The importance of investigating for uniparental disomy in prenatally identified balanced acrocentric rearrangements

We report the finding of paternal isodisomy for chromosome 14 in a fetus found to have a der(14;14)(q10;q10) by amniocentesis. The pregnancy was complicated by severe polyhydramnios and elevated amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The infant showed features consistent with paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) including postnatal growth retardation, poor respiratory function, feeding difficulties, and evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The present case, in addition to other reported cases of UPD involving balanced acrocentric rearrangements, supports testing for UPD in prenatally detected Robertsonian translocations and isochromosomes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preliminary Studies on Converting Agricultural Waste into Biodegradable Plastics—Part IV: Polysaccharide Containing Natural Materials

Corn distillers’ dry grain, corncob powder, hardwood powder, and sugar beet pulp were separately anionized by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite in aqueous solution. Solid reaction products instantly precipitated upon admixing each of the above-oxidized materials with soy protein isolate. Infrared spectra and differential scanning calorimetry supported the hypothesis that soy protein isolate complexed with all of the above-oxidized polysaccharides. Reaction products with either oxidized corn distillers’ dry grain or oxidized sugar beet pulp provided hard, brittle pellets with tensile strengths as high as 9.5 MPa, suggesting that these materials could be viable as biodegradable plastics.     

Agreement about commodity agreements?

In spite of the shifts in global economic power the scope for increased intervention in commodity markets remains restricted. We have witnessed the beginnings of some changes with the increased willingness of the richer countries to discuss the commodity issue. The interest in individual commodity agreements is likely to be extended as consumers place a higher valuation on security of supplies but commodity agreements can only secure moderate and limited objectives. They represent only one of a number of tools which are available in the attempt to secure a new world economic order and they will need to be used in conjunction with increased flows of foreign aid, trade liberalisation, and schemes of compensatory finance. The integrated approach to commodities seems fraught with difficulties as does any realistic scheme for the indexation of commodity prices.     

The distribution, solid-phase speciation, and desorption/dissolution of As in waste iron-based drinking water treatment residuals

Arsenic concentrations and solid-phase speciation were assessed as a function of depth through Fe-media beds for two commercially available products (Granular Ferric Hydroxide-GFH and Bayoxide E33-E33) from pilot-scale water treatment field tests. These results were compared with data from solution (de-ionized water-DI-H2O) concentrations of As equilibrated with Fe-media in an anoxic environment at 4 degrees C. The materials had a high capacity for As (GFH media 9620 mg kg(-1) As, E33 Media 5246 mg kg(-1)). Arsenic concentrations decreased with bed depth. For E33, X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy results showed that As(V) was the dominant solid-phase species. For GFH, As(III) was detected and the proportion (relative to As(V)) of As(III) increased with bed depth. Arsenic concentrations in DI-H2O equilibrated with the media were low (35 microg l(-1)) over a period of 50 d. Arsenic concentrations in the equilibrated solutions also decreased with depth. Results from tests on soluble As speciation show that As in solution is in the form of As(V). Kinetic desorption experiments carried out at different pH values (3, 5, 7, 8, and 9) show that the media exhibit some acid/base neutralization capacity and tend to bind As sufficiently. Concentrations of As in the pH desorption experiments were in the same order of magnitude as the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure extractions (tens of microgl(-1)) except at low pH values. For the GFH media tested at a pH of three, As increases in solution and is mainly associated with colloidal (operationally defined as between 0.1 and 1.0 microm) iron.     

Identification of highly brominated analogues of Q1 in marine mammals

Three novel halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) have been identified in the blubber of marine mammals from coastal New England with the molecular formulae C(9)H(3)N(2)Br(6)Cl, C(9)H(3)N(2)Br(7), and C(9)H(4)N(2)Br(5)Cl. They were identified using high and low resolution gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and appear to be highly brominated analogues of Q1, a heptachlorinated HOC suspected to be naturally produced. These compounds were found in Atlantic white sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) and a potential food source (Loligo pealei) with concentrations as high as 2.7 microg/g (lipid weight). The regiospecificity of C(9)H(3)N(2)Br(6)Cl is suggestive of a biogenic origin. Debromination of C(9)H(3)N(2)Br(6)Cl may be significant in the formation of C(9)H(4)N(2)Br(5)Cl.     

Road grade estimation for on-road vehicle emissions modeling using light detection and ranging data

Vehicle-specific power (VSP) is useful for explaining a substantial portion of variability in real-world vehicle emissions, such as those measured with portable emissions monitoring systems (PEMS). VSP is a function of vehicle speed, acceleration, and road grade. Road grade is shown to significantly affect estimates of both VSP and of real-world emissions via sensitivity analysis and analysis of empirical data. However, road grade is difficult to measure reliably using PEMS. Therefore, alternative methods for estimating road grade were identified and compared. A preferred method for estimating road grade was explored in more detail based on light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data. The method includes buffering LIDAR data onto roadway maps using a geographic information system tool, defining segments of roadway based on criteria pertaining to vertical curvature, quantification of roadway elevations within the buffered segments, and estimation of road grade and banking by fitting a plane to each segment. Factors influencing errors in road grade estimates are discussed. The method was evaluated by application to selected interstate highways and comparison to design drawing data. The development and application of LIDAR-based road grade data are demonstrated via a case study using PEMS data collected in the Research Triangle Park, NC, area. LIDAR data are shown to be reliable and accurate for road grade estimation for vehicle emissions modeling.     

Comparing Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System Performance for VOCs and Radon

This article summarizes a long‐term study of vapor intrusion mitigation system performance in a historic, unoccupied residential duplex with an extensive set of temporal variability observations. The experimental design included multiple cycles of subslab depressurization (SSD) system operation and shut‐off during a seven‐month period, followed by a year‐long period of continuous operation. Results showed that the system provided rapid pressure field extension and radon control as much as 100 days of operation before optimum volatile organic compound (VOC) mitigation was achieved. Greater variability in VOC concentrations than in radon concentrations was observed during the initial mitigation system cycling. Subslab VOC concentrations at numerous locations increased during this initial period of SSD operation, and indoor air VOC concentrations were more variable than radon. However, indoor air concentrations were considerably less variable (and lower) during the first year of continuous mitigation system operation. ©2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.