Gross Alpha and Beta Activities and Related Lifetime Risks Assessment Due to Ingestion of Drinking Water from Different Sources in the District of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

Drinking good quality water is essential for better health. It is therefore essential to assess the radiological quality of all water consumed in the District of Abidjan in order to prevent related hazards. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the risk of cancer due to the ingestion of alpha and beta emitting radionuclides in the different types of water consumed in the region. A total of 63 water samples with 43 tap water samples, 5 bottled mineral water and 15 sachet water samples was collected and taken to GAEC laboratory for analysis. The low background Gas-less Automatic Alpha/Beta counting system (Canberra iMaticTM) was used to determine alpha and beta activity concentrations. Activity concentrations of both gross alpha and gross beta obtained in water sample were respectively lower than the WHO recommended limits of 0.1 Bq/l and 1 Bq/l. Also, the annual effective dose and total equivalent effective dose found in mineral bottled water samples were higher than in other types of water. The assessment of radiological lifetime risk has shown values of cancer risk due to ingestion alpha and beta emitters lower than recommended limit. These results indicate that there is no health hazard associated to consumption of water in the District of Abidjan.

Public Effective Dose Assessment Using Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels of Tap Drinking Water in the District of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

In order to assess public effective dose due to gross alpha and beta in water, 43 tap water samples were collected from different areas in the District of Abidjan. Using the low background Gas-less Automatic Alpha/Beta counting system (Canberra iMaticTM) for analysis, the gross alpha and beta concentrations found varied from 0.001 ± 0.002 to 0.063 ± 0.050 Bq/l with an average of 0.013 ± 0.012 Bq/l and from 0.067 ± 0.080 to 0.320 ± 0.120 Bq/l with an average of 0.174 ± 0.076 Bq/l, respectively in samples. The public effective dose assessment showed values of dose to ingestion of alpha and beta emitter radionuclides lower than the recommended value of dose for drinking water 0.1 mSv/y, except in 30% of the samples. These results show the need for additional studies to be conducted in order to clarify the hazardousness of these water samples. However, this study still remains important because it has provided necessary data for future tap water quality monitoring studies in the District of Abidjan.

Evaluation of Particle Properties of MgO/TiO2 Material by Monte Carlo Simulation Method

The simulation by the Monte Carlo method executed by the software PyPENELOPE proved effective to specify the particle propagation characteristics by calculating the absorption fractions, backscattering and transmission of electrons and secondary photons under the incidence of 0.5 to 20 KeV range of primary electrons. More than 99.9% of the primary electrons were transmitted in the 125 nm thick MgO/TiO2 material at 20 KeV. This occurred because several interactions took place in the transmitted primary irradiation such as characteristic, fluorescence, and bremsstrahlung produced when of the occupation of the KL3, KL2, KM3, and KM2 shell and sub-shell of titanium and magnesium which are the elements with a high atomic number in the material. The transmission particle characteristic of this material is therefore an indicator capable of improving the electrical performance and properties of the sensor.

Order-Disorder Transition of Carboxyl Terminated Chains in Polydiacetylenes Vesicles Probed by Second Harmonic Generation and Two-Photon Fluorescence

To understand and control the interfacial properties of polydiacetylenes(PDAs)vesicles withπ-conjugated backbone is very important for their colorimetric sensing of chemical and biological targets.In this work,we adopted 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid(PCDA)as the model molecule to prepare PDAs vesicles in aqueous solution with different forms(from monomer to blue-to-purple-to-red phase)by controlling the UV irradiation dose.The variations of the interfacial conformation of PDAs vesicles during chromatic transitions were inspected by the adsorption behaviors of probe molecules(4-(4-diethylaminostyry)-1-methylpyridinium iodide,D289)on vesicle surface with surface-specific second harmonic generation(SHG)and zeta potential measurements.Resonant SHG signal from D289 adsorbed on vesicle surface attenuated sharply,and the adsorption free energy as well as the corresponding two-photon fluorescence signal decreased slightly in chromatic transitions.While,the change in the surface density of the adsorbed D289 molecules for PDAs vesicles with different forms was relatively small as estimated from zeta potential measurements.The attenuation of the SHG intensity was thus attributed to the overall order-disorder transition and the changed orientation of D289 molecules caused by the gradual distortion of carboxyl head group driven by backbone perturbation.

Level of Contamination of Fishponds Water in Pesticide Residues and Metallic Trace Elements (Pb, Cd, As, Hg): Case of Fishponds of ZEPREGUHE (Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire)

Fishponds waters intended to satisfy the nutritional needs of the populations in terms of supply of fish resources are strongly and unfortunately exposed to the mobility and dispersion of metallic trace elements (TMEs) or to the persistence in the environment and in the form of pesticide residues from human activities. The objective of this work is to evaluate, on the one hand, the levels of identified pesticide residues and, on the other hand, those of researched TMEs (lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic) in the waters of ponds used for fish farming in Zépréguhé, a locality located 9 km from the town of Daloa in the centre-west of Côte d’Ivoire. The dosage of the samples carried out by means of a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) made it possible to detect nine (9) pesticide molecules, including eight (8) organochlorines and a single molecule from the pyrethroid family, obtained from the detection limit of 0.006 μg/L and the quantification limit of 0.018 μg/L. The maximum average concentration was obtained with α-endosulfan for a content reaching 0.8038 μg/L and well above the maximum admissible concentration of 0.1 μg/L. The TMEs were quantified using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Arsenic is the most abundant metal with an average concentration of 9.497 μg/L. With the exception of lead, these measured levels are above the acceptable limit values for freshwater. This study showed that human activities such as the use of fertilisers and plant protection products in plantations, sand extraction and road traffic have a negative impact on the quality of the water in ponds used for fish breeding.

Measurement of Atmospheric Black Carbon Concentration in Rural and Urban Environments: Cases of Lamto and Abidjan

Black carbon is one of the primary aerosols directly emitted from biomass known to have strong absorbing properties. The INDAAF and PASMU observational field campaigns which took place (2018) in Abidjan (urban area) and Lamto (rural area) allow the analysis of Black carbon concentration at different time scales through real-time measurements using an analyzer named Aethalometer AE-33. Results presented here show at Lamto: 1) for the diurnal scale an average of 1.71 ± 0.3 μg⋅m-3 (0.34 ± 0.09 μg⋅m-3) in the dry (wet) season;2) for the monthly scale an average of 1.14 ± 0.84 μg⋅m-3;3) on the seasonal scale, an average of 2.2 ± 0.02 μg⋅m-3 (0.6 ± 0.19 μg⋅m-3) in the dry (wet) season. The black carbon variation at Lamto is seasonal with an amplification factor of 85.6. Regarding the urban area of Abidjan, due to sampling issues, our analyses were limited to daily, diurnal and weekly time scales. We observed: a) at a daily scale an average of 5.31.± 2.5 μg⋅m-3, b) diurnal scale, an average ranging from 6.87 to 13.92 μg⋅m-3. The analysis indicated that emissions from urban areas are more related to social and economic activities, with weekday concentrations (7.24 μg⋅m-3) higher than concentrations over the weekend (e.g. Saturday 6.59 μg⋅m-3 and Sunday 6.00 μg⋅m-3). Moreover, BC concentration in Abidjan is quite noticeable compared to that of rural areas (Lamto). The ratio between the maximum values of the two areas is of the order of 5.86. In addition, concentrations in some urban areas are slightly above the daily threshold set by the WHO (10 μg⋅m-3). Therefore, the levels of urban BC concentrations are alarming whilst rural BC concentrations remain below daily WHO thresholds and are of the same magnitude as those of West African megacities. This study underlies that BC concentrations at Lamto are mainly related to biomass combustion sources while those from urban areas are related to traffic sources. The latter is permanently active, unlike those in rural Lamto, which is seasonal.

Comparative Alpha Tracks Counting Using an Optical Microscope and a Spark Counter

In the metrology of radon, an environmental lung carcinogen, the integrated measurements necessary for epidemiological studies are made very often using the tracks detector LR 115 type 2. For dosimetric analysis, the etched tracks from radon alpha particles on this detector are usually counted by means of an optical microscope or a spark counter. An optimal reading of the track densities which must be converted into radon concentrations, can’t be done without a good mastery of the mode of operation and use of these devices. Furthermore, investigations to know as to whether or not each of those can be used to determine radon concentration are necessary. These are the objectives of the present work in which LR 115 samples exposed to radon for at least 3 months, were chemically developed under standard conditions and read. The track densities obtained with the microscope are very much higher than those of the counter for each sample. These results are consistent with those published by other authors. However, each of these devices can be used interchangeably for alpha tracks counting, as both provide radon concentrations with a very good linear correlation coefficient of 0.95 taking into account their respective calibration factors for the reading of this detector. In addition, the saturation phenomenon for the spark counter reading of LR 115 detector occurs beyond 11,000 tr/cm2, a density never reached during our environmental radon measurements.

Optimization of Technical Parameters for Detecting Mycobacteria in Hospital Wastewater in Tropical Urban Areas: The Case of the City of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

The loads of organic matter, microorganisms, detergents and antibiotics in liquid hospital effluents make them complex environments, raising numerous health and ecological questions. Investigations of mycobacteria in water lack adequate techniques. This study is the first part of a pilot project aimed at developing an optimized protocol for the isolation of mycobacteria from hospital effluents, as a prelude to more in-depth investigation in this matrix. The aim was to compare the performance of two decontamination methods, three culture media and two incubation temperatures generally proposed in the literature, in order to identify the most effective methods in each case, as well as possible areas for improvement in the isolation of these germs from this environmental matrix. The results show that liquid hospital effluent can be decontaminated using both the NaOH method (4%;for 30 min.) and the CPC method (0.05%;for 30 min.), with the same mycobacteria recovery efficiency. Despite the low concentration, decontamination with CPC killed more mycobacteria and sufficiently eliminated contaminating germs. In contrast, decontamination with NaOH was less harmful to mycobacteria, but did not remove many contaminating germs. On the other hand, LJG medium performed better than LJGF medium and LJGP medium for the growth of mycobacteria in hospital waters. Finally, there was no difference in performance between the two incubation temperatures of 30℃ and 37℃. The results of this study show that further evaluation of existing protocols is required in order to optimize methods for the pre-treatment of hospital effluent for the isolation of mycobacteria.

An Efficient Method for the Synthesis of Acyl-diazenes Using NaNO_2/NaHSO_4·H_2O

An efficient and convenient method for the synthesis of acyl-diazenes is reported. Ten acyl-diazenes have been synthesized from acylhydrazines in excellent yields under mild conditions. There are eight new substances among these compounds.

Role of barium nitrate on the sulfur fixation of calcium oxide

In this paper, the effect of Ba(NO 3) 2 on the efficiency of sulfur fixation of calcium oxide during coal combustion was studied. The results showed that addition of barium nitrate to the CaO can enhance the sulfur removal rate of CaO significantly. The X \|ray diffraction spectrum of residual ash of coal added some sulfur fixative expressed that Ba\+\{2+\} can form a compound of Ba\|Al\|Si\|O which encloses the CaSO\-4 to prevent it's decomposition, so Ba\+\{2+\} can improve the action of sulfur fixation of CaO. The combustion character of the original coal and original coal added sulfur fixative was researched with thermal\|gravity analyzer and the results expressed that adding some sulfur fixative to the coal will make the combustion character of coal change little.

Direct synthesis of graphene nanosheets support Pd nanodendrites for electrocatalytic formic acid oxidation

We report a solvothermal method preparation of dendritic Pd nanoparticles （DPNs） and spherical Pd nanoparticles （SPNs） supported on reduced graphene oxide （RGO）. Drastically different morphologies of Pd NPs with nanodendritic structures or spherical structures were observed on graphene by controlling the reduction degree of graphene oxide （GO） un- der mild conditions. In addition to being a commonplace substrate, GO plays a more important role that relies on its surface groups, which serves as a shape-directing agent to direct the dendritic growth. As a result, the obtained DPNs/RGO catalyst exhibits a significantly enhanced electro-catalytic behavior for the oxidation of formic acid compared to the SPNs/RGO catalyst.

Effect of CuO on the efficiency of sulfur capture of Ca-based compounds during coal combustion

The efficiency of sulfur capture of CaO, Ca（OH）2 and CaCO3 as well as the effect of CuO on them were studied. Results showed that the efficiency of sulfur capture of Ca（OH）2 is the highest among these three compounds. When CuO was used with each of CaO, Ca（OH）2 and CaCO3 at the same time, the efficiency of all of them would rise, and that of Ca（OH）2 raise most. The efficiency of sulfur capture of Ca（OH）2 with CuO is 14.4% higher than that without CuO.

A Novel Method for Synthesizing 6-Chloro and 6-Methoxypurinenucleoside

Starting from tetraacetylribofuranose (Ⅰ) and 6-chloropurine (Ⅲ), in the presence ofp-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst, the intermediate 2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyl-6-chloropurine nucleoside (Ⅲ) was synthesized for the first time under microwave irradiation in the yield of 80.1%. The title compounds 6-chloro-9-β-D-purinenucleoside (Ⅳ) and 6-methoxy9-β-D-purinenucleoside (Ⅴ) were easily obtained by treatment the intermediate (Ⅲ) with NH3/CH3OH and Na2CO3/CH3OH in the yields of 78.8% and 76.9%, respectively. Structures of Ⅳ and Ⅴ have been identified by 1H NMRand elementary analysis. The optimal conditions for condensation were as follows: n(Ⅰ): n(Ⅱ)= 1: 1, m(TsOH):m(6-chloropurine)=3 × 10-2, microwave irradiation at 595 W for 4.5 min, at 462 W for 1 min, at 119 W for 0.5 min;aminolysis condition for Ⅳ: room temperature for 5 min; alkaline hydrolysis conditions for Ⅴ: reflux for 5 h.……

An Efficient Protocol for the Reduction of Azidonucleosides Catalyzed by Raney Nickel

Aminonucleosides are very important intermediates in the synthesis of anti-sense and anti-gene drugs, nucleic acid analogues, diagnostic and analytical agents, antitumor and antiviral compounds. In the presence of Raney nickel, the reduction of various azidonucleosides to the corresponding aminonucleosides is in good yields (Table 1,Scheme 1).……

Solvent-free Synthesis of 5-Azacytosine with Microwave Activation

5-Azacytosine (4-amino-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one) is a very important intermediate in the synthesis of 5-azacytidine which shows remarkable bacteriostatic and cytostatic activity as well as against T-4 lymphoma and L1210 leukemia in mice. Starting with N-cyanoguanidine (dicyandiamide) and formic acid, under the solvent-free microwave activation, we synthesized 5-azacytosine in short time (4 min) with good yield (60.4%). The structure of the product was confirmed by 1H NMR and elemental analysis.……

Preparation of floating BiOCl_(0.6)I_(0.4)/ZnO photocatalyst and its inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa under visible light

Frequent occurrence of harmful algal blooms has already threatened aquatic life and human health.In the present study,floating BiOCl_(0.6)I_(0.4)/ZnO photocatalyst was synthesized in situ by water bath method,and and applied in inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa under visible light.The composition,morphology,chemical states,optical properties of the photocatalyst were also characterized.The results showed that BiOCl_(0.6)I_(0.4)exhibited laminated nanosheet structure with regular shape,and the light response range of the composite BZ/EP-3 (BiOCl_(0.6)I_(0.4)/ZnO/EP-3) was tuned from 582 to 638 nm.The results of photocatalytic experiments indicated that BZ/EP-3 composite had stronger photocatalytic activity than a single BiOCl_(0.6)I_(0.4)and ZnO,and the removal rate of chlorophyll a was 89.28%after 6 hr of photocatalytic reaction.The photosynthetic system was destroyed and cell membrane of algae ruptured under photocatalysis,resulting in the decrease of phycobiliprotein components and the release of a large number of ions (K^(+),Ca^(2+)and Mg^(2+)).Furthermore,active species trapping experiment determined that holes (h+) and superoxide radicals (·O_(2)-) were the main active substance for the inactivation of algae,and the p-n mechanism of photocatalyst was proposed.Overall,BZ/EP-3 showed excellent algal removal ability under visible light,providing fundamental theories for practical algae pollution control.

Production of Fibres from Lunar Soil:Feasibility,Applicability and Future Perspectives

The construction of a lunar base is considered to be an important step towards deep-space exploration by humanity,and will rely on the utilisation of in situ lunar resources.In this paper,we discuss the current knowledge on the feasibility of converting lunar soil to high-performance fibres that can be used for the construction of a lunar base.This fibre would be combined with further portions of lunar soil to generate fibre-reinforced composites,which is utilized as multi-functional materials for lunar base construction.We discuss and analyse the latest findings regarding the composition of lunar soil simulants and their fibrisation properties,and techniques for fibre spinning and system integration.Finally,we suggest how the achievements made so far could be applied to the construction of a lunar base.

Use of the ¹³C/¹²C, ¹⁵N/¹⁴N and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O Isotopic Ratios of Theobromine and Caffeine in the Characterization of Geographic Origin

The aim of this work is to characterize the geographical origin of cocoa beans and coffee beans. This study aims to contribute to the traceability of raw materials in order to fight against falsification. For this purpose, we based our work on the measurement of isotope ratios in 13C, 15N and 18O. The multi-element isotope ratios have been evaluated as a means to distinguish fermented cocoa beans of different geographic and varietal origins. The isotopic ratios of 13C, 15N and 18O were measured in theobromine obtained from samples of fermented cocoa beans. Twenty-two (22) samples of different geographical origins covering the four mainland cocoa producing areas were analyzed on the one hand and on the other hand, 16 caffeine samples from various origins were also analyzed. The treatment of the values resulting from these isotopic analyzes by statistical methods, namely the principal component analysis (PCA) makes it possible to visualize the discriminations between the different origins. The most discriminating variables identified as responsible for the geographic and varietal differences were the δ15N, δ13C and δ18O values of cocoa beans and certain extracts and tissues. We have shown that the isotope ratios are correlated with the altitude and precipitation conditions encountered in the different cocoa growing regions.