Natural products may be applied in a wide range of domains, from agriculture to food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, the antioxidant properties and the capacity to inhibit some enzymatic activities of Euphorbia resinifera and Euphorbia officinarum aqueous extracts and honeys were assessed. The physicochemical characteristics were also evaluated. Higher amounts of iron, copper and aluminium were detected in E. officinarum honey, which may indicate environmental pollution around the beehives or inadequate storage of honey samples. This honey sample showed higher amounts of total phenols and better capacity for scavenging superoxide anion free radicals and DPPH free radicals as compared with E. resinifera honey, but poorer capacity for inhibiting lipoxygenase, acetylcholinesterase, tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase. The ratio plant mass:solvent volume (1:100) and extraction time (1 - 2 h) were associated with higher total phenols and better antioxidant activities and lipoxygenase, acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities, regardless of the plant species. The aqueous extracts had systematically higher in vitro activities than the respective honey samples.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A theoretical physicochemical and thermodynamic investigation of the adsorption of heavy metals Zn2+, Cd2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+on carbon-based adsorbents... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A complete survey is presented on the inorganic composition of the euhalophyte annual succulent species Salicornia patula (Chenopodiaceae), including... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Phytoremediation techniques have been proposed as ecological methods to clean up contaminated sites. This study is aimed to evaluate the effect of the... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work studies the effects of different bromide-based ionic liquids, with phosphonium and ammonium cations, towards several environmental... 相似文献
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere by both human activities and natural processes. Volcanic emissions are considered a natural source of mercury in the environment. In some cases, tree ring records taken close to volcanoes and their relation to volcanic activity over time are contradictory. In 1949, the Hoyo Negro volcano (La Palma-Canary Islands) produced significant pyroclastic flows that damaged the nearby stand of Pinus canariensis. Recently, 60 years after the eruption, we assessed mercury concentrations in the stem of a pine which survived volcano formation, located at a distance of 50 m from the crater. We show that Hg content in a wound caused by pyroclastic impacts (22.3 μg kg?1) is an order of magnitude higher than the Hg concentrations measured in the xylem before and after the eruption (2.3 μg kg?1). Thus, mercury emissions originating from the eruption remained only as a mark—in pyroclastic wounds—and can be considered a sporadic and very high mercury input that did not affect the overall Hg input in the xylem. In addition, mercury contents recorded in the phloem (9.5 μg kg?1) and bark (6.0 μg kg?1) suggest that mercury shifts towards non-living tissues of the pine, an aspect that can be related to detoxification in volcanism-adapted species. 相似文献
Ligands present in dissolved organic matter (DOM) form complexes with inorganic divalent mercury (Hg^2+) affecting its bioavailability in pelagic food webs. This investigation addresses the influence of a natural gradient of DOM present in Patagonian lakes on the bioaccumulation of Hg^2+ (the prevailing mercury species in the water column of these lakes) by the algae Cryptomonas erosa and the zooplankters Brachionus calyciflorus and Boeckella antiqua. Hg^2+ accumulation was studied through laboratory experiments using natural water of four oligotrophic Patagonian lakes amended with^197Hg^2+. The bioavailability of Hg^2+ was affected by the concentration and character of DOM. The entrance of Hg^2+ into pelagic food webs occurs mostly through passive and active accumulation. The incorporation of Hg^2+ by Cryptomonas, up to 27% of the Hg^2+ amended, was found to be rapid and dominated by passive adsorption, and was greatest when low molecular weight compounds with protein-like or small phenolic signatures prevailed in the DOM. Conversely, high molecular weight compounds with a humic or fulvic signature kept Hg^2+ in the dissolved phase, resulting in the lowest Hg^2+ accumulation in this algae. In Brachionus and Boeckella the direct incorporation of Hg from the aqueous phase was up to 3% of the Hg^2+ amended. The dietary incorporation of Hg^2+ by Boeckella exceeded the direct absorption of this metal in natural water, and was remarkably similar to the Hg^2+ adsorbed in their prey. Overall, DOM concentration and character affected the adsorption of Hg^2+ by algae through competitive binding, while the incorporation of Hg^2+ into the zooplankton was dominated by trophic or dietary transfer. 相似文献
For a successful enhancement of mechanical properties of metal matrix nanocomposites, a homogeneous nanoparticle dispersion and distribution in the solidified metal is required. Mechanical mixing can be used for initial break-up of agglomerates, and its study can be simplified with dimensional analysis. Using this technique, mixing time and vortex height were assessed while varying fluid properties, impeller angle, and angular speed. Three relevant dimensionless numbers were recognized: the Reynolds (Re), Froude and Galilei (Ga) numbers. Based on blade and impeller shaft angles, a modified Froude number (Fr*) was defined. These parameters were calculated experimentally, varying angular speed from 200 to 1000 rpm for three different impeller angles: 0°, 15° and 30°. This procedure was performed with three fluids: water, and two aqueous glycerin solutions (25% and 50% by volume). Digital images were taken and processed to measure vortex height. Mixing time was measured for water at 0° impeller angle, angular speed ranging from 200 to 1200 rpm. Results showed an optimal dimensionless mixing time with respect to Re. A linear relationship was found between dimensionless vortex height and Fr*. The first had a second order polynomial relationship with the product ReFr*, regardless of impeller angle. This relationship, together with the Ga, specific for each fluid, allows scaling the results to other fluids such as molten pure aluminum. This study allows experimenting in simpler systems that involve transparent fluids, room temperature and low cost, to then elaborate a prediction of vortex height in fluids where measurements are difficult and costly, such as molten metals. 相似文献
Unlike any other foraging phyllostomid bat studied to date, Poey’s flower bats (Phyllonycteris poeyi-Phyllostomidae) emit relatively long (up to 7.2 ms), intense, single-harmonic echolocation calls. These calls are readily
detectable at distances of at least 15 m. Furthermore, the echolocation calls contain only the first harmonic, which is usually
filtered out in the vocal tract of phyllostomids. The foraging echolocation calls of P. poeyi are more like search-phase echolocation calls of sympatric aerial-feeding bats (Molossidae, Vespertilionidae, Mormoopidae).
Intense, long, narrowband, single-harmonic echolocation calls focus acoustic energy maximizing range and favoring detection,
which may be particularly important for cruising bats, like P. poeyi, when flying in the open. Flying in enclosed spaces, P. poeyi emit short, low-intensity, frequency-modulated, multiharmonic echolocation calls typical of other phyllostomids. This is
the first report of a phyllostomid species emitting long, intense, single-harmonic echolocation calls with most energy in
the first harmonic. 相似文献
INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the implementation of a second phase training program for novice drivers in Spain, which puts the primary focus of the training on the higher hierarchical levels of driver behavior. METHOD: Two hundred and sixty-three participants took part throughout the study, which was implemented as an experimental design with the test and control groups assessed before and after the one day safety training. Measurement of the impact of the training program focused on the participants' self-evaluation and self-reporting of some driving behavior indicators related to accident risk. RESULTS: Data analysis showed a change in the expected direction in the scale related to the skills for careful driving, but not for the other four scales considered. A feedback survey about the training course offered some important input for evaluating the organization, contents, tuition, and results of the three parts of the training program (discussion group, on-road and track training) as reported by the participants in the test group. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS: The results of the experiment show that using a one day driver safety course, it is possible to change some of the drivers' evaluations connected to safe driving style into safe direction. The follow-up period was exceptionally long (9 months) and the design (randomly divided experimental and control groups with before and after measurements) was reliable. More effort should be devoted to improving the on-road part of the training, which was often perceived as a typical driving lesson rather than a feedback drive. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The findings suggest consideration of a mandatory 2nd phase driver training programme as a means to raise awareness of the full range of risks encountered by novice drivers, and as already introduced in 5 EU countries: Austria, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg and Switzerland. 相似文献