The Contact Process Seen from a Typical Infected Site

This paper studies contact processes on general countable groups. It is shown that any such contact process has a well-defined exponential growth rate, and this quantity is used to study the process. In particular, it is proved that on any nonamenable group, the critical contact process dies out. Research supported by GAČR grant 201/06/1323 and the German Science Foundation. Part of this work was carried out when the author was employed as a postdoc at the University of Tübingen.     

Microwave assisted micellar extraction coupled with solid phase microextraction for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in soil samples

Microwave assisted micellar extraction (MAME) coupled with solid phase microextraction (SPME) and HPLC-UV determination have been used for the determination of five organochlorine pesticides from agricultural soil samples. A non-ionic surfactant, Polyoxyethlylene 10 Lauryl Ether was used, and the different variables for the optimization of MAME and SPME procedures were studied. This method was applied successfully to the determination of these pesticides in several kinds of agricultural soil samples with different characteristics. Most of the compounds studied can be recovered in good yields with R.S.D. lower than 9% and detection limit ranged between 56-96 ng g⁻¹ for the pesticides studied.     

Post-column detection of benzenediols and 1,2,4-benzenetriol based on acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence

Based on the sensitizing effect of formic acid on the chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of polyhydroxylbenzenes with acidified potassium permanganate and the combination technique of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a sensitive, selective and simple post-column CL detection method for simultaneously determining catechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone and 1,2,4-benzenetriol is described. The optimal conditions for the CL detection and HPLC separation were carried out. The linear ranges were: 6.0 × 10⁻³-1.5 mg/L for hydroquinone, 8.0 × 10⁻³-1.5 mg/L for 1,2,4-benzenetriol, 1.0 × 10⁻²-2.0 mg/L for resorcinol and 1.0 × 10⁻²-2.5 mg/L for catechol, respectively. The detection limits are: 3.2 × 10⁻³ mg/L for hydroquinone, 3.9 × 10⁻³ mg/L for 1,2,4-benzenetriol, 4.7 × 10⁻³ mg/L for resorcinol and 5.2 × 10⁻³ mg/L for catechol, respectively. Combining with solid phase extraction, the proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of the polyhydroxylbenzenes in river water. The recoveries for three benzentriols were 92.1-95.4% and 82.0% for 1,2,4-benzenetriol, respectively.     

Spectrophotometric determination of 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol (DNOC) in soil and lemon juice

Although the use of once widely applied selective herbicide, 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol (DNOC), was cancelled by US-EPA in 1987, it is still found in soil and water due to its slow degradation in the environment. Since solid phase extraction-spectrophotometry combinations are much simpler and cheaper than chromatography/MS based methods and most routine laboratories lack such sophisticated instrumentation, it is desirable to establish novel sensitive, well-established, and field-applicable spectrophotometric methods for the rapid assay of DNOC in water and soil. For this purpose, two distinct spectrophotometric methods utilizing the periodate and copper(II)-neocuproine (Nc) reagents have been developed following Zn/HCl reduction of the pesticide in a microwave oven for 15 s, and validated for DNOC determination at mg L⁻¹ level. The LOD values were 1.6 and 0.2 mg L⁻¹ for periodate and Cu(II)-Nc methods, respectively. Statistical comparison of the developed methods was made with the aid of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a C₁₈ (5 μm), 250 mm× 4.6 mm ID reversed phase column in conjunction with a UV (264 nm) detector, and a methanol (HPLC grade) +0.1% glacial acetic acid mixture mobile phase. Both spectrophotometric methods were directly applicable to soil since they were not interfered with common soil cations and anions, together with some pesticides. These methods were applied to real samples such as synthetically contaminated montmorillonite and lemon juice, and overall recovery efficiencies at the order of 95% or greater were achieved in the devised adsorption/elution procedures. An 8-hydroxyquinoline (oxine)-impregnated XAD copolymer resin stabilized with Fe(III) salt was used to preconcentrate DNOC at a concentration factor of 20 from lemon juice contaminated with 1 mg L⁻¹ DNOC, and the analyte retained at pH 2.5 was eluted with 0.025 M methanolic NaOH. Both the devised spectrophotometric methods and the proposed preconcentration column with optimized sorption and desorption conditions are novel for DNOC assay in the natural environment.     

Validation of mercury determination by solid sampling Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry and a specially designed furnace

Certified reference materials (CRMs) of different origin were used to validate the direct determination of total mercury by solid sampling Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-ZAAS) and a specially designed furnace. The temperature program provides only for one step. Atomisation of mercury and pyrolysis of the matrix is performed at a constant temperature in the range of 900–1000 °C. Calibration points achieved by CRMs and aqueous solutions are covered by one calibration line, indicating the absence of matrix effects. Relatively high amounts of chlorine, known for causing problems in mercury determination do not influence analytical results. The excellent accuracy of the method results in a very good agreement with the certified values. The precision of SS-ZAAS measurements in a range from 0.5 to 50 ng Hg does not exceed 3% R.S.D. A limit of quantification of 0.008 μg g⁻¹ Hg was achieved.     

A review on solid phase microextraction-high performance liquid chromatography as a novel tool for the analysis of toxic metal ions

This paper reviews the practical applications of solid phase microextraction-High performance liquid chromatography in the analysis of toxic metal species as these are important contaminants and are carcinogenic. Their determination in formulations, in feed and food, and in complex environmental matrices (e.g., waste water and industrial effluents) often requires analytical methods capable of high efficiency, unique selectivity, and high sensitivity. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) requires low solvent consumption and is quick in use. SPME is used for extraction and online desorption of analytes with the mobile phase of HPLC and subsequent detection by UV, ICP-MS or ESI-MS as detectors. Different SPME-HPLC methods are summarized in this article to demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for metallic species of As, Cr, Pb, Hg and Se.     

Screening of domperidone in wastewater by high performance liquid chromatography and solid phase extraction methods

Domperidone is a dopamine D₂ receptor antogonist, which has been used as antiemetic agent in human beings. It has been found in wastewater released by some pharmaceutical industries leading to the contamination of surface and ground water. Therefore, a sensitive, inexpensive and reproducible HPLC-SPE method was developed for the analysis of domperidone in the wastewater. The column used was Waters symmetry C₁₈ (15 cm × 0.46 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase used was phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH 3.5) acetonitrile (80:20, v/v) at the flow rate 2.0 mL/min. The detection was achieved by using UV mode at 230 nm. The retention, separation and resolution factors were 2.63, 3.00 and 3.20, respectively. The percentage recovery of domperidone from wastewater was 95.0%. Celiprolol was used as the internal standard to access the percentage extraction of domperidone from wastewater.     

Study on spectroscopic characterization of Pd porphyrin and its interaction with ctDNA

The fluorescence and solid substrate room temperature phosphorescence (SS-RTP) properties of Pd(II) meso-tetrakis (4-N-methyl-pyridiniumyl) porphyrin (Pd(II)TMPyP) were studied. The factors influencing the SS-RTP emission, such as filter type, inorganic salt sort, drying temperature, pre-drying time and drying time were investigated in detail. Strong SS-RTP signal can be induced on the slow speed filter paper in the presence of the external inorganic salt, Ca(NO₃)₂, with the maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 421 nm and 675 nm, respectively. The interaction between calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and Pd(II)TMPyP was investigated at pH 7.2 using SS-RTP, fluorescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. The SS-RTP intensity of Pd(II)TMPyP was enhanced efficiently with the increasing amount of ctDNA. This phenomenon demonstrates that the intercalated porphyrin is shielded by ctDNA to avoid collision quenching. This result was supported by SS-RTP lifetime measurement, SS-RTP anion quenching experiment and fluorescence polarization measurement. Furthermore, with the addition of ctDNA, the UV-vis spectra of Pd(II)TMPyP shows apparent hypochromicity (40%) at the Soret maximum of 417 nm and a red shift of Δλ = 15 nm, also indicating that Pd(II)TMPyP intercalates into ctDNA bases. The binding constant of Pd(II)TMPyP to ctDNA was calculated to be 4.41 × 10⁵ L/mol based on the derivative McGhee-von Hippel plots.     

ε-Amino acids based on bicyclic skeleton: bicyclo[3.3.0]octane-5-amino-1-carboxylic acids

Tsc-protected ε-amino acids, bicyclo[3.3.0]octane-5-amino-1-carboxylic acids (1), ready to use in the solid-phase synthesis, are prepared from 4,4-diethylcarboxylic bicyclo[3.3.0]oct-2-enone (3), which is available in bulk from 2 through the catalytic Pauson-Khand reaction.     

Studies on lattice thermal expansion and XPS of ThO2NdO1.5 solid solutions

The lattice parameter changes with respect to temperature (T) have been measured by high temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) technique for ThO₂NdO_1.5 solid solutions containing 23.8 and 42.5 mol% NdO_1.5 in the temperature range from 298 to 2000 K. The temperature versus lattice parameter data have been made use of in calculating the lattice thermal expansivity. The values of thermal expansion of the solid solutions were found to be increased with increase in neodymium oxide content and temperature. The mean linear thermal expansion coefficients in this temperature range for ThO₂NdO_1.5 solid solutions are 12.28 × 10⁻⁶ and 12.90 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹, respectively. The binding energies of Th 4f_7/2 and Nd 3d_5/2 energy levels of the solid solutions containing 13.1, 23.8, 31.9, 37.2 and 42.5 mol% NdO_1.5 and two-phase mixtures containing 47.6 and 51.8 mol% NdO_1.5 were experimentally determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).