Current DNA electrophoretic solutions employ high ionic concentrations and require long electrophoretic run times. Here we demonstrate that high and low molecular weight double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), and RNA can be separated rapidly in agarose-based low-molarity conductive media. Separation of small DNA fragments was optimized by substituting 1-mM solutions of alkali metals ...

The Arrhenius plot for 39At released uring step heating of a sample containing a distribution of diffusion domains will depart from a straight line in ways that depend on the domain size distribution and the heating schedule used to extract he 39At. In a new series of experiments we make use of the heating schedule effect to confirm the multidomain nature of several alkali feldspar samples. We ...

I. Aldazabal,3,4 A. G. Borisov,5 and A. Arnau3,4 3Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. de Manuel Lardizabal 4, 20080 San Sebastián/Donostia, Spain 4Dpto. de Fı́sica de Materiales and Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Facultad de Ciencias Quı́micas, Universidad del Paı́s Vasco UPV/EHU, Apto. 1072, 20080 San Sebastián/Donostia, Spain 5Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay, UMR 8214 CNRS-Un...

Helium nanodroplet isolation has been applied to agglomerate alkali clusters at temperatures of 380 mK. The very weak binding to the surface of the droplets allows a selection of only weakly bound, high-spin states. Here we show that larger clusters of alkali atoms in high-spin states can be formed. The lack of strong bonds from pairing electrons makes these systems nonmetallic, van der Waals-l...

Total atmospheric Hg contamination in a French mountainous catchment upstream from a chlor-alkali industrial site was assessed using Hg concentrations in the deepest soil horizon, in the stream bottom sediments, in river waters and in bryophytes. The natural background level of Hg content deriving from rock weathering was estimated to 32 ng g(-1) in the deepest soil layers. The soils appear to ...

It is well known that graphite has a low capacity for Na but a high capacity for other alkali metals. The growing interest in alternative cation batteries beyond Li makes it particularly important to elucidate the origin of this behavior, which is not well understood. In examining this question, we find a quite general phenomenon: among the alkali and alkaline earth metals, Na and Mg generally ...

A series of recent x-ray diffraction experiments carried out by scientists from the Max-PlanckInstitut FKF in Stuttgart and the ESRF in Grenoble on elemental semiconductors and alkali metals under high pressure have provided new insight in pressure induced structural transformations. New structures have been identified, and some of these have surprising similarities, such as low coordination nu...

Formation of carbonate minerals by CO2 sequestration is a potential means to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. Vast amount of alkaline and alkali earth metals exist in silicate minerals that may be carbonated. Laboratory experiments carried out to study the dissolution rate in Pahang Sandstone, Malaysia, by CO2 injection at different flow rate in surficial condition. X-ray Powder Diffraction (X...

Investigating the release characteristics of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species (AAEMs) is of potential interest because of AAEM's possible useful service as catalysts in biomass thermal conversion. In this study, three kinds of typical Chinese biomass were selected to pyrolyse and their chars were subsequently steam gasified in a designed quartz fixed-bed reactor to investigate the rel...

Based on published chronologies of Hg contamination to the SaguenayrSt. Lawrence system as well as sedimentary profiles for this heavy metal in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary, we have established a 100]200 year chronology in the studied sediments and reassessed sedimentation rates for the estuarine system. Our results suggest that sedimentation rates might be higher, by a factor of 1.5]2, than ...