Development of a colloidal gold-based lateral-flow immunoassay for the rapid simultaneous detection of zearalenone and deoxynivalenol

A multianalyte lateral-flow technique using colloidal gold-labeled monoclonal antibodies was developed for the rapid simultaneous detection of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA). The results of this qualitative one-step test were interpreted visually. A very simple and fast sample preparation was used, and the assay procedure could be accomplished within 10 min. When applied to spiked wheat samples, the technique gave accurate and reproducible results. Cut-off levels of 1500 and 100 μg kg⁻¹ for DON and ZEA, respectively, were observed. The described multianalyte format can be used as a reliable, rapid and cost-effective on-site screening technique for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins in grain samples.     

Viscous Dissipation and Thermal Radiation Effects on Mixed Convection from a Vertical Plate in a Non-Darcy Porous Medium

The paper presents an investigation of the influence of thermal radiation and viscous dissipation on the mixed convective flow due to a vertical plate immersed in a non-Darcy porous medium saturated with a Newtonian fluid. The physical properties of the fluid are assumed to be constant. The Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations and solved numerically using a shooting method. The results are analyzed for the effects of various physical parameters such as viscous dissipation, thermal radiation, mixed convection parameters, and the modified Reynolds number on dynamics. The heat transfer coefficient is also tabulated for different values of the physical parameters.     

A multistage linearisation approach to a four-dimensional hyperchaotic system with cubic nonlinearity

This paper reports on a new multistage extension of the successive linearisation method to a four-dimensional chaotic system that generates various complex attractors for different parameter values. The solutions are found by subdividing the domain into several intervals in which the linearisation method is used to find approximate solutions that are then matched across all the intervals. The solutions and phase portraits for the cyclic and chaotic cases are given. Finally we compare this approach to the Runge?CKutta based ode45 solver and other results in the literature to show that the multistage linearisation method gives accurate results.     

Analysis of zearalenone and α-zearalenol in animal feed using high-performance liquid chromatography

Different extraction and clean-up techniques used before HPLC analysis were compared in order to obtain a reliable method for the quantitative determination of zearalenone (ZEA) and α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) in animal feed. Immunoaffinity clean-up was compared to C₁₈ and Florisil column clean-up. Extracted samples were analysed by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorescence detection (λ_ex=274 nm, λ_em=440 nm). A mobile phase of acetonitrile:water (50:50 (v/v)) and a flow-rate of 1.0 ml min⁻¹ resulted in a good separation between ZEA and α-ZOL. Using immunoaffinity clean-up the linear range was between 25 and 600 μg kg⁻¹ for ZEA and α-ZOL in maize. Intra-laboratory coefficients of variation (CV) (under repeatability conditions) were 9.16% for ZEA and 2.18% for α-ZOL. Recoveries for spiked ZEA and α-ZOL samples ranged from 89 to 110% with CVs between 5.2 and 11.2% (under within-laboratory reproducibility conditions). Using C₁₈ and Florisil solid-phase clean-up, matrix interference was too high. Therefore, naturally contaminated animal feed samples were analysed using the developed HPLC method coupled to the immunoaffinity clean-up.     

铂络合物的反相离子对色谱

在反相离子对色谱中,研究了四种离子对试剂对铂络合物保留值的影响。用流动相中离子-偶极作用物和铂络合物的结构说明了保留机理。用NaCl作内标测定了顺式-二氨-1,1-环丁二羧酸铂(Ⅱ)(碳铂)和顺式二氯二氨合铂(Ⅱ)(顺铂)样品,七次配样测定得到满意的回收率,相对标准偏差分别为0.7%和0.5%,检出限为75ng/ml和0.23μg/ml。     

Lateral-flow colloidal gold-based immunoassay for the rapid detection of deoxynivalenol with two indicator ranges

A lateral-flow immunoassay using a colloidal gold-labelled monoclonal antibody was developed for the rapid detection of deoxynivalenol (DON). Different parameters, such as the amount of immunoreagents, type of the materials, composition of the blocking solution and of the detector reagent mixture, were investigated to provide the optimum assay performance. The experimental results demonstrated that such a visual test had an indicator range rather than a cut-off value. Thus, tests for DON determination with two different indicator ranges of 250-500 and 1000-2000 μg kg⁻¹ were designed. The method allowed detection of DON at low and high concentration levels, which could be useful for research and practical purposes. The assay applied to spiked wheat and pig feed samples demonstrated accurate and reproducible results. The applicability of the developed lateral-flow test was also confirmed under real field conditions. The test strips prepared in Belgium were sent to Mexico, where they were used for the screening of DON contamination in different bread wheat entries from Fusarium Head Blight inoculated plots. The results were compared with those obtained by ELISA and LC-MS/MS. A poor correlation between ELISA and LC-MS/MS was observed. Visual results of the dipstick tests were in a good agreement with the results of the LC-MS/MS method. Coupled with a simple and fast sample preparation, this qualitative one-step test based on the visual evaluation of results did not require any equipment. Results could be obtained within 10 min. The described assay format can be used as a simple, rapid, cost-effective and robust on-site screening tool for mycotoxin contamination in different agricultural commodities.     

Facile shape and size-controlled growth of uniform magnetite and hematite nanocrystals with tunable properties

Monodispersed magnetite Fe3O4 and hematite α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals have been grown in co-solvents of alcohol and water. Either the shape or the size of the nanocrystals could be easily controlled. Both the phases and nanostructures have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction patterns and electron microscopy. The magnetic and catalytic properties of these products were investigated and compared with each other. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that these iron oxide nanocrystals are soft ferromag...     

Free magnetohydrodynamic flow and convection from a vertical spinning cone with cross-diffusion effects

A study of cross-diffusion effects on convection from a vertically spinning cone under the influence of an external magnetic field is considered. The non-linear two-point boundary value problem governing the flow is solved numerically. Two different types of surface heating, namely linear surface temperature (LST) and linear surface heat flux (LSHF) are considered. A parametric study addressing the effects of various flow parameters on the fluid properties, the skin friction, heat and mass transfer coefficients is given.     

Magnetism in iron implanted oxides: a status report

Emission Mössbauer spectroscopy on ⁵⁷Fe fed by ⁵⁷Mn ions implanted in the metal oxides ZnO, MgO and Al₂O₃ has been performed. The implanted ions occupy different lattice sites and charge states. A magnetic part of the spectra in each oxide can be assigned to Fe^3?+? ions in a paramagnetic state with unusually long relaxation time observable to temperatures up to several hundreds Kelvin. Earlier expectations that the magnetic spectra could correspond to an ordered magnetic state could not be confirmed. A clear decision for paramagnetism and against an ordered magnetic state was achieved by applying a strong magnetic field of 0.6 Tesla. The relaxation times deduced were compared to spin–lattice relaxation times from electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).