Finite Element Methods for a Model for Full Waveform Acoustic Logging

A model is defined to simulate the propagation of waves in aradially symmetric, isotropic, composite system consisting ofa fluid-filled well bore ^f through a fluid-saturated poroussolid ^p. Biot's equations of motion are chosen to describe thepropagation of waves in ^p, while the standard equation of motionfor compressible inviscid fluids is used for ^f, with appropriateboundary conditions at the contact surface between ^f and ^p.Also, absorbing boundary conditions for the artificial boundariesof ^p are derived for the model, their effect being to make themtransparent for waves arriving normally First, results on the existence and uniqueness of the solutionof the differential problem are given and then a discrete-time,explicit finite element procedure is defined and analysed, withfinite element spaces suited for radially symmetric problemsbeing used for the spatial discretisation.     

Elucidation of some fragmentations of small peptides using sequential mass spectrometry on a hybrid instrument

Sequential daughter-ion-scanning analyses of small peptides have been performed using a hybrid tandem instrument of BEqQ configuration. Precursor ions are selected by B and allowed or induced (by high-energy collisional activation) to decompose in the region preceding E. Decoupling of E from the accelerating voltage permits the selection of the first-generation daughter ion whilst retaining appropriate float voltages for the quadrupole assemblies. The daughter ion selected by E is further subjected to low-energy collisional-activation dissociation (CAD) in q and the fragment-ion spectrum is obtained by scanning Q. The sequential daughter-ion-scanning technique has been used to establish that 'internal' fragments of the types, (AY') and (BY'), are formed via initial Y-type cleavage. Fragmentation of a protonated peptide (angiotensin III) by loss of the C-terminal amino acid residue, yielding a (B'n + OH) ion, is reported for the first time. This process is analogous to that previously described for metal-cationized peptides.     

Visible fluorescence chemosensor for saxitoxin

Absorption spectra of a number of shellfish extracts have been obtained and reveal prominent absorptions in all samples at 210 and 260 nm and at 325 nm in some of them. These absorptions preclude the use of chromophores with similar absorptions in testing of shellfish samples for paralytic shellfish toxins. Two crown ether chemosensors featuring a boron azadipyrrin chromophore have been synthesized; both have absorption maxima at 650 nm, where all the shellfish extracts are transparent. The synthetic sensors feature either 18- or 27-membered crown ether rings and have been evaluated as visible sensors for the paralytic shellfish toxin saxitoxin. The binding constant for one of them is in the range of 3-9x10(5) M-1 and exhibits a fluorescence enhancement of over 100% at 680 nm in the presence of 40 microM saxitoxin.     

Assessment of Temporal Variability Trends for Inorganic Parameters in Ground Water

Abstract

The passage of environmental legislation in the United States has dramatically increased ground-water monitoring in the vicinity of point sources such as abandoned waste disposal sites, operational waste disposal sites, and municipal landfills. Even though these programs require sufficient sampling to define background conditions as part of the site characterization process, there is still a general absence of quantitative information on the magnitude and periodicity of temporal fluctuations for inorganic constituents in ground water. This paper presents an approach that has been used to develop an initial characterization of these temporal trends.

A search if on-going site investigation reports identified 18 facilities across the United States that had monthly monitoring data at a frequency of at least monthly for a period of one and a half years or longer (15 RCRA-C hazardous waste disposal facilities with monthly data for a period of 2–3 years, 2 research monitoring locations with biweekly monitoring data for a period of one and a half years, and a precious metal mining operation with daily monitoring data for a limited number of parameters for a period of one and a half years). The data from these site investigations were used to describe the temporal variability of several ground-water constituents including pH, specific conductance, sulfate, sodium, chloride, alkalinity, silica, iron, and manganese. An assessment of these data suggests that the magnitude of temporal ground-water fluctuations are on the order of 20 percent of the average concentration for chloride, 10 percent of the average concentration for sodium, manganese and specific conductance, 5 percent of the average concentration for alkalinity and pH, and essentially zero for silica. The apparent periodicities of these temporal fluctuations ranged from 40 weeks to approximately 2 years. The magnitude and periodicities in ground water are substantially smaller than those that have been reported and documented for the same constituents in surface waters. These differences are due to the fact that sunlight and wind, two energy factors that drive temporal cycles in surface water, do not exert a similar influence on the environmental chemistry of ground-water constituents.