Mapping, organic matter mass and water volume of a peatland in Serra do Espinhaço Meridional

Peatlands form in areas where net primary of organic matter production exceeds losses due to the decomposition, leaching or disturbance. Due to their chemical and physical characteristics, bogs can influence water dynamics because they can store large volumes of water in the rainy season and gradually release this water during the other months of the year. In Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a peatland in the environmental protection area of Pau-de-Fruta ensures the water supply of 40,000 inhabitants. The hypothesis of this study is that the peat bogs in Pau-de-Fruta act as an environment for carbon storage and a regulator of water flow in the Córrego das Pedras basin. The objective of this study was to estimate the water volume and organic matter mass in this peatland and to study the influence of this environment on the water flow in the Córrego das Pedras basin. The peatland was mapped using 57 transects, at intervals of 100 m. Along all transects, the depth of the peat bog, the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates and altitude were recorded every 20 m and used to calculate the area and volume of the peatland. The water volume was estimated, using a method developed in this study, and the mass of organic matter based on samples from 106 profiles. The peatland covered 81.7 hectares (ha), and stored 497,767 m³ of water, representing 83.7 % of the total volume of the peat bog. The total amount of organic matter (OM) was 45,148 t, corresponding to 552 t ha-1 of OM. The peat bog occupies 11.9 % of the area covered by the Córrego das Pedras basin and stores 77.6 % of the annual water surplus, thus controlling the water flow in the basin and consequently regulating the water course.

Dual-Regge approach to high-energy, low-mass diffraction dissociation

A dual-Regge model with a nonlinear proton Regge trajectory in the missing mass (MX2) channel, describing the experimental data on low-mass single diffraction dissociation (SDD), is constructed. Predictions for the LHC energies are given.

Isotope determination of sulfur by mass spectrometry in soil samples

Sulphur plays an essential role in plants and is one of the main nutrients in several metabolic processes. It has four stable isotopes (32S, 33S, 34S, and 36S) with a natural abundance of 95.00, 0.76, 4.22, and 0.014 in atom %, respectively. A method for isotopic determination of S by isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) in soil samples is proposed. The procedure involves the oxidation of organic S to sulphate (S-SO4(2-)), which was determined by dry combustion with alkaline oxidizing agents. The total S-SO4(2-) concentration was determined by turbidimetry and the results showed that the conversion process was adequate. To produce gaseous SO2 gas, BaSO4 was thermally decomposed in a vacuum system at 900 ºC in the presence of NaPO3. The isotope determination of S (atom % 34S atoms) was carried out by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). In this work, the labeled material (K2(34)SO4) was used to validate the method of isotopic determination of S; the results were precise and accurate, showing the viability of the proposed method.

Major environmental change and bonebed genesis prior to the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction

We present new geochemical and sedimentological data from marginal marine strata of Penarth Bay, south Wales (UK) to elucidate the origin of widespread but enigmatic concentrations of vertebrate hard parts (bonebeds) in marine successions of Rhaetian age (late Triassic). Sedimentological evidence shows that the phosphatic constituents of the bonebeds were subjected to intense phosphatization in shallow current-dominated settings and subsequently reworked and transported basinward by storms. Interbedded organic-rich strata deposited under quiescent and poorly oxygenated conditions record enhanced phosphorus regeneration from sedimentary organic matter into the water column and probably provided the main source of phosphate required for heavy bonebed clast phosphatization. The stratigraphically limited interval showing evidence for oxygen depletion and accelerated P-cycling coincides with a negative 4% organic carbon isotope excursion, which possibly reflects supra-regional changes in carbon cycling and clearly predates the 'initial isotope excursion' characterizing many Triassic-Jurassic boundary strata. our data indicate that Rhaetian bonebeds are the lithological signature of profound, climatically driven changes in carbon cycling and redox conditions and support the idea of a multi-pulsed environmental crisis at the end of the Triassic, possibly linked to successive episodes of igneous activity in the central Atlantic Magmatic Province.

Simultaneous quantification of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and metabolites in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry for therapeutic drug monitoring.

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous quantification in human plasma of all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sertraline) and their main active metabolites (desmethyl-citalopram and norfluoxetine). A stable isotope-labeled internal standard was used for each analyte to compensate for the global method variability, including extraction and ionization variations. After sample (250μl) pre-treatment with acetonitrile (500μl) to precipitate proteins, a fast solid-phase extraction procedure was performed using mixed mode Oasis MCX 96-well plate. Chromatographic separation was achieved in less than 9.0min on a XBridge C18 column (2.1×100mm; 3.5μm) using a gradient of ammonium acetate (pH 8.1; 50mM) and acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.3ml/min. The method was fully validated according to Société Française des Sciences et Techniques Pharmaceutiques protocols and the latest Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Six point calibration curves were used to cover a large concentration range of 1-500ng/ml for citalopram, desmethyl-citalopram, paroxetine and sertraline, 1-1000ng/ml for fluoxetine and fluvoxamine, and 2-1000ng/ml for norfluoxetine. Good quantitative performances were achieved in terms of trueness (84.2-109.6%), repeatability (0.9-14.6%) and intermediate precision (1.8-18.0%) in the entire assay range including the lower limit of quantification. Internal standard-normalized matrix effects were lower than 13%. The accuracy profiles (total error) were mainly included in the acceptance limits of ±30% for biological samples. The method was successfully applied for routine therapeutic drug monitoring of more than 1600 patient plasma samples over 9 months. The β-expectation tolerance intervals determined during the validation phase were coherent with the results of quality control samples analyzed during routine use. This method is therefore precise and suitable both for therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies in most clinical laboratories.

Cross section of a resonant-mass detector for scalar gravitational waves

Gravitationally coupled scalar fields, originally introduced by Jordan, Brans and Dicke to account for a non-constant gravitational coupling, are a prediction of many non-Einsteinian theories of gravity not excluding perturbative formulations of string theory. In this paper, we compute the cross sections for scattering and absorption of scalar and tensor gravitational waves by a resonant-mass detector in the framework of the Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. The results are then specialized to the case of a detector of spherical shape and shown to reproduce those obtained in general relativity in a certain limit. Eventually we discuss the potential detectability of scalar waves emitted in a spherically symmetric gravitational collapse.

Molecular dynamics study of the longitudinal modes in disparate-mass binaryliquid mixtures.

A series of molecular dynamics simulations of simple liquid binary mixtures of soft spheres with disparate-mass particles were carried out to investigate the origin of the marked differences between the dynamic structure factors of some liquid binary mixtures such as the Li0.7Mg0.3 and Li0.8Pb0.2 alloys. It is shown that the facility for observing peaks associated with fast-propagating modes in the partial Li-Li dynamic structure factor of Li0.8Pb0.2 should be mainly attributed to the structure of this alloy, which is characterized by an incipient ABAB ordering as found in molten salts. The longitudinal dispersion relations at intermediate wave vectors obtained from the longitudinal current spectra are very similar for the two alloys and reflect the existence of both fast-and slow-propagating modes of kinetic character associated with light and heavy particles, respectively. The influence of the hardness of the repulsive potential cores as well as the composition of the mixture on the longitudinal collective modes is also discussed.

Microfabricated dual sprayer for on-line mass tagging of phosphopeptides.

Phosphopeptides tagging reactions by dinuclear zinc(II) complexes (1,3-bis[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]-propan-2-olato dizinc(II)3+, called tag) were performed with a dual-channel microsprayer in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The reaction is first studied ex situ and analyzed with a commercial electrospray source. In situ reactions (i.e., inside the Taylor cone) were achieved with a dual-channel microsprayer both with the tag synthesized chemically before the experiments and with the tag electrogenerated by in situ oxidation of a zinc electrode, also used to apply the electrospray current. The device consists of a polyimide microchip with two microchannels (20 microm x 50 microm x 1 cm) etched on each side of the structure and connecting only at the tip of the microchip. We demonstrate here that mixing two solutions with different physicochemical properties inside the Taylor cone can be used to selectively tag target molecules.

Bio-electrical impedance analysis for estimation of fat-free mass and muscle mass in cystic fibrosis patients.

The nutritional status of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has to be regularly evaluated and alimentary support instituted when indicated. Bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a recent method for determining body composition. The present study evaluates its use in CF patients without any clinical sign of malnutrition. Thirty-nine patients with CF and 39 healthy subjects aged 6-24 years were studied. Body density and mid-arm muscle circumference were determined by anthropometry and skinfold measurements. Fat-free mass was calculated taking into account the body density. Muscle mass was obtained from the urinary creatinine excretion rate. The resistance index was calculated by dividing the square of the subject's height by the body impedance. We show that fat-free mass, mid-arm muscle circumference and muscle mass are each linearly correlated to the resistance index and that the regression equations are similar for both CF patients and healthy subjects.

First day of an oil spill on the open sea: early mass transfers of hydrocarbons to air and water.

During the first hours after release of petroleum at sea, crude oil hydrocarbons partition rapidly into air and water. However, limited information is available about very early evaporation and dissolution processes. We report on the composition of the oil slick during the first day after a permitted, unrestrained 4.3 m(3) oil release conducted on the North Sea. Rapid mass transfers of volatile and soluble hydrocarbons were observed, with >50% of ≤C17 hydrocarbons disappearing within 25 h from this oil slick of <10 km(2) area and <10 μm thickness. For oil sheen, >50% losses of ≤C16 hydrocarbons were observed after 1 h. We developed a mass transfer model to describe the evolution of oil slick chemical composition and water column hydrocarbon concentrations. The model was parametrized based on environmental conditions and hydrocarbon partitioning properties estimated from comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) retention data. The model correctly predicted the observed fractionation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the oil slick resulting from evaporation and dissolution. This is the first report on the broad-spectrum compositional changes in oil during the first day of a spill at the sea surface. Expected outcomes under other environmental conditions are discussed, as well as comparisons to other models.

Novel Approach Identifies SNPs in SLC2A10 and KCNK9 with Evidence for Parent-of-Origin Effect on Body Mass Index.

The phenotypic effect of some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) depends on their parental origin. We present a novel approach to detect parent-of-origin effects (POEs) in genome-wide genotype data of unrelated individuals. The method exploits increased phenotypic variance in the heterozygous genotype group relative to the homozygous groups. We applied the method to >56,000 unrelated individuals to search for POEs influencing body mass index (BMI). Six lead SNPs were carried forward for replication in five family-based studies (of ∼4,000 trios). Two SNPs replicated: the paternal rs2471083-C allele (located near the imprinted KCNK9 gene) and the paternal rs3091869-T allele (located near the SLC2A10 gene) increased BMI equally (beta = 0.11 (SD), P<0.0027) compared to the respective maternal alleles. Real-time PCR experiments of lymphoblastoid cell lines from the CEPH families showed that expression of both genes was dependent on parental origin of the SNPs alleles (P<0.01). Our scheme opens new opportunities to exploit GWAS data of unrelated individuals to identify POEs and demonstrates that they play an important role in adult obesity.