A new method based on selective fluorescent polymers (PSresin) for the analysis of Sr in presence of Pb in environmental samples.

Sr is of major concern in emergency and environmental control plans. It is one of the main fission products in nuclear facilities and is a high-energy beta emitter that presents chemical properties similar to those of calcium. Sr is commonly detected using methods based on liquid scintillation counting (LSC) following a chemical separation to remove potential interferences.

Electrooxidative generation of polymer films from rigid tricarbazole monomers.

In this report, syntheses and subsequent electropolymerization of a series of five rigid tricarbazole monomers are described. The monomers involve three planar triphenylene-cored tricarbazole-benzenes (with the carbazole units connected their - or -planes) and two triptycene-cored derivatives. Oxidative electropolymerization of these monomers leads to a continuous growth of smooth and freestanding thin films.

Enantiomerically pure 3-aryl- and 3-hetaryl-2-hydroxypropanoic acids by chemoenzymatic reduction of 2-oxo acids.

Phenyllactic acids are found in numerous natural products as well as in active substances used in medicine or plant protection. Enantiomerically pure phenyllactic acids are available by transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogenations or chemoenzymatic reductions of the corresponding 3-aryl-2-oxopropanoic acids. We show here that d-lactate dehydrogenase from Staphylococcus epidermidis reduces a broad spectrum of 2-oxo acids, which are difficult substrates for transition-metal-catalyzed reactions, with excellent enantioselectivities in a simple experimental setup.

Simultaneous determination of gross alpha, gross beta and ²²⁶Ra in natural water by liquid scintillation counting.

The determination of gross alpha, gross beta and (226)Ra activity in natural waters is useful in a wide range of environmental studies. Furthermore, gross alpha and gross beta parameters are included in international legislation on the quality of drinking water [Council Directive 98/83/EC]. In this work, a low-background liquid scintillation counter (Wallac, Quantulus 1220) was used to simultaneously determine gross alpha, gross beta and (226)Ra activity in natural water samples.

A comparative experimental study of gross alpha methods in natural waters.

The aim of the present work was to compare the results obtained with gross alpha methods such as evaporation, co-precipitation and total evaporation by liquid scintillation counting and to check whether these results are representative of the real total alpha activity concentration on the sample. The study was carried out on eight natural waters with very different radioactive characteristics. For all the samples uranium ((238)U, (235)U, and (234)U), radium ((226)Ra and (224)Ra), (210)Po, and (232)Th isotopes were also assayed by using radiochemical separation and alpha spectrometry in order to determine the sum of the activities of these alpha emitters.

Toponymous diseases of Australia.

Names are more than just labels used to identify diseases. They can be windows into the discovery, characteristics and attributes of the disease. Toponymous diseases are diseases that are named after places.

[Cardiovascular manifestations of eosinophilia: clinical and echocardiographic presentation].

Introduction: Endomyocardial fibrosis with apical obliteration is the best known involvement among heart lesions induced by hypereosinophilia. However, hypereosinophilic heart disease may involve all three heart layers, with a polymorphic clinical and echocardiographic presentation.

Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of five patients highlighting the various manifestations of hypereosinophilic heart disease.

Reduction of crop contamination by soil resuspension within the 30-km zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

A field experiment was conducted within the 30-km zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to analyze whether the application of mulching reduced resuspension of 137Cs contaminated soil in oat (Avena sativa) crops. In 1993, we applied a mulch treatment at a dose of 200 g m(-2), and soil resuspension was measured by estimating soil loadings onto plant surfaces from Ti concentrations in plants. In 1994, two mulch doses were applied, 200 and 50 g m(-2), and we estimated the contribution of soil resuspension by using artificial resuspension collection devices (ARC).

A rapid method for 90Sr determination in the presence of 137Cs in environmental samples.

A rapid method for the determination of 90Sr in the presence of 137Cs using the Cherenkov radiation technique is described. The contribution of 137Cs to gross Cherenkov radiation (90Y + 137Cs) was examined for 137Cs /90Sr ratios ranging from 0.09 to 2.