Birthweight and Lipids in Adult Life: Population-Based Cross Sectional Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of birthweight with lipid profile in the general adult population. Participants in the second-wave of a nationally representative cross sectional AusDiab-study were asked to complete a birthweight questionnaire. Fasting total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, and triacylglycerol levels were modeled against birthweight. Four thousand five hundred and two people reported their birthweights, mean (SD) of 3.4(0.7) kg. Females with low birthweight-LBW had higher levels of TC, LDL-C, and triacylglycerols, but no difference in HDL-C, than those with normal-birthweight-NBW;≥2.5 kg. People with LBW showed a trend toward increased risk for high TC (≥5.5 mmol/L) compared to NBW. Among females with LBW, the risk for high LDL-C (≥3.5 mmol/L) was increased compared to those of NBW. The risk for low HDL-C (<0.9 mmol/L) was increased among males with LBW compared to those with NBW. Examination of the relationship on the continuum showed no differences except for high triacylglycerol levels among females with the lowest birthweight quintile compared to the higher birthweight quintile. However, the risk for various abnormalities by birthweight quintiles was similar to that when we used the traditional definition of LBW vs. NBW. Females and males with low birthweight differ in their risk for lipids abnormalities. Females had higher risk for high LDL-C, whereas males had high risk for low HDL-C (<0.9 mmol/L). In addition, females with low birthweight had the highest triacylglycerol levels. High LDL-C, low HDL-C, and high triacylglycerols are well-recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease.     

Numerical simulations study of the localized corrosion resistance of AISI 316L stainless steel and pure titanium in a simulated body fluid environment

The resistance of both AISI 316L stainless steel (AISI 316L SS) and commercially pure titanium (cpTi) to localized corrosion in a simulated body fluid solution was investigated using numerical simulations. The resulting model, based on transport equations in dilute solutions, is designed to predict the susceptibility of these two biomaterials to crevice corrosion initiation. The results show that cpTi and AISI 316L SS alloy are very resistant to the initiation of crevice corrosion in 0.9% NaCl solution and AISI 316L SS alloy is more susceptible to corrosion initiation over the long term than cpTi.     

Short surface fatigue cracks growth under constant and variable amplitude loading

This paper deals with the fatigue strength of S355NL steel, of a common use within the shipbuilding industry, under uniaxial constant and variable loading. Indeed, ship structures are subjected to variable loading due to various sea states, wind and waves. As a consequence, a better knowledge of fatigue behavior under real loading conditions is needed. This study aims at analyzing the influence of loading conditions (load ratio and variable amplitude loading) on the short crack behavior and last, with a proposed model to assess the fatigue crack life. The tools used to prepare inspections in critical areas only take into account the long crack behavior. The results from the proposed model were compared to the assessments these tools are providing with.     

Optimization of fluoride removal from brackish water by electrodialysis

The study showed that desired potable water can be easily obtained by electrodialysis from fluoride-rich brackish water. Studies have been performed to defluoridate brackish water containing 3000 ppm of total dissolved solids (TDS) and 3 ppm of fluoride using electrodialysis. The behaviour of water parameters (ion contents, TDS, pH, total hardness) with electrodialysis parameters (duration, flow rate, temperature, voltages) is followed. Optimal operational conditions for obtaining desired potable water have been proposed.     

Second-order blind separation of sources based on canonical partialinnovations

This paper is devoted to the study of the second-order properties using partial autocorrelations of an instantaneous mixture of colored sources without additive noise. We introduce the notion of symmetric recursive canonical partial innovation. Then, their components, for the observation process, meet exactly with those of the source process from the order for which the autoregressive models underlying the sources are distinct. This property leads to a new separation method based on the sample counterpart of partial autocorrelation matrices associated with these innovations. Simulation results show a notable improvement of the achievements of such an approach with respect to those of similar methods. Two other separation methods related to partial autocorrelation are also discussed     

Ultrasonic absorption and visco-relaxation study of poly(vinyl alcohol) aqueous solution. (A method for the determination of molecular weight)

Ultrasonic absorption and velocity measurements are reported on aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PV-OH) of different molecular weights and concentrations obtained using a pulsed ultrasonic apparatus operating at 2 MHz and 303 K. The variations in these parameters as a function of concentration are interpreted in terms of changes in the magnitude of the contribution due to relaxation of the backbone and of the side chain acetyl groups. The results show an increase in velocity, density and viscosity with increase in molecular weight and concentration of PV-OH. In contrast the attenuation values decrease with increase in molecular weight. This suggests that interaction is occurring between PV-OH and water molecules. Deviation of the variation of the attenuation with concentration from the ‘ideal’ dilute solution behaviour at high concentration is ascribed to the effects of polymer-polymer interaction. The magnitude of the volume change associated with polymer-solvent interactions is estimated and discussed. A mathematical equation correlating the relaxation amplitude and the molecular weight of the polymer is suggested. This approach was applied to the calculation of the molecular weight of four unknown samples of PV-OH from their measured relaxation amplitudes. The results obtained agree well with those obtained from osmometry.     

Effect of austenite stability on the pitting corrosion resistance of cold worked stainless steels

The influence of cold rolling on the pitting resistance of stainless steels is investigated with respect to the austenite stability. A maximum in pitting initiation frequency for 20% reduction is confirmed whatever the austenite stability, but the value of this maximum fairly correlates to the amount of deformation-induced martensite. A direct influence of dislocations piling-up and an indirect role of martensite as a pile-up stabilizer is postulated. In the potentiostatic regime, cold work is shown to lower the repassivation ability and to increase the number of stable pits. Then, addition of alloying elements (such as copper) affects the pitting resistance not only for chemical but also for mechanical reasons (such as their effect on the staking fault energy and austenite stability), confirming the decisive role of microstructure in pitting corrosion of industrial alloys.     

Increased expression of a hemimethylated oriC binding protein, SeqA, in an aphA mutant

In Escherichia coli, the origin of DNA replication, oriC, becomes transiently hemimethylated at the GATC sequences immediately after initiation of replication and this hemimethylated state is prolonged because of its sequestration by a fraction of outer membrane. This sequestration is dependent on a hemimethylated oriC binding protein such as SeqA. We previously isolated a clone of phage lambda gt11 called hobH, producing a LacZ fusion protein which recognizes hemimethylated oriC DNA. Very recently, Thaller et al. (FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 146 (1997) 191-198) found that the same DNA segment encodes a non-specific acid phosphatase, and named the gene aphA. We show here that the interruption of the aphA reading frame by kanamycin resistance gene insertion, abolishes acid phosphatase (NAP) activity. Interestingly, in the membrane of the null mutant, the amount of SeqA protein is about six times higher than that in the parental strain, suggesting the existence of a regulatory mechanism between SeqA and NAP expression.     

Transport properties in molten carbonates: self-diffusion and conductivity measurements at high temperature

A better understanding and use of molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) requires more detailed consideration on transport properties in melt. The combination of different methodological developments can be one solution to improve our comprehension. Here we present ²³Na and ⁷Li self-diffusion coefficients measured by pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR technique combined with electrical conductivity obtained by a 4-electrode set up, in the eutectic mixture Li₂CO₃–Na₂CO₃ (52:48 %mol) at high temperature (up to 1050 K), and under pure CO₂ atmosphere. The results were compared with known experimental data from literature obtained by radiotracers techniques and 2-electrode set up and also with some calculations of the transport properties.