A Perspective of Laser Sampling for Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectro metry for Rock and Mineral Analysis

The development of laser sampling for optical emission spectrometry is reviewed . Advantages and limitations of pulsed laser sampling are compared with those of continuous laser sampling . A novel method of laser sampling of liquid samples for inductively coupled plasma -atomic emission spectrometry has been proposed , and its analytical performance investigated.Experimental results showed that,as a method of sample introduction , laser vaporization of liquid samples enjoyed certain advantages , e.g.,much higher sensitivity, much lower detection limit and reduced sample volume , over solution nebulization . A perspective of the application of laser sampling-inductively coupled plasma - actomic emission spectrometry for rock and mineral analysis is estimated as well.

Limited Spatial Transferability of the Relationships Between Kriging Variance and Soil Sampling Spacing in Some Grasslands of Ireland:Implications for Sampling Design

Sampling plays an important role in acquiring precise soil information required in modern agricultural production worldwide, which determines both the cost and quality of final soil mapping products. For sampling design, it has been proposed possibile to transfer the relationships between kriging variance and sampling grid spacing from an area with existing information to other areas with similar soil-forming environments. However, this approach is challenged in practice because of two problems: i) different population vaxiograms among similar areas and ii) sampling errors in estimated variograms. This study evaluated the effects of these two problems on the transferability of the relationships between kriging variance and sampling grid spacing, by using spatial data simulated with three variograms and soil samples collected from four grasslands in Ireland with similar soil-forming environments. Results showed that the variograms suggested by different samples collected with the same grid spacing in the same or similar areas were different, leading to a range of mean kriging variance (MKV) for each grid spacing. With increasing grid spacing, the variation of MKV for a specific grid spacing increased and deviated more from the MKV generated using the population variograms. As a result, the spatial transferability of the relationships between kriging variance and grid spacing for sampling design was limited.

Evaluating the blank contamination and recovery of sample pretreatment procedures for analyzing organophosphorus flame retardants in waters

Organophosphate esters（OPEs）, used as flame retardants and plasticizers, are widely present in environmental waters. Development of accurate determination methods for trace OPEs in water is urgent for understanding the fate and risk of this class of emerging pollutants. However, the wide use of OPEs in experimental materials results in blank interference, which influences the accuracy of analytical results. In the present work, blank contamination and recovery of pretreatment procedures for analysis of OPEs in water samples were systematically examined for the first time. Blank contaminations were observed in filtration membranes, glass bottles, solid phase extraction cartridges, and nitrogen blowing instruments. These contaminations could be as high as 6.4–64 ng/L per treatment. Different kinds of membranes were compared in terms of contamination levels left after common glassware cleaning, and a special wash procedure was proposed to eliminate the contamination from membranes. Meanwhile, adsorption of highly hydrophobic OPEs on the inside wall of glass bottles was found to be 42.4%–86.1%, which was the primary cause of low recoveries and was significantly reduced by an additional washing step with acetonitrile. This work is expected to provide guidelines for the establishment of analysis methods for OPEs in aqueous samples.

Movement History of the Microcontinents from the Tibetan Plateau Based on Paleomagnetic Results with Sufficient Sampling Units

Paleomagnetic results cannot be applied in global and regional tectonic reconstructions unless the paleosecular variation has been adequately averaged.However,how many sampling sites and samples are enough to calculate a reliable paleopole remains debated.Based on the relation among the sampling sites N,the precision parameter k,the virtual geomagnetic pole scatter s,and the confidence limit A_(95) of the paleopole,we find that 20 sites(samples)or more are required to yield a paleopole with an A_(95)≈5°based on a review of available paleomagnetic results from the Lhasa,Qiangtang and Tethyan Himalaya.Random samplings of Jurassic virtual geomagnetic poles from the Sangri area show that the Fisher mean pole with neglectable angle deviation can be obtained when sampling sites increase to 20.High-quality paleomagnetic results,with sites/samples number N/n≥~20–30,show that the Qiangtang,Lhasa,and Tethyan Himalaya moved northward in the Late Permian–Middle Triassic,Jurassic,and Cretaceous,respectively,and then accreted to Asia in the Late Triassic,Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous and Paleocene–Early Eocene,respectively.