Comparing Trace Elements (As, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in Soils and Surface Waters among Montane, Upland Watersheds and Lowland, Urban Watersheds in New England, USA

Trace element biogeochemistry from soils to rivers is important for toxicity to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this study was to determine whether trace element exports in contrasting watersheds are controlled by their abundance in soil, current land uses in the watershed, or geologic processes. Upland soils and river water samples were collected throughout the Deerfield watershed in southern Vermont and western Massachusetts and in the Quinebaug and Shetucket watersheds of eastern Connecticut. Soil concentrations were only an important predictor for dissolved Fe export, but no other trace element. Soil pH was not correlated with normalized dissolved exports of trace elements, but DOC was correlated with normalized dissolved Pb and Ni exports. The limited spatial and depth of soil sampling may have contributed to the poor correlation. Surprisingly, linear regressions and principal component analysis showed that human development was associated with higher soil trace metal concentrations but not significantly correlated with dissolved trace elements export. Instead, forest abundance was a strong predictor for lower Cu, Pb, and Zn soil concentrations and lower As, Fe, Ni and Pb dissolved exports across the watersheds. Dissolved exports of Al, K, and Si suggest that enhanced mineral dissolution in the montane watersheds was likely an important factor for matching or exceeding normalized pollutant trace element exports in more urbanized watersheds. Further studies are needed to evaluate subsurface/hyporheic controls as well as soil–surface water interface to quantify exchange and transport.

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Diversity in Ruby Geochemistry and Its Inclusions: Intra- and Inter- Continental Comparisons from Myanmar and Eastern Australia

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min9010028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 28 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Frederick Sutherland ◽

Khin Zaw ◽

Sebastien Meffre ◽

Jay Thompson ◽

Karsten Goemann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

New England ◽

Trace Element ◽

Oxygen Isotope ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Pb Isotopes ◽

South Wales ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Fold Belts

Ruby in diverse geological settings leaves petrogenetic clues, in its zoning, inclusions, trace elements and oxygen isotope values. Rock-hosted and isolated crystals are compared from Myanmar, SE Asia, and New South Wales, East Australia. Myanmar ruby typifies metasomatized and metamorphic settings, while East Australian ruby xenocrysts are derived from basalts that tapped underlying fold belts. The respective suites include homogeneous ruby; bi-colored inner (violet blue) and outer (red) zoned ruby; ruby-sapphirine-spinel composites; pink to red grains and multi-zoned crystals of red-pink-white-violet (core to rim). Ruby ages were determined by using U-Pb isotopes in titanite inclusions (Thurein Taung; 32.4 Ma) and zircon inclusions (Mong Hsu; 23.9 Ma) and basalt dating in NSW, >60–40 Ma. Trace element oxide plots suggest marble sources for Thurein Taung and Mong Hsu ruby and ultramafic-mafic sources for Mong Hsu (dark cores). NSW rubies suggest metasomatic (Barrington Tops), ultramafic to mafic (Macquarie River) and metasomatic-magmatic (New England) sources. A previous study showed that Cr/Ga vs. Fe/(V + Ti) plots separate Mong Hsu ruby from other ruby fields, but did not test Mogok ruby. Thurein Taung ruby, tested here, plotted separately to Mong Hsu ruby. A Fe-Ga/Mg diagram splits ruby suites into various fields (Ga/Mg < 3), except for magmatic input into rare Mogok and Australian ruby (Ga/Mg > 6). The diverse results emphasize ruby’s potential for geographic typing.

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Design of an Expert System for Mitigating Trace Element Toxicity in Cancer Risk Management

Cancer Informatics ◽

10.4137/cin.s10770 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. CIN.S10770

Author(s):

P.T. Krishna Kumar ◽

P.T. Vinod ◽

Vir V. Phoha ◽

S.S. Iyengar ◽

Puneeth Iyengar

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Trace Elements ◽

Expert System ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Trace Element ◽

Principal Component ◽

Causative Factors ◽

Excess Concentration ◽

Correlated Information ◽

Cancer Risk Management

Cancer risk management involves obliterating excess concentration of cancer causing trace elements by the natural immune system and hence intake of nutritious diet is of paramount importance. Human diet should consist of essential macronutrients that have to be consumed in large quantities and trace elements are to be consumed in very little amount. As some of these trace elements are causative factors for various types of cancer and build up at the expense of macronutrients, cancer risk management of these trace elements should be based on their initial concentration in the blood of each individual and not on their tolerable upper intake level. We propose an information theory based Expert System (ES) for estimating the lowest limit of toxicity association between the trace elements and the macronutrients. Such an estimate would enable the physician to prescribe required medication containing the macronutrients to annul the toxicity of cancer risk trace elements. The lowest limit of toxicity association is achieved by minimizing the correlated information of the concentration correlation matrix using the concept of Mutual Information (MI) and an algorithm based on a Technique of Determinant Inequalities (TDI) developed by the authors. The novelty of our ES is that it provides the lowest limit of toxicity profile for all trace elements in the blood not restricted to a group of compounds having similar structure. We demonstrate the superiority our algorithm over Principal Component Analysis in mitigating trace element toxicity in blood samples.

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Lower Douro River basin (Portugal) water quality – Focus on trace element changes and anthropogenic sources of contamination

Global NEST Journal ◽

10.30955/gnj.001341 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 252-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Trace Elements ◽

Trace Element ◽

Principal Component ◽

Middle Part ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Common Source ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Trace Element Levels ◽

Douro River

The Douro River lower basin water quality was studied regarding its concentration on 18 trace elements (Be, Al, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Ba, Tl, Pb and U, measured by ICP-MS). Other physicochemical parameters, such as pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and water temperature were also determined in situ. To take into account the expected spatio-temporal changes and to look for anthropogenic influences on trace element levels, samples (n=88) were collected at 11 sampling sites in four sampling campaigns (October 2007; January, March and July 2008), in both low and high tides, in order to evaluate spatial, seasonal and tidal changes. A multivariate approach – principal component analysis – was used to investigate interelement correlations and the variability observed in the different data sets. <div> According to aquatic life limits (CCME, 2011), the quality of Douro River water was found acceptable. Except for DO, where a significant number of samples presented levels below 5.0 mg l-1, Cr(VI) (mean±sd = 3.09±1.54; median = 2.82 ppb) and Se (10.9±10.1; 7.74 ppb) all the other parameters measured fell well within acceptable limits. Occasional high levels were found for most trace elements, reflecting sporadic and local inputs. Important spatial differences in trace element levels were also found. Except for Be, Al and Mn, most metals tended to increase in the downstream direction. Some trace elements related with agriculture practices (Zn, Cu and Ni) were higher in samples collected on sampling sites located at the middle part of the studied area and were highly correlated, reflecting an eventual common source. Important seasonal differences in trace element levels were also observed, e.g., October samples were generally characterized by higher Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb levels. </div>

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Selected trace element concentrations in ambient air and in horse chestnut leaves in Belgrade

Chemical Industry and Chemical Engineering Quarterly ◽

10.2298/ciceq131216019d ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 (1-2) ◽

pp. 169-178

Author(s):

I. Deljanin ◽

D. Antanasijevic ◽

Anicic Urosevic ◽

M. Tomasevic ◽

Z. Sekulic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Trace Element ◽

Principal Component ◽

Heating System ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Horse Chestnut ◽

Element Concentrations ◽

Stationary Heating ◽

Atmospheric Concentrations ◽

Pm10 Mass

In this study, airborne particulates (PM10) and leaves of horse chestnut were collected at selected urban sites in Belgrade, Serbia, in years 2006, 2009 and 2012. All samples were analysed for trace element concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb. It has been shown that, during the study period, the differences among PM10 mass trace element concentrations were not considerable, and that the measured mass and trace elements concentrations were below the Serbian and EU legislation limits. Highest values of trace element concentrations in leaves were observed in year 2012, with the exception of Pb. Lead concentration had a decreasing trend during the whole studied period, in both PM10 and tree leaves. Since leaded gasoline was banned in 2011, a possible reason could be an increasing number of vehicles using unleaded kind along the previous years. Although trace elements in horse chestnut leaves were accumulated only during summer season, horse chestnut leaves showed good response to changes in trace element atmospheric concentrations. However, seasonal variability was evident in trace element source apportionment due to the lack of stationary heating system influence. The Principal Component Analysis showed that during the studied period, one of the major sources of the measured elements was fossil fuel combustion.

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Functional Feeding Groups of Aquatic Insects Influence Trace Element Accumulation: Findings for Filterers, Scrapers and Predators from the Po Basin

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology9090288 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 288

Author(s):

Paolo Pastorino ◽

Annalisa Zaccaroni ◽

Alberto Doretto ◽

Elisa Falasco ◽

Marina Silvi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Trace Element ◽

Aquatic Insects ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Principal Component ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Functional Feeding Groups ◽

Feeding Groups ◽

Element Accumulation ◽

Trace Element Accumulation

For this study, we measured the concentrations of 23 trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Bi, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, In, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, and Zn) in the whole bodies of three functional feeding groups (FFG) (filterers—Hydropsychidae, scrapers—Heptageniidae, and predators—Odonata) of aquatic insects collected from two sites in the Po basin (Po Settimo and Malone Front, Northwest Italy) to determine: (a) how FFG influence trace element accumulations, (b) if scrapers accumulate higher elements compared to the other FFG, since they graze on periphyton, which represents one of the major sinks of metals, and (c) the potential use of macroinvertebrates to assess the bioavailability of trace elements in freshwater. The hierarchical clustering analysis generated three main groups based on trace element concentrations: the most abundant elements were Fe and Al, followed by Sr, In, Zn, V, Mo, and Cu. Tl was below the limit of detection (LOD) in all FFG. Ga was detected only in scrapers from both sites and Hg only in predators from Po Settimo. The principal component analysis showed that concentrations of Al, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Ga, Fe, In, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Sr were highest in scrapers, suggesting that trace elements accumulate from the ingestion of epilithic periphyton (biofilm). Odonata (predators) accumulate certain elements (Ba, Hg, Li, Se, V, Ti, and Zn) in higher concentrations by food ingestion composed of different aquatic organisms. Differently, Cu and Mo concentrations were the highest in filterers due to their bioavailability in the water column. Non-metric multidimensional scaling clearly differentiated the FFG based on their ability to accumulate trace elements. The findings from this study represent an important step toward the definition of an innovative approach based on trace element accumulation by macroinvertebrates.

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Methylmercury and Trace Element Distribution in the Organs of Stenella coeruleoalba Dolphins Stranded on the French Mediterranean Coast

Open Environmental Sciences ◽

10.2174/1876325101408010035 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 35-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Emmanuel Wafo ◽

Véronique Risoul ◽

Thérèse Schembri ◽

Véronique Lagadec ◽

Frank Dhermain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Trace Element ◽

Marine Pollution ◽

Element Distribution ◽

Mediterranean Coast ◽

Trace Element Distribution ◽

Slight Reduction ◽

Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽

Contamination Levels

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination by mercury (Hg), methylmercury (Me-Hg), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in dolphins stranded on the French Mediterranean coast. The distributions of these contaminants in the organs of dolphins have also been studied. Overall, contamination levels varied according to the following sequence: liver > kidney > lung > muscle, except for cadmium (kidney > liver > lung > muscle). Size and sex of animals were also considered. Young dolphins were less impacted with trace elements than adults, except for copper. Among the studied parameters, the most important appeared to be the size of mammals. In addition, in the case of mercury and selenium, the sex of mammals seemed to be also relevant. The correlations between the concentrations of trace elements suggest the existence of detoxification processes. Since 1990s, using dolphins for tracing marine pollution, a slight reduction in the burden of the considered trace elements could be noted.

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Spatial distribution and potential ecological risk assessment of some trace elements in sediments and grey mangrove (Avicennia marina) along the Arabian Gulf coast, Saudi Arabia

Open Chemistry ◽

10.1515/chem-2020-0010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 77-96

Author(s):

Hameed Alsamadany ◽

Hassan S. Al-Zahrani ◽

El-Metwally M. Selim ◽

Mohsen M. El-Sherbiny

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Trace Element ◽

Ecological Risk ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

Gulf Coast ◽

Arabian Gulf ◽

Avicennia Marina ◽

Potential Ecological Risk ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Grey Mangrove

AbstractTo assess trace element concentrations (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd and Ni) in the mangrove swamps along the Saudi coast of the Arabian Gulf, thirteen samples of surface sediment and leaves of grey mangrove, Avicennia marina were collected and analyzed. The detected trace element contents (μg g-1) in surface sediments were in the following descending order according to their mean values; Cr (49.18) > Zn (48.48) > Cu (43.06) > Pb (26.61) > Ni (22.88) > Cd (3.21). The results showed that the average concentrations of Cd and Pb exceeded their world average concentration of shale. The geo-accumulation, potential ecological risk and toxicity response indices demonstrated that trace elements have posed a considerable ecological risk, especially Cd. The inter-relationships between physico-chemical characters and trace elements suggests that grained particles of mud represent a noteworthy character in the distribution of trace elements compared to organic materials. Moreover, the results revealed that Zn was clearly bioaccumulated in leaf tissues A. marina. Dredging, landfilling, sewage effluents and oil pollution can be the paramount sources of pollution in the area under investigation.

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Vitamin Analysis, Trace Elements Content, and Their Extractabilities in Tetrapleura tetraptera

Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1155/2020/1608341 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Prince Oteng ◽

John K. Otchere ◽

Stephen Adusei ◽

Richard Q. Mensah ◽

Emmanuel Tei-Mensah

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Vitamin A ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Trace Element ◽

Trace Element Content ◽

Beta Carotene ◽

Flame Atomic Absorption ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Tetrapleura Tetraptera ◽

Vitamin Analysis

Tetrapleura tetraptera is widely cherished in African traditional homes because of its alleged therapeutic and nutritional properties. This present study aimed at determining the levels of vitamin A, C, E, and beta-carotene and trace element (Fe, Cu, Mn, Co, Se, and Zn) concentrations and their extractabilities in the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit (mixture of pulp and seeds) of T. tetraptera. The total trace element concentration of Fe, Cu, Co, Mn, and Zn and their extractabilities (%) were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS), whereas UV-VIS spectrophotometer was used to determine selenium concentration. The trace element content (mg/kg) based on dry weight in the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit was Fe (162.00 ± 7.14, 115.00 ± 12.00, and 154.00 ± 25.20, respectively), Zn (31.60 ± 4.77, 43.40 ± 5.29, and 41.50 ± 8.97, respectively), Cu (16.10 ± 4.98, 11.90 ± 8.40, and 17.20 ± 14.50, respectively), Mn (55.30 ± 2.41, 156.00 ± 10.20, and 122.00 ± 5.29, respectively), Co (38.10 ± 6.40, 21.10 ± 7.15, and 44.00 ± 14.90, respectively), and Se (1.49 ± 0.17, 2.43 ± 0.28, and 2.97 ± 0.27 μg/g, respectively). The mineral extractabilities (%) in the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit of T. tetraptera were established to be in the order Co > Zn > Fe > Cu > Se > Mn. Also, the chromatographic method (HPLC) was used to evaluate vitamin E concentration, and vitamin C and concentration of beta-carotene were calculated from the obtained concentration of vitamin A using a conversion factor by the titrimetric method. From the results of vitamin analysis, a significant difference (p<0.05) was observed among the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit for vitamin C and E. However, no significant difference (p>0.05) was perceived among these plant parts for vitamin A and beta-carotene. This study has therefore revealed that the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit of T. tetraptera contain varying concentrations of vitamins and trace elements and has given many vital insights on which part of T. tetraptera to consume, as concentrations of these nutrients differ in the discrete parts of the fruit.

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Comparative Genomics of Trace Element Dependence in Biology

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1074/jbc.r110.172833 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 286 (27) ◽

pp. 23623-23629 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Yan Zhang ◽

Vadim N. Gladyshev

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Comparative Genomics ◽

Trace Element ◽

Evolutionary Dynamics ◽

Protein Families ◽

Fundamental Properties ◽

Recent Advances ◽

Living Organisms ◽

Zinc Protein

Biological trace elements are needed in small quantities but are used by all living organisms. A growing list of trace element-dependent proteins and trace element utilization pathways highlights the importance of these elements for life. In this minireview, we focus on recent advances in comparative genomics of trace elements and explore the evolutionary dynamics of the dependence of user proteins on these elements. Many zinc protein families evolved representatives that lack this metal, whereas selenocysteine in proteins is dynamically exchanged with cysteine. Several other elements, such as molybdenum and nickel, have a limited number of user protein families, but they are strictly dependent on these metals. Comparative genomics of trace elements provides a foundation for investigating the fundamental properties, functions, and evolutionary dynamics of trace element dependence in biology.

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