234Th-derived particulate organic carbon export in the Prydz Bay, Antarctica

²³⁴Th activities in sea water were measured using Fe(OH)₃ co-precipitation and beta counting at six stations in Prydz Bay in March 2008 during the 24th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. Total ²³⁴Th activities ranged from 0.96 to 2.44 dpm L^?1 with an average of 1.61 dpm L^?1, showing an apparent deficit with respect to ²³⁸U due to scavenging and export with particles. With a one-dimensional steady state model, ²³⁴Th export fluxes were converted to particulate organic carbon (POC) export using bottle ratios of POC concentrations to particulate ²³⁴Th activities on suspended particles. POC fluxes at the depth of 100 m varied between 33 and 297 mmol m^?2 day^?1, comparable to prior work in the same region and higher than those of some other sea areas in the Southern Ocean, and indicated efficient running of biological pump in Prydz Bay. The results could be helpful to expand the knowledge of carbon cycle in seasonally ice-covered coastal regions around Antarctica.     

Sedimentation and lateral transport of 210Pb over the East China Sea Shelf

²¹⁰Pb is an effective tracer of constraining particle transport and sedimentation in shelf regions. To reveal the spatial pattern of ²¹⁰Pb over the East China Sea (i.e. ECS) Shelf, ²¹⁰Pb in the surface sediments were examined at 11 stations, as well as ²³⁴Th and ²¹⁰Pb in the water column at four stations. Overall, the plume zone of the Yangtze River along the coastline is a source area of ²¹⁰Pb for the outer shelf, exporting 0.46 dpm cm^?2 year^?1 at least, which accounts for about 25 % of ²¹⁰Pb input into this region. In the southern ECS Shelf to the north of the Taiwan Strait, the focusing factor (f) values are higher than unity, indicating a sink area of ²¹⁰Pb. Boundary scavenging of ²¹⁰Pb contributes 0.36 dpm cm^?2 year^?1 to this sink area on the basis of a mass balance model evaluation. Lateral transport of ²¹⁰Pb to this region, quantified by ²³⁴Th and ²¹⁰Pb in the water column, varied from 3.34 to 6.39 dpm cm^?2 year^?1 with an average of 4.83 dpm cm^?2 year^?1, also supporting its sink characteristic. To the southwest of the Cheju Island, the f values were less than unity, revealing a source region of ²¹⁰Pb. The average export flux of ²¹⁰Pb from this region was 1.64 dpm cm^?2 year^?1. Therefore, ²¹⁰Pb sedimentation/settling showed significantly heterogeneous sedimentation of particulate matter over the ECS Shelf.     

Biomethane Production in an AnSBBR Treating Wastewater from Biohydrogen Process

An anaerobic sequencing batch reactor containing immobilized biomass (AnSBBR) was used to produce biomethane by treating the effluent from another AnSBBR used to produce biohydrogen from glucose- (AR-EPHG) and sucrose-based (AR-EPHS) wastewater. In addition, biomethane was also produced from sucrose-based synthetic wastewater (AR-S) in a single AnSBBR to compare the performance of biomethane production in two steps (acidogenic and methanogenic) in relation to a one-step operation. The system was operated at 30 °C and at a fixed stirring rate of 300 rpm. For AR-EPHS treatment, concentrations were 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 mg chemical oxygen demand?(COD)?L^?1 and cycle lengths were 6 and 8 h. The applied volumetric organic loads were 2.15, 4.74, 5.44, and 8.22 g COD L^?1 day^?1. For AR-EPHG treatment, concentration of 4,000 mg COD L^?1 and 4-h cycle length (7.21 g COD L^?1 day^?1) were used. For AR-S treatment, concentration was 4,000 mg COD L^?1 day^?1 and cycle lengths were 8 (7.04 g COD L^?1 day^?1) and 12 h (4.76 g COD L^?1 day^?1). The condition of 8.22 g COD L^?1 day^?1 (AR-EPHS) showed the best performance with respect to the following parameters: applied volumetric organic load of 7.56 g COD L^?1 day^?1, yield between produced methane and removed organic material of 0.016 mol CH₄?g COD^?1, CH₄ content in the produced biogas of 85 %, and molar methane productivity of 127.9 mol CH₄?m^?3 day^?1. In addition, a kinetic study of the process confirmed the trend that, depending on the biodegradability characteristics of the wastewaters used, the two-step treatment (acidogenic for biohydrogen production and methanogenic for biomethane production) has potential advantages over the single-step process.     

Time-series observations of 210Po and 210Pb radioactivity in the western North Pacific

We carried out time-series observations of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb radioactivity in the western North Pacific Ocean. The sinking fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the mesopelagic zone were estimated from ²¹⁰Po radioactivity during several seasons in the subarctic and subtropical regions of the western North Pacific. The seasonal changes of POC fluxes at a depth of 400 m were larger in the subarctic region than in the subtropical region. The annual mean POC flux at a depth of 400 m was larger in the subarctic region (57 mgC m^?2 day^?1) than in the subtropical region (36 mgC m^?2 day^?1). The annual mean of the e-ratio (the ratio of POC flux to primary productivity) in the subarctic region (18 %) was about twice the e-ratio in the subtropical region (10 %). These results imply that the efficiency of the biological pump is larger in the subarctic region than in the subtropical region of the western North Pacific.     

Disk mini-adsorbers with radial flow for determination of 234Th concentration in seawater

A modified method has been developed for measuring the ²³⁴Th concentration in seawater, which is based upon the use of MnO₂-impregnated disk mini adsorbers with radial flow connected in-line and the direct beta counting of ²³⁴Th and/or its daughter ^234mPa. This allows determining the ²³⁴Th concentration in a relatively small volume of seawater (20–50 L) with the possibility to check the extraction efficiency in every individual sample. The field testing, which was carried out at different areas of Sevastopol Bay during different seasons, has shown applicability of the proposed method to evaluate particle fluxes in marine environments within a wide range of concentrations of suspended matter.     

An assessment of petrol fire risk by oxygen consumption calorimetry

This article evaluates the fire risk of petrol utilising a novel testing procedure that enables the measurement of heat release rate (HRR), specific mass loss rate and carbon monoxide (CO) yield of flammable liquids in a cone calorimeter. The testing procedure is a modification of the procedure described in ISO 5660-1:2002. The modification includes the use of a sample pool enabling the testing of flammable liquids. Pure petrol samples were tested. They were ignited with a spark igniter, without the use of a cone heater. The cone heater was removed before testing to avoid its heating by the flame and consequent heat radiation onto the tested sample surface. The average HRR was 612 kW m^?2 and the maximum HRR was 842 kW m^?2. The total CO yield related to mass loss was 58.6 g kg^?1 and related to the effective heat of combustion was 1.48 g MJ^?1. The immediate CO yield increased significantly with an increase in testing time (an increase in the depth level of liquid below the upper edge of the pool). Dependence equations of HRR and specific CO production rate (SCPR) on the specific mass loss rate were calculated from the obtained data. Substituting the specific mass loss rate of petrol (55 g m^?2), which burns in an infinite diameter pool, the HRR (1,581 kW m^?2) and SCPR (3.99 g m^?2 s^?1) were calculated for petrol pool fire under real conditions (at pool diameter larger than 1.5 m). The calculated SCPR accounted for a CO yield of 72.55 g kg^?1.     

Kinetic determination of traces of Th(IV) on the basis of its catalytic effect in environmental water samples

A new analytic kinetic-catalytic method based on catalytic effect of traces of Th(IV) on the reaction oxidation of 4-hydroxycoumarin by KMnO₄ were developed and validated in this study. The linearity of the method was obtained in the range of concentrations of Th(IV) from 0.2 to 2 ??g mL^?1. The probable relative error is in the interval from 7.88 to 3.50% for the range of concentration of Th(IV) from 0.5 to 2 ??g mL^?1. Kinetic equations of investigated reactions were established. The proposed kinetic method was directly applied on determination of Th(IV) in environmental water samples. It was found that the results of Th(IV) determination in water samples obtained by proposed kinetic method and comparative atomic absorption spectrometry method were statistically agreeable.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and ionic compositions of atmospheric bulk deposition samples at a national park under the influence of intense barbecue smoke

The main aim of this study was to present the effects of barbecue smoke on a small-scale environment, a national park under the influence of intense barbecue smoke, and to scientifically support the sustainable usage of the park. Twelve-weekly bulk deposition samples were collected directly at the barbecuing area, and the samples were analysed for 16 US EPA’s priority PAH compounds and major ions. The mean concentrations of the individual PAHs in the bulk deposition samples ranged from 11.8 ng L^?1 (Ane) to 1085 ± 581 ng L^?1 (IcdP). The most frequently observed PAH compounds in the bulk deposition samples were Np, Anp, Flr, Phe, An, Flu, BkF, BaP and IcdP. The mean total PAH deposition fluxes were determined as 3.6 ± 5.6 µg m^?2 day^?1. The chloride, potassium and the sulphate fluxes were determined as 145.2 ± 267.8 µg m^?2 day^?1, 182.9 ± 291.9 µg m^?2 day^?1, and 111.9 ± 65.9 µg m^?2 day^?1, respectively. Dominant ions in the bulk deposition samples were potassium ion, chloride and sulphate which addressed as the fingerprint of barbecue grilling.     

Cadmium and Lead Distribution in Marine Soil Sediments,Terrestrial Soil,Terrestrial Rock,and Atmospheric Particulate Matter around Split,Croatia

The distributions of cadmium and lead in marine sediments, surrounding soil, stones, and atmospheric particulate matter were determined at different locations in Split, Croatia. The determination of cadmium and lead was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry whereas atmospheric particulate matter samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry. Cadmium concentrations in the stones and soil were between 0.2 to 0.6 µg g^?1 and 0.2 to 0.9 µg g^?1. The concentration in the atmospheric particulate matter were <0.2 µg m^?2 d^?1(detection limit) to 1.4 µg m^?2 d^?1. Lead concentrations in marine sediments, stones, soil, and atmospheric particulate matter ranged from 31.2 to 144.4 µg g^?1, 9.3 to 29.4 µg g^?1, 11.3 to 66.1 µg g^?1, and 0.5 to 241.4 µg m^?2 d^?1, respectively. The relationship between determined parameters was established using principal component analysis and the results are in agreement with the assumption that anthropogenic sources play important roles for lead and cadmium distribution.     

Controlled Production of Exopolysaccharides from Enterobacter A47 as a Function of Carbon Source with Demonstration of Their Film and Emulsifying Abilities

The bacterium Enterobacter A47 has demonstrated the ability to synthesise distinct exopolysaccharides (EPS) as a function of the substrate used. The culture's performance was evaluated in experiments using either glucose or xylose, as single carbon sources, and compared with the substrate (glycerol) used in previous studies. The highest EPS production (13.23 g L^?1) was obtained in the glucose fed assay, with a volumetric productivity of 3.38 g L^?1 day^?1. The use of xylose resulted in lower productivity (1.39 g L^?1 day^?1). The synthesised polymers have the same main sugar monomers (fucose, glucose, galactose and glucuronic acid), but their relative proportion varied with the substrate used. The acyl groups' content and composition were also affected by the substrate used. The polymers produced from glycerol (EPS-s) and glucose (EPS-g) had identical shear-thinning behaviour and good emulsion-stabilising capacity and their films had similar mechanical and water vapour properties. However, the emulsions stabilised with EPS-g were less stable and destabilised within short periods of time or when subjected to heat and freezing/thawing procedures. On the other hand, the polymer produced from xylose had little emulsion-stabilising capacity and lower apparent viscosity than EPS-s and EPS-g, but its films were considerably more elastic.     

Simultaneous Determination of Clobetasol Propionate and Calcipotriol in a Novel Fixed Dose Emulgel Formulation by LC-UV

A new, rapid, selective, cheap and simple RP-LC method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of clobetasol propionate and calcipotriol mixtures in bulk drugs (raw materials) and in a novel-fixed dose emulgel formulation. Separation was carried out using a NovaPak C18 column with methanol:water (74:26 v/v) as mobile phase for isocratic elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The column temperature was set at 25 °C. Calibration curves were established ranging between 0.5 and 20 μg mL^?1 and 0.5 and 10 μg mL^?1 for clobetasol propionate and calcipotriol, respectively. Limit of detection and limit of quantification values of the method was found as 0.16 and 0.48 μg mL^?1 for clobetasol propionate and 0.10 and 0.30 μg mL^?1 for calcipotriol, respectively. The method was validated in accordance with ICH guidelines and obtained results proved that the proposed method was precise, accurate, selective and sensitive for the simultaneous analysis of clobetasol propionate and calcipotriol. The proposed method can be easily applied for the simultaneous determination of clobetasol propionate and calcipotriol in prepared emulgel formulations. The obtained validation results showed that the RP-LC method is suitable for routine quantification of clobetasol propionate and calcipotriol in emulgel formulations with high precision and accuracy.     

Pre-Column Derivatization HPLC Procedure for the Quantitation of Aluminium Chlorohydrate in Antiperspirant Creams Using Quercetin as Chromogenic Reagent

This article describes the development and validation of a selective high-performance liquid chromatography method that allows, after liquid–liquid extraction and pre-column derivatization reaction with quercetin, the quantification of aluminium chlorohydrate in antiperspirant creams. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an XTerra MS C18 analytical column (150 × 3.0 mm i.d., particle size 5 μm) using a mobile phase of acetonitrile:water (15:85, v/v) containing 0.08 % trifluoroacetic acid at a flow rate of 0.30 mL min^?1. Ultraviolet spectrophotometric detection at 415 nm was used. The assay was linear over a concentration range of 3.7–30.6 μg mL^?1 for aluminium with a limit of quantitation of 3.74 μg mL^?1. Quality control samples (4.4, 17.1 and 30.6 μg mL^?1) in five replicates from five different runs of analysis demonstrated intra-assay precision (% coefficient of variation <3.8 %), inter-assay precision (% coefficient of variation <5.4 %) and an overall accuracy (% recovery) between 96 and 101 %. The method was used to quantify aluminium in antiperspirant creams containing 11.0, 13.0 and 16.0 % (w/w) aluminium chlorohydrate, respectively.     

Growth of Cyanobacteria: Optimization for Increased Carbohydrate Content

Growths of Lyngbya limnetica and Oscillatoria obscura were investigated at varying pH, light intensity, temperature, and trace element concentration with a view to optimize these parameters for obtaining the maximum carbohydrate content. The maximum growth for both strains was obtained at pH 9.0 and temperature 20 ± 3 °C using a light intensity of 68.0 μmol m^?2 s^?1 with continuous shaking. Growth under the nitrogen starvation condition affected the carbohydrate content more compared to the phosphorus starvation, and maximum concentrations were found as 0.660 and 0.621 g/g of dry biomass for L. limnetica and O. obscura, respectively. Under the optimized nitrogen-rich conditions, the specific growth rates for the two strains were found to be 0.187 and 0.215 day^?1, respectively. The two-stage growth studies under nitrogen-rich (stage I) followed by nitrogen starvation (stage II) conditions were performed, and maximum biomass and carbohydrate productivity were found as 0.088 and 0.423 g L^?1 day^?1 for L. limnetica. This is the first ever attempt to evaluate and optimize various parameters affecting the growth of cyanobacterial biomass of L. limnetica and O. obscura as well as their carbohydrate contents.     

Production of the Biopesticide Azadirachtin by Hairy Root Cultivation of Azadirachta indica in Liquid-Phase Bioreactors

Batch cultivation of Azadirachta indica hairy roots was carried out in different liquid-phase bioreactor configurations (stirred-tank, bubble column, bubble column with polypropylene basket, and polyurethane foam disc as root supports) to investigate possible scale-up of the A. indica hairy root culture for in vitro production of the biopesticide azadirachtin. The hairy roots failed to grow in the conventional bioreactor designs (stirred tank and bubble column). However, modified bubble column reactor (with polyurethane foam as root support) configuration facilitated high-density culture of A. indica hairy roots with a biomass production of 9.2 g l^?1dry weight and azadirachtin yield of 3.2 mg g^?1 leading to a volumetric productivity of azadirachtin as 1.14 mg l^?1 day^?1. The antifeedant activity in the hairy roots was also evaluated by no choice feeding tests with known concentrations of the hairy root powder and its solvent extract separately on the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. The hairy root powder and its solvent extract demonstrated a high level of antifeedant activity (with an antifeedant index of 97 % at a concentration of 2 % w/v and 83 % at a concentration of 0.05 % (w/v), respectively, in ethanol).     

LC Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Gemfibrozil in Human Plasma

A simple and sensitive LC method for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma samples is described. Mometasone furoate was used as the internal standard. Plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation using methanol. Separation was performed at 40 °C on a YMC^® ODS-A reverse phase column (5 μm particle size, 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.) using 0.2% (v/v) triethylamine in water (adjusting to pH 4.0 with phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile (45:55, v/v) as mobile phase which was delivered at 1.5 mL min^?1. Ultraviolet detection was performed at 230 nm. The linear concentration range for gemfibrozil was 0.25–50 μg mL^?1. The detection limit of this method was 0.1 μg mL^?1. Intra- and inter-assay RSD ranged from 0.63 to 2.04% and 1.37 to 4.27%, respectively. The method was sensitive, simple and repeatable enough to be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Semi-continuous Cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis for Commercial Production

The objectives of the present study on the growth of Haematococcus pluvialis were to indicate the effects of a long-term semi-continuous cultivation, sterilization, carbon dioxide, and different culture media by using artesian well water. This investigation was an enterprise in order to commercialize the production economically. When the effect of CO₂ was investigated in basal culture medium, the influence of sterilization was also researched in Rudic’s culture medium in vertical panel-type photobioreactors for 31 days of semi-continuous cultivation. The maximum cell concentration of 10.55?×?10⁵ cells ml^?1, which corresponds to the growth rate of 0.271 day^?1 with the areal productivity of 3.531 g m^?2 day^?1, was found in non-sterilized RM medium on the 24th day of the third run of semi-continuous cultivation at a renewal rate of 50% in a vertical panel-type photobioreactor.     

Performance and Bacterial Population Composition of an n-Hexane Degrading Biofilter Working Under Fluctuating Conditions

In this work, several conditions of pH and inlet load (IL) were applied to a scale laboratory biofilter treating n-hexane vapors during 143 days. During the first 79 days of operation (period 1, P1), the system was fed with neutral pH mineral medium (MM) and the IL was progressively decreased from 177 to 16 g m^?3 h^?1. A maximum elimination capacity (EC) of 30 g m^?3 h^?1 was obtained at an IL of 176.9?±?9.8 g m^?3 h^?1. During the following 64 days (period 2, P2), acidic conditions were induced by feeding the biofilter with acidic buffer solution and pH 4 MM in order to evaluate the effect of bacterial community changes on EC. Within the acidic period, a maximum EC of 54 g m^?3 h^?1 (IL 132.3?±?13 g m^?3 h^?1) was achieved. Sequence analysis of 16S rDNA genes amplified from the consortium revealed the presence of Sphingobacteria, Actinobacteria, and α-, β- and γ-Proteobacteria. An Actinobacteria of the Mycobacterium genus had presence throughout the whole experiment of biofiltration showing resistance to fluctuating pH and IL conditions. Batch tests confirm the bacterial predominance and a negligible contribution of fungi in the degradation of n-hexane.     

SPE then RP-LC for Simultaneous Analysis of Cyromazine and its Metabolite Melamine in Liquid Milk and Egg

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) have been used for simple, sensitive simultaneous analysis of cyromazine and melamine residues in liquid milk and eggs. The conditions used for SPE and LC were investigated and optimized. A combined cation-exchange–reversed-phase cartridge was used for clean-up, and an ODS (C₁₈) column (150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5-μm particles) with 62:38 (v/v) 5 mm sodium lauryl sulfate (pH 3.4)–acetonitrile as mobile phase was used for RP-LC. Under the optimum conditions the method limit of detection (LOD) for both cyromazine and melamine was 6.2 μg kg^?1 for liquid milk samples, and 11.5 μg kg^?1 for egg samples. Average recovery of cyromazine and melamine from milk samples was 90.3%, RSD 4.6–5.6%, and 99.6%, RSD 3.2–4.7%, respectively. Average recovery of cyromazine and melamine from egg samples was 85.3%, RSD 1.0–4.7%, and 89.6%, RSD 3.1–5.0%, respectively. The method enables detection of melamine and cyromazine at levels as low as 20.7 μg kg^?1 in liquid milk and 38.3 μg kg^?1 in egg.     

Ion-Pair LC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Aliskiren Hemifumarate,Amlodipine Besylate and Hydrochlorothiazide in Pharmaceuticals

A rapid and precise LC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of aliskiren hemifumarate (ALS), amlodipine besylate (AML) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCZ) using acetonitrile:25 mM octane sulfonic acid sodium salt monohydrate in water (60:40 v/v) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was maintained at 1.2 mL min^?1 on a stationary phase composed of Supelco, Discovery^® HS (C18) column (25 cm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). Isocratic elution was applied throughout the analysis. Detection was carried out at λ _max (232 nm) at ambient temperature. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines. Linearity, accuracy and precision were satisfactory over the concentration ranges of 32–320, 2–44 and 4–64 μg mL^?1 for ALS, AML and HCZ, respectively. LOD and LOQ were estimated and found to be 0.855 and 2.951 μg mL^?1, respectively, for ALS, 0.061 and 0.202 μg mL^?1, respectively, for AML as well as 0.052 and 0.174 μg mL^?1, respectively, for HCZ. The method was successfully applied for the determination of the three drugs in their co-formulated tablets. The results were compared statistically with reference methods and no significant difference was found. The developed method is specific and accurate for the quality control and routine analysis of the cited drugs in pharmaceutical preparations.