Sex and Depot Differences in Palmitoleic Acid Content of Human Blood and Fat

Palmitoleic acid has been classified as an insulin-sensitizing lipokine, but evidence for this from human studies has been inconsistent. We hypothesized that this is related to either the types of samples or conditions under which samples are collected. We measured plasma palmitoleic acid and total free fatty acids (FFA) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography in blood samples collected from 34 adults under a variety of conditions. We collected duplicate samples of adipose (n = 10), FFA (n = 9), and very low density lipoprotein triacylglycerol (VLDL-TAG) (n = 7) to measure the palmitoleic acid as a percentage of total fatty acids. We tested whether the percentage of palmitoleic acid was correlated with insulin resistance, as measured by homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Adipose stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD-1) protein was measured by capillary Western blotting. FFA-palmitoleic acid percentage increased as a function of total FFA and was greater (p < 0.005) in females than males. Adipose palmitoleic acid percentage was greater in females than males (p < 0.001), as was adipose SCD-1. Palmitoleic acid was greater in femoral fat than in abdominal fat in both females and males (p < 0.001), and correlated positively with HOMA-IR only in females. The test–retest reliability values for percentage palmitoleic acid were 7 ± 10% for adipose, 24 ± 26% for VLDL, and 53 ± 31% for FFA. Because FFA-palmitoleic acid percentage varies as a function of total FFA, investigators should re-evaluate how palmitoleic acid data is presented. The positive relationship between adipose palmitoleic acid and HOMA-IR in females suggests that it is not a potent insulin-sensitizing lipokine in humans.     

Effect of stoichiometry and Cu-substitution on the phase structure and hydrogen storage properties of Ml-Mg-Ni-based alloys

To improve the electrochemical properties of rare-earth–Mg–Ni-based hydrogen storage alloys, the effects of stoichiometry and Cu-substitution on the phase structure and thermodynamic properties of the ...     

Geopolymer assembly by emulsion templating: Emulsion stability and hardening mechanisms

This work investigates emulsion templating to synthesize hexadecane oil/geopolymer composites. In a system with hexadecane as the internal (dispersed) phase and an alkali activated continuous phase without added surfactant, adding aluminosilicate clay particles does not increase resistance against creaming or coalescence, while adding a surfactant (L35 or CTAB) stabilizes the solid-liquid interface. Infrared studies and rheological studies of the associated geopolymerization determined that the presence of the organic phase or surfactant has no significant effect on the geopolymerization kinetics, as determined by the change in time of the Si-O-T IR stretching frequency and the rheological moduli involved during the process. The stabilization of the organic template is reminiscent of Pickering emulsion even though we employ a much greater amount of inorganic material for geopolymer formation. Although the addition of surfactant has a significant effect on the behavior of the paste, the percolation of the network remains unmodified, highlighting the fact that the phenomenon is not dependent on viscosity. Finally, rheological measurements were used to obtain the mass fractal dimension of the as-made gel network, which is able to differentiate the interfacial effect between surfactant molecules with a slightly denser interphase when a cationic surfactant is used.     

Applications of Diglycolamide Based Solvent Extraction Processes in Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing,Part 1: TODGA

Over the last decade there has been much interest in the applications of diglycolamide (DGA) ligands for the extraction of the trivalent lanthanide and actinide ions from PUREX high active raffinates or dissolved spent nuclear fuel. Of the DGAs, the N,N,N’,N’-tetraoctyldiglycolamide (TODGA) is the best known and most widely studied. A number of new actinide separation processes have been proposed based on extraction with TODGA. This review covers TODGA-based processes and extraction data, specifically focusing on how phase modifiers have been used to increase metal loading and thus enhance the operating process envelopes. Effects of third phase formation and the organic phase speciation are reviewed in this context. Relevant aspects of the extraction chemistry of important solvents (TODGA-modifier-diluent combinations) are described and their performances demonstrated by a consideration of the published flowsheet tests. It is seen that modifiers are successfully enabling the use of TODGA in actinide separation processes but to date the identification and testing of suitable modifiers has been rather empirical. There is a growing understanding of the fundamental chemistry occurring in the organic phase and how that affects extractant speciation and metal loading capacity but studies are still needed if TODGA-based flowsheets are to become an industrially deployable option for minor actinide (MA) recovery processes.     

CFD Modeling of Active Volume Creation in a Non‐Newtonian Fluid Agitated by Submerged Recirculating Jets

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were employed to investigate flow conditions inside a model reactor in which yield stress non‐Newtonian liquid is mobilized using submerged recirculating jets. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results of active volume in the reactor obtained using flow visualization by the authors in a previous study. The models developed are capable of predicting a critical jet velocity (v_c) that determines the extent of active volume obtained due to jet mixing. The v_c values are influenced both by the rheological properties of the liquid and the nozzle orientation. The liquid with higher effective viscosity leads to higher v_c for a downward facing injection nozzle. However, an upward facing injection nozzle along with a downward facing suction nozzle generates enhanced complementary flow fields which overcome the rheological constraints of the liquid and lead to lower v_c.     

Preparation of ZrC/SiC porous self-supporting monoliths via sol-gel process using polyethylene glycol as phase separation inducer

We present a straightforward method via sol-gel process using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as phase separation inducer to prepare zirconium carbide/silicon carbide (ZrC/SiC) porous monoliths. Organic/inorganic hybrid gels are prepared using zirconium oxychloride, furfuryl alcohol, and tetraethyl orthosilicate as major starting materials. In the presence of PEG, crack-free hybrid monoliths are obtained by drying the wet gels under ambient pressure, whereas in the absence of PEG, the wet gels break into pieces as expected. PEG plays a key role in maintaining the macroscopic shape of the monoliths. After ceramization at 1300–1500?°C, ZrC/SiC porous monoliths are obtained. SEM and mercury intrusion porosimetry data show that PEG also has strong influence on the microstructures of the monoliths. The compressive strengths of the ceramic monoliths are in the range of 0.3 to 0.7?MPa. And their compressive behavior starts to differ due to the changes in their microstructures, especially the pore structure.     

Molten salt synthesis of MAX phases in the Ti-Al-C system

The molten salt method was used to synthesise the MAX phase compounds Ti₂AlC and Ti₃AlC₂ from elemental powders. Between 900–1000?°C, Ti₂AlC was formed alongside ancillary phases TiC and TiAl, which decreased in abundance with increasing synthesis temperature. Changing the stoichiometry and increasing the synthesis temperature to 1300?°C resulted in formation of Ti₃AlC₂ alongside Ti₂AlC and TiC. The type of salt flux used had little effect on the product formation. The reaction pathway for Ti₂AlC was determined to be the initial formation of TiC_1-x templating on the graphite and titanium aluminides.     

超高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定烟草中的噁霉灵残留

为降低烟草中噁霉灵检测中的基质干扰，提高检测灵敏度和和稳定性，通过试验建立了以QuEChERS为样品前处理方法、液相色谱串联质谱仪为检测仪器的烟草中噁霉灵残留检测方法。样品加水浸润后，经丙酮提取、盐析试剂包除水、石墨化炭黑除杂后，采用Agilent ZORBAX 300SB-C8液相色谱柱（2.1 mm×100 mm，1.8 μm）分离，甲醇-水程序洗脱，ESI雾化，串联质谱MRM检测。结果发现，该方法在0.0025~0.0500 mg/L范围内线性良好，决定系数r²=0.9996，定量检测限1.06 μg/L，回收率在90.8%~92.0%之间，相对标准偏差为5.1%。运用该方法测定烟草中的噁霉灵，操作简单，检测精度高，满足CORESTA对烟草农残检测的要求。