This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume focuses on microscopic plastic debris, also referred to as microplastics, which have been detected in aquatic environments around the globe and have accordingly raised serious concerns. The book explores whether microplastics represent emerging contaminants in freshwater systems, an area that remains underrepresented to date. Given the complexity of the issue, the book covers the current state-of-research on microplastics in rivers and lakes, including analytical aspects, environmental concentrations and sources, modelling approaches, interactions with biota, and ecological implications. To provide a broader perspective, the book also discusses lessons learned from nanomaterials and the implications of plastic debris for regulation, politics, economy, and society. In a research field that is rapidly evolving, it offers a solid overview for environmental chemists, engineers, and toxicologists, as well as water managers and policy-makers.

This brief introduces the classification and mechanism of density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGUC) method with rich examples showing the versatility of such an efficient separation technique. It also gives a strict mathematical description and a computational optimization model to predict the best separation parameters for a given colloidal system. The concept of "Lab in a tube" is proposed in the last chapter, which allows the size-property relationship investigation, synthetic optimization and reaction/assembly mechanism exploration etc.

This book outlines methods to improve functioning of these polymer based devices - in particular, the multi-faceted cognition of these materials. In situ electrochemical techniques are studied to elucidate redox switching between non-conducting and conducting states. The book examines the advantages of combinations of in situ electrochemical techniques in a hyphenated mode for analyzing conducting polymers.

Presents the theory and applications of Toroidal Capillary, Microchip, and Slab Electrophoresis to analytical chemists across a range of disciplines Written by one of the developers of Toroidal Capillary Electrophoresis (TCE), this book is the first to present this novel analytical technique, in detail, to the field of analytical chemistry. The exact expressions of separation efficiency, resolution, peak capacity, and many other performance indicators of the open and toroidal layouts are presented and compared. Featuring numerous illustrations throughout, Open and Toroidal Electrophoresis: Ultra-High Separation Efficiencies in Capillaries, Microchips and Slabs offers chapters covering: Solvents and Buffer Solutions; Fundamentals of Electrophoresis; Open Layout; and Toroidal Layout. Confronting Performance Indicators is next, followed by chapters on High Voltage Modules and Distributors; Heat Removal and Temperature Control; and Detectors. The book finishes with an examination of the applications of Toroidal Electrophoresis. The first book to offer a detailed account of Toroidal Electrophoresis--written by one of its creators Compares the toroidal layouts with the well-established open layouts of the three most used platforms (Capillary, Microchip, and Slab) Provides solutions to many of the experimental issues arising in electromigration techniques and discusses the voltage distributors and detectors that are compatible with the toroidal layouts Richly illustrated with a large number of useful equations showing the relationships between important operational parameters and the performance indicators Open and Toroidal Electrophoresis is aimed at method developers and separation scientists working in clinical analysis, and food analysis, as well as those in pharmacology, disease biomarker applications, and nucleic acid analysis using the Capillary, Microchip, or slab Platform. It will also benefit undergraduate and graduate students of inorganic analytical chemistry, organic analytical chemistry, bioanalysis, pharmaceutical sciences, clinical sciences, and food analysis.

This Brief describes the chemical features of canned food products and gives background information on the technology of canning foods. It explains how canned foods are different from other packaged foods, and illustrates and discusses their unique properties, including risks and failures. Canned foods are usually considered to offer a particularly long shelf-life and durability. An understanding of their properties and influences on their durability is therefore of great importance in the industrial production, and this Brief offers a compact introduction to this topic. The authors focus on thermally-preserved foods. They explain that the right choice of thermal treatment method (e.g. pasteurisation, sterilisation) as well as process parameters (e.g. time, temperature) is additionally influenced by criteria such as pH, water content, the presence and concentration of fatty molecules, of calcium, etc. So-called 'survival curves' can help in determining the methodology of choice, and the Brief introduces the reader to this concept. The authors also address defects and failures. They introduce selected indicators, which can help identifying failures of the entire food/packaging system, and demonstrate how image and visual analysis can be applied in quality controls. The explanations and industrial production of canned foods are exemplified with the case of canned tomato sauces and beans.

To ensure food quality and safety food, professionals need a knowledge of food composition and characteristics. The analysis of food product is required for quality management throughout the developmental process including the raw materials and ingredients, but food analysis adds processing cost for food industry and consumes time for government agencies. Advances in Noninvasive Food Analysis explores the potential and recent advances in non-invasive food analysis techniques used to ensure food quality and safety. Such cost-reducing and time-saving non-destructive food analysis techniques covered include, Infrared, Raman Spectroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. The book also covers data processing and modelling. Features: Covers the advent of non-invasive, non-destructive methods of food analysis Presents such techniques as near and mid infrared, Raman Spectroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Describes the growing role of nanotechnology in non-invasive food analysis Includes image analysis and data processing and modelling required to sort out the data The prime for this book are food professionals working in industry, control authorities and research organizations that ensure food quality and safety as well as libraries of universities with substantial food science programs, food companies and food producers with research and development departments. Also available in the Contemporary Food Engineering series: Advances in Food Bioproducts, Fermentation Engineering and Bioprocessing Technologies , edited by Monica Lizeth Chavez Gonzalez, Nagamani Balagurusamy, Christobal N. Aguilar (ISBN 9781138544222) Advances in Vinegar Production, edited by Argyro Bekatorou (ISBN 9780815365990) Innovative Technologies in Seafood Processing, edited by Yesim Ozogul (ISBN 9780815366447)

To understand hydrochemistry and to analyze natural as well as man-made impacts on aquatic systems, hydrogeochemical models have been used since the 1960’s and more frequently in recent times. Numerical groundwater flow, transport, and geochemical models are important tools besides classical deterministic and analytical approaches. Solving complex linear or non-linear systems of equations, commonly with hundreds of unknown parameters, is a routine task for a PC. Modeling hydrogeochemical processes requires a detailed and accurate water analysis, as well as thermodynamic and kinetic data as input. Thermodynamic data, such as complex formation constants and solubility-products, are often provided as databases within the respective programs. However, the description of surface-controlled reactions (sorption, cation exchange, surface complexation) and kinetically controlled reactions requires additional input data. Unlike groundwater flow and transport models, thermodynamic models, in principal, do not need any calibration. However, considering surface-controlled or kinetically controlled reaction models might be subject to calibration. Typical problems for the application of geochemical models are: • speciation • determination of saturation indices • adjustment of equilibria/disequilibria for minerals or gases • mixing of different waters • modeling the effects of temperature • stoichiometric reactions (e.g. titration) • reactions with solids, fluids, and gaseous phases (in open and closed systems) • sorption (cation exchange, surface complexation) • inverse modeling • kinetically controlled reactions • reactive transport Hydrogeochemical models depend on the quality of the chemical analysis, the boundary conditions presumed by the program, theoretical concepts (e.g.

This thesis describes longitudinal nuclear relaxation measurements of solid 129Xe near 77 K with previously unattainable reproducibility, and demonstrates differences in relaxation, dependent upon the way in which the solid is condensed. These results are directly applicable to the generation and storage of large quantities of hyperpolarized 129Xe for various applications, such as lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The thesis features a sophisticated theoretical approach to these data sets, including modifications to a well-established Raman-phonon scattering theory that may explain the larger scatter in and discrepancies with previous work.

This book discusses the paradigm-shifting phenomenon of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and hybrid proteins containing ordered domains and functional IDP regions (IDPRs). The properties of IDPs and IDPRs are highly complementary to those deriving from the presence of a unique and well-defined three-dimensional fold. Ignored for a long time in high-resolution studies of proteins, intrinsic protein disorder is now recognized as one of the key features for a large variety of cellular functions, where structural flexibility presents a functional advantage in terms of binding plasticity and promiscuity and this volume explores this exciting new research. Recent progress in the field has radically changed our perspective to study IDPs through NMR: increasingly complex IDPs can now be characterized, a wide range of observables can be determined reporting on the structural and dynamic properties, computational methods to describe the structure and dynamics are in continuous development and IDPs can be studied in environments as complex as whole cells. This volume communicates the new exciting possibilities offered by NMR and presents open questions to foster further developments. Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Studied by NMR Spectroscopy provides a snapshot to researchers entering the field as well as providing a current overview for more experienced scientists in related areas.

The series Structure and Bonding publishes critical reviews on topics of research concerned with chemical structure and bonding. The scope of the series spans the entire Periodic Table and addresses structure and bonding issues associated with all of the elements. It also focuses attention on new and developing areas of modern structural and theoretical chemistry such as nanostructures, molecular electronics, designed molecular solids, surfaces, metal clusters and supramolecular structures. Physical and spectroscopic techniques used to determine, examine and model structures fall within the purview of Structure and Bonding to the extent that the focus is on the scientific results obtained and not on specialist information concerning the techniques themselves. Issues associated with the development of bonding models and generalizations that illuminate the reactivity pathways and rates of chemical processes are also relevant. The individual volumes in the series are thematic. The goal of each volume is to give the reader, whether at a university or in industry, a comprehensive overview of an area where new insights are emerging that are of interest to a larger scientific audience. Thus each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years should be presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. A description of the physical basis of the experimental techniques that have been used to provide the primary data may also be appropriate, if it has not been covered in detail elsewhere. The coverage need not be exhaustive in data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the new principles being developed that will allow the reader, who is not a specialist in the area covered, to understand the data presented. Discussion of possible future research directions in the area is welcomed. Review articles for the individual volumes are invited by the volume editors. Readership: research scientists at universities or in industry, graduate students Special offer for all customers who have a standing order to the print version of Structure and Bonding, we offer free access to the electronic volumes of the Series published in the current year via SpringerLink.

The octanol-water partition coefficient is a laboratory-measured property of a substance. It provides a thermodynamic measure of the tendency of the substance to prefer a non-aqueous or oily milieu rather than water (i.e. its hydrophilic/lipophilic balance). Partition coefficients are used extensively in medicinal chemistry, drug design, ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. The partition coefficient is recognized by governmental and international agencies (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OECD) as a physical property of organic pollutants equal in importance to vapour pressure, water solubility and toxicity. Octanol-Water Partition Coefficients is a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the thermodynamics of partitioning and of the octanol-water pair. In addition, all current methods of measurement are reviewed, strengths and weaknesses are noted and recommendations for particular applications are given. Current methods of calculation of partition coefficients are similarly surveyed and described. Five of the most popular computerized methods are tested for predictive accuracy for drugs, pollutants, aminoacids, etc. The book will be of interest not only to solution chemists, but to any chemists who use partition coefficients. It provides a thorough understanding of the fundamentals and offers clear guidance on the choice of methods of measurement and calculation. Contents: Introduction, Thermodynamics and Extrathermodynamics of Partitioning, Experimental Methods of Measurement, Discussion of Measurement Methods, Methods of Calculating Partitioning Coefficients, Discussion of LogKow Predictive Methods The Wiley Series in Solution Chemistry fills the increasing need to present authoritative, comprehensive and fully up-to-date accounts of the many aspects of solution chemistry. Internationally recognized experts from research or teaching institutions in various countries are invited to contribute to the series.

This volume builds on the previous two editions, Environmental Photochemistry Part I and Part II, which reflect the diverse range of activities in this highly dynamic research field. The chapters cover fundamental topics, from photocatalyst materials, surface-modified materials, reaction kinetics and reactor modelling, to translational research activities on chemical synthesis, energy conversion and water treatment. The applications of the new generation of LED irradiation sources and spectroscopic methods for elucidating reaction pathways are also covered in detail. This new volume maintains the ethos of the previous editions by further contributing to readers’ understanding of photochemical and photocatalytic processes for environmental applications. 

A guide to the interface between forensic anthropology and the United States legal system Designed for forensic anthropologists at all levels of expertise, Forensic Anthropology and the United States Judicial System offers a comprehensive examination of how to effectively present osteological analyses, research and interpretations in the courtroom. Written by noted experts, the book contains an historical perspective of the topic, a review of current legislation that affects expert testimony as well as vital information on courtroom procedure and judicial expectation of experts. A comprehensive book, Forensic Anthropology and the United States Judicial System explains how to prepare case reports and offers suggestions for getting ready for pre-trial interviews. The book also includes detailed information on affidavits, fee structures and dealing with opposing experts. This book is part of the popular Wiley - American Association for Forensic Sciences series and: Offers a unique volume that addresses the interface between forensic anthropology and the legal system Contains detailed guidelines for expert testimony by forensic anthropologists with all levels of experience, from beginner to expert Includes information from the perspective of the Judiciary in terms of process and expectations of the Court Shows how to maintain independence from, and collaborate with other experts Presents detailed explanations of current legislation impacting forensic science Forensic Anthropology and the United States Judicial System is an information-filled guide for practitioners of the rapidly growing field that integrates forensic sciences and the judicial system.

This volume focuses on Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC), a powerful tool allowing luminescence lifetime measurements to be made with high temporal resolution, even on single molecules. Combining spectrum and lifetime provides a “fingerprint� for identifying such molecules in the presence of a background. Used together with confocal detection, this permits single-molecule spectroscopy and microscopy in addition to ensemble measurements, opening up an enormous range of hot life science applications such as fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and measurement of Förster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) for the investigation of protein folding and interaction. Several technology-related chapters present both the basics and current state-of-the-art, in particular of TCSPC electronics, photon detectors and lasers. The remaining chapters cover a broad range of applications and methodologies for experiments and data analysis, including the life sciences, defect centers in diamonds, super-resolution microscopy, and optical tomography. The chapters detailing new options arising from the combination of classic TCSPC and fluorescence lifetime with methods based on intensity fluctuation represent a particularly unique highlight.

Tian Lu's dissertation describes major advances in ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC), liquid chromatography and surface-assisted laser desorption ionization (SALDI), and matrix-enhanced SALDI (ME-SALDI) mass spectrometry. Lu describes the fabrication of electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) UTLC plates using an in-situ crosslinking electrospinning technique. The author improved the efficiency of PVA plates greatly compared to the efficiency of silica HPTLC plates. Also highlighted in this thesis is an edge-plane based ordered-carbon surface that provides unique selectivity in liquid chromatography. Further developments include polar analytes, such as amino acids, nucleotides and nucleosides which can be well-retained and separated in the edge-plane ordered-carbon stationary phase. Also, the author studied and detected mass spectra of organic polymers as high as 900,000 Da, the highest molecular weight that has been studied by SALDI to date using the carbon nanofibrous substrate. This thesis has led to a number of publications in high-impact journals.

This volume offers concepts, methods and case studies of innovative and evolving technologies in the area of watershed assessment. Topics discussed include: (1) Development and applications of geospatial, satellite imagery and remote sensing technologies for land monitoring; (2) Development and applications of satellite imagery for monitoring inland water quality; (3) Development and applications of water sensor technologies for real-time monitoring of water quantity and quality; and (4) Advances in biological monitoring and microbial source tracking technologies. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers involved in watershed science and environmental studies. Equally, it will serve as a valuable guide to experts in government agencies who are concerned with water-availability and water-quality issues, and engineers and other professionals involved in the design of land- and water-monitoring systems.

Martin Stein's thesis describes a novel methodology for natural product discovery. Due to its high degree of reproducibility, robustness and sensitivity, the technique can be utilized to detect even trace amounts of bioactive substances in heterogeneous matrices such as fermentation broths or crude organic extracts. This research is thus relevant for a large number of researchers working in natural product discovery. Applications of this novel NMR-based approach include suitable environmental triggers for the induction of biosynthetic machineries. The author demonstrates the extraordinary value of this approach by the successful isolation of two potent inhibitors of the pharmaceutically relevant proteasome core particle from the insect pathogen photorhabdus luminescens. This thesis has led to a number of publications in high-impact journals.

This second edition of a successful and highly-accessed monograph has been extended by more than 100 pages. It includes an enlarged coverage of applications for materials characterization and analysis. Also a more detailed description of strategies for determining free energies of ion transfer between miscible liquids is provided. This is now possible with a "third-phase strategy" which the authors explain from theoretical and practical points of view. The book is still the only one detailing strategies for solid state electroanalysis. It also features the specific potential of the techniques to use immobilized particles (for studies of solid materials) and of immobilized droplets of immiscible liquids for the purpose of studying the three-phase electrochemistry of these liquids. This also includes studies of ion transfer between aqueous and immiscible non-aqueous liquids. The bibliography of all published papers in this field of research has been expanded from 318 to now 444 references in this second edition. Not only are pertinent references provided at the end of each chapter, but the complete list of the cited literature is also offered as a separate chapter for easy reference.

The last decade has witnessed the discovery of, and dramatic progress in understanding the physics of graphene and related two-dimensional materials. The development of methods for manufacturing and aligning high-quality two-dimensional crystals has facilitated the creation of a new generation of materials: the heterostructures of graphene with hexagonal crystals, in which the graphene electrons acquire new, qualitatively different properties. This thesis provides a comprehensive theoretical framework in which to understand these heterostructures, based on the tight binding model, perturbation theory, group theory and the concept of the moire superlattice (all of which are elucidated). It explains how graphene heterostructures provide new opportunities for tailoring band structure, such as creating additional Dirac points or opening band gaps and how they manifest themselves in transport measurements, optical absorption spectra and the fractal Hofstadter spectra. Also considered are the heterostructures of bilayer graphene and resonant tunneling in aligned graphene/insulator/graphene devices.

This thesis approaches impact resistance in dense suspensions from a new perspective. The most well-known example of dense suspensions, a mixture of cornstarch and water, provides enough impact resistance to allow a person to run across its surface. In the past, this phenomenon had been linked to "shear thickening" under a steady shear state attributed to hydrodynamic interactions or granular dilation. However, neither explanation accounted for the stress scales required for a person to run on the surface. Through this research, it was discovered that the impact resistance is due to local compression of the particle matrix. This compression forces the suspension across the jamming transition and precipitates a rapidly growing solid mass. This growing solid, as a result, absorbs the impact energy. This is the first observation of such jamming front, linking nonlinear suspension dynamics in a new way to the jamming phase transition known from dry granular materials.

This book contains a collection of selected works stemming from the 2013 International Conference on Sensing Technology (ICST), which was held in Wellington, New Zealand. The purpose of the book is to distill the highlights of the conference, and therefore track the latest developments in sensing technologies. The book contents are broad, since sensors can be applied in many different areas. Therefore the book gives a broad overview of the latest developments, in addition to discussing the process through which researchers go through in order to develop sensors, or related systems, which will become more widespread in the future. The book is written for academic and industry professionals working in the field of sensing, instrumentation and related fields, and is positioned to give a snapshot of the current state of the art in sensing technology, particularly from the applied perspective.

In this thesis, the author has developed a high-resolution spin-resolved photoemission spectrometer that achieves the world-best energy resolution of 8 meV. The author has designed a new, highly efficient mini Mott detector that has a large electron acceptance angle and an atomically flat gold target to enhance the efficiency of detecting scattered electrons. The author measured the electron and spin structure of Bi thin film grown on a Si(111) surface to study the Rashba effect. Unlike the conventional Rashba splitting, an asymmetric in-plane spin polarization and a tremendous out-of-plane spin component were observed. Moreover, the author found that the spin polarization of Rashba surface states is reduced by decreasing the film thickness, which indicates the considerable interaction of Rashba spin-split states between the surface and Bi/Si interface.

Proceedings of the Thirteenth Latin American Conference on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect, Medellin, Colombia, November 11-16, 2012. The broad scope of the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect to interdisciplinary subjects makes this volume an outstanding source of information to researchers and graduate students, who will find the unique results of Mössbauer spectroscopy a valuable aid and complement to their research in conjunction with other techniques. In this volume, applications to mineralogy, catalysis, soil science, amorphous materials, nanoparticles, magnetic materials, nanotechnology, metallurgy, corrosion, and magnetism, have been put together in original works produced by invited speakers and different research teams across the continent. Reprinted from Hyperfine Interactions (HYPE) Volume

This book examines the occurrence, toxicity, analysis and typical concentrations of organometallic compounds in various environmental samples. These include aqueous and effluent, crop and plant, soil and sediments, atmospheric and living organisms in a detailed and systematic manner. A knowledge of the chemical structure and concentration of organometallic compounds throughout the ecosystem is important in working out the pathways and mechanisms by which metals distribute themselves throughout the environment. The principal elements discussed are mercury, lead, tin and arsenic. Other organometallic compounds, including cadmium, antimony, selenium, germanium, manganese, copper and nickel, which occur in the environment less frequently and at lower concentrations are also discussed. Contents

1. Introduction
2. Concentrations of Organometallic Compounds in the Ecosystems
3. Toxic Effects of Organometallic Compounds
4. Toxicity Testing
5. Bioaccumulation Processes
6. Analysis of Organometallic Compounds in the Environment

Lena Daumanns's thesis describes structural and functional studies of the enzyme Glycerophosphodiesterase (GpdQ) from Enterobacter aerogenes. It also examines the properties of small mimics of this enzyme and related binuclear metallohydrolases such as the metallo-ß-lactamases to enhance our understanding of hydrolytic cleavage of important substrates like phosphoesters and β-lactams. Overall, this project has led to a better understanding of the metal ion binding and active site structural features of the enzyme GpdQ. Daumann describes how she successfully immobilized phosphoesterase and related biomimetics on solid supports for potential applications in the area of bioremediation of organophosphate pesticides. Analysis shows that both the enzyme and biomimetics can be stored on the solid support without loss of activity. Furthermore, the author specroscopically and mechanistically characterized a number of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) complexes, some of which are among the most active biomimetics towards organophosphates reported to date. This thesis makes excellent reading for non-specialists because each chapter includes a short introduction section.