Effect of various dietary fats and proteins on serum cholesterol level in rats

A 60 day experiment on growing rats was performed to evaluate the effect of two protein sources (casein and soybean protein isolate) and four fats (olive oil, OO; evening primrose oil, EO; linseed oil, LO; and butter, B) on plasma lipoprotein fractions: total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and triacylglycerol (TAG) levels. The different protein and fat sources had no influence on body weight gain of rats. Fats had no significant effect on TC and LDL‐C. Significant differences were found only in HDL‐C. OO gave the lowest (43.3 mg dl^?1) and EO the highest (54.4 mg dl^?1) value. Proteins had a significant influence on all lipids analysed. Soybean protein caused higher TC (78.5 vs 67.9 mg dl^?1), HDL‐C and TAG levels but significantly lowered LDL‐C in the plasma of rats. These results suggest that protein has a stronger effect on cholesterol level than fat. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Goursat Flags: Classification of Codimension-One Singularities

A distribution D of corank on a manifold M is Goursat when its Lie square [D, D] is a distribution of constant corank r-1, the Lie square of [D, D] is of constant corank r-2 and so on. Any such D, according to von Weber [21] and E. Cartan [3], behaves in a well-known way at generic points of M: in certain local coordinates it is the chained model (C) given below, a classical object in the control theory. Singularities concealed in Goursat distributions have emerged for the first time in [8]; by now the complete local classification of these objects of coranks not exceeding 7 is known, plus some isolated facts for coranks 8, 9, and 10. In the present paper we deal with the Goursat distributions of any corank r and obtain a complete classification of the first occurring singularities of them, located at points outside a stratified codimension-2 submanifold of M. Off this set there are (on top of (C)) only r-2 non-equivalent singular behaviours possible.     

Fluid structure interaction of a morphed wind turbine blade

One serious challenge of energy systems design, wind turbines in particular, is the need to match the system operation to the variable load. This is so because system efficiency drops at off‐design load. One strategy to address this challenge for wind turbine blades and obtain a more consistent efficiency over a wide load range, is varying the blade geometry. Predictable morphing of wind turbine blade in reaction to wind load conditions has been introduced recently. The concept, derived from fish locomotion, also has similarities to spoilers and ailerons, known to reduce flow separation and improve performance using passive changes in blade geometry. In this work, we employ a fully coupled technique on CFD and FEM models to introduce continuous morphing to desired and predetermined blade design geometry, the NACA 4412 profile, which is commonly used in wind turbine applications. Then, we assess the aerodynamic behavior of a morphing wind turbine airfoil using a two‐dimensional computation. The work is focused on assessing aerodynamic forces based on trailing edge deflection, wind speed, and material elasticity, that is, Young's modulus. The computational results suggest that the morphing blade has superior part‐load efficiency over the rigid NACA blade. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of green algae Cladophora sp. and Enteromorpha sp. as potential biomonitors of chemical elements in the southern Baltic

The contents of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, K, Na, Ca and Mg were determined in the green algae Cladophora sp. from coastal and lagoonal waters of the southern Baltic. Factor analysis demonstrated spatial differences between concentration of chemical elements. The algae from the southern Baltic contained more Na and K while the anthropogenic impact of Cu, Pb and Zn was observed in the case of Cladophora sp. and Enteromorpha sp. from the Gulf of Gdansk at the vicinity of Gdynia. This area is exposed to emission of heavy metals from municipal and industrial sources with the main contribution of shipbuilding industry and seaport. The statistical evaluation of data has demonstrated that there exists a correlation between concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in both green algae collected at the same time and sampling sites of the Gulf of Gdansk. Our results show that in the case of absence of one species in the investigated area it is still possible to continue successfully the biomonitoring studies with its replacing by second one, i.e. Cladophora sp. by Enteromorpha sp. and vice versa; in consequence reliable results may be obtained.     

Simultaneous determination of pKa and lipophilicity by gradient RP HPLC

High-performance methods of testing of drug candidates for properties of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics importance, in particular lipophilicity and acidity, are necessary to overcome innovation stagnation in the pharmaceutical industry. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP HPLC) might be a unique tool for the determination of both pKa and the apparent (pH-dependent) partition coefficient, applicable in high-throughput analysis of multicomponent mixtures, e.g., samples originating from automated synthesis. In this work, the pH/organic modifier gradient RP HPLC is presented as a means of simultaneous determination of an analyte's acidity and lipophilicity. The approach consists of retention measurements in a series of methanol gradient runs differing in pH range and duration of the gradient. Two different models of the influence of pH on retention in organic modifier gradient RP HPLC are compared regarding the quality of the simultaneously determined lipophilicity and dissociation constants. Advantages of the proposed approach over currently employed procedures are that it can be applied to compound mixtures, it requires only minute amounts of substances, and pKa values can be determined in the range 3-10 units and lipophilicity in the range 0-7 units. Verification of the reliability of the parameters determined by the new method was demonstrated on a series of 93 acidic and basic drug analytes.     

Determination of refractive index profiles of Ag+ -Na+ ion-exchange multimode strip waveguides by variable wavefront shear double-refracting interferometry microinterferometry

The results of experimental determination of multimode strip waveguide refractive index profiles and Ag concentration profiles obtained by using the variable wavefront shear double-refracting interferometry microinterferometer Biolar PI and an electron microprobe are presented. The strip waveguides under investigation are formed in soda lime glass in an external electric-field-assisted Ag+ -Na+ ion-exchange process from the molten AgNO3 salt by use of dielectric masks with channel apertures. A dry electrochemical technique of dielectric mask formation is applied. The influence of waveguide-forming parameters on the shape of Ag concentration profiles and the range of silver diffusion are shown. Changes in the usually assumed boundary conditions of electric-field calculations in ion-exchange numerical modeling are suggested.     

A multitracer test proving the reliability of Rayleigh equation-based approach for assessing biodegradation in a BTEX contaminated aquifer

Compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) is one of the most important methods for assessing biodegradation activities in contaminated aquifers. Although the concept is straightforward, the proof that the method cannot be only used for a qualitative analysis but also to quantify biodegradation in the subsurface was missing. We therefore performed a multitracer test in the field with ring-deuterated (d5) and completely (d8) deuterium-labeled toluene isotopologues (400 g) as reactive tracers as well as bromide as a conservative tracer. The compounds were injected into the anoxic zone of a BTEX plume located down-gradient of the contaminant source. Over a period of 4.5 months the tracer concentrations were analyzed at two control planes located 24 and 35 m downgradient of the injection well. Deuterium-labeled benzylsuccinate was found in the aquifer, indicating the anaerobic biodegradation of deuterated toluene via the benzylsuccinate synthase pathway. Three independent methods were applied to quantify biodegradation of deuterated toluene. First, fractionation of toluene-d8 and toluene-d5 using the Rayleigh equation and an appropriate laboratory-derived isotope fractionation factor was used for the calculation of the microbial decomposition of deuterated toluene isotopologues (CSIA-method). Second, the biodegradation was quantified by the changes of the concentrations of deuterated toluene relative to bromide. Both methods gave similar results, implying that the CSIA-method is a reliable tool to quantify biodegradation in contaminated aquifers. The results of both methods yielded a biodegradation of deuterated toluene isotopologues of approximately 23-29% for the first and 44-51% for the second control plane. Third, the mineralization of deuterated toluene isotopologues was verified by determination of the enrichment of deuterium in the groundwater. This method indicated that parts of deuterium were assimilated into the biomass of toluene degrading microorganisms.     

Excited state spectroscopy in carbon nanotube double quantum dots

We report on low-temperature measurements in a fully tunable carbon nanotube double quantum dot. A new fabrication technique has been used for the top-gates in order to avoid covering the whole nanotube with an oxide layer as in previous experiments. The top-gates allow us to form single dots and control the coupling between them, and we observe 4-fold shell filling. We perform inelastic transport spectroscopy via the excited states in the double quantum dot, a necessary step toward the implementation of new microwave-based experiments.     

Hardware Implementation of Skeletonization Algorithm for Parallel Asynchronous Image Processing

This paper presents an FPGA realisation of an application-specific cellular processor array designed for asynchronous skeletonization of binary images. The skeletonization algorithm is based on iterative thinning utilizing a ‘grassfire’ transformation approach. The purpose of this work was to test the performance of a fully parallel asynchronous processor array and to evaluate the inhomogeneity of wave propagation velocity. A proof-of-concept design has been implemented and evaluated, the results are presented and discussed.

Single Dose of N-Acetylcysteine in Local Anesthesia Increases Expression of HIF1α, MAPK1, TGFβ1 and Growth Factors in Rat Wound Healing

In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the gene expression profile, neoangiogenesis, neutrophils and macrophages in a rat model of incisional wounds. Before creating wounds on the backs of 24 Sprague–Dawley rats, intradermal injections were made. Lidocaine–epinephrin solutions were supplemented with 0.015%, 0.03% or 0.045% solutions of NAC, or nothing (control group). Scars were harvested on the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 60th day post-surgery. We performed immunohistochemical staining in order to visualize macrophages (anti-CD68), neutrophils (anti-MPO) and newly formed blood vessels (anti-CD31). Additionally, RT-qPCR was used to measure the relative expression of 88 genes involved in the wound healing process. On the 14th day, the number of cells stained with anti-CD68 and anti-CD31 antibodies was significantly larger in the tissues treated with 0.03% NAC compared with the control. Among the selected genes, 52 were upregulated and six were downregulated at different time points. Interestingly, NAC exerted a significant effect on the expression of 45 genes 60 days after its administration. In summation, a 0.03% NAC addition to the pre-incisional anesthetic solution improves neovasculature and increases the macrophages’ concentration at the wound site on the 14th day, as well as altering the expression of numerous genes that are responsible for the regenerative processes.