This paper is set during the 1944 and 1945 final push to complete Project Y-the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos-and focuses primarily on overcoming the challenge of creating and demonstrating a ...successful convergent explosive implosion to turn a subcritical quantity of plutonium into a critical mass. The critical mass would then efficiently yield kilotons of trinitrotoluene (TNT)-equivalent energy in about a microsecond, demonstrating the implosion atomic bomb concept. This work culminated in the Trinity atomic test near Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. This implosion effect demarcated the approach to explosive science and technology that the Los Alamos National Laboratory has followed ever since, including development of high-explosive synthesis and formulation, small and large test and diagnostic facilities, shock dynamics theory, high-explosive system design engineering, and three-dimensional implosion modeling and simulation using some of the fastest computers in the world. This work also ushered in new generations of interdisciplinary scientists contributing to the field of explosives and a period of broader application of precision high explosives in conventional munitions, demolition, mining and oil exploration, and space travel.
The primary objective of this study was to monitor aflatoxin contamination in Haitian samples of raw peanuts (n = 21), peanut butters (n = 32), and maize (n = 30) obtained in Port-au-Prince and Cap ...Haitien, Haiti, during 2012 and 2013. Our secondary objective was to explore a process that uses a locally produced Haitian spirit (clarin) to transform oil from contaminated peanuts into a safe, edible product. Immuno-affinity column chromatography and fluorometry (VICAM Aflatest) detected aflatoxins in 14%, 97%, and 30% of raw peanuts, peanut butters, and maize samples, respectively, and the concentration of total aflatoxins was greatest in peanut butters (median: 137 μg/kg, maximum: 2720 μg/kg). The concentration of aflatoxin in extracted oil was on average 10% of that in un-extracted oil which, in turn, had a concentration that was only 5% of the original contaminated peanuts. Therefore, aflatoxin concentration in the final product was 99.5% less than that found in the original peanuts, even without pre-filtration. Our extraction experiments testing laboratory-grade ethanol and clarin provide evidence that the latter can serve as a low-cost alternative to effectively reduce aflatoxin concentrations in oil pressed from high aflatoxin peanuts.
•Peanut butters (94%) and peanuts (14%) had greater than 20 μg/kg aflatoxin (AF).•AF was extracted from contaminated peanut oil with a locally made spirit.•The AF concentration of extracted oil was 0.5% of that found in contaminated peanuts.•Alternative uses of tainted foods will be essential in limiting exposure to AF.
An improved “dilute and shoot” LC-MS/MS multibiomarker approach was used to monitor urinary excretion of 23 mycotoxins and their metabolites in human populations from Asia (Bangladesh), Europe ...(Germany), and the Caribbean region (Haiti). Deoxynivalenol (DON), deoxynivalenol-3-glucuronide (DON-3-GlcA), T-2-toxin (T-2), HT-2-toxin (HT-2), HT-2-toxin-4-glucuronide (HT-2-4-GlcA), fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), aflatoxins (AFB₁, AFB₂, AFG₁, AFG₂, AFM₁), zearalenone (ZEA), zearalanone (ZAN), their urinary metabolites α-zearalanol (α-ZEL) and β-zearalanol (β-ZEL), and corresponding 14-O-glucuronic acid conjugates (ZEA-14-GlcA, ZAN-14-GlcA, β-ZEL, α/β–ZEL-14-GlcA), ochratoxin A (OTA), and ochratoxin alpha (OTα) as well as enniatin B (EnB) and dihydrocitrinone (DH-CIT) were among these compounds. Eight urinary mycotoxin biomarkers were detected (AFM₁, DH-CIT, DON, DON-GLcA, EnB, FB₁, OTA, and α-ZEL). DON and DON-GlcA were exclusively detected in urines from Germany and Haiti whereas urinary OTA and DH-CIT concentrations were significantly higher in Bangladeshi samples. AFM₁ was present in samples from Bangladesh and Haiti only. Exposure was estimated by the calculation of probable daily intakes (PDI), and estimates suggested occasional instances of toxin intakes that exceed established tolerable daily intakes (TDI). The detection of individual mycotoxin exposure by biomarker-based approaches is a meaningful addition to the classical monitoring of the mycotoxin content of the food supply.
Fruits of the native South American tree
Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq. (Sapindaceae) are consumed for both dietary and medicinal purposes, but limited information is available about the phytochemistry ...and health value of
M. bijugatus fruits. Fruit tissues of the Florida Montgomery cultivar were assessed for sugars, using gas chromatography, and for total phenolics, using UV spectroscopy. Reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints of crude methanolic pulp, embryo and seed coat extracts were obtained at 280
nm. Phenolics were characterised by both HPLC–UV/Vis analysis and HPLC electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry. Major sugars detected in the pulp and embryo extracts were sucrose, followed by glucose and fructose. The glucose:fructose ratio was 1:1 in the pulp and 0.1:1 in the embryo. Total phenolic concentrations of the fruit tissues were in the order: seed coat
>
embryo
>
pulp. Phenolic acids were identified mostly in pulp tissues. Phenolic acids, flavonoids, procyanidins and catechins were identified in embryo tissues, and higher molecular weight procyanidins were identified in seed coat tissues. This study provides new information about the phytochemistry and the potential health value of the Montgomery cultivar
M. bijugatus fruit tissues.
Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) refers to the use of portable imaging performed by the provider clinician at the bedside for diagnostic, therapeutic, and procedural purposes. POCUS could be ...considered an extension of the physical examination but not a substitute for diagnostic imaging. Use of POCUS in emergency situations can be lifesaving in the NICU if performed in a timely fashion for cardiac tamponade, pleural effusions, pneumothorax, etc, with potential for enhancing quality of care and improving outcomes. In the past 2 decades, POCUS has gained significant acceptance in clinical medicine in many parts of the world and in many subspecialties. Formal accredited training and certification programs are available for neonatology trainees as well as for many other subspecialties in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Although no formal training program or certification is available to neonatologists in Europe, POCUS is widely available to providers in NICUs. A formal institutional POCUS fellowship is now available in Canada. In the United States, many clinicians have the skills to perform POCUS and have incorporated it in their daily clinical practice. However, appropriate equipment remains limited, and many barriers exist to POCUS program implementation. Recently, the first international evidence-based POCUS guidelines for use in neonatology and pediatric critical care were published. Considering the potential benefits, a recent national survey of neonatologists confirmed that the majority of clinicians were inclined to adopt POCUS in their clinical practice if the barriers could be resolved. This technical report describes many potential POCUS applications in the NICU for diagnostic and procedural purposes.
The standard treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer consists of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery. However, the response of individual tumors to CRT is ...extremely diverse, presenting a clinical dilemma. This broad variability in treatment response is likely attributable to intratumor heterogeneity (ITH).
We addressed the impact of ITH on response to CRT by establishing single-cell-derived cell lines (SCDCL) from a treatment-naïve rectal cancer biopsy after xenografting.
Individual SCDCLs derived from the same tumor responded profoundly different to CRT
. Clonal reconstruction of the tumor and derived cell lines based on whole-exome sequencing revealed nine separate clusters with distinct proportions in the SCDCLs. Missense mutations in
and
were clonal in the resistant SCDCL, but not detected in the sensitive SCDCL. Single-cell genetic analysis by multiplex FISH revealed the expansion of a clone with a loss of
in the resistant SCDCL. Gene expression profiling by tRNA-sequencing identified the activation of the Wnt, Akt, and Hedgehog signaling pathways in the resistant SCDCLs. Wnt pathway activation in the resistant SCDCLs was confirmed using a reporter assay.
Our model system of patient-derived SCDCLs provides evidence for the critical role of ITH for treatment response in patients with rectal cancer and shows that distinct genetic aberration profiles are associated with treatment response. We identified specific pathways as the molecular basis of treatment response of individual clones, which could be targeted in resistant subclones of a heterogenous tumor.
Aflatoxins (AFs) are hepatocarcinogenic mycotoxins that can contaminate grains and oil seeds in tropical and sub-tropical areas and have been detected in maize and peanut products of Haiti. The first ...objective was to assess human exposure to AFs among Haitians at an urban hospital (GHESKIO) and a rural health centre (HCBH). The second objective was to test the association between AF exposure and reported dietary intake of potentially contaminated foods, such as maize, peanut products and milk. Measurement of urinary AFM1 by HPLC revealed that among 367 participants 14% and 22% at GHESKIO and HCBH, respectively, had detectable AFM1. The maximum and median AFM1 concentrations for all detected samples were 700 pg AFM1 ml
-1
and 11.7 pg ml
-1
, respectively. Detection of AFM1 was significantly associated with peanut consumption (p < 0.05). Controlling for diet and age group in a logit model, patients who reported peanut consumption the day of the survey and patients from HCBH had greater log odds of excreting detectable AFM1 (p < 0.001 and 0.002, respectively); females had lower log odds (p = 0.020). Recalled frequency of consuming non-dairy animal-sourced foods, an indicator of diet quality, approached significance (p = 0.056) as an inverse predictor of urinary AFM1 detection. The findings augur the need for interventions that will improve food safety in Haiti and limit exposure to AFs, particularly among rural communities.
Flow batteries represent a possible grid-scale energy storage solution, having many advantages such as scalability, separation of power and energy capabilities, and simple operation. However, they ...can suffer from degradation during operation and the characteristics of the felt electrodes are little understood in terms of wetting, compression and pressure drops. Presented here is the design of a miniature flow cell that allows the use of x-ray computed tomography (CT) to study carbon felt materials in situ and operando, in both lab-based and synchrotron CT. Through application of the bespoke cell it is possible to observe felt fibres, electrolyte and pore phases and therefore enables non-destructive characterisation of an array of microstructural parameters during the operation of flow batteries. Furthermore, we expect this design can be readily adapted to the study of other electrochemical systems.
All peanut butter samples collected from Haitian and Kenyan grocery stores during 2009 and 2010 were contaminated with aflatoxin. Aflatoxin levels ranged from 7.9 to 799.8 ppb (parts per billion or ...μg/kg). Hand sorting peanuts in the shell reduced aflatoxin concentrations by 97.72% and should be performed before storage and again on kernels before processing into other food products.Rejected contaminated peanuts can be transformed into cooking briquettes for boiling water on local Haitian low-efficiency stoves. The results from this study inform nutritionists and peanut butter manufacturers of this issue and some intervention strategies that can be used to minimize contamination in communities with limited resources.
Abstract
The ability of Finnsheep x Dorset meat ewes to achieve high milk yields in short and frequent 73-day lactation periods on the STAR accelerated lambing system in a year-round dairy system was ...tested together with ewe reproductive success. Ewes (n = 53) were managed in 3 groups and enrolled in a triply replicated (for management group) 3′3 Latin square design (3 pens, 3 lactations, 3 diets). Diets (L-SH, M-SH, H-SH) contained 31.6, 36.3, 40.0% aNDFom and 41.3, 37.2, 31.9% NFC. Milk was recorded at each 2X milking, ewes and lambs weighed weekly. Ewes were bred to lamb with 219-day lambing intervals. To facilitate breeding, progesterone CIDRs were employed for 7 days prior to breeding during increasing day-light period breeding months. Individual lactation curves were fitted to 127 evaluated lactations. Lactation parameters were analyzed with a model including Square Number, Pen and Lactation within Square Number, and Diet, with 3 to 6 ewes in each cell of each Latin Square. Ewes offered the M-SH diet produced more (P = 0.03) milk/d (1.40, 1.58, and 1.37 ± 0.07 kg) and higher (P = 0.02) lactation yields (95.8, 109.6, and 93.0 ± 5.29 kg), compared with ewes offered the L-HS or H-SH diets, respectively. Investigating the effect of breeding season (January, March, June, August, and October) on reproductive success, conception rates ranged between 83.3 and 94.1% and were not affected by breeding season. Litter sizes were lower for matings in March and June (P < 0.05) compared to June, August, and October. Average daily gains of lambs raised artificially ranged between 283 and 328 g ± 11.2 g per day and were significantly higher for January-born lambs than for March born lambs (P < 0.001). Both milk production and reproductive success were high for ewes milked year-round in short and frequent lactations.
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