Determination of hydroxysafflor yellow A in biological fluids of patients with traumatic brain injury by UPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS after injection of Xuebijing

A simple, novel, specific, rapid and reproducible ultra‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the determination of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) in biological fluids (plasma, urine and cerebrospinal fluid) of patients with traumatic brain injury after intravenous injection of Xuebijing (XBJ). Liquid–liquid extraction was performed, and separation was carried out on an Acquity UPLC? BEH C₁₈ column, with gradient elution using a mobile phase composed of methanol and 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. A triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization was used for the detection of HSYA. The mass transition followed was m/z 611.0 → 491. The retention time was less than 3.0 min. The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range from 2 to 6125 ng/mL for cerebrospinal fluid, plasma and urine. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <10%, and the relative standard deviation of recovery was <15% for HSYA in biological matrices. The method was successfully applied for the first time to quantify HSYA in the biological fluids (especially in cerebrospinal fluid) of patients with traumatic brain injury following intravenous administration of XBJ. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification,quantification and Chrastil modelling of wheat straw wax extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) can be used as a “green” selective solvent for extractions of wheat straw waxes. For the first time, the crude extraction yields of wheat straw waxes and the yields of a single high value group of components (wax esters) using various scCO₂ conditions (305.15 to 373.15 K and 7.5 to 40 MPa) have been modelled using the Chrastil equation (Chrastil, 1982). The model accurately predicts both the crude yield and percentage of valuable wax esters within the extracts enabling maximum extraction efficiency. The key compounds within the waxes (fatty acids, sterols, fatty alcohols, wax esters, β-diketones and alkanes) have been identified and quantified. This study highlighted that, 14,16 hentriacontanedione was extracted at critical temperature and pressure in concentrations of 1000 μg.g⁻¹ straw. This molecule could demonstrate significant potential as a natural chelate for metal recovery and also in the formation of super-hydrophobic coatings.     

Water waves trapped by thin submerged cylinders in a two‐layer fluid: Discrete eigenvalue

Exact solutions of the linear water‐wave problem describing oblique water waves trapped by a submerged horizontal cylinder of small (but otherwise fairly arbitrary) cross‐section in a two‐layer fluid are constructed in the form of convergent series in powers of the small parameter characterising the “thinness” of the cylinder. The terms of this series are expressed through the solutions of the exterior Neumann problem for the Laplace equation describing the flow of unbounded fluid past the cylinder.     

Quasipatterns versus superlattices resulting from the superposition of two hexagonal patterns

We present a short review of the experimental observations and mechanisms related to the generation of quasipatterns and superlattices by the Faraday instability with two-frequency forcing. We show how two-frequency forcing makes possible triad interactions that generate hexagonal patterns, twelvefold quasipatterns or superlattices that consist of two hexagonal patterns rotated by an angle α relative to each other. We then consider which patterns could be observed when α does not belong to the set of prescribed values that give rise to periodic superlattices. Using the Swift–Hohenberg equation as a model, we find that quasipattern solutions exist for nearly all values of α. However, these quasipatterns have not been observed in experiments with the Faraday instability for $\alpha \ne \mathrm{\pi }/6$. We discuss possible reasons and mention a simpler framework that could give some hint about this problem.     

Simulating gas–liquid multiphase flow using meshless Lagrangian method

A multiphase flow model has been established based on a moving particle semi‐implicit method. A surface tension model is introduced to the particle method to improve the numerical accuracy and stability. Several computational techniques are employed to simplify the numerical procedure and further improve the accuracy. A particle fraction multiphase flow model is developed and verified by a two‐phase Poiseuille flow. The multiphase surface tension model is discussed in detail, and an ethanol drop case is introduced to verify the surface tension model. A simple dam break is simulated to demonstrate the improvements with various modifications in particle method along with a new boundary condition. Finally, we simulate several bubble rising cases to show the capacity of this new model in simulating gas–liquid multiphase flow with large density ratio difference between phases. The comparisons among numerical results of mesh‐based model, experimental data, and the present model, indicate that the new multiphase particle method is acceptable in gas–liquid multiphase fluids simulation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Membrane-based microchannel device for continuous quantitative extraction of dissolved free sulfide from water and from oil

Underground fluids are important natural sources of drinking water, geothermal energy, and oil-based fuels. To facilitate the surveying of such underground fluids, a novel microchannel extraction device was investigated for in-line continuous analysis and flow injection analysis of sulfide levels in water and in oil. Of the four designs investigated, the honeycomb-patterned microchannel extraction (HMCE) device was found to offer the most effective liquid–liquid extraction. In the HMCE device, a thin silicone membrane was sandwiched between two polydimethylsiloxane plates in which honeycomb-patterned microchannels had been fabricated. The identical patterns on the two plates were accurately aligned. The extracted sulfide was detected by quenching monitoring of fluorescein mercuric acetate (FMA). The sulfide extraction efficiencies from water and oil samples of the HMCE device and of three other designs (two annular and one rectangular channel) were examined theoretically and experimentally. The best performance was obtained with the HMCE device because of its thin sample layer (small diffusion distance) and large interface area. Quantitative extraction from both water and oil could be obtained using the HMCE device. The estimated limit of detection for continuous monitoring was 0.05 μM, and sulfide concentrations in the range of 0.15–10 μM could be determined when the acceptor was 5 μM FMA alkaline solution. The method was applied to natural water analysis using flow injection mode, and the data agreed with those obtained using headspace gas chromatography-flame photometric detection. The analysis of hydrogen sulfide levels in prepared oil samples was also performed. The proposed device is expected to be used for real time survey of oil wells and groundwater wells.     

Numerical simulations of negatively buoyant jets in an immiscible fluid using the Particle Finite Element Method

Negatively buoyant jets consist in a dense fluid injected vertically upward into a lighter ambient fluid. The numerical simulation of this kind of buoyancy‐driven flows is challenging as it involves multiple fluids with different physical properties. In the case of immiscible fluids, it requires, in addition, to track the motion of the interface between fluids and accurately represent the discontinuities of the flow variables. In this paper, we investigate numerically the injection of a negatively buoyant jet into a homogenous immiscible ambient fluid using the Particle Finite Element Method and compare the two‐dimensional numerical results with experiments on the injection of a jet of dyed water through a nozzle in the base of a cylindrical tank containing rapeseed oil. In both simulations and experiments, the fountain inlet flow velocity and nozzle diameter have been varied to cover a wide range of Froude Fr and Reynolds Re numbers ( 0.1 < Fr < 30, 8 < Re < 1350), reproducing both weak and strong laminar fountains. The flow behaviors observed for the different numerical simulations fit in the regime map based on the Re and Fr values of the experiments, and the maximum fountain height is in good agreement with the experimental observations, suggesting that particle finite element method is a useful tool for the study of immiscible two‐fluid systems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimized Quantitative Method for Determining Isoflavones and Equol in Bovine Digestive Fluids and Feces

Many studies have been conducted on the impact of animal feed on isoflavones and their metabolite concentrations in bovine milk, but few studies have focused on the development and validation of analytical protocols for quantifying these compounds in biological matrices other than milk and plants. The purpose of this study was to develop a method that would enable four isoflavones and equol in cows’ feces and digestive fluids to be quantified simultaneously. The method is based on aglycones released by methanolic ultrasound-assisted extraction, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem–mass spectrometry analysis. The sample preparation was optimized using the Box–Behnken design. The selected extraction conditions were 80°C, 10?min, and 50% methanol for digestive fluids and 70°C, 35?min, and 60% methanol for feces. For hydrolysis, the selected conditions were 37°C, 1?h, and a pH of 6 for both matrices. The analytical method showed a good linear regression model ranging from 5 to 125?ng?mL^?1. Both inter- and intraday accuracy (≤8.5 and ≤12.3%) and precision (≤11.1 and ≤15.2%) were suitable. No matrix effects were found. There was good repeatability and extract stability for at least 4 days of storage at???20 and 6°C. All recoveries were in the acceptable range of 70–120% for both matrices, except for biochanin A in feces, where the value was approximately 43%. This sensitive and reliable method will be useful for monitoring the passage of isoflavones and equol in the digestive system of ruminants.