Malva sylvestris L. extract suppresses desferrioxamine‐induced PGE2 and PGD2 release in differentiated U937 cells: the development and validation of an LC‐MS/MS method for prostaglandin quantification

Malva sylvestris is a species used worldwide as an alternative to anti‐inflammatory therapies; however, its mechanism of action remains unknown. In this paper, the anti‐inflammatory effects of M. sylvestris alcoholic extracts were evaluated by measuring the pro‐inflammatory mediators PGE₂ and PGD₂ in desferrioxamine‐stimulated phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate‐differentiated U937 cells. An HPLC‐DAD fingerprint of the M. sylvestris extract was performed and caffeic acid, ferulic acid and scopoletin were identified and quantified. An HPLC‐MS/MS method was developed and validated to separate and measure the prostaglandins. The lower limits of detection (~0.5 ng/mL for PGE₂ and PGD₂) and quantification (1.0 ng/mL for PGE₂ and PGD₂) indicated that the method is highly sensitive. The calibration curves showed excellent coefficients of correlation (r > 0.99) over the range of 1.0–500.0 ng/mL, and at different levels, the accuracy ranged from 96.4 to 106.4% with an RSD < 10.0% for the precision study. This method was successfully applied using U937‐d cells. A significant dose‐dependent reduction of PGE₂ and PGD₂ levels occurred using 10 µg/mL (10.74 ± 2.86 and 9.60 ± 6.89%) and 50 µg/mL of extract (48.37 ± 3.24 and 53.06 ± 6.15%), suggesting that the anti‐inflammatory mechanisms evoked by M. sylvestris may be related to modulation of these mediators. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetic models of natural gas combustion in an internal combustion engine

In this study, combustion of methane was simulated using four kinetic models of methane in CHEMKIN 4.1.1 for 0-D closed internal combustion (IC) engine reactor. Two detailed (GRIMECH3.0 & UBC MECH2.0) and two reduced (One step & Four steps) models were examined for various IC engine designs. The detailed models (GRIMECH3.0, & UBC MECH2.0) and 4-step models successfully predicted the combustion while global model was unable to predict any combustion reaction. This study illustrated that the detailed model sh...     

Development of a method to determine albendazole and its metabolites in the muscle tissue of yellow perch using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

An HPLC method was developed for the determination of albendazole (ABZ) and its metabolites, a sulfoxide (ABZSO), a sulfone (ABZSO2), and albendazole-2-aminosulfone (ABZ-2-NH2SO2), from yellow perch muscle tissue with adhering skin. The muscle tissue samples were made alkaline with potassium carbonate and extracted with ethyl acetate, followed by a series of liquid-liquid extraction steps. After solvent evaporation, the residue was reconstituted in the initial mobile phase combination of the gradient. The mobile phase consisted of a buffer, 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH = 4.0) in 10% methanol-water, and 100% acetonitrile. The gradient was from 20% acetonitrile to 85% acetonitrile. The analytes were chromatographed on an RP Luna C18(2) column and detected by fluorescence with excitation and emission wavelengths of 290 and 330 nm, respectively. The average recoveries from fortified muscle tissue for ABZ (20-100 ppb), ABZ-SO (20-200 ppb), ABZSO2 (8-100 ppb), and ABZ-2-NH2SO2 (20-100 ppb) were 85, 95, 101, and 86%, respectively, with corresponding CV values of 9, 3, 6, and 4%, respectively. Their LOQ values were 10, 10, 1, and 10 ppb, respectively. The procedure was applied to determine ABZ and its major metabolites in the incurred muscle tissue of yellow perch obtained after orally dosing the fish with ABZ.     

Development of zirconium and potassium perchlorate igniter for AP/HTPB composite propellant base bleed grain

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - For effective and reliable ignition of ammonium perchlorate and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) solid composite propellant base bleed (BB)...     

Determination of albendazole and its metabolites in the muscle tissue of hybrid striped and largemouth bass using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of albendazole and its metabolites albendazole sulfoxide, albendazole sulfone, and albendazole-2-aminosulfone from largemouth and hybrid striped bass muscle tissue with adhering skin. The muscle tissue samples were made alkaline with potassium carbonate and extracted with ethyl acetate. The extracts were further subjected to cleanup by using a series of liquid-liquid extractions. After solvent evaporation, the residue was reconstituted in mobile phase and chromatographed. The chromatography was carried out on a reversed-phase Luna C18 column, using acetonitrile-methanol buffer as the mobile phase. The analytes were detected by fluorescence with excitation and emission wavelengths of 290 and 330 nm, respectively. The average recoveries from the fortified muscle tissue of the 2 fish species for albendazole (25-100 ppb), albendazole sulfoxide (8.75-52.5 ppb), albendazole sulfone (1-10 ppb), and albendazole-2-aminosulfone (10-100 ppb) were 89, 82, 99, and 74%, respectively. The coefficient of variation for each compound was <20% in all cases. The procedure was applied to the determination of albendazole and its 3 metabolites in the muscle tissue of the 2 fish species after orally dosing them with albendazole.     

Development and testing of a detailed kinetic mechanism of natural gas combustion in internal combustion engine

A detailed chemical mechanism to describe the combustion of natural gas in internal combustion (IC) engine has been developed,which is consisting of 233 reversible reactions and 79 species.This mechanism accounts for the oxidation of methane,ethane,propane and nitrogen.It has been tested using IC engine model of CHEMKIN 4.1.1 and experimental measurements.The performance of the proposed mechanism was evaluated at various equivalence ratios (φ=0.6 to φ=1.3),initial reactor conditions (Tini=500 to 3500 ℃;Pini...     

Mixed ligand complexes of palladium(II) and platinum(II) with methionine and 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidines

Summary Mixed ligand complexes ofcis-[M(MetH)Cl₂] (M=Pd²⁺ and Pt²⁺; MetH=methionine) with 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidines were prepared and characterised. Thecis-[Pd(MetH)Cl₂] complex reacted with cytosine (2-hydroxy-4-aminopyrimidine), isocytosine (2-amino-4-hydroxypyrimidine) and thiocytosine (2-thio-4-amino-pyrimidine) to form ternary complexes.cis-[Pt(MetH)Cl₂] however reacted with cytosine, uracil (2,4-pyrimidine dione or 2,4-dihydroxypyrimidine) to yield the corresponding mixed ligand complexes. The primary ligand, methionine, binds to the metal ion through sulphur and amino nitrogenvia a six membered chelate ring. The secondary ligands (substituted pyrimidines) bind to the Pd²⁺ or Pt²⁺ metal ion through the ring nitrogen (N₃), as monodentate ligand. Thiocytosine however acts as a bidentate ligand, coordinating to the metal ion through-SH and ring nitrogen (N₃). All complexes are 11 electrolytes, except the thiocytosine complex, which is a 12 electrolyte.     

Platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with substituted pyrimidines

Summary Platinum(II) and Palladium(II) complexes with 2-mercaptopyrimidine, 2-thiocytosine (4-aminopyrimidine 2-thione), and isocytosine (2-amino-4-hydroxy pyrimidine) were prepared and characterised by elemental analysis, conductivity data, i.r.,¹H n.m.r. and¹³C n.M.r. spectral studies. 2-Mercaptopyrimidine and 2-thiocytosine are coordinated to the metal ion through N(3) and C₂S, thus forming a four-membered chelate ring. Isocytosine acts as a monodentate ligand and coordinates to the metal ion through N(1). All the complexes are non-electrolytes.     

Performance comparison of various modulation schemes over free space optical (FSO) link employing Gamma–Gamma fading model

Free Space Optics (FSO) is an emerging line-of-sight technology intending to provide last-mile solution to the network problem where fiber technology is not feasible. The use of Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) technology for FSO is inspired due to the demand for broadband communication. This technique has brought a revolution because the system data capacity is enhanced by simply adding more number of channels and reducing the channel spacing without having the need of more than one FSO link. By reducing the channel spacing to an appropriate level, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) based FSO systems are also be attained and are reported by various research works. FSO finds applications in vast areas like backhaul networks for cellular communication, disaster recovery, LAN–LAN connectivity, high-definition TV, MAN-extension, video transmission, medicine industry and surveillance. However, its usage is limited due to the serious challenges of link vulnerability to weather and atmospheric turbulence-induced fading. This paper is based on a WDM-FSO system. An 8-channel WDM based FSO system is proposed and performance is evaluated on widely accepted modulation schemes under weak, moderate and strong turbulence conditions. Gamma–Gamma fading model is employed for atmospheric turbulence modelling. The system is simulated on OptiSystem 14.0.