The effects of washing a collagen sample prior to TEM examination

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an important analysis technique to visualize (bio)macromolecules and their assemblies, including collagen fibers. Many protocols for TEM sample preparation of collagen involve one or more washing steps to remove excess salts from the dispersion that could hamper analysis when dried on a TEM grid. Such protocols are not standardized and washing times as well as washing solvents vary from procedure to procedure, with each research group typically having their own protocol. Here, we investigate the influence of washing with water, ethanol, but also methanol and 2-propanol, for both mineralized and unmineralized collagen samples via a protocol based on centrifugation. Washing with water maintains the hydrated collagen structure and the characteristic banding pattern can be clearly observed. Conversely, washing with ethanol results in dehydration of the fibrils, often leading to aggregation of the fibers and a less obvious banding pattern, already within 1 min of ethanol exposure. As we show, this process is fully reversible. Similar observations were made for methanol and propanol. Based on these results, a standardized washing protocol for collagenous samples is proposed.     

Comparison between photocatalytic ozonation and other oxidation processes for the removal of phenols from water

Photocatalytic ozonation (1O₃ + VUV + TiO₂), ozonation (O₃), catalytic ozonation (O₃ + TiO₂), ozone photolysis (O₃ + VUV), photocatalysis (TiO₂ + VUV) and photolysis (VUV) have been compared in terms of formation of intermediates, extent of, mineralization (TOC, COD, chloride, nitrate) and kinetics in the aqueous treatment of three phenols (phenol, p‐chlorophenol and p‐nitrophenol). In all cases, photocatalytic ozonation led to lower degradation times for chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon removal. Intermediates formed were similar in the different oxidation systems with some exceptions. They can be classified into three different types: polyphenols (resorcinol, catechol, hydroquinone), unsaturated carboxylic acids (maleic and fumaric acids) and saturated carboxylic acids (glyoxylic, formic and oxalic acids). First order kinetic equations have been checked for the oxidation processes studied in the case of the parent compound. Rate constants of these systems have also been calculated. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

溶胶-凝胶生物玻璃多孔材料显微结构和生物活性的扫描电镜及红外光谱分析

本文利用溶胶．凝胶法制备了CaO-P2O5-SiO，系统生物活性玻璃，并以其为原料制备了用于骨修复及骨组织工程支架的块状生物活性材料。利用体外实验方法(invitro)结合x射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和傅立叶变换红外光谱分析(FTIR)技术对不同烧结工艺制备的材料结构、晶相和生物活性的影响进行了分析研究。研究表明，经800℃和1100℃烧结5min的两种材料均有硅磷酸钙Ca5(PO4)2SjO4微晶相析出。烧结温度越高，析出微晶相的体积比例越大，材料的生物活性则越低。在模拟生理溶液中碳酸羟基磷灰石(HCA)只在烧结体中的玻璃颗粒表面形成，而在其硅磷酸钙Ca5(PO4)2SiO4微晶相表面未发现HCA形成。     

Carbon mineralization from composts and food industry wastes added to soil

We have studied the short term C mineralization of six wastes from important food industries, one sludge from a biogas plant and three composts. All the wastes were characterized chemically and fractionated according to the Van Soest method. The fresh wastes were incubated under controlled environment conditions to determine the C mineralization rate. Based on first order mineralization kinetics, we calculated the hypothetical amount of stable C in the wastes as the amount of C that would not be mineralized within one year under field conditions. The percentage of stable organic C in the organic matter was in general much larger in the composts than in the other wastes, but when expressed on dry matter, the non-composted wastes had comparable or larger amounts of stable organic C than the composts and have a considerable potential for supplying organic matter to soils, and hence for C sequestration. The amount of stable organic C could best be predicted by the total N content of the wastes (R _a ² = 0.855), whereas the results of the fractionation had very little predictive power, probably due to problems related to the high ash content of some of the wastes. An index that combined stable organic C and N and P content in the wastes was calculated to assess possible limitations for applying these wastes in agriculture. Under current nutrient legislation in Western Europe, a number of these wastes will only be usable in small amounts, but these and other food industry wastes could still prove to be valuable soil amendments in nutrient poor situations, for increasing soil organic C content and supplying nutrients.     

浅成热液金矿成因研究现状与讨论

浅成热液金矿业已成为最重要的金矿类型之一本文探讨了浅成热液金矿成因研究方面若干基本问题:浅成热液金矿的概念和特征、矿床的分类、矿床成因模式。重新厘定了浅成热液金矿的概念.尝试性地按成矿深度和成矿作用方式—斌矿地质环境(容矿岩系)—成矿物理化学条件的分类原则, 将浅成热液金矿分成两大类四种类型:热水沉积岩型、热水火山岩型、浅成热液型和卡林型。前两者为热水沉积型,后两者为热液交代型。在透视现有各种成矿模式的建模依据和存在问题的基础上,指出了今后浅成热液金矿成因研究的发展方向。     

玲珑金矿田含矿断裂的基岩地球化学特征及找矿潜力评价

基岩地球化学方法广泛应用于地质找矿与生产实践,是开展深部找矿预测最直接的方法和手段。通过对玲珑金矿田井下含矿断裂和招平断裂的基岩剖面地球化学特征进行系统研究,得出以下认识：玲珑金矿田原生晕最佳指示元素组合为Au、Ag、Bi、As和Co,且Au-Ag、Au-Bi、Au-As及Au-Co元素之间呈较好的幂指数正相关。根据玲珑金矿田已探明矿脉最佳指示元素组合的统计结果,结合招平断裂基岩剖面地球化学测量结果,发现招平断裂在地表有2处金矿化异常,推测其为矿致异常,反映出该地段具有较好的找矿潜力,特别是前花园村东1021剖面中异常找矿潜力更大。     

Predicting N mineralized in a Georgia Coastal Plain field

The N mineralized from soil organic matter provides an important portion of N available for crop production. The objective of this study was to determine the amount of spatial variability in N mineralization potential in a field and to evaluate three different methods that might be used to estimate this variability. The three methods tested included predicting the N mineralized from surface soil properties as well as from a biological and a chemical procedure. Three soils varying in N mineralization potential were selected for the study from a field in the Georgia Coastal Plain. The N mineralized from these soils was determined by an N balance of unfertilized and cropped plots. The amount of N mineralized could not be reliably predicted from surface soil organic C, although surface soil clay concentration was positively correlated with the N mineralized. The N mineralized that was predicted using mineralization parameters determined by aerobic incubation, adjusted daily for soil water content and temperature, was approximately 50% of the field measurements of N mineralized. The values of NH₄-N extracted with hot 2 M KCl were related significantly to N mineralized in the field (r²= 0.60) and also to the zero order rate constant of mineralization, k₀ (r²= 0.77), determined from the N mineralized in the aerobic laboratory incubation.     

Simulation of the nitrogen balance in the soil and a winter wheat crop

A simulation model for winter wheat growth, crop nitrogen dynamics and soil nitrogen supply was tested against experimental data. When simulations of dry matter production agreed with measurements, nitrogen uptake was simulated accurately. The total amount of soil mineral nitrogen as well as the distribution of mineral nitrogen over the various soil layers were generally simulated well, except for experiments in which fertilizer was applied late in spring. In these experiments, applied nitrogen disappeared because it could not be accounted for by the model. Some explanations for this disappearance are briefly discussed.     

新疆加甫沙尔苏地区中酸性小岩体型矿化蚀变遥感异常提取与找矿

中酸性小岩体的内部及附近的围岩中常形成与岩浆岩体有关的大型、超大型矿床,已成为找矿工作的一个重点方向。由于地质工作程度的限制,中酸性小岩体易被遗漏,严重制约了该类型矿化的发现。在新疆西准噶尔达尔布特断裂带下盘加甫沙尔苏地区找矿工作中,通过综合分析,提出了以遥感手段为主导的中酸性小岩体型矿化找矿模型:利用ASTER数据,通过图像增强处理、图像解译识别中酸性小岩体并提取蚀变遥感异常,结合地质、化探信息综合分析后确定重点检查区域。野外检查发现了加甫沙尔苏斑岩型钼矿化点,证实了该方法的有效性。该方法可以为西部地区中酸性小岩体型矿产资源勘查提供借鉴。     

Use of15N for fertilizer N recovery and N mineralization studies in semi-arid Kenya

Maize and beans were grown on a ferralsol at Kiboko, Kenya, with up to 120 kg N ha^–1. Within the 10 kg N ha^–1 plots,¹⁵N labelled fertilizer was applied in microplots. There was no significant response in yield to fertilizer N and labelled N recovery was low, being 7.5% or less in one season and 17.7% or less in the second season. Samples of Kiboko soil at four different water contents were incubated and the rate of gross N mineralization over 7 days was calculated, utilizing¹⁵N labelling of the mineral N. Gross N mineralization increased greatly with soil moisture and a fitted relationship between gross N mineralization rate and soil water content was obtained. Using measurements of soil water content at the field site, daily values of the soil N supply by gross mineralization were calculated. On average, modelled gross soil N mineralized could supply much (> 69%) of the N removed from the plots. It is suggested that the lack of response to fertilizer N may be explained by the coincidence of a high rate of N mineralization, and increased crop demand, caused by the onset of rain.