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Hydrogen diffuses in zirconium alloys in response to gradients in hydrogen concentration, temperature, and stress. This essay discusses the results of several evaluations of the coefficient describing the effects of temperature gradients called the heat of transport. The values distinguish between when hydrogen is in solution, (25 ± 3) kJ/mol, and when stable hydrides are present, (116 ± 17) kJ/mol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious disease has a significant impact on livestock production. Availability of alternatives to antibiotics to prevent and treat disease is required to reduce reliance on antibiotics while not impacting animal welfare. Innate immune stimulants, such as mycobacterium cell wall fractions (MCWF), are used as alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of infectious disease in a number of species including cattle, horses and dogs. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of Amplimune®, an MCWF‐based immune stimulant, for weaner Angus cattle. Methods: On day −1 and 0, sixty mixed‐sex Angus weaner cattle were transported for 6 h before being inducted and housed in a large single pen, simulating feedlot induction conditions. The cattle were assigned to one of six treatment groups (n = 10 per group): 2 mL Amplimune intramuscularly (2IM); 2 mL Amplimune subcutaneously (2SC); 5 mL Amplimune intramuscularly (5IM); 5 mL Amplimune subcutaneously (5SC); 5 mL saline intramuscularly (SalIM) and 5 mL saline subcutaneously (SalSC) on day 0 following transportation. Body temperature, body weight, concentrations of circulating pro‐inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and IL‐12) and haematology parameters were measured at various times up to 96 h post‐treatment. Results: No adverse effects from Amplimune treatment were observed. Amplimune induced an increase in circulating cytokine TNFα concentrations, total white blood cell count and lymphocyte counts indicative of activation of the innate immune system without causing an excessive inflammatory response. Conclusions: Results confirm that Amplimune can be safely administered to beef cattle at the dose rates and via the routes of administration investigated here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decomposition of highly vibrationally excited CDCl3 was studied in the time domain by measuring laser-induced fluorescence from one of the decomposition products CCl2 or by observing luminescence from CCl2 radical fragments produced in the A(1B1) state following IR excitation. It is shown that highly vibrationally excited CDCl3 can be made via two different routes: i\mple optical absorption of an incident 13CO2 laser pulse or through collision-moderated energy pooling coupled with photon absorption. Higher fluence measurements are consistent with the former and support previous claims that the infrared multiphoton decomposition probability for CDCl3 is pressure independent. At a lower fluence the vibrational up-pumping mechanism apparently relies heavily upon collisions, which supports other claims that the decomposition probability is pressure dependent. The results of the present work reconcile these previous disparate claims. Furthermore, there is an indication that the vibrational energy transferred during a collision could be much larger than collision-induced dipole selection rules would allow. In some of the experiments, electronically excited CCl2 fragments are created but only through post-laser-pulse collisions that appear to involve exchanges of very large amounts of vibrational energy. By contrast, no electronically excited CCl2 is produced following excitation with the CO2 laser alone. The experiments also corroborate an earlier prediction that the extent of reaction is governed by adiabatic expansion of the centrally heated zone, even at pressures as low as 0.66 kPa, rather than by diffusion, as is commonly believed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most important radioisotope for nuclear medicine is Tc. After the supply crisis of Mo starting in 2008, the availability of Tc became a worldwide concern. Alternative methods for producing the medical imaging isotope Tc are actively being developed around the world. The reaction Mo( p, 2 n)Tc provides a direct route that can be incorporated into routine production in nuclear medicine centers that possess medical cyclotrons for production of other isotopes, such as those used for Positron Emission Tomography. This paper describes a new approach for manufacturing targets for the ( p, 2n) nuclear reaction on Mo and the foundation for the subsequent commercial separation and purification of the Tc produced. Two designs of targets are presented. The targets used to produce Tc are subject to a number of operational constraints.They must withstand the temperatures generated by the irradiation, accommodate temperature gradients from cooling system of the target, must be resilient and must be easily post-processed to separate the Tc. After irradiation, the separation of Tc from Mo was carried out using an innovative two-step approach. The process described in this paper can be automated with modules that easily fit in standard production hot cells found in nuclear medicine facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injection of CO2 into geological structures is a key technology for sequestering CO2 emissions captured from the combustion of fossil fuels. Current projects inject volumes on the order of megatonnes per year. However, injection volumes must be increased by several orders of magnitude for material reductions in ambient concentrations. A number of questions surrounding safety and security of injection have been raised about the large scale deployment of geological CO2 sequestration. They are site specific and require an effective monitoring strategy to mitigate risks of concern to stakeholders. This paper presents a model-based framework for monitoring design that can provide a quantitative understanding of the trade-offs between operational decisions of cost footprint size, and uncertainty in monitoring strategies. Potential risks and challenges of monitoring large scale CO2 injection are discussed, and research areas needed to address uncertainties are identified. Lack of clear guidance surrounding monitoring has contributed to hampering the development of policies to promote the deployment of large scale sequestration projects. Modeling provides an understanding of site specific processes and allows insights into the complexity of these systems, facilitating the calibration of an appropriate plan to manage risk. An integrated policy for risk-based monitoring design, prior to large scale deployment of sequestration will ensure safe and secure storage through an understanding of the real risks associated with large scale injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Markov Chain Monte Carlo model for integrating the observations of inorganic species with a thermodynamic equilibrium model was presented in Part I of this series. Using observations taken at three ground sites, i.e. a residential, industrial and rural site, during the MCMA-2003 campaign in Mexico City, the model is used to analyze the inorganic particle and ammonia data and to predict gas phase concentrations of nitric and hydrochloric acid. In general, the model is able to accurately predict the observed inorganic particle concentrations at all three sites. The agreement between the predicted and observed gas phase ammonia concentration is excellent. The NOz concentration calculated from the NOy, NO and NO2 observations is of limited use in constraining the gas phase nitric acid concentration given the large uncertainties in this measure of nitric acid and additional reactive nitrogen species. Focusing on the acidic period of 9-11 April identified by Salcedo et al. (2006), the model accurately predicts the particle phase observations during this period with the exception of the nitrate predictions after 10:00 a.m. (Central Daylight Time, CDT) on 9 April, where the model underpredicts the observations by, on average, 20%. This period had a low planetary boundary layer, very high particle concentrations, and higher than expected nitrogen dioxide concentrations. For periods when the particle chloride observations are consistently above the detection limit, the model is able to both accurately predict the particle chloride mass concentrations and provide well-constrained HCl (g) concentrations. The availability of gas-phase ammonia observations helps constrain the predicted HCl (g) concentrations. When the particles are aqueous, the most likely concentrations of HCl (g) are in the sub-ppbv range. The most likely predicted concentration of HCl (g) was found to reach concentrations of order 10 ppbv if the particles are dry. Finally, the atmospheric relevance of HCl (g) is discussed in terms of its indicator properties for the possible influence of chlorine-mediated photochemistry in Mexico City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equilibrium inorganic aerosol model ISORROPIA was embedded in a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to develop a powerful tool to analyze aerosol data and predict gas phase concentrations where these are unavailable. The method directly incorporates measurement uncertainty, prior knowledge, and provides a formal framework to combine measurements of different quality. The method was applied to particle- and gas-phase precursor observations taken at La Merced during the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) 2003 Field Campaign and served to discriminate between diverging gas-phase observations of ammonia and predict gas-phase concentrations of hydrochloric acid. The model reproduced observations of particle-phase ammonium, nitrate, and sulfate well. The most likely concentrations of ammonia were found to vary between 4 and 26 ppbv, while the range for nitric acid was 0.1 to 55 ppbv. During periods where the aerosol chloride observations were consistently above the detection limit, the model was able to reproduce the aerosol chloride observations well and predicted the most likely gas-phase hydrochloric acid concentration varied between 0.4 and 5 ppbv. Despite the high ammonia concentrations observed and predicted by the model, when the aerosols were assumed to be in the efflorescence branch they are predicted to be acidic (Ph∼3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment has emerged as an important determinant of the performance of the modern chemical industry. This paper reviews approaches for incorporating environmental issues into the design of new processes and manufacturing facilities. The organizational framework is the design process itself, which includes framing the problem and generating, analyzing, and evaluating alternatives. A historical perspective on the chemical process synthesis problem illustrates how both performance objectives and the context of the design have evolved to the point where environmental issues must be considered throughout the production chain. In particular, the review illustrates the need to view environmental issues as part of the design objectives rather than as constraints on operations. A concluding section identifies gaps in the literature and opportunities for additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Florence Nightingale and subsequent nurse scholars have written about the impact of the environment on human health. Nightingale described, and staked out, the nurse's role in optimizing environments for healing. Since Nightingale's time numerous scholars have documented that environmental conditions play a major role in the health of individuals and populations. As nurses become more informed about the environment as a determinant of human health, they will be able to advocate more effectively for environmental conditions that promote health. This article provides both theoretical and practical perspectives to integrate environmental concerns into nursing practice. It recommends specific actions nurses can undertake to improve the environment within the health care setting. In particular the article provides a historical review of an environmental focus in nursing, discusses ways to manage both upstream waste and downstream waste (solid, biohazard, and hazardous chemical wastes) so as to decrease environmental pollution, and recommends specific nursing actions to promote a healthy environment within our health care agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1994, 19 stations were sampled (2 replicates/station) with Young grabs in association with the EMAP- Estuaries Carolinian Province Base Monitoring in Florida. A total of 295 unique benthic infauna taxa and 9647 individuals were identified and enumerated. Environmental data (bottom-water quality, sediment grain size, sediment metals, and organics) and benthic community data were analyzed using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis and ordination via nonmetric multidimensional scaling. Bray-Curtis similarities and Euclidean distance were used as the distance measures for biotic and abiotic data, respectively. Multivariate analyses were complemented by examining incremental contributions of benthic taxa to similarity values using a percentagesimilarity technique. A low-salinity site in a tributary to the St. Johns River had benthic communities uniquely different from those of moderate- to high-salinity sites. A diverse assemblage of polychaetes, gastropods, bivalves, amphipods, sipunculans, and phoronids was consistently associated with relatively unimpacted sites in the Indian River Lagoon. Infaunal community structure in the northern portion of the study area was influenced by the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Communityshifts in association with latitudinal gradients and concentrations of sediment metals and organics were apparent. The nonparametric multivariate techniques used in this study were particularly effective atdelineating and defining fine-scale community differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1994/1995 EMAP-Estuaries program in the Carolinian Province we investigated the feasibility of using parasites of fish as response indicators. Parasites of fish are an indigenous component of healthy ecosystems. Within the EMAP-E design, the suite of environmentalparameters which may affect parasite abundance, richness, prevalence, and diversity can be divided into three categories: 1) the physicaland chemical characteristics of the water and sediment (including contaminants) external to the fish; 2) the internal environment definedby the physical condition (physiological) of individual fish; and 3)the presence and relative abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates, many of which serve as intermediate hosts. The biotic response of parasites to environmental stressors is also reflected in the health of fish. Parasite assemblages of silver perch Bairdiella chrysura respondto both natural and anthropogenic stressors. Our results showed thatparticular environmental site stressors and specific parasites that respond include: temperature and monogeneans; contaminants and nematodes; low dissolved oxygen and protists; and salinity, together with amixture of metal and organic contaminants and crustacea. Parasites of fish are useful biomarkers and appear to be more sensitive to environmental stressors than are the fish themselves. Parasite responses to selected environmental stressors may be used to discriminate polluted and unpolluted sites. The use of parasites of fish as biomarkers has relevant application to fisheries management and coastal monitoring programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) ionization source operating at a nominal power of 30 W and solution flow rate of 30 µL min -1 and supported in a He sheath gas flow rate of 500 mL min -1 was interfaced to an Orbitrap mass spectrometer and assessed for use in rapid identification of inorganic and organic arsenic species, including As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine in a 2% (v/v) nitric acid medium. Mass spectral acquisition in low-resolution mode, using only the ion trap analyzer, provided detection of protonated molecular ions for AsBet (m/z 179), DMA (m/z 139), MMA (m/z 141), and As(V) (m/z 143). As(III) is oxidized to As(V), likely due to in-source processes. Typical fragmentation of these compounds resulted in the loss of either water or methyl groups, as appropriate, i.e., introducing DMA also generated ions corresponding to MMA and As(V) as dissociation products. Structure assignments were also confirmed by high-resolution Orbitrap measurements. Spectral fingerprint assignments were based on the introduction of solutions containing 5 µg mL -1 of each arsenic compound., (© 2024. Crown.)

A freeze-dried bovine muscle-certified reference material (CRM), known as BOTS-1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.4224/crm.2018.bots-1 ), containing incurred residues of commonly used veterinary drugs was produced and certified for the mass fraction of eight veterinary drug residues. Value assignment was carried out using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods in conjunction with isotope dilution and standard addition approaches involving stable isotope internal standards. Data from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety in Germany (BVL) were used for value assignment. Results for two drug residues were also obtained through an international inter-laboratory comparison CCQM-K141/P178 organized under the auspices of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Quantitative NMR ( 1 H-qNMR) was used to characterize primary standards of all veterinary drugs certified. The certified mass fractions of the veterinary drug residues were 490 ± 100 µg/kg for chlorpromazine, 44 ± 4.4 µg/kg for ciprofloxacin, 3.3 ± 1.4 µg/kg for clenbuterol, 9.5 ± 0.8 µg/kg for dexamethasone, 57 ± 4.8 µg/kg for enrofloxacin, 3.0 ± 0.4 µg/kg for meloxicam, 12.4 ± 1.2 µg/kg for ractopamine, and 2290 ± 120 µg/kg for sulfadiazine with expanded uncertainties quoted (95% confidence) which include the effects due to between-bottle inhomogeneity, instability during long-term storage and transportation, and characterization., (© 2023. Crown.)

Endoscopic-assisted transcervical inseminations (TCIs) have become increasingly popular. The aim of this retrospective clinical study was to evaluate data from the TCIs performed at our facility. We evaluated data from January 2018 through December 2021. This included 137 cases with fresh, 67 cases chilled, and 63 cases using frozen-thawed semen. All bitches underwent breeding management to determine the ideal breeding period. All semen samples were evaluated for total number of sperm, total motility, and progressive motility. Pregnancy was determined by B-mode ultrasonography about 4 weeks after the breeding. Litter size was determined by radiographs performed around the last week of gestation. The pregnancy rate was 83.21% for fresh, 67.16% for chilled, and 66.67% for frozen-thawed semen. There was a significant difference in litter size between fresh semen (6.82 puppies per litter) and both chilled (5.21 puppies per litter) and frozen-thawed (4.59 puppies per litter) semen (P < .05). There was no significant difference in litter size between chilled and frozen-thawed semen. There was no difference in pregnancy rates between clinicians performing the inseminations. Pregnancy rate was not different when sedation was used for the insemination (66.67%) compared to when sedation was not used (74.84%; P > .05). Performing 2 TCIs during the fertile period, regardless of the semen type, resulted in an increase of 6.6% in pregnancy rate (P > .05) and an increase of 0.7 puppies per litter, on average (P > .05). These results can be used to help guide recommendations for breeding clients on the best options to increase both pregnancy rate and litter size for their breeding., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Limited studies have explored different extraction techniques that improve cannabis extraction with scale-up potential. Ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction were evaluated to maximize the yield and concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes. A central composite rotatable design was used to optimize independent factors (sample-to-solvent ratio, extraction time, extraction temperature, and duty cycle). The optimal conditions for ultrasound- and microwave-assisted extraction were the sample-to-solvent ratios of 1:15 and 1:14.4, respectively, for 30 min at 60 °C. Ultrasound-assisted extraction yielded 14.4% and 14.2% more oil and terpenes, respectively, compared with microwave-assisted extracts. Ultrasound-assisted extraction increased cannabinoid concentration from 13.2−39.2%. Considering reference ground samples, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid increased from 17.9 (g 100 g dry matter−1) to 28.5 and 20 with extraction efficiencies of 159.2% and 111.4% for ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction, respectively. Principal component analyses indicate that the first two principal components accounted for 96.6% of the total variance (PC1 = 93.2% and PC2 = 3.4%) for ultrasound-assisted extraction and 92.4% of the total variance (PC1 = 85.4% and PC2 = 7%) for microwave-assisted extraction. Sample-to-solvent ratios significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the secondary metabolite profiles and yields for ultrasound-assisted extracts, but not microwave-assisted extracts.

Efficient cannabis biomass extraction can increase yield while reducing costs and minimizing waste. Cold ethanol extraction was evaluated to maximize yield and concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes at different temperatures. Central composite rotatable design was used to optimize two independent factors: sample-to-solvent ratio (1:2.9 to 1:17.1) and extraction time (5.7 min-34.1 min). With response surface methodology, predicted optimal conditions at different extraction temperatures were a cannabis-to-ethanol ratio of 1:15 and a 10 min extraction time. With these conditions, yields (g 100 g dry matter -1 ) were 18.2, 19.7, and 18.5 for -20 °C, -40 °C and room temperature, respectively. Compared to the reference ground sample, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid changed from 17.9 (g 100 g dry matter -1 ) to 15, 17.5, and 18.3 with an extraction efficiency of 83.6%, 97.7%, 102.1% for -20 °C, -40 °C, and room temperature, respectively. Terpene content decreased by 54.1% and 32.2% for extraction at -20 °C and room temperature, respectively, compared to extraction at -40 °C. Principal component analysis showed that principal component 1 and principal component 2 account for 88% and 7.31% of total variance, respectively, although no significant differences in cold ethanol extraction at different temperatures were observed.

This study was undertaken to quantitatively explore the effect of temperature on the degradation of cannabinoids in dried cannabis flower. A total of 14 cannabinoids were monitored using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry in temperature environments from - 20 to + 40 ∘ C lasting up to 1 year. We find that a network of first-order degradation reactions is well-suited to model the observed changes for all cannabinoids. While most studies focus on high-temperature effects on the cannabinoids, this study provides high-precision quantitative assessment of room temperature kinetics with applications to shelf-life predictions and age estimates of cannabis products., (© 2021. Crown.)

Competing Interests: Dr Murdoch reports he is a member of the panel for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases. Mr McRae reports he is a member of the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group, and a member of the Infection Prevention Advisory Group for ACC. Ms Mccall reports she is a member of the Canterbury District Health Board Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Dr Maze reports he is a member of the Canterbury District Health Board Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Ms Lim reports that she is a member of the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group and Southern District Health Board Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Miss Li reports that she is a member of the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group and a member of the Capital and Coast District Health Board Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Dr Kelly reports he is Chair of the National Infection Prevention and Control Expert Group, Ministry of Health. Mr Issa reports he is a member of the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group; a member of the Waikato District Health Board, Antimicrobial Steering Group; coordinator on the New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists’ Association – Infectious Disease/Antimicrobial Stewardship Special Interest Network; a member of the New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists’ Association; and a member of Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. Dr Howard reports involvement in writing antimicrobial guidelines at Waikato District Health Board. Mrs Hardie reports she is a member of the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group and member of the Waitematā District Health Board Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Dr Gardiner reports that she is co-lead for the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group; a member of the panel for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases; a member of the Steering Group for the ACC scoping report on developing national antimicrobial guidance for NZ; and Secretary of the Canterbury Antimicrobial Stewardship Strategic Group and Secretary of the CDHB Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Mr Duffy reports that he is co-lead for the New Zealand Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group; a member of the Ministry of Health AMR Co-ordination (HARC) Group; a member of the Steering Group for the ACC scoping report on developing national antimicrobial guidance for NZ; a member of the PTAC Anti-infective sub-committee (PHARMAC); and a member of Auckland DHB Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Ms du Plessis reports that she is Lead for the Counties-Manukau Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Chair for the Counties-Manukau Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Dr Chambers reports being Deputy Chair of Canterbury District Health Board Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee; a member of the reference group for the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases; and a member of PTAC Anti-infective sub-committee (PHARMAC). Dr Campbell reports that she is the Pharmaceutical Society of NZ representative on the NZ Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infection Pharmacist Expert Group; a member of the Ministry of Health Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination Group representing the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand; and a member of the Reference Group for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases. Dr Bupha-Intr reports that she is a member of the Capital and Coast DHB Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Dr Briggs reports that he is a member of the PTAC Anti-Infective Subcommittee (PHARMAC). Dr Birch reports being on the Canterbury District Health Board Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Dr Betty reports having provided advice to the panel for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases, and being Medical Director of the Royal NZ College of General Practice. Dr Batlle-Perales reports being a member of the Antimicrobial Steering Group at Waikato Hospital. Brendan Arnold is the clinical lead for Antimicrobial Stewardship at Southern District Health Board.