were confirmed by additional experimental analyses illuminating the underlying mechanism of fracture of oblong pellets during the pellet coating process leading to compromised film coating.

Influence of moisture content, particle size and forming temperature on productivity and quality of rice straw pellets

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

Ishii, Kazuei, E-mail: k-ishii@eng.hokudai.ac.jp; Furuichi, Toru

Highlights: • Optimized conditions were determined for the production of rice straw pellets. • The moisture content and forming temperature are key factors. • High quality rice pellets in the lower heating value and durability were produced. - Abstract: A large amount of rice straw is generated and left as much in paddy fields, which causes greenhouse gas emissions as methane. Rice straw can be used as bioenergy. Rice straw pellets are a promising technology because pelletization of rice straw is a form of mass and energy densification, which leads to a product that is easy to handle, transport, storemore » and utilize because of the increase in the bulk density. The operational conditions required to produce high quality rice straw pellets have not been determined. This study determined the optimal moisture content range required to produce rice straw pellets with high yield ratio and high heating value, and also determined the influence of particle size and the forming temperature on the yield ratio and durability of rice straw pellets. The optimal moisture content range was between 13% and 20% under a forming temperature of 60 or 80 °C. The optimal particle size was between 10 and 20 mm, considering the time and energy required for shredding, although the particle size did not significantly affect the yield ratio and durability of the pellets. The optimized conditions provided high quality rice straw pellets with nearly 90% yield ratio, ⩾12 MJ/kg for the lower heating value, and >95% durability.« less

Interannual and seasonal variability in short-term grazing impact of Euphausia superba in nearshore and offshore waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, R. M.; Quetin, L. B.; Haberman, K. L.

1998-11-01

Our focus in this paper is the interaction between macrozooplanktonic grazers and primary producers, and the interannual and seasonal variability in the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (Palmer LTER) study region from Anvers Island to Adelaide Island. Short-term grazing estimates are calculated by integrating (1) theoretical and experimental estimates of ingestion rates in response to the standing stock of phytoplankton, and (2) field measurements of phytoplankton standing stock and grazer biomass. Field data come from three austral summer cruises (January/February of 1993, 1994, and 1995) and one sequence of seasonal cruises (summer, fall and winter 1993). The relative and absolute abundance of the dominant macrozooplankton grazers, Euphausia superba and Salpa thompsoni, varied by at least an order of magnitude on the spatial and temporal scales observed. Mean grazing rates ranged from 0.4 to 9.0 μg chlorophyll m -2 h -1 for the Antarctic krill and salp populations over the three summer cruises. This leads to variability in the flow of carbon from the primary producers through the grazers on the same scales. Temporal and spatial variability in grazing impact and faecal pellet production are high.

Production of Dissolved Organic Matter During Doliolid Feeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellane, N. J.; Paffenhofer, G. A.; Stubbins, A.

2016-02-01

The biological carbon pump (BCP) draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and buries it at the seafloor. The efficiency of the BCP is determined in part by the sinking rates of particulate organic carbon (POC) from ocean surface waters. Zooplankton can package POC into fecal pellets with higher sinking rates than their food source (e.g. phytoplankton), increasing the efficiency of the BCP. However, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is also produced as zooplankton ingest and egest food, reducing the efficiency of BCP. The pelagic tunicate Dolioletta gegenbauri (doliolid) is a gelatinous zooplankton found at high concentrations in shelf waters, including our study site: the South Atlantic Bight. Doliolids are efficient grazers capable of stripping large quantities of phytoplankton from the water column. To determine the balance between pellet formation and DOC production during feeding, doliolids (6-7 mm gonozooids) were placed in natural seawater amended with a live phytoplankton food source and incubated on a plankton wheel. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) released directly to the water as well as the water soluble fraction of pellet organic matter were quantified and optically characterized. Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorbance and fluorescence spectra revealed that doliolid feeding produces DOM with optical properties that are commonly indicative of newly produced, highly biolabile DOM of microbial origin. Based upon these optical characteristics, doliolid-produced DOM is expected to be highly bio-labile in the environment and therefore rapidly degraded by surface ocean microbes shunting phytoplankton-derived organic carbon out of the BCP and back to dissolved inorganic carbon.

Novel Use of Ophthalmic pH Paper to Diagnose Malicious Caustic Ingestion in a Pediatric Patient

PubMed Central

Bruno, Eric C.

2018-01-01

Occult caustic ingestion in the pediatric population is a challenging diagnosis to make in the emergency department. Failure to suspect and diagnose a caustic ingestion can lead to potentially life-changing comorbidities. Historically, the diagnosis of caustic ingestion has been clinical without any suitable diagnostic tools to aid in the suspicion of occult cases. In this case, we describe a novel use of ophthalmic pH paper to diagnose caustic ingestion in a three-year-old.

Health Risk Assessment of Lead Ingestion Exposure by Particle Sizes in Crumb Rubber on Artificial Turf Considering Bioavailability

PubMed Central

Kim, Sunduk; Yang, Ji-Yeon; Kim, Ho-Hyun; Yeo, In-Young; Shin, Dong-Chun

2012-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of ingestion exposure of lead by particle sizes of crumb rubber in artificial turf filling material with consideration of bioavailability. Methods This study estimated the ingestion exposure by particle sizes (more than 250 um or less than 250 um) focusing on recyclable ethylene propylene diene monomer crumb rubber being used as artificial turf filling. Analysis on crumb rubber was conducted using body ingestion exposure estimate method in which total content test method, acid extraction method and digestion extraction method are reflected. Bioavailability which is a calibrating factor was reflected in ingestion exposure estimate method and applied in exposure assessment and risk assessment. Two methods using acid extraction and digestion extraction concentration were compared and evaluated. Results As a result of the ingestion exposure of crumb rubber material, the average lead exposure amount to the digestion extraction result among crumb rubber was calculated to be 1.56×10-4 mg/kg-day for low grade elementary school students and 4.87×10-5 mg/kg-day for middle and high school students in 250 um or less particle size, and that to the acid extraction result was higher than the digestion extraction result. Results of digestion extraction and acid extraction showed that the hazard quotient was estimated by about over 2 times more in particle size of lower than 250 um than in higher than 250 um. There was a case of an elementary school student in which the hazard quotient exceeded 0.1. Conclusions Results of this study confirm that the exposure of lead ingestion and risk level increases as the particle size of crumb rubber gets smaller. PMID:22355803

The persistent problem of lead poisoning in birds from ammunition and fishing tackle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haig, Susan M.; D'Elia, Jesse; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Fair, Jeanne M.; Gervais, Jennifer; Herring, Garth; Rivers, James W.; Schulz, John H.

2014-01-01

Lead (Pb) is a metabolic poison that can negatively influence biological processes, leading to illness and mortality across a large spectrum of North American avifauna (>120 species) and other organisms. Pb poisoning can result from numerous sources, including ingestion of bullet fragments and shot pellets left in animal carcasses, spent ammunition left in the field, lost fishing tackle, Pb-based paints, large-scale mining, and Pb smelting activities. Although Pb shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting in the United States (since 1991) and Canada (since 1999), Pb exposure remains a problem for many avian species. Despite a large body of scientific literature on exposure to Pb and its toxicological effects on birds, controversy still exists regarding its impacts at a population level. We explore these issues and highlight areas in need of investigation: (1) variation in sensitivity to Pb exposure among bird species; (2) spatial extent and sources of Pb contamination in habitats in relation to bird exposure in those same locations; and (3) interactions between avian Pb exposure and other landscape-level stressors that synergistically affect bird demography. We explore multiple paths taken to reduce Pb exposure in birds that (1) recognize common ground among a range of affected interests; (2) have been applied at local to national scales; and (3) engage governmental agencies, interest groups, and professional societies to communicate the impacts of Pb ammunition and fishing tackle, and to describe approaches for reducing their availability to birds. As they have in previous times, users of fish and wildlife will play a key role in resolving the Pb poisoning issue.

Flux of particulate matter through copepods in the Northeast water polynya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daly, Kendra L.

1997-01-01

Particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) production by large calanoid copepods was investigated on the northeast Greenland shelf during August 1992 and May to August 1993. Both Calanus hyperboreus and C. glacialis females, when suspended in seawater collected from the chlorophyll maximum, produced about 40 pellets per day, which contained a carbon and nitrogen content equivalent to 8% and 6% of body carbon, respectively, and 2% of body nitrogen. In experiments, the carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio by weight of suspended particulates, C. hyperboreus, and fecal pellets was 6.7, 7.7 and 28.5, respectively. The unusually high C:N ratio for pellets, in part, may be attributed to elevated ratios of > 20μm size fractions of particulate organic matter, the size fraction more common in the diet of these large copepods and the fraction dominated by diatoms according to microscopic and pigment data. The implied elevated C:N ratios of large phytoplankton cells were probably due to nitrogen deficiency, as shown by other studies in this region. In addition, female C. hyperboreus appeared to be more efficient in assimilating nitrogen than carbon, which also would have contributed to high C:N ratios in egested pellets. Unfractionated POC concentrations explained 54% of the variability in carbon egestion and 70% of the variability in nitrogen egestion in copepods, whereas copepod body content accounted for little of the variation on the short time scales of the experiments. Carbon egestion by C. hyperboreus was positively correlated with POC concentrations at the depth of the chlorophyll maximum, while nitrogen egestion was negatively correlated with PON concentrations in the euphotic zone. Estimates of potential community egestion rates for the upper water column indicate that copepods represent a major pathway of organic carbon transformation in this Arctic shelf system. On average, copepods may have ingested 45% of the primary production and egested fecal matter equivalent to 20% of the carbon and 12% of the nitrogen particulate flux sedimenting from the surface layer. However, several lines of evidence suggest that pellets were remineralized in the water column and, hence, may have contributed little organic carbon and nitrogen to the benthos.

Enhancing cadmium bioremediation by a complex of water-hyacinth derived pellets immobilized with Chlorella sp.

PubMed

Shen, Ying; Zhu, Wenzhe; Li, Huan; Ho, Shih-Hsin; Chen, Jianfeng; Xie, Youping; Shi, Xinguo

2018-06-01

A complex of water-hyacinth derived pellets immobilized with Chlorella sp. was applied, for the first time, in the bioremediation of Cadmium (Cd). The Cd(II) removal efficiency of the complex was optimized by investigating several parameters, including the pellet materials, algal culture age, and light intensity. Results showed that the Cd(II) removal efficiency was positively related to the algal immobilization efficiency and the algal bioaccumulation capacity. Since higher surface hydrophilicity leads to higher immobilization efficiency, the water-hyacinth leaf biochar pellet (WLBp) was selected as the optimal carrier. A maximum Cd(II) removal efficiency of 92.45% was obtained by the complex of WLBp immobilized with algal cells in stationary growth phase and illuminated with a light intensity of 119 μmol m -2  s -1 . Recovery tests on both microalgal cells and the WLBp demonstrated that the algal cells and the biochar pellet can be economically recycled and reused. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of grass pellet production on pyrrolizidine alkaloids occurring in Senecio aquaticus-infested grassland.

PubMed

Gottschalk, Christoph; Ostertag, Johannes; Meyer, Karsten; Gehring, Klaus; Thyssen, Stefan; Gareis, Manfred

2018-04-01

1,2-Dehydro-pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) and their N-oxides (PANO) exhibit acute and chronic toxic effects on the liver and other organs and therefore are a hazard for animal and human health. In certain regions of Germany, an increasing spread of Senecio spp. (ragwort) on grassland and farmland areas has been observed during the last years leading to a PA/PANO-contamination of feed and food of animal and plant origin. This project was carried out to elucidate whether the process of grass pellet production applying hot air drying influences the content of PA and PANO. Samples of hay (n = 22) and grass pellets (n = 28) originated from naturally infested grassland (around 10% and 30% dominance of Senecio aquaticus) and from a trial plot with around 50% dominance. Grass pellets were prepared from grass originating from exactly the same plots as the hay samples. The samples were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for PA/PANO typically produced by this weed. The results of the study revealed that PA/PANO levels (predominantly sum of senecionine, seneciphylline, erucifoline and their N-oxides) in hay ranged between 2.1 and 12.6 mg kg -1 dry matter in samples with 10% and 30% dominance of S. aquaticus, respectively. Samples from the trial plot (50% dominance) had levels of up to 52.9 mg kg -1 . Notably, the hot air drying process during the production of grass pellets did not lead to a reduction of PA/PANO levels. Instead, the levels in grass pellets with 10% and 30% S. aquaticus ranged from 3.1 to 55.1 mg kg -1 . Grass pellets from the trial plot contained up to 96.8 mg kg -1 . In conclusion, hot air drying and grass pellet production did not affect PA/PANO contents in plant material and therefore, heat-dried products cannot be regarded as safe in view of the toxic potential of 1,2-dehydro-pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Lead poisoning following ingestion of pieces of lead roofing plates: pica-like behavior in an adult.

PubMed

Sabouraud, Sabine; Testud, François; Descotes, Jacques; Benevent, Monique; Soglu, Gilbert

2008-03-01

A 37-year-old man was admitted to hospital after complaining of abdominal pain for the past two weeks. On admission the abdominal radiograph showed multiple radio-opaque flecks dispersed throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Blood testing showed hemoglobin level 8.7 g/dL and a blood lead level of 112.4 microg/dL. The family interview revealed that the patient had pica-like behavior since childhood. He was a site foreman and had been ingesting pieces of roofing plates for a few weeks. The patient was treated with laxatives and CaNa(2)EDTA therapy was initiated. The blood lead level then dropped to 69.9 microg/dL. The patient received two subsequent courses of oral succimer and the blood lead level decreased to 59 microg/dL 21 days after the first course. The follow-up abdominal X-ray 20 days after the first examination was normal. Four months later, an outpatient follow-up visit showed a blood lead level within normal limits (14.5 microg/dL) and a psychiatric follow-up was initiated. Lead poisoning following the ingestion of lead-containing foreign bodies is particularly rare in adults, while it is sometimes observed in children. Pica behavior is a well-identified risk factor of lead intoxication in children but is quite exceptional in adults, where it is usually considered to be a psychiatric condition. Other unusual sources of lead poisoning include the ingestion of lead bullets, ceramic lead glaze or glazed earthenware, lead-contaminated candies, ethnic or herbal remedies.

Abolition of lemniscal barrellette patterning in Prrxl1 knockout mice: Effects upon ingestive behavior.

PubMed

Bakalar, Dana; Tamaiev, Jonathan; Zeigler, H Philip; Feinstein, Paul

2015-01-01

Ingestive behaviors in mice are dependent on orosensory cues transmitted via the trigeminal nerve, as confirmed by transection studies. However, these studies cannot differentiate between deficits caused by the loss of the lemniscal pathway vs. the parallel paralemniscal pathway. The paired-like homeodomain protein Prrxl1 is expressed widely in the brain and spinal cord, including the trigeminal system. A knockout of Prrxl1 abolishes somatotopic barrellette patterning in the lemniscal brainstem nucleus, but not in the parallel paralemniscal nucleus. Null animals are significantly smaller than littermates by postnatal day 5, but reach developmental landmarks at appropriate times, and survive to adulthood on liquid diet. A careful analysis of infant and adult ingestive behavior reveals subtle impairments in suckling, increases in time spent feeding and the duration of feeding bouts, feeding during inappropriate times of the day, and difficulties in the mechanics of feeding. During liquid diet feeding, null mice display abnormal behaviors including extensive use of the paws to move food into the mouth, submerging the snout in the diet, changes in licking, and also have difficulty consuming solid chow pellets. We suggest that our Prrxl1(-/-) animal is a valuable model system for examining the genetic assembly and functional role of trigeminal lemniscal circuits in the normal control of eating in mammals and for understanding feeding abnormalities in humans resulting from the abnormal development of these circuits.

Plasma fuelling with cryogenic pellets in the stellarator TJ-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, K. J.; Panadero, N.; Velasco, J. L.; Combs, S. K.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Fontdecaba, J. M.; Foust, C.; García, R.; Hernández Sánchez, J.; Navarro, M.; Pastor, I.; Soleto, A.; the TJ-II Team

2017-05-01

Cryogenic pellet injection is a widely used technique for delivering fuel to the core of magnetically confined plasmas. Indeed, such systems are currently functioning on many tokamak, reversed field pinch and stellarator devices. A pipe-gun-type pellet injector is now operated on the TJ-II, a low-magnetic shear stellarator of the heliac type. Cryogenic hydrogen pellets, containing between 3  ×  1018 and 4  ×  1019 atoms, are injected at velocities between 800 and 1200 m s-1 from its low-field side into plasmas created and/or maintained in this device by electron cyclotron resonance and/or neutral beam injection heating. In this paper, the first systematic study of pellet ablation, particle deposition and fuelling efficiency is presented for TJ-II. From this, light-emission profiles from ablating pellets are found to be in reasonable agreement with simulated pellet ablation profiles (created using a neutral gas shielding-based code) for both heating scenarios. In addition, radial offsets between recorded light-emission profiles and particle deposition profiles provide evidence for rapid outward drifting of ablated material that leads to pellet particle loss from the plasma. Finally, fuelling efficiencies are documented for a range of target plasma densities (~4  ×  1018-  ~2  ×  1019 m-3). These range from ~20%-  ~85% and are determined to be sensitive to pellet penetration depth. Additional observations, such as enhanced core ablation, are discussed and planned future work is outlined.

Assessment of Methods for Estimating Risk to Birds from ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. EPA Ecological Risk Assessment Support Center (ERASC) announced the release of the final report entitled, Assessment of Methods for Estimating Risk to Birds from Ingestion of Contaminated Grit Particles. This report evaluates approaches for estimating the probability of ingestion by birds of contaminated particles such as pesticide granules or lead particles (i.e. shot or bullet fragments). In addition, it presents an approach for using this information to estimate the risk of mortality to birds from ingestion of lead particles. Response to ERASC Request #16

Pellet injection technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Combs, S. K.

1993-07-01

During the last 10 to 15 years, significant progress has been made worldwide in the area of pellet injection technology. This specialized field of research originated as a possible solution to the problem of depositing atoms of fuel deep within magnetically confined, hot plasmas for refueling of fusion power reactors. Using pellet injection systems, frozen macroscopic (millimeter-size) pellets composed of the isotopes of hydrogen are formed, accelerated, and transported to the plasma for fueling. The process and benefits of plasma fueling by this approach have been demonstrated conclusively on a number of toroidal magnetic confinement configurations; consequently, pellet injection is the leading technology for deep fueling of magnetically confined plasmas for controlled thermonuclear fusion research. Hydrogen pellet injection devices operate at very low temperatures (≂10 K) at which solid hydrogen ice can be formed and sustained. Most injectors use conventional pneumatic (light gas gun) or centrifuge (mechanical) acceleration concepts to inject hydrogen or deuterium pellets at speeds of ≂1-2 km/s. Pellet injectors that can operate at quasi-steady state (pellet delivery rates of 1-40 Hz) have been developed for long-pulse fueling. The design and operation of injectors with the heaviest hydrogen isotope, tritium, offer some special problems because of tritium's radioactivity. To address these problems, a proof-of-principle experiment was carried out in which tritium pellets were formed and accelerated to speeds of 1.4 km/s. Tritium pellet injection is scheduled on major fusion research devices within the next few years. Several advanced accelerator concepts are under development to increase the pellet velocity. One of these is the two-stage light gas gun, for which speeds of slightly over 4 km/s have already been reported in laboratory experiments with deuterium ice. A few two-stage pneumatic systems (single-shot) have recently been installed on tokamak experiments. This article reviews the equipment and instruments that have been developed for pellet injection with emphasis on recent advances. Prospects for future development are addressed, as are possible applications of this technology to other areas of research.

Wood pellets, what else? Greenhouse gas parity times of European electricity from wood pellets produced in the south-eastern United States using different softwood feedstocks

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

Hanssen, Steef V.; Duden, Anna S.; Junginger, Martin

Several EU countries import wood pellets from the south-eastern United States. The imported wood pellets are (co-)fired in power plants with the aim of reducing overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electricity and meeting EU renewable energy targets. To assess whether GHG emissions are reduced and on what timescale, we construct the GHG balance of wood-pellet electricity. This GHG balance consists of supply chain and combustion GHG emissions, carbon sequestration during biomass growth, and avoided GHG emissions through replacing fossil electricity. We investigate wood pellets from four softwood feedstock types: small roundwood, commercial thinnings, harvest residues, and mill residues. Permore » feedstock, the GHG balance of wood-pellet electricity is compared against those of alternative scenarios. Alternative scenarios are combinations of alternative fates of the feedstock material, such as in-forest decomposition, or the production of paper or wood panels like oriented strand board (OSB). Alternative scenario composition depends on feedstock type and local demand for this feedstock. Results indicate that the GHG balance of wood-pellet electricity equals that of alternative scenarios within 0 to 21 years (the GHG parity time), after which wood-pellet electricity has sustained climate benefits. Parity times increase by a maximum of twelve years when varying key variables (emissions associated with paper and panels, soil carbon increase via feedstock decomposition, wood-pellet electricity supply chain emissions) within maximum plausible ranges. Using commercial thinnings, harvest residues or mill residues as feedstock leads to the shortest GHG parity times (0-6 years) and fastest GHG benefits from wood-pellet electricity. Here, we find shorter GHG parity times than previous studies, for we use a novel approach that differentiates feedstocks and considers alternative scenarios based on (combinations of) alternative feedstock fates, rather than on alternative land-uses. This novel approach is relevant for bioenergy derived from low-value feedstocks.« less

Lead poisoning and trace elements in common eiders Somateria mollissima from Finland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hollmén, Tuula E.; Franson, J.C.; Poppenga, R.H.; Hario, Martti; Kilpi, Mikael

1998-01-01

We collected carcasses of 52 common eider Somateria mollissima adults and ducklings and blood samples from 11 nesting eider hens in the Gulf of Finland near Helsinki in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Samples of liver tissue were analysed for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, selenium and zinc. Blood was analysed for lead, mercury and selenium. Most of the 21 adults examined at necropsy were emaciated with empty gizzards, and no ingested shotgun pellets or other metal were found in any of the birds. Three adult females had a combination of lesions and tissue lead residues characteristic of lead poisoning. Two of these birds had acid-fast intranuclear inclusion bodies in renal epithelial cells and high concentrations of lead (73.4 and 73.3 ppm; all liver residues reported on dry weight basis) in their livers. The third was emaciated with a liver lead concentration of 47.9 ppm. An adult male had a liver lead concentration of 81.7 ppm, which is consistent with severe clinical poisoning. Two other adults, one male and one female, had liver lead concentrations of 14.2 and 8.03 ppm, respectively. Lead concentrations in the blood of hens ranged from 0.11 to 0.63 ppm wet weight. Selenium residues of A?60 ppm were found in the livers of five adult males. Selenium concentrations in the blood of hens ranged from 1.18 to 3.39 ppm wet weight. Arsenic concentrations of 27.5-38.5 ppm were detected in the livers of four adult females. Detectable concentrations of selenium, mercury and molybdenum were found more frequently in the livers of adult males arriving on the breeding grounds than in incubating females, while the reverse was true for arsenic, lead and chromium. Mean concentrations of selenium, copper and molybdenum were higher in the livers of arriving males than in the livers of incubating hens, but hens had greater concentrations of iron and magnesium. Concentrations of trace elements were lower in the livers of ducklings than in the livers of adults.

50 CFR 20.134 - Approval of nontoxic shot types and shot coatings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... erosion and absorption of one shot or coated shot in a 24-hour period. Define the nature of the toxic...) with one U.S. No. 4 pellet of lead shot. Dose each bird in one group of 8 males and 8 females with 8 U... males and 8 females with one U.S. No. 4 pellet of the candidate shot type or shot with the proposed...

Performance evaluation and post-irradiation examination of a novel LWR fuel composed of U0.17ZrH1.6 fuel pellets bonded to Zircaloy-2 cladding by lead bismuth eutectic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balooch, Mehdi; Olander, Donald R.; Terrani, Kurt A.; Hosemann, Peter; Casella, Andrew M.; Senor, David J.; Buck, Edgar C.

2017-04-01

A novel light water reactor fuel has been designed and fabricated at the University of California, Berkeley; irradiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor; and examined within the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This fuel consists of U0.17ZrH1.6 fuel pellets core-drilled from TRIGA reactor fuel elements that are clad in Zircaloy-2 and bonded with lead-bismuth eutectic. The performance evaluation and post irradiation examination of this fuel are presented here.

[Case report - a dangerous intoxication after ingestion of alkyl nitrite ("poppers")].

PubMed

Bernasconi, Barbara; Konrad, Christoph; Fischer, Simon

2014-12-01

This case report describes the inadvertent poisoning of a young man with "poppers" after having ingested an unknown amout of the drug. "Poppers" (alkyl nitrite) were made famous in the 1960s as a party drug, and during certain sexual practices, and are still in use today. The drug's inhalation leads to a short-lived rush, vasodilation and relaxtion of smooth muscles. An accidental ingestion can lead to a significant build-up of methemoglobin with dire consequences. The therapy consists of the intravenous administration of methylene blue. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.

Struvite-based fertilizer and its physical and chemical properties.

PubMed

Latifian, Maryam; Liu, Jing; Mattiasson, Bo

2012-12-01

This study describes a method to formulate struvite fine powder into pellets that are easy to spread on agricultural land. To evaluate the quality of produced pellets, some chemical and physical properties commonly measured for fertilizers were tested. The findings indicated that the salt index and heavy metal content ofstruvite pellets were significantly lower than those of commercial NPK fertilizers. In addition, the percentage of nutrient released from struvite pellets after 105 days was in the range of 9.6-23.2, 8.4-26.7 and 11.3-32.6% for nitrogen, phosphorous and magnesium, respectively, which is considerably lower than that of commercial NPK fertilizer. Among different formulations between struvite crystals and binders, starch and bentonite were the most efficient in agglomerating struvite powder, leading to an increase in the crush strength to over the recommended limit of >2.5 kgf for fertilizer hardness.

Ingested bone fragment in the bowel: Two cases and a review of the literature.

PubMed

Emir, Seyfi; Ozkan, Zeynep; Altınsoy, Hasan Baki; Yazar, Fatih Mehmet; Sözen, Selim; Bali, Ilhan

2013-10-16

Generally, ingested foreign bodies are excreted from the digestive tract without any complications or morbidity. In adults, ingestion of foreign bodies frequently occurs in alcoholics and elderly individuals with dentures. The most commonly ingested foreign bodies are food stuffs or their parts, such as fish bones or fragments of bone and phytobezoars. Sharp foreign bodies like fish and chicken bones can lead to intestinal perforation and peritonitis. We report herein two cases, one of bowel perforation and another of anal impaction, both caused by ingested bone fragments. Complications due to ingested bone fragments are not common and preoperative diagnosis remains a challenge and therefore it must be considered in susceptible cases.

Anticholinergic Toxic Syndrome Caused by Atropa Belladonna Fruit (Deadly Nightshade): A Case Report

PubMed Central

Demirhan, Abdullah; Tekelioğlu, Ümit Yaşar; Yıldız, İsa; Korkmaz, Tanzer; Bilgi, Murat; Akkaya, Akcan; Koçoğlu, Hasan

2013-01-01

Atropa Belladonna poisoning may lead to anticholinergic syndrome. Ingestion of high amounts of the plant may cause lethargy, coma, and even a serious clinical picture leading to death. In this case report, we aimed to present a case with anticholinergic syndrome that developed after ingestion of the fruit called “Deadly Nightshade” in our country. PMID:27366377

Ability of the Confined Explosive Component Water Gap Test STANAG 4363 to Assess the Shock Sensitivity of MM-Scale Detonators

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

Lefrancois, A S; Roeske, F; Benterou, J

2006-02-10

The Explosive Component Water Gap Test (ECWGT) has been validated to assess the shock sensitivity of lead and booster components having a diameter larger than 5 mm. Several countries have investigated by experiments and numerical simulations the effect of confinement on the go/no go threshold for Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) pellets having a height and diameter of 3 mm, confined by a steel annulus of wall thickness 1-3.5 mm. Confinement of the PETN by a steel annulus of the same height of the pellet with 1-mm wall thickness makes the component more sensitive (larger gap). As the wall thickness is increasedmore » to 2-mm, the gap increases a lesser amount, but when the wall thickness is increased to 3.5-mm a decrease in sensitivity is observed (smaller gap). This decrease of the water gap has been reproduced experimentally. Recent numerical simulations using Ignition and Growth model [1] for the PETN Pellet have reproduced the experimental results for the steel confinement up to 2 mm thick [2]. The presence of a stronger re-shock following the first input shock from the water and focusing on the axis have been identified in the pellet due to the steel confinement. The double shock configuration is well-known to lead in some cases to shock desensitization. This work presents the numerical simulations using Ignition and Growth model for LX16 (PETN based HE) and LX19 (CL20 based HE) Pellets [3] in order to assess the shock sensitivity of mm-scale detonators. The pellets are 0.6 mm in diameter and 3 mm length with different type of steel confinement 2.2 mm thick and 4.7 mm thick. The influence of an aluminum confinement is calculated for the standard LX 16 pellet 3 mm in diameter and 3 mm in height. The question of reducing the size of the donor charge is also investigated to small scale the test itself.« less

Blood lead concentration after a shotgun accident.

PubMed

Gerhardsson, Lars; Dahlin, Lars; Knebel, Richard; Schütz, Andrejs

2002-01-01

In an accidental shooting, a man in his late forties was hit in his left shoulder region by about 60 lead pellets from a shotgun. He had injuries to the vessels, the clavicle, muscles, and nerves, with total paralysis of the left arm due to axonal injury. After several surgical revisions and temporary cover with split skin, reconstructive surgery was carried out 54 days after the accident. The brachial plexus was swollen, but the continuity of the nerve trunks was not broken (no neuroma present). We determined the blood lead (BPb) concentration during a follow-up period of 12 months. The BPb concentration increased considerably during the first months. Although 30 lead pellets were removed during the reconstructive surgery, the BPb concentration continued to rise, and reached a peak of 62 microg/dL (3.0 micromol/L) on day 81. Thereafter it started to decline. Twelve months after the accident, BPb had leveled off at about 30 microg/dL. At that time, muscle and sensory functions had partially recovered. The BPb concentration exceeded 30 microg/dL for 9 months, which may have influenced the recovery rate of nerve function. Subjects with a large number of lead pellets or fragments embedded in the body after shooting accidents should be followed for many years by regular determinations of BPb. To obtain a more stable basis for risk assessment, the BPb concentrations should be corrected for variations in the subject's hemoglobin concentration or erythrocyte volume fraction.

Blood lead concentration after a shotgun accident.

PubMed Central

Gerhardsson, Lars; Dahlin, Lars; Knebel, Richard; Schütz, Andrejs

2002-01-01

In an accidental shooting, a man in his late forties was hit in his left shoulder region by about 60 lead pellets from a shotgun. He had injuries to the vessels, the clavicle, muscles, and nerves, with total paralysis of the left arm due to axonal injury. After several surgical revisions and temporary cover with split skin, reconstructive surgery was carried out 54 days after the accident. The brachial plexus was swollen, but the continuity of the nerve trunks was not broken (no neuroma present). We determined the blood lead (BPb) concentration during a follow-up period of 12 months. The BPb concentration increased considerably during the first months. Although 30 lead pellets were removed during the reconstructive surgery, the BPb concentration continued to rise, and reached a peak of 62 microg/dL (3.0 micromol/L) on day 81. Thereafter it started to decline. Twelve months after the accident, BPb had leveled off at about 30 microg/dL. At that time, muscle and sensory functions had partially recovered. The BPb concentration exceeded 30 microg/dL for 9 months, which may have influenced the recovery rate of nerve function. Subjects with a large number of lead pellets or fragments embedded in the body after shooting accidents should be followed for many years by regular determinations of BPb. To obtain a more stable basis for risk assessment, the BPb concentrations should be corrected for variations in the subject's hemoglobin concentration or erythrocyte volume fraction. PMID:11781173

Ground-water contamination from lead shot at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex County, Delaware

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soeder, Daniel J.; Miller, Cherie V.

2003-01-01

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Delaware in coastal lowlands along the margin of Delaware Bay. For 37 years, the Broadkiln Sportsman?s Club adjacent to the refuge operated a trap-shooting range, with the clay-target launchers oriented so that the expended lead shot from the range dropped into forested wetland areas on the refuge property. Investigators have estimated that up to 58,000 shotgun pellets per square foot are present in locations on the refuge where the lead shot fell to the ground. As part of the environmental risk assessment for the site, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigated the potential for lead contamination in ground water. Results from two sampling rounds in 19 shallow wells indicate that elevated levels of dissolved lead are present in ground water at the site. The lead and associated metals, such as antimony and arsenic (common shotgun pellet alloys), are being transported along shallow ground-water flowpaths toward an open-water slough in the forested wetland adjacent to the downrange target area. Water samples from wells located along the bank of the slough contained dissolved lead concentrations higher than 400 micrograms per liter, and as high as 1 milligram per liter. In contrast, a natural background concentration of lead from ground water in a well upgradient from the site is about 1 microgram per liter. Two water samples collected several months apart from the slough directly downgradient of the shooting range contained 24 and 212 micrograms per liter of lead, respectively. The data indicate that lead from a concentrated deposit of shotgun pellets on the refuge has been mobilized through a combination of acidic water conditions and a very sandy, shallow, unconfined aquifer, and is moving along ground-water flowpaths toward the surface-water drainage. Data from this study will be used to help delineate the lead plume, and determine the fate and transport of lead from the source area.

Vascular ring complicates accidental button battery ingestion.

PubMed

Mercer, Ronald W; Schwartz, Matthew C; Stephany, Joshua; Donnelly, Lane F; Franciosi, James P; Epelman, Monica

2015-01-01

Button battery ingestion can lead to dangerous complications, including vasculoesophageal fistula formation. The presence of a vascular ring may complicate battery ingestion if the battery lodges at the level of the ring and its important vascular structures. We report a 4-year-old boy with trisomy 21 who was diagnosed with a vascular ring at the time of button battery ingestion and died 9 days after presentation due to massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding from esophageal erosion and vasculoesophageal fistula formation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of the kidney in compensating the alkaline tide, electrolyte load, and fluid balance disturbance associated with feeding in the freshwater rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

PubMed

Bucking, Carol; Landman, Michael J; Wood, Chris M

2010-05-01

The effect in freshwater rainbow trout of digesting a commercial pellet meal on the renal handling of water, ions and acid-base equivalents was investigated through urine collection over a 48 h period following meal ingestion. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urine flow rate (UFR) were reduced in fed fish between 12 and 24h following the meal, likely reflecting a loss of endogenous water across the gastric epithelium as a result of ingesting dry, ion-rich food pellets. The kidney was also responsible for the excretion of some excess dietary Ca(2+), and, to a much lesser extent, Na(+) and Cl(-), while the urinary excretion of K(+) was unaffected. The most dramatic effect of feeding was the elevation of renal Mg(2+) excretion, with the kidney transitioning from net Mg(2+) reabsorption to net Mg(2+) secretion during digestion. The renal handling of dietary ions accounted for 3-27% of the total ions absorbed from the diet, indicating that a majority of the ions are excreted extra-renally or incorporated into growth. However this does highlight the underestimation of renal ion handling when using unfed fish models. The metabolic alkalosis created by digestion (the alkaline tide) resulted in an increase in urine pH as well as a transition from net acidic equivalent excretion in the urine to net basic equivalent excretion. This was due to a decrease in the titratable acidity minus bicarbonate component of urine as well as a decrease in ammonia secretion. Additionally, the experimental separation of the urinary component of acid-base excretion from that of the gills highlighted the substantially larger contribution of the latter. During the alkaline tide, renal excretion accounted for approximately 5% of the total basic equivalent excretion to the external water. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of the vaginal applicator and dummy pellets on the dosimetry parameters of Cs-137 brachytherapy source.

PubMed

Sina, Sedigheh; Faghihi, Reza; Meigooni, Ali S; Mehdizadeh, Simin; Mosleh Shirazi, M Amin; Zehtabian, Mehdi

2011-05-19

In this study, dose rate distribution around a spherical 137Cs pellet source, from a low-dose-rate (LDR) Selectron remote afterloading system used in gynecological brachytherapy, has been determined using experimental and Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using MCNP4C code, for a single pellet source in water medium and Plexiglas, and measurements were performed in Plexiglas phantom material using LiF TLD chips. Absolute dose rate distribution and the dosimetric parameters, such as dose rate constant, radial dose functions, and anisotropy functions, were obtained for a single pellet source. In order to investigate the effect of the applicator and surrounding pellets on dosimetric parameters of the source, the simulations were repeated for six different arrangements with a single active source and five non-active pellets inside central metallic tubing of a vaginal cylindrical applicator. In commercial treatment planning systems (TPS), the attenuation effects of the applicator and inactive spacers on total dose are neglected. The results indicate that this effect could lead to overestimation of the calculated F(r,θ), by up to 7% along the longitudinal axis of the applicator, especially beyond the applicator tip. According to the results obtained in this study, in a real situation in treatment of patients using cylindrical vaginal applicator and using several active pellets, there will be a large discrepancy between the result of superposition and Monte Carlo simulations.

The role of sediment ingestion in exposing wood ducks to lead

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beyer, W.N.; Blus, L.J.; Henny, C.J.; Audet, D.

1997-01-01

Waterfowl on lateral lakes of the Coeur d'Alene River and on Lake Coeur d'Alene have been poisoned for many years by lead (Pb) from mining and smelting. In 1992 we undertook a study in the area to determine the importance of sediment ingestion in exposing wood ducks (Aix sponsa) to Pb. Digesta were removed from the intestines of wood ducks collected from contaminated and reference areas. The average Pb concentration in digesta of wood ducks from the contaminated area was 32 ppm dry weight. The sediment content was estimated to average less than 2% of the dry weight of the wood duck diet. Lead concentrations in digesta were closely correlated with concentrations of acid-insoluble ash, Al, Ti and Fe in digesta, and these four variables are associated with sediment. Samples containing low concentrations of these variables also had low concentrations of Pb. These results suggest that most of the Pb in the digesta came from ingested sediment, rather than from plant material in the diet. The importance of ingested sediment as a source of lead was unexpected, because wood ducks are surface feeders on aquatic plants and they rarely dabble beneath the surface or feed on the bottom. However, it appears that sediment ingestion is sometimes the principal route of exposure to environmental contaminants that are not readily taken up by plants and invertebrates, and this route should be considered in risk assessments of waterfowl.

Toxicity of Lead and Proposed Substitute Shot to Mallards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Longcore, J.R.; Andrews, R.; Locke, L.N.; Bagley, George E.; Young, L.T.

1974-01-01

Poisoning of North American waterfowl resulting from the ingestion of lead shot by ducks, geese, and swans causes an estimated annual mortality of 2 to 3% of the population (Bellrose 1959). To alleviate this problem the search for a suitable substitute for lead has been underway since the early 1950's. Proposed substitutes for lead shot were evaluated in a series of acute toxicity tests with pen-reared mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Most candidate materials were as toxic to ducks as commercial lead shot. Coating or alloying lead with other metals only delayed mortality among dosed ducks. The reputedly 'disintegrable' lead shot with the water-soluble binder and the lead containing biochemical additives were also as toxic to mallards as the commercial lead shot. Mortality was not significantly different among lead-dosed adult or first-year hen and drake pen-reared mallards; lead-dosed adult, wild mallards of both sexes; and lead-dosed adult, male black ducks (Anas rubripes). The ingestion of one lead shot, size 4, by each of 80 pen-reared mallards caused an average 19% mortality. The presence and type of grit in the gizzard had a measurable effect on erosion of ingested shot and on shot retention among dosed mallards. Significantly fewer lead-dosed ducks died when fed crushed oystershell grit than when fed either quartz grit or no grit.

Three-dimensional assembly of tissue-engineered cartilage constructs results in cartilaginous tissue formation without retainment of zonal characteristics.

PubMed

Schuurman, W; Harimulyo, E B; Gawlitta, D; Woodfield, T B F; Dhert, W J A; van Weeren, P R; Malda, J

2016-04-01

Articular cartilage has limited regenerative capabilities. Chondrocytes from different layers of cartilage have specific properties, and regenerative approaches using zonal chondrocytes may yield better replication of the architecture of native cartilage than when using a single cell population. To obtain high seeding efficiency while still mimicking zonal architecture, cell pellets of expanded deep zone and superficial zone equine chondrocytes were seeded and cultured in two layers on poly(ethylene glycol)-terephthalate-poly(butylene terephthalate) (PEGT-PBT) scaffolds. Scaffolds seeded with cell pellets consisting of a 1:1 mixture of both cell sources served as controls. Parallel to this, pellets of superficial or deep zone chondrocytes, and combinations of the two cell populations, were cultured without the scaffold. Pellet cultures of zonal chondrocytes in scaffolds resulted in a high seeding efficiency and abundant cartilaginous tissue formation, containing collagen type II and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in all groups, irrespective of the donor (n = 3), zonal population or stratified scaffold-seeding approach used. However, whereas total GAG production was similar, the constructs retained significantly more GAG compared to pellet cultures, in which a high percentage of the produced GAGs were secreted into the culture medium. Immunohistochemistry for zonal markers did not show any differences between the conditions. We conclude that spatially defined pellet culture in 3D scaffolds is associated with high seeding efficiency and supports cartilaginous tissue formation, but did not result in the maintenance or restoration of the original zonal phenotype. The use of pellet-assembled constructs leads to a better retainment of newly produced GAGs than the use of pellet cultures alone. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development and demonstration of a lignite-pelletizing process. Phase II report

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

Not Available

1980-01-01

The current work began with scale-up of laboratory equipment to commercial size equipment. For this purpose, BCI used an existing pilot plant that had been assembled to pelletize and indurate taconite ore. BCI determined therewith that lignite pellets can be produced continuously on a pilot scale using the basic process developed in the laboratory. The resulting pellets were found to be similar to the laboratory pellets at equivalent binder compositions. Tests of product made during a 5-ton test run are reported. A 50-ton demonstration test run was made with the pilot plant. Pellet production was sustained for a two-week period.more » The lignite pelletizing process has, therefore, been developed to the point of demonstration in a 50-ton test. BCI has completed and cost estimated a conceptually designed 4000 TPD facility. BCI believes it has demonstrated a technically feasible process to agglomerate lignite by using an asphalt emulsion binder. Product quality is promising. Capital and operating costs appear acceptable to justify continuing support and development. The next step should focus on three areas: production development, process refinement, and cost reduction. For further development, BCI recommends consideration of a 5 to 10 ton/h pilot plant or a 20 to 40 ton/h module of a full sized plant, the lower first cost of the former being offset by the ability to incorporate the latter into a future production unit. Other specific recommendations are made for future study that could lead to process and cost improvements: Binder Formulation, disc Sizing, Drier Bed Depth, and Mixing Approach. Pellet use other than power plant fuel is considered.« less

Water Replacement Schedules in Heat Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Londeree, Ben R.; and others

1969-01-01

Although early ingestion of cold water appears to lead to greater relief from heat stress during physical exertion than late ingestion, this difference is reduced toward the end of an hour's work in high heat and humidity. (CK)

Intoxicated copepods: ingesting toxic phytoplankton leads to risky behaviour

PubMed Central

Lasley-Rasher, Rachel S.; Nagel, Kathryn; Angra, Aakanksha; Yen, Jeannette

2016-01-01

Understanding interactions between harmful algal bloom (HAB) species and their grazers is essential for determining mechanisms of bloom proliferation and termination. We exposed the common calanoid copepod, Temora longicornis to the HAB species Alexandrium fundyense and examined effects on copepod survival, ingestion, egg production and swimming behaviour. A. fundyense was readily ingested by T. longicornis and significantly altered copepod swimming behaviour without affecting copepod survival or fitness. A. fundyense caused T. longicornis to increase their swimming speed, and the straightness of their path long after the copepods had been removed from the A. fundyense treatment. Models suggest that these changes could lead to a 25–56% increase in encounter frequency between copepods and their predators. This work highlights the need to determine how ingesting HAB species alters grazer behaviour as this can have significant impacts on the fate of HAB toxins in marine systems. PMID:27122557

Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Microwave Activated Biomass Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barmina, I.; Kolmickovs, A.; Valdmanis, R.; Vostrikovs, S.; Zake, M.

2018-05-01

Thermo-chemical conversion of microwave activated wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets is studied experimentally with the aim to provide more effective application of wheat straw for heat energy production. Microwave pre-processing of straw pellets is used to provide a partial decomposition of the main constituents of straw and to activate the thermo-chemical conversion of wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets. The experimental study includes complex measurements of the elemental composition of biomass pellets (wheat straw, wood, peat), DTG analysis of their thermal degradation, FTIR analysis of the composition of combustible volatiles entering the combustor, the flame temperature, the heat output of the device and composition of the products by comparing these characteristics for mixtures with unprocessed and mw pre-treated straw pellets. The results of experimental study confirm that mw pre-processing of straw activates the thermal decomposition of mixtures providing enhanced formation of combustible volatiles. This leads to improvement of the combustion conditions in the flame reaction zone, completing thus the combustion of volatiles, increasing the flame temperature, the heat output from the device, the produced heat energy per mass of burned mixture and decreasing at the same time the mass fraction of unburned volatiles in the products.

Strychnine overdose following ingestion of gopher bait.

PubMed

Lindsey, Tania; O'Hara, Joseph; Irvine, Rebecca; Kerrigan, Sarah

2004-03-01

A 52-year-old male was discovered supine on his bed in a state of early decomposition. Commercial strychnine-treated gopher pellets were found in the home, and suicide notes were present at the scene. Biological fluids and tissues were tested for basic, acidic, and neutral drugs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Concentrations of strychnine in heart and femoral blood were 0.96 and 0.31 mg/L, respectively. Vitreous fluid, bile, urine, liver, and brain specimens contained 0.36 mg/L, 1.17 mg/L, 2.92 mg/L, 4.59 mg/kg, and 0.86 mg/kg strychnine, respectively. No other drugs were detected in any of the samples. The cause of death was attributed to rodenticide poisoning, and the manner of death was suicide.

FIELD DEMONSTRATION OF LEAD PAINT ABATEMENT TECHNOLOGIES IN RESIDENTIAL HOUSING

EPA Science Inventory

This study was conducted to demonstrate lead-based paint (LBP) removal from architectural wood components in CO2 unoccupied residential housing using four technologies: granular carbon dioxide (CO2 blasting), pelletized CO2 blasting, encapsulant paint remover, and wet abrasive bl...

Blood lead concentrations as a result of retained lead pellets in the craniomaxillofacial region in Benin City, Nigeria.

PubMed

Edetanlen, B E; Saheeb, B D

2016-06-01

Patients who survive gunshot wounds often retain pellets in their bodies, which cause delayed morbidity from lead poisoning, and even death. Our aim was to find out whether there is a high concentration of lead in the blood of patients who have asymptomatic retention of lead pellets in the craniomaxillofacial region. We prospectively studied 28 patients who were admitted to our hospital with gunshot injuries to the region, and 28 control subjects. Each was originally recruited three days after injury. The control subjects were chosen from people who lived in the same household or worked in the same place as the patients. Any previous exposure to lead was excluded. Blood samples were collected three days and three months after injury and analysed for the presence of lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean (SD) age for both patients and control subjects was 33 (12) years. The mean (SD) and range of concentrations of lead in patients three days after injury was 0.11 (0.07), range 0.01-0.32μmol/L, while those of the control subjects were 0.03 (0.02) and 0-0.06, respectively. Three months after injury, the mean (SD) and range of concentrations of the patients were 0.30 (0.11) and 0.12-0.59μmol/L, while those of the control subjects were 0-1.25 and 0.12 (0.006) μmol/L, respectively (p= 0.000). The study showed a higher mean blood lead concentration in patients with gunshot injuries than in control subjects, but lower than the threshold values published by the Centers for Disease Control/Occupational Health and Safety Administration in the United States. Copyright © 2016 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Progress in the Science and Technology of Direct Drive Laser Fusion with the KrF Laser

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

important parameters KrF technology leads) Direct Laser Drive is a better choice for Energy Indirect Drive (initial path for NIF ) Laser Beams x-rays Hohlraum...Pellet Direct Drive (IFE) Laser Beams Pellet .. • ID Ignition being explored on NIF • Providing high enough gain for pure fusion energy is...challenging. • DD Ignition physics can be explored on NIF . • More efficient use of laser light, and greater flexibility in applying drive provides potential for

Polystyrene plastic: a source and sink for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the marine environment

PubMed Central

Rochman, Chelsea M.; Manzano, Carlos; Hentschel, Brian T.; Massey Simonich, Staci L.; Hoh, Eunha

2014-01-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on virgin polystyrene (PS) and PS marine debris led us to examine PS as a source and sink for PAHs in the marine environment. At two locations in San Diego Bay, we measured sorption of PAHs to PS pellets, sampling at 0, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. We detected 25 PAHs using a new analytical method with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Several congeners were detected on samples before deployment. After deployment, some concentrations decreased (1,3-dimethylnaphthalene and 2,6-methylnaphthalene) while most increased (2-methylanthracene and all parent PAHs (PPAHs) except fluorene and fluoranthene), suggesting PS debris is a source and sink for PAHs. When comparing sorbed concentrations of PPAHs on PS to the five most common polymers (polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP)), PS sorbed greater concentrations than PP, PET and PVC, similar to HDPE and LDPE. Most strikingly, at 0 months, PPAHs on PS ranged from 8-200 times greater than on PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, and PP. The combination of greater PAHs in virgin pellets and large sorption suggests that PS may pose a greater risk of exposure to PAHs upon ingestion. PMID:24341360

From the surface to the seafloor: How giant larvaceans transport microplastics into the deep sea.

PubMed

Katija, Kakani; Choy, C Anela; Sherlock, Rob E; Sherman, Alana D; Robison, Bruce H

2017-08-01

Plastic waste is a pervasive feature of marine environments, yet little is empirically known about the biological and physical processes that transport plastics through marine ecosystems. To address this need, we conducted in situ feeding studies of microplastic particles (10 to 600 μm in diameter) with the giant larvacean Bathochordaeus stygius. Larvaceans are abundant components of global zooplankton assemblages, regularly build mucus "houses" to filter particulate matter from the surrounding water, and later abandon these structures when clogged. By conducting in situ feeding experiments with remotely operated vehicles, we show that giant larvaceans are able to filter a range of microplastic particles from the water column, ingest, and then package microplastics into their fecal pellets. Microplastics also readily affix to their houses, which have been shown to sink quickly to the seafloor and deliver pulses of carbon to benthic ecosystems. Thus, giant larvaceans can contribute to the vertical flux of microplastics through the rapid sinking of fecal pellets and discarded houses. Larvaceans, and potentially other abundant pelagic filter feeders, may thus comprise a novel biological transport mechanism delivering microplastics from surface waters, through the water column, and to the seafloor. Our findings necessitate the development of tools and sampling methodologies to quantify concentrations and identify environmental microplastics throughout the water column.

From the surface to the seafloor: How giant larvaceans transport microplastics into the deep sea

PubMed Central

Katija, Kakani; Choy, C. Anela; Sherlock, Rob E.; Sherman, Alana D.; Robison, Bruce H.

2017-01-01

Plastic waste is a pervasive feature of marine environments, yet little is empirically known about the biological and physical processes that transport plastics through marine ecosystems. To address this need, we conducted in situ feeding studies of microplastic particles (10 to 600 μm in diameter) with the giant larvacean Bathochordaeus stygius. Larvaceans are abundant components of global zooplankton assemblages, regularly build mucus “houses” to filter particulate matter from the surrounding water, and later abandon these structures when clogged. By conducting in situ feeding experiments with remotely operated vehicles, we show that giant larvaceans are able to filter a range of microplastic particles from the water column, ingest, and then package microplastics into their fecal pellets. Microplastics also readily affix to their houses, which have been shown to sink quickly to the seafloor and deliver pulses of carbon to benthic ecosystems. Thus, giant larvaceans can contribute to the vertical flux of microplastics through the rapid sinking of fecal pellets and discarded houses. Larvaceans, and potentially other abundant pelagic filter feeders, may thus comprise a novel biological transport mechanism delivering microplastics from surface waters, through the water column, and to the seafloor. Our findings necessitate the development of tools and sampling methodologies to quantify concentrations and identify environmental microplastics throughout the water column. PMID:28835922

Polystyrene plastic: a source and sink for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the marine environment.

PubMed

Rochman, Chelsea M; Manzano, Carlos; Hentschel, Brian T; Simonich, Staci L Massey; Hoh, Eunha

2013-12-17

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on virgin polystyrene (PS) and PS marine debris led us to examine PS as a source and sink for PAHs in the marine environment. At two locations in San Diego Bay, we measured sorption of PAHs to PS pellets, sampling at 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. We detected 25 PAHs using a new analytical method with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Several congeners were detected on samples before deployment. After deployment, some concentrations decreased (1,3-dimethylnaphthalene and 2,6-methylnaphthalene), while most increased [2-methylanthracene and all parent PAHs (PPAHs), except fluorene and fluoranthene], suggesting that PS debris is a source and sink for PAHs. When sorbed concentrations of PPAHs on PS are compared to the five most common polymers [polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP)], PS sorbed greater concentrations than PP, PET, and PVC, similar to HDPE and LDPE. Most strikingly, at 0 months, PPAHs on PS ranged from 8 to 200 times greater than on PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, and PP. The combination of greater PAHs in virgin pellets and large sorption suggests that PS may pose a greater risk of exposure to PAHs upon ingestion.

Sub-lethal exposure of cockroaches to boric acid pesticide contributes to increased Bla g 2 excretion.

PubMed

Zhang, Y C; Perzanowski, M S; Chew, G L

2005-07-01

Several epidemiology studies have found an increase in the major cockroach allergen Bla g 2 with reported pesticide use. Our aim was to investigate the effect on the excretion of Bla g 1 and Bla g 2 allergens by cockroaches exposed to sub-lethal doses of the pesticides, boric acid and hydramethylnon gel. German cockroaches in separate colonies were fed either boric acid or hydramethylnon gel at concentrations of 0.2, 0.1 and 0.01% in their water supply over a 2 week period. Ten colonies were exposed to each treatment concentration. Bla g 1 and Bla g 2 in fecal pellets were measured by ELISA. Cockroaches exposed to boric acid excreted fecal pellets with significantly higher concentrations of Bla g 2 (35,400 U/g) than did controls (12,700 U/g) (P = 0.001). Bla g 1 concentrations were not significantly different. There was no difference in either Bla g 1 or Bla g 2 concentrations between cockroaches that ingested hydramethylnon gel and those in the controls colonies. The application of boric acid, a common pesticide, appears to paradoxically increase the production of Bla g 2, a major allergen, by the surviving cockroaches. This may have important implications in avoidance strategies.

Economics of food intake in mice: energy yield of the reinforcer.

PubMed

Rowland, Neil E; Giddings, Ashley M; Minervini, Vanessa; Robertson, Kimberly L

2014-09-01

One of the Zeitgeists of the field for the study of ingestive behavior is that organisms are endowed with internal self-regulatory mechanisms that ensure optimal nutrition. However, the alarming increase in the prevalence of obesity challenges us to reconsider the extent to which internal regulatory mechanisms affect food intake, especially in a free market economy. Cued by the pioneering work of George Collier and his students, we have been examining food intake (demand) in mice when the effort or price of food is manipulated. We present two new experiments in mice that investigate the effect of energy yield per unit of food earned on working for food. The first experiment shows that when the nominal energy yield of each food pellet is halved by cellulose dilution, mice show relatively inelastic calorie-related demand despite the fact the cellulose diluted diet is unpalatable. The second experiment shows that the size of the pellet reinforcer does not have a major effect on food demand except in the extreme condition of small reward and high unit price. New analyses of distributions of responding are presented which suggest that mice work for "target" numbers of food rewards with only a small influence of price or energy gain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plastics Distribution and Degradation on Lake Huron Beaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zbyszewski, M.; Corcoran, P.

2009-05-01

The resistivity of plastic debris to chemical and mechanical weathering processes poses a serious threat to the environment. Numerous marine beaches are littered with plastic fragments that entangle and become ingested by organisms including birds, turtles and plankton. Although many studies have been conducted to determine the amount and effects of plastics pollution on marine organisms, relatively little is known about the distribution and quantity of polymer types along lacustrine beaches. Plastic particles sampled from selected beaches on Lake Huron were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine polymer composition. The majority of the plastic fragments are industrial pellets composed of polypropylene and polyethylene. Varying degrees of oxidation are indicated by multiple irregular peaks in the lower wavenumber region on the FTIR spectra. The oxidized pellets also represent the plastic particles with the most pronounced surface textures, as identified using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Crazes and flakey, fibrous, or granular textures are consistent with chemical weathering processes, whereas gauges and pits occur through abrasion during mechanical weathering. Further textural and compositional analysis will indicate which polymer types are more resistant to weathering processes. Additional investigation of the distribution of plastic debris along the beaches of Lake Huron will indicate the amount and primary transport directions of resistant plastic debris polluting one of Ontario's Great Lakes.

Lead Toxicity in the Pediatric Patient with Sickle Cell Disease: Unique Risks and Management.

PubMed

Jung, Josephine Misun; Peddinti, Radhika

2018-01-01

Lead toxicity is the result of lead ingestion, one of the most common ingestions in the pediatric population. Nationwide and statewide efforts to recognize and curtail this epidemic have led to declining rates of toxicity. In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), lead toxicity can be an elusive diagnosis due to overlapping symptom profiles, and inconsistent follow-up with a primary care physician can make the diagnosis even more difficult. In this article, two illustrative cases of lead toxicity in patients with SCD are described. The discussion reviews the current risk factors, screening, and inpatient management of lead toxicity, as well as describing the unique and sometimes confounding presentations of lead toxicity versus sickle cell crisis. [Pediatr Ann. 2018;47(1):e36-e40.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Synthetic polymers in the marine environment: a rapidly increasing, long-term threat.

PubMed

Moore, Charles James

2008-10-01

Synthetic polymers, commonly known as plastics, have been entering the marine environment in quantities paralleling their level of production over the last half century. However, in the last two decades of the 20th Century, the deposition rate accelerated past the rate of production, and plastics are now one of the most common and persistent pollutants in ocean waters and beaches worldwide. Thirty years ago the prevailing attitude of the plastic industry was that "plastic litter is a very small proportion of all litter and causes no harm to the environment except as an eyesore" [Derraik, J.G.B., 2002. The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 44(9), 842-852]. Between 1960 and 2000, the world production of plastic resins increased 25-fold, while recovery of the material remained below 5%. Between 1970 and 2003, plastics became the fastest growing segment of the US municipal waste stream, increasing nine-fold, and marine litter is now 60-80% plastic, reaching 90-95% in some areas. While undoubtedly still an eyesore, plastic debris today is having significant harmful effects on marine biota. Albatross, fulmars, shearwaters and petrels mistake floating plastics for food, and many individuals of these species are affected; in fact, 44% of all seabird species are known to ingest plastic. Sea turtles ingest plastic bags, fishing line and other plastics, as do 26 species of cetaceans. In all, 267 species of marine organisms worldwide are known to have been affected by plastic debris, a number that will increase as smaller organisms are assessed. The number of fish, birds, and mammals that succumb each year to derelict fishing nets and lines in which they become entangled cannot be reliably known; but estimates are in the millions. We divide marine plastic debris into two categories: macro, >5 mm and micro, <5 mm. While macro-debris may sometimes be traced to its origin by object identification or markings, micro-debris, consisting of particles of two main varieties, (1) fragments broken from larger objects, and (2) resin pellets and powders, the basic thermoplastic industry feedstocks, are difficult to trace. Ingestion of plastic micro-debris by filter feeders at the base of the food web is known to occur, but has not been quantified. Ingestion of degraded plastic pellets and fragments raises toxicity concerns, since plastics are known to adsorb hydrophobic pollutants. The potential bioavailability of compounds added to plastics at the time of manufacture, as well as those adsorbed from the environment are complex issues that merit more widespread investigation. The physiological effects of any bioavailable compounds desorbed from plastics by marine biota are being directly investigated, since it was found 20 years ago that the mass of ingested plastic in Great Shearwaters was positively correlated with PCBs in their fat and eggs. Colonization of plastic marine debris by sessile organisms provides a vector for transport of alien species in the ocean environment and may threaten marine biodiversity. There is also potential danger to marine ecosystems from the accumulation of plastic debris on the sea floor. The accumulation of such debris can inhibit gas exchange between the overlying waters and the pore waters of the sediments, and disrupt or smother inhabitants of the benthos. The extent of this problem and its effects have recently begun to be investigated. A little more than half of all thermoplastics will sink in seawater.

[Changes in ingestive behavior during growth affects the functional maturation of temporomandibular joint nociceptive neurons of rats].

PubMed

Hiranuma, Maya

2013-03-01

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) loading during development promotes its growth and maintains normal structure/function. Continuous change in diet consistency is related to development and maturation of the peripheral nervous system, including the nociceptive system. However, the functional modulation of TMJ-nociceptive neurons under different ingestive behavior is unclear. We fed growing rats a liquid diet to investigate the effects of low TMJ loading on the response properties of neurons in the trigeminal spinal tract subnucleus caudalis (Sp5C). Forty 2-week-old male rats were used. They were fed chow pellets (n = 20, C group) or a liquid diet (n = 20, LD group) soon after weaning. Firing activities of single sensory units in response to TMJ pressure stimuli were recorded at 4, 5, 7 and 9 weeks. In TMJ-nociceptive neurons, the firing threshold (FT) in the LD group was significantly lower than that in the C group at each recording age. The FT in the C group remained unchanged throughout the recording period, whereas that in the LD group was the highest at 4 weeks, and gradually decreased. On the other hand, the initial firing frequency (IFF) was significantly higher in the LD group than in the C group at each recording age. The IFF in the C group remained unchanged throughout the experimental period, whereas that in the LD group was at its lowest at 4 weeks, and gradually increased. Based on these findings, ingestive behavior that results from continuous changes in the physical consistency of the diet during growth may affect the functional maturation of TMJ-nociceptive neurons.

Water-mediated solid-state transformation of a polymorphic drug during aqueous-based drug-layer coating of pellets.

PubMed

Lust, Andres; Lakio, Satu; Vintsevits, Julia; Kozlova, Jekaterina; Veski, Peep; Heinämäki, Jyrki; Kogermann, Karin

2013-11-01

During aqueous drug-layer coating, drug substance(s) are exposed to water and elevated temperatures which can lead to water-mediated process induced transformations (PITs). The effects of aqueous drug-layer coating of pellets (Cellets(®)) on the anhydrous piroxicam, PRX, were investigated in the miniaturized coating equipment and with free films. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was used as a carrier coating polymer. Free films were prepared by using an in-house small-scale rotating plate system equipped with an atomization air nozzle. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the solid-state properties and surface morphology of the pellets and free films. The results showed that anhydrous PRX form I (AH) and monohydrate (MH) were stable during drug-layer coating, but amorphous PRX in solid dispersion (SD) crystallized as MH already after 10 min of coating. Furthermore, the increase in a dissolution rate was achieved from the drug-layer coated inert pellets compared to powder forms. In conclusion, water-mediated solid-state PITs of amorphous PRX is evident during aqueous-based drug-layer coating of pellets, and solid-state change can be verified using Raman spectroscopy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Turpentine oil inhalation leading to lung necrosis and empyema in a toddler.

PubMed

Khan, Awais J; Akhtar, Raja P; Faruqui, Zia S

2006-05-01

Household poisons can cause serious damage to the health of children. Turpentine oil, used chiefly as a solvent in paints, varnishes, and waxes; is often placed within easy reach of children during polishing or painting work. It is capable of causing serious toxicity, whether ingested or inhaled. Pulmonary aspiration can lead to lung parenchymal damage and turpentine-associated pneumonia. We report a case of exploratory ingestion and inhalation of turpentine oil in an 18-month-old boy, leading to extensive lung parenchymal damage, formation of multiple abscess cavities, and necrosis treated with decortication and segmental resection.

White phosphorus at Eagle River Flats, Alaska: A case history of waterfowl mortality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparling, Donald W.; Hoffman, David J.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Burton, G. Allen; Cairns, John

2003-01-01

White phosphorus has a limited distribution in the environment because it only occurs where it has been directly used by humans. It is not transported aerially for any distance and, due to its density, has a limited ability to disperse through water. Therefore, it is not a contaminant of broad-scale concern. However, where it does occur, it can cause substantial mortality or critically injure populations of waterfowl. This chronic harm includes impaired liver and kidney functioning, decreased respiratory efficiency, increased susceptibility to predation, loss of body mass, general weakening and malaise, and curtailment of reproductive functioning. Lethal effects occur around 3---4 mg/kg or approximately 3-6 ingested particles; sublethal effects can occur with ingestion of as little as a single particle. The impact of P4 on waterfowl populations nesting around ERF has never been estimated. Even if direct mortality on ERF could be estimated accurately in ducks, the delayed toxicity of P4 in swans (and presumably other species that use small grit size) and the potential for swans to fly away after ingesting a lethal dose of P4 could greatly underestimate the overall mortality. Inhibition of laying, reduced fertility and hatchability, and teratogenesis in hens ingesting even a small amount of P4 could potentially have, an effect on populations greater than that exhibited by direct mortality. Predators such as bald eagles and gulls are also at risk due to the toxicity of pelletized, dissolved, and assimilated P4 in prey organisms. Although the U.S. Army stopped using P4 in wetlands in 1993 and remediation efforts have been underway since 1995, waterfowl mortality is expected to continue for several more years. Because Eagle River Flats is only one of several sites where P4 has been found in wetland conditions, further biological investigation is warranted at these other sites.

Moisture plasticization for enteric Eudragit® L30D-55-coated pellets prior to compression into tablets.

PubMed

Rujivipat, Soravoot; Bodmeier, Roland

2012-05-01

Enteric polymers such as cellulose esters (cellulose acetate phthalate, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetate succinate) and methacrylic acid-acrylate copolymers (Eudragit® L100-55 and S100) are quite brittle in the dry state and thus not suitable as pellet coatings for compression into tablets. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of humidity treatment for moisture plasticization in order to successfully compress the enterically coated pellets. The mechanical properties of Eudragit® L100-55 improved dramatically, while the properties of the other enteric polymers showed only minor changes after storage at higher humidity. The significant increase in flexibility of the Eudragit® L film was caused by hydration/plasticization; its elongation value changed from approx. 3% in the dry state to approx. 140% at the higher storage humidity. Storage at 84% relative humidity resulted in comparable release profiles of compressed and uncompressed pellets. The glass transition temperature of Eudragit® L films decreased below the compression temperature (room temperature) at storage humidities between 75% and 84%. The glass transition relative humidity leading to a change from the glassy to the rubbery state was determined by dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) to be 76.8%. Moisture resulted in superior plasticization for Eudragit® L than the conventional plasticizer triethyl citrate. The improved compressibility of high humidity treated Eudragit® L-coated pellets was also shown with single pellet compression data as indicated by an increased crushing force and deformation. In conclusion, moisture plasticization was a highly effective tool to enable the successful compression of pellets coated with the brittle enteric polymer Eudragit® L. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relation of waterfowl poisoning to sediment lead concentrations in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beyer, W.N.; Audet, D.J.; Heinz, G.H.; Hoffman, D.J.; Day, D.

2000-01-01

For many years, waterfowl have been poisoned by lead after ingesting contaminated sediment in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin, in Idaho. Results of studies on waterfowl experimentally fed this sediment were combined with results from field studies conducted in the Basin to relate sediment lead concentration to injury to waterfowl. The first step in the model estimated exposure as the relation of sediment lead concentration to blood lead concentration in mute swans (Cygnus olor), ingesting 22% sediment in a rice diet. That rate corresponded to the 90th percentile of sediment ingestion estimated from analyses of feces of tundra swans (Olor columbianus) in the Basin. Then, with additional laboratory studies on Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) fed the sediment, we developed the general relation of blood lead to injury in waterfowl. Injury was quantified by blood lead concentrations, ALAD (-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase) activity, protoporphyrin concentrations, hemoglobin concentrations, hepatic lead concentrations, and the prevalence of renal nuclear inclusion bodies. Putting the exposure and injury relations together provided a powerful tool for assessing hazards to wildlife in the Basin. The no effect concentration of sediment lead was estimated as 24 mg/kg and the lowest effect level as 530 mg/kg. By combining our exposure equation with data on blood lead concentrations measured in moribund tundra swans in the Basin, we estimated that some mortality would occur at a sediment lead concentration as low as 1800 mg/kg.

Lead residues in sora rails from Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stendell, Rey C.; Artmann, Joseph W.; Martin, Elwood

1980-01-01

During September and October, mi- grating sora rails (Porzana carolina) use tidal marshes of the Patuxent River in Maryland, where they have been hunted for many years. Spent shot accumulates in the marsh during the rail hunting sea- son, and some shot is ingested by the birds. Twelve percent of gizzards from rails collected at the marsh during 1965- 73 contained lead shot (Artmann and Martin 1975). Effects of ingested lead on waterfowl are well documented (Bellrose 1959), although effects on other species of wild birds are not well known. In this note we report lead residues in liver and bone tissues of sora rails collected at the Patuxent River marshes in 1976.

Toxicants in folk remedies: Implications of elevated blood lead in an American-born infant due to imported diaper powder

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karwowski, Mateusz P.; Morman, Suzette A.; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Law, Terence; Kellogg, Mark; Woolf, Alan D.

2016-01-01

Though most childhood lead exposure in the USA results from ingestion of lead-based paint dust, non-paint sources are increasingly implicated. We present interdisciplinary findings from and policy implications of a case of elevated blood lead (13–18 mcg/dL, reference level <5 mcg/dL) in a 9-month-old infant, linked to a non-commercial Malaysian folk diaper powder. Analyses showed the powder contains 62 % lead by weight (primarily lead oxide) and elevated antimony [1000 parts per million (ppm)], arsenic (55 ppm), bismuth (110 ppm), and thallium (31 ppm). These metals are highly bioaccessible in simulated gastric fluids, but only slightly bioaccessible in simulated lung fluids and simulated urine, suggesting that the primary lead exposure routes were ingestion via hand-mouth transmission and ingestion of inhaled dusts cleared from the respiratory tract. Four weeks after discontinuing use of the powder, the infant’s venous blood lead level was 8 mcg/dL. Unregulated, imported folk remedies can be a source of toxicant exposure. Additional research on import policy, product regulation, public health surveillance, and culturally sensitive risk communication is needed to develop efficacious risk reduction strategies in the USA. The more widespread use of contaminated folk remedies in the countries from which they originate is a substantial concern.

Effects of lead shot ingestion on delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, hemoglobin concentration, and serum chemistry in bald eagles

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffman, D.J.; Pattee, O.H.; Wiemeyer, Stanley N.; Mulhern, B.

1981-01-01

Lead shot ingestion by bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is considered to be widespread and has been implicated in the death of eagles in nature. It was recently demonstrated under experimental conditions that ingestion of as few as 10 lead shot resulted in death within 12 to 20 days. In the present study hematological responses to lead toxicity including red blood cell ALAD activity, hemoglobin concentration and 23 different blood serum chemistries were examined in five captive bald eagles that were unsuitable for rehabilitation and release. Eagles were dosed by force-feeding with 10 lead shot; they were redosed if regurgitation occurred. Red blood cell ALAD activity was inhibited by nearly 80% within 24 hours when mean blood lead concentration had increased to 0.8 parts per million (ppm). By the end of 1 week there was a significant decrease (20-25%) in hematocrit and hemoglobin, and the mean blood lead concentration was over 3 ppm. Within as little as 1-2 weeks after dosing, significant elevations in serum creatinine and serum alanine aminotransferase occurred, as well as a significant decrease in the ratio of serum aspartic aminotransferase to serum alanine aminotransferase. The mean blood lead concentration was over 5 ppm by the end of 2 weeks. These changes in serum chemistry may be indicative of kidney and liver alterations.

Toxicants in folk remedies: implications of elevated blood lead in an American-born infant due to imported diaper powder.

PubMed

Karwowski, Mateusz P; Morman, Suzette A; Plumlee, Geoffrey S; Law, Terence; Kellogg, Mark; Woolf, Alan D

2017-10-01

Though most childhood lead exposure in the USA results from ingestion of lead-based paint dust, non-paint sources are increasingly implicated. We present interdisciplinary findings from and policy implications of a case of elevated blood lead (13-18 mcg/dL, reference level <5 mcg/dL) in a 9-month-old infant, linked to a non-commercial Malaysian folk diaper powder. Analyses showed the powder contains 62 % lead by weight (primarily lead oxide) and elevated antimony [1000 parts per million (ppm)], arsenic (55 ppm), bismuth (110 ppm), and thallium (31 ppm). These metals are highly bioaccessible in simulated gastric fluids, but only slightly bioaccessible in simulated lung fluids and simulated urine, suggesting that the primary lead exposure routes were ingestion via hand-mouth transmission and ingestion of inhaled dusts cleared from the respiratory tract. Four weeks after discontinuing use of the powder, the infant's venous blood lead level was 8 mcg/dL. Unregulated, imported folk remedies can be a source of toxicant exposure. Additional research on import policy, product regulation, public health surveillance, and culturally sensitive risk communication is needed to develop efficacious risk reduction strategies in the USA. The more widespread use of contaminated folk remedies in the countries from which they originate is a substantial concern.

Size and mass of grit in gizzards of sandhill cranes, tundra swans, and mute swans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Hansen, Scott P.; Duerr, Adam E.; DeStefano, Stephen

2001-01-01

Because it has been suggested that waterbirds may ingest lost or discarded lead fishing weights as grit, we examined grit in the gizzards of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis), Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus), and Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), three species where individuals have been poisoned by the ingestion of lead fishing weights. The greatest proportion (by mass) of grit in gizzards of Sandhill Cranes consisted of particles with a minimum dimension of 2.36-4.75 mm. Grit particles in swans were much smaller, with the most prevalent (by mass) being 0.6-1.18 mm. The greatest dimension of the largest grit particle found in cranes and swans was 17.4 mm and 14.0 mm, respectively. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a ban on lead fishing weights of ≤25.4 mm in any dimension. Based on the size of grit particles that we found in gizzards of Sandhill Cranes, Mute Swans, and Tundra Swans, we believe it is unlikely that individuals of those species would ingest, as grit, lead fishing weights larger than 25.4 mm in any dimension.

Attenuation Measurements of Cell Pellets Using Through Transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vadas, Justin; Greene, Claudia; Grygotis, Emma; Kuhn, Stephen; Mahlalela, Sanele; Newland, Tinisha; Ovutmen, Idil; Herd, Maria-Teresa

2011-10-01

A better understanding of differences in ultrasound tissue characteristics (such as speed of sound, attenuation, and backscatter coefficients) of benign compared to malignant cells could lead to improved cancer detection and diagnosis. A narrow band technique for measuring ultrasonic speed of sound and attenuation of small biological materials was developed and tested. Several mechanical improvements were made to the system to drastically improve alignment, allowing for accurate measurements of small cell pellets. Narrow band attenuation measurements were made first with tissue-mimicking phantoms and then with three different types of cell pellets: Chinese hamster ovary cells, healthy human prostate cells, and cancerous human prostate cells. Attenuation and speed of sound results for all three cell types, as well as the culture medium and tissue mimicking phantoms, are presented for a frequency range of 5 to 25 MHz.

Fabrication of (U,Am)O2 pellet with controlled porosity from oxide microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramond, Laure; Coste, Philippe; Picart, Sébastien; Gauthé, Aurélie; Bataillea, Marc

2017-08-01

U1-xAmxO2±δ mixed-oxides are considered as promising compounds for americium heterogeneous transmutation in Sodium Fast Neutron Reactor. Porous microstructure is envisaged in order to facilitate helium and fission gas release and to reduce pellet swelling during irradiation and under self-irradiation. In this study, the porosity is created by reducing (U,Am)3O8 microspheres into (U,Am)O2 during the sintering. This reduction is accompanied by a decrease of the lattice volume that leads to the creation of open porosity. Finally, an (U0.90Am0.10)O2 porous ceramic pellet (D∼89% of the theoretical density TD) with controlled porosity (≥8% open porosity) was obtained from mixed-oxide microspheres obtained by the Weak Acid Resin (WAR) process.

Endoscopic management of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract: A review

PubMed Central

Sugawa, Choichi; Ono, Hiromi; Taleb, Mona; Lucas, Charles E

2014-01-01

Foreign body ingestion is a common condition, especially among children who represent 80% of these emergencies. The most frequently ingested foreign bodies in children are coins, toys, magnets and batteries. Most foreign body ingestions in adults occur while eating, leading to either bone or meat bolus impaction. Flexible endoscopy is the therapeutic method of choice for relieving food impaction and removing true foreign bodies with a success rate of over 95% and with minimal complications. This review describes a comprehensive approach towards patients presenting with foreign body ingestion. Recommendations are based on a review of the literature and extensive personal experience. PMID:25324918

Endoscopic management of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract: A review.

PubMed

Sugawa, Choichi; Ono, Hiromi; Taleb, Mona; Lucas, Charles E

2014-10-16

Foreign body ingestion is a common condition, especially among children who represent 80% of these emergencies. The most frequently ingested foreign bodies in children are coins, toys, magnets and batteries. Most foreign body ingestions in adults occur while eating, leading to either bone or meat bolus impaction. Flexible endoscopy is the therapeutic method of choice for relieving food impaction and removing true foreign bodies with a success rate of over 95% and with minimal complications. This review describes a comprehensive approach towards patients presenting with foreign body ingestion. Recommendations are based on a review of the literature and extensive personal experience.

Characterization of Residential Scale Biofuel Boilers and Fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandrasekaran, Sriraam R.

The objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize commercially available wood pellets and wood chips for basic properties such as calorific, ash, moisture contents; 2) analyze elements and ions and other possible contamination during the pellet manufacturing processes; 3) characterize the chemical and thermo-chemical property of grass pellets for their combustion potential; 4) characterize the emissions from 6 different residential scale boiler/furnace appliances burning grass and wood pellets; 5) characterize the emitted particulate matter for toxic and marker species with respect to combustion appliance and combustion conditions; and 6) determine the effects of the biomass fuel properties of 5 different grass pellets on particulate and gaseous emissions from a single type of boiler. The results from characterization of wood pellets and chips indicated that the wood pellet samples generally meet the quality standards. However, there are some samples that would fail the ash content requirements. Only the German standards have extensive trace element limits. Most of the samples would meet these standards, but some samples failed to meet these standards based on their lead, arsenic, cadmium, and copper concentrations. It is likely that inclusion of extraneous materials such as painted or pressure treated lumber led to the observed high concentrations. Given increasing use of pellets and chips as a renewable fuel, standards for the elemental composition of commercial wood pellets and chips are needed in United States to avoid the inclusion of extraneous materials. Such standards would reduce the environmental impact of toxic species that would be released when the wood is burned. Grass pellets were characterized for chemical and thermochemical properties. Switch grass pellets were studied for it thermal degradation process under inert and oxidizing atmosphere using TGA. The thermal degradation of grass pellet measured the activation energy and pre-exponential factors for switch grass decomposition. Two major losses occurred due to volatilization of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin and burning or slow oxidation of residual char. The parameters were high for oxidative environment indicating high temperature sensitivity of the charcoal formation reaction. There was a substantial effect of heating rate on the mass loss and mass loss rate. The TG curve shifted to higher temperature ranges on increasing the heating rate. In both pyrolyzing and oxidizing conditions, average combustion and devolatlization rates increased. Emissions measurements and efficiency estimation were conducted on six commercially available residential scale appliances that utilize different technologies including direct combustion, gasification, lambda control, or fixed air flow rates that were designed to burn low ash wood (less than 1%). The grass has high ash and chlorine content producing more PM and chlorinated hydrocarbons including dioxins and furans. The results also indicated that the air supply and geometry of the furnace, and the type of furnace are also major influencing factors that affect the pollutant formation. To determine the effect of fuel properties on emissions formation, gaseous and particulate characterization was conducted of six fuels that include five different grass pellets types with ash content ranging from 3% to 13% and a premium wood pellet with ash content 0.6% on a boiler. Emissions from grass pellets were found to be higher than wood pellets and the PM; SO2 and NOx emissions were strongly related to the fuel properties such as ash content, sulfur and nitrogen content, respectively. CO emissions that indicate the completeness of reactions were higher for grass pellets and were strongly correlated to PAHs emissions. The PCDD/F emission was clearly a function of chlorine content of the fuel. A strong correlation existed between levoglucosan and PM2.5 concentrations indicated that levoglucosan is also a molecular marker for grass pellet combustion. All of the emissions were found to be higher for grass pellets when compared to the wood pellets and are higher at high loads than at low loads. These results show that the grass pellets cannot be used as a fuel in current generation wood pellet systems. It will be necessary to design systems that effectively deal with the higher ash and chlorine content if grass pellets are to be a significant fuel for home heating. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Field evaluation of lead effects on Canada geese and mallards in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Henny, Charles J.; Blus, L.J.; Hoffman, D.J.; Sileo, L.; Audet, Daniel J.; Snyder, Mark R.

2000-01-01

Hatch year (HY) mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) River Basin had higher concentrations of lead in their blood than HY Western Canada geese (Branta canadensis moffitti) (geometric means 0.98 versus 0.28 μg/g, wet weight). The pattern for adults of both species was similar, although geometric means (1.77 versus 0.41 μg/g) were higher than in HY birds. HY mallards captured in the CDA River Basin in 1987 contained significantly lower lead concentrations in their blood than in 1994–95 (0.36 versus 0.98 μg/g); however, some very young mallards were sampled in 1987, and concentrations in adults were not significantly different in 1987, 1994, or 1995 (1.52, 2.07, 1.55 μg/g, respectively). Both species in the CDA River Basin in 1994–95 showed significantly reduced red blood cell delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity compared to the reference areas: Canada geese (HY −65.4 to −86.0%, adults −82.3%), and mallards (HY −90.7 to −95.5%, adults −94.1%). Canada goose goslings were divided into size classes, and the two smaller classes from the CDA River Basin had significantly elevated free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (protoporphyrin) levels compared to the reference area (15.2× and 6.9×). HY and adult mallards both had significantly elevated protoporphyrin (5.9× and 7.5×). Recognizing that interspecific differences exist in response and sensitivity to lead, it appears (at least for hemoglobin and hematocrit) that Canada geese were more sensitive to lead than mallards, i.e., adverse hematologic effects occur at lower blood lead concentrations. Only Canada geese from the CDA River Basin, in spite of lower blood lead concentrations, had significantly reduced mean hemoglobin and hematocrit values. No euthanized Canada geese (all HYs) from CDA River Basin were classified as clinically lead poisoned, but 38 Canada geese found dead in the CDA River Basin during a concurrent study succumbed to lead poisoning between 1992 and 1997. Only 6 (15.8%) of these 38 contained ingested lead shot, which contrasts greatly with the 75–94% incidence of ingested lead shot when mortality was due to lead shot ingestion. Lead from other contaminated sources (i.e., sediments and vegetation) in the CDA River Basin was strongly implicated in most Canada goose deaths. Based on the 31 live mallards and Canada geese collected in the CDA River Basin, which were representative of the live populations blood sampled only, the prevalence of subclinical and clinical lead poisoning (as determined by liver lead concentrations, excluding birds with ingested lead shot) was higher in mallards: subclinical (4 of 8, 50% HYs and 6 of 11, 55% adults); clinical (0% HYs and 4 of 11, 36% adults), with less data available for Canada geese (only 1 of 9, 11% HYs marginally subclinical). The clinically lead-poisoned mallards had extremely high concentrations of lead in blood (2.69–8.82 μg/g) and liver (6.39–17.89 μg/g). Eight mallards found dead in the CDA River Basin during a concurrent study were diagnosed as lead poisoned, and only one (12.5%) contained ingested lead shot, which again strongly implicates other lead sources. The finding of dead lead poisoned Canada geese together with the high percentage of live mallards classified as subclinically or clinically lead poisoned, in combination with the low incidence of ingested lead shot causes us concern for both of these species, which live in association with lead-contaminated sediment in the CDA River Basin.

Acute abdominal pain and constipation due to lead poisoning.

PubMed

Mongolu, S; Sharp, P

2013-01-01

Although uncommon, lead poisoning should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of unexplained acute abdominal pain in both adults and children. We present the case of a 35-year-old Asian male who presented with abdominal pain and constipation secondary to lead poisoning. Initially, the source of lead exposure was not apparent; this was later found to be due to ingestion of an Ayurvedic herbal medicine for the treatment of infertility. Lead poisoning due to the ingestion of Ayurvedic remedies is well described. We discuss the diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of lead poisoning. This case illustrates one of the rarer medical causes of acute abdominal pain and emphasizes the need to take a thorough history (including specific questioning regarding the use of over-the-counter and traditional/ herbal remedies) in cases of suspected poisoning or drug toxicity.

Penetrated sigmoid colon by air gun pellet could be life threatening: A case report

PubMed Central

Krasniqi, Avdyl S.; Hamza, Astrit R.; Zejnullahu, Valon A.; Sada, Fatos E.; Bicaj, Besnik X.

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION Air and paintball guns have been in existence for over 400 year. Although serious injury or death can result from the use of such guns, previous literature has not mentioned the issue of the penetration of the sigmoid colon by an air gun pellet. PRESENTATION OF CASE We report a rare case of a 44-year-old Caucasian woman referred to abdominal surgery after an accidental small wound had occurred in the lower left abdominal quadrant that was caused by an air gun pellet. The blood and biochemical analyses were normal but the CT scan revealed the presence of a foreign body – an air gun pellet in the left iliac region of the abdomen. Clinically, during the initial 24 h significant changes were not noticed. After 42 h, however, pain and local tenderness in the lower left abdominal quadrant was expressed. A laparotomy revealed a retained pellet in the wall of the sigmoid colon and a small leak with colonic content with consecutive local peritonitis also occurred. The foreign body was removed and the opening edges in the colon were excised and closed with the primary suture. DISCUSSION The hollow organs of the digestive tract, albeit very rarely penetrated by an air gun pellet, do not typically show all signs of an acute abdomen in the early posttraumatic phase. Such injuries can lead to a pronounced infection, which may cause septic shock if not appropriately treated. CONCLUSION For correct diagnosis, a careful approach and several daily clinical observations are required. PMID:25437671

Human health risk assessment of lead from mining activities at semi-arid locations in the context of total lead exposure.

PubMed

Zheng, Jiajia; Huynh, Trang; Gasparon, Massimo; Ng, Jack; Noller, Barry

2013-12-01

Lead from historical mining and mineral processing activities may pose potential human health risks if materials with high concentrations of bioavailable lead minerals are released to the environment. Since the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization withdrew the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake of lead in 2011, an alternative method was required for lead exposure assessment. This study evaluated the potential lead hazard to young children (0-7 years) from a historical mining location at a semi-arid area using the U.S. EPA Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) Model, with selected site-specific input data. This study assessed lead exposure via the inhalation pathway for children living in a location affected by lead mining activities and with specific reference to semi-arid conditions and made comparison with the ingestion pathway by using the physiologically based extraction test for gastro-intestinal simulation. Sensitivity analysis for major IEUBK input parameters was conducted. Three groups of input parameters were classified according to the results of predicted blood concentrations. The modelled lead absorption attributed to the inhalation route was lower than 2 % (mean ± SE, 0.9 % ± 0.1 %) of all lead intake routes and was demonstrated as a less significant exposure pathway to children's blood, compared with ingestion. Whilst dermal exposure was negligible, diet and ingestion of soil and dust were the dominant parameters in terms of children's blood lead prediction. The exposure assessment identified the changing role of dietary intake when house lead loadings varied. Recommendations were also made to conduct comprehensive site-specific human health risk assessment in future studies of lead exposure under a semi-arid climate.

Post-learning infusion of anisomycin into the anterior cingulate cortex impairs instrumental acquisition through an effect on reinforcer valuation

PubMed Central

Jonkman, Sietse; Everitt, Barry J.

2009-01-01

The integrity of the rodent anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is essential for various aspects of instrumental behavior, but it is not clear if the ACC is important for the acquisition of a simple instrumental response. Here, it was demonstrated that post-session infusions of anisomycin into the rat ACC completely prevented the acquisition of instrumental responding. The experimental use of post-session intracranial infusions of plasticity inhibitors is assumed to affect local consolidation of plasticity, but not behavioral task performance. However, in associative appetitive conditioning, post-session intracranial infusion of pharmaco-active compounds could actually interfere with subsequent task performance indirectly through retrospective effects on the valuation of ingested rewards. Thus, it was subsequently demonstrated that the intracranial infusion of anisomycin into the ACC after sucrose pellet consumption significantly reduced subsequent pellet consumption, suggesting that the infusion of anisomycin into the ACC produced conditioned taste avoidance. In the third experiment, an innovative procedure was introduced that dissociated the effects of intracranial infusions after conditioning sessions on task-learning and unconditioned stimulus valuation. With this procedure, the infusion of anisomycin into the ACC after instrumental sessions did not affect instrumental reinforcer valuation or the acquisition of instrumental responding, suggesting that plasticity in the ACC is not necessary for the acquisition of instrumental behavior. PMID:19864297

Augmentation of antigen-stimulated allergic responses by a small amount of trichloroethylene ingestion from drinking water.

PubMed

Seo, Makoto; Yamagiwa, Takeo; Kobayashi, Ryo; Ikeda, Koji; Satoh, Masahiko; Inagaki, Naoki; Nagai, Hiroichi; Nagase, Hisamitsu

2008-11-01

In previous report, we have shown that trichloroethylene (TCE) increases histamine release and inflammatory cytokine production from antigen-stimulated mast cells. In this study, we examined the enhancing effect of a small amount of TCE ingestion from drinking water on antigen-stimulated allergic responses. After exposure of Wistar rats to TCE ingestion for 2 or 4 weeks, we performed a passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction. TCE ingestion for 2 and 4 weeks enhanced PCA reaction in a dose-dependent manner. On histological examination, TCE ingestion for 2 weeks exacerbated inflammation characterized by infiltration of lymphocytes and accumulation of mast cells around the vessel in the skin. After TCE ingestion for 4 weeks, the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) showed increase of the size and wet weight, and germinal centers changed distinctly. The interleukin-4 (IL-4) mRNA levels on spleen, MLNs and leukocytes were increased. Moreover, serum total IgE levels of TCE ingestion increased in a time-dependent manner. Our results suggest that TCE ingestion induces pro-inflammatory responses and causes Th1/Th2-type helper T-cell imbalance. And more, a small amount of TCE ingestion may lead to the initiation and acceleration of type I allergic reaction.

Estimating Children’s Soil/Dust Ingestion Rates through Retrospective Analyses of Blood Lead Biomonitoring from the Bunker Hill Superfund Site in Idaho

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Soil/dust ingestion rates are important variables in assessing children’s health risks in contaminated environments. Current estimates are based largely on soil tracer methodology, which is limited by analytical uncertainty, small sample size, and short study du...

14 CFR 33.76 - Bird ingestion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 1 aimed at the most critical exposed location on the first stage rotor blades and ingested at a bird... demonstration of blade containment and rotor unbalance than the requirements of this paragraph. Table 1 to § 33... rotating stage or stages at a blade airfoil height of not less than 50 percent measured at the leading edge...

14 CFR 33.76 - Bird ingestion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 1 aimed at the most critical exposed location on the first stage rotor blades and ingested at a bird... demonstration of blade containment and rotor unbalance than the requirements of this paragraph. Table 1 to § 33... rotating stage or stages at a blade airfoil height of not less than 50 percent measured at the leading edge...

14 CFR 33.76 - Bird ingestion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 1 aimed at the most critical exposed location on the first stage rotor blades and ingested at a bird... demonstration of blade containment and rotor unbalance than the requirements of this paragraph. Table 1 to § 33... rotating stage or stages at a blade airfoil height of not less than 50 percent measured at the leading edge...

14 CFR 33.76 - Bird ingestion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 1 aimed at the most critical exposed location on the first stage rotor blades and ingested at a bird... demonstration of blade containment and rotor unbalance than the requirements of this paragraph. Table 1 to § 33... rotating stage or stages at a blade airfoil height of not less than 50 percent measured at the leading edge...

14 CFR 33.76 - Bird ingestion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 1 aimed at the most critical exposed location on the first stage rotor blades and ingested at a bird... demonstration of blade containment and rotor unbalance than the requirements of this paragraph. Table 1 to § 33... rotating stage or stages at a blade airfoil height of not less than 50 percent measured at the leading edge...

Behavioral Management of Excessive Caffeine Consumption: Three Case Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson-Greene, Douglas; And Others

Although caffeine is seemingly harmless in ordinary daily intake, there has been increasing concern about the possible side effects of habitual caffeine ingestion. The excessive daily ingestion of caffeine in the form of coffee, soda pop, tea, and various medications may lead to a chronic disorder known as caffeinism. This study tested the…

Size characteristics of stones ingested by common loons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Hansen, Scott P.; Pokras, Mark; Miconi, Rose

2001-01-01

Common Loon (Gavia immer) carcasses recovered in New England had more stones of greater combined mass in their stomachs than loons from the southeastern United States. Stones retained in sieves with mesh sizes between 4.75 and 8.00 mm accounted for the greatest percentage (by mass) of grit in loon stomachs. The median longest dimension of the largest single stone in each stomach was 12.5 mm in loons from New England and 10.7 mm in loons from the southeast (maximum = 23.1 mm and 16.8 mm, respectively). A recent national proposal to restrict the use of certain fishing weights in the United States called for a ban on lead fishing sinkers of 25.4 mm or less in any dimension. Our findings suggest it is unlikely that Common Loons would ingest lead fishing weights greater than 25.4 mm in any dimension, if such ingestion was solely the result of their search for replacement stones for their stomachs. However, this does not preclude the possibility that loons may ingest larger fishing weights under other circumstances, such as the consumption of fish with attached sinkers.

[Intoxications with plants].

PubMed

Kupper, Jacqueline; Reichert, Cornelia

2009-05-01

Ingestions of plants rarely lead to life-threatening intoxications. Highly toxic plants, which can cause death, are monkshood (Aconitum sp.), yew (Taxus sp.) and autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Lethal ingestions of monkshood and yew are usually suicides, intoxications with autumn crocus are mostly accidental ingestions of the leaves mistaken for wild garlic (Allium ursinum). Severe intoxications can occur with plants of the nightshade family like deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), angel's trumpet (Datura suaveolens) or jimsonweed (Datura stramonium). These plants are ingested for their psychoactive effects. Ingestion of plant material by children most often only causes minor symptoms or no symptoms at all, as children usually do not eat great quantities of the plants. They are especially attracted by the colorful berries. There are plants with mostly cardiovascular effects like monkshood, yew and Digitalis sp. Some of the most dangerous plants belong to this group. Plants of the nightshade family cause an anticholinergic syndrome. With golden chain (Laburnum anagyroides), castor bean (Ricinus communis) and raw beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) we see severe gastrointestinal effects. Autumn crocus contains a cell toxin, colchicine, which leads to multiorgan failure. Different plants are irritative or even caustic to the skin. Treatment is usually symptomatic. Activated charcoal is administered within one hour after ingestion (1 g/kg). Endoscopic removal of plant material can be considered with ingestions of great quantities of highly toxic plants. Administration of repeated doses of charcoal (1-2 g/h every 2-4 hours) may be effective in case of oleander poisoning. There exist only two antidotes: Anti-digoxin Fab fragments can be used with cardenolide glycoside-containing plants (Digitalis sp., Oleander). Physostigmine is the antidote for severe anticholinergic symptoms of the CNS. Antibodies against colchicine, having been developed in France, are not available at the moment.

PLATES WITH OXIDE INSERTS

DOEpatents

West, J.M.; Schumar, J.F.

1958-06-10

Planar-type fuel assemblies for nuclear reactors are described, particularly those comprising fuel in the oxide form such as thoria and urania. The fuel assembly consists of a plurality of parallel spaced fuel plate mennbers having their longitudinal side edges attached to two parallel supporting side plates, thereby providing coolant flow channels between the opposite faces of adjacent fuel plates. The fuel plates are comprised of a plurality of longitudinally extending tubular sections connected by web portions, the tubular sections being filled with a plurality of pellets of the fuel material and the pellets being thermally bonded to the inside of the tubular section by lead.

[Left ventricular projectile migration after an accidental close-range gunshot wound].

PubMed

Driessen, A; Tjardes, T; Eikermann, C; Trojan, S; Fröhlich, M; Grimaldi, G; Kosse, N

2016-07-01

We report the case of a 24-year-old female after sustaining a shotgun wound in the left upper extremity and chest. Initial emergency diagnostics revealed numerous shotgun pellets scattered throughout the left-side soft tissue, chest and upper lung lobe with one pellet having migrated into the left ventricle of the heart.Due to the devastating injury pattern, gunshot wounds are interdisciplinarily challenging and should include extended initial diagnostics, such as contrast agent CT. The potential toxicity of elevated lead blood levels have to be taken into further account.

Ingested plastic as a route for trace metals in Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and Bonin Petrel (Pterodroma hypoleuca) from Midway Atoll.

PubMed

Lavers, Jennifer L; Bond, Alexander L

2016-09-15

Seabirds are declining faster than any other group of birds, with plastic ingestion and associated contaminants linked to negative impacts on marine wildlife, including >170 seabird species. To provide quantitative data on the effects of plastic pollution, we sampled feathers and stomach contents from Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and Bonin Petrel (Pterodroma hypoleuca) on Midway Atoll, North Pacific Ocean, and assessed our ability to detect change over time by synthesizing previous studies. Between 25 and 100% of fledglings exceed international targets for plastic ingestion by seabirds. High levels of ingested plastic were correlated with increased concentrations of chlorine, iron, lead, manganese, and rubidium in feathers. The frequency of plastic ingestion by Laysan Albatross and concentration of some elements in both species is increasing, suggesting deterioration in the health of the marine environment. Variability in the frequency of plastic ingestion by Laysan Albatross may limit their utility as an indicator species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unwitnessed lithium ion disc battery ingestion: case report and review of best practice management of an increasing clinical concern.

PubMed

Dawe, N; Puvanendran, M; Flood, L

2013-01-01

To describe a case of unwitnessed lithium ion disc battery ingestion, with a review of radiology findings and current best practice management. A three-year-old girl presented following ingestion of a foreign body, which her four-year-old brother claimed was a one pound coin. The patient was managed non-urgently and transferred for specialist ENT assessment 6 hours following the initial ingestion, with no evidence of airway compromise. A corroded battery was removed from the level of the cricopharyngeus after 8 hours, with an associated circumferential mucosal burn. There is increasing concern regarding the acknowledged rising incidence of lithium ion disc battery ingestion. The lack of a high index of suspicion and the inability to recognise subtleties on imaging may lead to suboptimal management with a higher degree of unnecessary immediate and delayed morbidity. The recently published American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines may guide the approach to managing battery ingestions.

Lead poisoning in a Mississippi sandhill crane

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Hereford, Scott G.

1994-01-01

Lead poisoning from the ingestion of spent lead shot is well documented in waterfowl (Sanderson and Bellrose 1986) and has been reported in other wetland (Locke et al. 1991, Windingstad et al. 1984) and upland (Hunter and Rosen 1965, Locke and Bagley 1967) avian species. Ingested fishing weights have been implicated in lead poisoning of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) (Blus et al. 1989), Common Loons (Gavia immer) (Locke et al. 1982, Franson and Cliplef 1992, Pokras and Chafe1 1992), Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) (Birkhead 1982), and Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) (Windingstad et al. 1984). The significance of lead poisoning as a mortality factor in avian species other than waterfowl is probably underestimated (Locke and Friend 1992), and any cause of mortality becomes particularly important in species with small population sizes. We report here the first known case of lead poisoning in a Mississippi Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pulla), a critically endangered subspecies.

Lead Poisoning in Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeckx, Roger L.

1986-01-01

Urban children are exposed to lead through the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food and nonfood substances they ingest. The history, diagnosis, and treatment of lead poisoning in these children are discussed. Includes information on the toxicology of lead and the various risk classes. (JN)

Lead toxicity and metabolism in animals

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

Neathery, M.W.; Miller, W.J.

1976-02-16

The main biological interest in lead is its toxicity. Among farm animals, ruminants are most often affected, followed by horses, poultry and swine. Although information is sparse, inhalation of airborne lead is of much less practical importance than ingestion. Most commonly, acute lead poisoning in cattle arises from eating flaking paint, motor oil, linoleum and certain types of grease and putty. Ingestion of lead is one of the most frequently reported causes of acute poisoning, especially in cattle. General clinical symptoms of lead toxicity in farm animals include anemia, depressed appearance, anorexia and muscular incoordination. A special effect in horsesmore » is a laryngeal paralysis which produces an obstruction in the air passage causing them to roar. Lead absorption from the intestine is relatively low (less than 2%), and accumulation occurs mostly in the bone, liver and kidney. Very little is secreted into the milk or concentrated into the muscles. However, lead easily passes the placental barrier, causing serious damage and sometimes death to the fetus. 48 references, 2 tables.« less

Lead exposures in the human environment. Final report

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

Elias, R.W.

Humans consume lead by inhaling air, drinking beverages, eating food and ingesting dust. The natural source of this lead is primarily soil. Anthropogenic sources are lead in gasoline, fossil fuels and industrial products and processes. Lead is ubiquitous in the human environment, and pinpointing the primary sources of lead in any particular environmental component is difficult. Nevertheless, our purpose is to describe the total exposure of humans to environmental lead and to determine the sources of lead contributing to this exposure. The total exposure is the total amount of lead consumed by ingestion and inhalation. Excluding lead exposure from choicemore » or circumstance, a baseline level of potential human exposure can be defined for a normal individual eating a typical diet and living in a non-urban community remote from industrial sources of lead in a house without lead-based paints. Beyond this level, additive exposure factors can be determined for other environments (e.g. urban, occupational and smelter communities) and for certain habits and activities (e.g. pica, smoking, drinking and hobbies), with variation for age, sex or socioeconomic status.« less

Recycle food wastes into high quality fish feeds for safe and quality fish production.

PubMed

Wong, Ming-Hung; Mo, Wing-Yin; Choi, Wai-Ming; Cheng, Zhang; Man, Yu-Bon

2016-12-01

The amount of food waste generated from modern societies is increasing, which has imposed a tremendous pressure on its treatment and disposal. Food waste should be treated as a valuable resource rather than waste, and turning it into fish feeds would be a viable alternative. This paper attempts to review the feasibility of using food waste to formulate feed pellets to culture a few freshwater fish species, such as grass carp, grey mullet, and tilapia, under polyculture mode (growing different species in the same pond). These species occupy different ecological niches, with different feeding modes (i.e., herbivorous, filter feeding, etc.), and therefore all the nutrients derived from the food waste could be efficiently recycled within the ecosystem. The problems facing environmental pollution and fish contamination; the past and present situation of inland fish culture (focusing on South China); upgrade of food waste based feed pellets by adding enzymes, vitamin-mineral premix, probiotics (yeast), prebiotics, and Chinese medicinal herbs into feeds; and potential health risks of fish cultivated by food waste based pellets are discussed, citing some local examples. It can be concluded that appropriate portions of different types of food waste could satisfy basic nutritional requirements of lower trophic level fish species such as grass carp and tilapia. Upgrading the fish pellets by adding different supplements mentioned above could further elevated the quality of feeds, leading to higher growth rates, and enhanced immunity of fish. Health risk assessments based on the major environmental contaminants (mercury, PAHs and DDTs) in fish flesh showed that fish fed food waste based pellets are safer for consumption, when compared with those fed commercial feed pellets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Ingested Fish Hooks in Freshwater Turtles from Five Rivers in the Southeastern United States

PubMed Central

Steen, David A.; Hopkins, Brittney C.; Van Dyke, James U.; Hopkins, William A.

2014-01-01

Freshwater turtles may ingest baited fish hooks because many are opportunistic scavengers. Although the ingestion of fish hooks is known to be a source of mortality in multiple vertebrate groups, the prevalence of hook ingestion by freshwater turtles has not been well studied. We trapped turtles from five rivers in the southeastern United States and used radiographs to examine over 600 individuals of four species. Depending on the species, sex, and age class, 0–33% of turtles contained ingested fish hooks. For some species, larger turtles were more likely to contain a fish hook than smaller individuals. Freshwater turtle demography suggests that even small increases in adult mortality may lead to population declines. If our study areas are representative of other aquatic systems that receive fishing pressure, this work likely identifies a potential conflict between a widespread, common recreational activity (i.e., fishing) and an imperiled taxonomic group. PMID:24621919

Leaching of plastic additives to marine organisms.

PubMed

Koelmans, Albert A; Besseling, Ellen; Foekema, Edwin M

2014-04-01

It is often assumed that ingestion of microplastics by aquatic species leads to increased exposure to plastic additives. However, experimental data or model based evidence is lacking. Here we assess the potential of leaching of nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) in the intestinal tracts of Arenicola marina (lugworm) and Gadus morhua (North Sea cod). We use a biodynamic model that allows calculations of the relative contribution of plastic ingestion to total exposure of aquatic species to chemicals residing in the ingested plastic. Uncertainty in the most crucial parameters is accounted for by probabilistic modeling. Our conservative analysis shows that plastic ingestion by the lugworm yields NP and BPA concentrations that stay below the lower ends of global NP and BPA concentration ranges, and therefore are not likely to constitute a relevant exposure pathway. For cod, plastic ingestion appears to be a negligible pathway for exposure to NP and BPA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The anesthetic management of button battery ingestion in children.

PubMed

Ing, Richard J; Hoagland, Monica; Mayes, Lena; Twite, Mark

2018-03-01

Injuries related to button battery ingestion are common in children. This review provides an outline of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, management, and anesthetic implications in children who have ingested a button battery. A literature search was conducted in the United States National Library of Medicine PubMed database using the terms "button battery ingestion" and "children' and "removal" and "surgery" and "anesthesia". Ninety-six articles published in English were found from 1983-2017, and 62 of these articles were incorporated into this review. Additionally, the Internet was searched with the terms "button battery ingestion and children" to identify further entities, organizations, and resources affiliated with button battery ingestion in children. These additional sources were studied and included in this review. Button batteries are ubiquitous in homes and electronic devices. Since 2006, larger-diameter and higher-voltage batteries have become available. These are more likely to become impacted in the esophagus after ingestion and lead to an increase in severe morbidity and mortality due to caustic tissue injury. Children at the highest risk for complications are those under six years of age who have ingested batteries > 20 mm in diameter and sustain prolonged esophageal impaction at the level of the aortic arch with the negative pole oriented anteriorly. Anesthesiologists need to know about the epidemiology, pathophysiology, complications, and anesthetic management of children who have ingested button batteries.

Changes in composition and content of food-derived peptide in human blood after daily ingestion of collagen hydrolysate for 4 weeks.

PubMed

Shigemura, Yasutaka; Suzuki, Asahi; Kurokawa, Mihoko; Sato, Yoshio; Sato, Kenji

2018-03-01

Daily ingestion of collagen hydrolysate for a long period improves skin and joint conditions. It has been speculated that the beneficial effects are exerted by food-derived hydroxyproline (Hyp) peptides, which are detected in human blood after single ingestions. In the present study, to investigate the effect of long-term ingestion of collagen hydrolysate on Hyp peptides profile in blood, the concentrations of Hyp-peptides in human blood before and after daily ingestion for a long period were examined. Hyp-peptides increased to a maximum level at 1 h after ingestion and reverted to their initial levels within 24 h during experimental period. Pro-Gly and Hyp-peptides such as Pro-Hyp-Gly, Pro-Hyp, Ile-Hyp, Leu-Hyp, Hyp-Gly, Glu-Hyp and Ala-Hyp were identified in the blood after ingestion of collagen hydrolysate at 4.5 g day -1 for 4 weeks. For the whole period, Pro-Hyp was the leading compound. The compositional rate of Hyp-Gly showed a tendency to increase, while that of Pro-Hyp tended to decrease after daily ingestion. The present results indicate that daily ingestion of collagen hydrolysate for a long period can change compositional rate of Hyp peptides in human blood. This fact suggests that long-term ingestion of collagen hydrolysate might change exo- or endo-type protease activity in the digestive tract, which may consequently promote beneficial effects. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Health assessment for Skinner Landfill, West Chester, Butler County, Ohio, Region 5. CERCLIS No. OHD063963714. Final report

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

Not Available

1993-08-10

The Skinner Landfill is a former landfill in West Chester, Butler County, Ohio. On-site soil, groundwater, and surface water are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds, pesticides, arsenic, and lead. Off-site contamination is minimal. The Skinner Landfill site poses an indeterminate public health hazard. Potential exposure pathways of concern are the ingestion of surface soils containing lead and the ingestion of VOCs in groundwater. Groundwater is a potential exposure pathway because there are uncertainties concerning the potential for contaminated groundwater to move off site.

Wildlife toxicity testing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffman, David J.; Hoffman, David J.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Burton, G. Allen; Cairns, John

1995-01-01

Reports of anthropogenic environmental contaminants affecting free-ranging wildlife first began to accumulate during the Industrial Revolution of the 1850s. early reports included cases of arsenic and lead shot ingestion, and industrial smokestack emission toxicity. One early report described the death of fallow deer (Dama dama) due to arsenic emissions from a silver foundry in Germany in 1887, whereas another report described hydrogen sulfide fumes in the vicinity of a Texas oil field that resulted in a large die-off of both wild birds and mammals.1 Mortality in waterfowl and ring-necked pheasants (Phaisanus colchicus) due to the ingestion of spent lead shot was recognized at least as early as 1874 when lead-poisoned birds were reported in Texas and North Carolina.

Co-ingestion of methanol and nitromethane: using falsely elevated creatinine as indicator for methanol antidote use.

PubMed

Leonard, Charlene P; Akhtar, Javed

2007-07-01

To report a case of co-ingestion of methanol and nitromethane in a child in order to heighten the awareness of false elevation of serum creatinine from nitromethane ingestion. Case report. Pediatric intensive care unit. A 4-yr-old previously healthy girl ingested an unknown quantity of "Blue Thunder" model-engine fuel, which consisted of methanol and nitromethane. The patient was treated with fomepizole for methanol ingestion using elevated creatinine level as a reason for treatment. The patient was asymptomatic but her creatinine level increased ten-fold (from 0.4 mg/dL to 4 mg/dL) within 6 hrs. Blood urea nitrogen, anion gap, and osmolar gap remained within normal limits. When the serum creatinine level was measured with enzymatic method instead of Jaffe's method, a normal creatinine level was obtained. The falsely elevated creatinine level was due to nitromethane. The falsely elevated serum creatinine levels due to nitromethane ingestion can lead to unnecessary therapeutic interventions. We intend to heighten awareness of this potential misstep by reporting this case.

The role of salinity in the trophic transfer of 137Cs in euryhaline fish.

PubMed

Pouil, Simon; Oberhänsli, François; Swarzenski, Peter W; Bustamante, Paco; Metian, Marc

2018-09-01

In order to better understand the influence of changing salinity conditions on the trophic transfer of 137 Cs in marine fish that live in dynamic coastal environments, its depuration kinetics was investigated in controlled aquaria. The juvenile turbot Scophthalmus maximus was acclimated to three distinct salinity conditions (10, 25 and 38) and then single-fed with compounded pellets that were radiolabelled with 137 Cs. At the end of a 21-d depuration period, assimilation efficiencies (i.e. AEs = proportion of 137 Cs ingested that is actually assimilated by turbots) were determined from observational data acquired over the three weeks. Our results showed that AEs of 137 Cs in the turbots acclimated to the highest salinity condition were significantly lower than for the other conditions (p < 0.05). Osmoregulation likely explains the decreasing AE observed at the highest salinity condition. Indeed, observations indicate that fish depurate ingested 137 Cs at a higher rate when they increase ion excretion, needed to counterbalance the elevated salinity. Such data confirm that ambient salinity plays an important role in trophic transfer of 137 Cs in some fish species. Implications for such findings extend to seafood safety and climate change impact studies, where the salinity of coastal waters may shift in future years in response to changing weather patterns. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An exposure and health risk assessment of lead (Pb) in lipstick.

PubMed

Monnot, Andrew D; Christian, Whitney V; Abramson, Matthew M; Follansbee, Mark H

2015-06-01

Lead (Pb) content in lipstick and other consumer products has become an increasing concern. In 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration tested 400 lipstick samples and found a maximum Pb concentration of 7.19 ppm. To assess the safety of lipstick in adults that chronically apply lipstick as well as instances where children might incidentally ingest lipstick products, the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) Adult Lead Model and Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children were used to determine the blood Pb concentrations of adults and children ingesting varying amounts of lipstick of different Pb concentrations. Modeled blood Pb concentrations were compared with oral ingestion guidelines and to the Centers for Disease Control and the US EPA's actionable blood Pb levels of 5 and 10 µg/dL. Background Pb exposure was the primary contributor to estimated blood Pb levels (BLLs) in children and adults, and Pb exposure from lipstick did not significantly increase estimated BLLs. These results suggest that the safety of consumer products and cosmetics should be assessed not only by the presence and amounts of hazardous contents, but also in conjunction with an assessment of estimated background exposures and comparison to health-based standards. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lead burdens and behavioral impairments of the lined shore crab Pachygrapsus crassipes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hui, C.A.

2002-01-01

Sublethal burdens of lead impair behaviors critical to survival in a variety of animals. In a test arena, I measured refuge-seeking behaviors of adult, male, lined shore crabs from lead-free and lead-contaminated sites. The body sizes of the test groups did not differ although the mean total body lead burdens differed by over 2,300%. A lead-contaminated environment does not appear to affect growth. Each of the 31 crabs had at least six trials in the arena. The fraction of trials with more than one pause, number of pauses per trial, mean time per pause, and the fraction of time a crab spent in pauses did not differ between groups. The absence of behavioral effects of the lead burdens may be because a large portion of the lead burden was sequestered in the carapace. The neurological and other soft tissues would then have lower levels of lead. Predators that ingest primarily soft tissues would have little exposure to the lead burden of these crabs. Those that also ingest the carapace may benefit from its high calcium content that inhibits lead uptake from the gut, regardless of the location of lead in the crab body.

Pre-cooling with ice slurry ingestion leads to similar run times to exhaustion in the heat as cold water immersion.

PubMed

Siegel, Rodney; Maté, Joseph; Watson, Greig; Nosaka, Kazunori; Laursen, Paul B

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of pre-exercise ice slurry ingestion and cold water immersion on submaximal running time in the heat. On three separate occasions, eight males ran to exhaustion at their first ventilatory threshold in the heat (34.0 ± 0.1 ° C, 52 ± 3% relative humidity) following one of three 30 min pre-exercise manoeuvres: (1) ice slurry ingestion; (2) cold water immersion; or (3) warm fluid ingestion (control). Running time was longer following cold water immersion (56.8 ± 5.6 min; P = 0.008) and ice slurry ingestion (52.7 ± 8.4 min; P = 0.005) compared with control (46.7 ± 7.2 min), but not significantly different between cold water immersion and ice slurry ingestion (P = 0.335). During exercise, rectal temperature was lower with cold water immersion from 15 and 20 min into exercise compared with control and ice slurry ingestion, respectively, and remained lower until 40 min (P = 0.001). At exhaustion rectal temperature was significantly higher following ice slurry ingestion (39.76 ± 0.36 ° C) compared with control (39.48 ± 0.36 ° C; P = 0.042) and tended to be higher than cold water immersion (39.48 ± 0.34 ° C; P = 0.065). As run times were similar between conditions, ice slurry ingestion may be a comparable form of pre-cooling to cold water immersion.

Severity of button batteries ingestions: data from French Poison Control Centres between 1999 and 2015.

PubMed

Labadie, Magali; O'Mahony, Elisabeth; Capaldo, Lise; Courtois, Arnaud; Lamireau, Thierry; Nisse, Patrick; Blanc-Brisset, Ingrid; Puskarczyk, Emmanuel

2017-12-13

Although the ingestion of button batteries is an infrequent situation, it leads to a significant risk of causing serious damage. This study was carried out to describe all the cases of button battery ingestion recorded by the French Poison Control Centers over 16 years. All the cases of button battery ingestion were recorded from 1 January 1999 to the end of June 2015, analysed (age, sex, number of ingested button batteries, clinical signs and treatments) and graded for severity according to the poisoning severity score. The incidence of button batteries ingestions was constant over the 16-year period, with an average of 266±98.5 cases per year and a total of 4030 cases. Nevertheless, 21 cases were severe and two deaths occurred. Interestingly, for the two patients who died, the battery was stuck in the oesophagus and they presented anorexia and/or dysphagia, abdominal pain and fever and in one case, a melena 3 weeks after ingestion. Importantly, these symptoms were observed even if the battery was expelled in one fatal case. Ingestions of button batteries still occur and may cause serious damage, especially in children, and if the button battery is stuck in the oesophagus as it might cause severe symptoms. Patients who have ingested a button battery must be directed to the emergency department for medical evaluation, even if the button battery has been expelled from the body and even more if gastrointestinal symptoms are present.

Comparison of pelletized lime with other antistripping additives.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

Stripping is a common problem in HMA pavements in Oregon, especially in Eastern Oregon. : Stripping is the degradation of the bond between the aggregate and the asphalt binder due to the : presence of water this mechanism of degradation can lead ...

Zooplankton and the Ocean Carbon Cycle.

PubMed

Steinberg, Deborah K; Landry, Michael R

2017-01-03

Marine zooplankton comprise a phylogenetically and functionally diverse assemblage of protistan and metazoan consumers that occupy multiple trophic levels in pelagic food webs. Within this complex network, carbon flows via alternative zooplankton pathways drive temporal and spatial variability in production-grazing coupling, nutrient cycling, export, and transfer efficiency to higher trophic levels. We explore current knowledge of the processing of zooplankton food ingestion by absorption, egestion, respiration, excretion, and growth (production) processes. On a global scale, carbon fluxes are reasonably constrained by the grazing impact of microzooplankton and the respiratory requirements of mesozooplankton but are sensitive to uncertainties in trophic structure. The relative importance, combined magnitude, and efficiency of export mechanisms (mucous feeding webs, fecal pellets, molts, carcasses, and vertical migrations) likewise reflect regional variability in community structure. Climate change is expected to broadly alter carbon cycling by zooplankton and to have direct impacts on key species.

Modeling Dynamic Fracture of Cryogenic Pellets

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

Parks, Paul

This work is part of an investigation with the long-range objective of predicting the size distribution function and velocity dispersion of shattered pellet fragments after a large cryogenic pellet impacts a solid surface at high velocity. The study is vitally important for the shattered pellet injection (SPI) technique, one of the leading technologies being implemented at ORNL for the mitigation of disruption damage on current tokamaks and ITER. The report contains three parts that are somewhat interwoven. In Part I we formulated a self-similar model for the expansion dynamics and velocity dispersion of the debris cloud following pellet impact againstmore » a thick (rigid) target plate. Also presented in Part I is an analytical fracture model that predicts the nominal or mean size of the fragments in the debris cloud and agrees well with known SPI data. The aim of Part II is to gain an understanding of the pellet fracturing process when a pellet is shattered inside a miter tube with a sharp bend. Because miter tubes have a thin stainless steel (SS) wall a permanent deformation (dishing) of the wall is produced at the site of the impact. A review of the literature indicates that most projectile impact on thin plates are those for which the target is deformed and the projectile is perfectly rigid. Such impacts result in “projectile embedding” where the projectile speed is reduced to zero during the interaction so that all the kinetic energy (KE) of the projectile goes into the energy stored in plastic deformation. Much of the literature deals with perforation of the target. The problem here is quite different; the softer pellet easily undergoes complete material failure causing only a small transfer of KE to stored energy of wall deformation. For the real miter tube, we derived a strain energy function for the wall deflection using a non-linear (plastic) stress-strain relation for 304 SS. Using a dishing profile identical to the linear Kirchkoff-Love profile (for lack of a rigorously derived profile) we derived the strain energy associated with the deflection and applied a virtual work principle to find a relationship between the impact (load) pressure to the measured wall deflection depth. The inferred impact pressure was in good agreement with the expected pressure for oblique cryogenic pellet impacts where the pellet shear stress causing cleavage fracture is well above the yield stress for pure shear. The section is concluded with additional discussion on how this wall deformation data lends further support to the analytical fracture model presented in Part I. In Part III we present three different size distribution models. A summary, with a few brief suggestions for a follow on study, is provided at the end of this report.« less

MRI of the small bowel: can sufficient bowel distension be achieved with small volumes of oral contrast?

PubMed

Kinner, Sonja; Kuehle, Christiane A; Herbig, Sebastian; Haag, Sebastian; Ladd, Susanne C; Barkhausen, Joerg; Lauenstein, Thomas C

2008-11-01

Sufficient luminal distension is mandatory for small bowel imaging. However, patients often are unable to ingest volumes of currently applied oral contrast compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate if administration of low doses of an oral contrast agent with high-osmolarity leads to sufficient and diagnostic bowel distension. Six healthy volunteers ingested at different occasions 150, 300 and 450 ml of a commercially available oral contrast agent (Banana Smoothie Readi-Cat, E-Z-EM; 194 mOsmol/l). Two-dimensional TrueFISP data sets were acquired in 5-min intervals up to 45 min after contrast ingestion. Small bowel distension was quantified using a visual five-grade ranking (5 = very good distension, 1 = collapsed bowel). Results were statistically compared using a Wilcoxon-Rank test. Ingestion of 450 ml and 300 ml resulted in a significantly better distension than 150 ml. The all-over average distension value for 450 ml amounted to 3.4 (300 ml: 3.0, 150 ml: 2.3) and diagnostic bowel distension could be found throughout the small intestine. Even 45 min after ingestion of 450 ml the jejunum and ileum could be reliably analyzed. Small bowel imaging with low doses of contrast leads to diagnostic distension values in healthy subjects when a high-osmolarity substance is applied. These findings may help to further refine small bowel MRI techniques, but need to be confirmed in patients with small bowel disorders.

Brain activity and connectivity changes in response to glucose ingestion.

PubMed

van Opstal, A M; Hafkemeijer, A; van den Berg-Huysmans, A A; Hoeksma, M; Blonk, C; Pijl, H; Rombouts, S A R B; van der Grond, J

2018-05-27

The regulatory role of the brain in directing eating behavior becomes increasingly recognized. Although many areas in the brain have been found to respond to food cues, very little data is available after actual caloric intake. The aim of this study was to determine normal whole brain functional responses to ingestion of glucose after an overnight fast. Twenty-five normal weight, adult males underwent functional MRI on two separate visits. In a single-blind randomized study setup, participants received either glucose solution (50 g/300 ml of water) or plain water. We studied changes in Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal, voxel-based connectivity by Eigenvector Centrality Mapping, and functional network connectivity. Ingestion of glucose led to increased centrality in the thalamus and to decreases in BOLD signal in various brain areas. Decreases in connectivity in the sensory-motor and dorsal visual stream networks were found. Ingestion of water resulted in increased centrality across the brain, and increases in connectivity in the medial and lateral visual cortex network. Increased BOLD intensity was found in the intracalcarine and cingulate cortex. Our data show that ingestion of glucose leads to decreased activity and connectivity in brain areas and networks linked to energy seeking and satiation. In contrast, drinking plain water leads to increased connectivity probably associated with continued food seeking and unfulfilled reward. Trail registration: This study combines data of two studies registered at clinicaltrails.gov under numbers NCT03202342 and NCT03247114.

Heavy metals in flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) from Italian wetlands: The problem of ingestion of lead shot

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

Ancora, Stefania; Bianchi, Nicola; Leonzio, Claudio

2008-06-15

Waterbirds are exposed to many contaminants, including lead from ingestion of shot and fishing sinkers. Lead poisoning had never been reported in flamingos wintering in Italian wetlands. Our investigation stems from a case of four flamingos found dead in Tuscany in 2002 with numerous lead shot in their gizzards. We therefore considered other specimens found dead in different Italian wetlands. Many lead shot found in gizzards and lead tissue concentrations confirmed the hypothesis of lead poisoning in two of the seven specimens analysed: concentrations in liver, kidney, and bone were 361.3, 265.09, and 43.31 {mu}g/g d.w., respectively. Lead organotropism wasmore » typical of acute poisoning. Cadmium and mercury were also determined, and found to be in line with what little data are available on this species in the literature. Although Italy recently endorsed the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) prohibiting use of lead shot for hunting in wetlands, our results reveal a first case of lead shot poisoning in flamingos wintering in Italian wetlands. This evidence sounds a further warning of the problem of spent lead shot in countries where hunting in wetlands is not strictly regulated.« less

Release Mechanisms, Control Strategies, and Implementation Challenges of Controlling Lead in Drinking Water

EPA Science Inventory

Even minimally or moderately corrosive water can cause unacceptable and dangerous lead contamination to be released from common plumbing materials and devices into drinking water. Designing sampling programs to uncover the potential for ingestion of lead in water and to protect ...

The identification of lead ammunition as a source of lead exposure in First Nations: the use of lead isotope ratios.

PubMed

Tsuji, Leonard J S; Wainman, Bruce C; Martin, Ian D; Sutherland, Celine; Weber, Jean-Philippe; Dumas, Pierre; Nieboer, Evert

2008-04-15

The use of lead shotshell to hunt water birds has been associated with lead-contamination in game meat. However, evidence illustrating that lead shotshell is a source of lead exposure in subsistence hunting groups cannot be deemed definitive. This study seeks to determine whether lead shotshell constitutes a source of lead exposure using lead isotope ratios. We examined stable lead isotope ratios for lichens, lead shotshell and bullets, and blood from residents of Fort Albany and Kashechewan First Nations, and the City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and regression analyses. ANOVA of isotope ratios for blood revealed significant differences with respect to location, but not sex. Hamilton differed from both Kashechewan and Fort Albany; however, the First Nations did not differ from each other. ANOVA of the isotope ratios for lead ammunition and lichens revealed no significant differences between lichen groups (north and south) and for the lead ammunition sources (pellets and bullets). A plot of (206)Pb/(204)Pb and (206)Pb/(207)Pb values illustrated that lichens and lead ammunition were distinct groupings and only the 95% confidence ellipse of the First Nations group overlapped that of lead ammunition. In addition, partial correlations between blood-lead levels (adjusted for age) and isotope ratios revealed significant (p<0.05) positive correlations for (206)Pb/(204)Pb and (206)Pb/(207)Pb, and a significant negative correlation for (208)Pb/(206)Pb, as predicted if leaded ammunition were the source of lead exposure. In conclusion, lead ammunition was identified as a source of lead exposure for First Nations people; however, the isotope ratios for lead shotshell pellets and bullets were indistinguishable. Thus, lead-contaminated meat from game harvested with lead bullets may also be contributing to the lead body burden.

A smooth muscle tone-dependent stretch-activated migrating motor pattern in isolated guinea-pig distal colon.

PubMed

Smith, Terence K; Oliver, Gavin R; Hennig, Grant W; O'Shea, Deirdre M; Vanden Berghe, Pieter; Kang, Sok Han; Spencer, Nick J

2003-09-15

We have investigated the tone dependence of the intrinsic nervous activity generated by localized wall distension in isolated segments of guinea-pig distal colon using mechanical recordings and video imaging of wall movements. A segment of colon was threaded through two partitions, which divided the colon for pharmacological purposes into oral, stimulation and anal regions. An intraluminal balloon was located in the stimulation region between the two partitions (12 mm apart). Maintained colonic distension by an intraluminal balloon or an artificial faecal pellet held at a fixed location generated rhythmic (frequency 0.3 contractions min(-1); duration approximately 60 s) peristaltic waves of contraction. Video imaging of colonic wall movements or the selective application of pharmacological agents suggested that peristaltic waves originated just oral (< or = 4 mm) to the pellet and propagated both orally (approximately 11 mm s(-1)) and anally (approximately 1 mm s(-1)). Also, during a peristaltic wave the colon appears to passively shorten in front of a pellet, as a result of an active contraction of the longitudinal muscle oral to the pellet. Faecal pellet movement only occurred when a rhythmic peristaltic wave was generated. Rhythmic peristaltic waves were abolished in all regions by the smooth muscle relaxants isoproterenol (1 microM), nicardipine (1 microM) or papavarine (10 microM), and by the neural antagonists tetrodotoxin (TTX; 0.6 microM), hexamethonium (100 microM) or atropine (1 microM), when added selectively to the stimulation region. Nicardipine, atropine, TTX, or hexamethonium (100 microM) also blocked the evoked peristaltic waves when selectively added to the oral region. Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NA; 100 microM) added to the anal region reduced the anal relaxation but increased the anal contraction, leading to an increase in the apparent conduction velocity of each peristaltic wave. In conclusion, maintained distension by a fixed artificial pellet generates propulsive, rhythmic peristaltic waves, whose enteric neural activity is critically dependent upon smooth muscle tone. These peristaltic waves usually originate just oral to the pellet, and their apparent conduction velocity is generated by activation of descending inhibitory nerve pathways.

Effect of hydrothermal carbonization on storage process of woody pellets: Pellets' properties and aldehydes/ketones emission.

PubMed

Li, Hui; Wang, Siyuan; Huang, Zhongliang; Yuan, Xingzhong; Wang, Ziliang; He, Rao; Xi, Yanni; Zhang, Xuan; Tan, Mengjiao; Huang, Jing; Mo, Dan; Li, Changzhu

2018-07-01

Effect of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) on the hydrochar pelletization and the aldehydes/ketones emission from pellets during storage was investigated. Pellets made from the hydrochar were stored in sealed apparatuses for sampling. The energy consumption during pelletization and the pellets' properties before/after storage, including dimension, density, moisture content, hardness, aldehyde/ketones emission amount/rate and unsaturated fatty acid amount, were analyzed. Compared with untreated-sawdust-pellets, the hydrochar-pellets required more energy consumption for pelletization, and achieved the improved qualities, resulting in the higher stability degree during storage. The species and amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the hydrochar-pellets were higher than those in the untreated-sawdust-pellets. The unsaturated fatty acids content in the hydrochar-pellets was decreased with increasing HTC temperature. Higher aldehydes/ketones emission amount and rates with a longer emission period were found for the hydrochar-pellets, associated with variations of structure and unsaturated fatty acid composition in pellets. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Speciated VOC Emissions from an Outdoor Residential Pellet burning Hydronic Heater

EPA Science Inventory

Outdoor hydronic heaters used for residential heating emit air pollutants such as particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can lead to deleterious impacts on local air quality and human health. Detailed speciated emissions measurements are required to accur...

Hemlock (Conium Maculatum) Poisoning In A Child.

PubMed

Konca, Capan; Kahramaner, Zelal; Bosnak, Mehmet; Kocamaz, Halil

2014-03-01

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is a plant that is poisonous for humans and animals. Accidental ingestion of the plant may result in central nervous system depression, respiratory failure, acute rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure and even death. The main treatment of hemlock poisoning is supportive care. The case of a 6-year-old girl who was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of burning sensation in mouth, hypersalivation, tremor in hands and ataxia after ingestion of poison hemlock is presented here with clinical and laboratory features. In this case, we aim to report that accidental ingestion of plants resembling vegetables that are consumed daily can lead to serious complications and even death.

Accumulation of lead and arsenic by peanut grown on lead and arsenic contaminated soils amended with broiler litter ash or superphosphate

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lead and arsenic are toxic metals that can be harmful to humans when inhaled or ingested via the consumption of drinking water or of crops grown on lead and arsenic contaminated soils. Lead and arsenic in the environment comes from industrial activities and the use of arsenical herbicides and insec...

Influence of pellet diameter and length on the quality of pellets and performance, nutrient utilisation and digestive tract development of broilers fed on wheat-based diets.

PubMed

Abdollahi, M R; Ravindran, V; Wester, T J; Ravindran, G; Thomas, D V

2013-06-01

1. The influence of pellet diameter and length on the quality of pellets and performance, nutrient utilisation and digestive tract development of broilers given wheat-based diets was examined from 10 to 42 d of age. The experimental design was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments evaluating two pellet diameters (3 and 4.76 mm) and two pellet lengths (3 and 6 mm). From 0 to 9 d of age, all birds were offered a common starter diet pelleted with a 3-mm diameter die and 3-mm length. Broiler grower (d 10 to 21) and finisher (d 22 to 42) diets, based on wheat, were formulated and then subjected to the 4 different treatments. 2. In grower diets, increasing pellet diameter and pellet length reduced the gelatinised starch (GS) content of the diets. In finisher diets, GS content of 3-mm diameter pellets did not change with increasing pellet length but decreased in 4.76-mm diameter pellets. 3. In grower and finisher diets, increments in intact pellet weight, pellet durability index and pellet hardness with increasing pellet length were greater in 3-mm diameter pellets than those with 4.76-mm diameter. 4. Increasing pellet length from 3 to 6 mm increased apparent metabolisable energy values. Neither the interaction nor main effects were significant for the ileal digestibility of nitrogen and starch. 5. During the grower period (d 10 to 21), birds given pellets of 6-mm length had greater body-weight gain than those given 3-mm length pellets. Feeding 6-mm length pellets decreased feed per body-weight gain compared to 3-mm length pellets. During the finisher (d 22 to 42) and whole grow-out (d 10 to 42) periods, while different pellet lengths had no effect on feed per body-weight gain values at 3-mm pellet diameter, increasing the pellet length decreased feed per body-weight gain at 4.76-mm pellet diameter. 6. Increasing pellet diameter and pellet length reduced the relative length of duodenum. Birds given 3-mm diameter pellets had heavier proventriculus compared to those given 4.76-mm diameter pellets. 7. Overall, the data suggest that increasing the pellet length from 3 to 6 mm improved the body-weight gain and feed per body-weight gain during the grower period (d 10 to 21). While the positive effect on body-weight gain disappeared as the birds grew older, improvements in feed per body-weight gain were maintained over the finisher and whole grow-out periods only in 4.76-mm diameter pellets. Small diameter die holes and longer pellet lengths may be considered as potential manipulations to manufacture high-quality pellets under low conditioning temperatures.

Lead Poisoning in Wild Birds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lahner, Lesanna L.; Franson, J. Christian

2009-01-01

Lead in its various forms has been used for thousands of years, originally in cooking utensils and glazes and more recently in many industrial and commercial applications. However, lead is a potent, potentially deadly toxin that damages many organs in the body and can affect all animals, including humans. By the mid 1990s, lead had been removed from many products in the United States, such as paint and fuel, but it is still commonly used in ammunition for hunting upland game birds, small mammals, and large game animals, as well as in fishing tackle. Wild birds, such as mourning doves, bald eagles, California condors, and loons, can die from the ingestion of one lead shot, bullet fragment, or sinker. According to a recent study on loon mortality, nearly half of adult loons found sick or dead during the breeding season in New England were diagnosed with confirmed or suspected lead poisoning from ingestion of lead fishing weights. Recent regulations in some states have restricted the use of lead ammunition on certain upland game hunting areas, as well as lead fishing tackle in areas frequented by common loons and trumpeter swans. A variety of alternatives to lead are available for use in hunting, shooting sports, and fishing activities.

Poisoning of wild birds from exposure to anticholinesterase compounds and lead: diagnostic methods and selected cases

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Smith, Milton R.

1999-01-01

Organophosphorus and carbamate compounds have largely replaced chlorinated hydrocarbons for pesticidal use in the United States, and many cases of poisoning resulting from exposure to these anticholinesterase agents have occurred in free-living birds. Although lead shot has been prohibited for waterfowl hunting throughout the United States since 1991, lead poisoning from the ingestion of spent lead shot is still occasionally seen in wild birds, and lead poisoning from the ingestion of fishing sinkers is an emerging issue of concern. A thorough history, a complete necropsy evaluation, and appropriate laboratory analysis of tissues are required to diagnose toxicoses in wild birds, including those caused by anticholinesterase compounds and lead. The interpretation of brain cholinesterase (ChE) activity results depends on the methods of analysis and comparison with expected normal enzyme activities in brain tissue from the same species. Although lead residues in tissues vary among species, many lead poisoned birds have tissue residues that are much higher than the lower threshold commonly accepted for a diagnosis of lead poisoning. We review histories, necropsy findings, and analytical methodologies and results for selected anticholinesterase and lead poisoning cases diagnosed in wild raptors, waterfowl, and loons.

Lead Poisoning in Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin-Fu, Jane S.

This publication is a guide to help social and health workers plan a preventive campaign against lead poisoning, a cause of mental retardation other neurological handicaps, and death among children. The main victims are 1- to 6-year-olds living in areas where deteriorating housing prevails. Among the causes of lead poisoning are: ingestion of…

Probabilistic Modeling of Childhood Multimedia Lead Exposures: Examining the Soil Ingestion Pathway

EPA Science Inventory

BACKGROUND: Drinking water and other sources for lead are the subject of public health concerns around the Flint, Michigan, drinking water and East Chicago, Indiana, lead in soil crises. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s National Drinking Water Advis...

Prevention of Pica, the Major Cause of Lead Poisoning in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de la Burde, Brigitte; Reames, Betty

1973-01-01

Describes a study undertaken to establish a basis for various methods to combat the ingestion of plaster or paint containing lead by children from the lower socio-economic level. Stresses the need for the removal of substandard housing, case-finding, and early treatment of lead poisoning. (Author/SF)

A unique case of magnet ingestion with respect to presentation and management.

PubMed

Yalçin, Sule; Karnak, Ibrahim; Ekinci, Saniye; Senocak, Mehmet Emin

2012-01-01

Magnet ingestion may lead to serious complications with delay in diagnosis and treatment. The forceful attraction between magnets, with gastric and/or intestinal wall entrapped between them, can cause injury through pressure necrosis. The radiological appearance of more than one magnet on X-ray can be easily misinterpreted as belonging to only one rod-like radiopaque foreign body, even if the magnets are located in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, thus delaying the management up to the onset of emergent surgical complications. A 17-month-old female with ingestion of a pair of magnets is presented, together with introduction of the clinical picture and therapeutic approach, which differed from the other previously reported cases. The ovoid shape of the magnets, their localization in the gastrointestinal tract (leading to entrapped gastric and intestinal wall between them), absence of any complication, and the therapeutic approach of endoscopic retrieval are the main distinguishing features of this case from those previously reported.

Embedded Weapons-Grade Tungsten Alloy Shrapnel Rapidly Induces Metastatic High-Grade Rhabdomyosarcomas in F344 Rats

PubMed Central

Kalinich, John F.; Emond, Christy A.; Dalton, Thomas K.; Mog, Steven R.; Coleman, Gary D.; Kordell, Jessica E.; Miller, Alexandra C.; McClain, David E.

2005-01-01

Continuing concern regarding the potential health and environmental effects of depleted uranium and lead has resulted in many countries adding tungsten alloy (WA)-based munitions to their battlefield arsenals as replacements for these metals. Because the alloys used in many munitions are relatively recent additions to the list of militarily relevant metals, very little is known about the health effects of these metals after internalization as embedded shrapnel. Previous work in this laboratory developed a rodent model system that mimicked shrapnel loads seen in wounded personnel from the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In the present study, we used that system and male F344 rats, implanted intramuscularly with pellets (1 mm × 2 mm cylinders) of weapons-grade WA, to simulate shrapnel wounds. Rats were implanted with 4 (low dose) or 20 pellets (high dose) of WA. Tantalum (20 pellets) and nickel (20 pellets) served as negative and positive controls, respectively. The high-dose WA-implanted rats (n = 46) developed extremely aggressive tumors surrounding the pellets within 4–5 months after implantation. The low-dose WA-implanted rats (n = 46) and nickel-implanted rats (n = 36) also developed tumors surrounding the pellets but at a slower rate. Rats implanted with tantalum (n = 46), an inert control metal, did not develop tumors. Tumor yield was 100% in both the low- and high-dose WA groups. The tumors, characterized as high-grade pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcomas by histopathology and immunohistochemical examination, rapidly metastasized to the lung and necessitated euthanasia of the animal. Significant hematologic changes, indicative of polycythemia, were also observed in the high-dose WA-implanted rats. These changes were apparent as early as 1 month postimplantation in the high-dose WA rats, well before any overt signs of tumor development. These results point out the need for further studies investigating the health effects of tungsten and tungsten-based alloys. PMID:15929896

Polyacrylamide gel ingestion leading to fatal intestinal obstruction in two birds in a zoological collection.

PubMed

Miller, Christine L; Bischoff, Karyn L; Hoff, Brent

2009-12-01

Two birds from a zoological collection suffered fatal intestinal obstruction after each ingested single particles of polyacrylamide gel. Polyacrylamide gel, used in soils for gardening and agriculture, exists as small granules in the dehydrated state but expands markedly upon exposure to water. Polyacrylamide gel might, therefore, be an unrecognized hazard for captive and wild birds and other small animals if consumed.

Possibilities for preservation of coarse particles in pelleting process to improve feed quality characteristics.

PubMed

Vukmirović, D; Fišteš, A; Lević, J; Čolović, R; Rakić, D; Brlek, T; Banjac, V

2017-10-01

Poultry diets are mainly used in pelleted form because pellets have many advantages compared to mash feed. On the other hand, pelleting causes reduction of feed particle size. The aim of this research was to investigate the possibility of increasing the content of coarse particles in pellets, and, at the same time, to produce pellets with satisfactory quality. In this research, the three grinding treatments of corn were applied using hammer mill with three sieve openings diameter: 3 mm (HM-3), 6 mm (HM-6) and 9 mm (HM-9). These grinding treatments were combined in pelleting process with three gaps between rollers and the die of pellet press (roller-die gap, RDG) (0.30, 1.15 and 2.00 mm) and three moisture contents of the pelleted material (14.5, 16.0 and 17.5%). The increased coarseness of grinding by the hammer mill resulted in the increased amount of coarse particles in pellets, especially when the smallest RDG was applied (0.30 mm), but pellet quality was greatly reduced. Increasing of RDG improved the quality of pellets produced from coarsely ground corn, but reduced the content of coarse particles in pellets and increased specific energy consumption of the pellet press. Increasing the moisture content of material to be pelleted (MC) significantly reduced energy consumption of the pellet press, but there was no significant influence of MC on particle size after pelleting and on the pellet quality. The optimal values of the pelleting process parameters were determined using desirability function method. The results of optimization process showed that to achieve the highest possible quantity of coarse particles in the pellets, and to produce pellets of satisfactory quality, with the lowest possible energy consumption of the pellet press, the coarsest grinding on hammer mill (HM-9), the largest RDG (2 mm) and the highest MC (17.5%) should be applied. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Pediatric ingestions of house hold products containing ethanol: a review.

PubMed

Rayar, Praveen; Ratnapalan, Savithiri

2013-03-01

Alcohol is present in a number of household items that are readily accessible to children. Ingestion of these household products containing alcohol can lead to significant health risks. To identify reported cases of ingestions of common household items that have led to ethanol intoxication, poisoning, or death in children up to the age of 18 years. The OVID MEDLINE database from 1948 to March 2011, Embase from 1980 to March 2011, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) from 1982 to February 2011 were searched for articles with the following key terms: alcohols(ethanol or ethyl alcohol) and ingest*(ingestion) or intoxic*(intoxication) or poisoning* or death. The search was limited to children (0-18 years). All articles that reported ingestion of household products that contained ethanol were included in the analysis. Results. Many household products, particularly mouthwashes, hand sanitizers, and cosmetics contain quantities of ethanol that are significant enough to induce intoxication and hypoglycemia. There were 17 publications directly reporting on children with alcohol intoxication from household products. Serious adverse events included hypoglycemia, seizures, and death. Child-resistant closures appear to have reduced the incidence of ingestion of ethanol-based products, including mouthwashes, and may be applicable to other products such as hand sanitizers. Ingestion of household substances containing alcohol continues to be a health care problem. Legislature to reduce alcohol content in household products and public education should be instituted to prevent poisonings in children.

The effects of mariculture on heavy metal distribution in sediments and cultured fish around the Pearl River Delta region, south China.

PubMed

Liang, Peng; Wu, Sheng-Chun; Zhang, Jin; Cao, Yucheng; Yu, Shen; Wong, Ming-Hung

2016-04-01

Thirty-six sediment samples were collected from six mariculture sites and corresponding reference sites (approximately 200-300 m away from each mariculture site) to study the effects of mariculture on heavy metal: copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) distribution in sediments and cultured fish around the Pearl River Delta region, south China. The mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb in all mariculture sediment samples were 109, 273, 99 and 33 mg/kg, compared with 63, 209, 56 and 23 mg/kg for reference sediment samples, respectively. The Pollution Load Index of sediment for each site was over 1, implying substantial heavy metal pollution. The results of principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis indicate that marine aquaculture activities have enriched the surface sediments underneath mariculture rafts with Cu, Zn and Pb, possibly due to the accumulation of unconsumed fish feeds, fish excreta and antifouling paints (except Cr). Two kinds of fish feeds, feed pellets and trash fish commonly used in Hong Kong were analyzed. The concentrations of Zn and Cu contained in feed pellets were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in trash fish due to addition of these elements as growth promoters during pellet production. However, the Pb content in trash fish (due to contamination) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in feed pellets. Three cultured fish species, namely red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) and snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii), were collected from each mariculture site for metal analysis. Lead concentrations in 21 fish samples exceeded the Chinese safety guideline (0.5 mg/kg, GB18406.4-2001), indicating that Pb contamination in cultured fish would be a public health concern. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Pellet cladding mechanical interactions of ceramic claddings fuels under light water reactor conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bo-Shiuan

Ceramic materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) are promising candidate materials for nuclear fuel cladding and are of interest as part of a potential accident tolerant fuel design due to its high temperature strength, dimensional stability under irradiation, corrosion resistance, and lower neutron absorption cross-section. It also offers drastically lower hydrogen generation in loss of coolant accidents such as that experienced at Fukushima. With the implementation of SiC material properties to the fuel performance code, FRAPCON, performances of the SiC-clad fuel are compared with the conventional Zircaloy-clad fuel. Due to negligible creep and high stiffness, SiC-clad fuel allows gap closure at higher burnup and insignificant cladding dimensional change. However, severe degradation of SiC thermal conductivity with neutron irradiation will lead to higher fuel temperature with larger fission gas release. High stiffness of SiC has a drawback of accumulating large interfacial pressure upon pellet-cladding mechanical interactions (PCMI). This large stress will eventually reach the flexural strength of SiC, causing failure of SiC cladding instantly in a brittle manner instead of the graceful failure of ductile metallic cladding. The large interfacial pressure causes phenomena that were previously of only marginal significance and thus ignored (such as creep of the fuel) to now have an important role in PCMI. Consideration of the fuel pellet creep and elastic deformation in PCMI models in FRAPCON provide for an improved understanding of the magnitude of accumulated interfacial pressure. Outward swelling of the pellet is retarded by the inward irradiation-induced creep, which then reduces the rate of interfacial pressure buildup. Effect of PCMI can also be reduced and by increasing gap width and cladding thickness. However, increasing gap width and cladding thickness also increases the overall thermal resistance which leads to higher fuel temperature and larger fission gas release. An optimum design is sought considering both thermal and mechanical models of this ceramic cladding with UO2 and advanced high density fuels.

Design of a fuel element for a lead-cooled fast reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, V.; Malambu, E.; Abderrahim, H. Aït

2009-03-01

The options of a lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) of the fourth generation (GEN-IV) reactor with the electric power of 600 MW are investigated in the ELSY Project. The fuel selection, design and optimization are important steps of the project. Three types of fuel are considered as candidates: highly enriched Pu-U mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for the first core, the MOX containing between 2.5% and 5.0% of the minor actinides (MA) for next core and Pu-U-MA nitride fuel as an advanced option. Reference fuel rods with claddings made of T91 ferrite-martensitic steel and two alternative fuel assembly designs (one uses a closed hexagonal wrapper and the other is an open square variant without wrapper) have been assessed. This study focuses on the core variant with the closed hexagonal fuel assemblies. Based on the neutronic parameters provided by Monte-Carlo modeling with MCNP5 and ALEPH codes, simulations have been carried out to assess the long-term thermal-mechanical behaviour of the hottest fuel rods. A modified version of the fuel performance code FEMAXI-SCK-1, adapted for fast neutron spectrum, new fuels, cladding materials and coolant, was utilized for these calculations. The obtained results show that the fuel rods can withstand more than four effective full power years under the normal operation conditions without pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI). In a variant with solid fuel pellets, a mild PCMI can appear during the fifth year, however, it remains at an acceptable level up to the end of operation when the peak fuel pellet burnup ∼80 MW d kg-1 of heavy metal (HM) and the maximum clad damage of about 82 displacements per atom (dpa) are reached. Annular pellets permit to delay PCMI for about 1 year. Based on the results of this simulation, further steps are envisioned for the optimization of the fuel rod design, aiming at achieving the fuel burnup of 100 MW d kg-1 of HM.

Effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone both as a binder and pore-former on the release of sparingly water-soluble topiramate from ethylcellulose coated pellets.

PubMed

Yang, Meiyan; Xie, Si; Li, Qiu; Wang, Yuli; Chang, Xinyi; Shan, Li; Sun, Lei; Huang, Xiaoli; Gao, Chunsheng

2014-04-25

Delivering sparingly water-soluble drugs from ethylcellulose (EC) coated pellets with a controlled-release pattern remains challenging. In the present study, hydrophilic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used both as a binder and a pore-former in EC coated pellets to deliver sparingly water-soluble topiramate, and the key factors that influenced drug release were identified. When the binder PVP content in drug layers below 20% w/w was decreased, the physical state of topiramate changed from amorphous to crystalline, making much difference to drug solubility and dissolution rates while modifying the drug release profile from first-order to zero-order. In addition, without PVP in drug layering solution, drug layered particles were less sticky during layering process, thus leading to a shorter process and higher loading efficiency. Furthermore, PVP level as a pore-former in EC coating layers mainly governed drug release from the coated pellets with the sensitivity ranging from 23% to 29%. PVP leaching rate and water permeability from EC/PVP film increased with the PVP level, which was perfectly correlated with drug release rate. Additionally, drug release from this formulation was independent of pH of release media or of the paddle mixing speed, but inversely proportional to the osmolality of release media above the physiological range. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Characteristics, atmospheric drivers and occurrence patterns of freezing precipitation and ice pellets over the Prairie Provinces and Arctic Territories of Canada: 1964-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochtubajda, Bohdan; Mooney, Curtis; Stewart, Ronald

2017-07-01

Freezing precipitation and ice pellet events on the Canadian Prairies and Arctic territories of Canada often lead to major disruptions to air and ground transportation, damage power grids and prevent arctic caribou and other animals from accessing the plants and lichen they depend on for survival. In a warming climate, these hazards and associated impacts will continue to happen, although their spatial and temporal characteristics may vary. In order to address these issues, the occurrence of freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and ice pellets from 1964 to 2005 is examined using hourly weather observations at 27 manned 24 h weather stations across the different climatic regions of the Prairie Provinces and Arctic Territories of Canada. Because of the enormous size of the area and its diverse climatic regions, many temporal and spatial differences in freezing precipitation and ice pellet characteristics occur. The 12 most widespread freezing rain events over the study area are associated with only two atmospheric patterns with one linked to strong warm advection between low and high pressure centres and the other pattern associated with chinooks occurring east of the Rocky Mountains. Given the annual patterns of freezing rain occurrence found in this study, it is proposed that a maximum of five regimes exist and three occur within the Prairies and Arctic.

Soil Ingestion is Associated with Child Diarrhea in an Urban Slum of Nairobi, Kenya.

PubMed

Bauza, Valerie; Ocharo, R M; Nguyen, Thanh H; Guest, Jeremy S

2017-03-01

Diarrhea is a leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years of age. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 54 children aged 3 months to 5 years old in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya, to assess the relationship between caregiver-reported soil ingestion and child diarrhea. Diarrhea was significantly associated with soil ingestion (adjusted odds ratio = 9.9, 95% confidence interval = 2.1-47.5). Soil samples from locations near each household were also collected and analyzed for Escherichia coli and a human-associated Bacteroides fecal marker (HF183). Escherichia coli was detected in 100% of soil samples (mean 5.5 log colony forming units E. coli per gram of dry soil) and the Bacteroides fecal marker HF183 was detected in 93% of soil samples. These findings suggest that soil ingestion may be an important transmission pathway for diarrheal disease in urban slum settings.

Soil Ingestion is Associated with Child Diarrhea in an Urban Slum of Nairobi, Kenya

PubMed Central

Bauza, Valerie; Ocharo, R. M.; Nguyen, Thanh H.; Guest, Jeremy S.

2017-01-01

Diarrhea is a leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years of age. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 54 children aged 3 months to 5 years old in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya, to assess the relationship between caregiver-reported soil ingestion and child diarrhea. Diarrhea was significantly associated with soil ingestion (adjusted odds ratio = 9.9, 95% confidence interval = 2.1–47.5). Soil samples from locations near each household were also collected and analyzed for Escherichia coli and a human-associated Bacteroides fecal marker (HF183). Escherichia coli was detected in 100% of soil samples (mean 5.5 log colony forming units E. coli per gram of dry soil) and the Bacteroides fecal marker HF183 was detected in 93% of soil samples. These findings suggest that soil ingestion may be an important transmission pathway for diarrheal disease in urban slum settings. PMID:28093532

Mortality and hematology associated with the ingestion of one number four lead shot in black ducks, Anas rubripes

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

Pain, D.J.; Rattner, B.A.

The black duck (anas rubripes) is a dabbling duck endemic to North America. Since population surveys of this species began in the early 1950's, numbers have declined steadily at the rate of approximately 1.5% a year. In 1980 the North American population was estimated to be only 42% of that recorded in 1952. Several reasons have been suggested for this decline. One environmental contaminant that may be contributing to the decline is spent lead gunshot. The ingestion of gunshot by waterfowl is well documented and is thought to kill an estimated 1.6-3.8 million waterfowl each year in North America. Theremore » has been little research concerning the toxicity of lead gunshot to the black duck and the present significance of lead poisoning as a mortality factor in this species. This study reports the results of an experiment in which captive black ducks were dosed with one number four lead shot. Mortality rates and hematological effects are discussed in relation to lead toxicity.« less

46 CFR 148.04-21 - Coconut meal pellets (also known as copra pellets).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Coconut meal pellets (also known as copra pellets). 148.04-21 Section 148.04-21 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DANGEROUS... § 148.04-21 Coconut meal pellets (also known as copra pellets). (a) Coconut meal pellets; (1) Must...

Undue Lead Absorption and Lead Poisoning in Children: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin-Fu, J. S.

The toxic effects of lead, a useful metal ubiquitous in the human environment, have long been known. The occupational hazards of lead poisoning were well established by the early 19th century, but plumbism in children caused by paint ingestion was not reported until the turn of the century. Even in 1924, the child was said to live in a "lead…

Exposure of Spectacled Eiders and other diving ducks to lead in western Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, Paul L.; Petersen, Margaret R.; Grand, James B.

1997-01-01

Lead poisoning, resulting from ingestion of spent shot, has been identified as a cause of mortality in Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. We examined lead-exposure rates of adult and juvenile Spectacled Eiders and other diving ducks, using atomic absorption spectrophotometry of blood samples. Additionally, we X-rayed birds in the field to identify ingested shot. We detected shot in the gizzards of 11.6% of Spectacled Eiders X-rayed. During the period from arrival through incubation, 13.0% of adult females and 6.6% of adult males had elevated blood lead levels when captured. During the brood-rearing period, 35.8% of adult females and 12.2% of ducklings were exposed to lead when captured. There was an increase in the probability of exposure of adult females with date sampled. We predict that 50% of the successfully breeding hens were likely exposed to lead, and 25–37% of the Spectacled Eider breeding population was exposed to lead. The long-term effects of sublethal doses on Spectacled Eiders are unknown; however, exposure of nesting females and young birds to lead may result in reduced over-winter survival and (or) reduced fecundity.

Modeling of Thermochemical Behavior in an Industrial-Scale Rotary Hearth Furnace for Metallurgical Dust Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yu-Liang; Jiang, Ze-Yi; Zhang, Xin-Xin; Xue, Qing-Guo; Yu, Ai-Bing; Shen, Yan-Song

2017-10-01

Metallurgical dusts can be recycled through direct reduction in rotary hearth furnaces (RHFs) via addition into carbon-based composite pellets. While iron in the dust is recycled, several heavy and alkali metal elements harmful for blast furnace operation, including Zn, Pb, K, and Na, can also be separated and then recycled. However, there is a lack of understanding on thermochemical behavior related to direct reduction in an industrial-scale RHF, especially removal behavior of Zn, Pb, K, and Na, leading to technical issues in industrial practice. In this work, an integrated model of the direct reduction process in an industrial-scale RHF is described. The integrated model includes three mathematical submodels and one physical model, specifically, a three-dimensional (3-D) CFD model of gas flow and heat transfer in an RHF chamber, a one-dimensional (1-D) CFD model of direct reduction inside a pellet, an energy/mass equilibrium model, and a reduction physical experiment using a Si-Mo furnace. The model is validated by comparing the simulation results with measurements in terms of furnace temperature, furnace pressure, and pellet indexes. The model is then used for describing in-furnace phenomena and pellet behavior in terms of heat transfer, direct reduction, and removal of a range of heavy and alkali metal elements under industrial-scale RHF conditions. The results show that the furnace temperature in the preheating section should be kept at a higher level in an industrial-scale RHF compared with that in a pilot-scale RHF. The removal rates of heavy and alkali metal elements inside the composite pellet are all faster than iron metallization, specifically in the order of Pb, Zn, K, and Na.

Turbine airfoil degradation in the persian gulf war

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smialek, James L.; Archer, Frances A.; Garlick, Ralph G.

1994-12-01

Helicopter turbine engines used in the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations experienced excessive sand ingestion. Fine particles were able to bypass filters and proceed through the combustor or cooling gaspaths. The first-stage turbine vanes were impacted with viscous silicate particles, forming a deposit on the leading-edge root platform and resulting in overheating and oxidation. The chemistry of the raw sand determines that of the ingested powders, the deposits, and the material reactions.

Fabrication of simulated DUPIC fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Kweon Ho; Song, Ki Chan; Park, Hee Sung; Moon, Je Sun; Yang, Myung Seung

2000-12-01

Simulated DUPIC fuel provides a convenient way to investigate the DUPIC fuel properties and behavior such as thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, fission gas release, leaching, and so on without the complications of handling radioactive materials. Several pellets simulating the composition and microstructure of DUPIC fuel are fabricated by resintering the powder, which was treated through OREOX process of simulated spent PWR fuel pellets, which had been prepared from a mixture of UO2 and stable forms of constituent nuclides. The key issues for producing simulated pellets that replicate the phases and microstructure of irradiated fuel are to achieve a submicrometre dispersion during mixing and diffusional homogeneity during sintering. This study describes the powder treatment, OREOX, compaction and sintering to fabricate simulated DUPIC fuel using the simulated spent PWR fuel. The homogeneity of additives in the powder was observed after attrition milling. The microstructure of the simulated spent PWR fuel agrees well with the other studies. The leading structural features observed are as follows: rare earth and other oxides dissolved in the UO2 matrix, small metallic precipitates distributed throughout the matrix, and a perovskite phase finely dispersed on grain boundaries.

Determining tissue-lead levels in large game mammals harvested with lead bullets: human health concerns.

PubMed

Tsuji, L J S; Wainman, B C; Jayasinghe, R K; VanSpronsen, E P; Liberda, E N

2009-04-01

Recently, the use of lead isotope ratios has definitively identified lead ammunition as a source of lead exposure for First Nations people, but the isotope ratios for lead pellets and bullets were indistinguishable. Thus, lead-contaminated meat from game harvested with lead bullets may also be contributing to the lead body burden; however, few studies have determined if lead bullet fragments are present in big game carcasses. We found elevated tissue-lead concentrations (up to 5,726.0 microg/g ww) in liver (5/9) and muscle (6/7) samples of big game harvested with lead bullets and radiographic evidence of lead fragments. Thus, we would advise that the tissue surrounding the wound channel be removed and discarded, as this tissue may be contaminated by lead bullet fragments.

Severe Coagulopathy after Ingestion of "Snake Wine".

PubMed

Moon, Jeong Mi; Chun, Byeong Jo

2016-06-01

This report describes a patient who developed coagulopathy after ingesting snake wine, which is an alcoholic libation containing an entire venomous snake. A 68-year-old man was admitted to the hospital 19 h after ingesting snake wine. The laboratory features upon admission included unmeasurable activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT) values, prolonged prothrombin time (PT) values, increased fibrinogen levels, modestly elevated fibrin degradation product and D-dimer values, uncorrected aPTT and PT values after a mixing test, and normal levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. No pesticides, warfarin, or superwarfarin in the patient's blood or urine were detected. His coagulation profile normalized on the 6(th) day after admission after antivenom treatment. He was discharged 10 days later without sequelae. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The physician should be aware that ingesting snake wine may lead to systemic envenomation. As for coagulopathy, which may develop by ingesting snake venom, related laboratory findings may differ from the features observed after direct envenomation by snakebite. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prolonged hypoglycemia after a suicidal ingestion of repaglinide with unexpected slow plasma elimination.

PubMed

Elling, Roland; Spehl, Marco Simon; Wohlfarth, Ariane; Auwaerter, Volker; Hermanns-Clausen, Maren

2016-01-01

Repaglinide is a short-acting insulin secretagogue with high interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics due to genetic polymorphisms. Little is known about repaglinide overdoses, both with respect to pharmacokinetics and appropriate management. Given its short serum half-life of less than 1 h, hypoglycemic effects of repaglinide are expected to cease within a few hours post-ingestion. A 15-year-old girl ingested 10.5 mg of repaglinide in a suicide attempt. Few hours later, she developed a strong food craving, nausea, abdominal pain, and a headache. The lowest recorded serum glucose was 44 mg/dl (2.4 mmol/l) 14 h post-ingestion. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we detected repaglinide serum levels of 5.3, 2.6, and 1.0 ng/ml at 14, 20, and 26 h post-ingestion, respectively. This case illustrates that in the context of overdose, repaglinide can lead to prolonged hypoglycemia. We therefore recommend glucose monitoring and observation for 24 h in all patients who remain hypoglycemic or show symptoms of hypoglycemia for an unusually long period of time.

46 CFR 148.325 - Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. 148.325... § 148.325 Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. (a) This part applies to wood chips and wood pulp... cargo hold. (b) No person may enter a cargo hold containing wood chips, wood pellets, or wood pulp...

46 CFR 148.325 - Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. 148.325... § 148.325 Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. (a) This part applies to wood chips and wood pulp... cargo hold. (b) No person may enter a cargo hold containing wood chips, wood pellets, or wood pulp...

46 CFR 148.325 - Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. 148.325... § 148.325 Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. (a) This part applies to wood chips and wood pulp... cargo hold. (b) No person may enter a cargo hold containing wood chips, wood pellets, or wood pulp...

46 CFR 148.325 - Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. 148.325... § 148.325 Wood chips; wood pellets; wood pulp pellets. (a) This part applies to wood chips and wood pulp... cargo hold. (b) No person may enter a cargo hold containing wood chips, wood pellets, or wood pulp...

Toxicological evaluation of genetically modified cotton (Bollgard) and Dipel WP on the non-target soil mite Scheloribates praeincisus (Acari: Oribatida).

PubMed

Oliveira, Anibal R; Castro, Thiago R; Capalbo, Deise M F; Delalibera, Italo

2007-01-01

Insecticides derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and plants genetically modified (GM) to express B. thuringiensis toxins are important alternatives for insect pest control worldwide. Risk assessment of B. thuringiensis toxins to non-target organisms has been extensively studied but few toxicological tests have considered soil invertebrates. Oribatid mites are one of the most diverse and abundant arthropod groups in the upper layers of soil and litter in natural and agricultural systems. These mites are exposed to the toxic compounds of GM crops or pesticides mainly when they feed on vegetal products incorporated in the soil. Although some effects of B. thuringiensis products on Acari have been reported, effects on oribatid mites are still unknown. This study investigated the effects of the ingestion of Bt cotton Bollgard and of the B. thuringiensis commercial product Dipel WP on the pantropical species Scheloribates praeincisus (Scheloribatidae). Ingestion of Bollgard and Dipel did not affect adult and immature survivorship and food consumption (estimated by number of fecal pellets produced daily) or developmental time of immature stages of S. praeincisus. These results indicate the safety of Bollgard and Dipel to S. praeincisus under field conditions where exposition is lower and other food sources besides leaves of Bt plants are available. The method for toxicological tests described here can be adapted to other species of Oribatida, consisting on a new option to risk assessment studies.

Twin-Screw Extruder and Pellet Accelerator Integration Developments for ITER

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

Meitner, Steven J; Baylor, Larry R; Combs, Stephen Kirk

The ITER pellet injection system consisting of a twinscrew frozen hydrogen isotope extruder, coupled to a combination solenoid actuated pellet cutter and pneumatic pellet accelerator, is under development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A prototype extruder has been built to produce a continuous solid deuterium extrusion and will be integrated with a secondary section, where pellets are cut, chambered, and launched with a single-stage pneumatic accelerator into the plasma through a guide tube. This integrated pellet injection system is designed to provide 5 mm fueling pellets, injected at a rate up to 10 Hz, or 3 mm edge localizedmore » mode (ELM) triggering pellets, injected at higher rates up to 20 Hz. The pellet cutter, chamber mechanism, and the solenoid operated pneumatic valve for the accelerator are optimized to provide pellet velocities between 200-300 m/s to ensure high pellet survivability while traversing the inner wall fueling guide tubes, and outer wall ELMpacing guide tubes. This paper outlines the current twin-screwextruder design, pellet accelerator design, and the integrationrequired for both fueling and ELM pacing pellets.« less

The amount of food ingested in a single meal by rainbow trout offered chopped herring, dry and wet diets

PubMed

Ruohonen; Grove; McIlroy

1997-07-01

Two-year-old 1·5-kg rainbow trout were held in cages and conditioned by feeding either on low-fat chopped herring (H trout) or dry pellets (P trout) for 15 weeks. Their satiation amounts were then determined under standard conditions. On a wet weight basis H trout ate 2·5-3·5 times more food than P trout; this was sufficient to compensate for the high water content of herring and thereby maintain the dry matter intake. When P trout were offered herring (PH trout) they consumed more food than when offered dry pellets but not as much as H trout. Stomach capacity restricted the intake and their dry matter intake was reduced by c. 40%. When H trout were offered dry pellets (HP trout) they adjusted their intake immediately close to the level of P trout although their larger stomachs could have accommodated more than twice this volume of dry food. The return of appetite after a satiation meal was almost linear with time. Appetite increased at c. 556 mg g-1 body weight h-1 for H trout and at 142 mg g-1 bw h-1 for P trout. The return of appetite in PH trout was significantly slower (c. 370 mg g-1 bw h-1) than in H trout; the previous dietary history of the PH trout limited their capacity to process larger volumes of wet food in a single meal. Fish offered dry diet (P and HP trout) had similar rates of appetite return despite their previous feeding history suggesting that the property of the dry feed itself might limit meal size. The total gastric emptying time of diets of similar dry matter content (with and without large amounts of water) was similar, but the delay time before gastric emptying starts tended to be longer for dry diets. Dry pellets appear to impose a demand for water that prolongs the gastric delay. This water demand is met partly by drinking since the trout fed on dry pellets drank significantly more (436±189 mg kg-1 h-1) than unfed and herring-fed trout which drank little or not at all (65±113 and 70±66 mg kg-1 h-1 respectively). Dietary water facilitated food processing and increased daily dry matter intake of trout when fed four times a day. When only one satiation meal per day was allowed, dietary water had no effect. It is concluded from this work that, in addition to gastric volume, a short-term limitation on the size of satiation meals in the rainbow trout is the availability of water to moisturize the food and thus to promote gastric digestion and emptying. 1997 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

Ingestion of Microplastics by Zooplankton in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Desforges, Jean-Pierre W; Galbraith, Moira; Ross, Peter S

2015-10-01

Microplastics are increasingly recognized as being widespread in the world's oceans, but relatively little is known about ingestion by marine biota. In light of the potential for microplastic fibers and fragments to be taken up by small marine organisms, we examined plastic ingestion by two foundation species near the base of North Pacific marine food webs, the calanoid copepod Neocalanus cristatus and the euphausiid Euphausia pacifia. We developed an acid digestion method to assess plastic ingestion by individual zooplankton and detected microplastics in both species. Encounter rates resulting from ingestion were 1 particle/every 34 copepods and 1/every 17 euphausiids (euphausiids > copepods; p = 0.01). Consistent with differences in the size selection of food between these two zooplankton species, the ingested particle size was greater in euphausiids (816 ± 108 μm) than in copepods (556 ± 149 μm) (p = 0.014). The contribution of ingested microplastic fibres to total plastic decreased with distance from shore in euphausiids (r (2) = 70, p = 0.003), corresponding to patterns in our previous observations of microplastics in seawater samples from the same locations. This first evidence of microplastic ingestion by marine zooplankton indicate that species at lower trophic levels of the marine food web are mistaking plastic for food, which raises fundamental questions about potential risks to higher trophic level species. One concern is risk to salmon: We estimate that consumption of microplastic-containing zooplankton will lead to the ingestion of 2-7 microplastic particles/day by individual juvenile salmon in coastal British Columbia, and ≤91 microplastic particles/day in returning adults.

Effect of pelleting process variables on physical properties and sugar yields of ammonia fiber expansion pretreated corn stover

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

Amber N. Hoover; Jaya Shankar Tumuluru; Farzaneh Teymouri

Pelletization process variables including grind size (4, 6 mm), die speed (40, 50, 60 Hz), and preheating (none, 70 degrees C) were evaluated to understand their effect on pellet quality attributes and sugar yields of ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) pretreated biomass. The bulk density of the pelletized AFEX corn stover was three to six times greater compared to untreated and AFEX-treated corn stover. Also the durability of the pelletized AFEX corn stover was >97.5% for all pelletization conditions studied except for preheated pellets. Die speed had no effect on enzymatic hydrolysis sugar yields of pellets. Pellets produced with preheating ormore » a larger grind size (6 mm) had similar or lower sugar yields. Pellets generated with 4 mm AFEX-treated corn stover, a 60 Hz die speed, and no preheating resulted in pellets with similar or greater density, durability, and sugar yields compared to other pelletization conditions.« less

Comparison of cryogenic (hydrogen) and TESPEL (polystyrene) pellet particle deposition in a magnetically confined plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, K. J.; Tamura, N.; Combs, S. K.; Panadero, N.; Ascabíbar, E.; Estrada, T.; García, R.; Hernández Sánchez, J.; López Fraguas, A.; Navarro, M.; Pastor, I.; Soleto, A.; TJ-II Team

2017-10-01

A cryogenic pellet injector (PI) and tracer encapsulated solid pellet (TESPEL) injector system has been operated in combination on the stellarator TJ-II. This unique arrangement has been created by piggy-backing a TESPEL injector onto the backend of a pipe-gun-type PI. The combined injector provides a powerful new tool for comparing ablation and penetration of polystyrene TESPEL pellets and solid hydrogen pellets, as well as for contrasting subsequent pellet particle deposition and plasma perturbation under analogous plasma conditions. For instance, a significantly larger increase in plasma line-averaged electron density, and electron content, is observed after a TESPEL pellet injection compared with an equivalent cryogenic pellet injection. Moreover, for these injections from the low-magnetic-field side of the plasma cross-section, TESPEL pellets deposit electrons deeper into the plasma core than cryogenic pellets. Finally, the physics behind these observations and possible implications for pellet injection studies are discussed.

The importance of ingested soils in supplying fluorine and lead to sheep grazing contaminated pastures in the Peak District mining area of Derbyshire, UK.

PubMed

Abrahams, Peter W; Blackwell, Nia L

2013-12-01

For sheep grazing pastures in areas of mineralisation and former metalliferous mining activity, an excessive intake of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) such as fluorine (F) and lead (Pb) can result in clinical and subclinical toxicity. The prime aim of our work was to calculate the intakes of both of these PHEs by sheep grazing pastures in the mineralised/mined Peak District area of Derbyshire. The bi-monthly sampling of topsoils (0-15 cm depth) and the faeces of sheep from fields at seven farms was undertaken for a 1-year period. These samples were analysed for titanium that allowed the rates of soil ingestion (and hence also herbage ingestion since we assume that the sheep have an overall diet of 1 kg dry matter (DM)/day) to be determined. Our findings were then combined with previously published soil and soil-free pasture herbage F and Pb concentrations determined from the seven farms to calculate the intakes of both PHEs. The results show seasonal variations of soil ingestion at the seven farms ranging from <0.1 to 20.1 % of the DM intake (median=3 %), with the highest rates of ingestion being associated with the winter-spring (i.e. December-April) period. Our calculations show that at some farms, sheep can be exposed to dietary concentrations in excess of recommended guidelines potentially throughout the whole year, though livestock movement to less-contaminated pastures would lessen any toxic impact. Because the soil concentrations are greater than those associated with soil-free pasture herbage, ingested soils are the main dietary source of Pb and (especially) F to sheep. However, subjecting freshly sampled topsoils to sequential extraction procedures undertaken in the laboratory indicates that the majority of Pb and (especially) F may not be readily soluble in the ovine digestion system, so reducing the quantities of both PHEs available for absorption.

Synthetic progestins induce growth and metastasis of BT-474 human breast cancer xenografts in nude mice.

PubMed

Liang, Yayun; Benakanakere, Indira; Besch-Williford, Cynthia; Hyder, Ryyan S; Ellersieck, Mark R; Hyder, Salman M

2010-01-01

Previous studies have shown that sequential exposure to estrogen and progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) stimulates vascularization and promotes the progression of BT-474 and T47-D human breast cancer cell xenografts in nude mice (Liang et al, Cancer Res 2007, 67:9929). In this follow-up study, the effects of progesterone, MPA, norgestrel (N-EL), and norethindrone (N-ONE) on BT-474 xenograft tumors were compared in the context of several different hormonal environments. N-EL and N-ONE were included in the study because synthetic progestins vary considerably in their biological effects and the effects of these two progestins on the growth of human tumor xenografts are not known. Estradiol-supplemented intact and ovariectomized immunodeficient mice were implanted with BT-474 cells. Progestin pellets were implanted simultaneously with estradiol pellets either 2 days before tumor cell injection (ie, combined) or 5 days after tumor cell injections (ie, sequentially). Progestins stimulated the growth of BT-474 xenograft tumors independent of exposure timing and protocol, MPA stimulated the growth of BT-474 xenograft tumors in ovariectomized mice, and progestins stimulated vascular endothelial growth factor elaboration and increased tumor vascularity. Progestins also increased lymph node metastasis of BT-474 cells. Therefore, progestins, including N-EL and N-ONE, induce the progression of breast cancer xenografts in nude mice and promote tumor metastasis. These observations suggest that women who ingest progestins for hormone therapy or oral contraception could be more at risk for developing breast cancer because of proliferation of existing latent tumor cells. Such risks should be considered in the clinical setting.

Correlation between the single, high dose of ingested baclofen and clinical symptoms.

PubMed

Anand, Jacek Sein; Zając, Maciej; Waldman, Wojciech; Wojtyła, Andrzej; Biliński, Przemysław; Jaworska-Łuczak, Barbara

2017-12-23

Baclofen is a drug used mainly to treat muscle spasticity. Its overdose can lead to life-threatening clinical symptoms, including acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of selected clinical symptoms associated with baclofen poisoning comparing to an ingested dose. 60 cases of oral baclofen poisoning were analyzed. Gender, age distribution, and correlation between the dose of ingested baclofen were studied, as well as and following clinical parameters: degree of altered consciousness, heart rate, blood pressure, presence of acute respiratory failure, duration of mechanical ventilation, and presence of psychotic symptoms. The study found statistically significant correlations between dosage of ingested baclofen and presence of acute respiratory failure, as well as duration of mechanical ventilation. No statistically significant correlations were found between the dose of ingested baclofen and presence of hypertension, bradycardia, acute psychotic symptoms, or level of consciousness disturbance. However, it was found that patients who suffered from hypertension, bradycardia, and altered mental status ingested a larger dose of baclofen. There is a statistically significant correlation between the dose of ingested baclofen and the presence of acute respiratory failure, and duration of mechanical ventilation. Patients who have taken a single dose of baclofen of 200 mg, or higher, should be managed in centres able to provide continuous monitoring of life functions. Those with a higher level of a single dose of baclofen ingestion (>500 mg), should be hospitalized in a Toxicology Unit or Intensive Care Unit able to provide airway support and mechanical ventilation.

Successful treatment of rare-earth magnet ingestion via minimally invasive techniques: a case series.

PubMed

Kosut, Jessica S; Johnson, Sidney M; King, Jeremy L; Garnett, Gwendolyn; Woo, Russell K

2013-04-01

Cases of rare-earth magnet ingestions have been increasingly reported in the literature. However, these descriptions have focused on the severity of the injuries, rather than the clinical presentation and/or therapeutic approach. We report a series of eight children, ranging in age from 2 to 10 years, who ingested powerful rare-earth magnets. The rare-earth magnets were marketed in 2009 under the trade name Buckyballs(®) (Maxfield & Oberton, New York, NY). They are about 5 mm in size, spherical, and brightly colored, making them appealing for young children to play with and place in their mouths. Three children presented within hours of ingestion, and the magnets were successfully removed via endoscopy in two, whereas the third child required laparoscopy. No fistulas were found in these children. A fourth child presented 2 days after ingestion with evidence of bowel wall erosion, but without fistula formation; the magnets were removed via laparoscopy. A fifth child ingested nine magnets in a ring formation, which were removed via colonoscopy without evidence of injury or fistula formation. The three remaining children presented late (5-8 days after ingestion) and were found to have associated fistulas. They were treated successfully with a combination of endoscopy and laparoscopy with fluoroscopy. None of the children in our series required an open surgical procedure. All children were discharged home without complications. This case series highlights the potential dangers of rare-earth magnet ingestion in children. Our experience suggests that prompt intervention using minimally invasive approaches can lead to successful outcomes.

Acute lead toxicosis via ingestion of spent ammunition in a free-ranging cougar (Puma concolor)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burco, Julia; Myers, Anne Mary; Schuler, Krysten; Gillin, Colin

2012-01-01

Lead toxicity has long been documented and acknowledged as a significant health issue of water birds and avian scavengers. However, few instances of toxic effects to higher mammalian carnivores have been documented. Here we present an acute case of lead toxicity in a free-ranging cougar (Puma concolor) in Oregon.

Acute lead toxicosis via ingestion of spent ammunition in a free-ranging cougar (Puma concolor).

PubMed

Burco, Julia; Myers, Anne Mary; Schuler, Krysten; Gillin, Colin

2012-01-01

Lead toxicity has long been documented and acknowledged as a significant health issue of water birds and avian scavengers. However, few instances of toxic effects to higher mammalian carnivores have been documented. Here we present an acute case of lead toxicity in a free-ranging cougar (Puma concolor) in Oregon.

Design and performance of a punch mechanism based pellet injector for alternative injection in the large helical device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, J. S.; Sakamoto, R.; Motojima, G.; Matsuyama, A.; Yamada, H.

2011-02-01

A low speed single barrel pellet injector, using a mechanical punch device has been developed for alternative injection in the large helical device. A pellet is injected by the combined operation of a mechanical punch and a pneumatic propellant system. The pellet shape is cylindrical, 3 mm in diameter and 3 mm in length. Using this technique the speed of the pellet can be controlled flexibly in the range of 100-450 m/s, and a higher speed can be feasible for a higher gas pressure. The injector is equipped with a guide tube selector to direct the pellet to different injection locations. Pellets are exposed to several curved parts with the curvature radii Rc = 0.8 and 0.3 m when they are transferred in guided tubes to the respective injection locations. Pellet speed variation with pressure at different pellet formation temperatures has been observed. Pellet intactness tests through these guide tubes show a variation in the intact speed limit over a range of pellet formation temperatures from 6.5 to 9.8 K. Pellet speed reduction of less than 6% has been observed after the pellet moves through the curved guide tubes.

Fabrication of micro-cell UO2-Mo pellet with enhanced thermal conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Joo; Rhee, Young Woo; Kim, Jong Hun; Kim, Keon Sik; Oh, Jang Soo; Yang, Jae Ho; Koo, Yang-Hyun; Song, Kun-Woo

2015-07-01

As one of accident tolerant fuel pellets which should have features of good thermal conductivity and high fission product retention, a micro-cell UO2-Mo pellet has been studied in the aspect of fabrication and thermal property. It was intended to develop the compatible process with conventional UO2 pellet fabrication process. The effects of processing parameters such as the size and density of UO2 granule and the size of Mo powder have been studied to produce sound and dense pellet with completely connected uniform Mo cell-walls. The micro-cell UO2-Mo pellet consists of many Mo micro-cells and UO2 in them. The thermal conductivity of the micro-cell UO2-Mo pellet was measured and compared to those of the UO2 pellet and the UO2-Mo pellet with dispersed form of Mo particles. The thermal conductivity of the micro-cell UO2-Mo pellet was much enhanced and was found to be influenced by the Mo volumetric fraction and pellet integrity. A continuous Mo micro-cell works as a heat conducting channel in the pellet, greatly enhancing the thermal conductivity of the micro cell UO2-Mo pellet.

Infant botulism following honey ingestion

PubMed Central

Abdulla, C O; Ayubi, A; Zulfiquer, F; Santhanam, G; Ahmed, M A S; Deeb, J

2012-01-01

An apparently well baby girl born at term was presented with signs and symptoms suggestive of acute onset of generalised floppiness at the age of 3 months. Clinically, the baby had lower motor neuron type of muscle weakness; detailed investigation lead to the diagnosis of neuromuscular junction disorder secondary to botulism toxicity. Further tests confirmed the botulism toxicity secondary to honey ingestion. The baby was treated with specific anticlostridium antibodies; she recovered remarkably, now growing and developing normally. PMID:22962382

Statistical analysis and modeling of pelletized cultivation of Mucor circinelloides for microbial lipid accumulation.

PubMed

Xia, Chunjie; Wei, Wei; Hu, Bo

2014-04-01

Microbial oil accumulation via oleaginous fungi has some potential benefits because filamentous fungi can form pellets during cell growth and these pellets are easier to harvest from the culture broth than individual cells. This research studied the effect of various culture conditions on the pelletized cell growth of Mucor circinelloides and its lipid accumulation. The results showed that cell pelletization was positively correlated to biomass accumulation; however, pellet size was negatively correlated to the oil content of the fungal biomass, possibly due to the mass transfer barriers generated by the pellet structure. How to control the size of the pellet is the key to the success of the pelletized microbial oil accumulation process.

Opportunistic sampling to quantify plastics in the diet of unfledged Black Legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo).

PubMed

Acampora, Heidi; Newton, Stephen; O'Connor, Ian

2017-06-30

Seabirds can interact with marine litter, mainly by entanglement or ingestion. The ingestion of plastics can lead to starvation or physical damage to the digestive tract. For chicks, it could additionally lead to reduced growth, affecting survival and fledging. This study quantified the ingestion of plastics by seabird chicks via an opportunistic sampling strategy. When ringing is carried out at colonies, birds may spontaneously regurgitate their stomach contents due to the stress or as a defence mechanism. Regurgitates were collected from nestlings of three different species: Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla, n=38), Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis, n=14) and Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo, n=28). Plastic was present in all species, with the highest frequency of occurrence (FO) in Northern Fulmar chicks (28.6%), followed by Black-legged Kittiwakes (7.9%) and Great Cormorants (7.1%). The observed load of plastics on chicks, which have not yet left the nest, highlights the pervasive nature of plastic pollution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using a metal detector to determine lead sinker abundance in waterbird habitat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duerr, A.E.; DeStefano, S.

2000-01-01

Waterbirds have died of lead poisoning from ingesting lead fishing sinkers in the United States and Europe. Estimating abundance and distribution of sinkers in the environment will help researchers to understand the potential effects of lead poisoning from sinker ingestion. We used a metal detector to test how environmental conditions and sinker characteristics affected detection of sinkers. Odds of detecting a lead sinker depended on the interaction of sinker mass and depth where it was buried (P=0.002). The odds of detecting a sinker increased with mass and decreased with depth buried. Lead split-shot sinkers were less detectable than tin, brass, and stainless steel sinkers. Detecting lead sinkers was not influenced by sinker shape, substrate type, or whether we searched underwater or on land. We developed a model to determine the proportion of sinkers detected when this detector is used to search for sinkers, so sinker abundance can be estimated. The log odds (Logit) of detecting a lead sinker with mass M g buried D cm below the surface was Logit Y= -1.63 + 4.20 M - 0.45 D - 0.27 MD + 0.0002 D2. The probability of detecting a lead sinker was e(Logit Y)/(1 + e(Logit Y)). At the surface, 90% of sinkers with mass 0.9 g will be detected.

Method to Produce Durable Pellets at Lower Energy Consumption Using High Moisture Corn Stover and a Corn Starch Binder in a Flat Die Pellet Mill

PubMed Central

Tumuluru, Jaya Shankar; Conner, Craig C.; Hoover, Amber N.

2016-01-01

A major challenge in the production of pellets is the high cost associated with drying biomass from 30 to 10% (w.b.) moisture content. At Idaho National Laboratory, a high-moisture pelleting process was developed to reduce the drying cost. In this process the biomass pellets are produced at higher feedstock moisture contents than conventional methods, and the high moisture pellets produced are further dried in energy efficient dryers. This process helps to reduce the feedstock moisture content by about 5-10% during pelleting, which is mainly due to frictional heat developed in the die. The objective of this research was to explore how binder addition influences the pellet quality and energy consumption of the high-moisture pelleting process in a flat die pellet mill. In the present study, raw corn stover was pelleted at moistures of 33, 36, and 39% (w.b.) by addition of 0, 2, and 4% pure corn starch. The partially dried pellets produced were further dried in a laboratory oven at 70 °C for 3-4 hr to lower the pellet moisture to less than 9% (w.b.). The high moisture and dried pellets were evaluated for their physical properties, such as bulk density and durability. The results indicated that increasing the binder percentage to 4% improved pellet durability and reduced the specific energy consumption by 20-40% compared to pellets with no binder. At higher binder addition (4%), the reduction in feedstock moisture during pelleting was <4%, whereas the reduction was about 7-8% without the binder. With 4% binder and 33% (w.b.) feedstock moisture content, the bulk density and durability values observed of the dried pellets were >510 kg/m3 and >98%, respectively, and the percent fine particles generated was reduced to <3%. PMID:27340875

Method to Produce Durable Pellets at Lower Energy Consumption Using High Moisture Corn Stover and a Corn Starch Binder in a Flat Die Pellet Mill.

PubMed

Tumuluru, Jaya Shankar; Conner, Craig C; Hoover, Amber N

2016-06-15

A major challenge in the production of pellets is the high cost associated with drying biomass from 30 to 10% (w.b.) moisture content. At Idaho National Laboratory, a high-moisture pelleting process was developed to reduce the drying cost. In this process the biomass pellets are produced at higher feedstock moisture contents than conventional methods, and the high moisture pellets produced are further dried in energy efficient dryers. This process helps to reduce the feedstock moisture content by about 5-10% during pelleting, which is mainly due to frictional heat developed in the die. The objective of this research was to explore how binder addition influences the pellet quality and energy consumption of the high-moisture pelleting process in a flat die pellet mill. In the present study, raw corn stover was pelleted at moistures of 33, 36, and 39% (w.b.) by addition of 0, 2, and 4% pure corn starch. The partially dried pellets produced were further dried in a laboratory oven at 70 °C for 3-4 hr to lower the pellet moisture to less than 9% (w.b.). The high moisture and dried pellets were evaluated for their physical properties, such as bulk density and durability. The results indicated that increasing the binder percentage to 4% improved pellet durability and reduced the specific energy consumption by 20-40% compared to pellets with no binder. At higher binder addition (4%), the reduction in feedstock moisture during pelleting was <4%, whereas the reduction was about 7-8% without the binder. With 4% binder and 33% (w.b.) feedstock moisture content, the bulk density and durability values observed of the dried pellets were >510 kg/m(3) and >98%, respectively, and the percent fine particles generated was reduced to <3%.

Comparison of cryogenic (hydrogen) and TESPEL (polystyrene) pellet particle deposition in a magnetically confined plasma

DOE PAGES

McCarthy, K. J.; Tamura, N.; Combs, S. K.; ...

2018-01-05

Here, a cryogenic pellet injector (PI) and tracer encapsulated solid pellet (TESPEL) injector system has been operated in combination on the stellarator TJ-II. This unique arrangement has been created by piggy-backing a TESPEL injector onto the backend of a pipe-gun–type PI. The combined injector provides a powerful new tool for comparing ablation and penetration of polystyrene TESPEL pellets and solid hydrogen pellets, as well as for contrasting subsequent pellet particle deposition and plasma perturbation under analogous plasma conditions. For instance, a significantly larger increase in plasma line-averaged electron density, and electron content, is observed after a TESPEL pellet injection comparedmore » with an equivalent cryogenic pellet injection. Moreover, for these injections from the low-magnetic-field side of the plasma cross-section, TESPEL pellets deposit electrons deeper into the plasma core than cryogenic pellets. Finally, the physics behind these observations and possible implications for pellet injection studies are discussed.« less

Comparison of cryogenic (hydrogen) and TESPEL (polystyrene) pellet particle deposition in a magnetically confined plasma

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

McCarthy, K. J.; Tamura, N.; Combs, S. K.

Here, a cryogenic pellet injector (PI) and tracer encapsulated solid pellet (TESPEL) injector system has been operated in combination on the stellarator TJ-II. This unique arrangement has been created by piggy-backing a TESPEL injector onto the backend of a pipe-gun–type PI. The combined injector provides a powerful new tool for comparing ablation and penetration of polystyrene TESPEL pellets and solid hydrogen pellets, as well as for contrasting subsequent pellet particle deposition and plasma perturbation under analogous plasma conditions. For instance, a significantly larger increase in plasma line-averaged electron density, and electron content, is observed after a TESPEL pellet injection comparedmore » with an equivalent cryogenic pellet injection. Moreover, for these injections from the low-magnetic-field side of the plasma cross-section, TESPEL pellets deposit electrons deeper into the plasma core than cryogenic pellets. Finally, the physics behind these observations and possible implications for pellet injection studies are discussed.« less

Unintentional and Sequential Lead Exposure from a Ceramic Mug and Maca (Lepidium meyenii).

PubMed

Johnson-Arbor, Kelly; Vo, Kathy; Wong, Flavia; Gajek, Ryszard

2018-06-01

Although the incidence of lead poisoning has decreased in the USA over the last 30 years, human exposures to lead-containing products are still reported. We present a case of unintentional lead exposure from a store-bought ceramic mug and a nutritional supplement. A 32-year-old female was found to have a whole blood lead concentration of 44 μg/dL. Evaluation of her home, occupation, and hobbies initially did not identify a source of lead exposure. Further investigation revealed that the likely etiology of the exposure was lead leaching from a ceramic mug used by the patient to drink hot lemon water while she was pregnant. She stopped drinking from the mug and her blood lead levels decreased, but increased a year later after she began to ingest a maca root powder supplement. Upon discontinuation of maca root powder ingestion, her blood lead levels decreased further. Over time, the acidity and heat of the hot lemon water used in the ceramic mug enhanced the breakdown of its leaded glaze. Maca powder, which is available as a nutritional supplement and is used to treat fatigue and enhance fertility, may contain lead and other minerals. Consumers, particularly women of childbearing age, and their physicians should be aware that imported products available from commercial retailers and internet vendors may contain significant amounts of lead.

Lignite pellets and methods of agglomerating or pelletizing

DOEpatents

Baker, Albert F.; Blaustein, Eric W.; Deurbrouck, Albert W.; Garvin, John P.; McKeever, Robert E.

1981-01-01

The specification discloses lignite pellets which are relatively hard, dust resistant, of generally uniform size and free from spontaneous ignition and general degradation. Also disclosed are methods for making such pellets which involve crushing as mined lignite, mixing said lignite with a binder such as asphalt, forming the lignite binder mixture into pellets, and drying the pellets.

Effects of thermal treatment on energy density and hardness of torrefied wood pellets

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

Peng, Jianghong; Wang, Jingsong; Bi, Xiaotao T.

Here, three types of wood pellets samples, including two types of commercial pellets and one type of lab-made control pellets were torrefied in a fixed bed unit to study the effect of thermal pretreatment on the quality of wood pellets. The quality of wood pellets was mainly characterized by the pellet density, bulk density, higher heating value, Meyer hardness, saturated moisture uptake, volumetric energy density, and energy yield. Results showed that torrefaction significantly decreased the pellet density, hardness, volumetric energy density, and energy yield. The higher heating value increased and the saturated moisture content decreased after torrefaction. In view ofmore » the lower density, lower hardness, lower volumetric energy density, and energy yield of torrefied pellets, it is recommended that biomass should be torrefied and then compressed to make strong pellets of high hydrophobicity and volumetric energy density.« less

Effects of thermal treatment on energy density and hardness of torrefied wood pellets

DOE PAGES

Peng, Jianghong; Wang, Jingsong; Bi, Xiaotao T.; ...

2014-09-27

Here, three types of wood pellets samples, including two types of commercial pellets and one type of lab-made control pellets were torrefied in a fixed bed unit to study the effect of thermal pretreatment on the quality of wood pellets. The quality of wood pellets was mainly characterized by the pellet density, bulk density, higher heating value, Meyer hardness, saturated moisture uptake, volumetric energy density, and energy yield. Results showed that torrefaction significantly decreased the pellet density, hardness, volumetric energy density, and energy yield. The higher heating value increased and the saturated moisture content decreased after torrefaction. In view ofmore » the lower density, lower hardness, lower volumetric energy density, and energy yield of torrefied pellets, it is recommended that biomass should be torrefied and then compressed to make strong pellets of high hydrophobicity and volumetric energy density.« less

Peristalsis and propulsion of colonic content can occur after blockade of major neuroneuronal and neuromuscular transmitters in isolated guinea pig colon.

PubMed

Sia, T C; Brookes, S J; Dinning, P G; Wattchow, D A; Spencer, N J

2013-12-01

We recently identified hexamethonium-resistant peristalsis in the guinea pig colon. We showed that, following acute blockade of nicotinic receptors, peristalsis recovers, leading to normal propagation velocities of fecal pellets along the colon. This raises the fundamental question: what mechanisms underlie hexamethonium-resistant peristalsis? We investigated whether blockade of the major receptors that underlie excitatory neuromuscular transmission is required for hexamethonium-resistant peristalsis. Video imaging of colonic wall movements was used to make spatiotemporal maps and determine the velocity of peristalsis. Propagation of artificial fecal pellets in the guinea pig distal colon was studied in hexamethonium, atropine, ω-conotoxin (GVIA), ibodutant (MEN-15596), and TTX. Hexamethonium and ibodutant alone did not retard peristalsis. In contrast, ω-conotoxin abolished peristalsis in some preparations and reduced the velocity of propagation in all remaining specimens. Peristalsis could still occur in some animals in the presence of hexamethonium + atropine + ibodutant + ω-conotoxin. Peristalsis never occurred in the presence of TTX. The major finding of the current study is the unexpected observation that peristalsis can occur after blockade of the major excitatory neuroneuronal and neuromuscular transmitters. Also, the colon retained an intrinsic polarity in the presence of these antagonists and was only able to expel pellets in an aboral direction. The nature of the mechanism(s)/neurotransmitter(s) that generate(s) peristalsis and facilitate(s) natural fecal pellet propulsion, after blockade of major excitatory neurotransmitters, at the neuroneuronal and neuromuscular junction remains to be identified.

Converting campus waste into renewable energy - a case study for the University of Cincinnati.

PubMed

Tu, Qingshi; Zhu, Chao; McAvoy, Drew C

2015-05-01

This paper evaluates the implementation of three waste-to-energy projects at the University of Cincinnati: waste cooking oil-to-biodiesel, waste paper-to-fuel pellets and food waste-to-biogas, respectively. The implementation of these waste-to-energy (WTE) projects would lead to the improvement of campus sustainability by minimizing waste management efforts and reducing GHG emissions via the displacement of fossil fuel usage. Technical and economic aspects of their implementation were assessed and the corresponding GHG reduction was estimated. Results showed that on-site implementation of these projects would: (1) divert 3682L (974 gallons) of waste cooking oil to 3712L (982 gallons) of biodiesel; (2) produce 138tonnes of fuel pellets from 133tonnes of waste paper (with the addition of 20.75tonnes of plastics) to replace121tonnes of coal; and (3) produce biogas that would be enough to replace 12,767m(3) natural gas every year from 146tonnes of food waste. The economic analysis determined that the payback periods for the three projects would be 16months for the biodiesel, 155months for the fuel pellet, and 74months for the biogas projects. The reduction of GHG emission from the implementation of the three WTE projects was determined to be 9.37 (biodiesel), 260.49 (fuel pellets), and 11.36 (biogas) tonnes of CO2-eq per year, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Asian Wood Pellet Markets

Treesearch

Joseph A. Roos; Allen Brackley

2012-01-01

This study examines the three major wood pellet markets in Asia: China, Japan, and South Korea. In contrast to the United States, where most wood pellets are used for residential heating with pellet stoves, a majority of the wood pellets in Asia are used for co-firing at coal-fired power plants. Our analysis indicated that Japan is the largest importer of wood pellets...

Production and characterization of pellets using Avicel CL611 as spheronization aid.

PubMed

Puah, Sin Yee; Yap, Hsiu Ni; Chaw, Cheng Shu

2014-03-01

The study looked into the feasibility of producing pellet using Avicel CL611 as spheronization aid by the extrusion/spheronization technique. Pellets were formulated to contain either 20% or 40% Avicel CL611 and lactose monohydrate as the other sole ingredient. Water is used as liquid binder. Quality of pellets and extrudates were analyzed for size distribution, shape, surface tensile strength and disintegration profile. More water was needed when higher Avicel CL611 fraction was used during the production of pellets. The pellets of larger size were obtained by increasing the water content. Pellets with aspect ratios of ∼1.1 were produced with high spheronization speed at short residence time. Higher tensile strength was achieved when increasing the water content and the fraction of Avicel CL611 during pellet production. These pellets also took longer time to disintegrate, nonetheless all the pellets disintegrated within 15 min. A positive linear relationship was obtained between the tensile strength and time for pellets to disintegrate. Strong but round pellets that disintegrate rapidly could be produced with Avicel CL611 as spheronization aid using moderately soluble compounds such as lactose.

Lead in tissues of mallard ducks dosed with two types of lead shot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finley, M.T.; Dieter, M.P.; Locke, L.N.

1976-01-01

Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were sacrificed one month after ingesting one number 4 all-lead shot or one number 4 lead-iron shot. Livers, kidneys, blood, wingbones, and eggs were analyzed for lead by atomic absorption. Necropsy of sacrificed ducks failed to reveal any of the tissue lesions usually associated with lead poisoning in waterfowl. Lead levels in ducks given all-lead shot averaged about twice those in ducks given lead-iron shot, reflecting the amount of lead in the two types of shot. Lead in the blood of ducks dosed with all-lead shot averaged 0.64 ppm, and 0.28 ppm in ducks given lead-iron shot. Lead residues in livers and kidneys of females given all-lead shot were significantly higher than in males. In both dosed groups, lead levels in wingbones of females were about 10 times those in males, and were significantly correlated with the number of eggs laid after dosage. Lead levels in contents and shells of eggs laid by hens dosed with all-lead shot were about twice those in eggs laid by hens dosed with lead-iron shot. Eggshells were found to best reflect levels of lead in the blood. Our results indicate that mallards maintained on a balanced diet and dosed with one lead shot may not accumulate extremely high lead levels in the liver and kidney. However, extremely high lead deposition may result in the bone of laying hens after ingesting sublethal amounts of lead shot as a result of mobilization of calcium from the bone during eggshell formation.

Cytochemical and immunocytochemical characterization of a fibrillar network (GP2) in pancreatic juice: possible role as a sieve in the pancreatic ductal system.

PubMed

Grondin, G; St-Jean, P; Beaudoin, A R

1992-04-01

The secretory product of the exocrine pancreas contains sedimentable and non-sedimentable materials. Electron microscopy of the pellet obtained after ultracentrifugation reveals two major components: microvesicles (pancreasomes) and a fibrillar network of small mesh size. Negative staining of an unfixed pellet demonstrated that these structures are not fixation artifacts. Cytochemical analysis showed that pancreasomes are reactive to osmication and uranyl acetate staining, whereas the fibrillar network was unreactive thereby indicating that the latter does not contain lipids; however, lead citrate staining reveals the network. Alcian blue, known to bind sulfate groups of mucosubstances, reacted strongly with the fibrillar network. The pellet was also characterized by immunocytochemistry with specific antibodies to amylase and glycoprotein 2 (GP2). Both antibodies were located only on the fibrillar network. Washing of the pellet with 100 mM KCl-250 mM NaBr had little effect on GP2 content, but reduced considerably alpha-amylase associated with the reticular matrix. It appeared that GP2 was the major component of the scaffolding that gives rise to the fibrillar network and that other proteins such as alpha-amylase could reversibly bind to it. When double-labeling immunocytochemistry was carried out on the unwashed pellet, labeling of the first antigen reduced the labeling of the second. Removal of amylase by washing the pellet increased the GP2 signal. These results indicate that amylase is bound on the GP2 network. Although the function of the GP2 network is still not clearly defined several possibilities could be envisaged at the level of the pancreatic duct system: 1) The network could drain off any aggregates or precipitates forming in small ducts. 2) The small mesh of the network would present a physical barrier to infecting bacteria that could enter into the duct system from the intestine, especially in conditions of low flow rates. 3) The network may exert a mechanical pressure on the membranes bordering the acinar lumen and small ducts thereby preventing their collapse in basal conditions.

Contact dermatitis following sustained exposure to pecans (Carya illinoensis): a case report.

PubMed

Joyce, Kathleen M; Boyd, Jason; Viernes, Jay L

2006-04-01

Type I hypersensitivity reactions following ingestion of peanuts and tree nuts are well characterized. Cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions are less well characterized, yet they remain the second most common reaction pattern to contact with or ingestion of such nuts. We present a case of a patient who experienced an acute vesicular cutaneous reaction after prolonged contact with pecans. This case illustrates the salient features of contact dermatitis and serves as a reminder that contact with allergenic foods can lead to hypersensitivity reactions.

Remilling of salvaged wood siding coated with lead-based paint. Part 1, Lead exposure

Treesearch

Robert H. Falk; John J. Janowiak; Stephen D. Cosper; Susan A. Drozdz

2005-01-01

It is well known that the lead contained in lead-based paint (LBP) can pose a serious human health risk if ingested. In our nation’s building infrastructure, millions of meters of high quality salvageable lumber have been coated with LBP. The study presented in this and a companion paper investigated the feasibility of producing several standardized wood product...

Probing RFP Density Limits and the Interaction of Pellet Fueling and NBI Heating on MST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caspary, K. J.; Chapman, B. E.; Anderson, J. K.; Limbach, S. T.; Oliva, S. P.; Sarff, J. S.; Waksman, J.; Combs, S. K.; Foust, C. R.

2013-10-01

Pellet fueling on MST has previously achieved Greenwald fractions of up to 1.5 in 200 kA improved confinement discharges. Additionally, pellet fueling to densities above the Greenwald limit in 200 kA standard discharges resulted in early termination of the plasma, but pellet size was insufficient to exceed the limit for higher current discharges. To this end, the pellet injector on MST has been upgraded to increase the maximum fueling capability by increasing the size of the pellet guide tubes, which constrain the lateral motion of the pellet in flight, to accommodate pellets of up to 4.0 mm in diameter. These 4.0 mm pellets are capable of triggering density limit terminations for MST's peak current of 600 kA. An unexpected improvement in the pellet speed and mass control was also observed compared to the smaller diameter pellets. Exploring the effect of increased density on NBI particle and heat deposition shows that for MST's 1 MW tangential NBI, core deposition of 25 keV neutrals is optimized for densities of 2-3 × 1019 m-3. This is key for beta limit studies in pellet fueled discharges with improved confinement where maximum NBI heating is desired. An observed toroidal deflection of pellets injected into NBI heated discharges is consistent with asymmetric ablation due to the fast ion population. In 200 kA improved confinement plasmas with NBI heating, pellet fueling has achieved a Greenwald fraction of 2.0. Work supported by US DoE.

ELM mitigation with pellet ELM triggering and implications for PFCs and plasma performance in ITER

DOE PAGES

Baylor, Larry R.; Lang, P. T.; Allen, Steve L.; ...

2014-10-05

The triggering of rapid small edge localized modes (ELMs) by high frequency pellet injection has been proposed as a method to prevent large naturally occurring ELMs that can erode the ITER plasma facing components. Deuterium pellet injection has been used to successfully demonstrate the on-demand triggering of edge localized modes (ELMs) at much higher rates and with much smaller intensity than natural ELMs. The proposed hypothesis for the triggering mechanism of ELMs by pellets is the local pressure perturbation resulting from reheating of the pellet cloud that can exceed the local high-n ballooning mode threshold where the pellet is injected.more » Nonlinear MHD simulations of the pellet ELM triggering show destabilization of high-n ballooning modes by such a local pressure perturbation. A review of the recent pellet ELM triggering results from ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), DIII-D, and JET reveals that a number of uncertainties about this ELM mitigation technique still remain. These include the heat flux impact pattern on the divertor and wall from pellet triggered and natural ELMs, the necessary pellet size and injection location to reliably trigger ELMs, and the level of fueling to be expected from ELM triggering pellets and synergy with larger fueling pellets. The implications of these issues for pellet ELM mitigation in ITER and its impact on the PFCs are presented along with the design features of the pellet injection system for ITER.« less

ELM mitigation with pellet ELM triggering and implications for PFCs and plasma performance in ITER

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

Baylor, Larry R.; Lang, P.; Allen, S. L.

2015-08-01

The triggering of rapid small edge localized modes (ELMs) by high frequency pellet injection has been proposed as a method to prevent large naturally occurring ELMs that can erode the ITER plasma facing components (PFCs). Deuterium pellet injection has been used to successfully demonstrate the on-demand triggering of edge localized modes (ELMs) at much higher rates and with much smaller intensity than natural ELMs. The proposed hypothesis for the triggering mechanism of ELMs by pellets is the local pressure perturbation resulting from reheating of the pellet cloud that can exceed the local high-n ballooning mode threshold where the pellet ismore » injected. Nonlinear MHD simulations of the pellet ELM triggering show destabilization of high-n ballooning modes by such a local pressure perturbation.A review of the recent pellet ELM triggering results from ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), DIII-D, and JET reveals that a number of uncertainties about this ELM mitigation technique still remain. These include the heat flux impact pattern on the divertor and wall from pellet triggered and natural ELMs, the necessary pellet size and injection location to reliably trigger ELMs, and the level of fueling to be expected from ELM triggering pellets and synergy with larger fueling pellets. The implications of these issues for pellet ELM mitigation in ITER and its impact on the PFCs are presented along with the design features of the pellet injection system for ITER.« less

Bioaccessibility Of Lead Sequestered To Corundum and Ferrihydrite In A Simulated Gastrointestinal System

EPA Science Inventory

Lead (Pb) sorption onto oxide surfaces in soils may strongly influence the risk posed from incidental ingestion of Pb-contaminated soil. Lead was sorbed to model oxide minerals of corundum (α-Al₂O₃) and ferrihydrite (Fe₅HO₈•4H₂

The influence of environmental conditions on lead transfer from spent gunshot to sediments and water: Other routes for Pb poisoning.

PubMed

Binkowski, Łukasz J

2017-11-01

Lead (Pb) from spent gunshot and fishing sinkers is recognized as the main source of Pb poisoning among waterfowl. It is also suspected to directly pollute water and sediments, but no appropriate, comprehensive evaluation of this issue has so far been carried out. An experiment on Pb pellets in microcosms (n = 160) with two sediment types (mud and gravel), three water pH values (4, 7 and 9) and two wind levels (wind and windless simulation) was therefore run. Substantial differences in Pb transfer (measured with ICP-OES) between sediment types and pH levels of water were observed. Simulated wind conditions were a significant factor only for some variables and circumstances. The strongest Pb deposit to water and sediments occurred in mud microcosms with water of pH value of 4. Median pellet erosion during the experiment differed little between sediment types. The experiment revealed that Pb transfer from spent gunshot to the environment occurs only in specific environmental conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MOLECULAR STUDIES OF PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA CHL-004'S INTERACTION WITH HEAVY METALS

EPA Science Inventory

Heavy metal contamination of soils and sediments as the result of human activity is of worldwide concern. In particular lead, which has been used in the production of batteries, gasoline, paint and pigments, is a potent neurotoxin when taken internally. Ingestion of lead can resu...

In-vitro analysis of the dissolution kinetics and systemic availability of plutonium ingested in the form of 'hot' particles from the Semipalatinsk NTS.

PubMed

Conway, M; León Vintró, L; Mitchell, P I; García-Tenorio, R; Jimenez-Ramos, M C; Burkitbayev, M; Priest, N D

2009-05-01

In-vitro leaching of radioactive 'hot' particles isolated from soils sampled at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site has been carried out in order to evaluate the fraction of plutonium activity released into simulated human stomach and small intestine fluids during digestion. Characterisation of the particles (10-100 Bq(239,240)Pu) and investigation of their dissolution kinetics in simulated fluids has been accomplished using a combination of high-resolution alpha-spectrometry, gamma-spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting. The results of these analyses indicate that plutonium transfer across the human gut following the ingestion of 'hot' particles can be up to two orders of magnitude lower than that expected for plutonium in a more soluble form, and show that for areas affected by local fallout, use of published ingestion dose coefficients, together with bulk radionuclide concentrations in soil, may lead to a considerable overestimation of systemic uptake via the ingestion pathway.

Schedule-induced drinking: rate of food delivery and Herrnstein's equation.

PubMed Central

Wetherington, C L

1979-01-01

Schedule-induced drinking was measured in four rats exposed to fixed-time schedules of food ranging from 30 to 480 seconds. Herrnstein's (1970, 1974) equation relating rate of a single response as a hyperbolic function of reinforcement rate provided a good fit to three measures of drinking: lick rate, ingestion rate, and relative time spent drinking. The functions relating the three measures of drinking to reinforcement rate were of similar form. Herrnstein's equation also provided a good description of some already published data on schedule-induced drinking. The fit both to the present data and to the already published data was improved somewhat by computing the measures by subtracting from the time base a latency constant representing the minimal time required to consume the food pellet and travel to the water source. The data from this study provide two correspondences between operant behavior and schedule-induced behavior: (a) conformity to Herrnstein's equation and (b) equivalence of rate and relative time measures. PMID:512568

Nutrient Distribution and Absorption in the Colonial Hydroid Podocoryna carnea Is Sequentially Diffusive and Directional.

PubMed

Buss, Leo W; Anderson, Christopher P; Perry, Elena K; Buss, Evan D; Bolton, Edward W

2015-01-01

The distribution and absorption of ingested protein was characterized within a colony of Podocoryna carnea when a single polyp was fed. Observations were conducted at multiple spatial and temporal scales at three different stages of colony ontogeny with an artificial food item containing Texas Red conjugated albumin. Food pellets were digested and all tracer absorbed by digestive cells within the first 2-3 hours post-feeding. The preponderance of the label was located in the fed polyp and in a transport-induced diffusion pattern surrounding the fed polyp. After 6 hours post-feeding particulates re-appeared in the gastrovascular system and their absorption increased the area over which the nutrients were distributed, albeit still in a pattern that was centered on the fed polyp. At later intervals, tracer became concentrated in some stolon tips, but not in others, despite the proximity of these stolons either to the fed polyp or to adjacent stolons receiving nutrients. Distribution and absorption of nutrients is sequentially diffusive and directional.

Reuse potential of low-calcium bottom ash as aggregate through pelletization.

PubMed

Geetha, S; Ramamurthy, K

2010-01-01

Coal combustion residues which include fly ash, bottom ash and boiler slag is one of the major pollutants as these residues require large land area for their disposal. Among these residues, utilization of bottom ash in the construction industry is very low. This paper explains the use of bottom ash through pelletization. Raw bottom ash could not be pelletized as such due to its coarseness. Though pulverized bottom ash could be pelletized, the pelletization efficiency was low, and the aggregates were too weak to withstand the handling stresses. To improve the pelletization efficiency, different clay and cementitious binders were used with bottom ash. The influence of different factors and their interaction effects were studied on the duration of pelletization process and the pelletization efficiency through fractional factorial design. Addition of binders facilitated conversion of low-calcium bottom ash into aggregates. To achieve maximum pelletization efficiency, the binder content and moisture requirements vary with type of binder. Addition of Ca(OH)(2) improved the (i) pelletization efficiency, (ii) reduced the duration of pelletization process from an average of 14-7 min, and (iii) reduced the binder dosage for a given pelletization efficiency. For aggregate with clay binders and cementitious binder, Ca(OH)(2) and binder dosage have significant effect in reducing the duration of pelletization process. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microstructure and trapped field of YBCO bulk single-grain superconductors prepared by interior seeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radusovska, M.; Diko, P.; Piovarci, S.; Park, S.-D.; Jun, B.-H.; Kim, C.-J.

2017-10-01

The microstructural analyses of YBCO bulk single-grain superconductors grown by interior seeding with taller and shorter upper pellets have shown that a suitable upper pellet height can lower the porosity in the upper part of the sample, produce a more appropriate distribution of pinning centres in the form of Y-211 particles and suppress subgrain formation with a higher crystal misalignment in the c-growth sector (c-GS), which can lead to a higher measured trapped magnetic field and a more uniform cone of the trapped-field profile. The observed bulging of the sample surface at the c-GS can be explained by the edge melt distribution model, which shows that macroscopic mass transport to the growth sector occurs with higher growth rates.

Closed Brayton Cycle power system with a high temperature pellet bed reactor heat source for NEP applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juhasz, Albert J.; El-Genk, Mohamed S.; Harper, William B., Jr.

1992-01-01

Capitalizing on past and future development of high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) technology, a low mass 15 MWe closed gas turbine cycle power system using a pellet bed reactor heating helium working fluid is proposed for Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) applications. Although the design of this directly coupled system architecture, comprising the reactor/power system/space radiator subsystems, is presented in conceptual form, sufficient detail is included to permit an assessment of overall system performance and mass. Furthermore, an attempt is made to show how tailoring of the main subsystem design characteristics can be utilized to achieve synergistic system level advantages that can lead to improved reliability and enhanced system life while reducing the number of parasitic load driven peripheral subsystems.

High-rate behaviour of iron ore pellet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustafsson, Gustaf; Häggblad, Hans-Åke; Jonsén, Pär; Nishida, Masahiro

2015-09-01

Iron ore pellets are sintered, centimetre-sized spheres of ore with high iron content. Together with carbonized coal, iron ore pellets are used in the production of steel. In the transportation from the pelletizing plants to the customers, the iron ore pellets are exposed to different loading situations, resulting in degradation of strength and in some cases fragmentation. For future reliable numerical simulations of the handling and transportation of iron ore pellets, knowledge about their mechanical properties is needed. This paper describes the experimental work to investigate the dynamic mechanical properties of blast furnace iron ore pellets. To study the dynamic fracture of iron ore pellets a number of split Hopkinson pressure bar tests are carried out and analysed.

Microwave sensing of moisture in flowing biomass pellets

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Production of pelleted biomass is a significant emerging industry in the United States. A primary quality attribute of pelleted biomass is moisture content. This parameter is critical in pricing, binding, combustion, and storage of pelleted biomass. In order to produce pellets of a high quality mois...

Simulating Pelletization Strategies to Reduce the Biomass Supply Risk at America’s Biorefineries

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

Jacob J. Jacobson; Shane Carnohan; Andrew Ford

2014-07-01

Demand for cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels has been on the rise, due in part to federal targets enacted in 2005 and extended in 2007. The industry faces major challenges in meeting these worthwhile and ambitious targets. The challenges are especially severe in the logistics of timely feedstock delivery to biorefineries. Logistical difficulties arise from seasonal production that forces the biomass to be stored in uncontrolled field-side environments. In this storage format physical difficulties arise; transportation is hindered by the low bulk density of baled biomass and the unprotected material can decay leading to unpredictable losses. Additionally, uncertain yieldsmore » and contractual difficulties can exacerbate these challenges making biorefineries a high-risk venture. Investors’ risk could limit business entry and prevent America from reaching the targets. This paper explores pelletizer strategies to convert the lignocellulosic biomass into a denser form more suitable for storage. The densification of biomass would reduce supply risks, and the new system would outperform conventional biorefinery supply systems. Pelletizer strategies exhibit somewhat higher costs, but the reduction in risk is well worth the extra cost if America is to grow the advanced biofuels industry in a sustainable manner.« less

The effect of airborne lead particle size on worker blood-lead levels: an empirical study of battery workers.

PubMed

Hodgkins, D G; Robins, T G; Hinkamp, D L; Schork, M A; Levine, S P; Krebs, W H

1991-12-01

Theoretical models and experimental data suggest that the particle size distribution of lead aerosols should affect the lead dose absorbed by exposed workers. In the present study, 44 workers in five major operations in a high-volume, lead-acid battery plant were studied for the influence of lead aerosol size on lead-in-blood (PbB) levels. A multiple linear regression analysis based on particle size assumptions made in the model used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to help select the permissible exposure level (PEL) for lead showed no improvement in prediction of PbB over that already present without any consideration of particle size. The use of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) regional size-selective criteria also failed to improve the prediction of PbB. However, when deposition models developed by Heyder et al were used in which the lead aerosol was separated into alveolar and extra-alveolar fractions, corresponding to what is considered respirable and ingestible lead, the coefficient of determination (R2) associated with the fractionated lead particulate increased approximately 25% over that attributable to only the total lead concentration. In addition, the deposition model, which closely matched the ACGIH reference worker criteria, resulted in ratios of the coefficients for the respirable to ingestible lead contributions to PbB that appeared to agree with experimental data, suggesting approximately a 10 to 1 ratio in absorption efficiency of the lung versus the gastrointestinal tract.

Modeling pellet impact drilling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalyov, A. V.; Ryabchikov, S. Ya; Isaev, Ye D.; Ulyanova, O. S.

2016-03-01

The paper describes pellet impact drilling which could be used to increase the drilling speed and the rate of penetration when drilling hard rocks. Pellet impact drilling implies rock destruction by metal pellets with high kinetic energy in the immediate vicinity of the earth formation encountered. The pellets are circulated in the bottom hole by a high velocity fluid jet, which is the principle component of the ejector pellet impact drill bit. The experiments conducted has allowed modeling the process of pellet impact drilling, which creates the scientific and methodological basis for engineering design of drilling operations under different geo-technical conditions.

Formation of particulate matter monitoring during combustion of wood pellete with additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palacka, Matej; Holubčík, Michal; Vician, Peter; Jandačka, Jozef

2016-06-01

Application additives into the material for the production of wood pellets achieve an improvement in some properties such as pellets ash flow temperature and abrasion resistance. Additives their properties influence the course of combustion, and have an impact on the results of issuance. The experiment were selected additives corn starch and dolomite. Wood pellets were produced in the pelleting press and pelletizing with the additives. Selected samples were tested for the production of particulate matter (PM) during their direct burn. The paper analyzing a process of producing wood pellets and his effect on the final properties.

Durable regenerable sorbent pellets for removal of hydrogen sulfide from coal gas

DOEpatents

Siriwardane, R.V.

1999-02-02

Pellets for removing hydrogen sulfide from a coal gasification stream at an elevated temperature are prepared in durable form, usable over repeated cycles of absorption and regeneration. The pellets include a material reactive with hydrogen sulfide, in particular zinc oxide, a binder, and an inert material, in particular calcium sulfate (drierite), having a particle size substantially larger than other components of the pellets. A second inert material and a promoter may also be included. Preparation of the pellets may be carried out by dry, solid-state mixing of components, moistening the mixture, and agglomerating it into pellets, followed by drying and calcining. Pellet size is selected, depending on the type of reaction bed for which the pellets are intended. The use of inert material with a large particle size provides a stable pellet structure with increased porosity, enabling effective gas contact and prolonged mechanical durability.

Durable regenerable sorbent pellets for removal of hydrogen sulfide from coal gas

DOEpatents

Siriwardane, R.V.

1997-12-30

Pellets for removing hydrogen sulfide from a coal gasification stream at an elevated temperature are prepared in durable form usable over repeated cycles of absorption and regeneration. The pellets include a material reactive with hydrogen sulfide, in particular zinc oxide, a binder, and an inert material, in particular calcium sulfate (drierite), having a particle size substantially larger than other components of the pellets. A second inert material and a promoter may also be included. Preparation of the pellets may be carried out by dry, solid-state mixing of components, moistening the mixture, and agglomerating it into pellets, followed by drying and calcining. Pellet size is selected, depending on the type of reaction bed for which the pellets are intended. The use of inert material with a large particle size provides a stable pellet structure with increased porosity, enabling effective gas contact and prolonged mechanical durability.

Techno-economic assessment of pellets produced from steam pretreated biomass feedstock

DOE PAGES

Shahrukh, Hassan; Oyedun, Adetoyese Olajire; Kumar, Amit; ...

2016-03-10

Minimum production cost and optimum plant size are determined for pellet plants for three types of biomass feedstock e forest residue, agricultural residue, and energy crops. The life cycle cost from harvesting to the delivery of the pellets to the co-firing facility is evaluated. The cost varies from 95 to 105 t -1 for regular pellets and 146–156 t -1 for steam pretreated pellets. The difference in the cost of producing regular and steam pretreated pellets per unit energy is in the range of 2e3 GJ -1. The economic optimum plant size (i.e., the size at which pellet production costmore » is minimum) is found to be 190 kt for regular pellet production and 250 kt for steam pretreated pellet. Furthermore, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were carried out to identify sensitivity parameters and effects of model error.« less

Durable regenerable sorbent pellets for removal of hydrogen sulfide from coal gas

DOEpatents

Siriwardane, Ranjani V.

1997-01-01

Pellets for removing hydrogen sulfide from a coal gasification stream at an elevated temperature are prepared in durable form usable over repeated cycles of absorption and regeneration. The pellets include a material reactive with hydrogen sulfide, in particular zinc oxide, a binder, and an inert material, in particular calcium sulfate (drierite), having a particle size substantially larger than other components of the pellets. A second inert material and a promoter may also be included. Preparation of the pellets may be carried out by dry, solid-state mixing of components, moistening the mixture, and agglomerating it into pellets, followed by drying and calcining. Pellet size is selected, depending on the type of reaction bed for which the pellets are intended. The use of inert material with a large particle size provides a stable pellet structure with increased porosity, enabling effective gas contact and prolonged mechanical durability.

Durable regenerable sorbent pellets for removal of hydrogen sulfide coal gas

DOEpatents

Siriwardane, Ranjani V.

1999-01-01

Pellets for removing hydrogen sulfide from a coal gasification stream at an elevated temperature are prepared in durable form, usable over repeated cycles of absorption and regeneration. The pellets include a material reactive with hydrogen sulfide, in particular zinc oxide, a binder, and an inert material, in particular calcium sulfate (drierite), having a particle size substantially larger than other components of the pellets. A second inert material and a promoter may also be included. Preparation of the pellets may be carried out by dry, solid-state mixing of components, moistening the mixture, and agglomerating it into pellets, followed by drying and calcining. Pellet size is selected, depending on the type of reaction bed for which the pellets are intended. The use of inert material with a large particle size provides a stable pellet structure with increased porosity, enabling effective gas contact and prolonged mechanical durability.

Compacted Multiparticulate Systems for Colon-Specific Delivery of Ketoprofen.

PubMed

de Alencar, Rodrigo Gomes; de Oliveira, Aline Carlos; Lima, Eliana Martins; da Cunha-Filho, Marcílio Sérgio Soares; Taveira, Stephânia Fleury; Marreto, Ricardo Neves

2017-08-01

Pellet-containing tablets for colon-specific drug delivery present higher targeting efficiency and lower costs when compared with monolithic tablets and pellet-filled capsules, respectively. In this study, pellets containing ketoprofen were coated with different acrylic polymers and submitted to compaction. The influence of formulation and process factors on film integrity was then evaluated. Pellets were prepared via extrusion-spheronization and coated using two acrylic polymers (Eudragit® FS 30 D and Opadry® 94 k28327, PMMA and PMA, respectively). The resulting pellets were mixed with placebo granules and compressed in a hydraulic press. Multiple regression showed that ketoprofen release from pellet-containing tablets is predominantly influenced by pellet content, hardness, friability, and disintegration time. PMA-containing tablets prepared under low compaction force or with low pellet content showed rapid disintegration (<1 min) and ketoprofen release similar to those of uncompressed coated pellets (∼30% at 360 min of experiment). On the other hand, PMMA-containing tablets showed a higher rupture level, and those prepared with higher pellet content gave rise to a non-disintegrating matrix. Coated pellets were shown to be able to target ketoprofen to the colonic region. Targeting capacity was dependent on the physicochemical characteristics of the tablets.

Cryogenic pellet production developments for long-pulse plasma operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meitner, S. J.; Baylor, L. R.; Combs, S. K.; Fehling, D. T.; McGill, J. M.; Duckworth, R. C.; McGinnis, W. D.; Rasmussen, D. A.

2014-01-01

Long pulse plasma operation on large magnetic fusion devices require multiple forms of cryogenically formed pellets for plasma fueling, on-demand edge localized mode (ELM) triggering, radiative cooling of the divertor, and impurity transport studies. The solid deuterium fueling and ELM triggering pellets can be formed by extrusions created by helium cooled, twin-screw extruder based injection system that freezes deuterium in the screw section. A solenoid actuated cutter mechanism is activated to cut the pellets from the extrusion, inserting them into the barrel, and then fired by the pneumatic valve pulse of high pressure gas. Fuel pellets are injected at a rate up to 10 Hz, and ELM triggering pellets are injected at rates up to 20 Hz. The radiative cooling and impurity transport study pellets are produced by introducing impurity gas into a helium cooled section of a pipe gun where it deposits in-situ. A pneumatic valve is opened and propellant gas is released downstream where it encounters a passive punch which initially accelerates the pellet before the gas flow around the finishes the pellet acceleration. This paper discusses the various cryogenic pellet production techniques based on the twin-screw extruder, pipe gun, and pellet punch designs.

Cryogenic pellet production developments for long-pulse plasma operation

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

Meitner, S. J.; Baylor, L. R.; Combs, S. K.

Long pulse plasma operation on large magnetic fusion devices require multiple forms of cryogenically formed pellets for plasma fueling, on-demand edge localized mode (ELM) triggering, radiative cooling of the divertor, and impurity transport studies. The solid deuterium fueling and ELM triggering pellets can be formed by extrusions created by helium cooled, twin-screw extruder based injection system that freezes deuterium in the screw section. A solenoid actuated cutter mechanism is activated to cut the pellets from the extrusion, inserting them into the barrel, and then fired by the pneumatic valve pulse of high pressure gas. Fuel pellets are injected at amore » rate up to 10 Hz, and ELM triggering pellets are injected at rates up to 20 Hz. The radiative cooling and impurity transport study pellets are produced by introducing impurity gas into a helium cooled section of a pipe gun where it deposits in-situ. A pneumatic valve is opened and propellant gas is released downstream where it encounters a passive punch which initially accelerates the pellet before the gas flow around the finishes the pellet acceleration. This paper discusses the various cryogenic pellet production techniques based on the twin-screw extruder, pipe gun, and pellet punch designs.« less

Contributions to advances in blend pellet products (BPP) research on molecular structure and molecular nutrition interaction by advanced synchrotron and globar molecular (Micro)spectroscopy.

PubMed

Guevara-Oquendo, Víctor H; Zhang, Huihua; Yu, Peiqiang

2018-04-13

To date, advanced synchrotron-based and globar-sourced techniques are almost unknown to food and feed scientists. There has been little application of these advanced techniques to study blend pellet products at a molecular level. This article aims to provide recent research on advanced synchrotron and globar vibrational molecular spectroscopy contributions to advances in blend pellet products research on molecular structure and molecular nutrition interaction. How processing induced molecular structure changes in relation to nutrient availability and utilization of the blend pellet products. The study reviews Utilization of co-product components for blend pellet product in North America; Utilization and benefits of inclusion of pulse screenings; Utilization of additives in blend pellet products; Application of pellet processing in blend pellet products; Conventional evaluation techniques and methods for blend pellet products. The study focus on recent applications of cutting-edge vibrational molecular spectroscopy for molecular structure and molecular structure association with nutrient utilization in blend pellet products. The information described in this article gives better insight on how advanced molecular (micro)spectroscopy contributions to advances in blend pellet products research on molecular structure and molecular nutrition interaction.

Volume measurement of cryogenic deuterium pellets by Bayesian analysis of single shadowgraphy images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szepesi, T.; Kálvin, S.; Kocsis, G.; Lang, P. T.; Wittmann, C.

2008-03-01

In situ commissioning of the Blower-gun injector for launching cryogenic deuterium pellets at ASDEX Upgrade tokamak was performed. This injector is designed for high repetitive launch of small pellets for edge localised modes pacing experiments. During the investigation the final injection geometry was simulated with pellets passing to the torus through a 5.5m long guiding tube. For investigation of pellet quality at launch and after tube passage laser flash camera shadowgraphy diagnostic units before and after the tube were installed. As indicator of pellet quality we adopted the pellet mass represented by the volume of the main remaining pellet fragment. Since only two-dimensional (2D) shadow images were obtained, a reconstruction of the full three-dimensional pellet body had to be performed. For this the image was first converted into a 1-bit version prescribing an exact 2D contour. From this contour the expected value of the volume was calculated by Bayesian analysis taking into account the likely cylindrical shape of the pellet. Under appropriate injection conditions sound pellets with more than half of their nominal mass are detected after acceleration; the passage causes in average an additional loss of about 40% to the launched mass. Analyzing pellets arriving at tube exit allowed for deriving the injector's optimized operational conditions. For these more than 90% of the pellets were arriving with sound quality when operating in the frequency range 5-50Hz.

Particle fueling experiments with a series of pellets in LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldzuhn, J.; Damm, H.; Dinklage, A.; Sakamoto, R.; Motojima, G.; Yasuhara, R.; Ida, K.; Yamada, H.; LHD Experiment Group; Wendelstein 7-X Team

2018-03-01

Ice pellet injection is performed in the heliotron Large Helical Device (LHD). The pellets are injected in short series, with up to eight individual pellets. Parameter variations are performed for the pellet ice isotopes, the LHD magnetic configurations, the heating scenario, and some others. These experiments are performed in order to find out whether deeper fueling can be achieved with a series of pellets compared to single pellets. An increase of the fueling efficiency is expected since pre-cooling of the plasma by the first pellets within a series could aid deeper penetration of later pellets in the same series. In addition, these experiments show which boundary conditions must be fulfilled to optimize the technique. The high-field side injection of pellets, as proposed for deep fueling in a tokamak, will not be feasible with the same efficiency in a stellarator or heliotron because there the magnetic field gradient is smaller than in a tokamak of comparable size. Hence, too shallow pellet fueling, in particular in a large device or a fusion reactor, will be an issue that can be overcome only by extremely high pellet velocities, or other techniques that will have to be developed in the future. It turned out by our investigations that the fueling efficiency can be enhanced by the injection of a series of pellets to some extent. However, further investigations will be needed in order to optimize this approach for deep particle fueling.

Effect of process variables on the quality characteristics of pelleted wheat distiller's dried grains with solubles

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

Jaya Shankar Tumuluru; Lope Tabil; Anthony Opoku

2011-04-01

The rapid expansion of ethanol processing plants in Canada has resulted in a significant increase in the production of wheat-based distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Transportation and flowability problems associated with DDGS necessitate investigations on pelleting. In the present study, the effect of process variables like die temperature (T) and feed moisture content (Mw) on the pellet properties like pellet moisture content, durability and pellet density was explored using a single pelleting machine; further studies on pelleting DDGS using a pilot-scale pellet mill were also conducted to understand the effect of die diameter and steam conditioning on durability andmore » bulk density of pellets. Proximate analysis of DDGS indicated that crude protein and dry matter were in the range of 37.37–40.33% and 91.27–92.60%, respectively. Linear regression models developed for pellet quality attributes like pellet moisture content, pellet density and durability adequately described the single pelleting process with R2 value of 0.97, 0.99 and 0.7, respectively. ANOVA results have indicated that linear terms T and Mw and the interaction term T × Mw were statistically significant at P < 0.01 and P < 0.1 for pellet moisture content and pellet density. Based on the trends of the surface plots, a medium T of about 50–80 °C and a low Mw of about 5.1% resulted in maximum pellet density and durability and minimum pellet moisture content. Results from pilot-scale studies indicated that bulk density, durability and throughput values were 436.8–528.9 kg m-3, 60.3–92.7% and 45.52–68.77 kg h-1, respectively. It was observed that both die diameter and steam addition had a significant effect on the bulk density and the durability values. The highest bulk density and durability were achieved with 6.4 mm die diameter with steam addition compared to 7.9 mm die with or without steam addition.« less

In Vitro Digestibility of Aluminum from Hibiscus sabdariffa Hot Watery Infusion and Its Concentration in Urine of Healthy Individuals.

PubMed

Frankova, Adela; Malik, Jan; Drabek, Ondrej; Szakova, Jirina; Sperlingova, Ilona; Kloucek, Pavel; Novy, Pavel; Tejnecky, Vaclav; Landa, Premysl; Leuner, Ogla; Kokoska, Ladislav

2016-12-01

Increased ingestion of aluminum (Al) can lead to its accumulation in the human body, especially in people with kidney problems. Al is also associated with several nervous diseases and its negative influence on embryo development during pregnancy has been proven in animal models. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. petals are widely used alone or in fruit tea formulas, which are recommended for drinking during pregnancy instead of tea. Its petals can contain similar and even higher amounts of Al as tea, which is a known Al accumulator. Our research investigated whether the regular intake of H. sabdariffa infusion leads to increased burden of Al. Sixteen days of ingestion of H. sabdariffa infusion (c Al  = 0.5 mg.L -1 ) led to increased but unbalanced levels (15-86 μg L -1 ) of Al in urine compared to a period when the infusion was not ingested. The highest amounts of Al excreted were observed every third day during the ingestion. Mild health problems, such as nausea and dizziness (which could be related to plant properties) were reported by more sensitive volunteers.Our results suggest that the tea infusion from H. sabdariffa petals increases body burden of Al and, therefore, sensitive individuals as pregnant women and people with kidney problems should be cautious with excessive consumption of hibiscus infusion or fruit teas containing this plant. However, further study including more individuals is needed to fully confirm our preliminary results.

Intestinal Perforation Due to Foreign Body Ingestion in a Schizophrenic Patient

PubMed Central

Zarei, Mina; Shariati, Behnam; Bidaki, Reza

2016-01-01

Introduction Ingestion of foreign bodies has been previously reported in some patients with schizophrenia. This behavior may be a manifestation of delusional beliefs or a response to command hallucinations and can lead to severe complications. Case Presentation This paper reports a patient with schizophrenia who, as a manifestation of his illness, ingested a metallic skewer to kill ademon inside his abdomen that he believed was controlling him. As a result, he developed an acute intestinal perforation and underwent surgery. Conclusions It is of a great importance to closely monitor the therapy compliance of patients suffering from mental illnesses. This will benefit them by preventing some of the serious complications of their disease, which may include life-threatening conditions such as intestinal perforation that needs surgical intervention. PMID:27803892

Increased DNA methylation of scavenger receptor class B type I contributes to inhibitory effects of prenatal caffeine ingestion on cholesterol uptake and steroidogenesis in fetal adrenals

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

Wu, Dong-Mei; He, Zheng; Ma, Liang-Peng

Steroid hormones synthesized from cholesterol in the fetal adrenal are crucial for fetal development. We have observed the inhibited fetal adrenal corticosterone synthesis and increased intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) rate in rats under prenatal caffeine ingestion. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of prenatal caffeine ingestion on cholesterol supply in fetal adrenal steroidogenesis in rats and explore the underlying epigenetic mechanisms. Pregnant Wistar rats were treated with 60 mg/kg·d caffeine from gestational day (GD) 7 to GD17. Histological changes of fetal adrenals and increased IUGR rates were observed in the caffeine group. There were significantly decreasedmore » steroid hormone contents and cholesterol supply in caffeine-treated fetal adrenals. Data from the gene expression array suggested that prenatal caffeine ingestion caused increased expression of genes related to DNA methylation and decreased expression of genes related to cholesterol uptake. The following conjoint analysis of DNA methylation array with these differentially expressed genes suggested that scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) may play an important role in caffeine-induced cholesterol supply deficiency. Moreover, real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical detection certified the inhibitory effects of caffeine on both mRNA expression and protein expression of SR-BI in the fetal adrenal. And the increased DNA methylation frequency in the proximal promoter of SR-BI was confirmed by bisulfite-sequencing PCR. In conclusion, prenatal caffeine ingestion can induce DNA hypermethylation of the SR-BI promoter in the rat fetal adrenal. These effects may lead to decreased SR-BI expression and cholesterol uptake, which inhibits steroidogenesis in the fetal adrenal. - Highlights: • Prenatal caffeine ingestion inhibits steroid hormone production in the fetal adrenal. • Prenatal caffeine ingestion inhibits cholesterol uptake in the fetal adrenal. • Prenatal caffeine ingestion inhibits the expression of SR-BI. • Prenatal caffeine ingestion induces increased DNA methylation of SR-BI promoter.« less

Causes of mortality of albatross chicks at Midway Atoll

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sileo, L.; Sievert, P.R.; Samuel, M.D.

1990-01-01

As part of an investigation of the effect of plastic ingestion on seabirds in Hawaii, we necropsied the carcasses of 137 Laysan albatross (Diomedea immutabilis) chicks from Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean during the summer of 1987. Selected tissues were collected for microbiological, parasitological, toxicological or histopathological examinations. Dehydration was the most common cause of death. Lead poisoning, trauma, emaciation (starvation) and trombidiosis were other causes of death; nonfatal nocardiosis and avian pox also were present. There was no evidence that ingested plastic caused mechanical lesions or mortality in 1987, but most of the chicks had considerably less plastic in them than chicks from earlier years. Human activity (lead poisoning and vehicular trauma) caused mortality at Midway Atoll and represented additive mortality for pre-fledgling albatrosses.

Sinkers or floaters? Contribution from salp pellets to the export flux during a large bloom event in the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iversen, Morten H.; Pakhomov, Evgeny A.; Hunt, Brian P. V.; van der Jagt, Helga; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter; Klaas, Christine

2017-04-01

Salp fecal pellets are rich in organic matter and have been shown to sink at very high velocities. In recent years, salp abundances have been increasing in the Southern Ocean where they seem to be replacing krill as the dominant grazers on phytoplankton. As salps can form large swarms with high pellet production rates, it has been suggested that they will become increasingly important for the vertical export of particulate organic matter in the Southern Ocean. However, detailed studies combining both investigations of pellet production rates, turnover, and export are still needed in order to determine whether salp pellets are important for export ('sinkers') or recycling ('floaters') of organic matter. Our results suggest that pellets are produced at high rates in the upper few hundred meters of the water column. Although we observed high sinking velocities and low microbial degradation rates of the produced salp pellets, only about one third of the produced pellets were captured in sediment traps placed at 100 m and about 13% of the produced pellets were exported to sediment traps placed at 300 m. The high retention of these fast-settling pellets seems to be caused by break-up and loosening of the pellets, possibly by zooplankton and salps themselves. We measured 3-fold lower size-specific sinking velocities in loosened and fragmented compared to freshly produced intact pellets-. This enhanced the residence times (>1 day) of both small and large pellets in the upper water column. We postulate that the fragile nature of salp pellets make them more important for recycling of organic matter in the upper mesopelagic layer rather than as a conduit for export of particulate organic matter to the seafloor.

Wax-based sustained release matrix pellets prepared by a novel freeze pelletization technique II. In vitro drug release studies and release mechanisms.

PubMed

Cheboyina, Sreekhar; Wyandt, Christy M

2008-07-09

A novel freeze pelletization technique was evaluated for the preparation of wax-based sustained release matrix pellets. Pellets containing water-soluble drugs were successfully prepared using a variety of waxes. The drug release significantly depended on the wax type used and the aqueous drug solubility. The drug release decreased as the hydrophobicity of wax increased and the drug release increased as the aqueous drug solubility increased. In glyceryl monostearate (GMS) pellets, drug release rate decreased as the loading of theophylline increased. On the contrary, the release rate increased as the drug loading of diltiazem HCl increased in Precirol pellets. Theophylline at low drug loads existed in a dissolved state in GMS pellets and the release followed desorption kinetics. At higher loads, theophylline existed in a crystalline state and the release followed dissolution-controlled constant release for all the waxes studied. However, with the addition of increasing amounts of Brij 76, theophylline release rate increased and the release mechanism shifted to diffusion-controlled square root time kinetics. But the release of diltiazem HCl from Precirol pellets at all drug loads, followed diffusion-controlled square root time kinetics. Therefore, pellets capable of providing a variety of release profiles for different drugs can be prepared using this freeze pelletization technique by suitably modifying the pellet forming matrix compositions.

MRI issues for ballistic objects: information obtained at 1.5-, 3- and 7-Tesla.

PubMed

Dedini, Russell D; Karacozoff, Alexandra M; Shellock, Frank G; Xu, Duan; McClellan, R Trigg; Pekmezci, Murat

2013-07-01

Few studies exist for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) issues and ballistics, and there are no studies addressing movement, heating, and artifacts associated with ballistics at 3-tesla (T). Movement because of magnetic field interactions and radiofrequency (RF)-induced heating of retained bullets may injure nearby critical structures. Artifacts may also interfere with the diagnostic use of MRI. To investigate these potential hazards of MRI on a sample of bullets and shotgun pellets. Laboratory investigation, ex vivo. Thirty-two different bullets and seven different shotgun pellets, commonly encountered in criminal trauma, were assessed relative to 1.5-, 3-, and 7-T magnetic resonance systems. Magnetic field interactions, including translational attraction and torque, were measured. A representative sample of five bullets were then tested for magnetic field interactions, RF-induced heating, and the generation of artifacts at 3-T. At all static magnetic field strengths, non-steel-containing bullets and pellets exhibited no movement, whereas one steel core bullet and two steel pellets exhibited movement in excess of what might be considered safe for patients in MRI at 1.5-, 3- and 7-Tesla. At 3-T, the maximum temperature increase of five bullets tested was 1.7°C versus background heating of 1.5°C. Of five bullets tested for artifacts, those without a steel core exhibited small signal voids, whereas a single steel core bullet exhibited a very large signal void. Ballistics made of lead with copper or alloy jackets appear to be safe with respect to MRI-related movement at 1.5-, 3-, and 7-T static magnetic fields, whereas ballistics containing steel may pose a danger if near critical body structures because of strong magnetic field interactions. Temperature increases of selected ballistics during 3-T MRI was not clinically significant, even for the ferromagnetic projectiles. Finally, ballistics containing steel generated larger artifacts when compared with ballistics made of lead with copper and alloy jackets and may impair the diagnostic use of MRI. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy Input and Quality of Pellets Made from Steam-Exploded Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

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

Sokhansanj, Shahabaddine; Bi, X.T.; Lim, C. Jim

Ground softwood Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) was treated with pressurized saturated steam at 200-220 C (1.6-2.4 MPa) for 5-10 min in a sealed container. The contents of the container were released to the atmosphere for a sudden decompression. The steam-exploded wood particles were dried to 10% moisture content and pelletized in a single-piston-cylinder system. The pellets were characterized for their mechanical strength, chemical composition, and moisture sorption. The steamtreated wood required 12-81% more energy to compact into pellets than the untreated wood. Pellets made from steam-treated wood had a breaking strength 1.4-3.3 times the strength of pellets made from untreatedmore » wood. Steam-treated pellets had a reduced equilibrium moisture content of 2-4% and a reduced expansion after pelletization. There was a slight increase in the high heating value from 18.94 to 20.09 MJ/kg for the treated samples. Steam-treated pellets exhibited a higher lengthwise rigidity compared to untreated pellets.« less

Measurement of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in plastic resin pellets from remote islands : Toward establishment of baseline level for International Pellet Watch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takada, H.; Heskett, M.; Yamashita, R.; Yuyama, M.; Itoh, M.; Geok, Y. B.; Ogata, Y.

2011-12-01

Plastic resin pellets collected from remote islands in open oceans (Canary, St. Helena, Cocos, Hawaii, Maui Islands and Barbados) were sorted and yellowing polyethylene (PE) pellets were measured for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and the degradation products (DDTs), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) by gas chromatograph equipped with mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and with electron capture detector (GC-ECD). PCBs were detected from all the pellet samples, confirming the global dispersion of PCBs. Median concentrations of PCBs (sum of 13 congeners : CB-66, CB-101, CB-110, CB-118, CB-105, CB-149, CB-153, CB-138, CB-128, CB-187, CB-180, CB-170, CB-206) in the remote island pellets ranged from 0.1 to 10 ng/g-pellet. These were one to three orders of magnitude lower than those observed for pellets from industrialized coastal zones (hundreds ng/g in Los Angeles, Boston, Tokyo; Ogata et al., 2009). Because these remote islands are far (>100 km) from industrialized zones, these concentrations (i.e., 0.1 to 10 ng/g-pellet) can be regarded as global "baseline" level of PCB pollution. Concentrations of DDTs in the remote island pellets ranged from 0.2 to 5.5 ng/g-pellet. At some locations, DDT was dominant over the degradation products (DDE and DDD), suggesting current usage of the pesticides in the islands. HCHs concentrations were 0.4 - 1.8 ng/g-pellet and lower than PCBs and DDTs, except for St. Helena Island at 18.8 ng/g-pellet where the current usage of the pesticides are of concern. The analyses of pellets from the remote islands provided "baseline" level of POPs (PCBs < 10 ng/g-pellet, DDTs < 6 ng/g-pellet, HCHs < 2 ng/g-pellet). However, the present samples were from tropical and subtropical areas. To establish global baseline, especially to understand the effects of global distillation, pellet samples from remote islands in higher latitude regions are necessary. From the eco-toxicological point of view, the fact that sporadic high concentrations of POPs were detected in some pellet samples from the remote islands is underscored. Some plastic debris which were contaminated in industrialized coastal zones may have rapidly transported to the remote islands before they would reach equilibrium (i.e., desorption completed). Because POPs concentrations in the other media are at trace levels in these remote environments, the sporadic high concentrations of POPs in the plastic debris may pose threat to the ecosystem in the remote islands.

Feed intake patterns of sport ponies and warmblood horses following iso-energetic intake of pelleted fibre-rich mixed feed, muesli feed and semicrushed oat grains.

PubMed

Bochnia, M; Boesel, M; Bahrenthien, L; Wensch-Dorendorf, M; Zeyner, A

2017-06-01

The aim of the study was to compare diverse feed intake patterns in sport ponies and warmblood-type horses after feeding iso-energetic amounts of three different concentrates: a pelleted fibre-rich mixed feed (PF), a muesli feed (MF) and semicrushed oat grains (OG). Four sport ponies and six warmblood-type horses received the concentrates and meadow hay according to maintenance (0.52 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) kg body weight (BW) 0.75 /day). Both breeds were allocated at random to three groups and received once daily for 8 days either OG (1 g starch/kg BW/meal) or iso-energetic quantities of PF and MF according to a crossover design. On the 8th day, feed intake patterns (chewing frequency (CF) in number of chewings (NC), NC/s), feed intake time (FIT DM , min/kg dry matter (DM); FIT (neutral detergent fibre) NDF , min/kg NDF) and chewing intensity (CI, NC/kg DM) were measured using modified halters. In warmbloods, PF tended to be ingested faster than MF and OG (10.3 ± 1.9, 13.0 ± 1.3, 14.4 ± 2.0 min/kg DM, respectively; p = 0.05). In ponies, a similar trend was observed (13.5 ± 2.5, 13.6 ± 2.0 and 15.4 ± 1.1 min/kg DM, respectively; p > 0.05). Ponies needed more time to ingest PF than warmbloods (p < 0.05). The CF of ponies was affected by the type of concentrate (PF and MF 1.43 ± 0.11 vs. OG 1.28 ± 0.093 NC/s; p < 0.05). The results indicate that concentrate intake of breeds follows a similar pattern and that breed differences were limited to PF only. In both breeds, PF induced chewing patterns different from those observed for OG and/or MF. However, an interpretation of these differences needs to take into consideration the diverse chemical compositions of the concentrates. Upcoming studies should address the throwback regarding PF and also examine the metabolic consequences of concentrate intake in ponies. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Zooplankton Gut Passage Mobilizes Lithogenic Iron for Ocean Productivity.

PubMed

Schmidt, Katrin; Schlosser, Christian; Atkinson, Angus; Fielding, Sophie; Venables, Hugh J; Waluda, Claire M; Achterberg, Eric P

2016-10-10

Iron is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton, but low concentrations limit primary production and associated atmospheric carbon drawdown in large parts of the world's oceans [1, 2]. Lithogenic particles deriving from aeolian dust deposition, glacial runoff, or river discharges can form an important source if the attached iron becomes dissolved and therefore bioavailable [3-5]. Acidic digestion by zooplankton is a potential mechanism for iron mobilization [6], but evidence is lacking. Here we show that Antarctic krill sampled near glacial outlets at the island of South Georgia (Southern Ocean) ingest large amounts of lithogenic particles and contain 3-fold higher iron concentrations in their muscle than specimens from offshore, which confirms mineral dissolution in their guts. About 90% of the lithogenic and biogenic iron ingested by krill is passed into their fecal pellets, which contain ∼5-fold higher proportions of labile (reactive) iron than intact diatoms. The mobilized iron can be released in dissolved form directly from krill or via multiple pathways involving microbes, other zooplankton, and krill predators. This can deliver substantial amounts of bioavailable iron and contribute to the fertilization of coastal waters and the ocean beyond. In line with our findings, phytoplankton blooms downstream of South Georgia are more intensive and longer lasting during years with high krill abundance on-shelf. Thus, krill crop phytoplankton but boost new production via their nutrient supply. Understanding and quantifying iron mobilization by zooplankton is essential to predict ocean productivity in a warming climate where lithogenic iron inputs from deserts, glaciers, and rivers are increasing [7-10]. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lead shot incidence on a New Mexico public hunting area

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

Schranck, B.W.; Dollahon, G.R.

The incidence of lead shot was investigated on a 20.2-ha (50-acre) seasonal marsh used for waterfowl hunting at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Roswell, New Mexico. Of the 162 soil samples taken randomly, 59% contained 1 to 5 lead shot. A minimum lead shot incidence of 98,985 shot per ha (40,075 per acre) was calculated. More shot was found in firm than in mucky soils. Management recommendations to limit waterfowl exposure to lead ingestion are offered.

Immunosuppressive effects of lead

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Feierabend, J.Scott; Russell, A.Brooke

1986-01-01

Immunosuppressive effects of lead were reported as early as 1966, when it was noted that lead increased the sensitivity of rats to bacterial endotoxins (Selye et al. 1966). Since then a substantial body of literature has demonstrated adverse effects of lead on the immune system in a variety of laboratory animals, but very little has been done in this area with avian species. Such immunosuppressive effects could be of significance to waterfowl populations, considering the potential for lead ingestion by waterfowl and subsequent exposure of these birds to disease agents.

Preliminary synchrotron analysis of lead in hair from a lead smelter worker

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

Martin, R.R.; Kempson, I.M.; Naftel, S.J.

2008-06-09

Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence has been used to study the distribution of lead in a hair sample collected from a lead smelter worker. A mathematical model was used to imitate the transverse scan signal based on the analysis volume and concentration profiles. The results suggest that the Pb originates both from ingestion and environmental exposure, however direct deposition from the environment is the more important source of hair lead. The model could apply equally to any other analysis involving a thin cylindrical sample.

Investigation on the Characteristics of Pellet Ablation in a Toroidal Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, K. N.; Sakakita, H.; Fujita, H.

2003-06-01

Characteristics of a cloud ablated from an ice pellet has been investigated in detail in the JIPP T-IIU tokamak plasma by utilizing a new scheme of pellet injection system, "the injection-angle controllable system". A long "helical tail" of ablation light has been observed using CCD cameras and a high speed framing photograph in the case of on-axis and off-axis injection with the injection angle smaller than a certain value. The direction of the helical tail is found to be independent to that of the total magnetic field lines of the torus. From the experiments with the combination of two toroildal filed directions and two plasma current directions, it is considered that the tail seems to rotate, in most cases, to the electron diamagnetic direction poloidally, and to the opposite to the plasma current direction toroidally. Consideration on various cross sections including charge exchange, ionization and elastic collisions leads us to the conclusion that the tail-shaped phenomena may come from the situation of charge exchange equilibrium of hydrogen ions and neutrals at extremely high density regime in the cloud. The relation of ablation behavior with plasma potential and rotation has also been studied. Potential measurements of pellet-injected plasmas using heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) method were carried out for the first time. In the case of an injection angle to be anti-parallel to the electron diamagnetic direction in the poloidal plane, the result shows that the direction of potential change is negative, and consequently the potential after the injection should be negative because it has been measured to be negative in usual ohmic plasmas without pellet injection. Thus, the direction of the "tail" structure seems to be consistent to that of the plasma potential measured, if it is considered that tail structure may be caused by the effect of the plasma potential and the rotation.

3D modeling of missing pellet surface defects in BWR fuel

DOE PAGES

Spencer, B. W.; Williamson, R. L.; Stafford, D. S.; ...

2016-07-26

One of the important roles of cladding in light water reactor fuel rods is to prevent the release of fission products. To that end, it is essential that the cladding maintain its integrity under a variety of thermal and mechanical loading conditions. Local geometric irregularities in fuel pellets caused by manufacturing defects known as missing pellet surfaces (MPS) can in some circumstances lead to elevated cladding stresses that are sufficiently high to cause cladding failure. Accurate modeling of these defects can help prevent these types of failures. The BISON nuclear fuel performance code developed at Idaho National Laboratory can bemore » used to simulate the global thermo-mechanical fuel rod behavior, as well as the local response of regions of interest, in either 2D or 3D. In either case, a full set of models to represent the thermal and mechanical properties of the fuel, cladding and plenum gas is employed. A procedure for coupling 2D full-length fuel rod models to detailed 3D models of the region of the rod containing a MPS defect is detailed in this paper. The global and local model each contain appropriate physics and behavior models for nuclear fuel. This procedure is demonstrated on a simulation of a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel rod containing a pellet with an MPS defect, subjected to a variety of transient events, including a control blade withdrawal and a ramp to high power. The importance of modeling the local defect using a 3D model is highlighted by comparing 3D and 2D representations of the defective pellet region. Finally, parametric studies demonstrate the effects of the choice of gaseous swelling model and of the depth and geometry of the MPS defect on the response of the cladding adjacent to the defect.« less

Novel naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium compound pellets based on acid-independent mechanism: in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

PubMed

Lu, Jing; Kan, Shuling; Zhao, Yi; Zhang, Wenli; Liu, Jianping

2016-09-01

The purpose of this study was to develop the novel naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium compound pellets (novel-NAP/EMZ) depending on EMZ acid-independent mechanism which has been proved to be predominate in the mechanism of co-therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The novel-NAP/EMZ compound pellets, composed of NAP colon-specific pellets (NAP-CSPs) and EMZ modified-release pellets (EMZ-MRPs), were prepared by fluid-bed coating technology with desired in vitro release profiles. The resulting pellets were filled into hard gelatin capsules for in vivo evaluation in rats and compared with the reference compound pellets, consisted of NAP enteric-coated pellets (NAP-ECPs) and EMZ immediate-release pellets (EMZ-IRPs). The reference compound pellets were prepared simulating the drug delivery system of VIMOVO(®). In vivo pharmacokinetics, EMZ-MRPs had significantly larger AUC0-t (p < 0.01), 1.67 times more than that of EMZ-IRPs, and prolonged mean residence time (7.55 ± 0.12 h) than that of IRPs (1.46 ± 0.39 h). NAP-CSPs and NAP-ECPs showed similar AUC0-t. Compared to the reference compound pellets, the novel-NAP/EMZ compound pellets did not show distinct differences in histological mucosal morphology. However, biochemical tests exhibited enhanced total antioxidant capacity, increased nitric oxide content and reduced malondialdehyde level for novel-NAP/EMZ compound pellets, indicating that the acid-independent action took effect. The gastric pH values of novel-NAP/EMZ compound pellets were at a low and stable level, which could ensure normal physiological range of human gastric pH. As a result, the novel-NAP/EMZ compound pellets may be a more suitable formulation with potential advantages by improving bioavailability of drug and further reducing undesirable gastrointestinal damages.

Co-culture of Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Nucleus Pulposus Cells in Bilaminar Pellets for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration.

PubMed

Allon, Aliza A; Schneider, Richard A; Lotz, Jeffrey C

2009-01-01

Our goal is to optimize stem cell-based tissue engineering strategies in the context of the intervertebral disc environment. We explored the benefits of co-culturing nucleus pulposus cells (NPC) and adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) using a novel spherical bilaminar pellet culture system where one cell type is enclosed in a sphere of the other cell type. Our 3D system provides a structure that exploits embryonic processes such as tissue induction and condensation. We observed a unique phenomenon: the budding of co-culture pellets and the formation of satellite pellets that separate from the main pellet. MSC and NPC co-culture pellets were formed with three different structural organizations. The first had random organization. The other two had bilaminar organization with either MSC inside and NPC outside or NPC inside and MSC outside. By 14 days, all co-culture pellets exhibited budding and spontaneously generated satellite pellets. The satellite pellets were composed of both cell types and, surprisingly, all had the same bilaminar organization with MSC on the inside and NPC on the outside. This organization was independent of the structure of the main pellet that the satellites stemmed from. The main pellets generated satellite pellets that spontaneously organized into a bilaminar structure. This implies that structural organization occurs naturally in this cell culture system and may be inherently favorable for cell-based tissue engineering strategies. The occurrence of budding and the organization of satellite pellets may have important implications for the use of co-culture pellets in cell-based therapies for disc regeneration. From a therapeutic point of view, the generation of satellite pellets may be a beneficial feature that would serve to spread donor cells throughout the host matrix and restore normal matrix composition in a sustainable way, ultimately renewing tissue function.

AMENDING SOILS WITH PHOSPHATE AS MEANS TO MITIGATE SOIL LEAD HAZARD: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE STATE OF THE SCIENCE

EPA Science Inventory

Ingested soil and surface dust may be important contributors to elevated blood lead (Pb) levels in children exposed to Pb contaminated environments. Mitigation strategies have typically focused on excavation and removal of the contaminated soil. However, this is not always feas...

Lead and Cadmium in Vinyl Children's Products. A Greenpeace Expose.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Di Gangi, Joseph

Polyvinyl chloride (vinyl or PVC) is a substance widely used in children's products. Because children in contact with these products may ingest substantial quantities of potentially harmful chemicals during normal play, especially when they chew on the product, this Greenpeace study examined the levels of lead and cadmium in a variety of consumer…

LINKING SOLID PHASE SPECIATION OF PB SEQUESTERED TO BIRNESSITE TO ORAL PB BIOACCESSIBLITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOIL REMEDIATION

EPA Science Inventory

Lead (Pb) sorption onto oxide surfaces in soils may strongly influence the risk posed from incidental ingestion of lead-contaminated soils. In this study, Pb was sorbed to a model soil mineral, birnessite, and was placed in a simulated gastrointestinal tract (in vitro) to simula...

Critical Science Issues for Direct Drive Inertial Fusion Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlburg, Jill P.; Gardner, John H.; Schmitt, Andrew J.; Obenschain, S. P.

1998-09-01

There are several topics that require resolution prior to the construction of an Inertial Fusion Energy [IFE] laboratory Engineering Test Facility [ETF]: a pellet that produces high gain; a pellet fabrication system that cost-effectively and rapidly manufactures these pellets; a sufficiently uniform and durable high repetition-rate laser pellet driver; a practical target injection system that provides accurate pellet aiming; and, a target chamber that will survive the debris and radiation of repeated high-gain pellet implosions. In this summary we describe the science issues and opportunities that are involved in the design of a successful high gain direct drive Inertial Confinement Fusion [ICF] pellet.

Influence of apple pomace inclusion on the process of animal feed pelleting.

PubMed

Maslovarić, Marijana D; Vukmirović, Đuro; Pezo, Lato; Čolović, Radmilo; Jovanović, Rade; Spasevski, Nedeljka; Tolimir, Nataša

2017-08-01

Apple pomace (AP) is the main by-product of apple juice production. Large amounts of this material disposed into landfills can cause serious environmental problems. One of the solutions is to utilise AP as animal feed. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of dried AP inclusion into model mixtures made from conventional feedstuffs on pellet quality and pellet press performance. Three model mixtures, with different ratios of maize, sunflower meal and AP, were pelleted. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied when designing the experiment. The simultaneous and interactive effects of apple pomace share (APS) in the mixtures, die thickness (DT) of the pellet press and initial moisture content of the mixtures (M), on pellet quality and production parameters were investigated. Principal component analysis (PCA) and standard score (SS) analysis were applied for comprehensive analysis of the experimental data. The increase in APS led to an improvement of pellet quality parameters: pellet durability index (PDI), hardness (H) and proportion of fines in pellets. The increase in DT and M resulted in pellet quality improvement. The increase in DT and APS resulted in higher energy consumption of the pellet press. APS was the most influential variable for PDI and H calculation, while APS and DT were the most influential variables in the calculation of pellet press energy consumption. PCA showed that the first two principal components could be considered sufficient for data representation. In conclusion, addition of dried AP to feed model mixtures significantly improved the quality of the pellets.

Effect of Bioenergy Demands and Supply Response on Markets, Carbon, and Land Use

Treesearch

Karen L. Abt; Robert C. Abt; Christopher Galik

2012-01-01

An increase in the demand for wood for energy, including liquid fuels, bioelectricity, and pellets, has the potential to affect traditional wood users, forestland uses, management intensities, and, ultimately, carbon sequestration. Recent studies have shown that increases in bioenergy harvests could lead to displacement of traditional wood-using industries in the short...

The effects of supplemental Sericea lespedeza pellets in lambs and kids. 1. Growth rate

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sericea lespedeza (SL; Lespedeza cuneata) has been used in recent years to aid in the control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in sheep and goats. Grazing or feeding dried SL leads to a reduction in egg production by GIN and reduces coccidiosis. Growth rates in lambs and kids when fed SL for mo...

PELLETS AND PELLETIZATION: EMERGING TRENDS IN THE PHARMA INDUSTRY.

PubMed

Zaman, Muhammad; Saeed-Ul-Hassan, Syed; Sarfraz, Rai Muhammad; Batool, Nighat; Qureshi, Muhammad Junaid; Akram, Muhammad Abdullah; Munir, Saiqa; Danish, Zeeshan

2016-11-01

The present time is considered as an era of advancements in drug delivery systems. Different novel approaches are under investigation that range from uniparticulate to multi particulate system, macro to micro and nano particulate systems. Pelletization is one of the novel drug delivery technique that provides an effective way to deliver the drug in modified pattern. It is advantageous in providing site specific delivery of the drug. Drugs with unpleasant taste, poor bioavailability and short biological half-life can be delivered efficiently through pellets. Their reduced size makes them more valuable as compared to the conventional drug deliv- ery system. Different techniques are used to fabricate the pellets such as extrusion and spheronization, hot melt extrusion, powder layering, suspension or solution layering, freeze pelletization and pelletization by direct compression method. Various natural polymers including xanthan gum, guar gum, tragacanth and gum acacia, semisynthetic polymers like cellulose derivatives, synthetic polymers like derivatives of acrylamides, can be used in pellets formulation. Information provided in this review is collected from various national and intemational research articles, review articles and literature available in the books. The purpose of the current review is to discuss pellets, their characterizations, different techniques of pelletization and the polymers with potential of being suitable for pellets formulation.

The Role of Biomass Composition and Steam Treatment on Durability of Pellets

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

Tang, Yong; Chandra, Richard P.; Sokhansanj, Shahab

Steam treatment has been reported to improve the durability of wood pellet likely by changing the physical and chemical structures of wood particles, but published literature is inconclusive about which structure change is the major reason for enhanced durability. Here, in this paper, steam treatment was combined either with alkaline or with SO 2 to study. The solids obtained after steam treatments along with a control sample were dried and each was compacted into pellets. The pellets were then tested for durability. Steam treatment alone dominated improvements in durability. The pellet durability increased with the amount of xylose, but xylosemore » performed better in the pellet from raw poplar than did in the pellet from treated poplar. Water-soluble components contributed a maximum 4% of the durability of poplar pellets. The addition of lignin and sugars to substrates after steam treatment did not improve durability significantly. The surface modification that took place as a result of size reduction during steam treatment was the major reason, contributing about 50% of the durability of the pellet from steam-treated poplar. The acidity of steam treatment slightly affected the relative contributions of these structure changes on the durability. Lastly, the new knowledge helps tailor the chemical and/or mechanical pretreatment involved in pelleting biomass to durable pellets.« less

The Role of Biomass Composition and Steam Treatment on Durability of Pellets

DOE PAGES

Tang, Yong; Chandra, Richard P.; Sokhansanj, Shahab; ...

2018-03-03

Steam treatment has been reported to improve the durability of wood pellet likely by changing the physical and chemical structures of wood particles, but published literature is inconclusive about which structure change is the major reason for enhanced durability. Here, in this paper, steam treatment was combined either with alkaline or with SO 2 to study. The solids obtained after steam treatments along with a control sample were dried and each was compacted into pellets. The pellets were then tested for durability. Steam treatment alone dominated improvements in durability. The pellet durability increased with the amount of xylose, but xylosemore » performed better in the pellet from raw poplar than did in the pellet from treated poplar. Water-soluble components contributed a maximum 4% of the durability of poplar pellets. The addition of lignin and sugars to substrates after steam treatment did not improve durability significantly. The surface modification that took place as a result of size reduction during steam treatment was the major reason, contributing about 50% of the durability of the pellet from steam-treated poplar. The acidity of steam treatment slightly affected the relative contributions of these structure changes on the durability. Lastly, the new knowledge helps tailor the chemical and/or mechanical pretreatment involved in pelleting biomass to durable pellets.« less

Electrochemical fecal pellet sensor for simultaneous real-time ex vivo detection of colonic serotonin signalling and motility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, Rachel; Fagan-Murphy, Aidan; MacEachern, Sarah J.; Covill, Derek; Patel, Bhavik Anil

2016-03-01

Various investigations have focused on understanding the relationship between mucosal serotonin (5-HT) and colonic motility, however contradictory studies have questioned the importance of this intestinal transmitter. Here we described the fabrication and use of a fecal pellet electrochemical sensor that can be used to simultaneously detect the release of luminal 5-HT and colonic motility. Fecal pellet sensor devices were fabricated using carbon nanotube composite electrodes that were housed in 3D printed components in order to generate a device that had shape and size that mimicked a natural fecal pellet. Devices were fabricated where varying regions of the pellet contained the electrode. Devices showed that they were stable and sensitive for ex vivo detection of 5-HT, and no differences in the fecal pellet velocity was observed when compared to natural fecal pellets. The onset of mucosal 5-HT was observed prior to the movement of the fecal pellet. The release of mucosal 5-HT occurred oral to the fecal pellet and was linked to the contraction of the bowel wall that drove pellet propulsion. Taken, together these findings provide new insights into the role of mucosal 5-HT and suggest that the transmitter acts as a key initiator of fecal pellet propulsion.

Monolith catalysts for closed-cycle carbon dioxide lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herz, Richard K.; Badlani, Ajay

1991-01-01

The objective was to explore ways of making a monolithic form of catalyst for CO2 lasers. The approach chosen was to pelletize the catalyst material, Au/MnO2 powder, and epoxy the pellets to stainless steel sheets as structural supports. The CO oxidation reaction over Au/MnO2 powder was found to be first overall, and the reaction rate constant at room temperature was 4.4 +/- 0.3 cc/(g x sec). The activation energy was 5.7 kcal/mol. The BET surface area of the pellets was found to vary from 125 to 140 sq m/g between different batches of catalyst. Pellets epoxied to stainless steel strips showed no sign of fracture or dusting when subjected to thermal tests. Pellets can be dropped onto hard surfaces with chipping of edges but no breakage of the pellets. Mechanical strength tests performed on the pellets showed that the crush strength is roughly one-fourth of the pelletizing force. The apparent activity and activation energy over the pellets were found to be less than over the powdered form of the catalyst. The lower apparent activity and activation energy of the pellets are due to the fact that the internal surface area of a pellet is not exposed to the reactant concentration present in the flowing gas as a result of intrapellet diffusion resistance. Effectiveness factors varied from 0.44, for pellets having thickness of 2 mm and attached with epoxy to a stainless steel strip. The epoxy and the stainless steel strip were found to simply block off one of the circular faces of the pellets. The epoxy did not penetrate the pellets and block the active sites. The values of the effective diffusivities were estimated to be between 2.3 x 10(exp -3) and 4.9 x 10(exp -3) sq cm/s. With measurements performed on one powder sample and one pellet configuration, reasonable accurate predictions can be made of conversions that would be obtained with other pellet thickness and configurations.

Comparative Properties of Bamboo and Rice Straw Pellets

Treesearch

Xianmiao Liu; Zhijia Liu; Benhua Fei; Zhiyong Cai; Zehui Jiang; Xing' e Liu

2013-01-01

Bamboo is a potential major bio-energy resource. Tests were carried out to compare and evaluate the property of bamboo and rice straw pellets, rice straw being the other main source of biomass solid fuel in China. All physical properties of untreated bamboo pellets (UBP), untreated rice straw pellets (URP), carbonized bamboo pellets (CBP), and carbonized rice straw...

Encapsulation of thermal energy storage media

DOEpatents

Dhau, Jaspreet; Goswami, Dharendra; Jotshi, Chand K.; Stefanakos, Elias K.

2017-09-19

In one embodiment, a phase change material is encapsulated by forming a phase change material pellet, coating the pellet with flexible material, heating the coated pellet to melt the phase change material, wherein the phase change materials expands and air within the pellet diffuses out through the flexible material, and cooling the coated pellet to solidify the phase change material.

Synthetic progestins induce growth and metastasis of BT-474 human breast cancer xenografts in nude mice

PubMed Central

Liang, Yayun; Benakanakere, Indira; Besch-Williford, Cynthia; Hyder, Ryyan S; Ellersieck, Mark R.; Hyder, Salman M

2010-01-01

Objective Previous studies showed that sequential exposure to estrogen and progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) stimulates vascularization and promotes the progression of BT-474 and T47-D human breast cancer cell xenografts in nude mice (Liang et al, Cancer Res 2007, 67:9929). In this follow-up study, the effects of progesterone, MPA, norgestrel (N-EL) and norethindrone (N-ONE) on BT-474 xenograft tumors were compared in the context of several different hormonal environments. N-EL and N-ONE were included in the study since synthetic progestins vary considerably in their biological effects and the effects of these two progestins on the growth of human tumor xenografts are not known. Methods Estradiol-supplemented intact and ovariectomized Immunodeficient mice were implanted with BT-474 cells. Progestin pellets were implanted either simultaneously with estradiol pellets 2-days prior to tumor cell injection (i.e. combined), or 5-days following tumor cell injections (i.e. sequentially). Results Progestins stimulated the growth of BT-474 xenograft tumors independent of exposure timing and protocol, MPA stimulated the growth of BT-474 xenograft tumors in ovariectomized mice and progestins stimulated VEGF elaboration and increased tumor vascularity. Progestins also increased lymph node metastasis of BT-474 cells. Therefore, progestins, including N-EL and N-ONE, induce the progression of breast cancer xenografts in nude mice and promote tumor metastasis. Conclusions These observations suggests that women who ingest progestins for HT or oral contraception could be more at risk for developing breast cancer as a result of proliferation of existing latent tumor cells. Such risks should be considered in the clinical setting. PMID:20461021

The impact of proto- and metazooplankton on the fate of organic carbon in continental ocean margins. Final progress report, May 1992--July 1995

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

Paffenhofer, G.A.; Verity, P.G.

1995-12-31

Three fates potentially consume primary production occurring on ocean margins: portions can be oxidized within the water column, portions can sediment to shelf/slope depots, and portions can be exported to the interior ocean. Zooplankton mediate all three of these processes and thus can alter the pathway and residence time of particulate organic carbon, depending on the size structure and composition of the zooplankton (and phytoplankton). To achieve the long-term goal of quantifying the role of proto- and metazooplankton in removing newly formed POC (primary production), the authors must accomplish two major component objectives: (a) determine plankton carbon biomass at relevantmore » temporal and spatial scales; and (b) measure zooplankton carbon consumption rates and (for metazoan zooplankton) fecal pellet production. These measurements will specify the importance of different zooplankton groups as consumers and transformers of phytoplankton carbon. During Phase 1, they concentrated on methodological and technological developments prerequisite to an organized field program. Specifically, they proposed to develop and test an optical zooplankton counter, and to fully enhance the color image analysis system. In addition, they proposed to evaluate a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunospot assay to quantify predation by metazoan zooplankton on protozoans; and to improve methodology to determine ingestion and growth rates of salps, and accompanying pellet production rates, under conditions which very closely resemble their environment. The image analyzer data provide insights on basic ecosystem parameters relevant to carbon flux from the continental ocean to the deep ocean. Together these approaches provide a powerful set of tools to probe food web relationships in greater detail, to increase the accuracy and speed of carbon biomass and rate measurements, and to enhance data collection and analysis.« less

Ingestion and regurgitation of living and inert materials by the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis (Poppe) and the influence of salinity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Mark D.; Berry, A. J.

1990-12-01

Eurytemora affinis (Poppe) fed on cultured Thalassiosira weissflogii (Grunnow) at rates of 200-34000 cells copepod -1 h -1. Feeding was delayed and diminished in bright light. In dim light, feeding was initially faster in 15‰ (27000-34000 copepod -1 h -1) than in 10‰ (23000-25000 copepod -1 h -1) and much faster than in 3‰ (6000 copepod -1 h -1). After 1-3 h, feeding continued more steadily in 3‰ (1200-6500 copepod -1 h -1) but slowed drastically in 10 and 15‰ to 200-5000 copepod -1 h -1). These patterns were maintained when copepods were first acclimated briefly to the test salinities. E. affinis fed at slightly higher rates on sterile latex beads of similar size to T. weissfloggi, fastest in 10‰ and slowest in 3‰. While the beads appeared in the guts, they did not appear in the faecal pellets and after 1 h (10, 15‰) or 3 h (3‰), their numbers in suspension recovered close to original counts. In contrast, beads infected with a marine bacterium were similarly eaten (at slightly higher rates than the sterile beads), and appeared in the guts and then in the faecal pellets, while numbers in suspension continued to fall or remained low. The contrasts between initial rapid feeding in 10-15‰ and slower steadier feeding in 3‰, and between regurgitation of swallowed sterile beads and passage through the gut of bacterially-contaminated beads, have significance for the biology of a copepod living in the upper reaches of an estuary.

Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Peptide in the Central Amygdala Causes Anorexia and Body Weight Loss via the Melanocortin and the TrkB Systems.

PubMed

Iemolo, Attilio; Ferragud, Antonio; Cottone, Pietro; Sabino, Valentina

2015-07-01

Growing evidence suggests that the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)/PAC1 receptor system represents one of the main regulators of the behavioral, endocrine, and autonomic responses to stress. Although induction of anorexia is a well-documented effect of PACAP, the central sites underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. The present studies addressed this question by examining the neuroanatomical, behavioral, and pharmacological mechanisms mediating the anorexia produced by PACAP in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), a limbic structure implicated in the emotional components of ingestive behavior. Male rats were microinfused with PACAP (0-1 μg per rat) into the CeA and home-cage food intake, body weight change, microstructural analysis of food intake, and locomotor activity were assessed. Intra-CeA (but not intra-basolateral amygdala) PACAP dose-dependently induced anorexia and body weight loss without affecting locomotor activity. PACAP-treated rats ate smaller meals of normal duration, revealing that PACAP slowed feeding within meals by decreasing the regularity and maintenance of feeding from pellet-to-pellet; postprandial satiety was unaffected. Intra-CeA PACAP-induced anorexia was blocked by coinfusion of either the melanocortin receptor 3/4 antagonist SHU 9119 or the tyrosine kinase B (TrKB) inhibitor k-252a, but not the CRF receptor antagonist D-Phe-CRF(12-41). These results indicate that the CeA is one of the brain areas through which the PACAP system promotes anorexia and that PACAP preferentially lessens the maintenance of feeding in rats, effects opposite to those of palatable food. We also demonstrate that PACAP in the CeA exerts its anorectic effects via local melanocortin and the TrKB systems, and independently from CRF.

Ice Slurry Ingestion Leads to a Lower Net Heat Loss during Exercise in the Heat.

PubMed

Morris, Nathan B; Coombs, Geoff; Jay, Ollie

2016-01-01

To compare the reductions in evaporative heat loss from the skin (Esk) to internal heat loss (Hfluid) induced by ice slurry (ICE) ingestion relative to 37 °C fluid and the accompanying body temperature and local thermoeffector responses during exercise in warm, dry conditions (33.5 °C ± 1.4 °C; 23.7% ± 2.6% relative humidity [RH]). Nine men cycled at approximately 55% VO2peak for 75 min and ingested 3.2 mL · kg(-1) aliquots of 37 °C fluid or ICE after 15, 30, and 45 min of exercise. Metabolic heat production (M-W), rectal temperature (Tre), mean skin temperature (Tsk), whole-body sweat loss (WBSL), local sweat rate (LSR), and skin blood flow (SkBF) were measured throughout. Net heat loss (HLnet) and heat storage (S) were estimated using partitional calorimetry. Relative to the 37 °C trial, M-W was similar (P = 0.81) with ICE ingestion; however, the 200 ± 20 kJ greater Hfluid (P < 0.001) with ICE ingestion was overcompensated by a 381 ± 199-kJ lower Esk (P < 0.001). Net heat loss (HLnet) was consequently 131 ± 120 kJ lower (P = 0.01) and S was greater (P = 0.05) with ICE ingestion compared with 37 °C fluid ingestion. Concurrently, LSR and WBSL were lower by 0.16 ± 0.14 mg · min(-1) · cm(-2) (P < 0.01) and 191 ± 122 g (P < 0.001), respectively, and SkBF tended to be lower (P = 0.06) by 5.4%maxAU ± 13.4%maxAU in the ICE trial. Changes in Tre and Tsk were similar throughout exercise with ICE compared to 37 °C fluid ingestion. Relative to 37 °C, ICE ingestion caused disproportionately greater reductions in Esk relative to Hfluid, resulting in a lower HLnet and greater S. Mechanistically, LSR and possibly SkBF were suppressed independently of Tre or Tsk, reaffirming the concept of human abdominal thermoreception. From a heat balance perspective, recommendations for ICE ingestion during exercise in warm, dry conditions should be reconsidered.

Lead poisoning of horses in the vicinity of a battery recycling plant.

PubMed

Palacios, H; Hibarren, I; Olalla, M J; Cala, V

2002-05-06

The diagnosis of lead poisoning in horses living on farmland in the vicinity of a battery recycling plant was based on clinical signs as well as on laboratory findings. Chemical analysis of six surface soils (0-15 cm) and herbage samples taken at different distances to the recycling plant showed very high total lead levels in the closest sites to the facility and a clear decrease with distance. Total lead levels in soil samples ranged from 127 to 5657 mg kg(-1), with more than 70% of lead extractable by EDTA in the most polluted soils. Lead levels in the aerial part of herbage samples were in the range of 113-4741 mg kg(-1). A water washing pre-treatment of the vegetal samples considerably diminished the concentration of lead, suggesting that airborne lead particles from the facility emissions were fixed on the shoots. The analysis of samples taken from six dead horses showed lead concentrations, expressed as mg kg(-1) (d.w.), as follows: blood: 0.20-0.89; liver: 2.5-15; kidney: 1.70-6.75. Lead intake levels, estimated according to the ingestion rate of Grammineae forage, illustrates that the apported lead through the ingestion of vegetation growing in the closest sites to the recycling plant was approximately 99.5 mg Pb/kg body weight/day surpassing the fatal dosage for horses of 2.4 mg Pb/kg body weight/day reported by Hammond and Aronson, Ann NY Acad Sci, 1964; 111: 595-611.

Oxycodone Ingestion Patterns in Acute Fracture Pain With Digital Pills.

PubMed

Chai, Peter R; Carreiro, Stephanie; Innes, Brendan J; Chapman, Brittany; Schreiber, Kristin L; Edwards, Robert R; Carrico, Adam W; Boyer, Edward W

2017-12-01

Opioid analgesics are commonly prescribed on an as-needed (PRN) basis for acute painful conditions. Uncertainty of how patients actually take PRN opioids, coupled with a desire to completely cover pain, leads to variable and overly generous opioid prescribing practices, resulting in a surplus of opioids. This opioid surplus becomes a source for diversion and nonmedical opioid use. Understanding patterns of actual opioid ingestion after acute painful conditions can help clinicians counsel patients on safe opioid use, and allow timely recognition and intervention when escalating opioid self-dosing occurs, to prevent tolerance and addiction. We used a novel oxycodone digital pill system (ingestible biosensor within a standard gelatin capsule combined with 5-mg oxycodone) that when ingested, is activated by the chloride ion gradient in the stomach thereby emitting a radiofrequency signal captured by a wearable reader. The reader relays ingestion data to a cloud-based server that displays ingestion events to the study team. We deployed the oxycodone digital pill among opioid-naive individuals discharged from the emergency department with acute fracture pain. Participants were trained on digital pill operation and discharged with twenty-one 5-mg oxycodone digital pills. They were instructed to take digital pills PRN for pain on discharge. We conducted a brief interview 7 days after study enrollment, at which point participants returned the digital pill system. We identified oxycodone ingestion events in real time by data from the digital pill system and performed pill counts at the return visit to validate digital pill reporting of medication ingestion. In this study, 26 individuals were approached; 16 enrolled with 15 completing the study. Participants ingested a median of 6 (3-9.5) oxycodone digital pills over the course of 7 days, with 82% of the oxycodone dose ingested in the first 3 days. In individuals who required operative repair, 86% (N = 6) continued to ingest opioids at 1 week. There was substantial variability in ingestion patterns between individuals. The utilization patterns of individuals with acute fracture pain could be captured using a digital pill system and revealed a median opioid ingestion of 45-mg morphine equivalents for acute pain over 7 days. Seven participants ceased using opioids within 4 days after discharge from the emergency department, although operative repair was associated with longer use. This digital pill system was able to measure changes in and patterns of opioid self-dosing, which varied between patients.

Immobilization of an L-aminoacylase-producing strain of Aspergillus oryzae into gelatin pellets and its application in the resolution of D,L-methionine.

PubMed

Yuan Yj, Ying-jin; Wang Sh, Shu-hao; Song Zx, Zheng-xiao; Gao Rc, Rui-chang

2002-04-01

The conditions for immobilization of an l-aminoacylase-producing strain of Aspergillus oryzae in gelatin and the enzymic characteristics of the immobilized pellets were studied. The optimal concentrations of gelatin, glutaraldehyde and ethyldiamine and time of immobilization were determined. Scanning electron micrographs reveal the cross-linked structure differences between the native and immobilized pellets. Optimum pH and temperature of the native and immobilized pellets were determined. Effects of ionic strength and substrate concentration on relative activity of the native and immobilized pellets were investigated in detail. The immobilized pellets were more stable over broader temperature and pH ranges. In addition, the immobilized pellets showed stable activity under operational and storage conditions. The immobilized pellets lost about 20% of their initial activity after five cycles of reuse. The results reported in this paper show the potential for using the immobilized A. oryzae pellets to resolve d,l-methionine.

Oxidizing Roasting Performances of Coke Fines Bearing Brazilian Specularite Pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chun, Tiejun; Zhu, Deqing

2016-06-01

Oxidized pellets, consisting of Brazilian specularite fines and coke fines, were prepared by disc pelletizer using bentonite as binder. The roasting process of pellets includes preheating stage and firing stage. The compressive strength of preheated pellets and fired pellets reached the peak value at 1.5% coke fines dosage. During the initial stage of preheating, some original Fe2O3 was reduced to Fe3O4 because of partial reduction atmosphere in pellet. During the later stage of preheating and firing stage, coke fines were burnt out, and the secondary Fe2O3 (new generation Fe2O3) was generated due to the re-oxidization of Fe3O4, which improved the recrystallization of Fe2O3. Compared with the fired pellets without adding coke fines, fired pellets with 1.5% coke fines exhibited the comparable RSI (reduction swelling index) and RDI+3.15 mm (reduction degradation index), and slightly lower RI (reducibility index).

Co-combustion of anthracite coal and wood pellets: Thermodynamic analysis, combustion efficiency, pollutant emissions and ash slagging.

PubMed

Guo, Feihong; Zhong, Zhaoping

2018-08-01

This work presents studies on the co-combustion of anthracite coal and wood pellets in fluidized bed. Prior to the fluidized bed combustion, thermogravimetric analysis are performed to investigate the thermodynamic behavior of coal and wood pellets. The results show that the thermal decomposition of blends is divided into four stages. The co-firing of coal and wood pellets can promote the combustion reaction and reduce the emission of gaseous pollutants, such as SO 2 and NO. It is important to choose the proportion of wood pellets during co-combustion due to the low combustion efficiency caused by large pellets with poor fluidization. Wood pellets can inhibit the volatilization of trace elements, especially for Cr, Ni and V. In addition, the slagging ratio of wood pellets ash is reduced by co-firing with coal. The research on combustion of coal and wood pellets is of great significance in engineering. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neutron diffraction measurements and micromechanical modelling of temperature-dependent variations in TATB lattice parameters

DOE PAGES

Yeager, John D.; Luscher, Darby J.; Vogel, Sven C.; ...

2016-02-02

Triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) is a highly anisotropic molecular crystal used in several plastic-bonded explosive (PBX) formulations. TATB-based explosives exhibit irreversible volume expansion (“ratchet growth”) when thermally cycled. A theoretical understanding of the relationship between anisotropy of the crystal, crystal orientation distribution (texture) of polycrystalline aggregates, and the intergranular interactions leading to this irreversible growth is necessary to accurately develop physics-based predictive models for TATB-based PBXs under various thermal environments. In this work, TATB lattice parameters were measured using neutron diffraction during thermal cycling of loose powder and a pressed pellet. The measured lattice parameters help clarify conflicting reports in the literaturemore » as these new results are more consistent with one set of previous results than another. The lattice parameters of pressed TATB were also measured as a function of temperature, showing some differences from the powder. This data is used along with anisotropic single-crystal stiffness moduli reported in the literature to model the nominal stresses associated with intergranular constraints during thermal expansion. The texture of both specimens were characterized and the pressed pellet exhibits preferential orientation of (001) poles along the pressing direction, whereas no preferred orientation was found for the loose powder. Lastly, thermal strains for single-crystal TATB computed from lattice parameter data for the powder is input to a self-consistent micromechanical model, which predicts the lattice parameters of the constrained TATB crystals within the pellet. The agreement of these model results with the diffraction data obtained from the pellet is discussed along with future directions of research.« less

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

Tu, Qingshi; Zhu, Chao; McAvoy, Drew C., E-mail: mcavoydm@ucmail.uc.edu

Highlights: • A case study to show the benefits of waste-to-energy projects at a university. • Evaluated the technical and economic feasibilities as well as GHG reduction. • A tool for other universities/communities to evaluate waste-to-energy projects. - Abstract: This paper evaluates the implementation of three waste-to-energy projects at the University of Cincinnati: waste cooking oil-to-biodiesel, waste paper-to-fuel pellets and food waste-to-biogas, respectively. The implementation of these waste-to-energy (WTE) projects would lead to the improvement of campus sustainability by minimizing waste management efforts and reducing GHG emissions via the displacement of fossil fuel usage. Technical and economic aspects of theirmore » implementation were assessed and the corresponding GHG reduction was estimated. Results showed that on-site implementation of these projects would: (1) divert 3682 L (974 gallons) of waste cooking oil to 3712 L (982 gallons) of biodiesel; (2) produce 138 tonnes of fuel pellets from 133 tonnes of waste paper (with the addition of 20.75 tonnes of plastics) to replace121 tonnes of coal; and (3) produce biogas that would be enough to replace 12,767 m{sup 3} natural gas every year from 146 tonnes of food waste. The economic analysis determined that the payback periods for the three projects would be 16 months for the biodiesel, 155 months for the fuel pellet, and 74 months for the biogas projects. The reduction of GHG emission from the implementation of the three WTE projects was determined to be 9.37 (biodiesel), 260.49 (fuel pellets), and 11.36 (biogas) tonnes of CO{sub 2}-eq per year, respectively.« less

Evidence for a compulsive-like behavior in rats exposed to alternate access to highly preferred palatable food.

PubMed

Rossetti, Clara; Spena, Giuseppe; Halfon, Olivier; Boutrel, Benjamin

2014-11-01

Converging evidence suggests that recurrent excessive calorie restriction causes binge eating by promoting behavioral disinhibition and overeating. This interpretation suggests that cognitive adaptations may surpass physiological regulations of metabolic needs after recurrent cycles of dieting and binging. Intermittent access to palatable food has long been studied in rats, but the consequences of such diet cycling procedures on the cognitive control of food seeking remain unclear. Female Wistar rats were divided in two groups matched for food intake and body weight. One group received standard chow pellets 7 days/week, whereas the second group was given chow pellets for 5 days and palatable food for 2 days over seven consecutive weeks. Rats were also trained for operant conditioning. Intermittent access to palatable food elicited binging behavior and reduced intake of normal food. Rats with intermittent access to palatable food failed to exhibit anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze, but displayed reduced locomotor activity in the open field and developed a blunted corticosterone response following an acute stress across the diet procedure. Trained under a progressive ratio schedule, both groups exhibited the same motivation for sweetened food pellets. However, in contrast to controls, rats with a history of dieting and binging exhibited a persistent compulsive-like behavior when access to preferred pellets was paired with mild electrical foot shock punishments. These results highlight the intricate development of anxiety-like disorders and cognitive deficits leading to a loss of control over preferred food intake after repetitive cycles of intermittent access to palatable food. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Roundworm eggs - ascariasis (image)

MedlinePlus

Roundworms are the most common type of worm infection. It is estimated that there are 4,000, ... soil. Ingestion of contaminated soil then leads to roundworm infection. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease ...

A data mining approach to optimize pellets manufacturing process based on a decision tree algorithm.

PubMed

Ronowicz, Joanna; Thommes, Markus; Kleinebudde, Peter; Krysiński, Jerzy

2015-06-20

The present study is focused on the thorough analysis of cause-effect relationships between pellet formulation characteristics (pellet composition as well as process parameters) and the selected quality attribute of the final product. The shape using the aspect ratio value expressed the quality of pellets. A data matrix for chemometric analysis consisted of 224 pellet formulations performed by means of eight different active pharmaceutical ingredients and several various excipients, using different extrusion/spheronization process conditions. The data set contained 14 input variables (both formulation and process variables) and one output variable (pellet aspect ratio). A tree regression algorithm consistent with the Quality by Design concept was applied to obtain deeper understanding and knowledge of formulation and process parameters affecting the final pellet sphericity. The clear interpretable set of decision rules were generated. The spehronization speed, spheronization time, number of holes and water content of extrudate have been recognized as the key factors influencing pellet aspect ratio. The most spherical pellets were achieved by using a large number of holes during extrusion, a high spheronizer speed and longer time of spheronization. The described data mining approach enhances knowledge about pelletization process and simultaneously facilitates searching for the optimal process conditions which are necessary to achieve ideal spherical pellets, resulting in good flow characteristics. This data mining approach can be taken into consideration by industrial formulation scientists to support rational decision making in the field of pellets technology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lead Poison Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

With NASA contracts, Whittaker Corporations Space Science division has developed an electro-optical instrument to mass screen for lead poisoning. Device is portable and detects protoporphyrin in whole blood. Free corpuscular porphyrins occur as an early effect of lead ingestion. Also detects lead in urine used to confirm blood tests. Test is inexpensive and can be applied by relatively unskilled personnel. Similar Whittaker fluorometry device called "drug screen" can measure morphine and quinine in urine much faster and cheaper than other methods.

A curious pellet from a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodman, N.; Dove, C.J.; Peurach, S.C.

2005-01-01

One of the traditional methods of determining the dietary preferences of owls relies upon the identification of bony remains of prey contained in regurgitated pellets. Discovery of a pellet containing a large, complete primary feather from an adult, male Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) prompted us to examine in detail a small sample of pellets from a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). Our analyses of feather and hair remains in these pellets documented the presence of three species of birds and two species of mammals, whereas bones in the pellets represented only mammals. This finding indicates an important bias that challenges the reliability of owl pellet studies making use of only osteological remains.

Trial production of fuel pellet from Acacia mangium bark waste biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amirta, R.; Anwar, T.; Sudrajat; Yuliansyah; Suwinarti, W.

2018-04-01

Fuel pellet is one of the innovation products that can be produced from various sources of biomass such as agricultural residues, forestry and also wood industries including wood bark. Herein this paper, the potential fuel pellet production using Acacia mangium bark that abundant wasted from chip mill industry was studied. Fuel pellet was produced using a modified animal feed pellet press machine equipped with rotating roller-cylinders. The international standards quality of fuel pellet such as ONORM (Austria), SS (Sweden), DIN (Germany), EN (European) and ITEBE (Italy) were used to evaluate the optimum composition of feedstock and additive used. Theresults showed the quality offuel pellet produced were good compared to commercial sawdust pellet. Mixed of Acacia bark (dust) with 10% of tapioca and 20% of glycerol (w/w) was increased the stable form of pellet and the highest heating value to reached 4,383 Kcal/kg (calorific value). Blending of Acacia bark with tapioca and glycerol was positively improved its physical, chemical and combustion properties to met the international standards requirement for export market. Based on this finding, production of fuel pellet from Acacia bark waste biomass was promising to be developed as an alternative substitution of fossil energy in the future.

Development of Impregnated Agglomerate Pelletization (IAP) process for fabrication of (Th,U)O 2 mixed oxide pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khot, P. M.; Nehete, Y. G.; Fulzele, A. K.; Baghra, Chetan; Mishra, A. K.; Afzal, Mohd.; Panakkal, J. P.; Kamath, H. S.

2012-01-01

Impregnated Agglomerate Pelletization (IAP) technique has been developed at Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (AFFF), BARC, Tarapur, for manufacturing (Th, 233U)O 2 mixed oxide fuel pellets, which are remotely fabricated in hot cell or shielded glove box facilities to reduce man-rem problem associated with 232U daughter radionuclides. This technique is being investigated to fabricate the fuel for Indian Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR). In the IAP process, ThO 2 is converted to free flowing spheroids by powder extrusion route in an unshielded facility which are then coated with uranyl nitrate solution in a shielded facility. The dried coated agglomerate is finally compacted and then sintered in oxidizing/reducing atmosphere to obtain high density (Th,U)O 2 pellets. In this study, fabrication of (Th,U)O 2 mixed oxide pellets containing 3-5 wt.% UO 2 was carried out by IAP process. The pellets obtained were characterized using optical microscopy, XRD and alpha autoradiography. The results obtained were compared with the results for the pellets fabricated by other routes such as Coated Agglomerate Pelletization (CAP) and Powder Oxide Pelletization (POP) route.

Effective adsorption of phosphate from wastewaters by big composite pellets made of reduced steel slag and iron ore concentrate.

PubMed

Wang, Hongjuan; Shen, Shaobo; Liu, Longhui; Ji, Yilong; Wang, Fuming

2015-01-01

In order to remove phosphate from wastewater, a large plastic adsorption column filled with big phosphate-adsorbing pellets with diameters of 10 mm, heated by electromagnetic induction coils, was conceived. It was found that the prepared big pellets, which were made of reduced steel slag and iron ore concentrate, contain magnetic Fe and Fe3O4. The thermodynamics and kinetics of adsorption of phosphate from synthetic wastewaters on the pellets were studied in this work. The phosphate adsorption on the pellets followed three models of Freundlich, Langmuir and Dubinin-Kaganer-Radushkevick. The maximum phosphate adsorption capacity Qmax of the pellets were 2.46, 2.74 and 2.77 mg/g for the three temperatures of 20°C, 30°C and 40°C, respectively, based on the Langmuir model. The apparent adsorption energies were -12.9 kJ/mol for the three temperatures. It implied that ion exchange was the main mechanism involved in the adsorption processes. The adsorbed phosphate existed on the pellet surface mainly in the form of Fe3(PO4)2. A reduction pre-treatment of the pellet precursor with H2 greatly enhanced pellet adsorption for phosphate. The adsorption kinetics is better represented by a pseudo-first-order model. The adsorbed phosphate amounts were similar for both real and synthetic wastewaters under similar adsorption conditions. The percentage of adsorbed phosphate for a real wastewater increased with increasing pellet concentration and reached 99.2% at a pellet concentration of 64 (g/L). Some specific phosphate adsorption mechanisms for the pellets were revealed and the pellets showed the potential to efficiently adsorb phosphate from a huge amount of real wastewaters in an industrial scale.

Kinetic analysis of lead metabolism in healthy humans

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

Rabinowitz, M.B.; Wetherill, G.W.; Kopple, J.D.

The steady state kinetics of lead metabolism were studied in five healthy men with stable isotope tracers. Subjects lived in a metabolic unit and ate constant low lead diets. Their intake was supplemented each day with 79 to 204 ..mu..g of enriched lead-204 as nitrate which was ingested with meals for 1 to 124 days. The concentration and isotopic composition of lead was determined serially in blood, urine, feces, and diet and less commonly in hair, nails, sweat, bone, and alimentary tract secretions by isotopic dilution, mass spectrometric analysis. The data suggest a three-compartmental model for lead metabolism. The firstmore » compartment encompasses blood and is 1.5 to 2.2 times larger than the blood mass. It contains approximately 1.7 to 2.0 mg of lead and has a mean life of 35 days. This pool is in direct communication with ingested lead, urinary lead, and pools two and three. The second compartment is largely composed of soft tissue, contains about 0.3 to 0.9 mg of lead, and has a mean life of approximately 40 days. This pool gives rise to lead in hair, nails, sweat, and salivary, gastric, pancreatic, and biliary secretions. Pool three resides primarily in the skeleton, contains the vast quantity of body lead, and has a very slow mean life. Bones appear to differ in their rates of lead turnover. Within the relatively small changes in blood lead observed in the present study, the transfer coefficients between the pools remained constant.« less

Endoscopic management of massive mercury ingestion

PubMed Central

Zag, Levente; Berkes, Gábor; Takács, Irma F; Szepes, Attila; Szabó, István

2017-01-01

Abstract Rationale: Ingestion of a massive amount of metallic mercury was thought to be harmless until the last century. After that, in a number of cases, mercury ingestion has been associated with appendicitis, impaired liver function, memory deficits, aspiration leading to pneumonitis and acute renal failure. Treatment includes gastric lavage, giving laxatives and chelating agents, but rapid removal of metallic mercury with gastroscopy has not been used. Patient concerns: An 18-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department after drinking 1000 g of metallic mercury as a suicide attempt. Diagnosis: Except from mild umbilical tenderness, he had no other symptoms. Radiography showed a metallic density in the area of the stomach. Intervention: Gastroscopy was performed to remove the mercury. One large pool and several small droplets of mercury were removed from the stomach. Outcomes: Blood and urine mercury levels of the patient remained low during hospitalization. No symptoms of mercury intoxication developed during the follow-up period. Lessons: Massive mercury ingestion may cause several symptoms, which can be prevented with prompt treatment. We used endoscopy to remove the mercury, which shortened the exposure time and minimized the risk of aspiration. This is the first case where endoscopy was used for the management of mercury ingestion. PMID:28562544

75 FR 51815 - National Toxicology Program (NTP); Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-23

... water, consumption of contaminated food, ingestion of lead dust, eating of paint flakes by children..., renal toxicology, immunotoxicology, epidemiology, general toxicology, medicine, pharmacokinetics...

Pellet imaging techniques in the ASDEX tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wurden, G. A.; Büchl, K.; Hofmann, J.; Lang, R.; Loch, R.; Rudyj, A.; Sandmann, W.

1990-11-01

As part of a USDOE/ASDEX collaboration, a detailed examination of pellet ablation in ASDEX with a variety of diagnostics has allowed a better understanding of a number of features of hydrogen ice pellet ablation in a plasma. In particular, fast-gated photos with an intensified Xybion CCD video camera allow in situ velocity measurements of the pellet as it penetrates the plasma. With time resolution of typically 100 ns and exposures every 50 μs, the evolution of each pellet in a multipellet ASDEX tokamak plasma discharge can be followed. When the pellet cloud track has striations, the light intensity profile through the cloud is hollow (dark near the pellet), whereas at the beginning or near the end of the pellet trajectory the track is typically smooth (without striations) and has a gaussian-peaked light emission profile. New, single pellet Stark broadened Dα, Dβ, and Dγ spectra, obtained with a tangentially viewing scanning mirror/spectrometer with Reticon array readout, are consistent with cloud densities of 2×1017 cm-3 or higher in the regions of strongest light emission. A spatially resolved array of Dα detectors shows that the light variations during the pellet ablation are not caused solely by a modulation of the incoming energy flux as the pellet crosses rational q surfaces, but instead are a result of dynamic, nonstationary, ablation process.

Pellet imaging techniques in the ASDEX tokamak (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wurden, G. A.; Büchl, K.; Hofmann, J.; Lang, R.; Loch, R.; Rudyj, A.; Sandmann, W.

1990-10-01

As part of a USDOE/ASDEX collaboration, a detailed examination of pellet ablation in ASDEX with a variety of diagnostics has allowed a better understanding of a number of features of hydrogen ice pellet ablation in a plasma. In particular, fast-gated photos with an intensified Xybion CCD video camera allow in situ velocity measurements of the pellet as it penetrates the plasma. With time resolution of typically 100 ns and exposures every 50 μs, the evolution of each pellet in a multipellet ASDEX tokamak plasma discharge can be followed. When the pellet cloud track has striations, the light intensity profile through the cloud is hollow (dark near the pellet), whereas at the beginning or near the end of the pellet trajectory the track is typically smooth (without striations) and has a gaussian-peaked light emission profile. New, single pellet Stark broadened Dα, Dβ, and Dγ spectra, obtained with a tangentially viewing scanning mirror/spectrometer with Reticon array readout, are consistent with cloud densities of 2×1017 cm-3 or higher in the regions of strongest light emission. A spatially resolved array of Dα detectors shows that the light variations during the pellet ablation are not caused solely by a modulation of the incoming energy flux as the pellet crosses rational q surfaces, but instead are a result of dynamic, nonstationary, ablation process.

Mycelial pellet formation by edible ascomycete filamentous fungi, Neurospora intermedia.

PubMed

Nair, Ramkumar B; Lennartsson, Patrik R; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J

2016-12-01

Pellet formation of filamentous fungi in submerged culture is an imperative topic of fermentation research. In this study, we report for the first time the growth of filamentous ascomycete fungus, Neurospora intermedia in its mycelial pellet form. In submerged culture, the growth morphology of the fungus was successfully manipulated into growing as pellets by modifying various cultivation conditions. Factors such as pH (2.0-10.0), agitation rate (100-150 rpm), carbon source (glucose, arabinose, sucrose, and galactose), the presence of additive agents (glycerol and calcium chloride) and trace metals were investigated for their effect on the pellet formation. Of the various factors screened, uniform pellets were formed only at pH range 3.0-4.0, signifying it as the most influential factor for N. intermedia pellet formation. The average pellet size ranged from 2.38 ± 0.12 to 2.86 ± 0.38 mm. The pellet formation remained unaffected by the inoculum type used and its size showed an inverse correlation with the agitation rate of the culture. Efficient glucose utilization was observed with fungal pellets, as opposed to the freely suspended mycelium, proving its viability for fast-fermentation processes. Scale up of the pelletization process was also carried out in bench-scale airlift and bubble column reactors (4.5 L).

The effect of sodium alginate on physical and dissolution properties of Surelease-matrix pellets prepared by a novel pelletizer.

PubMed

Kim, Min-Soo; Kim, Jeong-Soo; Hwang, Sung-Joo

2007-11-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium alginate on the physical and dissolution properties of Surelease-matrix pellets prepared by a novel pelletizer-equipped piston extruder and double-arm counter-rotating rollers. The mean values of the shape factor (e(R)) and the aspect ratio of Surelease-matrix pellets were 0.615-0.625 and 1.06-1.070, respectively, indicating good sphericity of the pellets. The drug release rate increased as the amount of sodium alginate increased due to hydration, swelling, and erosion within the Surelease-matrix pellets. In addition, the porosity of pellets also increased with increasing sodium alginate content. The results of this study show that sodium alginate has a greater effect on the drug release rate than the drug release mechanism within the Surelease-matrix for sparingly water-soluble drug, such as tamsulosin hydrochloride.

Experimental Study on Application of Boron Mud Secondary Resource to Oxidized Pellets Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xiao-Jiao; Chu, Man-Sheng; Zhao, Jia-Qi; Chen, Shuang-Yin; Liu, Zheng-Gen; Wang, Si-Yuan

2017-07-01

In order to realize comprehensive and massive treatment of boron mud secondary resource, fundamental study on boron mud applied to oxidized pellets production as additive was carried out in the paper under laboratory conditions. The effects of boron mud on the performance of oxidized pellets were investigated systemically, and boron mud was combined with other boron-rich material innovatively. The results showed that, within certain limits, boron mud can improve properties of oxidized pellets. The bentonite content decreased to 0.3 % when adding 1.0 % boron mud additive and the pellets met blast furnace requirements. With the combination additive content 0.8 %, bentonite content can be further decreased to 0.2 %, and the pellets properties were better than base pellet. Therefore, it was an effective way to reduce environmental pollution and optimize blast furnace operation by developing boron mud secondary resource as pellets additive.

[Distribution and origin of plastic resin pellets as environmental pollutants at the East China Sea area].

PubMed

Kaminuma, T; Ohtake, C; Kabuyama, N

2000-01-01

Plastic debris are important marine pollutants. Plastic debris consist of resin pellets and waste plastics. We are particularly interested in resin pellets. We made field survey of resin pellets at nearly 400 sites in 200 beaches in Japan and neighboring countries. The pellets were found at all most all Japan coasts we surveyed and at some beaches of Macao, Hong Kong, Xiamen, the north of Taipei, and Cheju Island in Korea. The number of pellets was more than 1000 pieces per m2 on the most abundant beach in Japan. Through further analysis using GC/ECD, endocrine disrupting chemicals, PCBs, DDTs, HCHs and Nonylphenol were detected in selected samples. Biota such as Bryozoa were observed on the surface of pellets washed up on the beaches in subtropical areas. Pellets has been suspected to affect wildlife and human health, but we have no report on affection to human.

Minoxidil topical solution: an unsafe product for children.

PubMed

Claudet, Isabelle; Cortey, Caroline; Honorat, Raphaele; Franchitto, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Minoxidil hair formulation is commonly used for the treatment of male or female androgenic alopecia. This over-the-counter product is wrongly considered safe. The ingestion of a few milliliters by a child can lead to significant intoxication. We report a case of significant intoxication after the ingestion of topical minoxidil (Alopexy; Pierre Fabre Laboratoires, SA, Switzerland). A 7-year-old girl, who accidentally ingested a teaspoon of minoxidil hair solution, presented to the pediatric emergency department for emesis. At admission, she had a blood pressure of 86/56 mm Hg and a pulse of 149 beats per minute. Hypotension lasted 40 hours with the lowest value 24 hours after ingestion (79/33 mm Hg). She presented electrocardiogram changes (sinus tachycardia and flattening T-waves) but normal cardiac enzymes. Infusion of 20 mL/kg of normal saline fluid had no hemodynamic effect. Her blood pressure normalized on day 2. Minoxidil topical solution is an unsafe product for children. This formulation should be strictly kept out of reach of children and manufacturers should enhance child-resistance security of packaging. The over-the-counter availability must be questioned.

Resurgence and alternative-reinforcer magnitude.

PubMed

Craig, Andrew R; Browning, Kaitlyn O; Nall, Rusty W; Marshall, Ciara M; Shahan, Timothy A

2017-03-01

Resurgence is defined as an increase in the frequency of a previously reinforced target response when an alternative source of reinforcement is suspended. Despite an extensive body of research examining factors that affect resurgence, the effects of alternative-reinforcer magnitude have not been examined. Thus, the present experiments aimed to fill this gap in the literature. In Experiment 1, rats pressed levers for single-pellet reinforcers during Phase 1. In Phase 2, target-lever pressing was extinguished, and alternative-lever pressing produced either five-pellet, one-pellet, or no alternative reinforcement. In Phase 3, alternative reinforcement was suspended to test for resurgence. Five-pellet alternative reinforcement produced faster elimination and greater resurgence of target-lever pressing than one-pellet alternative reinforcement. In Experiment 2, effects of decreasing alternative-reinforcer magnitude on resurgence were examined. Rats pressed levers and pulled chains for six-pellet reinforcers during Phases 1 and 2, respectively. In Phase 3, alternative reinforcement was decreased to three pellets for one group, one pellet for a second group, and suspended altogether for a third group. Shifting from six-pellet to one-pellet alternative reinforcement produced as much resurgence as suspending alternative reinforcement altogether, while shifting from six pellets to three pellets did not produce resurgence. These results suggest that alternative-reinforcer magnitude has effects on elimination and resurgence of target behavior that are similar to those of alternative-reinforcer rate. Thus, both suppression of target behavior during alternative reinforcement and resurgence when conditions of alternative reinforcement are altered may be related to variables that affect the value of the alternative-reinforcement source. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Resurgence and Alternative-Reinforcer Magnitude

PubMed Central

Craig, Andrew R.; Browning, Kaitlyn O.; Nall, Rusty W.; Marshall, Ciara M.; Shahan, Timothy A.

2017-01-01

Resurgence is defined as an increase in the frequency of a previously reinforced target response when an alternative source of reinforcement is suspended. Despite an extensive body of research examining factors that affect resurgence, the effects of alternative-reinforcer magnitude have not been examined. Thus, the present experiments aimed to fill this gap in the literature. In Experiment 1, rats pressed levers for single-pellet reinforcers during Phase 1. In Phase 2, target-lever pressing was extinguished, and alternative-lever pressing produced either five-pellet, one-pellet, or no alternative reinforcement. In Phase 3, alternative reinforcement was suspended to test for resurgence. Five-pellet alternative reinforcement produced faster elimination and greater resurgence of target-lever pressing than one-pellet alternative reinforcement. In Experiment 2, effects of decreasing alternative-reinforcer magnitude on resurgence were examined. Rats pressed levers and pulled chains for six-pellet reinforcers during Phases 1 and 2, respectively. In Phase 3, alternative reinforcement was decreased to three pellets for one group, one pellet for a second group, and suspended altogether for a third group. Shifting from six-pellet to one-pellet alternative reinforcement produced as much resurgence as suspending alternative reinforcement altogether, while shifting from six pellets to three pellets did not produce resurgence. These results suggest that alternative-reinforcer magnitude has effects on elimination and resurgence of target behavior that are similar to those of alternative-reinforcer rate. Thus, both suppression of target behavior during alternative reinforcement and resurgence when conditions of alternative reinforcement are altered may be related to variables that affect the value of the alternative-reinforcement source. PMID:28194793

Pellet inspection apparatus

DOEpatents

Wilks, Robert S.; Taleff, Alexander; Sturges, Jr., Robert H.

1982-01-01

Apparatus for inspecting nuclear fuel pellets in a sealed container for diameter, flaws, length and weight. The apparatus includes, in an array, a pellet pick-up station, four pellet inspection stations and a pellet sorting station. The pellets are delivered one at a time to the pick-up station by a vibrating bowl through a vibrating linear conveyor. Grippers each associated with a successive pair of the stations are reciprocable together to pick up a pellet at the upstream station of each pair and to deposit the pellet at the corresponding downstream station. The gripper jaws are opened selectively depending on the state of the pellets at the stations and the particular cycle in which the apparatus is operating. Inspection for diameter, flaws and length is effected in each case by a laser beam projected on the pellets by a precise optical system while each pellet is rotated by rollers. Each laser and its optical system are mounted in a container which is free standing on a precise surface and is provided with locating buttons which engage locating holes in the surface so that each laser and its optical system is precisely set. The roller stands are likewise free standing and are similarly precisely positioned. The diameter optical system projects a thin beam of light which scans across the top of each pellet and is projected on a diode array. The fl GOVERNMENT CONTRACT CLAUSE The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder with the Department of Energy bearing No. EY-67-14-C-2170.

[Effects of different excipients on properties of Tongsaimai mixture and pellet molding].

PubMed

Wang, Jin; Lv, Zhiyang; Wu, Xiaoyan; Di, Liuqing; Dong, Yu; Cai, Baochang

2011-01-01

To study preliminarily on the relationship between properties of the mixture composed of Tongsaimai extract and different excipients and pellet molding. The multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation of different mixture and pellet molding by measuring the cohesion, liquid-plastic limit of mixture, and the powder properties of pellets. The weighted coefficients of the powder properties were determined by analytic hierarchy process combined with criteria importance through intercriteria correlation. The results showed that liquid-plastic limit seemed to be a major factor, which had positive correlation with pellet molding, while cohesion had negative correlation with pellet molding in the measured range. The physical properties of the mixture has marked influence on pellet molding.

Pellets for fusion reactor refueling. Annual progress report, January 1, 1976--December 31, 1976

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

Turnbull, R. J.; Kim, K.

1977-01-01

The purpose of this research is to test the feasibility of refueling fusion reactors using solid pellets composed of fuel elements. A solid hydrogen pellet generator has been constructed and experiments have been done to inject the pellets into the ORMAK Tokamak. A theory has been developed to describe the pellet ablation in the plasma, and an excellent agreement has been found between the theory and the experiment. Techniques for charging the pellets have been developed in order to accelerate and control them. Other works currently under way include the development of techniques for accelerating the pellets for refueling purpose.more » Evaluation of electrostatic acceleration has also been performed.« less

Reductions in Emissions of Carbonaceous Particulate Matter and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Combustion of Biomass Pellets in Comparisonwith Raw Fuel Burning

PubMed Central

SHEN, Guofeng; TAO, Shu; WEI, Siye; ZHANG, Yanyan; WANG, Rong; WANG, Bin; LI, Wei; SHEN, Huizhong; HUANG, Ye; CHEN, Yuanchen; CHEN, Han; YANG, Yifeng; WANG, Wei; WEI, Wen; WANG, Xilong; LIU, Wenxing; WANG, Xuejun; SIMONICH, Staci L. Massey

2012-01-01

Biomass pellets are emerging as a cleaner alternative to traditional biomass fuels. The potential benefits of using biomass pellets include improving energy utilization efficiency and reducing emissions of air pollutants. To assess the environmental, climate, and health significance of replacing traditional fuels with biomass pellets, it is critical to measure the emission factors (EFs) of various pollutants from pellet burning. However, only a few field measurements have been conducted on the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the combustion of pellets. In this study, pine wood and corn straw pellets were burned in a pellet burner (2.6 kW) and the EFs of CO, organic carbon, elemental carbon, PM, and PAHs (EFCO, EFOC, EFEC, EFPM, and EFPAH) were determined. The average EFCO, EFOC, EFEC, and EFPM were 1520±1170, 8.68±11.4, 11.2±8.7, and 188±87 mg/MJ for corn straw pellets, and 266±137, 5.74±7.17, 2.02±1.57, and 71.0±54.0 mg/MJ for pine wood pellets, respectively. Total carbonaceous carbon constituted 8 to 14% of the PM mass emitted. The measured values of EFPAH for the two pellets were 1.02±0.64 and 0.506±0.360 mg/MJ, respectively. The secondary side air supply in the pellet burner did not change the EFs of most pollutants significantly (p > 0.05). The only exceptions were EFOC and EFPM for pine wood pellets because of reduced combustion temperatures with the increased air supply. In comparison with EFs for the raw pine wood and corn straw, EFCO, EFOC, EFEC, and EFPM for pellets were significantly lower than those for raw fuels (p < 0.05). However, the differences in EFPAH were not significant (p > 0.05). Based on the measured EFs and thermal efficiencies, it was estimated that 95, 98, 98, 88, and 71% reductions in the total emissions of CO, OC, EC, PM, and PAHs could be achieved by replacing the raw biomass fuels combusted in traditional cooking stoves with pellets burned in modern pellet burners. PMID:22568759

Reductions in emissions of carbonaceous particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from combustion of biomass pellets in comparison with raw fuel burning.

PubMed

Shen, Guofeng; Tao, Shu; Wei, Siye; Zhang, Yanyan; Wang, Rong; Wang, Bin; Li, Wei; Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Chen, Yuanchen; Chen, Han; Yang, Yifeng; Wang, Wei; Wei, Wen; Wang, Xilong; Liu, Wenxing; Wang, Xuejun; Masse Simonich, Staci L y

2012-06-05

Biomass pellets are emerging as a cleaner alternative to traditional biomass fuels. The potential benefits of using biomass pellets include improving energy utilization efficiency and reducing emissions of air pollutants. To assess the environmental, climate, and health significance of replacing traditional fuels with biomass pellets, it is critical to measure the emission factors (EFs) of various pollutants from pellet burning. However, only a few field measurements have been conducted on the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the combustion of pellets. In this study, pine wood and corn straw pellets were burned in a pellet burner (2.6 kW), and the EFs of CO, organic carbon, elemental carbon, PM, and PAHs (EF(CO), EF(OC), EF(EC), EF(PM), and EF(PAH)) were determined. The average EF(CO), EF(OC), EF(EC), and EF(PM) were 1520 ± 1170, 8.68 ± 11.4, 11.2 ± 8.7, and 188 ± 87 mg/MJ for corn straw pellets and 266 ± 137, 5.74 ± 7.17, 2.02 ± 1.57, and 71.0 ± 54.0 mg/MJ for pine wood pellets, respectively. Total carbonaceous carbon constituted 8 to 14% of the PM mass emitted. The measured values of EF(PAH) for the two pellets were 1.02 ± 0.64 and 0.506 ± 0.360 mg/MJ, respectively. The secondary side air supply in the pellet burner did not change the EFs of most pollutants significantly (p > 0.05). The only exceptions were EF(OC) and EF(PM) for pine wood pellets because of reduced combustion temperatures with the increased air supply. In comparison with EFs for the raw pine wood and corn straw, EF(CO), EF(OC), EF(EC), and EF(PM) for pellets were significantly lower than those for raw fuels (p < 0.05). However, the differences in EF(PAH) were not significant (p > 0.05). Based on the measured EFs and thermal efficiencies, it was estimated that 95, 98, 98, 88, and 71% reductions in the total emissions of CO, OC, EC, PM, and PAHs could be achieved by replacing the raw biomass fuels combusted in traditional cooking stoves with pellets burned in modern pellet burners.

A new tritiated water measurement method with plastic scintillator pellets.

PubMed

Furuta, Etsuko; Iwasaki, Noriko; Kato, Yuka; Tomozoe, Yusuke

2016-01-01

A new tritiated water measurement method with plastic scintillator pellets (PS-pellets) by using a conventional liquid scintillation counter was developed. The PS-pellets used were 3 mm in both diameter and length. A low potassium glass vial was filled full with the pellets, and tritiated water was applied to the vial from 5 to 100 μl. Then, the sample solution was scattered in the interstices of the pellets in a vial. This method needs no liquid scintillator, so no liquid organic waste fluid is generated. The counting efficiency with the pellets was approximately 48 % when a 5 μl solution was used, which was higher than that of conventional measurement using liquid scintillator. The relationship between count rate and activity showed good linearity. The pellets were able to be used repeatedly, so few solid wastes are generated with this method. The PS-pellets are useful for tritiated water measurement; however, it is necessary to develop a new device which can be applied to a larger volume and measure low level concentration like an environmental application.

Studying Pellet Formation of a Filamentous Fungus Rhizopus oryzae to Enhance Organic Acid Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Wei; Liu, Yan; Chen, Shulin

Using pelletized fungal biomass can effectively improve the fermentation performance for most of fugal strains. This article studied the effects of inoculum and medium compositions such as potato dextrose broth (PDB) as carbon source, soybean peptone, calcium carbonate, and metal ions on pellet formation of Rhizopus oryzae. It has been found that metal ions had significantly negative effects on pellet formation whereas soybean peptone had positive effects. In addition PDB and calcium carbonate were beneficial to R. oryzae for growing small smooth pellets during the culture. The study also demonstrated that an inoculum size of less than 1.5×109 spores/L had no significant influence on pellet formation. Thus, a new approach to form pellets has been developed using only PDB, soybean peptone, and calcium carbonate. Meanwhile, palletized fungal fermentation significantly enhanced organic acid production. Lactic acid concentration reached 65.0 g/L in 30 h using pelletized R. oryzae NRRL 395, and fumeric acid concentration reached 31.0 g/L in 96 h using pelletized R. oryzae ATCC 20344.

Drug-beta-cyclodextrin containing pellets prepared with a high-shear mixer.

PubMed

Gainotti, Alessandro; Bettini, Ruggero; Gazzaniga, Andrea; Colombo, Paolo; Giordano, Ferdinando

2004-01-01

This work was aimed at investigating the preparation of beta-cyclodextrin-microcrystalline cellulose pellets by means of a high-shear mixer, both in the absence or in the presence of ibuprofen as model drug. Drug loading of pellets was accomplished by means of two alternative techniques: 1) solution layering or 2) powder layering. The prepared pellets were characterised in terms of size distribution, shape factor, friability and dissolution rate. The interaction between ibuprofen and beta-cyclodextrin was monitored by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Micro Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (MicroFTIR) was applied to determine the distribution of components within each pellet on a micro scale. Pellets with narrow size distribution and containing up to about 90% of BCD were prepared using water as binder. The process yield resulted around 84 and 63% for drug-free and medicate pellets respectively. Drug loaded pellets with favourable technological and biopharmaceutical characteristics can be obtained both by powder or solution layering techniques. The latter proved to be more suitable for producing pellets with high drug contents, reduced friability and high drug dissolution rates.

Cattle and sheep develop preference for drinking water containing grape seed tannin.

PubMed

Kronberg, S L; Schauer, C S

2013-10-01

Ingestion of small amounts of some types of condensed tannins (CTs) by ruminant livestock can provide nutritional, environmental and economic benefits. However, practical methods are needed to make these tannins more available to ruminant livestock. Results from previous trials with crude quebracho and black wattle tannin indicated that cattle and/or sheep would not preferentially drink water containing these tannins. Therefore, we conducted preference trials to determine if cattle and sheep would learn to prefer water containing purified grape seed tannin (GST) that provided up to 2% of their daily dry matter (DM) intake. After gradual exposure to increasing amounts of this tannin in water during a pre-trial period, five adult ewes and five yearling heifers fed lucerne (Medicago sativa) pellets (19% CP) were offered water and several concentrations of GST solutions for either 15 (sheep trial) or 20 days (cattle trial). We measured intake of all liquids daily. Concentrations of blood urea were also measured for heifers when they drank only tannin solutions or water. Both sheep and cattle developed preferences for water with GST in it over water alone (P < 0.01) although this preference appeared earlier in the trial for sheep than for cattle. For the sheep, mean daily intake of water alone and all tannin solutions (in total) was 0.6 and 6.1 l, respectively. For the cattle, mean daily intake of water and all tannin solutions in total was 21.8 and 20.6 l, respectively, in the first half of the trial and 10.8 and 26.1 l, respectively, in the second half of the trial. Compared with the other tannin solutions, both sheep and cattle drank more of the solution with the highest tannin concentration (2% of daily DM intake as GST) than of water on more trial days (P < 0.05). Ingestion of water with the highest concentration of GST reduced blood plasma urea concentration in the cattle by 9% to 14% (P ≤ 0.10) compared with ingestion of water alone. Results from the trials suggest that providing grape seed and perhaps other CTs via drinking water may be a practical way to introduce CTs into sheep and cattle diets.

Preparation of porous lead from shape-controlled PbO bulk by in situ electrochemical reduction in ChCl-EG deep eutectic solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ru, Juanjian; Hua, Yixin; Xu, Cunying; Li, Jian; Li, Yan; Wang, Ding; Zhou, Zhongren; Gong, Kai

2015-12-01

Porous lead with different shapes was firstly prepared from controlled geometries of solid PbO bulk by in situ electrochemical reduction in choline chloride-ethylene glycol deep eutectic solvents at cell voltage 2.5 V and 353 K. The electrochemical behavior of PbO powders on cavity microelectrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. It is indicated that solid PbO can be directly reduced to metal in the solvent and a nucleation loop is apparent. Constant voltage electrolysis demonstrates that PbO pellet can be completely converted to metal for 13 h, and the current efficiency and specific energy consumption are about 87.79% and 736.82 kWh t-1, respectively. With the electro-deoxidation progress on the pellet surface, the reduction rate reaches the fastest and decreases along the distance from surface to inner center. The morphologies of metallic products are porous and mainly consisted of uniform particles which connect with each other by finer strip-shaped grains to remain the geometry and macro size constant perfectly. In addition, an empirical model of the electro-deoxidation process from spherical PbO bulk to porous lead is also proposed. These findings provide a novel and simple route for the preparation of porous metals from oxide precursors in deep eutectic solvents at room temperature.

Subclinical hypervitaminosis A causes fragile bones in rats.

PubMed

Johansson, S; Lind, P M; Hakansson, H; Oxlund, H; Orberg, J; Melhus, H

2002-12-01

Excessive intake of vitamin A has been associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in humans. This finding has raised the question of whether long-term intake of relatively moderate doses ("subclinical" hypervitaminosis A) contributes to fracture risk. Although it has been known for more than half a century that toxic doses of vitamin A lead to spontaneous fractures in rats, the lowest intake that induces adverse effects is not known, and the result of exposure to excessive doses that do not cause general toxicity has been rarely investigated. In this study, mature female rats were fed a standard diet with 12 IU vitamin A/g pellet (control, C), or standard diet supplemented with either 120 IU ("10 x C") or 600 IU ("50 x C") vitamin A/g pellet for 12 weeks. Fifteen animals were included in each group. The supplemented diets correspond to a vitamin A intake of approximately 1800 IU/day and 9000 IU/day, respectively. The latter dose is about one third of that previously reported to cause skeletal lesions. At the end of the study, serum retinyl esters were elevated 4- (p < 0.01) and 20-fold (p < 0.001) and the total amount of liver retinoid had increased 3- (p < 0.001) and 7-fold (p < 0.001) in the 10 x C and 50 x C group, respectively. The animals showed no clinical signs of general toxicity, and there were no significant bone changes in the 10 x C group. However, in the 50 x C group, a characteristic thinning of the cortex (cortical area -6.5% [p < 0.001]) and reduction of the diameter of the long bones were evident (bone cross-sectional area -7.2% [p < 0.01] at the midshaft and -11.0% [p < 0.01] at the metaphysis), as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography. In agreement with these data and a decreased polar strength strain index (-14.0%, p < 0.01), the three-point bending breaking force of the femur was reduced by 10.3% (p < 0.01) in the 50 x C group. These data indicate that the negative skeletal effects appear at a subchronic vitamin A intake of somewhere between 10 and 50 times the standard diet. This level is considerably lower than previously reported. Our results suggest that long-term ingestion of modest excesses of vitamin A may contribute to fracture risk. Copyright 2002 by Elsevier Science Inc.

Lead intoxication in dogs: risk assessment of feeding dogs trimmings of lead-shot game.

PubMed

Høgåsen, Helga R; Ørnsrud, Robin; Knutsen, Helle K; Bernhoft, Aksel

2016-07-25

Expanding lead-based bullets, commonly used for hunting of big game, produce a scattering of lead particles in the carcass around the wound channel. Trimmings around this channel, which are sometimes fed to dogs, may contain lead particles. The aim of this study was to assess potential health effects of feeding dogs such trimmings. Lead ingestion most commonly causes gastrointestinal and neurological clinical signs, although renal, skeletal, haematological, cardiovascular and biochemical effects have also been reported. Experimental data indicate that a daily dose of around 1 mg lead as lead acetate/kg body weight for ten days may be considered as a Lowest Observed Effect Level in dogs. Acute toxicity documentation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates 300 mg/kg body weight as the lowest dose of lead acetate causing death in dogs after oral ingestion. Our assessment suggests that dogs fed trimmings of lead-shot game may be affected by the amounts of lead present, and that even deadly exposure could occasionally occur. The intestinal absorption of lead from bullets was assumed to be 10-80 % of that of lead acetate, reflecting both the variability in particle size and uncertainty about the bioavailability of metallic lead in dogs. Despite data gaps, this study indicates that feeding dogs trimmings of lead-shot game may represent a risk of lead intoxication. More research is needed to assess the exact consequences, if lead-based bullets are still to be used. Meanwhile, we recommend that trimmings close to the wound channel should be made inaccessible to dogs, as well as to other domestic or wild animals.

Astrocyte dysfunction following molybdenum-associated purine loading could initiate Parkinson's disease with dementia.

PubMed

Bourke, Christopher A

2018-01-01

Sporadic or idiopathic Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder with a worldwide distribution, a long pre-clinical latent period and a frequent association with dementia. The combination of molybdenum deficiency and purine ingestion could explain the movement disorder, the distribution, the latent period and the dementia association. Recent studies in sheep have shown that molybdenum deficiency enables some dietary purines to accumulate in the central nervous system. This causes astrocyte dysfunction, altered neuromodulation and eventually irreversible central nervous system disease. Humans and sheep share the ability to salvage purines and this ability places humans at risk when they ingest xanthosine, inosine, adenosine and guanosine. Adenosine ingestion in molybdenum-deficient humans will lead to adenosine loading and potentially a disturbance to the A2a adenosine receptors in the nigro-striatum. This could result in Parkinson's disease. Guanosine ingestion in molybdenum-deficient humans will lead to guanosine loading and potentially a disturbance to the guanosine receptors in the hippocampus, amygdala and ventral striatum. This could result in dementia. The molybdenum content of the average daily diet in the United States is 0.07 ppm and in the United Kingdom 0.04 ppm. Central nervous system disease occurs in sheep at <0.04 ppm. Consistent with the role proposed for molybdenum deficiency in Parkinson's disease is the observation that affected individuals have elevated sulfur amino acid levels, depressed sulfate levels, and depressed uric acid levels. Likewise the geographical distribution of Parkinson's dementia complex on Guam corresponds with the distribution of molybdenum-deficient soils hence molybdenum-deficient food gardens on that island.

Paraformaldehyde pellet not necessary in vacuum-pumped maple sap system

Treesearch

H. Clay Smith; Carter B. Gibbs

1970-01-01

In a study of sugar maple sap collection through a vacuum-pumped plastic tubing system, yields were compared between tapholes in which paraformaldehyde pellets were used and tapholes without pellets, Use of the pellets did not increase yield.

Cradle-to-Gate Life-Cycle Inventory and Impact Assessment of Wood Fuel Pellet Manufacturing from Hardwood Flooring Residues in the Southeastern United States

Treesearch

Daniel Reed; Richard Bergman; Jae-Woo Kim; Adam Tayler; David Harper; David Jones; Chris Knowles; Maureen E. Puettmann

2012-01-01

In this article, we present cradle-to-gate life-cycle inventory (LCI) data for wood fuel pellets manufactured in the Southeast United States. We surveyed commercial pellet manufacturers in 2010, collecting annual production data for 2009. Weighted-average inputs to, and emissions from, the pelletization process were determined. The pellet making unit process was...

Fuel Pellets from Wheat Straw: The Effect of Lignin Glass Transition and Surface Waxes on Pelletizing Properties

Treesearch

Wolfgang Stelte; Craig Clemons; Jens K. Holm; Jesper Ahrenfeldt; Ulrik B. Henriksen; Anand R. Sanadi

2012-01-01

The utilization of wheat straw as a renewable energy resource is limited due to its low bulk density. Pelletizing wheat straw into fuel pellets of high density increases its handling properties but is more challenging compared to pelletizing wood biomass. Straw has a lower lignin content and a high concentration of hydrophobic waxes on its outer surface that may limit...

Engineering and functional properties of biodegradable pellets developed from various agro-industrial wastes using extrusion technology.

PubMed

Jan, Kulsum; Riar, C S; Saxena, D C

2015-12-01

Different agro-industrial wastes were mixed with different plasticizers and extruded to form the pellets to be used further for development of biodegradable molded pots. Bulk density and macro-porosity are the important engineering properties used to determine the functional characteristics of the biodegradable pellets viz., expansion volume, water solubility, product colour, flowability and compactness. Significant differences in the functional properties of pellets with varying bulk densities (loose and tapped) and macro-porosities (loose, tapped) were observed. The observed mean bulk density of biodegradable pellets made from different formulations ranged between 0.213 and 0.560 g/ml for loose fill conditions and 0.248 to 0.604 g/ml for tapped fill conditions. Biodegradable pellets bear a good compaction for both loose and tapped fill methods. The mean macro-porosity of biodegradable pellets ranged between 1.19 and 54.48 % for loose fill condition and 0.29 to 53.35 % for tapped fill condition. Hausner ratio (HR) for biodegradable pellets varied from 1.026 to 1.328, indicating a good flowability of biodegradable pellets. Pearson's correlation between engineering properties and functional properties of biodegradable pellets revealed that from engineering properties functional properties can be predicted.

Circular economy in drinking water treatment: reuse of ground pellets as seeding material in the pellet softening process.

PubMed

Schetters, M J A; van der Hoek, J P; Kramer, O J I; Kors, L J; Palmen, L J; Hofs, B; Koppers, H

2015-01-01

Calcium carbonate pellets are produced as a by-product in the pellet softening process. In the Netherlands, these pellets are applied as a raw material in several industrial and agricultural processes. The sand grain inside the pellet hinders the application in some high-potential market segments such as paper and glass. Substitution of the sand grain with a calcite grain (100% calcium carbonate) is in principle possible, and could significantly improve the pellet quality. In this study, the grinding and sieving of pellets, and the subsequent reuse as seeding material in pellet softening were tested with two pilot reactors in parallel. In one reactor, garnet sand was used as seeding material, in the other ground calcite. Garnet sand and ground calcite performed equally well. An economic comparison and a life-cycle assessment were made as well. The results show that the reuse of ground calcite as seeding material in pellet softening is technologically possible, reduces the operational costs by €38,000 (1%) and reduces the environmental impact by 5%. Therefore, at the drinking water facility, Weesperkarspel of Waternet, the transition from garnet sand to ground calcite will be made at full scale, based on this pilot plant research.

In-line monitoring of pellet coating thickness growth by means of visual imaging.

PubMed

Oman Kadunc, Nika; Sibanc, Rok; Dreu, Rok; Likar, Boštjan; Tomaževič, Dejan

2014-08-15

Coating thickness is the most important attribute of coated pharmaceutical pellets as it directly affects release profiles and stability of the drug. Quality control of the coating process of pharmaceutical pellets is thus of utmost importance for assuring the desired end product characteristics. A visual imaging technique is presented and examined as a process analytic technology (PAT) tool for noninvasive continuous in-line and real time monitoring of coating thickness of pharmaceutical pellets during the coating process. Images of pellets were acquired during the coating process through an observation window of a Wurster coating apparatus. Image analysis methods were developed for fast and accurate determination of pellets' coating thickness during a coating process. The accuracy of the results for pellet coating thickness growth obtained in real time was evaluated through comparison with an off-line reference method and a good agreement was found. Information about the inter-pellet coating uniformity was gained from further statistical analysis of the measured pellet size distributions. Accuracy and performance analysis of the proposed method showed that visual imaging is feasible as a PAT tool for in-line and real time monitoring of the coating process of pharmaceutical pellets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lead in bone II: skeletal-lead content as an indicator of lifetime lead ingestion and the social correlates in an archaeological population

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

Aufderheide, A.C.; Neiman, F.D.; Wittmers, L.E. Jr.

1981-07-01

Measurements of skeletal-lead content (by atomic absorption spectroscopy) were made for 16 individuals recovered from a Colonial (1670-1730) plantation cemetery in Virginia. Archaeological and historical evidence allowed the identification of two social groups (plantation proprietors and laborers) within this small population, each with vastly different estimated lifetime lead exposure, reflecting different living conditions. Measured bone-lead levels confirmed these differences. The character of plantation social organization proved a more important determinant of skeletal-lead content in the individuals studied than age, sex or race.

Shock Desensitization Effect in the STANAG 4363 Confined Explosive Component Water Gap Test

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

Lefrancois, A S; Lee, R S; Tarver, C M

2006-06-07

The Explosive Component Water Gap Test (ECWGT) in the Stanag 4363 has been recently investigated to assess the shock sensitivity of lead and booster components having a diameter less than 5 mm. For that purpose, Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) based pellets having a height and diameter of 3 mm have been confined by a steel annulus of wall thickness 1-3.5 mm and with the same height as the pellet. 1-mm wall thickness makes the component more sensitive (larger gap). As the wall thickness is increased to 2-mm, the gap increases a lesser amount, but when the wall thickness is increased tomore » 3.5-mm a decrease in sensitivity is observed (smaller gap). This decrease of the water gap has been reproduced experimentally by many nations. Numerical simulations using Ignition and Growth model have been performed in this paper and have reproduced the experimental results for the steel confinement up to 2 mm thick and aluminum confinement. A stronger re-shock following the first input shock from the water is focusing on the axis due to the confinement. The double shock configuration is well-known to lead in some cases to shock desensitization.« less

Lead poisoning in dogs at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital

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

Kowalczyk, D.F.

1976-03-01

Twenty-seven dogs with lead poisoning were admitted to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital from July, 1963, to April, 1975. The major source of the lead was paint. A common history was ingestion of plaster or paint scrapings during room renovation. Most of the dogs were less than 1 year old and had clinical signs referable to the gastrointestinal or the nervous system, or both. The gastrointestinal signs, in order of frequency, were vomiting, anorexia, tender abdomen, diarrhea, and constipation. The neurologic signs, in order of frequency, were hysteria, convulsions, ataxia, blindness, and mydriasis. The finding of many nucleated erythrocytesmore » without severe anemia was nearly pathognomonic for lead poisoning. Of 14 affected dogs subjected to abdominal radiography, 9 had evidence of ingested radiopaque material. A mean blood lead concentration of 18.8 ..mu..g/100 ml, with a range of 0 to 50 ..mu..g/100 ml, was found for 26 dogs that were hospitalized for problems unrelated to lead poisoning. Of the 27 dogs with lead poisoning, 22 had their blood analyzed for lead. This group had blood lead values ranging from 40 to 530 ..mu..g/100 ml. Seven of the affected dogs were monitored throughout their period of treatment with calcium ethylene-diaminetetraacetate. The concentration of lead in the blood decreased quickly after the initiation and treatment but leveled off after 2 or 3 days. The initial rapid phase probably corresponded to the removal of weakly bound or extracellular lead, whereas the slow phase probably corresponded to strongly bound or intracellular lead. 22 references.« less

Degeneration of ingestion-related brainstem nuclei in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, 3, 6 and 7.

PubMed

Rüb, U; Brunt, E R; Petrasch-Parwez, E; Schöls, L; Theegarten, D; Auburger, G; Seidel, K; Schultz, C; Gierga, K; Paulson, H; van Broeckhoven, C; Deller, T; de Vos, R A I

2006-12-01

Dysphagia, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies, weight loss and dehydration, represents a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia. Although clinical studies have reported the occurrence of dysphagia in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), type 3 (SCA3), type 6 (SCA6) and type 7 (SCA7), there are neither detailed clinical records concerning the kind of ingestive malfunctions which contribute to dysphagia nor systematic pathoanatomical studies of brainstem regions involved in the ingestive process. In the present study we performed a systematic post mortem study on thick serial tissue sections through the ingestion-related brainstem nuclei of 12 dysphagic patients who suffered from clinically diagnosed and genetically confirmed spinocerebellar ataxias assigned to the CAG-repeat or polyglutamine diseases (two SCA2, seven SCA3, one SCA6 and two SCA7 patients) and evaluated their medical records. Upon pathoanatomical examination in all of the SCA2, SCA3, SCA6 and SCA7 patients, a widespread neurodegeneration of the brainstem nuclei involved in the ingestive process was found. The clinical records revealed that all of the SCA patients were diagnosed with progressive dysphagia and showed dysfunctions detrimental to the preparatory phase of the ingestive process, as well as the lingual, pharyngeal and oesophageal phases of swallowing. The vast majority of the SCA patients suffered from aspiration pneumonia, which was the most frequent cause of death in our sample. The findings of the present study suggest (i) that dysphagia in SCA2, SCA3, SCA6 and SCA7 patients may be associated with widespread neurodegeneration of ingestion-related brainstem nuclei; (ii) that dysphagic SCA2, SCA3, SCA6 and SCA7 patients may suffer from dysfunctions detrimental to all phases of the ingestive process; and (iii) that rehabilitative swallow therapy which takes specific functional consequences of the underlying brainstem lesions into account might be helpful in preventing aspiration pneumonia, weight loss and dehydration in SCA2, SCA3, SCA6 and SCA7 patients.

[Risk assessment of rescue helicopter or ambulance transport of patients ingesting hazardous volatile materials].

PubMed

Takegawa, Ryosuke; Ohnishi, Mitsuo; Hirose, Tomoya; Hatano, Yayoi; Imada, Yuko; Endo, Yoko; Shimazu, Takeshi

2016-03-01

In cases of transport by rescue helicopter or ambulance of patients having ingested hazardous substances, medical personnel may be at a certain risk of inhaling the substances. However, few reports have addressed such risk of causing secondary casualties. This simulation study aimed to assess the risk of inhalation of hydrogen sulfide and chlo-opicrin in the cabin of a helicopter or an ambulance transporting a patient who has ingested calcium polysulfide or chloropicrin, which were previously reported to cause secondary casualties. Concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and chloropicrin were assessed on the following as-umptions :The patient ingested 100 mL of the causative or original chemical. All chemical substances reacted with the gastric juice or were thoroughly vomited and evaporated uniformly within the cabin space of the helicopter or ambulance. Environmental conditions were 20 *degrees at 1 atmosphere of pres-ure in a 5 m3 cabin volume in the helicopter and a 13.5 m3 cabin volume in the ambulance. In the case of calcium polysulfide ingestion which produced hydrogen sulfide, its concen-ration reached 774 ppm in the helicopter and 287 ppm in the ambulance. For chloropicrin ingestion, the concentrations were 4,824 ppm and 1,787 ppm, respectively. The simulated concentration of hydrogen sulfide was more than 500 ppm in the heli-opter, which may lead to respiratory paralysis and death. The simulated concentration of chloropicrin was more than 300 ppm, which has a risk of death within 10 minutes. Currently, as far as Japanese laws are concerned, there are no restrictions requiring pretransport assessment or setting criteria for transporting patients who might have ingested hazardous substances that could cause secondary casu-lties when vomited. When patients who might have ingested hazardous chemicals are transported, it is important to recognize the risk of causing secondary casualties by vomiting the chemicals.

[Diarrhoea and oedema in two show horses after feeding a pelleted supplemental feed for horses according to VDLUFA's perspective of microbial quality classified as safe for use in horses].

PubMed

Büsing, Kirsten; Mietke-Hofmann, Henriette; Dibbert, Regina; Donandt, Dietz; Maier, Thomas; Zeyner, Annette

2013-01-01

A new batch of a supplemental feed was fed as pellets (diameter 8 mm) to two Warmblood-type horses. One horse developed watery diarrhoea within two days. Pronounced oedema due to hypalbuminemia was seen about ten days later. The feed was replaced by pellets of identical composition and mixing process, but lower diameter (5 mm). After one week of feeding, oedema regressed and faeces were normally formed. At refeeding the larger sized pellets, the symptoms recurred, but now both horses were affected. After a change to the smaller pellets, the horses recovered soon. Water activity (aw-value) of the larger and the smaller sized pellets was 0.68 and 0.56, respectively. In the larger sized pellets crude fat increased, whereas crude protein and nitrogen-free extracts decreased, giving a hint to microbial activity. Samples of both pellets were examined by VDLUFA methods and the microbial quality was classified in quality step 1. Though the quality parameters complied with recommendations for the product, it contained large numbers of spoilage indicating bacteria. The content of sulfite-reducing clostridia was higher in the 8 mm pellets than in the 5 mm pellets, with 3.3 x 10(2) and 1.1 x 10(2) colony forming units, respectively. The larger sized pellets produced remarkable quantities of gas. Bacillus cereus of non probiotic origin was identified.

Impact of AFEX™ Pretreatment and Extrusion Pelleting on Pellet Physical Properties and Sugar Recovery from Corn Stover, Prairie Cord Grass, and Switchgrass.

PubMed

Sundaram, Vijay; Muthukumarappan, Kasiviswanathan

2016-05-01

The effects of AFEX™ pretreatment, feedstock moisture content (5,10, and 15 % wb), particle size (screen sizes of 2, 4, and 8 mm), and extrusion temperature (75, 100, and 125 °C) on pellet bulk density, pellet hardness, and sugar recovery from corn stover, prairie cord grass, and switchgrass were investigated. Pellets were produced from untreated and AFEX™ pretreated feedstocks using a laboratory-scale extruder. AFEX™ pretreatment increased subsequent pellet bulk density from 453.0 to 650.6 kg m(-3) for corn stover from 463.2 to 680.1 kg m(-3) for prairie cord grass, and from 433.9 to 627.7 kg m(-3) for switchgrass. Maximum pellet hardness of 2342.8, 2424.3, and 1298.6 N was recorded for AFEX™ pretreated corn stover, prairie cord grass, and switchgrass, respectively. Glucose yields of AFEX™ corn stover pellets, prairie cord grass, and switchgrass pellets varied from 88.9 to 94.9 %, 90.1 to 94.9 %, and 87.0 to 92.9 %, respectively. Glucose and xylose yields of AFEX™ pellets were not affected by the extruder barrel temperature and the hammer mill screen size. The results obtained showed that low temperature and large particle size during the extrusion pelleting process can be employed for AFEX™-treated biomass without compromising sugar yields.

Tritium proof-of-principle pellet injector: Phase 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, P. W.; Gouge, M. J.

1995-03-01

As part of the International Thermonuclear Engineering Reactor (ITER) plasma fueling development program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has fabricated a pellet injection system to test the mechanical and thermal properties of extruded tritium. This repeating, single-stage, pneumatic injector, called the Tritium-Proof-of-Principle Phase-2 (TPOP-2) Pellet Injector, has a piston-driven mechanical extruder and is designed to extrude hydrogenic pellets sized for the ITER device. The TPOP-II program has the following development goals: evaluate the feasibility of extruding tritium and DT mixtures for use in future pellet injection systems; determine the mechanical and thermal properties of tritium and DT extrusions; integrate, test and evaluate the extruder in a repeating, single-stage light gas gun sized for the ITER application (pellet diameter approximately 7-8 mm); evaluate options for recycling propellant and extruder exhaust gas; evaluate operability and reliability of ITER prototypical fueling systems in an environment of significant tritium inventory requiring secondary and room containment systems. In initial tests with deuterium feed at ORNL, up to thirteen pellets have been extruded at rates up to 1 Hz and accelerated to speeds of order 1.0-1.1 km/s using hydrogen propellant gas at a supply pressure of 65 bar. The pellets are typically 7.4 mm in diameter and up to 11 mm in length and are the largest cryogenic pellets produced by the fusion program to date. These pellets represent about a 11% density perturbation to ITER. Hydrogenic pellets will be used in ITER to sustain the fusion power in the plasma core and may be crucial in reducing first wall tritium inventories by a process called isotopic fueling where tritium-rich pellets fuel the burning plasma core and deuterium gas fuels the edge.

Method to produce durable pellets at lower energy consumption using high moisture corn stover and a corn starch binder in a flat die pellet mill

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

Tumuluru, Jaya Shankar; Conner, Craig C.; Hoover, Amber N.

Biomass from plants can serve as an alternative renewable energy resources for energy production. Low densities of 40–60 kg/m3 for ground lignocellulosic biomass like corn stover limit its operation for energy purposes. The common drawbacks are inefficient transportation, a bigger storage foot print, and handling problems. Densification of biomass using pellet mill helps to overcome these limitations. This study helps to understand the effect of binder on high moisture biomass with a focus on the quality (density and durability), the pelleting efficiency and the specific energy consumption of its pelleting process. Raw corn stover was pelleted at high moisture ofmore » 33% (w.b.) at both varying preheating temperatures and binder percentage. The die speed of the pellet mill was set at 60Hz. The pellets produced were analyzed and showed higher moisture content. They were further dried in a laboratory oven at 70°C for 3-4 hr bringing the pellet moisture to <9%. The dried pellets were evaluated for their physical properties like unit, bulk and tapped density, and durability. Furthermore, the results indicated increasing the binder percentage to 4% improved the physical properties of the pellets and reduced the specific energy consumption. Higher binder addition of 4% reduced the feedstock moisture loss during pelleting to <4%, which can be due reduced residence time of the material in the die. On the other hand the physical properties like density and durability improved significantly with binder addition. At 4% binder and 33% feedstock moisture content, the bulk density and durability values observed were >510 kg/m3 and >98% and the percent fines generation has reduced to <3%. Also at these conditions the specific energy consumption was reduced by about 30-40% compared no binder pelleting test.« less

Method to produce durable pellets at lower energy consumption using high moisture corn stover and a corn starch binder in a flat die pellet mill

DOE PAGES

Tumuluru, Jaya Shankar; Conner, Craig C.; Hoover, Amber N.

2016-06-15

Biomass from plants can serve as an alternative renewable energy resources for energy production. Low densities of 40–60 kg/m3 for ground lignocellulosic biomass like corn stover limit its operation for energy purposes. The common drawbacks are inefficient transportation, a bigger storage foot print, and handling problems. Densification of biomass using pellet mill helps to overcome these limitations. This study helps to understand the effect of binder on high moisture biomass with a focus on the quality (density and durability), the pelleting efficiency and the specific energy consumption of its pelleting process. Raw corn stover was pelleted at high moisture ofmore » 33% (w.b.) at both varying preheating temperatures and binder percentage. The die speed of the pellet mill was set at 60Hz. The pellets produced were analyzed and showed higher moisture content. They were further dried in a laboratory oven at 70°C for 3-4 hr bringing the pellet moisture to <9%. The dried pellets were evaluated for their physical properties like unit, bulk and tapped density, and durability. Furthermore, the results indicated increasing the binder percentage to 4% improved the physical properties of the pellets and reduced the specific energy consumption. Higher binder addition of 4% reduced the feedstock moisture loss during pelleting to <4%, which can be due reduced residence time of the material in the die. On the other hand the physical properties like density and durability improved significantly with binder addition. At 4% binder and 33% feedstock moisture content, the bulk density and durability values observed were >510 kg/m3 and >98% and the percent fines generation has reduced to <3%. Also at these conditions the specific energy consumption was reduced by about 30-40% compared no binder pelleting test.« less

Pellet injection into H-mode ITER plasma with the presence of internal transport barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leekhaphan, P.; Onjun, T.

2011-04-01

The impacts of pellet injection into ITER type-1 ELMy H-mode plasma with the presence of internal transport barriers (ITBs) are investigated using self-consistent core-edge simulations of 1.5D BALDUR integrated predictive modeling code. In these simulations, the plasma core transport is predicted using a combination of a semi-empirical Mixed B/gB anomalous transport model, which can self-consistently predict the formation of ITBs, and the NCLASS neoclassical model. For simplicity, it is assumed that toroidal velocity for ω E× B calculation is proportional to local ion temperature. In addition, the boundary conditions are predicted using the pedestal temperature model based on magnetic and flow shear stabilization width scaling; while the density of each plasma species, including both hydrogenic and impurity species, at the boundary are assumed to be a large fraction of its line averaged density. For the pellet's behaviors in the hot plasma, the Neutral Gas Shielding (NGS) model by Milora-Foster is used. It was found that the injection of pellet could result in further improvement of fusion performance from that of the formation of ITB. However, the impact of pellet injection is quite complicated. It is also found that the pellets cannot penetrate into a deep core of the plasma. The injection of the pellet results in a formation of density peak in the region close to the plasma edge. The injection of pellet can result in an improved nuclear fusion performance depending on the properties of pellet (i.e., increase up to 5% with a speed of 1 km/s and radius of 2 mm). A sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine the impact of pellet parameters, which are: the pellet radius, the pellet velocity, and the frequency of injection. The increase in the pellet radius and frequency were found to greatly improve the performance and effectiveness of fuelling. However, changing the velocity is observed to exert small impact.

A centrifuge CO2 pellet cleaning system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, C. A.; Fisher, P. W.; Nelson, W. D.; Schechter, D. E.

1995-01-01

An advanced turbine/CO2 pellet accelerator is being evaluated as a depaint technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program, sponsored by Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC), Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, has developed a robot-compatible apparatus that efficiently accelerates pellets of dry ice with a high-speed rotating wheel. In comparison to the more conventional compressed air 'sandblast' pellet accelerators, the turbine system can achieve higher pellet speeds, has precise speed control, and is more than ten times as efficient. A preliminary study of the apparatus as a depaint technology has been undertaken. Depaint rates of military epoxy/urethane paint systems on 2024 and 7075 aluminum panels as a function of pellet speed and throughput have been measured. In addition, methods of enhancing the strip rate by combining infra-red heat lamps with pellet blasting and by combining the use of environmentally benign solvents with the pellet blasting have also been studied. The design and operation of the apparatus will be discussed along with data obtained from the depaint studies.

Complete reduction of high-density UO2 to metallic U in molten Li2O-LiCl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Eun-Young; Lee, Jeong

2017-10-01

The large size and high density of spent fuel pellets make it difficult to use the pellets directly in electrolytic reduction (also called as oxide reduction, OR) for pyroprocessing owing to the slow diffusion of molten Li2O-LiCl salt electrolyte into the pellets. In this study, we investigated complete OR of high-density UO2 to metallic U without any remaining UO2. Only partial reductions near the surface of high-density UO2 pellets were observed under operation conditions employing fast electrolysis rate that allowed previously complete reduction of low-density UO2 pellets. Complete reduction of high-density UO2 pellets was observed at fast electrolysis rate when the pellet size was reduced. The complete reduction of high-density UO2 pellets without size reduction was achieved at slow electrolysis rate, which allowed sufficient chemical reduction of UO2 with the lithium metal generated by the cathode reaction.

Southeastern United States wood pellets as a global energy resource: a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment derived from empirical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, Brandon; Golden, Jay S.

2018-02-01

Given increased policies driving renewable electricity generation and insufficient local production of woody biomass, many countries are reliant upon the importation of wood pellets. Of current wood pellet exports, the vast majority originates from the Southeastern United States (US). In this paper we present results from a cradle-to-gate, attributional process life cycle assessment in which two production scenarios of wood pellets were modelled for the Southeastern US: one utilising roundwood from a silviculture operation and the other utilising sawmill residues. The system boundary includes all steps from harvesting of the wood biomass, through delivery of the finished wood pellets to a US port facility. For each of the impact categories assessed, wood pellets from sawmill residues resulted in higher values, ranging from 5% to 31%. In relation to Global Warming Potential, roundwood pellets resulted in a 13-21% lower value than pellets produced from sawmill residues, depending upon the allocation method.

The impact of interface bonding efficiency on high-burnup spent nuclear fuel dynamic performance

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

Jiang, Hao; Wang, Jy-An John; Wang, Hong

Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to investigate the impact of interfacial bonding efficiency at pellet-pellet and pellet-clad interfaces of high-burnup (HBU) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) on system dynamic performance. Bending moments M were applied to FEA model to evaluate the system responses. From bending curvature, κ, flexural rigidity EI can be estimated as EI = M/κ. The FEA simulation results were benchmarked with experimental results from cyclic integrated reversal bending fatigue test (CIRFT) of HBR fuel rods. The consequence of interface debonding between fuel pellets and cladding is a redistribution of the loads carried by the fuel pellets tomore » the clad, which results in a reduction in composite rod system flexural rigidity. Furthermore, the interface bonding efficiency at the pellet-pellet and pellet-clad interfaces can significantly dictate the SNF system dynamic performance. With the consideration of interface bonding efficiency, the HBU SNF fuel property was estimated with CIRFT test data.« less

Adsorption of trace metals to plastic resin pellets in the marine environment.

PubMed

Holmes, Luke A; Turner, Andrew; Thompson, Richard C

2012-01-01

Plastic production pellets collected from beaches of south west England contain variable concentrations of trace metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) that, in some cases, exceed concentrations reported for local estuarine sediments. The rates and mechanisms by which metals associate with virgin and beached polyethylene pellets were studied by adding a cocktail of 5 μg L(-1) of trace metals to 10 g L(-1) pellet suspensions in filtered seawater. Kinetic profiles were modelled using a pseudo-first-order equation and yielded response times of less than about 100 h and equilibrium partition coefficients of up to about 225 ml g(-1) that were consistently higher for beached pellets than virgin pellets. Adsorption isotherms conformed to both the Langmuir and Freundlich equations and adsorption capacities were greater for beached pellets than for virgin pellets. Results suggest that plastics may represent an important vehicle for the transport of metals in the marine environment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of interface bonding efficiency on high-burnup spent nuclear fuel dynamic performance

DOE PAGES

Jiang, Hao; Wang, Jy-An John; Wang, Hong

2016-09-26

Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to investigate the impact of interfacial bonding efficiency at pellet-pellet and pellet-clad interfaces of high-burnup (HBU) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) on system dynamic performance. Bending moments M were applied to FEA model to evaluate the system responses. From bending curvature, κ, flexural rigidity EI can be estimated as EI = M/κ. The FEA simulation results were benchmarked with experimental results from cyclic integrated reversal bending fatigue test (CIRFT) of HBR fuel rods. The consequence of interface debonding between fuel pellets and cladding is a redistribution of the loads carried by the fuel pellets tomore » the clad, which results in a reduction in composite rod system flexural rigidity. Furthermore, the interface bonding efficiency at the pellet-pellet and pellet-clad interfaces can significantly dictate the SNF system dynamic performance. With the consideration of interface bonding efficiency, the HBU SNF fuel property was estimated with CIRFT test data.« less

Diffuse pollution by persistent organic pollutants as measured in plastic pellets sampled from various beaches in Greece.

PubMed

Karapanagioti, H K; Endo, S; Ogata, Y; Takada, H

2011-02-01

Plastic pellets found stranded on beaches are hydrophobic organic materials and thus, they are a favourable medium for persistent organic pollutants to absorb to. In the present study, plastic pellets are used to determine the diffuse pollution of selected Greek beaches. Samples of pellets were taken from these beaches and were analyzed for PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, and PAHs. The observed differences among pellets from various sampling sites are related to the pollution occurring at each site. Plastic pellets collected in Saronikos Gulf beaches demonstrate much higher pollutant loading than the ones collected in a remote island or close to an agricultural area. Based on data collected in this study and the International Pellet Watch program, pollution in Saronikos Gulf, Greece, is comparable to other heavily industrialized places of the world. The present study demonstrates the potential of pellet watch to be utilized as a detailed-scale monitoring tool within a single country. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Food contamination as a pathway for lead exposure in children during the 2010-2013 lead poisoning epidemic in Zamfara, Nigeria.

PubMed

Tirima, Simba; Bartrem, Casey; von Lindern, Ian; von Braun, Margrit; Lind, Douglas; Anka, Shehu Mohamed; Abdullahi, Aishat

2018-05-01

In 2010, an estimated 400 to 500 children died of acute lead poisoning associated with artisanal gold mining in Zamfara, Nigeria. Processing of gold ores containing up to 10% lead within residential compounds put residents, especially children, at the highest risk. Principal routes of exposure were incidental ingestion and inhalation of contaminated soil and dusts. Several Nigerian and international health organizations collaborated to reduce lead exposures through environmental remediation and medical treatment. The contribution of contaminated food to total lead exposure was assessed during the environmental health response. Objectives of this investigation were to assess the influence of cultural/dietary habits on lead exposure pathways and estimate the contribution of contaminated food to children's blood lead levels (BLLs). A survey of village dietary practices and staple food lead content was conducted to determine dietary composition, caloric intakes, and lead intake. Potential blood lead increments were estimated using bio-kinetic modeling techniques. Most dietary lead exposure was associated with contamination of staple cereal grains and legumes during post-harvest processing and preparation in contaminated homes. Average post-harvest and processed cereal grain lead levels were 0.32mg/kg and 0.85mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Age-specific food lead intake ranged from 7 to 78μg/day. Lead ingestion and absorption were likely aggravated by the dusty environment, fasting between meals, and nutritional deficiencies. Contamination of staple cereal grains by highly bioavailable pulverized ores could account for as much as 11%-34% of children's BLLs during the epidemic, and were a continuing source after residential soil remediation until stored grain inventories were exhausted. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Pelletizing lignite

DOEpatents

Goksel, Mehmet A.

1983-11-01

Lignite is formed into high strength pellets having a calorific value of at least 9,500 Btu/lb by blending a sufficient amount of an aqueous base bituminous emulsion with finely-divided raw lignite containing its inherent moisture to form a moistened green mixture containing at least 3 weight % of the bituminous material, based on the total dry weight of the solids, pelletizing the green mixture into discrete green pellets of a predetermined average diameter and drying the green pellets to a predetermined moisture content, preferrably no less than about 5 weight %. Lignite char and mixture of raw lignite and lignite char can be formed into high strength pellets in the same general manner.

A microwave cavity for measurement of the mass of hydrogen pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sørensen, H.; Hansen, J. E.; Michelsen, P.; Sass, B.; Weisberg, K.-V.; Knudsen, O.; Michelsen, E.

1990-11-01

A description is given of a nondestructive method utilizing a microwave cavity for measuring the mass of high-speed pellets of solid hydrogen. The cavity is designed for use on a multishot pellet injector, where eight pellets are fired successively with trajectories being parallel and symmetrical around the injector axis. The cavity is cylindrical with the axis coinciding with the injector axis. When a pellet passes through the cavity through holes of 15-16 mm diameter, the change in resonant frequency is proportional to the pellet mass. As a result of the cylindrical symmetry the sensitivity will be identical for all pellets. The frequency shift is measured directly and is converted to a signal proportional to the size of the pellet. The cavity was calibrated with pellets of H2 and D2 containing around 6×1020 atoms and with velocities between 1200 and 1500 m/s. The sensitivity was found to be 300±15 mV/1020 atoms in both cases. This is in fair agreement with estimates made from the dielectric constants of solid H2 and D2. The cavity is built together with two optical detectors for time of flight measurements to form an integrated diagnostic unit.

The effect of pelleting on in situ rumen degradability of compound feed containing brown rice for dairy cows.

PubMed

Tagawa, Shin-Ichi; Yoshida, Norio; Iino, Yukihiro; Horiguchi, Ken-Ichi; Takahashi, Toshiyoshi; Watanabe, Maria; Takemura, Kei; Ito, Syuhei; Mikami, Toyoji

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of pelleting on in situ dry matter degradability of pelleted compound feed containing brown rice for dairy cows. Mash feed of the same composition was used as a control and the in situ study was conducted using three non-lactating Holstein steers fitted with a rumen cannula. The feeds contained 32.3% brown rice, 19.4% rapeseed meal, 11.4% wheat bran and 10.6% soybean meal (fresh weight basis). Except for moisture content, the chemical composition of the feed was not affected by pelleting. In situ dry matter disappearance of the feed increased from 0 to 2 h and after 72 h of incubation with pellet processing. Integration of the dry matter disappearance values over time revealed that degradability parameter a (soluble fraction) increased with pellet processing, whereas parameter b (potentially degradable fraction) decreased. Parameter c (fractional rate of degradation) and effective degradability (5% passage rate) were not affected by pellet processing. We concluded that pellet processing promotes rumen degradability at early incubation hours when the pelleted feed contains brown rice. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Automatic control system for uniformly paving iron ore pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bowen; Qian, Xiaolong

2014-05-01

In iron and steelmaking industry, iron ore pellet qualities are crucial to end-product properties, manufacturing costs and waste emissions. Uniform pellet pavements on the grate machine are a fundamental prerequisite to ensure even heat-transfer and pellet induration successively influences performance of the following metallurgical processes. This article presents an automatic control system for uniformly paving green pellets on the grate, via a mechanism mainly constituted of a mechanical linkage, a swinging belt, a conveyance belt and a grate. Mechanism analysis illustrates that uniform pellet pavements demand the frontend of the swinging belt oscillate at a constant angular velocity. Subsequently, kinetic models are formulated to relate oscillatory movements of the swinging belt's frontend to rotations of a crank link driven by a motor. On basis of kinetic analysis of the pellet feeding mechanism, a cubic B-spline model is built for numerically computing discrete frequencies to be modulated during a motor rotation. Subsequently, the pellet feeding control system is presented in terms of compositional hardware and software components, and their functional relationships. Finally, pellet feeding experiments are carried out to demonstrate that the control system is effective, reliable and superior to conventional methods.

Owl Pellet Analysis--A Useful Tool in Field Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medlin, G. C.

1977-01-01

Describes a technique by which the density and hunting habits of owls can be inferred from their pellets. Owl pellets--usually small, cylindrical packages of undigested bone, hair, etc.--are regurgitated by a roosting bird. A series of activities based on owl pellets are provided. (CP)

Monitoring of carbon monoxide in residences with bulk wood pellet storage in the Northeast United States.

PubMed

Rossner, Alan; Jordan, Carolyn E; Wake, Cameron; Soto-Garcia, Lydia

2017-10-01

The interest in biomass fuel is continuing to expand globally and in the northeastern United States as wood pellets are becoming a primary source of fuel for residential and small commercial systems. Wood pellets for boilers are often stored in basement storage rooms or large bag-type containers. Due to the enclosed nature of these storage areas, the atmosphere may exhibit increased levels of carbon monoxide. Serious accidents in Europe have been reported over the last decade in which high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) have been found in or near bulk pellet storage containers. The aim of this study was to characterize the CO concentrations in areas with indoor storage of bulk wood pellets. Data was obtained over approximately 7 months (December 2013 to June 2014) at 25 sites in New Hampshire and Massachusetts: 16 homes using wood pellet boilers with indoor pellet storage containers greater than or equal to 3 ton capacity; 4 homes with wood pellet heating systems with outdoor pellet storage; 4 homes using other heating fuels; and a university laboratory site. CO monitors were set up in homes to collect concentrations of CO in the immediate vicinity of wood pellet storage containers, and data were then compared to those of homes using fossil fuel systems. The homes monitored in this study provided a diverse set of housing stock spanning two and a half centuries of construction, with homes built from 1774 to 2013, representing a range of air exchange rates. The CO concentration data from each home was averaged hourly and then compared to a threshold of 9 ppm. While concentrations of CO were generally low for the homes studied, the need to properly design storage locations for pellets is and will remain a necessary component of wood pellet heating systems to minimize the risk of CO exposure. This paper is an assessment of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure from bulk wood pellet storage in homes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Understanding the CO concentrations in homes allows for better designs for storage bins and ventilation for storage areas. Hence, uniform policies for stored wood pellets in homes, schools, and businesses can be framed to ensure occupant safety. Currently in New York State rebates for the installation of wood pellet boilers are only provided if the bulk pellet storage is outside of the home, yet states such as New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine currently do not have these restrictions.

Comparative toxicity of lead shot in black ducks (Anas rubripes) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rattner, B.A.; Fleming, W.J.; Bunck, C.M.

1989-01-01

In winter, pen-reared and wild black ducks (Anas rubripes), and game farm and wild mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), maintained on pelleted feed, were sham-dosed or given one number 4 lead shot. After 14 days, dosed birds were redosed with two or four additional lead shot. This dosing regimen also was repeated in summer using pen-reared black ducks and game farm mallards. Based upon mortality, overt intoxication, weight change, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity and protoporphyrin concentration, black ducks and mallards were found to be equally tolerant to lead shot. However, captive wild ducks were more sensitive than their domesticated counterparts, as evidenced by greater mortality and weight loss following lead shot administration. This difference may be related to stress associated with captivity and unnatural diet.

SPINS-IND: Pellet injector for fuelling of magnetically confined fusion systems.

PubMed

Gangradey, R; Mishra, J; Mukherjee, S; Panchal, P; Nayak, P; Agarwal, J; Saxena, Y C

2017-06-01

Using a Gifford-McMahon cycle cryocooler based refrigeration system, a single barrel hydrogen pellet injection (SPINS-IND) system is indigenously developed at Institute for Plasma Research, India. The injector is based on a pipe gun concept, where a pellet formed in situ in the gun barrel is accelerated to high speed using high pressure light propellant gas. The pellet size is decided by considering the Greenwald density limit and its speed is decided by considering a neutral gas shielding model based scaling law. The pellet shape is cylindrical of dimension (1.6 mm ℓ × 1.8 mm φ). For pellet ejection and acceleration, a fast opening valve of short opening duration is installed at the breech of the barrel. A three-stage differential pumping system is used to restrict the flow of the propellant gas into the plasma vacuum vessel. Diagnostic systems such as light gate and fast imaging camera (240 000 frames/s) are employed to measure the pellet speed and size, respectively. A trigger circuit and a programmable logic controller based integrated control system developed on LabVIEW enables to control the pellet injector remotely. Using helium as a propellant gas, the pellet speed is varied in the range 650 m/s-800 m/s. The reliability of pellet formation and ejection is found to be more than 95%. This paper describes the details of SPINS-IND and its test results.

Sintering of wax for controlling release from pellets.

PubMed

Singh, Reena; Poddar, S S; Chivate, Amit

2007-09-14

The purpose of the present study was to investigate incorporation of hydrophobic (ie, waxy) material into pellets using a thermal sintering technique and to evaluate the pellets in vitro for controlled release. Pellets prepared by extrusion-spheronization technology were formulated with a water-soluble drug, microcrystalline cellulose, and carnauba wax. Powdered carnauba wax (4%-20%) prepared by grinding or by emulsification was studied with an attempt to retard the drug release. The inclusion of ground or emulsified carnauba wax did not sustain the release of theophylline for more than 3 hours. Matrix pellets of theophylline prepared with various concentrations of carnauba wax were sintered thermally at various times and temperatures. In vitro drug release profiles indicated an increase in drug release retardation with increasing carnauba wax concentration. Pellets prepared with ground wax showed a higher standard deviation than did those prepared with emulsified wax. There was incomplete release at the end of 12 hours for pellets prepared with 20% ground or emulsified wax. The sintering temperature and duration were optimized to allow for a sustained release lasting at least 12 hours. The optimized temperature and duration were found to be 100 degrees C and 140 seconds, respectively. The sintered pellets had a higher hydrophobicity than did the unsintered pellets. Scanning electron micrographs indicated that the carnauba wax moved internally, thereby increasing the surface area of wax within the pellets.

Fuel rod with annular nuclear fuel pellets having same U-235 enrichment and different annulus sizes for graduated enrichment loading

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

Mildrum, C.M.

1987-08-18

A fuel rod is described for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly, comprising: (a) a hollow cladding tube; (b) a pair of end plugs connected to and sealing the cladding tube at opposite ends thereof; (c) a plurality of fuel pellets contained on the tube and being composed of fissile material having a single enrichment the value of which is at the level of the maximum enrichment loading of the rod, the pellets having provided in a stack having one end disposed adjacent to one of the end plugs and an opposite end disposed remote from the other of the endmore » plugs; and (d) a plenum spring disposed in the tube between the other end plug and the opposite end of the pellet stack for retaining the pellets in a stack form; (e) at least some of the fuel pellets having an annular configuration and at least other of the fuel pellets having a solid configuration; (f) each of some of the annular fuel pellets having an annulus of a first size; (e) each of other of the annual fuel pellets having an annulus of a second size different from the first size, whereby graduation of axial enrichment loading is provided between the annual fuel pellets of the fuel rod.« less

Novel method to assess gastric emptying in humans: the Pellet Gastric Emptying Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choe, S. Y.; Neudeck, B. L.; Welage, L. S.; Amidon, G. E.; Barnett, J. L.; Amidon, G. L.

2001-01-01

To further validate the Pellet Gastric Emptying Test (PGET) as a marker of gastric emptying, a randomized, four-way crossover study was conducted with 12 healthy subjects. The study consisted of oral co-administration of enteric coated caffeine (CAFF) and acetaminophen (APAP) pellets in four treatment phases: Same Size (100 kcal), Fasted, Small Liquid Meal (100 kcal), and Standard Meal (847 kcal). The time of first appearance of measurable drug marker in plasma, t(initial), was taken as the emptying time for the markers. Co-administration of same size enteric coated pellets of CAFF and APAP (0.7 mm in diameter) revealed no statistically significant differences in t(initial) values indicating that emptying was dependent only on size and not on chemical make-up of the pellets. Co-administration of different size pellets indicated that the smaller 0.7-mm diameter (CAFF) pellets were emptied and absorbed significantly earlier than the larger 3.6-mm diameter (APAP) pellets with both the Small Liquid Meal (by 35 min) and the Standard Meal (by 33 min) (P<0.05). The differences in emptying of the pellets were not significant in the Fasted Phase. The results suggest that the pellet gastric emptying test could prove useful in monitoring changes in transit times in the fasted and fed states and their impact on drug absorption.

SPINS-IND: Pellet injector for fuelling of magnetically confined fusion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangradey, R.; Mishra, J.; Mukherjee, S.; Panchal, P.; Nayak, P.; Agarwal, J.; Saxena, Y. C.

2017-06-01

Using a Gifford-McMahon cycle cryocooler based refrigeration system, a single barrel hydrogen pellet injection (SPINS-IND) system is indigenously developed at Institute for Plasma Research, India. The injector is based on a pipe gun concept, where a pellet formed in situ in the gun barrel is accelerated to high speed using high pressure light propellant gas. The pellet size is decided by considering the Greenwald density limit and its speed is decided by considering a neutral gas shielding model based scaling law. The pellet shape is cylindrical of dimension (1.6 mm ℓ × 1.8 mm φ). For pellet ejection and acceleration, a fast opening valve of short opening duration is installed at the breech of the barrel. A three-stage differential pumping system is used to restrict the flow of the propellant gas into the plasma vacuum vessel. Diagnostic systems such as light gate and fast imaging camera (240 000 frames/s) are employed to measure the pellet speed and size, respectively. A trigger circuit and a programmable logic controller based integrated control system developed on LabVIEW enables to control the pellet injector remotely. Using helium as a propellant gas, the pellet speed is varied in the range 650 m/s-800 m/s. The reliability of pellet formation and ejection is found to be more than 95%. This paper describes the details of SPINS-IND and its test results.

Simulations of Neon Pellets for Plasma Disruption Mitigation in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosviel, Nicolas; Samulyak, Roman; Parks, Paul

2017-10-01

Numerical studies of the ablation of neon pellets in tokamaks in the plasma disruption mitigation parameter space have been performed using a time-dependent pellet ablation model based on the front tracking code FronTier-MHD. The main features of the model include the explicit tracking of the solid pellet/ablated gas interface, a self-consistent evolving potential distribution in the ablation cloud, JxB forces, atomic processes, and an improved electrical conductivity model. The equation of state model accounts for atomic processes in the ablation cloud as well as deviations from the ideal gas law in the dense, cold layers of neon gas near the pellet surface. Simulations predict processes in the ablation cloud and pellet ablation rates and address the sensitivity of pellet ablation processes to details of physics models, in particular the equation of state.

Flocculation mechanism of the actinomycete Streptomyces sp. hsn06 on Chlorella vulgaris.

PubMed

Li, Yi; Xu, Yanting; Zheng, Tianling; Wang, Hailei

2017-09-01

In this study, an actinomycete Streptomyces sp. hsn06 with the ability to harvest Chlorella vulgaris biomass was used to investigate the flocculation mechanism. Streptomyces sp. hsn06 exhibited flocculation activity on algal cells through mycelial pellets with adding calcium. Calcium was determined to promote flocculation activity of mycelial pellets as a bridge binding with mycelial pellets and algal cells, which implied that calcium bridging is the main flocculation mechanism for mycelial pellets. Characteristics of flocculation activity confirmed proteins in mycelial pellets involved in flocculation procedure. The morphology and structure of mycelial pellets also caused dramatic effects on flocculation activity of mycelial pellets. According to the results, Streptomyces sp. hsn06 can be used as a novel flocculating microbial resource for high-efficiency harvesting of microalgae biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discrete Element Model for Simulations of Early-Life Thermal Fracturing Behaviors in Ceramic Nuclear Fuel Pellets

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

Hai Huang; Ben Spencer; Jason Hales

2014-10-01

A discrete element Model (DEM) representation of coupled solid mechanics/fracturing and heat conduction processes has been developed and applied to explicitly simulate the random initiations and subsequent propagations of interacting thermal cracks in a ceramic nuclear fuel pellet during initial rise to power and during power cycles. The DEM model clearly predicts realistic early-life crack patterns including both radial cracks and circumferential cracks. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the formation of radial cracks during the initial power rise, and formation of circumferential cracks as the power is ramped down. In these simulations, additional early-life power cycles do not lead to themore » formation of new thermal cracks. They do, however clearly indicate changes in the apertures of thermal cracks during later power cycles due to thermal expansion and shrinkage. The number of radial cracks increases with increasing power, which is consistent with the experimental observations.« less

Tritium pellet injector for the tokamak fusion test reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouge, M. J.; Baylor, L. R.; Combs, S. K.; Fisher, P. W.; Foust, C. R.; Milora, S. L.

The tritium pellet injector (TPI) for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) will provide a tritium pellet fueling capability with pellet speeds in the 1- to 3-km/s range for the TFTR deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasma phase. An existing deuterium pellet injector (DPI) was modified at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide a four-shot, tritium-compatible, pipe-gun configuration with three upgraded single-stage pneumatic guns and a two-stage light gas gun driver. The TPI was designed for frozen pellets ranging in size from 3 to 4 mm in diameter in arbitrarily programmable firing sequences at tritium pellet speeds up to approximately 1.5 km/s for the three single-stage drivers and 2.5 to 3 km/s for the two-stage driver. Injector operation is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). The new pipe-gun injector assembly was installed in the modified DPI guard vacuum box, and modifications were also made to the internals of the DPI vacuum injection line, including a new pellet diagnostics package. Assembly of these modified parts with existing DPI components was then completed and the TPI was tested at ORNL with deuterium pellets. Results of the testing program at ORNL are described. The TPI has been installed and operated on TFTR in support of the FY-92 deuterium plasma run period. In 1993, the tritium pellet injector will be retrofitted with a D-T fuel manifold and tritium gloveboxes and integrated into TFTR tritium processing systems to provide full tritium pellet capability.

Carbon savings with transatlantic trade in pellets: accounting for market-driven effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weiwei; Dwivedi, Puneet; Abt, Robert; Khanna, Madhu

2015-11-01

Exports of pellets from the United States (US) are growing significantly to meet the demand for renewable energy in the European Union. This transatlantic trade in pellets has raised questions about the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of these pellets and their effects on conventional forest product markets in the US. This paper examines the GHG intensity of pellets exported from the US using either forest biomass only or forest and agricultural biomass combined. We develop an integrated dynamic, price-endogenous, partial equilibrium model of the forestry, agricultural, and transportation sectors in the US to investigate not only the direct life-cycle GHG intensity of pellets but also the accompanying indirect market and land use effects induced by changes in prices of forest and agricultural products over the 2007-2032 period. Across different scenarios of high and low pellet demand that can be met with either forest biomass only or with forest and agricultural biomass, we find that the GHG intensity of pellet based electricity is 74% to 85% lower than that of coal-based electricity. We also find that the GHG intensity of pellets produced using agricultural and forest biomass is 28% to 34% lower than that of pellets produced using forest biomass only. GHG effects due to induced direct and indirect changes in forest carbon stock caused by changes in harvest rotations, changes in land use and in conventional wood production account for 11% to 26% of the overall GHG intensity of pellets produced from forest biomass only; these effects are negative with the use of forest and agricultural biomass.

Suspected pyrrolizidine alkaloid hepatotoxicosis in wild southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons).

PubMed

Woolford, Lucy; Fletcher, Mary T; Boardman, Wayne S J

2014-07-30

Southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) inhabiting degraded habitat in South Australia were recently identified with extensive hair loss and dermatitis and were in thin to emaciated body condition. Pathological and clinicopathological investigations on affected juvenile wombats identified a toxic hepatopathy suggestive of plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids, accompanied by photosensitive dermatitis. Hepatic disease was suspected in additional wombats on the basis of serum biochemical analysis. Preliminary toxicological analysis performed on scats and gastrointestinal contents from wombats found in this degraded habitat identified a number of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids consistent with ingestion of Heliotropeum europaeum. Although unpalatable, ingestion may occur by young animals due to decreased availability of preferred forages in degraded habitats and the emergence of weeds around the time of weaning of naive animals. Habitat degradation leading to malnutrition and ingestion of toxic weed species is a significant welfare issue in this species.

Acute renal failure after ingestion of guaifenesin and dextromethorphan.

PubMed

Small, Evan; Sandefur, Benjamin J

2014-07-01

Guaifenesin is a common nonprescription medication that has been implicated in drug-induced nephrolithiasis. Dextromethorphan, a nonprescription antitussive found in some guaifenesin-containing preparations, is increasingly recognized as a substance of abuse by many youth and young adults. Renally excreted medications known to have poor solubility in urine have the potential to precipitate when ingested in large quantity, leading to acute obstruction of the ureters and renal failure. We describe the case of a 22-year-old male who developed severe bilateral flank pain, hematuria, and oliguria after an isolated recreational ingestion of guaifenesin and dextromethorphan. The patient was found to have bilateral ureteral obstruction and acute renal failure, suspected to be secondary to precipitation of medication metabolites in the urine. This case highlights the potential for acute renal failure secondary to guaifenesin and dextromethorphan abuse. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cloud-Droplet Ingestion in Engine Inlets with Inlet Velocity Ratios of 1.0 and 0.7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brun, Rinaldo J

1957-01-01

The paths of cloud droplets into two engine inlets have been calculated for a wide range of meteorological and flight conditions. The amount of water in droplet form ingested by the inlets and the amount and distribution of water impinging on the inlet walls are obtained from these droplet-trajectory calculations. In both types of inlet, a prolate ellipsoid of revolution represents either part or all of the forebody at the center of an annular inlet to an engine. The configurations can also represent a fuselage of an airplane with side ram-scoop inlets. The studies were made at an angle of attack of 0 degree. The principal difference between the two inlets studied is that the inlet-air velocity of one is 0.7 that of the other. The studies of the two velocity ratios lead to some important general concepts of water ingestion in inlets.

Long-term ingestion of cassava (tapioca) does not produce diabetes or pancreatitis in the rat model.

PubMed

Mathangi, D C; Deepa, R; Mohan, V; Govindarajan, M; Namasivayam, A

2000-06-01

Cassava (tapioca, manihot) is consumed as a staple food in some developing countries. The intake of cassava has been linked to several diseases including fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes (tropical calcific pancreatitis). There are few long-term studies on the effect of cassava ingestion on the pancreas in animal models. This article reports on the long-term (up to 1 yr) effects of cassava in the rat model. We found that cassava did not produce diabetes in the rat even after a year of cassava feeding. There were transient changes in serum insulin and lipase levels, but the significance of these findings are not clear. There was no histopathological evidence of either acute or chronic pancreatitis, but there were changes of toxic hepatitis in the liver. In conclusion, chronic cassava ingestion up to a year does not lead to either diabetes or chronic pancreatitis in the rat model.

Maternal cautopyreiophagia as a rare cause of neonatal hemolysis: a case report.

PubMed

Bernardo, Erika O; Matos, Renée I; Dawood, Taslim; Whiteway, Susan L

2015-03-01

Hyperbilirubinemia in the first 24 hours of life in a newborn is pathologic, necessitating additional evaluation. We report the first case of hemolysis and subsequent hyperbilirubinemia in an otherwise normal term neonate resulting from oxidative stress in the form of maternal cautopyreiophagia: the ingestion of burnt matchstick heads. During the third trimester of pregnancy, the infant's mother consumed more than 300 burnt matchstick heads weekly for 4 weeks. Matches contain potassium chlorate, a powerful oxidant that when ingested can ultimately lead to the destruction of erythrocytes, disseminated intravascular coagulation, kidney injury, or death. The infant's bilirubin rose as high as 17 mg/dL at 22 hours of life; however, the infant did well with a brief course of phototherapy. This case highlights the importance of prenatal questioning about maternal ingestion of potentially oxidative substances and assessing the possible risk for the infant. published in the public domain by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A molecular key for building hyphae aggregates: the role of the newly identified Streptomyces protein HyaS.

PubMed

Koebsch, Ilona; Overbeck, Jens; Piepmeyer, Sophie; Meschke, Holger; Schrempf, Hildgund

2009-05-01

Streptomycetes produce many metabolites with medical and biotechnological applications. During fermentations, their hyphae build aggregates, a process in which the newly identified protein HyaS plays an important role. The corresponding hyaS gene is present within all investigated Streptomyces species. Reporter fusions indicate that transcription of hyaS occurs within substrate hyphae of the Streptomyces lividans wild type (WT). The HyaS protein is dominantly associated with the substrate hyphae. The WT strain forms cylindrically shaped clumps of densely packed substrate hyphae, often fusing to higher aggregates (pellets), which remain stably associated during shaking. Investigations by electron microscopy suggest that HyaS induces tight fusion-like contacts among substrate hyphae. In contrast, the pellets of the designed hyaS disruption mutant ΔH are irregular in shape, contain frequently outgrowing bunches of hyphae, and fuse less frequently. ΔH complemented with a plasmid carrying hyaS resembles the WT phenotype. Biochemical studies indicate that the C-terminal region of HyaS has amine oxidase activity. Investigations of ΔH transformants, each carrying a specifically mutated gene, lead to the conclusion that the in situ oxidase activity correlates with the pellet-inducing role of HyaS, and depends on the presence of certain histidine residues. Furthermore, the level of undecylprodigiosin, a red pigment with antibiotic activity, is influenced by the engineered hyaS subtype within a strain. These data present the first molecular basis for future manipulation of pellets, and concomitant production of secondary metabolites during biotechnological processes. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The role of environmental factors in regulating the development of cartilaginous grafts engineered using osteoarthritic human infrapatellar fat pad-derived stem cells.

PubMed

Liu, Yurong; Buckley, Conor T; Downey, Richard; Mulhall, Kevin J; Kelly, Daniel J

2012-08-01

Engineering functional cartilaginous grafts using stem cells isolated from osteoarthritic human tissue is of fundamental importance if autologous tissue engineering strategies are to be used in the treatment of diseased articular cartilage. It has previously been demonstrated that human infrapatellar fat pad (IFP)-derived stem cells undergo chondrogenesis in pellet culture; however, the ability of such cells to generate functional cartilaginous grafts has not been adequately addressed. The objective of this study was to explore how environmental conditions regulate the functional development of cartilaginous constructs engineered using diseased human IFP-derived stem cells (FPSCs). FPSCs were observed to display a diminished chondrogenic potential upon encapsulation in a three-dimensional hydrogel compared with pellet culture, synthesizing significantly lower levels of glycosaminoglycan and collagen on a per cell basis. To engineer more functional cartilaginous grafts, we next explored whether additional biochemical and biophysical stimulations would enhance chondrogenesis within the hydrogels. Serum stimulation was observed to partially recover the diminished chondrogenic potential within hydrogel culture. Over 42 days, stem cells that had first been expanded in a low-oxygen environment proliferated extensively on the outer surface of the hydrogel in response to serum stimulation, assembling a dense type II collagen-positive cartilaginous tissue resembling that formed in pellet culture. The application of hydrostatic pressure did not further enhance extracellular matrix synthesis within the hydrogels, but did appear to alter the spatial accumulation of extracellular matrix leading to the formation of a more compact tissue with superior mechanically functionality. Further work is required in order to recapitulate the environmental conditions present during pellet culture within scaffolds or hydrogels in order to engineer more functional cartilaginous grafts using human osteoarthritic FPSCs.

Extracellular proteins, polysaccharides and enzymes impact on sludge aerobic digestion after ultrasonic pretreatment.

PubMed

Yu, Guang-Hui; He, Pin-Jing; Shao, Li-Ming; Zhu, Yi-Shu

2008-04-01

Ultrasonic pretreatment of excess sludge can improve its aerobic digestibility, leading to enhanced sludge reduction. In order to understand the mechanisms of this improvement, sludge flocs were divided into four layers, i.e. (1) slime, (2) loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS), (3) tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) and (4) pellet. Extracellular proteins, polysaccharides and five types of hydrolytic enzymes (protease, alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, alkaline-phosphatase and acid-phosphatase) from sludge flocs were investigated to determine their influence on sludge aerobic digestion after ultrasonic pretreatment. Results suggested that most of the extracellular enzymes (except alpha-amylase) were present in pellet and TB-EPS layers, with minor quantities detected in LB-EPS and slime layers, and almost none detected in bulk solution. As for alpha-amylase in sludge flocs, most of it (52.6%) was also mainly bound with pellet; however, the rest of it was dispersed nearly uniformly throughout the sludge flocs. Ultrasonic pretreatment enhances enzymatic activities and promotes the shifts of extracellular proteins, polysaccharides and enzymes from inner layers of sludge flocs, i.e., pellet and TB-EPS, to outer layers, i.e., slime, to increase the contact and interaction among extracellular proteins, polysaccharides and enzymes that were originally embedded in the sludge flocs, resulting in improved efficiency in aerobic digestion. The optimum ultrasonic pretreatment conditions had a lasting time of 10min and density of 3 kWL(-1) at the frequency of 20 kHz. With the optimum ultrasonic pretreatment, the sludge reduction for TSS in aerobic digestion was 42.7% in which the part of 11.8% was removed by the ultrasonic pretreatment, compared with 20.9% for control, after an aerobic digestion time of 10.5d.

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

Spencer, B. W.; Williamson, R. L.; Stafford, D. S.

One of the important roles of cladding in light water reactor fuel rods is to prevent the release of fission products. To that end, it is essential that the cladding maintain its integrity under a variety of thermal and mechanical loading conditions. Local geometric irregularities in fuel pellets caused by manufacturing defects known as missing pellet surfaces (MPS) can in some circumstances lead to elevated cladding stresses that are sufficiently high to cause cladding failure. Accurate modeling of these defects can help prevent these types of failures. The BISON nuclear fuel performance code developed at Idaho National Laboratory can bemore » used to simulate the global thermo-mechanical fuel rod behavior, as well as the local response of regions of interest, in either 2D or 3D. In either case, a full set of models to represent the thermal and mechanical properties of the fuel, cladding and plenum gas is employed. A procedure for coupling 2D full-length fuel rod models to detailed 3D models of the region of the rod containing a MPS defect is detailed in this paper. The global and local model each contain appropriate physics and behavior models for nuclear fuel. This procedure is demonstrated on a simulation of a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel rod containing a pellet with an MPS defect, subjected to a variety of transient events, including a control blade withdrawal and a ramp to high power. The importance of modeling the local defect using a 3D model is highlighted by comparing 3D and 2D representations of the defective pellet region. Finally, parametric studies demonstrate the effects of the choice of gaseous swelling model and of the depth and geometry of the MPS defect on the response of the cladding adjacent to the defect.« less

[The auto-addictive hypothesis of pathological eating disorders].

PubMed

Lienard, Yasmine; Vamecq, Joseph

2004-10-23

The pathogenic role of self-addiction. Addiction to an endogenous chemical is a new paradigm termed 'self-addiction'. It may contribute to the development of certain habits, the pathological nature of which may set-in on the basis of this "self-addictive"dimension. Pathological eating habits could be inscribed in this perspective. Two extreme situations. In well-fed populations, the ingestion of food does not represent a limiting phase in the global feeding process. Its pathological management may, however, lead to two extreme situations: the absence of ingestion (anorexia) and excessive ingestion (bulimia). In favour of the self-addictive hypothesis. Eating disorders are associated with abnormal levels of endorphins and share clinical similarities with psychoactive drug abuse. The key role of endorphins has recently been demonstrated in animals with regard to certain aspects of normal, pathological and experimental eating habits (food restriction combined with stress, locomotor hyperactivity). The factors leading to pathological eating habits. Neurobiological bases for eating disorders and their durability have recently come to light in the recent implication of abnormalities in the recompense system in the onset of addiction. The endorphin self-addictive model in fact appears the most pertinent with regard to the clinical profile of eating habits and integrates the role of stress.

Blood, urine, and hair kinetic analysis following an acute lead intoxication.

PubMed

Ho, G; Keutgens, A; Schoofs, R; Kotolenko, S; Denooz, R; Charlier, C

2011-01-01

A case of lead exposure resulting from the accidental ingestion of a lead-containing solution is reported. Because of clinical management rapidly performed through chelation therapy by 2,3-dimercaptopropane sulfonate sodium and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, blood lead levels of this 51-year-old patient were moderate (412.9 μg/L) and no clinical symptoms were observed. Numerous blood and urine samples were collected for kinetic analysis of lead elimination. However, we report the first case in which hair samples were analyzed to determine the excretion level of lead after acute intoxication.

Lead and mercury in fall migrant golden eagles from western North America.

PubMed

Langner, Heiko W; Domenech, Robert; Slabe, Vincent A; Sullivan, Sean P

2015-07-01

Lead exposure from ingestion of bullet fragments is a serious environmental hazard to eagles. We determined blood lead levels (BLL) in 178 golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured during fall migration along a major North American flyway. These eagles spent the breeding season distributed over a large range and are the best currently available representation of free flying golden eagles on the continent. We found 58 % of these eagles containing increased BLL > 0.1 mg/L; 10 % were clinically lead poisoned with BLL > 0.6 mg/L; and 4 % were lethally exposed with BLL > 1.2 mg/L. No statistical difference in BLL existed between golden and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Golden eagles captured on carrion had higher BLL than those captured using live bait suggesting differences in feeding habits among individuals. Median BLL increased with age class. We propose a conceptual model for the long-term increase in BLL after ingestion of lead particles. The mean blood mercury level in golden eagles was 0.023 mg/L. We evaluate a field test for BLL that is based on anodic stripping voltammetry. This cost-effective and immediate method correlated well with results from inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, although results needed to be corrected for each calibration of the test kit.

Ingested Nitrate and Breast Cancer in the Spanish Multicase-Control Study on Cancer (MCC-Spain).

PubMed

Espejo-Herrera, Nadia; Gracia-Lavedan, Esther; Pollan, Marina; Aragonés, Nuria; Boldo, Elena; Perez-Gomez, Beatriz; Altzibar, Jone M; Amiano, Pilar; Zabala, Ana Jiménez; Ardanaz, Eva; Guevara, Marcela; Molina, Antonio J; Barrio, Juan Pablo; Gómez-Acebo, Ines; Tardón, Adonina; Peiró, Rosana; Chirlaque, Maria Dolores; Palau, Margarita; Muñoz, Montse; Font-Ribera, Laia; Castaño-Vinyals, Gemma; Kogevinas, Manolis; Villanueva, Cristina M

2016-07-01

Ingested nitrate leads to endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds that are breast carcinogens in animals, but human evidence is limited. We evaluated ingested nitrate as a risk factor for breast cancer (BC) in a multicase-control study. Hospital-based incident BC cases and population-based controls were recruited in eight Spanish regions in 2008-2013; participants provided residential and water consumption from 18 years of age and information on known BC risk factors. Long-term nitrate levels (1940-2010) were estimated and linked with residential histories and water consumption to calculate waterborne ingested nitrate (milligrams/day). Dietary ingested nitrate (milligrams/day) was calculated using food frequency questionnaires and published dietary nitrate contents. Interactions with endogenous nitrosation factors and other variables were evaluated. A total of 1,245 cases and 1,520 controls were included in the statistical analysis. Among the study regions, average ± SD waterborne ingested nitrate ranged from 2.9 ± 1.9 to 13.5 ± 7.5 mg/day, and dietary ingested nitrate ranged from 88.5 ± 48.7 to 154 ± 87.8 mg/day. Waterborne ingested nitrate was not associated with BC overall, but among postmenopausal women, those with both high nitrate (> 6 vs. < 2.6 mg/day) and high red meat intake (≥ 20 vs. < 20 g/day) were more likely to be cases than women with low nitrate and low red meat intake (adjusted odds ratio = 1.64; 95% confidence interval: 1.08, 2.49; overall interaction p-value = 0.17). No association was found with dietary nitrate. Waterborne ingested nitrate was associated with BC only among postmenopausal women with high red meat consumption. Dietary nitrate was not associated with BC regardless of the animal or vegetable source or of menopausal status. Espejo-Herrera N, Gracia-Lavedan E, Pollan M, Aragonés N, Boldo E, Perez-Gomez B, Altzibar JM, Amiano P, Zabala AJ, Ardanaz E, Guevara M, Molina AJ, Barrio JP, Gómez-Acebo I, Tardón A, Peiró R, Chirlaque MD, Palau M, Muñoz M, Font-Ribera L, Castaño-Vinyals G, Kogevinas M, Villanueva CM. 2016. Ingested nitrate and breast cancer in the Spanish Multicase-Control Study on Cancer (MCC-Spain). Environ Health Perspect 124:1042-1049; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510334.

Optimizing the restoration and maintenance of fluid balance after exercise-induced dehydration.

PubMed

Evans, Gethin H; James, Lewis J; Shirreffs, Susan M; Maughan, Ronald J

2017-04-01

Hypohydration, or a body water deficit, is a common occurrence in athletes and recreational exercisers following the completion of an exercise session. For those who will undertake a further exercise session that day, it is important to replace water losses to avoid beginning the next exercise session hypohydrated and the potential detrimental effects on performance that this may lead to. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the research related to factors that may affect postexercise rehydration. Research in this area has focused on the volume of fluid to be ingested, the rate of fluid ingestion, and fluid composition. Volume replacement during recovery should exceed that lost during exercise to allow for ongoing water loss; however, ingestion of large volumes of plain water results in a prompt diuresis, effectively preventing longer-term maintenance of water balance. Addition of sodium to a rehydration solution is beneficial for maintenance of fluid balance due to its effect on extracellular fluid osmolality and volume. The addition of macronutrients such as carbohydrate and protein can promote maintenance of hydration by influencing absorption and distribution of ingested water, which in turn effects extracellular fluid osmolality and volume. Alcohol is commonly consumed in the postexercise period and may influence postexercise rehydration, as will the coingestion of food. Future research in this area should focus on providing information related to optimal rates of fluid ingestion, advisable solutions to ingest during different duration recovery periods, and confirmation of mechanistic explanations for the observations outlined. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Heterotrophic bacteria associated with the degradation of zooplankton fecal pellets in Lake Michigan. [Mysis relicta, pseudomonas

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

Ferrante, J.G.; Ptak, D.J.

1978-01-01

Heterotrophic microbes decompose most of the calanoid copepod fecal pellets produced in Lake Michigan before they reach the sediment. Rod-shaped nonfermenters isolated from copepod and Mysis relicta fecal pellets were identified as Pseudomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas fluorescens species. No enterobacteriaceae or fungal hyphae were found on or in any pellets. This investigation suggests that Pseudomonas species are attached to and may degrade Mysis relicta and calanoid copepod fecal pellets in the water column of Lake Michigan.

An automatic pellet dispenser for precise control of feeding topography in granivorous birds

PubMed Central

Berkhoudt, H.; Van Der Reijden, D.; Heijmans, M.

1987-01-01

Design and construction of an automatic pellet dispenser for granivorous birds are described. The dispenser permits rapid pneumatic delivery of pellets (five pellets per second maximum) to one controlled position and does not interfere with simultaneous electrophysiological recording. In addition, the device continuously indicates presence or absence of a pellet in the delivery position. This automatic dispenser proved very effective in our studies of stereotyped topographies of feeding in granivorous birds, such as pigeons and chickens. PMID:16812503

Apparatus for producing laser targets

DOEpatents

Jarboe, T.R.; Baker, W.R.

1975-09-23

This patent relates to an apparatus and method for producing deuterium targets or pellets of 25u to 75u diameter. The pellets are sliced from a continuously spun solid deuterium thread at a rate of up to 10 pellets/second. The pellets after being sliced from the continuous thread of deuterium are collimated and directed to a point of use, such as a laser activated combustion or explosion chamber wherein the pellets are imploded by laser energy or laser produced target plasmas for neutral beam injection. (auth)

Maternal ethanol ingestion: effect on maternal and neonatal glucose balance

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

Witek-Janusek, L.

1986-08-01

Liver glycogen availability in the newborn is of major importance for the maintenance of postnatal blood glucose levels. This study examined the effect of maternal ethanol ingestion on maternal and neonatal glucose balance in the rate. Female rats were placed on 1) the Lieber-DeCarli liquid ethanol diet, 2) an isocaloric liquid pair-diet, or 3) an ad libitum rat chow diet at 3 wk before mating and throughout gestation. Blood and livers were obtained from dams and rat pups on gestational days 21 and 22. The pups were studied up to 6 h in the fasted state and up to 24more » h in the fed state. Maternal ethanol ingestion significantly decreased litter size, birth weight, and growth. A significantly higher mortality during the early postnatal period was seen in the prenatal ethanol exposed pups. Ethanol significantly decreased fed maternal liver glycogen stores but not maternal plasma glucose levels. The newborn rats from ethanol ingesting dams also had significantly decreased liver glycogen stores. Despite mobilizing their available glycogen, these prenatal ethanol exposed pups became hypoglycemic by 6 h postnatal. This was more marked in the fasted pups. Ethanol did not affect maternal nor neonatal plasma insulin levels. Thus maternal ethanol ingestion reduces maternal and neonatal liver glycogen stores and leads to postnatal hypoglycemia in the newborn rat.« less

The impact of polystyrene microplastics on feeding, function and fecundity in the marine copepod Calanus helgolandicus.

PubMed

Cole, Matthew; Lindeque, Pennie; Fileman, Elaine; Halsband, Claudia; Galloway, Tamara S

2015-01-20

Microscopic plastic debris, termed “microplastics”, are of increasing environmental concern. Recent studies have demonstrated that a range of zooplankton, including copepods, can ingest microplastics. Copepods are a globally abundant class of zooplankton that form a key trophic link between primary producers and higher trophic marine organisms. Here we demonstrate that ingestion of microplastics can significantly alter the feeding capacity of the pelagic copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Exposed to 20 μm polystyrene beads (75 microplastics mL(–1)) and cultured algae ([250 μg C L(–1)) for 24 h, C. helgolandicus ingested 11% fewer algal cells (P = 0.33) and 40% less carbon biomass (P < 0.01). There was a net downward shift in the mean size of algal prey consumed (P < 0.001), with a 3.6 fold increase in ingestion rate for the smallest size class of algal prey (11.6–12.6 μm), suggestive of postcapture or postingestion rejection. Prolonged exposure to polystyrene microplastics significantly decreased reproductive output, but there were no significant differences in egg production rates, respiration or survival. We constructed a conceptual energetic (carbon) budget showing that microplastic-exposed copepods suffer energetic depletion over time. We conclude that microplastics impede feeding in copepods, which over time could lead to sustained reductions in ingested carbon biomass.

Herbivore-induced callose deposition on the sieve plates of rice: an important mechanism for host resistance.

PubMed

Hao, Peiying; Liu, Caixiang; Wang, Yuanyuan; Chen, Rongzhi; Tang, Ming; Du, Bo; Zhu, Lili; He, Guangcun

2008-04-01

The brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål; BPH) is a specialist herbivore on rice (Oryza sativa) that ingests phloem sap from the plant through its stylet mouthparts. Electronic penetration graphs revealed that BPH insects spent more time wandering over plants carrying the resistance genes Bph14 and Bph15, but less time ingesting phloem than they did on susceptible plants. They also showed that their feeding was frequently interrupted. Tests with [(14)C]sucrose showed that insects ingested much less phloem sap from the resistant than the susceptible plants. BPH feeding up-regulated callose synthase genes and induced callose deposition in the sieve tubes at the point where the stylet was inserted. The compact callose remained intact in the resistant plants, but genes encoding beta-1,3-glucanases were activated, causing unplugging of the sieve tube occlusions in susceptible plants. Continuing ingestion led to a remarkable reduction in the susceptible plants' sucrose content and activation of the RAmy3D gene, leading to starch hydrolysis and ultimately carbohydrate deprivation in the plants. Our results demonstrate that BPH feeding induces the deposition of callose on sieve plates in rice and that this is an important defense mechanism that prevents insects from ingesting phloem sap. In response, however, the BPH can unplug sieve tube occlusions by activating beta-1,3-glucanase genes in rice plants.

Pellet injection research on the HT-6M and HT-7 tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yu; Bao, Yi; Li, Jiangang; Gu, Xuemao; He, Yexi

1999-11-01

A multishot in situ pellet injection system has been constructed in the Institute of Plasma Physics. Single- and multi-pellet injection experiments were performed on the HT-6M and superconducting HT-7 tokamaks. The system proved to be convenient and reliable to operate. Pellets were fired into ohmically and LHCD and ICRF heated plasmas. Single pellet injection in ohmic discharge was found to increase the central density of HT-7 by about one half, while two pellet injection increased the central density in a step-like fashion by one half with each shot. Peaking of the electron density profile and a hollow electron temperature profile were obtained.

Underwater sympathetic detonation of pellet explosive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubota, Shiro; Saburi, Tei; Nagayama, Kunihito

2017-06-01

The underwater sympathetic detonation of pellet explosives was taken by high-speed photography. The diameter and the thickness of the pellet were 20 and 10 mm, respectively. The experimental system consists of the precise electric detonator, two grams of composition C4 booster and three pellets, and these were set in water tank. High-speed video camera, HPV-X made by Shimadzu was used with 10 Mfs. The underwater explosions of the precise electric detonator, the C4 booster and a pellet were also taken by high-speed photography to estimate the propagation processes of the underwater shock waves. Numerical simulation of the underwater sympathetic detonation of the pellet explosives was also carried out and compared with experiment.

Methods to ensure optimal off-bottom and drill bit distance under pellet impact drilling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalyov, A. V.; Isaev, Ye D.; Vagapov, A. R.; Urnish, V. V.; Ulyanova, O. S.

2016-09-01

The paper describes pellet impact drilling which could be used to increase the drilling speed and the rate of penetration when drilling hard rock for various purposes. Pellet impact drilling implies rock destruction by metal pellets with high kinetic energy in the immediate vicinity of the earth formation encountered. The pellets are circulated in the bottom hole by a high velocity fluid jet, which is the principle component of the ejector pellet impact drill bit. The paper presents the survey of methods ensuring an optimal off-bottom and a drill bit distance. The analysis of methods shows that the issue is topical and requires further research.

Pediatric lead exposure from imported Indian spices and cultural powders.

PubMed

Lin, Cristiane Gurgel; Schaider, Laurel Anne; Brabander, Daniel Joseph; Woolf, Alan David

2010-04-01

Significant lead poisoning has been associated with imported nonpaint products. To describe cases of pediatric lead intoxication from imported Indian spices and cultural powders, determine lead concentrations in these products, and predict effects of ingestion on pediatric blood lead levels (BLLs). Cases and case-study information were obtained from patients followed by the Pediatric Environmental Health Center (Children's Hospital Boston). Imported spices (n = 86) and cultural powders (n = 71) were analyzed for lead by using x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The simple bioaccessibility extraction test was used to estimate oral bioavailability. The integrated exposure uptake biokinetic model for lead in children was used to predict population-wide geometric mean BLLs and the probability of elevated BLLs (>10 microg/dL). Four cases of pediatric lead poisoning from Indian spices or cultural powders are described. Twenty-two of 86 spices and foodstuff products contained >1 microg/g lead (for these 22 samples, mean: 2.6 microg/g [95% confidence interval: 1.9-3.3]; maximum: 7.6 microg/g). Forty-six of 71 cultural products contained >1 microg/g lead (for 43 of these samples, mean: 8.0 microg/g [95% confidence interval: 5.2-10.8]; maximum: 41.4 microg/g). Three sindoor products contained >47% lead. With a fixed ingestion of 5 microg/day and 50% bioavailability, predicted geometric mean BLLs for children aged 0 to 4 years increased from 3.2 to 4.1 microg/dL, and predicted prevalence of children with a BLL of >10 microg/dL increased more than threefold (0.8%-2.8%). Chronic exposure to spices and cultural powders may cause elevated BLLs. A majority of cultural products contained >1 microg/g lead, and some sindoor contained extremely high bioaccessible lead levels. Clinicians should routinely screen for exposure to these products.

Phosphorus amendment reduces bioavailability of lead to mallards ingesting contaminated sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heinz, G.H.; Hoffman, D.J.; Audet, D.J.

2004-01-01

Lead poisoning of waterfowl has been reported for decades in the Coeur d' Alene River Basin in Idaho as a result of the ingestion of lead-contaminated sediments. We conducted a study to determine whether the addition of phosphoric acid to sediments would reduce the bioavailability of lead to mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). When sediments were amended with 1 % phosphorus under laboratory conditions, and diets containing 12% amended sediment were fed to mallards, reductions in tissue lead were 43% in blood, 41 % in liver, and 59% in kidney with sediment containing about 4,520 ug/g lead on a dry-weight basis and 41, 30, and 57% with sediment containing about 6,990 ug/g lead. When sediments were treated with phosphorus and left to age for about 5 months in the field, reductions in lead were 56% in blood, 54% in liver, and 66% in kidney at one site with about 5,390 ug/g lead and 64, 57, and 77% at a second site with about 6,990 ug/g lead. In the field, the inability to mix the phosphoric acid uniformly and deeply enough into the sediment may have resulted in more than 1 % phosphorus being added to the sediment. Although both lab and field amendments of phosphorus substantially reduced the bioavailability of lead, lead concentrations in the tissues of mallards fed the amended sediments were still above those believed to be harmful to waterfowl. Based on earlier studies of sediment toxicity to waterfowl in the Coeur d' Alene River Basin, combined with the results of our amendment study, the addition of phosphoric acid as we used it might only significantly benefit waterfowl where sediments or soils contain less than 1,000-2,000 ug/g lead.

Manufacture of Regularly Shaped Sol-Gel Pellets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leventis, Nicholas; Johnston, James C.; Kinder, James D.

2006-01-01

An extrusion batch process for manufacturing regularly shaped sol-gel pellets has been devised as an improved alternative to a spray process that yields irregularly shaped pellets. The aspect ratio of regularly shaped pellets can be controlled more easily, while regularly shaped pellets pack more efficiently. In the extrusion process, a wet gel is pushed out of a mold and chopped repetitively into short, cylindrical pieces as it emerges from the mold. The pieces are collected and can be either (1) dried at ambient pressure to xerogel, (2) solvent exchanged and dried under ambient pressure to ambigels, or (3) supercritically dried to aerogel. Advantageously, the extruded pellets can be dropped directly in a cross-linking bath, where they develop a conformal polymer coating around the skeletal framework of the wet gel via reaction with the cross linker. These pellets can be dried to mechanically robust X-Aerogel.

GLOBAL WOOD PELLET INDUSTRY AND MARKET – CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS AND OUTLOOK

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

Thrän, Daniela; Peetz, David; Schaubach, Kay

The wood pellet use in the heating and electricity sector has recorded a steady growth in the last years. IEA bioenergy task 40 carried out an update of the situation on the national pellet markets in the most relevant pellet producing countries and the global development as well. Various country specific data is collected and compiled for more than 30 countries, containing updated information about regulatory framework, production, consumption, price trends, quality standards and trade aspects. The analysis confirmed the positive development in terms of production and consumption of wood pellets in almost all countries. In 2015 more than 26more » Mt of wood pellets have been produced and consumed worldwide. Technologies and markets become more mature. Increased international pellet trade needs to be supported by adequate frame condition not only for commerce, but also with regard to sustainability issues.« less

Initiation Capacity of a Specially Shaped Booster Pellet and Numerical Simulation of Its Initiation Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Li-Shuang; Hu, Shuang-Qi; Cao, Xiong; Zhang, Jian-Ren

2014-01-01

The insensitive main charge explosive is creating new requirements for the booster pellet of detonation trains. The traditional cylindrical booster pellet has insufficient energy output to reliably initiate the insensitive main charge explosive. In this research, a concave spherical booster pellet was designed. The initiation capacity of the concave spherical booster pellet was studied using varied composition and axial steel dent methods. The initiation process of the concave spherical booster pellet was also simulated by ANSYS/LS-DYNA. The results showed that using a concave spherical booster allows a 42% reduction in the amount of explosive needed to match the initiation capacity of a conventional cylindrical booster of the same dimensions. With the other parameters kept constant, the initiation capacity of the concave spherical booster pellet increases with decreased cone angle and concave radius. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Use of implantable pellets to administer low levels of methyl mercury to fish

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arnold, B.S.; Jagoe, C.H.; Gross, T.S.

1999-01-01

Implantable pellets of methyl mercury chloride were tested in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to appraise the effectiveness of the method for chronic studies of mercury. Two dosing regimes of 15 and 1.5 grams/CH3HgCl pellet (test 1) and 1 and 0.1 grams/pellet (test 2-3) of methyl mercury chloride were used in three tests. Additional pellets containing only matrix were used as controls. The pellets were inserted into the peritoneal cavity along with a microchip for identification. Three methods of incision closure: sutures and two types of surgical glue, were tested. Pellets used in test one released the dose too fast, resulting in premature death of the fish. Results from test 2 and 3 show blood mercury concentrations over time and tissue levels at necropsy consistent with dose suggesting that this is a viable method of dosing fish.

Microstructure of bentonite in iron ore green pellets.

PubMed

Bhuiyan, Iftekhar U; Mouzon, Johanne; Schröppel, Birgit; Kaech, Andres; Dobryden, Illia; Forsmo, Seija P E; Hedlund, Jonas

2014-02-01

Sodium-activated calcium bentonite is used as a binder in iron ore pellets and is known to increase strength of both wet and dry iron ore green pellets. In this article, the microstructure of bentonite in magnetite pellets is revealed for the first time using scanning electron microscopy. The microstructure of bentonite in wet and dry iron ore pellets, as well as in distilled water, was imaged by various imaging techniques (e.g., imaging at low voltage with monochromatic and decelerated beam or low loss backscattered electrons) and cryogenic methods (i.e., high pressure freezing and plunge freezing in liquid ethane). In wet iron ore green pellets, clay tactoids (stacks of parallel primary clay platelets) were very well dispersed and formed a voluminous network occupying the space available between mineral particles. When the pellet was dried, bentonite was drawn to the contact points between the particles and formed solid bridges, which impart strength to the solid compact.

Orexin-A projections to the caudal medulla and orexin-induced c-Fos expression, food intake, and autonomic function.

PubMed

Zheng, Huiyuan; Patterson, Laurel M; Berthoud, Hans-Rudolf

2005-05-02

Orexin-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus project throughout the neuraxis and are involved in regulation of the sleep/wake cycle, food intake, and autonomic functions. Here we specifically analyze the anatomical organization of orexin projections to the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) and raphe pallidus and effects on ingestive behavior and autonomic functions of local orexin-A administration in nonanesthetized rats. Retrograde tracing experiments revealed that as many as 20% of hypothalamic orexin neurons project to the DVC, where they form straight varicose axon profiles, some of which are in close anatomical apposition with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-, glucagon-like peptide-1-, gamma-aminobutyric acid-, and nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurons in a nonselective manner. Similar contacts were frequently observed with neurons of the nucleus of the solitary tract whose activation by gastrointestinal food stimuli was demonstrated by the expression of nuclear c-Fos immunoreactivity. Orexin-A administration to the fourth ventricle induced significant Fos-expression throughout the DVC compared with saline control injections, with about 20-25% of TH-ir neurons among the stimulated ones. Fourth ventricular orexin injections also significantly stimulated chow and water intake in nonfood-deprived rats. Direct bilateral injections of orexin into the DVC increased intake of palatable high-fat pellets. Orexin-ir fibers also innervated raphe pallidus. Fourth ventricular orexin-A (1 nmol) activated Fos expression in the raphe pallidus and C1/A1 catecholaminergic neurons in the ventral medulla and increased body temperature, heart rate, and locomotor activity. The results confirm that hypothalamomedullary orexin projections are involved in a variety of physiological functions, including ingestive behavior and sympathetic outflow. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Roles of diet protein and temperature in the growth and nutritional energetics of juvenile slider turtles, Trachemys scripta

USGS Publications Warehouse

Avery, Harold W.; Spotila, James R.; Congdon, Justin D.; Fischer, Robert U.; Standora, Edward A.; Avery, Susan B.

1993-01-01

We determined the effects of dietary protein and Ta on growth rates, food consumption rates, digestion rates, and digestive efficiencies of juvenile slider turtles (Trachemys scripta). Results from this study provide a clearer understanding of how these environmental factors interact in influencing body sizes and growth rates of individuals in wild slider turtle populations. Changes in plastron length, carapace length, and body mass were significantly greater for T. scripta eating 25% and 40% crude protein diets than for those eating 10% crude protein. Those consuming 10% crude protein showed significant decreases in body mass and plastron length over a 13-wk period. Individuals at Ta's of 15°, 22°, 28°, or 34° C had food ingestion rates (kJ wk⁻¹) that increased markedly with an increase in Ta. Increasing dietary crude protein concentration increased turtle ingestion rates and influenced the positive effect of Ta. Increasing dietary crude protein concentration alone did not significantly affect turtle consumption rates but did significantly influence the positive effect of Ta. Digestive efficiencies were very high (because of the pelleted diet). Those turtles that ate at 15° C had a digestive efciency of 99.5%, as compared with 98.3% at 22° C, 94.8% at 28° C, and 95.8% at 34° C. Dietary protein concentration did not influence the digestive efficiencies of T. scripta. These data suggest that dietary protein is an important nutritional component to the growth of juvenile slider turtles and that elevated thermal conditions, combined with a high dietary protein availability, may explain the very high growth rates of slider turtles in some wild populations.

Effects of Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) expressed in tomato leaves on larvae of the tomato moth Lacanobia oleracea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the effect of GNA on the development of the endoparasitoid Meteorus gyrator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

PubMed

Wakefield, M E; Bell, H A; Fitches, E C; Edwards, J P; Gatehouse, A M R

2006-02-01

The effect of ingestion of transgenic tomato leaves expressing the plant lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) on development of larvae of Lacanobia oleracea (Linnaeus) was studied under laboratory conditions. When L. oleracea larvae were fed on tomato line 14.1H, expressing approximately 2.0% GNA, significant increases in the mean larval weight and in the amount of food consumed were found. This resulted in an overall reduction in the mean development time to the pupal stage of approximately 7 days. A significant increase in the percentage survival to the adult moth was also recorded when newly hatched larvae were reared on transgenic tomato leaves (72%) compared to larvae reared on untransformed leaves (40%). The effects of ingestion of GNA by L. oleracea larvae, via artificial diet or the leaves of transgenic tomato or potato plants, on the subsequent development of its solitary endoparasitoid Meteorus gyrator (Thunberg) was also studied. No significant effects on the life cycle parameters of M. gyrator developing in L. oleracea fed on GNA-containing diets were observed. Experiments with transgenic potato plants indicated that the stadium of the host larvae at parasitism had a greater influence on M. gyrator development than the presence of GNA. Potential GNA-binding glycoproteins were detected in the gut and body tissues of larval M. gyrator. Despite detection in host tissues, GNA could not be detected in adult M. gyrator and therefore it is likely that at the time of pupation M. gyrator are able to void the GNA in the meconial pellet.

In rats fed high-energy diets, taste, rather than fat content, is the key factor increasing food intake: a comparison of a cafeteria and a lipid-supplemented standard diet.

PubMed

Oliva, Laia; Aranda, Tània; Caviola, Giada; Fernández-Bernal, Anna; Alemany, Marià; Fernández-López, José Antonio; Remesar, Xavier

2017-01-01

Food selection and ingestion both in humans and rodents, often is a critical factor in determining excess energy intake and its related disorders. Two different concepts of high-fat diets were tested for their obesogenic effects in rats; in both cases, lipids constituted about 40% of their energy intake. The main difference with controls fed standard lab chow, was, precisely, the lipid content. Cafeteria diets (K) were self-selected diets devised to be desirable to the rats, mainly because of its diverse mix of tastes, particularly salty and sweet. This diet was compared with another, more classical high-fat (HF) diet, devised not to be as tasty as K, and prepared by supplementing standard chow pellets with fat. We also analysed the influence of sex on the effects of the diets. K rats grew faster because of a high lipid, sugar and protein intake, especially the males, while females showed lower weight but higher proportion of body lipid. In contrast, the weight of HF groups were not different from controls. Individual nutrient's intake were analysed, and we found that K rats ingested large amounts of both disaccharides and salt, with scant differences of other nutrients' proportion between the three groups. The results suggest that the key differential factor of the diet eliciting excess energy intake was the massive presence of sweet and salty tasting food. The significant presence of sugar and salt appears as a powerful inducer of excess food intake, more effective than a simple (albeit large) increase in the diet's lipid content. These effects appeared already after a relatively short treatment. The differential effects of sex agree with their different hedonic and obesogenic response to diet.

Lead poisoning and other mortality factors in trumpeter swans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blus, L.J.; Stroud, R.K.; Reiswig, B.; McEneaney, T.

1989-01-01

Lead poisoning and other causes of mortality of trumpeter swans were investigated. Necropsies or Pb concentrations in livers were available for 72 trumpeter swans found dead in seven western states from 1976 to 1987; data from other published and unpublished sources also are summarized. Ingestion of lead artifacts accounted for about 20% of the known mortality of trumpeter swans in the tri-state area of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where the population has been declining for several decades.

Improving Powder Tableting Performance through Materials Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osei-Yeboah, Frederick

Adequate mechanical strength is a critical requirement to the successful development of a tablet product. Before tablet compression, powders are often engineered by various processes including wet granulation and surface coating, which may improve or adversely affect the powder tableting performance. Such effects, commonly, result from a change in either particle mechanical properties or particulate (size, shape) properties. In this work, tableting performance is interpreted based on the qualitative bonding-area and bonding-strength (BABS) model. The tabletability of the microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) granules deteriorates rapidly with increasing amount of granulating water and eventually leads to over-granulation at high water level. Granule surface smoothing, size enlargement, granule densification and shape rounding are the dominant factors leading to the tabletability reduction of plastic MCC. Incorporation of increasing amounts of brittle excipients, such as lactose or dibasic calcium phosphate reduces the rate of tabletability reduction by promoting more granule fragmentation, introducing more surface area available for bonding. When a sufficient amount of brittle excipients is used, the over-granulation phenomenon can be eliminated. Surface coating of incompressible MCC pellets with highly bonding polymer leads to sufficient surface deformation and adhesion to enable direct compression of the pellets into tablets of adequate mechanical strength. This improvement is enhanced by the presence of moisture, which plasticizes the polymer to allow the development of a larger bonding area between coated pellets. The relationship between mechanical properties and tableting behavior is systematically investigated in polymeric composites using celecoxib-polyvinylpyrrolidone vinyl acetate solid dispersions. Mechanical properties such as indentation hardness of the solid dispersions were measured using nanoindentation. Incorporation of celecoxib up to 60% by weight hardens the polymers, which reduces bonding area but increases bonding strength. On the other hand, moisture softens the solid dispersions and facilitates deformation under pressure to improve tablet mechanical strength. In summary, insights into the deteriorated tabletability of wet granulated powders have been developed and strategies for improving tabletability have been demonstrated. Also, the relationship between particle mechanical properties and tableting performance has been examined using solid dispersions. The BABS model has been further developed to enable its widespread application in interpreting complex tableting behavior.

Biomass Feedstocks | Bioenergy | NREL

Science.gov Websites

publications. Photo of a group of smiling men and women posing in a casual office setting. Thermochemical xylose) from bioconversion of pelleted and non-pelleted corn stover (CS), Switchgrass (SWG), and Hybrid Variety on the x-axis, showing Non-pelleted (yellow) and Pelleted (orange) results for five groups of data

A Review of Pellets from Different Sources

PubMed Central

Miranda, Teresa; Montero, Irene; Sepúlveda, Francisco José; Arranz, José Ignacio; Rojas, Carmen Victoria; Nogales, Sergio

2015-01-01

The rise in pellet consumption has resulted in a wider variety of materials for pellet manufacture. Thus, pellet industry has started looking for alternative products, such as wastes from agricultural activities, forestry and related industries, along with the combination thereof, obtaining a broad range of these products. In addition, the entry into force of EN ISO 17225 standard makes wood pellet market (among other types) possible for industry and household purposes. Therefore, wastes that are suitable for biomass use have recently increased. In this study, the main characteristics of ten kinds of laboratory-made pellets from different raw materials were analyzed. Thus, we have focused on the most limiting factors of quality standards that determine the suitability for biomass market, depending on the kind of pellet. The results showed considerable differences among the analyzed pellets, exceeding the limits established by the standard in almost all cases, especially concerning ash content and N and S composition. The requirements of the studied standard, very demanding for certain factors, disable the entry of these densified wastes in greater added value markets. PMID:28788009

Investigation of the pellets produced from sugarcane bagasse during liquid hot water pretreatment and their impact on the enzymatic hydrolysis.

PubMed

Wang, Wen; Zhuang, Xinshu; Yuan, Zhenhong; Yu, Qiang; Qi, Wei

2015-08-01

In the process of liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment, there are numbers of pellets formed on the lignocellulosic surface. The characteristics and effect of pellets on the enzymatic hydrolysis of LHW-treated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were investigated. After SCB was treated with LHW at 180°C, the pellets deposited on the surface of solid residues were extracted gently with 1% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. They were composed of 81.0% lignin, 7.0% glucan, and 3.2% xylan. The LHW pretreatment solution (PS) was sprayed to the filter paper, and the pellets were observed on its surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data showed that lignin was also the main component of the PS pellets. The effect of the pellets on enzymatic hydrolysis was chiefly attributed to the steric hindrance, not the cellulase adsorption. The structural characteristics of LHW-treated SCB might play a more important role in influencing the enzymatic hydrolysis than the pellets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pellet microfossils: Possible evidence for metazoan life in Early Proterozoic time

PubMed Central

Robbins, Eleanora Iberall; Porter, Karen Glaus; Haberyan, Kurt A.

1985-01-01

Microfossils resembling fecal pellets occur in acid-resistant residues and thin sections of Middle Cambrian to Early Proterozoic shale. The cylindrical microfossils average 50 × 110 μm and are the size and shape of fecal pellets produced by microscopic animals today. Pellets occur in dark gray and black rocks that were deposited in the facies that also preserves sulfide minerals and that represent environments analogous to those that preserve fecal pellets today. Rocks containing pellets and algal microfossils range in age from 0.53 to 1.9 gigayears (Gyr) and include Burgess Shale, Greyson and Newland Formations, Rove Formation, and Gunflint Iron-Formation. Similar rock types of Archean age, ranging from 2.68 to 3.8 Gyr, were barren of pellets. If the Proterozoic microfossils are fossilized fecal pellets, they provide evidence of metazoan life and a complex food chain at 1.9 Gyr ago. This occurrence predates macroscopic metazoan body fossils in the Ediacaran System at 0.67 Gyr, animal trace fossils from 0.9 to 1.3 Gyr, and fossils of unicellular eukaryotic plankton at 1.4 Gyr. Images PMID:16593599

High Burn-Up Spent Nuclear Fuel Vibration Integrity Study

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

Wang, Jy-An John; Wang, Hong; Jiang, Hao

2015-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed the cyclic integrated reversible-bending fatigue tester (CIRFT) approach to successfully demonstrate the controllable fatigue fracture on high burnup (HBU) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in a normal vibration mode. CIRFT enables examination of the underlying mechanisms of SNF system dynamic performance. Due to the inhomogeneous composite structure of the SNF system, the detailed mechanisms of the pellet-pellet and pellet-clad interactions and the stress concentration effects at the pellet-pellet interface cannot be readily obtained from a CIRFT system measurement. Therefore, finite element analyses (FEAs) are used to translate the global moment-curvature measurement into localmore » stress-strain profiles for further investigation. The major findings of CIRFT on the HBU SNF are as follows: SNF system interface bonding plays an important role in SNF vibration performance. Fuel structure contributes to SNF system stiffness. There are significant variations in stress and curvature of SNF systems during vibration cycles resulting from segment pellets and clad interactions. SNF failure initiates at the pellet-pellet interface region and appears to be spontaneous.« less

Co-pelletization of sewage sludge and agricultural wastes.

PubMed

Yilmaz, Ersel; Wzorek, Małgorzata; Akçay, Selin

2018-06-15

This paper concerns the process of production and properties of pellets based on biomass wastes. Co-pelletization was performed for sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant and other biomass material such as animal and olive wastes. The aim of the present study was to identify the key factors affecting on the sewage sludge and agricultural residues co-pelletization processes conditions. The impact of raw material type, pellet length, moisture content and particle size on the physical properties was investigated. The technic and technological aspects of co-pelletization were discussed in detail. The physical parameters of pellets, i.e.: drop strength, absorbability and water resistance were determined. Among others, also energy parameters: low and high heat value, content of ash and volatiles were presented. Results showed the range of raw materials moisture, which is necessary to obtain good quality biofuels and also ratio of sewage sludge in pelletizing materials. The analysis of the energetic properties has indicated that the pellet generated on the basis of the sewage sludge and another biomass materials can be applied in the processes of co-combustion with coal. Those biofuels are characterised with properties making them suitable for use in thermal processes and enabling their transport and storage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of arsenic content in pelletized poultry house waste and biosolids fertilizer.

PubMed

Nachman, Keeve E; Mihalic, Jana N; Burke, Thomas A; Geyh, Alison S

2008-03-01

Managers of human biosolids have been incorporating the practice of waste pelletization for use as fertilizer since the mid 1920s, and waste pelletization has recently been embraced by some poultry producers as a way to move nutrients away from saturated agricultural land. However, the presence of arsenic in pelletized poultry house waste (PPHW) resulting from the use of organoarsenical antimicrobial drugs in poultry production raises concerns regarding additional incremental population exposures. Arsenic concentrations were determined in PPHW and pelletized biosolids fertilizer (PBF) samples. Pellets were processed using strong acid microwave digestion and analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. The mean arsenic concentration in PPHW (20.1 ppm) fell within the lower part of the range of previously report arsenic concentrations in unpelletized poultry house waste. Arsenic concentrations in PBF, the source of which is less clear than for PPHW, were approximately a factor of 5 times lower than those in PPHW, with a mean concentration of 4.1 ppm. The pelletization and sale of these biological waste fertilizers present new pathways of exposure to arsenic in consumer populations who would otherwise not come into contact with these wastes. Arsenic exposures in humans resulting from use of these fertilizer pellets should be quantified to avoid potential unintended negative consequences of managing wastes through pelletization.

Influence of digestive processes on the absorption and fate of quinoline ingested by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

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

Dauble, D.D.; Curtis, L.R.

1990-01-01

Rainbow trout were fed pelleted food containing [[sup 14]C]-quinoline to access the relationship of digestive processes to xenobiotic pharmacokinetics. The pH of material in the stomach of rainbow trout ranged from 2.7 to 5.2 and was highly correlated (r = 0.89) with the size of the food bolus remaining. At 2 h after feeding, 67% of the quinoline was estimated to be un-ionized in the alkaline environment of the intestine; however, relative concentrations in the intestine were about 8% of those measured in the stomach. Gastric absorption was consistent with known serum profiles and excretion patterns of dietary quinoline. Ratesmore » of gallbladder emptying appeared to exceed rates of hepatic bile secretion until about 8 h after a single feeding. Time since feeding influenced both the amount and concentration of quinoline-derived radioactivity in the bile. Consecutive feedings enhanced the movement of the food bolus and associated radioactivity from the upper and midgut regions, but had no effect on disposition of quinoline.« less

Effects of processing, particle size and moisturizing of sorghum-based feeds on pellet quality and broiler production.

PubMed

da Silva, Patrícia Garcia; Oliveira, Luana Martins Schaly; de Oliveira, Nayanne Rodrigues; de Moura Júnior, Fábio Ataides; Silva, Maura Regina Sousa; Cordeiro, Deibity Alves; Minafra, Cibele Silva; Dos Santos, Fabiana Ramos

2018-01-01

This study aimed to assess the effect of pelleted and expanded sorghum-based feeds prepared with different moisture levels and particle size of ingredients on metabolizable energy, ileal digestibility of amino acids and broiler performance. The experiment was performed with 720 male broiler chicks of the Cobb strain, with treatments of six replications, with 15 birds each; they were arranged in a completely randomized design and 2×2×2 factorial scheme (pelleted or expanded feed processing, 0.8% or 1.6% moisture addition in the mixer, and particle size of 650 or 850 microns). Higher pellet quality (pellets, % and pellet durability index [PDI]) was obtained in expanded diets and inclusion of 1.6% moisture. The particle size of 850 microns increased the PDI of final diet. All studied treatments had no significant effect on weight gain and broiler carcass and cut yields. Lower feed conversion occurred for birds fed pelleted feed at 42 d. The highest apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected to zero nitrogen balance (AMEn) values of feed in the initial rearing phase (10 to 13 days) were observed in birds fed pelleted feed or for feed prepared with 1.6% moisture. The highest ileal digestibility coefficients of amino acids were obtained with the consumption of pelleted feed prepared with a particle size of 650 microns and 1.6% moisture. Pelleted feed prepared with a milling particle size of 650 microns and 1.6% moisture provided increased ileal digestibility of amino acids and AMEn in the starter period. However, the expanded feed improved pellet quality and feed conversion of broilers at 42 days of age. We conclude that factors such as moisture, particle size and processing affect the pellet quality, and therefore should be considered when attempting to optimize broiler performance.

Effects of processing, particle size and moisturizing of sorghum-based feeds on pellet quality and broiler production

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Objective This study aimed to assess the effect of pelleted and expanded sorghum-based feeds prepared with different moisture levels and particle size of ingredients on metabolizable energy, ileal digestibility of amino acids and broiler performance. Methods The experiment was performed with 720 male broiler chicks of the Cobb strain, with treatments of six replications, with 15 birds each; they were arranged in a completely randomized design and 2×2×2 factorial scheme (pelleted or expanded feed processing, 0.8% or 1.6% moisture addition in the mixer, and particle size of 650 or 850 microns). Results Higher pellet quality (pellets, % and pellet durability index [PDI]) was obtained in expanded diets and inclusion of 1.6% moisture. The particle size of 850 microns increased the PDI of final diet. All studied treatments had no significant effect on weight gain and broiler carcass and cut yields. Lower feed conversion occurred for birds fed pelleted feed at 42 d. The highest apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected to zero nitrogen balance (AMEn) values of feed in the initial rearing phase (10 to 13 days) were observed in birds fed pelleted feed or for feed prepared with 1.6% moisture. The highest ileal digestibility coefficients of amino acids were obtained with the consumption of pelleted feed prepared with a particle size of 650 microns and 1.6% moisture. Conclusion Pelleted feed prepared with a milling particle size of 650 microns and 1.6% moisture provided increased ileal digestibility of amino acids and AMEn in the starter period. However, the expanded feed improved pellet quality and feed conversion of broilers at 42 days of age. We conclude that factors such as moisture, particle size and processing affect the pellet quality, and therefore should be considered when attempting to optimize broiler performance. PMID:28920405

Grain Size and Phase Purity Characterization of U 3Si 2 Pellet Fuel

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

Hoggan, Rita E.; Tolman, Kevin R.; Cappia, Fabiola

Characterization of U 3Si 2 fresh fuel pellets is important for quality assurance and validation of the finished product. Grain size measurement methods, phase identification methods using scanning electron microscopes equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction, and phase quantification methods via image analysis have been developed and implemented on U 3Si 2 pellet samples. A wide variety of samples have been characterized including representative pellets from an initial irradiation experiment, and samples produced using optimized methods to enhance phase purity from an extended fabrication effort. The average grain size for initial pellets was between 16 and 18 µm.more » The typical average grain size for pellets from the extended fabrication was between 20 and 30 µm with some samples exhibiting irregular grain growth. Pellets from the latter half of extended fabrication had a bimodal grain size distribution consisting of coarsened grains (>80 µm) surrounded by the typical (20-30 µm) grain structure around the surface. Phases identified in initial uranium silicide pellets included: U 3Si 2 as the main phase composing about 80 vol. %, Si rich phases (USi and U 5Si 4) composing about 13 vol. %, and UO 2 composing about 5 vol. %. Initial batches from the extended U 3Si 2 pellet fabrication had similar phases and phase quantities. The latter half of the extended fabrication pellet batches did not contain Si rich phases, and had between 1-5% UO 2: achieving U 3Si 2 phase purity between 95 vol. % and 98 vol. % U 3Si 2. The amount of UO 2 in sintered U 3Si 2 pellets is correlated to the length of time between U 3Si 2 powder fabrication and pellet formation. These measurements provide information necessary to optimize fabrication efforts and a baseline for future work on this fuel compound.« less

Effects of pelleting conditioner retention time on nursery pig growth performance.

PubMed

Lewis, L L; Stark, C R; Fahrenholz, A C; Goncalves, M A D; DeRouchey, J M; Jones, C K

2015-03-01

A total of 180 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 12.6 kg) were used in an 18-d study to determine the effects of pellet mill conditioning parameters and feed form on pig performance. All diets were similar, and different feed processing parameters were used to create experimental treatments. Factors considered were conditioning time (15, 30, or 60 s) and feed form (mash or pelleted). To remove the confounding factor of feed form, pelleted samples were reground to a similar particle size as the mash diet. Treatments included: 1) mash diet without thermal processing (negative control), 2) pelleted diet conditioned for 30 s (positive control), 3) pelleted diet conditioned for 15 s and reground, 4) pelleted diet conditioned for 30 s and reground, and 5) pelleted diet conditioned for 60 s and reground. Pigs were weaned and fed a common acclimation diet for 21 d before the start of the experiment. Growth and feed disappearance were then measured for 18 d. All diets had similar levels of percentage total starch, but thermally processed diets had a 1.67 to 1.87-fold increase in percentage gelatinized starch compared to the mash diet. Average daily gain and G:F did not differ between treatments overall, but pigs fed the positive control pelleted diet had decreased ADFI ( < 0.05) compared to pigs fed all other diets. Preplanned contrasts revealed that pigs fed mash diets tended to have greater ADG ( < 0.10) compared to those fed pelleted and reground diets. This suggests that processing may have had a negative influence on feed utilization, which is further supported by the finding that pigs fed mash diets tended to have greater ADG ( < 0.10) compared to those fed diets that were thermally processed, regardless of regrinding. Considering these results, it was not surprising that pigs fed mash diets had greater ADG and ADFI ( < 0.05) than those fed pelleted diets. When directly comparing diets conditioned at 60 rpm, fed either as whole pellets or reground to mash consistency, pigs fed pelleted diets had improved G:F ( < 0.05) due to lower ADFI ( < 0.05) but similar ADG. The expected improvement in G:F from pelleting (6.8%) was observed but lost when diets were reground to near original mash particle size. This may indicate that diet form from the actual pelleting process impacts G:F more than conditioner retention time.

Administration of CREON® pancrelipase pellets via gastrostomy tube is feasible with no loss of gastric resistance or lipase activity: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Shlieout, George; Koerner, Andreas; Maffert, Mario; Forssmann, Kristin; Caras, Steven

2011-01-01

In clinical practice, the need sometimes arises to administer pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy via gastrostomy tube (G-tube) by mixing the pellets contained in the capsules with soft food. The objective of this study was to identify G-tubes that allow administration of pancrelipase gastro-resistant pellets without clogging, sticking, pellet damage or loss of enteric coating integrity. In this in vitro study, CREON® (pancrelipase) Delayed-Release Capsules were opened and the pellets sprinkled onto a small amount of baby food of pH <4.5 (applesauce and bananas manufactured by both Gerber and Beech-Nut). The mixture was stirred gently and after 15 minutes poured into a 35 mL syringe and pushed slowly (~15 mL in 10-15 seconds) through a G-tube. Pellets were collected and the tube flushed with water. G-tubes were inspected visually for clogging/sticking and damage to pellets was assessed. If there was none with all four foods, pellet integrity (gastric resistance and lipase activity) was assessed by an in vitro dissolution method with a 2-hour gastric simulation step. The activity required to confirm integrity was ≥80% of actual US Pharmacopeia lipase activity per capsule. G-tubes initially tested were Kimberly-Clark MIC Bolus® size 14 French (Fr) and upwards and Kimberly-Clark MIC-KEY® 14 Fr and upwards. Following successful testing, assessment of Bard® Tri-Funnel 18 Fr and Bard® Button 18 Fr G-tubes was carried out. Based on the absence of clogging, sticking and visible damage to pellets, and the maintenance of pellet integrity, administration of CREON® pancrelipase pellets was feasible through the following G-tubes: Kimberly-Clark MIC Bolus® size 18 Fr, Kimberly-Clark MIC-KEY® 16 Fr, Bard® Tri-Funnel 18 Fr and Bard® Button 18 Fr. Lipase activity met the predetermined specification and was ≥90% for all four tubes and all four foods, with no differences versus untreated pellets (i.e. pellets not mixed with baby food or pushed through a G-tube). These data apply to all CREON® pancrelipase capsule formulations, regardless of their strength in lipase units, as pellet composition, size and quality are identical. CREON® pancrelipase pellets can be mixed with baby food of pH <4.5 and administered via the following G-tubes without clogging, sticking or visible pellet damage, and with no loss of gastric resistance or lipase activity: Kimberly-Clark MIC Bolus® size 18 Fr and larger, Kimberly-Clark MIC-KEY® 16 Fr and larger, Bard® Tri-Funnel 18 Fr and larger and Bard® Button 18 Fr and larger.

Development of a Tritium Extruder for ITER Pellet Injection

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

M.J. Gouge; P.W. Fisher

As part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) plasma fueling development program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has fabricated a pellet injection system to test the mechanical and thermal properties of extruded tritium. Hydrogenic pellets will be used in ITER to sustain the fusion power in the plasma core and may be crucial in reducing first-wall tritium inventories by a process of "isotopic fueling" in which tritium-rich pellets fuel the burning plasma core and deuterium gas fuels the edge. This repeating single-stage pneumatic pellet injector, called the Tritium-Proof-of-Principle Phase II (TPOP-II) Pellet Injector, has a piston-driven mechanical extruder andmore » is designed to extrude and accelerate hydrogenic pellets sized for the ITER device. The TPOP-II program has the following development goals: evaluate the feasibility of extruding tritium and deuterium-tritium (D-T) mixtures for use in future pellet injection systems; determine the mechanical and thermal properties of tritium and D-T extrusions; integrate, test, and evaluate the extruder in a repeating, single-stage light gas gun that is sized for the ITER application (pellet diameter -7 to 8 mm); evaluate options for recycling propellant and extruder exhaust gas; and evaluate operability and reliability of ITER prototypical fueling systems in an environment of significant tritium inventory that requires secondary and room containment systems. In tests with deuterium feed at ORNL, up to 13 pellets per extrusion have been extruded at rates up to 1 Hz and accelerated to speeds of 1.0 to 1.1 km/s, using hydrogen propellant gas at a supply pressure of 65 bar. Initially, deuterium pellets 7.5 mm in diameter and 11 mm in length were produced-the largest cryogenic pellets produced by the fusion program to date. These pellets represent about a 10% density perturbation to ITER. Subsequently, the extruder nozzle was modified to produce pellets that are almost 7.5-mm right circular cylinders. Tritium and D-T pellets have been produced in experiments at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Tritium Systems Test Assembly. About 38 g of tritium have been utilized in the experiment. The tritium was received in eight batches, six from product containers and two from the Isotope Separation System. Two types of runs were made: those in which the material was only extruded and those in which pellets were produced and fired with deuterium propellant. A total of 36 TZ runs and 28 D-T runs have been made. A total of 36 pure tritium runs and 28 D-T mixture runs were made. Extrusion experiments indicate that both T2 and D-T will require higher extrusion forces than D2 by about a factor of two.« less

Comparison of the radiological and chemical toxicity of lead

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

Beitel, G.A.; Mott, S.

1995-03-01

This report estimates the worst-case radiological dose to an individual from ingested lead containing picocurie levels of radionuclides and then compares the calculated radiological health effects to the chemical toxic effects from that same lead. This comparison provides an estimate of the consequences of inadvertently recycling, in the commercial market, lead containing nominally undetectable concentrations of radionuclides. Quantitative expressions for the radiological and chemical toxicities of lead are based on concentrations of lead in the blood stream. The result shows that the chemical toxicity of lead is a greater health hazard, by orders of magnitude, than any probable companion radiationmore » dose.« less

Metal and sediment ingestion by dabbling ducks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beyer, W.N.; Spann, J.; Day, D.

1999-01-01

The chemical analysis of intestinal digesta from hunter-killed carcasses or of wildlife scat is a promising means of estimating the exposure of wildlife to those environmental contaminants that, like lead, are poorly absorbed in the digestive tract. When evaluating contaminants at a site, biologists may find the results of this non-destructive approach more straightforward to interpret in terms of exposure to wildlife than would be analyses of soils, sediments, water, or wildlife tissues. To illustrate the approach, we collected digesta from 47 waterfowl shot by hunters at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, in Delaware, USA. The waterfowl digesta contained an average of approximately 2.4% sediment, estimated from the Al concentrations in the digesta, a marker for sediment. Al concentrations were significantly correlated with concentrations of Cr (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, r=0.57), V (r=0.70), Ni (r=0.31), and Pb (r=0.55), and we concluded that these metals were ingested mainly with sediment. American widgeon (Anas americana) ingested sediment at a rate of about four times that of three other species of dabbling ducks (Anas crecca, A. acuta, A. rubripes) and had several times the exposure to the sediment-associated metals. The digesta of one American black duck contained a high concentration of lead (70 mg/kg, dry wt.), presumably from lead shot, but none of the other samples had notably elevated metal concentrations. We suggest that scat and digesta be analyzed more widely by biologists and resource managers seeking a simple, inexpensive assessment of contaminants in local wildlife habitat.

Bullet identification: a case of a fatal hunting accident resolved by comparison of lead shot using instrumental neutron activation analysis.

PubMed

Capannesi, G; Sedda, A F

1992-03-01

Bullet identification by chemical analysis often provides a powerful clue in forensic science. A case is reported in which a hunting accident was resolved by using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for direct comparison of the trace element content in lead shot. Different preparation batches of lead shot appear to have a high within-group composition homogeneity, and good differentiation is achieved between different batches. Determination of the nickel and antimony content on a bush branch demonstrated that the branch had been perforated by one of the shot pellets, and this helped the detectives in reconstruction of the crime scene.

A novel polymer extrusion micropelletization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aquite, William

Polymer micropellets provide a variety of potential applications for different processes in the polymer industry. Conventional pellets are in the size range of 2.5 mm to 5 mm, while micropellets are at least ten times smaller, in the size range of 50 μm to 1000 μm. The potential benefits to a processor using micropellets include: high surface to volume ratio, high bulk density, fast and even melting rates in extrusion, improved dry flow properties, faster injection molding cycles, and consequently lower energy consumption during processing. More specialized sintering processes that require polymer powders, such as selective sintering techniques, microporous plastics parts manufacturing, and other powder sintering methods would benefit from the production of polymer micropellets since these exhibit the advantages of pellets yet have a lower average size. This work focuses on the study of a technique developed at the Polymer Engineering Center. The technique uses a microcapillary die for the production of micropellets by causing instabilities in extruded polymer threads deformed using an air stream. Tuning of process conditions allow the development of surface disturbances that promote breakup of the threads into pellets, which are subsequently cooled and collected. Although micropellets with high sphericity and a narrow size distribution can be produced using this technique, minimal changes in process conditions also lead to the production of lenticular pellets as well as pellets, fibers and threads with a wide range of size and shape distributions. This work shows how changing processing conditions achieve a variety of shapes and sizes of micropellets, broadening its application for the production of powders from a variety of polymer resins. Different approaches were used, including dimensional analysis and numerical simulation of the micropelletization process. This research reveals the influence of non-linear viscoelastic effects on the dispersion of a polymer thread through surface disturbances. Furthermore, this research reveals how processing parameters can influence the quality of the produced micropellet. Through this work, an economically feasible technique was developed that can produce the raw material for processors that depend on polymer powders that will deliver ideally shaped and distributed micropellets.

The effect of neonatal handling on adult feeding behavior is not an anxiety-like behavior.

PubMed

Silveira, P P; Portella, A K; Clemente, Z; Gamaro, G D; Dalmaz, C

2005-02-01

Brief periods of handling during the neonatal period have been shown to have profound and long-lasting physiological consequences. Previous studies performed in our laboratory have demonstrated that handling the pups during the neonatal period leads to increased sweet food ingestion in adult life. The objective of this study is to verify if this effect could be explained by the enhanced anxiety levels in these animals. Litters were divided in: (1) intact; (2) handled (10 min in an incubator/day) and (3) handled + tactile stimulation (10 min/day). Procedures were performed on days 1-10 after birth. When adults, rats were tested in the elevated plus maze apparatus, light dark exploration test and open field test. They were also tested for sweet food ingestion, being injected with 2 mg/kg diazepam or vehicle 60 min before the test. Handling and handling + tactile stimulation do not alter performance in the plus maze test, but handled rats presented more crossings in the light/dark exploration test and open field (two-way ANOVA). Females also spent more % time in the open arms in the plus maze and more time in the lit compartment in the light/dark test, presenting more crossings in both tests. Both treated rats (handled and handled + tactile stimulation groups) consumed more sweet food than intact ones (two-way ANOVA). When diazepam was injected prior to the measurement of sweet food ingestion, there was no effect of the drug. We suggest that handling during the neonatal period leads to plastic alterations in the central nervous system of these animals, causing an increased ingestion of palatable food in adult life, and this alteration does not express an anxiety-like behavior.

Using an Ingestible Telemetric Temperature Pill to Assess Gastrointestinal Temperature During Exercise

PubMed Central

Bongers, Coen C.W.G.; Hopman, Maria T.E.; Eijsvogels, Thijs M.H.

2015-01-01

Exercise results in an increase in core body temperature (Tc), which may reduce exercise performance and eventually can lead to the development of heat-related disorders. Therefore, accurate measurement of Tc during exercise is of great importance, especially in athletes who have to perform in challenging ambient conditions. In the current literature a number of methods have been described to measure the Tc (esophageal, external tympanic membrane, mouth or rectum). However, these methods are suboptimal to measure Tc during exercise since they are invasive, have a slow response or are influenced by environmental conditions. Studies described the use of an ingestible telemetric temperature pill as a reliable and valid method to assess gastrointestinal temperature (Tgi), which is a representative measurement of Tc. Therefore, the goal of this study was to provide a detailed description of the measurement of Tgi using an ingestible telemetric temperature pill. This study addresses important methodological factors that must be taken into account for an accurate measurement. It is recommended to read the instructions carefully in order to ensure that the ingestible telemetric temperature pill is a reliable method to assess Tgi at rest and during exercise. PMID:26485169

The effect of chine tires on nose gear water-spray characteristics of a twin engine airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.; Stubbs, S. M.; Mccarty, J. L.

1975-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of nose gear chine tires in eliminating or minimizing the engine spray ingestion problem encountered on several occasions by the Merlin 4, a twin-engine propjet airplane. A study of the photographic and television coverage indicated that under similar test conditions the spray from the chine tires presented less of a potential engine spray ingestion problem than the conventional tires. Neither tire configuration appeared to pose any ingestion problem at aircraft speeds in excess of the hydroplaning speed for each tire, however, significant differences were noted in the spray patterns of the two sets of tires at sub-hydroplaning speeds. At sub-hydroplaning speeds, the conventional tires produced substantial spray above the wing which approached the general area of the engine air inlet at lower test speeds. The chine tires produced two distinct spray plumes at sub-hydroplaning speeds: one low-level plume which presented no apparent threat of ingestion, and one which at most test speeds was observed to be below the wing leading edge and thus displaced from the intakes on the engine nacelle.

Effects of carbonization conditions on properties of bamboo pellets

Treesearch

Zhijia Liu; Zehui Jiang; Zhiyong Cai; Benhua Fei; Yan Yu; Xing' e Liu

2013-01-01

Bamboo is a biomass material and has great potential as a bio-energy resource of the future in China. Bamboo pellets were successfully manufactured using a laboratory pellet mill in preliminary work. This study was therefore carried out to investigate the effect of carbonization conditions (temperature and time) on properties of bamboo pellets and to evaluate product...

Greenhouse germination trials of pelletized western redcedar and red alder seeds

Treesearch

Nabil Khadduri

2007-01-01

Pelletized western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) and red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) seeds exhibited lower total germination and delayed germination speed (G50 or days to 50% germination) when compared to non-pelletized “raw” seeds in greenhouse trials. Averaged across two lots of western redcedar, pelletizing decreased...