Ensuring robustness in the quality of antibiotic susceptibility test discs for four novel antibiotics

Antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) discs are used as an in-vitro diagnostic tool to select the appropriate antibiotic to treat an infection. Generally, the concentration of the drug loaded on to the AST discs is measured by studying its activity against quality control organisms. This methodology has several limitations—it is time consuming, requires trained manpower, has a wider acceptance criteria of zone of inhibitions—causing ambiguity in judging smaller variations in drug concentration. To overcome these issues, we have developed and validated high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods for the determination of strength of AST discs for in-house researched antibiotics, namely Levonadifloxacin/WCK 771, Nafithromycin/WCK 4873, Cefepime-Tazobactam/WCK 4282, and Cefepime-Zidebactam/WCK 5222. The drugs were extracted from the AST discs using an appropriate solvent. The developed methods are simple, accurate, precise, reproducible, rugged, and robust. They are efficient in terms of time, and can be easily conducted in a quality control laboratory during release as well as stability evaluation of AST disc. Application of HPLC methods for the determination of strength of AST discs ensures flawless quality and, consequently, a better selection of drugs to treat bacterial infections in clinics.     

科研成果向教学实验的转化设计与实践成效*

围绕学校高水平应用型人才培养目标,依托省级重点实验室与省级化学化工大学生创新训练中心等科研教学平台,将“零排放型化学镀镍及其废液资源化为掺杂型LiFePO₄/C复合材料”的科研成果进行拆解和提炼,设计为分阶段、多层次的10个教学实验项目,并予以实践。结果表明,该科教融合模式营造出良好的科研氛围,有利于学生科研素养与创新意识的培养、实践能力与创新能力的提升。     

Mixed two‐grid finite difference methods for solving one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional Fitzhugh–Nagumo equations

The aim of this paper is to propose mixed two‐grid finite difference methods to obtain the numerical solution of the one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional Fitzhugh–Nagumo equations. The finite difference equations at all interior grid points form a large‐sparse linear system, which needs to be solved efficiently. The solution cost of this sparse linear system usually dominates the total cost of solving the discretized partial differential equation. The proposed method is based on applying a family of finite difference methods for discretizing the spatial and time derivatives. The obtained system has been solved by two‐grid method, where the two‐grid method is used for solving the large‐sparse linear systems. Also, in the proposed method, the spectral radius with local Fourier analysis is calculated for different values of h and Δt. The numerical examples show the efficiency of this algorithm for solving the one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional Fitzhugh–Nagumo equations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quality assessment of crude and processed Arecae semen based on colorimeter and HPLC combined with chemometrics methods

Raw Arecae Semen, the seed of Areca catechu L., as well as Arecae Semen Tostum and Arecae semen carbonisata are traditionally processed by stir‐baking for subsequent use in a variety of clinical applications. These three Arecae semen types, important Chinese herbal drugs, have been used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. In this study, the sensory technologies of a colorimeter and sensitive validated high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection were employed to discriminate raw Arecae semen and its processed drugs. The color parameters of the samples were determined by a colorimeter instrument CR‐410. Moreover, the fingerprints of the four alkaloids of arecaidine, guvacine, arecoline and guvacoline were surveyed by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Subsequently, Student's t test, the analysis of variance, fingerprint similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis and Pearson's correlation test were performed for final data analysis. The results obtained demonstrated a significant color change characteristic for components in raw Arecae semen and its processed drugs. Crude and processed Arecae semen could be determined based on colorimetry and high‐performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector coupled with chemometrics methods for a comprehensive quality evaluation.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical constituents in Ardisiae Japonicae Herba

Ardisiae Japonicae Herba is a well‐known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of bronchitis conjunctivitis, pneumonia, and trauma. In this work, a high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method was first established for the separation and structural identification of the chemical constituents in Ardisiae Japonicae Herba. A total of 15 compounds including coumarins, flavonoid glycosides, and catechins were identified or tentatively characterized based on their chromatographic behaviors and mass spectral fragmentation and by comparisons with the reference standards. Furthermore, a simple high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five major constituents. Results obtained from method validation, including linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery, showed that the established method was reliable and accurate. Bergenin and quercitrin were found to be the most abundant constituents and could be served as chemical markers for quality control of Ardisiae Japonicae Herba.     

Integrated quality by design (QbD) and design of experiments (DoE) approach for UFLC determination of telaprevir in rat serum

An ultrafast liquid chromatographic bioanalytical method was developed and validated for the determination of telaprevir in Wistar albino rat serum. Principles of quality by design (QbD) were implemented for enhancing the bioanalytical liquid–liquid extraction of telaprevir from rat serum. A Box–Behnken design was utilized in the studies by selecting extraction time, centrifugation speed, and vortex time as the critical method variables for evaluating their effect on the critical analytical attribute, i.e., %recovery of telaprevir. Chromatographic separation was achieved within a run time of 10?min using a C-18 column and mobile phase comprising of methanol:borate buffer of pH 9 (90:10 v/v) flowing at 1.2?mL/min. Photodiode array detection was performed at 270?nm. Results of validation studies were satisfactory. The method was linear over a concentration of 25–10,000?ng/mL. Limit of detection for the developed method was 10?ng/mL. Further, design of experiments (DoE) used for inter-day accuracy and precision study suggested superior method reliability. This integrated QbD- and DoE-based approach ensured the development of a validated and reliable analytical method for optimum bioanalysis of telaprevir in biological matrix.     

Local and parallel finite element algorithm for stationary incompressible magnetohydrodynamics

This article presents a local and parallel finite element method for the stationary incompressible magnetohydrodynamics problem. The key idea of this algorithm comes from the two‐grid discretization technique. Specifically, we solve the nonlinear system on a global coarse mesh, and then solve a series of linear problems on several subdomains in parallel. Furthermore, local a priori estimates are obtained on a general shape regular grid. The efficiency of the algorithm is also illustrated by some numerical experiments.© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 33: 1513–1539, 2017     

模糊AHP在电网企业员工岗前培训评估中的应用

电网企业技术密集、人员众多、架构庞大,员工岗前培训与企业健康持续发展密不可分.培训工作中最突出的问题在于对培训效果缺乏合理的评估,从而无法了解企业投资的效果,以及培训对组织的贡献.以柯氏培训四级评估模型为基础,采用模糊AHP规范化整个评估过程.最后以电力企业进行的培训项目为例验证分析,证明所提算法的有效性.     

基于端点白化权函数聚类的水环境质量等级评价分析

为更准确地评价水环境质量,将端点三角白化权函数灰色评估引入到水质综合评价中.针对以往灰色白化权函数评估主要通过测定指标灰聚类系数判定被评价对象的优劣强弱等级进行等级识别评价,对三角白化权函数计算方法进一步扩展,完成多评价对象的准确等级定位及比较排序.将这种方法应用于山东省聊城市东昌湖水水质评价中,经实例计算证明基于三角白化权函数灰色评估评价模型的稳定性、合理性和实用性为水质评价研究方法提供了新的思路和借鉴.     

论双系统估计量的无偏性

人口普查质量评估中所使用的双系统估计量是否为无偏估计量是一个很值得深入讨论的问题。只有无偏,才能确保使用双系统估计量估计的目标总体实际人数及人口普查净误差平均等于它们的实际数。针对人口普查质量评估工作中所使用的双系统估计量,论证这个估计量的无偏性条件。采用从既定假设出发进行推演的路径论证。研究结果表明,双系统估计量是目标总体实际人数无偏估计量的必要但非充分的条件是,人口普查与其质量评估调查相互独立以及目标总体中的每一个人在人口普查中的登记概率相同,在质量评估调查中登记的概率也相同。