RATIONALE Current asthma guidelines recommend adjusting antiinflammatory treatment on the basis of the results of lung function tests and symptom assessment, neither of which are closely associated with airway inflammation. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that titrating corticosteroid dose using the concentration of exhaled nitric oxide in exhaled breath (Fe(NO)) results in fewer asthma e...

The preparation and characterisation of synthetic enzyme complexes simulating those usually encountered in soil were investigated. Complexes were prepared at 308C by the interaction of acid phosphatase and tannic acid in the presence and absence of Fe and Mn ions (as chlorides) and oxides, with and without montmorillonite. In comparison with phosphatase–tannic acid complexes, the enzymatic comp...

The synthesis of nanowires made of magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) phase iron oxide was achieved using DNA as a template to direct formation of the metal oxide and confine its growth in two dimensions. This simple solution-based approach involves initial association of Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) to the DNA "template" molecules, and subsequent co-precipitation of the Fe(3)O(4) material, upon increasing the solutio...

Microbial (Geobacter sulfurreducens) reduction of 0.1 mM U(VI) in the presence of synthetic Fe(III) oxides and natural Fe(III) oxide-containing solids was investigated in pH 6.8 artificial groundwater containing 10 mM NaHCO3. In most experiments, more than 95% of added U(VI) was sorbed to solids, so that U(VI) reduction was governed by reactions at the solid-water interface. The rate and extent...

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared using a sonochemical method under atmospheric conditions at a Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ molar ratio of 1:2. The iron oxide nanoparticles were subsequently coated with chitosan and gallic acid to produce a core-shell structure. RESULTS X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the magnetic nanoparticles were pure Fe₃O₄ with a cubic inverse sp...

Aeolian dust deposition is an important phosphorus (P) input to terrestrial ecosystems, but it lacks evidence of how inputs supply available P and affect geochemistry dynamics in soils sub-humid ecosystems. We determined soil speciation using K-edge X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy availability modified Hedley sequential chemical extractions a weakly acidic profile (2.5 m thick) temperat...

The initial oxidation stages of copper and copper-iron alloys have been studied by the AtomProbe Field Ion Microscope (AP-FIM). The depth profiles of copper oxide formed in-situ were successfully determined. The composition of the oxide was close to the value of Cu20, but a large concentration fluctuation was found. The interface between the oxide and the metal was found to be diffuse, the widt...

The uptake of arsenate (As(V)) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) by aquatic macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza L. was investigated to determine the influence of arsenic interaction with PO4(3-) and Fe ions. Plants were grown hydroponically on standard Murashige and Skoog (MS) culture solutions. Arsenic concentrations in Fe-oxide (Fe-plaque) on plant surfaces were determined by citrate-bicarbonate-eth...

The oxidation of iron (Fe) by water (D2O) vapour at low pressures and room temperature was investigated using time-of-flight (ToF) SIMS. The results supported those found previously using XPS and the QUASES program in that a duplex oxide structure was found containing a thin outer surface hydroxide (Fe(OD)2) layer over an inner oxide (FeO) layer. The extraordinary depth resolution of the ToF-S...