Trace Metal Detection in Aqueous Reservoirs Using Stilbene Intercalated Layered Rare-Earth Hydroxide Tablets

Contamination of aquatic reservoirs with metal ions is a slow gradual process that is not easy to detect. Consequences of the metal ions, especially the ones with high atomic numbers (heavy metals) at high concentrations, are severe and irreversible in aquatic reservoirs. As such, early detection mechanisms, especially at trace concentration, are essential for mitigation measures. In this work, a new, robust, and effective tool for trace metal detection and monitoring in aqueous solutions has been developed. Tablets (1 mm thick and similar to medicinal tablets) were manufactured from a powder comprising stilbene intercalated into gallery spaces of lanthanide-containing layered double hydroxides. The tablets were placed in a water column having different concentrations of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions, and the water was allowed to flow for 45 minutes at a flow rate of 100 ml/s. Thereafter, the tablets were dried and made to powder, and their phosphorescence was measured. The gradual stilbene phosphorescence turnoff in the tablets from various concentrations of metal ions was correlated with sorption amounts. The tablets were able to detect effectively metal ions (up to Pb2+ 1.0 mmol/L and Cu2+ 5.0 mmol/L) in the aqueous media. As such, the concentrations of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions at trace levels were determined in the test solutions. This method provides a real-time metal ion analysis and does not involve sampling of water samples for analysis in the laboratory.

Evolutionary Expansion of the Amidohydrolase Superfamily in Bacteria in Response to the Synthetic Compounds Molinate and Diuron

ABSTRACTThe amidohydrolase superfamily has remarkable functional diversity, with considerable structural and functional annotation of known sequences. In microbes, the recent evolution of several members of this family to catalyze the breakdown of environmental xenobiotics is not well understood. An evolutionary transition from binuclear to mononuclear metal ion coordination at the active sites of these enzymes could produce large functional changes such as those observed in nature, but there are few clear examples available to support this hypothesis. To investigate the role of binuclear-mononuclear active-site transitions in the evolution of new function in this superfamily, we have characterized two recently evolved enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of the synthetic herbicides molinate (MolA) and phenylurea (PuhB). In this work, the crystal structures, mutagenesis, metal ion analysis, and enzyme kinetics of both MolA and PuhB establish that these enzymes utilize a mononuclear active site. However, bioinformatics and structural comparisons reveal that the closest putative ancestor of these enzymes had a binuclear active site, indicating that a binuclear-mononuclear transition has occurred. These proteins may represent examples of evolution modifying the characteristics of existing catalysts to satisfy new requirements, specifically, metal ion rearrangement leading to large leaps in activity that would not otherwise be possible.

MOM Failure Modes: An In-Depth Look at Metal Ions and Implant Wear

Contemporary MOM bearings (large-diameter heads) offered the perceived benefits of much greater range of motion and greater stability with reduced risk of impingement and dislocation. A variety of design and Both positive [1-3] and negative reports [4-8] have now emerged with regard to total hip arthroplasty (THA) and resurfacing arthroplasty. As a result, there has been an avalanche of studies focused on critical issues such as: surgical positioning, shallow cups (face angles 144-170°) [9-11] and “edge loading”. [5,7,12-17] However, there are several, possibly synergistic, risk scenarios that could trigger adverse MOM wear and very little progress has been made in understanding such interacting parameters. In an effort to understand the role of metal ion analysis and how it relates to revision surgery and implant wear, selected MOM revised cases were reviewed [28]. Retrieval data was included in conjunction with metal ion analyses and intraoperative observations to determine various failure modes. We suggest MOM devices that are well fixed but fail after 2 years can be classified into one of six modes: (i) normal, (ii) allergic reaction, (iii) 3rd body wear, (iv) repetitive subluxation with metal impingement, (v) multi-directional subluxation with soft tissue impingement, and (vi) repetitive subluxation with soft tissue impingement.