Polyelectrolyte multilayers as stationary phases for open tubular ion chromatography

Polyelectrolyte multilayers deposited on the wall of fused silica capillaries were used as stationary phases in open tubular ion chromatography. The multilayers were formed by flushing the capillaries with solutions of polyanions and polycations such as polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride and dextran sulphate. Columns with several bi-layers were constructed and used in low pressure non-suppressed open tubular ion chromatography of common inorganic anions (F⁻, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻) and cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺) with contactless conductometric detection. Using sodium benzoate and tartaric acid eluents the separations were typically achieved in less than 35 min with separation efficiencies between 2000 and 9000 theoretical plates. A bi-functional column was prepared that contains both anionic and cationic functional groups and was used for simultaneous separation of anions and cations.     

A multidimensional high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with amperometric detection using a boron-doped diamond electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in bovine milk

The development and validation of a multidimensional HPLC method using an on-line clean-up column coupled with amperometric detection employing a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) in bovine milk are presented. Aliquots of pre-prepared skim-milk samples were directly injected into a RAM octyl-BSA column in order to remove proteins that otherwise would interfere with milk analysis. After exclusion of the milk proteins, SMX and TMP were transferred to the analytical column (an octyl column) and the separation of the compounds from one another and from other endogenous milk components was achieved. SMX and TMP were detected amperometrically at 1.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 mol L⁻¹ KCl). Results with good linearity in the concentration ranges 50-800 and 25-400 μg L⁻¹ for SMX and TMP, respectively, were obtained and no fouling of the BDD electrode was observed within the experimental period of several hours. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 10% for both drugs and the obtained LOD values for SMX and TMP were 25.0 and 15.0 μg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Analysis of trace levels of domoic acid in seawater and plankton by liquid chromatography without derivatization,using UV or mass spectrometry detection

Quantitation of trace levels of domoic acid (DA) in seawater samples usually requires labour-intensive protocols involving chemical derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (FMOC–LC–FLD). Procedures based on LC–MS have been published, but time-consuming and costly solid-phase extraction pre-concentration steps are required to achieve suitable detection limits. This paper describes an alternative, simple and inexpensive LC method with ultraviolet detection (LC–UVD) for the routine analysis of trace levels of DA in seawater without the use of sample pre-concentration or derivatization steps. Qualitative confirmation of DA identity in dubious samples can be achieved by mass spectrometry (LC–MS) using the same chromatographic conditions. Addition of an ion-pairing/acidifying agent (0.15% trifluoroacetic acid) to sample extracts and the use of a gradient elution permitted the direct analysis of large sample volumes (100 μl), resulting in both high selectivity and sensitivity (limit of detection = 42 pg ml⁻¹ by LC–UVD and 15 pg ml⁻¹ by LC–MS). Same-day precision varied between 0.4 and 5%, depending on the detection method and DA concentration. Mean recoveries of spiked DA in seawater by LC–UVD were 98.8% at 0.1–10 ng ml⁻¹ and 99.8% at 50–1000 ng ml⁻¹. LC–UVD exhibited strong correlation with FMOC–LC–FLD during inter-laboratory analysis of Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries cultures containing 60–2000 ng DA ml⁻¹ (r² > 0.99), but more variable results were obtained by LC–MS (r² = 0.85). This new technique was used to confirm the presence of trace DA levels in low-toxicity Pseudo-nitzschia spp. isolates (0.2–1.6 ng ml⁻¹) and in whole-water field samples (0.3–5.8 ng ml⁻¹), even in the absence of detectable Pseudo-nitzschia spp. cells in the water column.     

Simultaneous analysis of plasma thiols by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection using a new probe, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phenyl-(4-iodoacetamido)difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene

The design, synthesis and properties of a new derivatizing reagent, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phenyl-(4-iodoacetamido)difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMPAB-I), for thiol groups are presented. Using the derivatization of TMPAB-I with thiols, a new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for measuring low-molecular-weight thiol-containing compounds, including coenzyme A (CoA), glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, cysteine, homocysteine (HCys) and 6-mercaptopurine has been developed. The reaction of TMPAB-I with thiols is specific, fast and stable for both TMPAB-I and the derivatives. A baseline separation of all the six derivatives is achieved by isocratic elution on reversed-phase column within 20 min with detection wavelengths of 500 and 510 nm for the excitation and emission, respectively, and the limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) are from 1.8 fmol (CoA) to 14.0 fmol (HCys), respectively, per 20 μL injection. The utility of the proposed method has been validated by measuring thiol-containing compounds in human plasma samples from healthy persons and patients with hypertension, with recoveries of 94.2–106.8%.     

Rapid quantitative analysis of individual anthocyanin content based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection with the pH differential method

A new quantitative technique for the simultaneous quantification of the individual anthocyanins based on the pH differential method and high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection is proposed in this paper. The six individual anthocyanins (cyanidin 3‐glucoside, cyanidin 3‐rutinoside, petunidin 3‐glucoside, petunidin 3‐rutinoside, and malvidin 3‐rutinoside) from mulberry (Morus rubra) and Liriope platyphylla were used for demonstration and validation. The elution of anthocyanins was performed using a C₁₈ column with stepwise gradient elution and individual anthocyanins were identified by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Based on the pH differential method, the high‐performance liquid chromatography peak areas of maximum and reference absorption wavelengths of anthocyanin extracts were conducted to quantify individual anthocyanins. The calibration curves for these anthocyanins were linear within the range of 10–5500 mg/L. The correlation coefficients (r²) all exceeded 0.9972, and the limits of detection were in the range of 1–4 mg/L at a signal‐to‐noise ratio ≥5 for these anthocyanins. The proposed quantitative analysis was reproducible with good accuracy of all individual anthocyanins ranging from 96.3 to 104.2% and relative recoveries were in the range 98.4–103.2%. The proposed technique is performed without anthocyanin standards and is a simple, rapid, accurate, and economical method to determine individual anthocyanin contents.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation and voltammetric determination of ciprofloxacin employing poly(alizarin red)/graphene composite film in the presence of ascorbic acid,uric acid and dopamine

A glassy carbon electrode modified with poly(alizarin red)/electrodeposited graphene (PAR/EGR) composite film was prepared and applied to detect ciprofloxacin (CPFX) in the presence of ascorbic, uric acid and dopamine. The morphology and interface property of PAR/EGR films were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrocatalytic oxidation of CPFX on AR/EGR was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The linearity ranged from 4 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.2 × 10⁻⁴ M with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.01 μM. The modified electrode could be applied to the individual determination of CPFX as well as the simultaneous determination of CPFX, ascorbic acid, uric acid and dopamine. This method proved to be a simple, selective and rapid way to determine CPFX in pharmaceutical preparation and biological media.     

Characterization of LiBC by phase-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy

LiBC was used as a model compound for probing the applicability of phase-contrast (PC) imaging in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to visualize lithium distributions. In the LiBC structure, boron and carbon are arranged to hetero graphite layers between which lithium is incorporated. The crystal structure is reflected in the PC-STEM images recorded perpendicular to the layers. The experimental images and their defocus dependence match with multi-slice simulations calculated utilizing the reciprocity principle. The observation that a part of the Li positions is not occupied is likely an effect of the intense electron beam triggering Li displacement.     

Classification of audio events using permutation transformation

Automatic detection and classification of short and nonstationary events in noisy signals is widely considered to be a difficult task for traditional frequency domain and even time–frequency domain approaches. A novel method for audio signal classification is introduced. It is based on statistical properties of the temporal fine structure of audio events. Artificially generated random signals and unvoiced stop consonants of speech are used to evaluate the method. The results show improved recognition accuracy in comparison to traditional approaches.     

Research on photoelectronics properties of array emitting diode and its light energy distribution in detection screen

According to the principle of multi-screen intersection target measure flying projectile parameters, the photoelectronics properties of array emitting diode that form detection screen in multi-screen intersection target and its light energy distributing were studied. The form of detection screen using array emitting diode and the measure principle of four screens intersection were analyzed. The properties of emitting diode were analyzed based on its compound emitting mechanism and P–N ties internal current carrier. The light energy superposition principle was applied to set up light energy distributing model and give out its arithmetic. Through calculation and analysis, the light energy distributing is asymmetric when being close to diode position and the output variation range of light energy is large relatively. When test position is far from diode, the light energy distributing is uniformity, but the energy is relatively feebleness in edge of screen. Detection screen light energy distribution is trapezoidal in whole screen. The variety of emitting diode luminous flux is very distinct when projectile close to pointing light source, the output signal in received detective circuit is very high which is propitious to improve acquirement rate.     

Evaluation of single virus detection through optical biosensor based on microsphere resonator

Shift of resonance frequency in microsphere optical resonator due to attachment of a desirable particle is obtained. Our 3-D finite element numerical method (FEM) simulations’ results show the path of light through microsphere and its variation due to attachment of particle. It is apparent that after attachment of particle to microsphere's surface, light is inclined to pass through the particle. Subsequently, the path of light becomes longer than previous. Because of this phenomenon, the resonance wavelength shifts to longer wavelengths. It is shown that microsphere optical resonator is a prominent biosensor for single virus detection since we applied characteristics of virus for particle in our simulations. Response of this biosensor depends on the characteristics of particle like its radius as we show in this article. Transmission spectrum of fiber which reveals a selected resonance frequency, have been studied in the frequency range of 106.3 to 107 THz under three different sizes of particles. The results show that the amount of frequency shift rises by enhancement of particle's size.