Determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A new approach to the determination of afiatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂ is given; the method involves high-performance liquid chromatography with amperometric detection in the differential-pulse mode at the dropping mercury electrode with 1-s drop time. These aflatoxins can be determined simultaneously with good resolution but with some compromise in sensitivity. The detection limit of underivatized aflatoxin standards is around 5 ng. Average recoveries of aflatoxins from peanut butter by the Beebe method were G₂ 81%, G₁ 87%, B₂ 77% and B₁ 76%.     

Bioadhesive properties of Gantrez nanoparticles

Bioadhesive nanoparticles have been proposed as carriers for the oral delivery of poorly available drugs and facilitate the use of this route. This work summarises some experiments describing the bioadhesive potential of Gantrez nanoparticles fluorescently labeled with rhodamine B isothiocyanate. The adhesive potential of Gantrez was found to be stronger when folded as nanoparticles than in the solubilised form. Conventional nanoparticles displayed a tropism for the upper areas of the gastrointestinal tract, with a maximum of adhesion 30 min post-administration and a decrease in the adhered fraction along the time depending on the given dose. The cross-linkage of nanoparticles with increasing amounts of 1,3-diaminopropane stabilised the resulting carriers and prolonged their half-life in an aqueous environment; although, the adhesive capacity of nanoparticles, the intensity and the relative duration of the adhesive interactions within the gut as a function of the cross-linking degree. Finally, nanoparticles were coated with either gelatin or albumin. In the first case, the presence of gelatin dramatically decreased the initial capacity of these carriers to interact with the gut mucosa and the intensity of these phenomenons. In the latter, bovine serum albumin coated nanoparticles (BSA-NP) showed an important tropism for the stomach mucosa without further significant distribution to other parts of the gut mucosa.     

A Maximum Principle for an Explicit Finite Difference Scheme Approximating the Hodgkin-Huxley Model

We analyze an explicit finite difference scheme for the general form of the Hodgkin-Huxley model, which is a nonlinear partial differential equation coupled to a set of ODEs. The system of equations describes propagation of an electrical signal in excitable cells. We prove that the numerical solution is bounded in the L^∞-norm and L² converges to a unique solution. The L^∞-bound, which is the key point of our analysis, is proved by showing that the discrete solutions are invariant in a physically relevant bounded region. For the convergence proof we use the compactness method. AMS subject classification (2000) 65F20     

Study of tryptophan assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles by combining UV–Vis, fluorescence, and SERS spectroscopy

We developed a rapid and non-toxic method for the preparation of colloidal gold nanoparticles (GNPs) by using tryptophan (Trp) as reducing/stabilizing agent. We show that the temperature has a major influence on the kinetics of gold ion reduction and the crystal growth, higher temperatures favoring the synthesis of anisotropic nanoparticles (triangles and hexagons). The as-synthesized nanostructures were characterized by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fluorescence, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The UV–Vis measurements confirmed that temperature is a critical factor in the synthesis process, having a major effect on the shape of the synthesized GNPs. Moreover, fluorescence spectroscopy was able to monitor the quenching of the Trp fluorescence during the in situ synthesis of GNPs. Using Trp as molecular analyte to evaluate the SERS efficiency of as-prepared GNPs at different temperatures, we demonstrated that the Raman enhancement of the synthesized gold nanoplates is higher than that of the gold spherical nanoparticles.     

Competitive adsorption of NO, NO2, CO2, and H2O on BaO(100): a quantum chemical study

Density functional theory (DFT) quantum chemical calculations are used to determine adsorption energies and geometries of NO, NO(2), CO(2), and H(2)O on a barium oxide (100) surface. The study includes two adsorption geometries for NO(2). All species form thermodynamically stable adsorbates, and adsorption strength increases in the order NO(2) < H(2)O < NO 相似文献   

Luminescence polarization spectroscopy study of functionalized carbon nanotubes in a polymeric matrix

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were well-functionalized for a study of their defect-derived luminescence properties. The soluble nanotube sample was homogeneously dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films via solution-phase mixing and then wet-casting. The PVA films embedded with the functionalized SWNTs were strongly luminescent according to spectroscopic and confocal microscopic results. The luminescence from the films was highly polarized, with the observed anisotropy value approaching the limit for collinear absorption and emission dipole moments. The films were mechanically stretched to align the embedded nanotubes, and results from luminescence measurements of the stretched films suggested that the excitation was strongly in favor of the direction along the nanotube axis. Mechanistic implications of the polarization spectroscopy results for the luminescent functionalized nanotubes in the polymeric matrix with and without the mechanic alignment are discussed.     

Compositional and technological features of glazed pottery from Aosta Valley (Italy): a SEM–EDS investigation

Twelve finds from archaeological excavations carried out in the Aosta region (Italy) were studied by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray detection (SEM–EDS). The archaeological samples were shards of glazed pottery dating from the fourth to the seventh century AD. Analysis of ceramic bodies revealed a general homogeneity in composition among the studied samples and the use of a noncalcareous clay for their manufacture; however, two shards stand out due to their high iron contents. Glazes proved to be high-lead products with more than 70% PbO in all of the samples investigated but one. For the latter, a composition poorer in lead and richer in silicon, aluminium and iron was found. SEM observation of the contact region between body and glaze suggests that the vitreous coatings were mostly obtained by applying the glazing components onto the unfired clay body; moreover, a comparison between clay and glaze compositions suggests the use of a lead compound mixed with a silica-rich material, not a lead compound by itself.     

Singular Limits of a Two-Dimensional Boundary Value Problem Arising in Corrosion Modelling

We consider the boundary value problem where Ω is a smooth and bounded domain in ℝ² and λ > 0. We prove that for any integer k ≧ 1 there exist at least two solutions u _λ with the property that the boundary flux satisfies up to subsequences λ → 0, where the ξ _j are points of ∂Ω ordered clockwise in j.     

Adsorption of nonpolar benzene derivatives on single-walled carbon nanotubes

The adsorption of benzene, toluene, and chlorobenzene on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with and without acid oxidation was conducted to investigate the influences of derivative groups on benzene rings and functional groups from SWCNTs on adsorption by SWCNTs. The SWCNTs of high purity were chosen and moderate acid oxidation was performed so that the surface physical properties remained unchanged after acid oxidation and the influences of acid oxidation on adsorption were only contributed from the modification of the surface chemistry of SWCNTs. The oxygen-containing surface groups introduced by acid oxidation obstructed the interactions between functional groups of nonpolar benzene derivatives and C-rings of SWCNTs significantly. The dispersive interaction between the partially positive H⁺ of the methyl group and the oxygen-containing surface groups slightly increased the adsorption of toluene on oxidized SWCNTs at high solution pH. The thermodynamic of adsorption was also studied at different temperatures.