HPLC Analysis of Cotinine in Urine After SPE with a Cholesterol-Modified Adsorbent

A one-step solid-phase extraction procedure, based on a new silica gel adsorbent modified with cholesterol groups, has been investigated for measurement of cotinine in urine. Cotinine is the main metabolite of nicotine in the human body and is analyzed as a biomarker for assessment of direct or passive exposure to tobacco smoke. New cholesterol-modified adsorbents have been obtained by chemical modification of silica gel of different porosity with cholesterol ligands. Although recovery by this extraction procedure were optimum over a relatively broad range of sample pH (3.1–8.0), analytical conditions such as sample loading, washing and elution conditions, concentration of cotinine to be extracted, and the type of adsorbent used for extraction were found to affect the efficiency of the procedure and had to be controlled for optimum recovery. When these conditions were controlled, recovery of cotinine from spiked human urine was reproducible and depended on compound ionization. Quantitative analysis of cotinine was performed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. Presented at: Conference of the Hyphenation of Liquid Chromatography–Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and Related Topics, Tuebingen, Germany, March 25–29, 2006.     

Stationary states of crystal growth in three dimensions

A new Markov process describing crystal growth in three dimensions is introduced. States of the process are configurations of the crystal surface, which has a terrace-edge-kink structure. The states are continuous along edges but discrete across edges, in accordance with the very different rates for the two types of captures of particles. Stationary distributions, describing steady crystal growth, are found in general. To our knowledge, these are the first examples of stationary distributions for layered crystal growth in three dimensions. The steady growth rate and other quantities are obtained explicitly for two interacting edges. For many interacting edges, growth behavior is determined (a) in various asymptotic regimes including thermodynamic limits, (b) via simulations, and (c) using series (cluster) expansions in the slope of the surface, the first three coefficients being computed. The theoretical growth rates show a marked dependence on surface dimensions. This may contribute to the size dependence and dispersion in the observed growth rate of small crystals.     

Hierarchical condensation near phase equilibrium

A novel mechanism of new phase formation is studied both experimentally and theoretically in the example of quasi-equilibrium stationary condensation in an ion–plasma sputterer. Copper condensates are obtained to demonstrate that a specific network structure is formed as a result of self-assembly in the course of deposition. The fractal pattern related is inherent in the phenomena of diffusion limited aggregation. Condensate nuclei are shown to form statistical ensemble of hierarchically subordinated objects distributed in ultrametric space. The Langevin equation and the Fokker–Planck equation related are found to describe stationary distribution of thermodynamic potential variations at condensation. Time dependence of the formation probability of branching structures is found to clarify the experimental situation.     

Nonequilibriurn discontinuous phase transitions in a fast ionic conductor model: Coexistence and spinodal lines

Two-dimensional lattice-gas models with attractive interactions and particle-conserving hopping dynamics under the influence of a very large external electric field along a principal axis are studied in the case of off-critical densities. We describe the corresponding nonequilibrium first-order phase transitions, evaluate coexistence and spinodal lines, and make some comparisons with experimental observations on fast ionic conductors.See Ref. 1 (henceforth referred to as II) for references.     

Brownian motion in a fluid in elongational flow

Brownian motion of a spherical particle in stationary elongational flow is studied. We derive the Langevin equation together with the fluctuation-dissipation theorem for the particle from nonequilibrium fluctuating hydrodynamics to linear order in the elongation-rate-dependent inverse penetration depths. We then analyze how the velocity autocorrelation function as well as the mean square displacement are modified by the elongational flow. We find that for times small compared to the inverse elongation rate the behavior is similar to that found in the absence of the elongational flow. Upon approaching times comparable to the inverse elongation rate the behavior changes and one passes into a time domain where it becomes fundamentally different. In particular, we discuss the modification of thet ^–3/2 long-time tail of the velocity autocorrelation function and comment on the resulting contribution to the mean square displacement. The possibility of defining a diffusion coefficient in both time domains is discussed.     

Quasi-stationary states of the NRT nonlinear Schrödinger equation

With regards to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation recently advanced by Nobre, Rego-Monteiro, and Tsallis (NRT), based on Tsallis q$q$-thermo-statistical formalism, we investigate the existence and properties of its quasi-stationary solutions, which have the time and space dependences “separated” in a q$q$-deformed fashion. One recovers the normal factorization into purely spatial and purely temporal factors, corresponding to the standard, linear Schrödinger equation, when the deformation vanishes (q=1)$(q=1)$. We discuss various specific examples of exact, quasi-stationary solutions of the NRT equation. In particular, we obtain a quasi-stationary solution for the Moshinsky model, providing the first example of an exact solution of the NRT equation for a system of interacting particles.     

Stationary optimal control of a stochastic system with stable environmental interferences

In this paper, we consider a class of nonstationary control systems. We obtain some conditions for stationary optimal controls of such systems. The results are then applied to a linear-quadratic system.     

Criterion of homogeneous boiling-up of superheated liquids

It is difficult to eliminate the effect of vessel walls and impurities in practical studies of boiling-up of strongly superheated liquids. Therefore, some doubts are always cast upon validity of experiments and their agreement with the classical theory of homogeneous stationary nucleation, impairing the verification of theoretical considerations. This paper reports main results of the theory of homogeneous nucleation and presents formulas for calculating the work of formation of a critical nucleus by an incline of the accessible superheating boundary on isobars and isotherms. Matching of experimental and theoretical values of the work of formation was considered as the homogeneous boiling-up criterion. Calculations by isobars and isotherms were made for some liquids. The theoretical values of the work of formation of a critical nucleus were 1.23–4.5 times higher than the corresponding empirical values for all the liquids, i.e., they were much higher than the calculation error. Thus, boiling-up of the studied liquids was not homogeneous and, hence, it did not correspond to the classical theory of nucleation. The work was financially supported by the President of the Russian Federation (No. NSh-4429.2006.8) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant No. 07-08-00575-a).     

Continuous measurements of stable isotopes of carbon dioxide and water vapour in an urban atmosphere: isotopic variations associated with meteorological conditions

Isotope ratios of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the near-surface air were continuously measured for one month in an urban area of the city of Nagoya in central Japan in September 2010 using laser spectroscopic techniques. During the passages of a typhoon and a stationary front in the observation period, remarkable changes in the isotope ratios of CO₂ and water vapour were observed. The isotope ratios of both CO₂ and water vapour decreased during the typhoon passage. The decreases can be attributed to the air coming from an industrial area and the rainout effects of the typhoon, respectively. During the passage of the stationary front, δ¹³C–CO₂ and δ¹⁸O–CO₂ increased, while δ²H–H₂Ov and δ¹⁸O–H₂Ov decreased. These changes can be attributed to the air coming from rural areas and the air surrounding the observational site changing from a subtropical air mass to a subpolar air mass during the passage of the stationary front. A clear relationship was observed between the isotopic CO₂ and water vapour and the meteorological phenomena. Therefore, isotopic information of CO₂ and H₂Ov could be used as a tracer of meteorological information.