Effect of total parenteral nutrition with linoleic acid-rich emulsions on tissue ω6 and ω3 fatty acids in the rat

Lipids - The effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with lipid emulsions containing ca. 48% 18∶2ω6 plus 8% 18∶3ω3 (Intralipid®) or 76% 18∶2ω6 plus 0.5%...     

Further investigations on Constraint Index testing of zeolites that contain cages

Zeolites such as SSZ-25 and SSZ-35 exhibit Constraint Indexes (CI) lower than expected. Two hypotheses for the origin of the lower CI values are that partial cages on the external surface of the zeolites significantly contribute to the overall conversions and that the large cages within the crystalline structures provide less steric hinderence at the active site than would be expected from the size of the pores. The effect of external surface activity is observed by comparing the as-synthesized materials to those passivated via dealumination with ammonium hexafluorosilicate. The external surface dealumination is verified by XPS and by the reduction in reactivity toward isopropanol dehydration observed from materials still containing their SDAs. The external surface of calcined zeolites is shown to have little influence on the CI value. Cage accessibility is investigated by comparisons of structures having larger cages to those that do not and by following the time dependent behavior of the CI values for these materials. The presence of large cages in the zeolites is shown to lower the CI values below those expected from the pore sizes, and the time dependence of the CI value can provide insight into the existence of these larger cage structures.     

Automatic processing in spider phobia: Implicit fear associations over the course of treatment.

This study evaluates the cognitive model of anxiety by investigating treatment-related changes in automatic associations to evaluate schematic processing. Spider-phobic participants (n=31) and healthy controls (n=30) completed fear-based Implicit Association Tests (IATs), which are reaction-time measures that tap implicit associations without requiring conscious introspection. The specific tasks involved classifying pictures of snakes and spiders along with semantic categorizations (good vs. bad, afraid vs. unafraid, danger vs. safety, and disgusting vs. appealing). Phobic individuals were assessed before and after group-based exposure treatment and 2 months later; controls were assessed at matched time points. Results supported clinical applications for implicit fear associations, including prediction of phobic avoidance, and treatment sensitivity of the fear- and disgust-specific automatic associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual abuse treatment for persons with developmental disabilities.

Recent research by the Sexual Abuse and Disability Project at the University of Alberta included a survey of 119 sexual abuse (SA) victims with developmental disabilities (DDs). Their responses indicated that SA treatment services for people with DDs are typically inaccessible, unavailable, and inappropriate. Inadequate treatment services appear to be due to the paucity of qualified professionals in the area of SA and DDs coupled with the slow development of appropriate SA treatment approaches. The application of adapted therapy approaches for people with DDs and examples of adapted SA treatment for children and women abused as children are presented. SA treatment issues for the developmentally disabled are discussed for practitioners' considerations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of mixed solvents on PCDTBT:PC70BM based solar cells

We investigated the effect of solvents on the morphology, charge transport and device performance of poly[N-9″-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₀BM) based solar cells. To carry out this investigation, chloroform and 1,2-dichlorobenzene were chosen as good solvents of the two compounds. Films prepared with chloroform exhibit larger domains than those prepared with 1,2-dichlorobenzene and their size increases with the amount of PC₇₀BM. Fine tuning of the domain size was realized by using a solvent of mixed chloroform and 1,2-dichlorobenzene. At a mixing ratio of 50%:50%, a power conversion efficiency of 6.1% was achieved on PCDTBT:PC₇₀BM (1:3) devices with an active area of 1 cm², under air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5 G) irradiation at 100 mW/cm².     

Iron oxide amended biosand filters for virus removal

Laboratory studies were performed to determine if the addition of iron oxides throughout biosand filter (BSF) media would increase virus removal due to adsorption. The proposed mechanism is electrostatic adsorption of negatively charged virion particles to positively charged iron oxides formed during the corrosion of zerovalent iron. Initial tests conducted using continuous flow, small-scale glass columns showed high MS2 bacteriophage removal in an iron-amended sand column (5log₁₀) compared to a sand-only column (0.5log₁₀) over 20 pore volumes. Additionally, two experiments with a column containing iron particles revealed 4log₁₀ and 5log₁₀ removal of rotavirus in the presence of 20 mg/L total organic carbon. Full-scale BSFs with iron particles removed >4log₁₀ MS2 for the duration of the experiment (287 days), while BSF with steel wool removed >4log₁₀ MS2 for the first 160 days. Plug flow for the BSF was shown to depend on uniformity between the iron oxide material and sand media grains. The results suggest that the duration of effective virus removal by iron-amended biosand filtration depends on source water conditions and the quantity and composition of iron material added. Overall, this study provides evidence that iron-amended BSFs may advance the field of point-of-use technologies and bring relief to millions of people suffering from waterborne diseases.     

Evaluation of a collective kitchens program: using the Population Health Promotion Model.

To evaluate the impact of the Calgary Health Region Collective Kitchen Program on various Population Health Promotion Model health determinants, data were collected through mail-in questionnaires that examined the members' (n=331) and coordinators' (n=58) perspectives of the program. Seventy-nine members (24%) and 26 coordinators (45%) were included in the study. Three incomplete questionnaires (from prenatal program members) were discarded. Sixty-one percent of members who reported income level and family size (n=61) had incomes below the low-income cut-off. Fifty-eight members (73%) reported improvements in their lives because of the program. Sixty-four members (81%) perceived they learned to feed their families healthier foods. The members reported their fruit and vegetable consumption before and since joining a collective kitchen, and the proportion of those consuming at least five fruit and vegetable servings a day rose from 29% to 47%. The most common reasons for joining this program concerned social interactions and support. Over 90% of the coordinators perceived that they were competent to coordinate a kitchen. The results indicate that the collective kitchens program addresses several health determinants, and may increase members' capacity to attain food security and to achieve improved nutritional health.