The origin of brines underlying Lake Kinneret

Lake Kinneret (LK) is a relatively fresh water take situated in the Dead Sea Rift (DSR) Valley. The pore water (PW) in the sediments underlying LK pelagic zone have significantly higher salinity than that of the lake. The concentrations of major ion solutes (Cl, Br, Na, K, Mg) in PW from six 2.4 m to 5.1 m long sediment cores increase linearly with depth, indicating the occurrence of saline, deep seated brines. The upper part of the PW column is affected by the much fresher boundary with LK water and in most cores is characterized by gradually increasing Br/Cl and decreasing Na, Mg, K/Cl molar ratios, which tend to stabilize at about 2.0 m below the sediment surface. The 'stable' molar ratios in the deeper PW vary spatially and are supposed to represent the ratios in the deep underlying brines at each site. When plotted as Na/Cl vs. Br/Cl, the stable ratios of the northern and central part of the lake fall close to a straight line which characterizes many of the brines in the DSR Valley. However, the respective ratios in the southern part of the lake fall markedly off the DSR line. Moreover, Na/Cl and K/Cl molar ratios in the south are significantly higher than in the central and northern parts. delta Cl-37 measured in present LK water is ca. 0.0 parts per thousand. Along the PW column at the lake center, delta Cl-37 is becoming more positive with depth, reaching values of about +0.5 parts per thousand to +0.6 parts per thousand at 3 m depth. Even more positive values (+0.7 parts per thousand to +0.8 parts per thousand) are detected further north, in PW from deeper sediment layers. In contrast, in PW from the southeastern part of the lake, delta Cl-37 is becoming more negative with depth (-1.0 parts per thousand at similar to 2.6 m). It is suggested that these isotopic differences are also indicative of spatial variability in the PW brine sources. O-18 and D values in the PW of all 3 m long cores are similar and resemble the respective levels in LK. The source of H2O in 3 m deep, bed sediments is claimed to be the overlying lake water, and therefore water isotopes do not provide a clue regarding the original water isotopic composition in the underlying brines. PW from the southeast with higher K/Cl and Na/Cl but lower concentrations of these solutes, suggest leaching by meteoric water of sub-surface halite and post-halite salt formations, while the more saline PW from the northern and central parts, that have lower K/Cl and Na/Cl, and higher Br/Cl, are similar to DSR brines and represent underlying residual brines. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spectroscopy and detectability of liquid brines on mars

Recent geomorphological observations as well as chemical and thermodynamic studies demonstrate that liquid water should be stable today on the Martian surface at some times of the day. In Martian conditions, brines would be particularly more stable than pure water because salts can depress the freezing point and lower the evaporation rate of water. Despite this evidence, no clear spectral signature of liquid has been observed so far by the hyperspectral imaging spectrometers OMEGA and CRISM. However, past spectral analysis lacks a good characterization of brines׳ spectral signatures. This study thus aims to determine how liquid brines can be detected on Mars by spectroscopy. In this way, laboratory experiments were performed for reproducing hydration and dehydration cycles of various brines while measuring their spectral signatures. The resulting spectra first reveal a very similar spectral evolution for the various brine types and pure water, with the main difference observed at the end of the dehydration with the crystallization of various hydrated minerals from brines. The main characteristic of this spectral behavior is an important decoupling between the evolution of albedo and hydration bands depths. During most of the wetting/drying processes, spectra usually display a low albedo associated with shallow water absorption band depths. Strong water absorption band depth and high albedo are respectively only observed when the surface is very wet and when the surface is very dry. These experiments can thus explain why the currently active Martian features attributed to the action of a liquid are only associated with low albedo and very weak spectral signatures. Hydration experiments also reveal that deliquescence occurs easily even at low temperature and moderate soil water vapor pressure and could thus cause seasonal darkening on Mars. These experiments demonstrate that the absence of water absorptions in CRISM in the middle afternoon does not rule out water activity and suggest future spectral investigations to identify water on the Martian surface.

Francisco Brines : Una paideia necesaria

La ponencia tiene como objetivo reconstruir el ideario autopoético elaborado por Francisco Brines (Oliva, 1932) y la intervención de su figura de escritor en el campo intelectual, en dos operatorias discursivas interrelacionadas: 1. la operatoria autorreferencial, elaborada sesgadamente en su obra hasta el momento publicada, desde Las brasas (1960) hasta La última costa (1995), un largo trayecto que dispone las variaciones de su concepción de la palabra poética en consonancia con los interrogantes comunes a otros poetas del medio siglo; 2. la operatoria crítica y autopoética, delineada en sus ensayos, prólogos y entrevistas, donde el poeta lector (de sí mismo y de los otros) elabora un mapa de inclusiones y exclusiones e interpreta tensiones entre actores del campo (precedentes y coetáneos). De este modo, rubrica la conformación de su ideario en complementación y/o distancia con su propia producción poética desde un rol doxológico privilegiado: el de 'maestro' de poetas, en tanto autor consagrado del grupo del 50, varias veces premiado y miembro emérito de la RAE

Emociones pensadas : intimidad y reflexión en la poesía de Francisco Brines

Nuestro trabajo pretende sumariamente recomponer en la poesía de Francisco Brines (Oliva, Valencia, 1932) los diversos perfiles de una intencionalidad meditativa e intimista que pone en jaque a las teorías de la identificación inmediata y confesional pactadas desde las misreadings románticas en torno a la poesía lírica. Mediante la apelación a diversas estrategias compositivas (un ritmo y un tono "clásicos", usos retóricos de la tradición, reescritura de géneros canonizados y otros ejercicios de "distanciamiento") Brines consigue deslindar la representación de la intimidad del efecto patético tanto en la escena privilegiada de su poética, esto es, la insistente conciencia de la temporalidad, cuanto en los cuerpos concretos celebrados por un empecinado vitalismo a la vez que devastados por esa misma temporalidad.

Francisco Brines : Una paideia necesaria

La ponencia tiene como objetivo reconstruir el ideario autopoético elaborado por Francisco Brines (Oliva, 1932) y la intervención de su figura de escritor en el campo intelectual, en dos operatorias discursivas interrelacionadas: 1. la operatoria autorreferencial, elaborada sesgadamente en su obra hasta el momento publicada, desde Las brasas (1960) hasta La última costa (1995), un largo trayecto que dispone las variaciones de su concepción de la palabra poética en consonancia con los interrogantes comunes a otros poetas del medio siglo; 2. la operatoria crítica y autopoética, delineada en sus ensayos, prólogos y entrevistas, donde el poeta lector (de sí mismo y de los otros) elabora un mapa de inclusiones y exclusiones e interpreta tensiones entre actores del campo (precedentes y coetáneos). De este modo, rubrica la conformación de su ideario en complementación y/o distancia con su propia producción poética desde un rol doxológico privilegiado: el de 'maestro' de poetas, en tanto autor consagrado del grupo del 50, varias veces premiado y miembro emérito de la RAE

Emociones pensadas : intimidad y reflexión en la poesía de Francisco Brines

Nuestro trabajo pretende sumariamente recomponer en la poesía de Francisco Brines (Oliva, Valencia, 1932) los diversos perfiles de una intencionalidad meditativa e intimista que pone en jaque a las teorías de la identificación inmediata y confesional pactadas desde las misreadings románticas en torno a la poesía lírica. Mediante la apelación a diversas estrategias compositivas (un ritmo y un tono "clásicos", usos retóricos de la tradición, reescritura de géneros canonizados y otros ejercicios de "distanciamiento") Brines consigue deslindar la representación de la intimidad del efecto patético tanto en la escena privilegiada de su poética, esto es, la insistente conciencia de la temporalidad, cuanto en los cuerpos concretos celebrados por un empecinado vitalismo a la vez que devastados por esa misma temporalidad.

Francisco Brines : Una paideia necesaria

La ponencia tiene como objetivo reconstruir el ideario autopoético elaborado por Francisco Brines (Oliva, 1932) y la intervención de su figura de escritor en el campo intelectual, en dos operatorias discursivas interrelacionadas: 1. la operatoria autorreferencial, elaborada sesgadamente en su obra hasta el momento publicada, desde Las brasas (1960) hasta La última costa (1995), un largo trayecto que dispone las variaciones de su concepción de la palabra poética en consonancia con los interrogantes comunes a otros poetas del medio siglo; 2. la operatoria crítica y autopoética, delineada en sus ensayos, prólogos y entrevistas, donde el poeta lector (de sí mismo y de los otros) elabora un mapa de inclusiones y exclusiones e interpreta tensiones entre actores del campo (precedentes y coetáneos). De este modo, rubrica la conformación de su ideario en complementación y/o distancia con su propia producción poética desde un rol doxológico privilegiado: el de 'maestro' de poetas, en tanto autor consagrado del grupo del 50, varias veces premiado y miembro emérito de la RAE

Emociones pensadas : intimidad y reflexión en la poesía de Francisco Brines

Nuestro trabajo pretende sumariamente recomponer en la poesía de Francisco Brines (Oliva, Valencia, 1932) los diversos perfiles de una intencionalidad meditativa e intimista que pone en jaque a las teorías de la identificación inmediata y confesional pactadas desde las misreadings románticas en torno a la poesía lírica. Mediante la apelación a diversas estrategias compositivas (un ritmo y un tono "clásicos", usos retóricos de la tradición, reescritura de géneros canonizados y otros ejercicios de "distanciamiento") Brines consigue deslindar la representación de la intimidad del efecto patético tanto en la escena privilegiada de su poética, esto es, la insistente conciencia de la temporalidad, cuanto en los cuerpos concretos celebrados por un empecinado vitalismo a la vez que devastados por esa misma temporalidad.

Concentration of hydrogen in hot brines of the Atlantis II Deep

An analysis of earlier measurements and author's data serves as a basis for a discussion of origin of deep-sea hydrogen. High hydrogen concentrations (0.001 ml/l or higher) in geothermal brines of the Atlantis II Deep depression are of abiogenic origin.

Role of the denitrifying Haloarchaea in the treatment of nitrite-brines

Haloferax mediterranei is a denitrifying halophilic archaeon able to reduce nitrate and nitrite under oxic and anoxic conditions. In the presence of oxygen, nitrate and nitrite are used as nitrogen sources for growth. Under oxygen scarcity,this haloarchaeon uses both ions as electron acceptors via a denitrification pathway. In the present work, the maximal nitriteconcentration tolerated by this organism was determined by studying the growth of H. mediterranei in minimal medium containing30, 40 and 50 mM nitrite as sole nitrogen source and under initial oxic conditions at 42 °C. The results showed theability of H. mediterranei to withstand nitrite concentrations up to 50 mM. At the beginning of the incubation, nitrate wasdetected in the medium, probably due to the spontaneous oxidation of nitrite under the initial oxic conditions. The completeremoval of nitrite and nitrate was accomplished in most of the tested conditions, except in culture medium containing 50 mMnitrite, suggesting that this concentration compromised the denitrification capacity of the cells. Nitrite and nitrate reductases activities were analyzed at different growth stages of H. mediterranei. In all cases, the activities of the respiratory enzymeswere higher than their assimilative counterparts; this was especially the case for NirK. The denitrifying and possibly detoxifyingrole of this enzyme might explain the high nitrite tolerance of H. mediterranei. This archaeon was also able to remove60 % of the nitrate and 75 % of the nitrite initially present in brine samples collected from a wastewater treatment facility.These results suggest that H. mediterranei, and probably other halophilic denitrifying Archaea, are suitable candidates for thebioremediation of brines with high nitrite and nitrate concentrations.

Reuse of fermentation brines in the cucumber pickling industry /

Mode of access: Internet.

Concentrated seawater brines for use in solar-powered desiccant cooling cycles

We have directly measured properties of concentrated seawater brines produced through solar evaporation in salt works. They are sufficiently hygroscopic for use in desiccant cooling cycles which can cool air to 8.0–10.9 °C below ambient. This compares to only 3.8–8.7 °C with simple evaporative cooling. Desiccant cooling can extend the growing seasons of greenhouse crops thus providing an adaptive measure against climate change.

Penetration of hydrolysed soy protein-added brine and its effect on yield and pH of beef steaks from the biceps femoris muscle

This study was aimed to evaluate the penetration behaviour of different brines with tumbled beef steaks from the biceps femoris muscle, specifically their interactions with pH and effects on yield. Six muscles from different animals, divided into origin (OP) and insertion (IP) portions, were cut into 60 steaks of 2.5 cm thickness and tumbled for 30 or 60 min. The steaks were tumbled with two brines, with (WTB/HSP) or without (WTB) hydrolysed soy protein (HSP), and steaks that were not tumbled with brine or water were used as controls. Brine penetration was verified by measuring the amount of dye-containing brine (absorbance at 627 nm) recovered from homogenates of four thin (2 mm) slices from the surface of the beef steaks after tumbling. The WTB/HSP steaks exhibited greater (P < 0.05) brine penetration when tumbled for 60 min than for 30 min. The OP steaks showed greater yield and lower pH (P < 0.05) than IP steaks. HSP-added brine increased the water absorption and retention in the first slices of the steaks, and its efficiency was increased with a longer tumbling time. The portion of the biceps femoris muscle used influenced brine absorption and retention, impacting meat yield. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative genomics reveals adaptations of a halotolerant thaumarchaeon in the interfaces of brine pools in the Red Sea

The bottom of the Red Sea harbors over 25 deep hypersaline anoxic basins that are geochemically distinct and characterized by vertical gradients of extreme physicochemical conditions. Because of strong changes in density, particulate and microbial debris get entrapped in the brine-seawater interface (BSI), resulting in increased dissolved organic carbon, reduced dissolved oxygen toward the brines and enhanced microbial activities in the BSI. These features coupled with the deep-sea prevalence of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in the global ocean make the BSI a suitable environment for studying the osmotic adaptations and ecology of these important players in the marine nitrogen cycle. Using phylogenomic-based approaches, we show that the local archaeal community of five different BSI habitats (with up to 18.2% salinity) is composed mostly of a single, highly abundant Nitrosopumilus-like phylotype that is phylogenetically distinct from the bathypelagic thaumarchaea; ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were absent. The composite genome of this novel Nitrosopumilus-like subpopulation (RSA3) co-assembled from multiple single-cell amplified genomes (SAGs) from one such BSI habitat further revealed that it shares [sim]54% of its predicted genomic inventory with sequenced Nitrosopumilus species. RSA3 also carries several, albeit variable gene sets that further illuminate the phylogenetic diversity and metabolic plasticity of this genus. Specifically, it encodes for a putative proline-glutamate 'switch' with a potential role in osmotolerance and indirect impact on carbon and energy flows. Metagenomic fragment recruitment analyses against the composite RSA3 genome, Nitrosopumilus maritimus, and SAGs of mesopelagic thaumarchaea also reiterate the divergence of the BSI genotypes from other AOA.