Stepwise complexometric determination of aluminium, titanium and iron concentrations in silica sand and allied materials

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed at measuring the quantities of Al, Ti and Fe in silica sand and allied materials employing a complexometric method in the same analyte and a stepwise indirect titration with EDTA. The method involves the complexation of Al, Ti and Fe with excess EDTA and the selective de-complexation of TiO-EDTA and Al-EDTA complexes with tartaric acid and NaF respectively. In addition to its simplicity, rapidity and accuracy, the proposed method does not require the use of a separation technique or any sophisticated instrumentation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Each of the test samples were analyzed five times using the proposed method. The method's accuracy was confirmed by analyzing the US National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRM) 81a, 89 and IPT SRM 61 using the procedure proposed, in addition to analyzing Ti and Fe levels by spectrophotometry and that of Al by complexometry.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study shows that there is good agreement between the proposed and existing methods. The standard deviations of the measurements were calculated by analyzing five replicates of each sample, and were found to be less than 1.5% in our method.</p

Immediate hypothermia reduces cardiac troponin I following hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborn pigs

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a clinically defined neurological condition following lack of oxygen and often associated with cardiac dysfunction in term infants. Therapeutic hypothermia after birth is neuroprotective in infants with HIE. However, it is not known whether hypothermia (HT) is also cardioprotective. Four newborn pigs were used in the pilot study and a further 18 newborn pigs (randomly assigned to 72h-normothermia (NT) or 24h-HT followed by 48h-NT) were subjected to global HIE insults. Serum cTnI was measured prior to and post the HIE insult. Blood pressure, inotropic support, blood gases and heart rate (HR) were recorded throughout. Cardiac pathology was assessed from histological sections. Cooling reduced serum cTnI levels significantly in HT pigs by 6h (NT, 1.36±0.67; HT 0.34±0.23 ng/ml, p=0.0009). After rewarming, from 24 to 30h post insult, HR and cTnI increased in the HT group; from HR[24h]=117±22 to HR[30h]=218±32 beats/minute (p=0.0002) and from cTnI[24h]=0.23±0.12 to cTnI[30h]=0.65±0.53ng/ml, (p=0.05). There were fewer ischemic lesions on cardiac examination (37%) in the HT group compared to the NT group (70%). Hypothermia (24h) pigs did not have the post-insult cTnI increase seen in NT treated pigs. There was a trend that HT improved cardiac pathology in this 3-day survival model

Small-Intestinal Manifestations of Dextran Sulfate Sodium Consumption in Rats and Assessment of the Effects of Lactobacillus fermentum BR11

© Springer Science+Business Media, 2008The dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis model has been utilized to screen for novel therapeutics for ulcerative colitis. Evidence suggests the small intestine may also be affected by DSS. We characterized the effects of DSS on the small intestine and assessed the potential for Lactobacillus fermentum BR11 to modify or normalize DSS-induced changes. Rats were allocated to three groups, Water + Vehicle, DSS + Vehicle, and DSS + L. fermentum BR11. BR11 was administered twice daily for 14 days. DSS (2%) was provided from days 7 to 14. Small-intestinal tissue was analyzed for sucrase activity, histology, and crypt cell proliferation. Increased ileum crypt depth and cell proliferation was observed in DSS-treated rats compared to controls (P &lt; 0.05). BR11 normalized these parameters. While DSS predominantly induces colonic damage, minor morphological alterations were also detected in the distal small intestine. L. fermentum BR11 normalized these features.Mark S. Geier, Cassie L. Smith, Ross N. Butler and Gordon S. Howart

The effects of formula feeding on physiological and immunological parameters in the gut of neonatal rats

A unique model of formula feeding in the neonatal rat was utilized to investigate the effects of an enterally delivered artificial milk formula on clinically relevant immunological and biological characteristics in the gut, compared to naturally reared pups. Hooded Wistar rat pups were randomly allocated to two treatment groups: formula-fed (FF) or naturally suckled (NS). A flexible silastic intra-gastric cannula was surgically implanted into the FF pups, through which an artificial rat milk supplement was continuously delivered from day 4 to day 10 of life. Rat pups were sacrificed at 10 days of age. Body weight, small intestinal weight, mucosal CD8+ cell numbers, and ileal lactase activity in FF animals were significantly decreased compared to their NS counterparts (P < 0.05). Numbers of eosinophils, mucosal mast cells, CD4+ T-cells, ileal villus height and gastric emptying times were significantly increased in FF pups (P < 0.05). We have developed a new rat model of artificial feeding which possesses important immunological and biological similarities to the premature human infant.K. L. Tooley, G. S. Howarth, R. N. Butler, K. A. Lymn and I. A. Penttil

Compact radiation sources based on laser-driven plasma waves

Here we explore ways of transforming laser radiation into incoherent and coherent electromagnetic radiation using laserdriven plasma waves. We present several examples based on the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) and show that the electron beam and radiation from the LWFA has several unique characteristics compared with conventional devices. We show that the energy spread can be much smaller than 1% at 130-150 MeV. This makes LWFAs useful tools for scientists undertaking time resolved probing of matter subject to stimuli. They also make excellent imaging tools. We present experimental evidence that ultra-short XUV pulses, as short as 30 fs, are produced directly from an undulator driven by a LWFA, due to the electron bunches having a duration of a few femtoseconds. By extending the electron energy to 1 GeV, and for 1-2 fs duration pulses of 2 nm radiation peak powers of several MW per pC can be produced. The increased charge at higher electron energies will increase the peak power to GW levels, making the LWFA driven synchrotron an extremely useful source with a spectral range extending into the water window. With the reduction in size afforded by using LWFA driven radiation sources, and with the predicted advances in laser stability and repletion rate, ultra-short pulse radiation sources should become more affordable and widely used, which could change the way science is done