Electrochemical and high temperature physicochemical properties of orthorhombic LiMnO2

In this work we report the investigation of the structural and the electrical properties of orthorhombic LiMnO₂ in a wide temperature range in air and in high purity argon (N5). Also we present a correlation between the electrical and the electrochemical properties of the material upon lithium deintercalation. Moreover, its chemical stability against LiPF₆ based liquid electrolyte at elevated temperatures was measured and compared with other cathode materials.     

Modeling the Motion of Dense Smoke in the Wind Field

This paper presents a volumetric animation technique for modeling the turbulent motion of very dense and turbulent smoke such as one coming from a steam engine. A new method of the wind field generation is proposed. Gas motion is determined by the integration of two independent vector layers. The first one is a combination of flow primitives and the second is created by stochastically generated turbulence. Special attention is taken of the proper construction of the turbulent layer. For the visualization purposes a simple volume raytracer is applied. Many light sources are taken into account to achieve photorealistic effects. Finally some interesting animations are overviewed. Computation times for a PC Pentium 200 and an SGI O2 workstation are compared to demonstrate the high efficiency of the method.     

Some aspects of measurement, interpretation and practical use of results from solid fuel reactivity studies

The reactivity of solid fuels i.e. fossil fuels, waste fuels and coal processing products is a feature decisive for the reaction rate under various burning conditions and affects both the burn-up factor of the fuel in the furnace and hence also the combustion efficiency, which further influences the usability of the so-called furnace wastes (too high content of underburnts excludes further utilisation), the ability of fuels to create NOx, temperature distribution in the furnace etc. The reactivity of solid fuels is not actually tested on the standardised basis because of the lack of unified definitions of terms, deficiency of a fairly simple laboratory method for the reactivity determination and of a practical method for the interpretation of the test results. A step towards standardisation of the methodology of reactivity tests can be made by using such terms as combustion intensity u [kg/s], surface combustion rate q [kg/m²/s] and chemical reaction rate constant K_kin [kg(C)/m²/s/Pa^0,5] together with kinetic constants k and E determining the fuel reactivity.     

Effects of dietary alpha-tocopheryl acetate on lipid oxidation and alpha-tocopherol content of novel omega-3-enhanced farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets

A trout diet was supplemented with 0, 8.5, or 15 g/100 g of flaxseed oil (FO). To prevent lipid oxidation of fillets, FO-supplemented diets were also enhanced with 0, 400, and 900 mg/kg of alpha-tocopheryl acetate (α-TA). Total fat, moisture content, lipid oxidation, fatty acid profile, and α-tocopherol content of fillets were determined following fish harvest on days 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120. FO supplementation resulted in increased (P<0.05) concentration of omega-3 fatty acid (ω3 FA) in fillets, mainly due almost two-fold increase (P<0.05) of α-linolenic acid, while docosahexaenoic and eicopentaenoic acids slightly decreased (P<0.05). Regardless of supplementing trout diets with FO or α-TA, no (P>0.05) difference of the total fat in fillets was measured. The highest (P<0.05) α-tocopherol content in fillets was determined when supplementing trout with 900 mg/kg of α-TA at day 120. The effect of retarding lipid oxidation in fillets was recorded after supplementing trout with α-TA for 60 days. Our results indicate that regardless of FO level in trout diet, 900 mg/kg of α-TA can prevent lipid deterioration of fillets. However, to achieve more pronounced antioxidant effect in the ω-3-enhanced trout fillets, a synergetic effect of antioxidants and anaerobic packaging with α-TA supplementation should be investigated.     

Antioxidants and proteins in ethylene-treated kiwifruits

Ethylene-treated kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) cultivar ‘Hayward’ was compared with the air-treated one. The correlation coefficients between total polyphenols and the antioxidant capacities measured by [2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] (ABTS) with Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays for ethylene-treated kiwifruits were as followed: 0.74; 0.93 and 0.98, in comparison with air-treated samples of 0.72, 0.88 and 0.97, respectively. CUPRAC produced the most consistent measurements for ethylene-treated kiwifruit. In extracted and separated, by electrophoresis, kiwifruit proteins differences were found in the sodium dodecyl sulfate–protein bands, in the region of 32 kDa, in samples after the first days of treatment. Based on antioxidant activity and the protein profiles it can be concluded that the ethylene treatment shortened the ripening process of the fruits.     

Relationship between seawater pollution and qualitative changes in the extracted proteins from mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis

The aim of this study was to find a reliable biomarker of seawater pollution. For this purpose the contents of Zn and Cu, proteins and antioxidant activity in mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis collected from polluted and non-polluted sites of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast were compared. To determine the above-mentioned indices atomic spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, fluorescence, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and two antioxidant tests were used. It was found that the amounts of Zn and Cu were significantly higher in the mussel proteins from the polluted than from the non-polluted sites (P<0.05). FT-IR spectroscopy and fluorescence revealed specific qualitative changes in secondary and tertiary structures in mussel proteins in the samples from polluted sites. The thermodynamic properties of proteins and the changes upon denaturation were correlated with the secondary structure of proteins and disappearance of alpha-helix. Purified protein scavenging activity against 2, 2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical cation (ABTS(*+)) was significantly higher in mussel samples from polluted than from non-polluted sites. Therefore, the changes in Zn and Cu concentration, in protein's secondary and tertiary structures and antioxidant activity in mussels M. galloprovincialis from polluted sites can be a reliable biomarker of the level of the seawater pollution.     

Vertical distribution and probability of encountering intertidal Exxon Valdez oil on shorelines of three embayments within Prince William Sound, Alaska

We examined 32 shorelines selected at random in 2003 from shorelines in Herring Bay, Lower Pass, and Bay of Isles in Prince William Sound, Alaska, to examine the vertical distribution of oil remaining from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and to estimate the probability that sea otters and ducks would encounter oil while foraging there. On each shoreline, sampling was stratified by 1-m tide height intervals and randomly located 0.25 m2 sampling quadrats were examined for evidence of surface and subsurface oil. Oil from the T/V Exxon Valdezwasfound on 14 shorelines, mainly in Herring Bay and Lower Pass, with an estimated 0.43 ha covered by surface oil and 1.52 ha containing subsurface oil. Surface and subsurface oil were most prevalent near the middle of the intertidal and had nearly symmetrical distributions with respect to tide height. Hence, about half the oil is in the biologically rich lower intertidal, where predators may encounter it while disturbing sediments in search of prey. The overall probability of encountering surface or subsurface oil is estimated as 0.0048, which is only slightly greaterthan our estimated probability of encountering subsurface oil in the lower intertidal of Herring Bay or Lower Pass. These encounter probabilities are sufficient to ensure that sea otters and ducks that routinely excavate sediments while foraging within the intertidal would likely encounter subsurface oil repeatedly during the course of a year.     

NKT and NKT-like Cells in Autoimmune Neuroinflammatory Diseases—Multiple Sclerosis,Myasthenia Gravis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome

NKT cells comprise three subsets—type I (invariant, iNKT), type II, and NKT-like cells, of which iNKT cells are the most studied subset. They are capable of rapid cytokine production after the initial stimulus, thus they may be important for polarisation of Th cells. Due to this, they may be an important cell subset in autoimmune diseases. In the current review, we are summarising results of NKT-oriented studies in major neurological autoimmune diseases—multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome and their corresponding animal models.