Photodegradation study of three dipyrone metabolites in various water systems: identification and toxicity of their photodegradation products

The photochemical behaviour of three relevant metabolites of the analgesic and antipyretic drug dipyrone, 4-methylaminoantipyrine (4-MAA), 4-formylaminoantipyrine (4-FAA) and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine (4-AAA), was evaluated under simulated solar irradiation (Suntest system). For 4-MAA, different aqueous solutions (synthetic seawater, freshwater and Milli-Q water) as well as different operational conditions were compared. According to the experimental results, 4-MAA resulted as being an easily degraded molecule by direct photolysis, with half-life times (t1/2) ranging from 0.12 to 0.58 h, depending on the irradiation conditions. Faster degradation was observed in synthetic waters, suggesting that the photolysis was influenced by the salt composition of the waters. However, no effect on the degradation rate was observed by the presence of natural photosensitizers (dissolved organic matter, nitrate ions). 4-FAA and 4-AAA showed slower photodegradation kinetics, with t1/2 of 24 and 28 h, respectively. A study of photoproduct identification was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) (ESI positive mode), which allowed us to propose a tentative photodegradation pathway for 4-MAA and the identification of persistent by-products in all the cases. Finally, the application of an acute toxicity test (Daphnia magna) showed an increase in toxicity during the photolytic process, a consequence of the formation of toxic photoproducts.     

Interfacing system dynamics and multiobjective programming for regional water resources planning

A preliminary planning methodology is presented. This approach relies upon a strategy identification mechanism, a system dynamics model to simulate the behaviour of the identified strategies and multiobjective programming formulations to evaluate them. An application to regional water resources planning in the Guadiana basin is included to illustrate the methodology.     

Biodeterioration of the Lions Fountain at the Alhambra Palace, Granada (Spain)

Stone works of art exposed to the environment are liable to be deteriorated by the action of biological agents such as bacteria, fungi, mosses, etc. In ornamental fountains, the microorganisms present in water can contribute to these biodeterioration processes. This paper assesses the biodeterioration experienced by the Lions Fountain at the Alhambra Palace in Granada (Spain). Analyses have been made of the biodeterioration of Lions 4, 5 and 9, the biofouling of the fountain basin, and the water supply system. Conventional and molecular biology techniques have identified microorganisms belonging to various microbial groups (-, β- and γ-Protebacteria, Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia and Eukaryota). Additionally, on the mortar in the sculptures the presence of algae and bryophytes has been observed. X-ray diffraction allowed both the detection of neoformation mineral products that can be related with the presence of microorganisms and the corrosion products in the Lions Fountain. A number of recommendations are made regarding the prevention and control of biodeterioration in this important work of art.     

景观意识和地域性运动

城市地域扩散已成为当代的一个普遍现象,城市规划师的职责是对自然和城市环境进行保护和限制.在"景观"这一概念中,既有物质的内容--环境设计,也包含了对想象的认知--精神意义的解释和表达.景观文化表达了人类和自然作为一种两元关系,是如何在地域变化过程中互补和相互平衡的.     

Environmental Open Data in Urban Platforms: An Approach to the Big Data Life Cycle

ABSTRACT

Through a literature review, this paper proposes an assessment framework to evaluate environmental open data in urban platforms under the data life cycle approach. For this purpose, a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators has been defined for each of the stages of the data life cycle: acquisition, access, analysis, and application. As confirmation of the capabilities of this approach, we illustrate the results of its application in six data portals along with analyses, comparisons, and conclusions regarding the results. The cases reveal that an interest exists in providing environmental information, but the capability to transform the data information into knowledge relevant for cities is rather low.     

Land inputs of trace metals, major elements, particulate organic carbon and suspended solids to an industrial coastal bay of the NE Atlantic

Rivers, streams and municipal and industrial effluents flowing into the Ferrol Ria (NW Spain) were analyzed for dissolved and particulate trace elements (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn), particulate major elements (Al, Fe, Si), particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC and PON), and total suspended solids. Trace metal clean techniques were applied. Mean annual fluxes of these components were calculated. Dissolved trace metal concentrations in the major freshwater inputs were found to be within typical values for uncontaminated rivers: Cd: 0.020-0.035 nM; Cu: 11.7-19.2 nM; Pb: 0.40-0.71 nM and Zn: 18-54 nM. Two sources of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were observed: (i) a detrital SPM, which becomes more important at high river discharges, with metal concentrations tending to lithogenic values; (ii) an organic- and metal-rich SPM, which becomes dominant at low discharges. Municipal and industrial effluents in the northern shore, despite of constitute a minor freshwater contribution to the bay, were responsible for more than 50% of total inputs of Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, POC and PON. The fluxes of trace metals obtained for the Ferrol Ria are in the range of other inhabited world semi-enclosed embayments.     

A statistical view of iterative methods for linear inverse problems

In this article, we study the problem of recovering the unknown solution of a linear ill-posed problem, via iterative regularization methods, from a statistical point of view. The basic purpose of the paper is to develop adaptive model selection techniques for determining the regularization parameters, i.e., the iteration index. We assume observations are taken over a fixed grid and we consider solutions over a sequence of finite-dimensional subspaces. Based on concentration inequalities techniques, we derive non-asymptotic optimal upper bounds for the mean square error of the proposed estimator.     

Low-dimensional, hinged bar-code metal oxide layers and free-standing, ordered organic nanostructures from turbostratic vanadium oxide

Both low-dimensional bar-coded metal oxide layers, which exhibit molecular hinging, and free-standing organic nanostructures can be obtained from unique nanofibers of vanadium oxide (VO(x)). The nanofibers are successfully synthesized by a simple chemical route using an ethanolic solution of vanadium pentoxide xerogel and dodecanethiol resulting in a double bilayered laminar turbostratic structure. The formation of vanadium oxide nanofibers is observed after hydrothermal treatment of the thiol-intercalated xerogel, resulting in typical lengths in the range 2-6 microm and widths of about 50-500 nm. We observe concomitant hinging of the flexible nanofiber lamina at periodic hinge points in the final product on both the nanoscale and molecular level. Bar-coded nanofibers comprise alternating segments of organic-inorganic (thiols-VO(x)) material and are amenable to segmented, localized metal nanoparticle docking. Under certain conditions free-standing bilayered organic nanostructures are realized.     

Friction Coefficient Measurement of Hydrogel Materials on Living Epithelial Cells

Soft biomaterials are often used in applications that involve contact and relative motion against biological tissues, as well as complicated and variable environments. The friction coefficient of these contacts involving living human cells is of key importance in the analysis and success of these devices. This work measures the contacting friction coefficient between soft hydrogel biomaterial surfaces against live human corneal epithelial cells using a custom micro-tribometer. The friction coefficients were of the order of μ = 0.03 for contacts that did not cause gross destruction of the cell layer. Damage to the confluent cell layer was assessed using a Trypan blue stain with optical microscopy. This damage was quantified statistically using image-processing software. The damage was also correlated to in situ friction measurements, with the lowest friction values seen on undamaged cells and higher friction on damaged regions.