High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for amiodarone N-deethylation in microsomes of rat liver.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay using ultraviolet detection is described for determining the production of the major N-dealkylated metabolite of amiodarone in rat liver microsomes. The principal advantages of this method are its simple sample preparation (protein precipitation by acetonitrile), low detection limit for N-desethylamiodarone (0.05 mumol/l) and relatively short analysis time (16 min). Its analytical applicability is demonstrated by the comparison of the kinetic parameters (maximum velocity and Michaelis-Menten constant) between Sprague-Dawley and Dark-Agouti rats.     

Characterization of Two Light-Harvesting Subunits Isolated from the Brown Alga Pelvetia canaliculata: Heterogeneity of Xanthophyll Distribution

The main light-harvesting fraction from Pelvetia canaliculata was isolated on a sucrose density gradient from digitonin-solubilized chloroplasts. After further solubilization by dodecyl maltoside, the bulk fraction was separated into two subunits by preparative isoelectric focusing. The more acidic brown fraction was mainly composed of 22 kDa polypeptides having an apparent pI of 4.55. Its pigment composition was very simple, containing chlorophyll (Chi) a, Chi c and fucoxanthin. The in vivo spectral properties of fucoxanthin, namely a shift in light absorption to the green and efficient energy transmission to Chi a, were conserved in this subunit. No xanthophyll associated with photoprotection was found in this band, even when obtained from photoinhibited thalli. The less acidic green band contained predominantly 22 kDa polypeptides that were resolved into numerous components by denaturing isoelectric focusing. Its pigment composition was more complex, containing, in addition, pigments of the so-called xanthophyll cycle. In photoinhibited thalli, about half of the violaxanthin was converted into antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin. All the pigments of the xanthophyll cycle were specifically associated with this subunit, and it may thus have a central role in the thermal dissipation of the absorbed light energy as postulated for light-harvesting complex II isolated from green plants.     

玻璃粉在陶瓷化硅橡胶中的应用

陶瓷化高分子材料具有优异的阻燃和防火性能,在国外已经有公司制备了这种材料来代替传统的防火材料。以硅橡胶为基体,通过添加玻璃粉,制备了一种陶瓷化高分子材料,研究了玻璃粉用量对硅橡胶力学性能和电学性能的影响,通过SEM观察了瓷化物表面和断面的形貌。结果显示,瓷化物表面比较致密,气孔较少,有一些玻璃相形成;断面存在大量气孔,具有较好的瓷化性能,瓷化物致密而又坚硬,可以抵抗至少1000℃的高温。随着玻璃粉添加量的提高,硅橡胶的流动性变差,硫化速率加快,拉伸强度和断裂伸长率都有不同程度的下降,邵氏硬度A一直上升,体积电阻率和表面电阻率则都呈现出先增大后减小的趋势。     

Unlocking the Hidden Potential of Cosmetics Waste for Building Sustainable Green Pavements in the Future: A Case Study of Discarded Lipsticks

This investigation is dedicated to unlocking the hidden potential of discarded cosmetics towards building green sustainable road pavements in the future. It is particularly aiming at exploring waste lipstick (WLS) as a high-quality functional additive for advanced asphalt mix technologies. To fuel this novel innovation, the effect of various WLS doses (e.g., 5, 10, and 15 wt.%) on the performance of base AP-5 asphalt cement was studied in detail. A wide array of cutting-edge analytical lab techniques was employed to inspect in-depth the physicochemical, microstructural, thermo-morphological, and rheological properties of resultant admixtures including: elemental analysis, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thin-layer chromatography-flame ionization detection (TLC-FID), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), needle penetration, ring and ball softening point, Brookfield viscometer, ductility, and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests. Unlike the unstable response of asphaltenes, the additive/artificial aging treatments increased the fraction of resins the most, and decreased that of aromatics; however, asphaltenes did not impair the saturates portion, according to Iatroscan research. FT-IR scan divulged that the WLS-asphalt interaction was physical rather than chemical. XRD diagnosis not only revealed an obvious correlation between the asphaltenes content and the fresh-binder crystallinity but also revealed the presence of fillers in the WLS, which may generate outstanding technical qualities to bituminous mixes. According to AFM/SEM analyses, the stepwise incorporation of WLS grew the magnitude of the “bee-shaped” microstructures and extended the roughness rate of unaged/aged binders. The prolonged consumption of the high thermal-stable additive caused a remarkable drop in the onset degradation and glass transition temperature of mixtures, thus enhancing their workability and low-temperature performance, according to TGA/DTGA/DSC data. The DSR and empirical rheological experiments demonstrated that the WLS could effectively lower the manufacturing and compaction temperatures of asphalt mixes and impart them with valuable anti-aging/fatigue-cracking assets. In a nutshell, the use of waste lipstick as an asphalt modifier is viable and cost-effective and could attenuate the pollution arisen from the beauty sector, while improving the performance of hot/warm asphalt mixes (HAM/WAM) and extending the service life of roadways.     

Temperature vibrations in urea crystals

The results obtained in four recent diffraction studies of urea have been compared. Although the data were collected by markedly different methods in each investigation, the results are in satisfactory agreement, and it is concluded that the average values represent the best values for the parameters at the present time.This work was supported by the U.S. Army Research Office (Durham). We wish to thank Dr. Ben Post for bringing to our attention the work of Toman and Tichý.     

The electron mobility and the static dielectric constant of Cd3As2 at 4.2 K

The ionized-impurity mobility of Cd₃As₂ at 4.2 K with carrier concentration lying in the range 10¹⁸–10¹⁹ cm^?3 has been calculated taking into account the inverted HgTe-type energy band structure of this material. A comparison of the results with experimental mobility data leads to a static dielectric constant of ?₀ = 36. This value represents a lower limit since any compensation effects would increase the fitted estimate of ?₀.     

Rapid supersampling of multiframe sequences by use of blind deconvolution

Under certain conditions, multiframe image sequences can be processed to produce images that achieve greater resolution through image registration and increased sampling. This technique, known as supersampling, takes advantage of the spatiotemporal data available in an undersampled imaging sequence. In this effort the image registration is replaced by application of a fast blind-deconvolution technique to remove the motion blur in the upsampled average of the image sequence. This method produces a supersampled image with significantly decreased computational requirements compared with common methods. The method and simulated test results are presented.