Preparation of Metal Immobilized Orange Waste Gel for Arsenic(V) Removal From Water

- The toxicity of arsenic is known to be a risk to aquatic flora and fauna and to human health even in relatively low concentration. In this research an adsorption gel was prepared from agricultural waste material (orange waste) through simple chemical modification in the view to remove arsenic (V) from water. Orange waste was crushed into small particles and saponified with Ca(OH)2 to prepare saponified orange waste, which was further modified by immobilizing gadolinium(III) to obtain desired adsorption material (Gd(III)-immobilized SOW gel). The effective pH range for arsenic adsorption was found to be 7.5 – 8.5. Adsorption capacity of the gel was evaluated to be 0.45 mol-arsenic (V)/kg. Dynamic adsorption of arsenic (V) in column-mode was conducted and a dynamic capacity was found to be 0.39 mol/kg. Elution of arsenate was tested after complete saturation of the column packed with gadolinium-immobilized orange waste adsorption gel. A complete elution of arsenate was achieved with the help of 1 M HCl and 28 times pre-concentration factor was attained. This study showed that a cheap and abundant agro-industrial waste material could be successfully employed for the remediation of arsenic pollution in aquatic environment

Usefulness of Real-Time 4D Ultrasonography during Radiofrequency Ablation in a Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

We report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with chronic hepatitis C virus infection successfully treated with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) under live four-dimensional (4D) echo guidance. A 65-year-old Japanese man had a HCC nodule in the liver S5 region 2.0 cm in diameter. We performed real-time 4D ultrasonography during RFA therapy with a LeVeen needle electrode. The echo guidance facilitated an accurate approach for the needle puncture. The guidance was also useful for confirming whether an adequate safety margin for the nodule had been obtained. Thus real-time 4D ultrasonography echo technique appears to provide safe guidance of RFA needles via accurate targeting of HCC nodules, thereby allowing real-time visualization when combined with echo contrast. Furthermore the position of the needle in a still image was confirmed in every area using a multiview procedure

Vibrational couplings and energy transfer pathways of water's bending mode

Yu, CC., Chiang, KY., Okuno, M. et al. Vibrational couplings and energy transfer pathways of water’s bending mode. Nat Commun 11, 5977 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19759-