Properties of oscillatory motions in a facular region

We study the properties of waves in a facular region of moderate strength in the photosphere and chromosphere. Our aim is to analyse statistically the wave periods, power and phase relations as a function of the magnetic field strength and inclination. Our work is based on observations obtained at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife) using two different instruments: the Triple Etalon SOlar Spectrometer (TESOS), in the BaII 4554 A line to measure velocity and intensity variations through the photosphere; and, simultaneously, the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter (TIP-II), in the FeI 1.56 mm lines to the measure the Stokes parameters and magnetic field strength in the lower photosphere. Additionally, we use the simultaneous broad-band filtergrams in the CaIIH line to obtain information about intensity oscillations in the chromosphere. We find several clear trends in the oscillation behaviour: (i) the period of oscillation increases by 15-20 % with the magnetic field increasing from 500 to 1500 G; (ii) the temperature-velocity phase shifts show a strikingly different distribution in the facular region compared to the quiet region, a significant number of cases in the range from -180 to 180 degrees is detected in the facula. (iii) the most powerful chromospheric CaIIH intensity oscillations are observed at locations with strong magnetic fields (1.3-1.5 kG) inclined by 10-12 degrees, as a result of upward propagating waves with rather small phase speeds, and temperature-velocity phase shifts between 0 and 90 degrees; (iv) the power of the photospheric velocity oscillations from the \BaII\ line increases linearly with decreasing magnetic field inclination, reaching its maximum at strong field locations.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepte

The development of approaches to healing through the ages

According to archaeological evidence, the need to relieve the intensity of pain is as old as the desire to explore new tools. Like hard flint used to make knives and axes, drugs in nature rarely occur in their most applicable form. Active ingredients and medicinal components must be first collected, processed and prepared to be inserted into a curative form. Introduction to the development of ideas about drugs, methods of healing and evolution of the profession increase the ability of medical professionals to respond to the challenges that arise with the expansion of their professional roles. Conventional (Western) medicine successfully manages acute emergency states, traumatic injuries, bacterial infections and some highly sophisticated surgical interventions. Priority intervention involves resisting and overcoming the symptoms of a disease, and not its cause (e.g., application of analgesics, anaesthetics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antipyretics, etc.). Since conventional medicine deals with parts and symptoms rather than building the overall operating system, energy, thought and feelings, it does not combat systemic diseases of long duration (e.g., arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, mental illness, etc.). Introduction of the different methods of healing developed over time increased the ability of medical professionals to meet the challenges that arise with the expansion of their professional roles. Methods of healing of cave people were undeveloped. Methods applied in Chinese medicine are focused on balancing the internal and external energies. Ayurveda represents a holistic and sophisticated system of healing. Egyptian medicinal texts show a close relationship between supernatural and empirical healing. Illyrians applied hydrotherapy and physiotherapy. Thracians had experience in the field of religious medicine and the first medical institutions. Healing in Ancient Greece was based on the law of similarity. Greek physicians associated diet and life adaptations with the use of drugs. Roman sanitary legislation regulated public hygiene and sanitation facilities. Galen made efforts to balance body fluids by using drugs of opposite nature. Keywords: conventional medicine, analgesics, anaesthetics, Ayurved

The solar iron abundance: not the last word

Determinations of the solar iron abundance have converged to the meteoritic value with the Fe II studies of Holweger et al. (1990), Biémont et al. (1991) and Hannaford et al. (1992) and the Fe i results of Holweger et al. (1991). However, the latter authors pointed out that Blackwell et al. (1984) obtained a discordant result from similar oscillator strengths. A recent debate on this lingering discrepancy by the Oxford and Kiel contenders themselves has not clarified the issue. We do so here by showing that it stems from systematic differences between equivalent widths and oscillator strengths which masquerade as difference in fitted damping enhancement factors. We first discuss the various error sources in classical abundance determination and then emulate both sides of the debate with abundance fits of our own. Our emulation of the Oxford side shows that the abundance anomaly claimed by Blackwell et al. (1984) for solar Fe i 2.2 eV lines vanishes when equivalent width measurements from other authors are combined with better evaluation of the collisional damping parameter. On the Kiel side, we find that the oscillator strengths of Bard et al. (1991) used by Holweger et al. (1991) produce a suspicious trend when used to fuit solar Fe I lines, whereas comparable application of oscillator strengths from Oxford does not. The trend is mainly set by categories of Fe i lines not measured at Oxford; for lines of overlap the two sets agree and deliver the iron abundance value A Fe = 7.62 ± 0.04 which exceeds the meteorite value. The dissimilar lines may suffer from solar line-formation effects. We conclude that the issue of the solar iron abundance remains open. Definitive oscillator strengths are still needed, as well as verification of classical abundance determination by more realistic representations of the solar photosphere and of photospheric line formation

Lithium content in potable water, surface water, ground water, and mineral water on the territory of Republic of Macedonia

The aim of this study was to determine lithium concentration in potable water, surface water, ground, and mineral water on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. Water samples were collected from water bodies such as multiple public water supply systems located in 13 cities, wells boreholes located in 12 areas, lakes and rivers located in three different areas. Determination of lithium concentration in potable water, surface water was performed by the technique of inductively coupled plasma mas spectrometry, while in ground water samples from wells boreholes and mineral waters with the technique of ion chromatography. The research shows that lithium concentration in potable water ranging from 0.1 to 5.2 μg/L; in surface water from 0.5 to 15.0 μg/L; ground water from wells boreholes from 16.0 to 49.1 μg/L and mineral water from 125.2 to 484.9 μg/L. Obtained values are in accordance with the relevant international values for the lithium content in water. Key words: Ground water, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, ion chromatography, lithium, mineral water, potable water, surface wate

Development and validation of a method for the simultaneous determination of 20 organophosphorus pesticide residues in corn by accelerated solvent extraction and gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection

The method for simultaneous determination of 20 organophosphorus pesticide residues in corn samples has been developed and validated. For the extraction of organophosporus pesticide residues from the samples, the accelerated solvent technique with the mixture of dichloromethane: acetone (1:1, V/V) was used. Clean up was done using liquid – liquid extraction with n – hexane, followed by solid phase extraction on primary secondary amine adsorbent, and elution with the mixture of acetone: toluene (65:35). The determination of the pesticides was carried out by gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection. Separation and quantitative determination of the analytes were performed on a fused silica capillary ZB-35 column (30 m x 0.25 mm i.d. x 0.25 μm, Phenomenex). The recovery was investigated in blank corn samples fortified with mevinphos, diazinon, dimethoate, bromofos-methyl, chlorfenvinphos, fenamiphos, ethion and phosalone at 5 ng/g, 10 ng/g, 15 ng/g , 20 ng/g and 25 ng/g, respectively and with methacrifos, phorate, etrimfos, parathion-methyl, pirimiphos - methyl, fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos, malathion, parathion, bromofos-ethyl, phosmet and azinphos-methyl at 10 ng/g, 20 ng/g, 30 ng/g, 40 ng/g and 50 ng/g, respectively. The recovery ranged from 76.0% to 112.0%. Repeatability expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 8.2%. Linearity expressed as correlation coefficient (R2) ranged from 0.9935 to 0.9996. Measurement uncertainty (Ux) was lower than 14.2% for all tested pesticides. The limits of quantification (LOQ) were bellow 5 ng/g for all tested pesticides. The satisfactory Z-score results of international proficiency tests confirm good analytical performances of the developed method. Keywords: Organophosporus Pesticide Residues, Gas Chromatography, Accelerated Solvent Extraction, Solid Phase Extractio

Fatty acid composition of edible oils and fats

The content of fatty acids as well as the ratio between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids is important parameter for determination of nutritional value of certain oil. Therefore the newest trend in food processing industry is notifying the composition of edible oils and other food commodities for the content of each individual fatty acid. The main objective of this work was to identify the fatty acid composition of several vegetable oils and fats. Eleven vegetable oils and fats (n=121) were analyzed for its fatty acid composition by gas chromatography (GC-FID) on HP-FFAP and SPBTM-1 column, respectively. Among the evaluated oils the higher contents of saturated fatty acids were found in palm kernel oil (76.0% ± 1.95) and coconut fat ( 90.5% ± 2.95) with predominant presence of lauiric acid (C12:0) and myristic acid (C14:0) compared to content of total saturated fatty acids in linseed oil (9.65% ±1.05), sunflower seed oil (8.8% ±0.8) and safflower oil (7.2% ± 0.73). The result showed that the sunflower oil, safflower oil and linseed oil contain the highest percentage of long chain mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids: oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). Two varieties of canola oil, high linolenic (44.0% ± 2.02, n=21) and high oleic acid (59.5% ± 1.907, n=20) were found. The highest P/S index (Polyunsaturated/Saturated index) was found for safflower oil (10.55) and the lowest P/S indexes were found for palm kernel oil (0.016) and coconut fat (0.005). The fatty acid composition of safflower and sunflower oil contains a healthy mixture of all the types of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid. The value of P/S index which is associated to the impact in the human health is also high for safflower (10.55) and sunflower oil (6.76), which makes them the most suitable edible oils for mass consumption. Key words: Fatty acid, Lauric acid, Myristic acid, Oleic acid, Linoleic acid, Linolenic acid, P/S index, Gas chromatograph

Fine structure of convective motions in the solar photosphere

The granulation brightnesses and convective velocities in the solar photosphere between the levels of formation of the continuum radiation and the temperature minimum are examined. The properties of the brightness and velocity are analysed in a sixteen-column model. Four sorts of motions are most typical and efficient. In the first two, only the sign of the relative contrast of the material changes, which occurs, on the average, at a height of 270 km. In the last two motions, both the sign of the contrast and the direction of the motions are reversed near ~350 km. The convective motions maintain their column structure throughout the photosphere, right to the temperature minimum

Determination of some volatile compounds in fruit spirits produced from grapes (Vitis Vinifera L.) and plums (Prunus domestica L.) cultivars

Fruit spirits contain a large array of volatile compounds among which the important role from toxicological aspect besides ethanol has methanol, aliphatic esters and fusel alcohols. This study evaluates the content of ethanol, ethyl acetate, methanol, isopropyl alcohol (2-propanol), n-propyl alcohol (propan-l-ol), isobutyl alcohol (2-methylpropan-1-ol), n-butyl alcohol (1-butanol), isoamyl alcohol (3-methyl-1-butanol) and n-amyl alcohol (pentan-1-ol) in different grapes and plum brandies industrially produced at Republic of Macedonia. Gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID) was applied for the characterization of all investigated volatile compounds. The obtained results revealed that the highest methanol content was present in the samples of plum brandy, which is mainly due to the higher content of pectin in the raw material. The most important higher alcohols of grape and plum brandies were found to be: n-propyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and isoamyl alcohol. In all the analyzed samples of grape and plum brandies, the most abundant was isoamyl alcohol which content ranged from 50.3 to 290.7 mg/100 mL a.a. Comparing the results with the data from the literature, it can be concluded that the concentrations of all investigated volatile compounds in the samples of grape and plum brandies are commonly acceptable. Keywords: Fruit Spirits, Gas Chromatography (GC), Methanol, Ethyl Acetate, Fusel Alcohol

Validation and Application of a Gas Chromatographic Method for the Determination of Fatty Acids and Sterols in the Total Diet

ABSTRACT