Mikä ohjaa asenteitani lihaa kohtaan? : Tutkimus 15–24 -vuotiaiden naisten lihaan liittämistä asenteista

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tutkia 15–24 -vuotiaiden naisten asenteita lihaa kohtaan. Tutkimus keskittyi selvittämään kuinka tärkeitä lihaan liitettävät asennekomponentit olivat tutkimussegmentille sekä millainen asenne segmentillä on naudan-, siipikarjan- ja sianlihaa kohtaan. Komponenttien merkityksellisyyttä pyrittiin lisäksi selittämään yksilön henkilökohtaisten taustasta riippuvien tekijöiden kautta. Tutkimus tehtiin Suomen Gallup Elintarviketiedon tekemän Lihan kulutusta ohjaavat tekijät 2010 -imago tutkimuksen jatkotutkimukseksi Lihatiedotus RY:lle. Tutkimuksen teoriaosio tarkastelee asenteiden taustalla vaikuttavien komponenttien merkitystä asenteeseen. Tavoitteena oli löytää tutkimussegmentin kannalta tärkeimmät mitattavat tekijät varsinaisen tutkimuksen suorittamiseksi. Teoriaosion kirjallisuudessa pyrittiin tutustumaan nimenomaisesti elintarvikkeisiin liittyvään asennetutkimukseen. Tutkimuksen empiria osion aineisto kerättiin kaksi vaiheisesti. Ensin tehtiin kvalitatiivisella tutkimusotteella toteutettu esitutkimus. Esitutkimuksen tavoitteena oli saada lisätietoa tutkittavan segmentin asenteista teoreettisessä tarkastelun pohjalta löytyneiden komponenttien tueksi. Esitutkimuksessa haastateltiin 10 tutkittavaan segmenttiin kuuluvaa naista. Esitutkimuksen ja teoreettisen tarkastelun pohjalta luotiin kvantitatiivisen tutkimuksen tutkimuslomake. Kvantitatiivinen tutkimus toteutettiin Internetissä marraskuussa 2011, siihen vastasi 495 tavoiteltuun ikäryhmään kuulunutta naista. Asennetta mittaavat kysymykset aseteltiin kysymyslomakkeelle Likertin -asteikollisiksi kysymyksiksi, joka mahdollisti ristiintaulukoinnin pohjalta tehtävän analyysin. Analyysi perustui vastauskeskiarvojen tarkasteluun ja vertailuun eri taustaryhmien välillä. Tutkimus osoitti, että lihaa syöville vastaajille tärkeimpiä komponentteja ovat tuoteeseen liittyvät komponentit, kuten maku ja mureus sekä lihan oleminen hyvä proteiinin lähde ja kuuluminen osaksi monipuolista ruokavaliota, jotka ovat ravitsemuksellisia tekijöitä. Nille, jotka eivät syöneet lihaa, tärkeimpiä olivat eettiset ja ekologiset tekijät. Vertailtaessa taustatekijöiden vaikutuksia komponenttien tärkeyteen todettiin, että maatilalla nuoruutensa viettäneille ja omien lasten kanssa asuville oli muita vastaajia tärkeämpää, mistä liha on peräisin. Näiden ryhmien kokonaisasenne eri lihajaleja kohtaan oli lisäksi kaikkein positiivisin

Carbon Nanomaterials Promote M1/M2 Macrophage Activation

Toxic effects of certain carbon nanomaterials (CNM) have been observed in several exposure scenarios both in vivo and in vitro. However, most of the data currently available has been generated in a high-dose/acute exposure setup, limiting the understanding of their immunomodulatory mechanisms. Here, macrophage-like THP-1 cells, exposed to ten different CNM for 48 h in low-cytotoxic concentration of 10 mu g mL(-1), are characterized by secretion of different cytokines and global transcriptional changes. Subsequently, the relationships between cytokine secretion and transcriptional patterns are modeled, highlighting specific pathways related to alternative macrophage activation. Finally, time- and dose-dependent activation of transcription and secretion of M1 marker genes IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor, and M2 marker genes IL-10 and CSF1 is confirmed among the three most responsive CNM, with concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 mu g mL(-1) at 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure. These results underline CNM effects on the formation of cell microenvironment and gene expression leading to specific patterns of macrophage polarization. Taken together, these findings imply that, instead of a high and toxic CNM dose, a sub-lethal dose in controlled exposure setup can be utilized to alter the cell microenvironment and program antigen presenting cells, with fascinating implications for novel therapeutic strategies.Peer reviewe

Effect of abrasive properties on the high-stress three-body abrasion of steels and hard metals

Especially in tunneling, the abrasiveness of rock is an important property, which can easily be determined by several methods developed for the purpose. With this in mind, it is rather surprising that the effects of different rock types on the wear mechanisms of engineering materials have not been too widely studied. In this paper, high stress three-body abrasive tests were conducted with four different abrasives with a relatively large (2-10 mm) particle size. As test materials, three different steels and three hard metals were used. The tests clearly showed that material type has an influence on how different abrasive and material properties affect the abrasive wear mechanisms and severity. For example with hard metals, the most important property of the abrasives is their crushability, as only small abrasive particles are able to properly attack the binder phase and cause high wear rates. On the other hand, it seems that the abrasiveness of rock is not the dominating property determining the severity of wear in the current test conditions for any of the tested materials. In fact, with steels no single abrasive property could be shown to clearly govern the abrasive wear processes. In any case, when using the determined abrasiveness values in wear estimations, the contact conditions in the method used for determining the abrasiveness values should be as similar as possible with the end application

Mikroskopiakonferenssi Scandem 2022

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Wetting Behavior and Functionality Restoration of Cold-Sprayed Aluminum-Quasicrystalline Composite Coatings

Coating design is an efficient strategy to engineer wettability of surfaces and adjustment of the functionality to the necessities in industrial sectors. The current study reveals the feasibility of functional aluminum/quasicrystalline (Al-QC) composite coatings fabrication by cold spray technology. A commercially available Al-based quasicrystalline powder (Al-Cr-Fe-Cu) was combined with aluminum alloy (Al6061) feedstock materials to make coatings with various compositions. A set of cold spray process parameters was employed to deposit composite coatings with different QC-Al ratios and Al6061 coatings as counterparts. The wettability of the coating surfaces was measured by static water droplet contact angles using a droplet shape analyzer and investigation of the dynamic of water droplet impact by high-speed imaging. Through microstructural studies, the Al-QC composites revealed dense structure, well-integrated and adherent deposits, providing structural reliability and enhanced hydrophobic behavior. In the last step of this work, composite coatings were deposited over eroded cold-sprayed Al6061 and a selected composite to demonstrate the feasibility of repairing the damaged part and function restoring. The results and approach used in this work provide understanding of cold-sprayed Al-QC composite coatings manufacturing and their wetting behavior state for cross-field applications.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Grinding burn classification with surface Barkhausen noise measurements

Industrial Barkhausen noise (BN) measurements are commonly utilized for final quality control after machining operations such as grinding to point out grinding burns. Grinding burns might compromise the final use and fatigue lifetime of the ground component. The industrial BN method itself is based on a pre-determined threshold value of the BN root-mean-square value (RMS). Elevated RMS values indicate detrimental changes in the component. Usually, the evaluation of grinding burn severity is not carried out. In this study, real ground cylindrical samples were collected that were rejected based on an industrial quality control with a BN unit. A more detailed BN analysis was carried out for 41 individual grinding burn locations followed by X-ray diffraction based residual stress (RS) surface measurements and residual stress and diffraction peak full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) depth profiles. K-means clustering was applied to profiles to label the data points related to grinding burns of different severity. Three classes of grinding burns were identified and verified by micrographs and hardness. A linear discriminant classification model was then identified between the surface BN measurement features and labeled data points. The classification results were reasonable with about 80 % classification accuracy at worst. They showed that the classes identified can be detected with the surface BN measurements. Thus, the approach presented in this paper shows great potential in the practical use of BN measurement where grinding burns can be detected and evaluated with a surface BN measurement.Peer reviewe

Optimized dispersion of nanoparticles for biological in vitro and in vivo studies

Background: The aim of this study was to establish and validate a practical method to disperse nanoparticles in physiological solutions for biological in vitro and in vivo studies. Results: TiO(2) (rutile) dispersions were prepared in distilled water, PBS, or RPMI 1640 cell culture medium. Different ultrasound energies, various dispersion stabilizers (human, bovine, and mouse serum albumin, Tween 80, and mouse serum), various concentrations of stabilizers, and different sequences of preparation steps were applied. The size distribution of dispersed nanoparticles was analyzed by dynamic light scattering and zeta potential was measured using phase analysis light scattering. Nanoparticle size was also verified by transmission electron microscopy. A specific ultrasound energy of 4.2 x 10(5) kJ/m(3) was sufficient to disaggregate TiO(2) (rutile) nanoparticles, whereas higher energy input did not further improve size reduction. The optimal sequence was first to sonicate the nanoparticles in water, then to add dispersion stabilizers, and finally to add buffered salt solution to the dispersion. The formation of coarse TiO(2) (rutile) agglomerates in PBS or RPMI was prevented by addition of 1.5 mg/ml of human, bovine or mouse serum albumin, or mouse serum. The required concentration of albumin to stabilize the nanoparticle dispersion depended on the concentration of the nanoparticles in the dispersion. TiO(2) (rutile) particle dispersions at a concentration lower than 0.2 mg/ml could be stabilized by the addition of 1.5 mg/ml albumin. TiO(2) (rutile) particle dispersions prepared by this method were stable for up to at least 1 week. This method was suitable for preparing dispersions without coarse agglomerates (average diameter < 290 nm) from nanosized TiO(2) (rutile), ZnO, Ag, SiO(x), SWNT, MWNT, and diesel SRM2975 particulate matter. Conclusion: The optimized dispersion method presented here appears to be effective and practicable for preparing dispersions of nanoparticles in physiological solutions without creating coarse agglomerates

In vivo genotoxicity and inflammatory effects of uncoated and coated CeO2 NPs in mice

P17-045 Ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) have several industrial applications and pharmacological potential due to their antioxidant properties. However, toxicity data on CeO2 NPs are scarce and show contradictory results. In the present study, uncoated, polyethylene glycol- and citrate-coated CeO2 NPs (4-8 nm) were administrated to C57Bl/6 mice by repeated dose (3×) pharyngeal aspiration using four different doses of each type of NPs (corresponding to 4.4, 8.8, 17.6 and 35.2 µg Ce2+/mouse/aspiration), and sampled 1 and 28 days after the last administration. DNA damage was assessed by the comet assay locally in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung cells, and systemically in liver cells. Micronuclei, a biomarker of chromosome damage, were analysed in bone marrow and peripheral blood erythrocytes. Immunotoxicity was evaluated by BAL cell counting. Furthermore, histopathological effects on the lungs and biodistribution of the NPs (analysis of Ce2+ in several organs) were assessed. At 24-h, a significant increase in DNA damage was induced at the highest doses by uncoated and citrate-coated NPs in BAL cells. For these NPs a significant, but non-dose-dependent, effect was observed in lung and liver cells at 28-d. No systemic genotoxic effects were observed with any of the NPs. A dose-dependent accumulation of macrophages and activated lymphocytes was seen in the lungs for all the NPs, although a milder reaction was elicited by the coated NPs. Our findings show that short-term exposure of mice to CeO2 NPs induces pulmonary inflammation, and non-dose-dependent DNA damage, but no systemic genotoxicity. (Funded by the EU FP-7 GUIDEnano, Grant Agreement No.604387)

Free radical scavenging and formation by multi-walled carbon nanotubes in cell free conditions and in human bronchial epithelial cells

Background: Certain multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been shown to elicit asbestos-like toxicological effects. To reduce needs for risk assessment it has been suggested that the physicochemical characteristics or reactivity of nanomaterials could be used to predict their hazard. Fibre-shape and ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important indicators of high hazard materials. Asbestos is a known ROS generator, while MWCNTs may either produce or scavenge ROS. However, certain biomolecules, such as albumin – used as dispersants in nanomaterial preparation for toxicological testing in vivo and in vitro - may reduce the surface reactivity of nanomaterials. Methods: Here, we investigated the effect of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and cell culture medium with and without BEAS 2B cells on radical formation/scavenging by five MWCNTs, Printex 90 carbon black, crocidolite asbestos, and glass wool, using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and linked this to cytotoxic effects measured by trypan blue exclusion assay. In addition, the materials were characterized in the exposure medium (e.g. for hydrodynamic size-distribution and sedimentation rate). Results: The test materials induced highly variable cytotoxic effects which could generally be related to the abundance and characteristics of agglomerates/aggregates and to the rate of sedimentation. All carbon nanomaterials were found to scavenge hydroxyl radicals (•OH) in at least one of the solutions tested. The effect of BSA was different among the materials. Two types of long, needle-like MWCNTs (average diameter >74 and 64.2 nm, average length 5.7 and 4.0 µm, respectively) induced, in addition to a scavenging effect, a dose-dependent formation of a unique, yet unidentified radical in both absence and presence of cells, which also coincided with cytotoxicity. Conclusions: Culture medium and BSA affects scavenging/production of •OH by MWCNTs, Printex 90 carbon black, asbestos and glass-wool. An unidentified radical is generated by two long, needle-like MWCNTs and these two CNTs were more cytotoxic than the other CNTs tested, suggesting that this radical could be related to the adverse effects of MWCNTs