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Changes in chemical speciation of uranium oxides following storage under varied conditions of temperature and relative humidity are valuable for characterizing material provenance. In this study, subsamples of high purity α-UO3 were stored under four sets of controlled conditions of temperature and relative humidity over several years, and then measured periodically for chemical speciation. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy confirm hydration of α-UO3 to a schoepite-like end product following storage under each of the varied storage conditions, but the species formed during exposure to the lower relative humidity and lower temperature condition follows different trends from those formed under the other three storage conditions (high relative humidity with high or low temperatures, and low relative humidity with a high temperature). Thermogravimetry coupled with XRD analysis was carried out to distinguish desorption pathways of water from the hydrated end products. Density functional theory calculations discern changes in the structure of α-UO3 following incorporation of 1, 2 or 3 H2O molecules or 1, 2 or 3 OH groups into the orthorhombic lattice, revealing differences in lattice constants, U–O bond lengths, and U–U distances. The collective results from this analysis are in contrast to analogous studies that report that U3O8 is oxidized and hydrated in air during storage under high relative humidity conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in chemical speciation of uranium oxides following storage under varied conditions of temperature and relative humidity are valuable for characterizing material provenance. In this study, subsamples of high purity α-UO 3 were stored under four sets of controlled conditions of temperature and relative humidity over several years, and then measured periodically for chemical speciation. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy confirm hydration of α-UO 3 to a schoepite-like end product following storage under each of the varied storage conditions, but the species formed during exposure to the lower relative humidity and lower temperature condition follows different trends from those formed under the other three storage conditions (high relative humidity with high or low temperatures, and low relative humidity with a high temperature). Thermogravimetry coupled with XRD analysis was carried out to distinguish desorption pathways of water from the hydrated end products. Density functional theory calculations discern changes in the structure of α-UO 3 following incorporation of 1, 2 or 3 H 2 O molecules or 1, 2 or 3 OH groups into the orthorhombic lattice, revealing differences in lattice constants, U-O bond lengths, and U-U distances. The collective results from this analysis are in contrast to analogous studies that report that U 3 O 8 is oxidized and hydrated in air during storage under high relative humidity conditions.

A peptidomic investigation of milk from an experimental model of Streptococcus uberis mastitis in dairy cows has incorporated a study of milk high abundance and acute phase (APP) proteins as well as analysis of low molecular weight peptide biomarkers. Intramammary infection (IMI) with S. uberis caused a shift in abundance from caseins, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin to albumin, lactoferrin and IgG with the increase in lactoferrin occurring last. The APP response of haptoglobin, mammary associated serum amyloid A3 and C-reactive protein occurred between 30-48 hours post challenge with peak concentrations of APPs at 72-96 hours post challenge and declined thereafter at a rate resembling the fall in bacterial count rather than the somatic cell count. A peptide biomarker panel for IMI based on capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry was developed. It comprised 77 identified peptides (IMI77) composed mainly of casein derived peptides but also including peptides of glycosylation dependent cell adhesion molecule and serum amyloid A. The panel had a biomarker classification score that increased from 36 hour to 81 hour post challenge, significantly differentiating infected from non-infected milk, thus suggesting potential as a peptide biomarker panel of bovine mastitis and specifically that of S. uberis origin. The use of omic technology has shown a multifactorial cross system reaction in high and low abundance proteins and their peptide derivatives with changes of over a thousand fold in analyte levels in response to S. uberis infection.

Thirty six commercial European fruit juices were tested to ascertain their antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic composition. Six of the products were labelled 100% pomegranate juice, the others included 20 brands of diluted pomegranate juice or pomegranate blended with other fruit juices and 10 different non-pomegranate fruit juices. The antioxidant capacity of all the juices was determined while anthocyanin, ellagitannin and ellagic acid profiles of the 26 pomegranate juices and pomegranate juice blends were obtained using HPLC-PDA-MS(2). Additional analysis was conducted on seven of the juices using HPLC with an on-line antioxidant detection system. Three of the "pure" pomegranate juices had the highest ellagitannin content and the highest antioxidant capacity. Only one of these three juices was rich in anthocyanins. The other "pure juices" had differences in their HPLC "pomegranate" fingerprint and also had a lower antioxidant capacity, in some cases lower than that of some of the blended juices. Vitamin C rather than phenolic compounds was the major contributor to the antioxidant capacity for some of the juices. Statistical analysis of both the antioxidant assay and the HPLC on-line antioxidant data demonstrated that the ellagitannins were the major antioxidants in the pomegranate juices. The complexity of the polyphenolic profile of pomegranates necessitates the use of HPLC-PDA-MS(2) for a thorough evaluation of juice composition and authenticity., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010)