Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

This study armed at the development of an adequate process for the odor control of a gas vented from a plant for treating olefin-resin manufacturing wastewater.The gas contains various aromatic and olefin compounds, such as toluene, £\-methyl styrene, vinyl toluene, styrene, naphthalene, dicyclopentadiene, and indene.Primary tests showed that these odorous compounds could not be effectively eliminated by a biotrickling filter packed with fern chips.Instead, these compounds can easily be removed or eliminated by using sodium hypochlorite as an oxidant and followed by sodium thiosulfate as a reductant for removing the residual chlorine odor. Results indicate that by scrubbing the gas with sodium hypochlorite solution with an effective residual chlorine of 40-60 mg/L, pH of 7.9-9.8, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of 500-760 mV, concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the test gas could be removed from 250 ppm (expressed as methane) to 23 ppm.Trace olefin and chlorine odors in the oxidized gas could further be removed by scrubbing it with an aqueous solution of 270 mg/L Na2S2O3.The overall VOC removal was around 92%.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Human Medical Genetics) -- University of Colorado Denver, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-146).

Thèse (M.Sc.)--Université Laval, 2002. / Le + à la suite de Na et 1 à la suite de AT sont présentés en exposant. Bibliogr.: f. 77-86. Publié aussi en version électronique.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Robert D. Goodband / Michael D. Tokach / A total of 12,229 pigs were used in nine experiments to determine the effects of Na, Cl, and sodium metabisulfite-based feed additives on pig growth performance. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 were conducted to determine the effects of added dietary salt on growth performance of pigs weighing 7 to 10, 11 to 30, and 27 to 65 kg. The BLL models suggested the optimal dietary added salt concentration to maximize ADG for pigs weighing 7 to 10 and 11 to 30 kg was 0.59% (0.34% Na and 0.58% Cl) and 0.51% added salt (0.22% Na and 0.42% Cl), respectively. There was no evidence to indicate that growth of 27 to 65 kg pigs was improved beyond a 0.10% added salt inclusion (0.11% Na and 0.26% Cl). Experiments 4, 5, and 6 were conducted to determine the effects of source and concentration of Na and Cl on the growth performance of pigs weighing 7 to 12 kg. In Exp. 4, pigs fed an added salt diet that contains a Na and Cl concentration of 0.35% and 0.60% had greater growth performance compared to pigs fed a deficient Na concentration of 0.18%. In Exp. 5, pigs fed a Na concentration of 0.35%, regardless of ion source, had improved ADG compared to pigs fed a Na concentration of 0.13% or 0.57%. In Exp. 6, maximum ADG and G:F could be obtained with a Cl concentration of 0.38% based on the BLL and QP models. Experiments 7, 8, and 9 were conducted to evaluate the effects of Product 1 (Provimi, Brooksville, OH), Product 2 (Nutriquest, Mason City, IA), and sodium metabisulfite (SMB) on the growth performance of nursery pigs weighing approximately 6 to 25 kg. In Exp. 7, pigs fed Product 1 had higher ADG compared to pigs fed the control. In Exp. 8, pigs fed either Product 1 or 2 at the highest concentration and for the longest period of time had greater ADG compared to pigs fed the control diet. In Exp. 9, pigs fed SMB or Product 1 had greater ADG compared to pigs fed a lower concentration of SMB and the control.

Different drugs which can affect various aspects of sodium transport were tested on contractile activity of a variety of vascular smooth muscles. In the rabbit anterior mesenteric-portal vein, diphenylhydantoin sodium (DPH) attenuated the contractile responses to noradrenaline (NA) and the inhibition was reversible by washing. The p-hydroxy derivative, 5-p-hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin (DPHOH), which was reported to lack the anticonvulsant activity and the inhibitory effect of DPH on insulin secretion was without any effect on the rabbit anterior mesenteric vein. The inhibitory effect of DPH on contractile responses to NA was almost abolished by prior treatment with ouabain and in K-free solutions. Evidence of a Na-Ca interaction is provided by the finding that both low Na and high Ca Krebs attenuates the inhibitory effect of DPH while low Ca Krebs accentuates it. Electrolyte studies using rat tail arteries showed that DPH could counteract the K loss and Na gain produced by either ouabain containing or K-deficient solutions. Prior cooling of the tissue for one hour at 1° C. and then testing the effect of DPH in K-deficient solutions at 1° C., abolished the ability of DPH to counteract the electrolyte changes in K-deficient solutions. DPH in normal Krebs solution did not significantly affect the Na content of rat tail arteries. Under this condition, there was a slight diminution in the K content. The results suggest that DPH can stimulate the Na pump in rat tail arteries under conditions In which Na and Rare going along their electrochemical gradient, and/or under conditions simulating the depolarized state. In normal Krebs, DPH does not seem to stimulate the Na pump of rat tail arteries. Under such experimental conditions, our data are more suggestive of an inhibition of the Na-K ATPase. Evidence is also provided that the attenuation of contractile responses to NA in the rabbit anterior mesenteric vein, might be related to stimulation of the Na pump. Further studies were done to outline the effect of alteration of other parameters of Na transport in vascular smooth muscles. Ouabain and ethacrynic acid, both inhibitors of the Na-K ATPase, produced a characteristic pattern of response in the rabbit anterior mesenteric vein. There was at first a contraction, followed by relaxation, which was followed by more persistent contractures at higher doses. The diuretic agent, amiloride, which is reported to inhibit the passive Na influx in a variety of tissues, was found to attenuate contractile responses to NA in rabbit aortic strips, A.M.V., and rat tail arteries. In aortic strips its effect was specific on the rapid phase of NA contraction. Since the rapid phase is believed to be the result f the release of a more tightly bound Ca⁺⁺ pool, the latter effect suggests that amiloride affects mainly the availability of a bound Ca pool to the contractile protein. Our results so far suggest that alteration of different parameters of the Na transport might be involved in altering the amount of ionized Ca⁺⁺ available to the contractile protein. More studies on this subject are needed and might open the way for a better understanding of the Na-Ca interaction in vascular smooth muscles and their possible relation to the hypertensive state. Further experiments were done to study the relaxation of the rabbit anterior mesenteric vein following contractile responses. It seems that extracellular Na is involved in the relaxation of the rabbit anterior mesenteric vein following contractile responses, since this tissue, when contracted in low Na solutions, would not relax unless some of the Na is returned to the Krebs solution. Li could not substitute for Na in this function since the contracture occurred in low Na solutions irrespective of whether the substitute was Tris-HCl or Li. the latter was even more effective than Tris-HCl in inducing contractures in low Na Krebs. Moreover, relaxation of the rabbit anterior mesenteric vein, following contractile responses to NA was delayed in low Na Krebs irrespective of whether the substitute was Li or Tris-HCl. Preliminary electron microscopic studies were carried on rabbit anterior mesenteric veins to evaluate the effect of the inhibitors of the ATPase, ethacrynic acid and ouabain, on ultrastructure. Both drugs induced disruption of the myofibrillar structures in doses of 1 mM and 10⁻⁵ M, respectively, when the tissue was exposed to the drug for 2 hours. An impressive finding was the dramatic diminution in the number of plasma-lemmal vesicles in the ethacrynic acid treated tissue. This finding raises the possibility that the formation of these vesicles might be an energy dependent process and opens the way for further studies to evaluate their possible importance in active ionic transport processes. / Medicine, Faculty of / Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of / Graduate

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of free-choice intake of sodium bentonite and sodium bicarbonate on physiological and production parameters. Eight Jerseys and seventeen Holsteins (four fistulated) were randomly assigned to two groups to equalize stage of lactation, age and production history. Two diets were fed: diet 1 without added sodium bicarbonate and diet 2 with sodium bicarbonate added at 1.2% of dry matter. Each group followed a different diet regime: 1) diet 1 with no free-choice (D1-NFC), 2) diet 2 with no free-choice (D2-NFC), 3) diet 1 with free-choice (D1-WFC), and 4) diet 2 with free-choice (D2-WFC). Free-choice options of sodium bentonite and sodium bicarbonate were offered side by side in a covered feeder to breed groups. Diets were changed every 10 d to provide 8 periods with a repetition of each diet regime. All diets were adjusted to 17% ADF and 17% CP. There were no differences with either breed among diets for blood and fecal observations or milk protein. Urine specific gravity was lower in both breeds when sodium bicarbonate was force-fed. Holsteins force-fed sodium bicarbonate had greater intake and milk production than Holsteins not force-fed. In Jerseys, milk urea nitrogen (MUN) decreased when sodium bicarbonate was added to the TMR. During periods in which cows were allowed free-choice access to sodium bentonite and sodium bicarbonate, Jerseys had higher urine pH, fat-corrected milk, MUN, and dry matter intake (DMI), and Holsteins had higher milk fat percentages and fecal pH. / Master of Science

Alginate is a well-known naturally-derived biomaterial that has been widely used in preparing microparticles for drug delivery and in preparing scaffolds for tissue engineering. Despite desirable properties, alginate has been shown to activate inflammatory cells in vivo. The mechanisms are still unclear. In this thesis, the mechanism by which alginate caused innate immune responses was investigated in vitro by using RAW264.7 cells, a macrophage-like cell line. The NF-(kappa)B pathway, an important signaling pathway in macrophages, has been tracked to identify cellular responses. The secretion of cytokines IL-1(beta), IL-6, IL-12(p40) and TNF-(alpha) was quantified to determine the activation outcomes. Also the interaction between alginate and serum was studied. Experimental results indicated that alginate induced the activation of RAW264.7 cells with a time and dose dependent behavior. Like lipopolysaccharide, a bacterial product and known activator of innate immunity, alginate induced macrophage activation through the NF-(kappa)B pathway and eventually led to detectable IL-1(beta), IL-6 and TNF-(alpha) cytokine secretion. Serum influenced alginate recognition by macrophages in an unknown mechanism. Also, alginate promoted cell survival in a nutrition starvation condition. These results revealed in vitro alginate stimulation, and provided much information for further research. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Il est important pour les athlètes d'endurance de connaître leurs pertes de sodium dans la sudation, surtout pour ceux chez qui elles atteignent ≥ 75 mmol/L (Goulet, Dion et Myette-Côté, 2012). En effet, cette mesure est utilisée pour le développement de stratégies de remplacement d’eau et de sodium perdus à travers la sudation pendant l'exercice ou entre les sessions d’entraînement ou de compétition. Dans ce cas, les stratégies d’hydratation individualisées sont seulement possibles si les taux de sudation ainsi que les pertes de sodium à travers la sudation sont directement mesurés (Goulet, Dion et Myette-Côté, 2012). Les taux de sudation sont estimés à partir du poids corporel (PC) de l’athlète et calculés à l’aide de la formule suivante (Armstrong et Casa, 2009): ((〖PC〗_(avant exercice) (kg)-〖PC〗_(après exercice) (kg))+(Liquide ingéré(L)-Urine produite(L))_(pendant exercice))/(Temps (min) )×60 Quant à eux, les échantillons de sudation doivent être analysés en laboratoire à l’aide d’analyseurs d’électrolytes pour leur contenu en sodium (Goulet, Dion et Myette-Côté, 2012). Jusqu’à ce jour, plusieurs études ont évalué chez l'athlète les taux de sudation ainsi que les pertes de sodium associées, et ce, dans différents sports tant en situation d’entraînement que de compétition (Sawka, Burke, Eichner, Maughan, Montain et Stachenfeld, 2007). Dans ces études, différents analyseurs d’électrolytes utilisant différentes techniques analytiques ont été utilisés pour déterminer les concentrations de sodium dans la sudation. Ainsi, il est raisonnable de penser que certaines des variations de résultats observées entre les études pourraient être attribuables, en partie du moins, aux méthodes analytiques privilégiées par certains analyseurs d’électrolytes utilisés (Dziedzic, Ross, Barnes, Slater et Burke, 2011; Dziedzic, Ross, Slater et Burke, 2014). Or, le premier but de ce mémoire était de déterminer la validité des valeurs de concentrations de sodium dans la sudation obtenues avec 1) l'électrode à ion spécifique clinique (EIS clinique) (cobas 6000®analyzer series, Roche, USA); 2) la conductivité ionique (CI) (Wescor Sweat ChekTM, Macroduct, USA) et; 3) l’électrode à ion spécifique de terrain (EIS de terrain) (Horiba C-122TM, Ltd, USA), en les comparant directement à la méthode de référence, soit la photométrie de flamme (PF) (A.Analyst 100, Perkin Elmer, USA). Le deuxième but du mémoire était de déterminer le niveau de concordance des concentrations de sodium dans la sudation obtenues par l'EIS clinique, l'EIS de terrain et la CI. Pour réaliser les comparaisons entre les différentes techniques d’analyse, 27 participants (joueuses de soccer, coureurs et triathlètes) acclimatés à la chaleur ont été recrutés pour cette étude. Des tampons recouverts d’une membrane adhésive hydrofuge (3M, St-Paul, USA), installés à 3 ou 4 endroits différents sur le corps (front, avant-bras, cuisse ou dos), ont été utilisés pour récolter les échantillons de sudation. Les échantillons de sudation chez les joueuses de soccer ont été récoltés durant un entraînement typique de 60 minutes. Pour les coureurs et triathlètes, la récolte d’échantillons de sudation s’est effectuée en laboratoire. Les participants devaient courir sur un tapis roulant durant 30 minutes (70 à 80% de leur fréquence cardiaque maximale) à une température ambiante de 30 °C et une humidité relative variant de 20 à 40 %. La sudation a été extraite des tampons par centrifugation pour ensuite être congelée à -20 °C. L’ensemble des échantillons de sudation a été analysé par la suite par les différentes techniques analytiques en duplicata. Malgré une excellente validité relative, les résultats démontrent une différence de validité absolue entre les différentes techniques analytiques en comparaison avec la PF. L'EIS clinique est davantage valide que l'EIS de terrain ou la CI. Plus spécifiquement, l’EIS clinique possède une excellente validité absolue pour des concentrations de sodium retrouvées dans la sudation allant de 10 à 100 mmol/L. Pour la CI, la validité absolue varie de faible à moyenne pour des concentrations de sodium allant de 10 à 40 mmol/L, elle est excellente pour des concentrations allant de 40 à 70 mmol/L et elle varie de moyenne à excellente pour des valeurs allant de 70 à 100 mmol/L. Finalement, pour l’EIS de terrain, la validité absolue varie de faible à moyenne pour un spectre de valeur allant de 10 à 100 mmol/L. La comparaison des résultats obtenus par la CI, l’EIS de terrain ou l’EIS clinique en général indique une concordance des différentes techniques analytiques allant de faible à moyenne, à l'exception de l'accord entre l'EIS clinique et la CI, qui est excellent pour des concentrations de sodium dans la sudation allant de 40 à 100 mmol/L. Pour conclure, seule la technique analytique de l’EIS clinique peut être considérée valide dans un contexte de recherche. La CI, quant à elle, semble offrir une validité respectable seulement pour des concentrations de sodium dans la sudation allant de 40 à 100 mmol/L et ainsi son utilisation dans un contexte de recherche n’est pas suggérée. Clairement, l'EIS de terrain n’est pas suffisamment valide pour être utilisée dans un contexte de recherche. Le degré de concordance entre les différentes techniques analytiques non-étalons qui, en général, varie de faible à moyen, pourrait confondre la comparaison et l’interprétation des résultats obtenus par les études qui les utilisent. Ainsi, les résultats de ce mémoire suggèrent qu’en contexte de recherche seulement la PF ou l’EIS clinique devraient être utilisées pour mesurer les concentrations de sodium dans la sudation.