The inner bark tissues of three temperate hardwoods contain specific proteins which undergo seasonal fluctuations. Increases in particular proteins, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, occur within the bark of several Acer, Populus and Salix spp. during late summer and early autumn. These proteins are abundant in the bark throughout the winter and their levels decline the following spring. Light and electron microscopy showed that the parenchyma cells of the inner bark are packed with spherical organelles throughout the overwintering period. These organelles are rich in protein and analogous to protein bodies found in cells of mature seeds. The protein bodies of the parenchyma cells are replaced by large central vacuoles during spring and summer, presumably as a result of the mobilization of the storage protein and fusion of the protein bodies. The high levels of specific proteins in inner bark tissues and the presence of protein bodies within the parenchyma cells indicate that the living cells of the bark act as a nitrogen reserve in overwintering temperate hardwoods.
A shaking extraction method for petroleum hydrocarbons in soil was developed and compared to Soxhlet extraction. Soxhlet extraction is an EPA-approved method for volatile and semivolatile organic contaminants from solid materials, but it has many disadvantages including long extraction periods and potential loss of volatile compounds. When field-moist soils are used, variability in subsamples is higher, and the extraction of hydrocarbons with a nonpolar solvent may be less efficient. A shaking method was designed to fill the need for simpler and more efficient extraction of petroleum hydrocarbons from soil. A systematic study of extraction conditions was performed for various soil types, soil weights, solvents, extraction times, and extraction cycles. The results were compared to those for Soxhlet extraction. Shaking 1 g of soil with a sequence of three 10-mL aliquots of dichloromethane or acetone was found to be equivalent to Soxhlet extraction for total petroleum hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Shaking with acetone was more consistent than all other methods for the extraction of specific compounds from aged, contaminated soil. The shaking method appears to be applicable to a wide range of soil types and petroleum contaminants but should be compared to Soxhlet extraction for new conditions.
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