Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in diffuse reflectance mode was explored with the objective of discriminating sea salts according to their quality type (traditional salt vs "flower of salt") and geographical origin (Atlantic vs Mediterranean). Sea salts were also analyzed in terms of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), K(+), alkalinity, and sulfate concentrations to support spectroscopic results. High concentrati...

A few classes of ionic liquids were synthesized and investigated for their physical properties as a function of structural variation. Bis(oxalato)borate (BOB) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf2) ionic liquids (ILs) containing pyridinium, 4dimethylaminopyridinium (DMAP) and pyrrolidinium cations bearing alkyl, benzyl, hydroxyalkyl and alkoxy substituents, were prepared from the correspo...

To study the mechanism of the propsed assimilation of cholesterol, we cultured various strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and a Bifidobacterium sp. in the presence of cholesterol and oxgall. During culturing, both cholesterol and bile salts were precipitated. Because of bacterial bile salt deconjugation, no conjugated bile salts were observed in either the culture fluids or the pellets. Durin...

"Bath salts" are synthetic stimulant "legal highs" that have recently been banned in the US. Epidemiological data regarding bath salts use are limited. In the present study, 113 individuals in the US reporting use of bath salts completed an anonymous, online survey characterizing demographic, experiential, and psychological variables. Respondents were more often male, 18-24 years old, and Cauca...

Bile-salt hydrophobicity regulates biliary phospholipid secretion and subselection. The aim of this study was to determine whether bile salts can influence liver plasma membrane phospholipids and fluidity in relation to the ATP-dependent transporter. Rats were depleted of bile salts by overnight biliary diversion and then sodium taurocholate was infused intravenously at a constant rate (200 nmo...

The aim of this study was to investigate a possible relation between EPS production and resistance to bile salts and tolerance to low pH. Eight strains which produced the highest and lowest amount of EPS (16211mg/l) were selected among 54 bacteria isolated from yogurt. Additionally, they were tested for resistance to bile salts (0.15, 0.3 %) and tolerance to low pH (2.0-3.0). After treatment wi...

The capacity of in vitro bioassays to detect the potential carcinogenicity of metal compounds is reviewed. The in vitro bioassays discussed include: bacterial reversion analysis to determine the capacity of metal salts to revert Salmonella typhimurium histidine auxotrophs or to revert Escherichia coli WP 2 tryp- to tryptophan prototrophy; examination of the ability of metal salts to preferentia...

Presence of salts in water has been one of the biggest problems of industrial equipment such as evaporators, boilers, and pipes. These salts gradually form scales on evaporators and boilers tubes and reduce their efficiency. Pretreatment processes are conducted to remove these salts; with sedimentation tanks being one of the essential equipment used in these processes. This study numerically si...

Accumulation of soluble salts in arid areas which are similar to most regions of Iran is inevitable in soil surface and profile because of low precipitation and high evaporation. High concentration of soluble salts in soil profile caused severe problems for root water uptake thus plant growth stopped. Reducing soil salinity to optimized content by leaching and avoiding soil pounding must be con...

Bile salts present in gallbladder of wild and cultured red seabream, Pagrosomus major, a marine teleost were analyzed. The bile from wild red seabream was found to contain two previously unknown bile salts along with two known bile salts, taurocholate and taurochenodeoxycholate. Isolation of each bile salt was performed by column chromatography. Fast atom bombardment mass spectra of the unknown...