Changes In Element Concentrations Research Articles

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Virulence and Specific Variations in Trace Elements during Acute Lung Infection: Implications in Cystic Fibrosis

Metal ions are necessary for the proper functioning of the immune system, and, therefore, they might have a significant influence on the interaction between bacteria and host. Ionic dyshomeostasis has been recently observed also in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, whose respiratory tract is frequently colonized by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. For the first time, here we used an inductively mass spectrometry method to perform a spatial and temporal analysis of the pattern of changes in a broad range of major trace elements in response to pulmonary infection by S. maltophilia. To this, DBA/2 mouse lungs were comparatively infected by a CF strain and by an environmental one. Our results showed that pulmonary ionomic profile was significantly affected during infection. Infected mice showed increased lung levels of Mg, P, S, K, Zn, Se, and Rb. To the contrary, Mn, Fe, Co, and Cu levels resulted significantly decreased. Changes of element concentrations were correlated with pulmonary bacterial load and markers of inflammation, and occurred mostly on day 3 post-exposure, when severity of infection culminated. Interestingly, CF strain – significantly more virulent than the environmental one in our murine model - provoked a more significant impact in perturbing pulmonary metal homeostasis. Particularly, exposure to CF strain exclusively increased P and K levels, while decreased Fe and Mn ones. Overall, our data clearly indicate that S. maltophilia modulates pulmonary metal balance in a concerted and virulence-dependent manner highlighting the potential role of the element dyshomeostasis during the progression of S. maltophilia infection, probably exacerbating the harmful effects of the loss of CF transmembrane conductance regulator function. Further investigations are required to understand the biological significance of these alterations and to confirm they are specifically caused by S. maltophilia.

Outer core compositional layering and constraints on core liquid transport properties

A variety of studies of the Earth's outer core report wave speeds near the top of the core slightly lower than reference models for core properties. One interpretation of the slower wavespeed profile is that it could represent a change in the core's light element concentration with depth in the core. I explore the consequences of this idea by interpreting the velocity profile as arising from diffusion gradients imposed in the outer core by various mechanisms. In order to estimate relative diffusion rates for light elements in liquid iron I also examine theories for transport properties of high pressure metallic liquids that are based on hard-sphere models. From the seismic wavespeed profile, an effective diffusivity may be obtained, which ranges from 0.1 to 10×10−7 m2s−1 depending on the particular boundary condition or initial condition chosen. The upper bound of the range is higher than expected from high pressure experiments and models of diffusivity in liquid metals for all elements except H. The lower bound is within the uncertainty of theoretical predictions and experimental determinations given the range of expected outer core temperatures if diffusion involves low Z elements. Plausible agreement arises from a class of models that represent diffusion out of a compositionally different layer existing from the time of the formation of the Earth. If the wavespeed profile in the core is diffusive in nature, the data suggest that it is an original feature of the core.

Changes in Rhizosphere Concentration of Mineral Elements as Affected by Differences in Root Uptake and Plant Growth of Five Cowpea Genotypes Grown in Mixed Culture and at Different Densities with Sorghum

Aims: To evaluate the effect of planting density and cropping systems on the changes in rhizosphere concentration and uptake of mineral elements of five cowpea genotypes (i.e. Bensogla, ITH98-46, Sanzie, TVu1509 and Omondaw). Study Design: 3-factorial randomized complete block design. Original Research Article American Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 4(2): 193-214, 2014 194 Place and Duration of Study: Nietvoorbij (33o54S, 18o14E), Stellenbosch, South Africa during 2005 and 2006 summer seasons. Methodology: A field experiment involving two cowpea plant densities (83,333 and 166,666 plants.ha), two cropping systems (monocropping and intercropping) and five cowpea genotypes (i.e. Bensogla, ITH98-46, Sanzie, TVu1509 and Omondaw). Results: The data for 2005 and 2006 were similar, and therefore pooled for statistical analysis. The concentrations of P, K, S, Na, Cu, and Zn were lower in rhizosphere of cowpea relative to bulk soil, while those of Ca and Mg were greater in the rhizosphere compared with bulk soil. With sorghum, only K, S, and Na were lower in the rhizosphere, in contrast to P, Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn, which were higher in the rhizosphere. These differences in mineral concentration were due to alteration in rhizosphere pH, which was increased by cowpea but unchanged by sorghum. The data also showed that high plant density (166,666 plants.ha) and mixed culture significantly decreased rhizosphere soil pH, resulting in low availability of P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and B in the rhizosphere of cowpea and sorghum compared with low plant density (83,333 plants.ha) or monocropping. The results also showed significant differences in rhizosphere concentration of minerals between and among the five cowpea genotypes, with cv. Sanzie consistently indicating much lower levels of P and Ca as a result of higher root uptake, which was evidenced by the higher tissue content of P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Fe, Zn, Mn and B in cv. Sanzie. Conclusion: N2-fixing cowpea significantly lowered the concentration and increased the uptake of mineral elements from the rhizosphere soil relative to sorghum.

Thyroid Functions and Trace Elements in Pediatric Patients with Exogenous Obesity

Obesity is a multifactorial disease developing following impairment of the energy balance. The endocrine system is known to be affected by the condition. Serum thyroid hormones and trace element levels have been shown to be affected in obese children. Changes in serum thyroid hormones may result from alterations occurring in serum trace element levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not changes in serum thyroid hormone levels in children with exogenous obesity are associated with changes in trace element levels. Eighty-five children diagnosed with exogenous obesity constituted the study group, and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy children made up the control group. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (fT4), free triiodothyronine (fT3), thyroglobulin (TG), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) levels in the study group were measured before and at the third and sixth months of treatment, and once only in the control group. Pretreatment fT4 levels in the study group rose significantly by the sixth month (p = 0.006). Zn levels in the patient group were significantly low compared to the control group (p = 0.009). Mn and Se levels in the obese children before and at the third and sixth months of treatment were significantly higher than those of the control group (p = 0.001, p = 0.001). In conclusion, fT4, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Se levels are significantly affected in children diagnosed with exogenous obesity. The change in serum fT4 levels is not associated with changes in trace element concentrations.

Temporal Changes in Concentrations of Some Trace Elements in Muscle Tissue of Crayfish,Astacus leptodactylus(Eschscholtz, 1823), from Keban Dam Lake

Crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus Eschscholtz, 1823) is the native crayfish species in Turkey. It was exported regularly to Western Europe. In this study, bioaccumulation and temporal trends of some trace elements (arsenic: As, cadmium: Cd, copper: Cu, mercury: Hg, lead: Pb, and zinc: Zn) in edible abdomen muscle of crayfish from Keban Dam Lake (Elazığ, Turkey) were investigated for the 2006–2012 period. Sequence of metal concentration levels was Zn > Cu > Hg > Pb > Cd > As in muscle tissues. The highest concentration of Zn (21.69 mg kg−1) was detected in 2006, while the lowest (4.35 mg kg−1) in 2009. In general, it was found that the concentrations of trace elements investigated were lower than the maximum permissible limits of the food regulations of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock (MFAL), the Turkish Food Codex and Commission Regulation (EC). If the crayfish selected for the study are recognized as bioindicators of environmental pollution, then it is possible to conclude that the changes in studied trace elements concentrations in the Keban Dam Lake are being steady.

Screening of trace elements in hair of the female population with different types of cancers in Wielkopolska region of Poland.

Background. Cancer constitutes a major health problem worldwide. Thus, search for reliable and practical markers of the disease process remains the key issue of the diagnostic process. Objectives. The study aims at linking the trace element status of an organism, assessed by hair analysis, with the occurrence of cancer diseases. Material and Methods. Hair samples were collected from 299 patients with cancer diseases confirmed by a histopathological test and from 100 controls. Cancer patients were divided into three groups, depending on cancer type: hormone-dependent cancer, cancer of the alimentary tract, and cancer with high glycolytic activity. Mineral element analysis of hair was performed using an atomic emission spectrophotometer with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results. Statistically significantly lower concentrations of selenium, zinc, copper, germanium and boron, iron, and magnesium were observed in the three groups of cancer patients. Disturbance in the axis glucose-insulin and changes in concentrations of heavy metals and toxic elements were also noted. Conclusions. It seems safe to conclude that our results confirmed usefulness of hair element analysis in screening tests for the assessment of the biomarker of various cancer diseases in a female population.

Interface Limited Lithium Transport in Solid-State Batteries.

Understanding the role of interfaces is important for improving the performance of all-solid-state lithium ion batteries. To study these interfaces, we present a novel approach for fabrication of electrochemically active nanobatteries using focused ion beams and their characterization by analytical electron microscopy. Morphological changes by scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging and correlated elemental concentration changes by electron energy loss spectroscopy mapping are presented. We provide first evidence of lithium accumulation at the anode/current collector (Si/Cu) and cathode/electrolyte (LixCoO2/LiPON) interfaces, which can be accounted for the irreversible capacity losses. Interdiffusion of elements at the Si/LiPON interface was also witnessed with a distinct contrast layer. These results highlight that the interfaces may limit the lithium transport significantly in solid-state batteries. Fabrication of electrochemically active nanobatteries also enables in situ electron microscopy observation of electrochemical phenomena in a variety of solid-state battery chemistries.

Simulations of Breast Cancer Imaging Using Gamma-Ray Stimulated Emission Computed Tomography

Here, we present an innovative imaging technology for breast cancer using gamma-ray stimulated spectroscopy based on the nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) technique. In NRF, a nucleus of a given isotope selectively absorbs gamma rays with energy exactly equal to one of its quantized energy states, emitting an outgoing gamma ray with energy nearly identical to that of the incident gamma ray. Due to its application of NRF, gamma-ray stimulated spectroscopy is sensitive to trace element concentration changes, which are suspected to occur at early stages of breast cancer, and therefore can be potentially used to noninvasively detect and diagnose cancer in its early stages. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, we have designed and demonstrated an imaging system that uses gamma-ray stimulated spectroscopy for visualizing breast cancer. We show that gamma-ray stimulated spectroscopy is able to visualize breast cancer lesions based primarily on the differences in the concentrations of trace elements between diseased and healthy tissue, rather than differences in density that are crucial for X-ray mammography. The technique shows potential for early breast cancer detection; however, improvements are needed in gamma-ray laser technology for the technique to become a clinically feasible method of detecting and diagnosing cancer at early stages.

The Nutritional Value and Preliminary Risk Assessment of Major and Trace Elements Accumulated in 8 Edible Seaweeds

16 major and trace elements content of 8 edible seaweeds were determined by ICP-AES after wet digestion to compare the nutritional value and pollution level between Cyanophyta (blue), Chlorophyta (green), Rhodophyta (red), Phaeophyta (brown) species. The concentration changes of trace elements in seaweeds had some differences from four species, but the concentration distribution tendency of trace elements was similar. Major elements ( K,Ca,Na,Mg,P) and functional elements (Fe,Mn,Zn,Cu,Se,Cr) were abundant in Cyanophyta (blue) and Phaeophyta (brown) species, these two species, however, accumulated Al selectively. The pollution levels of toxic elements like As, Pb and Hg in most seaweeds from this study demonstrated that the cultivation aquatic eco- environments were relatively safe. In this paper, Nostoc commune var. Flagelliforme (Cyanophyta) abounds in Fe, Zn and major elements, moreover the concentration of potentially toxic elements were relatively low. The second was Phaeophyta species, especially Laminaria japonica Aresch . Porphyra yezoensis Ueda (Rhodophyta) shows the lowest nutritional value.

Effects of heavy elements in the sludge conveyed by the 2011 tsunami on human health and the recovery of the marine ecosystem

The 2011 tsunami not only caused significant damage, but also drew a large amount of sludge from the bottom of the sea. This may have exerted negative effects on human health. In order to evaluate changes in elemental concentrations in the body before and after the tsunami, we collected long hairs from victims of the disaster. Furthermore, sludge and plant samples were collected from three prefectures. The sludge samples on land were found to be still contaminated with heavy elements. The concentrations of heavy elements in the soils and plants gathered from the same tidelands decreased after one year. In hair analyses, no clear changes have been observed in heavy element concentrations measured before and after the tsunami. However, the concentration of some essential elements, such as Cu, Ca and Mg, showed a decreasing tendency after the tsunami.

Response of Gammarus pulex and Baetis rhodani to springtime acid episodes in humic brooks

While chronic acidification of water bodies has been steadily decreasing, episodic acidification continues to affect stream biology by temporarily decreasing pH and mobilizing aluminum. These events are becoming more common as climate change renders more frequent and intense storms and flooding. Throughout Scandinavia, the effects of acidification have been mitigated by liming since the 1980s, but remediation efforts can now be reduced. While transient acidity may reduce fish populations, also other species in streams are affected. In this in-stream study, two macro-invertebrates (Gammarus pulex and Baetis rhodani), both known as salmonid prey organisms, were exposed to snowmelt in six humic brooks with a natural gradient of pH and inorganic monomeric Al (Ali). We hypothesize that acid toxicity thresholds can be defined using lethal (mortality) and sublethal (changes in body elemental content) metrics. Periodic observations were made of mortality and whole body concentrations of base cations (BC: Ca, Mg, Na and K) and metals (Al, Fe, Zn and Mn). Mortality increased dramatically at pH<6.0 and Ali>15μg/L for G. pulex and at pH<5.7 and Ali>20μg/L for B. rhodani. No accumulation of Al was found. The invertebrate body Na concentration decreased when pH dropped, suggesting that osmoregulation in both species was affected. In contrast to general BC pattern, Ca concentration in G. pulex and Mg concentration in B. rhodani increased when pH decreased. Although Ali strongly correlates to pH, the Al composition of soil and bedrock also influences Al availability, potentially contributing to toxic Ali episodes. The estimated values calculated in this study can be used to improve water quality criteria and as thresholds to adjust doses of lime compared to old recommendations in ongoing liming programs. Such adjustments may be critical since both Ali and pH levels have to be balanced to mitigate damage to recovering stream ecosystems.

Reducing Quantitative Fluctuation of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy by Kalman Filtering

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is excellent for its potential of online compositional analysis. Large signal fluctuation is the major obstacle of LIBS for quantitative analysis application. A kalman filtering method is proposed to estimate the elemental concentration and smooth the quantitative results. The system state model and the measurement model are deduced. The relation matrix between the measured values and system state is estimated based on calibration curve built on some standard samples, and the measurement noise matrix is estimated by the variance of multiple measurements of the spectral intensity. In order to make Kalman filter follow the changes of elemental concentration, the initial value of the covariance matrix of estimation error is reset as a certain rule. The experimental results show that the Kalman filtering method can greatly reduce the fluctuation of quantitative results and improve the measurement accuracy.

Changes in trace element contents in ashes of oil shale fueled PF and CFB boilers during operation

Two oil shale combustion technologies, pulverized firing (PF) and circulated fluidized bed (CFB) were compared with respect to partitioning of selected elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Th, Tl, U, V, and Zn) in the ashes along the flue gas ducts. The ash samples were characterized by high-resolution ICP-MS. The average contents of toxic heavy metals in fly ash samples from the CFB boiler are lower compared to the PF boiler. Main differences in trace element contents between combustion technologies were as follows: Cd content in the fly ash samples of PF boiler was up to 0.9mg/kg while in CFB boiler it remained below 0.1mg/kg in all analyzed ash samples; Hg was observed in the ashes of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) of CFB boiler while in the PF boiler it was close to or below detection limit. In the PF boiler content of Sn was detected only in the ashes of ESPs, while in CFB boiler it was evenly distributed between bottom and fly ash samples. Highest content among heavy metals in ash samples was observed for Pb in the last field of ESP of the PF boiler (142mg/kg).

Prediction of critical cooling rate for glass forming alloys by artificial neural network

A radial basis function artificial neural network (RBFANN) model was established for the simulation and prediction of critical cooling rate Rc of glass forming alloys. The RBFANN model was trained, learned and examined using the data from the published literature as well as own experimental data. The performance of RBFANN model is examined by the linearly dependent coefficient between the predicted Rc and the corresponding experimental/calculated one; the influence of the type of alloys and elements and the large and minor change of element content on the Rc. In addition, a group of Zr–Al–Ni–Cu metallic glasses were designed and their Rcs were predicted by the RBFANN model. The results show that the established RBFANN model is reliable and adequate and can be used to design the composition and predict the Rc of glass forming alloys since the predicted Rc is inherent with the experimental/calculated one.

Elemental Concentrations in the Seed of Mutants and Natural Variants of Arabidopsis thaliana Grown under Varying Soil Conditions

The concentrations of mineral nutrients in seeds are critical to both the life cycle of plants as well as human nutrition. These concentrations are strongly influenced by soil conditions, as shown here by quantifying the concentration of 14 elements in seeds from Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown under four different soil conditions: standard, or modified with NaCl, heavy metals, or alkali. Each of the modified soils resulted in a unique change to the seed ionome (the mineral nutrient content of the seeds). To help identify the genetic networks regulating the seed ionome, changes in elemental concentrations were evaluated using mutants corresponding to 760 genes as well as 10 naturally occurring accessions. The frequency of ionomic phenotypes supports an estimate that as much as 11% of the A. thaliana genome encodes proteins of functional relevance to ion homeostasis in seeds. A subset of mutants were analyzed with two independent alleles, providing five examples of genes important for regulation of the seed ionome: SOS2, ABH1, CCC, At3g14280 and CNGC2. In a comparison of nine different accessions to a Col-0 reference, eight accessions were observed to have reproducible differences in elemental concentrations, seven of which were dependent on specific soil conditions. These results indicate that the A. thaliana seed ionome is distinct from the vegetative ionome, and that elemental analysis is a sensitive approach to identify genes controlling ion homeostasis, including those that regulate gene expression, phospho-regulation, and ion transport.

Trace element accumulation in tree rings of pinus halepensis during the last 140 years

The trace element analysis of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill) as a function of tree age, was achieved by the tree-ring sampling method, in a polluted region of Attica, Greece. The elements quantitatively determined for the last 140 years by atomic spectrophotometry analysis were: Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn and Pb. With the exception of Pb, all other elements tend to increase for the time period of this study. A very interesting fluctuation was noted between the years 1920 to 1960-1970, a time coinciding with the major industrial activity of the area. The decreasing concentration of all elements for the last few decades may be attributed to the increasing environmental awareness as well as respective regulations posed by the government and the E.U. The radial distribution of concentrations in annual tree rings provides adequate information that, in most of the cases, can be related to the history of the tree and the biological processes interacting on its growth. Soil, litter, air deposits and water are important nutrient sources contributing to changes in elemental concentration in the annual rings.

Statistical study of single and multiple pulse laser-induced damages of HfO2/SiO2 AR coatings at 1064 nm

Multiple laser irradiations induce a critical issue as regards the lifetime of optical components. HfO2/SiO2 AR coatings for 1064nm were prepared by conventional electron beam deposition. The evolution of laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) and 100% damage probability threshold with shot numbers were investigated to illustrate the incubation mechanism of defect-induced damages and the intrinsic material modifications of coatings. It was found that the multi-shot LIDTs were lower than that of single-shot because of “fatigue effect”. The 100% damage probability threshold also decreased with increasing shot numbers. This incubation phenomenon implied laser-induced modifications to the coating material that weaken it to subsequent pulse exposures. LID probability curves simulated with a statistical model assuming Gaussian distribution of defect threshold were used to highlight information on defects. Simulation results showed that the thresholds of different kinds of defects decreased with the increase of shot numbers.Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and step profiler were employed in mapping damage morphology features and damage depth to discuss the initiators and mechanism of damage initiation. Additionally, damage regions were accessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to indicate the changes in elemental content and valence of the materials with increasing pulse numbers.

A study on adsorption of metals by activated carbon in a large-scale (municipal) process of surface water purification

Abstract Elements that enter the aquatic environment may pose a health risk to wildlife and humans. The aims of this study were: to determine how the introduction of activated carbon for a water purification system will improve the quality of the water produced; and to investigate the sorption of metals on activated carbons, including determination of the accumulation, as well as changes in concentrations of elements in carbons. The tests were carried out on three types of activated carbons with different granular structure. All samples were collected from Water Treatment Plant Goczalkowice, Poland. Concentrations of elements were measured using an optical emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma. The experiment showed that metals accumulating in the activated carbons during the operation included: Ca, Mn, Zn, and Cu. In each of the three types of carbons, it can distinguish such elements as Ba, Al, Cr, Ni, Ti, which are characterized by irregular accumulation during the operation of the filter. The introduction of carbon sorbent for water treatment largely contributed to improvement in the quality of raw material supplied to customers, mainly with regard to taste and smell, as well as to reduction of basic parameters: color, absorbance in the UV range and oxidability.

Movement of light elements in living plants measured by means of a standard-free method in in-air PIXE

The two methods, which enable us to observe changes in concentration of heavy elements in living plants and to perform quantitative analysis of all elements heavier than aluminum in in-air PIXE with two detectors, simultaneously, were successfully applied to studies on movement of light elements in plants. It was found that light elements including silicone, phosphorus and sulfur in leaves of living plants can be quantitatively analyzed. Accuracy of the method for light elements could be confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained by an internal-standard method. It was also confirmed that changes in elemental concentration with elapsed time after starting irradiation could be observed for silicone, phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine together with heavier elements at the same time. Interesting changes in elemental concentration with elapsed time were observed for phosphorus and sulfur together with heavier elements such as potassium, calcium and manganese. Moreover, quite interesting changes of concentration of some light elements were clearly observed after supplying water-soluble manure containing phosphorus acid and potassium to the plant.

Groundwater Contamination and Water-Rock Interaction during Leakage of Industrial Waste Water into a Carbonate Aquifer in an Arid Zone, Israel

Leakage of contaminated, acidic, and salty waste water from a chemical industrial complex in the Negev desert, Israel, resulted in increased salinity of the water in the regional carbonate aquifer. Changes in concentrations of the major elements and some ionic ratios enabled delineating the mixing process of the waste water in the aquifer. Although the waste water is enriched in trace elements, no noticeable change in their concentrations was detected in the contaminated aquifer. The removal of the trace elements is attributed to adsorption that was enabled by a rise in the pH of the contaminated water as it comes in contact with the carbonate host rock.