Effect of the New York State cigarette fire safety standard on ignition propensity, smoke constituents, and the consumer market

Objectives: This study examines empirical evidence from the New York experience testing tobacco industry arguments made in opposition to fire safety standards for cigarettes. Design: Percentages of cigarettes exhibiting full length burns (FLBs), cigarette sales before and following the implementation of the New York standards, a sample of retail cigarette prices, brand availability, and selected smoke constituent yields were compared between cigarettes sold in New York and two other states. Cigarette paper analysis was conducted on cigarettes sold in New York. Results: New York cigarette brands averaged 10.0% FLBs as compared to 99.8% for California and Massachusetts brands. Reduced ignition propensity (RIP) appears to have been achieved by cigarette paper banding. Cigarette sales, prices, and brand availability do not appear to have been affected by the New York standards. Yields of the majority of smoke constituents tested did not differ substantially between RIP cigarettes sold in New York as compared to the same brands sold in Massachusetts. Average yields of tar, carbon monoxide, and two compounds were slightly higher, the yields of seven compounds were higher for one brand only, and nicotine was lower, among New York brands tested. Conclusions: RIP cigarette brands have been designed to meet the New York fire safety standards. Their introduction has not affected cigarette sales or prices in New York. There is no evidence that the small increases in smoke constituent yields affect the already highly toxic nature of cigarette smoke. Data on smoking caused fires, deaths, and injuries dating from after the change in law are not yet available. Such data will be able to address the question of whether the demonstrated reduced ignition standards are associated with reduced fires and injuries. Based on the New York experience, prior industry objections to producing RIP cigarettes are unfounded. Other states and nations should adopt similar standards.     

Effect of genotype,maturity stage and post‐harvest storage on phenolic compounds,carotenoid content and antioxidant capacity,of Andean mashua tubers (Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruiz & Pavón)

The total phenolics, anthocyanins, flavan 3‐ols, carotenoids and antioxidant capacity of mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruiz & Pavón) tubers from 10 yellow and purple cultivars were determined at different maturity stages (5–7.5 months after planting) and sunning post‐harvest storage periods (7–35 days). Both the antioxidant capacity (ORAC and ABTS assays) and the content of the bioactive compounds tested varied markedly between cultivars. Purple varieties reached the highest antioxidant capacity during tuber development (271–446 µmol Trolox equiv g^?1 DM, ORAC assay). The kinetics of accumulation or disappearance of the bioactive compounds tested during maturation was dependent both on the cultivar and on the compound considered. For anthocyanins, there was a marked increase during maturation in all the purple cultivars. During the sunning post‐harvest storage, the changes in antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay) and content of the bioactive compounds tested also varied between cultivars. A marked decrease in anthocyanins was observed for the anthocyanin‐containing cultivars. In general, the correlation between antioxidant capacity and the content of bioactive compounds varied markedly between cultivars. Antioxidant capacity in purple varieties correlated with total phenolics or flavan 3‐ols while only in some yellow varieties antioxidant capacity correlated with total phenolics. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Life history of Teretriosoma nigrescens Lewis (Coleoptera: Histeridae) and its ability to suppress populations of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

The life history and behaviour of Teretriosoma nigrescens Lewis are typical of a histerid predator, but only 2, instead of the expected 3, larval instars were recorded. At 27°C, 70% r.h. development from oviposition to adult emergence took about 8 weeks. In 24 h at 27°C, 70% r.h., T. nigrescens adults and larvae, respectively, consumed on average up to 1.7 and 3.5 Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) larvae. After 7 weeks, 10 T. nigrescens adults prevented populations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 P. truncatus from increasing, while controls increased at least 10-fold. Grain moisture contents of between 8.5–14% had little effect on predatory efficiency.     

Ermittlung der zum Überlaufen von Sauerstoffaufblaskonvertern führenden Aufblasgeschwindigkeiten sowie der Größe fluider Partikeln in Gasströmen

Analogien zwischen dem Schäumen im Sauerstoffaufblaskonverter und dem Verhalten von Wirbelschichten. Quantitative Untersuchung der Höhe der Schaumschlacke. Aufstellung eines Nomogramms zur Ermittlung der Schaumschlackenhöhe bei Vorgabe der Sauerstoffaufblasgeschwindigkeit oder umgekehrt. Angabe von Maßnahmen zur Verminderung der Gefahr des Überlaufens. Abschätzung der Partikelabmessungen unter Berücksichtigung von Gasströmen als Zerkleinerungsmittel. Erörterung des Einflusses des entweichenden Kohlenmonoxids auf die Größe der fluiden Tropfen in der Schaumschlacke. Aussagen über bei Blasbeginn durch den Sauerstoffstrahl erzeugte Partikeln, deren Größe mit denen des braunen Rauches vergleichbar ist. Die Erzeugung der ?richtigen? Größe der Fluidpartikeln in der Schaumschlacke als Optimierungsproblem.     

Direct evidence for the role of haem doming as the primary event in the cooperative transition of haemoglobin

The study of cooperative ligand binding among the four subunits of haemoglobin has played a central role in the understanding of allosteric transitions in a large number of enzymes. Haem iron out-of-plane motion has been suggested to be the trigger for the cooperative transition of haemoglobin. To function as a trigger in a dynamic sense, haem-iron doming must be the first conformational change to occur following ligand dissociation. Here we present the first direct demonstration that haem-iron doming occurs on the same time scale as the breaking of the iron-ligand bond, thus establishing haem-iron doming as the primary event which lead to the R-->T transition in haemoglobin.     

Food allergy to peanuts in France--evaluation of 142 observations

BACKGROUND: The increase in frequency of peanut allergy and fatal cases have been reported. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to document the severity of food allergy to peanuts by evaluating the reactive dose of peanuts and to search for the role of peanut oil. METHODS: This study is carried out on the basis of 142 observations collected according to the same diagnostic methodology in two allergy centres in France. Skin-prick-tests were performed with peanut powder, peanut oil and peanut oil proteinic extract. Labial provocation tests were performed on 121 patients. The reactive dose of peanuts and the role of peanut oil were determined by standardized oral provocation tests in 50 and 62 patients respectively. The data are computerized and the data bank includes 509 food allergic patients. RESULTS: Allergy to peanuts represents 28% of food allergies and occurs under 1 year of age in 46% of cases, under 15 years of age in 93%. The clinical features were atopic dermatitis (40%), angioedema (37%), asthma (14%), anaphylactic shock (6%) and digestive symptoms (1.4%). The specific IgE were class 3 or higher in 80% of cases. The total reactive dose was less than 100 mg in 25% of cases, from 100 mg to 1 g in 62.5%. All patients reacted to a dose of less than 7.1 g. The threshold of peanut reactivity was lower than the threshold of egg reactivity. An allergy to peanut oil was demonstrated in 14 patients. CONCLUSION: The severity of peanut allergy and the early onset of the occurrence of this allergy is documented. The role of residual allergenic proteins in peanut oil is established by positive skin-prick tests to proteic extracts from peanut oil and by double-blind placebo-controlled challenges to peanut oil. The increased consumption of allergens in the form of peanut oil and fats can contribute to the occurrence or persistence of symptoms and may be suspected to increase the risk of sensitisation.     

Evolving magnetic resonance spinal cord trauma in child: from hemorrhage to intradural arachnoid cyst

Acquired arachnoid cysts of the spinal cord are uncommon causes of spinal cord compression in the pediatric group. Meningitis, trauma and hemorrhage are considered to be causative or contributing factors. Interestingly, no spinal arachnoid cysts have been reported in patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage or meningitis, conditions expected to cause arachnoid scarring. We describe a child of 1 year and 10 months with thoracic spine trauma with crural paraplegia and anesthesia at level T5 submitted to serial magnetic resonance imagery at 5 days and 18 months, after trauma showing evolution from subarachnoid hemorrhage and adhesions of the arachnoid space to a posterior hypertensive thoracic intradural arachnoid cyst.     

Simulations of microfluidic droplet formation using the two-phase level set method

Microdroplet formation is an emerging area of research due to its wide-ranging applications within microfluidic based lab-on-a-chip devices. Our goal is to understand the dynamics of droplet formation in a microfluidic T-junction in order to optimize the operation of the microfluidic device. Understanding of this process forms the basis of many potential applications: synthesis of new materials, formulation of products in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. The two-phase level set method, which is ideally suited for tracking the interfaces between two immiscible fluids, has been used to perform numerical simulations of droplet formation in a T-junction. Numerical predictions compare well with experimental observations. The influence of parameters such as flow rate ratio, capillary number, viscosity ratio and the interfacial tension between the two immiscible fluids is known to affect the physical processes of droplet generation. In this study the effects of surface wettability, which can be controlled by altering the contact angle, are investigated systematically. As competitive wetting between liquids in a two-phase flow can give rise to erratic flow patterns, it is often desirable to minimize this phenomenon as it can lead to a disruption of the regular production of uniform droplets. The numerical simulations predicted that wettability effects on droplet length are more prominent when the viscosity ratio λ (the quotient of the viscosity of the dispersed phase with the viscosity of the continuous phase) is O(1), compared to the situation when λ is O(0.1). The droplet size becomes independent of contact angle in the superhydrophobic regime for all capillary numbers. At a given value of interfacial tension, the droplet length is greater when λ is O(1) compared to the case when λ is O(0.1). The increase in droplet length with interfacial tension, σ, is a function of with the coefficients of the regression curves depending on the viscosity ratio.