Using a process-centered approach to minimize the effort of compliance

 The complexity of different quality standards can, in principle, be covered by different approaches and strategies. In-depth process mapping of quality control (QC) work streams was used by the analytical laboratories of Lonza AG to show up the principle differences in being compliant to different quality systems. The results identified two main drivers for all necessary actions: process-related activities and infrastructure-related activities. In addition, a clear indication of the economic impact of these driving forces was gained, which led the laboratories to decide on a process-oriented approach. This approach has the advantage of being able to reflect the different demands of different quality assurance (QA) regulations within the same QC organizational structure. Following the process helps avoid unnecessary efforts in analytical work and represents a very economical approach, at the same time, providing high flexibility to react to different QA or customer demands. Received: 5 July 2002 Accepted: 12 November 2002 Acknowledgements The process-oriented approach resulted from many, very challenging discussions for which I would like to thank the staff of my organization (Analytics & QC), especially, the QA staff and the LIMS team. Presented at Analytica Conference, 23–26 April 2002, Munich, Germany Correspondence to B. Ciommer     

Bench Scale Studies of the Soil Aeration Process for Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons

An alternative to traditional hydrocarbon bioremediation is to pump air through unsaturated soils to create aerobic conditions and induce biodegradation. This study examines the effects of moisture and nutrient augmentation on biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in aerated soils. Findings indicate that forced aeration, coupled with additions of nutrients and moisture, stimulate hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms and present a feasible approach to bioremediation management.     

Detection of NAD+-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase activities in YR-1 strain of Mucor circinelloides, a potential bioremediator of petroleum contaminated soils

Different soluble NAD⁺-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isozymes were detected in cell-free homogenates from aerobically grown mycelia of YR-1 strain of Mucor circinelloides isolated from petroleumcontaminated soil samples. Depending on the carbon source present in the growth media, multiple NAD⁺-dependent ADHs were detected when hexadecane or decane was used as the sole carbon source in the culture media. ADH activities from aerobically or anaerobically grown mycelium or yeast cells, respectively, were detected when growth medium with glucose added was the sole carbon source; the enzyme activity exhibited optimum pH for the oxidation of different alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and hexadecanol) similar to that of the corresponding aldehyde (≈7.0). Zymogram analysis conducted with partially purified fractions of extracts from aerobic mycelium or anaerobic yeast cells of the YR-1 strain grown in glucose as the sole carbon source indicated the presence of a single NAD⁺-dependent ADH enzyme in each case, and the activity level was higher in the yeast cells. ADH enzyme from mycelium grown in different carbon sources showed high activity using ethanol as substrate, although higher activity was displayed when the cells were grown in hexadecane as the sole carbon source. Zymogram analysis with these extracts showed that this particular strain of M. circinelloides has four different isozymes with ADH activity and, interestingly, one of them, ADH4, was identified also as phenanthrene-diol-dehydrogenase, an enzyme that possibly participates in the aromatic hydrocarbon biodegradation pathway.     

Microgravimetric Investigations of High-Temperature Superconductors

It has been confirmed that, in oxide superconductors, the superconducting transition temperature T_c depends strongly on the oxygen content and oxygen ordering. The microgravimetric method is very useful in the analysis of oxide superconductors, because it allows investigations in vacuum and controlled environments in classical applications: thermogravimetric analysis, kinetics and thermodynamics of reaction, determination of oxygen contents in redox reactions, investigations of the correlation of the deviation from stoichiometry and carrier concentration and also the combined measurement of mass and additional parameters, e.g. evolved gas analysis, etc. Selected papers are reviewed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Sensitive Spectrophotometric Determination of Nitrite in Water and Soil

A highly sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of nitrite in water and soil has been developed. The reaction of nitrite with acidified potassium iodide to liberate iodine which oxidizes leuco‐crystal violet (LCV) to form crystal violet having absorption maxima at 590 nm forms the bases of this method. In aqueous medium the system obeys Beer's law in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 μg per 25 mL (0.004–0.04 ppm), while in an extractive system the range is 0.025–0.25 μg in 100 mL (0.00025–0.0025 ppm). The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity were found to be 1.54 × 10⁶ 1 mol^?1 cm^?1 and 44 pg cm^?2, respectively.     

Element determination in medieval soil samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis

An aqua regia extraction procedure for heavy metals in soils optimised for total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis is presented. The procedure is applied to 92 soil samples of medieval layers from the city area of Dortmund. Sixteen elements (P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ag, Sn, and Pb) were used to characterise 17 sample sites. The results are projected onto the medieval urban structure of Dortmund. Two sites loaded with non-ferrous heavy metal could be detected and correlated with archaeological data. The efficiency and repeatability of the proposed extraction procedure is discussed.     

Random walk in an inhomogeneous medium with local impurities

In spite of Sinai's result that the decay of the velocity autocorrelation function for a random walk on ^d (d=2) can drastically change if local impurities are present, it is shown that local impurities can not abolish weak convergence to the Brownian motion if d2.     

地铁沿线建筑内噪声多维度感受影响机制

随着城市铁路系统的快速发展,铁路沿线建筑内人群对地铁运行产生噪声的抱怨逐渐增多,为控制室内地铁噪声对人群所产生的负面影响,有必要对地铁噪声产生的多维度负面情绪进行评估。采集了79名受试者对建筑内地铁噪声的多维度负面感受(压抑感,不舒适度和不满意度),基于偏最小二乘法分析了主客观影响因素对多维度负面感受的作用机制,并比较了多维度负面感受在反映地铁噪声影响上的差异。结果表明,多维度负面感受主要取决于主观响度和声学参数,活动干扰度、地铁噪声的敏感度、厌烦度和适应性的影响明显更弱;3个多维度负面感受中,相比于压抑感,不舒适度和不满意度受主观响度的影响轻微更显著,在相同的主观响度感受下,不满意度等级最高。 该文可以为地铁沿线建筑物内噪声负面感受的评价和改善提供参考。     

Purification and Characterization of Gum-Derived Polysaccharides of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica and Their Applications as Plant Stimulants and Bio-Pesticidal Agents

Plant gums are bio-organic substances that are derived from the barks of trees. They are biodegradable and non-adverse complex polysaccharides that have been gaining usage in recent years due to a number of advantages they contribute to various applications. In this study, gum was collected from Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica trees, then dried and powdered. Characterizations of gum polysaccharides were performed using TLC, GC-MS, NMR, etc., and sugar molecules such as glucose and xylose were found to be present. Effects of the gums on Abelmoschus esculentus growth were observed through root growth, shoot growth, and biomass content. The exposure of the seeds to the plant gums led to bio stimulation in the growth of the plants. Poor quality soil was exposed to the gum polysaccharide, where the polysaccharide was found to improve soil quality, which was observed through soil analysis and SEM analysis of soil porosity and structure. Furthermore, the plant gums were also found to have bio-pesticidal activity against mealybugs, which showed certain interstitial damage evident through histopathological analysis.     

某工程地基基坑支护探讨

软土地基中的支护是基础工程的关键,在节约成本的前提下,选择合理的支护结构至关重要．通过对某公司将要开发的2个基坑支护方案的项目进行的相关分析、计算和探讨,总结出了软土地基中的基坑支护方案的选择原则及其相对应的施工措施等．