A computer modelling study of the interaction of organic adsorbates with fluorapatite surfaces

Computer modelling techniques were employed to investigate the adsorption of a selection of organic surfactant molecules to a range of fluorapatite surfaces, and new interatomic potential models for the apatite/adsorbate interactions are presented. The adsorbates coordinate mainly to the surfaces through interaction between their oxygen (or nitrogen) atoms to surface calcium ions, followed by hydrogen-bonded interactions to surface oxygen ions and, to a much lesser extent, surface fluorides. Bridging between two surface calcium ions is the preferred mode of adsorption, when the geometry of the adsorbates allows it, and multiple interactions between surfaces and adsorbate molecules lead to the largest adsorption energies. All adsorbates containing carbonyl and hydroxy groups interact strongly with the surfaces, releasing energies between approximately 100 and 215 kJ mol⁻¹, but methylamine containing only the –NH₂ functional group adsorbs to the surfaces to a much lesser extent (25–95 kJ mol⁻¹). Both hydroxy methanamide and hydroxy ethanal prefer to adsorb to some surfaces in an eclipsed conformation, which is a requisite for these functional groups. Sorption of the organic material by replacement of pre-adsorbed water at different surface features is calculated to be mainly exothermic for methanoic acid, hydroxy methanamide and hydroxy ethanal molecules, whereas methyl amine would not replace pre-adsorbed water at the fluorapatite surfaces. The efficacy of the surfactant molecules is calculated to be hydroxy aldehydes > alkyl hydroxamates > carboxylic acids ≫ alkyl amines. The results from this study suggest that computer simulations may provide a route to the identification or even design of particular organic surfactants for use in mineral separation by flotation.     

Preliminary studies on methane fluxes in Hainan mangrove communities

INTRODUCTIONChrbondioxideandInehanearethetwomostabundantabosphericcarbonspedes.Methane'sconcenhati0nintheboposphereinonsesO.7-l.l%peryearraasmussenandKhaili,l98l,BlakeandRowand,l988,Scheeetal.,l989).Ihauseofmethne'sforpaCtontheearth'sclirnateandthechernistryoftheatInosphere,thebudgetofabosphericmethanehasmivedconsiderableattchti0n.Wetlandsareestirnataltobeoneofthelamptsoimofabosphericmethane,aocountingforab0ut4O%to5O%0ftheglobalInehanesoonannually(Cforneand0reInland,l988,WhitingandC…     

Vegetation analysis of a typical mangrove swamp—Lai Chi Wo coast of Hong Kong

A vegetation analysis reveals that the Lai Chi Wo mangrove swamp in Hong Kong has 10 mangrove species comprising 76.9% of the total number of mangrove species in Hong Kong. This swamp is a mixed community dominated byAegiceras corniculatum, Heritiera littoralis, Excoecaria agallocha, Kandelia candel, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, with importance values of 37.88, 28.19, 14.33, 11.33 and 8.27 respectively. The community’s mangrove species diversity and evenness, as based on the Shannon-Wiener Function, were 1.44 and 62.01%, which were lower than those of the south su-tropical evergreen broad-leaf forest community but its ecological dominance (0.26) was higher. The correlation information field (CIF) method, a useful analytical method for complex forest community, was adopted in the present mangrove analysis. The species correlation information was:Aegiceras corniculatum (0.268)>Heritiera littoralis (0.250)>Kandelia candel (0.220)>Excoecaria agallocha (0.169)>Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (0.101). The correlation information of the mangrove community was 1.008. This work was financially supported by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department of The Hong Kong Government and The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.     

Post-Wisconsinian paleoenvironments at Salinas del Bebedero basin, San Luis, Argentina

We present a climatic reconstruction of Holocene lacustrine episodes in the Salinas del Bebedero basin (Argentina), based on geological and diatom information.Morphological, sedimentological and diatom evidence between 11600 ± 140 yr BP and 325 ± 95 yr BP, allowed us to interpret the paleoenvironments of the basin. Episodes of high energy (sandy levels) are linked to large inflow of meltwater through the Desaguadero River, related to development of glaciers on the Andes. This inflow is characterized by peaks of relative abundance of the brackish water diatom Cyclotella choctawatcheeana Prasad. The values of C. choctawatcheeana decrease in deposits of low energy (clay levels), where it co-dominates with oligohalobous Fragilaria and Epithemia spp.To the last two peaks of large inflow of meltwater, radiocarbon dates corrected to sidereal ages, are AD 1280/1420 and AD 1443/1656. These ages agree with two cold episodes clearly recorded in dendrological studies from the Patagonian Andes and were correlated to the Little Ice Age. Thus, older Holocene episodes of large inflow of water to the basin were correlated with the Neoglacial Advances defined by Mercer (1976) for the Andes.     

Characterization of the Soil Hydromorphic Conditions in a Paludified Dunefield during the Mid-Holocene Hemlock Decline near Québec City, Québec

The mid-Holocene eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensisL. (Carr.)] decline has been recently attributed to the activity of insect defoliators. N. Bihiry and L. Filion,Quaternary Research45,312–320 (1996). In this study, soil hydromorphic conditions were investigated for the period 6800–3200 yr B.P. using micromorphological data from a peat section from a swale in a paludified dunefield in southern Québec. After a short period of plant colonization in shallow pools between 6800 and 6400 yr B.P., mesic conditions predominated in the interdune before the decline (6400–4900 yr B.P.), as evidenced by strong bioturbation and abundance of excrements from the soil fauna. During the decline, a shift from mesic to wet conditions occurred (4900–4100 yr B.P.), although xeric to mesic conditions persisted on dune ridges until at least 4200 yr B.P. Wetness culminated when beaver occupied the site (4100–3750 yr B.P.). Hemlock needles with chewing damage typical of hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria) feeding were identified at levels dated 4900, 4600, and 4200 yr B.P., respectively, implying that the hemlock decline was associated with at least three defoliation events. The ca. 400-yr interval between these events likely represents the time required for this late-sucessional tree species to recover.     

Sampling Trace-Level Organic Solutes with Polymeric Tubing Part I. Static Studies

Twenty polymeric tubings were filled with a test solution containing eight organic solutes. The test solutions were monitored for losses, indicating that sorption had occurred, and for signs that leaching of organic constituents had occurred. The tubings tested included seven flexible products and eight fluoropolymers. Among the rigid tubings tested, three fluoropolymers (fluorinated ethylene propylene [FEP], FEP-lined polyethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride) were the least sorptive tubings. However, even these tubings readily sorbed some of the analytes. Among the flexible tubings tested, a fluoroelastomer tubing and a tubing made of a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene were the least sorptive.
Several of the tubings tested leached constituents into the test solution. The polyurethane, polyamide, flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester-lined PVC, and silicone-modified thermoplastic elastomer tubings were found to leach the most constituents. We were unable to detect any constituents leaching from the polyethylene tubings, the rigid fluoropolymer tubings, and one of the plasticized polypropylene tubings.     

CLIMATE HISTORY INFERRED FROM BOREHOLE TEMPERATURES, DATA FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The knowledge of the present-day underground temperatures may be important in the assessments of the past climate change. The method of inversion of the temperature-depth records into the ground surface temperature history is briefly introduced by showing an example of synthetic data and illustrated by a review of existing results obtained from the inversion of temperature logs measured in holes in the Czech Republic. Underground temperatures observed in holes of the depth of at least 1000–1500 m seem to confirm the preinstrumental climate pattern of the past several thousand years. Most of shallower temperature records (500–800 m) revealed general warming of climate followed the Little Ice Age of the 17–18th centuries and a pronounced increase of the soil temperatures by at least 1 K since the beginning of this century.     

A postulate leading to the Titius-Bode law

The revised Titius-Bode law (Balsano and Hughes, 1979) giving distances of planets from the Sun shows integers that recall the Bohr law in the early quantum theory of hydrogen atom. The author searchs for a formalism, similar to the Sommerfeld's one accounting for the planetary distribution of the solar system. It is shown that such a formalism might be started with the assumed relation $$\int_{r_0 }^{r_n } {U(r)dr = nk,} $$ whereU(r) stands for the gravitation potential created by the Sun at distancer,k=cte,r _o=cte,r _n=distance of then ^th planet andn=1, 2, 3... Although the inspiration of the present note came from the early quantum theory, it is emphasized that there is no connection between the above assumed equation and the Sommerfeld quantum rule, but a pure formal similarity. the true significance of that equation is still unknown. It is either a fortuitous coincidence leading to the T-B law or any possible unsuspected property of gravitation.     

Sur un modele explicitant les differents types morphologiques des galaxies

In the now classical Lindblad-Lin density-wave theory, the linearization of the collisionless Boltzmann equation is made by assuming the potential functionU expressed in the formU=U ₀ + \(\tilde U\) +... WhereU ₀ is the background axisymmetric potential and \(\tilde U<< U_0 \) . Then the corresponding density distribution is \(\rho = \rho _0 + \tilde \rho (\tilde \rho<< \rho _0 )\) and the linearized equation connecting \(\tilde U\) and the component \(\tilde f\) of the distribution function is given by $$\frac{{\partial \tilde f}}{{\partial t}} + \upsilon \frac{{\partial \tilde f}}{{\partial x}} - \frac{{\partial U_0 }}{{\partial x}} \cdot \frac{{\partial \tilde f}}{{\partial \upsilon }} = \frac{{\partial \tilde U}}{{\partial x}}\frac{{\partial f_0 }}{{\partial \upsilon }}.$$ One looks for spiral self-consistent solutions which also satisfy Poisson's equation $$\nabla ^2 \tilde U = 4\pi G\tilde \rho = 4\pi G\int {\tilde f d\upsilon .} $$ Lin and Shu (1964) have shown that such solutions exist in special cases. In the present work, we adopt anopposite proceeding. Poisson's equation contains two unknown quantities \(\tilde U\) and \(\tilde \rho \) . It could be completelysolved if a second independent equation connecting \(\tilde U\) and \(\tilde \rho \) was known. Such an equation is hopelesslyobtained by direct observational means; the only way is to postulate it in a mathematical form. In a previouswork, Louise (1981) has shown that Poisson's equation accounted for distances of planets in the solar system(following to the Titius-Bode's law revised by Balsano and Hughes (1979)) if the following relation wasassumed $$\rho ^2 = k\frac{{\tilde U}}{{r^2 }} (k = cte).$$ We now postulate again this relation in order to solve Poisson's equation. Then, $$\nabla ^2 \tilde U - \frac{{\alpha ^2 }}{{r^2 }}\tilde U = 0, (\alpha ^2 = 4\pi Gk).$$ The solution is found in a classical way to be of the form $$\tilde U = cte J_v (pr)e^{ - pz} e^{jn\theta } $$ wheren = integer,p =cte andJ _v (pr) = Bessel function with indexv (v ² =n ² + α²). By use of the Hankel function instead ofJ _v (pr) for large values ofr, the spiral structure is found to be given by $$\tilde U = cte e^{ - pz} e^{j[\Phi _v (r) + n\theta ]} , \Phi _v (r) = pr - \pi /2(v + \tfrac{1}{2}).$$ For small values ofr, \(\tilde U\) = 0: the center of a galaxy is not affected by the density wave which is onlyresponsible of the spiral structure. For various values ofp,n andv, other forms of galaxies can be taken into account: Ring, barred and spiral-barred shapes etc. In order to generalize previous calculations, we further postulateρ ₀ =kU ₀/r ², leading to Poisson'sequation which accounts for the disc population $$\nabla ^2 U_0 - \frac{{\alpha ^2 }}{{r^2 }}U_0 = 0.$$ AsU ₀ is assumed axisymmetrical, the obvious solution is of the form $$U_0 = \frac{{cte}}{{r^v }}e^{ - pz} , \rho _0 = \frac{{cte}}{{r^{2 + v} }}e^{ - pz} .$$ Finally, Poisson's equation is completely solvable under the assumptionρ =k(U/r ². The general solution,valid for both disc and spiral arm populations, becomes $$U = cte e^{ - pz} \left\{ {r^{ - v} + } \right.\left. {cte e^{j[\Phi _v (r) + n\theta ]} } \right\},$$ The density distribution along the O _z axis is supported by Burstein's (1979) observations.     

A conceptual framework and its application for addressing leakage: the case of avoided deforestation

One of the most challenging technical issues associated with project-based mechanisms is that of leakage. A conceptual framework is proposed for the identification and analysis of leakage potentially generated by a project. The categorization of leakage based on the actors responsible for their manifestation is proposed, which divides sources of leakage into primary and secondary types. It is the actors or agents responsible for the baseline activities that cause primary leakage. Secondary leakage occurs when the project’s outputs create incentives for third parties to increase emissions elsewhere. This distinction, based on the source of leakage, provides a basis for the analysis outlined in the paper. The extent and type of leakage will vary depending on the project typology and design. Using a decision tree approach, the process of identifying potential sources of leakage is demonstrated for the case study of avoided deforestation projects. If the main elements determining a baseline are properly identified and understood, in particular the ‘baseline agents’, a combination of the decision tree approach and apportioning responsibility, can assist in the quantification and monitoring of primary leakage. An analysis at the project design stage can also assist in minimizing the risk of future leakage. Econometric methods may prove more useful in analyzing secondary leakage.