Synthesis of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) nanorods: diameter-size and shape effects on their applications in magnetism, lithium ion battery, and gas sensors

We demonstrated in this paper the shape-controlled synthesis of hematite (alpha-Fe(2)O(3)) nanostructures with a gradient in the diameters (from less than 20 nm to larger than 300 nm) and surface areas (from 5.9 to 52.3 m(2)/g) through an improved synthetic strategy by adopting a high concentration of inorganic salts and high temperature in the synthesis systems to influence the final products of hematite nanostructures. The benefits of the present work also stem from the first report on the <20-nm-diameter and porous hematite nanorods, as well as a new facile strategy to the less-than-20-nm nanorods, because the less-than-20-nm diameter size meets the vital size domain for magnetization properties in hematite. Note that the porous and nonporous hematite one-dimensional nanostructures with diameter gradients give us the first opportunity to investigate the Morin temperature evolution of nanorod diameter and porosity. Evidently, the magnetic properties for nanorods exhibit differences compared with those for the spherical particle counterparts. Hematite nanorods are strongly dependent on their diameter size and porosity, where the magnetization is not sensitive to the size evolution from submicron particles to the 60-90 nm nanorods, while the magnetic properties change significantly in the case of <20 nm. In other words, for the magnetic properties of nanorods, in a comparable size range, the porous existence could also influence the magnetic behavior. Moreover, applications in formaldehyde (HCHO) gas sensors and lithium batteries for the hematite nanostructures with the diameter/surface area gradient reveal that the performance of electrochemical and gas-sensor properties strongly depends on the diameter size and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas, which is consistent with the crystalline point of view. Thus, this work not only provides the first example of the fabrication of hematite nanostructure sensors for detecting HCHO gas, but also reveals that the surface area or diameter size of hematite nanorods can also influence the lithium intercalation performances. These results give us a guideline for the study of the size-dependent properties for functional materials as well as further applications for magnetic materials, lithium-ion batteries, and gas sensors.     

Pharmacokinetic study of ofloxacin enantiomers in Pagrosomus major by chiral HPLC

(S)‐(?)‐Ofloxacin and (R)‐(+)‐ofloxacin concentrations in the plasma of Pagrosomus major after drug treatment were detected by chiral high‐performance liquid chromatography, and various pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from these data. The elimination half‐life of (S)‐(?)‐ofloxacin was significantly shorter than that of the (R)‐(+) enantiomer. (S)‐(?)‐Ofloxacin also had a significantly lower maximum plasma concentration, area under the concentration–time curve from zero to infinity, and mean residence time than (R)‐(+)‐ofloxacin. However, the apparent volume of distribution and total body clearance of (S)‐(?)‐ofloxacin were greater than those of (R)‐(+)‐ofloxacin. The ratio of the (S)‐(?)‐ to (R)‐(+)‐ofloxacin plasma concentration was always <1.0. Together, these data suggest that (S)‐(?)‐ofloxacin was preferentially excreted and (R)‐(+)‐ofloxacin was preferentially absorbed. Although the difference in pharmacokinetic parameters was small, the metabolic behavior of the ofloxacin enantiomers in P. major was enantioselective. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metabolomic Profiling of Serum from Human Pancreatic Cancer Patients Using <Superscript>1</Superscript>H NMR Spectroscopy and Principal Component Analysis

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor with the worst prognosis among all cancers. At the time of diagnosis, surgical cure is no longer a feasible option for most patients, thus early detection of pancreatic cancer is crucial for its treatment. Metabolomics is a powerful new analytical approach to detect the metabolome of cells, tissue, or biofluids. Here, we report the application of ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) combined with principal components analysis to discriminate pancreatic cancer patients from healthy controls based on metabolomic profiling of the serum. The metabolic analysis revealed significant lower of 3-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyisovalerate, lactate, and trimethylamine-N-oxide as well as significant higher level of isoleucine, triglyceride, leucine, and creatinine in the serum from pancreatic cancer patients compared to that of healthy controls. Our data demonstrate that the subtle differences in metabolite profiles in serum of pancreatic cancer patients and that of healthy subjects as a result of physiological and pathological variations could be identified by NMR-based metabolomics and exploited as metabolic markers for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.     

Ion chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous confirmation and determination of indandione rodenticides in serum

This paper describes a simple method for the simultaneous determination and confirmation of the indandione rodenticides in serum. After samples were extracted with 10% (v/v) methanol in acetonitrile and cleaned by solid‐phase extraction, chromatographic separation was performed on an IonPac® AS11 analytical column (250 × 4.0 mm) using gradient KOH eluent with 10% (v/v) methanol as organic modifier. Confirmation was depended on the extensive fragmentation of the indandione molecule under MS/MS conditions which provides sufficient structural information. Quantification was performed by negative electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. All the method parameters were validated. It was confirmed that this method could be used in clinical diagnosis and forensic toxicology. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of triptolide, tripdiolide and tripterine in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

An accurate and selective method for the simultaneous determination of triptolide, tripdiolide and tripterine in human urine using hydrocortisone as an internal standard (IS) by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry in negative ion mode has been developed. After triptolide, tripdiolide and tripterine in human urine were extracted with ethyl acetate and cleaned by solid-phase extraction with C(18) cartridges, a satisfactory separation was achieved on an XDB C(18) short column (30 x 2.1 mm i.d., 3 microm) using the mobile phase of acetic acid-ammonium acetate (5 mmol/L, pH = 4.5)-acetonitrile-methanol in gradient elution. Detection was operated by APCI in selected ion monitoring mode. The target ions m/z 359, m/z 375, m/z 449 and m/z 419 were selected for the quantification of triptolide, tripdiolide, tripterine and IS, respectively. The linear range was 1.0-100.0 ng mL(-1), and the limits of quantification in human urine were found to be 0.1-0.5 ng mL(-1) for the three compounds. The precisions (CV%) and accuracies were 6.6-12.9 and 85.1-97.0%, respectively. The developed method could be applied to the determination of triptolide, tripdiolide and tripterine in human urine for diagnosis of the intoxication and for forensic purposes.     

车用燃料电池启停工况性能衰减

车用燃料电池(质子交换膜燃料电池)技术经过二十余年的持续研发和不断突破,使得燃料电池汽车性能基本满足了商业化指标,并成为当前备受瞩目的新能源汽车。然而,质子交换膜燃料电池伴随实际车况变化会经历燃料供应、湿度、温度、电流、电压等复杂循环过程,造成燃料电池的关键材料衰减加速,并且车用燃料电池的耐久性问题棘手且涉及面广。本文针对车用燃料电池的启停工况,归纳分析了启停工况下燃料电池的研究过程、衰减机理、实验论证、建模分析,并从燃料电池系统管理角度分析了启停衰减的缓解策略。通过对已有启停工况下质子交换膜燃料电池性能衰减失效的梳理,提出了本文的观点、分析和解释。     

An optimal batch size for integrated production–inventory policy in a supply chain

This study presents a new integrated production–inventory policy under a finite planning horizon and a linear trend in demand. We assume that the vendor makes a single product and supplies it to a buyer with a non-periodic and just-in-time (JIT) replenishment policy in a supply chain environment. The objective is to minimize the joint total costs incurred by the vendor and the buyer. In this study, first, we develop a mathematical model and prove that it has the optimal solution. Then, we describe an explicit solution procedure for obtaining the optimal solution. Finally, we provide two numerical examples to illustrate both increasing and decreasing demands in our proposed model, and we show that the performance of the integrated consideration is better than the performance of any independent decision from either the buyer or the vendor.     

Regulation of peripheral spindle movement and spindle rotation during mouse oocyte meiosis: new perspectives.

Spindle movement, including spindle migration during first meiosis and spindle rotation during second meiosis, is essential for asymmetric divisions in mouse oocytes. Previous studies by others and us have shown that microfilaments are required for both spindle migration and rotation. In the present study, we aimed to further investigate the mechanism controlling spindle movement during mouse oocyte meiosis. By employing drug treatment and immunofluorescence microscopy, we showed that dynamic microtubule assembly was involved in both spindle migration and rotation. Furthermore, we found that the calcium/CaM/CaMKII pathway was important for regulating spindle rotation.     

Effect of the structural order of all‐trans‐β‐carotene on the Raman scattering cross section at low concentrations

Using the technique of liquid‐core optical fiber (LCOF), we measured the Raman scattering cross sections (RSCSs) of the carbon–carbon (C C) stretching vibrational modes of all‐trans‐β‐carotene in carbon disulfide (CS₂) at concentrations ranging from 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹¹ M . It was found that the RSCSs of all‐trans‐β‐carotene were extremely high with decreasing concentration, and the absolute RSCS of C stretching modes of all‐trans‐β‐carotene reached the value of 2.6 × 10⁻²⁰ cm² molecule⁻¹ Sr⁻¹ at 8 × 10⁻¹¹ M , which is larger than at 8 × 10⁻⁶ Mby 4 orders of magnitude. A theoretical interpretation of the anomalous experimental results is given, which introduces a qualitative nonlinear model of coherent weakly damped electron‐lattice vibrations in structural order of all‐trans‐β‐carotene. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of process‐related impurities including forced degradation products of alogliptin benzoate and the development of the corresponding reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography method

The characterization of process‐related impurities and forced degradants of alogliptin benzoate (Alb) in bulk drugs and a stability‐indicating HPLC method for the separation and quantification of all the impurities were investigated. Alb was found to be unstable under acid and alkali stress conditions and two major degradation products (Imp‐F and Imp‐G) were observed. The optimum separation was achieved on Kromasil C₁₈ (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using 0.1% perchloric acid (pH adjusted to 3.0 with triethylamine) and acetonitrile as a mobile phase in gradient mode. The proposed method was found to be stability indicating, precise, linear (0.10–75.0 μg/mL), accurate, sensitive, and robust for the quantitation of Alb and its process‐related substances and degradation products. The structures of 11 impurities were characterized and confirmed by NMR spectroscopy, MS, and IR spectroscopy, and the most probable formation mechanisms of all impurities were proposed according to the synthesis route.