Geochemical Implication of some Chemical Fossils as Indicators of Petroleum Source Rocks

Chemical fossils (biomarkers) are molecules in crude oils, source rocks and sediments whose carbon structures or skeletons can be traced back to living organisms. Three of such diagnostic fossils have been typically reviewed with respect to maturation changes, precursor-product relationship, utility for source rock/crude oil, crude oil/crude oil correlations and role in basin development. Fingerprints (composition and distribution) of hopanes, oleananes and steranes have been highlighted. Defunctionalization and breakage of double bonds which occur during diagenesis as well as stereochemical changes which occur during catagenesis have also been highlighted. Napthenic hydrocarbons, such as steranes (C27 - C29) and triterpanes (C29 - C32), are useful in geochemical correlations because of their unique compound distributions and the fact that they are not seriously affected by migration, thermal alteration and biodegradation. Although individual biomarkers are in concentrations of only 10 to 200 ppm in crude oils, they can be accurately measured in spite of their unusual complexity and variety which find use in source rock correlation and maturation studies. Correlations using chemical fossil technology can be applied in real cases by recognizing the source chromatogram (GC) or fragmentogram of the hydrocarbon molecules in the oils to know whether they have the same biomarkers or similar geohistory of origin and migration. Therefore, genetically related oils are differentiated from unrelated oils on the assumption that the same source material and environment of deposition produce the same oil. Thus, a chemical fossil compound in a particular source rock would be expected to appear in the oils it generated. @JASE

Carboxymethylation of Icacina trichantha Oliv.Tuber Starch and Its Use as a Viscosifier and Fluid Loss Control Agent in Water Based Mud

Starch from a non-food wild plant- Icacina trichantha oliv.tuber was extracted, characterized and chemically modified by carboxymethylation to produce two new derivatives of two different degrees of substitution. The derivatives were used in the preparation of water based muds. The rheological and filtration properties of these new muds were compared to those of muds prepared with the underivatized native starch and a commercial drilling starch using viscometric and fluid loss methods. Experimental results showed that the new muds have better filtration control behavior and viscosity than those of the native and commercial drilling starches. The values of flow index of the new muds were found to be less than 1.0, showing non-Newtonian and Pseudoplastic flow behavior of drilling muds. Yield stress of the muds increased with the modification. Viscosity decreased with increasing shear rate, showing shear thinning behavior of drilling muds. The new muds were found to obey the API models for static filtration as well as Power law and Herschel–Bulkley models for fluid rheology. Keywords: Icacina trichantha oliv.;Carboxymethyl starch; drilling mud; filtration; rheology

Serum lipid and glucose concentration in relation to some physiological varibles in college students from Nnewi, Nigeria

Background: Serum lipid and glucose levels are largely determined by and or related to certain physical, physiological and biochemical parameters/variables. This study therefore, is aimed at determining the levels of serum lipid and glucose and the relationship between the serum lipid and glucose concentrations and the physical and physiological parameters/variables of apparently healthy individuals. Method: The blood samples of twenty-five medical students in the age range of 20 and 25 years were analyzed, for the serum glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels after overnight fast, and LDLc calculated.Result: The mean serum glucose, HDLc, TC and LDLc were not significantly different in females and males students. The serum TG was however significantly lower in females than in the males (90.22 ± 25.17 vs. 116.93 ± 21.54 mg/dl;

Exercise performance in relation to glucose drink and their effect on some biochemical parameters

This study was designed to determine the effect of glucose drink on marathon running and on some biochemical parameters. Seven untrained athletes (male students) participated in this study and were engaged in marathon running with and without intake of glucose drink (1g/kg body weight) in a double blind procedure. Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60 and 150 minutes for serum glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol and PCV estimation. There were significant increases in serum glucose (F=13.01;

Serum Lipid and Glucose Concentration in Relation to Some Physiological Varibles in College Students From Nnewi, Nigeria

Background: Serum lipid and glucose levels are largely determined by and or related to certain physical, physiological and biochemical parameters/variables. This study therefore, is aimed at determining the levels of serum lipid and glucose and the relationship between the serum lipid and glucose concentrations and the physical and physiological parameters/variables of apparently healthy individuals. Method: The blood samples of twenty-five medical students in the age range of 20 and 25 years were analyzed, for the serum glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels after overnight fast, and LDLC calculated. Result: The mean serum glucose, HDLc, TC and LDLc were not significantly different in females and males students. The serum TG was however significantly lower in females than in the males (90.22 \ub1 25.17 vs. 116.93 \ub1 21.54 mg/dl; P< 0.05). Furthermore, females are significantly lower in weight than the males (61.2 \ub1 6.91 vs. 69.96 \ub1 9.30 kg; P< 0.05). Significant correlations were also recorded. Conclusion: The results presented showed that the slight difference seen in males and females was a factor of growth and diet and activity.Introduction :S\ue9rum lipide et niveau du glucose sont en grande partie d\ue9termin\ue9s par ou li\ue9s aux certains physique physiologique et variables/param\ue8tres biochimiques. Donc, l'objet de cette \ue9tude est de d\ue9terminer les niveaux de s\ue9rum lipide et du glucose et le rapport entre le s\ue9rum lipide et concentration du glucose et des variables/param\ue8tres physiques et physiologiques des individus apparemment en tr\ue8s bonne sant\ue9. M\ue9thodes : La prise de sang de vingt cinq \ue9tudiants en m\ue9decine dans la tranche d'\ue2ge de 20 - 25 ans ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9tudi\ue9s pour le s\ue9rum glucose, cholest\ue9rol total (CT) triglyc\ue9ride (TG), et les niveaux de la densit\ue9 \ue9lev\ue9e du cholest\ue9rol lipoprot\ue9ines (HDLc) apr\ue8s un je\ufcne d'une nuit, et LDLc calcul\ue9. R\ue9sultats : Le s\ue9rum glucose, HDLc, TC et LDLc moyen n'\ue9taient pas sensiblement diff\ue9rents chez des \ue9tudiants du sexe f\ue9minin et masculin. Le s\ue9rum TG toutefois \ue9tait sensiblement inf\ue9rieur chez le sexe f\ue9minin et le sexe masculin (90,22+- 25,17 contre 116, 93+-21,54mg/dl ; P<0,05). Par ailleurs sexe f\ue9minin sont sensiblement inf\ue9rieurs en poids plus que chez le sexe masculin. (61,2+-6,91 contre 69,96+-9,30kg : P<0,05). Des corr\ue9lations importantes ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9galement not\ue9es. Conclusion :À travers des r\ue9sultats, nous notons que la diff\ue9rence l\ue9g\ue8re vue chez le sexe masculin et le sexe f\ue9minin \ue9tait un facteur d'activit\ue9, d'alimentation et de la croissance

Oscillatory Shear Flow-Induced Alignment of Lamellar Melts of Hydrogen-Bonded Comb Copolymer Supramolecules

In this work we present the orientational behavior of comb copolymer-like supramolecules P4VP(PDP)1.0, obtained by hydrogen bonding between poly(4-vinylpyridine) and pentadecylphenol, during large-amplitude oscillatory shear flow experiments over a broad range of frequencies (0.001-10 Hz). The alignment diagram, presenting the macroscopic alignment in T/TODT vs ω/ωc, contains three regions of parallel alignment separated by a region of perpendicular alignment. For our material, the order-disorder temperature TODT = 67 °C and ωc, the frequency above which the distortion of the chain conformation dominates the materials’ viscoelasticity, is around 0.1 Hz at 61 °C. For the first time flipping from a pure transverse alignment via biaxial transverse/perpendicular alignment to a perpendicular alignment as a function of the strain amplitude was found.

Gene content evolution in the arthropods

Arthropods comprise the largest and most diverse phylum on Earth and play vital roles in nearly every ecosystem. Their diversity stems in part from variations on a conserved body plan, resulting from and recorded in adaptive changes in the genome. Dissection of the genomic record of sequence change enables broad questions regarding genome evolution to be addressed, even across hyper-diverse taxa within arthropods. Using 76 whole genome sequences representing 21 orders spanning more than 500 million years of arthropod evolution, we document changes in gene and protein domain content and provide temporal and phylogenetic context for interpreting these innovations. We identify many novel gene families that arose early in the evolution of arthropods and during the diversification of insects into modern orders. We reveal unexpected variation in patterns of DNA methylation across arthropods and examples of gene family and protein domain evolution coincident with the appearance of notable phenotypic and physiological adaptations such as flight, metamorphosis, sociality, and chemoperception. These analyses demonstrate how large-scale comparative genomics can provide broad new insights into the genotype to phenotype map and generate testable hypotheses about the evolution of animal diversity

A prospective study of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in the South West London Cancer Network. Interpretation of study results in light of NCAG/NCEPOD findings

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia is a medical emergency complicating the treatment of many cancer patients. It is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, as well as impacting on healthcare resources. METHODS: A prospective study of all cases of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in the South West London Cancer Network was conducted over a 4-month period. Factors including demographics, treatment history, management of febrile neutropenia and outcome were recorded. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Our results reflect those of the recent National Chemotherapy Advisory Group (NCEPOD, 2008)/National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcomes and Death reports (NCAG, 2009) and highlight the need for network-wide c inical care pathways to improve outcomes in this area, British Journal of Cancer (2011) 104, 407-412. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6606059 www.bjcancer.com Published online 21 December 2010 (C) 2011 Cancer Research U