PDE concept for controlling cleaning agent residues in pharmaceuticals- A critical analysis.

Cleaning agents (CAs) are used in multipurpose facilities to control carryover contamination of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to scientifically justified limits. While this is often done with the PDE methodology used for API impurities, it is unclear if it is justifiable and necessary for cleaning agents, which generally represent a comparatively lower health risk. Comparing calculated oral PDE values for CA ingredients (CAIs) from four companies with PDEs of a selected number of small-molecule APIs showed that the toxicity of CAIs is several orders of magnitude lower. Furthermore, a critical review of the toxicity and everyday exposure to the general population of the main CAIs functional groups showed that the expected health risks are generally negligible. This is particularly true if the associated mode of actions cause local toxicity that is usually irrelevant at the concentration of potential residue carryover. This work points towards alternative approaches to the PDE concept to control CAIs' contamination and provides some guidance on grouping and identifying compounds with lower health risks based on exposure and mode of action reasoning. In addition, this work supports the concept that limit values should only be set for CAIs of toxicological concern.

The porous structure effects of skeleton builders in sustainable sludge dewatering process.

Dewatering from sludge is an important sustainable issue in recent years, in this work, we found the unique behavior: Skeleton builder additions can improve the dewatering performance greatly, which related to the different pore structure of skeleton builder. As compared to the coal ash, sawdust and rice husk char are easier to construct porous channels in the sludge body, which is responsible for the discharge of water. the dewatering efficiency can increased from approximately 30%-65% by pipe network effect and interlayer channel effect, a sufficient amount of skeleton builders establish a complete pipe drainage network in the sludge body, allowing the water to be discharged fluently. Moreover, the skeleton builders can cause the sludge body to form a layered structure. Under the combined action of pipe network effect and interlayer channel effect, the deep-dewatering effect increased largely by the addition of skeleton builders.

China's dam-builders: their role in transboundary river management in South-East Asia.

This article investigates China's role as the world's largest builder of and investor in large dams, focussing on the Greater Mekong Sub-Region in South-East Asia. It addresses the role Chinese actors play in dam-building as well as the environmental, social, economic and political implications by drawing on case studies from Cambodia and Vietnam. The article finds that China's dam-building is perceived very differently in different countries of South-East Asia. In Cambodia, the dams in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region are considered instruments of economic growth and development, whereas downstream in Vietnam the dams are seen as potentially undermining national growth, development and security.

Re-evaluating the health of coral reef communities: baselines and evidence for human impacts across the central Pacific.

Numerous studies have documented declines in the abundance of reef-building corals over the last several decades and in some but not all cases, phase shifts to dominance by macroalgae have occurred. These assessments, however, often ignore the remainder of the benthos and thus provide limited information on the present-day structure and function of coral reef communities. Here, using an unprecedentedly large dataset collected within the last 10 years across 56 islands spanning five archipelagos in the central Pacific, we examine how benthic reef communities differ in the presence and absence of human populations. Using islands as replicates, we examine whether benthic community structure is associated with human habitation within and among archipelagos and across latitude. While there was no evidence for coral to macroalgal phase shifts across our dataset we did find that the majority of reefs on inhabited islands were dominated by fleshy non-reef-building organisms (turf algae, fleshy macroalgae and non-calcifying invertebrates). By contrast, benthic communities from uninhabited islands were more variable but in general supported more calcifiers and active reef builders (stony corals and crustose coralline algae). Our results suggest that cumulative human impacts across the central Pacific may be causing a reduction in the abundance of reef builders resulting in island scale phase shifts to dominance by fleshy organisms.

Effects of eight weeks of time-restricted feeding (16/8) on basal metabolism, maximal strength, body composition, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors in resistance-trained males.

BACKGROUND: Intermittent fasting (IF) is an increasingly popular dietary approach used for weight loss and overall health. While there is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating beneficial effects of IF on blood lipids and other health outcomes in the overweight and obese, limited data are available about the effect of IF in athletes. Thus, the present study sought to investigate the effects of a modified IF protocol (i.e. time-restricted feeding) during resistance training in healthy resistance-trained males. METHODS: Thirty-four resistance-trained males were randomly assigned to time-restricted feeding (TRF) or normal diet group (ND). TRF subjects consumed 100 % of their energy needs in an 8-h period of time each day, with their caloric intake divided into three meals consumed at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. The remaining 16 h per 24-h period made up the fasting period. Subjects in the ND group consumed 100 % of their energy needs divided into three meals consumed at 8 a.m., 1 p.m., and 8 p.m. Groups were matched for kilocalories consumed and macronutrient distribution (TRF 2826 ± 412.3 kcal/day, carbohydrates 53.2 ± 1.4 %, fat 24.7 ± 3.1 %, protein 22.1 ± 2.6 %, ND 3007 ± 444.7 kcal/day, carbohydrates 54.7 ± 2.2 %, fat 23.9 ± 3.5 %, protein 21.4 ± 1.8). Subjects were tested before and after 8 weeks of the assigned diet and standardized resistance training program. Fat mass and fat-free mass were assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and muscle area of the thigh and arm were measured using an anthropometric system. Total and free testosterone, insulin-like growth factor 1, blood glucose, insulin, adiponectin, leptin, triiodothyronine, thyroid stimulating hormone, interleukin-6, interleukin-1ß, tumor necrosis factor α, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured. Bench press and leg press maximal strength, resting energy expenditure, and respiratory ratio were also tested. RESULTS: After 8 weeks, the 2 Way ANOVA (Time * Diet interaction) showed a decrease in fat mass in TRF compared to ND (p = 0.0448), while fat-free mass, muscle area of the arm and thigh, and maximal strength were maintained in both groups. Testosterone and insulin-like growth factor 1 decreased significantly in TRF, with no changes in ND (p = 0.0476; p = 0.0397). Adiponectin increased (p = 0.0000) in TRF while total leptin decreased (p = 0.0001), although not when adjusted for fat mass. Triiodothyronine decreased in TRF, but no significant changes were detected in thyroid-stimulating hormone, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, or triglycerides. Resting energy expenditure was unchanged, but a significant decrease in respiratory ratio was observed in the TRF group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that an intermittent fasting program in which all calories are consumed in an 8-h window each day, in conjunction with resistance training, could improve some health-related biomarkers, decrease fat mass, and maintain muscle mass in resistance-trained males.

Visualization of water transfer channel in sludge dewatering conditioned with skeleton builders by X-ray micro-computed tomography.

Skeleton builders were normally deemed to improve the high porosity and newly-generated permeability of sludge cakes by building water transfer channel during high pressure filtration, thus enhancing sludge dewaterability. However, currently a direct visualization proof of water transfer channel was still lacking. This study provided the direct proof for visualizing water transfer channel in dewatered sludge cakes conditioned with a typical skeleton builder (i.e., phosphogypsum (PG)) by X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for the first time. After the addition of PG, the pixel value and image luminance increased significantly, indicating the presence of high density substances from both two-dimensional (2D) cross section and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction CT images. Moreover, the CT numbers showed strong and negative correlations with specific resistance to filtration (SRF) (R = - 0.99, p < 0.05), capillary suction time (CST) (regression coefficient (R) = - 0.87, probability (p) < 0.05), and water content of the dewatered sludge cake (R = - 0.99, p < 0.05), respectively. These results indicated that the X-ray micro-CT could be a potential technique for analyzing the water distribution in sludge samples conditioned with skeleton builders.

Effects of the electronic health record on job satisfaction of academic pediatric faculty.

OBJECTIVE(S): To evaluate the association of Electronic Health Record (EHR) skills and available support with job satisfaction for pediatric faculty at an academic institution. To identify key opportunities for improvement. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of pediatric academic faculty physicians using a REDCap survey to inquire about faculty EHR skills, support services, and associations between EHR workflow and job satisfaction. Results were analyzed using bivariate testing. RESULTS: The majority of respondents (n = 127, response rate 37%), rated the effect of EHR workflow on job satisfaction as neutral (36%) or negative (44%). Users with more EHR skills were more likely to indicate a positive effect of the EHR on overall job satisfaction (p = 0.019). 7% of respondents had none of the EHR skills queried and few felt that initial training (35%) or the Information Technology department (26%) were useful in acquiring skills. Two similar divisions, one with three and one without Physician Builders (providers with specialized training in EHR personalization), had statistically significant different EHR satisfaction ratings (p = 0.0012). CONCLUSIONS: Most faculty indicated a negative/neutral effect of the EHR on their overall job satisfaction. Users who indicated more EHR skills had a higher satisfaction rating. Existing training and support were not helpful to users. The division with the most Physician Builders ranked highest in satisfaction. We speculate that 1) adding EHR skills could increase overall job satisfaction and 2) adding Physician Builder resources could increase skills and satisfaction.

Plant phylogeny drives arboreal caterpillar assemblages across the Holarctic.

Assemblages of insect herbivores are structured by plant traits such as nutrient content, secondary metabolites, physical traits, and phenology. Many of these traits are phylogenetically conserved, implying a decrease in trait similarity with increasing phylogenetic distance of the host plant taxa. Thus, a metric of phylogenetic distances and relationships can be considered a proxy for phylogenetically conserved plant traits and used to predict variation in herbivorous insect assemblages among co-occurring plant species.Using a Holarctic dataset of exposed-feeding and shelter-building caterpillars, we aimed at showing how phylogenetic relationships among host plants explain compositional changes and characteristics of herbivore assemblages.Our plant-caterpillar network data derived from plot-based samplings at three different continents included >28,000 individual caterpillar-plant interactions. We tested whether increasing phylogenetic distance of the host plants leads to a decrease in caterpillar assemblage overlap. We further investigated to what degree phylogenetic isolation of a host tree species within the local community explains abundance, density, richness, and mean specialization of its associated caterpillar assemblage.The overlap of caterpillar assemblages decreased with increasing phylogenetic distance among the host tree species. Phylogenetic isolation of a host plant within the local plant community was correlated with lower richness and mean specialization of the associated caterpillar assemblages. Phylogenetic isolation had no effect on caterpillar abundance or density. The effects of plant phylogeny were consistent across exposed-feeding and shelter-building caterpillars.Our study reveals that distance metrics obtained from host plant phylogeny are useful predictors to explain compositional turnover among hosts and host-specific variations in richness and mean specialization of associated insect herbivore assemblages in temperate broadleaf forests. As phylogenetic information of plant communities is becoming increasingly available, further large-scale studies are needed to investigate to what degree plant phylogeny structures herbivore assemblages in other biomes and ecosystems.

Structure of the Assemblages of Spiders in Mediterranean Pear Orchards and the Effect of Intensity of Spraying.

Spiders are key predatory arthropods that are negatively affected by spraying pesticides in orchards. The aim of this research was to determine the structure of the community of spiders in pear orchards and the impact of the intensity of spraying. The study was carried out over three years in four pear orchards in southern Spain; two of them were conducted by ourselves with no or low-intensity spraying of insecticides, and two under the criteria of technicians (conventional). Spiders were sampled on pear trees by the beating method. The orchards hosted a rich community of spiders belonging to 13 different families and 51 genera. However, the genera Philodromus, Oxyopes, Cheiracanthium, Icius, and Neoscona accounted for 72% of the captures. Spiders were more abundant and had a higher richness of genera in the low-intensity spraying than in conventional orchards. Philodromidae, Salticidae, and Cheiracanthiidae experienced a significant population reduction in conventional orchards, while Araneidae, Linyphiidae, and Thomisidae were not significantly affected by the intensity of spraying. The wandering hunting mode could explain the negative impact on Philodromidae, Salticidae, and Cheiracanthiidae but does not explain the lack of effect on Oxyopidae and Thomisidae. No significant effect was found on any family of web builders.

Enhanced dewater efficiency for river sediment by top-to-bottom water transmitting channels with different materials.

Artificial top-to-bottom water transmitting channels made of threads of wool blend (WT), cotton (CT), flax (FT), and polyethylene (PET) were used to enhance the dewater efficiency for river sediment. In addition, the disordered channels composed of 3-mm-long WT segments mixed randomly into the river sediment were also employed. The most effective dewatering channels were found to be top-to-bottom WT channels with water absorption capacity of 8.7 ± 0.5 g · g-1 and volume compressibility of 2.94 ± 0.11. On the application of 0.1 MPa pressure to the mud surface, with initial water content of 60.0 ± 0.2 wt%, the water content obtained with channel material weight 0.411 wt% dry solids and channel to a mud cake height ratio of 0.95 upon 90-min dewatering was 39.6 ± 0.7 wt% with enhanced dewaterability, compared to that without channel addition, of 74.9 ± 0.9 kg · kg-1 · h-1. Using the same parameters, enhanced dewaterability was only 69.1 ± 0.3, 55.2 ± 2.8, and 9.1 ± 0.9 kg · kg-1 · h-1 for CT, FT, and PET channels, respectively. Moreover, the final water content of the mud cake dewatered in the presence of disordered WT channels at dosage 1.10 wt% was 49.8 ± 0.7 wt% with enhanced dewaterability of 5.9 ± 0.5 kg · kg-1 · h-1 only. These demonstrate that the compressibility of the water transmitting material is the main factor affecting dewatering efficiency with the water absorption capacity also being important.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Iranian Pharmacists, Body Builders, and Their Coaches Regarding Sports Supplements.

OBJECTIVE: This study is conducted on Iranian pharmacists, coaches, and athletes regarding sports supplements to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding sports supplements. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2015. The study population consisted of all community pharmacists, bodybuilders, and bodybuilding coaches. The questionnaire was applied consisting some demographic questions and 25 questions for assessing KAP (6, 9, and 10, respectively). The collected data were analyzed with independent t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. FINDINGS: In all three studied groups, the mean of KAP was upper than intermediate level 3 (P < 0.05) except the pharmacists' knowledge. A statistically significant difference appears between knowledge and age of pharmacists (P = 0.007). In addition, there was a significant relationship between coaches' practice and age (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: According to the results although the studied groups have the intermediate level of KAP, organized and regular education courses are highly recommended along with paying more attention to the curriculum taught in the pharmacy schools according to the community current needs.

William Wilde in the West of Ireland.

It is widely believed that Sir William Wilde's forebears were in Ireland for just two or three generations. This belief stems from a number of short biographies of Wilde which were published during his lifetime. These biographies gave different versions of the origin of the Wilde family and appear to have been generated by the creative imagination of Lady Jane Wilde or, as she was better known by her nom de plume, Speranza. She was equally imaginative in creating narratives about her own family background and in one she claimed descent from the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. So it was not a great challenge for her to invent biographies of her husband which she deemed suitable for a knight living at the prestigious address of 1 Merrion Square, leading many to believe that William and his son Oscar were more English than Irish. It was also important for Speranza to distance Sir William from any connection which the Wilde family might have had with trade. In this paper published and unpublished material are used, together with a careful examination of family deeds in the Registry of Deeds office, to elucidate the real roots of the Wilde family in Dublin and in the West of Ireland.

Relationship between inadequate tissue perfusion and excreting insulin components in stress hyperglycemia setting / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To unravel the relationship between artefiM blood lactate (ABL) level and is1et β-cell secretion constituents in stress hyperglycemia(SHG)setting of critical illness,and analyze the effect of inadequate tissue perfusion on islet β-cell function.Method According to ABL level,68 critically ill patients with SHG were divided into three groups,namely,group A(ABL≤1.5 mmol/L),group B (ABL 1.6～4.4 mmol/L)and group C(ABL≥4.5 mmol/L).Another 25 healthy volunteers served as insulin (IRI) were measured.The homeostasis model assessment for secretion index of islet beta-cell (HOMA-β)was calculated.The relationship among the above B-c3eH secretion constituents were analyzed.Results The TI level of group C was significantly lower than that of group A(P<0.01).The PI levels of group B and C were significantly higher than those of group A and control group(P<0.05).The C-P level of group C was significantly higher that of group A and control group(P<0.05).The HOMA-β of group C was significant lower than that of group A and B and control group(P<0.05).The ABL had positive correlation with PI and C-P(r=O.322,P=O.015;r=0.513,P=0.000),and the ABL had negative correlation with TI and HOMA-β(r=-0.353,P=0.007;r=-0.294,P=0.002).Conclusions The worse tissue perfusion was in SHG of critical illness,the higher PI and C-P were,the lower TI was, Inadequate tissue perfusion setting could lead to islet beta-cell paracrisis and deceleration.