Methodology to assess groundwater pollution conditions (current and pre-disposition) in the São Carlos and Ribeirão Preto regions,Brazil

The goal of the study was to establish a methodology for territorial zoning based on predicted groundwater pollution. The 31 attributes identified were divided into six different environmental components associated with the transport of contaminants to the geological medium. Two indices were obtained: the pre-disposition index (PI), and the potential pollution intensity index (PPII). The paper reports an assessment of the potential pollution of the groundwater in the sandstones of the Botucatu and Pirambóia Formations, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The region was divided into 447 units according to the type of land use, size of watershed and degree of lithological homogeneity. The units were assessed for potential pollution in the pre-disposition condition (based on geological/geotechnical data) and the complete condition (geological/geotechnical and situation specific data) using the analytical hierarchical process method. A high degree of pollution potential was established for 35 of the units in the complete condition and 157 units in the pre-disposition condition. The study has highlighted areas where attention to pollution control should be focused.      

Synergistic Effect in Selective Reduction of NO by Alkanes over Mechanically Mixed Oxide Catalysts

The process of selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides by propane in the presence of O₂, as well as in the presence or absence of CO, was studied over series of commercial oxide catalysts used in petrochemical processes. For the first time synergistic effect was observed for catalytic systems consisting of mechanical mixtures of Cu–Zn–Ni–Al (catalyst I) + Fe–Cr (catalyst II) and Cu–Zn–Ni–Al (catalyst I) + Ni–Cr (catalyst III). The activity of these mixtures in nitrogen oxides reduction by propane was greater than that of individual components in each case. The worked-out catalytical systems showed high effectivity in the process of simultaneous removal of several toxic components: NO _x , CO, hydrocarbons – from model gas mixtures, as well as from real exhausts of automotive transport.     

Ru-Containing Polymeric Catalysts for Cellulose Conversion to Polyols

In this paper Ru-containing catalysts based on hypercrosslinked polystyrene (MN-270) and its functional analogues (MN-100 and MN-500) were studied for the first time in cellulose hydrolytic hydrogenation. The catalysts were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM, and porosity measurements. Catalytic studies demonstrated that the catalyst containing 1.0 % Ru and based on MN-270 is the most active. The total yield of sorbitol and mannitol was 50 % on the average at 85 % cellulose conversion.     

High retention of polarization in polycrystalline M/PZT/M capacitors in the presence of depolarization field near grain boundaries

Recently, we reported on the photovoltaic current observed in poled capacitors with polycrystalline Pb(ZrTi)O(3) (PZT) films, where (111)-oriented PZT grains are separated by an ultrathin semiconductor PbO phase. This photocurrent is driven by the depolarization field, which is generated by residual uncompensated polarization charge located on grain boundaries near electrodes. We showed that the photocurrent can serve as a criterion of existence of the depolarization field and demonstrated that this field is retained in the film for at least one year. Here, we present new experimental and numerical results which confirm the proposed conception of the photovoltaic effect. We study the photocurrent depending on the kind of electrodes, preliminary illumination in an open-circuit regime, and light intensity of LED, and give evidence of retention of the depolarization field in the films for at least for one and one-half years. The numerical study of the photovoltaic effect at extremely high photogeneration rate shows that total compensation of the polarization charge by photoexcited carriers in these structures is impossible. This photovoltaic effect can be used for nondestructive readout in ferroelectric memory.     

Changes in soil carbon stock after cropland conversion to grassland in Russian temperate zone: measurements versus model simulation

The collapse of Soviet Union in early 1990s led to abandonment of large area of arable land which is assumed to act as a carbon (C) sink. We studied the ability of two dynamic soil C models (Yasso07 and RothC) to predict changes in soil C content after cropland abandonment. The performance of the models was compared using the results of a long-term experiment in Pushchino, Moscow region (54°50′N, 37°35′E) in Russia. The experiment was divided in four combinations of fertilizer or mowing treatments on former cropland soil. The soil C content was determined in the year of establishment (1980) and thereafter in 1999 and 2004. The soil C stocks increased by about 1.5- to 1.8-fold during the study period. Both models predicted the overall change in soil C relatively well (modelling efficiency of Yasso07 and RothC were 0.60 and 0.73, respectively). According to the models, the soil gained on average 140–150 g C m^?2 year^?1 during the first 5 years after conversion of cropland to grassland. The C sequestration rate decreased to 40–50 g C m^?2 year^?1 after 20 years of land use change. The sequestration rates estimated in this study are comparable to the rates observed in other studies.     

Proliferation to Apoptosis Tumor Cell Ratio as a Biomarker to Improve Clinical Management of Pre-Malignant and Symptomatic Plasma Cell Neoplasms

Proliferation and apoptosis of neoplastic cells are prognostic biomarkers in plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs). The prognostic capacity of proliferation to apoptosis ratio (Ratio-PA) in the era of immunomodulatory treatments is re-evaluated in 316 gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), 57 smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), and 266 multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Ratio-PA of 0.77 ± 0.12, 1.94 ± 0.52, and 11.2 ± 0.7 (p < 0.0001) were observed in MGUS, SMM, and MM patients. Ten-year overall survival (10y-OS) rates for patients with low/high Ratio-PA were 93.5%/77.3% p < 0.0001) for MGUS, 82.5%/64.7% (p < 0.05) for SMM, and 62.3%/47.0% (p < 0.05) for MM. For patients with low, intermediate, and high risk, 10y-OS for low/high Ratio-PA were 95.5%/72.9% (p < 0.0001), 74.2%/50.4% (p < 0.0001), and 35.3%/20.0% (p = 0.836), respectively. Ratio-PA was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 2.119, p < 0.0001, Harrell-C-statistic = 0.7440 ± 0.0194) when co-analyzed with sex, age, and standard risk. In patients with Ratio-PA^high, only first-line therapy with VRd/VTd, but not PAD/VCD, coupled with ASCT was associated with high 10y-OS (82.7%). Tumor cell Ratio-PA estimated at diagnosis offers a prognostic biomarker that complements standard risk stratification and helps to guide the clinical management of pre-malignant and symptomatic PCNs. Every effort should be made to provide first-line therapies including VTd or VRd associated with ASCT to patients with Ratio-PA^high at higher risk of progression and death.