Characterization of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives binding to bovine serum albumin

Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCAs) are a group of naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds which possess various pharmacological activities. In this work, the interactions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with six HCA derivatives, including chlorogenic acid (CHA), caffeic acid (CFA), m-coumaric acid (m-CA), p-coumaric acid (p-CA), ferulic acid (FA) and sinapic acid (SA) have been investigated by NMR spectroscopic techniques in combination with fluorescence and molecular modeling methods. Competitive STD NMR experiments using warfarin sodium and L-tryptophan as site-selective probes indicated that HCAs bind to site I in the subdomain IIA of BSA. From the analysis of the STD NMR-derived binding epitopes and molecular docking models, it was deduced that CHA, CFA, m-CA and p-CA show similar binding modes and orientation, in which the phenyl ring is in close contact with protein surface, whereas carboxyl group points out of the protein. However, FA and SA showed slightly different binding modes, due to the steric hindrance of methoxy-substituents on the phenyl ring. Relaxation experiments provided detailed information about the relationship between the affinity and structure of HCAs. The binding affinity was the strongest for CHA and ranked in the order CHA > CFA > m-CA ≥ p-CA > FA > SA, which agreed well with the results from fluorescence experiments. Based on our experimental results, we also conclude that HCAs bind to BSA mainly by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. This study therefore provides valuable information for elucidating the mechanisms of BSA-HCAs interaction.     

A Brazilian coal fly ash as a potential source of rare earth elements

Rare earth elements (REEs) have several applications and their market demands have increased. Recently, coal fly ash (CFA) has been considered as a source of these elements. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the REEs content in a CFA from a Brazilian coal power plant by instrumental neutron analysis, to classify it according to commercial purposes and to assess the weathering impact in the REEs content, since it is held in fields nearby the power plant. The results pointed no significant REEs leachability and indicated this CFA as a promising REEs source.

     

Application of Analytic Continuations to Avoided Crossings

The two-root (i,j,k) generalized Padé approximation (GPA) and three-root (i,j,k,l) GPA as well as the two-root continued fraction approximation (CFA) and the three-root CFA are applied to the model of a three-state avoided crossing. These two procedures for analytic continuation are compared. The results indicate that both methods provide good continuation into the complex plane and can be applied to locate the complex branch point. When the same input data are chosen, the GPA works slightly better than the CFA. According to our analysis, the two-root procedure can be applied to locate the branch point around each region of avoided crossing in the problem of a multi-state avoided crossing. The accuracy of the result is found to be associated the location of complex branch point.     

对应分析用于牛黄解毒片中As控制线的研究

用石墨炉原子吸收法分析测定了牛黄解毒片中的As、Hg、Cd等微量元素.并试图将对应因子分析法（CFA）应用于中成药牛黄解毒片中As化学分析数据的直接处理,探讨研究牛黄解毒片中As的控制线,以确保药品质量.结果表明,不论对数据施行交换与否,用对应因子分析方法得出的控制线很接近,证明化学计量学进入医药质量管理行业是可行的     

Chemometric studies of retention in capillary gas chromatographic separation of hydrocarbons in coupled columns

This paper describes how different multivariate analysis and classification methods can be used, to characterize the gas chromatographic separation of complex hydrocarbon mixtures in three columns coupled in series. Principal component analysis (PCA), correspondence factor analysis (CFA), and hierarchical ascending classification (HAC) were used as potential tools for evaluating the experiments on single columns and on column series. It has been demonstrated that: (1) multivariate analysis with PCA and CFA offers a powerful strategy to search for the main factors influencing the separation of hydrocarbons without a priori knowledge of the key factors of the separation. (2) With CFA the contribution of retention due to vapour pressure can be minimized. The use of retention indices, which use the n-alkanes as reference compounds, also helps to decrease the dominant focus on vapour pressure in favor of the more selectivity-based interaction forces. (3) CFA helps to analyze the degree of relevance of the chosen experimental design to the most important factors, controlling chromatographic selectivity.     

Characterization of stationary phases based on monosubstituted benzene retention indices using correspondence factor analysis and linear solvation energy relationships in RPLC

In reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), the comparison of experimental results obtained from different columns is a complex problem. A correspondence factor analysis (CFA) and a linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) were applied on retention data to characterize second-order intermolecular interactions responsible for retention on a set of RPLC columns. Seven octadecyl-C₁₈ columns with different packing materials are obtained from different manufacturers and one octyl-C₈ column. The retention data were determined under isocratic conditions using a methanol–water (65:35, v/v) mobile phase. The chromatographic retention indices based on alkan-2-ones and alkyl aryl ketones retention index scales are calculated using a multiparametric least-squares regressions iterative method. The CFA and LSER results permitted to highlight that the retention indices were appropriate for studying the second-order retention mechanisms on the eight chromatographic systems investigated and exhibited the best reproducibility. Although many earlier studies have reported the use of chemometric methods to characterize chemical factors affecting retention in RPLC using retention factors as retention parameters, this is the first study based on retention indices.     

Influence of mechanical grinding on pozzolanic characteristics of circulating fluidized bed fly ash (CFA) and resulting consequences on hydration and hardening properties of blended cement

This paper investigates the influence of mechanical grinding on pozzolanic characteristics of circulating fluidized bed fly ash (CFA) from the dissolution characteristics, paste strength, hydration heat and reaction degree. Further, the hydration and hardening properties of blended cement containing different ground CFA are also compared and analyzed from hydration heat, non-evaporable water content, hydration products, pore structure, setting time and mortar strength. The results show that the ground CFA has a relatively higher dissolution rate of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ under the alkaline environment compared with that of raw CFA, and the pozzolanic reaction activity of ground CFA is gradually improved with the increase of grinding time. At the grinding time of 60 min, the pozzolanic reaction degree of CFA paste is improved from 6.32% (raw CFA) to 13.71% at 7 days and from 13.65 to 28.44% at 28 days, respectively. The relationships of pozzolanic reaction degree and grinding time of CFA also conform to a quadratic function. For ground CFA after a long-time grinding such as 60 min, the hydration heat and non-evaporable water content of blended cement containing CFA are significantly improved. Owing to relatively smaller particle size and higher activity of ground CFA, the blended cement paste has more hydration products, narrower pore size distribution and lower porosity. For macroscopic properties, with increase in grinding time of CFA, the setting time and strength of blended cement are gradually shortened and improved, respectively.     

Study of the influence of electronic effects on the retention of substitutedN-benzylideneanilines in normal-phase liquid chromatography

Summary A series of 72 substitutedN-benzylideneanilines (NBA) has been studied by normal-phase liquid chromatography by use of an experimental design based on variation of the composition of mobile phases prepared from heptane and three modifiers, tetrahydrofuran, 1-octanol and ethyl acetate, for each of which the specific interactions are different. Seven mobile phases were defined in the experimental design. The chromatographic data obtained are used to discuss the behavior of NBA by application of complementary chemometric methods—hierarchical ascending classification (HAC) and correspondence factor analysis (CFA). Although solute polarity has the greatest effect on retention, construction of HAC and CFA plots shows that solute behavior is also influenced by second-order electronic effects arising as a result of specific interactions between the solutes and the different modifier solvents. A quantitative structure-retention relationship has been established between Hammett's constants and the solutes projection on the first factorial axis of CFA.     

气体流动注射分析和连续流动分析系统的研究-二氧化硫气体的电化学测定

本文以电化学气体传感器为检测器, 将流动注射技术直接用于二氧化硫气体分析。详细研究了气体流动体系的连接方式、气体流速以及体系中压强的变化对分析信号的影响, 得到最佳连接方式, 比较了载气流速对气体流动注射分析和连续流动分析的影响。气体流动注射分析法重现性较好, 测定2890×10^-^6mol/mol SO2的相对标准偏差为0.7%(n=12), 测定速度快, 可达50样/时。连续流动分析能达到气体传感器的稳态响应信号, 灵敏度较高。     

Synergistic effects between a triazine-based charring agent and aluminum phosphinate on the intumescent flame retardance of thermoplastic polyether ester

The triazine-based charring agent (CFA) with perfect charring ability was synthesized and characterized. The synergistic effects between CFA and aluminum phosphinate (AlPi) on flame retardancy, thermal degradation, and flammability properties of thermoplastic polyester-ether elastomer (TPEE) were investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94), cone calorimeter test (CCT), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), laser Raman spectroscopy (LSR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results from UL-94 test showed that, by compounding 14 wt% AlPi and 4 wt% CFA with TPEE, the LOI value reached 28.5% and the UL-94 rating reached V-0 (1.6 mm). TGA results indicated that there is good synergistic charring ability between CFA and AlPi, especially the increased residues at high temperature (T > 700 °C). The CCT test results showed that CFA could change the combustion behavior of TPEE and effectively accelerate the formation of expanded carbon layers. The residues after combustion were measured by LRS and SEM, demonstrating that CFA can promote the formation of dense and stable carbon layers during the combustion, which could inhibit the melt dropping and improve the fire retardancy of TPEE composites. Thus, CFA was a promising synergistic agent in halogen-free flame retardant TPEE.     

Measuring nitrate concentration in wastewaters with high chloride content

The presence of chloride ions in wastewaters in concentrations above 50 mg/L poses interference in several methods used for the measurement of nitrate-nitrogen. The aim of this study was to characterise the reliability and costs of some commonly available methods for the analysis of nitrate concentration in landfill leachate which contains high chloride levels. To investigate the effect of chloride interference, several widely used methods [ion chromatography (IC), continuous flow analysis (CFA), the German standard method (DIN), cuvette test (CUV), standard addition method (SAM) and reflectometric test (REF)] were used to measure the nitrate concentration in synthetic solutions containing varying concentrations of chloride and nitrate-nitrogen. Nitrate recoveries of the various methods were found to decrease in the following rank order: CUV (>95%) > IC (>90%) > CFA (89%) > DIN (88%) > REF (70%) > SAM (<80%). In the second part of the study, the same methods were used to measure nitrate concentrations in samples of biologically nitrified landfill leachate with and without chloride elimination. For leachate samples without chloride elimination, CUV results were well correlated (linear regression) with IC results (slope = 1.02/R² = 0.99) but to lesser extents with results obtained by CFA (0.91/0.86), DIN (0.89/0.97) and REF (0.86/0.77), and not correlated with SAM (0.74/–1.3). The incurred measurement costs per sample (in Euros) for the methods were as follows: CFA (<0.1) < DIN (0.6) < REF (0.7) < SAM (3) < CUV (3.8) < IC (15). Cuvette tests are recommended as the method of choice due to their accuracy and lower cost than IC.     

An efficient one-pot reaction for selective fluorimetric determination of cefpodoxime and its prodrug

Cefpodoxime proxetil (CFP), an oral third-generation cephalosporin, is a prodrug that is de-esterified in vivo to its active metabolite, cefpodoxime acid (CFA). Therefore, this study aimed to develop a facile and efficient one-pot reaction for selective and sensitive determination of CFA and its prodrug (CFP). The method was based on single-step reaction between CFP or CFA and 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate (NQS) as a selective derivatizing reagent in alkaline medium without heating, extraction or reduction steps as usual for NQS derivatization reactions. The fluorescence of the formed NQS-derivative was monitored directly at emission wavelength of 440 nm after excitation at 330 nm. The method can easily be implemented in plating facilities by operators and/or incorporated in on-line derivatization reaction. The correlation coefficients of 0.9991 and 0.9984 were obtained in the concentration ranges of 50-2000 ng mL⁻¹ for CFA and CFP, respectively. The detection limits were 9.17 and 9.48 ng mL⁻¹ for CFA and CFP, respectively. The method was validated in accordance with the requirements of ICH guidelines and shown to be suitable for their efficient and sensitive determinations. The developed method was successfully applied for selective determination of CFP in pure form and in pharmaceutical dosage forms as well as CFA in human urine after single dose of CFP without prior need for separation. The method is valuable for quality control laboratories for monitoring of CFP and its active metabolite CFA.     

Preparation and adsorption mechanism of rare earth-doped adsorbent for arsenic(V) removal from groundwater

Human poisoning and death from arsenic(As) have occurred as a result of drinking water contaminated with As in some regions and countries, such as Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, and In-dia[1]. Chronic arsenism poses a serious health problem in China also[2]. If China lowers its current drinking water standard of As from 0.05 to 0.01 mg/L[3], a level adopted by WHO[4] and some industrialized countries[5], the population affected will increase significantly. It is of great impor-tance to develo…     

Continuous flow analysis combined with a light-absorption ratio variation approach for determination of copper at ng/ml level in natural water.

The complexation between Cu(II) and naphthochrome green (NG) is very sensitive at pH 4.09 with the formation of complex ion [Cu(NG)2(H2O)2](2-). It can thus used for the determination of Cu(II) by the light-absorption ratio variation approach (LARVA) with a good selectivity. Both the ordinary detection procedure and continuous flow analysis (CFA) were carried out, where the latter is fit for continuous and rapid analysis of samples. The limit of detection (LOD) of Cu(II) is only 1 ng/ml, which is favorable for direct monitoring of natural water. About 30 samples could be analyzed per hour by CFA. Cu(II) contents in Yangtze River, West Lake, Taihu Lake of China and seawater near Shanghai were determined with satisfactory results. The CFA-LARVA spectrophotometry was the first to be coupled and it will play an important role in the in-situ analysis of natural water quality.     

利用连续流动分析仪测定水溶肥料硝态氮的方法研究

探讨了利用连续流动分析仪测定水溶肥料中的硝态氮的方法。选择含腐植酸、有机、微量元素、大量元素等4类水溶肥料样品,采用水振荡浸提试样,利用连续流动分析仪对浸提液中硝态氮的含量进行测定,并与紫外分光光度计测定数据进行对比,探讨利用连续流动分析仪测定化学肥料中硝态氮含量可行性。结果表明,流动分析仪法的方法检出限为0.008 g/kg;加标回收率在93.2%~101%;测定结果的相对标准偏差在1.7%~8.3%;所得数据与紫外分光光度计测定结果对比分析,t检验结果表明两种方法无显著差异;两种方法测定数据之间拟合方程为y=0.9782x+0.0768,R²=0.9966。结果表明,连续流动分析仪测试速度快,试剂消耗量少,精密度和准确度满足要求,可用于水溶肥料硝态氮含量的分析测定。     

Factor analysis in ion chromatography of carboxylate ions

The retention times of five carboxylate ions (formate, acetate, propionate, n-butanoate and n-pentanoate) in ion chromatography were determined using 25 eluents prepared from NaHCO₃ and Na₂CO₃. Principal component analysis (PCA) and correspondence factor analysis (CFA) were applied to describe the behaviour of the carboxylate anions and the influence of the carbonate concentration of the eluents. With PCA, only one factor is necessary to model the retention times of each ion studied. CFA offers an analysis of second-order effects and shows how the selectivities of the chromatographic systems are modified with either the carbonate concentration or the concentration ratio of NaHCO₃ and Na₂CO₃.     

Flame retardancy and thermal degradation of intumescent flame retardant polypropylene material

The flame retardancy and thermal degradation properties of polypropylene (PP) containing intumescent flame retardant additives, i.e. melamine pyrophosphate (MPyP) and charring‐foaming agent (CFA) were characterized by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL 94, cone calorimeter, microscale combustion calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It has been found that the PP material containing only MPyP does not show good flame retardancy even at 30% additive level. Compared with the PP/MPyP binary system, the LOI values of the PP/MPyP/CFA ternary materials at the same additive loading are all increased, and UL 94 rating is raised to V‐0 from no rating (PP/MPyP). The cone calorimeter results show that the heat release rate and mass loss rate of some ternary materials decrease in comparison with the binary material. The microscale combustion calorimetry results indicate that the sample containing 22.5 wt% MPyP and 7.5 wt% CFA has the lowest heat release rate among all samples. The TGA results show that the thermal stability of the materials increases with the addition of MPyP, while decreases with the addition of CFA. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Urinary metabolomics of complete Freund's adjuvant‐induced hyperalgesia in rats

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the differences of metabolomics changes in a hyperalgesia model and find potent biomarkers of hyperalgesia. Seven rats were placed in metabolic cages. An emulsion containing 500 μg of Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) was used to induce hyperalgesia. Urine samples were collected prior to the injection of CFA and on post‐injection days 1, 3 and 7. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography, coupled with quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐Q‐TOF/MS), was used for a quantitative analysis of urinary metabolic changes in the CFA‐induced hyperalgesia model. Differences between the metabolic profiles of the rats in the four groups were analyzed using partial least squares discriminant analysis. Thirty‐four potential urine metabolite biomarkers were identified, which changed in a trend similar to the pain threshold. These potential biomarkers were involved in 11 metabolic pathways, as follows: alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; ascorbate and aldarate metabolism; glycerolipid metabolism; glycerophospholipid metabolism; histidine metabolism; phenylalanine metabolism; sphingolipid metabolism; tryptophan metabolism; tyrosine metabolism; valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis; and vitamin B6 metabolism. These results may improve our understanding of hyperalgesia and provide a basis for the clinical diagnosis of hyperalgesia.     

Chemometric study of retention on binary stationary phases in gas chromatography

Using gas chromatography, data analysis is performed on a dataset consisting of 486 retention indices, 27 standards (ramified alkanes, aliphatic alcohols, and aromatic compounds), 6 pure and binary stationary phases, and three temperatures. The behavior of the pure stationary phases (OV-3, OV-225, OV-61-OH, and OV-1701-OH) and the binary stationary phases (OV-3/OV-225 and OV-61-OH/OV-1701-OH) at different temperatures (60°C-100°C) is investigated with factor and topological analysis. The influence of temperature and the nature of the mixed stationary phases on the retention indices is studied by correspondence factor analysis (CFA). The non-additivity of the retention properties of the pure phases used as mixed phases is clearly established by CFA. The topological analysis of the substituent's effect is investigated with a DARC/PELCO procedure and shows the particular influence of the stationary phase composition on the retention. The substituent effect is measured for the pure and binary stationary phases at various temperatures. The evolution of the substituent effect from the pure stationary phases to the binary phases is discussed.