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PhD Vacancies

Is it important to understand methylmercury accumulation mechanisms in the rice grain? A novel approach for looking at environmental pollution and terrestrial food webs

Supervisors

Dr E Krupp,
Prof A Meharg,
Dr A Price

Funding Eligibility

Fees will be paid at UK/EU rates only. Candidates should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree or a Masters degree or an equivalent qualification�
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Funding Notes

ACES Studentship 2009

Application Deadline

17 August 2009

Start Date

October 2009

References

E. M. Krupp, A. Mestrot, J. Wielgus, A. A. Meharg and J. Feldmann . The molecular form of mercury in biota: identification of novel mercury peptide complexes in plants
Chem. Commun., (2009) DOI: 10.1039/b823121d

Eva M. Krupp, Bruce F. Milne, Adrien Mestrot, Andrew A. Meharg and J�rg Feldmann. Investigation into mercury bound to biothiols: structural identification using ESI�ion-trap MS and introduction of a method for their HPLC separation with simultaneous detection by ICP-MS and ESI-MS
Anal Bioanal Chem (2008) 390:1753�1764, DOI: 10.1007/s00216-008-1927-x

Yong-Guan Zhu, Paul N Williams and Andrew A Meharg
Exposure to inorganic arsenic from rice: A global health issue? Environmental Pollution (2008) 154 :169�171

Andrew A. Meharg, Enzo Lombi, Paul N. Williams, Kirk G. Scheckel, Joerg Feldmann, Andrea Raab, Yong-Guan Zhu and Rafiq Islam. Speciation and Localization of Arsenic in White and Brown Rice Grains. Env. Sci. Technol. (2008) 42:1051-1057

Norton GJ, Lou-Hing DE, Meharg AA and Price AH. Rice-arsenate interactions in hydroponics: Whole genome transcriptional analysis. J. Ex. Bot (2008) 59: 2267�2276.��

Description

Rice is a world staple food, especially but not exclusively in Asian countries. However, environmental mercury pollution has been evidenced to cause elevated mercury levels in rice grain, with disproportionate high levels of methylmercury. This mercury species is of special concern, as it is formed naturally from inorganic mercury pollution, is bioaccumulated through food chains and neurotoxic to the developing brain. In the past, research has focused on aquatic methylmercury sources, which led to recommendations by food agencies to reduce fish consumption. However, recent research suggests that rice is the major methylmercury source in parts of the Chinese population, and recently we evidenced methylmercury even in samples of rice based baby food.

Application Procedure

To apply send an application form, downloadable from http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/word_docs/pgapp.doc along with a covering letter and an up-to-date C.V. (no longer than 2 sides of A4)

Send to Ms M Schumann, School of Biological Sciences, Cruickshank Building, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU. E-mail is the preferred mode of application � m.schumann@abdn.ac.uk

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