A version of the statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT) is developed for chain molecules of hard-core segments with attractive potentials of variable range (SAFT-VR). The different contributions to the Helmholtz free energy are evaluated according to the Wertheim perturbation theory. The monomer properties are obtained from a high-temperature expansion up to second order, using a compact expression for the first-order perturbation term (mean-attractive energy) a1. Making use of the mean-value theorem, a1 is given as the van der Waals attractive constant and the Carnahan and Starling contact value for the hard-sphere radial distribution function in terms of an effective packing fraction. The second-order perturbation term a2 is evaluated with the local compressibility approximation. The monomer cavity function, required for the calculation of the free energy due to the formation of the chains and the contribution due to association, is given as a function of a1. We analyse the equation of state for chain molecules with three different types of monomer hard-core potentials with variable attractive range: square-well (SW), Yukawa (Y), and Sutherland (S). The theory for the hard-core potentials can easily be generalised to soft-core systems: we develop a simple equation of state for Mie m−n potentials, of which the Lennard-Jones (LJ) 6-12 potential is a particular case. The equations of state, expressed in terms of reduced variables, are explicit functions of the reduced temperature, the packing fraction, the number of monomers segments forming the chain, and the parameter λ which characterises the range of the the attractive potential. The relevance of the last parameter in the application of the theory to n-alkanes and n-perfluoroalkanes is explicitly shown with the SW expressions. An accurate description of the vapour pressure and the saturated liquid densities is obtained, with a simple dependence of the parameters of the monomer potential on the number of carbons. The extension of our SAFT-VR expressions to mixtures is also presented in terms of a simple expression for the mean-attractive energy for mixtures, based on a straightforward generalisation of the theory for pure components.

The garnet supergroup includes all minerals isostructural with garnet regardless of what elements occupy the four atomic sites, i.e., the supergroup includes several chemical classes. There are presently 32 approved species, with an additional 5 possible species needing further study to be approved. The general formula for the garnet supergroup minerals is {X 3 }[Y 2 ](Z 3)ϕ 12 , where X, Y, and Z refer to dodecahedral, octahedral, and tetrahedral sites, respectively, and ϕ is O, OH, or F. Most garnets are cubic, space group Ia3d (no. 230), but two OH-bearing species (henritermierite and holtstamite) have tetragonal symmetry, space group, I4 1 /acd (no. 142), and their X, Z, and ϕ sites are split into more symmetrically unique atomic positions. Total charge at the Z site and symmetry are criteria for distinguishing groups, whereas the dominant-constituent and dominant-valency rules are critical in identifying species. Twenty-nine species belong to one of five groups: the tetragonal henritermierite group and the isometric bitikleite, schorlomite, garnet, and berzeliite groups with a total charge at Z of 8 (silicate), 9 (oxide), 10 (silicate), 12 (silicate), and 15 (vanadate, arsenate), respectively. Three species are single representatives of potential groups in which Z is vacant or occupied by monovalent (halide, hydroxide) or divalent cations (oxide). We recommend that suffixes (other than Levinson modifiers) not be used in naming minerals in the garnet supergroup. Existing names with suffixes have been replaced with new root names where necessary: bitikleite-(SnAl) to bitikleite, bitikleite-(SnFe) to dzhuluite, bitikleite-(ZrFe) to usturite, and elbrusite-(Zr) to elbrusite. The name hibschite has been discredited in favor of grossular as Si is the dominant cation at the Z site. Twenty-one end-members have been reported as subordinate components in minerals of the garnet supergroup of which six have been reported in amounts up to 20 mol% or more, and, thus, there is potential for more species to be discovered in the garnet supergroup. The nomenclature outlined in this report has been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (Voting Proposal 11-D).

IntroductionBecause of a complex interaction of medical and epidemiological factors, there has been a rapid increase in the size of the elderly population. With this, there has also been a parallel increase in morbidity associated with age-related delayed wound healing, which costs the health services over $9 billion per year. Cutaneous wound healing is characterized by an initial inflammatory response, followed by reformation of the epithelial barrier and matrix deposition. Accumulating evidence implicates inflammation, and the resultant proteolysis of matrix, as a causative factor in age-related delayed healing and suggests that in the absence of infection, the inflammatory response is inappropriately excessive (1, 2). There is striking evidence from animal studies dating back to 1962 that estrogens play a crucial role in cutaneous wound healing and repair is significantly delayed in its absence, an event characterized by profound leukocyte recruitment during the initial stages of injury and tissue destruction (3-6). Moreover, exogenous estrogen replacement in these animal and human models reverses the effects on healing (6-8). In this regard, recent reports have shown that hormonereplacement therapy (HRT) prevents the development of chronic wounds (both pressure ulcers and venous ulcers) in postmenopausal women (9, 10). Intriguingly, the positive effect of topical estrogen has been shown in both elderly women and men, reflecting the marked decrease in local estrogenic activity secondary to reduced ovarian activity in women, a decline in the adrenal estrogenic precursor dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in men and women, and altered aromatization of systemic precursors to local active estrogen (6).In excessive and chronic inflammatory disorders, the influx of leukocytes occurs unabated, leading to enhanced cytokine and chemokine production, further unchecked leukocyte recruitment, and ultimately proteolytic tissue destruction. Estrogen accelerates the cutaneous wound-healing process, associated with enhanced matrix deposition, rapid epithelialization, and a dampening of the inflammatory response (2-8).One potential downstream target for hormonal effects Characteristic of both chronic wounds and acute wounds that fail to heal are excessive leukocytosis and reduced matrix deposition. Estrogen is a major regulator of wound repair that can reverse agerelated impaired wound healing in human and animal models, characterized by a dampened inflammatory response and increased matrix deposited at the wound site. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a candidate proinflammatory cytokine involved in the hormonal regulation of inflammation. We demonstrate that MIF is upregulated in a distinct spatial and temporal pattern during wound healing and its expression is markedly elevated in wounds of estrogen-deficient mice as compared with intact animals. Wound-healing studies in mice rendered null for the MIF gene have demonstrated that in the absence of MIF, the excessive inflammation and delayed-healing phenotype associ...

Impaired wound healing states in the elderly lead to substantial morbidity, mortality, and a cost to the US Health Services of over $9 billion per annum. In addition to intrinsic aging per se causing delayed healing, studies have suggested marked sex-differences in wound repair. We report that castration of male mice results in a striking acceleration of local cutaneous wound healing, and is associated with a reduced inflammatory response and increased hair growth. Using a hairless mouse model, we have demonstrated that testosterone reduction stimulates the healing response not through hair follicle epithelial/mesenchymal cell proliferation, but directly via effects on wound cell populations. We suggest that endogenous testosterone inhibits the cutaneous wound healing response in males and is associated with an enhanced inflammatory response. The mechanisms underlying the observed effects involve a direct upregulation of proinflammatory cytokine expression by macrophages in response to testosterone. Blockade of androgen action systemically, via receptor antagonism, accelerates healing significantly, suggesting a specific target for future therapeutic intervention in impaired wound healing states in elderly males.

A simplified definition of a mineral group is given on the basis of structural and compositional aspects. Then a hierarchical scheme for group nomenclature and mineral classification is introduced and applied to recent nomenclature proposals. A new procedure has been put in place in order to facilitate the future proposal and naming of new mineral groups within the IMA-CNMNC framework.