Post-refining removal of organic nitrogen compounds from diesel fuels to improve environmental quality.

The purpose of this investigation was to remove the organic nitrogen compounds from petroleum-derived diesel fuels. These nitrogen compounds can cause environmental problems, as well as fuel instability problems that can degrade fuels and affect engine performance. Fuels were treated with two different filtering media, activated clay and silica tel.

Field evaluation of the effects of water table fluctuations on soil radon gas emanations.

Measurements of the depth of the water table and the concentration of soil gas radon at water wells in Virginia and Maryland show that at each well site, there is no correlation between the depths of the water table and the radon concentration. However, when comparing nearby water wells, there is a relationship between depth of the water table and the concentration of soil gas radon. Wells with a shallower water table tend to have less soil gas radon emanation.

Soybean-derived biofuels and home heating fuels.

It is environmentally enticing to consider replacing or blending petroleum derived heating fuels with biofuels for many reasons. Major considerations include the soaring worldwide price of petroleum products, especially home heating oil, the toxicity of the petroleum-derived fuels and the environmental damage that leaking petroleum tanks afford. For these reasons, it has been suggested that domestic renewable energy sources be considered as replacements, or at the least, as blending stocks for home heating fuels.

Correlation test between indoor radon and surficial gamma radiation in Northern Virginia.

In northern Virginia, significant indoor radon differences occur due to soil chemistry, home heating system and precipitation. Homes constructed on soil over some geological units had indoor radon that exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Concentration Level of 4 picoCuries/liter for home buyers. Seasons with more precipitation tend to have higher average indoor radon.

Capillary electrophoresis screening of poisonous anions extracted from biological samples.

A method was developed for screening human biological samples for poisonous anions using capillary electrophoresis (CE) employing indirect UV detection. The run buffer consisted of 2.25 mM pyromellitic acid, 1.

Variations of well water radon in Virginia and Maryland.

In north-central Virginia and south-central Maryland, municipal water supplies obtained from reservoirs provide radon-free potable water. However, about 10 percent of the population consumes well water. Radon in drinking water from some wells exceeds 4,000 pCi/L.

An environmentally benign soybean derived fuel as a blending stock or replacement for home heating oil.

The use of bio-derived materials both as fuels and/or as blending stocks becomes more attractive as the price of middle distillate fuels, especially home heating oil, continues to rise. Historically, many biomass and agricultural derived materials have been suggested. One of the most difficult problems encountered with home heating oil is that of storage stability.

A multicomponent mobile phase for ion chromatography applied to the separation of anions from the residue of low explosives.

A multicomponent mobile phase utilizing ion-exchange, ion-exclusion, and ion-pairing principles for the rapid isocratic separation of anions in low explosives residue by ion chromatography (IC) has been developed. The notable feature of this system is that an ion-pairing reagent and an ion-exclusion reagent are combined in the same mobile phase. Contrary to expectation, these reagents act independently of each other in solution.

Napalm as an energy resource: a study of the molecular weight distribution of polystyrene in napalm and its use in middle distillate fuels.

The large quantity of napalm that is currently being treated as hazardous waste represents a viable energy resource that is too valuable to waste. However, there are significant problems to be overcome before this material can be used as an energy source. The scientific and environmental problems include: the broad molecular weight distribution of polystyrene, solubility and compatibility in a fuel matrix, methods to ensure complete combustion, high benzene concentration, low flash point due to the presence of gasoline, and safety in transportation and handling.

A two-year study of seasonal indoor radon variations in southern Maryland.

The concentrations of indoor radon in the basements of homes located in southern Maryland average about 1.3 times the first floor radon concentrations. Particular geological units tend to be associated with higher indoor radon.

A 2-year study of seasonal indoor radon variations in northern Virginia.

The concentrations of indoor radon in the basements of homes located in northern Virginia average about 1.4 times the first-floor radon concentrations. Basement indoor radon concentrations exhibit seasonal variations that can be related to home use patterns of the occupants.

Seasonal indoor radon variations related to precipitation.

Indoor radon concentrations show a strong dependence on weather. Winter tends to be associated with higher than average indoor radon, and summer with lower than average. However, in northern Virginia, the summer of 1988 was wetter than the summer of 1987.

Indoor radon and well water radon in Virginia and Maryland.

The domestic use of radioactive water has long been a cause for concern, but only a few studies have examined prolonged exposure to radionuclide concentrations found in natural settings. This paper reports on the indoor radon concentrations from 1,500 homes in northern Virginia and southern Maryland and well water radon from 700 homes in the same area. Indoor radon concentrations are almost all between 1 and about 40 pCi/L.

Winter-to-winter variations in indoor radon.

Indoor radon concentrations in northern Virginia and central Maryland show a strong dependence on weather. Winter tends to be associated with higher than average indoor radon, and summer with lower than average. However, compared to the winter of 1986-1987, the winter of 1987-1988 was warmer and drier.

Terbium as a solid-state probe for RNA.

This paper continues previous work on the analysis of nucleic acid-terbium complexes in the solid state. The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of the RNA-terbium(III) complex is reported. The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of both the RNA-terbium(III) and DNA-terbium(III) complexes as trapped on millipore filters is reported.

Measurement of binding of terbium to DNA.

This communication demonstrates further that terbium(III) can be used as a probe for DNA. The stoichiometry of terbium binding to DNA was measured by two new methods. In the first method, calf-thymus DNA was titrated with radioactive terbium-160, which is an isotope of the common terbium-159.

Terbium as a fluorescent probe for DNA and chromatin.

Terbium reacted with DNA and chromatin to form a complex in which terbium acted as a sensitive fluorescent probe. By measuring the narrow-line emission of Tb-3+ when DNA is selectively excited, the relative amount of Tb-3+ bound to the DNA can be calculated. Terbium was bound to DNA until one Tb-3+ was present for each phosphate group.

Growth hormone responses to L-dopa in depressed patients.

Plasma human growth hormone responses to oral administration of 500 milligrams of L-dopa were analyzed in three groups of subjects: normals, age 20 to 32; normals, age 48 to 68; and unipolar depressed patients, age 45 to 68. While only 7 percent of the young normals had deficient human growth hormone responses to this stimulus, 36 percent of the older normals and 77 percent of the depressed patients failed to have adequate responses, suggesting an effect of age and a further effect of depressive illness. Because the release of human growth hormone appears to be closely related to brain catecholamine metabolism, the deficient responses in the depressed patients may provide further support to the concept of a neurochemical defect in depressive illness.