Phytoremediation, recovery and toxic effects of ionic gadolinium using the free-floating plant Lemna gibba.

The biosorption and recovery of ionic gadolinium (Gd) from contaminated water by the free-floating duckweed Lemna gibba was studied. The highest non-toxic concentration range was determined as (6.7 mg L).

Comparative Analysis of Bone Ingrowth in 3D-Printed Titanium Lattice Structures with Different Patterns.

In this study, metal 3D printing technology was used to create lattice-shaped test specimens of orthopedic implants to determine the effect of different lattice shapes on bone ingrowth. Six different lattice shapes were used: gyroid, cube, cylinder, tetrahedron, double pyramid, and Voronoi. The lattice-structured implants were produced from Ti6Al4V alloy using direct metal laser sintering 3D printing technology with an EOS M290 printer.

Relationship between gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent consumption and anthropogenic gadolinium in the influent of a wastewater treatment plant.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are highly resistant in the environment. They pass through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) unhindered escaping degradation. Although GBCAs are subjects of intensive research, we recognized that a quantitative approach to the mass balance of gadolinium, based on known input and output data, is missing.

Toward Developing Techniques─Agnostic Machine Learning Classification Models for Forensically Relevant Glass Fragments.

Glass fragments found in crime scenes may constitute important forensic evidence when properly analyzed, for example, to determine their origin. This analysis could be greatly helped by having a large and diverse database of glass fragments and by using it for constructing reliable machine learning (ML)-based glass classification models. Ideally, the samples that make up this database should be analyzed by a single accurate and standardized analytical technique.

Can aquatic macrophytes be biofilters for gadolinium based contrasting agents?

The use of gadolinium-based contrasting agents (GBCA) is increasing because of the intensive usage of these agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Waste-water treatment does not reduce anthropogenic Gd-concentration significantly. Anomalous Gd-concentration in surface waters have been reported worldwide.

Biochemical, Histopathological and Molecular Responses in Gills of Leuciscus cephalus Exposed to Metals.

Gills are major targets for acute metal toxicity in fish, due to their permanent contact with aquatic pollutants. To assess the effects of metals on gills of the Leuciscus cephalus (chub), fish individuals were collected from two sites in the Tur River, Romania, in upstream (site 1) and downstream (site 2) of a metal pollution source. Quantitative and hyperspectral analyses showed that Zn, Sr, and Fe concentrations were significantly higher in gills from site 2 compared with site 1.

Coordinated underground measurements of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides for plasma physics research.

Forty-eight samples made of CaF, LiF and YVO were placed inside the KSTAR Tokamak and irradiated by neutrons and charged particles from eight plasma pulses. The aim was to provide information for plasma diagnostics. Due to the short pulse durations, the activities induced in the samples were low and therefore measurements were performed in five low-background underground laboratories.

Exploring river pollution based on sediment analysis in the Upper Tisza region (Hungary).

We assessed contamination in the Upper Tisza region (Hungary, Central Europe), analyzing the elemental concentrations in sediment cores of oxbows. Our hypothesis was that the metal contamination which occurred in the year 2000 and which came from the mining area in Transylvania (Romania) may be detected even 15 years after the contamination, based on the vertical profile of sediment cores. Sediment cores were collected from five oxbows, and the following elements were measured with microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES): Cu, Cr, Ba, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sr, and Zn.

The effect of a fireworks event on the amount and elemental concentration of deposited dust collected in the city of Debrecen, Hungary.

Many social celebrations in urban areas are followed by fireworks show. The organic and inorganic pollutants emitted during detonations are expected to affect the ambient air quality of these celebration sites. The environmental aspects of fireworks events are usually investigated by analyzing the concentration and composition of airborne particulate matter, while there is limited information regarding the effect of fireworks on the elemental concentration of deposited dust.

Histopatological alterations and oxidative stress in liver and kidney of Leuciscus cephalus following exposure to heavy metals in the Tur River, North Western Romania.

Pollution of the aquatic environment by heavy metals is a great concern worldwide. Freshwater fish ingests various metals through gills, skin or diet. Our aim was to investigate the oxidative stress and histopathological injuries induced by Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd in the liver and kidney of Leuciscus cephalus.

Elemental concentrations in deposited dust on leaves along an urbanization gradient.

Environmental health is an essential component of the quality of life in modern societies. Monitoring of environmental quality and the assessment of environmental risks are often species based on the elemental concentration of deposited dust. Our result suggested that stomata size and distribution were the most important factors influencing the accumulation of air contaminants in leaves.

Elemental concentration in mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor L.) during metamorphosis.

Mealworm beetles have been used in numerous experiments as bioindicators. The aim of our experiment was to study the elemental composition in three larvae, pupae and first and second generation adult stages during their life cycle. We selected 180 larvae from a genetically similar population and put them in three groups, in two boxes (60 larvae in each box).

Trace element concentrations in soils along urbanization gradients in the city of Wien, Austria.

Urban soil is an important component of urban ecosystems. This study focuses on heavy metal contamination in soils of Wien (Austria) and results are compared to those for a few large European cities. We analysed the elemental contents of 96 samples of topsoil from urban, suburban and rural areas in Wien along a dynamic (floodplain forest) and a stable (oak-hornbeam forest) urbanization gradient.

Construction of a photochemical reactor combining a CCD spectrophotometer and a LED radiation source.

An inexpensive photoreactor using LED light sources and a fibre-optic CCD spectrophotometer as a detector was built by designing a special cell holder for standard 1.000 cm cuvettes. The use of this device was demonstrated by studying the aqueous photochemical reaction of 2,5-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone.

Assessment of the effects of urbanization on trace elements of toe bones.

Amphibians, particularly frogs and toads, are increasingly used as bioindicators of contaminant accumulation in pollution studies. We developed an analytical technique to analyse their elemental contents based on a small amount of toe bone samples. This method is environment-friendly as, unlike traditional methods, it is not necessary to kill animals during sampling.

Effect of high relative humidity on dried Plantago lanceolata L. leaves during long-term storage: effects on chemical composition, colour and microbiological quality.

Introduction: Modern phytotherapy and quality assurance requires stability data on bioactive metabolites to identify and minimise decomposing factors during processing and storage. A compound's stability in a complex matrix can be different from the stability of the purified compound.

Objective: To test the stability of iridoids and acteoside and quantify changes in colour and microbiological quality in a common herbal tea, dried P.

Population dynamics and genetic changes of Picea abies in the South Carpathians revealed by pollen and ancient DNA analyses.

Background: Studies on allele length polymorphism designate several glacial refugia for Norway spruce (Picea abies) in the South Carpathian Mountains, but infer only limited expansion from these refugia after the last glaciation. To better understand the genetic dynamics of a South Carpathian spruce lineage, we compared ancient DNA from 10,700 and 11,000-year-old spruce pollen and macrofossils retrieved from Holocene lake sediment in the Retezat Mountains with DNA extracted from extant material from the same site. We used eight primer pairs that amplified short and variable regions of the spruce cpDNA.

Air pollution assessment based on elemental concentration of leaves tissue and foliage dust along an urbanization gradient in Vienna.

Foliage dust contains heavy metal that may have harmful effects on human health. The elemental contents of tree leaves and foliage dust are especially useful to assess air environmental pollution. We studied the elemental concentrations in foliage dust and leaves of Acer pseudoplatanus along an urbanization gradient in Vienna, Austria.

The effects of ethylene glycol and ethanol on the body mass and elemental composition of insects collected with pitfall traps.

Insects often used as accumulation indicators of hazardous elements. Pitfall traps with ethylene glycol as trapping fluid are frequently used to collect insects. We studied the effect of glycol and preservation with ethanol on the elemental composition of hand collected firebugs.

Application of external micro-spectrophotometric detection to improve sensitivity on microchips.

The goal of this work was to increase the sensitivity of a UV-Vis spectrophotometer by decreasing the background noise and lengthening the optical path. A microphotometer has been modified to precisely select very small parts of a microfluidic channel pattern of a chip and to measure light absorbance on a magnified area of the selected part of the channel. The viability of combining a projection microscope and a spectrophotometer for external absorbance measurements on disposable PDMS chips was studied.