Synthesis and applications of new cyanopropyl-triethoxy silane and cyanopropyltriethoxysilane nanomaterials as sorbents of selected organophosphorus analysis

Conventional extraction methods such as liquid-liquid extraction for organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are tedious, time consuming, environmental unfriendly, hazardous to the operator, and use large volumes of organic solvents. These problems are addressed by the synthesis and development of two extraction methods based on two new in-house sol-gel nanosorbents for use in solid phasebased extraction. The two new nanomaterials, namely cyanopropyltriethoxysilane (CNPrTEOS) and silica nanoparticles functionalized with CNPrTEOS (SiO2-NPs- CNPrTEOS) were prepared via a sol-gel process. Synthesized sorbents were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The particle sizes of both nanomaterials were between 20 to 500 nm with high surface areas of 379 m2 g-1 and 570 m2 g-1 for CNPrTEOS and SiO2-NPs- CNPrTEOS, respectively. The effects of several sol-gel synthesis parameters were evaluated to optimize sorbent extraction efficiency and increase the extraction of polar and non-polar OPPs simultaneously. The selected OPPs were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector. The synthesized CNPrTEOS was successfully applied as a solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbent to extract three selected OPPs, namely dicrotophos, diazinon and chlorpyrifos. The synthesised SiO2-NPs-CNPrTEOS material was used as new sorbent in SPE and dispersive micro solid phase extraction (D-µ-SPE). Several effective extraction parameters in SPE and D-µ-SPE were optimized. The proposed SPE method based on CNPrTEOS and SiO2-NPs-CNPrTEOS exhibited good linearity between 0.3-100 µg L-1, high enrichment factor (833-1666) and low (0.088-0.214 µg L-1) limits of detection (LODs = 3 × SD/m). Finally, the proposed D-µ-SPE method based on the SiO2-NPs-CNPrTEOS successfully determined the selected polar and non polar OPPs in water samples with excellent recoveries (101.21-109.12%). LODs at ultratrace level (0.047-0.059 µg L-1) were obtained with 10 min of extraction time, small amount of sorbent (50 mg) and low organic solvent volume (150 µL). The LODs obtained using the proposed SPE and D-µ-SPE methods were well below the maximum residue limit (MRL) set by the European Union and LODs of commercial CN-SPE cartridges. The developed environmentally friendly methods using SPECNPrTEOS, SPE-SiO2-NPs-CNPrTEOS and D-µ-SPE-SiO2-NPs-CNPrTEOS provided precise, accurate and excellent recoveries of OPPs from water samples. These new sol-gel materials showed high potential for use as sorbent in solid phasebased extraction of pesticides of variety polarity

Investigation of heavy metals accumulation in muscle tissue of Mugil auratus in relation to standard length, weight, age and sex

We assessed concentration of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd) in the muscle tissue of Mugil auratus caught from important parts of Caspian Sea in Mazandaran Province in autumn 2002. After biometrical measurements, the muscle tissue of 32 randomly selected fish were separated using standard method MOOPAM 1999. Metals were extracted from the tissues using Closed Digestion method and acidic mixture (Moopam, 1983). Concentrations of the heavy metals were measured by FAAS (AAS4 Zeiss Germany). Mean concentrations for Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd (14.327, 0.996, 2.337 and 0321 ppm/dry weight) were compared with the international standards such as WHO, UK (MAFF), and NHMRC. A T. test showed higher than normal concentration of Pb, Cd in the muscle tissues. We found a positive linear relationship between accumulation of Zinc and Cadmium with weight, sex and standard length factors a negative linear relationship between accumulation of Pb with weight, sex and standard length. There was no significant relationship between accumulations of Cu with the biometrical factors of the sampled fish. Also, no relationship was found between sex and accumulation of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, while the accumulation of Pb in male samples were more than female ones

Singlet oxygen, flavonols and photoinhibition in green and senescing silver birch leaves

During autumn senescence, deciduous trees degrade chlorophyll and may synthesize flavonols. We measured photosynthetic parameters, epidermal flavonols, singlet oxygen production in vivo and photoinhibition of the photosystems (PSII and PSI) from green and senescing silver birch (Betula pendula) leaves. Chlorophyll a fluorescence and P700 absorbance measurements showed that the amounts of both photosystems decreased throughout autumn senescence, but the remaining PSII units stayed functional until ~ 90% of leaf chlorophyll was degraded. An increase in the chlorophyll a to b ratio, a decrease in > 700 nm absorbance and a blue shift of the PSI fluorescence peak at 77 K suggest that light-harvesting complex I was first degraded during senescence, followed by light-harvesting complex II and finally the photosystems. Senescing leaves produced more singlet oxygen than green leaves, possibly because low light absorption by senescing leaves allows high flux of incident light per photosystem. Senescing leaves also induced less non-photochemical quenching, which may contribute to increased singlet oxygen production. Faster photoinhibition of both photosystems in senescing than in green leaves, under high light, was most probably caused by low absorption of light and rapid singlet oxygen production. However, senescing leaves maintained the capacity to recover from photoinhibition of PSII. Amounts of epidermal flavonols and singlet oxygen correlated neither in green nor in senescing leaves of silver birch. Moreover, Arabidopsis thaliana mutants, incapable of synthesizing flavonols, were not more susceptible to photoinhibition of PSII or PSI than wild type plants; screening of chlorophyll absorption by flavonols was, however, small in A. thaliana. These results suggest that flavonols do not protect against photoinhibition or singlet oxygen production in chloroplasts

Naming rights, place branding, and the tumultuous cultural landscapes of neoliberal urbanism

In recent decades, urban policymakers have increasingly embraced the selling of naming rights as a means of generating revenue to construct and maintain urban infrastructure. This practice of “toponymic commodification” first emerged with the commercialization of professional sports during the second half of the 20th century and has become an integral part of the policy toolkit of neoliberal urbanism more generally. As a result, the naming of everything from sports arenas to public transit stations has come to be viewed as a sponsorship opportunity, yet such naming rights initiatives have not gone uncontested. This special issue examines the political economy of urban place naming through a series of case studies that consider how the commodification of naming rights is transforming the cultural landscapes of contemporary cities. In this introductory article, we provide an overview of the geographies of toponymic commodification as an emerging research focus within the field of critical urban toponymies and propose several theoretical approaches that can enhance our understanding of the commodification of naming rights as an urban spatial practice. We then discuss the main contributions in this special issue and conclude by exploring potential directions for future research on the geographies of urban toponymic commodification

Investigation in the Pyrolysis of Corrugated Cardboard and Waxed Cardboard into Fuels and Products

Waste corrugated cardboard and waxed cardboard comprise a substantial portion of municipal solid waste. More than 17 million tons of paper products end up in landfills every year, and this number is expected to grow significantly with the increase in human population in the next few decades. Methods of product and energy recovery from waste can serve as means of not only reducing the environmental and economic impacts of landfilling, but also ensuring sufficient energy resources for future generations. Both waste cardboard and waxed cardboard are suitable resources for thermochemical conversion. Utilizing pyrolysis, a set of experiments was developed to establish waste-to-product and waste-to-energy pathways for cardboard and waxed cardboard. In the first step, waste cardboard was extensively characterized and then pyrolyzed in an auger reactor. The pyrolysis products were characterized. The liquid product (oil) could be used as bunker fuel or further refined to harvest valuable compounds such as levoglucosan. Cardboard solid product (char) was found to be suitable for use in composite materials and as soil amendment. In the second step, waxed cardboard was characterized and pyrolyzed and the pyrolysis products (wax-oil and char) were characterized and analyzed. The wax was effectively recovered. The main compounds found in wax-oil were alkanes, alkenes, and dienes (C9 to C36). Higher pyrolysis temperatures resulted in the breakdown of larger carbon chains into smaller chain alkanes. The wax-oil contained an abundance of long-chain hydrocarbons and small number of oxygenated compounds that made it suitable for further upgrading into fuels. In the final step, the wax-oil samples were thermally and catalytically pyrolyzed on a custom-made small tubular batch reactor, and the resultant liquid products were analyzed against gasoline to evaluate their performance as a transport fuel. The products of thermal pyrolysis of the samples were mainly comprised of dienes and short-chain olefins, oxygenated compounds, and minor amounts of aromatic compounds. Their functional groups resembled those found in paraffin. The catalytic pyrolysis liquid products were similar to gasoline in chemical composition and functional groups and could be used as a “drop in” fuel. The addition of zeolite Y as the catalyst facilitated the conversion of long-chain hydrocarbons to short-chain alkanes and aromatics. The catalyst was able to be recovered and reused, which is an important feature for industrial use in catalytic pyrolysis.doctoral, Ph.D., Natural Resources -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2021-0

Upgrading Mixed Agricultural Plastic and Lignocellulosic Waste to Liquid Fuels by Catalytic Pyrolysis

Agriculture generates non-recyclable mixed waste streams, such as plastic (netting, twine, and film) and lignocellulosic residues (bluegrass straw/chaff), which are currently disposed of by burning or landfilling. Thermochemical conversion technologies of agricultural mixed waste (AMW) are an option to upcycle this waste into transportation fuel. In this work, AMW was homogenized by compounding in a twin-screw extruder and the material was characterized by chemical and thermal analyses. The homogenized AMW was thermally and catalytically pyrolyzed (500–600 °C) in a tube batch reactor, and the products, including gas, liquid, and char, were characterized using a combination of FTIR, GC-MS, and ESI-MS. Thermal pyrolysis wax products were mainly a mixture of straight-chain hydrocarbons C7 to C44 and oxygenated compounds. Catalytic pyrolysis using zeolite Y afforded liquid products comprised of short-chain hydrocarbons and aromatics C6 to C23. The results showed a high degree of similarity between the chemical profiles of catalytic pyrolysis products and gasoline

A spatial and social analysis of green space access : a mixed-methods approach for analysing variations in access perceptions

Much research has considered facility access in terms of geographic location (physical distance) and how access varies for different groups. Perceptions of facilities are known to affect access behaviours but little research has considered how access perceptions interact with access behaviours and location. This PhD thesis addresses this gap and combined qualitative and quantitative analyses in a mixed-methods approach that included GIS-based network analyses, capturing access perceptions through questionnaires, and access behaviours through participatory mapping and in-depth interviews, in relation to green spaces in Leicester, UK. In this process, a large integrated dataset was generated combing questionnaire responses (n=452), access routes captured via participatory mapping (n=245) and in-depth interviews about access perceptions (n=14). The outcomes and methods of this research augment standard distance-based on measures of access by combining these with analyses of green space access perceptions and behaviours: a multi-dimensional approach. Adopting a mixed-methods approach supported a multi-dimensional concept and analysis of accessibility. The questionnaire data highlighted the variations between different social groups, access perceptions and behaviours. Analysis of GIS-based network analysis together with the results of the participatory mappings showed that 31% of the participants travel to green spaces rather than using their local facilities and that the route respondents took to their preferred green space were not the shortest path as determined by a GIS-based network analysis. The in-depth interviews, capturing respondent perceptions of access, highlighted the importance of other access-related factors that influenced their perceptions of access and access behaviours. The key message of arising from this research is that measuring accessibility using only spatial analysis provides a narrow definition of access in terms of distance/travel time. Rather, access should be considered as a broad and multi-dimensional concept that requires holistic investigation within which perceptions of access and access behaviours are also included

Upgrading Mixed Agricultural Plastic and Lignocellulosic Waste to Liquid Fuels by Catalytic Pyrolysis

Agriculture generates non-recyclable mixed waste streams, such as plastic (netting, twine, and film) and lignocellulosic residues (bluegrass straw/chaff), which are currently disposed of by burning or landfilling. Thermochemical conversion technologies of agricultural mixed waste (AMW) are an option to upcycle this waste into transportation fuel. In this work, AMW was homogenized by compounding in a twin-screw extruder and the material was characterized by chemical and thermal analyses. The homogenized AMW was thermally and catalytically pyrolyzed (500–600 °C) in a tube batch reactor, and the products, including gas, liquid, and char, were characterized using a combination of FTIR, GC-MS, and ESI-MS. Thermal pyrolysis wax products were mainly a mixture of straight-chain hydrocarbons C7 to C44 and oxygenated compounds. Catalytic pyrolysis using zeolite Y afforded liquid products comprised of short-chain hydrocarbons and aromatics C6 to C23. The results showed a high degree of similarity between the chemical profiles of catalytic pyrolysis products and gasoline

Singlet oxygen, flavonols and photoinhibition in green and senescing silver birch leaves

Mattila H, Sotoudehnia P, Kuuslampi T, Stracke R, Mishra KB, Tyystjärvi E. Singlet oxygen, flavonols and photoinhibition in green and senescing silver birch leaves. Trees. 2021;35(4):1267–1282.**Key message** Decreased absorptance and increased singlet oxygen production may cause photoinhibition of both PSII and PSI in birch leaves during autumn senescence; however, photosynthetic electron transfer stays functional until late senescence. **Abstract** During autumn senescence, deciduous trees degrade chlorophyll and may synthesize flavonols. We measured photosynthetic parameters, epidermal flavonols, singlet oxygen production in vivo and photoinhibition of the photosystems (PSII and PSI) from green and senescing silver birch (Betula pendula) leaves. Chlorophyllafluorescence and P700absorbance measurements showed that the amounts of both photosystems decreased throughout autumn senescence, but the remaining PSII units stayed functional until ~ 90% of leaf chlorophyll was degraded. An increase in the chlorophyllatobratio, a decrease in > 700 nm absorbance and a blue shift of the PSI fluorescence peak at 77 K suggest that light-harvesting complex I was first degraded during senescence, followed by light-harvesting complex II and finally the photosystems. Senescing leaves produced more singlet oxygen than green leaves, possibly because low light absorption by senescing leaves allows high flux of incident light per photosystem. Senescing leaves also induced less non-photochemical quenching, which may contribute to increased singlet oxygen production. Faster photoinhibition of both photosystems in senescing than in green leaves, under high light, was most probably caused by low absorption of light and rapid singlet oxygen production. However, senescing leaves maintained the capacity to recover from photoinhibition of PSII. Amounts of epidermal flavonols and singlet oxygen correlated neither in green nor in senescing leaves of silver birch. Moreover,Arabidopsis thalianamutants, incapable of synthesizing flavonols, were not more susceptible to photoinhibition of PSII or PSI than wild type plants; screening of chlorophyll absorption by flavonols was, however, small inA. thaliana. These results suggest that flavonols do not protect against photoinhibition or singlet oxygen production in chloroplasts

Corrigendum to “Reducing Cardiac Steatosis: Interventions to Improve Diastolic Function: A Narrative Review”. [Current Problems in Cardiology volume 48 (2023) 1–2]

The authors regret the name of one of the authors of this paper (Razieh Ziaei MD) has been removed from the original paper. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused