Studies on meso-zeaxanthin for potential toxicity and mutagenicity

a b s t r a c t The purpose of these studies was to examine the potential toxicity and genotoxicity of meso-zeaxanthin (MZ). Toxicity was assessed by administering MZ daily to rats for 13 weeks followed by a 4-week recovery period. Potential genotoxicity was assessed in separate experiments using the Ames test method. Rats were randomly assigned to four groups to receive corn oil (control) or MZ at dose levels of 2, 20 and 200 mg/kg/day by oral gavage (10/sex/group). Additional rats (five of each sex) in the control and the 200 mg/kg/day groups were retained for the recovery period. No compound-related clinical, biochemical or pathological signs or symptoms were noted and the no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) of MZ was >200 mg/kg/day. To investigate genotoxicity, MZ was tested for its ability to induce reverse mutations (±microsomal enzymes) at 2 genomic loci; the histidine locus of 4 strains of Salmonella typhimurium and the tryptophan locus of Escherichia coli strain WP2uvrA. Six doses of MZ ranging from 10 to 5000 lg/ plate were tested twice with vehicle and positive controls using 3 plates/dose. MZ did not cause any increase in the mean number of revertants/plate with any bacterial strain, with or without microsomal enzymes, and was therefore unlikely to be mutagenic

Infrared Lightcurves of Near Earth Objects

We present lightcurves and derive periods and amplitudes for a subset of 38 near earth objects (NEOs) observed at 4.5 microns with the IRAC camera on the the Spitzer Space Telescope, many of them having no previously reported rotation periods. This subset was chosen from about 1800 IRAC NEO observations as having obvious periodicity and significant amplitude. For objects where the period observed did not sample the full rotational period, we derived lower limits to these parameters based on sinusoidal fits. Lightcurve durations ranged from 42 to 544 minutes, with derived periods from 16 to 400 minutes. We discuss the effects of lightcurve variations on the thermal modeling used to derive diameters and albedos from Spitzer photometry. We find that both diameters and albedos derived from the lightcurve maxima and minima agree with our previously published results, even for extreme objects, showing the conservative nature of the thermal model uncertainties. We also evaluate the NEO rotation rates, sizes, and their cohesive strengths.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, to appear in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie

The Discovery of Cometary Activity in Near-Earth Asteroid (3552) Don Quixote

The near-Earth object (NEO) population, which mainly consists of fragments from collisions between asteroids in the main asteroid belt, is thought to include contributions from short-period comets as well. One of the most promising NEO candidates for a cometary origin is near-Earth asteroid (3552) Don Quixote, which has never been reported to show activity. Here we present the discovery of cometary activity in Don Quixote based on thermal-infrared observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope in its 3.6 and 4.5 {\mu}m bands. Our observations clearly show the presence of a coma and a tail in the 4.5 {\mu}m but not in the 3.6 {\mu}m band, which is consistent with molecular band emission from CO2. Thermal modeling of the combined photometric data on Don Quixote reveals a diameter of 18.4 (-0.4/+0.3) km and an albedo of 0.03 (-0.01/+0.02), which confirms Don Quixote to be the third-largest known NEO. We derive an upper limit on the dust production rate of 1.9 kg s^-1 and derive a CO2 gas production rate of (1.1+-0.1)10^26 molecules s^-1. Spitzer IRS spectroscopic observations indicate the presence of fine-grained silicates, perhaps pyroxene rich, on the surface of Don Quixote. Our discovery suggests that CO2 can be present in near-Earth space over a long time. The presence of CO2 might also explain that Don Quixote's cometary nature remained hidden for nearly three decades.Comment: 40 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Ap

INTERDEPENDENT INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT

Prepared for: Federal Emergency Management AgencyThe U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is a territory comprised of three main islands—Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas—and a number of smaller surrounding islands, located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles approximately 40 miles east of Puerto Rico and over 1,100 miles from Miami, Florida. In September 2017, two Category-5 hurricanes made landfall within a two-week period and collectively devastated the homes, businesses, and infrastructure throughout the Territory.This technical report (1) explains the structure, function, and tensions associated with energy, water, transportation, and communication infrastructure that were chronic problems prior to the hurricanes; (2) documents hurricane response, recovery, and mitigation activities for these infrastructure systems after the hurricanes; and (3) provides concrete approaches to overcome potential barriers to resilience (where they exist) and open questions for research (where they do not yet exist).Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

NEOSurvey 1: Initial Results from the Warm Spitzer Exploration Science Survey of Near-Earth Object Properties

Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are small Solar System bodies whose orbits bring them close to the Earth's orbit. We are carrying out a Warm Spitzer Cycle 11 Exploration Science program entitled NEOSurvey --- a fast and efficient flux-limited survey of 597 known NEOs in which we derive diameter and albedo for each target. The vast majority of our targets are too faint to be observed by NEOWISE, though a small sample has been or will be observed by both observatories, which allows for a cross-check of our mutual results. Our primary goal is to create a large and uniform catalog of NEO properties. We present here the first results from this new program: fluxes and derived diameters and albedos for 80 NEOs, together with a description of the overall program and approach, including several updates to our thermal model. The largest source of error in our diameter and albedo solutions, which derive from our single band thermal emission measurements, is uncertainty in eta, the beaming parameter used in our thermal modeling; for albedos, improvements in Solar System absolute magnitudes would also help significantly. All data and derived diameters and albedos from this entire program are being posted on a publicly accessible webpage at nearearthobjects.nau.edu .Comment: AJ in pres

Excess Costs Associated with Possible Misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease Among Patients with Vascular Dementia in a UK CPRD Population

The authors would like to acknowledge Julie von Ziegenweidt and Annie Burden (Research in Real Life, UK) for assistance with processing and interpretation of CPRD data, and Gillian Gummer and Caroline Spencer (Rx Communications, Mold, UK) for medical writing assistance with the preparation of this article, funded by Eli Lilly and Company. Authors’ disclosures available online (http://j-alz. com/manuscript-disclosures/15-0685r2).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Collapsible Coffee Maker

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Fall 2007Seventy-five percent of Americans drink coffee daily, making coffee makers some of the most used appliances in everyday life. However, due to their bulky and rigid structures, existing coffee makers are not easily transportable. The National Science Foundation Engineering Resource Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems has presented the task to develop a collapsible coffee maker design, manufacture a prototype of said design and present the results at the College of Engineering Design Expo on December 6th, 2007. Using market research, qualitative modeling and quantitative engineering analysis, our team developed a product which meets all the requirements of the proposed project.NSF Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systemshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream//1/me450f07project2_report.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57891/1/me450f07project2_report.pd

Impact of paternal deployment to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and paternal post-traumatic stress disorder on the children of military fathers

Background Little is known about the social and emotional well-being of children whose fathers have been deployed to the conflicts in Iraq/ Afghanistan or who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Aims To examine the emotional and behavioural well-being of children whose fathers are or have been in the UK armed forces, in particular the effects of paternal deployment to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan and paternal PTSD. Method Fathers who had taken part in a large tri-service cohort and had children aged 3–16 years were asked about the emotional and behavioural well-being of their child(ren) and assessed for symptoms of PTSD via online questionnaires and telephone interview. Results In total, 621 (67%) fathers participated, providing data on 1044 children. Paternal deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan was not associated with childhood emotional and behavioural difficulties. Paternal probable PTSD were associated with child hyperactivity. This finding was limited to boys and those under 11 years of age. Conclusions This study showed that adverse childhood emotional and behavioural well-being was not associated with paternal deployment but was associated with paternal probable PTSD

What determines adherence to treatment in cardiovascular disease prevention? Protocol for a mixed methods preference study

Background: Significant gaps exist between guidelinesrecommended therapies for cardiovascular disease prevention and current practice. Fixed-dose combination pills ('polypills') potentially improve adherence to therapy. This study is a preference study undertaken in conjunction with a clinical trial of a polypill and seeks to examine the underlying reasons for variations in treatment adherence to recommended therapy. Methods/design: A preference study comprising: (1) Discrete Choice Experiment for patients; and (2) qualitative study of patients and providers. Both components will be conducted on participants in the trial. A joint model combining the observed adherence in the clinical trial (revealed preference) and the Discrete Choice Experiment data (stated preference) will be estimated. Estimates will be made of the marginal effect (importance) of each attribute on overall choice, the extent to which respondents are prepared to trade-off one attribute for another and predicted values of the level of adherence given a fixed set of attributes, and contextual and socio-demographic characteristics. For the qualitative study, a thematic analysis will be used as a means of exploring in depth the preferences and ultimately provide important narratives on the experiences and perspectives of individuals with regard to adherence behaviour. Ethics and dissemination: Primary ethics approval was received from Sydney South West Area Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital zone). In addition to usual scientific forums, the findings will be reported back to the communities involved in the studies through sitespecific reports and oral presentations

The Ursinus Weekly, October 31, 1968

Evaluation favorable; Provincialism assailed • Nixon overwhelms Humphrey; Rightward trend reflected • Founders\u27 Day honors alumni; Honorary degrees conferred • Secret society members elected • Placement Office offers services to \u2769 graduates • Barbara Bruzgo crowned \u2768 Homecoming Queen • Editorial: Activities chaos • Grand Dragon at U.C.; Klan views stated • Grape conspiracy • Letters to the editor • Formation of a fourth party • Editorial: Literary dilemma • Arts forum features four faculty speakers • Opinion: Sulphuric acid + gas • Bears rip Garnet in Homecoming game after humiliating defeat at Muhlenberg • Gillespie and Gane selected as co-captains • Soccer team defeated by Mules and Delaware as Grau is injured • Inside track: And Drexel makes eighteen • Bearettes and West Chester battle here next Thursday • Magicians, Homecoming and R. J. Whatley • Flowers are still undefeated as I.T.F.L. enters fourth week; Beta Sig upsets Sig Rho, 12-7 • Del Valley\u27s QB is man to watch • Hockey team destroys opponents; Cash and Landis star, score 13 • Greek gleaningshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1165/thumbnail.jp