The coastal, indigenous communities around Alaska have subsisted on marine animals for generations, often focusing on large apex predators such as seals, sea lions, and whales. Three species of pinnipeds (harbor seal, Steller sea lion, northern fur seal) and the northern sea otter have all undergone significant population declines since the 1970s, some regions more than others. Archived vibrissae (whiskers) and body tissues from these four species were available from the Bering Sea and throughout the Gulf of Alaska from the 1990s and early 2000s. Tissues from these species are exceedingly difficult to obtain; thus, the archived tissues provided a finite and irreplaceable resource of data. Analysis of these archived tissues indicates which species, tissues, and gender bioaccumulate metals more readily. In this study twelve heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, vanadium, zinc) were analyzed in vibrissae from the four select species, and in body tissues from harbor seals and Steller sea lions. The samples were collected from three regions (southeastern, southcentral, and southwestern Alaska) during the 1990s through early 2000s. Significant differences of heavy metal concentrations in vibrissae were detected among elements (p2(110) = 454.81, p2(66) = 310.88, p

This Diploma Thesis is focused on study of electrochemical behavior of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid) on finding the optimum conditions for their determination using direct current voltammetry (DCV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at a mercury meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode (m-AgSAE) in the solution of Britton-Robinson (BR) and on finding of the limit of quantification (LQ) for these substances. Practical applicability of the newly developed methods was verified on direct determination of TNT and picric acid in model samples of drinking and river water. Moreover, the electrochemical behaviors of TNT and picric acid was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Optimum medium for the determination of TNT at m-AgSAE was: methanol-BR buffer pH 4.0 (1:9). Upon the DCV it is proper to apply regeneration potentials Ereg,1= 0 mV and Ereg,2= -1100 mV and upon the DPV was apply regeneration potentials Ereg,1= 0 mV and Ereg,2= -600 mV were applied. The concentration dependence of the peak current was found to be linear for both techniques over the concentration range of 1·10-6 -1·10-4 mol/l with LQ of 0.54 µmol/l (for DCV) and 0.46 µmol/l (for DPV). The method developed for the determination of TNT were verified on the model samples of drinking...

The aim of presented Diploma Thesis was to study an electrochemical behavior of nitroimidazole drugs metronidazole and ornidazole and to find optimal conditions for their voltammetric determination at a mercury meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode using DC voltammetry (DCV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Voltammetric behavior of selected drugs was investigated in dependence on the pH of the medium used (realized using a Britton-Robinson buffer (BR buffer)) and a mechanism of the reduction of both drugs was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The optimum medium for voltammetric determination of studied nitroimidazole drugs at the m-AgSAE in a region of cathodic potentials was found to be the BR buffer of pH 8.0. Then, the concentration dependences were measured in this optimum medium in the concentration range from 2·10-7 mol/L to 1·10-4 mol/L. The limits of quantification (LQs) for both metronidazole and ornidazole were found in the concentration order of 10-7 mol/L by using DCV and DPV at the m-AgSAE. The applicability of the newly developed voltammetric methods of the determination of nitroimidazole drugs was verified on the model samples of drinking and river water, with LQ ≈ 2·10-7 mol/L for both DC voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry at the m-AgSAE....