2,502 research outputs found
Estrogenic chemicals often leach from BPA-free plastic products that are replacements for BPA-containing polycarbonate products
Background: Xenobiotic chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA), such as bisphenol A (BPA), have been reported to
have potential adverse health effects in mammals, including humans, especially in fetal and infant stages. Concerns
about safety have caused many manufacturers to use alternatives to polycarbonate (PC) resins to make hard and
clear, reusable, plastic products that do not leach BPA. However, no study has focused on whether such BPA-free
PC-replacement products, chosen for their perceived higher safety, especially for babies, also release other chemicals
that have EA.
Methods: We used two, well-established, mammalian cell-based, assays (MCF-7 and BG1Luc) to assess the EA of
chemicals that leached into over 1000 saline or ethanol extracts of 50 unstressed or stressed (autoclaving,
microwaving, and UV radiation) BPA-free PC-replacement products. An EA antagonist, ICI 182,780, was used to confirm
that agonist activity in leachates was due to chemicals that activated the mammalian estrogen receptor.
Results: Many unstressed and stressed, PC-replacement-products made from acrylic, polystyrene, polyethersulfone, and
Tritan⢠resins leached chemicals with EA, including products made for use by babies. Exposure to various forms of UV
radiation often increased the leaching of chemicals with EA. In contrast, some BPA-free PC-replacement products made
from glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate or cyclic olefin polymer or co-polymer resins did not release chemicals
with detectable EA under any conditions tested.
Conclusions: This hazard assessment survey showed that many BPA-free PC- replacement products still leached
chemicals having significant levels of EA, as did BPA-containing PC counterparts they were meant to replace. That is,
BPA-free did not mean EA-free. However, this study also showed that some PC-replacement products did not leach
chemicals having significant levels of EA. That is, EA-free PC-replacement products could be made in commercial
quantities at prices that compete with PC-replacement products that were not BPA-free. Since plastic products often
have advantages (price, weight, shatter-resistance, etc.) compared to other materials such as steel or glass, it is not
necessary to forgo those advantages to avoid release into foodstuffs or the environment of chemicals having EA that
may have potential adverse effects on our health or the health of future generations.This work was supported by the following NIH/NIEHS grants: R44 ES011469,
01â03 (CZY); 1R43/44 ES014806, 01â03 (CZY); subcontract (CZY, PI) on
an NIH Grant 01â03 43/44ES018083-01 to PlastiPure (DK, SY PIs).Neuroscienc
Chemicals having estrogenic activity can be released from some bisphenol a-free, hard and clear, thermoplastic resins
Background: Chemicals that have estrogenic activity (EA) can potentially cause adverse health effects in mammals
including humans, sometimes at low doses in fetal through juvenile stages with effects detected in adults.
Polycarbonate (PC) thermoplastic resins made from bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that has EA, are now often
avoided in products used by babies. Other BPA-free thermoplastic resins, some hypothesized or advertised to be
EA-free, are replacing PC resins used to make reusable hard and clear thermoplastic products such as baby bottles.
Methods: We used two very sensitive and accurate in vitro assays (MCF-7 and BG1Luc human cell lines) to quantify
the EA of chemicals leached into ethanol or water/saline extracts of fourteen unstressed or stressed (autoclaving,
microwaving, UV radiation) thermoplastic resins. Estrogen receptor (ER)-dependent agonist responses were confirmed
by their inhibition with the ER antagonist ICI 182,780.
Results: Our data showed that some (4/14) unstressed and stressed BPA-free thermoplastic resins leached chemicals
having significant levels of EA, including one polystyrene (PS), and three Tritan⢠resins, the latter reportedly
EA-free. Exposure to UV radiation in natural sunlight resulted in an increased release of EA from Tritan⢠resins.
Triphenyl-phosphate (TPP), an additive used to manufacture some thermoplastic resins such as Tritanâ˘, exhibited
EA in both MCF-7 and BG1Luc assays. Ten unstressed or stressed glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate
(PETG), cyclic olefin polymer (COP) or copolymer (COC) thermoplastic resins did not release chemicals with detectable
EA under any test condition.
Conclusions: This hazard survey study assessed the release of chemicals exhibiting EA as detected by two sensitive,
widely used and accepted, human cell line in vitro assays. Four PC replacement resins (Tritan⢠and PS) released
chemicals having EA. However, ten other PC-replacement resins did not leach chemicals having EA (EA-free-resins).
These results indicate that PC-replacement plastic products could be made from EA-free resins (if appropriate EA-free
additives are chosen) that maintain advantages of re-usable plastic items (price, weight, shatter resistance) without
releasing chemicals having EA that potentially produce adverse health effects on current or future generations.This work was supported by the following NIH/NIEHS grants: R44 ES011469, 01â03 (CZY);
1R43/44 ES014806, 01â03 (CZY); subcontract (CZY, PI) on an NIH Grant 01â03
43/44ES018083-01. This work was also supported by NIH grants to MSD (P42
ES004699), and DJK and SIY (1R43ES018083-01-03, NIEHS 1R44ES019442-01-03
and NIEHS 2R44ES016964-01-03).Neuroscienc
Research on Self-Calibration of HF Ground Wave Radar Antenna Arrays
Since the performance of high-resolution direction finding algorithm for HF Ground Wave Radar (GWR) is severely degraded by sensor phase and amplitude errors, the radar system's phase calibration is the prerequisite of keeping the radar working in order. According to the characteristic of HF GWR's sea echo, this paper, based on an arbitrary triangular array, presents that Space -Time DOA(direction of arrival) Matrix Method, which is used to estimate 2D DOA under ideal conditions, can be used to estimate planar wave's DOA and sensor phase and amplitude errors simultaneously so as to achieve self-calibration. Its validity is verified not only by computer simulation, but also by comparing treatment results of measured data before and after calibration with the GPS-measured result
Memristive Non-Volatile Memory Based on Graphene Materials
Resistive random access memory (RRAM), which is considered as one of the most promising next-generation non-volatile memory (NVM) devices and a representative of memristor technologies, demonstrated great potential in acting as an artificial synapse in the industry of neuromorphic systems and artificial intelligence (AI), due its advantages such as fast operation speed, low power consumption, and high device density. Graphene and related materials (GRMs), especially graphene oxide (GO), acting as active materials for RRAM devices, are considered as a promising alternative to other materials including metal oxides and perovskite materials. Herein, an overview of GRM-based RRAM devices is provided, with discussion about the properties of GRMs, main operation mechanisms for resistive switching (RS) behavior, figure of merit (FoM) summary, and prospect extension of GRM-based RRAM devices. With excellent physical and chemical advantages like intrinsic Youngâs modulus (1.0 TPa), good tensile strength (130 GPa), excellent carrier mobility (2.0 Ă 105 cm2âVâ1âsâ1), and high thermal (5000 Wmâ1âKâ1) and superior electrical conductivity (1.0 Ă 106 Sâmâ1), GRMs can act as electrodes and resistive switching media in RRAM devices. In addition, the GRM-based interface between electrode and dielectric can have an effect on atomic diffusion limitation in dielectric and surface effect suppression. Immense amounts of concrete research indicate that GRMs might play a significant role in promoting the large-scale commercialization possibility of RRAM devices
Efficient symmetric multiparty quantum state sharing of an arbitrary m-qubit state
We present a scheme for symmetric multiparty quantum state sharing of an
arbitrary -qubit state with Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states following
some ideas from the controlled teleportation [Phys. Rev. A \textbf{72}, 02338
(2005)]. The sender Alice performs Bell-state measurements on her
particles and the controllers need only to take some single-photon product
measurements on their photons independently, not Bell-state measurements, which
makes this scheme more convenient than the latter. Also it does not require the
parties to perform a controlled-NOT gate on the photons for reconstructing the
unknown -qubit state and it is an optimal one as its efficiency for qubits
approaches the maximal value.Comment: 6 pages, no figures; It simplifies the process for sharing an
arbitrary m-qubit state in Phys. Rev. A 72, 022338 (2005) (quant-ph/0501129
Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved
Background: Chemicals having estrogenic activity (EA) reportedly cause many adverse health effects, especially at low (picomolar to nanomolar) doses in fetal and juvenile mammals
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Threeâdimensional myocardial scarring along myofibers after coronary ischemiaâreperfusion revealed by computerized images of histological assays
Abstract Adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling after acute myocardial infarction is characterized by LV dilatation and development of a fibrotic scar, and is a critical factor for the prognosis of subsequent development of heart failure. Although myofiber organization is recognized as being important for preserving physiological cardiac function and structure, the anatomical features of injured myofibers during LV remodeling have not been fully defined. In a mouse model of ischemiaâreperfusion (I/R) injury induced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation, our previous histological assays demonstrated that broad fibrotic scarring extended from the initial infarct zone to the remote zone, and was clearly demarcated along midcircumferential myofibers. Additionally, no fibrosis was observed in longitudinal myofibers in the subendocardium and subepicardium. However, a histological analysis of tissue sections does not adequately indicate myofiber injury distribution throughout the entire heart. To address this, we investigated patterns of scar formation along myofibers using threeâdimensional (3D) images obtained from multiple tissue sections from mouse hearts subjected to I/R injury. The fibrotic scar area observed in the 3D images was consistent with the distribution of the midcircumferential myofibers. At the apex, the scar formation tracked along the myofibers in an incomplete Câshaped ring that converged to a triangular shape toward the end. Our findings suggest that myocyte injury after transient coronary ligation extends along myofibers, rather than following the path of coronary arteries penetrating the myocardium. The injury pattern observed along myofibers after I/R injury could be used to predict prognoses for patients with myocardial infarction
Boosted output performance of triboelectric nanogenerator via electric double layer effect
For existing triboelectric nanogenerators ( TENGs), it is important to explore unique methods to further enhance the output power under realistic environments to speed up their commercialization. We report here a practical TENG composed of three layers, in which the key layer, an electric double layer, is inserted between a top layer, made of Al/polydimethylsiloxane, and a bottom layer, made of Al. The efficient charge separation in the middle layer, based on Volta's electrophorus, results from sequential contact configuration of the TENG and direct electrical connection of the middle layer to the earth. A sustainable and enhanced output performance of 1.22mA and 46.8 mW cm(-2) under low frequency of 3 Hz is produced, giving over 16-fold enhancement in output power and corresponding to energy conversion efficiency of 22.4%. Finally, a portable power-supplying system, which provides enough d.c. power for charging a smart watch or phone battery, is also successfully developed.ope
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