An Atomic Force Microscopy study of the growth of calcite in the presence of sodium sulfate

In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to compare the growth of pure calcite and the growth of calcite in the presence of sulfate ions from aqueous solutions at a constant value of supersaturation (S.I. = 0.89) with respect to calcite. The effect of sulfate ions on calcite growth rates is determined and a potential incorporation of sulfate ions is identified in the calcite during growth. Solutions supersaturated with respect to calcite with solution concentration ratio of one and a constant pH of 10.2, were prepared and sulfate was added as Na₂SO₄ aqueous solution. The solution composition was readjusted in order to keep the supersaturation and pH constant. PHREEQC was used to determine relevant solution concentrations. In situ AFM experiments of calcite growth were performed using a fluid cell and flowing solutions passed over a freshly cleaved calcite surface. Growth rates were determined from the closure of the rhombohedral etch pits induced by initial dissolution with pure water. The spreading rate of 2-dimensional nuclei was also measured. At low concentrations of sulfate (≤ 0.5 mM), no effect on the growth rate of the calcite was observed. At higher concentrations (2 to 3 mM) of sulfate, the growth rate increased, possibly because a higher concentration of calcium and carbonate was necessary to maintain the supersaturation constant. At much higher concentrations of additional sulfate (up to 60 mM) the growth rate of the calcite was substantially decreased, despite the fact that a further increase of calcium and carbonate was required. The morphology of 2-dimensional growth nuclei became increasingly elongated with increasing sulfate content. Measurements of step height showed that newly grown steps were approximately 1 Å higher when grown in high sulfate concentrations, compared to steps grown in sulfate-free solutions. At sulfate concentrations above 5 mM the growth mechanism changes from layer growth to surface roughening. These observations suggest that the new growth has incorporated sulfate into the calcite surface.     

Optical properties of low molecular weight and colloidal organic matter: Application of the ultrafiltration permeation model to DOM absorption and fluorescence

Cross-flow ultrafiltration (CFF) is often used to obtain separation and concentration of colloids from bulk natural water samples. Application of the ultrafiltration permeation model allows the quantitative determination of the low molecular weight material (LMW, < 1 kDa) and colloids in bulk dissolved organic matter (DOM) from measurements of time series permeate samples obtained from CFF. Detailed analysis of a Yukon River water sample shows that DOM absorption coefficient and fluorescence follow the permeation model and that the complex spectral optical properties of LMW DOM can be reconstructed from CFF data. A combination of measured and modeled data indicates that the LMW contribution to bulk DOM optical properties obtained from CFF can be grossly underestimated by the use of a low concentration factor (CF, the ratio of initial sample volume to retentate volume). Even at a relatively high CF of 19, optical properties of LMW DOM calculated from measurements of the retentate or integrated permeate would underestimate true values by 5–36%. In the Yukon River sample, LMW dissolved organic carbon represented 26% of the bulk concentration, but only 3–14% of the colored DOM was in the LMW fraction while 31–33% of bulk DOM florescence was due to LMW DOM. The contrasting optical properties of LMW and colloidal DOM support the concept that analysis of bulk DOM absorption and fluorescence properties reveals information about DOM molecular weight.     

Application of Atomic Force Microscopy to Observation of Marine Bacteria

The atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a recently developed, bench-top instrument that can image the surface structures of biological specimens at high resolution with simultaneous measurement of their size. This paper describes the application of AFM to marine bacteria. Both natural and cultured bacteria were retained on a filter or placed on glass, washed, air-dried and observed by AFM. The instrumental condition, the choice of suitable filter, effect of fixation and filtration, comparison with epifluorescent microscopic (EFM) count, and the size and shape of bacterial cells were investigated. An Isopore filter was best for concentration and subsequent observation because of its surface flatness. Cross section images showed that both rod and coccoid cells were flattened, the former usually having a two-humped shape. Bacterial cells were differentiated from non-living particles based on their cross section shape and size. Bacterial counts by AFM and EFM showed good agreement. Although size measurement is easily done by the instrument, AFM tends to overestimate the size of microspheres. More work is thus needed on the size measurement of living organisms. Because AFM easily provides images of natural bacterial cells at high magnification, it can be used as a new tool to study the fine structures of marine bacteria. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spectrophotometric pH measurement in estuaries using thymol blue and m-cresol purple

The conditional acid dissociation constants (pK_a′) of two sulfonephthalein dyes, thymol blue (TB) and m-cresol purple (mCP), were assessed throughout the estuarine salinity range (0<S<40) using a tris/tris–HCl buffer and spectrophotometric measurement. The salinity dependence of the pK_a′ of both dyes was fitted to the equations (25 °C, total proton pH scale, mol kg soln⁻¹):

The estimated accuracy of pH measurements using these calculated pK_a′ values is considered to be comparable to that possible with careful use of a glass electrode (±0.01 pH unit) but spectrophotometric measurements in an estuary have the significant advantage that it is not necessary to calibrate an electrode at different salinities. pH was measured in an estuary over a tidal cycle with a precision of ±0.0005 pH unit at high (S>30) salinity, and ±0.002 pH unit at low (S<5) salinity. The pH increased rapidly in the lower salinity ranges (0<S<15) but less rapidly at higher salinities.     

封闭体系有机质与有机碳氢氮恢复动力学研究

在封闭体系的条件下,对典型的Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ型干酪根在热演化过程中的损失进行生烃动力学研究,获得了Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ型干酪根的总量、有机碳、氢以及氮质量损失动力学参数。用Kinetics软件计算了封闭体系干酪根有机碳丰度、氢碳原子比和氮碳原子比的恢复系数。认为在对高成熟—过成熟干酪根进行生烃评价时,Ⅰ、Ⅲ型干酪根残余有机碳丰度需要进行恢复,而Ⅱ型干酪根残余有机碳丰度不需要恢复。三种类型干酪根的氢碳原子比均需要进行恢复。     

Analysis and classification of hyperspectral data for mapping land degradation: An application in southern Spain

Desertification is a severe stage of land degradation, manifested by “desert-like” conditions in dryland areas. Climatic conditions together with geomorphologic processes help to mould desert-like soil surface features in arid zones. The identification of these soil features serves as a useful input for understanding the desertification process and land degradation as a whole. In the present study, imaging spectrometer data were used to detect and map desert-like surface features. Absorption feature parameters in the spectral region between 0.4 and 2.5 μm wavelengths were analysed and correlated with soil properties, such as soil colour, soil salinity, gypsum content, etc. Soil groupings were made based on their similarities and their spectral reflectance curves were studied. Distinct differences in the reflectance curves throughout the spectrum were exhibited between groups. Although the samples belonging to the same group shared common properties, the curves still showed differences within the same group.Characteristic reflectance curves of soil surface features were derived from spectral measurements both in the field and in the laboratory, and mean reflectance values derived from image pixels representing known features. Linear unmixing and spectral angle matching techniques were applied to assess their suitability in mapping surface features for land degradation studies. The study showed that linear unmixing provided more realistic results for mapping “desert-like” surface features than the spectral angle matching technique.     

关于绝对重力仪的发展和我们的思考

介绍了近年来出现的新型绝对重力仪，认为该仪器是控制地球重力场信息的重要工具，特别对FG5型的如何改进及我国绝对重力仪的如何发展，提出了建议。     

岩矿石吸收系数的算和测定方法

岩矿石吸收系数是钻孔电磁波法解决地质问题的重要的物性参数。岩矿石有无吸收系数的差异，是开展钻孔电磁波法能否奏效的前提．了解岩矿石的吸收系数可对钻孔电磁波法的透距和分辨力作出估计，并可为钻孔电磁波的反演解释提供重要的依据．本文不但给出了岩矿石吸收系数的计算方法，也给出了室内岩矿石标本吸收系数的测定方法和野外实测岩矿石吸收系数的方法。     

Global scale annual and semi-annual variations of daytime NmF2 in the high solar activity years

The annual and semi-annual variations of the ionosphere are investigated in the present paper by using the daytime F2 layer peak electron concentration (NmF2) observed at a global ionosonde network with 104 stations. The main features are outlined as follows. (1) The annual variations are most pronounced at magnetic latitudes of 40–60° in both hemispheres, and usually manifest as winter anomalies; Below magnetic latitude of 40° as well as in the tropical region they are much weaker and winter anomalies that are not obvious. (2) The semi-annual variations, which are usually peak in March or April in most regions, are generally weak in the near-pole regions and strong in the far-pole regions of both hemispheres. (3) Compared with their annual components, the semi-annual variations in the tropical region are more significant.In order to explain the above results, we particularly analyze the global atomic/molecular ratio of [O/N2] at the F2 layer peak height by the MSIS90 model. The results show that the annual variation of [O/N2] is closely related with that of NmF2 prevailing in mid-latitudes and [O/N2] annual variation usually may lead to the winter anomalies of NmF2 occurring in the near-pole region. Moreover, NmF2 semi-annual variations appearing in the tropical region also have a close relationship with the variation of [O/N2]. On the other hand, the semi-annual variations of NmF2 in the far-pole region cannot be simply explained by that of [O/N2], but the variation of the solar zenith angle may also have a significant contribution.     

石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法测定土壤样品中痕量镉

研究了土壤样品中痕量镉的石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法测定最佳条件以及磷酸二氢铵与硝酸镁作基体改进剂对测定镉的基体改进效应，并比较了两种试样分解体系。方法检出限为0.01pg／L，精密度(RSD，n=8)为3．29％-7．69％，经国家一级标准物质分析验证，结果与标准值符合。