Determination of magnesium and calcium ions in sea water by capillary type isotachophoresis

Summary A new analytical procedure for the determination of magnesium and calcium ions in sea water was developed with a capillary type isotachophoresis after adsorption on sodium form cation-exchange resin and elution with EDTA solution. Linear working curves were obtained for 3% sodium chloride solutions containing up to 2,000 mg/l of these ions, adjusted to pH 8 with 0.1 N sodium carbonate solution. A supporting electrolyte containing 0.01 M hydrochloric acid and 0.5% methyl cellulose buffered to pH 8.5 with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and a 40 cm long FEP tube as the main column were used. The proposed method was applied to the determination of magnesium and calcium ions in coastal sea water samples collected in Osaka Bay in April, 1984 and in artificial samples prepared with artificial or natural sea water.

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Bestimmung von Magnesium und Calcium in Meerwasser mit Hilfe der Capillar-Isotachophorese

Zusammenfassung Das Verfahren beruht auf der Isotachophorese nach vorhergehender Adsorption an Kationen-Austauscher in Na-Form und Elution mit EDTA-Lösung. Für 3%ige NaCl-Lösungen mit <2000 mg/l Mg und Ca (auf pH 8 mit 0,1 N Natriumcarbonatlösung eingestellt) wurden lineare Eichkurven erhalten. Als Trägerelektrolyt diente 0,01 M Salzsäure mit 0,5% Methylcellulose, gepuffert auf pH 8,5 mit Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethan. Hauptsäule war eine 40 cm lange FEP-Röhre. Das vorgeschlagene Verfahren wurde zur Mg- und Ca-Bestimmung in Küstenwasser der Osaka-Bucht sowie in synthetischen Proben eingesetzt.

     

Continuous measurement of glutamate and hydrogen peroxide using a microfabricated biosensor for studying the neurotoxicity of tributyltin.

We first measured the effects of trace levels of an endocrine disruptor, tributyltin (TBT), on the secretion response from nerve cells using a microfabricated biosensor designed for the continuous measurement of L-glutamate and hydrogen peroxide. We observed higher and long-lasting glutamate and hydrogen peroxide concentrations from the cells when cultured rat cortical neurons were exposed to TBT. Glutamate and hydrogen peroxide release was induced even when we reduced the TBT concentration to 10 nM. This concentration is about two orders of magnitude lower than the concentration that induced apoptosis-like cell death. We also report on the effects of NMDA and non-NMDA receptor antagonists, which can help us to understand the mechanism of TBT neurotoxicity.     

Dynamics of FLCs with a tilted bookshelf structure using time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy

Time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy with microsecond resolution was applied to the switching process of FLCs using an IR polarizer attached to a microscope whose axis was set along the aligning direction (direction of SiO flux). A tilted bookshelf geometry with a layer tilt angle of approximately 34° was obtained by alignment using obliquely evaporated SiO layers in a CaF₂ cell with about 1.7 μm gap. Six kinds of FLC mixtures were prepared by mixing 5 wt % of a chiral molecule with host mixtures of phenylpyrimidines. By monitoring an absorption band at 1432 cm^-1, assigned to vibrational modes of the pyrimidine skeleton, it was found that the molecular long axis either rotates along the upper side or along the lower side of the cone during switching. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between the rotational direction of the directors and the stability of the dark level transmission during multiplexing. The dark level transmission during rotation along the upper side of the cone may fluctuate less than that during rotation along the lower side of the cone. We found that the bias stability of the dark level transmission is closely related to the direction of the rotation along the cone. The direction of the rotation of FLCs along the cone was therefore found to play an important role in realizing high contrast ratios during multiplexing.     

Photocontrollable cation extraction with crowned oligo(spirobenzopyran)s.

The photoinduced changes of metal-ion extractability of crown ether derivatives bearing three or four spirobenzopyran moieties and their analogues were studied using 1,2-dichloroethane as the organic solvent. Under dark conditions, these compounds extracted Cu2+, Ag+, and Pb2+ with their counteranions from the aqueous phase to the organic phase. The extraction equilibrium constants of the photochromic crown ether derivatives for Cu2+ and Ag+ were determined successfully. Under UV-light irradiation conditions, the extraction of Cu2+ by crowned tris(spirobenzopyran) was enhanced, while that of Ag+ was suppressed. During the competitive metal-ion extraction of crowned oligo(spirobenzopyran)s between Cu2+ and Ag+, the metal-ion selectivity was reversed explicitly by photoirradiation.     

A Small One-Fiber WDM Optical Ethernet PC Card for FTTD

A new generation of network interface card for fiber-to-the-desktop has been fabricated. The fabricated card is PC-card size and suitable for notebook PCs. It could become the key element in the coming optical Ethernet age.     

Behavioral effects of ketamine and toxic interactions with psychostimulants

Background  

The anesthetic drug ketamine (KT) has been reported to be an abused drug and fatal cases have been observed in polydrug users. In the present study, considering the possibility of KT-enhanced toxic effects of other drugs, and KT-induced promotion of an overdose without making the subject aware of the danger due to the attenuation of several painful subjective symptoms, the intraperitoneal (i.p.) KT-induced alterations in behaviors and toxic interactions with popular co-abused drugs, the psychostimulants cocaine (COC) and methamphetamine (MA), were examined in ICR mice.     

An analytical determination of speed factor in gear designs

In practical gear design, the “speed factor” is usually employed which is defined as a ratio of the allow-able stress at required running speed of the gear system to the stress at zero speed. At present, several expressions for the speed factor are recommended by several authorities; however, those are almost all empirical and not analytical. The present paper aims to contribute to an analytical determination of the speed factor for spur gears as stated below. First, from a dynamic photoelastic test of a pair of spur gears, the following results were obtained:

1. (1)
   At a contant speed and torque and at the same point of engagement, the maximum fillet stress did not have a specific constant value but had somewhat scattered values due to the vibration of gear system under operation.     

Chiral Ammonium Betaine‐Catalyzed Highly Stereoselective Aza‐Henry Reaction of α‐Aryl Nitromethanes with Aromatic N‐Boc Imines

A highly stereoselective aza‐Henry reaction of α‐aryl nitromethanes with aromatic N‐Boc imines was established by using C₁‐symmetric chiral ammonium betaine as a bifunctional organic base catalyst. Various substituted aryl groups for both imines and nitromethanes were tolerated in the reaction, and a series of precursors for the synthesis of unsymmetrical anti‐1,2‐diaryl ethylenediamines was provided.