Proper Application of ADR Techniques Regarding Violent Non-State Actors

Published in cooperation with the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolutio

Comparison and analysis of biobased/biodegradable and petrochemical cutlery flexibility

Biorenewable plastics are a potential solution to the growing problems of pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics, overcrowded landfills and America\u27s dependency on foreign petroleum. This study compares thirteen biobased/biorenewable cutlery brands with six petrochemical cutlery companies in terms of weight, stiffness, maximum load at failure, and specific stiffness (stiffness/weight). The Commercial Item Description (CID), which was created by the General Services Administration (GSA) within the U.S. Government, is the standard that defines the basic governmental specifications for biobased cutlery. The CID specification details that the utensils can have any percentage of biobased content and maximum deflection under certain loads. A biobased product for this study is defined by the GSA as a product determined by USDA to be a commercial or industrial product (other than food or feed) that is composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological products or renewable domestic agricultural materials (including plant, animal, and marine materials) or forestry materials. The results of this study show that several biobased products performed similar to or better than petrochemical products, while still meeting the CID specifications

The Hatching and Emergence of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) Hatchlings

Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) eggs were collected at the time of laying during the summer of 1977 on the beaches of Canaveral National Seashore and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Brevard County, Florida. The eggs were placed in land-lines buckets and maintained at ambient temperature in a house trailer hatchery. After 50 to 55 days of incubation whole or partial clutches were transferred to glass observation containers and covered to a depth of 20 cm. Hatching and emergence behavior were visually observed and activity was timed on an event recorder that was activated by four motion switches placed within or above the clutch. Pipping of the eggs occurred at a mean of 60.5 days after egg deposition. Emergence occurred at a mean of 61.8 hours after pipping and 63.1 days after egg deposition. The hatching and emergence sequence was described. It was concluded that hatching and emergence were socially facilitated. A mechanism for socially facilitated hatching was proposed. Volumetric reduction of the nest behavior before or during pipping was described. Emergence may be inhibited by rising temperatures in the morning and stimulated by falling temperatures within a certain range at night. Social facilitation, in addition to the obvious value of providing a means for reaching the surface, was apparently advantageous to hatchlings as they emerged and raced towards the surf en masse. Under these conditions predators are likely to be efficient than they would be if hatchlings emerged singly

Технолгия очистки отходящих газов при производстве ферросплавов

В статье рассматривается проблема выбросов в атмосферу загрязненных отходящих газов в процессе выплавки ферросплавов. Предложена технологическая схема для очистки газов в ферросплавном производстве.The article considers the problem of emissions of polluted waste gases into the atmosphere during the smelting of ferroalloys. A technological scheme for purification of gases in ferroalloy production is proposed

Experiences of women who have lost young children to AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a qualitative study

Background AIDS continues to be the leading cause of death in South Africa. Little is known about the experiences of mothers who have lost a young child to AIDS. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of women who had lost a young child to HIV/AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 women who had lost a child to AIDS. The average age of the deceased children was six years. Interviews were also conducted with 12 key informants to obtain their perspectives on working with women who had lost a child to AIDS. A thematic analysis of the transcripts was performed. Results In addition to the pain of losing a child, the women in this study had to endure multiple stresses within a harsh and sometimes hostile environment. Confronted with pervasive stigma and extreme poverty, they had few people they could rely on during their child\u27s sickness and death. They were forced to keep their emotions to themselves since they were not likely to obtain much support from family members or people in the community. Throughout the period of caring for a sick child and watching the child die, they were essentially alone. The demands of caring for their child and subsequent grief, together with daily subsistence worries, took its toll. Key informants struggled to address the needs of these women due to several factors, including scarce resources, lack of training around bereavement issues, reluctance by people in the community to seek help with emotional issues, and poverty. Conclusions The present study offers one of the first perspectives on the experiences of mothers who have lost a young child to AIDS. Interventions that are tailored to the local context and address bereavement issues, as well as other issues that affect the daily lives of these mothers, are urgently needed. Further studies are needed to identify factors that promote resilience among these women

Addition of a dairy fraction rich in milk fat globule membrane to a high-saturated fat meal reduces the postprandial insulinaemic and inflammatory response in overweight and obese adults.

Meals high in SFA, particularly palmitate, are associated with postprandial inflammation and insulin resistance. Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) has anti-inflammatory properties that may attenuate the negative effects of SFA-rich meals. Our objective was to examine the postprandial metabolic and inflammatory response to a high-fat meal composed of palm oil (PO) compared with PO with an added dairy fraction rich in MFGM (PO+MFGM) in overweight and obese men and women (n 36) in a randomised, double-blinded, cross-over trial. Participants consumed two isoenergetic high-fat meals composed of a smoothie enriched with PO with v. without a cream-derived complex milk lipid fraction ( dairy fraction rich in MFGM) separated by a washout of 1-2 weeks. Serum cytokines, adhesion molecules, cortisol and markers of inflammation were measured at fasting, and at 1, 3 and 6 h postprandially. Glucose, insulin and lipid profiles were analysed in plasma. Consumption of the PO + MFGM v. PO meal resulted in lower total cholesterol (P = 0·021), LDL-cholesterol (P = 0·046), soluble intracellular adhesion molecule (P = 0·005) and insulin (P = 0·005) incremental AUC, and increased IL-10 (P = 0·013). Individuals with high baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (≥3 mg/l, n 17) had higher (P = 0·030) insulin at 1 h after the PO meal than individuals with CRP concentrations <3 mg/l (n 19). The addition of MFGM attenuated this difference between CRP groups. The addition of a dairy fraction rich in MFGM attenuated the negative effects of a high-SFA meal by reducing postprandial cholesterol, inflammatory markers and insulin response in overweight and obese individuals, particularly in those with elevated CRP

Consumption of a high-fat meal containing cheese compared with a vegan alternative lowers postprandial C-reactive protein in overweight and obese individuals with metabolic abnormalities: a randomised controlled cross-over study.

Dietary recommendations suggest decreased consumption of SFA to minimise CVD risk; however, not all foods rich in SFA are equivalent. To evaluate the effects of SFA in a dairy food matrix, as Cheddar cheese, v. SFA from a vegan-alternative test meal on postprandial inflammatory markers, a randomised controlled cross-over trial was conducted in twenty overweight or obese adults with metabolic abnormalities. Individuals consumed two isoenergetic high-fat mixed meals separated by a 1- to 2-week washout period. Serum was collected at baseline, and at 1, 3 and 6 h postprandially and analysed for inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, IL-18, TNFα, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)), acute-phase proteins C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid-A (SAA), cellular adhesion molecules and blood lipids, glucose and insulin. Following both high-fat test meals, postprandial TAG concentrations rose steadily (P < 0·05) without a decrease by 6 h. The incremental AUC (iAUC) for CRP was significantly lower (P < 0·05) in response to the cheese compared with the vegan-alternative test meal. A treatment effect was not observed for any other inflammatory markers; however, for both test meals, multiple markers significantly changed from baseline over the 6 h postprandial period (IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, TNFα, MCP-1, SAA). Saturated fat in the form of a cheese matrix reduced the iAUC for CRP compared with a vegan-alternative test meal during the postprandial 6 h period. The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov under NCT01803633

Towards the decontamination of plutonium contaminated bricks:Creation of a cerium-based simulant contamination system

There is a need for the decontamination of a number of plutonium-contaminated bricks encountered in a legacy BUTEX reprocessing plant on Sellafield site in the UK. Documentary review has indicated that the source of the contamination was a 8 mol dm -3 nitric acid process stream containing 10 mmol dm -3 of Pu in either the (III) or (IV) oxidation state. Here we have sought to emulate the behaviour of Pu(III) by treatment of fired clay brick surfaces with a solution of 10 mmol dm -3 Ce(III) nitrate in 8 mol dm -3 nitric acid. XRD, porosimetry and EDX measurements of the untreated bricks reveal them to be comprised of low porosity silica and aluminosilicate phases with a surface layer of a low-Si content Al-C-N oxide derived from the atmosphere of the kiln in which the bricks were fired. Depth profiling after an initial 6 week acid soak reveals that the acid penetrates <10 mm into the brick. SEM/EDX analysis reveals that acid treatment significantly roughens the brick surface due to dissolution the above described Al-C-N oxide layer. The EDX data also shows that virtually no Ce is retained as tenacious contamination at the brick surface; this may be due to a either a mass action/kinetic effect or taken to indicate that trivalent Ce(III) is less likely to absorb at the crystalline silica/aluminosilicate surface of the brick than its more easily hydrolysable tetravalent equivalent. Preliminary higher-resolution EDX analysis indicates that small quantities of Ce(III) can be detected in pores or cracks on the surface of acid-treated brick samples. This suggests that Ce(III) may be non-tenaciously sequestered into surface defects - and that a simple salt wash may be sufficient to remove it. Based on the above observations, potential decontamination strategies are discussed and future studies outlined

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry compared with anthropometry in relation to cardio-metabolic risk factors in a young adult population: Is the ‘Gold Standard’ tarnished?

Background and Aims: Assessment of adiposity using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been considered more advantageous in comparison to anthropometryfor predicting cardio-metabolic risk in the older population, by virtue of its ability to distinguish total and regional fat. Nonetheless, there is increasing uncertainty regarding the relative superiority of DXA and little comparative data exist in young adults. This study aimed to identify which measure of adiposity determined by either DXA or anthropometry is optimal within a range of cardio-metabolic risk factors in young adults. Methods and Results: 1138 adults aged 20 years were assessed by DXA and standard anthropometry from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Cross-sectional linear regression analyses were performed. Waist to height ratio was superior to any DXA measure with HDL-C. BMI was the superior model in relation to blood pressure than any DXA measure. Midriff fat mass (DXA) and waist circumference were comparable in relation to glucose. For all the other cardio-metabolic variables, anthropometricand DXA measures were comparable. DXA midriff fat mass compared with BMI or waist hip ratio was the superior measure for triglycerides, insulin and HOMA-IR. Conclusion: Although midriff fat mass (measured by DXA) was the superior measure with insulin sensitivity and triglycerides, the anthropometricmeasures were better or equal with various DXA measures for majority of the cardio-metabolic risk factors. Our findings suggest, clinical anthropometry is generally as useful as DXA in the evaluation of the individual cardio-metabolic risk factors in young adults

Laboratory Evaluation of Underwater Grouting of CPP-603 Basins

A project is underway to deactivate a Fuel Storage Basin. The project specifies the requirements and identifies the tasks that will be performed for deactivation of the CPP- 603 building at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The Fuel Receiving and Storage Building (CPP- 603) was originally used to receive and store spent nuclear fuel from various facilities. The area to undergo deactivation includes the three spent nuclear fuel storage basins and a transfer canal (1.5 million gallons of water storage). Deactivation operations at the task site include management of the hot storage boxes and generic fuel objects, removal of the fuel storage racks, basin sludge, water evaporation and basin grouting, and interior equipment, tanks, and associated components. This includes a study to develop a grout formulation and placement process for this deactivation project. Water will be allowed to passively evaporate to r educe the spread of contamination from the walls of the basin. The basins will be filled with grout, underwater, as the water evaporates to maintain the basin water at a safe level. The objective of the deactivation project is to eliminate potential exposure to hazardous and radioactive materials and eliminate potential safety hazards associated with the CPP-603 building