A collaborative study of four methods of assay of benzylpenicillin

The assay of benzylpenicillin by iodimetric titration, spectrophotometry with a mercury(II) chloride—imidazole reagent, titration with mercury(II) nitrate in acetate buffer solution, and titration with mercury(II) perchlorate in aqueous pyridine solution, was examined in four laboratories. The first two methods were applied to two samples (the third one being the reference sample), the mercury(II) nitrate titration to three, and the mercury(II) perchlorate method to two samples. The four methods gave very similar results, but the purity obtained with the mercury(II) perchlorate method was slightly lower, and this procedure is less desirable because pyridine is used as solvent. There were no great differences in the relative standard deviations of the four methods. The titration with mercury(II) nitrate is preferred because it is an absolute method.     

A collaborative study using solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A first collaborative study was carried out to test the precision and accuracy of solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-ZAAS). Seven test materials, i.e. red cabbage, two bovine liver materials, milk powder (BCR 150), kale, industry dust, and fish homogenate were sent to 11 participants. These test materials were analyzed for cadmium, lead, copper and mercury. Precision was calculated as the repeatability (r) and the reproducibility limits (R). Accuracy was calculated with respect to the Certified Reference Material BCR 150, milk powder. Results showed that the accuracy for milk powder was excellent, and that most results regarding repeatability and reproducibility limits were satisfying. However, some problems were met especially with copper in bovine liver and cadmium and copper in industry dust. It was not clear what caused the problems: the method SS-ZAAS or the inhomogeneity of the material. Especially the industry dust test material has to be studied further in order to locate the origin of the problems.Presented at the 5th International Colloqium on Solid Sampling with Atomic Spectroscopy, May 18–20, 1992, Geel, Belgium     

A NAA collaborative study in white rice performed in seven Asian countries

Since 2000, collaborative studies for applying NAA have been performed through the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA) sponsored by the Japanese Government. White rice is a main food for Asians and thus was selected as a common target sample for a collaborative study in 2008. Seven Asian countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, are greatly concerned about the composition of arsenic, heavy metals, and essential trace elements and took part in this study. Rice samples were purchased and prepared by following a protocol that had been proposed for this study. Samples were analyzed by their own NAA systems. In each country, more than 10 elements were examined and the results were compared. These data will be very useful in the monitoring of the levels of food contamination and to evaluate the nutritional status for people living in Asia.     

Liquid chromatographic method with immunoaffinity column cleanup for determination of ochratoxin A in barley: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate a liquid chromatographic (LC) method with immunoaffinity column cleanup for determination of ochratoxin A. The method was tested at 3 concentration levels of ochratoxin A in barley, which represent possible future European regulatory limits. The test portion was extracted with acetonitrile-water by blending at high speed. The extract was filtered, diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and applied to an ochratoxin A immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with water and the ochratoxin A eluted with methanol. The solvent was then evaporated and the residue redissolved in injection solvent. After injection of this solution onto reversed-phase LC column, ochratoxin A was measured by fluorescence detection. Eight samples of low level naturally contaminated barley and 2 samples of blank barley (ochratoxin A not found at the limit of detection of 0.2 microg/kg at the signal-to-noise ratio of 3 to 1) were sent, along with ampules of ochratoxin A, calibrant, and spiking solutions, to 15 laboratories in 13 different European countries. Test portions were spiked with ochratoxin A at levels of 4 ng/g, and recoveries ranged from 65 to 113%. Based on results for spiked samples (blind duplicates) and naturally contaminated samples (blind duplicates at 3 levels), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 4 to 24%, and the relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 12 to 33%. The method showed acceptable within- and between-laboratory precision, as evidenced by HORRAT values, at the low level of determination for ochratoxin A in barley.     

A comparison study between polymeric ligand and monomeric ligand for oligopeptide adsorption

This work aimed to compare two types of affinity ligands, i.e. polymeric and monomeric ligands, by investigating their adsorption affinity, capacity and selectivity to oligopeptide. The peptide NH(2)-VVRGCTWW-COOH (VW-8) was chosen as the target adsorbate, while histidine (His), aspartic acid (Asp), and leucine (Leu) were selected as the ligands, respectively. For each kind of ligand, both monomeric (M) and polymeric (P) forms were introduced onto the Sepharose matrix respectively to obtain the corresponding adsorbents. Both affinity tests using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and adsorption capacities using static adsorption experiments indicated that the adsorbents with polymeric ligands (MX-P) exhibited better adsorption ability for VW-8 than the adsorbents with monomeric ligands (MX-M). In particular, the MX-PHis exhibited its affinity constant of 2.39 × 10(6) M(-1) and its adsorption capacity of 77.4 mg/g for VW-8, which was approximately 8-10 times higher than that of MX-MHis. Such distinct adsorption abilities between polymeric and monomeric ligands were interpreted based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ITC data, and the results indicated that such better characters of polymeric ligands were ascribed to their good flexibility which facilitated the cooperative effects as well as the accessibility of ligands to the peptide. Additionally, the selective adsorption experiments indicated that all the adsorbents with polymeric ligands exhibited good selectivity to the peptide VW-8.     

T肽的合成:合成方法的比较研究

本文用Fmoc-及Boc-固相多肽合成法合成了T肽, 结果表明BOC法得率略高于Fmoc法, 但其纯度没有Fmoc法好, 在两种合成T肽方法中, 均得到一个副产物, 经质谱分析证明, 在BOC法中的副产物是侧链仍含有一个苄基保护的T肽; 在Fmoc法中的副产物是侧链仍含有一个叔丁基保护的T肽。     

TECRA Unique test for rapid detection of Salmonella in food: collaborative study

The TECRA Unique Salmonella test uses the principle of immunoenrichment to allow rapid detection of Salmonellae in food. A collaborative study was conducted to compare the TECRA Salmonella Unique test with the reference culture method given in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Three food types (milk powder, pepper, and soy flour) were analyzed in Australia and 2 food types (milk chocolate and dried egg) were analyzed in the United States. Forty-one collaborators participated in the study. For each of the 5 foods at each of the 3 levels, a comparison showed no significant differences (p > or = 0.05) in the proportion of positive test samples for Unique and that for the reference method using the Chi-square test for independence with continuity correction.     

VIDAS enzyme-linked immunoflourescent assay for detection of Listeria in foods: collaborative study

The VIDAS LIS method and the traditional culture methods for detection of Listeria species in food were evaluated in a multilaboratory comparative study. The 6 foods tested were either naturally contaminated or inoculated with 3 different concentrations of Listeria. Results for each food and each contamination level with the VIDAS LIS method were as good as or better than those obtained with the traditional culture method. Of 1558 samples tested, 935 were positive: 839 by the VIDAS method and 809 by standard culture methods. Overall false negative rates were 10.3 and 13.5% for the VIDAS LIS and culture methods, respectively. The false positive rate for the VIDAS LIS assay was 1.4% based on 9 VIDAS LIS positive assays that did not confirm positive by isolation of Listeria. The agreement between the VIDAS LIS and culture methods for all samples tested was 86%.     

A collaborative environment for developing and validating predictive tools for protein biophysical characteristics

The exchange of information between experimentalists and theoreticians is crucial to improving the predictive ability of theoretical methods and hence our understanding of the related biology. However many barriers exist which prevent the flow of information between the two disciplines. Enabling effective collaboration requires that experimentalists can easily apply computational tools to their data, share their data with theoreticians, and that both the experimental data and computational results are accessible to the wider community. We present a prototype collaborative environment for developing and validating predictive tools for protein biophysical characteristics. The environment is built on two central components; a new python-based integration module which allows theoreticians to provide and manage remote access to their programs; and PEATDB, a program for storing and sharing experimental data from protein biophysical characterisation studies. We demonstrate our approach by integrating PEATSA, a web-based service for predicting changes in protein biophysical characteristics, into PEATDB. Furthermore, we illustrate how the resulting environment aids method development using the Potapov dataset of experimentally measured ΔΔG_fold values, previously employed to validate and train protein stability prediction algorithms.     

Microbiological assay-trienzyme procedure for total folates in cereals and cereal foods: collaborative study

In 1996, U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations mandated the fortification of enriched cereal-grain products with folic acid, thereby emphasizing the need for validated methods for total folates in foods, particularly cereal products. The AOAC Official Methods (944.12, 960.46) currently used for the analysis of folate in foods for compliance purposes are microbiological methods. When the fortification regulations were finalized, no Official AOAC or Approved AACC methods for folate in cereal-grain products were in place. The AOAC Official Method (992.05) for folic acid in infant formula does not incorporate important improvements in the extraction procedure and was not considered suitable for the analysis of folates in foods in general. A microbiological assay protocol using a trienzyme extraction procedure was prepared and submitted for comments to 40 laboratories with recognized experience in folate analysis. On the basis of comments, the method was revised to have the conjugase (gamma-glutamyl-carboxy-peptidase) treatment follow a protease treatment, to include the use of cryoprotected inoculum, and to include the spectroscopic standardization of the standard and optional use of microtiter plates. Thirteen laboratories participated in a collaborative study of 10 required and 10 optional cereal-grain products, including flour, bread, cookies, baking mixes, and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. The majority of the participating laboratories performed the assay by the standard test tube method; others used the microtiter plate modification for endpoint quantitation with equal success. For the required products, the relative standard deviation between laboratories (RSD(R)) ranged from 7.4 to 21.6% for 8 fortified (or enriched) products compared with expected (Horwitz equation-based) values of 11-20%. RSD(R) values were higher (22.7-52.9%) for 2 unfortified cereal-grain products. For the optional products, the RSD(R) ranged from 1.8 to 11.2% for 8 fortified products. RSD(R) values were higher (27.9-28.7%) for 2 unfortified cereal-grain products. Based on the results of the collaborative study, the microbiological assay with trienzyme extraction is recommended for adoption as Official First Action.     

Measurement uncertainty and its implications for collaborative study method validation and method performance parameters

ISO principles of measurement uncertainty estimation are compared with protocols for method development and validation by collaborative trial and concomitant "top-down" estimation of uncertainty. It is shown that there is substantial commonality between the two procedures. In particular, both require a careful consideration and study of the main effects on the result. Most of the information required to evaluate measurement uncertainty is therefore gathered during the method development and validation process. However, the information is not generally published in sufficient detail at present; recommendations are accordingly made for future reporting of the data.     

Modification of enrichment protocols for TECRA Listeria Visual Immunoassay method 995.22: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted to validate new enrichment methods for the TECRA Listeria Visual Immunoassay (TLVIA). These new methods incorporate a newly formulated medium, TECRA Listeria Enrichrment Broth, which does not contain the highly toxic antifungal agent, cycloheximide. The new procedures will provide an alternative to the enrichment procedures described in AOAC Method 995.22. Three food types (raw ground beef, lettuce, and ice cream) were analyzed in the United States, and 2 food types (cooked turkey and cooked fish fillets) were analyzed in Australasia. Thirty collaborators participated in the study, 16 in Australasia and 14 in the United States. With the exception of one batch of ground beef, comparison of the proportion of positive test portions (p > or = 0.05) showed no significant difference between the TLVIA and the reference method for the 5 foods at 3 inoculation levels. For the one batch of naturally contaminated raw ground beef, the TLVIA gave significantly more confirmed positive results than the reference method.     

A collaborative study: high-pressure liquid chromatographic determination of carbadox and pyrantel tartrate in animal feeds

Carbadox (CBX), an antibacterial agent, and pyrantel tartrate (PT), an anthelmintic, are formulated either separately or together in swine feeds. The official Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) spectrophotometric methods for both drugs are long, nonspecific, and require standard addition techniques. Results by this technique are positively biased. A simple, direct, specific, high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method to determine either one or both drugs simultaneously with apparent accuracy and precision is developed. Drugs are released from feed matrices by water, extracted with dimethylformamide (DMF), cleaned up on alumina, and quantitated by direct comparison to standards using a Whatman Partisil 10 ODS-3 column and a mobile solvent containing 23.5 +/- 1.5% DMF in phosphate buffer (pH 2.0). Fourteen laboratories participated in a collaborative study of this method for determination of CBX and PT in animal feeds.     

Combined phenyl silane and immunoaffinity column cleanup with liquid chromatography for determination of ochratoxin A in roasted coffee: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate a liquid chromatography (LC) method for ochratoxin A using sequential phenyl silane and immunoaffinity column cleanup. The method was tested at 3 different levels of ochratoxin A in roasted coffee, which spanned the range of possible future European regulatory limits. The test portion was extracted with methanol and sodium bicarbonate by shaking for 30 min. The extract was filtered, centrifuged, and then cleaned up on a phenyl silane column before being eluted from the washed column with methanol-water. The eluate was diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and applied to an ochratoxin A immunoaffinity column, which was washed with water. The ochratoxin A was eluted with methanol, the solvent was evaporated, and the residue was redissolved in injection solvent. After injection of this solution onto a reversed-phase LC apparatus, ochratoxin A was measured by fluorescence detection. Eight laboratory samples of low-level naturally contaminated roasted coffee and 2 laboratory samples of blank coffee (< 0.2 ng/g ochratoxin A at the signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1), along with ampules of ochratoxin A calibrant and spiking solutions, were sent to 15 laboratories in 13 different European countries. Test portions of the laboratory samples were spiked at levels of 4 ng/g ochratoxin A, and recoveries ranged from 65 to 97%. Based on results for spiked blank material (blind duplicates) and naturally contaminated material (blind duplicates at 3 levels), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 2 to 22% and the relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 14 to 26%. The method showed acceptable within- and between-laboratory precision, as evidenced by HORRAT values, at the low level of determination for ochratoxin A in roasted coffee.     

碱金属掺杂的石墨相氮化碳在可见光光催化制氢中的比较研究(英文)

利用半导体光催化技术将太阳能转化为清洁化学能源是解决能源危机和环境问题的最有潜力的途径之一.过去几十年,许多半导体包括氧化物、硫化物和氮化物均表现出光催化活性.然而,半导体光催化的实际应用仍然受制于其较低的太阳能转化效率.解决上述问题的方法之一是发展高效的可见光光催化制氢材料.近年来,石墨相氮化碳(g-C_3N_4)作为一种聚合物半导体材料,受到了光催化研究人员的广泛关注.g-C_3N_4具有可见光吸收能力、合适的导带价带位置、良好的热稳定性和化学稳定性,且制备方法简单和结构易调控,是一种极具潜力的光催化制氢材料.然而g-C_3N_4仍然仅能吸收波长450 nm以下的光,且其光生电子和空穴极易复合,因而光催化制氢效率较低.目前,研究人员采用了多种改性方法来增强g-C_3N_4的光催化性能,其中通过元素掺杂进行能带结构调控是一种非常有效的策略.而碱金属原子(Li,Na和K)被认为可有效进入g-C_3N_4的内部结构,通过引入缺陷来拓宽g-C_3N_4的光吸收范围和提高光生电荷的分离效率.不过到目前为止,尚未见系统的比较研究来深入理解不同碱金属元素掺杂的g-C_3N_4在可见光光催化制氢中的性能差异.本文采用X射线衍射(XRD)、氮气吸附-脱附测试、紫外可见漫反射光谱(UV-visDRS)、时间分辨荧光光谱(TRPL)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、光电化学测试和光催化制氢测试等表征和测试手段比较研究了不同碱金属元素掺杂的g-C_3N_4在结构、光学性质、能带结构、电荷转移能力和光催化性能等方面的差异.XRD结果表明,碱金属掺杂可导致g-C_3N_4的层间距离增大,且碱金属原子半径越大,g-C_3N_4的层间距离越大.氮气吸附-脱附测试结果表明,碱金属掺杂可提高g-C_3N_4的比表面积,其中Na掺杂的最高.UV-vis DRS和XPS谱结果表明,依Li,Na,K的顺序,碱金属掺杂导致g-C_3N_4带隙逐渐变窄,使得可见光吸收能力逐渐增强,且其导带和价带位置逐渐下移.TRPL和光电化学测试结果显示,碱金属掺杂有效抑制了g-C_3N_4的光生载流子复合和促进了光生载流子的转移,其中Na掺杂的g-C_3N_4的光生载流子利用效率最高.可见光光催化制氢实验表明,碱金属掺杂显著提升了g-C_3N_4的光催化性能,其中以Na掺杂的g-C_3N_4性能最佳,其产氢速率(18.7mmol h–1)较纯的g-C_3N_4(5.0mmol h–1)可提高至3.7倍.由此可见,g-C_3N_4的掺杂改性是一个对其微结构和能带结构的优化调控过程,最终获得最优的光催化性能.     

Evaluation of the BAX system for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods: collaborative study

A multilaboratory study was conducted to compare the automated BAX system and the standard cultural methods for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods. Six food types (frankfurters, soft cheese, smoked salmon, raw, ground beef, fresh radishes, and frozen peas) were analyzed by each method. For each food type, 3 inoculation levels were tested: high (average of 2 CFU/g), low (average of 0.2 CFU/g) and uninoculated controls. A total of 25 laboratories representing government and industry participated. Of the 2335 samples analyzed, 1109 were positive by the BAX system and 1115 were positive by the standard method. A Chi square analysis of each of the 6 food types, at the 3 inoculation levels tested, was performed. For all foods, except radishes, the BAX system performed as well as or better than the standard reference methods based on the Chi square results.     

Evaluation of the BAX system for detection of Salmonella in selected foods: collaborative study

A multilaboratory study was conducted to compare the automated BAX System to the standard cultural methods for detection of Salmonella in selected foods. Five food types--frankfurters, raw ground beef, mozzarella cheese, raw frozen tilapia fish, and orange juice--at 3 inoculation levels, were analyzed by each method. A sixth food type, raw ground chicken, was tested using 3 naturally contaminated lots. A total of 16 laboratories representing government and industry participated. In this study, 1386 samples were analyzed, of which 1188 were paired samples and 198 were unpaired samples. Of the 1188 paired samples, 461 were positive by both methods and 404 were negative by both methods. Thirty-seven samples were positive by the BAX System but negative by the standard reference method, and 11 samples were positive by standard cultural method and negative by the BAX System. Of the 198 unpaired samples, 106 were positive by the BAX System and 60 were positive by the standard cultural method. A Chi square analysis of each of the 6 food types, at the 3 inoculation levels tested, was performed. For all foods, the BAX System demonstrated results comparable to those of the standard reference methods based on the Chi square results.     

Multiresidue gas chromatographic method for determining synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in agricultural products: collaborative study

Fourteen laboratories from 6 countries and regions participated in an international collaborative study to evaluate a multiresidue gas chromatographic (GC) method for determining 8 synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in grains, fruits, and vegetables. The study design was based on Youden's matched-pairs principle for collaborative tests of analytical methods. Each laboratory analyzed 12 collaborative samples of wheat, oranges, and tomatoes as blind samples. Wheat samples were extracted with acetonitrile-water (2 + 1), while orange and tomato samples were extracted with acetone. Residues were partitioned into hexane, evaporated to dryness with a rotary evaporator, and then dissolved in hexane. The hexane extract was partitioned with acetonitrile and cleaned up on a 5% water-deactivated Florisil column with 6% ethyl ether in hexane as eluant. Residue concentrations were determined by GC with electron capture detection with splitless injection by comparison with single-point calibration standards. The appropriate standard concentration was determined by screening sample extracts before analysis. The multiresidue method was tested over the concentration range of 0.095-1.909 mg/kg depending on the 8 different of pesticides and agricultural products analyzed in the collaborative study. Statistical analysis of data from 13 laboratories showed weighted average recoveries for 8 pyrethroids in wheat, oranges, and tomatoes at 0.105-1.909, 0.095-1.909, and 0.105-0.954 mg/kg, respectively, ranging from 91.8 to 100.2%, from 88.1 to 100.6%, and from 88.2 to 101.5%, respectively. Reproducibility relative standard deviation values ranged from 6.46 to 17.74%, from 5.94 to 18.13%, and from 5.59 to 10.48%, respectively. Repeatability relative standard deviation values ranged from 6.34 to 10.84%, from 5.19 to 11.72%, and from 3.20 to 8.09%, respectively. The multiresidue GC method for determining synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in agricultural products has been adopted first action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.     

A collaborative study to investigate the retention reproducibility of barbiturates in HPLC with a view to establishing retention databases for drug identification

A collaborative study among 10 laboratories has been undertaken to investigate the interlaboratory reproducibility of retention measurements in a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) system for separating barbiturates. The system involved an ODS-Hypersil column with an eluent of methanol:phosphate buffer (40:60, v/v) at pH 8.5; all laboratories used the same batch of packing material. The conventional methods of recording retention properties (retention times and capacity factors) gave poor interlaboratory reproducibility. Better results were obtained by expressing the retentions relative to a standard barbiturate (quinalbarbitone); relative adjusted retention times proved to be more effective than straightforward relative retention times. Retention indices based on the alkylarylketone scale were not as reproducible as the methods based on a single closely related compound. The best reproducibility was obtained using corrected capacity factors based on the retention of four barbiturates in a standard mixture. The results of the study are discussed with a view to selecting the best methods of recording retention in HPLC when considering the establishment of databases for drug identification.