Quantitative analysis of sea-bed sediments from Eastern Black Sea by EDXRF spectrometry

Sea-bed sediments from Eastern Black Sea have been analyzed for their Fe, Ba and Sr contents using the methods of standard addition and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). Samples were prepared from powder sifted by a 200 mesh sieve. An annular 100 mCi²⁴¹Am radioactive source emitting 59.543 keV photons was used for excitation and a Ge(Li) detector, which has a 190 eV FWHM for 5.9 keV photons was used for intensity measurements. 2048 channels of the MCA are employed for 20 or 30 min. Dried and ground sea-bed sediments are found to contain 2.95–7.50% Fe, 0.032–0.268% Ba and about 73–273 ppm Sr. These results agree with those obtained via atomic absorption methods.     

The Adsorption of Polyvinylpyrrolidone on Kaolinite Saturated with Sodium Chloride

The adsorption of two different molecular weights of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (M(w)=44,000 and M(w)=360,000 g mol(-1)) from water on kaolinite saturated with sodium chloride has been studied. The adsorption of PVP increases slowly as temperature increases. The adsorption of PVP on the kaolinite was studied by considering Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, and dielectric constants. During the adsorption process, PVP interacts with saturating sodium cations and possibly forces some of them onto the edges of the kaolinite; thus, the dielectric constant of saturated kaolinite is reduced after PVP adsorption. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Adsorption of N-Nitrosodiethylamine and N-Nitrosodimethylamine on Activated Carbon: A Pre-Concentration Procedure for Gas Chromatographic Analysis

In this study, a rapid pre-concentration procedure, which employs powdered activated carbon as a clean-up and pre-concentration material, is described for the gas chromatographic analysis of N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in aqueous solutions. It was found that powdered activated carbon is suitable for the adsorption of volatile N-nitrosamine compounds from aqueous solutions. Adsorption efficiency with spiked beer samples (alcohol content 5% v/v) was found to be 80.5% (NDMA) and 89.4% (NDEA) and recovery of extraction from activated carbon was calculated as 82.1% (NDMA) and 89.7% (NDEA), respectively. The effect of 100µgmL^–1 of tannic acid on the adsorption was also studied, and no significant effect on the adsorption and extraction of volatile N-nitrosamine compounds was found.     

The inclusion complex of piromidic acid with dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin in aqueous solution and in the solid state

Inclusion complex formation of piromidic acid (PA) with dimethyl--cyclodextrin (DM--CD) in aqueous solution and in the solid state was confirmed by the solubility method, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy. The apparent stability constant,K _c , of the complex was estimated to be 244 M^–1. The stoichiometry of the complex was given as the ratio 1:2 of PA to DM--CD. The dissolution rate of the PA/DM--CD complex was much greater than that of intact PA.Presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Inclusion Phenomena and the Third International Symposium on Cyclodextrins, Lancaster, U.K., 20–25 July 1986.     

Thermosensitive mucoadhesive gel formulation loaded with 5-Fu: cyclodextrin complex for HPV-induced cervical cancer

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infections are the major cause of cervical cancers. To achieve a better therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance in the treatment for HPV-induced cervical cancers, anticancer agent 5-fluorouracil has been formulated in a vaginal gel using the thermosensitive polymer Pluronic^® F127 together with alternative mucoadhesive polymers e.g., hyaluronic acid, Carbopol 934 and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. To increase its aqueous solubility and to achieve the complete release of 5-FU from the gel, the drug was incorporated as its inclusion complex with 1:1 molar ratio with either β-cyclodextrin or hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. Following the characterization of drug:CD complexes, thermosensitive gel formulations containing different mucoadhesive polymers and the drug in free or complexed form were characterized in vitro by determining the gelation temperature and the rheological behavior of different formulations along with the in vitro release profiles of these formulations in pH 5.5 citrate buffer. It was observed that complexation with cyclodextrin accelerated the release of 5-FU with the exception of formulation containing Carbopol 934 as mucoadhesive polymer. As far as rheological properties are concerned, favorable thermosensitive in situ gelling properties were obtained with formulations containing HPMC as mucoadhesive polymer. Complete release of 5-FU from gels were obtained with both complexes of β-CD and HP-β-CD and cytotoxicity studies against HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells demonstrated that 1% 5-FU:CD complexes were equally effective as 1% free 5-FU indicating better therapeutic efficacy with lower dose.     

Development of a CZE Method for the Determination of Olmesartan Medoxomil in Tablets

A CZE method was developed and validated for the analysis of Olmesartan medoxomil (OLMD) in tablets. The influences of pH, buffer concentration, applied voltage and capillary temperature on the migration time of OLMD were investigated. About 50 mM pH 6.5 phosphate buffer were used as background electrolyte. The optimum instrument parameters were found to be 30 °C temperature with 30 kV applied voltage and diode array detection was carried out at 210 nm. OLMD was hydrodynamically injected (P _inj  = 50 mbar, t _inj  = 3 s) and an internal standard, diflunisal (IS), was used to improve the precision and repeatability. Under these conditions, the migration time of OLMD was 2.32 min and the total analysis time was shorter than 5 min. Linearity range for the developed method was found to be 2.0–50.0 μg mL^?1 and the limit of detection was 0.5 μg mL^?1. The developed method was applied for the analysis of OLMD in pharmaceutical tablet formulations.     

Carbene complexes : IV. Far infrared and 31P NMR spectra of palladium and platinum carbene complexes

Infrared bands mainly associated with v(M—X₂) stretching modes (M = Pd or Pt, and X = Cl, Br, or P) have been identified in the spectra of 35 carbene complexes. Based on these results and on |¹J| (³¹ P—¹⁹⁵ Pt) the trans-influence of the carbene ligands is assessed.     

New Copper（Ⅱ） and Nickel（Ⅱ） Complexes of 4-Morpholinoacetophenone Thiosemicarbazone： Structural, Electrochemical and Antimicrobial Studies

4-Morpholinoacetophenone thiosemicarbazone, MAPT, and its nickel（Ⅱ） and copper（Ⅱ） complexes have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, spectral methods （FT-IR, ^1H NMR） and cyclic voltammetry. Electrochemical behaviors of the complexes have been studied by cyclic voltammetry in DMF media showing metal centered reduction processes for both of them. The redox properties, nature of the electrode processes and the stability of the complexes were discussed. [Cu（MAPT）2]Cl2 complex shows Cu（Ⅱ）/Cu（Ⅰ） couple and quasi-reversible wave associated with the Cu（Ⅲ）/Cu（Ⅱ） process. The reduction/oxidation potential values depend on the structures of complexes. Also, the antimicrobial activities of these complexes were determined against S. aureus, E. coli and B. subtilis.     

Lower bounds on the cluster size distribution

We rigorously prove that the probabilityP _n that the origin of ad-dimensional lattice belongs to a cluster of exactlyn sites satisfiesP _n > exp(–n ^(d–1)/d ) whenever percolation occurs. This holds for the usual (noninteracting) percolation models for any concentrationp > p _c , as well as for the equilibrium states of lattice spin systems with quite general interactions. Such a lower bound applies also if no percolation occurs, but if it appears in some other phase of the system.     

Determination of in vitro antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of propofol

Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is a hypnotic intravenous agent with in vivo antioxidant properties. This study was undertaken to examine the in vitro antioxidant activity of propofol using different antioxidant tests including by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH.) radical scavenging, metal chelating, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, reducing power and total antioxidant activities. At the concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 microg/ml, propofol exhibited 97.7, 98.6 and 100% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. On the other hand, at the 75 microg/ml concentration of standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and alpha-tocopherol exhibited 88.7, 94.5, and 70.4% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. In addition, at same concentrations, propofol was shown that it had effective reducing power, DPPH. free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and metal chelating activities. These various antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol. These results indicate that propofol prevents lipid peroxidation and radicalic chain reactions. At the same time, propofol revealed more effective antioxidant capacity than BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol.