Standardization of Methods for Characterizing the Surface Geometry of Solids

Since a comprehensive survey published in 1999 [1] much work was done in standardizing measuring methods to characterize the surface geometry of dispersed and/or porous solids and to certify reference materials. The present paper is an extension of a short communication [2]. It gives a survey on existing standards and reports on new drafts and proposals.     

Solid sampling Fourier transform infrared determination of Mancozeb in pesticide formulations

A series of approaches have been assayed for FTIR determination of Mancozeb in several solid commercial fungicides using different calibration strategies. The simplest procedure was based on the use of the ratio between the absorbance of a characteristic band of Mancozeb and that of a KSCN internal standard measured in the FTIR spectra obtained from KBr pellets. It was employed the quotient between peak height absorbance values at 1525 cm⁻¹ for Mancozeb and 2070 cm⁻¹ for KSCN. In these conditions a precision as relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.6% and a relative accuracy error of 0.8% (w/w) were found. For complex formulations, containing other compounds with characteristic absorption bands at different wavenumbers than Mancozeb, one of them was used as internal reference being employed the standard addition approach. In this case, the Mancozeb bands at 1525 cm⁻¹ or at 1289 cm⁻¹ were employed, being used the ferrocyanide band at 2075 cm⁻¹ as internal reference. RSD values between 0.7-1.4% and a relative accuracy error of 3% (w/w) were found. A third strategy was based on the use of partial least squares (PLS) calibration. A reference set was prepared mixing Mancozeb, Kaolin, Cymoxanil and KBr, being predicted the Mancozeb concentration in pesticide formulations by using the quotient between absorbance bands of Mancozeb and those of Cymoxanil. In these conditions a relative accuracy error of 0.6% (w/w) and a relative standard deviation of 1.3% were found.     

The characterization of the capability of a balance

A survey is given on important standardized definitions by which the capability of balances may be characterized. Some modifications are proposed with regard to the use of mass sensors for the continuous determination of mass variations. An important supplement is the relative resolution introduced by Jenemann. Optimum values are presented.I am indepted to H. R. Jenemann for his critical remarks.     

Industrial standardization of thermal analysis in Japan

To satisfy the needs for industrial standards for thermal analysis in the Japanese polymer industry, round-robin tests of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), thermomechanical analysis (TMA) and thermodilatometry (TD) have been carried out recently. The results are discussed in this short review. The DSC applications tested were not only for determination of transition temperature but also for measurements of the transition heat and heat capacity. The TG task group did not aim at longterm thermal endurance studies, but relative thermal stability in molding and estimation of filler content, residual solvent content, etc. TMA was found to be a useful tool for measuring softening temperature and heat distortion temperature, especially for high-temperature engineering plastics, instead of the Vicat test which has temperature limitations. For temperature calibration of DSC and TG, ICTA-NIST certified reference materials were used together with other potential temperature standards; some inorganic substances and alloys were not found to be preferable to pure metals. For TMA and TD metal plates were found to be very useful for temperature calibration. Analysis of the round-robin test results also clarified present status of practical applications of thermal analysis, such as reproducibility and causes of errors. Plenary lecture     

食品药品检验机构仪器设备计量信息的标准化管理

建立食品药品检验机构仪器设备计量的信息化规范管理方法。总结了传统人工计量管理的弊端,提出计量信息化管理的流程,将计量信息化管理分为计量计划申报、计量应急申报、计量信息登记、计量结果确认4个步骤,详细介绍了4个步骤中信息管理的主要内容及注意事项。建立食品药品检验机构仪器设备计量信息化管理的标准化规程,可以为仪器设备计量信息的动态监管提供支持。     

A Robust Near-Infrared Calibration Model for the Determination of Chlorophyll Concentration in Tree Leaves with a Calibration Transfer Method

A method based on piecewise direct standardization was developed to directly predict leaf chlorophyll concentrations by correction of near-infrared spectra to construct a robust calibration model. Chinar, camphor, and gingko leaves collected from two growth intervals were evaluated. Spectral pretreatment methods and wavelength selection were investigated. The first derivative combined with stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling before piecewise direct standardization provided the best performance. Under the optimized parameters, the root mean square error of prediction was significantly reduced by using piecewise direct standardization. This study demonstrates that the calibration model may be used to rapidly characterize chlorophyll concentrations across species and growth intervals.     

On the Variability of Heart Rate Variability—Evidence from Prospective Study of Healthy Young College Students

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely used as indices for autonomic regulation, including linear analyses, entropy and multi-scale entropy based nonlinear analyses, and however, it is strongly influenced by the conditions under which the signal is being recorded. To investigate the variability of healthy HRV under different settings, we recorded electrocardiograph (ECG) signals from 56 healthy young college students (20 h for each participant) at campus using wearable single-lead ECG device. Accurate R peak to R peak (RR) intervals were extracted by combing the advantages of five commonly used R-peak detection algorithms to eliminate data quality influence. Thorough and detailed linear and nonlinear HRV analyses were performed. Variability of HRV metrics were evaluated from five categories: (1) different states of daily activities; (2) different recording time period in the same day during free-running daily activities; (3) body postures of sitting and lying; (4) lying on the left, right and back; and (5) gender influence. For most of the analyzed HRV metrics, significant differences (p < 0.05) were found among different recording conditions within the five categories except lying on different positions. Results suggested that the standardization of ECG data collection and HRV analysis should be implemented in HRV related studies, especially for entropy and multi-scale entropy based analyses. Furthermore, this preliminary study provides reference values of HRV indices under various recording conditions of healthy young subjects that could be useful information for different applications (e.g., health monitoring and management).     

吡咯烷二硫代氨基甲酸铵-Ni(Ⅱ)快速共沉淀分离富集和原子吸收光谱法测定痕量铜、铅和镉

研究了用吡咯烷二硫代氨基甲酸铵(APDC)为沉淀剂,以Ni(Ⅱ)为载体离子的共沉淀体系快速共沉淀分离富集铜、铅和镉,并用火焰原子吸收光谱(FAAS)测定的方法。通常情况下,内标元素和载体离子选择不同的元素,本文尝试将Ni既作为载体又作为内标元素。实验证明,该体系在pH=3.0的条件下,能够定量共沉淀试样中的铜、铅和镉。当试液为100 mL时,铜、铅、镉的检出限分别为9.7×10-3、3.3×10-2,1.01×10-3μg.mL-1,加标回收率为95.8%~101.8%,取得了较为满意的结果。本法只需快速收集部分沉淀,与传统的共沉淀方法比较,具有快速、简便、重现性好的优点。     

8-羟基喹啉快速共沉淀分离富集原子吸收光谱法测定啤酒中的Cu和Pb

研究了用8-羟基喹啉-Mg(Ⅱ)共沉淀体系,以Mn(Ⅱ)为内标,快速共沉淀分离富集啤酒中的铜和铅,并用火焰原子吸收光谱(FAAS)测定的方法。共沉淀受pH值、载体镁和内标锰用量的影响。结果显示在pH为9的条件下,能够定量共沉淀试样中的铜和铅。当试液为100 mL时,方法的检出限分别为铜6.28×10-3 μg·mL-1,Pb 2.26×10-2 μg·mL-1回收率为97.6%～103.0%,基本消除了基体干扰,取得了较为满意的结果。该方法无需收集全部沉淀,与传统的共沉淀方法比较,克服了收集沉淀费时的缺点。方法快速、简便、重现性好。     

土壤水分去除算法的田间原位光谱反演棉田有机质

田间原位可见-近红外光谱(VIS-NIR)能够有效的提高土壤属性的检测效率,但由于原位土壤中水分因素的影响,土壤属性的预测精度很难达到预期。如何有效去除土壤中的水分对土壤其他属性光谱预测的影响,是利用田间原位光谱高精度预测土壤属性所面临的难题,也是土壤光谱技术由室内转向田间的突破口。该问题的有效解决,可减除土壤样品的采集与室内预处理等过程,实现土壤属性的田间原位光谱测定。以新疆南部地区阿拉尔垦区十二团棉田为研究区,采用网格采样法共采集了116个0～20 cm深度的表层土壤样品,剔除1个异常值样品,得到115个有用样品,利用SR-3500型便携式地物光谱仪采集了231个样点的田间原位光谱数据,土样经风干、研磨和过筛等处理后测定其室内光谱和有机质含量。利用Kennard-Stone算法将115个土样分为69个转换子集及46个预测集,采用外部参数正交化法(EPO)、光谱直接转换法(DS)及光谱间接转换法(PDS)三种去除水分算法结合原位光谱反射率(R)、反射率一阶微分(R′)、反射率对数(LOG(R))以及反射率倒数(1/R)四种数学变换方式,运用随机森林(RF)模型进行不同组合模型的构建及精度评价。结果表明：(1)土壤有机质含量越高,土壤光谱反射率越低。土壤田间原位光谱反射率低于土壤室内光谱反射率;(2)室内光谱反射率与土壤有机质含量之间的相关性大于田间原位光谱,室内光谱经一阶微分变换后与土壤有机质含量之间的相关性显著提升。(3)土壤室内光谱反射率模型预测精度(R2=0.86, RPD=2.08, RMSE=1.55 g·kg-1, MAPE= 0.14)高于田间原位光谱反射率模型(R2=0.71, RPD=1.49, RMSE=2.17 g·kg-1, MAPE=0.20)。在去除水分算法模型中,以EPO一阶微分模型去除水分效果最好,决定系数R2由0.71提高到0.83,RPD由1.49提高到2.04,RMSE由2.17 g·kg-1降低至1.58 g·kg-1,MAPE由0.20降低至0.14。本研究实现了去除土壤水分因素的影响,提高了田间原位光谱预测土壤有机质的精度,为南疆棉田大尺度土壤有机质的预测及土壤肥力的评价提供了重要的参考。