Separation of Long-Lived Fission Products Tc-99 and I-129 from Synthetic Effluents by Crown Ethers

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

Paviet-Hartmann, P.; Hartmann, T.

2006-07-01

To minimize significantly the radio-toxic inventory of nuclear geological repositories to come as well as to reduce the potential of radionuclides migration and to minimize long-term exposure, the concept of partitioning and transmutation (P/T) of nuclear waste is currently discussed. Transmutation offers the possibility to convert radio-toxic radionuclides with long half-lives into radionuclides of shorter half-lives, less toxic isotopes, or even into stable isotopes. Besides the most prominent isotopes of neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium, the long-lived fission products Tc-99 and I-129 (half-lives of 2.13 x 10{sup 5} years, and 1.57 x 10{sup 7} years, respectively) are promising candidates formore » transmutation in order to prevent their migration from a nuclear repository. Partitioning and transmutation of the most radio-toxic radionuclides will not only minimize the nuclear waste load but most importantly will significantly reduce the long-term radio-toxic hazard of nuclear waste repositories to come. Prior to the deployment of partitioning and transmutation, selective extraction techniques are required to separate the radionuclides of concern. Since the discovery of crown ethers by C. Pedersen, various applications of crown ethers have drawn much attention. Although liquid-liquid extraction of alkali and alkali earth metals by crown ethers has been extensively studied, little data is available on the extraction of Tc-99 and I-129 by crown ethers. The methods developed herein for the specific extraction of Tc-99 and I-129 provide recommendations in support of their selectively extraction from liquid radioactive waste streams, mainly ILW. We report data on the solvent extraction of Tc-99 and I-129 from synthetic effluents by six crown ethers of varying cavity dimensions and derivatization. To satisfy the needs of new extractant systems we are demonstrating that crown ether (CE) based systems have the potential to serve as selective extractants for the separation of these long lived radionuclides from high level nuclear waste (HLW), intermediate level nuclear waste (ILW), and low level nuclear waste (LLW) streams. The experimental results show that dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB 18C6) is highly selective towards Tc-99, and dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DC18C6) is highly selective towards I-129. The nature of the diluent was examined and was shown to be the most influential variable in controlling the extraction coefficients of Tc-99 and I-129. Therefore the addition of polar diluent acetone to non-polar diluent toluene enhanced the distribution coefficient of Tc-99 (DTc) was by a factor of 30. For I-129, the best extraction yield was obtained after introducing tetrachloroethane. Through the process, by a single extraction step, 85 % to 95 % of Tc-99 was extracted from synthetic effluents, while 84 % to 88 % of I-129 was extracted from different acidic media. The extraction by crown ether is a fairly rapid process and the total preparation time of the chemical separation takes about 20 minutes for a batch of eight samples. (authors)« less

Elastohydrodynamic (EHD) traction properties of seed oils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The elastohydrodynamic traction coefficient (tc) properties of nine seed oils of varying chemical structures, PAO and hexadecane, were investigated using a ball-on disk traction apparatus. The seed oils were: castor oil, a triglyceride with hydroxyl functional group; jojoba, a monoglyceride; and sev...

Alcoholic Extract of Lotus Leaves Improves Lipid Profile in Rats with HIV Protease Inhibitor-induced Dyslipidaemia

PubMed Central

Su, QJ; Lu, ZZ; Deng, QY; Wei, BM

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the effect of the alcoholic extract of lotus leaves (AELL) on antiretroviral treatment-induced dyslipidaemia in a rat model. Methods: Lotus leaves were extracted by 95% ethanol. Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were given lopinavir/ritonavir for six weeks. At weeks 0 and 6, sera were collected for measurement of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG). Rats meeting the criteria for dyslipidaemia were assigned to four groups and received once daily for another four weeks lopinavir/ritonavir (group A), lopinavir/ritonavir plus 0.52 g/kg AELL (group B), lopinavir/ritonavir plus 0.26 g/kg AELL (group C), or lopinavir/ritonavir plus 0.13 g/kg AELL (group D), respectively. At weeks 8 and 10, blood samples were collected again for measurement of TC and TG. Results: Both TC and TG increased over time in group A during the observation period (weeks 6 to 10), however, TC and TG decreased in group B, and TG declined in group C. Neither TC nor TG could be reduced to a level near baseline. Conclusion: Alcoholic extract of lotus leaves may have the potential to treat dyslipidaemia related to highly active antiretroviral treatment, but may not be potent enough to reduce TC or TG concentrations to goal levels when used alone. PMID:26426169

An experimental model to study the effects of a senna extract on the blood constituent labeling and biodistribution of a radiopharmaceutical in rats.

PubMed

Souza, Deise Elizabeth; Pereira, Marcia Oliveira; Bernardo, Luciana Camargo; Carmo, Fernanda Santos; Fonseca, Adenilson de Souza da; Bernardo-Filho, Mario

2011-01-01

Cassia angustifolia Vahl (senna) is a natural product that contains sennosides, which are active components that affect the intestinal tract and induce diarrhea. Authors have shown that senna produces DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) lesions in Escherichia coli cultures and can act as an antifungal agent. Natural drugs can alter the labeling of blood constituents with technetium-⁹⁹m (⁹⁹mTc) and can affect the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals. In this work, we have evaluated the influence of a senna extract on the radiolabeling of blood constituents and on the biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na⁹⁹mTcO₄)in Wistar rats. Twelve animals were treated with senna extract for 7 days. Blood samples were withdrawn from the animals and the radiolabeling procedure was carried out. The senna extract did not modify the radiolabeling of the blood constituents. A biodistributional assay was performed by administering Na⁹⁹mTcO₄ and determining its activity in different organs and in blood. The senna extract altered the biodistribution of Na⁹⁹mTcO₄ in the thyroid, liver, pancreas, lungs and blood. These results are associated with properties of the chemical substances present in the aqueous senna extract. Although these assays were performed in animals, our findings suggest that caution should be exercised when nuclear medicine examinations using Na⁹⁹mTcO₄ are conducted in patients who are using senna extract.

An experimental model to study the effects of a senna extract on the blood constituent labeling and biodistribution of a radiopharmaceutical in rats

PubMed Central

Souza, Deise Elizabeth; Pereira, Marcia Oliveira; Bernardo, Luciana Camargo; Carmo, Fernanda Santos; de Souza da Fonseca, Adenilson; Bernardo-Filho, Mario

2011-01-01

ABSTRACT Cassia angustifolia Vahl (senna) is a natural product that contains sennosides, which are active components that affect the intestinal tract and induce diarrhea. Authors have shown that senna produces DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) lesions in Escherichia coli cultures and can act as an antifungal agent. Natural drugs can alter the labeling of blood constituents with technetium-99m (99mTc) and can affect the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals. In this work, we have evaluated the influence of a senna extract on the radiolabeling of blood constituents and on the biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4) in Wistar rats. Twelve animals were treated with senna extract for 7 days. Blood samples were withdrawn from the animals and the radiolabeling procedure was carried out. The senna extract did not modify the radiolabeling of the blood constituents. A biodistributional assay was performed by administering Na99mTcO4 and determining its activity in different organs and in blood. The senna extract altered the biodistribution of Na99mTcO4 in the thyroid, liver, pancreas, lungs and blood. These results are associated with properties of the chemical substances present in the aqueous senna extract. Although these assays were performed in animals, our findings suggest that caution should be exercised when nuclear medicine examinations using Na99mTcO4 are conducted in patients who are using senna extract. PMID:21552677

A system of {sup 99m}Tc production based on distributed electron accelerators and thermal separation

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

Bennett, R.G.; Christian, J.D.; Petti, D.A.

1999-04-01

A system has been developed for the production of {sup 99m}Tc based on distributed electron accelerators and thermal separation. The radioactive decay parent of {sup 99m}Tc, {sup 99}Mo, is produced from {sup 100}Mo by a photoneutron reaction. Two alternative thermal separation processes have been developed to extract {sup 99m}Tc. Experiments have been performed to verify the technical feasibility of the production and assess the efficiency of the extraction processes. A system based on this technology enables the economical supply of {sup 99m}Tc for a large nuclear pharmacy. Twenty such production centers distributed near major metropolitan areas could produce the entiremore » US supply of {sup 99m}Tc at a cost less than the current subsidized price.« less

Radiochemical purity of Mo and Tc solution obtained after irradiation and dissolution of Mo-100-enriched and ultra-high-purity natural Mo disks

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

Tkac, Peter; Gromov, Roman; Chemerisov, Sergey D.

2016-09-01

Four irradiations of ultra-high-purity natural Mo targets and one irradiation using 97.4% Mo-100-enriched material were performed. The purpose of these irradiations was to determine whether the presence of Sn stabilizer in the H 2O 2 used for the dissolution of sintered Mo disks can affect the radiochemical purity of the final K 2MoO 4 in 5M KOH solution. Results from radiochemical purity tests performed using thin-layer paper chromatography show that even 2– 3× excess of Sn-stabilized H 2O 2 typically used for dissolution of sintered Mo disks did not affect the radiochemical purity of the final product.

A new strategy for accelerated extraction of target compounds using molecularly imprinted polymer particles embedded in a paper-based disk.

PubMed

Zarejousheghani, Mashaalah; Schrader, Steffi; Möder, Monika; Schmidt, Matthias; Borsdorf, Helko

2018-03-01

In this study, a general simple and inexpensive method is introduced for the preparation of a paper-based selective disk-type solid phase extraction (SPE) technique, appropriate for fast and high throughput monitoring of target compounds. An ion exchange molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized for the extraction and analysis of acesulfame, an anthropogenic water quality marker. Acesulfame imprinting was used as an example for demonstrating the benefits of a nanosized, swellable MIP extraction sorbents integrated in an on-site compatible concept for water quality monitoring. Compared with an 8 mL standard SPE cartridge, the paper-based MIP disk (47 mm ø) format allowed (1) high sample flow rates up to 30 mL•min -1 without losing extraction efficiency (2) extracting sample volumes up to 500 mL in much shorter times than with standard SPE, (3) the reuse of the disks (up to 3 times more than SPE cartridge) due to high robustness and an efficient post-cleaning, and (4) reducing the sampling time from 100 minutes (using the standard SPE format) to about 2 minutes with the MIP paper disk for 50 mL water sample. Different parameters like cellulose fiber/polymer ratios, sample volume, sample flow-rate, washing, and elution conditions were evaluated and optimized. Using developed extraction technique with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) analysis, a new protocol was established that provides detection and quantification limits of 0.015 μg•L -1 and 0.05 μg•L -1 , respectively. The developed paper disks were used in-field for the selective extraction of target compounds and transferred to the laboratory for further analysis. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Process for the extraction of technetium from uranium

DOEpatents

Gong, Cynthia-May S.; Poineau, Frederic; Czerwinski, Kenneth R.

2010-12-21

A spent fuel reprocessing method contacts an aqueous solution containing Technetium(V) and uranyl with an acidic solution comprising hydroxylamine hydrochloride or acetohydroxamic acid to reduce Tc(V) to Tc(II, and then extracts the uranyl with an organic phase, leaving technetium(II) in aqueous solution.

Radiation Stability of Benzyl Tributyl Ammonium Chloride towards Technetium-99 Extraction - 13016

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

Paviet-Hartmann, Patricia; Horkley, Jared; Campbell, Keri

2013-07-01

A closed nuclear fuel cycle combining new separation technologies along with generation III and generation IV reactors is a promising way to achieve a sustainable energy supply. But it is important to keep in mind that future recycling processes of used nuclear fuel (UNF) must minimize wastes, improve partitioning processes, and integrate waste considerations into processes. New separation processes are being developed worldwide to complement the actual industrialized PUREX process which selectively separates U(VI) and Pu(IV) from the raffinate. As an example, the UREX process has been developed in the United States to co-extract hexavalent uranium (U) and hepta-valent technetiummore » (Tc) by tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP). Tc-99 is recognized to be one of the most abundant, long-lived radio-toxic isotopes in UNF (half-life, t{sub 1/2} = 2.13 x 10{sup 5} years), and as such, is targeted in UNF separation strategies for isolation and encapsulation in solid waste-forms for final disposal in a nuclear waste repository. Immobilization of Tc-99 by a durable solid waste-form is a challenge, and its fate in new advanced technology processes is of importance. It is essential to be able to quantify and locate 1) its occurrence in any new developed flowsheets, 2) its chemical form in the individual phases of a process, 3) its potential quantitative transfer in any waste streams, and consequently, 4) its quantitative separation for either potential transmutation to Ru-100 or isolation and encapsulation in solid waste-forms for ultimate disposal. In addition, as a result of an U(VI)-Tc(VII) co-extraction in a UREX-based process, Tc(VII) could be found in low level waste (LLW) streams. There is a need for the development of new extraction systems that would selectively extract Tc-99 from LLW streams and concentrate it for feed into high level waste (HLW) for either Tc-99 immobilization in metallic waste-forms (Tc-Zr alloys), and/or borosilicate-based waste glass. Studies have been launched to investigate the suitability of new macro-compounds such as crown-ethers, aza-crown ethers, quaternary ammonium salts, and resorcin-arenes for the selective extraction of Tc-99 from nitric acid solutions. The selectivity of the ligand is important in evaluating potential separation processes and also the radiation stability of the molecule is essential for minimization of waste and radiolysis products. In this paper, we are reporting the extraction of TcO{sub 4}{sup -} by benzyl tributyl ammonium chloride (BTBA). Experimental efforts were focused on determining the best extraction conditions by varying the ligand's matrix conditions and concentration, as well as varying the organic phase composition (i.e. diluent variation). Furthermore, the ligand has been investigated for radiation stability. The ?-irradiation was performed on the neat organic phases containing the ligand at different absorbed doses to a maximum of 200 kGy using an external Co-60 source. Post-irradiation solvent extraction measurements will be discussed. (authors)« less

Functional specialization among insect chitinase family genes revealed by RNA interference

PubMed Central

Zhu, Qingsong; Arakane, Yasuyuki; Beeman, Richard W.; Kramer, Karl J.; Muthukrishnan, Subbaratnam

2008-01-01

The biological functions of individual members of the large family of chitinase-like proteins from the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Tc), were examined by using gene-specific RNAi. One chitinase, TcCHT5, was found to be required for pupal–adult molting only. A lethal phenotype was observed when the transcript level of TcCHT5 was down-regulated by injection of TcCHT5-specific dsRNA into larvae. The larvae had metamorphosed into pupae and then to pharate adults but did not complete adult eclosion. Specific knockdown of transcripts for another chitinase, TcCHT10, which has multiple catalytic domains, prevented embryo hatch, larval molting, pupation, and adult metamorphosis, indicating a vital role for TcCHT10 during each of these processes. A third chitinase-like protein, TcCHT7, was required for abdominal contraction and wing/elytra extension immediately after pupation but was dispensable for larval–larval molting, pupation, and adult eclosion. The wing/elytra abnormalities found in TcCHT7-silenced pupae were also manifest in the ensuing adults. A fourth chitinase-like protein, TcIDGF4, exhibited no chitinolytic activity but contributed to adult eclosion. No phenotypic effects were observed after knockdown of transcripts for several other chitinase-like proteins, including imaginal disk growth factor IDGF2. These data indicate functional specialization among insect chitinase family genes, primarily during the molting process, and provide a biological rationale for the presence of a large assortment of chitinase-like proteins. PMID:18436642

LAUNCHING AND QUENCHING OF BLACK HOLE RELATIVISTIC JETS AT LOW ACCRETION RATE

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

Pu, Hung-Yi; Chang, Hsiang-Kuang; Hirotani, Kouichi

2012-10-20

Relativistic jets are launched from black hole (BH) X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei when the disk accretion rate is below a certain limit (i.e., when the ratio of the accretion rate to the Eddingtion accretion rate, m-dot , is below about 0.01) but quenched when above. We propose a new paradigm to explain this observed coupling between the jet and the accretion disk by investigating the extraction of the rotational energy of a BH when it is surrounded by different types of accretion disk. At low accretion rates (e.g., when m-dot {approx}<0.1), the accretion near the event horizon ismore » quasi-spherical. The accreting plasmas fall onto the event horizon in a wide range of latitudes, breaking down the force-free approximation near the horizon. To incorporate the plasma inertia effect, we consider the magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) extraction of the rotational energy from BHs by the accreting MHD fluid, as described by the MHD Penrose process. It is found that the energy extraction operates, and hence a relativistic jet is launched, preferentially when the accretion disk consists of an outer Shakura-Sunyaev disk (SSD) and an inner advection-dominated accretion flow. When the entire accretion disk type changes into an SSD, the jet is quenched because the plasmas bring more rest-mass energy than what is extracted from the hole electromagnetically to stop the extraction. Several other issues related to observed BH disk-jet couplings, such as why the radio luminosity increases with increasing X-ray luminosity until the radio emission drops, are also explained.« less

An iPhone-based digital image colorimeter for detecting tetracycline in milk.

PubMed

Masawat, Prinya; Harfield, Antony; Namwong, Anan

2015-10-01

An iPhone-based digital image colorimeter (DIC) was fabricated as a portable tool for monitoring tetracycline (TC) in bovine milk. An application named ColorConc was developed for the iPhone that utilizes an image matching algorithm to determine the TC concentration in a solution. The color values; red (R), green (G), blue (B), hue (H), saturation (S), brightness (V), and gray (Gr) were measured from each pictures of the TC standard solutions. TC solution extracted from milk samples using solid phase extraction (SPE) was captured and the concentration was predicted by comparing color values with those collected in a database. The amount of TC could be determined in the concentration range of 0.5-10 μg mL(-1). The proposed DIC-iPhone is able to provide a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 μg mL(-1) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 1.5 μg mL(-1). The enrichment factor was 70 and color of the extracted milk sample was a strong yellow solution after SPE. Therefore, the SPE-DIC-iPhone could be used for the assay of TC residues in milk at the concentration lower than LOD and LOQ of the proposed technique. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface characterization of modern resin composites: a multitechnique approach.

PubMed

Silikas, Nick; Kavvadia, Katerina; Eliades, George; Watts, David

2005-04-01

To characterize the surface properties of some modern resin composites employing a series of physicochemical methods. Specimens from three microhybrid (Palfique Estellite-PE, Z250 Filtek-ZF, Tetric Ceram-TC) and one nanofilled (Supreme Filtek-SF) conventionally photo-cured resin composites polished with Soflex disks were studied for the following properties: Surface chemical composition and degree of C=C conversion (FTIR), surface energetics (contact angles), surface texture (AFM), surface roughness (AFM, stylus profilometry) and gloss (60 degrees-, 20 degrees-angle specular gloss). Polar and non polar molecular groups were identified in all products including NH and CONH (SF, ZF, TC). SF and ZF demonstrated higher conversion than PE and TC (P< 0.05). No significant differences (P> 0.05) were found in critical surface tension, total work of adhesion and its polar and dispersion components, the latter being the highest in all products. AFM showed the smoothest surface texture in PE. The ranking of Sa, Sq, Ra and Rz roughness parameters was PEZF>TC, P< 0.05) were more sensitive than 60 degree-angle measurements (PE, SF>TC, P< 0.05) in revealing gloss differences. A positive correlation was found between Sa and Ra and a negative one between Sa and 20 degree-angle gloss.

The Tc Trend In The Zetta Reticuli System: N Spectra - N Trends.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adibekyan, V.; Figueira, P.; Delgado Mena, E.; Sousa, S. G.; Santos, N. C.; González Hernández; , I.; Israelian, G.

2017-10-01

It is suggested that the chemical abundance trend with the condensation temperature, Tc , can be a signature of rocky planet formation or accretion. Recently, a strong Tc trend was reported in the Zetta Reticuli binary system (Saffe et al., 2016), where ζ2 Ret Ret shows a deficit of refractory elements relative to its companion (ζ1 Ret). This depletion was explained by the presence of a debris disk around ζ2 Ret. Later, Adibekyan et al. (2016b) confirmed the significance of the trend, however, casted doubts on the interpretation proposed. Using three individual highest quality spectra for each star, they found that the Tc trends depend on the individual spectra (three spectra of each star were used) used in the analaysis. In the current work we re-evaluated the presence and variability of the Tc trend in this system using a larger number of individual spectra. In total, 62 spectra of ζ2 Ret and 31 spectra of ζ1 Ret was used. Our results confirm the word of caution issued by Adibekyan et al. (2016b) that nonphysical factors can be at the root of the T c trends for the cases of individual spectra.

Automated solid-phase extraction of phenolic acids using layered double hydroxide-alumina-polymer disks.

PubMed

Ghani, Milad; Palomino Cabello, Carlos; Saraji, Mohammad; Manuel Estela, Jose; Cerdà, Víctor; Turnes Palomino, Gemma; Maya, Fernando

2018-01-26

The application of layered double hydroxide-Al 2 O 3 -polymer mixed-matrix disks for solid-phase extraction is reported for the first time. Al 2 O 3 is embedded in a polymer matrix followed by an in situ metal-exchange process to obtain a layered double hydroxide-Al 2 O 3 -polymer mixed-matrix disk with excellent flow-through properties. The extraction performance of the prepared disks is evaluated as a proof of concept for the automated extraction using sequential injection analysis of organic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid) following an anion-exchange mechanism. After the solid-phase extraction, phenolic acids were quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection using a core-shell silica-C18 stationary phase and isocratic elution (acetonitrile/0.5% acetic acid in pure water, 5:95, v/v). High sensitivity and reproducibility were obtained with limits of detection in the range of 0.12-0.25 μg/L (sample volume, 4 mL), and relative standard deviations between 2.9 and 3.4% (10 μg/L, n = 6). Enrichment factors of 34-39 were obtained. Layered double hydroxide-Al 2 O 3 -polymer mixed-matrix disks had an average lifetime of 50 extractions. Analyte recoveries ranged from 93 to 96% for grape juice and nonalcoholic beer samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Novel method for the rapid and specific extraction of multiple β2 -agonist residues in food by tailor-made Monolith-MIPs extraction disks and detection by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Liu, Haibo; Gan, Ning; Chen, Yinji; Ding, Qingqing; Huang, Jie; Lin, Saichai; Cao, Yuting; Li, Tianhua

2016-09-01

A quick and specific pretreatment method based on a series of extraction clean-up disks, consisting of molecularly imprinted polymer monoliths and C18 adsorbent, was developed for the specific enrichment of salbutamol and clenbuterol residues in food. The molecularly imprinted monolithic polymer disk was synthesized using salbutamol as a template through a one-step synthesis process. It can simultaneously and specifically recognize salbutamol and clenbuterol. The monolithic polymer disk and series of C18 disks were assembled with a syringe to form a set of tailor-made devices for the extraction of target molecules. In a single run, salbutamol and clenbuterol can be specifically extracted, cleaned, and eluted by methanol/acetic acid/H2 O. The target molecules, after a silylation derivatization reaction were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The parameters including solvent desorption, sample pH, and the cycles of reloading were investigated and discussed. Under the optimized extraction and clean-up conditions, the limits of detection and quantitation were determined as 0.018-0.022 and 0.042-0.049 ng/g for salbutamol and clenbuterol, respectively. The assay described was convenient, rapid, and specific; thereby potentially efficient in the high-throughput analysis of β2 -agonists residues in real food samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Method for treating liquid wastes

DOEpatents

Katti, K.V.; Volkert, W.A.; Singh, P.; Ketring, A.R.

1995-12-26

The method of treating liquid waste in a media is accomplished by exposing the media to phosphinimines and sequestering {sup 99}Tc from the media by the phosphinimine (PN) functionalities. The system for treating the liquid waste in the media includes extraction of {sup 99}TcO{sub 4}{sup {minus}} from aqueous solutions into organic solvents or mixed organic/polar media, extraction of {sup 99}Tc from solutions on a solid matrix by using a container containing PN functionalities on solid matrices including an inlet and outlet for allowing flow of media through an immobilized phosphinimine ligand system contained within the container. Also, insoluble suspensions of phosphinimine functionalities on solid matrices in liquid solutions or present on supported liquid membranes (SLM) can be used to sequester {sup 99}Tc from those liquids. 6 figs.

Method for treating liquid wastes

DOEpatents

Katti, Kattesh V.; Volkert, Wynn A.; Singh, Prahlad; Ketring, Alan R.

1995-01-01

The method of treating liquid waste in a media is accomplished by exposing the media to phosphinimines and sequestering .sup.99 Tc from the media by the phosphinimine (PN) functionalities. The system for treating the liquid waste in the media includes extraction of .sup.99 TcO.sub.4.sup.- from aqueous solutions into organic solvents or mixed organic/polar media, extraction of .sup.99 Tc from solutions on a solid matrix by using a container containing PN functionalities on solid matrices including an inlet and outlet for allowing flow of media through an immobilized phosphinimine ligand system contained within the container. Also, insoluble suspensions of phosphinimine functionalities on solid matrices in liquid solutions or present on supported liquid membranes (SLM) can be used to sequester .sup.99 Tc from those liquids.

The Role of the Cooling Prescription for Disk Fragmentation: Numerical Convergence and Critical Cooling Parameter in Self-gravitating Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baehr, Hans; Klahr, Hubert

2015-12-01

Protoplanetary disks fragment due to gravitational instability when there is enough mass for self-gravitation, described by the Toomre parameter, and when heat can be lost at a rate comparable to the local dynamical timescale, described by {t}{{c}}=β {{{Ω }}}-1. Simulations of self-gravitating disks show that the cooling parameter has a rough critical value at {β }{{crit}}=3. When below {β }{{crit}}, gas overdensities will contract under their own gravity and fragment into bound objects while otherwise maintaining a steady state of gravitoturbulence. However, previous studies of the critical cooling parameter have found dependences on simulation resolution, indicating that the simulation of self-gravitating protoplanetary disks is not so straightforward. In particular, the simplicity of the cooling timescale tc prevents fragments from being disrupted by pressure support as temperatures rise. We alter the cooling law so that the cooling timescale is dependent on local surface density fluctuations, which is a means of incorporating optical depth effects into the local cooling of an object. For lower resolution simulations, this results in a lower critical cooling parameter and a disk that is more stable to gravitational stresses, suggesting that the formation of large gas giants planets in large, cool disks is generally suppressed by more realistic cooling. At our highest resolution, however, the model becomes unstable to fragmentation for cooling timescales up to β =10.

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Coriandrum sativum L. in Meriones shawi rats.

PubMed

Aissaoui, Abderrahmane; Zizi, Soumia; Israili, Zafar H; Lyoussi, Badiâa

2011-09-01

The use of an aqueous extract of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.; Apiaceae, Umbelliferae) seeds (CS-extract) in Moroccan traditional treatment of diabetes remains to be experimentally validated. The study aim was to investigate potential hypoglycemic (and hypolipidemic) activity of CS-extract after a single oral dose and after daily dosing for 30 days (sub-chronic study) in normal and obese-hyperglycemic-hyperlipidemic (OHH) Meriones shawi rats. After a single oral dose of CS-extract (20mg/kg; predetermined as optimum), plasma glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG) were measured in normal and OHH rats (hypercaloric diet and forced limited physical activity); glibenclamide (GLB; 2.5mg/kg) was used as reference. In the sub-chronic study, the effect of CS-extract and GLB (at the above doses) on body weight (BW), plasma glucose, insulin, TC, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, TG, urea and creatinine was determined in normal and OHH rats; insulin resistance (IR as HOMA-IR), atherosclerotic and cardioprotective indices were calculated. A single dose of CS-extract or GLB suppressed hyperglycemia in OHH rats, and normo-glycemia was achieved at 6-h post-dose; there was no effect on lipids, TG or insulin, but IR decreased significantly. The hypoglycemic effect was lower in normal rats. In the sub-chronic study in OHH rats, the test substances (CS-extract>GLB) reduced plasma glucose (normoglycemia on Day 21), insulin and IR, TC, LDL-cholesterol, and TG. Atherosclerotic index decreased while cardioprotective indices increased only by CS-extract, with no effect on BW, urea or creatinine. Sub-chronic administration of CS-extract in OHH Meriones shawi rats normalized glycemia and decreased the elevated levels of insulin, IR, TC, LDL-cholesterol and TG. Since, the CS-extract decreased several components of the metabolic syndrome and decreased atherosclerotic and increased cardioprotective indices, CS-extract may have cardiovascular protective effect. The present study validates the traditional use of coriander in diabetes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method for analysis of psychopharmaceuticals in real industrial wastewater and groundwater with suspended organic particulate matter using solid phase extraction disks extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Křesinová, Zdena; Linhartová, Lucie; Petrů, Klára; Krejčová, Lucie; Šrédlová, Kamila; Lhotský, Ondřej; Kameník, Zdeněk; Cajthaml, Tomáš

2016-04-01

A rapid and reliable analytical method was developed for the quantitative determination of psychopharmaceuticals, their precursors and by-products in real contaminated samples from a pharmaceutical company in Olomouc (Czech Republic), based on SPE disk extraction and detection by ultra performance liquid chromatography, combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The target compounds were quantified in the real whole-water samples (water including suspended particles), both in the presence of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and high concentrations of other organic pollutants. A total of nine compounds were analyzed which consisted of three commonly used antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and antipsychotics), one antitussive agent and five by-products or precursors. At first, the SPE disk method was developed for the extraction of water samples (dissolved analytes, recovery 84-104%) and pressurised liquid extraction technique was verified for solid matrices (sludge samples, recovery 81-95%). In order to evaluate the SPE disk technique for whole water samples containing SPM, non contaminated groundwater samples were also loaded with different amounts (100 and 300mgL(-1)) of real contaminated sludge originating from the same locality. The recoveries from the whole-water samples obtained by SPE disk method ranged between 67 and 119% after the addition of the most contaminated sludge. The final method was applied to several real groundwater (whole-water) samples from the industrial area and high concentrations (up to 10(3)μgL(-1)) of the target compounds were detected. The results of this study document and indicate the feasibility of the SPE disk method for analysis of groundwater. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Work extremum principle: structure and function of quantum heat engines.

PubMed

Allahverdyan, Armen E; Johal, Ramandeep S; Mahler, Guenter

2008-04-01

We consider a class of quantum heat engines consisting of two subsystems interacting with a work-source and coupled to two separate baths at different temperatures Th>Tc. The purpose of the engine is to extract work due to the temperature difference. Its dynamics is not restricted to the near equilibrium regime. The engine structure is determined by maximizing the extracted work under various constraints. When this maximization is carried out at finite power, the engine dynamics is described by well-defined temperatures and satisfies the local version of the second law. In addition, its efficiency is bounded from below by the Curzon-Ahlborn value 1-radical Tc/Th and from above by the Carnot value 1-(Tc/Th). The latter is reached-at finite power--for a macroscopic engine, while the former is achieved in the equilibrium limit Th-->Tc . The efficiency that maximizes the power is strictly larger than the Curzon-Ahloborn value. When the work is maximized at a zero power, even a small (few-level) engine extracts work right at the Carnot efficiency.

Measurement of absolute myocardial blood flow in humans using dynamic cardiac SPECT and 99mTc-tetrofosmin: Method and validation

DOE PAGES

Shrestha, Uttam; Sciammarella, Maria; Alhassen, Fares; ...

2015-12-29

The objective of this study was to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) in humans using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and dynamic single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Dynamic SPECT using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a group of 16 patients. The SPECT data were reconstructed using a 4D-spatiotemporal iterative reconstruction method. The data corresponding to 9 patients were used to determine the flow-extraction curve for 99mTc-tefrofosmin while data from the remaining 7 patients were used for method validation. The nonlinear tracer correction parameters A and B for 99mTc-tefrofosmin were estimated for the 9 patients by fitting the flow-extraction curvemore » K 1 = F(1–Aexp(–B/F)) for K 1 values estimated with 99mTc-tefrofosmin using SPECT and MBF values estimated with 13N-NH 3 using PET. These parameters were then used to calculate MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in three coronary territories (LAD, RCA, and LCX) using SPECT for an independent cohort of 7 patients. The results were then compared with that estimated with 13N-NH 3 PET. The flow-dependent permeability surface-area product (PS) for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was also estimated. The estimated flow-extraction parameters for 99mTc-tefrofosmin were found to be A = 0.91 ± 0.11, B = 0.34 ± 0.20 (R 2 = 0.49). The range of MBF in LAD, RCA, and LCX was 0.44-3.81 mL/min/g. The MBF between PET and SPECT in the group of independent cohort of 7 patients showed statistically significant correlation, r = 0.71 (P < .001). However, the corresponding CFR correlation was moderate r = 0.39 yet statistically significant (P = .037). The PS for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was (0.019 ± 0.10)*MBF + (0.32 ± 0.16). Dynamic cardiac SPECT using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and a clinical two-headed SPECT/CT scanner can be a useful tool for estimation of MBF.« less

Measurement of absolute myocardial blood flow in humans using dynamic cardiac SPECT and 99mTc-tetrofosmin: Method and validation.

PubMed

Shrestha, Uttam; Sciammarella, Maria; Alhassen, Fares; Yeghiazarians, Yerem; Ellin, Justin; Verdin, Emily; Boyle, Andrew; Seo, Youngho; Botvinick, Elias H; Gullberg, Grant T

2017-02-01

The objective of this study was to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) in humans using 99m Tc-tetrofosmin and dynamic single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Dynamic SPECT using 99m Tc-tetrofosmin and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a group of 16 patients. The SPECT data were reconstructed using a 4D-spatiotemporal iterative reconstruction method. The data corresponding to 9 patients were used to determine the flow-extraction curve for 99m Tc-tefrofosmin while data from the remaining 7 patients were used for method validation. The nonlinear tracer correction parameters A and B for 99m Tc-tefrofosmin were estimated for the 9 patients by fitting the flow-extraction curve [Formula: see text] for K 1 values estimated with 99m Tc-tefrofosmin using SPECT and MBF values estimated with 13 N-NH 3 using PET. These parameters were then used to calculate MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in three coronary territories (LAD, RCA, and LCX) using SPECT for an independent cohort of 7 patients. The results were then compared with that estimated with 13 N-NH 3 PET. The flow-dependent permeability surface-area product (PS) for 99m Tc-tefrofosmin was also estimated. The estimated flow-extraction parameters for 99m Tc-tefrofosmin were found to be A = 0.91 ± 0.11, B = 0.34 ± 0.20 (R 2  = 0.49). The range of MBF in LAD, RCA, and LCX was 0.44-3.81 mL/min/g. The MBF between PET and SPECT in the group of independent cohort of 7 patients showed statistically significant correlation, r = 0.71 (P < .001). However, the corresponding CFR correlation was moderate r = 0.39 yet statistically significant (P = .037). The PS for 99m Tc-tefrofosmin was (0.019 ± 0.10)*MBF + (0.32 ± 0.16). Dynamic cardiac SPECT using 99m Tc-tetrofosmin and a clinical two-headed SPECT/CT scanner can be a useful tool for estimation of MBF.

Measurement of Absolute Myocardial Blood Flow in Humans Using Dynamic Cardiac SPECT and 99mTc-tetrofosmin: Method and Validation

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Uttam; Sciammarella, Maria; Alhassen, Fares; Yeghiazarians, Yerem; Ellin, Justin; Verdin, Emily; Boyle, Andrew; Seo, Youngho; Botvinick, Elias H.; Gullberg, Grant T.

2015-01-01

Background The objective of this study was to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) in humans using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and dynamic single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Methods Dynamic SPECT using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a group of 16 patients. The SPECT data were reconstructed using a 4D-spatiotemporal iterative reconstruction method. The data corresponding to 9 patients were used to determine the flow-extraction curve for 99mTc-tefrofosmin while data from the remaining 7 patients were used for method validation. The nonlinear tracer correction parameters A and B for 99mTc-tefrofosmin were estimated for the 9 patients by fitting the flow-extraction curve K1=F(1−Aexp(−BF)) for K1 values estimated with 99mTc-tefrofosmin using SPECT and MBF values estimated with 13N-NH3 using PET. These parameters were then used to calculate MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in three coronary territories (LAD, RCA, and LCX) using SPECT for an independent cohort of 7 patients. The results were then compared with that estimated with 13N-NH3 PET. The flow dependent permeability surface-area product (PS) for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was also estimated. Results The estimated flow extraction parameters for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was found to be A=0.91±0.11, B=0.34±0.20 (R2 = 0.49). The range of MBF in LAD, RCA, and LCX was 0.44 ml/min/g to 3.81 ml/min/g. The MBF between PET and SPECT in the group of independent cohort of 7 patients showed statistically significant correlation, r = 0.71 (p < 0.001). However, the corresponding CFR correlation was moderate r = 0.39 yet statistically significant (p = 0.037). The PS for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was (0.091 ± 0.10) * MBF = (0.32 ± 0.16). Conclusions Dynamic cardiac SPECT using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and a clinical two-headed SPECT/CT scanner can be a useful tool for estimation of MBF. PMID:26715603

Measurement of absolute myocardial blood flow in humans using dynamic cardiac SPECT and 99mTc-tetrofosmin: Method and validation

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

Shrestha, Uttam; Sciammarella, Maria; Alhassen, Fares

The objective of this study was to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) in humans using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and dynamic single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Dynamic SPECT using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a group of 16 patients. The SPECT data were reconstructed using a 4D-spatiotemporal iterative reconstruction method. The data corresponding to 9 patients were used to determine the flow-extraction curve for 99mTc-tefrofosmin while data from the remaining 7 patients were used for method validation. The nonlinear tracer correction parameters A and B for 99mTc-tefrofosmin were estimated for the 9 patients by fitting the flow-extraction curvemore » K 1 = F(1–Aexp(–B/F)) for K 1 values estimated with 99mTc-tefrofosmin using SPECT and MBF values estimated with 13N-NH 3 using PET. These parameters were then used to calculate MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in three coronary territories (LAD, RCA, and LCX) using SPECT for an independent cohort of 7 patients. The results were then compared with that estimated with 13N-NH 3 PET. The flow-dependent permeability surface-area product (PS) for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was also estimated. The estimated flow-extraction parameters for 99mTc-tefrofosmin were found to be A = 0.91 ± 0.11, B = 0.34 ± 0.20 (R 2 = 0.49). The range of MBF in LAD, RCA, and LCX was 0.44-3.81 mL/min/g. The MBF between PET and SPECT in the group of independent cohort of 7 patients showed statistically significant correlation, r = 0.71 (P < .001). However, the corresponding CFR correlation was moderate r = 0.39 yet statistically significant (P = .037). The PS for 99mTc-tefrofosmin was (0.019 ± 0.10)*MBF + (0.32 ± 0.16). Dynamic cardiac SPECT using 99mTc-tetrofosmin and a clinical two-headed SPECT/CT scanner can be a useful tool for estimation of MBF.« less

Diversification of 99Mo/99mTc separation: non–fission reactor production of 99Mo as a strategy for enhancing 99mTc availability.

PubMed

Pillai, Maroor R A; Dash, Ashutosh; Knapp, Furn F Russ

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the benefits of obtaining (99m)Tc from non-fission reactor-produced low-specific-activity (99)Mo. This scenario is based on establishing a diversified chain of facilities for the distribution of (99m)Tc separated from reactor-produced (99)Mo by (n,γ) activation of natural or enriched Mo. Such facilities have expected lower investments than required for the proposed chain of cyclotrons for the production of (99m)Tc. Facilities can receive and process reactor-irradiated Mo targets then used for extraction of (99m)Tc over a period of 2 wk, with 3 extractions on the same day. Estimates suggest that a center receiving 1.85 TBq (50 Ci) of (99)Mo once every 4 d can provide 1.48-3.33 TBq (40-90 Ci) of (99m)Tc daily. This model can use research reactors operating in the United States to supply current (99)Mo needs by applying natural (nat)Mo targets. (99)Mo production capacity can be enhanced by using (98)Mo-enriched targets. The proposed model reduces the loss of (99)Mo by decay and avoids proliferation as well as waste management issues associated with fission-produced (99)Mo.

Effect of electron-phonon coupling on the superconducting transition temperature in dodecaboride superconductors: A comparison of LuB12 with ZrB12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teyssier, J.; Lortz, R.; Petrovic, A.; van der Marel, D.; Filippov, V.; Shitsevalova, N.

2008-10-01

We report a detailed study of specific heat, electrical resistivity, and optical spectroscopy in the superconducting boride LuB12 (Tc=0.4K) , and compare it to the higher Tc compound ZrB12 (Tc=6K) . Both compounds have the same structure based on enclosed metallic Lu or Zr ions in oversized boron cages. The infrared reflectivity and ellipsometry in the visible range allow us to extract the optical conductivity from 6 meV to 4 eV in the normal state from 20 to 280 K. By extracting the superconducting properties, phonon density of states, and electron-phonon coupling function from these measurements, we discuss the important factors governing Tc and explain the difference between the two compounds. The phonon density of states seems to be insignificantly modified by substitution of Zr with Lu. However, the soft vibrations of the metal ions in boron cages, responsible for the relatively high Tc in ZrB12 , have almost no contribution to the electron-phonon coupling in LuB12 .

Development of medicine-intended isotope production technologies at Yerevan Physics Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avetisyan, Albert; Avagyan, Robert; Kerobyan, Ivetta; Dallakyan, Ruben; Harutyunyan, Gevorg; Melkonyan, Aleksandr

2015-05-01

Accelerator-based 99mTc and 123I isotopes production technologies were created and developed at A.Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (former Yerevan Physics Institute - YerPhI). The method involves the irradiation of natural molybdenum (for 99mTc production) and natural xenon (for 123I production) using high-intensity bremsstrahlung photons from the electron beam of the LUE50 linear electron accelerator located at the YerPhI. We have developed and tested the extraction of 99mTc and 123I from the irradiated natural MoO3 and natural Xe, respectively. The production method has been developed and shown to be successful. The current activity is devoted to creation and development of the technology of direct production 99mTc on the 100Mo as target materials using the proton beam from an IBA C18/18 cyclotron. The proton cyclotron C18/18 (producer - IBA, Belgium) was purchased and will be installed nearby AANL (YerPhI) till end 2014. The 18 MeV protons will be used to investigate accelerator-based schemes for the direct production of 99mTc. Main topics of studies will include experimental measurement of 99mTc production yield for different energies of protons, irradiation times, intensities, development of new methods of 99mTc extraction from irradiated materials, development of target preparation technology, development of target material recovery methods for multiple use and others.

A Novel Modality for Functional Imaging in Acute Intervertebral Disk Herniation via Tracking Leukocyte Infiltration.

PubMed

Xiao, Li; Ding, Mengmeng; Zhang, Yi; Chordia, Mahendra; Pan, Dongfeng; Shimer, Adam; Shen, Francis; Glover, David; Jin, Li; Li, Xudong

2017-10-01

Inflammation plays a key role in the progression of intervertebral disk (IVD) herniation and associated low back pain. However, real-time spatial diagnosis of inflammation associated with acute disk herniation has not been investigated. We sought to detect local neutrophil and macrophage infiltration near disk herniation via the formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1)-mediated molecular imaging in a disk puncture mouse model to elucidate pathophysiological process of disk herniation. Disk herniation was induced in mouse with an established needle puncture procedure. Degenerative change of disk and infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages were detected with Safranin-O, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and immunohistochemical staining after injury. FPR1-specific imaging probes cFLFLF-PEG-Cy7 and [ 99m Tc]HYNIC-PEG-cFLFLF were administered systemically to sham and disk injury mice. Leukocyte infiltration was tracked by in vivo near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) and single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) imaging. The peptide-receptor binding specificity was further investigated with FPR1 -/- mice via ex vivo NIRF scan and in vitro binding assays. Safranin-O staining exhibited disorganized disk structure and loss of proteoglycan after puncture. Massive inflammatory cells were observed in the anterior region of punctured annulus in the injury group. The majority of neutrophils were detected at 1 through 3 days, while infiltration of macrophages appeared the most at 7 days after injury. NIRF and SPECT images revealed preferential accumulation of cFLFLF probes in herniation site in wild-type mice but not in FPR1 -/- mice. Binding of the cFLFLF peptide to FPR1 was also observed in RAW 267.4 cells and macrophages isolated from wild-type mice, whereas much less signal was observed in macrophages from FPR1 -/- mice. The presence of macrophage infiltration was also detected in human-herniated disk samples by immunohistochemistry. For the first time, leukocyte infiltration around acute disk herniation site was detected directly and non-invasively in a timely fashion using FPR1-targeted molecular imaging modalities. Such functional imaging of disk herniation via infiltrated leukocytes would advance the understanding of etiology and facilitate drug delivery and treatment monitoring of disk herniation.

The effects of citrus extract (Citrox©) on the naturally occurring microflora and inoculated pathogens, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella enterica, in a model food system and the traditional Greek yogurt-based salad Tzatziki.

PubMed

Tsiraki, Maria I; Savvaidis, Ioannis N

2016-02-01

The antimicrobial effect of citrus extract (at 1 mL/kg [TC1] and 2 mL/kg [TC2]) on the naturally occurring microflora and inoculated pathogens (Bacillus cereus and Salmonella enterica, at ca. 6 log cfu/g) in the traditional Greek yogurt-based salad Tzatziki during storage under vacuum at 4 or 10 °C was examined. We also examined the effect of citrus extract (Citrox(©)) against the two aforementioned pathogens in tryptic soy broth (TSB). Of the two treatments, TC2 yielded the lowest yeast counts, irrespective of temperature, resulting in approximately 2 (4 °C) and 3 (10 °C) log reductions on the final day of storage (70 and 30 days, respectively). Although panelists preferred the TC1-treated salad, the TC2-treated product was sensorily acceptable. Therefore, at the concentrations used, Citrox had no negative sensorial effect on the Tzatziki. During storage, the Bacillus populations in the Citrox-treated Tzatziki samples progressively decreased, showing major declines from days 12 and 28 (at 10 and 4 °C, respectively). Citrox, especially at 2 mL/kg, had a significant effect on the survival of B. cereus. S. enterica showed major declines in all untreated Tzatziki samples from day 0-70 (4 °C) and from day 0-30 (10 °C), with averages of 2.5 and 2.8 log cfu/g, respectively. The results indicate that Citrox (at 1 and 2 mL/kg) is effective, from a safety standpoint, for reducing Bacillus and Salmonella spp. in Tzatziki. In addition, 2% citrus extract also showed a higher inhibitory effect against B. cereus and S. enterica grown in TSB than 1% citrus extract. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of potato and lotus leaf extract intake on body composition and blood lipid concentration

PubMed Central

Lee, Keuneil; Kim, Jongkyu; Lee, Namju; Park, Sok; Cho, Hyunchul; Chun, Yoonseok

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of potato and lotus leaf extract intake on body composition, abdominal fat, and blood lipid concentration in female university students. [Methods] A total of 19 female university students participated in this 8-week study, and they were randomly assigned into 2 groups; potato and lotus leaf extract (skinny-line) administered group (SKG, n =9) and placebo group (PG, n = 10). The main results of the present study are presented below. [Results] 1) Body mass index, and percent body fat and abdominal fat in students of the SKG showed a decreasing tendency without significant interaction, 2) total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) in students of the SKG showed an averagely decreasing tendency and there was a significant interaction of TC only, 3) high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) in students of the SKG showed an increasing tendency without significant interaction, and 4) Z-score of fatness testing interaction in group × repetition did not show a significant interaction; however, there was a significant interaction of TC in group × repetition. Based on these results, 8-week intake of potato and lotus leaf extract had a positive effect of lowering TC. On the other hand, it had no significant effect on other types of lipids and percent body fat changes. [Conclusion] There was a positive tendency of blood lipids in students of the SKG and it seems that potato and lotus leaf extract intake might prevent obesity and improve obesity related syndromes. PMID:25960952

Antidepressant like effects of hydrolysable tannins of Terminalia catappa leaf extract via modulation of hippocampal plasticity and regulation of monoamine neurotransmitters subjected to chronic mild stress (CMS).

PubMed

Chandrasekhar, Y; Ramya, E M; Navya, K; Phani Kumar, G; Anilakumar, K R

2017-02-01

Terminalia catappa L. belonging to Combretaceae family is a folk medicine, known for its multiple pharmacological properties, but the neuro-modulatory effect of TC against chronic mild stress was seldom explored. The present study was designed to elucidate potential antidepressant-like effect of Terminalia cattapa (leaf) hydro-alcoholic extract (TC) by using CMS model for a period of 7 weeks. Identification of hydrolysable tannins was done by using LC-MS. After the CMS exposure, mice groups were administered with imipramine (IMP, 10mg/kg, i.p.) and TC (25, 50 and 100mg/kg of TC, p.o.). Behavioural paradigms used for the study included forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and sucrose preference test (SPT). After behavioural tests, monoamine neurotransmitter, cortisol, AchE, oxidative stress levels and mRNA expression studies relevant to depression were assessed. TC supplementation significantly reversed CMS induced immobility time in FST and other behavioural paradigms. Moreover, TC administration significantly restored CMS induced changes in concentrations of hippocampal neurotransmitters (5-HT, DA and NE) as well as levels of acetyl cholinesterase, cortisol, monoamine oxidases (MAO-A, MAO-B), BDNF, CREB, and p-CREB. It suggests that TC supplementation could supress stress induced depression by regulating monoamine neurotransmitters, CREB, BDNF, cortisol, AchE level as well as by amelioration of oxidative stress. Hence TC can be used as a complementary medicine against depression-like disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Determination of wear metals in engine oil by mild acid digestion and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using solid phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Yang, Zheng; Hou, Xiandeng; Jones, Bradley T

2003-03-10

A simple, particle size-independent spectrometric method has been developed for the multi-element determination of wear metals in used engine oil. A small aliquot (0.5 ml) of an acid-digested oil sample is spotted onto a C-18 solid phase extraction disk to form a uniform thin film. The dried disk is then analyzed directly by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. This technique provides a homogeneous and reproducible sample surface to the instrument, thus overcoming the typical problems associated with uneven particle size distribution and sedimentation. As a result, the method provides higher precision and accuracy than conventional methods. Furthermore, the disk sample may be stored and re-analyzed or extracted at a later date. The signals arising from the spotted disks, and the calibration curves constructed from them, are stable for at least 2 months. The limits of detection for Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr are 5, 1, 4, 2, and 4 microg g(-1), respectively. Recoveries of these elements from spiked oil samples range from 92 to 110%. The analysis of two standard reference materials and a used oil sample produced results comparable to those found by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

[Determination of 44 organophosphorus pesticides in food by SPE disk extraction-capillary gas chromatography with pulsed flame photometric detection].

PubMed

Luo, Xiao-Fei; Yang, Yuan; Sun, Cheng-Jun

2012-01-01

To develop a method for the simultaneous determination of 44 organophosphorus pesticides in food by SPE disk extraction-capillary gas chromatography with pulsed flame photometric detection. Organophosphorus pesticides in food were extracted ultrasonically with water. Then the extract was cleaned-up with SPE disk and eluted with ethyl acetate. Finally the eluent was condensed to 1mL under N2 at 55 degrees C. Gas chromatography was applied for quantitative detection of the organophosphorus pesticides in the sample. The linear range of the method for all the pesticides were in the range of 0.01-0.5 mg/kg with correlation coefficients of 0.992-1.000. The detection limits of the method were in the range of 0.0005-0.01 mg/kg. The recoveries for most pesticides were 60%-120% with relative standard deviations of less than 15%. The method is simple, sensitive, environmentally friendly and suitable for the determination of organophosphorous pesticides in food.

Automation of ⁹⁹Tc extraction by LOV prior ICP-MS detection: application to environmental samples.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Rogelio; Leal, Luz; Miranda, Silvia; Ferrer, Laura; Avivar, Jessica; García, Ariel; Cerdà, Víctor

2015-02-01

A new, fast, automated and inexpensive sample pre-treatment method for (99)Tc determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection is presented. The miniaturized approach is based on a lab-on-valve (LOV) system, allowing automatic separation and preconcentration of (99)Tc. Selectivity is provided by the solid phase extraction system used (TEVA resin) which retains selectively pertechnetate ion in diluted nitric acid solution. The proposed system has some advantages such as minimization of sample handling, reduction of reagents volume, improvement of intermediate precision and sample throughput, offering a significant decrease of both time and cost per analysis in comparison to other flow techniques and batch methods. The proposed LOV system has been successfully applied to different samples of environmental interest (water and soil) with satisfactory recoveries, between 94% and 98%. The detection limit (LOD) of the developed method is 0.005 ng. The high durability of the resin and its low amount (32 mg), its good intermediate precision (RSD 3.8%) and repeatability (RSD 2%) and its high extraction frequency (up to 5 h(-1)) makes this method an inexpensive, high precision and fast tool for monitoring (99)Tc in environmental samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of effects of a Cordia salicifolia extract on the radiolabeling of blood constituents and on the morphology of red blood cells.

PubMed

Frydman, Jacques Natan Grinapel; Rocha, Vanessa Camara; Benarroz, Monica Oliveira; Rocha, Gabrielle Souza; Pereira, Márcia Oliveira; de Souza da Fonseca, Adenilson; Bernardo-Filho, Mario

2008-12-01

Effects of a Cordia salicifolia (porangaba) extract on the labeling of blood cells (BCs) with technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) and on the morphology of red BCs were evaluated. Labeling of cellular and molecular structures with (99m)Tc depends on a reducing agent. Some physical characteristics, as visible absorbance spectrum, electric conductivity, and refractive index of this porangaba extract, were also determined. Blood samples from Wistar rats were incubated with porangaba extract or with 0.9% NaCl (control). Labeling of blood constituents with (99m)Tc was performed. Plasma (P) and BCs, both soluble (SF-P and SF-BC) and insoluble (IF-P and IF-BC) fractions, were separated. The radioactivity in each fraction was counted, and the percentage of radioactivity incorporated (%ATI) was calculated. Blood smears were prepared, fixed, and stained, and the morphology of the red BCs was evaluated. Data showed an absorbance peak at 480 nm and electric conductibility and refractive index concentration-dependent. Porangaba extract decreased significantly (P < .05) the BC, IF-P, and IF-BC %ATI, and no modifications were verified on the shape of red BCs. Analysis of the results reveals that some physical parameters could be useful to aid in characterizing the extract studied. Moreover, it is possible that chemical compounds of this extract could have chelating/redox actions or be capable of binding to plasma and/or cellular proteins.

Ultrastructural and biochemical localization of N-RAP at the interface between myofibrils and intercalated disks in the mouse heart.

PubMed

Zhang, J Q; Elzey, B; Williams, G; Lu, S; Law, D J; Horowits, R

2001-12-11

N-RAP is a recently discovered muscle-specific protein found at cardiac intercalated disks. Double immunogold labeling of mouse cardiac muscle reveals that vinculin is located immediately adjacent to the fascia adherens region of the intercalated disk membrane, while N-RAP extends approximately 100 nm further toward the interior of the cell. We partially purified cardiac intercalated disks using low- and high-salt extractions followed by density gradient centrifugation. Immunoblots show that this preparation is highly enriched in desmin and junctional proteins, including N-RAP, talin, vinculin, beta1-integrin, N-cadherin, and connexin 43. Electron microscopy and immunolabeling demonstrate that N-RAP and vinculin are associated with the large fragments of intercalated disks that are present in this preparation, which also contains numerous membrane vesicles. Detergent treatment of the partially purified intercalated disks removed the membrane vesicles and extracted vinculin and beta1-integrin. Further separation on a sucrose gradient removed residual actin and myosin and yielded a fraction morphologically similar to fasciae adherentes that was highly enriched in N-RAP, N-cadherin, connexin 43, talin, desmin, and alpha-actinin. The finding that N-RAP copurifies with detergent-extracted intercalated disk fragments even though beta-integrin and vinculin have been completely removed suggests that N-RAP association with the adherens junction region is mediated by the cadherin system. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that recombinant N-RAP fragments bind alpha-actinin in a gel overlay assay. In addition, immunofluorescence shows that N-RAP remains bound at the ends of isolated, detergent-treated cardiac myofibrils. These results demonstrate that N-RAP remains tightly bound to myofibrils and fasciae adherentes during biochemical purification and may be a key constituent in the mechanical link between these two structures.

Automated Solar Flare Detection and Feature Extraction in High-Resolution and Full-Disk Hα Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Meng; Tian, Yu; Liu, Yangyi; Rao, Changhui

2018-05-01

In this article, an automated solar flare detection method applied to both full-disk and local high-resolution Hα images is proposed. An adaptive gray threshold and an area threshold are used to segment the flare region. Features of each detected flare event are extracted, e.g. the start, peak, and end time, the importance class, and the brightness class. Experimental results have verified that the proposed method can obtain more stable and accurate segmentation results than previous works on full-disk images from Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) and Kanzelhöhe Observatory for Solar and Environmental Research (KSO), and satisfying segmentation results on high-resolution images from the Goode Solar Telescope (GST). Moreover, the extracted flare features correlate well with the data given by KSO. The method may be able to implement a more complicated statistical analysis of Hα solar flares.

Automated feature extraction in color retinal images by a model based approach.

PubMed

Li, Huiqi; Chutatape, Opas

2004-02-01

Color retinal photography is an important tool to detect the evidence of various eye diseases. Novel methods to extract the main features in color retinal images have been developed in this paper. Principal component analysis is employed to locate optic disk; A modified active shape model is proposed in the shape detection of optic disk; A fundus coordinate system is established to provide a better description of the features in the retinal images; An approach to detect exudates by the combined region growing and edge detection is proposed. The success rates of disk localization, disk boundary detection, and fovea localization are 99%, 94%, and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of exudate detection are 100% and 71%, correspondingly. The success of the proposed algorithms can be attributed to the utilization of the model-based methods. The detection and analysis could be applied to automatic mass screening and diagnosis of the retinal diseases.

A new approach for the extraction of pollutants from wastewaters handled by the graphic industry.

PubMed

Monteiro, C; Ventura, C; Martins, F

2013-06-15

It is widely recognized that the Graphic Industry handles toxic products and produces, in its various operations, toxic wastes. These wastes can cause serious environmental damages and can lead to severe health problems. In this work we report an efficient, simple and cheap to run method for the removal of some of the most common pollutants involved in the various stages of the Graphic Industry production, using a Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) methodology. We have determined equilibrium constants, K(eq), and adsorption (k(up)) and desorption (k(off)) rate constants for the extraction of benzene, xylene, toluene and ethylbenzene (BXTE) from water, using C18 disks. The removal of these compounds was monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy, at room temperature. Average extraction efficiencies were of 60% in a mixture of BXTEs and close to 80% when pollutants were assessed separately. Since the retention mechanism in the C18 disk is essentially governed by hydrophobic interactions between the compounds and the alkyl chains of the disk, we have also shown that these pollutants' lipophilicity plays an important role in the rationalization of their behavior during the extraction process. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alkaline-side extraction of technetium from tank waste using crown ethers and other extractants

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

Bonnesen, P.V.; Moyer, B.A.; Presley, D.J.

The chemical development of a new crown-ether-based solvent-extraction process for the separation of (Tc) from alkaline tank-waste supernate is ready for counter-current testing. The process addresses a priority need in the proposed cleanup of Hanford and other tank wastes. This need has arisen from concerns due to the volatility of Tc during vitrification, as well as {sup 99}Tc`s long half-life and environmental mobility. The new process offers several key advantages that direct treatability--no adjustment of the waste composition is needed; economical stripping with water; high efficiency--few stages needed; non-RCRA chemicals--no generation of hazardous or mixed wastes; co-extraction of {sup 90}Sr;more » and optional concentration on a resin. A key concept advanced in this work entails the use of tandem techniques: solvent extraction offers high selectivity, while a subsequent column sorption process on the aqueous stripping solution serves to greatly concentrate the Tc. Optionally, the stripping solution can be evaporated to a small volume. Batch tests of the solvent-extraction and stripping components of the process have been conducted on actual melton Valley Storage Tank (MVST) waste as well as simulants of MVST and Hanford waste. The tandem process was demonstrated on MVST waste simulants using the three solvents that were selected the final candidates for the process. The solvents are 0.04 M bis-4,4{prime}(5{prime})[(tert-butyl)cyclohexano]-18-crown-6 (abbreviated di-t-BuCH18C6) in a 1:1 vol/vol blend of tributyl phosphate and Isopar{reg_sign} M (an isoparaffinic kerosene); 0.02 M di-t-BuCH18C6 in 2:1 vol/vol TBP/Isopar M and pure TBP. The process is now ready for counter-current testing on actual Hanford tank supernates.« less

Scalable isosurface visualization of massive datasets on commodity off-the-shelf clusters

PubMed Central

Bajaj, Chandrajit

2009-01-01

Tomographic imaging and computer simulations are increasingly yielding massive datasets. Interactive and exploratory visualizations have rapidly become indispensable tools to study large volumetric imaging and simulation data. Our scalable isosurface visualization framework on commodity off-the-shelf clusters is an end-to-end parallel and progressive platform, from initial data access to the final display. Interactive browsing of extracted isosurfaces is made possible by using parallel isosurface extraction, and rendering in conjunction with a new specialized piece of image compositing hardware called Metabuffer. In this paper, we focus on the back end scalability by introducing a fully parallel and out-of-core isosurface extraction algorithm. It achieves scalability by using both parallel and out-of-core processing and parallel disks. It statically partitions the volume data to parallel disks with a balanced workload spectrum, and builds I/O-optimal external interval trees to minimize the number of I/O operations of loading large data from disk. We also describe an isosurface compression scheme that is efficient for progress extraction, transmission and storage of isosurfaces. PMID:19756231

The separation of 99Tc from low and medium-level radioactive wastes and its determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Hepiegne, P; Dall'ava, D; Clement, R; Degros, J P

1995-06-01

A chemical separation method has been developed for the determination of (99)Tc in various types of radioactive wastes. Such a method includes (i) fusion with NaOH, (ii) extraction in a column containing methyltrioctylammonium chloride, (iii) extraction by solvent with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine and, (iv) measurement by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). From the performance standpoint, the recovery of (99)Tc, using (99m)Tc as a yield tracer, is higher than 70%. This analytical method, as developed, ensures effective decontamination with respect to the radionuclides, insofar the decontamination factors are greater than 10(+5), whenever the residual activity may be measured. Taking into account a 3sigma counting error, the detection limit obtained with the ICP-MS technique is 1.9 mBq/ml; the method enabling hence to detect activities as low as 0.3 Bq/g, with analysed samples of 0.2 g and a radiochemical yield of 70%. Studies have been dedicated to the (99)Tc measurement, using the electrothermal vaporization ICP-MS technique, which lowers the detection limit by a factor 10, with the standard solution (0.3 pg/ml), compared with the previous ICP-MS technique.

Dramatic change of the recurrence time and outburst parameters of the intermediate polar GK Persei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šimon, V.

2002-02-01

This analysis has shown that the intermediate polar GK Per experienced a very striking evolution. Its outbursts became wider and brighter in the last five decades. These changes were accompanied by striking variations of the recurrence time T_C, from 385 days within the years 1948-1967 to 890 days in 1970. Nowadays, T_C displays a strong trend of linear increase. Decrease of irradiation of the disk by the WD, combined with the decrease of viscosity, offers a plausible explanation. It is argued that variations of the mass transfer rate are unlikely to play a major role. The morphology of the outburst light curves in the optical and the X-ray region is also studied. The decay branch in the optical remains remarkably similar for all the events while the largest changes of the light curve occur in the rising branch. This can be explained if the thermal instability may start at different distances from the disk center. The quiescent level of brightness does not display any secular trend in recent decades but a wave on the time scale of about 30 years with the full amplitude of 0.3 m_v, probably due to activity of the cool star, is detected. This research has made use of the AFOEV database, operated at CDS, France, and the observations provided by the ASM/RXTE team.

Disk-Anchored Magnetic Propellers - A Cure for the SW Sex Syndrome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horne, Keith

In AE Aqr, magnetic fields transfer energy and angular momentum from a rapidly-spinning white dwarf to material in the gas stream from the companion star, with the effect of spinning down the white dwarf while flinging the gas stream material out of the binary system. This magnetic propeller produces a host of observable signatures, chief among which are broad, single-peaked, flaring emission lines with phase-shifted orbital kinematics. SW Sex stars have accretion disks, but also broad, single-peaked, phase-shifted emission lines similar to those seen in AE Aqr. We propose that a magnetic propeller similar to that which operates in AE Aqr is also at work in SW Sex stars - and to some extent in all nova-like systems. The propeller is anchored in the inner accretion disk, rather than, or in addition to, the white dwarf. Energy and angular momentum are thereby extracted from the inner disk and transferred to gas-stream material flowing above the disk, which is consequently pitched out of the system. This provides a non-local, dissipationless angular-momentum-extraction mechanism, which should result in cool inner disks with temperature profiles flatter than T propto R^{-3/4}, as observed in eclipse mapping studies of nova-like variables. The disk-anchored magnetic propeller model appears to explain qualitatively most if not all of the peculiar features of the SW Sex syndrome.

Separation and purification of thymopentin with molecular imprinting membrane by solid phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Wang, Chaoli; Hu, Xiaoling; Guan, Ping; Wu, Danfeng; Qian, Liwei; Li, Ji; Song, Renyuan

2015-01-01

The synthesis and performance of molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) as a solid phase extraction packing materials for the separation and purification of thymopentin from crude samples was described. In order to increase structural selectivity and imprinting efficiency, surface-initiated ATRP and ionic liquid (1-vinyl-3-ethyl acetate imidazolium chloride) were used to prepare molecularly imprinting membranes. The results demonstrated that solid phase extraction disks stuffed by MIMs with ionic liquids as functional monomer demonstrated high isolation and purification of performance to the thymopentin. The molecular recognition of thymopentin was analyzed by using molecular modeling software. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antihyperlipidemic activity of Ichnocarpus frutescens in triton WR-1339-induced and high-fat diet animals.

PubMed

Saravanan, M; Pandikumar, P; Prakash Babu, N; Ignacimuthu, S

2011-10-01

Ichnocarpus frutescens (L.) R.Br. (Apocynaceae) is used to treat diabetes and hyperlipidemia in folk medicine. The crude methanol extract and fractions of I. frutescens were investigated for antihyperlipidemic effect. Fresh leaves of I. frutescens were extracted with methanol and fractionated with hexane, benzene, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol. The active acetone fraction was subfractionated, which resulted in active fraction 3. The antihyperlipidemic effects of the methanol extract and fractions of I. frutescens were studied in triton WR-1339-induced and high-fat diet (HFD) obese animals. Further, lipid absorption and excretion were studied. The methanol extract significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) by 29.63% and triglyceride (Tg) by 51.10% at 400 mg/kg in triton WR-1339-induced animals and significantly reduced TC (27.81%) and Tg (37.03%) at 400 mg/kg in HFD animals. Fraction 3 showed significant reduction in TC (25.03%) and Tg (58.05%) at 200 mg/kg. Feeding of HFD consisting 3% of fraction 3 increased feces weight and Tg level in mice. Fraction 3, showed significant decrease in plasma Tg level at the second hour, after oral administration of the lipid emulsion to rats. The observed properties apparently validate the folk medicinal use of this plant in amelioration of hyperlipidemia.

In vitro and in vivo studies of an aqueous extract of Matricaria recutita (German chamomile) on the radiolabeling of blood constituents, on the morphology of red blood cells and on the biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate

PubMed Central

Garcia-Pinto, Angélica B.; Santos-Filho, Sebastião D.; Carvalho, Jorge J.; Pereira, Mário J. S.; Fonseca, Adenilson S.; Bernardo-Filho, Mário

2013-01-01

Background: Natural products might alter the labeling of blood constituents with technetium-99m (99mTc) and these results may be correlated with modifications of the shape of the red blood cells (RBC). The biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals can be also altered. Objective: This investigation aimed to determine biological effects of an aqueous extract of chamomile (CE). Materials and Methods: To study the effect of the CE on the labeling of blood constituents with 99mTc, in vitro and in vivo assays were performed. The effect of the CE on the morphology of RBC was observed under light microscope. The images were acquired, processed, and the perimeter/area ratio of the RBC determined. To analyze the effect of the CE on biodistribution of the sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4) in Wistar rats, these animals were treated or not with a CE. Na99mTcO4 was injected, the rats were sacrificed, the organs were removed, weighted and percentage of radioactivity/gram calculated. Result: In the in vitro experiment, the radioactivity on blood cells compartment and on insoluble fractions of plasma was diminished. The shape and the perimeter/area ratio of the RBC were altered in in vitro assays. An increase of the percentage of radioactivity of Na99mTcO4 was observed in stomach after in vivo treatment. Conclusion: These results could be due to substances of the CE or by the products of the metabolism of this extract in the animal organism. These findings are examples of drug interaction with a radiopharmaceutical, which could lead to misdiagnosis in clinical practice with unexpected consequences. PMID:24143045

Radiochemical studies of 99mTc complexes of modified cysteine ligands and bifunctional chelating agents.

PubMed

Pillai, M R; Kothari, K; Banerjee, S; Samuel, G; Suresh, M; Sarma, H D; Jurisson, S

1999-07-01

The synthesis of four novel ligands using the amino-acid cysteine and its ethyl carboxylate derivative is described. The synthetic method involves a two-step procedure, wherein the intermediate Schiff base formed by the condensation of the amino group of the cysteine substrate and salicylaldehyde is reduced to give the target ligands. The intermediates and the final products were characterized by high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Complexation studies of the ligands with 99mTc were optimized using stannous tartrate as the reducing agent under varying reaction conditions. The complexes were characterized using standard quality control techniques such as thin layer chromatography, paper electrophoresis, and paper chromatography. Lipophilicities of the complexes were estimated by solvent extraction into chloroform. Substantial changes in net charge and lipophilicity of the 99mTc complexes were observed on substituting the carboxylic acid functionality in ligands I and II with the ethyl carboxylate groups (ligands II and IV). All the ligands formed 99mTc complexes in high yield. Whereas the complexes with ligands I and II were observed to be hydrophilic in nature and not extractable into CHCl3, ligands III and IV resulted in neutral and lipophilic 99mTc complexes. The 99mTc complex with ligand II was not stable and on storage formed a hydrophilic and nonextractable species. The biodistribution of the complexes of ligands I and II showed that they cleared predominantly through the kidneys, whereas the complexes with ligands III and IV were excreted primarily through the hepatobiliary system. No significant brain uptake was observed with the 99mTc complexes with ligands III and IV despite their favorable properties of neutrality, lipophilicity, and conversion into a hydrophilic species. These ligands offer potential for use as bifunctional chelating agents.

Laboratory Comparison of the Anti-Bacterial Effects of Spearmint Extract and Hypochlorite Sodium on Enterococcus Faecalis Bacteria.

PubMed

S, Hajimaghsoodi; H, Zandi; M, Bahrami; R, Hakimian

2016-12-01

It is necessary to use irrigation solutions during cleaning and shaping of root canals to efficiently reduce the number of micro organisms. Sodium hypochlorite is used as an effective antibacterial endodontic irrigants. However, the extract of pennyroyal plant has also shown anti-bacterial characteristics comparable with antibacterial drugs. To compare the anti-bacterial effect of spearmint extract on Enterococcus faecalis bacteria with that of sodium hypochlorite 5.25%. In this experimental study, Muller Hinton medium, including 5% sheep blood was prepared. The two solutions used including sodium hypochlorite 5.25% and spearmint extracts were put adjacent to Enterococcus faecalis bacteria after preparing. Two groups, each containing 10 samples, with the total of 20 samples were used. The disks, including each solution were placed 2 cm apart on a plate containing Muller Hinton medium and the bacteria. The plate was subsequently incubated at 37°C for 48 hours. After incubation, the mean diameter of the halo around each disk, which represents the lack of bacterial growth, was measured and compared using a ruler. Penicillin disk was used for positive control and a sterile blank disk containing physiologic serum was utilized as the negative control. This process was repeated 10 times for each solution. Data were analyzed in SPSS 17 statistical software using t -test. The results showed that the mean diameter of halo in the spearmint extract group was zero and in the sodium hypochlorite group it was 23.7 ± 1.49 mm. There was a significant difference between the mean diameter of the lack of growth halo of the spearmint extract and that of hypochlorite sodium 5.25% on Enterococcus faecalis bacteria ( p ≤ 0.001). Considering the limitations of an experimental study, it seems that spearmint extract does not have any anti-bacterial effect against Enterococcus faecalis bacteria, in contrast to hypochlorite sodium 5.25%.

Disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing of members of the family Legionellaceae including erythromycin-resistant variants of Legionella micdadei.

PubMed Central

Dowling, J N; McDevitt, D A; Pasculle, A W

1984-01-01

Disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing of members of the family Legionellaceae was accomplished on buffered charcoal yeast extract agar by allowing the bacteria to grow for 6 h before placement of the disks, followed by an additional 42-h incubation period before the inhibitory zones were measured. This system was standardized by comparing the zone sizes with the MICs for 20 antimicrobial agents of nine bacterial strains in five Legionella species and of 19 laboratory-derived, erythromycin-resistant variants of Legionella micdadei. A high, linear correlation between zone size and MIC was found for erythromycin, trimethoprim, penicillin, ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, cefamandole, cefoxitin, moxalactam, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, and clindamycin. Disk susceptibility testing could be employed to screen Legionella isolates for resistance to any of these antimicrobial agents, of which only erythromycin is known to be efficacious in the treatment of legionellosis. With selected antibiotics, disk susceptibility patterns also appeared to accurately identify to the species level the legionellae. The range of the MICs of the legionellae for rifampin and the aminoglycosides was too small to determine whether the correlation of zone size with MIC was linear. However, laboratory-derived, high-level rifampin-resistant variants of L. micdadei demonstrated no inhibition zone around the rifampin disk, indicating that disk susceptibility testing would likely identify a rifampin-resistant clinical isolate. Of the antimicrobial agents tested, the only agents for which disk susceptibility testing was definitely not possible on buffered charcoal yeast extract agar were oxacillin, the tetracyclines, and the sulfonamides. PMID:6565706

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Bersama engleriana leaves in nicotinamide/streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The present investigation was aimed at evaluating the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of the aqueous and methanolic extracts from Bersama engleriana leaves in streptozotocin/nicotinamide (STZ-NA)-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Methods Animals were orally treated for 4 consecutive weeks with Bersama engleriana extracts at doses of 300 or 600 mg/kg. The anti-diabetic effect was examined by measuring blood glucose (BG) at 0, 1, 14 and 28 days after STZ-NA treatment and, total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) levels at sacrifice (day 29). Glibenclamide (0.25 mg/kg) was used for comparison. Results STZ-NA-induced diabetic rats showed moderate to significant increases in the levels of BG, TG, TC, LDL-C while body weight, HDL-C levels and relative weights of liver and pancreas were decreased compared to controls (non diabetic rats). Administration of the plant extracts to STZ-NA diabetic rats resulted in a significant decrease in BG, TG, TC and LDL-C and the dose 600 mg/kg of the methanolic extract was the most effective; HDL-C level was markedly increased after four weeks compared to untreated diabetic rats. A dose-dependent increase in the relative weights of the diabetogenic organs was observed in the Bersama engleriana groups. It can be also noticed that the methanolic extract, especially the dose 600 mg/kg (p<0.001), produced more effects than glibenclamide and aqueous extract. Rats treated with glibenclamide (0.25 mg/kg) generally gave lower results compared to groups treated with plant extracts. Conclusion Results of the present study showed that Bersama engleriana extracts and especially its methanolic extract possess antidiabetogenic properties and beneficial effects on diabetic hyperlipidemia. All these effects could be due to the bioactive components revealed in the Bersama engleriana extracts such as triterpenes and phenols and which could justify its ethnomedical use. PMID:23267560

Determination of trace metals in drinking water using solid-phase extraction disks and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

PubMed

Hou, Xiandeng; Peters, Heather L; Yang, Zheng; Wagner, Karl A; Batchelor, James D; Daniel, Meredith M; Jones, Bradley T

2003-03-01

A convenient method is described for monitoring Cd, Ni, Cu, and Pb at trace levels in drinking water samples. These metals are preconcentrated on a chelating solid-phase extraction disk and then determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The method tolerates a wide pH range (pH 6-14) and a large amount of alkaline and alkaline earth elements. The preconcentration factor is well over 1600, assuming a 1 L water sample volume. The limits of detection for Cd, Ni, Cu, and Pb are 3.8, 0.6, 0.4, and 0.3 ng/mL, respectively. These are well below the federal maximum contaminant level values, which are 5, 100, 1300, and 15 ng/mL, respectively. The proposed method has many advantages including ease of operation, multielement capability, nondestructiveness, high sensitivity, and relative cost efficiency. The solid-phase extraction step can be conducted in the field and then the disks can be mailed to a laboratory for the analysis, eliminating the cost of transporting large volumes of water samples. Furthermore, the color of the used extraction disk provides an initial estimate of the degree of contamination for some transition metals (for example, Ni and Cu). Thus, the overall cost for analysis of metals in drinking water can be minimized by implementing the method, and small water supply companies with limited budgets will be better able to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Microextraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from waste water samples by rotating-disk sorptive extraction.

PubMed

Manzo, Valentina; Honda, Luis; Navarro, Orielle; Ascar, Loreto; Richter, Pablo

2014-10-01

In this study, six non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were extracted from water samples using the rotating-disk sorptive extraction (RDSE) technique. The extraction disk device contains a central cavity that allows for the incorporation of a powdered sorbent phase (Oasis™ HLB). The analytes were extracted from water and pre-concentrated on the sorbent to reach the extraction equilibrium, and then they were desorbed with solvent, derivatized and determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The variables for the extraction were studied using high performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) to avoid the derivatization step, and the optimum values were as follows: 60 mg of Oasis™ HLB, a rotation velocity of 3,000 rpm, a pH of 2, a sample volume of 50 mL, and an extraction time of approximately 90-100 min. The recoveries ranged from 71 to 104%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) between 2 and 8%. The detection limits ranged from 0.001 to 0.033 µg L(-1). The described method was applied to the analysis of influents and effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Santiago, Chile. The concentrations of the detected drugs ranged from 1.5 to 13.4 µg L(-1) and from 1.0 to 3.2 µg L(-1) in the influents and effluents, respectively. The samples were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE). No significant differences were observed in the determined concentrations for most of the NSAIDs, indicating that RDSE is an alternative method for the preparation of water samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of technetium-99 in environmental samples: a review.

PubMed

Shi, Keliang; Hou, Xiaolin; Roos, Per; Wu, Wangsuo

2012-01-04

Due to the lack of a stable technetium isotope, and the high mobility and long half-life, (99)Tc is considered to be one of the most important radionuclides in safety assessment of environmental radioactivity as well as nuclear waste management. (99)Tc is also an important tracer for oceanographic research due to the high technetium solubility in seawater as TcO(4)(-). A number of analytical methods, using chemical separation combined with radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques, have been developed over the past decades for determination of (99)Tc in different environmental samples. This article summarizes and compares recently reported chemical separation procedures and measurement methods for determination of (99)Tc. Due to the extremely low concentration of (99)Tc in environmental samples, the sample preparation, pre-concentration, chemical separation and purification for removal of the interferences for detection of (99)Tc are the most important issues governing the accurate determination of (99)Tc. These aspects are discussed in detail in this article. Meanwhile, the different measurement techniques for (99)Tc are also compared with respect to advantages and drawbacks. Novel automated analytical methods for rapid determination of (99)Tc using solid extraction or ion exchange chromatography for separation of (99)Tc, employing flow injection or sequential injection approaches are also discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Extract from Cole Pollen on Lipid Metabolism in Experimental Hyperlipidemic Rats

PubMed Central

Geng, Yue; Tu, Wen-li; Zhang, Jing-jing; Zhang, Liang; Zhang, Jian

2014-01-01

In order to evaluate the effects of extract by SCE (supercritical carbon dioxide extraction) from cole pollen on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic rats, the experimental hyperlipidemic rats were established by providing with high fat diets, and randomized into six groups. After four weeks of perfusion diets into stomach, the rats were executed, and lipid levels of serum and hepatic tissue were detected. The serum levels of TC and TG were significantly lower in the pollen extract groups and MC group than in HFC group. Hepatic TC levels were decreased in rats fed pollen extract and lovastatin compared with HFC group. A higher concentration of HDL-C and apoAI in hepatic tissue was measured after intake of the pollen extract compared to the HFC group (P < 0.05). LCAT activity in serum of pollen extract groups was significantly higher than that in HFC group, and also HMG-CoA reductase showed decreasing tendency in pollen extract groups. The contents of DHA in pollen extract groups were found higher than those in HFC group. Cole pollen extract enriched in alpha-linolenic acid is likely to be a novel source of ALA which is probably responsible for favorable lipid changes through promoting transportation, excretion, and metabolism of cholesterol in hepatic tissue and serum. PMID:25152932

Interlaboratory comparison of extraction efficiency of pesticides from surface and laboratory water using solid-phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Senseman, Scott A; Mueller, Thomas C; Riley, Melissa B; Wauchope, R Don; Clegg, Chris; Young, Roddy W; Southwick, Lloyd M; Moye, H Anson; Dumas, Jose A; Mersie, Wondi; Mattice, John D; Leidy, Ross B

2003-06-18

A continuation of an earlier interlaboratory comparison was conducted (1) to assess solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Empore disks to extract atrazine, bromacil, metolachlor, and chlorpyrifos from various water sources accompanied by different sample shipping and quantitative techniques and (2) to compare quantitative results of individual laboratories with results of one common laboratory. Three replicates of a composite surface water (SW) sample were fortified with the analytes along with three replicates of deionized water (DW). A nonfortified DW sample and a nonfortified SW sample were also extracted. All samples were extracted using Empore C(18) disks. After extraction, part of the samples were eluted and analyzed in-house. Duplicate samples were evaporated in a 2-mL vial, shipped dry to a central laboratory (SDC), redissolved, and analyzed. Overall, samples analyzed in-house had higher recoveries than SDC samples. Laboratory x analysis type and laboratory x water source interactions were significant for all four compounds. Seven laboratories participated in this interlaboratory comparison program. No differences in atrazine recoveries were observed from in-house samples analyzed by laboratories A, B, D, and G compared with the recovery of SDC samples. In-house atrazine recoveries from laboratories C and F were higher when compared with recovery from SDC samples. However, laboratory E had lower recoveries from in-house samples compared with SDC samples. For each laboratory, lower recoveries were observed for chlorpyrifos from the SDC samples compared with samples analyzed in-house. Bromacil recovery was <65% at two of the seven laboratories in the study. Bromacil recoveries for the remaining laboratories were >75%. Three laboratories showed no differences in metolachlor recovery; two laboratories had higher recoveries for samples analyzed in-house, and two other laboratories showed higher metolachlor recovery for SDC samples. Laboratory G had a higher recovery in SW for all four compounds compared with DW. Other laboratories that had significant differences in pesticide recovery between the two water sources showed higher recovery in DW than in the SW regardless of the compound. In comparison to earlier work, recovery of these compounds using SPE disks as a temporary storage matrix may be more effective than shipping dried samples in a vial. Problems with analytes such as chlorpyrifos are unavoidable, and it should not be assumed that an extraction procedure using SPE disks will be adequate for all compounds and transferrable across all chromatographic conditions.

Intestinal transport of gentamicin with a novel, glycosteroid drug transport agent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Axelrod, H. R.; Kim, J. S.; Longley, C. B.; Lipka, E.; Amidon, G. L.; Kakarla, R.; Hui, Y. W.; Weber, S. J.; Choe, S.; Sofia, M. J.

1998-01-01

PURPOSE: The objective was to investigate the ability of a glycosteroid (TC002) to increase the oral bioavailability of gentamicin. METHODS: Admixtures of gentamicin and TC002 were administered to the rat ileum by injection and to dogs by ileal or jejunal externalized ports, or PO. Bioavailability of gentamicin was determined by HPLC. 3H-TC002 was injected via externalized cannulas into rat ileum or jejunum, or PO and its distribution and elimination was determined. The metabolism of TC002 in rats was evaluated by solid phase extraction and HPLC analysis of plasma, urine and feces following oral or intestinal administration. RESULTS: The bioavailability of gentamicin was substantially increased in the presence of TC002 in both rats and dogs. The level of absorption was dependent on the concentration of TC002 and site of administration. Greatest absorption occurred following ileal orjejunal administration. TC002 was significantly more efficacious than sodium taurocholate, but similar in cytotoxicity. TC002 remained primarily in the GI tract following oral or intestinal administration and cleared rapidly from the body. It was only partly metabolized in the GI tract, but was rapidly and completely converted to its metabolite in plasma and urine. CONCLUSIONS: TC002 shows promise as a new drug transport agent for promoting intestinal absorption of polar molecules such as gentamicin.

(99)Tc(VII) Retardation, Reduction, and Redox Rate Scaling in Naturally Reduced Sediments.

PubMed

Liu, Yuanyuan; Liu, Chongxuan; Kukkadapu, Ravi K; McKinley, James P; Zachara, John; Plymale, Andrew E; Miller, Micah D; Varga, Tamas; Resch, Charles T

2015-11-17

An experimental and modeling study was conducted to investigate pertechnetate (Tc(VII)O4(-)) retardation, reduction, and rate scaling in three sediments from Ringold formation at U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site, where (99)Tc is a major contaminant in groundwater. Tc(VII) was reduced in all the sediments in both batch reactors and diffusion columns, with a faster rate in a sediment containing a higher concentration of HCl-extractable Fe(II). Tc(VII) migration in the diffusion columns was reductively retarded with retardation degrees correlated with Tc(VII) reduction rates. The reduction rates were faster in the diffusion columns than those in the batch reactors, apparently influenced by the spatial distribution of redox-reactive minerals along transport paths that supplied Tc(VII). X-ray computed tomography and autoradiography were performed to identify the spatial locations of Tc(VII) reduction and transport paths in the sediments, and results generally confirmed the newly found behavior of reaction rate changes from batch to column. The results from this study implied that Tc(VII) migration can be reductively retarded at Hanford site with a retardation degree dependent on reactive Fe(II) content and its distribution in sediments. This study also demonstrated that an effective reaction rate may be faster in transport systems than that in well-mixed reactors.

Development of CVD Diamond for Industrial Applications Final Report CRADA No. TC-2047-02

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

Caplan, M.; Olstad, R.; Jory, H.

2017-09-08

This project was a collaborative effort to develop and demonstrate a new millimeter microwave assisted chemical vapor deposition(CVD) process for manufacturing large diamond disks with greatly reduced processing times and costs from those now available. In the CVD process, carbon based gases (methane) and hydrogen are dissociated into plasma using microwave discharge and then deposited layer by layer as polycrystalline diamond onto a substrate. The available low frequency (2.45GHz) microwave sources used elsewhere (De Beers) result in low density plasmas and low deposition rates: 4 inch diamond disks take 6-8 weeks to process. The new system developed in this projectmore » uses a high frequency 30GHz Gyrotron as the microwave source and a quasi-optical CVD chamber resulting in a much higher density plasma which greatly reduced the diamond processing times (1-2 weeks)« less

Phyllanthus Niruri Standardized Extract Alleviates the Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Decreases Atherosclerotic Risk in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

PubMed

Al Zarzour, Raghdaa Hamdan; Ahmad, Mariam; Asmawi, Mohd Zaini; Kaur, Gurjeet; Saeed, Mohammed Ali Ahmed; Al-Mansoub, Majed Ahmed; Saghir, Sultan Ayesh Mohammed; Usman, Nasiba Salisu; Al-Dulaimi, Dhamraa W; Yam, Mun Fei

2017-07-18

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the major global health issues, strongly correlated with insulin resistance, obesity and oxidative stress. The current study aimed to evaluate anti-NAFLD effects of three different extracts of Phyllanthus niruri ( P. niruri ) . NAFLD was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats using a special high-fat diet (HFD). A 50% methanolic extract (50% ME) exhibited the highest inhibitory effect against NAFLD progression. It significantly reduced hepatomegaly (16%) and visceral fat weight (22%), decreased NAFLD score, prevented fibrosis, and reduced serum total cholesterol (TC) (48%), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (65%), free fatty acids (FFAs) (25%), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (45%), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (38%), insulin concentration (67%), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (73%), serum atherogenic ratios TC/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (29%), LDL/HDL (66%) and (TC-HDL)/HDL (64%), hepatic content of cholesterol (43%), triglyceride (29%) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (40%) compared to a non-treated HFD group. In vitro, 50% ME of P. niruri inhibited α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase enzymes and cholesterol micellization. It also had higher total phenolic and total flavonoid contents compared to other extracts. Ellagic acid and phyllanthin were identified as major compounds. These results suggest that P. niruri could be further developed as a novel natural hepatoprotective agent against NAFLD and atherosclerosis.

Rapid, specific determination of iodine and iodide by combined solid-phase extraction/diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arena, Matteo P.; Porter, Marc D.; Fritz, James S.

2002-01-01

A new, rapid methodology for trace analysis using solid-phase extraction is described. The two-step methodology is based on the concentration of an analyte onto a membrane disk and on the determination by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of the amount of analyte extracted on the disk surface. This method, which is adaptable to a wide range of analytes, has been used for monitoring ppm levels of iodine and iodide in spacecraft water. Iodine is used as a biocide in spacecraft water. For these determinations, a water sample is passed through a membrane disk by means of a 10-mL syringe that is attached to a disk holder assembly. The disk, which is a polystyrene-divinylbenzene composite, is impregnated with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), which exhaustively concentrates iodine as a yellow iodine-PVP complex. The amount of concentrated iodine is then determined in only 2 s by using a hand-held diffuse reflectance spectrometer by comparing the result with a calibration curve based on the Kubelka-Munk function. The same general procedure can be used to determine iodide levels after its facile and exhaustive oxidation to iodine by peroxymonosulfate (i.e., Oxone reagent). For samples containing both analytes, a two-step procedure can be used in which the iodide concentration is calculated from the difference in iodine levels before and after treatment of the sample with peroxymonosulfate. With this methodology, iodine and iodide levels in the 0.1-5.0 ppm range can be determined with a total workup time of approximately 60 s with a RSD of approximately 6%.

On the Star Formation Rate, Initial Mass Function, and Hubble Type of Disk Galaxies and the Age of the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommer-Larsen, Jesper

1996-01-01

Evolutionary models for the disks of large disk galaxies, including effects of star formation, non-instantaneous gas recycling from stars, and infall of low-metallicity gas from the halo, have been calculated and compared with data for nearby, generally large disk galaxies on present disk star-formation rates (based on integrated Hα luminosities) as a function of disk gas fractions. The data were extracted from the work by Kennicutt, Tamblyn, & Congdon. The result of the comparison suggests that for disk galaxies the Hubble sequence is a disk age sequence, with early-type disks being the oldest and late types the youngest. Under the assumption of a minimum age of the Galactic disk of 10 Gyr, the mean age of Sa/Sab galaxies, and hence the age of the universe, is found to be at least 17±2 Gyr. It is furthermore found that the disk star-formation timescale is approximately independent of disk-galaxy type. Finally, it is found that the global initial mass function (IMF) in galactic disks is 2-3 times more weighted toward high-mass stars than the Scalo "best-fitting" model for the solar-neighborhood IMF. The more top-heavy model of Kennicutt provides a good fit to observation.

Method for optical pumping of thin laser media at high average power

DOEpatents

Zapata, Luis E [Livermore, CA; Beach, Raymond J [Livermore, CA; Honea, Eric C [Sunol, CA; Payne, Stephen A [Castro Valley, CA

2004-07-13

A thin, planar laser material is bonded to a light guide of an index-matched material forming a composite disk. Diode array or other pump light is introduced into the composite disk through the edges of the disk. Pump light trapped within the composite disk depletes as it multi-passes the laser medium before reaching an opposing edge of the disk. The resulting compound optical structure efficiently delivers concentrated pump light and to a laser medium of minimum thickness. The external face of the laser medium is used for cooling. A high performance cooler attached to the external face of the laser medium rejects heat. Laser beam extraction is parallel to the heat flux to minimize optical distortions.

The influence of microtopography on soil nutrients in created mitigation wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moser, K.F.; Ahn, C.; Noe, G.B.

2009-01-01

This study explores the relationship between microtopography and soil nutrients (and trace elements), comparing results for created and reference wetlands in Virginia, and examining the effects of disking during wetland creation. Replicate multiscale tangentially conjoined circular transects were used to quantify microtopography both in terms of elevation and by two microtopographic indices. Corresponding soil samples were analyzed for moisture content, total C and N, KCl-extractable NH4-N and NO3-N, and Mehlich-3 extractable P, Ca, Mg, K, Al, Fe, and Mn. Means and variances of soil nutrient/element concentrations were compared between created and natural wetlands and between disked and nondisked created wetlands. Natural sites had higher and more variable soil moisture, higher extractable P and Fe, lower Mn than created wetlands, and comparatively high variability in nutrient concentrations. Disked sites had higher soil moisture, NH4-N, Fe, and Mn than did nondisked sites. Consistently low variances (Levene test for inequality) suggested that nondisked sites had minimal nutrient heterogeneity. Across sites, low P availability was inferred by the molar ratio (Mehlich-3 [P/(Al + Fe)] < 0.06); strong intercorrelations among total C, total N, and extractable Fe, Al, and P suggested that humic-metal-P complexes may be important for P retention and availability. Correlations between nutrient/element concentrations and microtopographic indices suggested increased Mn and decreased K and Al availability with increased surface roughness. Disking appears to enhance water and nutrient retention, as well as nutrient heterogeneity otherwise absent from created wetlands, thus potentially promoting ecosystem development. ?? 2008 Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Misaligned Accretion and Jet Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Andrew; Nixon, Chris

2018-04-01

Disk accretion onto a black hole is often misaligned from its spin axis. If the disk maintains a significant magnetic field normal to its local plane, we show that dipole radiation from Lense–Thirring precessing disk annuli can extract a significant fraction of the accretion energy, sharply peaked toward small disk radii R (as R ‑17/2 for fields with constant equipartition ratio). This low-frequency emission is immediately absorbed by surrounding matter or refracted toward the regions of lowest density. The resultant mechanical pressure, dipole angular pattern, and much lower matter density toward the rotational poles create a strong tendency to drive jets along the black hole spin axis, similar to the spin-axis jets of radio pulsars, also strong dipole emitters. The coherent primary emission may explain the high brightness temperatures seen in jets. The intrinsic disk emission is modulated at Lense–Thirring frequencies near the inner edge, providing a physical mechanism for low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). Dipole emission requires nonzero hole spin, but uses only disk accretion energy. No spin energy is extracted, unlike the Blandford–Znajek process. Magnetohydrodynamic/general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD/GRMHD) formulations do not directly give radiation fields, but can be checked post-process for dipole emission and therefore self-consistency, given sufficient resolution. Jets driven by dipole radiation should be more common in active galactic nuclei (AGN) than in X-ray binaries, and in low accretion-rate states than high, agreeing with observation. In non-black hole accretion, misaligned disk annuli precess because of the accretor’s mass quadrupole moment, similarly producing jets and QPOs.

Role of an Ethanolic Extract of Crotalaria juncea L. on High-Fat Diet-Induced Hypercholesterolemia.

PubMed

Kumar, Dinakaran Sathis; David, Banji; Harani, Avasarala; Vijay, Bhaskar

2014-01-01

To evaluate the antihypercholesterolemic effects of 50 mg/kg BW and 100 mg/kg BW per day of an ethanolic extract of Crotalaria juncea Linn (whole plant) by performing in vivo studies. The effects of oral administration of 50 mg/kg BW and 100 mg/kg BW per day of an ethanolic extract of Crotalaria juncea Linn (whole plant) in rats fed with a high-fat diet were investigated by evaluating parameters like food consumption, weight gain, fecal fat excretion, serum and liver lipids, and biochemical profiles as well as by histopathological studies. The results were compared to animals fed with the standard diet and animals fed with a high-fat diet and atorvastatin (10 mg/kg BW). The animal group administered with the ethanolic extract for 35 days showed decreased levels of TC, LDL, VLDL, TG, HDL+VLDL, VLDL+LDL, LDL/TC, AI, SGOT, SGPT, and elevated levels of HDL, HDL/TC, significantly (p<0.01 & p<0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. The evaluation of liver tissues of the animal groups treated with the herbal extract and standard had shown increased levels of SOD, GSH, and catalase, whereas levels of SGOT, SGPT, total glucose, HMG-CoA, lipase, amylase, and the percentage of malon-dialdehyde were decreased when compared with the high-fat diet-fed rats. Body weight and food intake in the treated groups were significantly lower than that in the model control. The present study showed that an ethanolic extract of Crotalaria juncea L. influences several blood lipid and metabolic parameters in rats, suggesting a potential benefit as an antihypercholesterolemic agent.

On the origin of stars with and without planets. Tc trends and clues to Galactic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adibekyan, V. Zh.; González Hernández, J. I.; Delgado Mena, E.; Sousa, S. G.; Santos, N. C.; Israelian, G.; Figueira, P.; Bertran de Lis, S.

2014-04-01

We explore a sample of 148 solar-like stars to search for a possible correlation between the slopes of the abundance trends versus condensation temperature (known as the Tc slope) with stellar parameters and Galactic orbital parameters in order to understand the nature of the peculiar chemical signatures of these stars and the possible connection with planet formation. We find that the Tc slope significantly correlates (at more than 4σ) with the stellar age and the stellar surface gravity. We also find tentative evidence that the Tc slope correlates with the mean galactocentric distance of the stars (Rmean), suggesting that those stars that originated in the inner Galaxy have fewer refractory elements relative to the volatiles. While the average Tc slope for planet-hosting solar analogs is steeper than that of their counterparts without planets, this difference probably reflects the difference in their age and Rmean. We conclude that the age and probably the Galactic birth place are determinant to establish the star's chemical properties. Old stars (and stars with inner disk origin) have a lower refractory-to-volatile ratio. Based on observations collected with the HARPS spectrograph at the 3.6-m telescope (072.C-0488(E)), installed at the La Silla Observatory, ESO (Chile), with the UVES spectrograph at the 8-m Very Large Telescope program IDs: 67.C-0206(A), 074.C-0134(A), 075.D-0453(A), installed at the Cerro Paranal Observatory, ESO (Chile), and with the UES spectrograph at the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope, installed at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, on the island of La Palma.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Study of axial mixing, holdup and slip velocity of dispersed phase in a pulsed sieve plate extraction column using radiotracer technique.

PubMed

Ghiyas Ud Din; Imran Rafiq Chughtai; Hameed Inayat, Mansoor; Hussain Khan, Iqbal

2009-01-01

Axial mixing, holdup and slip velocity of dispersed phase which are parameters of fundamental importance in the design and operation of liquid-liquid extraction pulsed sieve plate columns have been investigated. Experiments for residence time distribution (RTD) analysis have been carried out for a range of pulsation frequency and amplitude in a liquid-liquid extraction pulsed sieve plate column with water as dispersed and kerosene as continuous phase using radiotracer technique. The column was operated in emulsion region and (99m)Tc in the form of sodium pertechnetate eluted from a (99)Mo/(99m)Tc generator was used to trace the dispersed phase. Axial dispersed plug flow model with open-open boundary condition and two points measurement method was used to simulate the hydrodynamics of dispersed phase. It has been observed that the axial mixing and holdup of dispersed phase increases with increase in pulsation frequency and amplitude until a maximum value is achieved while slip velocity decreases with increase in pulsation frequency and amplitude until it approaches a minimum value. Short lived and low energy radiotracer (99m)Tc in the form of sodium pertechnetate was found to be a good water tracer to study the hydrodynamics of a liquid-liquid extraction pulsed sieve plate column operating with two immiscible liquids, water and kerosene. Axial dispersed plug flow model with open-open boundary condition was found to be a suitable model to describe the hydrodynamics of dispersed phase in the pulsed sieve plate extraction column.

Scale-invariant feature extraction of neural network and renormalization group flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iso, Satoshi; Shiba, Shotaro; Yokoo, Sumito

2018-05-01

Theoretical understanding of how a deep neural network (DNN) extracts features from input images is still unclear, but it is widely believed that the extraction is performed hierarchically through a process of coarse graining. It reminds us of the basic renormalization group (RG) concept in statistical physics. In order to explore possible relations between DNN and RG, we use the restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) applied to an Ising model and construct a flow of model parameters (in particular, temperature) generated by the RBM. We show that the unsupervised RBM trained by spin configurations at various temperatures from T =0 to T =6 generates a flow along which the temperature approaches the critical value Tc=2.2 7 . This behavior is the opposite of the typical RG flow of the Ising model. By analyzing various properties of the weight matrices of the trained RBM, we discuss why it flows towards Tc and how the RBM learns to extract features of spin configurations.

Determination of diphenylarsinic acid, phenylarsonic acid and inorganic arsenic in drinking water by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry after simultaneous separation and preconcentration with solid-phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Hagiwara, Kenta; Inui, Tetsuo; Koike, Yuya; Nakamura, Toshihiro

2013-01-01

A simple method of graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for the determination of diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA), phenylarsonic acid (PAA), and inorganic arsenic (iAs) in drinking water. This method involves the simultaneous collection of DPAA, PAA, and iAs using three stacked SPE disks, i.e., an Empore SDB-XD disk (the upper layer), an activated carbon disk (the middle layer), and a Cation-SR disk loaded with Zr and Ca (ZrCa-CED; the lower layer). A 200-mL aqueous sample was adjusted to pH 3 with nitric acid and passed through the SPE disks at a flow rate of 15 mL min(-1), to concentrate DPAA on the SDB-XD disk, PAA on the activated carbon disk, and iAs on the ZrCa-CED. The As compounds were eluted from the disks with 10 mL of ethanol containing 0.5 mol L(-1) ammonia solution for DPAA, 20 mL of 1 mol L(-1) ammonia solution for PAA, and 20 mL of 6 mol L(-1) hydrochloric acid for iAs. The eluates of DPAA, PAA, and iAs were diluted to 20, 25, and 25 mL, respectively, with deionized water, and then analyzed by GFAAS. The detection limits of As (three-times the standard deviation (n = 3) of the blank values) were 0.13 and 0.16 μg L(-1) at enrichment factors of 10 and 8, respectively, using a 200-mL water sample. Spike tests with 2 μg (10 μg L(-1)) of DPAA, PAA, and iAs in 200 mL of tap water and bottled drinking water showed good recoveries (96.1-103.8%).

Limited Area Coverage/High Resolution Picture Transmission (LAC/HRPT) tape IJ grid pixel extraction processor user's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obrien, S. O. (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The program, LACREG, extracted all pixels that are contained in a specific IJ grid section. The pixels, along with a header record are stored in a disk file defined by the user. The program will extract up to 99 IJ grid sections.

Metal-organic framework mixed-matrix disks: Versatile supports for automated solid-phase extraction prior to chromatographic separation.

PubMed

Ghani, Milad; Font Picó, Maria Francesca; Salehinia, Shima; Palomino Cabello, Carlos; Maya, Fernando; Berlier, Gloria; Saraji, Mohammad; Cerdà, Víctor; Turnes Palomino, Gemma

2017-03-10

We present for the first time the application of metal-organic framework (MOF) mixed-matrix disks (MMD) for the automated flow-through solid-phase extraction (SPE) of environmental pollutants. Zirconium terephthalate UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH 2 MOFs with different size (90, 200 and 300nm) have been incorporated into mechanically stable polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) disks. The performance of the MOF-MMDs for automated SPE of seven substituted phenols prior to HPLC analysis has been evaluated using the sequential injection analysis technique. MOF-MMDs enabled the simultaneous extraction of phenols with the concomitant size exclusion of molecules of larger size. The best extraction performance was obtained using a MOF-MMD containing 90nm UiO-66-NH 2 crystals. Using the selected MOF-MMD, detection limits ranging from 0.1 to 0.2μgL -1 were obtained. Relative standard deviations ranged from 3.9 to 5.3% intra-day, and 4.7-5.7% inter-day. Membrane batch-to-batch reproducibility was from 5.2 to 6.4%. Three different groundwater samples were analyzed with the proposed method using MOF-MMDs, obtaining recoveries ranging from 90 to 98% for all tested analytes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The distribution of 99mTc-EHDP in the tissues of the dog and its application in the assessment of fracture healing.

PubMed

Hughes, S

1977-07-01

Technetium-labelled ethane hydroxydiphosphonate (99mTc-EHDP) is a commonly used bone-scanning agent. After injection it leaves the circulation to enter bone and to be cleared by the kidney. The transcapillary exchange of 99mTc-EHDP in bone was examined and found to be low. The capillary movement was compared with that of sucrose, a freely diffusible substance, and it was found that the permeability ratio of 99mTc-EHDP to 14C-sucrose was similar to the diffusion coefficient ratio, suggesting that 99mTc-EHDP passes through the capillaries by the process of passive diffusion. The renal clearance of 99mTc-EHDP was 24 ml/min and was unaffected by the action of parathyroid hormone. After a fracture the bone blood flow increases, although the transcapillary extraction of 99mTc-EHDP does not change. This is because there is an increase, from recruitment and dilatation of capillaries, in the surface area available for exchange. Therefore the increased isotopic activity seen on a bone scan after a fracture is primarily related to an increase in bone blood supply from capillary enhancement within the cortex.

Hollow mesoporous structured molecularly imprinted polymer as adsorbent in pipette-tip solid-phase extraction for the determination of antiretrovirals from plasma of HIV-infected patients.

PubMed

Simões, Nathália Soares; de Oliveira, Hanna Leijoto; da Silva, Ricky Cássio Santos; Teixeira, Leila Suleimara; Sales, Thaís Lorenna Souza; de Castro, Whocely Victor; de Paiva, Maria José Nunes; Sanches, Cristina; Borges, Keyller Bastos

2018-05-17

In this work a hollow mesoporous structured molecularly imprinted polymer was synthetized and used as adsorbent in pipette-tip solid-phase extraction for the determination of lamivudine (3TC), zidovudine (AZT) and efavirenz (EFZ) from plasma of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All parameters that influence the recovery of the pipette tip based on hollow mesoporous molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction (PT-HM-MIP-SPE) method were systematically studied and discussed in detail. The adsorbent material was prepared using methacrylic acid and 4-vinylpyridine as functional monomers, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinker, acetonitrile as solvent, 4,4'-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) as radical initiator, benzalkonium chloride as surfactant), 3TC, and AZT as templates. The simultaneous separation of 3TC, AZT and EFZ by HPLC-UV was performed using a Gemini C18 Phenomenexࣨ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: water pH 3.2 (68:32, v/v), flow rate of 1.0 mL min -1 and λ = 260 nm. The method was linear over the concentration range from 0.25 to 10 μg mL -1 for 3TC and EFZ, and 0.05 to 2.0 μg mL -1 for AZT, with correlation coefficients larger than 0.99 for all analytes. Recovery ± relative standard deviations (RSDs %) were 41.99±2.38 %, 82.29±1.63 %, and 83.72±7.52 % for 3TC, AZT, and EFZ, respectively. The RSDs and relative errors (REs) were lower than 15 % for intra and interday assays. The method has been successfully applied for monitoring HIV-infected patients outside the therapeutic dosage.2 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Dual Microstructure Heat Treatment of a Nickel-Base Disk Alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gayda, John

2001-01-01

Existing Dual Microstructure Heat Treat (DMHT) technology was successfully applied to Alloy 10, a high strength, nickel-base disk alloy, to produce a disk with a fine grain bore and coarse grain rim. Specimens were extracted from the DMHT disk and tested in tension, creep, fatigue, and crack growth using conditions pertinent to disk applications. These data were then compared with data from "traditional" subsolvus and supersolvus heat treatments for Alloy 10. The results showed the DMHT disk to have a high strength, fatigue resistant bore comparable to that of subsolvus Alloy 10. Further, creep resistance of the DMHT rim was comparable to that of supersolvus Alloy 10. Crack growth resistance in the DMHT rim, while better than that for subsolvus, was inferior to that of supersolvus Alloy 10. The slow cool at the end of the DMHT conversion and/or the subsolvus resolution step are thought to be responsible for degrading rim DMHT crack growth resistance.

Rapid determination of ions by combined solid-phase extraction--diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fritz, James S.; Arena, Matteo P.; Steiner, Steven A.; Porter, Marc D.

2003-01-01

We introduce colorimetric solid-phase extraction (C-SPE) for the rapid determination of selected ions. This new technique links the exhaustive concentration of an analyte by SPE onto a membrane disk surface for quantitative measurement with a hand-held diffuse reflectance spectrometer. The concentration/measurement procedure is complete in approximately 1 min and can be performed almost anywhere. This method has been used to monitor iodine and iodide in spacecraft water in the 0.1-5.0 ppm range and silver(I) in the range of 5.0-1000 microg/l. Applications to the trace analysis of copper(II), nickel(II), iron(III) and chromium(VI) are described. Studies on the mechanism of extraction showed that impregnation of the disk with a surfactant as well as a complexing reagent results in uptake of additional water, which markedly improves the extraction efficiency.

Isolation and recovery of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers from human serum and sheep serum: coupling reversed-phase solid-phase disk extraction and liquid-liquid extraction techniques with a capillary gas chromatographic electron capture negative ion mass spectrometric determinative technique.

PubMed

Loconto, Paul R; Isenga, David; O'Keefe, Michael; Knottnerus, Mark

2008-01-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are isolated and recovered with acceptable percent recoveries from human serum via liquid-liquid extraction and column chromatographic cleanup and fractionation with quantitation using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with electron capture negative ion and selected ion monitoring. PBDEs are found in unspiked serum. An alternative sample preparation approach is developed using sheep serum that utilizes a formic acid pre-treatment followed by reversed-phase solid-phase disk extraction and normal-phase solid-phase cleanup using acidified silica gel that yields>50% recoveries. When these percent recoveries are combined with a minimized phase ratio for human serum and very low instrument detection limits, method detection limits below 500 parts-per-trillion are realized.

Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction for the Measurement of Total I (Iodine, Iodide, and Triiodide) in Spacecraft Drinking Water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lipert, Robert J.; Porter, Marc D.; Siperko, Lorraine M.; Gazda, Daniel B.; Rutz, Jeff A.; Schultz, John R.; Carrizales, Stephanie M.; McCoy, J. Torin

2009-01-01

An experimental drinking water monitoring kit for the measurement of iodine and silver(I) was recently delivered to the International Space Station (ISS). The kit is based on Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (CSPE) technology, which measures the change in diffuse reflectance of indicator disks following exposure to a water sample. To satisfy additional spacecraft water monitoring requirements, CSPE has now been extended to encompass the measurement of total I (iodine, iodide, and triiodide) through the introduction of an oxidizing agent, which converts iodide and triiodide to iodine, for measurement using the same indicator disks currently being tested on ISS. These disks detect iodine, but are insensitive to iodide and triiodide. We report here the operational considerations, design, and ground-based performance of the CSPE method for total I. The results demonstrate that CSPE technology is poised to meet NASA's total I monitoring requirements.

Synthesis and Characterization of Tc(I) Carbonyl Nitrosyl Species Relevant to the Hanford Tank Waste: FY 2016 Status Report

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

Hall, Gabriel B.; Chatterjee, Sayandev; Levitskaia, Tatiana G.

Among long-lived radioactive constituents in the Hanford tank waste, Tc presents a unique challenge in that it exists predominantly in the liquid phase, generally in the anionic form of pertechnetate, TcO 4 -, which is highly volatile at low-activity waste (LAW) vitrification melter temperatures and mobile in the Hanford site’s subsurface environment. The complex behavior of Tc under storage, treatment, and immobilization conditions significantly affects its management options, which to-date remain uncertain. In strongly alkaline environments, Tc exists as pertechnetate, TcO 4 - (oxidation state +7), and in the reduced forms (oxidation state < +7) collectively known as non-pertechnetate species.more » Pertechnetate is a well-characterized, anionic Tc species that can be removed from LAW by anion exchange or solvent extraction methods. There is no definitive information on the origin of the non-pertechnetate Tc species, nor is there a comprehensive description of their composition and behavior. It has been recently proposed that the non-pertechnetate species can comprise Tc(I) metal center and carbonyl or mixed carbonyl nitrosyl ligands stabilizing low-valent Tc. Recent work by our group has significantly expanded this previous work, generating a series of Tc(I) carbonyl compounds and demonstrating that they can be generated from reduction of TcO 4 - in the simulated Hanford tank waste in presence of CO at elevated temperature (Levitskaia et al. 2014). These results are consistent with the previous proposal that [Tc(CO) 3] + species can be present in the Hanford tank waste and suggest that the low Tc(I) oxidation state is stabilized by the π-accepting ability of the CO ligands. The continuation work has been initiated to develop model Tc carbonyl nitrosyl compounds and investigate their potential presence in the Hanford tank wastes. This report summarizes our to-date results.« less

Effects of Urtica dioica extract on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats.

PubMed

Nassiri-Asl, Marjan; Zamansoltani, Farzaneh; Abbasi, Esmail; Daneshi, Mohammad-Mehdi; Zangivand, Amir-Abdollah

2009-05-01

To investigate the effects of extract of Urtica dioica, a perennial herb in Iran, on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats. The effects of Urtica dioica extract were tested by using it as a supplement in a high-cholesterol diet. Male rats were fed a high cholesterol diet (10 mL/kg) for 4 weeks with Urtica dioica extract (100 or 300 mg/kg) or 10 mg/kg lovastatin supplementation to study the hypocholesterolemic effects of Urtica dioica on plasma lipid levels, hepatic enzymes activities, and liver histopathological changes. Urtica dioica extract at 100 and 300 mg/kg significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and also markedly decreased liver enzymes and weight in animals with a high cholesterol diet. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that in the 100 mg/kg extract of Urtica dioica group, the appearance of the liver cells was similar to the control group, and steatosis and inflammation were not found. In the 300 mg/kg extract of Urtica dioica group, mild steatosis was observed but mononuclear inflammatory infiltration was not found. The hepatic histopathological results reflect the correlation of Urtica dioica extract with both liver weight and the levels of plasma TC and LDL-C. These results indicate that Urtica dioica extract has hypocholesterolemic effects in the animal model.

Recent achievements in Tc-99m radiopharmaceutical direct production by medical cyclotrons.

PubMed

Boschi, Alessandra; Martini, Petra; Pasquali, Micol; Uccelli, Licia

2017-09-01

99m Tc is the most commonly used radionuclide in the field of diagnostic imaging, a noninvasive method intended to diagnose a disease, assess the disease state and monitor the effects of treatments. Annually, the use of 99m Tc, covers about 85% of nuclear medicine applications. This isotope releases gamma rays at about the same wavelength as conventional X-ray diagnostic equipment, and owing to its short half-life (t ½  = 6 h) is ideal for diagnostic nuclear imaging. A patient can be injected with a small amount of 99m Tc and within 24 h almost 94% of the injected radionuclide would have decayed and left the body, limiting the patient's radiation exposure. 99m Tc is usually supplied to hospitals through a 99 Mo/ 99m Tc radionuclide generator system where it is produced from the β decay of the parent nuclide 99 Mo (t ½  = 66 h), which is produced in nuclear reactors via neutron fission. Recently, the interruption of the global supply chain of reactor-produced 99 Mo, has forced the scientific community to investigate alternative production routes for 99m Tc. One solution was to consider cyclotron-based methods as potential replacement of reactor-based technology and the nuclear reaction 100 Mo(p,2n) 99m Tc emerged as the most worthwhile approach. This review reports some achievements about 99m Tc produced by medical cyclotrons. In particular, the available technologies for target design, the most efficient extraction and separation procedure developed for the purification of 99m Tc from the irradiated targets, the preparation of high purity 99m Tc radiopharmaceuticals and the first clinical studies carried out with cyclotron produced 99m Tc are described.

Angular Momentum in Disk Wind Revealed in the Young Star MWC 349A

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

Zhang, Qizhou; Claus, Brian; Watson, Linda

Disk winds are thought to play a critical role in star birth. As winds extract excess angular momentum from accretion disks, matter in the disk can be transported inward to the star to fuel mass growth. However, observational evidence of wind carrying angular momentum has been very limited. We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of the young star MWC 349A in the H26 α and H30 α recombination lines. The high signal-to-noise ratios made possible by the maser emission process allow us to constrain the relative astrometry of the maser spots to milli-arcsecond precision. Previous observations of the H30 αmore » line with the SMA and the Plateau de Bure interferometer (PdBI) showed that masers are distributed in the disk and wind. Our new high-resolution observations of the H26 α line reveal differences in spatial distribution from that of the H30 α line. H26 α line masers in the disk are excited in a thin annulus with a radius of about 25 au, while the H30 α line masers are formed in a slightly larger annulus with a radius of 30 au. This is consistent with expectations for maser excitation in the presence of an electron density variation of approximately R {sup −4}. In addition, the H30 α and H26 α line masers arise from different parts in the wind. This difference is also expected from maser theory. The wind component of both masers exhibits line-of-sight velocities that closely follow a Keplerian law. This result provides strong evidence that the disk wind extracts significant angular momentum, thereby facilitating mass accretion in the young star.« less

Elastic and hydrodynamic torques on a colloidal disk within a nematic liquid crystal.

PubMed

Rovner, Joel B; Borgnia, Dan S; Reich, Daniel H; Leheny, Robert L

2012-10-01

The orientationally dependent elastic energy and hydrodynamic behavior of colloidal disks with homeotropic surface anchoring suspended in the nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) have been investigated. In the absence of external torques, the disks align with the normal of the disk face â parallel to the nematic director n[over ^]. When a magnetic field is applied, the disks rotate â by an angle θ so that the magnetic torque and the elastic torque caused by distortion of the nematic director field are balanced. Over a broad range of angles, the elastic torque increases linearly with θ in quantitative agreement with a theoretical prediction based on an electrostatic analogy. When the disks are rotated to angles θ>π/2, the resulting large elastic distortion makes the disk orientation unstable, and the director undergoes a topological transition in which θ→π-θ. In the transition, a defect loop is shed from the disk surface, and the disks spin so that â sweeps through π radians as the loop collapses back onto the disk. Additional measurements of the angular relaxation of disks to θ=0 following removal of the external torque show a quasi-exponential time dependence from which an effective drag viscosity for the nematic can be extracted. The scaling of the angular time dependence with disk radius and observations of disks rotating about â indicate that the disk motion affects the director field at surprisingly modest Ericksen numbers.

Effect of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaves extract on blood glucose and plasma lipid levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

PubMed

Wang, Li; Zhang, Xue Tong; Zhang, Hai Yan; Yao, Hui Yuan; Zhang, Hui

2010-08-09

To investigate the hypoglycemic effects of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaves (VBTL) extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. After administration of VBTL extract for 4 weeks, the body weight, organ weight, blood glucose (BG), insulin and plasma lipid levels of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were measured. Body weights of diabetic mice treated with VBTL extract were partly recovered. The BG levels of AEG (diabetic mice treated with VBTL aqueous extract) were reduced to 91.52 and 85.82% at week 2 and week 4, respectively (P<0.05), while those of EEG (diabetic mice treated with VBTL ethanolic extract) were reduced slightly (P>0.05). The insulin levels of AEG and EEG were obviously higher (P<0.05) than those of MC (diabetic mice in model control group). Comparing with MC, AEG and EEG had significantly lower (P<0.05) TC or TG levels and similar HDL-cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol levels. In comparison with non-diabetic control mice, AEG had similar plasma lipid levels except higher LDL-cholesterol level, while EEG had higher TC, TG and LDL-cholesterol levels and lower HDL-cholesterol levels. Both aqueous and ethanolic extract of VBTL possess a potential hypoglycemic effect in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defect dependence of the irreversibility line in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardo, L. W.; Mitzi, D. B.; Kapitulnik, A.; Leone, A.

1992-09-01

The c-axis irreversibility line (IL) of pristine single-crystal Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 is shown to exhibit three regimes: For fields less than 0.1 T, it obeys a power law, Hirr=H0(1-Tirr/Tc)μ, where μ and H0 vary with Tc. For fields greater than 2 T, the IL becomes linear with a slope of 0.7 T/K. For intermediate fields, there is a crossover region, which corresponds to the onset of collective vortex behavior. Defects produced by proton irradiation shift the IL in all three regimes: The high-field regime moves to higher temperatures, the low-field regime moves to lower temperatures, and the crossover to collective behavior becomes obscured. A maximal increase in the irreversibility temperature in the high-field regime is found to occur at a defect density of nearly one defect per vortex core disk.

Fabrication of oxocuprate superconductor microelectrodes for sub-{Tc} use

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

Green, S.J.; Rosseinsky, D.R.; Toohey, M.J.

1995-07-01

The technique of partial resin encapsulation is described for the direct fabrication of cryorobust oxocuprate microelectrodes from bulk ceramic samples, here Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8{minus}{delta}}, Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10{minus}{delta}}. Cyclic voltammetry is used in tests of the electrochemical response at 295 K (ferrocene in acetonitrile/NBu{sub 4}BF{sub 4}), affording approximated disk radii 2.9, 37.0, and 32.5 {micro}m, and at 123 and at 103 K (ferrocene in chloroethane/tetrahydrofuran/LiBF{sub 4}). Some nonideality in the 295 K responses results from electrode porosity and, at the smallest electrodes, defects in the HTSC/resin seal. Acceptable sub-T{sub c} responses show these problems to bemore » irrelevant in the high viscosity of the electrolytes at low temperature. These microelectrodes usefully advance the emerging study of electrochemistry on superconducting electrodes by responding to free-solute electroactives at <{Tc}.« less

Hypolipidaemic Effect of Hericium erinaceum Grown in Artemisia capillaris on Obese Rats

PubMed Central

Choi, Won-Sik; Kim, Young-Sun; Park, Byeoung-Soo; Kim, Jang-Eok

2013-01-01

In this study, ethanolic extracts from Hericium erinaceum cultivated with Artemisia capillaris (HEAC) were assessed for their ability to lower the cholesterol levels of male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet. Rats were randomly subdivided into seven test groups. Each group contained eight rats fed a high-fat diet during a growth period lasting 4 wk. Supplementation with the extracts was performed once a day for 2 wk after the high-fat diet. The control group (rats fed a high-fat diet) showed a high efficiency ratio (feed efficiency ratio) value compared to the normal group. Biochemical parameters, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglyceride (TG) levels dramatically increased in the control group compared to the normal group. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) content in the control group was also significantly lower relative to the normal group. Two positive control groups, treated with simvastatin and atorvastatin, had lowered TC, LDL-c, and TG levels, and increased HDL-c content compared to the control group. Treatment with the tested extracts, including HEAC, ethanolic extracts from Hericium erinaceum, and ethanolic extracts from Artemisia capillaris reduced TC, LDL-c, and TG levels and elevated HDL-c content in the hyperlipidemia rats. The atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor values for the HEAC-treated group were 0.95 and 1.95, respectively. Simvastatin- and atorvastatin-treated groups showed atherogenic index values of 1.56 and 1.69, respectively, and cardiac risk factor values of 2.56 and 2.69, respectively. These results show HEAC possesses an ability to cure hyperlipidemia in rats and may serve as an effective natural medicine for treating hyperlipidemia in humans. PMID:23874132

Hypolipidaemic Effect of Hericium erinaceum Grown in Artemisia capillaris on Obese Rats.

PubMed

Choi, Won-Sik; Kim, Young-Sun; Park, Byeoung-Soo; Kim, Jang-Eok; Lee, Sung-Eun

2013-06-01

In this study, ethanolic extracts from Hericium erinaceum cultivated with Artemisia capillaris (HEAC) were assessed for their ability to lower the cholesterol levels of male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet. Rats were randomly subdivided into seven test groups. Each group contained eight rats fed a high-fat diet during a growth period lasting 4 wk. Supplementation with the extracts was performed once a day for 2 wk after the high-fat diet. The control group (rats fed a high-fat diet) showed a high efficiency ratio (feed efficiency ratio) value compared to the normal group. Biochemical parameters, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglyceride (TG) levels dramatically increased in the control group compared to the normal group. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) content in the control group was also significantly lower relative to the normal group. Two positive control groups, treated with simvastatin and atorvastatin, had lowered TC, LDL-c, and TG levels, and increased HDL-c content compared to the control group. Treatment with the tested extracts, including HEAC, ethanolic extracts from Hericium erinaceum, and ethanolic extracts from Artemisia capillaris reduced TC, LDL-c, and TG levels and elevated HDL-c content in the hyperlipidemia rats. The atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor values for the HEAC-treated group were 0.95 and 1.95, respectively. Simvastatin- and atorvastatin-treated groups showed atherogenic index values of 1.56 and 1.69, respectively, and cardiac risk factor values of 2.56 and 2.69, respectively. These results show HEAC possesses an ability to cure hyperlipidemia in rats and may serve as an effective natural medicine for treating hyperlipidemia in humans.

Does Tribolium brevicornis Cuticular Chemistry Deter Cannibalism and Predation of Pupae?

PubMed Central

Alabi, T; Dean, J; Michaud, JP; Verheggen, F; Lognay, G; Haubruge, E

2011-01-01

The cuticular hydrocarbons of insects are species-specific and often function as semiochemicals. The activity of Tribolium brevicornis cuticular hydrocarbons as feeding deterrents that ostensibly function to prevent pupal cannibalism and predation was evaluated. The cuticular hydrocarbons of T. brevicornis pupae were characterized and flour disk bioassays conducted with individual and combined extract components incorporated into artificial diets on which Tribolium adults fed for six days. Feeding by T. brevicornis and T. castaneum on flour disks containing cuticular extracts of T. brevicornis pupae resulted in reduced consumption and weight loss relative to feeding on control flour disks. In both cases, feeding deterrence indices exceeded 80% suggesting that T. brevicornis cuticular hydrocarbons could function to deter cannibalism and predation of pupae by larvae and adult beetles. Sixteen different cuticular hydrocarbons were identified in T. brevicornis pupal extracts. Eight of the commercially available linear alkanes were tested individually in feeding trials with eight Tribolium species. One compound (C28) significantly reduced the amount of food consumed by three species compared to control disks, whereas the compounds C25, C26, and C27 elicited increased feeding in some species. Four other compounds had no effect on consumption for any species. When four hydrocarbon mixtures were tested for synergistic deterrence on T. brevicornis and T. castaneum, none significantly influenced consumption. Our results indicate that the cuticular chemistry of T. brevicornis pupae could serve to deter predation by conspecific and congeneric beetles. PMID:22224957

APPLICATION OF FORMOHYDROXAMIC ACID IN NUCLEAR PROCESSING: SYNTHESIS AND COMPLEXATION WITH TECHNETIUM-99

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

Amber Wright; Edward Mausolf; Keri Campbell

2010-05-01

Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) is an organic ligand planned for use in the Uranium Extraction (UREX) process. It reduces neptunium and plutonium, and the resultant hydrophilic complexes are separated from uranium by extraction with tributyl phosphate (TBP) in a hydrocarbon diluent. AHA undergoes hydrolysis to acetic acid which will impede the recycling of nitric acid. During recent discussions of the UREX process, it has been proposed to replace AHA by formohydroxamic acid (FHA). FHA will undergo hydrolysis to formic acid which is volatile, thus allowing the recycling of nitric acid. The reported reduction potentials of AHA and pertechnetate (TcO{sub 4}{sup -})more » indicated that it may be possible for AHA to reduce technetium, altering its fate in the fuel cycle. At UNLV, it has been demonstrated that TcO{sub 4}{sup -} undergoes reductive nitrosylation by AHA under a variety of conditions. The resulting divalent technetium is complexed by AHA to form the pseudo-octahedral trans-aquonitrosyl (diacetohydroxamic)-technetium(II) complex ([Tc{sup II}(NO)(AHA){sub 2}H{sub 2}O]{sup +}). In this paper, we are reporting the synthesis of FHA and its complex formation with technetium along with the characterization of FHA crystals achieved by NMR and IR spectroscopy. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the complexation of FHA with Tc and the results were compared with previous data on AHA. The first experiment involved the elution of Tc from a Reillex HP anion exchange resin, and the second one monitored the complexation of technetium with FHA by UV-visible spectrophotometry.« less

Evaluation of the hypocholesterolemic effect and phytochemical screening of the hydroethanolic extract of Crataegus aronia from Jordan.

PubMed

Al-Hallaq, Entisar K; Afifi, Fatma U; Abdalla, Shtaywy S

2012-01-01

Chemical screening of the leaves and flowers of Crataegus aronia resulted in the isolation of hyperoside, quercetin, rutin and beta-sitosterol for the first time from this plant. The effects of the hydroethanolic extract of C. aronia (CAHE) on hypercholesterolemic rats were investigated. The rats, treated orally for four weeks with 400 mg/kg/day CAHE, exhibited significant decreases in serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The results were compared with those obtained after oral administration of atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day). Furthermore, 10-week daily co-administration of a high cholesterol diet and CAHE (200 mg/kg/day) prevented the increase in TC and LDL. These observations indicate that CAHE has a hypocholesterolemic effect.

Effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Lippia citriodora on candida albicans

PubMed Central

Ghasempour, Maryam; Omran, Saeid Mahdavi; Moghadamnia, Ali Akbar; Shafiee, Faranak

2016-01-01

Introduction Because of resistance and side effects to common antifungal drugs activity, the research on herbal substances with antifungal activity is frequent. Lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora) is a member of Verbenaceae family. The aim of this study was to determine the anti-candida activities of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the lemon verbena leaves and compare them with nystatin and fluconazole. Methods In this 2015 study, 15 clinical isolates and standard strain of candida albicans PTCC 5027 were used, and the inhibitory effects of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts, Nystatin and Fluconazole, were evaluated using disk and well diffusion methods. Also, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. Five concentrations of aqueous and ethanolic extracts (156–2500 μg/ml), Nystatin (8–128 μg/ml) and Fluconazole (4–64 μg/ml) were used in disk and well diffusion methods, and nine concentrations of aqueous and ethanolic extracts (19–5000 μg/ml), Nystatin (0.5–128 μg/ml), and Fluconazole (0.25–64 μg/ml) were applied for MIC. Data were analyzed using Tukey’s post-hoc and one-way ANOVA tests. The significant level was considered p < 0.05 in the current study. Results In the well and disk diffusion techniques, limited growth inhibition halos were produced around some clinical isolates at different concentrations of ethanolic extract; however, no growth inhibitory halo was observed with any concentrations of the aqueous extract. The MIC values of ethanolic extract, aqueous extract, Nystatin and Fluconazole for clinical isolated and standard strain were 833 ± 78.5and 625μg/ml; 4156 ± 67.4 and 2500 μg/ml; 10.13 ± 1.91 and 4 μg/ml; and 1.97 ± 0.25 and 1 μg/ml, respectively. Conclusion The results showed that the ethanolic extract was stronger than the aqueous extract of this plant, which can be used as an alternative for drugs. It is recommended that the ethanolic extract of this plant be investigated in vivo for better evaluation of its efficacy and properties. PMID:27757185

Trichocystatin-2 (TC-2): an endogenous inhibitor of cysteine proteinases in Trichomonas vaginalis is associated with TvCP39.

PubMed

Puente-Rivera, Jonathan; Ramón-Luing, Lucero de los Ángeles; Figueroa-Angulo, Elisa Elvira; Ortega-López, Jaime; Arroyo, Rossana

2014-09-01

The causal agent of trichomoniasis is a parasitic protist, Trichomonas vaginalis, which is rich in proteolytic activity, primarily carried out by cysteine proteases (CPs). Some CPs are known virulence factors. T. vaginalis also possesses three genes encoding endogenous cystatin-like CP inhibitors. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize one of these CP inhibitors. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MS), a cystatin-like peptidase inhibitor dubbed Trichocystatin-2 (TC-2) was identified in the T. vaginalis active degradome in association with TvCP39, a 39kDa CP involved in cytotoxicity. To characterize the TC-2 inhibitor, we cloned and expressed the tvicp-2 gene, purified the recombinant protein (TC-2r), and produced a specific polyclonal antibody (α-TC-2r). This antibody recognized a 10kDa protein band by western blotting. An indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and cell fractionation assays using the α-TC-2r antibody showed that TC-2 was localized in the cytoplasm and lysosomes and that it colocalized with TvCP39. TC-2r showed inhibitory activity against papain, cathepsin-L, and TvCP39 in trichomonad extracts and live parasites but not legumain-like CPs. Live trichomonads treated with TC-2r showed reduced trichomonal cytotoxicity to HeLa cell monolayers in a TC-2r-concentration-dependent manner. In this study, we identified and characterized an endogenous cystatin-like inhibitor in T. vaginalis, TC-2, which is associated with TvCP39 and appears to regulate the cellular damage caused by T. vaginalis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Multispectral False Color Imaging to Characterize Tropical Cyclone Structure and Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cossuth, J.; Bankert, R.; Richardson, K.; Surratt, M. L.

2016-12-01

The Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) tropical cyclone (TC) web page (http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/TC.html) has provided nearly two decades of near real-time access to TC-centric images and products by TC forecasters and enthusiasts around the world. Particularly, microwave imager and sounder information that is featured on this site provides crucial internal storm structure information by allowing users to perceive hydrometeor structure, providing key details beyond cloud top information provided by visible and infrared channels. Towards improving TC analysis techniques and helping advance the utility of the NRL TC webpage resource, new research efforts are presented. This work demonstrates results as well as the methodology used to develop new automated, objective satellite-based TC structure and intensity guidance and enhanced data fusion imagery products that aim to bolster and streamline TC forecast operations. This presentation focuses on the creation and interpretation of false color RGB composite imagery that leverages the different emissive and scattering properties of atmospheric ice, liquid, and vapor water as well as ocean surface roughness as seen by microwave radiometers. Specifically, a combination of near-realtime data and a standardized digital database of global TCs in microwave imagery from 1987-2012 is employed as a climatology of TC structures. The broad range of TC structures, from pinhole eyes through multiple eyewall configurations, is characterized as resolved by passive microwave sensors. The extraction of these characteristic features from historical data also lends itself to statistical analysis. For example, histograms of brightness temperature distributions allows a rigorous examination of how structural features are conveyed in image products, allowing a better representation of colors and breakpoints as they relate to physical features. Such climatological work also suggests steps to better inform the near-real time application of upcoming satellite datasets to TC analyses.

Development of Alternative Technetium Waste Forms

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

Czerwinski, Kenneth

2013-09-13

The UREX+1 process is under consideration for the separation of transuranic elements from spent nuclear fuel. The first steps of this process extract the fission product technicium-99 ({sup 99}Tc) into an organic phase containing tributylphosphate together with uranium. Treatment of this stream requires the separation of Tc from U and placement into a suitable waste storage form. A potential candidate waste form involves immobilizing the Tc as an alloy with either excess metallic zirconium or stainless steel. Although Tc-Zr alloys seem to be promising waste forms, alternative materials must be investigated. Innovative studies related to the synthesis and behavior ofmore » a different class of Tc materials will increase the scientific knowledge related to development of Tc waste forms. These studies will also provide a better understanding of the behavior of {sup 99}Tc in repository conditions. A literature survey has selected promising alternative waste forms for further study: technetium metallic alloys, nitrides, oxides, sulfides, and pertechnetate salts. The goals of this project are to 1) synthesize and structurally characterize relevant technetium materials that may be considered as waste forms, 2) investigate material behavior in solution under different conditions of temperature, electrochemical potential, and radiation, and 3) predict the long-term behavior of these materials.« less

Technetium-99 conjugated with methylene diphosphonate ameliorates ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic phenotype without causing osteonecrosis in the jaw.

PubMed

Zhao, Yinghua; Wang, Lei; Liu, Yi; Akiyama, Kentaro; Chen, Chider; Atsuta, Ikiru; Zhou, Tao; Duan, Xiaohong; Jin, Yan; Shi, Songtao

2012-12-01

Technetium-99 conjugated with methylene diphosphonate ((99)Tc-MDP) is a novel bisphosphonate derivative without radioactivity and has been successfully used to treat arthritis in China for years. Since bisphosphonate therapy has the potential to induce bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ), we examined whether (99)Tc-MDP represents a new class of bisphosphonate for antiresorptive therapy to ameliorate estrogen deficiency-induced bone resorption with less risk of causing BRONJ. We showed that (99)Tc-MDP-treated, ovariectomized (OVX) mice had significantly improved bone mineral density and trabecular bone volume in comparison to the untreated OVX group by inhibiting osteoclasts and enhancing osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. To determine the potential of inducing BRONJ, (99)Tc-MDP/dexamethasone (Dex) or zoledronate/Dex was administered into C57BL/6J mice via the tail vein, followed by extraction of maxillary first molars. Interestingly, (99)Tc-MDP treatment showed less risk to induce osteonecrosis in the maxillary bones compared to zoledronate treatment group, partially because (99)Tc-MDP neither suppressed adaptive regulatory T cells nor activated the inflammatory T-helper-producing interleukin-17 cells. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that (99)Tc-MDP therapy may be a promising approach in the treatment of osteoporosis with less risk of causing BRONJ.

Anti-pseudomonas activity of essential oil, total extract, and proanthocyanidins of Pinus eldarica Medw. bark.

PubMed

Sadeghi, Masoud; Zolfaghari, Behzad; Jahanian-Najafabadi, Ali; Abtahi, Seyed Reza

2016-01-01

Pinus eldarica Medw. (Iranian pine) is native to Transcaucasian region and has been vastly planted in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Various parts of this plant have been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including infectious conditions (e.g. infectious wounds). In this study we aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of P. eldarica bark extract, essential oil and proanthocyanidins on three important bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibacterial analysis was performed using standard disk diffusion method with different concentrations of essential oil, bark total hydroalcoholic extract, and bark proanthocyanidins (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mg/ml). After incubation at 37°C for 24 h, the antibacterial activity was assessed by measuring the zone of growth inhibition surrounding the disks. The results indicated that the essential oil, total hydroalcoholic extract, and proanthocyanidins of the bark of the P. eldarica were effective against the gram negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa, and significantly inhibited its growth in disk diffusion method (P<0.001) of which the essential oil had the most potent inhibitory effect. However, none of the bark preparations could significantly inhibit the growth of S. aureus or E. coli. Our findings showed that P. eldarica bark components have significant anti-pseudomonas activity having potentials for new sources of antibacterial agents or antibacterial herbal preparations.

Polyvinylidene Fluoride Micropore Membranes as Solid-Phase Extraction Disk for Preconcentration of Nanoparticulate Silver in Environmental Waters.

PubMed

Zhou, Xiao-Xia; Lai, Yu-Jian; Liu, Rui; Li, Sha-Sha; Xu, Jing-Wen; Liu, Jing-Fu

2017-12-05

Efficient separation and preconcentration of trace nanoparticulate silver (NAg) from large-volume environmental waters is a prerequisite for reliable analysis and therefore understanding the environmental processes of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Herein, we report the novel use of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) filter membrane for disk-based solid phase extraction (SPE) of NAg in 1 L of water samples with the disk-based SPE system, which consists of a syringe pump and a syringe filter holder to embed the filter membrane. While the PVDF membrane can selectively adsorb NAg in the presence of Ag + , aqueous solution of 2% (m/v) FL-70 is found to efficiently elute NAg. Analysis of NAg is performed following optimization of filter membrane and elution conditions with an enrichment factor of 1000. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, and size-exclusion chromatography coupled with ICP-MS (SEC-ICP-MS) analysis showed that the extraction gives rise to no change in NAg size or shape, making this method attractive for practical applications. Furthermore, feasibility of the protocol is verified by applying it to extract NAg in four real waters with recoveries of 62.2-80.2% at 0.056-0.58 μg/L spiked levels. This work will facilitate robust studies of trace NAg transformation and their hazard assessments in the environment.

Comprehensive analytical methodology to determine hydrocarbons in marine waters using extraction disks coupled to glass fiber filters and compound-specific isotope analyses.

PubMed

Ternon, Eva; Tolosa, Imma

2015-07-24

Solid-phase extraction of both aliphatic (AHs) and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from seawater samples was evaluated using a GFF filter stacked upon an octadecyl bonded silica (C18) disk. Stable-isotope measurements were developed on hydrocarbons extracted from both GFF and C18-disks in order to characterize the source of hydrocarbons. A clear partition of hydrocarbon compounds between the dissolved and the particulate phase was highlighted. PAHs showed a higher affinity with the dissolved phase (recoveries efficiency of 48-71%) whereas AHs presented strong affinity with the particulate phase (up to 76% of extraction efficiency). Medium volumes of seawater samples were tested and no breakthrough was observed for a 5L sample. Isotopic fractionation was investigated within all analytical steps but none was evidenced. This method has been applied to harbor seawater samples and very low AH and PAH concentrations were achieved. Due to the low concentration levels of hydrocarbons in the samples, the source of hydrocarbons was determined by molecular indices rather than isotopic measurements and a pyrolytic origin was evidenced. The aliphatic profile also revealed the presence of long-chain linear alkylbenzenes (LABs). The methodology presented here would better fit to polluted coastal environments affected by recent oil spills. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anti-pseudomonas activity of essential oil, total extract, and proanthocyanidins of Pinus eldarica Medw. bark

PubMed Central

Sadeghi, Masoud; Zolfaghari, Behzad; Jahanian-Najafabadi, Ali; Abtahi, Seyed Reza

2016-01-01

Pinus eldarica Medw. (Iranian pine) is native to Transcaucasian region and has been vastly planted in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Various parts of this plant have been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including infectious conditions (e.g. infectious wounds). In this study we aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of P. eldarica bark extract, essential oil and proanthocyanidins on three important bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibacterial analysis was performed using standard disk diffusion method with different concentrations of essential oil, bark total hydroalcoholic extract, and bark proanthocyanidins (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mg/ml). After incubation at 37°C for 24 h, the antibacterial activity was assessed by measuring the zone of growth inhibition surrounding the disks. The results indicated that the essential oil, total hydroalcoholic extract, and proanthocyanidins of the bark of the P. eldarica were effective against the gram negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa, and significantly inhibited its growth in disk diffusion method (P<0.001) of which the essential oil had the most potent inhibitory effect. However, none of the bark preparations could significantly inhibit the growth of S. aureus or E. coli. Our findings showed that P. eldarica bark components have significant anti-pseudomonas activity having potentials for new sources of antibacterial agents or antibacterial herbal preparations. PMID:27051433

Fe(II)- and sulfide-facilitated reduction of 99Tc(VII)O4- in microbially reduced hyporheic zone sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, James K.; Heald, Steve M.; McKinley, James P.; Plymale, Andrew E.; Resch, Charles T.; Moore, Dean A.

2014-07-01

Redox-reactive, biogeochemical phases generated by reductive microbial activity in hyporheic zone sediments from a dynamic groundwater-river interaction zone were evaluated for their ability to reduce soluble pertechnetate [99Tc(VII)O4-] to less soluble Tc(IV). The sediments were bioreduced by indigenous microorganisms that were stimulated by organic substrate addition in synthetic groundwater with or without sulfate. In most treatments, 20 μmol L-1 initial aqueous Tc(VII) was reduced to near or below detection (3.82 × 10-9 mol L-1) over periods of days to months in suspensions of variable solids concentrations. Native sediments containing significant lithogenic Fe(II) in various phases were, in contrast, unreactive with Tc(VII). The reduction rates in the bioreduced sediments increased with increases in sediment mass, in proportion to weak acid-extractable Fe(II) and sediment-associated sulfide (AVS). The rate of Tc(VII) reduction was first order with respect to both aqueous Tc(VII) concentration and sediment mass, but correlations between specific reductant concentrations and reaction rate were not found. X-ray microprobe measurements revealed a strong correlation between Tc hot spots and Fe-containing mineral particles in the sediment. However, only a portion of Fe-containing particles were Tc-hosts. The Tc-hot spots displayed a chemical signature (by EDXRF) similar to pyroxene. The application of autoradiography and electron microprobe allowed further isolation of Tc-containing particles that were invariably found to be ca 100 μm aggregates of primary mineral material embedded within a fine-grained phyllosilicate matrix. EXAFS spectroscopy revealed that the Tc(IV) within these were a combination of a Tc(IV)O2-like phase and Tc(IV)-Fe surface clusters, with a significant fraction of a TcSx-like phase in sediments incubated with SO42-. AVS was implicated as a more selective reductant at low solids concentration even though its concentration was below that required for stoichiometric reduction of Tc(VII). These results demonstrate that composite mineral aggregates may be redox reaction centers in coarse-textured hyporheic zone sediments regardless of the dominant anoxic biogeochemical processes.

Fe(II)- and Sulfide-Facilitated Reduction of 99Tc(VII)O4- in Microbially Reduced Hyporheic Zone Sediments

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

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, Jim K.

Redox-reactive, biogeochemical phases generated by reductive microbial activity in hyporheic zone sediments from a dynamic groundwater-river interaction zone were evaluated for their ability to reduce soluble pertechnetate [99Tc(VII)O4-] to less soluble Tc(IV). The sediments were bioreduced by indigenous microorganisms that were stimulated by organic substrate addition in synthetic groundwater with or without sulfate. In most treatments, 20 µmol L-1 initial aqueous Tc(VII) was reduced to near or below detection (3.82×10-9 mol L-1) over periods of days to months in suspensions of variable solids concentrations. Native sediments containing significant lithogenic Fe(II) in various phases were, in contrast, unreactive with Tc(VII). Themore » reduction rates in the bioreduced sediments increased with increases in sediment mass, in proportion to weak acid-extractable Fe(II) and sediment-associated sulfide (AVS). The rate of Tc(VII) reduction was first order with respect to both aqueous Tc(VII) concentration and sediment mass, but correlations between specific reductant concentrations and reaction rate were not found. X-ray microprobe measurements revealed a strong correlation between Tc hot spots and Fe-containing mineral particles in the sediment. However, only a portion of Fe-containing particles were Tc-hosts. The Tc-hot spots displayed a chemical signature (by EDXRF) similar to pyroxene. The application of autoradiography and electron microprobe allowed further isolation of Tc-containing particles that were invariably found to be ca 100 µm aggregates of primary mineral material embedded within a fine-grained phyllosilicate matrix. EXAFS spectroscopy revealed that the Tc(IV) within these were a combination of a Tc(IV)O2-like phase and Tc(IV)-Fe surface clusters, with a significant fraction of a TcSx-like phase in sediments incubated with SO42-. AVS was implicated as a more selective reductant at low solids concentration even though its concentration was below that required for stoichiometric reduction of Tc(VII). These results demonstrate that composite mineral aggregates may be redox reaction centers in coarse-textured hyporheic zone sediments regardless of the dominant anoxic biogeochemical processes.« less

Residual waste from Hanford tanks 241-C-203 and 241-C-204. 2. Contaminant release model.

PubMed

Cantrell, Kirk J; Krupka, Kenneth M; Deutsch, William J; Lindberg, Michael J

2006-06-15

Release of U and 99Tc from residual sludge in Hanford waste tanks 241-C-203 and 241-C-204 atthe U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state was quantified by water-leaching, selective extractions, empirical solubility measurements, and thermodynamic modeling. A contaminant release model was developed based on these experimental results and solid-phase characterization results presented elsewhere. Uranium release was determined to be controlled by two phases and occurred in three stages. In the first stage, U release is controlled by the solubility of tejkaite, which is suppressed by high concentrations of sodium released from the dissolution of NaNO3 in the residual sludges. Equilibrium solubility calculations indicate the U released during this stage will have a maximum concentration of 0.021 M. When all the NaNO3 has dissolved from the sludge, the solubility of the remaining cejkaite will increase to 0.28 M. After cejkaite has completely dissolved, the majority of the remaining U is in the form of poorly crystalline Na2U2O7 [or clarkeite Na[(UO2)O(OH)](H20)0-1]. In contact with Hanford groundwater this phase is not stable, and becquerelite becomes the U solubility controlling phase, with a calculated equilibrium concentration of 1.2 x 10(-4) M. For Tc, a significant fraction of its concentration in the residual sludge was determined to be relatively insoluble (20 wt % for C-203 and 80 wt % for C-204). Because of the low concentrations of Tc in these sludge materials, the characterization studies did not identify any discrete Tc solids phases. Release of the soluble fraction of Tc was found to occur concomitantly with NO3-. It was postulated that a NaNO3-NaTcO4 solid solution could be responsible for this behavior. The Tc release concentrations for the soluble fraction were estimated to be 2.4 x 10-6 M for C-203 and 2.7 x 10(-5) M for C-204. Selective extraction results indicated that the recalcitrant fraction of Tc was associated with Fe oxides. Release of the recalcitrant fraction of Tc was assumed to be controlled by dissolution of Fe oxide in the form of ferrihydrite. Based on this assumption and measured values for the ratio of recalcitrant Tc to total Fe in each bulk sludge, the release concentration of the recalcitrant fraction of Tc was calculated to be 3.9 x 10(-12) M for C-203 and 10.0 x 10(-12) M for C-204.

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

Rajauria, Sukumar, E-mail: sukumar.rajauria@hgst.com; Canchi, Sripathi V., E-mail: sripathi.canchi@hgst.com; Schreck, Erhard

The kinetic friction and wear at high sliding speeds is investigated using the head-disk interface of hard disk drives, wherein the head and the disk are less than 10 nm apart and move at sliding speeds of 5–10 m/s relative to each other. While the spacing between the sliding surfaces is of the same order of magnitude as various AFM based fundamental studies on friction, the sliding speed is nearly six orders of magnitude larger, allowing a unique set-up for a systematic study of nanoscale wear at high sliding speeds. In a hard disk drive, the physical contact between the head andmore » the disk leads to friction, wear, and degradation of the head overcoat material (typically diamond like carbon). In this work, strain gauge based friction measurements are performed; the friction coefficient as well as the adhering shear strength at the head-disk interface is extracted; and an experimental set-up for studying friction between high speed sliding surfaces is exemplified.« less

Nanoscale wear and kinetic friction between atomically smooth surfaces sliding at high speeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajauria, Sukumar; Canchi, Sripathi V.; Schreck, Erhard; Marchon, Bruno

2015-02-01

The kinetic friction and wear at high sliding speeds is investigated using the head-disk interface of hard disk drives, wherein the head and the disk are less than 10 nm apart and move at sliding speeds of 5-10 m/s relative to each other. While the spacing between the sliding surfaces is of the same order of magnitude as various AFM based fundamental studies on friction, the sliding speed is nearly six orders of magnitude larger, allowing a unique set-up for a systematic study of nanoscale wear at high sliding speeds. In a hard disk drive, the physical contact between the head and the disk leads to friction, wear, and degradation of the head overcoat material (typically diamond like carbon). In this work, strain gauge based friction measurements are performed; the friction coefficient as well as the adhering shear strength at the head-disk interface is extracted; and an experimental set-up for studying friction between high speed sliding surfaces is exemplified.

Deep liquid-chromatographic purification of uranium extract from technetium

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

Volk, V.; Dvoeglazov, K; Podrezova, L.

The recycling of uranium in the nuclear fuel cycle requires the removal of a number of radioactive and stable impurities like {sup 99}Tc from spent fuels. In order to improve the grade of uranium extract purification from technetium the method of liquid chromatography and the apparatus for its performance have been developed. Process of technetium extraction and concentrating in aqueous solution containing reducing agent has been studied on simulated solutions (U-Tc-HNO{sub 3}-30% TBP-isoparM). The dynamic tests of the method have been carried out on the laboratory unit. Solution of diformyl-hydrazine in nitric acid was used as a stationary phase. Silicamore » gel with specific surface of 186 m{sup 2}/g was used as a carrier of the stationary phase. It is shown that the volume of purified extract increases as the solution temperature increases, concentration of reducing agent increases and extract flow rate decreases. It is established that the technetium content in uranium by this method could achieve a value below 0.3 ppm. Some variants of overload and composition of the stationary phase containing the extracted technetium have been offered and tested. It is defined that the method provides reduction of processing medium-active wastes by more than 10 times during finish refining process. (authors)« less

Experimental Study on GFRP Surface Cracks Detection Using Truncated-Correlation Photothermal Coherence Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei; Liu, Junyan; Mohummad, Oliullah; Wang, Yang

2018-04-01

In this paper, truncated-correlation photothermal coherence tomography (TC-PCT) was used as a nondestructive inspection technique to evaluate glass-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite surface cracks. Chirped-pulsed signal that combines linear frequency modulation and pulse excitation was proposed as an excitation signal to detect GFRP composite surface cracks. The basic principle of TC-PCT and extraction algorithm of the thermal wave signal feature was described. The comparison experiments between lock-in thermography, thermal wave radar imaging and chirped-pulsed photothermal radar for detecting GFRP artificial surface cracks were carried out. Experimental results illustrated that chirped-pulsed photothermal radar has the merits of high signal-to-noise ratio in detecting GFRP composite surface cracks. TC-PCT as a depth-resolved photothermal imaging modality was employed to enable three-dimensional visualization of GFRP composite surface cracks. The results showed that TC-PCT can effectively evaluate the cracks depth of GFRP composite.

Long-term impact of wildfire on soils exposed to different fire severities. A case study in Cadiretes Massif (NE Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Francos, Marcos; Úbeda, Xavier; Pereira, Paulo; Alcañiz, Meritxell

2018-02-15

Wildfires affect ecosystems depending on the fire regime. Long-term studies are needed to understand the ecological role played by fire, especially as regards its impact on soils. The aim of this study is to monitor the long-term effects (18years) of a wildfire on soil properties in two areas affected by low and high fire severity regimes. The properties studied were total nitrogen (TN), total carbon (TC), C/N ratio, soil organic matter (SOM) and extractable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and potassium (K). The study was carried out in three phases: short- (immediately after the wildfire), medium- (seven years after the wildfire) and long-term (18years after the wildfire). The results showed that in both fire regimes TN decreased with time, TC and SOM were significantly lower in the burned plots than they were in the control in the medium- and long-terms. C/N ratio was significantly lower at short-term in low wildfire severity area. Extractable Ca and Mg were significantly higher in control plot than in the burned plots in the medium-term. In the long-term, extractable Ca and Mg were significantly lower in the area exposed to a high severity burning. No differences were identified in the case of extractable Na between plots on any of the sampling dates, while extractable K was significantly higher in the plot exposed to low wildfire than it was in the control. Some restoration measures may be required after the wildfire, especially in areas affected by high severity burning, to avoid the long-term impacts on the essential soil nutrients of TC, SOM, extractable Ca and Mg. This long-term nutrient depletion is attributable to vegetation removal, erosion, leaching and post-fire vegetation consumption. Soils clearly need more time to recover from wildfire disturbance, especially in areas affected by high severity fire regimes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cytotoxic activity of the twigs of Cinnamomum cassia through the suppression of cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells.

PubMed

Park, Gwang Hun; Song, Hun Min; Park, Su Bin; Son, Ho-Jun; Um, Yurry; Kim, Hyun-Seok; Jeong, Jin Boo

2018-01-25

Because twigs of Cinnamomum cassia (TC) have been reported to exert anti-cancer activity, the mechanistic study for TC's anti-cancer activity is required. Thus, we elucidated the potential molecular mechanism of TC's anti-proliferative effect and the induction of apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells. How water extracts form TC (TC-HW) was used in this study. Anti-cell proliferative effect of TC-HW was evaluated by MTT assay. The change of protein or mRNA level by TC-HW was evaluated by Western blot and RT-RCR, respectively. The promoter construct for ATF3, NF-κB, TOP-FLASH or FOP-FLASH was used for the investigation of the transcriptional activity for ATF3, NF-κB or Wnt. siRNA for ATF3 or p65 was used for the knockdown of ATF3 and p65. TC-HW reduced the cell viability in human colorectal cancer cells. TC-HW decreased cyclin D1 protein level through cyclin D1 degradation via GSK3β-dependent threonine-286 (T286) phosphorylation of cyclin D1, indicating that cyclin D1 degradation may contribute to TC-HW-mediated decrease of cyclin D1 protein level. TC-HW downregulated the expression of cyclin D1 mRNA level and inhibited Wnt activation through the downregulation of β-catenin and TCF4 expression, indicating that inhibition of cyclin D1 transcription may also result in TC-HW-mediated decrease of cyclin D1 protein level. In addition, TC-HW was observed to induce apoptosis through ROS-dependent DNA damage. TC-HW-induced ROS increased NF-κB and ATF3 activation, and inhibition of NF-κB and ATF3 activation attenuated TC-HW-mediated apoptosis. Our results suggest that TC-HW may suppress cell proliferation through the downregulation of cyclin D1 via proteasomal degradation and transcriptional inhibition, and may induce apoptosis through ROS-dependent NF-κB and ATF3 activation. These effects of TC-HW may contribute to the reduction of cell viability in human colorectal cancer cells. From these findings, TC-HW has potential to be a candidate for the development of chemoprevention or therapeutic agents for human colorectal cancer.

Graphene-based solid-phase extraction disk for fast separation and preconcentration of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Wang, Zonghua; Han, Qiang; Xia, Jianfei; Xia, Linhua; Ding, Mingyu; Tang, Jie

2013-06-01

Graphene has great potentials for the use in sample preparation due to its ultra high specific surface area, superior chemical stability, and excellent thermal stability. In our work, a novel graphene-based SPE disk was developed for separation and preconcentration of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples. Based on the strong π-π stacking interaction between the analytes and graphene, the analytes extracted by graphene were eluted by cyclohexane and then determined by GC-MS. Under the optimized conditions, high flow rate (30 mL/min) and sensitivity (0.84-13 ng/L) were achieved. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of real environmental water samples with recoveries ranging from 72.8 to 106.2%. Furthermore, the property of anticlogging and reusability was also improved. This work reveals great potentials of graphene-based SPE disk in environmental analytical. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thermodynamic description of Tc(iv) solubility and carbonate complexation in alkaline NaHCO3-Na2CO3-NaCl systems.

PubMed

Baumann, A; Yalçıntaş, E; Gaona, X; Polly, R; Dardenne, K; Prüßmann, T; Rothe, J; Altmaier, M; Geckeis, H

2018-03-28

The solubility of 99 Tc(iv) was investigated in dilute to concentrated carbonate solutions (0.01 M ≤ C tot ≤ 1.0 M, with C tot = [HCO 3 - ] + [CO 3 2- ]) under systematic variation of ionic strength (I = 0.3-5.0 M NaHCO 3 -Na 2 CO 3 -NaCl-NaOH) and pH m (-log[H + ] = 8.5-14.5). Strongly reducing conditions (pe + pH m ≈ 2) were set with Sn(ii). Carbonate enhances the solubility of Tc(iv) in alkaline conditions by up to 3.5 log 10 -units compared to carbonate-free systems. Solvent extraction and XANES confirmed that Tc was kept as +IV during the timeframe of the experiments (≤ 650 days). Solid phase characterization performed by XAFS, XRD, SEM-EDS, chemical analysis and TG-DTA confirmed that TcO 2 ·0.6H 2 O(am) controls the solubility of Tc(iv) under the conditions investigated. Slope analysis of the solubility data in combination with solid/aqueous phase characterization and DFT calculations indicate the predominance of the species Tc(OH) 3 CO 3 - at pH m ≤ 11 and C tot ≥ 0.01 M, for which thermodynamic and activity models are derived. Solubility data obtained above pH m ≈ 11 indicates the formation of previously unreported Tc(iv)-carbonate species, possibly Tc(OH) 4 CO 3 2- , although the likely formation of additional complexes prevents deriving a thermodynamic model valid for this pH m -region. This work provides the most comprehensive thermodynamic dataset available for the system Tc 4+ -Na + -Cl - -OH - -HCO 3 - -CO 3 2- -H 2 O(l) valid under a range of conditions relevant for nuclear waste disposal.

Glucosidase inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of flavonoid compound and triterpenoid compound from Agrimonia Pilosa Ledeb.

PubMed

Liu, Xi; Zhu, Liancai; Tan, Jun; Zhou, Xuemei; Xiao, Ling; Yang, Xian; Wang, Bochu

2014-01-10

In Chinese traditional medicine, Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb (APL) exhibits great effect on treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), however its mechanism is still unknown. Considering that T2DM are correlated with postprandial hyperglycemia and oxidative stress, we investigated the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and the antioxidant activity of flavonoid compound (FC) and triterpenoid compound (TC) from APL. Entire plants of APL were extracted using 95% ethanol and 50% ethanol successively. The resulting extracts were partitioned and isolated by applying liquid chromatography using silica gel column and Sephadex LH 20 column to give FC and TC. The content of total flavonoids in FC and the content of total triterpenoids in TC were determined by using UV spectrophotometry. HPLC analysis was used to identify and quantify the monomeric compound in FC and TC. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were determined using the chromogenic method with p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside as substrate. Antioxidant activities were assessed through three kinds of radical scavenging assays (DPPH radical, ABTS radical and hydroxyl radical) & β-carotene-linoleic acid assay. The results indicate FC is abundant of quercitrin, and hyperoside, and TC is abundant of 1β, 2β, 3β, 19α-tetrahydroxy-12-en-28-oic acid (265.2 mg/g) and corosolic acid (100.9 mg/g). The FC & the TC have strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC50 of 8.72 μg/mL and 3.67 μg/mL, respectively. We find that FC show competitive inhibition against α-glucosidase, while the TC exhibits noncompetitive inhibition. Furthermore, The FC exhibits significant radical scavenging activity with the EC50 values of 7.73 μg/mL, 3.64 μg/mL and 5.90 μg/mL on DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical and ABTS radical, respectively. The FC also shows moderate anti-lipid peroxidation activity with the IC50 values of 41.77 μg/mL on inhibiting β-carotene bleaching. These results imply that the FC and the TC could be responsible for the good clinical effects of APL on T2MD through targeting oxidative stress and postprandial hyperglycaemia. So APL may be good sources of natural antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitors exhibiting remarkable potential value for the therapy of T2DM.

Ferrari et al. reply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, M. J.; Johnson, M.; Wellstood, F. C.; Clarke, J.; Mitzi, D.; Rosenthal, P. A.; Eom, C. B.; Geballe, T. H.; Kapitulnik, A.; Beasley, M. R.

1990-07-01

A reply to the comment on flux pinning energies in high-Tc superconductors is given. The extraction of flux-pinning energies from different types of measurements remains a highly contorversial issues. (AIP)

Unravelling the Natural and Anthropogenic Drivers of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Track Position since the Little Ice Age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldini, L. M.; Baldini, J. U. L.; McElwaine, J.; Frappier, A. B.; Asmerom, Y.; Liu, K. B.; Prufer, K. M.; Ridley, H.; Polyak, V. J.; Kennett, D. J.; Macpherson, C.; Aquino, V. V.; Awe, J.; Breitenbach, S. F. M.

2017-12-01

In the last decade, stalagmites have been recognised as valuable archives of past hurricane activity. The characteristically low δ18O rainfall of tropical cyclones (TCs, including both hurricanes and tropical storms) is particularly well-preserved in fast-growing tropical speleothems. Here we present a new multi-proxy approach used to extract the western Caribbean TC signal from background wet season rainfall that, at our site in southern Belize, is driven by seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The result is an annual 450-year record of western Caribbean TC activity that, when compared to documentary and statistical model-based reconstructions of North Atlantic TC activity, reveals a northward migration of dominant TC track since the height of Little Ice Age cooling. Importantly, the record reveals a reversal in the TC track position-North Atlantic sea surface temperature relationship between the pre-Industrial and Industrial Eras. During the pre-Industrial interval, TC track position migrated with the ITCZ toward the warmer hemisphere. Conversely, anthropogenic greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions during the Industrial Era have decoupled TC track position from the ITCZ through expansion of the Hadley Cell. This research suggests that under future greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions scenarios, the dominant TC track is likely to remain to the north. Combined with greenhouse gas-induced rising sea surface temperatures, the risk to the NE US population and financial centres is likely to increase in the future.

Antidiabetic Mechanisms of Rosa canina Fruits

PubMed Central

Fattahi, Ali; Niyazi, Fatemeh; Shahbazi, Behzad; Farzaei, Mohammad Hosein; Bahrami, Gholamreza

2016-01-01

Rosa canina fruits have been used traditionally for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications. The aim of current study was to evaluate the in vitro mechanism of action of R canina in managing diabetes mellitus. Cell proliferation and cytotoxicity assay were performed on pancreatic β-cells, βTC6. The protective activity of the extract on streptozotocin-induced death in βTC6 cells was studied. The effect of R canina on the metabolism of glucose in HepG2, a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, was evaluated. The effect of the extract on glucose diffusion across the dialysis membrane, which is a comfortable model for assessing cellular glucose absorption, was evaluated. The results obtained from current study confirmed that R canina extract can act as a growth factor for pancreatic β-cell line providing a novel mechanism for the observed antidiabetic effect of this natural agent. Further preclinical studies are necessary to evaluate the perfect mechanism of action of R canina in diabetes mellitus. PMID:27352916

Determination of nucleoside analog mono-, di-, and tri-phosphates in cellular matrix by solid phase extraction and ultra-sensitive LC-MS/MS detection.

PubMed

Bushman, Lane R; Kiser, Jennifer J; Rower, Joseph E; Klein, Brandon; Zheng, Jia-Hua; Ray, Michelle L; Anderson, Peter L

2011-09-10

An ultra-sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay was developed and validated to facilitate the assessment of clinical pharmacokinetics of nucleotide analogs from lysed intracellular matrix. The method utilized a strong anion exchange isolation of mono-(MP), di-(DP), and tri-phosphates (TP) from intracellular matrix. Each fraction was then dephosphorylated to the parent moiety yielding a molar equivalent to the original nucleotide analog intracellular concentration. The analytical portion of the methodology was optimized in specific nucleoside analog centric modes (i.e. tenofovir (TFV) centric, zidovudine (ZDV) centric), which included desalting/concentration by solid phase extraction and detection by LC-MS/MS. Nucleotide analog MP-, DP-, and TP-determined on the TFV centric mode of analysis include TFV, lamivudine (3TC), and emtricitibine (FTC). The quantifiable linear range for TFV was 2.5-2000 fmol/sample, and that for 3TC/FTC was 0.1 200 pmol/sample. Nucleoside analog MP-, DP-, and TP-determined on the ZDV centric mode of analysis included 3TC and ZDV. The quantifiable linear range for 3TC was 0.1 100 pmol/sample, and 5-2000 fmol/sample for ZDV. Stable labeled isotopic internal standards facilitated accuracy and precision in alternative cell matrices, which supported the intended use of the method for MP, DP, and TP determinations in various cell types. The method was successfully applied to clinical research samples generating novel intracellular information for TFV, FTC, ZDV, and 3TC nucleotides. This document outlines method development, validation, and application to clinical research. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Separation of uranium from technetium in recovery of spent nuclear fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, H. A.

1984-06-01

A method for decontaminating uranium product from the Purex 5 process is described. Hydrazine is added to the product uranyl nitrate stream from the Purex process, which contains hexavalent (UO2(2+)) uranium and heptavalent technetius (TcO4-). Technetium in the product stream is reduced and then complexed by the addition of oxalic acid (H2O2O4), and the Tc-oxalate complex is readily separated from the 10 uranium by solvent extraction with 30 vol % tributyl phosphate in n-dodecane.

Assessment of antioxidative ability in brain: Imaging of glutathione localization with technetium-99M meso-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime

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

Sasaki, T.; Toyama, H.; Oda, K.

1994-05-01

An oxidative stress is postulated to be important in tissue injury after ischemia and reperfusion, inflammation, aging and various disease. Glutathione (GSH), one of the major antioxidants in the brain, is presumed to be responsible for the metabolism and retention of [Tc-99m] HM-PAO. In order to visualize the regional localization of GSH in the brain, the relationship between the concentrations of tissue GSH and uptake of [Tc-99m] meso-HM-PAO and [Tc-99m] d,l-HM-PAO was studied in mice. Increasing load of diethyl maleate (DEM), a reducing agent of GSH and several other thiols, before [Tc-99m] meso-HM-PAO injection, led to a dose dependent decreasemore » of GSH and [Tc-99m] meso-HM-PAO. At the highest dose of loaded DEM, the uptake of [Tc-99m] meso-HM-PAO in the brain was decreased to 20-30% of the control. In contrast, pretreatment with DEM did little affect the [Tc-99m] d,l-HM-PAO uptake. To elucidate the retention mechanism of [Tc-99m] HM-PAO in brain, we studied the in vitro interactions of [Tc-99m] meso-HMPAO and [Tc-99m] d,l-HM-PAO with GSH, ascorbate and cysteine by measuring octanol-extractable radioactivity, which is remaining intact [Tc-99m] HM-PAO, as a function of incubation period. The disappearance raw of [Tc-99m] meso-HMPAO and [TC-99m] d,l-HM-PAO were 0.18 and 0.96%/min, respectively. Either meso or d,l-isomer did not interact with ascorbate or cysteine. This result suggested that the retention mechanism of [Tc-99m] meso- and d,l-isomers in brain was related to their specific interaction with GSH, and did not related to non-specific interaction with various thiols or other reducing agents. This extremely high reaction rate of [Tc-99m] d,l-HM-PAO with GSH could explain the capability of a small amount of GSH to trap [Tc-99m] d,l-HM-PAO in maximum DEM loading. These results indicated that [Tc-99m] meso-HMPAO would be suitable to image the concentration of GSH in the brain, as opposed d,l-isomer that images blood flow.« less

Speciation of inorganic arsenic in drinking water by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry after in situ preconcentration with miniature solid-phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Hagiwara, Kenta; Inui, Tetsuo; Koike, Yuya; Aizawa, Mamoru; Nakamura, Toshihiro

2015-03-01

A rapid and simple method using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometry after in situ solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for the speciation and evaluation of the concentration of inorganic arsenic (As) in drinking water. The method involves the simultaneous collection of As(III) and As(V) using 13 mm ϕ SPE miniature disks. The removal of Pb(2+) from the sample water was first conducted to avoid the overlapping PbLα and AsKα spectra on the XRF spectrum. To this end, a 50 mL aqueous sample (pH 5-9) was passed through an iminodiacetate chelating disk. The filtrate was adjusted to pH 2-3 with HCl, and then ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate solution was added. The solution was passed through a hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene filter placed on a Zr and Ca loaded cation-exchange disk at a flow rate of 12.5 mL min(-1) to separate As(III)-pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate complex and As(V). Each SPE disk was affixed to an acrylic plate using adhesive cellophane tape, and then examined by WDXRF spectrometry. The detection limits of As(III) and As(V) were 0.8 and 0.6 μg L(-1), respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to screening for As speciation and concentration evaluation in spring water and well water. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Espaillat, C.; D'Alessio, P.; Hernandez, J.

In the past few years, several disks with inner holes that are relatively empty of small dust grains have been detected and are known as transitional disks. Recently, Spitzer has identified a new class of 'pre-transitional disks' with gaps based on near-infrared photometry and mid-infrared spectra; these objects have an optically thick inner disk separated from an optically thick outer disk by an optically thin disk gap. A near-infrared spectrum provided the first confirmation of a gap in the pre-transitional disk of LkCa 15 by verifying that the near-infrared excess emission in this object was due to an optically thickmore » inner disk. Here, we investigate the difference between the nature of the inner regions of transitional and pre-transitional disks using the same veiling-based technique to extract the near-infrared excess emission above the stellar photosphere. However, in this work we use detailed disk models to fit the excess continua as opposed to the simple blackbody fits previously used. We show that the near-infrared excess emission of the previously identified pre-transitional disks of LkCa 15 and UX Tau A in the Taurus cloud as well as the newly identified pre-transitional disk of ROX 44 in Ophiuchus can be fit with an inner disk wall located at the dust destruction radius. We also present detailed modeling of the broadband spectral energy distributions of these objects, taking into account the effect of shadowing by the inner disk on the outer disk, but considering the finite size of the star, unlike other recent treatments. The near-infrared excess continua of these three pre-transitional disks, which can be explained by optically thick inner disks, are significantly different from that of the transitional disks of GM Aur, whose near-infrared excess continuum can be reproduced by emission from sub-micron-sized optically thin dust, and DM Tau, whose near-infrared spectrum is consistent with a disk hole that is relatively free of small dust. The structure of pre-transitional disks may be a sign of young planets forming in these disks and future studies of pre-transitional disks will provide constraints to aid in theoretical modeling of planet formation.« less

Effects of air abrasion with alumina or glass beads on surface characteristics of CAD/CAM composite materials and the bond strength of resin cements

PubMed Central

Nobuaki, ARAO; Keiichi, YOSHIDA; Takashi, SAWASE

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective The study aimed to evaluate effects of air abrasion with alumina or glass beads on bond strengths of resin cements to CAD/CAM composite materials. Material and Methods CAD/CAM composite block materials [Cerasmart (CS) and Block HC (BHC)] were pretreated as follows: (a) no treatment (None), (b) application of a ceramic primer (CP), (c) alumina-blasting at 0.2 MPa (AB), (d) AB followed by CP (AB+CP), and (e) glass-beads blasting at 0.4 MPa (GBB) followed by CP (GBB+CP). The composite specimens were bonded to resin composite disks using resin cements [G-CEM Cerasmart (GCCS) and ResiCem (RC)]. The bond strengths after 24 h (TC 0) and after thermal cycling (TC 10,000 at 4–60°C) were measured by shear tests. Three-way ANOVA and the Tukey compromise post hoc tests were used to analyze statistically significant differences between groups (α=0.05). Results For both CAD/CAM composite materials, the None group exhibited a significant decrease in bond strength after TC 10,000 (p<0.05). AB showed significantly higher bond strength after TC 10,000 than the None group, while CP did not (p<0.05). GBB exhibited smaller surface defects than did AB; however, their surface roughnesses were not significantly different (p>0.05). The AB+CP group showed a significantly higher bond strength after TC 10,000 than did the AB group for RC (p<0.05), but not for GCCS. The GBB+CP group showed the highest bond strength for both thermal cyclings (p<0.05). Conclusions Air abrasion with glass beads was more effective in increasing bond durability between the resin cements and CAD/CAM composite materials than was using an alumina powder and a CP. PMID:26814465

A NEW ELECTRON-DENSITY MODEL FOR ESTIMATION OF PULSAR AND FRB DISTANCES

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

Yao, J. M.; Wang, N.; Manchester, R. N.

2017-01-20

We present a new model for the distribution of free electrons in the Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds, and the intergalactic medium (IGM) that can be used to estimate distances to real or simulated pulsars and fast radio bursts (FRBs) based on their dispersion measure (DM). The Galactic model has an extended thick disk representing the so-called warm interstellar medium, a thin disk representing the Galactic molecular ring, spiral arms based on a recent fit to Galactic H ii regions, a Galactic Center disk, and seven local features including the Gum Nebula, Galactic Loop I, and the Local Bubble. An offsetmore » of the Sun from the Galactic plane and a warp of the outer Galactic disk are included in the model. Parameters of the Galactic model are determined by fitting to 189 pulsars with independently determined distances and DMs. Simple models are used for the Magellanic Clouds and the IGM. Galactic model distances are within the uncertainty range for 86 of the 189 independently determined distances and within 20% of the nearest limit for a further 38 pulsars. We estimate that 95% of predicted Galactic pulsar distances will have a relative error of less than a factor of 0.9. The predictions of YMW16 are compared to those of the TC93 and NE2001 models showing that YMW16 performs significantly better on all measures. Timescales for pulse broadening due to interstellar scattering are estimated for (real or simulated) Galactic and Magellanic Cloud pulsars and FRBs.« less

An automated flow injection system for metal determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry involving on-line fabric disk sorptive extraction technique.

PubMed

Anthemidis, A; Kazantzi, V; Samanidou, V; Kabir, A; Furton, K G

2016-08-15

A novel flow injection-fabric disk sorptive extraction (FI-FDSE) system was developed for automated determination of trace metals. The platform was based on a minicolumn packed with sol-gel coated fabric media in the form of disks, incorporated into an on-line solid-phase extraction system, coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). This configuration provides minor backpressure, resulting in high loading flow rates and shorter analytical cycles. The potentials of this technique were demonstrated for trace lead and cadmium determination in environmental water samples. The applicability of different sol-gel coated FPSE media was investigated. The on-line formed complex of metal with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) was retained onto the fabric surface and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) was used to elute the analytes prior to atomization. For 90s preconcentration time, enrichment factors of 140 and 38 and detection limits (3σ) of 1.8 and 0.4μgL(-1) were achieved for lead and cadmium determination, respectively, with a sampling frequency of 30h(-1). The accuracy of the proposed method was estimated by analyzing standard reference materials and spiked water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Apatite formation on bioactive calcium-silicate cements for dentistry affects surface topography and human marrow stromal cells proliferation.

PubMed

Gandolfi, Maria Giovanna; Ciapetti, Gabriela; Taddei, Paola; Perut, Francesca; Tinti, Anna; Cardoso, Marcio Vivan; Van Meerbeek, Bart; Prati, Carlo

2010-10-01

The effect of ageing in phosphate-containing solution of bioactive calcium-silicate cements on the chemistry, morphology and topography of the surface, as well as on in vitro human marrow stromal cells viability and proliferation was investigated. A calcium-silicate cement (wTC) mainly based on dicalcium-silicate and tricalcium-silicate was prepared. Alpha-TCP was added to wTC to obtain wTC-TCP. Bismuth oxide was inserted in wTC to prepare a radiopaque cement (wTC-Bi). A commercial calcium-silicate cement (ProRoot MTA) was tested as control. Cement disks were aged in DPBS for 5 h ('fresh samples'), 14 and 28 days, and analyzed by ESEM/EDX, SEM/EDX, ATR-FTIR, micro-Raman techniques and scanning white-light interferometry. Proliferation, LDH release, ALP activity and collagen production of human marrow stromal cells (MSC) seeded for 1-28 days on the cements were evaluated. Fresh samples exposed a surface mainly composed of calcium-silicate hydrates CSH (from the hydration of belite and alite), calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and ettringite. Apatite nano-spherulites rapidly precipitated on cement surfaces within 5 h. On wTC-TCP the Ca-P deposits appeared thicker than on the other cements. Aged cements showed an irregular porous calcium-phosphate (Ca-P) coating, formed by aggregated apatite spherulites with interspersed calcite crystals. All the experimental cements exerted no acute toxicity in the cell assay system and allowed cell growth. Using biochemical results, the scores were: fresh cements>aged cements for cell proliferation and ALP activity (except for wTC-Bi), whereas fresh cements

A Comparative biochemical study on two marine endophytes, Bacterium SRCnm and Bacillus sp. JS, Isolated from red sea algae.

PubMed

Ahmed, Eman Fadl; Hassan, Hossam Mokhtar; Rateb, Mostafa Ezzat; Abdel-Wahab, Noha; Sameer, Somayah; Aly Taie, Hanan Anwar; Abdel-Hameed, Mohammed Sayed; Hammouda, Ola

2016-01-01

Two marine endophytic bacteria were isolated from the Red Sea algae; a red alga; Acanthophora dendroides and the brown alga Sargassum sabrepandum. The isolates were identified based on their 16SrRNA sequences as Bacterium SRCnm and Bacillus sp. JS. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential anti-microbial and antioxidant activities of the extracts of the isolated bacteria grown in different nutrient conditions. Compared to amoxicillin (25μg/disk) and erythromycin (15μg/disk), the extracts of Bacterium SRCn min media II, III, IV and V were potent inhibitors of the gram-positive bacterium Sarcina maxima even at low concentrations. Also, the multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) was more sensitive to the metabolites produced in medium (II) of the same endophyte than erythromycin (15μg/disk). A moderate activity of the Bacillus sp. JS extracts of media I and II was obtained against the same pathogen. The total compounds (500ug/ml) of both isolated endophytes showed moderate antioxidant activities (48.9% and 46.1%, respectively). LC/MS analysis of the bacterial extracts was carried out to investigate the likely natural products produced. Cyclo(D-cis-Hyp-L-Leu), dihydrosphingosine and 2-Amino-1,3-hexadecanediol were identified in the fermentation medium of Bacterium SRCnm, whereas cyclo (D-Pro-L-Tyr) and cyclo (L-Leu-L-Pro) were the suggested compounds of Bacillus sp. JS.

Effect of a metal-dielectric structure introduced in the plasma chamber of the Frankfurt 14 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schächter, L.; Stiebing, K. E.; Dobrescu, S.; Badescu-Singureanu, Al. I.; Schmidt, L.; Hohn, O.; Runkel, S.

1999-02-01

A new approach of the possibility to significantly increase the high charge state ion beams delivered by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources by using metal-dielectric (MD) structures characterized by high secondary electron emission properties is presented. The intensities of argon ion beams extracted from the 14 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source of the Institut für Kernphysik (IKF) der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt/Main were measured when a 26 mm diam disk of a specially treated MD structure (Al-Al2O3) was introduced axially close to the ECR plasma. The Ar beam intensities and charge-state distributions obtained with this disk are compared to measurements with disks of iron and pure aluminum at the same position relative to the plasma. All measurements were performed with the disk at the plasma chamber potential. The results with the MD structure show a net shift of the beam intensity towards higher charge states as compared with the other disk materials. Enhancement factors of the beam current of up to 10 (for Ar12+) when using a MD disk compared to the output when using an aluminum disk and up to 40 (for Ar11+) when using an iron disk were measured.

A New Paradigm for Gamma Ray Bursts: Long Term Accretion Rate Modulation by an External Accretion Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannizzo, John; Gehrels, Neil

2009-01-01

We present a new way of looking at the very long term evolution of GRBs in which the disk of material surrounding the putative black hole powering the GRB jet modulates the mass flow, and hence the efficacy of the process that extracts rotational energy from the black hole and inner accretion disk. The pre-Swift paradigm of achromatic, shallow-to-steep "breaks" in the long term GRB light curves has not been borne out by detailed Swift data amassed in the past several years. We argue that, given the initial existence of a fall-back disk near the progenitor, an unavoidable consequence will be the formation of an "external disk" whose outer edge continually moves to larger radii due to angular momentum transport and lack of a confining torque. The mass reservoir at large radii moves outward with time and gives a natural power law decay to the GRB light curves. In this model, the different canonical power law decay segments in the GRB identified by Zhang et al. and Nousek et al. represent different physical states of the accretion disk. We identify a physical disk state with each power law segment.

16-Cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl 99mTc 16-oxo-hexadecanoic acid: synthesis and evaluation of fatty acid metabolism in mouse myocardium.

PubMed

Lee, Byung Chul; Kim, Dong Hyun; Lee, Iljung; Choe, Yearn Seong; Chi, Dae Yoon; Lee, Kyung-Han; Choi, Yong; Kim, Byung-Tae

2008-06-26

We synthesized 16-cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl 99mTc 16-oxo-hexadecanoic acid (99mTc-CpTT-16-oxo-HDA, 1) and investigated its potential as a radiotracer for evaluating fatty acid metabolism in myocardium. Radiotracer 1 was synthesized in 22.6 +/- 6.3% decay-corrected yield by a double ligand transfer reaction between the ferrocene adduct of methyl hexadecanoate ( 2) and Na99mTcO 4 in the presence of Cr(CO)6 and CrCl3, followed by hydrolysis of the methyl ester group. Radiotracer 1 was found to be chemically stable (99% at 6 h) when incubated in human serum. A tissue distribution study in mice showed that high radioactivity accumulated in heart (9.03%ID/g at 1 min and 5.41%ID/g at 5 min postinjection) with rapid clearance and that heart to blood uptake ratios increased with time (2.13 at 5 min and 3.76 at 30 min postinjection). Metabolite analysis of the heart tissues using a simple extraction method showed that 99mTc-CpTT-4-oxo-butyric acid was detected as the major radioactive metabolite by HPLC, suggesting that 1 is metabolized to 99mTc-CpTT-4-oxo-butyric acid via beta-oxidation in myocardium.

Ocular and extraocular expression of opsins in the rhopalium of Tripedalia cystophora (Cnidaria: Cubozoa).

PubMed

Bielecki, Jan; Zaharoff, Alexander K; Leung, Nicole Y; Garm, Anders; Oakley, Todd H

2014-01-01

A growing body of work on the neuroethology of cubozoans is based largely on the capabilities of the photoreceptive tissues, and it is important to determine the molecular basis of their light sensitivity. The cubozoans rely on 24 special purpose eyes to extract specific information from a complex visual scene to guide their behavior in the habitat. The lens eyes are the most studied photoreceptive structures, and the phototransduction in the photoreceptor cells is based on light sensitive opsin molecules. Opsins are photosensitive transmembrane proteins associated with photoreceptors in eyes, and the amino acid sequence of the opsins determines the spectral properties of the photoreceptors. Here we show that two distinct opsins (Tripedalia cystophora-lens eye expressed opsin and Tripedalia cystophora-neuropil expressed opsin, or Tc-leo and Tc-neo) are expressed in the Tripedalia cystophora rhopalium. Quantitative PCR determined the level of expression of the two opsins, and we found Tc-leo to have a higher amount of expression than Tc-neo. In situ hybridization located Tc-leo expression in the retinal photoreceptors of the lens eyes where the opsin is involved in image formation. Tc-neo is expressed in a confined part of the neuropil and is probably involved in extraocular light sensation, presumably in relation to diurnal activity.

Reduction of Pertechnetate By Acetohydroxamic Acid: Formation of [tc**II(NO)(AHA)(2)(H(2)O)]**+ And Implications for the UREX Process

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

Gong, C.-M.S.; Lukens, W.W.; Poineau, F.

2009-05-18

Reductive nitrosylation and complexation of ammonium pertechnetate by acetohydroxamic acid has been achieved in aqueous nitric and perchloric acid solutions. The kinetics of the reaction depend on the relative concentrations of the reaction components and are accelerated at higher temperatures. The reaction does not occur unless conditions are acidic. Analysis of the X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic data is consistent with a pseudo-octahedral geometry and the linear Tc-N-O bond typical of technetium nitrosyl compounds, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy is consistent with a d{sup 5} Tc(II) nitrosyl complex. The nitrosyl source is generally AHA, but it may be augmented bymore » some products of the reaction with nitric acid. The resulting low-valency trans-aquonitrosyl(diacetohydroxamic)-technetium(II) complex ([Tc{sup II}(NO)(AHA){sub 2}H{sub 2}O]{sup +}, 1) is highly soluble in water, extremely hydrophilic, and is not extracted by tri-n-butylphosphate in a dodecane diluent. Its extraction properties are not pH-dependent: potentiometric-spectrophotometric titration studies indicate a single species from pH 4 down to -0.6 (calculated). This molecule is resistant to oxidation by H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, even at high pH, and can undergo substitution to form other technetium nitrosyl complexes. The potential formation of 1 during reprocessing may strongly impact the fate of technetium in the nuclear fuel cycle.« less

Extraction of Iodine from Source Rock and Oil for Radioiodine Dating Final Report CRADA No. TC-1550-98

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

Moran, J. E.; Summa, L.

This was a collaborative effort between the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Exxon Production Research Company (EPR) to develop improved techniques for extracting, concentrating, and measuring iodine from large volumes of source rock and oil. The purpose of this project was to develop a technique for measuring total iodine extracted from rock, obtain isotopic ratios, and develop age models for samples provided by EPR.

Comparison of enamel discoloration associated with bonding with three different orthodontic adhesives and cleaning-up with four different procedures.

PubMed

Ye, Cui; Zhao, Zhihe; Zhao, Qing; Du, Xi; Ye, Jun; Wei, Xing

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to compare whether there was any difference in the enamel discoloration after staining when three orthodontic adhesives and four enamel clean-up methods were tested. Three types of orthodontic adhesives were used: chemically cured resin, light-cured resin and resin-modified glass-ionomer cement. A total of 120 human extracted premolars were included. 10 teeth of each orthodontic adhesive were randomly cleaned-up with one of four different procedures and stained in coffee for seven days: (1) carbide bur (TC); (2) carbide bur; Sof-Lex polishers (TC+SL); (3) carbide bur and one gloss polishers (TC+OG); and (4) carbide bur and PoGo polishers (TC+PG). Color measurements were made with Crystaleye dental spectrophotometer at baseline and after storage in a coffee solution one week. Two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were used for statistical analyses (P<0.05). The color change values of the adhesive materials in the TC groups were the greatest. The lowest ΔE* values were obtained from the TC+SL groups. However, there were no significant difference between the TC+SL and TC+PG groups (P>0.05). The resin-modified glass-ionomer cement groups showed the lowest color differences and chemically cured resin groups showed the highest ΔE* values among all the orthodontic adhesives (P<0.05). The color change of enamel surface was affected by the type of adhesive materials and cleanup procedures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diagnosis of Enterocytozoon bieneusi by PCR in Stool Samples Eluted from Filter Paper Disks

PubMed Central

Carnevale, Silvana; Velásquez, Jorge N.; Labbé, Jorge H.; Chertcoff, Agustín; Cabrera, Marta G.; Rodríguez, Mónica I.

2000-01-01

We report a PCR-based assay for the detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi. We extracted DNA from feces which had been applied to filter paper disks and evaluated four preserving solutions. Infected specimens were identified by electrophoresis of amplicons from concentrated formalin-fixed samples and unconcentrated fresh feces. Our findings demonstrate that this methodology is effective for sample collection, mailing, and diagnosis of this pathogen. PMID:10799469

Image processing techniques applied to the detection of optic disk: a comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, Vijaya V.; Narayanan, Suriya N.

2010-02-01

In retinal image analysis, the detection of optic disk is of paramount importance. It facilitates the tracking of various anatomical features and also in the extraction of exudates, drusens etc., present in the retina of human eye. The health of retina crumbles with age in some people during the presence of exudates causing Diabetic Retinopathy. The existence of exudates increases the risk for age related macular Degeneration (AMRD) and it is the leading cause for blindness in people above the age of 50.A prompt diagnosis when the disease is at the early stage can help to prevent irreversible damages to the diabetic eye. Screening to detect diabetic retinopathy helps to prevent the visual loss. The optic disk detection is the rudimentary requirement for the screening. In this paper few methods for optic disk detection were compared which uses both the properties of optic disk and model based approaches. They are uniquely used to give accurate results in the retinal images.

Fatigue Failure Modes of the Grain Size Transition Zone in a Dual Microstructure Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabb, Timothy P.; Kantzos, Pete T.; Palsa, Bonnie; Telesman, Jack; Gayda, John; Sudbrack, Chantal K.

2012-01-01

Mechanical property requirements vary with location in nickel-based superalloy disks. In order to maximize the associated mechanical properties, heat treatment methods have been developed for producing tailored grain microstructures. In this study, fatigue failure modes of a grain size transition zone in a dual microstructure disk were evaluated. A specialized heat treatment method was applied to produce varying grain microstructure in the bore to rim portions of a powder metallurgy processed nickel-based superalloy disk. The transition in grain size was concentrated in a zone of the disk web, between the bore and rim. Specimens were extracted parallel and transversely across this transition zone, and multiple fatigue tests were performed at 427 C and 704 C. Grain size distributions were characterized in the specimens, and related to operative failure initiation modes. Mean fatigue life decreased with increasing maximum grain size, going out through the transition zone. The scatter in limited tests of replicates was comparable for failures of uniform gage specimens in all transition zone locations examined.

A 3D Computational fluid dynamics model validation for candidate molybdenum-99 target geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Lin; Dale, Greg; Vorobieff, Peter

2014-11-01

Molybdenum-99 (99Mo) is the parent product of technetium-99m (99mTc), a radioisotope used in approximately 50,000 medical diagnostic tests per day in the U.S. The primary uses of this product include detection of heart disease, cancer, study of organ structure and function, and other applications. The US Department of Energy seeks new methods for generating 99Mo without the use of highly enriched uranium, to eliminate proliferation issues and provide a domestic supply of 99mTc for medical imaging. For this project, electron accelerating technology is used by sending an electron beam through a series of 100Mo targets. During this process a large amount of heat is created, which directly affects the operating temperature dictated by the tensile stress limit of the wall material. To maintain the required temperature range, helium gas is used as a cooling agent that flows through narrow channels between the target disks. In our numerical study, we investigate the cooling performance on a series of new geometry designs of the cooling channel. This research is supported by Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Near-Infrared Polarimetric Imaging of Disks around Young Intermediate-mass Stars in SEEDS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukagawa, Misato; Hashimoto, Jun; Grady, C. A.; Momose, Munetake; Wisniewski, J. P.; Okamoto, Yoshiko; Muto, Takayuki; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko; Bonnefoy, Mickael; Kotani, Takayuki; Maruta, Yayoi; Tamura, Motohide; Seeds/Hiciao/Ao188 Collaboration,

2013-07-01

We present our recent results to directly image circumstellar disks around Herbig Fe/Ae/Be stars in scattered light with Subaru. Observations of such young disks are critically important to understand how disks evolve possibly under the mutual interaction with new-born planets. One of the observational approaches is direct imaging in scattered light, and the progress in this field since PPV can be found in the ability to prove inner regions of disks. This improvement largely owes to the technique of polarization differential imaging (PDI) which provides higher contrast by extracting scattered light from the disk while suppressing unpolarized stellar light. Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS) is the project dedicated to exoplanet hunting and study of circumstellar disks by direct imaging. Since its beginning in 2009, thirteen Herbig Fe/Ae/Be stars have been observed primarily in H band (1.6 micron). The PDI method has been employed with adaptive optics, enabling us to look into the inner region as close as 0.2 arcsec (˜30 AU) in radius with the typical angular resolution of 0.06 arcsec (˜8 AU). As a result, the SEEDS imagery has newly uncovered rich structures such as spiral arms, inner holes, and gaps for (pre-)transitional disks while suggested the variably illuminated disks for primordial systems. The highlight is the discovery of two spiral arms each for SAO 206462 and MWC 758. The spiral feature has been uniquely found toward Herbig Fe/Aes so far, which might be due to their warmer disks producing arms loosely wound and more easily detected. The observed morphology can be interpreted by the density-wave model, and those disks are implied to harbor Jupiter-mass companions as the exciting sources of the spiral structures according to these models.

Efficacy and safety of a combination of red yeast rice and olive extract in hypercholesterolemic patients with and without statin-associated myalgia.

PubMed

Tshongo Muhindo, Christian; Ahn, Sylvie A; Rousseau, Michel F; Dierckxsens, Yvan; Hermans, Michel P

2017-12-01

Cholesfytol ® , a lipid-lowering dietary supplement with antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic properties, combines red yeast rice (RYR) and olive extract (5mg hydroxytyrosol equivalent) and represents an alternative for patients who do not wish or are unable to use chemical statins, including individuals with previous statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS). A 2-months observational non-randomized study was performed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerance and safety of Cholesfytol ® (1 tablet/day) in 642 hypercholesterolemic patients (mean age: 59 yrs; total cholesterol (TC) ≥200; LDL-C ≥140mg/dl). Patients were followed by 126 GPs, and included irrespective of SAMS history and/or diabetes. None of the patients were taking statins or other lipid-modifying therapy at inclusion. At baseline, 26% had fasting glucose >100 ≤125mg/dL, and 5% >125mg/dL; 32% (n=194) had a SAMS history; and 21% had atherogenic dyslipidemia (AD). In the entire cohort, pre-treatment TC; non-HDL-C; LDL-C; and TG were 259; 200; 168; 158mg/dL, respectively, and decreased significantly on treatment (-17.5% (TC) and -23.3% (LDL-C)). Fasting glucose and HbA 1c decreased between visits. The reduction in lipids was greater in patients with higher values at baseline. For comparable pre-treatment values, patients with SAMS history had reductions in TC, LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and apoB 100 slightly less than patients without myalgia. AD patients had greater on-treatment decrease in TG. Overall, 13 patients reported minor side-effects, and 4 patients reporting myalgia had antecedent SAMS. In conclusion, a substantial decrease in LDL-C was obtained with a combination of RYR and olive extract in high-risk hypercholesterolemic patients, without inducing new-onset SAMS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separation of uranium from technetium in recovery of spent nuclear fuel

DOEpatents

Friedman, H.A.

1984-06-13

A method for decontaminating uranium product from the Purex 5 process comprises addition of hydrazine to the product uranyl nitrate stream from the Purex process, which contains hexavalent (UO/sub 2//sup 2 +/) uranium and heptavalent technetium (TcO/sub 4/-). Technetium in the product stream is reduced and then complexed by the addition of oxalic acid (H/sub 2/C/sub 2/O/sub 4/), and the Tc-oxalate complex is readily separated from the 10 uranium by solvent extraction with 30 vol % tributyl phosphate in n-dodecane.

Separation of uranium from technetium in recovery of spent nuclear fuel

DOEpatents

Friedman, Horace A.

1985-01-01

A method for decontaminating uranium product from the Purex process comprises addition of hydrazine to the product uranyl nitrate stream from the Purex process, which contains hexavalent (UO.sub.2.sup.2+) uranium and heptavalent technetium (TcO.sub.4 -). Technetium in the product stream is reduced and then complexed by the addition of oxalic acid (H.sub.2 C.sub.2 O.sub.4), and the Tc-oxalate complex is readily separated from the uranium by solvent extraction with 30 vol. % tributyl phosphate in n-dodecane.

Creation of Polyvalent Decoys of Protein Cytotoxins as Therapeutics and Vaccines

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

encapsidation.Materials and methods Cell culture Spodoptera frugiperda cells (line IPLB-Sf21) were grown at 27 °C in TC100 medium (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA...At the end of the modeling run, the reference subunits (A, B, and C) were extracted and used for the subsequent analysis. Cell culture. Spodoptera ... frugiperda cells (line IPLB-Sf21) were grown at 27°C in TC100 medium (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) supplemented with 0.35 g of NaHCO3 per liter, 2.6 g of

Impact of tobacco control interventions on smoking initiation, cessation, and prevalence: a systematic review.

PubMed

Wilson, Lisa M; Avila Tang, Erika; Chander, Geetanjali; Hutton, Heidi E; Odelola, Olaide A; Elf, Jessica L; Heckman-Stoddard, Brandy M; Bass, Eric B; Little, Emily A; Haberl, Elisabeth B; Apelberg, Benjamin J

2012-01-01

Policymakers need estimates of the impact of tobacco control (TC) policies to set priorities and targets for reducing tobacco use. We systematically reviewed the independent effects of TC policies on smoking behavior. We searched MEDLINE (through January 2012) and EMBASE and other databases through February 2009, looking for studies published after 1989 in any language that assessed the effects of each TC intervention on smoking prevalence, initiation, cessation, or price participation elasticity. Paired reviewers extracted data from studies that isolated the impact of a single TC intervention. We included 84 studies. The strength of evidence quantifying the independent effect on smoking prevalence was high for increasing tobacco prices and moderate for smoking bans in public places and antitobacco mass media campaigns. Limited direct evidence was available to quantify the effects of health warning labels and bans on advertising and sponsorship. Studies were too heterogeneous to pool effect estimates. We found evidence of an independent effect for several TC policies on smoking prevalence. However, we could not derive precise estimates of the effects across different settings because of variability in the characteristics of the intervention, level of policy enforcement, and underlying tobacco control environment.

Kinetic sensitivity of a receptor-binding radiopharmaceutical: Technetium-99m galactosyl-neoglycoalbumin

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

Vera, D.R.; Woodle, E.S.; Stadalnik, R.C.

1989-09-01

Kinetic sensitivity is the ability of a physiochemical parameter to alter the time-activity curve of a radiotracer. The kinetic sensitivity of liver and blood time-activity data resulting from a single bolus injection of ({sup 99m}Tc)galactosyl-neoglycoalbumin (( Tc)NGA) into healthy pigs was examined. Three parameters, hepatic plasma flow scaled as flow per plasma volume, ligand-receptor affinity, and total receptor concentration, were tested using (Tc)NGA injections of various molar doses and affinities. Simultaneous measurements of plasma volume (iodine-125 human serum albumin dilution), and hepatic plasma flow (indocyanine green extraction) were performed during 12 (Tc)NGA studies. Paired data sets demonstrated differences (P(chi v2)more » less than 0.01) in liver and blood time-activity curves in response to changes in each of the tested parameters. We conclude that the (Tc)NGA radiopharmacokinetic system is therefore sensitive to hepatic plasma flow, ligand-receptor affinity, and receptor concentration. In vivo demonstration of kinetic sensitivity permits delineation of the physiologic parameters that determine the biodistribution of a radiopharmaceutical. This delineation is a prerequisite to a valid analytic assessment of receptor biochemistry via kinetic modeling.« less

Impact of Tobacco Control Interventions on Smoking Initiation, Cessation, and Prevalence: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Wilson, Lisa M.; Avila Tang, Erika; Chander, Geetanjali; Hutton, Heidi E.; Odelola, Olaide A.; Elf, Jessica L.; Heckman-Stoddard, Brandy M.; Bass, Eric B.; Little, Emily A.; Haberl, Elisabeth B.; Apelberg, Benjamin J.

2012-01-01

Background. Policymakers need estimates of the impact of tobacco control (TC) policies to set priorities and targets for reducing tobacco use. We systematically reviewed the independent effects of TC policies on smoking behavior. Methods. We searched MEDLINE (through January 2012) and EMBASE and other databases through February 2009, looking for studies published after 1989 in any language that assessed the effects of each TC intervention on smoking prevalence, initiation, cessation, or price participation elasticity. Paired reviewers extracted data from studies that isolated the impact of a single TC intervention. Findings. We included 84 studies. The strength of evidence quantifying the independent effect on smoking prevalence was high for increasing tobacco prices and moderate for smoking bans in public places and antitobacco mass media campaigns. Limited direct evidence was available to quantify the effects of health warning labels and bans on advertising and sponsorship. Studies were too heterogeneous to pool effect estimates. Interpretations. We found evidence of an independent effect for several TC policies on smoking prevalence. However, we could not derive precise estimates of the effects across different settings because of variability in the characteristics of the intervention, level of policy enforcement, and underlying tobacco control environment. PMID:22719777

Glucosidase inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of flavonoid compound and triterpenoid compound from Agrimonia Pilosa Ledeb

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In Chinese traditional medicine, Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb (APL) exhibits great effect on treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), however its mechanism is still unknown. Considering that T2DM are correlated with postprandial hyperglycemia and oxidative stress, we investigated the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and the antioxidant activity of flavonoid compound (FC) and triterpenoid compound (TC) from APL. Methods Entire plants of APL were extracted using 95% ethanol and 50% ethanol successively. The resulting extracts were partitioned and isolated by applying liquid chromatography using silica gel column and Sephadex LH 20 column to give FC and TC. The content of total flavonoids in FC and the content of total triterpenoids in TC were determined by using UV spectrophotometry. HPLC analysis was used to identify and quantify the monomeric compound in FC and TC. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were determined using the chromogenic method with p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside as substrate. Antioxidant activities were assessed through three kinds of radical scavenging assays (DPPH radical, ABTS radical and hydroxyl radical) & β-carotene-linoleic acid assay. Results The results indicate FC is abundant of quercitrin, and hyperoside, and TC is abundant of 1β, 2β, 3β, 19α-tetrahydroxy-12-en-28-oic acid (265.2 mg/g) and corosolic acid (100.9 mg/g). The FC & the TC have strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC50 of 8.72 μg/mL and 3.67 μg/mL, respectively. We find that FC show competitive inhibition against α-glucosidase, while the TC exhibits noncompetitive inhibition. Furthermore, The FC exhibits significant radical scavenging activity with the EC50 values of 7.73 μg/mL, 3.64 μg/mL and 5.90 μg/mL on DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical and ABTS radical, respectively. The FC also shows moderate anti-lipid peroxidation activity with the IC50 values of 41.77 μg/mL on inhibiting β-carotene bleaching. Conclusion These results imply that the FC and the TC could be responsible for the good clinical effects of APL on T2MD through targeting oxidative stress and postprandial hyperglycaemia. So APL may be good sources of natural antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitors exhibiting remarkable potential value for the therapy of T2DM. PMID:24410924

Lineage Analysis of Circulating Trypanosoma cruzi Parasites and Their Association with Clinical Forms of Chagas Disease in Bolivia

PubMed Central

del Puerto, Ramona; Nishizawa, Juan Eiki; Kikuchi, Mihoko; Iihoshi, Naomi; Roca, Yelin; Avilas, Cinthia; Gianella, Alberto; Lora, Javier; Gutierrez Velarde, Freddy Udalrico; Renjel, Luis Alberto; Miura, Sachio; Higo, Hiroo; Komiya, Norihiro; Maemura, Koji; Hirayama, Kenji

2010-01-01

Background The causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, is divided into 6 Discrete Typing Units (DTU): Tc I, IIa, IIb, IIc, IId and IIe. In order to assess the relative pathogenicities of different DTUs, blood samples from three different clinical groups of chronic Chagas disease patients (indeterminate, cardiac, megacolon) from Bolivia were analyzed for their circulating parasites lineages using minicircle kinetoplast DNA polymorphism. Methods and Findings Between 2000 and 2007, patients sent to the Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Tropicales for diagnosis of Chagas from clinics and hospitals in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, were assessed by serology, cardiology and gastro-intestinal examinations. Additionally, patients who underwent colonectomies due to Chagasic magacolon at the Hospital Universitario Japonés were also included. A total of 306 chronic Chagas patients were defined by their clinical types (81 with cardiopathy, 150 without cardiopathy, 100 with megacolon, 144 without megacolon, 164 with cardiopathy or megacolon, 73 indeterminate and 17 cases with both cardiopathy and megacolon). DNA was extracted from 10 ml of peripheral venous blood for PCR analysis. The kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA) was amplified from 196 out of 306 samples (64.1%), of which 104 (53.3%) were Tc IId, 4 (2.0%) Tc I, 7 (3.6%) Tc IIb, 1 (0.5%) Tc IIe, 26 (13.3%) Tc I/IId, 1 (0.5%) Tc I/IIb/IId, 2 (1.0%) Tc IIb/d and 51 (25.9%) were unidentified. Of the 133 Tc IId samples, three different kDNA hypervariable region patterns were detected; Mn (49.6%), TPK like (48.9%) and Bug-like (1.5%). There was no significant association between Tc types and clinical manifestations of disease. Conclusions None of the identified lineages or sublineages was significantly associated with any particular clinical manifestations in the chronic Chagas patients in Bolivia. PMID:20502516

ToF-SIMS images and spectra of biomimetic calcium silicate-based cements after storage in solutions simulating the effects of human biological fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrisi, A.; Torrisi, V.; Tuccitto, N.; Gandolfi, M. G.; Prati, C.; Licciardello, A.

2010-01-01

ToF-SIMS images were obtained from a section of a tooth, obturated by means of a new calcium-silicate based cement (wTCF) after storage for 1 month in a saline solutions (DPBS), in order to simulate the body fluid effects on the obturation. Afterwards, ToF-SIMS spectra were obtained from model samples, prepared by using the same cement paste, after storage for 1 month and 8 months in two different saline solutions (DPBS and HBSS). ToF-SIMS spectra were also obtained from fluorine-free cement (wTC) samples after storage in HBSS for 1 month and 8 months and used for comparison. It was found that the composition of both the saline solution and the cement influenced the composition of the surface of disks and that longer is the storage greater are the differences. Segregation phenomena occur both on the cement obturation of the tooth and on the surface of the disks prepared by using the same cement. Indirect evidences of formation of new crystalline phases are supplied.

Antisecretory and antiulcer activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd. against indomethacin plus phyloric ligation-induced gastric ulcer in rats.

PubMed

Bhatnagar, Maheep; Sisodia, S S

2006-01-01

To study the antisecretory and antiulcer activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd. (methanolic extract) and its action against indomethacin (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) plus pyloric ligation (PL)-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Indomethacin plus PL-induced gastric ulceration model was used in the study. Treatment with Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) crude extract (100 mg/kg/day orally) for fifteen days significantly reduced ulcer index when compared with control group. The reduction in gastric lesions was comparable to a standard antiulcer drug Ranitidine (30 mg/kg/ day orally). Crude extract also significantly reduced volume of gastric secretion, free acidity and total acidity. A significant increase in total carbohydrate (TC) and TC/total protein (TP) ratio of gastric juice was also observed. No significant change in the total protein was noted. Asparagus racemosus was found to be an effective antiulcerogenic agent, whose activity can well be compared with that of ranitidine hydrochloride. The results of this study suggest that Asparagus racemosus causes an inhibitory effect on release of gastric hydrochloric acid and protects gastric mucosal damage.

Effects of green tea catechin extract on serum lipids in postmenopausal women: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial12

PubMed Central

Samavat, Hamed; Newman, April R; Wang, Renwei; Yuan, Jian-Min; Wu, Anna H; Kurzer, Mindy S

2016-01-01

Background: Green tea has been suggested to improve cardiovascular disease risk factors, including circulating lipid variables. However, current evidence is predominantly based on small, short-term randomized controlled trials conducted in diverse populations. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy and impact of green tea extract (GTE) supplementation high in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on blood lipids in healthy postmenopausal women. Design: This was an ancillary study of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm trial investigating the effects of a GTE supplement containing 1315 mg catechins (843 mg EGCG) on biomarkers of breast cancer risk. Participants were randomly assigned to receive GTE (n = 538) or placebo (n = 537) and were stratified by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype activity (high COMT compared with low or intermediate COMT genotype activity). They consumed either 4 GTE or identical placebo capsules daily for 12 mo. A total of 936 women completed this substudy. Circulating lipid panels including total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured at baseline and at months 6 and 12. Results: Compared with placebo, 1-y supplementation with GTE capsules resulted in a significant reduction in circulating TC (−2.1% compared with 0.7%; P = 0.0004), LDL cholesterol (−4.1% compared with 0.9%; P < 0.0001) and non-HDL cholesterol (−3.1% compared with 0.4%; P = 0.0032). There was no change in HDL-cholesterol concentration, but triglyceride concentrations increased by 3.6% in the GTE group, whereas they decreased by 2.5% in the placebo group (P = 0.046). A significant reduction in TC was observed only among women with high (i.e., ≥200 mg/dL) baseline TC concentrations (P-interaction = 0.01) who consumed GTE capsules. The effect of GTE on the increase in triglycerides was mainly observed among obese women and statin users (P-interaction = 0.06). Conclusion: Supplementation with GTE significantly reduced circulating TC and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, especially in those with elevated baseline TC concentrations. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00917735. PMID:27806972

Modeling Self-subtraction in Angular Differential Imaging: Application to the HD 32297 Debris Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Thomas M.; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; Graham, James R.; Kalas, Paul

2014-01-01

We present a new technique for forward-modeling self-subtraction of spatially extended emission in observations processed with angular differential imaging (ADI) algorithms. High-contrast direct imaging of circumstellar disks is limited by quasi-static speckle noise, and ADI is commonly used to suppress those speckles. However, the application of ADI can result in self-subtraction of the disk signal due to the disk's finite spatial extent. This signal attenuation varies with radial separation and biases measurements of the disk's surface brightness, thereby compromising inferences regarding the physical processes responsible for the dust distribution. To compensate for this attenuation, we forward model the disk structure and compute the form of the self-subtraction function at each separation. As a proof of concept, we apply our method to 1.6 and 2.2 μm Keck adaptive optics NIRC2 scattered-light observations of the HD 32297 debris disk reduced using a variant of the "locally optimized combination of images" algorithm. We are able to recover disk surface brightness that was otherwise lost to self-subtraction and produce simplified models of the brightness distribution as it appears with and without self-subtraction. From the latter models, we extract radial profiles for the disk's brightness, width, midplane position, and color that are unbiased by self-subtraction. Our analysis of these measurements indicates a break in the brightness profile power law at r ≈ 110 AU and a disk width that increases with separation from the star. We also verify disk curvature that displaces the midplane by up to 30 AU toward the northwest relative to a straight fiducial midplane.

Ginger extract and aerobic training reduces lipid profile in high-fat fed diet rats.

PubMed

Khosravani, M; Azarbayjani, M A; Abolmaesoomi, M; Yusof, A; Zainal Abidin, N; Rahimi, E; Feizolahi, F; Akbari, M; Seyedjalali, S; Dehghan, F

2016-04-01

Obesity, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia, are major risk factors. However, natural therapies, dietary components, and physical activity may effect on these concerns. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of aerobic exercise and consumption of liquid ginger extract on lipid profile of Male rats with a high-fat fed diet. 32 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: 1) aerobic exercise, 2) Ginger extract, 3) combined aerobic exercise and Ginger extract, and 4) the control. Subjects of the first three groups received ginger extract via gavage feeding of 250 mg/kg. The exercise program was 3 sessions per week on 3 different days over 4 weeks. Total cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), HDL and LDL were measured 24-h before the first session and 24-h after the final training session. The concentration of TG in the control group was significantly higher than other groups. In addition, the mean concentration of TG in the aerobic exercise group was significantly lower than Ginger extract group but there was no significant difference as compared to combined aerobic exercise and ginger extract group. The combination of aerobic exercise and ginger consumption significantly reduced the TG level compared to ginger group. TC and LDL concentrations were significantly decreased in all groups compare to control. The combination of aerobic exercise and ginger extract feeding caused a significant increase in HDL levels. The finding of this study suggests that the combination of aerobic exercise and liquid ginger extract consumption might be an effective method of reducing lipid profiles, which will reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases caused by high-fat diets.

Discrimination of Four Marine Biofilm-Forming Bacteria by LC-MS Metabolomics and Influence of Culture Parameters.

PubMed

Favre, Laurie; Ortalo-Magné, Annick; Greff, Stéphane; Pérez, Thierry; Thomas, Olivier P; Martin, Jean-Charles; Culioli, Gérald

2017-05-05

Most marine bacteria can form biofilms, and they are the main components of biofilms observed on marine surfaces. Biofilms constitute a widespread life strategy, as growing in such structures offers many important biological benefits. The molecular compounds expressed in biofilms and, more generally, the metabolomes of marine bacteria remain poorly studied. In this context, a nontargeted LC-MS metabolomics approach of marine biofilm-forming bacterial strains was developed. Four marine bacteria, Persicivirga (Nonlabens) mediterranea TC4 and TC7, Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica TC8, and Shewanella sp. TC11, were used as model organisms. The main objective was to search for some strain-specific bacterial metabolites and to determine how culture parameters (culture medium, growth phase, and mode of culture) may affect the cellular metabolism of each strain and thus the global interstrain metabolic discrimination. LC-MS profiling and statistical partial least-squares discriminant analyses showed that the four strains could be differentiated at the species level whatever the medium, the growth phase, or the mode of culture (planktonic vs biofilm). A MS/MS molecular network was subsequently built and allowed the identification of putative bacterial biomarkers. TC8 was discriminated by a series of ornithine lipids, while the P. mediterranea strains produced hydroxylated ornithine and glycine lipids. Among the P. mediterranea strains, TC7 extracts were distinguished by the occurrence of diamine derivatives, such as putrescine amides.

Fast, safe, and reliable methods for extraction of major inorganic cations from small quantities of woody plant tissues

Treesearch

Rakesh Minocha; Walter C. Shortle

1993-01-01

Two simple and fast methods for the extraction of major inorganic cations (Ca, Mg, Mn, K) from small quantities of stemwood and needles of woody plants were developed. A 3.2- or 6.4-mm cobalt drill bit was used to shave samples from disks and increment cores of stemwood. For ion extraction, wood (ground or shavings) or needles were either homogenzied using a Tekmar...

Analysis of North Atlantic tropical cyclone intensify change using data mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jiang

Tropical cyclones (TC), especially when their intensity reaches hurricane scale, can become a costly natural hazard. Accurate prediction of tropical cyclone intensity is very difficult because of inadequate observations on TC structures, poor understanding of physical processes, coarse model resolution and inaccurate initial conditions, etc. This study aims to tackle two factors that account for the underperformance of current TC intensity forecasts: (1) inadequate observations of TC structures, and (2) deficient understanding of the underlying physical processes governing TC intensification. To tackle the problem of inadequate observations of TC structures, efforts have been made to extract vertical and horizontal structural parameters of latent heat release from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) data products. A case study of Hurricane Isabel (2003) was conducted first to explore the feasibility of using the 3D TC structure information in predicting TC intensification. Afterwards, several structural parameters were extracted from 53 TRMM PR 2A25 observations on 25 North Atlantic TCs during the period of 1998 to 2003. A new generation of multi-correlation data mining algorithm (Apriori and its variations) was applied to find roles of the latent heat release structure in TC intensification. The results showed that the buildup of TC energy is indicated by the height of the convective tower, and the relative low latent heat release at the core area and around the outer band. Adverse conditions which prevent TC intensification include the following: (1) TC entering a higher latitude area where the underlying sea is relative cold, (2) TC moving too fast to absorb the thermal energy from the underlying sea, or (3) strong energy loss at the outer band. When adverse conditions and amicable conditions reached equilibrium status, tropical cyclone intensity would remain stable. The dataset from Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) covering the period of 1982-2003 and the Apriori-based association rule mining algorithm were used to study the associations of underlying geophysical characteristics with the intensity change of tropical cyclones. The data have been stratified into 6 TC categories from tropical depression to category 4 hurricanes based on their strength. The result showed that the persistence of intensity change in the past and the strength of vertical shear in the environment are the most prevalent factors for all of the 6 TC categories. Hyper-edge searching had found 3 sets of parameters which showed strong intramural binds. Most of the parameters used in SHIPS model have a consistent "I-W" relation over different TC categories, indicating a consistent function of those parameters in TC development. However, the "I-W" relations of the relative momentum flux and the meridional motion change from tropical storm stage to hurricane stage, indicating a change in the role of those two parameters in TC development. Because rapid intensification (RI) is a major source of errors when predicting hurricane intensity, the association rule mining algorithm was performed on RI versus non-RI tropical cyclone cases using the same SHIPS dataset. The results had been compared with those from the traditional statistical analysis conducted by Kaplan and DeMaria (2003). The rapid intensification rule with 5 RI conditions proposed by the traditional statistical analysis was found by the association rule mining in this study as well. However, further analysis showed that the 5 RI conditions can be replaced by another association rule using fewer conditions but with a higher RI probability (RIP). This means that the rule with all 5 constraints found by Kaplan and DeMaria is not optimal, and the association rule mining technique can find a rule with fewer constraints yet fits more RI cases. The further analysis with the highest RIPs over different numbers of conditions has demonstrated that the interactions among multiple factors are responsible for the RI process of TCs. However, the influence of factors saturates at certain numbers. This study has shown successful data mining examples in studying tropical cyclone intensification using association rules. The higher RI probability with fewer conditions found by association rule technique is significant. This work demonstrated that data mining techniques can be used as an efficient exploration method to generate hypotheses, and that statistical analysis should be performed to confirm the hypotheses, as is generally expected for data mining applications.

Monoanionic 99mTc-tricarbonyl-aminopolycarboxylate complexes with uncharged pendant groups: Radiosynthesis and evaluation as potential renal tubular tracers.

PubMed

Lipowska, Malgorzata; Klenc, Jeffrey; Jarkas, Nashwa; Marzilli, Luigi G; Taylor, Andrew T

2017-04-01

99m Tc(CO) 3 -nitrilotriacetic acid, 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA), is a new renal tubular agent with pharmacokinetic properties comparable to those of 131 I-OIH but the clearance of 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA) and 131 I-OIH is still less than the clearance of PAH, the gold standard for the measurement of effective renal plasma flow. At physiological pH, dianionic 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA) has a mononegative inner metal-coordination sphere and a mononegative uncoordinated carboxyl group. To evaluate alternate synthetic approaches, we assessed the importance of an uncoordinated carboxyl group, long considered essential for tubular transport, by evaluating the pharmacokinetics of three analogs with the 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA) metal-coordination sphere but with uncharged pendant groups. 99m Tc(CO) 3 complexes with N-(2-acetamido)iminodiacetic acid (ADA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid (HDA) and N-(fluoroethyl)iminodiacetic acid (FEDA) were prepared using a tricarbonyl kit and isolated by HPLC. The pharmacokinetics were evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats, with 131 I-OIH as an internal control; urine was analyzed for metabolites. Plasma protein binding and erythrocyte uptake were determined from the 10min blood samples. Re(CO) 3 (FEDA), the analog of 99m Tc(CO) 3 (FEDA), was prepared and characterized. 99m Tc(CO) 3 (ADA), 99m Tc(CO) 3 (HDA) and 99m Tc(CO) 3 (FEDA) were efficiently prepared as a single species with high radiochemical purities (>99%). These new monoanionic 99m Tc(CO) 3 tracers with uncharged dangling groups all showed rapid blood clearance and high specificity for renal excretion. Activity in the urine, as a percent of 131 I-OIH at 10 and 60min, was 96% and 99% for ADA, 96% and 100% for HDA, and 100% and 99% for FEDA, respectively. Each new tracer was excreted unchanged in the urine. The Re(CO) 3 (FEDA) structure adds compelling evidence that such 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA) analogs have metal-coordination spheres identical to that of 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA). New tracers lacking the negatively charged pendant carboxyl group previously thought to be essential for rapid renal extraction, 99m Tc(CO) 3 (ADA), 99m Tc(CO) 3 (HDA) and 99m Tc(CO) 3 (FEDA), exhibit pharmacokinetics in rats comparable to those of 99m Tc(CO) 3 (NTA) and 131 I-OIH. Furthermore, these encouraging results in rats warrant evaluation of this new tracer type in humans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Magnetically driven jets and winds: Exact solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Contopoulos, J.; Lovelace, R. V. E.

1994-01-01

We present a general class of self-similar solutions of the full set of MHD equations that include matter flow, electromagnetic fields, pressure, and gravity. The solutions represent axisymmetric, time-independent, nonrelativistic, ideal, magnetohydrodynamic, collimated outflows (jet and winds) from magnetized accretion disks around compact objects. The magnetic field extracts angular momentum from the disk, accelerates the outflows perpedicular to the disk, and provides collimation at large distances. The terminal outflow velocities are of the order of or greater than the rotational velocity of the disk at the base of the flow. When a nonzero electric current flows along the jet, the outflow radius oscillates with axial distance, whereas when the total electric current is zero (with the return current flowing across the jet's cross section), the outflow radius increase to a maximum and then decreases. The method can also be applied to relativistic outflows.

Combined nattokinase with red yeast rice but not nattokinase alone has potent effects on blood lipids in human subjects with hyperlipidemia.

PubMed

Yang, Nae-Cherng; Chou, Chien-Wen; Chen, Chung-Yin; Hwang, Kai-Lin; Yang, Yi-Chueh

2009-01-01

The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel comparison study was to evaluate the lipid-lowering effect of orally administrated nattokinase and nattokinase combined with red yeast rice (RYR) extract on blood lipids in patients with hyperlipidemia. A total of 47 patients with hyperlipidemia were assigned to one of three groups: 1. nattokinase-mono formula (50 mg/capsule), 2. combined formula of nattokinase with RYR (300 mg of extract/capsule) and 3. placebo. Subjects received a twice daily dose of two capsules for six months. The mono formula showed no effects on blood lipids until month six, while the combined formula ameliorated all of measured lipids starting from month one. In the combined group significant decreases were found with regard to: triglycerides (TG) by 15%, total cholesterol (TC) by 25%, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 41%, TC/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio by 29.5%, and increases in HDL-C by 7.5%. These changes were sustained until the end of study. After controlling for baseline levels, only the combined group, but not mono group, showed a significant difference (p<0.0001) in TC, LDL-C and TC/HDL-C ratio when compared with the placebo group. In summary, this study provides long-term efficacy of nattokinase supplementation and shows that the combined formula has relatively more potent effects than the mono formula on lowering of blood lipids, suggesting that combined nattokinase with RYR will be a better neutraceutical for patients with hyperlipidemia than nattokinase alone.

Protective effects of Arctium lappa L. root extracts (AREs) on high fat diet induced quail atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Wang, Zhi; Li, Ping; Wang, Chenjing; Jiang, Qixiao; Zhang, Lei; Cao, Yu; Zhong, Weizhen; Wang, Chunbo

2016-01-08

This study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of Arctium lappa L. root extracts (AREs) from different extraction methods (aqueous, ethanol, chloroform and flavone) on atherosclerosis. Quails (Coturnix coturnix) were subjected to high fat diet, with or without one of the four different AREs or positive control simvastatin. Blood samples were collected before treatment, after 4.5 weeks or ten weeks to assess lipid profile (Levels of total cholesterol (TC), Triacylglycerol (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)). After ten weeks, the serum levels of nitric oxide (NO) as well as antioxidant and pro-oxidative status (Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)) were measured. Furthermore, aortas were collected after ten weeks treatment, aorta lipid contents (TC, TG and LDL) were assessed, and histology was used to confirm atherosclerotic changes. The results indicated that high fat diet significantly deteriorated lipid profile and antioxidant status in quail serum, while all the extracts significantly reverted the changes similar to simvastatin. Aorta lipid profile assessment revealed similar results. Histology on aortas from quails treated for ten weeks confirmed atherosclerotic changes in high fat diet group, while the extracts significantly alleviated the atherosclerotic changes similar to simvastatin. Among the different extracts, flavones fraction exerted best protective effects. Our data suggest that the protective effects of AREs were medicated via hypolipidemic and anti-oxidant effects. Underlying molecular mechanisms are under investigation.

One-Dimensional Signal Extraction Of Paper-Written ECG Image And Its Archiving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhi-ni; Zhang, Hong; Zhuang, Tian-ge

1987-10-01

A method for converting paper-written electrocardiograms to one dimensional (1-D) signals for archival storage on floppy disk is presented here. Appropriate image processing techniques were employed to remove the back-ground noise inherent to ECG recorder charts and to reconstruct the ECG waveform. The entire process consists of (1) digitization of paper-written ECGs with an image processing system via a TV camera; (2) image preprocessing, including histogram filtering and binary image generation; (3) ECG feature extraction and ECG wave tracing, and (4) transmission of the processed ECG data to IBM-PC compatible floppy disks for storage and retrieval. The algorithms employed here may also be used in the recognition of paper-written EEG or EMG and may be useful in robotic vision.

Epitaxial effects in thin films of high-Tc cuprates with the K2NiF4 structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naito, Michio; Sato, Hisashi; Tsukada, Akio; Yamamoto, Hideki

2018-03-01

La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) and La2-xBaxCuO4 (LBCO) have been recognized as the archetype materials of "hole-doped" high-Tc superconductors. Their crystal structures are relatively simple with a small number of constituent cation elements. In addition, the doping level can be varied by the chemical substitution over a wide range enough to obtain the full spectrum of doping-dependent electronic and magnetic properties. These attractive features have dedicated many researchers to thin-film growth of LSCO and LBCO. The critical temperature (Tc) of LSCO and LBCO is sensitive to strain as manifested by a positive pressure coefficient of Tc in bulk samples. In general, films are strained if they are grown on lattice-mismatched substrates (epitaxial strain). Early attempts (before 1997) at the growth of LSCO and LBCO films resulted in depressed Tc below 30 K as they were grown on a commonly used SrTiO3 substrate (in-plane lattice parameter asub = 3.905 Å): the in-plane lattice parameters of LSCO and LBCO are ≤3.80 Å, and hence tensile epitaxial strain is introduced. The situation was changed by the use of LaSrAlO4 substrates with a slightly shorter in-plane lattice constant (asub = 3.756 Å). On LaSrAlO4 substrates, the Tc reaches 45 K in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4, 47 K in La1.85Ba0.15CuO4, and 56 K in ozone-oxidized La2CuO4+δ films, substantially higher than the Tc's of the bulk compounds. The Tc increase in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 films on LaSrAlO4 and decrease on SrTiO3 are semi-quantitatively in accord with the phenomenological estimations based on the anisotropic strain coefficients of Tc (dTc/dεi). In this review article, we describe the growth and properties of films of cuprates having the K2NiF4 structure, mainly focusing on the increase/decrease of Tc by epitaxial strain and quasi-stable phase formation by epitaxial stabilization. We further extract the structural and/or physical parameters controlling Tc toward microscopic understanding of the variation of Tc by epitaxial strain.

Phytochemical Characterization of Terminalia catappa Linn. Extracts and Their antifungal Activities against Candida spp.

PubMed

Terças, Analucia G; Monteiro, Andrea de Souza; Moffa, Eduardo B; Dos Santos, Julliana R A; de Sousa, Eduardo M; Pinto, Anna R B; Costa, Paola C da Silva; Borges, Antonio C R; Torres, Luce M B; Barros Filho, Allan K D; Fernandes, Elizabeth S; Monteiro, Cristina de Andrade

2017-01-01

Terminalia catappa Linn bark is used to treat dysentery by various populations in Southeast Asian countries, and its leaves have also been used in traditional medicine to treat hepatitis in India and the Philippines. Here, the antifungal actions of crude hydro-alcoholic extract (TcHE) and fractions from T. catappa leaves were assessed via the agar diffusion and microdilution tests on Candida reference strains and clinical isolates from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Additionally, the potential cytotoxic effects of TcHE were assessed on cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). T. catappa fractions and sub-fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with electron impact (GC/MS/EI), high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry "electrospray" ionization in positive mode (HPLC/MS/MS/ESI + ) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 HNMR). TcHE and its fractions were able to inhibit the growth of all tested Candida strains with the n -butanol (FBuOH) fraction presenting the best antifungal activity. Testing of different FBuOH sub-fractions (SF) showed that SF10 was the most active against Candida spp. Fractioning of SF10 demonstrated that 5 out of its 15 sub-fractions were active against Candida spp., with SF10.5 presenting the highest activity. Chemical analysis of SF10 detected hydrolysable tannins (punicalin, punicalagin), gallic acid and flavonoid C-glycosides. Overall, the results showed that T. catappa L. leaf extract, fractions and sub-fractions were antifungal against Candida spp. and may be useful to treat diseases caused by this fungus.

Phytochemical Characterization of Terminalia catappa Linn. Extracts and Their antifungal Activities against Candida spp.

PubMed Central

Terças, Analucia G.; Monteiro, Andrea de Souza; Moffa, Eduardo B.; dos Santos, Julliana R. A.; de Sousa, Eduardo M.; Pinto, Anna R. B.; Costa, Paola C. da Silva; Borges, Antonio C. R.; Torres, Luce M. B.; Barros Filho, Allan K. D.; Fernandes, Elizabeth S.; Monteiro, Cristina de Andrade

2017-01-01

Terminalia catappa Linn bark is used to treat dysentery by various populations in Southeast Asian countries, and its leaves have also been used in traditional medicine to treat hepatitis in India and the Philippines. Here, the antifungal actions of crude hydro-alcoholic extract (TcHE) and fractions from T. catappa leaves were assessed via the agar diffusion and microdilution tests on Candida reference strains and clinical isolates from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Additionally, the potential cytotoxic effects of TcHE were assessed on cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). T. catappa fractions and sub-fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with electron impact (GC/MS/EI), high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry “electrospray” ionization in positive mode (HPLC/MS/MS/ESI+) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR). TcHE and its fractions were able to inhibit the growth of all tested Candida strains with the n-butanol (FBuOH) fraction presenting the best antifungal activity. Testing of different FBuOH sub-fractions (SF) showed that SF10 was the most active against Candida spp. Fractioning of SF10 demonstrated that 5 out of its 15 sub-fractions were active against Candida spp., with SF10.5 presenting the highest activity. Chemical analysis of SF10 detected hydrolysable tannins (punicalin, punicalagin), gallic acid and flavonoid C-glycosides. Overall, the results showed that T. catappa L. leaf extract, fractions and sub-fractions were antifungal against Candida spp. and may be useful to treat diseases caused by this fungus. PMID:28443078

Microbial Biotransformation of a Polyphenol-Rich Potato Extract Affects Antioxidant Capacity in a Simulated Gastrointestinal Model

PubMed Central

Khairallah, Joelle; Sadeghi Ekbatan, Shima; Sabally, Kebba; Iskandar, Michèle M.; Hussain, Raza; Sleno, Lekha; Rodes, Laetitia; Prakash, Satya

2018-01-01

A multistage human gastrointestinal model was used to digest a polyphenol-rich potato extract containing chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and rutin as the primary polyphenols, to assess for their microbial biotransformation and to measure changes in antioxidant capacity in up to 24 h of digestion. The biotransformation of polyphenols was assessed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Antioxidant capacity was measured by the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Among the colonic reactors, parent (poly)phenols were detected in the ascending (AC), but not the transverse (TC) or descending (DC) colons. The most abundant microbial phenolic metabolites in all colonic reactors included derivatives of propionic acid, acetic acid, and benzoic acid. As compared to the baseline, an earlier increase in antioxidant capacity (T = 8 h) was seen in the stomach and small intestine vessels as compared to the AC (T = 16 h) and TC and DC (T = 24 h). The increase in antioxidant capacity observed in the DC and TC can be linked to the accumulation of microbial smaller-molecular-weight phenolic catabolites, as the parent polyphenolics had completely degraded in those vessels. The colonic microbial digestion of potato-based polyphenols could lead to improved colonic health, as this generates phenolic metabolites with significant antioxidant potential. PMID:29558385

Green tea polyphenols supplementation and Tai Chi exercise for postmenopausal osteopenic women: safety and quality of life report

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Evidence suggests that both green tea polyphenols (GTP) and Tai Chi (TC) exercise may benefit bone health in osteopenic women. However, their safety in this population has never been systematically investigated. In particular, there have been hepatotoxicity concerns related to green tea extract. This study was to evaluate the safety of 24 weeks of GTP supplementation combined with TC exercise in postmenopausal osteopenic women, along with effects on quality of life in this population. Methods 171 postmenopausal women with osteopenia were randomly assigned to 4 treatment arms for 24 weeks: (1) Placebo (500 mg starch/day), (2) GTP (500 mg GTP/day), (3) Placebo + TC (placebo plus TC training at 60 min/session, 3 sessions/week), and (4) GTP + TC (GTP plus TC training). Safety was examined by assessing liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase), alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin at baseline and every 4 weeks. Kidney function (urea nitrogen and creatinine), calcium, and inorganic phosphorus were also assessed at the same times. Qualify of life using SF-36 questionnaire was evaluated at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks. A mixed model of repeated measures ANOVA was applied for analysis. Results 150 subjects completed the study (12% attrition rate). The compliance rates for study agents and TC exercise were 89% and 83%, respectively. Neither GTP supplementation nor TC exercise affected liver or kidney function parameters throughout the study. No adverse event due to study treatment was reported by the participants. TC exercise significantly improved the scores for role-emotional and mental health of subjects, while no effect on quality of life was observed due to GTP supplementation. Conclusions GTP at a dose of 500 mg/day and/or TC exercise at 3 hr/week for 24 weeks appear to be safe in postmenopausal osteopenic women, particularly in terms of liver and kidney functions. TC exercise for 24 weeks (3 hr/wk) significantly improved quality of life in terms of role-emotional and mental health in these subjects. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00625391. PMID:21143878

Effects of different extracts of curcumin on TPC1 papillary thyroid cancer cell line.

PubMed

Perna, Angelica; De Luca, Antonio; Adelfi, Laura; Pasquale, Tammaro; Varriale, Bruno; Esposito, Teresa

2018-02-15

The thyroid gland is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body. The vast majority of TCs (> 90%) originate from follicular cells and are defined as differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC) and the two histological subtypes are the papillary TC with its variants and the follicular TC. Curcumin possesses a wide variety of biological functions, and thanks to its properties, it has gained considerable attention due to its profound medicinal values (Prasad, Gupta, Tyagi, and Aggarwal, Biotechnol Adv 32:1053-1064, 2014). We have undertaken the present work in order to define the possible role of curcumin in modulating the genetic expression of cell markers and to understand the effectiveness of this nutraceutical in modulating the regression of cancer phenotype. As a template we used the TPC-1 cells treated with the different extracts of turmeric, and examined the levels of expression of different markers (proliferative, inflammatory, antioxidant, apoptotic). Treatment with the three different curcumin extracts displays anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties and it is able to influence cell cycle with slightly different effects upon the extracts. Furthermore curcumin is able to influence cell metabolic activity vitality. In conclusion curcumin has the potential to be developed as a safe therapeutic but further studies are needed to verify its antitumor ability in vivo.

Tetracycline Resistance in the Subsurface of a Poultry Farm: Influence of Poultry Wastes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Y.; Ball, W. P.; Ward, M. J.; Hilpert, M.

2007-12-01

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are considered to be important man-made reservoir of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Using the electromagnetic induction (EMI) method of geophysical characterization, we measured the apparent subsurface electrical conductivity (ECa) at a CAFO site in order to assess the movement of pollutants associated with animal waste. The map of ECa and other available data suggest that (1) soil surrounding a poultry litter storage shed is contaminated by poultry waste, (2) a contamination plume in the subsurface emanates from that shed, and (3) the development of that plume is due to groundwater flow. We focused on understanding the spread of tetracycline resistance (Tc\\tiny R), because tetracycline is one of the most frequently used antibiotics in food animal production and therefore probably used at our field site. Microbiological experiments show the presence of Tc\\tiny R bacteria in the subsurface and indicate higher concentrations in the top soil than in the aquifer. Environmental DNA was extracted to identify CAFO- associated Tc\\tiny R genes and to explore a link between the presence of Tc\\tiny R and CAFO practices. A "shot-gun" cloning approach is under development to target the most prevalent Tc\\tiny R gene. This gene will be monitored in future experiments, in which we will study the transmission of Tc\\tiny R to naive E.~coli under selective pressure of Tc. Experimental results will be used to develop a mathematical/numerical model in order to describe the transmission process and to subsequently make estimates regarding the large-scale spread of antibiotic resistance.

Low temperature magnetic susceptibility behavior of the Neuschwanstein EL6 meteorite and mineral daubreelite (FeCr2S4)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohout, T.; Kletetschka, G.; Lehtinen, M.; Pesonen, L. J.; Wasilewski, P. J.

2006-12-01

Neuschwanstein meteorite (enstatite chondrite EL-6) fall occurred on April 6, 2002 close to Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, Germany. Total three meteorite bodies were found on the fall site. Two fragments coming from a 1750g body found on July 14, 2002 were obtained to the Division of Geophysics, University of Helsinki. The low temperature magnetic properties were investigated using KLY-3 and KLY-4 kappabridges equipped with low temperature control unit. During the low-temperature susceptibility measurements an unknown kink feature was observed at ~150 K on all measured samples. The closest known magnetic transition is the curie temperature Tc ~170 K of synthetic FeCr2S4 mentioned in Müller et al., 2006. FeCr2S4 is naturally present in enstatite chondrites and iron meteorites in the form of mineral daubreelite and was reported to be present in the Neuschwanstein meteorite in Zipfel and Dreibus, 2003. The extensive study of magnetic susceptibility of Neuschwanstein meteorite and daubreelite extract form Coahuila iron meteorite (hexahedrite, II A) was conducted in order to investigate the low temperature magnetic susceptibility of those materials and its field and frequency dependence. The results indicate Tc of natural daubreelite extract from Coahuila meteorite to be ~160 K what is slightly lower than the Tc of synthetic FeCr2S4 reported in Müller et al., 2006. The magnetic susceptibility of natural daubreelite from Coahuila meteorite and of ~150 K feature in Neuschwanstein meteorite show no field dependence of magnetic susceptibility. Due to the similarity in the low temperature magnetic susceptibility behaviour of Neuschwanstein meteorite and daubreelite extract from Coahuila meteorite we link the Neuschwanstein ~150 K feature to the Tc of daubreelite present in this meteorite. The 10 K difference of the Tc of daubreelite in Neuschwanstein and Coahuila meteorites can be attributed to the presence of impurities or structural deformations in the daubreelite crystals. Daubreelite with its Tc ~160 K may be significant magnetic mineral in cold space environment. However, warming to the terrestrial temperatures results in magnetic unblocking and lost of the magnetic information. The low temperature susceptibility measurements can be used to identify the presence of daubreelite in meteorites. References: C. Muller, V. Zestrea, V. Tsurkan, S. Horn, R. Tidecks and A. Wixforth (2006): SPIN-LATTICE COUPLING IN THE FERRIMAGNETIC SEMICONDUCTOR FeCr2S4 PROBED BY SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVES. J. Appl. Phys. 99(2), 023906, 2006. J. Zipfel and G. Dreibus (2003): BULK CHEMISTRY OF NEUSCHWANSTEIN (EL6). 66th Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting (2003) Abstract no. A103.

Radiolabeled technetium chelates for use in renal function determinations

DOEpatents

Fritzberg, Alan; Kasina, Sudhaker; Johnson, Dennis L.

1994-01-01

The present invention is directed to novel radiopharmaceutical imaging agents incorporating Tc-99m as a radiolabel. In particular, the novel imaging agents disclosed herein have relatively high renal extraction efficiencies, and hence are useful for conducting renal function imaging procedures. The novel Tc-99m compounds of a present invention have the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein X is S or N; and wherein Y is --H or wherein Y is ##STR2## and where R.sub.1 is --H, --CH.sub.3, or --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 ; R.sub.2 is --H, --CH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 H, --CH.sub.2 CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 H, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5, or --CH.sub.2 OH; and Z is --H, --CO.sub.2 H, --CONH.sub.2, --SO.sub.3 H, --SO.sub.2 NH.sub.2, or --CONHCH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 H; and the Tc is Tc-99m; and water-soluble salts thereof. Of the foregoing, the presently preferred Tc-99m compound of the present invention is Tc-99m-mercaptoacetylglycylglycylglycine (Tc-99m-MAGGG). The present invention is also directed to novel chelating agents that may be reacted with Tc-99m to form the foregoing compounds. Such novel chelating agents have the following general formula. ##STR3## where X and Y have the same definitions as above, and wherein Y' is --H.sub.2 when X is N, or wherein Y' is --H, or a suitable protective group such as --COCH.sub.3, --COC.sub.6 H.sub.5, --CH.sub.2 NHCOCH.sub.3, --COCF.sub.3, or --COCH.sub.2 OH when X is S. The present invention also provides methods for preparing and using the novel Tc-99m compounds.

Radiolabeled technetium chelates for use in renal function determinations

DOEpatents

Fritzberg, Alan; Kasina, Sudhakar; Johnson, Dennis L.

1990-01-01

The present invention is directed to novel radiopharmaceutical imaging agents incorporating Tc-99m as a radiolabel. In particular, the novel imaging agents disclosed herein have relatively high renal extraction efficiencies, and hence are useful for conducting renal function imaging procedures. The novel Tc-99m compounds of a present invention have the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein X is S or N; and wherein Y is--H or wherein Y is ##STR2## and where R.sub.1 is --H, --CH.sub.3, or --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 ; R.sub.2 is --H, --CH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 H, --CH.sub.2 CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 H, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5, or --CH.sub.2 OH; and Z is --H, --CO.sub.2 H, --CONH.sub.2, --SO.sub.3 H, --SO.sub.2 NH.sub.2, or --CONHCH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 H; and the Tc is Tc-99m; and water-soluble salts thereof. Of the foregoing, the presently preferred Tc-99m compound of the present invention is Tc-99m-mercaptoacetylglycylglycylglycine (Tc-99m-MAGGG). The present invention is also directed to novel chelating agents that may be reacted with Tc-99m to form the foregoing compounds. Such novel chelating agents have the following general formula. ##STR3## where X and Y have the same definitions as above, and wherein Y' is --H.sub.2 when X is N, or wherein Y' is --H, or a suitable protective group such as --COCH.sub.3, --COC.sub.6 H.sub.5, --CH.sub.2 NHCOCH.sub.3, --COCF.sub.3, or --COCH.sub.2 OH when X is S. The present invention also provides methods for preparing and using the novel Tc-99m compounds.

Evidence for a π junction in Nb/Ni 0.96V0.04/Nb trilayers revealed by superfluid density measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinton, M. J.; Steers, Stanley; Peters, Bryan; Yang, F. Y.; Lemberger, T. R.

2016-07-01

We report measurements of the superfluid density, λ-2(T ) , in ferromagnet-on-superconductor (F/S) bilayers and S/F/S' trilayers comprising Nb with Ni, Py, CoFe, and NiV ferromagnets. Bilayers provide information about F/S interface transparency and the T dependence of λ-2 that inform interpretation of trilayer data. The Houzet-Meyer theory accounts well for the measured dependence of λ-2(0 ) and Tc of F/S bilayers on thickness of F layer, dF, except that λ-2(0 ) is slightly under expectations for CoFe/Nb bilayers. For Nb/F/Nb' trilayers, we are able to extract Tc and and λ-2 for both Nb layers when F is thick enough to weaken interlayer coupling. The lower "Tc" is actually a crossover identified by onset of superfluid in the lower-Tc Nb layer. For Nb/NiV/Nb' trilayers, λ-2(0 ) versus dF for both Nb layers has a minimum followed by a recovery, suggestive of a π junction.

Temperature characteristics of epitaxially grown InAs quantum dot micro-disk lasers on silicon for on-chip light sources

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

Wan, Yating; Li, Qiang; Lau, Kei May, E-mail: eekmlau@ust.hk

2016-07-04

Temperature characteristics of optically pumped micro-disk lasers (MDLs) incorporating InAs quantum dot active regions are investigated for on-chip light sources. The InAs quantum dot MDLs were grown on V-groove patterned (001) silicon, fully compatible with the prevailing complementary metal oxide-semiconductor technology. By combining the high-quality whispering gallery modes and 3D confinement of injected carriers in quantum dot micro-disk structures, we achieved lasing operation from 10 K up to room temperature under continuous optical pumping. Temperature dependences of the threshold, lasing wavelength, slope efficiency, and mode linewidth are examined. An excellent characteristic temperature T{sub o} of 105 K has been extracted.

LIQUID-SOLID DISK EXTRACTION FOLLOWED BY SFE AND GC-ION-TRAP MS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF TRACE ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN WATER

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Industrial Toxic 33-50 Program, which is part of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, outlines a plan to reduce the use of some commonly used liquid solvents. One of the most widely used solvents for extraction of organic contamin...

Epsilon Aurigae's dark side: A thermal phase curve investigation of the near-eclipse phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Richard L.; Stencel, Robert E.; Howell, Steve B.; Hoard, D. W.; Kim, Daryl L.; Russell, Ray W.; Sitko, Michael L.

2017-06-01

The epsilon Aurigae disk-eclipsing binary system moves through a primary eclipse that lasts just over two years and occurs every 27.1-years. It comprises of a warm F0Ia-star (around 7750 K) and an opaque, circumstellar disk hiding an internal B-star (with a temperature greater than 15,000 K). We present new infrared observations from Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC, at 3.6 and 4.5 microns) and The Aerospace Corporation’s Broadband Array Spectrograph System (BASS, a 116-element prism system spectrograph spanning 3 - 14 microns) in order to extract the thermal signature of the disk. Previous findings indicate a variable temperature of the disk, depending on its location within the system’s orbit: a 550 +\\- 50 K temperature was identified during eclipse phases, while a 1150 +\\- 50 K temperature was found near secondary—or anti-eclipse—phases by Hoard et al. (2010) and Hoard et al. (2012). We use the latest observations in combination with previously published IRAC and BASS data to compile a more complete thermal phase curve (TPC) of the disk across nearly one-third of the system’s orbit. The TPC indicates heating and cooling effects of the disk, pointing to specific ranges of material properties and disk structure. The observations, process, results, and implications will be presented.

Hepatoprotective Activity of Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) Bulb Extracts.

PubMed

Tang, Wenping; Munafo, John P; Palatini, Kimberly; Esposito, Debora; Huang, Mou-Tuan; Komarnytsky, Slavko; Ho, Chi-Tang; Gianfagna, Thomas J

2015-11-11

The hepatoprotective activities of two different extracts, a hydroethanolic crude bulb extract (CB) and a steroidal glycoside-rich 1-butanol extract (BuOH), prepared from the bulbs of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.), were evaluated in a 24 week study in the female KK.Cg-A(y)/J Type 2 diabetic mouse model. Animals were divided into six groups (n = 16): control mice received Easter lily bulb extract-free drinking water together with a low- or high-fat diet (diabetic control); drinking water for the remaining groups was supplemented with CB extract (1%), BuOH extract (0.1 or 0.2%), and reference drug Metformin (0.001%), together with a high-fat diet. Both CB and BuOH extract treatment groups exhibited significantly improved liver function based on comparisons of triglycerides [diabetic 219 ± 34 mg/dL, CB 131 ± 27 mg/dL, BuOH(0.2%) 114 ± 35 mg/dL], CB total cholesterol (TC) (diabetic 196 ± 12 mg/dL, CB 159 ± 5 mg/dL), average liver mass [diabetic 2.96 ± 0.13 g, CB 2.58 ± 0.08 g, BuOH(0.1%) 2.48 ± 0.13 g], alanine transferase [diabetic 74 ± 5 units/L, CB 25 ± 1 units/L, BuOH(0.1%) 45 ± 1 units/L], and histological examinations. Glucose metabolism was improved only in CB, which was confirmed by oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) in diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice exposed to CB extract. These data suggest that steroidal glycosides 1-5 might play a role in the hepatoprotective activity of the BuOH extracts, while the results of the TC measurements and OGTT study indicate that other constituents present in the CB extract are responsible for its hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic activity.

The uptake by the canine tibia of the bone-scanning agent 99mTc-MDP before and after an osteotomy.

PubMed

Hughes, S; Khan, R; Davies, R; Lavender, P

1978-11-01

The residue and extraction of technetium-labelled methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP), a substance used in bone scanning, was examined in the canine tibia and found to be low. Examination of washout curves suggested that there were four compartments in cortical bone, a vascular, a perivascular, a bone fluid and a bone compartment. After an osteotomy in the canine tibia the residue of 99mTc-MDP increased. This was believed to be due to an increase in the blood supply to the bone and to an associated increase in new bone available for exchange. Bone scanning in a fracture is therefore a reflection of the vascular status of the bone being examined and of the uptake by bone. This is dependent on there being an adequate blood supply to the bone and an increased number of mineral-binding sites.

A Comparison between Antibacterial Activity of Propolis and Aloe vera on Enterococcus faecalis (an In Vitro Study).

PubMed

Ehsani, Maryam; Amin Marashi, Mahmood; Zabihi, Ebrahim; Issazadeh, Maryam; Khafri, Soraya

2013-01-01

Removing the bacteria, including Enterococcus faecalis, from the root canal is one of the important aims in endodontic treatment.We aimed to compare the antibacterial activity of Chlorhexidine with two natural drugs. The antibacterial activities of three different propolis extracts (alcohol concentrations: 0, 15, 40%) and Aloe vera gel on E. faecalis were compared using three methods: disk diffusion, microdilution and direct contact test. In addition to the above bacterium, the Aloe vera gel effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans was evaluated. Disk diffusion test revealed that propolis ethanolic extracts (the alcohol concentration of 15 and 40%) and Aloe vera gel have antibacterial activities but aqueous extract of propolis did not show any effect in this test. The MICs for propolis ethanolic extracts, Aloe vera gel and aqueous extract of propolis (0% alcohol) were 313 µg/ml, 750 µg/ml, 2250 µg/ml, and ≥ 500 µg/ml respectively, much higher than the Chlorhexidine one. In direct contact test, contrary to Aloe vera, all three propolis extracts showed antibacterial effects on E. faecalis. The Aloe vera gel also showed significant antibacterial effect on S.aureus and S.mutans. The hydroalcoholic extracts of propolis and Aloe vera gel had antibacterial effects on E. faecalis, however, propolis is more potent than Aloe vera. The antibacterial effect of Aloe vera on S. aureus and S. mutans is low (MIC ≥ 2250 µg/ml). Appropriate concentrations of alcoholic extracts of propolis and some fractions of Aloe vera gel might be good choices for disinfecting the root canal in endodontic treatments.

LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of a dietary supplement with plant extracts in subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia.

PubMed

Ogier, Nicolas; Amiot, Marie-Josèphe; Georgé, Stéphane; Maillot, Matthieu; Mallmann, Cécilia; Maraninchi, Marie; Morange, Sophie; Lescuyer, Jean-François; Peltier, Sébastien L; Cardinault, Nicolas

2013-03-01

Red yeast rice (RYR), sugar cane-derived policosanols (SCdP) and artichoke leaf extracts (ALEs) are currently incorporated alone or in combination into dietary supplements for their potential low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol)-lowering effects. Yet, there is no information supporting the efficacy of this association on the reduction in LDL-cholesterol. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a new dietary supplement (DS) with RYR, SCdP and ALEs on LDL-cholesterol. In a double-blind, randomized, parallel controlled study, 39 subjects from 21 to 55 years with moderate hypercholesterolemia without drug treatment were assigned to 2 groups and then consumed either a DS containing RYR, SCdP and ALEs or a placebo over a 16-week period. Plasma concentrations of lipids [LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol (TC), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), triacylglycerols (TG)] and plasma levels of vitamins C and E, total polyphenols and malondialdehyde were determined at baseline and after 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks. LDL-cholesterol and TC were reduced by, respectively, 21.4 % (95 % CI, -13.3 to -24.9 %, p < 0.001) and 14.1 % (95 % CI, -10.1 to -18.0 %, p < 0.001) at week 16 in the DS group compared with baseline. Similar results were obtained at weeks 4, 8 and 12. TG decreased by 12.2 % after 16 weeks in the DS group (95 % CI: -24.4 to -0.1 %, p < 0.05). For the vitamin E/TC ratio, a difference was observed between groups at week 16 (p < 0.05). Other parameters were not modified. Daily consumption of this new DS decreased LDL-cholesterol and TC and is therefore an interesting, convenient aid in managing mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia.

Metal spintronics: Tunneling spectroscopy in junctions with magnetic and superconducting electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hyunsoo

Recent advances in generating, manipulating and detecting spin-polarized electrons and their electrical current make possible entirely new classes of spin-based sensor, logic and storage devices. An important such device is the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) which has been under intensive study in recent years: important applications include nonvolatile memory cells for high performance magnetic random access memory (MRAMs), and magnetic field sensors for high density hard disk drive read heads. Many aspects of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) phenomenon are poorly understood although it is clear that the fundamental origin of TMR is the spin-polarization of the tunneling current. Thus, the measurement of the magnitude and sign of the tunneling spin polarization (TSP) is very important to help the further understanding of TMR. Recently, an extremely high TMR value, of up to 350% at room temperature, has been reported in practical MTJ devices. These MTJs are fabricated with highly oriented crystalline MgO(100) tunnel barriers by straightforward magnetron sputter deposition at room temperature. In parallel with this observation, we report extremely high TSP values exceeding 90% from CoFe/MgO tunnel spin injectors. These TSP values rival the highest polarization values previously reported using exotic half-metallic oxide ferromagnets. The spin polarization of electrons extracted from ferromagnetic films can be probed by a variety of techniques. Amongst these techniques, STS is perhaps the most relevant with respect to TMR but until now all measurements have been made with Al superconducting films which have low superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) so that the measurements must be made at temperatures below 400mK. We demonstrate the use of superconducting electrodes formed from NbN which has a much higher Tc (˜16K) than Al. The use of NbN allows measurements of TSP at higher temperatures above 1K. We have observed the phenomenon of Kondo-assisted tunneling in planar magnetic tunnel junctions. We demonstrate not only an increased conductance at low bias but also show that the tunneling magnetoresistance is quenched in the Kondo regime. The Kondo effect may be a useful means of detecting and possibly manipulating the spins of individual electrons in nanodots.

An in vitro evaluation of the antibacterial efficacy of chlorine dioxide on E. faecalis in bovine incisors.

PubMed

Eddy, Russell S; Joyce, Anthony P; Roberts, Steven; Buxton, Thomas B; Liewehr, Frederick

2005-09-01

This study investigated the ability of chlorine dioxide to eliminate Enterococcus faecalis from dentinal tubules of bovine incisors. Thirty-seven extracted bovine incisor roots were sectioned into seventy-four 5 mm disks. Standardized lumens were filled with either sterile Brain Heart Infusion Broth (contamination controls, n = 10) or BHI containing E. faecalis (1.0 x 10 cfu/ml). Disks were incubated in 5% CO2 at 37 degrees C for 72 h. To simulate endodontic instrumentation the lumens were again enlarged. Sixty disks were randomly divided into four experimental groups and filled with one of the following irrigants: 10% Clidox-S (chlorine dioxide), 13.8% BioClenz (chlorine dioxide), 5.25% Clorox, or saline. The disks were incubated for 30 min and were then frozen, pulverized, serially diluted in phosphate buffered saline, and plated on BHI plates in triplicate. Total colony forming units were counted macroscopically. Statistical analysis of the data was performed with a Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA on ranks (p < 0.05, n = 60). Bacterial counts, expressed in log10 cfu/disk were as follows (">" denotes significant differences): Saline > Clidox-S = BioClenz > Clorox. All negative controls were sterile. Chlorine dioxide and NaOCL were both effective in eliminating E. faecalis from the dentinal disks within 30 min.

Ocimum gratissmum aqueous extract reduces plasma lipid in hypercholesterol-fed hamsters

PubMed Central

Chao, Pei-Yu; Lin, James A.; Ting, Wei-Jen; Lee, Hsueh-Hui; Hsieh, Kuanghui; Chiu, Yung-Wei; Lai, Te-Jen; Hwang, Jin-Ming; Liu, Je-rYuh; Huang, Chih-Yang

2016-01-01

Objectives: Hyperlipidemia is a significant risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis and related diseases which are major health problem in many developed and developing countries that can lead to fatality due to the changes in lifestyle and dietary habits in this modern age. Methods: In the present study, the Ocimum gratissimum aqueous extract (OGE) was tested for the lowering effect on the serum lipid level of male hamsters on a high-fat (12%) and high-cholesterol (0.2%) diet (HFCD). Results: The results showed that the levels of serum high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerols (TG) were increased in the HFCD group (113±11, 259±87, 629±175 and 625±262, respectively), as compared to the control normal diet group (51±8, 19±5, 77±16 and 101±44, respectively). When co-treated with various doses (10 and 20 mg/kg) of the OGE or rosuvastatin, the rats exhibited the restoration of normal serum LDL-C, TC, and TG levels. Conclusion: Therefore, we suggest that the Ocimum gratissimum aqueous extract may have the potential function of lowering serum lipid in rats. PMID:27877073

Impact of Mistletoe Triterpene Acids on the Uptake of Mistletoe Lectin by Cultured Tumor Cells

PubMed Central

Mulsow, Katharina; Enzlein, Thomas; Delebinski, Catharina; Jaeger, Sebastian; Seifert, Georg; Melzig, Matthias F.

2016-01-01

Complementary treatment possibilities for the therapy of cancer are increasing in demand due to the severe side effects of the standard cytostatics used in the first-line therapy. A common approach as a complementary treatment is the use of aqueous extracts of Viscum album L. (Santalaceace). The therapeutic activity of these extracts is attributed to Mistletoe lectins which are Ribosome-inactivating proteins type II. Besides these main constituents the extract of Viscum album L. comprises also a mixture of lipophilic ingredients like triterpene acids of the oleanane, lupane and ursane type. However, these constituents are not contained in commercially available aqueous extracts due to their high lipophilicity and insolubility in aqueous extraction media. To understand the impact of the extract ingredients in cancer therapy, the intracellular uptake of the mistletoe lectin I (ML) by cultured tumor cells was investigated in relation to the mistletoe triterpene acids, mainly oleanolic acid. Firstly, these hydrophobic triterpene acids were solubilized using cyclodextrins (“TT” extract). Afterwards, the uptake of either single compounds (isolated ML and the aqueous “viscum” extract) or in combination with the TT extract (ML+TT, viscumTT), was analyzed. The uptake of ML was studied inTHP-1-, HL-60-, 143B- and Ewing TC-71-cells and determined after 30, 60 and 120 minutes by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay which quantifies the A-chain of the hololectin. It could be shown that the intracellular uptake after 120 minutes amounted to 20% in all cell lines after incubation with viscumTT. The studies further revealed that the uptake in THP-1-, HL-60- and Ewing TC-71-cells was independent of the addition of TT extract. Interestingly, the uptake of ML by 143B-cells could only be measured after addition of triterpenes pointing to resistance to mistletoe lectin. PMID:27088729

Sida rhomboidea.Roxb aqueous extract down-regulates in vivo expression of vascular cell adhesion molecules in atherogenic rats and inhibits in vitro macrophage differentiation and foam cell formation.

PubMed

Thounaojam, Menaka C; Jadeja, Ravirajsinh N; Salunke, Sunita P; Devkar, Ranjitsinh V; Ramachandran, A V

2012-10-01

The present study evaluates efficacy of Sida rhomboidea.Roxb (SR) leaves extract in ameliorating experimental atherosclerosis using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Atherogenic (ATH) diet fed rats recorded significant increment in the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very LDL (VLDL), autoantibody against oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL), markers of LDL oxidation and decrement in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) along with increment in aortic TC and TG. The ex vivo LDL oxidation assay revealed an increased susceptibility of LDL isolated from ATH rats to undergo copper mediated oxidation. These set of changes were minimized by simultaneous co-supplementation of SR extract to ATH diet fed rats. Histopathology of aorta and immunolocalization studies recorded pronounced atheromatous plaque formation, vascular calcification, significant elastin derangements and higher expression of macrophage surface marker (F4/80), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and p-selectin in ATH rats. Whereas, ATH+SR rats depicted minimal evidence of atheromatous plaque formation, calcium deposition, distortion/defragmentation of elastin and accumulation of macrophages along with lowered expression of VCAM-1 and P-selectin compared to ATH rats. Further, monocyte to macrophage differentiation and in vitro foam cell formation were significantly attenuated in presence of SR extract. In conclusion, SR extract has the potency of controlling experimental atherosclerosis and can be used as promising herbal supplement in combating atherosclerosis.

Effects of various debonding and adhesive clearance methods on enamel surface: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Fan, Xiao-Chuan; Chen, Li; Huang, Xiao-Feng

2017-02-27

The purpose of this study was to evaluate orthodontic debonding methods by comparing the surface roughness and enamel morphology of teeth after applying two different debonding methods and three different polishing techniques. Forty eight human maxillary premolars, extracted for orthodontic reasons, were randomly divided into three groups. Brackets were bonded to teeth with RMGIC (Fuji Ortho LC, GC, Tokyo, Japan) (two groups, n = 18 each) after acid etching (30s), light cured for 40 s, exposed to thermocycling, then underwent 2 different bracket debonding methods: debonding pliers (Shinye, Hangzhou, China) or enamel chisel (Jinzhong, Shanghai, China); the third group (n = 12) comprised of untreated controls, with normal enamel surface roughness. In each debonded group, three cleanup techniques (n = 6 each) were tested, including (I) diamond bur (TC11EF, MANI, Tochigi, Japan) and One-Gloss (Midi, Shofu, Kyoto, Japan), (II) a Super-Snap disk (Shofu, Kyoto, Japan), and (III) One-Gloss polisher. The debonding methods were compared using the modified adhesive remnant index (ARI, 1-5). Cleanup efficiencies were assessed by recording operating times. Enamel surfaces were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface roughness tester, respectively. Two surface roughness variables were evaluated: Ra (average roughness) and Rz (10-point height of irregularities). The ARI scores of debonded teeth were similar with debonding pliers and enamel chisel (Chi-square = 2.19, P > 0.05). There were significant differences between mean operating time in each group (F = 52.615, P < 0.01). The diamond bur + One-Gloss took the shortest operating time (37.92 ± 3.82 s), followed by the Super-Snap disk (56.67 ± 7.52 s), and the One-Gloss polisher (63.50 ± 6.99 s). SEM appearance provided by the One-Gloss polisher was the closest to the intact enamel surface, and surface roughness (Ra: 0.082 ± 0.046 μm; Rz: 0.499 ± 0.200 μm) was closest to the original enamel (Ra: 0.073 ± 0.048 μm; Rz: 0.438 ± 0.213 μm); the next best was the Super-Snap disk (Ra: 0.141 ± 0.073 μm; Rz: 1.156 ± 0.755 μm); then, the diamond bur + One-Gloss (Ra: 0.443 ± 0.172 μm; Rz: 2.202 ± 0.791 μm). Debonding pliers were safer than enamel chisels for removing brackets. Cleanup with One-Gloss polisher provided enamel surfaces closest to the intact enamel, but took more time, and Super-Snap disks provided acceptable enamel surfaces and efficiencies. The diamond bur was not suitable for removing adhesive remnant.

ALMA REVEALS THE ANATOMY OF THE mm-SIZED DUST AND MOLECULAR GAS IN THE HD 97048 DISK

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

Walsh, Catherine; Maud, Luke T.; Juhász, Attila

Transitional disks show a lack of excess emission at infrared wavelengths due to a large dust cavity, that is often corroborated by spatially resolved observations at ∼ mm wavelengths. We present the first spatially resolved ∼ mm-wavelength images of the disk around the Herbig Ae/Be star, HD 97048. Scattered light images show that the disk extends to ≈640 au. ALMA data reveal a circular-symmetric dusty disk extending to ≈350 au, and a molecular disk traced in CO J = 3-2 emission, extending to ≈750 au. The CO emission arises from a flared layer with an opening angle ≈30°–40°. HD 97048more » is another source for which the large (∼ mm-sized) dust grains are more centrally concentrated than the small (∼ μ m-sized) grains and molecular gas, likely due to radial drift. The images and visibility data modeling suggest a decrement in continuum emission within ≈50 au, consistent with the cavity size determined from mid-infrared imaging (34 ± 4 au). The extracted continuum intensity profiles show ring-like structures with peaks at ≈50, 150, and 300 au, with associated gaps at ≈100 and 250 au. This structure should be confirmed in higher-resolution images (FWHM ≈ 10–20 au). These data confirm the classification of HD 97048 as a transitional disk that also possesses multiple ring-like structures in the dust continuum emission. Additional data are required at multiple and well-separated frequencies to fully characterize the disk structure, and thereby constrain the mechanism(s) responsible for sculpting the HD 97048 disk.« less

ALMA Reveals the Anatomy of the mm-sized Dust and Molecular Gas in the HD 97048 Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, Catherine; Juhász, Attila; Meeus, Gwendolyn; Dent, William R. F.; Maud, Luke T.; Aikawa, Yuri; Millar, Tom J.; Nomura, Hideko

2016-11-01

Transitional disks show a lack of excess emission at infrared wavelengths due to a large dust cavity, that is often corroborated by spatially resolved observations at ˜ mm wavelengths. We present the first spatially resolved ˜ mm-wavelength images of the disk around the Herbig Ae/Be star, HD 97048. Scattered light images show that the disk extends to ≈640 au. ALMA data reveal a circular-symmetric dusty disk extending to ≈350 au, and a molecular disk traced in CO J = 3-2 emission, extending to ≈750 au. The CO emission arises from a flared layer with an opening angle ≈30°-40°. HD 97048 is another source for which the large (˜ mm-sized) dust grains are more centrally concentrated than the small (˜μm-sized) grains and molecular gas, likely due to radial drift. The images and visibility data modeling suggest a decrement in continuum emission within ≈50 au, consistent with the cavity size determined from mid-infrared imaging (34 ± 4 au). The extracted continuum intensity profiles show ring-like structures with peaks at ≈50, 150, and 300 au, with associated gaps at ≈100 and 250 au. This structure should be confirmed in higher-resolution images (FWHM ≈ 10-20 au). These data confirm the classification of HD 97048 as a transitional disk that also possesses multiple ring-like structures in the dust continuum emission. Additional data are required at multiple and well-separated frequencies to fully characterize the disk structure, and thereby constrain the mechanism(s) responsible for sculpting the HD 97048 disk.

A Study of Inner Disk Gas around Young Stars in the Lupus Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arulanantham, Nicole Annemarie; France, Kevin; Hoadley, Keri

2018-06-01

We present a study of molecular hydrogen at the surfaces of the disks around five young stars in the Lupus complex: RY Lupi, RU Lupi, MY Lupi, Sz 68, and TYC 7851. Each system was observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and we detect a population of fluorescent H2 in all five sources. The temperatures required for LyA fluorescence to proceed (T ~ 1500-2500 K) place the gas within ~15 AU of the central stars. We have used these features to extract the radial distribution of H2 in the inner disk, where planet formation may already be taking place. The objects presented here have very different outer disk morphologies, as seen by ALMA via 890 micron dust continuum emission, ranging from full disks with no signs of cavities to systems with large regions that are clearly depleted (e.g. TYC 7851, with a cavity extending to 75 and 60 AU in dust and gas, respectively). Our results are interpreted in conjunction with sub-mm data from the five systems in an effort to piece together a more complete picture of the overall disk structure. We have previously applied this multi-wavelength approach to RY Lupi, including 4.7 micron IR-CO emission in our analysis. These IR-CO and UV-H2 observations were combined with 10 micron silicate emission, the 890 micron dust continuum, and 1.3 mm CO observations from the literature to infer a gapped structure in the inner disk. This single system has served as a testing ground for the larger Lupus complex sample, which we compare here to examine any trends between the outer disk morphology and inner disk gas distributions.

Consequences of Relativistic Neutron Outflow beyond the Accretion Disks of Active Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekejiuba, I. E.; Okeke, P. N.

1993-05-01

Three channels of relativistic electron injection in the jets of extragalactic radio sources (EGRSs) are discussed. With the assumption that an active galactic nucleus (AGN) is powered by a spinning supermassive black hole of mass ~ 10(8) M_⊙ which sits at the center of the nucleus and ingests matter and energy through an accretion disk, a model for extracting relativistic neutrons from the AGN is forged. In this model, the inelastic proton--proton and proton--photon interactions within the accretion disk, of relativistic protons with background thermal protons and photons, respectively, produce copious amounts of relativistic neutrons. These neutrons travel ballistically for ~ 10(3gamma_n ) seconds and escape from the disk before they decay. The secondary particles produced from the neutron decays then interact with the ambient magnetic field and/or other particles to produce the radio emissions observed in the jets of EGRSs. IEE acknowledges the support of the World Bank and the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria as well as the hospitality of Georgia State University.

Assessing levels and seasonal variations of current-use pesticides (CUPs) in the Tuscan atmosphere, Italy, using polyurethane foam disks (PUF) passive air samplers.

PubMed

Estellano, Victor H; Pozo, Karla; Efstathiou, Christos; Pozo, Katerine; Corsolini, Simonetta; Focardi, Silvano

2015-10-01

Polyurethane foam disks (PUF) passive air samplers (PAS) were deployed over 4 sampling periods of 3-5-months (≥ 1 year) at ten urban and rural locations throughout the Tuscany Region. The purpose was to assess the occurrence and seasonal variations of ten current-use pesticides (CUPs). PUF disk extracts were analyzed using GC-MS. The organophosphates insecticides; chlorpyrifos (3-580 pg m(-3)) and chlorpyrifos-methyl (below detection limit - to 570 pg m(-3)) presented the highest levels in air, and showed seasonal fluctuation coinciding with the growing seasons. The relative proportion urban/(urban + rural) ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 showing no differences between urban and rural concentrations. Air back trajectories analysis showed air masses passing over agricultural fields and potentially enhancing the drift of pesticides into the urban sites. This study represents the first information regarding CUPs in the atmosphere of Tuscany region using PAS-PUF disk. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Damage detection of engine bladed-disks using multivariate statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, X.; Tang, J.

2006-03-01

The timely detection of damage in aero-engine bladed-disks is an extremely important and challenging research topic. Bladed-disks have high modal density and, particularly, their vibration responses are subject to significant uncertainties due to manufacturing tolerance (blade-to-blade difference or mistuning), operating condition change and sensor noise. In this study, we present a new methodology for the on-line damage detection of engine bladed-disks using their vibratory responses during spin-up or spin-down operations which can be measured by blade-tip-timing sensing technique. We apply a principle component analysis (PCA)-based approach for data compression, feature extraction, and denoising. The non-model based damage detection is achieved by analyzing the change between response features of the healthy structure and of the damaged one. We facilitate such comparison by incorporating the Hotelling's statistic T2 analysis, which yields damage declaration with a given confidence level. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by case studies.

Characterizing the thermal distributions of warm molecular hydrogen in protoplanetary disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoadley, Keri; France, Kevin

2016-01-01

Probing the surviving molecular gas within the inner regions of protoplanetary disks (PPDs) around T Tauri stars (1 - 10 Myr) provides insight into the conditions in which planet formation and migration occurs while the gas disk is still present. Recent studies done by Hoadley et al. 2015 and Banzatti & Pontipoddan 2015 suggest that gas in the inner disks of PPDs appear to "respond" to the loss of small dust grains with evolving PPD stage, and IR-CO emission may either be thermally or photo-excited by stellar UV radiation, depending on PPD evolutionary stage. Because far-UV H2 emission lines are dominantly photo-excited by stellar HI-Lyman alpha photons, we observe H2 absorption features against the stellar Lyman alpha wings in a large sample of PPDs at various evolutionary stages. We aim to characterize whether the inner disk H2 environment is in thermal equilibrium at various stages of PPD evolution. We use a sophisticated first-principles approach to fitting multiple absorption features along the red- and blue-wings of the observed stellar Lyman alpha profiles to extract column density estimates of H2 along the line of sight to the target. We find that the high kinetic energy H2 observed in absorption against the LyA wing may be described as a part of the thermal distribution with high kinetic temperature - a potential indication of an inner disk molecular hazy "envelope" around the cooler bulk disk. Ongoing research may help determine the state of the gas and whether it evolves with disk evolutionary stage.

Reduction of pertechnetate by acetohydroxamic acid: Formation of [TcNO(AHA)2(H2O)]+ and implications for the UREX process.

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

1Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, Nuclear Science and Technology Division, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4006; Gong, Cynthia-May S; Poineau, Frederic

2008-02-26

Reductive nitrosylation and complexation of ammonium pertechnetate by acetohydroxamic acid has been achieved in aqueous nitric and perchloric acid solutions. The kinetics of the reaction depend on the relative concentrations of the reaction components and are accelerated at higher temperatures. The reaction does not occur unless conditions are acidic. Analysis of the x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic data is consistent with a pseudo-octahedral geometry with the linear Tc-N-O bond typical of technetium nitrosyl compounds, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy is consistent with a the d{sup 5} Tc(II) nitrosyl complex. The nitrosyl source is generally AHA, but may be augmented bymore » products of reaction with nitric acid. The resulting low-valency trans-aquonitrosyl(diacetohydroxamic)-technetium(II) complex (1) is highly soluble in water, extremely hydrophilic, and is not extracted by tri-n-butylphosphate in a dodecane diluent. Its extraction properties are not pH-dependent; titration studies indicate a single species from pH 4.5 down to -0.6 (calculated). This molecule is resistant to oxidation by H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, even at high pH, and can undergo substitution to form other technetium nitrosyl complexes. The formation of 1 may strongly impact the fate of technetium in the nuclear fuel cycle.« less

Phyllanthus Niruri Standardized Extract Alleviates the Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Decreases Atherosclerotic Risk in Sprague–Dawley Rats

PubMed Central

Al Zarzour, Raghdaa Hamdan; Ahmad, Mariam; Asmawi, Mohd. Zaini; Kaur, Gurjeet; Al-Mansoub, Majed Ahmed; Saghir, Sultan Ayesh Mohammed; Usman, Nasiba Salisu; Al-Dulaimi, Dhamraa W.; Yam, Mun Fei

2017-01-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the major global health issues, strongly correlated with insulin resistance, obesity and oxidative stress. The current study aimed to evaluate anti-NAFLD effects of three different extracts of Phyllanthus niruri (P. niruri). NAFLD was induced in male Sprague–Dawley rats using a special high-fat diet (HFD). A 50% methanolic extract (50% ME) exhibited the highest inhibitory effect against NAFLD progression. It significantly reduced hepatomegaly (16%) and visceral fat weight (22%), decreased NAFLD score, prevented fibrosis, and reduced serum total cholesterol (TC) (48%), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (65%), free fatty acids (FFAs) (25%), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (45%), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (38%), insulin concentration (67%), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (73%), serum atherogenic ratios TC/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (29%), LDL/HDL (66%) and (TC–HDL)/HDL (64%), hepatic content of cholesterol (43%), triglyceride (29%) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (40%) compared to a non-treated HFD group. In vitro, 50% ME of P. niruri inhibited α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase enzymes and cholesterol micellization. It also had higher total phenolic and total flavonoid contents compared to other extracts. Ellagic acid and phyllanthin were identified as major compounds. These results suggest that P. niruri could be further developed as a novel natural hepatoprotective agent against NAFLD and atherosclerosis. PMID:28718838

Rapid method for determination of 90Sr in seawater by liquid scintillation counting with an extractive scintillator.

PubMed

Uesugi, Masaki; Watanabe, Ryosuke; Sakai, Hiroaki; Yokoyama, Akihiko

2018-02-01

A rapid determination method of 90 Sr is developed for the monitoring of seawater around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). Three ideas of chemical separation and measurements to accelerate 90 Sr analysis are investigated. Strontium is co-precipitated in a two-step procedure with hydroxyapatite after the removal of magnesium phosphate in the presence of citric acid. The purification process of strontium is in combination with solid phase extraction disks. One or two sheets of Sr Rad disk and cyclic operations are examined to eliminate interfering substances and secure the exchange capacity. The suitable conditions of adsorption and stripping are determined with a 85 Sr tracer. Seawater samples up to 1L can be analyzed within 4h. Additionally, the appropriate pH conditions to extract strontium to the scintillator are studied, and the 90 Sr activity is assessed via liquid scintillation counting using an extractive scintillator based on the di-(2-etyl hexyl)-phosphoric acid (HDEHP) extraction method. The new scintillation counting method involves a small quenching effect and a low background compared to the conventional emulsion scintillator method. The minimum detectable activity (MDA) is 35mBq/L of 90 Sr in 180min of counting. The proposed method provides analytical results within a day after receipt of the samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radioisotopic Purity of Sodium Pertechnetate 99mTc Produced with a Medium-Energy Cyclotron: Implications for Internal Radiation Dose, Image Quality, and Release Specifications.

PubMed

Selivanova, Svetlana V; Lavallée, Éric; Senta, Helena; Caouette, Lyne; Sader, Jayden A; van Lier, Erik J; Zyuzin, Alexander; van Lier, Johan E; Guérin, Brigitte; Turcotte, Éric; Lecomte, Roger

2015-10-01

Cyclotron production of 99mTc is a promising route to supply 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals. Higher 99mTc yields can be obtained with medium-energy cyclotrons in comparison to those dedicated to PET isotope production. To take advantage of this capability, evaluation of the radioisotopic purity of 99mTc produced at medium energy (20-24 MeV) and its impact on image quality and dosimetry was required. Thick 100Mo (99.03% and 99.815%) targets were irradiated with incident energies of 20, 22, and 24 MeV for 2 or 6 h. The targets were processed to recover an effective thickness corresponding to approximately 5-MeV energy loss, and the resulting sodium pertechnetate 99mTc was assayed for chemical, radiochemical, and radionuclidic purity. Radioisotopic content in final formulation was quantified using γ-ray spectrometry. The internal radiation dose for 99mTc-pertechnetate was calculated on the basis of experimentally measured values and biokinetic data in humans. Planar and SPECT imaging were performed using thin capillary and water-filled Jaszczak phantoms. Extracted sodium pertechnetate 99mTc met all provisional quality standards. The formulated solution for injection had a pH of 5.0-5.5, contained greater than 98% of radioactivity in the form of pertechnetate ion, and was stable for at least 24 h after formulation. Radioisotopic purity of 99mTc produced with 99.03% enriched 100Mo was greater than 99.0% decay corrected to the end of bombardment (EOB). The radioisotopic purity of 99mTc produced with 99.815% enriched 100Mo was 99.98% or greater (decay corrected to the EOB). The estimated dose increase relative to 99mTc without any radionuclidic impurities was below 10% for sodium pertechnetate 99mTc produced from 99.03% 100Mo if injected up to 6 h after the EOB. For 99.815% 100Mo, the increase in effective dose was less than 2% at 6 h after the EOB and less than 4% at 15 h after the EOB when the target was irradiated at an incident energy of 24 MeV. Image spatial resolution and contrast with cyclotron-produced 99mTc were equivalent to those obtained with 99mTc eluted from a conventional generator. Clinical-grade sodium pertechnetate 99mTc was produced with a cyclotron at medium energies. Quality control procedures and release specifications were drafted as part of a clinical trial application that received approval from Health Canada. The results of this work are intended to contribute to establishing a regulatory framework for using cyclotron-produced 99mTc in routine clinical practice. © 2015 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

A comparison study on the use of Dowex 1 and TEVA-resin in determination of 99Tc in environmental and nuclear coolant samples in a SIA system with ICP-MS detection.

PubMed

Kołacińska, Kamila; Samczyński, Zbigniew; Dudek, Jakub; Bojanowska-Czajka, Anna; Trojanowicz, Marek

2018-07-01

This work refers to a comparative study of sorbents widely used in determinations of 99 Tc such as TEVA resin and Dowex 1. Despite having a similar functional group of quaternary amines, both materials represent different chromatographic methods-extraction (TEVA resin) and anion exchange (Dowex 1)-which provides a diverse range of their properties significant in determination of 99 Tc in flow conditions. The comparative tests, carried out in a SIA-LOV (Sequential Injection Analysis-Lab-on-Valve) system combined with mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) detection, considered several factors that are crucial from the standpoint of resin´s utility such as sorption capacity, durability, or selectivity, critical in 99 Tc separation from interferences. The developed and optimized analytical procedure based on the application of the TEVA resin provided determinations of 99 Tc at minimum detectable limit (MDL) 6.00 mBq L -1 in 50 min and has been successfully employed in analyses of samples from nuclear industrial and research units (reactor coolant and sewage) as well as from the river surrounding the nuclear reactor. The method proved to be sufficient for routine analysis of water samples in accordance with EPA standards. The reliability of the method was confirmed in the analysis of the BH standard provided by the NPL for inter-laboratory proficiency tests. The 99 Tc recovery for all real samples was evaluated as 80-100%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of a kinetic model for receptor-mediated uptake of Tc-99m-galactosyl-neoglycoalbumin (Tc-NGA)

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

Vera, D.R.; Krohn, K.A.; Woodle, E.S.

1984-01-01

Tc-NGA is a receptor-binding radiopharmaceutical which localizes specifically to the liver. The rate of uptake depends upon: 1) Tc-NGA-receptor affinity, k/sub b/, 2) molar dose, L/sub e/(O), and 3) hepatic blood flow, Q. The authors have proposed a kinetic model which describes hepatic uptake in terms of measurable physiochemical quantities: Q, k/sub b/, R, V/sub e/, V/sub h/ (systemic and liver blood volumes), and V/sub r/ (liver plasma volume). Computer simulations were compared to kinetic data (ROIs: precordium and liver, 420 data pts) resulting from injection into pigs (n=12) of Tc-NGAs of differing k/sub b/(0.6,1.2,1.8 x 10/sup 5/ M/sup -1/sec/supmore » -1/). Each pig was studied twice using different molar doses (0.5 - 10. x 10/sup -8/mole). Measurements of V/sub e/ (Tc-RBCs) and Q (indocyanine green extraction) were obtained during each study. Weights of excised livers were used to calculate V/sub h/ and r. With exception of the low-dose, low-affinity studies, all data was fit to within a reduced chi-square of 3 by adjustment of 1/sub e/, 1/sub h/, c, ..cap alpha../sub m/ and the sigmas. The authors conclude that this model is a valid description of a receptor-binding process, however competition by endogenous ligand may prevent its use at low molar doses of low-k/sub b/ NGA.« less

Disentangling The Evolution Of S0 Galaxies Using Spectral Data Cubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnston, Evelyn; Tabor, Martha; Merrifield, Michael; Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso; Häussler, Boris; Bamford, Steven; Cappellari, Michele

2016-09-01

While it is fairly well accepted that S0 galaxies evolve from spiral disk systems, the mechanism by which they do so is not well determined. A number of processes, ranging from simply running out of gas to environmentally-driven gas removal, interactions and mergers, have been proposed, and the reality is probably that there are multiple routes between these two states.One key way to explore how the disk and bulge components in S0 galaxies reached their current states is provided by studies of their spectra: stellar population analysis provides information on the sequence in which these components formed, while the kinematic information in these data holds clues to the degree of violence in the transformation process.With the availability of large integral-field unit (IFU) spectral surveys of nearby galaxies, there is now the potential to extract this information in a systematic way, to address the questions of which evolutionary channels S0 have galaxies evolved down, and whether these channels depend on other properties of the galaxy such as its mass or environment. Accordingly, we have been developing new tools to extract optimally the information contained within such data, to isolate the spectral properties of these galaxies' disks and bulges.Results to date are already proving interesting, with bulges of S0s in clusters systematically younger than the disks that surround them, implying a last chaotic burst of star formation near their centres in a reasonably violent transition, while those in less dense environments seem to show older bulges, consistent with star formation in a spiral galaxy simply ceasing.

Computational Studies on Sirtuins from Trypanosoma cruzi: Structures, Conformations and Interactions with Phytochemicals

PubMed Central

Sacconnay, Lionel; Angleviel, Melissa; Randazzo, Giuseppe Marco; Marçal Ferreira Queiroz, Marcos; Ferreira Queiroz, Emerson; Wolfender, Jean-Luc; Carrupt, Pierre-Alain; Nurisso, Alessandra

2014-01-01

Background The silent-information regulator 2 proteins, otherwise called sirtuins, are currently considered as emerging anti-parasitic targets. Nicotinamide, a pan-sirtuin inhibitor, is known to cause kinetoplast alterations and the arrested growth of T. cruzi, the protozoan responsible for Chagas disease. These observations suggested that sirtuins from this parasite (TcSir2rp1 and TcSir2rp3) could play an important role in the regulation of the parasitic cell cycle. Thus, their inhibition could be exploited for the development of novel anti-trypanosomal compounds. Methods Homology modeling was used to determine the three-dimensional features of the sirtuin TcSir2rp1 from T. cruzi. The apo-form of human SIRT2 and the same structure solved in complex with its co-substrate NAD+ allowed the modeling of TcSir2rp1 in the open and closed conformational states. Molecular docking studies were then carried out. A library composed of fifty natural and diverse compounds that are known to be active against this parasite, was established based on the literature and virtually screened against TcSir2rp1 and TcSir2rp3, which was previously modeled by our group. Results In this study, two conformational states of TcSir2rp1 were described for the first time. The molecular docking results of compounds capable of binding sirtuins proved to be meaningful when the closed conformation of the protein was taken into account for calculations. This specific conformation was then used for the virtual screening of antritrypanosomal phytochemicals against TcSir2rp1 and TcSir2rp3. The calculations identified a limited number of scaffolds extracted from Vismia orientalis, Cussonia zimmermannii, Amomum aculeatum and Anacardium occidentale that potentially interact with both proteins. Conclusions The study provided reliable models for future structure-based drug design projects concerning sirtuins from T. cruzi. Molecular docking studies highlighted not only the advantages of performing in silico interaction studies on their closed conformations but they also suggested the potential mechanism of action of four phytochemicals known for their anti-trypanosomal activity in vitro. PMID:24551254

Biochemistry of Suberization

PubMed Central

Agrawal, Vishwanath P.; Kolattukudy, P. E.

1977-01-01

A cell-free extract obtained from suberizing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber disks catalyzed the conversion of 16-hydroxy[G-3H]hexadecanoic acid to the corresponding dicarboxylic acid with NADP or NAD as the cofactor, with a slight preference for the former. This ω-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase activity, located largely in the 100,000g supernatant fraction, has a pH optimum of 9.5. It showed an apparent Km of 50 μM for 16-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid. The dehydrogenase activity was inhibited by thiol reagents, such as p-chloromercuribenzoate, N-ethylmaleimide, and iodoacetamide, and this dehydrogenase is shown to be different from alcohol dehydrogenase. That 16-oxohexadecanoic acid was an intermediate in the conversion of 16-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid to the corresponding dicarboxylic acid was suggested by the observation that the cell-free extract also catalyzed the conversion of 16-oxohexadecanoic acid to the dicarboxylic acid, with NADP as the preferred cofactor. The time course of development of the ω-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase activity in the suberizing potato disks correlated with the rate of deposition of suberin. Experiments with actinomycin D and cycloheximide suggested that the transcriptional processes, which are directly related to suberin biosynthesis and ω-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase biosynthesis, occurred between 72 and 96 hours after wounding. These results strongly suggest that a wound-induced ω-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase is involved in suberin biosynthesis in potato disks. PMID:16659915

Antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antibacterial properties of endophytic Pestalotiopsis species from medicinal plants.

PubMed

Tejesvi, Mysore V; Kini, Kukkundoor R; Prakash, Harishchandra S; Subbiah, Ven; Shetty, Hunthrike S

2008-09-01

Pestalotiopsis species were most dominant endophytic species isolated from four medicinal plants including Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia chebula, Azadirachta indica, and Holarrhena antidysenterica. Thirty Pestalotiopsis species isolated from different parts of the medicinal plants were selected for the study. The antioxidant and antihypertensive properties of Pestalotiopsis isolates were determined by measuring 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitory activity, lipid peroxidation, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition activity. Pestalotiopsis isolates of T. arjuna origin exhibited maximum radical scavenging activity compared with the others. The IC50 values of Pestalotiopsis extracts for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity ranged from 14 to 27 microg/mL compared with 15 and 6 microg/mL for butylated hydroxytoluene and ascorbic acid, respectively. The DNA damage study was also done for three isolates, TC-315, TA-37, and TA-60; TA-37 gave 80% protection. The IC50 values of Pestalotiopsis extracts for lipid peroxidation ranged between 30 and 35.5 microg/mL, while for the positive control butylated hydroxytoluene, it was 26 microg/mL. Out of 32 fungal extracts screened for antihypertensive assay, five (TA-37, TA-60, TA-102, TA-103, and TC-320) showed >60% inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme. The IC50 values for five extracts ranged from 21 to 37 microg/mL and was 20 microg/mL for captopril used as a positive control. The antibacterial activity was measured by the microplate-based turbidity measurement method. Four Pestalotiopsis extracts (TA-04, TA-37, TA-60, and TA-102) showed >75% inhibition against five bacterial strains including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum, and Staphylococcus aureus. The antioxidant, antibacterial, and antihypertensive activities demonstrated the potential of Pestalotiopsis extracts as therapeutic targets.

Salacia oblonga root improves postprandial hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis in Zucker diabetic fatty rats: Activation of PPAR-{alpha}

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

Hsun-Wei Huang, Tom; Peng Gang; Qian Li, George

Salacia oblonga (SO) root is an Ayurvedic medicine with anti-diabetic and anti-obese properties. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-{alpha}, a nuclear receptor, plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of lipid metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that chronic oral administration of the water extract from the root of SO to Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, a genetic model of type 2 diabetes and obesity, lowered plasma triglyceride and total cholesterol (TC) levels, increased plasma high-density lipoprotein levels and reduced the liver contents of triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and the ratio of fatty droplets to total tissue. By contrast, the extract hadmore » no effect on plasma triglyceride and TC levels in fasted ZDF rats. After olive oil administration to ZDF the extract also inhibited the increase in plasma triglyceride levels. These results suggest that SO extract improves postprandial hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis in ZDF rats. Additionally, SO treatment enhanced hepatic expression of PPAR-{alpha} mRNA and protein, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 and acyl-CoA oxidase mRNAs in ZDF rats. In vitro, SO extract and its main component mangiferin activated PPAR-{alpha} luciferase activity in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and lipoprotein lipase mRNA expression and enzyme activity in THP-1 differentiated macrophages; these effects were completely suppressed by a selective PPAR-{alpha} antagonist MK-886. The findings from both in vivo and in vitro suggest that SO extract functions as a PPAR-{alpha} activator, providing a potential mechanism for improvement of postprandial hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis in diabetes and obesity.« less

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Growth Control Properties of Nonoscale Structure Produced from Aloe vera var. littoralis Extract on Clinical Isolates of Salmonella.

PubMed

Ranjbar, Reza; Arjomandzadegan, Mohammad; Hosseiny, Hossein

2017-07-31

The aim of the study was to examine antibacterial properties of microemulsion structure produced from Aloe vera var. littoralis extract as a new tool of nanoscale drug-like materials. Aloe vera var. littoralis ( A. littoralis ) extract was prepared by distillation method. A nonocarrier structure in the microemulsion system was prepared from the extract. Serial concentrations were prepared from 8 mg/mL extract and the nonocarrier containing 0.1 mg/mL pure extract and were evaluated by a disk diffusion method for 35 Salmonella clinical isolates. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by microbroth dilution assay using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) method by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) Microplate Reader apparatus. Antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by measuring the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay. From 35 clinical isolates of Salmonella , 17 isolates-including resistant isolates of S.E.1103 and S.E.49-had a zone of inhibition (ZI) of 7 to 32 mm in 0.007 mg/mL of the extract. S.E.76 isolate exposed to 30 µg/mL ceftazidime disk had a ZI of 12 mm but had 10 mm in 7µg/mL of A. littoralis extract. The inhibitory effect of a nanocarrier at a concentration of 25 µg/mL by 20 mm ZI was comparable by the ceftazidime (30 µg/mL) effect. MIC 50 was 0.25 mg/mL and MBC 50 was 0.5 mg/mL by MTT method for the extract. It was shown that A.littoralis extract had antioxidant activity of 31.67 µM/mg that could be increased based on concentration. It was concluded that the nanocarrier had a significant effect on the studied isolates in comparison with ordinary antibiotics and had potential for use as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial material in complementary medicine.

Imaging of the CO snow line in a solar nebula analog.

PubMed

Qi, Chunhua; Öberg, Karin I; Wilner, David J; D'Alessio, Paola; Bergin, Edwin; Andrews, Sean M; Blake, Geoffrey A; Hogerheijde, Michiel R; van Dishoeck, Ewine F

2013-08-09

Planets form in the disks around young stars. Their formation efficiency and composition are intimately linked to the protoplanetary disk locations of "snow lines" of abundant volatiles. We present chemical imaging of the carbon monoxide (CO) snow line in the disk around TW Hya, an analog of the solar nebula, using high spatial and spectral resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array observations of diazenylium (N2H(+)), a reactive ion present in large abundance only where CO is frozen out. The N2H(+) emission is distributed in a large ring, with an inner radius that matches CO snow line model predictions. The extracted CO snow line radius of ~30 astronomical units helps to assess models of the formation dynamics of the solar system, when combined with measurements of the bulk composition of planets and comets.

Isoflavone and Protein Constituents of Lactic Acid-Fermented Soy Milk Combine to Prevent Dyslipidemia in Rats Fed a High Cholesterol Diet

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Maki; Egusa, Shintaro; Fukuda, Mitsuru

2014-01-01

A high cholesterol diet induces dyslipidemia. This study investigated whether isoflavone aglycones in lactic acid-fermented soy milk (LFS) improve lipid metabolism in rats fed a high cholesterol diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged seven weeks were fed an AIN-93G diet, a 1% cholesterol diet (a high cholesterol diet), a high-cholesterol diet containing 4% isoflavone extract of LFS (LFS extract diet), a high-cholesterol diet containing 19.4% ethanol-washed LFS (ethanol-washed LFS diet, isoflavone-poor diet), or a high cholesterol diet containing 23.2% intact LFS (intact LFS diet) for five weeks. The plasma total cholesterol (TC) level was increased in the rats fed the LFS extract diet compared with those fed the high cholesterol diet. The TC level was decreased by the intact LFS and ethanol-washed LFS diets. The cholesterol-lowering effect was stronger in the rats fed the intact LFS diet than those fed the ethanol-washed LFS diet. The plasma triglyceride (TG) level was unchanged in the rats fed the LFS extract diet, but it decreased in rats fed the intact LFS and ethanol-washed LFS diets. Although, compared with the high cholesterol diet, the LFS extract and ethanol-washed LFS diets did not reduce hepatic cholesterol and TG, both levels were remarkably lowered by the intact LFS diet. These results suggest that the improvement in lipid metabolism of rats fed a high-cholesterol diet containing LFS isoflavone aglycones is not due to an independent effect but due to a cooperative effect with soy protein. PMID:25514389

Combined Mini-Cylex & Disk Acceleration Tests in Type K Copper.

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

Maines, Warren Russell; Kittell, David E.; Hobbs, Michael L.

We combined the miniature cylinder expansion test (Mini-Cylex), with the Disk Acceleration Test (DAX) using Type K copper, Picatinny Liquid Explosive, and photonic Doppler velocimetry. We estimated the CJ state using plate reverberation methods at the test cap. We extracted velocities at 2, 7, and 10 volume expansions to fit Jones-Wilkins-Lee Equation of State at the tube wall. And we estimated Gurney velocity both at the test cap and tube wall. Our experiments and simulations are within expected uncertainty. The test and the analysis effectively reduce costs while keeping similar fidelity compared with more expensive tests.

Quantum and superconducting fluctuations effects in disordered Nb 1- xTa x thin films above Tc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannouri, M.; Papastaikoudis, C.

1999-05-01

Disordered Nb 1- xTa x thin films are prepared with e-gun coevaporation. The influence of the β-phase of tantalum in the critical temperature Tc is observed as a function of the substrate temperature. The measurements of transverse magnetoresistance at various isothermals are interpreted in terms of weak-localization and superconducting fluctuations. From the fitting procedure, the phase breaking rate τφ-1 and the Larkin parameter βL are estimated as a function of temperature. Conclusions about the dominant inelastic scattering mechanisms at various temperature regions as well as for the dominant mechanism of superconducting fluctuations near the transition temperature are extracted.

Rapid methods for the isolation of actinides Sr, Tc and Po from raw urine.

PubMed

McAlister, Daniel R; Horwitz, E Philip; Harvey, James T

2011-08-01

Rapid methods for the isolation and analysis of individual actinides (Th, U, Pu, Am/Cm) and Sr, Tc and Po from small volumes of raw urine have been developed. The methods involve acidification of the sample and the addition of aluminum nitrate or aluminum chloride salting-out agent prior to isolation of the desired analyte using a tandem combination of prefilter material and extraction chromatographic resin. The method has been applied to the separation of individual analytes from spiked urine samples. Analytes were recovered in high yield and radionuclide purity with separation times as low as 30 min. The chemistry employed is compatible with automation on the ARSIIe instrument.

Thermodynamic description of Tc(iv) solubility and hydrolysis in dilute to concentrated NaCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 solutions.

PubMed

Yalçıntaş, Ezgi; Gaona, Xavier; Altmaier, Marcus; Dardenne, Kathy; Polly, Robert; Geckeis, Horst

2016-06-07

We present the first systematic investigation of Tc(iv) solubility, hydrolysis and speciation in dilute to concentrated NaCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 systems, and comprehensive thermodynamic and activity models for the system Tc(4+)-H(+)-Na(+)-Mg(2+)-Ca(2+)-OH(-)-Cl(-)-H2O using both SIT and Pitzer approaches. The results are advancing the fundamental scientific understanding of Tc(iv) solution chemistry and are highly relevant in the applied context of nuclear waste disposal. The solubility of Tc(iv) was investigated in carbonate-free NaCl-NaOH (0.1-5.0 M), MgCl2 (0.25-4.5 M) and CaCl2 (0.25-4.5 M) solutions within 2 ≤ pHm≤ 14.5. Undersaturation solubility experiments were performed under an Ar atmosphere at T = 22 ± 2 °C. Strongly reducing conditions (pe + pHm≤ 2) were imposed with Na2S2O4, SnCl2 and Fe powder to stabilize technetium in the +IV redox state. The predominance of Tc(iv) in the aqueous phase was confirmed by solvent extraction and XANES/EXAFS spectroscopy. Solid phase characterization was accomplished after attaining thermodynamic equilibrium using XRD, SEM-EDS, XANES/EXAFS, TG-DTA and quantitative chemical analysis, and indicated that TcO2·0.6H2O(s) exerts solubility-control in all evaluated systems. The definition of the polyatomic Tc3O5(2+) species instead of TcO(2+) is favoured under acidic conditions, consistently with slope analysis (mTcvs. pHm) of the solubility data gained in this work and spectroscopic evidence previously reported in the literature. The additional formation of Tc(iv)-OH/O-Cl aqueous species in concentrated chloride media ([Cl(-)] = 9 M) and pHm≤ 4 is suggested by solubility and EXAFS data. The pH-independent behaviour of the solubility observed under weakly acidic to weakly alkaline pHm conditions can be explained with the equilibrium reaction TcO2·0.6H2O(s) + 0.4H2O(l) ⇔ TcO(OH)2(aq). Solubility data determined in dilute NaCl systems with pHm≥ 11 follow a well-defined slope of +1, consistent with the predominance of TcO(OH)3(-) previously selected by NEA-TDB. In concentrated MgCl2 and CaCl2 solutions with pHm≥ 8, the formation of the ternary Mg3[TcO(OH)5](3+) and Ca3[TcO(OH)5](3+) species is proposed based on the slope analysis of the solubility data, model calculations and previous observations for analogous An(iv) and Zr(iv) systems. The formation and stability of these hitherto unknown Tc(iv) species are supported by DFT calculations. Based on the newly generated experimental data and previous spectroscopic observations, new comprehensive chemical, thermodynamic and activity models (SIT, Pitzer) for these systems are derived.

Pharmacological evaluation of Musa seminifera Lour. fruit.

PubMed

Saha, Sanjib; Hossain, Faroque; Anisuzzman, Md; Islam, Md Khirul

2013-07-01

To study potential antioxidant, analgesic, antidiarrheal, and antibacterial activities of the ethanol extract of Musa seminifera Lour. fruit in different established in vivo and in vitro experimental models. In vitro antioxidant activity was studied in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay. Phenolic content was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent. Reducing ability was evaluated by ferric reducing power assay. Peripherally and centrally acting analgesic activity was studied in three different in vivo models, namely, acetic acid-induced writhing, hot-plate test, and tail-flick test in Swiss albino mice. In vivo antidiarrheal activity was evaluated in castor oil- and magnesium sulfate-induced diarrhea in mice. Gastrointestinal motility test was also carried out in mice. All studies in mice were undertaken at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. Antibacterial activity was assessed by disk diffusion assay against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Acute toxicity test was conducted to assess the safe doses of the extract. The extract showed 50% inhibitory concentration value of 12.65 μg/mL in DPPH radical-scavenging assay. Phenolic content was found to be 589.83 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dried fruits extract. Reducing power was in a concentration-dependent manner, and strongly comparable with the standard ascorbic acid. The extract demonstrated significant inhibition of writhing in acetic acid-induced writhing test at both dose levels (P<0.01). The extract also raised pain threshold in both hot-plate and tail-flick test in a dose-dependent manner, and the results were statistically significant (P<0.01). The extract significantly (P<0.01) increased latent period, and decreased defecation in both castor oil- and magnesium sulfate-induced diarrhea. The extract also decreased gastrointestinal motility in mice. In disk diffusion assay, the extract showed potential antibacterial activity against all the tested bacterial strains. The results suggest that the ethanol extract of M. seminifera fruit has potential antioxidant, analgesic, antidiarrheal, and antibacterial activities.

Physiological and physico-chemical characterization of dietary fibre from the green seaweed Ulva fasciata Delile.

PubMed

Carvalho, A F U; Portela, M C C; Sousa, M B; Martins, F S; Rocha, F C; Farias, D F; Feitosa, J P A

2009-08-01

This work aims to assess the potential of the green seaweed Ulva fasciata Delile as an alternative source of dietary fibre (DF). Total DF content was determined, some of its physico-chemical properties described and the physiological effects of U. fasciata meal on rats fed a hypercholesterolemic diet were investigated. U. fasciata may be considered a potential alternative source of DF with a total content of about 400 g.kg-1 (dry basis) and interesting physico-chemical properties: water retention capacity of 8.74 g/water.g-1 dry sample (seaweed meal) and 0.90 (seaweed carbohydrate extract), lipid adsorption capacity of 4.52 g/oil.g-1 dry sample (seaweed meal) and 5.70 (seaweed carbohydrate extract), intrinsic viscosity of 2.4 dl.g-1 (seaweed carbohydrate extract) and cation exchange capacity of 3.51 Eq.kg-1 (seaweed carbohydrate extract). The diet containing seaweed meal was able to keep rats' total cholesterol (TC) down without causing any undesirable increase in LDL-C fraction. No evidence of toxic and/or antinutritional components in the seaweed meal was detected. Rats showed a fecal volume much greater (13 g) than that fed on cellulose diet (7 g) (p < 0.05). These properties confer on the seaweed the potential to be used in food technology for the acquisition of low-calorie food and might be important in body weight control, reduction of blood TC and LDL-C as well as in prevention of gastrointestinal diseases.

Berberis vulgaris L. effects on oxidative stress and liver injury in lead-intoxicated mice.

PubMed

Laamech, Jawhar; El-Hilaly, Jaouad; Fetoui, Hamadi; Chtourou, Yassine; Gouitaa, Hanane; Tahraoui, Adel; Lyoussi, Badiaa

2017-03-01

Background Berberis vulgaris L. (BV), commonly known as "Aghriss" in Moroccan pharmacopoeia, is used to cure liver disorders and other diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of BV aqueous extract against lead-induced toxicity in mice liver. Methods Sixty IOPS mice were divided into six groups and were treated as follows: group 1 (normal control) received double distilled water; group 2 (toxic control) received lead acetate (5 mg/kg body weight/day) in double distilled water for 40 days; groups 3-6 received BV aqueous extract at doses of 25, 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg body weight , respectively, once daily for 30 days from 11 day after beginning of lead acetate exposure to the end of the experiment. Results Toxic control group showed a significant alteration of serum alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), total bilirubin (TB), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reduced glutathione (GSH). Histological assessment of lead-intoxicated mice liver revealed alterations in hepatocytes and focal necrosis. BV treatment significantly prevented lead accumulation, increased ALT, AST, TC, and TB, inhibited lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyls(PCO) formation. Additionally, BV extract normalized the antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD and GPx), GSH and architecture of liver tissues. Conclusions BV aqueous extract exerts significant hepatoprotective effects against lead-induced oxidative stress and liver dysfunction. The BV effect may be mediated through the enhancement of antioxidant status, lead-chelating abilities and free radicals quenching.

Disk Rock Cutting Tool for the Implementation of Resource-Saving Technologies of Mining of Solid Minerals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manietyev, Leonid; Khoreshok, Aleksey; Tsekhin, Alexander; Borisov, Andrey

2017-11-01

The directions of a resource and energy saving when creating a boom-type effectors of roadheaders of selective action with disc rock cutting tools on a multi-faceted prisms for the destruction of formation of minerals and rocks pricemax are presented. Justified reversing the modes of the crowns and booms to improve the efficiency of mining works. Parameters of destruction of coal and rock faces by the disk tool of a biconical design with the unified fastening knots to many-sided prisms on effectors of extraction mining machines are determined. Parameters of tension of the interfaced elements of knots of fastening of the disk tool at static interaction with the destroyed face of rocks are set. The technical solutions containing the constructive and kinematic communications realizing counter and reverse mode of rotation of two radial crowns with the disk tool on trihedral prisms and cases of booms with the disk tool on tetrahedral prisms in internal space between two axial crowns with the cutter are proposed. Reserves of expansion of the front of loading outside a table of a feeder of the roadheader of selective action, including side zones in which loading corridors by blades of trihedral prisms in internal space between two radial crowns are created are revealed.

A male-predominant cuticular hydrocarbon, 7-methyltricosane, is used as a contact pheromone in the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis.

PubMed

Olaniran, Oladele A; Sudhakar, Akella V S; Drijfhout, Falko P; Dublon, Ian A N; Hall, David R; Hamilton, James G C; Kirk, William D J

2013-04-01

In a laboratory bioassay, adult female Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) spent more time near filter paper disks that had been exposed to adult males than near unexposed disks; this effect was not observed on disks exposed to adult females. The response could only partly be explained by the known male-produced aggregation pheromone, neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate, suggesting the presence of an unknown male-produced compound. In gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses, 7-methyltricosane was detected on disks exposed to males, but not on disks exposed to females. Extracts of cuticular lipids also showed relatively large amounts of 7-methyltricosane on males, whereas only trace amounts were found on females and none on larvae. Bioassays of synthetic 7-methyltricosane showed that adults responded only after contact. The response to this compound was clearly different from that to n-tricosane or hexane-only controls. Females that contacted 7-methyltricosane on glass beads stayed in the vicinity and frequently raised the abdomen, a behavior that rejects mating attempts by males. Males stayed in the vicinity and wagged the abdomen sideways, a behavior used in fighting between males. This is the first identification of a contact pheromone in the order Thysanoptera.

Bioactivity of Y2O3 and CeO2 doped SiO2-SrO-Na2O glass-ceramics.

PubMed

Placek, L M; Keenan, T J; Wren, A W

2016-08-01

The bioactivity of yttrium and cerium are investigated when substituted for Sodium (Na) in a 0.52SiO2-0.24SrO-0.24-xNa2O-xMO glass-ceramics (where x = 0.08 and MO = Y2O3 or CeO2). Bioactivity is monitored through pH and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry where pH of simulated body fluid ranged from 7.5 to 7.6 and increased between 8.2 and 10.0 after 14-day incubation with the glass-ceramic disks. Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels in simulated body fluid after incubation with yttrium and cerium containing disks show a continual decline over the 14-day period. In contrast, Con disks (not containing yttrium or cerium) caused the elimination of Ca in solution after 1 day and throughout the incubation period, and initially showed a decline in P levels followed by an increase at 14 days. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the presence of Ca and P on the surface of the simulated body fluid-incubated disks and showed precipitates on Con and HCe (8 mol% cerium) samples. Cell viability of MC3T3 osteoblasts was not significantly affected at a 9% extract concentration. Optical microscopy after 24 h cell incubation with disks showed that Con samples do not support osteoblast or Schwann cell growth, while all yttrium and cerium containing disks have direct contact with osteoblasts spread across the wells. Schwann cells attached in all wells, but only showed spreading with the HY-S (8 mol% yttrium, heated to sintering temperature) and YCe (4 mol% yttrium and cerium) disks. Scanning electron microscopy of the compatible disks shows osteoblast and sNF96.2 Schwann cells attachment and spreading directly on the disk surfaces. © The Author(s) 2016.

Trypanosoma cruzi strain TcI is associated with chronic Chagas disease in the Brazilian Amazon.

PubMed

Santana, Rosa Amélia Gonçalves; Magalhães, Laylah Kelre Costa; Magalhães, Laise Kelman Costa; Prestes, Suzane Ribeiro; Maciel, Marcel Gonçalves; da Silva, George Allan Villarouco; Monteiro, Wuelton Marcelo; de Brito, Felipe Rocha; de Aguiar Raposo Câmara Coelho, Leila Inês; Barbosa-Ferreira, João Marcos; Guerra, Jorge Augusto Oliveira; Silveira, Henrique; das Graças Vale Barbosa, Maria

2014-06-11

Chagas disease in the Amazon region is considered an emerging anthropozoonosis with a predominance of the discrete typing units (DTUs) TcI and TcIV. These DTUs are responsible for cases of acute disease associated with oral transmission. Chronic disease cases have been detected through serological surveys. However, the mode of transmission could not be determined, or any association of chronic disease with a specific T. cruzi DTU's. The aim of this study was to characterize Trypanosoma cruzi in patients with chronic Chagas disease in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. Blood culture and xenodiagnosis were performed in 36 patients with positive serology for Chagas disease who participated in a serological survey performed in urban and rural areas of Manaus, Amazonas. DNA samples were extracted from the feces of triatomines used for xenodiagnosis, and the nontranscribed spacer of the mini-exon gene and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Blood culture and xenodiagnosis were negative in 100% of samples; however, molecular techniques revealed that in 13 out of 36 (36%) fecal samples from xenodiagnosis, T. cruzi was characterized as the DTU TcI, and different haplotypes were identified within the same DTU. The DTU TcI, which is mainly associated with acute cases of Chagas disease in the Amazon region, is also responsible for chronic infection in patients from a region in the State of Amazonas.

Trypanosoma cruzi strain TcI is associated with chronic Chagas disease in the Brazilian Amazon

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Chagas disease in the Amazon region is considered an emerging anthropozoonosis with a predominance of the discrete typing units (DTUs) TcI and TcIV. These DTUs are responsible for cases of acute disease associated with oral transmission. Chronic disease cases have been detected through serological surveys. However, the mode of transmission could not be determined, or any association of chronic disease with a specific T. cruzi DTU’s. The aim of this study was to characterize Trypanosoma cruzi in patients with chronic Chagas disease in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. Methods Blood culture and xenodiagnosis were performed in 36 patients with positive serology for Chagas disease who participated in a serological survey performed in urban and rural areas of Manaus, Amazonas. DNA samples were extracted from the feces of triatomines used for xenodiagnosis, and the nontranscribed spacer of the mini-exon gene and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Results Blood culture and xenodiagnosis were negative in 100% of samples; however, molecular techniques revealed that in 13 out of 36 (36%) fecal samples from xenodiagnosis, T. cruzi was characterized as the DTU TcI, and different haplotypes were identified within the same DTU. Conclusion The DTU TcI, which is mainly associated with acute cases of Chagas disease in the Amazon region, is also responsible for chronic infection in patients from a region in the State of Amazonas. PMID:24916362

Equilibrium of molybdenum in selected extraction systems

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

Tkac, Peter; Paulenova, Alena

2007-07-01

The concentration of molybdenum(VI) in dissolved irradiated nuclear fuel is comparable with the concentrations of Tc, Am and Np. Therefore it is of big interest to understand its behavior under conditions related to the UREX/TRUEX process. The effect of the poly-speciation of molybdenum in aqueous solution on its extraction by neutral solvents TBP and CMPO/TBP was studied. Extraction yields of molybdenum decreased significantly when AHA was added to aqueous phase. Our investigation confirmed a strong ability of the aceto-hydroxamic acid to form complexes with Mo in high acidic solutions. Spectroscopic data (UV-Vis) confirmed that a fraction of the Mo(VI)-AHA complexmore » is present in the organic phase after extraction. (authors)« less

Isosurface Extraction in Time-Varying Fields Using a Temporal Hierarchical Index Tree

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, Han-Wei; Gerald-Yamasaki, Michael (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

Many high-performance isosurface extraction algorithms have been proposed in the past several years as a result of intensive research efforts. When applying these algorithms to large-scale time-varying fields, the storage overhead incurred from storing the search index often becomes overwhelming. this paper proposes an algorithm for locating isosurface cells in time-varying fields. We devise a new data structure, called Temporal Hierarchical Index Tree, which utilizes the temporal coherence that exists in a time-varying field and adoptively coalesces the cells' extreme values over time; the resulting extreme values are then used to create the isosurface cell search index. For a typical time-varying scalar data set, not only does this temporal hierarchical index tree require much less storage space, but also the amount of I/O required to access the indices from the disk at different time steps is substantially reduced. We illustrate the utility and speed of our algorithm with data from several large-scale time-varying CID simulations. Our algorithm can achieve more than 80% of disk-space savings when compared with the existing techniques, while the isosurface extraction time is nearly optimal.

Homarine as a feeding deterrent in common shallow-water antarctic lamellarian gastropodMarseniopsis mollis: A rare example of chemical defense in a marine prosobranch.

PubMed

McClintock, J B; Baker, B J; Hamann, M T; Yoshida, W; Slattery, M; Heine, J N; Bryan, P J; Jayatilake, G S; Moon, B H

1994-10-01

The common bright yellow antarctic lamellarian gastropodMarseniopsis mollis was examined for the presence of defensive chemistry. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy indicated that a major component of ethanolic extracts purified by reversed-phase column chromatography was homarine. Further high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the mantle, foot, and viscera verified the presence of homarine in all body tissues at concentrations ranging from 6 to 24 mg/g dry tissue. A conspicuous macroinvertebrate predator of the shallow antarctic benthos, the sea starOdontaster validus, always rejected live individuals ofM. mollis, while readily feeding on pieces of fish tail muscle. Filter paper disks treated with shrimp elicited a broad range of feeding behaviors in the sea starO. validus (movement of disc to mouth, extrusion of cardiac stomach, humped feeding posture). Shrimp disks treated with homarine (0.4 and 4 mg/disk) were rejected byO. validus significantly more frequently than control disks treated with solvent carrier and shrimp or shrimp alone. The highest concentration of homarine tested not only caused feeding deterrence, but in several sea stars a flight response was noted. Homarine was not detected in the tunic of the antarctic ascidianCnemidocarpa verrucosa, a presumed primary prey ofM. mollis. Nonetheless, crude extracts of the epizooites that foul the tunic (primarily the bryozoans and hydroids) contain homarine, suggestingM. mollis may ingest and derive its chemistry from these organisms. This appears to be only the third example of chemical defense in a member of the Order Mesogastropoda. As the vestigial internalized shell ofM. mollis is considered a primitive condition, the findings of this study lend support to the hypothesis that chemical defense evolved prior to shell loss in shell-less gastropods.

Segmentation and Visual Analysis of Whole-Body Mouse Skeleton microSPECT

PubMed Central

Khmelinskii, Artem; Groen, Harald C.; Baiker, Martin; de Jong, Marion; Lelieveldt, Boudewijn P. F.

2012-01-01

Whole-body SPECT small animal imaging is used to study cancer, and plays an important role in the development of new drugs. Comparing and exploring whole-body datasets can be a difficult and time-consuming task due to the inherent heterogeneity of the data (high volume/throughput, multi-modality, postural and positioning variability). The goal of this study was to provide a method to align and compare side-by-side multiple whole-body skeleton SPECT datasets in a common reference, thus eliminating acquisition variability that exists between the subjects in cross-sectional and multi-modal studies. Six whole-body SPECT/CT datasets of BALB/c mice injected with bone targeting tracers 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) and 99mTc-hydroxymethane diphosphonate (99mTc-HDP) were used to evaluate the proposed method. An articulated version of the MOBY whole-body mouse atlas was used as a common reference. Its individual bones were registered one-by-one to the skeleton extracted from the acquired SPECT data following an anatomical hierarchical tree. Sequential registration was used while constraining the local degrees of freedom (DoFs) of each bone in accordance to the type of joint and its range of motion. The Articulated Planar Reformation (APR) algorithm was applied to the segmented data for side-by-side change visualization and comparison of data. To quantitatively evaluate the proposed algorithm, bone segmentations of extracted skeletons from the correspondent CT datasets were used. Euclidean point to surface distances between each dataset and the MOBY atlas were calculated. The obtained results indicate that after registration, the mean Euclidean distance decreased from 11.5±12.1 to 2.6±2.1 voxels. The proposed approach yielded satisfactory segmentation results with minimal user intervention. It proved to be robust for “incomplete” data (large chunks of skeleton missing) and for an intuitive exploration and comparison of multi-modal SPECT/CT cross-sectional mouse data. PMID:23152834

Hydrogen Isotope Measurements of Organic Acids and Alcohols by Pyrolysis-GC-MS-TC-IRMS: Application to Analysis of Experimentally Derived Hydrothermal Mineral-Catalyzed Organic Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Socki, R. A.; Fu, Q.; Niles, P. B.; Gibson, E. K.

2012-03-01

We report results of experiments to measure the H-isotope composition of organic acids and alcohols. These experiments make use of a pyroprobe interfaced with a GC and high-temperature extraction furnace to make quantitative H-isotope measurements.

Antibacterial efficacy of the seed extracts of Melia azedarach against some hospital isolated human pathogenic bacterial strains

PubMed Central

Khan, Abdul Viqar; Ahmed, Qamar Uddin; Mir, M Ramzan; Shukla, Indu; Khan, Athar Ali

2011-01-01

Objective To investigate the antibacterial potential of the polar and non-polar extracts of the seeds of Melia azedarach (M. azedarach) L. (Meliaceae) against eighteen hospital isolated human pathogenic bacterial strains. Methods Petrol, benzene, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous extracts at five different concentrations (1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 mg/mL) were evaluated. Disk diffusion method was followed to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy. Results All extracts of the seeds demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against tested pathogens. Among all extracts, ethyl acetate extract revealed the highest inhibition comparatively. The present study also favored the traditional uses reported earlier. Conclusions Results of this study strongly confirm that the seed extracts of M. azedarach could be effective antibiotics, both in controlling gram-positive and gram-negative human pathogenic infections. PMID:23569812

Estimation of internal exposure to 99Mo in nuclear medicine patients.

PubMed

Silva, I C O A; Lucena, E A; Souza, W O; Dantas, A L A; Dantas, B M

2010-05-10

(99m)Tc is the most widely used radionuclide in nuclear medicine. It is obtained by elution of (99)Mo-(99m)Tc generators. Depending on the quality of the generator and its integrity, (99)Mo may be extracted from the column during the elution process, becoming a radionuclidic impurity in the (99m)Tc eluate. This fact would impart an unnecessary dose to the patients submitted to diagnostic procedures. The aim of this work is to evaluate (99)Mo incorporation and internal effective doses in nuclear medicine patients through bioassay techniques, providing information on the metabolism of molybdenum in humans. A methodology based on in vivo and in vitro measurements was developed. In vivo measurements were performed with a NaI detector installed in the IRD WBC. Urine samples were analysed with a HPGe at the IRD bioassay laboratory. Patients showed detectable activities of (99)Mo in whole body and urine. Results were interpreted with AIDE software. Estimated incorporation was compared to predicted values based on ICRP model. Effective doses were in the order of micro sieverts. Results suggest the need to implement a routine quality control program of radionuclidic impurity of (99)Mo in (99m)Tc eluates to be conducted by radiopharmacy laboratories of nuclear medicine centers.

Oxytetracycline analysis in honey using a specific portable analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Guoying; Schwartz, Daniel; Braden, S.; Nunez, Alberto

2007-09-01

Oxytetracycline (OTC) residue in honey is detected using a portable analyzer designed to specifically target tetracycline (TC) drugs based on europium-sensitized luminescence (ESL). A 385 nm light emitting diode (LED) is used as the excitation source and a photomultiplier tube as the light detector. OTC is extracted from honey and cleaned up by solid phase extraction (SPE) using Strata X-WC weak cation exchange cartridges. To the eluate Eu(III) is added to form a Eu-TC chelate at pH 8.5. Efficient intrachelate energy transfer allows sensitive OTC detection at λ ex=385 nm and λ em=610 nm. After a 25-µs time delay, the ESL signal is integrated over a 25-1000 µs interval. The signal intensity reveals a linear relationship (R2=0.972) to OTC concentrations in the 10-200 ng/g range. The limit-of-detection is 6.7 ng/g with an average 5.8% relative standard deviation. The background signal corresponds to ~10 ppb. This instrumentation and method combination enables field analysis that is especially useful for beekeeping industry.

Phytosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Myrtus communis L. Leaf Extract and Investigation of Bactericidal Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajdari, M. R.; Tondro, G. H.; Sattarahmady, N.; Parsa, A.; Heli, H.

2017-12-01

Silver nanoparticles have been synthesized using only Myrtus communis L. leaf extract by a facile procedure without other reagents. The extract played the roles of both reducing and capping agent. The nanoparticles were characterized using field-emission scanning microscopy, and remained stable for at least 3 weeks. Antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated toward Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis based on inhibition zone disk diffusion assays. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of the nanoparticles were obtained. Mechanisms for the antibacterial activity were proposed.

[Investigation on Spray Drying Technology of Auricularia auricular Extract].

PubMed

Zhou, Rong; Chen, Hui; Xie, Yuan; Chen, Peng; Wang, Luo-lin

2015-07-01

To investigate the feasibility of spray drying technology of Auricularia auricular extract and its optimum process. On the basis of single factor test, with the yield of dry extract and the content of polysaccharide as indexes, orthogonal test method was used to optimize the spray drying technology on the inlet air temperature, injection speed and crude drug content. Using ultraviolet spectrophotometry, thin layer chromatography(TLC) and pharmacodynamics as indicators, extracts prepared by traditional alcohol precipitation drying process and spray drying process were compared. Compared with the traditional preparation method, the extract prepared by spray drying had little differences from the polysaccharide content, TLC and the function of reducing TG and TC, and its optimum technology condition were as follows: The inlet air temperature was 180 °C, injection speed was 10 ml/min and crude drugs content was 0. 4 g/mL. Auricularia auricular extract by spray drying technology is stable and feasible with high economic benefit.

Validity and reliability of the Traditional Chinese version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in general population.

PubMed

Chuang, Li-Ling; Chuang, Yu-Fen; Hsu, Miao-Ju; Huang, Ying-Zu; Wong, Alice M K; Chang, Ya-Ju

2018-01-01

Fatigue is a common symptom in the general population and has a substantial effect on individuals' quality of life. The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) has been widely used to quantify the impact of fatigue, but no Traditional Chinese translation has yet been validated. The goal of this study was to translate the MFI from English into Traditional Chinese ('the MFI-TC') and subsequently to examine its validity and reliability. The study recruited a convenience sample of 123 people from various age groups in Taiwan. The MFI was examined using a two-step process: (1) translation and back-translation of the instrument; and (2) examination of construct validity, convergent validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement error. The validity and reliability of the MFI-TC were assessed by factor analysis, Spearman rho correlation coefficient, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), minimal detectable change (MDC), and Bland-Altman analysis. All participants completed the Short-Form-36 Health Survey Taiwan Form (SF-36-T) and the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) concurrently to test the convergent validity of the MFI-TC. Test-retest reliability was assessed by readministration of the MFI-TC after a 1-week interval. Factor analysis confirmed the four dimensions of fatigue: general/physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue. A four-factor model was extracted, combining general fatigue and physical fatigue as one factor. The results demonstrated moderate convergent validity when correlating fatigue (MFI-TC) with quality of life (SF-36-T) and sleep disturbances (PSQI) (Spearman's rho = 0.68 and 0.47, respectively). Cronbach's alpha for the MFI-TC total scale and subscales ranged from 0.73 (mental fatigue subscale) to 0.92 (MFI-TC total scale). ICCs ranged from 0.85 (reduced motivation) to 0.94 (MFI-TC total scale), and the MDC ranged from 2.33 points (mental fatigue) to 9.5 points (MFI-TC total scale). The Bland-Altman analyses showed no significant systematic bias between the repeated assessments. The results support the use of the Traditional Chinese version of the MFI as a comprehensive instrument for measuring specific aspects of fatigue. Clinicians and researchers should consider interpreting general fatigue and physical fatigue as one subscale when measuring fatigue in Traditional Chinese-speaking populations.

Sampling for silver nanoparticles in aqueous media using a rotating disk electrode: evidence for selective sampling of silver nanoparticles in the presence of ionic silver.

PubMed

Steinberg, Spencer; Hodge, Vernon; Schumacher, Brian; Sovocool, Wayne

2017-03-01

Amendment of a carbon paste electrode consisting of graphite and Nujol®, with a variety of organic and inorganic materials, allows direct adsorption of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from aqueous solution in either open or close circuit modes. The adsorbed AgNPs are detected by stripping voltammetry. Detection limits of less than 1 ppb Ag are achievable with a rotating disk system. More than one silver peak was apparent in many of the stripping voltammograms. The appearance of multiple peaks could be due to different species of silver formed upon stripping or variation in the state of aggregation or size of nanoparticles. With most of these packing materials, dissolved Ag + was also extracted from aqueous solution, but, with a packing material made with Fe(II,III) oxide nanoparticles, only AgNPs were extracted. Therefore, it is the best candidate for determination of metallic AgNPs in aqueous environmental samples without interference from Ag + .

Evidence of Spin and Energy Extraction in a Galactic Black Hole Candidate: The XMM-NEWTON/EPIC SPECTRUM of XTE 11650-500

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J. M.; Fabian, A. C.; Wunands, R.; Reynolds, C. S.; Ehle, M.; Freyberg, M. J.; VanDerKlis, M.; Lewin, W. H. G.; Sanchez-Fernandez, C.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.

2002-01-01

We observed the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1650-500 early in its fall of 2001 outburst with the XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging pn Camera (EPIC-pn). The observed spectrum is consistent with the source having been in the very high state. We h d a broad, skewed Fe Kar emission line that suggests the primary in this system may be a Kerr black hole and that indicates a steep disk emissivity profile that is hard to explain in terms of a standard accretion disk model. These results are quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those from an XMM-Newton observation of the Seyfert galaxy MCG -6-30-15. The steep emissivity in MCG -6-30-15 may be explained by the extraction and dissipation of rotational energy from a black hole with nearly maximal angular momentum or from material in the plunging region via magnetic connections to the inner accretion disk. If this process is at work in both sources, an exotic but fundamental general relativistic prediction may be confirmed across a factor of l0(exp 6) in black hole mass. We discuss these results in terms of the accretion flow geometry in stellar-mass black holes and the variety of enigmatic phenomena often observed in the very high state.

A disk asymmetry in motion around the B[e] star MWC158

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluska, J.; Benisty, M.; Soulez, F.; Berger, J.-P.; Le Bouquin, J.-B.; Malbet, F.; Lazareff, B.; Thiébaut, E.

2016-06-01

Context. MWC158 is a star with the B[e] phenomenon that shows strong spectrophotometric variability (in lines and in UV and visible continuum) attributed to phases of shell ejection. The evolutionary stage of this star was never clearly determined. Previous interferometric, spectropolarimetric and spectro-interferometric studies suggest a disk morphology for its environment. Aims: We investigate the origin of the variability within the inner astronomical unit of the central star using near-infrared interferometric observations with PIONIER at the VLTI over a two-year period. Methods: We performed an image reconstruction of the circumstellar environment using the SPARCO method. We discovered that the morphology of the circumstellar environment could vary on timescales of weeks or days. We carried out a parametric fit of the data with a model consisting of a star, a disk and a bright spot that represents a brighter emission in the disk. Results: We detect strong morphological changes in the first astronomical unit around the star, that happen on a timescale of few months. We cannot account for such variability well with a binary model. Our parametric model fits the data well and allows us to extract the location of the asymmetry for different epochs. Conclusions: For the first time, we detect a morphological variability in the environment of MWC158. This variability is reproduced by a model of a disk and a bright spot. The locations of the bright spot suggest that it is located in the disk, but its precise motion is not determined. The origin of the asymmetry in the disk is complex and may be related to asymmetric shell ejections. Based on observations performed with PIONIER mounted on the ESO Very Large Telescope interferometer (programmes: 089.C-0211, 190.C-0963).

CHEMISTRY IN A FORMING PROTOPLANETARY DISK: MAIN ACCRETION PHASE

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

Yoneda, Haruaki; Tsukamoto, Yusuke; Furuya, Kenji

We investigate the chemistry in a radiation-hydrodynamics model of a star-forming core that evolves from a cold (∼10 K) prestellar core to the main accretion phase in ∼10{sup 5} years. A rotationally supported gravitationally unstable disk is formed around a protostar. We extract the temporal variation of physical parameters in ∼1.5 × 10{sup 3} SPH particles that end up in the disk, and perform post-processing calculations of the gas-grain chemistry adopting a three-phase model. Inside the disk, the SPH particles migrate both inward and outward. Since a significant fraction of volatiles such as CO can be trapped in the water-dominant ice inmore » the three-phase model, the ice mantle composition depends not only on the current position in the disk, but also on whether the dust grain has ever experienced higher temperatures than the water sublimation temperature. Stable molecules such as H{sub 2}O, CH{sub 4}, NH{sub 3}, and CH{sub 3}OH are already abundant at the onset of gravitational collapse and are simply sublimated as the fluid parcels migrate inside the water snow line. On the other hand, various molecules such as carbon chains and complex organic molecules (COMs) are formed in the disk. The COMs abundance sensitively depends on the outcomes of photodissociation and diffusion rates of photofragments in bulk ice mantle. As for S-bearing species, H{sub 2}S ice is abundant in the collapse phase. In the warm regions in the disk, H{sub 2}S is sublimated to be destroyed, while SO, H{sub 2}CS, OCS, and SO{sub 2} become abundant.« less

Limited Area Coverage/High Resolution Picture Transmission (LAC/HRPT) data vegetative index calculation processor user's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obrien, S. O. (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The program, LACVIN, calculates vegetative indexes numbers on limited area coverage/high resolution picture transmission data for selected IJ grid sections. The IJ grid sections were previously extracted from the full resolution data tapes and stored on disk files.

Antimycobacterial activity assessment of three ethnobotanical plants against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: An In Vitro study.

PubMed

Arjomandzadegan, Mohammad; Emami, Navid; Habibi, Ghasem; Farazi, Ali Asghar; Kahbazi, Manijeh; Sarmadian, Hossein; Jabbari, Mansooreh; Hosseini, Hossein; Ramezani, Mona

2016-12-01

Resistances to herbal medicines are still not defined and finding natural remedies against drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has research priority. The antimycobacterial susceptibility method for herbal extracts is unclearly defined and there is no standard method for assessment of the materials against bacteria. In the present study, time kill of three medicinal plants was determined against MTB. The clinical isolate of MTB from a patient who harbored confirmed tuberculosis was used in the study. Aqueous extracts of Aloe vera leaves, mint, and Hypericum perforatum were prepared using reflux distillation. Disk diffusion methods were conducted in Petri dishes and McCartney bottles containing Löwenstein-Jensen medium to measure the sensitivity of plant extracts in serial concentrations of 0.25-8mg/mL. A pour plate method was performed by mixing 0.7mL of each concentration of extract in 5mL Löwenstein-Jensen medium followed by surface culturing of MTB fresh cells. The time kill method was conducted by bacterial suspension in equal amounts of the extract and viable evaluation in fresh culture at the beginning, and at 24-h, 48-h, 72-h, and 1-week intervals. All cultures were incubated at 37°C for 4weeks. Inoculum concentrations were considered as a variable. The zones of inhibition of A. vera, H. perforatum, and mint extracts in the disk diffusion method in McCartney bottles were 60mm, 41mm, and zero, respectively, but Petri dishes did not have repeatable results. In the pour plate method, an extract concentration up to 1mg/mL could inhibit cell growth. In mint extract, colony forming was four times more than the others at 0.5mg/mL. Time kill of 95% of cells occurred when exposed to extracts of A. vera and H. perforatum separately, but was 50% in 24 h and 20% in 10 min. The time kill for mint was 95% in 1week. The results give some scientific basis to the use of plant extracts for growth control of MTB cells. Clinical trials are recommended for assessment of the extract as complementary medicine, as well as for antisepsis. Copyright © 2016.

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Growth Control Properties of Nonoscale Structure Produced from Aloe vera var. littoralis Extract on Clinical Isolates of Salmonella

PubMed Central

Hosseiny, Hossein

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to examine antibacterial properties of microemulsion structure produced from Aloe vera var. littoralis extract as a new tool of nanoscale drug-like materials. Aloe vera var. littoralis (A. littoralis) extract was prepared by distillation method. A nonocarrier structure in the microemulsion system was prepared from the extract. Serial concentrations were prepared from 8 mg/mL extract and the nonocarrier containing 0.1 mg/mL pure extract and were evaluated by a disk diffusion method for 35 Salmonella clinical isolates. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by microbroth dilution assay using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) method by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) Microplate Reader apparatus. Antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by measuring the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay. From 35 clinical isolates of Salmonella, 17 isolates—including resistant isolates of S.E.1103 and S.E.49—had a zone of inhibition (ZI) of 7 to 32 mm in 0.007 mg/mL of the extract. S.E.76 isolate exposed to 30 µg/mL ceftazidime disk had a ZI of 12 mm but had 10 mm in 7µg/mL of A. littoralis extract. The inhibitory effect of a nanocarrier at a concentration of 25 µg/mL by 20 mm ZI was comparable by the ceftazidime (30 µg/mL) effect. MIC50 was 0.25 mg/mL and MBC50 was 0.5 mg/mL by MTT method for the extract. It was shown that A.littoralis extract had antioxidant activity of 31.67 µM/mg that could be increased based on concentration. It was concluded that the nanocarrier had a significant effect on the studied isolates in comparison with ordinary antibiotics and had potential for use as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial material in complementary medicine. PMID:28758958

Towards a Statistical Model of Tropical Cyclone Genesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez, A.; Kashinath, K.; McAuliffe, J.; Prabhat, M.; Stark, P. B.; Wehner, M. F.

2017-12-01

Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are important extreme weather phenomena that have a strong impact on humans. TC forecasts are largely based on global numerical models that produce TC-like features. Aspects of Tropical Cyclones such as their formation/genesis, evolution, intensification and dissipation over land are important and challenging problems in climate science. This study investigates the environmental conditions associated with Tropical Cyclone Genesis (TCG) by testing how accurately a statistical model can predict TCG in the CAM5.1 climate model. TCG events are defined using TECA software @inproceedings{Prabhat2015teca, title={TECA: Petascale Pattern Recognition for Climate Science}, author={Prabhat and Byna, Surendra and Vishwanath, Venkatram and Dart, Eli and Wehner, Michael and Collins, William D}, booktitle={Computer Analysis of Images and Patterns}, pages={426-436}, year={2015}, organization={Springer}} to extract TC trajectories from CAM5.1. L1-regularized logistic regression (L1LR) is applied to the CAM5.1 output. The predictions have nearly perfect accuracy for data not associated with TC tracks and high accuracy differentiating between high vorticity and low vorticity systems. The model's active variables largely correspond to current hypotheses about important factors for TCG, such as wind field patterns and local pressure minima, and suggests new routes for investigation. Furthermore, our model's predictions of TC activity are competitive with the output of an instantaneous version of Emanuel and Nolan's Genesis Potential Index (GPI) @inproceedings{eman04, title = "Tropical cyclone activity and the global climate system", author = "Kerry Emanuel and Nolan, {David S.}", year = "2004", pages = "240-241", booktitle = "26th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology"}.

Simultaneous determination of four trace estrogens in feces, leachate, tap and groundwater using solid-liquid extraction/auto solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Liu, Na; Shi, Yue-e; Li, Mengyan; Zhang, Ting-di; Gao, Song

2015-10-01

A simple and selective high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with fluorescence detection was developed for the simultaneous measurement of trace levels of four estrogens (estrone, estradiol, estriol and 17α-ethynyl estradiol) in environmental matrices. For feces samples, solid-liquid extraction was applied with a 1:1 v/v mixture of acetonitrile and ethyl acetate as the extraction solvent. For liquid samples (e.g., leachate and groundwater), hydrophobic/lipophilic balanced automated solid-phase extraction disks were selected due to their high recoveries compared to conventional C18 disks. Chromatographic separations were performed on a reversed-phase C18 column gradient-eluted with a 45:55 v/v mixture of acetonitrile and water. The detection limits were down to 1.1 × 10(-2) (estrone), 4.11 × 10(-4) (estradiol), 5.2 × 10(-3) (estriol) and 7.18 × 10(-3) μg/L (17α-ethynyl estradiol) at excitation/emission wavelengths of 288/310 nm, with recoveries in the range of 96.9 ± 3.2-105.4 ± 3.2% (n = 3). The method was successfully applied to determine estrogens in feces and water samples collected at livestock farms and a major river in Northeast China. We observed relatively high abundance and widespread distribution of all four estrogens in our sample collections, implying the urgency for a comprehensive and intricate investigation of estrogenic fate and contamination in our researched area. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Antiviral activity of polysaccharide extract from Laminaria japonica against respiratory syncytial virus.

PubMed

Cao, Yin-Guang; Hao, Yu; Li, Zhi-Hui; Liu, Shun-Tao; Wang, Le-Xin

2016-12-01

This study was designed to investigate the inhibition activity of polysaccharide extract from Laminaria japonica against RSV. The polysaccharide from Laminaria japonica was isolated by ethanol precipitation. HEK293 cells were infected with RVS, and the antiviral activity of polysaccharide extract against RSV in host cells was tested. By using ELISA and western blot assay, the expression level of IFN-α and IRF3 and their functional roles in polysaccharide-mediated antiviral activity against RSV were investigated. The polysaccharide extract from Laminaria japonica had low toxicity to HEK293 cell. The TC50 to HEK293 cells was up to 1.76mg/mL. Furthermore, the EC50 of polysaccharide extract to RSV was 5.27μg/mL, and TI was 334. The polysaccharide extract improved IRF-3 expression which promoted the level of IFN-α. Polysaccharide extract from Laminaria japonica elicits antiviral activity against RSV by up-regulation of IRF3 signaling-mediated IFN-α production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Morphogenetic variability of faradiol monoesters in marigold Calendula officinalis L.

PubMed

Zitterl-Eglseer, K; Reznicek, G; Jurenitsch, J; Novak, J; Zitterl, W; Franz, C

2001-01-01

The main compounds of lipophilic extracts of flower heads of marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) are triterpendiol esters, mainly faradiol laurate, faradiol myristate and faradiol palmitate. These faradiol-3-O-monoesters have been quantified for the first time by means of reversed phase HPLC with internal standardisation in different parts of C. officinalis plants, namely ray florets, disk florests, involucral bracts, receptacles, levaes and seeds. The amounts of the esters were highest in ray florets, approximately 10 times lower in disk florets than in the ray florets, and approximately 10 times lower in involucral bracts than in the disk florets. In the leaves only traces of the esters could be detected, and in the receptacles no esters could be detected at all. Quantification in the seed was not possible using this method because of interfering fatty compounds. Concerning the faradiol esters, the dried ray and disk florets only should be preferred as primary products for remedies as demanded in the recently published supplement of the Pharmacopoiea Europaea (1999). Breeding work should focus on varieties with a greater number of ray florets in order to improve the quality of herbal medicinal products derived from marigoid.

Exploring Properties of HI Clouds in Dwarf Irregular Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Clara; Hunter, Deidre Ann

2018-01-01

Dwarf Irregular galaxies form stars and maintain exponential stellar disks at extremely low gas densities. One proposed method of maintaining such regular outer disks is scattering stars off of HI clouds. In order to understand the processes present in dwarf irregular stellar disks, we present a survey of atomic hydrogen clouds in and around a subset of representative galaxies from the LITTLE THINGS survey. We apply a cloud identification program to the 21 cm HI line emission cubes and extract masses, radii, surface densities, and distances from the center of the galaxy in the plane of the galaxy of each cloud. Our data show a wide range of clouds characterized by low surface densities but varied in mass and size. The number of clouds found and the mass of the most massive cloud show no correlation to integrated star forming rates or luminosity in these galaxies. However, they will be used as input for models of stars scattering off of HI clouds to better understand the regular stellar disks in dwarf Irregular galaxies.We acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation grant AST-1461200 to Northern Arizona University for Research Experiences for Undergraduates summer internships.

Novel High Temperature and Radiation Resistant Infrared Glasses and Optical Fibers for Sensing in Advanced Small Modular Reactors

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

Ballato, John

One binary and three series of ternary non-oxide pure sulfide glasses compositions were investigated with the goal of synthesizing new glasses that exhibit high glass transition (Tg) and crystallization (Tc) temperatures, infrared transparency, and reliable glass formability. The binary glass series consisted of Ges 2 and La 2S 3 and the three glass series in the x(nBaS + mLa2S3) + (1-2x)GeS2 ternary system have BaS:La2S3 modifier ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 with . With these glasses, new insights were realized as to how ionic glasses form and how glass modifiers affect both structure and glass formability. All synthesized compositionsmore » were characterized by Infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopies and differential thermal analysis (DTA) to better understand the fundamental structure, optical, and thermal characteristics of the glasses. After a range of these glasses were synthesized, optimal compositions were formed into glass disks and subjected to gamma irradiation. Glass disks were characterized both before and after irradiation by microscope imaging, measuring the refractive index, density, and UV-VIS-IR transmission spectra. The final total dose the samples were subjected to was ~2.5 MGy. Ternary samples showed a less than 0.4% change in density and refractive index and minimal change in transmission window. The glasses also resisted cracking as seen in microscope images. Overall, many glass compositions were developed that possess operating temperatures above 500 °C, where conventional chalcogenide glasses such as As2S3 and have T gs from ~200-300 °C, and these glasses have a greater than Tc – Tg values larger than 100 °C and this shows that these glasses have good thermal stability of Tg such that they can be fabricated into optical fibers and as such can be considered candidates for high temperature infrared fiber optics. Initial fiber fabrication efforts showed that selected glasses could be drawn but larger samples would be needed for further development and optimization« less

Development Of ABEC Column For Separation Of Tc-99 From Northstar Dissolved Target Solution

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

Stepinski, Dominique C.; Bennett, Megan E.; Naik, Seema R.

Batch and column breakthrough experiments were performed to determine isotherms and mass-transfer parameters for adsorption of Tc on aqueous biphasic extraction chromatographic (ABEC) sorbent in two solutions: 200 g/L Mo, 5.1 M K +, 1 M OH -, and 0.1 M NO 3 - (Solution A) and 200 g/L Mo, 9.3 M K +, 5 M OH -, and 0.1 M NO 3 - (Solution B). Good agreement was found between the isotherm values obtained by batch and column breakthrough studies for both Solutions A and B. Potassium-pertechnetate intra-particle diffusivity on ABEC resin was estimated by VERSE simulations, and goodmore » agreement was found among a series of column-breakthrough experiments at varying flow velocities, column sizes, and technetium concentrations. However, testing of 10 cc cartridges provided by NorthStar with Solutions A and B did not give satisfactory results, as significant Tc breakthrough was observed and ABEC cartridge performance varied widely among experiments. These different experimental results are believed to be due to inconsistent preparation of the ABEC resin prior to packing and/or inconsistent packing.« less

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

Hedman, Matthew M.; Stark, Christopher C., E-mail: mhedman@uidaho.edu, E-mail: cstark@stsci.edu

The appearance of debris disks around distant stars depends upon the scattering/phase function (SPF) of the material in the disk. However, characterizing the SPFs of these extrasolar debris disks is challenging because only a limited range of scattering angles are visible to Earth-based observers. By contrast, Saturn’s tenuous rings can be observed over a much broader range of geometries, so their SPFs can be much better constrained. Since these rings are composed of small particles released from the surfaces of larger bodies, they are reasonable analogs to debris disks and so their SPFs can provide insights into the plausible scatteringmore » properties of debris disks. This work examines two of Saturn’s dusty rings: the G ring (at 167,500 km from Saturn’s center) and the D68 ringlet (at 67,600 km). Using data from the cameras on board the Cassini spacecraft, we are able to estimate the rings’ brightnesses at scattering angles ranging from 170° to 0.°5. We find that both of the rings exhibit extremely strong forward-scattering peaks, but for scattering angles above 60° their brightnesses are nearly constant. These SPFs can be well approximated by a linear combination of three Henyey–Greenstein functions, and are roughly consistent with the SPFs of irregular particles from laboratory measurements. Comparing these data to Fraunhofer and Mie models highlights several challenges involved in extracting information about particle compositions and size distributions from SPFs alone. The SPFs of these rings also indicate that the degree of forward scattering in debris disks may be greatly underestimated.« less

Fatigue Resistance of the Grain Size Transition Zone in a Dual Microstructure Superalloy Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabb, T. P.; Kantzos, P. T.; Telesman, J.; Gayda, J.; Sudbrack, C. K.; Palsa, B. S.

2010-01-01

Mechanical property requirements vary with location in nickel-based superalloy disks. To maximize the associated mechanical properties, heat treatment methods have been developed for producing tailored microstructures. In this study, a specialized heat treatment method was applied to produce varying grain microstructures from the bore to the rim portions of a powder metallurgy processed nickel-based superalloy disk. The bore of the contoured disk consisted of fine grains to maximize strength and fatigue resistance at lower temperatures. The rim microstructure of the disk consisted of coarse grains for maximum resistance to creep and dwell crack growth at high temperatures up to 704 C. However, the fatigue resistance of the grain size transition zone was unclear, and needed to be evaluated. This zone was located as a band in the disk web between the bore and rim. Specimens were extracted parallel and transverse to the transition zone, and multiple fatigue tests were performed at 427 and 704 C. Mean fatigue lives were lower at 427 C than for 704 C. Specimen failures often initiated at relatively large grains, which failed on crystallographic facets. Grain size distributions were characterized in the specimens, and related to the grains initiating failures as well as location within the transition zone. Fatigue life decreased with increasing maximum grain size. Correspondingly, mean fatigue resistance of the transition zone was slightly higher than that of the rim, but lower than that of the bore. The scatter in limited tests of replicates was comparable for all transition zone locations examined.

RESONANT CLUMPING AND SUBSTRUCTURE IN GALACTIC DISKS

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

Molloy, Matthew; Smith, Martin C.; Shen, Juntai

2015-05-10

We describe a method to extract resonant orbits from N-body simulations, exploiting the fact that they close in frames rotating with a constant pattern speed. Our method is applied to the N-body simulation of the Milky Way by Shen et al. This simulation hosts a massive bar, which drives strong resonances and persistent angular momentum exchange. Resonant orbits are found throughout the disk, both close to the bar and out to the very edges of the disk. Using Fourier spectrograms, we demonstrate that the bar is driving kinematic substructure even in the very outer parts of the disk. We identifymore » two major orbit families in the outskirts of the disk, one of which makes significant contributions to the kinematic landscape, namely, the m:l = 3:−2 family, resonating with the bar. A mechanism is described that produces bimodal distributions of Galactocentric radial velocities at selected azimuths in the outer disk. It occurs as a result of the temporal coherence of particles on the 3:−2 resonant orbits, which causes them to arrive simultaneously at pericenter or apocenter. This resonant clumping, due to the in-phase motion of the particles through their epicycle, leads to both inward and outward moving groups that belong to the same orbital family and consequently produce bimodal radial velocity distributions. This is a possible explanation of the bimodal velocity distributions observed toward the Galactic anticenter by Liu et al. Another consequence is that transient overdensities appear and dissipate (in a symmetric fashion), resulting in a periodic pulsing of the disk’s surface density.« less

Hypolipidemic and antioxidant activity of the aqueous extract from the uneaten pulp of the fruit from Cordia dichotoma in healthy and hyperlipidemic Wistar albino rats.

PubMed

El-Newary, Samah A; Sulieman, A M; El-Attar, S R; Sitohy, M Z

2016-07-01

Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Hyperlipidemia increases the incidence of myocardial ischemia and cardiac events. This study evaluated the potential hypolipidemic and antioxidant action of the aqueous extract from the uneaten pulp of the fruit from Cordia dichotoma ("CDNP extract"). In vivo studies were performed for 10 weeks on dietary hyperlipidemic and healthy Wistar albino rat models that received two dose levels of the CDNP extract (0.50 and 1.00 g/kg body weight). Serum lipid profiles were determined for the experimental animals. Dietary hyperlipidemic rats were characterized by an elevated lipid profile compared to the healthy control, i.e., increased levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), although the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) was reduced. Levels of antioxidant enzymes, i.e., glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), were significantly higher in the dietary hyperlipidemic rats than in the normal healthy ones, while the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly lower. Force-feeding hyperlipidemic Wistar albino rats with the CDNP extract at two doses decreased TC, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and TG to normal levels. The risk ratio, which was as high as 870 % for the hyperlipidemic rats was decreased by the treatment to levels close to that calculated for the healthy control rats. Levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were very low in the hyperlipidemic Wistar albino rats but increased significantly when CDNP extract was adminstered, attaining similar HDL-C levels to those of healthy control rats. Treatment with the CDNP extract also improved the levels of antioxidant enzymes (GR, GST, GPx, SOD, and CAT) in hyperlipidemic Wistar albino rats. Thus, the CDNP extract improves the lipid metabolism of healthy and hyperlipidemic Wistar albino rats and can be employed in the management of dietary hyperlipidemia.

Protective action of Lactobacillus kefir carrying S-layer protein against Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.

PubMed

Golowczyc, M A; Mobili, P; Garrote, G L; Abraham, A G; De Antoni, G L

2007-09-30

Eight Lactobacillus kefir strains isolated from different kefir grains were tested for their ability to antagonize Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella enteritidis) interaction with epithelial cells. L. kefir surface properties such as autoaggregation and coaggregation with Salmonella and adhesion to Caco-2/TC-7 cells were evaluated. L. kefir strains showed significantly different adhesion capacities, six strains were able to autoaggregate and four strains coaggregated with Salmonella. Coincubation of Salmonella with coaggregating L. kefir strains significantly decreased its capacity to adhere to and to invade Caco-2/TC-7 cells. This was not observed with non coaggregating L. kefir strains. Spent culture supernatants of L. kefir contain significant amounts of S-layer proteins. Salmonella pretreated with spent culture supernatants (pH 4.5-4.7) from all tested L. kefir strains showed a significant decrease in association and invasion to Caco-2/TC-7 cells. Artificially acidified MRS containing lactic acid to a final concentration and pH equivalent to lactobacilli spent culture supernatants did not show any protective action. Pretreatment of this pathogen with spent culture supernatants reduced microvilli disorganization produced by Salmonella. In addition, Salmonella pretreated with S-layer proteins extracted from coaggregating and non coaggregating L. kefir strains were unable to invade Caco-2/TC-7 cells. After treatment, L. kefir S-layer protein was detected associated with Salmonella, suggesting a protective role of this protein on association and invasion.

Characterization and Application of Passive Samplers for Monitoring of Pesticides in Water.

PubMed

Ahrens, Lutz; Daneshvar, Atlasi; Lau, Anna E; Kreuger, Jenny

2016-08-03

Five different water passive samplers were calibrated under laboratory conditions for measurement of 124 legacy and current used pesticides. This study provides a protocol for the passive sampler preparation, calibration, extraction method and instrumental analysis. Sampling rates (RS) and passive sampler-water partition coefficients (KPW) were calculated for silicone rubber, polar organic chemical integrative sampler POCIS-A, POCIS-B, SDB-RPS and C18 disk. The uptake of the selected compounds depended on their physicochemical properties, i.e., silicone rubber showed a better uptake for more hydrophobic compounds (log octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) > 5.3), whereas POCIS-A, POCIS-B and SDB-RPS disk were more suitable for hydrophilic compounds (log KOW < 0.70).

Combined Mini-Cylex & Disk Acceleration Tests in Type K Copper

DOE PAGES

Maines, Warren Russell; Kittell, David E.; Hobbs, Michael L.

2018-04-16

In this work, we combined the miniature cylinder expansion test (Mini-Cylex), with the Disk Acceleration Test (DAX) using Type K copper, Picatinny Liquid Explosive, and photonic Doppler velocimetry. We estimated the CJ state using plate reverberation methods at the test cap. We extracted velocities at 2, 7, and 10 volume expansions to fit Jones-Wilkins-Lee Equation of State and estimated Gurney velocity at the tube wall. The test also provides an additional method to estimate reaction products Hugoniot through knowledge of the copper test cap. Our experiments and simulations are within expected uncertainty. Lastly, the test and the analysis effectively reducemore » costs while keeping or increasing fidelity.« less

Determining mechanical behavior of solid materials using miniature specimens

DOEpatents

Manahan, Michael P.; Argon, Ali S.; Harling, Otto K.

1986-01-01

A Miniaturized Bend Test (MBT) capable of extracting and determining mechanical behavior information from specimens only so large as to have at least a volume or smallest dimension sufficient to satisfy continuum behavior in all directions. The mechanical behavior of the material is determined from the measurements taken during the bending of the specimen and is processed according to the principles of linear or nonlinear material mechanics or both. In a preferred embodiment the determination is carried out by a code which is constructed according to the finite element method, and the specimen used for the determinations is a miniature disk simply supported for central loading at the axis on the center of the disk.

Combined Mini-Cylex & Disk Acceleration Tests in Type K Copper

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

Maines, Warren Russell; Kittell, David E.; Hobbs, Michael L.

In this work, we combined the miniature cylinder expansion test (Mini-Cylex), with the Disk Acceleration Test (DAX) using Type K copper, Picatinny Liquid Explosive, and photonic Doppler velocimetry. We estimated the CJ state using plate reverberation methods at the test cap. We extracted velocities at 2, 7, and 10 volume expansions to fit Jones-Wilkins-Lee Equation of State and estimated Gurney velocity at the tube wall. The test also provides an additional method to estimate reaction products Hugoniot through knowledge of the copper test cap. Our experiments and simulations are within expected uncertainty. Lastly, the test and the analysis effectively reducemore » costs while keeping or increasing fidelity.« less

[The use of semi-synthetic polymers in the formulation of sucking and chewable tablets containing sage extract and zinc gluconate].

PubMed

Linka, Wojciech Andrzej; Golenia, Ewa; Zgoda, Marian Mikołaj; Kołodziejczyk, Michał Krzysztof

2014-01-01

Halitosis and gingivitis are most common pathologies (15-60% of population) which, if left untreated, lead to periodontal diseases and tooth loss. The aim of this study was to develop, based on polymers of dry sage extract and zinc gluconate, tablets intended for sucking and chewing that can be applied in the treatment of halitosis and gingivitis. Dried aqueous sage extract, zinc gluconate, Pharmagum M, Prosolv SMCC90 and SMCCHD90, Vivapur 102, sorbitol, mannitol, ludipress. Direct tableting. Testing pharmacopeial parameters and pharmaceutical availability (using basket and rotating disk methods) of tablets intended for sucking and chewing. Approximation of the obtained results. Grey and green color tablets were obtained with smooth and uniform surface, without stains, spalls or mechanical damage. The determined average mass (weight) of a tablet complied with the standard. The friability and crushing strength test revealed that tablets containing Prosolv SMCCHD90, Vivapur 102 and mannitol demonstrated the highest mechanical strength. Tablets containing these substances and intended for sucking had prolonged disintegration and release time. Tablets intended for chewing had a hardness at the level of 124 N.They demonstrated compressibility, low friability and prolonged release. The release profiles of tablets intended for sucking (v2) and those for chewing, obtained by basket and rotating disk methods, were similar. The addition of Prosolv SMCCHD90, Vivapur 102 and mannitol increased significantly the mechanical strength (higher hardness, lower friability), prolonged the disintegration time and slowed the release from the obtained tablets intended for sucking and chewing. The application of Prosolv SMCCHD90 in the formulation of tablets for chewing carries the risk for sorption of active components to the polymer structure. This process takes place in the early stage of the release. Rotating disk method used in pharmaceutical availability testing gives better results while analyzing the phenomenon than the standard basket method. The suggested and tested formulations of tablets intended for sucking and chewing may be used as an alternative to formulations containing dried titrated extracts from plants of antimicrobial activity (sage - Salvia officinalis) in combination with substances binding volatile sulfur compounds (zinc gluconate).

Inductance Jump at Melting of Vortex Lattice in Untwinned YBaCuO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matl, P.; Wu, H.; Ong, N. P.; Gagnon, R.; Taillefer, L.

1997-03-01

We have measured the complex resistivity in an untwinned single crystal YBaCuO between 70K and 120K at a fixed magnetic field. As T increases towards the melting temperature Tm the inductance increases rapidly. At Tm the inductance undergoes a discontinuous jump, which we correlate with the collapse of the shear modulus c_66. We describe how the magnitude of the jump varies with temperature, field, and frequency. We have also extracted the viscosity of the vortex lattice from a Bardeen-Stephen fit to the low field complex resistivity measured at 1 to 15 MHz between 80K and T_c. We find that the viscosity decreases as 1.2x10-13 kg m-1 s-1 K-1 as the temperature approaches T_c.

Validity and reliability of the Traditional Chinese version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in general population

PubMed Central

Chuang, Li-Ling; Chuang, Yu-Fen; Hsu, Miao-Ju; Huang, Ying-Zu; Wong, Alice M. K.

2018-01-01

Background Fatigue is a common symptom in the general population and has a substantial effect on individuals’ quality of life. The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) has been widely used to quantify the impact of fatigue, but no Traditional Chinese translation has yet been validated. The goal of this study was to translate the MFI from English into Traditional Chinese (‘the MFI-TC’) and subsequently to examine its validity and reliability. Methods The study recruited a convenience sample of 123 people from various age groups in Taiwan. The MFI was examined using a two-step process: (1) translation and back-translation of the instrument; and (2) examination of construct validity, convergent validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement error. The validity and reliability of the MFI-TC were assessed by factor analysis, Spearman rho correlation coefficient, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), minimal detectable change (MDC), and Bland-Altman analysis. All participants completed the Short-Form-36 Health Survey Taiwan Form (SF-36-T) and the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) concurrently to test the convergent validity of the MFI-TC. Test-retest reliability was assessed by readministration of the MFI-TC after a 1-week interval. Results Factor analysis confirmed the four dimensions of fatigue: general/physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue. A four-factor model was extracted, combining general fatigue and physical fatigue as one factor. The results demonstrated moderate convergent validity when correlating fatigue (MFI-TC) with quality of life (SF-36-T) and sleep disturbances (PSQI) (Spearman's rho = 0.68 and 0.47, respectively). Cronbach’s alpha for the MFI-TC total scale and subscales ranged from 0.73 (mental fatigue subscale) to 0.92 (MFI-TC total scale). ICCs ranged from 0.85 (reduced motivation) to 0.94 (MFI-TC total scale), and the MDC ranged from 2.33 points (mental fatigue) to 9.5 points (MFI-TC total scale). The Bland-Altman analyses showed no significant systematic bias between the repeated assessments. Conclusions The results support the use of the Traditional Chinese version of the MFI as a comprehensive instrument for measuring specific aspects of fatigue. Clinicians and researchers should consider interpreting general fatigue and physical fatigue as one subscale when measuring fatigue in Traditional Chinese-speaking populations. PMID:29746466

Efficiency of extracting stereo-driven object motions

PubMed Central

Jain, Anshul; Zaidi, Qasim

2013-01-01

Most living things and many nonliving things deform as they move, requiring observers to separate object motions from object deformations. When the object is partially occluded, the task becomes more difficult because it is not possible to use two-dimensional (2-D) contour correlations (Cohen, Jain, & Zaidi, 2010). That leaves dynamic depth matching across the unoccluded views as the main possibility. We examined the role of stereo cues in extracting motion of partially occluded and deforming three-dimensional (3-D) objects, simulated by disk-shaped random-dot stereograms set at randomly assigned depths and placed uniformly around a circle. The stereo-disparities of the disks were temporally oscillated to simulate clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the global shape. To dynamically deform the global shape, random disparity perturbation was added to each disk's depth on each stimulus frame. At low perturbation, observers reported rotation directions consistent with the global shape, even against local motion cues, but performance deteriorated at high perturbation. Using 3-D global shape correlations, we formulated an optimal Bayesian discriminator for rotation direction. Based on rotation discrimination thresholds, human observers were 75% as efficient as the optimal model, demonstrating that global shapes derived from stereo cues facilitate inferences of object motions. To complement reports of stereo and motion integration in extrastriate cortex, our results suggest the possibilities that disparity selectivity and feature tracking are linked, or that global motion selective neurons can be driven purely from disparity cues. PMID:23325345

Phytochemical properties and cytotoxicity evaluation of the aqueous extracts from Rafflesia cantleyi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakoush, Sumaia Mohamed Mohamed; Yaacob, Wan Ahmad; Adam, Jumaat; Ibrahim, Nazlina

2015-09-01

In the present study, phytochemical properties and cytotoxic evaluation of aqueous extract of Rafflesia cantleyi bud parts were done. Three bud parts including disk, bract and perigone tube were extracted in water to produce crude aqueous extract. Cytotoxic activity of R. cantleyi bud parts was assessed by conducting 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against normal cells Vero, 3T3 cell lines and mice peripheral blood mononuclear cells PBMC. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, steroids and alkaloids. The CC50 value against Vero, 3T3 and PBMC cells were equal or more than 125 µg/ml indicating the non-cytotoxic effect of the bud parts extracts. The finding revealed that crude extracts of all the tested bud parts contained potential bioactive compounds which can be used for various biological activities and have no cytotoxicity to selected normal cells.

Technetium tc 99m-labeled red blood cells in the preoperative diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma and other vascular orbital tumors.

PubMed

Polito, Ennio; Burroni, Luca; Pichierri, Patrizia; Loffredo, Antonio; Vattimo, Angelo G

2005-12-01

To evaluate technetium Tc 99m (99mTc) red blood cell scintigraphy as a diagnostic tool for orbital cavernous hemangioma and to differentiate between orbital masses on the basis of their vascularization. We performed 99mTc red blood cell scintigraphy on 23 patients (8 female and 15 male; mean age, 47 years) affected by an orbital mass previously revealed with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and suggesting cavernous hemangioma. In our diagnosis, we considered the orbital increase delayed uptake with the typical scintigraphic pattern known as perfusion blood pool mismatch. The patients underwent biopsy or surgical treatment with transconjunctival cryosurgical extraction when possible. Single-photon emission tomography (SPET) showed intense focal uptake in the orbit corresponding to radiologic findings in 11 patients who underwent surgical treatment and pathologic evaluation (9 cavernous hemangiomas, 1 hemangiopericytoma, and 1 lymphangioma). Clinical or histologic examination of the remaining 22 patients revealed the presence of 5 lymphoid pseudotumors, 2 lymphomas, 2 pleomorphic adenomas of the lacrimal gland, 1 astrocytoma, 1 ophthalmic vein thrombosis, and 1 orbital varix. The confirmation of the preoperative diagnosis by 99mTc red blood cell scintigraphy shows that this technique is a reliable tool for differentiating cavernous hemangiomas from other orbital masses (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 86%) when ultrasound, CT, and MRI are not diagnostic. Unfortunately, 99mTc red blood cell scintigraphy results were positive in 1 patient with hemangiopericytoma and 1 patient with lymphangioma, which showed increased uptake in the lesion on SPET images because of the vascular nature of these tumors. Therefore, in these cases, the SPET images have to be integrated with data regarding clinical preoperative evaluation and CT scans or MRI studies. On the basis of our study, a complete diagnostic picture, CT scans or MRI studies, and scintigraphic patterns can establish the preoperative diagnosis of vascular orbital tumors such as cavernous hemangioma, adult-type lymphangioma, and hemangiopericytoma.

Fluorescence, PRI and canopy temperature for water stress detection in cereal crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panigada, C.; Rossini, M.; Meroni, M.; Cilia, C.; Busetto, L.; Amaducci, S.; Boschetti, M.; Cogliati, S.; Picchi, V.; Pinto, F.; Marchesi, A.; Colombo, R.

2014-08-01

Narrow-band multispectral remote sensing techniques and thermal imagery were investigated for water stress detection in cereal crops. Visible and near infrared AISA Eagle (Specim, Finland) and thermal AHS-160 (Sensytech Inc., USA) imageries were acquired with an airborne survey on a farm-level experimental site where maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) were grown with three different irrigation treatments. Vegetation biophysical and eco-physiological measurements were collected concurrently with the airborne campaign. Leaf fluorescence yield (ΔF/Fm‧) resulted to be a good indirect measure of water stress. Therefore, ΔF/Fm‧ measurements were compared against remotely sensed indicators: (i) the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), (ii) the sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence at 760 nm (F760), retrieved by the Fraunhofer line depth method and (iii) the canopy temperature (TC) calculated decoupling soil and vegetation contributions. TC was related to ΔF/Fm‧ with the highest determination coefficient (R2 = 0.65), followed by PRI586 (reference band at 586 nm) (R2 = 0.51). The relationship with F760 was significant but weaker (R2 = 0.36). The coefficient of determination increased up to 0.54 when pigment concentration was considered by multiplying ΔF/Fm‧ and chlorophyll content, confirming the close relationship between passive fluorescence signal, pigment content and light photosystem efficiency. PRI586, F760 and TC maps were produced in maize and sorghum plots. The differences in the average values of PRI586, F760 and TC extracted from the plots with different water treatments showed that water treatments were well discriminated in maize plots by the three remotely sensed indicators. This was confirmed by the visual observation of the PRI586, F760 and TC maps, while in sorghum plots, F760 and TC appeared more sensitive to water stress compared to PRI586.

Planetary influence in the gap of a protoplanetary disk: structure formation and an application to V1247 Ori

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Meraz, R.; Nagel, E.; Rendon, F.; Barragan, O.

2017-10-01

We present a set of hydrodynamical models of a planetary system embedded in a protoplanetary disk in order to extract the number of dust structures formed in the disk, their masses and sizes, within optical depth ranges τ≤0.5, 0.5<τ<2 and τ≥2. The study of the structures shows: (1) an increase in the number of planets implies an increase in the creation rate of massive structures; (2) a lower planetary mass accretion corresponds to slower time effects for optically thin structures; (3) an increase in the number of planets allows a faster evolution of the structures in the Hill radius for the different optical depth ranges of the inner planets. An ad-hoc simulation was run using the available information of the stellar system V1247 Ori, leading to a model of a planetary system which explains the SED and is consistent with interferometric observations of structures.

Anti-Atherogenic Activity of Polyphenol-Rich Extract from Bee Pollen

PubMed Central

Rzepecka-Stojko, Anna; Stojko, Jerzy; Buszman, Ewa

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of polyphenol-rich ethanol extract of bee pollen (EEP) on atherosclerosis induced by a high-fat diet in ApoE-knockout mice. EEP was given with feed in two doses of 0.1 and 1 g/kg body mass (BM). The studies have been conducted in a period of 16 weeks. The following factors were estimated: total cholesterol (TC), oxidized low density lipoproteins (ox-LDL), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II (ANG II) in the 5th, 10th, 12th, 14th, and 16th week of the experiment. In the last, i.e., 16th week of the studies the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) was also estimated histopathologically. Supplementing diet with EEP resulted in decreasing TC level. EEP reduced oxidative stress by lowering the levels of ox-LDL, ADMA, ANG II and ACE. EEP protected coronary arteries by significantly limiting the development of atherosclerosis (the dose of 0.1 g/kg BM) or completely preventing its occurrence (the dose of 1 g/kg BM). The obtained results demonstrate that EEP may be useful as a potential anti-atherogenic agent. PMID:29258230

Medicinal activities of the leaves of Musa sapientum var. sylvesteris in vitro

PubMed Central

Sahaa, Repon Kumer; Acharyaa, Srijan; Shovon, Syed Sohidul Haque; Royb, Priyanka

2013-01-01

Objective This study is to investigate the medicinal value of methanolic extract of the leaves of Musa sapientum var. sylvesteris in Bangladesh. Methods Several biochemical assays, thin layer chormatogarphy and ultra-violet spectroscopy were used to detect the presence of various types of compounds in this extract. Antioxidant effects were measured by DPPH scavenging assay, total reducing assay and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay. Receptor binding activities and hydrogen peroxide induced hemolysis assay were performed by hemagglutination assay and hemolysis assay using erythrocytes. Disk diffusion assay was performed to show the antibacterial effect of the extract. Results Methanolic extract of the leaves showed antioxidant and antibacterial activity in vitro. The extract showed hemaglutination inhibition activities and hydrogen peroxide induced hemolysis inhibition activity of human red blood cells. Conclusion Musa sapientum var. sylvesteris can be an useful medicinal plant. PMID:23730561

Remote mood monitoring for adults with bipolar disorder: An explorative study of compliance and impact on mental health service use and costs.

PubMed

Simon, J; Budge, K; Price, J; Goodwin, G M; Geddes, J R

2017-09-01

Remote monitoring of mood disorders may be an effective and low resource option for patient follow-up, but relevant evidence remains very limited. This study explores real-life compliance and health services impacts of mood monitoring among patients with bipolar disorder in the UK. Patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder who were registered users of the True Colours monitoring system for at least 12months at study assessment were included in this retrospective cohort study (n=79). Compliance was measured as the proportion of valid depression and mania scale messages received in comparison to their expected numbers over the first 12months of monitoring. Mental health service use data were extracted from case notes, costed using national unit costs, and compared 12months before (pre-TC period) and 12months after (TC period) patients' engagement with monitoring. Associations with relevant patient factors were investigated in a multiple regression model. Average compliance with monitoring was 82%. Significant increases in the annual use and costs of psychiatrist contacts and total mental health services were shown for patients newly referred to the clinic during the pre-TC period but not for long-term patients of the clinic. Psychiatric medication costs increased significantly between the pre-TC and TC periods (£235, P=0.005) unrelated to patients' referral status. Remote mood monitoring has good compliance among consenting patients with bipolar disorder. We found no associations between observed changes in mental health service costs and the introduction of monitoring except for the increase in psychiatric medication costs. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

A Trypanosoma cruzi-secreted 80 kDa proteinase with specificity for human collagen types I and IV.

PubMed Central

Santana, J M; Grellier, P; Schrével, J; Teixeira, A R

1997-01-01

Specific interactions between parasites and extracellular matrix components are an important mechanism in the dissemination of Chagas' disease. Binding of the extracellular matrix proteins to Trypanosoma cruzi receptors has been described as a significant step in this phenomenon. In this study, a specific proteinase activity was identified in cell-free extracts of amastigote, trypomastigote and epimastigote forms of T. cruzi using the collagenase fluorogenic substrate N-Suc-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin. Isolation of this activity was achieved by a four-step FPLC procedure. Optimal enzyme activity was found to occur at pH 8.0 and was associated with a single T. cruzi 80 kDa protein (Tc 80 proteinase) on SDS/PAGE under reducing conditions. An internal peptide sequence of Tc 80 proteinase was obtained (AGDNYTPPE), and no similarity was found to previously described proteinases of T. cruzi. This enzyme activity is strongly inhibited by HgCl2, tosyl-lysylchloromethane ('TLCK') p-chloromercuribenzoate and benzyloxycarbonyl-Phe-Ala-diazomethane. The purified enzyme was able to hydrolyse purified human [14C]collagen types I and IV at neutral pH, but not 14C-labelled BSA, rat laminin, rabbit IgG or small proteins such as insulin or cytochrome c. In addition, Tc 80 proteinase activity was found to be secreted by T. cruzi forms infective to mammalian cells. Furthermore we demonstrated that purified Tc 80 proteinase mediates native collagen type I hydrolysis in rat mesentery. This feature is compared with that of Clostridium histolyticum collagenase. These findings suggest that Tc 80 proteinase may facilitate T. cruzi host-cell infection by degrading the collagens of the extracellular matrix and could represent a good target for Chagas' disease chemotherapy. PMID:9224638

Cigarette Smoke Disturbs the Survival of CD8+ Tc/Tregs Partially through Muscarinic Receptors-Dependent Mechanisms in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

PubMed

Chen, Gang; Zhou, Mei; Chen, Long; Meng, Zhao-Ji; Xiong, Xian-Zhi; Liu, Hong-Ju; Xin, Jian-Bao; Zhang, Jian-Chu

2016-01-01

CD8+ T cells (Cytotoxic T cells, Tc) are known to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of smoking related airway inflammation including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, how cigarette smoke directly impacts systematic CD8+ T cell and regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets, especially by modulating muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (MRs), has yet to be well elucidated. Circulating CD8+ Tc/Tregs in healthy nonsmokers (n = 15), healthy smokers (n = 15) and COPD patients (n = 18) were evaluated by flow cytometry after incubating with anti-CD3, anti-CD8, anti-CD25, anti-Foxp3 antibodies. Peripheral blood T cells (PBT cells) from healthy nonsmokers were cultured in the presence of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) alone or combined with MRs agonist/antagonist for 5 days. Proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry using Ki-67/Annexin-V antibodies to measure the effects of CSE on the survival of CD8+ Tc/Tregs. While COPD patients have elevated circulating percentage of CD8+ T cells, healthy smokers have higher frequency of CD8+ Tregs. Elevated percentages of CD8+ T cells correlated inversely with declined FEV1 in COPD. CSE promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of CD8+ T cells, while facilitated both the proliferation and apoptosis of CD8+ Tregs. Notably, the effects of CSE on CD8+ Tc/Tregs can be mostly simulated or attenuated by muscarine and atropine, the MR agonist and antagonist, respectively. However, neither muscarine nor atropine influenced the apoptosis of CD8+ Tregs. The results imply that cigarette smoking likely facilitates a proinflammatory state in smokers, which is partially mediated by MR dysfunction. The MR antagonist may be a beneficial drug candidate for cigarette smoke-induced chronic airway inflammation.

Colorimetric-Solid Phase Extraction Technology for Water Quality Monitoring: Evaluation of C-SPE and Debubbling Methods in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hazen-Bosveld, April; Lipert, Robert J.; Nordling, John; Shih, Chien-Ju; Siperko, Lorraine; Porter, Marc D.; Gazda, Daniel B.; Rutz, Jeff A.; Straub, John E.; Schultz, John R.;

Automatic detection of magnetic flux emergings in the solar atmosphere from full-disk magnetogram sequences.

PubMed

Fu, Gang; Shih, Frank Y; Wang, Haimin

2008-11-01

In this paper, we present a novel method to detect Emerging Flux Regions (EFRs) in the solar atmosphere from consecutive full-disk Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) magnetogram sequences. To our knowledge, this is the first developed technique for automatically detecting EFRs. The method includes several steps. First, the projection distortion on the MDI magnetograms is corrected. Second, the bipolar regions are extracted by applying multiscale circular harmonic filters. Third, the extracted bipolar regions are traced in consecutive MDI frames by Kalman filter as candidate EFRs. Fourth, the properties, such as positive and negative magnetic fluxes and distance between two polarities, are measured in each frame. Finally, a feature vector is constructed for each bipolar region using the measured properties, and the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier is applied to distinguish EFRs from other regions. Experimental results show that the detection rate of EFRs is 96.4% and of non-EFRs is 98.0%, and the false alarm rate is 25.7%, based on all the available MDI magnetograms in 2001 and 2002.

AMBER-NACO aperture-synthesis imaging of the half-obscured central star and the edge-on disk of the red giant L2 Puppis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnaka, K.; Schertl, D.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Weigelt, G.

2015-09-01

Aims: The red giant L2 Pup started a dimming event in 1994, which is considered to be caused by the ejection of dust clouds. We present near-IR aperture-synthesis imaging of L2 Pup achieved by combining data from VLT/NACO and the AMBER instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our aim is to spatially resolve the innermost region of the circumstellar environment. Methods: We carried out speckle interferometric observations at 2.27 μm with VLT/NACO and long-baseline interferometric observations with VLTI/AMBER at 2.2-2.35 μm with baselines of 15-81 m. We also extracted an 8.7 μm image from the mid-IR VLTI instrument MIDI. Results: The diffraction-limited image obtained by bispectrum speckle interferometry with NACO with a spatial resolution of 57 mas shows an elongated component. The aperture-synthesis imaging combining the NACO speckle data and AMBER data with a spatial resolution of 5.6 × 7.3 mas further resolves not only this elongated component, but also the central star. The reconstructed image reveals that the elongated component is a nearly edge-on disk with a size of ~180 × 50 mas lying in the E-W direction, and furthermore, that the southern hemisphere of the central star is severely obscured by the equatorial dust lane of the disk. The angular size of the disk is consistent with the distance that the dust clouds that were ejected at the onset of the dimming event should have traveled by the time of our observations, if we assume that the dust clouds moved radially. This implies that the formation of the disk may be responsible for the dimming event. The 8.7 μm image with a spatial resolution of 220 mas extracted from the MIDI data taken in 2004 (seven years before the AMBER and NACO observations) shows an approximately spherical envelope without a signature of the disk. This suggests that the mass loss before the dimming event may have been spherical. Based on AMBER, NACO, and MIDI observations made with the Very Large Telescope and Very Large Telescope Interferometer of the European Southern Observatory. Program ID: 074.D-0075(A), 074.D-0101(A), 074.D-0198(B), 088.D-0150(A/B), and 288.D-5041(A). Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

YAdumper: extracting and translating large information volumes from relational databases to structured flat files.

PubMed

Fernández, José M; Valencia, Alfonso

2004-10-12

Downloading the information stored in relational databases into XML and other flat formats is a common task in bioinformatics. This periodical dumping of information requires considerable CPU time, disk and memory resources. YAdumper has been developed as a purpose-specific tool to deal with the integral structured information download of relational databases. YAdumper is a Java application that organizes database extraction following an XML template based on an external Document Type Declaration. Compared with other non-native alternatives, YAdumper substantially reduces memory requirements and considerably improves writing performance.

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

Dullo, Bililign T.; Graham, Alister W., E-mail: Bdullo@astro.swin.edu.au

We have used the full radial extent of images from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 to extract surface brightness profiles from a sample of six, local lenticular galaxy candidates. We have modeled these profiles using a core-Sersic bulge plus an exponential disk model. Our fast rotating lenticular disk galaxies with bulge magnitudes M{sub V} {approx}< -21.30 mag have central stellar deficits, suggesting that these bulges may have formed from ''dry'' merger events involving supermassive black holes (BHs) while their surrounding disk was subsequently built up, perhaps via cold gas accretion scenarios.more » The central stellar mass deficits M{sub def} are roughly 0.5-2 M{sub BH} (BH mass), rather than {approx}10-20 M{sub BH} as claimed from some past studies, which is in accord with core-Sersic model mass deficit measurements in elliptical galaxies. Furthermore, these bulges have Sersic indices n {approx}3, half-light radii R{sub e} < 2 kpc and masses >10{sup 11} M{sub Sun }, and therefore appear to be descendants of the compact galaxies reported at z {approx} 1.5-2. Past studies which have searched for these local counterparts by using single-component galaxy models to provide the z {approx} 0 size comparisons have overlooked these dense, compact, and massive bulges in today's early-type disk galaxies. This evolutionary scenario not only accounts for what are today generally old bulges-which must be present in z {approx} 1.5 images-residing in what are generally young disks, but it eliminates the uncomfortable suggestion of a factor of three to five growth in size for the compact, z {approx} 1.5 galaxies that are known to possess infant disks.« less

Central Stellar Mass Deficits in the Bulges of Local Lenticular Galaxies, and the Connection with Compact z ~ 1.5 Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dullo, Bililign T.; Graham, Alister W.

2013-05-01

We have used the full radial extent of images from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 to extract surface brightness profiles from a sample of six, local lenticular galaxy candidates. We have modeled these profiles using a core-Sérsic bulge plus an exponential disk model. Our fast rotating lenticular disk galaxies with bulge magnitudes MV <~ -21.30 mag have central stellar deficits, suggesting that these bulges may have formed from "dry" merger events involving supermassive black holes (BHs) while their surrounding disk was subsequently built up, perhaps via cold gas accretion scenarios. The central stellar mass deficits M def are roughly 0.5-2 M BH (BH mass), rather than ~10-20 M BH as claimed from some past studies, which is in accord with core-Sérsic model mass deficit measurements in elliptical galaxies. Furthermore, these bulges have Sérsic indices n ~3, half-light radii Re < 2 kpc and masses >1011 M ⊙, and therefore appear to be descendants of the compact galaxies reported at z ~ 1.5-2. Past studies which have searched for these local counterparts by using single-component galaxy models to provide the z ~ 0 size comparisons have overlooked these dense, compact, and massive bulges in today's early-type disk galaxies. This evolutionary scenario not only accounts for what are today generally old bulges—which must be present in z ~ 1.5 images—residing in what are generally young disks, but it eliminates the uncomfortable suggestion of a factor of three to five growth in size for the compact, z ~ 1.5 galaxies that are known to possess infant disks.

Quantitative scintigraphic analysis of pulp revascularization in autotransplanted teeth in dogs.

PubMed

Ferreira, Manuel Marques; Botelho, Maria Filomena; Abrantes, Margarida; Oliveiros, Barbara; Carrilho, Eunice Virgínia

2010-11-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pulpal changes associated with autogenous single-rooted immature tooth transplantation in dogs, using either one, or two-stage surgical techniques. Teeth from 3 beagle dogs, 5 months old, were extracted and transplanted to mechanically prepared recipient sockets. Group (A), where the teeth were transplanted using a one-stage method to recipient beds prepared immediately before transplantation. Group (B), where the teeth were transplanted using a two-stage method in which the recipient beds were prepared and left to heal for 7 days before transplantation. Clinical examinations were done every week during 9 weeks. After 9 weeks, the animals were injected with ⁹⁹(m)Technetium hydroxylmethylene diphosphonate (⁹⁹(m)Tc-HMDP) and 3h after injection, a whole body scintigraphic acquisition was performed. After scintigraphic acquisition the animals were euthanized and the teeth extracted and its radioactivity counted in a well counter calibrated to ⁹⁹(m)Tc. With the data obtained, the percentage of activity injected was calculated for each tooth. The data for each group of teeth were evaluated and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test (p=0.05). All the transplanted teeth in both groups survived. No statistically significant difference was found in the absorption of the ⁹⁹(m)Tc-HMDP, between the treatment groups (p=0.464) and between them and the control group (Group A vs. control p=0.713 and Group B vs. control p=0.157). This study demonstrated that there was no difference between the two surgical techniques in terms of the pulp revascularization in transplanted teeth. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A simple and rapid infrared-assisted self enzymolysis extraction method for total flavonoid aglycones extraction from Scutellariae Radix and mechanism exploration.

PubMed

Wang, Liping; Duan, Haotian; Jiang, Jiebing; Long, Jiakun; Yu, Yingjia; Chen, Guiliang; Duan, Gengli

2017-09-01

A new, simple, and fast infrared-assisted self enzymolysis extraction (IRASEE) approach for the extraction of total flavonoid aglycones (TFA) mainly including baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A from Scutellariae Radix is presented to enhance extraction yield. Extraction enzymolysis temperature, enzymolysis liquid-to-solid ratio, enzymolysis pH, enzymolysis time and infrared power, the factors affecting IRASEE procedure, were investigated in a newly designed, temperature-controlled infrared-assisted extraction (TC-IRAE) system to acquire the optimum analysis conditions. The results illustrated that IRASEE possessed great advantages in terms of efficiency and time compared with other conventional extraction techniques. Furthermore, the mechanism of IRASEE was preliminarily explored by observing the microscopic change of the samples surface structures, studying the main chemical compositions change of the samples before and after extraction and investigating the kinetics and thermodynamics at three temperature levels during the IRASEE process. These findings revealed that IRASEE can destroy the surface microstructures to accelerate the mass transfer and reduce the activation energy to intensify the chemical process. This integrative study presents a simple, rapid, efficient, and environmental IRASEE method for TFA extraction which has promising prospects for other similar herbal medicines. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Effect of hydroalcoholic Allium ampeloprasum extract on oxidative stress, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

PubMed

Rahimi-Madiseh, Mohammad; Heidarian, Esfandiar; Kheiri, Soleiman; Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud

2017-02-01

Allium ampeloprasum (AA) is a medicinal plant which is used in Iranian traditional medicine to treat or prevent different diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of AA extract on oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in diabetic rats induced by alloxan. In this experimental study, 60 male Wistar rats weighing 200-250gr were randomly divided to five groups of 12 each including healthy control (group I), diabetic control (group II), metformin-treated diabetic positive control (group III) and two groups treated with doses 400 (group IV) and 800 (groupV) mg/kg/BW of AA extracts. Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced by injection of two doses of alloxan-120 and 65mg/kg-within two consecutive days. Alloxan-induced diabetes caused significant increase in serum glucose, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in group II (p<0.05). Furthermore, serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased significantly and liver catalase activity decreased significantly in the 2nd group compared to 1st control; respectively p=0.0001 and p=0.009. In the group IV has seen a significant decrease in serum TG (p=0.01), TC (p=0.0001), VLDL (p=0.01), and MDA (p=0.0001) levels and significant increase in the liver and kidney catalase activities of the rats compared to the group II; respectively p=0.0001 and p=0.0001. In Conclusion our results highlight potentially relevant health beneficial effects of AA extract which exerts hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and anti-oxidative stress effects in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes. Therefore, it may be considered as useful dietary supplements in diabetic patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Houttuynia cordata alleviates high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver in experimental rats.

PubMed

Kang, Hyun; Koppula, Sushruta

2015-03-01

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae) is used traditionally in Asian countries to treat various disease symptoms. To study the effect of H. cordata ethyl acetate (HC-EA) extract on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis. HFD fed rats were orally dosed with HC-EA (100, 200, or 300 mg/kg) once daily for 8 weeks and the lipid profiles and protein expressions in hepatocytes were evaluated. HFD rats showed an increase (p < 0.05) in the plasma lipid levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), free fatty acids (FFAs), and reduced the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Treatment with HC-EA extract (300 mg/kg) restored the changes in plasma lipid levels of TC, TG, LDL, FFA, and HDL in HFD-fed rats by 34.8, 31.1, 51.4, 32.4, and 56.3%, respectively, compared with control rats (p < 0.01). HC-EA treatment also decreased the hepatic lipid accumulation (p < 0.001 at 300 mg/kg) and improved hepatic histological lesions. HC-EA extract enhanced AMPK phosphorylation and its primary downstream targeting enzyme, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), up-regulated the gene expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1), and down-regulated sterol regulatory element binding protein 1, fatty acid synthase, and glutamate pyruvate transaminase protein levels in the livers of HFD-fed rats. Further, the increased expression of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) composition such as CYP2E1 and CYP4A was also suppressed. Data suggest that HC-EA extract might act by regulating the AMPK-dependent pathway and related mediators and might be used in treating obesity-related liver diseases.

Mosaicism in HIF2A-related polycythemia-paraganglioma syndrome.

PubMed

Buffet, Alexandre; Smati, Sarra; Mansuy, Ludovic; Ménara, Mélanie; Lebras, Maëlle; Heymann, Marie-Françoise; Simian, Christophe; Favier, Judith; Murat, Arnaud; Cariou, Bertrand; Gimenez-Roqueplo, Anne-Paule

2014-02-01

HIF2A germline mutations were known to cause congenital polycythemia. Recently, HIF2A somatic mutations were found in several patients with polycythemia and paraganglioma, pheochromocytoma, or somatostatinoma, suggesting the occurrence of a de novo postzygotic HIF2A mutation that has not been demonstrated clearly. Patient 1 is a woman suffering from polycythemia diagnosed at the age of 16 years. She was operated on for a pheochromocytoma at 45 years and for two abdominal paragangliomas at 59 years. She was also diagnosed with somatostatinoma. Patient 2 is a young boy who suffered from polycythemia since infancy. He underwent surgery for a nonfunctional adrenal paraganglioma at the age of 9 years. We sequenced by Sanger and next-generation sequencing the HIF2A gene in DNA extracted from tumors, leukocytes, and buccal cells. In patient 1, we identified a somatic HIF2A mutation (c.1586T>C; p.Leu529Pro) in DNA extracted from both paragangliomas. The mutation was detected as a somatic mosaic in DNA extracted from somatostatinoma and was absent from germline DNA. In patient 2, we found an HIF2A heterozygous mutation (c.1625T>C; p.Leu542Pro) in the paraganglioma, but the mutation was also present as a mosaic in leukocyte DNA and in DNA extracted from buccal cells (3.3 and 8.96% of sequencing reads, respectively). Both mutations disrupt the hydroxylation domain of the HIF2α protein. Our study shows that HIF2A-related tumors are caused by postzygotic mutations occurring in early developmental stages. Potential germline mosaicism should be considered during the familial genetic counseling when an individual has been diagnosed with HIF2A-related polycythemia-paraganglioma syndrome.

Anti-atherosclerotic effect of Cynodon dactylon extract on experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia in rats

PubMed Central

Pashaie, Belal; Hobbenaghi, Rahim; Malekinejad, Hassan

2017-01-01

Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) is a perennial plant traditionally used as an herbal medicine in many countries. In the present study, anti-atherosclerotic property of ethanolic extract of C. dactylon was investigated in the experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia in rats. In this study, 36 male Wistar rats were selected and allocated into six groups (n = 6). The control group received a normal diet, sham group received a high cholesterol diet (HCD; 1.50% cholesterol and 24.00% fat) and other groups received a HCD and ethanolic extract of C. dactylon at low (100 mg kg-1), moderate (200 mg kg-1) and maximum (400 mg kg-1) doses via gavages. The last group received atorvastatin (10 mg kg-1) through gavage with a HCD. The study period for all groups was six months. At the end of this period, parameters including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were assessed in the blood samples. Additionally, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations on coronary and aorta arteries sections were performed. The results showed an increase in vessels wall thickness and proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the HCD group, while these pathological changes were not seen in C. dactylon-treated groups. Treatment of HCD animals with C. dactylon positively changed lipid profile by lowering of TC, TG and LDL-C. The results indicate that C. dactylon prevents from early atherosclerotic changes in the vessels wall. PMID:29085605

Anti-atherosclerotic effect of Cynodon dactylon extract on experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia in rats.

PubMed

Pashaie, Belal; Hobbenaghi, Rahim; Malekinejad, Hassan

2017-01-01

Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) is a perennial plant traditionally used as an herbal medicine in many countries. In the present study, anti-atherosclerotic property of ethanolic extract of C. dactylon was investigated in the experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia in rats. In this study, 36 male Wistar rats were selected and allocated into six groups (n = 6). The control group received a normal diet, sham group received a high cholesterol diet (HCD; 1.50% cholesterol and 24.00% fat) and other groups received a HCD and ethanolic extract of C. dactylon at low (100 mg kg -1 ), moderate (200 mg kg -1 ) and maximum (400 mg kg -1 ) doses via gavages. The last group received atorvastatin (10 mg kg -1 ) through gavage with a HCD. The study period for all groups was six months. At the end of this period, parameters including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were assessed in the blood samples. Additionally, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations on coronary and aorta arteries sections were performed. The results showed an increase in vessels wall thickness and proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the HCD group, while these pathological changes were not seen in C. dactylon -treated groups. Treatment of HCD animals with C. dactylon positively changed lipid profile by lowering of TC, TG and LDL-C. The results indicate that C. dactylon prevents from early atherosclerotic changes in the vessels wall.

Determination of Chromium(III), Chromium(VI), and Chromium(III) acetylacetonate in water by ion-exchange disk extraction/metal furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamakura, Nao; Inui, Tetsuo; Kitano, Masaru; Nakamura, Toshihiro

A new method for the separate determination of Chromium(III) (Cr(III)), Chromium(VI) (Cr(VI)), and Cr(III) acetylacetonate (Cr(acac)3) in water was developed using a cation-exchange extraction disk (CED) and an anion-exchange extraction disk (AED) combined with metal furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (MFAAS). A 100-mL water sample was adjusted to pH 5.6 and passed through the CED placed on the AED. Cr(acac)3 and Cr(III) were adsorbed on the CED, and Cr(VI) was adsorbed on the AED. The adsorbed Cr(acac)3 was eluted with 50 mL of carbon tetrachloride, followed by the elution of Cr(III) with 50 mL of 3 mol L- 1 nitric acid. Cr(VI) was eluted with 50 mL of 3 mol L- 1 nitric acid. The chemical species of Cr eluted from the CED with carbon tetrachloride was identified as Cr(acac)3 using infrared spectroscopy. The eluate of Cr(acac)3 was diluted to 100 mL with carbon tetrachloride, and those of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were diluted to 100 mL with deionized water. All of the solutions were subsequently analyzed by MFAAS. The calibration curve for the Cr(acac)3 aqueous solutions exhibited good linearity in the range of 0.1 to 1 ng. The detection limit of Cr, which corresponded to three times the standard deviation (n = 10) of the blank values, was 20 pg. The recovery test for Cr(III), Cr(VI), and Cr(acac)3 exhibited desirable results (96.0%-107%) when 5 μg of each species (50 μg L- 1) was added to 100 mL water samples (i.e., tap water, rainwater, and bottled drinking water). In a humic acid solution, Cr(acac)3 was quantitatively recovered (103%), but Cr(III) and Cr(VI) exhibited poor recoveries (i.e., 84.8% and 78.4%, respectively).

Biologically active traditional medicinal herbs from Balochistan, Pakistan.

PubMed

Zaidi, Mudassir A; Crow, Sidney A

2005-01-04

The biological activities of the following four important medicinal plants of Balochistan, Pakistan were checked; Grewia erythraea Schwein f. (Tiliaceae), Hymenocrater sessilifolius Fisch. and C.A. Mey (Lamiaceae), Vincetoxicum stocksii Ali and Khatoon (Asclepiadaceae) and Zygophyllum fabago L. (Zygophyllaceae). The methanolic extracts were fractionated into hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol and water. The antifungal and antibacterial activities of these plants were determined against 12 fungal and 12 bacterial strains by agar well diffusion and disk diffusion assays. The extract of Zygophyllum fabago was found to be highly effective against Candida albicans and Escherichia coli. The extract of Vincetoxicum stocksii was also found to be significantly active against Candida albicans, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus. Extracts of Hymenocrater sessilifolius and Grewia erythraea showed good activity only against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Major Effects of Nonmetallic Inclusions on the Fatigue Life of Disk Superalloy Demonstrated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabb, Timothy P.; Telesman, Jack; Kantzos, Peter T.; Bonacuse, Peter J.; Barrie, Robert L.

2002-01-01

The fatigue properties of modern powder metallurgy disk alloys can vary because of the different steps of materials and component processing and machining. Among these variables, the effects of nonmetallic inclusions introduced during the powder atomization and handling processes have been shown to significantly degrade low-cycle fatigue life. The levels of inclusion contamination have, therefore, been reduced to less than 1 part per million in state-of-the-art nickel disk powder-processing facilities. Yet the large quantities of compressor and turbine disks weighing from 100 to over 1000 lb have enough total volume and surface area for these rare inclusions to still be present and limit fatigue life. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects on fatigue life of these inclusions, as part of the Crack Resistant Disk Materials task within the Ultra Safe Propulsion Project. Inclusions were carefully introduced at elevated levels in a nickel-base disk superalloy, U720, produced using powder metallurgy processing. Multiple strain-controlled fatigue tests were then performed on extracted test specimens at 650 C. Analyses were performed to compare the low-cycle fatigue lives and failure initiation sites as functions of inclusion content and fatigue conditions. Powder of the nickel-base superalloy U720 was atomized in argon at Special Metals Corporation, Inc., using production-scale high-cleanliness powder-processing facilities and handling practices. The powder was then passed through a 270-mesh screen. One portion of this powder was set aside for subsequent consolidation without introduced inclusions. Two other portions of this powder were seeded with alumina inclusions. Small, polycrystalline soft (Type 2) inclusions of about 50 mm diameter were carefully prepared and blended into one powder lot, and larger hard (Type 1) inclusions of about 150 mm mean diameter were introduced into the other seeded portion of powder. All three portions of powder were then sealed in separate containers, hot isostatically pressurized, extruded, forged into subscale disks, and heat treated. Low-cycle-fatigue specimens were then extracted, machined, and tested. Fatigue tests were performed at 650 C in closed-loop servohydraulic testing machines using induction heating and axial extensometers. All tests were continued to failure, and fractographic evaluations were performed on all specimens to determine the crack initiation sites. A large majority of the failures in specimens with introduced inclusions occurred at cracks initiating from inclusions at the specimen surface, as shown for each type of inclusion in the following bar chart. The inclusions significantly reduced fatigue life from unseeded material levels, as shown in the bar chart. These effects were found to depend on the strain range, strain ratio, and inclusion size. Tests at lower strain ranges and higher strain ratios resulted in larger effects of inclusions on life. Inclusion effects on life were thereby maximized in tests at the lowest strain range of 0.6 percent and the most positive strain ratio of 0.5. Under these conditions, small Type 2 inclusions reduced life substantially-- about 20 times, whereas large Type 1 inclusions dramatically reduced life 100 times. These results clearly demonstrate that it is essential to include the effects of inclusions for realistic predictions of disk fatigue life. Important issues, including temperature dependence, crack initiation versus propagation, surface treatments, realistic disk features and machining, and realistic disk spin testing will be addressed to accurately model inclusion effects on disk fatigue life. Fatigue life varied from well over 105 cycles for no inclusions to a little over 103 cycles for 100-micrometer inclusions. A single crack initiating at a surface-connected seeded inclusion caused failure in each case.

Evolution in the Dust Lane Fraction of Edge-on L* V Spiral Galaxies Since z = 0.8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holwerda, B. W.; Dalcanton, J. J.; Radburn-Smith, D.; de Jong, R. S.; Guhathakurta, P.; Koekemoer, A.; Allen, R. J.; Böker, T.

2012-07-01

The presence of a well-defined and narrow dust lane in an edge-on spiral galaxy is the observational signature of a thin and dense molecular disk, in which gravitational collapse has overcome turbulence. Using a sample of galaxies out to z ~ 1 extracted from the COSMOS survey, we identify the fraction of massive (L* V ) disks that display a dust lane. Our goal is to explore the evolution in the stability of the molecular interstellar medium (ISM) disks in spiral galaxies over a cosmic timescale. We check the reliability of our morphological classifications against changes in rest-frame wavelength, resolution, and cosmic dimming with (artificially redshifted) images of local galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that the fraction of L* V disks with dust lanes in COSMOS is consistent with the local fraction (≈80%) out to z ~ 0.7. At z = 0.8, the dust lane fraction is only slightly lower. A somewhat lower dust lane fraction in starbursting galaxies tentatively supports the notion that a high specific star formation rate can efficiently destroy or inhibit a dense molecular disk. A small subsample of higher redshift COSMOS galaxies display low internal reddening (E[B - V]), as well as a low incidence of dust lanes. These may be disks in which the growth of the dusty ISM disk lags behind that of the stellar disk. We note that at z = 0.8, the most massive galaxies display a lower dust lane fraction than lower mass galaxies. A small contribution of recent mergers or starbursts to this most massive population may be responsible. The fact that the fraction of galaxies with dust lanes in COSMOS is consistent with little or no evolution implies that models to explain the spectral energy distribution or the host galaxy dust extinction of supernovae based on local galaxies are still applicable to higher redshift spirals. It also suggests that dust lanes are long-lived phenomena or can be reformed over very short timescales.

EVOLUTION IN THE DUST LANE FRACTION OF EDGE-ON L*{sub V} SPIRAL GALAXIES SINCE z = 0.8

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

Holwerda, B. W.; Boeker, T.; Dalcanton, J. J.

2012-07-01

The presence of a well-defined and narrow dust lane in an edge-on spiral galaxy is the observational signature of a thin and dense molecular disk, in which gravitational collapse has overcome turbulence. Using a sample of galaxies out to z {approx} 1 extracted from the COSMOS survey, we identify the fraction of massive (L*{sub V}) disks that display a dust lane. Our goal is to explore the evolution in the stability of the molecular interstellar medium (ISM) disks in spiral galaxies over a cosmic timescale. We check the reliability of our morphological classifications against changes in rest-frame wavelength, resolution, andmore » cosmic dimming with (artificially redshifted) images of local galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that the fraction of L*{sub V} disks with dust lanes in COSMOS is consistent with the local fraction ( Almost-Equal-To 80%) out to z {approx} 0.7. At z = 0.8, the dust lane fraction is only slightly lower. A somewhat lower dust lane fraction in starbursting galaxies tentatively supports the notion that a high specific star formation rate can efficiently destroy or inhibit a dense molecular disk. A small subsample of higher redshift COSMOS galaxies display low internal reddening (E[B - V]), as well as a low incidence of dust lanes. These may be disks in which the growth of the dusty ISM disk lags behind that of the stellar disk. We note that at z = 0.8, the most massive galaxies display a lower dust lane fraction than lower mass galaxies. A small contribution of recent mergers or starbursts to this most massive population may be responsible. The fact that the fraction of galaxies with dust lanes in COSMOS is consistent with little or no evolution implies that models to explain the spectral energy distribution or the host galaxy dust extinction of supernovae based on local galaxies are still applicable to higher redshift spirals. It also suggests that dust lanes are long-lived phenomena or can be reformed over very short timescales.« less

High Resolution Orientation Imaging Microscopy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-02

Structure of In-Situ Deformations of Steel , TMS, San Diego, 2011 13. Jay Basinger, David Fullwood, Brent Adams, EBSD Detail Extraction for Greater Spatial...Its use has contributed to the development of new steels , aluminum alloys, high TC superconductors, electronic materials, lead-free solders, optical...Resolution The simulated pattern method has been used to recover lattice tetragonality in high-strength low- alloy steels . Since the level of

Use of a combination of in vitro models to investigate the impact of chlorpyrifos and inulin on the intestinal microbiota and the permeability of the intestinal mucosa.

PubMed

Réquilé, Marina; Gonzàlez Alvarez, Dubàn O; Delanaud, Stéphane; Rhazi, Larbi; Bach, Véronique; Depeint, Flore; Khorsi-Cauet, Hafida

2018-05-28

Dietary exposure to the organophosphorothionate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) has been linked to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. We therefore sought to investigate whether (i) CPF's impact extends to the intestinal barrier and (ii) the prebiotic inulin could prevent such an effect. In vitro models mimicking the intestinal environment (the SHIME®) and the intestinal mucosa (Caco-2/TC7 cells) were exposed to CPF. After the SHIME® had been exposed to CPF and/or inulin, we assessed the system's bacterial and metabolic profiles. Extracts from the SHIME®'s colon reactors were then transferred to Caco-2/TC7 cultures, and epithelial barrier integrity and function were assessed. We found that inulin co-treatment partially reversed CPF-induced dysbiosis and increased short-chain fatty acid production in the SHIME®. Furthermore, co-treatment impacted tight junction gene expression and inhibited pro-inflammatory signaling in the Caco-2/TC7 intestinal cell line. Whereas, an isolated in vitro assessment of CPF and inulin effects provides useful information on the mechanism of dysbiosis, combining two in vitro models increases the in vivo relevance.

Archaeosomes display immunoadjuvant potential for a vaccine against Chagas disease.

PubMed

Higa, Leticia H; Corral, Ricardo S; Morilla, María José; Romero, Eder L; Petray, Patricia B

2013-02-01

Archaeosomes (ARC), vesicles made from lipids extracted from Archaea, display strong adjuvant properties. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the highly stable ARC formulated from total polar lipids of a new Halorubrum tebenquichense strain found in Argentinean Patagonia, to act as adjuvant for soluble parasite antigens in developing prophylactic vaccine against the intracellular protozoan T. cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. We demonstrated for the first time that C3H/HeN mice subcutaneously immunized with trypanosomal antigens entrapped in these ARC (ARC-TcAg) rapidly developed higher levels of circulating T. cruzi antibodies than those measured in the sera from animals receiving the antigen alone. Enhanced humoral responses elicited by ARC-TcAg presented a dominant IgG2a antibody isotype, usually associated with Th1-type immunity and resistance against T. cruzi. More importantly, ARC-TcAg-vaccinated mice displayed reduced parasitemia during early infection and were protected against an otherwise lethal challenge with the virulent Tulahuén strain of the parasite. Our findings suggest that, as an adjuvant, H. tebenquichense-derived ARC may hold great potential to develop a safe and helpful vaccine against this relevant human pathogen.

Tc-99 Decontamination From Heat Treated Gaseous Diffusion Membrane -Phase I

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

Oji, L.; Wilmarth, B.; Restivo, M.

2017-03-13

Uranium gaseous diffusion cascades represent a significant environmental challenge to dismantle, containerize and dispose as low-level radioactive waste. Baseline technologies rely on manual manipulations involving direct access to technetium-contaminated piping and materials. There is a potential to utilize novel thermal decontamination technologies to remove the technetium and allow for on-site disposal of the very large uranium converters. Technetium entered these gaseous diffusion cascades as a hexafluoride complex in the same fashion as uranium. Technetium, as the isotope Tc-99, is an impurity that follows uranium in the first cycle of the Plutonium and Uranium Extraction (PUREX) process. The technetium speciation ormore » exact form in the gas diffusion cascades is not well defined. Several forms of Tc-99 compounds, mostly the fluorinated technetium compounds with varying degrees of volatility have been speculated by the scientific community to be present in these cascades. Therefore, there may be a possibility of using thermal desorption, which is independent of the technetium oxidation states, to perform an in situ removal of the technetium as a volatile species and trap the radionuclide on sorbent traps which could be disposed as low-level waste.« less

MSX1 gene variant - its presence in tooth absence - a case control genetic study.

PubMed

Reddy, Naveen Admala; Adusumilli, Gopinath; Devanna, Raghu; Pichai, Saravanan; Rohra, Mayur Gobindram; Arjunan, Sharmila

2013-10-01

Non Syndromic tooth agenesis is a congenital anomaly with significant medical, psychological and social ramifications. There is sufficient evidence to hypothesize that locus for this condition can be identified by candidate genes. The aim of this study was to test whether MSX1 671 T>C gene variant was involved in etiology of Non Syndromic tooth agenesis in Raichur Patients. Blood samples were collected with informed consent from 50 subjects having Non Syndromic tooth agenesis and 50 controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples, Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) was performed for digestion products that were evaluated. The RESULTS showed positive correlation between MSX1671 T>C gene variant and Non Syndromic tooth agenesis in Raichur Patients. MSX1 671 T>C gene variant may be a good screening marker for Non Syndromic tooth agenesis in Raichur Patients . How to cite this article:Reddy NA, Adusumilli G, Devanna R, Pichai S, Rohra MG, Arjunan S. Msx1 Gene Variant - Its Presence in Tooth Absence - A Case Control Genetic Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(5):20-6.

Msx1 Gene Variant - Its Presence in Tooth Absence - A Case Control Genetic Study

PubMed Central

Reddy, Naveen Admala; Adusumilli, Gopinath; Devanna, Raghu; Pichai, Saravanan; Rohra, Mayur Gobindram; Arjunan, Sharmila

2013-01-01

Background: Non Syndromic tooth agenesis is a congenital anomaly with significant medical, psychological and social ramifications. There is sufficient evidence to hypothesize that locus for this condition can be identified by candidate genes. The aim of this study was to test whether MSX1 671 T>C gene variant was involved in etiology of Non Syndromic tooth agenesis in Raichur Patients. Materials & Methods: Blood samples were collected with informed consent from 50 subjects having Non Syndromic tooth agenesis and 50 controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples, Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) was performed for digestion products that were evaluated. Results: The Results showed positive correlation between MSX1671 T>C gene variant and Non Syndromic tooth agenesis in Raichur Patients. Conclusion: MSX1 671 T>C gene variant may be a good screening marker for Non Syndromic tooth agenesis in Raichur Patients . How to cite this article:Reddy NA, Adusumilli G, Devanna R, Pichai S, Rohra MG, Arjunan S. Msx1 Gene Variant - Its Presence in Tooth Absence - A Case Control Genetic Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(5):20-6. PMID:24324300

Determining mechanical behavior of solid materials using miniature specimens

DOEpatents

Manahan, M.P.; Argon, A.S.; Harling, O.K.

1986-02-04

A Miniaturized Bend Test (MBT) capable of extracting and determining mechanical behavior information from specimens only so large as to have at least a volume or smallest dimension sufficient to satisfy continuum behavior in all directions is disclosed. The mechanical behavior of the material is determined from the measurements taken during the bending of the specimen and is processed according to the principles of linear or nonlinear material mechanics or both. In a preferred embodiment the determination is carried out by a code which is constructed according to the finite element method, and the specimen used for the determinations is a miniature disk simply supported for central loading at the axis on the center of the disk. 51 figs.

Untangling Galaxy Components - The Angular Momentum Parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabor, Martha; Merrifield, Michael; Aragon-Salamanca, Alfonso

2017-06-01

We have developed a new technique to decompose Integral Field spectral data cubes into separate bulge and disk components, allowing us to study the kinematic and stellar population properties of the individual components and how they vary with position. We present here the application of this method to a sample of fast rotator early type galaxies from the MaNGA integral field survey, and demonstrate how it can be used to explore key properties of the individual components. By extracting ages, metallicities and the angular momentum parameter lambda of the bulges and disks, we show how this method can give us new insights into the underlying structure of the galaxies and discuss what this can tell us about their evolution history.

Eriosema laurentii De Wild (Leguminosae) methanol extract has estrogenic properties and prevents menopausal symptoms in ovariectomized Wistar rats.

PubMed

Ateba, Sylvin Benjamin; Njamen, Dieudonné; Medjakovic, Svjetlana; Hobiger, Stefanie; Mbanya, Jean Claude; Jungbauer, Alois; Krenn, Liselotte

2013-10-28

Eriosema laurentii De Wild (Leguminosae) is a medicinal plant used in West and Central Africa for different diseases. In Cameroon, this plant is used as a treatment for infertility, and various gynecological and menopausal complaints. However, despite this use as a natural remedy, the biological activity of Eriosema laurentii has not been studied until now. In order to determine the potential use of this plant in gynecological conditions/disorders, we evaluated the estrogenic properties of a methanol extract of its aerial parts and its ability to prevent different menopausal health problems induced by bilateral oophorectomy. Two approaches were used. In vitro, recombinant yeast systems were applied, featuring either the respective human receptors (ERα, AR, and PR) or into chromosome III integrated human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the respective reporter plasmid. In vivo, the investigation was carried out using the 3 days uterotrophic assay and 9 weeks oral treatment in ovariectomized rats. The results showed that the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Eriosema laurentii transactivated the estrogen receptor-α and displayed AhR agonistic activity but was neither androgenic nor progesteronic. In rats, the extract did not induce endometrium proliferation either in the 3-day or the 9-week treatment regimens, but induced vaginal stratification and cornification, prevented loss of femur bone mass, increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and reduced total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), TC/HDL-C ratio, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP). These results suggest that the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Eriosema laurentii does not seem to have an undesirable influence on the endometrium but might prevent vaginal dryness and bone mass loss and improve the lipid profile. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Fortunella margarita fruit extract on metabolic disorders in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice.

PubMed

Tan, Si; Li, Mingxia; Ding, Xiaobo; Fan, Shengjie; Guo, Lu; Gu, Ming; Zhang, Yu; Feng, Li; Jiang, Dong; Li, Yiming; Xi, Wanpeng; Huang, Cheng; Zhou, Zhiqin

2014-01-01

Obesity is a nutritional disorder associated with many health problems such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we investigated the anti-metabolic disorder effects of kumquat (Fortunella margarita Swingle) fruit extract (FME) on high-fat diet-induced C57BL/6 obese mice. The kumquat fruit was extracted with ethanol and the main flavonoids of this extract were analyzed by HPLC. For the preventive experiment, female C57BL/6 mice were fed with a normal diet (Chow), high-fat diet (HF), and high-fat diet with 1% (w/w) extract of kumquat (HF+FME) for 8 weeks. For the therapeutic experiment, female C57BL/6 mice were fed with high-fat diet for 3 months to induce obesity. Then the obese mice were divided into two groups randomly, and fed with HF or HF+FME for another 2 weeks. Body weight and daily food intake amounts were recorded. Fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, serum and liver lipid levels were assayed and the white adipose tissues were imaged. The gene expression in mice liver and brown adipose tissues were analyzed with a quantitative PCR assay. In the preventive treatment, FME controlled the body weight gain and the size of white adipocytes, lowered the fasting blood glucose, serum total cholesterol (TC), serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels as well as liver lipid contents in high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6 mice. In the therapeutic treatment, FME decreased the serum triglyceride (TG), serum TC, serum LDL-c, fasting blood glucose levels and liver lipid contents, improved glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance. Compared with the HF group, FME significantly increased the mRNA expression of PPARα and its target genes. Our study suggests that FME may be a potential dietary supplement for preventing and ameliorating the obesity and obesity-related metabolic disturbances.

IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL SCREENING OF AQUILARIA AGALLOCHA ROOTS.

PubMed

Canlı, Kerem; Yetgin, Ali; Akata, Ilgaz; Altuner, Ergin Murat

2016-01-01

It was previously shown that some parts of Aquilaria agallocha , which is commonly known as oud or oodh, such as roots have been used as a traditional medical herbal in different countries. In Turkey A. agallocha is one of the ingredients while preparing famous Mesir paste, which was invented as a medicinal paste and used from the Ottoman period to now at least for 500 years. The identification the in vitro antimicrobial activity of ethanol extract of A. agallocha roots is main purpose of this analysis. By using 17 bacteria and 1 fungi, which include Bacillus, Candida, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Listeria, Pseudomonas, Salmonella and Staphylococcus genera, the activity of A. agallocha root extracts were analysed by the help of the disk diffusion method, that is one of the methods commonly used to determine antimicrobial activities. As a result of the study it was observed that ethanol extracts of A. agallocha roots have a clear antimicrobial activity against nearly all microorganism used in the study, but only two bacteria namely E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. typhimurium SL 1344. According to the disk diffusion test results it may be possible to propose that A. agallocha roots should have a medicinal uses especially against E. faecium , L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644, B. subtilis DSMZ 1971, C. albicans DSMZ 1386, S. epidermidis DSMZ 20044 and S. aureus ATCC 25923.

Investigation of relationships between parameters of solar nano-flares and solar activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safari, Hossein; Javaherian, Mohsen; Kaki, Bardia

2016-07-01

Solar flares are one of the important coronal events which are originated in solar magnetic activity. They release lots of energy during the interstellar medium, right after the trigger. Flare prediction can play main role in avoiding eventual damages on the Earth. Here, to interpret solar large-scale events (e.g., flares), we investigate relationships between small-scale events (nano-flares) and large-scale events (e.g., flares). In our method, by using simulations of nano-flares based on Monte Carlo method, the intensity time series of nano-flares are simulated. Then, the solar full disk images taken at 171 angstrom recorded by SDO/AIA are employed. Some parts of the solar disk (quiet Sun (QS), coronal holes (CHs), and active regions (ARs)) are cropped and the time series of these regions are extracted. To compare the simulated intensity time series of nano-flares with the intensity time series of real data extracted from different parts of the Sun, the artificial neural networks is employed. Therefore, we are able to extract physical parameters of nano-flares like both kick and decay rate lifetime, and the power of their power-law distributions. The procedure of variations in the power value of power-law distributions within QS, CH is similar to AR. Thus, by observing the small part of the Sun, we can follow the procedure of solar activity.

Effect of Thuya occidentalis on the labeling of red blood cells and plasma proteins with technetium-99m.

PubMed Central

Oliveira, J. F.; Braga, A. C.; Avila, A. S.; Fonseca, L. M.; Gutfilen, B.; Bernardo-Filho, M.

1996-01-01

Thuya occidentalis is used in popular medicine in the treatment of condyloma and has antibacterial action. Red blood cells (RBC) labeled with technetium-99m (99mTc) are used for several evaluations in nuclear medicine. This labeling depends on a reducing agent, usually stannous ion. Any drug which alters the labeling of the tracer could be expected to modify the disposition of the radiopharmaceutical. We have evaluated the influence of T. occidentalis extract on the labeling of RBC and plasma proteins with 99mTc. Blood was withdrawn and incubated with T. occidentalis (0.25; 2.5; 20.5; and 34.1 percent v/v). Stannous chloride (1.2 micrograms/ml) was added and then 99mTc was added. Plasma (P) and blood cells (BC) were isolated, also precipitated with trichloroacetic acid and soluble (SF) and insoluble fractions (IF) separated. The analysis of the results shows that there is a decrease in radioactivity (from 97.64 to 75.89 percent) in BC with 34.1 percent of the drug. In the labeling process of RBC with 99mTc, the stannous and pertechnetate ions pass through the membrane, so we suggest that the T. occidentalis effect can be explained (i) by an inhibition of the transport of these ions, (ii) by damage in membrane, (iii) by competition with the cited ions for the same binding sites, or (iv) by possible generation of reactive oxygen species that could oxidize the stannous ion. PMID:9436292

Effect of Thuya occidentalis on the labeling of red blood cells and plasma proteins with technetium-99m.

PubMed

Oliveira, J F; Braga, A C; Avila, A S; Fonseca, L M; Gutfilen, B; Bernardo-Filho, M

1996-01-01

Thuya occidentalis is used in popular medicine in the treatment of condyloma and has antibacterial action. Red blood cells (RBC) labeled with technetium-99m (99mTc) are used for several evaluations in nuclear medicine. This labeling depends on a reducing agent, usually stannous ion. Any drug which alters the labeling of the tracer could be expected to modify the disposition of the radiopharmaceutical. We have evaluated the influence of T. occidentalis extract on the labeling of RBC and plasma proteins with 99mTc. Blood was withdrawn and incubated with T. occidentalis (0.25; 2.5; 20.5; and 34.1 percent v/v). Stannous chloride (1.2 micrograms/ml) was added and then 99mTc was added. Plasma (P) and blood cells (BC) were isolated, also precipitated with trichloroacetic acid and soluble (SF) and insoluble fractions (IF) separated. The analysis of the results shows that there is a decrease in radioactivity (from 97.64 to 75.89 percent) in BC with 34.1 percent of the drug. In the labeling process of RBC with 99mTc, the stannous and pertechnetate ions pass through the membrane, so we suggest that the T. occidentalis effect can be explained (i) by an inhibition of the transport of these ions, (ii) by damage in membrane, (iii) by competition with the cited ions for the same binding sites, or (iv) by possible generation of reactive oxygen species that could oxidize the stannous ion.

Antibacterial Constituents of Hainan Morinda citrifolia (Noni) Leaves.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei-Min; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Jing-Jing; Wang, Zhi-Rong; Wang, Yu; Hao, Wang-Jun; Huang, Wu-Yang

2016-05-01

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is an edible and medicinal plant distributed in Hainan, China. The antibacterial activities of the extracts of water (WE), petroleum ether (PEE), ethyl acetate (EAE), chloroform (CE), and n-butanol (BE) were assayed by the disk diffusion method. The results showed that the extracts from Noni leaves possessed antibacterial effects against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, and Staphylococcus aureus. Among 5 different extracts, the BE produced the best antibacterial activity. The samples were first extracted by ethanol, and the primary compounds in the BE fraction of ethanol extract was further isolated and identified. Six phenolic compounds, including 5, 15-dimethylmorindol, ferulic acid, p-hydroxycinamic acid, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, methyl ferulate, and methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate, were identifiedby NMR. The results indicated that the phenolic compounds might significantly contribute to antibacterial activities of Noni leaves. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Effects of hydroethanolic extracts of Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile (Balanitaceae) on some resistant pathogens bacteria isolated from wounds.

PubMed

Anani, Kokou; Adjrah, Yao; Ameyapoh, Yaovi; Karou, Simplice Damintoti; Agbonon, Amegnona; de Souza, Comlan; Gbeassor, Messanvi

2015-04-22

The bark of Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile (Balanitaceae) is widely used in the Togolese folk medicine for the treatment of wounds, malaria and skin diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant properties and the activity of the bark extract of this plant against some resistant bacteria isolated from wounds. The antimicrobial activity was assayed using the NCCLS microdilution while the DPPH free radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were used for the antioxidant activity. The susceptibility to conventional antibiotics of bacteria was assessed by an agar disk diffusion method using commercial disk. Phenolics were quantified using spectrophotometric methods. The hydroethanolic extracts of the bark inhibited in vitro the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in a dose-dependent manner. Bacteriostatic effects were observed on 15 (33%) and 21 (47%) strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. The MICs and MBCs against Staphylococcus aureus strains ranged respectively from 2.5 to 12.5 µg/mL and 2.5 to 50 µg/mL. Concerning Pseudomonas aeruginosa, these values were equal (12.5 µg/mL). Multidrug resistance was 95% against six antibiotics for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 91% against five antibiotics for Staphylococcus aureus. The DPPH radical scavenging and the FRAP assays yielded weak antioxidant activity, closely linked with the total phenolic contents. This study indicated that the bark extract of Balanites aegyptiaca possess bioactive compounds implicated in the free radical scavenging and antibacterial activities, justifying the use of the plant in the traditional medicines. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Properties of dermonecrotic toxin prepared from sonic extracts Bordetella bronchiseptica.

PubMed

Kume, K; Nakai, T; Samejima, Y; Sugimoto, C

1986-05-01

A toxin with dermonecrotic activity (DNT) was purified from sonic extracts of Bordetella bronchiseptica L3 of pig origin at phase I by chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. The purification procedure was one developed for obtaining the Pasteurella multocida DNT from sonic extracts with some modifications. Dermonecrotizing activity of B. bronchiseptica-purified DNT was increased by 600-fold compared with that of the crude extract, and the average yield was about 3%. The toxin was homogeneous, as determined by Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion, crossed immunoelectrophoresis, and disk isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels. The toxin gave a single band on polyacrylamide disk gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-SDS PAGE. The molecular weight of the toxin was ca. 190,000 +/- 5,000, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The isoelectric point of the toxin was ca. 6.5 to 6.6. The minimal necrotizing dose of the toxin for guinea pigs was about 2 ng of protein per 0.1 ml, the 50% lethal dose per mouse was about 0.3 micrograms, and the minimal cytotoxic dose for embryonic bovine lung cells was about 2 ng/ml. The toxin was heat labile and sensitive to inactivation by trypsin, Formalin, and glutaraldehyde. The mildly trypsinized B. bronchiseptica DNT preparation dissociated into two polypeptide chains, with molecular weights of ca. 75,000 +/- 4,000 (fragment 1) and ca. 118,000 +/- 5,000 (fragment 2), after treatment with dithiothreitol-SDS or urea. Upon removal of dithiothreitol and urea from the dissociated DNT preparation, the fragments reassociated, and the DNT that was formed was indistinguishable from the native toxin.

MOEX: Solvent extraction approach for recycling enriched 98Mo/ 100Mo material

DOE PAGES

Tkac, Peter; Brown, M. Alex; Momen, Abdul; ...

2017-03-20

Several promising pathways exist for the production of 99Mo/ 99mTc using enriched 98Mo or 100Mo. Use of Mo targets require a major change in current generator technology, and the necessity for an efficient recycle pathway to recover valuable enriched Mo material. High recovery yields, purity, suitable chemical form and particle size are required. Results on the development of the MOEX– molybdenum solvent extraction – approach to recycle enriched Mo material are presented. Furthermore, the advantages of the MOEX process are very high decontamination factors from potassium and other elements, high throughput, easy scalability, automation, and minimal waste generation.

MOEX: Solvent extraction approach for recycling enriched 98Mo/ 100Mo material

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

Tkac, Peter; Brown, M. Alex; Momen, Abdul

Several promising pathways exist for the production of 99Mo/ 99mTc using enriched 98Mo or 100Mo. Use of Mo targets require a major change in current generator technology, and the necessity for an efficient recycle pathway to recover valuable enriched Mo material. High recovery yields, purity, suitable chemical form and particle size are required. Results on the development of the MOEX– molybdenum solvent extraction – approach to recycle enriched Mo material are presented. Furthermore, the advantages of the MOEX process are very high decontamination factors from potassium and other elements, high throughput, easy scalability, automation, and minimal waste generation.

Ionic liquids intercalated in montmorillonite as the sorptive phase for the extraction of low-polarity organic compounds from water by rotating-disk sorptive extraction.

PubMed

Fiscal-Ladino, Jhon A; Obando-Ceballos, Mónica; Rosero-Moreano, Milton; Montaño, Diego F; Cardona, Wilson; Giraldo, Luis F; Richter, Pablo

2017-02-08

Montmorillonite (MMT) clays were modified by the intercalation into their galleries of ionic liquids (IL) based on imidazolium quaternary ammonium salts. This new eco-materials exhibited good features for use as a sorptive phase in the extraction of low-polarity analytes from aqueous samples. Spectroscopic analyses of the modified clays were conducted and revealed an increase in the basal spacing and a shifting of the reflection plane towards lower values as a consequence of the effective intercalation of organic cations into the MMT structure. The novel sorbent developed herein was assayed as the sorptive phase in rotating-disk sorptive extraction (RDSE), using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), representative of low-polarity pollutants, as model analytes. The final determination was made by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Among the synthetized sorptive phases, the selected system for analytical purposes consisted of MMT modified with the 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (HDMIM-Br) IL. Satisfactory analytical features were achieved using a sample volume of 5 mL: the relative recoveries from a wastewater sample were higher than 80%, the detection limits were between 3 ng L -1 and 43 ng L -1 , the precision (within-run precision) expressed as the relative standard deviation ranged from 2% to 24%, and the enrichment factors ranged between 18 and 28. Using RDSE, the extraction efficiency achieved for the selected MMT-HDMIM-Br phase was compared with other commercial solid phases/supports, such as polypropylene, polypropylene with 1-octanol (as a supported liquid membrane), octadecyl (C18) and octyl (C8), and showed the highest response for all the studied analytes. Under the optimized extraction conditions, this new device was applied in the analysis of the influent of a wastewater treatment plant in Santiago (Chile), demonstrating its applicability through the good recoveries and precision achieved with real samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In search of functional association from time-series microarray data based on the change trend and level of gene expression

PubMed Central

He, Feng; Zeng, An-Ping

2006-01-01

Background The increasing availability of time-series expression data opens up new possibilities to study functional linkages of genes. Present methods used to infer functional linkages between genes from expression data are mainly based on a point-to-point comparison. Change trends between consecutive time points in time-series data have been so far not well explored. Results In this work we present a new method based on extracting main features of the change trend and level of gene expression between consecutive time points. The method, termed as trend correlation (TC), includes two major steps: 1, calculating a maximal local alignment of change trend score by dynamic programming and a change trend correlation coefficient between the maximal matched change levels of each gene pair; 2, inferring relationships of gene pairs based on two statistical extraction procedures. The new method considers time shifts and inverted relationships in a similar way as the local clustering (LC) method but the latter is merely based on a point-to-point comparison. The TC method is demonstrated with data from yeast cell cycle and compared with the LC method and the widely used Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) based clustering method. The biological significance of the gene pairs is examined with several large-scale yeast databases. Although the TC method predicts an overall lower number of gene pairs than the other two methods at a same p-value threshold, the additional number of gene pairs inferred by the TC method is considerable: e.g. 20.5% compared with the LC method and 49.6% with the PCC method for a p-value threshold of 2.7E-3. Moreover, the percentage of the inferred gene pairs consistent with databases by our method is generally higher than the LC method and similar to the PCC method. A significant number of the gene pairs only inferred by the TC method are process-identity or function-similarity pairs or have well-documented biological interactions, including 443 known protein interactions and some known cell cycle related regulatory interactions. It should be emphasized that the overlapping of gene pairs detected by the three methods is normally not very high, indicating a necessity of combining the different methods in search of functional association of genes from time-series data. For a p-value threshold of 1E-5 the percentage of process-identity and function-similarity gene pairs among the shared part of the three methods reaches 60.2% and 55.6% respectively, building a good basis for further experimental and functional study. Furthermore, the combined use of methods is important to infer more complete regulatory circuits and network as exemplified in this study. Conclusion The TC method can significantly augment the current major methods to infer functional linkages and biological network and is well suitable for exploring temporal relationships of gene expression in time-series data. PMID:16478547

Total red meat intake of ≥0.5 servings/d does not negatively influence cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systemically searched meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials12

PubMed Central

O’Connor, Lauren E; Kim, Jung Eun; Campbell, Wayne W

2017-01-01

Background: Observational associations between red meat intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are inconsistent. There are limited comprehensive analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigate the effects of red meat consumption on CVD risk factors. Objective: The purpose of this systematically searched meta-analysis was to assess the effects of consuming ≥0.5 or <0.5 servings of total red meat/d on CVD risk factors [blood total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, ratio of TC to HDL cholesterol (TC:HDL), and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP, respectively)]. We hypothesized that the consumption of ≥0.5 servings of total red meat/d would have a negative effect on these CVD risk factors. Design: Two researchers independently screened 945 studies from PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases and extracted data from 24 qualified RCTs. Inclusion criteria were 1) RCT, 2) subjects aged ≥19 y, 3) consumption of ≥0.5 or <0.5 total red meat servings/d [35 g (1.25 ounces)], and 4) reporting ≥1 CVD risk factor. We performed an adjusted 2-factor nested ANOVA mixed-effects model procedure on the postintervention values of TC, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, TC:HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, SBP, and DBP; calculated overall effect sizes of change values; and used a repeated-measures ANOVA to assess pre- to postintervention changes. Results: Red meat intake did not affect lipid-lipoprotein profiles or blood pressure values postintervention (P > 0.05) or changes over time [weighted mean difference (95% CI): −0.01 mmol/L (−0.08, 0.06 mmol/L), 0.02 mmol/L (−0.05, 0.08 mmol/L), 0.03 mmol/L (−0.01, 0.07 mmol/L), and 0.04 mmol/L (−0.02, 0.10 mmol/L); −0.08 mm Hg (−0.26, 0.11 mm Hg); and −1.0 mm Hg (−2.4, 0.78 mm Hg) and 0.1 mm Hg (−1.2, 1.5 mm Hg) for TC, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, TC:HDL cholesterol, SBP, and DBP, respectively]. Among all subjects, TC, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, TC:HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and DBP, but not SBP, decreased over time (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results from this systematically searched meta-analysis of RCTs support the idea that the consumption of ≥0.5 servings of total red meat/d does not influence blood lipids and lipoproteins or blood pressures. PMID:27881394

Cast Stone Oxidation Front Evaluation: Preliminary Results For Samples Exposed To Moist Air

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

Langton, C. A.; Almond, P. M.

The rate of oxidation is important to the long-term performance of reducing salt waste forms because the solubility of some contaminants, e.g., technetium, is a function of oxidation state. TcO{sub 4}{sup -} in the salt solution is reduced to Tc(IV) and has been shown to react with ingredients in the waste form to precipitate low solubility sulfide and/or oxide phases. Upon exposure to oxygen, the compounds containing Tc(IV) oxidize to the pertechnetate ion, Tc(VII)O{sub 4}{sup -}, which is very soluble. Consequently the rate of technetium oxidation front advancement into a monolith and the technetium leaching profile as a function ofmore » depth from an exposed surface are important to waste form performance and ground water concentration predictions. An approach for measuring contaminant oxidation rate (effective contaminant specific oxidation rate) based on leaching of select contaminants of concern is described in this report. In addition, the relationship between reduction capacity and contaminant oxidation is addressed. Chromate (Cr(VI) was used as a non-radioactive surrogate for pertechnetate, Tc(VII), in Cast Stone samples prepared with 5 M Simulant. Cast Stone spiked with pertechnetate was also prepared and tested. Depth discrete subsamples spiked with Cr were cut from Cast Stone exposed to Savannah River Site (SRS) outdoor ambient temperature fluctuations and moist air. Depth discrete subsamples spiked with Tc-99 were cut from Cast Stone exposed to laboratory ambient temperature fluctuations and moist air. Similar conditions are expected to be encountered in the Cast Stone curing container. The leachability of Cr and Tc-99 and the reduction capacities, measured by the Angus-Glasser method, were determined for each subsample as a function of depth from the exposed surface. The results obtained to date were focused on continued method development and are preliminary and apply to the sample composition and curing / exposure conditions described in this report. The Cr oxidation front (depth to which soluble Cr was detected) for the Cast Stone sample exposed for 68 days to ambient outdoor temperatures and humid air (total age of sample was 131 days) was determined to be about 35 mm below the top sample surface exposed. The Tc oxidation front, depth at which Tc was insoluble, was not determined. Interpretation of the results indicates that the oxidation front is at least 38 mm below the exposed surface. The sample used for this measurement was exposed to ambient laboratory conditions and humid air for 50 days. The total age of the sample was 98 days. Technetium appears to be more easily oxidized than Cr in the Cast Stone matrix. The oxidized forms of Tc and Cr are soluble and therefore leachable. Longer exposure times are required for both the Cr and Tc spiked samples to better interpret the rate of oxidation. Tc spiked subsamples need to be taken further from the exposed surface to better define and interpret the leachable Tc profile. Finally Tc(VII) reduction to Tc(IV) appears to occur relatively fast. Results demonstrated that about 95 percent of the Tc(VII) was reduced to Tc(IV) during the setting and very early stage setting for a Cast Stone sample cured 10 days. Additional testing at longer curing times is required to determine whether additional time is required to reduce 100 % of the Tc(VII) in Cast Stone or whether the Tc loading exceeded the ability of the waste form to reduce 100 % of the Tc(VII). Additional testing is required for samples cured for longer times. Depth discrete subsampling in a nitrogen glove box is also required to determine whether the 5 percent Tc extracted from the subsamples was the result of the sampling process which took place in air. Reduction capacity measurements (per the Angus-Glasser method) performed on depth discrete samples could not be correlated with the amount of chromium or technetium leached from the depth discrete subsamples or with the oxidation front inferred from soluble chromium and technetium (i.e., effective Cr and Tc oxidation fronts). Residual reduction capacity in the oxidized region of the test samples indicates that the remaining reduction capacity is not effective in re-reducing Cr(VI) or Tc(VII) in the presence of oxygen. Depth discrete sampling and leaching is a useful for evaluating Cast Stone and other chemically reducing waste forms containing ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) or other reduction / sequestration reagents to control redox sensitive contaminant chemistry and leachability in the near surface disposal environment. Based on results presented in this report, reduction capacity measured by the Angus-Glasser Ce(IV) method is not an appropriate or meaningful parameter for determining or predicting Tc and Cr oxidation / retentions, speciation, or solubilities in cementitious materials such as Cast Stone. A model for predicting Tc(IV) oxidation to soluble Tc(VII) should consider the waste form porosity (pathway for oxygen ingress), oxygen source, and the contaminant specific oxidation rates and oxidation fronts. Depth discrete sampling of materials exposed to realistic conditions in combination with short term leaching of crushed samples has potential for advancing the understanding of factors influencing performance. This information can be used to support conceptual model development.« less

Desorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from field-contaminated soil to a two-dimensional hydrophobic surface before and after bioremediation.

PubMed

Hu, Jing; Aitken, Michael D

2012-10-01

Dermal exposure can represent a significant health risk in settings involving potential contact with soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, there is limited work on the ability of PAHs in contaminated soil to reach the skin surface via desorption from the soil. We evaluated PAH desorption from a field-contaminated soil to a two-dimensional hydrophobic surface (C18 extraction disk) as a measure of potential dermal exposure as a function of soil loading (5-100 mg dry soil cm(-2)), temperature (20-40°C), and soil moisture content (2-40%) over periods up to 16d. The efficacy of bioremediation in removing the most readily desorbable PAH fractions was also evaluated. Desorption kinetics were described well by an empirical two-compartment kinetic model. PAH mass desorbed to the C18 disk kept increasing at soil loadings well above the estimated monolayer coverage, suggesting mechanisms for PAH transport to the surface other than by direct contact. Such mechanisms were reinforced by observations that desorption occurred even with dry or moist glass microfiber filters placed between the C18 disk and the soil. Desorption of all PAHs was substantially reduced at a soil moisture content corresponding to field capacity, suggesting that transport through pore air contributed to PAH transport to the C18 disk. The lower molecular weight PAHs had greater potential to desorb from soil than higher molecular weight PAHs. Biological treatment of the soil in a slurry-phase bioreactor completely eliminated PAH desorption to the C18 disks. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rings of Molecular Line Emission in the Disk Orbiting the Young, Close Binary V4046 Sgr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickson-Vandervelde, Dorothy; Kastner, Joel H.; Qi, C.; Forveille, Thierry; Hily-Blant, Pierre; Oberg, Karin; Wilner, David; Andrews, Sean; Gorti, Uma; Rapson, Valerie; Sacco, Germano; Principe, David

2018-01-01

We present analysis of a suite of subarcsecond ALMA Band 6 (1.1 - 1.4 mm) molecular line images of the circumbinary, protoplanetary disk orbiting V4046 Sgr. The ~20 Myr-old V4046 Sgr system, which lies a mere ~73 pc from Earth, consists of a close (separation ~10 Rsun) pair of roughly solar-mass stars that are orbited by a gas-rich crcumbinary disk extending to ~350 AU in radius. The ALMA images reveal that the molecules CO and HCN and their isotopologues display centrally peaked surface brightness morphologies, whereas the cyanide group molecules (HC3N, CH3CN), deuterated molecules (DCN, DCO+), hydrocarbons (as traced by C2H), and potential CO ice line tracers (N2H+, and H2CO) appear as a sequence of sharp and diffuse rings of increasing radii. The characteristic sizes of these molecular emission rings, which range from ~25 to >100 AU in radius, are evident in radial emission-line surface brightness profiles extracted from the deprojected disk images. We find that emission from 13CO emission transitions from optically thin to thick within ~50 AU, whereas C18O emission remains optically thin within this radius. We summarize the insight into the physical and chemical processes within this evolved protoplanetary disk that can be obtained from comparisons of the various emission-line morphologies with each other and with that of the continuum (large-grain) emission on size scales of tens of AU.This research is supported by NASA Exoplanets program grant NNX16AB43G to RIT

Desorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from field-contaminated soil to a two-dimensional hydrophobic surface before and after bioremediation

PubMed Central

Hu, Jing; Aitken, Michael D.

2012-01-01

Dermal exposure can represent a significant health risk in settings involving potential contact with soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, there is limited work on the ability of PAHs in contaminated soil to reach the skin surface via desorption from the soil. We evaluated PAH desorption from a field-contaminated soil to a two-dimensional hydrophobic surface (C18 extraction disk) as a measure of potential dermal exposure as a function of soil loading (5 to 100 mg dry soil/cm2), temperature (20 °C to 40 °C), and soil moisture content (2% to 40%) over periods up to 16 d. The efficacy of bioremediation in removing the most readily desorbable PAH fractions was also evaluated. Desorption kinetics were described well by an empirical two-compartment kinetic model. PAH mass desorbed to the C18 disk kept increasing at soil loadings well above the estimated monolayer coverage, suggesting mechanisms for PAH transport to the surface other than by direct contact. Such mechanisms were reinforced by observations that desorption occurred even with dry or moist glass microfiber filters placed between the C18 disk and the soil. Desorption of all PAHs was substantially reduced at a soil moisture content corresponding to field capacity, suggesting that transport through pore air contributed to PAH transport to the C18 disk. The lower molecular weight PAHs had greater potential to desorb from soil than higher molecular weight PAHs. Biological treatment of the soil in a slurry-phase bioreactor completely eliminated PAH desorption to the C18 disks. PMID:22704210

Torque Enhancement, Spin Equilibrium, and Jet Power from Disk-Induced Opening of Pulsar Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parfrey, Kyle; Spitkovsky, Anatoly; Beloborodov, Andrei M.

2016-05-01

The interaction of a rotating star’s magnetic field with a surrounding plasma disk lies at the heart of many questions posed by neutron stars in X-ray binaries. We consider the opening of stellar magnetic flux due to differential rotation along field lines coupling the star and disk, using a simple model for the disk-opened flux, the torques exerted on the star by the magnetosphere, and the power extracted by the electromagnetic wind. We examine the conditions under which the system enters an equilibrium spin state, in which the accretion torque is instantaneously balanced by the pulsar wind torque alone. For magnetic moments, spin frequencies, and accretion rates relevant to accreting millisecond pulsars, the spin-down torque from this enhanced pulsar wind can be substantially larger than that predicted by existing models of the disk-magnetosphere interaction, and is in principle capable of maintaining spin equilibrium at frequencies less than 1 kHz. We speculate that this mechanism may account for the non-detection of frequency increases during outbursts of SAX J1808.4-3658 and XTE J1814-338, and may be generally responsible for preventing spin-up to sub-millisecond periods. If the pulsar wind is collimated by the surrounding environment, the resulting jet can satisfy the power requirements of the highly relativistic outflows from Cir X-1 and Sco X-1. In this framework, the jet power scales relatively weakly with accretion rate, {L}{{j}}\\propto {\\dot{M}}4/7, and would be suppressed at high accretion rates only if the stellar magnetic moment is sufficiently low.

The antitumoral effect of the American mistletoe Phoradendron serotinum (Raf.) M.C. Johnst. (Viscaceae) is associated with the release of immunity-related cytokines.

PubMed

Alonso-Castro, Angel Josabad; Juárez-Vázquez, Maria Del Carmen; Domínguez, Fabiola; González-Sánchez, Ignacio; Estrada-Castillón, Eduardo; López-Toledo, Gabriela; Chávez, Marco; Cerbón, Marco A; García-Carranca, Alejandro

2012-08-01

Phoradendron serotinum is commonly used in Mexican traditional medicine for the empirical treatment of cancer. However, there are no studies regarding the antitumoral or immunomodulatory activities of Phoradendron serotinum. The in vivo toxicity of ethanolic extracts of Phoradendron serotinum (PSE) was evaluated in mice according to the Lorke procedure. The in vitro immunomodulatory effects of PSE were evaluated estimating the effects of PSE on the pinocytosis, NO production and lysosomal enzyme activity in murine macrophages RAW 264.7. The effects of PSE on the proliferation of murine splenocytes and NK cell activity were also assayed. The cytotoxic effects on TC-1 (lung murine cancer cells) were evaluated using the MTT assay, whereas the apoptotic effect of PSE on TC-1 cells was evaluated using TUNEL assay. Also, different doses of PSE were injected intraperitoneally daily into C57BL/6 mice bearing tumors of TC-1 cells during 25 days. The growth and weight of tumors was measured. In addition, the levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-23 and IFN-γ in murine serum and supernatants of K562 cell-murine splenocyte cocultures were measured. PSE stimulated the proliferation, pinocytosis and lysosomal enzyme activity in murine macrophages with a similar potency than lypopolisaccharides 1 μg/ml. In addition, PSE stimulated the proliferation of murine splenocytes and induced the NK cell activity. PSE showed cytotoxic (IC(50)=1.9 μg/ml) and apoptotic effects against TC-1 cells. The LD(50) was 125 mg/kg by intraperitoneal route (i.p.) and 375 mg/kg by oral route. PSE administrated at 1, 5 and 10 mg/kg i.p. inhibited the tumor growth by 18%, 40% and 69%, respectively, in mice bearing TC-1 tumor. PSE increased the in vitro and in vivo release of IL-2, IL-6 and IFN-γ but lacked effect on IL-12 and IL-23 release. Phoradendron serotinum shows moderate toxic effects in vivo, exerts cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on TC-1 cells. Phoradendron serotinum also has antitumor effects in mice bearing TC-1 tumor and induces immunomodulatory activities in vivo. The results suggest that antitumoral effects of PSE are related with the production of immunity-related cytokines. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic fabric phase sorptive extraction for a group of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from environmental waters.

PubMed

Lakade, Sameer S; Borrull, Francesc; Furton, Kenneth G; Kabir, Abuzar; Marcé, Rosa Maria; Fontanals, Núria

2016-07-22

This paper describes for the first time the use of a new extraction technique, based on fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE). This new mode proposes the extraction of the analytes in dynamic mode in order to reduce the extraction time. Dynamic fabric phase sorptive extraction (DFPSE) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was evaluated for the extraction of a group of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from environmental water samples. Different parameters affecting the extraction were optimized and best conditions were achieved when 50mL of sample at pH 3 was passed through 3 disks and analytes retained were eluted with 10mL of ethyl acetate. The recoveries were higher than 60% for most of compounds with the exception of the most polar ones (between 8% and 38%). The analytical method was validated with environmental samples such as river water and effluent and influent wastewater, and good performance was obtained. The analysis of samples revealed the presence of some PPCPs at low ngL(-1) concentrations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bioactivity of Malva Sylvestris L., a Medicinal Plant from Iran

PubMed Central

Razavi, Seyed Mehdi; Zarrini, Gholamreza; Molavi, Ghader; Ghasemi, Ghader

2011-01-01

Objective(s) Malva sylvestris L. (Malvaceae), an annual plant, has been already commonly used as a medicinal plant in Iran. In the present work, we evaluate some bioactivities of the plant extracts. Materials and Methods The aired-dried plant flowers and leaves were extracted by soxhlet apparatus with n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol. The antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and phytotoxic of the plant extracts were evaluated using disk diffusion method, MTT, and Lettuce assays, respectively. Results Both flowers and leaves of M. sylvestris methanol extracts exhibited strong antibacterial effects against Erwinia carotovora, a plant pathogen, with MIC value of 128 and 256 µg/ml, respectively. The flowers extract also showed high antibacterial effects against some human pathogen bacteria strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Entrococcus faecalis, with MIC value of 192, 200 and 256 µg/ml, respectively. The plant methanol extracts had relatively high cytotoxic activity against MacCoy cell line. Conclusion We concluded that Malva sylvestris can be candidated as an antiseptic, a chemopreventive or a chemotherapeutic agent. PMID:23493458

Rotor Wake Vortex Definition: Initial Evaluation of 3-C PIV Results of the Hart-II Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burley, Casey L.; Brooks, Thomas F.; vanderWall, Berend; Richard, Hughes; Raffel, Markus; Beaumier, Philippe; Delrieux, Yves; Lim, Joon W.; Yu, Yung H.; Tung, Chee

2002-01-01

An initial evaluation is made of extensive three-component (3C) particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements within the wake across a rotor disk plane. The model is a 40 percent scale BO-105 helicopter main rotor in forward flight simulation. This study is part of the HART II test program conducted in the German-Dutch Wind Tunnel (DNW). Included are wake vortex field measurements over the advancing and retreating sides of the rotor operating at a typical descent landing condition important for impulsive blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise. Also included are advancing side results for rotor angle variations from climb to steep descent. Using detailed PIV vector maps of the vortex fields, methods of extracting key vortex parameters are examined and a new method was developed and evaluated. An objective processing method, involving a center-of-vorticity criterion and a vorticity 'disk' integration, was used to determine vortex core size, strength, core velocity distribution characteristics, and unsteadiness. These parameters are mapped over the rotor disk and offer unique physical insight for these parameters of importance for rotor noise and vibration prediction.

Velocity Data in a Fully Developed Wind Turbine Array Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, John; Wosnik, Martin

2016-11-01

Results are reported from an experimental study of an array of porous disks simulating offshore wind turbines. The disks mimic power extraction of similarly scaled wind turbines via drag matching, and the array consists of 19x5 disks of 0.25 m diameter. The study was conducted in the UNH Flow Physics Facility (FPF), which has test section dimensions of 6.0 m wide, 2.7 m high and 72.0 m long. The FPF can achieve a boundary layer height on the order of 1 m at the entrance of the wind turbine array which puts the model turbines in the bottom third of the boundary layer, which is typical of field application. Careful consideration was given to an expanded uncertainty analysis, to determine possible measurements in this type of flow. For a given configuration (spacing, initial conditions, etc.), the velocity levels out and the wind farm approaches fully developed behavior, even within the maintained growth of the simulated atmospheric boundary layer. Benchmark pitot tube data was acquired in vertical profiles progressing streamwise behind the centered column at every row in the array.

ALMA Shows that Gas Reservoirs of Star-forming Disks over the Past 3 Billion Years Are Not Predominantly Molecular

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

Cortese, Luca; Catinella, Barbara; Janowiecki, Steven, E-mail: luca.cortese@uwa.edu.au

Cold hydrogen gas is the raw fuel for star formation in galaxies, and its partition into atomic and molecular phases is a key quantity for galaxy evolution. In this Letter, we combine Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and Arecibo single-dish observations to estimate the molecular-to-atomic hydrogen mass ratio for massive star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 0.2 extracted from the HIGHz survey, i.e., some of the most massive gas-rich systems currently known. We show that the balance between atomic and molecular hydrogen in these galaxies is similar to that of local main-sequence disks, implying that atomic hydrogen has been dominating the coldmore » gas mass budget of star-forming galaxies for at least the past three billion years. In addition, despite harboring gas reservoirs that are more typical of objects at the cosmic noon, HIGHz galaxies host regular rotating disks with low gas velocity dispersions suggesting that high total gas fractions do not necessarily drive high turbulence in the interstellar medium.« less

Vibrissal touch sensing in the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina): how do seals judge size?

PubMed

Grant, Robyn; Wieskotten, Sven; Wengst, Nina; Prescott, Tony; Dehnhardt, Guido

2013-06-01

"Whisker specialists" such as rats, shrews, and seals actively employ their whiskers to explore their environments and extract object properties such as size, shape, and texture. It has been suggested that whiskers could be used to discriminate between different sized objects in one of two ways: (i) to use whisker positions, such as angular position, spread or amplitude to approximate size; or (ii) to calculate the number of whiskers that contact an object. This study describes in detail how two adult harbor seals use their whiskers to differentiate between three sizes of disk. The seals judged size very fast, taking <400 ms. In addition, they oriented their smaller, most rostral, ventral whiskers to the disks, so that more whiskers contacted the surface, complying to a maximal contact sensing strategy. Data from this study supports the suggestion that it is the number of whisker contacts that predict disk size, rather than how the whiskers are positioned (angular position), the degree to which they are moved (amplitude) or how spread out they are (angular spread).

Saponin-enriched sea cucumber extracts exhibit an antiobesity effect through inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity and upregulation of LXR-β signaling.

PubMed

Guo, Lu; Gao, Ziyang; Zhang, Liuqiang; Guo, Fujiang; Chen, Yan; Li, Yiming; Huang, Cheng

2016-08-01

Sea cucumbers have been consumed as tonic, food, and nutrition supplements for many years. The objective of this study is to investigate the antiobesity and lipid-lowering effects of sea cucumber extracts in in vitro and in vivo models and elucidate the mechanism of action of the extracts on obesity and dyslipidemia. The 60% ethanol extracts from the body walls of 10 different sea cucumbers were investigated for the inhibition of pancreatic lipase (PL) activity in vitro. The optimal active extract (SC-3) was further chemically analyzed by LC-MS and UV. And 0.1% and 0.2% of SC-3 was mixed with a high-fat diet to treat C57/BL6 mice for 6 weeks or 2 weeks as preventive and therapeutic study. The body weight, serum, and liver lipid profile in the mice were investigated. The crude extract of Pearsonothuria graeffei Semper (Holothuriidae) inhibited the PL activity by 36.44% of control at 0.5 μg/mL. SC-3 and echinoside A inhibited PL with an IC50 value at 2.86 μg/mL and 0.76 μM. 0.1% of SC-3 reduced the body weight (23.0 ± 0.62 versus 26.3 ± 0.76 g), the serum TC (2.46 ± 0.04 versus 2.83 ± 0.12 mmol/L), TG (0.19 ± 0.08 versus 0.40 ± 0.03 mmo/L), and LDL-c (0.48 ± 0.02 versus 0.51 ± 0.02 mmol/L), and liver TC (1.19 ± 0.17 versus 1.85 ± 0.13 mmol/mg) and TG (6.18 ± 0.92 versus 10.87 ± 0.97 mmol/mg) contents of the obese C57BL/six mice on a high-fat diet. Sea cucumber may be used for developing antiobesity and antihyperlipidemia drugs.

Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes in Fish and Meat Systems by Use of Oregano and Cranberry Phytochemical Synergies

PubMed Central

Lin, Y. T.; Labbe, R. G.; Shetty, Kalidas

2004-01-01

Optimized phenolics from oregano and cranberry extracts were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes in laboratory media and in beef and fish. The antimicrobial activity increased when oregano and cranberry extracts were mixed at a ratio of 75% oregano and 25% cranberry (wt/wt) with 0.1 mg of phenolic per disk or ml, and the efficacy was further enhanced by lactic acid. The inhibition by phytochemical and lactic acid synergies was most effective when beef and fish slices were stored at 4°C. PMID:15345457

Prediction of the Critical Curvature for LX-17 with the Time of Arrival Data from DNS

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

Yao, Jin; Fried, Laurence E.; Moss, William C.

2017-01-10

We extract the detonation shock front velocity, curvature and acceleration from time of arrival data measured at grid points from direct numerical simulations of a 50mm rate-stick lit by a disk-source, with the ignition and growth reaction model and a JWL equation of state calibrated for LX-17. We compute the quasi-steady (D, κ) relation based on the extracted properties and predicted the critical curvatures of LX-17. We also proposed an explicit formula that contains the failure turning point, obtained from optimization for the (D, κ) relation of LX-17.

HPLC-SPE-NMR identification of a novel metabolite containing the benzo[c]oxepin skeleton from the endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis virgatula culture.

PubMed

Kesting, Julie R; Staerk, Dan; Tejesvi, Mysore V; Kini, Kukkundoor R; Prakash, Harishchandra S; Jaroszewski, Jerzy W

2009-08-01

HPLC-SPE-NMR analysis of a crude extract of fermentation broth of cultured PESTALOTIOPSIS VIRGATULA isolate TC-320 from TERMINALIA CHEBULA Retz. (Combretaceae) disclosed the presence of a simple but unprecedented low-molecular-weight metabolite, 9-hydroxybenzo[ C]oxepin-3[1 H]-one, subsequently isolated by a targeted purification procedure. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.New York.

Feasibility of Isotope Harvesting at a Projectile Fragmentation Facility: 67Cu

PubMed Central

Mastren, Tara; Pen, Aranh; Peaslee, Graham F.; Wozniak, Nick; Loveless, Shaun; Essenmacher, Scott; Sobotka, Lee G.; Morrissey, David J.; Lapi, Suzanne E.

2014-01-01

The work presented here describes a proof-of-principle experiment for the chemical extraction of 67Cu from an aqueous beam stop at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). A 76 MeV/A 67Cu beam was stopped in water, successfully isolated from the aqueous solution through a series of chemical separations involving a chelating disk and anion exchange chromatography, then bound to NOTA-conjugated Herceptin antibodies, and the bound activity was validated using instant thin-layer chromatography (ITLC). The chemical extraction efficiency was found to be 88 ± 3% and the radiochemical yield was ≥95%. These results show that extraction of radioisotopes from an aqueous projectile-fragment beam dump is a feasible method for obtaining radiochemically pure isotopes. PMID:25330839

Superstrate loading effects on the resonant characteristics of high Tc superconducting circular patch printed on anisotropic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedra, Sami; Bedra, Randa; Benkouda, Siham; Fortaki, Tarek

2017-12-01

In this paper, the effects of both anisotropies in the substrate and superstrate loading on the resonant frequency and bandwidth of high-Tc superconducting circular microstrip patch in a substrate-superstrate configuration are investigated. A rigorous analysis is performed using a dyadic Galerkin's method in the vector Hankel transform domain. Galerkin's procedure is employed in the spectral domain where the TM and TE modes of the cylindrical cavity with magnetic side walls are used in the expansion of the disk current. The effect of the superconductivity of the patch is taken into account using the concept of the complex resistive boundary condition. London's equations and the two-fluid model of Gorter and Casimir are used in the calculation of the complex surface impedance of the superconducting circular disc. The accuracy of the analysis is tested by comparing the computed results with previously published data for several anisotropic substrate-superstrate materials. Good agreement is found among all sets of results. The numerical results obtained show that important errors can be made in the computation of the resonant frequencies and bandwidths of the superconducting resonators when substrate dielectric anisotropy, and/or superstrate anisotropy are ignored. Other theoretical results obtained show that the superconducting circular microstrip patch on anisotropic substrate-superstrate with properly selected permittivity values along the optical and the non-optical axes combined with optimally chosen structural parameters is more advantageous than the one on isotropic substrate-superstrate by exhibiting wider bandwidth characteristic.

Cost-effectiveness of sentinel node biopsy and pathological ultrastaging in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

PubMed

Brar, Harinder; Hogen, Liat; Covens, Al

2017-05-15

The objective of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of radical hysterectomy (RH) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for the management of early-stage cervical cancer (stage IA2-IB1). A simple decision tree model was developed to follow a simulated cohort of patients with early-stage cervical cancer treated with RH and 1 of 3 lymph node assessment strategies: systematic pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND), SLNB using technetium 99 (Tc99) and blue dye, and SLNB using Tc99 only. SLNB using indocyanine green (ICG) was used as an exploratory strategy. Relevant studies were identified to extract the probability data and utility parameters and to estimate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and absolute life-years (ALYs). Only direct medical costs were modeled, and the time horizon for the study was 5 years. SLNB using Tc99 and blue dye cost $21,089 and yielded 4.54 QALYs and 4.90 ALYs. PLND cost $22,353 and yielded 4.47 QALYs and 4.91 ALYs. SLNB using blue dye and Tc99 was the most cost-effective strategy when ALYs were considered with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $144,531. When QALYs were considered, the SLNB technique using Tc99 and blue dye dominated all other strategies. SLNB using ICG cost $20,624 and yielded 4.90 ALYs and 4.54 QALYs. It was clinically superior to and less expensive than all other strategies when QALYs were the outcome of interest and had an ICER of $221,171 per ALY in comparison with RH plus PLND. SLNB using Tc99 and blue dye with ultrastaging is considered the most cost-effective strategy with respect to 5-year progression-free survival and morbidity-free survival. Although it was included only as an exploratory strategy in this study, SLNB with ICG has the potential to be the most cost-effective strategy. Cancer 2017;123:1751-1759. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Mannosylated dextran derivatives labeled with fac-[M(CO)₃]+ (M = (99m)Tc, Re) for specific targeting of sentinel lymph node.

PubMed

Morais, Maurício; Subramanian, Suresh; Pandey, Usha; Samuel, Grace; Venkatesh, Meera; Martins, Manuel; Pereira, Sérgio; Correia, João D G; Santos, Isabel

2011-04-04

Despite being widely used in the clinical setting for sentinel lymph node detection (SLND), (99m)Tc-based colloids (e.g., (99m)Tc-human serum albumin colloids) present a set of properties that are far from ideal. Aiming to design novel compounds with improved biological properties, we describe herein the first class of fully characterized (99m)Tc(CO)₃-mannosylated dextran derivatives with adequate features for SLND. Dextran derivatives, containing the same number of pendant mannose units (13) and a variable number (n) of tridentate chelators (9, n = 1; 10, n = 4, 11, n= 12), have been synthesized and fully characterized. Radiolabeled polymers of the type fac-[(99m)Tc(CO)₃(k³-L)] (12, L = 9, 13, L = 10, 14, L = 11) have been obtained quantitatively in high radiochemical purity (≥ 98%) upon reaction of the dextran derivatives with fac-[(99m)Tc(CO)₃(H₂O)₃]+. The highly stable compounds 13 and 14 were identified by comparing their HPLC chromatograms with the ones obtained for the corresponding rhenium surrogates fac-[Re(CO)₃(k³-10)] (13a) and fac-[Re(CO)₃(k³-11)] (14a), which have been characterized both at the chemical (NMR and IR spectroscopy, and HPLC) and physical level (DLS, AFM and LDV). Compounds 13a and 14a present a positive zeta potential (+ 7.1 mV, pH 7.4) and a hydrodynamic diameter in the range 8.4-8.7 nm. Scintigraphic imaging and biodistribution studies in Wistar rats have shown good accumulation in the sentinel node at 60 min postinjection (6.71 ± 2.35%, 13; and 7.53 ± 0.69%, 14), with significant retention up to 180 min. A clear delineation of the sentinel lymph node without significant washout to other regions was observed in the scintigraphic images. The popliteal extraction of 94.47 ± 2.45% for 14 at 1 h postinjection, as compared to 61.81 ± 2.4% for 13, indicated that 14 is a very promising compound to be further explored as SLN imaging agent.

Comparison of heat flux measurement techniques during the DIII-D metal ring campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, J. L.; Nygren, R. E.; Unterberg, E. A.; Watkins, J. G.; Makowski, M. A.; Moser, A.; Rudakov, D. L.; Buchenauer, D.

2017-12-01

The heat fluxes expected in the ITER divertor raise concerns about the damage tolerances of tungsten, especially due to thermal transients caused by edge localized modes (ELMs) as well as frequent temperature cycling from high to low extremes. Therefore we are motivated to understand the heat flux conditions that can cause not only enhanced erosion but also bulk thermo-mechanical damage to a tungsten divertor. For the metal ring campaign in DIII-D, tungsten-coated TZM tile inserts were installed making two toroidal arrays of metal tile inserts in the lower divertor. This study examines the deposited heat flux on these rings with embedded thermocouples (TCs) sampling at 10 kHz and compares them to Langmuir probe (LP) and infrared thermography (IRTV) heat flux measurements. We see agreement of the TC, LP, and IRTV data within 20% of the heat flux averaged over the entire discharge, and that all three diagnostics suggest parallel heat flux at the OSP location increases linearly with input heating power. The TC and LP heat flux time traces during the discharge trend together during large changes to the average heat flux. By subtracting the LP measured inter-ELM heat flux from TC data, using a rectangular ELM energy pulse shape, and taking the relative size and duration of each ELM from {{D}}α measurements, we extract the ELM heat fluxes from TC data. This over-estimates the IRTV measured ELM heat fluxes by a factor of 1.9, and could be due to the simplicity of the TC heat flux model and the assumed ELM energy pulse shape. ELM heat fluxes deposited on the inserts are used to model tungsten erosion in this campaign. These TC ELM heat flux estimates are used in addition to IRTV, especially in cases where the IRTV view to the metal ring is obstructed. We observe that some metal inserts were deformed due to exposed leading edges. The thermal conditions on these inserts are investigated with the thermal modeling code ABAQUS using our heat flux measurements when these edges were exposed. We discuss how the thermal cycling on the ends of the inserts caused this deformation.

Specificity of Toxocara ELISA in tropical populations.

PubMed

Lynch, N R; Wilkes, L K; Hodgen, A N; Turner, K J

1988-05-01

The diagnosis of human infection by Toxocara canis relies heavily upon serological tests, the specificity of which can be inadequate in regions of endemic helminthiasis. When different population groups of tropical Venezuela were evaluated using ELISA based upon Toxocara excretory-secretory antigen (TcESA), solid-phase adsorption of the sera with extracts of a wide variety of non-homologous parasites revealed the existence of significant cross-reactivity. This was effectively and conveniently overcome when the test sera were incubated in the presence of the soluble parasite extracts in a competitive inhibition ELISA. The mean reduction of ELISA values caused by pre-adsorption of the sera tested was 32.2%, and that caused by competitive inhibition was 42.3%, the effects of these two procedures being strongly correlated (r = 0.83). The magnitude of the reduction was inversely proportional to the actual ELISA value (r = -0.55), and ranged from a mean of 68.0% in sera from apparently healthy individuals of medium-high socio-economic level, down to 28.1% in heavily parasitized Amazon indians. Ascaris showed the greatest degree of cross-reactivity in these tests, although under conditions of competitive inhibition even sera with high levels of antibody against this parasite could be negative in Toxocara ELISA. Western blotting revealed a major 81,400 D component that was shared between Ascaris and TcESA. Our results indicate that the competitive inhibition of cross-reactivity by soluble non-homologous parasite extracts provides a convenient and economical means of increasing the specificity of ELISA for the determination of the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in tropical populations.

Wood chemical composition as related to properties of handsheets made from loblolly pine refiner groundwood

Treesearch

Charles W. McMillin

1969-01-01

Burst and tear strengths of handsheets made from 48 pulps disk-refined from chips of varying chemical composition decreased with incressing extractive content after the independent effects of fiber morphology were specified. This result was attributed to lessened bond strength caused by reduced surface tension forces and blocking of reactive sites on the fiber surfaces...

Scent trailing by virgin females ofPseudococcm calceolariae.

PubMed

Rotundo, G; Tremblay, E

1981-01-01

Virgin females of the citrophilous mealybugPseudococcus calceolariae (Mask.) deposit scent marks as trails on the substrate on which they rest or move. These substances elicit attraction and sexual behavior by conspecific males. The same responses were obtained when males were bioassayed on extracts from filter paper disks on which females had rested. The significance of scent trailing in mealybugs is discussed.

Application of Artificial Intelligence to the Prediction of the Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils.

PubMed

Daynac, Mathieu; Cortes-Cabrera, Alvaro; Prieto, Jose M

2015-01-01

Essential oils (EOs) are vastly used as natural antibiotics in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Their intrinsic chemical variability and synergisms/antagonisms between its components make difficult to ensure consistent effects through different batches. Our aim is to evaluate the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the prediction of their antimicrobial activity. Methods. The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of 49 EOs, extracts, and/or fractions was extracted from NCCLS compliant works. The fast artificial neural networks (FANN) software was used and the output data reflected the antimicrobial activity of these EOs against four common pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Clostridium perfringens as measured by standardised disk diffusion assays. Results. ANNs were able to predict >70% of the antimicrobial activities within a 10 mm maximum error range. Similarly, ANNs were able to predict 2 or 3 different bioactivities at the same time. The accuracy of the prediction was only limited by the inherent errors of the popular antimicrobial disk susceptibility test and the nature of the pathogens. Conclusions. ANNs can be reliable, fast, and cheap tools for the prediction of the antimicrobial activity of EOs thus improving their use in CAM.

In vitro antibacterial effects of glass-ionomer cement containing ethanolic extract of propolis on Streptococcus mutans

PubMed Central

Topcuoglu, Nursen; Ozan, Fatih; Ozyurt, Mustafa; Kulekci, Guven

2012-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial property of glass-ionomer cement (GIC) containing propolis against Streptococcus mutans and its effect on the in vitro S. mutans biofilm formation. Methods: Ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) was prepared at two concentrations as 25 and 50%. Three different experimental GIC disks were prepared using pure liquid and liquid solutions diluted with 25 and 50 percent of EEP concentrations. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of EEP on the growth of S. mutans ATCC 25175 was determined by using agar dilution method. Agar diffusion test and an in vitro S. mutans biofilm assay for GIC disks with and without EEP were performed. Results: MIC values of Turkish propolis for S. mutans ATCC 25175 was found as 25 μg/mL. Experimental GICs containing propolis exhibited inhibition zones and their dry biofilm weights were less than the pure GIC. The bacterial density was lower in the GIC containing 50% EEP. Conclusions: A distinct antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy of propolis containing GIC on S. mutans has been observed. Although further research is needed to show clinical results, antibacterial GIC containing propolis would be a promising material for restoration. PMID:23077424

Application of Artificial Intelligence to the Prediction of the Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils

PubMed Central

Daynac, Mathieu; Cortes-Cabrera, Alvaro; Prieto, Jose M.

2015-01-01

Essential oils (EOs) are vastly used as natural antibiotics in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Their intrinsic chemical variability and synergisms/antagonisms between its components make difficult to ensure consistent effects through different batches. Our aim is to evaluate the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the prediction of their antimicrobial activity. Methods. The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of 49 EOs, extracts, and/or fractions was extracted from NCCLS compliant works. The fast artificial neural networks (FANN) software was used and the output data reflected the antimicrobial activity of these EOs against four common pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Clostridium perfringens as measured by standardised disk diffusion assays. Results. ANNs were able to predict >70% of the antimicrobial activities within a 10 mm maximum error range. Similarly, ANNs were able to predict 2 or 3 different bioactivities at the same time. The accuracy of the prediction was only limited by the inherent errors of the popular antimicrobial disk susceptibility test and the nature of the pathogens. Conclusions. ANNs can be reliable, fast, and cheap tools for the prediction of the antimicrobial activity of EOs thus improving their use in CAM. PMID:26457111

Analyzing Tropical Waves Using the Parallel Ensemble Empirical Model Decomposition Method: Preliminary Results from Hurricane Sandy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, Bo-Wen; Cheung, Samson; Li, Jui-Lin F.; Wu, Yu-ling

2013-01-01

In this study, we discuss the performance of the parallel ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in the analysis of tropical waves that are associated with tropical cyclone (TC) formation. To efficiently analyze high-resolution, global, multiple-dimensional data sets, we first implement multilevel parallelism into the ensemble EMD (EEMD) and obtain a parallel speedup of 720 using 200 eight-core processors. We then apply the parallel EEMD (PEEMD) to extract the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) from preselected data sets that represent (1) idealized tropical waves and (2) large-scale environmental flows associated with Hurricane Sandy (2012). Results indicate that the PEEMD is efficient and effective in revealing the major wave characteristics of the data, such as wavelengths and periods, by sifting out the dominant (wave) components. This approach has a potential for hurricane climate study by examining the statistical relationship between tropical waves and TC formation.

Radionuclide studies of chronic schistosomal uropathy. [/sup 99m/Tc-DTPA; /sup 131/I-hippuran

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

Lamki, L.M.; Lamki, N.

1981-08-01

Fifty patients with chronic urinary tract schistosomiasis were studied with /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA. All had a flow study, sequential analog imaging, and digital imaging for 25 to 35 min (20-sec frames). Time-activity curves (DTPA renograms) were extracted; 12 patients had /sup 131/I-Hippuran probe renograms as well. Renal changes included diminished perfusion and structural abnormalities ranging from minor calyceal dilatation to overt hydronephrosis. Ureteral changes included dilatation, tortuosity, and kinking. Marked distortion of the ureterovesical junction was seen in some patients due to periureteral and perivesicular fibrosis, which is a major factor in upper urinary tract damage. Renograms showed varying obstruction andmore » parenchymal damage. Nuclear medicine complements excretory urography and is sometimes preferable for visualization of the ureters. After the initial urogram, sequential DTPA scanning and renography are sufficient for follow-up.« less

Fine structure of modal focusing effect in a three dimensional plasma-sheath-lens formed by disk electrodes

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

Stamate, Eugen, E-mail: eust@dtu.dk; Venture Business Laboratory, Nagoya University, C3-1, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603; Yamaguchi, Masahito

2015-08-31

Modal and discrete focusing effects associated with three-dimensional plasma-sheath-lenses show promising potential for applications in ion beam extraction, mass spectrometry, plasma diagnostics and for basic studies of plasma sheath. The ion focusing properties can be adjusted by controlling the geometrical structure of the plasma-sheath-lens and plasma parameters. The positive and negative ion kinetics within the plasma-sheath-lens are investigated both experimentally and theoretically and a modal focusing ring is identified on the surface of disk electrodes. The focusing ring is very sensitive to the sheath thickness and can be used to monitor very small changes in plasma parameters. Three dimensional simulationsmore » are found to be in very good agreement with experiments.« less

Solid-phase extraction of some heavy metal ions on a double-walled carbon nanotube disk and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

PubMed

Karatepe, Aslihan; Soylak, Mustafa; Elçi, Latif

2011-01-01

A new preconcentration method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of Cu(II), Fe(III), Pb(II), Ni(II), and Cd(II) on a double-walled carbon nanotube disk. 4-(2-Thiazolylazo) resorcinol was used as a complexing reagent. The effects of parameters, including pH of the solutions, amounts of complexing reagent, eluent type, sample volume, flow rates of solutions, and matrix ions were examined for quantitative recoveries of the studied analyte ions. The retained metal ions were eluted by 2 M HNO3. The LOD values for the analytes were in the range of 0.7-4.4 microg/mL. Natural water samples and standard reference materials were analyzed by the presented method.

Evaluation of Amount of Blood in Dry Blood Spots: Ring-Disk Electrode Conductometry.

PubMed

Kadjo, Akinde F; Stamos, Brian N; Shelor, C Phillip; Berg, Jordan M; Blount, Benjamin C; Dasgupta, Purnendu K

2016-06-21

A fixed area punch in dried blood spot (DBS) analysis is assumed to contain a fixed amount of blood, but the amount actually depends on a number of factors. The presently preferred approach is to normalize the measurement with respect to the sodium level, measured by atomic spectrometry. Instead of sodium levels, we propose electrical conductivity of the extract as an equivalent nondestructive measure. A dip-type small diameter ring-disk electrode (RDE) is ideal for very small volumes. However, the conductance (G) measured by an RDE depends on the depth (D) of the liquid below the probe. There is no established way of computing the specific conductance (σ) of the solution from G. Using a COMSOL Multiphysics model, we were able to obtain excellent agreement between the measured and the model predicted conductance as a function of D. Using simulations over a large range of dimensions, we provide a spreadsheet-based calculator where the RDE dimensions are the input parameters and the procedure determines the 99% of the infinite depth conductance (G99) and the depth D99 at which this is reached. For typical small diameter probes (outer electrode diameter ∼ <2 mm), D99 is small enough for dip-type measurements in extract volumes of ∼100 μL. We demonstrate the use of such probes with DBS extracts. In a small group of 12 volunteers (age 20-66), the specific conductance of 100 μL aqueous extracts of 2 μL of spotted blood showed a variance of 17.9%. For a given subject, methanol extracts of DBS spots nominally containing 8 and 4 μL of blood differed by a factor of 1.8-1.9 in the chromatographically determined values of sulfate and chloride (a minor and major constituent, respectively). The values normalized with respect to the conductance of the extracts differed by ∼1%. For serum associated analytes, normalization of the analyte value by the extract conductance can thus greatly reduce errors from variations in the spotted blood volume/unit area.

Unsupervised learning toward brain imaging data analysis: cigarette craving and resistance related neuronal activations from functional magnetic resonance imaging data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Youl; Lee, Jong-Hwan

2014-05-01

A data-driven unsupervised learning such as an independent component analysis was gainfully applied to bloodoxygenation- level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data compared to a model-based general linear model (GLM). This is due to an ability of this unsupervised learning method to extract a meaningful neuronal activity from BOLD signal that is a mixture of confounding non-neuronal artifacts such as head motions and physiological artifacts as well as neuronal signals. In this study, we support this claim by identifying neuronal underpinnings of cigarette craving and cigarette resistance. The fMRI data were acquired from heavy cigarette smokers (n = 14) while they alternatively watched images with and without cigarette smoking. During acquisition of two fMRI runs, they were asked to crave when they watched cigarette smoking images or to resist the urge to smoke. Data driven approaches of group independent component analysis (GICA) method based on temporal concatenation (TC) and TCGICA with an extension of iterative dual-regression (TC-GICA-iDR) were applied to the data. From the results, cigarette craving and cigarette resistance related neuronal activations were identified in the visual area and superior frontal areas, respectively with a greater statistical significance from the TC-GICA-iDR method than the TC-GICA method. On the other hand, the neuronal activity levels in many of these regions were not statistically different from the GLM method between the cigarette craving and cigarette resistance due to potentially aberrant BOLD signals.

Comperative studies with Culex pipiens egg rafts. Immunogenetic, electrophoretic and enzymatic analysis of unfertilized, compatible and incompatible fertilized eggs.

PubMed

Schumann, W

1974-01-01

By applying immunologic, electrophoretic and enzymatic methods, extracts of different raft types of Culex pipiens were analysed. Rafts of the crosses Pa x Pa and Ha x Ha contained four common antigens, while unfertilized rafts of Pa and Ha (no antisera were prepared against them) and rafts of the crosses Og x Og, Og x Pa, and Pa x Og shared three common antigens with the remaining raft extracts. Disk-electrophoresis of raft extracts in acrylamide gel resulted in different electropherograms. Ten protein bands were common to all these raft types. The unfertilized rafts of Pa and Ha yielded three more protein bands, the crosses Pa x Ha and Ha x Pa one more, the crosses Og x Og and Pa x Og three more, and Og x Pa two more. Many enzymes were demonstrated in the raft extracts after they were separated in acrylamide gel and incubated with the corresponding substrate solutions. All the raft types possessed one enzyme type for glutaminate-, lactate-, glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase and catalase. Malate-dehydrogenase and leucine aminopeptidase occurred in each raft type as two isoenzymes. Alkaline phosphatase was observed as a single enzyme, but was lacking in rafts of the crosses Pa X Pa and Ha X Ha. While rafts of the crosses Og x Og and Og x Pa possessed two acid phosphatases, three could be demonstrated for the remaining raft types. Up to eight esterases appeared; rafts of the crosses Og x Og and Og x Pa possessed seven such activities. The results obtained by the Ouchterlony test, disk-electrophoresis and the histochemical enzyme tests are discussed in context and checked according to the phenomenon of incompatibility.

K-65-12.8 condensing steam turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valamin, A. E.; Kultyshev, A. Yu.; Gol'dberg, A. A.; Sakhnin, Yu. A.; Bilan, V. N.; Stepanov, M. Yu.; Polyaeva, E. N.; Shekhter, M. V.; Shibaev, T. L.

2016-11-01

A new condensing steam turbine K-65-12.8 is considered, which is the continuation of the development of the steam turbine family of 50-70 MW and the fresh steam pressure of 12.8 MPa, such as twocylinder T-50-12.8 and T-60/65-12.8 turbines. The turbine was developed using the modular design. The design and the main distinctive features of the turbine are described, such as a single two-housing cylinder with the steam flow loop; the extraction from the blading section for the regeneration, the inner needs, and heating; and the unification of some assemblies of serial turbines with shorter time of manufacture. The turbine uses the throttling steam distribution; steam from a boiler is supplied to a turbine through a separate valve block consisting of a central shut-off valve and two side control valves. The blading section of a turbine consists of 23 stages: the left flow contains ten stages installed in the inner housing and the right flow contains 13 stages with diaphragm placed in holders installed in the outer housing. The disks of the first 16 stages are forged together with a rotor, and the disks of the rest stages are mounted. Before the two last stages, the uncontrolled steam extraction is performed for the heating of a plant with the heat output of 38-75 GJ/h. Also, a turbine has five regenerative extraction points for feed water heating and the additional steam extraction to a collector for the inner needs with the consumption of up to 10 t/h. The feasibility parameters of a turbine plant are given. The main solutions for the heat flow diagram and the layout of a turbine plant are presented. The main principles and features of the microprocessor electro hydraulic control and protection system are formulated.

Determination of perfluorinated chemicals in food and drinking water using high-flow solid-phase extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chang, Ying-Chia; Chen, Wen-Ling; Bai, Fang-Yu; Chen, Pau-Chung; Wang, Gen-Shuh; Chen, Chia-Yang

2012-01-01

For this study, we developed methods of determining ten perfluorinated chemicals in drinking water, milk, fish, beef, and pig liver using high-flow automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The analytes were separated on a core-shell Kinetex C18 column. The mobile phase was composed of methanol and 10-mM N-methylmorpholine. Milk was digested with 0.5 N potassium hydroxide in Milli-Q water, and was extracted with an Atlantic HLB disk to perform automated SPE at a flow rate ranged from 70 to 86 mL/min. Drinking water was directly extracted by the SPE. Solid food samples were digested in alkaline methanol and their supernatants were diluted and also processed by SPE. The disks were washed with 40% methanol/60% water and then eluted with 0.1% ammonium hydroxide in methanol. Suppression of signal intensity of most analytes by matrixes was lower than 50%; it was generally lower in fish and drinking water but higher in liver. Most quantitative biases and relative standard deviations were lower than 15%. The limits of detection for most analytes were sub-nanograms per liter for drinking water and sub-nanograms per gram for solid food samples. This method greatly shortened the time and labor needed for digestion, SPE, and liquid chromatography. This method has been applied to analyze 14 types of food samples. Perfluorooctanoic acid was found to be the highest among the analytes (median at 3.2-64 ng/g wet weight), followed by perfluorodecanoic acid (0.7-25 ng/g) and perfluorododecanoic acid (0.6-15 ng/g).

An Optical/Near-infrared Investigation of HD 100546 b with the Gemini Planet Imager and MagAO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rameau, Julien; Follette, Katherine B.; Pueyo, Laurent; Marois, Christian; Macintosh, Bruce; Millar-Blanchaer, Maxwell; Wang, Jason J.; Vega, David; Doyon, René; Lafrenière, David; Nielsen, Eric L.; Bailey, Vanessa; Chilcote, Jeffrey K.; Close, Laird M.; Esposito, Thomas M.; Males, Jared R.; Metchev, Stanimir; Morzinski, Katie M.; Ruffio, Jean-Baptiste; Wolff, Schuyler G.; Ammons, S. M.; Barman, Travis S.; Bulger, Joanna; Cotten, Tara; De Rosa, Robert J.; Duchene, Gaspard; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; Goodsell, Stephen; Graham, James R.; Greenbaum, Alexandra Z.; Hibon, Pascale; Hung, Li-Wei; Ingraham, Patrick; Kalas, Paul; Konopacky, Quinn; Larkin, James E.; Maire, Jérôme; Marchis, Franck; Oppenheimer, Rebecca; Palmer, David; Patience, Jennifer; Perrin, Marshall D.; Poyneer, Lisa; Rajan, Abhijith; Rantakyrö, Fredrik T.; Marley, Mark S.; Savransky, Dmitry; Schneider, Adam C.; Sivaramakrishnan, Anand; Song, Inseok; Soummer, Remi; Thomas, Sandrine; Wallace, J. Kent; Ward-Duong, Kimberly; Wiktorowicz, Sloane

2017-06-01

We present H band spectroscopic and Hα photometric observations of HD 100546 obtained with the Gemini Planet Imager and the Magellan Visible AO camera. We detect H band emission at the location of the protoplanet HD 100546 b, but show that the choice of data processing parameters strongly affects the morphology of this source. It appears point-like in some aggressive reductions, but rejoins an extended disk structure in the majority of the others. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this emission appears stationary on a timescale of 4.6 years, inconsistent at the 2σ level with a Keplerian clockwise orbit at 59 au in the disk plane. The H band spectrum of the emission is inconsistent with any type of low effective temperature object or accreting protoplanetary disk. It strongly suggests a scattered-light origin, as this is consistent with the spectrum of the star and the spectra extracted at other locations in the disk. A non-detection at the 5σ level of HD 100546 b in differential Hα imaging places an upper limit, assuming the protoplanet lies in a gap free of extinction, on the accretion luminosity of 1.7 × 10-4 L ⊙ and M\\dot{M}< 6.3× {10}-7 {M}{Jup}2 {{yr}}-1 for 1 R Jup. These limits are comparable to the accretion luminosity and accretion rate of T-Tauri stars or LkCa 15 b. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest that the H band source at the location of HD 100546 b is not emitted by a planetary photosphere or an accreting circumplanetary disk but is a disk feature enhanced by the point-spread function subtraction process. This non-detection is consistent with the non-detection in the K band reported in an earlier study but does not exclude the possibility that HD 100546 b is deeply embedded.

Influence of different luting protocols on shear bond strength of computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing resin nanoceramic material to dentin

PubMed Central

Poggio, Claudio; Pigozzo, Marco; Ceci, Matteo; Scribante, Andrea; Beltrami, Riccardo; Chiesa, Marco

2016-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of three different luting protocols on shear bond strength of computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) resin nanoceramic (RNC) material to dentin. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study, 30 disks were milled from RNC blocks (Lava Ultimate/3M ESPE) with CAD/CAM technology. The disks were subsequently cemented to the exposed dentin of 30 recently extracted bovine permanent mandibular incisors. The specimens were randomly assigned into 3 groups of 10 teeth each. In Group 1, disks were cemented using a total-etch protocol (Scotchbond™ Universal Etchant phosphoric acid + Scotchbond Universal Adhesive + RelyX™ Ultimate conventional resin cement); in Group 2, disks were cemented using a self-etch protocol (Scotchbond Universal Adhesive + RelyX™ Ultimate conventional resin cement); in Group 3, disks were cemented using a self-adhesive protocol (RelyX™ Unicem 2 Automix self-adhesive resin cement). All cemented specimens were placed in a universal testing machine (Instron Universal Testing Machine 3343) and submitted to a shear bond strength test to check the strength of adhesion between the two substrates, dentin, and RNC disks. Specimens were stressed at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey's test at a level of significance of 0.05. Results: Post-hoc Tukey testing showed that the highest shear strength values (P < 0.001) were reported in Group 2. The lowest data (P < 0.001) were recorded in Group 3. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, conventional resin cements (coupled with etch and rinse or self-etch adhesives) showed better shear strength values compared to self-adhesive resin cements. Furthermore, conventional resin cements used together with a self-etch adhesive reported the highest values of adhesion. PMID:27076822

Influence of different luting protocols on shear bond strength of computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing resin nanoceramic material to dentin.

PubMed

Poggio, Claudio; Pigozzo, Marco; Ceci, Matteo; Scribante, Andrea; Beltrami, Riccardo; Chiesa, Marco

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of three different luting protocols on shear bond strength of computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) resin nanoceramic (RNC) material to dentin. In this in vitro study, 30 disks were milled from RNC blocks (Lava Ultimate/3M ESPE) with CAD/CAM technology. The disks were subsequently cemented to the exposed dentin of 30 recently extracted bovine permanent mandibular incisors. The specimens were randomly assigned into 3 groups of 10 teeth each. In Group 1, disks were cemented using a total-etch protocol (Scotchbond™ Universal Etchant phosphoric acid + Scotchbond Universal Adhesive + RelyX™ Ultimate conventional resin cement); in Group 2, disks were cemented using a self-etch protocol (Scotchbond Universal Adhesive + RelyX™ Ultimate conventional resin cement); in Group 3, disks were cemented using a self-adhesive protocol (RelyX™ Unicem 2 Automix self-adhesive resin cement). All cemented specimens were placed in a universal testing machine (Instron Universal Testing Machine 3343) and submitted to a shear bond strength test to check the strength of adhesion between the two substrates, dentin, and RNC disks. Specimens were stressed at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey's test at a level of significance of 0.05. Post-hoc Tukey testing showed that the highest shear strength values (P < 0.001) were reported in Group 2. The lowest data (P < 0.001) were recorded in Group 3. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, conventional resin cements (coupled with etch and rinse or self-etch adhesives) showed better shear strength values compared to self-adhesive resin cements. Furthermore, conventional resin cements used together with a self-etch adhesive reported the highest values of adhesion.

Synergy between antibiotics and natural agents results in increased antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis.

PubMed

Abidi, Syed Hani; Ahmed, Khalid; Sherwani, Sikander Khan; Kazmi, Shahana Urooj

2015-09-27

Staphylococcus epidermidis is one of the most frequent causes of biofilm-associated infections on indwelling medical devices. With the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE), there is an urgent need to discover novel active agents against a range of Gram-positive pathogens. We screened the clinical isolates of S. epidermidis for susceptibility/resistance against commonly prescribed antibiotics. Furthermore, we tested some natural agents alone and in combination with antibiotics to find possible synergistic antimicrobial effects. S. epidermidis clinical isolates were screened for susceptibility/resistance against vancomycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, ofloxacin, cephalexin, and gentamicin using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The antimicrobial potential of Camellia sinensis, Juglans regia, and Hippophae rhamnoides alone and in combination with antibiotics were examined using the disk diffusion method, where the antimicrobial potential activity was measured in terms of formation of zones of inhibition. Most S. epidermidis isolates were found to be resistant to one or more antibiotics. Gentamycin and ofloxacin were found to be the most effective antibiotics against S. epidermidis isolates. Extracts of Hippophae rhamnoides, Juglans regia, and Camellia sinensis were found to be equally effective against S. epidermidis isolates. In combination with antibiotics, these extracts exhibited appreciable synergistic activity; the highest synergistic activity was observed with erythromycin and cephalexin. In the case of cephalexin, a reversion in resistance was observed. The plant extracts used in the study exhibited additive and synergistic antibacterial activity against S. epidermidis, hence providing an effective alternative to deal with the problem of multidrug resistance.

Optimal control of energy extraction in LES of large wind farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyers, Johan; Goit, Jay; Munters, Wim

2014-11-01

We investigate the use of optimal control combined with Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) of wind-farm boundary layer interaction for the increase of total energy extraction in very large ``infinite'' wind farms and in finite farms. We consider the individual wind turbines as flow actuators, whose energy extraction can be dynamically regulated in time so as to optimally influence the turbulent flow field, maximizing the wind farm power. For the simulation of wind-farm boundary layers we use large-eddy simulations in combination with an actuator-disk representation of wind turbines. Simulations are performed in our in-house pseudo-spectral code SP-Wind. For the optimal control study, we consider the dynamic control of turbine-thrust coefficients in the actuator-disk model. They represent the effect of turbine blades that can actively pitch in time, changing the lift- and drag coefficients of the turbine blades. In a first infinite wind-farm case, we find that farm power is increases by approximately 16% over one hour of operation. This comes at the cost of a deceleration of the outer layer of the boundary layer. A detailed analysis of energy balances is presented, and a comparison is made between infinite and finite farm cases, for which boundary layer entrainment plays an import role. The authors acknowledge support from the European Research Council (FP7-Ideas, Grant No. 306471). Simulations were performed on the computing infrastructure of the VSC Flemish Supercomputer Center, funded by the Hercules Foundation and the Flemish Govern.

Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (CSPE): Using Color to Monitor Spacecraft Water Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gazda, Daniel B.; Nolan, Daniel J.; Rutz, Jeffrey A.; Schultz, John R.; Siperko, Lorraine M.; Porter, Marc D.; Lipert, Robert J.; Flint, Stephanie M.; McCoy, J. Torin

2010-01-01

In August 2009, an experimental water quality monitoring kit based on Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (CSPE) technology was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS). The kit, called the Colorimetric Water Quality Monitoring Kit (CWQMK), was launched as a Station Development Test Objective (SDTO) experiment to evaluate the suitability of CSPE technology for routine use monitoring water quality on the ISS. CSPE is a sorption-spectrophotometric technique that combines colorimetric reagents, solid-phase extraction, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to quantify trace analytes in water samples. In CSPE, a known volume of sample is metered through a membrane disk that has been impregnated with an analyte-specific colorimetric reagent and any additives required to optimize the formation of the analyte-reagent complex. As the sample flows through the membrane disk, the target analyte is selectively extracted, concentrated, and complexed. Formation of the analyte-reagent complex causes a detectable change in the color of the membrane disk that is proportional to the amount of analyte present in the sample. The analyte is then quantified by measuring the color of the membrane disk surface using a hand-held diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (DRS). The CWQMK provides the capability to measure the ionic silver (Ag +) and molecular iodine (I2) in water samples on-orbit. These analytes were selected for the evaluation of CSPE technology because they are the biocides used in the potable water storage and distribution systems on the ISS. Biocides are added to the potable water systems on spacecraft to inhibit microbial growth. On the United States (US) segment of the ISS molecular iodine serves as the biocide, while the Russian space agency utilizes silver as a biocide in their systems. In both cases, the biocides must be maintained at a level sufficient to control bacterial growth, but low enough to avoid any negative effects on crew health. For example, the presence of high levels of iodine in water can cause taste and odor issues that result in decreased water consumption by the crew. There are also concerns about potential impacts on thyroid function following exposure to high levels of iodine. With silver, there is a risk of developing argyria, an irreversible blue-gray discoloration of the skin, associated with long term consumption of water containing high concentrations of silver. The need to ensure that safe, effective levels of biocide are maintained in the potable water systems on the ISS provides a perfect platform for evaluating the suitability of CSPE technology for in-flight water quality monitoring. This paper provides an overview of CSPE technology and details on the silver and iodine methods used in the CWQMK. It also reports results obtained during in-flight analyses performed with the CWQMK and briefly discusses other potential applications for CSPE technology in both the spacecraft and terrestrial environments.

Antifungal effect of some plant extracts against factors wheat root rot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atmaca, Sevim; Şimşek, Şeyda; Denek, Yunus Emre

2017-04-01

Methanol leaf extracts of Humulus lupulus L. and Achillea millefolium L. were evaluated for antifungal activity against economically important phytopathogenic fungi including Fusarium culmorum (W. G. Smith) Sacc. The final concentrations of the methanol extracts obtained from the plants were added to the Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) at 1%, 2%, 4% and 8% doses. Mycelial disks of pathogens (6 mm in diameter) removed from the margins of a 7 days old culture were transferred to PDA media containing the plant extracts at tested concentrations. Four replicates were used per treatment. For each plant extract and concentration, inhibition of radial growth compared with the untreated control was calculated after 7 days of incubation at 24±1°C, in the dark. Extracts H. lupulus and A. millefolium inhibited the mycelial growth of F. culmorum of mycelial growth of 8% dose of the pathogens by 92.77% and 69.83%, respectively. It has been observed that the antifungal effect of the extracts increases with dose increase. As a result, at least micelle growth and the highest percent inhibition rate were obtained at 8% dose of the extract H. lupulus. H. lupulus extract can be used as a biological preparation.

Tc-cAPX, a cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase of Theobroma cacao L. engaged in the interaction with Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causing agent of witches' broom disease.

PubMed

Camillo, Luciana Rodrigues; Filadelfo, Ciro Ribeiro; Monzani, Paulo Sérgio; Corrêa, Ronan Xavier; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Micheli, Fabienne; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2013-12-01

The level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in plants signalizes the induction of several genes, including that of ascorbate peroxidase (APX-EC 1.11.1.11). APX isoenzymes play a central role in the elimination of intracellular H2O2 and contribute to plant responses to diverse stresses. During the infection process in Theobroma cacao by Moniliophthora perniciosa oxidative stress is generated and the APX action recruited from the plant. The present work aimed to characterize the T. cacao APX involved in the molecular interaction of T. cacao-M. perniciosa. The peroxidase activity was analyzed in protein extracts from cocoa plants infected by M. perniciosa and showed the induction of peroxidases like APX in resistant cocoa plants. The cytosolic protein of T. cacao (GenBank: ABR68691.2) was phylogenetically analyzed in relation to other peroxidases from the cocoa genome and eight genes encoding APX proteins with conserved domains were also analyzed. The cDNA from cytosolic APX was cloned in pET28a and the recombinant protein expressed and purified (rTc-cAPX). The secondary structure of the protein was analyzed by Circular Dichroism (CD) displaying high proportion of α-helices when folded. The enzymatic assay shows stable activity using ascorbate and guaiacol as an electron donor for H2O2 reduction. The pH 7.5 is the optimum for enzyme activity. Chromatographic analysis suggests that rTc-cAPX is a homodimer in solution. Results indicate that the rTc-cAPX is correctly folded, stable and biochemically active. The purified rTc-cAPX presented biotechnological potential and is adequate for future structural and functional studies. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic, mesophilic alphaproteobacterium from a shallow-water gas vent at Tor Caldara, Tyrrhenian Sea.

PubMed

Patwardhan, Sushmita; Vetriani, Costantino

2016-09-01

A mesophilic, facultatively anaerobic, facultatively chemolithoautotrophic bacterium, designated strain TC8T, was isolated from a sulfidic shallow-water marine gas vent located at Tor Caldara, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. Cells were Gram-stain-negative curved rods with one or more polar flagella. Cells were approximately 1-1.5 µm in length and 0.6 µm in width. Strain TC8T grew between 20 and 35 °C (optimum 30 °C), with between 5 and 45 g NaCl l-1 (optimum 15-20 g l-1) and between pH 4.5 and 8.5 (optimum pH 6.0-7.0). The generation time under optimal conditions was 8 h. Strain TC8T was a facultative chemolithoautotroph also capable of using organic substrates as electron donors and carbon sources. Chemolithoautotrophic growth occurred with sulfur and thiosulfate as the electron donors, CO2 as the carbon source, and nitrate, oxygen (5 %, v/v) and ferric iron as the electron acceptors. Chemoorganoheterotrophic growth occurred with tryptone, peptone, Casamino acids, pyruvate and glycerol as substrates, while chemolithoherotrophic growth occurred with d(+)-glucose, sucrose, yeast extract, acetate, lactate, citrate and l-glutamine. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 59.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain TC8T showed that this organism formed a lineage within the family Rhodospirillaceae, which branched separately from the two closest relatives, Magnetovibrio blakemoreiMV1T (91.25 % similarity) and Magnetospira thiophilaMMS-1T (90.13 %). Based on phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, it is proposed that the organism represents a novel species of a new genus within the family Rhodospirillaceae,Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans is TC8T (=DSM 101688T=JCM 31027T).

Separation of uranium from technetium in recovery of spent nuclear fuel

DOEpatents

Pruett, D.J.; McTaggart, D.R.

1983-08-31

Uranium and technetium in the product stream of the Purex process for recovery of uranium in spent nuclear fuel are separated by (1) contacting the aqueous Purex product stream with hydrazine to reduce Tc/sup +7/ therein to a reduced species, and (2) contacting said aqueous stream with an organic phase containing tributyl phosphate and an organic diluent to extract uranium from said aqueous stream into said organic phase.

Separation of uranium from technetium in recovery of spent nuclear fuel

DOEpatents

Pruett, David J.; McTaggart, Donald R.

1984-01-01

Uranium and technetium in the product stream of the Purex process for recovery of uranium in spent nuclear fuel are separated by (1) contacting the aqueous Purex product stream with hydrazine to reduce Tc.sup.+7 therein to a reduced species, and (2) contacting said aqueous stream with an organic phase containing tributyl phosphate and an organic diluent to extract uranium from said aqueous stream into said organic phase.

Diabetic Rethinopathy Screening by Bright Lesions Extraction from Fundus Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanđsková, Veronika; Pavlovičova, Jarmila; Oravec, Miloš; Blaško, Radoslav

2013-09-01

Retinal images are nowadays widely used to diagnose many diseases, for example diabetic retinopathy. In our work, we propose the algorithm for the screening application, which identifies the patients with such severe diabetic complication as diabetic retinopathy is, in early phase. In the application we use the patient's fundus photography without any additional examination by an ophtalmologist. After this screening identification, other examination methods should be considered and the patient's follow-up by a doctor is necessary. Our application is composed of three principal modules including fundus image preprocessing, feature extraction and feature classification. Image preprocessing module has the role of luminance normalization, contrast enhancement and optical disk masking. Feature extraction module includes two stages: bright lesions candidates localization and candidates feature extraction. We selected 16 statistical and structural features. For feature classification, we use multilayer perceptron (MLP) with one hidden layer. We classify images into two classes. Feature classification efficiency is about 93 percent.

A Receptor-targeted Fluorescent Radiopharmaceutical for Multireporter Sentinel Lymph Node Imaging

PubMed Central

Emerson, Derek K.; Limmer, Karl K.; Hall, David J.; Han, Sung-Ho; Eckelman, William C.; Kane, Christopher J.; Wallace, Anne M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To determine the imaging and receptor-binding properties of a multireporter probe designed for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping via nuclear and fluorescence detection. Materials and Methods: The animal experiments were approved by the institutional animal care and use committee. A multireporter probe was synthesized by covalently attaching cyanine 7 (Cy7), a near-infrared cyanine dye, to tilmanocept, a radiopharmaceutical that binds to a receptor specific to recticuloendothelial cells. In vitro binding assays of technetium 99m (99mTc) -labeled Cy7 tilmanocept were conducted at 4°C by using receptor-bearing macrophages. Optical SLN imaging after foot pad administration was performed by using two molar doses of Cy7 tilmanocept. Six mice were injected with 0.11 nmol of 99mTc-labeled Cy7 tilmanocept (low-dose group); an additional six mice were injected with 31 nmol of 99mTc-labeled Cy7 tilmanocept (high-dose group) to saturate the receptor sites within the SLN. After 2.5 hours of imaging, the mice were euthanized, and the sentinel and distal lymph nodes were excised and assayed for radioactivity for calculation of SLN percentage of injected dose and extraction. Four mice were used as controls for autofluorescence. Standard optical imaging software was used to plot integrated fluorescence intensity against time for calculation of the SLN uptake rate constant and scaled peak intensity. Significance was calculated by using the Student t test. Results: In vitro binding assays showed subnanomolar affinity (mean dissociation constant, 0.25 nmol/L ± 0.10 [standard deviation]). Fluorescence imaging showed a detection sensitivity of 1.6 × 103 counts · sec−1 · μW−1 per picomole of Cy7. All four imaging metrics (percentage of injected dose, SLN extraction, SLN uptake rate constant, and expected peak fluorescence intensity) exhibited higher values (P = .005 to P = .042) in the low-dose group than in the high-dose group; this finding was consistent with receptor-mediated image formation. Conclusion: The multireporter probe 99mTc-labeled Cy7 tilmanocept exhibits in vitro and in vivo receptor-binding properties for successful receptor-targeted SLN mapping with nuclear and optical imaging. © RSNA, 2012 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.12120638/-/DC1 PMID:22753678

Surfactant-free bio-synthesised Tio2 nanorods from Turbinaria conoides-a study on photocatalytic and anti-bacterial activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subhapriya, S.; Gomathipriya, P.

2018-06-01

In this study, Titania nanorods were synthesised from aqueous extract of Turbinaria conoides (brown seaweeds) (TiO2NRs-TC) under surfactant free medium. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesised nanorods was tested towards the photocatalytic decolourization using simulated dye wastewater containing Navy Blue HER (NBHER). The synthesised Titania nanorods were characterized by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrophotometer (EDS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). XRD pattern confirms the anatase phase formation and HR-SEM micrograph shows the presence of rod like structure with the size of about 50 nm. TEM analysis proves the rod like structure with a size of 45–50 nm which was in agreement with the XRD analysis and HR-SEM images. EDS and XDS confirmed the formation of Titania nanoparticles. The formation of TiO2NRs-TC has a beneficial influence on the dye Navy blue HER photodegradation. TiO2-TC nano rods also show superior photocatalytic ability in hydrogen generation (2.1 mmol/h‑1g‑1). The antibacterial activity of the synthesised nanoparticles was examined using disc diffusion method which showed diverse susceptibility of microorganisms to the Titania nanoparticles.

Preparation of Tc-99m-macroaggregated albumin from recombinant human albumin for lung perfusion imaging.

PubMed

Hunt, A P; Frier, M; Johnson, R A; Berezenko, S; Perkins, A C

2006-01-01

Human serum albumin (HSA) extracted from pooled blood taken from human donors is used in the production of (99m)Tc-labelled macroaggregated albumin (MAA) for lung perfusion imaging. However, concerns for the safety of blood-derived products due to potential contamination by infective agents (e.g. new variant CJD), make alternative production methods necessary. Recombinant DNA technology is a promising method of albumin production avoiding problems associated with human-derived HSA. This paper presents results comparing MAA prepared from recombinant human albumin (rHA, Recombumin) (rMAA) with in-house produced HSA MAA (hMAA) and commercially available MAA (cMAA). (99m)Tc-MAA was prepared using previously published production methods by heating a mixture of albumin and stannous chloride in acetate buffer (pH 5.4) at 70 degrees C for 20 min. Parameters investigated include aggregate size, radiolabelling efficiency, radiochemical and aggregate stability at 4 degrees C and in vitro (in whole human blood) at 37 degrees C and biodistribution studies. Results showed that rMAA could be produced with similar morphology, labelling efficiency and stability to hMAA and cMAA. Our findings confirm that rHA shows significant potential as a direct replacement for HSA in commercially available MAA.

Determination of the Three-Dimensional Morphology of ALH84001 and Biogenic MV-1 Magnetite: Comparison of Results from Electron Tomography and Classical Transmission Electron Microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas-Keprta, Kathie L.; Clemett, Simon J.; Schwartz, Cindy; Morphew, Mary; McIntosh, J. Richard; Bazylinski, Dennis A.; Kirschvink, Joseph L.; Wentworth, Susan J.; McKay, David S.; Vali, Hojatollah

2004-01-01

Dated at approximately 3.9 billion years of age, carbonate disks, found within fractures of the host rock of Martian meteorite ALH84001, have been interpreted as secondary minerals that formed at low temperature in an aqueous medium. Heterogeneously distributed within these disks are magnetite nanocrystals that are of Martian origin. Approximately one quarter of these magnetites have morphological and chemical similarities to magnetite particles produced by magnetotactic bacteria strain MV-1, which are ubiquitous in aquatic habitats on Earth. Moreover, these types of magnetite particles are not known or expected to be produced by abiotic means either through geological processes or synthetically in the laboratory. The remaining three quarters of the ALH84001 magnetites are likely products of multiple processes including, but not limited to, precipitation from a hydrothermal fluid, thermal decomposition of the carbonate matrix in which they are embedded, and extracellular formation by dissimilatory Fe-reducing bacteria. We have proposed that the origins of magnetites in ALH84001 can be best explained as the products of multiple processes, one of which is biological. Recently the three-dimensional (3-D) external morphology of the purported biogenic fraction of the ALH84001 magnetites has been the subject of considerable debate. We report here the 3-D geometry of biogenic magnetite crystals extracted from MV-1 and of those extracted from ALH84001 carbonate disks using a combination of high resolution classical and tomographic transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We focus on answering the following questions: (1) which technique provides adequate information to deduce the 3-D external crystal morphology?; and, (2) what is the precise 3-D geometry of the ALH84001 and MV-1 magnetites?

Spiral Arms, Infall, and Misalignment of the Circumbinary Disk from the Circumstellar Disks in the Protostellar Binary System L1551 NE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takakuwa, Shigehisa; Saigo, Kazuya; Matsumoto, Tomoaki; Saito, Masao; Lim, Jeremy; Hanawa, Tomoyuki; Yen, Hsi-Wei; Ho, Paul T. P.

2017-03-01

We report the ALMA Cycle 2 observations of the Class I binary protostellar system L1551 NE in the 0.9 mm continuum, C18O (3-2), 13CO (3-2), SO (78-67), and CS (7-6) emission. At 0.″18 (=25 au) resolution, ˜4 times higher than that of our Cycle 0 observations, the circumbinary disk (CBD) as seen in the 0.9 mm emission is shown to be composed of a northern and a southern spiral arm, with the southern arm connecting to the circumstellar disk (CSD) around Source B. The western parts of the spiral arms are brighter than the eastern parts, suggesting the presence of an m = 1 spiral mode. In the C18O emission, the infall gas motions in the interarm regions and the outward gas motions in the arms are identified. These observed features are well reproduced with our numerical simulations, where gravitational torques from the binary system impart angular momenta to the spiral-arm regions and extract angular momenta from the interarm regions. Chemical differentiation of the CBD is seen in the four molecular species. Our Cycle 2 observations have also resolved the CSDs around the individual protostars, and the beam-deconvolved sizes are 0.″29 × 0.″19 (=40 × 26 au) (P.A. = 144°) and 0.″26 × 0.″20 (=36 × 27 au) (P.A. = 147°) for Sources A and B, respectively. The position and inclination angles of these CSDs are misaligned with those of the CBD. The C18O emission traces the Keplerian rotation of the misaligned disk around Source A.

Compact Packaging of Photonic Millimeter-Wave Receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Hung; Pouch, John; Miranda, Felix; Levi, Anthony F.

2007-01-01

A carrier structure made from a single silicon substrate is the basis of a compact, lightweight, relatively inexpensive package that holds the main optical/electronic coupling components of a photonic millimeter-wave receiver based on a lithium niobate resonator disk. The design of the package is simple and provides for precise relative placement of optical components, eliminating the need for complex, bulky positioning mechanisms like those commonly used to align optical components to optimize focus and coupling. Although a prototype of the package was fabricated as a discrete unit, the design is amenable to integration of the package into a larger photonic and/or electronic receiver system. The components (see figure) include a lithium niobate optical resonator disk of 5-mm diameter and .200- m thickness, positioned adjacent to a millimeter- wave resonator electrode. Other components include input and output coupling prisms and input and output optical fibers tipped with ball lenses for focusing and collimation, respectively. Laser light is introduced via the input optical fiber and focused into the input coupling prism. The input coupling prism is positioned near (but not in contact with) the resonator disk so that by means of evanescent-wave coupling, the input laser light in the prism gives rise to laser light propagating circumferentially in guided modes in the resonator disk. Similarly, a portion of the circumferentially propagating optical power is extracted from the disk by evanescent-wave coupling from the disk to the output coupling prism, from whence the light passes through the collimating ball lens into the output optical fiber. The lens-tipped optical fibers must be positioned at a specified focal distance from the prisms. The optical fibers and the prisms must be correctly positioned relative to the resonator disk and must be oriented to obtain the angle of incidence (55 in the prototype) required for evanescent-wave coupling of light into and out of the desired guided modes in the resonator disk. To satisfy all these requirements, precise alignment features are formed in the silicon substrate by use of a conventional wet-etching process. These features include a 5-mm-diameter, 50- m-deep cavity that holds the disk; two trapezoidal-cross-section recesses for the prisms; and two grooves that hold the optical fibers at the correct positions and angles relative to the prisms and disk. The fiber grooves contain abrupt tapers, near the prisms, that serve as hard stops for positioning the lenses at the focal distance from the prisms. There are also two grooves for prismadjusting rods. The design provides a little slack in the prism recesses for adjusting the positions of the prisms by means of these rods to optimize the optical coupling.

Feasibility of Isotope Harvesting at a Projectile Fragmentation Facility: 67Cu

DOE PAGES

Mastren, Tara; Pen, Aranh; Peaslee, Graham F.; ...

2014-10-21

The work presented here describes a proof-of-principle experiment for the chemical extraction of 67Cu from an aqueous beam stop at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). A 76 MeV/A 67Cu beam was stopped in water, successfully isolated from the aqueous solution through a series of chemical separations involving a chelating disk and anion exchange chromatography, then bound to NOTA-conjugated Herceptin antibodies, and the bound activity was validated using instant thin-layer chromatography (ITLC). The chemical extraction efficiency was found to be 88 ± 3% and the radiochemical yield was ≥95%. These results show that extraction of radioisotopes from an aqueous projectile-fragmentmore » beam dump is a feasible method for obtaining radiochemically pure isotopes.« less

[Experimental study of bacteriostatic activity of Chinese herbal medicines on primary cariogenic bacteria in vitro].

PubMed

Wang, S; Fan, M; Bian, Z

2001-09-01

To screen some Chinese herbal medicines for their inhibitory activity on cariogenic bacteria, and investigate their active ingredients, and measure their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Active components were isolated from every tested Chinese herbal medicine by means of aqueous extraction and ethanolic extraction. Berberine was purified from Coptis chinensis Fra. Disk agar diffusion method was employed in screening herbs with inhibiting effect on cariogenic bacteria. MIC and MBC were determined by broth dilution method. Against Streptococcus mutans Ingbritt, MBCs of Magnolia officinalis ethanolic extract, Berberine, Coptis chinensis Fra aqueous extract and Coptis chinensis Fra ethanolic extract were 0.488, 0.625, 7.800 and 1.950 g/L respectively. Against Streptococcus sobrinus 6715, MBCs of Magnolia extract, Coptis chinensis Fra ethanolic extract, Rhus chinensis Mill ethanolic extract and Phellodendron chinen ethanolic extract were 0.488, 0.625, 1.950, 3.900, 3.900 and 3.900 g/L respectively. Against Actinomyces viscosus ATCC 19246, MBCs of Berberine, Coptis chinensis Fra aqueous extract, Coptis chinensis Fra ethanolic extract, Rheum palmatum L aqueous extract and Rheum palmatum L ethanolic extract were 1.250, 3.900, 3.900, 15.600 and 31.250 g/L respectively. Magnolia officinalis, Coptis chinensis Fran, Rheum palmatum L aqueous extracts exhibit strong inhibition on cariogenic bacteria. Magnolia officinalis ethanolic extract has the strongest bactericidal effects on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus.

Enhanced 99 Tc retention in glass waste form using Tc(IV)-incorporated Fe minerals

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

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui

Technetium (99Tc) immobilization by doping into iron oxide mineral phases may alleviate the problems with Tc volatility during vitrification of nuclear waste. Reduced Tc, Tc(IV), substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation of Fe oxide minerals. Two Tc-incorporated Fe minerals (Tc-goethite and Tc-magnetite/maghemite) were prepared and tested for Tc retention in glass melt samples at temperatures between 600 – 1,000 oC. After being cooled, the solid glass specimens prepared at different temperatures were analyzed for Tc oxidation state using Tc K-edge XANES. In most samples, Tc wasmore » partially oxidized from Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) as the melt temperature increased. However, Tc retention in glass melt samples prepared using Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were moderately higher than in glass prepared using KTcO4 because of limited and delayed Tc volatilization.« less

Assessment of Phytostabilization Success in Metalliferous Acid Mine Tailings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Root, R. A.; Hammond, C.; Amistadi, M. K.; Maier, R. M.; Chorover, J.

2014-12-01

Legacy mine tailings are a significant source of metal(loid)s due to wind and water erosion, especially in the arid southwest, and exposure to fugative dusts presents a health risk to surrounding populations. Compost assisted phytostabilization has been implemented to reduce off site emissions at the Iron King Mine U.S. Superfund Site in central Arizona, concurrent with a greenhouse mesocosm study for detailed study of subsurface mechanisms. Quantification of plant available toxic metal(loid)s in the amended tailings was accessed with a targeted single extraction of diethylenetriaminepentaactic acid (DTPA). Greenhouse mesocosms (1m dia, 0.4 m deep), run in triplicate, mimicked field treatments with: i) tailings only control (TO), ii) tailings plus 15 wt% compost (TC), iii) TC + quailbush seeds (TCA), and iv) TC + buffalo grass seeds (TCB). Core samples collected at 3-month intervals for 1 year were dissected by depth (10 cm each) for analysis. DTPA results indicated that compost treated samples decreased plant availability of Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, and Pb but increased Mn and Zn compared with TO. TCB decreased plant available metal(loid)s at all depths, whereas TCA plant available Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn increased in the deeper 20-30cm and 30-40 cm relative to TCB. Samples from the greenhouse were compared to tailings from both the field site and tailings impacted soils used to grow vegetables. Mineral transformations and metal complexation, in the pre- and post-extracted tailings were analyzed by synchrotron transmission XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. The temporal change in plant available metal(loid)s in response to phytostabilization indicates mineralogical alteration that improves soil quality by reducing plant available metal(loid)s. These results will aid in the understanding and efficacy of phytostabilization as a means of remediating and reducing toxicity on mine tailings as well as providing information on health risk management in the region.

Influence of Pericarp, Cotyledon and Inhibitory Substances on Sharp Tooth Oak (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata) Germination

PubMed Central

Liu, Yan; Liu, Guangquan; Li, Qingmei; Liu, Yong; Hou, Longyu; Li, GuoLei

2012-01-01

In order to explore the mechanism of delayed and uneven germination in sharp tooth oak (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata) (STO), mechanical scarification techniques were used to study STO root and shoot germination and growth. The techniques used were: removing cup scar (RS), removing the pericarp (RP), and cutting off 1/2 (HC) and 2/3 (TC) cotyledons. Germination percentage and root and shoot length for Chinese cabbage (Beassica pekinensis) seeds (CCS) were also investigated for CCS cultivated in a Sanyo growth cabinet watered by distilled water and 80% methanol extracts from the acorn embryo, cotyledon and pericarp with concentrations of 1.0 g, 0.8 g, 0.6 g and 0.4 g dry acorn weight per ml methanol. The results showed that the majority of roots and shoots from acorns with RP and HC treatment emerged two weeks earlier, more simultaneously, and their total emergences were more than 46% and 28% higher, respectively. TC accelerated root and shoot emergence time and root length, but root and shoot germination rate and shoot height had no significant difference from the control. Positive consequences were not observed on all indices of RS treatment. The germination rates of CCS watered by 1.0 g·ml−1 methanol extracts from the embryo and cotyledon were significantly lower than those from the pericarp, and all concentrations resulted in decreased growth of root and shoot. Methanol extracts from pericarp significantly reduced root length of CCS, but presented little response in germination percentage and shoot length. The inhibitory effect was gradually increased with the increasing concentration of the methanol extract. We conclude that both the mechanical restriction of the pericarp and the presence of germination inhibitors in the embryo, cotyledon and pericarp are the causes for delayed and asynchronous germination of STO acorns. PMID:23133517

Antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects of ethanolic extract of leaves of Punica granatum in alloxan-induced non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus albino rats

PubMed Central

Das, Swarnamoni; Barman, Sarajita

2012-01-01

Objectives: Punica granatum L., (Family: Punicaceae) is used in Indian Unani medicine for treatment of diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the present study was done to evaluate the antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects of ethanolic extract of leaves of P. granatum in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Healthy Wistar albino rats (100-150 g) were divided into four groups of six animals each. Groups A and B received normal saline [(10 ml/kg/day/per oral (p.o.)]; group C received ethanolic extract of leaves of P. granatum (500 mg/kg/p.o.); and group D received glibenclamide (0.5 mg/kg/day/p.o.). The extracts were given for 1 week in all groups. To induce diabetes, alloxan 150 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.) single dose was administered to groups B, C, and D. Blood glucose and serum lipids [Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)] and the atherogenic index were estimated after one week. For mechanism of antidiabetic action glycogen estimation on the liver, cardiac and skeletal muscle, and intestinal glucose absorption was done. Results: Group B showed a significant (P<0.01) increase in blood glucose as compared to group A. Groups C and D showed significant decrease (P<0.01) in blood glucose level in comparison to group B. The test drug showed a significant (P<0.01) increase in glycogen content in the liver, cardiac, and skeletal muscle; it significantly (P<0.01) reduced intestinal glucose absorption. Groups C and D showed significant (P<0.01) decrease in serum TC, TG, LDL, and AI as compared to Group B, which showed a significant (P<0.01) increase. Groups C and D showed significant (P<0.01) increase in serum HDL as compared to Group B, which showed a significant (P<0.01) decrease in all values. Conclusion: P. granatum leaves possess significant antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activity. PMID:22529479

Design of a steganographic virtual operating system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashendorf, Elan; Craver, Scott

2015-03-01

A steganographic file system is a secure file system whose very existence on a disk is concealed. Customarily, these systems hide an encrypted volume within unused disk blocks, slack space, or atop conventional encrypted volumes. These file systems are far from undetectable, however: aside from their ciphertext footprint, they require a software or driver installation whose presence can attract attention and then targeted surveillance. We describe a new steganographic operating environment that requires no visible software installation, launching instead from a concealed bootstrap program that can be extracted and invoked with a chain of common Unix commands. Our system conceals its payload within innocuous files that typically contain high-entropy data, producing a footprint that is far less conspicuous than existing methods. The system uses a local web server to provide a file system, user interface and applications through a web architecture.

Antimicrobial activity of isothiocyanates (ITCs) extracted from horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) root against oral microorganisms.

PubMed

Park, Ho-Won; Choi, Kyu-Duck; Shin, Il-Shik

2013-01-01

The antimicrobial activity of isothiocyanates (ITCs) extracted from horseradish root was investigated against oral microorganisms: 6 strains of facultative anaerobic bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus casei, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans; one strain of yeast, Candida albicans, and 3 strains of anaerobic bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella nigrescens, and Clostridium perfringens. The ITCs extracted from horseradish root showed antimicrobial activity against all oral microorganisms by the paper disk method. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the ITCs extracted from horseradish root ranged from 1.25 to 5.00 mg/ml against 6 strains of facultative anaerobic bacteria and one strain of yeast, and 4.17 to 16.67 mg/ml against 3 strains of anaerobic bacteria. The ITCs extracted from horseradish root showed the strongest antimicrobial activity, with a MBC of 1.25 mg/ml, against C. albicans among facultative microorganisms, and 4.17 mg/ml against F. nucleatum among anaerobic bacteria. These results suggest that the ITCs extracted from horseradish root may be a candidate for use as an antimicrobial agent against oral microorganisms.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using flower extract of Malva sylvestris and investigation of their antibacterial activity.

PubMed

Mahmoodi Esfanddarani, Hassan; Abbasi Kajani, Abolghasem; Bordbar, Abdol-Khalegh

2018-06-01

High-quality colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were synthesised via a green approach by using hydroalcoholic extracts of Malva sylvestris . Silver nitrate was used as a substrate ion while the plant extract successfully played the role of reducing and stabilising agents. The synthesised nanoparticles were carefully characterised by using transmission electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. The maximum absorption wavelengths of the colloidal solutions synthesised using 70 and 96% ethanol and 100% methanol, as extraction solvents, were 430, 485 and 504 nm, respectively. Interestingly, the size distribution of nanoparticles depended on the used solvent. The best particle size distribution belonged to the nanoparticles synthesised by 70% ethanol extract, which was 20-40 nm. The antibacterial activity of the synthesised nanoparticles was studied on Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes using disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations assays. The best antibacterial activity obtained for the AgNPs produced by using 96% ethanolic extract.

Enhanced 99Tc retention in glass waste form using Tc(IV)-incorporated Fe minerals

DOE PAGES

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui; ...

2017-09-07

We present that technetium ( 99Tc) immobilization by doping into iron oxide mineral phases may alleviate the problems with Tc volatility during vitrification of nuclear waste. Because reduced Tc, Tc(IV), substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation of Fe oxide minerals, two Tc-incorporated Fe minerals (Tc-goethite and Tc-magnetite/maghemite) were prepared and tested for Tc retention in glass melt samples at temperatures between 600 and 1000 °C. After being cooled, the solid glass specimens prepared at different temperatures at 600, 800, and 1000 °C were analyzed for Tcmore » oxidation state using Tc K-edge XANES. In most samples, Tc was partially (<60%) oxidized from Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) as the melt temperature increased up to 600 °C. However, most of Tc(IV) was completely (>95%) oxidized to Tc(VII) at temperature above 800 °C. Tc retention in glass melt samples prepared using Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were slightly higher (~10%) than in glass prepared using KTcO4 because of limited and delayed Tc volatilization.« less

Enhanced 99Tc retention in glass waste form using Tc(IV)-incorporated Fe minerals

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

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui

We present that technetium ( 99Tc) immobilization by doping into iron oxide mineral phases may alleviate the problems with Tc volatility during vitrification of nuclear waste. Because reduced Tc, Tc(IV), substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation of Fe oxide minerals, two Tc-incorporated Fe minerals (Tc-goethite and Tc-magnetite/maghemite) were prepared and tested for Tc retention in glass melt samples at temperatures between 600 and 1000 °C. After being cooled, the solid glass specimens prepared at different temperatures at 600, 800, and 1000 °C were analyzed for Tcmore » oxidation state using Tc K-edge XANES. In most samples, Tc was partially (<60%) oxidized from Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) as the melt temperature increased up to 600 °C. However, most of Tc(IV) was completely (>95%) oxidized to Tc(VII) at temperature above 800 °C. Tc retention in glass melt samples prepared using Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were slightly higher (~10%) than in glass prepared using KTcO4 because of limited and delayed Tc volatilization.« less

New insights into Trypanosoma cruzi evolution, genotyping and molecular diagnostics from satellite DNA sequence analysis.

PubMed

Ramírez, Juan C; Torres, Carolina; Curto, María de Los A; Schijman, Alejandro G

2017-12-01

Trypanosoma cruzi has been subdivided into seven Discrete Typing Units (DTUs), TcI-TcVI and Tcbat. Two major evolutionary models have been proposed to explain the origin of hybrid lineages, but while it is widely accepted that TcV and TcVI are the result of genetic exchange between TcII and TcIII strains, the origin of TcIII and TcIV is still a matter of debate. T. cruzi satellite DNA (SatDNA), comprised of 195 bp units organized in tandem repeats, from both TcV and TcVI stocks were found to have SatDNA copies type TcI and TcII; whereas contradictory results were observed for TcIII stocks and no TcIV sequence has been analyzed yet. Herein, we have gone deeper into this matter analyzing 335 distinct SatDNA sequences from 19 T. cruzi stocks representative of DTUs TcI-TcVI for phylogenetic inference. Bayesian phylogenetic tree showed that all sequences were grouped in three major clusters, which corresponded to sequences from DTUs TcI/III, TcII and TcIV; whereas TcV and TcVI stocks had two sets of sequences distributed into TcI/III and TcII clusters. As expected, the lowest genetic distances were found between TcI and TcIII, and between TcV and TcVI sequences; whereas the highest ones were observed between TcII and TcI/III, and among TcIV sequences and those from the remaining DTUs. In addition, signature patterns associated to specific T. cruzi lineages were identified and new primers that improved SatDNA-based qPCR sensitivity were designed. Our findings support the theory that TcIII is not the result of a hybridization event between TcI and TcII, and that TcIV had an independent origin from the other DTUs, contributing to clarifying the evolutionary history of T. cruzi lineages. Moreover, this work opens the possibility of typing samples from Chagas disease patients with low parasitic loads and improving molecular diagnostic methods of T. cruzi infection based on SatDNA sequence amplification.

Antidiabetic, renal/hepatic/pancreas/cardiac protective and antioxidant potential of methanol/dichloromethane extract of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. stem bark (ALEx) on streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.

PubMed

Ahmed, Danish; Kumar, Vikas; Verma, Amita; Gupta, Pushpraj S; Kumar, Hemant; Dhingra, Vishal; Mishra, Vatsala; Sharma, Manju

2014-07-16

Hypoglycemic and/or anti-hyperglycemic activities have been recorded with numerous plants, many of which are used as traditional herbal treatments of diabetes. Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. stem bark have been used in traditional medicine along with some preliminary reports on its hypoglycemic action. The aim of present investigation was to evaluate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of methanolic extract of stem bark of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The powdered stem bark of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth.. was extracted with methanol (MeOH) using soxhlation method and subjected to phytochemical analysis. The methanol/dichloromethane extract of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. (ALEx) was concentrated to dryness using Rotary Evaporator. Diabetes was experimentally induced in the rats by single intraperitoneal administration of Streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). They glycemic control was measured by the blood glucose, glycated heamoglobin and plasma insulin. The oxidative stress was evaluated in the liver and kidney by level of antioxidant markers and various biochemical parameters were assessed in diabetic control and extract treated rats. Streptozotocin induced diabetic rats depicted the increased blood glucose levels, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), diminished level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) level and perturb level of antioxidant markers. Oral administration of MeAL at a concentration of 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg b.w daily for 30 days results a momentous decrease in fasting blood glucose, glycated heamoglobin and enhancement of plasma insulin level as compared with STZ induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, it significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the level of TC, TG, and LDL-c, VLDL-c. While it increases the level of HDL-c to a significant (p < 0.05) level. The treatment also resulted in a marked increase in reduced glutathione, glutathione Peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase and diminished level of lipid peroxidation in liver and kidney of STZ induced diabetic rats. Histopathological studies suggest the diminution in the pancreatic, liver and cardiac muscle damage. Our research exertion clearly indicates the considerable antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant & pancreas/renal/hepatic/cardiac protective action of ALEx.

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of methanol seed extract of Citrus paradisi Macfad (Rutaceae) in alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats.

PubMed

Adeneye, A A

2008-01-01

Alcohol decoction of Citrus paradisi Macfad (Rutaceae) seed is reputed for the local management of array of human diseases including, anemia, diabetes mellitus and obesity by some Yoruba herbalists (SouthWest, Nigeria). Despite its historic use, scientific evaluation of its folkloric use in the management of diabetes mellitus is scarce. The present study was designed at investigating the glucose and lipid lowering effects of methanol seed extract of Citrus paradisi Macfad (MECP) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In addition, the phytochemical analysis of the extract was also conducted using standard procedures. Young adult, male, alloxan-induced diabetic rats were randomly divided into groups I - VI with 12 rats in each group. Group I rats were the normal untreated rats while group II rats served as the diabetic untreated rats while Rats in groups III - VI served as diabetic rats treated with 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg/day MECP and 20 mg/kg/ day metformin, respectively, for 30 days. On the 15th and respectively, 31st day, blood samples from the fasted rats were obtained for fasting plasma glucose (FPG), plasma triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) and very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-c) from the sacrificed rats. Oral treatment with 100 - 600 mg/kg/day MECP, for 30 days, resulted in significant (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001) reductions in FPG, TG, TC, LDL-c, VLDL-c in the diabetic rats, effects which were comparable to that of metformin. The extract also caused significant (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) rise in HDL-c values in the alloxan diabetic rats. Phytochemical result showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, tannins and saponin in varying concentrations. The biological effects recorded for the extract could be due to any or a combination of these phytochemical constituents. Results of this study lend support to the traditional use of grapefruit seeds in the management of type 1 diabetic patients and may suggest a role in orthodox management of the disease.

Analysis of Polyphenolic Compounds in Extracts from Leaves of Some Malus domestica Cultivars: Antiradical and Antimicrobial Analysis of These Extracts

PubMed Central

Sowa, Alina; Zgórka, Grażyna; Szykuła, Aleksandra; Franiczek, Roman; Żbikowska, Beata; Gamian, Andrzej

2016-01-01

In this study, methanol, ethyl acetate, water extracts, and precipitate were obtained from leaves of Malus domestica cultivars: Golden delicious, Jonagold, Elstar, Ligol, and Mutsu. Antiradical activity of these extracts was measured using the ABTS+∙ radical, and antimicrobial activity was measured with the disk-diffusion method. Phenolic compounds were measured with the colorimetric method and identified with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest antiradical activity was observed for the Jonagold variety, and in particular strong activity was noted for ethyl acetate extracts. Antimicrobial activity was observed against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and the fungus Candida glabrata. Particularly susceptible to the extracts activity appeared to be Staphylococcus aureus, but the growth of Candida glabrata was inhibited in the presence of ethyl acetate extracts. With the HPLC method we identified a high amount of phloridzin (above 500 mg per g of ethyl acetate extracts), lower amounts of hyperoside, isoquercitrin, and quercitrin, and traces of p-hydroxybenzoic and chlorogenic acids. The contribution of phloridzin to antiradical activity of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts was very high (above 90%). In water extract the contribution of phloridzin was between 38.9 and 55.2%, chlorogenic acid 22.7 and 36.1%, and hyperoside 12.2 and 13.3%. PMID:28097143

Analysis of Polyphenolic Compounds in Extracts from Leaves of Some Malus domestica Cultivars: Antiradical and Antimicrobial Analysis of These Extracts.

PubMed

Sowa, Alina; Zgórka, Grażyna; Szykuła, Aleksandra; Franiczek, Roman; Żbikowska, Beata; Gamian, Andrzej; Sroka, Zbigniew

2016-01-01

In this study, methanol, ethyl acetate, water extracts, and precipitate were obtained from leaves of Malus domestica cultivars: Golden delicious, Jonagold, Elstar, Ligol, and Mutsu. Antiradical activity of these extracts was measured using the ABTS +∙ radical, and antimicrobial activity was measured with the disk-diffusion method. Phenolic compounds were measured with the colorimetric method and identified with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest antiradical activity was observed for the Jonagold variety, and in particular strong activity was noted for ethyl acetate extracts. Antimicrobial activity was observed against strains of Staphylococcus aureus , Enterococcus faecalis , and the fungus Candida glabrata . Particularly susceptible to the extracts activity appeared to be Staphylococcus aureus , but the growth of Candida glabrata was inhibited in the presence of ethyl acetate extracts. With the HPLC method we identified a high amount of phloridzin (above 500 mg per g of ethyl acetate extracts), lower amounts of hyperoside, isoquercitrin, and quercitrin, and traces of p -hydroxybenzoic and chlorogenic acids. The contribution of phloridzin to antiradical activity of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts was very high (above 90%). In water extract the contribution of phloridzin was between 38.9 and 55.2%, chlorogenic acid 22.7 and 36.1%, and hyperoside 12.2 and 13.3%.

Antigenic fractions from Taenia crassiceps metacestodes obtained by hydrophobicity for the immunodiagnosis of active and inactive forms of neurocysticercosis in human cerebrospinal fluid samples.

PubMed

da Silva, Gabriela B; Nunes, Daniela S; de Sousa, José Eduardo N; Gonçalves-Pires, Maria do R F; Levenhagen, Marcelo A; Costa-Cruz, Julia M

2017-04-01

This study aimed to evaluate the total extract of Taenia crassiceps metacestodes (TC) and its antigenic fractions obtained by Triton X-114 fractionation techniques, such as detergent (DC) and aqueous (AC), in the immunodiagnosis of human neurocysticercosis (NCC). Cerebrospinal fluid samples were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n=40), which was further divided into active (n=20) and inactive (n=20) NCC, and Group 2 (control group), which comprised 39 CSF samples from patients who had another neurological disorder, were suffering from other infectious diseases of the brain or had other parasitic infections. The total extracts and antigenic fractions were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect human IgG anti-Taenia solium. T. crassiceps fractions (DC and AC) showed the same value of sensitivity (Se), 100%, for active and inactive NCC and a specificity (Sp) of 97.4%. The DS fraction obtained from T. solium showed 100% Se for active NCC, 95% Se for inactive NCC and a 92.3% Sp. The AS fraction obtained from T. solium showed 100% Se for both active and inactive NCC and a 94.9% Sp. There was a positive correlation between the total saline extract of T. crassiceps (TC) and T. solium (TS) and their fractions (DC, AC, DS and AS). Positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic efficiency and Youden index were calculated. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that detergent and aqueous fractions obtained from T. crassiceps metacestodes are important sources of specific antigens and are efficient for immunodiagnosis of active and inactive NCC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of Tetracycline in Pharmaceutical Preparation by Molecular and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and High Performance Liquid Chromatography via Complex Formation with Au(III) and Hg(II) Ions in Solutions

PubMed Central

Abdulghani, Ahlam Jameel; Jasim, Hadi Hassan; Hassan, Abbas Shebeeb

2013-01-01

UV-visible and atomic spectrophotometry and HPLC techniques were applied for the determination of tetracycline (TC) in pharmaceutical preparations via complexation of the drug with Au(III) and Hg(II) ions in solutions. The mole ratio of TC to metal ions was 1 : 1. Maximum peak absorption at λ 425 and 320 nm for the two ions, respectively, was optimized at heating temperature 75°C for 15 minutes at pH = 4 followed by the extraction with ethyl acetate. The percentage of extraction and stability constants for the two complexes was 95.247, 95.335% and 2.518 × 104, 1.162 × 105 M−1, respectively. HPLC method was applied without extraction process. The analytical data obtained from direct calibration curves of UV-visible absorption, FAAS, and HPLC for Au(III) complexes were recovery (100.78, 104.85, and 101.777%, resp.); detection limits (0.7403, 0.0997, and 2.647 μg/ml, resp.); linearity (5–70, 5–30, and 10–150 μg/ml, resp.), and correlation coefficient (0.9991, 0.9967, and 0.9986, resp.). The analytical data obtained from direct calibration curves for Hg(II) complexes by UV-visible spectrophotometry and HPLC were recovery (100.95 and 102.000%, resp.); detection limits (0.5867 and 2.532 μg/ml, resp.); linearity (5–70 and 10–150 μg/ml, resp.); and correlation coefficients (0.9989 and 0.9997, resp.). PMID:23853607

Ysovar: The First Sensitive, Wide-area, Mid-infrared Photometric Monitoring of the Orion Nebula Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales-Calderón, M.; Stauffer, J. R.; Hillenbrand, L. A.; Gutermuth, R.; Song, I.; Rebull, L. M.; Plavchan, P.; Carpenter, J. M.; Whitney, B. A.; Covey, K.; Alves de Oliveira, C.; Winston, E.; McCaughrean, M. J.; Bouvier, J.; Guieu, S.; Vrba, F. J.; Holtzman, J.; Marchis, F.; Hora, J. L.; Wasserman, L. H.; Terebey, S.; Megeath, T.; Guinan, E.; Forbrich, J.; Huélamo, N.; Riviere-Marichalar, P.; Barrado, D.; Stapelfeldt, K.; Hernández, J.; Allen, L. E.; Ardila, D. R.; Bayo, A.; Favata, F.; James, D.; Werner, M.; Wood, K.

2011-05-01

We present initial results from time-series imaging at infrared wavelengths of 0.9 deg2 in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). During Fall 2009 we obtained 81 epochs of Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 μm data over 40 consecutive days. We extracted light curves with ~3% photometric accuracy for ~2000 ONC members ranging from several solar masses down to well below the hydrogen-burning mass limit. For many of the stars, we also have time-series photometry obtained at optical (Ic ) and/or near-infrared (JK s ) wavelengths. Our data set can be mined to determine stellar rotation periods, identify new pre-main-sequence eclipsing binaries, search for new substellar Orion members, and help better determine the frequency of circumstellar disks as a function of stellar mass in the ONC. Our primary focus is the unique ability of 3.6 and 4.5 μm variability information to improve our understanding of inner disk processes and structure in the Class I and II young stellar objects (YSOs). In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the YSOVAR Orion data obtained in Fall 2009 and highlight our light curves for AA-Tau analogs—YSOs with narrow dips in flux, most probably due to disk density structures passing through our line of sight. Detailed follow-up observations are needed in order to better quantify the nature of the obscuring bodies and what this implies for the structure of the inner disks of YSOs.

Near-infrared Variability in the Orion Nebula Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, Thomas S.; Reipurth, Bo; Wolk, Scott J.; Vaz, Luiz Paulo; Cross, N. J. G.

2015-10-01

Using UKIRT on Mauna Kea, we have carried out a new near-infrared J, H, K monitoring survey of almost a square degree of the star-forming Orion Nebula Cluster with observations on 120 nights over three observing seasons, spanning a total of 894 days. We monitored ˜15,000 stars down to J≈ 20 using the WFCAM instrument, and have extracted 1203 significantly variable stars from our data. By studying variability in young stellar objects (YSOs) in the H - K, K color-magnitude diagram, we are able to distinguish between physical mechanisms of variability. Many variables show color behavior indicating either dust-extinction or disk/accretion activity, but we find that when monitored for longer periods of time, a number of stars shift between these two variability mechanisms. Further, we show that the intrinsic timescale of disk/accretion variability in young stars is longer than that of dust-extinction variability. We confirm that variability amplitude is statistically correlated with evolutionary class in all bands and colors. Our investigations of these 1203 variables have revealed 73 periodic AA Tau type variables, many large-amplitude and long-period (P\\gt 15 days) YSOs, including three stars showing widely spaced periodic brightening events consistent with circumbinary disk activity, and four new eclipsing binaries. These phenomena and others indicate the activity of long-term disk/accretion variability processes taking place in young stars. We have made the light curves and associated data for these 1203 variables available online.

Beneficial effects of cocoa, coffee, green tea, and garcinia complex supplement on diet induced obesity in rats.

PubMed

Huang, Chi-Chang; Tung, Yu-Tang; Huang, Wen-Ching; Chen, Yi-Ming; Hsu, Yi-Ju; Hsu, Mei-Chich

2016-03-12

Cocoa, coffee, green tea and garcinia contain large amounts of polyphenols. Polyphenols are well-known phytochemicals and found in plants, and have modulated physiological and molecular pathways that are involved in energy metabolism, adiposity, and obesity. To evaluate the obesity-lowering effect of a combined extract (comprising cocoa, coffee, green tea and garcinia; CCGG) in high-energy diet (HED)-induced obese rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 12 per group): normal diet with vehicle treatment (Control), and HED to receive vehicle or CCGG by oral gavage at 129, 258, or 517 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks, designated the HED, 0.5X, 1X and 1X groups, respectively. HED induced macrovesicular fat in the liver and the formation of adipose tissues, and significantly increased the levels of serum free fatty acids (FFA), triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and LDL-C/HDL-C, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and ketone bodies in serum, and hepatic TG and TC levels, and decreased the levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in serum and lipase activity in fat tissues. Treatment with CCGG could significantly decrease the levels of FFA, TG, TC, LDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C, AST, ALT, and ketone bodies in serum, and hepatic TG and TC contents, and increase the levels of HDL-C in serum and lipase activity in fat tissues compared to the HED group. Liver histopathology also showed that CCGG could significantly reduce the incidence of liver lesions. These results suggested that CCGG stimulated lipid metabolism in HED-induced obese rats, which is attributable to fat mobilization from adipose tissue.

Preprohypocretin polymorphisms in Parkinson disease patients reporting "sleep attacks".

PubMed

Rissling, Ida; Körner, Yvonne; Geller, Frank; Stiasny-Kolster, Karin; Oertel, Wolfgang H; Möller, J Carsten

2005-07-01

Previously, we found a significant association between the dopamine D2 receptor gene polymorphism Taq IA and sudden onset of sleep in patients with Parkinson disease. Here we evaluated the association between the preprohypocretin (-909T/C), (-22C/T), and (-20C/A) polymorphisms and sudden onset of sleep in the same population of patients with Parkinson disease. We conducted an association study analyzing the distribution of preprohypocretin polymorphisms in Germanic, caucasian Parkinson disease patients with and without sudden onset of sleep, matched according to drug therapy, disease duration, sex, and age. Movement disorders section at a university hospital. 132 Parkinson disease patients with sudden onset of sleep and 132 Parkinson disease patients without sudden onset of sleep. Blood samples were taken from each participant and used for DNA extraction. Polymorphisms were analyzed by established polymerase chain reaction protocols or direct sequencing. The variant allele T of the (-909T/C) preprohypocretin polymorphism was more commonly found in Parkinson disease patients with sudden onset of sleep. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in the genotype (P = .024) and allele (P = .018) distribution between both groups. For heterozygous and homozygous carriers of allele T, the genotype relative-risk estimates for the presence of sudden onset of sleep were 2.01 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-5.34) and 2.81 (95% confidence interval: 1.09-7.25), respectively. Our results show a significant association between the (-909T/C) preprohypocretin polymorphism and sudden onset of sleep in Parkinson disease. However, we could not demonstrate any interaction between the Taq IA and (-909T/C) polymorphisms with respect to the occurrence of sudden onset of sleep, suggesting that multiple genetic factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of this phenomenon.

Multifunctional carbon nanoelectrodes fabricated by focused ion beam milling.

PubMed

Thakar, Rahul; Weber, Anna E; Morris, Celeste A; Baker, Lane A

2013-10-21

We report a strategy for fabrication of sub-micron, multifunctional carbon electrodes and application of these electrodes as probes for scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM). The fabrication process utilized chemical vapor deposition of parylene, followed by thermal pyrolysis to form conductive carbon and then further deposition of parylene to form an insulation layer. To achieve well-defined electrode geometries, two methods of electrode exposure were utilized. In the first method, carbon probes were masked in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to obtain a cone-shaped electrode. In the second method, the electrode area was exposed via milling with a focused ion beam (FIB) to reveal a carbon ring electrode, carbon ring/platinum disk electrode, or carbon ring/nanopore electrode. Carbon electrodes were batch fabricated (~35/batch) through the vapor deposition process and were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy was utilized to examine the effects of Ga(+) ion implantation, a result of FIB milling. Constant-height, feedback mode SECM was performed with conical carbon electrodes and carbon ring electrodes. We demonstrate the utility of carbon ring/nanopore electrodes with SECM-SICM to simultaneously collect topography, ion current and electrochemical current images. In addition, carbon ring/nanopore electrodes were utilized in substrate generation/tip collection (SG/TC) SECM. In SG/TC SECM, localized delivery of redox molecules affords a higher resolution, than when the redox molecules are present in the bath solution. Multifunctional geometries of carbon electrode probes will find utility in electroanalytical applications, in general, and more specifically with electrochemical microscopy as discussed herein.

[Determination of azoxystrobin in tea by HPLC].

PubMed

Chonan, T

2001-08-01

A determination method has been developed for azoxystrobin in tea by HPLC. Azoxystrobin was extracted from a sample with acetone, and the extract was passed through an alumina column to remove tannin. The eluate was concentrated to ca. 25 mL and passed through a Sep-Pak Vac tC18 to remove pigments. The eluate was cleaned-up by using liquid-liquid partition, and Florisil and silica-gel columns. The HPLC analysis for azoxystrobin was carried out on a C18 column with acetonitrile-water (9:11) as the mobile phase, with ultraviolet detection at 260 nm. The recovery of azoxystrobin fortified at the level of 0.4 microgram/g was 90.2% and the limit of determination was 0.2 microgram/g.

Damage-Free Relief-Valve Disassembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haselmaier, H.

1986-01-01

Tool safely disassembles relief valves without damage to sensitive parts. Relief-valve disassembly tool used to extract valve nozzle from its housing. Holding device on tool grops nozzle. When user strikes hammer against impact disk, holding device pulls nozzle from press fit. Previously, nozzle dislodged by striking spindle above it, but practice often damaged retaining screw. New tool removes nozzle directly. With minor modifications, tool adapted to valves from different manufacturers.

Antibacterial effect of citrus press-cakes dried by high speed and far-infrared radiation drying methods

PubMed Central

Samarakoon, Kalpa; Senevirathne, Mahinda; Lee, Won-Woo; Kim, Young-Tae; Kim, Jae-Il; Oh, Myung-Cheol

2012-01-01

In this study, the antibacterial effect was evaluated to determine the benefits of high speed drying (HSD) and far-infrared radiation drying (FIR) compared to the freeze drying (FD) method. Citrus press-cakes (CPCs) are released as a by-product in the citrus processing industry. Previous studies have shown that the HSD and FIR drying methods are much more economical for drying time and mass drying than those of FD, even though FD is the most qualified drying method. The disk diffusion assay was conducted, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined with methanol extracts of the dried CPCs against 11 fish and five food-related pathogenic bacteria. The disk diffusion results indicated that the CPCs dried by HSD, FIR, and FD prevented growth of all tested bacteria almost identically. The MIC and MBC results showed a range from 0.5-8.0 mg/mL and 1.0-16.0 mg/mL respectively. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the extracts changed the morphology of the bacteria cell wall, leading to destruction. These results suggest that CPCs dried by HSD and FIR showed strong antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria and are more useful drying methods than that of the classic FD method in CPCs utilization. PMID:22808341

Quantitative determination of 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydrofuran in groundwater by solid phase extraction GC/MS/MS.

PubMed

Isaacson, Carl; Mohr, Thomas K G; Field, Jennifer A

2006-12-01

Groundwater contamination by cyclic ethers, 1,4-dioxane (dioxane), a probable human carcinogen, and tetrahydrofuran (THF), a co-contaminant at many chlorinated solvent release sites, are a growing concern. Cyclic ethers are readily transported in groundwater, yet little is known about their fate in environmental systems. High water solubility coupled with low Henry's law constants and octanol-water partition coefficients make their removal from groundwater problematic for both remedial and analytical purposes. A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method based on activated carbon disks was developed for the quantitative determination of dioxane and THF. The method requires 80 mL samples and a total of 1.2 mL of solvent (acetone). The number of steps is minimized due to the "in-vial" elution of the disks. Average recoveries for dioxane and THF were 98% and 95%, respectively, with precision, as indicated by the relative standard deviation of <2% to 6%. The method quantitation limits are 0.31 microg/L for dioxane and 3.1 microg/L for THF. The method was demonstrated by analyzing groundwater samples for dioxane and THF collected during a single sampling campaign at a TCA-impacted site. Dioxane concentrations and areal extent of dioxane in groundwater were greater than those of either TCA or THF.

The Impact of Tai Chi Exercise on Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Empowerment in Heart Failure: Insights from a Qualitative Sub-Study from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Yeh, Gloria Y; Chan, Caroline W; Wayne, Peter M; Conboy, Lisa

2016-01-01

To qualitatively explore perceived physical and psychosocial effects and overall patient experience associated with a 12-week tai chi (TC) intervention and an education group in a clinical trial of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). We randomized 100 patients with chronic systolic HF (NYHA Class 1-3, ejection fraction≤40%) to a 12-week group TC program or an education control. At 12-weeks, semi-structured interviews were conducted on a random subset (n = 32; n = 17 in TC, n = 15 in control), audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Two independent reviewers extracted information using grounded-theory methods for emergent themes. We explored similarities and differences in themes/sub-themes between the groups, and examined qualitative association with changes from baseline to post-intervention in previously reported quantitative measures (e.g., Minnesota Living with HF, Cardiac Exercise Self Efficacy and Profile of Mood States). The mean age (±SD) of participants was 68±9 years, baseline ejection fraction 29±7%, and median New York Heart Association class 2 HF. We idenitifed themes related to the patient's experience of illness, perceptions of self, and relationship to others. Specific psychosocial and physical benefits were described. Common themes emerged from both groups including: social support and self-efficacy related to activity/exercise and diet. The tai chi group, however, also exhibited a more global empowerment and perceived control. Additional themes in TC included mindfulness/self-awareness, decreased stress reactivity, and renewed social role. These themes mirrored improvements in previously reported quantitative measures (quality-of-life, self-efficacy, and mood) in TC compared to control. Patients in TC also reported physical benefits (e.g., decreased pain, improved energy, endurance, flexibility). Positive themes emerged from both groups, although there were qualitative differences in concepts of self-efficacy and perceived control between groups. Those in tai chi reported not only self efficacy and social support, but overall empowerment with additional gains such as internal locus of control, self-awareness and stress management. Future studies of mind-body exercise might further examine perceived control, self-efficacy, and locus-of-control as potential mediators of effect.

Genotype diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi in small rodents and Triatoma sanguisuga from a rural area in New Orleans, Louisiana.

PubMed

Herrera, Claudia P; Licon, Meredith H; Nation, Catherine S; Jameson, Samuel B; Wesson, Dawn M

2015-02-24

Chagas disease is an anthropozoonosis caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that represents a major public health problem in Latin America. Although the United States is defined as non-endemic for Chagas disease due to the rarity of human cases, the presence of T. cruzi has now been amply demonstrated as enzootic in different regions of the south of the country from Georgia to California. In southeastern Louisiana, a high T. cruzi infection rate has been demonstrated in Triatoma sanguisuga, the local vector in this area. However, little is known about the role of small mammals in the wild and peridomestic transmission cycles. This study focused on the molecular identification and genotyping of T. cruzi in both small rodents and T. sanguisuga from a rural area of New Orleans, Louisiana. DNA extractions were prepared from rodent heart, liver, spleen and skeletal muscle tissues and from cultures established from vector feces. T. cruzi infection was determined by standard PCR using primers specific for the minicircle variable region of the kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA) and the highly repetitive genomic satellite DNA (satDNA). Genotyping of discrete typing units (DTUs) was performed by amplification of mini-exon and 18S and 24Sα rRNA genes and subsequent sequence analysis. The DTUs TcI, TcIV and, for the first time, TcII, were identified in tissues of mice and rats naturally infected with T. cruzi captured in an area of New Orleans, close to the house where the first human case of Chagas disease was reported in Louisiana. The T. cruzi infection rate in 59 captured rodents was 76%. The frequencies of the detected DTUs in such mammals were TcI 82%, TcII 22% and TcIV 9%; 13% of all infections contained more than one DTU. Our results indicate a probable presence of a considerably greater diversity in T. cruzi DTUs circulating in the southeastern United States than previously reported. Understanding T. cruzi transmission dynamics in sylvatic and peridomestic cycles in mammals and insect vectors will be crucial to estimating the risk of local, vector-borne transmission of T. cruzi to humans in the United States.

Repellency of Plant Extracts against the Legume Flower Thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

PubMed Central

Abtew, Andnet; Subramanian, Sevgan; Cheseto, Xavier; Kreiter, Serge; Tropea Garzia, Giovanna; Martin, Thibaud

2015-01-01

Megalurothrips sjostedti Trybom is an important pest of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) in Africa. To propose an alternative to chemical control, the repellency of 24 plant extracts was evaluated against adult female thrips of M. sjostedti in the laboratory. Plant extracts in ethanol were separately applied on a filter paper disk in a still air visual cue olfactometer. The results showed highly significant differences in repellency among extract type, concentration and their interactions. We classified the level of repellency into four categories as strong, good, moderate and weak or non- repellent based on hierarchical ascendant classification. We identified Piper nigrum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cinnamomum cassia as strong repellents. Five extracts were classified as good, eight as moderate and the remaining eight extracts were weak or non-repellent. Repellency of the extracts increased with the concentration suggesting that the behavioral response of M. sjostedti was dose-dependent. Mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbon compounds from seven highly repellent extracts were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The use of repellent extracts could be useful in developing integrated pest management strategies for thrips on legume crops. In this regard, the specific modes of action of the identified compounds need to be investigated to incorporate them into the existing crop protection strategies. PMID:26463406

Performance of TcI/TcVI/TcII Chagas-Flow ATE-IgG2a for universal and genotype-specific serodiagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection

PubMed Central

Alessio, Glaucia Diniz; de Araújo, Fernanda Fortes; Côrtes, Denise Fonseca; Sales Júnior, Policarpo Ademar; Lima, Daniela Cristina; Gomes, Matheus de Souza; do Amaral, Laurence Rodrigues; Xavier, Marcelo Antônio Pascoal; Teixeira-Carvalho, Andréa; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis; de Lana, Marta

2017-01-01

Distinct Trypanosoma cruzi genotypes have been considered relevant for patient management and therapeutic response of Chagas disease. However, typing strategies for genotype-specific serodiagnosis of Chagas disease are still unavailable and requires standardization for practical application. In this study, an innovative TcI/TcVI/TcII Chagas Flow ATE-IgG2a technique was developed with applicability for universal and genotype-specific diagnosis of T. cruzi infection. For this purpose, the reactivity of serum samples (percentage of positive fluorescent parasites-PPFP) obtained from mice chronically infected with TcI/Colombiana, TcVI/CL or TcII/Y strain as well as non-infected controls were determined using amastigote-AMA, trypomastigote-TRYPO and epimastigote-EPI in parallel batches of TcI, TcVI and TcII target antigens. Data demonstrated that “α-TcII-TRYPO/1:500, cut-off/PPFP = 20%” presented an excellent performance for universal diagnosis of T. cruzi infection (AUC = 1.0, Se and Sp = 100%). The combined set of attributes “α-TcI-TRYPO/1:4,000, cut-off/PPFP = 50%”, “α-TcII-AMA/1:1,000, cut-off/PPFP = 40%” and “α-TcVI-EPI/1:1,000, cut-off/PPFP = 45%” showed good performance to segregate infections with TcI/Colombiana, TcVI/CL or TcII/Y strain. Overall, hosts infected with TcI/Colombiana and TcII/Y strains displayed opposite patterns of reactivity with “α-TcI TRYPO” and “α-TcII AMA”. Hosts infected with TcVI/CL strain showed a typical interweaved distribution pattern. The method presented a good performance for genotype-specific diagnosis, with global accuracy of 69% when the population/prototype scenario include TcI, TcVI and TcII infections and 94% when comprise only TcI and TcII infections. This study also proposes a receiver operating reactivity panel, providing a feasible tool to classify serum samples from hosts infected with distinct T. cruzi genotypes, supporting the potential of this method for universal and genotype-specific diagnosis of T. cruzi infection. PMID:28333926

Comparison of technetium-99m sulfur colloid and technetium-99m albumin colloid labeled solid meals for gastric emptying studies.

PubMed

Taillefer, R; Douesnard, J M; Beauchamp, G; Guimond, J

1987-08-01

A Tc-99m albumin colloid (Tc-AC) kit has been introduced as an alternative to Tc-99m sulfur colloid (Tc-SC) for liver-spleen imaging. Since there is no need for boiling, the use of Tc-AC reduces preparation time and manipulation. Tc-SC is one of the most commonly used radiopharmaceuticals for the labeling of solid-phase markers in gastric emptying studies. In vitro studies were performed to evaluate the labeling efficiency and stability in hydrochloric acid and in human gastric juice of intracellularly labeled chicken liver and scrambled eggs labeled with Tc-SC and Tc-AC. Gastric emptying studies also were performed on 20 healthy volunteers with both Tc-SC and Tc-AC labeled scrambled egg sandwiches. There was no significant difference between Tc-SC and Tc-AC in the labeling efficiency of chicken liver (98% +/- 1% for Tc-SC, 96% +/- 2% for Tc-AC) and scrambled eggs (92% +/- 2% for Tc-SC, 91% +/- 3% for Tc-AC). However, both Tc-SC and Tc-AC labeled scrambled eggs showed a lower stability than chicken liver, particularly in human gastric juice. Gastric emptying curves from both meals in 20 normal subjects were also similar, with a mean half-emptying time of 85 +/- 13 minutes and 87 +/- 16 minutes for the meals containing Tc-SC and Tc-AC respectively. Tc-AC is a reliable alternative to Tc-SC as a radiotracer for solid-phase gastric emptying studies.

Structure of Herbig AeBe disks at the milliarcsecond scale . A statistical survey in the H band using PIONIER-VLTI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazareff, B.; Berger, J.-P.; Kluska, J.; Le Bouquin, J.-B.; Benisty, M.; Malbet, F.; Koen, C.; Pinte, C.; Thi, W.-F.; Absil, O.; Baron, F.; Delboulbé, A.; Duvert, G.; Isella, A.; Jocou, L.; Juhasz, A.; Kraus, S.; Lachaume, R.; Ménard, F.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Monnier, J. D.; Moulin, T.; Perraut, K.; Rochat, S.; Soulez, F.; Tallon, M.; Thiébaut, E.; Traub, W.; Zins, G.

2017-03-01

Context. It is now generally accepted that the near-infrared excess of Herbig AeBe stars originates in the dust of a circumstellar disk. Aims: The aims of this article are to infer the radial and vertical structure of these disks at scales of order 1 au, and the properties of the dust grains. Methods: The program objects (51 in total) were observed with the H-band (1.6 μm) PIONIER/VLTI interferometer. The largest baselines allowed us to resolve (at least partially) structures of a few tenths of an au at typical distances of a few hundred parsecs. Dedicated UBVRIJHK photometric measurements were also obtained. Spectral and 2D geometrical parameters are extracted via fits of a few simple models: ellipsoids and broadened rings with azimuthal modulation. Model bias is mitigated by parallel fits of physical disk models. Sample statistics were evaluated against similar statistics for the physical disk models to infer properties of the sample objects as a group. Results: We find that dust at the inner rim of the disk has a sublimation temperature Tsub ≈ 1800 K. A ring morphology is confirmed for approximately half the resolved objects; these rings are wide δr/r ≥ 0.5. A wide ring favors a rim that, on the star-facing side, looks more like a knife edge than a doughnut. The data are also compatible with the combination of a narrow ring and an inner disk of unspecified nature inside the dust sublimation radius. The disk inner part has a thickness z/r ≈ 0.2, flaring to z/r ≈ 0.5 in the outer part. We confirm the known luminosity-radius relation; a simple physical model is consistent with both the mean luminosity-radius relation and the ring relative width; however, a significant spread around the mean relation is present. In some of the objects we find a halo component, fully resolved at the shortest interferometer spacing, that is related to the HAeBe class. Full Tables B1-B3, as well as results of other parametric fits, are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/599/A85 The calibrated interferometric data can be found as FITS format files at http://oidb.jmmc.fr/collection.html?id=HAeBeLP

Development of pair distribution function analysis

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

Vondreele, R.; Billinge, S.; Kwei, G.

1996-09-01

This is the final report of a 3-year LDRD project at LANL. It has become more and more evident that structural coherence in the CuO{sub 2} planes of high-{Tc} superconducting materials over some intermediate length scale (nm range) is important to superconductivity. In recent years, the pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of powder diffraction data has been developed for extracting structural information on these length scales. This project sought to expand and develop this technique, use it to analyze neutron powder diffraction data, and apply it to problems. In particular, interest is in the area of high-{Tc} superconductors, although wemore » planned to extend the study to the closely related perovskite ferroelectric materials andother materials where the local structure affects the properties where detailed knowledge of the local and intermediate range structure is important. In addition, we planned to carry out single crystal experiments to look for diffuse scattering. This information augments the information from the PDF.« less

Approach for Text Classification Based on the Similarity Measurement between Normal Cloud Models

PubMed Central

Dai, Jin; Liu, Xin

2014-01-01

The similarity between objects is the core research area of data mining. In order to reduce the interference of the uncertainty of nature language, a similarity measurement between normal cloud models is adopted to text classification research. On this basis, a novel text classifier based on cloud concept jumping up (CCJU-TC) is proposed. It can efficiently accomplish conversion between qualitative concept and quantitative data. Through the conversion from text set to text information table based on VSM model, the text qualitative concept, which is extraction from the same category, is jumping up as a whole category concept. According to the cloud similarity between the test text and each category concept, the test text is assigned to the most similar category. By the comparison among different text classifiers in different feature selection set, it fully proves that not only does CCJU-TC have a strong ability to adapt to the different text features, but also the classification performance is also better than the traditional classifiers. PMID:24711737

Phase slips in superconducting films with constrictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Sang L.; Bollinger, A. T.; Bezryadin, A.

2004-12-01

A system of two coplanar superconducting films seamlessly connected by a bridge is studied. We observe two distinct resistive transitions as the temperature is reduced. The first one, occurring in the films, shows some properties of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition. The second apparent transition (which is in fact a crossover) is related to freezing out of thermally activated phase slips (TAPS) localized on the bridge. We also propose a powerful indirect experimental method allowing an extraction of the sample’s zero-bias resistance from high-current-bias measurements. Using direct and indirect measurements, we have determined the resistance R(T) of the bridges within a range of eleven orders of magnitude. Over such broad range the resistance follows a simple relation R(T)=RNexp[-(c/t)(1-t)3/2] , where c=ΔF(0)/kTc is the normalized free energy of a phase slip at zero temperature, t=T/Tc is normalized temperature, and RN is the normal resistance of the bridge.

Large quasiparticle thermal Hall conductivity in the superconductor Ba1-xKxFe2As2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Checkelsky, Joseph; Li, Lu; Chen, G. F.; Luo, J. L.; Wang, N. L.; Ong, N. P.

2009-03-01

We have measured the thermal conductivity κxx and thermal Hall conductivity κxy in single-crystal Ba1-xKxFe2As2. Below the superconducting transition temperature Tc (˜ 30 K), we observe a large peak in the weak-field κxy . A corresponding peak in the zero-field thermal conductivity κxx is also observed. Together, these imply the existence of a large population of hole-like quasiparticles below Tc . In magnetic fields H approaching 35 T, the peaks in κxx are strongly suppressed. A fit of the κxx vs. H curves shows that the data are consistent with the scattering of long-lived quasiparticles by vortices. Using these fits, we have extracted estimates of the quasiparticle mean-free-path, and separated the zero-field electronic and phononic terms κe and κph, respectively. We discuss the origin of the large quasiparticle population in terms a strongly anisotropic gap parameter or a gap with nodes.

[Effect of grain-bean package, grain-bean package dietary fiber and single whole grain dietary fiber on dyslipidemia rats].

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Zhai, Chengkai; Sun, Guiju; Zhang, Hong; Jiang, Mingxia; Zhang, Haifeng; Guo, Junling; Lan, Xi

2014-05-01

To observe and compare the effects of grain-bean package, dietary fiber (DF) extracted from grain-bean package, and DF from grain corn on the blood lipids and fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity in high-fat, high-cholesterol feeding induced dyslipidemia rats, and observe its effects on regulation of sterol regulatory element protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA expression in rat liver. Consolidation 50 SD rats of clean grade feeding adaptation for one week, randomly assigned into normal control group, hyperlipidemia model group, grain-bean package group, grain-bean package DF group and grain corn group. Feed with corresponding diets for 8 weeks, and measure the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceridaemia (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), FAS, SREBP-1c mRNA of all groups. Compared with control group, TC, TG, FBG levels of hyperlipidemia model group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with model group, TC, TG, FBG levels of grain-bean package group, grain-bean package DF group were significantly decreased, HDL-C levels significantly increased, and activity of FAS, regulation of SREBP-1c were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The Grain-bean package dietary fiber can improve blood lipids levels of dyslipidemia rats, and decrease FAS activity and SREBP-1c mRNA expression.

Factors Influencing the Digestibility of Solid Fats: Mammalian and Plant Lipases--Glyceride Structure and Solvent

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

butter 7 and l-paladtcyl-2-oleoyl-3-stearin 5. Pancreatic lipase digestion of the fats extracted from desert chocolate bars 9 6. Lipase digestion of...of cocoa butter (m.p. 36° C), which consists predominantly (50%) of a TC containing palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids and of 18% of oleoyl distearin...determined. Pancreatic lipase digestion of cocoa butter and palmitoyloleovlstearin Contrary to the results obtained in vivo by Apgar et al.2, only 7% of

Electromagnetic jets from stars and black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gralla, Samuel E.; Lupsasca, Alexandru; Rodriguez, Maria J.

2016-02-01

We present analytic force-free solutions modeling rotating stars and black holes immersed in the magnetic field of a thin disk that terminates at an inner radius. The solutions are exact in flat spacetime and approximate in Kerr spacetime. The compact object produces a conical jet whose properties carry information about its nature. For example, the jet from a star is surrounded by a current sheet, while that of a black hole is smooth. We compute an effective resistance in each case and compare to the canonical values used in circuit models of energy extraction. These solutions illustrate all of the basic features of the Blandford-Znajek process for energy extraction and jet formation in a clean setting.

Dynamics of ultraharmonic resonances in spiral galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Artymowicz, Pawel; Lubow, Stephen H.

1992-01-01

The mildly nonlinear response of a fluid disk with pressure, viscosity, and self-gravity to spiral stellar forcing is considered as a model of the interstellar medium in spiral galaxies. Nonlinear effects are analyzed through a quasi-linear flow analysis ordered by successive powers of a dimensionless spiral perturbing force, which is the ratio of imposed nonaxisymmetric gravitational to axisymmetric gravitational forces. Waves with mn arms are launched from a position where the wavenumber of a free wave matches n times the wavenumber of the spiral forcing. The launched short wave in the gas is an interarm feature that is more tightly wrapped than the stellar wave. The gas wave extracts energy and angular momentum from the stellar wave, causing it to damp. The application of the results to the stellar disk alone reveals even stronger damping, as stars undergo Landau damping of the short wave. For parameters in M81, damping times are less than 10 exp 9 yr.

MIDAS - ESO's new image processing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banse, K.; Crane, P.; Grosbol, P.; Middleburg, F.; Ounnas, C.; Ponz, D.; Waldthausen, H.

1983-03-01

The Munich Image Data Analysis System (MIDAS) is an image processing system whose heart is a pair of VAX 11/780 computers linked together via DECnet. One of these computers, VAX-A, is equipped with 3.5 Mbytes of memory, 1.2 Gbytes of disk storage, and two tape drives with 800/1600 bpi density. The other computer, VAX-B, has 4.0 Mbytes of memory, 688 Mbytes of disk storage, and one tape drive with 1600/6250 bpi density. MIDAS is a command-driven system geared toward the interactive user. The type and number of parameters in a command depends on the unique parameter invoked. MIDAS is a highly modular system that provides building blocks for the undertaking of more sophisticated applications. Presently, 175 commands are available. These include the modification of the color-lookup table interactively, to enhance various image features, and the interactive extraction of subimages.

Impact of radius and skew angle on areal density in heat assisted magnetic recording hard disk drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordle, Michael; Rea, Chris; Jury, Jason; Rausch, Tim; Hardie, Cal; Gage, Edward; Victora, R. H.

2018-05-01

This study aims to investigate the impact that factors such as skew, radius, and transition curvature have on areal density capability in heat-assisted magnetic recording hard disk drives. We explore a "ballistic seek" approach for capturing in-situ scan line images of the magnetization footprint on the recording media, and extract parametric results of recording characteristics such as transition curvature. We take full advantage of the significantly improved cycle time to apply a statistical treatment to relatively large samples of experimental curvature data to evaluate measurement capability. Quantitative analysis of factors that impact transition curvature reveals an asymmetry in the curvature profile that is strongly correlated to skew angle. Another less obvious skew-related effect is an overall decrease in curvature as skew angle increases. Using conventional perpendicular magnetic recording as the reference case, we characterize areal density capability as a function of recording position.

Adsorption of tetracycline on Fe (hydr)oxides: effects of pH and metal cation (Cu2+, Zn2+ and Al3+) addition in various molar ratios

PubMed Central

Hsu, Liang-Ching; Liu, Yu-Ting; Syu, Chien-Hui; Huang, Mei-Hsia; Teah, Heng Yi

2018-01-01

Iron (Fe) (hydr)oxides control the mobility and bioavailability of tetracycline (TC) in waters and soils. Adsorption of TC on Fe (hydr)oxides is greatly affected by polyvalent metals; however, impacts of molar metal/TC ratios on TC adsorptive behaviours on Fe (hydr)oxides remain unclear. Results showed that maximum TC adsorption on ferrihydrite and goethite occurred at pH 5–6. Such TC adsorption was generally promoted by the addition of Cu2+, Zn2+ and Al3+. The greatest increase in TC adsorption was found in the system with molar Cu/TC ratio of 3 due to the formation of Fe hydr(oxide)–Cu–TC ternary complexes. Functional groups on TC that were responsible for the complexation with Cu2+shifted from phenolic diketone groups at Cu/TC molar ratio < 1 to amide groups at Cu/TC molar ratio ≥ 1. For the addition of Al3+, the complexation only took place with phenolic diketone groups, resulting in the enhanced TC adsorption at a molar Al/TC ratio of 1. However, TC adsorption decreased for Al/TC molar ratio > 1 as excess Al3+ led to the competitive adsorption with Al/TC complexes. For the Zn2+ addition, no significant correlation was found between TC adsorption capacity and molar Zn/TC ratios. PMID:29657795

A new sum parameter to estimate the bioconcentration and baseline-toxicity of hydrophobic compounds in river water

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

Loon, W.M.G.M. van; Hermens, J.L.M.

1994-12-31

A large part of all aquatic pollutants can be classified as narcosis-type (baseline toxicity) chemicals. Many chemicals contribute to a joint baseline aquatic toxicity even at trace concentrations. A novel surrogate parameter, which simulated bioconcentration of hydrophobic substances from water and estimates internal molar concentrations, has been explored by Verhaar et al.. These estimated biological concentrations can be used to predict narcosis-type toxic effects, using the Lethal Body Burden (LBB) concept. The authors applied this toxicological-analytical concept to river water, and some recent technological developments and field results are pointed out. The simulation of bioconcentration is performed by extracting watermore » samples with empore{trademark} disks. The authors developed two extraction procedures; i.e., laboratory extraction and field extraction. Molar concentrations measurements are performed using vapor pressure osmometry, GC-FID and GC-MS. Results on the molar concentrations of hydrophobic compounds which can be bioaccumulated from several Dutch river systems will be presented.« less

Activity of Aristolochia bracteolata against Moraxella catarrhalis

PubMed Central

Khedr, Amgad I. M.; Abd AlGadir, Haidar; Takeshita, Satoshi; Shah, Mohammad Monir; Ichinose, Yoshio; Maki, Toshihide

2014-01-01

A bioassay-guided fractionation of methanol extract of Aristolochia bracteolata whole plant was carried out in order to evaluate its antimicrobial activity and to identify the active compounds in this extract. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of methanol extract against gram-positive, gram-negative, and fungal strains were investigated by the agar disk diffusion method. Among the strains tested, Moraxella catarrhalis and sea urchin-derived Bacillus sp. showed the highest sensitivity towards the methanol extract and hence they are used as test organisms for the bioassay-guided fractionation. From this extract, aristolochic acid 1 (AA-1) has been isolated and has showed the greatest antibacterial activity against both standard strain and clinical isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis with equal minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 25 and 50 μg/mL. Modification of the AA-1 to AA-1 methyl ester completely abolished the antibacterial activity of the compound and the piperonylic acid moiety of AA-1 which suggested that the coexistence of phenanthrene ring and free carboxylic acid is essential for AA-1 antibacterial activity. PMID:26904734

Spatially resolved assessment of hepatic function using 99mTc-IDA SPECT

PubMed Central

Wang, Hesheng; Cao, Yue

2013-01-01

Purpose: 99mTc-iminodiacetic acid (IDA) hepatobiliary imaging is usually quantified for hepatic function on the entire liver or regions of interest (ROIs) in the liver. The authors presented a method to estimate the hepatic extraction fraction (HEF) voxel-by-voxel from single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT with a 99mTc-labeled IDA agent of mebrofenin and evaluated the spatially resolved HEF measurements with an independent physiological measurement. Methods: Fourteen patients with intrahepatic cancers were treated with radiation therapy (RT) and imaged by 99mTc-mebrofenin SPECT before and 1 month after RT. The dynamic SPECT volumes were with a resolution of 3.9 × 3.9 × 2.5 mm3. Throughout the whole liver with approximate 50 000 voxels, voxelwise HEF quantifications were estimated and compared between using arterial input function (AIF) from the heart and using vascular input function (VIF) from the spleen. The correlation between mean of the HEFs over the nontumor liver tissue and the overall liver function measured by Indocyanine green clearance half-time (T1/2) was assessed. Variation of the voxelwise estimation was evaluated in ROIs drawn in relatively homogeneous regions of the livers. The authors also examined effects of the time range parameter on the voxelwise HEF quantification. Results: Mean of the HEFs over the liver estimated using AIF significantly correlated with the physiological measurement T1/2 (r = 0.52, p = 0.0004), and the correlation was greatly improved by using VIF (r = 0.79, p < 0.0001). The parameter of time range for the retention phase did not lead to a significant difference in the means of the HEFs in the ROIs. Using VIF and a retention phase time range of 7–30 min, the relative variation of the voxelwise HEF in the ROIs was 10% ± 6% of respective mean HEF. Conclusions: The voxelwise HEF derived from 99mTc-IDA SPECT by the deconvolution analysis is feasible to assess the spatial distribution of hepatic function in the liver. PMID:24007177

Development, validation and clinical application of a method for the simultaneous quantification of lamivudine, emtricitabine and tenofovir in dried blood and dried breast milk spots using LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Waitt, Catriona; Diliiy Penchala, Sujan; Olagunju, Adeniyi; Amara, Alieu; Else, Laura; Lamorde, Mohammed; Khoo, Saye

2017-08-15

To present the validation and clinical application of a LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of lamivudine (3TC), emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir (TFV) in dried blood spots (DBS) and dried breast milk spots (DBMS). DBS and DBMS were prepared from 50 and 30μL of drug-spiked whole blood and human breast milk, respectively. Following extraction with acetonitrile and water, chromatographic separation utilised a Synergi polar column with a gradient mobile phase program consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. Detection and quantification was performed using a TSQ Quantum Ultra triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The analytical method was used to evaluate NRTI drug levels in HIV-positive nursing mothers-infant pairs. The assay was validated over the concentration range of 16.6-5000ng/mL for 3TC, FTC and TFV in DBS and DBMS except for TFV in DBMS where linearity was established from 4.2-1250ng/mL. Intra and inter-day precision (%CV) ranged from 3.5-8.7 and accuracy was within 15% for all analytes in both matrices. The mean recovery in DBS was >61% and in DBMS >43% for all three analytes. Matrix effect was insignificant. Median AUC 0-8 values in maternal DBS and DBMS, respectively, were 4683 (4165-6057) and 6050 (5217-6417)ngh/mL for 3TC, 3312 (2259-4312) and 4853 (4124-6691)ngh/mL for FTC and 1559 (930-1915) and 56 (45-80)ngh/mL for TFV. 3TC and FTC were quantifiable (>16.6ng/mL) in DBS from 2/6 and 1/6 infants respectively whereas TFV was undetectable in all infants. DBS and DBMS sampling for bioanalysis of 3TC, FTC and TFV is straightforward, robust, accurate and precise, and ideal for use in low-resource settings. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of extract library from indonesian biodiversity: exploration of antibacterial activity of mangrove bruguiera cylindrica leaf extracts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audah, K. A.; Amsyir, J.; Almasyhur, F.; Hapsari, A. M.; Sutanto, H.

2018-03-01

Antibacterial drugs derived from natural sources play significant roles in the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections since antibiotics have become less effective against many infectious diseases. Mangroves are very potential natural antibacterial sources among great numbers of wild medicinal plants. Bruguiera cylindrica is one of the many mangroves species which spread along Indonesian coastline. The aim of this study was to explore the antibacterial activity of B. cylindrica wet and dried leaf extracts. The wet extracts study was conducted with three different solvents system (water, ethanol, and n-Hexane) against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. While, the dried extracts study was conducted with four different solvents system (water, ethanol, chloroform and n-Hexane) against three types of bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. The study showed that ethanol was the best solvent for extraction of phenolic and flavonoid. Antibacterial actitivity was measured by zone of inhibition which obtained from agar-disk diffusion method. The widest area of zone of inhibition was showed by wet extracts with ethanol against S. aureus and E. coli are 14.30 and 13.30 mm, respectively. While, the zone of inhibition dried extracts with ethanol against S. aureus, S. epidermidis and E. coli are 9.32, 6.59 and 6.20 mm, respectively. In conclusion, both type of extracts showed significant antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria as crude extracts.

Influence of unilateral tooth loss in the temporomandibular joint and masseter muscle of rabbits.

PubMed

Im, Jae-Hyung; Kim, Su-Gwan; Oh, Ji-Su; Lim, Sung-Chul; Ha, Jung-Min

2012-07-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the masticatory system in patients with missing teeth. The influence of tooth loss on the masticatory system was analyzed with the use of bone scintigraphy ((99m)Tc-MDP) and histochemistry. Eight white rabbits (New Zealand, 12 weeks old) were used. The rabbits were divided into 2 groups: 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Teeth were extracted unilaterally in each rabbit under general anesthesia. Six and 12 weeks after extraction, scintigraphy was conducted, and the rabbits were killed and their masseter muscles removed for histochemical analysis. The results of bone metabolism (relative ratio) measured by bone scintigraphy were 48.27% at extraction sites and 51.73% at nonextraction sites at 6 weeks and 39.96% at extraction sites and 60.04% at nonextraction sites at 12 weeks. There was a significant difference at 12 weeks (P < .05). Tissue calcium contents and osteoclast counts showed different results between the extraction and nonextraction sites, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. The bone metabolism of temporomandibular joints and histochemical aspects of masticatory muscles may be associated with occlusal alterations following tooth loss. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel 99mTc(III)-azide complexes [99mTc(N3)(CDO)(CDOH)2B-R] (CDOH2=cyclohexanedione dioxime) as potential radiotracers for heart imaging.

PubMed

Liu, Min; Zheng, Yumin; Avcibasi, Ugur; Liu, Shuang

2016-11-01

In this study, novel 99m Tc(III)-azide complexes [ 99m Tc(N 3 )(CDO)(CDOH) 2 B-R] ( 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 : R=IS; 99m Tc-MPboroxime-N 3 : R=MP; 99m Tc-PAboroxime-N 3 : R=PA; 99m Tc-PYboroxime-N 3 : R=PY; and 99m Tc-Uboroxime-N 3 : R=5U) were evaluated as heart imaging agents. Complexes [ 99m Tc(N 3 )(CDO)(CDOH) 2 B-R] (R=IS, MP, PA, PY and 5U) were prepared by ligand exchange between NaN 3 and [ 99m TcCl(CDO)(CDOH) 2 B-R]. Biodistribution and imaging studies were carried out in Sprague-Dawley rats. Image quantification was performed to compare their initial heart uptake and myocardial retention. 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 , 99m Tc-PYboroxime-N 3 and 99m Tc-Uboroxime-N 3 were prepared with high RCP (93-98%) while the RCP of 99m Tc-MPboroxime-N 3 and 99m Tc-PAboroxime-N 3 was 80-85%. The myocardial retention curves of 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 , 99m Tc-PYboroxime-N 3 and 99m Tc-Uboroxime-N 3 were best fitted to the bi-exponential decay function. The half-time of the fast component was 1.6±0.4min for 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 , 0.7±0.1min for 99m Tc-PYboroxime-N 3 and 0.9±0.4min for 99m Tc-Uboroxime-N 3 . The 2-min heart uptake from biodistribution studies followed the ranking order of 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 (3.60±0.68%ID/g)> 99m Tc-PYboroxime-N 3 (2.35±0.37%ID/g)≫ 99m Tc-Uboroxime-N 3 (1.29±0.06%ID/g). 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 had the highest 2-min heart uptake among 99m Tc radiotracers revaluated in SD rats. High quality SPECT images were obtained with the right and left ventricular walls being clearly delineated. The best image acquisition window was 0-5min for 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 . Both azide coligand and boronate caps had significant impact on the heart uptake and myocardial retention of complexes [ 99m Tc(N 3 )(CDO)(CDOH) 2 B-R]. Among the radiotracers evaluated in SD rats, 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 has the highest initial heart uptake with the heart retention comparable to that of 99m Tc-Teboroxime. 99m Tc-ISboroxime-N 3 is a promising alternative to 99m Tc-Teboroxime for SPECT MPI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Weaver, Jamie; Soderquist, Chuck; Gassman, Paul

The local chemistry of technetium-99 ( 99Tc) in oxide glasses is important for understanding the incorporation and long-term release of Tc from nuclear waste glasses, both those for legacy defense wastes and fuel reprocessing wastes. Tc preferably forms Tc(VII), Tc(IV), or Tc(0) in glass, depending on the level of reduction of the melt. Tc(VII) in oxide glasses is normally assumed to be isolated pertechnetate TcO 4 -anions surrounded by alkali, but can occasionally precipitate as alkali pertechnetate salts such as KTcO 4and NaTcO 4when Tc concentration is high. In these cases, Tc(VII) is 4-coordinated by oxygen. A reinvestigation of themore » chemistry of alkali-technetium-oxides formed under oxidizing conditions and at temperatures used to prepare nuclear waste glasses showed that higher coordinated alkali Tc(VII) oxide species had been reported, including those with the TcO 5 -and TcO 6 -anions. The chemistry of alkali Tc(VII) and other alkali-Tc-oxides is reviewed, along with relevant synthesis conditions. Additionally, we report attempts to make 5- and 6-coordinate pertechnetate compounds of K, Na, and Li, i.e. TcO 5 -and TcO 6 -. It was found that higher coordinated species are very sensitive to water, and easily decompose into their respective pertechnetates. It was difficult to obtain pure compounds, but mixtures of the pertechnetate and other phase(s) were frequently found, as evidenced by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), neutron diffraction (ND), and Raman spectroscopy. Low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements showed the possibility of Tc(IV) and Tc(VI) in Na 3TcO 5and Na 5TcO 6compounds. It was hypothesized that the smaller counter cation would result in more stable pertechnetates. To confirm the synthesis method, LiReO 4and Li 5ReO 6were prepared, and their Raman spectra match those in the literature. Subsequently, the Tc versions LiTcO 4and Li 5TcO 6were synthesized and characterized by ND, Raman spectroscopy, XANES, and EXAFS. The Li 5TcO 6was a marginally stable compound that appears to have the same structure as that known for Li 5ReO 6. Implications of the experimental work on stability of alkali technetate compounds and possible role in the volatilization of Tc are discussed.« less

Antidiabetic Activity of Aqueous Leaves Extract of Sesbania sesban (L) Merr. in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

PubMed Central

Pandhare, Ramdas B.; Sangameswaran, B.; Mohite, Popat B.; Khanage, Shantaram G.

2011-01-01

The aqueous leaves extract of Sesbania sesban (L) Merr. (Family: Fabaceae) was evaluated for its antidiabetic potential on normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In the chronic model, the aqueous extract was administered to normal and STZ- induced diabetic rats at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) p.o. per day for 30 days. The fasting Blood Glucose Levels (BGL), serum insulin level and biochemical data such as glycosylated hemoglobin, Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) were evaluated and all were compared to that of the known anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide (0.25 mg/kg b.w.). The statistical data indicated significant increase in the body weight, liver glycogen, serum insulin and HDL levels and decrease in blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol and serum triglycerides when compared with glibenclamide. Thus the aqueous leaves extract of Sesbania sesban had beneficial effects in reducing the elevated blood glucose level and lipid profile of STZ-induced diabetic rats. PMID:23407749

Development of Tc(IV)-Incorporated Fe Minerals to Enhance 99Tc Retention in Glass Waste Form

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

Um, Wooyong; Luksic, Steven A.; Wang, Guohui

Iron minerals have been considered to be good hosts for Tc immobilization because the Tc(IV) ion substitutes for Fe(III) in the crystal structure of the Fe oxide due to similarities in (1) cation size [Tc(IV) = 78.5 pm ; Fe(III) = 69 or 78.5 pm], (2) metal-oxygen interatomic distance (Tc—O = 0.199 nm, Fe—O = 0.203 nm), (3) number of coordinating oxygen atoms (both 6-fold coordinated), and (4) the redox potential (Eh=ca. +20 mV at pH = 7) for a redox couple between Tc(VII)/Tc(IV) and Fe(III)/Fe(II). Magnetite, maghemite, and trevorite are iron oxide minerals and all belong to spinel mineralmore » group. Laboratory testing shows that Tc can be removed from aqueous waste solutions by a process of Tc reduction from Tc(VII) to Tc(IV) followed by co-precipitation with iron oxide minerals during recrystallization of Fe(OH)2(s) used as an initial solid precursor. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy confirmed that Tc was in the +4 oxidation state in final Tc-Fe minerals. The Tc-incorporated Fe minerals were also tested for Tc retention in glass melts at different temperatures between 600 – 1,000 oC in a furnace. After being cooled in air, the solid glass specimens collected at different temperatures were analyzed for Tc oxidation state using XANES and Tc retention using liquid scintillation counting (LSC). Even though Tc(IV) started to reoxidize at 600 oC, Tc retention in the final glass specimen prepared with Tc-incorporated Fe mineral even at high temperatures was at least two times higher than glass prepared with KTcO4 salt. Higher Tc retention in glass is considered to result from limited and delayed Tc volatilization process due to Fe mineral encapsulation for Tc. Therefore, the results showing the presence of Tc(IV) in the Fe mineral structure indicate strong possibility to enhance Tc retention in borosilicate glass as well as to reduce the remediation costs at the Hanford Site.« less

Complete subunit structure of the Clostridium botulinum type D toxin complex via intermediate assembly with nontoxic components.

PubMed

Mutoh, Shingo; Kouguchi, Hirokazu; Sagane, Yoshimasa; Suzuki, Tomonori; Hasegawa, Kimiko; Watanabe, Toshihiro; Ohyama, Tohru

2003-09-23

Clostridium botulinum serotype D strains usually produce two types of stable toxin complex (TC), namely, the 300 kDa M (M-TC) and the 660 kDa L (L-TC) toxin complexes. We previously proposed assembly pathways for both TCs [Kouguchi, H., et al. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 2650-2656]: M-TC is composed by association of neurotoxin (NT) and nontoxic nonhemagglutinin (NTNHA); conjugation of M-TC with three auxiliary types of hemagglutinin subcomponents (HA-33, HA-17, and HA-70) leads to the formation of L-TC. In this study, we found three TC species, 410, 540, and 610 kDa TC species, in the culture supernatant of type D strain 4947. The 540 and 610 kDa TC species displayed banding patterns on SDS-PAGE similar to that of L-TC but with less staining intensity of the HA-33 and HA-17 bands than those of L-TC, indicating that these are intermediate species in the pathway to L-TC assembly. In contrast, the 410 kDa TC species consisted of M-TC and two molecules of HA-70. All of the TC species, except L-TC, demonstrated no hemagglutination activity. When the intermediate TC species were mixed with an isolated HA-33/17 complex, every TC species converted to 650 kDa L-TC with full hemagglutination activity and had the same molecular composition of L-TC. On the basis of titration analysis with the HA-33/17 complex, the stoichiometry of the HA-33/17 complex molecules in the L-TC, 610 kDa, and 540 kDa TC species was estimated as 4, 3, and 2, respectively. In conclusion, the complete subunit composition of mature L-TC is deduced to be a dodecamer assembled by a single NT, a single NTNHA, two HA-70, four HA-33, and four HA-17 molecules.

Ditechnetium heptoxide revisited: Solid-state, gas-phase, and theoretical studies

DOE PAGES

Childs, Bradley C.; Braband, Henrik; Lawler, Keith; ...

2016-10-04

Here, ditechnetium heptoxide was synthesized from the oxidation of TcO 2 with O 2 at 450 °C and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), electron impact mass spectrometry (EI-MS) and theoretical methods. Refinement of the structure at 100 K indicates that Tc 2O 7 crystallizes as a molecular solid in the orthorhombic space group Pbca (a = 7.312(3) Å, b = 5.562(2) Å, c = 13.707(5) Å, V = 557.5(3) Å 3). The Tc 2O 7 molecule can be described as corner-sharing TcO4 tetrahedra (Tc---Tc = 3.698(1) Å and Tc-O Bri-Tc = 180.0°). The EI-MS spectrum of Tc 2Omore » 7 consists of both mononuclear and dinuclear species. The main dinuclear species in the gas-phase are Tc 2O 7 (100%) and Tc 2O 5 (56%), while the main mononuclear species are TcO 3 (33.9%) and TcO 2 (42.8%). The difference in the relative intensities of the M 2O 5 (M = Tc, Re) fragments (1.7% for Re) indicate that these Group 7 elements exhibit different gas phase chemistry. The solid-state structure of Tc 2O 7 was investigated by density functional theory (DFT) methods. The optimized structure of the Tc 2O 7 molecule is in good agreement with the experimental one. Simulations indicate that the more favorable geometry for the Tc 2O 7 molecule in the gas-phase is bent (Tc-O Bri-Tc = 156.5°), while linear (Tc-O Bri-Tc = 180.0°) is favored in the solid state.« less

Spinning-disk generation and drying of monodisperse solid aerosols with output concentrations sufficient for single-breath inhalation studies.

PubMed

Byron, P R; Hickey, A J

1987-01-01

The air-driven spinning-disk aerosol generator was modified to allow the production of monodisperse dry spherical aerosols of disodium fluorescein (as model solute) in high output concentrations. Output concentrations were determined by filtration. Optical and aerodynamic size distributions were determined microscopically (after electrostatic precipitation) and by cascade impaction. The generator housing allowed the entrainment of 25-microns primary aqueous solution droplets in a 10-L X min-1 downward flow of dry, filtered air. Internal equipment surfaces were machined flush and polished to minimize aerosol losses. Primary droplets were dried within a stainless steel pipe encased in a tube furnace. Water vapor was removed by diffusion drying. Disk-driven air, satellite droplets, and additional dilution air were vented to waste without using a vacuum. Generator yields were increased by reducing the size of the satellite droplet extraction gap. Aerosols were generated reproducibly by delivering aqueous solutions at a rate of 0.2 mL X min-1 to the center of the disk and spinning at 1000 rps. Dry aerosols, with mass median aerodynamic diameters of 2, 4.9, and 9 microns, were produced in concentrations of 0.89, 5.48, and 54.6 micrograms X L-1 from aqueous solutions containing 0.0374, 0.584, and 3.4% solute by weight. Geometric standard deviations were less than 1.2 in all cases. Concentrations are several times higher than others in the literature and are suitable for single-breath inhalation studies of therapeutic aerosol deposition and effect.

Studies on antidyslipidemic effects of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) fruit, leaves and root extracts

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The objective of present study was to provide the pharmacological basis for the medicinal use of Morinda citrifolia Linn in dyslipidemia using the aqueous-ethanolic extracts of its fruits (Mc.Cr.F), leaves (Mc.Cr.L) and roots (Mc.Cr.R). Results Mc.Cr.F, Mc.Cr.L and Mc.Cr.R showed antidyslipidemic effects in both triton (WR-1339) and high fat diet-induced dyslipidemic rat models to variable extents. All three extracts caused reduction in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in triton-induced dyslipidemia. In high fat diet-induced dyslipidemia all these extracts caused significant reduction in total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), atherogenic index and TC/HDL ratio. Mc.Cr.R extract also caused increase in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). The Mc.Cr.L and Mc.Cr.R reduced gain in body weight with a reduction in daily diet consumption but Mc.Cr.F had no effect on body weight and daily diet consumption. Conclusions These data indicate that the antidyslipidemic effect of the plant extracts was meditated through the inhibition of biosynthesis, absorption and secretion of lipids. This may be possibly due partly to the presence of antioxidant constituents in this plant. Therefore, this study rationalizes the medicinal use of Morinda citrifolia in dyslipidemia. PMID:20727145

Studies on antidyslipidemic effects of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) fruit, leaves and root extracts.

PubMed

Mandukhail, Saf-ur Rehman; Aziz, Nauman; Gilani, Anwarul-Hassan

2010-08-20

The objective of present study was to provide the pharmacological basis for the medicinal use of Morinda citrifolia Linn in dyslipidemia using the aqueous-ethanolic extracts of its fruits (Mc.Cr.F), leaves (Mc.Cr.L) and roots (Mc.Cr.R). Mc.Cr.F, Mc.Cr.L and Mc.Cr.R showed antidyslipidemic effects in both triton (WR-1339) and high fat diet-induced dyslipidemic rat models to variable extents. All three extracts caused reduction in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in triton-induced dyslipidemia. In high fat diet-induced dyslipidemia all these extracts caused significant reduction in total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), atherogenic index and TC/HDL ratio. Mc.Cr.R extract also caused increase in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). The Mc.Cr.L and Mc.Cr.R reduced gain in body weight with a reduction in daily diet consumption but Mc.Cr.F had no effect on body weight and daily diet consumption. These data indicate that the antidyslipidemic effect of the plant extracts was meditated through the inhibition of biosynthesis, absorption and secretion of lipids. This may be possibly due partly to the presence of antioxidant constituents in this plant. Therefore, this study rationalizes the medicinal use of Morinda citrifolia in dyslipidemia.

Monitoring Tc dynamics in a bioreduced sediment: an investigation with gamma camera imaging of (99m)Tc-pertechnetate and (99m)Tc-DTPA.

PubMed

Vandehey, Nicholas T; O'Neil, James P; Slowey, Aaron J; Boutchko, Rostyslav; Druhan, Jennifer L; Moses, William W; Nico, Peter S

2012-11-20

We demonstrate the utility of nuclear medical imaging technologies and a readily available radiotracer, [(99m)Tc]TcO(4)(-), for the noninvasive monitoring of Fe(II) production in acetate-stimulated sediments from Old Rifle, CO, USA. Microcosms consisting of sediment in artificial groundwater media amended with acetate were probed by repeated injection of radiotracer over three weeks. Gamma camera imaging was used to noninvasively quantify the rate and extent of [(99m)Tc]TcO(4)(-) partitioning from solution to sediment. Aqueous Fe(II) and sediment-associated Fe(II) were also measured and correlated with the observed tracer behavior. For each injection of tracer, curves of (99m)Tc concentration in solution vs time were fitted to an analytic function that accounts for both the observed rate of sedimentation as well as the rate of (99m)Tc association with the sediment. The rate and extent of (99m)Tc association with the biostimulated sediment correlated well with the production of Fe(II), and a mechanism of [(99m)Tc]TcO(4)(-) reduction via reaction with surface-bound Fe(II) to form an immobile Tc(IV) species was inferred. After three weeks of bioreduction, a subset of microcosms was aerated in order to reoxidize the Fe(II) to Fe(III), which also destroyed the affinity of the [(99m)Tc]TcO(4)(-) for the sediments. However, within 3 days postoxidation, the rate of Tc(VII) reduction was faster than immediately before oxidation implying a rapid return to more extensive bioreduction. Furthermore, aeration soon after a tracer injection showed that sediment-bound Tc(IV) is rapidly resolubilized to Tc(VII). In contrast to the [(99m)Tc]TcO(4)(-), a second commercially available tracer, (99m)Tc-DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid), had minimal association with sediment in both controls and biostimulated sediments. These experiments show the promise of [(99m)Tc]TcO(4)(-) and (99m)Tc-DTPA as noninvasive imaging probes for a redox-sensitive radiotracer and a conservative flow tracer, respectively.

Determination of N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexylcarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine in human plasma by solid-phase extraction and column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

PubMed

Ono, I; Matsuda, K; Kanno, S

1996-04-12

A column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection at 210 nm has been developed for the determination of N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexylcarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine (AY4166, I) in human plasma. Plasma samples were prepared by solid-phase extraction with Sep-Pak Light tC18, followed by HPLC. The calibration graph for I was linear in the range 0.1-20 micrograms/ml. The limit of quantitation of I, in plasma, was 0.05 microgram/ml. The recovery of spiked I (0.5 microgram/ml) to drug-free plasma was over 92% and the relative standard deviation of spiked I (0.5 microgram/ml) compared to drug-free plasma was 4.3% (n = 8).

ACCRETION FLOW DYNAMICS OF MAXI J1659-152 FROM THE SPECTRAL EVOLUTION STUDY OF ITS 2010 OUTBURST USING THE TCAF SOLUTION

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

Debnath, Dipak; Molla, Aslam Ali; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.

2015-04-20

Transient black hole candidates are interesting objects to study in X-rays as these sources show rapid evolutions in their spectral and temporal properties. In this paper, we study the spectral properties of the Galactic transient X-ray binary MAXI J1659-152 during its very first outburst after discovery with the archival data of RXTE Proportional Counter Array instruments. We make a detailed study of the evolution of accretion flow dynamics during its 2010 outburst through spectral analysis using the Chakrabarti–Titarchuk two-component advective flow (TCAF) model as an additive table model in XSPEC. Accretion flow parameters (Keplerian disk and sub-Keplerian halo rates, shockmore » location, and shock strength) are extracted from our spectral fits with TCAF. We studied variations of these fit parameters during the entire outburst as it passed through three spectral classes: hard, hard-intermediate, and soft-intermediate. We compared our TCAF fitted results with standard combined disk blackbody (DBB) and power-law (PL) model fitted results and found that variations of disk rate with DBB flux and halo rate with PL flux are generally similar in nature. There appears to be an absence of the soft state, unlike what is seen in other similar sources.« less

Use of an ultrasonic device for the determination of elastic modulus of dentin.

PubMed

Miyazaki, Masashi; Inage, Hirohiko; Onose, Hideo

2002-03-01

The mechanical properties of dentin substrate are one of the important factors in determining bond strength of dentin bonding systems. The purpose of this study was to determine the elastic modulus of dentin substrate with the use of an ultrasonic device. The dentin disks of about 1 mm thickness were obtaining from freshly extracted human third molars, and the dentin disk was shaped in a rectangular form with a line diamond point. The size and weight of each specimen was measured to calculate the density of the specimen. The ultrasonic equipment employed in this study was composed of a Pulser-Receiver (Model 5900PR, Panametrics), transducers (V155, V156, Panametrics) and an oscilloscope. The measured two-way transit time through the dentin disk was divided by two to account for the down-and-back travel path, and then multiplied by the velocity of sound in the test material. Measuring the longitudinal and share wave sound velocity determine elastic modulus. The mean elastic modulus of horizontally sectioned specimens was 21.8 GPa and 18.5 GPa for the vertically sectioned specimens, and a significant difference was found between the two groups. The ultrasonic method used in this study shows considerable promise for determination of the elastic modulus of the tooth substrate.

Saturation of the Magnetorotational Instability at Large Elssaser Number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julien, Keith; Jamroz, Benjamin; Knobloch, Edgar

2009-11-01

The MRI is believed to play an important role in accretion disk physics in extracting angular momentum from the disk and allowing accretion to take place. The instability is investigated within the shearing box approximation under conditions of fundamental importance to astrophysical accretion disk theory. The shear is taken to be the dominant source of energy, but the instability itself requires the presence of a weaker vertical magnetic field. Dissipative effects are suffiently weak that the Elsasser number is large. Thus dissipative forces do not play a role in the leading order linear instability mechanism. However, they are sufficiently large to permit a nonlinear feedback mechanism whereby the turbulent stresses generated by the MRI act on and modify the local background shear in the angular velocity profile. To date this response has been omitted in shearing box simulations and is captured by a reduced pde model derived from the global MHD fluid equations using multiscale asymptotic perturbation theory. Results from simulations of the model indicate a linear phase of exponential growth followed by a nonlinear adjustment to algebraic growth and decay in the fluctuating quantities. Remarkably, the velocity and magnetic field correlations associated with these growth and decay laws conspire to achieve saturation of angular momentum transport.

Antibacterial Potential of Northeastern Portugal Wild Plant Extracts and Respective Phenolic Compounds

PubMed Central

Ferreira, Isabel C. F. R.; Barros, Lillian; Carvalho, Ana Maria; Soares, Graça; Henriques, Mariana

2014-01-01

The present work aims to assess the antibacterial potential of phenolic extracts, recovered from plants obtained on the North East of Portugal, and of their phenolic compounds (ellagic, caffeic, and gallic acids, quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin), against bacteria commonly found on skin infections. The disk diffusion and the susceptibility assays were used to identify the most active extracts and phenolic compounds. The effect of selected phenolic compounds on animal cells was assessed by determination of cellular metabolic activity. Gallic acid had a higher activity, against gram-positive (S. epidermidis and S. aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (K. pneumoniae) at lower concentrations, than the other compounds. The caffeic acid, also, showed good antibacterial activity against the 3 bacteria used. The gallic acid was effective against the 3 bacteria without causing harm to the animal cells. Gallic and caffeic acid showed a promising applicability as antibacterial agents for the treatment of infected wounds. PMID:24804249

Red algae (Gelidium amansii) hot-water extract ameliorates lipid metabolism in hamsters fed a high-fat diet.

PubMed

Yang, Tsung-Han; Yao, Hsien-Tsung; Chiang, Meng-Tsan

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Gelidium amansii (GA) hot-water extracts (GHE) on lipid metabolism in hamsters. Six-week-old male Syrian hamsters were used as the experimental animals. Hamsters were divided into four groups: (1) control diet group (CON); (2) high-fat diet group (HF); (3) HF with GHE diet group (HF + GHE); (4) HF with probucol diet group (HF + PO). All groups were fed the experimental diets and drinking water ad libitum for 6 weeks. The results showed that GHE significantly decreased body weight, liver weight, and adipose tissue (perirenal and paraepididymal) weight. The HF diet induced an increase in plasma triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. However, GHE supplementation reversed the increase of plasma lipids caused by the HF diet. In addition, GHE increased fecal cholesterol, TG and bile acid excretion. Lower hepatic TC and TG levels were found with GHE treatment. GHE reduced hepatic sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP) including SREBP 1 and SREBP 2 protein expressions. The phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) protein expression in hamsters was decreased by the HF diet; however, GHE supplementation increased the phosphorylation of AMPK protein expression. Our results suggest that GHE may ameliorate lipid metabolism in hamsters fed a HF diet. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Pedunculoside, a novel triterpene saponin extracted from Ilex rotunda, ameliorates high-fat diet induced hyperlipidemia in rats.

PubMed

Liu, Chang; Shen, Yan-Jun; Tu, Qing-Bo; Zhao, Yan-Ran; Guo, Hao; Wang, Juan; Zhang, Li; Shi, Hua-Wei; Sun, Yun

2018-05-01

Pedunculoside (PE) is a novel triterpene saponin extracted from the dried barks of Ilex rotunda Thunb. The present study aims to explore lipid-lowering effects of PE on hyperlipidemia rat induced by high-fat diet. The rats were fed with the high-fat diet and subjected to intragastric administration of PE at doses of 30, 15, or 5 mg/kg daily for 7 weeks. The results demonstrated that treatment with PE for 7-week dramatically decreased serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and reduced liver TC in hyperlipidemia rat induced by high-fat diet. Furthermore, the results also showed that PE modulated the expression of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) mRNA in liver. Besides, PE-treated group decreased weights and diameters of epididymal adipose hyperlipidemia rat. Mechanism study demonstrated that PE regulated PPAR-γ, CCAAT/Enhancer-binding Protein α (C/EBPα)、and SREBP-1 expression as well as inhibited phosphorylation of AMPK in MDI (methylisobutylxanthine, dexamethasone, insulin) induced-3T3L1 cells. Molecular Docking confirmed interaction between PE with proteins involving PPAR-γ, C/EBPα and SREBP-1. In summary, these findings may support that PE is a novel lipid-lowering drug candidate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Anti-obesity effects of escins extracted from the seeds of Aesculus turbinata BLUME (Hippocastanaceae).

PubMed

Hu, Jiang-Ning; Zhu, Xue-Mei; Han, Li-Kun; Saito, Masato; Sun, Yin-Shi; Yoshikawa, Masayuki; Kimura, Yoshiyuki; Zheng, Yi-Nan

2008-01-01

To investigate the anti-obesity effects of escins extracted from the seeds of Aesculus turbinata BLUME, anti-obesity models in vitro and in vivo were employed. In a preliminary experiment, different solvent fractions of Aesculus turbinata BlUME as well as two isolated compounds were tested for their effects on pancreatic lipase (PL) in vitro. Subsequently, female ICR mice were fed a high fat diet with or without different concentrations of total escins for 11 weeks to examine body weight, parametrial adipose tissue weight, and hepatic triacylglycerol (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) contents. Plasma triacylglycerol levels (TG) after oral administration of lipid emulsions to rats were also investigated. The results showed that total escins (1 mg/ml) as well as two compounds isolated from total escins, namely escin Ib and IIa, showed inhibitory effects on PL activity. In vivo, total escins suppressed the increase in body weight, parametrial adipose tissue weight, TG content, and TC content in mice's liver; TG content in rat plasma was also reduced at 1, 2 and 3 h after oral administration of the lipid emulsion plus different concentrations of escins compared to those in the lipid emulsion groups. Meanwhile, mice fed a high fat diet plus 2% total escins for 3 d had an increased TG level in the feces compared to the HF group. The reason for this may be due to a delay in the intestinal absorption of dietary fat by inhibiting PL activity.

Citrus ichangensis Peel Extract Exhibits Anti-Metabolic Disorder Effects by the Inhibition of PPARγ and LXR Signaling in High-Fat Diet-Induced C57BL/6 Mouse

PubMed Central

Ding, Xiaobo; Fan, Shengjie; Lu, Yan; Zhang, Yu; Gu, Ming; Zhang, Lu; Liu, Gaigai; Guo, Lu; Jiang, Dong; Lu, Xiong; Li, Yiming; Zhou, Zhiqin; Huang, Cheng

2012-01-01

Obesity is a common nutritional disorder associated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, and certain cancers. In this study, we investigated the effects of Citrus ichangensis peel extract (CIE) in high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity mice. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a chow diet or an HF diet alone or supplemented with 1% w/w CIE for 8 weeks. We found that CIE treatment could lower blood glucose level and improve glucose tolerance. In the HF+CIE group, body weight gain, serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels, and liver triglyceride (TG) and TC concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased relative to those in the HF group. To elucidate the mechanism of CIE on the metabolism of glucose and lipid, related genes expression in liver were examined. In liver tissue, CIE significantly decreased the mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and its target genes, such as fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO). Moreover, CIE also decreased the expression of liver X receptor (LXR) α and β which are involved in lipid and glucose metabolism. These results suggest that CIE administration could alleviate obesity and related metabolic disorders in HF diet-induced obesity mice through the inhibition of PPARγ and LXR signaling. PMID:23320036

New Gastrin Releasing Peptide Receptor-Directed [99mTc]Demobesin 1 Mimics: Synthesis and Comparative Evaluation.

PubMed

Nock, Berthold A; Charalambidis, David; Sallegger, Werner; Waser, Beatrice; Mansi, Rosalba; Nicolas, Guillaume P; Ketani, Eleni; Nikolopoulou, Anastasia; Fani, Melpomeni; Reubi, Jean-Claude; Maina, Theodosia

2018-04-12

We have previously reported on the gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) antagonist [ 99m Tc]1, ([ 99m Tc]demobesin 1, 99m Tc-[N 4 '-diglycolate-dPhe 6 ,Leu-NHEt 13 ]BBN(6-13)). [ 99m Tc]1 has shown superior biological profile compared to analogous agonist-based 99m Tc-radioligands. We herein present a small library of [ 99m Tc]1 mimics generated after structural modifications in (a) the linker ([ 99m Tc]2, [ 99m Tc]3, [ 99m Tc]4), (b) the peptide chain ([ 99m Tc]5, [ 99m Tc]6), and (c) the C-terminus ([ 99m Tc]7 or [ 99m Tc]8). The effects of above modifications on the biological properties of analogs were studied in PC-3 cells and tumor-bearing SCID mice. All analogs showed subnanomolar affinity for the human GRPR, while most receptor-affine 4 and 8 behaved as potent GRPR antagonists in a functional internalization assay. In mice bearing PC-3 tumors, [ 99m Tc]1-[ 99m Tc]6 exhibited GRPR-specific tumor uptake, rapidly clearing from normal tissues. [ 99m Tc]4 displayed the highest tumor uptake (28.8 ± 4.1%ID/g at 1 h pi), which remained high even after 24 h pi (16.3 ± 1.8%ID/g), well surpassing that of [ 99m Tc]1 (5.4 ± 0.7%ID/g at 24 h pi).

Tc-99m tilmanocept versus Tc-99m sulfur colloid in breast cancer sentinel lymph node identification: Results from a randomized, blinded clinical trial.

PubMed

Unkart, Jonathan T; Hosseini, Ava; Wallace, Anne M

2017-12-01

No prior trials have compared sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification outcomes between Tc-99m tilmanocept (TcTM) and Tc-99m sulfur colloid (TcSC) in breast cancer (BC). We report on the secondary outcomes from a randomized, double-blinded, single surgeon clinical trial comparing post-injection site pain between TcTM and TcSC. Patients were randomized to receive a preoperative single, peritumoral intradermal injection of TcTM or TcSC. The number of total, "hot", and blue nodes detected and removed were compared between groups. Fifty-two (27-TcSC and 25-TcTM) patients were enrolled and underwent definitive surgical treatment. At least one "hot" SLN was detected in all patients. Three (5.8%) patients had a disease positive-SLN. The total number of SLNs removed was 61 (mean 2.26 (standard deviation (SD) 0.90)) in the TcSC group and 54 (mean 2.16 (SD 0.90)) in the TcTM group, P = 0.69. The total number of "hot" nodes in the TcSC group was 1.96 (SD 0.76) compared to 2.04 (SD 0.73) in the TcTM group, P = 0.71. The number of identified SLNs did not differ significantly between TcTM and TcSC. Given that no significant technical advantages exist between the two agents, surgeons should choose a radiopharmaceutical based on cost and side effect profile. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synthesis and Characterization of 5- and 6- Coordinated Alkali Pertechnetates

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

Weaver, Jamie; Soderquist, Chuck; Gassman, Paul

ABSTRACT The local chemistry of technetium-99 ( 99Tc) in oxide glasses is important for understanding the incorporation and long-term release of Tc from nuclear waste glasses, both those for legacy defense wastes and fuel reprocessing wastes. Tc preferably forms Tc(VII), Tc(IV), or Tc(0) in glass, depending on the level of reduction of the melt. Tc(VII) in oxide glasses is normally assumed to be isolated pertechnetate TcO 4 -anions surrounded by alkali, but can occasionally precipitate as alkali pertechnetate salts such as KTcO 4and NaTcO 4when Tc concentration is high. In these cases, Tc(VII) is 4-coordinated by oxygen. A reinvestigation ofmore » the chemistry of alkali-technetium-oxides formed under oxidizing conditions and at temperatures used to prepare nuclear waste glasses showed that higher coordinated alkali Tc(VII) oxide species had been reported, including those with the TcO 5 -and TcO 6 -anions. The chemistry of alkali Tc(VII) and other alkali-Tc-oxides is reviewed, along with relevant synthesis conditions. Additionally, we report attempts to make 5- and 6-coordinate pertechnetate compounds of K, Na, and Li, i.e. TcO 5 -and TcO 6 -. It was found that higher coordinated species are very sensitive to water, and easily decompose into their respective pertechnetates. It was difficult to obtain pure compounds, but mixtures of the pertechnetate and other phase(s) were frequently found, as evidenced by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), neutron diffraction (ND), and Raman spectroscopy. Low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements showed the possibility of Tc(IV) and Tc(VI) in Na 3TcO 5and Na 5TcO 6compounds. It was hypothesized that the smaller counter cation would result in more stable pertechnetates. To confirm the synthesis method, LiReO 4and Li 5ReO 6were prepared, and their Raman spectra match those in the literature. Subsequently, the Tc versions LiTcO 4and Li 5TcO 6were synthesized and characterized by ND, Raman spectroscopy, XANES, and EXAFS. The Li 5TcO 6was a marginally stable compound that appears to have the same structure as that known for Li 5ReO 6. Implications of the experimental work on stability of alkali technetate compounds and possible role in the volatilization of Tc are discussed.« less

NICER Eyes on Bursting Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2018-03-01

What happens to a neutron stars accretion disk when its surface briefly explodes? A new instrument recently deployed at the International Space Station (ISS) is now watching bursts from neutron stars and reporting back.Deploying a New X-Ray MissionLaunch of NICER aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in June 2017. [NASA/Tony Gray]In early June of 2017, a SpaceX Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket launched on a resupply mission to the ISS. The pressurized interior of the Dragon contained the usual manifest of crew supplies, spacewalk equipment, and vehicle hardware. But the unpressurized trunk of the capsule held something a little different: the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER).In the two weeks following launch, NICER was extracted from the SpaceX Dragon capsule and installed on the ISS. And by the end of the month, the instrument was already collecting its first data set: observations of a bright X-ray burst from Aql X-1, a neutron star accreting matter from a low-mass binary companion.Impact of BurstsNICERs goal is to provide a new view of neutron-star physics at X-ray energies of 0.212 keV a window that allows us to explore bursts of energy that neutron stars sometimes emit from their surfaces.Artists impression of an X-ray binary, in which a compact object accretes material from a companion star. [ESA/NASA/Felix Mirabel]In X-ray burster systems, hydrogen- and helium-rich material from a low-mass companion star piles up in an accretion disk around the neutron star. This material slowly funnels onto the neutron stars surface, forming a layer that gravitationally compresses and eventually becomes so dense and hot that runaway nuclear fusion ignites.Within seconds, the layer of material is burned up, producing a burst of emission from the neutron star that outshines even the inner regions of the hot accretion disk. Then more material funnels onto the neutron star and the process begins again.Though we have a good picture of the physics that causes these bursts, we dont yet understand the impact that these X-ray flashes have on the accretion disk and the environment surrounding the neutron star. In a new study led by Laurens Keek (University of Maryland), a team of scientists now details what NICER has learned on this subject.Extra X-RaysLight curve (top) and hardness ratio (bottom) for the X-ray burst from Aql X-1 captured by NICER on 3 July 2017. [Keek et al. 2018]In addition to thermal emission from the neutron star, NICER revealed an excess of soft X-ray photons below 1 keV during Aql X-1s burst. The authors propose two possible models for this emission:The burst radiation from the neutron stars surface was reprocessed i.e., either scattered or absorbed and re-emitted by the accretion disk.The persistent, usual accretion flow was enhanced as a result of the bursts radiation drag on the disk, briefly bumping up the disks X-ray flux.While we cant yet conclusively statewhich mechanismdominates, NICERs observations do show that bursts have a substantial impact on their accretion environment. And, as there are over 100 such X-ray burster systems in our galaxy, we can expect that NICER will allow us to better explore the effect of X-ray bursts on neutron-star disks and their surroundings inmany different systems in the future.BonusCheck out the awesome gif below, provided by NASA, which shows NICER being extracted fromthe Dragon capsules trunk by a robotic arm.CitationL. Keek et al 2018 ApJL 855 L4. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aab104

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

Cohen, J; Dossa, D; Gokhale, M

Critical data science applications requiring frequent access to storage perform poorly on today's computing architectures. This project addresses efficient computation of data-intensive problems in national security and basic science by exploring, advancing, and applying a new form of computing called storage-intensive supercomputing (SISC). Our goal is to enable applications that simply cannot run on current systems, and, for a broad range of data-intensive problems, to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in price/performance over today's data-intensive architectures. This technical report documents much of the work done under LDRD 07-ERD-063 Storage Intensive Supercomputing during the period 05/07-09/07. The following chapters describe:more » (1) a new file I/O monitoring tool iotrace developed to capture the dynamic I/O profiles of Linux processes; (2) an out-of-core graph benchmark for level-set expansion of scale-free graphs; (3) an entity extraction benchmark consisting of a pipeline of eight components; and (4) an image resampling benchmark drawn from the SWarp program in the LSST data processing pipeline. The performance of the graph and entity extraction benchmarks was measured in three different scenarios: data sets residing on the NFS file server and accessed over the network; data sets stored on local disk; and data sets stored on the Fusion I/O parallel NAND Flash array. The image resampling benchmark compared performance of software-only to GPU-accelerated. In addition to the work reported here, an additional text processing application was developed that used an FPGA to accelerate n-gram profiling for language classification. The n-gram application will be presented at SC07 at the High Performance Reconfigurable Computing Technologies and Applications Workshop. The graph and entity extraction benchmarks were run on a Supermicro server housing the NAND Flash 40GB parallel disk array, the Fusion-io. The Fusion system specs are as follows: SuperMicro X7DBE Xeon Dual Socket Blackford Server Motherboard; 2 Intel Xeon Dual-Core 2.66 GHz processors; 1 GB DDR2 PC2-5300 RAM (2 x 512); 80GB Hard Drive (Seagate SATA II Barracuda). The Fusion board is presently capable of 4X in a PCIe slot. The image resampling benchmark was run on a dual Xeon workstation with NVIDIA graphics card (see Chapter 5 for full specification). An XtremeData Opteron+FPGA was used for the language classification application. We observed that these benchmarks are not uniformly I/O intensive. The only benchmark that showed greater that 50% of the time in I/O was the graph algorithm when it accessed data files over NFS. When local disk was used, the graph benchmark spent at most 40% of its time in I/O. The other benchmarks were CPU dominated. The image resampling benchmark and language classification showed order of magnitude speedup over software by using co-processor technology to offload the CPU-intensive kernels. Our experiments to date suggest that emerging hardware technologies offer significant benefit to boosting the performance of data-intensive algorithms. Using GPU and FPGA co-processors, we were able to improve performance by more than an order of magnitude on the benchmark algorithms, eliminating the processor bottleneck of CPU-bound tasks. Experiments with a prototype solid state nonvolative memory available today show 10X better throughput on random reads than disk, with a 2X speedup on a graph processing benchmark when compared to the use of local SATA disk.« less

Comparation of Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Effects of Aqueous and Ethanol Extracts of Crataegus pinnatifida Fruit in High-Fat Emulsion-Induced Hyperlipidemia Rats

PubMed Central

Shao, Feng; Gu, Lifei; Chen, Huijuan; Liu, Ronghua; Huang, Huilian; Ren, Gang

2016-01-01

Background: Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) is a Chinese medicinal plant traditionally used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Recently, studies indicated free radical scavenging was one of the major pathways to alleviate hyperlipidemia. Moreover, hawthorn fruit is a rich source of phenols, which quench free radical and attenuate hyperlipidemia. However, the phenols vary with processing methods, especially solvent type. Objective: Our aim was to compare hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of aqueous and ethanol extracts of hawthorn fruit in hyperlipidemia rats. Materials and Methods: After a 4-week treatment of high-fat emulsion, lipid profile levels and antioxidant levels of two extracts were determined using commercial analysis. Total phenols content in the extract of hawthorn fruit was determined colorimetrically by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Results: Both ethanol and aqueous extracts of hawthorn fruit possessed hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities. Simultaneously, stronger activities were observed in ethanol extract. Besides, total phenols content in ethanol extract from the same quality of hawthorn fruit was 3.9 times more than that in aqueous extract. Conclusion: The obvious difference of hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects between ethanol extract and aqueous extract of hawthorn fruit was probably due to the presence of total phenols content, under the influence of extraction solvent. SUMMARY Ethanol extract of hawthorn fruit exhibited more favorable hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects than aqueous extract. The higher effects could be due to the higher content of total phenols that varies with extraction solvent. Abbreviations used: TC: Total cholesterol, TG: Triglyceride, LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, GSH-Px: Glutathione peroxidase, SOD: Superoxide dismutase, MDA: Malondialdehyde, CAT: Catalase, NO: Nitric oxide, NOS: Nitric oxide synthase, SR-BI: Scavenger receptor Class B Type I PMID:27019563

Comparation of Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Effects of Aqueous and Ethanol Extracts of Crataegus pinnatifida Fruit in High-Fat Emulsion-Induced Hyperlipidemia Rats.

PubMed

Shao, Feng; Gu, Lifei; Chen, Huijuan; Liu, Ronghua; Huang, Huilian; Ren, Gang

2016-01-01

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) is a Chinese medicinal plant traditionally used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Recently, studies indicated free radical scavenging was one of the major pathways to alleviate hyperlipidemia. Moreover, hawthorn fruit is a rich source of phenols, which quench free radical and attenuate hyperlipidemia. However, the phenols vary with processing methods, especially solvent type. Our aim was to compare hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of aqueous and ethanol extracts of hawthorn fruit in hyperlipidemia rats. After a 4-week treatment of high-fat emulsion, lipid profile levels and antioxidant levels of two extracts were determined using commercial analysis. Total phenols content in the extract of hawthorn fruit was determined colorimetrically by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts of hawthorn fruit possessed hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities. Simultaneously, stronger activities were observed in ethanol extract. Besides, total phenols content in ethanol extract from the same quality of hawthorn fruit was 3.9 times more than that in aqueous extract. The obvious difference of hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects between ethanol extract and aqueous extract of hawthorn fruit was probably due to the presence of total phenols content, under the influence of extraction solvent. Ethanol extract of hawthorn fruit exhibited more favorable hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects than aqueous extract. The higher effects could be due to the higher content of total phenols that varies with extraction solvent. Abbreviations used: TC: Total cholesterol, TG: Triglyceride, LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, GSH-Px: Glutathione peroxidase, SOD: Superoxide dismutase, MDA: Malondialdehyde, CAT: Catalase, NO: Nitric oxide, NOS: Nitric oxide synthase, SR-BI: Scavenger receptor Class B Type I.

Molecular identification of marine symbiont bacteria of gastropods from the waters of the Krakal coast Yogyakarta and its potential as a Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) antibacterial agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahry, Muhammad Syaifudien; Pringgenies, Delianis; Trianto, Agus

2017-01-01

The resistance of pathogenic bacteria may occur to many types of antibiotics, especially in cases of non-compliance use of antibiotics, which likely to allow the evolution of Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) bacteria. Gastropods seas are marine invertebrates informed capable of production of secondary metabolites as antibacterial MDR. The purpose of the study was the isolation and identification of gastropod symbiont bacteria found in the waters of Krakal, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, which has the ability to produce antibacterial compounds against MDR(Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, MRSA (methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus homunis) molecular. Stages of this research began with the isolation of bacteria, bacteria screening for anti-MDR compound, mass culture, and extraction, antibacterial activity test, DNA extraction, amplification by PCR 16S rDNA and sequencing. The results of the study showed that 19 isolates of bacteria were isolated from three species of gastropods namely Littorina scabra, Cypraea moneta and Conus ebraeus. Among them, 4 isolates showed activity against MDR test bacteria (E. coli, E. cloacae, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and S. homunis). The highest activity was displayed by code LS.G1.8 isolate with the largest inhibition zone 15.47±0.45mm on S. humonis at 250 µg/disk concentration. Isolate CM.G2.1 showed largest inhibition zone, with 21.5±0.07mm on MRSA at 1000 µg/disk concentration and isolate the largest inhibition zone CM.G2.5 14.37±0.81mm on MRSA 14.37±0.81mm at concentrations 1000 µg/disk. The molecular identification of isolates LS.G1.8 has 99% homology with Bacillus subtilis and isolates CM.G2.1 has 99% homology with Bacillus pumillus.

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

Hopwood, J.E.; Affeldt, B.

An IBM personal computer (PC), a Gerber coordinate digitizer, and a collection of other instruments make up a system known as the Coordinate Digitizer Interactive Processor (CDIP). The PC extracts coordinate data from the digitizer through a special interface, and then, after reformatting, transmits the data to a remote VAX computer, a floppy disk, and a display terminal. This system has improved the efficiency of producing printed circuit-board artwork and extended the useful life of the Gerber GCD-1 Digitizer. 1 ref., 12 figs.

Detection of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in exhaled breath collected from cannabis users.

PubMed

Beck, Olof; Sandqvist, Sören; Dubbelboer, Ilse; Franck, Johan

2011-10-01

Exhaled breath has recently been proposed as a new possible matrix for drugs of abuse testing. A key drug is cannabis, and the present study was aimed at investigating the possibility of detecting tetrahydrocannabinol and tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid in exhaled breath after cannabis smoking. Exhaled breath was sampled from 10 regular cannabis users and 8 controls by directing the exhaled breath by suction through an Empore C(18) disk. The disk was extracted with hexane/ethyl acetate, and the resulting extract was evaporated to dryness and redissolved in 100 μL hexane/ethyl acetate. A 3-μL aliquot was injected onto the LC-MS-MS system and analyzed using positive electrospray ionization and selected reaction monitoring. In samples collected 1-12 h after cannabis smoking, tetrahydrocannabinol was detected in all 10 subjects. The rate of excretion was between 9.0 and 77.3 pg/min. Identification of tetrahydrocannabinol was based on correct retention time relative to tetrahydrocannabinol-d(3) and correct product ion ratio. In three samples, peaks were observed for tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid, but these did not fulfill identification criteria. Neither tetrahydrocannabinol or tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid was detected in the controls. These results confirm older reports that tetrahydrocannabinol is present in exhaled breath following cannabis smoking and extend the detection time from minutes to hours. The results further support the idea that exhaled breath is a promising matrix for drugs-of-abuse testing.

Assimilation of Tropical Cyclone Track and Wind Radius Data with an Ensemble Kalman Filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunii, M.

2014-12-01

Improving tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts is one of the most important issues in meteorology, but TC intensity forecasts are a challenging task. Because the lack of observations near TCs usually results in degraded accuracy of initial fields, utilizing TC advisory data in data assimilation typically has started with an ensemble Kalman filtering (EnKF). In this study, TC intensity and position information was directly assimilated using the EnKF, and the impact of these observations was investigated by comparing different assimilation strategies. Another experiment with TC wind radius data was carried out to examine the influence of TC shape parameters. Sensitivity experiments indicated that the assimilation of TC intensity and position data yielded results that were superior to those based on conventional assimilation of TC minimum sea level pressure as a standard surface pressure observation. Assimilation of TC radius data modified TC outer circulations closer to observations. The impacts of these TC parameters were also evaluated using the case of Typhoon Talas in 2011. The TC intensity, position, and wind radius data led to improved TC track forecasts and thence to improved precipitation forecasts. These results imply that initialization with these TC-related observations benefits TC forecasts, offering promise for the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters caused by TCs.

Amino acid precursors in lunar fines - Limits to the contribution of jet exhaust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, S. W.; Harada, K.; Hare, P. E.

1976-01-01

A sample of lunar fines collected at a maximum distance, 6.5 km, from the descent engine on Apollo 17 has been analyzed for total amino acids obtainable by hydrolysis of aqueous extracts. The minimum amounts of amino acids, calculated for a disk of 6 km radius are 10,000 to 100,000 times those which could be contributed by the lunar module jet exhaust, on the basis of conservatively limiting assumptions. The amino acids thus obtained are not explainable as due to chemical or biological contamination; their source is accordingly inferred as lunar. Under the conditions of hydrolysis of lunar extracts, cyanide is found to be converted, almost exclusively to glycine, to an extent of 0.0001.

Independent component analysis for automatic note extraction from musical trills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Judith C.; Smaragdis, Paris

2004-05-01

The method of principal component analysis, which is based on second-order statistics (or linear independence), has long been used for redundancy reduction of audio data. The more recent technique of independent component analysis, enforcing much stricter statistical criteria based on higher-order statistical independence, is introduced and shown to be far superior in separating independent musical sources. This theory has been applied to piano trills and a database of trill rates was assembled from experiments with a computer-driven piano, recordings of a professional pianist, and commercially available compact disks. The method of independent component analysis has thus been shown to be an outstanding, effective means of automatically extracting interesting musical information from a sea of redundant data.

Effect of Technetium-99 sources on its retention in low activity waste glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luksic, Steven A.; Kim, Dong-Sang; Um, Wooyong; Wang, Guohui; Schweiger, Michael J.; Soderquist, Chuck Z.; Lukens, Wayne; Kruger, Albert A.

2018-05-01

Small-scale crucible melting tests on simulated waste glass were performed with technetium-99 (Tc-99) introduced as different species in a representative low activity waste simulant. The glass saw an increase in Tc-99 retention when TcO2•2H2O and various Tc-minerals containing reduced tetravalent Tc were used compared to tests in which pertechnetate with heptavalent Tc was used. We postulate that the increase of Tc retention is likely caused by different reaction paths for Tc incorporation into glass during early stages of melting, rather than the low volatility of reduced tetravalent Tc compounds, which has been a generally accepted idea. Additional studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms relevant to the effect of reduced Tc compounds on Tc incorporation into or volatilization from the glass melt.

Antidiabetic, renal/hepatic/pancreas/cardiac protective and antioxidant potential of methanol/dichloromethane extract of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. stem bark (ALEx) on streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Hypoglycemic and/or anti-hyperglycemic activities have been recorded with numerous plants, many of which are used as traditional herbal treatments of diabetes. Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. stem bark have been used in traditional medicine along with some preliminary reports on its hypoglycemic action. The aim of present investigation was to evaluate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of methanolic extract of stem bark of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Methods The powdered stem bark of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth.. was extracted with methanol (MeOH) using soxhlation method and subjected to phytochemical analysis. The methanol/dichloromethane extract of Albizzia Lebbeck Benth. (ALEx) was concentrated to dryness using Rotary Evaporator. Diabetes was experimentally induced in the rats by single intraperitoneal administration of Streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). They glycemic control was measured by the blood glucose, glycated heamoglobin and plasma insulin. The oxidative stress was evaluated in the liver and kidney by level of antioxidant markers and various biochemical parameters were assessed in diabetic control and extract treated rats. Results Streptozotocin induced diabetic rats depicted the increased blood glucose levels, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), diminished level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) level and perturb level of antioxidant markers. Oral administration of MeAL at a concentration of 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg b.w daily for 30 days results a momentous decrease in fasting blood glucose, glycated heamoglobin and enhancement of plasma insulin level as compared with STZ induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, it significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the level of TC, TG, and LDL-c, VLDL-c. While it increases the level of HDL-c to a significant (p < 0.05) level. The treatment also resulted in a marked increase in reduced glutathione, glutathione Peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase and diminished level of lipid peroxidation in liver and kidney of STZ induced diabetic rats. Histopathological studies suggest the diminution in the pancreatic, liver and cardiac muscle damage. Conclusion Our research exertion clearly indicates the considerable antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant & pancreas/renal/hepatic/cardiac protective action of ALEx. PMID:25026962

The Regulation of Alfalfa Saponin Extract on Key Genes Involved in Hepatic Cholesterol Metabolism in Hyperlipidemic Rats

PubMed Central

Shi, Yinghua; Guo, Rui; Wang, Xianke; Yuan, Dedi; Zhang, Senhao; Wang, Jie; Yan, Xuebing; Wang, Chengzhang

2014-01-01

To investigate the cholesterol-lowering effects of alfalfa saponin extract (ASE) and its regulation mechanism on some key genes involved in cholesterol metabolism, 40 healthy 7 weeks old male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups with 10 rats in each group: control group, hyperlipidemic group, ASE treatment group, ASE prevention group. The body weight gain, relative liver weight and serum lipid 1evels of rats were determined. Total cholesterol (TC) and total bile acids (TBA) levels in liver and feces were also measured. Furthermore, the activity and mRNA expressions of Hmgcr, Acat2, Cyp7a1 and Ldlr were investigated. The results showed the following: (1) The abnormal serum lipid levels in hyperlipidemic rats were ameliorated by ASE administration (both ASE prevention group and treatment group) (P<0.05). (2) Both ASE administration to hyperlipidemic rats significantly reduced liver TC and increased liver TBA level (P<0.05). TC and TBA levels in feces of hyperlipidemic rats were remarkably elevated by both ASE administration (P<0.05). (3) mRNA expressions of Hmgcr and Acat2 in the liver of hyperlipidemic rats were remarkably down-regulated (P<0.05), as well as mRNA expressions of Cyp7a1 and Ldlr were dramatically up-regulated by both ASE administration (P<0.05). The activities of these enzymes also paralleled the observed changes in mRNA levels. (4) There was no significant difference between ASE treatment and ASE prevention group for most parameters evaluated. Our present study indicated that ASE had cholesterol-lowering effects. The possible mechanism could be attributed to (1) the down-regulation of Hmgcr and Acat2, as well as up-regulation of Cyp7a1 and Ldlr in the liver of hyperlipidemic rats, which was involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, uptake, and efflux pathway; (2) the increase in excretion of cholesterol. The findings in our study suggested ASE had great potential usefulness as a natural agent for treating hyperlipidemia. PMID:24505463

Cholesterol negatively regulates IL-9-producing CD8+ T cell differentiation and antitumor activity.

PubMed

Ma, Xingzhe; Bi, Enguang; Huang, Chunjian; Lu, Yong; Xue, Gang; Guo, Xing; Wang, Aibo; Yang, Maojie; Qian, Jianfei; Dong, Chen; Yi, Qing

2018-05-09

CD8 + T cells can be polarized into IL-9-secreting (Tc9) cells. We previously showed that adoptive therapy using tumor-specific Tc9 cells generated stronger antitumor responses in mouse melanoma than classical Tc1 cells. To understand why Tc9 cells exert stronger antitumor responses, we used gene profiling to compare Tc9 and Tc1 cells. Tc9 cells expressed different levels of cholesterol synthesis and efflux genes and possessed significantly lower cholesterol content than Tc1 cells. Unique to Tc9, but not other CD8 + or CD4 + T cell subsets, manipulating cholesterol content in polarizing Tc9 cells significantly affected IL-9 expression and Tc9 differentiation and antitumor response in vivo. Mechanistic studies showed that IL-9 was indispensable for Tc9 cell persistence and antitumor effects, and cholesterol or its derivatives inhibited IL-9 expression by activating liver X receptors (LXRs), leading to LXR Sumoylation and reduced p65 binding to Il9 promoter. Our study identifies cholesterol as a critical regulator of Tc9 cell differentiation and function. © 2018 Ma et al.

Reductive Sequestration Of Pertechnetate (99TcO4–) By Nano Zerovalent Iron (nZVI) Transformed By Abiotic Sulfide

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

Fan, Dimin; Anitori, Roberto; Tebo, Bradley M.

2013-04-24

Under anoxic conditions, soluble 99TcO4– can be reduced to less soluble TcO2•nH2O, but the oxide is highly susceptible to reoxidation. Here we investigate an alternative strategy for remediation of Tc-contaminated groundwater whereby sequestration as Tc sulfide is favored by sulfidic conditions stimulated by nano zero-valent iron (nZVI). nZVI was pre-exposed to increasing concentrations of sulfide in simulated Hanford groundwater for 24 hrs to mimic the stages of aquifer sulfate reduction and onset of biotic sulfidogenesis. Solid-phase characterizations of the sulfidated nZVI confirmed the formation of nanocrystalline FeS phases, but higher S/Fe ratios (>0.112) did not result in the formation ofmore » significantly more FeS. The kinetics of Tc sequestration by these materials showed faster Tc removal rates with increasing S/Fe between S/Fe = 0–0.056, but decreasing Tc removal rates with S/Fe > 0.224. The more favorable Tc removal kinetics at low S/Fe could be due to a higher affinity of TcO4– for FeS (over iron oxides), and electron microscopy confirmed that the majority of the Tc was associated with FeS phases. The inhibition of Tc removal at high S/Fe appears to have been caused by excess HS–. X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that as S/Fe increased, Tc speciation shifted from TcO2•nH2O to TcS2. The most substantial change of Tc speciation occurred at low S/Fe, coinciding with the rapid increase of Tc removal rate. This agreement further confirms the importance of FeS in Tc sequestration.« less

Analysis of functions of the chitin deacetylase gene family in Tribolium castaneum.

PubMed

Arakane, Yasuyuki; Dixit, Radhika; Begum, Khurshida; Park, Yoonseong; Specht, Charles A; Merzendorfer, Hans; Kramer, Karl J; Muthukrishnan, Subbaratnam; Beeman, Richard W

2009-01-01

The expression profiles of nine genes encoding chitin deacetylase (CDA)-like proteins were studied during development and in various tissues of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, by RT-PCR. TcCDA1, TcCDA2 and TcCDA5 were expressed throughout all stages of development, while TcCDA6-9 were expressed predominantly during larval feeding stages. In situ hybridization experiments revealed that both TcCDA1 and TcCDA2 were expressed in epidermal cells. Polyclonal antibody to TcCDA1 detected an immunoreactive protein in larval tracheae. TcCDA6 through TcCDA9, which belong to a distinct subgroup of gut-specific CDAs, were transcribed in the cells lining the midgut, including epithelial cells. TcCDA3 was expressed in the thoracic muscles, whereas TcCDA4 was expressed in early imaginal appendages. To study the function(s) of individual TcCDA genes, double-stranded RNAs (dsRNA) specific for each gene were injected into insects at different developmental stages and the phenotypes were monitored. No visible phenotypic changes were observed after injection of dsRNAs for TcCDA3 to 9, whereas injection of dsRNAs for TcCDA1 or TcCDA2 affected all types of molts, including larval-larval, larval-pupal and pupal-adult. Insects treated with these dsRNAs could not shed the old cuticle and were trapped in their exuviae. Interestingly, unique and very dissimilar adult phenotypes were observed after injection of dsRNAs that specifically down-regulated either of the two alternatively spliced transcripts of TcCDA2, namely TcCDA2a or TcCDA2b. These results reveal functional specialization among T. castaneum CDA genes and splice variants.

Systematic XAS study on the reduction and uptake of Tc by magnetite and mackinawite.

PubMed

Yalçıntaş, Ezgi; Scheinost, Andreas C; Gaona, Xavier; Altmaier, Marcus

2016-11-28

The mechanisms for the reduction and uptake of Tc by magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) and mackinawite (FeS) are investigated using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES and EXAFS), in combination with thermodynamic calculations of the Tc/Fe systems and accurate characterization of the solution properties (pH m , pe, [Tc]). Batch sorption experiments were performed under strictly anoxic conditions using freshly prepared magnetite and mackinawite in 0.1 M NaCl solutions with varying initial Tc(vii) concentrations (2 × 10 -5 and 2 × 10 -4 M) and Tc loadings (400-900 ppm). XANES confirms the complete reduction of Tc(vii) to Tc(iv) in all investigated systems, as predicted from experimental (pH m + pe) measurements and thermodynamic calculations. Two Tc endmember species are identified by EXAFS in the magnetite system, Tc substituting for Fe in the magnetite structure and Tc-Tc dimers sorbed to the magnetite {111} faces through a triple bond. The sorption endmember is favoured at higher [Tc], whereas incorporation prevails at low [Tc] and less alkaline pH conditions. The key role of pH in the uptake mechanism is interpreted in terms of magnetite solubility, with higher [Fe] and greater recrystallization rates occurring at lower pH values. A TcS x -like phase is predominant in all investigated mackinawite systems, although the contribution of up to 20% of TcO 2 ·xH 2 O(s) (likely as surface precipitate) is observed for the highest investigated loadings (900 ppm). These results provide key inputs for an accurate mechanistic interpretation of the Tc uptake by magnetite and mackinawite, so far controversially discussed in the literature, and represent a highly relevant contribution to the investigation of Tc retention processes in the context of nuclear waste disposal.

Chagas' disease in Aboriginal and Creole communities from the Gran Chaco Region of Argentina: Seroprevalence and molecular parasitological characterization.

PubMed

Lucero, R H; Brusés, B L; Cura, C I; Formichelli, L B; Juiz, N; Fernández, G J; Bisio, M; Deluca, G D; Besuschio, S; Hernández, D O; Schijman, A G

2016-07-01

Most indigenous ethnias from Northern Argentina live in rural areas of "the Gran Chaco" region, where Trypanosoma cruzi is endemic. Serological and parasitological features have been poorly characterized in Aboriginal populations and scarce information exist regarding relevant T. cruzi discrete typing units (DTU) and parasitic loads. This study was focused to characterize T. cruzi infection in Qom, Mocoit, Pit'laxá and Wichi ethnias (N=604) and Creole communities (N=257) inhabiting rural villages from two highly endemic provinces of the Argentinean Gran Chaco. DNA extracted using Hexadecyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide reagent from peripheral blood samples was used for conventional PCR targeted to parasite kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA) and identification of DTUs using nuclear genomic markers. In kDNA-PCR positive samples from three rural Aboriginal communities of "Monte Impenetrable Chaqueño", minicircle signatures were characterized by Low stringency single primer-PCR and parasitic loads calculated using Real-Time PCR. Seroprevalence was higher in Aboriginal (47.98%) than in Creole (27.23%) rural communities (Chi square, p=4.e(-8)). A low seroprevalence (4.3%) was detected in a Qom settlement at the suburbs of Resistencia city (Fisher Exact test, p=2.e(-21)).The kDNA-PCR positivity was 42.15% in Aboriginal communities and 65.71% in Creole populations (Chi square, p=5.e(-4)). Among Aboriginal communities kDNA-PCR positivity was heterogeneous (Chi square, p=1.e(-4)). Highest kDNA-PCR positivity (79%) was detected in the Qom community of Colonia Aborigen and the lowest PCR positivity in two different surveys at the Wichi community of Misión Nueva Pompeya (33.3% in 2010 and 20.8% in 2014). TcV (or TcII/V/VI) was predominant in both Aboriginal and Creole communities, in agreement with DTU distribution reported for the region. Besides, two subjects were infected with TcVI, one with TcI and four presented mixed infections of TcV plus TcII/VI. Most minicircle signatures clustered according to their original localities, but in a few cases, signatures from one locality clustered with signatures from other village, suggesting circulation of the same strains in the area. Parasitic loads ranged from undetectable to around 50 parasite equivalents/mL, showing higher values than those generally observed in chronic Chagas disease patients living in urban centers of Argentina. Our findings reveal the persistence of high levels of infection in these neglected populations. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Clinical Trial with Sodium 99mTc-Pertechnetate Produced by a Medium-Energy Cyclotron: Biodistribution and Safety Assessment in Patients with Abnormal Thyroid Function.

PubMed

Selivanova, Svetlana V; Lavallée, Éric; Senta, Helena; Caouette, Lyne; McEwan, Alexander J B; Guérin, Brigitte; Lecomte, Roger; Turcotte, Éric

2017-05-01

A single-site prospective open-label clinical study with cyclotron-produced sodium 99m Tc-pertechnetate ( 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 ) was performed in patients with indications for a thyroid scan to demonstrate the clinical safety and diagnostic efficacy of the drug and to confirm its equivalence with conventional 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 eluted from a generator. Methods: 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 was produced from enriched 100 Mo (99.815%) with a cyclotron (24 MeV; 2 h of irradiation) or supplied by a commercial manufacturer (bulk vial eluted from a generator). Eleven patients received 325 ± 29 (mean ± SD) MBq of the cyclotron-produced 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 , whereas the age- and sex-matched controls received a comparable amount of the generator-derived tracer. Whole-body and thyroid planar images were obtained for each participant. In addition to the standard-energy window (140.5 keV ± 7.5%), data were acquired in lower-energy (117 keV ± 10%) and higher-energy (170 keV ± 10%) windows. Vital signs and hematologic and biochemical parameters were monitored before and after tracer administration. Results: Cyclotron-produced 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 showed organ and whole-body distributions identical to those of conventional 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 and was well tolerated. All images led to a clear final diagnosis. The fact that the number of counts in the higher-energy window was significantly higher for cyclotron-produced 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 did not influence image quality in the standard-energy window. Image definition in the standard-energy window with cyclotron-produced 99m Tc was equivalent to that with generator-eluted 99m Tc and had no particular features allowing discrimination between the 99m Tc production methods. Conclusion: The systemic distribution, clinical safety, and imaging efficacy of cyclotron-produced 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 in humans provide supporting evidence for the use of this tracer as an equivalent for generator-eluted 99m Tc-NaTcO 4 in routine clinical practice. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Monitoring of the Conformational Space of Dipeptides by Generative Topographic Mapping.

PubMed

Horvath, Dragos; Marcou, Gilles; Varnek, Alexandre

2018-01-01

This work describes a procedure to build generative topographic maps (GTM) as 2D representation of the conformational space (CS) of dipeptides. GTMs with excellent propensities to support highly predictive landscapes of various conformational properties were reported for three dipeptides (AA, KE and KR). CS monitoring via GTMproceeds through the projection of conformer ensembles on the map, producing cumulated responsibility (CR) vectors characteristic of the CS areas covered by the ensemble. Overlap of the CS areas visited by two distinct simulations can be expressed by the Tanimoto coefficient Tc of the associated CRs. This idea was used to monitor the reproducibility of the stochastic evolutionary conformer generation process implemented in S4MPLE. It could be shown that conformers produced by <500 S4MPLE runs reproducibly cover the relevant CS zone at given setup of the driving force field. The propensity of a simulation to visit the native CS zone can thus be quantitatively estimated, as the Tc score with respect to the "native" CR, as defined by the ensemble of dipeptide geometries extracted from PDB proteins. It could be shown that low-energy CS regions were indeed found to fall within the native zone. The Tc overlap score behaved as a smooth function of force field parameters. This opens the perspective of a novel force field parameter tuning procedure, bound to simultaneously optimize the behavior of the in Silico simulations for every possible dipeptide. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Testing the QCD string at large Nc from the thermodynamics of the hadronic phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Thomas D.

2007-02-01

It is generally believed that in the limit of a large number of colors (Nc) the description of confinement via flux tubes becomes valid and QCD can be modeled accurately via a hadronic string theory—at least for highly excited states. QCD at large Nc also has a well-defined deconfinement transition at a temperature Tc. In this talk it is shown how the thermodyanmics of the metastable hadronic phase of QCD (above Tc) at large NC can be related directly to properties of the effective QCD string. The key points in the derivation is the weakly interacting nature of hadrons at large Nc and the existence of a Hagedorn temperature TH for the effective string theory. From this it can be seen at large Nc and near TH, the energy density and pressure of the hadronic phase scale as E ˜ (TH - T)-(D⊥-6)/2 (for D⊥ < 6) and P ˜ (TH - T)-(D⊥-4)/2 (for D⊥ < 4) where D⊥ is the effective number of transverse dimensions of the string theory. This behavior for D⊥ < 6 is qualitatively different from typical models in statistical mechanics and if observed on the lattice would provide a direct test of the stringy nature of large Nc QCD. However since it can be seen that TH > Tc this behavior is of relevance only to the metastable phase. The prospect of using this result to extract D⊥ via lattice simulations of the metastable hadronic phase at moderately large Nc is discussed.

A fast and simple dose-calibrator-based quality control test for the radionuclidic purity of cyclotron-produced (99m)Tc.

PubMed

Tanguay, J; Hou, X; Esquinas, P; Vuckovic, M; Buckley, K; Schaffer, P; Bénard, F; Ruth, T J; Celler, A

2015-11-07

Cyclotron production of 99mTc through the (100)Mo(p,2n)99mTc reaction channel is actively being investigated as an alternative to reactor-based (99)Mo generation by nuclear fission of (235)U. Like most radioisotope production methods, cyclotron production of 99mTc will result in creation of unwanted impurities, including Tc and non-Tc isotopes. It is important to measure the amounts of these impurities for release of cyclotron-produced 99mTc (CPTc) for clinical use. Detection of radioactive impurities will rely on measurements of their gamma (γ) emissions. Gamma spectroscopy is not suitable for this purpose because the overwhelming presence of 99mTc and the count-rate limitations of γ spectroscopy systems preclude fast and accurate measurement of small amounts of impurities. In this article we describe a simple and fast method for measuring γ emission rates from radioactive impurities in CPTc. The proposed method is similar to that used to identify (99)Mo breakthrough in generator-produced 99mTc: one dose calibrator (DC) reading of a CPTc source placed in a lead shield is followed by a second reading of the same source in air. Our experimental and theoretical analysis show that the ratio of DC readings in lead to those in air are linearly related to γ emission rates from impurities per MBq of 99mTc over a large range of clinically-relevant production conditions. We show that estimates of the γ emission rates from Tc impurities per MBq of 99mTc can be used to estimate increases in radiation dose (relative to pure 99mTc) to patients injected with CPTc-based radiopharmaceuticals. This enables establishing dosimetry-based clinical-release criteria that can be tested using commercially-available dose calibrators. We show that our approach is highly sensitive to the presence of 93gTc, 93mTc, 94gTc, 94mTc, 95mTc, 95gTc, and 96gTc, in addition to a number of non-Tc impurities.

A fast and simple dose-calibrator-based quality control test for the radionuclidic purity of cyclotron-produced 99mTc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanguay, J.; Hou, X.; Esquinas, P.; Vuckovic, M.; Buckley, K.; Schaffer, P.; Bénard, F.; Ruth, T. J.; Celler, A.

2015-11-01

Cyclotron production of {{}99\\text{m}} Tc through the 100Mo(p,2n){{}99\\text{m}} Tc reaction channel is actively being investigated as an alternative to reactor-based 99Mo generation by nuclear fission of 235U. Like most radioisotope production methods, cyclotron production of {{}99\\text{m}} Tc will result in creation of unwanted impurities, including Tc and non-Tc isotopes. It is important to measure the amounts of these impurities for release of cyclotron-produced {{}99\\text{m}} Tc (CPTc) for clinical use. Detection of radioactive impurities will rely on measurements of their gamma (γ) emissions. Gamma spectroscopy is not suitable for this purpose because the overwhelming presence of {{}99\\text{m}} Tc and the count-rate limitations of γ spectroscopy systems preclude fast and accurate measurement of small amounts of impurities. In this article we describe a simple and fast method for measuring γ emission rates from radioactive impurities in CPTc. The proposed method is similar to that used to identify 99Mo breakthrough in generator-produced {{}99\\text{m}} Tc: one dose calibrator (DC) reading of a CPTc source placed in a lead shield is followed by a second reading of the same source in air. Our experimental and theoretical analysis show that the ratio of DC readings in lead to those in air are linearly related to γ emission rates from impurities per MBq of {{}99\\text{m}} Tc over a large range of clinically-relevant production conditions. We show that estimates of the γ emission rates from Tc impurities per MBq of {{}99\\text{m}} Tc can be used to estimate increases in radiation dose (relative to pure {{}99\\text{m}} Tc) to patients injected with CPTc-based radiopharmaceuticals. This enables establishing dosimetry-based clinical-release criteria that can be tested using commercially-available dose calibrators. We show that our approach is highly sensitive to the presence of {{}93\\text{g}} Tc, {{}93\\text{m}} Tc, {{}94\\text{g}} Tc, {{}94\\text{m}} Tc, {{}95\\text{m}} Tc, {{}95\\text{g}} Tc, and {{}96\\text{g}} Tc, in addition to a number of non-Tc impurities.

Spectroscopic Properties of Tc(I) Tricarbonyl Species Relevant to the Hanford Tank Waste

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

Levitskaia, Tatiana G.; Andersen, Amity; Chatterjee, Sayandev

2015-12-04

Technetium-99 (Tc) exists predominately in soluble forms in the liquid supernatant and salt cake fractions of the nuclear tank waste stored at the U.S. DOE Hanford Site. In the strongly alkaline environments prevalent in the tank waste, its dominant chemical form is pertechnetate (TcO4-, oxidation state +7). However, attempts to remove Tc from the Hanford tank waste using ion-exchange processes specific to TcO 4 - only met with limited success, particularly processing tank waste samples containing elevated concentrations of organic complexants. This suggests that a significant fraction of the soluble Tc can be present as non-pertechnetate low-valent Tc (oxidation statemore » < +7) (non-pertechnetate). The chemical identities of these non-pertechnetate species are poorly understood. Previous analysis of the SY-101 and SY-103 tank waste samples provided strong evidence that non-pertechnetate can be comprised of [Tc(CO) 3] + complexes containing Tc in oxidation state +1 (Lukens et al. 2004). During the last two years, our team has expanded this work and demonstrated that high-ionic-strength solutions typifying tank waste supernatants promote oxidative stability of the [Tc(CO) 3] + species (Rapko et al. 2013; Levitskaia et al. 2014). It also was observed that high-ionic-strength alkaline matrices stabilize Tc(VI) and potentially Tc(IV) oxidation states, particularly in presence organic chelators, suggesting that the relevant Tc compounds can serve as important redox intermediates facilitating the reduction of Tc(VII) to Tc(I). Designing strategies for effective Tc processing, including separation and immobilization, necessitates understanding the molecular structure of these non-pertechnetate species and their identification in the actual tank waste samples. To-date, only limited information exists regarding the nature and characterization of the Tc(I), Tc(IV), and Tc(VI) species. One objective of this project is to identify the form of non-pertechnetate in the Hanford waste. To do this, we are developing a spectral library of reference non-pertechnetate compounds that can be compared against actual waste samples. The emphasis of the fiscal year 2015 work was Tc(I) tricarbonyl [Tc(CO) 3] + compounds. The key findings are summarized below.« less

Photochemical behavior of the quadruply metal-metal bonded [Tc 2Cl 8] 2– anion in acetonitrile

DOE PAGES

Burton-Pye, Benjamin P.; Poineau, Frederic; Bertoia, Julie; ...

2016-09-23

Here, the photochemical behavior of [Tc 2Cl 8] 2– was investigated in acetonitrile. The speciation of Tc before and after irradiation at 254 nm was performed by UV-visible spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Upon irradiation at 254 nm, [Tc 2Cl 8] 2– was unstable, the scission of the Tc ≡ Tc unit occurred and the complex [TcCl 4(CH 3CN) 2] was identified. The disappearance rate of [M 2Cl 8] 2– (M = Tc, Re) under irradiation has been measured and was ~7.5 time faster for Tc than for Re.

Extraction of long-chain fatty acids in isolated rat heart during acute low-flow ischemia.

PubMed

Richter, W S; Fischer, S; Ernst, N; Munz, D L

2001-07-01

Although beta-oxidation of fatty acids is suppressed rapidly during ischemia, the behavior of fatty acid extraction at different flow rates is incompletely understood. This study assessed the relationship between flow and extraction of (123)I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (IPPA) in the isolated heart model, especially at low flow. Isolated hearts from male Wistar rats (n = 15) were subjected to retrograde perfusion with constant flow (Krebs Henseleit solution containing 10 mmol/L glucose). A latex balloon in the left ventricle allowed isovolumetric contractions and ventricular pressure measurements. The extraction of (123)I-IPPA was assessed with the indicator dilution technique and (99m)Tc-albumin as the intravascular reference. The flow was either increased from the control flow (8 mL/min) until 300% or reduced until 10%. (123)I-IPPA extraction was measured three times before and 10 min after flow alteration. The tracer uptake was estimated from the product of net extraction and flow. The mean (123)I-IPPA extraction at the control flow (third measurement) was 51.6% +/- 2.8%. Between flow rates of approximately 25% and 300%, (123)I-IPPA extraction increased exponentially at decreasing flow rates. At flow rates < or =25% of the control flow, (123)I-IPPA extraction was exponentially higher than predicted. (123)I-IPPA uptake and flow changed largely in parallel. During low flow, the rate-pressure product showed the expected decline (perfusion-contraction matching). The extraction of (123)I-IPPA is preserved and slightly increased (relative to flow) during acute low-flow ischemia.

Effect of Technetium-99 sources on its retention in low activity waste glass

DOE PAGES

Luksic, Steven A.; Kim, Dong Sang; Um, Wooyong; ...

2018-03-02

Small-scale crucible melting tests on simulated waste glass were performed with technetium-99 (Tc-99) introduced as different species in a representative low activity waste simulant. The glass saw an increase in Tc-99 retention when TcO 2∙2H 2O and various Tc-minerals containing reduced tetravalent Tc were used compared to tests in which pertechnetate with heptavalent Tc was used. Here, we postulate that the increase of Tc retention is likely caused by different reaction paths for Tc incorporation into glass during early stages of melting, rather than the low volatility of reduced tetravalent Tc compounds, which has been a generally accepted idea. Finally,more » additional studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms relevant to the effect of reduced Tc compounds on Tc incorporation into or volatilization from the glass melt.« less

Effect of Technetium-99 sources on its retention in low activity waste glass

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

Luksic, Steven A.; Kim, Dong-Sang; Um, Wooyong

Small-scale crucible melting tests on simulated waste glass were performed with technetium-99 (Tc-99) introduced as different species in a representative low activity waste simulant. The glass saw an increase in Tc-99 retention when TcO2∙2H2O and various Tc-minerals containing reduced tetravalent Tc were used compared to tests in which pertechnetate with hexavalent Tc was used. We postulate that the increase of Tc retention is likely caused by different reaction paths for Tc incorporation into glass during early stages of melting, rather than the low volatility of reduced tetravalent Tc compounds, which has been a generally accepted idea. Additional studies are neededmore » to clarify the exact mechanisms relevant to the effect of reduced Tc compounds on Tc incorporation into or volatilization from glass melt.« less

Effect of Technetium-99 sources on its retention in low activity waste glass

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

Luksic, Steven A.; Kim, Dong Sang; Um, Wooyong

Small-scale crucible melting tests on simulated waste glass were performed with technetium-99 (Tc-99) introduced as different species in a representative low activity waste simulant. The glass saw an increase in Tc-99 retention when TcO 2∙2H 2O and various Tc-minerals containing reduced tetravalent Tc were used compared to tests in which pertechnetate with heptavalent Tc was used. Here, we postulate that the increase of Tc retention is likely caused by different reaction paths for Tc incorporation into glass during early stages of melting, rather than the low volatility of reduced tetravalent Tc compounds, which has been a generally accepted idea. Finally,more » additional studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms relevant to the effect of reduced Tc compounds on Tc incorporation into or volatilization from the glass melt.« less

Effect of Technetium-99 sources on its retention in low activity waste glass

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

Luksic, Steven A.; Kim, Dong-Sang; Um, Wooyong

© 2018 Small-scale crucible melting tests on simulated waste glass were performed with technetium-99 (Tc-99) introduced as different species in a representative low activity waste simulant. The glass saw an increase in Tc-99 retention when TcO 2 ∙2H 2 O and various Tc-minerals containing reduced tetravalent Tc were used compared to tests in which pertechnetate with heptavalent Tc was used. We postulate that the increase of Tc retention is likely caused by different reaction paths for Tc incorporation into glass during early stages of melting, rather than the low volatility of reduced tetravalent Tc compounds, which has been a generallymore » accepted idea. Additional studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms relevant to the effect of reduced Tc compounds on Tc incorporation into or volatilization from the glass melt.« less

Effect of Technetium-99 sources on its retention in low activity waste glass

DOE PAGES

Luksic, Steven A.; Kim, Dong-Sang; Um, Wooyong; ...

2018-05-01

© 2018 Small-scale crucible melting tests on simulated waste glass were performed with technetium-99 (Tc-99) introduced as different species in a representative low activity waste simulant. The glass saw an increase in Tc-99 retention when TcO 2 ∙2H 2 O and various Tc-minerals containing reduced tetravalent Tc were used compared to tests in which pertechnetate with heptavalent Tc was used. We postulate that the increase of Tc retention is likely caused by different reaction paths for Tc incorporation into glass during early stages of melting, rather than the low volatility of reduced tetravalent Tc compounds, which has been a generallymore » accepted idea. Additional studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms relevant to the effect of reduced Tc compounds on Tc incorporation into or volatilization from the glass melt.« less

Altered [99mTc]Tc-MDP biodistribution from neutron activation sourced 99Mo.

PubMed

Demeter, Sandor; Szweda, Roman; Patterson, Judy; Grigoryan, Marine

2018-01-01

Given potential worldwide shortages of fission sourced 99 Mo/ 99m Tc medical isotopes there is increasing interest in alternate production strategies. A neutron activated 99 Mo source was utilized in a single center phase III open label study comparing 99m Tc, as 99m Tc Methylene Diphosphonate ([ 99m Tc]Tc-MDP), obtained from solvent generator separation of neutron activation produced 99 Mo, versus nuclear reactor produced 99 Mo (e.g., fission sourced) in oncology patients for which an [ 99m Tc]Tc-MDP bone scan would normally have been indicated. Despite the investigational [ 99m Tc]Tc-MDP passing all standard, and above standard of care, quality assurance tests, which would normally be sufficient to allow human administration, there was altered biodistribution which could lead to erroneous clinical interpretation. The cause of the altered biodistribution remains unknown and requires further research.

Theoretical Modeling of (99)Tc NMR Chemical Shifts.

PubMed

Hall, Gabriel B; Andersen, Amity; Washton, Nancy M; Chatterjee, Sayandev; Levitskaia, Tatiana G

2016-09-06

Technetium-99 (Tc) displays a rich chemistry due to its wide range of accessible oxidation states (from -I to +VII) and ability to form coordination compounds. Determination of Tc speciation in complex mixtures is a major challenge, and (99)Tc nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is widely used to probe chemical environments of Tc in odd oxidation states. However, interpretation of (99)Tc NMR data is hindered by the lack of reference compounds. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations can help to fill this gap, but to date few computational studies have focused on (99)Tc NMR of compounds and complexes. This work evaluates the effectiveness of both pure generalized gradient approximation and their corresponding hybrid functionals, both with and without the inclusion of scalar relativistic effects, to model the (99)Tc NMR spectra of Tc(I) carbonyl compounds. With the exception of BLYP, which performed exceptionally well overall, hybrid functionals with inclusion of scalar relativistic effects are found to be necessary to accurately calculate (99)Tc NMR spectra. The computational method developed was used to tentatively assign an experimentally observed (99)Tc NMR peak at -1204 ppm to fac-Tc(CO)3(OH)3(2-). This study examines the effectiveness of DFT computations for interpretation of the (99)Tc NMR spectra of Tc(I) coordination compounds in high salt alkaline solutions.

Antibacterial activity study of Attacus atlas cocoon against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with diffusion and dilution method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aminah; Nugraheni, E. R.; Yugatama, A.

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity from Attacus atlas cocoon extract against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) with 3 diffferent solvents polar, semi-polar and non polar which was ethanol, ethyl acetate and chloroform, also to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the extract. Cocoon was extracted with maceration method using 3 solvents with ratio of sample and solvent 1:10. Antibacterial activity of the Extracts obtained was evaluated with Agar disk diffusion method. The best result was then continued to determine the MIC and MBC of the extract using broth macro-dilution method. The results show that each of the extracts have antibacterial activity with broad spectrum against two different type of bacteria at concentration of 1 g/mL with different clear zone between these extracts. Clear zone from the biggest to the smallest against Escherichia coli was ethyl acetate (10.5 mm), chloroform (9 mm) and ethanol (8 mm). While against Staphylococcus aureus, was obtained by chloroform (12.5 mm), ethyl acetate (10.5 mm) and ethanol (7 mm). The MIC value of extracts can not be determine. The smallest MBC value against both bacteria was obtained by ethyl acetate with concentration of 3.125% b/v as a bactericidal.

Statistical evaluation of fatty acid profile and cholesterol content in fish (common carp) lipids obtained by different sample preparation procedures.

PubMed

Spiric, Aurelija; Trbovic, Dejana; Vranic, Danijela; Djinovic, Jasna; Petronijevic, Radivoj; Matekalo-Sverak, Vesna

2010-07-05

Studies performed on lipid extraction from animal and fish tissues do not provide information on its influence on fatty acid composition of the extracted lipids as well as on cholesterol content. Data presented in this paper indicate the impact of extraction procedures on fatty acid profile of fish lipids extracted by the modified Soxhlet and ASE (accelerated solvent extraction) procedure. Cholesterol was also determined by direct saponification method, too. Student's paired t-test used for comparison of the total fat content in carp fish population obtained by two extraction methods shows that differences between values of the total fat content determined by ASE and modified Soxhlet method are not statistically significant. Values obtained by three different methods (direct saponification, ASE and modified Soxhlet method), used for determination of cholesterol content in carp, were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The obtained results show that modified Soxhlet method gives results which differ significantly from the results obtained by direct saponification and ASE method. However the results obtained by direct saponification and ASE method do not differ significantly from each other. The highest quantities for cholesterol (37.65 to 65.44 mg/100 g) in the analyzed fish muscle were obtained by applying direct saponification method, as less destructive one, followed by ASE (34.16 to 52.60 mg/100 g) and modified Soxhlet extraction method (10.73 to 30.83 mg/100 g). Modified Soxhlet method for extraction of fish lipids gives higher values for n-6 fatty acids than ASE method (t(paired)=3.22 t(c)=2.36), while there is no statistically significant difference in the n-3 content levels between the methods (t(paired)=1.31). The UNSFA/SFA ratio obtained by using modified Soxhlet method is also higher than the ratio obtained using ASE method (t(paired)=4.88 t(c)=2.36). Results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the highest positive impact to the second principal component (PC2) is recorded by C18:3 n-3, and C20:3 n-6, being present in a higher amount in the samples treated by the modified Soxhlet extraction, while C22:5 n-3, C20:3 n-3, C22:1 and C20:4, C16 and C18 negatively influence the score values of the PC2, showing significantly increased level in the samples treated by ASE method. Hotelling's paired T-square test used on the first three principal components for confirmation of differences in individual fatty acid content obtained by ASE and Soxhlet method in carp muscle showed statistically significant difference between these two data sets (T(2)=161.308, p<0.001). Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The drought response of Theobroma cacao (cacao) and the regulation of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis by drought and other stresses.

PubMed

Bae, Hanhong; Kim, Soo-Hyung; Kim, Moon S; Sicher, Richard C; Lary, David; Strem, Mary D; Natarajan, Savithiry; Bailey, Bryan A

2008-02-01

Drought can negatively impact pod production despite the fact that cacao production usually occurs in tropical areas having high rainfall. Polyamines (PAs) have been associated with the response of plants to drought in addition to their roles in responses to many other stresses. The constitutive and drought inducible expression patterns of genes encoding enzymes involved in PA biosynthesis were determined: an ornithine decarboxylase (TcODC), an arginine decarboxylase (TcADC), an S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (TcSAMDC), a spermidine synthase (TcSPDS), and a spermine synthase (TcSPMS). Expression analysis using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (QPCR) results showed that the PA biosynthesis genes were expressed in all plant tissues examined. Constitutive expression of PA biosynthesis genes was generally highest in mature leaves and open flowers. Expression of TcODC, TcADC, and TcSAMDC was induced with the onset of drought and correlated with changes in stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, photosystem II efficiency, leaf water potential and altered emission of blue-green fluorescence from cacao leaves. Induction of TcSAMDC in leaves was most closely correlated with changes in water potential. The earliest measured responses to drought were enhanced expression of TcADC and TcSAMDC in roots along with decreases in stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and photosystem II efficiency. Elevated levels of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine were detected in cacao leaves 13days after the onset of drought. Expression of all five PA associated transcripts was enhanced (1.5-3-fold) in response to treatment with abscisic acid. TcODC and TcADC, were also responsive to mechanical wounding, infection by Phytophthora megakarya (a causal agent of black pod disease in cacao), the necrosis- and ethylene-inducing protein (Nep1) of Fusarium oxysporum, and flower abscission. TcSAMDC expression was responsive to all stresses except flower abscission. TcODC, although constitutively expressed at much lower levels than TcADC, TcSAMDC, TcSPDS, and TcSPMS, was highly inducible by the fungal protein Nep1 (135-fold) and the cacao pathogen Phytophthora megakarya (671-fold). The full length cDNA for ODC was cloned and characterized. Among the genes studied, TcODC, TcADC, and TcSAMDC were most sensitive to induction by drought in addition to other abiotic and biotic stresses. TcODC, TcADC, and TcSAMDC may share signal transduction pathways and/or the stress induced signal induction pathways may converge at these three genes leading to similar although not identical patterns of expression. It is possible altering PA levels in cacao will result in enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses including drought and disease as has been demonstrated in other crops.

Changes in total phenol, flavonoid contents and anti-Lactobacillus activity of Callisia fragrans due to extraction solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Thom; Cao, Diem Kieu; Pham, Thanh Vy; Huynh, Tan Dat; Ta, Nhat Thuy Anh; Nguyen, Ngoc Thao Linh; Nguyen, Huu Thanh; Le, Hue Huong; Bui, Anh Vo; Truong, Dieu-Hien

2018-04-01

Callisia fragrans is a wonder herb with many medicinal properties such as burn, dental diseases, cancer diseases and arthritis in folk medicine. It is noted that the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of traditional plants depend on not only the extracting method but also the solvent used for extraction. In this study, the effect of five extraction solvents (i.e., distilled water, 80% methanol, 80% ethanol, 80% ethyl acetate, and 80% chloroform) on yield, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of Callisia leaves was determined. Besides, changes in anti-Lactobacillus fermentum activity of C. fragrans freeze-dried extract was also evaluated using disk-diffusion method. The recovery percentage of extractable yield of fresh leaves are ranged from 11.93% w/w for distilled water extract to 16.60% w/w for aqueous ethanol extracts. The yield of 80% aqueous methanol extract (16.27% w/w) is only slightly less than that of the ethanol extract. Significant differences were observed among TPC and TFC obtaining by 80% methanol (0.0522% and 0.0335% w/w, respectively) compared to other solvents (p < 0.05). TPC and TFC of C. fragrans extracts increase in the following order: distilled water < 80% chloroform < 80% ethyl acetate < 80% ethanol < 80% methanol. The results revealed that 80% aqueous methanol Calissia extracts has moderate inhibition (9.0 mm of inhibition zone for 1.5 mg/mL of extracts) of L. fermentum compared to standard antibacterial agent. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that the yield, TPC and TFC of C. frgrans extract varied with the extracting solvent. It also showed that Callisia extracts can prevent dental caries by inhibiting the growth of L. fermentum, towards new insights for treatment of dental caries.

Identification of novel mammalian hosts and Brazilian biome geographic distribution of Trypanosoma cruzi TcIII and TcIV.

PubMed

Barros, Juliana Helena S; Xavier, Samanta Cristina C; Bilac, Daniele; Lima, Valdirene Santos; Dario, Maria Augusta; Jansen, Ana Maria

2017-08-01

Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasitic protozoan responsible for Chagas disease. Seven different Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) of T. cruzi are currently identified in nature: TcI-TcVI, and TcBat whose distribution patterns in nature, hosts/reservoirs and eco-epidemiological importance are still little known. Here, we present novel data on the geographic distribution and diversity of mammalian hosts and vectors of T. cruzi DTUs TcIII and TcIV. In this study, we analyzed 61 T. cruzi isolates obtained from 18 species of mammals (five orders) and two Hemiptera genera. Samples were collected from five Brazilian biomes (Pantanal, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Rainforest, and Amazon) previously characterized as Z3 or mixed infection (TcI-Z3) by mini-exon gene PCR. To identify TcIII and TcIV genotypes, we applied restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to the PCR-amplified histone 3 gene. DTUs TcIII and TcIV were identified in single and mixed infections from wide dispersion throughout five Brazilian biomes studied, with TcIV being the most common. Pantanal was the biome that displayed the largest number of samples characterized as TcIII and TcIV in single and mixed infections, followed by Atlantic Rainforest and Amazon. Species from the Didelphimorphia order displayed the highest frequency of infection and were found in all five biomes. We report, for the first time, the infection of a species of the Artiodactyla order by DTU TcIII. In addition, we describe new host species: five mammals (marsupials and rodents) and two genera of Hemiptera. Our data indicate that DTUs TcIII and TcIV are more widespread and infect a larger number of mammalian species than previously thought. In addition, they are transmitted in restricted foci and cycles, but in different microhabitats and areas with distinct ecological profiles. Finally, we show that DTUs TcIII and TcIV do not present any specific association with biomes or host species. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A novel approach for the analysis of dimethylarsinic acid in various liquid samples by WDXRF combined to pre-concentration with solid phase extraction disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, J.; Kim, J.; Kong, M.; Kim, K.; Yoon, H.

2012-12-01

Once dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was considered to a product of detoxification (biomethylation) of inorganic arsenicals in organisms, it is now thought to have severe health risk. Since DMA had been widely employed in industrial and agricultural fields (e.g., pesticides and herbicides), it was one of the most often determined species in the published literatures for last decades. In the present study, DMA was pre-concentrated from various liquid samples with strong cation exchange (SCX) disk functionalized with sulfonic groups, and then analyzed by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (WDXRF). While arsenate (iAsV), arsenite (iAsIII), and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were not retained on the SCX disk at all, DMA was perfectly adsorbed onto the surface of SCX disk. We optimized analytical conditions of SCX-WDXRF system and its calibration curve exhibited a strong linearity (R2 = 0.9996). Limit of detection (LOD) was achieved to 0.254 μg/L if a 1 L of liquid sample was used. We aimed to achieve improved instrumental sensitivity and the LOD for the analysis of DMA in liquid samples compared to high performance liquid chromatography linked to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICPMS) conventionally used in arsenic speciation researches. Spike tests for iAsV, iAsIII, MMA, and DMA in three types of liquid samples (i.e., deionized water, synthetic seawater and landfill leachate) showed quantitative recoveries (i.e., 95-105%) when the line overlap between As-Kα and Pb-Lα was corrected. This system highlights a very good option in arsenic speciation fields due to its extreme simplicity of operation and low cost.

Comparison of the tensile bond strength of high-noble, noble, and base metal alloys bonded to enamel.

PubMed

Sen, D; Nayir, E; Pamuk, S

2000-11-01

Although the bond strengths of various resin composite luting materials have been reported in the literature, the evaluation of these systems with various cast alloys of different compositions has not been completely clarified. To evaluate the tensile bond strength of sandblasted high-noble, noble, and base metal alloys bonded to etched enamel by 2 different bonding agents of different chemical composition: Panavia-Ex (BIS-GMA) and Super-Bond (4-META acrylic). Flat enamel surfaces were prepared on buccal surfaces of 60 extracted noncarious human incisors. Teeth were divided into 3 groups of 20 each. Twenty circular disks of 5 mm diameter were prepared for casting for each group. Group I was cast with a high-noble, group II with a noble, and group III with a base metal alloy. The surfaces of the disks were sandblasted with 250 microm Al(2)O(3). Ten disks of each group were bonded to exposed enamel surfaces with Super-Bond and 10 disks with Panavia-Ex as recommended by the manufacturer. The tensile bond strength was measured with an Instron universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min until failure occurred. Two-way ANOVA was used to evaluate the results. The differences in bond strengths of Super-Bond and Panavia-Ex with different alloys were not significant. The highest bond strengths were obtained in base metal alloys, followed by noble and high-noble alloys. These results were significant. Panavia-Ex and Super-Bond exhibited comparable tensile bond strengths. For both luting agents, the highest bond strengths were achieved with base metal alloys and the lowest with high-noble alloys.

The distinct optic disk and peripapillary appearance in Donnai-Barrow syndrome.

PubMed

Khan, Arif O; Ghazi, Nicola G

2018-06-01

Biallelic mutations in low-density lipoprotein-related protein 2 (LRP2) cause the multi-system Donnai-Barrow syndrome (facio-oculo-acoustico-renal syndrome). Although Donnai-Barrow syndrome is recognized as a form of vitreo-retinopathy, the ocular phenotype has not been well defined. The purpose of this study is to document the disk and peripapillary appearance in Donnai-Barrow syndrome. Retrospective cases series (five children with low vision from a consanguineous Emirati family known to harbor LRP2 mutation (NM_004525.2: c.7564T>C; p.Y42522H)). All five children had high myopia (spherical equivalent from -15 to -22). One had an ophthalmic phenotypic pathognomonic for Knobloch syndrome, and genetic testing confirmed a homozygous novel COL18A1 mutation (NM_130455.3: c.2978_2987del; p.Pro993Leufs*35) with heterozygosity for the LRP2 mutation. The other four children, confirmed to be homozygous for the LRP2 mutation, had hypertelorism and down-slanting palpebral fissures. Three had spontaneous retinal detachment (two bilateral and one unilateral) with complicated post-surgical courses following retinal detachment repair. The three eyes (two children) without retinal detachment had a consistent unique optic nerve head appearance, with thin emanating vessels and multiple rings of depigmentation that made it difficult to discern the edge of the apparently small and recessed neuroretinal rim. This distinct appearance was also present in the post-surgical eyes which were not phthisical and seemed present in the single published posterior pole image found during literature review. A distinctive optic nerve head dysgenesis is part of Donnai-Barrow syndrome and can help distinguish its ocular phenotype from other vitreo-retinopathies associated with high myopia.

Comparison of Tc-99m maraciclatide and Tc-99m sestamibi molecular breast imaging in patients with suspected breast cancer.

PubMed

O'Connor, Michael K; Morrow, Melissa M B; Hunt, Katie N; Boughey, Judy C; Wahner-Roedler, Dietlind L; Conners, Amy Lynn; Rhodes, Deborah J; Hruska, Carrie B

2017-12-01

Molecular breast imaging (MBI) performed with 99m Tc sestamibi has been shown to be a valuable technique for the detection of breast cancer. Alternative radiotracers such as 99m Tc maraciclatide may offer improved uptake in breast lesions. The purpose of this study was to compare relative performance of 99m Tc sestamibi and 99m Tc maraciclatide in patients with suspected breast cancer, using a high-resolution dedicated gamma camera for MBI. Women with breast lesions suspicious for malignancy were recruited to undergo two MBI examinations-one with 99m Tc sestamibi and one with 99m Tc maraciclatide. A radiologist interpreted MBI studies in a randomized, blinded fashion to assign an assessment score (1-5) and measured lesion size. Lesion-to-background (L/B) ratio was measured with region-of-interest analysis. Among 39 analyzable patients, 21 malignant tumors were identified in 21 patients. Eighteen of 21 tumors (86%) were seen on 99m Tc sestamibi MBI and 19 of 21 (90%) were seen on 99m Tc maraciclatide MBI (p = 1). Tumor extent measured with both radiopharmaceuticals correlated strongly with pathologic size ( 99m Tc sestamibi, r = 0.84; 99m Tc maraciclatide, r = 0.81). The L/B ratio in detected breast cancers was similar for the two radiopharmaceuticals: 1.55 ± 0.36 (mean ± S.D.) for 99m Tc sestamibi and 1.62 ± 0.37 (mean ± S.D.) for 99m Tc maraciclatide (p = 0.53). No correlation was found between the L/B ratio and molecular subtype for 99m Tc sestamibi (r s  = 0.12, p = 0.63) or 99m Tc maraciclatide (r s  = -0.12, p = 0.64). Of 20 benign lesions, 10 (50%) were seen on 99m Tc sestamibi and 9 of 20 (45%) were seen on 99m Tc maraciclatide images (p = 0.1). The average L/B ratio for benign lesions was 1.34 ±0.40 (mean ±S.D.) for 99m Tc sestamibi and 1.41 ±0.52 (mean ±S.D.) for 99m Tc maraciclatide (p = 0.75). Overall diagnostic performance was similar for both radiopharmaceuticals. AUC from ROC analysis was 0.83 for 99m Tc sestamibi and 0.87 for 99m Tc maraciclatide (p = 0.64). 99m Tc maraciclatide offered comparable lesion uptake to 99m Tc sestamibi, in both malignant and benign lesions. There was good correlation between lesion extent and uptake measured from both radiopharmaceuticals. 99m Tc maraciclatide offered a marginal (but not significant) improvement in sensitivity over 99m Tc sestamibi. Our findings did not support an association between the uptake of either radiopharmaceutical and tumor molecular subtype. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00888589.

Efficacy of Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring for Pediatric Cervical Spine Surgery.

PubMed

Tobert, Daniel G; Glotzbecker, Michael P; Hresko, Michael Timothy; Karlin, Lawrence I; Proctor, Mark R; Emans, John B; Miller, Patricia E; Hedequist, Daniel J

2017-07-01

Clinical case series. To investigate the efficacy of intraoperative neuromonitoring in pediatric cervical spine surgery. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) consisting of somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEP) and transcranial motor-evoked potentials (tcMEP) has been shown to effectively prevent permaneny neurologic injury in deformity surgery. The role of IONM during pediatric cervical spine surgery is not well documented. Advances in cervical spine instrumentation have expanded the surgical options in pediatric populations. The goal of this study is to report the ability of IONM to detect neurologic injury during pediatric cervical spine instrumentation. A single institution database was queried for pediatric-aged patients who underwent cervical spine instrumentation and fusion between 2011 and 2014. Age, diagnosis, surgical indication, number of instrumented levels, and a complete IONM were extracted. Sensitivity and specificity for the detection of neurologic deficits were calculated with exact 95% confidence intervals. Positive and negative predictive values were calculated with estimated 95% confidence intervals. Sixty-seven patients who underwent cervical spine instrumentation were identified with a mean age of 11.6 years (range 1-18). Diagnoses included instability (27), congenital (11), kyphosis (8), fracture (7), tumor (7), arthritis (4), and basilar invagination (3). Mean number of vertebral levels fused was 4 (range 2-7). All patients underwent cervical instrumentation with SSEP and tcMEP monitoring. A significant change in tcMEP monitoring was observed in 7 subjects (10%). There were no corresponding SSEP changes in these patients. The sensitivity of combined IONM was 75% [95% CI = 24.9, 98.7] and the specificity was 98.5% [92.7, 99.9]. tcMEP is a more sensitive indicator to spinal cord injury than SSEP, which is consistent with previous studies. IONM changes in 10% of a patient population are significant enough to warrant intraoperative determination if true SCI has occurred or is underway and intervene accordingly. 4.

TC-99 Decontaminant from heat treated gaseous diffusion membrane -Phase I, Part B

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

Oji, L.; Restivo, M.; Duignan, M.

2017-11-01

Uranium gaseous diffusion cascades represent a significant environmental challenge to dismantle, containerize and dispose as low-level radioactive waste. Baseline technologies rely on manual manipulations involving direct access to technetium-contaminated piping and materials. There is a potential to utilize novel decontamination technologies to remove the technetium and allow for on-site disposal of the very large uranium converters. Technetium entered these gaseous diffusion cascades as a hexafluoride complex in the same fashion as uranium. Technetium, as the isotope Tc-99, is an impurity that follows uranium in the first cycle of the Plutonium and Uranium Extraction (PUREX) process. The technetium speciation or exactmore » form in the gaseous diffusion cascades is not well defined. Several forms of Tc-99 compounds, mostly the fluorinated technetium compounds with varying degrees of volatility have been speculated by the scientific community to be present in these cascades. Therefore, there may be a possibility of using thermal or leaching desorption, which is independent of the technetium oxidation states, to perform an insitu removal of the technetium as a volatile species and trap the radionuclide on sorbent traps which could be disposed as low-level waste. Based on the positive results of the first part of this work1 the use of steam as a thermal decontamination agent was further explored with a second piece of used barrier material from a different location. This new series of tests included exposing more of the material surface to the flow of high temperature steam through the change in the reactor design, subjecting it to alternating periods of stream and vacuum, as well as determining if a lower temperature steam, i.e., 121°C (250°F) would be effective, too. Along with these methods, one other simpler method involving the leaching of the Tc-99 contaminated barrier material with a 1.0 M aqueous solution of ammonium carbonate, with and without sonication, was evaluated.« less

Transcriptome-wide identification and screening of WRKY factors involved in the regulation of taxol biosynthesis in Taxus chinensis.

PubMed

Zhang, Meng; Chen, Ying; Nie, Lin; Jin, Xiaofei; Liao, Weifang; Zhao, Shengying; Fu, Chunhua; Yu, Longjiang

2018-03-26

WRKY, a plant-specific transcription factor family, plays important roles in pathogen defense, abiotic cues, phytohormone signaling, and regulation of plant secondary metabolism. However, little is known about the roles, functions, and mechanisms of WRKY in taxane biosynthesis in Taxus spp. In this study, 61 transcripts were identified from Taxus chinensis transcriptome datasets by using hidden Markov model search. All of these transcripts encoded proteins containing WRKY domains, which were designated as TcWRKY1-61. After phylogenetic analysis of the WRKY domains of TcWRKYs and AtWRKYs, 16, 8, 10, 14, 5, 7, and 1 TcWRKYs were cladded into Group I, IIa-IIe, and III, respectively. Then, six representative TcWRKYs were selected to classify their effects on taxol biosynthesis. After MeJA (methyl jasmonate acid) and SA (salicylic acid) treatments, all of the six TcWRKYs were upregulated by MeJA treatment. TcWRKY44 (IId) and TcWRKY47 (IIa) were upregulated, whereas TcWRKY8 (IIc), TcWRKY20 (III), TcWRKY26 (I), TcWRKY41 (IIe), and TcWRKY52 (IIb) were downregulated by SA treatment. Overexpression experiments showed that the six selected TcWRKYs exerted different effects on taxol biosynthesis. In specific, TcWRKY8 and TcWRKY47 significantly improved the expression levels of taxol-biosynthesis-related genes. Transcriptome-wide identification of WRKY factors in Taxus not only enhances our understanding of plant WRKY factors but also identifies candidate regulators of taxol biosynthesis.

In Vitro-Generated Tc17 Cells Present a Memory Phenotype and Serve As a Reservoir of Tc1 Cells In Vivo

PubMed Central

Flores-Santibáñez, Felipe; Cuadra, Bárbara; Fernández, Dominique; Rosemblatt, Mariana V.; Núñez, Sarah; Cruz, Pablo; Gálvez-Cancino, Felipe; Cárdenas, J. César; Lladser, Alvaro; Rosemblatt, Mario; Bono, María Rosa; Sauma, Daniela

2018-01-01

Memory CD8+ T cells are ideal candidates for cancer immunotherapy because they can mediate long-term protection against tumors. However, the therapeutic potential of different in vitro-generated CD8+ T cell effector subsets to persist and become memory cells has not been fully characterized. Type 1 CD8+ T (Tc1) cells produce interferon-γ and are endowed with high cytotoxic capacity, whereas IL-17-producing CD8+ T (Tc17) cells are less cytotoxic but display enhanced self-renewal capacity. We sought to evaluate the functional properties of in vitro-generated Tc17 cells and elucidate their potential to become long lasting memory cells. Our results show that in vitro-generated Tc17 cells display a greater in vivo persistence and expansion in response to secondary antigen stimulation compared to Tc1 cells. When transferred into recipient mice, Tc17 cells persist in secondary lymphoid organs, present a recirculation behavior consistent with central memory T cells, and can shift to a Tc1 phenotype. Accordingly, Tc17 cells are endowed with a higher mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity than Tc1 cells and express higher levels of memory-related molecules than Tc1 cells. Together, these results demonstrate that in vitro-generated Tc17 cells acquire a central memory program and provide a lasting reservoir of Tc1 cells in vivo, thus supporting the use of Tc17 lymphocytes in the design of novel and more effective therapies. PMID:29472932

ABCG-like transporter of Trypanosoma cruzi involved in benznidazole resistance: gene polymorphisms disclose inter-strain intragenic recombination in hybrid isolates.

PubMed

Franco, Jaques; Ferreira, Renata C; Ienne, Susan; Zingales, Bianca

2015-04-01

Benznidazole (BZ) is one of the two drugs for Chagas disease treatment. In a previous study we showed that the Trypanosoma cruzi ABCG-like transporter gene, named TcABCG1, is over-expressed in parasite strains naturally resistant to BZ and that the gene of TcI BZ-resistant strains exhibited several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as compared to the gene of CL Brener BZ-susceptible strain. Here we report the sequence of TcABCG1 gene of fourteen T. cruzi strains, with diverse degrees of BZ sensitivity and belonging to different discrete typing units (DTUs) and Tcbat group. Although DTU-specific SNPs and amino acid changes were identified, no direct correlation with BZ-resistance phenotype was found. Thus, it is plausible that the transporter abundance is a determinant factor for drug resistance, as pointed out above. Sequence data were used for Bayesian phylogenies and network genealogy analysis. The network showed a high degree of reticulation suggesting genetic exchange between the parasites. TcI and TcII clades were clearly separated. Tcbat sequences were close to TcI. A fourth clade clustered TcABCG1 haplotypes of TcV, TcVI and TcIII strains, with closer proximity to TcI. Analysis of the recombination patterns indicated that hybrid strains contain haplotypes that are mosaics most likely derived by intragenic recombination of parental sequences. The data confirm that TcII and TcIII as the parentals of TcV and TcVI DTUs. Since genetic fingerprint of TcI was found in TcIII, we sustain the previously proposed "Two Hybridization model" for the origin of hybrid strains. Among the twenty best BLASTP hits in databases, orthologues of TcABCG1 transporter were found in Leishmania spp. and African trypanosomes, though their function remains undescribed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Class III Complex Containing TcVps15 and TcVps34 Participates in Autophagy in Trypanosoma cruzi.

PubMed

Schoijet, Alejandra C; Sternlieb, Tamara; Alonso, Guillermo D

2017-05-01

Autophagy is a degradative process by which eukaryotic cells digest their own components to provide aminoacids that may function as energy source under nutritional stress conditions. There is experimental evidence for autophagy in parasitic protists belonging to the family Trypanosomatidae. However, few proteins implicated in this process have been characterized so far in these parasites. Moreover, it has been shown that autophagy is involved in Trypanosoma cruzi differentiation and thus might have a role in pathogenicity. Here, we report the cloning and biochemical characterization of TcVps15. In addition, we demonstrate that TcVps15 interact with the PI3K TcVps34 and that both proteins associate with cellular membranes. Under nutritional stress conditions, TcVps15 and TcVps34 modify their subcellular distribution showing a partial co-localization in autophagosomes with TcAtg8.1 and using an active site TcVps15-mutated version (TcVps15-K219D-HA) we demonstrated that this relocalization depends on the TcVps15 catalytic activity. Overexpression of TcVps15-HA and TcVps15-K219D-HA also leads to increased accumulation of monodansylcadaverine (MDC) in autophagic vacuoles under nutritional stress conditions compared to wild-type cells. In addition, the MDC-specific activity shows to be significantly higher in TcVps15-HA overexpressing cells when compared with TcVps15-K219D-HA. Our results reveal for the first time a role of TcVps15 as a key regulator of TcVps34 enzymatic activity and implicate the TcVps15-Vps34 complex in autophagy in T. cruzi, exposing a new key pathway to explore novel chemotherapeutic targets. © 2016 The Author(s) Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology © 2016 International Society of Protistologists.