Corrosion inhibitor distribution on abrasive-blasted steels.

HYPOTHESIS: Abrasive-blasted steel surfaces exhibit a complex, multi-substrate environment. Adsorption to contaminant substrates can reduce the amount of available corrosion inhibitor and decrease its efficiency. Knowledge of where inhibitors preferentially adsorb is required. EXPERIMENTS: The quantitative extent and strength of adsorption of the representative corrosion inhibitor benzotriazole (BTAH) from toluene to particular substrates is given, including corrections for solution self-association, and complemented by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements. FINDINGS: All substrates show adsorbed BTAH layers. Based on the adsorption strength, preferential adsorption is found to be in the order steel > iron oxide > calcium carbonate and garnet > silica - this is relevant when there is limited BTAH. However, with ample BTAH, the amounts adsorbed in the plateau regions of the isotherm are more relevant and the order is calcium carbonate and silica > iron oxide > garnet > steel. Although the contaminant substrates deplete the BTAH concentration, the steel should still have a complete monolayer of BTAH inhibitor. This work is part of a larger initiative developing novel methods of corrosion inhibitor delivery via the blasting process, to prevent corrosion between blasting and repainting.

Differential Alphavirus Defective RNA Diversity between Intracellular and Extracellular Compartments Is Driven by Subgenomic Recombination Events.

Alphaviruses are positive-sense RNA arboviruses that can cause either a chronic arthritis or a potentially lethal encephalitis. Like other RNA viruses, alphaviruses produce truncated, defective viral RNAs featuring large deletions during replication. These defective RNAs (D-RNAs) have primarily been isolated from virions after high-multiplicity-of-infection passaging. Here, we aimed to characterize both intracellular and packaged viral D-RNA populations during early-passage infections under the hypothesis that D-RNAs arise de novo intracellularly that may not be packaged and thus have remained undetected. To this end, we generated next-generation sequencing libraries using RNA derived from passage 1 (P1) stock chikungunya virus (CHIKV) 181/clone 25, intracellular virus, and P2 virions and analyzed samples for D-RNA expression, followed by diversity and differential expression analyses. We found that the diversity of D-RNA species is significantly higher for intracellular D-RNA populations than P2 virions and that specific populations of D-RNAs are differentially expressed between intracellular and extracellular compartments. Importantly, these trends were likewise observed in a murine model of CHIKV AF15561 infection, as well as in vitro studies using related Mayaro, Sindbis, and Aura viruses. Additionally, we identified a novel subtype of subgenomic D-RNA that is conserved across arthritogenic alphaviruses. D-RNAs specific to intracellular populations were defined by recombination events specifically in the subgenomic region, which were confirmed by direct RNA nanopore sequencing of intracellular CHIKV RNAs. Together, these studies show that only a portion of D-RNAs generated intracellularly are packaged and D-RNAs readily arise de novo in the absence of transmitted template.IMPORTANCE Our understanding of viral defective RNAs (D-RNAs), or truncated viral genomes, comes largely from passaging studies in tissue culture under artificial conditions and/or packaged viral RNAs. Here, we show that specific populations of alphavirus D-RNAs arise de novo and that they are not packaged into virions, thus imposing a transmission bottleneck and impeding their prior detection. This raises important questions about the roles of D-RNAs, both in nature and in tissue culture, during viral infection and whether their influence is constrained by packaging requirements. Further, during the course of these studies, we found a novel type of alphavirus D-RNA that is enriched intracellularly; dubbed subgenomic D-RNAs (sgD-RNAs), they are defined by deletion boundaries between the capsid-E3 region and the E1-3' untranslated region (UTR) and are common to chikungunya, Mayaro, Sindbis, and Aura viruses. These sgD-RNAs are enriched intracellularly and do not appear to be selectively packaged, and additionally, they may exist as subgenome-derived transcripts.

Neoplasia in Three Aye-Ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis).

Tumours diagnosed in three aged captive aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis), held in two different institutions, are described. A cerebral glioblastoma was diagnosed based on histological and immunohistochemical findings in one of the animals following initial presentation with bilateral mydriasis, absent pupillary reflex, head tilt and ataxia. A second animal was humanely destroyed due to impaired locomotion associated with spondylosis and a post-mortem diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was made based on histology with further confirmation with immunohistochemical labelling for cytokeratin 7. A third aye-aye suffering from dental disease was diagnosed with an oral squamous cell carcinoma following an excisional biopsy from a non-healing wound in the lip. Due to progression of the neoplasia the animal was humanely destroyed and post-mortem examination revealed the presence on an additional unilateral phaeochromocytoma.

T-lymphocyte-rich thymoma and myasthenia gravis in a Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica).

A 10-year-old captive male Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) presented with acute onset collapse, vomiting and dyspnoea, preceded by a 6-month period of progressive muscle wasting. Following humane destruction, post-mortem examination revealed a large multilobulated mass in the cranial mediastinum, which was diagnosed as a T-lymphocyte-rich thymoma with the aid of immunohistochemistry. Retrospective serology for acetylcholine receptor antibodies (titre 3.90 nmol/l) confirmed a diagnosis of thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis. Thymomas are reported rarely in wild carnivores, but when detected they appear to be similar in morphology to those seen in domestic carnivores and may also be accompanied by paraneoplastic syndromes. The clinical signs of myasthenia gravis in the tiger were consistent with those reported in cats and dogs and the condition is proposed as an important differential diagnosis for generalized weakness in captive Felidae.

Fatal arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in 2 related subadult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). This report records 2 cases of sudden cardiac death in closely related subadult captive chimpanzees with marked replacement fibrosis and adipocyte infiltration of the myocardium, which resemble specific atypical forms of the familial human disease arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Changes were consistent with left-dominant and biventricular subtypes, which are both phenotypic variants found within human families with familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Previously reported fibrosing cardiomyopathies in chimpanzees were characterized by nonspecific interstitial fibrosis, in contrast to the replacement fibrofatty infiltration with predilection for the outer myocardium seen in these 2 cases. To the authors' knowledge, this case report is the first to describe cardiomyopathy resembling arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in nonhuman primates and the first to describe left-dominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy-type lesions in an animal.

Auto-stratification in drying colloidal dispersions: a diffusive model.

The mechanism by which the particles in a drying film come into close packing during solvent evaporation has an important role to play in the final film morphology. During drying the particles can develop non-uniform concentrations across the vertical height of the film, depending on their diffusion rate. By applying the principles of classical diffusion mechanics to a hard sphere system, a theory for this novel method of stratification during drying of a two component film has been derived. The model is dependent on the particle Peclet numbers and when one is above unity and the other below, maximum stratification is observed.

Autostratification in drying colloidal dispersions: experimental investigations.

In films cast from a colloidal dispersion comprising two particle sizes, we experimentally examine the distribution of particles normal to the substrate. The particle concentrations at various positions in the film are determined through atomic force microscopy and NMR profiling. The results are compared to a previously derived diffusional model. Evidence for diffusional driven stratification is found, but the importance of other flows is also highlighted. The conditions that enhance particle stratification are found to be a colloidally stable dispersion, low initial volume fractions, a low concentration of the stratifying particle, and for the Peclet numbers of the two components to straddle unity.

Detection of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus type 1 in asymptomatic elephants using TaqMan real-time PCR.

This study assessed the feasibility of identifying asymptomatic viral shedders using a novel TaqMan real-time PCR on trunk washes and swabs from the conjunctiva, palate and vulva of elephants. Six elephants from a UK collection were sampled weekly over a period of 11 weeks for this study. The herd prevalence of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus-1 (EEHV-1) was 100 per cent by PCR. The virus DNA was detected in all the sampling sites; however, the prevalence of virus DNA in the conjunctiva swabs was higher. In addition, Asian elephants from two continental European collections were sampled once and one animal tested positive on a trunk wash. The virus from this animal was phylogenetically typed as EEHV-1A based on 231 nucleotides of the terminase gene.

Brain tumours in two Bactrian camels: a histiocytic sarcoma and a meningioma.

Primary brain tumours were identified in two Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) living at the Zoological Society of London's two zoos. Histology and immunohistochemistry were used to diagnose a histiocytic sarcoma in a 16-year-old female and a fibroblastic meningioma in a 13-year-old male. Before one died and the other was euthanased both camels had shown progressive neurological signs, including circling and ataxia.

Shear rheology of molten crumb chocolate.

The shear rheology of fresh molten chocolate produced from crumb was studied over 5 decades of shear rate using controlled stress devices. The Carreau model was found to be a more accurate description than the traditional Casson model, especially at shear rates between 0.1 and 1 s(-1). At shear rates around 0.1 s(-1) (shear stress approximately 7 Pa) the material exhibited a transition to a solid regime, similar to the behavior reported by Coussot (2005) for other granular suspensions. The nature of the suspension was explored by investigating the effect of solids concentration (0.20 < phi < 0.75) and the nature of the particles. The rheology of the chocolate was then compared with the rheology of (1) a synthetic chocolate, which contained sunflower oil in place of cocoa butter, and (2) a suspension of sugar of a similar size distribution (volume mean 15 mum) in cocoa butter and emulsifier. The chocolate and synthetic chocolate showed very similar rheological profiles under both steady shear and oscillatory shear. The chocolate and the sugar suspension showed similar Krieger-Dougherty dependency on volume fraction, and a noticeable transition to a stiff state at solids volume fractions above approximately 0.5. Similar behavior has been reported by Citerne and others (2001) for a smooth peanut butter, which had a similar particle size distribution and solids loading to chocolate. The results indicate that the melt rheology of the chocolate is dominated by hydrodynamic interactions, although at high solids volume fractions the emulsifier may contribute to the departure of the apparent viscosity from the predicted trend.

Effect of water on overbased sulfonate engine oil additives.

The presence and effect of water on calcium carbonate nanoparticles used in engine additives, stabilized with a sulfonate surfactant, is investigated using small-angle neutron scattering, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and rheometry. These techniques provide complementary data that suggests the formation of a layer of water around the core of the particles ensuring continued colloidal stability yet increasing the dispersion viscosity. Through the use of small-angle neutron scattering, the dimensions of this layer have been quantified to effectively one or two water molecules in thickness. The lack of a significant electrostatic repulsion is evidence that the water layer is insufficient to cause major dissociation of surface ions.

Biophysical characterization of Vpu from HIV-1 suggests a channel-pore dualism.

Vpu from HIV-1 is an 81 amino acid type I integral membrane protein which consists of a cytoplasmic and a transmembrane (TM) domain. The TM domain is known to alter membrane permeability for ions and substrates when inserted into artificial membranes. Peptides corresponding to the TM domain of Vpu (Vpu(1-32)) and mutant peptides (Vpu(1-32)-W23L, Vpu(1-32)-R31V, Vpu(1-32)-S24L) have been synthesized and reconstituted into artificial lipid bilayers. All peptides show channel activity with a main conductance level of around 20 pS. Vpu(1-32)-W23L has a considerable flickering pattern in the recordings and longer open times than Vpu(1-32). Whilst recordings for Vpu(1-32)-R31V are almost indistinguishable from those of the WT peptide, recordings for Vpu(1-32)-S24L do not exhibit any noticeable channel activity. Recordings of WT peptide and Vpu(1-32)-W23L indicate Michaelis-Menten behavior when the salt concentration is increased. Both peptide channels follow the Eisenman series I, indicative for a weak ion channel with almost pore like characteristics.

Towards a mechanism of function of the viral ion channel Vpu from HIV-1.

Vpu, an integral membrane protein encoded in HIV-1, is implicated in the release of new virus particles from infected cells, presumably mediated by ion channel activity of homo-oligomeric Vpu bundles. Reconstitution of both full length Vpu(1-81) and a short, the transmembrane (TM) domain comprising peptide Vpu(1-32) into bilayers under a constant electric field results in an asymmetric orientation of those channels. For both cases, channel activity with similar kinetics is observed. Channels can open and remain open within a broad series of conductance states even if a small or no electric potential is applied. The mean open time for Vpu peptide channels is voltage-independent. The rate of channel opening shows a biphasic voltage activation, implicating that the gating is influenced by the interaction of the dipole moments of the TM helices with an electric field.

Bacterial quorum sensing and cell surface electrokinetic properties.

The hypothesis tested in this paper is that quorum sensing influences the microbial surface electrokinetic properties. Escherichia coli MG1655 and MG1655 LuxS- mutant (lacking quorum-sensing gene for Autoinducer synthase AI-2) were used for this study. AI-2 production (or lack of) in both strains was analyzed using the Vibrio harveyi bioassay. The levels of extracellular AI-2 with and without glucose in the growth medium were consistent with previously published work. The surface electrokinetic properties were determined for each strain of E. coli MG1655 by measuring the electrophoretic mobility using a phase amplitude light-scattering (PALS) Zeta potential analyser. The findings show that the surface charge of the cells is dependent upon the stage in the growth phase as well as the ability to participate in quorum sensing. In addition, significant differences in the electrophoretic mobility were observed between both strains of E. coli. These findings suggest that quorum sensing plays a significant role in the surface chemistry of bacteria during their growth.

Role of nonadsorbing polymers in bacterial aggregation.

Bacteria exhibit properties similar to those of nonbiological colloids and can display pairwise attractions when in close proximity. This interaction is governed by the surface chemistry of the cells. We seek to understand bacterial aggregation at the cellular level using Escherichia coli (E. coli) AB1157. Aggregation studies were carried out using 0.5 to 2.5 wt% E. coli AB1157 harvested in different growth phases with varying concentrations of a nonadsorbing polymer, sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS). The electrophoretic mobility of E. coli AB1157 in different growth phases was determined using phase-amplitude light scattering. E. coli AB1157 was found to be negatively charged, and the cell surface properties changed in different growth phases. The electrokinetic results correlated well with the different concentrations of nonadsorbing polymer needed to induce depletion aggregation. This shows that a difference in aggregation properties is due to changes in the bacteria electrokinetic properties during their growth.

Brain metastases from unknown primary site.

We report our experience with 32 patients presenting with brain metastasis from unknown origin. This constitutes 11.5 percent of 276 consecutive patients with brain metastasis seen over a period of eight years at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Patients with solitary resectable lesion underwent surgery followed by irradiation. All patients with multiple metastasis were treated with whole brain radiation and dexarnethasone. The mean survival was 31.50 weeks for patients with single lesion and 19.11 weeks for multiple lesions. The investigations and treatment management of brain metastasis from unknown primary site are discussed.