Rapid and simultaneous analysis of dichlorvos, malathion, carbaryl, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid in citrus fruit by flow-injection ion spray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method for the rapid and simultaneous analysis of dichlorvos (DDVP), malathion, carbaryl, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) in citrus fruit, which uses flow-injection ion spray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, has been developed for the first time. The method involves the combined use of stable isotopically labeled internal standards (DDVP-d₆, malathion-d₁₀, carbaryl-d₇, and 2,4-D-d₅) and a multiple reaction monitoring technique. The average recoveries for the pesticides at the same concentrations as their tolerance levels (DDVP: 0.1-0.2 μg g⁻¹; malathion: 0.5-4.0 μg g⁻¹; carbaryl: 1.0 μg g⁻¹; 2,4-D: 1.0-2.0 μg g⁻¹) ranged from 90 to 119% with the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) ranging from 1.0 to 13.1% (n = 5). Analysis time, including sample preparation and determination, was only 15 min. The present method is effective for screening DDVP, malathion, carbaryl, and 2,4-D in citrus fruit.     

Direct Visualization of Electromagnetic Microfields by Superposition of Two Kinds of Electron Holograms

A new electron holographic method is presented to directly visualize pure phase objects such as electromagnetic microfields, which is achieved by superposition of two kinds of electron holograms. The method is very simple and is twice as sensitive as the conventional double-exposure electron holography and the four-electron-wave interference. Using this technique, an electric field around a charged latex sphere and a magnetic field around a barium ferrite particle have been directly observed.     

Fast Water Relaxation through One‐Dimensional Channels by Rapid Energy Transfer

Water in carbon nanotubes is surrounded by hydrophobic carbon surfaces and shows anomalous structural and fast transport properties. However, the dynamics of water in hydrophobic nanospaces is only phenomenologically understood. In this study, water dynamics in hydrophobic carbon nanotubes is evaluated based on water relaxation using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. Extremely fast relaxation (0.001 s) of water confined in carbon nanotubes of 1 nm in diameter on average is observed; the relaxation times of water confined in carbon nanotubes with an average diameter of 2 nm (0.40 s) is similar to that of bulk water (0.44 s). The extremely fast relaxation time of water confined in carbon nanotubes with an average diameter of 1 nm is a result of frequent energy transfer between water and carbon surfaces. Water relaxation in carbon nanotubes of average diameter 2 nm is slow because of the limited number of collisions between water molecules. The dynamics of interfacial water can therefore be controlled by varying the size of the hydrophobic nanospace.     

Impact of cell-voltage on energy and power performance of supercapacitors with single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes

We report the energy and power voltage-dependencies of supercapacitors using single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes. The energy density was dependent on the cell-voltage cubed (up to 4 V: E = 1.43 × V³). The cubic relationship was attributed to the linear increase of the capacitance as a function of voltage, enabled by electrochemical doping. Furthermore, while up to 3.5 V, the maximum power rating of the nanotube electrodes increased as a function of the cell-voltage squared, beyond 3.5 V, a decline in power was observed as a result of depletion of the electrolyte's ions.     

Medicinal Flowers. XXXI. Acylated oleanane-type triterpene saponins, Sasanquasaponins I-V, with antiallergic activity from the flower buds of Camellia sasanqua

The methanolic extract and its 1-butanol-soluble fraction from the flower buds of Camellia sasanqua THUNB. were found to show inhibitory activities on the release of β-hexosaminidase from rat basophile leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. From the 1-butanol-soluble fraction, five new acylated oleanane-type triterpene saponins, sasanquasaponins I-V, were isolated together with a known saponin and their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. The principal saponin constituents, sasanquasaponins I-III, with an acyl group at the 22-position of the aglycon part showed the inhibitory effects on the release of β-hexosaminidase and some structure-activity relationships were reported.     

The effect of solvent ratio and water on the growth of C60 nanowhiskers

The growth of C₆₀ nanowhiskers (C₆₀NWs) prepared by a modified liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation method is investigated, focusing on the effect of solvent ratio and water content in the C₆₀–toluene–isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution system. The precipitation of C₆₀NWs was markedly influenced by the solvent ratio of toluene to IPA, and the C₆₀NWs were found to grow longer above a critical diameter (D_c), which depends on the solvent ratio. The addition of a small amount of H₂O to the C₆₀–toluene–IPA solution promoted the growth of C₆₀NWs. This catalytic effect of water on the growth of C₆₀NWs was confirmed also by the experiment using heavy water (D₂O) and by the decrease of growth activation energy of C₆₀NWs with increase of H₂O content in the C₆₀–toluene–IPA solution.     

Mixture diffusion of sulfonated dyes into cellulose membrane. III. Application of parallel diffusion model to binary system of direct dyes with different affinity

Mixture diffusion of two dyes (C.I. Direct Blue 15 (DB15) and C.I. Direct Yellow 12 (DY12)) with different affinity onto the substrate into cellulose membrane from the binary solution was studied at 55°C. Uptake curves and concentration–distance profiles were measured experimentally in the ratios (DB15:DY12) 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:2. It was examined whether the diffusion of the dyes could be analyzed based on the parallel diffusion theory of surface and pore diffusion. It was revealed that the diffusion of DB15 with higher affinity could be analyzed based on the model in the ratios 1:0.5 and 1:1, although the theoretical value deviated slightly from the data in the concentration–distance profile in the ratio 1:1. On the other hand, the diffusion of DY12 with smaller affinity could not be described by the model, because the diffusivity of the dye changed during the adsorption process against the assumption of the model.     

Nonlinear processes in UV optical materials at 248 nm

Nonlinear processes in UV optical materials were investigated by using 280-fs, 248-nm pulses. Nonlinear absorption in CaF₂ was confirmed to be a two-photon process by using the luminescence of self-trapped excitons, which was also used for the single shot pulse width measurement. The absorption bands due to F centers were identified in CaF₂, MgF₂, and LiF after several hundred shots at 100 GW/cm². Absorption at 248 nm was considerable especially in MgF₂ and LiF. Self-focusing and self-phase modulation were observed in CaF₂.