Wetting of powdered coals by alkanol-water solutions and other liquids

The wetting rates of powdered coals by alkanol-water solutions have been measured. A critical concentration of each alkanol is needed before any wetting occurs and this critical wetting concentration is lower for alcohols with longer carbon chains. A critical surface tension of 0.033 J m^?2 for Pocahontas No. 3 coal is estimated from the measured wetting concentrations. Studies with a Calvet microcalorimeter show that the heats of immersion of powdered coal in water-methanol mixtures vary smoothly with changing concentration, reaching a maximum value of 16 J g^?1 at 30 mol % methanol. Both for alkanols and other liquids, the heat of immersion of coal dust is released over long periods of up to nine hours.     

The effect of concentration and exposure in tests with methyl bromide and with phosphine on diapausing larvae of Ephestia elutella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera,Pyralidae)

Fumigations were conducted in a 17001. chamber with methyl bromide or phosphine, subjecting diapausing larvae of Ephestia elutella at 20°C, 70% r.h. to three selected concentration-time (CT) products over a wide range of concentrations and exposure periods. With concentrations of methyl bromide between 2·9 and 15·0 mg/l., the CT product required for 50 per cent mortality was about 80 mg hr/l. The threshold concentration for a lethal response was found to lie between 0·62 and 1·15 mg/l. while with a concentration of 20 mg/l, the LD 50 was increased beyond the selected range of CT products.With the lowest concentration of phosphine tested, 0·02 mg/l., an LD 50 of 4·6 mg hr/l. was obtained. As concentrations were raised from 0·02 to 0·27 mg/l., and exposure periods were correspondingly decreased, there was a gradual increase in the CT product required for a particular level of kill. With higher concentrations, much lower mortalities were obtained at each CT product tested, and with a concentration of 1·4 mg/l., no significant kill was observed with any exposure period tested. At concentrations around 1 mg/l., mortality with phosphine was very low in exposures of less than 6 hr.     

Dietary practices of women diagnosed with environmental sensitivity.

PURPOSE: Food avoidance is central to the treatment of environmental sensitivity (ES), a chronic, often debilitating, multisystem disorder characterized by adverse reactions to non-noxious levels of environmental substances. Because prolonged food avoidance could impact nutritional health, the purpose of this research was to assess adequacy and quality of diets consumed by women diagnosed with ES. METHODS: Twelve women aged 37 to 50 recruited from the Nova Scotia Environmental Health Clinic completed a four-day food record during the spring and summer of 1998. RESULTS: When adequacy of nutrient intake was assessed by comparison to the Estimated Average Requirement, the most limited nutrients in the diet were folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and magnesium. Only one woman exceeded the Adequate Intake for calcium. When diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index, the majority of women (75%) scored in the "needs improvement" category; intake of milk and dietary variety scored the lowest. Women consumed very few servings from "other foods", defined in the food guide as foods containing mostly sugar and mostly fat. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that women diagnosed with ES would benefit from counselling on ways to increase dietary variety, which would lead to improved nutrient intake, and ways to increase calcium intake.     

Diet quality of Atlantic families headed by single mothers.

PURPOSE: As part of a larger study on food insecurity and dietary adequacy of low-income lone mothers and their children in Atlantic Canada, we examined diet quality among household members. METHODS: Network sampling for 'difficult to sample' populations was used to identify mothers living below the poverty line and alone with at least two children under age 14. Trained dietitians administered 24-hour dietary recalls weekly for one month to mothers on the dietary intake of themselves and their children. We calculated Healthy Eating Index category scores for eligible mothers (129) and children (303) using Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating and the Nutrition Recommendations for Canadians. RESULTS: Diet quality of low-income lone mothers was poor (35.5%) or in need of improvement (64.5%), with no mother having a good diet. The diet quality of children varied by age, with 22.7% of children aged one to three having a good diet or needing improvement (74.6%), 2.1% of children aged four to eight and no child aged nine to 14 having a good diet, while the diets of about 85% of older children in both age categories needed improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Younger children seem to be protected from poor quality diets in households with limited resources to acquire food.     

Acute dietary PCPA treatment decreases the KD of brain [3H]5-HT binding in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, fed a high carbohydrate diet

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary PCPA on brain [3H]5-HT binding in rainbow trout. [3H]5-HT binding was quantitatively similar to that observed in mammalian species. Dietary treatment with PCPA had no effect on the Bmax of [3H]5-HT binding in either experiment while the KD was decreased in Experiment 1. These results demonstrate that [3H]5-HT binding affinity is increased following short term inhibition of 5-HT synthesis by PCPA in rainbow trout.     

Developing an interview guide to evaluate practice-based evidence in nutrition: use of the delphi technique

An interview guide was created for qualitative evaluation of the impact of Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN) on dietetic practice, and its success as a medium for knowledge translation and transfer (KTT). The Delphi technique was used to bring together a diverse group of experts (n=7) with extensive knowledge in KTT and evidence-based practice (EBP); these experts developed the interview guide content. The technique is an effective means of gathering expert input to inform evaluation tool development, particularly in the absence of accepted evaluation guidelines or pre-existing evaluation tools. Although challenges exist with the Delphi technique, it is an adaptable method that can be modified to meet a variety of needs. During this project, the technique was modified to meet specific needs, including participants' partial anonymity and starting material to reduce the number of required rounds. The resulting interview guide contained open-ended questions focused on respondents' understanding of EBP and PEN, use of PEN by dietitians in other disciplines, perceptions of the quality/usefulness of PEN, and barriers to and facilitators of PEN use.