bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Some Observations on the Determination of Gold and the Platinum‐Group Elements in Black Shales
Authors: Mitkin Valentin N. , Galizky Alexander A. , Korda Tamara M. 
Published: May 2007

This research compares various ways of applying oxidative chemical decomposition to the analysis of gold‐bearing black shale ores from the Russian Natalka and Sukhoj Log deposits. This study was conducted as part of the certification program for the Russian candidate black shale reference materials SLG‐1 and SCHS‐1 and also because of the paucity of data available on the determination of the platinum group elements (PGE) in analogous sample types. We report direct evidence of PGE volatilisation from black shale materials when processed in the presence of oxygen. We also developed a comprehensive analytical scheme for the quantitative determination of PGE in all phases (gaseous and ash) produced during slow combustion of carbonaceous materials in oxygen.This study has shown that during combustion in oxygen at 600 °C, PGE contained in the Natalka black shale ores are lost as gaseous reaction products. Thus, the volatilized PGE (recovered in traps) account for up to 14% Pt, 40% Pd, 40% Ru and 10 % Ir relative to their total concentrations in a carbonaceous concentrate. It was also established that in the process of combustion, Au quantitatively remains in the ash cake.In order to avoid the deleterious effects of oxygen on the volatility of the PGE, we propose a new comprehensive sample decomposition method based on the application of fluoroxidants such as BrF3and KBrF4. This method was validated using samples of black shale ores and their processing products by comparing our results with those obtained independently using sealed autoclave processing of the same materials. It was shown that PGE in black shale ores and their processing products not only exist in commercially exploitable quantities but that a small proportion of PGE compounds are soluble in alcohol. We propose that in gold‐bearing black shale ores, PGE are present as organometallic compounds.
On the Lu‐Hf Isotope Geochemistry of Silicate Rocks
Authors: Blichert‐Toft Janne 
Published: May 2007

This paper reviews the history (TIMS, hot‐SIMS, MC‐ICP‐MS), significance, geochemical behaviour and current uncertainties (λ176 Lu, Hf‐Nd Bulk Silicate Earth) surrounding the Lu‐Hf isotope system, and thus marks two decades of its application to geochemical problems. An appendix further presents (a) improvements to the original chemistry protocol of Blichert‐Toft et al. (1997) for application to Mg‐rich samples and (b) a compilation of previously published and new Hf isotope determinations by MC‐ICP‐MS for a set of international rock reference materials.Prior to the advent of multiple‐collector plasma source mass spectrometry (MC‐ICP‐MS), routine analysis of the Lu‐Hf isotope system developed only slowly because of the extreme difficulty of measuring Hf isotope compositions with thermal ionisation mass spectrometry, caused by the very high first ionisation potential of Hf. However, Hf isotope compositions can be measured relatively easily using MC‐ICP‐MS and this new technique now provides reproducible measurements at high precision regardless of the matrix from which Hf is separated.Of the commonly used long‐lived radiogenic isotope systems, only the Sm‐Nd and Lu‐Hf isotope systems are unaffected by parent/daughter fractionations related to volatile nebular processes and core formation. While other systems (Rb‐Sr, U‐Th‐Pb, Re‐Os) may also be used to investigate the chemical evolution of the Earth, Moon, Mars and parent bodies of differentiated meteorites, the larger uncertainties in their bulk chemical and isotopic values limit their application to determine geochemical budgets and assess planetary mantle‐crust evolution. In the study of garnet‐bearing rocks, both for dating purposes and as an isotopic tracer for source provenance and mantle processes, the Lu‐Hf isotope system likewise is of major interest because of the high partition coefficient of Lu compared to Hf for garnet with respect to other minerals. Furthermore, the larger Lu/Hf fractionation compared to Sm/Nd during melting beneath ridges produces proportionally higher Lu/Hf in the residue and faster in‐growth of a radiogenic Hf isotopic signature (compared to Nd), which may help shed light on the dynamics of mantle melting.While the chemistry protocol and mass spectrometric technique for high‐precision Lu‐Hf isotope analysis have been resolved in satisfactory ways over the past five years, more accurate determination of the decay constant for 176 Lu, at present known with a precision of only about 4%, still needs to be completed and a consensus reached on which value to use for future Lu‐Hf isotope studies. Although the current combined Lu‐Hf and Sm‐Nd Bulk Silicate Earth parameters are plagued by possible incompatibilities in chondrite selection and potential interlaboratory biases, a more accurate set of values may not be readily established owing to heterogeneities in the isotopic composition of chondrites that far exceed present analytical accuracy.
A New Digestion and Chemical Separation Technique for Rapid and Highly Reproducible Determination of Lu/Hf and Hf Isotope Ratios in Geological Materials by MC‐ICP‐MS
Authors: Bizzarro Martin , Baker Joel A. , Ulfbeck David 
Published: May 2007

A new digestion procedure and chemical separation technique has been developed for measurement of Lu/Hf and Hf isotope ratios that does not require high‐pressure bombs or use of HF or HClO4 acids. Samples are digested in dilute HCl or HNO3 after flux‐fusion at 110 0 °C in the presence of lithium metaborate. High field strength elements (HFSE) and rare earth elements (REE) are separated from this solution by co‐precipitation with iron hydroxide. The dissolved precipitate (in 2 mol l−1 HCl) is loaded directly onto a standard cation exchange column which separates remaining sample matrix from the heavy REE (Lu+Yb), and the middle‐light REE and HFSE (Hf). The middle‐light REE and individual HFSE are then separated (10.5, 9 and 6 mol l−1 HCl) using a miniaturized column containing TEVA spec resin which provides a REE‐, Ti‐ and Zr‐free Hf cut. This chemical separation scheme can also be readily adapted for isotopic analysis of the Sm‐Nd system and/or the other HFSE (Ti, Zr). Total procedural blanks for this technique are < 10 0 pg and < 2 pg for Hf and Lu, respectively, even when digesting large (0.5 g) samples.We present data from replicate digestions of international rock reference materials which demonstrate this technique routinely reproduces Lu/Hf ratios to < 0.2% (2s) and 176 Hf/177 Hf isotope ratios to < 30 ppm (2s). Moreover, the technique is matrix‐independent and has been successfully applied to analysis of diverse materials including basalts, meteorites, komatiites, kimberlites and carbonatites. The relative simplicity of this technique, coupled with the ease of digestion (and sample‐spike equilibration) of large difficult‐to‐dissolve samples, and the speed (2 days) with which samples can be digested and processed through the chemical separation scheme makes it an attractive new method for preparing samples for Lu‐Hf isotopic investigation.
Intercomparison of Boron Isotope and Concentration Measurements. Part I: Selection, Preparation and Homogeneity Tests of the Intercomparison Materials
Authors: Tonarini Sonia , Pennisi Maddalena , Adorni‐Braccesi Alessandra , Dini Andrea , Ferrara Giorgio , Gonfiantini Roberto , Wiedenbeck Michael , Gröning Manfred 
Published: May 2007

In 1999 the Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse (IGG), with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), undertook the collection, preparation and distribution of eight geological materials intended for a blind interlaboratory comparison of measurements of boron isotopic composition and concentration. The materials came from Italian sources and consist of three natural waters (Mediterranean seawater and two groundwaters) and five rocks and minerals (tourmaline, basalt, obsidian, limestone and clay). The solid materials were crushed, milled and mixed, in preparation for distribution. Extensive assays performed at the IGG on these materials demonstrated that their boron isotopic and chemical compositions are homogeneous.Additional homogeneity tests were carried out on solid material fragments at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, with the specific objective of investigating the suitability of some of them for the calibration in situ of micro‐analytical techniques. Two materials, B4 (tourmaline) and B6 (obsidian), proved to be isotopically homogeneous and may become excellent references for in situ microanalyses of boron isotopes.The materials described here were used as the basis of a major laboratory intercomparison study and are now available for further distribution from either the IAEA (solid materials) or the IGG (waters).
Major and Trace Element Analysis of Silicate Rocks by XRF and Laser Ablation ICP‐MS Using Lithium Borate Fused Glasses: Matrix Effects, Instrument Response and Results for International Reference Materials
Authors: Yu Zongshou , Norman Marc D. , Robinson Philip 
Published: May 2007

Major and trace element compositions of fifteen silicate rock reference materials have been determined by a combined XRF and laser ablation ICP‐MS (LA‐ICP‐MS) technique on glasses prepared by fusing the sample with a lithium borate flux (sample:flux = 1:3). Advantages of this technique include the ability to measure major and trace element abundances on a single sample using a quick and simple preparation that attacks resistant phases such as zircon without the need for acid dissolution. The method is suitable for a wide variety of bulk compositions including mafic, intermediate and silicic rocks.Abundance‐normalized mass response patterns (the ratio of signal intensity to element concentration) of the LA‐ICP‐MS analyses vary systematically with major element composition, demonstrating the presence of a matrix effect that cannot be compensated by normalisation to a single internal standard element. Increasing the sampling distance between the ICP‐MS cone and the torch reduces the magnitude of this effect, suggesting that a mechanism related to residence time of ablated particles in the plasma may be at least partially responsible for the observed variations in mass response patterns. When using a matrix‐matched calibration, agreement of the LA‐ICP‐MS results with published reference values or those obtained by solution ICP‐MS is 10% relative. Analytical precision based on replicate analyses is typically 5% RSD. Procedural detection limits that include contributions from gas background and flux are 0.01‐0.1 μg g‐1 for the heavy mass trace elements (Rb‐U). Major element analyses by XRF show excellent agreement with results obtained using a conventional heavy element absorbing flux. High quality major and trace element data for silicate rocks can be achieved by a combined XRF and LA‐ICP‐MS analysis of Li2B4O7/LiBO2 fused glasses provided an appropriate matrix‐matched calibration is adopted.
Airway hyperresponsiveness, peak flow variability and inflammatory markers in non‐asthmatic subjects with respiratory infections
Authors: Björnsson Eyþór , Lúðvíksdóttir Dóra , Hedenström Hans , Eriksson Britt‐Marie , Högman Marieann , Venge Per , Janson Christer 
Published: May 2007

AbstractObjective:  The aim of this study was to characterise non‐asthmatic subjects with asthma‐like symptoms during a common cold, particularly in relation to airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).Materials and Methods:  Subjects with acute respiratory infections and a group of controls (n = 20 + 20), age 20–65 years, underwent bronchial provocations with methacholine, adenosine and cold air. All were non‐smokers and had no history of asthma or heart disease. Those with infection had asthma‐like symptoms (>2). Measurements of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), eosinophil peroxidase, myeloperoxidase and human neutrophil lipocalin were made at each provocation. A 17‐day symptom and peak flow diary was calculated.Results:  No differences between the two groups were found, regarding responsiveness to methacholine, adenosine or cold air challenge, as well as the inflammatory markers measured. In the infected group, the mean (standard deviation) ECP was higher in those with AHR to methacholine or cold air [15.7 (6.5) and 11.4 (4.2) µg/L, respectively; P < 0.05]; furthermore, eNO was higher in the infected group [116 (54) and 88 (52) nL/min, respectively; P = 0.055]. The infected group had, at all times, more symptoms and higher peak flow, with a decrease in the symptoms (P = 0.02) and a tendency to change in peak flow variation (P = 0.06).Conclusion:  AHR does not seem to be the main cause of asthma‐like symptoms in adults with infectious wheezing. Peak flow variation and symptom prevalence during the post‐infection period may imply airway pathology different from AHR.Please cite this paper as: Björnsson E, Lúdvíksdóttir D, Hedenström H, Eriksson B‐M, Högman M, Venge P and Janson C. Airway hyperresponsiveness, peak flow variability and inflammatory markers in non‐asthmatic subjects with respiratory infections. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2007;1:42–50.
Clinical and pathological features of a prolonged type of acute intrahepatic cholestasis
Authors: Watanabe Norihito , Takashimizu Shinji , Kojima Seiichiro , Kagawa Tatehiro , Nishizaki Yasuhiro , Mine Tetsuya , Matsuzaki Shohei 
Published: May 2007

Aim:  We examined the clinical and pathological features of drug‐induced acute intrahepatic cholestasis (AIC) to elucidate the pathogenesis of prolonged cases.Methods:  Twenty‐six cases of drug‐induced AIC were divided into prolonged and non‐prolonged groups. Serum bilirubin levels and other biochemical data were compared between the two groups. Biopsy liver specimens were examined by light and electron microscopy. The localization of multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) was immunohistochemically assessed by the Envision technique.Results:  The causative drugs of four prolonged cases were found to be tiopronin, chlorpromazine and diclofenac. Two of the patients either died or underwent liver transplantation. The maximal total bilirubin levels (35.2 ±> 13.8 mg/dL) were significantly higher and a half‐life of total bilirubin (78.8 ±> 69.6 days) was markedly longer in the prolonged cases, in comparison to the non‐prolonged cases (16.8 ±> 8.1 mg/dL, 22.1 ±> 12.7 days, respectively). The liverbiopsy specimens revealed canalicular cholestasis and a slight degree of lobular inflammation. In the prolonged cases, liver cell injury and cholestasis was marked, and the interlobular bile ducts disappeared in the portal triads. The reaction products of MRP2, recognized on the bile canaliculi in a control liver, were weakened and found in the pericanalicular vesicles in AIC.Conclusion:  These results indicated disturbances in the canalicular bilirubin transport through MRP2 in the prolonged cases, resulting from severe cholestasis, liver cell injury and vanishing bile ducts. The histological findings of the liver at the acute icteric phase may be important to understand the pathogenesis and to predict the prognosis in AIC.
Excited flux tube from q¯g hybrid mesons
Authors: Buisseret F. , Semay C. , Mathieu V. , Silvestre-Brac B. 
Published: May 2007

Abstract.In the framework of quark models, hybrid mesons are either seen as two-body q¯ systems with an excited flux tube connecting the quark to the antiquark or as three-body q¯g systems including a constituent gluon. In this work we show that, starting from the three-body wave function of the q¯g hybrid meson in which the gluonic degrees of freedom are averaged, the excited flux tube picture emerges as an equivalent q¯ potential. This equivalence between the excited flux tube and the constituent-gluon approach is confirmed for heavy hybrid mesons but, for the first time, it is shown to hold in the light sector too, provided the contribution of the quark dynamics is correctly taken into account.
Daily Microwave-Derived Surface Temperature over Canada/Alaska
Authors: Mialon A. , Royer A. , Fily M. , Picard G. 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
The land surface temperature variation over northern high latitudes in response to the increase in greenhouse gases is challenging because of the lack of meteorological stations. A new method to derive the surface temperature from satellite microwave measurements that improves the frequency of measurements relative to that of infrared data is presented. The daily Special Sensor Microwave Imager 25 km × 25 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid (EASE-Grid) dataset provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, is processed to derive the surface temperature using the method proposed by Fily et al. A normalization approach based on the 40-yr ECMWF reanalysis (ERA-40; 2.5°) temperature diurnal cycle fitted for each pixel is applied to overcome the time acquisition variation of measurements as well as to interpolate missing data. An adaptive mask for discriminating between ice-free pixels and snow-free pixels is also applied. The resulting database is thus a new consistent hourly series of near-surface air temperatures during the summer (without snow). The mean accuracy is on the order of 2.5–3 K when compared with the synchronous in situ air temperature and different gridded datasets over Canada and Alaska. The trend over the last 10 yr confirms observed climate evolution: an increase in summer surface temperature of +0.09° ± 0.04°C yr−1, at the 90% confidence level, for Canada between 1992 and 2002, whereas a decrease of −0.15° ± 0.05°C yr−1, at the 95% confidence level, is observed for Alaska. Spatial and temporal anomalies show regional impacts of meteorological phenomena such as the El Niño extreme warm summer episode of 1998, the decrease in temperatures in 1992 in Canada following the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991, and the strong drought in the prairies in 2001. The annual sum of positive degree-days (thawing index) has been related to the permafrost distribution. The lower values of the derived thawing index (&lt;1400 degree-days) are related well to the presence of continuous and dense discontinuous permafrost. The observed increase in the thawing index during the 1992–2002 period represents a decrease of classified permafrost area of 7%.
A Satellite-Based Parameter to Monitor the Aerosol Impact on Convective Clouds
Authors: Lensky Itamar M. , Drori Ron 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
A method to monitor the aerosol impact on convective clouds using satellite data is presented. The impacts of forest fires and highly polluting megacities on cloud precipitation formation processes are quantified by the vertical extent above cloud base to which convective cloud tops have to develop for onset of precipitation in terms of temperature difference D15. Large D15 is a manifestation of the precipitation suppression effect of small cloud condensation nuclei aerosols that elevate the altitude where effective precipitation processes are initiated. A warmer land surface with a greater sensible heat flux that increases the updraft velocity at cloud base may also contribute to the same effect. Therefore, D15 is greater for clouds that develop over more polluted and/or warmer surfaces that result from smoke and urban pollution and/or urban heat island, respectively. The precipitation suppression effects of both smoke from forest fires and urban effects can be vividly seen in a case study over Southeast Asia. Typical values of D15 are 1°–6°C for tropical maritime clouds, 8°–15°C for tropical clouds over land, 16°–26°C for urban air pollution, and 18°–39°C for clouds ingesting smoke from forest fires.
Evaluation of Ice Water Content Retrievals from Cloud Radar Reflectivity and Temperature Using a Large Airborne In Situ Microphysical Database
Authors: Protat A. , Delanoë J. , Bouniol D. , Heymsfield A. J. , Bansemer A. , Brown P. 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
The objective of this paper is to assess the performances of the proposed ice water content (IWC)–radar reflectivity Z and IWC–Z–temperature T relationships for accurate retrievals of IWC from radar in space or at ground-based sites, in the framework of the forthcoming CloudSat spaceborne radar, and of the European CloudNET and U.S. Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program projects. For this purpose, a large airborne in situ microphysical database is used to perform a detailed error analysis of the IWC–Z and IWC–Z–T methods. This error analysis does not include the error resulting from the mass–dimension relationship assumed in these methods, although the expected magnitude of this error is bounded in the paper. First, this study reveals that the use of a single IWC–Z relationship to estimate IWC at global scale would be feasible up to −15 dBZ, but for larger reflectivities (and therefore larger IWCs) different sets of relationships would have to be used for midlatitude and tropical ice clouds. New IWC–Z and IWC–Z–T relationships are then developed from the large aircraft database and by splitting this database into midlatitude and tropical subsets, and an error analysis is performed. For the IWC–Z relationships, errors decrease roughly linearly from +210%/−70% for IWC = 10−4 g m−3 to +75%/−45% for IWC = 10−2 g m−3, are nearly constant (+50%/−33%) for the intermediate IWCs (0.03–1 g m−3), and then linearly increase up to +210%/−70% for the largest IWCs. The error curves have the same shape for the IWC–Z–T relationships, with a general reduction of errors with respect to the IWC–Z relationships. Comparisons with radar–lidar retrievals confirm these findings. The main improvement brought by the use of temperature as an additional constraint to the IWC retrieval is to reduce both the systematic overestimation and rms differences of the small IWCs (IWC &lt; 0.01 g m−3). For the large IWCs, the use of temperature also results in a slight reduction of the rms differences but in a substantial reduction (by a factor of 2) of the systematic underestimation of the large IWCs, probably owing to a better account of the Mie effect when IWC–Z relationships are stratified by temperature.
A Statistical and Physical Description of Hydrometeor Distributions in Colorado Snowstorms Using a Video Disdrometer
Authors: Brandes Edward A. , Ikeda Kyoko , Zhang Guifu , Schönhuber Michael , Rasmussen Roy M. 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
Winter-storm hydrometeor distributions along the Front Range in eastern Colorado are studied with a ground-based two-dimensional video disdrometer. The instrument provides shape, size, and terminal velocity information for particles that are larger than about 0.4 mm. The dataset is used to determine the form of particle size distributions (PSDs) and to search for useful interrelationships among the governing parameters of assumed distribution forms and environmental factors. Snowfalls are dominated by almost spherical aggregates having near-exponential or superexponential size distributions. Raindrop size distributions are more peaked than those for snow. A relation between bulk snow density and particle median volume diameter is derived. The data suggest that some adjustment may be needed in relationships found previously between temperature and the concentration and slope parameters of assumed exponential PSDs. A potentially useful relationship is found between the slope and shape terms of the gamma PSD model.