A novel profluorescent dinitroxide for imaging polypropylene degradation

Free-radical processes underpin the thermo-oxidative degradation of polyolefins. Thus, to extend the lifetime of these polymers, stabilizers are generally added during processing to scavenge the free radicals formed as the polymer degrades. Nitroxide radical precursors, such as hindered amine stabilizers (HAS),1,2 are common polypropylene additives as the nitroxide moiety is a potent scavenger of polymer alkyl radicals (R¥). Oxidation of HAS by radicals formed during polypropylene degradation yields nitroxide radicals (RRNO¥), which rapidly trap the polymer degradation species to produce alkoxyamines, thus retarding oxidative polymer degradation. This increase in polymer stability is demonstrated by a lengthening of the “induction period” of the polymer (the time prior to a sharp rise in the oxidation of the polymer). Instrumental techniques such as chemiluminescence or infrared spectroscopy are somewhat limited in detecting changes in the polymer during the initial stages of degradation. Therefore, other methods for observing polymer degradation have been sought as the useful life of a polymer does not extend far beyond its “induction period

Studies in the fluoranthene series

Two new methods have been evolved for the preparation In improved yields of 9-fluorenyl-2- proplonic acid, from which fluoranthene has been synthesised, thus confirming the work of von Braun.The first of these methods resulted from investigations of the trimethylbenzylammonium hydroxide catalysed condensation of acrylonitrile with 9-substitutad fluorenes, the initial condensation in the preparation of the above acid being with 9-fluorenol. Acrylonitrile was also condensed with 9-phenylfluorene, and the product hydrolysed to an acid cycllsable to a ketone, but acrylonitrile could not be condensed with 9-chloro-, 9-ethyl, and 9-benzylfluorenes, nor with 1-keto-l'(9'-fluorenyl) acetic acid.The first step in the second method was an alkoxide catalysed condensation of dlethylsuccinate and 9-fluorenone (a Stobbe reaction). An intensive study was made of this reaction, so that the structure of Its various products could be firmly established. These were found to be the mono-condensation products, 3:3'-diphenylene-2-carbethoxyvinylacetic acid and the dibasic acid, 3:3'-diphenylene-2-carboxyvinylacetic acid whose structures were established by esterification, hydrolysis, reduction and bromination experiments, and the dicondensation product 1:4- bisdiphenylene-2:3-decarboxybutadlene whose structure was elucidated by decarboxylation to the known hydro-carbon. Reduction of the lactone produced by the decarboxylation of the mono-condensation products gave the 9-fluorenyl-2-propionic acid.It was found that fluorene condensed with molecular amounts of cinnamnitrile (phenylacrylonitrile) under the catalytic action of trimethylbenzylammonium hydroxide and the product hydrolysed to an acid cyclisable to a ketone.It was also found that the 9-fluorenyl-2- propionic acid, and the substituted 9-fluorenyl-2- propionic acids prepared, were very resistant to cyclisation, the only method from which crystallisable products were obtained being acid chlorideFrledel-Crafts methods

Young people: the experience of transition from custody to community

The following three chapters aim to explore the process of individual transition from prison to the community. In the United States of America (U.S) the transition from prison to the community is called re-entry. The term describes the process of leaving prison and returning to the community. Re-entry is not a form of supervision or legal status and all prisoners, other than those who never leave prison, experience re-entry. The body of research addressing offender re-entry in the U.S has been steadily increasing over the last ten years (Arditti & Parkman, 2011; Petersilia & Travis, 2001; Visher & Travis, 2003). Much of the early literature focused on recidivism in adults (Langan & Levin, 2002; Tracy & Kempf-Leonard, 1996) but there has been an increase in attention on longitudinal studies that aim to understand the processes involved in reintegration. This research addresses individual change in relation to desistance in the U.S (Bushway et al., 2001; Laub & Sampson, 2001). There is less research on adult re-entry in the United Kingdom (U.K) possibly due to lower rates of imprisonment compared to the U.S. Differences between the U.S and U.K justice systems mean it is difficult to generalise research findings relating to individual experience across continents. Only a handful of studies focus on young people’s re-entry in the U.K (Meek, 2007; Barry, 2010; Champion & Clare, 2006) and there is none that tries to understand the experience of transition from juvenile custodial services to community youth justice services for young people. The following three chapters aim to contribute to this area of research. Each of the chapters is presented as a standalone component that adds to this shared area of research. The three components summarised below are as follows: firstly a systematic review of all the current published research aims to understand the experience of re-entry for all age-groups; secondly a qualitative empirical paper explores the meaning and impact of transition for young people; finally a concluding discussion extends the dialogue about the empirical research findings. It also provides a lay summary of the empirical study for young people and presents a future research proposal which would extend the empirical research. Chapter 1 presents a systematic review addressing the question: what is the experience of transition from custody to community for young people? Due to the limited research exploring young people’s re-entry, literature addressing the adult re-entry experience was included in this review. After initial scoping of several research databases, three were searched following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews) statement guidelines (Moher et al., 2009). A total of 835 studies were initially retrieved, of which 10 articles met the inclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis of their findings is presented. The literature suggests several common themes that are important in understanding the meaning and impact of transition from custody to the community. These include social components, such as accommodation and interpersonal relationships and psychological components, such as identity and coping skills. The literature acknowledges that there are differences between adults and young people experiencing re-entry, possibly related to developmental stages (Abrams, 2007; Arditti & Parkman, 2011). This may have implications for services offering support for young people and requires further research. This systematic review has been written in accordance with submission guidelines for publication in the journal of ‘Psychology, Crime and Law’. Chapter 2 extends the research discussed in the systematic review and contributes to the literature concerning young people’s experience of re-entry. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore how young people made sense of their individual transition experience from custody to the community. Findings demonstrate five superordinate themes that are important in the transition. These are: ‘A beginning and ending to prison’, ‘Family and friendship systems of offending’, ‘A new ‘me’ in the community’, ‘Life on the out’ and ‘Justice system supporting and enforcing change’. Findings are consistent with and extend the current literature on young people’s experience of transition from custody to the community. Clinical implications tentatively indicate that the continuity in care provision, family and peer relationships and Licence conditions of release all impact on the transition experience for young people. These dimensions may be useful in considering service development. This empirical paper has been written in accordance with submission guidelines for publication in the journal of ‘Legal and Criminological Psychology’. Chapter 3 provides an extended concluding discussion, providing a detailed discussion of the empirical findings and how they are relevant to theory, research and practice. A short lay summary of the empirical paper is also presented. This is for the benefit of young people making the transition from custody to community. Given that previous research indicates that this group of people is often marginalised (Barry, 2010); it was considered ethically responsible to develop a summary that was accessible and validating of young people’s experience. Therefore, a version is also presented in a short leaflet and a podcast recording of the summary aims to improve accessibility of the information for people with a range of literacy abilities. The podcast recording will not be published on-line until the empirical research has been published. The end of this chapter presents a proposal for future research, based on the empirical paper’s extended discussion and conclusions. In contributing to the research on young people’s experience of re-entry in the U.K, it is hoped that the meaning and impact of transition for this often marginalised group of people will be acknowledged

Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy Imaging of Cellular Oxidative Stress Using Profluorescent Nitroxides

A range of varying chromophore nitroxide free radicals and their nonradical methoxyamine analogues were synthesized and their linear photophysical properties examined. The presence of the proximate free radical masks the chromophore’s usual fluorescence emission, and these species are described as profluorescent. Two nitroxides incorporating anthracene and fluorescein chromophores (compounds 7 and 19, respectively) exhibited two-photon absorption (2PA) cross sections of approximately 400 G.M. when excited at wavelengths greater than 800 nm. Both of these profluorescent nitroxides demonstrated low cytotoxicity toward Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Imaging colocalization experiments with the commercially available CellROX Deep Red oxidative stress monitor demonstrated good cellular uptake of the nitroxide probes. Sensitivity of the nitroxide probes to H2O2-induced damage was also demonstrated by both one- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy. These profluorescent nitroxide probes are potentially powerful tools for imaging oxidative stress in biological systems, and they essentially “light up” in the presence of certain species generated from oxidative stress. The high ratio of the fluorescence quantum yield between the profluorescent nitroxide species and their nonradical adducts provides the sensitivity required for measuring a range of cellular redox environments. Furthermore, their reasonable 2PA cross sections provide for the option of using two-photon fluorescence microscopy, which circumvents commonly encountered disadvantages associated with one-photon imaging such as photobleaching and poor tissue penetration

Search for QTL affecting the shape of the egg laying curve of the Japanese quail

BACKGROUND: Egg production is of critical importance in birds not only for their reproduction but also for human consumption as the egg is a highly nutritive and balanced food. Consequently, laying in poultry has been improved through selection to increase the total number of eggs laid per hen. This number is the cumulative result of the oviposition, a cyclic and repeated process which leads to a pattern over time (the egg laying curve) which can be modelled and described individually. Unlike the total egg number which compounds all variations, the shape of the curve gives information on the different phases of egg laying, and its genetic analysis using molecular markers might contribute to understand better the underlying mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to perform the first QTL search for traits involved in shaping the egg laying curve, in an F(2 )experiment with 359 female Japanese quail. RESULTS: Eight QTL were found on five autosomes, and six of them could be directly associated with egg production traits, although none was significant at the genome-wide level. One of them (on CJA13) had an effect on the first part of the laying curve, before the production peak. Another one (on CJA06) was related to the central part of the curve when laying is maintained at a high level, and the four others (on CJA05, CJA10 and CJA14) acted on the last part of the curve where persistency is determinant. The QTL for the central part of the curve was mapped at the same position on CJA06 than a genome-wide significant QTL for total egg number detected previously in the same F(2). CONCLUSION: Despite its limited scope (number of microsatellites, size of the phenotypic data set), this work has shown that it was possible to use the individual egg laying data collected daily to find new QTL which affect the shape of the egg laying curve. Beyond the present results, this new approach could also be applied to longitudinal traits in other species, like growth and lactation in ruminants, for which good marker coverage of the genome and theoretical models with a biological significance are available

Detecting parent of origin and dominant QTL in a two-generation commercial poultry pedigree using variance component methodology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Variance component QTL methodology was used to analyse three candidate regions on chicken chromosomes 1, 4 and 5 for dominant and parent-of-origin QTL effects. Data were available for bodyweight and conformation score measured at 40 days from a two-generation commercial broiler dam line. One hundred dams were nested in 46 sires with phenotypes and genotypes on 2708 offspring. Linear models were constructed to simultaneously estimate fixed, polygenic and QTL effects. Different genetic models were compared using likelihood ratio test statistics derived from the comparison of full with reduced or null models. Empirical thresholds were derived by permutation analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dominant QTL were found for bodyweight on chicken chromosome 4 and for bodyweight and conformation score on chicken chromosome 5. Suggestive evidence for a maternally expressed QTL for bodyweight and conformation score was found on chromosome 1 in a region corresponding to orthologous imprinted regions in the human and mouse.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Initial results suggest that variance component analysis can be applied within commercial populations for the direct detection of segregating dominant and parent of origin effects.</p

A mobile phone-based care model for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation: the care assessment platform (CAP)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiac rehabilitation programs offer effective means to prevent recurrence of a cardiac event, but poor uptake of current programs have been reported globally. Home based models are considered as a feasible alternative to avoid various barriers related to care centre based programs. This paper sets out the study design for a clinical trial seeking to test the hypothesis that these programs can be better and more efficiently supported with novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>We have integrated mobile phones and web services into a comprehensive home- based care model for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Mobile phones with a built-in accelerometer sensor are used to measure physical exercise and WellnessDiary software is used to collect information on patients' physiological risk factors and other health information. Video and teleconferencing are used for mentoring sessions aiming at behavioural modifications through goal setting. The mentors use web-portal to facilitate personal goal setting and to assess the progress of each patient in the program. Educational multimedia content are stored or transferred via messaging systems to the patients phone to be viewed on demand. We have designed a randomised controlled trial to compare the health outcomes and cost efficiency of the proposed model with a traditional community based rehabilitation program. The main outcome measure is adherence to physical exercise guidelines.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The study will provide evidence on using mobile phones and web services for mentoring and self management in a home-based care model targeting sustainable behavioural modifications in cardiac rehabilitation patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The trial has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) with number ACTRN12609000251224.</p

A Genome-Wide SNP Scan Reveals Novel Loci for Egg Production and Quality Traits in White Leghorn and Brown-Egg Dwarf Layers

Availability of the complete genome sequence as well as high-density SNP genotyping platforms allows genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in chickens. A high-density SNP array containing 57,636 markers was employed herein to identify associated variants underlying egg production and quality traits within two lines of chickens, i.e., White Leghorn and brown-egg dwarf layers. For each individual, age at first egg (AFE), first egg weight (FEW), and number of eggs (EN) from 21 to 56 weeks of age were recorded, and egg quality traits including egg weight (EW), eggshell weight (ESW), yolk weight (YW), eggshell thickness (EST), eggshell strength (ESS), albumen height(AH) and Haugh unit(HU) were measured at 40 and 60 weeks of age. A total of 385 White Leghorn females and 361 brown-egg dwarf dams were selected to be genotyped. The genome-wide scan revealed 8 SNPs showing genome-wise significant (P<1.51E-06, Bonferroni correction) association with egg production and quality traits under the Fisher's combined probability method. Some significant SNPs are located in known genes including GRB14 and GALNT1 that can impact development and function of ovary, but more are located in genes with unclear functions in layers, and need to be studied further. Many chromosome-wise significant SNPs were also detected in this study and some of them are located in previously reported QTL regions. Most of loci detected in this study are novel and the follow-up replication studies may be needed to further confirm the functional significance for these newly identified SNPs