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The objective of this study was to determine the structural and textural description of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash that was subjected to a six-month seasoning process. Bottom ash samples, with a particle size fraction of 0.063–0.1 mm, were seasoned in a closed landfill and collected for laboratory analyses at monthly intervals. The research focused on determining the structural parameters, using methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and the textural parameters, using low-pressure nitrogen adsorption (LPNA) at −196.15 °C. The analyses of the porous structure of the bottom ash samples revealed differences in texture of ASH 1 to ASH 6, specifically in the pore volume (micro- and mesopores), specific surface area, and pore size distribution. Changes in the structural and porous characteristics of the samples were attributed to the duration of the seasoning process. The results of the structural analysis of the bottom ash suggest its application in the concrete industry, potentially enhancing the long-term mechanical strength of concrete. The results of the textural analysis indicate the possible use of MSWI bottom ash in environmental applications, as the internal surface area could be further developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollution with expired drugs of aquatic environments, in particular rivers and lakes, has lately become a major worldwide problem. Thus, the interest in the exact quantity of pharmaceutical waste as well as the management after the expiration date is very high. For the present study, expired drugs in the form of tablets, capsules, and powders collected from the Romanian population and unexpired medicines as the same tablets, capsules, and powders purchased from the local pharmacy were analyzed. Advanced 1H-NMR (proton nuclear magnetic resonance) combined with Laplace data analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were used for the characterization of the unexpired and expired drugs. In order to assess the dynamics of dissolution of drugs in aqueous environment, various kinetic measurements of NMR relaxometry, electrical conductivity (EC) and visible near-infrared spectroscopy were performed and their performance in the differentiation of unexpired and expired drugs was evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential organ of the female reproductive system, the uterus, is histologically divided into three layers: the perimetrium, myometrium, and endometrium. In vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and spectroscopy are modern methods that become important tools used by radiologists to increase the degree in confidence in their diagnosis, to provide noninvasive metabolic information, and to establish a standardized characterization of the nonpathological tissue. We developed a complex protocol based on in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging correlated with data analysis for the assessment of specific parameters, such as metabolite content, 1H spin-density, effective transverse relaxation time, and effective longitudinal relaxation time parameter maps, characteristic of normal endometrium in a group of 11 healthy volunteer women. This study involved: (i) a series of data analysis steps performed by a dedicated software and primary NMR signal processing (water and metabolite signal separation, phase and baseline correction, apodization) and (ii) advanced analysis based on dedicated programs. We observed and investigated three states of water: free water, loosely and strongly bound water characterized by different transverse relaxation times. The four most common metabolites reported in previous studies of malignant uterus were identified for normal endometrium. Qualitative transverse and longitudinal relaxation time parameter maps were obtained. The distributions of transverse relaxation times for various uterine areas were demonstrated by statistical analysis. The good signal-to-noise ratio allows the identification of other metabolites such as N-acetyl aspartate and M1 and M2 macromolecular resonances. A relatively high choline and lipid content and low creatine and lactate content were calculated for the group of healthy women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of two wonder drugs, simvastatins and fenofibrates on the proximal part of the femoris of a series of ovariectomized and non-ovariectomized Wistar albino rats was estimated qualitatively and semi-quantitatively by the modern method of 1D 1H-NMR T2-distribution. The 72 rats subjected to this study were divided in six groups and were sacrificed at two, four, six and eight weeks after ovariectomy and the proximal part of femoris was harvested. The CPMG (Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill) echoes train curves were measured for the bones fully saturated with water during two months after two months of natural drying. These decays were analyzed by Laplace inversion and an average of normalized T2-distributions was considered for all rat's groups. The 1D averaged T2-distributions present four peaks, which were associated with protons in four major environments, from which the free water protons are used as spy molecules to explore the boundaries of cavities. In the approximation of spherical pores, the averaged T2-distributions were transformed in distributions of pores diameters. These were found in the range from 2 μm up to 2 mm. The relative amplitudes, widths and position of deconvoluted distributions of small, medium and large cavities are used for a qualitatively analysis of the effect of our lipid-lowering drugs. For a semi-quantitatively analysis, we chose the diameter d of proximal part of femoris' trabecular cavities. We show that the positive or negative effects of treatments with simvastatins and fenofibrates are strongly dependent on the duration of treatment. Moreover, the treatment of healthy bone is generally counter-indicated.