At the starting of the shutdown of the AUG (ASDEX Upgrade: Axially Symmetric Divertor EXperiment) German tokamak, we collected particles deposited on the divertor surfaces by means of a dedicated ...device called “Duster Box”. This device allows to collect the particles using a controlled airflow with a defined shear stress. Consequently, the particles collected correspond to a potentially mobilizable fraction, by an airflow, of deposited dust. A total of more than 70,000 tungsten particles was, analysed showing a bimodal particle size distribution with a mode composed of flakes at 0.6μm and a mode composed of spherical particles at 1.8μm.
BACKGROUND: Increasing intakes of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can decrease markers of immunity. However, dose- and age-related responses have not been identified. OBJECTIVE: ...The objective was to determine the effects of different amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on innate immune outcomes in young and older males. DESIGN: In a controlled, double-blind study, healthy young and older men consumed 1 of 4 supplements provided as capsules: placebo (corn oil) or different amounts of an oil providing 1.35, 2.7, or 4.05 g EPA/d for 12 wk. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 wk. RESULTS: EPA was incorporated in a linear dose-response fashion into plasma and mononuclear cell (MNC) phospholipids; incorporation was greater in the older men. EPA treatment did not alter neutrophil or monocyte phagocytosis, monocyte respiratory burst, or the production of inflammatory cytokines by MNCs in the young or older men. EPA treatment caused a dose-dependent decrease in neutrophil respiratory burst only in the older men. Increased incorporation of EPA into plasma or MNC phospholipids was associated with decreased production of prostaglandin E₂ by MNCs from both young and older men. CONCLUSIONS: Older subjects incorporate EPA into plasma and MNC phospholipids more readily than do younger subjects. Other than prostaglandin E₂ production, innate immune responses in young subjects are not affected by an EPA intake of </=4.05 g/d. Older subjects are more sensitive to the immunologic effects of EPA, and the neutrophil respiratory burst is lower at higher EPA intakes.
Proton elastic and inelastic scattering angular distributions to the 2
+
1 and the 3
−
1 states for the neutron-rich nucleus
20
O were measured with a secondary beam using the MUST silicon strip ...detector array. Data for
18
O were also obtained for comparison. A phenomenological analysis has been used to deduce the deformation parameters
β
p,p′ for the collective excitations. Matter and transition densities were generated from self-consistent QRPA calculations. DWBA calculations using microscopic optical potentials obtained with these densities and the JLM interaction are compared to the data. The isovector character of the 2
+
1 state in
20
O is confirmed and predictions are discussed for the properties of the heavier neutron-rich oxygen isotopes.
Obesity is at the forefront of global health issues and directly contributes to many chronic illnesses. Several dietary components show promise in the treatment of obesity, one of which is oil rich ...in diacylglycerols (DAGs). Present objectives are to examine scientific knowledge concerning DAG to assess evidence supporting the effects on substrate oxidation rates, body weight and fat mass, and blood lipids, and to assess safety, as well as elucidate potential mechanisms of action. DAG can be synthesized by an enzymatic process to produce mainly 1,3-isoform DAG. This 1,3-DAG oil is believed to have the ability to increase {szligbeta}-oxidation, to enhance body weight loss, to suppress body fat accumulation, and to lower serum triacylglycerol levels postprandially. While certain animal and human studies indicate that consumption of 1,3-DAG has positive physiological effects, others report no effect. The mechanisms of action of DAG are suggested to decrease the resynthesis of chylomicrons as well as shunting them directly to the liver through the portal vein, where they are oxidized. This increased fat oxidation may influence control of food intake by increasing satiety. Further study into the precise mechanism is required to understand its effects. Safety studies show no risks in consuming a diet rich in DAG oil. Overall, consumption of oils with higher amounts of DAG, specifically 1,3-DAG, may be useful in the battle against obesity.
Exposure assessment is a key step in the evaluation of the risk induced by the handling of engineered nanomaterials. It is a very complex task, because several properties of nanoparticles are assumed ...to have an effect on their hazards. For exposure monitoring at the workplace, real-time onsite measurements are commonly implemented to measure the particles size and number density, whereas the sampled material is subsequently analysed by electron microscopy. A complementary approach would consist in doing onsite chemical analysis of the filter samples, in order to routinely monitor a potential chronic exposure. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has distinctive advantages for this purpose. Therefore, this work aims at evaluating the performances of LIBS to assess the exposure to airborne carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at the workplace. As carbon is a ubiquitous element in the environment, our strategy was to target metal impurities in CNTs, aluminum and iron in our case. Then, we proceeded in three steps. First, we optimized the choice of the filter type to get the lowest detection limit for both elements. Secondly, this filter was used to quantitatively measure deposited CNTs. Eventually, we conducted an onsite measurement campaign in an industrial CNT production plant to evaluate the exposure in a real situation. We demonstrated that we could reach a detection limit for CNTs compliant with the current NIOSH recommendation of 1 μg m
−3
, and that the detected CNTs during the onsite campaign in areas accessible to workers were at an extremely low concentration, several orders of magnitude lower than this recommendation.
Airborne carbon nanotubes sampled on filters are quantified in a workplace atmosphere by LIBS analysis of their metal impurities.
Inelastic scattering of $^{40}$Ca on $^{40}$Ca at 50 MeV/A has been measured in coincidence with protons at the GANIL facility. The SPEG spectrometer was associated with 240 CsI(Tl) scintillators of ...the INDRA 4$\pi$ array, allowing for the measurement of complete decay events. The missing energy method was applied to these events. For events with excitation energy between 42 and 55 MeV, a direct decay branch by three protons towards the low energy states of $^{37}$Cl gives the first evidence for a 3-phonon state built with giant resonances.
High energy
γ-rays (
E
γ
>35 MeV) have been measured in coincidence with heavy residues emitted in reactions induced by a 37 MeV/u
36Ar beam on a
98Mo target. The
γ-ray yield increases strongly with ...increasing linear momentum transfer indicating the importance of two-body collisions in the transfer mechanism. The high energy
γ-ray multiplicity has been used to correlate the linear momentum transfer to the impact parameter. This correlation is compared to dynamical BNV simulations to show the essential role of two body nucleon-nucleon collisions at these bombarding energies.
The inelastic scattering of
40Ar on
58Ni has been studied at 44 MeV per nucleon incident energy in coincidence with light particle emission. Besides the well known mechanisms of inelastic excitation, ...pick up break up and nucleon knock out, a new phenomenon has been observed, giving rise to fast forward moving particles with specific angular correlations. This newly observed mechanism seems to be a generic phenomenon present for various projectile-target combinations and incident energies. Its contribution to the inelastic spectrum has been extracted and a tentative interpretation is given.
Abstract Supplementation with fish oils, rich in n − 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, modifies cardiovascular risk factors. However, dose–response relationships are poorly defined and whether similar ...effects are seen in young and older subjects is not known. This study determined the effect of supplementing the diet of young and older male subjects with different amounts of an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-rich oil. Healthy young (18–42 years) and older (53–70 years) males were randomized to placebo or 1.35, 2.7 or 4.05 g EPA/day for 12 weeks. There was no effect of EPA on blood pressure or on plasma total, LDL or HDL cholesterol. EPA lowered plasma triacylglycerols, with the maximal effect at the lowest dose. Plasma lipoperoxides decreased in all groups. EPA decreased the lag time of copper-induced lipoprotein peroxidation and the ratio of reduced to total glutathione in the older subjects. The highest dose of EPA increased soluble E-selectin in young subjects, while increasing EPA tended to decrease soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 in young and older subjects. Young and older males will gain cardiovascular benefit from increased intake of EPA. Young males are unlikely to suffer adverse consequences from high EPA intake, whereas older males may have an increased risk of lipoprotein peroxidation.
PDF
