Quantitative determination of duloxetine and its metabolite in rat plasma by HPLC‐MS/MS

The major metabolite of duloxetine is a glucuronide conjugate of 4‐hydroxy duloxetine (4‐HD). However, interestingly, there have been no reports determining concentrations of 4‐HD and no fully validated method has been established for measuring duloxetine and 4‐HD in rat plasma. We developed a method for the simultaneous quantification of duloxetine and its metabolite in rat plasma using high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Duloxetine and 4‐HD were analyzed on a reverse‐phase C₁₈ analytical column after protein precipitation of the plasma sample with methanol, using carbamazepine as an internal standard. The isocratic mobile phase of 5 mm ammonium acetate–methanol (4:6, v/v) was eluted at 0.4 mL/min. Quantification was performed on a triple‐quadrupole mass spectrometer using electrospray ionization, and the ion transition monitored in selective reaction monitoring mode. The coefficient of variation for assay precision was <18.0%, and the accuracy was 84.0–118.0%. This method was successfully used to measure the concentrations of duloxetine and its metabolite in plasma following the oral administration of a single 40 mg/kg dose in rats. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controlled Activity Polymers. IV. Copolymers of 2-(1-Naphthylacetyl)Ethyl Acrylate With Hydrophilic Comonomers: Synthesis and Characterization

2-(1-Naphthylacetyl)ethyl acrylate (NAEA) was synthesized by esterification of 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and then polymerized to obtain the polymer-bound auxin NAA. The resulting polymer is potentially useful as a plant growth regulator through hydrolytic release of NAA. Copolymers of NAEA with hydrophilic comonomers were prepared by solution polymerization. The copolymer compositions were determined from elemental analysis, ¹³C-NMR, and UV spectroscopy. The copolymer microstructure was predicted from the reactivity ratios in order to investigate the influence on the behavior of controlled release. These model structures will be utilized for assessment of structure/hydrolysis relationships in a subsequent paper.     

New Methods for β-Lactam Formation from β-Amino Acids Using (C6H5)3P/CC14 and (C6H5)3P/NBS

Triphenylphosphine/carbon tetrachloride and triphenyl-phosphine/N-bromosuccinimide were found to be very effective for β-lactam formation from β-amino acids in acetonitrile.     

NMR strategies to study the local magnetic properties of carbon nanotubes

The local magnetic properties of the one dimensional inner space of the nanotubes are investigated using ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of encapsulated fullerene molecules inside single walled carbon nanotubes. Isotope engineering and magnetically purified nanotubes have been advantageously used on our study to discriminate between the different diamagnetic and paramagnetic shifts of the resonances. Ring currents originating from the π electrons circulating on the nanotube, are found to actively screen the applied magnetic field by −36.9 ppm. Defects and holes in the nanotube walls cancel this screening locally. What is interesting, that at high magnetic fields, the modifications of the NMR resonances of the molecules from free to encapsulated can be exploited to determine some structural characteristics of the surrounding nanotubes, never observed experimentally.     

Generalized nets in neurology: an example of mathematical modelling

The purpose of this paper is to explain the basic theory of generalized nets (GNs) and their applications in the context of the differential diagnosis of neurological diseases. We define formally the concepts of a GN and transitions of a GN and also outline some remarks on their theory. The work here constructs an example which aims to trace the process of diagnosing different signs and symptoms in neurology. This will enable the interested reader to see the scope of nets in general as tools for the modelling, simulation, optimization and control of real processes.     

Polyvinyl alcohol-borate hydrogel containing Prussian blue for surface decontamination

A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-borate hydrogel-based strippable surface decontaminant containing an ammonium salt and Prussian blue (PB) was developed for the removal of ¹³⁷Cs from various surfaces. This surface decontaminant can be easily prepared by the simple mixing of commercially available materials, such as PVA, borax, NH₄Cl and PB, in water, and the decontaminant can be peeled off surfaces due to its high elastic property after surface decontamination. The hydrogel displayed an effective removal performance for Cs from painted cement, aluminum, stainless steel, and cement surfaces and a potential for reusability. Therefore, the PB/PVA-borate hydrogel has good potential as a new surface decontaminant.     

Deposition of a Continuous and Conformal Copper Seed Layer by a Large-Area Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Source with Embedded Lisitano Antenna

To deposit copper seed layer on ultra large scale integration devices, a large-area (Ø 378 mm) electron cyclotron resonance plasma has been generated by using permanent magnets-embedded Lisitano antenna. The plasma source operates in the pressure range of 0.2–1.5 mTorr with microwave power range of 500–2,000 W. By using a Langmuir probe, the electron density and temperature have been measured near the DC sputter target position. Measurements indicate argon plasmas having electron densities of ~5 × 10¹⁰/cm and electron temperatures of 5 eV with 750 W microwave power at gas pressures of 0.5 mTorr. Using this plasma source and a DC sputter, we obtained excellent conformal copper seed layer with high aspect ratios of 12:1. This is in contrast with conventional methods using magnetron sputter, which has aspect ratios of 2–3:1. Also, improvements are observed in the smoothness (root mean square roughness of 1.345 nm), uniformity (2.5 % at 300 mm wafer), and sidewall symmetricity (more than 95 %) of the copper seed layer.     

Controlling the spectrum of high-power terahertz radiation from a laser-driven plasma wave

Generation of strong THz waves is a very important and difficult research issue. We performed particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation studies to investigate the possibility of powerful THz generation and spectrum controllability by using a laser-driven plasma wave. Our results show that it is possible to produce spectrum-controllable high-power (>1 MV/cm) THz waves by manipulating the plasma density profiles. This method may provide a good way for coherent high-power THz radiation sources, of which the spectrum ranges from a narrow bandwidth to a wide bandwidth.