The fate of minor alkali elements in the chemical evolution of salt lakes.

Alkaline earth elements and alkali metals (Mg, Ca, Na and K) play an important role in the geochemical evolution of saline lakes as the final brine type is defined by the abundance of these elements. The role of major ions in brine evolution has been studied in great detail, but little has been done to investigate the behaviour of minor alkali elements in these systems despite their similar chemical affinities to the major cations. We have examined three major anionic brine types, chloride, sulphate, and bicarbonate-carbonate, in fifteen lakes in North America and Antarctica to determine the geochemical behaviour of lithium, rubidium, strontium, and barium.

Mercury deposition in a polar desert ecosystem.

Trace metals have received considerable attention in the recent decades due to their potential toxic nature. Glacial snow and ice have been used extensively to elucidate historical changes in the atmospheric composition of trace metals and other compounds. Mercury concentrations in Antarctic ice have described changes in atmospheric mercury deposition during the transition from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene, however the record of modern mercury deposition in Antarctica is limited.

A prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind study of pelvic electromagnetic therapy for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndrome with 1 year of followup.

Purpose: Male chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a condition of uncertain etiology and treatment is often unsatisfactory. There is evidence that the symptom complex may result from pelvic floor muscular dysfunction and/or neural hypersensitivity/inflammation. We hypothesized that the application of electromagnetic therapy may have a neuromodulating effect on pelvic floor spasm and neural hypersensitivity.