Metallic alloys show complex chemistries that are not yet understood so far. It has been widely accepted that behind the composition selection lies a short-range-order mechanism for solid solutions. The present paper addresses this fundamental question by examining the face-centered-cubic Cu-Zn α-brasses. A new structural approach, the cluster-plus-glue-atom model, is introduced, which suits sp...

concentrations of six heavy metals including cr, mn, ni, pb, v and zn were determined in topsoil (from 47 grid cells), surface water (4 streams) and groundwater (8 wells and 4 qanats) from an agriculturalarea located at south part of the iranian capital, near the tehran oil refinery. concentrations of the elementswere measured using flame and flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. based on t...

The purpose of this work was to provide information on heavy metals concentration in soils and in irrigation water in Thessaly, Central Greece, where tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is cultivated. Tobacco tends to accumulate high levels of heavy metals, especially Cadmium. During the years 1998, 1999 and 2000, 795 surface soil samples (0-30 cm depth) and 200 water samples were collected from Kardit...

Zinc (Zn) is essential for a very large number and variety of cellular functions but is also potentially toxic. Zn homeostasis is therefore dynamically maintained by a variety of transporters and other proteins distributed in distinct cellular and subcellular compartments. Zn transport is mediated by two major protein families: the Zip family, which mediates Zn influx, and the ZnTs which are pr...

Since zinc ions play an important role in various physiological activities, developing a facile detection method for Zn(2+) is highly desirable. Owing to their superior optical properties, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been developed as a promising alternative for organic fluorophores in fluorescence analysis. In this study, water soluble di-2-picolylamine-dithiolcarbamate (DPA-DTC)/pro...

Zinc (Zn) plays an essential role in the human and animal body system. Zinc deficiency might cause many disorders, so it is important to provide a sufficient amount of this microelement in both animals and humans. One of the most important sources of Zn is milk. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Zn can pass through the mammary epithelial cell into milk by a cotransport system w...

A copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) cDNA was cloned from the hepatopancreas of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by degenerate primers. Both 3'- and 5'-regions were isolated by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method. Analysis of nucleotide sequence revealed that the Cu,Zn-SOD cDNA clone consists of 845...

Zinc is one of trace elements that play essential roles in several cell functions, and is unquestionably important to the normal health and function of the central nervous system. Growing evidence suggests that Zn(2+) can become a pathogenic agent in certain neurological disease states, such as ischemia, seizures, and trauma. The main role of the Zn(2+) may serve as an endogenous neuromodulator...

BACKGROUND Metal pollution of waterways directly affects human health and can impact the food chain. Seafood living in polluted water can accumulate trace metals. The purpose of this study was to analyze the toxic metals Pb and Cd and the dietary essential metals Zn and Mn in 120 cans of tuna species from four different brands processed in Iran and purchased in 2012. RESULTS The mean level of...