Fatty acid distribution in the bovine pre- and postpartum testis

Testes from fetuses, calves, bulls and recently castrated animals were analyzed for total lipids, lecithin, cephalin, triglycerides, diglycerides, cholesteryl esters and cholesterol. Total lipids increase somewhat with age, but in the castrated animal the increase is more marked. Phospholipid content increases with age, but decreases in the castrated animal. Cholesterol decreases and triglyceride increases after birth and in the castrated animal. Polyunsaturated acids increase with age in all lipid classes. Eicosatrienoic acid is more abundant in fetal testicular lipids than in testes removed after birth. In the castrated testis there is a general decrease in the unsaturated fatty acids. Acids of the ω6 family are the predominant polyunsaturated acids and increase somewhat with age in all lipids. The ω3 family of polyunsaturated acids appears mostly toward the end of fetal life and increases after birth. Acids of the linoleate family reach approximately 25% of total acids in most lipid classes at maturity whereas the ω3 acids range from 1 to 9%. Presented at the American Dairy Science Association Meeting, Lexington, Ky., June 1965.     

Effect of torus wall flexibility on hydro-structure interaction in BWR containment system

This paper describes an analytical project that employs the finite element method to investigate the influence of torus wall flexibility on hydrodynamically induced pressure and the resultant force on the torus shell surface in a Mark I BWR containment system. The shell flexibility is characterized by the diameter-to-thickness ratio, which is varied from the perfectly rigid case to the nominal plant condition.The general conclusion reached is that torus wall flexibility decreases both the maximum pressure seen by the shell wall and the total vertical load that results from the hydrodynamically induced pressure. This conclusion is based on results of a comprehensive two-dimensional investigation and a more sophisticated three-dimensional confirmatory study of the hydro-structural interaction problem.     

Titration without Mixing or Dilution: Sequential Injection of Chemical Sensing Membranes

A novel, miniaturized titration was developed using beads 35 μm in diameter as semisolid aqueous titrant retained in a nonaqueous sample stream. Agarose beads with internally bound pH indicator served as a pH sensing membrane material swollen with aqueous NaOH titrant. The indicator monitored the remaining titrant within the agarose beads during perfusion with H(2)SO(4) in 1-butanol samples. Irreversible reaction of 2 mg bead layers was made possible by automated packing and disposal in a flow cell. This strategy substituted membrane advantages for the burdens of mixing and unnecessary dilution under laminar flow conditions. The agarose environment was conditioned with NaCl to tolerate dissolved salt in the sample. Transmittance measurements were made via fiber optics through FEP PTFE optical windows. A simple inverse relationship held between endpoint volume and acid concentration so that calibration curves were linear, R(2) = 0.9980.     

Dietary fats containing concentrates ofcis ortrans octadecenoates and the patterns of polyunsaturated fatty acids of liver phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine

The effects of the mixedcis- 18∶1 isomers and mixedtrans-18∶1 isomers present in partially hydrogenated soybean oil (PHSO) upon the patterns of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in liver phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were studied in rats fed concentrates ofcis- 18∶1 ortrans- 18∶1 isomers isolated as triacylglycerides from PHSO. Thecis- 18∶1 andtrans- 18∶1 concentrates were fed at levels equal to those present in PHSO fed at 17.9% of the diet. All diets contained the required amounts of both linoleic and linolenic acids. Thetrans- 18∶1 concentrate was found to suppress the levels of 20∶4ω6 and 20∶3ω9, and to increase the levels of 18∶2ω6 and 20∶5ω3 in PC and PE. Thecis- 18∶1 concentrate suppressed 20∶4ω6 in PC, 20∶5ω3 in PC and PE, and 18∶2ω6 was more effective than thetrans concentrate in suppressing 22∶6ω3. Thetrans- 18∶1 concentrate was more effective in suppressing 20∶4ω6. Thetrans-18∶ isomers appear to modify PUFA metabolism by inhibition of PUFA synthesis, whereas thecis- 18∶1isomers appear to compete with 2-position fatty acyl transfer and to inhibit ω3 PUFA acylation.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acids of serum lipids in myocardial infarction

Two groups of volunteers had blood drawn for serum analysis of fatty acids. The first group was comprised of patients admitted to the hospital with possible myocardial infarction (MI). Blood was drawn at admission and at 12, 24 and 48 hr. These patients were subsequently divided into three groups, those with MI, those without (No MI) and those taking prostaglandin inhibitors (PGI), on the basis of the cardiac enzymes, electrocardiograms and clinical history. A fourth group of Normal nonstressed people was also drawn at 0, 12, 24 and 48 hr for comparison. Fatty acid composition of phospholipids (PL), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), triglycerides (TG) and cholesteryl esters (CE) was determined by capillary gas chromatography (GC), and comparison were made between the MI, No MI, PGI and Normal groups. Total NEFA were significantly elevated in patients admitted for possible MI compared with Normals. Those patients with MI had marginally higher levels of NEFA than the No MI group at each sampling time, but this difference was not statistically significant. The MI, No MI and PGI groups had significantly different fatty acid patterns in NEFA with reduced percentages of arachidonic acid (AA) than controls. The fatty acid patterns in the four lipid classes showed few significant differences comparing the MI, No MI and PGI groups. The regular use of prostaglandin inhibitors before hospitalization for chest pain was associated with a reduced frequency of MI (p<0.002). NEFA levels, nonesterified AA levels and fatty acid patterns in this group did not differ from those patients not taking prostaglandin inhibitors. Part of this work was presented at the 78th American Oil Chemists’ Society Annual Meeting, May 17–21, 1987.     

The effect of kind of dietary carbohydrate upon the composition of liver fatty acids of the rat

Weanling male rats were fed fat-free diets containing either starch, sucrose, glucose or maltose as principal ingredient. One fourth of each group was fed oral supplements of linoleate. Subgroups of the fat-free groups were killed at 1, 3 and 6 weeks and the lmoleate supplemented group also at 6 weeks. Liver fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography. All groups showed changes in fatty acid composition characteristic of essential fatty acid deficiency, and linoleate reversed these changes. The three sugars induced similar compositions of liver fatty acids, but starch stimulated appearance of higher proportions of several odd-chain fatty acids. These included 15:0, 15:1, 17:0, 17:1, 17:2, 19:0, 19:1, 19:2, 19:3 and 19:4. These changes could not be accounted for by their content in the dietary starch. Presented at the AOCS meeting, Houston, April, 1965. Visitor under the AID Program of the United States State Department.     

Diets rich in lean beef increase arachidonic acid and long-chain ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in plasma phospholipids

Diets rich in meat are claimed to contribute to the high tissue arachidonic acid (20∶4ω6) content in people in Westernized societies, but there are very few direct data to substantiate this assertion. Because meat contains a variety of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) that are susceptible to oxidation, we initially examined the effect of cooking on the long-chain PUFA content of beef, and then determined the effect of ingestion of lean beef on the concentration of long-chain PUFA in plasma phospholipids (PL). First, we examined the effect of grilling (5–15 min) and frying (10 min) different cuts of fat-trimmed lean beef on the long-chain PUFA content. Second, we investigated the effect of including 500 g lean beef daily (raw weight) for 4 wk on the fatty acid content and composition of plasma PL in 33 healthy volunteers. This study was part of a larger trial investigating the effect of lean beef on plasma cholesterol levels. In the first two weeks, the subjects ate a very low-fat diet (10% energy) followed by an increase in the dietary fat by 10% each week for the next 2 wk. The added fat consisted of beef fat, or olive oil (as the oil or a margarine) or safflower oil (as the oil or a margarine). This quantity of beef provided 60, 230, 125, 140 and 20 mg/d, respectively, of eicosatrienoic acid (20∶3ω6), 20∶4ω6, eicosapentaenoic acid (20∶5ω3), docosapentaenoic acid (22∶5ω3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22∶6ω3). Grilling for 10–15 min, but not frying, of the fat-trimmed lean beef resulted in 20–30% losses of the 20 and 22 carbon PUFA. The consumption of the lean beef during the first two-week period, when there was a very low level of dietary fat, was associated with significant increases in the proportion and concentration of 20∶3ω6, 20∶4ω6, 20∶5ω3 and 22∶5ω3 in the plasma PL and a significant decrease in the proportion and content of 18∶2ω6. The addition of beef fat or olive oil to the diets containing lean beef did not alter the plasma PL fatty acid profile compared with the very low-fat diet, whereas the addition of safflower oil maintained the significant increases in 20∶4ω6 and 22∶5ω3 but led to decreases in 18∶3ω3 and 20∶5ω3 compared with the very lowfat diet. The results showed that diets rich in lean beef increased the 20∶3ω6, 20∶4ω6 and the long-chain ω3 PUFA levels in the plasma PL. A high level of linoleic acid in diets rich in lean beef prevented the rise in the plasma level of 20∶3ω6 and 20∶5ω3, two fatty acids known to antagonize the effects of 20∶4ω6 on platelet aggregation.     

Institutions and indicators – The discourse about indicators in the context of sustainability

In order to implement policies towardssustainable development indicators are widelydiscussed to promote action in this direction.In addition, in many strategic documents onsustainable development (e.g., EU documents) theimportance of the development and use ofindicators is pointed out. In this contextindicators are meant to be used to supportpolitical decision making as well as toevaluate measurements towards sustainabledevelopment. In this article the developmentand use of indicators is questioned consideringtheir contextualisation and, hence, theirrelationship to existing institutions.Incorporating some of the main results from ananalysis of a regeneration programme in theLondon Borough of Southwark and from theanalysis of the Climate Protection Programme inthe city of Vienna, which are two of the casestudies examined during an EU funded projectcalled PASTILLE (Promoting Action forSustainability through Indicators at the LocalLevel in Europe), indicators are seen asdynamic sites of conflict and co-operationbetween policy actors. Different groups ofactors have diverse expectations or objectionsto this instrument. Indicators are, forexample, tools to augment transparency.Concerning certain institutional traditionsthis characteristic could explain opposition tothem.Indicators are meant to be another opportunityfor shaping the network of relationships,forging new relationships or reinforcing oldones. They are perceived as a means by whichactors seek to exercise power, retain statusand strive towards policy goals. The stabilityand fluidity of existing structures ofgovernance will, therefore, be central factorsin determining the history and future ofindicators promoting actions towardssustainable development. To put it differently,the central question of our paper is how thenature of institutions of governance is shapingthe use and development of indicators.     

Using a linked soil model emulator and unsaturated zone leaching model to account for preferential flow when assessing the spatially distributed risk of pesticide leaching to groundwater in England and Wales

Although macropore flow is recognized as an important process for the transport of pesticides through a wide range of soils, none of the existing spatially distributed methods for assessing the risk of pesticide leaching to groundwater account for this phenomenon. The present paper presents a spatially distributed modelling system for predicting pesticide losses to groundwater through micro- and macropore flow paths. The system combines a meta version of the mechanistic, dual porosity, preferential flow pesticide leaching model MACRO (the MACRO emulator), which describes pesticide transport and attenuation in the soil zone, to an attenuation factor leaching model for the unsaturated zone. The development of the emulator was based on the results of over 4000 MACRO model simulations. Model runs describe pesticide leaching for the range of soil types, climate regimes, pesticide properties and application patterns in England and Wales. Linking the MACRO emulator to existing spatial databases of soil, climate and compound-specific loads allowed the prediction of the concentration of pesticide leaching from the base of the soil profile (at 1 m depth) for a wide range of pesticides. Attenuation and retardation of the pesticide during transit through the unsaturated zone to the watertable was simulated using the substrate attenuation factor model AQUAT. The MACRO emulator simulated pesticide loss in 10 of 12 lysimeter soil-pesticide combinations, for which pesticide leaching was shown to occur and also successfully predicted no loss from 3 soil-pesticide combinations. Although the qualitative aspect of leaching was satisfactorily predicted, actual pesticide concentrations in leachate were relatively poorly predicted. At the national scale, the linked MACRO emulator/AQUAT system was found to predict the relative order of, and realistic regional patterns of, pesticide leaching for atrazine, isoproturon, chlorotoluron and lindane. The methodology provides a first-step assessment of the potential for pesticide leaching to groundwater in England and Wales. Further research is required to improve the modelling concept proposed. The system can be used to refine regional groundwater monitoring system designs and sampling strategies and improve the cost-effectiveness of the measures needed to achieve 'good status' of groundwater quality as required by the Water Framework Directive.