A Quick Color Test to Detect Lead Release From Glazed Ceramic and Enameled Metalware

Abstract

A color test is presented for the purpose of quickly identifying glazed ceramic and/or enameled metalware which releases excessive Pb. Citric acid solution on filter paper is used to extract Pb from the ware and a Pb-sensitive chromogen indicates the presence of Pb on the paper. The quick color test takes approximately 30 min and is useful for screening ware to determine the need for testing by the 24-h method of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists/American Society for Testing and Materials.     

Simultaneous determination of boscalid and fludioxonil in grape and soil under field conditions by gas chromatography/tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to simultaneously determine boscalid and fludioxonil in grape and soil samples. These samples were extracted with 10 mL of acetonitrile and purified using a mixed primary secondary amine/octadecylsilane sorbent. The method showed good linearity (R² > 0.99) in the calibration range 0.005–2 μg/mL for both pesticides. The limits of detection and quantification for the two analytes in grape and soil were 0.006 and 0.02 mg/kg, respectively. Fungicide recoveries in grape and soil were 81.18–92.11% for boscalid and 82.73–97.67% for fludioxonil with relative standard deviations of 1.31–10.31%. The established method was successfully applied to the residual analysis of boscalid and fludioxonil in real grape and soil samples. The terminal residue concentrations of boscalid and fludioxonil in grape samples collected from Anhui and Guizhou were <5 mg/kg (the maximum residue limit set by China) 7 days after the last application and 1 mg/kg (the maximum residue limit set by USA) 14 days after the last application. These results could provide guidance for the proper and safe use of boscalid and fludioxonil in grape and help the Chinese government to establish an MRL for fludioxonil in grape.     

Development of Resin Membranes as a Sensitive Indicator of Heavy Metal Toxicity in the Soil Environment

Abstract

Ion exchange resins in contact with soil can act as a sink for metal cations, thereby simulate the action of plant roots. Ion exchange resins in membrane form offer additional advantages in ease of use and handling. A procedure was developed to assess the bioavailability of four heavy metals Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb via direct in soil burial. A growth chamber experiment with three representative crops (oats, radish and lettuce) was set up to determine the phytotoxic levels of the four heavy metals. The critical levels varied widely from crop to crop, and soil to soil. Lettuce was most sensitive to high concentration of metals. The toxic effects are more pronounced on sandier textured soils.     

Ensuring robustness in the quality of antibiotic susceptibility test discs for four novel antibiotics

Antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) discs are used as an in-vitro diagnostic tool to select the appropriate antibiotic to treat an infection. Generally, the concentration of the drug loaded on to the AST discs is measured by studying its activity against quality control organisms. This methodology has several limitations—it is time consuming, requires trained manpower, has a wider acceptance criteria of zone of inhibitions—causing ambiguity in judging smaller variations in drug concentration. To overcome these issues, we have developed and validated high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods for the determination of strength of AST discs for in-house researched antibiotics, namely Levonadifloxacin/WCK 771, Nafithromycin/WCK 4873, Cefepime-Tazobactam/WCK 4282, and Cefepime-Zidebactam/WCK 5222. The drugs were extracted from the AST discs using an appropriate solvent. The developed methods are simple, accurate, precise, reproducible, rugged, and robust. They are efficient in terms of time, and can be easily conducted in a quality control laboratory during release as well as stability evaluation of AST disc. Application of HPLC methods for the determination of strength of AST discs ensures flawless quality and, consequently, a better selection of drugs to treat bacterial infections in clinics.     

甘蓝夜蛾信息素类似物的设计合成及初步活性研究

甘蓝夜蛾隶属鳞翅目夜蛾科,主要危害甘蓝、西兰花、萝卜等十字花科蔬菜。与传统的化学农药防治相比,昆虫信息素防治具有专一性强、灵敏度高、绿色环保、同时不会误伤天敌等优点。但天然信息素易降解、持效期短,长期单一使用会诱导昆虫产生抗性等问题。针对这些问题,本文设计并合成了4种结构新颖的信息素类似物:反-11-十六碳烯-3-氯丙酸酯(G1)、反-11-十六碳烯-2-溴丙酸酯(G2)、11,12-二氟十六烷基-1-醇(G3)、11,12-二氟十六烷基乙酸酯(G4),并表征了其结构。通过触角电生理试验(EAG)初步测试了G1~G4的室内生物活性。     

Periodic,breather and rogue wave solutions for a generalized (3+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient B-type Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation in fluid dynamics

Under investigation in this paper is a generalized (3+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient B-type Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation, which describes the propagation of nonlinear waves in fluid dynamics. Periodic wave solutions are constructed by virtue of the Hirota–Riemann method. Based on the extended homoclinic test approach, breather and rogue wave solutions are obtained. Moreover, through the symbolic computation, the relationship between the one-periodic wave solutions and one-soliton solutions has been analytically discussed, and it is shown that the one-periodic wave solutions approach the one-soliton solutions when the amplitude $\eta \to 0$.     

High frequency circular translation pin-on-disc wear testing of UHMWPE using a ball-on-flat contact along a hypotrochoidal track

To intensify experimental research within the field of orthopaedic tribology, a three-station, dual motion, high frequency (25.3 Hz) circular translation pin-on-disc wear test device was recently introduced. In the present study, the pins were CoCr with a spherical, polished bearing surface of 28 mm radius, whereas the flat discs were conventional UHMWPE. This configuration was intended to simulate the wear mechanisms of total knee prostheses. The number of wear cycles run was as high as 200 million. The mean wear rate was 0.35 mg per one million cycles (0.77 mg/24 h) which corresponded to a mean wear factor of 3.5 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm. The study provided further proof that a wear test for orthopaedic implant materials can be accelerated by substantially increasing the cycle frequency, provided that the sliding velocity remains close to the values obtained from biomechanical studies. Hence, the moderate frictional heating will not lead to unrealistic wear mechanisms.     

The Acceleration Severity Index in the impact of a vehicle against permanent road equipment support structures

The acceleration Severity Index (ASI), described in European Standard EN12767 (The passive safety of support structures for road equipment. Requirements, classification and the test method) is regarded as the most important indicator of impact on the occupants. The requirements for experiments are described, having in mind that the results depend on many factors. One of them is the selection of a vehicle to be used in the crash test. To perform numerical vehicle crash simulation, the finite-element models of permanent road equipment support structures were developed using the LS Dyna software available. To examine the response of the vehicle upon the impact, the acceleration severity index curves were calculated and visualised in Matlab.