贡嘎山地区大气中不同形态汞的分布规律及影响因素

汞是一种有毒的人体非必需重金属元素，是一种全球性污染物。大气在全球汞生物地球化学循环中占极其重要的地位，20世纪80年代末和90年代初，在没有人为和自然汞污染源的北欧和北美偏远地区的大片湖泊中发现的鱼体高甲基汞负荷就是由人为排放的汞通过大气长距离迁移后的沉降造成的。我国被认为是全球汞排放最多的国家，大量的汞排放到大气中势必会造成不同形态大气汞浓度以及大气汞沉降通量的升高，然而就目前而言，国内关于长时间分辨率的大气汞分布规律及汞沉降通量的系统研究还比较缺乏。 2005年5月到2007年5月，采用高时间分辨率大气自动测汞仪、镀KCl石英扩散管和颗粒汞微型捕汞管对贡嘎山地区大气中的气态总汞（TGM）、活性气态汞（RGM）和颗粒汞（TPM）进行了为期2年的系统监测；同时，系统的采集分析了贡嘎山地区的大气降水、植物叶片和河流水体样品，对大气汞的干、湿沉降进行了研究，并初步探讨了贡嘎山地区汞的输入和输出。主要得到以下结论： （1） 贡嘎山大气本底站两年的大气气态总汞的几何平均浓度为3.94±1.16 ng m-3，显著高于欧洲和北美同类型地区的大气气态总汞浓度，但和亚洲一些同类型地区的监测结果较为一致；和国内城市等受人为污染区域的大气气态总汞浓度相比，贡嘎山的浓度明显偏低，但略高于长白山大气本底站的气态总汞年均浓度。以上说明，贡嘎山地区的监测结果基本上反映了亚洲特别是我国西南偏远地区的大气汞的含量水平，说明我国人为活动的汞排放，已经造成了一定程度的大气汞污染。 （2） 活性气态汞和颗粒汞表现出和气态总汞不一致的分布特征，贡嘎山地区的活性气态汞平均浓度为6.2±3.9 pg m-3，颗粒汞的平均浓度为30.7±32.1 pg m-3，分别占到大气总汞的0.2%和0.8%，和国外偏远地区的研究结果一致。而活性气态汞和颗粒汞较高的沉降速率和较短的大气迁移距离是导致活性气态汞和颗粒汞偏低的主要原因。 （3） 贡嘎山不同功能区（特别是取暖季节）的大气气态总汞浓度明显高于全球背景区的平均浓度，且具有显著的空间分布特征：城区（8.63~22.5 ng m-3）>乡镇（4.74 ng m-3）>村落（2.55~8.83 ng m-3）>区域参照点（1.65~3.57 ng m-3）。 （4） 西南地区较高的汞释放背景是贡嘎山地区大气气态总汞偏高的一个重要原因；另外，石棉地区的金属冶炼活动、城市等人口集中地区的汞释放是造成该地区大气气态总汞浓度升高的区域性污染源。 （5） 气态总汞和颗粒汞表现出冬季>秋季>春季>夏季的季节性分布规律，而活性气态汞的季节性分布规律为春季>秋季>夏季>冬季。影响气态总汞和颗粒汞季节性变化的因素有释放源强度、气象条件（特别是风向）、光化学反应和干沉降速率的季节性变化；而活性气态汞的季节性变化则可能与大气光化学反应速率以及湿沉降的季节性变化有关。 （6） 贡嘎山地区海拔1600米和3000米空旷处的大气降水的湿沉降通量分别为9.1和26.1 μg m-2 yr-1，而森林地区的湿沉降通量可达57.0 μg m-2 yr-1；贡嘎山地区大气汞的干沉降通量51.9 μg m-2 yr-1，其中约15.9 μg m-2 yr-1(31 %)来自于植物落叶的沉降。 （7） 贡嘎山地区是大气汞的汇，仅泸定县的年均大气汞净沉降量就达142 kg yr-1，且绝大部分（>95%）进入了森林生态系统，而非森林地区的大气汞输入和输出则基本平衡。

贵州省典型土法炼汞地区汞的生物地球化学循环和人体汞暴露评价

贵州省是我国最重要的汞工业基地，境内分布着大量的汞矿床，汞金属储量88000 t，占全国总储量近80%。汞矿开采、冶炼历史悠久，大规模的汞矿开采冶炼活动都已经停止。但是，由于汞矿区偏僻的自然地理位置、落后的经济水平和近期金属汞价格的攀升，这些地区仍然存在着较大规模的土法炼汞活动。大面积的土法炼汞活动和长期的大规模汞矿开采冶炼活动，给矿区生态环境造成了严重的汞污染。土法炼汞工艺十分落后，冶炼过程向周围大气释放大量的汞，而土法炼汞工人也必然会遭受严重的汞蒸气暴露。释放到大气的汞在进入周围环境后，在自然条件下通过微生物活动，会转化为毒性、生物有效性更强的甲基汞，并通过食物链富集放大，最终对矿区居民的身体健康构成一定的威胁。 本文选择贵州省务川汞矿区、万山汞矿区和铜仁垢溪、老屋场土法炼汞地区，进行了土法炼汞的汞释放量估算、汞矿地区环境汞污染调查及炼汞工人和矿区居民汞暴露调查和健康风险评价，系统阐述了贵州典型土法炼汞地区汞的生物地球化学循环特征及人体汞暴露评价。 1. 务川和铜仁垢溪地区的土法炼汞活动是当地大气的最主要人为释汞源。务川汞矿区土法炼汞的平均释汞因子为18.2%（6.9-32.1%），土法炼汞活动每年向大气排汞3.7-9.6 t；铜仁垢溪地区土法炼汞的平均释汞因子为9.8%（6.6-14.5%），土法炼汞活动每年向大气排汞1.3-2.7 t。 2. 务川汞矿区大面积的土法炼汞活动和长期大规模的汞矿活动以及垢溪、老屋场地区的土法炼汞活动，给当地的大气、地表水体和土壤造成了严重的汞污染，而汞污染程度受汞矿开采冶炼活动的历史和规模的影响显著。务川汞矿区大气汞浓度空间变化很大（7-40000 ng•m-3），受矿业活动影响的区域，大气汞含量明显升高；重污染区大气汞平均浓度为15000 ng•m-3，轻污染区为120 ng•m-3，对照区为24 ng•m-3。务川矿区地表水体的总汞含量的变化范围为43-2100 ng•L-1，总甲基汞含量变化范围为0.30-1.1 ng•L-1；垢溪、老屋场地区地表水体总汞含量的变化范围为92-2300 ng•L-1，总甲基汞含量变化范围为2.6-7.9 ng•L-1，地表水体显示了极强的甲基化能力。颗粒态汞占地表水体总汞含量的绝大部分比例，是矿区地表水体汞迁移的主要方式；而甲基汞则以溶解态为主。务川汞矿区土壤总汞含量的变化范围为1.3-360 mg•kg-1，垢溪、老屋场地区土壤总汞含量的变化范围为0.18-47.5 mg•kg-1，土壤剖面表层土壤汞的富集表明大气汞的沉降是土壤汞的重要来源，而土壤pH、有机质含量和土地利用类型影响着土壤中汞的迁移和富集。 3. 务川汞矿区土法炼汞工人尿汞含量的平均值高达1060 g•g-1 Cr，铜仁垢溪地区炼汞工人尿汞含量的平均值为347 g•g-1 Cr，铜仁老屋场地区炼汞工人尿汞含量的平均值为917 g•g-1 Cr，土法炼汞工人尿汞平均含量远远超过世界卫生组织规定的职业暴露人群的最大允许值-50 g•g-1 Cr，说明土法炼汞工人遭受严重的汞蒸气暴露。部分土法炼汞工人已经表现出轻度慢性汞中毒的症状，其肾脏已经遭受到一定程度的损伤。铜仁垢溪地区一般居民尿汞的平均值为40.0 g•g-1 Cr，铜仁老屋场地区一般居民尿汞含量的平均值为66.2 g•g-1 Cr，万山汞矿区大水溪居民尿汞含量的平均值为56.9 g•g-1 Cr，说明土法炼汞地区一般居民也遭受一定的汞蒸气暴露。对照区人群尿汞含量的平均值为1.30 g•g-1 Cr，万山下场溪村居民尿汞含量的平均值为2.5 g•g-1 Cr，其尿汞水平与对照组接近。 4. 食用大米是汞矿区居民甲基汞暴露的主要途径。万山汞矿区大水溪、下场溪和报溪3个村庄居民头发总汞含量的几何平均值分别为7.3、1.9和2.3 g•g-1，而头发甲基汞的平均含量分别为2.8、1.3和1.5 g•g-1，说明万山汞矿区居民存在一定程度的汞暴露。3个村庄居民食用大米总汞的平均含量分别为58.5、21.3和33.1 ng•g-1，大米甲基汞的平均含量分别为14.6、5.7和4.0 ng•g-1。居民食用的蔬菜、猪肉和饮水也表现出很高的总汞含量，但是甲基汞含量很低。3个村庄居民食用大米的摄入量占总甲基汞摄入量的平均比例分别为97.5%、94.1%和93.5%，且不同参与者每日通过食用大米的甲基汞摄入量和对应的头发甲基汞含量之间存在显著的相关关系 (r=0.65, p<0.01)，这证实了居民头发甲基汞的来源确实是食用大米，食用大米是汞矿区居民甲基汞暴露的主要途径。 5. 铜仁垢溪、老屋场地区炼汞工人头发甲基汞的平均含量分别为5.05 g•g-1（2.35-10.6 g•g-1）和5.63 g•g-1（2.54-9.55 g•g-1），而一般居民头发甲基汞的平均含量分别为3.53 g•g-1（1.87-5.65 g•g-1）和4.01 g•g-1（2.29-9.23 g•g-1）。万山汞矿区大水溪、下场溪和报溪3个村庄居民头发甲基汞的平均含量分别为2.8、1.3和1.5 g•g-1。务川汞矿区土法炼汞工人和居民的头发甲基汞含量的变化范围为0.47-5.69 μg•g-1。对照组头发甲基汞的平均含量为0.65 g•g-1，变化范围为0.26¬-1.38 g•g-1。食用大米甲基汞摄入量的估算表明，铜仁垢溪和老屋场地区部分居民的甲基汞摄入量已经超过世界卫生组织2003年制定的标准-0.23 g•d-1•kg-1，汞矿区大部分人群的甲基汞摄入量超过了美国环保局的推荐值－0.1 g•d-1•kg-1 (USEPA, 1997)，而对照区居民的甲基汞摄入量均没有超过这一推荐值，表明铜仁垢溪和老屋场地区居民存在一定的甲基汞暴露风险，而其他汞矿区人群也存在通过食用大米暴露甲基汞的潜在风险。

贵州东风水库中不同形态汞迁移转化规律的初步探讨

北欧和北美的研究发现水库是典型的汞敏感生态系统，新建水库而引起的鱼的甲基汞污染问题已经受到科学家的高度重视，而我国在这方面的研究比较薄弱。本论文以乌江流域上游的东风水库为研究对象，于夏季（2007 年8月）、冬季（2007 年12 月）和春季（2008年4月）分别对水库不同深度分层水体、沉积物间隙水、沉积柱剖面中不同形态汞的含量、分布特征以及迁移转化规律进行了详细的研究。研究结果发现： 1.东风水库水体中各种形态汞浓度均表现出季节性变化。总汞(THg)浓度变化范 围为1.1-2.3ng/L，平均为1.6ng/L；溶解态汞(THg)浓度变化范围为0.3-1.3ng/L，平均为0.6ng/L；颗粒态汞(PHg)浓度范围为0.3-1.5ng/L，平均为0.8ng/L；活性汞(RHg)浓度范围为0.2-0.6ng/L，平均为0.4ng/L；总甲基汞(TMHg)浓度变化范 围为0.04-1.01ng/L，平均为0.27ng/L；溶解态甲基汞(DMHg)浓度变化范围为0.03-0.48ng/L，平均为0.12ng/L；颗粒态甲基汞汞(PMHg)浓度范围为0.01-0.7ng/L，平均为0.16ng/L。 2.东风水库水体颗粒态总汞与总汞呈极显著相关，说明东风水库水体的颗粒态汞强烈影响着总汞迁移和分布。水库水体总甲基汞与溶解态甲基汞汞和颗粒态甲基汞之间存在极显著正线性相关，证明水库水体中的甲基汞的产生和迁移与溶解态甲基汞和颗粒态甲基汞均有着密切的关系。但是，水体甲基汞与总汞之间并不存在相关性。 3.东风水库水体夏季溶解态汞、活性汞、溶解态甲基汞浓度均远高于冬春两季，除了外源异重径流输入的影响外，很大程度与夏季水库底部缺氧环境密不可分。沉积物释放大量吸附的汞进入水体，造成水体溶解态汞、活性汞、溶解态甲基汞的升高。 4.东风水库沉积物间隙水中总汞和甲基汞浓度出现明显的季节性变化，夏季大于冬春两季。沉积物甲基汞的浓度分布与沉积物中有机质含量相关性明显（r=0.219＊,n=133）。东风水库沉积物中甲基汞的含量随沉积物深度增加浓度梯度不明显。 5.东风水库沉积物总汞含量基本没有季节变化，浓度变化范围为97-354ng/g，平均为180ng/g。东风水库沉积物中总汞含量大大高于其他未受污染地区水库沉积物中总汞含量。甲基汞含量变化范围为0.1-5.5ng/g，平均为2.1ng/g 。 6.东风水库沉积物间隙水中总汞、甲基汞浓度均显著高于其上覆水体的总汞和甲基汞的浓度，二者之间存在显著的浓度梯度，沉积物中总汞和甲基汞的释放是水库水体的重要来源。

中国混汞法采金地区汞的环境地球化学研究-以陕西潼关为例

本研究选择有代表性的陕西省潼关县（小秦岭地区）采金地区作为研究对象，从环境地球化学的角度出发，研究了该地区由于受采金活动的影响后，大气、水体、土壤以及农作物中总汞和甲基汞的分布，探讨汞在采金地区环境中迁移、转化和富集的环境地球化学行为和规律，并估算了渲关县及全国在过去二十多年里，由混汞法炼金活动向环境释放汞的总量，最后对混汞法采金地区的环境管理提出可行性建一议。通过本论文的详细研究，主要得出以下结论：1．潼关县辖区大气汞的分布呈明显的空间梯度关系，炼金厂密集区大气汞含量明显高于其它地区，距离炼金厂越远，大气汞含量越低。大型炼金厂混汞提金车间内的平均大气汞浓度为18，047ng／m~3，最高达33，080ng／m~3；距离炼金厂密集区较近和较远的居民区的平均大气汞浓度分别为385ng／m~3和77ng／m~3；而一些偏远地区大气汞的平均浓度降至29ng／m~3，受炼金活动影响较 小的黄河沿岸背景区的平均大气汞浓度只有2ng／m~3。通过估算，潼关县炼金矿工汞蒸气的平均摄入量高达72，804～75，268ng／d，而当地非矿工居民（成人）每天的摄入量也有924～4，620ng。2．潼关县内泉水和井水中总汞的平均浓度有329.2ng／L，其中各形态汞的浓度都相对较高，说明金矿地区的汞背景值可能较高，且地下水也可能受到一定程度的汞污染；冷暖两季水样中溶解态汞浓度和暖季的甲基汞浓度要比泉水和井水中的溶解态汞和甲基汞浓度分别高出几倍，其它形态汞则要高出几百倍；水样中的活性汞和溶解态汞浓度表现出极显著的相关关系；冷季水样的活性汞和溶解态汞平均浓度要略高于暖季的水样，而颗粒态汞恰恰相反；两季采集的一些水样中活性汞在溶解态汞中占有较高的比例，但总汞均以颗粒态为主，大多超过50％。3．冷暖两季沉积物中平均总汞浓度分别高达151.1和44.6μg／g，甲基汞平均浓度分别为7.1和3.6ng／g，而暖季沉积物中总汞与甲基汞含量表现出极显著的相关关系；水体颗粒物和沉积物主要来源于炼金厂排出的废渣和尾矿，拥有较高的重金属（Hg、Fe、Mn和Cu）含量，且两者之间体现出一定的继承关系，但颗粒物由于粒径小，表面积大，含有机颗粒多，吸附能力强，所以其中的重金属含量要明显高于沉积物中的重金属含量；颗粒物中汞含量与Fe、Mn、Cu的含量之间均表现出极显著的相关性，而沉积物中汞含量仅与Cu含量之间有一定的相关性，与其它重金属含量的相关性不明显。4．潼关县辖区金矿石中汞的平均含量是69.2ng/g，而炼金尾矿中汞的平均含量竟高达628，4林吮，高出原矿石样中汞平均含量10，000倍，其它重金属（Fe、Mn、Cu）由于受炼金活动影响较小，其含量变化并不十分明显；黄土由于自身的特殊质地和性质，受炼金活动的干扰较小，其中的各重金属含量能够较好的反映其背景含量水平；撞关地区采集的土壤样品中总汞和甲基汞含量均要比黄土中的含量高约50倍，而其它重金属含量与黄土背景值无明显差异；土壤中甲基汞在总汞含量中所占比例较小（分布在0.001％～0.57％之间），说明潼关地区土壤中汞的甲基化水平较低。5．苔鲜样品中的高汞含量反映了采金地区较高的大气汞沉降水平；河流水藻中高含量的总汞和甲基汞体现出汞在生物体内超强的富集作用；潼关县大多数农作物样品中的汞主要来源于大气，且几乎所有样品的汞含量都严重超出国家食用标准，最高超标倍数达到60；农作物中甲基汞含量占总汞的比例在0.12％～12.34％之间波动，其中蔬菜类作物的甲基汞比例要高于粮食作物，而总体来说，作物体内的总汞和甲基汞含量之间表现出一定的负相关关系；通过估算，潼关县居民由于粮食作物（小麦）的食用每天摄入的总汞量高达54，72Ong，要高于当地居民（非矿工）通过呼吸吸入的汞蒸气量，且已超出国际上对人体汞摄入量标准的有关规定。6．潼关县水体、沉积物、土壤以及农作物中的甲基汞含量相对总汞而言，都表现了相对较低的水平，原因可能是受石英脉型金矿地区地质背景的影响，大量存在的Fe、Mn类化合物对离子态汞有着较强的束缚能力，减缓或抑制了甲基化的发生。7．通过混汞法生产黄金的产量和汞释放因子的调研和确定，估算在1980～2003年期间，全国混汞炼金行业向环境释放汞累计达1476.6t，其中约有78％进入大气；而仅潼关县就有116.5t，约占全国的7.9％：目前（1996年以后），由于混汞法工艺的改进，汞的释放量大大降低，全国混汞炼金行业平均每年释放汞约30t，憧关县平均每年有3.9t，约占全国年平均释放量的13％。

An efficient approach to modify the catalyst activity for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene

The addition of a suitable amount of PPh3 to PdCl2 or PdCl2(PhCN)(2) in situ can considerably increase the catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, while the catalytic activities of PdCl2 (reduced)+PPh3, PdCl2(PPh3)(2) and Pd(PPh3)(4) are very poor. The poisoning of catalyst by mercury indicates that the catalytically active species are composed of Pd(0) colloidal particles. Transmission electron micrographs show that the size of nanometric Pd(0) particles of PdCl2 with PPh3 added in situ is smaller than that of PhCl2(PPh3) or PdCl2 (reduced)+PPh3. A synergic effect of bimetallic catalysts such as PdCl2+nPPh(3)+NiCl2 (n= 0.5, 1) and PdCl2(PhCN)(2)+PPh3+FeCl3 gives rise to a further increase in the catalytic activity.

Rentgenowska analiza strukturalna roztworów pochodnych anizolu i toluenu w 1,4-dimetylobenzenie

Wydział Fizyki: Zakład Optyki

Determinação de cádmio e chumbo em brinquedos para crianças com idade inferior a 3 anos

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

A FLOW-THROUGH ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDE FOR TWO-PHASE BUBBLY FLOW VOID FRACTION MEASUREMENT

In the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the deposition of a high-energy proton beam into the liquid mercury target forms bubbles whose asymmetric collapse cause Cavitation Damage Erosion (CDE) to the container walls, thereby reducing its usable lifetime. One proposed solution for mitigation of this damage is to inject a population of microbubbles into the mercury, yielding a compliant and attenuative medium that will reduce the resulting cavitation damage. This potential solution presents the task of creating a diagnostic tool to monitor bubble population in the mercury flow in order to correlate void fraction and damage. Details of an acoustic waveguide for the eventual measurement of two-phase mercury-helium flow void fraction are discussed. The assembly’s waveguide is a vertically oriented stainless steel cylinder with 5.08cm ID, 1.27cm wall thickness and 40cm length. For water experiments, a 2.54cm thick stainless steel plate at the bottom supports the fluid, provides an acoustically rigid boundary condition, and is the mounting point for a hydrophone. A port near the bottom is the inlet for the fluid of interest. A spillover reservoir welded to the upper portion of the main tube allows for a flow-through design, yielding a pressure release top boundary condition for the waveguide. A cover on the reservoir supports an electrodynamic shaker that is driven by linear frequency sweeps to excite the tube. The hydrophone captures the frequency response of the waveguide. The sound speed of the flowing medium is calculated, assuming a linear dependence of axial mode number on modal frequency (plane wave). Assuming that the medium has an effective-mixture sound speed, and that it contains bubbles which are much smaller than the resonance radii at the highest frequency of interest (Wood’s limit), the void fraction of the flow is calculated. Results for water and bubbly water of varying void fraction are presented, and serve to demonstrate the accuracy and precision of the apparatus.

The ecology of the song thrush, Turdus philomelos Br., in Ireland

Over the last 30 years, western European Song Thrush populations have declined with the steepest decline recorded on British farmland. Changes in agricultural practices have been implicated in these population declines. Ireland is an agriculturally dominated landscape but changes in agriculture here have occurred on a relatively slower rate and scale. Little is known about the ecology of the Song Thrush in Ireland, even though it is not classified as a species of conservation concern here. Some decline is thought to have occurred but the current breeding population appears to be stable and widespread. In light of these facts, this study investigated various aspects of Song Thrush ecology in relation to the Irish landscape from 2001-2003. The breeding season extended from mid March to late June, where mean clutch size was 4.1 and number of fledglings was 3.7. There were very few third broods. Daily nest survival rates were calculated for egg stage 0.9362, incubation stage 0.9505 and nestling stage 0.6909. Most nest failures were due to avian predation at both egg and chick stages. Most nests were located 1.3 -2.4m from the ground at trees, bushes or hedgerow. Clutch size was significantly higher on farmland than garden & parkland and woodland, and the number of fledglings was significantly lower in nests in trees than hedgerow and bush sites. Daily nest fail rates were significantly higher at tree sites and partly concealed nests. Nesting areas had significantly denser vertical vegetation than non-nesting areas. Mercury and the organochlorine HEOD were the most common contaminants in Song Thrush eggs and livers. However concentrations and occurrence were low and of no apparent biological or ecological concern. The presence of breeding Song Thrushes was influenced by mixed surrounding farmland, the absence of grass surrounding farmland, ditches especially wet ones, tall dense vegetation and trimmed boundaries. Song Thrush winter densities were predicted by ditches, with wet or dry, low thin vegetation and untrimmed boundaries. Winter densities were almost double that of the breeding season, probably due to the arrival and passage of migrating Song Thrushes through the country, especially in November. Changes in Irish agriculture did not differ significantly in areas of Song Thrush breeding population stability and apparent decline during 1970 1990. Even though the current breeding population heavily uses farmland, woodland, human and scrub habitats are more preferred. Nevertheless no farmland habitat was avoided, highlighting a positive relationship between breeding Song Thrushes and Irish agriculture. This appears to be in contrast with findings between breeding Song Thrushes and British agriculture. Theses findings are compared with other studies and possible influences by agricultural intensification, climate, latitude and insular syndrome are discussed. Implications for conservation measures are considered, especially for areas of decline. Even though Song Thrushes are currently widespread and stable here, future environmental consequences of longer-term changes in Irish agriculture and perhaps climate change remain to be seen.

VCP/p97 is essential for maturation of ubiquitin-containing autophagosomes and this function is impaired by mutations that cause IBMPFD.

VCP (VCP/p97) is a ubiquitously expressed member of the AAA(+)-ATPase family of chaperone-like proteins that regulates numerous cellular processes including chromatin decondensation, homotypic membrane fusion and ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation by the proteasome. Mutations in VCP cause a multisystem degenerative disease consisting of inclusion body myopathy, Paget disease of bone, and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD). Here we show that VCP is essential for autophagosome maturation. We generated cells stably expressing dual-tagged LC3 (mCherry-EGFP-LC3) which permit monitoring of autophagosome maturation. We determined that VCP deficiency by RNAi-mediated knockdown or overexpression of dominant-negative VCP results in significant accumulation of immature autophagic vesicles, some of which are abnormally large, acidified and exhibit cathepsin B activity. Furthermore, expression of disease-associated VCP mutants (R155H and A232E) also causes this autophagy defect. VCP was found to be essential to autophagosome maturation under basal conditions and in cells challenged by proteasome inhibition, but not in cells challenged by starvation, suggesting that VCP might be selectively required for autophagic degradation of ubiquitinated substrates. Indeed, a high percentage of the accumulated autophagic vesicles contain ubiquitin-positive contents, a feature that is not observed in autophagic vesicles that accumulate following starvation or treatment with Bafilomycin A. Finally, we show accumulation of numerous, large LAMP-1 and LAMP-2-positive vacuoles and accumulation of LC3-II in myoblasts derived from patients with IBMPFD. We conclude that VCP is essential for maturation of ubiquitin-containing autophagosomes and that defect in this function may contribute to IBMPFD pathogenesis.

Atypical Fibroxanthoma of the Bulbar Conjunctiva.

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) of the bulbar conjunctiva, and to compare it with previously published cases of conjunctival AFX. METHODS: A 37-year-old woman developed a growth on the bulbar conjunctiva of her left eye that increased in size and redness over 4 months and was associated with blurry vision in the left eye, occasional diplopia, irritation of the eye, and increasing tearing. The mass was surgically excised. RESULTS: Slit-lamp examination disclosed a highly vascularized conjunctival lesion with intact lustrous epithelium and a raised nodular edge encroaching on the nasal corneal limbus of the left eye. Pathological examination and immunohistochemistry were diagnostic of AFX. CONCLUSIONS: AFX of the conjunctiva is rare, with this being only the fifth example of this neoplasm reported at this site. Complete surgical excision is the most appropriate treatment option.

Application of accelerated carbonation with a combination of Na2CO3 and CO2 in cement-based solidification/stabilization of heavy metal-bearing sediment

The efficient remediation of heavy metal-bearing sediment has been one of top priorities of ecosystem protection. Cement-based solidification/stabilization (s/s) is an option for reducing the mobility of heavy metals in the sediment and the subsequent hazard for human beings and animals. This work uses sodium carbonate as an internal carbon source of accelerated carbonation and gaseous CO2 as an external carbon source to overcome deleterious effects of heavy metals on strength development and improve the effectiveness of s/s of heavy metal-bearing sediment. In addition to the compressive strength and porosity measurements, leaching tests followed the Chinese solid waste extraction procedure for leaching toxicity - sulfuric acid and nitric acid method (HJ/T299-2007), German leaching procedure (DIN38414-S4) and US toxicity characteristic leaching procedures (TCLP) have been conducted. The experimental results indicated that the solidified sediment by accelerated carbonation was capable of reaching all performance criteria for the disposal at a Portland cement dosage of 10 wt.% and a solid/water ratio of 1: 1. The concentrations of mercury and other heavy metals in the leachates were below 0.10 mg/L and 5 mg/L, respectively, complying with Chinese regulatory level (GB5085-2007). Compared to the hydration, accelerated carbonation improved the compressive strength of the solidified sediment by more than 100% and reduced leaching concentrations of heavy metals significantly. It is considered that accelerated carbonation technology with a combination of Na2CO3 and CO2 may practically apply to cement-based s/s of heavy metal-bearing sediment. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The interaction of polyacid-modified composite resins ("compomers") with aqueous fluoride solutions

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate how the release of fluoride from two compomers and a fluoridated composite resin was affected by exposure to KF solution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two compomers (Dyract AP and Compoglass F) and one fluoridated composite (Wave) were prepared as discs (6 mm diameter and 2 mm thick), curing with a standard dental lamp. They were then stored in either water or 0.5% KF for 1 week, followed by placement in water for periods of 1 week up to 5 weeks total. Fluoride was determined with and without TISAB (to allow complexed and decomplexed fluoride to be determined), and other ion release (Na, Ca, Al, Si, P) was determined by ICP-OES. RESULTS: Specimens were found not to take up fluoride from 100 ppm KF solution in 24 h, but to release additional fluoride when stored for up to five weeks. Compomers released more fluoride cumulatively following exposure to KF solution (p<0.001), all of which was decomplexed, though initial (1 week) values were not statistically significant for Dyract AP. Other ions showed no variations in release over 1 week, regardless of whether the specimens were exposed to KF. Unlike the compomers, Wave showed no change in fluoride release as a result of exposure to KF. CONCLUSIONS: Compomers are affected by KF solution, and release more fluoride (but not other ions) after exposure than if stored in water.

The use of fluorescence microscopy to define polymer localisation to the late endocytic compartments in cells that are targets for drug delivery

Macromolecular therapeutics and nano-sized drug delivery systems often require localisation to specific intracellular compartments. In particular, efficient endosomal escape, retrograde trafficking, or late endocytic/lysosomal activation are often prerequisites for pharmacological activity. The aim of this study was to define a fluorescence microscopy technique able to confirm the localisation of water-soluble polymeric carriers to late endocytic intracellular compartments. Three polymeric carriers of different molecular weight and character were studied: dextrin (Mw~50,000 g/mol), a N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer (Mw approximately 35,000 g/mol) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) (Mw 5000 g/mol). They were labelled with Oregon Green (OG) (0.3-3 wt.%; <3% free OG in respect of total). A panel of relevant target cells were used: THP-1, ARPE-19, and MCF-7 cells, and primary bovine chondrocytes (currently being used to evaluate novel polymer therapeutics) as well as NRK and Vero cells as reference controls. Specific intracellular compartments were marked using either endocytosed physiological standards, Marine Blue (MB) or Texas-red (TxR)-Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), TxR-Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), TxR-dextran, ricin holotoxin, C6-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl (NBD)-labelled ceramide and TxR-shiga toxin B chain, or post-fixation immuno-staining for early endosomal antigen 1 (EEA1), lysosomal-associated membrane proteins (LAMP-1, Lgp-120 or CD63) or the Golgi marker GM130. Co-localisation with polymer-OG conjugates confirmed transfer to discreet, late endocytic (including lysosomal) compartments in all cells types. The technique described here is a particularly powerful tool as it circumvents fixation artefacts ensuring the retention of water-soluble polymers within the vesicles they occupy.

Task-specific ionic liquid for solubilizing metal oxides

Protonated betaine bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide is an ionic liquid with the ability to dissolve large quantities of metal oxides. This metal-solubilizing power is selective. Soluble are oxides of the trivalent rare earths, uranium(VI) oxide, zinc(II) oxide, cadmium( II) oxide, mercury( II) oxide, nickel( II) oxide, copper(II) oxide, palladium(II) oxide, lead(II) oxide, manganese( II) oxide, and silver( I) oxide. Insoluble or very poorly soluble are iron(III), manganese(IV), and cobalt oxides, as well as aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide. The metals can be stripped from the ionic liquid by treatment of the ionic liquid with an acidic aqueous solution. After transfer of the metal ions to the aqueous phase, the ionic liquid can be recycled for reuse. Betainium bis( trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide forms one phase with water at high temperatures, whereas phase separation occurs below 55.5 degrees C ( temperature switch behavior). The mixtures of the ionic liquid with water also show a pH-dependent phase behavior: two phases occur at low pH, whereas one phase is present under neutral or alkaline conditions. The structures, the energetics, and the charge distribution of the betaine cation and the bis( trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide anion, as well as the cation-anion pairs, were studied by density functional theory calculations.