Effect of molecular structures on static and dynamic compression properties of clay and amphiphilic clay/carbon nanofibers used as fillers in UHMWPE/composites for high-energy-impact loading

Three different ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)–clay nanocomposites (Muscovite, Cloisite 30B and amphiphilic clay/carbon nanofibers) were investigated with the nanocomposite nanomorphology studied before and after dynamic mechanical compressive tests at high strain rates. Their material structure and thermal properties were investigated using techniques such as step-scan differential scanning calorimetry, split Hopkinson pressure bar, synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and dynamic mechanical analysis. Results were associated with morphological changes observed after deformation. chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-modified nanocomposite, due to the molecular bonding and the extra functional groups, is designed with crystalline structures with fewer defects and higher stability. The increase in particulate/polymer interactions observed for the CVD-modified material decreased the elongation in the quasi-static test. However, the dynamic mechanical behavior contradicted the quasi-static behavior because at very high strain rates there was not sufficient time for the interlamellar and intralamellar defect facilitated plastic flow and the material transitioned through the glassy state. The SAXS results show that deformation strongly induced changes in the UHMWPE and UHMWPE–clay nanocomposite morphology. SAXS indicates that CVD-modified samples became more compact and dense, thus corroborating the formation of additional secondary bonds between structures and/or the carbon nanofibers alignment. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47094.     

Improving Waste Cooking Oil Quality for Biodiesel Production with the Ethanolic By-product of Soybean Oil Extraction

Waste cooking oils (WCO) can be used as feedstock for biodiesel (fatty acid ethyl or methyl esters—FAEE or FAME) production. Their usual high acidity, high moisture, and low stability can impair the reaction yield and generate a low-quality biodiesel. Here, we performed liquid–liquid washings using WCO and ethanol-based solvents with the goal of generating oil-rich miscella as FAEE feedstocks with a higher quality than WCO. Three different solvents were evaluated: 99% ethanol, 95% ethanol, and the soybean oil extraction ethanolic phase (SEP), a by-product with immense unexplored antioxidant potential obtained by extracting soybean oil using ethanol. Washings were performed in a 1000 mL flat-bottom flask at 78.1 °C, using a 1:2 (w/v) oil/solvent ratio, under magnetic stirring (1200 rpm) for 10 min. Ethyl esters were prepared via homogeneous alkali transesterification using WCO and oil-rich miscella as feedstocks. Treatments reduced the acid value by 40–61% and the peroxide value by 15–50%. Improvements in feedstock quality generated 24–54% higher biodiesel yields. The oil-rich phase produced with SEP was 15% more resistant to oxidation than WCO. This was attributed to the transference of isoflavones from the SEP. However, biodiesel from treated samples presented equal or lower oxidative stability than FAEE from WCO. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that no isoflavones remained in biodiesel after purification. Pretreatment of WCO with ethanol-based extracts such as the SEP has great potential to improve WCO quality for biodiesel production as it can be a source of plant-based antioxidants.     

Effects of recombinant bovine interleukin-8 (rbIL-8) treatment on health,metabolism, and lactation performance in Holstein cattle I: Production and functional characterization of rbIL-8 in vitro and in vivo

In the present study, we standardized processes of cloning and purification of recombinant bovine interleukin-8 (rbIL-8) from bacterial culture and assessed its biological activity in Holstein cattle. Plasmid containing a subclone of bovine IL-8 was expressed using Escherichia coli BL21 and cell lysate was purified by chromatography. The presence of rbIL-8 was assessed by Western blot analyses and function was confirmed in vitro using a chemotaxis chamber. Based on optical density values, chemoattractant properties of rbIL-8 were 10-fold greater compared with control wells. Two in vivo studies were conducted to assess the biological activity of rbIL8. For study 1, one-year-old Holstein heifers (n = 20) were randomly allocated to receive a single intravaginal administration containing 1,125 µg of rbIL-8 diluted in 20 mL of saline solution (rbIL-8, n = 10) or a single intravaginal administration of 20 mL of saline solution (control, n = 10). For study 2, nonpregnant lactating Holstein cows (n = 31) were randomly allocated to receive an intrauterine administration with 1,125 µg of rbIL-8 diluted in 20 mL of saline solution (rbIL-8, n = 11), a positive control consisting of resin-purified lysate of E. coli BL21 not transfected with the plasmid coding for rbIL-8 diluted in 20 mL of saline solution (E. coli, n = 10), and a negative control administered with 20 mL of saline solution (control, n = 10). An increase in vaginal neutrophils was observed in heifers treated with rbIL-8 within 3 h of treatment, but not in control heifers. Additionally, intrauterine administration of rbIL-8 increased the proportion of PMN cells in uterine cytological samples from 3.5% before treatment to 75.8% 24 h later—an increase that was not observed in the negative control group and cows treated with resin-purified lysate of E. coli. To further evaluate the effect of local and systemic rbIL-8 stimulation on the dynamics of circulating white blood cells, a third study was conducted. In study 3, nonpregnant 8-mo-old Holstein heifers (n = 30) were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 treatment groups: intravenous rbIL-8 (1,125 µg of rbIL-8 diluted in 5 mL of saline solution, n = 10); intravaginal rbIL-8 (1,125 µg of rbIL-8 diluted in 20 mL of saline solution; n = 10); or intravaginal saline (20 mL of saline solution, n = 10). Intravenous injection of rbIL-8 resulted in a transient increase in rectal temperature, which was greater at 2 h after treatment compared with cows treated intravaginally with rbIL-8 or heifers treated with saline solution. Heifers treated with rbIL-8 intravenously displayed a marked reduction in neutrophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes within the first 4 h posttreatment compared with heifers treated intravaginally. However, at 6 h after treatment, heifers treated with rbIL-8 intravenously displayed a rebound in white blood cell counts caused by an increase in neutrophil counts. These results show that the presented purification method is effective and results in biologically active rbIL-8 that can be used safely to modulate immune responses in cattle.     

Analytical modeling of chronological reservoir operation inprobabilistic production costing [of hydrothermal power systems]

This paper describes an extension of the Baleriaux methodology that represents chronological aspects of hydrothermal power system reservoir operation. The production costing problem is decomposed into a sequence of chronological hydro reliability problems. Those reliability problems are analytically solved by a sequence of convolutions of reservoir storage levels, demand, inflows and generation capacity. The methodology is illustrated in a case study with a utility-derived system, and the results are compared with existing solution schemes     

Four new cases of urothelial inverted papilloma

Urothelial inverted papilloma account for 2.2% of all urothelial tumours. The preferred location is the bladder; they occur singly and are generally benign, although the majority of authors agrees in treating this entity as a tumour of low aggressiveness. The report contributes four cases of inverted papilloma, three in male patients and the fourth in a female. One was located in the renal pelvis. A revision is made of the etiology, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, as well as their relationship to surface carcinoma, as it occurs asynchronously in one of the cases described.     

A novel subset of adult gamma delta thymocytes that secretes a distinct pattern of cytokines and expresses a very restricted T cell receptor repertoire

We have characterized the function, phenotype, ontogenic development, and T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of a subpopulation of gamma delta thymocytes, initially defined by expressing low levels of Thy-1, that represents around 5% and 30% of total gamma delta thymocytes in adult C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice, respectively. Activation of FACS-sorted Thy-1dull gamma delta thymocytes from DBA/2 mice with anti-gamma delta monoclonal antibodies in the presence of interleukin-2 (IL-2) results in the secretion of high levels of several cytokines, including interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-4, IL-10, and IL-3. In contrast, only IFN-gamma was detected in parallel cultures of Thy-1bright gamma delta thymocytes. Virtually all Thy-1dull gamma delta thymocytes express high levels of CD44 and low levels of the heat-stable antigen and CD62 ligand, while around half of them express the NK1.1 marker. Thy-1dull gamma delta thymocytes are barely detectable in newborn animals, and their representation increases considerably during the first 2 weeks of postnatal life. The majority of Thy-1dull gamma delta thymocytes from DBA/2 mice express TCR encoded by the V gamma 1 gene and a novel V delta 6 gene named V delta 6.4. Sequence analysis of these functionally rearranged gamma and delta genes revealed highly restricted V delta-D delta-J delta junctions, and somewhat more diverse V gamma-J gamma junctions. We conclude that Thy-1dull gamma delta thymocytes exhibit properties that are equivalent to those of natural killer TCR alpha beta T cells. Both cell populations produce the same distinct pattern of cytokines upon activation, share a number of phenotypic markers originally defined for activated or memory T cells, display similar postnatal kinetics of appearance in the thymus and express a very restricted TCR repertoire.