Application of polyethyleneimine cellulose for the class separation of steroidal carboxylic acids from neutral steroids and pigments in urine

Metabolites of corticosteroids that contain the 21-oic acid moiety are found in human urine. The acids from neutral steroids and urinary pigments have been separated by passing the mixture through a column of polyethyleneimine cellulose. The acids adhering to the column are quantitatively eluted with dilute formic acid. The purified preparation is suitable for derivatization and chromatographic analysis.     

An in-depth Comparison of the Pediatric and Adult Urinary N-glycomes

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Highlights

• •N-glycan patterns are distinct in pediatric and adult urine.
• •Sex differences of N-glycans are much larger in adults.
• •Pediatric urine has almost no sex differences in N-glycan levels.
• •In adults, the majority of N-glycans were more abundant in males.

     

Structural Decomposition Analysis of Raw Material Consumption

The aim of this article is to quantify the drivers for the changes in raw material consumption (domestic material consumption expressed in the form of all materials extracted and used in the production phase) in terms of technology, which refers to the concept of sustainable production; the product structure of final demand, which refers to the concept of sustainable consumption; and the volume of final demand, which is related to economic growth. We also aim to determine to what extent the technological development and a shift in product structure of the final demand compensate for the growth in final consumption volume. Therefore, we apply structural decomposition analysis (SDA) to the change in raw material consumption (RMC) of the Czech Republic between 2000 and 2007. To present the study in a broader context, we also show other material flow indicators for the Czech Republic for 2000 and 2007. Our findings of SDA show that final demand structure has a very limited effect on the change in material flows. The rapid change in final demand volume was not compensated for crude oil, metal ores, construction materials, food crops, and timber. For the material category of non‐iron metal ores, even the change in technology contributes to an increase in material flows. The largest relative increases are reported for non‐iron metal ores (38%) and construction materials (30%). The main changes in material flows related to the Czech Republic are driven by exports and enabled by imports, the main source of these increased material flows. This emphasizes the increasing role of international trade.     

Fluorescent analysis of alpha-keto acids in serum and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A selective procedure using synthetic substrates for determination of exo-1,4,-beta-glucanases in a mixture of exoglucanases , endoglucanases , and beta-glucosidases is formulated. The heterobiosides , p- nithrophenyl -beta-D- cellobioside ( pNPC ) or p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-lactoside ( pNPL ), were used as selective substrates for the measurement of exoglucanase activity. The exoglucanases (especially cellobiohydrolases , which split off cellobiose units from the nonreducing end of the cellulose chain) specifically act on the agluconic bond (between p-nitrophenyl and the disaccharide moiety) and not on the holosidic bond (between the two glucose units of cellobiose). The interfering effect of beta-glucosidase, which acts on both agluconic and holosidic bonds, is overcome by the addition of D-glucono-1,5-delta-lactone, a specific inhibitor of beta-glucosidases. The interference of endoglucanases , which also act on both agluconic and holosidic bonds, can be compensated for by prior standardization of the assay procedure with a purified endoglucanase from the studied mixture of cellulases.     

How Can the Eco‐efficiency of a Region be Measured and Monitored?

The concept of eco-efficiency is commonly referred to as a business link to sustainable development. In this article, ecoefficiency is examined at a regional level as an approach to promoting the competitiveness of economic activities in the Finnish Kymenlaakso region and mitigating their harmful impacts on the environment. The aim is to develop appropriate indicators for monitoring changes in the eco-efficiency of the region. A starting point is to produce indicators for the environmental and economic dimensions of regional development and use them for measuring regional eco-efficiency. The environmental impact indicators are based on a life-cycle assessment method, producing different types of environmental impact indicators: pressure indicators (e.g., emissions of CO₂), impact category indicators (e.g., CO₂ equivalents in the case of climate change), and a total impact indicator (aggregating different impact category indicator results into a single value). Environmental impact indicators based on direct material input, total material input, and total material requirement of the Kymenlaakso region are also assessed. The economic indicators used are the gross domestic product, the value added, and the output of the main economic sectors of Kymenlaakso. In the eco-efficiency assessment, the economic and environmental impact indicators are monitored in the same graph. In a few cases eco-efficiency ratios can also be calculated (the economic indicators are divided by the environmental indicators). Output (= value added + intermediate consumption) is used as an economic indicator related to the environmental impact indicators, which also cover the upstream processes of the region's activities. In the article, we also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using the different environmental impact indicators.     

Determination of field output correction factors of radiophotoluminescence glass dosimeter and CC01 ionization chamber and validation against IAEA-AAPM TRS-483 code of practice

PurposeTo determine the field output correction factors of the radiophotoluminescence glass dosimeter (RPLGD) in parallel and perpendicular orientations with reference to CC01, the ionization chamber.MethodsThe dose to a small water volume and the sensitive volume of the RPLGD and the IBA-CC01 were determined for 6-MV, 100-cm SAD, 10-cm depth using egs_chamber user-code. The RPLGD in perpendicular and parallel orientations to the beam axis were studied. The field output correction factors of each detector for 0.5 × 0.5 to 10 × 10 cm² field sizes were determined. These field output correction factors were validated by comparing field output factors against data determined from IAEA-AAPM TRS-483 code of practice.ResultsThe field output correction factors of all detectors were within 5% for field sizes down to 0.8 × 0.8 cm². For 0.5 × 0.5 cm², the field output correction factors of CC01, RPLGD in perpendicular and parallel orientations differed from unity by 14%, 19%, and 5%, respectively. The percentage difference between field output factors determined using RPLGD and CC01 data, corrected using the field output correction factors determined in this work and measurements with CC01 data corrected using TRS-483, was less than 3% for all field sizes, except for the smallest field size of RPLGD in perpendicular orientation and the CC01.ConclusionsThe field output correction factors of RPLGD and CC01 are reported. The validation proves that RPLGD in parallel orientation combined with the field output correction factors is the most suitable for determining the field output factors for the smallest field used in this study.     

Comparative radionuclide and thermodilution determinations of cardiac output and stroke volume in the baboon (Papio ursinus)

Thermodilution cardiac output determinations and multigated equilibrium blood-pool scintigraphy were performed in ten healthy chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). The correlation was moderately good between both the radionuclide and thermodilution stroke volume (r = 0.58, SEE = 3 ml; SVth = 0.78SVr + 15.6 ml) as well as the cardiac output (r = 0.72, SEE = 0.2 liter/min; COth = 0.56 Cor + 2.1 liter/min). The attenuation depth dr as determined by radionuclide techniques was found to correlate well with the radiologically determined values dx (r = 0.8, SEE = 0.4 cm; dx = 0.87dr + 0.72 cm) which validated the depth values used in the calculations.     

Ion-pair extraction of bile acids with Lipidex gel

A new method for the extraction of bile acids from aqueous solutions, urine, plasma, and bile is described. A buffered solution of decyltrimethylammonium bromide is added to the sample to give a 0.03 m concentration of the counter-ion. The mixture is passed through a bed of Lipidex 1000, which is then washed with the buffered solution of counter-ion followed by water. The decyltrimethylammonium salts of bile acids are sorbed by the Lipidex and are eluted with methanol. Recoveries of unconjugated, taurine- and glycine-conjugated, sulfated, and glucuronidated bile acids are close to 100%. Unconjugated bile acids can also be quantitatively extracted from aqueous solutions and urine after acidification with acetic acid.     

Observations on some reproductive traits of Triops granarius (Lucas) (Crustacea: Notostraca)

Reproductive traits of Triops granarius females were examined. Fertilization by males was a prerequisite for oviposition. Clutch size ranged from 1 to 154, and clutch frequency (per 24 hours) from 1 to 9. Clutch size generally increased with increasing body size and increasing age. Total reproductive output was dependent upon life span, and estimated at around 200 eggs for a life span of 25 days. Clutch data indicate that T. granarius may have r-selected traits.     

Normoxic and anoxic heat output of the freshwater bivalves Pisidium and Sphaerium

In fasting Pisidium amnicum and Sphaerium corneum, regular periods of behavioural and metabolic quiescence were shown to occur in the normoxic, constant environment of the flow-through chamber of a heat-flow microcalorimeter. The metabolic rate was suppressed to 7.5% of normal at 10° C and to 8.5–9.7% at 20° C for periods exceeding the period of active metabolism by a factor of 3.5 at 10° C and 8.3 at 20° C. The rate of heat output during normoxic quiescence was equal to that during environmental anoxia, suggesting spontaneous achievement of body anoxia by complete shell closure. The mass-specific integrated heat output during closure periods was independent of size. Parallel observations on clam behaviour suggested that metabolic quiescence coincided with shell closure, and bursts of heat flow with active ventilation. Shell closure was accompanied by pronounced bradycardia, down to 20% of the active rate. In a constant environment, the rhythmic quiescence is regulated by shell closure which is probably triggered by lack of food. Regular quiescence of fasting bivalves may conserve energy reserves considerably, the amount depending on the possible excretion rate of the end products, and the post-quiescence recovery costs, which were not measured. Heat output during the active period was close to the average metabolic rate found earlier for Sphaeriidae. However, all the values determined so far are likely to be underestimates of the natural metabolism because the effects of digestion and growth are not included.