Radon as a tracer to determine the mean residence times of groundwater in decontamination reactors

The groundwater at a former gasoline production site in Germany is heavily contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons (mostly benzene) and is currently being treated in bioreactors under anaerobic conditions. To determine the reaction kinetics it is essential to know the mean residence time of the groundwater in these reactors. Most of the commonly used tracers (dyes and salts) did not give reliable results because of their interaction with the mineral matrix in the reactors. In this study radon (²²²Rn) dissolved in the groundwater is used as the tracer. The flow rate of groundwater through the reactors is 1 l/h. Over a period of 8 hours the radon-spiked groundwater was injected into the natural groundwater which has a very low radon concentration. The radon concentration of the discharged water is measured online at the reactor outlet. An increasing radon concentration at the reactor exit indicates the shortest residence time of the water. The time-dependent progress of the radon concentration provides detailed information about the flow behavior and residence times of water in the reactor.     

Improved sensitivity proteomics by postharvest alkylation and radioactive labelling of proteins

We describe approaches to improve the detection of proteins by postharvest alkylation and subsequent radioactive labeling with either [3H]iodoacetamide or 125I. Database protein sequence analysis suggested that cysteine is not suitable for detection of the entire proteome, but that cysteine alkylating reagents can increase the number of proteins able to be detected by iodination chemistry. Proteins were alkylated with beta-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl iodoacetamide, or with 1,5-l-AEDANS (the Hudson Weber reagent). Subsequent iodination using the Iodo-Gen system was found to be most efficient. The enhanced sensitivity obtainable by using these approaches is expected to be sufficient for visualization of the lowest copy number proteins from human cells, such as from clinical samples. However, we argue that significantly improved methods of protein separation will be necessary to resolve the large number of proteins expected to be detectable with this sensitivity.     

Dose prediction and process optimization in a gamma sterilization facility using 3-D Monte Carlo code

A model of a gamma sterilizer was built using the ITS/ACCEPT Monte Carlo code and verified through dosimetry. Individual dosimetry measurements in homogeneous material were pooled to represent larger bodies that could be simulated in a reasonable time. With the assumptions and simplifications described, dose predictions were within 2–5% of dosimetry. The model was used to simulate product movement through the sterilizer and to predict information useful for process optimization and facility design.     

Anordnung und Orientierung kationischer Tenside auf ebenen Silicatoberflächen

Zusammenfassung Die n-Alkylammoniumderivate der glimmerartigen Schichtsilicate können als Modellsubstanzen für die Anordnung kationischer Tenside an Festkörpergrenzflächen herangezogen werden. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wird die Darstellung durch Kationenaustausch aus den natürlichen Schichtsilicaten beschrieben. Es wird ausführlich auf die Fehlerquellen hingewiesen, die reproduzierbare Messungen erschweren.

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Summary The n-alkylammonium derivatives of mica-type layer silicates are suitable models for studies about the arrangement of cationic tensides at solid interfaces. Part I of the paper deals with the preparation of these compounds by a simple cation exchange reaction. Sources for errors in obtaining reproducible data are discussed in detail.

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Mit 1 Abbildung in 3 Einzeldarstellungen und 3 Tabellen     

Polarographische Bestimmung des Pyridoxols in pharmazeutischen Präparaten

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine neue polarographische Methode zur direkten Bestimmung des Pyridoxols in Injektionspräparaten und Tabletten beschrieben. Die ausgearbeitete Methode beruht auf der polarographischen Reduktion des Pyridoxolmoleküls im Milieu von Ammoniak-Ammoniumchlorid-Puffern und weiter auf der Bildung einer katalytischen Stufe des Pyridoxols in Veronalpuffern. Die polarographische Methode ist rascher und in manchen Fällen genauer und empfindlicher als die bisher in Gebrauch stehenden Methoden. Die Anwesenheit der in den Präparaten laufend vorkommenden Begleitstoffe des Pyridoxols stört nicht die polarographische Bestimmung. Die Methode kann auch zur Bestimmung des 3-Hydroxy-4-methoxymethyl-5-oxymethyl-2-methylpyridins benutzt werden, das ein Zwischenprodukt bei der Pyridoxolerzeugung ist.

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Summary A new polarographic method is described for the direct determination of pyridoxol in injection preparations and tablets. This method is based on the polarographic reduction of the pyridoxol in ammonia-ammonium chloride buffer medium and also on the formation of a catalytic stage of the pyridoxol in veronal buffers. The polarographic method is faster and in many cases more accurate and more sensitive than the methods now in use. The presence of the materials which always accompany the pyridoxol in the preparations does not interfere with the polarographic determination. The method can likewise be used for determining 3-hydroxy-4-methoxymethyl-5-oxymethyl-2-methylpyridine, which is an intermediate product in the manufacture of pyridoxol.

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Résumé On décrit une nouvelle méthode polarographique pour le dosage direct du pyridoxol dans les préparations pour injections et dans les comprimés. La méthode élaborée repose sur la réduction polarographique de la molécule de pyridoxol dans le milieu tampon ammoniaque-chlorure d'ammonium, et, en outre, sur la formation d'une phase catalytique du pyridoxol dans les tampons au véronal. La méthode polarographique est plus rapide et dans de nombreux cas plus exacte et plus sensible que les méthodes utilisées jusqu'ici. La présence d'impuretés existant couramment dans les préparations à côté du pyridoxol ne gêne pas le dosage polarographique. On peut aussi utiliser la méthode pour le dosage de l'hydroxy-3 méthoxyméthyl-4 oxyméthyl-5 méthyl-2 pyridine, substance intermédiaire dans la préparation du pyridoxol.

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Herrn Dr.P. Zuman danken wit für Ratsehläge bei der Abfassung dieser Arbeit.     

Spin coupling in distorted high-valent Fe(IV)-porphyrin radical complexes

In order to study structural influences on the interaction of Fe(IV) (S=1) and porphyrin cation radical (S=1/2) in high-valent iron porphyrin complexes of the type ¦X-(TMP)Fe=O¦⁺(Cl^–), X=I, Br₂, Br₄ were generated by mCPBA oxidation of corresponding Fe(III) porphyrins. The halogen substitution at the peripheral positions of the porphyrin leads to distortion of the planar porphyrin ring of ¦(TMP)Fe=O¦⁺. The new species have beeen investigated by temperature-dependent EPR and field-dependent Mössbauer spectroscopy; for the evaluation of spectra, we adopted the spin-Hamiltonian formalism including exchange interaction explicitly. As in ¦(TMP)Fe=O¦⁺, strong ferromagnetic spin coupling was observed with|J₀|D=0.9–1 and a zero-field spltting ofD32 cm^–1. For consistent parametrization of EPR and Mössbauer results, anisotropic coupling had to be introduced. Compared to ¦(TMP)Fe=O¦⁺ [1], analysis of the spectroscopic data shows that zero-field splitting and spin coupling is only slightly affected by the halogen distortion of the porphyrin structure.     

Curvature and finite domination

Upper bounds obtained by Gromov on the Betti numbers of certain closed Riemannian manifolds are shown to be upper bounds on the minimum number of cells in --spaces dominating such manifolds.