ESEM-EDS: In vivo characterization of the Ni hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens

Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) permits to analyze samples in their native-hydrated state, allowing a broad spectrum of biological applications. In this study, ESEM equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) was used as a fast method to analyze tissue morphology and to investigate metal distribution in the Ni hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens, an established model to study the adaptation of plants to metalliferous soils. The low vacuum and wet mode operative conditions required the proper choice of experimental parameters both for morphological and compositional characterization of plant tissues. The calibration strategy for semi-quantitative analysis involved the use of Ni fortified agar as standard and signal normalization respect to endogenous carbon, chosen as internal standard. The obtained results are in accordance with present literature, showing a preferential Ni distribution in the epidermal cells respect to near the stomata for leaves and in the cotyledon epidermidis respect to cotyledon parenchyma area for seeds. Thanks to the absence of any time consuming sample treatment steps, ESEM-EDS technique can be proposed as valid strategy for in vivo high-throughput analysis of plant tissues and for a rapid screening and identification of other hyperaccumulator plants in a selected contaminated area.     

Dynamics and optimal control in a spatially structured economic growth model with pollution diffusion and environmental taxation

In the first part of this paper we present a spatially structured dynamic economic growth model which takes into account the level of pollution and a possible taxation based on the amount of produced pollution. In the second part we analyze an optimal harvesting control problem with an objective function composed of three terms, namely the intertemporal utility of the decision maker, the space–time average of the level of pollution in the habitat, and the disutility due to the imposition of taxation.     

Efficiency assessment of primary care providers: A conditional nonparametric approach

This paper uses a fully nonparametric approach to estimate efficiency measures for primary care units incorporating the effect of (exogenous) environmental factors. This methodology allows us to account for different types of variables (continuous and discrete) describing the main characteristics of patients served by those providers. In addition, we use an extension of this nonparametric approach to deal with the presence of undesirable outputs in data, represented by the rates of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC). The empirical results show that all the exogenous variables considered have a significant and negative effect on efficiency estimates.     

Catalytic and kinetic spectrophotometric method for determination of vanadium(V) by 2,3,4-trihydroxyacetophenonephenylhydrazone

A new catalytic and kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of vanadium(V) was studied using 2,3,4-trihydroxyacetophenonephenylhydrazone (THAPPH) as an analytical reagent. The present method was developed on the catalytic effect of vanadium on oxidation of THAPPH by hydrogen peroxide in hydrochloric acid–potassium chloride buffer (pH = 2.8) at the 20th minute. The metal ion has formed 1:2 (M:L) complex with THAPPH. Beer’s law was obeyed in the range 20–120 ng/mL of V(V) at λ_max 390 nm. The sensitivity of the method was calculated in terms of molar absorptivity (1.999 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹cm⁻¹) and Sandell’s sensitivity (0.000254 μg cm⁻²), shows that this method is more sensitive. The standard deviation (0.0022), relative standard deviation (0.56%), confidence limit (±0.0015) and standard error (0.0007) revealed that the developed method has more precision and accuracy. The stability constant was calculated with the help of Asmu’s (9.411 × 10⁻¹¹) and Edmond’s & Birnbaum’s (9.504 × 10⁻¹¹) methods at room temperature. The interfering effect of various cations and anions was also studied. The present method was successfully applied for the determination of vanadium(V) in environmental and alloy samples. The method’s validity was checked by comparing the results obtained with atomic-absorption spectrophotometry and also by evaluation of results using F-test.     

核化学与放射化学的研究进展

在我国核能快速发展的新形势下,新型核能资源的开发、乏燃料后处理、放射性废物处理与处置等核燃料循环化学研究日益活跃。随着科学技术的不断发展,离子加速器、反应堆、各种类型的探测器和分析设备、以及计算机技术等的发展,核化学与放射化学研究的范围和成果在不断扩展和增加,如核安全、环境放射化学、放射分析化学、放射性药物与标记化合物等,研究成果对于国防建设、核能发展、核技术应用等方面具有重要支撑作用。本文综述了近年来国内在上述领域所取得的研究进展。共引用参考文献161篇。     

A novel model for quantification of the moisture absorption of polymeric laminated composites

In the present study, a new model was developed that considers the amount of the environmental fluid absorption by different constituents of polymeric laminated composites including fibers, resin, fiber-matrix interphase region, ply interface region, and voids. By knowing the fluid absorption behavior of the composite constituents, the present model can predict the amount of fluid absorption of different constituents of polymeric laminated composites with an arbitrary resin volume fraction and stacking sequence. Test specimens were fabricated by glass fibers and vinyl ester resin. The environmental fluids, examined in this study, were distilled and saline water under different temperatures and salt concentrations. To investigate the absorption behavior of different constituents of polymeric composite, various tests were conducted on fibers, pure cured resin, unidirectional composite specimens, and laminated composites. Based on the results of the tests, a new theoretical model was developed to quantify and predict the amount of fluid absorption of different constituents of laminated polymeric composites. The thickness of the interphase region between the fiber and matrix was also measured using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and nano-indentation tests. The consistency of experimental results with the outcomes of the theoretical model indicates the accuracy of the model.     

One-step synthesis of monodispersed Pt nanoparticles anchored on 3D graphene foams and its application for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Although platinum-based materials are regarded as the state-of-the-art electro-catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),high cost and quantity scarcity hamper their scale-up utilization in industrial deployment.Herein,a one-step strategy was developed to synthesize multi-walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide supported Pt nanoparticle hydrogel(PtNP/rGO-MWCNT),in which only ascorbic acid was used as the reductant for one-pot reduction of both GO and chloroplatinic acid.The hydrogel can be directly used as a flexible binder-free catalytic electrode to achieve high performance of HER.Compared to conventional strategies,the current strategy not only significantly reduces the Pt loading to 3.48 wt%,simplifies the synthesis process,but also eliminates the use of any polymer binders,thus decreasing the series resistance and improving catalytic activity.An overpotential of only 11 mV was achieved on as-prepared PtNP/rGO-MWCNT to drive a geometrical current density of 10 mA/cm2 in0.5 mol/L H2 SO4,with its catalytic activity being kept over 15 h.In acidic medium,the HER activity of the PtNP/rGO-MWCNT catalyst exceeds most of the reported Pt-based electro-catalysts and is 3-fold higher than that obtained on commercial Pt/C electrode.     

Trends in the use of passive sampling for monitoring polar pesticides in water

The presence of polar pesticides in environmental waters is a growing problem. After application their migration into the aqueous phase is promoted by their high water solubility. Transport processes are usually complex and inputs are generally stochastic; this makes monitoring of this class of pesticides challenging using low volume spot samples of water. Recently there has been a trend to use passive samplers to monitor pesticides in river catchments as it is an in-situ time integrative sampling technique. The three main types of device used for this purpose are, Chemcatcher®, POCIS and o-DGT. This article reviews the fate and current state-of-the-art for monitoring polar pesticides in aqueous matrices. Principles and the theory of passive sampling and strategies for passive sampler design and operation are presented. Advances in the application of passive sampling devices for measuring polar pesticides are extensively critiqued; future trends in their use are also discussed.     

Electrochemical devices obtained from biochar: Advances in renewable and environmentally-friendly technologies applied to analytical chemistry

Biochar is the carbon-rich material produced from organic feedstock such as agricultural wastes and municipal solid waste in limited oxygen atmosphere and under certain thermal combustion. Due to its high carbon content, high cation exchange capacity, large surface and stability structure, it has been applied in different field of knowledge. In relation to environment analytical chemistry the studies about biochar majorly focus in degradation of contaminants and soil and water remediation. However, due to its excellent electrical conductivity, biochar has been also applied to the manufacture of sensitive, robust, efficient and inexpensive devices applied to supercapacitor-based energy storage and chemically modified electrodes or sensors. Therefore, this review describes about obtention, modification and characterization of biochar as well as the pertinent aspects of electrochemical devises based on biochar and a general discussion about the environmental concern of biochar, challenges and prospects.     

Trends in nanomaterial-based solid-phase microextraction with a focus on environmental applications - A review

Effective solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in environmental field represents a crucial step for the adequate extraction of several analytes. Several materials have been traditionally developed for SPME of several analytes from environmental samples, even though their several restrictions such as post-treatment required, elevate costs and limited efficiency. Recently, nanomaterials (NMs) have emerged as a promising substitute for SPME in environmental applications of traditional techniques, due to their small size and their high specific surface-area which enhances their high reactivity. In this present review different NMs which have recently been utilized as SPME sorbent for environmental applications are classified into eleven main groups, namely nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanoflakes, nanocomposites, nanorods, nanotubes, nanohorns, nanosheets, nanocubes, nanospheres and polymer-based NMs. Application of these NMs in SPME modes and configurations for environmental analysis has been reviewed. The study discusses not only the advantages but also the major limitations of using such NMs.