Job stressors and the pursuit of sport activities: A day-level perspective.

This article addresses the relation between day-specific experiences of job stressors and the pursuit of off-job activities. Following the limited-resources model of self-regulation, the authors proposed that job stressors and long working hours are negatively related to pursuit of sport activities after work because, after stressful days, employees have no resources left for initiating and persisting in effortful behaviors such as sport. Routines for off-job activities were hypothesized to be positively related to the pursuit of sport activities after work. Seventy-eight police employees completed a daily survey over 5 working days and indicated that they perceive sport to be highly useful for recovery. Random coefficient modeling showed that job stressors (particularly situational constraints) encountered on a specific day were negatively related to self-regulatory resources and to the amount of time spent on sport activities after work, whereas the relation with low-effort activities was positive. Thus, after a stressful day when an effective recovery activity such as sport is highly needed, persons tend to engage less in such an activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigation of injectable drospirenone organogels with regard to their rheology and comparison to non-stabilized oil-based drospirenone suspensions

The objective of this study was to evaluate organogels as potential injectable drug-delivery systems for drospirenone (DRSP). Recently, studies on organogel characterization with focus on the parenteral injection are rarely to find in the literature. DRSP organogels contained the drug suspended in medium-chain triglycerides and were stabilized by various organogelators. The DRSP organogels were assessed in comparison to non-stabilized DRSP microcrystal suspensions (MCSs). Furthermore, rheological properties of the organogels, in particular the elastic modulus (G′), the complex viscosity (η*) and the elasticity, were evaluated with respect to the long-term stability, syringeability/injectability and in vitro release. DRSP organogels showed significantly improved storage stability compared to non-stabilized MCSs with regard to sedimentation and particle growth. Furthermore, all of the DRSP organogels showed shear-thinning behavior. Thus, ejection from syringes was possible by an autoinjector using 23G needles comparable to non-stabilized MCSs. Nevertheless, DRSP organogels exhibited significantly more sustained drug release than non-stabilized MCSs most likely caused by partial recovery of the organogelator structures at 37?°C after destruction. Consequently, DRSP organogels were evaluated to be superior to conventional non-stabilized MCSs. Silica organogels, which provided the highest elasticity, moderate G' and η* and avoided most efficiently particle growth, are slightly more preferable compared to the other DRSP organogels.     

Development of Simplified Heterocyclic Acetogenin Analogues as Potent and Selective Trypanosoma brucei Inhibitors

Neglected tropical diseases caused by parasitic infections are an ongoing and increasing concern. They are a burden to human and animal health, having the most devastating effect on the world′s poorest countries. Building upon our previously reported triazole analogues, in this study we describe the synthesis and biological testing of other novel heterocyclic acetogenin‐inspired derivatives, namely 3,5‐isoxazoles, furoxans, and furazans. Several of these compounds maintain low‐micromolar levels of inhibition against Trypanosoma brucei, whilst having no observable inhibitory effect on mammalian cells, leading to the possibility of novel lead compounds for selective treatment.     

Toxicological characterization of particulate emissions from straw,Miscanthus, and poplar pellet combustion in residential boilers

Wood pellets have been used in domestic heating appliances for three decades. However, because the share of renewable energy for heating will likely rise over the next several years, alternative biomass fuels, such as short-rotation coppice or energy crops, will be utilized. We tested particulate emissions from the combustion of standard softwood pellets and three alternative pellets (poplar, Miscanthus sp., and wheat straw) for their ability to induce inflammatory, cytotoxic, and genotoxic responses in a mouse macrophage cell line. Our results showed clear differences in the chemical composition of the emissions, which was reflected in the toxicological effects. Standard softwood and straw pellet combustion resulted in the lowest PM₁ mass emissions. Miscanthus sp. and poplar combustion emissions were approximately three times higher. Emissions from the herbaceous biomass pellets contained higher amounts of chloride and organic carbon than the emissions from standard softwood pellet combustion. Additionally, the emissions of the poplar pellet combustion contained the highest concentration of metals. The emissions from the biomass alternatives caused significantly higher genotoxicity than the emissions from the standard softwood pellets. Moreover, straw pellet emissions caused higher inflammation than the other samples. Regarding cytotoxicity, the differences between the samples were smaller. Relative toxicity was generally highest for the poplar and Miscanthus sp. samples, as their emission factors were much higher. Thus, in addition to possible technical problems, alternative pellet materials may cause higher emissions and toxicity. The long-term use of alternative fuels in residential-scale appliances will require technological developments in both burners and filtration.

Copyright © 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Changes in Tissue Lipid and Fatty Acid Composition of Farmed Rainbow Trout in Response to Dietary Camelina Oil as a Replacement of Fish Oil

Camelina oil (CO) replaced 50 and 100 % of fish oil (FO) in diets for farmed rainbow trout (initial weight 44 ± 3 g fish^?1). The oilseed is particularly unique due to its high lipid content (40 %) and high amount of 18:3n‐3 (α‐linolenic acid, ALA) (30 %). Replacing 100 % of fish oil with camelina oil did not negatively affect growth of rainbow trout after a 12‐week feeding trial (FO = 168 ± 32 g fish^?1; CO = 184 ± 35 g fish^?1). Lipid and fatty acid profiles of muscle, viscera and skin were significantly affected by the addition of CO after 12 weeks of feeding. However, final 22:6n‐3 [docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] and 20:5n‐3 [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)] amounts (563 mg) in a 75 g fillet (1 serving) were enough to satisfy daily DHA and EPA requirements (250 mg) set by the World Health Organization. Other health benefits include lower SFA and higher MUFA in filets fed CO versus FO. Compound‐specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) confirmed that the δ¹³C isotopic signature of DHA in CO fed trout shifted significantly compared to DHA in FO fed trout. The shift in DHA δ¹³C indicates mixing of a terrestrial isotopic signature compared to the isotopic signature of DHA in fish oil‐fed tissue. These results suggest that ~27 % of DHA was synthesized from the terrestrial and isotopically lighter ALA in the CO diet rather than incorporation of DHA from fish meal in the CO diet. This was the first study to use CSIA in a feeding experiment to demonstrate synthesis of DHA in fish.     

On the design and modeling of microcontrolled fuzzy nuclear power plant controller

The article presents a working model of Control rod insertion in nuclear power plant based on fuzzy logic and implemented with MC68HC11 microcontroller. The control rods are made of neutron absorbing metal. The amount of control rod insertion into a pressurized water reactor in a nuclear power plant controls the nuclear fission process by controlling the rate at which the chain reaction takes place. The temperature in the pressurized water tank varies with the load of power, the higher the demand of power the higher the temperature and vice versa. The control rods help to maintain the appropriate temperature in the core of the reactor. Nuclear Power plants use a very complicated control scheme, to vary the amount of control rod insertion which is very expensive and difficult to troubleshoot. We have developed a fuzzy model, tested its functionality by generating control surfaces, written the fuzzy inference software, downloaded in the EEPROM of MC68HC11, and interfaced it with 8 LED Bar to simulate control rod and two 8-bit DIP switches to enter inputs of Power Generation and Temperature of the core of the reactor. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Characterization of novel thermoresponsive poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) electrospun fibers

Polymer Bulletin - In this work, electrospun fibers of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) blends, PBAT/PNIPAAm, with different mass ratios,...