Metabolomics techniques applied in the investigation of phenolic acids from the agro-industrial by-product of Carapa guianensis Aubl

Processing of Carapa guianensis seeds to obtain oil on an industrial scale generates a significant amount of by-product, approximately 66% w/w, which is called cake and is a potential source of biomolecules, including simple phenolic structures. For this reason, studies were carried out on the chemical profiles of hydrolyzed extract from this agro-industrial by-product through High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). These techniques were used to detect metabolic classes and/or groups, and to identify, for the first time, thirteen simple phenolic acids in this by-product. The sample antioxidant capacity was determined by methods of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS⁺) radicals direct sequestration. The hydrolyzed fraction showed a total of 63.47% in the relative abundance of the total of compounds, standing out: p-hydroxybenzoic acid (39.19%) and protocatechuic acid (3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid) (5.62%), both from hydroxybenzoic acids and 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)lactic acid, (7.76%) hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives. In these results, the fraction rich in simple phenolic acids was obtained, attributing the prominent behavior of this matrix antioxidant activity, expressed by (IC₅₀: of 16.42 µg/mL and 6.52 µg/mL for DPPH and ABTS⁺ radicals, respectively). The research demonstrated an alternative to applicability that involves sustainability from agro-industrial. These techniques were used to detect metabolic classes and/or groups, and to identify, for the first time, thirteen simple phenolic acids in this by-product, generating a process capable of converting biomass into a bioproduct, consisting of bioactive compounds, in addition to adding value to the industrial chain.     

Salting‐out‐assisted liquid–liquid extraction with acetonitrile for the determination of trimetazidine in rat plasma using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A high‐throughout bioanalytical method based on salting‐out‐assisted liquid/liquid extraction (SALLE) method with acetonitrile and mass spectrometry‐compatible salts followed by LC‐MS/MS analysis of trimetazidine in rat plasma is presented. It required only 50 μL of plasma and allows the use of minimal volumes of organic solvents. The seamless interface of SALLE and LC‐MS eliminated the drying‐down step and the extract was diluted and injected into an LC‐MS/MS system with a cycle time of 2.5 min/sample. The retention times of trimetazidine and IS were approximately 1.1 and 1.7 min, respectively. Calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 0.1–100 ng/mL, which can be extended to 500 ng/mL by dilution. The intra‐ and inter‐batch precision, accuracy and the relative standard deviation were all <15%. This method was successfully applied to determine trimetazidine concentrations in rat plasma. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of chemical parameters on pyrene degradation in soil in a pulsed discharge plasma system

Degradation of pyrene in soil in a net-to-net pulsed discharge plasma (PDP) system was reviewed. Effect of main chemical parameters, including air flow rate, pyrene concentration, initial pH and soil moisture content on pyrene degradation was examined. The obtained results show that 87.9% of pyrene could be removed under the condition of 60 min reaction; increasing of air flow rate within 1 L min⁻¹ was favorable for degradation; pyrene removal was decreased with the increase of initial pyrene concentration; oxidation of pyrene was more evident in acidic soil; enhancement of soil moisture content has no benefit on pyrene degradation.     

Elongating the area of plasma/fluid interaction of surface nanosecond pulsed discharges

Plasma-assisted flow control is of high industrial interest, but practical applications at full scale require a large surface of interaction. Nanosecond pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) have demonstrated promising results of flow control, but their interacting region is limited to only a few cm². In this paper, the conditions to extend a surface nanosecond DBD are documented. It is shown that a sliding discharge regime can fully fill an inter-electrode distance of 40 mm. This discharge regime promotes the formation of two hemispheric pressure waves originating from both air-exposed electrodes while an horizontal region of pressure gradient is also observed.     

HPLC with fluorescence detection assay of perampanel,a novel AMPA receptor antagonist,in human plasma for clinical pharmacokinetic studies

Perampanel (Fycompa®), a novel α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist, is registered for the adjunctive treatment of patients (aged ≥12 years) with refractory partial‐onset seizures. To support therapeutic drug monitoring, a simple high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay with fluorescence detection was developed to determine perampanel concentrations in human plasma and validated to support clinical trials. Human plasma samples (1.0 mL) were processed by liquid extraction using diethyl ether, followed by chromatographic separation on a YMC Pack Pro C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 µm) with isocratic elution of acetonitrile–water–acetic acid–sodium acetate (840:560:3:1.8, v/v/v/w) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Column eluent was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 290 and 430 nm, respectively. The assay was linear (range 1.0–500 ng/mL) and this could be extended to 25 µg/mL by 50‐fold dilution integrity. No endogenous peaks were detected in the elution of analytes in drug‐free blank human plasma from six individuals and no interference was observed with co‐medications tested. Intra‐ and inter‐batch reproducibility studies demonstrated accuracy and precision within the acceptance criteria of bioanalytical guidelines. Validation data demonstrated that our assay is simple, selective, reproducible and suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring of perampanel. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of Azimuthal Structure of Surface Waves on Efficiency of their Excitation by Tubular Electron Beams

The excitation of eigen surface waves by tubular electron beams in cylindrical discharge devices is studied. The influence of the wave‐field azimuthal structure on the excitation efficiency and nonlinear stage of the plasmabeam instability is investigated both numerically and analytically. Analytical expressions for the saturation amplitude and excitation efficiency of the wave under study are derived. They are found to agree well with results obtained by numerical modelling of the plasma‐beam interaction presented in this paper. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrical behavior of the Au/MoS2 interface studied by light emission induced by scanning tunneling microscopy

Light emitted in the tunneling junction of a scanning tunneling microscope has been used to establish the electrical characteristics of nanojunctions made of Au islands deposited on flat MoS₂ surfaces. It is shown that these characteristics are those of rectifying contacts when the gold islands are isolated and that they evolve toward those of ohmic contacts when the island density increases. It is observed that the rectifying behavior also evolves over time as on infinite metal/semiconductor contacts. Using the STM tip, single gold islands can be manipulated on the MoS₂ surface so that their electrical behavior can be changed depending on their position with regard to the other islands.     

激光产生的铝、硅、氧、铜、硒等离子体X光谱

利用长晶格的OHM晶体谱仪,从激光等离子体中获得丰富的铜、硒类氖、类氟、类钠离子的二、三、四级软X射线衍射光谱和铝、氧、硅的类氢、类氦、类锂离子一到四级谱,波长在14～40(?)之间,在此基础上,本文较为细仔地分析了各光谱结构.