Ppm For Cu Research Articles

Assessment of Toxic Metals in Commonly Used Energy-Stimulating Herbal Drugs Manufactured in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

Having been a common healthcare distress, erectile dysfunction is upsetting the quality of life of men from all walks of life. Along with allopathic therapy, a sizable number of patients opt for energy-stimulating herbal drugs (ESHDs) to treat the ailment. However, a global threat vestige for metal contamination in plant-based drugs at above threshold concentrations. Investigation into metal toxicity through samples from Bangladesh is scarce. Six metals: chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were probed in 25 energy stimulating herbal drug samples by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (F-AAS). Metal content was below detection limit, 51.86 ± 0.07 ppm for Cr, below detection limit, 7.26 ± 0.07 ppm for Cu, 3.41 ± 0.14 – 59.00 ± 0.09 ppm for Fe, 3.54 ± 0.09 – 26.16 ± 0.04 ppm for Mn, below detection limit to 67.34 ± 0.58 ppm for Pb, and below detection limit 27.79 ± 0.07 ppm for Zn. Exposure assessment found Cr and Pb concentrations in the objectionable limits in 12% and 20% of the samples, respectively. This study signifies concern metal toxicity in ESHDs which demands additional probes in the future for other samples to guarantee safe consumption of the drugs.

Capillary Flow-Driven Microfluidics Combined with a Paper Device for Fast User-Friendly Detection of Heavy Metals in Water.

Human exposure to heavy metals is a concerning global problem because of its detrimental effect on our health and ecosystem. Assessing the levels of these metals is cost- and labor-intensive and nonuser friendly because current analysis approaches typically rely on heavy instrumentations like inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, which is only possible in centralized labs. Hence, simple economical detection methods are in high demand in developing countries and areas with insufficient infrastructure, professional experts, and appropriate environmental treatment. Several microfluidic paper-based analytical devices have been reported as promising alternatives to conventional testing methods for on-site heavy metal detection. Paper-based microfluidics are advantageous because of their simple fabrication, biodegradability, low cost, and ability to operate without pumps. However, typical assay times for current platforms are slow, and they typically rely on pipetting a fixed volume into the assay cards. This adds complexity in actual field scenarios. Here, we report a novel, inexpensive, and straightforward capillary-driven microfluidic device combined with paper for rapid and user-friendly detection of Ni(II), Cu(II), and Fe(III) in water. A colorimetric approach was adopted to quantify these metals. The device was able to produce a homogeneous color signal within 8 s of sample insertion. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated to be 2 and 6.67 ppm for nickel, 0.3 and 1 ppm for Cu, and 1.1 and 3.67 ppm for Fe, respectively. The majority (>90%) of the collected samples showed recovery in the 80-110% range with acceptable accuracy and precision (<15% RSD) for a colorimetric device. This technique can be beneficial for rapidly assessing heavy metal exposure in drinking and surface water at drastically reduced assay time and is the first example of capillary flow-driven microfluidic devices as a transport medium for heavy metal detection.

Biocompatible Ti3Au–Ag/Cu thin film coatings with enhanced mechanical and antimicrobial functionality

BackgroundBiofilm formation on medical device surfaces is a persistent problem that shelters bacteria and encourages infections and implant rejection. One promising approach to tackle this problem is to coat the medical device with an antimicrobial material. In this work, for the first time, we impart antimicrobial functionality to Ti3Au intermetallic alloy thin film coatings, while maintaining their superior mechanical hardness and biocompatibility.MethodsA mosaic Ti sputtering target is developed to dope controlled amounts of antimicrobial elements of Ag and Cu into a Ti3Au coating matrix by precise control of individual target power levels. The resulting Ti3Au-Ag/Cu thin film coatings are then systematically characterised for their structural, chemical, morphological, mechanical, corrosion, biocompatibility-cytotoxicity and antimicrobial properties.ResultsX-ray diffraction patterns reveal the formation of a super hard β-Ti3Au phase, but the thin films undergo a transition in crystal orientation from (200) to (211) with increasing Ag concentration, whereas introduction of Cu brings no observable changes in crystal orientation. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analysis show the polyhedral shape of the Ti3Au crystal but agglomeration of Ag particles between crystal grains begins at 1.2 at% Ag and develops into large granules with increasing Ag concentration up to 4.1 at%. The smallest doping concentration of 0.2 at% Ag raises the hardness of the thin film to 14.7 GPa, a 360% improvement compared to the ∼4 GPa hardness of the standard Ti6Al4V base alloy. On the other hand, addition of Cu brings a 315—330% improvement in mechanical hardness of films throughout the entire concentration range of 0.5—7.1 at%. The thin films also show good electrochemical corrosion resistance and a > tenfold reduction in wear rate compared to Ti6Al4V alloy. All thin film samples exhibit very safe cytotoxic profiles towards L929 mouse fibroblast cells when analysed with Alamar blue assay, with ion leaching concentrations lower than 0.2 ppm for Ag and 0.08 ppm for Cu and conductivity tests reveal the positive effect of increased conductivity on myogenic differentiation. Antimicrobial tests show a drastic reduction in microbial survival over a short test period of < 20 min for Ti3Au films doped with Ag or Cu concentrations as low as 0.2—0.5 at%.ConclusionTherefore, according to these results, this work presents a new antimicrobial Ti3Au-Ag/Cu coating material with excellent mechanical performance with the potential to develop wear resistant medical implant devices with resistance to biofilm formation and bacterial infection.Graphical

GEOPHAGIC CLAY PREDOMINANCE AND ITS POSSIBLE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS IN THE SOUTH-EAST REGION OF NIGERIA

Geophagy has been a common practice especially in the Southern part of Nigeria and some parts of the world at large. They are earthy/clay materials eaten as food supplements and also adopted for medical purposes. Hence, they are bound to contain trace metal contents that may be harmful to human health which is a great cause for concern among health workers in this modern age. Therefore, geophagic clays from Amawom- Ikwanoin Abia province, South-eastern Nigeria were examined and evaluated for their heavy metal concentration to deduce their quality and possible health implication that is associated with their consumption. Edible clay from south eastern Nigeria was analysed with X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Inductively Couple Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealing quartz (SiO2), kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4, goethite (FeOH) and pyrite (FeS2) as the predominant minerals while SEM revealed clay flaky structure specifying an alumino-silicate with sulfur and carbon as impurities. The clay’s pH ranges between 3.36 and 4.57, E.C from 52-399 μs/cm revealed its high acidity and signified high ionic contents in the edible clays. The soil Organic Carbon 0.1-5.83% may possibly indicate absorption and retention of contaminants. High concentrations ppm for Cu(19.91), Pb(13.15), Zn(18.4), Ni(5.8), As(9.15) and Hg(126.0) in the clay exceeded the WHO and USEPA recommended dietary intake by humans signifying its likely toxicity. Other associated carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic diseases that could be connected to the high concentrations of mercury, chromium, arsenic, lead and nickel in the edible clay structure which may likely camouflage the taunt and healing properties of kaolinite include renal, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic, immune, reproductive and dermal systems. For this reason, continuous ingestion of edible clay may lead to bio-accumulation of mercury, chromium, arsenic, lead and nickel in the inhabitants of Amawom, hence, posing serious health challenges that may lead to death.

Establishment of nutrient sufficiency ranges in olive using boundary-line approach

The establishment of optimum nutrient concentrations provides excellent knowledge for the diagnosis and correction of plant nutritional status to maximize yield. This study was conducted to determine the optimum values and sufficiency ranges of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in olive trees grown in various land forms in Egypt by boundary-line approach. Over two consecutive years, foliar samples from 266 olive trees were collected from different growing areas in Egypt and fruit yields per tree were reported. The derived optimum concentrations for these nutrients by solving the first derivation of the inferred second-degree polynomial functions of the relationship between fruit yield and leaf nutrient concentrations were 1.54% for N, 0.19% for P, 0.87% for K, 1.48% for Ca, 0.22% for Mg, 125 ppm for Fe, 33.7 ppm for Mn, 23.5 ppm for Zn, and 8.6 ppm for Cu. Sufficiency ranges corresponding to 90% of the maximum fruit yield were 1.29%–1.80%, 0.14%–0.24%, 0.66%–1.08%, 1.09%–1.90%, 0.10%–0.33%, 63–165 ppm, 30.2–35.9 ppm, 16.6–30.2 ppm, and 2.8–13.9 ppm, respectively. Since standards of optimum nutrition are not readily available in Egypt and in similar places, the current study provides an important guideline for diagnosing olive trees nutritional status.

Effects of long-term agricultural activities on the availability of heavy metals in Syrian soil: A case study in southern Syria

Agricultural soil pollution has attracted the attention of scientists and agricultural managers because of its importance to food security worldwide. In Syria, limited studies have been conducted to determine heavy metals (HMs) concentrations in arable lands. The objective of this study was to investigate the concentration of HMs in the southern part of Syria, and to identify the potential sources HMs. To achieve the study goals, 38 soil samples (0–25 cm) were collected and analysed for physical and chemical soil properties, while the DTPA (Diethylenetriamine pentaacetate) method was to extract HMs from soil. The results of this study showed that the average concentration of HMs in the study area are 2.00; 12.70; 8.56; 4.37; 0.12; and 0.12 ppm for Cu; Fe; Mn; Zn; Cd; and Pb, respectively. A multivariate statistical analysis showed that Cu, Fe, and Mn originated from parent material (natural resources), while Zn and Cd were related to agricultural activities (anthropogenic one) and Pb was relatively related to industrial activities. Interestingly, the spatial distribution indicates that Cu, Fe, and Mn distributed in the southern and eastern part of the study area, while Pb and Zn were dominant in the western and northern part. In addition, Cd was observed in the central part of the study area. We conclude that human activities are the main contributor of HMs accumulation in soil. The distribution of these HMs could affect the safety of agricultural product in the future.

High Levels of Heavy Metals detected in Feathers of an Avian Scavenger Warn of a High Pollution Risk in the Atacama Desert (Chile).

The Atacama Desert represents the highest levels of mining exploitation in Chile, which inexorably results in high levels of pollution. Raptors, and particularly scavengers, have shown their usefulness to evaluate exposure to environmental contaminants in polluted scenarios. In this study, we used primary feathers from a local avian scavenger, turkey vulture Cathartes aura, to evaluate the exposure to cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in two locations from the southern Atacama Desert (coastal and inland) and a third location from the bordering semiarid region, in northern Chile. All metals were detected in all analyzed samples (n = 54). Mean concentrations in Coastal Atacama were 0.68 ± 0.84ppm for Cd; 1.97 ± 2.01ppm for Pb; 59.11 ± 80.69ppm for Cu; and 107.96 ± 51.00ppm for Zn, while mean concentrations in Inland Atacama were 0.55 ± 0.42ppm for Cd; 3.37 ± 2.61ppm for Pb; 91.66 ± 77.74ppm for Cu; and 214.03 ± 99.08ppm for Zn. Mean concentrations in Coastal Coquimbo were 0.63 ± 0.69ppm for Cd; 1.57 ± 0.92ppm for Pb; 18.09 ± 6.12ppm for Cu; and 149.37 ± 105.56ppm for Zn. These differences could be explained by differences on abundance of mining settlements among areas. According to the literature, these values are very high for all metals, exceeding in some cases those values referred as responsible of health disorders in birds. We strongly recommend further research looking at potential adverse effects caused by heavy metal pollution on the health of human and wildlife populations in the southern Atacama Desert.

Shrink, weighing accuracy, and weighing precision of mineral supplement in five commercial dairies in the Western United States.

Shrink, accuracy, and precision of ingredient weighing are critical factors of efficiency in TMR-fed dairy systems. Those factors have been evaluated for major feeds; however, we are not aware of any reports for mineral supplement. Farms commonly mix mineral supplement with other low-inclusion ingredients into a premix which is used later as a single ingredient for TMR formulation. Our objectives were to evaluate shrink, weighing accuracy, and weighing precision of mineral supplement during premix formulation, and variation in concentration of minerals in mineral supplement and TMR, in five large dairies in the Western United States. We used the automated weight-tracking system at each farm to account for all the mineral supplement loaded into the mixing-wagon and collected samples of mineral supplement and TMR from time of mineral supplement delivery at the farm until 100% of it was consumed. Mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation (CV) for each variable were calculated with SAS 9.4. Average shrink was estimated at 2.0% for mineral supplement during storage and loading, ranging from 0.37% to 3.25%. Mineral supplement weighing deviation from the targeted amount was 1.54% on average for the five dairies with a 95% CV. Mineral composition of mineral supplements averaged 11.3%, 0.27%, and 3.16% for Ca, P, and Mg, and 215, 881, and 1533 ppm for Cu, Mn, and Zn, respectively. Mineral compositions in TMR averaged 0.84%, 0.41%, and 0.37% for Ca, P, and Mg, respectively; and 15.1, 71, and 94.5 ppm for Cu, Mn, and Zn, respectively. The CV of all minerals except Ca, were larger for mineral supplement than TMR, and with the exception of P in mineral supplement, CV of trace minerals were larger than CV values for macro minerals. Our shrink estimates for mineral supplement represent an initial approximation to this issue. Results of our weighing deviation analysis suggest some room for improvement on the precision of weighing mineral supplement at the time when premix is prepared at the farm, which could improve consistency in chemical composition of the premix and consequently reduce the variation (CV values) of mineral concentrations in TMR.

ICMMS-2: Assessment of Heavy Metals Content in The Agricultural Soils of Kafr El-Zayat Egypt Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy

Recent years have witnessed a tremendous increase in contamination levels of heavy metals in the agricultural soils due to the uncontrolled release of chemicals and toxic substances from various human activities. The transfer of heavy metals to the groundwater and humans through the various food chains may cause serious health problems. Therefore, continuous evaluation of heavy metals content in the agricultural soil is important to control the spread of pollution, to preserve the soil quality, and to protect human health. In this study, we determined the content of heavy metals (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) in the agricultural soils of Kafr El-Zayat city, Egypt using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). In ICP-OES, the soil samples were digested using a mixture of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids at a ratio of 1: 3 and heating on a hot plate at a temperature of 120 ℃ for few hours. This method of sample preparation was not efficient in extracting the total metal content in the soils and the results had to be corrected for using reference materials. In LA-ICP-MS, the soil samples were prepared in a form of rigid pellets using a hydraulic press. The accuracy of the analyses was examined by analyzing reference materials and comparing the observed results to the published concentration values. The concentrations of heavy metals determined by the ICP-OES were found to be 90.14 ppm for Zn, 57.90 ppm for Cu, 75.3 ppm for Ni, 115.18 ppm for Cr, 32.75 ppm for Co, and 11.49 ppm for Pb. Meanwhile, the concentrations of heavy metals as measured by LA-ICP-MS were found to be 100.60 ppm for Zn, 69.78 ppm for Cu, 90.8 ppm for Ni, 116.42 ppm for Cr, 41.38 ppm for Co, and 18.24 ppm for Pb. The concentrations of V, Cr, and Ni exceeded the concentration levels of the Canadian soil quality guidelines, which indicate the contamination of the examined agricultural soils with these elements

Fused Nickel(II) Porphyrins-Sensing of Toxic Anions and Selected Metal Ions Through Supramolecular Interactions.

Ni(II) porphyrins having fused –NH group were synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. The fused porphyrins 1 and 2 were used to detect species of opposite polarity. 1 was used to sense toxic anions viz. cyanide and fluoride ions whereas 2 was used for detecting some selective metal ions including toxic mercury(II) ions. 1 is having acidic –NH proton, which detects anions via hydrogen bonding interactions followed by anion-induced deprotonation. On the other hand, 2 senses the metal species via weak charge transfer interactions from oxygen atom of the formyl group to the added metal ions. The limit of detection was calculated in case of 1 as 2.13 and 3.15 ppm for cyanide and fluoride ions, respectively. Similarly, the detection limit was found to be 0.930, 2.231, and 0.718 ppm for Cu(II), Fe(III), and Hg(II) ions, respectively, for probe 2. The probes were recovered and reused for several cycles.

Occurrence and uptake of heavy metals by selected terrestrial orchids in extreme conditions of initial soils on previous mining sites

Orchidaceae are an endangered group of plants that grow also in anthropogenic environment on initial soils. We investigated the influence of heavy metals on the populations of the orchids Epipactis atrorubens and Platanthera bifolia (Pb-Zn deposit Jasenie Soviansko), E. atrorubens (Ni-Co deposit Dobsina Dobra nadej), Cephalanthera longifolia and Epipactis pontica (Fe deposit Sirk Železnik). All three localities represent sites with different soil conditions and various composition of toxic elements, which might influence the bioavailability of toxic elements to plant tissues. On studied localities, soil metal(loid) concentration varies from 21 to 2095 ppm for As, from 24 to 20 551 for Pb, from 41 to 2077 for Zn, from 24 493 to 345 480 for Fe, from 988 to 19 008 ppm for Mn and from 26 to 2017 ppm for Cu, respectively. Platanthera bifolia grows on the Pb-Zn deposit at Jasenie on slightly alkaline soils (pH 7.81). Epipactis atrorubens grows on the Pb-Zn deposit Jasenie on almost neutral soils with pH 7.36 and in Ni-Co deposit Dobsina on slightly alkaline soils with pH 7.73. Cephalanthera longifolia tolerates a weakly acidic soil reaction (pH 6.58) on the Fe deposit Sirk. E. pontica prefers on the Fe deposit Sirk acidic soil (pH 4.98). The bioconcentration factor values for plant taxa from these old mining deposits indicate the dominant physiological strategy of the excluders. In smaller quantities, these heavy metals penetrate into the above-ground parts of the orchids (Ni, Co, As in Epipactis atrorubens from Dobsina) and Pb (Pb-Zn waste dump at the locality Jasenie). In particular, low translocation factor values indicate in many cases that heavy metals are accumulated in the root, except of Cu that was slightly translocated to the shoot.

Stability evaluation of water droplets levitated by a TinyLev acoustic levitator for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Stability of acoustic levitated water droplets, for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), is required in order to obtain shot-to-shot reproducibility and low limits of detection. Although stabilization is possible by increasing the TinyLev levitator's operational voltage, at high voltages liquid droplets shatter when inserted at the nodes of the acoustic levitator. An alternative for stabilization, it is the use of a four beam laser arrangement, similar to an optical trap. In this case, we have found adequate not to use focusing lenses, since the goal is just to exert certain lateral pressure to counteract the lateral pressure instabilities generated by the acoustic levitator and simplify the optical arrangement. For an operational voltage of 8.5 V, a reduction on the droplet's horizontal deviation of 42% is attained at 650 mW laser power. At these experimental conditions, LIBS measurements were conducted on water samples doped with different metals. It is shown that, at this droplet's deviation, it is possible to analyze liquid samples despite a complete liquid evaporation is not reached. For Al samples a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.22 ppm is calculated from a calibration curve, and LoD of 1.18, 0.15, 0.94 and 0.7 ppm for Cu, Mn, Pb and Ni respectively, are estimated by signal to noise ratios values. These results show that even though, the final size of the liquid droplets is large, there is not a reduction on the lowest detectable concentration obtained, compared to other LIBS works on liquid samples. Leading up to conclude that pre-concentration effect takes more relevance than residual liquid's detrimental effect.

Heavy Metals Accumulation in Soils from Mechanic Workshops Within Gusau Town

Heavy metal pollution is a problem inherent in industrial areas. However, automobiles and activities associated with automobiles are now considered to be among the largest sources of heavy metals with the soil serving as a sink for these metals. It is against this backdrop that the study “Heavy metals accumulation in soils from mechanic workshops within Gusau town” is centred. The concentration of heavy metals; lead, cadmium, nickel, copper, chromium and zinc were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The mean concentrations ranges from 0.039-0.046ppm for Ni, 0.360-0.397 ppm for Pb, 0.089-0.147 ppm for Cu, 0.018-0.061ppm for Cr and 2.855-3.509ppm for Zn. The result was analysed using descriptive statistics. The results showed the presence of heavy metals in most of the workshops. Their concentrations however, are within the WHO permissible limit.

Isolasi dan identifikasi bakteri toleran logam berat dari sedimen mangrove di Pengudang dan Tanjung Uban, Pulau Bintan, Indonesia

&lt;strong&gt;Isolation and Identification of Heavy Metals Tolerant Bacteria from Mangrove Sediment in Pengudang and Tanjung Uban, Bintan Island, Indonesia&lt;/strong&gt;. Bacterial searches for remediation of heavy metal pollutants continue to be carried out due to the increasing pollution in the ecosystem as a result of industrialization. This research aims to identification bacteria strains that are tolerant of heavy metals from mangrove sediments in the Pengudang and Tanjung Uban, Bintan Island in 2018. Bacterial isolation was carried out by pour plate method and purified using marine agar (MA) medium. Screening of bacterial isolates was carried out by growing isolates on MA medium with the addition of 100 ppm Pb. In addition, the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was performed on the isolates were tolerant to Pb, Cu, and Cd by addition of heavy metals in 50-1000 ppm concentrations. Identification of heavy metal tolerant isolates was carried out by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The results of bacterial isolation from mangrove sediments obtained 48 isolates used for testing the ability of heavy metals tolerant. Screening tests showed that PGD1A, PGD5A, PGD22A, PGD1B, PGD9B, PGD5C, PGD6C, TJU1, TJU5, and TJU7 isolates were heavy metal resistant. The results showed that bacterial isolated from mangrove sediments had MIC values of 800-900 ppm for Pb, 100-800 ppm for Cu and 100-200 ppm for Cd. There are 3 isolates that have high resistance to three kinds of heavy metals such as Bacillus oceanisediminis PGD1A, Vibrio alginolyticus PGD5A, and Halobacillus kuroshimensis PGD9B. This indicates that the isolate can be used efficiently for removal of heavy metals from the ecosystem.

Radiotoxic metals concentration measurement in sediments due to gold mining activities, Chalkidiki.

The mining operation and tailing deposits in Stratoni region, Northern part of Greece, make monitoring activities necessary both in the terrestrial and coastal areas. As a part of a preliminary monitoring action, in summer of 2012, surface sediment samples in the coastal area of Stratoni (in Ierissos Gulf) were collected and measured aiming a) to obtain concentration levels of (Natural Occurring Radioactive Materials) NORM and heavy metals (e.g. As, Zn, Cu, Pb and Mn,), b) to identify minerals composition and c) to determine the distribution of the grain size. The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th daughters and 40K were found between (20-100) Bq/kg, (20-35) Bq/kg and (420-700) Bq/kg, respectively. The concentrations of the most toxic heavy metals were found, (8-4100) ppm for As, (30-4000) ppm for Zn, (7-200) ppm for Cu, (40-1700) ppm for Pb and (400-26000) ppm for Mn. In addition, granulometric analysis reveals mostly sandy and sandy-mud sediments (97 – 53% content of sand). In general, enhanced levels of heavy metals and radionuclides were located near the load-out pier area of the coastal region. So, the input mechanisms of them (via local streams, rainfall, floods or others) into the sea and their levels has to be periodically investigated through more concerted monitoring actions.

Barrier-free patterned paper sensors for multiplexed heavy metal detection

Patterned paper sensors such as letter- and barcode-shaped sensors have become a subject of growing interest due to the potential in information embedding and data interpretation, which brings a requirement on easily fabricating these paper-based analytical devices. The answer, in part, may lie in the influence of paper structure on the performance of paper-based analytical devices. After investigating the effect of physical properties of paper on precipitation and non-precipitation assays for detecting Fe(II), here we propose a simple and promising approach for barrier-free paper patterning. Without building hydrophobic boundaries, the precipitates of sensing reactions on low-bulk and medium-thick paper substrates allow patterned signal readout directly. As a proof of concept, barrier-free patterned paper sensors for detecting heavy metals were fabricated, with detection limits of 0.25 ppm for Fe(II), 0.4 ppm for Ni(II), and 0.5 ppm for Cu(II). Our work provides a valuable perspective on fabrication of patterned paper sensors.

Content of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn on Pacific white shrimp cultured in modern farm at BLUPPB, Karawang, West Java

Heavy metal is one of the hazardous substances which often found in shrimp farm. Since this shrimp become mostly favorable food, it is necessary to determine the content of metal in this shrimps. This research was aimed to determine the content of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn on Pacific white shrimp cultured on the modern farm at BLUPPB, Karawang, West Java. Samples were taken from five farms. During transport, samples were kept in a more relaxed box. Farms used were designed using black plastic as the bottom layer to separate contact with soil. Heavy metal of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn on shrimp meat was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method. The content of Cr was ranged from 0.06 – 0.38 ppm and Pb were 0.02 – 0.05 ppm. The content of Cu was ranged from 1.89 – 15.25 ppm and Zn were 2.16 – 3.92 ppm. According to government rules and literature, those content were below a threshold which was 0.4 ppm for Cu, 0.5 ppm for Pb, 20 ppm for Cu and 0.2 ppm for Zn.

Nutrient Sufficiency Ranges in Mango Using Boundary-Line Approach and Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis Norms in El-Salhiya, Egypt

ABSTRACTNutrient sufficiency ranges are useful for diagnosing and correcting plant nutritional status in order to optimize yield and protect the environment. This study was conducted to determine nutrient sufficiency ranges for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in mango trees grown in El-Salhiya, Egypt, through boundary-line approach (BLA) and compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) technique. For this purpose, foliar samples from 310 mango trees were collected during two successive years from the study area and fruit yields were recorded. The nutrient sufficiency ranges generated by BLA were 0.744–1.430% for N, 0.074–0.142% for P, 0.543–1.045% for K, 1.366–2.653% for Ca, 0.155–0.305% for Mg, 389–1148 ppm for Fe, 23.1–60.5 ppm for Mn, 28.4–56.3 ppm for Zn, and 2.37–12.10 ppm for Cu. The CND-derived nutrient sufficiency ranges were 0.917–1.215% for N, 0.066–0.106% for P, 0.585–0.943% for K, 1.003–2.077% for Ca, 0.112–0.378% for Mg, 277.5–849.2 ppm for Fe, 27.9–82.4 ppm for Mn, 29.2–44.6 ppm for Zn, and 2.42–11.37 ppm for Cu. The optimum nutrient concentrations generated from BLA were in general comparable to those obtained using CND technique. Only Ca and Fe optimum concentrations showed poor match. Seven significant nutrient interactions were strongly evidenced through principal component analysis of the computed CND indexes. The positive interaction was P-K, while the negative interactions were P-Mg, K-Mg, Ca-Zn, P-Fe, K-Fe, and Zn-Cu.

Geochemical characteristics of the Kal-e Kafi Cu-Mo-Au porphyry deposit, Central Iran

The Kal-e Kafi intrusive suite, located about 65 km northeast of Anarak Village in Central Iran is host to the significant un-tapped (virgin) Mo-bearing porphyry deposit. Trend-lines, fitted by linear regression, are plotted for values of vertical zonation coefficient (Kz) vs. elevation for the porphyry Cu-Mo deposits of Kal-e Kafi, Sungun (Iran), Aktogay (Kazakhstan), and Tekhut (Armenia). The slope of the trend-line at Kal-e Kafi deposit is much closer to horizontal, compared to the other deposits, signifying that the ore-body is preserved at subsurface. Geochemical anomalies, based on 121 samples, have been delineated and plotted over the 1:50,000 scale geological map of the study area. Contoured geochemical anomalies exceed 10,000 ppm for Pb, 2500 ppm for Zn, 20,000 ppm for Cu and 500 ppm for Mo. Previous work carried out by Technoexport used the “Cu-Mo Ore-Mineralization Vertical Zonation Coefficient” and the “Cu-Mo Ore-Mineralization Vertical Intensity Coefficient” to define fertile ore-bearing host rocks. The anomalies for Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo, besides those determined by the abovementioned coefficients calculated by Soviet geologists, coincide with ore deposits used in this study. Grade-depth log interpretation of drill hole reveals that, at shallower depths, there are patterns of supergene sulfide enrichment, while at deeper intervals, primary sulfide stockwork mineralization occurs. Elevated Au/Ag values at same-depth intervals could be characteristic of the abovementioned mineralization types. Therefore, from a geochemical perspective, they could be considered as Pb-Zn-Cu±Au supergene sulfide enrichment and Cu-Mo±Au primary sulfide stockwork mineralization zones.

Estimation of Metals in Different Medicinal Plants from Marathwada region

The present study was conducted to determine the concentration of heavy metals in some selected medicinal plants taken from Mahadeo dara, District Beed, India. Essential heavy metals such as Fe, Cu, Ni and Cr were investigated in leaves of Feronia limonia, Bauhinia racemosa, Pongamia pinnata, Dalbeagia sissoo, Terminalia arjuna, Ailanthus excelsa, Morinda tinctoria, Moringa oleifera, Cordia dichotoma by using inductive coupling plasma spectroscopy. Plants showed different metal concentration in the range of: 721.5–14481.4 ppm for Fe, 26.5–300 ppm for Cu, 6.7–638.9 ppm for Ni, 0.6–10 ppm for Co. High contents of Fe and Cu were found in all nine plants. Other heavy metals were present in low quantity. The purpose of this study was to identify each type of metal associated with a given plants and also to highlight the heavy metals present in these plants.