976 resultados para Organic-inorganic nanocomposites


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The speciation of strongly chelated iron during the 22-day course of an iron enrichment experiment in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean deviates strongly from ambient natural waters. Three iron additions (ferrous sulfate solution) were conducted, resulting in elevated dissolved iron concentrations (Nishioka, J., Takeda, S., de Baar, H.J.W., Croot, P.L., Boye, M., Laan, P., Timmermans, K.R., 2005, Changes in the concentration of iron in different size fractions during an iron enrichment experiment in the open Southern Ocean. Marine Chemistry, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2004.06.040) and significant Fe(II) levels (Croot, P.L., Laan, P., Nishioka, J., Strass, V., Cisewski, B., Boye, M., Timmermans, K.R., Bellerby, R.G., Goldson, L., Nightingale, P., de Baar, H.J.W., 2005, Spatial and Temporal distribution of Fe(II) and H2O2 during EisenEx, an open ocean mescoscale iron enrichment. Marine Chemistry, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2004.06.041). Repeated vertical profiles for dissolved (filtrate < 0.2 µm) Fe(III)-binding ligands indicated a production of chelators in the upper water column induced by iron fertilizations. Abiotic processes (chemical reactions) and an inductive biologically mediated mechanism were the likely sources of the dissolved ligands which existed either as inorganic amorphous phases and/or as strong organic chelators. Discrete analysis on ultra-filtered samples (< 200 kDa) suggested that the produced ligands would be principally colloidal in size (> 200 kDa-< 0.2 µm), as opposed to the soluble fraction (< 200 kDa) which dominated prior to the iron infusions. Yet these colloidal ligands would exist in a more transient nature than soluble ligands which may have a longer residence time. The production of dissolved Fe-chelators was generally smaller than the overall increase in dissolved iron in the surface infused mixed layer, leaving a fraction (about 13-40%) of dissolved Fe not bound by these dissolved Fe-chelators. It is suggested that this fraction would be inorganic colloids. The unexpected persistence of such high inorganic colloids concentrations above inorganic Fe-solubility limits illustrates the peculiar features of the chemical iron cycling in these waters. Obviously, the artificial about hundred-fold increase of overall Fe levels by addition of dissolved inorganic Fe(II) ions yields a major disruption of the natural physical-chemical abundances and reactivity of Fe in seawater. Hence the ensuing responses of the plankton ecosystem, while in itself significant, are not necessarily representative for a natural enrichment, for example by dry or wet deposition of aeolian dust. Ultimately, the temporal changes of the Fe(III)-binding ligand and iron concentrations were dominated by the mixing events that occurred during EISENEX, with storms leading to more than an order of magnitude dilution of the dissolved ligands and iron concentrations. This had strongest impact on the colloidal size class (> 200 kDa-< 0.2 µm) where a dramatic decrease of both the colloidal ligand and the colloidal iron levels (Nishioka, J., Takeda, S., de Baar, H.J.W., Croot, P.L., Boye, M., Laan, P., Timmermans, K.R., 2005, Changes in the concentration of iron in different size fractions during an iron enrichment experiment in the open Southern Ocean. Marine Chemistry, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2004.06.040) was observed.

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Rates of organic matter (OM) transformation within the production-destruction cycle of the White Sea were estimated on the basis of measured activity values of redox enzymes of the electron transport system and of hydrolytic enzymes (phosphatase and protease). It was found that OM oxidation processes were the most intensive in the Kandalaksha Bay, while minimum oxidation rates were characteristic of central parts of the Dvina and Onega bays. It was revealed that the highest rates of phosphate mineralization were characteristic of the central part of the sea and near-mouth areas of the Onega and Kandalaksha bays, with the lowest rates in the Dvina Bay. During the period of intense primary production when resources of inorganic phosphorus were practically depleted, high rates of phosphate regeneration were observed. It was shown that populations of micro- and zooplankton in the White Sea were characterized by low activation energies of the principal metabolism reactions (3-6 kcal/mol), which allowed these populations to provide exchange intensity comparable to that of inhabitants of warm waters during all the seasons.

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The flux of sediment and organic carbon from continents to the coastal ocean is an important factor governing organic burial in coastal sediments, and these systems preserve important records of environmental and biogeochemical conditions during past global change events. Burial of organic materials in coastal systems can be promoted by chemical resilience or through protection by association with mineral surfaces, but the role and influence of these processes on organic records from ancient sediments is poorly known. We studied sediment and organic matter burial as particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-bound organic matter (MOM) in near-shore marine sediments from the Wilson Lake core (New Jersey, USA) that span the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), a climatic perturbation 55.9 Myr ago. Our results show that distinct POM and MOM fractions can be isolated from sediments. Both fractions appear to be dominated by terrestrial material, but POM consisted primarily of recently synthesized material whereas MOM included a significant fraction of pre-aged organic matter from soils or ancient sediments. Variation in organic burial through the PETM is associated with changes in inorganic nitrogen burial, clay mineralogy, and clastic grain size that we associate with enhanced continental weathering, erosion and redeposition of ancient kaolinites, and eustatic sea level variation, respectively. These results provide a new perspective on factors governing carbon burial and carbon isotope records in ancient marine margin settings and offer information on rate and phasing of late Paleocene/early Eocene Earth system changes that may constrain interpretations of the cause of the PETM climate change event.

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Concentrations of organic and inorganic nitrogen have been measured on Leg 80 sediments. The inorganic nitrogen content is relatively constant, 0.02-0.03 wt.%. Because most of the inorganic nitrogen occurs as NH3 or (NH4)+ fixed on clays, clay-poor sediments have lower inorganic nitrogen contents. Organic nitrogen content depends upon both the type and the quantity of organic matter present. In Leg 80 sediments, woody kerogens contain much less organic nitrogen than do kerogens of algal origin. Furthermore, pelagic samples of low organic carbon content have less organic nitrogen than predicted, because of loss during diagenesis. DSDP shipboard analytical procedures do not distinguish between organic and inorganic nitrogen. Great caution must therefore be exercised in interpreting C/N ratios.

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Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

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The incorporation of organic matter ( OM) in soils that are able to rapidly sorb applied phosphorus ( P) fertiliser reportedly increases P availability to plants. This effect has commonly been ascribed to competition between the decomposition products of OM and P for soil sorption sites resulting in increased soil solution P concentrations. The evidence for competitive inhibition of P sorption by dissolved organic carbon compounds, derived from the breakdown of OM, includes studies on the competition between P and (i) low molecular weight organic acids (LOAs), (ii) humic and fulvic acids, and (iii) OM leachates in soils with a high P sorption capacity. These studies, however, have often used LOAs at 1 - 100 mM, concentrations much higher than those in soils ( generally < 0.05 mM). The transience of LOAs in biologically active soils further suggests that neither their concentration nor their persistence would have a practical benefit in increasing P phytoavailability. Higher molecular weight compounds such as humic and fulvic acids also competitively inhibit P sorption; however, little consideration has been given to the potential of these compounds to increase the amount of P sorbed through metal - chelate linkages. We suggest that the magnitude of the inhibition of P sorption by the decomposition products of OM leachate is negligible at rates equivalent to those of OM applied in the field. Incubation of OM in soil has also commonly been reported as reducing P sorption in soil. However, we consider that the reported decreases in P sorption ( as measured by P in the soil solution) are not related to competition from the decomposition products of OM breakdown, but are the result of P release from the OM that was not accounted for when calculating the reduction in P sorption.

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Highly ordered rodlike periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMO) were successfully synthesized using 1.2-bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane as an precursor and triblock copolymer P123 as a template at low acid concentration and in the presence of inorganic salts (KCl). The role of acid and salt as well as the effects of synthesis temperature and reactant mole ratio in the control of morphology and the formation of ordered mesostructure was systematically examined. It was found that the addition of inorganic salt can dramatically expand the range of the synthesis parameters to produce highly ordered PMO structure and improve the quality of PMO materials. The morphology of PMOs was significantly dependent on the induction time for precipitation. The uniform PMO rods can only be synthesized in a narrow range of acid and salt concentrations. The results also show that the optimized salt concentration (I M) and low acidity (0.167 M) were beneficial to the formation of not only highly ordered mesostructure but also rodlike morphology. Increasing acidity resulted in fast hydrolysis reaction and short rod or plate-like particles. Highly ordered rod can also be prepared at low temperature (35 degrees C) with high salt amount (1.5 M) or high temperature (45 degrees C) with low salt amount (0.5 M). Optimum reactant molar composition at 40 degrees C is 0.035P123:8KCl:1.34HCI:444H(2)O:1.0bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane. Lower or higher SiO2/PI23 ratio led to the formation of uniform meso-macropores or pore-blocking effect. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Cellular delivery involving the transfer of various drugs and bio-active molecules (peptides, proteins and DNAs, etc.) through the cell membrane into cells has attracted increasing attention because of its importance in medicine and drug delivery. This topic has been extensively reviewed. The direct delivery of drugs and biomolecules, however, is generally inefficient and suffering from problems such as enzymic degradation of DNAs. Therefore, searching for efficient and safe transport vehicles (carriers) to delivery genes or drugs into cells has been challenging yet exciting area of research. In past decades, many carriers have been developed and investigated extensively which can be generally classified into four major groups: viral carriers, organic cationic compounds, recombinant protiens and inorganic nanoparticles. Many inorganic materials, such as calcium phosphate, gold, carbon materials, silicon oxide, iron oxide and layered double hydroxide (LDH), have been studied. Inorganic nanoparticles show low toxicity and promise for controlled delivery properties, thus presenting a new alternative to viral carriers and cationic carriers. Inorganic nanoparticles generally possess versatile properties suitable for cellular delivery, including wide availability, rich functionality, good biocompatibility, potential capability of targeted delivery (e.g. selectively destroying cancer cells but sparing normal tissues) and controlled release of carried drugs. This paper reviews the latest advances in inorganic nanoparticle applications as cellular delivery carriers and highlights some key issues in efficient cellular delivery using inorganic nanoparticles. Critical proper-ties of inorganic nanoparticles, surface functionalisation (modification), uptake of biomolecules, the driving forces for delivery, and release of biomolecules will be reviewed systematically. Selected examples of promising inorganic nanoparticle delivery systems, including gold, fullerences and carbon nanotubes, LDH and various oxide nanoparticles in particular their applications for gene delivery will be discussed. The fundamental understanding of properties of inorganic nanoparticles in relation to cellular delivery efficiency as the most paramount issue will be highlighted. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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This paper investigates four reference fuels and three low lignin Lolium Festuca grasses which were subjected to pyrolysis to produce pyrolysis oils. The oils were analysed to determine their quality and stability, enabling the identification of feedstock traits which affect oil stability. Two washed feedstocks were also subjected to pyrolysis to investigate whether washing can enhance pyrolysis oil quality. It was found that the mineral matter had the dominate effect on pyrolysis in compared to lignin content, in terms of pyrolysis yields for organics, char and gases. However the higher molecular weight compounds present in the pyrolysis oil are due to the lignin derived compounds as determined by results of GPC and liquid-GC/MS. The light organic fraction also increased in yield, but reduced in water content as metals increased at the expense of the lignin content. It was found that the fresh oil and aged oil had different compound intensities/concentrations, which is due to a large number of reactions occurring when the oil is aged day by day. These findings agree with previous reports which suggest that a large amount of re-polymerisation occurs as levoglucosan yields increase during the aging progress, while hydroxyacetaldehyde decrease. In summary the paper reports a window for producing a more stable pyrolysis oil by the use of energy crops, and also show that washing of biomass can improve oil quality and stability for high ash feedstocks, but less so for the energy crops.

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Prediction of arsenic transport and transformation in soil environment requires understanding the transport mechanisms and proper estimation of arsenic partitioning tong all three phases in soil/aquifer systems: mobile colloids, mobile soil solution, and immobile soil solids. The primary purpose of this research is to study natural dissolved organic matter (DOM)/colloid-facilitated transport of arsenic and understand the role of soil derived carriers in the transport and transformation of both inorganic and organoarsenicals in soils. ^ DOM/colloid facilitated arsenic transport and transformation in porous soil media were investigated using a set of experimental approaches including batch experiment, equilibrium membrane dialysis experiment and column experiment. Soil batch experiment was applied to investigate arsenic adsorption on a variety of soils with different characteristics; Equilibrium membrane dialysis was employed to determine the 'free' and 'colloid-bound/complexed' arsenic in water extracts of chosen soils; Column experiments were also set up in the laboratory to simulate arsenic transport and transformation through golf course soils in the presence and absence of soil-derived dissolved substances. ^ The experimental results revealed that organic matter amendments effectively reduced soil arsenic adsorption. The majority of arsenic present in the soil extracts was associated with small substances of molecular weight (MW) between 500 and 3,500 Da, Only a small fraction of arsenic was associated with higher MW substances (MW > 3,500 Da), which was operationally defined as colloidal part in this study. The association of arsenic and DOM in the soil extracts strongly affected arsenic bioavailability, arsenic transport and transformation in soils. The results of column experiments revealed arsenic complicated behavior with various processes occurring in soils studied, including: soil arsenic' adsorption, facilitated arsenic transportation by dissolved substances presented in soil extracts and microorganisms involved arsenic species transformation. ^ Soil organic matter amendments effectively reduce soil arsenic adsorption capability either by scavenging 'soil arsenic adsorption sites or by interactions between arsenic species and dissolved organic chemicals in soil solution. Close attention must be paid for facilitated arsenic transport by dissolved substances presented in soil solution and microorganisms involved arsenic species transformation in arsenic-contaminated soils.^

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Reduced organic sulfur (ROS) compounds are environmentally ubiquitous and play an important role in sulfur cycling as well as in biogeochemical cycles of toxic metals, in particular mercury. Development of effective methods for analysis of ROS in environmental samples and investigations on the interactions of ROS with mercury are critical for understanding the role of ROS in mercury cycling, yet both of which are poorly studied. Covalent affinity chromatography-based methods were attempted for analysis of ROS in environmental water samples. A method was developed for analysis of environmental thiols, by preconcentration using affinity covalent chromatographic column or solid phase extraction, followed by releasing of thiols from the thiopropyl sepharose gel using TCEP and analysis using HPLC-UV or HPLC-FL. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of the method using HPLC-FL detection were 0.45 and 0.36 nM for Cys and GSH, respectively. Our results suggest that covalent affinity methods are efficient for thiol enrichment and interference elimination, demonstrating their promising applications in developing a sensitive, reliable, and useful technique for thiol analysis in environmental water samples. The dissolution of mercury sulfide (HgS) in the presence of ROS and dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated, by quantifying the effects of ROS on HgS dissolution and determining the speciation of the mercury released from ROS-induced HgS dissolution. It was observed that the presence of small ROS (e.g., Cys and GSH) and large molecule DOM, in particular at high concentrations, could significantly enhance the dissolution of HgS. The dissolved Hg during HgS dissolution determined using the conventional 0.22 μm cutoff method could include colloidal Hg (e.g., HgS colloids) and truly dissolved Hg (e.g., Hg-ROS complexes). A centrifugal filtration method (with 3 kDa MWCO) was employed to characterize the speciation and reactivity of the Hg released during ROS-enhanced HgS dissolution. The presence of small ROS could produce a considerable fraction (about 40% of total mercury in the solution) of truly dissolved mercury (< 3 kDa), probably due to the formation of Hg-Cys or Hg-GSH complexes. The truly dissolved Hg formed during GSH- or Cys-enhanced HgS dissolution was directly reducible (100% for GSH and 40% for Cys) by stannous chloride, demonstrating its potential role in Hg transformation and bioaccumulation.

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The clear, shallow, oligotrophic waters of Florida Bay are characterized by low phytoplankton biomass, yet periodic cyanobacteria and diatom blooms do occur. We hypothesized that allochthonous dissolved organic matter (DOM) was providing a subsidy to the system in the form of bound nutrients. Water from four bay sites was incubated under natural light and dark conditions with enrichments of either DOM ( > 1 kD, 2×DOM) or inorganic nutrients (N+P). Samples were analyzed for bacterial numbers, bacterial production, phytoplankton biomass, phytoplankton community structure, and production, nutrients, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity. The influence of 2×DOM enrichment on phytoplankton biomass developed slowly during the incubations and was relatively small compared to nutrient additions. Inorganic nutrient additions resulted in an ephemeral bloom characterized initially as cyanobacterial and brown algae but which changed to dinoflagellate and/or brown algae by day six. The DIN:TP ratio decreased 10-fold in the N+P treatments as the system progressed towards N limitation. This ratio did not change significantly for 2×DOM treatments. In addition, these experiments indicated that both autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial populations in Florida Bay may fluctuate in their limitation by organic and inorganic nutrient availability. Both N+P and 2×DOM enrichments revealed significant and positive response in bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon (BDOC). Potential BDOC ranged from 1.1 to 35.5%, with the most labile forms occurring in Whipray Basin. BDOC at all sites was stimulated by the 2×DOM addition. Except for Duck Key, BDOC at all sites was also stimulated by the addition of N+P. BDOC was lower in the dry season than in the wet season (5.56% vs. 16.86%). This may be explained by the distinct chemical characteristics of the DOM produced at different times of year. Thus, both the heterotrophic and autotrophic microbial communities in Florida Bay are modulated by bioavailability of DOM. This has ramifications for the fate of DOM from the Everglades inputs, implicating DOM bioavailability as a contributing factor in regulating the onset, persistence, and composition of phytoplankton blooms.