Unsightly and environmentally damaging debris is an ever present problem for waterways and beaches around the world. This debris has numerous sources, and is comprised of materials ranging from metal and wood to plastics and paper. the aesthetic, economic, and environmental impacts of debris have been well documented over the past several years. in an effort to control the release of trash and debris into our waters, there are many activities ongoing in the US. One such activity is a coordinated effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), other federal Agencies (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Coast Guard (USCG), United States Navy (USN), National Park Service (NPS), Department of Interior (DOI)), industry (the Society of the Plastics Industry, INC. (SPI)), environmental, and local groups. This paper describes the results of field assessments, and the other activities undertaken by EPA as part of this coordinated effort to control the release of debris to our nation's waterways.

Curie point evaporation and pyrolysis mass spectrometry were applied to the analysis of samples from cultures of Bacteroides gingivalis, an anaerobic microorganism isolated from the dental sulcus of human patients. Gaseous metabolites were sampled on ferromagnetic wires with an absorbent coating of activated carbon. Smears of bacteria and media after growth were analysed on normal ferromagnetic wires. The mass spectra from analyses at the Curie-point temperatures of 358°C and 510°C were examined with a specially adapted factor discriminant analysis program based on ARTHUR. The bacteria were characterized mainly by their volatile fractious. Mass spectra of the media after growth reflected physiological differences between the strains. The absorbent wire technique proved useful for evaluation of gaseous metabolites. Curie-point evaporation and pyrolysis mass spectrometry was found to be especially useful for preliminary screening of samples of organic matter from the various compartments of the bacterial environment.

Measurements of ultrasonic absorption have been made in binary mixtures of methane with the noble gases helium, argon and xenon. The absorption coefficients were measured in a single-crystal interferometer at a frequency of 3.001 MHz and a temperature of 308.3 K in the pressure range from 100 to 150 torr. Rotational relaxation times and numbers were derived from the observed absorption. The estimated collision numbers for translational-rotational energy exchange are: Zrot (CH4−CH4) = 12.3, Zrot (CH4−He) = 3, Zrot (CH4−Ar) = 12, Zrot (CH4−Xe) = 27. Calculations of rotational relaxation numbers Zrot of spherical top molecules in an inert gas have been made by Widom and Sather and Dahler. Although their values are higher, they predict the same tendency as we found experimentally.

A streptococcal strain, classified as Z3III was differentiated from its mutant strain, Z3, lacking the type III polysaccharide antigen, by Curie-point pyrolysis gas-liquid chromatography. Differences observed in pyrograms of whole cells or cell envelopes of both strains could be directly related to the pyrolysis pattern of the purified type III antigen. The same results were obtained when streptococcus F III and its mutant were analyzed. Whereas the pyrolysis patterns of the type III antigen extracted from Z3III and F III bacteria were identical, marked differences were found in pyrograms of the serologically identical type III antigen isolated from the culture medium. Type III antigen was also easily differentiated from the purified type I, II and IV antigens. From the above findings it was concluded that pyrolysis gas-liquid chromatography can be used as a tool for the quality control and identification of streptococcal cell wall components.

In order to establish the influence of forbidden transitions, rotational relaxation numbers Zrot of the gases 14N2, 14N15N, 15N2, 12C16O and 12C18O were determined from ultrasonic absorption measurements.

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