A new methodology for precise cadmium isotope analyses of seawater

Previous studies have revealed considerable Cd isotope fractionations in seawater, which can be used to study the marine cycling of this micronutrient element. The low Cd concentrations that are commonly encountered in nutrient-depleted surface seawater, however, pose a particular challenge for precise Cd stable isotope analyses. In this study, we have developed a new procedure for Cd isotope analyses of seawater, which is suitable for samples as large as 20 L and Cd concentrations as low as 1 pmol/L. The procedure involves the use of a ¹¹¹Cd–¹¹³Cd double spike, co-precipitation of Cd from seawater using Al(OH)₃, and subsequent Cd purification by column chromatography. To save time, seawater samples with higher Cd contents can be processed without co-precipitation. The Cd isotope analyses are carried out by multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The performance of this technique was verified by analyzing multiple aliquots of a large seawater sample that was collected from the English Channel, the SAFe D1 seawater reference material, and several samples from the GEOTRACES Atlantic intercalibration exercise. The overall Cd yield of the procedure is consistently better than 85% and the methodology can routinely provide ε ^114/110Cd data with a precision of about ±0.5 ε (2sd, standard deviation) when at least 20–30 ng of natural Cd is available for analysis. However, even seawater samples with Cd contents of only 1–3 ng can be analyzed with a reproducibility of about ±3 to ±5 ε. A number of experiments were furthermore conducted to verify that the isotopic results are accurate to within the quoted uncertainty.     

Amenability of algebras of approximable operators

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for amenability of the Banach algebra of approximable operators on a Banach space. We further investigate the relationship between amenability of this algebra and factorization of operators, strengthening known results and developing new techniques to determine whether or not a given Banach space carries an amenable algebra of approximable operators. Using these techniques, we are able to show, among other things, the non-amenability of the algebra of approximable operators on Tsirelson’s space.     

AAS, XRPD, SEM/EDS, and FTIR characterization of Zn2+ retention by calcite, calcite-kaolinite, and calcite-clinoptilolite minerals

In this study, the sorption behavior of Zn2+ on calcite, kaolinite, and clinoptilolite, in addition to mixtures of calcite with kaolinite and clinoptilolite, was investigated at various loadings and mixture compositions using atomic absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared techniques. According to the obtained results, within the experimental operating conditions, the sorption capacity was enhanced with increasing amount of calcite in both types of mixtures. Under neutral-alkaline pH conditions and high loadings, the order of Zn2+ retention was observed as calcite>clinoptilolite>kaolinite. The experiments on the retention of Zn2+ by pure calcite under conditions of oversaturation showed that the uptake process proceeds via an initial adsorption mechanism (possibly ion-exchange type) followed by a slower mechanism that leads to the overgrowth of the hydrozincite phase, Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2.     

Quality improvement in wellness reports in patients with Crohn’s disease

Quality-of-life tests are used because they provide information about symptoms, potential complications, and response to treatment with patients as active participants. We took Crohn’s disease (CD) during diet supplement with omega 3 or 6 fatty acids (ω-3FA vs. ω-6FA) Impact^® as an example and assessed three quality-of-life tests: The inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (IBDQ), the Beck depression inventory (BDI), and the visual analogue scale (VAS). These tests have been found inconvenient, not informative in daily clinical use, and inhomogeneous in international studies.We used the body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²) as a clinical quantitative effect parameter and the patient self-rated quality of life as qualitative variables during recovery. All ratings were converted into numeric standardized percent point before isolation of optimized ratings.BMI increased on average 2 BMI units in both diet groups. The classical wellness tests or their traditional sub-scores identified improved outcome during recovery, primarily in the ω-3FA group. Separate items on bowel function, wellness, and asthenia possessed the best item responsiveness – (30–35 percent point). A new selective scale with the six most responsive items is proposed as a specific optimized questionnaire.Based on CD as an example, we described a method to isolate responsive items from quality-of-life tests and described a method to optimize their sensitivity. We propose for validation a new optimized disease – specific VAS scale for rating of wellness during treatment in inflammatory bowel disease, in which ω-3FA seemed superior in improving outcome.Presented at the 10th Conference Quality in the Spotlight, March 2005, Antwerp, Belgium.     

Push-outs of derivations

Let be a Banach algebra and let X be a Banach -bimodule. In studying (,X) it is often useful to extend a given derivation D: → X to a Banach algebra containing as an ideal, thereby exploiting (or establishing) hereditary properties. This is usually done using (bounded/unbounded) approximate identities to obtain the extension as a limit of operators b ↦ D(ba) − b.D(a), a ε in an appropriate operator topology, the main point in the proof being to show that the limit map is in fact a derivation. In this paper we make clear which part of this approach is analytic and which algebraic by presenting an algebraic scheme that gives derivations in all situations at the cost of enlarging the module. We use our construction to give improvements and shorter proofs of some results from the literature and to give a necessary and sufficient condition that biprojectivity and biflatness is inherited to ideals.     

Measurement of zinc stable isotope ratios in biogeochemical matrices by double-spike MC-ICPMS and determination of the isotope ratio pool available for plants from soil

Analysis of naturally occurring isotopic variations is a promising tool for investigating Zn transport and cycling in geological and biological settings. Here, we present the recently installed double-spike (DS) technique at the MAGIC laboratories at Imperial College London. The procedure improves on previous published DS methods in terms of ease of measurement and precisions obtained. The analytical method involves addition of a (64)Zn-(67)Zn double-spike to the samples prior to digestion, separation of Zn from the sample matrix by ion exchange chromatography, and isotopic analysis by multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The accuracy and reproducibility of the method were validated by analyses of several in-house and international elemental reference materials. Multiple analyses of pure Zn standard solutions consistently yielded a reproducibility of about ±0.05‰ (2 SD) for δ(66)Zn, and comparable precisions were obtained for analyses of geological and biological materials. Highly fractionated Zn standards analyzed by DS and standard sample bracketing yield slightly varying results, which probably originate from repetitive fractionation events during manufacture of the standards. However, the δ(66)Zn values (all reported relative to JMC Lyon Zn) for two less fractionated in-house Zn standard solutions, Imperial Zn (0.10 ± 0.08‰: 2 SD) and London Zn (0.08 ± 0.04‰), are within uncertainties to data reported with different mass spectrometric techniques and instruments. Two standard reference materials, blend ore BCR 027 and ryegrass BCR 281, were also measured, and the δ(66)Zn were found to be 0.25 ± 0.06‰ (2 SD) and 0.40 ± 0.09‰, respectively. Taken together, these standard measurements ascertain that the double-spike methodology is suitable for accurate and precise Zn isotope analyses of a wide range of natural samples. The newly installed technique was consequently applied to soil samples and soil leachates to investigate the isotopic signature of plant available Zn. We find that the isotopic composition is heavier than the residual, indicating the presence of loosely bound Zn deposited by atmospheric pollution, which is readily available to plants.     

Amenability of Banach algebras of compact operators

In this paper we study conditions on a Banach spaceX that ensure that the Banach algebraК(X) of compact operators is amenable. We give a symmetrized approximation property ofX which is proved to be such a condition. This property is satisfied by a wide range of Banach spaces including all the classical spaces. We then investigate which constructions of new Banach spaces from old ones preserve the property of carrying amenable algebras of compact operators. Roughly speaking, dual spaces, predual spaces and certain tensor products do inherit this property and direct sums do not. For direct sums this question is closely related to factorization of linear operators. In the final section we discuss some open questions, in particular, the converse problem of what properties ofX are implied by the amenability ofК(X). BEJ supported by MSRVP at Australian National University; GAW supported by SERC grant GR-F-74332.