Heavy metal contamination of soil and sediment in Zambia

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most important problems in Zambia and causes serious effects to humans and animals. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of heavy metals in main areas of Zambia and understand the characteristics of the pollution in each area. River and lake sediments and soil samples were collected from a large area of Zambia and analyzed for ten heavy metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Sr and Hg). The results indicate that heavy metal pollution in Zambia has strong regional differences. Using cluster analysis, the patterns of heavy metal pollution were divided into three major clusters: (1) Kabwe, (2) Copperbelt and (3) Lusaka and other areas. Heavy metals in the Copperbelt area are transported to downstream areas by the Kafue River. Pollution was also detected in national parks, and Lake Itezhi-tezhi has been polluted with high concentrations of Cu, possibly from mining activities in the upper reaches of the river. However, areas geographically distant from mining beds had only moderate or low heavy metal concentrations, although the concentrations of Pb and Zn were highly correlated with the populations of each town. Our findings indicate that heavy metal pollution in Zambia is still increasing, due to human activities, especially mining.Key words: Heavy metal, contamination, mining, soil, sediment

In situ SR-XPS observation of Ni-assisted low-temperature formation of epitaxial graphene on 3C-SiC/Si

Low-temperature (~1073 K) formation of graphene was performed on Si substrates by using an ultrathin (2 nm) N

Spins in few-electron quantum dots

This review describes the physics of spins in quantum dots containing one or two electrons, from an experimentalist's viewpoint. Various methods for extracting spin properties from experiment are presented, restricted exclusively to electrical measurements. Furthermore, experimental techniques are discussed that allow for: (1) the rotation of an electron spin into a superposition of up and down, (2) the measurement of the quantum state of an individual spin and (3) the control of the interaction between two neighbouring spins by the Heisenberg exchange interaction. Finally, the physics of the relevant relaxation and dephasing mechanisms is reviewed and experimental results are compared with theories for spin-orbit and hyperfine interactions. All these subjects are directly relevant for the fields of quantum information processing and spintronics with single spins (i.e. single-spintronics).Comment: final version (52 pages, 49 figures), Rev. Mod. Phy

Phenothiourea Sensitizes Zebrafish Cranial Neural Crest and Extraocular Muscle Development to Changes in Retinoic Acid and IGF Signaling

1-phenyl 2-thiourea (PTU) is a tyrosinase inhibitor commonly used to block pigmentation and aid visualization of zebrafish development. At the standard concentration of 0.003% (200 µM), PTU inhibits melanogenesis and reportedly has minimal other effects on zebrafish embryogenesis. We found that 0.003% PTU altered retinoic acid and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) regulation of neural crest and mesodermal components of craniofacial development. Reduction of retinoic acid synthesis by the pan-aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor diethylbenzaldehyde, only when combined with 0.003% PTU, resulted in extraocular muscle disorganization. PTU also decreased retinoic acid-induced teratogenic effects on pharyngeal arch and jaw cartilage despite morphologically normal appearing PTU-treated controls. Furthermore, 0.003% PTU in combination with inhibition of IGF signaling through either morpholino knockdown or pharmacologic inhibition of tyrosine kinase receptor phosphorylation, disrupted jaw development and extraocular muscle organization. PTU in and of itself inhibited neural crest development at higher concentrations (0.03%) and had the greatest inhibitory effect when added prior to 22 hours post fertilization (hpf). Addition of 0.003% PTU between 4 and 20 hpf decreased thyroxine (T4) in thyroid follicles in the nasopharynx of 96 hpf embryos. Treatment with exogenous triiodothyronine (T3) and T4 improved, but did not completely rescue, PTU-induced neural crest defects. Thus, PTU should be used with caution when studying zebrafish embryogenesis as it alters the threshold of different signaling pathways important during craniofacial development. The effects of PTU on neural crest development are partially caused by thyroid hormone signaling

In Situ SR-XPS Observation of Ni-Assisted Low-Temperature Formation of Epitaxial Graphene on 3C-SiC/Si

Low-temperature (~1073 K) formation of graphene was performed on Si substrates by using an ultrathin (2 nm) Ni layer deposited on a 3C-SiC thin film heteroepitaxially grown on a Si substrate. Angle-resolved, synchrotron-radiation X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (SR-XPS) results show that the stacking order is, from the surface to the bulk, Ni carbides(Ni(3)C/NiC(x))/graphene/Ni/Ni silicides (Ni(2)Si/NiSi)/3C-SiC/Si. In situ SR-XPS during the graphitization annealing clarified that graphene is formed during the cooling stage. We conclude that Ni silicide and Ni carbide formation play an essential role in the formation of graphene