The desorption solution — an alternative approach to measure water soluble ions in soils

Although the composition of the soil solution has important ecological information, there is no general consensus for obtaining and analyzing of the soil solution. This study presents an alternative procedure to obtain the soil solution and determine all relevant anions and cations. The soil samples are taken with an auger. 10—20 g of field moist soil are desorbed in a pressure chamber at 170 kPa (pF 3.2), with a cellulose acetate membrane filter (∅︁ < 0.45 μm) as capillar bridge between the interior and exterior of the chamber. The desorption procedure is performed at 4°C for 24 hours and yields up to 1.0 ml soil solution, depending on the actual water potential. If more soil solution is needed, the soil may be replaced by another aliquot of the same sample. 0.15 ml of soil solution is sufficient for analysing all cations and anions, which account quantitatively for the ion balance with a capillary electrophoresis. Compared with suction cups, ion concentrations in desorption solutions are, although generally lower, in the same order of magnitude. The advantage of this method is that no field equipment is needed, apart from the auger. Even in heterogeneous forest soils, water soluble ions can be monitored with a high spatial resolution and without any dilution effects, which are common in the most laboratory methods. The problem of lacking spatial representativity in stationary lysimeter stations is also overcome. Additionally it is possible to obtain and analyze soil solutions in a suction range where suction cups fail.     

The Soil Skeleton as a Source for the Short-Term Supply of "Base Cations" in Forest Soils of the Black Forest (Germany)

Ferrimagnetic minerals of anthropogenic origin derived from fossil-fuel combustion, appear not only in industrial areas but also in topsoils of areas remote from the main sources of pollution. Mineral magnetic studies of fly ashes emitted by power plants burning hard and brown coal and of soil profiles from some Polish national parks in different regions were carried out. Magnetic parameters of topsoils from national parks are quite similar to those in flyashes. Structure, shape, and magnetic granulometry of the magnetic particles in the fly ashes and in the magnetically enhanced uppermost organic soil horizons point to a common origin. This fact as well as the ability of ferrimagnetic minerals to be transported within dusts or aerosols suggest that ferrimagnetic particles of anthropogenic origin can be responsible also for magnetic enhancement in soils of areas remote from the main sources of their emission. Industrialdust deposition can be easily traced in these areas using magnetic methods, which are very sensitive, fast, and cheap. They can, and should, be used in the future as one of the routine methods of soil monitoring.     

Motions of molecules in liquids: viscosity and diffusivity

The fluidity of a simple liquid is proportional to its degree of expansion over the volume, V(0), at which its molecules are so crowded as to inhibit self-diffusion and viscous (as distinguished from plastic) flow. The equation of proportionality is 1/eta = B[(V - V(0))/V(0)] where eta is the viscosity and V is the molal volume. Values of B are the same for normal paraffins from C(3)H(8) to C(7)H(16) and then decrease progressively as the paraffin lengths increase. Values for other liquids, C(6)H(6), CCl(4), P(4), CS(2), CHCl(3), and Hg, appear to vary with repulsive forces. liquids can be moderately fluid when expanded by less than 10 percent; this shows the unreality of some theoretical treatments of the liquid state. Diffusivity begins from the temperature at which V equals V(0) and can be correlated for temperature dependence, and for solute-solvent interrelations.     

Proximal cretaceous-tertiary boundary impact deposits in the Caribbean

Trace element, isotopic, and mineralogic studies indicate that the proposed impact at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary occurred in an ocean basin, although a minor component of continental material is required. The size and abundance of shocked minerals and the restricted geographic occurrence of the ejecta layer and impact-wave deposits suggest an impact between the Americas. Coarse boundary sediments at sites 151 and 153 in the Colombian Basin and 5- to 450-meter-thick boundary sediments in Cuba may be deposits of a giant wave produced by a nearby oceanic impact. On the southern peninsula of Haiti, a approximately 50-centimeter-thick ejecta layer occurs at the K-T boundary. This ejecta layer is approximately 25 times as thick as that at any known K-T site and suggests an impact site within approximately 1000 kilometers. Seismic reflection profiles suggest that a buried approximately 300-km-diameter candidate structure occurs in the Colombian Basin.     

A simple and efficient system for green note compound biogenesis by use of certain lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide lyase sources

Six-carbon (C(6)) aldehydes and alcohols are important components of the aroma and flavor of fruits and vegetables. Soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) isozyme LOX 3 was reported not only to produce less 13-hydroperoxides, precursors of C(6) aldehydes, but also to convert them to ketodiene products. Here, we examined the effects of LOX 3 on hexenal formation from linolenic acid homogenized with watermelon 13-hydroperoxide lyase (HL)-overexpressing Nicotiana tabacum leaves and soybean acetone powder. Compared to the wild type, which contains LOXs 1, 2, and 3, the elimination of LOX 3 in LOX 1 + 2 facilitates greater production of hexenals. The use of LOX 2 alone yielded the highest hexenal production, while a two-step conversion was required for LOX 1 to produce hexenals at high levels due to different pH optima of the enzymes involved. These results clearly demonstrate that the soybeans lacking LOX 3 in combination with watermelon HL-overexpressing leaf tissues greatly enhance hexenal formation.