TF Values Research Articles

Physicochemical and time factors affecting 137Cs transfer through a paddy soil–rice system

ABSTRACT To clarify the factors affecting 137Cs transfer from soil to brown rice in comparison with 133Cs transfer and also to determine the key parameters of the solid-liquid partition coefficient (K d), concentration factor from soil solution to brown rice (CF), and transfer factor from soil to brown rice (TF), we analyzed the results of our previous paper in which a rice pot-culture experiment under different fertilization treatments using three paddy soils in Fukushima 3 years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident was conducted. The TF values for 137Cs were the same as or smaller than the literature values obtained within 2 years of the accident, 2–17 times higher than those for global fallout 137Cs from atmospheric nuclear tests, and 2–20 times higher than those for natural 133Cs. The CF values for 137Cs were negatively correlated with the soil solution K+ concentration. A theoretical approach, under the assumption that 137Cs in soil is mainly adsorbed at the frayed edge site (FES) and ion exchange of 137Cs with K+ and NH4 + ions is in equilibrium, partly explained the variability in the soil solution 137Cs concentrations under different soil and fertilization conditions and suggested that the major portion of 137Cs in soil would be adsorbed in FES under lower K+ and NH4 + concentrations but fixed in the collapsed interlayer sites under higher K+ and NH4 + concentrations, the ranges of which are typically observed in agricultural soils. Our results indicate that the major factors affecting 137Cs transfer from soil to brown rice would be the 137Cs, K+, and NH4 + concentrations in the soil solution and the time elapsed from the deposition of 137Cs, and emphasize the necessity of including the dynamic 137Cs adsorption and fixation process in soil into the TF prediction models applicable to agricultural soils received with periodical fertilizations.

Behavior of Cd Accumulation in Sinapis alba L. in the Presence of Essential Elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni)

Heavy metal toxicity in plants is well known due to their severe phytotoxic effects and also because of their capability to accumulate in vegetables. The use of aromatic plants in remediation techniques has increased in the context of environmental pollution issues, including metal soil contamination. Cadmium is knowed as a toxic and bio accumulative element provided by natural or anthropic sources. In this context, the paper presents a laboratory experimental study aiming to evaluate the accumulating and transfer behavior of Cd in the plant organs of Sinapis alba L. (white mustard) and in the presence of essential elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni). The study involves a comparison between white mustard cultivated in unpolluted soil and in two Cd polluted soils at values above the alert (2.8 mg/Kg), respectively intervention threshold for soils with sensitive use (5.6 mg/kg) according to the legislation in force in Romania. While Cd accumulated predominantly in roots (TC values 1.46 and 2.22), its transfer to the stem and leaves was observed too, the TF values for the aerial part of the plant being greater than 1. Moreover, the study showed that certain elements (Zn, Ca, Mg, Mn) were found in higher concentrations in plants subjected to Cd pollution than in the control sample indicating antagonistic effects and Cd toxicity limiting. Other essential metals, such as Cu, Fe and Ni were found in lower concentrations in intoxicated plants compared to control plants. Their translocation from soil in plant organs could be reduced by the Cd toxicity. Contrariwise, the mobility of these elements from roots to leaves could support the tolerance effect of plants to Cd stress. The study allows us to consider that Sinapis alba L. aromatic plants are suitable for soil phytoremediation technologies used in Cd decontamination.

PAHs accumulation in soil-plant system of Phragmites australis Cav. in soil under long-term chemical contamination

Distribution and level of 16 individual and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (∑PAHs) were assessed in soils, roots and above-ground tissues of reed (Phragmites australis) on monitoring plots in the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinskyi (Southern Russia, Rostov Region). The total concentration of the 16 PAHs in soil samples ranged between 499.0 to 7177.9 µg kg-1. Samples from the plot no. 4 had the highest PAHs concentrations of 7177.9 µg kg-1. The mean concentration of ∑16PAHs in plot no. 3 was noticeably higher than those in other monitoring sites for both root (363.0 µg kg-1) and above-ground tissues (239.8 µg kg-1). The distribution of PAHs ring size was in the order of 5-6˃4˃3˃2 in soil samples and HMW PAHs fractions represent 57.3% of the total PAHs. The concentrations of 3-4 ring PAHs were higher than HMW PAHs with 5–6 aromatic rings in all P. australis tissues. Diagnostic ratios of PAHs indicated that anthropogenic activities were probably major sources of PAHs. Accordingly, the maximum accumulation was found for phenanthrene among the 16 priority PAHs in the most of the soil and plants samples. More PAHs were accumulated in roots, as reflected by its higher mean concentration of PAHs in each plot. In addition, the BCF and TF values of LMW PAHs with 2- and 3-rings were higher than those of HMW PAHs. Taken together, our results indicated that there were an intensive accumulation of PAHs in the zone of industrial sewage tanks and sludge reservoirs as well as an obvious translocations of PAHs from the polluted soils to plant tissues, therefore, more attention is required to be paid to the PAH contamination in this area.

국내 주요 걷기여행길의 이용행태에 대한 시멘틱 네트워크(Semantic Network) 분석

This study includes analysis of text data over the last 10 years (2009. 7- 2019. 6) from online portals and social media services targeting the JejuOlle, the JirisanDulle, and the Haeparang trails to identify the perception and use of walking trails. A network analysis was conducted on the collected data using Textom program, Ucinet and NodeXL. Characteristics of each of the three walking trails were identified. Specifically, the purpose of visit, types of companion, emotional image, accommodation, characteristics of the trail, famous sites of the trail, and other informative characteristics were derived using TF and TF-IDF values for each walking trail. As a result, interest trends and major keywords for each walking trail were determined. According to the findings of time series analysis by year, the data volume of Haeparang-gil has increased over time while there was no significant change in JejuOlle-gil, and interest in JirisanDulle-gil has decreased. Calculation of TF and TF-IDF values for keywords have indicated that the two significant words for JejuOlle-gil were ‘restaurant’ and ‘cafe’ while JirisanDulle-gil showed ‘pension’ and ‘B&B’, and ‘restaurant’ and ‘pension’ for Haeparang-gil. Moreover, findings upon sentiment analysis based on emotional vocabulary showed that all three walking trails had expressions such as ‘healing' and ‘happiness.’ It is expected that this study will be used as a fundamental reference to develop and improve contents that would fulfill walking travelers' needs.

Bioactive Compounds and Physicochemical Properties of Fruit – Orange Juice Mixes with Rosemary Extract

In the present study a variety of fruit juices (pomegranate, strawberry, apple, plums and blackberries) each was mixed with equal amounts of orange juice (1:1) and different levels of rosemary extract (5, 10, 15, ml/L) were developed. Sensory evaluation tests were performed to choose the most acceptable level of rosemary added to the fruit-orange juices. Physicochemical and bioactive determinations were also assessed. Sensory evaluation tests showed that 10ml/L rosemary extract added to all tested fruit-orange juices was highly appreciated by panelists except blackberry-orange juice at 5ml/L. The physicochemical tests as measured by TTA%, pH and TSS revealed that the addition of rosemary extract did not significantly affect most of the tested parameters for all tested fruit-orange juices and their controls, and they were at the normal range of commercial juices. Vitamin C the total sugar content showed a variation ranging between 2.54 -28.11mg/100ml and 6.51-19.35%, respectively. Results also indicated that the addition of rosemary extract significantly enhanced the increase in total phenolics (TP) and flavonoids (TF), where blackberry (BO5), strawberry (SO10) and pomegranate (PO10) exhibited the highest TP values, respectively whereas, SO10, BO10 and RO10 exhibited the highest TF values, respectively. SO10, exhibited the highest anthocyanin content (800mg/L) as compared to all other fruit- orange juices. The antioxidant activity (% inhibition) measured by DPPH radical scavenging assay showed that SO10, PO10, and RO10 (plum) exhibited the highest antioxidant activities as compared to their controls and the other fruit-orange mixes. The study postulates that these beverages could provide health promoting benefits against oxidative stress related diseases.

Calorimetric investigation of the low temperature specific heat of the amorphous RE-Cu-Y metallic glasses

The specific heat, Cp of the RE0.40Cu0·37Y0.23 (RE = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Lu) metallic glasses have been measured from liquid helium to liquid nitrogen temperatures using the traditional pulse and continuous heating techniques. The average values of the electronic and lattice specific heat coefficients, γ and β were estimated to be of order of 2.35 mJ/mol,K2, and 0.62 mJ/mol,K4 respectively. The corresponding average Debye temperature, θD(0) was estimated to be 145 K. The magnetic contributions to the specific heat, Cm are quite apparent in all samples. Cm has been separated from the nonmagnetic terms with an acceptable accuracy method; by subtracting the nonmagnetic specific heat, of the amorphous Lu0.40Cu0·37Y0.23 sample, which has been prepared with Lu rather than RE. The magnetic phase transition in these magnetic amorphous has been confirmed by the ac susceptibility results, which exhibits quite sharp maximum at the freezing temperature Tf, the spin glass freezing temperature. The magnetic specific heats were characterized by the quite broad maximum at temperature Tm and by the low-temperature linear term in Cm. Values of Tm are higher than Tf values for most of the samples. The magnetic entropy changes, Sm in the temperature range T = 0 K to T = Tf have also been estimated. Values of Sm and the effective value of the magnetic spin number J were found to be less than the expected maximum values of Sm(max) = Rℓn(2J + 1) and the well-known value of the magnetic number J of the rare earth metal respectively. The apparent features of the present amorphous magnetic samples agree quite well with traditional behaviors of the condensed spin glass systems.

SISTEM PERINGKAS TEKS OTOMATIS MULTI DOKUMEN KLIPING ARTIKEL BERITA GEMPA MENGGUNAKAN METODE TF-IDF

Teknologi saat ini berkembang pesat sehingga pengguna internet mudah untuk mengetahui berita yang ada di internet. Berita artikel gempa yang banyak menyulitkan pembaca mengetahui isi berita secara terperinci. Karena itu peringkas teks multi dokumen menjadi penting untuk dilakukan. Agar pembacaan menjadi cepat dan mudah serta informasi bisa di dapat secara singkat. Dengan adanya peringkas teks pembaca bisa mengetahui kliping artikel berita gempa secara singkat tidak hanya dari satu dokumen tetapi beberapa dokumen atau multi dokumen bisa dilakukan, minimal dari dua dokumen. Penulis membuat prototype system peringkas teks multi dokumen menggunakan metode Term frquency inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) yaitu memecah isi dokumen menjadi kalimat, membuang karakter, memecah kalimat menjadi kata, memberi nilai bobot pada kata, menjumlahkan nilai bobot, menghitung nilai idf dan TF-IDF sehingga di dapat nilai bobot kata dari setiap kalimat, diperoleh bobot kalimat dimana bobot yang tertinggi atau beberpa kalimat dengan rangking tertinggi dijadikan ringkasan dari masing-masing dokumen. Ringkasan dari setiap dokumen digabung dan diringkaskan lagi, sehingga menjadi ringkasan ketiga sebagai gabungan dua dokumen. Digunakan tools berbasis web, Bahasa pemogramman yang digunakan yaitu PHP dan DBMS MySQL. 
 Aplikasi ini dapat mengimplementasikan peringkas teks otomatis multi dokumen kliping artikel berita di internet metode TF-IDF. Sistem ini dapat membantu mengetahui isi penting dari kliping artikel berita yang banyak di internet. Memiliki akurasi hasil uji responden 54.45% dan uji kemiripan dokumen sebesar 78.023%.
 Kata kunci: peringkas teks multi dokumen, kliping artikel berita, TF-IDF..

The use of citric acid and NPK fertilizer to enhance phytoextraction of nickel by Bajo starfruit plant (Sarcotheca celebica Veldk.)

Bajo starfruit is a wild plant that commonly grows in nickel mining areas and it is known to have the ability to take up Ni metal from the soil, even though its Ni uptake ability is still relatively low. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of the application of citric acid and NPK fertilizer on the ability of Bajo starfruit plant in phytoextraction of Ni from post nickel mining land. Citric acid as a ligand is expected to enhance the availability of Ni in the soil so that Ni uptake by plants increases, while NPK fertilizer is expected to enhance crop biomass production. The treatments tested were combinations of four doses of citric acid (0, 1, 2 and 3 g of citric acid/kg of soil) with two doses of NPK fertilizer (0, and 1.33 g/kg of soil) . Eight treatments were arranged in a factorial randomized block design with four replications. The results showed that the application of NPK fertilizer without citric acid increased the number of leaves and dry weight of plants. After the growth of Bajo starfruit for 25 weeks, the application of 3 g citric acid/kg of soil without application of NPK fertilizer reduced the total soil Ni from 8926 ppm to 2400 ppm i.e.73.11%. Application of 2 g citric acid/kg of soil and 1.33 g NPK fertilizer/kg of soil resulted in Ni uptake by 118.18 mg/plant or increased by 38.61% compared to control. Application of 2 g citric acid/kg of soil without application of NPK fertilizer increased the BCF value of Bajo starfruit for nickel from 0.032 (control) to 0.035. However, treatments without the application of citric acid and fertilizer resulted in a higher TF value (13.9).

Nickel phytoremediation potential of some plant species of the Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract Nickel is a known hepatotoxic, haemotoxic, pulmonary toxic, nephrotoxic, reproductive toxic, carcinogenic, phytotoxic and neurotoxic agent. The adverse ecological impacts from unnecessary heavy metals include contamination of water and soil which pose serious threats to human health. This study was conducted to screen plants for the phytoremediation of nickel from sixty-one sites of the Lower Dir. Nickel-metal was analyzed in the soil, roots and shoots of plants. The total concentration of nickel in soil, roots and shoots was found to be in the range of 1.03-18.98, 12.63-540.73 and 12.00-295.86 mg kg–1 dry weight basis (DW) respectively. The highest nickel contents were present in the roots of Xanthium strumarium (540.73) and shoots of Bryophyllum daigremontianum (295.86). None of the plant species were identified as hyper accumulators for nickel but based on BCF, TF and BAC values most of the species showed feasibility for its phytoextraction and phytostabilization. Xanthium strumarium, Filago hurdwarica, Ranunculus arvensis, Medicago lupulina, Cannabis sativa, Geranium rotundifolium and Cerastium glomeratum are suggested for the phytostabilization of nickel whereas Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Rosularia adenotricha, Iris germanica, Asplenium dalhousiae and Isatis tinctoria for the phytoextraction of soil contaminated with nickel.

Determination of fluorescence lifetimes of fluorescein from fluorescence quenching data

The fluorescence quenching of fluorescein by 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) in five solvents – methanol, ethanol, phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH 7.4), N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) is hereby investigated. Fluorescein’s fluorescence was effectively quenched by BQ, and the quenching was dynamic (purely collisional) within the BQ’s concentration range (0.001 to 0.004 M) used in this work. Accordingly, the quenching data were in conformity with the Stern-Volmer’s model. Stern-Volmer’s constant (KSV) values range between 17.4 in DMSO and 43.4 in methanol. KSV values, together with the calculated bimolecular rate constants (kD) in the respective solvents, were used to semi-empirically estimate the fluorescence lifetimes (tF) of fluorescein in the individual solvents. Just as for KSV values, tF values are solvent-viscosity dependent, with the lowest values being obtained in methanol and the highest in DMSO, which are the least and most viscous solvents respectively. tF values obtained in this work are 3.55, 3.71, 3.78, 4.13 and 4.51 ns (in methanol, PBS 7.4, ethanol, DMF and DMSO, respectively).  Â

Studi Akumulasi Logam Berat Merkuri Menggunakan Tanaman Awar-Awar (Ficus Septica Burm F)

This research aims to to study the ability of awar-awar plants ((Ficus Septica Burm. F)) to accumulate heavy metals. Awar-awar are grown in glass reactors and treated with 10 ppm mercury solution wich one, two, and three weeks in time variations. The analysis using CV-AAS showed that the total absorption of mercury heavy metals by awar-awar plants in reactors I, II and III was 81.7%, 34.6% and 85.4% respectively. When the phytoremediation process takes place the plant shows no symptoms of damage or even death even though it has accumulated more than 50% of mercury from the growing media. The BCF value of awar-awar plants in reactor I was 2.79 reactor II was 0.53 and reactor III was 0.55. While the TF values ​​in reactors I, II and III were 0.04; 1.13 and 0.97. The calculation results of BCF and TF values ​​show that Awar-awar plants (Ficus Septica Burm. F) can accumulate heavy metals of mercury so it is recommended to be used as a phytoremediation agent in mercury-contaminated soils.

Comparative evaluation of 2% turmeric extract with nanocarrier and 1% chlorhexidine gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in patients with chronic periodontitis: A pilot randomized controlled clinical trial.

Context:Nanoparticles, owing to their smaller size, penetrate regions inaccessible to other delivery systems, such as periodontal pockets. Thus, the present study aimed to comparatively evaluate efficacy of 2% curcumin with nanocarrier and 1% chlorhexidine gel as a local drug delivery (LDD) in the treatment of periodontal pockets.Materials and Methods:Forty-five chronic periodontitis patients with pocket depth 5–7 mm in two or more teeth were selected. Full-mouth scaling and root planing (SRP) was done for all patients followed by random allocation to the three treatment groups, namely SRP group (Group 1), 2% curcumin with nanogel (Group 2), and 1% chlorhexidine gel (Group 3). Clinical parameter assessment and microbiological analysis of subgingival plaque samples for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), and Tannerella forsythia (Tf) was done at baseline, 21st day, and 45th day.Results:The results showed that when the two LDD agents were used as an adjunct to SRP in chronic periodontitis, there was an improvement in all clinical parameters. Evaluation of microbiological parameters also showed a significant reduction in Aa, Pg, and Tf levels. Comparison of 2% turmeric extract with a nanocarrier system with 1% chlorhexidine gel showed that both the agents had a comparable antibacterial effect on the three selected periodontopathic bacteria.Conclusion:The present study showed that both the LDD agents showed an effective improvement of clinical and microbiologic parameters. 2% curcumin delivered with a nanocarrier system showed results comparable to chlorhexidine gel and hence shows promising future as an LDD agent in the treatment of periodontal pockets.

Crop suitability assessment in remediation of Zn contaminated soil.

Zinc (Zn) is naturally present in soils and constitutes an essential micronutrient for plants. Mining, industrial, as well as various agricultural activities all contribute to increasing the Zn concentrations in soils to levels that are toxic for plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of field crops to remove Zn from contaminated soils. The experimental design included 28 treatments, comprising seven field crops (Hordeum vulgare L., Ricinus communis L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Brassica juncea Czem., Sorgum vulgare L., Spinacea oleracea L., Solanum lycopersicum L.) and four Zn levels (0, 500, 1000, 1500mgkg-1) applied to soils. The dry weight (DW) of the aboveground biomass of R.communis and S.lycopersicum increased significantly as the Zn concentration in the soil increased, whereas the DW significantly decreased in P.vulgaris, B.juncea and S.vulgare. Results indicated that S.oleracea was the most efficient in concentrating Zn in the aboveground tissues, followed in decreasing order by H.vulgare, S.lycopersicum, R.communis, S.vulgare, P.vulgaris, and B.juncea. H.vulgare resulted the most efficient in accumulating Zn both in fruit and in leaves and stems, whereas S.lycopersicum resulted the most efficient in accumulating Zn in roots. The BAF and TF values indicated that H.vulgare and S.oleracea resulted being suitable for Zn phytoextraction, whereas the remaining crops being suitable for Zn phytostabilization. These results highlight the phytoremediation potential of the seven analysed crops.

Akumulasi Logam Berat Zn dan Pb pada Sedimen, Akar dan Daun Mangrove Avicennia alba di Pulau Payung, Sumatera Selatan

Riyanti I, Putri WAE, Ulqodry TZ, Santeri T. 2019. Accumulation of heavy metal Zn and Pb in sediment, root and leaves of mangrove Avicennia alba in Payung Island, South Sumatra. Jurnal Lahan Suboptimal: Journal of Suboptimal Lands. 8(2):141-147. Various industrial activities or natural activity in the Musi River, might contribute to the heavy metals input in mangrove area of Payung Island. The purpose of this study was to analyze the concentration of heavy metals zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) in sediment, root and leaves of mangrove A. alba. This research was conducted in January 2018. Analysis of heavy metal used Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The results indicated that Zn concentration of sediment (13.35-22.61 mg/kg) and Pb (0.14-3.17 mg/kg), was still in quality standard level. Zn concentration in roots was 0.45-4.95 mg/kg and in leaf was Zn 2.46-12.76 mg/kg, while Pb on root and leaves was not detected. The value of BCF roots, leaf BCF and TF values were 0.15-0.24 ; 0.30-0.59 ; and 1.69-2.47, respectively. The results of this study indicated that mangrove A. alba in Payung Island as moderate accumulator plants category, and plants could transmit heavy metals effectively.

A real filed phytoremediation of multi-metals contaminated soils by selected hybrid sweet sorghum with high biomass and high accumulation ability

Heavy metal-polluted soil is obtaining increasing global concerns. The phytoremediation is a promising technology that needs further research. This study was aiming to perform a field survey to assess the restoration and accumulation potential of five hybrid sweet sorghum species with high biomass. Those sweet sorghums were planted in three sites containing different toxic levels of Zn, Pb and Cd with one local commercial sweet sorghum as contrast sample. Plants and soils were sampled for the analysis of heavy metal concentrations. BCF and TF values showed that hybrid sweet sorghum species have higher accumulation ability than local one. Five species of hybrid sweet sorghum planted in all three sites showed no obvious toxicity symptoms, and moreover, their biomass were 12–24 times higher than that of the local one, indicating their high tolerance to heavy metals. Among them, the 9312 and G38 specimens were considered as the best-performing specimens due to their high ability to accumulate multiple metals in their shoots and roots without being affected by excessive metal contents. A reasonable disposed plan for harvested sweet sorghum after phytoremediation was proposed. The harvest sweet sorghums used for industrial ethanol and densified biofuel production could combine soil remediation with creating economic benefit. Consequently, those five hybrid sweet sorghum species, especially 9312 and G38 with high biomass production, metal accumulation ability and high tolerance against metal toxicity might have great potential in phytoremediation field.

An enhanced latent semantic indexing with term frequency-inverse document frequency variant for software traceability

This paper proposes an improved Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) with Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TFIDF) variant for software traceability. The main advantage of the method is the simplicity and accuracy of the algorithm such that it can produce high precision and recall. The accuracy of tracing precise links between software artefacts is achieved by feeding the LSI with TF-IFDF variant that halves the TF and IDF values, thus increases the probability of yielding precise links. To test the accuracy of the proposed method, two case studies were evaluated, namely Mushroom Management System (MMS) and Robotic Wheelchair System (RWS). The superiority of the proposed method over a conventional LSI is confirmed by 409.09%, 900.00%, and 620.00% improvements for precision, recall, and harmonic mean scores, respectively, in MMS case study, at cosine threshold of 0.94. It is anticipated that the method could be beneficial in the design of a practical and accurate system for retrieving precise software traceability links.

Fitoakumulasi Logam Ni dan Zn Dalam Tumbuhan Nipah (Nypa fruticans) Di Sungai Tallo Makassar

Research on phytoaccumulation of Ni and Zn in Nypa fruticans plants at Tallo River has been done to know the capability of Nypa fruticans for accumulating Ni and Zn. Water, sediment, and plant tissue samples were taken at five stations on the Tallo River using a cutting tool and pipe paralon. Sediment was digested with concentrated HNO3 while plants tissue using HNO3 6M, then analyzed by ICP EOS Shimadzu 9000. The results showed the average concentration of Ni inside part of the plant from station 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in order following 21.759,03 ppm, 19.056,03 ppm; 36.806,25 ppm; 10.736,66 ppm dan 13.849,25 ppm. Average concentration of Zn inside the plant from station 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in order following 1.319,60 ppm; 1.362,93 ppm; 2.053,46 ppm; 1.591,60 ppm; dan 1.474,09 ppm. Accumulation of Zn and Ni in Nypa fruticans is grouped as hyperaccumulation plant because the ability of accumulation Ni bigger than 10.000 mg/kg and hyperaccumulation towards Zn because able to accumulate Zn bigger than 10 mg/kg. BCF and TF value show that Nypa fruticans naturally able to be used as an phytoremediation plant towards Ni and Zn, especially phytoextraction and rhizofiltration.

Fitoakumulasi Logam Ni dan Zn Dalam Tumbuhan Nipah (Nypa fruticans) Di Sungai Tallo Makassar

Research on phytoaccumulation of Ni and Zn in Nypa fruticans plants at Tallo River has been done to know the capability of Nypa fruticans for accumulating Ni and Zn. Water, sediment, and plant tissue samples were taken at five stations on the Tallo River using a cutting tool and pipe paralon. Sediment was digested with concentrated HNO3 while plants tissue using HNO3 6M, then analyzed by ICP EOS Shimadzu 9000. The results showed the average concentration of Ni inside part of the plant from station 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in order following 21.759,03 ppm, 19.056,03 ppm; 36.806,25 ppm; 10.736,66 ppm dan 13.849,25 ppm. Average concentration of Zn inside the plant from station 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in order following 1.319,60 ppm; 1.362,93 ppm; 2.053,46 ppm; 1.591,60 ppm; dan 1.474,09 ppm. Accumulation of Zn and Ni in Nypa fruticans is grouped as hyperaccumulation plant because the ability of accumulation Ni bigger than 10.000 mg/kg and hyperaccumulation towards Zn because able to accumulate Zn bigger than 10 mg/kg. BCF and TF value show that Nypa fruticans naturally able to be used as an phytoremediation plant towards Ni and Zn, especially phytoextraction and rhizofiltration.

Micro differential scanning calorimetry and micro hot table method for quantifying deterioration of historical leather

The aim of this study was to advance the current understanding on the mechanism of deterioration of historical vegetable tanned leathers and establish new criteria for quantifying their deterioration using micro differential scanning calorimetry (micro DSC) and micro hot table (MHT) method. Ten historical leather objects were investigated to this purpose. The calorimetric indices of macromolecular change identified for fibrous collagen provided quantitative results on the bulk material and deconvolution of DSC denaturation peaks revealed the dynamics of deterioration in historical leather. The results brought clear evidence that long-term natural ageing of leather induces the destabilization of chemically modified collagen thereby promoting its partial de-tanning and allowing micro-unfolding of chemically unmodified collagen. As deterioration continues toward the extreme, collagen molecules become highly unstable allowing for gelatinisation and irreversible denaturation. It is thus explained the coexistence of collagen populations with distinct thermal stability in historical leather. They are grouped in three main structural domains, namely “leather-like”, “parchment-like” and “gelatine-like”, whose mass percentages determines leather stability against further natural ageing and deterioration. As a result of the MHT and micro DSC parameters correlation, a more comprehensive set of criteria, including Tf and Tl values, as well ∆C and ∆T intervals’ lengths, was introduced for better interpreting the shrinking activity of collagen in historical vegetable-tanned leathers and open thus the way for the highly sought in situ evaluation of leather artefacts.

Analysis of Heavy Metals Composition in Some of the Vegetables from Waste Dump Soils in Selected Urban Areas of Benue State

Vegetables are highly consumed in all the states across Northern Nigeria where they constitute a major source of nutritious food. Some of the vegetables that grow fast and successfully are used as source of food by all categories of households. Soil being the natural source of for food production is often contaminated with heavy metals and other toxins as result of human activities. This study was conducted to determine the presence, concentration and bioaccumulation of selected heavy metals in some of the varieties of the vegetables grown on soils containing waste dumps. The selected heavy metals were analyzed using AAS. The levels of the heavy Metals in both vegetables and their soils were generally low with Fe and Co having the highest and lowest mean values respectively. The values were within the acceptable standards indicating that the vegetable is safe for consumption. Significant differences were observed at P<0.05 between the mean values of Cu and Cr in amaranth samples and Fe in the soil samples. The Transfer Factor values were generally less than 1.00 except for Cr in samples from sites Ma and Gb and for Co in samples from site OT. Except for Cr, the TF values obtained did not provide a clear trend on the movement of the selected heavy metals from soil to the study vegetable samples. Therefore the use of soils from waste dump site for cultivation of vegetables did not impact much on the heavy metal analyzed in the vegetable samples studied.