Arsenic-Induced Biochemical Changes in Labeo rohita Kidney: An FTIR Study

ABSTRACT

Arsenic is a toxic heavy metal that occurs naturally in water, soil, and air. It is widespread in the environment as a consequence of both anthropogenic and natural processes. In the current study, an attempt has been made to analyze the arsenic-induced molecular changes in macromolecular components like proteins and lipids in the kidney tissues of edible fish Labeo rohita using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The FTIR spectrum of kidney tissue is quite complex and contains several bands arising from the contribution of different functional groups. The detailed spectral analyses were performed in three distinct wave number regions, namely 3600–3050 cm^?1, 3050–2800 cm^?1, and 1800–800 cm^?1. The current study shows that the kidney tissues are more vulnerable to arsenic intoxication. FTIR spectra reveal significant differences in both absorbance intensities and areas between control and arsenic-intoxicated kidney tissues; this result indicates that arsenic intoxication induces significant alteration on the major biochemical constituents such as lipids and proteins and leads to compositional and structural changes in kidney tissues at the molecular level. The current study confirms that FTIR spectroscopy can be successfully applied to toxicologic and biological studies.     

Phytoremediation of Lead in Soil: Recent Applications and Future Prospects

Abstract

Lead is a very serious contaminant in soil because of its widespread previous application in residential, agricultural, and industrial environments combined with its severe impacts upon human health, particularly upon children. Phytoremediation is a nontraditional approach to remediate contaminated soil involving the use of green plants. Phytostabilization involves the use of plants to stabilize contaminants to reduce human exposure. Phytoextraction involves the use of plants to accumulate contaminants in aboveground shoots, which can be harvested to recycle or discard. Recent phytomediation work has indicated the importance of determining the chemical forms of lead present at a site to develop the most appropriate remediation strategy. Lead phytoextraction typically involves the addition of a chelating agent in order to increase the bioavailability of this contaminant. Because concerns have been raised regarding the persistence of chelating agents in the environment, several research teams have investigated the use biodegradable compounds for this application. It is anticipated that phytoremediation will continue to be a low-cost approach for the remediation of lead in soil.     

Studies of Metals in Crocodilians by Spectrochemical Methods

Abstract: This review covers the results of metal determinations using various spectrochemical analytical techniques in crocodilians from various geographical regions. The most widely determined metal is mercury, both inorganic and organic. However, many other metals, including the known toxic metals of lead and cadmium, have been determined. In general, more elevated levels of metals have been determined in crocodilians from potentially contaminated as opposed to more pristine areas. Significant differences in concentrations for many metals have been demonstrated in captive versus wild alligators. The part of crocodilians most widely utilized for food, tail or tail meat, has attracted the most interest, but studies on kidney and liver as well as blood have been reported. Eggs and hatchings have also been examined for several metal concentrations.     

Polyvinylpyrrolidone and arsenic-induced changes in biological responses of model aquatic organisms exposed to iron-based nanoparticles

The efficiency of zero-valent iron particles used in the remediation of contaminated groundwater has, with the emergence of nanotechnology, stimulated interest on the use of nano-size particles to take advantage of high-specific surface area and reactivity characteristics of nanoparticles (NPs). Accordingly, engineered iron-NPs are among the most widely used nanomaterials for in situ remediation. However, while several ecotoxicity studies have been conducted to investigate the adverse impacts of these NPs on aquatic organisms, research on the implications of spent iron-based NPs is lacking. In this study, a comparative approach is used, in which the biological effects of three iron-based NPs (Fe₃O₄ and γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 50 nm, and Fe⁰-NPs with an average particle size of 40 nm) on Raphidocelis subcapitata (formely known as Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and Daphnia magna were investigated using both as-prepared and pollutant-doped Fe-based NPs. For the latter, arsenic (As) was used as example sorbed pollutant. The results show that improved degree of NP dispersion by use of polyvinylpyrrolidone overlapped with both increased arsenic adsorption capacity and toxicity to the tested organisms. For R. subcapitata, Fe-oxide NPs were more toxic than Fe⁰-NPs, due primarily to differences in the degree of NPs aggregation and ability to produce reactive oxygen species. For the invertebrate D. magna, a similar trend of biological responses was observed, except that sorption of As to Fe⁰-NPs significantly increased the toxic response when compared to R. subcapitata. Overall, these findings point to the need for research on downstream implications of NP-pollutant complexes generated during water treatment by injection of NPs into aquatic systems.     

The under-pressure behaviour of mechanical,electronic and optical properties of calcium titanate and its ground state thermoelectric response

Abstract

In this study, the elastic, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of CaTiO₃ perovskite oxide have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The generalised gradient approximation (GGA) has been employed for evaluating structural and elastic properties, while the modified Becke Johnson functional is used for studying the optical response of this compound. In addition to ground state physical properties, we also investigate the effects of pressure (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 GPa) on the electronic structure of CaTiO₃. The application of pressure from 0 to 90 GPa shows that the indirect band gap (Γ-M) of CaTiO₃ increases with increasing pressure and at 120 GPa it spontaneously decreases transforming cubic CaTiO₃ to a direct (Γ-Γ) band gap material. The complex dielectric function and some optical parameters are also investigated under the application of pressures. All the calculated optical properties have been found to exhibit a shift to the higher energies with the increase of applied pressure suggesting potential optoelectronic device applications of CaTiO₃. The thermoelectric properties of CaTiO₃ have been computed at 0 GPa in terms of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient.     

Ultrasonic Extraction–Ozonation Sequential Sample Treatment for the Determination of Arsenic in Environmental Certified Reference Materials by Hydride Generation–Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry

Abstract

A sample pretreatment method based on ultrasound‐assisted extraction followed by ozonation is developed for sensitive determination of total As in biological and environmental certified reference materials and an unknown plant sample (Acacia dealbata) by flow injection and continuous‐flow hydride generation–atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The method is meant to minimize the use of corrosive and oxidizing acids for sample decomposition and common errors in trace analysis. Problems derived from introduction of sonicated extracts in continuous flow and flow injection manifolds in combination with an atomic fluorescence detector, such as excessive foaming and flame instability, are addressed. The following certified reference materials (CRMs) were employed for method assessment: BCR CRM 482 lichen; BCR CRM 60 and 61 aquatic plants; BCR CRM 279 sea lettuce; NIST 1633b fly ash; BCR 320 river sediment; RTC CRM 024‐050 soil. Effect of variables such as extraction time, ultrasound amplitude, concentration of extractant acid, sample mass, drying mode, and particle size was investigated. Leaves of Acacia dealbata were also employed for method development. Limits of detection ranged from 0.03 to 0.15 µg/g As depending on the sample. Between‐batch precision values ranged from 2% to 11%. Sample throughput was 40 hr^?1 with flow injection.     

Performance of A 40 KJ, 60 cm long square-bore railgun

Abstract

A 60 cm long, 6 mm square bore railgun has recently been developed in pursuance of the impact fusion and related studies. Nylon projectiles (with 0.1–0.3 g mass), successfully accelerated using ～ 1 mm thick aluminum/copper metallic armatures, are recovered with front surface quite intact but slightly damaged on the back side. In the initial experiments so far, the final velocity of projectiles has been determined simply from their impact onto solid blocks and measuring the consequent displacement. The velocities of 0.2–0.5km/s so estimated, are generally in agreementwith the results expected on the basis of a simple zero-dimensional numerical simulation of the capacitor-bank driven railguns. Techniques to accurately monitor the in-bore and final projectile velocities are being tested and implemented. A maximum velocity of ～ 2 km/s for 0.5 g mass projectiles is expected after certain improvements in the system parameters.     

An Experimental Investigation of Liquid Jet Impingement and Single-Phase Spray Cooling Using Polyalphaolefin

Experiments on triangular and rectangular array jet impingement and single-phase spray cooling have been performed to determine the effect of both cooling techniques on heat transfer coefficient (h) and the coolant mass flux required for a given cooling load. Experiments were performed with circular orifices and nozzles for different H/D values from 1.5 to 26 and Reynolds number range of 219 to 837, which is quite lower than the ranges employed in widely used correlations. The coolant used was polyalphaolefin. The experiments simulated the boundary condition produced at the surface of the stator of a high power low-density generator or motor. For the custom fabricated orifices, commercial nozzles, and conditions used in this study, both cooling configurations showed enhancement of heat transfer coefficient as H/D increases to a certain limit after which it starts to decrease. The heat transfer coefficient always increases with Reynolds number. In keeping with previous studies, single-phase spray cooling technique can provide the same heat transfer coefficient as jets at a slightly lower mass flux, but with much higher-pressure head. Special Nu_d correlations that account for the range of parameters and coolant studied in this work are derived.     

Momentum distribution and one-body density matrix in liquid3He.

Summary The momentum distributionn(k) and the one-body density matrix ρ₁(r,r' have been calculated in normal liquid³He atT=0. A variational wave function containing two-, three-body and backflow correlations has been used. The Fermi hypernetted chain technique has been employed and the elementary diagrams have been evaluated by the scaling approximation. The present estimate ofn(k) is in good agreement with the Monte Carlo data obtained with similar wave functions.n(k) and the discontinuityZ ofn(k) at the Fermi surface have been computed at several values of the density. The density dependence of the effective massm ^* has been found to be mainly due to that ofZ.     

Properties and structure of GaAs films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates with the (100), (111)A, and (111)B orientations

The structural perfection of GaAs epitaxial films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on substrates with the (100), (111)A, and (111)B orientations is investigated by double-crystal and triple-crystal x-ray diffractometry. It is found that the ratio γ of the molecular fluxes of arsenic and gallium has a strong influence on the structural quality of the epitaxial films. The optimum values of the parameter γ are found for each of the substrate orientations (100), (111)A, and (111)B. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 68–72 (July 1999)     

Ionisation of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth by electron impact

Total ionization cross sections of neutral phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth atoms by electron impact are reported and compared to the only available experimental results by Freund et al. [Phys. Rev. A 41, 3575 (1990)]. These calculations take into account the possibilities that some target atoms used in the experiments were in metastable states close to the ground state, the excitation-autoionization of nsnp⁴ excited states may be substantial, and the ions produced in experiments may be in excited, low-lying metastable states. The cross sections for direct ionization calculations are based on the BEB model by Kim and Rudd [Phys. Rev. A 50, 3954 (1994)]. Plane-wave Born cross sections scaled by the method developed by Kim [Phys. Rev. A 64, 3954 032713 (2001)] are used to determine the contributions from excitation-autoionization. The combination of the BEB model and the scaled Born cross sections is in agreement with the experimental data by Freund et al. These theoretical data are useful to experimentalists and can be used to complete data tables needed for plasma or astrophysical studies.     

Copper indium diselenide: crystallography and radiation-induced dislocation loops

Copper indium diselenide (CIS) is a prime candidate as the absorber layer in solar cells for use in extraterrestrial environments due to its good photovoltaic efficiency and ability to resist radiation damage. While CIS-based devices have been tested extensively in the laboratory using electron and proton irradiation, there is still little understanding of the underlying mechanisms which give rise to its radiation hardness. To gain better insight into the response of CIS to displacing radiation, transmission electron microscope samples have been irradiated in situ with 400?keV Xe ions at the Intermediate Voltage Electron Microscope facility at Argonne National Laboratory, USA. At room temperature, dislocation loops were observed to form and grow with increasing fluence. These loops have been investigated using g ?·? b techniques and inside/outside contrast analysis. They have been found to reside on {112} planes and to be interstitial in nature. The Burgers vector were calculated as b ?=?1/6 ?221?. The compositional content of these interstitial loops was found to be indistinguishable from the surrounding matrix within the sensitivity of the techniques used. To facilitate this work, experimental electron-diffraction zone-axis pattern maps were produced and these are also presented, along with analysis of the [100] zone-axis pattern.     

An EXAFS study of reversible photostructural changes in As2Se3 glass

Reversible photostructural changes in a binary As₂Se₃ glass have been studied by high-precision in-situ EXAFS. We demonstrate that the coordination number of selenium species increases reversibly in the photoexcited state while the coordination number for arsenic species remains unchanged, which is attributable to the creation of dynamic Se-Se interlayer bonds. Photoexcitation increases disorder near selenium and arsenic species and gives rise to bond breaking which restores the initial coordination number of both constituents and creates “wrong” As-As and Se-Se bonds. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 74–78 (January 1997) This article was published in English in the original Russian journal. It is reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Structure,stability and energetics of ionic arsenic–water complexes

The structure, stability and energetics of ionic arsenic–water complexes [As³⁺–nH₂O (n?=?1–5) and As⁵⁺–nH₂O (n?=?3–5)] have been studied in detail using the MP2 method. Both the trivalent and pentavalent ionic states of arsenic were considered. The change in binding energy of the complexes with increasing number of water molecules was investigated. For both complexes involving trivalent and pentavalent arsenic, highly intense modes are observed in the high-frequency region. The structure and symmetry of the complexes with increasing number of water molecules is discussed. The charge transfer in these complexes is illustrated with the help of the natural electron configuration. Both donation and back-donation processes involving the orbitals of oxygen and arsenic are analysed to explain the charge transfer.     

Pressure effect on structural,electronic optical and thermodynamic properties of cubic AlxIn1-xP: a first-principles study

ABSTRACT

First-principles total energy calculations have been performed using the full potential linearised augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2k code based on the density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the Al-doping effects on the structural, electronic and optical properties of Al_xIn_1-xP ternary alloys in the zinc-blende (ZB) phase. Different approximations of exchange-correlations energy were used such as the local density approximation (LDA), the generalised gradient approximation within parameterisation of Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE-GGA), and the Wu-Cohen (WC-GGA). In addition, we have calculated the band structures with high accuracy using the Tran-Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (TB-mBJ) approach. The pressure dependence of the electronic and optical properties of binary AlP, InP compounds and their related ternary alloys Al_xIn_1-xP were also investigated under hydrostatic pressure for (P?=?0.0, 5.0,10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25.0?GPa), where it is found that InP compound change from direct to indirect band gap for P?≥?9.16?GPa. Furthermore, we have calculated the thermodynamic properties of InP and AlP binary compounds as well as the Al_xIn_1-xP solid solutions, where the quasi-harmonic Debye model has been employed to predict the pressure and temperature dependent Gibbs free energy, heat capacity, Debye temperature and entropy.     

Stability,elasticity and electronic structures of Co-Zr binary intermetallic compounds

ABSTRACT

The structural properties, enthalpies of formation and entropic temperatures of five stable Co-Zr intermetallics were systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. The calculated enthalpy of formation was used to measure the phase stability of the Co-Zr intermetallic compounds, and the results reveal that CoZr has the highest phase stability among these Co-Zr compounds. Considering the change of temperature, the entropic temperature T_S was used to illustrate the high-temperature stability of the Co-Zr intermetallic compounds. Additionally, the elastic constants, anisotropy indexes and Debye temperatures have been calculated. According to the calculated anisotropy indexes, CoZr₂ has the highest elastic anisotropy among the Co-Zr binary compounds. Furthermore, the bonding characteristics of these compounds have also been investigated by calculating the electronic structures.     

Structural,elastic, thermodynamic and electronic properties of LuX (X = N,Bi and Sb) compounds: first principles calculations

ABSTRACT

The structural, electronic, elastic and thermodynamic properties of LuX (X = N, Bi and Sb) based on rare earth into phases, Rocksalt (B1) and CsCl (B2) have been investigated using full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital method (FP-LMTO) within density functional theory. Local density approximation (LDA) for exchange-correlation potential and local spin density approximation (LSDA) are employed. The structural parameters as lattice parameters a₀, bulk modulus B, its pressure derivate B’ and cut-off energy (E_c) within LDA and LSDA are presented. The elastic constants were derived from the stress–strain relation at 0 K. The thermodynamic properties for LuX using the quasi-harmonic Debye model are studied. The temperature and pressure variation of volume, bulk modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, heat capacities, Debye temperature and Gibbs free energy at different pressures (0–50 GPa) and temperatures (0–1600 K) are predicted. The calculated results are in accordance with other data.     

Athermal effects in ion implanted layers

Abstract

Defect structure and electrical characterization of boron and arsenic implanted layers has been investigated for implantation under athermal (light) excitation. This Photon Assisted (PA) implantation owes its specific properties to an additional electric field acting on charged particles including carriers and charged defects. It was shown that in case of n-type silicon this extra field draws charged vacancies and self-interstitials towards each other and, thus, diminishes transient diffusion of boron. This effect resulted in junctions which are about 20% shallower compared to conventionally processed reference wafers. Experiments using light of an Ar-ion laser and white light of a high pressure Xe arc lamp were compared. Some deactivation of carriers in the deeper laying parts of the p-region was always a by-product.     

Au nanoplate/polypyrrole nanofiber composite film: preparation,characterization and application as SERS substrate

Without any other additives or additional energy, Au nanoplates have been successfully prepared and integrated simultaneously with the dedoped polypyrrole nanofiber film via the in situ reduction of AuCl₄^– on the film surface. The morphology and structure of the as‐prepared composite film are characterized, and its application for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering is also investigated. It has been found that the morphology of as‐prepared Au nanoplates is dependent on the reaction duration, while the density is dependent on the concentration of AuCl₄^– ions in the reaction process. It is suggested that polypyrrole plays dual reducing and structure‐directing roles during the formation of Au nanoplates. Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering study shows that the Au nanoplates give an intensive and enhanced Raman scattering when 4‐aminothiophenol is used as a probing molecule. The employed approach may shed some light on simultaneously fabricating and immobilizing other noble metal micro/nanostructures with unique morphology. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron impact ionisation cross sections for atomic and molecular allotropes of phosphorous and arsenic

We report electron impact total ionisation cross sections for phosphorous (P), arsenic (As), diphosphorous (P₂), diarsenic (As₂), tetra phosphorous (P₄) and tetra arsenic (As₄) from the threshold of the target to 2000 eV. We employed spherical complex optical potential to compute total inelastic cross sections (Q_inel). The total ionisation cross section is extracted from the total inelastic cross section using the complex scattering potential–ionisation contribution method. The results of most of the targets studied here compare well with the measurements and the theoretical data wherever available. The correlation between the peak of ionisation cross sections with the number of target electrons and polarisability is also reported. It is observed that the maximum ionisation cross sections depend linearly on the number of target electrons and polarisability of the target. This linear correlation is used to predict the maximum ionisation cross sections for the targets (I₂, HI and PF₃) where no experimental data are available.