Determination of metals in fish and mussel species by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

The concentrations of cadmium, iron, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, nickel, chromium and cobalt were determined by ICP-AES in muscles, livers, gills and skins of two fish (Clarias gariepinus and Carasobarbus luteus), and in muscles and gills of two mussel species (Unio terminalis and Potamida littoralis) sampled from the Lake Gölba??. Iron showed the highest levels in all examined tissues of both fish species. Following Fe; Zn showed the second highest levels in all examined tissues of both fish species except Mn levels in muscle and gill of C. luteus. In both mussel species, to the contrary fish, manganese showed the highest levels in examined tissues, and followed by Fe. In both fish species, the all metal concentrations in livers were higher than those in muscles. Concentrations in tissues of the analyzed metals were significantly affected by species. There were differences between the metal levels in the similar tissues of the different species (p < 0.05). At the same time, there was also the differences between the metal concentrations in different tissues of the same species (p < 0.05). Metal levels in tissues were compared with national and international permissible limits. Metal concentrations in both edible and other tissues of the sampled species were within the permissible safety levels for human uses.     

OFDM blind carrier offset estimation: ESPRIT

In orthogonal frequency-division multiplex (OFDM) communications, the loss of orthogonality due to the carrier-frequency offset must be compensated before discrete Fourier transform-based demodulation can be performed. This paper proposes a new carrier offset estimation technique for OFDM communications over a frequency-selective fading channel. We exploit the intrinsic structure information of OFDM signals to derive a carrier offset estimator that offers the accuracy of a super resolution subspace method, ESPRIT     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyimide/SiO2 nanocomposite materials containing phenylphosphine oxide via sol‐gel technique

In this article, a series of novel polyimide/silica (PI/SiO₂) nanocomposite coating materials were prepared from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), γ‐glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GOTMS), and polyamic acid (PAA) via sol‐gel technique. PAA was prepared by the reaction of 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and bis (3‐aminophenyl) phenyphosphine oxide (BAPPO) in N‐methyl‐2‐ pyrrolidone (NMP). BAPPO was synthesized hydrogenation of bis (3‐nitrophenyl) phenyphosphine oxide (BNPPO) in the presence of Pd/C. The silica content in the hybrid coating materials was varied from 0 to 20 wt %. The molecular structures of the composite materials were analyzed by means of FT‐IR and ²⁹Si‐NMR spectroscopy techniques. The physical and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were evaluated by various techniques such as, hardness, contact angle, and optical transmission and tensile tests. These measurements revealed that all the properties of the nanocomposite coatings were improved noticeable, by the addition of sol‐gel precursor into the coating formulation. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the incorporation of sol‐gel precursor into the polyimide matrix leads to an enhancement in the thermal stability and also flame resistance properties of the coating material. The surface morphology of the hybrid coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM studies indicated that nanometer‐scaled inorganic particles were homogenously dispersed throughout the polyimide matrix © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Applicability of the various adsorption models of three dyes adsorption onto activated carbon prepared waste apricot

In this study, activated carbon (WA11Zn5) was prepared from waste apricot, which is waste in apricot plants in Malatya, by chemical activation with ZnCl(2). BET surface area of activated carbon is determined as 1060 m(2)/g. Activated carbon includes both micro and mesopores. Percentages of micropores and mesopores area are determined 36% and 74%, percentage of micropores and mesopores volume is 19% and 81%, respectively. The ability of WA11Zn5, to remove three dyes, methylene blue (MB), malachite green (MG), and crystal violet (CV), from effluent solutions by adsorption has been studied. The adsorption capacities of WA11Zn5 decreases in the order malachite green (MG)>methylene blue (MB)>crystal violet (CV). Equilibrium isotherms for the adsorption of three dyes on activated carbon were measured experimentally. Results were analyzed by the Langmiur, Freundlich, Dubinin-Redushkevich (D-R), Temkin, Frumkin, Harkins-Jura, Halsey and Henderson equation using linearized correlation coefficient at different temperature. The characteristic parameters for each isotherm have been determined. Models and the isotherm constant were evaluated depending on temperature. Langmiur and Frumkin equation is found to best represent the equilibrium data for three dye-WA11Zn5 systems.     

Seasonal effects in the nutritional quality of the body structural tissue of cephalopods

The most commonly-consumed cephalopods around the world (the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, European squid, Loligo vulgaris, common octopus, Octopus vulgaris and musky octopus, Eledone moschata) were evaluated in terms of seasonal variations in proximate and fatty acid compositions. The arms of the octopuses were used for this study, whereas the mantle of the other species (squids and cuttlefish) were used for the analyses. The lipid contents of species were found to be very low and considered as lean. The lowest lipid content was obtained from E. moschata (0.60–0.68%), whereas L. vulgaris gave the highest level of lipid (1.34–1.92%) throughout all seasons. Unlike lipid content, protein contents of cephalopods did not change across the seasons. The fatty acid compositions of each species ranged from 28.18% to 35.28% saturated (SFA), 4.36–9.47% monounsaturated (MUFAs) and 43.58–56.55% polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs). The highest proportions of fatty acids in cephalopods were myristic acid (C14:0, 0.96–2.96%), palmitic acid (C16:0, 15.53–25.20%), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0, 1.05–2.56%), stearic acid (C18:0, 4.32–9.96%), oleic acid (cis18:1 n−9, 1.80–4.29%), cis-11-eicosenoic acid (C20:1, 2.07–4.69%), linoleic acid (C18:2 n−6, 0.17–1.95%), arachidonic acid (C20:4 n−6, 1.48–11.65%), cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n−3, 7.86–16.97%) and cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n−3, 20.99–39.00%). The results indicated that these cephalopod species are excellent protein sources and very rich in n−3 fatty acids.     

How do people with different attachment styles balance work and family? A personality perspective on work–family linkage.

This study explored whether different models of work–family relationship were possible for individuals with different attachment styles. A mail survey was conducted using employees (N?=?481) at a midwestern university in the United States. Results suggested that (a) individuals with a preoccupied attachment pattern were more likely to experience negative spillover from the family/home to the work domain than those with a secure or dismissing style, (b) securely attached individuals experienced positive spillover in both work and family domains more than those in the other groups, and (c) preoccupied individuals were much less likely to use a segmentation strategy than the other 3 attachment groups. However, when the conventional job satisfaction–life satisfaction relationship was examined, the data provided unique support for the spillover model. Implications of the findings for both attachment and work–family relationship literatures are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can primary failure of arteriovenous fistulas be anticipated?

Primary failure, early thrombosis, and inadequate maturation are the main complications encountered in arteriovenous fistulas. Doppler ultrasonographic assessment of flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) is currently used for the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis. Clinical experience in the use of FMD for preoperative assessment of vasculature is rather limited; therefore, we sought to elucidate the relationship between preoperative FMD and primary failure of the fistula. Thirty‐three patients with end‐stage renal disease who were admitted to our hospital between January and July 2005 were included in our study. Medical histories were established and the internal diameter, wall thickness, peak systolic flow rate, and resistive index (RI) were measured in the cephalic vein and radial and brachial arteries. Flow‐mediated dilatation and nitrate‐mediated dilatation (NMD) of the brachial artery were assessed. Fistulas were evaluated 48 hours and 30 days postoperatively. Brachial arterial internal diameter was lower in all fistulas that developed primary failure in 48 hours (0.4 ± 0.07 cm vs. 0.35 ± 0.07 cm, P = 0.016). The radial artery RI was found to be significantly elevated in fistulas with both early (48‐hour) and late‐term (30‐day) failure (0.9 ± 0.08 vs. 0.68 ± 0.3, P = 0.01, and 0.86 ± 0.8 vs. 0.67 ± 0.3, P = 0.038, respectively). The brachial artery peak systolic flow rate was significantly reduced in patients in the radiocephalic fistula group that developed early and late‐term failure (42.9 ± 12 cm/sec vs. 68.4 ± 10 cm/sec, P = 0.01, and 44.1 ± 13 cm/sec vs. 57.7 ± 16 cm/sec, P = 0.038, respectively). Our study, constrained by a smaller, older patient group, was unable to show a statistically significant correlation between FMD, NMD, and fistula success. Any single parameter may not be sufficient to assess vascular health preoperatively. A multifactorial approach incorporating parameters evaluating arterial and venous function might be more effective in predicting fistula success. Further studies on larger patient groups may indeed demonstrate the value of these assessments.