TB201: Comparison of the Efficacy of Sodium Acid Sulfate and Citric Acid Treatments in Reducing Acrylamide Formation in French Fries

Two acidulant food additives, sodium acid sulfate (SAS) and citric acid, were investigated for their effectiveness in reducing acrylamide formation in french fries. Acrylamide concentration was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after cleanup of french fry extracts by passage through a C-18 column and derivitization by bromination. At a frying temperature of 180°C, both acidulants appeared ineffective, possibly due to the rapid rate of acrylamide formation, which surpassed the capacity of the acidulants to protonate acrylamide intermediates. At the lowest frying temperature tested (160°C), 3% SAS and 3% citric acid significantly (P \u3c 0.05) inhibited acrylamide formation as compared to the control. However, 3% SAS appeared to inhibit acrylamide formation more effectively than citric acid at 160°C, as well as at frying temperatures of 170 and 180°C. Our results indicate that acrylamide formation during frying can be reduced by treatment of potatoes with 3% SAS or citric acid, but SAS, a stronger acid with a lower pKa, is the more effective acidulant.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1006/thumbnail.jp

Final Summary Report to the Narragansett Bay Project Office: Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Narragansett Bay Sediments and Hard Shell Clams

As part of a multidisciplinary investigation on the sediments of Narragansett Bay, sediment trap materials, surface sediments, hard shell clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) and sediment cores from throughout the bay were analyzed for organic contaminants including: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), substituted benzotriazoles (BZTs), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and coprostanol (COP). The objectives of this particular study were to provide information on the source, transport and biogeochemical fate of organic contaminants in the bay: while the overall goals of the investigation were to characterize the sediments and sedimentary processes of the Narragansett Bay system based on the results of integrated biological, chemical and geological studies. Sediment Trap Materials The sediment trap samples showed a trend of decreasing concentration for most components from Fox Point to Ohio Ledge, suggesting that the source(s) of these contaminants were pollution discharges (e.g., industrial and municipal effluents, CSOs. spills and runoff,) to the upper Providence River and its tributaries. In general, the agreement between the results from the present sediment trap study and older suspended solids data (1985-86) was quite good. However, the PHC concentrations reponed in 1977 were considerably higher than the more recent values. But it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine if changes have really occurred based on the limited number of samples analyzed and procedural variations in the different studies. In the case of BZT concentrations and their ratios (C10-BZT/Cl-BZT), there was a maximum amount of both BZTs and a minimum ratio in trap material at a Providence River station about 7 km south of Fox Point (i.e., adjacent to the Pawtuxet Cove entrance). This trend with distance is probably due to the source of the BZTs to the Providence River which is the Pawtuxet River via Pawtuxet Cove. The BZT ratio indicates a change in the relative amounts of the two compounds over the distance from the point of entry, i.e., there is a trend of increasing values with distance from Pawtuxet Cove (ratio = 1.5) to Ohio Ledge (ratio = 3.2). The ratio for sediment trap material from the Pawtuxet River was 1.0 - 2.0; since these values are generally lower than any others reported, it suggests that the river is the major source of the material in the Pawtuxet Cove traps. The relationships between contaminant concentrations in sediment trap material and surface sediments were quite good. For Ar 1254, the sediment levels were about twice the trap values. Conversely, the hydrocarbon concentrations in trap material were about 1.5 times as high for PHCs and about equal in pyrene, relative to the surface sediments. (In all cases, the correlations were significant at the 95% confidence level). In general, these data support the concept that the chemical composition of particulate material and surf ace sediments are closely related, and that the former could be a major source of contaminants to the underlying surface sediments. It is also possible that resuspended surface sediments could contribute to the particulate material in the water column depending on a number of factors such as bottom currents and extent of bioturbation. There was a significant relationship between the concentration of Cl-BZT in trap material and surface sediments; however, the relationship for the C10-BZT was not as good. and there is presently no explanation for these differences other than that the production of C-BZT started in 1963 and ceased in 1972, while that of the C10-BZT started in 1970 and continued to 1985. (The log Kow for both BZTs are essentially the same, Pruell & Quinn, 1985.) Perhaps, the former BZTs more uniformally distributed in particulate material and sediments than the more recently discharged C10-BZT. Changes in the BZT ratio (C10/Cl) of trap material may be due to a number of reasons including: the preferential retention of the C10-BZT and/or loss of Cl-BZT due to various biogeochemical reactions, and the resuspension of more recent sediments containing higher concentrations of the C10-BZT. This trend would be in agreement with the low ratio in Pawtuxet River surface sediments relative to sediment from the other locations where the ratios generally increase as found in the trap material. For example, the BZT ratio in surface sediments from Ohio Ledge is 7.2, in the mid-bay it is 8.2 and at the west passage the ratio is 9.5 (significant at the 9S% confidence level). Surface Sediments and Clams In general, the levels of all contaminants were highest in the Providence River sediments and decreased exponentially with distance downbay, with the lowest values usually found at the mouth of the bay. The major exception was a station in Newport Harbor in the lower east passage, where the concentrations of PHCs, PCBs and COP were relatively high and similar to some of the upper bay stations. The sources of the contaminants at this station may be related to sewage effluent, CSO discharges and runnoff to the harbor area. One way of evaluating the distribution of various contaminants in surface sediments is to compare the half distances for these components (defined as the distance in which the highest contaminant concentration decreases by 50%). A comparison of values for the east and west transects obtained in this study showed some small differences. For most components (exceptions are BZTs) the half distances were longer in the cast transect, suggesting additional sources of contaminants to that area. This may be due to several reasons including the influence of Newport effluents etc., different water circulation patterns in the two passages, and possible influences from Mount Hope Bay. Organic carbon had the longest half distance due to a large number of sources throughout the bay, and the BZTs had the lowest values since their only source is the Providence River via the Pawtuxct River. Finally, the PH Cs, P AHs. PCBs (sometimes measured as specific chlorobiphenyl (CB) cogeners) and coprostanol had similar half distances, suggesting major sources in the Providence River as well as smaller additional inputs throughout the bay. Five of the contaminants (CB 101, CB 138, PHCs, C10-BZT) showed significant correlations (95% confidence level or better) between sediment and clam concentrations, and all values decreased with distance from the Providence River. These sediment components are hydrophobic and are strongly partitioned into the clams\u27 lipids. Based on the data from this study, it may be possible to identify areas of the bay from which clams are harvested for commercial use. For example, clams suspected of being taken from areas closed to shellfishing could be analyzed for, these 5 contaminants and the results converted to sediment location using the relationships developed in this investigation. Trends from older investigations were generally similar to those observed in the present study; namely, highest concentrations in Providence River sediments and clams with decreasing amounts downbay. The range of previous values brackets those obtained in this study. Given then variations in station location, collection procedures, processing techniques and analytical methods, it is impossible to determine at the present time, if the concentrations have significantly changed over the past 15-20 years. Sediment Cores Highest levels and deepest penetration of PCBs (measured as CB 138) were in the Fox Point core which had a fairly uniform concentration down to 72 cm, but increased at 110 cm and remained about the same at the bottom of the core (147 cm). The other cores showed less penetration ranging from 42 cm (bottom of core) at Conimicut Point to 13 cm at Fields Point where the CB 138 values reached background (\u3c 0.1 ng/g) concentration. Apparently, the latter core site is a non-depositional area in contrast to Fox Point which has a relatively high sedimentation rate. The distribution of PHCs and pyrene were similar in some respects. In both cases, Fox Point had the highest level and deepest penetration with relatively constant values down to 147 cm. The PHCs never quite reached background levels in these cores (Ohio Ledge and Fields Point were the closest to background), but the pyrene did reach this level in two cores including the Fields Point core which again had the shallowest penetration (18 cm). Similar distributions were shown by COP and DEHP in that the Fox Point core had the highest levels and deepest penetration - a slight increase down to 110 cm followed by a prominent decrease to 147 cm. None of the cores reached background values for DEHP, but Ohio Ledge and Conimicut Point came very close. The COP reached background in only the Fields Point core but it rapidly increased again. It is impossible to adequately explain all of the trends in sediment core distributions with only the organic contaminant results. However, a detailed evaluation of all of the data (i.e., trace metals, organic components, biological species, pollen and geochemical analyses and radiometric dating) is currently being prepared in order to provide information on historical trends as recorded in the bay sediment cores (King et al., 1992). [Text taken from report summary.

Control abstraction in parallel programming languages

Control abstraction is the process by which programmers define new control constructs by specifying an ordering of statement execution. Using control abstraction, we can create new control constructs for parallel programming, separate the specification of parallelism and synchronization from the rest of the application code, and vary the parallelism exploited during execution by selecting alternative implementations of control constructs. This paper argues for the inclusion of control abstraction in parallel programming languages by demonstrating that the benefits of control abstraction far outweigh the costs. We present a notation for precisely defining the meaning of a parallel control construct; and use that notation in the definition a small set of primitive mechanisms for parallel programming with control abstraction. We show how to define and implement new parallel control constructs using these primitive mechanisms, and provide examples of application-specific control constructs used in real programs . Finally, we describe techniques that can be used to implement a parallel programming language based on control abstraction, and demonstrate the efficiency of those techniques in an implementation on the BBN Butterfly multiprocessor .Keywords: parallel programming languages, control abstraction, architectural adaptability, closures, early reply, Matroshk

Eighteenth Year of the Gulf of Maine Environmental Monitoring Program

This report summarizes the metals and organic contaminant data associated with the collection and analyses of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) tissue from selected sites along the Gulf of Maine coast during the 2008 sampling season. Contaminant monitoring is conducted by the Gulfwatch Program for the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment (GOMC). A subset of these data is compared with analytical results from earlier Gulfwatch monitoring (2001-2007). Statistical analyses are limited to descriptive measures of replicates from selected sampling sites and include: arithmetic means, and appropriate measures of variance. The primary purpose of this report is to present the current annual results, present graphical representation of spatial and temporal trends and identify potential outliers in order to provide investigators and other interested persons with contemporary information concerning water quality in the Gulf of Maine, as reflected by uptake into resident shellfish (mussels and clams)

Environmental Toxicology TESTS OF BIOACCUMULATION MODELS FOR POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYL COMPOUNDS: A STUDY OF YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR BLUEFISH IN THE HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY, USA

Abstract-A field-based study regarding uptake of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) by young-of-the-year (YOY) bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) was initiated to test a steady-state model of bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in a rapidly growing fish. Determination of prey composition as well as size-dependent growth and specific consumption rates for YOY bluefish from separate field and laboratory studies enabled the input of these species-specific parameters into the model. Furthermore, the time and duration of the exposure of YOY bluefish to dissolved PCBs from a well-characterized system (Hudson River, USA) was well known. Patterns of accumulation of individual PCB congeners differed relative to the accumulation of total PCBs, with the greatest net accumulation occurring for the higher-molecular-weight congeners. Comparison of lipid-normalized bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) with the octanol-water partition coefficients of individual PCB congeners revealed bluefish to be above the BAFs predicted by lipid-based equilibrium partitioning, suggesting that uptake from food is an important source of PCBs in YOY bluefish. Comparison of measured BAFs with values predicted by a steady-state, food-chain model showed good first-order agreement

Rapid and efficient cancer cell killing mediated by high-affinity death receptor homotrimerizing TRAIL variants

The tumour necrosis factor family member TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells through the activation of death receptors 4 (DR4) and 5 (DR5) and is considered a promising anticancer therapeutic agent. As apoptosis seems to occur primarily via only one of the two death receptors in many cancer cells, the introduction of DR selectivity is thought to create more potent TRAIL agonists with superior therapeutic properties. By use of a computer-aided structure-based design followed by rational combination of mutations, we obtained variants that signal exclusively via DR4. Besides an enhanced selectivity, these TRAIL-DR4 agonists show superior affinity to DR4, and a high apoptosis-inducing activity against several TRAIL-sensitive and -resistant cancer cell lines in vitro. Intriguingly, combined treatment of the DR4-selective variant and a DR5-selective TRAIL variant in cancer cell lines signalling by both death receptors leads to a significant increase in activity when compared with wild-type rhTRAIL or each single rhTRAIL variant. Our results suggest that TRAIL induced apoptosis via high-affinity and rapid-selective homotrimerization of each DR represent an important step towards an efficient cancer treatment

Climatology of mesopause region temperature, zonal wind, and meridional wind over Fort Collins,Colorado (41°N, 105°W), and comparison with model simulations

Between May 2002 and April 2006, many continuous observations of mesopause region temperature and horizontal wind, each lasting longer than 24 h (termed full-diurnal-cycle observations), were completed at the Colorado State University Na Lidar Facility in Fort Collins, Colorado (41°N, 105°W). The combined data set consists of 120 full-diurnal-cycle observations binned on a monthly basis, with a minimum of 7 cycles in April and a maximum of 18 cycles in August. Each monthly data set was analyzed to deduce mean values and tidal period perturbations. After removal of tidal signals, monthly mean values are used for the study of seasonal variations in mesopause region temperature, zonal and meridional winds. The results are in qualitative agreement with our current understanding of mean temperature and wind structures in the midlatitude mesopause region with an observed summer mesopause of 167 K at 84 km, summer peak eastward zonal wind of 48 m/s at 94 km, winter zonal wind reversal at ∼95 km, and peak summer (pole) to winter (pole) meridional flow of 17 m/s at 86 km. The observed mean state in temperature, zonal and meridional winds are compared with the predictions of three current general circulation models, i.e., the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 3 (WACCM3) with two different simulations of gravity wavefields, the Hamburg Model of the Neutral and Ionized Atmosphere (HAMMONIA), and the 2003 simulation of the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM). While general agreement is found between observation and model predictions, there exist discrepancies between model prediction and observation, as well as among predictions from different models. Specifically, the predicted summer mesopause altitude is lower by 3 km, 8 km, 3 km, and 1 km for WACCM3 the two WACCM runs, HAMMONIA, and TIME-GCM, respectively, and the corresponding temperatures are 169 K, 170 K, 158 K, and 161 K. The model predicted summer eastward zonal wind peaks to 71 m/s at 102 km, to 48 m/s at 84 km, to 75 m/s at 93 km, and to 29 m/s at 94 km, in the same order. The altitude of the winter zonal wind reversal and seasonal asymmetry of the pole-to-pole meridional flow are also compared, and the importance of full-diurnal-cycle observations for the determination of mean states is discussed

HGS-ETR1, a fully human TRAIL-receptor 1 monoclonal antibody, induces cell death in multiple tumour types in vitro and in vivo

Tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in a variety of tumour cells through activation of TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 death signalling receptors. Here, we describe the characterisation and activity of HGS-ETR1, the first fully human, agonistic TRAIL-R1 mAb that is being developed as an antitumour therapeutic agent. HGS-ETR1 showed specific binding to TRAIL-R1 receptor. HGS-ETR1 reduced the viability of multiple types of tumour cells in vitro, and induced activation of caspase 8, Bid, caspase 9, caspase 3, and cleavage of PARP, indicating activation of TRAIL-R1 alone was sufficient to induce both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Treatment of cell lines in vitro with HGS-ETR1 enhanced the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents (camptothecin, cisplatin, carboplatin, or 5-fluorouracil) even in tumour cell lines that were not sensitive to HGS-ETR1 alone. In vivo administration of HGS-ETR1 resulted in rapid tumour regression or repression of tumour growth in pre-established colon, non-small-cell lung, and renal tumours in xenograft models. Combination of HGS-ETR1 with chemotherapeutic agents (topotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan) in three independent colon cancer xenograft models resulted in an enhanced antitumour efficacy compared to either agent alone. Pharmacokinetic studies in the mouse following intravenous injection showed that HGS-ETR1 serum concentrations were biphasic with a terminal half-life of 6.9–8.7 days and a steady-state volume of distribution of approximately 60 ml kg−1. Clearance was 3.6–5.7 ml−1 day−1 kg−1. These data suggest that HGS-ETR1 is a specific and potent antitumour agent with favourable pharmacokinetic characteristics and the potential to provide therapeutic benefit for a broad range of human malignancies

Suppression of apoptosis inhibitor c-FLIP selectively eliminates breast cancer stem cell activity in response to the anti-cancer agent, TRAIL

Introduction It is postulated that breast cancer stem cells (bCSCs) mediate disease recurrence and drive formation of distant metastases - the principal cause of mortality in breast cancer patients. Therapeutic targeting of bCSCs however, is hampered by their heterogeneity and resistance to existing therapeutics. In order to identify strategies to selectively remove bCSCs from breast cancers, irrespective of their clinical subtype, we sought an apoptosis mechanism that would target bCSCs yet would not kill normal cells. Suppression of the apoptosis inhibitor cellular FLICE-Like Inhibitory Protein (c-FLIP) partially sensitizes breast cancer cells to the anti-cancer agent Tumour Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL). Here we demonstrate in breast cancer cell lines that bCSCs are exquisitely sensitive to the de-repression of this pro-apoptotic pathway, resulting in a dramatic reduction in experimental metastases and the loss of bCSC self-renewal. Methods Suppression c-FLIP was performed by siRNA (FLIPi) in four breast cancer cell lines and by conditional gene-knockout in murine mammary glands. Sensitivity of these cells to TRAIL was determined by complementary cell apoptosis assays, including a novel heterotypic cell assay, while tumour-initiating potential of cancer stem cell subpopulations was determined by mammosphere cultures, aldefluor assay and in vivo transplantation. Results Genetic suppression of c-FLIP resulted in the partial sensitization of TRAIL-resistant cancer lines to the pro-apoptotic effects of TRAIL, irrespective of their cellular phenotype, yet normal mammary epithelial cells remained refractory to killing. While 10%-30% of the cancer cell populations remained viable after TRAIL/FLIPi treatment, subsequent mammosphere and aldefluor assays demonstrated that this pro-apoptotic stimulus selectively targeted the functional bCSC pool, eliminating stem cell renewal. This culminated in an 80% reduction in primary tumours and a 98% reduction in metastases following transplantation. The recurrence of residual tumour initiating capacity was consistent with the observation that post-treated adherent cultures re-acquired bCSC-like properties in vitro. Importantly however this recurrent bCSC activity was attenuated following repeated TRAIL/FLIPi treatment. Conclusions We describe an apoptotic mechanism that selectively and repeatedly removes bCSC activity from breast cancer cell lines and suggest that a combined TRAIL/FLIPi therapy could prevent metastatic disease progression in a broad range of breast cancer subtypes. [PROVISIONAL

Tubulin-binding dibenz[c,e]oxepines: Part 2 Structural variation and biological evaluation as tumour vasculature disrupting agents

5,7-Dihydro-3,9,10,11-tetramethoxybenz[c,e]oxepin-4-ol 1, prepared from a dibenzyl ether precursor via Pd-catalysed intramolecular direct arylation, possesses broad-spectrum in vitro cytotoxicity towards various tumour cell lines, and induces vascular shutdown, necrosis and growth delay in tumour xenografts in mice at sub-toxic doses. The biological properties of 1 and related compounds can be attributed to their ability to inhibit microtubule assembly at the micromolar level, by binding reversibly to the same site of the tubulin αβ-heterodimer as colchicine 2 and the allocolchinol, N-acetylcolchinol 4