Ion Beam-Induced Luminescence (IBIL) for Studying Manufacturing Conditions in Ceramics: An Application to Ceramic Body Tiles.

The first experimental results obtained by the ion beam-induced luminescence technique from the ceramic bodies of ancient tiles are reported in this work. The photon emission from the ceramic bodies is related to the starting minerals and the manufacturing conditions, particularly the firing temperature and cooling processes. Moreover, the results indicate that this non-destructive technique, performed under a helium-rich atmosphere instead of an in-vacuum setup and with acquisition times of only a few seconds, presents a promising alternative to traditional, often destructive, compositional characterisation methods.

Thermoluminescence Studies of Proton-Irradiated Cr-, Mg-Codoped β-GaO.

Chromium-doped GaO, with intense Cr-related red-infrared light emission, is a promising semiconductor material for optical sensors. This work constitutes a comprehensive study of the thermoluminescence properties of Cr-, Mg-codoped β-GaO single crystals, both prior to and after proton irradiation. The thermoluminescence investigation includes a thorough analysis of measurements with different β irradiation doses used to populate the trap levels, with preheating steps to disentangle overlapping peaks (- and initial rise methods) and finally by computationally fitting to a theoretical expression.

Rare earth elements as statistical sentinels of pollution and paleoenvironments?: Application to a highly polluted estuary in southwestern Spain.

Multivariate analyses have been applied to the REE contents of three cores collected in the Tinto estuary, SW Spain, an extremely polluted area. Results indicate an extremely correlation between all REE, which behave as a single variable. A slight natural pollution peak and three anthropogenic pollution peaks are identified, related with the first mining activities, the Roman period and a recent intensive mining accompanied by a heavy industrial pollution.

Silver and copper as pollution tracers in Neogene to Holocene estuarine sediments from southwestern Spain.

Estuaries are very sensitive ecosystems to human activities and the natural evolution of their drainage basins located upstream. Pollution derived from human activities, such as historical mining or recent industrial wastes, can significantly affect their environmental quality. This paper analyzes the silver and copper contents of four cores extracted in two estuaries of SW Spain.

WEEE Treatment in Developing Countries: Environmental Pollution and Health Consequences-An Overview.

In the last few decades, the rapid technological evolution has led to a growing generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Not rarely, it has been exported from industrialized to developing countries, where it represents a secondary source of valuable materials such as gold, copper, and silver. The recycling of WEEE is often carried out without any environmental and health protection.

A relative risk assessment of the open burning of WEEE.

Waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) represents a potential secondary source of valuable materials, whose recovery is a growing business activity worldwide. In low-income countries, recycling is carried out under poorly controlled conditions resulting in severe environmental pollution. High concentrations of both metallic and organic pollutants have been confirmed in air, soil, water, and sediments in countries with informal recycling areas.

Naturally occurring radioactive material and risk assessment of tailings of polymetallic and Ra/U mines from legacy sites.

Old mine tailings from Northern and Central Portugal were studied in order to perform a radiological and chemical characterization. The evaluation of massic activity of natural radionuclides and concentrations in tailings of polymetallic and Ra/U mines was performed by gamma spectrometry and neutron activation analysis. Iron speciation was carried out by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

A device-specific prioritization strategy based on the potential for harm to human health in informal WEEE recycling.

In developing countries, the recovery of valuable materials from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is carried out via uncontrolled practices, posing potentially severe risks both to human health and the environment. The assessment of the risk, which depends on both the kind and hazardous properties of the substances contained in WEEE, is currently limited as the exposure scenario for the single informal practice cannot be fully characterized for this purpose. In this context, this work proposes and evaluates a strategy to identify the relative potential harm of different kinds of WEEE by their content in metals, selected as the target substances of concern.

Effects on gastric mucosa induced by dental bleaching--an experimental study with 6% hydrogen peroxide in rats.

Unlabelled: The value of aesthetic dentistry has precipitated several developments in the investigation of dental materials related to this field. The free marketing of these products is a problem and it is subject to various interpretations regarding its legality. There are several techniques for tooth whitening, the most used one being the external bleaching.

Chemical element accumulation in tree bark grown in volcanic soils of Cape Verde-a first biomonitoring of Fogo Island.

Barks from Prosopis juliflora (acacia) were collected in 12 sites of different geological contexts over the volcanic Fogo Island (Cape Verde). Elemental contents of Ba, Br, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Na, Zn and some rare earth elements (REE)-La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, and Lu, were obtained for biological samples and topsoils by using k -standardized and comparative method of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), aiming the evaluation of chemical elements uptake by acacia bark. This first biomonitoring study of Fogo Island showed that, in general, significant accumulations of trace elements present in high amounts in these soils occur.

[The effect of the quantitative variation of autologous spongy bone graft applied for bone regeneration in an experimental model of tibia osteotomy].

This study aimed at studying the influence of the quantitative variation of the autologous spongy bone graft on its osteogenic properties by virtue of the fact that its attainment has inconveniences of significant morbidity at local donor level and the limited quantity of grafting able to be obtained. Recourse was made to an osteotomy model for this purpose with the removal of a small 4 mm segment at the mid-diaphysis of the left tibia of twenty one sheep, stabilised by an osteosynthesis plate on which different quantities of autografting spongy bone were applied so that the referred bone defect (1) would not to be completely filled (1.5 g), (2) would be filled without any compression (3 g) and (3) would be filled with an excessive quantity (5 g) (n=5/each group).