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| 2. |
- Ahmed, K. Matin, et al.
(författare)
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Arsenic enrichment in groundwater of the alluvial aquifers in Bangladesh : an overview
- 2004
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Ingår i: Applied Geochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0883-2927 .- 1872-9134. ; 19:2, s. 181-200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arsenic in the groundwater of Bangladesh is a serious natural calamity and a public health hazard. Most groundwater from the shallow alluvial aquifers (<150 m), particularly in the Holocene plain lands, are vulnerable to As-enrichment. Delta plains and flood plains of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system are moderately to severely enriched and more than 60% of the tube wells are affected. Shallow aquifers in the Meghna river basin and coastal plains are extremely enriched with more than 80% of the tube wells affected. Aquifers in the Pleistocene uplands and Tertiary hills are low in As. The vertical lithofacies sequence of the sediments from highly enriched areas of the country show two distinct lithofacies associations-a dominantly sandy channel-fill association and a fine-grained over bank association. The sediments can be grouped into 4 distinct lithofacies, viz. clay, silty clay, silty sand and sand. Thin section petrography of the As-enriched aquifer sands shows that the sands are of quartzolithic type and derived from the collision suture and fold thrust belt of the recycled orogen provenance. Groundwater is characterized by circum-neutral pH with a moderate to strong reducing nature. The waters are generally of Ca-Mg-HCO3 or Ca-Na-HCO3 type, with HCO3- as the principal anion. Low SO42- and NO3-, and high dissolved organic C (DOC) and NH4+ concentrations are typical chemical characteristics of groundwater. The presence of dissolved sulfides in these groundwaters indicates reduction Of SO4. Total As concentration in the analyzed wells vary between 2.5 and 846 mug l(-1) with a dominance of As(III) species (67-99%). Arsenic(III) concentrations were fairly consistent with the DOC and NH4+ contents. The HNO3 extractable concentrations of As (As-NO3) in the sediments (0.5-17.7 mg kg(-1)), indicate a significant positive correlation with Fe-NO3, Mn-NO3, Al-NO3 and P-NO3. The concentrations Of S-NO3 (816-1306 mg kg(-1)) peaked in the clay sediments with high organic matter (up to 4.5 wt.%). Amounts of oxalate extractable As (As..) and Fe (Fe x) ranged between 0.1-8.6 mg kg(-1) and 0.4-5.9 g kg(-1), respectively. Arsenic(ox) was positively correlated with Fe-ox, Mn-ox, and Al-ox in these sediments. Insignificant amounts of opaque minerals (including pyrite/arsenopyrite) and the presence of high As contents in finer sediments suggests that some As is incorporated in the authigenically precipitated sulfides in the reducing sediments. Moreover, the chemical extractions suggest the presence of siderite and vivianite as solid phases, which may control the aqueous chemistry of Fe and PO43-. Reductive dissolution of Fe oxyhydroxide present as coatings on sand grains as well as altered mica (biotite) is envisaged as the main mechanism for the release of As into groundwater in the sandy aquifer sediments.
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| 4. |
- Bhattacharya, Prosun, et al.
(författare)
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Metal contamination at a wood preservation site : characterisation and experimental studies on remediation
- 2002
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 290:03-jan, s. 165-180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this investigation was to determine the occurrence of As, Cu, Cr and Zn in the soil at an abandoned wood preservation unit and to examine some possible extractants for the contaminants in the soil. The mean As content of the contaminated surface soils (0-10 cm) was 186 mg kg(-1), where as the mean concentrations of Cu, Cr and Zn in soils from the contaminated area were 26, 29 and 91 mg kg(-1), respectively. The elevated As content in the mineral soils is related to adsorption of inorganic As phases in the fine grained fractions, which are characterised by large surface area and high positive surface charge under the current acidic conditions. Cu and Cr were found to be rather mobile, which is reflected in their lower abundance in soils and significant accumulation in sediments in the drainage leaving the area. The fine fraction of the soil (<0.125 mm) has an average metal content increased by nearly 34% as compared to the <2-mm fraction conventionally used for the analysis and assessment of soil contamination. The <2-mm fraction constitutes approximately 65% of the total weight while the fine fraction (< 0.125 mm) constitutes approximately 10%. These facts, taken together, are essential for the choice of remediation measures. Oxalate solutions have been tested as extractants for soil remediation. Dark acid oxalate extraction dissolves the amorphous Al- and Fe-oxides and hydroxides and mobilises the adsorbed inorganic As species. Oxalate also acts as a ligand for the cationic heavy metals, releasing them from exchangeable sites. With a three-step sequential leaching, up to 98-99% of the metals could be removed. At lower concentrations and higher pH, the leaching decreased to approximately 70%.
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- Lehmann, Ordan J, et al.
(författare)
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Fox's in development and disease.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Trends in genetics : TIG. - 0168-9525. ; 19:6, s. 339-44
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since the first forkhead (Fox) gene was identified, the importance of this family of transcription factors has increased steadily with the discoveries of the diverse range of developmental processes that they regulate in eukaryotes. Among other processes, the Fox factors are important in the establishment of the body axis and the development of tissues from all three germ layers. In this article, we present some of the recent data on this gene family with reference to selected phenotypes observed in patients and model organisms, and the sensitivity of developmental processes to alterations in forkhead gene dosage.
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| 6. |
- Sabarinathan, J., et al.
(författare)
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Electrically injected 1.55 ÎŒm InP-based photonic crystal microcavity coherent light source
- 2002
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Ingår i: Conference Proceedings - International Conference on Indium Phosphide and Related Materials. - Stockholm. ; , s. 425-428
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microcavities with dimensions on the wavelength scale are being extensively investigated due to their ability to exhibit enhanced spontaneous emission, directional output and single-mode operation. Photonic crystals with single or multiple defects have emerged as the preferred way to obtain such microcavities. We have designed and fabricated a 1.55 ÎŒm electrically injected photonic crystal surface-emitting microcavity device using an ImP-based heterostructure. The emission wavelength at 1.55 ÎŒm is an important wavelength for long haul optical communication applications.
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| 7. |
- Thiselton, DL, et al.
(författare)
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A comprehensive survey of mutations in the OPA1 gene in patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy
- 2002
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Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. - 1552-5783. ; 43:6, s. 1715-1724
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE. To characterize the spectrum of mutations in the OPA1 gene in a large international panel of patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (adOA), to improve understanding of the range of functional deficits attributable to sequence variants in this gene, and to assess any genotype-phenotype correlations. METHODS. All 28 coding exons of OPA1, intron-exon splice sites, 273 bp 5' to exon 1, and two intronic regions with putative function were screened in 94 apparently unrelated white patients of European origin with adOA by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP)-heteroduplex analysis and direct sequencing. Clinical data were collated, and putative mutations were tested for segregation in the respective families by SSCP analysis or direct sequencing and in 100 control chromosomes. Further characterization of selected splice site mutations was performed by RT-PCR of patient leukocyte RNA. Staining of mitochondria in leukocytes of patients and control subjects was undertaken to assess gross differences in morphology and cellular distribution. RESULTS. Twenty different mutations were detected, of which 14 were novel disease mutations (missense, nonsense, deletion-frameshift, and splice site alterations) and six were known mutations. Mutations were found in 44 (47%) of the 94 families, included in the study. Ten new polymorphisms in the OPA1 gene were also identified. Mutations occur throughout the gene, with three clusters emerging: in the mitochondrial leader, in the highly conserved guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding domain, and in the -COOH terminus. Examination of leukocyte mitochondria from two unrelated patients with splice site mutations in OPA1 revealed no abnormalities of morphology or cellular distribution when compared with control individuals. CONCLUSIONS. This study describes 14 novel mutations in the OPA1 gene in patients with adOA, bringing the total number so far reported to 54. It is likely that many cases of adOA are due to mutations outside the coding region of OPA1 or to large-scale rearrangements. Evaluation of the mutation spectrum indicates more than one pathophysiological mechanism for adOA. Preliminary data suggests that phenotype-genotype correlation is complex, implying a role for other genetic modifying or environmental factors. No evidence was found of pathologic changes in leukocyte mitochondria of patients with adOA.
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