Removal of Sulfate,Phosphate and Colored Substances in Wastewater Effluents using Feldspar

Feldspar, among many natural substances such as termitemount-clay, saw-dust, kaolinite and dolomite, offers asignificant removal ability for sulfate, phosphate, and coloredsubstances. Optimization of experimental parameters such assolution pH and flow rate reveals, that the maximum efficiency forremoval of phosphate, sulfate, and colored substances is about42, 52, and 73% respectively. X-ray diffraction, adsorptionisotherm and recovery studies suggest, that the removal processof anions occurs via ion exchange in conjunction with surfaceadsorption. Furthermore, reaction rate studies indicate thatthe removal of the selected pollutants by feldspar follows first-order kinetics. Although the percent removal, under the optimized conditions, is higher for laboratory prepared solutions, efficiency is a little less for industrial effluentsdue to interferent effects.     

Effect of extraction methods and UHT treatment conditions on the level of isoflavones during soymilk manufacture

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of hot and cold grinding as well as the effect of direct and indirect ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment conditions on the level of isoflavones during the manufacture of soymilk. Soymilks were manufactured from dehulled soybeans by hot grinding or cold grinding processes. After inactivation of lipoxygenase at 85 °C, the resulting slurries were decanted and supernatants were held at 120 °C for 80 s to inactivate the trypsin inhibitor. The decanted soya bases were cooled and subjected to different temperature/time regimes by direct and indirect UHT treatments. Samples were drawn at different points in the processing operation and a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography method was used to determine the concentration of isoflavones. Results showed that hot grinding caused a higher extraction of isoflavones into the soymilk than the cold-grinding process. However, direct or indirect heating in the UHT process did not significantly influence the concentration of isoflavones.     

A review of transparent insulation systems and the evaluation of payback period for building applications

Research and development of transparent insulation systems (TI-systems) has been ongoing for 20 years with transparent insulation materials (TIMs) used to replace standard opaque insulation materials. TIM not only performs similar functions to opaque insulation, reducing heat losses and controlling indoor temperatures, but allows solar transmittance of more than 50%. With a thickness of less than 20 cm, it can provide a financial return to building occupants when applied to building facades, maximising occupiable and sellable spaces in urban areas, without compromising thermal comfort within buildings.In this review of TI-systems for building applications, drawbacks to previous applications, cost trends, and analysis of the limitation in information from previous studies are discussed. A major drawback in the development of TI-systems identified is the lack of cost information; the payback periods for TI-systems used in previous renovation projects are virtually unknown. Simple payback period calculations were undertaken based on information available from a demonstration project documented by the Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) Programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Task 20 “Solar Energy in Building Renovation”. The calculations indicated an encouraging 5–8-year payback period for this particular case study. It was concluded that the simple payback period calculation may be used for feasibility studies to indicate the time required to recoup investment when installing TI-systems and to provide initial guidance for building designers when evaluating the potential application of TI-systems in their buildings.     

Tissue microarrays for high-throughput molecular profiling of tumor specimens

The impact of oral treatment with insulin on disease development was studied in diabetes prone BB rats. Because of the positive outcome of a prior study in non obese diabetic (NOD) mice, BB rats received insulin in combination with a bacterial adjuvant. Porcine insulin was given orally twice weekly from 35-100 days of age, the E. coli preparation OM-89 was fed on alternate days. Other groups received vehicle, the bacterial adjuvant, or insulin alone. Both insulin containing oral dosing regimens induced a transient non significant delay in diabetes onset. Insulin alone, however did not decrease the final diabetes incidence. Oral dosing with insulin plus adjuvant caused exacerbation of disease development as judged from the decreased survival rate in comparison with the insulin treated group (p < 0.05). Intra-islet infiltration also increased (p < 0.005) compared with the insulin or vehicle treated groups. The effect correlated with enhanced interferon gamma (IFNgamma) and decreased interleukin 10 (IL-10) gene expression in the gut suggesting a shift towards proinflammatory T helper 1 (Th1) reactivity (p < 0.01). Although treatment with adjuvant alone also increased the degree of insulitis, an enhanced incidence of diabetes and a shift in cytokine expression was only seen in the group receiving insulin plus adjuvant. Taken together, the data suggest that treatment with a bacterial adjuvant and oral insulin may alter the gut immunoregulatory state such that disease promoting rather than protective immune responses are induced.     

Cultured rat and purified human Pneumocystis carinii stimulate intra- but not extracellular free radical production in human neutrophils

The production of free radicals in human neutrophils was studied in both Pneumocystis carinii derived from cultures of L2 rat lung epithelial-like cells and Pneumocystis carinii purified from human lung. Using the cytochrome C technique, which selectively measured extracellular superoxide generation, hardly any free radical production was observed after stimulation with cultured rat-derived P. carinii. A chemiluminescence technique, which separately measured intra- and extracellular free radical production, was subsequently employed to differentiate the free radical generation. It was established that 1) P. carinii stimulated intra- but not extracellular free radical production in human neutrophils, 2) opsonized cultured rat-derived P. carinii stimulated human neutrophils to a strong intracellular response of superoxide production, and 3) opsonized P. carinii, purified from human lung also stimulated human neutrophils to produce intracellular free radicals.     

Increased tendency towards gingival bleeding caused by joint effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation and acetylsalicylic acid

Alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) may play a role in the treatment of arterial thromboembolic disease, possibly by inhibiting platelet aggregation. Thus far, no clinical evidence exists for this effect. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on gingival bleeding either in combination with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or without it. This study was an end-point examination of a random sample of male smokers who had participated in a controlled clinical trial, the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC Study) for 5-7 years. The study included 409 men aged 55-74 years of whom 191 received alpha-tocopherol supplementation (50 mg/day); 56 used ASA, 30 received both and 132 received neither. Gingival bleeding was examined by probing with a WHO probe and reported as a percentage of bleeding sites adjusted by the logistic regression model. Gingival bleeding was more common in those who received alpha-tocopherol compared with nonreceivers among subjects with a high prevalence of dental plaque (P < 0.05). ASA alone increased bleeding only slightly. The highest risk of gingival bleeding was among those who took both alpha-tocopherol and ASA (33.4% of probed sites bleeding vs 25.8% among subjects taking neither alpha-tocopherol nor ASA, P < 0.001). In the ATBC Study, more deaths from haemorrhagic stroke and fewer from ischaemic heart disease were observed among those participants who received alpha-tocopherol compared with those who did not. Based on the results of the present study and the ATBC Study, we conclude that alpha-tocopherol supplementation may increase the risk of clinically important bleedings, particularly when combined with ASA.