Vortex Counter-Current Chromatography: Performance of a New Preparative Column

A new preparative column for the vortex counter-current chromatograph was fabricated by making many (966) cylindrical separation units to a high-density polyethylene disk and then threading them with 6–40 taps. The resulting column had a total capacity of 364 mL. The performance of this vortex column was examined with three different two-phase solvent systems each using a set of suitable test samples: hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–0.1 M hydrochloric acid (1:1:1:1, v/v) for the separation of DNP-amino acids; 1-butanol–acetic acid–water (4:1:5, v/v) for the separation of dipeptides; and hexane–acetonitrile–water (20:15:2, v/v) for the separation of Sudan dyes. Most of the separations show high partition efficiency of over a thousand theoretical plates, as expected based on the results previously obtained in preliminary separations with a small column. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that further improvement of the partition efficiency can be obtained by the modifying column configuration.

     

The Structure of Hydrated Poly (D, L - Lactic Acid) Studied With X-Ray Diffraction and Molecular Simulation Methods

The effect of hydration on the molecular structure of amorphous poly (D, L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) with 50:50 L-to-D ratio has been studied by combining experiments with molecular simulations. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed significant changes upon hydration in the structure functions of the copolymer. Large changes in the structure functions at ~ 10 days of incubation coincided with the large increase in the water uptake from ~1 to ~40% and the formation of voids in the film. Computer modeling based on the recently developed TIGER2/TIGER3 mixed sampling scheme was used to interpret these changes by efficiently equilibrating both dry and hydrated models of PDLLA. Realistic models of bulk amorphous PDLLA structure were generated as demonstrated by close agreement between the calculated and the experimental structure functions. These molecular simulations were used to identify the interactions between water and the polymer at the atomic level including the change of positional order between atoms in the polymer due to hydration. Changes in the partial O-O structure functions, about 95% of which were due to water-polymer interactions, were apparent in the radial distribution functions. These changes, and somewhat smaller changes in the C-C and C-O partial structure functions, clearly demonstrated the ability of the model to capture the hydrogen bonding interactions between water and the polymer, with the probability of water forming hydrogen bonds with the carbonyl oxygen of the ester group being about four times higher than with its ether oxygen.     

Two-body solution of the Newman-Penrose asymptotic equations

The Newman-Penrose nonlinear asymptotic field equations are separated in terms of spin weight spherical harmonics (s.w.s.h.). As an example, the results are used to study the radiation effects on a two-body system. The presence of radiation is manifest through the nonlinear terms in the asymptotic equations. If these terms are assumed to be small, the asymptotic equations can be formally solved by an iteration procedure. For the above example the first step of the iteration procedure is implemented to an accuracy that includes the effects of radiation up to octopole order. The results illustrate the usual internal decay of the orbit as well as an acceleration of the system's center of mass. In favorable cases, the two-body source can reach significant velocities due to the radiation reaction.     

Internal surface effects in superlattices in contact with substrate

Using the direct matching procedure and the interface response theory, the effects of the internal surface of a superlattice (i.e., the substrate/superlattice interface) are studied as a function of superlattice parameters while the substrate parameters are kept constant. Surface states are found inside mini-gaps and their localization properties are investigated. The crossings of these states with mini-bands are observed and examined by means of the variational density of states.     

Proliferative reactive gliosis is compatible with glial metabolic support and neuronal function

Background

Trail-making tests, such as the Concept Shifting Task (CST), can be used to test the effects of treatment on cognitive performance over time in various neuropsychological disorders. However, cognitive performance in such experimental designs might improve as a result of the practice obtained during repeated testing rather than the treatment itself. The current study investigated if practice affects the accuracy and duration of performance on the repeatedly administered Concept Shifting Task modified to make it resistant to practice (mCST). The mCST was administered to 54 healthy participants twice a day, before and after a short break, for eight days. Results. The ANOVA and meta-analysis showed that there was no improvement in the mCST accuracy on the last vs. the first trial (Hedges' g = .14, p = .221) or within the session (after vs. before the break on all days; g = .01, p = .922). However, the participants performed the task faster on the last vs. the first trial (g = -.75, p < .001) and after vs. before the break on all days (g = -.12, p = .002). Conclusions. Repeated administration of the mCST does not affect the accuracy of performance on the test. However, practice might contribute to faster performance on the mCST over time and within each session.     

The photodegradation of cadmium yellow paints in Henri Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre (1905–1906)

Evidence for the alteration of the yellow paints in Henri Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre (1905–1906, The Barnes Foundation) has been observed since the 1990s. The changes in this iconic work of Matisse’s Fauvist period include lightening, darkening, and flaking of the yellow paints. Handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and multispectral imaging surveys reveal that the degradation is confined to cadmium yellow (CdS) paints. The discoloration of cadmium yellow paints in Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early modernist work from the 1880s through the 1920s has been ascribed to the photo-oxidative degradation of CdS. Preliminary investigations of the degraded yellow paints in this work involved Cd L_III-edge X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source (SSRL Menlo Park, California) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS) at the Winterthur Museum Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory. To determine if the visual changes in the paints did in fact indicate photo-oxidative degradation and if different chemistries could be observed for the lightened versus darkened regions, synchrotron radiation-micro Fourier Transform InfraRed (SR-μFTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Fluorescence (SR-μXRF) mapping and micro X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (μXANES) mapping at the Cd L_III-edge of the altered paint cross-sections were carried out at the European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF, Grenoble, France) beamline ID-21. The goal is to elucidate the discoloration mechanisms observed in the paint using elemental and speciation mapping. The μXANES mapping and SR-FTIR imaging showed a substantial enrichment of CdCO₃ in the off-white surface crust of the faded/discolored CdS paint. This suggests that the CdCO₃ is present as an insoluble photodegradation product rather than solely a paint filler or starting reagent. Additionally, oxalates and sulfates were found to be concentrated at the alteration surface.