Upper limits on micro-mini black holes

The equations determining cosmic nucleosynthesis up to⁴He are modified to take account of black-hole evaporation during nucleosynthesis. Numerical calculation shows that deuterium is enhanced by the presence of these micro-mini black holes (mBH); but very high-density universes are difficult to reconcile with observations, even with a very large abundance of mBH.     

What drives the peat-based palaeoclimate record? A critical test using multi-proxy climate records from northern Britain

Peatland palaeoclimate sequences produce bog surface wetness (BSW) reconstructions which are commonly interpreted as changes in summer effective precipitation, i.e. the net balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration, the latter being mainly governed by temperature. The relative roles of precipitation and temperature have been investigated previously, although over centennial and millennial timescales no conclusive relationships have as yet been established, but it has been suggested that summer temperature may play the dominant role. We aimed to test this by comparing a late-Holocene peat-based palaeoclimate record from Walton Moss, northern England, with a chironomid-inferred temperature (CI-T) reconstruction from a nearby lake, Talkin Tarn. Both records showed significant changes in inferred climate over the last 3000 years with lower temperatures corresponding to increases in BSW. The CI-T reconstruction, which covered the last 6000 years, was also compared to a longer BSW record, again from Walton Moss, and the same relationships were observed. Our evidence therefore suggests that over centennial timescales summer temperatures are important drivers of the peat-based palaeoclimate record.     

Comparison of Two Integrated Methods for the Collection and Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in Ground Water

The principal difficulties with determinations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water are the reliability of sampling procedures and analytical methods. Two integrated methods have been developed for routine sampling, processing, and analysis of VOCs in ground water. These methods involve in situ collection of ground water using a modified syringe sampler from PVC piezometers or using dedicated glass syringes from stainless steel multilevel bores. The samples are processed in the syringe using purge and trap or microsolvent extraction and analyzed by GC/MSD.
The modified purge-and-trap method is time-consuming and limited to volatile organic compounds. However, it is extremely sensitive and flexible: the volume of sample used can be varied by the use of different-size glass syringes (sample volumes from 1 to 100 mL).
In cases where extremely low sensitivity (<10 mg 1⁻¹) is not critical, the microextraction technique is a more cost-effective method, allowing twice as many samples to be analyzed in the same time as the purge-and-trap method. It enables less volatile compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, phenol, and cresols to be analyzed in the same GC run. Also, the microextraction method can be used in the field to avoid delays associated with transportation of ground water samples to the laboratory.