179 research outputs found

    Effects of soiling and weathering on the albedo of building envelope materials: Lessons learned from natural exposure in two European cities and tuning of a laboratory simulation practice

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    Chemical and physical stress, weathering, organic and inorganic matter deposition, and microbial growth over time, or \u201caging\u201d, affect the optical-radiative performance of building envelope materials. Natural exposure helps to quantify these effects, but it usually requires several years. Further, the contribution of the different degradation agents cannot be isolated, and results from different campaigns cannot be easily compared because of the variability in the boundary conditions producing aging. Here we present an adaptation of the protocol implemented by ASTM as D7897-18 \u201cStandard Practice for Laboratory Soiling and Weathering of Roofing Materials to Simulate Effects of Natural Exposure on Solar Reflectance and Thermal Emittance\u201d. The aim is to reproduce in the laboratory the changes in albedo (solar reflectance) and thermal emittance experienced by building envelope materials in European urban areas rather than in the United States. We tuned the spraying duration and weathering cycles, and we compared the UV\u2013vis\u2013NIR reflectances of naturally-aged specimens (48 months in Rome and Milan) of roofing and wall finish materials to those exposed to laboratory weathering and soiling. Excluding those materials that show early physical-chemical degradation, the mean absolute deviation between natural and laboratory exposure of roofing products is equal to 0.027 in albedo. This is a lower value than the differences between two natural exposure campaigns at the same site. We clearly defined the limits of application of the protocol, providing an appraisal of the repeatability of natural aging. Moreover, we identified possible improvements in the methodology to conduct both natural and laboratory exposure

    Biohydrogenation of 22:6n-3 by Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus P18

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    Background: Rumen microbes metabolize 22:6n-3. However, pathways of 22:6n-3 biohydrogenation and ruminal microbes involved in this process are not known. In this study, we examine the ability of the well-known rumen biohydrogenating bacteria, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens D1 and Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus P18, to hydrogenate 22:6n-3. Results: Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens D1 failed to hydrogenate 22:6n-3 (0.5 to 32 mu g/mL) in growth medium containing autoclaved ruminal fluid that either had or had not been centrifuged. Growth of B. fibrisolvens was delayed at the higher 22:6n-3 concentrations; however, total volatile fatty acid production was not affected. Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus P18 hydrogenated 22:6n-3 in growth medium containing autoclaved ruminal fluid that either had or had not been centrifuged. Biohydrogenation only started when volatile fatty acid production or growth of B. proteoclasticus P18 had been initiated, which might suggest that growth or metabolic activity is a prerequisite for the metabolism of 22:6n-3. The amount of 22:6n-3 hydrogenated was quantitatively recovered in several intermediate products eluting on the gas chromatogram between 22:6n-3 and 22:0. Formation of neither 22:0 nor 22:6 conjugated fatty acids was observed during 22:6n-3 metabolism. Extensive metabolism was observed at lower initial concentrations of 22:6n-3 (5, 10 and 20 mu g/mL) whereas increasing concentrations of 22:6n-3 (40 and 80 mu g/mL) inhibited its metabolism. Stearic acid formation (18:0) from 18:2n-6 by B. proteoclasticus P18 was retarded, but not completely inhibited, in the presence of 22:6n-3 and this effect was dependent on 22:6n-3 concentration. Conclusions: For the first time, our study identified ruminal bacteria with the ability to hydrogenate 22:6n-3. The gradual appearance of intermediates indicates that biohydrogenation of 22:6n-3 by B. proteoclasticus P18 occurs by pathways of isomerization and hydrogenation resulting in a variety of unsaturated 22 carbon fatty acids. During the simultaneous presence of 18:2n-6 and 22:6n-3, B. proteoclasticus P18 initiated 22:6n-3 metabolism before converting 18:1 isomers into 18:0

    Submesothelial deposition of carbon nanoparticles after toner exposition: Case report

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    Inhalation of carbon nanoparticles (CNP) from toner dust has been shown to have impact on the respiratory health of persons exposed. Office printers are known emitters of CNP. We report about a female open office worker who developed weight loss and diarrhoea. Laparoscopy done for suspected endometriosis surprisingly revealed black spots within the peritoneum. Submesothelial aggregates of CNP with a diameter of 31-67 nm were found by scanning and transmission electron microscopy in these tissue specimens. Colon biopsies showed inflammatory bowel disease with typically signs of Crohn disease, but no dust deposits. Transport of CNP via lymphatic and blood vessels after inhalation in the lungs has to be assumed. In this case respiratory symptoms were not reported, therefore no lung function tests were done. We have shown that workers with toner dust exposure from laser printers can develop submesothelial deposition of CNP in the peritoneum. Impact of toner dust exposure on the respiratory health of office workers, as suspected in other studies, has to be evaluated further

    Properties of the OH Adducts of Hydroxy-, Methyl-, Methoxy-, and Amino-Substituted Pyrimidines: Their Dehydration Reactions and End-Product Analysis

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    Reactions of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) with 2-amino-4-methyl pyrimidine (AMP), 2-amino-4,6-dimethyl pyrimidine (ADMP), 2-amino-4-methoxy-6-methyl pyrimidine (AMMP), 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-methyl pyrimidine (AHMP), 4,6-dihydroxy-2-methyl pyrimidine (DHMP), 2,4-dimethyl-6-hydroxy pyrimidine (DMHP), 6-methyl uracil (MU), and 5,6-dimethyl uracil (DMU) have been studied by pulse radiolysis and steady-state radiolysis techniques at different pH values. The second-order rate constants of the reaction of •OH with these systems are of the order of (2−9) × 10^9 dm^3 mol^(-1) s^(-1) at near neutral pH. The difference in the spectral features of the intermediates at near neutral pH and at higher pH (10.4) obtained with these pyrimidines are attributed to the deprotonation of the OH adducts. The G(TMPD•+) obtained at pH ∼ 6, from the electron-transfer reactions of the oxidizing intermediates with the reductant, N,N,N‘,N‘-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD), are in the range (0.2−0.9) × 10^(-7) mol J^(-1) which constituted about 3−16% oxidizing radicals. These yields were highly enhanced at pH 10.5 in the case of AHMP, DHMP, DMU, and MU (G(TMPD^(•+)) = 3.8−5.5 ≅ 66−95% oxidizing radical). On the basis of these results, it is proposed that a nonoxidizing C(6)-ylC(5)OH radical adduct is initially formed at pH 6 which is responsible for the observed transient spectra. The high yield of TMPD•+ at higher pH is explained in terms of a base-catalyzed conversion (via a dehydration reaction) of the initially formed C(6)-ylC(5)OH adduct (nonoxidizing) to C(5)-ylC(6)OH adduct which is oxidizing in nature. Among the selected pyrimidines, such a dehydration reaction was observed only with those having a keto (or hydroxy) group at the C(4) position of the pyrimidine ring. Qualitative analyses of the products resulting from the OH adducts of DHMP (at pH 4.5) and DMHP (at pH 6) were carried out using HPLC-ES-MS and a variety of products have been identified. Glycolic and dimeric products were observed as the major end-products. The product profiles of both DHMP and DMHP have shown that the precursors of the products are mainly the C(6)-ylC(5)OH and the H adduct radicals. The identified products are formed mainly by disproportionation and dimerization reactions of these radicals. The mechanistic aspects are discussed

    Identification of a delta5-like fatty acyl desaturase from the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier 1797) involved in the biosynthesis of essential fatty acids

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    Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) have been identified as essential compounds for common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), but precise dietary requirements have not been determined due in part to the inherent difficulties of performing feeding trials on paralarvae. Our objective is to establish the essential fatty acid (EFA) requirements for paralarval stages of the common octopus through characterisation of the enzymes of endogenous LC-PUFA biosynthetic pathways. In this study we isolated a cDNA with high homology to fatty acyl desaturases (Fad). Functional characterisation in recombinant yeast showed the octopus Fad exhibited ∆5 desaturation activity towards saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acyl substrates. Thus, it efficiently converted the yeast’s endogenous 16:0 and 18:0 to 16:1n-11 and 18:1n-13, respectively, and desaturated exogenously added PUFA substrates, 20:4n-3 and 20:3n-6, to 20:5n-3 (EPA) and 20:4n-6 (ARA), respectively. Although the ∆5 Fad enables common octopus to produce EPA and ARA, the low availability of its adequate substrates 20:4n-3 and 20:3n-6, either in the diet or by limited endogenous synthesis from C18 PUFA, might indicate that EPA and ARA are indeed EFA for this species. Interestingly, the octopus ∆5 Fad can also participate in the biosynthesis of non-methylene interrupted FA, PUFA that are generally uncommon in vertebrates but that have been found previously in marine invertebrates including molluscs, and now also confirmed to be present in specific tissues of common octopus
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