LIBS Analysis of Geomaterials: Comparative Study of Basalt Plasma Induced by TEA CO 2

We present a study of the plasma generated by transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO2 laser irradiation of a basalt sample. The plasma was induced in air at atmospheric pressure. The same sample was also analyzed using a commercial LIBS system based on Nd:YAG laser and time-gated detection. The main plasma parameters, temperature, and electron number density were determined and analytical capabilities of the two systems compared. Despite differences in laser wavelength, pulse duration, applied fluence, and signal detection scheme, the two systems are comparable in terms of element detectability and limits of detection. In both cases, all elements usually present in geological samples were identified. The estimated limits of detection for most elements were below 100 ppm, while for Cu, Cr, and Sr they were around or below 10 ppm. The obtained results led to the conclusion that simple, cost-effective TEA CO2 LIBS system can find applications for geological explorations

Characterization of a low cost Lagenaria vulgaris based carbon for ranitidine removal from aqueous solutions

Practical aspects of Lagenaria vulgaris shell conversion to activated carbon were examined along with its use in ranitidine adsorption. Kinetics and isotherms of adsorption onto Lagenaria vulgaris carbon (LVC) were correlated to several theoretical adsorption models. The best fit was found in the case of Langmuir and pseudo-second-order model indicating monolayer adsorption. The influence of pH under kinetic study showed slightly hindered adsorption below pH 4. The optimal adsorbent dosage was set to 1 g/L. LVC was characterized by several complementary techniques, including wet chemical techniques such as Boehm's titrations and determination of pH(pzc) and pH of LVC, which revealed neutral nature of the adsorbent. N-2 sorptometry determined specific surface area of 665 m(2)/g and significant ratio of micropores in the sample with maximum wall's diameter of 2.2 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the role of lignin and cellulose in the formation of the final LVC structure. Porous structure of the material was proved by using scanning electron microscopy. Preparation of LVC material drew attention as an easy and low-cost process for production of a highly efficient adsorbent which exhibited fast kinetics of ranitidine removal in the first minutes of contacting and large adsorption capacity (315.5 mg/g) at equilibrium

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase:A Target for Drugs both Ancient and Modern

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy status. It is activated, by a mechanism requiring the tumor suppressor LKB1, by metabolic stresses that increase cellular ADP:ATP and/or AMP:ATP ratios. Once activated, it switches on catabolic pathways that generate ATP, while switching off biosynthetic pathways and cell-cycle progress. These effects suggest that AMPK activators might be useful for treatment and/or prevention of type 2 diabetes and cancer. Indeed, AMPK is activated by the drugs metformin and salicylate, the latter being the major breakdown product of aspirin. Metformin is widely used to treat diabetes, while there is epidemiological evidence that both metformin and aspirin provide protection against cancer. We review the mechanisms of AMPK activation by these and other drugs, and by natural products derived from traditional herbal medicines

Physicochemically modified peat by thermal and oxidation processes as an active material for purification of wastewaters from certain hazardous pollutants

The physicochemical modification of peat through thermal and oxidation processes was carried out, in order to obtain new, inexpensive and active material for purification of different types of waters. During the modification, surface chemical compounds of Shilov type were formed. Batch adsorption properties and suitability of physicochemically modified peat (PCMP) for odor removal were tested in aqueous solutions of H2S and colloidal sulphur. Additionally, PCMP was tested in the removal of As(V) which is hazardous ingredient in contaminated waters. Possible mechanisms of pollutants binding include interactions, which lead to formation of adducts and clathrates. All these processes are elucidated in detail. The results showed that the obtained material can be used for the removal of sulphide, colloidal sulphur and As(V) from different types of waters

Analytical capability of the plasma induced by IR TEA CO2 laser pulses on copper based alloys

The applicability of a nanosecond infrared (IR) transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO2 laser, operating at 10.6 mu m and 100 ns pulse length (initial spike), induced plasma under reduced air pressure for spectrochemical analysis of bronze and brass samples was investigated. The plasma consisted of two clearly distinguished and spatially separated regions and expanded to a distance of about 10 mm from the surface. The elemental composition of the samples was determined using a time-integrated space-resolved laser-induced plasma spectroscopic (TISR-LIPS) technique. Sharp and well-resolved spectral lines mostly atomic, and negligibly low background emission, were obtained from a plasma region 7 mm from the target surface. Good signal to background and signal to noise ratios were obtained. The estimated detection limits for the trace elements Mg, Fe, Al and Ca were in the order of 10 ppm in bronze and around 50 ppm in brass. Damage on the investigated samples induced by TEA CO2 laser radiation was negligible

A study of ordered mesoporous carbon doped with Co and Ni as a catalyst of oxygen reduction reaction in both alkaline and acidic media

The incorporation of trace amounts ( lt 0.2%) of Co and Ni noticeably enhanced the catalytic activity of nitrogen free ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). (Co,Ni)-doped OMCs were characterized by N-2-adsorption measurements, X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy methods, and their ORR activity was estimated by voltammetry on rotating disk electrode in acidic and alkaline media. (Co,Ni)-doped OMCs show modest activities in acidic media, while the catalytic activity in alkaline media is rather high. The measured activities are compared to the Pt-based and Pt-free ORR catalysts reported in the literature. The number of electrons consumed per O-2 in metal-doped OMCs was found to vary between 2 and 4, which is advantageous in comparison to metal-free OMC. Also, the mass activities of metal-doped OMCs were found to be up to 2.5 times higher compared to that of metal-free OMC. We suggest that the ORR activity is governed by a balance between (i) textural properties, which determine the electrochemically accessible surface of the catalyst and which are influenced by the addition of a metal precursor, and (ii) novel active sites formed upon the introduction of metals into the carbon structure. In particular, our Density Functional Theory calculations suggest that Co and Ni atoms embedded into the single vacancies of graphene can activate the O-2 molecule and contribute to the decomposition of peroxide

Investigating the mechanism for AMP activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase cascade

AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is activated allosterically by AMP and by phosphorylation of Thr(172) within the catalytic α subunit. Here we show that mutations in the regulatory γ subunit reduce allosteric activation of the kinase by AMP. In addition to its allosteric effect, AMP significantly reduces the dephosphorylation of Thr(172) by PP (protein phosphatase)2Cα. Moreover, a mutation in the γ subunit almost completely abolishes the inhibitory effect of AMP on dephosphorylation. We were unable to detect any effect of AMP on Thr(172) phosphorylation by either LKB1 or CaMKKβ (Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β) using recombinant preparations of the proteins. However, using partially purified AMPK from rat liver, there was an apparent AMP-stimulation of Thr(172) phosphorylation by LKB1, but this was blocked by the addition of NaF, a PP inhibitor. Western blotting of partially purified rat liver AMPK and LKB1 revealed the presence of PP2Cα in the preparations. We suggest that previous studies reporting that AMP promotes phosphorylation of Thr(172) were misinterpreted. A plausible explanation for this effect of AMP is inhibition of dephosphorylation by PP2Cα, present in the preparations of the kinases used in the earlier studies. Taken together, our results demonstrate that AMP activates AMPK via two mechanisms: by direct allosteric activation and by protecting Thr(172) from dephosphorylation. On the basis of our new findings, we propose a simple model for the regulation of AMPK in mammalian cells by LKB1 and CaMKKβ. This model accounts for activation of AMPK by two distinct signals: a Ca(2+)-dependent pathway, mediated by CaMKKβ and an AMP-dependent pathway, mediated by LKB1