Differences in Median Ultraviolet Light Transmissions of Serial Homeopathic Dilutions of Copper Sulfate, Hypericum perforatum, and Sulfur

Homeopathic remedies are produced by potentising, that is, the serial logarithmic dilution and succussion of a mother tincture. Techniques like ultraviolet spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, calorimetry, or thermoluminescence have been used to investigate their physical properties. In this study, homeopathic centesimal (c) potencies (6c to 30c) of copper sulfate, Hypericum perforatum, and sulfur as well as succussed water controls were prepared. Samples of these preparations were exposed to external physical factors like heat, pressure, ultraviolet radiation, or electromagnetic fields to mimic possible everyday storage conditions. The median transmissions from 190nm to 340nm and 220nm to 340nm were determined by ultraviolet light spectroscopy on five measurement days distributed over several months. Transmissions of controls and potencies of sulfur differed significantly on two of five measurement days and after exposure to physical factors. Transmissions of potencies exposed to ultraviolet light and unexposed potencies of copper sulfate and Hypericum perforatum differed significantly. Potency levels 6c to 30c were also compared, and wavelike patterns of higher and lower transmissions were found. The Kruskal-Wallis test yielded significant differences for the potency levels of all three substances. Aiming at understanding the physical properties of homeopathic preparations, this study confirmed and expanded the findings of previous studies.

Understanding volcanic processes using UV camera measurements of sulfur dioxide and coincident infrasound and seismicity

The exsolution of volatiles from magma maintains an important control on volcanic eruption styles. The nucleation, growth, and connectivity of bubbles during magma ascent provide the driving force behind eruptions, and the rate, volume, and ease of gas exsolution can affect eruptive activity. Volcanic plumes are the observable consequence of this magmatic degassing, and remote sensing techniques allow us to quantify changes in gas exsolution. However, until recently the methods used to measure volcanic plumes did not have the capability of detecting rapid changes in degassing on the scale of standard geophysical observations. The advent of the UV camera now makes high sample rate gas measurements possible. This type of dataset can then be compared to other volcanic observations to provide an in depth picture of degassing mechanisms in the shallow conduit. The goals of this research are to develop a robust methodology for UV camera field measurements of volcanic plumes, and utilize this data in conjunction with seismoacoustic records to illuminate degassing processes. Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effects of imaging conditions, vignetting, exposure time, calibration technique, and filter usage on the UV camera sulfur dioxide measurements. Using the best practices determined from these studies, a field campaign was undertaken at Volcán de Pacaya, Guatemala. Coincident plume sulfur dioxide measurements, acoustic recordings, and seismic observations were collected and analyzed jointly. The results provide insight into the small explosive features, variations in degassing rate, and plumbing system of this complex volcanic system. This research provides useful information for determining volcanic hazard at Pacaya, and demonstrates the potential of the UV camera in multiparameter studies.

An Investigation into the Precipitation of Copper from Mine Water, using Sulfur Dioxide to Reduce the Ferric Ion Content

The experiments which were preformed showed that sulfur dioxide would reduce the ferric ion content of the mine waters to a very low figure. The reduction in the ferric ion content would improve the efficiency of the precipitation process, and also increase the recovery of copper.

High-field 1H T1 and T2 NMR Relaxation Time Measurements of H2O in Homeopathic Preparations of Quartz, Sulfur and Copper Sulfate

Quantitative meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials investigating the specific therapeutic efficacy of homeopathic remedies yielded statistically significant differences compared to placebo. Since the remedies used contained mostly only very low concentrations of pharmacologically active compounds, these effects cannot be accounted for within the framework of current pharmacology. Theories to explain clinical effects of homeopathic remedies are partially based upon changes in diluent structure. To investigate the latter, we measured for the first time high-field (600/500 MHz) 1H T1 and T2 nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times of H2O in homeopathic preparations with concurrent contamination control by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Homeopathic preparations of quartz (10c–30c, n = 21, corresponding to iterative dilutions of 100−10–100−30), sulfur (13x–30x, n = 18, 10−13–10−30), and copper sulfate (11c–30c, n = 20, 100−11–100−30) were compared to n = 10 independent controls each (analogously agitated dilution medium) in randomized and blinded experiments. In none of the samples, the concentration of any element analyzed by ICP-MS exceeded 10 ppb. In the first measurement series (600 MHz), there was a significant increase in T1 for all samples as a function of time, and there were no significant differences between homeopathic potencies and controls. In the second measurement series (500 MHz) 1 year after preparation, we observed statistically significant increased T1 relaxation times for homeopathic sulfur preparations compared to controls. Fifteen out of 18 correlations between sample triplicates were higher for controls than for homeopathic preparations. No conclusive explanation for these phenomena can be given at present. Possible hypotheses involve differential leaching from the measurement vessel walls or a change in water molecule dynamics, i.e., in rotational correlation time and/or diffusion. Homeopathic preparations thus may exhibit specific physicochemical properties that need to be determined in detail in future investigations.

Sulfur Isotopic Measurements from a West Antarctic Ice Core: Implications for Sulfate Source and Transport

Measurements of delta(34)S covering the years 1935-76 and including the 1963 Agung (Indonesia) eruption were made on a West Antarctic firn core, RIDSA (78.73 degrees S, 116.33 degrees W; 1740m a.s.l.), and results are used to unravel potential source functions in the sulfur cycle over West Antarctica. The delta(34)S values Of SO42- range from 3.1 parts per thousand to 9.9 parts per thousand. These values are lower than those reported for central Antarctica, from near South Pole station, of 9.3-18.1 parts per thousand (Patris and others, 2000). While the Agung period is isotopically distinct at South Pole, it is not in the RIDSA dataset, suggesting differences in the source associations for the sulfur cycle between these two regions. Given the relatively large input of marine aerosols at RIDSA (determined from Na+ data and the seasonal SO42- cycle), there is likely a large marine biogenic SO42- influence. The delta(34)S values indicate, however, that this marine biogenic SO42-, with a well-established delta(34)S of 18 parts per thousand, is mixing with SO42- that has extremely negative delta(34)S values to produce the measured isotope values in the RIDSA core. We suggest that the transport and deposition of stratospheric SO42- in West Antarctica, combined with local volcanic input, accounts for the observed variance in delta(34)S values.

Impact of Preindustrial Biomass-Burning Emissions on the Oxidation Pathways of Tropospheric Sulfur and Nitrogen

Ice core measurements (H2O2 and CH4/HCHO) and modeling studies indicate a change in the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere since the onset of the Industrial Revolution due to increases in fossil fuel burning emissions [e. g., Lelieveld et al., 2002; Hauglustaine and Brasseur, 2001; Wang and Jacob, 1998; Staffelbach et al., 1991]. The mass-independent fractionation (MIF) in the oxygen isotopes of sulfate and nitrate from a Greenland ice core reveal that biomass-burning events in North America just prior to the Industrial Revolution significantly impacted the oxidation pathways of sulfur and nitrogen species deposited in Greenland ice. This finding highlights the importance of biomass-burning emissions for atmospheric chemistry in preindustrial North America and warrants the inclusion of this impact in modeling studies estimating changes in atmospheric oxidant chemistry since the Industrial Revolution, particularly when using paleo-oxidant data as a reference for model evaluation.

Chlorophyll breakdown: Pheophorbide a oxygenase is a Rieske-type iron-sulfur protein, encoded by the accelerated cell death 1 gene

Chlorophyll (chl) breakdown during senescence is an integral part of plant development and leads to the accumulation of colorless catabolites. The loss of green pigment is due to an oxygenolytic opening of the porphyrin macrocycle of pheophorbide (pheide) a followed by a reduction to yield a fluorescent chl catabolite. This step is comprised of the interaction of two enzymes, pheide a oxygenase (PaO) and red chl catabolite reductase. PaO activity is found only during senescence, hence PaO seems to be a key regulator of chl catabolism. Whereas red chl catabolite reductase has been cloned, the nature of PaO has remained elusive. Here we report on the identification of the PaO gene of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPaO). AtPaO is a Rieske-type iron–sulfur cluster-containing enzyme that is identical to Arabidopsis accelerated cell death 1 and homologous to lethal leaf spot 1 (LLS1) of maize. Biochemical properties of recombinant AtPaO were identical to PaO isolated from a natural source. Production of fluorescent chl catabolite-1 required ferredoxin as an electron source and both substrates, pheide a and molecular oxygen. By using a maize lls1 mutant, the in vivo function of PaO, i.e., degradation of pheide a during senescence, could be confirmed. Thus, lls1 leaves stayed green during dark incubation and accumulated pheide a that caused a light-dependent lesion mimic phenotype. Whereas proteins were degraded similarly in wild type and lls1, a chl-binding protein was selectively retained in the mutant. PaO expression correlated positively with senescence, but the enzyme appeared to be post-translationally regulated as well.