New Method for Theoretical Spinodals Corresponding to Ternary Solutions with an Amphiphile Component

A new method is presented to obtain a theoretical spinodal for ternary solutions with an amphiphile component. This method uses a generalized Wheeler-Widom model representing the ternary solution, and considers local fitting conditions with the experimental binodal, imposing that the theoretical binodal must pass through a point on the experimental binodal, and also that the slope of the theoretical binodal has to be as close as possible to the slope of the representative experimental binodal. Using the previously specified fitting conditions, the corresponding spinodal is derived. The results are in agreement with an older method of local fitting between the generalized Wheeler-Widom model and the experimental data, where the fitting condition implied the coincidence of the theoretical tie-line with the experimental tie-line.     

Application of a modified simplex method to the multivariable optimization of a new FIA system for the determination of osmium

A methodology based on the coupling of experimental design and a modified simplex method is proposed for the optimization of a new flow injection-kinetic system for the spectrophotometric determination of Os (IV) with m-acetylchlorophosphonazo, which has for the first time been used as chromogenic reagent in the quantitative analysis of this element. An orthogonal array design is utilized to design the experimental protocol, in which six variables are varied simultaneously, and obtain the initial simplex using 25 experiments. A modified simplex method is applied to continuously optimize the data of the orthogonal array design; the search for optimum conditions of 6 variables using the modified simplex method required only 25 experiments. The efficiency and simplicity of the coupling of the experimental design and the modified simplex method are attractive for the development of new analytical methods. The method has been applied to the determination of Os (IV) in a refined ore as well as in a secondary alloy and provided satisfactory results.     

Application of a modified simplex method to the multivariable optimization of a new FIA system for the determination of osmium

A methodology based on the coupling of experimental design and a modified simplex method is proposed for the optimization of a new flow injection-kinetic system for the spectrophotometric determination of Os (IV) with m-acetylchlorophosphonazo, which has for the first time been used as chromogenic reagent in the quantitative analysis of this element. An orthogonal array design is utilized to design the experimental protocol, in which six variables are varied simultaneously, and obtain the initial simplex using 25 experiments. A modified simplex method is applied to continuously optimize the data of the orthogonal array design; the search for optimum conditions of ¶6 variables using the modified simplex method required only 25 experiments. The efficiency and simplicity of the coupling of the experimental design and the modified simplex method are attractive for the development of new analytical methods. The method has been applied to the determination of Os (IV) in a refined ore as well as in a secondary alloy and provided satisfactory results.     

Vapor-liquid equilibria of polymer solutions determined by molecular mechanics

A method of calculating interaction parameters used in phase equilibrium calculations was extended for predicting solvent activities of polymer solutions. A pair of interaction parameters are determined by calculating interaction energies between all pairs of molecules in the solution of interest with a molecular mechanics method called the consistent force field (CFF). The conformational space of a pair of molecules is sampled with a Monte Carlo algorithm followed by energy minimizations. The method is used to calculate solvent activities for the diethylketone/polypropylene system, giving results in good agreement with experimental values. In addition, solvent activities are predicted for the diethylketone/polyethylenesystem for which no experimental data are available. The method is fully predictive, as no fitting to experimental phase-equilibrium data is carried out.     

A study of robustness with multivariate calibration. Application to the polarographic determination of benzaldehyde

A procedure to evaluate the robustness of an analytical method when there are changes in some experimental variables, when using multivariate calibration, is proposed. The procedure consists of analysing the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) as a response to a Plackett–Burman experimental design, through which the influence of several experimental factors on the prediction capability of the multivariate partial least squares (PLS) models built is studied. Two different ways of analysing the experimental design response are considered: establishing the residual variance with replicates and using Lenth's method. The proposed methodology has been applied to estimate the robustness of the polarographic determination of benzaldehyde when PLS calibration is used.     

Sedimentation analysis using a magnetic fluid

An improved sedimentation method for analyzing particle size distribution is described. The method is primarily distinguished by the application of a magnetic fluid as a medium in which particles move. This circumstance makes it possible to measure particle velocities and sizes with magnetic sensors. The theory of the method and experimental data are discussed.     

Molecular dynamics calculation of molecular volumes and volumes of activation

Experimentally, the effects of pressure on reaction rates are described by their pressure derivatives, known as volumes of activation. Transition state theory directly links activation volumes to partial molar volumes of reactants and transition states. We discuss a molecular dynamics method for the accurate calculation of molecular volumes, within which the volumes of molecular species are obtained as a difference between the volumes of pure solvent and solvent with a single molecule inserted. The volumes thus obtained depend on the molecular geometry, the strength and type of the solute-solvent interactions, as well as temperature and pressure. The partial molar volumes calculated using this approach agree well with experimental data. Since this method can also be applied to transition state species, it allows for quantitative analysis of experimental volumes of activation in terms of structural parameters of the corresponding transition states. The efficiency of the approach is illustrated by calculation of volumes of activation for three nonpolar reactions in nonpolar solvents. The results agree well with the experimental data.     

Determination of competitive isotherms of enantiomers by a hybrid inverse method using overloaded band profiles and the periodic state of the simulated moving-bed process

A procedure for determination of adsorption isotherms in simulated moving-bed (SMB) chromatography is presented. The parameters of a prescribed adsorption isotherm model and rate constants are derived using a hybrid inverse method, which incorporates overloaded band profiles of the racemic mixture and breakthrough data from a single frontal experiment. The latter are included to reduce the uncertainty on the estimated saturation capacity, due to the dilution of the chromatograms with respect to the injected concentrations. The adsorption isotherm model is coupled with an axially dispersed flow model with finite mass-transfer rate to describe the experimental band profiles. The numerical constants of the isotherm model are tuned so that the calculated and measured band profiles match as much as possible. The accuracy of the isotherm model is then checked against the cyclic steady state (CSS) of the target SMB process, which is readily and cheaply obtained experimentally on a single-column set-up. This experiment is as expensive and time consuming as just a few breakthrough experiments. If necessary, the isotherm parameters are adjusted by applying the inverse method to the experimental CSS concentration profile. The method is successfully applied to determine the adsorption isotherms of Tr?gers base enantiomers on Chiralpak AD/methanol system. The results indicate that the proposed inverse method offers a reliable and quick approach to determine the competitive adsorption isotherms for a specific SMB separation.     

Continuous similarity measure between nonoverlapping X-ray powder diagrams of different crystal modifications

The problem of quantifying similarity between crystal structures is transformed into the problem of comparing the associated X-ray powder diagrams. A smooth similarity measure between two powder diagrams, termed a “fold,” is defined. In contrast to conventional comparison methods, the introduced method is still applicable when the peaks of the spectra to be compared have no overlap. The main areas of application of the method are the construction of a molecular crystal structure when only the experimental powder diagram is available and the analysis of possible crystal packings predicted on the basis of molecular information only. A suitable empirical parameterization of the fold has been derived from a large set of experimental and force-field-generated crystals. The analysis of the outcome of an ab initio packing of a flexible molecule is given as an example. The algorithmic details of the method are given as a FORTRAN 77 code. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Photodynamic therapy for periodontal diseases: state of the art

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic killing of periodontopathogenic bacteria may be an alternative to the systemic application of antibacterial drugs used in the treatment of periodontal diseases. Even though the method is still in the experimental stage, increasing bacterial resistance problems may promote the introduction of photodynamic therapy (PDT) into periodontal practice. AIM: In this review a literature survey is given of PDT as seen from a periodontal perspective. METHODS: In this review, the present knowledge and experience of PDT is summarized. Literature data are presented on drawbacks of conventional antibiotics, the mechanism of PDT, bactericidal effects of PDT as well as results of clinical efforts. The future prospects of the method are discussed. RESULTS: The application of photosensitizing dyes and their excitation by visible light enables effective killing of periodontopathogens. Encouraging studies using PDT in periodontitis and in peri-implantitis are known. CONCLUSION: Even though PDT is still in experimental stages of development and testing, the method may be an adjunct to conventional antibacterial measures in periodontology. Clinical follow-up studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of the procedure.     

Calculation of vapour-liquid equilibrium of associated systems by an equation of state

A recently proposed equation of state of the van der Waals type is applied to calculate phase equilibria in hydrogen-bonding, non-electrolytic systems. Association is accounted for by treating alcohols, acids, etc., as mixtures of associated species formed by up to 14 monomers. The method involves essentially one weakly temperature-dependent adjustable parameter per binary system.The calculations cover vapour-liquid equilibrium both at low and elevated pressure in binary systems formed by an associating substance and a non-associating compound such as a hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon. An attempt has been made to include all experimental data available for these systems in the literature. A number of calculations for ternary systems as well as of liquid-liquid equilibria are included, and a limited number of solvated systems are also treated.Owing to its single adjustable parameter, the method may be used to test existing experimental data and to predict such data.     

Evaluation of the rate constants in chemical reactions

This article is concerned with the application of a new method to recover the rate constants in chemical reactions. The method is based on treating the unknown parameters as time dependent. With appropriate experimental data the unknown rate constants are guided from an arbitrary initial condition to their true value at a final time. An explicit equation describing the time evolution of the parameters is obtained by minimizing the error along the trajectory. The method leads to an iterative algorithm which is described in detail. Numerical results with the method indicate that accurate estimates of the rate constants can be obtained directly from experimental data. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 151–159, 1998.     

Estimating structure quality trends in the Protein Data Bank by equivalent resolution

The quality of protein structures obtained by different experimental and ab-initio calculation methods varies considerably. The methods have been evolving over time by improving both experimental designs and computational techniques, and since the primary aim of these developments is the procurement of reliable and high-quality data, better techniques resulted on average in an evolution toward higher quality structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Each method leaves a specific quantitative and qualitative “trace” in the PDB entry. Certain information relevant to one method (e.g. dynamics for NMR) may be lacking for another method. Furthermore, some standard measures of quality for one method cannot be calculated for other experimental methods, e.g. crystal resolution or NMR bundle RMSD. Consequently, structures are classified in the PDB by the method used. Here we introduce a method to estimate a measure of equivalent X-ray resolution (e-resolution), expressed in units of Å, to assess the quality of any type of monomeric, single-chain protein structure, irrespective of the experimental structure determination method. We showed and compared the trends in the quality of structures in the Protein Data Bank over the last two decades for five different experimental techniques, excluding theoretical structure predictions. We observed that as new methods are introduced, they undergo a rapid method development evolution: within several years the e-resolution score becomes similar for structures obtained from the five methods and they improve from initially poor performance to acceptable quality, comparable with previously established methods, the performance of which is essentially stable.     

Resolution enhancement of a.c. polarographic peaks by deconvolution using the fast fourier transform

A method for resolution enhancement of a.c. polarograms (voltammograms) is presented. The method is based on deconvolution using fast Fourier transforms. Overlapped a.c. polarograms are mathematically narrowed and sharpened, retaining the peak position and linear proportionality of the sharpened peak height with concentration. The advantages and limitations of the method are demonstrated on simulated and experimental a.c. polarograms. The same approach is applicable to related techniques such as. differential pulse and square-wave polarography.     

A classical mechanical study of the LiFH system

A three dimensional and collinear quasiclassical study of the Li + HF → LiF + H reaction is performed on the Zeiri—Shapiro semi-empirical potential energy surface. The results are compared to a recent experimental study. In agreement with experiment ≈43% of available energy is channeled to the internal (vibrational and rotational) mode of the LiF product, most of which, we show, ends up as rotation (≈33%) and only the remaining 10% as vibration. The differential cross section is shown to peak in the forward—backward directions as also observed experimentally. The calculated cross section is more backward peaked than the experimental one. The accuracy of the quasiclassical method for this system is assessed by comparison of collinear results with available quantal calculations. It is shown that the average product vibrational distributions are adequately given by the quasiclassical method. The results are analyzed using periodic-orbit-dividing surfaces which predict correctly the onset of the various dynamic barriers.     

Experimental study of the formation of high-resistivity zones at the gel/buffer interface in CE

A novel, nondamaging method for experimental characterization of the formation and propagation of high-resistivity zones in CE, based on the measurement of time-dependent Joule heating on the outer capillary surface is proposed. The method detects propagation of resistive regions in capillaries in real time and allows the estimation of their velocity and resistance. The presented experimental data are in agreement with the results of the computer simulation as well as with previous data on the subject. The proposed method is useful for the development of new polymers as well as for the refinement and optimization of new CE protocols.     

Use of a QM/MM-based FEP method to evaluate the anomalous hydration behavior of simple alkyl amines and amides: application to the design of FBPase inhibitors for the treatment of type-2 diabetes

Standard molecular mechanics (MM) force fields predict a nearly linear decrease in hydration free energy with each successive addition of a methyl group to ammonia or acetamide, whereas a nonadditive relationship is observed experimentally. In contrast, the non-additive hydration behavior is reproduced directly using a quantum mechanics (QM)/MM-based free-energy perturbation (FEP) method wherein the solute partial atomic charges are updated at every window. Decomposing the free energies into electrostatic and van der Waals contributions and comparing the results with the corresponding free energies obtained using a conventional FEP method and a QM/MM method wherein the charges are not updated suggests that inaccuracies in the electrostatic free energies are the primary reason for the inability of the conventional FEP method to predict the experimental findings. The QM/MM-based FEP method was subsequently used to evaluate inhibitors of the diabetes drug target fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase adenosine 5'-monophosphate and 6-methylamino purine riboside 5'-monophosphate. The predicted relative binding free energy was consistent with the experimental findings, whereas the relative binding free energy predicted using the conventional FEP method differed from the experimental finding by an amount consistent with the overestimated relative solvation free energies calculated for alkylamines. Accordingly, the QM/MM-based FEP method offers potential advantages over conventional FEP methods, including greater accuracy and reduced user input. Moreover, since drug candidates often contain either functionality that is inadequately treated by MM (e.g., simple alkylamines and alkylamides) or new molecular scaffolds that require time-consuming development of MM parameters, these advantages could enable future automation of FEP calculations as well as greatly increase the use and impact of FEP calculations in drug discovery.     

An improved sealed quartz‐tube method for the determination of hydrogen isotopes in water

Hydrogen stable isotope analysis has been a valuable tool in the fields of geochemistry and ecological research as well as many other research fields. The methods are mainly divided into the dual‐inlet method (off‐line method) and continuous flow method. The dual‐inlet method is complicated and inefficient, but it is still important because of its high precision and wide application range. Although the continuous flow method improves the experimental efficiency, the memory effect is noticeable and the accuracy is reduced. An improved sealed quartz‐tube method is proposed in this paper. The sample is sealed in a capillary tube and placed in a quartz tube containing chromium powder. It is then packaged, evacuated, reacted at a high temperature, and analyzed for hydrogen isotope ratio. Excellent data accuracy, good reproducibility (<1‰), and no memory effect occurred in the method. The process is relatively simple, and the experimental efficiency is greatly improved, which provides an effective method for the analysis of hydrogen isotopes in complex liquid samples.     

电热进样微波等离子体原子吸收光谱法的性能研究

本文将L形放电-吸收管与电热进样微波诱导等离子体原子吸收光谱法相结合,考察了各种实验参数对分析性能的影响.给出了利用该方法测定一系列元素的特征浓度,讨论了共存元素等因素对检测结果的影响.将本法用于实际样品分析,结果较好.