1,720,985 research outputs found
Methane Emission from a Tropical Wetland in Ka‘au Crater, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i.
Get PDFv. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyNatural tropical wetlands constitute an important but still poorly studied source of atmospheric methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. We measured net methane emission, soil profiles of methane generation and oxidation, and related environmental parameters in a tropical wetland occupying the Ka‘au extinct volcanic crater on the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu. The wetland has a fluctuating water table with dynamics that can be reproduced using precipitation data and a simple model. Median net methane flux was 117 mg m_2 day_1 and is consistent with measurements at other tropical sites. Net methane flux in the Commelina diffusa–dominated vegetation pattern (honohono) was significantly higher than that of the invasive Psidium cattleianum–dominated pattern (strawberry guava). Net methane emission in the honohono vegetation pattern was also significantly higher during the ‘‘wet’’ season compared with the ‘‘dry’’ season, although we did not find a clear correlation between net methane emission, water table level, or precipitation. We show that the measured fluxes are consistent with the integrated potential methane generation over the uppermost 30 cm of soil and consumption of @50% of that methane in the soil. Absence of a correlation between net methane emission and water table level may be due to suppression of the activity of strictly anaerobic methanogens by dynamic redox conditions in the upper layers of soil and varying rates of methane oxidation by facultive methanotrophs
Bioactive Trace Metal Distributions and Biogeochemical Controls in the Southern Ocean
Get PDFExtensive sampling in many regions of the Southern Ocean has demonstrated that surface water concentrations of dissolved Fe are low enough to limit phytoplankton growth. In contrast, there is currently no evidence that other bioactive elements (e.g., Mn, Zn, Co) are similarly limiting. Although atmospheric input of dissolved Fe to Southern Ocean surface waters appears to be low, resuspension of sediments from shallow regions around islands and the Antarctic coastline can inject significant amounts of Fe into the surrounding waters, stimulating primary production and providing a natural laboratory for studying the response of biological systems to natural Fe fertilization processes. Future work using a multitracer approach across seasonal transitions would be particularly beneficial to quantifying input processes and fluxes. However, it would require the design of new sampling platforms that can accommodate trace metal sampling under extreme weather conditions
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Determination of dissolved zinc in seawater using micro-Sequential Injection lab-on-valve with fluorescence detection
No full textThis paper introduces the preliminary design and optimization of a micro-Sequential Injection lab-on-valve system (?SI-LOV) with fluorescence detection for the direct determination of trace Zn2+ in an unacidified seawater matrix. The method capitalizes on the sensitivity and selectivity of FluoZin-3, which was originally designed to measure zinc in living cells. The optimum reaction conditions, sources of blank signal and physical parameters of the ?SIA-LOV are evaluated with the requirements of trace metal analysis in mind, namely high sensitivity and low background signals. A detailed investigation of the effect of sample and reagent sequencing on sensitivity is presented for the first time using ?SIA-LOV. We find that the order of sequencing greatly influences peak shape and analytical sensitivity with the highest and smoothest peaks obtained when a large volume of sample (75 ?L) is aspirated last in the sequence prior to flow reversal and detection. The optimized reaction conditions and reagent/sample sequencing protocol yield a detection limit of 0.3 nM Zn2+, high precision (RSD < 2.5%), a linear quantification range up to 40 nM and an analytical cycle of [similar]1 min per sample. This work demonstrates that ?SI-LOV is capable of attaining detection limits that are close to those needed for open ocean determinations of Zn2+ without preconcentration or separation of the analyte from the seawater matrix. The low reagent consumption (50 ?L per sample), full automation and minimal maintenance requirements of ?SI-LOV make it well suited for shipboard analysis and, eventually, for development to meet the pressing need for trace element measurements in unattended locations
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Towards chemiluminescence detection in micro-sequential injection lab-on-valve format: A proof of concept based on the reaction between Fe(II) and luminol in seawater
No full textMicro-sequential injection lab-on-valve (µSI-LOV) is a well-established analytical platform for absorbance and fluorescence based assays but its applicability to chemiluminescence detection remains largely unexplored. In this work, we describe a novel fluidic protocol and two distinct strategies for photon collection that enable chemiluminescence detection using µSI-LOV for the first time. To illustrate this proof of concept, we selected the reaction between Fe(II) and luminol and developed a preliminary protocol for Fe(II) determinations in acidified seawater. The optimized fluidic strategy consists of holding 100 µL of the luminol reagent in a confined zone of the LOV and then displacing it with 50 µL of sample while monitoring the chemiluminescent product. Detection is achieved using two strategies: one based on a bifurcated optical fiber and the other based on a customized detection window created by mounting a photomultiplier tube atop of the LOV device. We show that detection is possible using both strategies but that the window strategy yields significantly enhanced sensitivity (355×) due to the larger detection area. In our final experimental conditions and using window detection, it was possible to achieve a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 nmol L?1 and to quantify Fe(II) in acidified seawater samples up to 20.00 nmol L?1 with high precision (RSD<6%). These analytical features combined with the long-term stability of luminol solution and the full automation and low reagent consumption make this approach a promising analytical tool for shipboard analysis of Fe(II). The intrinsic capacity of the LOV to operate at a low microliter level and to handle solid phases also opens up a new avenue for chemiluminescence applications. Moreover, this contribution shows that LOV can be a universal platform for optical detection, capable of absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence measurements in a single instrument setup
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No full textDetermination of trace zinc in seawater by coupling solid phase extraction and fluorescence detection in the Lab-On-Valve format
No full textBy virtue of their compactness, long-term stability, minimal reagent consumption and robustness, miniaturized sequential injection instruments are well suited for automation of assays onboard research ships. However, in order to reach the sensitivity and limit of detection required for open-ocean determinations of trace elements, it is necessary to preconcentrate the analyte prior its derivatization and subsequent detection by fluorescence. In this work, a novel method for the determination of dissolved zinc (Zn) at subnanomolar levels in seawater is described. The proposed method combines, for the first time, automated matrix removal, extraction of the target element, and fluorescence detection within a miniaturized flow manifold, based on the Lab-On-Valve (LOV) concept. The key feature of the microfluidic manipulation of the sample is flow programming, designed to pass sample through a mini-column where the target analyte and other complexable cations are retained, while the seawater matrix is washed out. Next, zinc is eluted and merged with a Zn selective fluorescent probe (FluoZin-3) at the confluence point of the LOV central channel using two high-precision stepper motor driven pumps that are operated in concert. Finally, the thus formed Zn complex is transported to the LOV flow cell for selective fluorescence measurement. This work describes the characterization and optimization of the method including Solid Phase Extraction using the Toyopearl AF-Chelate-650M resin, and detailed assay protocol controlled by a commercially available software and instrument. The proposed method features a LOD of 0.02 nM, high precision (<3% at 0.1 and 2 nM Zn levels), an assay cycle of 13 min and a reagent consumption of 150 ?L FluoZin-3 per sample, which makes the method highly suitable for oceanographic shipboard analysis. The accuracy of the method has been validated through the analysis of seawater reference standards and comparison with ICP-MS determinations on seawater samples collected in the upper 1300 m of the subtropical south Indian Ocean. This work confirms that integration of sample pretreatment with optical detection in the LOV format offers a widely applicable approach to trace analysis of seawater
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