Effects of whole-body cryotherapy (-110 degrees C) on proprioception and indices of muscle damage

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) on proprioceptive function, muscle force recovery following eccentric muscle contractions and tympanic temperature (TTY). Thirty-six subjects were randomly assigned to a group receiving two 3-min treatments of −110 ± 3 °C or 15 ± 3 °C. Knee joint position sense (JPS), maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the knee extensors, force proprioception and TTY were recorded before, immediately after the exposure and again 15 min later. A convenience sample of 18 subjects also underwent an eccentric exercise protocol on their contralateral left leg 24 h before exposure. MVIC (left knee), peak power output (PPO) during a repeated sprint on a cycle ergometer and muscles soreness were measured pre-, 24, 48 and 72 h post-treatment. WBC reduced TTY, by 0.3 °C, when compared with the control group (P<0.001). However, JPS, MVIC or force proprioception was not affected. Similarly, WBC did not effect MVIC, PPO or muscle soreness following eccentric exercise. WBC, administered 24 h after eccentric exercise, is ineffective in alleviating muscle soreness or enhancing muscle force recovery. The results of this study also indicate no increased risk of proprioceptive-related injury following WBC.

Public participation in infrastructure and construction projects in China: From an EIA-based to a whole-cycle process

Many governments world-wide are increasingly encouraging the involvement of interested individuals, groups and organisations in their publicinfrastructure and construction (PIC) projects as a means of improving the openness, transparency and accountability of the decision-making process and help improve the projects’ long-term viability and benefits to the community. In China, however, the current participatory mechanism at the project level exists only as part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. With an increasing demand for PIC projects and social equality in China, this suggests a need to bring the participatory process into line with international practice. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to identify the weaknesses of EIA-basedpublicparticipation in China and the means by which it may be improved for the whole lifecycle of PIC schemes. To do this, the results of a series of interviews with a diverse group of experts is reported which analyse the nature and extent of existing problems of publicparticipation in EIA and suggestions for improvement. These indicate that the current level of participation in PIC projects is quite limited, particularly in the crucial earlier stages, primarily due to traditional culture and values, uneven progress in the adoption of participatory mechanisms, the risk of not meeting targets and lack of confidence in public competence. Finally, aprocess flowchart is proposed to guide construction practitioners and the community in general.

Phenolics in sugar cane juice : potential degradation by hydrogen peroxide and Fenton's reagent

The presence of colour in raw sugar plays a key role in the marketing strategy of the Australian raw sugar industry. Some sugars are relatively difficult to decolourise during refining and develop colour during storage. A new approach that might result in efficient and cost-effective colour removal during the sugar manufacturing process is the use of an advanced oxidation process (AOP), known as Fenton oxidation, that is, catalytic production of hydroxyl radicals from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using ferrous iron. As a first step towards developing this technology, this study determined the composition of colour precursors present in the juice of cane harvested by three different methods. The methods were harvesting cane after burning, harvesting the whole crop with half of the trash extracted and harvesting the whole crop with no trash extracted. The study also investigated the degradation at pH 3, 4 and 5 of a phenolic compound, caffeic acid (3,4–dihydroxycinnamic acid), which is present in sugar cane juice, using both hydrogen peroxide and Fenton’s reagent. The results show that juice expressed from whole crop cane has significantly higher colour than juices expressed from burnt cane. However, the concentrations of phenolic acids were lower in the juices expressed from whole crop cane. The main phenolic acids present in these juices were p-coumaric, vanillic, 2,3–dihydroxybenzoic, gallic and 3,4–dihydroxybenzoic acids. The degradation of caffeic acid significantly improved using Fenton’s reagent in comparison to hydrogen peroxide alone. The Fenton oxidation was optimum at pH 5 when up to ~86 % of caffeic acid degraded within 5 min.

Phenolics in sugar cane juice : potential degradation by hydrogen peroxide and Fenton’s reagent

The presence of colour in raw sugar plays a key role in the marketing strategy of the Australian raw sugar industry. Some sugars are relatively difficult to decolourise during refining and develop colour during storage. A new approach that might result in efficient and cost-effective colour removal during the sugar manufacturing process is the use of an advanced oxidation process (AOP), known as Fenton oxidation, that is, catalytic production of hydroxyl radicals from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using ferrous iron. As a first step towards developing this technology, this study determined the composition of colour precursors present in the juice of cane harvested by three different methods. The methods were harvesting cane after burning, harvesting the whole crop with half of the trash extracted and harvesting the whole crop with no trash extracted. The study also investigated the degradation at pH 3, 4 and 5 of a phenolic compound, caffeic acid (3,4–dihydroxycinnamic acid), which is present in sugar cane juice, using both hydrogen peroxide and Fenton’s reagent. The results show that juice expressed from whole crop cane has significantly higher colour than juices expressed from burnt cane. However, the concentrations of phenolic acids were lower in the juices expressed from whole crop cane. The main phenolic acids present in these juices were p-coumaric, vanillic, 2,3–dihydroxybenzoic, gallic and 3,4–dihydroxybenzoic acids. The degradation of caffeic acid significantly improved using Fenton’s reagent in comparison to hydrogen peroxide alone. The Fenton oxidation was optimum at pH 5 when up to ~86% of caffeic acid degraded within 5 min.

Dating of divergences within the Rattus genus phylogeny using whole mitochondrial genomes

The timing and order of divergences within the genus Rattus have, to date, been quite speculative. In order to address these important issues we sequenced six new whole mitochondrial genomes from wild-caught specimens from four species, Rattus exulans, Rattus praetor, Rattus rattus and Rattus tanezumi. The only rat whole mitochondrial genomes available previously were all from Rattus norvegicus specimens. Our phylogenetic and dating analyses place the deepest divergence within Rattus at ∼3.5 million years ago (Mya). This divergence separates the New Guinean endemic R. praetor lineage from the Asian lineages. Within the Asian/Island Southeast Asian clade R. norvegicus diverged earliest at ∼2.9 Mya. R. exulans and the ancestor of the sister species R. rattus and R. tanezumi subsequently diverged at ∼2.2 Mya, with R. rattus and R. tanezumi separating as recently as ∼0.4 Mya. Our results give both a better resolved species divergence order and diversification dates within Rattus than previous studies.

A study of ionic liquids for dissolution of sugarcane bagasse

Over the last decade, Ionic Liquids (ILs) have been used for the dissolution and derivatization of isolated cellulose. This ability of ILs is now sought for their application in the selective dissolution of cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass, for the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol. However, there are significant knowledge gaps in the understanding of the chemistry of the interaction of biomass and ILs. While imidazolium ILs have been used successfully to dissolve both isolated crystalline cellulose and components of lignocellulosic biomass, phosphonium ILs have not been sufficiently explored for the use in dissolution of lignocellulosic biomass. This thesis reports on the study of the chemistry of sugarcane bagasse with phosphonium ILs. Qualitative and quantitative measurements of biomass components dissolved in the phosphonium ionic liquids (ILs), trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride ([P66614]Cl) and tributylmethylphosphonium methylsulphate ([P4441]MeSO4) are obtained using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR). Absorption bands related to cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin dissolution monitored in situ in biomass-IL mixtures indicate lignin dissolution in both ILs and some holocellulose dissolution in the hydrophilic [P4441]MeSO4. The kinetics of lignin dissolution reported here indicate that while dissolution in the hydrophobic IL [P66614]Cl appears to follow an accepted mechanism of acid catalysed β-aryl ether cleavage, dissolution in the hydrophilic IL [P4441]MeSO4 does not appear to follow this mechanism and may not be followed by condensation reactions (initiated by reactive ketones). The quantitative measurement of lignin dissolution in phosphonium ILs based on absorbance at 1510 cm-1 has demonstrated utility and greater precision than the conventional Klason lignin method. The cleavage of lignin β-aryl ether bonds in sugarcane bagasse by the ionic liquid [P66614]Cl, in the presence of catalytic amounts of mineral acid. (ca. 0.4 %). The delignification process of bagasse is studied over a range of temperatures (120 °C to 150 °C) by monitoring the production of β-ketones (indicative of cleavage of β-aryl ethers) using FTIR spectroscopy and by compositional analysis of the undissolved fractions. Maximum delignification is obtained at 150 °C, with 52 % of lignin removed from the original lignin content of bagasse. No delignification is observed in the absence of acid which suggests that the reaction is acid catalysed with the IL solubilising the lignin fragments. The rate of delignification was significantly higher at 150 °C, suggesting that crossing the glass transition temperature of lignin effects greater freedom of rotation about the propanoid carbon-carbon bonds and leads to increased cleavage of β-aryl ethers. An attempt has been made to propose a probable mechanism of delignifcation of bagasse with the phosphonuim IL. All polymeric components of bagasse, a lignocellulosic biomass, dissolve in the hydrophilic ionic liquid (IL) tributylmethylphosphonium methylsulfate ([P4441]MeSO4) with and without a catalytic amount of acid (H2SO4, ca. 0.4 %). The presence of acid significantly increases the extent of dissolution of bagasse in [P4441]MeSO4 (by ca. 2.5 times under conditions used here). The dissolved fractions can be partially recovered by the addition of an antisolvent (water) and are significantly enriched in lignin. Unlike acid catalysed dissolution in the hydrophobic IL tetradecyltrihexylphosphonium chloride there is little evidence of cleavage of β-aryl ether bonds of lignin dissolving in [P4441]MeSO4 (with and without acid), but this mechanism may play some role in the acid catalysed dissolution. The XRD of the undissolved fractions suggests that the IL may selectively dissolve the amorphous cellulose component, leaving behind crystalline material.

The chemistry of acid catalyzed delignification of sugarcane bagasse in the ionic liquid trihexyl tetradecyl phosphonium chloride

This article reports on the cleavage of lignin ß-aryl ether bonds in sugarcane bagasse by the ionic liquid (IL) trihexyl tetradecyl phosphonium chloride [P66614] Cl, in the presence of catalytic amounts of mineral acid fca. 0.4%). The deligniflcation process of bagasse was studied over a range of temperatures (120°C to 150°C) by monitoring the production of ß-ketones (indicative of cleavage of ß-aryl ethers) using FTIR spectroscopy and by compositional analysis of the undissolved fractions. Maximum deligniflcation was obtained at 150°C, with 52% of lignin removed from the original lignin content of bagasse. No deligniflcation was observed in the absence of acid, which suggests that the reaction is acid catalyzed with the IL solubilizing the lignin fragments. The rate of deligniflcation was significantly higher at 150°C, suggesting that crossing the glass transition temperature of lignin effects greater freedom of rotation about the propanoid carbon-carbon bonds and leads to increased cleavage of ß-aryl ethers. An attempt has been made to propose a probable mechanism of deligniflcation of bagasse with the phosphonuim IL. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.