Abstract— Two meteorites belonging to the howardite‐eucrite‐diogenite (HED) group fell recently in Rajasthan, India. One of these, Piplia Kalan, was classified as a eucrite and the other, Lohawat, as a howardite. In this study, we present the results of Mössbauer spectroscopic investigations of these two meteorites. We also compare the results with the Mössbauer experiments reported for the Kapoeta howardite and look for systematics in the Mössbauer spectra of HED meteorites.
Raman spectroscopy in the diamond cell has been used to determine the pressure dependence at high temperature of the transverse optical phonon (TO) of cubic boron nitride to 1750 K at a maximum pressure of 40 GPa, and up to 2300 K at 26 GPa. We have identified extrinsic (volume-dependent) and intrinsic contributions to the experimental frequency and find that the intrinsic contribution is only weakly pressure-dependent. These data establish a high-temperature pressure scale to at least 1700 K. Ab initio calculations to 80 GPa are in excellent agreement with the experiment at low temperatures.
Arsenic is a toxic element and has been responsible for many accidental, occupational, deliberate, and therapeutic poisonings since its discovery in 1250. It occurs in natural waters as the arsenite (As3+) and arsenate (As5+) ions. The solubility of arsenite and arsenate compounds is relatively high so that these ions are readily transported through aqueous routes into the environment. Arsenic can be transferred from soils to crops and accumulates in various food crops and aquatic plants. The fascinating chemistry and toxicity potential make arsenic and its compounds of particular scientific interest and environmental concern. The conventional removal of heavy metals from wastewater, natural waters, and drinking water has only limited effects on arsenic removal. In this review, the main engineering and medical applications, salient health and environmental concerns, novel research on treatment for arsenic poisoning, and removal technologies for arsenic and their derivatives are discussed and enumerated with a view to pursue valuable applied research in order to protect the environment from arsenic toxicity.
Chronic non-healing cutaneous wounds are often vulnerable in one or more repair phases that prevent normal healing and pose challenges to the use of conventional wound care modalities. In immunosuppressed subject, the sequential stages of healing get hampered, which may be the consequences of dysregulated or stagnant wound inflammation. Photobiomodulation (PBM) or low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) emerges as a promising drug-free, non-invasive biophysical approach for promoting wound healing, reduction of inflammation, pain and restoration of functions. The present study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the photobiomodulatory effects of 810 nm diode laser (40 mW/cm2; 22.6 J/cm2) with pulsed (10 and 100 Hz, 50% duty cycle) and continuous wave on full-thickness excision-type dermal wound healing in hydrocortisone-induced immunosuppressed rats. Results clearly delineated that 810 nm PBM at 10 Hz was more effective over continuous and 100 Hz frequency in accelerating wound healing by attenuating the pro-inflammatory markers (NF-kB, TNF-α), augmenting wound contraction (α-SM actin), enhancing cellular proliferation, ECM deposition, neovascularization (HIF-1α, VEGF), re-epithelialization along with up-regulated protein expression of FGFR-1, Fibronectin, HSP-90 and TGF-β2 as compared to the non-irradiated controls. Additionally, 810 nm laser irradiation significantly increased CCO activity and cellular ATP contents. Overall, the findings from this study might broaden the current biological mechanism that could be responsible for photobiomodulatory effect mediated through pulsed NIR 810 nm laser (10 Hz) for promoting dermal wound healing in immunosuppressed subjects.