Experimental calibration and field investigation of the oxygen isotopic fractionation between biogenic aragonite and water

Marine molluscs have long been recognised as potential records of palaeoclimate change using the patterns and differences in the stable isotopic composition of the carbonate shells. The aim of this study is to improve the robustness of this approach for aragonitic molluscs by completing the first experimental calibration of the fractionation between water and biogenic aragonite. Fractionation factors were calibrated by growing specimens of the freshwater mollusc Lymnaea peregra under controlled conditions of water temperature and isotopic composition. Fifteen populations of L. peregra were maintained at constant temperature and isotopic conditions for five months (at five different temperatures and using three different water compositions). Water samples and temperature measurements were taken regularly throughout the experiment. The temperature dependence of the fractionation factor, between 8 and 24 degrees C, is given by: 1000 ln alpha=16.74x(1000T(-1))-26.39 (T in Kelvin) and the relationship between temperature (T), delta(18)O(carb) and delta(18)O(wat) is given by: T=21.36-4.83xdelta(+ degrees )O(carb)-delta(+ degrees )O(wat) (T is in degrees C, delta(18)O(carb) is with respect to Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (PDB), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) replacement standard for PDB, and delta(18)O(wat) is with respect to Vienna standard mean ocean water (VSMOW)) The outcome of the controlled experiment is compared with previous studies on synthetic, and biogenic, calcite and aragonite from field and laboratory investigations. These comparisons suggest that although a vital offset exists between the fractionation of isotopes in synthetic and biogenic aragonite for molluscs in general, there is no vital effect that is specific either to freshwater, or to individual, genera. Therefore, the calibrated relationship may be used for any freshwater or marine mollusc to derive palaeotemperatures providing the isotopic composition of the environmental water can be reliably constrained. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Functional Characterizations of Basic Properties of Utility Representations

 Consider uncertain alternatives for which an event has two consequences (binary gambles, “gambles” for short) and over them an operation of joint receipt which need not be closed and may be non-commutative. The two structures are linked by a distributivity property called segregation and a preference order. Utility functions order nonnegative numbers to consequences and gambles. Utility representations describe how the utility of a gamble depends on the utilities of consequences and on the “weight” of the event (a number in [0,1], depending on the event). Functional characterizations give necessary and sufficient conditions, often in form of functional equations, for certain properties of representations. We first give a functional characterization of the often postulated event commutativity stating that two events can be interchanged in special composite gambles where one outcome is a consequence but the other is itself a gamble. A utility representation is separable if it is multiplicative for gambles with one consequence having 0 utility. We give three more specific characterizations of separable representations by segregation, by homogeneity and event commutativity, and by homogeneity and segregation, and show that in the last case event commutativity follows.     

A bisphosphonate monoamide analogue of DOTA: a potential agent for bone targeting

A new macrocyclic DOTA-like ligand (BPAMD) for bone imaging and therapy containing a monoamide bis(phosphonic acid) bone-seeking group was designed and synthesized. Its lanthanide(III) complexes were prepared and characterized by 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The Gd(III)-BPAMD complex was investigated in detail by 1H and 17O relaxometric studies to inspect parameters relevant for its potential application as an MRI contrast agent. Sorption experiments were conducted with Gd(III) and Tb(III) complexes using hydroxyapatite (HA) as a model of bone surface. Very effective uptake of the Gd-BPAMD complex by the HA surface was observed in NMR experiments. Radiochemical studies with the (160Tb-BPAMD)-HA system proved the sorption to be remarkably fast and strong on one hand and fully reversible on the other hand. The strong (Gd-BPAMD)-HA interaction was also supported by 1H NMRD measurements in the presence of a hydroxyapatite slurry, which showed an increase of the rotational correlation time upon adsorption of the complex on the HA surface, resulting in a significant relaxivity enhancement. The amide-bis(phosphonate) moiety is the only factor responsible for the binding of the complex to HA.     

Chromophore formation in resorcinarene solutions and the visual detection of mono- and oligosaccharides

The colorimetric properties of resorcinarene solutions had not been investigated since Baeyer's initial synthesis. We recently reported that solutions containing resorcinarene macrocycles develop color upon heating or standing. In the presence of saccharides, these solutions exhibit significant color changes which are easily seen. We herein present strong evidence that the solution color is due to macrocycle ring opening and oxidation. The optical responses to saccharides are due to complexation of the sugar with the acyclic chromophores. We apply these mechanistic insights toward the challenging problem of the visual detection of neutral oligosaccharides by simple chromogens. In addition, we also report the first single-crystal X-ray crystal structure determination of a rarely observed "diamond" resorcinarene stereoisomer.     

Internal kink instability during off-axis electron cyclotron current drive in the DIII-D tokamak

Experimental evidence is reported of an internal kink instability driven by a new mechanism: barely trapped suprathermal electrons produced by off-axis electron cyclotron heating on the DIII-D tokamak. It occurs in plasmas with an evolving safety factor profile q(r) when q(min) approaches 1. This instability is most active when ECCD is applied on the high field side of the flux surface. It has a bursting behavior with poloidal/toroidal mode number = m/n = 1/1. In positive magnetic shear plasmas, this mode becomes the fishbone instability. This observation can be qualitatively explained by the drift reversal of the barely trapped suprathermal electrons.     

Postcolumn HPLC detection of mono- and oligosaccharides with a chemosensor

Novel chromophoric compound 1 promotes the HPLC postcolumn detection of mono- and oligosaccharides. The detection of chromatographic peaks in the visible region for glucose, fructose, maltodextrins, sialic acid, and a ganglioside can be accomplished with a standard UV-vis detector. The use of selective, reversible binding agents in automated HPLC assays should allow for improved monitoring of specific analytes as well as material recovery. [structure: see text]     

Structure and Dynamics of Lanthanide Complexes of Triethylenetetramine‐N,N,N′,N″,N′′′,N′′′‐hexaacetic Acid (H6ttha) and of Diamides H4ttha(NHR) Derived from H6ttha as Studied by NMR,NMRD, and EPR

A multinuclear NMR study on [Ln(ttha)]^3? and [Ln{ttha(NHR)₂}]^? complexes (R=Et, CH₂(CHOH)₄CH₂OH) shows that coordinating groups of the organic ligands in these complexes are occupying all coordination sites of the metal ions, leaving no space for coordination of H₂O molecules (H₆ttha=triethylenetetramine‐N,N,N′,N″,N′′′,N′′′‐hexaacetic acid). The lanthanides of the first half of the series bind the ttha‐type ligands in a decadentate fashion, while the complexes formed with the smaller ions of the second half of the lanthanide series are nonadentate. One carboxylate group of the ligand remains unbound in the latter complexes. In principle, the ttha complexes can exist in six enantiomeric forms. Only one of the pair of diastereoisomers can interconvert without decoordination of the ligand. This pair of isomers seems to be predominant in solution. For the [Ln{ttha(NHR)₂}]^? complexes, the number of chiral centers is larger, resulting in 32 possible enantiomeric forms of the complexes. The NMR spectra of [Nd{ttha(NHEt)₂}]^? indicate that two dynamic processes occur between the isomers in solution. The NMRD curves of [Gd(ttha)]^3?, [Gd{ttha(NHEt)₂}]^?, and [Gd{ttha(NHgluca)₂}]^? (NHgluca=D ‐glucamine) show significant differences with the previously determined outer‐sphere contributions to the NMRD profiles of the corresponding [Gd{dtpa(NHR)₂}]^? complexes, which can be ascribed to differences in the parameters determining the electronic relaxation.     

Computer-aided carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for identification of terpenoid mixtures

The procedure for identifying triterpenes in mixtures is based on the simulation of ¹³C-NMR spectra for probable mixtures and comparison of these with a specialized spectral data bank. The system was designed to facilitate the analysis of complex mixtures of terpenoid compounds. A special matching procedure was developed and its efficiency is discussed. The method is demonstrated for a mixture of five triterpenes isolated from Vernonia cognata.