Determination of 241Am in Environmental Samples: A Review

The determination of ²⁴¹Am in the environment is of importance in monitoring its release and assessing its environmental impact and radiological risk. This paper aims to give an overview about the recent developments and the state-of-art analytical methods for ²⁴¹Am determination in environmental samples. Thorough discussions are given in this paper covering a wide range of aspects, including sample pre-treatment and pre-concentration methods, chemical separation techniques, source preparation, radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques, speciation analyses, and tracer applications. The paper focuses on some hyphenated separation methods based on different chromatographic resins, which have been developed to achieve high analytical efficiency and sample throughput for the determination of ²⁴¹Am. The performances of different radiometric and mass spectrometric measurement techniques for ²⁴¹Am are evaluated and compared. Tracer applications of ²⁴¹Am in the environment, including speciation analyses of ²⁴¹Am, and applications in nuclear forensics are also discussed.     

环境水样中硒形态分析的样品预处理

综述了近几年来测定环境水样中硒的样品前处理方法,主要包括样品消解,加入基体改进剂和分离富集3个方面。消解法中主要使用湿法消解;加入基体改进剂适用于石墨炉原子吸收光谱法的样品预处理,可以提高硒的灰化温度,减少硒的损失以及样品中基体的干扰;固相萃取法是萃取法的主要使用手段。     

Novel CD-MOF NIR-II fluorophores for gastric ulcer imaging

Gastric ulcers are one of the most common stomach diseases that often accompanied by inflammation, congestion, edema, scar tissue formation, and pyloric obstruction. Fiberoptic endoscopy and X-ray analysis of the upper GI tract have become the diagnostic procedure of choice for patients. However, conventional diagnosis technology is either invasive or radioactive. Herein, a novel CD-MOF NIR-II fluorophore (GPs-CH1055) was developed. The relative fluorophore intensity was largely consistent at various media and pH buffers, and it can swell into gel particles in solvents and be completely expelled from the gastrointestinal tract without being assimilated. GPs-CH1055 has been further evaluated in vivo, and exhibited strong retention effect on the gastric ulcer sites, bright NIR-II signals with high spatial and temporal resolution. Therefore, GPs-CH1055 shows great promise for realizing real-time gastric ulcer imaging and diagnosis.     

毛竹化学成分光谱分析的快速建模方法研究

研究了毛竹综纤维素和木质素含量近红外光谱定量分析方法的建立。选用不同竹龄、纵向和横向部位的54个竹材粉末样品,用湿化学方法测定其综纤维素和木质素含量。在综纤维素和木质素含量的分布范围内,从低值、中间值和高值中挑选11个代表性样品,11个样品按预定比例混合得到21个混合样品,混合样品的综纤维素和木质素含量计算得到,再挑选22个目标成分含量不同的样品组成54个样品的校正集。用偏最小二乘法分别建立样品综纤维素含量、木质素含量和近红外漫发射光谱之间的相关模型。结果表明,综纤维素含量的预测模型的相关系数(R_p)为0.92,标准偏差(SEP)为1.04％;木质素含量的预测模型的R_p为0.93,SEP为0.91％,与常规方法建立的模型预测精度相似。说明利用样品混合的方式可快速增加校正集样品的数量、改善校正集样品的分布状况,继而建立稳定可靠的近红外定量分析模型。     

近红外光谱分析中建模校正集的选择

将极大线性无关组的概念及方法引入近红外光谱分析,探讨了在建立定量分析模型时代表性样品,即校正集样品的选择问题。以2 652个烟末样品为实验材料,随机选取1 001个样品构成预测集,其余1 651个样品为代表性样品备选集。用Matlab软件求出代表性样品备选集光谱矩阵的极大线性无关组,以此作为代表性样品,构成建模的校正集。用PLS回归法建立了烟末样品总糖含量定量分析的预测模型,并将模型用于预测集中1 001个烟末样品总糖含量的预测分析。实验结果表明,当选择的校正集包含的样品数量大于32时,所建各模型对预测集样品预测的平均相对误差均小于4%,平均相关系数大于0.96。其中选择32个代表性样品和146个代表性样品所建模型定量分析预测集中各样品的总糖含量,两个结果经统计检验没有显著性差异(α=0.05),说明求极大线性无关组的方法用于校正集样品的选择,可实现“少而精”选择样品的目的。此外,我们用求极大线性无关组选择校正集样品和随机方法选择校正集样品两种方法,选择了同样数目28,32,41,76,146,163个样品建模进行预测效果的对比实验,结果显示,求极大线性无关组法选择校正集建模的预测效果优于随机选择校正集建模的预测效果。     

偏最小二乘回归在微波效应预测中的应用

引入偏最小二乘回归(PLSR)原理和方法应用于微波效应实验数据的预测,得到的预测精度与自适应神经模糊推理网络(ANFIS)结果基本一致,平均相对误差小于3%。实例分析了PLSR方法与ANFIS方法对建模数据样本量的需求,在建模样本数较少条件下,PLSR所建模型的预测精度均高于ANFIS模型。因此PLSR方法更适用于微波效应小样本数据的预测,更有利于实际应用。     

Native agarose gel electrophoresis and electroelution: A fast and cost‐effective method to separate the small and large hepatitis B capsids

Hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) expressed in Escherichia coli is able to self‐assemble into large and small capsids comprising 240 (triangulation number T = 4) and 180 (triangulation number T = 3) subunits, respectively. Conventionally, sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and SEC have been used to separate these capsids. However, good separation of the large and small particles with these methods is never achieved. In the present study, we employed a simple, fast, and cost‐effective method to separate the T = 3 and T = 4 HBcAg capsids by using native agarose gel electrophoresis followed by an electroelution method (NAGE‐EE). This is a direct, fast, and economic method for isolating the large and small HBcAg particles homogenously based on the hydrodynamic radius of the spherical particles. Dynamic light scattering analysis demonstrated that the T = 3 and T = 4 HBcAg capsids prepared using the NAGE‐EE method are monodisperse with polydispersity values of ～15% and ～13%, respectively. ELISA proved that the antigenicity of the capsids was not affected in the purification process. Overall, NAGE‐EE produced T = 3 and T = 4 capsids with a purity above 90%, and the recovery was 34% and 50%, respectively (total recovery of HBcAg is ～84%), and the operation time is 15 and 4 times lesser than that of the sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and SEC, respectively.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in breast milk from Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil, using a modified QuEChERS method and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry

ABSTRACT

The food chain is the main source of exposure to humans by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) due to the bioaccumulation. Breast milk can accumulate OCPs, so this matrix is often used as an environmental bioindicator. The currently available methods for the determination of several OCPs and metabolites in breast milk involve, in general, multi-step sample preparation and quantification techniques with low selectivity, high cost and much time and labour. Thus, a fast and efficient method based on sample preparation using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method combined with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with negative chemical ionisation (GC-NCI-MS) was developed, validated and applied for determination of 16 OCPs and metabolites in breast milk samples. The extract was cleaned by dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) using MgSO₄ and C18, evaporated in a Turbovap® system, redissolved and analysed by GC-NCI-MS. The method was validated showing acceptable recoveries (72–118%) and precision (RSD <19%). Method limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.75 to 7.5 ng g^?1 and from 2.5 to 25 ng g^?1 lipid, respectively. The method was successfully applied to 20 samples of breast milk from different regions of the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, of which 75% contained residues below the LOQs.     

Radial sample load distribution under overload conditions: Analytical scale columns

The homogeneity of the sample load across the radial cross section of analytical scale columns was determined when operating under overload conditions. The study was performed using active flow technology columns operating in parallel segmentation mode. The outlet segmentation ratio was varied to enable different volume fractions of mobile phase, and thus sample, to elute from the peripheral and central flow regions of the column. The amount of solute exiting the peripheral and radial central exit ports was determined as a function of the flow segmentation ratio. The experimental data using an analytical scale column with dimensions, 100?×?4.6?mm, indicated that the sample load distribution was essentially uniform as a function of the column radial cross section.     

Determination of trans,trans‐muconic acid in workers' urine through ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

A novel method for the biological monitoring of benzene‐exposed workers has been developed through ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The method uses trans,trans‐muconic acid in urine as the benzene‐exposure biomarker. The method was developed using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with enough sensitivity to facilitate diluting and injecting the urine samples directly, rather than performing a solid‐phase extraction procedure as is common in the available protocols. Moreover, compared with a conventional high‐pressure liquid chromatography system, the separation power provided by the ultra‐performance liquid chromatography system allows a 10‐fold reduction in run time. The method was adjusted to a dynamic range of between 198.9 and 4916.7 µg/L to cover the biological exposure index of trans,trans‐muconic acid in urine. Also, the method demonstrated intra‐day and inter‐day precision at 98%, and accuracy within an acceptable range of 101 ± 8%. The method has been used to quantify various types of urine samples, such as workers' urine and inter‐laboratory proficiency tests. Depending on the sample, the quantified levels ranged from less than the limit of quantitation to 3836.7 µg/L. No levels exceeding the calibration range were detected in the urine of workers, and the reported concentrations in urine for the proficiency tests were, as expected, based on known values. Moreover, the new method using sample dilution and faster chromatographic run was more effective, facilitating fast communication of results, as needed, to decision‐makers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.