Atomic-absorption spectrometric determination of cobalt,nickel, and copper in geological materials with matrix masking and chelation-extraction

An atomic-absorption spectrometric method is reported for the determination of cobalt, nickel, and copper in a variety of geological materials including iron- and manganese-rich, and calcareous samples. The sample is decomposed with HP-HNO₃ and the residue is dissolved in hydrochloric acid. Ammonium fluoride is added to mask iron and 'aluminum. After adjustment to pH 6, cobalt, nickel, and copper are chelated with sodium diethyl-dithiocarbamate and extracted into methyl isobutyl ketone. The sample is set aside for 24 h before analysis to remove interferences from manganese. For a 0.200-g sample, the limits of determination are 5–1000 ppm for Co, Ni, and Cu. As much as 50% Fe, 25% Mn or Ca, 20% Al and 10% Na, K, or Mg in the sample either individually or in various combinations do not interfere. Results obtained on five U.S. Geological Survey rock standards are in general agreement with values reported in the literature.     

Match statistics for sequence-based alleles in profiles from forensic PCR-mps kits

The first autosomal sequence-based allele (aka SNP-STR haplotype) frequency database for forensic massively parallel sequencing (MPS) has been published, thereby removing one of the remaining barriers to implementing MPS in casework. The database was developed using a specific set of flank trim sites. If different trim sites or different kits with different primers are used for casework, then SNP-STR haplotypes may be detected that do not have frequencies in the database. We describe a procedure to address calculation of match probabilities when casework samples are generated using an MPS kit with different trim sites than those present in the relevant population frequency database. The procedure provides a framework for comparison of any MPS kit or database combination while also accommodating comparison of MPS and CE profiles.     

Surface Aggregation of Candida albicans on Glass in the Absence and Presence of Adhering Streptococcus gordonii in a Parallel-Plate Flow Chamber: A Surface Thermodynamical Analysis Based on Acid-Base Interactions

Adhesive interactions between yeasts and bacteria are important in the maintenance of infectious mixed biofilms on natural and biomaterial surfaces in the human body. In this study, the extended DLVO (Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek) approach has been applied to explain adhesive interactions between C. albicans ATCC 10261 and S. gordonii NCTC 7869 adhering on glass. Contact angles with different liquids and the zeta potentials of both the yeasts and bacteria were determined and their adhesive interactions were measured in a parallel-plate flow chamber.Streptococci were first allowed to adhere to the bottom glass plate of the flow chamber to different seeding densities, and subsequently deposition of yeasts was monitored with an image analysis system, yielding the degree of initial surface aggregation of the adhering yeasts and their spatial arrangement in a stationary end point. Irrespective of growth temperature, the yeast cells appeared uncharged in TNMC buffer, but yeasts grown at 37 degrees C were intrinsically more hydrophilic and had an increased electron-donating character than cells grown at 30 degrees C. All yeasts showed surface aggregation due to attractive Lifshitz-van der Waals forces. In addition, acid-base interactions between yeasts, yeasts and the glass substratum, and yeasts and the streptococci were attractive for yeasts grown at 30 degrees C, but yeasts grown at 37 degrees C only had favorable acid-base interactions with the bacteria, explaining the positive relationship between the surface coverage of the glass by streptococci and the surface aggregation of the yeasts. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

High-spin structure of yrast-band in 78Kr

Lifetime of levels up to 22⁺, have been measured in ⁷⁸Kr and an oblate shape is assigned to the ground state using the CSM and the configuration dependent shell correction calculations. Calculations further show that ⁷⁸Kr is highly γ-soft nucleus. The experimental Q _t values coupled with theoretical calculations indicate an oblate shape for ⁷⁸Kr at low spins and triaxial shape at higher spins     

In-line respeciation: an ion-exchange ion chromatographic method applied to the separation of degradation products of chemical warfare nerve agents in soil

The natural background of anions encountered when analyzing soil samples by ion chromatography (IC) present significant problems in the separation, detection and quantification of isopropyl methylphosphonic acid (IMPA) and methylphosphonic acid (MPA), the degradation products of sarin, a chemical warfare nerve agent. Using chemically-suppressed IC with conductivity detection, a commercially available ion-exchange column, and an isocratic binary eluent system, IMPA and MPA were determined in aqueous extracts of soil at sub-ppm (μg/g) concentrations without the need for gradient elution or organic solvent eluent modifiers. Common soil anions such as chloride, nitrate, sulfate and phosphate do not interfere with the analysis method due to the composition of the binary eluent allowing for greater mobilization of multivalent anions (e.g., MPA, carbonate, and sulfate) while monovalent anions (e.g., IMPA and nitrate) are relatively unaffected. Carbonate is selectively removed by in-line respeciation to bicarbonate.     

Field and energy relations in continuum electrodynamics

The bare, or fundamental, electric and magnetic fields in a linear medium are identified. Through the energy relations for the bare fields, the electric permittivity is shown to combine the effects of the enhanced energy density and the polarization reaction field. The macroscopic Maxwell equations are modified to be consistent with the constitutive relations for the bare fields.     

Effects of local fields on spontaneous emission in dielectric media

The local-field renormalization of the spontaneous emission rate in a dielectric is explicitly obtained from a fully microscopic quantum-electrodynamical, many-body derivation of Langevin-Bloch operator equations for two-level atoms embedded in an absorptive and dispersive, linear dielectric host. We find that the dielectric local-field enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate is smaller than indicated by previous studies.