The correlation of CA15.3 and TPS with tumor course in patients with metastatic breast cancer

Courts routinely award coverage for TMJ disorders under medical plans, despite exclusionary language and evidence that the insured failed to disclose preexisting treatment as required by the plan and neglected to attempt more conservative treatment first. Such decisions adversely affect both the health carrier and the plan participants. Various states have enacted legislation mandating coverage of TMJ; however, TMJ issues still exist and will remain a frequent topic for litigation until the judiciary recognizes that validating contract language ultimately benefits insureds as consumers and reinforces the integrity of the industry as a whole.     

Analysis of environmental particles by atomic force microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

Due to their large specific surface and their abundance, micro and nano particles play an important role in the transport of micropollutants in the environment. Natural particles are usually composed of a mixture of inorganic amorphous or crystalline material (mainly FeOOH, Fe(x)Oy, Mn(x)Oy and clays) and organic material (humics and polysaccharides). They all tend to occur as very small particles (1-1,000 nm in diameter). Most natural amorphous particles are unstable and tend to transform with time towards more crystalline forms, either by aging or possibly, by dissolution and re-crystallization. Such transformations affect the fate of sorbed micropollutants and the scavenging properties are therefore changed. As these entities are sensitive to dehydration (aggregation, changes in the morphology), it is highly important to observe their morphology in their natural environment and understand their composition at the scale of the individual particles. Also for the understanding and optimization of water treatment technologies, the knowledge of the occurrence and behavior of nano-particles is of high importance. Some of the possible particle analysis methods are presented: aggregation processes, biomineralization, bacterial adhesion, biofilms in freshwaters, ferrihydrite as heavy metals remover from storm water. These examples demonstrate the capabilities and focus of the microscopes. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows to analyze the particles in their own environment, meaning in air or in the water. Thus, native aspects of particles can be observed. As well, forces of interactions between particles or between particles and other surfaces such as membranes will be highly valuable data. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and for higher lateral resolution, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) allow measurement of the morphology and composition. Especially, TEM coupled with Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (TEM-EELS) is a powerful technique for elemental analysis. Finally, general guidelines for the effective use of microscopic techniques are provided.     

Characterisation of aquatic humic and non-humic matter with size-exclusion chromatography--organic carbon detection--organic nitrogen detection (LC-OCD-OND)

Size-exclusion chromatography in combination with organic carbon detection (SEC-OCD) is an established method to separate the pool of NOM into major fractions of different sizes and chemical functions and to quantify these on the basis of organic carbon. One specific approach, also known as LC-OCD-OND, is based on the Gräntzel thin-film UV-reactor. This approach is described with recent improvements in fraction assignation (humic substances, biopolymers, building blocks, low molecular weight organic acids and neutrals, hydrophobic organic carbon), the coupling of a novel organic nitrogen detector (OND), and an improved diagram for the characterisation of aquatic humic substances (HS-diagram). The diagram replaces the operational distinction between humic and fulvic acids by a continuum ranging from aquagenic fulvic acids to pedogenic humic acids.     

Influence of solute type and concentration on ice scaling in fluidized bed ice crystallizers

During crystallization of ice from aqueous solutions, ice crystals exhibit a marked tendency to adhere to the cooled heat exchanger wall resulting in the formation of an insulating ice layer, often referred to as ice scaling. A promising method to avoid ice scaling is the application of a solid-liquid fluidized bed heat exchanger in which fluidized steel particles remove the ice crystals from the walls. This paper presents experiments with a single-tube fluidized bed heat exchanger in which ice crystals were produced from aqueous solutions of various solutes with varying concentrations. The experiments reveal that ice scaling is only prevented when a certain temperature difference between wall and solution is not exceeded. This transition temperature difference appears to increase approximately linearly with the solute concentration and is higher in aqueous solutions with low diffusion coefficients. The observed phenomena are explained by the hypothesis that ice scaling is only prevented when the mass transfer controlled growth rate of ice crystals on the wall does not exceed the scale removal rate induced by the fluidized steel particles. In conclusion, a model based on these physical phenomena is proposed to predict ice scaling in fluidized bed heat exchangers.     

Influence of interactions between NOM and particles on UF fouling mechanisms

This study focused on the mechanistic effects of molecular interactions between inorganic particles (kaolinite) and the two main NOM fouling fractions of polysaccharides (alginate) and humics (humic acids) in ultrafiltration. Fouling effects were studied during the dead-end filtration of individual and mixed compounds as well as during the subsequent filtration of individual compounds. SEM analyses were performed to further study the fouling-layer structure. A significant synergistic effect was observed during combined particle-NOM fouling, which was considerably greater than the sum of particle and organic fouling alone. Synergistic fouling could be explained by NOM-particle interactions in the feed solution and during the fouling process. Kaolinite alone formed a fouling layer of particle aggregates, whereas humic acid adsorption onto kaolinite resulted in a fouling layer of stabilized colloids of humic acid and kaolinite. In the case of alginate, simultaneous pore-blocking and cake-layer formation of NOM and kaolinite dominated the fouling. In both cases, incorporation of the organics in the kaolinite fouling layer resulted in a fouling cake of significantly reduced porosity compared to individual particle filtration. Irreversible fouling by NOM could not be prevented by kaolinite. SEM images showed patches of the particle-fouling layer remaining on the membrane surface after backwashing, which can be linked to particle-membrane associations by NOM bridging.     

Dietary Mannan Oligosaccharides Modulate Gut Microbiota,Increase Fecal Bile Acid Excretion,and Decrease Plasma Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis Development

1 Scope

Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) have proven effective at improving growth performance, while also reducing hyperlipidemia and inflammation. As atherosclerosis is accelerated both by hyperlipidemia and inflammation, we aim to determine the effect of dietary MOS on atherosclerosis development in hyperlipidemic ApoE*3‐Leiden.CETP (E3L.CETP) mice, a well‐established model for human‐like lipoprotein metabolism.

2 Methods and results

Female E3L.CETP mice were fed a high‐cholesterol diet, with or without 1% MOS for 14 weeks. MOS substantially decreased atherosclerotic lesions up to 54%, as assessed in the valve area of the aortic root. In blood, IL‐1RA, monocyte subtypes, lipids, and bile acids (BAs) were not affected by MOS. Gut microbiota composition was determined using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and MOS increased the abundance of cecal Bacteroides ovatus. MOS did not affect fecal excretion of cholesterol, but increased fecal BAs as well as butyrate in cecum as determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

3 Conclusion

MOS decreased the onset of atherosclerosis development via lowering of plasma cholesterol levels. These effects were accompanied by increased cecal butyrate and fecal excretion of BAs, presumably mediated via interactions of MOS with the gut microbiota.     

Modeling of copper sorption onto GFH and design of full-scale GFH adsorbers

During rain events, copper wash-off occurring from copper roofs results in environmental hazards. In this study, columns filled with granulated ferric hydroxide (GFH) were used to treat copper-containing roof runoff. It was shown that copper could be removed to a high extent. A model was developed to describe this removal process. The model was based on the Two Region Model (TRM), extended with an additional diffusion zone. The extended model was able to describe the copper removal in long-term experiments (up to 125 days) with variable flow rates reflecting realistic runoff events. The four parameters of the model were estimated based on data gained with specific column experiments according to maximum sensitivity for each parameter. After model validation, the parameter set was used for the design of full-scale adsorbers. These full-scale adsorbers show high removal rates during extended periods of time.     

Prevention of fouling and scaling in stationary and circulating liquid–solid fluidized bed heat exchangers: Particle impact measurements and analysis

Fluidized particles in liquid–solid fluidized bed heat exchangers are able to remove deposits from the walls and thus to prevent fouling or scaling. This fouling prevention ability is believed to depend strongly on the frequency and force of particle–wall collisions. This paper presents piezoelectric measurements of impacts on the wall in both stationary and circulating fluidized beds of various particle sizes and bed voidages. Two types of impacts were measured, namely by collisions of particles on the sensor and by liquid pressure fronts induced by particle–particle collisions close to the sensor. The characteristics of both impact types are used to analyze the total impulse and energy exerted by impacts on the wall for various fluidized beds.     

Nanofiltration for the separation of pharmaceuticals from nutrients in source-separated urine

The potential of nanofiltration for the separation of pharmaceutical and estrogenic compounds from salts in urine was investigated with the aim of producing a micropollutant-free nutrient solution that can be used as a fertilizer. A fresh urine solution and a synthetic solution of similar inorganic composition were tested at different pH values in order to investigate their separation behavior. These solutions were spiked with the micropollutants propranolol, ethinylestradiol, ibuprofen, diclofenac and carbamazepine. Among the membranes tested, NF270 showed the best performance with respect to the retention of micropollutants. The optimum retention of micropollutants was obtained at values of around pH 5. At this point, the retention of all micropollutants in non-hydrolysed urine was above 92%, while the corresponding value for the synthetic urine solution was above 73%. From the results, it can be concluded that the retention mechanism is determined by steric and electrostatic effects as well as by the partitioning of the micropollutants in the membrane. The nutrients urea and ammonia were well permeated, but phosphate and sulfate were almost completely retained. Nanofiltration can consequently be used to produce a permeate which contains most of the nitrogen and a greatly reduced proportion of micropollutants.     

Transient responses of Candida utilis to oxygen limitation: Regulation of the Kluyver effect for maltose

The facultatively fermentative yeast Candida utilis exhibits the Kluyver effect for maltose: this disaccharide is respired and assimilated but, in contrast to glucose, it cannot be fermented. To study the mechanism of the Kluyver effect, metabolic responses of C. utilis to a transition from aerobic, sugar-limited growth to oxygen-limited conditions were studied in chemostat cultures. Unexpectedly, the initial response of maltose-grown cultures to oxygen limitation was very similar to that of glucose-grown cultures. In both cases, alcoholic fermentation occurred after a lag phase of 1 h, during which glycerol, pyruvate and D-lactate were the main fermentation products. After ca. 10 h the behaviour of the maltose- and glucose-grown cultures diverged: ethanol disappeared from the maltose-grown cultures, whereas fermentation continued in steady-state, oxygen-limited cultures grown on glucose. The disappearance of alcoholic fermentation in oxygen-limited chemostat cultures growing on maltose was not due to a repression of the synthesis of pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase. The results demonstrate that the Kluyver effect for maltose in C. utilis does not reflect an intrinsic inability of this yeast to ferment maltose, but is caused by a regulatory phenomenon that affects a key enzyme in maltose metabolism, probably the maltose carrier. The observed kinetics indicate that this regulation occurs at the level of enzyme synthesis rather than via modification of existing enzyme activity.