The influence of spruce wood heat treatment on its thermal stability and burning process

This paper deals with the assessment of the influence of heat treatment of Norway spruce wood (Picea abies L.) on its thermal stability and burning process. Three types of samples were used for the research. The first group was comprised of untreated samples. The second group was comprised of samples heat treated according to the ThermoWood—Thermo-S thermal programme (maximum temperature during heat treatment is 190 °C), and the third group was modified according to the ThermoWood—Thermo-D thermal programme (maximum temperature during heat treatment is 212 °C). The influence of heat treatment on the burning process was assessed based on the heat release rate, effective heat of combustion and the yield of carbon monoxide. The influence of heat treatment on the thermal stability was assessed based on the resistant residue weight. Heat release rate, effective heat of combustion, yield of carbon monoxide and resistant residue weight were determined with a cone calorimeter for different heat flux densities. The results obtained prove that the spruce wood heat treatment has an important influence on the decrease of the maximum heat release rate and the increase of resistant residue weight. The results obtained further prove that the heat treatment has only a modest influence on the increase of the carbon monoxide yield, and its influence on the effective heat of combustion significantly depends on the heat flux density.     

Are Phosphatidylcholine and Lysophosphatidylcholine Body Levels Potentially Reliable Biomarkers in Obesity? A Review of Human Studies

Phosphatidylcholines (PCs) are the major components of biological membranes in animals and are a class of phospholipids that incorporate choline as a headgroup. Lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) are a class of lipid biomolecules derived from the cleavage of PCs, and are the main components of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDLs) that are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Since obesity is associated with a state of chronic low-grade inflammation, one can anticipate that the lipidomic profile changes in this context and both PCs and LPCs are gaining attention as hypothetically reliable biomarkers of obesity. Thus, a literature search is performed on PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature (LILACS), and Excerpta Medica DataBASE (Embase) to obtain the findings of population studies to clarify this hypothesis. The search strategy resulted in a total of 2403 reports and 21 studies were included according to the eligibility criteria. Controversial data on the associations of PCs and LPCs with body mass index (BMI) and body fat parameters have been identified. There is an inverse relationship between BMI and most species of PCs, and a majority of studies exhibited negative associations between BMI and LPCs. Other findings regarding the differences between PCs and LPCs in obesity are presented, and the associated uncertainties are discussed in detail.