Differentiated Effects of Allyl Isothiocyanate in Diabetic Rats: From Toxic to Beneficial Action

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a constituent of Brassica family plants, has been reported to possess a high bioactivity in animal and human cells, showing ambiguous properties from adverse to beneficial ones. It was reported its genotoxic, carcinogenic, goitrogenic effects. On the other side, AITC has shown anti-cancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and lately anti-obesity abilities. So far, its anti-diabetic effects are poorly explored. We tried to assess AITC action on carbohydrate, lipid and hormonal disorders in high fat diet-fed/streptozotocin diabetic rats. In this report, diabetic rats were treated intragastrically at doses 2.5, 5 and 25 mg/kg b.w./day of AITC for 2 weeks. Irrespectively of doses, AITC considerably lowered thyroid hormones (fT4, fT3), increased liver TG content, and also caused robust LDL-cholesterol and direct bilirubin concentration enhancement. Moreover, AITC at the highest dose caused pancreatic amylase and lipase drops and thyroid gland hypertrophy. AITC at 2.5 and 5 mg significantly reduced blood glucose levels along with robust beta-hydroxybutyric acid drop. Additionally, AITC at 5 mg improved insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR index) in spite of reduced blood insulin. To conclude, despite amelioration of diabetic hyperglycemia by AITC, the adverse lipids and hormonal effects may exclude its use as a health-promoting compound in terms of anti-diabetic properties.

Unveiling atmospheric transport and mixing mechanisms of ice nucleating particles over the Alps

Precipitation over the mid-latitudes originates mostly from the ice phase within mixed-phase clouds, signifying the importance of initial ice crystal formation. Primary ice crystals are formed on ice nucleating particles (INPs), which are sparsely populated in the troposphere. INPs are emitted by a large number of ground-based sources into the atmosphere, from where they can get lifted up to cloud heights. Therefore, it is vital to understand vertical INP transport mechanisms, which are particularly complex over orographic terrain. We investigate the vertical transport and mixing mechanisms of INPs over orographic terrain during cloudy conditions by simultaneous measurements of in situ INP concentration at a high valley and a mountaintop site in the Swiss Alps in late winter 2019. On the mountaintop, the INP concentrations were on average lower than in the high valley. However, a diurnal cycle in INP concentrations was observed at the mountaintop, which was absent in the high valley. The median mountaintop INP concentration equilibrated to the concentration found in the high valley towards the night. We found that in nearly 70 % of the observed cases INP-rich air masses were orographically lifted from low elevation upstream of the measurement site. In addition, we present evidence that over the course of the day air masses containing high INP concentrations were advected from the Swiss plateau towards the measurement sites, contributing to the diurnal cycle of INPs. Our results the local INP concentration enhancement over the Alps during cloud events.

Performance of open-path GasFinder3 devices for CH₄ concentration measurements close to ambient levels

Open-path measurements of methane (CH4) with the use of GasFinder systems (Boreal Laser Inc, Edmonton Canada) have been frequently used for emission estimation with the inverse dispersion method (IDM), particularly from agricultural sources. It is common to many IDM applications that the concentration enhancement related to CH4 sources is small, typically between 0.05 and 0.5 ppm, and accurate measurements of CH4 concentrations are needed at concentrations close to ambient levels. The GasFinder3-OP (GF3) device for open-path CH4 measurements is the latest version of the commercial GasFinder systems by Boreal Laser Inc. We investigated the uncertainty of six GF3 devices from side-by-side intercomparison measurements and comparisons to a closed-path quantum cascade laser device. The comparisons were made at near-ambient levels of CH4 (85 % of measurements below 2.5 ppm) with occasional phases of elevated concentrations (max. 8.3 ppm). Relative biases as high as 8.3 % were found, and a precision for half-hourly data between 2.1 and 10.6 ppm-m (half width of the 95 % confidence interval) was estimated. These results deviate from the respective manufacturer specifications of 2 % and 0.5 ppm-m. Intercalibration of the GF3 devices by linear regression to remove measurement bias was shown to be of limited value due to drifts and step changes in the recorded GF3 concentrations.

Performance of open-path GasFinder3 devices for CH₄ concentration measurements close to ambient levels

Open-path measurements of methane (CH4) with the use of GasFinder systems has been frequently used for emission estimation with the inverse dispersion method (IDM), specifically from agricultural sources. It is common to many IDM applications that the concentration enhancement related to agricultural CH4 sources is small, typically between 0.05 and 0.5 ppm, and accurate measurements of CH4 concentrations are needed at concentrations close to ambient levels. The GasFinder3-OP (GF3) device for open-path CH4 measurements is the latest version of the commercial GasFinder systems by Boreal Laser Inc. We investigated the uncertainty of six GF3 devices from side by side intercomparison measurements and comparisons to a closed-path quantum cascade laser device. Relative biases as high as 8.3 % were found and a precision between 2.1 and 10.6 ppm-m was estimated. These results deviate from the respective manufacturer specifications of 2 % and 0.5 ppm-m. Intercalibration of the GF3 devices by linear regression to remove measurement bias was shown to be of limited value due to drifts and step changes in the recorded GF3 concentrations.

Review of characteristics of anammox bacteria and strategies for anammox start-up for sustainable wastewater resource management

Wastewater management has experienced different stages, including pollutant removal, resource recovery, and water nexus. Within these stages, anaerobic ammonia oxidation-based biotechnology can be incorporated for nitrogen removal, which can help achieve sustainable wastewater management, such as reclamation and ecologization of wastewater. Here, the physiology, metabolism, reaction kinetics and microbial interactions of anammox bacteria are discussed, and strategies to start-up the anammox system are presented. Anammox bacteria are slow growers with a high doubling time and a low reaction rate. Although most anammox bacteria grow autotrophically, some types can grow mixotrophically. The reaction stoichiometric coefficients can be affected by loading rates and other biological reactions. Microbial interactions also contribute to enhanced biological nitrogen removal and promote activities of anammox bacteria. The start-up of the anammox process is the key aspect for its practical application, which can be realized through seed selection, system stimulation, and biomass concentration enhancement.

Detection of Sulphide Deposit Using Uranium/Potassium Ratio Map

Potassium (K) response is associated with minerals that can be easily weathered, whereas uranium (U) is usually related to residual clay, oxides and accessory minerals. With a view to interpret for the detection of sulphide deposit based on similar responses exhibited by the various rock units, radiometric data set was interpreted. The study area is located within Latitude +8000’00’’to +8030’00’’ and Longitude +5030’00’’E to +6000’00’’E. The data was collected in most parts of the Nigeria by Fugro Airborne Services Ltd. Johannesburg in collaboration with the Nigerian Geological Survey agency using a light aircraft that was flown in NW-SE direction with a nominal terrain clearance of 80 m and at a speed of 70-80 m/s, with a flight line spacing of 500 m apart. The acquired data was subjected to elemental concentration enhancement using Geosoft Oasis Montaj Software. From the interpreted data, the red coloured portions indicate high uranium and low potassium formations (H-U/K), while the blue coloured portions indicate low uranium and high potassium formations (L-U/K). The regions L-U/K have recorded low U/K ratios, meaning that L-U/K have very low uranium count rates as compared to the count rates of potassium in these regions; this signifies potassium abundance. This also suggests igneous activities that usually culminate to the emplacement of the meta-volcanic lithologies. H-U/K and M-U/K (Moderate U/K formations) are seen to have patches of high U/K ratios within the central portions. This high U/K ratio was therefore, as a result of sulphide deposition.

Study of Methylene Blue Interaction with Human Serum Albumin

The thiosine dye methylene blue (MB) interaction with human serum albumin (HSA) has been studied. MB was revealed to stabilize the native structure of HSA, since the denaturation temperature of the complexes is shifted to higher values in relation to that of the pure protein. It was also revealed that the absorption spectra of the complexes do not change noticeably, while in the fluorescence spectra the maximal intensity of MB decreases with the albumin concentration enhancement. Analysis of the obtained data allows to conclude that the main binding mode of MB to HSA, providing the stabilization of the protein native structure, is the electrostatic mechanism.

Optical, electrical, and structural properties of Fe-doped CuAlO2 thin films

The influence of Fe content on the structural and optoelectronic properties of Fe-doped CuAlO2 films was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that all annealed films had a pure delafossite phase. Optical transmittance spectra showed that Fe-doped films exhibit an obvious change in the 340–380[Formula: see text]nm region compared to undoped CuAlO2, and optical band gap analyses confirmed the formation of impurity band levels within the bandgap. The average transmittance of CuAl[Formula: see text]FexO2 is around 45–55% in the visible range, and transmittance in this region decreases with increasing Fe concentration. Increased conductivity was observed due to the introduction of Fe and subsequent carrier concentration enhancement. The conductivity in a CuAl[Formula: see text]Fe[Formula: see text]O2 film was maximized at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]S[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text].