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This is the 16th Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) to focus on advances in elemental speciation and covers a period of approximately 12 months from January 2023. This ASU review deals with all aspects of the analytical atomic spectrometry speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom-containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry. As with all ASU reviews the focus of the research reviewed includes those methods that incorporate atomic spectrometry as the measurement technique. However, because speciation analysis is inherently focused on the relationship between the metal(loid) atom and the organic moiety it is bound to, or incorporated within, atomic spectrometry alone cannot be the sole analytical approach of interest. For this reason, molecular detection techniques are also included where they have provided a complementary approach to speciation analysis. The number of publications covered this year has increased since last year but remains relatively low compared to many of the years that this ASU has been published for. However, there is a good breadth of elements covered, over 20 this year, with the most popular elements still being As, Hg and Se whilst Ge and Tc both make their first appearances this year. Another item to note is the decreasing quality of the abstract for many of the papers, with detail on the methodology, key results with data included, conclusions and implications thereof missing. This is likely to lead to fewer researchers reading the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This update covers the literature published between approximately June 2022 and April 2023 and is the latest part of a series of annual reviews. It is designed to provide the reader with an overview of the current state of the art with respect to the atomic spectrometric analysis of various metals, chemicals and materials. Advances have been made in several areas. For cultural heritage scientists, it is worth noting that, after many years of inserting analytical data into chemometric tools in an attempt to elucidate provenance, several free to use algorithms that take an inexperienced analyst through the entire process have been developed. It is envisaged that such algorithms will also be developed for forensic samples. In other areas, there has been a big increase in papers reporting methods for analysing coals, with many of these applications employing LIBS. This increase is presumably a result of the use of coal increasing rapidly in some countries. The use of LIBS for analyses is still growing in many areas. For ferrous and non-ferrous metals, the development of more reliable calibration strategies for LIBs has been a common theme. The standoff ability of LIBS has also been put to good use in the nuclear industry and for the detection of explosives. Waste management of assorted materials, e.g. polymers, metals, etc. has also used LIBS analyses, often used in conjunction with chemometric data analysis tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the manufacture of engineered nanomaterials, which has inevitably led to their environmental release. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is among the more abundant nanomaterial manufactured due to its advantageous properties, used for piezoelectric, semiconducting, and antibacterial purposes. Plastic waste is ubiquitous and may break down or delaminate into smaller microplastics, leaving open the question of whether these small polymers may alter the fate of ZnO through adsorption within aquatic media (tap‐water and seawater). Here, scanning electron microscopy analysis confirms the effective Zn nano/microstructures adsorption onto polystyrene surfaces after only 24‐h incubation in the aquatic media. After pre‐aging the nanomaterials for 7‐days in different environmental media, nanoprobe X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy analysis reveals significant ZnO transformation toward Zn‐sulfide and Zn‐phosphate. The interaction between a commercial ZnO‐based sunscreen with polystyrene and a cleanser consumer containing microbeads with ZnO nanomaterials is also studied, revealing the adsorption of transformed Zn‐species in the microplastics surfaces, highlighting the environmental relevancy of this work. Understanding the structural and functional impacts of the microplastics/ZnO complexes, and how they evolve, will provide insights into their chemical nature, stability, transformations, and fate, which is key to predicting their bioreactivity in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the 15th Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) to focus on advances in elemental speciation and covers a period of approximately 12 months from January 2022. This ASU review deals with all aspects of the analytical atomic spectrometry speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom-containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry. As with all ASU reviews the focus of the research reviewed includes those methods that incorporate atomic spectrometry as the measurement technique. However, because speciation analysis is inherently focused on the relationship between the metal(loid) atom and the organic moiety it is bound to, or incorporated within, atomic spectrometry alone cannot be the sole analytical approach of interest. For this reason molecular detection techniques are also included where they have provided a complementary approach to speciation analysis. This year the number of publications covered has fallen again along with the number of elements covered, most likely due to effects of the Covid-19 pandemic restricting laboratory access. The most popular elements remain as As, Hg and Se and the range of matrices under study is still broad with biological, environmental and foods being the most popular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This update covers the literature published between approximately June 2021 and May 2022 and is the latest part of a series of annual reviews. It is designed to provide the reader with an overview of the current state of the art with respect to the atomic spectrometric analysis of various metals, chemicals and materials. These materials include ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glasses, polymers, ceramics, engineered nanostructures, fuels, nuclear materials, building materials, catalysts and electronic components. Also included is the analysis of forensic samples such as explosives and gunshot residue. It is not a comprehensive review of all papers that have used an atomic spectrometric technique. Instead, it includes only those papers that have some novelty through making an advance in either knowledge or the application of atomic spectrometry. Those papers that maximise the information gleaned from analytical data, e.g. the provenance of cultural heritage or forensic samples, through the use of chemometric analysis will also be included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the 14th Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) to focus on advances in elemental speciation and covers a period of approximately 12 months from December 2020. This ASU deals with all aspects of the analytical atomic spectrometry speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom-containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry. As with all ASUs, the focus of the research reviewed includes those methods that incorporate atomic spectrometry as the measurement technique. However, because speciation analysis is inherently focused on the relationship between the metal(loid) atom and the organic moiety it is bound to, or incorporated within, atomic spectrometry alone cannot be the sole analytical approach of interest. For this reason, molecular detection techniques are also included where they have provided a complementary approach to speciation analysis. This year, the number of publications covered has fallen, quite possibly due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic restricting laboratory access, but the number of elements covered remains high at over 30. The most popular elements are still As, Hg and Se, whilst more workers are using some form of separation to reduce the dissolved ion signal when undertaking analysis for NPs. There has also been an increase in the number of papers reporting on field deployable miniaturised devices for elemental speciation, a trend which will surely continue as the associated technologies develop more robust and less power hungry portable excitation sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate and precise method for the determination of [delta][sup.34]S measurements by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been developed. Full uncertainty budgets, taking into consideration all the uncertainties of the measurement process, have been calculated. The technique was evaluated by comparing measured values with a range of isotopically enriched sulfur solutions prepared by gravimetric addition of a [sup.34]S spike. The gravimetric and measured results exhibited a correlation of [R.sup.2] >0.999. Repeat measurements were also made after adding Na (up to 420 [micro]g [g.sup.-1]) and Ca (up to 400 [micro]g [g.sup.-1]) salts to the sulfur standard. No significant deviations in the [delta][sup.34]S values were observed. The Russell correction expression (Ingle, C.; Sharp, B.; Horstwood, M.; Parrish, R.; Lewis, D. J. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 2003, 18, 219) was used to correct for mass bias on the [sup.34]S/[sup.32]S isotope amount ratio from the mass bias observed for the [sup.30]Si/[sup.28]Si isotope amount ratio. Consistent compensation for instrumental mass bias was achieved. Resolution of the measured [delta][sup.34]S values was better than 1 [per thousand] after consideration of all uncertainty components. The technique was evaluated for practical applications by measurement of [delta]34S for a range of mineral waters by pneumatic nebulization sample introduction and the analysis of genuine and counterfeit pharmaceuticals using both laser ablation sample introduction and liquid chromatography. For the former two cases polyatomic interferences were resolved by operating the MC-ICPMS in medium resolution, while for the chromatographic analyses polyatomic interferences were minimized by the use of a membrane desolvator, allowing the instrument to be operated at a resolution of 400.

This update covers the literature published between June 2020 and May 2021 and is the latest part of a series of annual reviews. It is designed to provide the reader with an overview of the current state of the art with respect to the atomic spectrometric analysis of various metals, chemicals and materials. It is not designed to be a comprehensive review of all papers that have used an atomic spectrometric technique. Instead, it includes only those papers that have some novelty through making an advance in either knowledge or the application of atomic spectrometry. Also included, especially for forensic-based applications, for recycling applications and for cultural heritage samples, are those papers that have treated the analytical data produced with chemometric packages to provide invaluable information on provenance or to aid identification. Other research has focussed on calibration strategies for LIBS analyses and improving the resolution of depth and lateral profiling to facilitate the elucidation of mechanistic aspects of electronic components. An additional topic of interest includes the identification of oxidation states and neighbouring atoms using techniques such as XPS and XANES, again attempting to elucidate mechanisms for electronic components or to elicit speciation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuous quality improvement program could reduce mortality rates from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Researchers affiliated with the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group implemented a program to give cardiovascular surgeons regular feedback on patient outcomes, teach them the principles of continuous quality improvement and encourage them to visit other sites. Twenty-three cardiovascular surgeons at five medical centers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont participated. Mortality rates among the 15,095 patients undergoing CABG surgery dropped 24% in the 27-month period following the implementation of the program between July, 1990 and April 1991. The reductions occurred in every hospital except the one with the lowest mortality rates at the start of the study. Male and female patients alike benefitted from the program., Objective.--To determine whether an organized intervention including data feedback, training in continuous quality improvement techniques, and site visits to other medical centers could improve the hospital mortality rates associated with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Design.--Regional intervention study. Patient demographic and historical data, body surface area, cardiac catheterization results, priority of surgery, comorbidity, and status at hospital discharge were collected on CABG patients in Northern New England between July 1, 1987, and July 31, 1993. Setting.--This study included all 23 cardiothoracic surgeons practicing in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont during the study period. Patients.--Data were collected on 15 095 consecutive patients undergoing isolated CABG procedures in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont during the study period. Interventions.--A three-component intervention aimed at reducing CABG mortality was fielded in 1990 and 1991. The interventions included feedback of outcome data, training in continuous quality improvement techniques, and site visits to other medical centers. Main Outcome Measure.--A comparison of the observed and expected hospital mortality rates during the postintervention period. Results.--During the postintervention period, we observed the outcomes for 6488 consecutive cases of CABG surgery. There were 74 fewer deaths than would have been expected. This 24%, reduction in the hospital mortality rate was statistically significant (P=.001). This reduction in mortality rate was relatively consistent across patient subgroups and was temporally associated with the interventions. Conclusion.--We conclude that a multi-institutional, regional model for the continuous improvement of surgical care is feasible and effective. This model may have applications in other settings. (JAMA. 1996;275:841-846)