A smear slide analysis of sediments from the Terra Nova Bay Polynya, Antarctica /by Robert F. Rathbone.

No embarg

Non-adenine based purines accelerate wound healing

Wound healing is a complex sequence of cellular and molecular processes that involves multiple cell types and biochemical mediators. Several growth factors have been identified that regulate tissue repair, including the neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF). As non-adenine based purines (NABPs) are known to promote cell proliferation and the release of growth factors, we investigated whether NABPs had an effect on wound healing. Full-thickness, excisional wound healing in healthy BALB/c mice was significantly accelerated by daily topical application of NABPs such as guanosine (50% closure by days 2.5′.8). Co-treatment of wounds with guanosine plus anti-NGF reversed the guanosine-promoted acceleration of wound healing, indicating that this effect of guanosine is mediated, at least in part, by NGF. Selective inhibitors of the NGF-inducible serine/threonine protein kinase (protein kinase N), such as 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside abolished the acceleration of wound healing caused by guanosine, confirming that activation of this enzyme is required for this effect of guanosine. Treatment of genetically diabetic BKS.Cg-m+/+lepr db mice, which display impaired wound healing, with guanosine led to accelerated healing of skin wounds (25% closure by days 2.8′.0). These results provide further confirmation that the NABP-mediated acceleration of cutaneous wound healing is mediated via an NGF-dependent mechanism. Thus, NABPs may offer an alternative and viable approach for the treatment of wounds in a clinical setting

The role of resveratrol on skeletal muscle cell differentiation and myotube hypertrophy during glucose restriction

Glucose restriction (GR) impairs muscle cell differentiation and evokes myotube atrophy. Resveratrol treatment in skeletal muscle cells improves inflammatory-induced reductions in skeletal muscle cell differentiation. We therefore hypothesised that resveratrol treatment would improve muscle cell differentiation and myotube hypertrophy in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts and mature myotubes during GR. Glucose restriction at 0.6 g/L (3.3 mM) blocked differentiation and myotube hypertrophy versus high-glucose (4.5 g/L or 25 mM) differentiation media (DM) conditions universally used for myoblast culture. Resveratrol (10 μM) treatment increased SIRT1 phosphorylation in DM conditions, yet did not improve differentiation when administered to differentiating myoblasts in GR conditions. Resveratrol did evoke increases in hypertrophy of mature myotubes under DM conditions with corresponding elevated Igf-I and Myhc7 gene expression, coding for the ‘slow’ type I MYHC protein isoform. Inhibition of SIRT1 via EX-527 administration (100 nM) also reduced myotube diameter and area in DM conditions and resulted in lower gene expression of Myhc 1, 2 and 4 coding for ‘intermediate’ and ‘faster’ IIx, IIa and IIb protein isoforms, respectively. Resveratrol treatment did not appear to modulate phosphorylation of energy-sensing protein AMPK or protein translation initiator P70S6K. Importantly, in mature myotubes, resveratrol treatment was able to ameliorate reduced myotube growth in GR conditions over an acute 24-h period, but not over 48–72 h. Overall, resveratrol evoked myotube hypertrophy in DM conditions while favouring ‘slower’ Myhc gene expression and acutely ameliorated impaired myotube growth observed during glucose restriction

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF POST-COMBUSTION AMMONIA INJECTION ON FLY ASH QUALITY: CHARACTERIZATION OF AMMONIA RELEASE FROM CONCRETE AND MORTARS CONTAINING FLY ASH AS A POZZOLANIC ADMIXTURE

Work completed in this reporting period focused on the measurement of the rate of ammonia loss from mortar and concrete, and the measurement of ammonia gas in the air above the materials immediately after placement. The majority of mortar experiments have been completed, and testing has begun on concrete. The mortar experiments indicate that the rate of ammonia loss is greater in mortars prepared using a higher water content and water:cement (W:C) ratio, although the higher rate is primarily observed within the first 2 days, after which the loss rates are nearly the same. The source of low-calcium (Class F) fly ash exerted a negligible influence on the loss rate. However, mortar prepared using a higher-calcium fly ash evolved ammonia at a slightly slower rate than the Class F ash mortars. The data also indicate that an increase in ventilation increases the ammonia loss rate from mortar, and suggest that a well-ventilated space could substantially increase the loss of ammonia from mortar and, by inference, a concrete slab. Analysis of ammonia concentrations in the air above freshly-placed mortars in an enclosed space indicate that the fly ash ammonia concentration should not exceed 100 mg N/kg ash in confined space applications. For most other applications with some ventilation the maximum acceptable concentration would be approximately 200 mg/kg. Early results from experiments on concrete suggest that, under similar conditions, ammonia diffusion from concrete occurs at a higher rate than in mortar. In addition, increasing the slump of concrete through the use of chemical admixtures has only a minor effect on the ammonia loss rate

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF POST-COMBUSTION AMMONIA INJECTION ON FLY ASH QUALITY: CHARACTERIZATION OF AMMONIA RELEASE FROM CONCRETE AND MORTARS CONTAINING FLY ASH AS A POZZOLANIC ADMIXTURE

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 require large reductions in emissions of NO{sub x} from coal-fired electric utility boilers. This will necessitate the use of ammonia injection, such as in selective catalytic reduction (SCR), in many power plants, resulting in the deposition of ammonia on the fly ash. The presence of ammonia could create a major barrier to fly ash utilization in concrete because of odor concerns. Although there have been limited studies of ammonia emission from concrete, little is known about the quantity of ammonia emitted during mixing and curing, and the kinetics of ammonia release. This is manifested as widely varying opinions within the concrete and ash marketing industry regarding the maximum acceptable levels of ammonia in fly ash. Therefore, practical guidelines for using ammoniated fly ash are needed in advance of the installation of many more SCR systems. The goal of this project was to develop practical guidelines for the handling and utilization of ammoniated fly ash in concrete, in order to prevent a decrease in the use of fly ash for this application. The objective was to determine the amount of ammonia that is released, over the short- and long-term, from concrete that contains ammoniated fly ash. The technical approach in this project was to measure the release of ammonia from mortar and concrete during mixing, placement, and curing. Work initially focused on laboratory mortar experiments to develop fundamental data on ammonia diffusion characteristics. Larger-scale laboratory experiments were then conducted to study the emission of ammonia from concrete containing ammoniated fly ash. The final phase comprised monitoring ammonia emissions from large concrete slabs. The data indicated that, on average, 15% of the initial ammonia was lost from concrete during 40 minutes of mixing, depending on the mix proportions and batch size. Long-term experiments indicated that ammonia diffusion from concrete was relatively slow, with greater than 50% of the initial ammonia content remaining in an 11cm thick concrete slab after 1 month. When placing concrete in an enclosed space, with negligible ventilation, it is recommended that the ammonia concentration in the concrete mix water should not exceed 110 mg NH{sub 3}/L, if the NIOSH exposure limit of 25 ppm in the air is not to be exceeded. If even a modicum of ventilation is present, then the ammonia concentration in the concrete water should be less than 170 mg/L. The maximum level of ammonia in the fly ash can then be calculated using these limits if the concrete mix proportions are known. In general, during the mixing and placement of ammonia-laden concrete, no safety concerns were encountered. The only location where the ammonia concentration attained high levels (i.e. > 25 ppm in the air) was within the concrete mixing drum

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF POST-COMBUSTION AMMONIA INJECTION ON FLY ASH QUALITY: CHARACTERIZATION OF AMMONIA RELEASE FROM CONCRETE AND MORTARS CONTAINING FLY ASH AS A POZZOLANIC ADMIXTURE

Work completed in this reporting period focused primarily on continuing measurements of the rate of ammonia loss from concrete, and the measurement of ammonia gas in the air above concrete and flowable fill immediately after placement. Concrete slabs were prepared to monitor the loss of ammonia during mixing, the concentration in the airspace above the slabs soon after placement, and the total quantity of ammonia evolved over a longer time period. Variables tested include temperature, ventilation rate, water:cementitious (W:C) ratio, and fly ash source. Short-term data indicate that for concrete placed in areas with poor air ventilation the fly ash NH{sub 3} concentration should not exceed about 90 to 145 mg/kg ash, depending on the water:cement ratio and the fly ash replacement rate, if a concentration of 10 ppm NH{sub 3} in the air is assumed to be the maximum acceptable level. Longer-term experiments showed that the ammonia loss rate is dependent on ammonia source (that is ammoniated ash vs. non-ammoniated ash with ammonia added to the water), and is also dependent on W:C ratio and temperature. Experiments were also conducted to study the loss of ammonia from fresh concrete during mixing. It was found that a high water:cementitious mix lost a greater percentage of ammonia than a low W:C mix, with a medium W:C mix losing an amount intermediate between these two. However, a larger batch size resulted in a smaller percentage of ammonia lost. The data suggest that a significant quantity of ammonia could be lost from Ready Mix concrete during transit, depending on the transit time, batch size, and mix proportions