The importance of organic matter distribution and extract soil:solution ratio on the desorption of heavy metals from soils.

PubMed

Yin, Yujun; Impellitteri, Christopher A; You, Sun-Jae; Allen, Herbert E

2002-03-15

The lability (mobility and bioavailability) of metals varies significantly with soil properties for similar total soil metal concentrations. We studied desorption of Cu, Ni and Zn, from 15 diverse, unamended soils. These studies included evaluation of the effects of soil:solution extraction ratio and the roles of soil properties on metal desorption. Dcsorption was examined for each metal by computing distribution coefficients (Kd) for each metal in each soil where Kd = [M]soil/[M]solution, Results from soil:solution ratio studies demonstrated that Kd values for the metals tended to increase with increasing soil:solution ratio. This result also held true for distribution of soil organic matter (SOM). Because the soil:solution ratio has a significant effect on measured metal distributions, we selected a high soil:solution ratio to more closely approach natural soil conditions. Copper showed strong affinity to operationally defined dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, DOM was operationally defined based on the total organic carbon (TOC) content in 0.45-microm or 0.22-microm filtrates of the extracts. The Kd of Cu correlated linearly (r2 = 0.91) with the Kd of organic matter (Kd-om) where the Kd-om is equal to SOM as measured by Walkley-Black wet combustion and converted to total carbon (TC) by a factor of 0.59. These values representing solid phase TC were then divided by soluble organic carbon as measured by TOC analysis (DOM). The conversion factor of 0.59 was employed in order to construct Kd-om values based on solid phase carbon and solution phase carbon. SOM plays a significant role in the fate of Cu in soil systems. Soil-solution distribution of Ni and Zn, as well as the activity of free Cu2+, were closely related to SOM, but not to DOM. Kd values for Ni, Zn and free Cu2+ in a particular soil were divided by the SOM content in the same soil. This normalization of the Kd values for Ni, Zn, and free Cu2+ to the SOM content resulted in significant improvements in the linear relationships between non-normalized Kd values and soil pH. The semi-empirical normalized regression equations can be used to predict the solubility of Ni and Zn and the activity of free Cu2+ as a function of pH.

King-Devick Test reference values and associations with balance measures in high school American football players.

PubMed

Alsalaheen, B; Haines, J; Yorke, A; Diebold, J

2016-02-01

The King-Devick test appears to be a promising tool in screening for concussions. However, limited evidence exists on the baseline associations between the K-D test and age and baseline screening tools used after concussion. Additionally, there are no published reference values for the K-D test in high school football players. The K-D test, the Balance Error Scoring System, and the Limits of Stability (LOS) test were administered to 157 high school football players. Additionally, a subsample of 62 participants completed the test twice to examine the reliability of K-D test. There was no relationship between the K-D test and the BESS, or the reaction time and directional control of LOS test. Students aged between 16 and 18 years demonstrated faster K-D test performance compared to students between 13 and 15 years of age. However, there was no association between K-D test and history of concussion. The reliability of the K-D test was (ICC2,1 = 0.89), and the minimal detectable change was 6.10 s. Normative reference values for high school football players are presented in this study. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mobility of Heavy Metals (Pb, Cd, Zn) in the Pampeano and Puelche Aquifers, Argentina: Partition and Retardation Coefficients.

PubMed

Jakomin, L M; Marbán, L; Grondona, S; Glok Galli, M; Martínez, D E

2015-09-01

The prediction about metals behaviour in soil requires knowledge on their solid-liquid partitioning. Usually it is expressed with an empirical distribution coefficient or Kd, which gives the ratio of the metal concentration in the solid phase to that in the solution. Kd values have been determined for Zn, Pb and Cd from samples representing the two most exploited aquifers in Argentina, Pampeano and Puelche, at three different locations in the province of Buenos Aires. The Pampeano aquifer presented higher Kd values than the Puelche aquifer. Comparing Kd values, different relationships could be observed: (a) Pampeano aquifer: Pb > Zn > Cd, and (b) Puelche aquifer: Pb > Cd > Zn. Kd for Cd seems to be linked to cationic exchange capacity, but solid phases precipitation can be more determining for Pb and Zn.

A review of the distribution coefficients of trace elements in soils: influence of sorption system, element characteristics, and soil colloidal properties.

PubMed

Shaheen, Sabry M; Tsadilas, Christos D; Rinklebe, Jörg

2013-12-01

Knowledge about the behavior and reactions of separate soil components with trace elements (TEs) and their distribution coefficients (Kds) in soils is a key issue in assessing the mobility and retention of TEs. Thus, the fate of TEs and the toxic risk they pose depend crucially on their Kd in soil. This article reviews the Kd of TEs in soils as affected by the sorption system, element characteristics, and soil colloidal properties. The sorption mechanism, determining factors, favorable conditions, and competitive ions on the sorption and Kd of TEs are also discussed here. This review demonstrates that the Kd value of TEs does not only depend on inorganic and organic soil constituents, but also on the nature and characteristics of the elements involved as well as on their competition for sorption sites. The Kd value of TEs is mainly affected by individual or competitive sorption systems. Generally, the sorption in competitive systems is lower than in mono-metal sorption systems. More strongly sorbed elements, such as Pb and Cu, are less affected by competition than mobile elements, such as Cd, Ni, and Zn. The sorption preference exhibited by soils for elements over others may be due to: (i) the hydrolysis constant, (ii) the atomic weight, (iii) the ionic radius, and subsequently the hydrated radius, and (iv) its Misono softness value. Moreover, element concentrations in the test solution mainly affect the Kd values. Mostly, values of Kd decrease as the concentration of the included cation increases in the test solution. Additionally, the Kd of TEs is controlled by the sorption characteristics of soils, such as pH, clay minerals, soil organic matter, Fe and Mn oxides, and calcium carbonate. However, more research is required to verify the practical utilization of studying Kd of TEs in soils as a reliable indicator for assessing the remediation process of toxic metals in soils and waters. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Usefulness of Age-Stratified N-Terminal Prohormone of Brain Natriuretic Peptide for Diagnosing Kawasaki Disease

PubMed Central

Lee, Sang Hoon; Yoon, Somy; Hong, Seunghee; Yang, Eun Mi; Eom, Gwang Hyeon

2017-01-01

N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was recently reported as a biomarker for diagnosing Kawasaki disease (KD). The basal NT-proBNP level, however, gradually decreases with age. We investigated the usefulness of an age-stratified cutoff value of NT-proBNP for diagnosing KD. All the patients enrolled in this study visited Chonnam National University Hospital between December 2007 and March 2016. The KD groups consisted of 214 patients with complete KD and 129 patients with incomplete KD. The control group included 62 children with simple febrile illness but without heart disease. Laboratory data including NT-proBNP level were evaluated. Each group was divided into subgroups according to patient age (<6 months, 6–12 months, 12–24 months, and >24 months), and different cutoff values of NT-proBNP were calculated. The cutoff values of NT-proBNP used to diagnose total KD and incomplete KD were 762 and 762 pg/mL (<6 months), 310 and 310 pg/mL (6–12 months), 326 and 326 pg/mL (12–24 months), and 208 and 137 pg/mL (>24 months), respectively. In conclusion, age-stratified NT-proBNP is a useful biomarker for the differential diagnosis of KD in patients with a simple febrile illness. PMID:29358841

Kd Values for Agricultural and Surface Soils for Use in Hanford Site Farm, Residential, and River Shoreline Scenarios

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

Serne, R. Jeffrey

This report provides best estimate Kd values and a minimum and maximum range of Kd values to be used for agricultural soils and Columbia River bank sediments that exist today or would exist in the future when portions of the Hanford Site are released for farming, residential, and recreational use after the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) completes clean up of defense waste on the site. The Kd values should be used to determine the fate and transport rates of contaminants and their availability for plant and animal uptake in selected non-groundwater scenarios included in Hanford Site environmental impactmore » statements, risk assessments and specific facility performance assessments. This report describes scenarios such as a small farm where drilling of a well inadvertently goes through buried waste and brings waste to the surface, allowing the tailings to become available for direct human exposure or incorporation into garden crops and farm animals used for food by the farm family. The Kd values recommended in this report can also be used to calculate sediment-water partitioning factors used to predict plant and animal uptake from interaction with the contaminated soil.« less

K-Means Algorithm Performance Analysis With Determining The Value Of Starting Centroid With Random And KD-Tree Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirait, Kamson; Tulus; Budhiarti Nababan, Erna

2017-12-01

Clustering methods that have high accuracy and time efficiency are necessary for the filtering process. One method that has been known and applied in clustering is K-Means Clustering. In its application, the determination of the begining value of the cluster center greatly affects the results of the K-Means algorithm. This research discusses the results of K-Means Clustering with starting centroid determination with a random and KD-Tree method. The initial determination of random centroid on the data set of 1000 student academic data to classify the potentially dropout has a sse value of 952972 for the quality variable and 232.48 for the GPA, whereas the initial centroid determination by KD-Tree has a sse value of 504302 for the quality variable and 214,37 for the GPA variable. The smaller sse values indicate that the result of K-Means Clustering with initial KD-Tree centroid selection have better accuracy than K-Means Clustering method with random initial centorid selection.

Measurement of density and affinity for dopamine D2 receptors by a single positron emission tomography scan with multiple injections of [11C]raclopride

PubMed Central

Ikoma, Yoko; Watabe, Hiroshi; Hayashi, Takuya; Miyake, Yoshinori; Teramoto, Noboru; Minato, Kotaro; Iida, Hidehiro

2010-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) with [11C]raclopride has been used to investigate the density (Bmax) and affinity (Kd) of dopamine D2 receptors related to several neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, in assessing the Bmax and Kd, multiple PET scans are necessary under variable specific activities of administered [11C]raclopride, resulting in a long study period and unexpected physiological variations. In this paper, we have developed a method of multiple-injection graphical analysis (MI-GA) that provides the Bmax and Kd values from a single PET scan with three sequential injections of [11C]raclopride, and we validated the proposed method by performing numerous simulations and PET studies on monkeys. In the simulations, the three-injection protocol was designed according to prior knowledge of the receptor kinetics, and the errors of Bmax and Kd estimated by MI-GA were analyzed. Simulations showed that our method could support the calculation of Bmax and Kd, despite a slight overestimation compared with the true magnitudes. In monkey studies, we could calculate the Bmax and Kd of diseased or normal striatum in a 150 mins scan with the three-injection protocol of [11C]raclopride. Estimated Bmax and Kd values of D2 receptors in normal or partially dopamine-depleted striatum were comparable to the previously reported values. PMID:19904285

Rainfall Lysimeter Evaluation of Leachability and Surface Transport of Heavy Metals From Six Soils With and Without Phosphate Amendment

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-09-01

found no significant change in concentration (+ 5 percent) occurring between 72 and 96 hr. The aqueous metal/ soil solution was then centrifuged and...environment. Soils with high Kd values strongly adsorb the lead onto the soil particles and slow the rate of migration of the lead in the soil solution . A...small Kd suggests faster migration rates and more rapid migration with the soil solution . Comparison of the Kd values obtained shows a large

The King-Devick (K-D) test and concussion diagnosis in semi-professional rugby union players.

PubMed

Molloy, John H; Murphy, Ian; Gissane, Conor

2017-08-01

To determine the utility of the King-Devick (K-D) test in identifying sports-related concussion in semi-professional rugby players. Descriptive cohort study. 176 male players were recruited from a semi-professional rugby union competition in New Zealand (NZ). Baseline K-D scores were obtained in the pre-season. Post-match K-D and Pitch Side Concussion Assessment Version 2 (PSCA2) scores were obtained in those with suspected concussion. Post-match K-D scores were also administered to selected control players. 19 concussions in 18 players were analysed. In addition, 33 controls were used for analysis. A positive K-D test was identified in 53% of players with concussion post-match. Conversely, a positive test was identified in 33% of controls. The sensitivity and specificity of the K-D test was calculated as 53% and 69% respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 48% and 73% respectively. The PSCA2 correctly identified 74% of concussions. The K-D test identified 3 cases not identified by the PSCA2. When the PSCA2 and K-D were combined, 89% of concussions were correctly identified. The K-D test does not appear to be effective if used as a stand-alone test for the diagnosis of concussion. However, if used alongside current side-line cognitive and balance tests, it may assist in more accurately diagnosing sports-related concussion. Further research should look to utilise the K-D test in in-match protocols to establish if this improves the diagnostic accuracy of in-match protocols for sports-related concussion. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diffuse attenuation coefficient for downwelling irradiance at 490 nm and its spectral characteristics in the Black Sea upper layer: modeling, in situ measurements and ocean color data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suslin, V. V.; Slabakova, V. K.; Churilova, T. Ya.

2017-11-01

Vertical diffuse attenuation coefficient, Kd(490), is one of the key parameter required for water quality modeling, hydrodynamic and biological processes in the sea. We showed that standard level-2 product of Kd(490) was underestimated in comparison with Kd(490) values simulated by the regional model during the diatom bloom in the Black Sea. Using data of SeaWiFS, MERIS and MODIS color scanners, a regional relationship between the model value of Kd(490) and the ratio of remote sensing reflectances has been obtained. Based on the bulgarian argo-bio-buoy dataset, the relationship between the attenuation coefficient of photosynthetically active radiation and attenuation coefficient at a wavelength of 490 nm is obtained. The simplified model, below as the S-model, of the diffuse attenuation coefficient spectrum for downwelling irradiance in the Black Sea upper layer is described. As a consequence of the S-model, the link between the depth of the euphotic zone and Kd(490) has been obtained. It is shown that the Kd(490) values, retrieved from ocean color data with using the regional link and from argo-bio-buoy measurements at depths between 6-20 m, are close to each other.

Two-point discrimination and kinesthetic sense disorders in productive age individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome.

PubMed

Wolny, Tomasz; Saulicz, Edward; Linek, Paweł; Myśliwiec, Andrzej

2016-06-16

The aim of this study was to evaluate two-point discrimination (2PD) sense and kinesthetic sense dysfunctions in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients compared with a healthy group. The 2PD sense, muscle force, and kinesthetic differentiation (KD) of strength; the range of motion in radiocarpal articulation; and KD of motion were assessed. The 2PD sense assessment showed significantly higher values in all the examined fingers in the CTS group than in those in the healthy group (p<0.01). There was a significant difference in the percentage value of error in KD of pincer and cylindrical grip (p<0.01) as well as in KD of flexion and extension movement in the radiocarpal articulation (p<0.01) between the studied groups. There are significant differences in the 2PD sense and KD of strength and movement between CTS patients compared with healthy individuals.

Two-point discrimination and kinesthetic sense disorders in productive age individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome

PubMed Central

Wolny, Tomasz; Saulicz, Edward; Linek, Paweł; Myśliwiec, Andrzej

2016-01-01

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate two-point discrimination (2PD) sense and kinesthetic sense dysfunctions in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients compared with a healthy group. Methods: The 2PD sense, muscle force, and kinesthetic differentiation (KD) of strength; the range of motion in radiocarpal articulation; and KD of motion were assessed. Results: The 2PD sense assessment showed significantly higher values in all the examined fingers in the CTS group than in those in the healthy group (p<0.01). There was a significant difference in the percentage value of error in KD of pincer and cylindrical grip (p<0.01) as well as in KD of flexion and extension movement in the radiocarpal articulation (p<0.01) between the studied groups. Conclusions: There are significant differences in the 2PD sense and KD of strength and movement between CTS patients compared with healthy individuals. PMID:27108640

Extraction chromatographic separations of tantalum and tungsten from hafnium and complex matrix constituents

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

Snow, Mathew S.; Finck, Martha R.; Carney, Kevin P.

2017-02-01

Ta, Hf, and W analyses from complex matrices (including environmental samples) require high purification of these analytes from each other and major/trace matrix constituents, however, current state-of-the-art Ta/Hf/W separations rely on traditional anion exchange approaches that suffer from relatively similar distribution coefficient (Kd) values for these analytes. This work reports assessment of three commercially available extraction chromatographic resins (TEVA, TRU, and UTEVA) for Ta/Hf/W separations. Batch contact studies show differences in Ta/W,Hf Kd values of up to 106, representing an improvement of a factor of 100 and 300 in Ta/Hf and Ta/W Kd values (respectively) over AG1x4 resin. Variations inmore » the Kd values as a function of HCl concentration for TRU resin show that this resin is well suited for Ta/Hf/W separations, with Ta/Hf, Ta/W, and W/Hf Kd value improvements of 10, 200, and 30 (respectively) over AG1x4 resin. Finally, analyses of digested soil samples (NIST 2710a) using TRU resin and tandem TEVA-TRU columns demonstrate the ability to achieve extremely high purification (>99%) of Ta and W from each other and Hf, as well as enabling very high purification of Ta and W from the major and trace elemental constituents present in soils, using a single chromatographic step.« less

Extraction chromatographic separations of tantalum and tungsten from hafnium and complex matrix constituents

DOE PAGES

Snow, Mathew S.; Finck, Martha R.; Carney, Kevin P.; ...

2017-01-08

Ta, Hf, and W analyses from complex matrices (including environmental samples) require high purification of these analytes from each other and major/trace matrix constituents, but, current state-of-the-art Ta/Hf/W separations rely on traditional anion exchange approaches that suffer from relatively similar distribution coefficient (Kd) values for these analytes. Our work reports assessment of three commercially available extraction chromatographic resins (TEVA, TRU, and UTEVA) for Ta/Hf/W separations. Batch contact studies show differences in Ta/W,Hf Kd values of up to 10 6, representing an improvement of a factor of 100 and 300 in Ta/Hf and Ta/W Kd values (respectively) over AG1x4 resin. Furthermore,more » variations in the Kd values as a function of HCl concentration for TRU resin show that this resin is well suited for Ta/Hf/W separations, with Ta/Hf, Ta/W, and W/Hf Kd value improvements of 10, 200, and 30 (respectively) over AG1x4 resin. Finally, analyses of digested soil samples (NIST 2710a) using TRU resin and tandem TEVA-TRU columns demonstrate the ability to achieve extremely high purification (>99%) of Ta and W from each other and Hf, as well as enabling very high purification of Ta and W from the major and trace elemental constituents present in soils, using a single chromatographic step.« less

Plutonium recovery from spent reactor fuel by uranium displacement

DOEpatents

Ackerman, John P.

1992-01-01

A process for separating uranium values and transuranic values from fission products containing rare earth values when the values are contained together in a molten chloride salt electrolyte. A molten chloride salt electrolyte with a first ratio of plutonium chloride to uranium chloride is contacted with both a solid cathode and an anode having values of uranium and fission products including plutonium. A voltage is applied across the anode and cathode electrolytically to transfer uranium and plutonium from the anode to the electrolyte while uranium values in the electrolyte electrolytically deposit as uranium metal on the solid cathode in an amount equal to the uranium and plutonium transferred from the anode causing the electrolyte to have a second ratio of plutonium chloride to uranium chloride. Then the solid cathode with the uranium metal deposited thereon is removed and molten cadmium having uranium dissolved therein is brought into contact with the electrolyte resulting in chemical transfer of plutonium values from the electrolyte to the molten cadmium and transfer of uranium values from the molten cadmium to the electrolyte until the first ratio of plutonium chloride to uranium chloride is reestablished.

Plutonium recovery from spent reactor fuel by uranium displacement

DOEpatents

Ackerman, J.P.

1992-03-17

A process is described for separating uranium values and transuranic values from fission products containing rare earth values when the values are contained together in a molten chloride salt electrolyte. A molten chloride salt electrolyte with a first ratio of plutonium chloride to uranium chloride is contacted with both a solid cathode and an anode having values of uranium and fission products including plutonium. A voltage is applied across the anode and cathode electrolytically to transfer uranium and plutonium from the anode to the electrolyte while uranium values in the electrolyte electrolytically deposit as uranium metal on the solid cathode in an amount equal to the uranium and plutonium transferred from the anode causing the electrolyte to have a second ratio of plutonium chloride to uranium chloride. Then the solid cathode with the uranium metal deposited thereon is removed and molten cadmium having uranium dissolved therein is brought into contact with the electrolyte resulting in chemical transfer of plutonium values from the electrolyte to the molten cadmium and transfer of uranium values from the molten cadmium to the electrolyte until the first ratio of plutonium chloride to uranium chloride is reestablished.

Effect of Time-Dependent Sorption on the Dissipation of Water-Extractable Pesticides in Soils.

PubMed

Motoki, Yutaka; Iwafune, Takashi; Seike, Nobuyasu; Inao, Keiya; Otani, Takashi

2016-06-08

The dissipation behavior of water-extractable pesticides in soils is important when assessing the phytoavailability of pesticides in soils. This process is less understood than pesticide extraction with organic solvents. To elucidate the dissipation behavior of water-extractable pesticides in soils, we conducted an incubation study using 27 pesticides and five Japanese soils. The rate of decrease of the level of pesticides in water extracts was faster in soils than that of total extracts (water extracts and acetone extracts). This suggests that time-dependent sorption contributed to the difference in the dissipation between the pesticides in water and total extracts from soils. Increased apparent sorption coefficients (Kd,app) with time were positively and significantly correlated with Kd,app values of a 0 day incubation [Kd,app(t0)]. This empirical relationship suggests that Kd,app(t0) values can predict the time-dependent increase in Kd,app and the dissipation of water-extractable pesticides in soils.

Effects of sorbate speciation on sorption of selected sulfonamides in three loamy soils

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kurwadkar , Sudarshan T.; Adams, Craig D.; Meyer, Michael T.; Kolpin, Dana W.

2007-01-01

Sorption of sulfamethazine (SMN) and sulfathiazole (STZ) was investigated in three soils, a North Carolina loamy sand, an Iowa sandy loam, and a Missouri loam, under various pH conditions. A significant increase in the sorption coefficient (KD) was observed in all three soils, as the sulfonamides converted from an anionic form at higher pH to a neutral/cationic form at lower pH. Above pH 7.5, sulfonamides exist primarily in anionic form and have higher aqueous solubility and no cationic character, thereby consequently leading to lower sorption to soils. The effect of speciation on sorption is not the same for all sulfonamides; it is a function of the pH of the soil and the pKa of the sulfonamides. The results indicate that, for the soils under investigation, SMN has comparatively lower KD values than STZ. The pH-dependent sorption of sulfonamides was observed to be consistent in all three soils investigated. The KD values for each speciated formcationic, neutral, and anionicwere calculated using an empirical model in which the species-specific sorption coefficients (KD0, KD1, and KD2) were weighted with their respective fractions present at any given pH.

Distribution of manganese between coexisting biotite and hornblende in plutonic rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greenland, L.P.; Gottfried, D.; Tilling, R.I.

1968-01-01

The distribution of manganese between coexisting biotite and hornblende for 80 mineral pairs from igneous rocks of diverse provenance (including Southern California, Sierra Nevada, Boulder, and Boulder Creek batholiths and the Jemez Mountains volcanics) has been determined by neutron activation analysis. Data on the distribution ratio (Kd = Mnhornblende Mnbiotite) indicate that an equilibrium distribution of Mn is closely approached, though not completely attained, in most samples from plutonic environments. Comparison of Kd values of mineral pairs with bulk chemical composition of host rocks reveals no correlation. Because initial crystallization temperatures vary with rock composition, the lack of correlation of composition with Kd suggests that the equilibrium distribution of Mn between biotite and hornblende reflects exchange at subsolidus temperatures rather than initial crystallization temperatures. The highest Kd values are for volcanic rocks, in which rapid quenching prevents subsolidus redistribution of Mn. For sample pairs from the Southern California and Sierra Nevada batholiths there is a positive correlation of Kd with TiO2 content of biotite. Though the evidence is not compelling, Kd may also correlate with the rate of cooling and/or the presence or absence of sphene in the rock. ?? 1968.

STRIPPING OF URANIUM FROM ORGANIC EXTRACTANTS

DOEpatents

Crouse, D.J. Jr.

1962-09-01

A liquid-liquid extraction method is given for recovering uranium values from uranium-containing solutions. Uranium is removed from a uranium-containing organic solution by contacting said organic solution with an aqueous ammonium carbonate solution substantially saturated in uranium values. A uranium- containing precipitate is thereby formed which is separated from the organic and aqueous phases. Uranium values are recovered from this separated precipitate. (AE C)

Hounsfield unit values of retropharyngeal abscess-like lesions seen in Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Sasaki, Toru; Miyata, Rie; Hatai, Yoshiho; Makita, Kohzoh; Tsunoda, Koichi

2014-04-01

Retropharyngeal abscess-like lesions are occasionally seen in computed tomography (CT) imaging of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) and these patients often undergo unnecessary surgery. We could distinguish the lesions from true abscesses by measuring their Hounsfield unit values (HUs). To distinguish the retropharyngeal abscess-like lesions from true abscesses without any surgical procedure. We investigated six cases of KD showing such lesions on CTs, both with and without contrast enhancement (CE). We measured the HUs of those lesions and compared them with those of 10 true abscesses as controls. Abscess-like lesions of KD were well enhanced by CE, whereas abscesses showed virtually no enhancement. The mean HU in the six KD cases was 20.0 ± 4.65 (mean ± SD) on plain CTs and 35.6 ± 4.49 on contrast CTs. In abscesses, it was 30.3 ± 4.42 on plain CTs and 30.3 ± 3.57 on contrast CTs. The difference in HU values [(HU on contrast CT) - (HU on plain CT)] was defined as ΔHU. The mean ΔHU was 15.6 ± 5.36 in the six KD lesions and 0.0 ± 2.93 in abscesses, with statistical significance of p < 0.0001 by Student's t test. Thus, ΔHU value may potentially be a useful parameter for their distinction.

Atrioventricular depolarization differences identify coronary artery anomalies in Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Cortez, Daniel; Sharma, Nandita; Jone, Pei-Ni

2017-03-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. Signal average electrocardiogram changes in patients during the acute phase of KD with coronary artery anomalies (CAA) include depolarization changes. We set out to determine if 12-lead-derived atrioventricular depolarization differences can identify CAA in patients with KD. A blinded, retrospective case-control study of patients with KD was performed. Deep Q waves, corrected QT-intervals (QTc), spatial QRS-T angles, T-wave vector magnitudes (RMS-T), and a novel parameter for assessment of atrioventricular depolarization difference (the spatial PR angle) and a two dimensional PR angle were assessed. Comparisons between groups were performed to test for significant differences. One hundred one patients with KD were evaluated, with 68 having CAA (67.3%, mean age 3.6 ± 3.0 years, 82.6% male), and 32 without CAA (31.7%, mean age 2.7 ± 3.2 years, 70.4% male). The spatial PR angle significantly discriminated KD patients with CAA from those without, 59.7° ± 31.1° versus 41.6° ± 11.5° (p < .001). A spatial PR angle cutoff value of 56.9° gave positive/negative predictive values and odds ratios of 93.8%, 43.5%, and 11.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.6-52.2). The two dimensional PR angle either below 7° or above 92° gave positive/negative predictive values and odds ratios of 100.0%, 38.8%, and 21.1% (95% CI 1.2-362.8). No other parameters significantly differentiated the groups. Atrioventricular depolarization differences, measured by the spatial or two dimensional PR angle differentiate KD patients with CAA versus those without. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reassessment of carotid intima-media thickness by standard deviation score in children and adolescents after Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Noto, Nobutaka; Kato, Masataka; Abe, Yuriko; Kamiyama, Hiroshi; Karasawa, Kensuke; Ayusawa, Mamoru; Takahashi, Shori

2015-01-01

Previous studies that used carotid ultrasound have been largely conflicting in regards to whether or not patients after Kawasaki disease (KD) have a greater carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) than controls. To test the hypothesis that there are significant differences between the values of CIMT expressed as absolute values and standard deviation scores (SDS) in children and adolescents after KD and controls, we reviewed 12 published articles regarding CIMT on KD patients and controls. The mean ± SD of absolute CIMT (mm) in the KD patients and controls obtained from each article was transformed to SDS (CIMT-SDS) using age-specific reference values established by Jourdan et al. (J: n = 247) and our own data (N: n = 175), and the results among these 12 articles were compared between the two groups and the references for comparison of racial disparities. There were no significant differences in mean absolute CIMT and mean CIMT-SDS for J between KD patients and controls (0.46 ± 0.06 mm vs. 0.44 ± 0.04 mm, p = 0.133, and 1.80 ± 0.84 vs. 1.25 ± 0.12, p = 0.159, respectively). However, there were significant differences in mean CIMT-SDS for N between KD patients and controls (0.60 ± 0.71 vs. 0.01 ± 0.65, p = 0.042). When we assessed the nine articles on Asian subjects, the difference of CIMT-SDS between the two groups was invariably significant only for N (p = 0.015). Compared with the reference values, CIMT-SDS of controls was within the normal range at a rate of 41.6 % for J and 91.6 % for N. These results indicate that age- and race-specific reference values for CIMT are mandatory for performing accurate assessment of the vascular status in healthy children and adolescents, particularly in those after KD considered at increased long-term cardiovascular risk.

PROCESS FOR SEGREGATING URANIUM FROM PLUTONIUM AND FISSION-PRODUCT CONTAMINATION

DOEpatents

Ellison, C.V.; Runion, T.C.

1961-06-27

An aqueous nitric acid solution containing uranium, plutonium, and fission product values is contacted with an organic extractant comprised of a trialkyl phosphate and an organic diluent. The relative amounts of trialkyl phosphate and uranium values are controlled to achieve a concentration of uranium values in the organic extractant of at least 0.35 moles uranium per mole of trialkyl phosphate, thereby preferentially extracting uranium values into the organic extractant.

Conversion of depleted uranium hexafluoride to a solid uranium compound

DOEpatents

Rothman, Alan B.; Graczyk, Donald G.; Essling, Alice M.; Horwitz, E. Philip

2001-01-01

A process for converting UF.sub.6 to a solid uranium compound such as UO.sub.2 and CaF. The UF.sub.6 vapor form is contacted with an aqueous solution of NH.sub.4 OH at a pH greater than 7 to precipitate at least some solid uranium values as a solid leaving an aqueous solution containing NH.sub.4 OH and NH.sub.4 F and remaining uranium values. The solid uranium values are separated from the aqueous solution of NH.sub.4 OH and NH.sub.4 F and remaining uranium values which is then diluted with additional water precipitating more uranium values as a solid leaving trace quantities of uranium in a dilute aqueous solution. The dilute aqueous solution is contacted with an ion-exchange resin to remove substantially all the uranium values from the dilute aqueous solution. The dilute solution being contacted with Ca(OH).sub.2 to precipitate CaF.sub.2 leaving dilute NH.sub.4 OH.

Improved Accuracy of Low Affinity Protein-Ligand Equilibrium Dissociation Constants Directly Determined by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaquillard, Lucie; Saab, Fabienne; Schoentgen, Françoise; Cadene, Martine

2012-05-01

There is continued interest in the determination by ESI-MS of equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) that accurately reflect the affinity of a protein-ligand complex in solution. Issues in the measurement of KD are compounded in the case of low affinity complexes. Here we present a KD measurement method and corresponding mathematical model dealing with both gas-phase dissociation (GPD) and aggregation. To this end, a rational mathematical correction of GPD (fsat) is combined with the development of an experimental protocol to deal with gas-phase aggregation. A guide to apply the method to noncovalent protein-ligand systems according to their kinetic behavior is provided. The approach is validated by comparing the KD values determined by this method with in-solution KD literature values. The influence of the type of molecular interactions and instrumental setup on fsat is examined as a first step towards a fine dissection of factors affecting GPD. The method can be reliably applied to a wide array of low affinity systems without the need for a reference ligand or protein.

Effects of salinity and organic matter on the partitioning of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAs) to clay particles.

PubMed

Jeon, Junho; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Lim, Byung J; An, Kwang Guk; Kim, Sang Don

2011-06-01

The influence of salinity and organic matter on the distribution coefficient (K(d)) for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in a brackish water-clay system was studied. The distribution coefficients (K(d)) for PFAs onto inorganic clay surfaces increased with salinity, providing evidence for electrostatic interaction for the sorption of PFAs, whereas the relationship between K(d) and organic carbon content (f(oc)) suggested that hydrophobic interaction is the primary driving force for the sorption of PFAs onto organic matter. The organic carbon normalized adsorption coefficient (K(oc)) of PFAs can be slightly overestimated due to the electrostatic interaction within uncoated inorganic surfaces. In addition, the dissolved organic matter released from coated clay particles seemed to solvate PFA molecules in solution, which contributed to a decrease in K(d). A positive relationship between K(d) and salinity was apparent, but an empirical relationship for the 'salting-out' effect was not evident. The K(d) values of PFAs are relatively small compared with those reported for persistent organic pollutants. Thus, sorption may not be a significant route of mass transfer of PFAs from water columns in estuarine environments. However, enhancement of sorption of PFAs to particulate matter at high salinity values could evoke potential risks to benthic organisms in estuarine areas.

Pedotransfer functions for isoproturon sorption on soils and vadose zone materials.

PubMed

Moeys, Julien; Bergheaud, Valérie; Coquet, Yves

2011-10-01

Sorption coefficients (the linear K(D) or the non-linear K(F) and N(F)) are critical parameters in models of pesticide transport to groundwater or surface water. In this work, a dataset of isoproturon sorption coefficients and corresponding soil properties (264 K(D) and 55 K(F)) was compiled, and pedotransfer functions were built for predicting isoproturon sorption in soils and vadose zone materials. These were benchmarked against various other prediction methods. The results show that the organic carbon content (OC) and pH are the two main soil properties influencing isoproturon K(D) . The pedotransfer function is K(D) = 1.7822 + 0.0162 OC(1.5) - 0.1958 pH (K(D) in L kg(-1) and OC in g kg(-1)). For low-OC soils (OC < 6.15 g kg(-1)), clay and pH are most influential. The pedotransfer function is then K(D) = 0.9980 + 0.0002 clay - 0.0990 pH (clay in g kg(-1)). Benchmarking K(D) estimations showed that functions calibrated on more specific subsets of the data perform better on these subsets than functions calibrated on larger subsets. Predicting isoproturon sorption in soils in unsampled locations should rely, whenever possible, and by order of preference, on (a) site- or soil-specific pedotransfer functions, (b) pedotransfer functions calibrated on a large dataset, (c) K(OC) values calculated on a large dataset or (d) K(OC) values taken from existing pesticide properties databases. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Mobility of radionuclides and trace elements in soil from legacy NORM and undisturbed naturally 232Th-rich sites.

PubMed

Mrdakovic Popic, Jelena; Meland, Sondre; Salbu, Brit; Skipperud, Lindis

2014-05-01

Investigation of radionuclides (232Th and 238U) and trace elements (Cr, As and Pb) in soil from two legacy NORM (former mining sites) and one undisturbed naturally 232Th-rich site was conducted as a part of the ongoing environmental impact assessment in the Fen Complex area (Norway). The major objectives were to determine the radionuclide and trace element distribution and mobility in soils as well as to analyze possible differences between legacy NORM and surrounding undisturbed naturally 232Th-rich soils. Inhomogeneous soil distribution of radionuclides and trace elements was observed for each of the investigated sites. The concentration of 232Th was high (up to 1685 mg kg(-1), i.e., ∼7000 Bq kg(-1)) and exceeded the screening value for the radioactive waste material in Norway (1 Bq g(-1)). Based on the sequential extraction results, the majority of 232Th and trace elements were rather inert, irreversibly bound to soil. Uranium was found to be potentially more mobile, as it was associated with pH-sensitive soil phases, redox-sensitive amorphous soil phases and soil organic compounds. Comparison of the sequential extraction datasets from the three investigated sites revealed increased mobility of all analyzed elements at the legacy NORM sites in comparison with the undisturbed 232Th-rich site. Similarly, the distribution coefficients Kd (232Th) and Kd (238U) suggested elevated dissolution, mobility and transportation at the legacy NORM sites, especially at the decommissioned Nb-mining site (346 and 100 L kg(-1) for 232Th and 238U, respectively), while the higher sorption of radionuclides was demonstrated at the undisturbed 232Th-rich site (10,672 and 506 L kg(-1) for 232Th and 238U, respectively). In general, although the concentration ranges of radionuclides and trace elements were similarly wide both at the legacy NORM and at the undisturbed 232Th-rich sites, the results of soil sequential extractions together with Kd values supported the expected differences between sites as the consequences of previous mining operations. Hence, mobility and possible elevated bioavailability at the legacy NORM site could be expected and further risk assessment should take this into account when decisions about the possible intervention measures are made.

REVISED GUIDELINES FOR USING CELLULOSE DEGRADATION PRODUCT-IMPACTED KD VALUES FOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS AND COMPOSITE ANALYSES

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

Kaplan, D.

2012-05-14

Cellulosic materials include wood, paper, rags, and cardboard products. These materials are co-disposed with radiological waste at the Savannah River Site's (SRS) E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (ELLWF). Cellulosic materials readily degrade in the environment to form cellulose degradation products (CDP) that will partition to the sediment or remain mobile in the groundwater. Savannah River National Lab (SRNL) has conducted studies to estimate the impact of CDP on radionuclide sorption to SRS sediments (Kd values). It was found that CDP impact on radionuclide sorption varies with radionuclide and CDP concentration. Furthermore, it was found that the amount of carbon (C) inmore » the system could increase or decrease Kd values with respect to the base case of when no CDP was added. Throughout the expected pH range of the ELLWF, a low concentration of CDP in the system would increase Kd values (because C would sorb to the sediment and provide more exchange sites for radionuclides to sorb), whereas greater concentrations of CDP ({ge}20 mg/L C) would decrease Kd values (because C would remain in solution and complex the radionuclide and not permit the radionuclide to sorb to the sediment). A review of >230 dissolved organic carbon (DOC) groundwater concentrations in the Old Radioactive Waste Burial Ground (ORWBG) at the SRS indicated that the average DOC concentration, a gross measure of CDP, was 5 mg/L C. At approximately this DOC concentration, the laboratory studies demonstrated that no anions (Tc, I, or Se) or cations (Ni, Sr, Ce, Eu, Zr, or Th) have decreased sorption in the presence of carbon (an analogue for CDP).« less

The effects of the NMR shift-reagents Dy(PPP)2, Dy(TTHA) and Tm(DOTP) on developed pressure in isolated perfused rat hearts. The role of shift-reagent calcium complexes.

PubMed

Gaszner, B; Simor, T; Hild, G; Elgavish, G A

2001-11-01

The 23Na NMR shift-reagent complexes (Dy(PPP)2, Dy(TTHA), and Tm(DOTP)) bind stoichiometric amounts of Ca2+. Thus, in perfused rat heart systems, a supplementation of Ca2+ is required to maintain the requisite extracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca(o)]f) and to approximate a physiological level of contractile function. The amount of reagent-bound Ca2+ in a heart perfusate that contains a shift-reagent depends on: (1) Ca2+ binding by excess ligand used during the preparation of the shift-reagent; and (2) the Ca2+ binding affinity of the shift-reagent. To address point 1), we introduced a 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopic titration method to quantify directly the concentration of the excess ligand. We also used this method to minimize the amount of excess ligand (L) and thus the amount of Ca*L complex. To address point (2), we determined the stepwise Kd (microm) values of the Ca complexes of the three shift-reagents.: Dy(PPP)2, Kd=0.09, Kd2=7.9; Dy(TTHA), Kd1=10.66, Kd2=10.12; and Tm(DOTP), K(d1)=0.502, Kd2=4.98. The Kd values of the Ca complexes of the phosphonate and triphosphate based shift-reagents, Tm(DOTP) and Dy(PPP)2, respectively, are lower than those of the polyaminocarboxylate-based Dy(TTHA), indicating stronger Ca binding affinities for the former two types of complexes. We have also shown a positive correlation between [Ca(o)]f and left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) in perfused rat hearts. Dy(TTHA) has shown no effect on LVDP v[Ca(o)]f. The LVDP values in the presence of the phosphonate and triphosphate based shift-reagents, however, were significantly higher than expected from the [Ca(o)]f levels alone. Thus a positive inotropic effect, independent of [Ca(o)]f, is evident in the presence of Tm(DOTP) or Dy(PPP)2. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

UNDERSTANDING VARIATION IN PARTITION COEFFICIENT KD, VALUES, VOLUME III: AMERICIUM, ARSENIC, CURIUM, IODINE, NEPTUNIUM, RADIUM, AND TECHNETIUM

EPA Science Inventory

This report describes the conceptualization, measurement, and use of the partition (or distribution) coefficient, Kd, parameter, and the geochemical aqueous solution and sorbent properties that are most important in controlling adsorption/retardation behavior of selected contamin...

Use of thermodynamic sorption models to derive radionuclide Kd values for performance assessment: Selected results and recommendations of the NEA sorption project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ochs, M.; Davis, J.A.; Olin, M.; Payne, T.E.; Tweed, C.J.; Askarieh, M.M.; Altmann, S.

2006-01-01

For the safe final disposal and/or long-term storage of radioactive wastes, deep or near-surface underground repositories are being considered world-wide. A central safety feature is the prevention, or sufficient retardation, of radionuclide (RN) migration to the biosphere. To this end, radionuclide sorption is one of the most important processes. Decreasing the uncertainty in radionuclide sorption may contribute significantly to reducing the overall uncertainty of a performance assessment (PA). For PA, sorption is typically characterised by distribution coefficients (Kd values). The conditional nature of Kd requires different estimates of this parameter for each set of geochemical conditions of potential relevance in a RN's migration pathway. As it is not feasible to measure sorption for every set of conditions, the derivation of Kd for PA must rely on data derived from representative model systems. As a result, uncertainty in Kd is largely caused by the need to derive values for conditions not explicitly addressed in experiments. The recently concluded NEA Sorption Project [1] showed that thermodynamic sorption models (TSMs) are uniquely suited to derive K d as a function of conditions, because they allow a direct coupling of sorption with variable solution chemistry and mineralogy in a thermodynamic framework. The results of the project enable assessment of the suitability of various TSM approaches for PA-relevant applications as well as of the potential and limitations of TSMs to model RN sorption in complex systems. ?? by Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag.

Sorption behaviour of nonylphenol and nonylphenol monoethoxylate in soils.

PubMed

Milinovic, J; Lacorte, S; Rigol, A; Vidal, M

2015-11-01

Sorption behaviour of two alkylphenolic compounds (APCs), nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO), was studied in five soils with contrasting characteristics. Sorption isotherms were obtained by equilibrating the soil samples with 0.01 mol L(-1) CaCl2 solutions containing different initial concentrations of NP or NP1EO. Linear fitting was generally appropriate for describing the sorption behaviour of NP and NP1EO in the soils, with the exception of two cases, for which the Freundlich model was more suitable for describing the sorption pattern of NP1EO. Solid-liquid distribution coefficients derived from sorption isotherms (Kd) varied from 24 to 1059 mL g(-1) for NP and from 51 to 740 mL g(-1) for NP1EO. For most soils, sorption Kd values were higher for NP than for NP1EO due to the higher hydrophobicity of NP. Sorption reversibility of NP and NP1EO was also tested from desorption isotherms. Desorption solid-liquid distribution coefficients (Kd,des), obtained from linear fitting, were between 130 and 1467 mL g(-1) for NP and between 24 and 1285 mL g(-1) for NP1EO. Kd,des values were higher than Kd values, which demonstrated that target compounds were irreversibly sorbed into soils, with the exception of the high desorption yield (45%) of NP1EO in the soil with the lowest content of organic matter. The fraction of soil organic carbon (FOC) was a key parameter that influenced the sorption of NP and NP1EO in soils, with logKOC values of 4.0 and 3.8, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Native ESI Mass Spectrometry Can Help to Avoid Wrong Interpretations from Isothermal Titration Calorimetry in Difficult Situations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, Philippe; Da Veiga, Cyrielle; Ennifar, Eric; Bec, Guillaume; Guichard, Gilles; Burnouf, Dominique; Dumas, Philippe

2017-02-01

We studied by native ESI-MS the binding of various DNA-polymerase-derived peptides onto DNA-polymerase processivity rings from Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These homodimeric rings present two equivalent specific binding sites, which leads to successive formation during a titration experiment of singly- and doubly occupied rings. By using the ESI-MS free-ring spectrum as a ruler, we derived by robust linear regression the fractions of the different ring species at each step of a titration experiment. These results led to accurate Kd values (from 0.03 to 0.5 μM) along with the probability of peptide loss due to gas phase dissociation (GPD). We show that this good quality is due to the increased information content of a titration experiment with a homodimer. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) led with the same binding model to Kd(ITC) values systematically higher than their ESI-MS counterparts and, often, to poor fit of the ITC curves. A processing with two competing modes of binding on the same site requiring determination of two (Kd, ΔH) pairs greatly improved the fits and yielded a second Kd(ITC) close to Kd(ESI-MS). The striking features are: (1) ITC detected a minor binding mode ( 20%) of `low-affinity' that did not appear with ESI-MS; (2) the simplest processing of ITC data with only one (Kd, ΔH) pair led wrongly to the Kd of the low-affinity binding mode but to the ΔH of the high-affinity binding mode. Analogous misleading results might well exist in published data based on ITC experiments.

Evaluation of echogenicity of the heart in Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Nagata, Hazumu; Yamamura, Kenichiro; Uike, Kiyoshi; Nakashima, Yasutaka; Hirata, Yuichiro; Morihana, Eiji; Mizuno, Yumi; Ishikawa, Shiro; Hara, Toshiro

2014-08-01

Pathologic studies of the heart in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) revealed vasculitis, valvulitis, myocarditis, and pericarditis. However, there have been no studies on the quantitative determination of multi-site echogenicity of the heart in KD patients. It is also undetermined whether the degree of echogenicity of each site of the heart in patients with KD might be related to the response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. In 81 KD patients and 30 control subjects, we prospectively analyzed echogenicity of the heart. Echogenicity was measured in four sites: coronary artery wall (CAW), mitral valve (MV), papillary muscle (PM), and ascending aortic wall (AAo wall) by the calibrated integrated backscatters (cIBs). The cIB values of all measurement sites at acute phase in KD patients were significantly higher than those in control subjects (KD patients vs control subjects; CAW, 19.8 ± 6.2 dB vs 14.5 ± 2.0 dB, p < 0.05; MV, 23.3 ± 5.3 dB vs 16.0 ± 3.3 dB, p < 0.05; PM, 22.4 ± 5.1 dB vs 12.7 ± 1.9 dB, p < 0.05; AAo wall, 25.3 ± 5.6 dB vs 18.3 ± 3.4 dB, p < 0.05). The cIB values of CAW at the acute phase in IVIG nonresponders were significantly higher than those in responders. Conclusion: Echogenicity of the heart in KD patients at the acute phase increased not only in the coronary artery wall but also in other parts of the heart. Echogenicity of CAW might be helpful in determining the unresponsiveness of IVIG treatment.

URANIUM RECOVERY PROCESS

DOEpatents

Yeager, J.H.

1958-08-12

In the prior art processing of uranium ores, the ore is flrst digested with nitric acid and filtered, and the uranium values are then extracted tom the filtrate by contacting with an organic solvent. The insoluble residue has been processed separately in order to recover any uranium which it might contain. The improvement consists in contacting a slurry, composed of both solution and residue, with the organic solvent prior to filtration. Tbe result is that uranium values contained in the residue are extracted along with the uranium values contained th the solution in one step.

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Brownsville-McAllen NTMS Quadrangles, Texas

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

Not Available

1980-09-30

Results of a reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Brownsville-McAllen Quadrangles, Texas are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 427 groundwater and 171 stream sediment samples. Statistical and areal distributions of uranium and possible uranium-related variables are displayed. Pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed. Groundwater data indicate the most promising area for potential uranium mineralization occurs in the northwestern section of the quadrangles (Jim Hogg, Starr, and Zapata Counties), where waters are derived from the Catahoula Formation. These groundwaters have high concentrations of uranium, uranium associated elements,more » and low values for specific conductance. Another area with high uranium concentrations is in the southeastern portion of the survey area (Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy Counties). Shallow wells <10 m (30 ft) are numerous in this area and high specific conductance values may indicate contamination from extensive fertilization. Stream sediment data for the survey does not indicate an area favorable for uranium mineralization. Anomalous acid soluble uranium values in the southeastern area (Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy Counties) can be attributed to phosphate fertilizer contamination. Four samples in the western part of the area (western Starr County) have anomalously high total uranium values and low acid soluble uranium values, indicating the uranium may be contained in resistate minerals.« less

Development of a Water Clarity Index for the Southeastern U.S. As a Climate Indicator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheridan, S. C.; Hu, C.; Lee, C. C.; Barnes, B.; Pirhalla, D.; Ransi, V.; Shein, K. A.

2014-12-01

A common index of water quality is water clarity, which can be estimated by measuring the diffuse attenuation coefficient for downwelling irradiance (Kd). Kd estimates the availability of light to marine organisms at various depths. Marine habitats, including such species as coral and seagrass, can be negatively affected by extreme episodes of sediment suspension, where water clarity is reduced and little light penetrates. Evidence of increased stress on coastal ecosystems exists, partially due to climate change, yet a systematic analysis of extreme events and trends is difficult due to limited data. To address this concern, we have developed as a potential climate indicator a Kd-Index for nine regions along the US coast of the Gulf of Mexico, in which Kd values have been standardized over time and space to allow for a more holistic assessment of climate drivers and their trends. Variability in the Kd-Index is then assessed with regard to occurrences of surface weather types (using the Spatial Synoptic Classification), a synoptic climatology of mean sea-level-pressure patterns across the region, along with heavy precipitation events. Kd can be estimated from MODIS and SeaWiFS observations from 1997 to date; an earlier period of satellite observations from 1978-86 is also available. A non-linear autoregressive neural network model with external input (NARX) is used to develop the historical relationship between Kd-Index and atmospheric conditions, and then this model is used to simulate a full time series from 1948 to 2013. The modeled data set is strongly correlated with observations, with correlations above 0.8 for many regions. Hit rates of extreme Kd-Index values - those which would most likely be associated with a negative environmental impact - exceed 70% in some regions. Across the full data set, long term trends vary slightly across regions but are generally small. Trends in extreme events appear to be more consistently increasing across the domain.

Assessing antibiotic sorption in soil: a literature review and new case studies on sulfonamides and macrolides

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The increased use of veterinary antibiotics in modern agriculture for therapeutic uses and growth promotion has raised concern regarding the environmental impacts of antibiotic residues in soil and water. The mobility and transport of antibiotics in the environment depends on their sorption behavior, which is typically predicted by extrapolating from an experimentally determined soil-water distribution coefficient (Kd). Accurate determination of Kd values is important in order to better predict the environmental fate of antibiotics. In this paper, we examine different analytical approaches in assessing Kd of two major classes of veterinary antibiotics (sulfonamides and macrolides) and compare the existing literature data with experimental data obtained in our laboratory. While environmental parameters such as soil pH and organic matter content are the most significant factors that affect the sorption of antibiotics in soil, it is important to consider the concentrations used, the analytical method employed, and the transformations that can occur when determining Kd values. Application of solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry can facilitate accurate determination of Kd at environmentally relevant concentrations. Because the bioavailability of antibiotics in soil depends on their sorption behavior, it is important to examine current practices in assessing their mobility in soil. PMID:24438473

Variations in the uranium isotopic compositions of uranium ores from different types of uranium deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uvarova, Yulia A.; Kyser, T. Kurt; Geagea, Majdi Lahd; Chipley, Don

2014-12-01

Variations in 238U/235U and 234U/238U ratios were measured in uranium minerals from a spectrum of uranium deposit types, as well as diagenetic phosphates in uranium-rich basins and peraluminous rhyolites and associated autunite mineralisation from Macusani Meseta, Peru. Mean δ238U values of uranium minerals relative to NBL CRM 112-A are 0.02‰ for metasomatic deposits, 0.16‰ for intrusive, 0.18‰ for calcrete, 0.18‰ for volcanic, 0.29‰ for quartz-pebble conglomerate, 0.29‰ for sandstone-hosted, 0.44‰ for unconformity-type, and 0.56‰ for vein, with a total range in δ238U values from -0.30‰ to 1.52‰. Uranium mineralisation associated with igneous systems, including low-temperature calcretes that are sourced from U-rich minerals in igneous systems, have low δ238U values of ca. 0.1‰, near those of their igneous sources, whereas uranium minerals in basin-hosted deposits have higher and more variable values. High-grade unconformity-related deposits have δ238U values around 0.2‰, whereas lower grade unconformity-type deposits in the Athabasca, Kombolgie and Otish basins have higher δ238U values. The δ234U values for most samples are around 0‰, in secular equilibrium, but some samples have δ234U values much lower or higher than 0‰ associated with addition or removal of 234U during the past 2.5 Ma. These δ238U and δ234U values suggest that there are at least two different mechanisms responsible for 238U/235U and 234U/238U variations. The 234U/238U disequilibria ratios indicate recent fluid interaction with the uranium minerals and preferential migration of 234U. Fractionation between 235U and 238U is a result of nuclear-field effects with enrichment of 238U in the reduced insoluble species (mostly UO2) and 235U in oxidised mobile species as uranyl ion, UO22+, and its complexes. Therefore, isotopic fractionation effects should be reflected in 238U/235U ratios in uranium ore minerals formed either by reduction of uranium to UO2 or chemical precipitation in the form of U6+ minerals. The δ238U values of uranium ore minerals from a variety of deposits are controlled by the isotopic signature of the uranium source, the efficiency of uranium reduction in the case of UO2 systems, and the degree to which uranium was previously removed from the fluid, with less influence from temperature of ore formation and later alteration of the ore. Uranium isotopes are potentially superb tracers of redox in natural systems.

Effective therapy with infliximab for clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion in an infant with Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Kurokawa, Yoshie; Masuda, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Tohru; Ono, Hiroshi; Kato, Hitoshi; Imadome, Ken-Ichi; Abe, Jun; Abe, Yuichi; Ito, Shuichi; Ishiguro, Akira

2017-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis in infants. In KD, encephalopathy is rarely (0.1%) associated, however, clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) has previously been reported in some pediatric patients. Here, we report on a 2-year-old girl who had KD complicated with MERS. The patient experienced generalized clonic convulsion and prolonged consciousness disturbance with fever for 2 days. Her head MRI showed a high signal intensity lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum in diffusion-weighted images, and low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values on day 3. An electroencephalogram showed high voltage slow waves on the occipital and parietal head. On the same day, it was confirmed that the patient showed all the main symptoms of KD. Based on these findings, we diagnosed her with MERS-complicated KD. Even though she was treated with immunoglobulin (total 4 g/kg) and pulsed-dose methylprednisolone, her fever and consciousness disturbance continued, and blood tests showed that inflammation markers remained high. We then treated the patient with infliximab on day 9, and within a few hours of the treatment her fever dropped and all symptoms of KD and consciousness disturbance disappeared. No recurrence of KD or other complications of KD occurred, and she was discharged on day 23. We propose that infliximab is an effective optional treatment for immunoglobulin/glucocorticoid-resistant KD with MERS. To clarify this possibility, further case accumulation is warranted.

High Pressure Germination of Bacillus subtilis Spores with Alterations in Levels and Types of Germination Proteins

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

a rapidly growing non thermal food processing technology that ensures the safety of meat, fruit juice and seafood products, extends product shelf...spore germination with nutrient germinants are the sum of values for germination via the GerA GR with L valine and the GerB plus GerK GRs with AGFK...gerKD had no significant effect on mHP germination (Fig. 1d). Complementation of a gerKD strain by introduction of a wild type gerKD gene plus its own

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment detailed geochemical survey for Edgemont, South Dakota; Wyoming

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

Butz, T.R.; Dean, N.E.; Bard, C.S.

1980-05-31

Results of the Edgemont detailed geochemical survey are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 109 groundwater and 419 stream sediment samples. Statistical and areal distributions of uranium and possible uranium-related variables are given. A generalized geologic map of the survey area is provided, and pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed. Groundwaters containing greater than or equal to 7.35 ppB uranium are present in scattered clusters throughout the area sampled. Most of these groundwaters are from wells drilled where the Inyan Kara Group is exposed at themore » surface. The exceptions are a group of samples in the northwestern part of the area sampled and south of the Dewey Terrace. These groundwaters are also produced from the Inyan Kara Group where it is overlain by the Graneros Group and alluvium. The high uranium groundwaters along and to the south of the terrace are characterized by high molybdenum, uranium/specific conductance, and uranium/sulfate values. Many of the groundwaters sampled along the outcrop of the Inyan Kara Group are near uranium mines. Groundwaters have high amounts of uranium and molybdenum. Samples taken downdip are sulfide waters with low values of uranium and high values of arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, and vanadium. Stream sediments containing greater than or equal to 5.50 ppM soluble uranium are concentrated in basins draining the Graneros and Inyan Kara Groups. These values are associated with high values for arsenic, selenium, and vanadium in samples from both groups. Anomalous values for these elements in the Graneros Group may be caused by bentonite beds contained in the rock units. As shown on the geochemical distribution plot, high uranium values that are located in the Inyan Kara Group are almost exclusively draining open-pit uranium mines.« less

Thermodynamic properties of selected uranium compounds and aqueous species at 298.15 K and 1 bar and at higher temperatures; preliminary models for the origin of coffinite deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hemingway, B.S.

1982-01-01

Thermodynamic values for 110 uranium-bearing phases and 28 aqueous uranium solution species (298.15 K and l bar) are tabulated based upon evaluated experimental data (largely from calorimetric experiments) and estimated values. Molar volume data are given for most of the solid phases. Thermodynamic values for 16 uranium-bearing phases are presented for higher temperatures in the form of and as a supplement to U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1452 (Robie et al., 1979). The internal consistency of the thermodynamic values reported herein is dependent upon the reliability of the experimental results for several uranium phases that have been used as secondary calorimetric reference phases. The data for the reference phases and for those phases evaluated with respect to the secondary reference phases are discussed. A preliminary model for coffinite formation has been proposed together with an estimate of the free energy of formation of coffinite. Free energy values are estimated for several other uranium-bearing silicate phases that have been reported as secondary uranium phases associated with uranium ore deposits and that could be expected to develop wherever uranium is leached by groundwaters.

METHOD OF SEPARATING URANIUM VALUES, PLUTONIUM VALUES AND FISSION PRODUCTS BY CHLORINATION

DOEpatents

Brown, H.S.; Seaborg, G.T.

1959-02-24

The separation of plutonium and uranium from each other and from other substances is described. In general, the method comprises the steps of contacting the uranium with chlorine in the presence of a holdback material selected from the group consisting of lanthanum oxide and thorium oxide to form a uranium chloride higher than uranium tetrachloride, and thereafter heating the uranium chloride thus formed to a temperature at which the uranium chloride is volatilized off but below the volatilizalion temperature of plutonium chloride.

10 CFR 71.22 - General license: Fissile material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... to obtain the value of X, then the values for the terms in the equation for uranium-233 and plutonium... if: (i) Uranium-233 is present in the package; (ii) The mass of plutonium exceeds 1 percent of the mass of uranium-235; (iii) The uranium is of unknown uranium-235 enrichment or greater than 24 weight...

10 CFR 71.22 - General license: Fissile material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... to obtain the value of X, then the values for the terms in the equation for uranium-233 and plutonium... if: (i) Uranium-233 is present in the package; (ii) The mass of plutonium exceeds 1 percent of the mass of uranium-235; (iii) The uranium is of unknown uranium-235 enrichment or greater than 24 weight...

10 CFR 71.22 - General license: Fissile material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... to obtain the value of X, then the values for the terms in the equation for uranium-233 and plutonium... if: (i) Uranium-233 is present in the package; (ii) The mass of plutonium exceeds 1 percent of the mass of uranium-235; (iii) The uranium is of unknown uranium-235 enrichment or greater than 24 weight...

10 CFR 71.22 - General license: Fissile material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... to obtain the value of X, then the values for the terms in the equation for uranium-233 and plutonium... if: (i) Uranium-233 is present in the package; (ii) The mass of plutonium exceeds 1 percent of the mass of uranium-235; (iii) The uranium is of unknown uranium-235 enrichment or greater than 24 weight...

10 CFR 71.22 - General license: Fissile material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... to obtain the value of X, then the values for the terms in the equation for uranium-233 and plutonium... if: (i) Uranium-233 is present in the package; (ii) The mass of plutonium exceeds 1 percent of the mass of uranium-235; (iii) The uranium is of unknown uranium-235 enrichment or greater than 24 weight...

PRODUCTION OF URANIUM TETRACHLORIDE

DOEpatents

Calkins, V.P.

1958-12-16

A process is descrlbed for the production of uranium tetrachloride by contacting uranlum values such as uranium hexafluoride, uranlum tetrafluoride, or uranium oxides with either aluminum chloride, boron chloride, or sodium alumlnum chloride under substantially anhydrous condltlons at such a temperature and pressure that the chlorldes are maintained in the molten form and until the uranium values are completely converted to uranlum tetrachloride.

Screening Utility of the King-Devick Test in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease Dementia.

PubMed

Galetta, Kristin M; Chapman, Kimberly R; Essis, Maritza D; Alosco, Michael L; Gillard, Danielle; Steinberg, Eric; Dixon, Diane; Martin, Brett; Chaisson, Christine E; Kowall, Neil W; Tripodis, Yorghos; Balcer, Laura J; Stern, Robert A

2017-01-01

The King-Devick (K-D) test is a 1 to 2 minute, rapid number naming test, often used to assist with detection of concussion, but also has clinical utility in other neurological conditions (eg, Parkinson disease). The K-D involves saccadic eye and other eye movements, and abnormalities thereof may be an early indicator of Alzheimer disease (AD)-associated cognitive impairment. No study has tested the utility of the K-D in AD and we sought to do so. The sample included 206 [135 controls, 39 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 32 AD dementia] consecutive subjects from the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center registry undergoing their initial annual evaluation between March 2013 and July 2015. The K-D was administered during this period. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves generated from logistic regression models revealed the K-D test distinguished controls from subjects with cognitive impairment (MCI and AD dementia) [area under the curve (AUC)=0.72], MCI (AUC=0.71) and AD dementia (AUC=0.74). K-D time scores between 48 and 52 seconds were associated with high sensitivity (>90.0%) and negative predictive values (>85.0%) for each diagnostic group. The K-D correlated strongly with validated attention, processing speed, and visual scanning tests. The K-D test may be a rapid and simple effective screening tool to detect cognitive impairment associated with AD.

URANIUM DECONTAMINATION WITH RESPECT TO ZIRCONIUM

DOEpatents

Vogler, S.; Beederman, M.

1961-05-01

A process is given for separating uranium values from a nitric acid aqueous solution containing uranyl values, zirconium values and tetravalent plutonium values. The process comprises contacting said solution with a substantially water-immiscible liquid organic solvent containing alkyl phosphate, separating an organic extract phase containing the uranium, zirconium, and tetravalent plutonium values from an aqueous raffinate, contacting said organic extract phase with an aqueous solution 2M to 7M in nitric acid and also containing an oxalate ion-containing substance, and separating a uranium- containing organic raffinate from aqueous zirconium- and plutonium-containing extract phase.

Clinical characteristics and serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide as a diagnostic marker of Kawasaki disease in infants younger than 3 months of age.

PubMed

Bae, Hyun Kyung; Lee, Do Kyung; Kwon, Jung Hyun; Kim, Hae Soon; Sohn, Sejung; Hong, Young Mi

2014-08-01

The incidence of Kawasaki disease (KD) is rare in young infants (less than 3 months of age), who present with only a few symptoms that fulfill the clinical diagnostic criteria. The diagnosis for KD can therefore be delayed, leading to a high risk of cardiac complications. We examined the clinical characteristics and measured the serum levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels of these patients for assessing its value in the early detection of KD. We retrospectively reviewed the data of young infants diagnosed with KD from 2004 to 2012. The control group included 20 hospitalized febrile patients. Laboratory data, including NT-proBNP were obtained for each patient in both groups. Incomplete KD was observed in 21/24 patients (87.5%). The mean fever duration on admission was 1.36±1.0 days in the KD group. Common symptoms included erythema at the site of Bacille Calmette-Guerin inoculation (70.8%), skin rash (50.0%), changes of oropharyngeal mucosa (29.1%), and cervical lymphadenopathy (20.8%). The mean number of major diagnostic criteria fulfilled was 2.8±1.4. Five KD patients (20.8%) had only one symptom matching these criteria. The incidence of coronary artery complications was 12.5%. The mean serum NT-proBNP level in the acute phase, in the KD and control groups, were 4,159±3,714 pg/mL and 957±902 pg/mL, respectively, which decreased significantly in the convalescent phase. Incomplete KD was observed in 87.5% patients. Serum NT-proBNP might be a valuable biomarker for the early detection of KD in febrile infants aged <3 months.

PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY AND PURIFICATION OF URANIUM DEPOSITS

DOEpatents

Carter, J.M.; Kamen, M.D.

1958-10-14

A process is presented for recovering uranium values from UCl/sub 4/ deposits formed on calutrons. Such deposits are removed from the calutron parts by an aqueous wash solution which then contains the uranium values in addition to the following impurities: Ni, Cu, Fe, and Cr. This impurity bearing wash solution is treated with an oxidizing agent, and the oxidized solution is then treated with ammonia in order to precipitate the uranium as ammonium diuranate. The metal impurities of iron and chromium, which form insoluble hydroxides, are precipitated along with the uranium values. The precipitate is separated from the solution, dissolved in acid, and the solution again treated with ammonia and ammonium carbonate, which results in the precipitation of the metal impurities as hydroxides while the uranium values remain in solution.

Cost-effectiveness of carfilzomib plus dexamethasone compared with bortezomib plus dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the United States.

PubMed

Jakubowiak, Andrzej J; Houisse, Ivan; Májer, István; Benedict, Ágnes; Campioni, Marco; Panjabi, Sumeet; Ailawadhi, Sikander

2017-12-01

We assessed the economic value of carfilzomib 56 mg/m 2 and dexamethasone (Kd56) vs. bortezomib and dexamethasone (Vd) for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM) using ENDEAVOR trial results. Cost-effectiveness of Kd56 vs. Vd was assessed using a partitioned survival model by estimating progression-free survival, overall survival, and direct costs over a lifetime horizon. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) survival data were extrapolated after matching registry and ENDEAVOR patients. Utilities were sourced from the literature and mapped from patient-reported quality of life in ENDEAVOR to estimate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) from life-years (LYs). The model predicted an average gain of 1.66 LYs and 1.50 QALYs with Kd56 vs. Vd, and lifetime additional costs of $182,699, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $121,828/QALY gained. The ICER was $114,793/QALY in patients with 1 prior treatment; $99,263/QALY in those not transplanted, and <$150,000/QALY up to an 85% discount in bortezomib price. Kd56 is cost-effective for patients with R/RMM at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000/QALY. Trial data in the model may limit generalizability; however, SEER registry data mitigates this challenge. Kd56 provides additional value in key subgroups, and remains cost-effective after steep comparator discounts.

Surface complexation modeling of U(VI) adsorption by aquifer sediments from a former mill tailings site at Rifle, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hyun, S.P.; Fox, P.M.; Davis, J.A.; Campbell, K.M.; Hayes, K.F.; Long, P.E.

2009-01-01

A study of U(VI) adsorption by aquifer sediment samples from a former uranium mill tailings site at Rifle, Colorado, was conducted under oxic conditions as a function of pH, U(VI), Ca, and dissolved carbonate concentration. Batch adsorption experiments were performed using <2mm size sediment fractions, a sand-sized fraction, and artificial groundwater solutions prepared to simulate the field groundwater composition. To encompass the geochemical conditions of the alluvial aquifer at the site, the experimental conditions ranged from 6.8 ?? 10-8 to 10-5 M in [U(VI)]tot, 7.2 to 8.0 in pH, 3.0 ?? 10-3 to 6.0 ?? 10 -3 M in [Ca2+], and 0.05 to 2.6% in partial pressure of carbon dioxide. Surface area normalized U(VI) adsorption Kd values for the sand and <2 mm sediment fraction were similar, suggesting a similar reactive surface coating on both fractions. A two-site two-reaction, nonelectrostatic generalized composite surface complexation model was developed and successfully simulated the U(VI) adsorption data. The model successfully predicted U(VI) adsorption observed from a multilevel sampling well installed at the site. A comparison of the model with the one developed previously for a uranium mill tailings site at Naturita, Colorado, indicated that possible calcite nonequilibrium of dissolved calcium concentration should be evaluated. The modeling results also illustrate the importance of the range of data used in deriving the best fit model parameters. ?? 2009 American Chemical Society.

How To Functionalize Ceramics by Perfluoroalkylsilanes for Membrane Separation Process? Properties and Application of Hydrophobized Ceramic Membranes.

PubMed

Kujawa, Joanna; Cerneaux, Sophie; Kujawski, Wojciech; Bryjak, Marek; Kujawski, Jan

2016-03-23

The combination of microscopic (atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) and goniometric (static and dynamic measurements) techniques, and surface characterization (surface free energy determination, critical surface tension, liquid entry pressure, hydraulic permeability) was implemented to discuss the influence of perfluoroalkylsilanes structure and grafting time on the physicochemistry of the created hydrophobic surfaces on the titania ceramic membranes of 5 kD and 300 kD. The impact of molecular structure of perfluoroalkylsilanes modifiers (possessing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms in the fluorinated part of the alkyl chain) and the time of the functionalization process in the range of 5 to 35 h was studied. Based on the scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, it was found that the localization of grafting molecules depends on the membrane pore size (5 kD or 300 kD). In the case of 5 kD titania membranes, modifiers are attached mainly on the surface and only partially inside the membrane pores, whereas, for 300 kD membranes, the perfluoroalkylsilanes molecules are present within the whole porous structure of the membranes. The application of 4 various types of PFAS molecules enabled for interesting observations and remarks. It was explained how to obtain ceramic membrane surfaces with controlled material (contact angle, roughness, contact angle hysteresis) and separation properties. Highly hydrophobic surfaces with low values of contact angle hysteresis and low roughness were obtained. These surfaces possessed also low values of critical surface tension, which means that surfaces are highly resistant to wetting. This finding is crucial in membrane applicability in separation processes. The obtained and characterized hydrophobic membranes were subsequently applied in air-gap membrane distillation processes. All membranes were very efficient in MD processes, showing good transport and selective properties (∼99% of NaCl salt rejection). Depending on the membrane pore size and used modifiers, the permeate flux was in the range of 0.5-4.5 kg·m(-2)·h(-1) and 0.3-4.2 kg·m(-2)·h(-1) for 5 kD and 300 kD membranes, respectively.

A Neural Network Model for K(λ) Retrieval and Application to Global Kpar Monitoring.

PubMed

Chen, Jun; Zhu, Yuanli; Wu, Yongsheng; Cui, Tingwei; Ishizaka, Joji; Ju, Yongtao

2015-01-01

Accurate estimation of diffuse attenuation coefficients in the visible wavelengths Kd(λ) from remotely sensed data is particularly challenging in global oceanic and coastal waters. The objectives of the present study are to evaluate the applicability of a semi-analytical Kd(λ) retrieval model (SAKM) and Jamet's neural network model (JNNM), and then develop a new neural network Kd(λ) retrieval model (NNKM). Based on the comparison of Kd(λ) predicted by these models with in situ measurements taken from the global oceanic and coastal waters, all of the NNKM, SAKM, and JNNM models work well in Kd(λ) retrievals, but the NNKM model works more stable and accurate than both SAKM and JNNM models. The near-infrared band-based and shortwave infrared band-based combined model is used to remove the atmospheric effects on MODIS data. The Kd(λ) data was determined from the atmospheric corrected MODIS data using the NNKM, JNNM, and SAKM models. The results show that the NNKM model produces <30% uncertainty in deriving Kd(λ) from global oceanic and coastal waters, which is 4.88-17.18% more accurate than SAKM and JNNM models. Furthermore, we employ an empirical approach to calculate Kpar from the NNKM model-derived diffuse attenuation coefficient at visible bands (443, 488, 555, and 667 nm). The results show that our model presents a satisfactory performance in deriving Kpar from the global oceanic and coastal waters with 20.2% uncertainty. The Kpar are quantified from MODIS data atmospheric correction using our model. Comparing with field measurements, our model produces ~31.0% uncertainty in deriving Kpar from Bohai Sea. Finally, the applicability of our model for general oceanographic studies is briefly illuminated by applying it to climatological monthly mean remote sensing reflectance for time ranging from July, 2002- July 2014 at the global scale. The results indicate that the high Kd(λ) and Kpar values are usually found around the coastal zones in the high latitude regions, while low Kd(λ) and Kpar values are usually found in the open oceans around the low-latitude regions. These results could improve our knowledge about the light field under waters at either the global or basin scales, and be potentially used into general circulation models to estimate the heat flux between atmosphere and ocean.

Phosphate fertilizer impacts on glyphosate sorption by soil.

PubMed

Munira, Sirajum; Farenhorst, Annemieke; Flaten, Don; Grant, Cynthia

2016-06-01

This research examined the impact of field-aged phosphate and cadmium (Cd) concentrations, and fresh phosphate co-applications, on glyphosate sorption by soil. Soil samples were collected in 2013 from research plots that had received, from 2002 to 2009, annual applications of mono ammonium phosphate (MAP) at 20, 40 and 80 kg P ha(-1) and from products containing 0.4, 70 or 210 mg Cd kg(-1) as an impurity. A series of batch equilibrium experiments were carried out to quantify the glyphosate sorption distribution constant, Kd. Extractable Cd concentrations in soil had no significant effect on glyphosate sorption. Glyphosate Kd values significantly decreased with increasing Olsen-P concentrations in soil, regardless of the pH conditions studied. Experiments repeated with a commercially available glyphosate formulation showed statistically similar results as the experiments performed with analytical-grade glyphosate. Co-applications of MAP with glyphosate also reduced the available sorption sites to retain glyphosate, but less so when soils already contain large amounts of phosphate. Glyphosate Kd values in soils ranged from 173 to 939 L kg(-1) under very strong to strongly acidic condition but the Kd was always <100 L kg(-1) under moderately acidic to slightly alkaline conditions. The highest Olsen-P concentrations in soil reduced Kd values by 25-44% relative to control soils suggesting that, under moderately acidic to slightly alkaline conditions, glyphosate may become mobile by water in soils with high phosphate levels. Otherwise, glyphosate residues in agricultural soils are more likely to be transported off-site by wind and water-eroded sediments than by leaching or runoff. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involvement of serotonin system in bullimia

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

Marazziti, D.; Macchi, E.; Rotondo, A.

1988-01-01

Platelet /sup 3/H-imipramine binding was investigated in 8 patients affected by bulimia according to DSM III criteria, and in 7 health volunteers. The Bmax /+ -/SD (fmol/mg protein) was 356 /+ -/ 53 in patients, and 1144 /+ -/ 134 in controls. The Kd /+ -/ SD (nM) was 1.35 /+ -/ 0.44 in patients, and 1.90 /+ -/ 0.72 in controls. There was a significant difference in Bmax values in the two groups, whereas no significant difference was observed in Kd values. This study suggests the possible involvement of the indoleamine system in bullimia.

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

Anderson, G.F.; Marks, B.H.

This study examines the beta adrenergic receptors of the rabbit detrusor smooth muscle, employing (/sup 125/I)iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) as a ligand for the binding of beta adrenergic receptors. Saturation binding experiments on the isolated membrane fraction yielded a KD for ICYP of 14.7 pM and a maximum binding of 147.6 fmol/mg of protein. Displacement of labeled ICYP by a series of beta adrenergic agents yielded the following KD values for the combined high and low affinity binding sites: I-propranolol, 0.76 nM; ICI 118,551, 1.7 nM; zinterol, 38.0 nM; metoprolol, 3.5 microM; and practolol, 61.4 microM. When these displacement experimental results weremore » compared to KD values from other reported binding studies with ICYP for beta adrenoreceptors, both the order of potency and the KD values indicated primarily beta-2 adrenergic receptor subtypes. Computer program Scatfit analysis of the displacement curves indicated a single slope and affinity constant for all five beta adrenergic agents. Hofstee plots for zinterol, ICI 118,551 and metoprolol, however, were not linear and indicated that minor populations of beta-1 adrenoreceptors were also present as both high and low affinity binding sites could be defined. It is concluded that the primary receptor population is beta-2 and that this tissue is heterogenous with a small population of beta-1 adrenoreceptors representing approximately 13 to 23% of the total beta adrenoreceptor population.« less

SEPARATION OF THORIUM FROM URANIUM

DOEpatents

Bane, R.W.

1959-09-01

A description is given for the separation of thorium from uranium by forming an aqueous acidic solution containing ionic species of thorium, uranyl uranium, and hydroxylamine, flowing the solution through a column containing the phenol-formaldehyde type cation exchange resin to selectively adsorb substantially all the thorium values and a portion of the uranium values, flowing a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid through the column to desorb the uranium values, and then flowing a dilute aqueous acidic solution containing an ion, such as bisulfate, which has a complexing effect upon thortum through the column to desorb substantially all of the thorium.

METHOD OF RECOVERING URANIUM COMPOUNDS

DOEpatents

Poirier, R.H.

1957-10-29

S>The recovery of uranium compounds which have been adsorbed on anion exchange resins is discussed. The uranium and thorium-containing residues from monazite processed by alkali hydroxide are separated from solution, and leached with an alkali metal carbonate solution, whereby the uranium and thorium hydrorides are dissolved. The carbonate solution is then passed over an anion exchange resin causing the uranium to be adsorbed while the thorium remains in solution. The uranium may be recovered by contacting the uranium-holding resin with an aqueous ammonium carbonate solution whereby the uranium values are eluted from the resin and then heating the eluate whereby carbon dioxide and ammonia are given off, the pH value of the solution is lowered, and the uranium is precipitated.

Results of a prospective clinical study on the diagnostic performance of standard magnetic resonance imaging in comparison to a combination of 3T MRI and additional CT imaging in Kienböck's disease.

PubMed

Stahl, Stephane; Hentschel, Pascal; Ketelsen, Dominik; Grosse, Ulrich; Held, Manuel; Wahler, Theodora; Syha, Roland; Schaller, Hans-Eberhard; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Grözinger, Gerd

2017-05-01

This prospective clinical study examined standard wrist magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations and the incremental value of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of Kienböck's disease (KD) with regard to reliability and precision in the different diagnostic steps during diagnostic work-up. Sixty-four consecutive patients referred between January 2009 and January 2014 with positive initial suspicion of KD according to external standard wrist MRI were prospectively included (step one). Institutional review board approval was obtained. Clinical examination by two handsurgeons were followed by wrist radiographs (step two), ultrathin-section CT, and 3T contrast-enhanced MRI (step three). Final diagnosis was established in a consensus conference involving all examiners and all examinations results available from step three. In 12/64 patients, initial suspicion was discarded at step two and in 34/64 patients, the initial suspicion of KD was finally discarded at step three. The final external MRI positive predictive value was 47%. The most common differential diagnoses at step three were intraosseous cysts (n=15), lunate pseudarthrosis (n=13), and ulnar impaction syndrome (n=5). A correlation between radiograph-based diagnoses (step two) with final diagnosis (step three) showed that initial suspicion of stage I KD had the lowest sensitivity for correct diagnosis (2/11). Technical factors associated with a false positive external MRI KD diagnosis were not found. Standard wrist MRI should be complemented with thin-section CT, and interdisciplinary interpretation of images and clinical data, to increase diagnostic accuracy in patients with suspected KD. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Predicting sorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products onto soil and digested sludge using artificial neural networks.

PubMed

Barron, Leon; Havel, Josef; Purcell, Martha; Szpak, Michal; Kelleher, Brian; Paull, Brett

2009-04-01

A comprehensive analytical investigation of the sorption behaviour of a large selection of over-the-counter, prescribed pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs to agricultural soils and freeze-dried digested sludges is presented. Batch sorption experiments were carried out to identify which compounds could potentially concentrate in soils as a result of biosolid enrichment. Analysis of aqueous samples was carried out directly using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). For solids analysis, combined pressurised liquid extraction and solid phase extraction methods were used prior to LC-MS/MS. Solid-water distribution coefficients (K(d)) were calculated based on slopes of sorption isotherms over a defined concentration range. Molecular descriptors such as log P, pK(a), molar refractivity, aromatic ratio, hydrophilic factor and topological surface area were collected for all solutes and, along with generated K(d) data, were incorporated as a training set within a developed artificial neural network to predict K(d) for all solutes within both sample types. Therefore, this work represents a novel approach using combined and cross-validated analytical and computational techniques to confidently study sorption modes within the environment. The logarithm plots of predicted versus experimentally determined K(d) are presented which showed excellent correlation (R(2) > 0.88), highlighting that artificial neural networks could be used as a predictive tool for this application. To evaluate the developed model, it was used to predict K(d) for meclofenamic acid, mefenamic acid, ibuprofen and furosemide and subsequently compared to experimentally determined values in soil. Ratios of experimental/predicted K(d) values were found to be 1.00, 1.00, 1.75 and 1.65, respectively.

Calcium affecting protein expression in longan under simulated acid rain stress.

PubMed

Pan, Tengfei; Li, Yongyu; Ma, Cuilan; Qiu, Dongliang

2015-08-01

Longan (Dimocarpus longana Lour. cv. Wulongling) of uniform one-aged seedlings grown in pots were selected to study specific proteins expressed in leaves under simulated acid rain (SiAR) stress and exogenous Ca(2+) regulation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) results showed that there was a protein band specifically expressed under SiAR of pH 2.5 stress for 15 days with its molecular weight of about 23 kD. A 17 kD protein band specifically expressed after SiAR stress 5 days. Compared with pH 2.5, the pH 3.5 of SiAR made a less influence to protein expression. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) results showed that six new specific proteins including C4 (20.2 kD pI 6.0), F (24 kD pI 6.35), B3 (22.3 kD pI 6.35), B4 (23.5 kD pI 6.5), C5 (21.8 kD pI 5.6), and C6 (20.2 kD pI 5.6) specifically expressed. C4 always expressed during SiAR stress. F expressed under the stress of pH 2.5 for 15 days and expressed in all pH SiAR stress for 20 days. The expression of proteins including B3, C5, and C6 was related to pH value and stress intensity of SiAR. The expression of B4 resulted from synergistic effects of SiAR and Ca. The expression of G1 (Mr 19.3 kD, pI 4.5), G2 (Mr 17.8 kD, pI 4.65), G3 (Mr 16.6 kD, pI 4.6), and G4 (Mr 14.7 kD, pI 4.4) enhanced under the treatment of 5 mM ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) and 2 mM chlorpromazine (CPZ). These proteins showed antagonistic effects and might be relative to the Ca-calmodulin (Ca-CaM) system of longan in response to SiAR stress.

Prediction for Intravenous Immunoglobulin Resistance by Using Weighted Genetic Risk Score Identified From Genome-Wide Association Study in Kawasaki Disease.

PubMed

Kuo, Ho-Chang; Wong, Henry Sung-Ching; Chang, Wei-Pin; Chen, Ben-Kuen; Wu, Mei-Shin; Yang, Kuender D; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Hsu, Yu-Wen; Liu, Shih-Feng; Liu, Xiao; Chang, Wei-Chiao

2017-10-01

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the treatment of choice in Kawasaki disease (KD). IVIG is used to prevent cardiovascular complications related to KD. However, a proportion of KD patients have persistent fever after IVIG treatment and are defined as IVIG resistant. To develop a risk scoring system based on genetic markers to predict IVIG responsiveness in KD patients, a total of 150 KD patients (126 IVIG responders and 24 IVIG nonresponders) were recruited for this study. A genome-wide association analysis was performed to compare the 2 groups and identified risk alleles for IVIG resistance. A weighted genetic risk score was calculated by the natural log of the odds ratio multiplied by the number of risk alleles. Eleven single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified by genome-wide association study. The KD patients were categorized into 3 groups based on their calculated weighted genetic risk score. Results indicated a significant association between weighted genetic risk score (groups 3 and 4 versus group 1) and the response to IVIG (Fisher's exact P value 4.518×10 - 03 and 8.224×10 - 10 , respectively). This is the first weighted genetic risk score study based on a genome-wide association study in KD. The predictive model integrated the additive effects of all 11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms to provide a prediction of the responsiveness to IVIG. © 2017 The Authors.

Estimating the sorption of pharmaceuticals based on their pharmacological distribution.

PubMed

Williams, Mike; Ong, Poh L; Williams, Desmond B; Kookana, Rai S

2009-12-01

Pharmaceuticals released into aquatic systems are expected to sorb to sediments to varying degrees. Their sorption is likely to influence their fate and, ultimately, the risk they pose to aquatic organisms. This has led to the European Medicines Agency requiring an assessment of affinity to solids, using batch sorption methods, for the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of new human medicines. However, a large body of data is generated before pharmaceuticals are released onto the market, including their extent of distribution throughout the human body, measured by the volume of distribution (VD). In the present study, batch sorption experiments were undertaken using 12 different soils and sediments to determine whether VD was a good indicator of experimental Kd values for 21 pharmaceuticals. The r2 values obtained from the regressions ranged from 0.39 to 0.76 (with a median value of 0.5) and all regressions were found to be significant. The use of this more comprehensive set of soils and sediments was consistent with previous studies comparing VD and Kd, despite the Kd values of the selected pharmaceuticals varying greatly between soils. The relationship between Kd and VD was greatly improved when zwitterionic antibiotics and carbamazepine were not included, possibly due to complex sorption or pharmacokinetic behavior. There are likely to be a number of factors affecting the sorption of pharmaceuticals that cannot be explained by VD. However, further work may elucidate how these factors can be accounted for, enabling VD to be effectively used to facilitate the ERA of human pharmaceuticals with already available information.

Characterization, Recovery Opportunities, and Valuation of Metals in Municipal Sludges from U.S. Wastewater Treatment Plants Nationwide.

PubMed

Westerhoff, Paul; Lee, Sungyun; Yang, Yu; Gordon, Gwyneth W; Hristovski, Kiril; Halden, Rolf U; Herckes, Pierre

2015-08-18

U.S. sewage sludges were analyzed for 58 regulated and nonregulated elements by ICP-MS and electron microscopy to explore opportunities for removal and recovery. Sludge/water distribution coefficients (KD, L/kg dry weight) spanned 5 orders of magnitude, indicating significant metal accumulation in biosolids. Rare-earth elements and minor metals (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) detected in sludges showed enrichment factors (EFs) near unity, suggesting dust or soils as likely dominant sources. In contrast, most platinum group elements (i.e., Ru, Rh, Pd, Pt) showed high EF and KD values, indicating anthropogenic sources. Numerous metallic and metal oxide colloids (<100-500 nm diameter) were detected; the morphology of abundant aggregates of primary particles measuring <100 nm provided clues to their origin. For a community of 1 million people, metals in biosolids were valued at up to US$13 million annually. A model incorporating a parameter (KD × EF × $Value) to capture the relative potential for economic value from biosolids revealed the identity of the 13 most lucrative elements (Ag, Cu, Au, P, Fe, Pd, Mn, Zn, Ir, Al, Cd, Ti, Ga, and Cr) with a combined value of US $280/ton of sludge.

Surface complexation modeling of americium sorption onto volcanic tuff.

PubMed

Ding, M; Kelkar, S; Meijer, A

2014-10-01

Results of a surface complexation model (SCM) for americium sorption on volcanic rocks (devitrified and zeolitic tuff) are presented. The model was developed using PHREEQC and based on laboratory data for americium sorption on quartz. Available data for sorption of americium on quartz as a function of pH in dilute groundwater can be modeled with two surface reactions involving an americium sulfate and an americium carbonate complex. It was assumed in applying the model to volcanic rocks from Yucca Mountain, that the surface properties of volcanic rocks can be represented by a quartz surface. Using groundwaters compositionally representative of Yucca Mountain, americium sorption distribution coefficient (Kd, L/Kg) values were calculated as function of pH. These Kd values are close to the experimentally determined Kd values for americium sorption on volcanic rocks, decreasing with increasing pH in the pH range from 7 to 9. The surface complexation constants, derived in this study, allow prediction of sorption of americium in a natural complex system, taking into account the inherent uncertainty associated with geochemical conditions that occur along transport pathways. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The impact of Pu speciation on distribution coefficients in Mayak soil.

PubMed

Skipperud, L; Oughton, D; Salbu, B

2000-08-10

To assess the long-term consequences when radionuclides are released into the environment, information on the source term, transport and transformation processes, interaction with soils (KD) and biological uptake (CF) is needed. Among the artificial radionuclides released to the environment by nuclear activities, the transuranium elements are a major concern, due to very long half-lives and their accumulation in bone as well as high radiotoxicity. Plutonium has been produced in greater quantity than other transuranic elements, however, environmental assessments are complicated by the complex environmental behaviour. Physico-chemical forms of Pu will determine the interactions with soils and, thus, the degree to which soils can act as a sink or a potential diffuse source of contaminants. In the present work, dynamic tracer experiments have been performed where different Pu-species are added to a 'Mayak soil-rainwater system' to obtain information on KD values. After a defined contact time, the samples where then sequentially extracted and results are used in a dynamic box model to estimate interaction and fixation rates. The interaction of all Pu-species with soils seems to be rapid and follows a two-step reaction. Up to contact times of a few weeks, the KD for Pu(III,IV) (730 +/- 240 l/kg) is approximately one order of magnitude higher than for Pu(V,VI) (90 +/- 20 l/kg) and Pu(III,IV)-organic (40-60 l/kg). After 3 months contact time, the KD in only the two organic-bound Pu-species were significantly lower. This shows that the initial association with the soil is dependent on the Pu-species in the rainwater. After only 1 h of contact, between 33 and 40% of the plutonium was strongly bound to the soil components, i.e. only extractable with strong HNO3. The extraction of soil-bound Pu followed a similar pattern for all the original species, suggesting that the next step of Pu interaction mechanism with soil was rather independent of the original species. For both the Pu(V,VI) and Pu-organic species, the rainwater-desorption extract gave consistently higher KD values than that calculated from the rainwater-sorption data; whereas for Pu(III,IV), desorption KD values were more similar to sorption KD values. This supports the suggestion that the observed difference in Pu adsorption to soils reflects Pu-speciation in the water soluble phase, and that actual soil-Pu interactions are rather independent of the original speciation. Modelling of the extraction data show a different in association rate for the different Pu species, where the Pu(III,IV) has the fastest association rate as expected.

RECOVERY OF THORIUM AND URANIUM VALUES FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

DOEpatents

Calkins, G.D.

1958-02-18

This patent deals with the separation and recovery of uranium from monazite sand. After initial treatment of the sand with sodium hydroxide, a precipitate is obtuined which contains the uranium, thorium, rare earths and some phosphorus. This precipitate is then dissolved in nitric acid. The bulk of the rare earths are removed from thls soiution by adding aa excess of alkali carbonate, causing precipitation of the rare earths together with part of the thorium present. The solution still contains a considerable amount of thorium, some rare earths, and practically all of the uranium originally present. Thorium and rare earth values are readily precipitated from such solution, and the uranium values thus isolated, by the addition of an excess hydrogen peroxide. The pH value of the solution is preferably adjusted to at least 9 prior to the addition of the peroxide.

Identification of Novel Susceptibility Loci for Kawasaki Disease in a Han Chinese Population by a Genome-Wide Association Study

PubMed Central

Huang, Li-Min; Huang, Fu-Yuan; Chiu, Nan-Chang; Chen, Ming-Ren; Chi, Hsin; Lee, Yann-Jinn; Chang, Li-Ching; Liu, Yi-Min; Wang, Hsiang-Hua; Chen, Chien-Hsiun; Chen, Yuan-Tsong; Wu, Jer-Yuarn

2011-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis syndrome that primarily affects infants and young children. Its etiology is unknown; however, epidemiological findings suggest that genetic predisposition underlies disease susceptibility. Taiwan has the third-highest incidence of KD in the world, after Japan and Korea. To investigate novel mechanisms that might predispose individuals to KD, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 250 KD patients and 446 controls in a Han Chinese population residing in Taiwan, and further validated our findings in an independent Han Chinese cohort of 208 cases and 366 controls. The most strongly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected in the joint analysis corresponded to three novel loci. Among these KD-associated SNPs three were close to the COPB2 (coatomer protein complex beta-2 subunit) gene: rs1873668 (p = 9.52×10−5), rs4243399 (p = 9.93×10−5), and rs16849083 (p = 9.93×10−5). We also identified a SNP in the intronic region of the ERAP1 (endoplasmic reticulum amino peptidase 1) gene (rs149481, pbest = 4.61×10−5). Six SNPs (rs17113284, rs8005468, rs10129255, rs2007467, rs10150241, and rs12590667) clustered in an area containing immunoglobulin heavy chain variable regions genes, with pbest-values between 2.08×10−5 and 8.93×10−6, were also identified. This is the first KD GWAS performed in a Han Chinese population. The novel KD candidates we identified have been implicated in T cell receptor signaling, regulation of proinflammatory cytokines, as well as antibody-mediated immune responses. These findings may lead to a better understanding of the underlying molecular pathogenesis of KD. PMID:21326860

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Lipid Profile in Children With Kawasaki Disease: A Single-Center Follow-up Study After a Mean Duration of 6.9 Years.

PubMed

Gopalan, Kavitha; Singh, Surjit; Vignesh, Pandiarajan; Gupta, Anju; Rohit, Manojkumar; Attri, Savita Verma

2018-03-13

Kawasaki disease (KD) has a predilection to involve coronary arteries, leading to several long-term cardiovascular sequelae. Apart from coronary artery abnormalities, children with KD are also prone to develop premature atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, and lipid abnormalities. Some of these complications may occur even in children who have received appropriate treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin in the acute phase. In 2009, we had studied carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and lipid profile in 27 children with KD at least 1 year after the acute episode. In the present study, we have followed up the same cohort of 27 children at least 5 years after the acute episode of KD. We measured the cIMT, a surrogate marker for premature atherosclerosis, and fasting lipid profile in the cohort and compared the results with values obtained in our previous study. There was significantly higher mean cIMT in children with KD as compared with control subjects. However, there was no significant difference in cIMT among children in the cohort at 1 and 5 years of follow-up. Abnormal lipid profile was seen in 7 of 27 children in the present study, 5 of whom also had had lipid abnormality at 1-year follow-up. This suggests that lipid abnormalities in KD may be long lasting. Children with KD need careful long-term follow-up even when they do not have overt and persistent coronary artery abnormalities. It is possible that consequences of KD in childhood may impact health status of young adults several years later.

Identification of dehydrin-like proteins responsive to chilling in floral buds of blueberry (Vaccinium, section Cyanococcus).

PubMed

Muthalif, M M; Rowland, L J

1994-04-01

The level of three major polypeptides of 65, 60, and 14 kD increased in response to chilling unit accumulation in floral buds of a woody perennial, blueberry (Vaccinium, section Cynaococcus). The level of the polypeptides increased most dramatically within 300 h of chilling and decreased to the prechilling level with the initiation of budbreak. Cold-hardiness levels were assessed for dormant buds of Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium ashei after different chilling treatments until the resumption of growth. These levels coincided with the level of the chilling-responsive polypeptides. Like some other previously described cold-induced proteins in annual plants, the level of the chilling-induced polypeptides also increased in leaves in response to cold treatment; the chilling-induced polypeptides were heat stable, resisting aggregation after incubation at 95 degrees C for 15 min. By fractionating bud proteins first by isoelectric point (pI) and then by molecular mass, the pI values of the 65- and 60-kD polypeptides were found to be 7.5 to 8.0 and the pI value of the 14-kD polypeptide was judged to be 8.5. Purification of the 65- and 60-kD polypeptides, followed by digestion with endoproteinase Lys-C and sequencing of selected fragments, revealed similarities in amino acid composition between the 65- and 60-kD polypeptides and dehydrins. Indeed, antiserum to the lysine-rich consensus sequence EKKGIMDKIKEKLPG of dehydrin proteins cross-reacted to all three of the major chilling-responsive polypeptides of blueberry, identifying these as dehydrins or dehydrin-like proteins.

Identification of dehydrin-like proteins responsive to chilling in floral buds of blueberry (Vaccinium, section Cyanococcus).

PubMed Central

Muthalif, M M; Rowland, L J

1994-01-01

The level of three major polypeptides of 65, 60, and 14 kD increased in response to chilling unit accumulation in floral buds of a woody perennial, blueberry (Vaccinium, section Cynaococcus). The level of the polypeptides increased most dramatically within 300 h of chilling and decreased to the prechilling level with the initiation of budbreak. Cold-hardiness levels were assessed for dormant buds of Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium ashei after different chilling treatments until the resumption of growth. These levels coincided with the level of the chilling-responsive polypeptides. Like some other previously described cold-induced proteins in annual plants, the level of the chilling-induced polypeptides also increased in leaves in response to cold treatment; the chilling-induced polypeptides were heat stable, resisting aggregation after incubation at 95 degrees C for 15 min. By fractionating bud proteins first by isoelectric point (pI) and then by molecular mass, the pI values of the 65- and 60-kD polypeptides were found to be 7.5 to 8.0 and the pI value of the 14-kD polypeptide was judged to be 8.5. Purification of the 65- and 60-kD polypeptides, followed by digestion with endoproteinase Lys-C and sequencing of selected fragments, revealed similarities in amino acid composition between the 65- and 60-kD polypeptides and dehydrins. Indeed, antiserum to the lysine-rich consensus sequence EKKGIMDKIKEKLPG of dehydrin proteins cross-reacted to all three of the major chilling-responsive polypeptides of blueberry, identifying these as dehydrins or dehydrin-like proteins. PMID:8016270

Diffusion of Eu(III) in compacted bentonite-effect of pH, solution concentration and humic acid.

PubMed

Wang, Xiangke; Chen, Yixue; Wu, Yican

2004-06-01

The effect of pH, Eu(III) solution concentration and humic acid on the diffusion of Eu(III) in compacted bentonite (rho(b) = 1000 +/- 30 kg/m(3)) was studied with "in-diffusion" method at an ionic strength of 0.1M NaClO(4). The results (K(d) values from the first slice and theoretical calculation, apparent and effective diffusion coefficients) derived from the new capillary method are in good agreement with the literature data under similar conditions, and fit the Fick's second law very well. The results suggest that the diffusion of Eu(III) is dependent on pH values and independent on solution concentration in our experimental conditions. Humic acid forms precipitation/complexation with Eu(III) at the surface of compacted bentonite and thus deduces the diffusion/transport of Eu(III) in compacted bentonite. The K(d) values in compacted bentonite are in most cases lower than those in powdered bentonite obtained from batch experiments. The difference between the K(d) values from powdered and compacted bentonite is a strong function of the bulk density of the bentonite. The results suggest that the content of interlaminary space plays a very important role to the diffusion, sorption and migration of Eu(III) in compacted bentonite.

Water clarity in the Florida Keys, USA, as observed from space (1984-2002)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palandro, D. A.; Hu, C.; Andrefouet, S.; Muller-Karger, F. E.; Hallock, P.

2007-12-01

Landsat TM and ETM+ satellite data were used to derive the diffuse attenuation coefficient (Kd, m-1), a measure of water clarity, for 29 sites throughout the Florida Keys Reef Tract. A total of 28 individual Landsat images between 1984 and 2002 were used, with imagery gathered every two years for spring seasons and every six years for fall seasons. Useful information was obtained by Landsat bands 1 (blue) and 2 (green), except when sites were covered by clouds or showed turbid water. Landsat band 3 (red) provided no consistent data due to the high absorption of red light by water. Because image sampling represented only one or two samples per year on specific days, and because water turbidity may change over short time scales, it was not possible to assess temporal trends at the sites with the Landsat data. Kd values in band 1 were higher in the spring (mean spring = 0.034 m-1, mean fall = 0.031 m-1) and band 2 were higher in the fall (mean spring = 0.056 m-1, mean fall = 0.058 m-1), but the differences were not statistically significant. Spatial variability was high between sites and between regions (Upper, Middle and Lower Keys), with band 1 ranges of 0.019 m-1 - 0.060 m-1 and band 2 ranges of 0.036 m-1 - 0.076 m-1. The highest Kd values were found in the Upper Keys, followed by the Middle Keys and Lower Keys, respectively. This result must be taken in context however, two Middle Keys sites were found to be inconsistent due to high turbidity, obscuring the benthos and altering our assumption of a visible seafloor, which the algorithm is dependent upon. If all Middle Keys data were valid it is likely that this region would have the highest Kd values for both bands. The Landsat-derived Kd values, and inherent variability, may be influenced by the dominant water mass associated with each Florida Keys region, as well as localized oceanic variables. The methodology used here may be applied to other reef areas and used with satellites that offer higher temporal resolution to assess temporal change and variability.

Radiometry from Bio-Argo Floats: a New Strategy to Validate Ocean Color Products at the Global Scale.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Organelli, E.; Claustre, H.; Serra, R.; Bricaud, A.; Schmechtig, C.; D'Ortenzio, F.; Poteau, A.; Mangin, A.; Leymarie, E.; Obolensky, G.; Prieur, L. M.; Dall'Olmo, G.; Xing, X.

2016-02-01

Thanks to a new generation of Bio-Argo floats equipped with sensors for PAR (Photosynthetically Available Irradiance) and downward irradiance measurements at selected wavelengths (i.e., 380, 412 and 490 nm), the number of radiometric measurements has been dramatically increasing and data are available for diverse open ocean systems, including winter periods with harsh seas when ships can hardly sample. More than 6500 radiometric profiles have so far been acquired around solar noon in the upper 250 m of the ocean. These radiometric profiles, acquired simultaneously to other key biogeochemical and bio-optical variables (chlorophyll a, CDOM, light backscattering), represent a fruitful data source for validation of Ocean Color (OC) products. Two different strategies can be implemented: direct validation of satellite OC products and identification of regions characterized by bio-optical anomalies. Diffuse attenuation coefficients (Kd) derived from these profiles, after a specifically developed quality control, are used for these purposes.A good agreement is observed between satellite-derived Kd values at 490 nm and their Bio-Argo counterparts. However, satellite overestimates low in situ Kd values found in very clear waters (e.g., Atlantic and Pacific Sub-Tropical Gyres). The analysis of the spectral Kd variability in the surface ocean shows the potential of Bio-Argo floats in identifying those regions with optical properties departing from global bio-optical relationships. Divergences of the ratio between Kd values at 380 nm and those at 490 nm from global bio-optical models are observed in areas such as the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic in winter. This might cause difficulties in retrieving biogeochemical parameters from satellite data. Hence, delineation of "anomalous" regions by Bio-Argo floats represents a useful strategy for planning dedicated cruises, setting mooring buoys or using CAL/VAL floats in order to improve Ocean Color applications.

Quantitative Comparison of Human Parainfluenza Virus Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase Receptor Binding and Receptor Cleavage

PubMed Central

Tappert, Mary M.; Porterfield, J. Zachary; Mehta-D'Souza, Padmaja; Gulati, Shelly

2013-01-01

The human parainfluenza virus (hPIV) hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein binds (H) oligosaccharide receptors that contain N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and cleaves (N) Neu5Ac from these oligosaccharides. In order to determine if one of HN′s two functions is predominant, we measured the affinity of H for its ligands by a solid-phase binding assay with two glycoprotein substrates and by surface plasmon resonance with three monovalent glycans. We compared the dissociation constant (Kd) values from these experiments with previously determined Michaelis-Menten constants (Kms) for the enzyme activity. We found that glycoprotein substrates and monovalent glycans containing Neu5Acα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc bind HN with Kd values in the 10 to 100 μM range. Km values for HN were previously determined to be on the order of 1 mM (M. M. Tappert, D. F. Smith, and G. M. Air, J. Virol. 85:12146–12159, 2011). A Km value greater than the Kd value indicates that cleavage occurs faster than the dissociation of binding and will dominate under N-permissive conditions. We propose, therefore, that HN is a neuraminidase that can hold its substrate long enough to act as a binding protein. The N activity can therefore regulate binding by reducing virus-receptor interactions when the concentration of receptor is high. PMID:23740997

RECOVERY OF URANIUM AND THORIUM FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

DOEpatents

Calkins, G.D.

1958-06-10

>A process is described for the recovery of uranium and thorium from monazite sand, which is frequently processed by treating it with a hot sodium hydroxide solution whereby a precipitate forms consisting mainly of oxides or hydroxides of the rare earths, thorium and uranium. The precipitate is dissolved in mineral acid, and the acid solution is then neutralized to a pH value of between 5.2 and 6.2 whereby both the uranium and thorium precipitate as the hydroxides, while substantially all the rare earth metal values present remain in the solution. The uranium and thoriunn can then be separated by dissolving the precipitate in a solution containing a mixture of alkali carbonate and alkali bicarbonate: and contacting the carbonate solution with a strong-base anion exchange resin whereby the uranium values are adsorbed on the resin while the thorium remains in solution.

Comparative statistical analysis of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects of uranium in groundwater samples from different regions of Punjab, India.

PubMed

Saini, Komal; Singh, Parminder; Bajwa, Bikramjit Singh

2016-12-01

LED flourimeter has been used for microanalysis of uranium concentration in groundwater samples collected from six districts of South West (SW), West (W) and North East (NE) Punjab, India. Average value of uranium content in water samples of SW Punjab is observed to be higher than WHO, USEPA recommended safe limit of 30µgl -1 as well as AERB proposed limit of 60µgl -1 . Whereas, for W and NE region of Punjab, average level of uranium concentration was within AERB recommended limit of 60µgl -1 . Average value observed in SW Punjab is around 3-4 times the value observed in W Punjab, whereas its value is more than 17 times the average value observed in NE region of Punjab. Statistical analysis of carcinogenic as well as non carcinogenic risks due to uranium have been evaluated for each studied district. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study on possible use of Urtica dioica (common nettle) plants as uranium (234U, 238U) contamination bioindicator near phosphogypsum stockpile.

PubMed

Olszewski, Grzegorz; Boryło, Alicja; Skwarzec, Bogdan

The aim of this study was to determine uranium concentrations in common nettle ( Urtica dioica ) plants and corresponding soils samples which were collected from the area of phosphogypsum stockpile in Wiślinka (northern Poland). The uranium concentrations in roots depended on its concentrations in soils. Calculated BCF and TF values showed that soils characteristics and air deposition affect uranium absorption and that different uranium species have different affinities to U . dioica plants. The values of 234 U/ 238 U activity ratio indicate natural origin of these radioisotopes in analyzed plants. Uranium concentration in plants roots is negatively weakly correlated with distance from phosphogypsum stockpile.

Water-Sediment Partition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Nansi Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guizhai; Diao, Youjiang

2018-06-01

Based on field data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and sediment in Nansi Lake. The concentrations and the partitioning characteristic of PAHs in the water and sediment were studied. The lgKd of high molecular weight PAHs were higher than the low molecular weight PAHs. The most of PAHs Kd values were negligible correlated with TOC, soluble salt, clay and pH of the sediment in Nansi Lake.

Unexpected Lack of Deleterious Effects of Uranium on Physiological Systems following a Chronic Oral Intake in Adult Rat

PubMed Central

Dublineau, Isabelle; Souidi, Maâmar; Gueguen, Yann; Lestaevel, Philippe; Bertho, Jean-Marc; Manens, Line; Delissen, Olivia; Grison, Stéphane; Paulard, Anaïs; Monin, Audrey; Kern, Yseult; Rouas, Caroline; Loyen, Jeanne; Gourmelon, Patrick; Aigueperse, Jocelyne

2014-01-01

Uranium level in drinking water is usually in the range of microgram-per-liter, but this value may be as much as 100 to 1000 times higher in some areas, which may raise question about the health consequences for human populations living in these areas. Our purpose was to improve knowledge of chemical effects of uranium following chronic ingestion. Experiments were performed on rats contaminated for 9 months via drinking water containing depleted uranium (0.2, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 120 mg/L). Blood biochemical and hematological indicators were measured and several different types of investigations (molecular, functional, and structural) were conducted in organs (intestine, liver, kidneys, hematopoietic cells, and brain). The specific sensitivity of the organs to uranium was deduced from nondeleterious biological effects, with the following thresholds (in mg/L): 0.2 for brain, >2 for liver, >10 for kidneys, and >20 for intestine, indicating a NOAEL (No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level) threshold for uranium superior to 120 m g/L. Based on the chemical uranium toxicity, the tolerable daily intake calculation yields a guideline value for humans of 1350 μg/L. This value was higher than the WHO value of 30 μg/L, indicating that this WHO guideline for uranium content in drinking water is very protective and might be reconsidered. PMID:24693537

Unexpected lack of deleterious effects of uranium on physiological systems following a chronic oral intake in adult rat.

PubMed

Dublineau, Isabelle; Souidi, Maâmar; Gueguen, Yann; Lestaevel, Philippe; Bertho, Jean-Marc; Manens, Line; Delissen, Olivia; Grison, Stéphane; Paulard, Anaïs; Monin, Audrey; Kern, Yseult; Rouas, Caroline; Loyen, Jeanne; Gourmelon, Patrick; Aigueperse, Jocelyne

2014-01-01

Uranium level in drinking water is usually in the range of microgram-per-liter, but this value may be as much as 100 to 1000 times higher in some areas, which may raise question about the health consequences for human populations living in these areas. Our purpose was to improve knowledge of chemical effects of uranium following chronic ingestion. Experiments were performed on rats contaminated for 9 months via drinking water containing depleted uranium (0.2, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 120 mg/L). Blood biochemical and hematological indicators were measured and several different types of investigations (molecular, functional, and structural) were conducted in organs (intestine, liver, kidneys, hematopoietic cells, and brain). The specific sensitivity of the organs to uranium was deduced from nondeleterious biological effects, with the following thresholds (in mg/L): 0.2 for brain, >2 for liver, >10 for kidneys, and >20 for intestine, indicating a NOAEL (No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level) threshold for uranium superior to 120 m g/L. Based on the chemical uranium toxicity, the tolerable daily intake calculation yields a guideline value for humans of 1350 μg/L. This value was higher than the WHO value of 30 μg/L, indicating that this WHO guideline for uranium content in drinking water is very protective and might be reconsidered.

Modulation of thyroid hormone receptors by non-thyroidal stimuli

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

ErkenBrack, D.E.; Clemons, G.K.

1988-01-01

The ability of non-thyroidal stimuli to affect the binding affinity and capacity of solubilized nuclear receptors for thyroid hormones was studied in a normal homeostatic system (erythropoiesis) and a pathobiologic one (lung-ozone interaction). No significant effects on affinity were found, as Kd control values for receptors derived from rat bone marrow averaged 57 (+/- 28) pM while experimental (hypoxic) values averaged 89 (+/- 55) pM. Kd control values in rat lung were found to average 142 (+/- 22) pM while average values derived from experimental protocols with ozone and methimazole were 267 (+/- 44) pM and 161 (+/- 35) pMmore » respectively. Finally, Kd control values for receptors derived from cultured MEL cells averaged 19 (+/- 2.6) pM while experimental values during exposure to DMSO or IGF1 were 23 (+/- 3.6) pM and 26 (+/- 11) pM respectively. In contrast, binding capacity (expressed as fmoles of hormone bound per unit protein of solubilized receptor) was markedly perturbed in several tissues by various agents: ozone effects on lung were shown by an average control value of 3.3 (+/- 0.4) as opposed to an experimental average of 28 (+/- 1.9); and hypoxia effects on erythroid tissue were displayed by an average control value of 0.7 (+/- 0.07) as opposed to the experimental figure of 1.8 (+/- 0.03). In cultured MEL cells, binding capacity was seen to be increased from control values of 388 (+/- 15) sites/cell to 1243 (+/- 142) sites/cell after DMSO exposure and 2002 (+/- 10) sites/cell after IGF1 exposure. Parallel experiments done with receptors derived from rat liver yielded values similar to those reported by other investigators and were unaffected by the experimental agents.« less

Sorption of radioiodide in an acidic, nutrient-poor boreal bog: insights into the microbial impact.

PubMed

Lusa, M; Bomberg, M; Aromaa, H; Knuutinen, J; Lehto, J

2015-05-01

Batch sorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the sorption behaviour of iodide and the microbial impact on iodide sorption in the surface moss, subsurface peat, gyttja, and clay layers of a nutrient-poor boreal bog. The batch distribution coefficient (Kd) values of iodide decreased as a function of sampling depth. The highest Kd values, 4800 L/Kg dry weight (DW) (geometric mean), were observed in the fresh surface moss and the lowest in the bottom clay (geometric mean 90 mL/g DW). In the surface moss, peat and gyttja layers, which have a high organic matter content (on average 97%), maximum sorption was observed at a pH between ∼ 4 and 5 and in the clay layer at pH 2. The Kd values were significantly lower in sterilized samples, being 20-fold lower than the values found for the unsterilized samples. In addition, the recolonization of sterilized samples with a microbial population from the fresh samples restored the sorption capacity of surface moss, peat and gyttja samples, indicating that the decrease in the sorption was due to the destruction of microbes and supporting the hypothesis that microbes are necessary for the incorporation of iodide into the organic matter. Anoxic conditions reduced the sorption of iodide in fresh, untreated samples, similarly to the effect of sterilization, which supports the hypothesis that iodide is oxidized into I2/HIO before incorporation into the organic matter. Furthermore, the Kd values positively correlated with peroxidase activity in surface moss, subsurface peat and gyttja layers at +20 °C, and with the bacterial cell counts obtained from plate count agar at +4 °C. Our results demonstrate the importance of viable microbes for the sorption of iodide in the bog environment, having a high organic matter content and a low pH. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory Biomarkers to Facilitate Differential Diagnosis between Measles and Kawasaki Disease in a Pediatric Emergency Room: A Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Buonsenso, Danilo; Macchiarulo, Giulia; Supino, Maria Chiara; La Penna, Francesco; Scateni, Simona; Marchesi, Alessandra; Reale, Antonino; Boccuzzi, Elena

2018-01-01

This retrospective study was conducted to analyze clinical and laboratoristic parameters to individuate specific differences and facilitate differential diagnosis between Measles and Kawasaki Disease (KD) at first evaluation in an emergency room. We found similar clinical features as duration of fever and number of KD criteria (p > 0.5) but significant differences in white blood cell count, neutrophils, CRP and LDH levels (p < 0.001). LDH value ≥ 800 mg/dl had sensibility of 89% and specificity of 90% for Measles while CRP ≥ 3 mg/dl had sensibility 89% and specificity of 85% for KD. The combined use of CRP, LDH and AST showed accuracy of 86.67%.

Predicting both passive intestinal absorption and the dissociation constant toward albumin using the PAMPA technique.

PubMed

Bujard, Alban; Sol, Marine; Carrupt, Pierre-Alain; Martel, Sophie

2014-10-15

The parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) is a high-throughput screening (HTS) method that is widely used to predict in vivo passive permeability through biological barriers, such as the skin, the blood brain barrier (BBB) and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The PAMPA technique has also been used to predict the dissociation constant (Kd) between a compound and human serum albumin (HSA) while disregarding passive permeability. Furthermore, the assay is based on the use of two separate 5-point kinetic experiments, which increases the analysis time. In the present study, we adapted the hexadecane membrane (HDM)-PAMPA assay to both predict passive gastrointestinal absorption via the permeability coefficient logPe value and determine the Kd. Two assays were performed: one in the presence and one in the absence of HSA in the acceptor compartment. In the absence of HSA, logPe values were determined after a 4-h incubation time, as originally described, but the dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) percentage and pH were altered to be compatible with the protein. In parallel, a second PAMPA assay was performed in the presence of HSA during a 16-h incubation period. By adding HSA, a variation in the amount of compound crossing the membrane was observed compared to the permeability measured in the absence of HSA. The concentration of compound reaching the acceptor compartment in each case was used to determine both parameters (logPe and logKd) using numerical simulations, which highlighted the originality of this method because these calculations required only two endpoint measurements instead of a complete kinetic study. It should be noted that the amount of compound that reaches the acceptor compartment in the presence of HSA is modulated by complex dissociation in the receptor compartment. Only compounds that are moderately bound to albumin (-3

Recovery of uranium values

DOEpatents

Brown, K. B.; Crouse, Jr., D. J.; Moore, J. G.

1959-03-10

A liquid-liquid extraction method is presented for recovering uranium values from an aqueous acidic solution by means of certain high molecular weight amine fn the amine classes of primary, secondary, heterocyclic secondary, tertiary, or heterocyclic tertiary. The uranium bearing aqueous acidic solution is contacted with the selected anine dissolved in a nonpolar waterimmiscible organfc solvent such as kerosene. The uranium which is substantially completely extracted by the organic phase may be stripped therefrom by water, and recovered from the aqueous phase by treatment into ammonia to precipitate ammonium diuranate.

RECOVERY OF URANIUM VALUES

DOEpatents

Brown, K.B.; Crouse, D.J. Jr.; Moore, J.G.

1959-03-10

A liquid-liquid extraction method is presented for recovering uranium values from an aqueous acidic solution by means of certain high molecular weight amine in the amine classes of primary, secondary, heterocyclic secondary, tertiary, or heterocyclic tertiary. The uranium bearing aqueous acidic solution is contacted with the selected amine dissolved in a nonpolar water-immiscible organic solvent such as kerosene. The uranium which is substantially completely exiracted by the organic phase may be stripped therefrom by waters and recovered from the aqueous phase by treatment into ammonia to precipitate ammonium diuranate.

Antiseizure Effects of Ketogenic Diet on Seizures Induced with Pentylenetetrazole, 4-Aminopyridine and Strychnine in Wistar Rats.

PubMed

Sanya, E O; Soladoye, A O; Desalu, O O; Kolo, P M; Olatunji, L A; Olarinoye, J K

2017-03-06

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a cheap and effective alternative therapy for most epilepsy. There are paucity of experimental data in Nigeria on the usefulness of KD in epilepsy models. This is likely to be responsible for the poor clinical acceptability of the diet in the country. This study therefore aimed at providing experimental data on usefulness of KD on seizure models.  The study used 64 Wistar rats that were divided into two dietary groups [normal diet (ND) and ketogenic diet (KD)]. Animal in each group were fed for 35days. Medium chain triglyceride ketogenic diet (MCT-KD) was used and it consisted of 15% carbohydrate in normal rat chow long with 5ml sunflower oil (25% (v/w). The normal diet was the usual rat chow. Seizures were induced with one of Pentelyntetrazole (PTZ), 4-Aminopyridine (AP) and Strychnine (STR). Fasting glucose, ketosis level and serum chemistry were determined and seizure parameters recorded. Serum ketosis was significantly higher in MCT-KD-fed rats (12.7 ±2.6) than ND-fed (5.17±0.86) rats. Fasting blood glucose was higher in ND-fed rats (5.3±0.9mMol/l) than in MCT-KD fed rats (5.1±0.5mMol/l) with p=0.9. Seizure latency was significantly prolonged in ND-fed compared with MCT-KD fed rats after PTZ-induced seizures (61±9sec vs 570±34sec) and AP-induced seizures (49±11sec vs 483±41sec). The difference after Str-induced seizure (51±7 vs 62±8 sec) was not significan. The differences in seizure duration between ND-fed and MCT-KD fed rats with PTZ (4296±77sec vs 366±46sec) and with AP (5238±102sec vs 480±67sec) were significant (p<0.05), but not with STR (3841±94sec vs 3510±89sec) respectively. The mean serum Na+ was significantly higher in MCT-KD fed (141.7±2.1mMol/l) than ND-fed rats (137±2.3mMol/l). There was no significant difference in mean values of other serum electrolytes between the MCT-KD fed and ND-fed animals. MCT-KD caused increase resistance to PTZ-and AP-induced seizures, but has no effect on STR-induced seizures. This antiseizure property is probably mediated through GABAergic receptors (PTZ effect) and blockade of membrane bound KATP channels (AP effect) with some enhancement by serum ketosis.

New insight into pesticide partition coefficient Kd for modelling pesticide fluvial transport: application to an agricultural catchment in south-western France.

PubMed

Boithias, Laurie; Sauvage, Sabine; Merlina, Georges; Jean, Séverine; Probst, Jean-Luc; Sánchez Pérez, José Miguel

2014-03-01

Pesticides applied on crops are leached with rainfall to groundwater and surface water. They threat the aquatic environment and may render water unfit for human consumption. Pesticide partitioning is one of the pesticide fate processes in the environment that should be properly formalised in pesticide fate models. Based on the analysis of 7 pesticide molecules (alachlor, atrazine, atrazine's transformation product deethylatrazine or DEA, isoproturon, tebuconazole and trifluralin) sampled from July 2009 to October 2010 at the outlet of the river Save (south-western France), the objectives of this study were (1) to check which of the environmental factors (discharge, pH, concentrations of total suspended matter (TSM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) could control the pesticide sorption dynamic, and (2) to establish a relationship between environmental factors, the partition coefficient Kd and the octanol/water distribution coefficient Kow. The comparison of physico-chemical parameters values during low flow and high flow shows that discharge, TSM and POC are the factors most likely controlling the pesticide sorption processes in the Save river network, especially for lower values of TSM (below 13mgL(-1)). We therefore express Kd depending on the widely literature-related variable Kow and on the commonly simulated variable TSM concentration. The equation can be implemented in any model describing the fluvial transport and fate of pesticides in both dissolved and sorbed phases, thus, Kd becomes a variable in time and space. The Kd calculation method can be applied to a wide range of catchments and organic contaminants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A solid-phase extraction method for rapidly determining the adsorption coefficient of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge.

PubMed

Berthod, Laurence; Roberts, Gary; Whitley, David C; Sharpe, Alan; Mills, Graham A

2014-12-15

The partitioning of pharmaceuticals in the environment can be assessed by measuring their adsorption coefficients (Kd) between aqueous and solid phases. Measuring this coefficient in sewage sludge gives an indication of their partitioning behaviour in a wastewater treatment plant and hence contributes to an understanding of their subsequent fate. The regulatory approved method for measuring Kd in sewage sludge is the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) guideline 835.1110, which is labour intensive and time consuming. We describe an alternative method for measuring the Kd of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge using a modified solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique. SPE cartridges were packed at different sludge/PTFE ratios (0.4, 6.0, 24.0 and 40.0% w/w sludge) and eluted with phosphate buffer at pH 7.4. The approach was tested initially using three pharmaceuticals (clofibric acid, diclofenac and oxytetracycline) that covered a range of Kd values. Subsequently, the sorption behaviour of ten further pharmaceuticals with varying physico-chemical properties was evaluated. Results from the SPE method were comparable to those of the OPPTS test, with a correlation coefficient of 0.93 between the two approaches. SPE cartridges packed with sludge and PTFE were stable for up to one year; use within one month reduced variability in measurements (to a maximum of 0.6 log units). The SPE method is low-cost, easy to use and enables the rapid measurement of Kd values for a large number of chemicals. It can be used as an alternative to the more laborious full OPPTS test in environmental fate studies and risk assessments. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A solid-phase extraction method for rapidly determining the adsorption coefficient of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge

PubMed Central

Berthod, Laurence; Roberts, Gary; Whitley, David C.; Sharpe, Alan; Mills, Graham A.

2014-01-01

The partitioning of pharmaceuticals in the environment can be assessed by measuring their adsorption coefficients (Kd) between aqueous and solid phases. Measuring this coefficient in sewage sludge gives an indication of their partitioning behaviour in a wastewater treatment plant and hence contributes to an understanding of their subsequent fate. The regulatory approved method for measuring Kd in sewage sludge is the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) guideline 835.1110, which is labour intensive and time consuming. We describe an alternative method for measuring the Kd of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge using a modified solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique. SPE cartridges were packed at different sludge/PTFE ratios (0.4, 6.0, 24.0 and 40.0% w/w sludge) and eluted with phosphate buffer at pH 7.4. The approach was tested initially using three pharmaceuticals (clofibric acid, diclofenac and oxytetracycline) that covered a range of Kd values. Subsequently, the sorption behaviour of ten further pharmaceuticals with varying physico-chemical properties was evaluated. Results from the SPE method were comparable to those of the OPPTS test, with a correlation coefficient of 0.93 between the two approaches. SPE cartridges packed with sludge and PTFE were stable for up to one year; use within one month reduced variability in measurements (to a maximum of 0.6 log units). The SPE method is low-cost, easy to use and enables the rapid measurement of Kd values for a large number of chemicals. It can be used as an alternative to the more laborious full OPPTS test in environmental fate studies and risk assessments. PMID:25299795

Temperature-dependent sorption of naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene to low organic carbon aquifer sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Piatt, Joseph J.; Backhus, Debera A.; Capel, Paul D.; Eisenreich, Steven J.

1996-01-01

Sorption experiments were conducted with naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene on low organic carbon sediments at 4 and 26 °C using batch and column techniques. Experimental controls ensured the absence of biologic and photolytic activity and colloid-free solution supernatants. Equilibrium distribution coefficients (Kd) increased 1.1−1.6 times with a decrease in temperature of 22 °C. Fraction instantaneous sorption (F) values did not change significantly with a decrease in temperature of 22 °C. Desorption rate constants (k2) decreased 1.2−2.6 times with a decrease in temperature of 22 °C. Times to equilibrium were at least 40 h. The magnitude of observed Kd and k2 values and the effect of temperature on Kd (e.g., low enthalpy of sorption) are consistent with sorbate partitioning between the aqueous phase and small amounts of organic matter (foc = 0.02%) on the sediments. The temperature dependence of Kd and k2 may be small as compared to the effects of heterogeneities in field-scale aquifer systems. Thus, thermal gradients may not be of major importance in most saturated subsurface regimes when predicting solute transport. However, aquifer remediation pump-and-treat times could be decreased because increased temperature decreases both retardation and tailing.

METHOD FOR DISSOLVING ZIRCONIUM-URANIUM COMPOSITIONS

DOEpatents

Gens, T.A.

1961-07-18

A method is descrioed for treating a zirconium-- uranium composition to form a stable solution from which uranium and other values may be extracted by contacting the composition with at least a 4 molar aqueous solution of ammonium fluoride at a temperature of about 100 deg C, adding a peroxide, in incremental amounts, to the heated solution throughout the period of dissolution until all of the uranium is converted to soluble uranyl salt, adding nitric acid to the resultant solution to form a solvent extraction feed solution to convert the uranyl salt to a solvent extractable state, and thereafter recovering the uranium and other desired values from the feed solution by solvent extraction.

Cholera Toxin Inhibitors Studied with High-Performance Liquid Affinity Chromatography: A Robust Method to Evaluate Receptor–Ligand Interactions

PubMed Central

Bergström, Maria; Liu, Shuang; Kiick, Kristi L.; Ohlson, Sten

2009-01-01

Anti-adhesion drugs may be an alternative to antibiotics to control infection of micro-organisms. The well-characterized interaction between cholera toxin and the cellular glycolipid GM1 makes it an attractive model for inhibition studies in general. In this report, we demonstrate a high-performance liquid affinity chromatography approach called weak affinity chromatography to evaluate cholera toxin inhibitors. The cholera toxin B-subunit was covalently coupled to porous silica and a (weak) affinity column was produced. The KD values of galactose and meta-nitrophenyl α-D-galactoside were determined with weak affinity chromatography to be 52 and 1 mM, respectively, which agree well with IC50 values previously reported. To increase inhibition potency multivalent inhibitors have been developed and the interaction with multivalent glycopolypeptides was also evaluated. The affinity of these compounds was found to correlate with the galactoside content but KD values were not obtained because of the inhomogeneous response and slow off-rate from multivalent interactions. Despite the limitations in obtaining direct KD values of the multivalent galactopolypeptides, weak affinity chromatography represents an additional and valuable tool in the evaluation of monovalent as well as multivalent cholera toxin inhibitors. It offers multiple advantages, such as a low sample consumption, high reproducibility and short analysis time, which are often not observed in other methods of analysis. PMID:19152642

Korteweg-deVries-Burgers (KdVB) equation in a five component cometary plasma with kappa described electrons and ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Manesh; Willington, Neethu T.; Jayakumar, Neethu; Sebastian, Sijo; Sreekala, G.; Venugopal, Chandu

2016-12-01

We investigate the existence of ion-acoustic shock waves in a five component cometary plasma consisting of positively and negatively charged oxygen ions, kappa described hydrogen ions, hot solar electrons, and slightly colder cometary electrons. The KdVB equation has been derived for the system, and its solution plotted for different kappa values, oxygen ion densities, as well as the temperature ratios for the ions. It is found that the amplitude of the shock wave decreases with increasing kappa values. The strength of the shock profile decreases with increasing temperatures of the positively charged oxygen ions and densities of negatively charged oxygen ions.

Uranium hexafluoride public risk

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

Fisher, D.R.; Hui, T.E.; Yurconic, M.

1994-08-01

The limiting value for uranium toxicity in a human being should be based on the concentration of uranium (U) in the kidneys. The threshold for nephrotoxicity appears to lie very near 3 {mu}g U per gram kidney tissue. There does not appear to be strong scientific support for any other improved estimate, either higher or lower than this, of the threshold for uranium nephrotoxicity in a human being. The value 3 {mu}g U per gram kidney is the concentration that results from a single intake of about 30 mg soluble uranium by inhalation (assuming the metabolism of a standard person).more » The concentration of uranium continues to increase in the kidneys after long-term, continuous (or chronic) exposure. After chronic intakes of soluble uranium by workers at the rate of 10 mg U per week, the concentration of uranium in the kidneys approaches and may even exceed the nephrotoxic limit of 3 {mu}g U per gram kidney tissue. Precise values of the kidney concentration depend on the biokinetic model and model parameters assumed for such a calculation. Since it is possible for the concentration of uranium in the kidneys to exceed 3 {mu}g per gram tissue at an intake rate of 10 mg U per week over long periods of time, we believe that the kidneys are protected from injury when intakes of soluble uranium at the rate of 10 mg U per week do not continue for more than two consecutive weeks. For long-term, continuous occupational exposure to low-level, soluble uranium, we recommend a reduced weekly intake limit of 5 mg uranium to prevent nephrotoxicity in workers. Our analysis shows that the nephrotoxic limit of 3 {mu}g U per gram kidney tissues is not exceeded after long-term, continuous uranium intake at the intake rate of 5 mg soluble uranium per week.« less

Isotopic Analysis of Uranium in NIST SRM Glass by Femtosecond Laser Ablation

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

Duffin, Andrew M.; Hart, Garret L.; Hanlen, Richard C.

We employed femtosecond Laser Ablation Multicollector Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry for the 11 determination of uranium isotope ratios in a series of standard reference material glasses (NIST 610, 612, 614, and 12 616). This uranium concentration in this series of SRM glasses is a combination of isotopically natural uranium in 13 the materials used to make the glass matrix and isotopically depleted uranium added to increase the uranium 14 elemental concentration across the series. Results for NIST 610 are in excellent agreement with literature values. 15 However, other than atom percent 235U, little information is available for the remaining glasses.more » We present atom 16 percent and isotope ratios for 234U, 235U, 236U, and 238U for all four glasses. Our results show deviations from the 17 certificate values for the atom percent 235U, indicating the need for further examination of the uranium isotopes in 18 NIST 610-616. Our results are fully consistent with a two isotopic component mixing between the depleted 19 uranium spike and natural uranium in the bulk glass.« less

Hemodynamic simulations in coronary aneurysms of children with Kawasaki disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, Dibyendu; Burns, Jane; Marsden, Alison

2009-11-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a serious pediatric illness affecting the cardiovascular system. One of the most serious complications of KD, occurring in about 25% of untreated cases, is the formation of large aneurysms in the coronary arteries, which put patients at risk for myocardial infarction. In this project we performed patient specific computational simulations of blood flow in aneurysmal left and right coronary arteries of a KD patient to gain an understanding about their hemodynamics. Models were constructed from CT data using custom software. Typical pulsatile flow waveforms were applied at the model inlets, while resistance and RCR lumped models were applied and compared at the outlets. Simulated pressure waveforms compared well with typical physiologic data. High wall shear stress values are found in the narrow region at the base of the aneurysm and low shear values occur in regions of recirculation. A Lagrangian approach has been adopted to perform particle tracking and compute particle residence time in the recirculation. Our long-term goal will be to develop links between hemodynamics and the risk for thrombus formation in order to assist in clinical decision-making.

Improved Algorithms for Accurate Retrieval of UV - Visible Diffuse Attenuation Coefficients in Optically Complex, Inshore Waters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cao, Fang; Fichot, Cedric G.; Hooker, Stanford B.; Miller, William L.

2014-01-01

Photochemical processes driven by high-energy ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in inshore, estuarine, and coastal waters play an important role in global bio geochemical cycles and biological systems. A key to modeling photochemical processes in these optically complex waters is an accurate description of the vertical distribution of UVR in the water column which can be obtained using the diffuse attenuation coefficients of down welling irradiance (Kd()). The Sea UV Sea UVc algorithms (Fichot et al., 2008) can accurately retrieve Kd ( 320, 340, 380,412, 443 and 490 nm) in oceanic and coastal waters using multispectral remote sensing reflectances (Rrs(), Sea WiFS bands). However, SeaUVSeaUVc algorithms are currently not optimized for use in optically complex, inshore waters, where they tend to severely underestimate Kd(). Here, a new training data set of optical properties collected in optically complex, inshore waters was used to re-parameterize the published SeaUVSeaUVc algorithms, resulting in improved Kd() retrievals for turbid, estuarine waters. Although the updated SeaUVSeaUVc algorithms perform best in optically complex waters, the published SeaUVSeaUVc models still perform well in most coastal and oceanic waters. Therefore, we propose a composite set of SeaUVSeaUVc algorithms, optimized for Kd() retrieval in almost all marine systems, ranging from oceanic to inshore waters. The composite algorithm set can retrieve Kd from ocean color with good accuracy across this wide range of water types (e.g., within 13 mean relative error for Kd(340)). A validation step using three independent, in situ data sets indicates that the composite SeaUVSeaUVc can generate accurate Kd values from 320 490 nm using satellite imagery on a global scale. Taking advantage of the inherent benefits of our statistical methods, we pooled the validation data with the training set, obtaining an optimized composite model for estimating Kd() in UV wavelengths for almost all marine waters. This optimized composite set of SeaUVSeaUVc algorithms will provide the optical community with improved ability to quantify the role of solar UV radiation in photochemical and photobiological processes in the ocean.

Robust Means for Estimating Black Carbon-Water Sorption Coefficients of Organic Contaminants in Sediments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

multiple lines of reasoning should be used to build confidence in what we believe is going on at any particular site. Hence, it will certainly be more...site depends on its Kd value (Fernandez et al., 2009). Consequently, we need to understand factors that go into the Kd sorption parameter in order...models of sorption to GAC (Kamlet et al. 1985, Luehrs et al. 1996, Poole and Poole 1997, Shih and Gschwend 2009) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes ( MWCNT

Non-Invasive Acoustic-Based Monitoring of Heavy Water and Uranium Process Solutions

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

Pantea, Cristian; Sinha, Dipen N.; Lakis, Rollin Evan

This presentation includes slides on Project Goals; Heavy Water Production Monitoring: A New Challenge for the IAEA; Noninvasive Measurements in SFAI Cell; Large Scatter in Literature Values; Large Scatter in Literature Values; Highest Precision Sound Speed Data Available: New Standard in H/D; ~400 pts of data; Noninvasive Measurements in SFAI Cell; New funding from NA241 SGTech; Uranium Solution Monitoring: Inspired by IAEA Challenge in Kazakhstan; Non-Invasive Acoustic-Based Monitoring of Uranium in Solutions; Non-Invasive Acoustic-Based Monitoring of Uranium in Solutions; and finally a summary.

RECOVERY OF URANIUM VALUES FROM URANIUM BEARING RAW MATERIALS

DOEpatents

Michal, E.J.; Porter, R.R.

1959-06-16

Uranium leaching from ground uranium-bearing raw materials using MnO/sub 2/ in H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ is described. The MnO/sub 2/ oxidizes U to the leachable hexavalent state. The MnO/sub 2/ does not replace Fe normally added, because the Fe complexes P and catalyzes the MnO/sub 2/ reaction. Three examples of continuous processes are given, but batch operation is also possible. The use of MnO/sub 2/ makes possible recovery of very low U values. (T.R.H.)

Principal component analysis of chemical shift perturbation data of a multiple-ligand-binding system for elucidation of respective binding mechanism.

PubMed

Konuma, Tsuyoshi; Lee, Young-Ho; Goto, Yuji; Sakurai, Kazumasa

2013-01-01

Chemical shift perturbations (CSPs) in NMR spectra provide useful information about the interaction of a protein with its ligands. However, in a multiple-ligand-binding system, determining quantitative parameters such as a dissociation constant (K(d) ) is difficult. Here, we used a method we named CS-PCA, a principal component analysis (PCA) of chemical shift (CS) data, to analyze the interaction between bovine β-lactoglobulin (βLG) and 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS), which is a multiple-ligand-binding system. The CSP on the binding of ANS involved contributions from two distinct binding sites. PCA of the titration data successfully separated the CSP pattern into contributions from each site. Docking simulations based on the separated CSP patterns provided the structures of βLG-ANS complexes for each binding site. In addition, we determined the K(d) values as 3.42 × 10⁻⁴ M² and 2.51 × 10⁻³ M for Sites 1 and 2, respectively. In contrast, it was difficult to obtain reliable K(d) values for respective sites from the isothermal titration calorimetry experiments. Two ANS molecules were found to bind at Site 1 simultaneously, suggesting that the binding occurs cooperatively with a partial unfolding of the βLG structure. On the other hand, the binding of ANS to Site 2 was a simple attachment without a significant conformational change. From the present results, CS-PCA was confirmed to provide not only the positions and the K(d) values of binding sites but also information about the binding mechanism. Thus, it is anticipated to be a general method to investigate protein-ligand interactions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Thrombospondin-2 predicts response to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin in children with Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Yang, Shuai; Song, Ruixia; Li, Xiaohui; Zhang, Ting; Fu, Jin; Cui, Xiaodai

2018-01-01

To investigate the predictive value of thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2) in assessing the response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in children with acute Kawasaki disease (KD). This was a cohort study with controls. 71 children with KD were recruited as the case group, including IVIG non-responder (n=17) and IVIG responder (n=54), and healthy children (n=27) and febrile children (n=30) were used as control groups. ELISA was used to measure plasma TSP-2 and TSP-1 levels. The rank-sum test was used to compare groups of non-normally distributed data. Predictive value was evaluated through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Compared with the control groups, the plasma TSP-2 levels in acute KD were significantly elevated (TSP-2: 31.00 (24.02, 39.28) vs 21.93 (17.00, 24.73) vs 16.23 (14.00, 19.64) ng/mL, P<0.001). The plasma TSP-2 level in the IVIG non-responder was significantly higher than the responder group (37.58 (31.86, 43.98) vs 27.84 (21.88, 33.48) ng/mL, P=0.002). When using an ROC curve to analyse the predictive effect of TSP-2 on non-responsiveness to IVIG treatment, the area under the curve was 0.752 (0.630, 0.875) (P=0.002). When the cut-off value for TSP-2 was 31.50 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 82.35%, the specificity was 64.81%. The plasma TSP-2 level was elevated in acute KD and it might be a novel predictor for IVIG resistance, which could help guide clinicians to choose individualised initial therapeutic regimens.

Value of amino-terminal pro B-natriuretic peptide in diagnosing Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

McNeal-Davidson, Ariane; Fournier, Anne; Spigelblatt, Linda; Saint-Cyr, Claire; Mir, Thomas S; Nir, Amiram; Dallaire, Frédéric; Cousineau, Jocelyne; Delvin, Edgard; Dahdah, Nagib

2012-10-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) given that the clinical criteria and the current basic laboratory tests lack the necessary specificity for accurate diagnosis. Basic biological tests and serum NT-proBNP levels obtained from acute KD patients were compared to that of febrile controls. NT-proBNP was considered abnormal based on the following definitions: above a cut-off determined on receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis, above the upper limit for age, or above 2 SD calculated from healthy children. Analyses were also performed for KD cases with complete or incomplete criteria combined and separately. There were 81 patients and 49 controls aged 3.60 ± 2.77 versus 4.25 ± 3.88 years (P= 0.69). ROC analysis yielded significant area under the curve for NT-proBNP. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 70.4-88.9%, 69.4-91.8%, 82.8-93.4%, and 65.2-79.1%. The odds ratios based on NT-proBNP definitions varied between 18.13 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.21-45.57), 20.82 (95%CI: 8.18-53.0), and 26.71 (95%CI: 8.64-82.57; P < 0.001). Results were reproducible for cases with complete or incomplete criteria separately. NT-proBNP is a reliable marker for the diagnosis of KD. Prospective clinical studies with emphasis on NT-proBNP in a diagnostic algorithm are needed. © 2012 The Authors. Pediatrics International © 2012 Japan Pediatric Society.

Europium-labeled epidermal growth factor and neurotensin: novel probes for receptor-binding studies.

PubMed

Mazor, Ohad; Hillairet de Boisferon, Marc; Lombet, Alain; Gruaz-Guyon, Anne; Gayer, Batya; Skrzydelsky, Delphine; Kohen, Fortune; Forgez, Patricia; Scherz, Avigdor; Rostene, William; Salomon, Yoram

2002-02-01

We investigated the possibility of labeling two biologically active peptides, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and neurotensin (NT), with europium (Eu)-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid. More specifically, we tested them as probes in studying receptor binding using time-resolved fluorescence of Eu3+. The relatively simple synthesis yields ligands with acceptable binding characteristics similar to isotopically labeled derivatives. The binding affinity (Kd) of labeled Eu-EGF to human A431 epidermal carcinoid cells was 3.6 +/- 1.2 nM, similar to the reported Kd values of EGF, whereas the Kd of Eu-NT to human HT29 colon cancer cells (7.4 +/- 0.5 nM) or to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the high-affinity NT receptor (CHO-NT1) were about 10-fold higher than the Kd values of NT. The bioactivity of the Eu-labeled EGF as determined by stimulation of cultured murine D1 hematopoietic cell proliferation was nearly the same as that obtained with native EGF. The maximal stimulation of Ca2+ influx with NT and Eu-NT in CHO-NT1 cells was similar, but the respective K0.5 values were 20 pM and 1 nM, corresponding to differences in the binding affinities previously described. The results of these studies indicate that Eu labeling of peptide hormones and growth factor molecules ranging from 10(3) to 10(5) Da can be conveniently accomplished. Importantly, the Eu-labeled products are stable for approximately 2 years and are completely safe for laboratory use compared to the biohazardous radioligands. Thus, Eu-labeled peptides present an attractive alternative for commonly used radiolabeled ligands in biological studies in general and in receptor assays in particular.

Uranium removal from aqueous solution by coir pith: equilibrium and kinetic studies.

PubMed

Parab, Harshala; Joshi, Shreeram; Shenoy, Niyoti; Verma, Rakesh; Lali, Arvind; Sudersanan, M

2005-07-01

Basic aspects of uranium adsorption by coir pith have been investigated by batch equilibration. The influence of different experimental parameters such as final solution pH, adsorbent dosage, sorption time, temperature and various concentrations of uranium on uptake were evaluated. Maximum uranium adsorption was observed in the pH range 4.0-6.0. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were used for the mathematical description of the adsorption equilibrium. The equilibrium data fitted well to both the equilibrium models in the studied concentration range of uranium (200-800 mg/l) and temperatures (305-336 K). The coir pith exhibited the highest uptake capacity for uranium at 317 K, at the final solution pH value of 4.3 and at the initial uranium concentration of 800 mg/l. The kinetics of the adsorption process followed a second-order adsorption. The adsorbent used proved to be suitable for removal of uranium from aqueous solutions. 0.2 N HCl was effective in uranium desorption. The results indicated that the naturally abundant coir pith of otherwise nuisance value exhibited considerable potential for application in removal of uranium from aqueous solution.

RECOVERY OF URANIUM BY SECONDARY XANTHATE COMPLEXING

DOEpatents

Neville, O.K.

1959-09-01

A method is described for separating and recovering uranium values contained in an acidic aqueous solution together with thorium or protactinium values. In accordance with the invention, the acidic solution containing uranium in the uranyl form is contacted with an organic xanthate. The xanthate forms a urano-xanthate complex but is substantially non-reactive with thorium and protactinium. The urano-xanthate complex is recovered by organic solvent extraction.

Radioiodine sorption/desorption and speciation transformation by subsurface sediments from the Hanford Site.

PubMed

Xu, Chen; Kaplan, Daniel I; Zhang, Saijin; Athon, Matthew; Ho, Yi-Fang; Li, Hsiu-Ping; Yeager, Chris M; Schwehr, Kathleen A; Grandbois, Russell; Wellman, Dawn; Santschi, Peter H

2015-01-01

During the last few decades, considerable research efforts have been extended to identify more effective remediation treatment technologies to lower the (129)I concentrations to below federal drinking water standards at the Hanford Site (Richland, USA). Few studies have taken iodate into consideration, though recently iodate, instead of iodide, was identified as the major species in the groundwater of 200-West Area within the Hanford Site. The objective of this study was thus to quantify and understand aqueous radioiodine species transformations and uptake by three sediments collected from the semi-arid, carbonate-rich environment of the Hanford subsurface. All three sediments reduced iodate (IO3(-)) to iodide (I(-)), but the loamy-sand sediment reduced more IO3(-) (100% reduced within 7 days) than the two sand-textured sediments (∼20% reduced after 28 days). No dissolved organo-iodine species were observed in any of these studies. Iodate uptake Kd values ([Isolid]/[Iaq]; 0.8-7.6 L/kg) were consistently and appreciably greater than iodide Kd values (0-5.6 L/kg). Furthermore, desorption Kd values (11.9-29.8 L/kg) for both iodate and iodide were consistently and appreciably greater than uptake Kd values (0-7.6 L/kg). Major fractions of iodine associated with the sediments were unexpectedly strongly bound, such that only 0.4-6.6 % of the total sedimentary iodine could be exchanged from the surface with KCl solution, and 0-1.2% was associated with Fe or Mn oxides (weak NH2HCl/HNO3 extractable fraction). Iodine incorporated into calcite accounted for 2.9-39.4% of the total sedimentary iodine, whereas organic carbon (OC) is likely responsible for the residual iodine (57.1-90.6%) in sediments. The OC, even at low concentrations, appeared to be controlling iodine binding to the sediments, as it was found that the greater the OC concentrations in the sediments, the greater the values of uptake Kd, desorption Kd, and the greater residual iodine concentrations (non-exchangeable, non-calcite-incorporated and non-Mn, Fe-oxide associated). This finding is of particular interest because it suggests that even very low OC concentrations, <0.2%, may have an impact on iodine geochemistry. The findings that these sediments can readily reduce IO3(-), and that IO3(-) sorbs to a greater extent than I(-), sheds light into earlier unexplained Hanford field data that demonstrated increases in groundwater (127)I(-)/(127)IO3(-) ratios and a decrease groundwater (129)IO3(-) concentrations along a transect away from the point sources, where iodine was primarily introduced as IO3(-). While a majority of the radioiodine does not bind to these alkaline sediments, there is likely a second smaller iodine fraction in the Hanford subsurface that is strongly bound, presumably to the sediment OC (and carbonate) phases. This second fraction may have an impact on establishing remediation goals and performance assessment calculations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separation by solvent extraction

DOEpatents

Holt, Jr., Charles H.

1976-04-06

17. A process for separating fission product values from uranium and plutonium values contained in an aqueous solution, comprising adding an oxidizing agent to said solution to secure uranium and plutonium in their hexavalent state; contacting said aqueous solution with a substantially water-immiscible organic solvent while agitating and maintaining the temperature at from -1.degree. to -2.degree. C. until the major part of the water present is frozen; continuously separating a solid ice phase as it is formed; separating a remaining aqueous liquid phase containing fission product values and a solvent phase containing plutonium and uranium values from each other; melting at least the last obtained part of said ice phase and adding it to said separated liquid phase; and treating the resulting liquid with a new supply of solvent whereby it is practically depleted of uranium and plutonium.

Molecular recognition of live methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus cells using DNA aptamers

PubMed Central

Turek, Diane; Van Simaeys, Dimitri; Johnson, Judith; Ocsoy, Ismail; Tan, Weihong

2014-01-01

AIM To generate DNA-aptamers binding to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). METHODS The Cell-Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) technology was used to run the selection against MRSA bacteria and develop target-specific aptamers. MRSA bacteria were targeted while Enterococcus faecalis bacteria were used for counter selection during that process. Binding assays to determine the right aptamer candidates as well as binding assays on clinical samples were performed through flow cytometry and analyzed using the FlowJo software. The characterization of the aptamers was done by determination of their Kd values and determined by analysis of flow data at different aptamer concentration using SigmaPlot. Finally, the recognition of the complex Gold-nanoparticle-aptamer to the bacteria cells was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS During the cell-SELEX selection process, 17 rounds were necessary to generate enrichment of the pool. While the selection was run using fixed cells, it was shown that the binding of the pools with live cells was giving similar results. After sequencing and analysis of the two last pools, four sequences were identified to be aptamer candidates. The characterization of those aptamers showed that based on their Kd values, DTMRSA4 presented the best binding with a Kd value of 94.61 ± 18.82 nmol/L. A total of ten clinical samples of MRSA , S. aureus and Enterococcus faecalis were obtained to test those aptamers and determine their binding on a panel of samples. DTMRSA1 and DTMRSA3 showed the best results regarding their specificity to MRSA , DTMRSA1 being the most specific of all. Finally, those aptamers were coupled with gold-nanoparticle and their binding to MRSA cells was visualized through TEM showing that adduction of nanoparticles on the aptamers did not change their binding property. CONCLUSION A total of four aptamers that bind to MRSA were obtained with Kd values ranking from 94 to 200 nmol/L. PMID:25436184

Radium and uranium concentrations and associated hydrogeochemistry in ground water in southwestern Pueblo County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Felmlee, J. Karen; Cadigan, Robert Allen

1979-01-01

Radium and uranium concentrations in water from 37 wells tapping the aquifer system of the Dakota Sandstone and Purgatoire Formation in southwestern Pueblo County, Colorado, have a wide range of values and define several areas of high radioactivity in the ground water. Radium ranges from 0.3 to 420 picocuries per liter and has a median value of 8.8, and uranium ranges from 0.02 to 180 micrograms per liter and has a median value of 2.4. Radon concentrations, measured in 32 of the 37 wells, range from less than 100 picocuries per liter to as much as 27,000 and have a median value of 580. Relationships among the radioactive elements and 28 other geochemical parameters were studied by using correlation coefficients and R-mode factor analysis. Five factor groups were determined to represent major influences on water chemistry: (1) short-term solution reactions, (2) oxidation reactions, (3) hydrolysis reactions, (4) uranium distribution, and (5) long-term solution reactions. Uranium concentrations are most strongly influenced by oxidation reactions but also are affected by solution reactions and distribution of uranium in the rocks of the aquifer system. Radon and radium concentrations are mostly controlled by uranium distribution; radium also shows a moderate negative relationship with oxidation. To explain the statistical and spatial relationships among the parameters, a model was developed involving the selective leaching of uranium-bearing phases and metal sulfides which occur in discontinuous zones in sandstone and shale. When reducing conditions prevail, uranium is immobile, but radium can be taken into solution. When faults and associated fractured rocks allow oxidizing conditions to dominate, uranium can be taken into solution; radium can also be taken into solution, or it may become immobilized by coprecipitation with iron and manganese oxides or with barite. Several areas within the study area are discussed in terms of the model.

Determination of solid-liquid partition coefficients (Kd) for the herbicides isoproturon and trifluralin in five UK agricultural soils.

PubMed

Cooke, Cindy M; Shaw, George; Collins, Chris D

2004-12-01

Isoproturon and trifluralin are herbicides of contrasting chemical characters and modes of action. Standard batch sorption procedures were carried out to investigate the individual sorption behaviour of 14C-isoproturon and 14C-trifluralin in five agricultural soils (1.8-4.2% OC), and the soil solid-liquid partition coefficients (Kd values) were determined. Trifluralin exhibited strong partitioning to the soil solid phase (Kd range 106-294) and low desorption potential, thus should not pose a threat to sensitive waters via leaching, although particle erosion and preferential flow pathways may facilitate transport. For isoproturon, soil adsorption was low (Kd range 1.96-5.75) and desorption was high, suggesting a high leaching potential, consistent with isoproturon being the most frequently found pesticide in UK surface waters. Soil partitioning was directly related to soil organic carbon (OC) content. Accumulation isotherms were modelled using a dual-phase adsorption model to estimate adsorption and desorption rate coefficients. Associations between herbicides and soil humic substances were also shown using gel filtration chromatography.

Urinary excretion of uranium in adult inhabitants of the Czech Republic.

PubMed

Malátová, Irena; Bečková, Věra; Kotík, Lukáš

2016-02-01

The main aim of this study was to determine and evaluate urinary excretion of uranium in the general public of the Czech Republic. This value should serve as a baseline for distinguishing possible increase in uranium content in population living near legacy sites of mining and processing uranium ores and also to help to distinguish the proportion of the uranium content in urine among uranium miners resulting from inhaled dust. The geometric mean of the uranium concentration in urine of 74 inhabitants of the Czech Republic was 0.091 mBq/L (7.4 ng/L) with the 95% confidence interval 0.071-0.12 mBq/L (5.7-9.6 ng/L) respectively. The geometric mean of the daily excretion was 0.15 mBq/d (12.4 ng/d) with the 95% confidence interval 0.12-0.20 mBq/d (9.5-16.1 ng/d) respectively. Despite the legacy of uranium mines and plants processing uranium ore in the Czech Republic, the levels of uranium in urine and therefore, also human body content of uranium, is similar to other countries, esp. Germany, Slovenia and USA. Significant difference in the daily urinary excretion of uranium was found between individuals using public supply and private water wells as a source of drinking water. Age dependence of daily urinary excretion of uranium was not found. Mean values and their range are comparable to other countries, esp. Germany, Slovenia and USA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

URANIUM EXTRACTION PROCESS

DOEpatents

Baldwin, W.H.; Higgins, C.E.

1958-12-16

A process is described for recovering uranium values from acidic aqueous solutions containing hexavalent uranium by contacting the solution with an organic solution comprised of a substantially water-immiscible organlc diluent and an organic phosphate to extract the uranlum values into the organic phase. Carbon tetrachloride and a petroleum hydrocarbon fraction, such as kerosene, are sultable diluents to be used in combination with organlc phosphates such as dibutyl butylphosphonate, trlbutyl phosphine oxide, and tributyl phosphate.

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Waco NTMS quadrangle, Texas

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

Not Available

1981-07-31

Results of a reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Waco Quadrangle are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 218 groundwater and 614 stream sediment samples. Statistical and areal distribution of uranium and possible uranium-related variables are displayed. A generalized geologic map of the survey area is provided, and pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed. Groundwater data indicate that uranium concentrations above the 85th percentile occur primarily in the Upper cretaceous units (Navarro, Taylor, and Woodbine Groups) and Lower Cretaceous carbonate units (Fredricksburg and Wilcox Groups). Saline watermore » trends are also prominent in these units. Stream sediment data indicate high uranium concentrations occur in the western portion of the quadrangle. Most of the samples with high uranium values are collected from the Upper and Lower Cretaceous and Tertiary units. Associated with the high uranium values are high concentrations of aluminum, chromium, iron, scandium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium.« less

Adsorption characteristics of 210Pb, 210Po and 7Be onto micro-particle surfaces and the effects of macromolecular organic compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Weifeng; Guo, Laodong; Chuang, Chia-Ying; Schumann, Dorothea; Ayranov, Marin; Santschi, Peter H.

2013-04-01

210Po, 210Pb and Be isotopes (e.g. 7Be and 10Be) have long been used as proxies of particle/sediment dynamics, carbon cycling, and oceanographic investigations of coupled processes. However, adsorption characteristics and interactions between these nuclides and particle surfaces remain poorly understood. Laboratory studies have been conducted to examine the adsorption of 210Po, 210Pb and 7Be onto micro-particles, including marine suspended particulate matter, kaolinite, Al2O3, SiO2, CaCO3, Fe2O3, MnO2, and chitin in natural seawater (<1 kDa), and the role of macromolecular organic compounds (MOCs), including humic acids (HA), acid polysaccharides (APS) and proteins (BSA) in regulating the adsorption process. In the absence of MOCs, the partition coefficients (Kd, reported in log Kd) range from 3.02 to 5.19 for 210Po, from 3.22 to 6.29 for 210Pb, and from 3.57 to 4.65 for 7Be. Ferric and manganese oxides are the strongest sorbents of 210Po and 210Pb, comparing with SiO2 and CaCO3. In the presence of the protein BSA, both SiO2 and CaCO3 preferentially adsorb 210Po over 210Pb, whereas the opposite effect was observed in the presence of acid polysaccharides, indicating that proteins could enhance the adsorption of 210Po and acid polysaccharides enhance the adsorption of 210Pb. The log Kd values of both 210Po and 210Pb in the presence of MOCs become similar (log Kd at ˜4.0) for all lithogenic and biogenic particles, suggesting that their adsorption is likely controlled by specific natural organic compounds associated with particle surfaces. For 7Be, the highest and lowest log Kd value was measured, in general, on SiO2 and CaCO3, respectively, consistent with field observations. Nevertheless, the log Kd values of 7Be varied little between particle types regardless of the presence or absence of MOCs, suggesting that the adsorption of Be on particle surfaces is less affected by particle composition or MOCs. These results indicate that 7Be and 10Be could quantitatively track the bulk particles and their fluxes in marine environments while both 210Po and 210Pb could be quantitative proxies for the bulk organic carbon, although 210Po and 210Pb could be fractionated by specific organic compounds during their sorption or scavenging on particle surfaces.

Numerical simulation of KdV equation by finite difference method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokus, A.; Bulut, H.

2018-05-01

In this study, the numerical solutions to the KdV equation with dual power nonlinearity by using the finite difference method are obtained. Discretize equation is presented in the form of finite difference operators. The numerical solutions are secured via the analytical solution to the KdV equation with dual power nonlinearity which is present in the literature. Through the Fourier-Von Neumann technique and linear stable, we have seen that the FDM is stable. Accuracy of the method is analyzed via the L2 and L_{∞} norm errors. The numerical, exact approximations and absolute error are presented in tables. We compare the numerical solutions with the exact solutions and this comparison is supported with the graphic plots. Under the choice of suitable values of parameters, the 2D and 3D surfaces for the used analytical solution are plotted.

Determination of the distribution coefficient (log Kd) of oxytetracycline, tylosin A, olaquindox and metronidazole in manure.

PubMed

Loke, Marie-Louise; Tjørnelund, Jette; Halling-Sørensen, Bent

2002-07-01

Olaquindox (log Kow = -2.3) and metronidazole (log Kow = -0.1) both have low tendencies to sorp to particles in manure. This corresponds with the negative log Kow values of these antibiotics. Tylosin (log Kow = 1.63) and oxytetracycline (log Kow = -1.12) sorp relatively strongly to the manure particles and have log Kd values between 1.5 and 2.0. The tendency to bind to manure was ranked after increasing binding as follows: metronidazole < olaquindox < tylosin A and oxytetracycline. This order of ranking is consistent with results of sorption in soil. Our experiments illustrate that for some antibacterial agents estimation of the partitioning coefficients, Kd, cannot be made from Kow and f(oc) alone. Sorption of oxytetracycline to manure is much higher than expected from the negative log Kow value of the compound. It is believed that sorption of oxytetracycline to manure is influenced by ionic binding to divalent metal ions as such Mg2+ and Ca2+ as well as other charged compounds in the matrix. Binding of oxytetracycline to soil is stronger than the binding to manure. This is most likely due to the strong mineral related metal complexes formed between soil, metal ion and oxytetracycline. These complexes are not known to exist in manure. The relatively strong sorption of tylosin A to manure corresponds with data found for soil sorption of tylosin. Tylosin has a log Kow value of 2.5, thus it is not surprising that this drug binds strongly to manure.

Method for the recovery of uranium values from uranium tetrafluoride

DOEpatents

Kreuzmann, Alvin B.

1983-01-01

The invention is a novel method for the recovery of uranium from dry, particulate uranium tetrafluoride. In one aspect, the invention comprises reacting particulate uranium tetrafluoride and calcium oxide in the presence of gaseous oxygen to effect formation of the corresponding alkaline earth metal uranate and alkaline earth metal fluoride. The product uranate is highly soluble in various acidic solutions wherein the product fluoride is virtually insoluble therein. The product mixture of uranate and alkaline earth metal fluoride is contacted with a suitable acid to provide a uranium-containing solution, from which the uranium is recovered. The invention can achieve quantitative recovery of uranium in highly pure form.

Method for the recovery of uranium values from uranium tetrafluoride

DOEpatents

Kreuzmann, A.B.

1982-10-27

The invention is a novel method for the recovery of uranium from dry, particulate uranium tetrafluoride. In one aspect, the invention comprises reacting particulate uranium tetrafluoride and calcium oxide in the presence of gaseous oxygen to effect formation of the corresponding alkaline earth metal uranate and alkaline earth metal fluoride. The product uranate is highly soluble in various acidic solutions whereas the product fluoride is virtually insoluble therein. The product mixture of uranate and alkaline earth metal fluoride is contacted with a suitable acid to provide a uranium-containing solution, from which the uranium is recovered. The invention can achieve quantitative recovery of uranium in highly pure form.

URANIUM RECOVERY PROCESS

DOEpatents

Bailes, R.H.; Long, R.S.; Olson, R.S.; Kerlinger, H.O.

1959-02-10

A method is described for recovering uranium values from uranium bearing phosphate solutions such as are encountered in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. The solution is first treated with a reducing agent to obtain all the uranium in the tetravalent state. Following this reduction, the solution is treated to co-precipitate the rcduced uranium as a fluoride, together with other insoluble fluorides, thereby accomplishing a substantially complete recovery of even trace amounts of uranium from the phosphate solution. This precipitate usually takes the form of a complex fluoride precipitate, and after appropriate pre-treatment, the uranium fluorides are leached from this precipitate and rccovered from the leach solution.

Recurrent Kawasaki disease: USA and Japan.

PubMed

Maddox, Ryan A; Holman, Robert C; Uehara, Ritei; Callinan, Laura S; Guest, Jodie L; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Yashiro, Mayumi; Belay, Ermias D

2015-12-01

Descriptive epidemiologic studies of recurrent and non-recurrent Kawasaki disease (KD) may identify other potentially important differences between these illnesses. Data from the USA and Japan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national KD surveillance(1984-2008) and the 17th Japanese nationwide survey (2001-2002), respectively, were analyzed to examine recurrent KD patients <18 years of age meeting the CDC KD case or atypical KD case definition. These patients were compared with non-recurrent KD patients. Of the 5557 US KD patients <18 years of age during 1984-2008, 97 (1.7%) were identified as having had recurrent KD. Among the US Asian/Pacific Islander KD patients, 3.5% had recurrent KD, which was similar to the percentage identified among KD patients (3.5%) in the Japanese survey. Compared with non-recurrent KD patients, KD patients [with recurrent KD] were more likely to be older, fulfill the atypical KD case definition, and have coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) despite i.v. immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. Differences in the age, race, and frequency of CAA exist between recurrent and non-recurrent KD patients. The increased association of CAA with recurrent KD suggests that more aggressive treatment strategies in conjunction with IVIG may be indicated for the second episode of KD. © 2015 Japan Pediatric Society.

Recurrent Kawasaki disease, United States and Japan

PubMed Central

Maddox, Ryan A.; Holman, Robert C.; Uehara, Ritei; Callinan, Laura S.; Guest, Jodie L.; Schonberger, Lawrence B.; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Yashiro, Mayumi; Belay, Ermias D.

2015-01-01

Background Descriptive epidemiologic studies of recurrent and non-recurrent Kawasaki disease (KD) may identify other potentially important differences between these illnesses. Methods Data from the United States and Japan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national KD surveillance (1984–2008) and the 17th Japanese nationwide survey (2001–2002), respectively, were analyzed to examine recurrent KD patients <18 years of age meeting the CDC KD case or atypical KD case definition. These patients were compared to non-recurrent KD patients. Results Of the 5557 US KD patients <18 years of age during 1984–2008, 97 (1.7%) were identified as having had recurrent KD. Among the US Asian/Pacific Islander KD patients, 3.5% had recurrent KD, which was similar to the percentage identified among KD patients (3.5%) in the Japanese survey. Compared to non-recurrent KD patients, KD patients experiencing a recurrent KD episode were more likely to be older, fulfill the atypical KD case definition, and have coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) despite IVIG treatment. Conclusions Differences in the age, race, and frequency of CAA exist between recurrent and non-recurrent KD patients. The increased association of CAA with recurrent KD suggests that more aggressive treatment strategies in conjunction with IVIG may be indicated for the second episode of KD. PMID:26096590

Mid-term Risk for Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Chronic Myocarditis in Children with Kawasaki Disease and Transient Coronary Abnormalities.

PubMed

Parihar, Mansingh; Singh, Surjit; Vignesh, Pandiarajan; Gupta, Anju; Rohit, Manojkumar

2017-08-01

There is evidence for premature atherosclerosis and systemic arterial stiffening during follow-up of children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and coronary artery abnormalities (CAA). Moreover, patients with KD may also have subclinical myocardial involvement and inhomogeneous ventricular repolarization. The inhomogeneous ventricular repolarization manifests as increased QT dispersion on electrocardiography. There is a paucity of studies in endothelial dysfunction and QT dispersion in children with KD and transient CAA. Twenty children with KD and transient CAA were studied at least 1 year after resolution of CAA. Mean follow-up period between KD onset and enrolment in the study was 53.7 months. Twenty age and sex-matched controls were enrolled. High-resolution B-mode ultrasonography was used to analyze brachial artery dilatation in response to reactive hyperemia (cases and controls) and sublingual nitroglycerine (cases only). Carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and stiffness index were calculated. The difference between maximum and minimum QTc intervals on 12 lead electrocardiogram was calculated as QTc dispersion (QTcd). No statistically significant difference was noted in percent flow-mediated dilatation of brachial arteries in response to reactive hyperemia between cases (13.31 ± 10.41%) and controls (12.86 ± 7.09%). Sublingual nitroglycerine-mediated dilatation in children with KD was 14.88 ± 12.03%. Mean cIMT was similar in cases (0.036 ± 0.015 cm) and controls (0.035 ± 0.076 cm; p = 0.791). No statistically significant difference between groups was observed in mean QTcd values (0.057 ± 0.018 s vs. 0.059 ± 0.015 s in controls, p = 0.785). No evidence of significant endothelial dysfunction or increased QT dispersion in patients with KD and transient coronary artery abnormalities was found in our cohort when studied at a mean follow-up of 53.7 months. This is reassuring, and indicates that risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and myocarditis in a subset of children with KD and transient coronary artery abnormalities is not significant.

ADSORPTION METHOD FOR SEPARATING THORIUM VALUES FROM URANIUM VALUES

DOEpatents

Boyd, G.E.; Russell, E.R.; Schubert, J.

1959-08-01

An improved ion exchange method is described for recovery of uranium and thorium values as separate functions from an aqueous acidic solution containing less than 10/sup -3/ M thorium ions and between 0.1 and 1 M uranyl ions. The solution is passed through a bed of cation exchange resin in the acid form to adsorb all the thorium ions and a portion of the uranyl ions. The uranium is eluted by means of aqueous 0.1 to 0.4 M sulfuric acid. The thorium may then be stripped from the resin by elution with aqueous 0.5 M oxalic acid.

ADSORPTION METHOD FOR SEPARATING THORIUM VALUES FROM URANIUM VALUES

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

Boyd, G.E.; Russell, E.R.; Schubert, J.

An improved ion exchange method is described for recovery of uranium and thorium values as separate functions from an aqueous acidic solution containing less than 10/sup -3/ M thorium ions and between 0.1 and 1 M uranyl ions. The solution is passed through a bed of cation exchange resin in the acid form to adsorb all the thorium ions and a portion of the uranyl ions. The uranium is eluted by means of aqueous 0.1 to 0.4 M sulfuric acid. The thorium may then be stripped from the resin by elution with aqueous 0.5 M oxalic acid.

Biological pathways of exposure and ecotoxicity values for uranium and associated radionuclides: Chapter D in Hydrological, geological, and biological site characterization of breccia pipe uranium deposits in Northern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinck, Jo E.; Linder, Greg L.; Finger, Susan E.; Little, Edward E.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Kuhne, Wendy

2010-01-01

This chapter compiles available chemical and radiation toxicity information for plants and animals from the scientific literature on naturally occurring uranium and associated radionuclides. Specifically, chemical and radiation hazards associated with radionuclides in the uranium decay series including uranium, thallium, thorium, bismuth, radium, radon, protactinium, polonium, actinium, and francium were the focus of the literature compilation. In addition, exposure pathways and a food web specific to the segregation areas were developed. Major biological exposure pathways considered were ingestion, inhalation, absorption, and bioaccumulation, and biota categories included microbes, invertebrates, plants, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These data were developed for incorporation into a risk assessment to be conducted as part of an environmental impact statement for the Bureau of Land Management, which would identify representative plants and animals and their relative sensitivities to exposure of uranium and associated radionuclides. This chapter provides pertinent information to aid in the development of such an ecological risk assessment but does not estimate or derive guidance thresholds for radionuclides associated with uranium. Previous studies have not attempted to quantify the risks to biota caused directly by the chemical or radiation releases at uranium mining sites, although some information is available for uranium mill tailings and uranium mine closure activities. Research into the biological impacts of uranium exposure is strongly biased towards human health and exposure related to enriched or depleted uranium associated with the nuclear energy industry rather than naturally occurring uranium associated with uranium mining. Nevertheless, studies have reported that uranium and other radionuclides can affect the survival, growth, and reproduction of plants and animals. Exposure to chemical and radiation hazards is influenced by a plant’s or an animal’s life history and surrounding environment. Various species of plants, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals found in the segregation areas that are considered species of concern by State and Federal agencies were included in the development of the site-specific food web. The utilization of subterranean habitats (burrows in uranium-rich areas, burrows in waste rock piles or reclaimed mining areas, mine tunnels) in the seasonally variable but consistently hot, arid environment is of particular concern in the segregation areas. Certain species of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals in the segregation areas spend significant amounts of time in burrows where they can inhale or ingest uranium and other radionuclides through digging, eating, preening, and hibernating. Herbivores may also be exposed though the ingestion of radionuclides that have been aerially deposited on vegetation. Measured tissues concentrations of uranium and other radionuclides are not available for any species of concern in the segregation areas. The sensitivity of these animals to uranium exposure is unknown based on the existing scientific literature, and species-specific uranium presumptive effects levels were only available for two endangered fish species known to inhabit the segregation areas. Overall, the chemical toxicity data available for biological receptors of concern were limited, although chemical and radiation toxicity guidance values are available from several sources. However, caution should be used when directly applying these values to northern Arizona given the unique habitat and life history strategies of biological receptors in the segregation areas and the fact that some guidance values are based on models rather than empirical (laboratory or field) data. No chemical toxicity information based on empirical data is available for reptiles, birds, or wild mammals; therefore, the risks associated with uranium and other radionuclides are unknown for these biota.

Effectiveness of mineral soil to adsorb the natural occurring radioactive material (norm), uranium and thorium

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

Amir, Muhammad Nur Iman; Ismail, Nurul Izzatiafifi; Wood, Ab. Khalik, E-mail: khalik@salam.uitm.edu.my

2015-04-29

A study has been performed on U-soil and Th-soil adsorption of three types of soil collected from Selangor State of Malaysia which are Saujana Putra, Bukit Changgang and Jenderam Hilir. In this study, natural radionuclide (U and Th) soil adsorption based on batch experiments with various initial concentrations of the radionuclide elements were carried out. Parameters that were set constant include pH at 5;amount of soil used was 5 g each, contact time was 24 hour and different initial concentration for each solution of U and Th which is 5 mg/L, 10 mg/L, 15 mg/L, 20 mg/L, 25 mg/L and 40 mg/L were used. The K{sub d}more » values for each type of soil were determined in this batch experiments which was based on US-EPA method, in order to estimate adsorption capacity of the soil.The K{sub d} values of Th found higher than Kd values of U for all of the soil samples, and the highest was found on the soil collected from Bukit Changgang. The soil clay content was one of factors to influence the adsorption of both U and Th from dilute initial solution. The U-soil and Th-soil adsorption process for all the soil samples studied are generally obeying unimolecular layer Langmuir isotherm model. From Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity for U was 0.393mg/g and for Th was 1.53 mg/g for the soil that was taken from Bukit Changgang. From the study, it suggested that the soil from Bukit Changgang applicable as potential enhanced barrier for site disposing waste containing U and Th.« less

40 CFR 421.326 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS NONFERROUS METALS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Secondary Uranium Subcategory... wastewater pollutants in secondary uranium process wastewater introduced into a POTW shall not exceed the following values: (a) Refinery sump filtrate. PSNS for the Secondary Uranium Subcategory Pollutant or...

40 CFR 421.326 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS NONFERROUS METALS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Secondary Uranium Subcategory... wastewater pollutants in secondary uranium process wastewater introduced into a POTW shall not exceed the following values: (a) Refinery sump filtrate. PSNS for the Secondary Uranium Subcategory Pollutant or...

40 CFR 421.326 - Pretreatment standards for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS NONFERROUS METALS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Secondary Uranium Subcategory... wastewater pollutants in secondary uranium process wastewater introduced into a POTW shall not exceed the following values: (a) Refinery sump filtrate. PSNS for the Secondary Uranium Subcategory Pollutant or...

The University Münster Model Surgery System for Orthognathic Surgery. Part II -- KD-MMS.

PubMed

Ehmer, Ulrike; Joos, Ulrich; Ziebura, Thomas; Flieger, Stefanie; Wiechmann, Dirk

2013-01-04

Model surgery is an integral part of the planning procedure in orthognathic surgery. Most concepts comprise cutting the dental cast off its socket. The standardized spacer plates of the KD-MMS provide for a non-destructive, reversible and reproducible means of maxillary and/or mandibular plaster cast separation. In the course of development of the system various articulator types were evaluated with regard to their capability to provide a means of realizing the concepts comprised of the KD-MMS. Special attention was dedicated to the ability to perform three-dimensional displacements without cutting of plaster casts. Various utilities were developed to facilitate maxillary displacement in accordance to the planning. Objectives of this development comprised the ability to implement the values established in the course of two-dimensional ceph planning. The system - KD-MMS comprises a set of hardware components as well as a defined procedure. Essential hardware components are red spacer and blue mounting plates. The blue mounting plates replace the standard yellow SAM mounting elements. The red spacers provide for a defined leeway of 8 mm for three-dimensional movements. The non-destructive approach of the KD-MMS makes it possible to conduct different model surgeries with the same plaster casts as well as to restore the initial, pre-surgical situation at any time. Thereby, surgical protocol generation and gnathologic splint construction are facilitated. The KD-MMS hardware components in conjunction with the defined procedures are capable of increasing efficiency and accuracy of model surgery and splint construction. In cases where different surgical approaches need to be evaluated in the course of model surgery, a significant reduction of chair time may be achieved.

Diagnostic potential of Western blot analysis of sera from dogs with leishmaniasis in endemic areas and significance of the pattern.

PubMed

Aisa, M J; Castillejo, S; Gallego, M; Fisa, R; Riera, M C; de Colmenares, M; Torras, S; Roura, X; Sentis, J; Portus, M

1998-02-01

Serum samples collected from 237 dogs in Catalonia (northeastern Spain) were screened by Western blot analysis to detect the presence of antibodies specific to different Leishmania infantum polypeptide fractions. Leishmaniasis was confirmed in 72 of these dogs by direct examination and/or culture. Another 165 animals from the Priorat region were studied periodically for 2-8 years between 1987 and 1995, giving a total of 565 determinations. A control group of 93 dogs from nonendemic areas was also studied. Sera from dogs with leishmaniasis recognized antigens with molecular weights ranging from 12 to 85 kD. The most sensitive antigens were those of 70, 65, 46, 30, 28, 14, and 12 kD, which were recognized by 75%, 75%, 78%, 75%, 81%, 79%, and 75%, respectively, of the sera from dogs with positive parasitologic examination results. Antigens of 70 and 65 kD were also recognized by two dogs from nonendemic areas. Antigens of 14 and 12 kD were the first to be recognized by sera of asymptomatic dogs with titers less than the cut-off value of the dot-ELISA that increased during the longitudinal study, and the presence of antibodies specific for these fractions was observed for up to six years before seroconversion observed by dot-ELISA. These antibodies were also the first to disappear in dogs in which the disease was self-limited. The study corroborates the high sensitivity and specificity of Western blots in the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis when the bands of low molecular weight (less than 46 kD) are considered, and indicates that fractions of 14 and 12 kD are useful in detecting early forms of the disease.

The Insecticide Susceptibility Status of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Farm and Nonfarm Sites of Lagos State, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Ayorinde, A.; Oboh, B.; Oduola, A.; Otubanjo, O.

2015-01-01

Nigeria is one of the malaria-endemic countries. In Lagos State, Nigeria, various malaria vector control programs including the use of chemical insecticides are currently being implemented. This study was designed to provide information on the susceptibility status of some nontargeted vectors such as Aedes aegypti. Adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from two farm sites and a nonfarm site were exposed to World Health Organization test papers impregnated with Deltamethrin (0.05%), Permethrin (0.75%), and DDT (4%) insecticides. The Knockdown time (KdT50 and KdT95) and percentage mortality after 24 h post exposure were determined. In all the exposed mosquito populations to permethrin, mortality rate > 98% (susceptibility) was recorded, whereas mortality rates < 95.8% (resistance) and > 98% (susceptibility) to deltamethrin were observed in the nonfarm site and farm sites mosquito populations, respectively. All the mosquito populations were resistant to DDT in 2 yr. The KdT50 of the populations to DDT increased (60.2–69.6) in one of the farm sites and the nonfarm site (68.9–199.96), while a decrease (243–63.4) in another farm site in 2 yr. Significant difference (P < 0.05) in KdT50 was recorded between the farm and nonfarm sites Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in the second year after exposure to deltamethrin and DDT. An increase in KdT95 after exposure to deltamethrin in the first year was recorded. Higher KdT values and lower mortality rates in Ae. aegypti populations in the nonfarm sites are indications there are existing factors selecting for insecticide resistance outside agricultural use of insecticides. PMID:26106087

A survey of uranium levels in urine and hair of people living in a coal mining area in Yili, Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Wufuer, Rehemanjiang; Song, Wenjuan; Zhang, Daoyong; Pan, Xiangliang; Gadd, Geoffrey Michael

2018-09-01

Recent reports have drawn attention to the uranium contamination arising from coal mining activities in the Yili region of Xinjiang, China due to the mixed distribution of uranium and coal mines, and some of the coal mines being associated with a high uranium content. In this study, we have collected water samples, solid samples such as soil, mud, coal, and coal ash, and hair and urine samples from local populations in order to evaluate the uranium level in this environment and its implications for humans in this high uranium coal mining area. Our results showed that uranium concentrations were 8.71-10.91 μg L -1 in underground water, whereas lower levels of uranium occurred in river water. Among the solid samples, coal ash contained fairly high concentrations of uranium (33.1 μg g -1 ) due to enrichment from coal burning. In addition, uranium levels in the other solid samples were around 2.8 μg g -1 (the Earth's average background value). Uranium concentrations in hair and urine samples were 22.2-634.5 ng g -1 (mean: 156.2 ng g -1 ) and 8.44-761.6 ng L -1 (mean: 202.6 ng L -1 ), respectively, which are significantly higher than reference values reported for unexposed subjects in other areas. Therefore, these results indicate that people living in this coal mining area have been subjected to uranium exposure for long periods of time. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Rotation-induced nonlinear wavepackets in internal waves

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

Whitfield, A. J., E-mail: ashley.whitfield.12@ucl.ac.uk; Johnson, E. R., E-mail: e.johnson@ucl.ac.uk

2014-05-15

The long time effect of weak rotation on an internal solitary wave is the decay into inertia-gravity waves and the eventual formation of a localised wavepacket. Here this initial value problem is considered within the context of the Ostrovsky, or the rotation-modified Korteweg-de Vries (KdV), equation and a numerical method for obtaining accurate wavepacket solutions is presented. The flow evolutions are described in the regimes of relatively-strong and relatively-weak rotational effects. When rotational effects are relatively strong a second-order soliton solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation accurately predicts the shape, and phase and group velocities of the numerically determined wavepackets.more » It is suggested that these solitons may form from a local Benjamin-Feir instability in the inertia-gravity wave-train radiated when a KdV solitary wave rapidly adjusts to the presence of strong rotation. When rotational effects are relatively weak the initial KdV solitary wave remains coherent longer, decaying only slowly due to weak radiation and modulational instability is no longer relevant. Wavepacket solutions in this regime appear to consist of a modulated KdV soliton wavetrain propagating on a slowly varying background of finite extent.« less

BASIC PEROXIDE PRECIPITATION METHOD OF SEPARATING PLUTONIUM FROM CONTAMINANTS

DOEpatents

Seaborg, G.T.; Perlman, I.

1959-02-10

A process is described for the separation from each other of uranyl values, tetravalent plutonium values and fission products contained in an aqueous acidic solution. First the pH of the solution is adjusted to between 2.5 and 8 and hydrogen peroxide is then added to the solution causing precipitation of uranium peroxide which carries any plutonium values present, while the fission products remain in solution. Separation of the uranium and plutonium values is then effected by dissolving the peroxide precipitate in an acidic solution and incorporating a second carrier precipitate, selective for plutonium. The plutonium values are thus carried from the solution while the uranium remains flissolved. The second carrier precipitate may be selected from among the group consisting of rare earth fluorides, and oxalates, zirconium phosphate, and bismuth lihosphate.

Uranium uptake history, open-system behaviour and uranium-series ages of fossil Tridacna gigas from Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayling, Bridget F.; Eggins, Stephen; McCulloch, Malcolm T.; Chappell, John; Grün, Rainer; Mortimer, Graham

2017-09-01

Molluscs incorporate negligible uranium into their skeleton while they are living, with any uranium uptake occurring post-mortem. As such, closed-system U-series dating of molluscs is unlikely to provide reliable age constraints for marine deposits. Even the application of open-system U-series modelling is challenging, because uranium uptake and loss histories can affect time-integrated uranium distributions and are difficult to constrain. We investigate the chemical and isotopic distribution of uranium in fossil Tridacna gigas (giant clams) from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e (128-116 ka) and MIS 11 (424-374 ka) reefs at Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea. The large size of the clams enables detailed chemical and isotopic mapping of uranium using LA-ICPMS and LA-MC-ICPMS techniques. Within each fossil Tridacna specimen, marked differences in uranium concentrations are observed across the three Tridacna growth zones (outer, inner, hinge), with the outer and hinge zones being relatively enriched. In MIS 5e and MIS 11 Tridacna, the outer and hinge zones contain approximately 1 ppm and 5 ppm uranium respectively. In addition to uptake of uranium, loss of uranium appears prevalent, especially in the MIS 11 specimens. The effect of uranium loss is to elevate measured [230Th/238U] values with little effect on [234U/238U] values. Closed-system age estimates are on average 50% too young for the MIS 5e Tridacna, and 25% too young for the MIS 11 Tridacna. A complex, multi-stage uptake and loss history is interpreted for the fossil Tridacna and we demonstrate that they cannot provide independent, reliable geochronological controls on the timing of past reef growth at Huon Peninsula.

Quantification of Kinetic Rate Law Parameters of Uranium Release from Sodium Autunite as a Function of Aqueous Bicarbonate Concentrations

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

Gudavalli, Ravi; Katsenovich, Yelena; Wellman, Dawn M.

2013-09-05

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen carbonate is one of the most significant components within the uranium geochemical cycle. In aqueous solutions, hydrogen carbonate forms strong complexes with uranium. As such, aqueous bicarbonate may significantly increase the rate of uranium release from uranium minerals. Quantifying the relationship of aqueous hydrogen carbonate solutions to the rate of uranium release during dissolution is critical to understanding the long-term fate of uranium within the environment. Single-pass flow-through (SPTF) experiments were conducted to estimate the rate of uranium release from Na meta-autunite as a function of bicarbonate solutions (0.0005-0.003 M) under the pH range of 6-11 and temperaturesmore » of 5-60oC. Consistent with the results of previous investigation, the rate of uranium release from sodium autunite exhibited minimal dependency on temperature; but were strongly dependent on pH and increasing concentrations of bicarbonate solutions. Most notably at pH 7, the rate of uranium release exhibited 370 fold increases relative to the rate of uranium release in the absence of bicarbonate. However, the effect of increasing concentrations of bicarbonate solutions on the release of uranium was significantly less under higher pH conditions. It is postulated that at high pH values, surface sites are saturated with carbonate, thus the addition of more bicarbonate would have less effect on uranium release. Results indicate the activation energies were unaffected by temperature and bicarbonate concentration variations, but were strongly dependent on pH conditions. As pH increased from 6 to 11, activation energy values were observed to decrease from 29.94 kJ mol-1 to 13.07 kJ mol-1. The calculated activation energies suggest a surface controlled dissolution mechanism.« less

PROCESS OF RECOVERING URANIUM

DOEpatents

Carter, J.M.; Larson, C.E.

1958-10-01

A process is presented for recovering uranium values from calutron deposits. The process consists in treating such deposits to produce an oxidlzed acidic solution containing uranium together with the following imparities: Cu, Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn, Zn. The uranium is recovered from such an impurity-bearing solution by adjusting the pH of the solution to the range 1.5 to 3.0 and then treating the solution with hydrogen peroxide. This results in the precipitation of uranium peroxide which is substantially free of the metal impurities in the solution. The peroxide precipitate is then separated from the solution, washed, and calcined to produce uranium trioxide.

URANIUM SEPARATION PROCESS

DOEpatents

Hyde, E.K.; Katzin, L.I.; Wolf, M.J.

1959-07-14

The separation of uranium from a mixture of uranium and thorium by organic solvent extraction from an aqueous solution is described. The uranium is separrted from an aqueous mixture of uranium and thorium nitrates 3 N in nitric acid and containing salting out agents such as ammonium nitrate, so as to bring ihe total nitrate ion concentration to a maximum of about 8 N by contacting the mixture with an immiscible aliphatic oxygen containing organic solvent such as diethyl carbinol, hexone, n-amyl acetate and the like. The uranium values may be recovered from the organic phase by back extraction with water.

Calcium-buffering effects of gluconate and nucleotides, as determined by a novel fluorimetric titration method.

PubMed

Woehler, Andrew; Lin, Kun-Han; Neher, Erwin

2014-11-15

Significantly more Ca(2+) influx is required for eliciting release of neurotransmitter during whole cell patch clamp recording in the Calyx of Held, when gluconate with 3 mm free ATP is used as pipette filling solution, as compared to a methanesulfonate-based solution with excess Mg(2+). This reduction in efficiency of Ca(2+) in eliciting release is due to low-affinity Ca(2+) binding of both gluconate and ATP(2-) anions. To study these effects we developed a simple fluorimeteric titration procedure, which reports the dissociation constant, KD, of a given Ca(2+) indicator dye, multiplied by 1 plus the sum of Ca(2+) binding ratios of any anions, which act as low-affinity Ca(2+) ligands. For solutions without Ca(2+) binding anions we find KD values for Fura2FF ranging from 11.5 ± 1.7 to 15.6 ± 7.47 μm depending on the dominant anion used. For Fura6F and KCl-based solutions we find KD = 17.8 ± 1.3 μm. For solutions with gluconate as the main anion and for solutions that contain nucleotides, such as ATP and GTP, we find much higher values for the product. Assuming that the KD of the indicator dye is equal to that of KCl-based solutions we calculate the summed Ca(2+) binding ratios and find a value of 3.55 for a solution containing 100 mm potassium gluconate and 4 mm ATP. Gluconate contributes a value of 1.75 to this number, while the contribution of ATP depends strongly on the presence of Mg(2+) and varies from 0.8 (with excess Mg(2+)) to 13.8 (in the presence of 3 mm free ATP). Methanesulfonate has negligible Ca(2+) binding capacity. These results explain the reduced efficiency of Ca(2+) influx in the presence of gluconate or nucleotides, as these anions are expected to intercept Ca(2+) ions at short distance. © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2014 The Physiological Society.

Stability of Viscous St. Venant Roll Waves: From Onset to Infinite Froude Number Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Blake; Johnson, Mathew A.; Noble, Pascal; Rodrigues, L. Miguel; Zumbrun, Kevin

2017-02-01

We study the spectral stability of roll wave solutions of the viscous St. Venant equations modeling inclined shallow water flow, both at onset in the small Froude number or "weakly unstable" limit F→ 2^+ and for general values of the Froude number F, including the limit F→ +∞ . In the former, F→ 2^+, limit, the shallow water equations are formally approximated by a Korteweg-de Vries/Kuramoto-Sivashinsky (KdV-KS) equation that is a singular perturbation of the standard Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation modeling horizontal shallow water flow. Our main analytical result is to rigorously validate this formal limit, showing that stability as F→ 2^+ is equivalent to stability of the corresponding KdV-KS waves in the KdV limit. Together with recent results obtained for KdV-KS by Johnson-Noble-Rodrigues-Zumbrun and Barker, this gives not only the first rigorous verification of stability for any single viscous St. Venant roll wave, but a complete classification of stability in the weakly unstable limit. In the remainder of the paper, we investigate numerically and analytically the evolution of the stability diagram as Froude number increases to infinity. Notably, we find transition at around F=2.3 from weakly unstable to different, large- F behavior, with stability determined by simple power-law relations. The latter stability criteria are potentially useful in hydraulic engineering applications, for which typically 2.5≤ F≤ 6.0.

Chemical Equilibrium of the Dissolved Uranium in Groundwaters From a Spanish Uranium-Ore Deposit

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

Garralon, Antonio; Gomez, Paloma; Turrero, Maria Jesus

2007-07-01

The main objectives of this work are to determine the hydrogeochemical evolution of an uranium ore and identify the main water/rock interaction processes that control the dissolved uranium content. The Mina Fe uranium-ore deposit is the most important and biggest mine worked in Spain. Sageras area is located at the north part of the Mina Fe, over the same ore deposit. The uranium deposit was not mined in Sageras and was only perturbed by the exploration activities performed 20 years ago. The studied area is located 10 Km northeast of Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca) at an altitude over 650 m.a.s.l. Themore » uranium mineralization is related to faults affecting the metasediments of the Upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian schist-graywacke complex (CEG), located in the Centro-Iberian Zone of the Hesperian Massif . The primary uranium minerals are uraninite and coffinite but numerous secondary uranium minerals have been formed as a result of the weathering processes: yellow gummite, autunite, meta-autunite, torbernite, saleeite, uranotile, ianthinite and uranopilite. The water flow at regional scale is controlled by the topography. Recharge takes place mainly in the surrounding mountains (Sierra Pena de Francia) and discharge at fluvial courses, mainly Agueda and Yeltes rivers, boundaries S-NW and NE of the area, respectively. Deep flows (lower than 100 m depth) should be upwards due to the river vicinity, with flow directions towards the W, NW or N. In Sageras-Mina Fe there are more than 100 boreholes drilled to investigate the mineral resources of the deposit. 35 boreholes were selected in order to analyze the chemical composition of groundwaters based on their depth and situation around the uranium ore. Groundwater samples come from 50 to 150 m depth. The waters are classified as calcium-bicarbonate type waters, with a redox potential that indicates they are slightly reduced (values vary between 50 to -350 mV). The TOC varies between <0.1 and 4.0 mgC/L and the dissolved uranium has a maximum value of 7.7 mg/L. According the analytical data of dissolved uranium, the mineral closest to equilibrium seems to be UO{sub 2}(am). The tritium contents in the groundwaters vary between 1.5 and 7.3 T.U. Considering that the mean value of tritium in rainwater from the studied area has a value of 4 T.U., it can be concluded that the residence times of the groundwaters are relatively short, not longer than 50 years in the oldest case. (authors)« less

Evaluation of external and internal irradiation on uranium mining enterprise staff by tooth enamel EPR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhumadilov, Kassym; Ivannikov, Alexander; Khailov, Artem; Orlenko, Sergei; Skvortsov, Valeriy; Stepanenko, Valeriy; Kuterbekov, Kairat; Toyoda, Shin; Kazymbet, Polat; Hoshi, Masaharu

2017-11-01

In order to estimate radiation effects on uranium enterprise staff and population teeth samples were collected for EPR tooth enamel dosimetry from population of Stepnogorsk city and staff of uranium mining enterprise in Shantobe settlment (Akmola region, North of Kazakhstan). By measurements of tooth enamel EPR spectra, the total absorbed dose in the enamel samples and added doses after subtraction of the contribution of natural background radiation are determined. For the population of Stepnogorsk city average added dose value of 4 +/- 11 mGy with variation of 51 mGy was obtained. For the staff of uranium mining enterprise in Shantobe settlment average value of added dose 95 +/- 20 mGy, with 85 mGy variation was obtained. Higher doses and the average value and a large variation for the staff, probably is due to the contribution of occupational exposure.

PROCESS OF PREPARING A FLUORIDE OF TETRAVLENT URANIUM

DOEpatents

Wheelwright, E.J.

1959-02-17

A method is described for producing a fluoride salt pf tetravalent uranium suitable for bomb reduction to metallic uranium. An aqueous solution of uranyl nitrate is treated with acetic acid and a nitrite-suppressor and then contacted with metallic lead whereby uranium is reduced from the hexavalent to the tetravalent state and soluble lead acetate is formed. Sulfate ions are then added to the solution to precipitate and remove the lead values. Hydrofluoric acid and alkali metal ions are then added causing the formation of an alkali metal uranium double-fluoride in which the uranium is in the tetravalent state. After recovery, this precipitate is suitable for using in the limited production of metallic uranium.

Diagnosis of systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis after treatment for presumed Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Dong, Siwen; Bout-Tabaku, Sharon; Texter, Karen; Jaggi, Preeti

2015-05-01

To estimate the incidence of systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA) within 6 months after treatment for presumed Kawasaki disease (KD) (presumed patients with KD with subsequent diagnosis of SoJIA [pKD/SoJIA]) and describe presentation differences from sole KD. We identified patients treated for KD at Nationwide Children's Hospital and from the Pediatric Health Information System from 2009-2013. We then identified the subset of children, pKD/SoJIA, who received an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code for SoJIA and had it listed at least once 3 months after and within 6 months after KD diagnosis. Demographic characteristics, readmission rates, treatments, and complications were noted. A literature review was also performed to identify clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data of previously documented patients with KD later diagnosed with SoJIA. There were 6745 total treated patients with KD in the Pediatric Health Information System database during the study period; 10 patients were identified to have pKD/SoJIA (0.2% of cohort). Those with pKD/SoJIA were predominantly Caucasian compared with patients with KD (90% and 46.8%, respectively; P=.003). Macrophage activation syndrome was more common in patients with pKD/SoJIA than in sole patients with KD (30% and 0.30%, respectively; P<.001). Fifteen cases of pKD/SoJIA were identified by literature and chart review, 12 of whom were initially diagnosed with incomplete KD. We reported a 0.2% incidence of pKD/SoJIA, which was associated with Caucasian race, macrophage activation syndrome, and an incomplete KD phenotype. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ELECTROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION AND RECOVERY OF URANIUM VALUES

DOEpatents

McLaren, J.A.; Goode, J.H.

1958-05-13

An electrochemical process is described for separating uranium from fission products. The method comprises subjecting the mass of uranium to anodic dissolution in an electrolytic cell containing aqueous alkali bicarbonate solution as its electrolyte, thereby promoting a settling from the solution of a solid sludge from about the electrodes and separating the resulting electrolyte solution containing the anodically dissolved uranium from the sludge which contains the rare earth fission products.

76 FR 68404 - Uranium From the Russian Federation; Final Results of Expedited Sunset Review of the Suspension...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-04

..., Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation (``Russia''), Tajikistan... Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan was being sold at less-than-fair-value by... Determinations of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Uranium From Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine...

Influence of soil biochar aging on sorption of the herbicides MCPA, nicosulfuron, terbuthylazine, indaziflam, and fluoroethyldiaminotriazine.

PubMed

Trigo, Carmen; Spokas, Kurt A; Cox, Lucia; Koskinen, William C

2014-11-12

Sorption of four herbicides and a metabolite of indaziflam on a fresh macadamia nut biochar and biochars aged one or two years in soil was characterized. On fresh biochar, the sorption was terbuthylazine (Kd = 595) > indaziflam (Kd = 162) > MCPA (Kd = 7.5) > fluoroethyldiaminotriazine (Kd = 0.26) and nicosulfuron (Kd = 0). Biochar surface area increased with aging attributed to the loss of a surface film. This was also manifested in a decline in water extractable organic carbon with aging. Correspondingly, an increase in the aromaticity was observed. The higher surface area and porosity in aged biochar increased sorption of indaziflam (KdBC-2yr = 237) and fluoroethyldiaminotriazine (KdBC-1yr = 1.2 and KdBC-2yr = 3.0), but interestingly decreased sorption of terbuthylazine (KdBC-1yr = 312 and KdBC-2yr = 221) and MCPA (KdBC-1yr = 2 and KdBC-2yr = 2). These results will facilitate development of biochars for specific remediation purposes.

40 CFR 471.73 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Uranium Forming Subcategory § 471.73 New source performance standards (NSPS). Any new source subject to... in the uranium forming process wastewater shall not exceed the following values: (a) Extrusion spent... monthly average mg/off-kg (pounds per million off-pounds) of uranium extruded Cadmium 0.007 0.003 Chromium...

40 CFR 471.73 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Uranium Forming Subcategory § 471.73 New source performance standards (NSPS). Any new source subject to... in the uranium forming process wastewater shall not exceed the following values: (a) Extrusion spent... monthly average mg/off-kg (pounds per million off-pounds) of uranium extruded Cadmium 0.007 0.003 Chromium...

40 CFR 471.73 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Uranium Forming Subcategory § 471.73 New source performance standards (NSPS). Any new source subject to... in the uranium forming process wastewater shall not exceed the following values: (a) Extrusion spent... monthly average mg/off-kg (pounds per million off-pounds) of uranium extruded Cadmium 0.007 0.003 Chromium...

Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Durango NTMS quadrangle, Colorado

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

Dawson, H.E.; Weaver, T.A.

1979-01-01

During the spring and summer of 1976, 1518 water and 1604 waterborne sediment samples were collected from 1804 locations in the Durango NTMS quadrangle, Colorado. The samples obtained from this 19 940-km/sup 2/ area were analyzed at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for total uranium. The uranium concentrations in waters ranged from less than the detectable limit of 0.2 ppB to 25.7 ppB, with a mean value of 0.84 ppB. The concentrations in sediments ranged from 1.0 ppM to 71.6 ppM, with a mean value of 4.2 ppM. Study of total water and total sediment populations indicated that both aremore » actually mixtures of several populations. Consequently, samples were chosen for discussion on the basis of their having conspicuously high uranium concentrations relative to surrounding background values. Thirty-four water samples (approximately 2.2% of the total water population) had uranium concentrations above 5.00 ppB, the highest of which were well water samples from the San Luis Valley. Thirty-seven sediment samples (approximately 2.3% of the total sediment population) had uranium concentrations above 12.0 ppM. The majority of these were taken from sites in Precambrian rocks, but several came from Paleozoic and Mesozoic strate and Tertiary volcanics. The uranium concentrations in sediment samples from areas of Precambrian rock were especially high and these areas may warrant further, more detailed investigations.« less

Benzene and MTBE Sorption in Fine Grain Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leal-Bautista, R. M.; Lenczewski, M. E.

2003-12-01

The practice of adding methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) to gasoline started in the late 1970s and increased dramatically in the 1990s. MTBE first was added as a substitute for tetra-ethyl lead then later as a fuel oxygenate. Although the use of MTBE has resulted in significant reduction in air pollution, it has become a significant groundwater contaminant due to its high solubility in water, high environmental mobility, and low potential for biodegradation. A recent report (1999-2001) by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in collaboration with United State Geological Survey and the Oregon Health and Science University found that MTBE was the second most frequent detected volatile organic compound in groundwater. In Illinois, MTBE has been found in 26 of the 1,800 public water supplies. MTBE has also been blended in Mexico into two types of gasoline sold in the country by the state oil company (PEMEX) but is not monitored in groundwater at this time. Early research on MTBE considered it unable to adsorb to soils and sediments, however, by increasing the organic matter and decreasing the size of the grains (silts or clays) this may increase sorption. The objective of this study is to determine if fine grained materials have the potential for sorption of MTBE due to its high specific surface area (10-700 m 2/g) and potentially high organic matter (0.5-3.8%). The experiment consisted of sorption isotherms to glacial tills from DeKalb, Illinois and lacustrine clays from Chalco, Mexico. Experiments were performed with various concentrations of MTBE and benzene (10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 ug/L) at 10° C and 25° C. Results showed a range of values for the distribution coefficient (Kd, linear model). At 10° C the Kd value for MTBE was 0.187 mL/g for lacustrine clay while the glacial loess had a value of 0.009 mL/g. The highest Kd values with MTBE were 0.2859 mL/g for organic rich lacustrine clays and 0.014 mL/g for glacial loess at 25° C. The highest values with benzene were 0.323 mL/g for organic rich lacustrine clays and 0.119 mL/g for glacial loess at 10° C. At 25° C the organic rich lacustrine clays the Kd value was 0.332 mL/g, while Kd value for glacial loess was 0.114 mL/g. Sands with no organic matter (Ottawa sand) had a value of < 0.001 mL/g for both temperatures 25° C and 10° C and both organic compounds. The retardation factor (R) for MTBE was 1.559 at 10° C and 1.855 at 25° C for lacustrine clays; while the glacial tills R was 1.058 at 10° C and 1.095 at 25° C. The retardation factor for benzene was 1.967 at 10° C and 1.996 at 25° C for lacustrine clays; while the glacial tills R was 1.039 at 10° C and 1.037 at 25° C. These results indicate higher retardation values than previously determined for a clayey sand; therefore show that sorption can occur in fine grain materials especially with high organic matter. This study contributes to the understanding of the sorption of MTBE and improves the knowledge to implement the optimal remediation method for sites contaminated by MTBE.

Characterization of WY 14,643 and its Complex with Aldose Reductase

PubMed Central

Sawaya, Michael R.; Verma, Malkhey; Balendiran, Vaishnavi; Rath, Nigam P.; Cascio, Duilio; Balendiran, Ganesaratnam K.

2016-01-01

The peroxisome proliferator, WY 14,643 exhibits a pure non-competitive inhibition pattern in the aldehyde reduction and in alcohol oxidation activities of human Aldose reductase (hAR). Fluorescence emission measurements of the equilibrium dissociation constants, Kd, of oxidized (hAR•NADP+) and reduced (hAR•NADPH) holoenzyme complexes display a 2-fold difference between them. Kd values for the dissociation of WY 14,643 from the oxidized (hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643) and reduced (hAR•NADPH•WY 14,643) ternary complexes are comparable to each other. The ternary complex structure of hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643 reveals the first structural evidence of a fibrate class drug binding to hAR. These observations demonstrate how fibrate molecules such as WY 14,643, besides being valued as agonists for PPAR, also inhibit hAR. PMID:27721416

The Three-Month Effects of a Ketogenic Diet on Body Composition, Blood Parameters, and Performance Metrics in CrossFit Trainees: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Kephart, Wesley C.; Pledge, Coree D.; Roberson, Paul A.; Mumford, Petey W.; Romero, Matthew A.; Mobley, Christopher B.; Young, Kaelin C.; Lowery, Ryan P.; Wilson, Jacob M.; Huggins, Kevin W.; Roberts, Michael D.

2018-01-01

Adopting low carbohydrate, ketogenic diets remains a controversial issue for individuals who resistance train given that this form of dieting has been speculated to reduce skeletal muscle glycogen levels and stifle muscle anabolism. We sought to characterize the effects of a 12-week ketogenic diet (KD) on body composition, metabolic, and performance parameters in participants who trained recreationally at a local CrossFit facility. Twelve participants (nine males and three females, 31 ± 2 years of age, 80.3 ± 5.1 kg body mass, 22.9 ± 2.3% body fat, 1.37 back squat: body mass ratio) were divided into a control group (CTL; n = 5) and a KD group (n = 7). KD participants were given dietary guidelines to follow over 12 weeks while CTL participants were instructed to continue their normal diet throughout the study, and all participants continued their CrossFit training routine for 12 weeks. Pre, 2.5-week, and 12-week anaerobic performance tests were conducted, and pre- and 12-week tests were performed for body composition using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and ultrasound, resting energy expenditure (REE), blood-serum health markers, and aerobic capacity. Additionally, blood beta hydroxybutyrate (BHB) levels were measured weekly. Blood BHB levels were 2.8- to 9.5-fold higher in KD versus CTL throughout confirming a state of nutritional ketosis. DXA fat mass decreased by 12.4% in KD (p = 0.053). DXA total lean body mass changes were not different between groups, although DXA dual-leg lean mass decreased in the KD group by 1.4% (p = 0.068), and vastus lateralis thickness values decreased in the KD group by ~8% (p = 0.065). Changes in fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were similar between groups, although LDL cholesterol increased ~35% in KD (p = 0.048). Between-group changes in REE, one-repetition maximum (1-RM) back squat, 400 m run times, and VO2peak were similar between groups. While our n-sizes were limited, these preliminary data suggest that adopting a ketogenic diet causes marked reductions in whole-body adiposity while not impacting performance measures in recreationally-trained CrossFit trainees. Whether decrements in dual-leg muscle mass and vastus lateralis thickness in KD participants were due to fluid shifts remain unresolved, and increased LDL-C in these individuals warrants further investigation.

Cardiopulmonary Function, Exercise Capacity, and Echocardiography Finding of Pediatric Patients With Kawasaki Disease: An Observational Study.

PubMed

Tuan, Sheng-Hui; Li, Min-Hui; Hsu, Miao-Ju; Tsai, Yun-Jeng; Chen, Yin-Han; Liao, Tin-Yun; Lin, Ko-Long

2016-01-01

Coronary artery (CA) abnormalities influence exercise capacity (EC) of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD), and Z-score of CA is a well established method for detecting CA aneurysm. We studied the influence of KD on cardiopulmonary function and EC; meanwhile we analyzed echocardiographic findings of KD patients. We also assessed the correlation between CA Z-score and EC of KD patients to see if CA Z-score of KD patients could reflect EC during exercise.Sixty-three KD patients were recruited as KD group 1 from children (aged 5-18 y) who received transthoracic echocardiographic examinations and symptom-limited treadmill exercise test for regular follow-up of KD from January 2010 to October 2014 in 1 medical center. We then divided KD group 1 into KD group 2 (<5 y, n = 12) and KD group 3 (≥5 y, n = 51) according to time interval between KD onset to when patients received test. Control groups were matched by age, sex, and body mass index. Max-Z of CA was defined as the maximal Z-score of the proximal LCA or RCA by Dalliarre equation or Fuse calculator.All routine parameters measured during standard exercise test were similar between KD and control groups, except that peak rate pressure products (PRPPs) in KD group 1 to 3 were all lower than corresponding control groups significantly (P = 0.010, 0.020, and 0.049, respectively). PRPPs correlated with Max-Z of CA by both equations modest inversely (by Dallaire, P = 0.017, Spearman rho = -0.301; by Fuse, P = 0.014, Spearman rho = -0.309).Our study recruited larger number of KD patients and provided a newer data of EC of KD patients. Our finding suggests that after acute stage of KD, patients could maintain normal cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, we believe that it is important to promote cardiovascular health to KD patients and KD patients should exercise as normal peers. However, since KD patients might still have compromised coronary perfusion during exercise, it remains crucial to assess and monitor cardiovascular risk of KD patients. Max-Z of CA correlates with PRPP modest inversely and might be used as a follow-up indicator of CA reserve during exercise after acute stage of KD.

Cardiopulmonary Function, Exercise Capacity, and Echocardiography Finding of Pediatric Patients With Kawasaki Disease

PubMed Central

Tuan, Sheng-Hui; Li, Min-Hui; Hsu, Miao-Ju; Tsai, Yun-Jeng; Chen, Yin-Han; Liao, Tin-Yun; Lin, Ko-Long

2016-01-01

Abstract Coronary artery (CA) abnormalities influence exercise capacity (EC) of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD), and Z-score of CA is a well established method for detecting CA aneurysm. We studied the influence of KD on cardiopulmonary function and EC; meanwhile we analyzed echocardiographic findings of KD patients. We also assessed the correlation between CA Z-score and EC of KD patients to see if CA Z-score of KD patients could reflect EC during exercise. Sixty-three KD patients were recruited as KD group 1 from children (aged 5–18 y) who received transthoracic echocardiographic examinations and symptom-limited treadmill exercise test for regular follow-up of KD from January 2010 to October 2014 in 1 medical center. We then divided KD group 1 into KD group 2 (<5 y, n = 12) and KD group 3 (≥5 y, n = 51) according to time interval between KD onset to when patients received test. Control groups were matched by age, sex, and body mass index. Max-Z of CA was defined as the maximal Z-score of the proximal LCA or RCA by Dalliarre equation or Fuse calculator. All routine parameters measured during standard exercise test were similar between KD and control groups, except that peak rate pressure products (PRPPs) in KD group 1 to 3 were all lower than corresponding control groups significantly (P = 0.010, 0.020, and 0.049, respectively). PRPPs correlated with Max-Z of CA by both equations modest inversely (by Dallaire, P = 0.017, Spearman rho = −0.301; by Fuse, P = 0.014, Spearman rho = −0.309). Our study recruited larger number of KD patients and provided a newer data of EC of KD patients. Our finding suggests that after acute stage of KD, patients could maintain normal cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, we believe that it is important to promote cardiovascular health to KD patients and KD patients should exercise as normal peers. However, since KD patients might still have compromised coronary perfusion during exercise, it remains crucial to assess and monitor cardiovascular risk of KD patients. Max-Z of CA correlates with PRPP modest inversely and might be used as a follow-up indicator of CA reserve during exercise after acute stage of KD. PMID:26765431

Binding affinities of NKG2D and CD94 to sialyl Lewis X-expressing N-glycans and heparin.

PubMed

Higai, Koji; Suzuki, Chiho; Imaizumi, Yuzo; Xin, Xin; Azuma, Yutaro; Matsumoto, Kojiro

2011-01-01

Lectin-like receptors natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) and CD94 on natural killer (NK) cells bind to α2,3-NeuAc-containing N-glycans and heparin/heparan sulfate (HS). Using recombinant glutathione S-transferase-fused extracellular lectin-like domains of NKG2D (rGST-NKG2Dlec) and CD94 (rGST-CD94lec), we evaluated their binding affinities (K(d)) to high sialyl Lewis X (sLeX)-expressing transferrin secreted by HepG2 cells (HepTf) and heparin-conjugated bovine serum albumin (Heparin-BSA), using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) microplate methods. K(d) values obtained by linear reciprocal plots revealed good coincidence between the two methods. K(d) values of rGST-NKG2Dlec obtained by QCM and EIA, respectively, were 1.19 and 1.11 µM for heparin-BSA >0.30 and 0.20 µM for HepTf, while those of rGST-CD94lec were 1.31 and 1.45 µM for HepTf >0.37 and 0.36 µM for heparin-BSA. These results suggested that these glycans can interact with NKG2D and CD94 to modulate NK cell-dependent cytotoxicity.

RECOVERY OF URANIUM FROM PITCHBLENDE

DOEpatents

Ruehle, A.E.

1958-06-24

The decontamination of uranium from molybdenum is described. When acid solutions containing uranyl nitrate are contacted with ether for the purpose of extracting the uranium values, complex molybdenum compounds are coextracted with the uranium and also again back-extracted from the ether with the uranium. This invention provides a process for extracting uranium in which coextraction of molybdenum is avoided. It has been found that polyhydric alcohols form complexes with molybdenum which are preferentially water-soluble are taken up by the ether extractant to only a very minor degree. The preferred embodiment of the process uses mannitol, sorbitol or a mixture of the two as the complexing agent.

Loss-less propagation, elastic and inelastic interaction of electromagnetic soliton in an anisotropic ferromagnetic nanowire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senthil Kumar, V.; Kavitha, L.; Boopathy, C.; Gopi, D.

2017-10-01

Nonlinear interaction of electromagnetic solitons leads to a plethora of interesting physical phenomena in the diverse area of science that include magneto-optics based data storage industry. We investigate the nonlinear magnetization dynamics of a one-dimensional anisotropic ferromagnetic nanowire. The famous Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation (LLG) describes the magnetization dynamics of the ferromagnetic nanowire and the Maxwell's equations govern the propagation dynamics of electromagnetic wave passing through the axis of the nanowire. We perform a uniform expansion of magnetization and magnetic field along the direction of propagation of electromagnetic wave in the framework of reductive perturbation method. The excitation of magnetization of the nanowire is restricted to the normal plane at the lowest order of perturbation and goes out of plane for higher orders. The dynamics of the ferromagnetic nanowire is governed by the modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation and the perturbed modified Korteweg-de Vries (pmKdV) equation for the lower and higher values of damping respectively. We invoke the Hirota bilinearization procedure to mKdV and pmKdV equation to construct the multi-soliton solutions, and explicitly analyze the nature of collision phenomena of the co-propagating EM solitons for the above mentioned lower and higher values of Gilbert-damping due to the precessional motion of the ferromagnetic spin. The EM solitons appearing in the higher damping regime exhibit elastic collision thus yielding the fascinating state restoration property, whereas those of lower damping regime exhibit inelastic collision yielding the solitons of suppressed intensity profiles. The propagation of EM soliton in the nanoscale magnetic wire has potential technological applications in optimizing the magnetic storage devices and magneto-electronics.

Attempt to model laboratory-scale diffusion and retardation data.

PubMed

Hölttä, P; Siitari-Kauppi, M; Hakanen, M; Tukiainen, V

2001-02-01

Different approaches for measuring the interaction between radionuclides and rock matrix are needed to test the compatibility of experimental retardation parameters and transport models used in assessing the safety of the underground repositories for the spent nuclear fuel. In this work, the retardation of sodium, calcium and strontium was studied on mica gneiss, unaltered, moderately altered and strongly altered tonalite using dynamic fracture column method. In-diffusion of calcium into rock cubes was determined to predict retardation in columns. In-diffusion of calcium into moderately and strongly altered tonalite was interpreted using a numerical code FTRANS. The code was able to interprete in-diffusion of weakly sorbing calcium into the saturated porous matrix. Elution curves of calcium for the moderately and strongly altered tonalite fracture columns were explained adequately using FTRANS code and parameters obtained from in-diffusion calculations. In this paper, mass distribution ratio values of sodium, calcium and strontium for intact rock are compared to values, previously obtained for crushed rock from batch and crushed rock column experiments. Kd values obtained from fracture column experiments were one order of magnitude lower than Kd values from batch experiments.

Radiation dose-dependent risk on individuals due to ingestion of uranium and radon concentration in drinking water samples of four districts of Haryana, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panghal, Amanjeet; Kumar, Ajay; Kumar, Suneel; Singh, Joga; Sharma, Sumit; Singh, Parminder; Mehra, Rohit; Bajwa, B. S.

2017-06-01

Uranium gets into drinking water when the minerals containing uranium are dissolved in groundwater. Uranium and radon concentrations have been measured in drinking water samples from different water sources such as hand pumps, tube wells and bore wells at different depths from various locations of four districts (Jind, Rohtak, Panipat and Sonipat) of Haryana, India, using the LED flourimetry technique and RAD7, electronic silicon solid state detector. The uranium (238U) and radon (222Rn) concentrations in water samples have been found to vary from 1.07 to 40.25 µg L-1 with an average of 17.91 µg L-1 and 16.06 ± 0.97 to 57.35 ± 1.28 Bq L-1 with an average of 32.98 ± 2.45 Bq L-1, respectively. The observed value of radon concentration in 43 samples exceeded the recommended limits of 11 Bq L-1 (USEPA) and all the values are within the European Commission recommended limit of 100 Bq L-1. The average value of uranium concentration is observed to be within the safe limit recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. The annual effective dose has also been measured in all the water samples and is found to be below the prescribed dose limit of 100 µSv y-1 recommended by WHO. Risk assessment of uranium in water is also calculated using life time cancer risk, life time average daily dose and hazard quotient. The high uranium concentration observed in certain areas is due to interaction of ground water with the soil formation of this region and the local subsurface geology of the region.

Mantle temperatures, and tests of experimentally calibrated olivine-melt equilibria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putirka, K. D.

2005-12-01

Because the ratio Mgol/Mgliq (Kd(Mg)) is sensitive to T, olivine-liquid Kd's have long been used as geothermometers, and more recently, maximum Fo contents from volcanic rocks have been used to estimate mantle potential temperatures. Such estimates by Putirka (2005, G3) indicate higher mantle equilibration temperatures at Hawaii, compared to temperatures derived from earlier calibrations. Several published models were thus tested for their ability to reproduce T for 862 experimental data. The Putirka (2005) models did not include P corrections, which are added here: lnKd(Mg)=-1.88 + 30.85P(GPa)/T(C) - 0.04[H2O]liq + 0.068[Na2O+K2O]liq + 3629.7/T(C) + 0.0087[SiO2]liq - 0.015[CaO]liq lnKd(Fe)= -2.92 - 0.05[H2O]liq + 0.0264[Na2O+K2O]liq + 2976.13/T(C) + 0.01847[SiO2]liq + 0.0171[Al2O3]liq - 0.039[CaO]liq + 33.17P(GPa)/T(C) In these expressions, Kd(Mg) and Kd(Fe) are the partition coefficients for Mg and Fe between olivine and liquid, expressed as cation fractions; compositional corrections are in weight percent. The models are calibrated from 785 experimental data (P = 0.0001-15.5 GPa; 1213-2353 K). In the tests, the expressions of Beattie (1993) performed exceptionally well for dry systems with MgOliq < 17 wt. %, with a standard error of estimate of 35 K, compared to an SEE of 59 K for Ford et al. (1983) and an SEE of 51 K for the inversion of the Kd(Mg) model above. Recalibration of the Beattie (1993) model over this composition range thus appears unnecessary. But Beattie (1993), Ford et al. (1983), and other models overestimate T for hydrous systems, and for compositions with MgOliq > 17 wt. %; new models are therefore needed. Over the greater compositional range, model 1 above can be inverted to yield T with a SEE of 56 K, and an average mean (systematic) error of +3 K for 856 experimental data; this compares to a systematic error of -26 K for Beattie (1993) and -36 K for Ford et al. (1983). For use in equation (1) of Putirka (2005), the models above are also more precise at both low and high MgO, and hydrous and non-hydrous systems compared to Beattie (1993) and Ford et al. (1983). Herzberg (pers. comm.) has modeled olivine-melt pairs for Hawaii and MOR's, which are in accord with Putirka (2005); these pairs are used to test for the effects of systematic model error on estimates of mantle temperatures. The Beattie (1993) and Ford (1983) models appear to predict too low a value for T (by 100-150 K), given comparisons of lnKd(Mg) v. 1/T(K) for experimental data, and the very low values for Kd(Mg) observed at Hawaii. The new calibrations indicate mantle equilibration temperatures of 1855 K at Hawaii and 1608 K at MOR's, in agreement with calculations by Putirka (2005). Excess temperatures at Hawaii thus likely exceed 200 K, as suggested by dynamic model predictions (Sleep, 1990; Schilling, 1991) for a thermal plume origin for the Hawaiian Islands and other hot spots.

Uranium fate in wetland mesocosms: Effects of plants at two iron loadings with different pH values

EPA Science Inventory

Small-scale continuous flow wetland mesocosms (~0.8 L) were used to evaluate how plant roots under different iron loadings affect uranium (U) mobility. When significant concentrations of ferrous iron (Fe) were present at circumneutral pH values, U concentrations in root exposed ...

Direct determination of uranium in seawater by laser fluorimetry.

PubMed

Kumar, Sanjukta A; Shenoy, Niyoti S; Pandey, Shailaja; Sounderajan, Suvarna; Venkateswaran, G

2008-10-19

A method for estimation of uranium in seawater by using steady state laser flourimetry is described. Uranium present in seawater, in concentration of approximately 3 ng ml(-1) was estimated without prior separation of matrix. Quenching effect of major ions (Cl(-), Na(+), SO(4)(-), Mg(+), Ca(+), K(+), HCO(3)(-), Br(-)) present in seawater on fluorescence intensity of uranium was studied. The concentration of phosphoric acid required for maximum enhancement of fluorescence intensity was optimized and was found to be 5%. Similarly the volume of concentrated nitric acid required to eliminate the quenching effect of chloride and bromide completely from 5 ml of seawater were optimized and was found to be 3 ml. A simple equation was derived using steady state fluorescence correction method and was used for calculation of uranium concentration in seawater samples. The method has a precesion of 1% (1s, n=3). The values obtained from laser fluorimetry were validated by analyzing the same samples by linear sweep adsorptive stripping voltametry (LSASV) of the uranium-chloranilic acid (2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone) complex. Both the values are well in agreement.

Mutant prenyltransferase-like mitochondrial protein (PLMP) and mitochondrial abnormalities in kd/kd mice

PubMed Central

Peng, Min; Jarett, Leonard; Meade, Ray; Madaio, Michael P.; Hancock, Wayne W.; George, Alfred L.; Neilson, Eric G.; Gasser, David L.

2008-01-01

Background Mice that are homozygous for the kidney disease (kd) mutation are apparently healthy for the first 8 weeks of life, but spontaneously develop a severe form of interstitial nephritis that progresses to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by 4 to 8 months of age. By testing for linkage to microsatellite markers, we previously localized the kd gene to a YAC/BAC contig. Methods The sequence of the entire critical region was examined, and candidate genes were identified. These candidate genes were sequenced in both mutant (kd/kd) mice and normal controls. The phenotype was further characterized by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Transgenic mice were constructed that carried the wild-type allele of the prime candidate gene, and this transgene was transferred to a kd/kd background by breeding. Results We have obtained evidence that kd is a mutant allele of a novel gene for a prenyltransferase-like mitochondrial protein (PLMP). This gene is alternatively spliced, with the larger gene product having one domain that resembles transprenyltransferase and another that is similar to geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase. The smaller gene product includes only the first domain. An antiserum to PLMP localizes to mitochondria, and ultrastructural defects are present in the mitochondria of renal tubular epithelial cells, and to a lesser extent, hepatocytes and heart cells from kd/kd mice. In a line of kd/kd mice that carried the wild-type PLMP allele as a transgene, only 1 out of 13 animals expressed the disease by 120 days of age. Conclusion The kd allele codes for a novel protein that localizes to the mitochondria, and the kd/kd mouse has dysmorphic mitochondria in the renal tubular epithelial cells. This mouse is therefore a unique animal model for studying mechanisms that lead to tubulointerstitial nephritis. PMID:15200409

Ursodeoxycholic Acid Ameliorates Intrahepatic Cholestasis Independent of Biliary Bicarbonate Secretion in Vil2kd/kd Mice.

PubMed

Hatano, Ryo; Kawaguchi, Kotoku; Togashi, Fumitaka; Sugata, Masato; Masuda, Shizuka; Asano, Shinji

2017-01-01

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a hydrophilic bile acid that possesses many pharmacological effects, including increasing bile flow, changing the hydrophobicity of the bile acid pool, and modulation of the immune response. UDCA has been approved for treating cholestatic liver disease, such as primary biliary cholangitis. However, several unanticipated severe side effects of UDCA are observed in cholestatic patients, and its pharmacological benefits remain controversial. We reported that ezrin-knockdown (Vil2 kd/kd ) mice exhibited severe hepatic injury because of a functional disorder in bile duct fluidity and alkalinity regulation, resembling human intrahepatic cholestatic disease. Here we used Vil2 kd/kd mice as a cholestatic model to investigate the pharmacological effects of UDCA. We investigated the effects of oral and parenteral administration of UDCA on Vil2 kd/kd mice. In Vil2 kd/kd mice, fed a 0.5% (w/w) UDCA diet for 3 weeks, hepatic injury was exacerbated, although oral administration of a lower dose of UDCA slightly improved hepatic function in Vil2 kd/kd mice. On the other hand, intraperitoneal administration of UDCA (50 mg/kg/d) ameliorated hepatic function and markedly reduced periductal fibrosis and cholangiocyte proliferation in Vil2 kd/kd mice although biliary pH and HCO 3 - concentration were not improved. The expression levels of inflammatory and profibrotic genes were also significantly decreased in these mice. Furthermore, UDCA prevented cholangiocytes from hydrophobic bile acid-induced cytotoxicity independent of extracellular pH in in vitro experiments. These results suggest that an appropriate dosage of UDCA can ameliorate the intrahepatic cholestasis in Vil2 kd/kd mice without changing the biliary bicarbonate secretion.

Sorption of atrazine and ametryn by carbonatic and non-carbonatic soils of varied origin.

PubMed

Kasozi, G N; Nkedi-Kizza, P; Li, Y; Zimmerman, A R

2012-10-01

Sorption of two s-triazines, atrazine and ametryn, by carbonatic soils, Histosols, Spodosols and Oxisols was examined. Linear isotherms were observed and sorption coefficients (K(d)) of both compounds were significantly lower (α = 0.05) onto carbonatic soils compared to non-carbonatic soils. Furthermore, among carbonatic soil types, the marl-carbonatic soils had the lowest sorption affinities. K(d) and organic carbon content were highly correlated, suggesting predominant influence of organic carbon in the sorption of the s-triazine, except in Oxisols and Spodosols where variations suggest other factors. Upon removal of organic matter (OM) using sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide, the K(d) values were reduced by ~90%, indicating minimal contribution of mineral surfaces. Thus OM compositional differences likely explain the large variation in s-triazine sorption within and between soil orders. This study highlights the need to consider OM composition in addition to quantity when determining pesticide applications rates, particularly for carbonatic soils. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reversible watermarking for knowledge digest embedding and reliability control in medical images.

PubMed

Coatrieux, Gouenou; Le Guillou, Clara; Cauvin, Jean-Michel; Roux, Christian

2009-03-01

To improve medical image sharing in applications such as e-learning or remote diagnosis aid, we propose to make the image more usable by watermarking it with a digest of its associated knowledge. The aim of such a knowledge digest (KD) is for it to be used for retrieving similar images with either the same findings or differential diagnoses. It summarizes the symbolic descriptions of the image, the symbolic descriptions of the findings semiology, and the similarity rules that contribute to balancing the importance of previous descriptors when comparing images. Instead of modifying the image file format by adding some extra header information, watermarking is used to embed the KD in the pixel gray-level values of the corresponding images. When shared through open networks, watermarking also helps to convey reliability proofs (integrity and authenticity) of an image and its KD. The interest of these new image functionalities is illustrated in the updating of the distributed users' databases within the framework of an e-learning application demonstrator of endoscopic semiology.

Two-soliton interaction as an elementary act of soliton turbulence in integrable systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelinovsky, E. N.; Shurgalina, E. G.; Sergeeva, A. V.; Talipova, T. G.; El, G. A.; Grimshaw, R. H. J.

2013-01-01

Two-soliton interactions play a definitive role in the formation of the structure of soliton turbulence in integrable systems. To quantify the contribution of these interactions to the dynamical and statistical characteristics of the nonlinear wave field of soliton turbulence we study properties of the spatial moments of the two-soliton solution of the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. While the first two moments are integrals of the KdV evolution, the 3rd and 4th moments undergo significant variations in the dominant interaction region, which could have strong effect on the values of the skewness and kurtosis in soliton turbulence.

Exact solutions to the time-fractional differential equations via local fractional derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guner, Ozkan; Bekir, Ahmet

2018-01-01

This article utilizes the local fractional derivative and the exp-function method to construct the exact solutions of nonlinear time-fractional differential equations (FDEs). For illustrating the validity of the method, it is applied to the time-fractional Camassa-Holm equation and the time-fractional-generalized fifth-order KdV equation. Moreover, the exact solutions are obtained for the equations which are formed by different parameter values related to the time-fractional-generalized fifth-order KdV equation. This method is an reliable and efficient mathematical tool for solving FDEs and it can be applied to other non-linear FDEs.

Identification and Development of 2,3-Dihydropyrrolo[1,2-a]quinazolin-5(1H)-one Inhibitors Targeting Bromodomains within the Switch/Sucrose Nonfermenting Complex

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Bromodomain containing proteins PB1, SMARCA4, and SMARCA2 are important components of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes. We identified bromodomain inhibitors that target these proteins and display unusual binding modes involving water displacement from the KAc binding site. The best compound binds the fifth bromodomain of PB1 with a KD of 124 nM, SMARCA2B and SMARCA4 with KD values of 262 and 417 nM, respectively, and displays excellent selectivity over bromodomains other than PB1, SMARCA2, and SMARCA4. PMID:27119626

Building a Natural Language Processing Tool to Identify Patients With High Clinical Suspicion for Kawasaki Disease from Emergency Department Notes.

PubMed

Doan, Son; Maehara, Cleo K; Chaparro, Juan D; Lu, Sisi; Liu, Ruiling; Graham, Amanda; Berry, Erika; Hsu, Chun-Nan; Kanegaye, John T; Lloyd, David D; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Burns, Jane C; Tremoulet, Adriana H

2016-05-01

Delayed diagnosis of Kawasaki disease (KD) may lead to serious cardiac complications. We sought to create and test the performance of a natural language processing (NLP) tool, the KD-NLP, in the identification of emergency department (ED) patients for whom the diagnosis of KD should be considered. We developed an NLP tool that recognizes the KD diagnostic criteria based on standard clinical terms and medical word usage using 22 pediatric ED notes augmented by Unified Medical Language System vocabulary. With high suspicion for KD defined as fever and three or more KD clinical signs, KD-NLP was applied to 253 ED notes from children ultimately diagnosed with either KD or another febrile illness. We evaluated KD-NLP performance against ED notes manually reviewed by clinicians and compared the results to a simple keyword search. KD-NLP identified high-suspicion patients with a sensitivity of 93.6% and specificity of 77.5% compared to notes manually reviewed by clinicians. The tool outperformed a simple keyword search (sensitivity = 41.0%; specificity = 76.3%). KD-NLP showed comparable performance to clinician manual chart review for identification of pediatric ED patients with a high suspicion for KD. This tool could be incorporated into the ED electronic health record system to alert providers to consider the diagnosis of KD. KD-NLP could serve as a model for decision support for other conditions in the ED. © 2016 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF URANIUM VALUES

DOEpatents

Feder, H.M.; Ader, M.; Ross, L.E.

1959-02-01

A process is presented for extracting uranium salt from aqueous acidic solutions by organic solvent extraction. It consists in contacting the uranium bearing solution with a water immiscible dialkylacetamide having at least 8 carbon atoms in the molecule. Mentioned as a preferred extractant is dibutylacetamide. The organic solvent is usually used with a diluent such as kerosene or CCl/sub 4/.

ELUTION OF URANIUM VALUES FROM ION EXCHANGE RESINS

DOEpatents

Kennedy, R.H.

1959-11-24

A process is described for eluting complex uranium ions absorbed on ion exchange resins. The resin is subjected to the action of an aqueous eluting solution contuining sulfuric acid and an alkali metal, ammonium, or magnesium chloride or nitrate, the elution being carried out until the desired amount of the uranium is removed from the resin.

SEPARATION OF URANIUM FROM ZIRCONIUM AND NIOBIUM BY SOLVENT EXTRACTION

DOEpatents

Voiland, E.E.

1958-05-01

A process for separation of the uranium from zirconium and/or niobium values contained in 3 to 7M aqueous nitric acid solutions is described. This is accomplished by adding phosphoric acid anions to the nitric acid solution containing the uranium, zirconium, and/or niobium in an amount sufficient to make the solution 0.05 to 0.2M in phosphate ion and contacting the solution with an organic water-immiscible solvent such as MEK, whereby the uranyl values are taken up by the extract phase while the zirconium and niobium preferentially remain in the aqueous raffinate.

Characterization of WY 14,643 and its Complex with Aldose Reductase

DOE PAGES

Sawaya, Michael R.; Verma, Malkhey; Balendiran, Vaishnavi; ...

2016-10-10

The peroxisome proliferator, WY 14,643 exhibits a pure non-competitive inhibition pattern in the aldehyde reduction and in alcohol oxidation activities of human Aldose reductase (hAR). Fluorescence emission measurements of the equilibrium dissociation constants, Kd, of oxidized (hAR•NADP+) and reduced (hAR•NADPH) holoenzyme complexes display a 2-fold difference between them. Kd values for the dissociation of WY 14,643 from the oxidized (hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643) and reduced (hAR•NADPH•WY 14,643) ternary complexes are comparable to each other. The ternary complex structure of hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643 reveals the first structural evidence of a fibrate class drug binding to hAR. These observations demonstrate how fibrate molecules such asmore » WY 14,643, besides being valued as agonists for PPAR, also inhibit hAR.« less

Characterization of WY 14,643 and its Complex with Aldose Reductase

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

Sawaya, Michael R.; Verma, Malkhey; Balendiran, Vaishnavi

The peroxisome proliferator, WY 14,643 exhibits a pure non-competitive inhibition pattern in the aldehyde reduction and in alcohol oxidation activities of human Aldose reductase (hAR). Fluorescence emission measurements of the equilibrium dissociation constants, Kd, of oxidized (hAR•NADP+) and reduced (hAR•NADPH) holoenzyme complexes display a 2-fold difference between them. Kd values for the dissociation of WY 14,643 from the oxidized (hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643) and reduced (hAR•NADPH•WY 14,643) ternary complexes are comparable to each other. The ternary complex structure of hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643 reveals the first structural evidence of a fibrate class drug binding to hAR. These observations demonstrate how fibrate molecules such asmore » WY 14,643, besides being valued as agonists for PPAR, also inhibit hAR.« less

Enhanced biodegradation of mixed PAHs by mutated naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase encoded by Pseudomonas putida strain KD6 isolated from petroleum refinery waste.

PubMed

Dutta, Kunal; Shityakov, Sergey; Das, Prangya P; Ghosh, Chandradipa

2017-12-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of environmental pollutant that are given top priority to maintain water and soil quality to the most amenable standard. Biodegradation of PAHs by bacteria is the convenient option for decontamination on site or off site. The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify naturally occurring bacteria having mixed PAHs biodegradation ability. The newly isolated Pseudomonas putida strain KD6 was found to efficiently degrade 97.729% of 1500 mg L -1 mixed PAHs within 12 days in carbon-deficient minimal medium (CSM). The half-life ( t 1/2 ) and degradation rate constant ( k ) were estimated to be 3.2 and 0.2165 days, respectively. The first-order kinetic parameters in soil by strain KD6 had shown efficient biodegradation potency with the higher concentration of total PAHs (1500 mg kg -1 soil), t 1/2  = 10.44 days -1 . However, the biodegradation by un-inoculated control soil was found slower ( t 1/2  = 140 days -1 ) than the soil inoculated with P. putida strain KD6. The enzyme kinetic constants are also in agreement with chemical data obtained from the HPLC analysis. In addition, the sequence analysis and molecular docking studies showed that the strain KD6 encodes a mutant version of naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase which have better Benzpyrene binding energy (-9.90 kcal mol -1 ) than wild type (-8.18 kcal mol -1 ) enzyme (chain A, 1NDO), respectively, with 0.00 and 0.08 RMSD values. The mutated naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase nah Ac has six altered amino acid residues near to the ligand binding site. The strain KD6 could be a good bioresource for in situ or ex situ biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

Sorption and stability of the polycyclic nitramine explosive CL-20 in soil.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, Vimal K; Monteil-Rivera, Fanny; Gautier, Mathieu A; Hawari, Jalal

2004-01-01

The polycyclic nitramine CL-20 (2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane) is being considered for use as a munition, but its environmental fate and impact are unknown. The present study consisted of two main elements. First, sorption-desorption data were measured with soils and minerals to evaluate the respective contributions of organic matter and minerals to CL-20 immobilization. Second, since CL-20 hydrolyzes at a pH of >7, the effect of sorption on CL-20 degradation was examined in alkaline soils. Sorption-desorption isotherms measured using five slightly acidic soils (5.1 < pH < 6.9) containing various amounts of total organic carbon (TOC) revealed a nonlinear sorption that increased with TOC [K(d) (0.33% TOC) = 2.4 L kg(-1); K(d) (20% TOC) = 311 L kg(-1)]. Sorption to minerals (Fe(2)O(3), silica, kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite) was very low (0 < K(d) < 0.6 L kg(-1)), suggesting that mineral phases do not contribute significantly to CL-20 sorption. Degradation of CL-20 in sterile soils having different pH values increased as follows: sandy agricultural topsoil from Varennes, QC, Canada (VT) (pH = 5.6; K(d) = 15 L kg(-1); 8% loss) < clay soil from St. Sulpice, QC, Canada (CSS) (pH = 8.1; K(d) = 1 L kg(-1); 82% loss) < sandy soil provided by Agriculture Canada (SAC) (pH = 8.1, K(d) = approximately 0 L kg(-1); 100% loss). The faster degradation in SAC soil compared with CSS soil was attributed to the absence of sorption in the former. In summary, CL-20 is highly immobilized by soils rich in organic matter. Although sorption retards abiotic degradation, CL-20 still decomposes in soils where pH is >7.5, suggesting that it will not persist in even slightly alkaline soils.

Anti-nuclear liberals and the bomb: A comparative history of Kampf dem Atomtod and the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, 1957-1963

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

Thiede, B.

The premises of Kampf dem Atomtod (KdA) and Citizens for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) were based on nineteenth century traditions of liberal peace advocacy. Both groups gained substantial public support for their goals to prevent the nuclear armament of the Bundeswehr and to stop nuclear testing. Both organizations won well-educated middle-class and mostly white supporter. The dissertation examines the role of women: whether housewife or doctor, women stressed their special concerns as mothers. Both KdA and SANE had troubled relations with the labor movement. Their leaders hoped to gain government leaders' respect by winning a respectable, non-Communist constituency andmore » claiming their goals were reasonable ones. Government officials attacked KdA and SANE as dupes of Moscow. Many supporters left the organizations because of their strict anti-Communism. Local groups accused their leaders of lacking initative. KdA and SANE's leaders wasted time and energy rehashing issues and postponing decisions. After a period of providing initiatives and ideas local committees disintegrated. Both organizations considered education their paramount goal but their arguments primarily reached the converted, who often preferred more political action. KdA and SANE's leaders instead chose to support respectable projects based on humanitarian ideals. Since these projects offered little in the way of concrete action agendas, supporters defected to more active organizations or slipped into apathy. Neither organization achieved its national goals. Both governments generally denied them access to the policymaking process, ignored them as irrelavant, or attacked them as Communist sympathizers. While SANE and KdA were heard by those concerned by nuclear policy, and while members of SANE's National Board did help muster support for the Partial Test Ban Treaty, both organizations failed to make liberal peace values productive in the nuclear decisionmaking process.« less

Experimental determination of Pb partitioning between sulfide melt and basalt melt as a function of P, T and X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, Stanley R.; Gaetani, Glenn A.

2016-07-01

We have measured the partition coefficient of Pb (KdPb) between FeS melt and basalt melt at temperatures of 1250-1523 °C, pressures of 1.0-3.5 GPa and oxygen fugacities at iron-wustite and wustite-magnetite. The total observed range of KdPb is 4.0-66.6, with a strong negative dependence on pressure and a strong negative dependence on FeO of the silicate melt (Fe+2 only). The FeO control was constrained over a wide range of FeO (4.2-39.5%). We found that the effect of oxygen fugacity can be subsumed under the FeO control parameter. Prior work has established the lack of a significant effect of temperature (Kiseeva and Wood, 2015; Li and Audétat, 2015). Our data are parameterized as: KdPb = 4.8 + (512 - 119*P in GPa)*(1/FeO - 0.021). We also measured a single value of KdPb between clinopyroxene and basalt melt at 2.0 GPa of 0.020 ± 0.001. This experimental data supports the ;natural; partitioning of Pb measured on sulfide globules in MORB (Patten et al., 2013), but not the low KdPb of ∼3 inferred from sulfides in abyssal peridotites by Warren and Shirey (2012). It also quantitatively affirms the modeling of Hart and Gaetani (2006) with respect to using sulfide to buffer the canonical Nd/Pb ratio for MORB and OIB (Hofmann, 2003). For the low FeO and pressure of segregation typical of MORB, KdPb ∼ 45, and the Nd/Pb ratio of erupted basalts will be the same as the Nd/Pb ratio of the mantle source. The remaining puzzle is why MORB and OIB have the same Nd/Pb when they clearly have different FeO and pressure of melt segregation.

Radioactive equilibrium in ancient marine sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breger, I.A.

1955-01-01

Radioactive equilibrium in eight marine sedimentary formations has been studied by means of direct determinations of uranium, radium and thorium. Alpha-particle counting has also been carried out in order to cross-calibrate thick-source counting techniques. The maximum deviation from radioactive equilibrium that has been noted is 11 per cent-indicating that there is probably equilibrium in all the formations analyzed. Thick-source alpha-particle counting by means of a proportional counter or an ionization chamber leads to high results when the samples contain less than about 10 p.p.m. of uranium. For samples having a higher content of uranium the results are in excellent agreement with each other and with those obtained by direct analytical techniques. The thorium contents that have been obtained correspond well to the average values reported in the literature. The uranium content of marine sediments may be appreciably higher than the average values that have been reported for sedimentary rocks. Data show that there is up to fourteen times the percentage of uranium as of thorium in the formations studied and that the percentage of thorium never exceeds that of uranium. While the proximity of a depositional environment to a land mass may influence the concentration of uranium in a marine sediment, this is not true with thorium. ?? 1955.

A comparison of the ability of a 4:1 ketogenic diet and a 6.3:1 ketogenic diet to elevate seizure thresholds in adult and young rats.

PubMed

Nylen, Kirk; Likhodii, Sergei; Abdelmalik, Peter A; Clarke, Jasper; Burnham, W McIntyre

2005-08-01

The pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) infusion test was used to compare seizure thresholds in adult and young rats fed either a 4:1 ketogenic diet (KD) or a 6.3:1 KD. We hypothesized that both KDs would significantly elevate seizure thresholds and that the 4:1 KD would serve as a better model of the KD used clinically. Ninety adult rats and 75 young rats were placed on one of five experimental diets: (a) a 4:1 KD, (b) a control diet balanced to the 4:1 KD, (c) a 6.3:1 KD, (d) a standard control diet, or (e) an ad libitum standard control diet. All subjects were seizure tested by using the PTZ infusion test. Blood glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB) levels were measured. Neither KD elevated absolute "latencies to seizure" in young or adult rats. Similarly, neither KD elevated "threshold doses" in adult rats. In young rats, the 6.3:1 KD, but not the 4:1 KD, significantly elevated threshold doses. The 6.3:1 KD group showed poorer weight gain than the 4:1 KD group when compared with respective controls. The most dramatic discrepancies were seen in young rats. "Threshold doses" and "latency to seizure" data provided conflicting measures of seizure threshold. This was likely due to the inflation of threshold doses calculated by using the much smaller body weights found in the 6.3:1 KD group. Ultimately, the PTZ infusion test in rats may not be a good preparation to model the anticonvulsant effects of the KD seen clinically, especially when dietary treatments lead to significantly mismatched body weights between the groups.

Clinical association between Kikuchi׳s disease and systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Sopeña, Bernardo; Rivera, Alberto; Chamorro, Antonio; Freire, Mayka; Alende, Vanessa; Seco, Elena; González-Gay, Miguel A; González-Quintela, Arturo

2017-08-01

To perform a systematic review of all cases of the association between Kikuchi's disease (KD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to ascertain the clinical and laboratory characteristics of this association (KD-SLE). We conducted a systematic search of the scientific literature until 31 January 2016. For study purposes, only patients aged >14 years, with histologically proven KD, definite SLE and adequate clinical data were included. To compare KD-SLE against isolated KD and SLE, we selected 2 large series of patients with KD and 4 series of SLE patients. The search found 158 adults with proven KD-SLE. Of these, 113 with sufficient clinical information were included; 86 were women (female:male ratio = 5.0); mean age at diagnosis was 34 years (range: 14-56 years); and an ethnic distribution of 50.5% Asian, 34% Caucasian, and 15% other. KD-SLE patients differed significantly from patients with isolated KD, presenting with a higher frequency of high fever (90%), severe KD (88%), and extranodal manifestations. When compared to patients with SLE, those with KD-SLE presented with a higher frequency of fever and systemic symptoms and a lower frequency of lupus nephritis (22%). SLE had been diagnosed before KD in 18% of cases, simultaneously in 51%, and after KD in 31%. No significant differences were found in terms of time of diagnosis. While KD-SLE patients share many clinical and laboratory manifestations with SLE, they differ in a lower frequency of lupus nephritis. The relative time of diagnosis of each disease did not affect the clinical expression of KD-SLE. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on kinetics of adsorption of humic acid modified by ferric chloride on U(VI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. Y.; Lv, J. W.; Song, Y.; Dong, X. J.; Fang, Q.

2017-11-01

In order to reveal the adsorption mechanism of the ferric chloride modified humic acid on uranium, the influence of pH value and contact time of adsorption on uranium was studied through a series of batch experiments. Meanwhile, the adsorption kinetics was analyzed with pseudo-first order kinetic model and pseudo-second order kinetic model. The results show that adsorption is affected by the pH value of the solution and by contract time, and the best condition for adsorption on uranium is at pH=5 and the adsorption equilibrium time is about 80 min. Kinetics of HA-Fe adsorption on uranium accords with pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption is mainly chemical adsorption, and complexes were produced by the reaction between uranium ions and the functional groups on the surface of HA-Fe, which can provide reference for further study of humic acid effecting on the migration of U(VI) in soil.

Determination of uranium in tap water by ICP-MS.

PubMed

El Himri, M; Pastor, A; de la Guardia, M

2000-05-01

A fast and accurate procedure has been developed for the determination of uranium at microg L(-1) level in tap and mineral water. The method is based on the direct introduction of samples, without any chemical pre-treatment, into an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Uranium was determined at the mass number 238 using Rh as internal standard. The method provides a limit of detection of 2 ng L(-1) and a good repeatability with relative standard deviation values (RSD) about 3% for five independent analyses of samples containing 73 microg L(-1) of uranium. Recovery percentage values found for the determination of uranium in spiked natural samples varied between 91% and 106%. Results obtained are comparable with those found by radiochemical methods for natural samples and of the same order for the certified content of a reference material, thus indicating the accuracy of the ICP-MS procedure without the need of using isotope dilution. A series of mineral and tap waters from different parts of Spain and Morocco were analysed.

Release behavior of uranium in uranium mill tailings under environmental conditions.

PubMed

Liu, Bo; Peng, Tongjiang; Sun, Hongjuan; Yue, Huanjuan

2017-05-01

Uranium contamination is observed in sedimentary geochemical environments, but the geochemical and mineralogical processes that control uranium release from sediment are not fully appreciated. Identification of how sediments and water influence the release and migration of uranium is critical to improve the prevention of uranium contamination in soil and groundwater. To understand the process of uranium release and migration from uranium mill tailings under water chemistry conditions, uranium mill tailing samples from northwest China were investigated with batch leaching experiments. Results showed that water played an important role in uranium release from the tailing minerals. The uranium release was clearly influenced by contact time, liquid-solid ratio, particle size, and pH under water chemistry conditions. Longer contact time, higher liquid content, and extreme pH were all not conducive to the stabilization of uranium and accelerated the uranium release from the tailing mineral to the solution. The values of pH were found to significantly influence the extent and mechanisms of uranium release from minerals to water. Uranium release was monitored by a number of interactive processes, including dissolution of uranium-bearing minerals, uranium desorption from mineral surfaces, and formation of aqueous uranium complexes. Considering the impact of contact time, liquid-solid ratio, particle size, and pH on uranium release from uranium mill tailings, reducing the water content, decreasing the porosity of tailing dumps and controlling the pH of tailings were the key factors for prevention and management of environmental pollution in areas near uranium mines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sorption behaviour of perfluoroalkyl substances in soils.

PubMed

Milinovic, Jelena; Lacorte, Silvia; Vidal, Miquel; Rigol, Anna

2015-04-01

The sorption behaviour of three perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), was studied in six soils with contrasting characteristics, especially in the organic carbon content. Sorption isotherms were obtained by equilibrating the soil samples with 0.01 mol L(-1) CaCl2 solutions spiked with increasing concentrations of the target PFAS. The sorption reversibility of PFASs was also tested for some of the samples. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify the target PFASs in the solutions. Both the Freundlich and linear models were appropriate to describe the sorption behaviour of PFASs in soils, and enabled us to derive solid-liquid distribution coefficients (Kd) for each compound in each soil. Kd values increased from 19 to 295 mL g(-1) for PFOS, from 2.2 to 38 mL g(-1) for PFOA and from 0.4 to 6.8 mL g(-1) for PFBS, and were positively correlated with the organic carbon content of the soil. KOC values obtained from the correlations were 710, 96 and 17 mL g(-1) for PFOS, PFOA and PFBS, respectively. Whereas Kd values decreased in the sequence PFOS>PFOA>PFBS, desorption yields were lower than 13% for PFOS, from 24 to 58% for PFOA, and from 32 to 60% for PFBS. This shows that the physicochemical characteristics of PFASs, basically their hydrophobicity, controlled their sorption behaviour in soils, with PFOS being the most irreversibly sorbed PFAS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ligand-receptor binding affinities from saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy: the binding isotherm of STD initial growth rates.

PubMed

Angulo, Jesús; Enríquez-Navas, Pedro M; Nieto, Pedro M

2010-07-12

The direct evaluation of dissociation constants (K(D)) from the variation of saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy values with the receptor-ligand ratio is not feasible due to the complex dependence of STD intensities on the spectral properties of the observed signals. Indirect evaluation, by competition experiments, allows the determination of K(D), as long as a ligand of known affinity is available for the protein under study. Herein, we present a novel protocol based on STD NMR spectroscopy for the direct measurements of receptor-ligand dissociation constants (K(D)) from single-ligand titration experiments. The influence of several experimental factors on STD values has been studied in detail, confirming the marked impact on standard determinations of protein-ligand affinities by STD NMR spectroscopy. These factors, namely, STD saturation time, ligand residence time in the complex, and the intensity of the signal, affect the accumulation of saturation in the free ligand by processes closely related to fast protein-ligand rebinding and longitudinal relaxation of the ligand signals. The proposed method avoids the dependence of the magnitudes of ligand STD signals at a given saturation time on spurious factors by constructing the binding isotherms using the initial growth rates of the STD amplification factors, in a similar way to the use of NOE growing rates to estimate cross relaxation rates for distance evaluations. Herein, it is demonstrated that the effects of these factors are cancelled out by analyzing the protein-ligand association curve using STD values at the limit of zero saturation time, when virtually no ligand rebinding or relaxation takes place. The approach is validated for two well-studied protein-ligand systems: the binding of the saccharides GlcNAc and GlcNAcbeta1,4GlcNAc (chitobiose) to the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) lectin, and the interaction of the amino acid L-tryptophan to bovine serum albumin (BSA). In all cases, the experimental K(D) measured under different experimental conditions converged to the thermodynamic values. The proposed protocol allows accurate determinations of protein-ligand dissociation constants, extending the applicability of the STD NMR spectroscopy for affinity measurements, which is of particular relevance for those proteins for which a ligand of known affinity is not available.

Uranium and the Central Nervous System: What Should We Learn from Recent New Tools and Findings?

PubMed

Dinocourt, Céline

2017-01-01

Increasing industrial and military use of uranium has led to environmental pollution, which may result in uranium reaching the brain and causing cerebral dysfunction. A recent literature review has discussed data published over the last 10 years on uranium and its effects on brain function (Dinocourt C, Legrand M, Dublineau I, et al., Toxicology 337:58-71, 2015). New models of uranium exposure during neonatal brain development and the emergence of new technologies (omics and epigenetics) are of value in identifying new specific targets of uranium. Here we review the latest studies of neurogenesis, epigenetics, and metabolic dysfunctions and the identification of new biomarkers used to establish potential pathophysiological states of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

PROCESS OF SEPARATING PLUTONIUM FROM URANIUM

DOEpatents

Brown, H.S.; Hill, O.F.

1958-09-01

A process is presented for recovering plutonium values from aqueous solutions. It comprises forming a uranous hydroxide precipitate in such a plutonium bearing solution, at a pH of at least 5. The plutonium values are precipitated with and carried by the uranium hydroxide. The carrier precipitate is then redissolved in acid solution and the pH is adjusted to about 2.5, causing precipitation of the uranous hydroxide but leaving the still soluble plutonium values in solution.

High temperature radiance spectroscopy measurements of solid and liquid uranium and plutonium carbides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manara, D.; De Bruycker, F.; Boboridis, K.; Tougait, O.; Eloirdi, R.; Malki, M.

2012-07-01

In this work, an experimental study of the radiance of liquid and solid uranium and plutonium carbides at wavelengths 550 nm ⩽ λ ⩽ 920 nm is reported. A fast multi-channel spectro-pyrometer has been employed for the radiance measurements of samples heated up to and beyond their melting point by laser irradiation. The melting temperature of uranium monocarbide, soundly established at 2780 K, has been taken as a radiance reference. Based on it, a wavelength-dependence has been obtained for the high-temperature spectral emissivity of some uranium carbides (1 ⩽ C/U ⩽ 2). Similarly, the peritectic temperature of plutonium monocarbide (1900 K) has been used as a reference for plutonium monocarbide and sesquicarbide. The present spectral emissivities of solid uranium and plutonium carbides are close to 0.5 at 650 nm, in agreement with previous literature values. However, their high temperature behaviour, values in the liquid, and carbon-content and wavelength dependencies in the visible-near infrared range have been determined here for the first time. Liquid uranium carbide seems to interact with electromagnetic radiation in a more metallic way than does the solid, whereas a similar effect has not been observed for plutonium carbides. The current emissivity values have also been used to convert the measured radiance spectra into real temperature, and thus perform a thermal analysis of the laser heated samples. Some high-temperature phase boundaries in the systems U-C and Pu-C are shortly discussed on the basis of the current results.

Sorption and desorption of carbamazepine, naproxen and triclosan in a soil irrigated with raw wastewater: estimation of the sorption parameters by considering the initial mass of the compounds in the soil.

PubMed

Durán-Álvarez, Juan C; Prado-Pano, Blanca; Jiménez-Cisneros, Blanca

2012-06-01

In conventional sorption studies, the prior presence of contaminants in the soil is not considered when estimating the sorption parameters because this is only a transient state. However, this parameter should be considered in order to avoid the under/overestimation of the soil sorption capacity. In this study, the sorption of naproxen, carbamazepine and triclosan was determined in a wastewater irrigated soil, considering the initial mass of the compounds. Batch sorption-desorption tests were carried out at two soil depths (0-10 cm and 30-40 cm), using either 10 mM CaCl(2) solution or untreated wastewater as the liquid phase. Data were satisfactorily fitted to the initial mass model. For the two soils, release of naproxen and carbamazepine was observed when the CaCl(2) solution was used, but not in the soil/wastewater system. The compounds' release was higher in the topsoil than in the 30-40 cm soil. Sorption coefficients (K(d)) for CaCl(2) solution tests showed that in the topsoil, triclosan (64.9 L kg(-1)) is sorbed to a higher extent than carbamazepine and naproxen (5.81 and 2.39 L kg(-1), respectively). In the 30-40 cm soil, carbamazepine and naproxen K(d) values (11.4 and 4.41 L kg(-1), respectively) were higher than those obtained for the topsoil, while the triclosan K(d) value was significantly lower than in the topsoil (19.2 L kg(-1)). Differences in K(d) values were found when comparing the results obtained for the two liquid phases. Sorption of naproxen and carbamazepine was reversible for both soils, while sorption of triclosan was found to be irreversible. This study shows the sorption behavior of three pharmaceuticals in a wastewater irrigated soil, as well as the importance of considering the initial mass of target pollutants in the estimation of their sorption parameters. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bio-precipitation of uranium by two bacterial isolates recovered from extreme environments as estimated by potentiometric titration, TEM and X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses.

PubMed

Merroun, Mohamed L; Nedelkova, Marta; Ojeda, Jesus J; Reitz, Thomas; Fernández, Margarita López; Arias, José M; Romero-González, María; Selenska-Pobell, Sonja

2011-12-15

This work describes the mechanisms of uranium biomineralization at acidic conditions by Bacillus sphaericus JG-7B and Sphingomonas sp. S15-S1 both recovered from extreme environments. The U-bacterial interaction experiments were performed at low pH values (2.0-4.5) where the uranium aqueous speciation is dominated by highly mobile uranyl ions. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) showed that the cells of the studied strains precipitated uranium at pH 3.0 and 4.5 as a uranium phosphate mineral phase belonging to the meta-autunite group. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses showed strain-specific localization of the uranium precipitates. In the case of B. sphaericus JG-7B, the U(VI) precipitate was bound to the cell wall. Whereas for Sphingomonas sp. S15-S1, the U(VI) precipitates were observed both on the cell surface and intracellularly. The observed U(VI) biomineralization was associated with the activity of indigenous acid phosphatase detected at these pH values in the absence of an organic phosphate substrate. The biomineralization of uranium was not observed at pH 2.0, and U(VI) formed complexes with organophosphate ligands from the cells. This study increases the number of bacterial strains that have been demonstrated to precipitate uranium phosphates at acidic conditions via the activity of acid phosphatase. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Natural uranium and thorium isotopes in sediment cores off Malaysian ports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusoff, Abdul Hafidz; Sabuti, Asnor Azrin; Mohamed, Che Abd Rahim

2015-06-01

Sediment cores collected from three Malaysian marine ports, namely, Kota Kinabalu, Labuan and Klang were analyzed to determine the radioactivities of 234U, 238U, 230Th, 232Th and total organic carbon (TOC) content. The objectives of this study were to determine the factors that control the activity of uranium isotopes and identify the possible origin of uranium and thorium in these areas. The activities of 234U and 238U show high positive correlation with TOC at the middle of sediment core from Kota Kinabalu port. This result suggests that activity of uranium at Kota Kinabalu port was influenced by organic carbon. The 234U/238U value at the upper layer of Kota Kinabalu port was ≥1.14 while the ratio value at Labuan and Klang port was ≤ 1.14. These results suggest a reduction process occurred at Kota Kinabalu port where mobile U(VI) was converted to immobile U(IV) by organic carbon. Therefore, it can be concluded that the major input of uranium at Kota Kinabalu port is by sorptive uptake of authigenic uranium from the water column whereas the major inputs of uranium to Labuan and Klang port are of detrital origin. The ratio of 230Th/232Th was used to estimate the origin of thorium. Low ratio value (lt; 1.5) at Labuan and Klang ports support the suggestion that thorium from both areas were come from detrital input while the high ratio (> 1.5) of 230Th/232Th at Kota Kinabalu port suggest the anthropogenic input of 230Th to this area. The source of 230Th is probably from phosphate fertilizers used in the oil-palm cultivation in Kota Kinabalu that is adjacent to the Kota Kinabalu port.

Contribution of uranium to gross alpha radioactivity in some environmental samples in Kuwait

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

Bou-Rabee, F.; Bakir, Y.; Bem, H.

1995-08-01

This study was done in connection with the use of uranium-tipped antitank shells during the Gulf War and possible contamination of the environment of Kuwait. It was found that uranium concentrations in the soil samples ranged from 0.3 {mu}g/g to 1.85 {mu}g/g. The average value of 0.7 {mu}g/g was lower than the world average value of 2.1 {mu}g/g for surface soils. Its contribution to the total natural alpha radioactivity (excluding Rn and its short-lived daughters) varied from 1.1% to 14%. The solid fall-out samples showed higher uranium concentration which varied from 0.35 {mu}g/g to 1.73 {mu}/g (average 1.47 {mu}g/g) butmore » its contribution to the gross alpha radioactivity was in the same range, from 1.1 to 13.2%. The difference in the concentration of uranium in suspended air matter samples during the summer of 1993 and the winter of 1994 was found to be 2.0 {mu}g/g and 1.0 {mu}g/g, respectively. The uranium contribution to the natural alpha radioactivity in these samples was in the same range but lower for the winter period. The isotopic ratio of {sup 235}U to {sup 238}U for the measured samples was basically within an experimental error of {+-}0.001, close to the theoretical value of 0.007. The calculated total annual intake of uranium via inhalation for the Kuwait population was 0.07 Bq, e.g., 0.2% of the annual limit on intake. 13 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less

Association of Kawasaki disease with tropospheric wind patterns.

PubMed

Rodó, Xavier; Ballester, Joan; Cayan, Dan; Melish, Marian E; Nakamura, Yoshikazu; Uehara, Ritei; Burns, Jane C

2011-01-01

The causal agent of Kawasaki disease (KD) remains unknown after more than 40 years of intensive research. The number of cases continues to rise in many parts of the world and KD is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in childhood in developed countries. Analyses of the three major KD epidemics in Japan, major non-epidemic interannual fluctuations of KD cases in Japan and San Diego, and the seasonal variation of KD in Japan, Hawaii, and San Diego, reveals a consistent pattern wherein KD cases are often linked to large-scale wind currents originating in central Asia and traversing the north Pacific. Results suggest that the environmental trigger for KD could be wind-borne. Efforts to isolate the causative agent of KD should focus on the microbiology of aerosols.

Association of Kawasaki disease with tropospheric wind patterns

PubMed Central

Rodó, Xavier; Ballester, Joan; Cayan, Dan; Melish, Marian E.; Nakamura, Yoshikazu; Uehara, Ritei; Burns, Jane C.

2011-01-01

The causal agent of Kawasaki disease (KD) remains unknown after more than 40 years of intensive research. The number of cases continues to rise in many parts of the world and KD is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in childhood in developed countries. Analyses of the three major KD epidemics in Japan, major non-epidemic interannual fluctuations of KD cases in Japan and San Diego, and the seasonal variation of KD in Japan, Hawaii, and San Diego, reveals a consistent pattern wherein KD cases are often linked to large-scale wind currents originating in central Asia and traversing the north Pacific. Results suggest that the environmental trigger for KD could be wind-borne. Efforts to isolate the causative agent of KD should focus on the microbiology of aerosols. PMID:22355668

US Transuranium and Uranium Registries case study on accidental exposure to uranium hexafluoride.

PubMed

Avtandilashvili, Maia; Puncher, Matthew; McComish, Stacey L; Tolmachev, Sergei Y

2015-03-01

The United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries' (USTUR) whole-body donor (Case 1031) was exposed to an acute inhalation of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) produced from an explosion at a uranium processing plant 65 years prior to his death. The USTUR measurements of tissue samples collected at the autopsy indicated long-term retention of inhaled slightly enriched uranium material (0.85% (235)U) in the deep lungs and thoracic lymph nodes. In the present study, the authors combined the tissue measurement results with historical bioassay data, and analysed them with International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) respiratory tract models and the ICRP Publication 69 systemic model for uranium using maximum likelihood and Bayesian statistical methods. The purpose of the analysis was to estimate intakes and model parameter values that best describe the data, and evaluate their effect on dose assessment. The maximum likelihood analysis, which used the ICRP Publication 66 human respiratory tract model, resulted in a point estimate of 79 mg of uranium for the occupational intake composed of 86% soluble, type F material and 14% insoluble, type S material. For the Bayesian approach, the authors applied the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, but this time used the revised human respiratory tract model, which is currently being used by ICRP to calculate new dose coefficients for workers. The Bayesian analysis estimated that the mean uranium intake was 160 mg, and calculated the case-specific lung dissolution parameters with their associated uncertainties. The parameters were consistent with the inhaled uranium material being predominantly soluble with a small but significant insoluble component. The 95% posterior range of the rapid dissolution fraction (the fraction of deposited material that is absorbed to blood rapidly) was 0.12 to 0.91 with a median of 0.37. The remaining fraction was absorbed slowly, with a 95% range of 0.000 22 d(-1) to 0.000 36 d(-1) and a median of 0.000 31 d(-1). The effective dose per unit intake calculated using the dissolution parameters derived from the maximum likelihood and the Bayesian analyses was higher than the current ICRP dose coefficient for type F uranium by a factor of 2 or 7, respectively; the higher value of the latter was due to use of the revised respiratory tract model. The dissolution parameter values obtained here may be more appropriate to use for radiation protection purposes when individuals are exposed to a UF6 mixture that contains an insoluble uranium component.

Increased Kawasaki Disease Incidence Associated With Higher Precipitation and Lower Temperatures, Japan, 1991-2004.

PubMed

Abrams, Joseph Y; Blase, Jennifer L; Belay, Ermias D; Uehara, Ritei; Maddox, Ryan A; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Nakamura, Yosikazu

2018-06-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile vasculitis, which primarily affects children. The etiology of KD is unknown; while certain characteristics of the disease suggest an infectious origin, genetic or environmental factors may also be important. Seasonal patterns of KD incidence are well documented, but it is unclear whether these patterns are caused by changes in climate or by other unknown seasonal effects. The relationship between KD incidence and deviations from expected temperature and precipitation were analyzed using KD incidence data from Japanese nationwide epidemiologic surveys (1991-2004) and climate data from 136 weather stations of the Japan Meteorological Agency. Seven separate Poisson-distributed generalized linear regression models were run to examine the effects of temperature and precipitation on KD incidence in the same month as KD onset and the previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 months, controlling for geography as well as seasonal and long-term trends in KD incidence. KD incidence was negatively associated with temperature in the previous 2, 3, 4 and 5 months and positively associated with precipitation in the previous 1 and 2 months. The model that best predicted variations in KD incidence used climate data from the previous 2 months. An increase in total monthly precipitation by 100 mm was associated with increased KD incidence (rate ratio [RR] 1.012, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.005-1.019), and an increase of monthly mean temperature by 1°C was associated with decreased KD incidence (RR 0.984, 95% CI: 0.978-0.990). KD incidence was significantly affected by temperature and precipitation in previous months independent of other unknown seasonal factors. Climate data from the previous 2 months best predicted the variations in KD incidence. Although fairly minor, the effect of temperature and precipitation independent of season may provide additional clues to the etiology of KD.

Analysis of geological materials containing uranium using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barefield, James E.; Judge, Elizabeth J.; Campbell, Keri R.; Colgan, James P.; Kilcrease, David P.; Johns, Heather M.; Wiens, Roger C.; McInroy, Rhonda E.; Martinez, Ronald K.; Clegg, Samuel M.

2016-06-01

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a rapid atomic emission spectroscopy technique that can be configured for a variety of applications including space, forensics, and industry. LIBS can also be configured for stand-off distances or in-situ, under vacuum, high pressure, atmospheric or different gas environments, and with different resolving-power spectrometers. The detection of uranium in a complex geological matrix under different measurement schemes is explored in this paper. Although many investigations have been completed in an attempt to detect and quantify uranium in different matrices at in-situ and standoff distances, this work detects and quantifies uranium in a complex matrix under Martian and ambient air conditions. Investigation of uranium detection using a low resolving-power LIBS system at stand-off distances (1.6 m) is also reported. The results are compared to an in-situ LIBS system with medium resolving power and under ambient air conditions. Uranium has many thousands of emission lines in the 200-800 nm spectral region. In the presence of other matrix elements and at lower concentrations, the limit of detection of uranium is significantly reduced. The two measurement methods (low and high resolving-power spectrometers) are compared for limit of detection (LOD). Of the twenty-one potential diagnostic uranium emission lines, seven (409, 424, 434, 435, 436, 591, and 682 nm) have been used to determine the LOD for pitchblende in a dunite matrix using the ChemCam test bed LIBS system. The LOD values determined for uranium transitions in air are 409.013 nm (24,700 ppm), 424.167 nm (23,780 ppm), 434.169 nm (24,390 ppm), 435.574 nm (35,880 ppm), 436.205 nm (19,340 ppm), 591.539 nm (47,310 ppm), and 682.692 nm (18,580 ppm). The corresponding LOD values determined for uranium transitions in 7 Torr CO2 are 424.167 nm (25,760 ppm), 434.169 nm (40,800 ppm), 436.205 nm (32,050 ppm), 591.539 nm (15,340 ppm), and 682.692 nm (29,080 ppm). The LOD values determine for uranium emission lines using the medium resolving power (10,000 λ/Δλ) LIBS system for the dunite matrix in air are 409.013 nm (6120 ppm), 424.167 nm (5356 ppm), 434.169 nm (5693 ppm), 435.574 nm (6329 ppm), 436.205 nm (2142 ppm), and 682.692 nm (10,741 ppm). The corresponding LOD values determined for uranium transitions in a SiO2 matrix are 409.013 nm (272 ppm), 424.167 nm (268 ppm), 434.169 nm (402 ppm), 435.574 nm (1067 ppm), 436.205 nm (482 ppm), and 682.692 nm (720 ppm). The impact of spectral resolution, atmospheric conditions, matrix elements, and measurement distances on LOD is discussed. The measurements will assist one in selecting the proper system components based upon the application and the required analytical performance.

GEMAS: prediction of solid-solution phase partitioning coefficients (Kd) for oxoanions and boric acid in soils using mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Janik, Leslie J; Forrester, Sean T; Soriano-Disla, José M; Kirby, Jason K; McLaughlin, Michael J; Reimann, Clemens

2015-02-01

The authors' aim was to develop rapid and inexpensive regression models for the prediction of partitioning coefficients (Kd), defined as the ratio of the total or surface-bound metal/metalloid concentration of the solid phase to the total concentration in the solution phase. Values of Kd were measured for boric acid (B[OH]3(0)) and selected added soluble oxoanions: molybdate (MoO4(2-)), antimonate (Sb[OH](6-)), selenate (SeO4(2-)), tellurate (TeO4(2-)) and vanadate (VO4(3-)). Models were developed using approximately 500 spectrally representative soils of the Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural Soils of Europe (GEMAS) program. These calibration soils represented the major properties of the entire 4813 soils of the GEMAS project. Multiple linear regression (MLR) from soil properties, partial least-squares regression (PLSR) using mid-infrared diffuse reflectance Fourier-transformed (DRIFT) spectra, and models using DRIFT spectra plus analytical pH values (DRIFT + pH), were compared with predicted log K(d + 1) values. Apart from selenate (R(2)  = 0.43), the DRIFT + pH calibrations resulted in marginally better models to predict log K(d + 1) values (R(2)  = 0.62-0.79), compared with those from PSLR-DRIFT (R(2)  = 0.61-0.72) and MLR (R(2)  = 0.54-0.79). The DRIFT + pH calibrations were applied to the prediction of log K(d + 1) values in the remaining 4313 soils. An example map of predicted log K(d + 1) values for added soluble MoO4(2-) in soils across Europe is presented. The DRIFT + pH PLSR models provided a rapid and inexpensive tool to assess the risk of mobility and potential availability of boric acid and selected oxoanions in European soils. For these models to be used in the prediction of log K(d + 1) values in soils globally, additional research will be needed to determine if soil variability is accounted on the calibration. © 2014 SETAC.

YC-1 BINDING TO THE BETA SUBUNIT OF SOLUBLE GUANYLYL CYCLASE OVERCOMES ALLOSTERIC INHIBITION BY THE ALPHA SUBUNIT

PubMed Central

Purohit, Rahul; Fritz, Bradley G.; The, Juliana; Issaian, Aaron; Weichsel, Andrzej; David, Cynthia L.; Campbell, Eric; Hausrath, Andrew C.; Rassouli-Taylor, Leida; Garcin, Elsa D.; Gage, Matthew J.; Montfort, William R.

2014-01-01

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is a heterodimeric heme protein and the primary nitric oxide receptor. NO binding stimulates cyclase activity, leading to regulation of cardiovascular physiology and making sGC an attractive target for drug discovery. YC-1 and related compounds stimulate sGC both independently and synergistically with NO and CO binding; however, where the compounds bind and how they work remains unknown. Using linked-equilibria binding measurements, surface plasmon resonance, and domain truncations in Manduca sexta and bovine sGC, we demonstrate that YC-1 binds near or directly to the heme-containing domain of the beta subunit. In the absence of CO, YC-1 binds with Kd = 9–21 μM, depending on construct. In the presence of CO, these values decrease to 0.6–1.1 μM. Pfizer compound 25 bound ~10-fold weaker than YC-1 in the absence of CO whereas compound BAY 41–2272 bound particularly tightly in the presence of CO (Kd = 30–90 nM). Additionally, we found that CO binding is much weaker to heterodimeric sGC proteins (Kd = 50–100 μM) than to the isolated heme domain (Kd = 0.2 μM for Manduca beta H-NOX/PAS). YC-1 greatly enhanced CO binding to heterodimeric sGC, as expected (Kd = ~1 μM). These data indicate the alpha subunit induces a heme pocket conformation with lower affinity for CO and NO. YC-1 family compounds bind near the heme domain, overcoming the alpha subunit effect and inducing a heme pocket conformation with high affinity. We propose this high-affinity conformation is required for the full-length protein to achieve high catalytic activity. PMID:24328155

Highly Selective Polypyrrole MIP-Based Gravimetric and Electrochemical Sensors for Picomolar Detection of Glyphosate

PubMed Central

Mazouz, Zouhour; Rahali, Seyfeddine; Fourati, Najla; Zerrouki, Chouki; Aloui, Nadia; Seydou, Mahamadou; Yaakoubi, Nourdin; Chehimi, Mohamed M.; Othmane, Ali; Kalfat, Rafik

2017-01-01

There is a global debate and concern about the use of glyphosate (Gly) as an herbicide. New toxicological studies will determine its use in the future under new strict conditions or its replacement by alternative synthetic or natural herbicides. In this context, we designed biomimetic polymer sensing layers for the selective molecular recognition of Gly. Towards this end, complementary surface acoustic wave (SAW) and electrochemical sensors were functionalized with polypyrrole (PPy)-imprinted polymer for the selective detection of Gly. Their corresponding limits of detection were on the order of 1 pM, which are among the lowest values ever reported in literature. The relevant dissociation constants between PPy and Gly were estimated at [Kd1 = (0.7 ± 0.3) pM and Kd2 = (1.6 ± 1.4) µM] and [Kd1 = (2.4 ± 0.9) pM and Kd2 = (0.3 ± 0.1) µM] for electrochemical and gravimetric measurements, respectively. Quantum chemical calculations permitted to estimate the interaction energy between Gly and PPy film: ΔE = −145 kJ/mol. Selectivity and competitivity tests were investigated with the most common pesticides. This work conclusively shows that gravimetric and electrochemical results indicate that both MIP-based sensors are perfectly able to detect and distinguish glyphosate without any ambiguity. PMID:29120397

[The role of Cd-binding proteins and phytochelatins in the formation of cadmium resistance in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cell lines].

PubMed

Fenik, S I; Solodushko, V G; Kaliniak, T B; Blium, Ia B

2007-01-01

Nicotiana plumbaginifolia callus lines with the equal resistance to cadmium have been produced under different selective conditions--either without inhibition of the phytochelatin synthesis (line Cd-R) or in the presence of the inhibitor butionine sulfoximine (line Cd-Ri). The level of phytochelatin synthesis in the line Cd-R five-fold exceeded the control value and in the line Cd-Ri it was twice as much as in the control. It was shown that in the control line mainly three cadmium-binding proteins are expressed of the molecular weihgts 41, 34 and 19 kD. The common feature of the both resistant lines is the expression of the cadmium-binding proteins of 40, 37 and 19 kD. The resistant lines differ with respect to the synthesis of relatively low-molecular cadmium-binding proteins. The proteins of the molecular weights 12.5, 11.5 and 9 kD are expressed in the line Cd-R, while the proteins of 13 and 10 kD are expressed in the line Cd-Ri. It was supposed that both the phytochelatins and the Cd-binding proteins contribute to the resisitance of N. plumbaginifolia callus lines to cadmium and the lack of the phytochelatins can be equilibrated by the changes in the low-molecular Cd-binding protein synthesis.

Preliminary investigations on the use of uranium silicide targets for fission Mo-99 production

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

Cols, H.; Cristini, P.; Marques, R.

1997-08-01

The National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) of Argentine Republic owns and operates an installation for production of molybdenum-99 from fission products since 1985, and, since 1991, covers the whole national demand of this nuclide, carrying out a program of weekly productions, achieving an average activity of 13 terabecquerel per week. At present they are finishing an enlargement of the production plant that will allow an increase in the volume of production to about one hundred of terabecquerel. Irradiation targets are uranium/aluminium alloy with 90% enriched uranium with aluminium cladding. In view of international trends held at present for replacing highmore » enrichment uranium (HEU) for enrichment values lower than 20 % (LEU), since 1990 the authors are in contact with the RERTR program, beginning with tests to adapt their separation process to new irradiation target conditions. Uranium silicide (U{sub 3}Si{sub 2}) was chosen as the testing material, because it has an uranium mass per volume unit, so that it allows to reduce enrichment to a value of 20%. CNEA has the technology for manufacturing miniplates of uranium silicide for their purposes. In this way, equivalent amounts of Molybdenum-99 could be obtained with no substantial changes in target parameters and irradiation conditions established for the current process with Al/U alloy. This paper shows results achieved on the use of this new target.« less

Carfilzomib-dexamethasone versus subcutaneous or intravenous bortezomib in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: secondary analysis of the phase 3 ENDEAVOR study.

PubMed

Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Moreau, Philippe; Ludwig, Heinz; Niesvizky, Ruben; Chng, Wee-Joo; Joshua, Douglas; Weisel, Katja; Spencer, Andrew; Orlowski, Robert Z; Feng, Shibao; Iskander, Karim S; Dimopoulos, Meletios A

2018-06-01

This is a secondary analysis of the phase 3 ENDEAVOR study comparing relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients receiving carfilzomib-dexamethasone (Kd) with those receiving subcutaneous (SC) bortezomib with dexamethasone (Vd) or intravenous (IV) Vd. Of Kd-treated patients, 356 Kd were pre-selected (by physician prior to randomization if to be randomized to Vd) for SC Vd (Kd [SC Vd]) and 108 for IV Vd (Kd [IV Vd], respectively. Of Vd-treated patients, 360 received SC Vd and 75 IV Vd. Kd (SC Vd) median PFS was not reached; SC Vd was 9.5 months. Median PFS for Kd (IV Vd) and IV Vd were 22.2 and 8.5 months, respectively. Median PFS was significantly longer and response rates were higher for Kd versus retreatment with bortezomib (SC or IV Vd) and in bortezomib naive patients. Overall, Kd was superior to Vd in RRMM regardless of route of bortezomib administration or prior bortezomib exposure.

Laser induced phosphorescence uranium analysis

DOEpatents

Bushaw, B.A.

1983-06-10

A method is described for measuring the uranium content of aqueous solutions wherein a uranyl phosphate complex is irradiated with a 5 nanosecond pulse of 425 nanometer laser light and resultant 520 nanometer emissions are observed for a period of 50 to 400 microseconds after the pulse. Plotting the natural logarithm of emission intensity as a function of time yields an intercept value which is proportional to uranium concentration.

Laser induced phosphorescence uranium analysis

DOEpatents

Bushaw, Bruce A.

1986-01-01

A method is described for measuring the uranium content of aqueous solutions wherein a uranyl phosphate complex is irradiated with a 5 nanosecond pulse of 425 nanometer laser light and resultant 520 nanometer emissions are observed for a period of 50 to 400 microseconds after the pulse. Plotting the natural logarithm of emission intensity as a function of time yields an intercept value which is proportional to uranium concentration.

Contribution for the Derivation of a Soil Screening Value (SSV) for Uranium, Using a Natural Reference Soil

PubMed Central

Caetano, Ana Luisa; Marques, Catarina R.; Gavina, Ana; Carvalho, Fernando; Gonçalves, Fernando; da Silva, Eduardo Ferreira; Pereira, Ruth

2014-01-01

In order to regulate the management of contaminated land, many countries have been deriving soil screening values (SSV). However, the ecotoxicological data available for uranium is still insufficient and incapable to generate SSVs for European soils. In this sense, and so as to make up for this shortcoming, a battery of ecotoxicological assays focusing on soil functions and organisms, and a wide range of endpoints was carried out, using a natural soil artificially spiked with uranium. In terrestrial ecotoxicology, it is widely recognized that soils have different properties that can influence the bioavailability and the toxicity of chemicals. In this context, SSVs derived for artificial soils or for other types of natural soils, may lead to unfeasible environmental risk assessment. Hence, the use of natural regional representative soils is of great importance in the derivation of SSVs. A Portuguese natural reference soil PTRS1, from a granitic region, was thereby applied as test substrate. This study allowed the determination of NOEC, LOEC, EC20 and EC50 values for uranium. Dehydrogenase and urease enzymes displayed the lowest values (34.9 and <134.5 mg U Kg, respectively). Eisenia andrei and Enchytraeus crypticus revealed to be more sensitive to uranium than Folsomia candida. EC50 values of 631.00, 518.65 and 851.64 mg U Kg were recorded for the three species, respectively. Concerning plants, only Lactuca sativa was affected by U at concentrations up to 1000 mg U kg1. The outcomes of the study may in part be constrained by physical and chemical characteristics of soils, hence contributing to the discrepancy between the toxicity data generated in this study and that available in the literature. Following the assessment factor method, a predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) value of 15.5 mg kg−1 dw was obtained for U. This PNEC value is proposed as a SSV for soils similar to the PTRS1. PMID:25353962

Competitive sorption of organic contaminants in chalk.

PubMed

Graber, E R; Borisover, M

2003-12-01

In the Negev desert, Israel, a chemical industrial complex is located over fractured Eocene chalk formations where transfer of water and solutes between fracture voids and matrix pores affects migration of contaminants in the fractures due to diffusion into the chalk matrix. This study tests sorption and sorption competition between contaminants in the chalk matrix to make it possible to evaluate the potential for contaminant attenuation during transport in fractures. Single solute sorption isotherms on chalk matrix material for five common contaminants (m-xylene, ametryn, 1,2-dichloroethane, phenanthrene, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol) were found to be nonlinear, as confirmed in plots of Kd versus initial solution concentration. Over the studied concentration ranges, m-xylene Kd varied by more than a factor of 100, ametryn Kd by a factor of 4, 1,2-dichloroethane Kd by more than a factor of 3, phenanthrene Kd by about a factor of 2, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol Kd by a factor of 10. It was earlier found that sorption is to the organic matter component of the chalk matrix and not to the mineral phases (Chemosphere 44 (2001) 1121). Nonlinear sorption isotherms indicate that there is at least some finite sorption domain. Bi-solute competition experiments with 2,4,6-tribromophenol as the competitor were designed to explore the nature of the finite sorption domain. All of the isotherms in the bi-solute experiments are more linear than in the single solute experiments, as confirmed by smaller variations in Kd as a function of initial solution concentration. For both m-xylene and ametryn, there is a small nonlinear component or domain that was apparently not susceptible to competition by 2,4,6-tribromophenol. The nonlinear sorption domain(s) is best expressed at low solution concentrations. Inert-solvent-normalized single and bi-solute sorption isotherms demonstrate that ametryn undergoes specific force interactions with the chalk sorbent. The volume percent of phenanthrene sorbed at the liquid solubility limit is calculated to be 13% v:v in both the single and bi-solute experiments. This value exceeds what may be reasonably interpreted as partitioning of phenanthrene into organic matter, despite the relative linearity of the phenanthrene sorption isotherm (compared with other compounds) in both single and bi-solute systems.

Modeling Cd and Cu mobility in soils amended by long-term urban waste compost applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filipović, Vilim; Cambier, Philippe; Matijević, Lana; Coquet, Yves; Pot, Valérie; Houot, Sabine; Benoit, Pierre

2016-04-01

Urban waste compost application to soil is an effective way for organic waste disposal and at the same time may have a positive effect on various soil rhizosphere processes. However, long term applications of organic waste amendments may lead to a noteworthy accumulation of micropollutants in soil. The long-term field experiment QualiAgro, an INRA-Veolia partnership (https://www6.inra.fr/qualiagro_eng/), has been conducted since 1998 with the objectives to characterize the agronomic value of urban composts and the environmental impacts of their application. Numerical modeling was performed using HYDRUS-2D to estimate the movement of Cd and Cu from compost incroporation in the tilled layer. Experimental plots regularly amended with co-compost of sewage sludge and green wastes (SGW), or a municipal solid waste compost (MSW) have been compared to control plot without any organic amendment (CONT). Field site was equipped with wicks lysimeters, TDR probes and tensiometers in order to determine water balance and trace metal concentrations during a 6 years' time period (2004-2010). In the tilled layer different structures (Δ - compacted clods, Γ - macroporous zone, IF - interfurrows, PP - plough pan) corresponding to the tillage and compost incorporation were delimited and reproduced in a 2-D model. The increase of Cd and Cu concentrations due to each compost addition was assumed to be located in IFs for further modeling. Four compost additions were performed during 2004-2010 period which increased the Cd and Cu concentrations in the IF zones considerably. After successful model description of water flow in highly heterogeneous soil profiles, Cd and Cu were added into the model and their fate was simulated during the same time period. Two approaches were followed to estimate plausible trace metals sorption coefficients (Kd), both while assuming equilibrium between dissolved and EDTA-extractable metals. The first approach was based on Kd estimated from ratios between EDTA and CaCl2-extracted metals (Kd-1). In the second approach we have calculated Kd from generic equations (literature), using soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH for Cd, and SOM, pH and DOC for Cu (Kd-2). Lysimeter data of Cu leaching were successfully reproduced by using first Kd-1 approach for three plots (model efficiency ESGW=0.97, EMSW=0.37; ECONT=0.95). Smaller agreement in MSW plot could be explained by the less stabile organic matter of MSW composts which increased its Cu mobile fraction after soil incorporation. The Cd leaching could be reproduced with the second Kd-2 approach for the two amended plots (ESGW=0.55, EMSW=0.80) while control plot simulations produced poorer fitting (ECONT=-0.57), probably due to an overestimation of the influence of the low pH of that plot on Kd-2(Cd). However, numerical modeling revealed interesting results in which, even with the high values of hydraulic conductivity in the interfurrow zones, the Cd and Cu showed low mobility. Although, the amended plots showed increased metal leaching below the tilled layer in both amended plots, their mobility in the tilled layer is reduced due to retention capacity of the applied composts. Acknowledgements: the involvement of INRA and Veolia members in the QualiAgro experiment and the financial support of Veolia are gratefully acknowledged Keywords: Compost amendments; Soil heterogeneity; Trace metals; Sorption; HYDRUS-2D

Whole blood transcriptional profiles as a prognostic tool in complete and incomplete Kawasaki Disease.

PubMed

Jaggi, Preeti; Mejias, Asuncion; Xu, Zhaohui; Yin, Han; Moore-Clingenpeel, Melissa; Smith, Bennett; Burns, Jane C; Tremoulet, Adriana H; Jordan-Villegas, Alejandro; Chaussabel, Damien; Texter, Karen; Pascual, Virginia; Ramilo, Octavio

2018-01-01

Early identification of children with Kawasaki Disease (KD) is key for timely initiation of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. However, the diagnosis of the disease remains challenging, especially in children with an incomplete presentation (inKD). Moreover, we currently lack objective tools for identification of non-response (NR) to IVIG. Children with KD were enrolled and samples obtained before IVIG treatment and sequentially at 24 h and 4-6 weeks post-IVIG in a subset of patients. We also enrolled children with other febrile illnesses [adenovirus (AdV); group A streptococcus (GAS)] and healthy controls (HC) for comparative analyses. Blood transcriptional profiles were analyzed to define: a) the cKD and inKD biosignature, b) compare the KD signature with other febrile illnesses and, c) identify biomarkers predictive of clinical outcomes. We identified a cKD biosignature (n = 39; HC, n = 16) that was validated in two additional cohorts of children with cKD (n = 37; HC, n = 20) and inKD (n = 13; HC, n = 8) and was characterized by overexpression of inflammation, platelets, apoptosis and neutrophil genes, and underexpression of T and NK cell genes. Classifier genes discriminated KD from adenovirus with higher sensitivity and specificity (92% and 100%, respectively) than for GAS (75% and 87%, respectively). We identified a genomic score (MDTH) that was higher at baseline in IVIG-NR [median 12,290 vs. 5,572 in responders, p = 0.009] and independently predicted IVIG-NR. A reproducible biosignature from KD patients was identified, and was similar in children with cKD and inKD. A genomic score allowed early identification of children at higher risk for non-response to IVIG.

Whole blood transcriptional profiles as a prognostic tool in complete and incomplete Kawasaki Disease

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhaohui; Yin, Han; Moore-Clingenpeel, Melissa; Smith, Bennett; Burns, Jane C.; Tremoulet, Adriana H.; Jordan-Villegas, Alejandro; Chaussabel, Damien; Texter, Karen; Pascual, Virginia; Ramilo, Octavio

2018-01-01

Background Early identification of children with Kawasaki Disease (KD) is key for timely initiation of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. However, the diagnosis of the disease remains challenging, especially in children with an incomplete presentation (inKD). Moreover, we currently lack objective tools for identification of non-response (NR) to IVIG. Methods Children with KD were enrolled and samples obtained before IVIG treatment and sequentially at 24 h and 4–6 weeks post-IVIG in a subset of patients. We also enrolled children with other febrile illnesses [adenovirus (AdV); group A streptococcus (GAS)] and healthy controls (HC) for comparative analyses. Blood transcriptional profiles were analyzed to define: a) the cKD and inKD biosignature, b) compare the KD signature with other febrile illnesses and, c) identify biomarkers predictive of clinical outcomes. Results We identified a cKD biosignature (n = 39; HC, n = 16) that was validated in two additional cohorts of children with cKD (n = 37; HC, n = 20) and inKD (n = 13; HC, n = 8) and was characterized by overexpression of inflammation, platelets, apoptosis and neutrophil genes, and underexpression of T and NK cell genes. Classifier genes discriminated KD from adenovirus with higher sensitivity and specificity (92% and 100%, respectively) than for GAS (75% and 87%, respectively). We identified a genomic score (MDTH) that was higher at baseline in IVIG-NR [median 12,290 vs. 5,572 in responders, p = 0.009] and independently predicted IVIG-NR. Conclusion A reproducible biosignature from KD patients was identified, and was similar in children with cKD and inKD. A genomic score allowed early identification of children at higher risk for non-response to IVIG. PMID:29813106

[Uranium Concentration in Drinking Water from Small-scale Water Supplies in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany].

PubMed

Ostendorp, G

2015-04-01

In this study the drinking water of 212 small-scale water supplies, mainly situated in areas with intensive agriculture or fruit-growing, was analysed for uranium. The median uranium concentration amounted to 0.04 µg/lL, the 95(th) percentile was 2.5 µg/L. The maximum level was 14 µg/L. This sample exceeded the guideline value for uranium in drinking water. The uranium concentration in small-scale water supplies was found to be slightly higher than that in central water works in Schleswig-Holstein. Water containing more than 10 mg/L nitrate showed significantly higher uranium contents. The results indicate that the uranium burden in drinking water from small wells is mainly determined by geological factors. An additional anthropogenic effect of soil management cannot be excluded. Overall uranium concentrations were low and not causing health concerns. However, in specific cases higher concentrations may occur. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Quantification of kinetic rate law parameters for the dissolution of natural autunite in the presence of aqueous bicarbonate ions at high concentrations

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

Gudavalli, Ravi; Katsenovich, Yelena; Wellman, Dawn

Uranium is a key contaminant of concern in the groundwater at 91 waste sites at 18 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities within the United States and is a potential source of groundwater contamination and a risk to human health and the environment through discharges to surface water. Dissolved inorganic carbon (bicarbonate/carbonate) has a high affinity for complexing with uranium that is present as sorbed or unique uranium-bearing mineral phases within the sedimentary matrix. This process can result in the formation of soluble uranyl carbonate aqueous species, which are mobile under circumneutral pH conditions. This study was conducted to quantifymore » the rate of release of uranium from the autunite mineral, (Ca[(UO 2)(PO 4)] 2∙3H 2O), that was formed during polyphosphate injection to remediate uranium; the dissolution of uranium was studied as a function of the aqueous bicarbonate concentration, ranging from 25 to 100 mM. Experiments were carried out in the pH range from 7 to 11 in the temperature range of 23-90°C via single-pass flow-through testing. Consistent with the results of previous studies (Gudavalli et al., 2013 a, b), the rate of uranium release from autunite exhibited minimal dependency on temperature, but was strongly dependent on pH and increasing concentrations of bicarbonate in the solution. Data obtained during these experiments were compared with results of previous experiments conducted using a low-concentration range of bicarbonate solutions (0.5-3.0 mM). An 8- to 30 fold increase in the rate of uranium release was observed in the presence of high bicarbonate concentrations at pH 7-8 compared to low bicarbonate values, while at pH 9-11, there was only a 5-fold increase in uranium rate of release with an increase in bicarbonate concentrations. The rate of uranium release was calculated to be between 5.18 x 10 -8 and 1.69 x 10 -7 mol m -2 s -1. The activation energy values at high and low bicarbonate concentrations were similar, with ratio values in the range of 0.6-1.0.« less

Quantification of kinetic rate law parameters for the dissolution of natural autunite in the presence of aqueous bicarbonate ions at high concentrations.

PubMed

Gudavalli, Ravi; Katsenovich, Yelena; Wellman, Dawn

2018-05-02

Uranium is a key contaminant of concern in the groundwater at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities within the United States and is a potential source of groundwater contamination and a risk to human health and the environment through discharges to surface water. Dissolved inorganic carbon (bicarbonate/carbonate) has a high affinity for complexing with uranium that is present as sorbed or unique uranium-bearing mineral phases within the sedimentary matrix. This process can result in the formation of soluble uranyl carbonate aqueous species, which are mobile under circumneutral pH conditions. This study was conducted to quantify the rate of release of uranium from the autunite mineral, (Ca[(UO 2 )(PO 4 )] 2 •3H 2 O), that was formed during polyphosphate injection to remediate uranium; the dissolution of uranium was studied as a function of the aqueous bicarbonate concentration, ranging from 25 to 100 mM. Experiments were carried out in the pH range from 7 to 11 in the temperature range of 23-90 °C via single-pass flow-through testing. Consistent with the results of previous studies (Gudavalli et al., 2013a, 2013b), the rate of uranium release from autunite exhibited minimal dependency on temperature, but was strongly dependent on pH and increasing concentrations of bicarbonate in the solution. Data obtained during these experiments were compared with results of previous experiments conducted using a low-concentration range of bicarbonate solutions (0.5-3.0 mM). An 8- to 30-fold increase in the rate of uranium release was observed in the presence of high bicarbonate concentrations at pH 7-8 compared to low bicarbonate values, while at pH 9-11, there was only a 5-fold increase in uranium rate of release with an increase in bicarbonate concentrations. The rate of uranium release was calculated to be between 5.18 × 10 -8 and 1.69 × 10 -7  mol m -2 s -1 . The activation energy values at high and low bicarbonate concentrations were similar, with ratio values in the range of 0.6-1.0. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term ketogenic diet contributes to glycemic control but promotes lipid accumulation and hepatic steatosis in type 2 diabetic mice.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoyu; Qin, Juliang; Zhao, Yihan; Shi, Jueping; Lan, Rong; Gan, Yunqiu; Ren, Hua; Zhu, Bing; Qian, Min; Du, Bing

2016-04-01

The ketogenic diet (KD) has been widely used in weight and glycemic control, although potential side effects of long-term KD treatment have caused persistent concern. In this study, we hypothesized that the KD would ameliorate the progression of diabetes but lead to disruptions in lipid metabolism and hepatic steatosis in a mouse model of diabetes. In type 2 diabetic mouse model, mice were fed a high-fat diet and administered streptozotocin treatment before given the test diets for 8 weeks. Subsequently, ameliorated glucose and insulin tolerance in KD-fed diabetic mice was found, although the body weight of high-fat diet- and KD-fed mice was similar. Interestingly, the weight of adipose tissue in KD mice was greater than in the other groups. The KD diet resulted in higher serum triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels in diabetic mice. Moreover, the KD-fed mice showed greater hepatic lipid accumulation. Mice fed the KD showed significant changes in several key genes such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein, fibroblast growth factor 21, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, which are all important in metabolism. In summary, KD ameliorates glucose and insulin tolerance in a mouse model of diabetes, but severe hepatic lipid accumulation and hepatic steatosis were observed, which should be considered carefully in the long-term application of KD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis, characterization, and sol-gel entrapment of a crown ether-styryl fluoroionophore

PubMed Central

Sui, Zhijie; Hanan, Nathan J.; Phimphivong, Sam; Wysocki, Ronald J.; Saavedra, S. Scott

2011-01-01

The synthesis and initial evaluation of a new dye-functionalized crown-ether, 2-[2-(2,3,5,6,8,9,11,12,14,15-decahydro-1,4,7,10.13.16-benzohexaoxacyclooctadecin)ethenyl]-3-methyl benzothiazolium iodide (denoted BSD), is reported. This molecule contains a benzyl 18-crown-6 moiety as the ionophore and a benzothiazolium to spectrally transduce ion binding. Binding of K+ to BSD in methanol causes shifts in the both absorbance and fluorescence emission maxima, as well as changes in the molar absorptivity and the emission intensity. Apparent dissociation constants (Kd) in the range of 30 – 65 μM were measured. In water and neutral buffer, Kd values were approximately 1 mM. BSD was entrapped in sol-gel films composed of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with retention of its spectral properties and minimal leaching. K+ binding to BSD in sol-gels films immersed in pH 7.4 buffer causes significant fluorescence quenching, with an apparent response time of approximately 2 min and an apparent Kd of 1.5 mM. PMID:19253273

Efficacy and safety of ketogenic diet for treatment of pediatric convulsive refractory status epilepticus.

PubMed

Arya, Ravindra; Peariso, Katrina; Gaínza-Lein, Marina; Harvey, Jessica; Bergin, Ann; Brenton, J Nicholas; Burrows, Brian T; Glauser, Tracy; Goodkin, Howard P; Lai, Yi-Chen; Mikati, Mohamad A; Fernández, Iván Sánchez; Tchapyjnikov, Dmitry; Wilfong, Angus A; Williams, Korwyn; Loddenkemper, Tobias

2018-04-27

To describe the efficacy and safety of ketogenic diet (KD) for convulsive refractory status epilepticus (RSE). RSE patients treated with KD at the 6/11 participating institutions of the pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group from January-2011 to December-2016 were included. Patients receiving KD prior to the index RSE episode were excluded. RSE was defined as failure of ≥2 anti-seizure medications, including at least one non-benzodiazepine drug. Ketosis was defined as serum beta-hydroxybutyrate levels >20 mg/dl (1.9 mmol/l). Outcomes included proportion of patients with electrographic (EEG) seizure resolution within 7 days of starting KD, defined as absence of seizures and ≥50% suppression below 10 μV on longitudinal bipolar montage (suppression-burst ratio ≥50%); time to start KD after onset of RSE; time to achieve ketosis after starting KD; and the proportion of patients weaned off continuous infusions 2 weeks after KD initiation. Treatment-emergent adverse effects (TEAEs) were also recorded. Fourteen patients received KD for treatment of RSE (median age 4.7 years, interquartile range [IQR] 5.6). KD was started via enteral route in 11/14 (78.6%) patients. KD was initiated a median of 13 days (IQR 12.5) after the onset of RSE, at 4:1 ratio in 8/14 (57.1%) patients. Ketosis was achieved within a median of 2 days (IQR 2.0) after starting KD. EEG seizure resolution was achieved within 7 days of starting KD in 10/14 (71.4%) patients. Also, 11/14 (78.6%) patients were weaned off their continuous infusions within 2 weeks of starting KD. TEAEs, potentially attributable to KD, occurred in 3/14 (21.4%) patients, including gastro-intestinal paresis and hypertriglyceridemia. Three month outcomes were available for 12/14 (85.7%) patients, with 4 patients being seizure-free, and 3 others with decreased seizure frequency compared to pre-RSE baseline. This series suggests efficacy and safety of KD for treatment of pediatric RSE. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Decoy Plasminogen Receptor Containing a Selective Kunitz-Inhibitory Domain

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Kunitz domain 1 (KD1) of tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 in which P2′ residue Leu17 (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor numbering) is mutated to Arg selectively inhibits the active site of plasmin with ∼5-fold improved affinity. Thrombin cleavage (24 h extended incubation at a 1:50 enzyme-to-substrate ratio) of the KD1 mutant (Leu17Arg) yielded a smaller molecule containing the intact Kunitz domain with no detectable change in the active-site inhibitory function. The N-terminal sequencing and MALDI-TOF/ESI data revealed that the starting molecule has a C-terminal valine (KD1L17R-VT), whereas the smaller molecule has a C-terminal lysine (KD1L17R-KT). Because KD1L17R-KT has C-terminal lysine, we examined whether it could serve as a decoy receptor for plasminogen/plasmin. Such a molecule might inhibit plasminogen activation as well as the active site of generated plasmin. In surface plasmon resonance experiments, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and Glu-plasminogen bound to KD1L17R-KT (Kd ∼ 0.2 to 0.3 μM) but not to KD1L17R-VT. Furthermore, KD1L17R-KT inhibited tPA-induced plasma clot fibrinolysis more efficiently than KD1L17R-VT. Additionally, compared to ε-aminocaproic acid KD1L17R-KT was more effective in reducing blood loss in a mouse liver-laceration injury model, where the fibrinolytic system is activated. In further experiments, the micro(μ)-plasmin–KD1L17R-KT complex inhibited urokinase-induced plasminogen activation on phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-stimulated U937 monocyte-like cells, whereas the μ-plasmin–KD1L17R-VT complex failed to inhibit this process. In conclusion, KD1L17R-KT inhibits the active site of plasmin as well as acts as a decoy receptor for the kringle domain(s) of plasminogen/plasmin; hence, it limits both plasmin generation and activity. With its dual function, KD1L17R-KT could serve as a preferred agent for controlling plasminogen activation in pathological processes. PMID:24383758

Decoy plasminogen receptor containing a selective Kunitz-inhibitory domain.

PubMed

Kumar, Yogesh; Vadivel, Kanagasabai; Schmidt, Amy E; Ogueli, Godwin I; Ponnuraj, Sathya M; Rannulu, Nalaka; Loo, Joseph A; Bajaj, Madhu S; Bajaj, S Paul

2014-01-28

Kunitz domain 1 (KD1) of tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 in which P2' residue Leu17 (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor numbering) is mutated to Arg selectively inhibits the active site of plasmin with ∼5-fold improved affinity. Thrombin cleavage (24 h extended incubation at a 1:50 enzyme-to-substrate ratio) of the KD1 mutant (Leu17Arg) yielded a smaller molecule containing the intact Kunitz domain with no detectable change in the active-site inhibitory function. The N-terminal sequencing and MALDI-TOF/ESI data revealed that the starting molecule has a C-terminal valine (KD1L17R-VT), whereas the smaller molecule has a C-terminal lysine (KD1L17R-KT). Because KD1L17R-KT has C-terminal lysine, we examined whether it could serve as a decoy receptor for plasminogen/plasmin. Such a molecule might inhibit plasminogen activation as well as the active site of generated plasmin. In surface plasmon resonance experiments, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and Glu-plasminogen bound to KD1L17R-KT (Kd ∼ 0.2 to 0.3 μM) but not to KD1L17R-VT. Furthermore, KD1L17R-KT inhibited tPA-induced plasma clot fibrinolysis more efficiently than KD1L17R-VT. Additionally, compared to ε-aminocaproic acid KD1L17R-KT was more effective in reducing blood loss in a mouse liver-laceration injury model, where the fibrinolytic system is activated. In further experiments, the micro(μ)-plasmin-KD1L17R-KT complex inhibited urokinase-induced plasminogen activation on phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-stimulated U937 monocyte-like cells, whereas the μ-plasmin-KD1L17R-VT complex failed to inhibit this process. In conclusion, KD1L17R-KT inhibits the active site of plasmin as well as acts as a decoy receptor for the kringle domain(s) of plasminogen/plasmin; hence, it limits both plasmin generation and activity. With its dual function, KD1L17R-KT could serve as a preferred agent for controlling plasminogen activation in pathological processes.

Multivariate functions for predicting the sorption of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-tricyclohexane (RDX) among taxonomically distinct soils.

PubMed

Katseanes, Chelsea K; Chappell, Mark A; Hopkins, Bryan G; Durham, Brian D; Price, Cynthia L; Porter, Beth E; Miller, Lesley F

2016-11-01

After nearly a century of use in numerous munition platforms, TNT and RDX contamination has turned up largely in the environment due to ammunition manufacturing or as part of releases from low-order detonations during training activities. Although the basic knowledge governing the environmental fate of TNT and RDX are known, accurate predictions of TNT and RDX persistence in soil remain elusive, particularly given the universal heterogeneity of pedomorphic soil types. In this work, we proposed a new solution for modeling the sorption and persistence of these munition constituents as multivariate mathematical functions correlating soil attribute data over a variety of taxonomically distinct soil types to contaminant behavior, instead of a single constant or parameter of a specific absolute value. To test this idea, we conducted experiments measuring the sorption of TNT and RDX on taxonomically different soil types that were extensively physical and chemically characterized. Statistical decomposition of the log-transformed, and auto-scaled soil characterization data using the dimension-reduction technique PCA (principal component analysis) revealed a strong latent structure based in the multiple pairwise correlations among the soil properties. TNT and RDX sorption partitioning coefficients (KD-TNT and KD-RDX) were regressed against this latent structure using partial least squares regression (PLSR), generating a 3-factor, multivariate linear functions. Here, PLSR models predicted KD-TNT and KD-RDX values based on attributes contributing to endogenous alkaline/calcareous and soil fertility criteria, respectively, exhibited among the different soil types: We hypothesized that the latent structure arising from the strong covariance of full multivariate geochemical matrix describing taxonomically distinguished soil types may provide the means for potentially predicting complex phenomena in soils. The development of predictive multivariate models tuned to a local soil's taxonomic designation would have direct benefit to military range managers seeking to anticipate the environmental risks of training activities on impact sites. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Can a systems biology approach unlock the mysteries of Kawasaki disease?

PubMed

Rowley, Anne H

2013-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic inflammatory illness of childhood that particularly affects the coronary arteries. It can lead to coronary artery aneurysms, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Clinical and epidemiologic data support an infectious cause, and the etiology remains unknown, but recent data support infection with a 'new' virus. Genetic factors influence KD susceptibility; the incidence is 10-fold higher in children of Asian when compared with Caucasian ethnicity. Recent research has identified genes affecting immune response that are associated with KD susceptibility and outcome. A re-examination of the pathologic features of KD has yielded a three process model of KD vasculopathy, providing a framework for understanding the KD arterial immune response and the damage it inflicts and for identifying new therapeutic targets for KD patients with coronary artery abnormalities. The researcher is faced with many challenges in determining the pathogenesis of KD. A systems biology approach incorporating genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and microbial bioinformatics analysis of high-throughput sequence data from KD tissues could provide the keys to unlocking the mysteries of this potentially fatal illness of childhood. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An 8-Week Ketogenic Low Carbohydrate, High Fat Diet Enhanced Exhaustive Exercise Capacity in Mice.

PubMed

Ma, Sihui; Huang, Qingyi; Yada, Koichi; Liu, Chunhong; Suzuki, Katsuhiko

2018-05-25

Current fueling tactics for endurance exercise encourage athletes to ingest a high carbohydrate diet. However, athletes are not generally encouraged to use fat, the largest energy reserve in the human body. A low carbohydrate, high fat ketogenic diet (KD) is a nutritional approach ensuring that the body utilizes lipids. Although KD has been associated with weight-loss, enhanced fat utilization in muscle and other beneficial effects, there is currently no clear proof whether it could lead to performance advantage. To evaluate the effects of KD on endurance exercise capacity, we studied the performance of mice subjected to a running model after consuming KD for eight weeks. Weight dropped dramatically in KD-feeding mice, even though they ate more calories. KD-feeding mice showed enhanced running time without aggravated muscle injury. Blood biochemistry and correlation analysis indicated the potential mechanism is likely to be a keto-adaptation enhanced capacity to transport and metabolize fat. KD also showed a potential preventive effect on organ injury caused by acute exercise, although KD failed to exert protection from muscle injury. Ultimately, KD may contribute to prolonged exercise capacity.

Affinity, Avidity, and Kinetics of Target Sequence Binding to LC8 Dynein Light Chain Isoforms*

PubMed Central

Radnai, László; Rapali, Péter; Hódi, Zsuzsa; Süveges, Dániel; Molnár, Tamás; Kiss, Bence; Bécsi, Bálint; Erdödi, Ferenc; Buday, László; Kardos, József; Kovács, Mihály; Nyitray, László

2010-01-01

LC8 dynein light chain (DYNLL) is a highly conserved eukaryotic hub protein with dozens of binding partners and various functions beyond being a subunit of dynein and myosin Va motor proteins. Here, we compared the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of binding of both mammalian isoforms, DYNLL1 and DYNLL2, to two putative consensus binding motifs (KXTQTX and XG(I/V)QVD) and report only subtle differences. Peptides containing either of the above motifs bind to DYNLL2 with micromolar affinity, whereas a myosin Va peptide (lacking the conserved Gln) and the noncanonical Pak1 peptide bind with Kd values of 9 and 40 μm, respectively. Binding of the KXTQTX motif is enthalpy-driven, although that of all other peptides is both enthalpy- and entropy-driven. Moreover, the KXTQTX motif shows strikingly slower off-rate constant than the other motifs. As most DYNLL partners are homodimeric, we also assessed the binding of bivalent ligands to DYNLL2. Compared with monovalent ligands, a significant avidity effect was found as follows: Kd values of 37 and 3.5 nm for a dimeric myosin Va fragment and a Leu zipper dimerized KXTQTX motif, respectively. Ligand binding kinetics of DYNLL can best be described by a conformational selection model consisting of a slow isomerization and a rapid binding step. We also studied the binding of the phosphomimetic S88E mutant of DYNLL2 to the dimeric myosin Va fragment, and we found a significantly lower apparent Kd value (3 μm). We conclude that the thermodynamic and kinetic fine-tuning of binding of various ligands to DYNLL could have physiological relevance in its interaction network. PMID:20889982

Organic pollutant levels in an agricultural watershed: the importance of analyzing multiple matrices for assessing stream water pollution.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Mariana; Miglioranza, Karina S B; Grondona, Sebastían I; Silva Barni, Maria Florencia; Martinez, Daniel E; Peña, Aránzazu

2013-04-01

This study is aimed at analyzing the occurrence and transport of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the Quequén Grande river basin, as representative of a catchment under diffuse pollution sources. Pollutant levels in soils, river bottom sediments (RBS), streamwater (Sw), suspended particle materials (SPMs), macrophytes and muscle of silverside were determined by GC-ECD. Soil K(d) values for the current-used insecticides, endosulfans and cypermethrin, were established. Total levels (ng g(-1) dry weight) in soil ranged between 0.07–0.9 for OCPs, 0.03–0.37 for PCBs and 0.01–0.05 for PBDEs. Endosulfan insecticide (α- + b- + sulfate metabolite) represented up to 72.5% of OCPs. The low soil retention for α-endosulfan (K(d): 77) and endosulfan sulfate (K(d): 100) allows their transport to Sw, SPM and RBS. Levels of endosulfan in Sw in some cases exceeded the value postulated by international guidelines for aquatic biota protection (3 ng L(-1)). PCB and PBDE pollution was related to harbour, dumping sites and pile tire burning. Tri and hexa PCB congeners predominated in all matrices and exceeded the quality guideline value of 0.04 ng L(-1) in Sw. Considering levels in silverside muscle, none of the oral reference doses were exceeded, however, PCBs accounted for 18.6% of the total daily allowed ingest for a 70 kg individual. Although the levels of PCBs and OCPs in soil and RBS were low and did not go beyond quality guidelines, these compounds could still represent a risk to aquatic biota and humanbeings, and thus actions towards preventing this situation should be undertaken.

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

Alvarez, P; Gonzalez, S; McDonald, L

Purpose: Analysis of the performance of the microSTARii reader for optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLD) used by the IROC Houston Quality Assurance Center (IROC HQAC) for external audits compare to the characteristics of the Microstar reader. Methods: The IROC HQAC uses the Microstar reader for the OSLD program for verification of output of photon, electron and proton beams. The calculation of dose from the OSLD system is based on a group of factors defined at time of the commissioning of a batch of detectors. Factors like system sensitivity (SS), depletion (KD), element correction factor (ECF), linearity (KL), energy correction (KE).more » The new microSTARii unit presents many hardware and software upgrades that were considered useful for this program. Based on these changes many factors, that were considered reader dependent, were revised in order to analyze the effect of the new reading process. The SS, KD, ECF and KL were evaluated and compared with data defined based on reading done on Microstar reader. Results: The SS is reader specific and specified at 100 cGy dose level. This value is define per reading session and monitored over time. The KD factor was found to be different because of reading procedure are different. The ECF values changed for a group of nano dots compare to values defined based on reading done on the Microstar reader. The KL was defined for the reader. Conclusion: The new microSTARii reader presents new features that improve the efficiency of the OSLD program at the IROC HQAC. New characterization is needed before final implementation is done to match the requirements of the existing OSLD system defined for the Microstar reader. Changes in uncertainty of the results has not been analized.« less

Distribution pattern of rare earth ions between water and montmorillonite and its relation to the sorbed species of the ions.

PubMed

Takahashi, Yoshio; Tada, Akisa; Shimizu, Hiroshi

2004-09-01

REE (rare earth element) distribution coefficients (Kd) between the aqueous phase and montmorillonite surface were obtained to investigate the relation between the REE distribution patterns and the species of REE sorbed on the solid-water interface. It was shown that the features in the REE patterns, such as the slope of the REE patterns, the tetrad effect, and the Y/Ho ratio, were closely related to the REE species at the montmorillonite-water interface. In a binary system (REE-montmorillonite) below pH 5, three features (a larger Kd value for a lighter REE, the absence of the tetrad effect, and the Y/Ho ratio being unchanged from its initial value) suggest that hydrated REE are directly sorbed as an outer-sphere complex at the montmorillonite-water interface. Above pH 5.5, the features in the REE patterns, the larger Kd value for heavier REE, the M-type tetrad effect, and the reduced Y/Ho ratio, showed the formation of an inner-sphere complex of REE with -OH group at the montmorillonite surface. In addition, the REE patterns in the presence of humic acid at pH 5.9 were also studied, where the REE patterns became flat, suggesting that the humate complex is dominant as both dissolved and sorbed species of REE in the ternary system. All of these results were consistent with the spectroscopic data (laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy) showing the local structure of Eu(III) conducted in the same experimental system. The present results suggest that the features in the REE distribution patterns include information on the REE species at the solid-water interface.

Sorption of Perfluorinated Compounds onto different types of sewage sludge and assessment of its importance during wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Arvaniti, Olga S; Andersen, Henrik R; Thomaidis, Nikolaos S; Stasinakis, Athanasios S

2014-09-01

The distribution coefficient (Kd) and the organic carbon distribution coefficient (KOC) were determined for four Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) to three different types of sludge taken from a conventional Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Batch experiments were performed in six different environmental relevant concentrations (200ngL(-1)to 5μgL(-1)) containing 1gL(-1) sludge. Kd values ranged from 330 to 6015, 329 to 17432 and 162 to 11770Lkg(-1) for primary, secondary and digested sludge, respectively. The effects of solution's pH, ionic strength and cation types on PFCs sorption were also evaluated. Sorption capacities of PFCs significantly decreased with increased pH values from 6 to 8. Furthermore, the divalent cation (Ca(2+)) enhanced PFCs sorption to a higher degree in comparison with the monovalent cation (Na(+)) at the same ionic strength. The obtained Kd values were applied to estimate the sorbed fractions of each PFC in different stages of a typical STP and to calculate their removal through treated wastewater and sludge. In primary settling tank, the predicted sorbed fractions ranged from 3% for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) to 55% for Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUdA), while in activated sludge tank and anaerobic digester sorption was more than 50% for all target compounds. Almost 86% of initial PFOA load is expected to be detected in treated wastewater; while Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), PFUdA and Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) can be significantly removed (>49%) via sorption to primary and excess secondary sludge. In anaerobic digester, the major part (>76%) of target PFCs is expected to be sorbed to sludge, while almost 3% of initial PFOA load will be detected in sludge leachates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Apparent optical properties of the Canadian Beaufort Sea - Part 1: Observational overview and water column relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoine, D.; Hooker, S. B.; Bélanger, S.; Matsuoka, A.; Babin, M.

2013-07-01

A data set of radiometric measurements collected in the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) in August 2009 (Malina project) is analyzed in order to describe apparent optical properties (AOPs) in this sea, which has been subject to dramatic environmental changes for several decades. The two properties derived from the measurements are the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient for downward irradiance, Kd, and the spectral remote sensing reflectance, Rrs. The former controls light propagation in the upper water column. The latter determines how light is backscattered out of the water and becomes eventually observable from a satellite ocean color sensor. The data set includes offshore clear waters of the Beaufort Basin as well as highly turbid waters of the Mackenzie River plumes. In the clear waters, we show Kd values that are much larger in the ultraviolet and blue parts of the spectrum than what could be anticipated considering the chlorophyll concentration. A larger contribution of absorption by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is responsible for these high Kd values, as compared to other oligotrophic areas. In turbid waters, attenuation reaches extremely high values, driven by high loads of particulate materials and also by a large CDOM content. In these two extreme types of waters, current satellite chlorophyll algorithms fail. This questions the role of ocean color remote sensing in the Arctic when Rrs from only the blue and green bands are used. Therefore, other parts of the spectrum (e.g., the red) should be explored if one aims at quantifying interannual changes in chlorophyll in the Arctic from space. The very peculiar AOPs in the Beaufort Sea also advocate for developing specific light propagation models when attempting to predict light availability for photosynthesis at depth.

Apparent optical properties of the Canadian Beaufort Sea - Part 1: Observational overview and water column relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoine, D.; Hooker, S. B.; Belanger, S.; Matsuoka, A.; Babin, M.

2013-03-01

A data set of radiometric measurements collected in the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) in August 2009 (MALINA project) is analysed in order to describe apparent optical properties (AOPs) in this sea, which is subject to dramatic environmental changes for several decades. The two properties derived from the measurements are the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient for downward irradiance, Kd, and the spectral remote sensing reflectance, Rrs. The former controls light propagation in the upper water column. The latter determines how light is backscattered out of the water and becomes eventually observable from a satellite ocean colour sensor. The data set includes offshore clear waters of the Beaufort basin as well as highly turbid waters of the Mackenzie River plumes. In the clear waters, we show Kd values that are much larger in the ultraviolet and blue parts of the spectrum than what could be anticipated considering the chlorophyll concentration. A larger contribution of absorption by coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is responsible for this high Kd values, as compared to other oligotrophic areas. In turbid waters, attenuation reaches extremely high values, driven by high loads of particulate materials and also by a large CDOM content. In these two extreme types of waters, current satellite chlorophyll algorithms fail. This is questioning the role of ocean colour remote sensing in the Arctic when Rrs from only the blue and green bands are used. Therefore, other parts of the spectrum (e.g. the red) should be explored if one aims at quantifying interannual changes in chlorophyll in the Arctic from space. The very peculiar AOPs in the Beaufort Sea also advocate for developing specific light propagation models when attempting to predict light availability for photosynthesis at depth.

Influence of Latitude on the Prevalence of Kawasaki Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database and Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Chang, Chaw-Liang; Wong, Chih-Shung; Yang, Yi-Chen; Chiu, Nan-Chang

2018-04-25

Background: Countries at higher latitudes have higher incidence rates of Kawasaki disease (KD) than do countries at lower latitudes in the Asian and West Pacific area. However, the precise influence of latitude on KD incidence rates requires further clarification. Methods: We searched the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 to retrieve patients’ medical records from 1996 to 2009. The patients with KD were categorized as living in northern, middle, and southern Taiwan; the period prevalence of KD for each area was determined. Climate variables, including temperature, sunshine duration, precipitation, and relative humidity, were collected from the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau. The effect of latitude on the period KD prevalence and the correlation between climate variables and KD prevalence were calculated. Results: After patients without complete data excluded, a total of 61,830 children up to 10 years old were retrieved, from which 404 patients with KD were recognized. The period prevalence of KD increased significantly with latitude ( p = 0.0004). Climate variables associated with high temperature demonstrated a connection with KD prevalence; however, this correlation was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that higher latitude is associated with a higher KD prevalence in Taiwan.

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) tyrosine 397E mutation restores the vascular leakage defect in endothelium-specific FAK-kinase dead mice.

PubMed

Alexopoulou, Annika N; Lees, Delphine M; Bodrug, Natalia; Lechertier, Tanguy; Fernandez, Isabelle; D'Amico, Gabriela; Dukinfield, Matthew; Batista, Silvia; Tavora, Bernardo; Serrels, Bryan; Hodivala-Dilke, Kairbaan

2017-07-01

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitors have been developed as potential anticancer agents and are undergoing clinical trials. In vitro activation of the FAK kinase domain triggers autophosphorylation of Y397, Src activation, and subsequent phosphorylation of other FAK tyrosine residues. However, how FAK Y397 mutations affect FAK kinase-dead (KD) phenotypes in tumour angiogenesis in vivo is unknown. We developed three Pdgfb-iCre ert -driven endothelial cell (EC)-specific, tamoxifen-inducible homozygous mutant mouse lines: FAK wild-type (WT), FAK KD, and FAK double mutant (DM), i.e. KD with a putatively phosphomimetic Y397E mutation. These ECCre+;FAK WT / WT , ECCre+;FAK KD / KD and ECCre+;FAK DM / DM mice were injected subcutaneously with syngeneic B16F0 melanoma cells. Tumour growth and tumour blood vessel functions were unchanged between ECCre+;FAK WT / WT and ECCre-;FAK WT / WT control mice. In contrast, tumour growth and vessel density were decreased in ECCre+;FAK KD / KD and ECCre+;FAK DM / DM mice, as compared with Cre - littermates. Despite no change in the percentage of perfused vessels or pericyte coverage in either genotype, tumour hypoxia was elevated in ECCre+;FAK KD / KD and ECCre+;FAK DM / DM mice. Furthermore, although ECCre+;FAK KD / KD mice showed reduced blood vessel leakage, ECCre+;FAK DM / DM and ECCre-;FAK DM / DM mice showed no difference in leakage. Mechanistically, fibronectin-stimulated Y397 autophosphorylation was reduced in Cre+;FAK KD / KD ECs as compared with Cre+;FAK WT / WT cells, with no change in phosphorylation of the known Src targets FAK-Y577, FAK-Y861, FAK-Y925, paxillin-Y118, p130Cas-Y410. Cre+;FAK DM / DM ECs showed decreased Src target phosphorylation levels, suggesting that the Y397E substitution actually disrupted Src activation. Reduced VE-cadherin-pY658 levels in Cre+;FAK KD / KD ECs were rescued in Cre+FAK DM / DM ECs, corresponding with the rescue in vessel leakage in the ECCre+;FAK DM / DM mice. We show that EC-specific FAK kinase activity is required for tumour growth, angiogenesis, and vascular permeability. The ECCre+;FAK DM/DM mice restored the KD-dependent tumour vascular leakage observed in ECCre+;FAK KD/KD mice in vivo. This study opens new fields in in vivo FAK signalling. © 2017 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. © 2017 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Uranium in well drinking water of Kabul, Afghanistan and its effective, low-cost depuration using Mg-Fe based hydrotalcite-like compounds.

PubMed

Kato, Masashi; Azimi, Mohammad Daud; Fayaz, Said Hafizullah; Shah, Muhammad Dawood; Hoque, Md Zahirul; Hamajima, Nobuyuki; Ohnuma, Shoko; Ohtsuka, Tomomi; Maeda, Masao; Yoshinaga, Masafumi

2016-12-01

Toxic elements in drinking water have great effects on human health. However, there is very limited information about toxic elements in drinking water in Afghanistan. In this study, levels of 10 elements (chromium, nickel, copper, arsenic, cadmium, antimony, barium, mercury, lead and uranium) in 227 well drinking water samples in Kabul, Afghanistan were examined for the first time. Chromium (in 0.9% of the 227 samples), arsenic (7.0%) and uranium (19.4%) exceeded the values in WHO health-based guidelines for drinking-water quality. Maximum chromium, arsenic and uranium levels in the water samples were 1.3-, 10.4- and 17.2-fold higher than the values in the guidelines, respectively. We next focused on uranium, which is the most seriously polluted element among the 10 elements. Mean ± SD (138.0 ± 1.4) of the 238 U/ 235 U isotopic ratio in the water samples was in the range of previously reported ratios for natural source uranium. We then examined the effect of our originally developed magnesium (Mg)-iron (Fe)-based hydrotalcite-like compounds (MF-HT) on adsorption for uranium. All of the uranium-polluted well water samples from Kabul (mean ± SD = 190.4 ± 113.9 μg/L; n = 11) could be remediated up to 1.2 ± 1.7 μg/L by 1% weight of our MF-HT within 60 s at very low cost (<0.001 cents/day/family) in theory. Thus, we demonstrated not only elevated levels of some toxic elements including natural source uranium but also an effective depurative for uranium in well drinking water from Kabul. Since our depurative is effective for remediation of arsenic as shown in our previous studies, its practical use in Kabul may be encouraged. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organic geochemical analysis of sedimentary organic matter associated with uranium

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leventhal, J.S.; Daws, T.A.; Frye, J.S.

1986-01-01

Samples of sedimentary organic matter from several geologic environments and ages which are enriched in uranium (56 ppm to 12%) have been characterized. The three analytical techniqyes used to study the samples were Rock-Eval pyrolysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and solid-state C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In samples with low uranium content, the pyrolysis-gas chromatography products contain oxygenated functional groups (as hydroxyl) and molecules with both aliphatic and aromatic carbon atoms. These samples with low uranium content give measurable Rock-Eval hydrocarbon and organic-CO2 yields, and C-13 NMR values of > 30% aliphatic carbon. In contrast, uranium-rich samples have few hydrocarbon pyrolysis products, increased Rock-Eval organic-CO2 contents and > 70% aromatic carbon contents from C-13 NMR. The increase in aromaticity and decrease in hydrocarbon pyrolysis yield are related to the amount of uranium and the age of the uranium minerals, which correspond to the degree of radiation damage. The three analytical techniques give complementary results. Increase in Rock-Eval organic-CO2 yield correlates with uranium content for samples from the Grants uranium region. Calculations show that the amount of organic-CO2 corresponds to the quantity of uranium chemically reduced by the organic matter for the Grants uranium region samples. ?? 1986.

Immobilization of uranium into magnetite from aqueous solution by electrodepositing approach.

PubMed

Lu, Bing-Qing; Li, Mi; Zhang, Xiao-Wen; Huang, Chun-Mei; Wu, Xiao-Yan; Fang, Qi

2018-02-05

Immobilization of uranium into magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ), which was generated from metallic iron by electrochemical method, was proposed to rapidly remove uranium from aqueous solution. The effects of electrochemical parameters such as electrode materials, voltage, electrode gap, reaction time and pH value on the crystallization of Fe 3 O 4 and uranium removal efficiencies were investigated. More than 90% uranium in the solution was precipitated with Fe 3 O 4 under laboratory conditions when uranium concentration range from 0.5mg/L to 10mg/L. The Fe 3 O 4 crystallization mechanism and immobilization of uranium was proved by XPS, XRD, TEM, FTIR and VSM methods. The results indicated that the cationic (including Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ and U(VI)) migrate to cathode side under the electric field and the uranium was incorporated or adsorbed by Fe 3 O 4 which was generated at cathode while the pH ranges between 2-7. The uranium-containing precipitate of Fe 3 O 4 can exist stably at the acid concentration below 60g/L. Furthermore, the precipitate may be used as valuable resources for uranium or iron recycling, which resulted in no secondary pollution in the removal of uranium from aqueous solution. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Groundwater quality and the relation between pH values and occurrence of trace elements and radionuclides in water samples collected from private wells in part of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Jurisdictional Area, central Oklahoma, 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Becker, Carol J.

2013-01-01

From 1999 to 2007, the Indian Health Service reported that gross alpha-particle activities and concentrations of uranium exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Levels for public drinking-water supplies in water samples from six private wells and two test wells in a rural residential neighborhood in the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Jurisdictional Area, in central Oklahoma. Residents in this rural area use groundwater from Quaternary-aged terrace deposits and the Permian-aged Garber-Wellington aquifer for domestic purposes. Uranium and other trace elements, specifically arsenic, chromium, and selenium, occur naturally in rocks composing the Garber-Wellington aquifer and in low concentrations in groundwater throughout its extent. Previous studies have shown that pH values above 8.0 from cation-exchange processes in the aquifer cause selected metals such as arsenic, chromium, selenium, and uranium to desorb (if present) from mineral surfaces and become mobile in water. On the basis of this information, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, conducted a study in 2011 to describe the occurrence of selected trace elements and radionuclides in groundwater and to determine if pH could be used as a surrogate for laboratory analysis to quickly and inexpensively identify wells that might contain high concentrations of uranium and other trace elements. The pH and specific conductance of groundwater from 59 private wells were measured in the field in an area of about 18 square miles in Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties. Twenty of the 59 wells also were sampled for dissolved concentrations of major ions, trace elements, gross alpha-particle and gross beta-particle activities, uranium, radium-226, radium-228, and radon-222 gas. Arsenic concentrations exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 micrograms per liter in one sample having a concentration of 24.7 micrograms per liter. Selenium concentrations exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level of 50 micrograms per liter in one sample having a concentration of 147 micrograms per liter. Both samples had alkaline pH values, 8.0 and 8.4, respectively. Uranium concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 383 micrograms per liter with 5 of 20 samples exceeding the Maximum Contaminant Level of 30 micrograms per liter; the five wells with uranium concentrations exceeding 30 micrograms per liter had pH values ranging from 8.0 to 8.5. Concentrations of uranium and radon-222 and gross alpha-particle activity showed a positive relation to pH, with the highest concentrations and activity in samples having pH values of 8.0 or above. The groundwater samples contained dissolved oxygen and high concentrations of bicarbonate; these characteristics are also factors in increasing uranium solubility. Concentrations of radium-226 and radium-228 (combined) ranged from 0.03 to 1.7 picocuries per liter, with a median concentration of 0.45 picocuries per liter for all samples. Radon-222 concentrations ranged from 95 to 3,600 picocuries per liter with a median concentration of 261 picocuries per liter. Eight samples having pH values ranging from 8.0 to 8.7 exceeded the proposed Maximum Contaminant Level of 300 picocuries per liter for radon-222. Eight samples exceeded the 15 picocuries per liter Maximum Contaminant Level for gross alpha-particle activity at 72 hours (after sample collection) and at 30 days (after the initial count); those samples had pH values ranging from 8.0 to 8.5. Gross beta-particle activity increased in 15 of 21 samples during the interval from 72 hours to 30 days. The increase in gross beta-particle activity over time probably was caused by the ingrowth and decay of uranium daughter products that emit beta particles. Water-quality data collected for this study indicate that pH values above 8.0 are associated with potentially high concentrations of uranium and radon-222 and high gross alpha-particle activity in the study area. High pH values also are associated with potentially high concentrations of arsenic, chromium, and selenium in groundwater when these elements occur in the aquifer matrix along groundwater-flow paths.

Uranium levels in the diet of São Paulo City residents.

PubMed

Garcia, F; Barioni, A; Arruda-Neto, J D T; Deppman, A; Milian, F; Mesa, J; Rodriguez, O

2006-07-01

Natural levels of uranium in the diet of São Paulo City residents were studied, and radionuclide concentrations were measured by the fission track method on samples of typical adult food items. This information was used to evaluate the daily intake of uranium in individuals living in São Paulo City which is, according to our findings, around 0.97 microg U/day. Using the ICRP Uranium-model, we estimated the uranium accumulation and committed doses in some tissues and organs, as function of time. We compared the output of the ICRP uranium biokinetic model, tailored for the conditions prevailing in São Paulo, with experimental data from other localities. Such comparison was possible by means of a simple method we developed, which allows normalization among experimental results from different regions where distinct values of chronic daily intake are observed.

Ketogenic diet delays the phase of circadian rhythms and does not affect AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in mouse liver.

PubMed

Genzer, Yoni; Dadon, Maayan; Burg, Chen; Chapnik, Nava; Froy, Oren

2015-12-05

Ketogenic diet (KD) is used for weight loss or to treat epilepsy. KD leads to liver AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, which would be expected to inhibit gluconeogenesis. However, KD leads to increased hepatic glucose output. As AMPK and its active phosphorylated form (pAMPK) show circadian oscillation, this discrepancy could stem from wrong-time-of-day sampling. The effect of KD was tested on mouse clock gene expression, AMPK, mTOR, SIRT1 and locomotor activity for 2 months and compared to low-fat diet (LFD). KD led to 1.5-fold increased levels of blood glucose and insulin. Brain pAMPK/AMPK ratio was 40% higher under KD, whereas that in liver was not affected. KD led to 40% and 20% down-regulation of the ratio of pP70S6K/P70S6K, the downstream target of mTOR, in the brain and liver, respectively. SIRT1 levels were 40% higher in the brain, but 40% lower in the liver of KD-fed mice. Clock genes showed delayed rhythms under KD. In the brain of KD-fed mice, amplitudes of clock genes were down-regulated, whereas 6-fold up-regulation was found in the liver. The metabolic state under KD indicates reduced satiety in the brain and reduced anabolism alongside increased gluconeogenesis in the liver. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

VOLATILE CHLORIDE PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF METAL VALUES

DOEpatents

Hanley, W.R.

1959-01-01

A process is presented for recovering uranium, iron, and aluminum from centain shale type ores which contain uranium in minute quantities. The ore is heated wiih a chlorinating agent. such as chlorine, to form a volatilized stream of metal chlorides. The chloride stream is then passed through granular alumina which preferentially absorbs the volatile uranium chloride and from which the uranium may later be recovered. The remaining volatilized chlorides, chiefly those of iron and aluminum, are further treated to recover chlorine gas for recycle, and to recover ferric oxide and aluminum oxide as valuable by-products.

SEPARATION OF THORIUM FROM URANIUM BY EXTRACTION

DOEpatents

Bohlmann, E.G.

1959-07-28

A method is presented for the recovery and separation of uranium and thorium values contained in an aqueous nitric acid solution which is more than 3 M in nitric acid. The uranium and thorium containing solution preferable about 7 M in nitric acid is contacted with tributyl phosphatekerosene mixture. Both U and Th are extracted by the immiscible organic. After phase separation the Th is selectively back extracted by contacting with an aqueous nitric acid solution preferably between 0.1 to 1.5 M in nitric acid. The uranium which is still in the organic extractant phase may be recovered by contacting with water.

FUSED SALT PROCESS FOR RECOVERY OF VALUES FROM USED NUCLEAR REACTOR FUELS

DOEpatents

Moore, R.H.

1960-08-01

A process is given for recovering plutonium from a neutron-irradiated uranium mass (oxide or alloy) by dissolving the mass in an about equimolar alkali metalaluminum double chloride, adding aluminum metal to the mixture obtained at a temperature of between 260 and 860 deg C, and separating a uranium-containing metal phase and a plutonium-chloride- and fission-product chloridecontaining salt phase. Dissolution can be expedited by passing carbon tetrachloride vapors through the double salt. Separation without reduction of plutonium from neutron- bombarded uranium and that of cerium from uranium are also discussed.

ARSENITE BINDING TO SUBSETS OF THE HUMAN ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-ALPHA

EPA Science Inventory

Enzyme inhibition by arsenicals has been described many times, but the underlying binding of trivalent arsenicals to peptides and proteins has received little attention. The purpose of this study was to determine Kd and Bmax values for arsenite binding to nine synthetic peptides ...

Determination of the elemental concentration of uranium and thorium in the products and by-products of amang tin tailings process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alnour, I. A.; Wagiran, H.; Ibrahim, N.; Hamzah, S.; Elias, M. S.

2017-01-01

Amang or tin tailing is processed into concentrated ores and other economical valuable minerals such as monazite, zircon, xenotime, ilmenite etc. Besides that, the tailings from these ores may have a significant potential source of radiation exposure to amang plants' workers. This study was conducted to determine the elemental concentration of uranium and thorium in mineral samples collected from five amang tailing factories. The concentration of uranium and thorium was carried out by using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) relative technique. The concentration of uranium and thorium in ppm obtained in this study are as follows: raw (189-1064) and (622-4965); monazite (1076-1988) and (3467-33578); xenotime 4053 and 5540; zircon (309-3090) and (387-6339); ilmenite (104-583) and (88-1205); rutile (212-889) and (44-1119); pyrite (7-43) and (9-132); and waste (5-338) and (9-1218) respectively. The analysis results shows that the monazite, xenotime and zircon have high content of uranium and thorium, whereas ilmenite, rutile, pyrite and waste have lower concentration compare with raw materials after tailing process. The highest values of uranium and thorium concentrations (4053 ± 428 ppm and 33578 ± 873 ppm, respectively) were observed in xenotime and monazite; whereas the lowest value was 5.48 ± 0.86 ppm of uranium recorded in waste (sand) and 9 ± 0.32 ppm of thorium for waste (sand) and pyrite.

Improvement of Aptamer Affinity by Dimerization

PubMed Central

Hasegawa, Hijiri; Taira, Ken-ichi; Sode, Koji; Ikebukuro, Kazunori

2008-01-01

To increase the affinities of aptamers for their targets, we designed an aptamer dimer for thrombin and VEGF. This design is based on the avidity of the antibody, which enables the aptamer to connect easily since it is a single-strand nucleic acid. In this study, we connected a 15-mer thrombin-binding aptamer with a 29-mer thrombin-binding aptamer. Each aptamer recognizes a different part of the thrombin molecule, and the aptamer dimer has a Kd value which is 1/10 of that of the monomers from which it is composed. Also, the designed aptamer dimer has higher inhibitory activity than the reported (15-mer) thrombin-inhibiting aptamer. Additionally, we connected together two identical aptamers against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165), which is a homodimeric protein. As in the case of the anti-thrombin aptamer, the dimeric anti-VEGF aptamer had a much lower Kd value than that of the monomer. This study demonstrated that the dimerization of aptamers effectively improves the affinities of those aptamers for their targets. PMID:27879754

From intravenous to enteral ketogenic diet in PICU: A potential treatment strategy for refractory status epilepticus.

PubMed

Chiusolo, F; Diamanti, A; Bianchi, R; Fusco, L; Elia, M; Capriati, T; Vigevano, F; Picardo, S

2016-11-01

Ketogenic diet (KD) has been used to treat refractory status epilepticus (RSE). KD is a high-fat, restricted-carbohydrate regimen that may be administered with different fat to protein and carbohydrate ratios (3:1 and 4:1 fat to protein and carbohydrate ratios). Other ketogenic regimens have a lower fat and higher protein and carbohydrate ratio to improve taste and thus compliance to treatment. We describe a case of RSE treated with intravenous KD in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). An 8-year-old boy was referred to the PICU because of continuous tonic-clonic and myoclonic generalized seizures despite several antiepileptic treatments. After admission he was intubated and treated with intravenous thiopental followed by ketamine. Seizures continued with frequent myoclonic jerks localized on the face and upper arms. EEG showed seizure activity with spikes on rhythmic continuous waves. Thus we decided to begin KD. The concomitant ileus contraindicated KD by the enteral route and we therefore began IV KD. The ketogenic regimen consisted of conventional intravenous fat emulsion, plus dextrose and amino-acid hyperalimentation in a 2:1 then 3:1 fat to protein and carbohydrate ratio. Exclusive IV ketogenic treatment, well tolerated, was maintained for 3 days; peristalsis then reappeared so KD was continued by the enteral route at 3:1 ratio. Finally, after 8 days and no seizure improvement, KD was deemed unsuccessful and was discontinued. Our experience indicates that IV KD may be considered as a temporary "bridge" towards enteral KD in patients with partial or total intestinal failure who need to start KD. It allows a prompt initiation of KD, when indicated for the treatment of severe diseases such as RSE. Copyright © 2016 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment with mPEG-SPA improves the survival of corneal grafts in rats by immune camouflage.

PubMed

Wang, Shuangyong; Li, Liangliang; Liu, Ying; Li, Chaoyang; Zhang, Min; Wang, Bowen; Huang, Zheqian; Gao, Xinbo; Wang, Zhichong

2015-03-01

We investigated the immune camouflage effects of methoxy polyethylene glycol succinimidyl propionate (mPEG-SPA) on corneal antigens and explored a novel approach for reducing corneal antigenicity, thereby decreasing corneal graft rejection. Importantly, this approach did not alter normal local immunity. Corneal grafts were treated with mPEG-SPA 5KD or 20KD (3% W/V), which could shield major histocompatibility antigen class I molecules (RT1-A) of corneal grafts. Skin grafts of Wistar rats were transplanted to SD rats. Then the splenic lymphocytes were isolated from SD rats. Subsequently, the lymphocytes were co-cultured with autologous corneal grafts or untreated corneal grafts and PEGylated grafts treated with mPEG-SPA 5KD or 20KD obtained from the counterpart skin donors, which were used as autologous control, allogeneic control, mPEG-SPA 5KD group and mPEG-SPA 20KD group, respectively. Lymphocyte proliferation was lower in mPEG-SPA 5KD group and mPEG-SPA 20KD group than in the allogeneic control. SD rats with corneal neovascularisation were used as recipients for high-risk corneal transplantation and were randomly divided into four groups: autologous control, allogeneic control, mPEG-SPA 5KD group and mPEG-SPA 20KD group. The recipients received corneal grafts from Wistar rats. Corneal graft survival was prolonged and graft rejection was reduced in the mPEG-SPA 5KD group and the mPEG-SPA 20KD group compared to the allogeneic control. Thus, we think that mPEG-SPA could immunologically camouflage corneal antigens to prolong corneal grafts survival in high-risk transplantation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of the three different states of the cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor in pancreatic acini.

PubMed

Talkad, V D; Patto, R J; Metz, D C; Turner, R J; Fortune, K P; Bhat, S T; Gardner, J D

1994-10-20

By measuring binding of [125I]CCK-8 and [3H]L-364,718 to rat pancreatic acini we demonstrated directly that the pancreatic CCK receptor can exist in three different affinity states with respect to CCK--high affinity, low affinity and very low affinity. Binding of [125I]CCK-8 reflects interaction of the tracer with the high and low affinity states, whereas binding of [3H]L-364,718 reflects interaction of the tracer with the low and very low affinity states. Treating acini with carbachol abolished the high affinity state of the CCK receptor and converted approximately 25% of the low affinity receptors to the very low affinity state. Carbachol treatment was particularly useful in establishing the values of Kd for the high and low affinity states for different CCK receptor agonists and antagonists. Of the various CCK receptor agonists tested, CCK-8 had the highest affinity for the high affinity state (Kd approximately 1 nM), whereas CCK-JMV-180 had the highest affinity for the low (Kd 7 nM) and very low affinity (Kd 200 nM) states. Gastrin and de(SO4)CCK-8 had affinities for the high and low affinity states of the receptor that were 100- to 400-fold less than those of CCK-8 but had affinities for the very low affinity state that were only 3- to 10-fold less than that of CCK-8. CCK receptor antagonists showed several patterns in interacting with the different states of the CCK receptor. L-364,718 had the same affinity for each state of the CCK receptor. CR1409 and Bt2cGMP each had similar affinities for the high and low affinity states and lower affinity for the very low affinity state. L-365,260 and CCK-JMV-179 had the highest affinity for the low affinity state and lower affinities for the high and very low affinity states. Different CCK receptor agonists caused the same maximal stimulation of amylase secretion but showed different degrees of amplification in terms of the relationship between their abilities to stimulate amylase secretion and their abilities to occupy the low affinity state of the CCK receptor. When amplification was expressed quantitatively as the value of Kd for the low affinity state divided by the corresponding EC50 for stimulating amylase secretion the values were CCK-8 (1000), de(SO)CCK-8 (1500), gastrin (100) and CCK-JMV-180 (Menozzi, D., Vinayek, R., Jensen, R.T. and Gardner, J.D. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 10385-1091).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Sorption of biodegradation end products of nonylphenol polyethoxylates onto activated sludge.

PubMed

Hung, Nguyen Viet; Tateda, Masafumi; Ike, Michihiko; Fujita, Masanori; Tsunoi, Shinji; Tanaka, Minoru

2004-01-01

Nonylphenol(NP), nonylphenoxy acetic acid (NP1EC), nonylphenol monoethoxy acetic acid (NP2EC), nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO) and nonylphenol diethoxylate (NP2EO) are biodegradation end products (BEPs) of nonionic surfactant nonylphenolpolyethoxylates (NPnEO). In this research, sorption of these compounds onto model activated sludge was characterized. Sorption equilibrium experiments showed that NP, NP1EO and NP2EO reached equilibrium in about 12 h, while equilibrium of NP1EC and NP2EC were reached earlier, in about 4 h. In sorption isotherm experiments, obtained equilibrium data at 28 degrees C fitted well to Freundlich sorption model for all investigated compounds. For NP1EC, in addition to Freundlich, equilibrium data also fitted well to Langmuir model. Linear sorption model was also tried, and equilibrium data of all NP, NP1EO, NP2EO and NP2EC except NP1EC fitted well to this model. Calculated Freundlich coefficient (K(F)) and linear sorption coefficient (K(D)) showed that sorption capacity of the investigated compounds were in order NP > NP2EO > NP1EO > NP1EC approximately NP2EC. For NP, NP1EO and NP2EO, high values of calculated K(F) and K(D) indicated an easy uptake of these compounds from aqueous phase onto activated sludge. Whereas, NP1EC and NP2EC with low values of K(F) and K(D) absorbed weakly to activated sludge and tended to preferably remain in aqueous phase.

Distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface waters, sediments and soils of Hangzhou City, China.

PubMed

Chen, Baoliang; Xuan, Xiaodong; Zhu, Lizhong; Wang, Jing; Gao, Yanzheng; Yang, Kun; Shen, Xueyou; Lou, Baofeng

2004-09-01

Ten polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were simultaneously measured in 17 surface water samples and 11 sediments of four water bodies, and 3 soils near the water-body bank in Hangzhou, China in December 2002. It was observed that the sum of PAHs concentrations ranged from 0.989 to 9.663 microg/L in surface waters, from 132.7 to 7343 ng/g dry weight in sediments, and from 59.71 to 615.8 ng/g dry weight in soils. The composition pattern of PAHs by ring size in water, sediment and soil were surveyed. Three-ring PAHs were dominated in surface waters and soils, meanwhile sediments were mostly dominated by four-ring PAHs. Furthermore, PAHs apparent distribution coefficients (K(d)) and solid f(oc)-normalized K(d) (e.g. K(oc)= K(d) / f(oc)) were calculated. The relationship between logK(oc) and logK(ow) of PAHs for field data on sediments and predicted values were compared. The sources of PAHs in different water bodies were evaluated by comparison of K (oc) values in sediments of the river downstream with that in soils. Hangzhou section of the Great Canal was heavily polluted by PAHs released from industrial wastewater in the past and now PAHs in sediment may serve as sources of PAHs in surface water. PAHs in Qiantang River were contributed from soil runoff. Municipal road runoff was mostly contributed to West Lake PAHs.

Bridging the gap between batch and column experiments: A case study of Cs adsorption on granite.

PubMed

Wang, Tsing-Hai; Li, Ming-Hsu; Teng, Shi-Ping

2009-01-15

Both batch and column methods are conventionally utilized to determine some critical parameters for assessing the transport of contaminants of concern. The validity of using these parameters is somewhat confusing, however, since outputs such as distribution coefficient (Kd) from these two approaches are often discrepant. To bridge this gap, all possible factors that might contribute to this discrepancy were thoroughly investigated in this report by a case study of Cs sorption to crushed granite under various conditions. Our results confirm an important finding that solid/liquid (S/L) ratio is the dominant factor responsible for this discrepancy. As long as the S/L ratio exceeds 0.25, a consistent Kd value can be reached by the two methods. Under these conditions (S/L ratios>0.25), the sorption capacity of the solid is about an order of magnitude less than that in low S/L ratios (<0.25). Although low sorption capacity is observed in the cases of high S/L ratios, the sorption usually takes place preferentially on the most favorable (thermodynamically stable) sorption sites to form a stronger binding. This is verified by our desorption experiments in which a linear isotherm feature is shown either in deionized water or in 1M of ammonium acetate solutions. It may be concluded that batch experiment with an S/L ratio exceeding 0.25 is crucial to obtain convincing Kd values for safety assessment of radioactive waste repository.

Modulation of the platelet serotonin transporter by thermal balneotherapy: a study in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Baroni, S; Marazziti, D; Consoli, G; Picchetti, M; Catena-Dell'Osso, M; Galassi, A

2012-05-01

Although the beneficial effects of balneotherapy have been recognized since a long time, a few information is available on the biological mechanisms underlying them and the subjective feelings of increased well-being and mood. The links between the serotonin (5-HT) system and mood prompted us to investigate the 5-HT platelet transporter (SERT), which is considered a reliable, peripheral marker of the same structure present in presynaptic neurons, in 30 healthy volunteers before (t0) and 30 minutes after (t1) thermal balneotherapy with ozonized water, as compared with a similar group who underwent a bath in non-mineral water. MATERIALS AN METHODS: The SERT was evaluated by means of the specific binding of 3H-paroxetine (3H-Par) to platelet membranes. Equilibrium-saturation binding data, the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) and the dissociation constant (Kd), were obtained by means of the Scatchard analysis. The results showed that, while Bmax values did not change in both groups, the Kd values decreased significantly at t1 only in those subjects who bathed in ozonized water. The results of this study, while showing a decrease of the dissociation constant (Kd) which is the inverse of affinity constant, of 3H-Par binding to SERT in all subjects after balneotherapy and not in those bathing in normal water, suggest that SERT modifications may be related to a specific effect of ozonized water and, perhaps, also to the increased sense of well-being.

Thermal balneotherapy induces changes of the platelet serotonin transporter in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Marazziti, Donatella; Baroni, Stefano; Giannaccini, Gino; Catena Dell'Osso, Mario; Consoli, Giorgio; Picchetti, Michela; Carlini, Marina; Massimetti, Gabriele; Provenzano, Serafina; Galassi, Antonio

2007-10-01

Although the beneficial effects of balneotherapy have been recognized since a long time, a few information is available on the biological mechanisms underlying them and the subjective feelings of increased well-being and mood. The links between the serotonin (5-HT) system and mood prompted us to investigate the 5-HT platelet transporter (SERT), which is considered a reliable, peripheral marker of the same structure present in presynaptic neurons, in 20 healthy volunteers before (t0) and 30 min after (t1) thermal balneotherapy with ozonized water of Montecatini spa, as compared with a similar group who underwent a bath in non-mineral water. The SERT was evaluated by means of the specific binding of (3)H-paroxetine ((3)H-Par) to platelet membranes. Equilibrium-saturation binding data, the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) and the dissociation constant (Kd), were obtained by means of the Scatchard analysis. The results showed that, while Bmax values did not change in both groups, the Kd values decreased significantly at t1 only in those subjects who bathed in ozonized water. The results of this study, while showing a decrease of the dissociation constant (Kd) which is the inverse of affinity constant, of (3)H-Par binding to SERT in all subjects after balneotherapy and not in those bathing in normal water, suggest that SERT modifications may be related to a specific effect of ozonized water and, perhaps, also to the increased sense of well-being.

Bisphenol A in Solid Waste Materials, Leachate Water, and Air Particles from Norwegian Waste-Handling Facilities: Presence and Partitioning Behavior.

PubMed

Morin, Nicolas; Arp, Hans Peter H; Hale, Sarah E

2015-07-07

The plastic additive bisphenol A (BPA) is commonly found in landfill leachate at levels exceeding acute toxicity benchmarks. To gain insight into the mechanisms controlling BPA emissions from waste and waste-handling facilities, a comprehensive field and laboratory campaign was conducted to quantify BPA in solid waste materials (glass, combustibles, vehicle fluff, waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE), plastics, fly ash, bottom ash, and digestate), leachate water, and atmospheric dust from Norwegian sorting, incineration, and landfill facilities. Solid waste concentrations varied from below 0.002 mg/kg (fly ash) to 188 ± 125 mg/kg (plastics). A novel passive sampling method was developed to, for the first time, establish a set of waste-water partition coefficients, KD,waste, for BPA, and to quantify differences between total and freely dissolved concentrations in waste-facility leachate. Log-normalized KD,waste (L/kg) values were similar for all solid waste materials (from 2.4 to 3.1), excluding glass and metals, indicating BPA is readily leachable. Leachate concentrations were similar for landfills and WEEE/vehicle sorting facilities (from 0.7 to 200 μg/L) and dominated by the freely dissolved fraction, not bound to (plastic) colloids (agreeing with measured KD,waste values). Dust concentrations ranged from 2.3 to 50.7 mg/kgdust. Incineration appears to be an effective way to reduce BPA concentrations in solid waste, dust, and leachate.

Interaction of Sr-90 with site candidate soil for demonstration disposal facility at Serpong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Budi; Mila, Oktri; Safni

2014-03-01

Interaction of radiostrontium (Sr-90) with site candidate soil for demonstration disposal facility to be constructed in the near future at Serpong has been done. This activity is to anticipate the interim storage facility at Serpong nuclear area becomes full off condition, and show to the public how radioactive waste can be well managed with the existing technology. To ensure that the location is save, a reliability study of site candidate soil becomes very importance to be conducted through some experiments consisted some affected parameters such as contact time, effect of ionic strength, and effect of Sr+ ion in solution. Radiostrontium was used as a tracer on the experiments and has role as radionuclide reference in low-level radioactive waste due to its long half-live and it's easy to associate with organism in nature. So, interaction of radiostrontium and soil samples from site becomes important to be studied. Experiment was performed in batch method, and soil sample-solution containing radionuclide was mixed in a 20 ml of PE vial. Ratio of solid: liquid was 10-2 g/ml. Objective of the experiment is to collect the specific characteristics data of radionuclide sorption onto soil from site candidate. Distribution coefficient value was used as indicator where the amount of initial and final activities of radiostrontium in solution was compared. Result showed that equilibrium condition was reached after contact time 10 days with Kd values ranged from 1600-2350 ml/g. Increased in ionic strength in solution made decreased of Kd value into soil sample due to competition of background salt and radiostrontium into soil samples, and increased in Sr ion in solution caused decreased of Kd value in soil sample due to limitation of sorption capacity in soil samples. Fast condition in saturated of metal ion into soil samples was reached due to a simple reaction was occurred.

Kawasaki Disease-Specific Molecules in the Sera Are Linked to Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns in the Biofilms

PubMed Central

Murata, Kenji; Kanno, Shunsuke; Nishio, Hisanori; Saito, Mitsumasa; Tanaka, Tamami; Yamamura, Kenichiro; Sakai, Yasunari; Takada, Hidetoshi; Miyamoto, Tomofumi; Mizuno, Yumi; Ouchi, Kazunobu; Waki, Kenji; Hara, Toshiro

2014-01-01

Background Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. The innate immune system is involved in its pathophysiology at the acute phase. We have recently established a novel murine model of KD coronary arteritis by oral administration of a synthetic microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP). On the hypothesis that specific MAMPs exist in KD sera, we have searched them to identify KD-specific molecules and to assess the pathogenesis. Methods We performed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of fractionated serum samples from 117 patients with KD and 106 controls. Microbiological and LC-MS evaluation of biofilm samples were also performed. Results KD samples elicited proinflammatory cytokine responses from human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). By LC-MS analysis of KD serum samples collected at 3 different periods, we detected a variety of KD-specific molecules in the lipophilic fractions that showed distinct m/z and MS/MS fragmentation patterns in each cluster. Serum KD-specific molecules showed m/z and MS/MS fragmentation patterns almost identical to those of MAMPs obtained from the biofilms formed in vitro (common MAMPs from Bacillus cereus, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus) at the 1st study period, and from the biofilms formed in vivo (common MAMPs from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis/Bacillus cereus/Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus) at the 2nd and 3rd periods. The biofilm extracts from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus also induced proinflammatory cytokines by HCAECs. By the experiments with IgG affinity chromatography, some of these serum KD-specific molecules bound to IgG. Conclusions We herein conclude that serum KD-specific molecules were mostly derived from biofilms and possessed molecular structures common to MAMPs from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus. Discovery of these KD-specific molecules might offer novel insight into the diagnosis and management of KD as well as its pathogenesis. PMID:25411968

Origin of the Mariano Lake uranium deposit, McKinley County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fishman, Neil S.; Reynolds, Richard L.

1982-01-01

The Mariano Lake uranium deposit, hosted by the Brushy Basin Member of the Jurassic Morrison Formation, occurs in the trough of an east-west trending syncline at the western end of the Smith Lake-Mariano Lake group of uranium deposits near Crownpoint, New Mexico. The orebody, which contains abundant amorphous organic material, is situated on the reduced side of a regional reduction-oxidation (redox) interface. The presence of amorphous organic material suggests the orebody may represent a tabular (primary) deposit, whereas the close proximity of the orebody to the redox interface is suggestive that uranium was secondarily redistributed by oxidative processes from pre-existing tabular orebodies. Uranium contents correlate positively with both organic carbon and vanadium contents. Petrographic evidence and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive analyses point to uranium residence in the epigentically introduced amorphous organic material, which coats detrital grains and fills voids. Uranium mineralization was preceded by the following diagenetic alterations: precipitation of pyrite (d34S values ranging from-11.0 to-38.2 per mil); precipitation of mixed-layer smectite-illite clays; partial dissolution of some of the detrital feldspar population; and precipitation of quartz and adularia overgrowths. Alterations associated with uranium mineralization include emplacement of amorphous organic material (possibly uranium bearing); destruction of detrital iron-titanium oxide grains; coprecipitation of chlorite and microcrystalline quartz, and precipitation of pyrite and marcasite (d34S values for these sulfides ranging from -29.4 to -41.6 per mil). After mineralization, calcite, dolomite, barite, and kaolinite precipitated, and authigenic iron disulfides were replaced by ferric oxides and hydroxides. Geochemical data (primarily the positive correlation of uranium content to both organic carbon and vanadium contents) and petrographic observations (epigentically introduced amorphous organic matter and uranium residence in this organic matter) indicate that the Mariano Lake orebody is a tabular-type uranium deposit. Oxidative processes have not noticeably redistributed and reconcentrated primary uranium in the immediate vicinity of the deposit nor have they greatly modified geochemical characteristics in the ore. Preservation of the Mariano Lake deposit may not only be related to its position along the synclinal trough, where oxidative destruction of the orebody has been inhibited by stagnation of oxidizing ground waters by the structure, but also due to the deflection of ground waters (resulting from low orebody porosity) around the orebody.

Quasimodular instanton partition function and the elliptic solution of Korteweg-de Vries equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Wei

2015-02-01

The Gauge/Bethe correspondence relates Omega-deformed N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories to some quantum integrable models, in simple cases the integrable models can be treated as solvable quantum mechanics models. For SU(2) gauge theory with an adjoint matter, or with 4 fundamental matters, the potential of corresponding quantum model is the elliptic function. If the mass of matter takes special value then the potential is an elliptic solution of KdV hierarchy. We show that the deformed prepotential of gauge theory can be obtained from the average densities of conserved charges of the classical KdV solution, the UV gauge coupling dependence is assembled into the Eisenstein series. The gauge theory with adjoint mass is taken as the example.

Chemical and ruminal in vitro evaluation of Canadian canola meals produced over 4 years.

PubMed

Broderick, Glen A; Colombini, Stefania; Costa, Sara; Karsli, Mehmet A; Faciola, Antonio P

2016-10-01

To test the effects of year and processing plant on the nutritional value of canola meal (CM), 3 CM samples/yr were collected from each of 12 Canadian production plants over 4yr (total=144). Samples of CM were analyzed for differences in chemical composition and for in vitro ruminal protein degradability using the Michaelis-Menten inhibitor in vitro (MMIIV) method. In the MMIIV method, protein degradation rate (kd) was estimated by 2 methods: from net release (i.e., blank corrected) of (1) ammonia plus AA determined by o-phthaldialdehyde fluorescence (OPAF) assay or (2) ammonia, AA, plus oligopeptides determined by o-phthaldialdehyde absorbance (OPAA) assay; rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) was computed assuming passage rates of 0.16 and 0.06/h for, respectively, soluble and insoluble protein. Casein, solvent soybean meal (SSBM), and expeller soybean meal (ESBM) were included in all incubations as standard proteins. Differences among years and plants were assessed using the mixed procedures of SAS. Small but significant differences were found in CM among years for chemical composition, including N solubility; some of these differences may have been related to changes in our analytical methods over time. However, adjustment of degradation activity of individual in vitro incubations based on the mean degradation activity over all incubations yielded kd and RUP that did not differ by year using either assay. Simultaneously incubating CM samples from 2yr in the same in vitro runs confirmed that no year effects existed for kd or RUP. Differences existed in chemical composition of CM among the 12 processing plants over the 4yr of sample collection. Moreover, consistent differences in kd and RUP were observed among plants: kd ranged from 0.069 to 0.113/h (OPAA assay) and 0.075 to 0.120/h (OPAF assay), and RUP estimates ranged from 51 to 43% (OPAA assay) and 49 to 41% (OPAF assay). Regression of kd on insoluble N content of CM yielded correlation coefficients (R(2))=0.40 (OPAA assay) and 0.42 (OPAF assay), and regressions of kd on NDIN and N-fraction B3 yielded R(2)<0.02. Mean estimates from both OPAA and OPAF assays for casein, SSBM, ESBM, and CM were, respectively, kd=0.764, 0.161, 0.050, and 0.093/h and RUP=18, 33, 56, and 45%. A range of 8 percentage units from lowest to highest RUP suggests that substantial differences exist in metabolizable protein content of CM produced by different processing plants. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy: the role of ketogenic diet].

PubMed

Garcia-Penas, J J

2016-01-01

Between 5-40% of autistic patients will develop epilepsy. Most individuals with autism and epilepsy will respond to pharmacologic treatment; however, approximately 20-30% will develop medically refractory epilepsy. For this population, alternative treatments such as ketogenic diet (KD) can be highly efficacious and should be seriously considered. To discuss the use of the KD in refractory pediatric epilepsy and its role in patients with autism and epilepsy. KD is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for refractory childhood epilepsy, including those patients who associate autism and epilepsy. Accurate characterization of the electroclinical epilepsy syndrome is the key to deciding when to consider the KD. Otherwise, the positive effect of KD for treating mitochondrial oxidative disorders and different models of autistic animals suggest that KD could be a good alternative treatment for autistic patients. Based on the demonstrated efficacy of KD in patients who associate both epilepsy and autism, KD treatment has been recently used in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders; however, there is lacking of controlled studies to define the real efficacy of this therapy. A well designed randomized controlled study is needed to determine whether KD is really efficacious for these patients.

Size distribution of radon daughter particles in uranium mine atmospheres.

PubMed

George, A C; Hinchliffe, L; Sladowski, R

1975-06-01

The size distribution of radon daughters was measured in several uranium mines using four compact diffusion batteries and a round jet cascade impactor. Simultaneously, measurements were made of uncombined fractions of radon daughters, radon concentration, working level and particle concentration. The size distributions found for radon daughters were log normal. The activity median diameters ranged from 0.09 mum to 0.3 mum with a mean value of 0.17 mum. Geometric standard deviations were in the range from 1.3 to 4 with a mean value of 2.7. Uncombined fractions expressed in accordance with the ICRP definition ranged from 0.004 to 0.16 with a mean value of 0.04. The radon daughter sizes in these mines are greater than the sizes assumed by various authors in calculating respiratory tract dose. The disparity may reflect the widening use of diesel-powered equipment in large uranium mines.

Comparison of the Kinetic Rate Law Parameters for the Dissolution of Natural and Synthetic Autunite in the Presence of Aqueous Bicarbonate Ions

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

Gudavalli, Ravi; Katsenovich, Yelena; Wellman, Dawn M.

2013-08-02

Bicarbonate is one of the most significant components within the uranium geochemical cycle. In aqueous solutions, bicarbonate forms strong complexes with uranium. As such, aqueous bicarbonate may significantly increase the rate of uranium release from uranium minerals. Quantifying the relationship of aqueous bicarbonate concentration to the rate of uranium release during dissolution is critical to understanding the long-term fate of uranium within the environment. Single-pass flow-through (SPTF) experiments were conducted to estimate the rate of uranium release from Na meta-autunite as a function of bicarbonate (0.0005-0.003 M) under the pH range of 6-11 and a temperature range of 5-60oC. Consistentmore » with the results of previous investigation, the rate of uranium release exhibited minimal dependency on temperature; but were strongly dependent on pH. Increasing aqueous bicarbonate concentrations afforded comparable increases in the rate of release of uranium. Most notably under low pH conditions the aqueous bicarbonate resulted in up to 370 fold increases in the rate of uranium release in relative to the rate of uranium release in the absence of bicarbonate. However, the effect of aqueous bicarbonate on the release of uranium was significantly less under higher pH conditions. It is postulated that at high pH values, surface sites are saturated with carbonate, thus the addition of more bicarbonate would have less effect on uranium release.« less

Radiation increases the activity of oncolytic adenovirus cancer gene therapy vectors that overexpress the ADP (E3-11.6K) protein.

PubMed

Toth, Karoly; Tarakanova, Vera; Doronin, Konstantin; Ward, Peter; Kuppuswamy, Mohan; Locke, Jacob E; Dawson, Julie E; Kim, Han J; Wold, William S M

2003-03-01

We have described three potential adenovirus type 5 (Ad5)-based replication-competent cancer gene therapy vectors named KD1, KD3, and VRX-007. All three vectors overexpress an Ad5 protein named Adenovirus Death Protein (ADP, also named E3-11.6 K protein). ADP is required for efficient lysis of Ad5-infected cells and spread of virus from cell to cell, and thus its overexpression increases the oncolytic activity of the vectors. KD1 and KD3 contain mutations in the Ad5 E1A gene that knock out binding of the E1A proteins to cellular p300/CBP and pRB; these mutations allow KD1 and KD3 to grow well in cancer cells but not in normal cells. VRX-007 has wild-type E1A. Here we report that radiation increases the oncolytic activity of KD1, KD3, and VRX-007. This increased activity was observed in cultured cells, and it was not because of radiation-induced replication of the vectors. The combination of radiation plus KD3 suppressed the growth of A549 lung adenocarcinoma xenografts in nude mice more efficiently than radiation alone or KD3 alone. The combination of ADP-overexpressing vectors and radiation may have potential in treating cancer.

Ambient air pollution, temperature and kawasaki disease in Shanghai, China.

PubMed

Lin, Zhijing; Meng, Xia; Chen, Renjie; Huang, Guoying; Ma, Xiaojing; Chen, Jingjing; Huang, Min; Huang, Meirong; Gui, Yonghao; Chu, Chen; Liu, Fang; Kan, Haidong

2017-11-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a kind of pediatric vasculitis of unknown etiology which mainly affects the development of coronary artery aneurysms. Few studies have explored the potential environmental risk factors on KD incidence. We performed a time-series analysis to investigate the associations between air pollution and temperature and KD in Shanghai, China. We collected daily-hospitalized KD patients that were admitted in major pediatric specialty hospitals located in the urban areas of Shanghai from 2001 to 2010. The over-dispersed generalized additive model was used to estimate the effects of air pollutants on KD incidence on each day. Then, this model was combined with a distributed lag non-linear model to estimate the cumulative effects of temperature over a week. There were positive but statistically insignificant associations between three major air pollutants and KD incidence. The association between daily mean temperature and KD was generally J-shaped with higher risks on hot days. The cumulative relative risk of KD at extreme hot temperature (99th percentile, 32.4 °C) over a week was 1.91 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13, 3.23], compared with the referent temperature (10.0 °C). This study suggested that a short-term exposure to high temperature may significantly increase the incidence of KD, and the evidence linking air pollution and KD incidence was limited. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of nonpoint source chemical loading potential to watersheds containing uranium waste dumps and human health hazards associated with uranium exploration and mining, Red, White, and Fry Canyons, southeastern Utah, 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beisner, Kimberly R.; Marston, Thomas M.; Naftz, David L.; Snyder, Terry; Freeman, Michael L.

2010-01-01

During May, June, and July 2007, 58 solid-phase samples were collected from abandoned uranium mine waste dumps, background sites, and adjacent streambeds in Red, White, and Fry Canyons in southeastern Utah. The objectives of this sampling program were to (1) assess the nonpoint-source chemical loading potential to ephemeral and perennial drainage basins from uranium waste dumps and (2) assess potential effects on human health due to recreational activities on and around uranium waste dumps on Bureau of Land Management property. Uranium waste-dump samples were collected using solid-phase sampling protocols. After collection, solid-phase samples were homogenized and extracted in the laboratory using a leaching procedure. Filtered (0.45 micron) water samples were obtained from the field leaching procedure and were analyzed for major and trace elements at the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry Metals Analysis Laboratory at the University of Utah. A subset of the solid-phase samples also were digested with strong acids and analyzed for major ions and trace elements at the U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Division Laboratory in Denver, Colorado. For the initial ranking of chemical loading potential for uranium waste dumps, results of leachate analyses were compared with existing aquatic-life and drinking-water-quality standards. To assess potential effects on human health, solid-phase digestion values for uranium were compared to soil screening levels (SSL) computed using the computer model RESRAD 6.5 for a probable concentration of radium. One or more chemical constituents exceeded aquatic life and drinking-water-quality standards in approximately 64 percent (29/45) of the leachate samples extracted from uranium waste dumps. Most of the uranium waste dump sites with elevated trace-element concentrations in leachates were located in Red Canyon. Approximately 69 percent (31/45) of the strong acid digestible soil concentration values were greater than a calculated SSL. Uranium waste dump sites with elevated leachate and total digestible concentrations may need to be further investigated to determine the most appropriate remediation method.

Ketogenic diet in endocrine disorders: Current perspectives

PubMed Central

Gupta, L; Khandelwal, D; Kalra, S; Gupta, P; Dutta, D; Aggarwal, S

2017-01-01

Ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, adequate-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet that leads to nutritional ketosis, long known for antiepileptic effects and has been used therapeutically to treat refractory epilepsy. This review attempts to summarize the evidence and clinical application of KD in diabetes, obesity, and other endocrine disorders. KD is usually animal protein based. An empiric vegetarian Indian variant of KD has been provided keeping in mind the Indian food habits. KD has beneficial effects on cardiac ischemic preconditioning, improves oxygenation in patients with respiratory failure, improves glycemic control in diabetics, is associated with significant weight loss, and has a beneficial impact on polycystic ovarian syndrome. Multivitamin supplementations are recommended with KD. Recently, ketones are being proposed as super-metabolic fuel; and KD is currently regarded as apt dietary therapy for “diabesity.” PMID:29022562

Measurement of natural radioactivity and radon exhalation rate from rock samples of Jaduguda uranium mines and its radiological implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahur, A. K.; Kumar, Rajesh; Sonkawade, R. G.; Sengupta, D.; Prasad, Rajendra

2008-04-01

The Singhbhum shear zone is a 200 km long arcuate belt in Jharkhand state situated in eastern India. The central part between Jaduguda-Bhatin-Nimdih, Narwapahr-Garadih-Turamdih is rich in uranium. Presence of uranium in the host rocks and the prevalence of a confined atmosphere within mines could result in enhanced concentration of radon (222Rn) gas and its progeny. Inhalation of radon daughter products is a major contributor to the radiation dose to exposed subjects. By using high resolution γ-ray spectroscopic system various radionuclides in the rock samples, collected from different places of Jaduguda uranium mines have been identified quantitatively based on the characteristic spectral peaks. The activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides, uranium (238U), thorium (232Th) and potassium (40K) were measured in the rock samples and radiological parameters were calculated. Uranium concentration was found to vary from 123 ± 7 Bq kg-1 to 40,858 ± 174 Bq kg-1. Activity of thorium was not significant in the samples, whereas, few samples have shown potassium activity from 162 ± 11 Bq kg-1 to 9024 ± 189 Bq kg-1. Radon exhalation rates from these samples were also measured using "Sealed Can technique" and found to vary from 4.2 ± 0.05 to 13.7 ± 0.08 Bq m-2 h-1. A positive correlation was found between the radon exhalation rate and the uranium activity. The absorbed dose rates vary from 63.6 to 18876.4 nGy h-1, with an average value of 7054.2 nGy h-1. The annual external effective dose rates vary from 0.7 to 23.2 mSv y-1. Radium equivalent activities (Raeq) varied from 134.3 to 40858.0 Bq kg-1. Value of external hazard index (Hex) varied from 0.4 to 110.4 with an average value of 41.2.

Effect of pH and Pressure on Uranium Removal from Drinking Water Using NF/RO Membranes.

PubMed

Schulte-Herbrüggen, Helfrid M A; Semião, Andrea J C; Chaurand, Perrine; Graham, Margaret C

2016-06-07

Groundwater is becoming an increasingly important drinking water source. However, the use of groundwater for potable purposes can lead to chronic human exposure to geogenic contaminants, for example, uranium. Nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) processes are used for drinking water purification, and it is important to understand how contaminants interact with membranes since accumulation of contaminants to the membrane surface can lead to fouling, performance decline and possible breakthrough of contaminants. During the current study laboratory experiments were conducted using NF (TFC-SR2) and RO (BW30) membranes to establish the behavior of uranium across pH (3-10) and pressure (5-15 bar) ranges. The results showed that important determinants of uranium-membrane sorption interactions were (i) the uranium speciation (uranium species valence and size in relation to membrane surface charge and pore size) and (ii) concentration polarization, depending on the pH values. The results show that it is important to monitor sorption of uranium to membranes, which is controlled by pH and concentration polarization, and, if necessary, adjust those parameters controlling uranium sorption.

Uranium (VI) solubility in carbonate-free ERDA-6 brine

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

Lucchini, Jean-francois; Khaing, Hnin; Reed, Donald T

2010-01-01

When present, uranium is usually an element of importance in a nuclear waste repository. In the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), uranium is the most prevalent actinide component by mass, with about 647 metric tons to be placed in the repository. Therefore, the chemistry of uranium, and especially its solubility in the WIPP conditions, needs to be well determined. Long-term experiments were performed to measure the solubility of uranium (VI) in carbonate-free ERDA-6 brine, a simulated WIPP brine, at pC{sub H+} values between 8 and 12.5. These data, obtained from the over-saturation approach, were the first repository-relevant data for themore » VI actinide oxidation state. The solubility trends observed pointed towards low uranium solubility in WIPP brines and a lack of amphotericity. At the expected pC{sub H+} in the WIPP ({approx} 9.5), measured uranium solubility approached 10{sup -7} M. The objective of these experiments was to establish a baseline solubility to further investigate the effects of carbonate complexation on uranium solubility in WIPP brines.« less

Bacterial leaching of waste uranium materials.

PubMed

Barbic, F F; Bracilović, D M; Krajincanić, B V; Lucić, J L

1976-01-01

The effect of ferrobacteria and thiobacteria on the leaching of waste uranium materials from which 70-80% of uranium was previously leached by classical chemical hydrometallurgical procedure has been investigated. The bacteria used are found in the ore and the mine water of Zletovska River locality, Yugoslavia. Parameters of biological leaching were examined in the laboratory. Leaching conditions were changed with the aim of increasing the amount of uranium leached. The effect of pyrite added to the waste materials before the beginning of leaching has also been examined. Uranium leaching is directly proportional to the composition and number of ferrobacteria and thiobacteria, and increased by almost twice the value obtained from the same starting materials without using bacteria. Increased sulphuric acid concentrations stimulate considerably the rate of leaching. Uranium leaching is increased up to 20% while sulphuric acid consumption is simultaneously decreased by the addition of pyrite. Uranium concentrations in starting waste materials used for leaching were extremely low (0.0278 and 0.372% U) but about 60% recovery of uranium was obtained, with relatively low consumption of sulphuric acid.

Preparation and biosorption evaluation of Bacillus subtilis/alginate–chitosan microcapsule

PubMed Central

Tong, Ke

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of alginate–chitosan microcapsule on viability characteristics of Bacillus subtilis and the ability of B. subtilis/alginate–chitosan microcapsule to remove uranium ion from aqueous solution. The effects of particle size, chitosan molecular weight and inoculum density on viability characteristics were studied using alginate–chitosan microcapsule-immobilized B. subtilis experiments. In addition, the effects of pH, immobilized spherule dosage, temperature, initial uranium ion concentration and contact time on removal of uranium ion were studied using batch adsorption experiments. The results showed that alginate–chitosan microcapsule significantly improved the viability characteristics of B. subtilis and that B. subtilis/alginate–chitosan microcapsule strongly promoted uranium ion absorption. Moreover, the optimum values of pH was 6; immobilized spherule dosage was 3.5; temperature was 20°C; initial uranium ion concentration was 150 mg/L; contact time was 3 h of uranium ion absorption and the maximum adsorption capacity of uranium ion was 376.64 mg/g. PMID:28223783

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

Fincke, J.R.; Swank, W.D.; Haggard, D.C.

This paper describes the experimental demonstration of a process for the direct plasma reduction of depleted uranium hexafluoride to uranium metal. The process exploits the large departures from equilibrium that can be achieved in the rapid supersonic expansion of a totally dissociated and partially ionized mixture of UF{sub 6}, Ar, He, and H{sub 2}. The process is based on the rapid condensation of subcooled uranium vapor and the relatively slow rate of back reaction between metallic uranium and HF to F{sub 2} to reform stable fluorides. The high translational velocities and rapid cooling result in an overpopulation of atomic hydrogenmore » which persists throughout the expansion process. Atomic hydrogen shifts the equilibrium composition by inhibiting the reformation of uranium-fluorine compounds. This process has the potential to reduce the cost of reducing UF{sub 6} to uranium metal with the added benefit of being a virtually waste free process. The dry HF produced is a commodity which has industrial value.« less

Investigation of uranium binding forms in selected German mineral waters.

PubMed

Osman, Alfatih A A; Geipel, Gerhard; Bernhard, Gert; Worch, Eckhard

2013-12-01

Cryogenic time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy was successfully used to identify uranium binding forms in selected German mineral waters of extremely low uranium concentrations (<2.0 μg/L). The measurements were performed at a low temperature of 153 K. The spectroscopic data showed a prevalence of aquatic species Ca2UO2(CO3)3 in all investigated waters, while other uranyl-carbonate complexes, viz, UO2CO3(aq) and UO2(CO3)2 (2-), only existed as minor species. The pH value, alkalinity (CO3 (2-)), and the main water inorganic constituents, specifically the Ca(2+) concentration, showed a clear influence on uranium speciation. Speciation modeling was performed using the most recent thermodynamic data for aqueous complexes of uranium. The modeling results for the main uranium binding form in the investigated waters indicated a good agreement with the spectroscopy measurements.

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Palestine NTMS Quadrangle, Texas

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

Not Available

1979-05-04

Results of a reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Palestine Quadrangle are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 714 groundwater and 577 stream sediment samples. Statistical and areal distributions of uranium and possible uranium-related variables are displayed. A generalized geologic map of the survey area is provided, and pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed. Groundwater data indicate that uranium concentrations above the 85th percentile occur primarily in the Caddell, Wellborn, and Manning Formations of the Jackson Group; and the Yegua Formation of the Claiborne Group. Saline watermore » trends are also prominent in these formations. Stream sediment data indicate that uranium values above the 85th percentile correlate with high concentrations of cerium, niobium, thorium, titanium, yttrium, and zirconium. This elemental suite probably indicates that uranium is associated with resistate and/or heavy minerals.« less

Uranium in groundwater--Fertilizers versus geogenic sources.

PubMed

Liesch, Tanja; Hinrichsen, Sören; Goldscheider, Nico

2015-12-01

Due to its radiological and toxicological properties even at low concentration levels, uranium is increasingly recognized as relevant contaminant in drinking water from aquifers. Uranium originates from different sources, including natural or geogenic, mining and industrial activities, and fertilizers in agriculture. The goal of this study was to obtain insights into the origin of uranium in groundwater while differentiating between geogenic sources and fertilizers. A literature review concerning the sources and geochemical processes affecting the occurrence and distribution of uranium in the lithosphere, pedosphere and hydrosphere provided the background for the evaluation of data on uranium in groundwater at regional scale. The state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, was selected for this study, because of its hydrogeological and land-use diversity, and for reasons of data availability. Uranium and other parameters from N=1935 groundwater monitoring sites were analyzed statistically and geospatially. Results show that (i) 1.6% of all water samples exceed the German legal limit for drinking water (10 μg/L); (ii) The range and spatial distribution of uranium and occasional peak values seem to be related to geogenic sources; (iii) There is a clear relation between agricultural land-use and low-level uranium concentrations, indicating that fertilizers generate a measurable but low background of uranium in groundwater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Point Kinetics Model for Estimating Neutron Multiplication of Bare Uranium Metal in Tagged Neutron Measurements

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

Tweardy, Matthew C.; McConchie, Seth; Hayward, Jason P.

An extension of the point kinetics model is developed in this paper to describe the neutron multiplicity response of a bare uranium object under interrogation by an associated particle imaging deuterium-tritium (D-T) measurement system. This extended model is used to estimate the total neutron multiplication of the uranium. Both MCNPX-PoliMi simulations and data from active interrogation measurements of highly enriched and depleted uranium geometries are used to evaluate the potential of this method and to identify the sources of systematic error. The detection efficiency correction for measured coincidence response is identified as a large source of systematic error. If themore » detection process is not considered, results suggest that the method can estimate total multiplication to within 13% of the simulated value. Values for multiplicity constants in the point kinetics equations are sensitive to enrichment due to (n, xn) interactions by D-T neutrons and can introduce another significant source of systematic bias. This can theoretically be corrected if isotopic composition is known a priori. Finally, the spatial dependence of multiplication is also suspected of introducing further systematic bias for high multiplication uranium objects.« less

A Point Kinetics Model for Estimating Neutron Multiplication of Bare Uranium Metal in Tagged Neutron Measurements

DOE PAGES

Tweardy, Matthew C.; McConchie, Seth; Hayward, Jason P.

2017-06-13

An extension of the point kinetics model is developed in this paper to describe the neutron multiplicity response of a bare uranium object under interrogation by an associated particle imaging deuterium-tritium (D-T) measurement system. This extended model is used to estimate the total neutron multiplication of the uranium. Both MCNPX-PoliMi simulations and data from active interrogation measurements of highly enriched and depleted uranium geometries are used to evaluate the potential of this method and to identify the sources of systematic error. The detection efficiency correction for measured coincidence response is identified as a large source of systematic error. If themore » detection process is not considered, results suggest that the method can estimate total multiplication to within 13% of the simulated value. Values for multiplicity constants in the point kinetics equations are sensitive to enrichment due to (n, xn) interactions by D-T neutrons and can introduce another significant source of systematic bias. This can theoretically be corrected if isotopic composition is known a priori. Finally, the spatial dependence of multiplication is also suspected of introducing further systematic bias for high multiplication uranium objects.« less

Mouse models: the ketogenic diet and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

PubMed

Borges, Karin

2008-11-01

Literature on the anticonvulsant effects of the ketogenic diet (KD) in mouse seizure models is summarized. Recent data show that a KD balanced in vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content is anticonvulsant in mice, confirming that the KD's effect in mice can be attributed to the composition of the diet and not other dietary factors. Given that the anticonvulsant mechanism of the KD is still unknown, the anticonvulsant profile of the diet in different seizure models may help to decipher this mechanism. The implications of the findings that the KD is anticonvulsant in electrical seizure models are indicated. Further, the potential involvement of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the KD's anticonvulsant mechanism is discussed.

β-decay Rates for Exotic Nuclei and r-process Nucleosynthesis up to Thorium and Uranium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Toshio; Shibagaki, Shota; Yoshida, Takashi; Kajino, Toshitaka; Otsuka, Takaharu

2018-06-01

Beta-decay rates for exotic nuclei with neutron magic number of N = 126 relevant to r-process nucleosynthesis are studied up to Z = 78 by shell-model calculations. The half-lives for the waiting-point nuclei obtained, which are short compared to a standard finite-range-droplet model, are used to study r-process nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernova (CCSN) explosions and binary neutron star mergers. The element abundances are obtained up to the third peak as well as beyond the peak region up to thorium and uranium. The position of the third peak is found to be shifted toward a higher mass region in both CCSN explosions and neutron star mergers. We find that thorium and uranium elements are produced more with the shorter shell-model half-lives and their abundances come close to the observed values in CCSN explosions. In the case of binary neutron star mergers, thorium and uranium are produced consistently with the observed values independent of the half-lives.

Activity disequilibrium between 234U and 238U isotopes in natural environment.

PubMed

Boryło, Alicja; Skwarzec, Bogdan

The aim of this work was to calculate the values of the 234 U/ 238 U activity ratio in natural environment (water, sediments, Baltic organisms and marine birds from various regions of the southern Baltic Sea; river waters (the Vistula and the Oder River); plants and soils collected near phosphogypsum waste heap in Wiślinka (Northern Poland) and deer-like animals from Northern Poland. On the basis of the studies it was found that the most important processes of uranium geochemical migration in the southern Baltic Sea ecosystem are the sedimentation of suspended material and the vertical diffusion from the sediments into the bottom water. Considerable values of the 234 U/ 238 U are characterized for the Vistula and Oder Rivers and its tributaries. The values of the 234 U/ 238 U activity ratio in different tissues and organs of the Baltic organisms, sea birds and wild deer are varied. Such a large variation value of obtained activity ratios indicates different behavior of uranium isotopes in the tissues and organisms of sea birds and wild animals. This value shows that uranium isotopes can be disposed at a slower or faster rate. The values of the 234 U/ 238 U activity ratio in the analyzed plants, soils and mosses collected in the vicinity of phosphogypsum dumps in Wiślinka are close to one and indicate the phosphogypsum origin of the analyzed nuclides. Uranium isotopes 234 U and 238 U are not present in radioactive equilibrium in the aquatic environment, which indicates that their activities are not equal. The inverse relationship is observed in the terrestrial environment, where the value of the of the 234 U/ 238 U activity ratio really oscillates around unity.

Ketogenic diet and childhood neurological disorders other than epilepsy: an overview.

PubMed

Verrotti, Alberto; Iapadre, Giulia; Pisano, Simone; Coppola, Giangennaro

2017-05-01

In the last years, ketogenic diet (KD) has been experimentally utilized in various childhood neurologic disorders such as mitochondriopathies, alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC), brain tumors, migraine, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this review is to analyze how KD can target these different medical conditions, highlighting possible mechanisms involved. Areas covered: We have conducted an analysis on literature concerning KD use in mitochondriopathies, AHC, brain tumors, migraine, and ASD. Expert commentary: The role of KD in reducing seizure activity in some mitochondriopathies and its efficacy in pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is known. Recently, few cases suggest the potentiality of KD in decreasing paroxysmal activity in children affected by AHC. A few data support its potential use as co-adjuvant and alternative therapeutic option for brain cancer, while any beneficial effect of KD on migraine remains unclear. KD could improve cognitive and social skills in a subset of children with ASD.

Amyloid Precursor-like Protein 2 Increases the Endocytosis, Instability, and Turnover of the H2-Kd MHC Class I Molecule1

PubMed Central

Tuli, Amit; Sharma, Mahak; McIlhaney, Mary M.; Talmadge, James E.; Naslavsky, Naava; Caplan, Steve; Solheim, Joyce C.

2008-01-01

The defense against the invasion of viruses and tumors relies on the presentation of viral and tumor-derived peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes by cell surface major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Previously, we showed that the ubiquitously expressed protein amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) associates with the folded form of the MHC class I molecule Kd. In the current study, APLP2 was found to associate with folded Kd molecules following their endocytosis and to increase the amount of endocytosed Kd. In addition, increased expression of APLP2 was shown to decrease Kd surface expression and thermostability. Correspondingly, Kd thermostability and surface expression were increased by down-regulation of APLP2 expression. Overall, these data suggest that APLP2 modulates the stability and endocytosis of Kd molecules. PMID:18641335

A Super mKdV Equation: Bosonization, Painlevé Property and Exact Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Bo; Lou, Sen-Yue

2018-04-01

The symmetry of the fermionic field is obtained by means of the Lax pair of the mKdV equation. A new super mKdV equation is constructed by virtue of the symmetry of the fermionic form. The super mKdV system is changed to a system of coupled bosonic equations with the bosonization approach. The bosonized SmKdV (BSmKdV) equation admits Painlevé property by the standard singularity analysis. The traveling wave solutions of the BSmKdV system are presented by the mapping and deformation method. We also provide other ideas to construct new super integrable systems. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 11775146, 11435005, and 11472177, Shanghai Knowledge Service Platform for Trustworthy Internet of Things under Grant No. ZF1213 and K. C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University

Influence of soil biochar aging on sorption of the herbicides MCPA, nicosulfuron, terbuthylazine, indaziflam, and fluoroethyldiaminotriazine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sorption of four herbicides and a metabolite of indaziflam on a fresh macadamia nut biochar and biochars aged one or two years in soil was characterized. On fresh biochar, the sorption was terbuthylazine (Kd = 595) > indaziflam (Kd = 162) > MCPA (Kd = 7.5) > fluoroethyldiaminotriazine (Kd = 0.26) a...

Direct Connection between the RII Chain and the Nonautonomous Discrete Modified KdV Lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Kazuki; Tsujimoto, Satoshi

2013-11-01

The spectral transformation technique for symmetric RII polynomials is developed. Use of this technique reveals that the nonautonomous discrete modified KdV (nd-mKdV) lattice is directly connected with the RII chain. Hankel determinant solutions to the semi-infinite nd-mKdV lattice are also presented.

Lytic and Chemotactic Features of the Plaque-Forming Bacterium KD531 on Phaeodactylum tricornutum

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhangran; Zheng, Wei; Yang, Luxi; Boughner, Lisa A.; Tian, Yun; Zheng, Tianling; Xu, Hong

2017-01-01

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a dominant bloom forming species and potential biofuel feedstock. To control P. tricornutum bloom or to release lipids from P. tricornutum, we previously screened and identified the lytic bacterium Labrenzia sp. KD531 toward P. tricornutum. In the present study, we evaluated the lytic activity of Labrenzia sp. KD531 on microalgae and investigated its lytic mechanism. The results indicated that the lytic activity of KD531 was temperature- and pH-dependent, but light-independent. In addition to P. tricornutum, KD531 also showed lytic activity against other algal species, especially green algae. A quantitative analysis of algal cellular protein, carbohydrate and lipid content together with measurements of dry weight after exposure to bacteria-infected algal lysate indicated that the bacterium KD531 influenced the algal biomass by disrupting the algal cells. Both chemotactic analysis and microscopic observations of subsamples from different regions of formed plaques showed that KD531 could move toward and then directly contact algal cells. Direct contact between P. tricornutum and KD531 cells was essential for the lytic process. PMID:29312256

Francis Perrin's 1939 Analysis of Uranium Criticality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Cameron

2012-03-01

In May 1939, French physicist Francis Perrin published the first numerical estimate of the fast-neutron critical mass of a uranium compound. While his estimate of about 40 metric tons (12 tons if tamped) pertained to uranium oxide of natural isotopic composition as opposed to the enriched uranium that would be required for a nuclear weapon, it is interesting to examine Perrin's physics and to explore the subsequent impact of his paper. In this presentation I will discuss Perrin's model, the likely provenance of his parameter values, and how his work compared to the approach taken by Robert Serber in his 1943 Los Alamos Primer.

PREPARATION OF REFRACTORY OXIDE CRYSTALS

DOEpatents

Grimes, W.R.; Shaffer, J.H.; Watson, G.M.

1962-11-13

A method is given for preparing uranium dioxide, thorium oxide, and beryllium oxide in the form of enlarged individual crystals. The surface of a fused alkali metal halide melt containing dissolved uranium, thorium, or beryllium values is contacted with a water-vapor-bearing inert gas stream at a rate of 5 to 10 cubic centimeters per minute per square centimeter of melt surface area. Growth of individual crystals is obtained by prolonged contact. Beryllium oxide-coated uranium dioxide crystals are prepared by disposing uranium dioxide crystals 5 to 20 microns in diameter in a beryllium-containing melt and contacting the melt with a water-vapor-bearing inert gas stream in the same manner. (AEC)

State-of-the-art acute phase management of Kawasaki disease after 2017 scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

PubMed

Liu, Yi-Ching; Lin, Ming-Tai; Wang, Jou-Kou; Wu, Mei-Hwan

2018-03-30

Kawasaki disease (KD) has become the most common form of pediatric systemic vasculitis. Although patients with KD received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy, coronary arterial lesions (CALs) still occurred in 5%-10% of these patients during the acute stage. CALs may persist and even progress to stenosis or obstruction. Therefore, CALs following KD are currently the leading cause of acquired heart diseases in children. The etiology of CALs remains unknown despite more than four decades of research. Two unsolved problems are IVIG unresponsiveness and the diagnosis of incomplete KD. The two subgroups of KD patients with these problems have a high risk of CAL. In April 2017, the American Heart Association (AHA) updated the guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of KD. Compared with the previous KD guidelines published in 2004, the new guidelines provide solutions to the aforementioned two problems and emphasize risk stratification by using coronary artery Z score systems, as well as coronary severity-based management and long-term follow-up. Therefore, in this study, we merged the AHA Scientific Statement in 2017 with recent findings for Taiwanese KD patients to provide potential future care directions for Taiwanese patients with KD. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Low-temperature specific heat of uranium germanides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pikul, A.; Troć, R.; Czopnik, A.; Noël, H.

2014-06-01

We report measurements of the specific heat down to the lowest temperature of 2 K for the paramagnetic binaries U5Ge4 (Ti5Ga4-type) and UGe (ThIn-type) as well as for the ferromagnetic binaries U3Ge5-x (x=0.2) and UGe2-x (x=0.3) (with TC=94 and 47 K) having defect crystal structures of the AlB2- and ThSi2-type, respectively. The obtained data were compared to those of other uranium germanides which have been earlier studied: UGe2 (ZrGa2) and UGe3 (Cu3Au). Among all these germanides, only UGe exhibits enhanced electronic specific heat coefficient, γ(0), equal to 137 mJ/molUK2. This value can be compared to that derived for the most known spin fluctuator, UAl2 (143 mJ/molUK2). The other uranium germanides have less enhanced γ(0) values (27-65 mJ/molUK2). The lowest value of about 20 mJ/molUK2 was reported earlier for the typical temperature independent paramagnet UGe3. For the ferromagnetic new phase UGe2-x the inferred magnetic entropy, Sm, reaches at the Curie temperature, TC, a value of R ln 2 which corresponds to a doublet ground state of the uranium ion in this deficit digermanide.

Anti-adipogenic effects of KD025 (SLx-2119), a ROCK2-specific inhibitor, in 3T3-L1 cells.

PubMed

Diep, Duy Trong Vien; Hong, Kyungki; Khun, Triyeng; Zheng, Mei; Ul-Haq, Asad; Jun, Hee-Sook; Kim, Young-Bum; Chun, Kwang-Hoon

2018-02-06

Adipose tissue is a specialized organ that synthesizes and stores fat. During adipogenesis, Rho and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) 2 are inactivated, which enhances the expression of pro-adipogenic genes and induces the loss of actin stress fibers. Furthermore, pan ROCK inhibitors enhance adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Here, we show that KD025 (formerly known as SLx-2119), a ROCK2-specific inhibitor, suppresses adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells partially through a ROCK2-independent mechanism. KD025 downregulated the expression of key adipogenic transcription factors PPARγ and C/EBPα during adipogenesis in addition to lipogenic factors FABP4 and Glut4. Interestingly, adipogenesis was blocked by KD025 during days 1~3 of differentiation; after differentiation terminated, lipid accumulation was unaffected. Clonal expansion occurred normally in KD025-treated cells. These results suggest that KD025 could function during the intermediate stage after clonal expansion. Data from depletion of ROCKs showed that KD025 suppressed cell differentiation partially independent of ROCK's activity. Furthermore, no further loss of actin stress fibers emerged in KD025-treated cells during and after differentiation compared to control cells. These results indicate that in contrast to the pro-adipogenic effect of pan-inhibitors, KD025 suppresses adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells by regulating key pro-adipogenic factors. This outcome further implies that KD025 could be a potential anti-adipogenic/obesity agent.

Efficacy of a ketogenic diet in resistant myoclono-astatic epilepsy: A French multicenter retrospective study.

PubMed

Stenger, Elodie; Schaeffer, Mickael; Cances, Claude; Motte, Jacques; Auvin, Stéphane; Ville, Dorothée; Maurey, Hélène; Nabbout, Rima; de Saint-Martin, Anne

2017-03-01

Recent studies have suggested that the early introduction of a ketogenic diet (KD) could improve seizure control in myoclono-astatic epilepsy (MAE). This multicenter study sought to identify the benefits of KD use on seizure control and epilepsy and on developmental outcomes in children with resistant MAE. Fifty children who were diagnosed with severe MAE in the French network of Reference Centers for Rare Epilepsies and who were treated with KD between 2000 and 2013 were included in this study. The seizure frequency and EEG recordings were assessed two weeks before KD introduction, 2 and 6 months after, and during the last follow-up, which also included an assessment of developmental outcome. Patients had a median follow up of 52 months (range 13-136) and received 4.3 antiepileptic drugs [2-9] before KD introduction. Fifty-four percent (54%) of our patients were seizure-free after 6 months of KD or more, and 86% experienced more than a 70% seizure reduction after 2 months of KD. Forty-four percent (44%) of them had a clear benefit of early KD treatment (after four AEDs failed). Early KD treatment did not result in a greater seizure reduction (p=0.055), but significantly resulted in remission (p<0.028). Fifty percent of patients with resistant MAE had normal development outcomes. Earlier KD treatment, after three AEDs failed, was correlated with a better cognitive outcome (p<0.01). Early introduction of KD treatment in resistant MAE has a strong, persistent anticonvulsant effect with long-term remission and better cognitive outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proconvulsant effects of the ketogenic diet in electroshock-induced seizures in mice.

PubMed

Zarnowska, Iwona; Luszczki, Jarogniew J; Zarnowski, Tomasz; Wlaz, Piotr; Czuczwar, Stanislaw J; Gasior, Maciej

2017-04-01

Among non-pharmacological treatments, the ketogenic diet (KD) has the strongest demonstrated evidence of clinical success in drug resistant epilepsy. In an attempt to model the anticonvulsant effects of the KD pre-clinically, the present study assessed the effects of the KD against electroshock-induced convulsions in mice. After confirming that exposure to the KD for 2 weeks resulted in stable ketosis and hypoglycemia, mice were exposed to electroshocks of various intensities to establish general seizure susceptibility. When compared to mice fed the standard rodent chow diet (SRCD), we found that mice fed the KD were more sensitive to electroconvulsions as reflected by a significant decrease in seizure threshold (3.86 mA in mice on the KD vs 7.29 mA in mice on the SRCD; P < 0.05) in the maximal electroshock seizure threshold (MEST) test. To examine if this increased seizure sensitivity to electroconvulsions produced by the KD would affect anticonvulsant effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), anticonvulsant potencies of carbamazepine (CBZ), phenobarbital (PB), phenytoin (PHT), and valproate (VPA) against maximal electroshock (MES)-induced convulsions were compared in mice fed the KD and SRCD. We found that potencies of all AEDs studied were decreased in mice fed the KD in comparison to those on the SRCD, with decreases in the anticonvulsant potencies ranging from 1.4 fold (PB) to 1.7 fold (PHT). Finally, the lack of differences in brain exposures of the AEDs studied in mice fed the KD and SRCD ruled out a pharmacokinetic nature of the observed findings. Taken together, exposure to the KD in the present study had an overall pro-convulsant effect. Since electroconvulsions require large metabolic reserves to support their rapid spread throughout the brain and consequent generalized tonic-clonic convulsions, this effect may be explained by a high energy state produced by the KD in regards to increased energy storage and utilization.

Replication and meta-analysis of GWAS identified susceptibility loci in Kawasaki disease confirm the importance of B lymphoid tyrosine kinase (BLK) in disease susceptibility.

PubMed

Chang, Chia-Jung; Kuo, Ho-Chang; Chang, Jeng-Sheng; Lee, Jong-Keuk; Tsai, Fuu-Jen; Khor, Chiea Chuen; Chang, Li-Ching; Chen, Shih-Ping; Ko, Tai-Ming; Liu, Yi-Min; Chen, Ying-Ju; Hong, Young Mi; Jang, Gi Young; Hibberd, Martin L; Kuijpers, Taco; Burgner, David; Levin, Michael; Burns, Jane C; Davila, Sonia; Chen, Yuan-Tsong; Chen, Chien-Hsiun; Wu, Jer-Yuarn; Lee, Yi-Ching

2013-01-01

The BLK and CD40 loci have been associated with Kawasaki disease (KD) in two genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in a Taiwanese population of Han Chinese ancestry (Taiwanese) and in Japanese cohorts. Here we build on these findings with replication studies of the BLK and CD40 loci in populations of Korean and European descent. The BLK region was significantly associated with KD susceptibility in both populations. Within the BLK gene the rs2736340-located linkage disequilibrium (LD ) comprising the promoter and first intron was strongly associated with KD, with the combined results of Asian studies including Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean populations (2,539 KD patients and 7,021 controls) providing very compelling evidence of association (rs2736340, OR = 1.498, 1.354-1.657; P = 4.74×10(-31)). We determined the percentage of B cells present in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) population and the expression of BLK in the peripheral blood leukocytes (leukocytes) of KD patients during the acute and convalescent stages. The percentage of B cells in the PBMC population and the expression of BLK in leukocytes were induced in patients in the acute stage of KD. In B cell lines derived from KD patients, and in purified B cells from KD patients obtained during the acute stage, those with the risk allele of rs2736340 expressed significantly lower levels of BLK. These results suggest that peripheral B cells play a pathogenic role during the acute stage of KD. Decreased BLK expression in peripheral blood B cells may alter B cell function and predispose individuals to KD. These associative data suggest a role for B cells during acute KD. Understanding the functional implications may facilitate the development of B cell-mediated therapy for KD.

Ketogenic diet exposure during the juvenile period increases social behaviors and forebrain neural activation in adult Engrailed 2 null mice.

PubMed

Verpeut, Jessica L; DiCicco-Bloom, Emanuel; Bello, Nicholas T

2016-07-01

Prolonged consumption of ketogenic diets (KD) has reported neuroprotective benefits. Several studies suggest KD interventions could be useful in the management of neurological and developmental disorders. Alterations in the Engrailed (En) genes, specifically Engrailed 2 (En2), have neurodevelopmental consequences and produce autism-related behaviors. The following studies used En2 knockout (KO; En2(-/-)), and wild-type (WT; En2(+/+)), male mice fed either KD (80% fat, 0.1% carbohydrates) or control diet (CD; 10% fat, 70% carbohydrates). The objective was to determine whether a KD fed from weaning at postnatal day (PND) 21 to adulthood (PND 60) would alter brain monoamines concentrations, previously found dysregulated, and improve social outcomes. In WT animals, there was an increase in hypothalamic norepinephrine content in the KD-fed group. However, regional monoamines were not altered in KO mice in KD-fed compared with CD-fed group. In order to determine the effects of juvenile exposure to KD in mice with normal blood ketone levels, separate experiments were conducted in mice removed from the KD or CD and fed standard chow for 2days (PND 62). In a three-chamber social test with a novel mouse, KO mice previously exposed to the KD displayed similar social and self-grooming behaviors compared with the WT group. Groups previously exposed to a KD, regardless of genotype, had more c-Fos-positive cells in the cingulate cortex, lateral septal nuclei, and anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. In the novel object condition, KO mice previously exposed to KD had similar behavioral responses and pattern of c-Fos immunoreactivity compared with the WT group. Thus, juvenile exposure to KD resulted in short-term consequences of improving social interactions and appropriate exploratory behaviors in a mouse model that displays autism-related behaviors. Such findings further our understanding of metabolic-based therapies for neurological and developmental disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative Analysis of the 15.5kD Box C/D snoRNP Core Protein in the Primitive Eukaryote Giardia lamblia Reveals Unique Structural and Functional Features

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

Biswas, Shyamasri; Buhrman, Greg; Gagnon, Keith

2012-07-11

Box C/D ribonucleoproteins (RNP) guide the 2'-O-methylation of targeted nucleotides in archaeal and eukaryotic rRNAs. The archaeal L7Ae and eukaryotic 15.5kD box C/D RNP core protein homologues initiate RNP assembly by recognizing kink-turn (K-turn) motifs. The crystal structure of the 15.5kD core protein from the primitive eukaryote Giardia lamblia is described here to a resolution of 1.8 {angstrom}. The Giardia 15.5kD protein exhibits the typical {alpha}-{beta}-{alpha} sandwich fold exhibited by both archaeal L7Ae and eukaryotic 15.5kD proteins. Characteristic of eukaryotic homologues, the Giardia 15.5kD protein binds the K-turn motif but not the variant K-loop motif. The highly conserved residues ofmore » loop 9, critical for RNA binding, also exhibit conformations similar to those of the human 15.5kD protein when bound to the K-turn motif. However, comparative sequence analysis indicated a distinct evolutionary position between Archaea and Eukarya. Indeed, assessment of the Giardia 15.5kD protein in denaturing experiments demonstrated an intermediate stability in protein structure when compared with that of the eukaryotic mouse 15.5kD and archaeal Methanocaldococcus jannaschii L7Ae proteins. Most notable was the ability of the Giardia 15.5kD protein to assemble in vitro a catalytically active chimeric box C/D RNP utilizing the archaeal M. jannaschii Nop56/58 and fibrillarin core proteins. In contrast, a catalytically competent chimeric RNP could not be assembled using the mouse 15.5kD protein. Collectively, these analyses suggest that the G. lamblia 15.5kD protein occupies a unique position in the evolution of this box C/D RNP core protein retaining structural and functional features characteristic of both archaeal L7Ae and higher eukaryotic 15.5kD homologues.« less

Prevalence of acute kidney injury in intensive care units: the "COrte de prevalencia de disFunción RenAl y DEpuración en críticos" point-prevalence multicenter study.

PubMed

Herrera-Gutiérrez, Manuel E; Seller-Pérez, Gemma; Sánchez-Izquierdo-Riera, José A; Maynar-Moliner, Javier

2013-10-01

This study aimed to measure the point prevalence of kidney dysfunction (KD) in the intensive care setting. A point-prevalence, single-day, prospective study was conducted. Of 919 patients present in 42 Intensive care units (ICUs) for 2 specific days (September 2009 and March 2010), 832 cases were included. Mild KD was defined as a measured creatinine clearance of 90 to 60 mL min(-1) 1.73 m(-2), and severe KD was defined as a creatinine clearance less than 60 mL min(-1) 1.73 m(-2). Prevalence of mild KD was 15.9/100 patients/d (13.5-18.5), and severe KD was 42.4/100 patients/d (39.1-45.8). We considered as having a low probability of experiencing KD those patients without chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury network stage 0, and a serum creatinine less than 1.2 mg/dL, but among them (557 patients), 18.1% (15.2%-21.6%) had mild KD and 24.2% (20.9%-28%) had severe KD. ICU mortality was 10.6% (7.81%-14.4%) for patients without dysfunction, 16.6% (11.2%-24%) for patients with mild KD, and 29.7% (25.2%-34.7%; P<.001) for patients with severe KD, with a relative risk for severe KD vs no KD of 2.54 (1.90-3.40). In 54.3% patients, at least 1 renal insult was reported. One nephrotoxic drug was administered to 34.4% and 2 or more to 14.9% patients, with a lower frequency among those with chronic kidney disease (30.6% vs 50.8%; P<.05). Each day of study, more that half of the patients admitted to the ICU showed some derangement in kidney function. More than 25% of patients not fulfilling the KD criteria by serum creatinine or acute kidney injury network showed, in fact, a severe KD, and this finding was associated with higher mortality. More than 50% of the patients admitted to the ICU were subjected to at least 1 renal insult. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preliminary report on uranium deposits in the Miller Hill area, Carbon County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Love, J.D.

1953-01-01

A sequence of radioactive rocks of Miocene (?) age, the Browns Park formation, in the Miller Hill area of southern Wyoming is more than 1,000 feet thick. The formation crops out in an area of approximately 600 square miles, and consists of a basal conglomerate, tuffs, tuffaceous limy sandstones, and thin persistent radioactive algal limestones. Uranium is concentrated in both algal limestones and in tuffaceous limy sandstones. The uranium is believed to have been deposited. at least in part with the sediments, rather than to have come in at a later date. The highest uranium values were found in a widespread algal limestone bed, which contains as much as 0. 15 percent uranium. Values of 0.01 percent uranium or more were obtained from 8 samples taken from approximately 220 feet of stratigraphic section in the Browns Park formation. This is the first reported occurrence of limestone source rock from Wyoming that has been found to contain a commercial grade of uranium. The economic possibilities of the area have not been determined adequately and no estimates of tonnage are warranted at the present time. An airborne radiometric survey was made by the Geophysics Branch of the Geological Survey, of the west half of the area, recommended by the writer for investigation. Ground check of all anomalies reported at that time showed that they were in localities where the background radiation was much higher than average. Additional localities with high background radiation were found on the ground in the area east of that which was flown.

Tissue-specific, tumor-selective, replication-competent adenovirus vector for cancer gene therapy.

PubMed

Doronin, K; Kuppuswamy, M; Toth, K; Tollefson, A E; Krajcsi, P; Krougliak, V; Wold, W S

2001-04-01

We have previously described two replication-competent adenovirus vectors, named KD1 and KD3, for potential use in cancer gene therapy. KD1 and KD3 have two small deletions in the E1A gene that restrict efficient replication of these vectors to human cancer cell lines. These vectors also have increased capacity to lyse cells and spread from cell to cell because they overexpress the adenovirus death protein, an adenovirus protein required for efficient cell lysis and release of adenovirus from the cell. We now describe a new vector, named KD1-SPB, which is the KD1 vector with the E4 promoter replaced by the promoter for surfactant protein B (SPB). SPB promoter activity is restricted in the adult to type II alveolar epithelial cells and bronchial epithelial cells. Because KD1-SPB has the E1A mutations, it should replicate within and destroy only alveolar and bronchial cancer cells. We show that KD1-SPB replicates, lyses cells, and spreads from cell to cell as well as does KD1 in H441 cells, a human cancer cell line where the SPB promoter is active. KD1-SPB replicates, lyses cells, and spreads only poorly in Hep3B liver cancer cells. Replication was determined by expression of the E4ORF3 protein, viral DNA accumulation, fiber synthesis, and virus yield. Cell lysis and vector spread were measured by lactate dehydrogenase release and a "vector spread" assay. In addition to Hep3B cells, KD1-SPB also did not express E4ORF3 in HT29.14S (colon), HeLa (cervix), KB (nasopharynx), or LNCaP (prostate) cancer cell lines, in which the SPB promoter is not expected to be active. Following injection into H441 or Hep3B tumors growing in nude mice, KD1-SPB caused a three- to fourfold suppression of growth of H441 tumors, similar to that seen with KD1. KD1-SPB had only a minimal effect on the growth of Hep3B tumors, whereas KD1 again caused a three- to fourfold suppression. These results establish that the adenovirus E4 promoter can be replaced by a tissue-specific promoter in a replication-competent vector. The vector has three engineered safety features: the tissue-specific promoter, the mutations in E1A that preclude efficient replication in nondividing cells, and a deletion of the E3 genes which shield the virus from attack by the immune system. KD1-SPB may have use in treating human lung cancers in which the SPB promoter is active.

RECOVERY OF URANIUM VALUES FROM RESIDUES

DOEpatents

Schaap, W.B.

1959-08-18

A process is described for the recovery of uranium from insoluble oxide residues resistant to repeated leaching with mineral acids. The residue is treated with gaseous hydrogen fluoride, then with hydrogen and again with hydrogen fluoride, preferably at 500 to 700 deg C, prior to the mineral acid leaching.

The King-Devick test is a valid and reliable tool for assessing sport-related concussion in Australian football: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Hecimovich, Mark; King, Doug; Dempsey, Alasdair R; Murphy, Myles

2018-03-28

Sport-related concussion (SRC) research has focused on impaired oculomotor function. The King-Devick (K-D) test measures oculomotor performance and is reported to identify suboptimal brain function. The use of the K-D test in Australian football (AF), a sport involving body contact and tackling, has not been documented. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the K-D test on a sub-elite AF team. Prospective cohort study METHODS: In total, 22 male players (19.6+2.3 years) were tested and re-tested on the K-D test. Those suspected of having a SRC secondary to a significant head impact were tested. Randomly selected additional players without SRC were assessed for comparison. There were observable learning effects between the first and second baseline testing (48 vs. 46s). The ICC for the first and second baseline tests was 0.91. Post-match test times were longer than the baseline times for players with SRC (n=7) (-1.9s; z=-5.08; p<0.0001). Players tested with no signs of SRC (n=13) had an improvement in time when compared with their baseline score (3.0s; z=-4.38; p<0.0001). The overall sensitivity was 0.98, specificity 0.96, and a kappa of κ=0.94. The positive likelihood ratio was 11.6 and the positive predictive value was 89.0%. This study supports the use of the K-D test due to its test-retest reliability, high sensitivity and specificity, and fast and simple use that is ideal for sports medicine professionals to make quick judgement on management and playability. Copyright © 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical Properties of Otago Shelf Waters: South Island New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfannkuche, J.

2002-10-01

The optical properties and concentrations of optically active water components were measured at 31 stations on the Otago coast. For the broad-band (PAR), diffuse light attenuation decreased 15-fold ( Kd=0·76 to 0·05 m -1) and reflectance 7-fold ( R=11·95 to 1·45%) from the most turbid harbour water to the clearest oceanic sites 30 km offshore. The Kd values therefore suggested, that Otago shelf waters were appreciably clearer than at first thought. The absorption and scattering coefficients ( a and b, respectively) for PAR were calculated using published nomograms. Multiple linear regression showed the dependence of a and b on changes in the concentration of gilvin, g 440, chlorophyll a, [ C], and inorganic particles, [ I]: a (PAR)=0·019+0·221 g440 +0·037[ C]+0·018[ I] b (PAR)=0·239[ C]+0·342[ I] Substituting the mean concentrations of gilvin (0·078 m -1), chlorophyll a (1·58 mg m -3) and inorganic particles (3·23 g m -3) into the above equations suggested that gilvin absorbed 11%, phytoplankton 39%, inorganic particles 38% and water itself 12% of PAR and on average. Phytoplankton cells caused 25% and inorganic sediments 75% of the scattering. Spectral irradiance measurements showed, that absorption by gilvin and suspended sediments could dominate absorption in the blue-green waveband for the most turbid harbour waters. Gilvin and phytoplankton levels were lowest in winter and inorganic sediment concentration were generally low offshore (<1 g m -3). Thus, oceanic waters were clearer and brighter in winter when compared to spring (July: Kd=0·05 m -1; R=3·1%; November: Kd=0·11 m -1; R=2·1% on average). However, spectral irradiance measurements showed anomalous features in R (λ) and Kd(λ) spectra above ˜590 nm which suggested light emission resulting from Raman scattering and chlorophyll fluorescence.

A novel noncommutative KdV-type equation, its recursion operator, and solitons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carillo, Sandra; Lo Schiavo, Mauro; Porten, Egmont; Schiebold, Cornelia

2018-04-01

A noncommutative KdV-type equation is introduced extending the Bäcklund chart in Carillo et al. [Symmetry Integrability Geom.: Methods Appl. 12, 087 (2016)]. This equation, called meta-mKdV here, is linked by Cole-Hopf transformations to the two noncommutative versions of the mKdV equations listed in Olver and Sokolov [Commun. Math. Phys. 193, 245 (1998), Theorem 3.6]. For this meta-mKdV, and its mirror counterpart, recursion operators, hierarchies, and an explicit solution class are derived.

On the conservation laws and solutions of a (2+1) dimensional KdV-mKdV equation of mathematical physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motsepa, Tanki; Masood Khalique, Chaudry

2018-05-01

In this paper, we study a (2+1) dimensional KdV-mKdV equation, which models many physical phenomena of mathematical physics. This equation has two integral terms in it. By an appropriate substitution, we convert this equation into two partial differential equations, which do not have integral terms and are equivalent to the original equation. We then work with the system of two equations and obtain its exact travelling wave solutions in form of Jacobi elliptic functions. Furthermore, we employ the multiplier method to construct conservation laws for the system. Finally, we revert the results obtained into the original variables of the (2+1) dimensional KdV-mKdV equation.

Multiphase wavetrains, singular wave interactions and the emergence of the Korteweg–de Vries equation

PubMed Central

Bridges, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

Multiphase wavetrains are multiperiodic travelling waves with a set of distinct wavenumbers and distinct frequencies. In conservative systems, such families are associated with the conservation of wave action or other conservation law. At generic points (where the Jacobian of the wave action flux is non-degenerate), modulation of the wavetrain leads to the dispersionless multiphase conservation of wave action. The main result of this paper is that modulation of the multiphase wavetrain, when the Jacobian of the wave action flux vector is singular, morphs the vector-valued conservation law into the scalar Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation. The coefficients in the emergent KdV equation have a geometrical interpretation in terms of projection of the vector components of the conservation law. The theory herein is restricted to two phases to simplify presentation, with extensions to any finite dimension discussed in the concluding remarks. Two applications of the theory are presented: a coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation and two-layer shallow-water hydrodynamics with a free surface. Both have two-phase solutions where criticality and the properties of the emergent KdV equation can be determined analytically. PMID:28119546

ITC-derived binding affinity may be biased due to titrant (nano)-aggregation. Binding of halogenated benzotriazoles to the catalytic domain of human protein kinase CK2

PubMed Central

Winiewska, Maria; Bugajska, Ewa

2017-01-01

The binding of four bromobenzotriazoles to the catalytic subunit of human protein kinase CK2 was assessed by two complementary methods: Microscale Thermophoresis (MST) and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC). New algorithm proposed for the global analysis of MST pseudo-titration data enabled reliable determination of binding affinities for two distinct sites, a relatively strong one with the Kd of the order of 100 nM and a substantially weaker one (Kd > 1 μM). The affinities for the strong binding site determined for the same protein-ligand systems using ITC were in most cases approximately 10-fold underestimated. The discrepancy was assigned directly to the kinetics of ligand nano-aggregates decay occurring upon injection of the concentrated ligand solution to the protein sample. The binding affinities determined in the reverse ITC experiment, in which ligands were titrated with a concentrated protein solution, agreed with the MST-derived data. Our analysis suggests that some ITC-derived Kd values, routinely reported together with PDB structures of protein-ligand complexes, may be biased due to the uncontrolled ligand (nano)-aggregation, which may occur even substantially below the solubility limit. PMID:28273138

High-affinity 3H-substance P binding to longitudinal muscle membranes of the guinea pig small intestine.

PubMed

Buck, S H; Maurin, Y; Burks, T F; Yamamura, H I

1984-01-30

The binding of 3H-substance P (3H-SP) to longitudinal muscle membranes of the guinea pig small intestine has been characterized. The binding of 3H-SP exhibited a high affinity (Kd = 0.5nM). It was saturable (Bmax = 2 fmoles/mg tissue), reversible, and temperature-dependent. Kinetic studies and competition of 3H-SP binding by unlabeled SP yielded Kd and Ki values, respectively, which were in good agreement with the Kd calculated from saturation studies. The binding of 3H-SP appeared to be dependent on the presence of divalent cations in the incubation buffer. It was displaced by SP and various analogs and fragments in the rank order of SP greater than SP-(2-11) = SP-(3-11) greater than Nle11- SP = physalaemin greater than SP-(4-11) greater than SP-(5-11) greater than eledoisin much greater than SP-(7-11). Our results indicate that 3H-SP binds in longitudinal muscle of the guinea pig small intestine to a biologically relevant receptor which in many respects resembles the SP receptor characterized in the brain and the salivary gland of the rat.

Glacial influences on solar radiation in a subarctic sea.

PubMed

Barron, Mace G; Barron, Kyle J

2005-01-01

Understanding macroscale processes controlling solar radiation in marine systems will be important in interpreting the potential effects of global change from increasing ultraviolet radiation (UV) and glacial retreat. This study provides the first quantitative assessment of UV in the water column of Prince William Sound, a subarctic, semienclosed sea surrounded by mountains, glaciers, rivers, bays and fjords in south central Alaska. Glacial influences on diffuse attenuation coefficients (Kd) were determined along an approximate 120 km transect running NE (61 degrees 07'43''N, 146 degrees 17'1''W) to SW (60 degrees 27'25''N, 148 degrees 05'27'' W). Glacial meltwater and flour caused a 10-fold increase in Kd for visible light, UV-A and UV-B, whereas high optical clarity was present in a diversity of areas away from glacial influences. Transition areas and locations affected by calving of a tidewater glacier had intermediate Kd values. Depths at 99% attenuation ranged from less than 0.2 m near glacial streams to greater than 5 m in bays and open ocean distant from sources of glacial sediments. These results suggest that potential global change from increasing UV and glacial retreat may have heterogeneous effects on subarctic marine systems.

Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Cortez NTMS Quadrangle, Colorado/Utah, including concentrations of forty-three additional elements

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

Warren, R.G.

1979-05-01

During the summers of 1976, 1977, and 1978, 598 water and 1657 sediment samples were collected from 1775 locations within the 19,600-km/sup 2/ area of the Cortez Quadrangle, Colorado and Utah. Water samples were collected from streams, springs, and wells; sediment samples were collected from stream channels (wet and dry) and from springs. Each water sample was analyzed for 13 elements, and each sediment sample was analyzed for 43 elements. Uranium concentrations in water samples range from below the detection limit of 0.02 to 241.47 ppB and have a median of 0.87 ppB and a mean of 3.80 ppB. Backgroundmore » uranium concentrations are 2 to 5 ppB in several nonmountainous regions but are much lower in mountainous areas, particularly in the northeastern portion of the quadrangle. Water samples containing high uranium concentrations (>20 ppB) generally are associated with high conductivities, high concentrations of other metallic elements, and geologic units, such as the Mancos shale, that are unfavorable for uranium mineralization. However, four ground-water samples exhibit high uranium concentrations without concomitant high conductivities or high concentrations of other metallic elements. Two of these samples were collected from sites in the Slick Rock U--V district, and two were collected in the Morrison formation in the southern portion of the quadrangle where large uranium deposits are not known. Water samples collected from the northwestern corner of the quadrangle uniformly exhibit background uranium values but generally contain high nickel concentrations. In this area, U--Cu (White Canyon-type) deposits are hosted primarily by the Shinarump member of the Chinle formation. Uranium concentrations in sediment samples range from 0.51 to 76.41 ppM and have a median of 2.76 ppM and a mean of 3.08 ppM. Background uranium and metallic element concentrations decrease to the southwest from the highest values in the northeastern portion of the quadrangle.« less

Fifth-order complex Korteweg-de Vries-type equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanal, Netra; Wu, Jiahong; Yuan, Juan-Ming

2012-05-01

This paper studies spatially periodic complex-valued solutions of the fifth-order Korteweg-de Vries (KdV)-type equations. The aim is at several fundamental issues including the existence, uniqueness and finite-time blowup problems. Special attention is paid to the Kawahara equation, a fifth-order KdV-type equation. When a Burgers dissipation is attached to the Kawahara equation, we establish the existence and uniqueness of the Fourier series solution with the Fourier modes decaying algebraically in terms of the wave numbers. We also examine a special series solution to the Kawahara equation and prove the convergence and global regularity of such solutions associated with a single mode initial data. In addition, finite-time blowup results are discussed for the special series solution of the Kawahara equation.

The influence of the sorptive properties of organic soils on the migration rate of 137Cs.

PubMed

Chibowski, S; Zygmunt, J

2002-01-01

Using a compartment model, the migration rates of 137Cs were calculated for two types of organic soils: a low peat-muck soil and a black earth. The migration rates of 137Cs in the tested soils turned out to be significantly higher than in mineral types examined earlier and ranged from 0.6 to 12.3 cm/year. The partition coefficients (Kd) were also determined for samples with varying organic matter content (OM) that were taken from different layers of the studied soils. The experimental results indicate that there is a clear relationship between Kd values and OM. The investigation was widened by microcalorimetric measurements which confirmed that the adsorption of 137Cs on the organic soils is low.

Characterization of the protective capacity and immunogenicity of the 69-kD outer membrane protein of Bordetella pertussis

PubMed Central

1990-01-01

Immunization with the 69-kD outer membrane protein (OMP) of Bordetella pertussis protected neonatal mice against lethal respiratory challenge with B. pertussis 18323. Active immunization elicited a serum IgG anti- 69-kD OMP response at the time of challenge, with IgG anti-69-kD OMP antibodies detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after challenge. Intravenous administration of BPE8, a monoclonal IgG1 anti-69-kD OMP, also protected young mice against B. pertussis challenge. Intravenously injected BPE8 was detected in the lungs of mice at the time of aerosol challenge, suggesting that the presence of specific antibody in the lungs may mediate protection. Thus the 69-kD OMP of B. pertussis is a protective antigen in mice that elicits specific serum antibody that can transude to the lung. The 69-kD OMP was detected in a preparation of a Takeda acellular vaccine by immunoblot analysis and a serum antibody response to the 69-kD OMP was observed in 18-mo-old children boosted with this preparation of Japanese acellular vaccine. Our results demonstrate that the B. pertussis 69-kD OMP is a protective antigen in animals, is immunogenic in humans, and is present in a preparation of acellular pertussis vaccine that is widely used in Japan. These findings indicate that the 69-kD OMP should be seriously considered as a candidate for inclusion in new formulations of antigenically defined acellular pertussis vaccines. PMID:2295882

A genome-wide association analysis reveals 1p31 and 2p13.3 as susceptibility loci for Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Kim, Jae-Jung; Hong, Young Mi; Sohn, Saejung; Jang, Gi Young; Ha, Kee-Soo; Yun, Sin Weon; Han, Myung Ki; Lee, Kyung-Yil; Song, Min Seob; Lee, Hyoung Doo; Kim, Dong Soo; Lee, Jong-Eun; Shin, Eun-Soon; Jang, Ji-Hyun; Lee, Yeon-Su; Kim, Sook-Young; Lee, Jong-Young; Han, Bok-Ghee; Wu, Jer-Yuarn; Kim, Kwi-Joo; Park, Young-Mi; Seo, Eul-Joo; Park, In-Sook; Lee, Jong-Keuk

2011-05-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited vasculitis of infants and children that manifests as fever and signs of mucocutaneous inflammation. Coronary artery aneurysms develop in approximately 15-25% of untreated children. Although the etiology of KD is largely unknown, epidemiologic data suggest the importance of genetic factors in the susceptibility to KD. In order to identify genetic variants that influence KD susceptibility, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using Affymetrix SNP array 6.0 in 186 Korean KD patients and 600 healthy controls; 18 and 26 genomic regions with one or more sequence variants were associated with KD and KD with coronary artery lesions (CALs), respectively (p < 1 × 10(-5)). Of these, one locus on chromosome 1p31 (rs527409) was replicated in 266 children with KD and 600 normal controls (odds ratio [OR] = 2.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.85-4.54, P (combined) = 1.46 × 10(-6)); and a PELI1 locus on chromosome 2p13.3 (rs7604693) was replicated in 86 KD patients with CALs and 600 controls (OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.77-4.12, P (combined) = 2.00 × 10(-6)). These results implicate a locus in the 1p31 region and the PELI1 gene locus in the 2p13.3 region as susceptibility loci for KD and CALs, respectively.

Residency Training: The King-Devick test and sleep deprivation

PubMed Central

Davies, Emma C.; Henderson, Sam; Galetta, Steven L.

2012-01-01

Objective: The current study investigates the effect of sleep deprivation on the speed and accuracy of eye movements as measured by the King-Devick (K-D) test, a <1-minute test that involves rapid number naming. Methods: In this cohort study, neurology residents and staff from the University of Pennsylvania Health System underwent baseline followed by postcall K-D testing (n = 25); those not taking call (n = 10) also completed baseline and follow-up K-D testing. Differences in the times and errors between baseline and follow-up K-D scores were compared between the 2 groups. Results: Residents taking call had less improvement from baseline K-D times when compared to participants not taking call (p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon rank sum test). For both groups, the change in K-D time from baseline was correlated to amount of sleep obtained (rs = −0.50, p = 0.002) and subjective evaluation of level of alertness (rs = 0.33, p = 0.05) but had no correlation to time since last caffeine consumption (rs = −0.13, p = 0.52). For those residents on their actual call night, the duration of sleep obtained did not correlate with change in K-D scores from baseline (rs = 0.13, p = 0.54). Conclusions: The K-D test is sensitive to the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive functioning, including rapid eye movements, concentration, and language function. As with other measures of sleep deprivation, K-D performance demonstrated significant interindividual variability in vulnerability to sleep deprivation. Severe fatigue appears to reduce the degree of improvement typically observed in K-D testing. PMID:22529208

RECOVERY OF URANIUM BY AROMATIC DITHIOCARBAMATE COMPLEXING

DOEpatents

Neville, O.K.

1959-08-11

A selective complexing organic solvent extraction process is presented for the separation of uranium values from an aqueous nitric acid solution of neutron irradiated thorium. The process comprises contacting the solution with an organic aromatic dithiccarbamaie and recovering the resulting urancdithiccarbamate complex with an organic solvent such as ethyl acetate.

Marked Acceleration of Atherosclerosis following Lactobacillus casei induced Coronary Arteritis in a Mouse Model of Kawasaki Disease

PubMed Central

Chen, Shuang; Lee, Young Ho; Crother, Timothy R.; Fishbein, Michael; Zhang, Wenxuan; Yilmaz, Atilla; Shimada, Kenichi; Schulte, Danica J; Lehman, Thomas J.A.; Shah, Prediman K.; Arditi, Moshe

2012-01-01

Objective To investigate if Lactobacillus casei cell wall extract (LCWE)-induced Kawasaki Disease (KD) accelerates atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic mice. Method and Resuslts Apoe−/− or Ldlr−/− mice were injected with LCWE (KD mice) or PBS, fed high fat diet for 8 weeks, and atherosclerotic lesions in aortic sinuses (AS), arch (AC) and whole aorta were assessed. KD mice had larger, more complex aortic lesions with abundant collagen, and both extracellular and intracellular lipid and foam cells, compared to lesions in control mice despite similar cholesterol levels. Both Apoe−/− KD and Ldlr−/− KD mice showed dramatic acceleration in atherosclerosis vs. controls, with increases in en face aortic atherosclerosis and plaque size in both the AS and AC plaques. Accelerated atherosclerosis was associated with increased circulating IL-12p40, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and increased macrophage, DC, and T cell recruitment in lesions. Furthermore, daily injections of the IL-1Ra, which inhibits LCWE induced KD vasculitis, prevented the acceleration of atherosclerosis. Conclusions Our results suggest an important pathophysiologic link between coronary arteritis/vasculitis in the KD mouse model and subsequent atherosclerotic acceleration, supporting the concept that a similar relation may also be present in KD patients. These results also suggest that KD in childhood may predispose to accelerated and early atherosclerosis as adults. PMID:22628430

Kinematic dynamo, supersymmetry breaking, and chaos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovchinnikov, Igor V.; Enßlin, Torsten A.

2016-04-01

The kinematic dynamo (KD) describes the growth of magnetic fields generated by the flow of a conducting medium in the limit of vanishing backaction of the fields onto the flow. The KD is therefore an important model system for understanding astrophysical magnetism. Here, the mathematical correspondence between the KD and a specific stochastic differential equation (SDE) viewed from the perspective of the supersymmetric theory of stochastics (STS) is discussed. The STS is a novel, approximation-free framework to investigate SDEs. The correspondence reported here permits insights from the STS to be applied to the theory of KD and vice versa. It was previously known that the fast KD in the idealistic limit of no magnetic diffusion requires chaotic flows. The KD-STS correspondence shows that this is also true for the diffusive KD. From the STS perspective, the KD possesses a topological supersymmetry, and the dynamo effect can be viewed as its spontaneous breakdown. This supersymmetry breaking can be regarded as the stochastic generalization of the concept of dynamical chaos. As this supersymmetry breaking happens in both the diffusive and the nondiffusive cases, the necessity of the underlying SDE being chaotic is given in either case. The observed exponentially growing and oscillating KD modes prove physically that dynamical spectra of the STS evolution operator that break the topological supersymmetry exist with both real and complex ground state eigenvalues. Finally, we comment on the nonexistence of dynamos for scalar quantities.

Evaluation of antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like activity of purinedione-derivatives with affinity for adenosine A2A receptors in mice.

PubMed

Dziubina, Anna; Szmyd, Karina; Zygmunt, Małgorzata; Sapa, Jacek; Dudek, Magdalena; Filipek, Barbara; Drabczyńska, Anna; Załuski, Michał; Pytka, Karolina; Kieć-Kononowicz, Katarzyna

2016-12-01

It has recently been suggested that the adenosine A 2A receptor plays a role in several animal models of depression. Additionally, A 2A antagonists have reversed behavioral deficits and exhibited a profile similar to classical antidepressants. In the present study, imidazo- and pyrimido[2,1-f]purinedione derivatives (KD 66, KD 167, KD 206) with affinity to A 2A receptors but poor A 1 affinity were evaluated for their antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activity. The activity of these derivatives was tested using a tail suspension and forced swim test, two widely-used behavioral paradigms for the evaluation of antidepressant-like activity. In turn, the anxiolytic activity was evaluated using the four-plate test. The results showed the antidepressant-like activity of pyrimido- and imidazopurinedione derivatives (i.e. KD 66, KD 167 and KD 206) in acute and chronic behavioral tests in mice. KD 66 revealed an anxiolytic-like effect, while KD 167 increased anxiety behaviors. KD 206 had no effect on anxiety. Furthermore, none of the tested compounds increased locomotor activity. Available data support the proposition that the examined compounds with adenosine A 2A receptor affinity may be an interesting target for the development of antidepressant and/or anxiolytic agents. Copyright © 2016 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Depleted uranium instead of lead in munitions: the lesser evil.

PubMed

Jargin, Sergei V

2014-03-01

Uranium has many similarities to lead in its exposure mechanisms, metabolism and target organs. However, lead is more toxic, which is reflected in the threshold limit values. The main potential hazard associated with depleted uranium is inhalation of the aerosols created when a projectile hits an armoured target. A person can be exposed to lead in similar ways. Accidental dangerous exposures can result from contact with both substances. Encountering uranium fragments is of minor significance because of the low penetration depth of alpha particles emitted by uranium: they are unable to penetrate even the superficial keratin layer of human skin. An additional cancer risk attributable to the uranium exposure might be significant only in case of prolonged contact of the contaminant with susceptible tissues. Lead intoxication can be observed in the wounded, in workers manufacturing munitions etc; moreover, lead has been documented to have a negative impact on the intellectual function of children at very low blood concentrations. It is concluded on the basis of the literature overview that replacement of lead by depleted uranium in munitions would be environmentally beneficial or largely insignificant because both lead and uranium are present in the environment.

PHYSICS OF GASES, PLASMAS, AND ELECTRIC DISCHARGES Dust Acoustic Solitary Waves in Saturn F-ring's Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

E. K., El-Shewy; M. I. Abo el, Maaty; H. G., Abdelwahed; M. A., Elmessary

2011-01-01

Effect of hot and cold dust charge on the propagation of dust-acoustic waves (DAWs) in unmagnetized plasma having electrons, singly charged ions, hot and cold dust grains has been investigated. The reductive perturbation method is employed to reduce the basic set of fluid equations to the Kortewege-de Vries (KdV) equation. At the critical hot dusty plasma density Nh0, the KdV equation is not appropriate for describing the system. Hence, a set of stretched coordinates is considered to derive the modified KdV equation. It is found that the presence of hot and cold dust charge grains not only significantly modifies the basic properties of solitary structure, but also changes the polarity of the solitary profiles. In the vicinity of the critical hot dusty plasma density Nh0, neither KdV nor mKdV equation is appropriate for describing the DAWs. Therefore, a further modified KdV (fmKdV) equation is derived, which admits both soliton and double layer solutions.

Development of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Assay for the Characterization of Small-Molecule Binding Kinetics and Mechanism of Binding to Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase.

PubMed

Poda, Suresh B; Kobayashi, Masakazu; Nachane, Ruta; Menon, Veena; Gandhi, Adarsh S; Budac, David P; Li, Guiying; Campbell, Brian M; Tagmose, Lena

2015-10-01

Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), a pivotal enzyme in the kynurenine pathway, was identified as a potential therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. In this article, we describe a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay that delivers both kinetics and the mechanism of binding (MoB) data, enabling a detailed characterization of KMO inhibitors for the enzyme in real time. SPR assay development included optimization of the protein construct and the buffer conditions. The stability and inhibitor binding activity of the immobilized KMO were significantly improved when the experiments were performed at 10°C using a buffer containing 0.05% n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside (DDM) as the detergent. The KD values of the known KMO inhibitors (UPF648 and RO61-8048) from the SPR assay were in good accordance with the biochemical LC/MS/MS assay. Also, the SPR assay was able to differentiate the binding kinetics (k(a) and k(d)) of the selected unknown KMO inhibitors. For example, the inhibitors that showed comparable IC50 values in the LC/MS/MS assay displayed differences in their residence time (τ = 1/k(d)) in the SPR assay. To better define the MoB of the inhibitors to KMO, an SPR-based competition assay was developed, which demonstrated that both UPF648 and RO61-8048 bound to the substrate-binding site. These results demonstrate the potential of the SPR assay for characterizing the affinity, the kinetics, and the MoB profiles of the KMO inhibitors.

Modeling of point defects and rare gas incorporation in uranium mono-carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chartier, A.; Van Brutzel, L.

2007-02-01

An embedded atom method (EAM) potential has been established for uranium mono-carbide. This EAM potential was fitted on structural properties of metallic uranium and uranium mono-carbide. The formation energies of point defects, as well as activation energies for self migration, have been evaluated in order to cross-check the suitability of the potential. Assuming that the carbon vacancies are the main defects in uranium mono-carbide compounds, the migration paths and energies are consistent with experimental data selected by Catlow[C.R.A. Catlow, J. Nucl. Mater. 60 (1976) 151]. The insertion and migration energies for He, Kr and Xe have also been evaluated with available inter-atomic potentials [H.H. Andersen, P. Sigmund, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 38 (1965) 238]. Results show that the most stable defect configuration for rare gases is within uranium vacancies. The migration energy of an interstitial Xe is 0.5 eV, in agreement with the experimental value of 0.5 eV [Hj. Matzke, Science of advanced LMFBR fuels, Solid State Physics, Chemistry and Technology of Carbides, Nitrides and Carbonitrides of Uranium and Plutonium, North-Holland, 1986].

Decreased striatal and enhanced thalamic dopaminergic responsivity in detoxified cocaine abusers

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

Volkow, N.D.; Wang, G.J.; Fowler, J.S.

It has been hypothesized that cocaine addiction could result from decreased brain dopamine (DA) function. However, little is known about changes in (DA) neurotransmission in human cocaine addiction. We used PET and [C-11]raclopride, a DA D2 receptor ligand sensitive to competition with endogenous DA, to measure relative changes in extracellular DA induced by methylphenidate (MP) in 20 cocaine abusers (3-6 weeks after cocaine discontinuation) and 23 controls. MP did not affect the transport of [C-11]raclopride from blood to brain (K1); however it induced a significant reduction in DA D2 receptor availability (Bmax/Kd) in striatum. The magnitude of ND-induced changes inmore » striatal [C-11]raclopride binding were significantly larger in controls (21 + 13% change from baseline) than in cocaine abusers (9 {+-} 13 %) (ANOVA p < 0.005). In cocaine abusers, but not in controls, MP also decreased Bmax/Kd values in thalamus (29 {+-} 35 %) (ANOVA p < 0.005). There were no differences in plasma MP concentration between the groups. In striatum MP-induced changes in Bmax/Kd were significantly correlated with MP-induced changes in self reports of restlessness (r = 0.49, df 42, p < 0.002). In thalamus MP-induced changes in Bmax/Kd were significantly correlated with ND-induced changes in self reports of cocaine craving (r = 0.57, df 42, p < 0.0001). These results are compatible with a decrease in striatal DA brain function in cocaine abusers. They also suggest a participation of thalamic DA pathways in cocaine addiction.« less

Parameter sensitivity analysis of a 1-D cold region lake model for land-surface schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, José-Luis; Pernica, Patricia; Wheater, Howard; Mackay, Murray; Spence, Chris

2017-12-01

Lakes might be sentinels of climate change, but the uncertainty in their main feedback to the atmosphere - heat-exchange fluxes - is often not considered within climate models. Additionally, these fluxes are seldom measured, hindering critical evaluation of model output. Analysis of the Canadian Small Lake Model (CSLM), a one-dimensional integral lake model, was performed to assess its ability to reproduce diurnal and seasonal variations in heat fluxes and the sensitivity of simulated fluxes to changes in model parameters, i.e., turbulent transport parameters and the light extinction coefficient (Kd). A C++ open-source software package, Problem Solving environment for Uncertainty Analysis and Design Exploration (PSUADE), was used to perform sensitivity analysis (SA) and identify the parameters that dominate model behavior. The generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) was applied to quantify the fluxes' uncertainty, comparing daily-averaged eddy-covariance observations to the output of CSLM. Seven qualitative and two quantitative SA methods were tested, and the posterior likelihoods of the modeled parameters, obtained from the GLUE analysis, were used to determine the dominant parameters and the uncertainty in the modeled fluxes. Despite the ubiquity of the equifinality issue - different parameter-value combinations yielding equivalent results - the answer to the question was unequivocal: Kd, a measure of how much light penetrates the lake, dominates sensible and latent heat fluxes, and the uncertainty in their estimates is strongly related to the accuracy with which Kd is determined. This is important since accurate and continuous measurements of Kd could reduce modeling uncertainty.

Data Validation Package: April 2016 Groundwater Sampling at the Falls City, Texas, Disposal Site

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

Jasso, Tashina; Widdop, Michael

Nine groundwater samples were collected at the Falls City, Texas, Disposal Site as specified in the March 2008 Long-Term Surveillance Plan for the US Department of Energy Falls City Uranium Mill Tailings Disposal Site, Falls City, Texas (DOE-LM/1602-2008). Sampling and analyses were conducted as specified in the Sampling and Analysis Plan for US Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Sites (LMS/PRO/S04351, continually updated). The wells sampled included the cell performance monitoring wells (0709, 0858, 0880, 0906, and 0921) and the groundwater monitoring wells (0862, 0886, 0891, 0924, and 0963). A duplicate sample was collected from location 0891. Water levelsmore » were measured at each sampled well. Historically, cell performance monitoring wells 0908 and 0916 have not produced water and were confirmed as dry during this sampling event. These wells are completed above the saturated interval in the formation. Notable observations for time-concentration graphs in this report include: (1) uranium concentrations in well 0891 continue to increase; (2) the uranium concentration in well 0880 is higher than the 2015 value and lower than the 2014 value, and it remains within the range of historical values; and (3) uranium concentrations in the other sampled wells are below 2 mg/L and consistent with previous results.« less

Lie Symmetry Analysis and Explicit Solutions of the Time Fractional Fifth-Order KdV Equation

PubMed Central

Wang, Gang wei; Xu, Tian zhou; Feng, Tao

2014-01-01

In this paper, using the Lie group analysis method, we study the invariance properties of the time fractional fifth-order KdV equation. A systematic research to derive Lie point symmetries to time fractional fifth-order KdV equation is performed. In the sense of point symmetry, all of the vector fields and the symmetry reductions of the fractional fifth-order KdV equation are obtained. At last, by virtue of the sub-equation method, some exact solutions to the fractional fifth-order KdV equation are provided. PMID:24523885

Bilinear approach to Kuperschmidt super-KdV type equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babalic, Corina N.; Carstea, A. S.

2018-06-01

Hirota bilinear form and soliton solutions for the super-KdV (Korteweg–de Vries) equation of Kuperschmidt (Kuper–KdV) are given. It is shown that even though the collision of supersolitons is more complicated than in the case of the supersymmetric KdV equation of Manin–Radul, the asymptotic effect of the interaction is simpler. As a physical application it is shown that the well-known FPU problem, having a phonon-mediated interaction of some internal degrees of freedom expressed through Grassmann fields, transforms to the Kuper–KdV equation in a multiple-scale approach.

Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Albuquerque NTMS Quadrangle, New Mexico, including concentrations of forty-three additional elements

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

Maassen, L.W.; Bolivar, S.L.

1979-06-01

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory conducted a hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance for uranium. Totals of 408 water and 1538 sediment samples were collected from 1802 locations over a 20 100-km/sup 2/ area at an average density of one location per 11 km/sup 2/. Water samples were collected from springs, wells, and streams; sediments samples were collected predominantly from streams, but also from springs. All water samples were analyzed for uranium and 12 other elements. Sediment samples were analyzed for uranium and 42 additional elements. The uranium concentrations in water samples range from below the detection limit of 0.02 ppBmore » to 194.06 ppB. The mean uranium concentration for all water types containing < 40 ppB uranium is 1.98 ppB. Six samples contained uranium concentrations > 40.00 ppB. Well waters have the highest mean uranium concentration; spring waters have the lowest. Clusters of water samples that contain anomalous uranium concentrations are delineated in nine areas. Sediments collected from the quadrangle have uranium concentrations that range between 0.63 ppM and 28.52 ppM, with a mean for all sediments of 3.53 ppM. Eight areas containing clusters of sediments with anomalous uranium concentrations are delineated. One cluster contains sample locations within the Ambrosia Lake uranium district. Five clusters of sediment samples with anomalous uranium concentrations were collected from streams that drain the Jemez volcanic field. Another cluster defines an area just northeast of Albuquerque where streams drain Precambrian rocks, predominantly granites, of the Sandia Mountains. The last cluster, consisting of spring sediments from Mesa Portales, was collected near the contact of the Tertiary Ojo Alamo sandstone with underlying Cretaceous sediments. Sediments from these springs exhibit some of the highest uranium values reported and are associated with high uranium/thorium ratios.« less

Geochemical characterization of groundwater discharging from springs north of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2009–2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beisner, Kimberly R.; Tillman, Fred D.; Anderson, Jessica R.; Antweiler, Ronald C.; Bills, Donald J.

2017-08-01

A geochemical study was conducted on 37 springs discharging from the Toroweap Formation, Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Formation, Supai Group, and Redwall Limestone north of the Grand Canyon near areas of breccia-pipe uranium mining. Baseline concentrations were established for the elements As, B, Li, Se, SiO2, Sr, Tl, U, and V. Three springs exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards: Fence Spring for arsenic, Pigeon Spring for selenium and uranium, and Willow (Hack) Spring for selenium. The majority of the spring sites had uranium values of less than 10 micrograms per liter (μg/L), but six springs discharging from all of the geologic units studied that are located stratigraphically above the Redwall Limestone had uranium values greater than 10 μg/L (Cottonwood [Tuckup], Grama, Pigeon, Rock, and Willow [Hack and Snake Gulch] Springs). The geochemical characteristics of these six springs with elevated uranium include Ca-Mg-SO4 water type, circumneutral pH, high specific conductance, correlation and multivariate associations between U, Mo, Sr, Se, Li, and Zn, low 87Sr/86Sr, low 234U/238U activity ratios (1.34–2.31), detectable tritium, and carbon isotopic interpretation indicating they may be a mixture of modern and pre-modern waters. Similar geochemical compositions of spring waters having elevated uranium concentrations are observed at sites located both near and away from sites of uranium-mining activities in the present study. Therefore, mining does not appear to explain the presence of elevated uranium concentrations in groundwater at the six springs noted above. The elevated uranium at the six previously mentioned springs may be influenced by iron mineralization associated with mineralized breccia pipe deposits. Six springs discharging from the Coconino Sandstone (Upper Jumpup, Little, Horse, and Slide Springs) and Redwall Limestone (Kanab and Side Canyon Springs) contained water with corrected radiocarbon ages as much as 9,300 years old. Of the springs discharging water with radiocarbon age, Kanab and Side Canyon Springs contain tritium of more than 1.3 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), indicating they may contain a component of modern water recharged after 1952. Springs containing high values of tritium (greater than 5.1 pCi/L), which may suggest a significant component of modern water, include Willow (Hack), Saddle Horse, Cottonwood (Tuckup), Hotel, Bitter, Unknown, Hole in the Wall, and Hanging Springs. Fence and Rider Springs, located on the eastern end of the study area near the Colorado River, have distinctly different geochemical compositions compared to the other springs of the study. Additionally, water from Fence Spring has the highest 87Sr/86Sr for samples analyzed from this study with a value greater than those known in sedimentary rocks from the region. Strontium isotope data likely indicate that water discharging at Fence Spring has interacted with Precambrian basement rocks. Rider Spring had the most depleted values of stable O and H isotopes indicating that recharge, if recent, occurred at higher elevations or was recharged during earlier, cooler-climate conditions.

CONTINUOUS CHELATION-EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF METALS

DOEpatents

Thomas, J.R.; Hicks, T.E.; Rubin, B.; Crandall, H.W.

1959-12-01

A continuous process is presented for separating metal values and groups of metal values from each other. A complex mixture. e.g., neutron-irradiated uranium, can be resolved into component parts. In the present process the values are dissolved in an acidic solution and adjusted to the proper oxidation state. Thenceforth the solution is contacted with an extractant phase comprising a fluorinated beta -diketone in an organic solvent under centain pH conditions whereupon plutonium and zirconium are extracted. Plutonium is extracted from the foregoing extract with reducing aqueous solutions or under specified acidic conditions and can be recovered from the aqueous solution. Zirconium is then removed with an oxalic acid aqueous phase. The uranium is recovered from the residual original solution using hexone and hexone-diketone extractants leaving residual fission products in the original solution. The uranium is extracted from the hexone solution with dilute nitric acid. Improved separations and purifications are achieved using recycled scrub solutions and the "self-salting" effect of uranyl ions.

Assessment of age-dependent uranium intake due to drinking water in Hyderabad, India.

PubMed

Balbudhe, A Y; Srivastava, S K; Vishwaprasad, K; Srivastava, G K; Tripathi, R M; Puranik, V D

2012-03-01

A study has been done to assess the uranium intake through drinking water. The area of study is twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India. Uranium concentration in water samples was analysed by laser-induced fluorimetry. The associated age-dependent uranium intake was estimated by taking the prescribed water intake values. The concentration of uranium varies from below detectable level (minimum detectable level = 0.20 ± 0.02 μg l(-1)) to 2.50 ± 0.18 μg l(-1), with the geometric mean (GM) of 0.67 μg l(-1) in tap water, whereas in ground water, the range is 0.60 ± 0.05 to 82 ± 7.1 µg l(-1) with GM of 10.07 µg l(-1). The daily intake of uranium by drinking water pathway through tap water for various age groups is found to vary from 0.14 to 9.50 µg d(-1) with mean of 1.55 µg d(-1).

Simultaneous determination of the quantity and isotopic ratios of uranium in individual micro-particles by isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS).

PubMed

Park, Jong-Ho; Choi, Eun-Ju

2016-11-01

A method to determine the quantity and isotopic ratios of uranium in individual micro-particles simultaneously by isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) has been developed. This method consists of sequential sample and spike loading, ID-TIMS for isotopic measurement, and application of a series of mathematical procedures to remove the contribution of uranium in the spike. The homogeneity of evaporation and ionization of uranium content was confirmed by the consistent ratio of n((233)U)/n((238)U) determined by TIMS measurements. Verification of the method was performed using U030 solution droplets and U030 particles. Good agreements of resulting uranium quantity, n((235)U)/n((238)U), and n((236)U)/n((238)U) with the estimated or certified values showed the validity of this newly developed method for particle analysis when simultaneous determination of the quantity and isotopic ratios of uranium is required. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SOLVENT EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF URANIUM AND THORIUM FROM PROTACTINIUM AND FISSION PRODUCTS

DOEpatents

Rainey, R.H.; Moore, J.G.

1962-08-14

A liquid-liquid extraction process was developed for recovering thorium and uranium values from a neutron irradiated thorium composition. They are separated from a solvent extraction system comprising a first end extraction stage for introducing an aqueous feed containing thorium and uranium into the system consisting of a plurality of intermediate extractiorr stages and a second end extractron stage for introducing an aqueous immiscible selective organic solvent for thorium and uranium in countercurrent contact therein with the aqueous feed. A nitrate iondeficient aqueous feed solution containing thorium and uranium was introduced into the first end extraction stage in countercurrent contact with the organic solvent entering the system from the second end extraction stage while intro ducing an aqueous solution of salting nitric acid into any one of the intermediate extraction stages of the system. The resultant thorium and uranium-laden organic solvent was removed at a point preceding the first end extraction stage of the system. (AEC)

Effects of short-term and long-term treatment with medium- and long-chain triglycerides ketogenic diet on cortical spreading depression in young rats.

PubMed

de Almeida Rabello Oliveira, Marcela; da Rocha Ataíde, Terezinha; de Oliveira, Suzana Lima; de Melo Lucena, Ana Luíza; de Lira, Carla Emmanuela Pereira Rodrigues; Soares, Anderson Acioli; de Almeida, Clarissa Beatriz Santos; Ximenes-da-Silva, Adriana

2008-03-21

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat and low carbohydrate and protein diet. It is used in the clinical treatment of epilepsy, in order to decrease cerebral excitability. KD is usually composed by long-chain triglycerides (LCT) while medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) diet is beginning to be used in some clinical treatment of disorders of pyruvate carboxylase enzyme and long-chain fatty acid oxidation. Our study aimed to analyze the effects of medium- and long-chain KD on cerebral electrical activity, analyzing the propagation of the phenomenon of cortical spreading depression (CSD). Three groups of weaned rats (21 days old) received, for 7 weeks, either a control (AIN-93G diet), or a MCT-KD (rich in triheptanoin oil), or a LCT-KD (rich in soybean oil). They were compared to another three groups (21 days old) receiving the same diets for just 10 days. CSD propagation was evaluated just after ending the dietary treatments. Results showed that short-term KD treatment resulted in a significant reduction of the CSD velocity of propagation (control group: 4.02+/-1.04mm/min; MCT-KD: 0.81+/-1.46mm/min and LCT-KD: 2.26+/-0.41mm/min) compared to the control group. However, long-term treatment with both KDs had no effect on the CSD velocity (control group: 3.10+/-0.41mm/min, MCT-KD: 2.91+/-1.62mm/min, LCT-KD: 3.02+/-2.26mm/min) suggesting that both short-term KDs have a positive effect in decreasing brain cerebral excitability in young animals. These data show for the first time that triheptanoin has an effect on central nervous system.

[Complete nucleotide sequences and genome structure of two Chinese tobacco mosaic virus isolates deduced from full-length infectious cDNA clones].

PubMed

Yang, G; Liu, X G; Qiu, B S

2000-07-01

The complete nucleotides of two Chinese tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) isolates, TMV-Cv (vulgare strain) and TMV-N14 (an attenuated virus originated from a tomato strain), were determined from their respective full-length infectious cDNA clones and compared with published TMV sequences. The genome structure of TMV-Cv contained 6395 nucleotides, in which four functional open reading frames (ORF), coding for replicase (126 kD/183 kD), movement protein (MP, 30 kD) and coat protein (CP, 17.6 kD) respectively, could be recognized. TMV-N14 contained 6384 nucleotides in its genome. In contrast to TMV-Cv, five functional ORFs encoding the replicase 98.5 kD/126 kD/183 kD, MP(27 kD) and CP(17.6 kD), respectively, were detected in the TMV-N14 genome. TMV-Cv is 99% homologous to a Korean TMV isolate belonging to the vulgare strain at the nucleotide level. TMV-N14 is 99% homologous to a highly virulent Japanese isolate TMV-L (tomato strain) at the nucleotide level. In TMV-N14, one opal nulation (UGA) occurred in the replicase gene and one ochre nutation (UAA) in the MP gene. The former mutation created a potential, additional ORF within the replicase gene, the latter reduced the size of the MP to 27 kD. In addition, there were also 13 amino acid substitutions in the replicase gene of TMV-N14 when compared to that of TMV-L. Collectively, these changes may have significant implications in the attenuation of the virulence of TMV-N14.

Various ketogenic diets can differently support brain resistance against experimentally evoked seizures and seizure-induced elemental anomalies of hippocampal formation.

PubMed

Chwiej, J; Patulska, A; Skoczen, A; Matusiak, K; Janeczko, K; Ciarach, M; Simon, R; Setkowicz, Z

2017-07-01

In this paper the influence of two different ketogenic diets (KDs) on the seizure-evoked elemental anomalies of hippocampal formation was examined. To achieve this purpose normal and pilocarpine treated rats previously fed with one of the two high fat and carbohydrate restricted diets were compared with animals on standard laboratory diet. The ketogenic ratios of the examined KDs were equal to 5:1 (KD1) and 9:1 (KD2). KD1 and standard diet fed animals presented similar patterns of seizure-evoked elemental changes in hippocampal formation. Also the analysis of behavioral data recorded after pilocarpine injection did not show any significant differences in intensity and duration of seizures between KD1 and standard diet fed animals. Higher ketogenic ratio KD2 introduced in the normal hippocampal formation prolonged changes in the accumulation of P, K, Zn and Ca. Despite this, both the intensity and duration of seizures were significantly reduced in rats fed with KD2 which suggests that its saving action on the nerve tissue may protect brain from seizure propagation. Also seizure-evoked elemental anomalies in KD2 animals were different than those observed for rats both on KD1 and standard diets. The comparison of seizure experiencing and normal rats on KD2, did not show any statistically significant differences in elemental composition of CA1 and H hippocampal areas whilst in CA3 area only Zn level changed as a result of seizures. DG was the area mostly affected by seizures in KD2 fed rats but areal densities of all examined elements increased in this hippocampal region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

CD8+ T Cells Contribute to the Development of Coronary Arteritis in the Lactobacillus casei Cell Wall Extract-Induced Murine Model of Kawasaki Disease.

PubMed

Noval Rivas, Magali; Lee, Youngho; Wakita, Daiko; Chiba, Norika; Dagvadorj, Jargalsaikhan; Shimada, Kenichi; Chen, Shuang; Fishbein, Michael C; Lehman, Thomas J A; Crother, Timothy R; Arditi, Moshe

2017-02-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease among children in developed countries. Coronary lesions in KD in humans are characterized by an increased presence of infiltrating CD3+ T cells; however, the specific contributions of the different T cell subpopulations in coronary arteritis development remain unknown. Therefore, we sought to investigate the function of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, Treg cells, and natural killer (NK) T cells in the pathogenesis of KD. We addressed the function of T cell subsets in KD development by using a well-established murine model of Lactobacillus casei cell wall extract (LCWE)-induced KD vasculitis. We determined which T cell subsets were required for development of KD vasculitis by using several knockout murine strains and depleting monoclonal antibodies. LCWE-injected mice developed coronary lesions characterized by the presence of inflammatory cell infiltrates. Frequently, this chronic inflammation resulted in complete occlusion of the coronary arteries due to luminal myofibroblast proliferation (LMP) as well as the development of coronary arteritis and aortitis. We found that CD8+ T cells, but not CD4+ T cells, NK T cells, or Treg cells, were required for development of KD vasculitis. The LCWE-induced murine model of KD vasculitis mimics many histologic features of the disease in humans, such as the presence of CD8+ T cells and LMP in coronary artery lesions as well as epicardial coronary arteritis. Moreover, CD8+ T cells functionally contribute to the development of KD vasculitis in this murine model. Therapeutic strategies targeting infiltrating CD8+ T cells might be useful in the management of KD in humans. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

Pathophysiologic insights into motor axonal function in Kennedy disease.

PubMed

Vucic, Steve; Kiernan, Matthew C

2007-11-06

Kennedy disease (KD), or spinobulbomuscular atrophy, is a slowly progressive inherited neurodegenerative disorder, marked by prominent fasciculations that typically precede the development of other symptoms. Although the genetic basis of KD relates to triplet (CAG) repeat expansion in the androgen receptor (AR) gene on the X chromosome, the mechanisms underlying the clinical presentation in KD have yet to be established. Consequently, the present study applied axonal excitability techniques to investigate the pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with KD. Peripheral nerve excitability studies were undertaken in 7 patients with KD with compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) recorded from the right abductor pollicis brevis. Strength-duration time constant (KD 0.54 +/- 0.03 msec; controls, 0.41 +/- 0.02 msec, p < 0.01) and the hyperpolarizing current/threshold gradient (KD 0.42 +/- 0.01; controls, 0.37 +/- 0.01, p < 0.05) were significantly increased in KD. Strength-duration time constant correlated with the CMAP amplitude (R = 0.68) and the fasciculation frequency (R = 0.62). Threshold electrotonus revealed greater changes in response to subthreshold depolarizing (KD TEd [90 to 100 msec], 50.75 +/- 1.98%; controls TEd [90 to 100 msec], 45.67 +/- 0.67%, p < 0.01) and hyperpolarizing (KD TEh [90 to 100 msec], 128.5 +/- 6.9%; controls TEh [90 to 100 msec], 120.5 +/- 2.4%) conditioning pulses. Measurements of refractoriness, superexcitability, and late subexcitability changed appropriately for axonal hyperpolarization, perhaps reflecting the effects of increased ectopic activity. In total, the increase in the strength-duration time constant may be the primary event, occurring early in course of the disease, contributing to the development of axonal hyperexcitability in Kennedy disease, and thereby to the generation of fasciculations, a characteristic hallmark of the disease.

Residency training: the King-Devick test and sleep deprivation: study in pre- and post-call neurology residents.

PubMed

Davies, Emma C; Henderson, Sam; Balcer, Laura J; Galetta, Steven L

2012-04-24

The current study investigates the effect of sleep deprivation on the speed and accuracy of eye movements as measured by the King-Devick (K-D) test, a <1-minute test that involves rapid number naming. In this cohort study, neurology residents and staff from the University of Pennsylvania Health System underwent baseline followed by postcall K-D testing (n = 25); those not taking call (n = 10) also completed baseline and follow-up K-D testing. Differences in the times and errors between baseline and follow-up K-D scores were compared between the 2 groups. Residents taking call had less improvement from baseline K-D times when compared to participants not taking call (p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon rank sum test). For both groups, the change in K-D time from baseline was correlated to amount of sleep obtained (r(s) = -0.50, p = 0.002) and subjective evaluation of level of alertness (r(s) = 0.33, p = 0.05) but had no correlation to time since last caffeine consumption (r(s) = -0.13, p = 0.52). For those residents on their actual call night, the duration of sleep obtained did not correlate with change in K-D scores from baseline (r(s) = 0.13, p = 0.54). The K-D test is sensitive to the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive functioning, including rapid eye movements, concentration, and language function. As with other measures of sleep deprivation, K-D performance demonstrated significant interindividual variability in vulnerability to sleep deprivation. Severe fatigue appears to reduce the degree of improvement typically observed in K-D testing.

Susceptibility of Adult Mosquitoes to Insecticides in Aqueous Sucrose Baits

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

imidacloprid, followed by spinosad, thiamethoxam , bifenthrin, permethrin, and cyfluthrin. The least effective ingredients were chlorfenapyr and ivermectin...effective active ingredients were fipronil, deltamethrin and imidacloprid, followed by spinosad, thiamethoxam , bifenthrin, permethrin, and cyfluthrin. The...presented. Based on KD50 values, Cx. quinquefasciatus were most suscepti- ble to fipronil > imidacloprid > deltamethrin, spinosad, thiamethoxam , and

Design and synthesis of biotin analogues reversibly binding with streptavidin.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Tomohiro; Aoki, Kiyoshi; Sugiyama, Akira; Doi, Hirofumi; Kodama, Tatsuhiko; Shimizu, Yohei; Kanai, Motomu

2015-04-01

Two new biotin analogues, biotin carbonate 5 and biotin carbamate 6, have been synthesized. These molecules were designed to reversibly bind with streptavidin by replacing the hydrogen-bond donor NH group(s) of biotin's cyclic urea moiety with oxygen. Biotin carbonate 5 was synthesized from L-arabinose (7), which furnishes the desired stereochemistry at the 3,4-cis-dihydroxy groups, in 11% overall yield (over 10 steps). Synthesis of biotin carbamate 6 was accomplished from L-cysteine-derived chiral aldehyde 33 in 11% overall yield (over 7 steps). Surface plasmon resonance analysis of water-soluble biotin carbonate analogue 46 and biotin carbamate analogue 47 revealed that KD values of these compounds for binding to streptavidin were 6.7×10(-6)  M and 1.7×10(-10)  M, respectively. These values were remarkably greater than that of biotin (KD =10(-15)  M), and thus indicate the importance of the nitrogen atoms for the strong binding between biotin and streptavidin. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Measuring the steady-state properties of Ca²⁺ indicators with a set of calibrated [Ca²⁺] solutions.

PubMed

Faas, Guido C; Mody, Istvan

2014-07-01

Fluorescent Ca(2+) indicators are widely used to measure the concentration of free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]free) in biological processes. By calibrating the dye under the same experimental conditions as employed during its planned use, the actual [Ca(2+)] can be calculated from the measured fluorescence. When using non ratiometric dyes, such as the Oregon Green BAPTA (OGB) family of dyes or the Fluo dyes, the steady-state affinity (K(d)) and the ratio between the maximal and minimal fluorescence (F(ratio) = F(max)/F(min)) of the particular dye are needed for this conversion. Although these values are usually given by the manufacturer, we consistently find that the actual values can differ between various batches delivered by the companies that make the dyes. In this protocol, we provide the recipe for a series of solutions with a known and tightly buffered [Ca(2+)](free) and describe how to use these mixtures to determine the exact K(d) and F(ratio) of a fluorescent Ca(2+) dye. © 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Kinetic study of the effects of calcium ions on cationic artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) peroxidase: calcium binding, steady-state kinetics and reactions with hydrogen peroxide.

PubMed

Hiner, Alexander N P; Sidrach, Lara; Chazarra, Soledad; Varón, Ramón; Tudela, José; García-Cánovas, Francisco; Rodríguez-López, José Neptuno

2004-01-01

The apparent catalytic constant (k(cat)) of artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) peroxidase (AKPC) with 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) increased 130-fold in the presence of calcium ions (Ca2+) but the affinity (K(m)) of the enzyme for ABTS was 500 times lower than for Ca2+-free AKPC. AKPC is known to exhibit an equilibrium between 6-aquo hexa-coordinate and penta-coordinate forms of the haem iron that is modulated by Ca2+ and affects compound I formation. Measurements of the Ca2+ dissociation constant (K(D)) were complicated by the water-association/dissociation equilibrium yielding a global value more than 1000 times too high. The value for the Ca2+ binding step alone has now been determined to be K(D) approximately 10 nM. AKPC-Ca2+ was more resistant to inactivation by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and exhibited increased catalase activity. An analysis of the complex H(2)O(2) concentration dependent kinetics of Ca2+-free AKPC is presented.

Pregnancy in women with a history of Kawasaki disease: management and outcomes.

PubMed

Gordon, C T; Jimenez-Fernandez, S; Daniels, L B; Kahn, A M; Tarsa, M; Matsubara, T; Shimizu, C; Burns, J C; Gordon, J B

2014-10-01

To characterise the obstetrical management and outcomes in a series of women with a history of Kawasaki disease (KD) in childhood. Retrospective case series. Tertiary healthcare setting in the USA. Women with a history of KD in childhood. Women completed a detailed health questionnaire and participated in research imaging studies as part of the San Diego Adult KD Collaborative Study. Obstetrical management, complications during pregnancy and delivery, and infant outcomes. Ten women with a history of KD in childhood carried a total of 21 pregnancies to term. There were no cardiovascular complications during labour and delivery despite important cardiovascular abnormalities in four of the ten subjects. Pregnancy was complicated by pre-eclampsia and the post-partum course was complicated by haemorrhage in one subject each. Two of the 21 progeny subsequently developed KD. Women with important cardiovascular sequelae from KD in childhood should be managed by a team that includes both a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and a cardiologist. Pre-pregnancy counselling should include delineation of the woman's current functional and structural cardiovascular status and appropriate adjustment of medications, but excellent outcomes are possible with appropriate care. Review of the English and Japanese literature on KD and pregnancy revealed the occurrence of myocardial infarction during pregnancy in women with missed KD and aneurysms that were not diagnosed until their acute event. Our study highlights the need for counselling with regard to the increased genetic risk of KD in offspring born to these mothers. © 2014 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

10 CFR 74.33 - Nuclear material control and accounting for uranium enrichment facilities authorized to produce...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... and special nuclear material in the accounting records are based on measured values; (3) A measurement... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nuclear material control and accounting for uranium... Section 74.33 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) MATERIAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING OF SPECIAL...

Uranium analysis in some food samples collected from Bathinda area of Punjab, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Mukesh; Prasher, Sangeeta; Singh, Surinder

2009-07-01

To strengthen the radiation protection infrastructure in Bathinda, the uranium concentration in daily diet of the residents has been measured and its associated radiation risks were estimated for the adult population. Food samples were collected from major cancer prone areas of the district, from which daily diets were prepared. These diet samples were analyzed using fission track technique. The measured values of the uranium content were found to vary from 0.38 mBq/g in mustard seeds to 4.60 mBq/g in wheat. In case of milk the uranium content is found to vary from 28.57-213.36 mBq/ℓ with mean concentration of 61.35 mBq/ℓ. This leads to a daily dietary intake of 0.90 Bq/day. The measured value of 0.90 Bq d-1, contributes to 1.12 mSv to the cumulative effective dose to the population. This dose is much large than the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for the general public [1]. Therefore, it would pose significant health hazard.

The ketogenic diet as a treatment for traumatic brain injury: a scoping review.

PubMed

McDougall, Alexandre; Bayley, Mark; Munce, Sarah Ep

2018-01-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The ketogenic diet (KD) has been identified as a potential therapy to enhance recovery after TBI. The purpose of this study is to complete a scoping review and synthesize the evidence regarding the KD and its therapeutic effects in TBI. The methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley was employed. Databases searched include Medline, EMBASE, CCRCT, CINAHL and WebOfScience. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts in a two-step screening protocol to determine inclusion. Abstracted data included study setting and therapeutic mechanism. The KD was demonstrated to reduce cerebral oedema, apoptosis, improve cerebral metabolism and behavioural outcomes in rodent TBIs. Additionally, the KD affected rodent TBIs in an age-dependent manner. Due to a lack of relevant outcome measures, the human trials did not establish much evidence with respect to the KD as a treatment for TBI; only its safety was established. The KD is an effective treatment for TBI recovery in rats and shows potential in humans. Future research should aim to better elucidate the KD's mechanisms of action in human TBIs and determine if the KD's effectiveness on clinical outcomes can be reproduced in humans.

Light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical localization of two major proteins in garlic bulb.

PubMed

Wen, G Y; Mato, A; Wisniewski, H M; Malik, M N; Jenkins, E C; Sheikh, A M; Kim, K S

1995-08-01

Garlic is known as a potent spice and a medicine with broad therapeutic properties ranging from antibacterial to anticancer, antidiabetic, and anticoagulant. Two major proteins of 40 KD and 14 KD constituting approximately 96% of total garlic proteins have been recently purified at our Institute. This immunocytochemical and ultrastructural study revealed that the 40 KD protein was localized in the parenchyma sheath cells (PSC) of garlic bulbs, whereas the 14 KD protein was present in the cortical cells (CC). Immunogold electron microscopy study indicated that the 40 KD protein was specifically localized in the globular granules of the cytoplasmic area of PSC. Each globular granule was amorphous and homogenous with membrane limiting its outermost layer. The yellowish color of PSC in freshly cut slices of garlic bulb suggested that PSC may have sulfur-containing compounds such as allicin, the primary contributor of the pungency and medicinal properties of garlic. Ellman's reagent test quantitatively revealed that there were 17.8 n moles sulfhydryl (SH)/ml of 40 KD garlic protein. Microtubule tubulin in mitotic figures from PHA-stimulated human short-term whole blood cultures reacted strongly with antitubulin antibody but reacted negatively with anti-40 KD garlic protein antibodies and therefore was not related to the 40 KD garlic protein immunocytochemically.

Identification of candidate diagnostic serum biomarkers for Kawasaki disease using proteomic analysis

PubMed Central

Kimura, Yayoi; Yanagimachi, Masakatsu; Ino, Yoko; Aketagawa, Mao; Matsuo, Michie; Okayama, Akiko; Shimizu, Hiroyuki; Oba, Kunihiro; Morioka, Ichiro; Imagawa, Tomoyuki; Kaneko, Tetsuji; Yokota, Shumpei; Hirano, Hisashi; Mori, Masaaki

2017-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis and childhood febrile disease that can lead to cardiovascular complications. The diagnosis of KD depends on its clinical features, and thus it is sometimes difficult to make a definitive diagnosis. In order to identify diagnostic serum biomarkers for KD, we explored serum KD-related proteins, which differentially expressed during the acute and recovery phases of two patients by mass spectrometry (MS). We identified a total of 1,879 proteins by MS-based proteomic analysis. The levels of three of these proteins, namely lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein (LRG1), and angiotensinogen (AGT), were higher in acute phase patients. In contrast, the level of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) was decreased. To confirm the usefulness of these proteins as biomarkers, we analyzed a total of 270 samples, including those collected from 55 patients with acute phase KD, by using western blot analysis and microarray enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Over the course of this experiment, we determined that the expression level of these proteins changes specifically in the acute phase of KD, rather than the recovery phase of KD or other febrile illness. Thus, LRG1 could be used as biomarkers to facilitate KD diagnosis based on clinical features. PMID:28262744

Estimation of bioavailability of metals from drilling mud barite.

PubMed

Neff, Jerry M

2008-04-01

Drilling mud and associated drill cuttings are the largest volume wastes associated with drilling of oil and gas wells and often are discharged to the ocean from offshore drilling platforms. Barite (BaSO4) often is added as a weighting agent to drilling muds to counteract pressure in the geologic formations being drilled, preventing a blowout. Some commercial drilling mud barites contain elevated (compared to marine sediments) concentrations of several metals. The metals, if bioavailable, may harm the local marine ecosystem. The bioavailable fraction of metals is the fraction that dissolves from the nearly insoluble, solid barite into seawater or sediment porewater. Barite-seawater and barite-porewater distribution coefficients (Kd) were calculated for determining the predicted environmental concentration (PEC; the bioavailable fraction) of metals from drilling mud barite in the water column and sediments, respectively. Values for Kdbarite-seawater and Kdbarite-porewater were calculated for barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, lead, and zinc in different grades of barite. Log Kdbarite-seawater values were higher (solubility was lower) for metals in the produced water plume than log Kdbarite-porewater values for metals in sediments. The most soluble metals were cadmium and zinc and the least soluble were mercury and copper. Log Kd values can be used with data on concentrations of metals in barite and of barite in the drilling mud-cuttings plume and in bottom sediments to calculate PECseawater and PECsediment.

Ketogenic diet in migraine: rationale, findings and perspectives.

PubMed

Barbanti, Piero; Fofi, Luisa; Aurilia, Cinzia; Egeo, Gabriella; Caprio, Massimiliano

2017-05-01

Ketogenic diet (KD) is an established treatment for refractory pediatric epilepsy and a promising therapy for diverse neurological diseases. Clinical data on KD in migraine-obtained from 150 patients investigated in case reports and prospective studies-suggest that KD may be a rapid onset effective prophylaxis for episodic and chronic migraine. KD would contribute to restore brain excitability and metabolism and to counteract neuroinflammation in migraine, although its precise mechanism is still unclear. Randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the usefulness of KD in migraine and to investigate its optimal duration, repeatability, feasibility in normal weight subjects, efficacy in pediatric population and association to conventional migraine prophylaxis.

Sorption of uranium (VI) on homoionic sodium smectite experimental study and surface complexation modeling.

PubMed

Korichi, Smain; Bensmaili, Aicha

2009-09-30

This paper is an extension of a previous paper where the natural and purified clay in the homoionic Na form were physico-chemically characterized (doi:10.1016/j.clay.2008.04.014). In this study, the adsorption behavior of U (VI) on a purified Na-smectite suspension is studied using batch adsorption experiments and surface complexation modeling (double layer model). The sorption of uranium was investigated as a function of pH, uranium concentration, solid to liquid ratio, effect of natural organic matter (NOM) and NaNO(3) background electrolyte concentration. Using the MINTEQA2 program, the speciation of uranium was calculated as a function of pH and uranium concentration. Model predicted U (VI) aqueous speciation suggests that important aqueous species in the [U (VI)]=1mg/L and pH range 3-7 including UO(2)(2+), UO(2)OH(+), and (UO(2))(3)(OH)(5)(+). The concentration of UO(2)(2+) decreased and that of (UO(2))(3)(OH)(5)(+) increased with increasing pH. The potentiometric titration values and uptake of uranium in the sodium smectite suspension were simulated by FITEQL 4.0 program using a two sites model, which is composed of silicate and aluminum reaction sites. We compare the acidity constants values obtained by potentiometric titration from the purified sodium smectite with those obtained from single oxides (quartz and alpha-alumina), taking into account the surface heterogeneity and the complex nature of natural colloids. We investigate the uranium sorption onto purified Na-smectite assuming low, intermediate and high edge site surfaces which are estimated from specific surface area percentage. The sorption data is interpreted and modeled as a function of edge site surfaces. A relationship between uranium sorption and total site concentration was confirmed and explained through variation in estimated edge site surface value. The modeling study shows that, the convergence during DLM modeling is related to the best estimation of the edge site surface from the N(2)-BET specific surface area, SSA(BET) (thus, total edge site concentrations). The specific surface area should be at least 80-100m(2)/g for smectite clays in order to reach convergence during the modeling. The range of 10-20% SSA(BET) was used to estimate the values of edge site surfaces that led to the convergence during modeling. An agreement between the experimental data and model predictions is found reasonable when 15% SSA(BET) was used as edge site surface. However, the predicted U (VI) adsorption underestimated and overestimated the experimental observations at the 10 and 20% of the measured SSA(BET), respectively. The dependence of uranium sorption modeling results on specific surface area and edge site surface is useful to describe and predict U (VI) retardation as a function of chemical conditions in the field-scale reactive transport simulations. Therefore this approach can be used in the environmental quality assessment.

SULFIDE METHOD PLUTONIUM SEPARATION

DOEpatents

Duffield, R.B.

1958-08-12

A process is described for the recovery of plutonium from neutron irradiated uranium solutions. Such a solution is first treated with a soluble sullide, causing precipitation of the plutoniunn and uraniunn values present, along with those impurities which form insoluble sulfides. The precipitate is then treated with a solution of carbonate ions, which will dissolve the uranium and plutonium present while the fission product sulfides remain unaffected. After separation from the residue, this solution may then be treated by any of the usual methods, such as formation of a lanthanum fluoride precipitate, to effect separation of plutoniunn from uranium.

Localization of the human 64kD autoantigen D1 to myofibrils in a subset of extraocular muscle fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conley, C. A.; Fowler, V. M.

1999-01-01

PURPOSE. To evaluate the tissue-specific expression pattern of the 64kD human autoantigen D1, a tropomodulin-related protein that may be involved in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. METHODS. Recombinant 64kD human autoantigen D1 was generated in a bacterial expression system and used to immunize rabbits. Specific antibodies were affinity-purified and used for Western blots on normal and hyperthyroid rat and rabbit tissue, and immunofluorescence localization on cryosections of rat tissue. RESULTS. Anti-64kD human autoantigen D1 antibodies recognize specifically a approximately 70kD polypeptide in western blots of extraocular muscle, sternothyroid muscle, and smooth muscle. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrates that the 64kD human autoantigen D1 localizes to myofibrils in slow fibers from rat extraocular and sternothyroid muscle. The level of this protein is not altered in extraocular muscles from hyperthyroid rabbits. CONCLUSIONS. The 64kD human autoantigen D1 is expressed in slow fibers of extraocular and sternothyroid muscles as a component of myofibrils, and is not upregulated in conditions of hyperthyroidism.

The alpha3(betaMet222Ser/Tyr345Trp)3gamma subcomplex of the TF1-ATPase does not hydolyze ATP at a significant rate until the substrate binds to the catalytic site of the lowest affinity.

PubMed

Ren, Huimiao; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjay; Allison, William S

2006-05-16

The alpha(3)(betaM(222)S/Y(345)W)(3)gamma double-mutant subcomplex of the F(1)-ATPase from the thermophilic Bacillus PS3 (TF(1)), free of endogenous nucleotides, does not entrap inhibitory MgADP in a catalytic site during turnover. It hydrolyzes 100 nM-2 mM ATP with a K(m) of 31 microM and a k(cat) of 220 s(-)(1). Fluorescence titrations of the introduced tryptophans with MgADP or MgATP revealed that both Mg-nucleotide complexes bind to the catalytic site of the highest affinity with K(d)()1 values of less than 1 nM and bind to the site of intermediate affinity with a common K(d)2 value of about 12 nM. The K(d)3 values obtained for the catalytic site of the lowest affinity from titrations with MgADP and MgATP are 25 and 37 microM, respectively. The double mutant hydrolyzes 200 nM ATP with a first-order rate of 1.5 s(-)(1), which is 0.7% of k(cat). Hence, it does not hydrolyze ATP at a significant rate when the catalytic site of intermediate affinity is saturated and the catalytic site of the lowest affinity is minimally occupied. After the addition of stoichiometric MgATP to the alpha(3)(betaM(222)S/Y(345)W)(3)gamma subcomplex, one-third of the tryptophan fluorescence remains quenched after 10 min. The product [(3)H]ADP remains bound when the wild-type and double-mutant subcomplexes hydrolyze substoichiometric [(3)H]ATP. In contrast, (32)P(i) is not retained when the wild-type subcomplex hydrolyzes substoichiometric [gamma-(32)P]ATP. This precludes assessment of the equilibrium at the high-affinity catalytic site when the wild-type TF(1) subcomplex hydrolyzes substoichiometric ATP.

Methanogenic degradation kinetics of phenolic compounds in aquifer-derived microcosms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Godsy, E.M.; Goerlitz, D.F.; Grbic-Galic, D.

1992-01-01

In this segment of a larger multidisciplinary study of the movement and fate of creosote derived compounds in a sand-and-gravel aquifer, we present evidence that the methanogenic degradation of the major biodegradable phenolic compounds and concomitant microbial growth in batch microcosms derived from contaminated aquifer material can be described using Monod kinetics. Substrate depletion and bacterial growth curves were fitted to the Monod equations using nonlinear regression analysis. The method of Marquardt was used for the determination of parameter values that best fit the experimental data by minimizing the residual sum of squares. The Monod kinetic constants (??max, Ks, Y, and kd) that describe phenol, 2-, 3-, and 4-methylphenol degradation and concomitant microbial growth were determined under conditions that were substantially different from those previously reported for microcosms cultured from sewage sludge. The Ks values obtained in this study are approximately two orders of magnitude lower than values obtained for the anaerobic degradation of phenol in digesting sewage sludge, indicating that the aquifer microorganisms have developed enzyme systems that are adapted to low nutrient conditions. The values for kd are much less than ??max, and can be neglected in the microcosms. The extremely low Y values, approximately 3 orders of magnitude lower than for the sewage sludge derived cultures, and the very low numbers of microorganisms in the aquifer derived microcosms suggest that these organisms use some unique strategies to survive in the subsurface environment. ?? 1992 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Soil pH on mobility of imazaquin in oxisols with positive balance of charges.

PubMed

Regitano, Jussara B; da Rocha, Wadson S D; Alleoni, Luís R F

2005-05-18

The influence of soil pH on the leaching potential of the ionizable herbicide imazaquin was assessed on the profile of two highly weathered soils having a net positive charge in the B horizon, in contrast to a soil having a net negative charge in the whole profile, using packed soil column experiments. Imazaquin leached to a large extent and faster at Kd values lower than 1.0 L kg(-1), a much more lenient limit than usually proposed for pesticides in the literature (Kd < 5.0 L kg(-1)). The amount of imazaquin leached increased with soil pH. As the soil pH increased, the percentage of imazaquin in the anionic forms, the negative surface potential of the soils, as well as imazaquin water solubility also increased, thus reducing sorption because of repulsive electrostatic forces (hydrophilic interactions). For all surface samples (0-0.2 m), imazaquin did not leach at soil pH values lower than pKa (3.8) and more than 80% of the applied amount was leached at pH values higher than 5.5. For subsurface samples from the acric soils, imazaquin only began to leach at soil pH values > zero point of salt effects (ZPSE > 5.7). In conclusion, the use of surface K(oc) values to predict the amount of imazaquin leached within soil profiles having a positive balance of charges may greatly overestimate its actual leaching potential.

Sorption behavior of uranium(VI) on a biotite mineral

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

Idemitsu, K.; Obata, K.; Furuya, H.

1995-12-31

Biotite has the most important role for the sorption of radionuclides in granitic rocks. Experiments on the sorption of uranium(VI) on biotite were conducted to understand the fundamental controls on uranium sorption on biotite mineral, including the effects of pH and uranium concentration in solution. Biotite powder (mesh 32--60) were washed with 1N HCl for a week and were rinsed twice with deionized water for a week. This HCl treatment was necessary to avoid the effects by other minerals. The agreement between surface adsorption coefficient, Ka, of both biotites with and without HCl treatment was within one order of magnitude.more » The peak Ka value was in the range of 0.1 to 0.01 cm{sup 3}/cm{sup 2} around pH 6. A comparison of aqueous uranium speciations and sorption results indicates that neutral uranyl hydroxide could be an important species sorbed on the biotite. Sequential desorption experiments with KCl and HCl solutions were also carried out after sorption experiments to investigate sorption forms of uranium. Approximately 20% of uranium in solution were sorbed on the biotite as an exchangeable ion. The fraction of exchangeable uranium had a little dependence on pH. The other uranium could not be extracted even by 6N HCl solution. It is possible that most of the uranium could be precipitated as U(IV) via Fe(II) reduction on the biotite surface.« less

Control and distribution of uranium in coral reefs during diagenesis

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

Gvirtzman, G.; Friedman, G.M.; Miller, D.S.

1973-12-01

The concentration of about 2 ppM of uranium in the aragonitic skeletons of modern scleractinian corals which we studied is a constant value, regardless of occurrence, anatomy, or taxonomy. The presence of cement of aragonite or high- magnesian calcite usually raises the concentration of bulk samples to about 3 ppM. Modern corals may contain up to 50% of cementing minerals. Organisms, such as corals and coralline algae, while secreting their skeleton, discriminate against the uptake of uranium, whereas the uptake of uranium by mineral cements is less restrained. Aragonite cement contains about 3.6 ppM and highmagnesian calcite cement 2.6 ppMmore » uranium. During leaching by freshwater, the aragonite of the skeletons of corals dissolves out. This creates hollow molds which fill with drusy low-magnesian calcite. In emergent reefs from the shores of the Red Sea which display the ellects of progressive diagenesis this calcite is enriched in uranium (3.9 ppM) beyond that found in marine cements. Second-generation calcite, which fills original voids in the corals from the emergent reefs, contains a lower level of uranium concent ration (1.3 ppM). The level of concentration of uranium in low-magnesian calcite of diagenetically altered corals is a function of the availability of uranium in meteoric waters. In aragonite as well as in high- and low-magnesian calcite uranium replaces calcium or occupies lattice vacancies in the crystal lattice. (auth)« less

Actinide Sorption in Rainier Mesa Tunnel Waters from the Nevada Test Site

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

Zhao, P; Zavarin, M; Leif, R

2007-12-17

The sorption behavior of americium (Am), plutonium (Pu), neptunium (Np), and uranium (U) in perched Rainier Mesa tunnel water was investigated. Both volcanic zeolitized tuff samples and groundwater samples were collected from Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site, NV for a series of batch sorption experiments. Sorption in groundwater with and without the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated. Am(III) and Pu(IV) are more soluble in groundwater that has high concentrations of DOM. The sorption K{sub d} for Am(III) and Pu(IV) on volcanic zeolitized tuff was up to two orders of magnitude lower in samples with high DOM (15more » to 19 mg C/L) compared to samples with DOM removed (< 0.4 mg C/L) or samples with naturally low DOM (0.2 mg C/L). In contrast, Np(V) and U(VI) sorption to zeolitized tuff was much less affected by the presence of DOM. The Np(V) and U(VI) sorption Kds were low under all conditions. Importantly, the DOM was not found to significantly sorb to the zeolitized tuff during these experiment. The concentration of DOM in groundwater affects the transport behavior of actinides in the subsurface. The mobility of Am(III) and Pu(IV) is significantly higher in groundwater with elevated levels of DOM resulting in potentially enhanced transport. To accurately model the transport behavior of actinides in groundwater at Rainier Mesa, the low actinide Kd values measured in groundwater with high DOM concentrations must be incorporated in predictive transport models.« less

The mitochondrial and kidney disease phenotypes of kd/kd mice under germfree conditions

PubMed Central

Hallman, Troy M.; Peng, Min; Meade, Ray; Hancock, Wayne W.; Madaio, Michael P.; Gasser, David L.

2008-01-01

Interstitial nephritis occurs spontaneously in kd/kd mice, but the mechanisms leading to this disease have not been fully elucidated. The earliest manifestation of a phenotype is the appearance of ultrastructural defects in the mitochondria of mice as young as 42 days of age. To examine the influence of the environment on the phenotype, homozygous B6.kd/kd mice were transferred from specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions to a germfree (GF) environment, and the development of the disease was observed. The GF state resulted in a highly significant reduction in the frequency of tubulointerstitial nephritis. In addition, GF conditions markedly reduced the appearance of the mitochondrial phenotype, with no sign of mitochondrial abnormalities in GF mice of up to 155 days of age. These results suggest that environmental factors are involved in the progression of all known manifestations of this disease phenotype. PMID:16337774

Vaccines and Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Esposito, Susanna; Bianchini, Sonia; Dellepiane, Rosa Maria; Principi, Nicola

2016-01-01

The distinctive immune system characteristics of children with Kawasaki disease (KD) could suggest that they respond in a particular way to all antigenic stimulations, including those due to vaccines. Moreover, treatment of KD is mainly based on immunomodulatory therapy. These factors suggest that vaccines and KD may interact in several ways. These interactions could be of clinical relevance because KD is a disease of younger children who receive most of the vaccines recommended for infectious disease prevention. This paper shows that available evidence does not support an association between KD development and vaccine administration. Moreover, it highlights that administration of routine vaccines is mandatory even in children with KD and all efforts must be made to ensure the highest degree of protection against vaccine-preventable diseases for these patients. However, studies are needed to clarify currently unsolved issues, especially issues related to immunologic interference induced by intravenous immunoglobulin and biological drugs.

The King-Devick (K-D) test of rapid eye movements: a bedside correlate of disability and quality of life in MS.

PubMed

Moster, Stephen; Wilson, James A; Galetta, Steven L; Balcer, Laura J

2014-08-15

We investigated the King-Devick (K-D) test of rapid number naming as a visual performance measure in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this cross-sectional study, 81 patients with MS and 20 disease-free controls from an ongoing study of visual outcomes underwent K-D testing. A test of rapid number naming, K-D requires saccadic eye movements as well as intact vision, attention and concentration. To perform the K-D test, participants are asked to read numbers aloud as quickly as possible from three test cards; the sum of the three test card times in seconds constitutes the summary score. High-contrast visual acuity (VA), low-contrast letter acuity (1.25% and 2.5% levels), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT), MS Functional Composite (MSFC) and vision-specific quality of life (QOL) measures (25-Item NEI Visual Functioning Questionnaire [NEI-VFQ-25] and 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement) were also assessed. K-D time scores in the MS cohort (total time to read the three test cards) were significantly higher (worse) compared to those for disease-free controls (P=0.003, linear regression, accounting for age). Within the MS cohort, higher K-D scores were associated with worse scores for the NEI-VFQ-25 composite (P<0.001), 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement (P<0.001), binocular low-contrast acuity (2.5%, 1.25%, P<0.001, and high-contrast VA (P=0.003). Monocular low-contrast vision scores (P=0.001-0.009) and RNFL thickness (P=0.001) were also reduced in eyes of patients with worse K-D scores (GEE models accounting for age and within-patient, inter-eye correlations). Patients with a history of optic neuritis (ON) had increased (worse) K-D scores. Patients who classified their work disability status as disabled (receiving disability pension) did worse on K-D testing compared to those working full-time (P=0.001, accounting for age). The K-D test, a <2 minute bedside test of rapid number naming, is associated with visual dysfunction, neurologic impairment, and reduced vision-specific QOL in patients with MS. Scores reflect work disability as well as structural changes as measured by OCT imaging. History of ON and abnormal binocular acuities were associated with worse K-D scores, suggesting that abnormalities detected by K-D may go along with afferent dysfunction in MS patients. A brief test that requires saccadic eye movements, K-D should be considered for future MS trials as a rapid visual performance measure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preliminary report of the uranium favorability of shear zones in the crystalline rocks of the southern Appalachians

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

Penley, H.M.; Schot, E.H.; Sewell, J.M.

1978-11-01

Three sheared areas in the crystalline Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces, from which uranium occurrences or anomalous radioactivity have been reported, were studied to determine their favorability for uranium mineralization. The study, which involved a literature review, geologic reconnaissance, ground radiometric surveys, and sampling of rock outcrops for petrographic and chemical analyses, indicates that more-detailed investigations of these and similar areas are warranted. In each area, surface leaching and deep residual cover make it difficult to assess the potential for uranium mineralization on the basis of results from chemical analyses for U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ and the radiometric surveys. Although anomalousmore » radioactivity and anomalous chemical uranium values were noted in only a few rock exposures and samples from the shear zones, the potential for uranium mineralization at depth could be much greater than indicated by these surface data. The study indicates that shear zones within Precambiran granitic basement complexes (such as the Wilson Creek Gneiss of western North Carolina, the Cranberry Gneiss of eastern Tennessee, and the Toxaway Gneiss of western South Carolina) are favorable as hosts for uranium and may contain subsurface deposits. Mylonitized graphitic schists immediately north of the Towaliga fault in Alabama and Georgia may be favorable host rocks for uranium.« less

Biosorption and biomineralization of uranium(VI) by Saccharomyces cerevisiae-Crystal formation of chernikovite.

PubMed

Zheng, Xin-Yan; Wang, Xiao-Yu; Shen, Yang-Hao; Lu, Xia; Wang, Tie-Shan

2017-05-01

Biosorption of heavy metal elements including radionuclides by microorganisms is a promising and effective method for the remediation of the contaminated places. The responses of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the toxic uranium solutions during the biosorption process and the mechanism of uranium biomineralization by cells were investigated in the present study. A novel experimental phenomenon that uranium concentrations have negative correlation with pH values and positive correlation with phosphate concentrations in the supernatant was observed, indicating that hydrogen ions, phosphate ions and uranyl ions were involved in the chernikovite precipitation actively. During the biosorption process, live cells desorb deposited uranium within the equilibrium state of biosorption system was reached and the phosphorus concentration increased gradually in the supernatant. These metabolic detoxification behaviours could significantly alleviate uranium toxicity and protect the survival of the cells better in the environment. The results of microscopic and spectroscopic analysis demonstrated that the precipitate on the cell surface was a type of uranium-phosphate compound in the form of a scale-like substance, and S. cerevisiae could transform the uranium precipitate into crystalline state-tetragonal chernikovite [H 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O]. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Uranium in granites from the Southwestern United States: actinide parent-daughter systems, sites and mobilization. First year report

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

Silver, L T; Williams, I S; Woodhead, J A

1980-10-01

Some of the principal findings of the study on the Lawler Peak Granite are: the granite is dated precisely by this work at 1411 +- 3 m.y., confirming its synchroneity with a great regional terrane of granites. Uranium is presently 8-10 times crustal abundance and thorium 2-3 times in this granite. Uranium is found to be enriched in at least eight, possibly ten, primary igneous mineral species over the whole-rock values. Individual mineral species show distinct levels in, and characteristics ranges of, uranium concentration. It appears that in a uraniferous granite such as this, conventional accuracy mineral suites probably cannotmore » account for most of the uranium in the rock, and more rare, high U-concentration phases also are present and are significant uranium hosts. It appears that at least two different geological episodes have contributed to the disturbance of the U-Th-Pb isotope systems. Studies of various sites for transient dispersal of uranium, thorium, and radiogenic lead isotopes indicate a non-uniform dispersal of these components. It appears that the bulk rock has lost at least 24 percent of its original uranium endowment, accepting limited or no radiogenic lead or thorium migration from the sample.« less

Dust acoustic cnoidal waves in a polytropic complex plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Labany, S. K.; El-Taibany, W. F.; Abdelghany, A. M.

2018-01-01

The nonlinear characteristics of dust acoustic (DA) waves in an unmagnetized collisionless complex plasma containing adiabatic electrons and ions and negatively charged dust grains (including the effects of modified polarization force) are investigated. Employing the reductive perturbation technique, a Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers (KdVB) equation is derived. The analytical solution for the KdVB equation is discussed. Also, the bifurcation and phase portrait analyses are presented to recognize different types of possible solutions. The dependence of the properties of nonlinear DA waves on the system parameters is investigated. It has been shown that an increase in the value of the modified polarization parameter leads to a fast decay and diminishes the oscillation amplitude of the DA damped cnoidal wave. The relevance of our findings and their possible applications to laboratory and space plasma situations is discussed.

Numerical solution of the generalized, dissipative KdV-RLW-Rosenau equation with a compact method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apolinar-Fernández, Alejandro; Ramos, J. I.

2018-07-01

The nonlinear dynamics of the one-dimensional, generalized Korteweg-de Vries-regularized-long wave-Rosenau (KdV-RLW-Rosenau) equation with second- and fourth-order dissipative terms subject to initial Gaussian conditions is analyzed numerically by means of three-point, fourth-order accurate, compact finite differences for the discretization of the spatial derivatives and a trapezoidal method for time integration. By means of a Fourier analysis and global integration techniques, it is shown that the signs of both the fourth-order dissipative and the mixed fifth-order derivative terms must be negative. It is also shown that an increase of either the linear drift or the nonlinear convection coefficients results in an increase of the steepness, amplitude and speed of the right-propagating wave, whereas the speed and amplitude of the wave decrease as the power of the nonlinearity is increased, if the amplitude of the initial Gaussian condition is equal to or less than one. It is also shown that the wave amplitude and speed decrease and the curvature of the wave's trajectory increases as the coefficients of the second- and fourth-order dissipative terms are increased, while an increase of the RLW coefficient was found to decrease both the damping and the phase velocity, and generate oscillations behind the wave. For some values of the coefficients of both the fourth-order dissipative and the Rosenau terms, it has been found that localized dispersion shock waves may form in the leading part of the right-propagating wave, and that the formation of a train of solitary waves that result from the breakup of the initial Gaussian conditions only occurs in the absence of both Rosenau's, Kortweg-de Vries's and second- and fourth-order dissipative terms, and for some values of the amplitude and width of the initial condition and the RLW coefficient. It is also shown that negative values of the KdV term result in steeper, larger amplitude and faster waves and a train of oscillations behind the wave, whereas positive values of that coefficient may result in negative phase and group velocities, no wave breakup and oscillations ahead of the right-propagating wave.

PROCESS FOR DECONTAMINATING THORIUM AND URANIUM WITH RESPECT TO RUTHENIUM

DOEpatents

Meservey, A.A.; Rainey, R.H.

1959-10-20

The control of ruthenium extraction in solvent-extraction processing of neutron-irradiated thorium is presented. Ruthenium is rendered organic-insoluble by the provision of sulfite or bisulfite ions in the aqueous feed solution. As a result the ruthenium remains in the aqueous phase along with other fission product and protactinium values, thorium and uranium values being extracted into the organic phase. This process is particularly applicable to the use of a nitrate-ion-deficient aqueous feed solution and to the use of tributyl phosphate as the organic extractant.

PROCESS OF EXTRACTING URANIUM AND RADIUM FROM ORES

DOEpatents

Sawyer, C.W.; Handley, R.W.

1959-07-14

A process is presented for extracting uranium and radium values from a uranium ore which comprises leaching the ore with a ferric chloride solution at an elevated temperature of above 50 deg C and at a pH less than 4; separating the ore residue from the leaching solution by filtration; precipitating the excess ferric iron present at a pH of less than 5 by adding CaCO/sub 3/ to the filtrate; separating the precipitate by filtration; precipitating the uranium present in the filtrate at a Ph less than 6 by adding BaCO/sub 3/ to the filtrate; separating the precipitate by filtration; and precipitating the radium present in the filtrate by adding H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ to the filtrate.

How Can a Ketogenic Diet Improve Motor Function?

PubMed Central

Veyrat-Durebex, Charlotte; Reynier, Pascal; Procaccio, Vincent; Hergesheimer, Rudolf; Corcia, Philippe; Andres, Christian R.; Blasco, Hélène

2018-01-01

A ketogenic diet (KD) is a normocaloric diet composed by high fat (80–90%), low carbohydrate, and low protein consumption that induces fasting-like effects. KD increases ketone body (KBs) production and its concentration in the blood, providing the brain an alternative energy supply that enhances oxidative mitochondrial metabolism. In addition to its profound impact on neuro-metabolism and bioenergetics, the neuroprotective effect of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids and KBs involves pleiotropic mechanisms, such as the modulation of neuronal membrane excitability, inflammation, or reactive oxygen species production. KD is a therapy that has been used for almost a century to treat medically intractable epilepsy and has been increasingly explored in a number of neurological diseases. Motor function has also been shown to be improved by KD and/or medium-chain triglyceride diets in rodent models of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. These studies have proposed that KD may induce a modification in synaptic morphology and function, involving ionic channels, glutamatergic transmission, or synaptic vesicular cycling machinery. However, little is understood about the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of KD on motor function and the perspectives of its use to acquire the neuromuscular effects. The aim of this review is to explore the conditions through which KD might improve motor function. First, we will describe the main consequences of KD exposure in tissues involved in motor function. Second, we will report and discuss the relevance of KD in pre-clinical and clinical trials in the major diseases presenting motor dysfunction. PMID:29434537

Tropospheric winds from northeastern China carry the etiologic agent of Kawasaki disease from its source to Japan.

PubMed

Rodó, Xavier; Curcoll, Roger; Robinson, Marguerite; Ballester, Joan; Burns, Jane C; Cayan, Daniel R; Lipkin, W Ian; Williams, Brent L; Couto-Rodriguez, Mara; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Uehara, Ritei; Tanimoto, Hiroshi; Morguí, Josep-Anton

2014-06-03

Evidence indicates that the densely cultivated region of northeastern China acts as a source for the wind-borne agent of Kawasaki disease (KD). KD is an acute, coronary artery vasculitis of young children, and still a medical mystery after more than 40 y. We used residence times from simulations with the flexible particle dispersion model to pinpoint the source region for KD. Simulations were generated from locations spanning Japan from days with either high or low KD incidence. The postepidemic interval (1987-2010) and the extreme epidemics (1979, 1982, and 1986) pointed to the same source region. Results suggest a very short incubation period (<24 h) from exposure, thus making an infectious agent unlikely. Sampling campaigns over Japan during the KD season detected major differences in the microbiota of the tropospheric aerosols compared with ground aerosols, with the unexpected finding of the Candida species as the dominant fungus from aloft samples (54% of all fungal strains). These results, consistent with the Candida animal model for KD, provide support for the concept and feasibility of a windborne pathogen. A fungal toxin could be pursued as a possible etiologic agent of KD, consistent with an agricultural source, a short incubation time and synchronized outbreaks. Our study suggests that the causative agent of KD is a preformed toxin or environmental agent rather than an organism requiring replication. We propose a new paradigm whereby an idiosyncratic immune response, influenced by host genetics triggered by an environmental exposure carried on winds, results in the clinical syndrome known as acute KD.

Tropospheric winds from northeastern China carry the etiologic agent of Kawasaki disease from its source to Japan

PubMed Central

Rodó, Xavier; Curcoll, Roger; Robinson, Marguerite; Ballester, Joan; Burns, Jane C.; Cayan, Daniel R.; Lipkin, W. Ian; Williams, Brent L.; Couto-Rodriguez, Mara; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Uehara, Ritei; Tanimoto, Hiroshi; Morguí, Josep-Anton

2014-01-01

Evidence indicates that the densely cultivated region of northeastern China acts as a source for the wind-borne agent of Kawasaki disease (KD). KD is an acute, coronary artery vasculitis of young children, and still a medical mystery after more than 40 y. We used residence times from simulations with the flexible particle dispersion model to pinpoint the source region for KD. Simulations were generated from locations spanning Japan from days with either high or low KD incidence. The postepidemic interval (1987–2010) and the extreme epidemics (1979, 1982, and 1986) pointed to the same source region. Results suggest a very short incubation period (<24 h) from exposure, thus making an infectious agent unlikely. Sampling campaigns over Japan during the KD season detected major differences in the microbiota of the tropospheric aerosols compared with ground aerosols, with the unexpected finding of the Candida species as the dominant fungus from aloft samples (54% of all fungal strains). These results, consistent with the Candida animal model for KD, provide support for the concept and feasibility of a windborne pathogen. A fungal toxin could be pursued as a possible etiologic agent of KD, consistent with an agricultural source, a short incubation time and synchronized outbreaks. Our study suggests that the causative agent of KD is a preformed toxin or environmental agent rather than an organism requiring replication. We propose a new paradigm whereby an idiosyncratic immune response, influenced by host genetics triggered by an environmental exposure carried on winds, results in the clinical syndrome known as acute KD. PMID:24843117

Epidemiologic Features of Kawasaki Disease in Shanghai From 2008 Through 2012.

PubMed

Chen, Jing-Jing; Ma, Xiao-Jing; Liu, Fang; Yan, Wei-Li; Huang, Mei-Rong; Huang, Min; Huang, Guo-Ying

2016-01-01

This study was to investigate the epidemiologic trends of Kawasaki disease (KD) and coronary arterial lesions (CALs) in Shanghai from 2008 through 2012. Data were collected by using the network of the KD research group established during the first survey in Shanghai to conduct the third survey, covering the period from 2008 through 2012. Clinical records of 2304 patients with acute KD were retrospectively reviewed. Epidemiologic features of KD were investigated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for CAL in patients with KD. The data were compared with the previous 2 surveys covering the periods from 1998 to 2002 and 2003 to 2007, respectively. The average incidence of KD was 30.3 to 71.9 per 100,000 children aged 0-4 years from 2008 through 2012. Age at onset ranged from 32 days to 11.7 years (median: 2.3 years). The occurrence of KD was more common in summer and spring. A total of 365 (15.9%) cases developed CAL defined as ectasia or aneurysm. Male, age ≤ 1 year, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) unresponsiveness, a smaller administrative dosage and the delayed administration of IVIG (>10 days) were independent risk factors for CAL. The occurrence of CAL seemed less frequent in patients who received IVIG within 5 days after onset of illness. The incidence of KD in children has increased over time, and the development of CAL decreased in the past 5 years in Shanghai. Earlier treatment with IVIG (<5 days) was associated with reduced CAL among patients with KD.

Adaptive changes in amino acid metabolism permit normal longevity in mice consuming a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet.

PubMed

Douris, Nicholas; Melman, Tamar; Pecherer, Jordan M; Pissios, Pavlos; Flier, Jeffrey S; Cantley, Lewis C; Locasale, Jason W; Maratos-Flier, Eleftheria

2015-10-01

Ingestion of very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (KD) is associated with weight loss, lowering of glucose and insulin levels and improved systemic insulin sensitivity. However, the beneficial effects of long-term feeding have been the subject of debate. We therefore studied the effects of lifelong consumption of this diet in mice. Complete metabolic analyses were performed after 8 and 80weeks on the diet. In addition we performed a serum metabolomic analysis and examined hepatic gene expression. Lifelong consumption of KD had no effect on morbidity or mortality (KD vs. Chow, 676 vs. 630days) despite hepatic steatosis and inflammation in KD mice. The KD fed mice lost weight initially as previously reported (Kennnedy et al., 2007) and remained lighter and had less fat mass; KD consuming mice had higher levels of energy expenditure, improved glucose homeostasis and higher circulating levels of β-hydroxybutyrate and triglycerides than chow-fed controls. Hepatic expression of the critical metabolic regulators including fibroblast growth factor 21 were also higher in KD-fed mice while expression levels of lipogenic enzymes such as stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 was reduced. Metabolomic analysis revealed compensatory changes in amino acid metabolism, primarily involving down-regulation of catabolic processes, demonstrating that mice eating KD can shift amino acid metabolism to conserve amino acid levels. Long-term KD feeding caused profound and persistent metabolic changes, the majority of which are seen as health promoting, and had no adverse effects on survival in mice. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Suppressed plasmablast responses in febrile infants, including children with Kawasaki disease

PubMed Central

Martin, Meghan; Wrotniak, Brian H.

2018-01-01

Background Kawasaki disease (KD), the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children, primarily affects infants and toddlers. Investigations on immune responses during KD are hampered by a limited understanding of normal immune responses in these ages. It’s well known that Infants have poorer vaccine responses and difficulty with maintaining prolonged serum immunity, but there are few studies on human infants detailing immune deficiencies. Limited studies propose an inability to maintain life-long bone marrow plasma cells. Plasmablasts are a transitional cell form of B cells that lead to long-term Plasma cells. Plasmablasts levels rise in the peripheral blood after exposure to a foreign antigen. In adult studies, these responses are both temporally and functionally well characterized. To date, there have been few studies on plasmablasts in the predominant age range of KD. Methods Children presenting to an urban pediatric emergency room undergoing laboratory evaluation, who had concern of KD or had fever and symptoms overlapping those of KD, were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and evaluated utilizing flow cytometry with specific B cell markers from 18 KD subjects and 69 febrile controls. Results Plasmablast numbers and temporal formation are similar between infectious disease controls and KD subjects. In both groups, infants have diminished plasmablast responses compared to older children. Conclusion In this single-time point survey, infants have a blunted peripheral plasmablast response. Overall, similar plasmablast responses in KD and controls support an infectious disease relationship to KD. Future time-course studies of plasmablasts in infants are warranted as this phenomenon may contribute to observed immune responses in this age group. PMID:29579044

Ketogenic diet improves the spatial memory impairment caused by exposure to hypobaric hypoxia through increased acetylation of histones in rats.

PubMed

Zhao, Ming; Huang, Xin; Cheng, Xiang; Lin, Xiao; Zhao, Tong; Wu, Liying; Yu, Xiaodan; Wu, Kuiwu; Fan, Ming; Zhu, Lingling

2017-01-01

Exposure to hypobaric hypoxia causes neuron cell damage, resulting in impaired cognitive function. Effective interventions to antagonize hypobaric hypoxia-induced memory impairment are in urgent need. Ketogenic diet (KD) has been successfully used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and improves cognitive behaviors in epilepsy patients and other pathophysiological animal models. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential beneficial effects of a KD on memory impairment caused by hypobaric hypoxia and the underlying possible mechanisms. We showed that the KD recipe used was ketogenic and increased plasma levels of ketone bodies, especially β-hydroxybutyrate. The results of the behavior tests showed that the KD did not affect general locomotor activity but obviously promoted spatial learning. Moreover, the KD significantly improved the spatial memory impairment caused by hypobaric hypoxia (simulated altitude of 6000 m, 24 h). In addition, the improving-effect of KD was mimicked by intraperitoneal injection of BHB. The western blot and immunohistochemistry results showed that KD treatment not only increased the acetylated levels of histone H3 and histone H4 compared to that of the control group but also antagonized the decrease in the acetylated histone H3 and H4 when exposed to hypobaric hypoxia. Furthermore, KD-hypoxia treatment also promoted PKA/CREB activation and BDNF protein expression compared to the effects of hypoxia alone. These results demonstrated that KD is a promising strategy to improve spatial memory impairment caused by hypobaric hypoxia, in which increased modification of histone acetylation plays an important role.

Salton Sea 1/sup 0/ x 2/sup 0/ NTMS area California and Arizona: data report (abbreviated)

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

Heffner, J.D.

1980-09-01

Surface sediment samples were collected at 997 sites. Ground water samples were collected at 76 sites. Neutron activation analysis results are given for uranium and 16 other elements in sediments, and for uranium and 9 other elements in ground water. Mass spectrometry results are given for helium in ground water. Data from ground water sites include (1) water chemistry measurements (pH, conductivity, and alkalinity) (2) physical measurements (water temperature, well description where applicable, and scintillometer reading) and (3) elemental analyses (U, Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, He, Mg, Mn, Na and V). Data from sediment sites include (1) stream watermore » chemistry measurements from sites where water was available and (2) elemental analyses (U, Th, Hf, Al, Ce, Dy, Eu, Fe, La, Lu, Mn, Sc, Sm, Na, Ti, V, and Yb). Sample site descriptors are given. Areal distribution maps, histograms, and cumulative frequency plots for the elements listed above; U/Th and U/Hf ratios; and scintillometer readings at sediment sample sites are included. Analyses of the sediment fraction finer than 149..mu..m show high uranium values clustered in the Eagle and Chuckwalla Mountains. High uranium values in the 420 ..mu..m to 1000 ..mu..m fraction are clustered in the McCoy Mountains. Both fractions show groups of high values in the Chocolate Mountains at the Southeastern edge of the Chocolate Mountains Aerial Gunnery Range. Aerial distribution of analytical values shows that high values of many elements in both size fractions are grouped around the Eagle Mountains and the Chuckwalla Mountains. Fe, Mn, Ti, V, Sc, Hf, and the rare earth elements, all of which typically occur in high-density minerals, have higher average (log mean) concentrations in the finer fraction than in the coarser fraction.« less

Alpha spectrometric characterization of process-related particle size distributions from active particle sampling at the Los Alamos National Laboratory uranium foundry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plionis, A. A.; Peterson, D. S.; Tandon, L.; LaMont, S. P.

2010-03-01

Uranium particles within the respirable size range pose a significant hazard to the health and safety of workers. Significant differences in the deposition and incorporation patterns of aerosols within the respirable range can be identified and integrated into sophisticated health physics models. Data characterizing the uranium particle size distribution resulting from specific foundry-related processes are needed. Using personal air sampling cascade impactors, particles collected from several foundry processes were sorted by activity median aerodynamic diameter onto various Marple substrates. After an initial gravimetric assessment of each impactor stage, the substrates were analyzed by alpha spectrometry to determine the uranium content of each stage. Alpha spectrometry provides rapid non-distructive isotopic data that can distinguish process uranium from natural sources and the degree of uranium contribution to the total accumulated particle load. In addition, the particle size bins utilized by the impactors provide adequate resolution to determine if a process particle size distribution is: lognormal, bimodal, or trimodal. Data on process uranium particle size values and distributions facilitate the development of more sophisticated and accurate models for internal dosimetry, resulting in an improved understanding of foundry worker health and safety.

A new integrable equation combining the modified KdV equation with the negative-order modified KdV equation: multiple soliton solutions and a variety of solitonic solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wazwaz, Abdul-Majid

2018-07-01

A new third-order integrable equation is constructed via combining the recursion operator of the modified KdV equation (MKdV) and its inverse recursion operator. The developed equation will be termed the modified KdV-negative order modified KdV equation (MKdV-nMKdV). The complete integrability of this equation is confirmed by showing that it nicely possesses the Painlevé property. We obtain multiple soliton solutions for the newly developed integrable equation. Moreover, this equation enjoys a variety of solutions which include solitons, peakons, cuspons, negaton, positon, complexiton and other solutions.

Kawasaki disease: A brief history.

PubMed

Burns, J C; Kushner, H I; Bastian, J F; Shike, H; Shimizu, C; Matsubara, T; Turner, C L

2000-08-01

Tomisaku Kawasaki published the first English-language report of 50 patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) in 1974. Since that time, KD has become the leading cause of acquired heart disease among children in North America and Japan. Although an infectious agent is suspected, the cause remains unknown. However, significant progress has been made toward understanding the natural history of the disease and therapeutic interventions have been developed that halt the immune-mediated destruction of the arterial wall. We present a brief history of KD, review progress in research on the disease, and suggest avenues for future study. Kawasaki saw his first case of KD in January 1961 and published his first report in Japanese in 1967. Whether cases existed in Japan before that time is currently under study. The most significant controversy in the 1960s in Japan was whether the rash and fever sign/symptom complex described by Kawasaki was connected to subsequent cardiac complications in a number of cases. Pathologist Noboru Tanaka and pediatrician Takajiro Yamamoto disputed the early assertion of Kawasaki that KD was a self-limited illness with no sequelae. This controversy was resolved in 1970 when the first Japanese nationwide survey of KD documented 10 autopsy cases of sudden cardiac death after KD. By the time of the first English-language publication by Kawasaki in 1974, the link between KD and coronary artery vasculitis was well-established. KD was independently recognized as a new and distinct condition in the early 1970s by pediatricians Marian Melish and Raquel Hicks at the University of Hawaii. In 1973, at the same Hawaiian hospital, pathologist Eunice Larson, in consultation with Benjamin Landing at Los Angeles Children's Hospital, retrospectively diagnosed a 1971 autopsy case as KD. The similarity between KD and infantile periarteritis nodosa (IPN) was apparent to these pathologists, as it had been to Tanaka earlier. What remains unknown is the reason for the simultaneous recognition of this disease around the world in the 1960s and 1970s. There are several possible explanations. KD may have been a new disease that emerged in Japan and emanated to the Western World through Hawaii, where the disease is prevalent among Asian children. Alternatively, KD and IPN may be part of the spectrum of the same disease and clinically mild KD masqueraded as other diseases, such as scarlet fever in the preantibiotic era. Case reports of IPN from Western Europe extend back to at least the 19th century, but, thus far, cases of IPN have not been discovered in Japan before World War II. Perhaps the factors responsible for KD were introduced into Japan after the World War II and then reemerged in a more virulent form that subsequently spread through the industrialized Western world. It is also possible that improvements in health care and, in particular, the use of antibiotics to treat infections caused by organisms including toxin-producing bacteria reduced the burden of rash/fever illness and allowed KD to be recognized as a distinct clinical entity. Itsuzo Shigematsu, Hiroshi Yanagawa, and colleagues have conducted 14 nationwide surveys in Japan. These have indicated that: 1) KD occurred initially in nationwide epidemics but now occurs in regional outbreaks; 2) there are approximately 5,000 to 6,000 new cases each year; 3) current estimates of incidence rates are 120 to 150 cases per 100,000 children <5 years old; 4) KD is 1.5 times more common in males and 85% of cases occur in children <5 years old; and 5) the recurrence rate is low (4%). In 1978, David Morens at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a case definition based on Kawasaki's original criteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a computerized database in 1984, and a passive reporting system currently exists in 22 states. Regional investigations and national surveys suggest an annual incidence of 4 to 15 cases per 100 000 children <5 years o

Intermittent fasting: A “new” historical strategy for controlling seizures?

PubMed Central

Hartman, Adam L.; Rubenstein, James E.; Kossoff, Eric H.

2013-01-01

Summary In antiquity, fasting was a treatment for epilepsy and a rationale for the ketogenic diet (KD). Preclinical data indicate the KD and intermittent fasting do not share identical anticonvulsant mechanisms. We implemented an intermittent fasting regimen in six children with an incomplete response to a KD. Three patients adhered to the combined intermittent fasting/KD regimen for 2 months and four had transient improvement in seizure control, albeit with some hunger-related adverse reactions. PMID:23206889

Tissue-specific expression of the gene coding for human Clara cell 10-kD protein, a phospholipase A2-inhibitory protein.

PubMed Central

Peri, A; Cordella-Miele, E; Miele, L; Mukherjee, A B

1993-01-01

Clara cell 10-kD protein (cc10kD), a secretory phospholipase A2 inhibitor, is suggested to be the human counterpart of rabbit uteroglobin (UG). Because cc10kD is expressed constitutively at a very high level in the human respiratory epithelium, the 5' region of its gene may be useful in achieving organ-specific expression of recombinant DNA in gene therapy of diseases such as cystic fibrosis. However, it is important to establish the tissue-specific expression of this gene before designing gene transfer experiments. Since the UG gene in the rabbit is expressed in many other organs besides the lung and the endometrium, we investigated the organ and tissue specificity of human cc10kD gene expression using polymerase chain reaction, nucleotide sequence analysis, immunofluorescence, and Northern blotting. Our results indicate that, in addition to the lung, cc10kD is expressed in several nonrespiratory organs, with a distribution pattern very similar, if not identical, to that of UG in the rabbit. These results underscore the necessity for more detailed analyses of the 5' region of the human cc10kD gene before its usefulness in gene therapy could be fully assessed. These data also suggest that cc10kD and UG may have similar physiological function(s). Images PMID:8227325

Genetic variants of CD209 associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility.

PubMed

Kuo, Ho-Chang; Huang, Ying-Hsien; Chien, Shu-Chen; Yu, Hong-Ren; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Hsu, Yu-Wen; Chang, Wei-Chiao

2014-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis with unknown etiology mainly affecting children in Asian countries. Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3 grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN, CD209) in humans was showed to trigger an anti-inflammatory cascade and associated with KD susceptibility. This study was conducted to investigate the association between genetic polymorphisms of CD209 and the risk KD. A total of 948 subjects (381 KD and 567 controls) were recruited. Nine tagging SNPs (rs8112310, rs4804800, rs11465421, rs1544766, rs4804801, rs2287886, rs735239, rs735240, rs4804804) were selected for TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Clinical phenotypes, coronary artery lesions (CAL) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment outcomes were collected for analysis. Significant associations were found between CD209 polymorphisms (rs4804800, rs2287886, rs735240) and the risk of KD. Haplotype analysis for CD209 polymorphisms showed that A/A/G haplotype (P = 0.0002, OR = 1.61) and G/A/G haplotype (P = 0.0365, OR = 1.52) had higher risk of KD as compared with G/G/A haplotype in rs2287886/rs735239/rs735240 pairwise allele analysis. There were no significant association in KD with regards to CAL formation and IVIG treatment responses. CD209 polymorphisms were responsible for the susceptibility of KD, but not CAL formation and IVIG treatment responsiveness.

Genetic Variants of CD209 Associated with Kawasaki Disease Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Kuo, Ho-Chang; Huang, Ying-Hsien; Chien, Shu-Chen; Yu, Hong-Ren; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Hsu, Yu-Wen; Chang, Wei-Chiao

2014-01-01

Background Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis with unknown etiology mainly affecting children in Asian countries. Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3 grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN, CD209) in humans was showed to trigger an anti-inflammatory cascade and associated with KD susceptibility. This study was conducted to investigate the association between genetic polymorphisms of CD209 and the risk KD. Methods A total of 948 subjects (381 KD and 567 controls) were recruited. Nine tagging SNPs (rs8112310, rs4804800, rs11465421, rs1544766, rs4804801, rs2287886, rs735239, rs735240, rs4804804) were selected for TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Clinical phenotypes, coronary artery lesions (CAL) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment outcomes were collected for analysis. Results Significant associations were found between CD209 polymorphisms (rs4804800, rs2287886, rs735240) and the risk of KD. Haplotype analysis for CD209 polymorphisms showed that A/A/G haplotype (P = 0.0002, OR = 1.61) and G/A/G haplotype (P = 0.0365, OR = 1.52) had higher risk of KD as compared with G/G/A haplotype in rs2287886/rs735239/rs735240 pairwise allele analysis. There were no significant association in KD with regards to CAL formation and IVIG treatment responses. Conclusion CD209 polymorphisms were responsible for the susceptibility of KD, but not CAL formation and IVIG treatment responsiveness. PMID:25148534

Lack of association between miR-218 rs11134527 A>G and Kawasaki disease susceptibility.

PubMed

Pi, Lei; Fu, Lanyan; Xu, Yufen; Che, Di; Deng, Qiulian; Huang, Xijing; Li, Meiai; Zhang, Li; Huang, Ping; Gu, Xiaoqiong

2018-05-01

Abstract Kawasaki disease (KD) is a type of disease that includes the development of a fever that lasts at least five days and involves the clinical manifestation of multicellular vasculitis. KD has become one of the most common pediatric cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have reported that miR-218 rs11134527 A>G is associated with susceptibility to various cancer risks. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the relationship between this polymorphism and KD risk. This study explored the correlation between the miR-218 rs11134527 A>G polymorphism and the risk of KD. We recruited 532 patients with KD and 623 controls to genotype the miR-218 rs11134527 A>G polymorphism with a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Our results illustrated that the miR-218 rs11134527 A>G polymorphism was not associated with KD risk. In an analysis stratified by age, sex, and coronary artery lesions, we found only that the risk of KD was significantly decreased for children older than 5 years (GG vs. AA/AG: adjusted OR=0.26, 95% CI=0.07-0.94, P =0.041). This study demonstrated that the miR-218 rs1113452 A>G polymorphism may have an age-related relationship with KD susceptibility that has not previously been revealed. ©2018 The Author(s).

Characterization of T cell repertoire changes in acute Kawasaki disease

PubMed Central

1993-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute multisystem vasculitis of unknown etiology that is associated with marked activation of T cells and monocyte/macrophages. Using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, we recently found that the acute phase of KD is associated with the expansion of T cells expressing the V beta 2 and V beta 8.1 gene segments. In the present work, we used a newly developed anti-V beta 2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and studied a new group of KD patients to extend our previous PCR results. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed that V beta 2-bearing T cells are selectively increased in patients with acute KD. The increase occurred primarily in the CD4 T cell subset. The percentages of V beta 2+ T cells as determined by mAb reactivity and flow cytometry correlated linearly with V beta expression as quantitated by PCR. However, T cells from acute KD patients appeared to express proportionately higher levels of V beta 2 transcripts per cell as compared with healthy controls or convalescent KD patients. Sequence analysis of T cell receptor beta chain genes of V beta 2 and V beta 8.1 expressing T cells from acute KD patients showed extensive junctional region diversity. These data showing polyclonal expansion of V beta 2+ and V beta 8+ T cells in acute KD provide additional insight into the immunopathogenesis of this disease. PMID:8094737

Psoriasiform Eruptions During Kawasaki Disease: A Distinct Phenotype

PubMed Central

Haddock, Ellen S.; Calame, Antoanella; Shimizu, Chisato; Tremoulet, Adriana H.; Burns, Jane C.; Tom, Wynnis L.

2016-01-01

Background A psoriasis-like eruption develops in a subset of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). Objective To systematically compare KD-associated psoriasiform eruptions with classic psoriasis and the outcomes of KD in children with and without this rash. Methods This was a retrospective study of 11 KD cases with a psoriasiform eruption matched 1:2 by age, gender, and ethnicity with psoriasis-only and KD-only controls. Genotyping was performed in 10 cases for a deletion of two late cornified envelope (LCE) genes, LCE3C_LCE3B-del, associated with increased risk for pediatric-onset psoriasis. Results Similar to classic psoriasis, KD-associated eruptions were characterized clinically by well-demarcated, scaly pink plaques and histopathologically by intraepidermal neutrophils, suprabasilar keratin 16 expression, and increased Ki-67 expression. They showed less frequent diaper area involvement, more crust and serous exudate, and an enduring remission (91% vs. 23% with confirmed resolution; p < 0.001). Frequency of LCE3C_LCE3B-del and major KD outcomes were similar between cases and controls. Limitations The study was limited by the small number of cases, treatment variation, and availability of skin biopsy specimens. Conclusions Although the overall clinical and histopathologic findings were similar to conventional psoriasis, this appears to be a distinct phenotype with significantly greater propensity for remission. No adverse effect on KD outcomes was noted. PMID:26946987

URANIUM EXTRACTION PROCESS USING SYNERGISTIC REAGENTS

DOEpatents

Schmitt, J.M.; Blake, C.A. Jr.; Brown, K.B.; Coleman, C.F.

1958-11-01

Improved methods are presented for recovering uranium values from aqueous solutions by organic solvent extraction. The improvement lies in the use, in combination, of two classes of organic compounds so that their extracting properties are enhanced synergistically. The two classes of organic compounds are dialkylphosphoric acid and certain neutral organophosphorus compounds such as trialkylphosphates, trialkylphosphonates, trlalkylphosphinates and trialkylphosphine oxides.

Completing the Feedback Loop: The Impact of Chlorophyll Data Assimilation on the Ocean State

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borovikov, Anna; Keppenne, Christian; Kovach, Robin

2015-01-01

In anticipation of the integration of a full biochemical model into the next generation GMAO coupled system, an intermediate solution has been implemented to estimate the penetration depth (1Kd_PAR) of ocean radiation based on the chlorophyll concentration. The chlorophyll is modeled as a tracer with sources-sinks coming from the assimilation of MODIS chlorophyll data. Two experiments were conducted with the coupled ocean-atmosphere model. In the first, climatological values of Kpar were used. In the second, retrieved daily chlorophyll concentrations were assimilated and Kd_PAR was derived according to Morel et al (2007). No other data was assimilated to isolate the effects of the time-evolving chlorophyll field. The daily MODIS Kd_PAR product was used to validate the skill of the penetration depth estimation and the MERRA-OCEAN re-analysis was used as a benchmark to study the sensitivity of the upper ocean heat content and vertical temperature distribution to the chlorophyll input. In the experiment with daily chlorophyll data assimilation, the penetration depth was estimated more accurately, especially in the tropics. As a result, the temperature bias of the model was reduced. A notably robust albeit small (2-5 percent) improvement was found across the equatorial Pacific ocean, which is a critical region for seasonal to inter-annual prediction.

Hemodynamic Based Coronary Artery Aneurysm Thrombosis Risk Stratification in Kawasaki Disease Patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grande Gutierrez, Noelia; Mathew, M.; McCrindle, B.; Kahn, A.; Burns, J.; Marsden, A.

2017-11-01

Coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) as a result of Kawasaki Disease (KD) put patients at risk for thrombosis and myocardial infarction. Current AHA guidelines recommend CAA diameter >8 mm or Z-score >10 as the criterion for initiating systemic anticoagulation. Our hypothesis is that hemodynamic data derived from computational blood flow simulations is a better predictor of thrombosis than aneurysm diameter alone. Patient-specific coronary models were constructed from CMRI for a cohort of 10 KD patients (5 confirmed thrombosis cases) and simulations with fluid structure interaction were performed using the stabilized finite element Navier-Stokes solver available in SimVascular. We used a closed-loop lumped parameter network (LPN) to model the heart and vascular boundary conditions coupled numerically to the flow solver. An automated parameter estimation method was used to match LPN values to clinical data for each patient. Hemodynamic data analysis resulted in low correlation between Wall Shear Stress (WSS)/ Particle Residence Time (PRT) and CAA diameter but demonstrates the positive correlation between hemodynamics and adverse patient outcomes. Our results suggest that quantifying WSS and PRT should enable identification of regions at higher risk of thrombosis. We propose a quantitative method to non-invasively assess the abnormal flow in CAA following KD that could potentially improve clinical decision-making regarding anticoagulation therapy.

A comparison of efficacy of six prediction models for intravenous immunoglobulin resistance in Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Qian, Weiguo; Tang, Yunjia; Yan, Wenhua; Sun, Ling; Lv, Haitao

2018-03-09

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common pediatric vasculitis. Several models have been established to predict intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance. The present study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of prediction models using the medical data of KD patients. We collected the medical records of patients hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology in Children's Hospital of Soochow University with a diagnosis of KD from Jan 2015 to Dec 2016. IVIG resistance was defined as recrudescent or persistent fever ≥36 h after the end of their IVIG infusion. Patients with IVIG resistance tended to be younger, have higher occurrence of rash and changes of extremities. They had higher levels of c-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, neutrophils proportion (N%), total bilirubin and lower level of albumin. Our prediction model had a sensitivity of 0.72 and a specificity of 0.75. Sensitivity of Kobayashi, Egami, Kawamura, Sano and Formosa were 0.72, 0.44, 0.48, 0.20, and 0.68, respectively. Specificity of these models were 0.62, 0.82, 0.66, 0.91, and 0.48, respectively. Our prediction model had a powerful predictive value in this area, followed by Kobayashi model while all the other prediction models had less excellent performances than ours.

Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel

DOEpatents

Miller, W.E.; Ackerman, J.P.; Battles, J.E.; Johnson, T.R.; Pierce, R.D.

1992-08-25

A process of separating transuranium actinide values from uranium values present in spent nuclear oxide fuels containing rare earth and noble metal fission products as well as other fission products is disclosed. The oxide fuel is reduced with Ca metal in the presence of Ca chloride and a U-Fe alloy which is liquid at about 800 C to dissolve uranium metal and the noble metal fission product metals and transuranium actinide metals and rare earth fission product metals leaving Ca chloride having CaO and fission products of alkali metals and the alkali earth metals and iodine dissolved therein. The Ca chloride and CaO and the fission products contained therein are separated from the U-Fe alloy and the metal values dissolved therein. The U-Fe alloy having dissolved therein reduced metals from the spent nuclear fuel is contacted with a mixture of one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal halides selected from the class consisting of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal and Fe or U halide or a combination thereof to transfer transuranium actinide metals and rare earth metals to the halide salt leaving the uranium and some noble metal fission products in the U-Fe alloy and thereafter separating the halide salt and the transuranium metals dissolved therein from the U-Fe alloy and the metals dissolved therein. 1 figure.

Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel

DOEpatents

Miller, William E.; Ackerman, John P.; Battles, James E.; Johnson, Terry R.; Pierce, R. Dean

1992-01-01

A process of separating transuranium actinide values from uranium values present in spent nuclear oxide fuels containing rare earth and noble metal fission products as well as other fission products is disclosed. The oxide fuel is reduced with Ca metal in the presence of Ca chloride and a U-Fe alloy which is liquid at about 800.degree. C. to dissolve uranium metal and the noble metal fission product metals and transuranium actinide metals and rare earth fission product metals leaving Ca chloride having CaO and fission products of alkali metals and the alkali earth metals and iodine dissolved therein. The Ca chloride and CaO and the fission products contained therein are separated from the U-Fe alloy and the metal values dissolved therein. The U-Fe alloy having dissolved therein reduced metals from the spent nuclear fuel is contacted with a mixture of one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal halides selected from the class consisting of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal and Fe or U halide or a combination thereof to transfer transuranium actinide metals and rare earth metals to the halide salt leaving the uranium and some noble metal fission products in the U-Fe alloy and thereafter separating the halide salt and the transuranium metals dissolved therein from the U-Fe alloy and the metals dissolved therein.

Highly Enriched Uranium Metal Cylinders Surrounded by Various Reflector Materials

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

Bernard Jones; J. Blair Briggs; Leland Monteirth

A series of experiments was performed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in 1958 to determine critical masses of cylinders of Oralloy (Oy) reflected by a number of materials. The experiments were all performed on the Comet Universal Critical Assembly Machine, and consisted of discs of highly enriched uranium (93.3 wt.% 235U) reflected by half-inch and one-inch-thick cylindrical shells of various reflector materials. The experiments were performed by members of Group N-2, particularly K. W. Gallup, G. E. Hansen, H. C. Paxton, and R. H. White. This experiment was intended to ascertain critical masses for criticality safety purposes, as well asmore » to compare neutron transport cross sections to those obtained from danger coefficient measurements with the Topsy Oralloy-Tuballoy reflected and Godiva unreflected critical assemblies. The reflector materials examined in this series of experiments are as follows: magnesium, titanium, aluminum, graphite, mild steel, nickel, copper, cobalt, molybdenum, natural uranium, tungsten, beryllium, aluminum oxide, molybdenum carbide, and polythene (polyethylene). Also included are two special configurations of composite beryllium and iron reflectors. Analyses were performed in which uncertainty associated with six different parameters was evaluated; namely, extrapolation to the uranium critical mass, uranium density, 235U enrichment, reflector density, reflector thickness, and reflector impurities. In addition to the idealizations made by the experimenters (removal of the platen and diaphragm), two simplifications were also made to the benchmark models that resulted in a small bias and additional uncertainty. First of all, since impurities in core and reflector materials are only estimated, they are not included in the benchmark models. Secondly, the room, support structure, and other possible surrounding equipment were not included in the model. Bias values that result from these two simplifications were determined and associated uncertainty in the bias values were included in the overall uncertainty in benchmark keff values. Bias values were very small, ranging from 0.0004 ?k low to 0.0007 ?k low. Overall uncertainties range from ? 0.0018 to ? 0.0030. Major contributors to the overall uncertainty include uncertainty in the extrapolation to the uranium critical mass and the uranium density. Results are summarized in Figure 1. Figure 1. Experimental, Benchmark-Model, and MCNP/KENO Calculated Results The 32 configurations described and evaluated under ICSBEP Identifier HEU-MET-FAST-084 are judged to be acceptable for use as criticality safety benchmark experiments and should be valuable integral benchmarks for nuclear data testing of the various reflector materials. Details of the benchmark models, uncertainty analyses, and final results are given in this paper.« less

The Interaction Affinity between Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and Very Late Antigen-4 (VLA-4) Analyzed by Quantitative FRET

PubMed Central

Wu, Shu-Han; Karmenyan, Artashes; Chiou, Arthur

2015-01-01

Very late antigen-4 (VLA-4), a member of integrin superfamily, interacts with its major counter ligand vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and plays an important role in leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium and immunological synapse formation. However, irregular expressions of these proteins may also lead to several autoimmune diseases and metastasis cancer. Thus, quantifying the interaction affinity of the VCAM-1/VLA-4 interaction is of fundamental importance in further understanding the nature of this interaction and drug discovery. In this study, we report an ‘in solution’ steady state organic fluorophore based quantitative fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay to quantify this interaction in terms of the dissociation constant (Kd). We have used, in our FRET assay, the Alexa Fluor 488-VLA-4 conjugate as the donor, and Alexa Fluor 546-VCAM-1 as the acceptor. From the FRET signal analysis, Kd of this interaction was determined to be 41.82 ± 2.36 nM. To further confirm our estimation, we have employed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique to obtain Kd = 39.60 ± 1.78 nM, which is in good agreement with the result obtained by FRET. This is the first reported work which applies organic fluorophore based ‘in solution’ simple quantitative FRET assay to obtain the dissociation constant of the VCAM-1/VLA-4 interaction, and is also the first quantification of this interaction. Moreover, the value of Kd can serve as an indicator of abnormal protein-protein interactions; hence, this assay can potentially be further developed into a drug screening platform of VLA-4/VCAM-1 as well as other protein-ligand interactions. PMID:25793408

Identification of natural rubber and characterization of rubber biosynthetic activity in fig tree.

PubMed

Kang, H; Kang, M Y; Han, K H

2000-07-01

Natural rubber was extracted from the fig tree (Ficus carica) cultivated in Korea as part of a survey of rubber producing plants. Fourier transform infrared and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of samples prepared by successive extraction with acetone and benzene confirmed that the benzene-soluble residues are natural rubber, cis-1,4-polyisoprene. The rubber content in the latex of fig tree was about 4%, whereas the rubber content in the bark, leaf, and fruit was 0.3%, 0.1%, and 0.1%, respectively. Gel-permeation chromatography revealed that the molecular size of the natural rubber from fig tree is about 190 kD. Similar to rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray), rubber biosynthesis in fig tree is tightly associated with rubber particles. The rubber transferase in rubber particles exhibited a higher affinity for farnesyl pyrophosphate than for isopentenyl pyrophosphate, with apparent K(m) values of 2.8 and 228 microM, respectively. Examination of latex serum from fig tree by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed major proteins of 25 and 48 kD in size, and several proteins with molecular mass below 20 and above 100 kD. Partial N-terminal amino acid sequencing and immunochemical analyses revealed that the 25- and 48-kD proteins were novel and not related to any other suggested rubber transferases. The effect of EDTA and Mg(2+) ion on in vitro rubber biosynthesis in fig tree and rubber tree suggested that divalent metal ion present in the latex serum is an important factor in determining the different rubber biosynthetic activities in fig tree and rubber tree.

Identification of Natural Rubber and Characterization of Rubber Biosynthetic Activity in Fig Tree1

PubMed Central

Kang, Hunseung; Kang, Min Young; Han, Kyung-Hwan

2000-01-01

Natural rubber was extracted from the fig tree (Ficus carica) cultivated in Korea as part of a survey of rubber producing plants. Fourier transform infrared and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of samples prepared by successive extraction with acetone and benzene confirmed that the benzene-soluble residues are natural rubber, cis-1,4-polyisoprene. The rubber content in the latex of fig tree was about 4%, whereas the rubber content in the bark, leaf, and fruit was 0.3%, 0.1%, and 0.1%, respectively. Gel-permeation chromatography revealed that the molecular size of the natural rubber from fig tree is about 190 kD. Similar to rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray), rubber biosynthesis in fig tree is tightly associated with rubber particles. The rubber transferase in rubber particles exhibited a higher affinity for farnesyl pyrophosphate than for isopentenyl pyrophosphate, with apparent Km values of 2.8 and 228 μm, respectively. Examination of latex serum from fig tree by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed major proteins of 25 and 48 kD in size, and several proteins with molecular mass below 20 and above 100 kD. Partial N-terminal amino acid sequencing and immunochemical analyses revealed that the 25- and 48-kD proteins were novel and not related to any other suggested rubber transferases. The effect of EDTA and Mg2+ ion on in vitro rubber biosynthesis in fig tree and rubber tree suggested that divalent metal ion present in the latex serum is an important factor in determining the different rubber biosynthetic activities in fig tree and rubber tree. PMID:10889262

Quasiprobability behind the out-of-time-ordered correlator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunger Halpern, Nicole; Swingle, Brian; Dressel, Justin

2018-04-01

Two topics, evolving rapidly in separate fields, were combined recently: the out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) signals quantum-information scrambling in many-body systems. The Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasiprobability represents operators in quantum optics. The OTOC was shown to equal a moment of a summed quasiprobability [Yunger Halpern, Phys. Rev. A 95, 012120 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevA.95.012120]. That quasiprobability, we argue, is an extension of the KD distribution. We explore the quasiprobability's structure from experimental, numerical, and theoretical perspectives. First, we simplify and analyze Yunger Halpern's weak-measurement and interference protocols for measuring the OTOC and its quasiprobability. We decrease, exponentially in system size, the number of trials required to infer the OTOC from weak measurements. We also construct a circuit for implementing the weak-measurement scheme. Next, we calculate the quasiprobability (after coarse graining) numerically and analytically: we simulate a transverse-field Ising model first. Then, we calculate the quasiprobability averaged over random circuits, which model chaotic dynamics. The quasiprobability, we find, distinguishes chaotic from integrable regimes. We observe nonclassical behaviors: the quasiprobability typically has negative components. It becomes nonreal in some regimes. The onset of scrambling breaks a symmetry that bifurcates the quasiprobability, as in classical-chaos pitchforks. Finally, we present mathematical properties. We define an extended KD quasiprobability that generalizes the KD distribution. The quasiprobability obeys a Bayes-type theorem, for example, that exponentially decreases the memory required to calculate weak values, in certain cases. A time-ordered correlator analogous to the OTOC, insensitive to quantum-information scrambling, depends on a quasiprobability closer to a classical probability. This work not only illuminates the OTOC's underpinnings, but also generalizes quasiprobability theory and motivates immediate-future weak-measurement challenges.

Quantifying Protein-Ligand Binding Constants using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry: A Systematic Binding Affinity Study of a Series of Hydrophobically Modified Trypsin Inhibitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cubrilovic, Dragana; Biela, Adam; Sielaff, Frank; Steinmetzer, Torsten; Klebe, Gerhard; Zenobi, Renato

2012-10-01

NanoESI-MS is used for determining binding strengths of trypsin in complex with two different series of five congeneric inhibitors, whose binding affinity in solution depends on the size of the P3 substituent. The ligands of the first series contain a 4-amidinobenzylamide as P1 residue, and form a tight complex with trypsin. The inhibitors of the second series have a 2-aminomethyl-5-chloro-benzylamide as P1 group, and represent a model system for weak binders. The five different inhibitors of each group are based on the same scaffold and differ only in the length of the hydrophobic side chain of their P3 residue, which modulates the interactions in the S3/4 binding pocket of trypsin. The dissociation constants (KD) for high affinity ligands investigated by nanoESI-MS ranges from 15 nM to 450 nM and decreases with larger hydrophobic P3 side chains. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments of five trypsin and benzamidine-based complexes show a correlation between trends in KD and gas-phase stability. For the second inhibitor series we could show that the effect of imidazole, a small stabilizing additive, can avoid the dissociation of the complex ions and as a result increases the relative abundance of weakly bound complexes. Here the KD values ranging from 2.9 to 17.6 μM, some 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than the first series. For both ligand series, the dissociation constants (KD) measured via nanoESI-MS were compared with kinetic inhibition constants (Ki) in solution.

Actinides in deer tissues at the rocky flats environmental technology site.

PubMed

Todd, Andrew S; Sattelberg, R Mark

2005-11-01

Limited hunting of deer at the future Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge has been proposed in U.S. Fish and Wildlife planning documents as a compatible wildlife-dependent public use. Historically, Rocky Flats site activities resulted in the contamination of surface environmental media with actinides, including isotopes of americium, plutonium, and uranium. In this study, measurements of actinides [Americium-241 (241Am); Plutonium-238 (238Pu); Plutonium-239,240 (239,240Pu); uranium-233,244 (233,234U); uranium-235,236 (235,236U); and uranium-238 (238U)] were completed on select liver, muscle, lung, bone, and kidney tissue samples harvested from resident Rocky Flats deer (N = 26) and control deer (N = 1). In total, only 17 of the more than 450 individual isotopic analyses conducted on Rocky Flats deer tissue samples measured actinide concentrations above method detection limits. Of these 17 detects, only 2 analyses, with analytical uncertainty values added, exceeded threshold values calculated around a 1 x 10(-6) risk level (isotopic americium, 0.01 pCi/g; isotopic plutonium, 0.02 pCi/g; isotopic uranium, 0.2 pCi/g). Subsequent, conservative risk calculations suggest minimal human risk associated with ingestion of these edible deer tissues. The maximum calculated risk level in this study (4.73 x 10(-6)) is at the low end of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable risk range.

Uranium Isotope Ratios in Modern and Precambrian Soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeCorte, B.; Planavsky, N.; Wang, X.; Auerbach, D. J.; Knudsen, A. C.

2015-12-01

Uranium isotopes (δ238U values) are an emerging paleoredox proxy that can help to better understand the redox evolution of Earth's surface environment. Recently, uranium isotopes have been used to reconstruct ocean and atmospheric redox conditions (Montoya-Pino et al., 2010; Brennecka et al., 2011; Kendall et al., 2013; Dahl et al., 2014). However, to date, there have not been studies on paleosols, despite that paleosols are, arguably better suited to directly tracking the redox conditions of the atmosphere. Sedimentary δ238U variability requires the formation of the soluble, oxidized form of U, U(VI). The formation of U(VI) is generally thought to require oxygen levels orders of magnitude higher than prebiotic levels. Without significant U mobility, it would have been impossible to develop isotopically distinct pools of uranium in ancient Earth environments. Conversely, an active U redox cycle leads to significant variability in δ238U values. Here we present a temporally and geographically expansive uranium isotope record from paleosols and modern soils to better constrain atmospheric oxygen levels during the Precambrian. Preliminary U isotope measurements of paleosols are unfractionated (relative to igneous rocks), possibly because of limited fractionation during oxidation (e.g., {Wang, 2015 #478}) or insufficient atmospheric oxygen levels to oxidize U(IV)-bearing minerals in the bedrock. Further U isotope measurements of paleosols with comparison to modern soils will resolve this issue.

Purification and biochemical characterization of ionically unbound polyphenol oxidase from Musa paradisiaca leaf.

PubMed

Diwakar, Sanjeev Kumar; Mishra, Sarad Kumar

2011-01-01

An ionically unbound and thermostable polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was extracted from the leaf of Musa paradisiaca. The enzyme was purified 2.54-fold with a total yield of 9.5% by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme exhibited a clear single band on native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) PAGE. It was found to be monomeric protein with molecular mass of about 40 kD. The zymographic study using crude extract as enzyme source showed a very clear band around 40 kD and a faint band at around 15 kD, which might be isozymes. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 7.0 and 50°C temperature. The enzyme was active in wide range of pH (4.0-9.0) and temperature (30-90°C). From the thermal inactivation studies in the range 60-75°C, the half-life (t(1/2)) values of the enzyme ranged from 17 to 77 min. The inactivation energy (Ea) value of PPO was estimated to be 91.3 kJ mol(-1). It showed higher specificity with catechol (K(m) = 8 mM) as compared to 4-methylcatechol (K(m) = 10 mM). Among metal ions and reagents tested, Cu(2+), Fe(2+), Hg(2+), Mn(2+), Ni(2+), protocatechuic acid, and ferrulic acid enhanced the enzyme activity, while K(+), Na(+), Co(2+), kojic acid, ascorbic acid, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), sodium azide, β-mercaptoethanol, and L-cysteine inhibited the activity of the enzyme.

Kinetic studies on strand displacement in de novo designed parallel heterodimeric coiled coils† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7sc05342h

PubMed Central

Groth, Mike C.; Rink, W. Mathis; Meyer, Nils F.

2018-01-01

Among the protein folding motifs, which are accessible by de novo design, the parallel heterodimeric coiled coil is most frequently used in bioinspired applications and chemical biology in general. This is due to the straightforward sequence-to-structure relationships, which it has in common with all coiled-coil motifs, and the heterospecificity, which allows control of association. Whereas much focus was laid on designing orthogonal coiled coils, systematic studies on controlling association, for instance by strand displacement, are rare. As a contribution to the design of dynamic coiled-coil-based systems, we studied the strand-displacement mechanism in obligate heterodimeric coiled coils to investigate the suitability of the dissociation constants (KD) as parameters for the prediction of the outcome of strand-displacement reactions. We use two sets of heterodimeric coiled coils, the previously reported N-AxBy and the newly characterized C-AxBy. Both comprise KD values in the μM to sub-nM regime. Strand displacement is explored by CD titration and a FRET-based kinetic assay and is proved to be an equilibrium reaction with half-lifes from a few seconds up to minutes. We could fit the displacement data by a competitive binding model, giving rate constants and overall affinities of the underlying association and dissociation reactions. The overall affinities correlate well with the ratios of KD values determined by CD-thermal denaturation experiments and, hence, support the dissociative mechanism of strand displacement in heterodimeric coiled coils. From the results of more than 100 different displacement reactions we are able to classify three categories of overall affinities, which allow for easy prediction of the equilibrium of strand displacement in two competing heterodimeric coiled coils. PMID:29780562

Combined processing and mutual interpretation of radiometry and fluorometry from autonomous profiling Bio-Argo floats: 2. Colored dissolved organic matter absorption retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Xiaogang; Morel, André; Claustre, Hervé; D'Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Poteau, Antoine

2012-04-01

Eight autonomous profiling "Bio-Argo" floats were deployed offshore during about 2 years (2008-2010) in Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean zones. They were equipped with miniaturized bio-optical sensors, namely a radiometer measuring within the upper layer the downward irradiance at 412, 490, and 555 nm, and two fluorometers for detection of chlorophyll-a (Chla) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM; profiles from 400 m to surface). A first study dealt with the interpretation of the Chla fluorescence signal in terms of concentration, using for this purpose the diffuse attenuation coefficient for irradiance at 490 nm, Kd(490), taken as a proxy for the Chla absorption. The present study examines the possibility of similarly using the Kd(412) values combined with retrieved Chla profiles to convert the CDOM fluorometric qualitative information into a CDOM absorption coefficient (ay). The rationale is to take advantage of the fact that Kd is more sensitive to CDOM presence at 412 nm than at 490 nm. A validation of this method is tested through its application to field data, collected from a ship over a wide range of trophic conditions (Biogeochemistry and Optics South Pacific Experiment (BIOSOPE) cruise); these data include both in situ fluorescence profiles and CDOM absorption as measured on discrete samples. In addition, near-surface ay values retrieved from the floats agree with those derivable from ocean color imagery (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS-A)). The low sensitivity of commercially available CDOM fluorometers presently raises difficulties when applying this technique to open ocean waters. It was nevertheless possible to derive from the floats records meaningful time series of CDOM vertical distribution.

Impact of defects on percolation in random sequential adsorption of linear k-mers on square lattices.

PubMed

Tarasevich, Yuri Yu; Laptev, Valeri V; Vygornitskii, Nikolai V; Lebovka, Nikolai I

2015-01-01

The effect of defects on the percolation of linear k-mers (particles occupying k adjacent sites) on a square lattice is studied by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The k-mers are deposited using a random sequential adsorption mechanism. Two models L(d) and K(d) are analyzed. In the L(d) model it is assumed that the initial square lattice is nonideal and some fraction of sites d is occupied by nonconducting point defects (impurities). In the K(d) model the initial square lattice is perfect. However, it is assumed that some fraction of the sites in the k-mers d consists of defects, i.e., is nonconducting. The length of the k-mers k varies from 2 to 256. Periodic boundary conditions are applied to the square lattice. The dependences of the percolation threshold concentration of the conducting sites p(c) vs the concentration of defects d are analyzed for different values of k. Above some critical concentration of defects d(m), percolation is blocked in both models, even at the jamming concentration of k-mers. For long k-mers, the values of d(m) are well fitted by the functions d(m)∝k(m)(-α)-k(-α) (α=1.28±0.01 and k(m)=5900±500) and d(m)∝log(10)(k(m)/k) (k(m)=4700±1000) for the L(d) and K(d) models, respectively. Thus, our estimation indicates that the percolation of k-mers on a square lattice is impossible even for a lattice without any defects if k⪆6×10(3).

Using nonequilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixtures (NECEEM) for simultaneous determination of concentration and equilibrium constant.

PubMed

Kanoatov, Mirzo; Galievsky, Victor A; Krylova, Svetlana M; Cherney, Leonid T; Jankowski, Hanna K; Krylov, Sergey N

2015-03-03

Nonequilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixtures (NECEEM) is a versatile tool for studying affinity binding. Here we describe a NECEEM-based approach for simultaneous determination of both the equilibrium constant, K(d), and the unknown concentration of a binder that we call a target, T. In essence, NECEEM is used to measure the unbound equilibrium fraction, R, for the binder with a known concentration that we call a ligand, L. The first set of experiments is performed at varying concentrations of T, prepared by serial dilution of the stock solution, but at a constant concentration of L, which is as low as its reliable quantitation allows. The value of R is plotted as a function of the dilution coefficient, and dilution corresponding to R = 0.5 is determined. This dilution of T is used in the second set of experiments in which the concentration of T is fixed but the concentration of L is varied. The experimental dependence of R on the concentration of L is fitted with a function describing their theoretical dependence. Both K(d) and the concentration of T are used as fitting parameters, and their sought values are determined as the ones that generate the best fit. We have fully validated this approach in silico by using computer-simulated NECEEM electropherograms and then applied it to experimental determination of the unknown concentration of MutS protein and K(d) of its interactions with a DNA aptamer. The general approach described here is applicable not only to NECEEM but also to any other method that can determine a fraction of unbound molecules at equilibrium.

Sulfadimethoxine and sulfaguanidine: their sorption potential on natural soils.

PubMed

Białk-Bielińska, Anna; Maszkowska, Joanna; Mrozik, Wojciech; Bielawska, Agata; Kołodziejska, Marta; Palavinskas, Richard; Stepnowski, Piotr; Kumirska, Jolanta

2012-03-01

Sulfonamides (SAs) are one of the oldest groups of veterinary chemotherapeutic agents. As these compounds are not completely metabolized in animals, a high proportion of the native form is excreted in feces and urine. They are therefore released either directly to the environment in aquacultures and by grazing animals, or indirectly during the application of manure or slurry. Once released into the environment, SAs become distributed among various environmental compartments and may be transported to surface or ground waters. The physicochemical properties of SAs, dosage and nature of the matrix are the factors mainly responsible for their distribution in the natural environment. Although these rather polar compounds have been in use for over half a century, knowledge of their fate and behavior in soil ecosystems is still limited. Therefore, in this work we have determined the sorption potential of sulfadimethoxine and sulfaguanidine on various natural soils. The influence on sorption of external factors, such as ionic strength and pH, were also determined. The sorption coefficients (K(d)) obtained for the sulfonamides investigated were quite low (from 0.20 to 381.17 mL g(-1) for sulfadimethoxine and from 0.39 to 35.09 mL g(-1) for sulfaguanidine), which indicated that these substances are highly mobile and have the potential to run off into surface waters and/or infiltrate ground water. Moreover, the sorption of these pharmaceuticals was found to be influenced by OC, soil solution pH and ionic strength, with higher K(d) values for soils of higher OC and lower K(d) values with increasing pH and ionic strength. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metolachlor Sorption and Degradation in Soil Amended with Fresh and Aged Biochars.

PubMed

Trigo, Carmen; Spokas, Kurt A; Hall, Kathleen E; Cox, Lucia; Koskinen, William C

2016-04-27

Addition of organic amendments such as biochar to soils can influence pesticide sorption-desorption processes and, in turn, the amount of pesticide readily availability for transport and biodegradation. Sorption-desorption processes are affected by both the physical and chemical properties of soils and pesticides, as well as soil-pesticide contact time, or aging. Changes in sorption-desorption of metolachlor with aging in soil amended with three macadamia nut shell biochars aged 0 (BCmac-fr), 1 year (BCmac-1yr), and 2 years (BCmac-2yr) and two wood biochars aged 0 (BCwood-fr) and 5 years (BCwood-5yr) were determined. Apparent sorption coefficient (Kd-app) values increased with incubation time to a greater extent in amended soil as compared to unamended soils; Kd-app increased by 1.2-fold for the unamended soil, 2.0-fold for BCwood-fr, 1.4-fold for BCwood-5yr, 2.4-fold for BCmac-fr, 2.5-fold for BCmac-1yr, and 1.9-fold for BCmac-4yr. The increase in calculated Kd-app value was the result of a 15% decrease in the metolachlor solution concentration extractable with CaCl2 solution with incubation time in soil as compared to a 50% decrease in amended soil with very little change in the sorbed concentration. Differences could possibly be due to diffusion to less accessible or stronger binding sites with time, a faster rate of degradation (in solution and on labile sites) than desorption, or a combination of the two in the amended soils. These data show that transport models would overpredict the depth of movement of metolachlor in soil if effects of aging or biochar amendments are not considered.

Anaerobic Biotransformation and Mobility of Pu and of Pu-EDTA

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

Xun, Luying

2009-11-20

The enhanced mobility of radionuclides by co-disposed chelating agent, ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), is likely to occur only under anaerobic conditions. Our extensive effort to enrich and isolate anaerobic EDTA-degrading bacteria has failed. Others has tried and also failed. To explain the lack of anaerobic biodegradation of EDTA, we proposed that EDTA has to be transported into the cells for metabolism. A failure of uptake may contribute to the lack of EDTA degradation under anaerobic conditions. We demonstrated that an aerobic EDTA-degrading bacterium strain BNC1 uses an ABC-type transporter system to uptake EDTA. The system has a periplasmic binding protein that bindmore » EDTA and then interacts with membrane proteins to transport EDTA into the cell at the expense of ATP. The bind protein EppA binds only free EDTA with a Kd of 25 nM. The low Kd value indicates high affinity. However, the Kd value of Ni-EDTA is 2.4 x 10^(-10) nM, indicating much stronger stability. Since Ni and other trace metals are essential for anaerobic respiration, we conclude that the added EDTA sequestrates all trace metals and making anaerobic respiration impossible. Thus, the data explain the lack of anaerobic enrichment cultures for EDTA degradation. Although we did not obtain an EDTA degrading culture under anaerobic conditions, our finding may promote the use of certain metals that forms more stable metal-EDTA complexes than Pu(III)-EDTA to prevent the enhanced mobility. Further, our data explain why EDTA is the most dominant organic pollutant in surface waters, due to the lack of degradation of certain metal-EDTA complexes.« less

The effect of FcγRIIA and FcγRIIB on coronary artery lesion formation and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment responses in children with Kawasaki disease

PubMed Central

Chang, Ling-Sai; Lo, Mao-Hung; Li, Sung-Chou; Yang, Ming-Yu; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Kuo, Ho-Chang

2017-01-01

Previous research has found patients with the FcγRIIIB NA1 variant having increased risk of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in Kawasaki disease (KD). Our previous studies revealed that elevated FcγRIIA expression correlated with the susceptibility of KD patients. We conducted this research to determine whether and how Fcγ receptors affect the susceptibility, IVIG treatment response, and coronary artery lesions (CAL) of KD patients. The activating FcγRIIA and inhibitory FcγRIIB methylation levels of seven patients with KD and four control subjects were examined using HumanMethylation27 BeadChip. We enrolled a total of 44 KD patients and 10 control subjects with fevers. We performed real-time RT-PCR to determine the FcγRIIA and FcγRIIB expression levels, as well as a luciferase assay of FcγRIIA. We found a considerable increase in methylation of both FcγRIIA and FcγRIIB in KD patients undergoing IVIG treatment. Promoter methylation of FcγRIIA inhibited reporter activity in K562 cells using luciferase assay. The FcγRIIB mRNA expression levels were not found to increase susceptibility, CAL formation, or IVIG resistance. FcγRIIA mRNA expression levels were significantly higher in IVIG-resistant patients than in those that responded to IVIG during the pre-treatment period. Furthermore, the FcγRIIA/IIB mRNA expression ratio was considerably higher in KD patients with CAL than in those without CAL. FcγRIIA and FcγRIIB both demonstrated increased methylation levels in KD patients that underwent IVIG treatment. FcγRIIA expression influenced the IVIG treatment response of KD patients. The FcγRIIA/IIB mRNA expression ratio was greater in KD patients with CAL formation. PMID:27893416

miR-483 Targeting of CTGF Suppresses Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition: Therapeutic Implications in Kawasaki Disease

PubMed Central

He, Ming; Chen, Zhen; Martin, Marcy; Zhang, Jin; Sangwung, Panjamaporn; Woo, Brian; Tremoulet, Adriana H.; Shimizu, Chisato; Jain, Mukesh K.; Burns, Jane C.; Shyy, John Y-J.

2016-01-01

Rationale Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is implicated in myofibroblast-like cell-mediated damage to the coronary arterial wall in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) patients, as evidenced by positive staining for connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and EndoMT markers in KD autopsy tissues. However, little is known about the molecular basis of EndoMT involved in KD. Objective We investigated the microRNA (miRNA) regulation of CTGF and the consequent EndoMT in KD pathogenesis. As well, the modulation of this process by statin therapy was studied. Methods and Results Sera from healthy children and KD subjects were incubated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cardiovascular disease-related miRNAs, CTGF, and EndoMT markers were quantified using RT-qPCR, ELISA, and Western blotting. Compared to healthy controls, HUVEC incubated with sera from acute KD patients had decreased miR-483, increased CTGF, and increased EndoMT markers. Bioinformatics analysis followed by functional validation demonstrated that Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) transactivates miR-483, which in turn targets the 3′ untranslated region of CTGF mRNA. Overexpression of KLF4 or pre-miR-483 suppressed, whereas knockdown of KLF4 or anti-miR-483 enhanced, CTGF expression in ECs in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, atorvastatin, currently being tested in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial in KD children, induced KLF4-miR-483, which suppressed CTGF and EndoMT in ECs. Conclusions KD sera suppress the KLF4-miR-483 axis in ECs leading to increased expression of CTGF and induction of EndoMT. This detrimental process in the endothelium may contribute to coronary artery abnormalities in KD patients. Statin therapy may benefit acute KD patients, in part through the restoration of KLF4-miR-483 expression. Clinical Trial Registration NCT01431105 PMID:27923814

Epidemiologic survey of Kawasaki disease in Inner Mongolia, China, between 2001 and 2013

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaomei; Liang, Yanyan; Feng, Wanyu; Su, Xuewen; Zhu, Hua

2016-01-01

The epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease (KD) in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China has not been previously determined, to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology of KD in Inner Mongolia. Clinical data from 518 patients treated for KD in Inner Mongolia between January 2001 and December 2013 were analyzed. The results indicated that the mean annual incidence rate was 3.55±2.96 per 100,000 children under the age of 5 years between 2001 and 2013. The age at diagnosis ranged between 49 days and 14 years, while the disease occurred more frequently in the spring and summer. In addition, the incidence of coronary artery lesion (CAL) was reported to be 40.2% in the present survey. KD patients in the Han Chinese ethnic group were more likely to be complicated by CAL, whereas patients with incidence of KD in July were less likely to be complicated by CAL. In conclusion, the incidence of KD was observed to be increasing in Inner Mongolia, while the ethnic group and month of onset may be associated with the incidence of CAL in KD patients. PMID:27446347

Kawasaki Disease Increases the Incidence of Myopia.

PubMed

Kung, Yung-Jen; Wei, Chang-Ching; Chen, Liuh An; Chen, Jiin Yi; Chang, Ching-Yao; Lin, Chao-Jen; Lim, Yun-Ping; Tien, Peng-Tai; Chen, Hsuan-Ju; Huang, Yong-San; Lin, Hui-Ju; Wan, Lei

2017-01-01

The prevalence of myopia has rapidly increased in recent decades and has led to a considerable global public health concern. In this study, we elucidate the relationship between Kawasaki disease (KD) and the incidence of myopia. We used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to conduct a population-based cohort study. We identified patients diagnosed with KD and individuals without KD who were selected by frequency matched based on sex, age, and the index year. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals for the comparison of the 2 cohorts. The log-rank test was used to test the incidence of myopia in the 2 cohorts. A total of 532 patients were included in the KD cohort and 2128 in the non-KD cohort. The risk of myopia (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.58; P < 0.01) was higher among patients with KD than among those in the non-KD cohort. The Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that irrespective of age, gender, and urbanization, Kawasaki disease was an independent risk factor for myopia. Patients with Kawasaki disease exhibited a substantially higher risk for developing myopia.

Predicting the characteristics of the aetiological agent for Kawasaki disease from other paediatric infectious diseases in Japan.

PubMed

Nagao, Y; Urabe, C; Nakamura, H; Hatano, N

2016-02-01

Although Kawasaki disease (KD), which was first reported in the 1960s, is assumed to be infectious, its aetiological agent(s) remains unknown. We compared the geographical distribution of the force of infection and the super-annual periodicity of KD and seven other paediatric infectious diseases in Japan. The geographical distribution of the force of infection, which was estimated as the inverse of the mean patient age, was similar in KD and other paediatric viral infections. This similarity was due to the fact that the force of infection was determined largely by the total fertility rate. This finding suggests that KD shares a transmission route, i.e. sibling-to-sibling infection, with other paediatric infections. The super-annual periodicity, which is positively associated with the sum of an infectious disease's incubation period and infectious period, was much longer for KD and exanthema subitum than other paediatric infectious diseases. The virus for exanthema subitum is known to persist across the host's lifespan, which suggests that the aetiological agent for KD may also be capable of persistent infection. Taken together, these findings suggest that the aetiological agent for KD is transmitted through close contact and persists asymptomatically in most hosts.

Intermittent fasting: a "new" historical strategy for controlling seizures?

PubMed

Hartman, Adam L; Rubenstein, James E; Kossoff, Eric H

2013-05-01

In antiquity, fasting was a treatment for epilepsy and a rationale for the ketogenic diet (KD). Preclinical data indicate the KD and intermittent fasting do not share identical anticonvulsant mechanisms. We implemented an intermittent fasting regimen in six children with an incomplete response to a KD. Three patients adhered to the combined intermittent fasting/KD regimen for 2 months and four had transient improvement in seizure control, albeit with some hunger-related adverse reactions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SEPARATION OF PLUTONIUM VALUES FROM URANIUM AND FISSION PRODUCT VALUES

DOEpatents

Maddock, A.G.; Booth, A.H.

1960-09-13

Separation of plutonium present in small amounts from neutron irradiated uranium by making use of the phenomenon of chemisorption is described. Plutonium in the tetravalent state is chemically absorbed on a fluoride in solid form. The steps for the separation comprise dissolving the irradiated uranium in nitric acid, oxidizing the plutonium in the resulting solution to the hexavalent state, adding to the solution a soluble calcium salt which by the common ion effect inhibits dissolution of the fluoride by the solution, passing the solution through a bed or column of subdivided calcium fluoride which has been sintered to about 8OO deg C to remove the chemisorbable fission products, reducing the plutonium in the solution thus obtained to the tetravalent state, and again passing the solution through a similar bed or column of calcium fluoride to selectively absorb the plutonium, which may then be recovered by treating the calcium fluoride with a solution of ammonium oxalate.

Determination of the solubility and size distribution of radioactive aerosols in the uranium processing plant at NRCN.

PubMed

Kravchik, T; Oved, S; Paztal-Levy, O; Pelled, O; Gonen, R; German, U; Tshuva, A

2008-01-01

Inhalation is the main route of internal exposure to radioactive aerosols in the nuclear industry. To assess the radiation dose from the intake of these aerosols, it is necessary to know their physical (aerodynamic diameter distribution) and chemical (dissolution rate in extracellular lung fluid) characteristics. Air samples were taken from the uranium processing plant at the Nuclear Research Center, Negev. Measurements of aerodynamic diameter distribution using a cascade impactor indicated an average activity median aerodynamic diameter value close to 5 microm, in accordance with the recent recommended values of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) model. Solubility profiles of these aerosols were determined by performing in vitro solubility tests over 100 d in a simultant solution of the extracellular fluid. The tests indicated that the uranium aerosols should be assigned to an absorption between Types M and S (as defined by the ICRP Publication 66 model).

Effects of Twenty Days of the Ketogenic Diet on Metabolic and Respiratory Parameters in Healthy Subjects.

PubMed

Rubini, Alessandro; Bosco, Gerardo; Lodi, Alessandra; Cenci, Lorenzo; Parmagnani, Andrea; Grimaldi, Keith; Zhongjin, Yang; Paoli, Antonio

2015-12-01

The effects of the ketogenic diet (KD) on weight loss, metabolic, and respiratory parameters were investigated in healthy subjects. Thirty-two healthy subjects were randomized into two groups. The KD group followed a ketogenic diet for 20 days (KD t 0-t 20), then switched to a low-carbohydrate, no-ketogenic diet for 20 days (KD t 20-t 40), and finally was on a Mediterranean diet (MD) for 2 more months (KD t 40-t 2m). The MD group followed a MD for 20 days (MD t 0-t 20), then followed a MD of 1400 kcal over the next 20 days (MD t 20-t 40), and completed the study with the MD for 2 months (MD t 40-t 2m). Body weight, body fat, respiratory rate, and respiratory gas parameters (including respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and carbon dioxide end-tidal partial pressure (PETCO2), oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), and resting energy expenditure (REE)) were measured at each point. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) in RER was observed after 20 and 40 days in the KD group, but not in the MD group. In the KD group, significant reductions were observed for both carbon dioxide output and PETCO2, however, there was no significant change in VO2, VCO2, and REE. While both diets significantly decreased body fat mass, the KD diet overall proved to have a higher percentage of fat loss versus the MD diet. The KD may significantly decrease carbon dioxide body stores, which may theoretically be beneficial for patients with increased carbon dioxide arterial partial pressure due to respiratory insufficiency or failure.

Use of the King-Devick test for sideline concussion screening in junior rugby league.

PubMed

King, D; Hume, P; Gissane, C; Clark, T

2015-10-15

To determine whether the King-Devick (K-D) test used as a sideline test in junior rugby league players over 12 matches in a domestic competition season could identify witnessed and incidentally identified episodes of concussion. A prospective observational cohort study of a club level junior rugby league team (n=19) during the 2014 New Zealand competition season involved every player completing two pre-competition season baseline trials of the K-D test. Players removed from match participation, or who reported any signs or symptoms of concussion were assessed on the sideline with the K-D test and referred for further medical assessment. Players with a pre- to post-match K-D test difference >3s were referred for physician evaluation. The baseline test-retest reliability of the K-D test was high (rs=0.86; p<0.0001). Seven concussions were medically identified in six players who recorded pre- to post-match K-D test times greater than 3s (mean change of 7.4s). Post-season testing of players demonstrated improvement of K-D time scores consistent with learning effects of using the K-D test (67.7s vs. 62.2s). Although no witnessed concussions occurred during rugby play, six players recorded pre- to post-match changes with a mean delay of 4s resulting in seven concussions being subsequently confirmed post-match by health practitioners. All players were medically managed for a return to sports participation. The K-D test was quickly and easily administered making it a practical sideline tool as part of the continuum of concussion assessment tools for junior rugby league players. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in the Polypeptide Patterns of Barley Seedlings Exposed to Jasmonic Acid and Salinity 1

PubMed Central

Maslenkova, Liliana Todorova; Miteva, Tania Simeonova; Popova, Losanka P.

1992-01-01

Soluble and thylakoid membrane proteins of jasmonic acid (JA)-treated and salt-stressed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seedlings were investigated using 15% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis. High JA concentrations induced marked quantitative and qualitative changes in polypeptide profiles concerning mainly the proteins with approximately equal mobility, as in NaCl-stressed plants. The most obvious increase in thylakoid polypeptide band intensity was at 55 to 57 kilodaltons (kD). The relative share of some polypeptides with apparent molecular masses above 66 kD and of polypeptides with lower molecular masses in the region of 20.5 to 15 kD was enhanced. At the same time, one new band at 31 to 31.5 kD was well expressed at 25 and 250 micromolar JA concentrations and became discernible in the 100 micromolar NaCl-treated plants. The intensity of some polypeptides of soluble proteins (molecular masses of 60, 47, 37, 30, and 23.4 kD) increased with increasing JA concentration, whereas the intensities of other polypeptide bands (55, 21.4, and 15 kD) decreased. Enhanced levels of 60-, 47-, 34-, and 30-kD polypeptides and reduced levels of 55- and 15-kD polypeptides were present in NaCl-treated plants. The appearance of one new polypeptide, of 25.1 kD, was observed only in NaCl-treated plants. At 100 millimolar NaCl, an eightfold increase in proline content was observed while at 250 micromolar JA, the proline content was threefold over the control. It is hypothesized that exogenously applied jasmonates act as stress agents. As such, they provoke alterations in the proline content and they can modulate typical stress responses by induction of stress proteins. ImagesFigure 1Figure 4Figure 5 PMID:16668698

The biophysical properties of the aorta are altered following Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Vaujois, Laurence; Dallaire, Frédéric; Maurice, Roch L; Fournier, Anne; Houde, Christine; Thérien, Johanne; Cartwright, Daniel; Dahdah, Nagib

2013-12-01

The long-term sequelae of Kawasaki disease (KD) are based on the coronary complications. Because KD causes generalized vasculitis, with documented aneurysms in the femoral, iliac, renal, axillary, and brachial arteries, the aim of this study was to assess the biophysical properties of the aorta (BPA) after KD. The BPA are biometric measurements representing vascular structural and dynamic changes in response to cardiac work. Anthropometric and echocardiographic measurements of the aorta in a series of patients with KD were compared with those of healthy subjects. The BPA were calculated noninvasively by extrapolating previously validated equations that were conceived for invasive measurements. Because BPA vary with body habitus, control subjects were used to normalize BPA parameters for height to compute BPA Z-score equations. Between June 2007 and February 2010, BPA were recorded in 57 patients with KD >1 year after the onset of the disease, 45 without and 12 with coronary artery sequelae. The mean intervals between the acute onset of KD and enrollment were 10.0 ± 5.0 and 5.8 ± 4.5 years for patients with and without coronary artery sequelae, respectively (P = .008). Patients with KD with coronary artery sequelae had significantly altered Z scores of aortic diameter modulation, Peterson's elastic modulus, and β stiffness index (P = .001-.016). Patients with KD without coronary artery sequelae also exhibited altered elasticity, stiffness, and pulse-wave velocity (P = .001-.026). Altered BPA after KD are detectible despite apparent resolution of acute vasculitis. Future directions toward determining multilevel and multilayer vascular impact, including vascular autonomous homeostasis, require thorough investigation. Copyright © 2013 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hepcidin-Induced Iron Deficiency Is Related to Transient Anemia and Hypoferremia in Kawasaki Disease Patients

PubMed Central

Huang, Ying-Hsien; Kuo, Ho-Chang; Huang, Fu-Chen; Yu, Hong-Ren; Hsieh, Kai-Sheng; Yang, Ya-Ling; Sheen, Jiunn-Ming; Li, Sung-Chou; Kuo, Hsing-Chun

2016-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a type of systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children under the age of five years old. For sufferers of KD, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been found to successfully diminish the occurrence of coronary artery lesions. Anemia is commonly found in KD patients, and we have shown that in appropriately elevated hepcidin levels are related to decreased hemoglobin levels in these patients. In this study, we investigated the time period of anemia and iron metabolism during different stages of KD. A total of 100 patients with KD and 20 control subjects were enrolled in this study for red blood cell and hemoglobin analysis. Furthermore, plasma, urine hepcidin, and plasma IL-6 levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 20 KD patients and controls. Changes in hemoglobin, plasma iron levels, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) were also measured in patients with KD. Hemoglobin, iron levels, and TIBC were lower (p < 0.001, p = 0.009, and p < 0.001, respectively) while plasma IL-6 and hepcidin levels (both p < 0.001) were higher in patients with KD than in the controls prior to IVIG administration. Moreover, plasma hepcidin levels were positively and significantly correlated with urine hepcidin levels (p < 0.001) prior to IVIG administration. After IVIG treatment, plasma hepcidin and hemoglobin levels significantly decreased (both p < 0.001). Of particular note was a subsequent gradual increase in hemoglobin levels during the three weeks after IVIG treatment; nevertheless, the hemoglobin levels stayed lower in KD patients than in the controls (p = 0.045). These findings provide a longitudinal study of hemoglobin changes and among the first evidence that hepcidin induces transient anemia and hypoferremia during KD’s acute inflammatory phase. PMID:27187366

The King-Devick test as a concussion screening tool administered by sports parents.

PubMed

Leong, D F; Balcer, L J; Galetta, S L; Liu, Z; Master, C L

2014-02-01

Sports-related concussion has received increasing awareness due to short- and long-term neurologic sequelae seen among athletes. The King-Devick (K-D) test captures impairment of eye movements and other correlates of suboptimal brain function. We investigated the K-D test as a screening for concussion when administered by layperson sports parents in a cohort of amateur boxers. The K-D test was administered pre-fight and post-fight by laypersons masked to the head trauma status of each athlete. Matches were watched over by a ringside physician and boxing trainer. Athletes with suspected head trauma received testing with the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (MACE) by the ringside physician to determine concussion status. Athletes sustaining concussion were compared to the athletes screened using the K-D test. Post-fight K-D scores were lower (better) than the best baseline score (41 vs. 39.3 s, P=0.34, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), in the absence of concussion. One boxer sustained a concussion as determined by the ringside physician. This boxer was accurately identified by the layperson K-D testers due to a worsening in K-D test compared to baseline (3.2 seconds) and an increased number of errors. High levels of test-retest reliability were observed (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.90 [95% CI 0.84-0.97]). Additionally, 6 boxers who participated in multiple bouts showed no worsening of their K-D times further supporting that scores are not affected by the fatigue associated with sparring. The K-D test is a rapid sideline screening tool for concussion that can be effectively administered by non-medically trained laypersons.

Role of Interleukin-1 Signaling in a Mouse Model of Kawasaki Disease-Associated Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

PubMed

Wakita, Daiko; Kurashima, Yosuke; Crother, Timothy R; Noval Rivas, Magali; Lee, Youngho; Chen, Shuang; Fury, Wen; Bai, Yu; Wagner, Shawn; Li, Debiao; Lehman, Thomas; Fishbein, Michael C; Hoffman, Hal M; Shah, Prediman K; Shimada, Kenichi; Arditi, Moshe

2016-05-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acquired cardiac disease in US children. In addition to coronary artery abnormalities and aneurysms, it can be associated with systemic arterial aneurysms. We evaluated the development of systemic arterial dilatation and aneurysms, including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the Lactobacillus casei cell-wall extract (LCWE)-induced KD vasculitis mouse model. We discovered that in addition to aortitis, coronary arteritis and myocarditis, the LCWE-induced KD mouse model is also associated with abdominal aorta dilatation and AAA, as well as renal and iliac artery aneurysms. AAA induced in KD mice was exclusively infrarenal, both fusiform and saccular, with intimal proliferation, myofibroblastic proliferation, break in the elastin layer, vascular smooth muscle cell loss, and inflammatory cell accumulation in the media and adventitia. Il1r(-/-), Il1a(-/-), and Il1b(-/-) mice were protected from KD associated AAA. Infiltrating CD11c(+) macrophages produced active caspase-1, and caspase-1 or NLRP3 deficiency inhibited AAA formation. Treatment with interleukin (IL)-1R antagonist (Anakinra), anti-IL-1α, or anti-IL-1β mAb blocked LCWE-induced AAA formation. Similar to clinical KD, the LCWE-induced KD vasculitis mouse model can also be accompanied by AAA formation. Both IL-1α and IL-1β play a key role, and use of an IL-1R blocking agent that inhibits both pathways may be a promising therapeutic target not only for KD coronary arteritis, but also for the other systemic arterial aneurysms including AAA that maybe seen in severe cases of KD. The LCWE-induced vasculitis model may also represent an alternative model for AAA disease. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Soy isoflavone intake is associated with risk of Kawasaki disease

PubMed Central

Portman, Michael A.; Navarro, Sandi L.; Bruce, Margaret E.; Lampe, Johanna W.

2016-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis affecting children. Incidence of KD varies according to ethnicity and is highest in Asian populations. Although genetic differences may explain this variation, dietary or environmental factors could also be responsible. The objectives of this study were to determine dietary soy and isoflavone consumption in a cohort of KD children just before disease onset and their mothers' intake during pregnancy and nursing. We tested the hypothesis that soy isoflavone consumption is associated with risk of KD in US children, potentially explaining some of the ethnic-cultural variation in incidence. We evaluated soy food intake and isoflavone consumption in nearly 200 US KD cases and 200 age-matched controls using a food frequency questionnaire for children and in their mothers. We used a logistic regression model to test the association of isoflavones and KD. Maternal surveys on soy intake during pregnancy and nursing showed no significant differences in isoflavone consumption between groups. However, we identified significantly increased KD risk in children for total isoflavone (odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95%confidence interval [CI], 1.37–3.96) and genistein (OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.46–4.16) intakes, when comparing high soy consumers vs nonconsumers. In addition, significantly increased KD risk occurred in Asian-American children with the highest consumption (total isoflavones: OR, 7.29; 95% CI, 1.73–30.75; genistein: OR, 8.33; 95% CI, 1.92–36.24) compared to whites. These findings indicate that childhood dietary isoflavone consumption, but not maternal isoflavone intake during pregnancy and nursing, relates to KD risk in an ethnically diverse US population. PMID:27440537

Determination of irradiated reactor uranium in soil samples in Belarus using 236U as irradiated uranium tracer.

PubMed

Mironov, Vladislav P; Matusevich, Janna L; Kudrjashov, Vladimir P; Boulyga, Sergei F; Becker, J Sabine

2002-12-01

This work presents experimental results on the distribution of irradiated reactor uranium from fallout after the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in comparison to natural uranium distribution in different soil types. Oxidation processes and vertical migration of irradiated uranium in soils typical of the 30 km relocation area around Chernobyl NPP were studied using 236U as the tracer for irradiated reactor uranium and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as the analytical method for uranium isotope ratio measurements. Measurements of natural uranium yielded significant variations of its concentration in upper soil layers from 2 x 10(-7) g g(-1) to 3.4 x 10(-6) g g(-1). Concentrations of irradiated uranium in the upper 0-10 cm soil layers at the investigated sampling sites varied from 5 x 10(-12) g g(-1) to 2 x 10(-6) g g(-1) depending on the distance from Chernobyl NPP. In the majority of investigated soil profiles 78% to 97% of irradiated "Chernobyl" uranium is still contained in the upper 0-10 cm soil layers. The physical and chemical characteristics of the soil do not have any significant influence on processes of fuel particle destruction. Results obtained using carbonate leaching of 236U confirmed that more than 60% of irradiated "Chernobyl" uranium is still in a tetravalent form, ie. it is included in the fuel matrix (non-oxidized fuel UO2). The average value of the destruction rate of fuel particles determined for the Western radioactive trace (k = 0.030 +/- 0.005 yr(-1)) and for the Northern radioactive trace (k = 0.035 + 0.009 yr(-1)) coincide within experimental errors. Use of leaching of fission products in comparison to leaching of uranium for study of the destruction rate of fuel particles yielded poor coincidence due to the fact that use of fission products does not take into account differences in the chemical properties of fission products and fuel matrix (uranium).

Ketogenic Diet Reduces Midlife Mortality and Improves Memory in Aging Mice.

PubMed

Newman, John C; Covarrubias, Anthony J; Zhao, Minghao; Yu, Xinxing; Gut, Philipp; Ng, Che-Ping; Huang, Yu; Haldar, Saptarsi; Verdin, Eric

2017-09-05

Ketogenic diets recapitulate certain metabolic aspects of dietary restriction such as reliance on fatty acid metabolism and production of ketone bodies. We investigated whether an isoprotein ketogenic diet (KD) might, like dietary restriction, affect longevity and healthspan in C57BL/6 male mice. We find that Cyclic KD, KD alternated weekly with the Control diet to prevent obesity, reduces midlife mortality but does not affect maximum lifespan. A non-ketogenic high-fat diet (HF) fed similarly may have an intermediate effect on mortality. Cyclic KD improves memory performance in old age, while modestly improving composite healthspan measures. Gene expression analysis identifies downregulation of insulin, protein synthesis, and fatty acid synthesis pathways as mechanisms common to KD and HF. However, upregulation of PPARα target genes is unique to KD, consistent across tissues, and preserved in old age. In all, we show that a non-obesogenic ketogenic diet improves survival, memory, and healthspan in aging mice. Published by Elsevier Inc.

New analytical exact solutions of time fractional KdV-KZK equation by Kudryashov methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

S Saha, Ray

2016-04-01

In this paper, new exact solutions of the time fractional KdV-Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KdV-KZK) equation are obtained by the classical Kudryashov method and modified Kudryashov method respectively. For this purpose, the modified Riemann-Liouville derivative is used to convert the nonlinear time fractional KdV-KZK equation into the nonlinear ordinary differential equation. In the present analysis, the classical Kudryashov method and modified Kudryashov method are both used successively to compute the analytical solutions of the time fractional KdV-KZK equation. As a result, new exact solutions involving the symmetrical Fibonacci function, hyperbolic function and exponential function are obtained for the first time. The methods under consideration are reliable and efficient, and can be used as an alternative to establish new exact solutions of different types of fractional differential equations arising from mathematical physics. The obtained results are exhibited graphically in order to demonstrate the efficiencies and applicabilities of these proposed methods of solving the nonlinear time fractional KdV-KZK equation.

[Kawasaki disease is more prevalent in rural areas of Catalonia (Spain)].

PubMed

Sánchez-Manubens, Judith; Antón, Jordi; Bou, Rosa; Iglesias, Estibaliz; Calzada-Hernandez, Joan; Rodó, Xavier; Morguí, Josep-Antón

2017-10-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited systemic vasculitis relatively common in childhood. The etiology of KD is still unknown, although clinical, laboratory and epidemiological features suggest an infectious origin or trigger. Differences on incidence between countries have been related to specific genetic factors, ethnicity, country of birth and some other sociocultural and environmental factors. We present a population-based study on incidence of KD in Catalonia (Spain), focusing on differences between patients in rural and non-rural areas of the region. Observational population-based study including all Pediatric Units in Catalan hospitals, between 2004 and 2014. A 12-month (March 2013-March 2014) prospective collection of new cases of KD was carried out to determine the incidence of KD. The rest of the data was retrieved retrospectively. Data from 399 patients over the 10-year study period was analyzed. Among the total KD patients, 353 (88.5%) lived in non-rural areas and 46 (11.5%) in rural areas. It was found that there is a significant difference (P<.001) between the percentage of rural population observed in patients with KD (11.5%), and the expected 5% of the Catalan population. This is the first population-based study showing significant differences on KD incidence rates between rural and non-rural areas. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Characterization of lipoproteins from the turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, in fasted and fed states.

PubMed

Cain, William; Song, Li; Stephens, Gregory; Usher, David

2003-04-01

The lipid and apolipoprotein composition of VLDL, IDL, LDL, HDL(2) and HDL(3) were examined in the turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, in fasted and fed states. The lipid composition of turtle lipoproteins was very similar to their human counterparts. The major apolipoprotein found in LDL, IDL and VLDL, which has a molecular weight of approximately 550 kD, is a homologue of apoB100. The major apolipoprotein found in both HDL(2) and HDL(3), has a molecular weight of 28-kD and is homologous to human apoA-I. HDL(3) also contains a 6.5 kD protein that is homologous to apoA-II, while HDL(2) has two low molecular weight proteins of 6 kD and 7 kD which are also found on the triglyceride rich lipoproteins (TRL). The 7 kD protein is homologous to apoC-III, while the 6 kD protein has a similar size and distribution as apoC-II or apoC-I. In addition, HDL(2) also possesses a protein of 15.8 kD that has no obvious mammalian homologue. In both size and apolipoprotein composition, turtle HDL(2) resembles human HDL(2b) while turtle HDL(3) resembles human HDL(3). In the fasted state, turtles contained very little TRL. When fed a high fat diet, the amount of IDL and LDL sized particles increased significantly.

Epilepsy Treatment Simplified through Mobile Ketogenic Diet Planning.

PubMed

Li, Hanzhou; Jauregui, Jeffrey L; Fenton, Cagla; Chee, Claire M; Bergqvist, A G Christina

2014-07-01

The Ketogenic Diet (KD) is an effective, alternative treatment for refractory epilepsy. This high fat, low protein and carbohydrate diet mimics the metabolic and hormonal changes that are associated with fasting. To maximize the effectiveness of the KD, each meal is precisely planned, calculated, and weighed to within 0.1 gram for the average three-year duration of treatment. Managing the KD is time-consuming and may deter caretakers and patients from pursuing or continuing this treatment. Thus, we investigated methods of planning KD faster and making the process more portable through mobile applications. Nutritional data was gathered from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Database. User selected foods are converted into linear equations with n variables and three constraints: prescribed fat content, prescribed protein content, and prescribed carbohydrate content. Techniques are applied to derive the solutions to the underdetermined system depending on the number of foods chosen. The method was implemented on an iOS device and tested with varieties of foods and different number of foods selected. With each case, the application's constructed meal plan was within 95% precision of the KD requirements. In this study, we attempt to reduce the time needed to calculate a meal by automating the computation of the KD via a linear algebra model. We improve upon previous KD calculators by offering optimal suggestions and incorporating the USDA database. We believe this mobile application will help make the KD and other dietary treatment preparations less time consuming and more convenient.

Growth regulation of the mammalian ocular lens by vitreous humor.

PubMed

Banerjee, A; Parafina, J; Bagchi, M

1992-05-01

Experiments were performed in our laboratory to study the effects of a mammalian 8 kD vitreous humor (VH) factor on the DNA synthesis and mitosis of the epithelial cells of organ cultured rabbit lens. The 8 kD polypeptide factor was purified from mature rabbit vitreous humor by liquid chromatography. Proliferative activities of the epithelial cells of organ cultured lenses were stimulated by 3% rabbit serum. The data from our experiments depicted that the 8 kD VH factor effectively inhibits DNA synthesis and mitosis by the epithelial cells of the organ cultured lens. Our experiments also showed that this 8 kD VH factor can maintain its growth inhibitory activity even when heated for 3 min at 95 degrees C. The growth inhibitory effect of the 8 kD VH factor was dose dependent. Using iodinated vitreal proteins it was demonstrated that the VH proteins are able to enter or bind to lens epithelial cells. The growth inhibitory effect of the 8 kD VH factor was also tested on tissue cultured lens epithelial cells. These experiments showed that the 8 kD VH factor has no growth inhibitory effect on the tissue cultured lens epithelial cells. This experiment has been repeated many times using different concentrations of the factor. These observations suggest that the 8 kD VH factor may have receptors in the lens capsular material (extracellular matrix) and the factor-receptor binding is essential for the growth inhibitory effect.

Molecular cloning of a ripening-specific lipoxygenase and its expression during wild-type and mutant tomato fruit development.

PubMed Central

Kausch, K D; Handa, A K

1997-01-01

A 94-kD protein that accumulates predominately in tomato (Ly-copersicon esculentum) fruit during ripening was purified, and antibodies specific for the purified protein were used to isolate cDNA clones from a red-ripe fruit cDNA library. A sequence analysis of these cDNAs and cross-reactivity of the 94-kD-specific antibodies to the soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) L-1, L-2, and L-3 proteins and soybean LOX L-1-specific antibodies to the 94-kD protein identified it as a member of the LOX gene family. Maximum levels of the 94-kD LOX mRNA and protein are present in breaker to ripe and red-ripe stages, respectively. Expression of 94-kD LOX in different tissues from mature green and red-ripe tomato fruits was found to be greatest in the radial walls of ripe fruit, but immunocytolocalization using tissue printing suggests that the highest accumulation of its protein occurs in locular jelly. None of 94-kD LOX is expressed in nonripening mutant fruits of any age. Never-ripe mutant fruit accumulate the 94-kD LOX mRNA to levels similar to those obtained in wild-type fruit, but fail to accumulate the 94-kD LOX protein. Collectively, the results show that expression of 94-kD LOX is regulated by the ripening process, and ethylene may play a role in its protein accumulation. PMID:9112767

Incidence, epidemiology and clinical features of Kawasaki disease in Catalonia, Spain.

PubMed

Sánchez-Manubens, Judith; Antón, Jordi; Bou, Rosa; Iglesias, Estíbaliz; Calzada-Hernandez, Joan

2016-01-01

To assess the incidence, epidemiology and clinical features of Kawasaki disease (KD) in Catalonia (northeast region of Spain). This was an observational population-based study including all Paediatric Units in Catalonia, under both public and private management. Retrospective data retrieval was performed for 10 years (2004-2013). A 12-month (March 2013 to March 2014) prospective collection of new cases of KD was carried out to determine the incidence of KD. Data from 399 patients over the 10-year study period was analysed, revealing that 233 (58.4%) had complete KD, 159 (39.8) incomplete KD and 7 (1.7%) were considered atypical KD. Mean annual incidence was 3.5/105 children <14 years old (yo) and 8/105 children <5 yo (mean age 37±33 months, range 1.3-191.3). KD was more frequent in boys (59.6%, p<0.001) and in rural areas (p<0.001). Patients with IVIG non-responsiveness, need of a 2(nd) IVIG dose, delay of treatment >10(th) day of illness, ages <1 yo and >8 yo and the presence of sterile piuria, aseptic meningitis, abdominal pain and uveitis at diagnosis were found to have higher risk of coronary aneurisms (CAA) (p<0.05). This is the first population-based study on the epidemiology of KD in the western Mediterranean area. Incidence, clinical features and treatment plans in our cohort are similar to those described in other European studies.

Management of Kawasaki disease

PubMed Central

Eleftheriou, D; Levin, M; Shingadia, D; Tulloh, R; Klein, NJ; Brogan, PA

2014-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limiting inflammatory disorder, associated with vasculitis, affecting predominantly medium-sized arteries, particularly the coronary arteries. In developed countries KD is the commonest cause of acquired heart disease in childhood. The aetiology of KD remains unknown, and it is currently believed that one or more as yet unidentified infectious agents induce an intense inflammatory host response in genetically susceptible individuals. Genetic studies have identified several susceptibility genes for KD and its sequelae in different ethnic populations, including FCGR2A, CD40, ITPKC, FAM167A-BLK and CASP3, as well as genes influencing response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aneurysm formation such as FCGR3B, and transforming growth factor (TGF) β pathway genes. IVIG and aspirin are effective therapeutically, but recent clinical trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated that the addition of corticosteroids to IVIG is beneficial for the prevention of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) in severe cases with highest risk of IVIG resistance. Outside of Japan, however, clinical scores to predict IVIG resistance perform suboptimally. Furthermore, the evidence base does not provide clear guidance on which corticosteroid regimen is most effective. Other therapies, including anti-TNFα, could also have a role for IVIG-resistant KD. Irrespective of these caveats, it is clear that therapy that reduces inflammation in acute KD, improves outcome. This paper summarises recent advances in the understanding of KD pathogenesis and therapeutics, and provides an approach for managing KD patients in the UK in the light of these advances. PMID:24162006

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Cheyenne Quadrangle, Wyoming

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

Not Available

1981-07-31

Field and laboratory data are presented for 884 water samples and 598 sediment samples from the Cheyenne Quadrangle, Wyoming. Uranium values have been reported by Los Alamos National Laboratory in Report GJBX-106(78). The samples were collected by Los Alamos National Laboratory; laboratory analysis and data reporting were performed by the Uranium Resource Evaluation Project at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Effect of pH on uranium(VI) biosorption and biomineralization by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Zheng, X Y; Shen, Y H; Wang, X Y; Wang, T S

2018-07-01

Biosorption of radionuclides by microorganisms is a promising and effective method for the remediation of contaminated areas. pH is the most important factor during uranium biosorption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae because the pH value not only affects the biosorption rate but also affects the precipitation structure. This study investigated the effect of pH on uranium (VI) biosorption and biomineralization by S. cerevisiae. Cells have the ability to buffer the solution to neutral, allowing the biosorption system to reach an optimal level regardless of the initial pH value. This occurs because there is a release of phosphate and ammonium ions during the interaction between cells and uranium. The uranyl and phosphate ions formed nano-particles, which is chernikovite H 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O (PDF #08-0296), on cell surface under the initial acidic conditions. However, under the initial alkaline conditions, the uranyl, phosphate and ammonium ions formed a large amount of scale-like precipitation, which is uramphite (NH 4 )(UO 2 )PO 4 ·3H 2 O (PDF #42-0384), evenly over on cell surface. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying differences in the impact of variable chemistry on equilibrium uranium(VI) adsorption properties of aquifer sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoliker, Deborah L.; Kent, Douglas B.; Zachara, John M.

2011-01-01

Uranium adsorption-desorption on sediment samples collected from the Hanford 300-Area, Richland, WA varied extensively over a range of field-relevant chemical conditions, complicating assessment of possible differences in equilibrium adsorption properties. Adsorption equilibrium was achieved in 500-1000 h although dissolved uranium concentrations increased over thousands of hours owing to changes in aqueous chemical composition driven by sediment-water reactions. A nonelectrostatic surface complexation reaction, >SOH + UO22+ + 2CO32- = >SOUO2(CO3HCO3)2-, provided the best fit to experimental data for each sediment sample resulting in a range of conditional equilibrium constants (logKc) from 21.49 to 21.76. Potential differences in uranium adsorption properties could be assessed in plots based on the generalized mass-action expressions yielding linear trends displaced vertically by differences in logKc values. Using this approach, logKc values for seven sediment samples were not significantly different. However, a significant difference in adsorption properties between one sediment sample and the fines (Kc uncertainty were improved by capturing all data points within experimental errors. The mass-action expression plots demonstrate that applying models outside the range of conditions used in model calibration greatly increases potential errors.

238U/235U determinations of some commonly used reference materials and U-bearing accessory minerals (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Condon, D.; Noble, S.; McLean, N.; Bowring, S. A.

2009-12-01

We have determined 238U/235U ratios for a suite of commonly used natural (CRM 112a, SRM 950a, HU-1) and synthetic (IRMM 184 and CRM U500) uranium reference materials in addition to several U-bearing accessory phases (zircon and monazite) by thermal ionisation mass-spectrometry (TIMS) using the IRMM 3636 233U-236U double spike to accurately correct for mass fractionation. The 238U/235U values for the natural uranium reference materials differ, by up to 0.1%, from the widely used ‘consensus’ value (137.88) with all having 238U/235U values less than 137.88. Similarly, initial 238U/235U data from zircon and monazite yield 238U/235U values that are lower than the ‘consensus’ value. The data obtained from U-bearing minerals is used to assess how the uncertainty in the 238U/235U ratio contributes to the systematic discordance observed in 238U/206Pb and 235U/207Pb dates (Mattinson, 2000; Schoene et al., 2006) which has traditionally been wholly attributed to error in the U decay constants. The 238U/235U determinations made on the synthetic reference materials yield results that are considerably more precise and accurate than the certified values (0.02% vs. 0.1% for CRM U500). The calibration of isotopic tracers used for U-daughter geochronology that are partially based upon these reference materials, and the resultant age determinations, will benefit from increased accuracy and precision. Mattinson, J.M., 2000. Revising the “gold standard”—the uranium decay constants of Jaffey et al., 1971. Eos Trans. AGU, Spring Meet. Suppl., Abstract V61A-02. Schoene B., Crowley J.L., Condon D.C., Schmitz M.D., Bowring S.A., 2006, Reassessing the uranium decay constants for geochronology using ID-TIMS U-Pb data. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70: 426-445

A mRNA-Responsive G-Quadruplex-Based Drug Release System

PubMed Central

Yaku, Hidenobu; Murashima, Takashi; Miyoshi, Daisuke; Sugimoto, Naoki

2015-01-01

G-quadruplex-based drug delivery carriers (GDDCs) were designed to capture and release a telomerase inhibitor in response to a target mRNA. Hybridization between a loop on the GDDC structure and the mRNA should cause the G-quadruplex structure of the GDDC to unfold and release the bound inhibitor, anionic copper(II) phthalocyanine (CuAPC). As a proof of concept, GDDCs were designed with a 10-30-mer loop, which can hybridize with a target sequence in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mRNA. Structural analysis using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy showed that the GDDCs form a (3 + 1) type G-quadruplex structure in 100 mM KCl and 10 mM MgCl2 in the absence of the target RNA. Visible absorbance titration experiments showed that the GDDCs bind to CuAPC with Ka values of 1.5 × 105 to 5.9 × 105 M−1 (Kd values of 6.7 to 1.7 μM) at 25 °C, depending on the loop length. Fluorescence titration further showed that the G-quadruplex structure unfolds upon binding to the target RNA with Ka values above 1.0 × 108 M−1 (Kd values below 0.01 μM) at 25 °C. These results suggest the carrier can sense and bind to the target RNA, which should result in release of the bound drug. Finally, visible absorbance titration experiments demonstrated that the GDDC release CuAPC in response to the target RNA. PMID:25905703

Differential processing of the two subunits of human choriogonadotropin (hCG) by granulosa cells. I. Preparation and characterization of selectively labeled hCG

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

Landefeld, T.D.; Byrne, M.D.; Campbell, K.L.

1981-12-01

The alpha- and beta-subunits of hCG were radioiodinated and recombined with unlabeled complementary subunits. The resultant recombined hormones, selectively labeled in either the alpha- or beta-subunit, were separated from unrecombined subunit by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, extracted with Triton X-100, and characterized by binding analysis. The estimates of maximum binding (active fraction) of the two resultant selectively labeled, recombined hCG preparations, determined with excess receptor were 0.41 and 0.59. These values are similar to those obtained when hCG is labeled as an intact molecule. The specific activities of the recombined preparations were estimated by four different methods, and themore » resulting values were used in combination with the active fraction estimates to determine the concentrations of active free and bound hormone. Binding analyses were run using varying concentrations of both labeled and unlabeled hormone. Estimates of the equilibrium dissociation binding constant (Kd) and receptor capacity were calculated in three different ways. The mean estimates of capacity (52.6 and 52.7 fmol/mg tissue) and Kd (66.6 and 65.7 pM) for the two preparations were indistinguishable. Additionally, these values were similar to values reported previously for hCG radioiodinated as an intact molecule. The availability of well characterized, selectively labeled hCG preparations provides new tools for studying the mechanism of action and the target cell processing of the subunits of this hormone.« less

Assessment of natural radioactivity in aquifer medium bearing uranium ores in Koprubasi, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simsek, Celalettin

2008-10-01

Koprubasi, located within Manisa Province near the Izmir, is the biggest uranium mine where uranium ores originate from Neogene aged altered sandstone and conglomerate layers. The main objective of this study is to determine the radiation hazard associated with radioactivity levels of uranium ores, and the rocks and sediments around Koprubasi. In this regard, measured activity levels of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were compared with world averages. The average activity levels of 226 Ra, 232Th and 40K were measured to be 5369.75, 124.78 and 10.0 Bq/kg in uranium ores, 24.32, 52.94 and 623.38 Bq/kg in gneiss, 46.24, 45.13 and 762.26 Bq/kg in sandstone and conglomerate, 73.11, 43.15 and 810.65 Bq/kg in sediments, respectively. All samples have high 226Ra and 40K levels according to world average level. As these sediments are used as construction materials and in agricultural activities within the study area, the radiation hazard are calculated by using dose rate (D), annual effective dose rate (He), radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and radiation hazard index (Iyr). All the samples have Raeq levels that are lower than the world average limit of 370 Bq/kg. On the other hand, D, He and Iyr values are higher than world average values. These results indicate that the uranium ores in the Koprubasi is the most important contributor to the natural radiation level. The radioactivity levels of sediments and rocks make them unsuitable for use as agricultural soil and as construction materials. Moreover, it is determined that shallow groundwater in sediments and deep groundwater in conglomerate rocks and also surface water sources in the Koprubasi have high 226Ra content. According to environmental radioactive baseline, some environmental protection study must be taken in Koprubasi uranium site and the environment.

Diagnostic accuracy of the clinical and CT findings for differentiating Kikuchi's disease and tuberculous lymphadenitis presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy.

PubMed

Baek, Hye Jin; Lee, Jeong Hyun; Lim, Hyun Kyung; Lee, Ha Young; Baek, Jung Hwan

2014-11-01

To determine the optimal clinical and CT findings for differentiating Kikuchi's disease (KD) and tuberculous lymphadenitis (TB) in patients presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy. From 2006 to 2010, 87 consecutive patients who were finally diagnosed with KD or TB were enrolled. Two radiologists performed independent analysis of contrast-enhanced neck CT images with regard to the involvement pattern, nodal or perinodal changes, and evidence of the previous infection. Significant clinical and CT findings of KD were determined by statistical analyses. Of the 87 patients, 27 (31%) were classified as having KD and 60 (69%) as having TB. Statistically significant findings of KD patients were younger age, presence of fever, involvement of ≥5 nodal levels or the bilateral neck, no or minimal nodal necrosis, marked perinodal infiltration, and no evidence of upper lung lesion or mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The presence of four or more statistically significant clinical and CT findings of KD had the largest area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (A z = 0.861; 95% confidence intervals 0.801, 0.909), with a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 83%. CT can be a helpful tool for differentiating KD from TB, especially when it is combined with the clinical findings.

Mycobacterium leprae antigens involved in human immune responses. I. Identification of four antigens by monoclonal antibodies

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

Britton, W.J.; Hellqvist, L.; Basten, A.

1985-12-01

Four distinct antigens were identified in soluble sonicates of Mycobacterium leprae by using a panel of 11 monoclonal antibodies. Cross-reactivity studies with other mycobacterial species were conducted by using ELISA and immunoblot assays, and demonstrated that determinants on two of the antigens were present in many mycobacteria, whereas the other two were limited in distribution. Competitive inhibition experiments with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies showed cross-inhibition between antibodies identifying two of the four antigenicbands. These two bands, of M/sub tau/ 4.5 to 6 KD and 30 to 40 KD, were resistant to protease treatment after immunoblotting. In contrast the two other bandsmore » of 16 and 70 KD were protease-sensitive. Although all four bands reacted with some human lepromatous leprosy sera in immunoblots, the 4.5 to 6 KD and 30 to 40 KD bands were most prominent. Lepromatous leprosy sera also inhibited the binding of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to each of the four antigens, with the mean titer causing 50% inhibition being higher for antibodies reacting with the 4.5 to 6 KD and 30 to 40 KD bands. These findings indicated that all four antigens were involved in the human B cell response to M. leprae.« less

Sociodemographic profile of children with Kawasaki disease in North India.

PubMed

Prakash, Jeya; Singh, Surjit; Gupta, Anju; Bharti, Bhavneet; Bhalla, A K

2016-03-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is now the commonest cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. KD occurs all over the world, including developing countries. The present study steps out to explore our hypothesis, driven by clinical observation over the last 18 years, whether children with KD in North India are of a higher socioeconomic status than children with other rheumatologic diseases. One hundred consecutive children with KD, registered in Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic before January 2011, were enrolled as cases. Children with other rheumatologic diseases were taken as controls. Assessment of socioeconomic status was done by administering the Aggarwal scale. Data were collected through interview. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS package version 16. On univariate analysis, male sex, higher educational status of parents, urban residence, immunization status being complete, and higher scores on Aggarwal scale were found to be significantly associated with KD. On multivariate analysis, only male sex and urban residence were found to be significantly associated with KD (p < 0.001). Families of children with KD tend to have a better sociodemographic profile when compared with other pediatric rheumatologic disorders in North India. These results, however, need to be replicated in a multicentric study for any firm conclusions to be drawn.

The separation of uranium ions by natural and modified diatomite from aqueous solution.

PubMed

Sprynskyy, Myroslav; Kovalchuk, Iryna; Buszewski, Bogusław

2010-09-15

In this work the natural and the surfactant modified diatomite has been tested for ability to remove uranium ions from aqueous solutions. Such controlling factors of the adsorption process as initial uranium concentration, pH, contact time and ionic strength have been investigated. Effect of ionic strength of solution has been examined using the solutions of NaCl, Na(2)CO(3) and K(2)SO(4). The pseudo-first order and the pseudo-second order models have been used to analyze the adsorption kinetic results, whereas the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherms have been used to the equilibrium adsorption data. The effects of the adsorbent modification as well as uranium adsorption on the diatomite surface have been studied using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. The maximum adsorption capacities of the natural and the modified diatomite towards uranium were 25.63 micromol/g and 667.40 micromol/g, respectively. The desorptive solutions of HCl, NaOH, Na(2)CO(3), K(2)SO(4), CaCO(3), humic acid, cool and hot water have been tested to recover uranium from the adsorbent. The highest values of uranium desorption (86%) have been reached using 0.1M HCl. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Biosorption of Radionuclide Uranium by Deinococcus radiodurans].

PubMed

Yang, Jie; Dong, Fa-qin; Dai, Qun-wei; Liu, Ming-xue; Nie, Xiao-qin; Zhang, Dong; Ma, Jia-lin; Zhou, Xian

2015-04-01

As a biological adsorbent, Living Deinococcus radiodurans was used for removing radionuclide uranium in the aqueous solution. The effect factors on biosorption of radionuclide uranium were researched in the present paper, including solution pH values and initial uranium concentration. Meanwhile, the biosorption mechanism was researched by the method of FTIR and SEM/EDS. The results show that the optimum conditions for biosorption are as follows: pH = 5, co = 100 mg · L(-1) and the maximum biosorption capacity is up to 240 mgU · g(-1). According to the SEM results and EDXS analysis, it is indicated that the cell surface is attached by lots of sheet uranium crystals, and the main biosorpiton way of uranium is the ion exchange or surface complexation. Comparing FTIR spectra and FTIR fitting spectra before and after biosorption, we can find that the whole spectra has a certain change, particularly active groups (such as amide groups of the protein, hydroxy, carboxyl and phosphate group) are involved in the biosorption process. Then, there is a new peak at 906 cm(-1) and it is a stretching vibration peak of UO2(2+). Obviously, it is possible that as an anti radiation microorganism, Deinococcus radiodurans could be used for removing radionuclide uranium in radiation environment.

Distribution of uranium and some selected trace metals in human scalp hair from Balkans.

PubMed

Zunic, Z S; Tokonami, S; Mishra, S; Arae, H; Kritsananuwat, R; Sahoo, S K

2012-11-01

The possible consequences of the use of depleted uranium (DU) used in Balkan conflicts in 1995 and 1999 for the people and the environment of this reason need attention. The heavy metal content in human hair may serve as a good indicator of dietary, environmental and occupational exposures to the metal compounds. The present work summarises the distribution of uranium and some selected trace metals such as Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd and Cs in the scalp hair of inhabitants from Balkans exposed to DU directly and indirectly, i.e. Han Pijesak, Bratoselce and Gornja Stubla areas. Except U and Cs, all other metals were compared with the worldwide reported values of occupationally unexposed persons. Uranium concentrations show a wide variation ranging from 0.9 ± 0.05 to 449 ± 12 µg kg(-1). Although hair samples were collected from Balkan conflict zones, uranium isotopic measurement ((235)U/(238)U) shows a natural origin rather than DU.

Anodic behavior of uranium in AlCl3-1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride ionic liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yidong; Luo, Lizhu; Wang, Shaofei; Bin, Ren; Zhang, Guikai; Wang, Xiaolin

2018-01-01

The oxidation state of metals unambiguously affects its anodic behavior in ionic liquid. We systematically investigated the anodic behavior of uranium with different surface oxidation states by electrochemical measurements, spectroscopic methods and surface analysis techniques. In the anodic process, metal uranium can be oxidized to U3+. The corresponding products accumulated on the metal/ILs interface will form a viscous layer. The anodic behavior of uranium is also strongly dependent upon the surface oxide states including thickness and homogeneity of the oxide film. With an increase in the thickness of oxide film, it will be breached at potentials in excess of a critical value. A uniform oxide on uranium surface can be breached evenly, and then the underlying metal starts to dissolve forming a viscous layer which can facilitate uniformly stripping of oxide, thus giving an oxide-free surface. Otherwise, a nonuniform oxide can result in a severe pitted surface with residue oxygen.

Comparison method for uranium determination in ore sample by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).

PubMed

Sert, Şenol

2013-07-01

A comparison method for the determination (without sample pre-concentration) of uranium in ore by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) has been performed. The experiments were conducted using three procedures: matrix matching, plasma optimization, and internal standardization for three emission lines of uranium. Three wavelengths of Sm were tested as internal standard for the internal standardization method. The robust conditions were evaluated using applied radiofrequency power, nebulizer argon gas flow rate, and sample uptake flow rate by considering the intensity ratio of the Mg(II) 280.270 nm and Mg(I) 285.213 nm lines. Analytical characterization of method was assessed by limit of detection and relative standard deviation values. The certificated reference soil sample IAEA S-8 was analyzed, and the uranium determination at 367.007 nm with internal standardization using Sm at 359.260 nm has been shown to improve accuracy compared with other methods. The developed method was used for real uranium ore sample analysis.

Statistical analysis and isotherm study of uranium biosorption by Padina sp. algae biomass.

PubMed

Khani, Mohammad Hassan

2011-06-01

The application of response surface methodology is presented for optimizing the removal of U ions from aqueous solutions using Padina sp., a brown marine algal biomass. Box-Wilson central composite design was employed to assess individual and interactive effects of the four main parameters (pH and initial uranium concentration in solutions, contact time and temperature) on uranium uptake. Response surface analysis showed that the data were adequately fitted to second-order polynomial model. Analysis of variance showed a high coefficient of determination value (R (2)=0.9746) and satisfactory second-order regression model was derived. The optimum pH and initial uranium concentration in solutions, contact time and temperature were found to be 4.07, 778.48 mg/l, 74.31 min, and 37.47°C, respectively. Maximized uranium uptake was predicted and experimentally validated. The equilibrium data for biosorption of U onto the Padina sp. were well represented by the Langmuir isotherm, giving maximum monolayer adsorption capacity as high as 376.73 mg/g.

Uranium mining wastes: The use of the Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity Test (FET) test to evaluate toxicity and risk of environmental discharge.

PubMed

Lourenço, J; Marques, S; Carvalho, F P; Oliveira, J; Malta, M; Santos, M; Gonçalves, F; Pereira, R; Mendo, S

2017-12-15

Active and abandoned uranium mining sites often create environmentally problematic situations, since they cause the contamination of all environmental matrices (air, soil and water) with stable metals and radionuclides. Due to their cytotoxic, genotoxic and teratogenic properties, the exposure to these contaminants may cause several harmful effects in living organisms. The Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity Test (FET) test was employed to evaluate the genotoxic and teratogenic potential of mine liquid effluents and sludge elutriates from a deactivated uranium mine. The aims were: a) to determine the risk of discharge of such wastes in the environment; b) the effectiveness of the chemical treatment applied to the uranium mine water, which is a standard procedure generally applied to liquid effluents from uranium mines and mills, to reduce its toxicological potential; c) the suitability of the FET test for the evaluation the toxicity of such wastes and the added value of including the evaluation of genotoxicity. Results showed that through the FET test it was possible to determine that both elutriates and effluents are genotoxic and also that the mine effluent is teratogenic at low concentrations. Additionally, liquid effluents and sludge elutriates affect other parameters namely, growth and hatching and that water pH alone played an important role in the hatching process. The inclusion of genotoxicity evaluation in the FET test was crucial to prevent the underestimation of the risks posed by some of the tested effluents/elutriates. Finally, it was possible to conclude that care should be taken when using benchmark values calculated for specific stressors to evaluate the risk posed by uranium mining wastes to freshwater ecosystems, due to their chemical complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geochemistry and hydrology of perched groundwater springs: assessing elevated uranium concentrations at Pigeon Spring relative to nearby Pigeon Mine, Arizona (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beisner, Kimberly R.; Paretti, Nicholas; Tillman, Fred; Naftz, David L.; Bills, Donald; Walton-Day, Katie; Gallegos, Tanya J.

2017-01-01

The processes that affect water chemistry as the water flows from recharge areas through breccia-pipe uranium deposits in the Grand Canyon region of the southwestern United States are not well understood. Pigeon Spring had elevated uranium in 1982 (44 μg/L), compared to other perched springs (2.7–18 μg/L), prior to mining operations at the nearby Pigeon Mine. Perched groundwater springs in an area around the Pigeon Mine were sampled between 2009 and 2015 and compared with material from the Pigeon Mine to better understand the geochemistry and hydrology of the area. Two general groups of perched groundwater springs were identified from this study; one group is characterized by calcium sulfate type water, low uranium activity ratio 234U/238U (UAR) values, and a mixture of water with some component of modern water, and the other group by calcium-magnesium sulfate type water, higher UAR values, and radiocarbon ages indicating recharge on the order of several thousand years ago. Multivariate statistical principal components analysis of Pigeon Mine and spring samples indicate Cu, Pb, As, Mn, and Cd concentrations distinguished mining-related leachates from perched groundwater springs. The groundwater potentiometric surface indicates that perched groundwater at Pigeon Mine would likely flow toward the northwest away from Pigeon Spring. The geochemical analysis of the water, sediment and rock samples collected from the Snake Gulch area indicate that the elevated uranium at Pigeon Spring is likely related to a natural source of uranium upgradient from the spring and not likely related to the Pigeon Mine.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea)'s uranium bioconcentration and tolerance attributes.

PubMed

Wang, Wei-Hong; Luo, Xue-Gang; Liu, Lai; Zhang, Yan; Zhao, Hao-Zhou

2018-04-01

The authors sampled and analyzed 15 species of dominant wild plants in Huanan uranium tailings pond in China, whose tailings' uranium contents were 3.21-120.52 μg/g. Among the 15 species of wild plants, ramie (Boehmeria nivea) had the strongest uranium bioconcentration and transfer capacities. In order to study the uranium bioconcentration and tolerance attributes of ramie in detail, and provide a reference for the screening remediation plants to phytoremedy on a large scale in uranium tailings pond, a ramie cultivar Xiangzhu No. 7 pot experiment was carried out. We found that both wild ramie and Xiangzhu No. 7 could bioconcentrate uranium, but there were two differences. One was wild ramie's shoots bioconcentrated uranium up to 20 μg/g (which can be regarded as the critical content value of the shoot of uranium hyperaccumulator) even the soil uranium content was as low as 5.874 μg/g while Xiangzhu No. 7's shoots could reach 20 μg/g only when the uranium treatment concentrations were 275 μg/g or more; the other was that all the transfer factors of 3 wild samples were >1, and the transfer factors of 27 out of 28 pot experiment samples were <1. Probably wild ramie was a uranium hyperaccumulator. Xiangzhu No. 7 satisfied the needs of uranium hyperaccumulator on accumulation capability, tolerance capability, bioconcentration factor, but not transfer capability, so Xiangzhu No. 7 was not a uranium hyperaccumulator. We analyzed the possible reasons why there were differences in the uranium bioconcentration and transfer attributes between wild ramie and Xiangzhu No. 7., and proposed the direction for further research. In our opinion, both the plants which bioconcentrate contaminants in the shoots and roots can act as phytoextractors. Although Xiangzhu No. 7's biomass and accumulation of uranium were concentrated on the roots, the roots were small in volume and easy to harvest. And Xiangzhu No. 7's cultivating skills and protection measures had been developed very well. Xiangzhu No. 7's whole bioconcentration factors and the roots' bioconcentration factors, which were 1.200-1.834 and 1.460-2.341, respectively, increased with the increases of uranium contents of pot soil when the soil's uranium contents are 25-175 μg/g, so it can act as a potential phytoextractor when Huanan uranium tailings pond is phytoremediated. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Innovative In-Situ Remediation of Contaminated Sediments for Simultaneous Control of Contamination and Erosion. Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-27

Erosion Rates and Critical Shear Stress ......................... 45 Erosion Rate Ratio Analysis...inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry Kd – partition coefficient Meq – milliequivalents MNR – monitored natural recovery SRNL-STI-2010...186 Figure 82. Critical Shear Stress Comparison among Biopolymer Materials at 2, 10, and 175 Days. Each value is an average of

Super-high-affinity binding site for [3H]diazepam in the presence of Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, or Zn2+.

PubMed

Mizuno, S; Ogawa, N; Mori, A

1982-12-01

Chloride salts of Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cr3+, Mn2+, Fe2+, and Fe3+ had no effect on [3H]diazepam binding. Chloride salts of Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ increased [3H]diazepam binding by 34 to 68% in a concentration-dependent fashion. Since these divalent cations potentiated the GABA-enhanced [3H]diazepam binding and the effect of each divalent cation was nearly additive with GABA, these cations probably act at a site different from the GABA recognition site in the benzodiazepine-receptor complex. Scatchard plots of [3H]diazepam binding without an effective divalent cation showed a single class of binding, with a Kd value of 5.3 nM. In the presence of 1 mM Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, or Zn2+, two distinct binding sites were evident with apparent Kd values of 1.0 nM and 5.7 nM. The higher-affinity binding was not detected in the absence of an effective divalent cation and is probably a novel, super-high-affinity binding site.

Behaviour of pharmaceuticals in spiked lake sediments - effects and interactions with benthic invertebrates.

PubMed

Gilroy, Ève A M; Balakrishnan, Vimal K; Solomon, Keith R; Sverko, Ed; Sibley, Paul K

2012-02-01

The behaviour and effects of atorvastatin (ATO), carbamazepine (CBZ), and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) were investigated in spiked lake sediments, at concentrations up to 56.5 mg kg(-1)dry weight (dw), with the benthic invertebrates Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca. Desorption constants were calculated in the presence and absence of animals, using linear isotherms, yielding K(d) values of 28.2, 189.0 and 125.1 L kg(-1) (ATO), 73.7, 201.7 and 263.2 L kg(-1) (CBZ), and 114.9, 114.2 and 519.2 L kg(-1) (EE2) for C. dilutus, H. azteca, and without animals, respectively. For ATO and CBZ, K(d) values were smaller in the presence of C. dilutus, indicating greater desorption to the overlying water from bioturbation, which is consistent with the predominantly benthic occurrence of C. dilutus compared to H. azteca. In contrast, due to its greater hydrophobicity, bioturbation did not significantly affect desorption of EE2. No significant toxicity was observed, indicating decreased bioavailability of the chemicals sorbed to sediments compared with water-only toxicity assays. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The application and properties of composite sorbents of inorganic ion exchangers and polyacrylonitrile binding matrix.

PubMed

Nilchi, A; Khanchi, A; Atashi, H; Bagheri, A; Nematollahi, L

2006-10-11

A description is given of the preparation and properties of potassium hexacyanocobalt (II) ferrate (II) (KCFC) and the composite, potassium hexacyanocobalt (II) ferrate (II)-polyacrylonitrile (KCFC-PAN). The materials were dried at high temperatures and characterized by chemical analysis, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma and infrared. The ion exchange of alkaline earth metals and molybdenum on a nonstoichiometric compound K(2)[CoFe(CN)(6)] and its PAN based absorber was examined by batch methods. The adsorption of molybdenum from aqueous solutions on KCFC-PAN was investigated and optimized as a function of equilibration time and pH. The materials which were dried at optimum high temperature of 110 degrees C were found to be stable in water, dilute acids, alkaline solutions and relatively high temperature. The distribution coefficient values K(d) for alkaline earth metals, followed the same trend of increase for both sets of absorbers studied, i.e. Ba(2+)>Sr(2+)>Ca(2+)>Mg(2+), which closely resembles to the order of the size of the hydrated cations. However, the K(d) values show a significant increase for PAN based absorbers in comparison to KCFC absorbers.

A compartmental model of uranium in human hair for protracted ingestion of natural uranium in drinking water.

PubMed

Li, W B; Karpas, Z; Salonen, L; Kurttio, P; Muikku, M; Wahl, W; Höllriegl, V; Hoeschen, C; Oeh, U

2009-06-01

To predict uranium in human hair due to chronic exposure through drinking water, a compartment representing human hair was added into the uranium biokinetic model developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The hair compartmental model was used to predict uranium excretion in human hair as a bioassay indicator due to elevated uranium intakes. Two excretion pathways, one starting from the compartment of plasma and the other from the compartment of intermediate turnover soft tissue, are assumed to transfer uranium to the compartment of hair. The transfer rate was determined from reported uranium contents in urine and in hair, taking into account the hair growth rate of 0.1 g d(-1). The fractional absorption in the gastrointestinal tract of 0.6% was found to fit best to describe the measured uranium levels among the users of drilled wells in Finland. The ingestion dose coefficient for (238)U, which includes its progeny of (234)Th, (234m)Pa, and (234)Pa, was calculated equal to 1.3 x 10(-8) Sv Bq(-1) according to the hair compartmental model. This estimate is smaller than the value of 4.5 x 10(-8) Sv Bq(-1) published by ICRP for the members of the public. In this new model, excretion of uranium through urine is better represented when excretion to the hair compartment is accounted for and hair analysis can provide a means for assessing the internal body burden of uranium. The model is applicable for chronic exposure as well as for an acute exposure incident. In the latter case, the hair sample can be collected and analyzed even several days after the incident, whereas urinalysis requires sample collection shortly after the exposure. The model developed in this study applies to ingestion intakes of uranium.

Uranium enrichment in lacustrine oil source rocks of the Chang 7 member of the Yanchang Formation, Erdos Basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hua; Zhang, Wenzheng; Wu, Kai; Li, Shanpeng; Peng, Ping'an; Qin, Yan

2010-09-01

The oil source rocks of the Chang 7 member of the Yanchang Formation in the Erdos Basin were deposited during maximum lake extension during the Late Triassic and show a remarkable positive uranium anomaly, with an average uranium content as high as 51.1 μg/g. Uranium is enriched together with organic matter and elements such as Fe, S, Cu, V and Mo in the rocks. The detailed biological markers determined in the Chang 7 member indicate that the lake water column was oxidizing during deposition of the Chang 7 member. However, redox indicators for sediments such as S 2- content, V/Sc and V/(V + Ni) ratios demonstrate that it was a typical anoxic diagenetic setting. The contrasted redox conditions between the water column and the sediment with a very high content of organic matter provided favorable physical and chemical conditions for syngenetic uranium enrichment in the oil source rocks of the Chang 7 member. Possible uranium sources may be the extensive U-rich volcanic ash that resulted from contemporaneous volcanic eruption and uranium material transported by hydrothermal conduits into the basin. The uranium from terrestrial clastics was unlike because uranium concentration was not higher in the margin area of basin where the terrestrial material input was high. As indicated by correlative analysis, the oil source rocks of the Chang 7 member show high gamma-ray values for radioactive well log data that reflect a positive uranium anomaly and are characterized by high resistance, low electric potential and low density. As a result, well log data can be used to identify positive uranium anomalies and spatial distribution of the oil source rocks in the Erdos Basin. The estimation of the total uranium reserves in the Chang 7 member attain 0.8 × 10 8 t.

Remediation of a uranium-contamination in ground water

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

Woerner, Joerg; Margraf, Sonja; Hackel, Walter

2007-07-01

The former production site of NUKEM where nuclear fuel-elements were developed and handled from 1958 to 1988 was situated in the centre of an industrial park for various activities of the chemical and metallurgical industry. The size of the industrially used part is about 300.000 m{sup 2}. Regulatory routine controls showed elevated CHC (Chlorinated Hydro-Carbons) values of the ground water at the beginning of the 1990's in an area which represented about 80.000 m{sup 2} down-gradient of locations where CHC compounds were stored and handled. Further investigations until 1998 proved that former activities on the NUKEM site, like the UF{submore » 6} conversion process, were of certain relevance. The fact that several measured values were above the threshold values made the remediation of the ground water mandatory. This was addressed in the permission given by the Ministry for Nuclear Installations and Environment of Hesse according to chap. 7 of the German atomic law in October 2000. Ground water samples taken in an area of about 5.000 m{sup 2} showed elevated values of total Uranium activity up to between 50 and 75 Bq/l in 2002. Furthermore in an area of another 20.000 m{sup 2} the samples were above threshold value. In this paper results of the remediation are presented. The actual alpha-activities of the ground waters of the remediation wells show values of 3 to 9 Bq/l which are dominated by 80 to 90 % U-234 activity. The mass-share of total Uranium for this nuclide amounts to 0,05% on average. The authority responsible for conventional water utilisation defined target values for remediation: 20 {mu}g/l for dissolved Uranium and 10 {mu}g/l for CHC. Both values have not yet been reached for an area of about 10.000 m{sup 2}. The remediation process by extracting water from four remediation wells has proved its efficiency by reduction of the starting concentrations by a factor of 3 to 6. Further pumping will be necessary especially in that area of the site where the contaminations were found later during soil remediation activities. Only two wells have been in operation since July 2002 when the remediation technique was installed and an apparatus for direct gamma-spectroscopic measurement of the accumulated activities on the adsorbers was qualified. Two further remediation wells have been in operation since August 2006, when the installed remediation technique was about to be doubled from a throughput of 5 m{sup 3}/h to 10 m{sup 3}/h. About 20.000 m{sup 3} of ground water have been extracted since from these two wells and the decrease of their Uranium concentrations behaves similar to that of the two other wells being extracted since the beginning of remediation. Both, total Uranium-concentrations and the weight-share of the nuclides U-234, U-235 and U-238 are measured by ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry) besides measurements of Uranium-Alpha-Activities in addition to the measurement of CHC components of which PCE (Per-chlor-Ethene) is dominant in the contaminated area. CHC compounds are measured by GC (Gas Chromatography). Down-gradient naturally attenuated products are detected in various compositions. Overall 183.000 m{sup 3} of ground water have been extracted. Using a pump and treat method 11 kg Uranium have been collected on an ion-exchange material based on cellulose, containing almost 100 MBq U-235 activity, and almost 15 kg of CHC, essentially PCE, were collected on GAC (Granules of Activated Carbon). Less than 3% of the extracted Uranium have passed the adsorber-system of the remediation plant and were adsorbed by the sewage sludge of the industrial site's waste water treatment. The monthly monitoring of 19 monitoring wells shows that an efficient artificial barrier was built up by the water extraction. The Uranium contamination of two ground water plumes has drastically been reduced by the used technique dependent on the amounts of extracted water. The concentration of the CHC contamination has changed depending on the location of temporal pumping. Thereby maximum availability of this contaminant for the remediation process is ensured. If locations with unchanged water quality are detected electrochemical parameters of the water or hydro-geologic data of the aquifer have to be taken into further consideration to improve the process of remediation. (authors)« less

Bioenergy residues as novel sorbents to clean up pesticide pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Santanu

2016-04-01

Worldwide, water contamination from agricultural use of pesticides has received increasing attention within the last decades. In general, sources of pesticide water pollution are categorized into diffuse (stemming from treated fields) and point sources (stemming from farmyards and spillages). Research has demonstrated that 40 to 90% of surface water pesticide contamination is due to point source pollution. To reduce point pollution from farm yards, where the spray equipment is washed, biobed or biofilter systems are used to treat the washing water. The organic material usually used in these systems is often not environmentally sustainable (e.g. peat) and incorporated organic material such as straw leads to a highly heterogeneous water flow, with negative effects on the retention and degradation behavior of the pesticides. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the suitability of alternative materials based on bioenergy residues (biochar and digestate) for use in biofilters. To this aim the sorption-desorption potential of three contrasting pesticides (bentazone, boscalid, and pyrimethanil) on mixtures of soil with digestate and/or biochar were investigated in laboratory batch equilibrium experiments. The results indicate that the mixture of digestate and biochar increased pesticide sorption potential, whereby in all cases, the Kd des / Kf des values were lower than the Kd ads / Kf ads values indicating that the retention of the pesticides was weak. Thus, as Kf des were lower than the Kf ads values and H values were below 1, it can be concluded that the biomixtures presented negative desorption (higher hysteresis) in those cases. A higher Kd (>78 L kg-1), Kf (>400 μM1-1/nf L1/nfkg-1) and KL (>40 L kg-1) was obtained for all pesticides for the digestate and biochar based mixtures, which had a higher organic matter content. However, lower sorption of the pesticides was observed in blank soil compared to the other biomixtures, which was attributed to the lower organic carbon content of the blank soil. Our results showed that boscalid and pyrimethanil are highly sorbed to the mixture of digestate and biochar. SUVA254 values justified the aromatic character of digestate (5%) and biochar (5%) mixture which showed highest Koc values among all mixtures for all pesticides. This mixture was found to be the most promising substrate amongst the tested ones for a biobed setup and can be used as an effective and alternative adsorbent for removing pesticides, because of its higher adsorption capacity.

The King-Devick test and sports-related concussion: study of a rapid visual screening tool in a collegiate cohort.

PubMed

Galetta, Kristin M; Brandes, Lauren E; Maki, Karl; Dziemianowicz, Mark S; Laudano, Eric; Allen, Megan; Lawler, Kathy; Sennett, Brian; Wiebe, Douglas; Devick, Steve; Messner, Leonard V; Galetta, Steven L; Balcer, Laura J

2011-10-15

Concussion, defined as an impulse blow to the head or body resulting in transient neurologic signs or symptoms, has received increasing attention in sports at all levels. The King-Devick (K-D) test is based on the time to perform rapid number naming and captures eye movements and other correlates of suboptimal brain function. In a study of boxers and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, the K-D test was shown to have high degrees of test-retest and inter-rater reliability and to be an accurate method for rapidly identifying boxers and mixed martial arts fighters with concussion. We performed a study of the K-D test as a rapid sideline screening tool in collegiate athletes to determine the effect of concussion on K-D scores compared to a pre-season baseline. In this longitudinal study, athletes from the University of Pennsylvania varsity football, sprint football, and women's and men's soccer and basketball teams underwent baseline K-D testing prior to the start of the 2010-11 playing season. Post-season testing was also performed. For athletes who had concussions during the season, K-D testing was administered immediately on the sidelines and changes in score from baseline were determined. Among 219 athletes tested at baseline, post-season K-D scores were lower (better) than the best pre-season scores (35.1 vs. 37.9s, P=0.03, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), reflecting mild learning effects in the absence of concussion. For the 10 athletes who had concussions, K-D testing on the sidelines showed significant worsening from baseline (46.9 vs. 37.0s, P=0.009), with all except one athlete demonstrating worsening from baseline (median 5.9s). This study of collegiate athletes provides initial evidence in support of the K-D test as a strong candidate rapid sideline visual screening tool for concussion. Data show worsening of scores following concussion, and ongoing follow-up in this study with additional concussion events and different athlete populations will further examine the effectiveness of the K-D test. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PPAR{alpha} deficiency augments a ketogenic diet-induced circadian PAI-1 expression possibly through PPAR{gamma} activation in the liver

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

Oishi, Katsutaka, E-mail: k-ooishi@aist.go.jp; Uchida, Daisuke; Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki

Research highlights: {yields} PPAR{alpha} deficiency augments a ketogenic diet-induced circadian PAI-1 expression. {yields} Hepatic expressions of PPAR{gamma} and PCG-1{alpha} are induced by a ketogenic diet. {yields} PPAR{gamma} antagonist attenuates a ketogenic diet-induced PAI-1 expression. {yields} Ketogenic diet advances the phase of circadian clock in a PPAR{alpha}-independent manner. -- Abstract: An increased level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and PAI-1 gene expression is under the control of molecular circadian clocks in mammals. We recently showed that PAI-1 expression is augmented in a phase-advanced circadian manner in mice fed with a ketogenic diet (KD).more » To determine whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor {alpha} (PPAR{alpha}) is involved in hypofibrinolytic status induced by a KD, we examined the expression profiles of PAI-1 and circadian clock genes in PPAR{alpha}-null KD mice. Chronic administration of bezafibrate induced the PAI-1 gene expression in a PPAR{alpha}-dependent manner. Feeding with a KD augmented the circadian expression of PAI-1 mRNA in the hearts and livers of wild-type (WT) mice as previously described. The KD-induced mRNA expression of typical PPAR{alpha} target genes such as Cyp4A10 and FGF21 was damped in PPAR{alpha}-null mice. However, plasma PAI-1 concentrations were significantly more elevated in PPAR{alpha}-null KD mice in accordance with hepatic mRNA levels. These observations suggest that PPAR{alpha} activation is dispensable for KD-induced PAI-1 expression. We also found that hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, and the hepatic expressions of PPAR{gamma} and its coactivator PCG-1{alpha} were more effectively induced in PPAR{alpha}-null, than in WT mice on a KD. Furthermore, KD-induced hepatic PAI-1 expression was significantly suppressed by supplementation with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, a PPAR{gamma} antagonist, in both WT and PPAR{alpha}-null mice. PPAR{gamma} activation seems to be involved in KD-induced hypofibrinolysis by augmenting PAI-1 gene expression in the fatty liver.« less

Effect of N-benzoyl-D-phenylalanine and metformin on insulin receptors in neonatal streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: studies on insulin binding to erythrocytes.

PubMed

Ashokkumar, N; Pari, L; Rao, Ch Appa

2006-07-01

In the present study, we focused on the insulin-receptor binding in circulating erythrocytes of N-benzoyl-D-phenylalanine (NBDP) and metformin in neonatal streptozotocin (nSTZ)-induced male Wistar rats. We measured blood levels of glucose and plasma insulin and the binding of insulin to cell-membrane ER receptors in NBDP and metformin-treated diabetic rats. The mean specific binding of insulin to ER was significantly lower in diabetic control rats (DC) (53.0 +/- 3.1%) than in NBDP (62.0 +/- 3.1%), metformin (66.0 +/- 3.3%) and NBDP and metformin combination-treated (72.0 +/- 4.2%) diabetic rats, resulting in a significant decrease in plasma insulin. Scatchard plot analysis demonstrated that the decrease in insulin binding was accounted for by a lower number of insulin receptor sites per cell in DC rats when compared with NBDP and metformin-treated rats. High-affinity (Kd1), low-affinity (Kd2), and kinetic analysis revealed an increase in the average receptor affinity in ER from NBDP and metformin-treated diabetic rats having NBDP 2.0 +/- 0.10 x 10(-10) M(-1) (Kd1); 12.0 +/- 0.85 x 10(-8) M(-1) (Kd2), Metformin 2.1 +/- 0.15 x 10(-10) M(-1) (Kd1); 15.0 +/- 0.80 x 10(-8) M(-1) (Kd2), NBDP and metformin 2.7 +/- 0.10 x 10(-10) M(-1) (Kd1); 20.0 +/- 1.2 x 10(-8) M(-1) (Kd2) compared with 0.9 +/- 0.06 x 10(-10) M(-1) (Kd1); 6.0 +/- 0.30 x 10(-8) M(-1) (Kd2) in DC rats. The results suggest an acute alteration in the number of insulin receptors on ER membranes in nSTZ induced diabetic control rats. Treatment with NBDP along with metformin significantly improved specific insulin binding, with receptor number and affinity binding reaching almost normal non-diabetic levels. The data presented here show that NBDP along with metformin increase total ER membrane insulin binding sites with a concomitant significant increase in plasma insulin.

Neuron-restrictive silencer factor is not required for the antiepileptic effect of the ketogenic diet.

PubMed

Hu, Xiao-Ling; Cheng, Xuewen; Fei, Jian; Xiong, Zhi-Qi

2011-09-01

The ketogenic diet (KD) has been used as an effective antiepileptic treatment for nearly a century. Inhibition of glycolysis and increased levels of ketone bodies are both known to contribute to the antiepileptic effects of the KD. Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF), also known as RE-1 silencing transcription factor (REST), is implicated in the antiepileptic effects of the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG). Glycolytic inhibition is a common feature of the KD and 2DG treatment, leading to the hypothesis that NRSF might also be involved in the antiepileptic effect of the KD. To test this hypothesis, the present study was designed to investigate the role of NRSF in the antiepileptic effect of 2DG, the KD, and acetone in vivo. Kindling was used as a model to test the antiepileptic effects of 2DG, the KD, and acetone on control and NRSF conditional knockout mice (NRSF-cKO; from the intercross of CamKIIα-iCre and NRSF exon 2 floxed mice). After recovery from electrode implantation, adult mice were stimulated twice a day at afterdischarge threshold (ADT) current intensity. In the 2DG- (500 mg/kg) and acetone- (10 mmol/kg) treated groups, drugs were injected intraperitoneally 20 min before each stimulus. In the 2DG group, mice were pretreated with intraperitoneal injections for 3 days in addition to the injections administered before the regular kindling stimulation. In the KD group, mice were fed the KD instead of a control diet until the end of stimulations. Compared with control mice, the antiepileptic effect of 2DG was abolished in NRSF-cKO mice, indicating that NRSF is required for the antiepileptic effect of 2DG. In the KD-fed group, kindling development was retarded in both control and NRSF-cKO mice. In the acetone-treated group, inhibition of kindling-induced epileptogenesis was observed in both control and NRSF-cKO mice, similar to the action of the KD. These findings imply that NRSF repression complex is not essential for the antiepileptic effect of the ketogenic diet. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2011 International League Against Epilepsy.