Dangerous Predatory Publishers Threaten Medical Research.

PubMed

Beall, Jeffrey

2016-10-01

This article introduces predatory publishers in the context of biomedical sciences research. It describes the characteristics of predatory publishers, including spamming and using fake metrics, and it describes the problems they cause for science and universities. Predatory journals often fail to properly manage peer review, allowing pseudo-science to be published dressed up as authentic science. Academic evaluation is also affected, as some researchers take advantage of the quick, easy, and cheap publishing predatory journals provide. By understanding how predatory publishers operate, researchers can avoid becoming victimized by them.

Comparison of micellar extraction combined with ionic liquid based vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction and modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method for the determination of difenoconazole in cowpea.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaochu; Bian, Yanli; Liu, Fengmao; Teng, Peipei; Sun, Pan

2017-10-06

Two simple sample pretreatment for the determination of difenoconazole in cowpea was developed including micellar extraction combined with ionic liquid based vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (ME-IL-VALLME) prior to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method (QuEChERS) coupled with HPLC-MS/MS. In ME-IL-VALLME method, the target analyte was extracted by surfactant Tween 20 micellar solution, then the supernatant was diluted with 3mL water to decrease the solubility of micellar solution. Subsequently, the vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (VALLME) procedure was performed in the diluted extraction solution by using the ionic liquid of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([HMIM]PF 6 ) as the extraction solvent and Tween 20 as an emulsifier to enhance the dispersion of the water-immiscible ionic liquid into the aqueous phase. Parameters that affect the extraction have been investigated in both methods Under the optimum conditions, the limits of quantitation were 0.10 and 0.05mgkg -1 , respectively. And good linearity was achieved with the correlation coefficient higher than 0.9941. The relative recoveries ranged from 78.6 to 94.8% and 92.0 to 118.0% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) of 7.9-9.6% and 1.2-3.2%, respectively. Both methods were quick, simple and inexpensive. However, the ME-IL-VALLME method provides higher enrichment factor compared with conventional QuEChERS method. The ME-IL-VALLME method has a strong potential for the determination of difenoconazole in complex vegetable matrices with HPLC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiresidue determination of pesticides in crop plants by the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry using a calibration based on a single level standard addition in the sample.

PubMed

Viera, Mariela S; Rizzetti, Tiele M; de Souza, Maiara P; Martins, Manoel L; Prestes, Osmar D; Adaime, Martha B; Zanella, Renato

2017-12-01

In this study, a QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method, optimized by a 2 3 full factorial design, was developed for the determination of 72 pesticides in plant parts of carrot, corn, melon, rice, soy, silage, tobacco, cassava, lettuce and wheat by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Considering the complexity of these matrices and the need of use calibration in matrix, a new calibration approach based on single level standard addition in the sample (SLSAS) was proposed in this work and compared with the matrix-matched calibration (MMC), the procedural standard calibration (PSC) and the diluted standard addition calibration (DSAC). All approaches presented satisfactory validation parameters with recoveries from 70 to 120% and relative standard deviations≤20%. SLSAS was the most practical from the evaluated approaches and proved to be an effective way of calibration. Method limit of detection were between 4.8 and 48μgkg -1 and limit of quantification were from 16 to 160μgkg -1 . Method application to different kinds of plants found residues of 20 pesticides that were quantified with z-scores values≤2 in comparison with other calibration approaches. The proposed QuEChERS method combined with UHPLC-MS/MS analysis and using an easy and effective calibration procedure presented satisfactory results for pesticide residues determination in different crop plants and is a good alternative for routine analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alternative sorbents for the dispersive solid-phase extraction step in quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for extraction of pesticides from rice paddy soils with determination by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Arias, Jean Lucas de Oliveira; Rombaldi, Caroline; Caldas, Sergiane Souza; Primel, Ednei Gilberto

2014-09-19

The clean-up step is essential to reduce interferences, improve quantification and help to maintain the integrity of the chromatographic system when working with complex matrices. In this study, alternative materials were evaluated as sorbents in the dispersive solid-phase extraction (D-SPE) for the determination and extraction of seventeen pesticides from rice paddy soil samples by the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Chitin, chitosan, diatomaceous earth and PSA were compared in terms of extraction efficiency and matrix effect. The best results were achieved when chitosan was used. Quantification limits ranged from 0.1 to 100μgkg(-1). Calibration curves showed correlation coefficient values higher than 0.98. Results of accuracy and precision in the spiked soil samples between 60% and 120%, with a relative standard deviation lower than 20%, were reached for 15 out of 17 pesticides. The matrix effect was evaluated and only one compound was influenced by the matrix components, showing medium effect. Results showed that alternative materials are more effective and less expensive than traditional sorbents which have been usually employed, i.e., they may be used in the D-SPE step during the extraction of pesticides from rice paddy soils. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of spirotetramat and its four metabolites in fruits and vegetables using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhu, Yulong; Liu, Xingang; Xu, Jun; Dong, Fengshou; Liang, Xuyang; Li, Minmin; Duan, Lifang; Zheng, Yongquan

2013-07-19

A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method for the simultaneous determination of spirotetramat and its four metabolites in fruits (apple, peach) and vegetables (cabbage, tomato, potato, cucumber), based on the use of liquid extraction/partition and dispersive solid phase extraction (dispersive-SPE) followed by ultrahigh-performance chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), was established. Acidified acetonitrile (containing 1% (v/v) acetic acid) as the extraction solvent and simultaneous liquid-liquid partitioning formed by adding anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and anhydrous sodium acetate (NaOAc). The extract was then cleaned up by dispersive-SPE using graphitized carbon black (GCB) as selective sorbent. Further optimization of sample preparation and determination achieved recoveries of between 82 and 110% for all analytes with RSD values lower than 14% in apple, peach, cabbage, tomato, potato and cucumber at three levels (10, 100 and 1000μg/kg). The method showed excellent linearity (R(2)≥0.9895) for all studied analytes. The determination of the target compounds was achieved in less than 6.0min using an electrospray ionization source in positive mode (ESI+). The method is demonstrated to be convenient and reliable for the routine monitoring of spirotetramat and its metabolites in fruits and vegetables. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method for the simultaneous detection of four triazolone herbicides in cereals combined with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Tao, Yan; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Cheng, Youpu; Liu, Na; Chen, Zenglong; Dong, Fengshou; Zheng, Yonguan

2014-09-01

This paper describes a novel, rapid, and sensitive analytical method for monitoring four triazolone herbicides in cereals (wheat, rice, corn, and soybean), using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample extraction procedure followed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The four triazolone herbicides (amicarbazone, carfentrazone-ethyl, sulfentrazone, and thiencarbazone-methyl) were extracted using acidified acetonitrile (containing 1% v/v formic acid) and subsequently purified with octadecylsilane (C18 ) prior to sample analysis. Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was operated in positive and negative ionization switching mode. Amicarbazone and carfentrazone-ethyl were detected in the positive mode (ESI+), while sulfentrazone and thiencarbazone-methyl were detected in the negative mode (ESI-). All compounds were successfully separated in less than 3.0 min. Further optimization achieved desired recoveries ranging from 74.5 to 102.1% for all analytes with relative standard deviation values ≤17.2% in all tested matrices at three levels (10, 100, and 500 μg/kg). The limits of detection for all compounds were ≤2.3 μg/kg, and the limits of quantitation did not exceed 7.1 μg/kg. The developed method showed excellent linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.994) and was proven to be highly efficient and reliable for the routine monitoring of triazolone herbicides in cereals. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample pretreatment and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of 33 mycotoxins in Lentinula edodes.

PubMed

Han, Zheng; Feng, Zhihong; Shi, Wen; Zhao, Zhihui; Wu, Yongjiang; Wu, Aibo

2014-08-01

Lentinula edodes, one of the most cultivated edible fungi in the world, are usually neglected for mycotoxins contamination due to the initial thinking of its resistance to mycotoxingenic molds. In the present study, a sensitive and reliable liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of 33 mycotoxins in L. edodes. Targeted mycotoxins were extracted using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe procedure without any further clean-up step, and analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (100 × 3 mm, 2.7 μm) with a linear gradient elution program using water containing 5 mM ammonium acetate and methanol as the mobile phase. After validation by determining linearity (R(2) > 0.99), sensitivity (LOQ ≤ 20 ng/kg), recovery (73.6-117.9%), and precision (0.8-19.5%), the established method has been successfully applied to reveal the contamination states of various mycotoxins in L. edodes. Among the 30 tested samples, 22 were contaminated by various mycotoxins with the concentration levels ranging from 3.3-28,850.7 μg/kg, predicting that the edible fungus could be infected by the mycotoxins-producing fungi. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about real mycotoxins contamination in L. edodes. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development and validation of a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for the determination of imidacloprid and its metabolites in soil.

PubMed

Akoijam, Romila; Singh, Balwinder; Mandal, Kousik

2015-04-01

A simplified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method was standardized and validated for the estimation of residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites from different types of soil comprising sandy loam, loamy sand and clay loam soil. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile, clean up by treatment with primary secondary amine sorbent and graphitized carbon. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a technique to separate and quantitate residues of polar, nonvolatile and thermolabile chemical compounds, using high-pressure pumps, short and narrow columns packed with microparticulate phases and a detector. The residues were estimated using HPLC equipped with a photodiode array detector system, C18 column. Acetonitrile and water (30 : 70) were used as an isocratic mobile phase at 0.3 mL/min. Imidacloprid and its metabolites presented distinct peaks at retention factors of 4.93 min (6-chloronicotinic acid), 7.91 min (nitroguanidine), 9.12 min (olefin), 11.32 min (nitrosimine), 13.82 min (urea), 15.45 min (5-hydroxy) and 22.47 min (imidacloprid). Consistent recoveries above 80% for imidacloprid and its metabolites were observed when samples were spiked at 0.01, 0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg levels. The limit of quantification of the method was 0.01 mg/kg. The analytical method was validated in terms of parameters including selectivity, linearity, precision and accuracy of the detection system. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Determination of multiple pesticides in fruits and vegetables using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method with magnetic nanoparticles and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Yan-Fei; Qiao, Lu-Qin; Li, Fang-Wei; Ding, Yi; Yang, Zi-Jun; Wang, Ming-Lin

2014-09-26

Based on a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation method with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as the adsorbing material and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) determination in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, we established a new method for the determination of multiple pesticides in vegetables and fruits. It was determined that bare MNPs have excellent function as adsorbent when purified, and it is better to be separated from the extract. The amount of MNPs influenced the clean-up performance and recoveries. To achieve the optimum performance of modified QuEChERS towards the target analytes, several parameters including the amount of the adsorbents and purification time were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, recoveries were evaluated in four representative matrices (tomato, cucumber, orange and apple) with the spiked concentrations of 10 μg kg(-1), 50 μg kg(-1)and 200 μg kg(-1) in all cases. The results showed that the recovery of 101 pesticides ranged between 71.5 and 111.7%, and the relative standard deviation was less than 10.5%. The optimum clean-up system improved the purification efficiency and simultaneously obtained satisfactory recoveries of multiple pesticides, including planar-ring pesticides. In short, the modified QuEChERS method in addition to MNPs used for removing impurities improved the speed of sample pre-treatment and exhibited an enhanced performance and purifying effect. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of ribavirin in chicken muscle by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wu, Yin-Liang; Chen, Ruo-Xia; Zhu, Lie; Lv, Yan; Zhu, Yong; Zhao, Jian

2016-02-15

A new analytical method for the determination of ribavirin in chicken muscle using a QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) was developed and validated. Samples were extracted with acidified methanol (methanol:acetic acid, 99:1, v/v). The extract was further purified by QuEChERS method using primary-secondary amine (PSA) and C18. Finally, the extract was dried by nitrogen under 45°C and reconstituted in water. The separation was performed on a Hypercarb analytical column under a gradient elution. The mobile phase was composed of water buffered with ammonium acetate (2.0mM) and acetonitrile. The proposed method was validated according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The values of the decision limit (CCα) and the detection capability (CCβ) were 1.1 and 1.5μg/kg, respectively. The mean recoveries of ribavirin ranged from 94.2% to 99.2%. The repeatability (expressed as coefficient of variation, CVr) of the method ranged from 4.5% to 4.9% and the reproducibility (CVR) of the method ranged from 4.8% to 5.4%. The method is demonstrated to be suitable for the determination of ribavirin in chicken muscle in conformity with the current EU performance requirements through validation. The total time required for the analysis of one sample, including sample preparation, was about 45min. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Residue analysis of four diacylhydrazine insecticides in fruits and vegetables by Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Liu, Xingang; Xu, Jun; Dong, Fengshou; Li, Yuanbo; Song, Wenchen; Zheng, Yongquan

2011-08-01

The new analytical method using Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) procedure for simultaneous determination of diacylhydrazine insecticide residues in fruits and vegetables was developed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The four insecticides (tebufenozide, methoxfenozide, chromafenozide, and halofenozide) were extracted from six fruit and vegetable matrices using acetonitrile and subsequently cleaned up using primary secondary amine (PSA) or octadecylsilane (C18) as sorbent prior to UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The determination of the target compounds was achieved in less than 3.0 min using an electrospray ionization source in positive mode (ESI+) for tebufenozide, methoxfenozide, and halofenozide and in negative mode (ESI-) for chromafenozide. The limits of detection were below 0.6 μg kg(-1), while the limit of quantification did not exceed 2 μg kg(-1) in different matrices. The QuEChERS procedure by using two sorbents (PSA and C18) and the matrix-matched standards gave satisfactory recoveries and relative standard deviation (RSD) values in different matrices at four spiked levels (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 1 mg kg(-1)). The overall average recoveries for this method in apple, grape, cucumber, tomato, cabbage, and spinach at four levels ranged from 74.2% to 112.5% with RSDs in the range of 1.4-13.8% (n = 5) for all analytes. This study provides a theoretical basis for China to draw up maximum residue limits and analytical method for diacylhydrazine insecticide in vegetables and fruits.

Enantioselective determination of triazole fungicide simeconazole in vegetables, fruits, and cereals using modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) coupled to gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Li, Yuanbo; Shan, Weili; Zheng, Yongquan

2011-09-19

A rapid and effective method for enantioselective determination of simeconazole enantiomers in food products (cucumber, tomato, apple, pear, wheat and rice) has been developed. The enantiomers were resolved by capillary gas chromatography (GC) using a commercial chiral column (BGB-172) and a temperature program from 150°C (held for 1 min) and then raised at 10°C min(-1) to 240°C (held for 10 min). This enantioselective gas chromatographic separation was combined with a clean-up/enrichment procedure based on the modification of QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method. Co-extractives were removed with graphitized carbon black/primary secondary amine (GCB/PSA) solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges using acetonitrile:toluene (3:1, v/v) as eluent. Gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry (GC-ITMS) with electron ionization (EI) was then used for qualitative and quantitative determination of the simeconazole enantiomers. Two precursor-to-product ion transitions (m/z 121-101 and 195-153) with the best signal intensity were chosen to build the multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) acquisition method. The limits of detection for each enantiomer of simeconazole in six food products ranged between 0.4 and 0.9 μg kg(-1), which were much lower than maximum residue levels (MRLs) established by Japan. The methodology was successfully applied for the enantioselective analysis of simeconazole enantiomers in real samples, indicating its efficacy in investigating the environmental stereochemistry of simeconazole in food matrix. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of accelerated solvent extraction and quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for extraction and determination of pharmaceuticals in vegetables.

PubMed

Chuang, Ya-Hui; Zhang, Yingjie; Zhang, Wei; Boyd, Stephen A; Li, Hui

2015-07-24

Land application of biosolids and irrigation with reclaimed water in agricultural production could result in accumulation of pharmaceuticals in vegetable produce. To better assess the potential human health impact from long-term consumption of pharmaceutical-contaminated vegetables, it is important to accurately quantify the amount of pharmaceuticals accumulated in vegetables. In this study, a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method was developed and optimized to extract multiple classes of pharmaceuticals from vegetables, which were subsequently quantified by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. For the eleven target pharmaceuticals in celery and lettuce, the extraction recovery of the QuEChERS method ranged from 70.1 to 118.6% with relative standard deviation <20%, and the method detection limit was achieved at the levels of nanograms of pharmaceuticals per gram of vegetables. The results revealed that the performance of the QuEChERS method was comparable to, or better than that of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) method for extraction of pharmaceuticals from plants. The two optimized extraction methods were applied to quantify the uptake of pharmaceuticals by celery and lettuce growing hydroponically. The results showed that all the eleven target pharmaceuticals could be absorbed by the vegetables from water. Compared to the ASE method, the QuEChERS method offers the advantages of short time and reduced costs of sample preparation, and less amount of organic solvents used. The established QuEChERS method could be used to determine the accumulation of multiple classes of pharmaceutical residues in vegetables and other plants, which is needed to evaluate the quality and safety of agricultural produce consumed by humans. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of five plant growth regulators in fruits by modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Shi, Xiaomei; Jin, Fen; Huang, Yuting; Du, Xinwei; Li, Chunmei; Wang, Miao; Shao, Hua; Jin, Maojun; Wang, Jing

2012-01-11

An effective method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and optimized to obtain a complete separation of five representative plant growth regulators (PGRs) [gibberellic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), thidiazuron, forchlorfenuron, and paclobutrazol] in fruits. Extraction was performed with acetonitrile containing 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid, applying modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) methodology. LC-MS/MS conditions including composition of mobile phases and mass spectrometry (MS) conditions were evaluated to achieve the highest sensitivity in MS detection. All of the data acquisition was employed in the segmented multiple-reaction monitoring mode for the selected negative and positive transition ions. The octadecylsilyl (C18) dispersive solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent was found to provide the more satisfied recoveries than primary secondary amine (PSA) and graphitized carbon black (GCB) for five target PGRs. The optimized method allowed for recoveries of 76-112% for the five PGRs from fruit samples with relative standard deviation (RSD) values less than 10%. Limits of quantification (0.5-16.5 μg/kg) were lower than the maximum limit of residues established for PGRs. The results demonstrated that the developed LC-MS/MS and QuEChERS extraction method is highly effective for analyzing trace amounts of target PGRs in fruit samples. Finally, the method was successfully used to detect residual PGRs in Beijing, China, in 2010. The concentrations of 2,4-D (5.1-1503 μg/kg) and paclobutrazol (1-1381 μg/kg) found in orange and peach, respectively, suggesting that the use of these PGRs in these fruits should be regulated in China in the future.

Rapid Diagnosis of Ethylene Glycol Poisoning by Urine Microscopy.

PubMed

Sheta, Hussam Mahmoud; Al-Najami, Issam; Christensen, Heidi Dahl; Madsen, Jonna Skov

2018-06-14

BACKGROUND Ethylene glycol poisoning remains an important presentation to Emergency Departments. Quick diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent renal failure and life-threating complications. CASE REPORT In this case report, we present a patient who was admitted unconscious to the hospital. Ethylene glycol poisoning was immediately suspected, because the patient had previously been hospitalized with similar symptoms after intake of antifreeze coolant. A urine sample was sent for microscopy and showed multiple calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals, which supported the clinical suspicion of ethylene glycol poisoning. The patient was treated with continuous intravenous ethyl alcohol infusion and hemodialysis. Two days after admission, the patient was awake and in clinical recovery. CONCLUSIONS Demonstration of COM crystals using microscopy of a urine sample adds valuable information supporting the clinical suspicion of ethylene glycol poisoning, and may serve as an easy, quick, and cheap method that can be performed in any emergency setting.

Simultaneous determination of UV-filters and estrogens in aquatic invertebrates by modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

He, Ke; Timm, Anne; Blaney, Lee

2017-08-04

Ultraviolet-filters (UV-filters) and estrogens have attracted increased attention as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) due to their widespread occurrence in the environment. Most of these CECs are hydrophobic and have the potential to accumulate in aquatic organisms. To date, co-analysis of UV-filters and estrogens has not been reported due, in part, to the complex environmental matrices. Here, a multi-residue method has been developed for simultaneous determination of five UV-filters and three estrogens in tissue from aquatic and marine organisms. The procedure involved a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction with a novel reverse-solid-phase extraction (reverse-SPE) cleanup in place of dispersive-SPE, followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The tissue mass, acetonitrile content, and salt conditions for QuEChERS extraction, along with the reverse-SPE cartridge material and elution conditions, were thoroughly investigated and optimized. Five UV-filters (i.e., 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor, benzophenone-3, ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, homosalate, and octocrylene) and three estrogens (i.e., estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol) were simultaneously analyzed by taking advantage of wrong-way-round ionization in LC-MS/MS. The optimized analytical protocol exhibited good recoveries (>80%) for target compounds and enabled their detection at concentrations as low as 0.2ng/g in 50mg tissue samples. The method was applied to determine concentrations of target analytes in four invertebrates (i.e., Orconectes virilis, Procambarus clarkii, Crassostrea virginica, and Ischadium recurvum). All eight target analytes were detected at least once in the tissue samples, with the highest concentration being 399ng/g of homosalate in O. virilis. These results highlight the ubiquitous bioaccumulation of CECs in aquatic and marine invertebrates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pesticide analysis in coffee leaves using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe approach and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry: Optimization of the clean-up step.

PubMed

Trevisan, Maria Teresa Salles; Owen, Robert Wyn; Calatayud-Vernich, Pau; Breuer, Andrea; Picó, Yolanda

2017-08-25

An analytical method using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) procedure for multi-residue determination of 52 pesticides in coffee leaf extractshas been developed and validated according to SANTE/11945/2015 guidelines. Different sorbent combinations for dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) clean-up as well as dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) were tested. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the recovery of 87-94% of pesticides added to coffee leaf extracts,was ≤20% for samples spiked at concentrations up to 50ng*g -1 depending on the clean-up procedures. However, samples spiked with a 100ng*g -1 pesticide mixture gave RSDs>20% for most pesticides when d-SPE was carried out adding Supelclean ENVI-Carb 120/400. To explain this fact,the secondary metabolic profile was analyzed in all the extraction and clean-up procedures. Only in the clean-up procedure with the addition of Supel QuE Z-Sep+, does caffeine show a constant adsorption between blank and spiked samples. In other clean-up procedures, the amount of caffeine was higher in those samples spiked with pesticides. This indicates competition between caffeine and pesticides for adsorption to the sorbent. Addition of Supel QuE Z-Sep+ to the procedure revealed only a 32% matrix effect, whereas using PSA+ C18 the matrix effect was close to 97%. The process efficiency is up to 54% with the addition of Supel QuE Z-Sep+ and just up to 7% for the other clean-up procedures. The method was successfully tested in coffee leaves from different types of cultivars. Pesticides were not detected in organic coffee leaf extracts, but thiametoxan was clearly detected in 50% of coffee leaf extracts harvested from coffee trees grown under traditional conditions as determined by UHPLC-TOFMSLC/QqTOF-MS/MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of a multiclass method for the quantification of veterinary drug residues in honey and royal jelly by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Jin, Yue; Zhang, Jinzhen; Zhao, Wen; Zhang, Wenwen; Wang, Lin; Zhou, Jinhui; Li, Yi

2017-04-15

The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method for the analysis of a wide range of veterinary drugs in honey and royal jelly. A modified sample preparation procedure based on the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method was developed, followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry determination. Use of the single sample preparation method for analysis of 42 veterinary drugs becomes more valuable because honey and royal jelly belong to completely different complex matrices. Another main advantage of the proposed method is its ability to identify and quantify 42 veterinary drugs with higher sensitivity than reference methods of China. This work has shown that the reported method was demonstrated to be convenient and reliable for the quick monitoring of veterinary drugs in honey and royal jelly samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and dynamic multiple reaction monitoring method for determining multiple pesticide residues in tomato.

PubMed

Andrade, G C R M; Monteiro, S H; Francisco, J G; Figueiredo, L A; Botelho, R G; Tornisielo, V L

2015-05-15

A quick and sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method, using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring and a 1.8-μm particle size analytical column, was developed to determine 57 pesticides in tomato in a 13-min run. QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method for samples preparations and validations was carried out in compliance with EU SANCO guidelines. The method was applied to 58 tomato samples. More than 84% of the compounds investigated showed limits of detection equal to or lower than 5 mg kg(-1). A mild (<20%), medium (20-50%), and strong (>50%) matrix effect was observed for 72%, 25%, and 3% of the pesticides studied, respectively. Eighty-one percent of the pesticides showed recoveries ranging between 70% and 120%. Twelve pesticides were detected in 35 samples, all below the maximum residue levels permitted in the Brazilian legislation; 15 samples exceeded the maximum residue levels established by the EU legislation for methamidophos; and 10 exceeded limits for acephate and four for bromuconazole. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-throughput method based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe followed by liquid chromatography-multi-wavelength detection for the quantification of multiclass polyphenols in wines.

PubMed

Fontana, Ariel R; Bottini, Rubén

2014-05-16

In this work, a reliable, simple, fast, inexpensive and robust sample preparation approach for the determination of multiclass polyphenols in wine samples is proposed. The polyphenols selected for this work were gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, caffeic acid, syringic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, trans-resveratrol, quercetin and cinnamic acid. The method is based on QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) extraction technique coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) clean-up. Under optimized conditions, the analytes were extracted from 5mL wine samples (previously acidified with 1% formic acid) using 2.5mL acetonitrile. For phase separation, 1.5g NaCl and 4g anhydrous MgSO4 were added. Then, a 1mL aliquot of the partitioned supernatant was cleaned-up using d-SPE with a combination of 150mg CaCl2, 50mg primary-secondary amine (PSA) and 50mgC18 as sorbents. A 250μL aliquot of the obtained cleaned extract was concentrated to dryness and taken up with the initial mobile phase previous to liquid chromatography-multi-wavelength detection (LC-MWD). The proposed method provided limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 0.004 to 0.079μgmL(-1) and an inter-day variability below 12% RSD for all analytes in red and white wine samples. Considering external calibration (red wines) and matrix-matched calibration (white wines) as quantification techniques, the overall recoveries (accuracy) of the method ranged between 75.0% and 119.6% for red and white wine samples, respectively. The developed method was applied for the determination of polyphenols in 10 wines produced in Argentina. Nine phenolic compounds were determined, at concentrations above detectable levels in the method. The maximum concentrations corresponded to (-)-epicatechin in white wines, while gallic acid and (+)-catechin were the most abundant in red wines. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pesticide Residues in Honey from the Major Honey Producing Forest Belts in Ghana.

PubMed

Darko, Godfred; Addai Tabi, Jonah; Adjaloo, Michael Kodwo; Borquaye, Lawrence Sheringham

2017-01-01

Concentrations of pesticides residues in honey sampled from the major honey producing forest belts in Ghana were determined. Samples were purposively collected and extracted using the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method and analysed for synthetic pyrethroids, organochlorine, and organophosphate pesticide residues. Aldrin, γ -HCH, β -HCH, ∑endosulfan, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin methoxychlor, ∑DDT, chlorpyrifos, fenvalerate, malathion, dimethoate, and diazinon were all detected at the concentration of 0.01 mg/kg, while cyfluthrin and permethrin were detected at mean concentrations of 0.02 and 0.04 mg/kg, respectively. All the pesticide residues detected were very low and below their respective maximum residue limits set by the European Union. Hence, pesticide residues in honey samples analyzed do not pose any health risk to consumers.

A robust preference for cheap-and-easy strategies over reliable strategies when verifying personal memories.

PubMed

Nash, Robert A; Wade, Kimberley A; Garry, Maryanne; Adelman, James S

2017-08-01

People depend on various sources of information when trying to verify their autobiographical memories. Yet recent research shows that people prefer to use cheap-and-easy verification strategies, even when these strategies are not reliable. We examined the robustness of this cheap strategy bias, with scenarios designed to encourage greater emphasis on source reliability. In three experiments, subjects described real (Experiments 1 and 2) or hypothetical (Experiment 3) autobiographical events, and proposed strategies they might use to verify their memories of those events. Subjects also rated the reliability, cost, and the likelihood that they would use each strategy. In line with previous work, we found that the preference for cheap information held when people described how they would verify childhood or recent memories (Experiment 1), personally important or trivial memories (Experiment 2), and even when the consequences of relying on incorrect information could be significant (Experiment 3). Taken together, our findings fit with an account of source monitoring in which the tendency to trust one's own autobiographical memories can discourage people from systematically testing or accepting strong disconfirmatory evidence.

Determination of ametoctradin residue in fruits and vegetables by modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Hu, Mingfeng; Liu, Xingang; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Li, Shasha; Xu, Hanqing; Zheng, Yongquan

2015-05-15

A rapid, effective and sensitive method to quantitatively determine ametoctradin residue in apple, cucumber, cabbage, tomato and grape was developed and validated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The target compound was determined in less than 5.0 min using an electrospray ionisation source in positive mode (ESI+). The limit of detection was below 0.043 μg kg(-1), whereas the limits of quantification did not exceed 0.135 μg kg(-1) in all five matrices. The method showed excellent linearity (R(2)>0.9969) for the target compound. Recovery studies were performed in all matrices at three spiked levels (1, 10 and 100 μg L(-1)). The mean recoveries from five matrices ranged from 81.81% to 100.1%, with intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDr) in the range of 0.65-7.88% for the test compound. This method will be useful for the quick and routine detection of ametoctradin residues in potato, grape, cucumber, apple and tomato. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Graphene oxide-SiO2 nanocomposite as the adsorbent for extraction and preconcentration of plant hormones for HPLC analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaona; Niu, Jiahua; Zhang, Xiaoting; Xiao, Rui; Lu, Minghua; Cai, Zongwei

2017-03-01

In this research, a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) method based on graphene oxide@SiO 2 (SiO 2 @GO) nanocomposite as adsorbent of dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the analysis of four plant hormones in different plants was established. The as-prepared SiO 2 @GO was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The experimental conditions for dSPE, including the ratio of material to liquid, pH of sample, adsorption and desorption time, desorption temperature as well as desorption solution, were investigated. The detection limits for the analysis of indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, 1-naphthylacetic acid and abscisic acid were achieved below 0.05μgmL -1 . The established method was applied to the analysis of the plant hormones in fruits, vegetables and other food samples. The obtained results indicated that the method was sensitive, accurate, convenient and quick, which provided an alternative analytical approach for plant hormones in complex matrices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of ten pyrethroids in various fruit juices: comparison of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction sample preparation and QuEChERS method combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction.

PubMed

Zhang, Yaohai; Zhang, Xuelian; Jiao, Bining

2014-09-15

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) sample preparation and the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method combined with DLLME were developed and compared for the analysis of ten pyrethroids in various fruit juices using gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). QuEChERS-DLLME method has found its widespread applications to all the fruit juices including those samples with more complex matrices (orange, lemon, kiwi and mango) while DLLME was confined to the fruit juices with simpler matrices (apple, pear, grape and peach). The two methods provided acceptable recoveries and repeatability. In addition, the applicabilities of two methods were demonstrated with the real samples and further confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Matrix effects in pesticide multi-residue analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Kruve, Anneli; Künnapas, Allan; Herodes, Koit; Leito, Ivo

2008-04-11

Three sample preparation methods: Luke method (AOAC 985.22), QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) were applied to different fruits and vegetables for analysis of 14 pesticide residues by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI/MS). Matrix effect, recovery and process efficiency of the sample preparation methods applied to different fruits and vegetables were compared. The Luke method was found to produce least matrix effect. On an average the best recoveries were obtained with the QuEChERS method. MSPD gave unsatisfactory recoveries for some basic pesticide residues. Comparison of matrix effects for different apple varieties showed high variability for some residues. It was demonstrated that the amount of co-extracting compounds that cause ionization suppression of aldicarb depends on the apple variety as well as on the sample preparation method employed.

Efficacy of communication amongst staff members at plastic and reconstructive surgery section using smartphone and mobile WhatsApp.

PubMed

Wani, Shabeer Ahmad; Rabah, Sari M; Alfadil, Sara; Dewanjee, Nancy; Najmi, Yahya

2013-09-01

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of smartphone and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst the staff of plastic and reconstructive surgery section at tertiary care health facility. From January 2012 onwards, the authors used smartphones and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst their team for various aspects of patient management and as a tool for academic endorsements. During the period of this study, there were 116 episodes regarding patient management, which were handled, in a timely fashion by using this application. In addition opinion of rotating residents in the section was sought regarding the efficacy of this method of communication. Overall majority of residents were satisfied with this mode of communication. This new method of communication is an effective method for clinical and academic endorsements. The method is cheap and quick and easy to operate.

Dyeing Insects for Behavioral Assays: the Mating Behavior of Anesthetized Drosophila

PubMed Central

Verspoor, Rudi L.; Heys, Chloe; Price, Thomas A. R.

2015-01-01

Mating experiments using Drosophila have contributed greatly to the understanding of sexual selection and behavior. Experiments often require simple, easy and cheap methods to distinguish between individuals in a trial. A standard technique for this is CO2 anaesthesia and then labelling or wing clipping each fly. However, this is invasive and has been shown to affect behavior. Other techniques have used coloration to identify flies. This article presents a simple and non-invasive method for labelling Drosophila that allows them to be individually identified within experiments, using food coloring. This method is used in trials where two males compete to mate with a female. Dyeing allowed quick and easy identification. There was, however, some difference in the strength of the coloration across the three species tested. Data is presented showing the dye has a lower impact on mating behavior than CO2 in Drosophila melanogaster. The impact of CO2 anaesthesia is shown to depend on the species of Drosophila, with D. pseudoobscura and D. subobscura showing no impact, whereas D. melanogaster males had reduced mating success. The dye method presented is applicable to a wide range of experimental designs. PMID:25938821

Measurement of pyrethroids and their environmental degradation products in fresh fruits and vegetables using a modification of the quick easy cheap effective rugged safe (QuEChERS) method.

PubMed

Li, Weiwei; Morgan, Marsha K; Graham, Stephen E; Starr, James M

2016-05-01

Pyrethroid insecticides are used extensively in agriculture, and they, as well as their environmental degradates, may remain as residues on foods such as fruits and vegetables. Since pyrethroid degradates can be identical to the urinary markers used in human biomonitoring, it is important to understand the contribution of these degradates when studying sources of human pyrethroid exposure. We modified the widely used Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe (QuEChERS) method to measure several current-use pyrethroids (cis/trans-permethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, esfenvalerate, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, and cyhalothrin) and their environmental degradation products (3-PBA, cis/trans-DCCA, 4-F-3-PBA, DBCA, and MPA) in selected fresh fruits and vegetables. Using fortified samples, we determined extraction efficiencies from: tomatoes, oranges (whole, peeled, and rind), grapes, apples, bananas (peeled and rind only), onions, lettuce, green peppers, carrots and broccoli. For a subset of these food items (apples, grapes, tomatoes, lettuce and banana peel), we also established limits of detection (MDLs) and quantitation (MQLs). Each sample was homogenized (1kg) then spiked with the target pyrethroids and their degradation products. Sub-samples (15g) were extracted with acetonitrile, then salted out and partitioned with NaCl and MgSO4. The extract was divided and further cleaned using solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges containing either graphitized non-porous carbon (pyrethroids) or C18 (degradation products). Sample analysis was via liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Considering the mean recoveries each of the 14 analytes in all 13 matrices: 42% of the recoveries were ≥90%, 70% were ≥80%, and 90% were ≥70%. All MDL's were less than 100ng/kg, except 3-PBA (132ng/kg, tomato), MPA (129ng/kg, tomato), and trans-permethrin (141ng/kg, banana peel). We then applied the method to non-spiked samples (subset of 5 for which the MDLs/MQLs had been determined) collected weekly for four weeks from local supermarkets. At least one pyrethroid was present in measureable concentrations in all matrices except banana peels. In contrast, the only degradation products detected were cis/trans-DCCA, in one lettuce sample. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Multi-residue analysis of pharmaceuticals in aqueous environmental samples by online solid-phase extraction-ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: optimisation and matrix effects reduction by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe extraction.

PubMed

Bourdat-Deschamps, Marjolaine; Leang, Sokha; Bernet, Nathalie; Daudin, Jean-Jacques; Nélieu, Sylvie

2014-07-04

The aim of this study was to develop and optimise an analytical method for the quantification of a bactericide and 13 pharmaceutical products, including 8 antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, macrolide), in various aqueous environmental samples: soil water and aqueous fractions of pig slurry, digested pig slurry and sewage sludge. The analysis was performed by online solid-phase extraction coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (online SPE-UHPLC-MS-MS). The main challenge was to minimize the matrix effects observed in mass spectrometry, mostly due to ion suppression. They depended on the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content and its origin, and ranged between -22% and +20% and between -38% and -93% of the signal obtained without matrix, in soil water and slurry supernatant, respectively. The very variable levels of these matrix effects suggested DOC content cut-offs above which sample purification was required. These cut-offs depended on compounds, with concentrations ranging from 30 to 290mgC/L for antibiotics (except tylosine) up to 600-6400mgC/L for the most apolar compounds. A modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction procedure was therefore optimised using an experimental design methodology, in order to purify samples with high DOC contents. Its performance led to a compromise, allowing fluoroquinolone and tetracycline analysis. The QuEChERS extraction salts consisted therefore of sodium acetate, sodium sulfate instead of magnesium sulfate, and sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) as a ligand of divalent cations. The modified QuEChERS procedure employed for the extraction of pharmaceuticals in slurry and digested slurry liquid phases reduced the matrix effects for almost all the compounds, with extraction recoveries generally above 75%. The performance characteristics of the method were evaluated in terms of linearity, intra-day and inter-day precision, accuracy and limits of quantification, which reached concentration ranges of 5-270ng/L in soil water and sludge supernatant, and 31-2400ng/L in slurry and digested slurry supernatants, depending on the compounds. The new method was then successfully applied for the determination of the target compounds in environmental samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) shield for Arduino DNA detection.

PubMed

Velders, Aldrik H; Schoen, Cor; Saggiomo, Vittorio

2018-02-01

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of DNA is gaining relevance as a method to detect nucleic acids, as it is easier, faster, and more powerful than conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction. However, LAMP is still mostly used in laboratory settings, because of the lack of a cheap and easy, one-button device that can perform LAMP experiments. Here we show how to build and program an Arduino shield for a LAMP and detection of DNA. The here described Arduino Shield is cheap, easy to assemble, to program and use, it is battery operated and the detection of DNA is done by naked-eye so that it can be used in field.

Thiourea in the Construction of C-S Bonds as Part of an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Guo-ping; Chen, Fei; Cai, Chun

2017-01-01

The nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction and thia-Michael addition using thiourea as an odorless, cheap, and easy-to-handle sulfur source in water are described, which can be used to teach upper-division undergraduates the role of thiourea in the formation of C-S bonds and the principles of green chemistry. The use of a cheap, nontoxic…

Testing biological liquid samples using modified m-line spectroscopy method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augusciuk, Elzbieta; Rybiński, Grzegorz

2005-09-01

Non-chemical method of detection of sugar concentration in biological (animal and plant source) liquids has been investigated. Simplified set was build to show the easy way of carrying out the survey and to make easy to gather multiple measurements for error detecting and statistics. Method is suggested as easy and cheap alternative for chemical methods of measuring sugar concentration, but needing a lot effort to be made precise.

Introducing Human Population Biology through an Easy Laboratory Exercise on Mitochondrial DNA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pardinas, Antonio F.; Dopico, Eduardo; Roca, Agustin; Garcia-Vazquez, Eva; Lopez, Belen

2010-01-01

This article describes an easy and cheap laboratory exercise for students to discover their own mitochondrial haplogroup. Students use buccal swabs to obtain mucosa cells as noninvasive tissue samples, extract DNA, and with a simple polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis they can obtain DNA fragments of…

Analysis of sulfonamides, tilmicosin and avermectins residues in typical animal matrices with multi-plug filtration cleanup by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection.

PubMed

Qin, Yuhong; Jatamunua, Freedom; Zhang, Jingru; Li, Yanjie; Han, Yongtao; Zou, Nan; Shan, Jihao; Jiang, Yanbin; Pan, Canping

2017-05-15

The frequent use of various veterinary drugs could lead to residue bioaccumulation in animal tissues, which could cause dietary risks to human health. In order to quickly analyze the residues, a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for detecting Sulfonamides, Tilmicosin and Avermectins (AVMs) residues in animal samples. For sample preparation, modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) methods were used. For sample cleanup, n-Hexane delipidation and multi-plug filtration cleanup (m-PFC) method based on primary-secondary amine (PSA) and octadecyl-silica (C18) were used, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. It was validated on 7 animal matrices (bovine, caprine, swine meat and their kidneys, milk) at two fortified concentration levels of 5 and 100μg/kg. The recoveries ranged from 82 to 107% for all analytes with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 15%. Matrix-matched calibrations were performed with coefficients of determination above 0.998 for all analytes within concentration levels of 5-500μg/kg. The developed method was successfully used to analysis veterinary drugs of real animal samples from local markets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pheromone Caterpillar Trails: An Easy Lab Exercise for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travis, Holly

2003-01-01

Lab activities using live specimens always seem to catch students' attention faster than those using inanimate materials. For example, many teachers are familiar with the activities using goldfish to study the effect of temperature on respiration rate. Insects are particularly useful because they are cheap, easy to find, and have a certain "yuck"…

A modified QuEChERS method for the determination of some herbicides in yogurt and milk by high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Li, Na; Lei, Lei; Nian, Li; Zhang, Rui; Wu, Shuting; Ren, Ruibing; Wang, Yeqiang; Zhang, Hanqi; Yu, Aimin

2013-02-15

A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method was applied to the extraction of triazines and phenylureas from milk and yogurt. The herbicides was extracted by the mixture of ethyl acetate and n-hexane and cleaned by primary secondary amine (10mg/mL). The frozen-out centrifugation was applied to further remove fatty. The proposed method can achieve efficient extraction and cleanup. Some experimental parameters, such as extraction method, extraction solvent and adsorbent, pH of sample solution, extraction time and amount of primary secondary amine and sodium chloride were investigated and optimized. The precision and absolute recoveries of eight herbicides vary from 0.07 to 5.86% and from 78.9 to 99.9%, respectively. The detection limits for simeton, monuron, chlorotoluron, simetryne, atrazine, karmex, ametryne and propazine range from 0.15 to 0.35 ng/mL. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of food processing on degradation of hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers in milk

PubMed Central

Singh, Sujatha; Nelapati, Krishnaiah

2017-01-01

Aim: To study the effect of different food processing techniques on the degradation of organochlorine compounds (α, β, ɣ and δ hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCH)) residues in both natural and fortified samples of milk. Materials and Methods: Raw milk samples are collected from the local areas of Hyderabad, India. Naturally and fortified milk samples (HCH) were subjected to various food processing techniques, pasteurization (63ºC for ½ h), sterilization (121ºC for 15 min) and boiling for 5 min and analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for multiresidue analysis of pesticides in milk with slight modification. Results: The final mean residual concentration of pesticide in milk after heat processing and percentage of degradation were calculated with respective treatments. Conclusion: Heat treatments are highly effective on reduction of mean residual concentration of HCH in milk. In which Sterilization and boiling proved to be more effective in degradation of HCH isomers. PMID:28435187

Effect of food processing on degradation of hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers in milk.

PubMed

Singh, Sujatha; Nelapati, Krishnaiah

2017-03-01

To study the effect of different food processing techniques on the degradation of organochlorine compounds (α, β, ɣ and δ hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCH)) residues in both natural and fortified samples of milk. Raw milk samples are collected from the local areas of Hyderabad, India. Naturally and fortified milk samples (HCH) were subjected to various food processing techniques, pasteurization (63ºC for ½ h), sterilization (121ºC for 15 min) and boiling for 5 min and analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for multiresidue analysis of pesticides in milk with slight modification. The final mean residual concentration of pesticide in milk after heat processing and percentage of degradation were calculated with respective treatments. Heat treatments are highly effective on reduction of mean residual concentration of HCH in milk. In which Sterilization and boiling proved to be more effective in degradation of HCH isomers.

New Trends in Pesticide Residue Analysis in Cereals, Nutraceuticals, Baby Foods, and Related Processed Consumer Products.

PubMed

Raina-Fulton, Renata

2015-01-01

Pesticide residue methods have been developed for a wide variety of food products including cereal-based foods, nutraceuticals and related plant products, and baby foods. These cereal, fruit, vegetable, and plant-based products provide the basis for many processed consumer products. For cereal and nutraceuticals, which are dry sample products, a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method has been used with additional steps to allow wetting of the dry sample matrix and subsequent cleanup using dispersive or cartridge format SPE to reduce matrix effects. More processed foods may have lower pesticide concentrations but higher co-extracts that can lead to signal suppression or enhancement with MS detection. For complex matrixes, GC/MS/MS or LC/electrospray ionization (positive or negative ion)-MS/MS is more frequently used. The extraction and cleanup methods vary with different sample types particularly for cereal-based products, and these different approaches are discussed in this review. General instrument considerations are also discussed.

Efficacy of communication amongst staff members at plastic and reconstructive surgery section using smartphone and mobile WhatsApp

PubMed Central

Wani, Shabeer Ahmad; Rabah, Sari M.; AlFadil, Sara; Dewanjee, Nancy; Najmi, Yahya

2013-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of smartphone and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst the staff of plastic and reconstructive surgery section at tertiary care health facility. Materials and Methods: From January 2012 onwards, the authors used smartphones and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst their team for various aspects of patient management and as a tool for academic endorsements. Results: During the period of this study, there were 116 episodes regarding patient management, which were handled, in a timely fashion by using this application. In addition opinion of rotating residents in the section was sought regarding the efficacy of this method of communication. Overall majority of residents were satisfied with this mode of communication. Conclusions: This new method of communication is an effective method for clinical and academic endorsements. The method is cheap and quick and easy to operate. PMID:24459338

Fast determination of pyrethroid pesticides in tobacco by GC-MS-SIM coupled with modified QuEChERS sample preparation procedure.

PubMed

Gao, Yan; Sun, Ying; Jiang, Chunzhu; Yu, Xi; Wang, Yuanpeng; Zhang, Hanqi; Song, Daqian

2013-01-01

An analytical method was developed for the extraction and determination of pyrethroid pesticide residues in tobacco. The modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method was applied for preparing samples. In this study, methyl cyanide (MeCN)-saturated salt aqueous was used as the two-phase extraction solvent for the first time, and a vortex shaker was used for the simultaneous shaking and concentration of the analytes. The effects of experimental parameters on extraction and clean-up efficiency were investigated and optimized. The analytes were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-selected ion monitoring (GC-MS-SIM). The obtained recoveries of the analytes at three different fortification levels were 76.85-114.1% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 15.7%. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were from 1.28 to 26.6 μg kg(-1). This method was also applied to the analysis of actual commercial tobacco products and the analytical results were satisfactory.

Degradation of three fungicides following application on strawberry and a risk assessment of their toxicity under greenhouse conditions.

PubMed

Sun, Caixia; Cang, Tao; Wang, Zhiwei; Wang, Xinquan; Yu, Ruixian; Wang, Qiang; Zhao, Xueping

2015-05-01

The health risk to humans of pesticide application on minor crops, such as strawberry, requires quantification. Here, the dissipation and residual levels of three fungicides (pyraclostrobin, myclobutanil, and difenoconazole) were studied for strawberry under greenhouse conditions using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry after Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe extraction. This method was validated using blank samples, with all mean recoveries of these three fungicides exceeding 80%. The residues of all three fungicides dissipated following first-order kinetics. The half-lives of pyraclostrobin, myclobutanil, and difenoconazole were 1.69, 3.30, and 3.65 days following one time application and 1.73, 5.78, and 6.30 days following two times applications, respectively. Fungicide residue was determined by comparing the estimated daily intake of the three fungicides against the acceptable daily intake. The results indicate that the potential health risk of the three fungicides was not significant in strawberry when following good agricultural practices (GAP) under greenhouse conditions.

Simultaneous Determination of Isopyrazam and Azoxystrobin in Cucumbers by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Hu, Dan; Xu, Xu; Cai, Tian; Wang, Wei-Ying; Wu, Chun-Jie; Ye, Li-Ming

2017-12-01

A rapid and sensitive analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the determination of isopyrazam (IZM) and azoxystrobin (AZT) in cucumbers. A modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method was used as the pretreatment procedure. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned up with octadecylsilyl silica (C18) and graphite carbon black. The proposed method resulted in satisfactory recovery of IZM and AZT (91.48 to 114.62%), and relative standard deviations were less than 13.1% at fortification concentrations of 1, 20, and 500 μg kg -1 (n = 3). The limits of quantification for IZM and AZT were 0.498 and 0.499 μg kg -1 , respectively, which are far below the maximum residue level (0.5 mg kg -1 ) established for this type of sample. Matrix effects were also evaluated. This study established a sensitive and fast method for the detection of IZM and AZT in cucumber samples.

QuEChERS Purification Combined with Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Simultaneous Quantification of 25 Mycotoxins in Cereals.

PubMed

Sun, Juan; Li, Weixi; Zhang, Yan; Hu, Xuexu; Wu, Li; Wang, Bujun

2016-12-15

A method based on the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) purification combined with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), was optimized for the simultaneous quantification of 25 mycotoxins in cereals. Samples were extracted with a solution containing 80% acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid, and purified with QuEChERS before being separated by a C18 column. The mass spectrometry was conducted by using positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) models. The method gave good linear relations with regression coefficients ranging from 0.9950 to 0.9999. The detection limits ranged from 0.03 to 15.0 µg·kg -1 , and the average recovery at three different concentrations ranged from 60.2% to 115.8%, with relative standard deviations (RSD%) varying from 0.7% to 19.6% for the 25 mycotoxins. The method is simple, rapid, accurate, and an improvement compared with the existing methods published so far.

Paracetamol overdose.

PubMed

Skinner, Anita

2015-02-20

Paracetamol is safe and effective at the therapeutic dose. It is beneficial as an analgesic and is an effective antipyretic. Paracetamol is cheap and easy to buy over the counter, which makes it a common choice in intentional overdose.

Patron ID Cards Made Easy and Cheap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peischl, Tom

1978-01-01

Four major problems of academic library identification cards are expense, distribution, timeliness, and validation. By moving from a commercially produced plastic library card to a locally produced paper IBM-type card, this library solved these four library card problems. (Author)

Enantioselective determination of metconazole in multi matrices by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

He, Rujian; Fan, Jun; Tan, Qi; Lai, Yecai; Chen, Xiaodong; Wang, Tai; Jiang, Ying; Zhang, Yaomou; Zhang, Weiguang

2018-02-01

A reliable and effective HPLC analytical method has been developed to stereoselectively quantify metconazole in soil and flour matrices. Effects of polysaccharide chiral stationary phase, type and content of alcoholic modifier on separation of racemic metconazole have been discussed in detail. Resolution and quantitative determination of metconazole stereoisomers were performed by using an Enantiopak OD column, with the n-hexane-ethanol mixture (97:3, v/v) at the flow rate of 1.0mL/min. Then, extraction and cleanup procedures followed by the modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method were used for metconazole racemate in soil and flour matrices. The residual analysis method was validated. Good linearity (R 2 ≥ 0.9997) and recoveries (94.98-104.89%, RSD ≤ 2.0%) for four metconazole stereoisomers were obtained. In brief, this proposed method showed good accuracy and precision, which might be applied in enantioselective determination, residual quantitative analysis, and degradation of metconazole in food and environmental matrices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sorption and degradation of neonicotinoid insecticides in tropical soils.

PubMed

Dankyi, Enock; Gordon, Chris; Carboo, Derick; Apalangya, Vitus A; Fomsgaard, Inge S

2018-05-22

Neonicotinoids are the most widely applied class of insecticides in cocoa farming in Ghana. Despite the intensive application of these insecticides, knowledge of their fate in the Ghanaian and sub-Saharan African environment remains low. This study examined the behavior of neonicotinoids in soils from cocoa plantations in Ghana by estimating their sorption and degradation using established kinetic models and isotherms. Studies of sorption were conducted using the batch equilibrium method on imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, acetamiprid and thiacloprid, while degradation of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and their respective deuterated counterparts was studied using models proposed by the European forum for coordination of pesticide fate and their use (FOCUS). Analytes were extracted using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) procedure and quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Average recoveries were high (≥ 85%) for all analytes. The findings from the study suggest that neonicotinoid insecticides may be persistent in the soils studied based on estimated half-lives > 150 days. The study also revealed generally low-sorption coefficients for neonicotinoids in soils, largely influenced by soil organic carbon.

Evaluation of a modified QuEChERS extraction of multiple classes of pesticides from a rice paddy soil by LC-APCI-MS/MS.

PubMed

Caldas, Sergiane S; Bolzan, Cátia M; Cerqueira, Maristela B; Tomasini, Débora; Furlong, Eliana B; Fagundes, Carlos; Primel, Ednei G

2011-11-23

A new method for the determination of clomazone, fipronil, tebuconazole, propiconazole, and azoxystrobin in samples of rice paddy soil is presented. The extraction of the pesticides from soil samples was performed by using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. Some extraction conditions such as salt addition, sample acidification, use of buffer, and cleanup step were evaluated. The optimized method dealt with a single extraction of the compounds under study with acidified acetonitrile, followed by the addition of MgSO(4) and NaCl prior to the final determination by liquid chromatography-atmospheric chemical pressure ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Validation studies were carried out in soil samples. Recoveries of the spiked samples ranged between 70.3 and 120% with relative standard deviation lower than 18.2%. The limits of quantification were between 10 and 50 μg kg(-1). The method was applied to the analysis of real samples of soils where rice is cultivated.

Determination of bromothalonil residues and degradation in apple and soil by QuEChERS and GC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Liu, Huijun; Guo, Baoyuan; Wang, Huili; Li, Jianzhong; Zheng, Lin

2014-04-01

The dissipation and residues of bromothalonil in apple and soil under field condition were analyzed by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer method. The recoveries were ranged from 80.8 % to 106 % with coefficient variation for repeatability ranged from 3.08 % to 7.09 % at fortification levels of 0.02, 0.04 and 0.2 mg/kg in apple and soil. The limit of quantification of the method was 0.31 μg/kg. The dissipation rates of bromothalonil followed the first-order kinetics and the half-lives were from 3.61 to 3.98 days in apple and from 4.65 to 9.29 days in soil. In apple, the terminal residues of bromothalonil were below the China maximum residue limit (0.2 mg/kg) after 7 days of application. This work contributed to provide the basic information for a safe usage of bromothalonil in apple orchard and preventing health problem from consumers in China.

Validation of QuEChERS method for the determination of some pesticide residues in two apple varieties.

PubMed

Tiryaki, Osman

2016-10-02

This study was undertaken to validate the "quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe" (QuEChERS) method using Golden Delicious and Starking Delicious apple matrices spiked at 0.1 maximum residue limit (MRL), 1.0 MRL and 10 MRL levels of the four pesticides (chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, indoxacarb and imidacloprid). For the extraction and cleanup, original QuEChERS method was followed, then the samples were subjected to liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for chromatographic analyses. According to t test, matrix effect was not significant for chlorpyrifos in both sample matrices, but it was significant for dimethoate, indoxacarb and imidacloprid in both sample matrices. Thus, matrix-matched calibration (MC) was used to compensate matrix effect and quantifications were carried out by using MC. The overall recovery of the method was 90.15% with a relative standard deviation of 13.27% (n = 330). Estimated method detection limit of analytes blew the MRLs. Some other parameters of the method validation, such as recovery, precision, accuracy and linearity were found to be within the required ranges.

QuEChERS-based extraction procedure for multifamily analysis of phytohormones in vegetables by UHPLC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Flores, María Isabel Alarcón; Romero-González, Roberto; Frenich, Antonia Garrido; Vidal, José Luis Martínez

2011-07-01

A new method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of different phytohormones (auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins) in vegetables. The compounds were extracted using a QuEChERS-based method (acronym of quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe). The separation and determination of the selected phytohormones were carried out by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), using electrospray ionization source (ESI) in positive and negative ion modes. The method was validated and mean recoveries were evaluated at three concentration levels (50, 100 and 250 μg/kg), ranging from 75 to 110% at the three levels assayed. Intra- and interday precisions, expressed as relative standard deviations (RSDs), were lower than 20 and 25%, respectively. Limits of quantification (LOQs) were equal or lower than 10 μg/kg. The developed procedure was applied to seven courgette samples, and naphthylacetic acid, naphthylacetamide and benzyladenine were found in some of the analysed samples. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction for the Analysis of Veterinary Drugs Applied to Food Samples: A Review

PubMed Central

Islas, Gabriela; Hernandez, Prisciliano

2017-01-01

To achieve analytical success, it is necessary to develop thorough clean-up procedures to extract analytes from the matrix. Dispersive solid phase extraction (DSPE) has been used as a pretreatment technique for the analysis of several compounds. This technique is based on the dispersion of a solid sorbent in liquid samples in the extraction isolation and clean-up of different analytes from complex matrices. DSPE has found a wide range of applications in several fields, and it is considered to be a selective, robust, and versatile technique. The applications of dispersive techniques in the analysis of veterinary drugs in different matrices involve magnetic sorbents, molecularly imprinted polymers, carbon-based nanomaterials, and the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method. Techniques based on DSPE permit minimization of additional steps such as precipitation, centrifugation, and filtration, which decreases the manipulation of the sample. In this review, we describe the main procedures used for synthesis, characterization, and application of this pretreatment technique and how it has been applied to food analysis. PMID:29181027

Application of dispersive solid phase extraction for trace analysis of toxic chemicals in foods.

PubMed

Neely, Sarah; Martin, Jordan; da Cruz, Natalia Ferreira; Piester, Gavin; Robinson, Morgan; Okoniewski, Richard; Tran, Buu N

2018-05-29

The objectives of this study were to develop and validate a method for the identification of toxic organic chemicals, including groups of controlled substances, alkaloids and pesticides that are highly toxic and considered threats to public health. This project aims to ensure our laboratory's readiness to respond to emergencies involving our food supply in cooperation with the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) program. The food matrices were homogenized in a blender or food processor prior to extraction with an acetonitrile-water mixture using a QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) procedure. The extracts were then analyzed by either gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS). Method validation was performed on a variety of food matrices including lettuce, grapes, milk, chicken, pork and beef. MDLs for the toxic compounds ranged from 0.01 to 0.66 mg/kg (ppm). The findings in this study will provide a valuable resource for the determination of toxic chemicals in food matrices for emergency response situations. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Dissipation, transfer and safety evaluation of emamectin benzoate in tea.

PubMed

Zhou, Li; Luo, Fengjian; Zhang, Xinzhong; Jiang, Yaping; Lou, Zhengyun; Chen, Zongmao

2016-07-01

The dissipation and residue of emamectin benzoate in tea leaves and the residue transfer from tea leaves to tea brew were investigated by modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass (UPLC-MS/MS). The average recoveries ranged 85.3-101.3% with relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 15%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.005mgkg(-1) in tea leaves and 0.0004mgL(-1) in brew. Emamectin benzoate dissipated rapidly in tea with half-life (t1/2) of 1.0-1.3days. The terminal residues of emamectin benzoate were less than 0.062mgkg(-1). The leaching rate of emamectin benzoate from freshly-made tea to brew was <5%. The risk of emamectin benzoate at the recommended dosage was negligible to humans depending on risk quotient (RQ) value, that was lower than 1 significantly. This study could provide guidance for the safe use of emamectin benzoate and serve as a reference for the establishment of maximum residue limits (MRLs) in China. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Use of Onion Extract as a Dairy Cattle Feed Supplement: Monitoring Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate as a Marker of Its Effect on Milk Attributes.

PubMed

Abad, Paloma; Arroyo-Manzanares, Natalia; Gil, Lidia; García-Campaña, Ana M

2017-02-01

Onion extract is used as a feed supplement for the diet of dairy cows, acting as inhibitor of methane production; however, its properties could alter sensory attributes of milk. In this work, we propose a method to evaluate the influence of this extract on milk properties, using propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) as a marker. PTSO is extracted using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe procedure and monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The method was applied to milk samples obtained from 100 dairy cows fed during 2 months with enriched feed. In addition, a milk tasting panel was established to evaluate the PTSO residue that should not be exceeded to guarantee milk sensory attributes. It was established that a value of PTSO lower than 2 mg kg -1 does not alter milk organoleptic properties. This fact makes onion extract an interesting alternative as a feed supplement to control the methane emissions without any influence on milk attributes.

Chemiluminescent Determination of Oxamyl in Drinking Water and Tomato Using Online Postcolumn UV Irradiation in a Chromatographic System.

PubMed

Murillo Pulgarín, José A; García Bermejo, Luisa F; Durán, Armando Carrasquero

2018-03-07

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to separate oxamyl from other pesticides in drinking water and tomato paste. The eluate emerging from the column tail was mixed with an alkaline solution of Co 2+ in EDTA and irradiated with UV light to induce photolysis of the carbamate in order to obtain free radicals and other reactive species that oxidize luminol and produce chemiluminescence (CL) as a result. The intensity of the CL signal was monitored in the form of chromatographic peaks. Under the optimum operating conditions for the HPLC-UV-CL system, the analyte concentration was linearly related to peak area. The limit of detection as determined in accordance with the IUPAC criterion was 0.17 mg L -1 . Oxamyl was successfully extracted with recoveries of 88.7-103.1% from spiked tomato paste by using a simple QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) sample preparation approach. Similar recoveries were obtained from drinking water samples spiked with oxamyl concentrations above the LOD. The proposed method is a simple, fast, accurate choice for quantifying this pesticide.

Determination of nonylphenol ethoxylate and octylphenol ethoxylate surfactants in beehive samples by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Mullin, Christopher A

2014-09-01

Nonylphenol and octylphenol ethoxylates (NP(EO)n and OP(EO)n) are major toxicants in agrochemicals used around beehives. Here we developed a LC-MS method for analysis of NP(EO)3-13 and OP(EO)3-13 oligomers in bee hive matrices. Less than 2 g of honey, pollen or wax were extracted using the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) approach. Recoveries for each oligomer in all matrices are between 75% and 111% at three spiked concentrations. The method proved to be rapid, precise and sensitive. Five honey, 10 pollen and 12 wax samples were collected and analysed. NP(EO)n was detected in every sample with concentrations ranging from 26 ppb to 10,239 ppb. Much higher NP(EO)n residues levels were found in wax followed by pollen than in honey. OP(EO)n concentrations on average were more than 10 times lower in pollen and wax. This method demonstrates a probable wide occurrence of alkylphenol ethoxylates in USA beehives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

QuEChERS Purification Combined with Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Simultaneous Quantification of 25 Mycotoxins in Cereals

PubMed Central

Sun, Juan; Li, Weixi; Zhang, Yan; Hu, Xuexu; Wu, Li; Wang, Bujun

2016-01-01

A method based on the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) purification combined with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS), was optimized for the simultaneous quantification of 25 mycotoxins in cereals. Samples were extracted with a solution containing 80% acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid, and purified with QuEChERS before being separated by a C18 column. The mass spectrometry was conducted by using positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) models. The method gave good linear relations with regression coefficients ranging from 0.9950 to 0.9999. The detection limits ranged from 0.03 to 15.0 µg·kg−1, and the average recovery at three different concentrations ranged from 60.2% to 115.8%, with relative standard deviations (RSD%) varying from 0.7% to 19.6% for the 25 mycotoxins. The method is simple, rapid, accurate, and an improvement compared with the existing methods published so far. PMID:27983693

Validation of QuEChERS based method for determination of fenitrothion residues in tomatoes by gas chromatography-flame photometric detector: Decline pattern and risk assessment.

PubMed

Malhat, Farag; Boulangé, Julien; Abdelraheem, Ehab; Abd Allah, Osama; Abd El-Hamid, Rania; Abd El-Salam, Shokr

2017-08-15

A simple and rapid gas chromatography with flame photometric detector (GC-FPD) determination method was developed to detect residue levels and investigate the dissipation pattern and safe use of fenitrothion in tomatoes. A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) using an ethyl acetate-based extraction, followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) with primary-secondary amine (PSA) and graphite carbon black (GCB) for clean up, was applied prior to GC-FPD analysis. The method showed satisfactory linearity, recovery and precision. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.005 and 0.01mg/kg, respectively. The residue levels of fenitrothion were best described by first order kinetics with a half-life of 2.2days in tomatoes. The potential health risks posed by fenitrothion were not significant, based on supervised residue trial data. The current findings could provide guidance for safe and reasonable use of fenitrothion in tomatoes and prevent health problems to consumers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination and risk assessment of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in vegetables.

PubMed

Li, Huidong; Zhu, Duanwei; Lu, Xiao; Du, Hongxia; Guan, Shuai; Chen, Zilei

2018-01-28

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic environmental pollutants posing a potential risk to human health. This study was constructed to investigate the presence of 16 PAHs in six commonly consumed vegetables collected from the markets in Shandong, China by a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe (QuEChERS)-based extraction method coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our results showed that the vegetables were polluted with PAHs at an alarming level, of which celery contained the highest total concentration of PAHs (Σ16 PAH), whereas cucumbers contained the lowest Σ16 PAH. Besides, the dietary exposure of PAHs was assessed in these vegetables based on the maximum Σ16 PAH. The results showed that the populations in Shandong were exposed to 23-213 ng/d of PAHs through these six vegetables, suggesting that vegetables are the major sources of PAHs in the diet. Hence, it is necessary to monitor the PAH levels in vegetables. Our study provides guidance for future legislative actions regarding PAH levels in vegetables in China.

A High Throughput Method for Measuring Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Seafood Using QuEChERS Extraction and SBSE.

PubMed

Pfannkoch, Edward A; Stuff, John R; Whitecavage, Jacqueline A; Blevins, John M; Seely, Kathryn A; Moran, Jeffery H

2015-01-01

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Method NMFS-NWFSC-59 2004 is currently used to quantitatively analyze seafood for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination, especially following events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that released millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This method has limited throughput capacity; hence, alternative methods are necessary to meet analytical demands after such events. Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) is an effective technique to extract trace PAHs in water and the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction strategy effectively extracts PAHs from complex food matrices. This study uses SBSE to concentrate PAHs and eliminate matrix interference from QuEChERS extracts of seafood, specifically oysters, fish, and shrimp. This method provides acceptable recovery (65-138%) linear calibrations and is sensitive (LOD = 0.02 ppb, LOQ = 0.06 ppb) while providing higher throughput and maintaining equivalency between NOAA 2004 as determined by analysis of NIST SRM 1974b mussel tissue.

Combination of QuEChERS and DLLME for GC-MS determination of pesticide residues in orange samples.

PubMed

Andraščíková, Mária; Hrouzková, Svetlana; Cunha, Sara C

2013-01-01

A new method combining QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) and DLLME (dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring (SIM) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 19 pesticides from nine chemical groups exhibiting or suspected to exhibit endocrine-disrupting properties in orange samples. Acetonitrile extract obtained from QuEChERS extraction was used for DLLME as dispersive solvent and carbon tetrachloride as extractive solvent to increase the enrichment factor of the extraction procedure. The effect of several extraction parameters, such as volume extract achieved by the QuEChERS method and subsequently used for DLLME, selection of extractive solvent and its volume, was tested. Under optimum conditions, good linearity, satisfactory recoveries and repeatability were obtained. Limits of quantification (LOQs) achieved (ranging from 0.02 to 47 ng/g) were below the maximum residue limits established by the European Union. The proposed method was applied to the monitoring of pesticide residue levels in oranges commercialised in Portugal.

Rapid detection of in vitro antituberculous drug resistance among smear-positive respiratory samples using microcolony detection-based direct drug susceptibility testing method.

PubMed

Iftikhar, Irim; Irfan, Seema; Farooqi, Joveria; Azizullah, Zahida; Hasan, Rumina

2017-01-01

With the rise in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, there is a search for newer techniques that will rapidly detect drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although molecular techniques can detect resistance, culture is still considered gold standard, especially in resource-limited settings where quick, cheap, and easy techniques are needed. The aim of the study was to evaluate microcolony method thin layer agar (TLA) for quick detection of resistance against the first- and second-line antituberculous drugs in clinical isolates. This was a cross-sectional study performed at Aga Khan University Hospital. A total of 87 Z-N stain smear-positive pulmonary samples were received and indirect drug susceptibility test (ID-DST) was performed using Lowenstein-Jensen and mycobacteria growth indicator tube. Direct DST was performed using TLA on 7H10 agar. TLA was observed twice weekly under microscope for 4 weeks. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated for TLA using indirect susceptibility method as the gold standard. Level of agreement was calculated using Kappa score. TLA showed sensitivity of 89% and 95.2% for isoniazid and rifampicin, while for ethionamide, ofloxacin, and injectable aminoglycosides, it was 96.6%, 92.1%, and 100%, respectively. Specificity for the first-line drugs was >95% while second-line drugs ranged from 70% to 100%. Mean time to positivity was 10.2 days by TLA as compared to 43.1 days by ID-DST. TLA is a quick and reliable method in identifying resistance, especially in resource-limited settings. However, additional liquid culture can be set up as backup, especially in patients on therapy to avoid false negative results.

On investigation of optical and spin properties of NV centers in aggregates of detonation nanodiamonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolshedvorskii, S. V.; Vorobyov, V. V.; Soshenko, V. V.; Zeleneev, A.; Sorokin, V. N.; Smolyaninov, A. N.; Akimov, A. V.

2018-02-01

Quickly developing application of nitrogen-vacancy color centers in diamond sets demands on cheap and high optical and spin properties nanodiamonds. Among other types, detonation nanodiamonds are easiest for production but often show no NV color centers inside. In this work we show, that aggregates of detonation nanodiamonds could be as good, or even better in terms of brightness and spin properties, than more expensive single crystal nanodiamonds. This way aggregates of detonation nanodiamonds could efficiently serve as cheap and bright source of single photon radiation or sensitive element of biocompatible sensor.

Designing and Building a Collaborative Library Intranet for All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battles, Jason J.

2010-01-01

Intranets should provide quick and easy access to organizational information. The University of Alabama Libraries' intranet was only partially satisfying this basic expectation. Librarians could use it to find forms, policies, committee assignments, and meeting minutes, but navigating the libraries' intranet was neither quick nor easy, and it was…

Students' Planetarium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brozis, Mirosaw; Swiderski, Kamil

2018-01-01

Our students built a full-size, mobile planetarium in three weeks. The planetarium was built with commonly available, cheap construction materials. Our priorities were mobility, possibility of quick assembly and reassembly and the students' availability of materials in every place in the world. The students calculated all the parameters of the…

Against the Corporal Punishment of Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, John

2004-01-01

John Wilson suggests there are six advantages for corporal punishment: cheap and easy to administer, effective deterrent, effective reform, adjustable pain, fair because of similar dislike of pain, no permanent damage. None of these survive close scrutiny. An alternative, deontological argument against corporal punishment is proposed building on…

Fast determination of phenoxy acid herbicides in carrots and apples using liquid chromatography coupled triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Santilio, Angela; Stefanelli, Patrizia; Dommarco, Roberto

2009-08-01

A fast, simple and inexpensive method has been developed for the analysis of phenoxy acid herbicides: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), 2-(4-chloro-o-tolyloxy)propionic acid (MCPP), 2-(4-aryloxyphenoxy)propionic acid (Fluazifop) and 2-(4-aryloxyphenoxy)propionic acid (Haloxyfop) in carrots and apples by liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The compounds were analyzed by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) methodology without cleanup. The recoveries were performed at two spiked levels (0.05 and 0.5 mg/kg) for both matrices with six replicates for each level. The mean recoveries ranged from 70-92% for both apples and carrots. The precision of the method expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD%) was found to be in the range 3-15%. For all compounds, good linearity (r(2) > 0.99) was obtained over the range of concentration from 0.05 micro g/mL to 0.5 micro g/mL, corresponding to the pesticide concentrations of 0.05 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg, respectively. The determination limits (LOQs) ranged from 0.01 ng/mL to 1.3 ng/mL in solvent, whereas, the LOQs calculated in matrix ranged from 0.05 ng/g to 21.0 ng/g for apples and from 0.06 ng/g to 10.2 ng/g for carrots. The developed methodology combines the advantages of both QuEChERS and LC/MS/MS producing a very rapid, sensitive and cheap method useful for the routine analytical laboratories.

Quick and Easy: Use Screen Capture Software to Train and Communicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuster, Ellen

2011-01-01

Screen capture (screen cast) software can be used to develop short videos for training purposes. Developing videos is quick and easy. This article describes how these videos are used as tools to reinforce face-to-face and interactive TV curriculum training in a nutrition education program. Advantages of developing these videos are shared.…

Vesicle Stability and Dynamics: An Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Del Bianco, Cristina; Torino, Domenica; Mansy, Sheref S.

2014-01-01

A laboratory exercise is described that helps students learn about lipid self-assembly by making vesicles under different solution conditions. Concepts covering the chemical properties of different lipids, the dynamics of lipids, and vesicle stability are explored. Further, the described protocol is easy and cheap to implement. One to two…

Using Dragonflies as Common, Flexible & Charismatic Subjects for Teaching the Scientific Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Switzer, Paul V.

2007-01-01

Biology laboratories are usually designed around convenient and available subjects. For example, for animal laboratories "Daphnia magna," "Drosophila melanogaster," frogs, rats, and mice are common animals that are relatively easy to obtain, relatively cheap, and consequently lend themselves well to laboratory experimentation. On many campuses, …

Catalysts for the decomposition of hydrazine, hydrazine derivatives and mixtures of both

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sasse, R.

1986-01-01

This invention concerns a catalyst designed for the decomposition of hydrazine, hydrazine derivatives and mixtures of the two. The objective is to develop a catalyst of the type described that is cheap and easy to produce and is also characterized by extremely short response times.

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: The Luxury of Digital Abundance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, David; Scharber, Cassandra

2010-01-01

Today we thrive on an abundance of relatively cheap computing power and have the luxury of wasting most of it. It is quickly becoming not only possible but also financially sound, for educators to significantly complement, supplement, or even replace traditional print curricula with digital print and media, online curricula and websites, and…

Industrial plastics waste: Identification and segregation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Widener, Edward L.

1990-01-01

Throwaway plastic products, mainly packaging, are inundating our landfills and incinerators. Most are ethenic thermoplastics, which can be recycled as new products or fossil-fuels. Lab experiments are described, involving destructive and non-destructive tests for identifying and using plastics. The burn-test, with simple apparatus and familiar samples, is recommended as quick, cheap and effective.

A New Metre for Cheap, Quick, Reliable and Simple Thermal Transmittance (U-Value) Measurements in Buildings.

PubMed

Andújar Márquez, José Manuel; Martínez Bohórquez, Miguel Ángel; Gómez Melgar, Sergio

2017-09-03

This paper deals with the thermal transmittance measurement focused on buildings and specifically in building energy retrofitting. Today, if many thermal transmittance measurements in a short time are needed, the current devices, based on the measurement of the heat flow through the wall, cannot carry out them, except if a great amount of devices are used at once along with intensive and tedious post-processing and analysis work. In this paper, from well-known physical laws, authors develop a methodology based on three temperatures measurements, which is implemented by a novel thermal transmittance metre. The paper shows its development step by step. As a result the developed device is modular, scalable, and fully wireless; it is capable of taking as many measurements at once as user needs. The developed system is compared working together on a same test to the currently used one based on heat flow. The results show that the developed metre allows carrying out thermal transmittance measurements in buildings in a cheap, quick, reliable and simple way.

Simultaneous determination of atropine and scopolamine in buckwheat and related products using modified QuEChERS and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chen, Hongping; Marín-Sáez, Jesús; Romero-González, Roberto; Garrido Frenich, Antonia

2017-03-01

A method was developed for the determination of atropine and scopolamine in buckwheat and related products. A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) extraction procedure was evaluated. Dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) was studied as clean-up step, using graphitized black carbon (GBC) and primary secondary amine (PSA). The extract was diluted with water (50:50, v/v) prior to chromatographic analysis. The method was validated and recoveries (except chia samples spiked at 10μg/kg) ranged from 75% to 92%. Intra and inter-day precision was lower than or equal to 17%. The limit of quantification of atropine and scopolamine was 0.4 and 2μg/kg, respectively. Eight types of samples (buckwheat, wheat, soy, buckwheat flour, buckwheat noodle, amaranth grain, chia seeds and peeled millet) were analyzed. Target compounds were not found above the detection limits of the method, but three transformation products of scopolamine (norscopine, hydroscopolamine and dihydroxyscopolamine) were putative identified in the tested samples using high resolution mass spectrometry (Exactive-Orbitrap). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Matrix-Matching as an Improvement Strategy for the Detection of Pesticide Residues.

PubMed

Giacinti, Géraldine; Raynaud, Christine; Capblancq, Sophie; Simon, Valérie

2016-05-01

More than 90% of the pesticides residues in apples are located in the peel. We developed a gas chromatography/ion trap tandem mass spectrometry method for investigating all detectable residues in the peel of 3 apple varieties. Sample preparation is based on the use of the Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe method on the whole fruit, the flesh, and the peel. Pesticide residues were quantified with solvent-matched and matrix-matched standards, by spiking apple sample extracts. Matrix effects dependent on the type of extract (fruit, flesh, or peel) and the apple variety were detected. The best data processing methods involved normalizing matrix effect rates by matrix-matched internal/external calibration. Boscalid, captan, chlorpyrifos, fludioxonil, and pyraclostrobin were the most frequently detected pesticides. However, their concentrations in the whole fruit were below European maximum residue levels. Despite negative matrix effects, the residues in peel were detected at concentrations up to 10 times higher than those in whole fruits. Consequently, other pesticide residues present at concentrations below the limit of quantification in the whole fruit were detected in the peel. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Comparison of sample preparation methods combined with fast gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for ultratrace analysis of pesticide residues in baby food.

PubMed

Hercegová, Andrea; Dömötörová, Milena; Kruzlicová, Dása; Matisová, Eva

2006-05-01

Four sample preparation techniques were compared for the ultratrace analysis of pesticide residues in baby food: (a) modified Schenck's method based on ACN extraction with SPE cleaning; (b) quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method based on ACN extraction and dispersive SPE; (c) modified QuEChERS method which utilizes column-based SPE instead of dispersive SPE; and (d) matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD). The methods were combined with fast gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis. The effectiveness of clean-up of the final extract was determined by comparison of the chromatograms obtained. Time consumption, laboriousness, demands on glassware and working place, and consumption of chemicals, especially solvents, increase in the following order QuEChERS < modified QuEChERS < MSPD < modified Schenck's method. All methods offer satisfactory analytical characteristics at the concentration levels of 5, 10, and 100 microg/kg in terms of recoveries and repeatability. Recoveries obtained for the modified QuEChERS method were lower than for the original QuEChERS. In general the best LOQs were obtained for the modified Schenck's method. Modified QuEChERS method provides 21-72% better LOQs than the original method.

Simultaneous and rapid determination of deoxynivalenol and its acetylate derivatives in wheat flour and rice by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection.

PubMed

Xu, Jiao-Jiao; Zhou, Jian; Huang, Bai-Fen; Cai, Zeng-Xuan; Xu, Xiao-Min; Ren, Yi-Ping

2016-06-01

A simple and reliable method of ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo-diode array detection has been proposed for the simultaneous determination of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated derivatives in wheat flour and rice, especially focusing on the optimization of sample extraction, cleanup, and chromatographic separation conditions. Sample pretreatment consisted of a first step using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe based extraction procedure and a subsequent cleanup step based on solid-phase extraction. The method was extensively validated in wheat flour and rice, obtaining satisfactory analytical performance with good linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.999), acceptable recoveries (80.0-104.4%), and repeatability (RSDs 1.3-10.7%). The limits of detection (21.7-57.4 μg/kg) and quantitation (72.3-191.4 μg/kg) for deoxynivalenols were lower than those usually permitted by various countries' legislation in these food matrices. The method was applied to 34 wheat and rice samples. The results were further compared with results of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of the QuEChERS sample preparation approach for the analysis of pesticide residues in olives.

PubMed

Cunha, Sara C; Lehotay, Steven J; Mastovska, Katerina; Fernandes, José O; Beatriz, Maria; Oliveira, P P

2007-03-01

This paper describes the use of a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method for extraction and cleanup of 16 pesticide residues of interest in olives and olive oil. These products contain a high lipid content, which can adversely affect pesticide recoveries and harm traditional chromatographic systems. For extraction, the main factors (oil and water content) were studied and optimized in experiments to maximize pesticide recoveries. Dispersive SPE with different sorbents was also investigated to minimize matrix coextractives and interferences. For analysis, a new automated DSI device was tested in GC-MS to avoid nonvolatile coextractives from contaminating the instrument. LC-MS/MS with positive ESI was used for those pesticides that were difficult to detect by GC-MS. The final method was validated for olives in terms of recoveries, repeatabilities, and reproducibilities using both detection techniques. The results demonstrated that the method achieved acceptable quantitative recoveries of 70-109% with RSDs < 20% for DSI-GC-MS and 88-130% with RSDs < 10% for LC-MS/MS, and LOQ at or below the regulatory maximum residue limits for the pesticides were achieved.

Pyraclostrobin wash-off from sugarcane leaves and aerobic dissipation in agricultural soil.

PubMed

Fulcher, James M; Wayment, Darcey G; White, Paul M; Webber, Charles L

2014-03-12

To mitigate damage from the fungal sugarcane pathogen brown rust (Puccinia melanocephala), a Section 18 Emergency Use Label was put in place by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) for the application of pyraclostrobin (trade name Headline SC, produced by BASF, Research Triangle Park, NC) on sugarcane in 2008. To assess the dynamics of this fungicide in Louisiana soil, samples (n = 24) from a non-treated field were spiked with pyraclostrobin (3.1 μg g(-1)) and analyzed in laboratory conditions over the course of 63 days using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) dispersive solid-phase extraction/high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detection (dSPE/HPLC-UV). Modeling was performed using Microsoft Excel to predict DTx values. Pyraclostrobin was found to follow biphasic kinetics with DT50 and DT90 values of 60 and 282 days, suggesting that it is moderately persistent to persistent in soils. Wash-off studies on sugarcane indicate that very little fungicide is in the wash-off after 48 h. If applied to sugarcane according to label recommendations, the fungicide should have minimal dissipation from rainfall events.

Validated UPLC-MS/MS Methods To Quantitate Free and Conjugated Alternaria Toxins in Commercially Available Tomato Products and Fruit and Vegetable Juices in Belgium.

PubMed

Walravens, Jeroen; Mikula, Hannes; Rychlik, Michael; Asam, Stefan; Devos, Tom; Njumbe Ediage, Emmanuel; Diana Di Mavungu, José; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Van Landschoot, Anita; Vanhaecke, Lynn; De Saeger, Sarah

2016-06-22

Ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe based analytical methodologies to quantitate both free (alternariol (1), alternariol monomethyl ether (2), tenuazonic acid (3), tentoxin (4), altenuene (5), altertoxin-I (6)) and conjugated (sulfates and glucosides of 1 and 2) Alternaria toxins in fruit and vegetable juices and tomato products were developed and validated. Acceptable limits of quantitation (0.7-5.7 μg/kg), repeatability (RSDr < 15.7%), reproducibility (RSDR < 17.9%), and apparent recovery (87.0-110.6%) were obtained for all analytes in all matrices investigated. 129 commercial foodstuffs were analyzed, and 3 was detected in 100% of tomato product samples (

Methods for Recovering Microorganisms from Solid Surfaces Used in the Food Industry: A Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Ismaïl, Rached; Aviat, Florence; Michel, Valérie; Le Bayon, Isabelle; Gay-Perret, Perrine; Kutnik, Magdalena; Fédérighi, Michel

2013-01-01

Various types of surfaces are used today in the food industry, such as plastic, stainless steel, glass, and wood. These surfaces are subject to contamination by microorganisms responsible for the cross-contamination of food by contact with working surfaces. The HACCP-based processes are now widely used for the control of microbial hazards to prevent food safety issues. This preventive approach has resulted in the use of microbiological analyses of surfaces as one of the tools to control the hygiene of products. A method of recovering microorganisms from different solid surfaces is necessary as a means of health prevention. No regulation exists for surface microbial contamination, but food companies tend to establish technical specifications to add value to their products and limit contamination risks. The aim of this review is to present the most frequently used methods: swabbing, friction or scrubbing, printing, rinsing or immersion, sonication and scraping or grinding and describe their advantages and drawbacks. The choice of the recovery method has to be suitable for the type and size of the surface tested for microbiological analysis. Today, quick and cheap methods have to be standardized and especially easy to perform in the field. PMID:24240728

Methods for recovering microorganisms from solid surfaces used in the food industry: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Ismaïl, Rached; Aviat, Florence; Michel, Valérie; Le Bayon, Isabelle; Gay-Perret, Perrine; Kutnik, Magdalena; Fédérighi, Michel

2013-11-14

Various types of surfaces are used today in the food industry, such as plastic, stainless steel, glass, and wood. These surfaces are subject to contamination by microorganisms responsible for the cross-contamination of food by contact with working surfaces. The HACCP-based processes are now widely used for the control of microbial hazards to prevent food safety issues. This preventive approach has resulted in the use of microbiological analyses of surfaces as one of the tools to control the hygiene of products. A method of recovering microorganisms from different solid surfaces is necessary as a means of health prevention. No regulation exists for surface microbial contamination, but food companies tend to establish technical specifications to add value to their products and limit contamination risks. The aim of this review is to present the most frequently used methods: swabbing, friction or scrubbing, printing, rinsing or immersion, sonication and scraping or grinding and describe their advantages and drawbacks. The choice of the recovery method has to be suitable for the type and size of the surface tested for microbiological analysis. Today, quick and cheap methods have to be standardized and especially easy to perform in the field.

Turning a $10 Computer into a Powerful DIY Data Logger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schilperoort, B.

2017-12-01

Due the rapid advance of consumer electronics, much more powerful and cheaper options are available for DIY projects. The $10 `Raspberry Pi Zero W' computer, with abilities like WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI video output, and a large cheap memory, can be used for data logging purposes. The computer has a range of input and output pins on the board, with which virtually every type of digital sensor communication is possible. With an extra component, analog measurements can also be made. An extra option is the addition of a camera, which can be connected straight to the board. However, due to the relatively high power consumption (0.5 - 0.7 Watt), the `Zero W' is not optimal for off-the-grid locations. For ease of use, the collected data can be downloaded over a local WiFi network using your smartphone or a laptop. No extra software or skills are needed, it is as simple as visiting a webpage and pressing download, making data collection a quick and easy task. With simple step by step instructions you can set up your own data logger, to collect data from sensors ranging from simple temperature and water level measurements, to sonic anemometers.

Mycotoxin Analysis of Human Urine by LC-MS/MS: A Comparative Extraction Study

PubMed Central

Escrivá, Laura; Font, Guillermina

2017-01-01

The lower mycotoxin levels detected in urine make the development of sensitive and accurate analytical methods essential. Three extraction methods, namely salting-out liquid–liquid extraction (SALLE), miniQuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe), and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME), were evaluated and compared based on analytical parameters for the quantitative LC-MS/MS measurement of 11 mycotoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, OTA, ZEA, BEA, EN A, EN B, EN A1 and EN B1) in human urine. DLLME was selected as the most appropriate methodology, as it produced better validation results for recovery (79–113%), reproducibility (RSDs < 12%), and repeatability (RSDs < 15%) than miniQuEChERS (71–109%, RSDs <14% and <24%, respectively) and SALLE (70–108%, RSDs < 14% and < 24%, respectively). Moreover, the lowest detection (LODS) and quantitation limits (LOQS) were achieved with DLLME (LODs: 0.005–2 μg L−1, LOQs: 0.1–4 μg L−1). DLLME methodology was used for the analysis of 10 real urine samples from healthy volunteers showing the presence of ENs B, B1 and A1 at low concentrations. PMID:29048356

Organochlorine pesticide residues in strawberries from integrated pest management and organic farming.

PubMed

Fernandes, Virginia C; Domingues, Valentina F; Mateus, Nuno; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

2011-07-27

A rapid, specific, and sensitive method based on the Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) method and a cleanup using dispersive solid-phase extraction with MgSO(4), PSA, and C18 sorbents has been developed for the routine analysis of 14 pesticides in strawberries. The analyses were performed by three different analytical methodologies: gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection (ECD), mass spectrometry (MS), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The recoveries for all the pesticides studied were from 46 to 128%, with relative standard deviation of <15% in the concentration range of 0.005-0.250 mg/kg. The limit of detection (LOD) for all compounds met maximum residue limits (MRL) accepted in Portugal for organochlorine pesticides (OCP). A survey study of strawberries produced in Portugal in the years 2009-2010 obtained from organic farming (OF) and integrated pest management (IPM) was developed. Lindane and β-endosulfan were detected above the MRL in OF and IPM. Other OCP (aldrin, o,p'-DDT and their metabolites, and methoxychlor) were found below the MRL. The OCP residues detected decreased from 2009 to 2010. The QuEChERS method was successfully applied to the analysis of strawberry samples.

Fast analysis of 4-tertoctylphenol, pentachlorophenol and 4-nonylphenol in river sediments by QuEChERS extraction procedure combined with GC-QqQ-MS/MS.

PubMed

Czech, T; Bonilla, N Barco; Gambus, F; González, R Romero; Marín-Sáez, J; Vidal, J L Martínez; Frenich, A Garrido

2016-07-01

A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS)-based extraction method has been optimized for the determination of pentachlorophenol, 4-tertoctylphenol and 4-nonylphenol in river sediments. The extraction method was followed by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS) analysis, which ensures the reliable identification of the target compounds. The proposed method has been validated allowing the successful determination of the selected compounds, with recoveries ranging from 72 to 96%, when three concentration levels were evaluated (10, 50 and 100μgkg(-1)) and inter-day and intra-day precision, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), were lower than 20%. The method showed limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranging from 0.1 to 2.0μgkg(-1) and from 0.5 to 5.0μgkg(-1), respectively. Finally, 25 real samples from Poland have been analyzed, and only 4-tertoctylphenol was detected at concentrations up to 8.9μgkg(-1) of soil dry weight. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tebuconazole and Azoxystrobin Residue Behaviors and Distribution in Field and Cooked Peanut.

PubMed

Hou, Fan; Teng, Peipei; Liu, Fengmao; Wang, Wenzhuo

2017-06-07

Residue behaviors of tebuconazole and azoxystrobin in field condition and the variation of their residue levels during the boiling process were evaluated. The terminal residues of peanut kernels were determined by using a modified QuEChERS method (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) by means of the optimization of the novel purification procedure with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Fe 3 O 4 -magnetic nanoparticle (Fe 3 O 4 -MNP) in the presence of an external magnetic field, and the terminal residues were all at trace level at harvest time. The residues in shells were detected as well to investigate the distribution in peanuts. Tebuconazole and azoxystrobin residue levels varied before/after boiling in kernels and shells to different degrees due to various factors, such as the modes of action and physicochemical properties of pesticides. The residues have been transferred from peanut into the infusion during boiling with the higher percentage of azoxystrobin as its lower logK ow . The processing factors (PFs) for tebuconazole and azoxystrobin after processing were <1, indicating that home cooking in this study could reduce the residue levels in peanut. Risk assessment showed there was no health risk for consumers.

Reduction of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in meat by sugar-smoking and dietary exposure assessment in taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Shaun; Kao, Tsai Hua; Chen, Chia Ju; Huang, Chung Wei; Chen, Bing Huei

2013-08-07

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent an important pollutant in foods and/or the environment. This study aimed to determine the PAH contents in sugar-smoked meat by employing a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe (QuEChERS) method combined with a GC-MS technique and assess the dietary exposure of PAHs in Taiwan. Results showed that the longer the sugar-smoking duration, the more the total PAH formation. By sugar-smoking for 6 min, the total PAH contents generated in red meat (33.9 ± 3.1-125.5 ± 9.2 ppb) were higher than in poultry meat (19.1 ± 2.0-28.2 ± 1.2 ppb) and seafood (9.1 ± 1.4-31.8 ± 1.8 ppb), with lamb steak containing the largest amount of total PAHs. Most importantly, the highly carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene remained undetected in all of the sugar-smoked meat samples. In addition, the cancer risk due to dietary PAH exposure based on total intake of meat in Taiwan was <2 × 10(-7). This outcome demonstrates that sugar-smoking can be adopted to replace the traditional smoking process with wood as smoke source.

Is gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase a biomarker for oxidative stress in periodontitis?

PubMed Central

Sreeram, Meenakshi; Suryakar, Adinath Narayan; Dani, Nitin Hemchandra

2015-01-01

Context: Periodontal disease and oxidative stress (OS) are part of a vicious cycle with each causing a deleterious effect on the other causing changes in the levels of antioxidants, and enzymes of antioxidant defense. Biomarkers and methods used for measuring OS are very expensive. Aims: To see how gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) fares, as a biomarker for OS in periodontits along with other routinely used biomarkers. Design: A cross-sectional study involving 300 people of which 150 were cases and 150 were controls. Setting: Candidates enrolled were patients visiting the OPD of MGV's Dental College and Hospital, Nasik, India between January 2011 and December 2012. Materials and Methods: Serum samples of patients with periodontitis, and controls were analyzed for malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), uric acid, and GGT. Statistical Analysis Used: Analysis was performed using Student's t test. P <0.05 were considered to be significant. Results: Malondialdehyde values were found to be significantly higher cases, while SOD, GPx and uric acid levels were found to be lower than controls. GGT levels were significantly higher in cases as compared to controls. Conclusions: GGT may be used as a cheap, quick, easy and precise marker for measuring OS. PMID:26015663

Carotenoids from Haloarchaea and Their Potential in Biotechnology

PubMed Central

Rodrigo-Baños, Montserrat; Garbayo, Inés; Vílchez, Carlos; Bonete, María José; Martínez-Espinosa, Rosa María

2015-01-01

The production of pigments by halophilic archaea has been analysed during the last half a century. The main reasons that sustains this research are: (i) many haloarchaeal species possess high carotenoids production availability; (ii) downstream processes related to carotenoid isolation from haloarchaea is relatively quick, easy and cheap; (iii) carotenoids production by haloarchaea can be improved by genetic modification or even by modifying several cultivation aspects such as nutrition, growth pH, temperature, etc.; (iv) carotenoids are needed to support plant and animal life and human well-being; and (v) carotenoids are compounds highly demanded by pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food markets. Several studies about carotenoid production by haloarchaea have been reported so far, most of them focused on pigments isolation or carotenoids production under different culture conditions. However, the understanding of carotenoid metabolism, regulation, and roles of carotenoid derivatives in this group of extreme microorganisms remains mostly unrevealed. The uses of those haloarchaeal pigments have also been poorly explored. This work summarises what has been described so far about carotenoids production by haloarchaea and their potential uses in biotechnology and biomedicine. In particular, new scientific evidence of improved carotenoid production by one of the better known haloarchaeon (Haloferax mediterranei) is also discussed. PMID:26308012

Validation of QuEChERS method for the determination of 36 pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables from Ghana, using gas chromatography with electron capture and pulsed flame photometric detectors.

PubMed

Donkor, Augustine; Osei-Fosu, Paul; Nyarko, Stephen; Kingsford-Adaboh, Robert; Dubey, Brajesh; Asante, Isaac

2015-01-01

In this study, "Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe" 'QuEChERS' method was modified for the determination of 36 pesticides fortified at (0.01-1.0) mg kg(-1) in three vegetables and a fruit (lettuce, carrot, tomatoes and pineapples respectively) from Ghana. The method involved extraction with acetonitrile, phase separation with primary secondary amine and magnesium sulfate; the final injection solution was reconstituted in ethyl acetate. Organochlorine and synthetic pyrethroids residues were detected with electron capture detector whereas organophosphorus, pulsed flame photometric detector was used. The recoveries at different concentration levels (0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 mg kg(-1)) were in the range of 83% and 93% with relative standard deviation ranging from 2% to 10% (n = 5) and the coefficient of determination (R(2)) was greater than 0.99 for all the 36 pesticides. The method was successfully tested on 120 real samples from Accra markets and this proved to be useful for monitoring purposes particularly in laboratories that have no gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Risk assessment, dissipation behavior and persistence of quinalphos in/on green pea by gas chromatography with electron capture detector.

PubMed

Dar, Alamgir A; Jan, Ishrat; Wani, Ashraf A; Mubashir, Sofi; Sofi, Khurshid A; Sofi, Javid A; Dar, Irshad H

2018-06-01

Chemical investigation was carried out to examine the risk assessment, dissipation behavior, persistence, and half-life period of quinalphos in/on green pea fruit by spraying quinalphos at fruiting stage followed by another application after 10-day interval. The samples were extracted by using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method, and the residues of quinalphos were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Herein, we report a novel, accurate, and cost-effective gas chromatography method for the determination of average deposits of quinalphos in/on green pea. The initial deposits and half-life of quinalphos were found to be 1.20 mg/kg and 2.77 days, respectively, following the application of insecticide. Residues of quinalphos reached below detection limit of 0.05 mg/kg after 10 days at recommended dosage. For risk assessment studies, the tenth day will be safe for consumers for consumption of green pea. The developed method is simple, selective, and repeatable, and it can be extended for quinalphos-based standardization of herbal formulations containing green pea and its use in pesticide industries. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Carotenoids from Haloarchaea and Their Potential in Biotechnology.

PubMed

Rodrigo-Baños, Montserrat; Garbayo, Inés; Vílchez, Carlos; Bonete, María José; Martínez-Espinosa, Rosa María

2015-08-25

The production of pigments by halophilic archaea has been analysed during the last half a century. The main reasons that sustains this research are: (i) many haloarchaeal species possess high carotenoids production availability; (ii) downstream processes related to carotenoid isolation from haloarchaea is relatively quick, easy and cheap; (iii) carotenoids production by haloarchaea can be improved by genetic modification or even by modifying several cultivation aspects such as nutrition, growth pH, temperature, etc.; (iv) carotenoids are needed to support plant and animal life and human well-being; and (v) carotenoids are compounds highly demanded by pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food markets. Several studies about carotenoid production by haloarchaea have been reported so far, most of them focused on pigments isolation or carotenoids production under different culture conditions. However, the understanding of carotenoid metabolism, regulation, and roles of carotenoid derivatives in this group of extreme microorganisms remains mostly unrevealed. The uses of those haloarchaeal pigments have also been poorly explored. This work summarises what has been described so far about carotenoids production by haloarchaea and their potential uses in biotechnology and biomedicine. In particular, new scientific evidence of improved carotenoid production by one of the better known haloarchaeon (Haloferax mediterranei) is also discussed.

Air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction integrated with QuEChERS for determining endocrine-disrupting compounds in fish by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Luo, Zhoufei; Lu, Jing; Li, Haipu; Tu, Yi; Wan, Yuehao; Yang, Zhaoguang

2018-09-15

A new, sensitive, and rapid method based on the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) approach and air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (AALLME) technology was developed for the determination of 20 endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in fish by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method first integrates AALLME into QuEChERS to achieve clean-up and enrichment of the EDCs in one step. A self-made glass tube was enfolded with plasticine to withstand the high centrifugal force. The established method was developed by optimization of the parameters. High linearities (R 2  > 0.9924) and recoveries (78.2-118.6%) at three spiked levels (5, 10, and 20 ng g -1 ), and low relative standard deviation values (1.1-14.5%) and limits of detection (0.03-0.80 ng g -1 ) were obtained. The method comparison shows that the proposed method is superior as it involves less organic solvent usage, simple operation and high efficiency. This method was successfully applied to different fishes for analyzing EDCs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Mos1 transposase in vivo assay to screen new HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

PubMed

Cancian, Mariana; Loreto, Elgion L S

2018-04-01

The integrase and transposase enzymes of retrovirus and transposons, respectively, share the catalytic DDE domain. In vitro assays showed that inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase generally inhibit the mariner Mos1 transposase. Using a Drosophila strain in which the mobilisation of the mariner element can be quantified by mosaic eyes, we showed that flies maintained in medium containing 210 µM to 4 mM of raltegravir, or 1 or 2 mM of dolutegravir, which are HIV-1 integrase inhibitor used in AIDS treatment, have 23-33% less somatic mobilisation in mosaic eyes when treated with raltegravir and 28-32% when treated with dolutegravir. The gene expression of the mariner transposase gene, estimated by qPCR, is similar among treated and control flies. The results suggest that in vivo assays using Drosophila can be used as a primary screening of inhibitory drugs for transposase and retroviral integrase. The advantages of this assay are that it is easy, quick, cheap and is an in vivo test, meaning that the tested substance has to have been taken in by cells and has arrived at the target site, which is not the case when in vitro assays are applied.

Measuring Boltzmann's Constant with Carbon Dioxide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivanov, Dragia; Nikolov, Stefan

2013-01-01

In this paper we present two experiments to measure Boltzmann's constant--one of the fundamental constants of modern-day physics, which lies at the base of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. The experiments use very basic theory, simple equipment and cheap and safe materials yet provide very precise results. They are very easy and…

Estimating the Wavelength of Sodium Emission in Flame--The Easy Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahab, M. Farooq

2009-01-01

Simple "box spectroscopes" are not new. Different methods of building them at home using cheap diffraction gratings have been described. However, their use has often been confined to looking at street lights, discharge tubes, and enjoying the beautiful spectra of various lamps. Construction of the box spectroscope usually involves a narrow slit…

Taking the Headaches out of Anesthetizing "Drosophila": A Cheap & Easy Method of Constructing Carbon Dioxide Staging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artiss, Thomas; Hughes, Bobby

2007-01-01

Carbon dioxide is an excellent alternative to conventional methods of anesthetizing fruit flies as it is non-flammable and odorless. We have devised a method of constructing carbon dioxide stages used to keep "Drosophila" immobilized cheaply and easily using empty micropipette tip containers. (Contains 6 figures.)

Mercury in Animal Manures and Impacts on Environmental Health

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Animal manure is widely used as a cheap source of fertilizer all over the world, and is also used as animal feed. In industrialized countries, tons of animal manures per hectare each year are applied to agricultural lands as an easy means of disposal. Analysis of these manures shows low Hg concentra...

Fast determination of alkylphenol ethoxylates in leafy vegetables using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method and ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Jiang, Ze-Jun; Cao, Xiao-Lin; Li, Hui; Zhang, Chan; Abd El-Aty, A M; Jin, Fen; Shao, Hua; Jin, Mao-Jun; Wang, Shan-Shan; She, Yong-Xin; Wang, Jing

2017-11-24

In the present study, a quick and sensitive method was developed for simultaneous determination of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPxEOs) and octylphenol ethoxylates (OPxEOs) (x=2-20) in three leafy vegetables, including cabbage, lettuce, and spinach using a modified "QuEChERS" method and ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPSFC-MS/MS) with scheduled multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Under optimized conditions, the 38 target analytes were analyzed within a short period of time (5 min). The linearities of the matrix-matched standard calibrations were satisfactory with coefficients of determination (R 2 )>0.99 and the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were in between 0.02-0.27 and 0.18-1.75μgkg -1 , respectively. The recovery of all target analytes spiked at three (low, medium, and high) fortification levels in various leafy vegetables were ranged from 72.8-122.6% with relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤18.3%. The method was successfully applied to market samples and the target analytes were found in all monitored samples, with total concentrations of 0-8.67μgkg -1 and 15.75-95.75μgkg -1 for OPxEOs and NPxEOs (x=2-20), respectively. In conclusion, the newly developed UHPSFC-ESI-MS/MS method is rapid and versatile and could be extrapolated for qualitative and quantitative analysis of APxEOs in other leafy vegetables. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Medical and dental digital photography. Choosing a cheap and user-friendly camera].

PubMed

Chossegros, C; Guyot, L; Mantout, B; Cheynet, F; Olivi, P; Blanc, J-L

2010-04-01

Digital photography is more and more important in our everyday medical practice. Patient data, medico-legal proof, remote diagnosis, forums, and medical publications are some of the applications of digital photography in medical and dental fields. A lot of small, light, and cheap cameras are on the market. The main issue is to obtain good, reproducible, cheap, and easy-to-shoot pictures. Every medical situation, portrait in esthetic surgery, skin photography in dermatology, X-ray pictures or intra-oral pictures, for example, has its own requirements. For these reasons, we have tried to find an "ideal" compact digital camera. The Sony DSC-T90 (and its T900 counterpart with a wider screen) seems a good choice. Its small size makes it usable in every situation and its price is low. An external light source and a free photo software (XnView((R))) can be useful complementary tools. The main adjustments and expected results are discussed.

Light-Emitting Diodes: A Hidden Treasure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Planinšic, Gorazd; Etkina, Eugenia

2014-01-01

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are cheap, easy to purchase, and thus commonly used in physics instruction as indicators of electric current or as sources of light (Fig. 1). In our opinion LEDs represent a unique piece of equipment that can be used to collect experimental evidence, and construct and test new ideas in almost every unit of a general…

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for the Assessment of Speech Related Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dieler, A. C.; Tupak, S. V.; Fallgatter, A. J.

2012-01-01

Over the past years functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has substantially contributed to the understanding of language and its neural correlates. In contrast to other imaging techniques, fNIRS is well suited to study language function in healthy and psychiatric populations due to its cheap and easy application in a quiet and natural…

Making Research Fly in Schools: "Drosophila" as a Powerful Modern Tool for Teaching Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harbottle, Jennifer; Strangward, Patrick; Alnuamaani, Catherine; Lawes, Surita; Patel, Sanjai; Prokop, Andreas

2016-01-01

The "droso4schools" project aims to introduce the fruit fly "Drosophila" as a powerful modern teaching tool to convey curriculum-relevant specifications in biology lessons. Flies are easy and cheap to breed and have been at the forefront of biology research for a century, providing unique conceptual understanding of biology and…

Application of Kingview and PLC in friction durability test system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yinhan; Cui, Jing; Yang, Kaiyu; Ke, Hui; Song, Bing

2013-01-01

Using PLC and Kingview software, a friction durability test system is designed. The overall program, hardware configuration, software structure and monitoring interface are described in detail. PLC ensures the stability of data acquisition, and the KingView software makes the HMI easy to manipulate. The practical application shows that the proposed system is cheap, economical and highly reliable.

The Secret to Patron-Centered Web Design: Cheap, Easy, and Powerful Usability Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Erica

2008-01-01

When the Johnson County Library (JoCo Library), a midsize suburban public library in Kansas City, Kansas, completely rebuilt its 2,000-plus-page website--one that had remained relatively stable for almost 5 years--the reaction from patrons and staff members was overwhelmingly positive. The web development team at the JoCo Library realized that the…

A Multipurpose Tree for Puerto Rico

Treesearch

Martin Chudnoff; C. B. Briscoe

1965-01-01

Cadam (Anthocaephalus cadamba Miq.) grows very rapidly on a wide variety of sited in Puerto Rico. Tree form is excellent, seed is produced in abundance every year by mature trees, planting is easy and cheap, and relatively little care is required after planting. No important attacks of insects of disease have occurred on trees grown in Puerto Rico for 35 years. The...

Plasticized polyvinylchloride as a temporary dressing for burns.

PubMed Central

Wilson, G; French, G

1987-01-01

Plasticized polyvinylchloride film has been used in this burns unit for a long time for dressings before the ward round, before surgery, and when the burned patient is transferred from the casualty department to the burns unit. Plasticized polyvinylchloride film is easy to use, safe, and causes no pain. Most importantly, in the present financial climate, it is cheap. PMID:3103775

On the utility of graphics cards to perform massively parallel simulation of advanced Monte Carlo methods

PubMed Central

Lee, Anthony; Yau, Christopher; Giles, Michael B.; Doucet, Arnaud; Holmes, Christopher C.

2011-01-01

We present a case-study on the utility of graphics cards to perform massively parallel simulation of advanced Monte Carlo methods. Graphics cards, containing multiple Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), are self-contained parallel computational devices that can be housed in conventional desktop and laptop computers and can be thought of as prototypes of the next generation of many-core processors. For certain classes of population-based Monte Carlo algorithms they offer massively parallel simulation, with the added advantage over conventional distributed multi-core processors that they are cheap, easily accessible, easy to maintain, easy to code, dedicated local devices with low power consumption. On a canonical set of stochastic simulation examples including population-based Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and Sequential Monte Carlo methods, we nd speedups from 35 to 500 fold over conventional single-threaded computer code. Our findings suggest that GPUs have the potential to facilitate the growth of statistical modelling into complex data rich domains through the availability of cheap and accessible many-core computation. We believe the speedup we observe should motivate wider use of parallelizable simulation methods and greater methodological attention to their design. PMID:22003276

New approaches for extraction and determination of betaine from Beta vulgaris samples by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Rivoira, Luca; Studzińska, Sylwia; Szultka-Młyńska, Malgorzata; Bruzzoniti, Maria Concetta; Buszewski, Bogusław

2017-08-01

Betaine is one of most studied biologically active compounds, due its role in the main biological processes. Although it may be found in several plants and roots, such as the Beta vulgaris family, present in typical diets, just a few analytical methods have been developed for its extraction from roots. A new, quick and effective procedure for the isolation and determination of betaine from two different varieties of B. vulgaris (red and gold) is presented. For betaine extraction, an accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was coupled with solid-phase extraction. For betaine determination, a separation method based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was optimized for a sensible detection of betaine by means of experimental design. Recoveries were about 93%, with RSD <5%, for both the matrices, without evidence of interfering species. The total content of betaine in extracts of various parts of plants (juice, peel, root) have been determined, obtaining concentrations in the range 3000-4000 mg/L for the juice and in the range 2-5 mg/g for the pulp and for the peel. The B. vulgaris gold species exhibited a higher concentration of betaine, compared to the red variety. Additionally, a micro extraction by packed sorbent technique and a modified quick, easy, cheap, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) procedure, were also tested and compared. Despite the lower recoveries of the latter, with respect to the ASE/SPE procedure (75-89%, RSD <1.5%), the ease of the method, which can be applied without the SPE purification procedure, can represent a positive improvement. Graphical abstract Determination of betaine from Beta vulgaris samples.

Digitise This! A Quick and Easy Remote Sensing Method to Monitor the Daily Extent of Dredge Plumes

PubMed Central

Evans, Richard D.; Murray, Kathy L.; Field, Stuart N.; Moore, James A. Y.; Shedrawi, George; Huntley, Barton G.; Fearns, Peter; Broomhall, Mark; McKinna, Lachlan I. W.; Marrable, Daniel

2012-01-01

Technological advancements in remote sensing and GIS have improved natural resource managers’ abilities to monitor large-scale disturbances. In a time where many processes are heading towards automation, this study has regressed to simple techniques to bridge a gap found in the advancement of technology. The near-daily monitoring of dredge plume extent is common practice using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery and associated algorithms to predict the total suspended solids (TSS) concentration in the surface waters originating from floods and dredge plumes. Unfortunately, these methods cannot determine the difference between dredge plume and benthic features in shallow, clear water. This case study at Barrow Island, Western Australia, uses hand digitising to demonstrate the ability of human interpretation to determine this difference with a level of confidence and compares the method to contemporary TSS methods. Hand digitising was quick, cheap and required very little training of staff to complete. Results of ANOSIM R statistics show remote sensing derived TSS provided similar spatial results if they were thresholded to at least 3 mg L−1. However, remote sensing derived TSS consistently provided false-positive readings of shallow benthic features as Plume with a threshold up to TSS of 6 mg L−1, and began providing false-negatives (excluding actual plume) at a threshold as low as 4 mg L−1. Semi-automated processes that estimate plume concentration and distinguish between plumes and shallow benthic features without the arbitrary nature of human interpretation would be preferred as a plume monitoring method. However, at this stage, the hand digitising method is very useful and is more accurate at determining plume boundaries over shallow benthic features and is accessible to all levels of management with basic training. PMID:23240055

ISACC in Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

19th floor of a Hotel to overlook the entire event. Page 12 of 17 Figure 6: The SPF Operations Centre overlooking the Event Lessons...have a cheap system to help them solve their immediate operational needs. b. Medium enterprises, that need to have quick customization of the...Optimize” tools to help them advance their current operations to a higher service satisfaction level seen by the public. 32. Common across all

Easy and Inexpensive Technique for Removal of Round Headed, Jammed Locking Screws in Distal Tibial Interlocking Plate.

PubMed

Singh, Harpreet; Sharma, Rohit; Gupta, Sachin; Singh, Narinderjit; Singh, Simarpreet

2015-01-01

The advent of locking plates has brought new problems in implant removal. Difficulty in removing screws from a locking plate is well-known. These difficulties include cold welding between the screw head and locking screw hole, stripping of the recess of the screw head for the screwdriver, and cross-threading between threads in the screw head and screw hole. However, there are cases in which removal is difficult. We describe a new technique for removing a round headed, jammed locking screws from a locking plate. 55 years old male patient received a locking distal tibial plate along with distal fibular plate 3years back from UAE. Now patient came with complaint of non-healing ulcer over medial aspect of lower 1/3rd of right leg from past 1 year. Non operative management did not improve the symptoms. The patient consented to implant removal, with the express understanding that implant removal might be impossible because already one failed attempt had been performed at some other hospital six months back. We then decided to proceed with the new technique. The rest of the proximal screws were removed using a technique not previously described. We used stainless steel metal cutting blades that are used to cut door locks or pad locks to cut the remaining stripped headed screws. This technique is very quick, easy to perform and inexpensive because the metal cutting blades which are used to cut the screws are very cheap. Yet it is very effective technique to remove the stripped headed or jammed locking screws. It is also very less destructive because of very less heat production during the procedure there is no problem of thermal necrosis to the bone or the surrounding soft tissue.

Simultaneous analysis of 70 pesticides using HPlc/MS/MS: a comparison of the multiresidue method of Klein and Alder and the QuEChERS method.

PubMed

Riedel, Melanie; Speer, Karl; Stuke, Sven; Schmeer, Karl

2010-01-01

Since 2003, two new multipesticide residue methods for screening crops for a large number of pesticides, developed by Klein and Alder and Anastassiades et al. (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe; QuEChERS), have been published. Our intention was to compare these two important methods on the basis of their extraction efficiency, reproducibility, ruggedness, ease of use, and speed. In total, 70 pesticides belonging to numerous different substance classes were analyzed at two concentration levels by applying both methods, using five different representative matrixes. In the case of the QuEChERS method, the results of the three sample preparation steps (crude extract, extract after SPE, and extract after SPE and acidification) were compared with each other and with the results obtained with the Klein and Alder method. The extraction efficiencies of the QuEChERS method were far higher, and the sample preparation was much quicker when the last two steps were omitted. In most cases, the extraction efficiencies after the first step were approximately 100%. With extraction efficiencies of mostly less than 70%, the Klein and Alder method did not compare favorably. Some analytes caused problems during evaluation, mostly due to matrix influences.

All About Oxygen in the Ocean: Cheap, Quick and Easy Experiments for Pupils Grades 5 to 10

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soria-Dengg, S.

2015-12-01

The collaborative research project (SFB 754) at GEOMAR Helmholtz-Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany addresses among others the decreasing concentrations of oxygen in the oceans. The school outreach component of the SFB 754 a project funded by the German Science Foundation aims to spread the science behind ocean de-oxygenation in secondary schools in Germany. To realise this goal, a series of hands-on experiments have been developed on different topics like gas solubility in water, gas transport in the ocean, oxygen production by phytoplankton, oxygen consumption by bacteria and experiments on nutrient uptake by phytoplankton. The experiments developed are simple, using low cost and reusable materials thus ensuring affordability in schools. For the hands-on session the following experiments will be presented: (1) The effects of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, nature of solute and nature of solvent on the solubility of oxygen in water will be demonstrated using Luer-Lock syringes, (2) Oxygen transport from the ocean surface to the deep will be shown in an experiment using a modification of the "blue-bottle" experiment, and (3) Simulation of ocean circulation employing a 2-dimensional tank. Applications and experiment ideas using immobilised phytoplankton and other procedures suitable for schools for measuring oxygen consumption by bacteria will be introduced in a poster presentation.

A novel approach for reliable detection of cathepsin S activities in mouse antigen presenting cells.

PubMed

Steimle, Alex; Kalbacher, Hubert; Maurer, Andreas; Beifuss, Brigitte; Bender, Annika; Schäfer, Andrea; Müller, Ricarda; Autenrieth, Ingo B; Frick, Julia-Stefanie

2016-05-01

Cathepsin S (CTSS) is a eukaryotic protease mostly expressed in professional antigen presenting cells (APCs). Since CTSS activity regulation plays a role in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, Sjögren's syndrome and psoriasis as well as in cancer progression, there is an ongoing interest in the reliable detection of cathepsin S activity. Various applications have been invented for specific detection of this enzyme. However, most of them have only been shown to be suitable for human samples, do not deliver quantitative results or the experimental procedure requires technical equipment that is not commonly available in a standard laboratory. We have tested a fluorogen substrate, Mca-GRWPPMGLPWE-Lys(Dnp)-DArg-NH2, that has been described to specifically detect CTSS activities in human APCs for its potential use for mouse samples. We have modified the protocol and thereby offer a cheap, easy, reproducible and quick activity assay to detect CTSS activities in mouse APCs. Since most of basic research on CTSS is performed in mice, this method closes a gap and offers a possibility for reliable and quantitative CTSS activity detection that can be performed in almost every laboratory. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Risk assessment and monitoring of dinotefuran and its metabolites for Chinese consumption of apples.

PubMed

Yu, Weiwei; Huang, Min; Chen, Jiaojiao; Wu, Sizhuo; Zheng, Kunming; Zeng, Song; Zhang, Kankan; Hu, Deyu

2017-09-26

Residues of dinotefuran and its metabolites, 1-methyl-3-(tetrahydro-3-furylmethyl)urea (UF) and 1-methyl-3-(tetrahydro-3-furylmethyl)guanidine (DN), in apple were investigated using a "QuEChERS" (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) pretreatment and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) of dinotefuran, UF, and DN in apples were 0.011-0.960 and 0.037-3.200 μg/kg, respectively. The average recoveries of dinotefuran, UF, and DN in apple ranged from 70.0 to 83.6% with relative standard deviations less than 13%. A formulation of 20% water-dispersible dinotefuran granules was sprayed at 1-1.5-fold the recommended dose 3-4 times on apple trees. Total terminal residues of dinotefuran in apple were less than 2 mg/kg, which is the maximum residue limit (MRL) set by Japan. When following the recommended application guidelines, dinotefuran is unlikely to present significant health concerns to the Chinese population because the risk quotient (RQ) is less than 100%. This work could provide guidance for the safe use of dinotefuran and serve as a reference for the establishment of a maximum residue limit of dinotefuran in apple in China.

Dissipation kinetics of organophosphorus pesticides in milled toasted maize and wheat flour (gofio) during storage.

PubMed

González-Curbelo, Miguel Ángel; Socas-Rodríguez, Bárbara; Herrero, Miguel; Herrera-Herrera, Antonio V; Hernández-Borges, Javier

2017-08-15

The dissipation/degradation of the pesticides dimethoate, terbufos, disulfoton, and pirimiphos-methyl were evaluated in milled toasted maize and wheat flour (gofio) during three months of storage. Their dissipation kinetics and residual levels were determined, as well as their possible decomposition into some of their main transformation products (disulfoton sulfoxide, terbufos sulfone and disulfoton sulfone). For this purpose, pesticide-free milled toasted maize and wheat samples were spiked with the pesticides, and they were then stored in the darkness at ambient temperature in a closed container to simulate current storage conditions of such packed food. A multiresidue analysis based on the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method was performed for the simultaneous determination of these pesticides and their metabolites. After three months of storage, the dissipation of residues ranged between 34% (pirimiphos-methyl) and 86% (disulfoton) for maize gofio and between 69% (terbufos) and 92% (disulfoton and pirimiphos-methyl) for wheat gofio. The results demonstrated that the degradation was slower in gofio than in wheat gofio and that none of the selected metabolites were detected in any of the samples. Dissipation curves of all studied pesticides fitted to a first-order decay curve in both types of cereals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of pesticide residues in strawberries and soils by GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS and two-dimensional GC-time-of-flight MS comparing organic and integrated pest management farming.

PubMed

Fernandes, Virgínia C; Lehotay, Steven J; Geis-Asteggiante, Lucía; Kwon, Hyeyoung; Mol, Hans G J; van der Kamp, Henk; Mateus, Nuno; Domingues, Valentina F; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

2014-01-01

This study analysed 22 strawberry and soil samples after their collection over the course of 2 years to compare the residue profiles from organic farming with integrated pest management practices in Portugal. For sample preparation, we used the citrate-buffered version of the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. We applied three different methods for analysis: (1) 27 pesticides were targeted using LC-MS/MS; (2) 143 were targeted using low pressure GC-tandem mass spectrometry (LP-GC-MS/MS); and (3) more than 600 pesticides were screened in a targeted and untargeted approach using comprehensive, two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS). Comparison was made of the analyses using the different methods for the shared samples. The results were similar, thereby providing satisfactory confirmation of both similarly positive and negative findings. No pesticides were found in the organic-farmed samples. In samples from integrated pest management practices, nine pesticides were determined and confirmed to be present, ranging from 2 µg kg(-1) for fluazifop-p-butyl to 50 µg kg(-1) for fenpropathrin. Concentrations of residues in strawberries were less than European maximum residue limits.

Science and Bioethics of CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing: An Analysis Towards Separating Facts and Fiction.

PubMed

Cribbs, Adam P; Perera, Sumeth M W

2017-12-01

Since its emergence in 2012, the genome editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 and its scientific use have rapidly expanded globally within a very short period of time. The technique consists of using an RNA guide molecule to bind to complementary DNA sequences, which simultaneously recruits the endonuclease Cas9 to introduce double-stranded breaks in the target DNA. The resulting double-stranded break is then repaired, allowing modification or removal of specific DNA bases. The technique has gained momentum in the laboratory because it is cheap, quick, and easy to use. Moreover, it is also being applied in vivo to generate more complex animal model systems. Such use of genome editing has proven to be highly effective and warrants a potential therapy for both genetic and non-genetic diseases. Although genome editing has the potential to be a transformative therapy for patients it is still in its infancy. Consequently, the legal and ethical frameworks are yet to be fully discussed and will be an increasingly important topic as the technology moves towards more contentious issues such as modification of the germline. Here, we review a number of scientific and ethical issues which may potentially influence the development of both the technology and its use in the clinical setting.

Simultaneous determination of residues in pollen and high-fructose corn syrup from eight neonicotinoid insecticides by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chen, Mei; Collins, Erin M; Tao, Lin; Lu, Chensheng

2013-11-01

The neonicotinoids have recently been identified as a potential contributing factor to the sudden decline in adult honeybee population, commonly known as colony collapse disorder (CCD). To protect the health of honeybees and other pollinators, a new, simple, and sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of eight neonicotinoids, including acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, flonicamid, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam, in pollen and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In this method, eight neonicotinoids, along with their isotope-labeled internal standards, were extracted from 2 g of pollen or 5 g of HFCS using an optimized quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction procedure. The method limits of detection in pollen and HFCS matrices were 0.03 ng/g for acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam and ranged between 0.03 and 0.1 ng/g for nitenpyram and flonicamid. The precision and accuracy were well within the acceptable 20% range. Selectivity, linearity, lower limit of quantitation, matrix effect, recovery, and stability in autosampler were also evaluated during validation. This validated method has been used successfully in analyzing a set of pollen and HFCS samples collected for evaluating potential honeybee exposure to neonicotinoids.

Residue level and dissipation of carbendazim in/on pomegranate fruits and soil.

PubMed

Mohapatra, Soudamini; S, Lekha

2016-07-01

Carbendazim is widely used on pomegranate for control of a large number of fungal diseases. Its residue levels in/on pomegranate fruits and soil were evaluated under field conditions. The quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method in conjunction with liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry was used for analysis of carbendazim. Recovery of carbendazim was within 78.92-96.28 % and relative standard deviation within 3.8-10.9 % (n = 6). Carbendazim residues on pomegranate fruits dissipated at the half lives of 17.3 and 22.8 days from treatments at 500 and 1000 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha(-1), respectively. Its residues in pomegranate aril were highest on the tenth day and reduced thereafter. The residue level of carbendazim on pomegranate whole fruits from standard dose treatment was less than the EU maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.1 mg kg(-1) at harvest. The carbendazim residues were

Residue analysis and risk assessment of tebuconazole in jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill).

PubMed

You, Xiangwei; Li, Yiqiang; Wang, Xiuguo; Xu, Jinli; Zheng, Xiao; Sui, Chengcheng

2017-07-01

In this study, a sensitive and reliable analytical method, based on a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe procedure, was established for determination of tebuconazole in jujube. After extraction with acetonitrile, the samples were cleaned up by dispersive solid-phase extraction with primary secondary amine, and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. At fortification levels of 0.01, 0.1 and 2.0 mg kg -1 , the average recoveries of tebuconazole in jujube were in the range 97.6-101.9%, with relative standard deviations of 1.5-3.5%. The dissipation and residual levels of tebuconazole in jujube under field conditions were investigated. Tebuconazole dissipated relatively slowly in jujube, with a half-life of 33.0 days. The terminal residue experiments of tebuconazole in jujube were conducted in four locations in China and the risk was evaluated using risk quotients (RQ). RQ values were found to be significantly lower than RQ = 1, indicating that the risk to human health of using the recommended doses of tebuconazole in jujube was not significant. This study could provide guidance for the safe and reasonable use of tebuconazole in jujube and serve as a reference for the establishment of limit of maximum residue in China. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of cyflumetofen residue in water, soil, and fruits by modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method coupled to gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Minmin; Liu, Xingang; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Qin, Dongmei; Zheng, Yongquan

2012-10-01

A new, highly sensitive, and selective method was developed for the determination of the cyflumetofen residue in water, soil, and fruits by using gas chromatography quadruple mass spectrometry. The target compound was extracted using acetonitrile and then cleaned up using dispersive solid-phase extraction with primary and secondary amine and graphitized carbon black, and optionally by a freezing-out cleanup step. The matrix-matched standards gave satisfactory recoveries and relative standard deviation values in different matrices at three fortified levels (0.05, 0.5, and 1.0 mg kg(-1) ). The overall average recoveries for this method in water, soil, and all fruits matrix at three fortified levels ranged from 76.3 to 101.5% with relative standard deviations in the range of 1.2-11.8% (n = 5). The calculated limits of detection and quantification were typically below 0.005 and 0.015 μg kg(-1), which were much lower than the maximum residue levels established by Japanese Positive List. This study provides a theoretical basis for China to draw up maximum residue level and analytical method for cyflumetofen acaricide in different fruits. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Determination of diflubenzuron and chlorbenzuron in fruits by combining acetonitrile-based extraction with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Ruan, Chunqiang; Zhao, Xiang; Liu, Chenglan

2015-09-01

In this study, a simple and low-organic-solvent-consuming method combining an acetonitrile-partitioning extraction procedure followed by "quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe" cleanup with ionic-liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection was developed for the determination of diflubenzuron and chlorbenzuron in grapes and pears. Ionic-liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction was performed using the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate as the extractive solvent and acetonitrile extract as the dispersive solvent. The main factors influencing the efficiency of the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction were evaluated, including the extractive solvent type and volume and the dispersive solvent volume. The validation parameters indicated the suitability of the method for routine analyses of benzoylurea insecticides in a large number of samples. The relative recoveries at three spiked levels ranged between 98.6 and 109.3% with relative standard deviations of less than 5.2%. The limit of detection was 0.005 mg/kg for the two insecticides. The proposed method was successfully used for the rapid determination of diflubenzuron and chlorbenzuron residues in real fruit samples. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development of a QuEChERS-Based Stable-Isotope Dilution LC-MS/MS Method To Quantitate Ferulic Acid and Its Main Microbial and Hepatic Metabolites in Milk.

PubMed

Waterstraat, Martin; Hildebrand, Andreas; Rosler, Margit; Bunzel, Mirko

2016-11-16

Forage plants of the Poaceae family are grown as pasturage or used for the production of hay, straw, corn stover, etc. Although ferulic acid contents of grasses are generally high, the amount of ingested ferulic acid differs depending on the type of forage, resulting in varying contents of ferulic acid and its microbial and hepatic metabolites in milk. Concentrations and patterns of these metabolites may be used as markers to track different forages in livestock feeding. Therefore, we developed a stable isotope dilution assay to quantitate ferulic acid, 12 ferulic acid-based metabolites, p-coumaric acid, and cinnamic acid in milk. Because most analytes were not commercially available as stable isotope labeled standard compounds, they were synthesized as 13 C- or deuterium-labeled standard compounds. A modification of the QuEChERS method, a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe approach usually applied to analyze pesticides in plant-based products, was used to extract the phenolic acids from milk. Determination was carried out by LC-ESI-MS/MS in scheduled multiple reaction monitoring modus. By using three different milk samples, the applicability of the validated approach was demonstrated.

Pesticide residues in Portuguese strawberries grown in 2009-2010 using integrated pest management and organic farming.

PubMed

Fernandes, Virgínia C; Domingues, Valentina F; Mateus, Nuno; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

2012-11-01

Pesticides are among the most widely used chemicals in the world. Because of the widespread use of agricultural chemicals in food production, people are exposed to low levels of pesticide residues through their diets. Scientists do not yet have a total understanding of the health effects of these pesticide residues. This work aims to determine differences in terms of pesticide residue content in Portuguese strawberries grown using different agriculture practices. The Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe sample preparation method was conducted and shown to have good performance for multiclass pesticides extraction in strawberries. The screening of 25 pesticides residue was performed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In quantitative validation, acceptable performances were achieved with recoveries of 70-120 and <12 % residual standard deviation for 25 pesticides. Good linearity was obtained for all the target compounds, with highly satisfactory repeatability. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.1-28 μg/kg. The method was applied to analyze strawberry samples from organic and integrated pest management (IPM) practices harvested in 2009-2010. The results showed the presence of fludioxonil, bifenthrin, mepanipyrim, tolylfluanid, cyprodinil, tetraconazole, and malathion when using IPM below the maximum residue levels.

Science and Bioethics of CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing: An Analysis Towards Separating Facts and Fiction


PubMed Central

Cribbs, Adam P.; Perera, Sumeth M. W.

2017-01-01

Since its emergence in 2012, the genome editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 and its scientific use have rapidly expanded globally within a very short period of time. The technique consists of using an RNA guide molecule to bind to complementary DNA sequences, which simultaneously recruits the endonuclease Cas9 to introduce double-stranded breaks in the target DNA. The resulting double-stranded break is then repaired, allowing modification or removal of specific DNA bases. The technique has gained momentum in the laboratory because it is cheap, quick, and easy to use. Moreover, it is also being applied in vivo to generate more complex animal model systems. Such use of genome editing has proven to be highly effective and warrants a potential therapy for both genetic and non-genetic diseases. Although genome editing has the potential to be a transformative therapy for patients it is still in its infancy. Consequently, the legal and ethical frameworks are yet to be fully discussed and will be an increasingly important topic as the technology moves towards more contentious issues such as modification of the germline. Here, we review a number of scientific and ethical issues which may potentially influence the development of both the technology and its use in the clinical setting. PMID:29259526

Simple and sensitive monitoring of β2-agonist residues in meat by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using a QuEChERS with preconcentration as the sample treatment.

PubMed

Xiong, Lin; Gao, Ya-Qin; Li, Wei-Hong; Yang, Xiao-Lin; Shimo, Shimo Peter

2015-07-01

A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS) method was established for the simultaneous determination of the levels of 10 β2-agonists in meat. The samples were extracted using an aqueous acidic solution and cleaned up using a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) technique utilising a DVB-NVP-SO3Na sorbent synthesised in-house. First, the β2-agonist residues were extracted in an aqueous acidic solution, followed by matrix solid-phase dispersion for clean-up. The linearities of the method were R(2)=0.9925-0.9998, with RSDs of 2.7-15.3% and 73.7-103.5% recoveries. Very low limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) of 0.2-0.9 μg/kg and 0.8-3.2 μg/kg, respectively, were achieved for spiked meat. The values obtained were lower than the maximum residue limits (MRLs) established by the EU and China. These results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. The evaluated method provided reliable screening, quantification and identification of 10 β2-agonists in meat. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a Fast and Simple Sample Preparation Method for Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Flame Retardants and Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Pesticides in Fish for Analysis by ELISA Compared with GC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Sapozhnikova, Yelena; Simons, Tawana; Lehotay, Steven J

2015-05-13

A simple, fast, and cost-effective sample preparation method, previously developed and validated for the analysis of organic contaminants in fish using low-pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LPGC-MS/MS), was evaluated for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) pesticides using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The sample preparation technique was based on the quick, easy, cheap, rugged, effective, and safe (QuEChERS) approach with filter-vial dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE). Incurred PBDEs and DDTs were analyzed in three types of fish with 3-10% lipid content: Pacific croaker, salmon, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material 1947 (Lake Michigan fish tissue). LPGC-MS/MS and ELISA results were in agreement: 108-111 and 65-82% accuracy ELISA versus LPGC-MS/MS results for PBDEs and DDTs, respectively. Similar detection limits were achieved for ELISA and LPGC-MS/MS. Matrix effects (MEs) were significant (e.g., -60%) for PBDE measurement in ELISA, but not a factor in the case of DDT pesticides. This study demonstrated that the sample preparation method can be adopted for semiquantitative screening analysis of fish samples by commercial kits for PBDEs and DDTs.

Resistive Plate Chambers with Gd-coated electrodes as thermal neutron detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbrescia, M.; Iaselli, G.; Mongelli, T.; Paticchio, V.; Ranieri, A.; Trentadue, R.

2003-12-01

Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) are wide spread, cheap, easy-to-build and large size detectors, used mainly to reveal ionizing particles in high energy experiments. Here a tecnique, consisting in coating the inner surface of the bakelite electrodes with a mixture of linseed oil and Gd2O3 will be reported; this allows to make RPCs sensitive also to thermal neutrons, making them suitable to be employed for industrial, medical or de-ming applications. This new type, position sensitive gas detector can be operated at atmospheric pressure, is lightweighted, has low γ-ray sensitivity, and is easy to handle even when large areas are to be covered.

Observations on persistent organic pollutants in indoor and outdoor air using passive polyurethane foam samplers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohlin, Pernilla; Jones, Kevin C.; Tovalin, Horacio; Strandberg, Bo

Air quality data of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) indoors and outdoors are sparse or lacking in several parts of the world, often hampered by the cost and inconvenience of active sampling techniques. Cheap and easy passive air sampling techniques are therefore helpful for reconnaissance surveys. As a part of the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) project in Mexico City Metropolitan Area in 2006, a range of POPs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)) were analyzed in polyurethane foam (PUF) disks used as passive samplers in indoor and outdoor air. Results were compared to those from samplers deployed simultaneously in Gothenburg (Sweden) and Lancaster (United Kingdom). Using sampling rates suggested in the literature, the sums of 13 PAHs in the different sites were estimated to be 6.1-180 ng m -3, with phenanthrene as the predominant compound. Indoor PAH levels tended to be higher in Gothenburg and outdoor levels higher in Mexico City. The sum of PCBs ranged 59-2100 ng m -3, and seemed to be highest indoors in Gothenburg and Lancaster. PBDE levels (sum of seven) ranged 0.68-620 ng m -3, with the highest levels found in some indoor locations. OCPs (i.e. DDTs, HCHs, and chlordanes) were widely dispersed both outdoors and indoors at all three studied areas. In Gothenburg all POPs tended to be higher indoors than outdoors, while indoor and outdoor levels in Mexico City were similar. This could be due to the influence of indoor and outdoor sources, air exchange rates, and lifestyle factors. The study demonstrates how passive samplers can provide quick and cheap reconnaissance data simultaneously at many locations which can shed light on sources and other factors influencing POP levels in air, especially for the gaseous fractions.

QuickFF: A program for a quick and easy derivation of force fields for metal-organic frameworks from ab initio input.

PubMed

Vanduyfhuys, Louis; Vandenbrande, Steven; Verstraelen, Toon; Schmid, Rochus; Waroquier, Michel; Van Speybroeck, Veronique

2015-05-15

QuickFF is a software package to derive accurate force fields for isolated and complex molecular systems in a quick and easy manner. Apart from its general applicability, the program has been designed to generate force fields for metal-organic frameworks in an automated fashion. The force field parameters for the covalent interaction are derived from ab initio data. The mathematical expression of the covalent energy is kept simple to ensure robustness and to avoid fitting deficiencies as much as possible. The user needs to produce an equilibrium structure and a Hessian matrix for one or more building units. Afterward, a force field is generated for the system using a three-step method implemented in QuickFF. The first two steps of the methodology are designed to minimize correlations among the force field parameters. In the last step, the parameters are refined by imposing the force field parameters to reproduce the ab initio Hessian matrix in Cartesian coordinate space as accurate as possible. The method is applied on a set of 1000 organic molecules to show the easiness of the software protocol. To illustrate its application to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), QuickFF is used to determine force fields for MIL-53(Al) and MOF-5. For both materials, accurate force fields were already generated in literature but they requested a lot of manual interventions. QuickFF is a tool that can easily be used by anyone with a basic knowledge of performing ab initio calculations. As a result, accurate force fields are generated with minimal effort. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Industry Studies 2004: Biotechnology

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

for biological agent research, development, and production are available on the open market. Since biological weapons are relatively cheap, easy to...growing concern is that non-state actors will acquire and use a biological weapon , the “poor man’s nuclear weapon .” Such action is extremely difficult...to detect and counter. International Protocols and the Need to Control Agents and Technologies - The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

Enhancing Library Business Performance by Implementation of Enterprise 2.0 via Intrapreneurship: The Case of a Serbian Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sofronijevic, Adam; Milicevic, Vesna; Ilic, Bojan; Seaman, Scott

2011-01-01

As academic libraries around the world face the dual challenges of rising demand but limits on funding, managers look for ways to improve library performance that do not add significantly to the budget. This paper presents a novel relationship between intrapreneurship and Enterprise 2.0 that suggests there are relatively cheap and easy ways to…

Fast and Cost-Effective Biochemical Spectrophotometric Analysis of Solution of Insect "Blood" and Body Surface Elution.

PubMed

Łoś, Aleksandra; Strachecka, Aneta

2018-05-09

Using insect hemolymph ("blood") and insect body surface elutions, researchers can perform rapid and cheap biochemical analyses to determine the insect's immunology status. The authors of this publication describe a detailed methodology for a quick marking of the concentration of total proteins and evaluation of the proteolytic system activity (acid, neutral, and alkaline proteases and protease inhibitors), as well as a methodology for quick "liver" tests in insects: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and urea and glucose concentration analyses. The meaning and examples of an interpretation of the results of the presented methodology for biochemical parameter determination are described for the example of honey bees.

Electrochemical estrogen screen method based on the electrochemical behavior of MCF-7 cells.

PubMed

Li, Jinlian; Song, Jia; Bi, Sheng; Zhou, Shi; Cui, Jiwen; Liu, Jiguang; Wu, Dongmei

2016-08-05

It was an urgent task to develop quick, cheap and accurate estrogen screen method for evaluating the estrogen effect of the booming chemicals. In this study, the voltammetric behavior between the estrogen-free and normal fragmented MCF-7 cell suspensions were compared, and the electrochemical signal (about 0.68V attributed by xanthine and guanine) of the estrogen-free fragmented MCF-7 cell suspension was obviously lower than that of the normal one. The electrochemistry detection of ex-secretion purines showed that the ability of ex-secretion purines of cells sharp decreased due to the removing of endogenous estrogen. The results indicated that the electrochemical signal of MCF-7 cells was related to the level of intracellular estrogen. When the level of intracellular estrogen was down-regulated, the concentrations of the xanthine and hypoxanthine decreased, which led to the electrochemical signal of MCF-7 cells fall. Based on the electrochemical signal, the electrochemical estrogen screen method was established. The estrogen effect of estradiol, nonylphenol and bisphenol A was evaluated with the electrochemical method, and the result was accordant with that of MTT assay. The electrochemical estrogen screen method was simple, quickly, cheap, objective, and it exploits a new way for the evaluation of estrogenic effects of chemicals. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Remote transmission of live endoscopy over the Internet: Report from the 87th Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

PubMed

Shimizu, Shuji; Ohtsuka, Takao; Takahata, Shunichi; Nagai, Eishi; Nakashima, Naoki; Tanaka, Masao

2016-01-01

Live demonstration of endoscopy is one of the most attractive and useful methods for education and is often organized locally in hospitals. However, problems have been apparent in terms of cost, preparation, and potential risks to patients. Our aim was to evaluate a new approach to live endoscopy whereby remote hospitals are connected by the Internet for live endoscopic demonstrations. Live endoscopy was transmitted to the Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopic Society by 13 domestic and international hospitals. Patients with upper and lower gastrointestinal diseases and with pancreatobiliary disorders were the subjects of a live demonstration. Questionnaires were distributed to the audience and were sent to the demonstrators. Questions concerned the quality of transmitted images and sound, cost, preparations, programs, preference of style, and adverse events. Of the audience, 91.2% (249/273) answered favorably regarding the transmitted image quality and 93.8% (259/276) regarding the sound quality. All demonstrators answered favorably regarding image quality and 93% (13/14) regarding sound quality. Preparations were completed without any outsourcing at 11 sites (79%) and were evaluated as 'very easy' or 'easy' at all but one site (92.3%). Preparation cost was judged as 'very cheap' or 'cheap' at 12 sites (86%). Live endoscopy connecting multiple international centers was satisfactory in image and sound quality for both audience and demonstrators, with easy and inexpensive preparation. The remote transmission of live endoscopy from demonstrators' own hospitals was preferred to the conventional style of locally organized live endoscopy. © 2015 The Authors Digestive Endoscopy © 2015 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Simple Flame Test Techniques Using Cotton Swabs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanger, Michael J.; Phelps, Amy J.; Banks, Catherine

2004-01-01

Three alternative methods for performing flame tests using cheaply and easily available cotton swabs are described. These flame tests are useful for chemical demonstrations or laboratory experiments because they are quick and easy to perform with easy cleanup and disposal methods.

A magnetostrictive acceleration sensor for registration of chest wall displacements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaniusas, E.; Mehnen, L.; Krell, C.; Pfützner, H.

2000-06-01

The present study concerns a novel acceleration sensor built up using a bimetallic strip with one freely oscillating end. The strip consists of a magnetostrictive amorphous ribbon glued on a nonmagnetic metal ribbon. The sensor's effectiveness is demonstrated for the case of chest wall displacements as resulting from cardiorespiratory activity. The cheap and easy-to-handle novel sensor offers multiple information on the so-called sleep apnea syndrome.

Quick-release medical tape

PubMed Central

Laulicht, Bryan; Langer, Robert; Karp, Jeffrey M.

2012-01-01

Medical tape that provides secure fixation of life-sustaining and -monitoring devices with quick, easy, damage-free removal represents a longstanding unmet medical need in neonatal care. During removal of current medical tapes, crack propagation occurs at the adhesive–skin interface, which is also the interface responsible for device fixation. By designing quick-release medical tape to undergo crack propagation between the backing and adhesive layers, we decouple removal and device fixation, enabling dual functionality. We created an ordered adhesive/antiadhesive composite intermediary layer between the medical tape backing and adhesive for which we achieve tunable peel removal force, while maintaining high shear adhesion to secure medical devices. We elucidate the relationship between the spatial ordering of adhesive and antiadhesive regions to create a fully tunable system that achieves strong device fixation and quick, easy, damage-free device removal. We also described ways of neutralizing the residual adhesive on the skin and have observed that thick continuous films of adhesive are easier to remove than the thin islands associated with residual adhesive left by current medical tapes. PMID:23112196

Airborne and Ground-Based Platforms for Data Collection in Small Vineyards: Examples from the UK and Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, David R.; Gómez, Cristina; Fahrentrapp, Johannes

2015-04-01

This paper presents an overview of some of the low-cost ground and airborne platforms and technologies now becoming available for data collection in small area vineyards. Low-cost UAV or UAS platforms and cameras are now widely available as the means to collect both vertical and oblique aerial still photography and airborne videography in vineyards. Examples of small aerial platforms include the AR Parrot Drone, the DJI Phantom (1 and 2), and 3D Robotics IRIS+. Both fixed-wing and rotary wings platforms offer numerous advantages for aerial image acquisition including the freedom to obtain high resolution imagery at any time required. Imagery captured can be stored on mobile devices such as an Apple iPad and shared, written directly to a memory stick or card, or saved to the Cloud. The imagery can either be visually interpreted or subjected to semi-automated analysis using digital image processing (DIP) software to extract information about vine status or the vineyard environment. At the ground-level, a radio-controlled 'rugged' model 4x4 vehicle can also be used as a mobile platform to carry a number of sensors (e.g. a Go-Pro camera) around a vineyard, thereby facilitating quick and easy field data collection from both within the vine canopy and rows. For the small vineyard owner/manager with limited financial resources, this technology has a number of distinct advantages to aid in vineyard management practices: it is relatively cheap to purchase; requires a short learning-curve to use and to master; can make use of autonomous ground control units for repetitive coverage enabling reliable monitoring; and information can easily be analysed and integrated within a GIS with minimal expertise. In addition, these platforms make widespread use of familiar and everyday, off-the-shelf technologies such as WiFi, Go-Pro cameras, Cloud computing, and smartphones or tablets as the control interface, all with a large and well established end-user support base. Whilst there are still some limitations which constrain their use, including battery power and flight time, data connectivity, and payload capacity, such platforms nevertheless offer quick, low-cost, easy, and repeatable ways to capture valuable contextual data for small vineyards, complementing other sources of data used in Precision Viticulture (PV) and vineyard management. As these technologies continue to evolve very quickly, and more lightweight sensors become available for the smaller ground and airborne platforms, this will offer even more possibilities for a wider range of information to be acquired to aid in the monitoring, mapping, and management of small vineyards. The paper is illustrated with some examples from the UK and Switzerland.

Remote multi-function fire alarm system based on internet of things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lihui; Zhao, Shuai; Huang, Jianqing; Ji, Jianyu

2018-05-01

This project uses MCU STC15W408AS (stable, energy saving, high speed), temperature sensor DS18B20 (cheap, high efficiency, stable), MQ2 resistance type semiconductor smog sensor (high stability, fast response and economy) and NRF24L01 wireless transmitting and receiving module (energy saving, small volume, reliable) as the main body to achieve concentration temperature data presentation, intelligent voice alarming and short distance wireless transmission. The whole system is safe, reliable, cheap, quick reaction and good performance. This project uses the MCU STM32F103RCT6 as the main control chip, and use WIFI module ESP8266, wireless module NRF24L01 to make the gateway. Users can remotely check and control the related devices in real-time on smartphones or computers. We can also realize the functions of intelligent fire monitoring, remote fire extinguishing, cloud data storage through the third party server Big IOT.

Multi-residue method for the determination of antibiotics and some of their metabolites in seafood.

PubMed

Serra-Compte, Albert; Álvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Rodríguez-Mozaz, Sara; Barceló, Damià

2017-06-01

The presence of antibiotics in seafood for human consumption may pose a risk for consumers. A methodology for the analysis of antibiotics in seafood based on QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extraction, followed by detection and quantification using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was developed. The analytical method was evaluated for the determination of 23 antibiotics (including parent compounds and some metabolites) in fish, mussels and clams. Recoveries ranged between 30% and 70% for most of the compounds and method detection and quantification limits (MDLs and MQLs) were between 0.01 and 0.31 ng/g dry weigh (dw) and 0.02-1.03 ng/g (dw) respectively. Real seafood samples were analysed using this method. Nine antibiotics were found at levels above MDLs; however none of them exceed the maximum residue limits (MRL) established by the authorities. Tetracycline was the most ubiquitous compound, presenting also the highest concentration: 5.63 ng/g (dw) in fish from Netherlands. In addition, an alternative technique based on microbial growth inhibition was explored as semiquantitative detection method of antibiotics in seafood. This methodology could be applied as a fast screening technique for the detection of macrolides and β-lactams in seafood but further research is needed for other antibiotics families. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolic and Dynamic Profiling for Risk Assessment of Fluopyram, a Typical Phenylamide Fungicide Widely Applied in Vegetable Ecosystem

PubMed Central

Wei, Peng; Liu, Yanan; Li, Wenzhuo; Qian, Yuan; Nie, Yanxia; Kim, Dongyeop; Wang, Mengcen

2016-01-01

Fluopyram, a typical phenylamide fungicide, was widely applied to protect fruit vegetables from fungal pathogens-responsible yield loss. Highly linked to the ecological and dietary risks, its residual and metabolic profiles in the fruit vegetable ecosystem still remained obscure. Here, an approach using modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) extraction combined with GC-MS/MS analysis was developed to investigate fluopyram fate in the typical fruit vegetables including tomato, cucumber, pepper under the greenhouse environment. Fluopyram dissipated in accordance with the first-order rate dynamics equation with the maximum half-life of 5.7 d. Cleveage of fluopyram into 2-trifluoromethyl benzamide and subsequent formation of 3-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl) pyridine-2-acetic acid and 3-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl) picolinic acid was elucidated to be its ubiquitous metabolic pathway. Moreover, the incurrence of fluopyram at the pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 7–21 d was between 0.0108 and 0.1603 mg/kg, and the Hazard Quotients (HQs) were calculated to be less than 1, indicating temporary safety on consumption of the fruit vegetables incurred with fluopyram, irrespective of the uncertain toxicity of the metabolites. Taken together, our findings reveal the residual essential of fluopyram in the typical agricultural ecosystem, and would advance the further insight into ecological risk posed by this fungicide associated with its metabolites. PMID:27654708

Development and Validation of a Multiresidue Method for the Determination of Pesticides in Dry Samples (Rice and Wheat Flour) Using Liquid Chromatography/Triple Quadrupole Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Grande-Martínez, Ángel; Arrebola, Francisco Javier; Moreno, Laura Díaz; Vidal, José Luis Martínez; Frenich, Antonia Garrido

2015-01-01

A rapid and sensitive multiresidue method was developed and validated for the determination of around 100 pesticides in dry samples (rice and wheat flour) by ultra-performance LC coupled to a triple quadrupole mass analyzer working in tandem mode (UPLC/QqQ-MS/MS). The sample preparation step was optimized for both matrixes. Pesticides were extracted from rice samples using aqueous ethyl acetate, while aqueous acetonitrile extraction [modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method] was used for wheat flour matrixes. In both cases the extracts were then cleaned up by dispersive solid phase extraction with MgSO4 and primary secondary amine+C18 sorbents. A further cleanup step with Florisil was necessary to remove fat in wheat flour. The method was validated at two concentration levels (3.6 and 40 μg/kg for most compounds), obtaining recoveries ranging from 70 to 120%, intraday and interday precision values≤20% expressed as RSDs, and expanded uncertainty values≤50%. The LOQ values ranged between 3.6 and 20 μg/kg, although it was set at 3.6 μg/kg for the majority of the pesticides. The method was applied to the analysis of 20 real samples, and no pesticides were detected.

Real-Time 3d Reconstruction from Images Taken from AN Uav

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zingoni, A.; Diani, M.; Corsini, G.; Masini, A.

2015-08-01

We designed a method for creating 3D models of objects and areas from two aerial images acquired from an UAV. The models are generated automatically and in real-time, and consist in dense and true-colour reconstructions of the considered areas, which give the impression to the operator to be physically present within the scene. The proposed method only needs a cheap compact camera, mounted on a small UAV. No additional instrumentation is necessary, so that the costs are very limited. The method consists of two main parts: the design of the acquisition system and the 3D reconstruction algorithm. In the first part, the choices for the acquisition geometry and for the camera parameters are optimized, in order to yield the best performance. In the second part, a reconstruction algorithm extracts the 3D model from the two acquired images, maximizing the accuracy under the real-time constraint. A test was performed in monitoring a construction yard, obtaining very promising results. Highly realistic and easy-to-interpret 3D models of objects and areas of interest were produced in less than one second, with an accuracy of about 0.5m. For its characteristics, the designed method is suitable for video-surveillance, remote sensing and monitoring, especially in those applications that require intuitive and reliable information quickly, as disasters monitoring, search and rescue and area surveillance.

How to fabricate robust microfluidic systems for a dollar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapierre, Florian; Cameron, Neil R.; Oakeshott, John; Peat, Thomas; Zhu, Yonggang

2013-12-01

Since the past decade, the interest towards microfluidic devices has sensibly grown due to the wide variety of multidisciplinary applications. One branch of the microfluidic domain consists in the synthesis of various types of emulsions requested by cosmetic, food and biotechnological industries In particular, monodisperse water-in-oil microemulsion synthetised in microfluidic devices are quickly becoming the new generation of emulsions for precise bead control and high surface area. These microemulsions are generally aqueous bioreactors in the form of droplets from 500 nm to 10 μm in diameter, enclosed in an oil environment. An increasing demand for bigger emulsions has led us to investigate new techniques for fabricating fluidic devices allowing a better control over the final size of the droplets. An easy, cheap, reproducible and fast technology for generating emulsions in the range of 100s μm with high throughout (up to mL/h) is reported. Simply using pipette tips and tubing, an innovative microfluidic device was fabricated, able to synthetise water-in-oil emulsions within the range 50 - 500 _μm and double emulsions. These new emulsions are currently used for the synthesis of highly porous polymers beads from High Internal Phase Emulsion (HIPE). These beads will find high potential in 3D cell culture due to their high porosity (up to 90%) and pore size (from 5 to 30μm).

Metabolic and Dynamic Profiling for Risk Assessment of Fluopyram, a Typical Phenylamide Fungicide Widely Applied in Vegetable Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Peng; Liu, Yanan; Li, Wenzhuo; Qian, Yuan; Nie, Yanxia; Kim, Dongyeop; Wang, Mengcen

2016-09-01

Fluopyram, a typical phenylamide fungicide, was widely applied to protect fruit vegetables from fungal pathogens-responsible yield loss. Highly linked to the ecological and dietary risks, its residual and metabolic profiles in the fruit vegetable ecosystem still remained obscure. Here, an approach using modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) extraction combined with GC-MS/MS analysis was developed to investigate fluopyram fate in the typical fruit vegetables including tomato, cucumber, pepper under the greenhouse environment. Fluopyram dissipated in accordance with the first-order rate dynamics equation with the maximum half-life of 5.7 d. Cleveage of fluopyram into 2-trifluoromethyl benzamide and subsequent formation of 3-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl) pyridine-2-acetic acid and 3-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl) picolinic acid was elucidated to be its ubiquitous metabolic pathway. Moreover, the incurrence of fluopyram at the pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 7-21 d was between 0.0108 and 0.1603 mg/kg, and the Hazard Quotients (HQs) were calculated to be less than 1, indicating temporary safety on consumption of the fruit vegetables incurred with fluopyram, irrespective of the uncertain toxicity of the metabolites. Taken together, our findings reveal the residual essential of fluopyram in the typical agricultural ecosystem, and would advance the further insight into ecological risk posed by this fungicide associated with its metabolites.

Supercritical fluid chromatography with photodiode array detection for pesticide analysis in papaya and avocado samples.

PubMed

Pano-Farias, Norma S; Ceballos-Magaña, Silvia G; Gonzalez, Jorge; Jurado, José M; Muñiz-Valencia, Roberto

2015-04-01

To improve the analysis of pesticides in complex food matrices with economic importance, alternative chromatographic techniques, such as supercritical fluid chromatography, can be used. Supercritical fluid chromatography has barely been applied for pesticide analysis in food matrices. In this paper, an analytical method using supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array detection has been established for the first time for the quantification of pesticides in papaya and avocado. The extraction of methyl parathion, atrazine, ametryn, carbofuran, and carbaryl was performed through the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe methodology. The method was validated using papaya and avocado samples. For papaya, the correlation coefficient values were higher than 0.99; limits of detection and quantification ranged from 130-380 and 220-640 μg/kg, respectively; recovery values ranged from 72.8-94.6%; precision was lower than 3%. For avocado, limit of detection values were ˂450 μg/kg; precision was lower than 11%; recoveries ranged from 50.0-94.2%. Method feasibility was tested for lime, banana, mango, and melon samples. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method is applicable to methyl parathion, atrazine, ametryn, and carbaryl, toxics pesticides used worldwide. The methodology presented in this work could be applicable to other fruits. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A rapid, convenient, solventless green approach for the synthesis of oximes using grindstone chemistry.

PubMed

Saikia, Lakhinath; Baruah, Jejiron Maheswari; Thakur, Ashim Jyoti

2011-10-04

Synthesis of oximes is an important reaction in organic chemistry, because these versatile oximes are used for protection, purification, and characterization of carbonyl compounds. Nitriles, amides via Beckmann rearrangement, nitro compounds, nitrones, amines, and azaheterocycles can be synthesised from oximes. They also find applications for selective α-activation. In inorganic chemistry, oximes act as a versatile ligand.Several procedures for the preparation of oximes exist, but, most of them have not addressed the green chemistry issue. They are associated with generation of pollutants, requirement of high reaction temperature, low yields, lack of a generalized procedure, etc. Hence, there is a demand for developing an efficient, convenient, and non-polluting or less polluting alternative method for the preparation of oximes. In this context, bismuth compounds are very useful as they are cheap in general, commercially available, air stable crystalline solids, safe, and non-toxic, hence easy to handle. Carbonyl compounds (aliphatic, heterocyclic, and aromatic) were converted into the corresponding oximes in excellent yields by simply grinding the reactants at room temperature without using any solvent in the presence of Bi2O3. Most importantly, this method minimizes waste disposal problems, provides a simple yet efficient example of unconventional methodology and requires short time. We have developed a novel, quick, environmentally safe, and clean synthesis of aldoximes and ketoximes under solvent-free grinding condition.

Residual determination and risk assessment of buprofezin in plum (Prunus domestica) grown in open-field conditions following the application of three different formulations.

PubMed

Kabir, Md Humayun; Abd El-Aty, A M; Kim, Sung-Woo; Lee, Han Sol; Rahman, Md Musfiqur; Lee, Young-Jun; Chung, Hyung Suk; Lieu, Truong; Choi, Jeong-Heui; Shin, Ho-Chul; Im, Geon-Jae; Hong, Su Myeong; Shim, Jae-Han

2016-11-01

This study was conducted to characterize the residual level and perform a risk assessment on buprofezin formulated as an emulsifiable concentrate, wettable powder, and suspension concentrate over various treatment schedules in plum (Prunus domestica). The samples were extracted with an AOAC quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe, 'QuEChERS', method after major modifications. As intrinsic interferences were observed in blank plum samples following dispersive-solid phase extraction (consisting of primary secondary amine and C 18 sorbents), amino cartridges were used for solid-phase extraction. Analysis was carried out using liquid chromatography with diode array detection and confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method showed excellent linearity with determination coefficient (R 2  = 1) and satisfactory recoveries (at two spiking levels, 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg) between 90.98 and 94.74% with relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤8%. The limit of quantification (0.05 mg/kg) was considerably lower than the maximum residue limit (2 mg/kg) set by the Codex Alimentarius. Absolute residue levels for emulsifiable concentrates were highest, perhaps owing to the dilution rate and adjuvant. Notably, all formulation residues were lower than the maximum residue limit, and safety data proved that the fruits are safe for consumers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chemometric-assisted QuEChERS extraction method for post-harvest pesticide determination in fruits and vegetables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Minmin; Dai, Chao; Wang, Fengzhong; Kong, Zhiqiang; He, Yan; Huang, Ya Tao; Fan, Bei

2017-02-01

An effective analysis method was developed based on a chemometric tool for the simultaneous quantification of five different post-harvest pesticides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), carbendazim, thiabendazole, iprodione, and prochloraz) in fruits and vegetables. In the modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method, the factors and responses for optimization of the extraction and cleanup analyses were compared using the Plackett-Burman (P-B) screening design. Furthermore, the significant factors (toluene percentage, hydrochloric acid (HCl) percentage, and graphitized carbon black (GCB) amount) were optimized using a central composite design (CCD) combined with Derringer’s desirability function (DF). The limits of quantification (LOQs) were estimated to be 1.0 μg/kg for 2,4-D, carbendazim, thiabendazole, and prochloraz, and 1.5 μg/kg for iprodione in food matrices. The mean recoveries were in the range of 70.4-113.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 16.9% at three spiking levels. The measurement uncertainty of the analytical method was determined using the bottom-up approach, which yielded an average value of 7.6%. Carbendazim was most frequently found in real samples analyzed using the developed method. Consequently, the analytical method can serve as an advantageous and rapid tool for determination of five preservative pesticides in fruits and vegetables.

Chemometric-assisted QuEChERS extraction method for post-harvest pesticide determination in fruits and vegetables

PubMed Central

Li, Minmin; Dai, Chao; Wang, Fengzhong; Kong, Zhiqiang; He, Yan; Huang, Ya Tao; Fan, Bei

2017-01-01

An effective analysis method was developed based on a chemometric tool for the simultaneous quantification of five different post-harvest pesticides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), carbendazim, thiabendazole, iprodione, and prochloraz) in fruits and vegetables. In the modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method, the factors and responses for optimization of the extraction and cleanup analyses were compared using the Plackett–Burman (P–B) screening design. Furthermore, the significant factors (toluene percentage, hydrochloric acid (HCl) percentage, and graphitized carbon black (GCB) amount) were optimized using a central composite design (CCD) combined with Derringer’s desirability function (DF). The limits of quantification (LOQs) were estimated to be 1.0 μg/kg for 2,4-D, carbendazim, thiabendazole, and prochloraz, and 1.5 μg/kg for iprodione in food matrices. The mean recoveries were in the range of 70.4–113.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 16.9% at three spiking levels. The measurement uncertainty of the analytical method was determined using the bottom-up approach, which yielded an average value of 7.6%. Carbendazim was most frequently found in real samples analyzed using the developed method. Consequently, the analytical method can serve as an advantageous and rapid tool for determination of five preservative pesticides in fruits and vegetables. PMID:28225030

Chemometric-assisted QuEChERS extraction method for post-harvest pesticide determination in fruits and vegetables.

PubMed

Li, Minmin; Dai, Chao; Wang, Fengzhong; Kong, Zhiqiang; He, Yan; Huang, Ya Tao; Fan, Bei

2017-02-22

An effective analysis method was developed based on a chemometric tool for the simultaneous quantification of five different post-harvest pesticides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), carbendazim, thiabendazole, iprodione, and prochloraz) in fruits and vegetables. In the modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method, the factors and responses for optimization of the extraction and cleanup analyses were compared using the Plackett-Burman (P-B) screening design. Furthermore, the significant factors (toluene percentage, hydrochloric acid (HCl) percentage, and graphitized carbon black (GCB) amount) were optimized using a central composite design (CCD) combined with Derringer's desirability function (DF). The limits of quantification (LOQs) were estimated to be 1.0 μg/kg for 2,4-D, carbendazim, thiabendazole, and prochloraz, and 1.5 μg/kg for iprodione in food matrices. The mean recoveries were in the range of 70.4-113.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 16.9% at three spiking levels. The measurement uncertainty of the analytical method was determined using the bottom-up approach, which yielded an average value of 7.6%. Carbendazim was most frequently found in real samples analyzed using the developed method. Consequently, the analytical method can serve as an advantageous and rapid tool for determination of five preservative pesticides in fruits and vegetables.

[Determination of six plant growth regulator residues in strawberry by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Liu, Jingjing; Gong, Ping; Zhang, Xiaomei; Wang, Jianhua; Wang, Jingtang

2012-10-01

A novel method was established for the determination of six plant growth regulators (PGRs), 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic (2,4-D), 4-chlorophenoxy-acetic acid (CAP), 4-(3-indolyl)-butyric acid (BAA), forchlorfenuron (CPPU), abscisic acid (ABA) and trans-zeatin (ZT) in strawberry using liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q TOF MS). The Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe method (QuEChERS) has been validated for the extraction. In this QuEChERS method, the sample was extracted by acetonitrile and cleaned up with C18 adsorbent. The extract was measured directly by LC-Q TOF MS with electrospray ionization in negative mode. The compounds were separated on an Eclipse XDB-C8 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with acetonitrile-5 mmol/L ammonium acetate-0. 1% formic acid as mobile phase under gradient elution. The confirmatory analysis was carried out by determining the accurate masses of all compounds and fragment ions upon Target MS/MS. The limits of detection (LODs) were between 1 microg/kg and 5 microg/kg. The linear range was 0.005-1.0 mg/L for each analyte. The recoveries ranged from 87% to 107% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10% (n = 6). The method was proved to be simple and accurate.

Monitoring of pesticide residues in market basket samples of vegetable from Lucknow City, India: QuEChERS method.

PubMed

Srivastava, Ashutosh K; Trivedi, Purushottam; Srivastava, M K; Lohani, M; Srivastava, Laxman Prasad

2011-05-01

The study was conducted on 20 vegetables including leafy, root, modified stem, and fruity vegetables like bitter gourd, jack fruit, french-bean, onion, colocassia, pointed gourd, capsicum, spinach, potato, fenugreek seeds, carrot, radish, cucumber, beetroot, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, okra, and bottle gourd. Forty-eight pesticides including 13 organochlorines (OCs), 17 organophosphates (OPs), 10 synthetic pyrethriods (SPs), and eight herbicides (H) pesticides were analyzed. A total number of 60 samples, each in triplicates, were analyzed using Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe method. The quantification was done by GC-ECD/NPD. The recovery varies from 70.22% to 96.32% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 15%. However the limit of detection ranged from 0.001-0.009 mg kg(-1)for OCs, SPs, OPs, and H, respectively. Twenty-three pesticides were detected from total 48 analyzed pesticides in the samples with the range of 0.005-12.35 mg kg(-1). The detected pesticides were: Σ-HCH, Dicofol, Σ-Endosulfan, Fenpropathrin, Permethrin-II, β-cyfluthrin-II, Fenvalerate-I, Dichlorvos, Dimethoate, Diazinon, Malathion, Chlorofenvinfos, Anilophos, and Dimethachlor. In some vegetables like radish, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage, and okra, the detected pesticides (Σ-HCH, Permethrin-II, Dichlorvos, and Chlorofenvinfos) were above maximum residues limit (MRL) (PFA 1954). However, in other vegetables the level of pesticide residues was either below detection limit or MRL.

Multiclass screening method based on solvent extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of antimicrobials and mycotoxins in egg.

PubMed

Capriotti, Anna Laura; Cavaliere, Chiara; Piovesana, Susy; Samperi, Roberto; Laganà, Aldo

2012-12-14

A QuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe)-like extraction method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of veterinary drugs and mycotoxins in hen eggs by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray (ESI) source. Various classes of antimicrobials (tetracyclines, ionophores, coccidiostats, penicillins, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides) and mycotoxins (enniatins, beauvericin, ochratoxins, aflatoxins) were considered for the development of this method. Particular attention was devoted to extraction optimization: different solvents (acetone, acetonitrile and methanol), different pH values and different sample to extracting volume ratios were tested and evaluated in terms of recovery, relative standard deviation (RSD) and ESI signal suppression due to matrix effect. Chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions were optimized to obtain the best instrumental performances for most of the analytes. Quantitative analysis was performed by means of matrix-matched calibration, in a range that varied depending on the analyte and its established maximum limit, when there was one. Recoveries at 100 μg kg(-1) spiking level were >62% (3

Rapid and reliable determination of the halogenating peroxidase activity in blood samples.

PubMed

Flemmig, Jörg; Schwarz, Pauline; Bäcker, Ingo; Leichsenring, Anna; Lange, Franziska; Arnhold, Jürgen

2014-12-15

By combining easy and fast leukocyte enrichment with aminophenyl-fluorescein (APF) staining we developed a method to quickly and specifically address the halogenating activity of the immunological relevant blood heme peroxidases myeloperoxidase and eosinophil peroxidase, respectively. For leukocyte enrichment a two-fold hypotonic lysis procedure of the blood with Millipore water was chosen which represents a cheap, fast and reliable method to diminish the amount of erythrocytes in the samples. This procedure is shown to be suitable both to human and murine blood micro-samples, making it also applicable to small animal experiments with recurring blood sampling. As all types of leukocytes are kept in the sample during the preparation, they can be analysed separately after discrimination during the flow cytometry analysis. This also holds for all heme peroxidase-containing cells, namely neutrophils, eosinophils and monocytes. Moreover additional parameters (e.g. antibody staining) can be combined with the heme peroxidase activity determination to gain additional information about the different immune cell types. Based on previous results we applied APF for specifically addressing the halogenating activity of leukocyte peroxidases in blood samples. This dye is selectively oxidized by the MPO and EPO halogenation products hypochlorous and hypobromous acid. This approach may provide a suitable tool to gain more insights into the immune-physiological role of the halogenating activity of heme peroxidases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cheap Oil and the Impact on Rebuilding Syria

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-30

Syrian energy infrastructure will not be cost effective in the current oil pricing environment. I will present a quick overview of oil’s historic role...in the Syrian economy, followed by a synopsis of the current state of Syria’s oil infrastructure . An analysis of the impact of low oil prices on...similarities between countries, a specific comparison will be made to Yemen in an effort to predict the challenges that Syria will face when entering the

A simple and cheap system to speed up and to control the tumescent technique procedure: the Tedde's system.

PubMed

Rubino, C; Marongiu, F; Manzo, M J; Tedde, G; Madonia, M; Campus, G V; Farace, F

2014-06-01

We have devised a low cost system to quickly infiltrate tumescent solution: we call it the "Tedde's system". This low-cost system offers an improvement in quality and quantity of the infiltration because all the procedure depends on the operators, reducing also the time of the infiltration and consequently of the whole surgical procedure. Moreover, this system can be applied to other surgical procedure that requires large infiltration volumes.

Quick Dissection of the Segmental Bronchi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakajima, Yuji

2010-01-01

Knowledge of the three-dimensional anatomy of the bronchopulmonary segments is essential for respiratory medicine. This report describes a quick guide for dissecting the segmental bronchi in formaldehyde-fixed human material. All segmental bronchi are easy to dissect, and thus, this exercise will help medical students to better understand the…

Device Rotates Bearing Balls For Inspection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burley, R. K.

1988-01-01

Entire surface of ball inspected automatically and quickly. Device holds and rotates bearing ball for inspection by optical or mechanical surface-quality probe, eddy-current probe for detection of surface or subsurface defects, or circumference-measuring tool. Ensures entire surface of ball moves past inspection head quickly. New device saves time and increases reliability of inspections of spherical surfaces. Simple to operate and provides quick and easy access for loading and unloading of balls during inspection.

Uncovering and Managing the Impact of Methodological Choices for the Computational Construction of Socio-Technical Networks from Texts

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

networks has become fast , cheap, and easy (Shapiro, 1971; Trigg & Weiser, 1986). Modern information and communication technologies, such as the internet...However, once the model is learned, inference time is not subject to this constraint. Therefore, applying the model in end-user applications is fast ...products that facilitate the fast collection and assessment of these networks. For the purpose of analyzing socio-technical networks of geopolitical

Nano-Se: Cheap and easy-to-obtain novel material for all-dielectric nano-photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanova, A. K.; Ionin, A. A.; Khmel'nitskii, R. A.; Klevkov, Yu. K.; Kudryashov, S. I.; Levchenko, A. O.; Mel'nik, N. N.; Nastulyavichus, A. A.; Rudenko, A. A.; Saraeva, I. N.; Smirnov, N. A.; Zayarny, D. A.; Gonchukov, S. A.; Tolordava, E. R.; Baranov, A. N.

2017-09-01

Milligram-per-second production of selenium nanoparticles in water sols was realized through few W, kHz-rate nanosecond laser ablation of a solid selenium pellet. High-yield particle formation mechanism and ultimate mass-removal yield were elucidated by optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy characterization of crater depths and topographies. Deposited particles were inspected by scanning electron microscopy, while optical transmission Raman and dynamic light scattering spectroscopy characterized their hydrosols.

Quick and Easy Rate Equations for Multistep Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Phillip E.

2008-01-01

Students rarely see closed-form analytical rate equations derived from underlying chemical mechanisms that contain more than a few steps unless restrictive simplifying assumptions (e.g., existence of a rate-determining step) are made. Yet, work published decades ago allows closed-form analytical rate equations to be written quickly and easily for…

Evolving and Controlling Perimeter, Rendezvous, and Foraging Behaviors in a Computation-Free Robot Swarm

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

cheap, disposable swarms of robots that can accomplish these tasks quickly and with- out much human supervision. While there has been a lot of work...have shown that swarms of robots so dumb that they have no computational power–they can’t even add or subtract, and have no memory can still collec...behaviors can be achieved using swarms of computation-free robots . Our work starts with the simple robot model proposed in [6] and adds a form of

Characterization of the Musa spp. Taxonomic Reference Collection at the USDA-ARS, Tropical Agriculture Research Station.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plant characterization descriptors enable an easy and quick way to discriminate between phenotypes. However, the best descriptors for taxonomy and germplasm rationalization purposes should be highly heritable (i.e., express equally in all environments) and easy to score to avoid bias due to differen...

Comparative analysis of EV isolation procedures for miRNAs detection in serum samples.

PubMed

Andreu, Zoraida; Rivas, Eva; Sanguino-Pascual, Aitana; Lamana, Amalia; Marazuela, Mónica; González-Alvaro, Isidoro; Sánchez-Madrid, Francisco; de la Fuente, Hortensia; Yáñez-Mó, María

2016-01-01

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as potent non-invasive biomarkers. However, current methodologies are time consuming and difficult to translate to clinical practice. To analyse EV-encapsulated circulating miRNA, we searched for a quick, easy and economic method to enrich frozen human serum samples for EV. We compared the efficiency of several protocols and commercial kits to isolate EVs. Different methods based on precipitation, columns or filter systems were tested and compared with ultracentrifugation, which is the most classical protocol to isolate EVs. EV samples were assessed for purity and quantity by nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blot or cytometry against major EV protein markers. For biomarker validation, levels of a set of miRNAs were determined in EV fractions and compared with their levels in total serum. EVs isolated with precipitation-based methods were enriched for a subgroup of miRNAs that corresponded to miRNAs described to be encapsulated into EVs (miR-126, miR-30c and miR-143), while the detection of miR-21, miR-16-5p and miR-19a was very low compared with total serum. Our results point to precipitation using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a suitable method for an easy and cheap enrichment of serum EVs for miRNA analyses. The overall performance of PEG was very similar, or better than other commercial precipitating reagents, in both protein and miRNA yield, but in comparison to them PEG is much cheaper. Other methods presented poorer results, mostly when assessing miRNA by qPCR analyses. Using PEG precipitation in a longitudinal study with human samples, we demonstrated that miRNA could be assessed in frozen samples up to 8 years of storage. We report a method based on a cut-off value of mean of fold EV detection versus serum that provides an estimate of the degree of encapsulation of a given miRNA.

Evaluation of two fast and easy methods for pesticide residue analysis in fatty food matrixes.

PubMed

Lehotay, Steven J; Mastovská, Katerina; Yun, Seon Jong

2005-01-01

Two rapid methods of sample preparation and analysis of fatty foods (e.g., milk, eggs, and avocado) were evaluated and compared for 32 pesticide residues representing a wide range of physicochemical properties. One method, dubbed the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method for pesticide residue analysis, entailed extraction of 15 g sample with 15 mL acetonitrile (MeCN) containing 1% acetic acid followed by addition of 6 g anhydrous magnesium sulfate and 1.5 g sodium acetate. After centrifugation, 1 mL of the buffered MeCN extract underwent a cleanup step (in a technique known as dispersive solid-phase extraction) using 50 mg each of C18 and primary secondary amine sorbents plus 150 mg MgSO4. The second method incorporated a form of matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD), in which 0.5 g sample plus 2 g C18 and 2 g anhydrous sodium sulfate was mixed in a mortar and pestle and added above a 2 g Florisil column on a vacuum manifold. Then, 5 x 2 mL MeCN was used to elute the pesticide analytes from the sample into a collection tube, and the extract was concentrated to 0.5 mL by evaporation. Extracts in both methods were analyzed concurrently by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The recoveries of semi-polar and polar pesticides were typically 100% in both methods (except that basic pesticides, such as thiabendazole and imazalil, were not recovered in the MSPD method), but recovery of nonpolar pesticides decreased as fat content of the sample increased. This trend was more pronounced in the QuEChERS method, in which case the most lipophilic analyte tested, hexachlorobenzene, gave 27 +/- 1% recovery (n=6) in avocado (15% fat) with a<10 ng/g limit of quantitation.

Validation, residue analysis, and risk assessment of fipronil and flonicamid in cotton (Gossypium sp.) samples and soil.

PubMed

Chawla, Suchi; Gor, Hetal N; Patel, Hemlatta K; Parmar, Kaushik D; Patel, Anil R; Shukla, Varsha; Ilyas, Mohammad; Parsai, Satish K; Somashekar; Meena, Roop Singh; Shah, Paresh G

2018-05-04

Cotton crop is highly susceptible to attack by sucking pests. Being an important oilseed and feed crop, it is essential to monitor the pesticides and ensure health protection at consumer level. Therefore, a method was validated to estimate fipronil and flonicamid in various cotton samples and risk assessment was performed. Contamination of oil in the extracts from the various oil seeds and cake samples is a major problem as this oil contaminates the column and interferes with the detection of pesticides. The present manuscript for the first time describes successful analysis of the pesticides from various cotton samples including cotton oil, seed, and cake. Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based methods were validated for estimation of fipronil and flonicamid in cotton samples and in soil by LC-MS/MS. Recoveries were within the acceptable range of 70-120% with relative standard deviation ≤ 20% and HorRat values < 0.3-1.3. R 2 was > 0.99. Matrix effects of 150 and 13.5% were observed for fipronil and flonicamid, respectively, in cotton leaves. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) were in the range of 0.0004 to 0.004 mg kg -1 for fipronil and flonicamid. Cotton samples collected from a field study at different locations were analyzed. Half-life ranged from 2.2 to 5.8 for fipronil and 4.6 to 7.0 days for flonicamid. A pre-harvest interval of 33 days is suggested. The risk assessment studies at maximum residue level values showed HQ < 1 at pre-harvest interval (PHI). The methods being short and easy can be extended to estimate more types of pesticides in different oilseeds. Following a PHI of 33 days, fipronil and flonicamid can be used on cotton at standard dose. As the levels of fipronil and flonicamid were below determination limit in all the soils, the environmental risk is negligible.

A fibre based triature interferometer for measuring rapidly evolving, ablatively driven plasma densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macdonald, J.; Bland, S. N.; Threadgold, J.

2015-08-01

We report on the first use of a fibre interferometer incorporating triature analysis for measuring rapidly evolving plasma densities of ne ˜ 1013/cm3 and above, such as those produced by simple coaxial plasma guns. The resultant system is extremely portable, easy to field in experiments, relatively cheap to produce, and—with the exception of a small open area in which the plasma is sampled—safe in operation as all laser light is enclosed.

Quick and Easy Classroom Makeover

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Caralee

2006-01-01

This article offers simple design ideas on classroom transformation that are easy on the pocketbook and will make the biggest difference to teachers and their students. These include: (1) Go with a splash of color; (2) Use bright fabrics; (3) Stick with blues and greens; (4) Use color to create nooks; (5) Buddy up with a shop class; (6) Hide the…

The Millionaire on the Beach: The Rhetoric of Get-Rich-Quick Schemes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bytwerk, Randall L.; Schultze, Quentin J.

Joe Karbo, author of "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches," has pioneered several of the techniques used in get-rich-quick schemes. A typical pitch contains: (1) claims of how easy it is to master the plan; (2) testimonials from ordinary folk, and sometimes quotations from newspapers and magazines; (3) criticisms of competing plans (some even…

Multiresidue method for the determination of 77 pesticides in wine using QuEChERS sample preparation and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Jiang, Y; Li, X; Xu, J; Pan, C; Zhang, J; Niu, W

2009-06-01

A method based on a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) sample preparation method and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection by selected ion monitoring (GC/MS-SIM) was developed for simultaneous determination of 77 pesticide residues in wine. An extraction of 10 ml of sample with acetonitrile followed by liquid-liquid partition formed by the addition of 4 g MgSO(4) and 3 g NaCl was applied in the sample preparation. The clean-up was carried out by applying dispersive solid-phase with 150 mg MgSO(4) as well as 50 mg primary secondary amine (PSA). One quantitation ion and at least two identification ions were selected in the analytical method for each pesticide compound by GC/MS. The recovery data were obtained by spiking blank samples at two concentration levels (0.05 and 0.2 mg l(-1)). The recoveries of all pesticides were in the range 70-110%, with intra-day precision of less than 15%, and the inter-day precision of less than 22% and 15% for 0.05 and 0.2 mg l(-1) fortification levels, respectively. Linearity was between 0.02 and 2 mg l(-1) with determination coefficients (R(2)) greater than 0.98 for all compounds. The limits of quantification (LOQs) for the 77 pesticides ranged from 0.003 to 0.05 mg l(-1). This method was applied for routine analysis in market products.

Rapid residue analysis of oxathiapiprolin and its metabolites in typical Chinese soil, water, and sediments by a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Ju, Chao; Dong, Fengshou; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Xiaohu; Zhao, Huanhuan; Zheng, Yongquan; Xu, Jun

2015-03-01

A sensitive and effective method for the simultaneous determination of residues from a new fungicide, oxathiapiprolin, and its metabolites (IN-E8S72 and IN-WR791) in soil, water, and sediment, was developed using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Three compounds were extracted from water, soil, and sediment by using acetonitrile and different proportions of formic acid aqueous solution (1% v/v for water; 2% v/v for soil; and sediment), and were cleaned with octadecylsilane. The target compounds were determined within 5 min using an electrospray ionization source in the positive mode for oxathiapiprolin and in the negative mode for the two metabolites. The limits of quantification for all the three compounds were 0.1 μg/kg in water and 1 μg/kg in soil and sediment. Recovery studies were performed using three spiked levels (0.1, 1, and 10 μg/kg for water; 1, 10, and 50 μg/kg for soil and sediment). The overall average recoveries ranged from 64.8 to 112.7% with all intra- and interday relative standard deviation values below 19.4 and 19.1%, respectively. The method validation confirmed that the proposed method was convenient and reliable for determining residual oxathiapiprolin and its metabolites in soil, water, and sediments. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Rapid screening and quantification of residual pesticides and illegal adulterants in red wine by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Guo, Tianyang; Fang, Pingping; Jiang, Juanjuan; Zhang, Feng; Yong, Wei; Liu, Jiahui; Dong, Yiyang

2016-11-04

A rapid method to screen and quantify multi-class analytic targets in red wine has been developed by direct analysis in real time (DART) coupled with triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry (QqQ-MS). A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) procedure was used for increasing analytical speed and reducing matrix effect, and the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in DART-MS/MS ensured accurate analysis. One bottle of wine containing 50 pesticides and 12 adulterants, i.e., preservatives, antioxidant, sweeteners, and azo dyes, could be totally determined less than 12min. This method exhibited proper linearity (R 2 ≥0.99) in the range of 1-1000ng/mL for pesticides and 10-5000ng/mL for adulterants. The limits of detection (LODs) were obtained in a 0.5-50ng/mL range for pesticides and 5-50ng/mL range for adulterants, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in a 1-100ng/mL range for pesticides and 10-250ng/mL range for adulterants. Three spiked levels for each analyte in wine were evaluated, and the recoveries were in a scope of 75-120%. The results demonstrated DART-MS/MS was a rapid and simple method, and could be applied to rapid analyze residual pesticides and illegal adulterants in a large quantities of red wine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dissipation kinetics of emamectin benzoate and lufenuron residues in cabbage grown under field conditions.

PubMed

Dong, Bizhang; Zhao, Qing; Hu, Jiye

2015-12-01

Residue analysis of emamectin benzoate and lufenuron in cabbage matrices and soil was developed using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted with 1% acetic acid in acetonitrile (v/v) or 1% acetic acid in acetonitrile/water (5:1, v/v) and cleaned up by dispersive solid-phase extraction. Mean recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) in all samples ranged 87.8-100.0 % and 3.6-12.6% for emamectin benzoate and 87.8-104.8 % and 6.2-11.5% for lufenuron, respectively. The validated method was used to evaluate the dissipation rate of emamectin benzoate and lufenuron in cabbage and soil as well as the residual levels in harvested cabbage and soil at different preharvest intervals (PHI). The half-lives of emamectin benzoate and lufenuron were 1.08-2.70 and 1.74-5.04 days in cabbage, and 1.42-4.01 and 0.94-6.18 days in soil, respectively. The terminal residues were below the China maximum residue limits (MRLs) at 3 days for emamectin benzoate (0.1 mg kg(-1)) and European Union MRLs at 5 days for lufenuron (0.5 mg kg(-1)), which suggested that 5 days could be recommended as the PHI for the commercial formulation of emamectin benzoate and lufenuron application in the Chinese cabbage field.

Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with back-extraction coupled with capillary electrophoresis to determine phenolic compounds.

PubMed

Zhou, Caihong; Tong, Shanshan; Chang, Yunxia; Jia, Qiong; Zhou, Weihong

2012-04-01

Ionic liquid (IL) based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) with back-extraction coupled with capillary electrophoresis ultraviolet detection was developed to determine four phenolic compounds (bisphenol-A, β-naphthol, α-naphthol, 2, 4-dichlorophenol) in aqueous cosmetics. The developed method was used to preconcentrate and clean up the four phenolic compounds including two steps. The analytes were transferred into room temperature ionic liquid (1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [C(8) MIM][PF(6) ]) rich-phase in the first step. In the second step, the analytes were back-extracted into the alkaline aqueous phase. The effects of extraction parameters, such as type and volume of extraction solvent, type and volume of disperser, extraction and centrifugal time, sample pH, salt addition, and concentration and volume of NaOH in back-extraction were investigated. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the preconcentration factors were 60.1 for bisphenol-A, 52.7 for β-naphthol, 49.2 for α-naphthol, and 18.0 for 2, 4-dichlorophenol. The limits of detection for bisphenol-A, β-naphthol, α-naphthol and 2, 4-dichlorophenol were 5, 5, 8, and 100 ng mL(-1), respectively. Four kinds of aqueous cosmetics including toner, soften lotion, make-up remover, and perfume were analyzed and yielded recoveries ranging from 81.6% to 119.4%. The main advantages of the proposed method are quick, easy, cheap, and effective. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quantitative Multiclass Pesticide Residue Analysis in Apple, Pear, and Grape by Modified QuEChERS and Liquid Chromatography Coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Munaretto, Juliana S; Viera, Mariela de S; Martins, Manoel L; Adaime, Martha B; Zanella, Renato

2016-11-01

Most of the analytical methods currently applied in food control laboratories are focused on the determination of target compounds using LC coupled to tandem MS, which is an effective technique, but low-resolution MS is limited. Thus, a method for determination of pesticide multiresidues in fruits (pear, apple, and grape) using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method and LC coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) MS was developed and validated. The proposed method showed good linearity (r2 > 0.99) from 1 to 100 μg/L. Recoveries for blank samples spiked at 0.01, 0.04, and 0.10 mg/kg were between 66 and 122%, with RSDs <28%. Respective LOQs for apple, pear, and grape matrixes were 0.01 mg/kg for 112, 120, and 118 compounds, and 0.04 mg/kg for 22, 12, and 17 compounds, and average mass accuracy error was 3.2 ppm. LC with Q-TOF MS detection using protonated molecular ion and/or adducts and mass accuracy provided reliability for the method. The proposed method is effective for pesticide residue determination in apple, pear, and grape samples, proving that high-resolution MS using full scan mode can be a powerful and reliable technique for quantification purposes, being adequate for application in the surveillance of maximum residue limits set by different legislations.

Automated multi-plug filtration cleanup for liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric pesticide multi-residue analysis in representative crop commodities.

PubMed

Qin, Yuhong; Zhang, Jingru; Zhang, Yuan; Li, Fangbing; Han, Yongtao; Zou, Nan; Xu, Haowei; Qian, Meiyuan; Pan, Canping

2016-09-02

An automated multi-plug filtration cleanup (m-PFC) method on modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extracts was developed. The automatic device was aimed to reduce labor-consuming manual operation workload in the cleanup steps. It could control the volume and the speed of pulling and pushing cycles accurately. In this work, m-PFC was based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mixed with other sorbents and anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) in a packed tip for analysis of pesticide multi-residues in crop commodities followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) detection. It was validated by analyzing 25 pesticides in six representative matrices spiked at two concentration levels of 10 and 100μg/kg. Salts, sorbents, m-PFC procedure, automated pulling and pushing volume, automated pulling speed, and pushing speed for each matrix were optimized. After optimization, two general automated m-PFC methods were introduced to relatively simple (apple, citrus fruit, peanut) and relatively complex (spinach, leek, green tea) matrices. Spike recoveries were within 83 and 108% and 1-14% RSD for most analytes in the tested matrices. Matrix-matched calibrations were performed with the coefficients of determination >0.997 between concentration levels of 10 and 1000μg/kg. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of pesticide residues in market samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contamination of Tea and Tea Infusion with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

PubMed Central

Zachara, Alicja; Gałkowska, Dorota; Juszczak, Lesław

2017-01-01

The aim of this work was to validate the method of determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e., benzo(a)pyrene and sum of benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and chrysene in different types of tea, as well as to assess the transfer of these contaminants from tea to tea infusion. The research materials were popular types of black, green, red and white tea. Quantitative and qualitative determination of PAHs was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with fluorimetric detection (HPLC-FLD). The samples were prepared by QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) technique followed by cleaning-up by dispersion solid-phase extraction (d-SPE). Values of limit of detection and limit of quantification obtained in the validation of the method were lower than the respective maximum values given in Commission Regulation (EU) No. 836/2011. The level of contamination of popular teas commercially available on the Polish market with PAHs is similar to that of teas available in other countries, with a very large variation in the concentration of each of the compounds. The highest benzo(a)pyrene and Σ4PAHs contents (209 ± 42 μg/kg and 756 ± 151 μg/kg, respectively) were found for black tea leaves. The transfer of Σ4PAHs from black tea to tea infusions was 0.48%, while it was 1.55–1.72% for red, white and green teas. PMID:29283369

Recent Modifications and Validation of QuEChERS-dSPE Coupled to LC-MS and GC-MS Instruments for Determination of Pesticide/Agrochemical Residues in Fruits and Vegetables: Review.

PubMed

Lawal, Abubakar; Wong, Richard Chee Seng; Tan, Guan Huat; Abdulra'uf, Lukman Bola; Alsharif, Ali Mohamed Ali

2018-04-21

Fruits and vegetables constitute a major type of food consumed daily apart from whole grains. Unfortunately, the residual deposits of pesticides in these products are becoming a major health concern for human consumption. Consequently, the outcome of the long-term accumulation of pesticide residues has posed many health issues to both humans and animals in the environment. However, the residues have previously been determined using conventionally known techniques, which include liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the recently used liquid-phase microextraction techniques. Despite the positive technological effects of these methods, their limitations include; time-consuming, operational difficulty, use of toxic organic solvents, low selective property and expensive extraction setups, with shorter lifespan of instrumental performances. Thus, the potential and maximum use of these methods for pesticides residue determination has resulted in the urgent need for better techniques that will overcome the highlighted drawbacks. Alternatively, attention has been drawn recently towards the use of quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe technique (QuEChERS) coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) to overcome the setback challenges experienced by the previous technologies. Conclusively, the reviewed QuEChERS-dSPE techniques and the recent cleanup modifications justifiably prove to be reliable for routine determination and monitoring the concentration levels of pesticide residues using advanced instruments such as high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Multiresidue pesticide analysis of tuber and root commodities by QuEchERS extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Garrido Frenich, Antonia; Martín Fernández, María del Mar; Díaz Moreno, Laura; Martínez Vidal, Jose Lúis; López-Gutiérrez, Noelia

2012-01-01

A simple, rapid, and reliable multiresidue method to determine 84 pesticides in potato and carrot samples by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to MS/MS has been developed and fully validated for routine analysis according to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. The method makes use of a buffered Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation procedure based on a single extraction with acidified acetonitrile, followed by partitioning with salts. Chromatographic conditions were optimized in order to achieve a rapid separation in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Performance characteristics of the method, including an estimation of measurement uncertainty using validation data, are reported for both matrixes. Calibration curves were linear from 0.010 to 0.150 mg/kg for most compounds. The LOD and LOQ were 0.006 and 0.010 mg/kg, respectively, except for fluorocloridone, fluquinconazol, and hexitiazox, which were 0.030 and 0.050 mg/kg, respectively. Recoveries obtained were in the range 70-116%, with intraday precision values < or = 20% RSD and interday precision values < or = 25% RSD at two different concentration levels. The overall uncertainty of the method was estimated at two concentrations as being lower than 34% in all cases. The method has been applied to the analysis of 70 vegetable samples, and imidacloprid and linuron were the pesticides most frequently found in potato and carrot commodities, respectively.

Detecting a wide range of environmental contaminants in human blood samples--combining QuEChERS with LC-MS and GC-MS methods.

PubMed

Plassmann, Merle M; Schmidt, Magdalena; Brack, Werner; Krauss, Martin

2015-09-01

Exposure to environmental pollution and consumer products may result in an uptake of chemicals into human tissues. Several studies have reported the presence of diverse environmental contaminants in human blood samples. However, previously developed multi-target methods for the analysis of human blood include a fairly limited amount of compounds stemming from one or two related compound groups. Thus, the sample preparation method QuEChERS (quick easy cheap effective rugged and safe) was tested for the extraction of 64 analytes covering a broad compound domain followed by detection using liquid and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC- and GC-MS). Forty-seven analytes showed absolute recoveries above 70% in the first QuEChERS step, being a simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using acetonitrile and salt. The second QuEChERS step, being a dispersive solid phase extraction, did not result in an overall improvement of recoveries or removal of background signals. Using solely the LLE step, eight analytes could subsequently be detected in human blood samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank. Using a LC-multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method with a triple quadrupole instrument, better recoveries were achieved than with an older LC-high-resolution (HR) MS full scan orbitrap instrument, which required a higher concentration factor of the extracts. However, the application of HRMS full scan methods could be used for the detection of additional compounds retrospectively.

Inexpensive, effective novel activated carbon fibers for sample cleanup: application to multipesticide residue analysis in food commodities using a QuEChERS method.

PubMed

Singh, Shiv; Srivastava, Anshuman; Singh, Sheelendra Pratap

2018-03-01

Phenolic resin based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were applied for the first time as a reversed-dispersive solid-phase extraction (r-DSPE) sorbent. A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method was applied to determine 26 pesticides (organophosphates, organochlorines, synthetic pyrethroids, and herbicides) in different complex matrices, including cauliflower, cucumber, banana, apple, wheat, and black gram. Different physicochemical characterization techniques were used to investigate the engineering and structural properties of the r-DSPE sorbent. All the chromatographic analyses were performed with a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. The recoveries of all 26 pesticides were acceptable (70-120%), with relative standard deviations of less than 15%. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 1.13-5.48 ng/g and 3.42-16.60 ng/g, respectively. In the original QuEChERS method, primary secondary amine is extensively used as the r-DSPE sorbent in the cleanup process, but it is eightfold more expensive than the ACFs used in this study. Therefore, the modified QuEChERS method using ACFs during the cleanup process is more efficient, cheaper, and more robust to determine pesticides from different types of matrices, including vegetables, grains, and fruits, and ACFs could be used as a cost-effective alternative to primary secondary amine. Graphical Abstract Sample clean-up using PSA and ACF as r-DSPE sorbent in QuEChERS method.

Time-to-reperfusion in STEMI undergoing interhospital transfer using smartphone and WhatsApp messenger.

PubMed

Astarcioglu, Mehmet Ali; Sen, Taner; Kilit, Celal; Durmus, Halil Ibrahim; Gozubuyuk, Gokhan; Kalcik, Macit; Karakoyun, Suleyman; Yesin, Mahmut; Zencirkiran Agus, Hicaz; Amasyali, Basri

2015-10-01

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of WhatsApp application as a communication method among the emergency physician (EP) in a rural hospital without percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) capability and the interventional cardiologist at a tertiary PCI center. Current guidelines recommend that patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) receive primary PCI within 90 minutes. This door-to-balloon (D2B) time has been difficult to achieve in rural STEMI. We evaluated 108 patients with STEMI in a rural hospital with emergency department but without PCI capability to determine the impact of WhatsApp triage and activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory on D2B time. The images were obtained from cases of suspected STEMI using the smartphones by the EP and were sent to the interventional cardiologist via the WhatsApp application (group 1, n=53). The control group included concurrently treated patients with STEMI during the same period but not receiving triage (group 2, n=55). The D2B time was significantly shorter in the intervention group (109±31 vs 130±46 minutes, P<.001) with significant reduction in false STEMI rate as well. This study demonstrates that use of WhatsApp triage with activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory was associated with shorter D2B time and results in a greater proportion of patients achieving guideline recommendations. The method is cheap, quick, and easy to operate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Commonly Used Fruits and Vegetables in Kuwait.

PubMed

Jallow, Mustapha F A; Awadh, Dawood G; Albaho, Mohammed S; Devi, Vimala Y; Ahmad, Nisar

2017-07-25

The presence of pesticide residues in primary and derived agricultural products raises serious health concerns for consumers. The aim of this study was to assess the level of pesticide residues in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables in Kuwait. A total of 150 samples of different fresh vegetables and fruits were analyzed for the presence of 34 pesticides using the quick easy cheap effective rugged and safe (QuEChERS) multi-residue extraction, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC - MS / MS). Pesticide residues above the maximum residue limits (MRL) were detected in 21% of the samples and 79% of the samples had no residues of the pesticides surveyed or contained residues below the MRL. Multiple residues were present in 40% of the samples with two to four pesticides, and four samples were contaminated with more than four pesticide residues. Of the pesticides investigated, 16 were detected, of which imidacloprid, deltamethrin, cypermethrin, malathion, acetamiprid, monocrotophos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, and diazinon exceeded their MRLs. Aldrin, an organochlorine pesticide, was detected in one apple sample, with residues below the MRL. The results indicate the occurrence of pesticide residues in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables in Kuwait, and pointed to an urgent need to develop comprehensive intervention measures to reduce the potential health risk to consumers. The need for the regular monitoring of pesticide residues and the sensitization of farmers to better pesticide safety practices, especially the need to adhere to recommended pre-harvest intervals is recommended.

Development of QuEChERS-based extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for quantifying flumethasone residues in beef muscle.

PubMed

Park, Ki Hun; Choi, Jeong-Heui; Abd El-Aty, A M; Cho, Soon-Kil; Park, Jong-Hyouk; Kwon, Ki Sung; Park, Hee Ra; Kim, Hyung Soo; Shin, Ho-Chul; Kim, Mi Ra; Shim, Jae-Han

2012-12-01

A rapid, specific, and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) in the positive ion mode using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was developed and validated to quantify flumethasone residues in beef muscle. Methods were compared between the original as well as the EN quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based extraction. Good linearity was achieved at concentration levels of 5-30 μg/kg. Estimated recovery rates at spiking levels of 5 and 10 μg/kg ranged from 72.1 to 84.6%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs)<7%. The results of the inter-day study, which was performed by fortifying beef muscle samples (n=18) on 3 separate days, showed an accuracy of 93.4-94.4%. The precision (expressed as relative standard deviation values) for the inter-day variation at two levels of fortification (10 and 20 μg/kg) was 1.9-5.2%. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 1.7 and 5 μg/kg, at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 3 and 10, respectively. The method was successfully applied to analyze real samples obtained from large markets throughout the Korean Peninsula. The method proved to be sensitive and reliable and, thus, rendered an appropriate means for residue analysis studies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of spinetoram and its metabolites in amaranth and parsley using QuEChERS-based extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Park, Ki Hun; Choi, Jeong-Heui; Abd El-Aty, A M; Cho, Soon-Kil; Park, Jong-Hyouk; Kim, Bo Mi; Yang, Angel; Na, Tae Woong; Rahman, Musfiqur; Im, Geon-Jae; Shim, Jae-Han

2012-10-15

In this study, a simultaneous method was developed for the determination of spinetoram (XDE-175-J and XDE-175-L) and its demethyl metabolites (N-demethyl-175-J and N-demethyl-175-L) and formyl metabolites (N-formyl-175-J and N-formyl-175-L) in the minor crops; amaranth and parsley. The method uses quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based extraction. Afterwards, the analytes were quantified and confirmed via liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) in the positive ion mode using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Calibration curves were linear over the calibration ranges for all the analytes tested with r(2)>0.993. Limits of detection and quantitation were 0.01 and 0.03 mg/kg for all the tested analytes in amaranth and parsley, respectively. Recovery values, at spiking levels 0.05 and 0.25 mg/kg, ranged from 71.0% to 115.2% with relative standard deviations <15%, except for N-formyl-175-J in both amaranth and parsley. This method was applied to field-incurred samples and was shown to provide an adequate sensitivity and performance for the simultaneous determination of spinetoram and metabolites. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time spinetoram and its metabolites were quantified using LC-MS/MS in minor crops. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seismic Rehabilitation of RC Frames by Using Steel Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mowrtage, Waiel

2008-07-01

Every major earthquake in Turkey causes a large number of building suffer moderate damage due to poor construction. If a proper and fast retrofit is not applied, the aftershocks, which may sometimes come days or weeks after the main shock, can push a moderately damaged building into a major damage or even total collapse. This paper presents a practical retrofit method for moderately damaged buildings, which increases the seismic performance of the structural system by reducing the displacement demand. Fabricated steel panels are used for the retrofit. They are light-weight, easy to handle, and can be constructed very quickly. Moreover, they are cheap, and do not need formwork or skilled workers. They can be designed to compensate for the stiffness and strength degradation, and to fit easily inside a moderately damaged reinforced concrete frame. To test the concept, a half-scale, single-story 3D reinforced concrete frame specimen was constructed at the shake-table laboratories of the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute of Bogazici University, and subjected to recorded real earthquake base accelerations. The amplitudes of base accelerations were increased until a moderate damage level is reached. Then, the damaged RC frames was retrofitted by means of steel panels and tested under the same earthquake. The seismic performance of the specimen before and after the retrofit was evaluated using FEMA356 standards, and the results were compared in terms of stiffness, strength, and deformability. The results have confirmed effectiveness of the proposed retrofit scheme.

Multiresidue method for the determination of 227 pesticides in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhu, Yong-Zhe; Zhao, Mei-Ai; Nan Feng, Ya; Han Kim, Jeong

2014-10-01

A high-throughput, rapid, and efficient modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method with a simple cleanup procedure has been developed for simultaneously determining 227 pesticides in pepper samples by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (running time: 10 min). Pesticide residues were extracted/partitioned with an acetonitrile/DisQuE QuEChERS pouch, and the resulting samples were cleaned up with different methods: dispersive solid-phase extraction with primary secondary amines or multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphitized carbon solid mini cartridge column. The results indicated that multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersive sorbents achieved the best recoveries and had less matrix interference. The numbers of pesticides with a recovery in the range of 70-120% were 199 at a spiked level of 40 μg/kg. The correlation coefficients (r(2)) for 227 pesticides were above 0.99, while the limits of quantitation of pesticides in pepper samples ranged from 0.13 to 13.51 μg/kg (S/N = 10), and the limits of detection ranged from 0.04 to 4.05 μg/kg (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviations of approximately 197 pesticides were below 20% at spiked levels of 40 μg/kg. Based on these results, the proposed method was chosen as the most suitable cleanup procedure for the determination of multiresidue pesticides in pepper samples. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

DNA identification of human remains in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI): An efficient sampling method for muscle, bone, bone marrow and teeth.

PubMed

de Boer, Hans H; Maat, George J R; Kadarmo, D Aji; Widodo, Putut T; Kloosterman, Ate D; Kal, Arnoud J

2018-06-04

In disaster victim identification (DVI), DNA profiling is considered to be one of the most reliable and efficient means to identify bodies or separated body parts. This requires a post mortem DNA sample, and an ante mortem DNA sample of the presumed victim or their biological relative(s). Usually the collection of an adequate ante mortem sample is technically simple, but the acquisition of a good quality post mortem sample under unfavourable DVI circumstances is complicated due to the variable degree of preservation of the human remains and the high risk of DNA (cross) contamination. This paper provides the community with an efficient method to collect post-mortem DNA samples from muscle, bone, bone marrow and teeth, with a minimal risk of contamination. Our method has been applied in a recent, challenging DVI operation (i.e. the identification of the 298 victims of the MH17 airplane crash in 2014). 98,2% of the collected PM samples provided the DVI team with highly informative DNA genotyping results without the risk of contamination and consequent mistyping the victim's DNA. Moreover, the method is easy, cheap and quick. This paper provides the DVI community with a step-wise instructions with recommendations for the type of tissue to be sampled and the site of excision (preferably the upper leg). Although initially designed for DVI purposes, the method is also suited for the identification of individual victims. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On-call x-rays made easy AN Au-Yong On-call x-rays made easy , Amy Au-Yong and Nigel Broderick Churchill Livingstone Elsevier £21.99 304pp 9780702034459 0702034452 [Formula: see text].

PubMed

2011-02-10

DesigneD for clinicians involved in the management of acutely ill patients, this book enables them to recognise quickly the appearance of life-threatening conditions. It also concentrates on the interpretation of plain chest and abdominal images.

Teach the Way They Learn: 62 Easy, Engaging, & Effective Language Arts Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hines, Joanne I; Vincent, Pamela J.

2005-01-01

This book focuses on quick and easy language arts activities to inspire and motivate students in kindergarten to sixth grades. Ingenious ideas appeal to children's enthusiasm for games, parades, race cars, their own names, and much more. The activities cost little or nothing. They engage young learners, and they work! This book is perfect for a…

Quick-Connect Nut

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed a specially-designed nut, called the Quick-Connect Nut, for quick and easy assembly of components in the harsh environment of space, as in assembly of International Space Station. The design permits nuts to be installed simply by pushing them onto standard bolts, then giving a quick twist. To remove, they are unscrewed like conventional nuts. Possible applications include the mining industry for erecting support barriers, assembling underwater oil drilling platforms, fire-fighting equipment, scaffolding, assembly-line machinery, industrial cranes, and even changing lug nuts on race cars. The speed of assembly can make the difference between life and death in different aspects of life on Earth.

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-30

budget for gasoline. As a result, they were putting in cheap, contaminated gas that quickly broke all the genera- tors. Then some of the aircraft, the T ...2012 x x x Jill Charpia Providing false statements to a government agency 1/24/2013 x x x Richard Evick Bribery, money laundering 1/28/2013 x x x x x...12/17/2012 x x x x Ulysses Hicks Conspiracy to accept illegal gratuities 1/3/2013 x x x Ramy Elmery Making false statements 4/12/2013 x x x x Richard

Assessment of four protocols for rapid bacterial identification from positive blood culture pellets by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (Vitek® MS).

PubMed

Thomin, Jean; Aubin, Guillaume Ghislain; Foubert, Fabrice; Corvec, Stéphane

2015-08-01

In this study, we developed and compared four protocols to prepare a bacterial pellet from 944 positive blood cultures for direct MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry Vitek® MS analysis. Protocol 4, tested on 200 monomicrobial samples, allowed 83% of bacterial identification. This easy, fast, cheap and accurate method is promising in daily practice, especially to limit broad range antibiotic treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A system for tracking braille readers using a Wii Remote and a refreshable braille display.

PubMed

Aranyanak, Inthraporn; Reilly, Ronan G

2013-03-01

This article describes a cheap and easy-to-use finger-tracking system for studying braille reading. It provides improved spatial and temporal resolution over the current available solutions and can be used with either a refreshable braille display or braille-embossed paper. In conjunction with a refreshable braille display, the tracking system has the unique capacity to implement display-change paradigms derived from sighted reading research. This will allow researchers to probe skilled braille reading in significantly more depth than has heretofore been possible.

Synthesis, characterization and cells and tissues imaging of carbon quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing; Li, Qilong; Zhou, JingE.; Wang, Yiting; Yu, Lei; Peng, Hui; Zhu, Jianzhong

2017-10-01

Compare to other quantum dots, carbon quantum dots have its own incomparable advantages, such as low cell toxicity, favorable biocompatibility, cheap production cost, mild reaction conditions, easy to large-scale synthesis and functionalization. In this thesis, we took citric acid monohydrate and diethylene glycol bis (3-aMinopropyl) ether as materials, used decomposition method to acquire carbon quantum dots (CQDs) which can emission blue fluorescence under ultraviolet excitation. In the aspect of application, we achieved the biological imaging of CQDs in vivo and in vitro.

Modular Rapid E-Learning Framework (MORELF) in Desktop Virtualization Environment: An Effective Hybrid Implementation in Nurse Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlakkilic, Alattin

2015-01-01

Generally it is not easy for an instructor to prepare and deliver electronic courses via e-learning. Therefore it is necessary to work and develop an easy system. In this context module technology was used to for provide modularity in conducting educational development of e-learning course. Then, rapid e-learning was used for more quick and easy…

Development of thermal energy storage materials for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Shukla, A; Sharma, Atul; Shukla, Manjari; Chen, C R

2015-01-01

The phase change materials (PCMs) have been utilized widely for solar thermal energy storage (TES) devices. The quality of these materials to remain at a particular temperature during solid-liquid, liquid-solid phase transition can also be utilized for many biomedical applications as well and has been explored in recent past already. This study reports some novel PCMs developed by them, along with some existing PCMs, to be used for such biomedical applications. Interestingly, it was observed that the heating/cooling properties of these PCMs enhance the quality of a variety of biomedical applications with many advantages (non-electric, no risk of electric shock, easy to handle, easy to recharge thermally, long life, cheap and easily available, reusable) over existing applications. Results of the present study are quite interesting and exciting, opening a plethora of opportunities for more work on the subject, which require overlapping expertise of material scientists, biochemists and medical experts for broader social benefits.

A novel trapping system for the detection of reactive drug metabolites using the fungus Cunninghamella elegans and high resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Rydevik, Axel; Hansson, Annelie; Hellqvist, Anna; Bondesson, Ulf; Hedeland, Mikael

2015-07-01

A new model is presented that can be used to screen for bioactivation of drugs. The evaluation of toxicity is an important step in the development of new drugs. One way to detect possible toxic metabolites is to use trapping agents such as glutathione. Often human liver microsomes are used as a metabolic model in initial studies. However, there is a need for alternatives that are easy to handle, cheap, and can produce large amounts of metabolites. In the presented study, paracetamol, mefenamic acid, and diclofenac, all known to form reactive metabolites in humans, were incubated with the fungus Cunninghamella elegans and the metabolites formed were characterized with ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometer. Interestingly, glutathione conjugates formed by the fungus were observed for all three drugs and their retention times and MS/MS spectra matched those obtained in a comparative experiment with human liver microsomes. These findings clearly demonstrated that the fungus is a suitable trapping model for toxic biotransformation products. Cysteine conjugates of all three test drugs were also observed with high signal intensities in the fungal incubates, giving the model a further indicator of drug bioactivation. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the use of a fungal model for the formation and trapping of reactive drug metabolites. The investigated model is cheap, easy to handle, it does not involve experimental animals and it can be scaled up to produce large amounts of metabolites. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Quick and Easy Simplification of Benzocaine's NMR Spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpenter, Suzanne R.; Wallace, Richard H.

2006-04-01

The preparation of benzocaine is a common experiment used in sophomore-level organic chemistry. Its straightforward procedure and predictable good yields make it ideal for the beginning organic student. Analysis of the product via NMR spectroscopy, however, can be confusing to the novice interpreter. An inexpensive, quick, and effective method for simplifying the NMR spectrum is reported. The method results in a spectrum that is cleanly integrated and more easily interpreted.

Simulation and Failure Analysis of Car Bumper Made of Pineapple Leaf Fiber Reinforced Composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbintarso, E. S.; Muslim, M.; Rusianto, T.

2018-02-01

The bumper car made of the Pineapple Leaf Fiber Reinforced Composite (PLFRC) is possible to be produced with the advantage of easy to get, and cheap. Pineapple leaf fiber has chosen as a natural fiber, which the maximum of the strength of 368 MPa. The objective of this study was to determine the maximum capability of front car bumpers using Pineapple Leaf Fiber Reinforced Composite materials through the process of simulating stress analysis with Solidworks 2014 software. The aim also to know the distribution of loads that occur on the front car bumper and predict the critical point position on the design of the bumper. The result will use to develop the alternative lightweight, cheap and environmentally friendly materials in general and the development of the use of pineapple fiber for automotive purposes in particular. Simulations and failure analysis have been conducted and showed an increased impact speed in line with increased displacement, strain, and stress that occur on the surface of the bumper. The bumper can withstand collisions at a speed of less than 70 kph.

Purple or Colorless--Which Way Up? An Entertaining Solubility Demonstration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitson, Trevor M.

2003-01-01

Presents an experiment that is quick and easy to prepare, visually striking, and amusing to students. Relates to several key chemical concepts including polarity, intermolecular forces, solubility, and spectrophotometry. (Author/NB)

Organophosphorus insecticides in honey, pollen and bees (Apis mellifera L.) and their potential hazard to bee colonies in Egypt.

PubMed

Al Naggar, Yahya; Codling, Garry; Vogt, Anja; Naiem, Elsaied; Mona, Mohamed; Seif, Amal; Giesy, John P

2015-04-01

There is no clear single factor to date that explains colony loss in bees, but one factor proposed is the wide-spread application of agrochemicals. Concentrations of 14 organophosphorous insecticides (OPs) in honey bees (Apis mellifera) and hive matrices (honey and pollen) were measured to assess their hazard to honey bees. Samples were collected during spring and summer of 2013, from 5 provinces in the middle delta of Egypt. LC/MS-MS was used to identify and quantify individual OPs by use of a modified Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe (QuEChERS) method. Pesticides were detected more frequently in samples collected during summer. Pollen contained the greatest concentrations of OPs. Profenofos, chlorpyrifos, malation and diazinon were the most frequently detected OPs. In contrast, ethoprop, phorate, coumaphos and chlorpyrifos-oxon were not detected. A toxic units approach, with lethality as the endpoint was used in an additive model to assess the cumulative potential for adverse effects posed by OPs. Hazard quotients (HQs) in honey and pollen ranged from 0.01-0.05 during spring and from 0.02-0.08 during summer, respectively. HQs based on lethality due to direct exposure of adult worker bees to OPs during spring and summer ranged from 0.04 to 0.1 for best and worst case respectively. It is concluded that direct exposure and/or dietary exposure to OPs in honey and pollen pose little threat due to lethality of bees in Egypt. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlation between dipstick urinalysis and urine sediment microscopy in detecting haematuria among children with sickle cell anaemia in steady state in Ilorin, Nigeria.

PubMed

Anigilaje, Emmanuel Ademola; Adedoyin, Olanrewaju Timothy

2013-01-01

Haematuria is one of the clinical manifestations of sickle cell nephropathy. Although dipstick urinalysis detects haemoglobin and by extension haematuria; it does not confirm haematuria. Urine sediment microscopy confirms haematuria and constitutes a non-invasive "renal biopsy". The need to correlate dipstick urinalysis and urine sediment microscopy findings becomes important because of the cheapness, quickness and simplicity of the former procedure. Dipstick urinalysis and urine sediment microscopy were carried (both on first contact and a month after) among consecutive steady state sickle cell anaemia children attending sickle cell clinic at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital between October 2004 and July 2005. A total of 75 sickle cell anemia children aged between 1-17 years met the inclusion criteria. Haematuria was found in 12 children (16.0%) and persistent haematuria in 10 children 13.3%. Age and gender did not have significant relationship with haematuria both at first contact (p values 0.087 and 0.654 respectively) and at follow-up (p values 0.075 and 0.630 respectively). Eumorphic haematuria was confirmed in all the children with persistent haematuria with Pearson correlation +0.623 and significant p value of 0.000. The study has revealed a direct significant correlation for haematuria detected on dipstick urinalysis and at urine sediment microscopy. It may therefore be inferred that dipstick urinalysis is an easy and readily available tool for the screening of haematuria among children with sickle cell anaemia and should therefore be done routinely at the sickle cell clinics.

Validation of an Analytical Method for Determination of Benzo[a]pyrene Bread using QuEChERS Method by GC-MS

PubMed Central

Eslamizad, Samira; Yazdanpanah, Hassan; Javidnia, Katayon; Sadeghi, Ramezan; Bayat, Mitra; Shahabipour, Sara; Khalighian, Najmeh; Kobarfard, Farzad

2016-01-01

A fast and simple modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, rugged and safe) extraction method based on spiked calibration curves and direct sample introduction was developed for determination of Benzo [a] pyrene (BaP) in bread by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry single quadrupole selected ion monitoring (GC/MS-SQ-SIM). Sample preparation includes: extraction of BaP into acetone followed by cleanup with dispersive solid phase extraction. The use of spiked samples for constructing the calibration curve substantially reduced adverse matrix-related effects. The average recovery of BaP at 6 concentration levels was in range of 95-120%. The method was proved to be reproducible with relative standard deviation less than 14.5% for all of the concentration levels. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.3 ng/g and 0.5 ng/g, respectively. Correlation coefficient of 0.997 was obtained for spiked calibration standards over the concentration range of 0.5-20 ng/g. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a QuEChERS method is used for the analysis of BaP in breads. The developed method was used for determination of BaP in 29 traditional (Sangak) and industrial (Senan) bread samples collected from Tehran in 2014. These results showed that two Sangak samples were contaminated with BaP. Therefore, a comprehensive survey for monitoring of BaP in Sangak bread samples seems to be needed. This is the first report concerning contamination of bread samples with BaP in Iran. PMID:27642317

Validation of a QuEChERS-based gas chromatographic method for analysis of pesticide residues in Cassia angustifolia (senna).

PubMed

Tripathy, Vandana; Saha, Ajoy; Patel, Dilipkumar J; Basak, B B; Shah, Paresh G; Kumar, Jitendra

2016-08-02

A simple multi-residue method based on modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) approach was established for the determination of 17 organochlorine (OC), 15 organophosphorous (OP) and 7 synthetic pyrethroid (SP) pesticides in an economically important medicinal plant of India, Senna (Cassia angustifolia), by gas chromatography coupled to electron capture and flame thermionic detectors (GC/ECD/FTD) and confirmation of residues was done on gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The developed method was validated by testing the following parameters: linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), matrix effect, accuracy-precision and measurement uncertainty; the validation study clearly demonstrated the suitability of the method for its intended application. All pesticides showed good linearity in the range 0.01-1.0 μg mL(-1) for OCs and OPs and 0.05-2.5 μg mL(-1) for SPs with correlation coefficients higher than 0.98. The method gave good recoveries for most of the pesticides (70-120%) with intra-day and inter-day precision < 20% in most of the cases. The limits of detection varied from 0.003 to 0.03 mg kg(-1), and the LOQs were determined as 0.01-0.049 mg kg(-1). The expanded uncertainties were <30%, which was distinctively less than a maximum default value of ±50%. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine pesticide residues in 12 commercial market samples obtained from different locations in India.

Analysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in milk using QuEChERS and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry: triple quadrupole versus Q-Orbitrap mass analyzers.

PubMed

Rúbies, Antoni; Guo, Lili; Centrich, Francesc; Granados, Mercè

2016-08-01

We developed a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method for the high throughput determination of 10 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in milk samples using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) with a triple quadrupole (QqQ) instrument and an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The new extraction procedure is highly efficient, and we obtained absolute recoveries in the range 78.1-97.1 % for the extraction and clean-up steps. Chromatographic separation is performed in the gradient mode with a biphenyl column and acidic mobile phases consisting of water and acetonitrile containing formic acid. The chromatographic run time was about 12 min, and NSAID peaks showed a good symmetry factor. For MS/MS detection, we used multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, using ESI in both positive and negative modes. Our method has been validated in compliance with the European Commission Decision 657/2002/EC, and we obtained very satisfactory results in inter-laboratory testing. Furthermore, we explored the use of a hybrid high resolution mass spectrometer, combining a quadrupole and an Orbitrap mass analyzer, for high resolution (HR) MS/MS detection of NSAIDs. We achieved lower NSAID quantification limits with Q-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) detection than those achieved with the QqQ instrument; however, its main feature is its very high selectivity, which makes HRMS/MS particularly suitable for confirmatory analysis.

Evaluation and prevention of the negative matrix effect of terpenoids on pesticides in apples quantification by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Giacinti, Géraldine; Raynaud, Christine; Capblancq, Sophie; Simon, Valérie

2016-12-21

The sample matrix can enhance the gas chromatography signal of pesticide residues relative to that obtained with the same concentration of pesticide in solvent. This paper is related to negative matrix effects observed in coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ion trap (GC/MS 2 ) quantification of pesticides in concentrated extracts of apple peel prepared by the Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) method. It is focused on the pesticides most frequently used on the apple varieties studied, throughout the crop cycle, right up to harvest, to combat pests and diseases and to improve fruit storage properties. Extracts from the fleshy receptacle (flesh), the epiderm (peel) and fruit of three apple varieties were studied by high-performance thin-layer chromatography hyphenated with UV-vis light detection (HPTLC/UV visible). The peel extracts had high concentrations of triterpenic acids (oleanolic and ursolic acids), reaching 25mgkg -1 , whereas these compounds were not detected in the flesh extracts (<0.05mgkg -1 ). A significant relationship has been found between the levels of these molecules and negative matrix effects in GC/MS 2 . The differences in the behavior of pesticides with respect to matrix effects can be accounted for by the physicochemical characteristics of the molecules (lone pairs, labile hydrogen, conjugation). The HPTLC/UV visible method developed here for the characterization of QuEChERS extracts acts as a complementary clean-up method, aimed to decrease the negative matrix effects of such extracts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of sulfonamides in animal tissues by modified QuEChERS and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wen, Ching-Hsuan; Lin, Shu-Ling; Fuh, Ming-Ren

2017-03-01

In this study, the salting-out solvent extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) clean-up steps in QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method were optimized to reduce matrix effect and efficiently extract target sulfonamides from a variety of edible animal tissues. The extracted sulfonamides were then analyzed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Good extraction recoveries (74.0-100.3% in five different sources of animal tissues; n=3) with acceptable matrix effect (<10%, except for liver samples) were obtained using the proposed method. For the first time, a commercial ND-lipids cartridge was used to remove hydrophobic matrix components from fat-rich animal tissues in the clean-up step of QuEChERS. In addition, good linearity (0.125-12.5ngg -1 ) was observed using matrix-matched calibration (in beef). Limits of detection (LODs) were estimated at 0.01-0.03ngg -1 in beef, pork, and chicken samples. For beef tripe and pig liver samples, the LODs were in the range of 0.02-0.04ngg -1 . Good intra-day/inter-day precision (1.0-10.5%/0.4-8.0%) and accuracy (95.2-107.2%/97.8-102.1%) were also achieved using the modified QuEChERS for sample pretreatment. The applicability of the modified QuEChERS-LC-MS/MS method was demonstrated by determining the occurrence of target sulfonamides in various edible animal tissues for potential food safety analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A convenient ultrasound-assisted saponification for the simultaneous determination of vitamin E isomers in vegetable oil by HPLC with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Yang, Yi; Lu, Dan; Yin, Shuo; Yang, Danni; Chen, Yaling; Li, Yongxin; Sun, Chengjun

2018-04-01

An efficient ultrasound-assisted saponification was developed for simultaneous determination of vitamin E isomers in vegetable oil by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The samples were saponified ultrasonically with potassium hydroxide solution for only 7 min, then the analytes were extracted with ether. Vitamin E isomers were separated on a C 18 column at 25°C with a mobile phase of methanol/acetonitrile (81:19, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. Fluorescence detection was operated at 290 nm of excitation wavelength and 327 nm of emission wavelength. Under the optimized conditions, good linearities over the range of 0.001-8.00 μg/mL (r > 0.999) were obtained. Mean recoveries of the method were 88.0-106%, with intra- and interday RSDs less than 11.8 and 12.8%, respectively. The detection limits and quantification limits of the method were 0.30-1.8 and 1.0-6.1 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of this method were much higher than that of the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method and direct dilution method, but were similar to those of hot saponification. This proposed method provides reliable, simple, and rapid quantification of vitamin E isomers in vegetable oils. Five kinds of vegetable oils were analyzed, the quantification results were within the ranges reported by other authors. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Determination of quaternary ammonium compounds in oranges and cucumbers using QuEChERS extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Arrebola-Liébanas, Francisco Javier; Abdo, María Angeles Herrera; Moreno, José Luis Fernandez; Martínez-Vidal, José L; Frenich, Antonia Garrido

2014-01-01

A simple and fast method has been developed for determining relevant quaternary ammonium compounds in cucumber and orange samples. The target compounds were benzoalkonium chloride (BAC-10, BAC-12, BAC-14, and BAC-16), didecyldimethylammonium chloride, and benzethonium chloride, all frequently used biocides in the agrifood industry. An extraction based on the buffered Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe method and determination by ultra-performance LC/MS/MS that eluted the biocides in less than 5 min were used. The method was fully validated and implemented in a UNE-EN-ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory for its application to the analysis of real samples. Performance characteristics of the method are reported, including an estimation of measurement uncertainty. Calibration curves were set between 0.01 and 0.150 mg/kg, LOD values were always between 0.4 and 1.0 microg/kg, LOQ values were in the range 1-4 microg/kg, recovery was between 81 and 115%, intraday and interday precision were always lower than 17% (expressed as RSD), and expanded uncertainty was always lower than 40%. The validation was accomplished for the two studied matrixes at spiking concentrations of 0.011 and 0.050 mg/kg. The method has been applied to the analysis of 30 cucumber and orange samples that were found to contain concentrations of BAC-12 that ranged between 0.015 and 0.210 mg/kg and of BAC-14 between 0.018 and 0.081 mg/kg.

A statistical approach to determine fluxapyroxad and its three metabolites in soils, sediment and sludge based on a combination of chemometric tools and a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method.

PubMed

Li, Shasha; Liu, Xingang; Zhu, Yulong; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Li, Minmin; Zheng, Yongquan

2014-09-05

An effective method for the quantification of fluxapyroxad and its three metabolites in soils, sediment and sludge was developed using ultrahigh performance chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Both the extraction and clean-up steps of the QuEChERS procedure were optimised using a chemometric tool, which was expected to facilitate the rapid analysis with minimal procedures. Several operating parameters (MeCN/acetic acid ratio in the extraction solution (i.e., acetic acid percentage), water volume, extraction time, PSA amount, C18 amount, and GCB amount) were investigated using a Plackett-Burman (P-B) screening design. Afterward, the significant factors (acetic acid percentage, water volume, and PSA amount) obtained were optimised using central composite design (CCD) combined with the desirability function (DF) to determine the optimum experimental conditions. The optimised procedure provides high-level linearity for all studied compounds with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.9972 and 0.9999. The detection limits were in the range of 0.1 to 1.0μg/kg and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were between 0.5 and 3.4μg/kg with relative standard deviations (RSD) between 2.3% and 9.6% (n=6). Therefore, the developed protocol can serve as a simple and sensitive tool for monitoring fluxapyroxad and its three metabolites in soil, sediment and sludge samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization for quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe extraction of mycotoxins and veterinary drugs by response surface methodology for application to egg and milk.

PubMed

Zhou, Jian; Xu, Jiao-Jiao; Cong, Jin-Mi; Cai, Zeng-Xuan; Zhang, Jing-Shun; Wang, Jun-Lin; Ren, Yi-Ping

2018-01-12

A multiclass method was proposed for the simultaneous determination of various classes of veterinary drugs (n = 65), mycotoxins and metabolites (n = 39) in egg and milk by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The contaminants were extracted by QuEChERS-based strategy including salt-out partitioning and dispersive solid-phase extraction for cleanup further. With the aim of maximizing throughput and extraction efficiency, Plackett-Burman design was employed initially for screening significant variables. And response surface methodology based on central composite design was conducted to achieve optimal conditions in details: 3.35% (v/v) of formic acid in acetonitrile, 1.2 g of NaCl, 0.5 g of anhydrous NaAc, 300 mg of C18 and 140 mg of primary secondary amine. Satisfactory analytical characteristics in validation, in aspects of accuracy (70%-105% for mycotoxins and quinolones, 55%-80% for sulphonamides and 40%-105% for other veterinary drugs), precision (inter-day RSDs < 14%) and sensitivity (LOQs ranged from 0.01 μg/kg to 31 μg/kg), were achieved under the optimized conditions. The matrix effects were evaluated and compensated by the use of matrix-matched calibration curves (R 2  > 0.987). In practice, 45 eggs and 30 milk samples were investigated by the established method, of which positive finding aflatoxin in milk and sterigmatocystin in eggs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trace analysis of three fungicides in animal origin foods with a modified QuEChERS method and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Mu, Zhaobin; Feng, Xiaoxiao; Zhang, Yun; Zhang, Hongyan

2016-02-01

A multi-residue method based on modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) sample preparation, followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), was developed and validated for the determination of three selected fungicides (propiconazole, pyraclostrobin, and isopyrazam) in seven animal origin foods. The overall recoveries at the three spiking levels of 0.005, 0.05, and 0.5 mg kg(-1) spanned between 72.3 and 101.4% with relative standard deviation (RSD) values between 0.7 and 14.9%. The method shows good linearity in the concentrations between 0.001 and 1 mg L(-1) with the coefficient of determination (R (2)) value >0.99 for each target analyte. The limit of detections (LODs) for target analytes were between 0.04 and 1.26 μg kg(-1), and the limit of quantifications (LOQs) were between 0.13 and 4.20 μg kg(-1). The matrix effect for each individual compound was evaluated through the study of ratios of the areas obtained in solvent and matrix standards. The optimized method provided a negligible matrix effect for propiconazole within 20%, whereas for pyraclostrobin and isopyrazam, the matrix effect was relatively significant with a maximum value of 49.8%. The developed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of 210 animal origin samples obtained from 16 provinces of China. The results suggested that the developed method was satisfactory for trace analysis of three fungicides in animal origin foods.

Determination of pesticides in sewage sludge from an agro-food industry using QuEChERS extraction followed by analysis with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Ponce-Robles, Laura; Rivas, Gracia; Esteban, Belen; Oller, Isabel; Malato, Sixto; Agüera, Ana

2017-10-01

An analytical method was developed and validated for the determination of ten pesticides in sewage sludge coming from an agro-food industry. The method was based on the application of Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction for solid sewage sludge and SPE extraction for sludge aqueous phase, followed by liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to hybrid quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometry (QqLIT-MS). The QuEChERS method was reported 14 years ago and nowadays is mainly applied to the analysis of pesticides in food. More recent applications have been reported in other matrices as sewage sludge, but the complexity of the matrix makes necessary the optimization of the cleanup step to improve the efficiency of the analysis. With this aim, several dispersive solid-phase extraction cleanup sorbents were tested, choosing C18 + PSA as a d-SPE sorbent. The proposed method was satisfactorily validated for most compounds investigated, showing recoveries higher than 80% in most cases, with the only exception of prochloraz (71%) at low concentration level. Limits of quantification were lower than 40 ng l -1 in the aqueous phase and below 40 ng g -1 in the solid phase for the majority of the analytes. The method was applied to solid sludge and the sludge aqueous phase coming from an agro-food industry which processes fruits and vegetables. Graphical abstract Application of LC/MS/MS advanced analytical techniques for determination of pesticides contained in sewage sludge.

Simple and fast analysis of tetrabromobisphenol A, hexabromocyclododecane isomers, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in serum using solid-phase extraction or QuEChERS extraction followed by tandem mass spectrometry coupled to HPLC and GC.

PubMed

Li, Jian; Chen, Tian; Wang, Yuwei; Shi, Zhixiong; Zhou, Xianqing; Sun, Zhiwei; Wang, Dejun; Wu, Yongning

2017-02-01

Two simplified sample preparation procedures for simultaneous extraction and clean-up of tetrabromobisphenol A, α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human serum were developed and validated. The first procedure was based on solid-phase extraction. Sample extraction, purification, and lipid removal were carried out directly on an Oasis HLB cartridge. The second procedure was a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe-based approach using octadecyl-modified silica particles as a sorbent. After sample extraction and cleanup, tetrabromobisphenol A/hexabromocyclododecane was separated from polybrominated diphenyl ethers by using a Si-based cartridge. Tetrabromobisphenol A and hexabromocyclododecane were then detected by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, while polybrominated diphenyl ethers were detected by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The results of the spike recovery test using fetal bovine serum showed that the average recoveries of the analytes ranged from 87.3 to 115.3% with relative standard deviations equal to or lower than 13.4 %. Limits of detection of the analytes were in the range of 0.4-19 pg/mL except for decabromodiphenyl ether. The developed method was successfully applied to routine analysis of human serum samples from occupational workers and the general population. Extremely high serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers levels up to 3.32 × 10 4 ng/g lipid weight were found in occupational workers. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

UV-filters and musk fragrances in seafood commercialized in Europe Union: Occurrence, risk and exposure assessment.

PubMed

Cunha, S C; Trabalón, L; Jacobs, S; Castro, M; Fernandez-Tejedor, M; Granby, K; Verbeke, W; Kwadijk, C; Ferrari, F; Robbens, J; Sioen, I; Pocurull, E; Marques, A; Fernandes, J O; Domingo, J L

2018-02-01

In the framework of the FP7 ECsafeSeafood project, 62 seafood samples commercialized in Europe Union from several representative species - mackerel, tuna, salmon, seabream, cod, monkfish, crab, shrimp, octopus, perch and plaice - were analysed for residues of 21 personal care products (PCPs), including 11 UV-filters (UV-Fs) and 10 musk fragrances (musks). PCPs analysis were performed by Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective Rugged, Safe (QuEChERS), combined with liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) or dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE), followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed the presence in a wide range of samples of nine out of eleven UV-Fs compounds analysed, namely 2-ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS), 2-ethylhexyl,4-methoxycinnamate (EHMC), 4-methylbenzylidenecamphor (4-MBC), benzophenone-1 (BP1), benzophenone-3 (BP3), isoamyl-4-methoxycinnamate (IMC), 2,2'-dihydroxy-4,4'-dimethoxybenzophenone (DHMB), homosalate (HS), and octocrylene (OC), whereas galaxolide (HHCB), galaxolide lactone (HHCB-lactone), and tonalide (AHTN) were the most found musks. The potential risks to human health associated with the exposure to eight of the more prevalent PCPs - EHS, EHMC, 4-MBC, BP1, BP3, IMC, HHCB, and AHTN - through seafood consumption were assessed for consumers from five European countries (Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain). Results showed that the human exposure to UV-Fs and musks estimated from the concentration values found in seafood and the daily consumption of concerned seafood species, were far below toxicological reference values. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of imidacloprid residues in fruits, vegetables, cereals, fruit juices, and baby foods, and daily intake estimation in and around Lucknow, India.

PubMed

Kapoor, Upasana; Srivastava, M K; Srivastava, Ashutosh Kumar; Patel, D K; Garg, Veena; Srivastava, L P

2013-03-01

A total of 250 samples-including fruits, fruit juices, and baby foods (50 samples each), vegetables (70 samples), and cereals (30 samples)-were collected from Lucknow, India, and analyzed for the presence of imidacloprid residues. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method of extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis were carried out, and imidacloprid residues were qualitatively confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Imidacloprid was not detected in samples of fruit juices and baby foods. It was, however, detected in 38 samples of fruits, vegetables, and cereals, which is about 15.20% of the total samples. Of samples of fruits, 22% showed the presence of imidacloprid, and 2% of samples showed residues above the maximal residue limit. Although imidacloprid was detected in 24% of vegetable samples, only 5.71% showed the presence of imidacloprid above the maximal residue limit. However, 33% of cereal samples showed the presence of imidacloprid, and about 3% of samples were above the maximal residue limit. The calculated estimated daily intake ranged between 0.004 and 0.131 µg/kg body weight, and the hazard indices ranged from 0.007 to 0.218 for these food commodities. It is therefore indicated that lifetime consumption of vegetables, fruits, fruit juices, baby foods, wheat, rice, and pulses may not pose a health hazard for the population of Lucknow because the hazard indices for imidacloprid residues were below one. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Simultaneous determination of three pesticide adjuvant residues in plant-derived agro-products using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Hui; Jiang, Zejun; Cao, Xiaolin; Su, Hang; Shao, Hua; Jin, Fen; Abd El-Aty, A M; Wang, Jing

2017-12-15

Herein, an accurate and reliable isotope-labelled internal standard method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of three polar pesticide adjuvants, namely 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone in plant-derived agro-products. Matrices, including apple, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, rice, and wheat were extracted with a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe "QuEChERS" method and purified with a new clean-up sorbent (Z-Sep). A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column (HILIC), exhibiting a lipophilic-hydrophilic character, was used to separate the three analytes over 10min using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Matrix effects in various matrices were evaluated and an isotope-labelled internal standard method was employed to compensate for ion enhancement/suppression effects. At three fortification levels (2.0, 5.0, and 20.0μg/kg), the mean recoveries ranged from 78.5 to 112.1% with relative standard deviations (RSDs)<11.0% for all tested analytes. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were 0.04-0.45 and 0.12-1.58μg/kg in various matrices, respectively. The developed experimental protocol was successfully applied to monitor different samples purchased from local markets in Beijing, China. In conclusion, the developed method exhibited both high sensitivity and satisfactory accuracy and is suitable for the simultaneous determination of the three tested pesticide adjuvant residues in agro-products of plant origin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trace analysis of multi-class pesticide residues in Chinese medicinal health wines using gas chromatography with electron capture detection

PubMed Central

Kong, Wei-Jun; Liu, Qiu-Tao; Kong, Dan-Dan; Liu, Qian-Zhen; Ma, Xin-Ping; Yang, Mei-Hua

2016-01-01

A method is described for multi-residue, high-throughput determination of trace levels of 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 5 pyrethroid pesticides (PYPs) in Chinese medicinal (CM) health wines using a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) based extraction method and gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Several parameters were optimized to improve preparation and separation time while still maintaining high sensitivity. Validation tests of spiked samples showed good linearities for 27 pesticides (R = 0.9909–0.9996) over wide concentration ranges. Limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were measured at ng/L levels, 0.06–2 ng/L and 0.2–6 ng/L for OCPs and 0.02–3 ng/L and 0.06–7 ng/L for PYPs, respectively. Inter- and intra-day precision tests showed variations of 0.65–9.89% for OCPs and 0.98–13.99% for PYPs, respectively. Average recoveries were in the range of 47.74–120.31%, with relative standard deviations below 20%. The developed method was then applied to analyze 80 CM wine samples. Beta-BHC (Benzene hexachloride) was the most frequently detected pesticide at concentration levels of 5.67–31.55 mg/L, followed by delta-BHC, trans-chlordane, gamma-BHC, and alpha-BHC. The validated method is simple and economical, with adequate sensitivity for trace levels of multi-class pesticides. It could be adopted by laboratories for this and other types of complex matrices analysis. PMID:26883080

Trace analysis of multi-class pesticide residues in Chinese medicinal health wines using gas chromatography with electron capture detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Wei-Jun; Liu, Qiu-Tao; Kong, Dan-Dan; Liu, Qian-Zhen; Ma, Xin-Ping; Yang, Mei-Hua

2016-02-01

A method is described for multi-residue, high-throughput determination of trace levels of 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 5 pyrethroid pesticides (PYPs) in Chinese medicinal (CM) health wines using a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) based extraction method and gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Several parameters were optimized to improve preparation and separation time while still maintaining high sensitivity. Validation tests of spiked samples showed good linearities for 27 pesticides (R = 0.9909-0.9996) over wide concentration ranges. Limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were measured at ng/L levels, 0.06-2 ng/L and 0.2-6 ng/L for OCPs and 0.02-3 ng/L and 0.06-7 ng/L for PYPs, respectively. Inter- and intra-day precision tests showed variations of 0.65-9.89% for OCPs and 0.98-13.99% for PYPs, respectively. Average recoveries were in the range of 47.74-120.31%, with relative standard deviations below 20%. The developed method was then applied to analyze 80 CM wine samples. Beta-BHC (Benzene hexachloride) was the most frequently detected pesticide at concentration levels of 5.67-31.55 mg/L, followed by delta-BHC, trans-chlordane, gamma-BHC, and alpha-BHC. The validated method is simple and economical, with adequate sensitivity for trace levels of multi-class pesticides. It could be adopted by laboratories for this and other types of complex matrices analysis.

Evaluation and prevention of the negative matrix effect of terpenoids on pesticides in apples quantification by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Giacinti, Géraldine; Raynaud, Christine; Capblancq, Sophie; Simon, Valérie

2017-02-03

The sample matrix can enhance the gas chromatography signal of pesticide residues relative to that obtained with the same concentration of pesticide in solvent. This paper is related to negative matrix effects observed in coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ion trap (GC/MS 2 ) quantification of pesticides in concentrated extracts of apple peel prepared by the Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) method. It is focused on the pesticides most frequently used on the apple varieties studied, throughout the crop cycle, right up to harvest, to combat pests and diseases and to improve fruit storage properties. Extracts from the fleshy receptacle (flesh), the epiderm (peel) and fruit of three apple varieties were studied by high-performance thin-layer chromatography hyphenated with UV-vis light detection (HPTLC/UV visible). The peel extracts had high concentrations of triterpenic acids (oleanolic and ursolic acids), reaching 25mgkg -1 , whereas these compounds were not detected in the flesh extracts (<0.05mgkg -1 ). A significant relationship has been found between the levels of these molecules and negative matrix effects in GC/MS 2 . The differences in the behavior of pesticides with respect to matrix effects can be accounted for by the physicochemical characteristics of the molecules (lone pairs, labile hydrogen, conjugation). The HPTLC/UV visible method developed here for the characterization of QuEChERS extracts acts as a complementary clean-up method, aimed to decrease the negative matrix effects of such extracts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Determination of three exogenous plant hormone residues in bean sprout by high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Xie, Hanbing; Zhou, Mingying; Zhao, Haifeng; Wang, Yigang; Jiang, Wanfeng; Zhao, Shan

2014-05-01

This study was aimed to the establishment of an analytical method for the determination of three exogenous plant hormone residues in bean sprout by high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The target compounds were gibberellins, 6-benzylaminopurine and parachlorophenoxyacetic acid. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method was used for sample preparation. The analytes were extracted with a solution containing 1% (v/v, if not specified) acetic, 50% ethanol, 49% acetonitrile, and cleaned-up by dispersive solid-phase extraction with diatomite dispersant, then degreased by hexane. The three target compounds were separated on an Eclipse Plus C18 column (100 mm x 3.0 mm, 1.8 microm) with mobile phases A (water containing 0.1% formic acid) and B (methanol) by gradient elution within 15 min, and detected under negative electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. The quantitative analysis was carried out by extracting the peak area with accurate mass. The confirmatory analysis of the target compounds was performed with the qualitative fragments. The results showed that the limits of quantification (LOQs, S/N = 10) for the three target compounds were from 5.0 microg/kg to 10 microg/kg. The respective mean recoveries were found to be in the range of 79.1%-96.1%, and the RSDs were 5.7%-10.4%. It was applicable to the analysis of the three exogenous plant hormones in bean sprout samples. This method is simple, fast and efficient.

Multiresidue analysis of 22 sulfonamides and their metabolites in animal tissues using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction and high resolution mass spectrometry (hybrid linear ion trap-Orbitrap).

PubMed

Abdallah, H; Arnaudguilhem, C; Jaber, F; Lobinski, R

2014-08-15

A new high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) method was developed for a simultaneous multi-residue analysis of 22 sulfonamides (SAs) and their metabolites in edible animal (pig, beef, sheep and chicken) tissues. Sample preparation was optimized on the basis of the "QuEChERS" protocol. The analytes were identified using their LC retention times and accurate mass; the identification was further confirmed by multi-stage high mass accuracy (<5ppm) mass spectrometry. The performance of the method was evaluated according to the EU guidelines for the validation of screening methods for the analysis of veterinary drugs residues. Acceptable values were obtained for: linearity (R(2)<0.99), limit of detection (LOD, 3-26μg/kg), limit of quantification (LOQ, 11-88μg/kg), accuracy (recovery 88-112%), intra- and inter-day precision 1-14 and 1-17%, respectively, decision limit (CCα) and detection capability (CCβ) around the maximum residue limits (MRL) of SAs (100μg/kg). The method was validated by analysis of a reference material FAPAS-02188 "Pig kidney" with ǀ Z-scoreǀ<0.63. The method was applied to various matrices (kidney, liver, muscle) originated from pig, beef, sheep, and chicken) allowing the simultaneous quantification of target sulfonamides at concentration levels above the MRL/2 and the identification of untargeted compounds such as N(4)-acetyl metabolites using multi-stage high mass accuracy mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contributing effect of various washing procedures and additives on the decline pattern of diethofencarb in crown daisy, a model of leafy vegetables.

PubMed

Kim, Sung-Woo; Abd El-Aty, A M; Choi, Jeong-Heui; Lee, Young-Jun; Lieu, Truong T B; Chung, Hyung Suk; Rahman, Md Musfiqur; Choi, Ok-Ja; Shin, Ho-Chul; Rhee, Gyu-Seek; Chang, Moon-Ik; Kim, Hee Jung; Shim, Jae-Han

2016-06-15

The effects of various washing procedures, including stagnant, running, and stagnant and running tap water, and the use of washing solutions and additives, namely NaCl (1% and 2%), vinegar (2%, 5%, and 10%), detergent (0.5% and 1%), and charcoal (1% and 2%), on the reduction rate of diethofencarb were estimated in field-incurred crown daisy, a model of leafy vegetables, grown under greenhouses located in 3 different areas (Gwangju, Naju, and Muan). The original Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe "QuEChERS" method was modified for extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was used for analysis. The recovery of diethofencarb in unwashed and washed samples was satisfactory and ranged between 84.28% and 115.32% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of <6%. The residual levels decreased following washing with stagnant, running, and stagnant+running tap water (i.e., decline in levels increased from 65.08% to 85.02%, 69.99 to 86.79, and 74.75 to 88.96, respectively). The percentage of decline increased and ranged from 77.46% to 91.19% following washing with various solutions. Application of 1% detergent was found to be the most effective washing method for reducing the residues in crown daisy. Additionally, washing with stagnant and running tap water or even stagnant water for 5 min might reduce the residue levels substantially, making the prepared food safe for human consumption. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical molecular farming: production of antibodies, biopharmaceuticals and edible vaccines in plants

PubMed Central

Daniell, Henry; Streatfield, Stephen J.; Wycoff, Keith

2017-01-01

The use of plants for medicinal purposes dates back thousands of years but genetic engineering of plants to produce desired biopharmaceuticals is much more recent. As the demand for biopharmaceuticals is expected to increase, it would be wise to ensure that they will be available in significantly larger amounts, on a cost-effective basis. Currently, the cost of biopharmaceuticals limits their availability. Plant-derived biopharmaceuticals are cheap to produce and store, easy to scale up for mass production, and safer than those derived from animals. Here, we discuss recent developments in this field and possible environmental concerns. PMID:11335175

[Self-treatment with baking soda can lead to severe metabolic alkalosis].

PubMed

Jensen, Sara; Skriver, Signe

2014-12-15

This case report describes a 66-year-old man, previously healthy besides mild hypertension. He ingested a self-made folk remedy consisting of baking soda and water against acid reflux in dosages that resulted in severe metabolic alkalosis (pH 7.8). Diagnosing and treating MA is easy and cheap, but if the condition is not treated, consequences can be severe. The challenge is to uncover patients' use of non prescription medications and folk remedies in the diagnostic process. Having this information it is possible to prevent MA in both high- and low-risk patients.

Simultaneous liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry determination of both polar and "multiresidue" pesticides in food using parallel hydrophilic interaction/reversed-phase liquid chromatography and a hybrid sample preparation approach.

PubMed

Robles-Molina, José; Gilbert-López, Bienvenida; García-Reyes, Juan F; Molina-Díaz, Antonio

2017-09-29

Pesticide testing of foodstuffs is usually accomplished with generic wide-scope multi-residue methods based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). However, this approach does not cover some special pesticides, the so called "single-residue method" compounds, that are hardly compatible with standard reversed-phase (RP) separations due to their specific properties. In this article, we propose a comprehensive strategy for the integration of single residue method compounds and standard multiresidue pesticides within a single run. It is based on the use of a parallel LC column assembly with two different LC gradients performing orthogonal hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase (RPLC) chromatography within one analytical run. Two sample aliquots were simultaneously injected on each column, using different gradients, being the eluents merged post-column prior to mass spectrometry detection. The approach was tested with 41 multiclass pesticides covering a wide range of physicochemical properties across several orders of log K ow (from -4 to +5.5). With this assembly, distinct separation from the void was attained for all the pesticides studied, keeping similar performance in terms of sensitivity, peak area reproducibility (<6 RSD% in most cases) and retention time stability of standard single column approaches (better than±0.1min). The application of the proposed approach using parallel HILIC/RPLC and RPLC/aqueous normal phase (Obelisc) were assessed in leek using LC-MS/MS. For this purpose, a hybrid QuEChERS (Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe)/QuPPe (quick method for polar pesticides) method was evaluated based on solvent extraction with MeOH and acetonitrile followed by dispersive solid-phase extraction, delivering appropriate recoveries for most of the pesticides included in the study within the log K ow in the range from -4 to +5.5. The proposed strategy may be extended to other fields such as sport drug testing or environmental analysis, where the same type of variety of analytes featuring poor retention within a single chromatographic separation occurs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Benefit from NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-10-12

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed a specially-designed nut, called the Quick-Connect Nut, for quick and easy assembly of components in the harsh environment of space, as in assembly of International Space Station. The design permits nuts to be installed simply by pushing them onto standard bolts, then giving a quick twist. To remove, they are unscrewed like conventional nuts. Possible applications include the mining industry for erecting support barriers, assembling underwater oil drilling platforms, fire-fighting equipment, scaffolding, assembly-line machinery, industrial cranes, and even changing lug nuts on race cars. The speed of assembly can make the difference between life and death in different aspects of life on Earth.

Towards an easy-to-use tuberculosis diagnosis through exhaled breath analysis: a liquid fluorimeter with an excitation at 265 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hue, J.; Dupoy, M.; Vignoud, S.; Ricaud, J. L.; Tran-Thi, T.; Karpe, S.; Novelli-Rousseau, A.; Mallard, F.

2013-03-01

The struggle against tuberculosis is one of the World Health Organization priorities. Identifying in a short time, patients with active tuberculosis, would bring a tremendous improvement to the current situation. Recovering from this infectious and deadly disease (2 million of death per year) is possible with a correct diagnosis to give an appropriate treatment. Unfortunately, most common tuberculosis diagnoses have few drawbacks: - skin tests: not reliable at 100% and need an incubation of 2 days before the diagnosis, - blood tests: costly and sophisticated technology, - chest X-ray: the first step before the sputum tests used for a bacterial culture with a final diagnosis given within 2 weeks. A tuberculosis test based on exhaled breath analysis is a prospective and noninvasive solution, cheap and easy to use and to transport. This test lies on a fluoregenic detection of niacin, a well-known mycobacterium tuberculosis specific metabolite. In this paper, it is assumed that the selected probe is specific to niacin and that exhaled breath does not contain any interfering species. To address this problem, a fluorimeter is developed with a cheap and cooled CCD ( 2k$) as a sensor, to easily determine the suitable "fluorescent zone". In comparing aqueous solutions with and without niacin, 250 pM of niacin have been detected. With a commercial fluorimeter (Fluorolog from Horiba), only 200 nM of niacin are detected. The present detection remains 10 times above the estimated targeted value for a tuberculosis test. The excitation source is a LED, which typically emits 20 °W at 265 nm through an optical fiber. The emission signal is detected around 545 nm. A typical light exposure lasts 700 seconds. Analysis of biomarkers with a liquid fluorimeter is generic and promising as health diagnosis.

Utilizing User Generated Content in the Creation of Land Ownership Boundaries for the Crofters of Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackaness, William; Duchateau, Rica; Cross, Jamie

2018-05-01

Land registration is important in land tenure security and often resolves land-related issues. Volunteered geographic information is a cheap and quick alternative to formal and traditional approaches to land registration. This research investigates the extent to which this tool is meaningful for land registration, with the Scottish crofting com- munity as a case study. CroftCappture was developed to record points along boundaries and save geotagged photo- graphs and descriptions. The project raised interesting questions over usability, functionality and accuracy, as well issues of privacy, crofting practices, digital competency, and highlighted the fractal nature of the digital divide.

An easy, rapid and inexpensive method to monitor tributyltin (TBT) toxicity in the laboratory.

PubMed

Cruz, Andreia; Moreira, Rafael; Mendo, Sónia

2014-05-01

Tributyltin (TBT) contamination remains a major problem worldwide. Many laboratories are committed to the development of remediation methodologies that could help reduce the negative impact of this compound in the environment. Furthermore, it is important to have at hand simple methodologies for evaluating TBT toxicity in the laboratory, besides the use of complex and costly analytical instrumentation. With that purpose, a method was adapted that is based on the inhibition of growth of an indicator strain, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341, under TBT. Different types of matrices, of TBT concentrations and sample treatments were tested. The results herein reported show that the bioassay method can be applied for both aqueous and soil samples and also for a high range of TBT concentrations (at least up to 500 μmol/L). Besides being cheap and easy to perform, it can be performed in any laboratory. Additionally, one possible application of the method to monitor TBT degradation is presented as an example.

Further interest of miniexon multiplex PCR for a rapid typing of Trypanosoma cruzi DTU groups.

PubMed

Aliaga, Claudia; Brenière, Simone Frédérique; Barnabé, Christian

2011-07-01

In order to validate a rapid typing of Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs, the miniexon multiplex PCR was tested for the first time, on a large and diversified sample of 70 strains belonging to all current DTUs (TcI to TcVI). Three DTU groups have been distinguished by specific PCR molecular weight, TcI (200bp), TcII, V, VI (250bp) and TcIII and IV (150bp) with no incorrect grouping. These groups are epidemiologically and genetically relevant; moreover the method is easy and cheap and allows direct identification of parasites from triatomine faeces. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Medicinal Effect of Nutraceutical Fruits for the Cognition and Brain Health

PubMed Central

Keservani, Raj K.; Sharma, Anil K.; Kesharwani, Rajesh K.

2016-01-01

The recent era is witnessing evaluation of medicinal and nutritional value of fruits and fruit juices for the management and prevention of brain diseases like headache stress, anxiety, hypertension, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases by the scientists and researchers worldwide. Fruits possess various chemicals such as antioxidants and polyphenols, which reduce and balance the effect of hormone in brain responsible for brain disease. Natural remedy is cheap, easily available, nontoxic, and easy to prepare and provides good mental health as compared to other remedies. The main objective of this review is to acknowledge medicinal benefits of fruits for the cognition and management of brain disease. PMID:26966612

Homodyne locking of a squeezer.

PubMed

Heurs, M; Petersen, I R; James, M R; Huntington, E H

2009-08-15

We report on the successful implementation of an approach to locking the frequencies of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO)-based squeezed-vacuum source and its driving laser. The technique allows the simultaneous measurement of the phase shifts induced by a cavity, which may be used for the purposes of frequency locking, as well as the simultaneous measurement of the sub-quantum-noise-limited (sub-QNL) phase quadrature output of the OPO. The homodyne locking technique is cheap, easy to implement, and has the distinct advantage that subsequent homodyne measurements are automatically phase locked. The homodyne locking technique is also unique in that it is a sub-QNL frequency discriminator.

"Nudges" to Prevent Behavioral Risk Factors Associated With Major Depressive Disorder.

PubMed

Woodend, Ashleigh; Schölmerich, Vera; Denktaş, Semiha

2015-11-01

Major depressive disorder-colloquially called "depression"-is a primary global cause of disability. Current preventive interventions, such as problem-solving therapy, are effective but also expensive. "Nudges" are easy and cheap interventions for altering behavior. We have explored how nudging can reduce three behavioral risk factors of depression: low levels of physical activity, inappropriate coping mechanisms, and inadequate maintenance of social ties. These nudges use cognitive biases associated with these behavioral risks, such as valuing the present more than the future, following the herd or the norm, making different choices in light of equivalent conditions, and deciding on the basis of salience or attachment to status quo.

Discussion on Comprehensive Utilization Value of Scutellaria Baicalensis Flower

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yagang; Miao, Mingsan

2018-01-01

The chemical constituents of Scutellaria baicalensis flower are flavonoids, volatile oils and melanin, It has anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti angiogenic and antithrombotic pharmacological effects, and it has the effect of clearing away heat and relieving lung fire. Scutellaria baicalensis flower is rich in resources, cheap, easy to obtain, accurate effect, With the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases. In this paper, the ancient application, chemical constituents, pharmacological actions and comprehensive utilization of Scutellaria baicalensis flower were reviewed, The purpose of this study was to explore the value of its development and utilization, so as to provide reference for the comprehensive utilization of Scutellaria baicalensis flower.

Physiological Capacities: Estimating an Athlete's Potential.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lemon, Peter W. R.

1982-01-01

Several simple performance tests are described for assessing an athlete's major energy-producing capabilities. The tests are suitable for mass screening because they are easy to administer, require no sophisticated equipment, and can be done quickly. Information for evaluating test results is included. (PP)

Switch on Micro*scope!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roland, Sarah; Bahr, Michele; Olendzenski, Lorraine; Patterson, David J.

2005-01-01

Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, have created micro*scope, a free, searchable knowledge environment for exploring the microbial world. Microbiology can easily be incorporated into the curriculum, because microbial communities are easy to access. Organisms grow quickly, making certain arrays of…

I ANIMATE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RAYMOND, JOSEPH

A COLLECTION OF MATERIALS IS PRESENTED TO AID STUDENTS IN LEARNING SPANISH. SPANISH IS PRESENTED IN UNITS RANGING FROM PROVERBS, RIDDLES, SONGS, ANECDOTES, SHORT-SHORT STORIES, TO SKITS FOR QUICK ASSIMILATION, EASY RETENTION, AND NORMAL UNCOMPLICATED CONVERSATION. SKILLS SOUGHT FOR ARE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, SPEAK, AND WRITE SPANISH. THE…

Multiclass mycotoxin analysis in edible oils using a simple solvent extraction method and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Eom, Taeyong; Cho, Hyun-Deok; Kim, Junghyun; Park, Mihee; An, Jinyoung; Kim, Moosung; Kim, Sheen-Hee; Han, Sang Beom

2017-11-01

A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of 11 mycotoxins - aflatoxins B 1 , B 2 , G 1 and G 2 ; fumonisins B 1 , B 2 and B 3 ; ochratoxin A; zearalenone; deoxynivalenol; and T-2 toxin - in edible oils was established using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In this study, QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe), QuEChERS with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, and solvent extraction were examined for sample preparation. Among these methods, solvent extraction with a mixture of formic acid/acetonitrile (5/95, v/v) successfully extracted all target mycotoxins. Subsequently, a defatting process using n-hexane was employed to remove the fats present in the edible oil samples. Mass spectrometry was carried out using electrospray ionisation in polarity switching mode with multiple reaction monitoring. The developed LC-MS/MS method was validated by assessing the specificity, linearity, recovery, limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy and precision with reference to Commission Regulation (EC) 401/2006. Mycotoxin recoveries of 51.6-82.8% were achieved in addition to LOQs ranging from 0.025 ng/g to 1 ng/g. The edible oils proved to be relatively uncomplicated matrices and the developed method was applied to 9 edible oil samples, including soybean oil, corn oil and rice bran oil, to evaluate potential mycotoxin contamination. The levels of detection were significantly lower than the international regulatory standards. Therefore, we expect that our developed method, based on simple, two-step sample preparation process, will be suitable for the large-scale screening of mycotoxin contamination in edible oils.

Variability of pesticide residues in cauliflower units collected from a field trial and market places in Greece.

PubMed

Prodhan, M D H; Papadakis, Emmanouil-N; Papadopoulou-Mourkidou, Euphemia

2016-09-01

To estimate the variability of pesticide residue levels present in cauliflower units, a total of 142 samples were collected from a field trial of a cooperative farmer, and 120 samples were collected from different market places in Thessaloniki, Greece. The collected samples were extracted using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction technique, and the residues were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The developed method was validated by evaluating the accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). The average recoveries for all the analytes, derived from the data of control samples fortified at 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mg/kg, ranged from 74 to 110% with a relative standard deviation of ≤8%. The correlation coefficient (R(2)) was ≥0.997 for all the analytes using matrix-matched calibration standards. The LOD values ranged from 0.001 to 0.003 mg/kg, and the LOQ was determined at 0.01 mg/kg for all the sought analytes. The matrix effect was found to be at a considerable level, especially for cypermethrin and deltamethrin, amounting to +90% and +145%, respectively. For the field samples, the unit-to-unit variability factors (VFs) calculated for cypermethrin and deltamethrin were 2.38 and 2.32, respectively, while the average VF for the market basket samples was 5.11. In the market basket samples, residues of cypermethrin, deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos, and indoxacarb were found at levels ≥LOQ and their respective VFs were 7.12, 5.67, 5.28, and 2.40.

Multi-class, multi-residue analysis of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and novel flame retardants in fish using fast, low-pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Sapozhnikova, Yelena; Lehotay, Steven J

2013-01-03

A multi-class, multi-residue method for the analysis of 13 novel flame retardants, 18 representative pesticides, 14 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 7 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in catfish muscle was developed and evaluated using fast low pressure gas chromatography triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LP-GC/MS-MS). The method was based on a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) extraction with acetonitrile and dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) clean-up with zirconium-based sorbent prior to LP-GC/MS-MS analysis. The developed method was evaluated at 4 spiking levels and further validated by analysis of NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) 1974B and 1947. Sample preparation for a batch of 10 homogenized samples took about 1h/analyst, and LP-GC/MS-MS analysis provided fast separation of multiple analytes within 9min achieving high throughput. With the use of isotopically labeled internal standards, recoveries of all but one analyte were between 70 and 120% with relative standard deviations less than 20% (n=5). The measured values for both SRMs agreed with certified/reference values (72-119% accuracy) for the majority of analytes. The detection limits were 0.1-0.5ng g(-1) for PCBs, 0.5-10ng g(-1) for PBDEs, 0.5-5ng g(-1) for select pesticides and PAHs and 1-10ng g(-1) for flame retardants. The developed method was successfully applied for analysis of catfish samples from the market. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Analysis of additives in dairy products by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Jia, Wei; Ling, Yun; Lin, Yuanhui; Chang, James; Chu, Xiaogang

2014-04-04

A new method combining QuEChERS with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap) was developed for the highly accurate and sensitive screening of 43 antioxidants, preservatives and synthetic sweeteners in dairy products. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation method for the determination of 42 different analytes in dairy products for the first time. After optimization, the maximum predicted recovery was 99.33% rate for aspartame under the optimized conditions of 10 mL acetionitrile, 1.52 g sodium acetate, 410 mg PSA and 404 mgC18. For the matrices studied, the recovery rates of the other 42 compounds ranged from 89.4% to 108.2%, with coefficient of variation <6.4%. UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap Mass full scan mode acquired full MS data was used to identify and quantify additives, and data-dependent scan mode obtained fragment ion spectra for confirmation. The mass accuracy typically obtained is routinely better than 1.5ppm, and only need to calibrate once a week. The 43 compounds behave dynamic in the range 0.001-1000 μg kg(-1) concentration, with correlation coefficient >0.999. The limits of detection for the analytes are in the range 0.0001-3.6 μg kg(-1). This method has been successfully applied on screening of antioxidants, preservatives and synthetic sweeteners in commercial dairy product samples, and it is very useful for fast screening of different food additives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pesticide residue evaluation in major staple food items of Ethiopia using the QuEChERS method: a case study from the Jimma Zone.

PubMed

Mekonen, Seblework; Ambelu, Argaw; Spanoghe, Pieter

2014-06-01

Samples of maize, teff, red pepper, and coffee (green bean and coffee bean with pulp) were collected from a local market in the Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Samples were analyzed for the occurrence of cypermethrin, permethrin, deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos ethyl, DTT and its metabolites, and endosulfan (α, β). In the analytical procedure, the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) extraction methodology with dispersive solid phase extraction clean up (d-SPE) technique was applied. Validation of the QuEChERS method was satisfactory. Recovery percentages of most pesticides were in the range of 70% to 120%, with good repeatability (%relative standard deviation < 20). The limit of detection and limit of quantification varied between 0.001 µg/g and 0.092 µg/g and between 0.002 µg/g and 0.307 µg/g, respectively. The main pesticides detected were DDT, endosulfan, cypermethrin, and permethrin. All of the pesticides analyzed were detected in red pepper and green coffee bean. Residues of DDT in coffee pulp significantly differed (p < 0.01) from other food items except for red pepper. The concentration of pesticides in the food items varied from 0.011 mg/kg to 1.115 mg/kg. All food items contained 1 or more pesticides. Two-thirds of the samples had residues below corresponding maximum residue limits, and the remaining one-third of samples were above the maximum residue limits. These results indicate the need for a good pesticide monitoring program to evaluate consumer risk for the Ethiopian people. © 2014 SETAC.

New sorbent in the dispersive solid phase extraction step of quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe for the extraction of organic contaminants in drinking water treatment sludge.

PubMed

Cerqueira, Maristela B R; Caldas, Sergiane S; Primel, Ednei G

2014-04-04

Recent studies have shown a decrease in the concentration of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PCPs) in water after treatment. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is that these compounds may adhere to the sludge; however, investigation of these compounds in drinking water treatment sludge has been scarce. The sludge generated by drinking water treatment plants during flocculation and decantation steps should get some special attention not only because it has been classified as non-inert waste but also because it is a very complex matrix, consisting essentially of inorganic (sand, argil and silt) and organic (humic substances) compounds. In the first step of this study, three QuEChERS methods were used, and then compared, for the extraction of pesticides (atrazine, simazine, clomazone and tebuconazole), pharmaceuticals (amitriptyline, caffeine, diclofenac and ibuprofen) and PCPs (methylparaben, propylparaben, triclocarban and bisphenol A) from drinking water treatment sludge. Afterwards, the study of different sorbents in the dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) step was evaluated. Finally, a new QuEChERS method employing chitin, obtained from shrimp shell waste, was performed in the d-SPE step. After having been optimized, the method showed limits of quantification (LOQ) between 1 and 50 μg kg(-1) and the analytical curves showed r values higher than 0.98, when liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was employed. Recoveries ranged between 50 and 120% with RSD≤15%. The matrix effect was evaluated and compensated with matrix-matched calibration. The method was applied to drinking water treatment sludge samples and methylparaben and tebuconazole were found in concentration

Temporal dynamics of the compositions and activities of soil microbial communities post-application of the insecticide chlorantraniliprole in paddy soils.

PubMed

Wu, Meng; Liu, Jia; Li, Weitao; Liu, Ming; Jiang, Chunyu; Li, Zhongpei

2017-10-01

Chlorantraniliprole (CAP) is a newly developed insecticide widely used in rice fields in China. There has been few studies evaluating the toxicological effects of CAP on soil-associated microbes. An 85-day microcosm experiment was performed to reveal the dissipation dynamics of CAP in three types of paddy soils in subtropical China. The effects of CAP on microbial activities (microbial biomass carbon-MBC, basal soil respiration-BSR, microbial metabolic quotient-qCO 2 , acid phosphatase and sucrose invertase activities) in the soils were periodically evaluated. Microbial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was used to evaluate the change of soil microbial community composition on day 14 and 50 of the experiment. CAP residues were extracted using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuChERS) method and quantification was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The half-lives (DT 50 ) of CAP were in the range of 41.0-53.0 days in the three soils. The results showed that CAP did not impart negative effects on MBC during the incubation. CAP inhibited BSR, qCO 2 , acid phosphatase and sucrose invertase activities in the first 14 days of incubation in all the soils. After day 14, the soil microbial parameters of CAP-treated soils became statistically at par with their controls. Principal component analysis (PCA) determining abundance of biomarker PLFAs indicated that the application of CAP significantly changed the compositions of microbial communities in all three paddy soils on day 14 but the compositions of soil microbial communities recovered by day 50. This study indicates that CAP does not ultimately impair microbial activities and microbial compositions of these three paddy soil types. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A multiresidue method for the analysis of 90 pesticides, 16 PAHs, and 22 PCBs in honey using QuEChERS-SPME.

PubMed

Al-Alam, Josephine; Fajloun, Ziad; Chbani, Asma; Millet, Maurice

2017-08-01

An optimized analytical method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 90 pesticides, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 22 polychlorinated biphenyls. The method was based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction using acetonitrile followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction cleanup using primary-secondary amine and octadecyl (C 18 ). The extract obtained was concentrated by evaporation and then reconstituted with acetonitrile to prepare it for chromatographic analysis by liquid chromatography-triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry, which was preceded by a preconcentration step using solid-phase microextraction with appropriate fibers. The combination of the two extraction steps ensured efficient extract cleanup. The use of the two analytical instruments allowed the analysis of a large number of pollutants with a high reliability rate. The method developed was validated for linearity, which was studied with use of matrix-matched calibration curves in the concentration range between 10 and 3000 ng g -1 . The correlation coefficient (R 2 ) obtained was higher than 0.98 for most of the target compounds, with a relative standard deviation lower than 20% for repeatability and reproducibility. The limits of detection and quantification were lower than 20 and 60 ng g -1 respectively for the compounds analyzed, and the recoveries were between 60% and 103% for most compounds. Finally, the method was tested for its efficiency on real samples by the analysis of three honey samples in which seven pesticides and nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Screening and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in seafoods using QuEChERS-based extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Gratz, Samuel R; Ciolino, Laura A; Mohrhaus, Angela S; Gamble, Bryan M; Gracie, Jill M; Jackson, David S; Roetting, John P; McCauley, Heather A; Heitkemper, Douglas T; Fricke, Fred L; Krol, Walter J; Arsenault, Terri L; White, Jason C; Flottmeyer, Michele M; Johnson, Yoko S

2011-01-01

A rapid, sensitive, and accurate method for the screening and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible seafood is described. The method uses quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based extraction and HPLC with fluorescence detection (FLD). The method was developed and validated in response to the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Rapid and highly sensitive PAH screening methods are critical tools needed for oil spill response; they help to assess when seafood is safe for harvesting and consumption. Sample preparation involves SPE of edible seafood portions with acetonitrile, followed by the addition of salts to induce water partitioning. After centrifugation, a portion of the acetonitrile layer is filtered prior to analysis via HPLC-FLD. The chromatographic method uses a polymeric C18 stationary phase designed for PAH analysis with gradient elution, and it resolves 15 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority parent PAHs in fewer than 20 min. The procedure was validated in three laboratories for the parent PAHs using spike recovery experiments at PAH fortification levels ranging from 25 to 10 000 microg/kg in oysters, shrimp, crab, and finfish, with recoveries ranging from 78 to 99%. Additional validation was conducted for a series of alkylated homologs of naphthalene, dibenzothiophene, and phenanthrene, with recoveries ranging from 87 to 128%. Method accuracy was further assessed based on analysis of National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 1974b. The method provides method detection limits in the sub to low ppb (microg/kg) range, and practical LOQs in the low ppb (microg/kg) range for most of the PAH compounds studied.

UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005-accredited method for the determination of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetable samples by LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Camino-Sánchez, F J; Zafra-Gómez, A; Oliver-Rodríguez, B; Ballesteros, O; Navalón, A; Crovetto, G; Vílchez, J L

2010-11-01

A rapid, simple and sensitive multi-residue method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification and confirmation of 69 pesticides in fruit and vegetables using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted following the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method known as QuEChERS. Mass spectrometric conditions were individually optimised for each analyte in order to achieve maximum sensitivity in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Using the developed chromatographic conditions, 69 pesticides can be separated in less than 17 min. Two selected reaction monitoring (SRM) assays were used for each pesticide to obtain simultaneous quantification and identification in one run. With this method in SRM mode, more than 150 pesticides can be analysed and quantified, but their confirmation is not possible in all cases according to the European regulations on pesticide residues. Nine common representative matrices (zucchini, melon, cucumber, watermelon, tomato, garlic, eggplant, lettuce and pepper) were selected to investigate the effect of different matrices on recovery and precision. Mean recoveries ranged from 70% to 120%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 20% for all the pesticides. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of more than 2000 vegetable samples from the extensive greenhouse cultivation in the province of Almeria, Spain, during one year. The methodology combines the advantages of both QuEChERS and LC-MS/MS producing a very rapid, sensitive, accurate and reliable procedure that can be applied in routine analytical laboratories. The method was validated and accredited according to UNE-EN-ISO/IEC 17025:2005 international standard (accreditation number 278/LE1027).

Dissipation, residues and risk assessment of spirotetramat and its four metabolites in citrus and soil under field conditions by LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Zhang, Qingtao; Chen, Yuling; Wang, Shouyi; Yu, Yurong; Lu, Ping; Hu, Deyu; Yang, Zaihui

2018-04-01

A modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) method for the simultaneous determination of spirotetramat and its four metabolite residues in citrus, peel, pulp and soil was developed and validated by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted with acetonitrile (1%, glacial acetic acid, v/v) and purified using primary secondary amine and octadecylsilane. The limit of detection was 0.01-0.13 mg/kg, whereas that of quantification was 0.02-0.40 mg/kg for spirotetramat and its metabolites. The average recoveries of spirotetramat, spirotetramat-enol, spirotetramat-mono-hydroxy, spirotetramat-enol-glucoside and spirotetramat-ketohydroxy in all matrices were 73.33-107.91%, 75.93-114.85%, 76.44-100.78%, 71.46-103.19% and 73.08-105.27%, respectively, with relative standard deviations < 12.32%. The dissipation dynamics of spirotetramat in citrus and soil followed first-order kinetics, with half-lives of 2.3-8.5 days in the three sampling locations. The terminal residues of spirotetramat in four matrices at the three locations were measured below the 1.0 mg/kg maximum residue limit set by China, and residues were found to be concentrated on the peel. The risk assessment of citrus was evaluated using risk quotients. The risk quotient values were found to be significantly <1, suggesting that the risk to human health was negligible when using the recommended doses of spirotetramat in citrus. These results could provide guidance for the safe and proper application of spirotetramat in citrus in China. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Occurrence, profile and spatial distribution of UV-filters and musk fragrances in mussels from Portuguese coastline.

PubMed

Castro, M; Fernandes, J O; Pena, A; Cunha, S C

2018-07-01

The increasing production and consumption of Personal Care Products (PCPs), containing UV-filters and musk fragrances, has led to its widespread presence in the aquatic environment which can cause harmful effects to the aquatic organisms due to its intrinsic toxicity. This study aims to evaluate the degree of contamination of wild mussels along the entire Portuguese coastline, continually exposed in their habitat to different contaminants. For this purpose, approximately 1000 mussel specimens were sampled during one year in seven different locations, along the Portuguese coastline. Simultaneous quantification of five UV-filters and seven musks in mussels was achieved by a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction procedure combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Ten out of the twelve target analytes were found in the analysed samples, highlighting the presence of AHTN (tonalide), EHS (2-ethylhexylsalicylate) and EHMC (2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate) in all positive samples (93%). Overall, the results obtained indicate a widespread contamination of wild mussels along Portuguese coastline, all over the year. UV-filters were more frequently detected (90%) than musk fragrances (70%) and also quantified at higher levels, with average total concentrations reaching 1155.8 ng/g (dw) against 397.7 ng/g (dw) respectively. A high correlation was observed between the most densely populated and industrialized locations and the higher levels of musks and UV-filters found. In other hand, lower levels of PCPs were found in protected areas. As expected, an increase in UV-filters levels was observed after the summer, likely due to the intense period of recreational activities. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cold-induced aqueous acetonitrile phase separation: A salt-free way to begin quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe.

PubMed

Shao, Gang; Agar, Jeffrey; Giese, Roger W

2017-07-14

Cooling a 1:1 (v/v) solution of acetonitrile and water at -16° C is known to result in two clear phases. We will refer to this event as "cold-induced aqueous acetonitrile phase separation (CIPS)". On a molar basis, acetonitrile is 71.7% and 13.6% in the upper and lower phases, respectively, in our study. The phase separation proceeds as a descending cloud of microdroplets. At the convenient temperature (typical freezer) employed here the lower phase is rather resistant to solidification, although it emerges from the freezer as a solid if various insoluble matter is present at the outset. In a preliminary way, we replaced the initial (salting-out) step of a representative QuEChERS procedure with CIPS, applying this modified procedure ("CIPS-QuEChERS") to a homogenate of salmon (and partly to beef). Three phases resulted, where only the upper, acetonitrile-rich phase is a liquid (that is completely clear). The middle phase comprises ice and precipitated lipids, while the lower phase is the residual matrix of undissolved salmon or meat. Treating the upper phase from salmon, after isolation, with anhydrous MgSO 4 and C18-Si (typical QuEChERS dispersive solid phase extraction sorbents), and injecting into a GC-MS in a nontargeted mode, gives two-fold more preliminary hits for chemicals, and also number of spiked pesticides recovered, relative to that from a comparable QuEChERS method. In part, this is because of much higher background signals in the latter case. Further study of CIPS-QuEChERS is encouraged, including taking advantage of other QuERChERS conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of steroid hormones and their metabolite in several types of meat samples by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

López-García, Marina; Romero-González, Roberto; Garrido Frenich, Antonia

2018-03-09

A new analytical method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (Orbitrap-HRMS) has been developed for the determination of steroid hormones (hydrocortisone, cortisone, progesterone, prednisone, prednisolone, testosterone, melengesterol acetate, hydrocortisone-21-acetate, cortisone-21-acetate, testosterone propionate, 17α-methyltestosterone, 6α-methylprednisolone and medroxyprogesterone) and their metabolite (17α-hydroxyprogesterone) in three meat samples (chicken, pork and beef). Two different extraction approaches were tested (QuEChERS "quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe" and "dilute and shoot"), observing that the QuEChERS method provided the best results in terms of recovery. A clean-up step was applied comparing several sorbents, obtaining the best results when florisil and aluminum oxide were used. The optimized method was validated, obtaining suitable results for all validation parameters in the three meat matrices evaluated. Recovery values ranged from 70% to 103% (except for prednisone in beef samples), meanwhile repeatability and reproducibility were obtained at values lower than 18% and 21%, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was established for most of the compounds at 1.0 μg/kg, except for testosterone in chicken and hydrocortisone-21-acetate and cortisone-21-acetate in pork at 2.0 μg/kg. Decision limit (CCα) and detection capability (CCβ) values ranged from 1.0-2.7 μg/kg and 1.9-5.5 μg/kg, respectively, in the three matrices. Finally, thirty one meat samples were analyzed and two hormones, progesterone and hydrocortisone, were detected in a beef and pork sample at 1.7 and 2.8 μg/kg respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of a QuEChERS based liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of multiple mycotoxins in spices.

PubMed

Yogendrarajah, Pratheeba; Van Poucke, Christof; De Meulenaer, Bruno; De Saeger, Sarah

2013-07-05

A reliable and rapid method for the determination of multiple mycotoxins was developed using a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) based extraction procedure in highly pigmented and complex spice matrices, namely red chilli (Capsicum annum ssp.), black and white pepper (Piper nigrum ssp.). High-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used for the quantification and confirmation of 17 chemically diversified mycotoxins. Different extraction procedures were studied and optimized in order to obtain better recoveries. Mycotoxins were extracted from the hydrated spices using acidified acetonitrile (1% formic acid), followed by partitioning with NaCl and anhydrous MgSO4; excluding the use of dispersive-solid phase extraction. Significant matrix effect was compensated using the matrix matched calibration curves. Electrospray ionization at positive mode was applied to simultaneously detect all the mycotoxins in a single run time of 20min. Multiple reaction monitoring mode, choosing at least two abundant fragment ions per analyte was applied. Coefficients of determination obtained were in the range of 0.9844-0.9997. Recoveries (ranging from 75% to 117%) were in accordance with the performance criteria required by the European Commission. Intra-day reproducibility ranged from 4% to 22% for most of the mycotoxins. The limit of quantification ranged from 2.3 to 146μgkg(-1). The validated method was finally applied to screen mycotoxins in ten of each spice matrix. Aflatoxins, ochratoxin, fumonisins, sterigmatocystin and citrinin were among the detected analytes. Positive findings were further confirmed using relative ion intensities. The potentiality of the method to be used for confirmatory purposes according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC was assessed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry for the analysis of 451 pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables: method development and validation.

PubMed

Wang, Jian; Chow, Willis; Chang, James; Wong, Jon W

2014-10-22

This paper presents an application of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap MS) for the determination of 451 pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. Pesticides were extracted from samples using the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) procedure. UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap MS in full MS scan mode acquired full MS data for quantification, and UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap Full MS/dd-MS(2) (i.e., data-dependent scan mode) obtained product ion spectra for identification. UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap MS quantification was achieved using matrix-matched standard calibration curves along with the use of isotopically labeled standards or a chemical analogue as internal standards to achieve optimal method accuracy. The method performance characteristics include overall recovery, intermediate precision, and measurement uncertainty evaluated according to a nested experimental design. For the 10 matrices studied, 94.5% of the pesticides in fruits and 90.7% in vegetables had recoveries between 81 and 110%; 99.3% of the pesticides in fruits and 99.1% of the pesticides in vegetables had an intermediate precision of ≤20%; and 97.8% of the pesticides in fruits and 96.4% of the pesticides in vegetables showed measurement uncertainty of ≤50%. Overall, the UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap MS demonstrated acceptable performance for the quantification of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. The UHPLC/ESI Q-Orbitrap Full MS/dd-MS(2) along with library matching showed great potential for identification and is being investigated further for routine practice.

Validation of QuEChERS analytical technique for organochlorines and synthetic pyrethroids in fruits and vegetables using GC-ECD.

PubMed

Dubey, J K; Patyal, S K; Sharma, Ajay

2018-03-19

In the present day scenario of increasing awareness and concern about the pesticides, it is very important to ensure the quality of data being generated in pesticide residue analysis. To impart confidence in the products, terms like quality assurance and quality control are used as an integral part of quality management. In order to ensure better quality of results in pesticide residue analysis, validation of analytical methods to be used is extremely important. Keeping in view the importance of validation of method, the validation of QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) a multiresidue method for extraction of 13 organochlorines and seven synthetic pyrethroids in fruits and vegetables followed by GC ECD for quantification was done so as to use this method for analysis of samples received in the laboratory. The method has been validated as per the Guidelines issued by SANCO (French words Sante for Health and Consommateurs for Consumers) in accordance with their document SANCO/XXXX/2013. Various parameters analyzed, viz., linearity, specificity, repeatability, reproducibility, and ruggedness were found to have acceptable values with a per cent RSD of less than 10%. Limit of quantification (LOQ) for the organochlorines was established to be 0.01 and 0.05 mg kg -1 for the synthetic pyrethroids. The uncertainty of the measurement (MU) for all these compounds ranged between 1 and 10%. The matrix-match calibration was used to compensate the matrix effect on the quantification of the compounds. The overall recovery of the method ranged between 80 and 120%. These results demonstrate the applicability and acceptability of this method in routine estimation of pesticide residues of these 20 pesticides in the fruits and vegetables by the laboratory.

Risk of DDT residue in maize consumed by infants as complementary diet in southwest Ethiopia.

PubMed

Mekonen, Seblework; Lachat, Carl; Ambelu, Argaw; Steurbaut, Walter; Kolsteren, Patrick; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Wondafrash, Mekitie; Houbraken, Michael; Spanoghe, Pieter

2015-04-01

Infants in Ethiopia are consuming food items such as maize as a complementary diet. However, this may expose infants to toxic contaminants like DDT. Maize samples were collected from the households visited during a consumption survey and from markets in Jimma zone, southwestern Ethiopia. The residues of total DDT and its metabolites were analyzed using the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) method combined with dispersive solid phase extraction cleanup (d-SPE). Deterministic and probabilistic methods of analysis were applied to determine the consumer exposure of infants to total DDT. The results from the exposure assessment were compared with the health based guidance value in this case the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI). All maize samples (n=127) were contaminated by DDT, with a mean concentration of 1.770 mg/kg, which was far above the maximum residue limit (MRL). The mean and 97.5 percentile (P 97.5) estimated daily intake of total DDT for consumers were respectively 0.011 and 0.309 mg/kg bw/day for deterministic and 0.011 and 0.083 mg/kg bw/day for probabilistic exposure assessment. For total infant population (consumers and non-consumers), the 97.5 percentile estimated daily intake were 0.265 and 0.032 mg/kg bw/day from the deterministic and probabilistic exposure assessments, respectively. Health risk estimation revealed that, the mean and 97.5 percentile for consumers, and 97.5 percentile estimated daily intake of total DDT for total population were above the PTDI. Therefore, in Ethiopia, the use of maize as complementary food for infants may pose a health risk due to DDT residue. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization and quantitation of yohimbine and its analogs in botanicals and dietary supplements using LC/QTOF-MS and LC/QQQ-MS for determination of the presence of bark extract and yohimbine adulteration.

PubMed

Lucas, Derick; Neal-Kababick, James; Zweigenbaum, Jerry

2015-01-01

The compound yohimbine HCl has been restricted in Australia and categorized as a scheduled prescription drug in other parts of the world, including the United States where it is monographed as a drug in the U. S. Pharmacopeia. However, the bark of the yohimbe plant and its extract is considered a botanical that can be used as a dietary supplement in some parts of the world. For these reasons, methods to characterize the indole alkaloids of the bark and quantify yohimbine and its analogs are presented using accurate mass LC/quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF)-MS and triple quadrupole LC/MS, respectively. Samples were extracted with a QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method to characterize and quantify the indole alkaloids. With the LC/QTOF-MS in auto MS/MS mode the indole alkaloids were identified, and the isomeric response of each could be used to determine whether the actual bark or extract was in samples of dietary supplements and not adulteration with yohimbine HCl. Analogs were identified and include yohimbic acid, methyl yohimbine, and hydroxyl yohimbine. Many isomers of each were also detected, but identified only by the number of chromatographic peaks. Quantification of yohimbine and ajmalicine spiked extracts showed recoveries of 99 to 103% with RSD of 3.6% or lower and LODs of less than 100 ppt. Calibration of the two standards gave r(2) = 0.9999 in a range from 0.1 to 100 ppb. Dietary supplements quantified for these two compounds showed a range from not detected to 3x the amounts found in the bark.

Multi-residue analysis of emerging pollutants in benthic invertebrates by modified micro-quick-easy-cheap-efficient-rugged-safe extraction and nanoliquid chromatography-nanospray-tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

PubMed

Berlioz-Barbier, Alexandra; Buleté, Audrey; Faburé, Juliette; Garric, Jeanne; Cren-Olivé, Cécile; Vulliet, Emmanuelle

2014-11-07

Aquatic ecosystems are continuously contaminated by agricultural and industrial sources. Although the consequences of this pollution are gradually becoming visible, their potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems are poorly known, particularly regarding the risk of bioaccumulation in different trophic levels. To establish a causality relationship between bioaccumulation and disease, experiments on biotic matrices must be performed. In this context, a multi-residue method for the analysis of 35 emerging pollutants in three benthic invertebrates (Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Gammarus fossarum, and Chironomus riparius) has been developed. Because the variation in response of each individual must be taken into account in ecotoxicological studies, the entire analytical chain was miniaturised, thereby reducing the required sample size to a minimum of one individual and scaling the method accordingly. A new extraction strategy based on a modified, optimised and miniaturised "QuEChERS" approach is reported. The procedure involves salting out liquid-liquid extraction of approximately 10-20mg of matrix followed by nano-liquid chromatography-nano electospray ionisation coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The validated analytical procedure exhibited recoveries between 40 and 98% for all the target compounds and enabled the determination of pollutants on an individual scale in the ng g(-1) concentration. The method was subsequently applied to determine the levels of target analytes in several encaged organisms which were exposed upstream and downstream of an effluent discharge. The results highlighted a bioaccumulation of certain targeted emerging pollutants in three freshwater invertebrates, as well as inter-species differences. 18 out of 35 compounds were detected and eight were quantified. The highest concentrations were measured for ibuprofen in G. fossarum, reaching up to 105 ng g(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Volatile methylsiloxanes in personal care products - Using QuEChERS as a "green" analytical approach.

PubMed

Capela, Daniela; Homem, Vera; Alves, Arminda; Santos, Lúcia

2016-08-01

Organosiloxanes, namely volatile methylsiloxanes (VMSs) are one of the most relevant classes of ingredients incorporated in personal care products (PCPs), such as creams and lotions, bath soaps and hair care products. Their use has caused concern among the scientific community due to their potential toxic behaviour to human health and environment. This manuscript reports the first application of QuEChERS ("Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe") extraction followed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry analysis to determine VMSs in cosmetics and personal care products. Eight VMSs, four linear (L2-L5) and four cyclic (D3-D6) were investigated in 36 samples. The validated method was able to remove the interfering matrix components, conducting to high recovery percentages (74-104%) and low relative standard deviations (<18%). A linear behaviour was observed in the range of 0.005-2.50mgL(-1) (correlation coefficient, R(2)>0.996) and limits of detection ranged from 0.17ngg(-1) (L2) to 3.75ngg(-1) (L5). Matrix effects were also investigated for all analysed compounds and matrices and showed not to be significant. Global uncertainty of the proposed methodology was also estimated using a bottom-up approach being between 5% and 35% (on average). Finally, the method was satisfactorily applied to the analysis of 36 personal care products. As expected, results showed the existence of VMSs in all analysed samples in concentrations up to 754µgg(-1). D4 and D5 were more frequently detected while body moisturizers, facial creams and shampoos showed the highest levels of VMSs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of pharmaceutical adulterants in plant food supplements by UHPLC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Paíga, Paula; Rodrigues, Manuela J E; Correia, Manuela; Amaral, Joana S; Oliveira, M Beatriz P P; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

2017-03-01

A method based on the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was successfully developed and validated for the analysis of 26 pharmaceutical compounds belonging to different therapeutic classes (anorexics, stimulants, anxiolytics, antidepressants and laxatives), which are all prone to be illegally added into weight-loss plant food supplements (PFS) for their pharmacological activity. Internal standard calibration with six isotopically labelled compounds rendered good linearity in the range of 5 to 1000μg/l, depending on the compound, and good sensitivity with limits of quantification in the range of 0.02-9.80μg/l. Recoveries were assessed for all the 16 samples analysed and were found between 70% and 120% for over 90% of the analytes. The average recovery value was 90.8%, for the different studied matrices (liquids, liquid ampoules, tablets and capsules), with RSD values lower than 10% for all forms. The changes introduced to the QuEChERS procedure maintained the good performance characteristics of the extraction method while preserving the chromatographic system for the introduction of unwanted matrix compounds. Synephrine was the only compound detected and quantified in one sample, but at a very low concentration (768μg/l) and its presence may be due to the plant extracts used in the formulation, as synephrine is known to be a natural constituent of Citrus aurantium amara. Despite none of the 16 evaluated samples were found to be adulterated by the illegal addition of the drugs included in this work, the developed methodology can be very useful for monitoring the adulteration of weight-loss PFS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of ammonium formate in QuEChERS for high-throughput analysis of pesticides in food by fast, low-pressure gas chromatography and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

González-Curbelo, Miguel Ángel; Lehotay, Steven J; Hernández-Borges, Javier; Rodríguez-Delgado, Miguel Ángel

2014-09-05

The "quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe" (QuEChERS) approach to sample preparation is widely applied in pesticide residue analysis, but the use of magnesium sulfate and other nonvolatile compounds for salting out in the method is not ideal for mass spectrometry. In this study, we developed and evaluated three new different versions of the QuEChERS method using more volatile salts (ammonium chloride and ammonium formate and acetate buffers) to induce phase separation and extraction of 43 representative pesticide analytes of different classes. Fast low-pressure gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LPGC-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS were used for analysis. The QuEChERS AOAC Official Method 2007.01 was also tested for comparison purposes. Of the studied methods, formate buffering using 7.5g of ammonium formate and 15mL of 5% (v/v) formic acid in acetonitrile for the extraction of 15g of sample (5g for wheat grain) provided the best performance and practical considerations. Method validation was carried out with and without the use of dispersive solid-phase extraction for cleanup, and no significant differences were observed for the majority of pesticides. The method was demonstrated in quantitative analysis for GC- and LC-amenable pesticides in 4 representative food matrices (apple, lemon, lettuce, and wheat grain). With the typical exceptions of certain pH-dependent and labile pesticides, 90-110% recoveries and <10% RSD were obtained. Detection limits were mostly <5ng/g, which met the general need to determine pesticide concentrations as low as 10ng/g for monitoring purposes in food applications. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Optimizing Reasonableness, Critical Thinking, and Cyberspace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ikuenobe, Polycarp

2003-01-01

In this paper, the author argues that the quantity, superabundance of information, easy availability, and quick access to information in cyberspace may engender critical thinking and the optimization of reasonableness. This point is different from, but presupposes, the commonplace view that critical thinking abilities, criteria, processes, and…

Nutrition Education Needs Pantry Clients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Dolores K.; Shultz, Jill Armstrong; Edlefsen, Miriam; Butkus, Sue N.

2007-01-01

Two food pantries were surveyed for nutrition education (NE) interests and experiences. One site provided nutrition education classes; the comparison site was utilized to assess client interest in class topics. "Fixing low cost meals," "fixing quick and easy recipes," and "stretching food and food dollars" were topics…

Quickly Creating Interactive Astronomy Illustrations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slater, Timothy F.

2015-01-01

An innate advantage for astronomy teachers is having numerous breathtaking images of the cosmos available to capture students' curiosity, imagination, and wonder. Internet-based astronomy image libraries are numerous and easy to navigate. The Astronomy Picture of the Day, the Hubble Space Telescope image archive, and the NASA Planetary…

Handheld Diagnostic Device Delivers Quick Medical Readings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2014-01-01

To monitor astronauts' health remotely, Glenn Research Center awarded SBIR funding to Cambridge, Massachusetts-based DNA Medical Institute, which developed a device capable of analyzing blood cell counts and a variety of medical biomarkers. The technology will prove especially useful in rural areas without easy access to labs.

78 FR 66698 - Pesticides; Repellency Awareness Graphic; Notice of Availability

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-06

... information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure... products for quick and easy identification by the consumer. Prototypes of this graphic were presented to... from several key stakeholder groups. Starting in May 2012, EPA presented the concept, draft guidance...

Digital Badges--Rewards for Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shields, Rebecca; Chugh, Ritesh

2017-01-01

Digital badges are quickly becoming an appropriate, easy and efficient way for educators, community groups and other professional organisations, to exhibit and reward participants for skills obtained in professional development or formal and informal learning. This paper offers an account of digital badges, how they work and the underlying…

Getting SaaS-y. Why the sisters of Mercy Health System opted for on-demand portfolio management.

PubMed

Carter, Jay

2011-03-01

Sisters of Mercy Health System chose the SaaS model as a simpler way to plan, execute, and monitor strategic business initiatives. It also provided something that was easy to use and offered quick time to value.

Preliminary pharmaceutical development of antimalarial–antibiotic cotherapy as a pre-referral paediatric treatment of fever in malaria endemic areas

PubMed Central

Gaubert, Alexandra; Kauss, Tina; Marchivie, Mathieu; Ba, Boubakar B.; Lembege, Martine; Fawaz, Fawaz; Boiron, Jean-Michel; Lafarge, Xavier; Lindegardh, Niklas; Fabre, Jean-Louis; White, Nicholas J.; Olliaro, Piero L.; Millet, Pascal; Gaudin, Karen

2014-01-01

Artemether (AM) plus azithromycin (AZ) rectal co-formulations were studied to provide pre-referral treatment for children with severe febrile illnesses in malaria-endemic areas. The target profile required that such product should be cheap, easy to administer by non-medically qualified persons, rapidly effective against both malaria and bacterial infections. Analytical and pharmacotechnical development, followed by in vitro and in vivo evaluation, were conducted for various AMAZ coformulations. Of the formulations tested, stability was highest for dry solid forms and bioavailability for hard gelatin capsules; AM release from AMAZ rectodispersible tablet was suboptimal due to a modification of its micro-crystalline structure. PMID:24726300

“Nudges” to Prevent Behavioral Risk Factors Associated With Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Schölmerich, Vera; Denktaş, Semiha

2015-01-01

Major depressive disorder—colloquially called “depression”—is a primary global cause of disability. Current preventive interventions, such as problem-solving therapy, are effective but also expensive. “Nudges” are easy and cheap interventions for altering behavior. We have explored how nudging can reduce three behavioral risk factors of depression: low levels of physical activity, inappropriate coping mechanisms, and inadequate maintenance of social ties. These nudges use cognitive biases associated with these behavioral risks, such as valuing the present more than the future, following the herd or the norm, making different choices in light of equivalent conditions, and deciding on the basis of salience or attachment to status quo. PMID:26378823

Cholesterol biosensor based on a plastic optical fibre with sol-gel: structural analysis and sensing properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razo-Medina, D. A.; Trejo-Durán, M.; Alvarado-Méndez, E.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we report the design and characterization of an optical fibre cholesterol biosensor by using sol-gel immobilization technique. The cholesterol enzyme is encapsulated inside of the sol-gel film onto an end of a plastic optical fibre. Two film deposition methods (Dip-Coating and Immersion) were studied. The morphology analysis and sensing properties permit us to determine the best film deposition to sense cholesterol concentration. The range of measured is 4.4-5.2 mM in real time and our results were validated by comparing them with other previously published results. The biosensor is portable, simple cheap, and easy to use.

Stratospheric minor species vertical distributions during polar winter by balloon borne UV-Vis spectrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pommereau, J. P.; Piquard, J.

1994-01-01

A light, relatively cheap and easy to operate balloonborne UV-visible spectrometer was designed for investigating ozone photochemistry in the Arctic winter. The instrument was flown 11 times during the European Arctic Stratospheric Ozone Experiment (EASOE) in winter 1991-92 in Northern Scandinavia. The first simultaneous measurements of vertical distributions of aerosols, PSC's, O3, NO2 and OClO inside the vortex during flight no. 6 on 16 January, in cold conditions are reported, which show that nitrogen oxides were almost absent (lower than 100 ppt) in the stratosphere below 22 km, while a layer of relatively large OClO concentration (15 ppt) was present at the altitude of the minimum temperature.

Database Searching by Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Stephen E.

Managers and executives need the easy and quick access to business and management information that online databases can provide, but many have difficulty articulating their search needs to an intermediary. One possible solution would be to encourage managers and their immediate support staff members to search textual databases directly as they now…

Word Processing Programs and Weaker Writers/Readers: A Meta-Analysis of Research Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morphy, Paul; Graham, Steve

2012-01-01

Since its advent word processing has become a common writing tool, providing potential advantages over writing by hand. Word processors permit easy revision, produce legible characters quickly, and may provide additional supports (e.g., spellcheckers, speech recognition). Such advantages should remedy common difficulties among weaker…

Unitized Nut-and-Washer Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rossi, P. J.

1986-01-01

Combination nut, washer, and lockwasher secures parts quickly without damaging metal finishes. Nut and lockwasher are captured by bent tabs of flat washer in this concept for unified fastener. Optional perforated tab on flat washer allows easy tagging and storage. Fastener intended for attaching leads and buses to studs on electronic equipment.

High Touch in a High-Tech World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Cindy L.

2009-01-01

In a world of high tech and low touch, it is easy for public relations programs to stray from tried-and-true interpersonal strategies long associated with solid communication planning. New technologies allow communications professionals to quickly send e-mails and telephone calls to selected groups. Social media sites provide users immediate…

Building the Purple Ford: An Affordable Approach to Jointness

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

sentiment in a June 2011 speech to service members warning against taking the “easy choices.” He stressed that “when I say all things are on the... stressed the overall theme of eliminating duplication of functions among the services. Forrestal quickly became frustrated with the lack of...

Determining water sensitive card spread factors for real world tank mixes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The use of water sensitive cards provides a quick and easy method to sample the coverage and deposition from spray applications. Typically, this measure is limited to percent coverage as measures of droplet size, and thus deposition rate, are highly influenced by the stain diameter resulting from t...

Beyond Pascal's Triangle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minor, Darrell P.

2005-01-01

In "Beyond Pascals Triangle" the author demonstrates ways of using "Pascallike" triangles to expand polynomials raised to powers in a fairly quick and easy fashion. The recursive method could easily be implemented within a spreadsheet, or simply by using paper and pencil. An explanation of why the method works follows the several examples that are…

This Is Inquiry ... Right?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory; Biggers, Mandy

2012-01-01

Many teachers have taught their share of science lessons that needed improvements. For the past eight years, the authors have been working with elementary teachers to implement quick and easy strategies to modify existing science lessons to make them more inquiry-based. Elementary teachers can use these strategies to adapt existing science lessons…

Quick and easy stress-relief techniques.

PubMed

Jacono, B J; Jacono, J J

1997-02-01

Since nurses are constantly bombarded by stress, you would expect many documented interventions to help them deal with it. But such interventions are hard to find. As one researcher remarked, there are lots of courses to teach nurses about mental illness, but few to teach them how to improve their own mental health.

Quick, easy to prepare freeze-dried soups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramirez, R. V.; Larson, R. W.

1972-01-01

Major advantages of soups are that they totally rehydrate in less than five minutes in water at approximately 150 deg F, maintain flavor and quality stability for two weeks in a 100 F environment, and remain stable for considerably longer at ambient temperatures. They are suitable for either household or field use.

Sample Size Estimation: The Easy Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, Susan C.

2015-01-01

This article presents a simple approach to making quick sample size estimates for basic hypothesis tests. Although there are many sources available for estimating sample sizes, methods are not often integrated across statistical tests, levels of measurement of variables, or effect sizes. A few parameters are required to estimate sample sizes and…

Tailor-made resealable micro(bio)reactors providing easy integration of in situ sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viefhues, Martina; Sun, Shiwen; Valikhani, Donya; Nidetzky, Bernd; Vrouwe, Elwin X.; Mayr, Torsten; Bolivar, Juan M.

2017-06-01

Flow microreactors utilizing immobilized enzymes are of great interest in biocatalysis development. Most of the common devices are permanently closed, single-use systems, which allow limited physical and chemical surface modifications and evaluation methods. In this paper we will present resealable flowcells that overcome these limitations and moreover allow a quick and easy integration of sensor systems, because of the use of modular building blocks. The devices were utilized to study the enzyme activity of glucose oxidase immobilized on chemically modified glass surfaces under flow conditions, employing integrated optical oxygen sensors for on-line monitoring.

NASA Taxonomy 2.0 Project Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dutra, Jayne; Busch, Joseph

2004-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the project to develop a Taxonomy for NASA. The benefits of this project are: Make it easy for various audiences to find relevant information from NASA programs quickly, specifically (1) Provide easy access for NASA Web resources (2) Information integration for unified queries and management reporting ve search results targeted to user interests the ability to move content through the enterprise to where it is needed most (3) Facilitate Records Management and Retention Requirements. In addition the project will assist NASA in complying with E-Government Act of 2002 and prepare NASA to participate in federal projects.

Modeling picking on pharmaceutical tablets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swaminathan, Shrikant

Tablets are the most popular solid dosage form in the pharmaceutical industry because they are cheap to manufacture, chemically and mechanically stable and easy to transport and fairly easy to control dosage. Pharmaceutical tableting operations have been around for decades however the process is still not well understood. One of the common problems faced during the production of pharmaceutical tablets by powder compaction is sticking of powder to the punch face, This is known as 'sticking'. A more specialized case of sticking is picking when the powder is pulled away form the compact in the vicinity of debossed features. In the pharmaceutical industry, picking is solved by trial and error which is an expensive, labor intensive and time consuming affair. The objective of this work was to develop, validate, and implement a modeling framework for predicting picking in powder compacts. The model was developed in Abaqus a commercially available finite element package. The resulting model was used to investigate the influence of debossed feature geometry viz. the stroke angle and degree of pre-pick, and, influence of lubricant on picking. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Innovative Poly(Ionic Liquid)s by the Polymerization of Deep Eutectic Monomers.

PubMed

Isik, Mehmet; Ruiperez, Fernando; Sardon, Haritz; Gonzalez, Alba; Zulfiqar, Sonia; Mecerreyes, David

2016-07-01

The incorporation of ionic liquid (IL) chemistry into functional polymers has extended the properties and applications of polyelectrolytes. However, ILs are expensive due to the presence of fluorinated anions or complicated synthetic steps which limit their technological viability. Here, we show a new family of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) which are based in cheap and renewable chemicals and involves facile synthetic approaches. Thus, deep eutectic monomers (DEMs) are prepared for the first time by using quaternary ammonium compounds and various hydrogen bond donors such as citric acid, terephthalic acid or an amidoxime. The deep eutectic formation is made through a simple mixing of the ingredients. Differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and computational studies reveal the formation of the DEMs due to the ionic interactions. The resulting DEMs are liquid which facilitates their polymerization using mild photopolymerization or polycondensation strategies. Spectroscopic characterizations reveal the successful formation of the polymers. By this way, a new family of PILs can be synthesized which can be used for different applications. As an example, the polymers show promising performance as solid CO2 sorbents. Altogether the deep eutectic monomer route can lead to non-toxic, cheap and easy-to-prepare alternatives to current PILs for different applications. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integrating Copper Nanowire Electrodes for Low Temperature Perovskite Photovoltaic Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mankowski, Trent

Recent advances in third generation photovoltaics, particularly the rapid increase in perovskite power conversion efficiencies, may provide a cheap alternative to silicon solar cells in the near future. A key component to these devices is the transparent front electrode, and in the case of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells, it is the most expensive part. A lightweight, cost-effective, robust, and easy-to-fabricate new generation TCE is required to enable competition with silicon. Indium Tin Oxide, commonly used in touchscreen devices, Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), and thin film photovoltaics, is widely used and commonly referred to as the industry standard. As the global supply of indium decreases and the demand for this TCE increases, a similar alternative TCE is required to accompany the next generation solar cells that promise energy with lighter and significantly cheaper modules. This alternative TCE needs to provide similar sheet resistance and optical transmittance to ITO, while also being mechanically and chemically robust. The work in this thesis begins with an exploration of several synthesized ITO replacement materials, such as copper nanowires, conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS, zinc oxide thin films, reduced graphene oxide and combinations of the above. A guiding philosophy to this work was prioritizing cheap, easy deposition methods and overall scalability. Shortcomings of these TCEs were investigated and different materials were hybridized to take advantage of each layers strengths for development of an ideal ITO replacement. For CuNW-based composite electrodes, 85% optical transmittance and 25 O/sq were observed and characterized to understand the underlying mechanisms for optimization. The second half of this work is an examination of many different perovskite synthesis methods first to achieve highest performance, and then to integrate compatible methods with our CuNW TCEs. Several literature methods investigated were irreproducible, and those that were successful posed difficulties integrating with CuNW-based TCEs. Those shortcomings are discussed, and how future work might skirt the issues revealed here to produce a very low cost, high performance perovskite solar cell.

Teaching cardiopulmonary auscultation in workshops using a virtual patient simulation technology - A pilot study.

PubMed

Pereira, D; Gomes, P; Faria, S; Cruz-Correia, R; Coimbra, M

2016-08-01

Auscultation is currently both a powerful screening tool, providing a cheap and quick initial assessment of a patient's clinical condition, and a hard skill to master. The teaching of auscultation in Universities is today reduced to an unsuitable number of hours. Virtual patient simulators can potentially mitigate this problem, by providing an interesting high-quality alternative to teaching with real patients or patient simulators. In this paper we evaluate the pedagogical impact of using a virtual patient simulation technology in a short workshop format for medical students, training them to detect cardiac pathologies. Results showed a significant improvement (+16%) in the differentiation between normal and pathological cases, although longer duration formats seem to be needed to accurately identify specific pathologies.

Single molecule Raman spectroscopic assay to detect transgene from GM plants.

PubMed

Kadam, Ulhas S; Chavhan, Rahul L; Schulz, Burkhard; Irudayaraj, Joseph

2017-09-01

Substantial concerns have been raised for the safety of transgenics on human health and environment. Many organizations, consumer groups, and environmental agencies advocate for stringent regulations to avoid transgene products' contamination in food cycle or in nature. Here we demonstrate a novel approach using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect and quantify transgene from GM plants. We show a highly sensitive and accurate quantification of transgene DNA from multiple transgenic lines of Arabidopsis. The assay allows us to detect and quantify the transgenes as low as 0.10 pg without need for PCR-amplification. This technology is relatively cheap, quick, simple, and suitable for detection at low target concentration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crowdsourcing: Global search and the twisted roles of consumers and producers.

PubMed

Bauer, Robert M; Gegenhuber, Thomas

2015-09-01

Crowdsourcing spreads and morphs quickly, shaping areas as diverse as creating, organizing, and sharing knowledge; producing digital artifacts; providing services involving tangible assets; or monitoring and evaluating. Crowdsourcing as sourcing by means of 'global search' yields four types of values for sourcing actors: creative expertise, critical items, execution capacity, and bargaining power. It accesses cheap excess capacities at the work realm's margins, channeling them toward production. Provision and utilization of excess capacities rationalize society while intimately connecting to a broader societal trend twisting consumers' and producers' roles: leading toward 'working consumers' and 'consuming producers' and shifting power toward the latter. Similarly, marketers using crowdsourcing's look and feel to camouflage traditional approaches to bringing consumers under control preserve producer power.

[Classical and molecular methods for identification and quantification of domestic moulds].

PubMed

Fréalle, E; Bex, V; Reboux, G; Roussel, S; Bretagne, S

2017-12-01

To study the impact of the constant and inevitable inhalation of moulds, it is necessary to sample, identify and count the spores. Environmental sampling methods can be separated into three categories: surface sampling is easy to perform but non quantitative, air sampling is easy to calibrate but provides time limited information, and dust sampling which is more representative of long term exposure to moulds. The sampling strategy depends on the objectives (evaluation of the risk of exposure for individuals; quantification of the household contamination; evaluation of the efficacy of remediation). The mould colonies obtained in culture are identified using microscopy, Maldi-TOF, and/or DNA sequencing. Electrostatic dust collectors are an alternative to older methods for identifying and quantifying household mould spores. They are easy to use and relatively cheap. Colony counting should be progressively replaced by quantitative real-time PCR, which is already validated, while waiting for more standardised high throughput sequencing methods for assessment of mould contamination without technical bias. Despite some technical recommendations for obtaining reliable and comparable results, the huge diversity of environmental moulds, the variable quantity of spores inhaled and the association with other allergens (mites, plants) make the evaluation of their impact on human health difficult. Hence there is a need for reliable and generally applicable quantitative methods. Copyright © 2017 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Thin-Layer Chromatography: The "Eyes" of the Organic Chemist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickson, Hamilton; Kittredge, Kevin W.; Sarquis, Arlyne

2004-01-01

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) methods are successfully used in many areas of research and development such as clinical medicine, forensic chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmaceutical analysis as TLC is relatively inexpensive and has found widespread application as an easy to use, reliable, and quick analytic tool. The usefulness of TLC in organic…

Quick and Easy Adaptations and Accommodations for Early Childhood Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breitfelder, Leisa M.

2008-01-01

Research-based information is used to support the idea of the use of adaptations and accommodations for early childhood students who have varying disabilities. Multiple adaptations and accommodations are outlined. A step-by-step plan is provided on how to make specific adaptations and accommodations to fit the specific needs of early childhood…

A High School English Teacher's Developing Multicultural Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Leslie Susan; Amatucci, Kristi Bruce

2006-01-01

In the last ten years, colleges of education have pledged written support to addressing issues of diversity. Mission statements and revised syllabi have been common elements in this movement for inclusiveness, and teacher candidates in English language arts are part of the transformation. Literature often has been considered a quick and easy way…

DNA Assembly in 3D Printed Fluidics (Open Access, Publisher’s Version)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-30

advances in commodity digital fabrication tools, it is now possible to directly print fluidic devices and supporting hardware. 3D printed micro- and...millifluidic devices are inexpensive, easy to make and quick to pro- duce. We demonstrate Golden Gate DNA assembly in 3D - printed fluidics with reaction vol

Being Heard: Motivating Millennials through Multiple Intelligences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorfeld, Natalie M.

2016-01-01

In today's instant gratification era, it is easy to assume that when faced with the option of reading a chunky literary text or skimming through the condensed electronic version, students will take the path of least resistance. Today's e-guides are quick, painless, and free. The question, then, becomes this: Knowing these e-resources are readily…

10 High Fliers on Twitter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jeffrey R.

2009-01-01

Twitter is quickly becoming a global faculty lounge. Sure, it's easy to waste a lot of time on the Internet-based microblogging service reading mundane details about people's days. But one can also pick up some great higher-education gossip, track down colleagues to collaborate with, or get advice on how to improve one's teaching or research. In…

Evidence-based guidelines: Improving AGREEment on consistence evaluation

PubMed Central

Vincenzi, Bruno; Napolitano, Andrea; Santini, Daniele; Maiello, Evaristo; Torri, Valter; Tonini, Giuseppe

2012-01-01

Modern clinical practice relies on evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based guidelines (EBGs). The critical evaluation of EBGs value is therefore an essential step to further improve clinical practice. In our opinion, correlating levels of evidence and grades of recommendation can be an easy tool to quickly display internal consistence of EBGs. PMID:26909252

The Peer Counselor's Pocket Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sturkie, Joan; Gibson, Valerie

Peer counselors are individuals who have been trained in communication skills and who have learned how to apply these skills in helping another person. This booklet was written by a peer counselor and peer counseling teacher to fill a frequently expressed need for a quick, easy-to-read reference. Its purpose is to make available to peer counselors…

Where to Start with Pesticide Incidents

Science.gov Websites

. Manufacturers are required by law to submit reports of adverse effects to the US EPA. Attention Physicians and . Manufacturers are required by law to submit reports of adverse effects to the US EPA. Consider contacting your . Please submit reports using our quick and easy Veterinary Pesticide Adverse Effects Reporting portal

A Sports Franchise Simulation Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surdam, David G.

2009-01-01

Students in sports economics courses might better learn the basic concepts by running their own franchise. A simple game, based on the card game War, is easy and inexpensive to implement. Students quickly grasp the importance of weighing marginal benefits, both in terms of team record and marginal revenue, against the costs of improving their…

Taking Care of Business: The Repercussions of Commodified Electronic Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickinson, Sandra C.

The corporate takeover of the Internet has moved literacy into uncharted territory. Couched in capitalist metaphors of liberation, choice, utility, and desirability, an expanded communications network that provides quick and easy access to vast amounts of information appeals to the national psyche. The commodification of literacy as a result of…

Measuring the effect of spray plume angle on the accuracy of droplet size data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Analysis of droplet size data using laser diffraction allows for quick and easy assessment of droplet size for agricultural spray nozzles and pesticides; however, operation and setup of the instrument and test system can potentially influence the accuracy of the data. One of the factors is the orie...

Inertial Navigation: A Bridge between Kinematics and Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Philip M.; Garfield, Eliza N.; Tremblay, Alex; Sadler, Daniel J.

2012-01-01

Those who come to Cambridge soon learn that the fastest route between Harvard and MIT is by the subway. For many students, this short ride is a quick and easy way to link physics and calculus. A simple, homemade accelerometer provides all the instrumentation necessary to produce accurate graphs of acceleration, velocity, and displacement position…

PUNCHED CARD SYSTEM NEEDN'T BE COMPLEX TO GIVE COMPLETE CONTROL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BEMIS, HAZEL T.

AT WORCESTER JUNIOR COLLEGE, MASSACHUSETTS, USE OF A MANUALLY OPERATED PUNCHED CARD SYSTEM HAS RESULTED IN (1) SIMPLIFIED REGISTRATION PROCEDURES, (2) QUICK ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS AND PROBLEMS IN CLASS SCHEDULING, (3) READY ACCESS TO STATISTICAL INFORMATION, (4) DIRECTORY INFORMATION IN A WIDE RANGE OF CLASSIFICATIONS, (5) EASY VERIFICATION OF…

Classroom Techniques to Illustrate Water Transport in Plants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakrim, Mohamed

2013-01-01

The transport of water in plants is among the most difficult and challenging concepts to explain to students. It is even more difficult for students enrolled in an introductory general biology course. An easy approach is needed to demonstrate this complex concept. I describe visual and pedagogical examples that can be performed quickly and easily…

Simple Ways to Make Real Capacitors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Rhett

2014-01-01

Many of us have grabbed two pieces of aluminum foil and a paper towel, quickly sandwiched them together, and exclaimed in lecture, "Look! It's easy to make a capacitor!" Then we move on from there, calculating things such as capacitances with various dielectrics or plate sizes, the capacitance of capacitor networks, RC circuits,…

Easy-To-Use Connector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wightman, William D.; Gernhardt, Michael

1993-01-01

Quick-connect/disconnect mechanism consists of two mating assemblies put together easily, even when initially misaligned by fairly large amounts. Used as electrical- or fluid-connection interface. Operated by humans or robots when fast connections must be made without precise positioning, -- for example, on offshore oil rigs, ship-to-dock links, nuclear facilities, and aircraft at loading gates.

Fuel temperature counter

Treesearch

John R. Murray; Charles W. Philpot

1963-01-01

Fuel temperature is and has always been difficult to measure. To understand better the problem of fire and fire weather behavior, it is important to measure this variable. We have developed for field use a new fuel temperature counter which can be used to obtain such measurements quickly and easily. This electronic recording instrument is easy to construct and operate...

Avoid the Void: Quick and Easy Site Submission Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Danny

2000-01-01

Explains how to submit Web sites and promote them to make them more findable by search engines. Discusses submitting to Yahoo!; the Open Directory and other human-powered directories; proper tagging with HTML; designing pages to improve the number indexed; and submitting additional pages as well as the home page. (LRW)

The Principal's Quick-Reference Guide to School Law: Reducing Liability, Litigation, and Other Potential Legal Tangles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunklee, Dennis R.; Shoop, Robert J.

This book is designed to inform school administrators regarding school law. As a resource, it provides suggested, easy-to-understand guidelines for the avoidance of litigation. Subjects include preventive law and risk management; constitutional and statutory foundations of staff selection, contracting, and evaluation; negligent hiring, defamation,…

Embracing Distance Education in a Blended Learning Model: Challenges and Prospects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fresen, Jill W.

2018-01-01

Distance education reaches out to non-traditional students in geographically dispersed locations, who are unable to attend face-to-face classes. Contact institutions have been quick to realise the many advantages of distance (online) learning, such as easy access to learning materials, interactive activities, assessment and communication tools.…

EBOOK.EXE: A Desktop Authoring Tool for HURAA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Xiangen; Mathews, Eric; Graesser, Arthur C.; Susarla, Suresh

The development of authoring tools for intelligent systems is an important step for creating, maintaining, and structuring content in a quick and easy manner. It has the benefit of allowing for a rapid change to new domains or topics for tutoring. The development of such tools requires functional control, access protection, ease of learning, and…

A Framework for Mobile Apps in Colleges and Universities: Data Mining Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Archana; Ranjan, Jayanthi

2016-01-01

The Enterprise mobility communication technology provides easy and quick accessibility to data and information integrated into one single touch point device. This device incorporates or integrates all the processes into small applications or App and thus increases the workforce capability of knowledge workers. "App" which is a small set…

Easy as AcHGzrjq: the Quick Letter Name Knowledge Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tortorelli, Laura S.; Bowles, Ryan P.; Skibbe, Lori E.

2017-01-01

A firm foundation in alphabet knowledge is critical for children learning to read. Under new literacy standards, letter name knowledge in preschool and kindergarten can function as a gatekeeper to the rest of the curriculum. Teachers need data about their students' alphabet knowledge early and often to plan differentiated instruction that moves…

Check out the Atmospheric Science User Forum

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-11-16

Check out the Atmospheric Science User Forum Tuesday, November 15, 2016 The ASDC would like to bring your attention to the Atmospheric Science User Forum. The purpose of this forum is to improve user service, quality, and efficiency of NASA atmospheric science data. The forum intends to provide a quick and easy way to facilitate ...

LMS Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freifeld, Lorri

2010-01-01

With technology changing every second of every day, it is no surprise a learning management system (LMS) quickly can become outdated. But it is no easy task to re-engineer a current LMS or find exactly the right new one to purchase. In this article, three 2010 Top Young Trainers share their experiences with implementing or re-engineering an…

ABEL model: Evaluates corporations` claims of inability to afford penalties and compliance costs (version 3.0.16). Model-simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-11-01

The easy-to-use ABEL software evaluates for-profit company claims of inability to afford penalties, clean-up costs, or compliance costs. Violators raise the issue of inability to pay in most of EPA`s enforcement actions regardless of whether there is any hard evidence supporting those claims. The program enables Federal, State and local enforcement professionals to quickly determine if there was any validity to those claims. ABEL is a tool that promotes quick settlements by performing screening analyses of defendants and potentially responsible parties (PRP`s) to determine their financial capacity. After analyzing some basic financial ratios that reflect a company`s solvency, ABEL assessesmore » the firm`s ability to pay by focusing on projected cash flows. The model explicitly calculates the value of projected, internally generated cash flows from historical tax information, and compares these cash flows to the proposed environmental expenditure(s). The software is extremely easy to use. Version 3.0.16 updates the standard values for inflation and discount rate.« less

Preliminary pharmaceutical development of antimalarial-antibiotic cotherapy as a pre-referral paediatric treatment of fever in malaria endemic areas.

PubMed

Gaubert, Alexandra; Kauss, Tina; Marchivie, Mathieu; Ba, Boubakar B; Lembege, Martine; Fawaz, Fawaz; Boiron, Jean-Michel; Lafarge, Xavier; Lindegardh, Niklas; Fabre, Jean-Louis; White, Nicholas J; Olliaro, Piero L; Millet, Pascal; Grislain, Luc; Gaudin, Karen

2014-07-01

Artemether (AM) plus azithromycin (AZ) rectal co-formulations were studied to provide pre-referral treatment for children with severe febrile illnesses in malaria-endemic areas. The target profile required that such product should be cheap, easy to administer by non-medically qualified persons, rapidly effective against both malaria and bacterial infections. Analytical and pharmacotechnical development, followed by in vitro and in vivo evaluation, were conducted for various AMAZ coformulations. Of the formulations tested, stability was highest for dry solid forms and bioavailability for hard gelatin capsules; AM release from AMAZ rectodispersible tablet was suboptimal due to a modification of its micro-crystalline structure. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Utilising Raspberry Pi as a cheap and easy do it yourself streaming device for astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maulana, F.; Soegijoko, W.; Yamani, A.

2016-11-01

Recent developments in personal computing platforms have been revolutionary. With the advent of the Raspberry Pi series and the Arduino series, sub USD 100 computing platforms have changed the playing field altogether. It used to be that you would need a PC or an FPGA platform costing thousands of USD to create a dedicated device for a a dedicated task. Combining a PiCam with the Raspberry Pi allows for smaller budgets to be able to stream live images to the internet and to the public in general. This paper traces our path in designing and adapting the PiCam to a common sized eyepiece and telescope in preparation for the TSE in Indonesia this past March.

An off-the-shelf guider for the Palomar 200-inch telescope: interfacing amateur astronomy software with professional telescopes for an easy life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, Fraser; Lynn, James; Thatte, Niranjan; Tecza, Matthias

2014-08-01

We have developed a simple but effective guider for use with the Oxford-SWIFT integral field spectrograph on the Palomar 200-inch telescope. The guider uses mainly off-the-shelf components, including commercial amateur astronomy software to interface with the CCD camera, calculating guiding corrections, and send guide commands to the telescope. The only custom piece of software is an driver to provide an interface between the Palomar telescope control system and the industry standard 'ASCOM' system. Using existing commercial software provided a very cheap guider (<$5000) with minimal (<15 minutes) commissioning time. The final system provides sub-arcsecond guiding, and could easily be adapted to any other professional telescope

Exploring the Opportunities of a Balloon-Satellite in Bangladesh for Weather Data Collection and Vegetative Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafique, Md. Ishraque Bin; Razzaq Halim, M. A.; Rabbi, Fazle; Khalilur Rhaman, Md.

2016-07-01

For a third world country like Bangladesh, satellite and space research is not feasible due to lack of funding. Therefore, in order to imitate the principles of such a satellite Balloon Satellite can easily and inexpensively be setup. Balloon satellites are miniature satellites, which are cheap and easy to construct. This paper discusses a BalloonSat developed using a Raspberry Pi, IMU module, UV sensor, GPS module, Camera and XBee Module. An interactive GUI was designed to display all the data collected after processing. To understand nitrogen concentration of a plant, a leaf color chart is used. This paper attempts to digitalize this process, which is applied on photos taken by the BallonSat.

Biotool2Web: creating simple Web interfaces for bioinformatics applications.

PubMed

Shahid, Mohammad; Alam, Intikhab; Fuellen, Georg

2006-01-01

Currently there are many bioinformatics applications being developed, but there is no easy way to publish them on the World Wide Web. We have developed a Perl script, called Biotool2Web, which makes the task of creating web interfaces for simple ('home-made') bioinformatics applications quick and easy. Biotool2Web uses an XML document containing the parameters to run the tool on the Web, and generates the corresponding HTML and common gateway interface (CGI) files ready to be published on a web server. This tool is available for download at URL http://www.uni-muenster.de/Bioinformatics/services/biotool2web/ Georg Fuellen (fuellen@alum.mit.edu).

Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-01-01

WE RECOMMEND Advancing Physics CD Quick Tour This software makes the Advancing Physics CD easier to use. From Silicon to Computer This CD on computer technology operates like an electronic textbook. Powers of Ten This documentary film gives pupils a feel for the scale of our universe. Multimedia Waves The material on this CD demonstrates various wave phenomena. Infrared thermometer This instant response, remote sensor has numerous lab applications. Magic Universe, The Oxford Guide to Modern Science Acollection of short essays, this book is aimed at A-level students. Fermi Remembered Ajoy to read, this piece of non-fiction leaves you eager for more. Big Bang (lecture and book) Both the book and the lecture are engaging and hugely entertaining. WORTH A LOOK The Way Things Go Lasting just 30 minutes, this film will liven up any mechanics lesson. The Video Encyclopaedia of Physics Demonstrations It may blow your budget, but this DVD is a superb physics resource. Go!Link and Go!Temp Go!Link is a useful, cheap datalogger. Go!Temp seems superfluous. Cracker snaps Cheap and cheerful, cracker snaps can be used to demonstrate force. VPython This 3D animation freeware can be adapted to fit your needs. HANDLE WITH CARE Physics A-Level Presentations It might be better to generate slides yourself rather than modify these. London Planetarium and Madame Tussaud's A day out here is definitely not a worthwhile science excursion.

Ubibliotheca The Spiral Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ottewell, Guy

A plan for a library with a storage level in the shape of a flat spiral is presented. The advantages of such a plan include: space saving, easy expansion of the building, an unbroken sequence of shelving, quick access to all books and freedom in the design of the library's other sectors. This plan is especially suited for the research library…

A Study about Using Internet in History Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulusoy, Kadir

2012-01-01

Internet has become an important part in the field of education as it is in every area nowadays as well. Internet has become appealing among educators and students with its easy and quick access and wide opportunities. In this study, an application of using internet in the history course was done. 160 students who were enrolled in College of…

A high-quality fuels database of photos and information

Treesearch

Clinton S. Wright; Paige C. Eagle; Diana L. Olson

2010-01-01

Photo series and their associated data provide a quick and easy way for managers to quantify and describe fuel and vegetation properties, such as loading of dead and down woody material, tree density, or height of understory vegetation. This information is critical for making fuel management decisions and for predicting fire behavior and fire effects. The Digital Photo...

Teaching Beer's Law and Absorption Spectrophotometry with a Smart Phone: A Substantially Simplified Protocol

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuntzleman, Thomas S.; Jacobson, Erik C.

2016-01-01

A very simple protocol for teaching Beer's Law and absorption spectrophotometry using a smart phone is described. Materials commonly found in high school chemistry laboratories or even around the house may be used. Data collection and analysis is quick and easy. Despite the simple nature of the experiment, excellent results can be achieved.

The Complete Control Your Money: A Quick and Easy Guide with Worksheets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2001

This workbook contains information on money management written for adult new readers. A brief self-test "Are You in Control?" is followed by 15 chapters that include information, worksheets, and summary sheets. The chapters are entitled: (1) "Getting Control of Your Money"; (2) "Tracking Your Spending"; (3) "Figuring Your Income and Expenses"; (4)…

Victor W. Page's Early Twentieth-Century Automotive and Aviation Books: "Practical Books for Practical Men."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockmann, R. John

1996-01-01

Discusses Victor Page, one of the first people to make a living as a technical communicator. Focuses on his 33 automotive and aviation books, popular with the public and critics, which contained information on novel technology, profuse illustrations, and easy-to-access information. States that Page published quickly, had firsthand expertise, and…

Animated Cell Biology: A Quick and Easy Method for Making Effective, High-Quality Teaching Animations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Day, Danton H.

2006-01-01

There is accumulating evidence that animations aid learning of dynamic concepts in cell biology. However, existing animation packages are expensive and difficult to learn, and the subsequent production of even short animations can take weeks to months. Here I outline the principles and sequence of steps for producing high-quality PowerPoint…

A design aid for determining width of filter strips

Treesearch

M.G. Dosskey; M.J. Helmers; D.E. Eisenhauer

2008-01-01

watershed planners need a tool for determining width of filter strips that is accurate enough for developing cost-effective site designs and easy enough to use for making quick determinations on a large number and variety of sites.This study employed the process-based Vegetative Filter Strip Model to evaluate the relationship between filter strip width and trapping...

Teaching Physics for the First Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mader, Jan; Winn, Mary

2008-01-01

This book is designed to be a quick and easy resource for anyone teaching physics for the first time. Written after extensive research, this book is filled with reliable labs, demos and activities that work well in the classroom. Also included are lesson plans, diagrams, and teacher notes for every activity. The book is not the end--it is just a…

Science or Snake Oil? Teaching Critical Evaluation of "Research" Reports on the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connor-Greene, Patricia A.; Greene, Dan J.

2002-01-01

The proliferation of information on the Internet introduces new challenges for educators. Although the Internet can provide quick and easy access to a wealth of information, it has virtually no quality control. Consequently, the Internet has rendered faculty more essential than ever as teachers of the analytic and evaluative skills students need…

The Complete Get That Job! A Quick and Easy Guide with Worksheets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2001

Written for adult new readers, this workbook contains 14 chapters of information on career development, job search and job retention skills. Chapters contain information, worksheets, examples, and summary sheets. The guide is intended to help adults use basic skills to decide what they can do well, identify their job search goals, pick the best…

Development of the framework for a water quality monitoring system : controlling MoDOT's contribution to 303(d) listed streams in the state of Missouri, final report, February 2010.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

By utilizing ArcGIS to quickly visualize the location of any impaired waterbody in relation to its projects/activities, MoDOT will : be able to allocate resources optimally. Additionally, the Water Quality Impact Database (WQID) will allow easy trans...

Primer for Teachers: Quick and Easy Liver Wellness, Hepatitis B and Substance Abuse Prevention Messages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiel, Thelma King

This guide provides information for teachers to use in teaching about liver wellness, hepatitis B, and substance abuse. The guide includes effective motivational techniques to help students understand how valuable their liver is to their health and well being. It also provides basic information to help students avoid liver damaging behaviors, such…

Masters of All They Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredette, Michelle

2012-01-01

This article discusses a survey tool, known as TechQual+, which gives IT leaders a quick and easy way to gauge their departments' performance on campus and learn what matters to their constituents, including faculty, students, and staff. The idea of an IT survey tool that can be used across higher education has its skeptics, who feel that colleges…

The Environmental Self-Audit for Campus-Based Organizations: A Quick and Easy Guide to Environmental Compliance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Albany.

This guide is intended to help public and not-for-profit campus-based organizations in New York State to comply with local, state, and federal environmental regulations. The environmental self-audit serves as a basic diagnostic tool for campus-based organizations (centralized schools, colleges/universities, correctional facilities, mental health…

EasyFRAP-web: a web-based tool for the analysis of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching data.

PubMed

Koulouras, Grigorios; Panagopoulos, Andreas; Rapsomaniki, Maria A; Giakoumakis, Nickolaos N; Taraviras, Stavros; Lygerou, Zoi

2018-06-13

Understanding protein dynamics is crucial in order to elucidate protein function and interactions. Advances in modern microscopy facilitate the exploration of the mobility of fluorescently tagged proteins within living cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is an increasingly popular functional live-cell imaging technique which enables the study of the dynamic properties of proteins at a single-cell level. As an increasing number of labs generate FRAP datasets, there is a need for fast, interactive and user-friendly applications that analyze the resulting data. Here we present easyFRAP-web, a web application that simplifies the qualitative and quantitative analysis of FRAP datasets. EasyFRAP-web permits quick analysis of FRAP datasets through an intuitive web interface with interconnected analysis steps (experimental data assessment, different types of normalization and estimation of curve-derived quantitative parameters). In addition, easyFRAP-web provides dynamic and interactive data visualization and data and figure export for further analysis after every step. We test easyFRAP-web by analyzing FRAP datasets capturing the mobility of the cell cycle regulator Cdt2 in the presence and absence of DNA damage in cultured cells. We show that easyFRAP-web yields results consistent with previous studies and highlights cell-to-cell heterogeneity in the estimated kinetic parameters. EasyFRAP-web is platform-independent and is freely accessible at: https://easyfrap.vmnet.upatras.gr/.

Next stop for the CRISPR revolution: RNA-guided epigenetic regulators.

PubMed

Vora, Suhani; Tuttle, Marcelle; Cheng, Jenny; Church, George

2016-09-01

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins offer a breakthrough platform for cheap, programmable, and effective sequence-specific DNA targeting. The CRISPR-Cas system is naturally equipped for targeted DNA cutting through its native nuclease activity. As such, groups researching a broad spectrum of biological organisms have quickly adopted the technology with groundbreaking applications to genomic sequence editing in over 20 different species. However, the biological code of life is not only encoded in genetics but also in epigenetics as well. While genetic sequence editing is a powerful ability, we must also be able to edit and regulate transcriptional and epigenetic code. Taking inspiration from work on earlier sequence-specific targeting technologies such as zinc fingers (ZFs) and transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), researchers quickly expanded the CRISPR-Cas toolbox to include transcriptional activation, repression, and epigenetic modification. In this review, we highlight advances that extend the CRISPR-Cas toolkit for transcriptional and epigenetic regulation, as well as best practice guidelines for these tools, and a perspective on future applications. © 2016 The Authors. The FEBS Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Price smarter on the Net.

PubMed

Baker, W; Marn, M; Zawada, C

2001-02-01

Companies generally have set prices on the Internet in two ways. Many start-ups have offered untenably low prices in a rush to capture first-mover advantage. Many incumbents have simply charged the same prices on-line as they do off-line. Either way, companies are missing a big opportunity. The fundamental value of the Internet lies not in lowering prices or making them consistent but in optimizing them. After all, if it's easy for customers to compare prices on the Internet, it's also easy for companies to track customers' behavior and adjust prices accordingly. The Net lets companies optimize prices in three ways. First, it lets them set and announce prices with greater precision. Different prices can be tested easily, and customers' responses can be collected instantly. Companies can set the most profitable prices, and they can tap into previously hidden customer demand. Second, because it's so easy to change prices on the Internet, companies can adjust prices in response to even small fluctuations in market conditions, customer demand, or competitors' behavior. Third, companies can use the clickstream data and purchase histories that it collects through the Internet to segment customers quickly. Then it can offer segment-specific prices or promotions immediately. By taking full advantage of the unique possibilities afforded by the Internet to set prices with precision, adapt to changing circumstances quickly, and segment customers accurately, companies can get their pricing right. It's one of the ultimate drivers of e-business success.

Agricultural policy and childhood obesity: a food systems and public health commentary.

PubMed

Wallinga, David

2010-01-01

For thirty-five years, U.S. agriculture has operated under a "cheap food" policy that spurred production of a few commodity crops, not fruit or vegetables, and thus of the calories from them. A key driver of childhood obesity is the consumption of excess calories, many from inexpensive, nutrient-poor snacks, sweets, and sweetened beverages made with fats and sugars derived from these policy-supported crops. Limiting or eliminating farm subsidies to commodity farmers is wrongly perceived as a quick fix to a complex agricultural system, evolved over decades, that promotes obesity. Yet this paper does set forth a series of policy recommendations that could help, including managing commodity crop oversupply and supporting farmers who produce more fruit and vegetables to build a healthier, more balanced agricultural policy.

Students’ planetarium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozis, Mirosław; Świderski, Kamil

2018-05-01

Our students built a full-size, mobile planetarium in three weeks. The planetarium was built with commonly available, cheap construction materials. Our priorities were mobility, possibility of quick assembly and reassembly and the students’ availability of materials in every place in the world. The students calculated all the parameters of the planetarium’s construction themselves, chose materials of appropriate technical parameters, built the planetarium’s framework, elaborated the methods of projections and sounding. Taking into consideration the spectators’ comfort they also designed systems of air conditioning and cooling. The project is completely consistent with the STEM and even the STEAM method. The artistic factor of the students’ work was revealed during the visualisation of planetarium projections and its adornment. The final product of their work is a functional planetarium and a manual for its construction.

Analysis of air-, moisture- and solvent-sensitive chemical compounds by mass spectrometry using an inert atmospheric pressure solids analysis probe.

PubMed

Mosely, Jackie A; Stokes, Peter; Parker, David; Dyer, Philip W; Messinis, Antonis M

2018-02-01

A novel method has been developed that enables chemical compounds to be transferred from an inert atmosphere glove box and into the atmospheric pressure ion source of a mass spectrometer whilst retaining a controlled chemical environment. This innovative method is simple and cheap to implement on some commercially available mass spectrometers. We have termed this approach inert atmospheric pressure solids analysis probe ( iASAP) and demonstrate the benefit of this methodology for two air-/moisture-sensitive chemical compounds whose characterisation by mass spectrometry is now possible and easily achieved. The simplicity of the design means that moving between iASAP and standard ASAP is straightforward and quick, providing a highly flexible platform with rapid sample turnaround.

Crowdsourcing: Global search and the twisted roles of consumers and producers

PubMed Central

Bauer, Robert M.; Gegenhuber, Thomas

2015-01-01

Crowdsourcing spreads and morphs quickly, shaping areas as diverse as creating, organizing, and sharing knowledge; producing digital artifacts; providing services involving tangible assets; or monitoring and evaluating. Crowdsourcing as sourcing by means of ‘global search’ yields four types of values for sourcing actors: creative expertise, critical items, execution capacity, and bargaining power. It accesses cheap excess capacities at the work realm’s margins, channeling them toward production. Provision and utilization of excess capacities rationalize society while intimately connecting to a broader societal trend twisting consumers’ and producers’ roles: leading toward ‘working consumers’ and ‘consuming producers’ and shifting power toward the latter. Similarly, marketers using crowdsourcing’s look and feel to camouflage traditional approaches to bringing consumers under control preserve producer power. PMID:27524930

A low-cost, computer-controlled robotic flower system for behavioral experiments.

PubMed

Kuusela, Erno; Lämsä, Juho

2016-04-01

Human observations during behavioral studies are expensive, time-consuming, and error prone. For this reason, automatization of experiments is highly desirable, as it reduces the risk of human errors and workload. The robotic system we developed is simple and cheap to build and handles feeding and data collection automatically. The system was built using mostly off-the-shelf components and has a novel feeding mechanism that uses servos to perform refill operations. We used the robotic system in two separate behavioral studies with bumblebees (Bombus terrestris): The system was used both for training of the bees and for the experimental data collection. The robotic system was reliable, with no flight in our studies failing due to a technical malfunction. The data recorded were easy to apply for further analysis. The software and the hardware design are open source. The development of cheap open-source prototyping platforms during the recent years has opened up many possibilities in designing of experiments. Automatization not only reduces workload, but also potentially allows experimental designs never done before, such as dynamic experiments, where the system responds to, for example, learning of the animal. We present a complete system with hardware and software, and it can be used as such in various experiments requiring feeders and collection of visitation data. Use of the system is not limited to any particular experimental setup or even species.

Phthalimide-derived strigolactone mimics as germinating agents for seeds of parasitic weeds.

PubMed

Cala, Antonio; Ghooray, Kala; Fernández-Aparicio, Mónica; Molinillo, José Mg; Galindo, Juan Cg; Rubiales, Diego; Macías, Francisco A

2016-11-01

Broomrapes attack important crops, cause severe yield losses and are difficult to eliminate because their seed bank is virtually indestructible. In the absence of a host, the induction of seed germination leads to inevitable death due to nutrient starvation. Synthetic analogues of germination-inducing factors may constitute a cheap and feasible strategy to control the seed bank. These compounds should be easy and cheap to synthesise, as this will allow their mass production. The aim of this work is to obtain new synthethic germinating agents. Nineteen N-substituted phthalimides containing a butenolide ring and different substituents in the aromatic ring were synthesised. The synthesis started with commercially available phthalimides. The complete collection was assayed against the parasitic weeds Orobanche minor, O. cumana, Phelipanche ramosa and P. aegyptiaca, with the synthetic strigolactone analogue GR24 used as a positive control. These compounds offered low EC 50 values: O. cumana 38.3 μM, O. minor 3.77 μM, P. aegyptiaca 1.35 μM and P. ramosa 1.49 μM. The synthesis was carried out in a few steps and provided the target compounds in good yields. The compounds tested showed great selectivity, and low EC 50 values were obtained for structures that were simpler than GR24. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Applying science and strategy to operating room workforce management.

PubMed

Butler, Victoria; Clinton, Christopher; Sagi, Harsha K; Kenney, Robert; Barsoum, Wael K

2012-01-01

The traditional means of planning nurse staffing for operating rooms are either poorly translated to the setting or do not provide decision makers with a platform to defend their needs, especially in an era of health care reform. The surgical operations department of the Cleveland Clinic initiated a quality improvement project aimed at applying a scientific method to operating room staffing. One goal was to provide a defensible plan for allocating direct caregiver positions. A second goal was to provide a quick and easy way for nurse managers and directors to track positions and graphically depict the effect of vacancies and orientation on their staffing budgets. Using an objective, scientific method allows position requests to be approved quickly and allows managers to feel much more comfortable functioning in a "lean" mode because they know needed positions will be approved quickly. Managers and directors also have found that graphically depicting numbers of vacant positions, as well as staff in orientation, could quickly relate a story visually rather than getting "bogged down" in narrative (often losing finance administrators along the way).

Teaching Geophysics with a Vertical-Component Seismometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wijk, Kasper; Channel, Ted; Viskupic, Karen; Smith, Martin L.

2013-12-01

Earthquakes are some of the more dramatic expressions of the dynamics of our planet. The sudden release of stress built up slowly by tectonic or volcanic processes often has far-reaching consequences, and can be measured (in classrooms) around the world. This is one reason why designing and building seismometers has been a popular activity, , 2 and why different versions of "Seismometer in Schools" projects thrive in the United States, Australia, and Europe. We present a cheap, robust, and easy-to-build seismometer—called the TC1 —to measure seismic displacements in the vertical direction. Its components are easy to obtain and assemble, yet the resulting instrument is accurate enough to record earthquakes from around the globe. The parts list and building instructions of the TC1 seismometer are freely available online. Alternatively, a complete kit can be purchased for around US300. Assembling the system naturally introduces students to a number of concepts in physics and engineering, while upon completion seismic recordings trigger discussions about the dynamics and internal structure of the Earth. The discussions are fostered by service learning and shared in the network of TC1s called the Z-NET.

‘Gamma Anna’: a classroom demonstration for teaching the concepts of gamma imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, Nicola; Griffiths, Jennifer; Yerworth, Rebecca

2017-01-01

Gamma imaging is at the interface of medicine and physics and thus its teaching is important in both fields. Pedagogic literature highlights the benefits of interactive demonstrations in teaching: an increase in enjoyment and interest, as well as improvement in academic achievement. However gamma imaging uses radioactive sources, which are potentially dangerous and thus their use is tightly controlled. We have developed a demonstration which uses a localised exothermic reaction within a rag doll as an analogue of radioactivity. This can be safely used in classrooms to demonstrate the principles of gamma imaging. The tool is easy to make, cheap, robust and portable. The supplementary material in this paper gives teacher notes and a description of how to make the rag doll demonstrator. We have tested the tool using six participants, acting as ‘teachers’, who carried out the demonstration and described the doll as easy to use, and the ‘tumour’ clearly identifiable. The teaching tool was separately demonstrated to a group of 12 GCSE physics students and a group of 12 medical students. Feedback showed increased student engagement, enjoyment and understanding of gamma imaging. Previous research has shown that these benefits have an impact on learning and academic outcomes.

The value of online learning and MRI: finding a niche for expensive technologies.

PubMed

Cook, David A

2014-11-01

The benefits of online learning come at a price. How can we optimize the overall value? Critically appraise the value of online learning. Narrative review. Several prevalent myths overinflate the value of online learning. These include that online learning is cheap and easy (it is usually more expensive), that it is more efficient (efficiency depends on the instructional design, not the modality), that it will transform education (fundamental learning principles have not changed), and that the Net Generation expects it (there is no evidence of pent-up demand). However, online learning does add real value by enhancing flexibility, control and analytics. Costs may also go down if disruptive innovations (e.g. low-cost, low-tech, but instructionally sound "good enough" online learning) supplant technically superior but more expensive online learning products. Cost-lowering strategies include focusing on core principles of learning rather than technologies, using easy-to-learn authoring tools, repurposing content (organizing and sequencing existing resources rather than creating new content) and using course templates. Online learning represents just one tool in an educator's toolbox, as does the MRI for clinicians. We need to use the right tool(s) for the right learner at the right dose, time and route.

Compatibility: drugs and parenteral nutrition

PubMed Central

Miranda, Talita Muniz Maloni; Ferraresi, Andressa de Abreu

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective Standardization and systematization of data to provide quick access to compatibility of leading injectable drugs used in hospitals for parenteral nutrition. Methods We selected 55 injectable drugs analyzed individually with two types of parenteral nutrition: 2-in-1 and 3-in-1. The following variables were considered: active ingredient, compatibility of drugs with the parenteral nutrition with or without lipids, and maximum drug concentration after dilution for the drugs compatible with parenteral nutrition. Drugs were classified as compatible, incompatible and untested. Results After analysis, relevant information to the product’s compatibility with parental nutrition was summarized in a table. Conclusion Systematization of compatibility data provided quick and easy access, and enabled standardizing pharmacists work. PMID:27074235

School Grounds Guide: A Pictured Guide for Identifying Common Organisms Found In and Around the School Ground.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bain, Rodney

Designed for quick, easy identification of some of the most commonly encountered organisms found in and around the school ground, this illustrated guide identifies by a picture and a short biological description the common animals and plants found in and around school lawns, house lawns, parks, fence rows, flower gardens, vacant lots, and…

Instructor-Designed Tutorials--Meeting the Needs of Our Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brichta, J. P.; Bizheva, K.; Sanderson, J. H.; Holbrook, J.

2009-01-01

We have developed an easy-to-use online tutorial generator designed to allow instructors to make tutorials quickly and with a minimal learning curve. The motivation was to create a generator that would allow instructors to create tutorials as needed and possibly build up a bank of tutorials over a number of years. A key design feature of the…

Two Parts Reflection, One Part Selfie: A Visual Alternative to the Minute Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meehlhause, Kellie

2016-01-01

For almost 40 years, the Minute Paper has been a quick and easy means of learning assessment, both in the college classroom and in library instruction. More recently, the use of social media, particularly selfies, has gained popularity by connecting with students through the technology with which they are most familiar. This article makes the case…

The Presidency of the United States. the Young Oxford Companion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pious, Richard M.

Arranged alphabetically for quick and easy access, this book is a one-stop guide to the U.S. presidency from its beginnings at the Constitutional Convention through its evolution to the modern presidency. Included in the book is information on all the presidents and vice presidents of the United States as well as selected First Ladies, powers of…

Should Global Items on Student Rating Scales Be Used for Summative Decisions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berk, Ronald A.

2013-01-01

One of the simplest indicators of teaching or course effectiveness is student ratings on one or more global items from the entire rating scale. That approach seems intuitively sound and easy to use. Global items have even been recommended by a few researchers to get a quick-read, at-a-glance summary for summative decisions about faculty. The…

Trouble-Free Transitions for Teachers: 1 CD for Parochial Elementary, Middle, and High Schools [CD-ROM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strike, Kimberly T.

2006-01-01

This CD provides a thorough approach to the nuts and bolts of information that is needed by new faculty and staff. The disc allows administrators or personnel charged with the job of orientation of new staff, a quick and easy template that will provide a thorough orientation to a new building and or district.

Quick, Easy Method to Show Living Soil Organisms to High School or Beginning-Level College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loynachan, Thomas E.

2006-01-01

The living component of soil is difficult for students to learn about and understand because students have difficulty relating to things they cannot see (beyond sight, beyond mind). Line drawings from textbooks help explain conceptual relationships but do little to stimulate an active interest in the living component of soil. Alternatively,…

78 FR 46953 - CDC and ATSDR Use of the SF-424 Research and Related Forms (Application Packages) in Grants.gov...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-02

... Use of the SF-424 Research and Related Forms (Application Packages) in Grants.gov and the eRA Commons... Management and Budget approved form sets available through Grants.gov . CDC and other agencies serviced by eRA use the `Competition ID' field of Grants.gov application packages for quick and easy...

Communication and Reception in Teaching: The Age of Image "versus" the "Weight" of Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradea, Adela

2015-01-01

Contemporary culture is mainly a culture of image. We get our information seeing. Examination of images is free, while reading is impelled by the necessity of browsing the whole text. The image seems more appropriate than the text when trying to communicate easy and quickly. The speech calls for articulated language, expressed through a symbolic…

Teaching Creative Problem Solving Methods to Undergraduate Economics and Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cancer, Vesna

2014-01-01

This paper seeks to explore the need for and possibility of teaching current and potential problem solvers--undergraduate students in the economic and business field to define problems, to generate and choose creative and useful ideas and to verify them. It aims to select an array of quick and easy-to-use creative problem solving (CPS) techniques.…

Keeping Kids Safe: A Guide for Safe Food Handling & Sanitation for Child Care Providers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

Because children under age 5 are susceptible to food-borne illnesses and children in diapers present special sanitation and health problems, food safety and sanitation are emerging as important issues for child care providers. This booklet is designed to give providers and parents a quick and easy reference for food safety and sanitation. The…

Writing a Brochure Is as Easy as 1-2-3. A Kit for Workshop and Program Planners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witt, Ted

This kit is intended to help program planners write the information needed for an effective brochure advertising a workshop, seminar, conference, class, or academy. The kit contains the following sections: (1) Benefit Headlines Capture Reader Attention; (2) Establish a Need Quickly; (3) Identifying the Audience; (4) Making Top Names Tops; (5)…

Measuring Ability, Speed, or Both? Challenges, Psychometric Solutions, and What Can Be Gained from Experimental Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldhammer, Frank

2015-01-01

The main challenge of ability tests relates to the difficulty of items, whereas speed tests demand that test takers complete very easy items quickly. This article proposes a conceptual framework to represent how performance depends on both between-person differences in speed and ability and the speed-ability compromise within persons. Related…

The Quick-Reference Handbook for School Leaders: A Practical Guide for Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corwin Press, 2005

2005-01-01

This ready-reference school management tool is a practical guide that provides an answer to the questions "Where do I start?" and "Where do I look for direction?" Written in an easy-to-read, bulleted format, the handbook is an excellent resource for all principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school administrators. With words of wisdom from…

Assessing Pseudomonas virulence with a nonmammalian host: Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Haller, Samantha; Limmer, Stefanie; Ferrandon, Dominique

2014-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster flies represent an interesting model to study host-pathogen interactions as: (1) they are cheap and easy to raise rapidly and do not bring up ethical issues, (2) available genetic tools are highly sophisticated, for instance allowing tissue-specific alteration of gene expression, e.g., of immune genes, (3) they have a relatively complex organization, with distinct digestive tract and body cavity in which local or systemic infections, respectively, take place, (4) a medium throughput can be achieved in genetic screens, for instance looking for Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants with altered virulence. We present here the techniques used to investigate host-pathogen relationships, namely the two major models of infections as well as the relevant parameters used to monitor the infection (survival, bacterial titer, induction of host immune response).

The chopstick-noodle twist: an easy technique of percutaneous patellar fixation in minimally displaced patellar fractures.

PubMed

Muzaffar, Nasir; Ahmad, Nawaz; Ahmad, Aejaz; Ahmad, Nissar

2012-01-01

We report six cases of minimally displaced two-part patellar fractures with skin injury over the patella that were treated with percutaneous K wire fixation and compression applied using stainless steel (SS) wire. This technique makes it possible to perform early operative treatment in cases where unhealthy skin is not amenable to conventional tension band wiring. The technique employs two K wires inserted through the two fracture fragments under local or regional anaesthesia. They are then compressed using simple SS wire knots at the two ends - making it look like noodles at the end of two chopsticks. The fixation is subsequently augmented with a cylindrical plaster-of-Paris cast. The technique is simple, cheap and does not cause soft tissue injury.

Edge-illumination x-ray phase contrast imaging with Pt-based metallic glass masks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saghamanesh, Somayeh; Aghamiri, Seyed Mahmoud-Reza; Olivo, Alessandro; Sadeghilarijani, Maryam; Kato, Hidemi; Kamali-Asl, Alireza; Yashiro, Wataru

2017-06-01

Edge-illumination x-ray phase contrast imaging (EI XPCI) is a non-interferometric phase-sensitive method where two absorption masks are employed. These masks are fabricated through a photolithography process followed by electroplating which is challenging in terms of yield as well as time- and cost-effectiveness. We report on the first implementation of EI XPCI with Pt-based metallic glass masks fabricated by an imprinting method. The new tested alloy exhibits good characteristics including high workability beside high x-ray attenuation. The fabrication process is easy and cheap, and can produce large-size masks for high x-ray energies within minutes. Imaging experiments show a good quality phase image, which confirms the potential of these masks to make the EI XPCI technique widely available and affordable.

Description and performance of a novel aqueous all-copper redox flow battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanz, Laura; Lloyd, David; Magdalena, Eva; Palma, Jesús; Kontturi, Kyösti

2014-12-01

In this paper we present a novel aqueous redox flow battery chemistry based on copper chloro complexes. The energy density (20 Wh L-1) achieved is comparable to traditional vanadium redox flow batteries. This is due to the high solubility of copper (3 M), which offsets the relatively low cell potential (0.6 V). The electrolyte is cheap, simple to prepare and easy to recycle since no additives or catalysts are used. The stack used is based on plain graphite electrode materials and a low-cost microporous separator. The system can be operated at 60 °C eliminating the need for a heat exchanger and delivers an energy efficiency of 93, 86 and 74% at 5, 10 and 20 mA cm-2 respectively.

[The utility boiler low NOx combustion optimization based on ANN and simulated annealing algorithm].

PubMed

Zhou, Hao; Qian, Xinping; Zheng, Ligang; Weng, Anxin; Cen, Kefa

2003-11-01

With the developing restrict environmental protection demand, more attention was paid on the low NOx combustion optimizing technology for its cheap and easy property. In this work, field experiments on the NOx emissions characteristics of a 600 MW coal-fired boiler were carried out, on the base of the artificial neural network (ANN) modeling, the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm was employed to optimize the boiler combustion to achieve a low NOx emissions concentration, and the combustion scheme was obtained. Two sets of SA parameters were adopted to find a better SA scheme, the result show that the parameters of T0 = 50 K, alpha = 0.6 can lead to a better optimizing process. This work can give the foundation of the boiler low NOx combustion on-line control technology.

Resin-retained bridges re-visited. Part 1. History and indications.

PubMed

St George, Geoffrey; Hemmings, Ken; Patel, Kalpesh

2002-07-01

Resin-retained bridges have been used clinically since the 1970s, and offer a more conservative approach to the restoration of edentulous spaces than conventional bridgework. They are easy to place, cheap to fabricate and have been shown to be cost effective. Despite this, they are not frequently used in general dental practice and they have an undeserved reputation for failure. Since their initial introduction, they have undergone a number of changes to their method of retention, and the materials used in their construction. This has resulted in a predictable, aesthetic restoration which, barring the use of implants, is often the treatment of choice where teeth adjacent to an edentulous space are minimally or not restored. This first article details the history, advantages, indications, and designs of resin-retained bridges.

Semiconductor Metal-Organic Frameworks: Future Low-Bandgap Materials.

PubMed

Usman, Muhammad; Mendiratta, Shruti; Lu, Kuang-Lieh

2017-02-01

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with low density, high porosity, and easy tunability of functionality and structural properties, represent potential candidates for use as semiconductor materials. The rapid development of the semiconductor industry and the continuous miniaturization of feature sizes of integrated circuits toward the nanometer (nm) scale require novel semiconductor materials instead of traditional materials like silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide etc. MOFs with advantageous properties of both the inorganic and the organic components promise to serve as the next generation of semiconductor materials for the microelectronics industry with the potential to be extremely stable, cheap, and mechanically flexible. Here, a perspective of recent research is provided, regarding the semiconducting properties of MOFs, bandgap studies, and their potential in microelectronic devices. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Conducting polymer nanostructures for photocatalysis under visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Srabanti; Kouamé, Natalie A.; Ramos, Laurence; Remita, Samy; Dazzi, Alexandre; Deniset-Besseau, Ariane; Beaunier, Patricia; Goubard, Fabrice; Aubert, Pierre-Henri; Remita, Hynd

2015-05-01

Visible-light-responsive photocatalysts can directly harvest energy from solar light, offering a desirable way to solve energy and environment issues. Here, we show that one-dimensional poly(diphenylbutadiyne) nanostructures synthesized by photopolymerization using a soft templating approach have high photocatalytic activity under visible light without the assistance of sacrificial reagents or precious metal co-catalysts. These polymer nanostructures are very stable even after repeated cycling. Transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale infrared characterizations reveal that the morphology and structure of the polymer nanostructures remain unchanged after many photocatalytic cycles. These stable and cheap polymer nanofibres are easy to process and can be reused without appreciable loss of activity. Our findings may help the development of semiconducting-based polymers for applications in self-cleaning surfaces, hydrogen generation and photovoltaics.

Determining slack tide with a GPS receiver on an anchored buoy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valk, M.; Savenije, H. H. G.; Tiberius, C. C. J. M.; Luxemburg, W. M. J.

2014-07-01

In this paper we present a novel method to determine the time of occurrence of tidal slack with a GPS receiver mounted on an anchored buoy commonly used to delineate shipping lanes in estuaries and tidal channels. Slack tide occurs when the tide changes direction from ebb to flood flow or from flood to ebb. The determination of this point in time is not only useful for shipping and salvaging, it is also important information for calibrating tidal models, for determining the maximum salt intrusion and for the further refinement of the theory on tidal propagation. The accuracy of the timing is well within 10 min and the method - able to operate in real time - is relatively cheap and easy to implement on a permanent basis or in short field campaigns.

Determining slack tide with a GPS receiver on an anchored buoy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valk, M.; Savenije, H. H. G.; Tiberius, C. C. J. M.; Luxemburg, W. M. J.

2013-11-01

In this paper we present a novel method to determine the time of occurrence of tidal slack with a GPS receiver mounted on an anchored buoy commonly used to delineate shipping lanes in estuaries and tidal channels. Slack tide occurs when the tide changes direction from ebb to flood flow, or from flood to ebb. The determination of this point in time is not only useful for shipping and salvaging, it is also important information for calibrating tidal models, for determining the maximum salt intrusion and for the further refinement of the theory on tidal propagation. The accuracy of the timing is well within 10 min and the method - able to operate in real-time - is relatively cheap and easy to implement on a permanent basis or in short field campaigns.

A simple technique of laparoscopic port closure.

PubMed

Aziz, Homayara Haque

2013-01-01

Laparoscopic and robotic surgery is widely practiced in modern medicine. The operative procedure is not complete until the port sites are closed with a fascial suture. We report a simple new technique that is easy, cost-effective, and quick to apply using 2 S-retractors for suture placement under direct visualization to secure the abdominal wall fascia and peritoneum. As a prospective consecutive case series, this technique was used for fascial closure after laparoscopy ports > 8 mm using 2 S-retractors. One S-retractor is used as a barrier protecting the contents of the abdominal cavity, reducing the risk of visceral injuries. The second S-retractor allows us to directly visualize the different layers, exposing the needle tip during its course through the fascia. This method was used in 100 patients with no intraoperative incidents, additional operative time, or need to access costly instruments. Currently, this technique is also used by many surgeons in our institution without any difficulty. No bowel injuries or port-site hernias were reported during a mean follow-up of 6 wk postoperation and 12-mo annual follow-up. The procedure is simple, easy, cost-effective, and quick to apply.

A professional and cost effective digital video editing and image storage system for the operating room.

PubMed

Scollato, A; Perrini, P; Benedetto, N; Di Lorenzo, N

2007-06-01

We propose an easy-to-construct digital video editing system ideal to produce video documentation and still images. A digital video editing system applicable to many video sources in the operating room is described in detail. The proposed system has proved easy to use and permits one to obtain videography quickly and easily. Mixing different streams of video input from all the devices in use in the operating room, the application of filters and effects produces a final, professional end-product. Recording on a DVD provides an inexpensive, portable and easy-to-use medium to store or re-edit or tape at a later time. From stored videography it is easy to extract high-quality, still images useful for teaching, presentations and publications. In conclusion digital videography and still photography can easily be recorded by the proposed system, producing high-quality video recording. The use of firewire ports provides good compatibility with next-generation hardware and software. The high standard of quality makes the proposed system one of the lowest priced products available today.

[Differentiation of influenza (Flu) type A, type B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by QuickNavi™-Flu+RSV].

PubMed

Kohiyama, Risa; Miyazawa, Takashi; Shibano, Nobuko; Inano, Koichi

2014-01-01

Because it is not easy to differentiate Influenza virus (Flu) from RS virus (RSV) just by clinical symptoms, to accurately diagnose those viruses in conjunction with patient's clinical symptoms, rapid diagnostic kits has been used separately for each of those viruses. In our new study, we have developed a new rapid diagnostic kit, QuickNavi™-Flu+RSV. The kit can detect Flu A, Flu B, and RSV antigens with a single sample collection and an assay. Total of 2,873 cases (including nasopharyngeal swabs and nasopharyngeal aspirates specimens) in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons were evaluated with QuickNavi™-Flu+RSV and a commercially available kit. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of Flu type A, type B, and RSV were above 95% when compared to commercially available kits (QuickNavi™-Flu and QuickNavi™-RSV) and considered to be equivalent to the commercially available kits. In 2011/2012 season, RSV infections increased prior to Flu season and continued during the peak of the Flu season. The kit can contribute to accurate diagnosis of Flu and RSV infections since co-infection cases have also been reported during the 2011/2012 season. QuickNavi™-Flu+RSV is useful for differential diagnosis of respiratory infectious diseases since it can detect Flu type A, type B, and RSV virus antigens with a single sample collection.

The EBI search engine: EBI search as a service—making biological data accessible for all

PubMed Central

Park, Young M.; Squizzato, Silvano; Buso, Nicola; Gur, Tamer

2017-01-01

Abstract We present an update of the EBI Search engine, an easy-to-use fast text search and indexing system with powerful data navigation and retrieval capabilities. The interconnectivity that exists between data resources at EMBL–EBI provides easy, quick and precise navigation and a better understanding of the relationship between different data types that include nucleotide and protein sequences, genes, gene products, proteins, protein domains, protein families, enzymes and macromolecular structures, as well as the life science literature. EBI Search provides a powerful RESTful API that enables its integration into third-party portals, thus providing ‘Search as a Service’ capabilities, which are the main topic of this article. PMID:28472374

The Hong Kong/AAO/Strasbourg Hα (HASH) Planetary Nebula Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojičić, Ivan S.; Parker, Quentin A.; Frew, David J.

2017-10-01

The Hong Kong/AAO/Strasbourg Hα (HASH) planetary nebula database is an online research platform providing free and easy access to the largest and most comprehensive catalogue of known Galactic PNe and a repository of observational data (imaging and spectroscopy) for these and related astronomical objects. The main motivation for creating this system is resolving some of long standing problems in the field e.g. problems with mimics and dubious and/or misidentifications, errors in observational data and consolidation of the widely scattered data-sets. This facility allows researchers quick and easy access to the archived and new observational data and creating and sharing of non-redundant PN samples and catalogues.

Development and in-house validation of a rapid and simple to use ELISA for the detection and measurement of the mycotoxin sterigmatocystin.

PubMed

Oplatowska-Stachowiak, Michalina; Reiring, Claudine; Sajic, Nermin; Haasnoot, Willem; Brabet, Catherine; Campbell, Katrina; Elliott, Christopher T; Salden, Martin

2018-05-01

Sterigmatocystin (STG) is a highly toxic secondary fungal metabolite structurally closely related to the well-known carcinogenic aflatoxins. Its presence has been reported in grains and grain-based products as well as in other foodstuffs like nuts, green coffee beans, spices, beer and cheese. Due to the lack of suitable data on the occurrence of STG, in 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) could not characterise its risk for human health and recommended that more data on STG in food and feed needed to be collected. In order to provide a new tool for the specific detection of STG, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed, optimised and validated in this study based on a sensitive monoclonal antibody specific to STG with no cross-reactivity with aflatoxins. The sample preparation method for rice, wheat and maize was based on a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) approach. The assay was validated for the detection of STG in rice, wheat and maize in accordance with the guidelines for validation of semi-quantitative screening methods included in Commission Regulation (EU) 519/2014. The screening target concentration (STC) was set at 1.5 μg/kg. The cutoffs for rice, wheat and maize were 1.2, 1.2 and 1.3 μg/kg and the false suspected rates were 0.34, 1.15 and 0.78%, respectively. Good correlation was found between the results obtained by the STG ELISA and LC-MS/MS method for naturally contaminated rice samples. This validated method can be applied as a sensitive and high-throughput screening for the presence of STG in a range of agricultural commodities. Graphical abstract A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on an antibody specific to sterigmatocystin for the detection of this mycotoxin in corn, wheat and rice.

The challenges of developing a generic extraction procedure to analyze multi-class veterinary drug residues in milk and honey using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wang, Jian; Leung, Daniel

2012-08-01

This paper discusses the analytical challenges to develop a generic extraction procedure to analyze or screen multi-class veterinary drugs in milk and honey using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC QqTOF MS). The veterinary drugs in this study included aminoglycosides, endectocides, fluoroquinolones, ionophores, β-lactams or penicillins, macrolides, NSAIDs, phenicols, sulfonamides and tetracyclines. Veterinary drugs were extracted using a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method, which entailed the use of acetonitrile containing 1% acetic acid, sodium acetate, ethylenediaminetetra acetic acid disodium (EDTA) and magnesium sulfate, and no clean-up was performed. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase Acquity UPLC BEH C(18) , 100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm column with 0.1% formic acid and 10 mM ammonium formate in water, and acetonitrile as mobile phases. Due to poor chromatographic retention, aminoglycosides were first dropped from the list, and because of poor extractability, β-lactams and tetracyclines were also excluded from the method. The method was able to quantify 31 or screen up to 54 drugs (unbound) in honey, and to quantify 34 or screen up to 59 drugs in milk. UHPLC QqTOF data were acquired in TOF MS full-scan mode that allowed both quantification and confirmation of veterinary drugs and identification of their degradation products in samples. The method could achieve detection limits as low as 1 µg/kg with analytical range from 1 to 100 µg/kg. The developed method was intended to be used for screening of as many analytes as possible in one single analysis, or unequivocal confirmation of positive findings and degradation product identification based on accurate mass measurement and isotopic patterns. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2012. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Agriculture.

Simultaneous enantioselective determination of phenylpyrazole insecticide flufiprole and its chiral metabolite in paddy field ecosystem by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Zhang, Yuting; Cheng, Youpu; Yuan, Shankui; Liu, Lei; Shao, Hui; Li, Hui; Li, Na; Zhao, Pengyue; Guo, Yongze

2016-03-20

A novel and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous enantioselective determination of flufiprole and its hydrolysis metabolite in paddy field ecosystem. The separation and determination were performed using reversed-phase chromatography on a novel cellulose chiral stationary phase, a Lux Cellulose-4 (150 mm × 2.0 mm) column, under isocratic conditions at 0.25 mL/min flow rate. The effects of other four different polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) on the separation and simultaneous enantioseparation of the two target compounds were also evaluated. The elution orders of the eluting enantiomers were identified by an optical rotation detector. Modified QuEChERS (acronym for Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method and solid-phase extraction (SPE) were used for the enrichment and cleanup of paddy water, rice straw, brown rice and paddy soil samples, respectively. Parameters including the matrix effect, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability were evaluated. Under the optimal conditions, the mean recoveries for all enantiomers from the above four sample matrix were ranged from 83.6% to 107%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) in the range of 1.0-5.8%. Coefficients of determination R(2)≥0.998 were achieved for each enantiomer in paddy water, rice straw, brown rice and paddy soil matrix calibration curves within the range of 5-500 μg/kg. The limits of quantification (LOQ) for all stereoisomers in the above four matrices were all below 2.0 μg/kg. The methodology was successfully applied for simultaneously enantioselective analysis of flufiprole enantiomers and their chiral metabolite in the real samples, indicating its efficacy in investigating the environmental stereochemistry of flufiprole in paddy field ecosystem. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a modified QuEChERS method for the determination of veterinary antibiotics in swine manure by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Guo, Chunna; Wang, Mingru; Xiao, Hui; Huai, Binbin; Wang, Feng; Pan, Guangfang; Liao, Xiaoping; Liu, Yahong

2016-08-01

A QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) based methodology was developed for the rapid, simultaneous quantification and identification of 26 veterinary drugs in swine manure by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The selected antibiotics included tetracyclines, sulfonamides, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, lincosamides and pleuromutilins. This is the first study to determine pleuromutilin levels in manure. The QuEChERS process involved two simple steps. First, sample extraction with methanol: acetonitrile: 0.1M EDTA-McIlvaine buffer followed by phase separation with MgSO4: NaCl addition. The supernatant was then extracted and cleaned by dispersive solid-phase extraction using a primary-secondary amine (PSA) and octadecylsilane (C18) support. The proposed method provides a linearity in the range of 1-500ngmL-1 and linear regression coefficients (r) were greater than 0.996. MDL and MQL ranged between 0.01-1.86μgkg(-1) and 0.05-5.91μgkg(-1), respectively. Recoveries ranged from 61.39 to 105.65% with the exception of sulfaquinoxaline (55.7-56.8%) and valnemulin (33.7-37.7%). This method resulted in good precision (repeatability and reproducibility) and relative standard deviations less than 17% within the same day, and lower than 20% between days. The method was then applied to study the swine manure samples collected from Guangdong, China. Chlortetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, sulfadimidine and tilmicosin were detected in all samples indicating high residuals in manure. In fact tilmicosin was detected at 14400μgkg(-1) suggesting that prudent treatment of manure should be conducted to prevent environmental contamination. In conclusion, this workflow can provide a simpler and more cost-effective alternative to conventional methods and is compatible with processing large sample numbers over a short time period. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiresidue pesticide analysis in ginseng and spinach by nontargeted and targeted screening procedures.

PubMed

Hayward, Douglas G; Wong, Jon W; Zhang, Kai; Chang, James; Shi, Feng; Banerjee, Kaushik; Yang, Paul

2011-01-01

Five different mass spectrometers interfaced to GC or LC were evaluated for their application to targeted and nontargeted screening of pesticides in two foods, spinach and ginseng. The five MS systems were capillary GC/MS/MS, GC-high resolution time-of-flight (GC/HR-TOF)-MS, TOF-MS interfaced with a comprehensive multidimensional GC (GCxGC/TOF-MS), an MS/MS ion trap hybrid mass (qTrap) system interfaced with an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC-qTrap), and UPLC interfaced to an orbital trap high resolution mass spectrometer (UPLC/Orbitrap HR-MS). Each MS system was tested with spinach and ginseng extracts prepared through a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) procedure. Each matrix was fortified at 10 and 50 ng/g for spinach or 25 and 100 ng/g for ginseng with subsets of 486 pesticides, isomers, and metabolites representing most pesticide classes. HR-TOF-MS was effective in a targeted search for characteristic accurate mass ions and identified 97% of 170 pesticides in ginseng at 25 ng/g. A targeted screen of either ginseng or spinach found 94-95% of pesticides fortified for analysis at 10 ng/g with GC/MS/MS or LC/MS/MS using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) procedures. Orbitrap-MS successfully found 89% of 177 fortified pesticides in spinach at 25 ng/g using a targeted search of accurate mass pseudomolecular ions in the positive electrospray ionization mode. A comprehensive GCxGC/TOF-MS system provided separation and identification of 342 pesticides and metabolites in a single 32 min acquisition with standards. Only 67 or 81% of the pesticides were identified in ginseng and spinach matrixes at 25 ng/g or 10 ng/g, respectively. MS/MS or qTrap-MS operated in the MRM mode produced the lowest false-negative rates, at 10 ng/g. Improvements to instrumentation, methods, and software are needed for efficient use of nontargeted screens in parallel with triple quadrupole MS.

Development of a method for the analysis of hormones and pharmaceuticals in earthworms by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

PubMed

Bergé, Alexandre; Vulliet, Emmanuelle

2015-10-01

The earthworm represents a kind of creature in contact with the soil surface and usually exposed to a variety of organic pollutants from human activities. Therefore, it can be considered as an organism of choice for identifying pollution or better understanding the input of contaminants in food chains in particular through the contributions of sludge. Moreover, the use of organisms such as soil invertebrates is to be developed for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pollutants. In this context, a simple, rapid and effective multi-residue method was developed for the determination of 31 compounds including 11 steroids, 14 veterinary antibiotics and 6 human contaminants (paracetamol, sulfamethoxazole, fluvoxamine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, bisphenol A) in earthworm. The sample preparation procedure was based on a salting-out extraction with acetonitrile (QuEChERS approach) that was optimised with regard to the acetonitrile/water ratio used in the extraction step, the choice of the clean-up and the quantity of the matrix. The optimised extraction method exhibited recoveries that comprised between 44 and 98 % for all the tested compounds. The limits of detection of all compounds were below 14 ng g(-1) and the limits of quantification (LOQ) comprised between 1.6 and 40 ng g(-1) (wet weight). The method was therefore applied to determine the levels of pharmaceuticals and hormones in six earthworm samples collected in various soils. Concentrations up to 195 ng g(-1) for bisphenol A were determined, between a few nanograms per gram and 43.1 ng g(-1) (estriol) for hormones and between a few nanograms per gram and 73.5 ng g(-1) (florfenicol) for pharmaceuticals. Experiments were also conducted in laboratory conditions to evaluate the accumulation of the target substances by earthworm.

Softworms: the design and control of non-pneumatic, 3D-printed, deformable robots.

PubMed

Umedachi, T; Vikas, V; Trimmer, B A

2016-03-10

Robots that can easily interact with humans and move through natural environments are becoming increasingly essential as assistive devices in the home, office and hospital. These machines need to be safe, effective, and easy to control. One strategy towards accomplishing these goals is to build the robots using soft and flexible materials to make them much more approachable and less likely to damage their environment. A major challenge is that comparatively little is known about how best to design, fabricate and control deformable machines. Here we describe the design, fabrication and control of a novel soft robotic platform (Softworms) as a modular device for research, education and public outreach. These robots are inspired by recent neuromechanical studies of crawling and climbing by larval moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera, caterpillars). Unlike most soft robots currently under development, the Softworms do not rely on pneumatic or fluidic actuators but are electrically powered and actuated using either shape-memory alloy microcoils or motor tendons, and they can be modified to accept other muscle-like actuators such as electroactive polymers. The technology is extremely versatile, and different designs can be quickly and cheaply fabricated by casting elastomeric polymers or by direct 3D printing. Softworms can crawl, inch or roll, and they are steerable and even climb steep inclines. Softworms can be made in any shape but here we describe modular and monolithic designs requiring little assembly. These modules can be combined to make multi-limbed devices. We also describe two approaches for controlling such highly deformable structures using either model-free state transition-reward matrices or distributed, mechanically coupled oscillators. In addition to their value as a research platform, these robots can be developed for use in environmental, medical and space applications where cheap, lightweight and shape-changing deformable robots will provide new performance capabilities.

Pesticide residues in fruit samples: comparison of different QuEChERS methods using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Christia, C; Bizani, E; Christophoridis, C; Fytianos, K

2015-09-01

Acetate- and citrate-buffered quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe (QuEChERS) pretreatment methods were evaluated for the determination of various pesticides in peaches, grapes, apples, bananas, pears, and strawberries from various regions of Greece, using LC-MS/MS. The purposes of this study were (i) to evaluate which type of QuEChERS method was the most appropriate and effective for each matrix; (ii) to apply the selected QuEChERS method for each matrix, in order to detect and quantify pesticide residues in various fruit samples using UPLC-MS/MS; (iii) to examine the concentration distribution of pesticide classes among fruit originating from various areas; and (iv) to assess pesticide concentration distribution between peel and flesh of fruit in order to evaluate the penetration of pesticide residues in the fruit flesh. Acetate-buffered QuEChERS was found to be the most suitable technique for most of the fruit matrices. According to the recovery values at two different concentration levels, peaches should preferably be treated by the citrate-buffered type, whereas grapes, bananas, apples, pears, and strawberries are best treated by the acetate-buffered version, although the differences in efficiency were small. The addition of graphitized carbon black significantly decreases the recovery of specific pesticides in all matrices except for strawberries. The majority of values do not exceed the official maximum residue levels set by the European Commission. Organophosphates proved to be the most commonly detected category along with triazines-triazoles-conazoles group and by carbamates. Apples and pears seem to be the most contaminated fruit matrices among those tested. Distribution of pesticide classes shows variations between different regions, suggesting different pesticide application practices. In the case of peaches and pears, there is an equal distribution of detected pesticides between peel and flesh, indicating penetration of contaminants into the fruit flesh.

QuEChERS sample preparation for the determination of pesticides and other organic residues in environmental matrices: a critical review.

PubMed

Bruzzoniti, Maria Concetta; Checchini, Leonardo; De Carlo, Rosa Maria; Orlandini, Serena; Rivoira, Luca; Del Bubba, Massimo

2014-07-01

Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) is an extraction and clean-up technique originally developed for recovering pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables. Since its introduction, and until December 2013, about 700 papers have been published using the QuEChERS technique, according to a literature overview carried out using SciFinder, Elsevier SciVerse, and Google search engines. Most of these papers were dedicated to pesticide multiresidue analysis in food matrices, and this topic has been thoroughly reviewed over recent years. The QuEChERS approach is now rapidly developing beyond its original field of application to analytes other than pesticides, and matrices other than food, such as biological fluids and non-edible plants, including Chinese medicinal plants. Recently, the QuEChERS concept has spread to environmental applications by analyzing not only pesticides but also other compounds of environmental concern in soil, sediments, and water. To the best of our knowledge, QuEChERS environmental applications have not been reviewed so far; therefore, in this contribution, after a general discussion on the evolution and changes of the original QuEChERS method, a critical survey of the literature regarding environmental applications of conventional and modified QuEChERS methodology is provided. The overall recoveries obtained with QuEChERS and other extraction approaches (e.g., accelerated solvent extraction, ultrasonic solvent extraction, liquid/solid extraction, and soxhlet extraction) were compared, providing evidence for QuEChERS higher recoveries for various classes of compounds, such as biopesticides, chloroalkanes, phenols, and perfluoroalkyl substances. The role of physicochemical properties of soil (i.e., clay and organic carbon content, as well as cation exchange capacity) and target analytes (i.e., log KOW, water solubility, and vapor pressure) were also evaluated in order to interpret recovery and matrix effect data.

Determination of novel brominated flame retardants and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in serum using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with two simplified sample preparation procedures.

PubMed

Gao, Le; Li, Jian; Wu, Yandan; Yu, Miaohao; Chen, Tian; Shi, Zhixiong; Zhou, Xianqing; Sun, Zhiwei

2016-11-01

Two simple and efficient pretreatment procedures have been developed for the simultaneous extraction and cleanup of six novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) and eight common polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in human serum. The first sample pretreatment procedure was a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based approach. An acetone/hexane mixture was employed to isolate the lipid and analytes from the serum with a combination of MgSO 4 and NaCl, followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) step using C18 particles as a sorbent. The second sample pretreatment procedure was based on solid-phase extraction. The sample extraction and cleanup were conducted directly on an Oasis HLB SPE column using 5 % aqueous isopropanol, concentrated sulfuric acid, and 10 % aqueous methanol, followed by elution with dichloromethane. The NBFRs and PBDEs were then detected using gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-NCI MS). The methods were assessed for repeatability, accuracy, selectivity, limits of detection (LODs), and linearity. The results of spike recovery experiments in fetal bovine serum showed that average recoveries ranged from 77.9 % to 128.8 % with relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 0.73 % to 12.37 % for most of the analytes. The LODs for the analytes in fetal bovine serum ranged from 0.3 to 50.8 pg/mL except for decabromodiphenyl ethane. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of the 14 brominated flame retardants in human serum. The two pretreatment procedures described here are simple, accurate, and precise, and are suitable for the routine analysis of human serum. Graphical Abstract Workflow of a QuEChERS-based approach (top) and an SPE-based approach (bottom) for the detection of PBDEs and NBFRs in serum.

Trends and developments in industrial machine vision: 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niel, Kurt; Heinzl, Christoph

2014-03-01

When following current advancements and implementations in the field of machine vision there seems to be no borders for future developments: Calculating power constantly increases, and new ideas are spreading and previously challenging approaches are introduced in to mass market. Within the past decades these advances have had dramatic impacts on our lives. Consumer electronics, e.g. computers or telephones, which once occupied large volumes, now fit in the palm of a hand. To note just a few examples e.g. face recognition was adopted by the consumer market, 3D capturing became cheap, due to the huge community SW-coding got easier using sophisticated development platforms. However, still there is a remaining gap between consumer and industrial applications. While the first ones have to be entertaining, the second have to be reliable. Recent studies (e.g. VDMA [1], Germany) show a moderately increasing market for machine vision in industry. Asking industry regarding their needs the main challenges for industrial machine vision are simple usage and reliability for the process, quick support, full automation, self/easy adjustment at changing process parameters, "forget it in the line". Furthermore a big challenge is to support quality control: Nowadays the operator has to accurately define the tested features for checking the probes. There is an upcoming development also to let automated machine vision applications find out essential parameters in a more abstract level (top down). In this work we focus on three current and future topics for industrial machine vision: Metrology supporting automation, quality control (inline/atline/offline) as well as visualization and analysis of datasets with steadily growing sizes. Finally the general trend of the pixel orientated towards object orientated evaluation is addressed. We do not directly address the field of robotics taking advances from machine vision. This is actually a fast changing area which is worth an own contribution.

UHPLC-MS/MS determination of ochratoxin A and fumonisins in coffee using QuEChERS extraction combined with mixed-mode SPE purification.

PubMed

Nielsen, Kristian Fog; Ngemela, Archard Ferdinand; Jensen, Lene Bai; de Medeiros, Lívia Soman; Rasmussen, Peter Have

2015-01-28

A method was developed for simultaneous determination of the mycotoxins: ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisins B2 (FB2), B4 (FB4), and B6 (FB6) in green, roasted, and instant coffee. Extraction was performed by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) under acidic conditions followed by mixed-mode reversed phase-anion exchange solid phase extraction. OTA and FB2 were detected at levels down to 0.5 and 2 μg/kg by UHPLC-MS/MS and quantitated via isotope dilution using U-(13)C-labeled FB2 and OTA as internal standards. Mixing 20% isopropanol in the acetonitrile of the acidic UHPLC gradient system increased the signal intensity by 50% and decreased the ion-suppression with 50-75% in roasted coffee samples. About half of the roasted coffee samples (n = 57, from 9 countries) contained detectable levels of OTA, however, with only 5 samples above the EU regulatory limit of 5 μg/kg and the highest with 21 μg/kg. None of the 25 instant coffee samples contained OTA above the EU regulatory level of 10 μg/kg. Nonetheless, the toxin could be detected in 56% of the analyzed instant coffee samples. Fumonisins were not detected in any of the roasted or instant coffee samples (n = 82). However, in the green coffee samples (n = 18) almost half of the samples were positive with a maximum value of 164 μg/kg (sum of FB2, FB4, and FB6). This discrepancy between green coffee and processed coffees indicated that the fumonisins decompose during the roasting process, which was confirmed in roasting experiments. Here fumonisins could not be detected after roasting of the green, 164 μg/kg coffee, sample. Under the same conditions, OTA was reduced from 2.4 to 0.5 μg/kg.

GC-MS/MS determination and ecological risk assessment of pesticides in aquatic system: A case study in Hooghly River basin in West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Mondal, Rahul; Mukherjee, Ayan; Biswas, Subrata; Kole, Ramen Kumar

2018-04-30

A liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for water and modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method for sediment combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) detection in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was standardized for determination of 31 pesticides. Performance characteristics for the selected pesticides were acceptable according to European Commission's (EC) guidelines for method validation (recovery 70-120%, RSD <20% and R 2 value ≥ 0.99). River, pond and tubewell water and river sediment samples (64 nos.) were collected from Hooghly River basin in West Bengal, India during 2014-2016. About 42% of the samples showed the presence of 19 pesticides with the highest loading of total pesticides (T-pesticides) in river water (3.01 ng mL -1 ) followed by sediment (1.25 ng g -1 ), pond (0.40 ng mL -1 ) and tubewell (0.02 ng mL -1 ) water. The non-agricultural OC (organochlorine) insecticides were detected in all river water and sediment samples mainly due to HCHs (hexachlorocyclohexane) from old source and fresh use of DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) in local areas. No OC insecticides were detected in pond and tubewell water. Maximum residues of some recommended pesticides in agriculture were obtained in pond water. Most of the river water samples (93.7%) were in excess of EC limit (0.50 ng mL -1 ) of T-pesticides for drinking followed by pond water samples (56.2%). Tubewell water samples were free from T-pesticide threat but exceeded the EC limit (0.10 ng mL -1 ) for single pesticide in case of chlorpyrifos only. Ecological risk on aquatic animals was observed for OCs in river and chlorpyrifos in pond aquatic ecosystem. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation and application of a multiresidue method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for evaluating the plant uptake of 74 microcontaminants in crops irrigated with treated municipal wastewater.

PubMed

Martínez-Piernas, A B; Polo-López, M I; Fernández-Ibáñez, P; Agüera, A

2018-01-26

Reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural purposes can mitigate water stress in some regions where the lack of water is an extended problem. However, the environmental long-term consequences of this practice are still unknown. It is demonstrated that using reclaimed water for irrigation lead to accumulation and translocation of some microcontaminants (MCs) in soil and crops. However, so far, only a small group of contaminants has been investigated. This study aims to develop and validate a simple and efficient multiresidue method based on QuEChERs (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective and Rugged) extraction coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The novelty of the study relays in the large number of MCs analyzed (74), some of them not previously investigated, in three commodities (lettuce, radish and strawberry). Optimized conditions yielded good results for the three commodities under study. Up to 84% of the compounds were recovered within a 70-120% range, with good repeatability (relative standard deviations below 20% in most cases). Method detection (MDLs) and quantification limits (MQLs) ranged from 0.01 to 2 ng/g. The proposed method was successfully applied to assess the potential uptake of MCs by lettuce and radish crops irrigated with wastewater under controlled conditions for 3 and 1.5 months, respectively. 12 compounds were detected in the crops with concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 57.6 ng/g. N-Formyl-4-aminoantipyrine (4FAA) was the most concentrated compound. The application of this method demonstrated for the first time the accumulation of 5 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) not previously reported: 4FAA, N-Acetyl-4-aminoantipyrine (4AAA), hydrochlorothiazide, mepivacaine and venlafaxine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of endrin and δ-keto endrin in five food products of animal origin using GC-μECD: A modified QuEChERS approach to traditional detection.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Musfiqur; Lee, Han Sol; Abd El-Aty, A M; Kabir, Md Humayun; Chung, Hyung Suk; Park, Jong-Hyouk; Kim, Mi-Ra; Kim, Ji-Hyun; Shin, Ho-Chul; Shin, Sung Shik; Shim, Jae-Han

2018-10-15

A simple quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based method was developed for the analysis of endrin and its metabolite, δ-keto endrin, in five animal-derived food products (chicken, pork, beef, egg, and milk) using a gas chromatography-micro electron capture detector (GC-μECD). Samples were extracted with acidified acetonitrile, salted out with magnesium sulfate and sodium acetate, and finally purified with a dual layer solid-phase extraction cartridge (SPE) that contains both Supelclean ENVI-Carb (upper layer) and primary secondary amine (lower layer) SPE sorbents. A seven-point external calibration curve was constructed both for the solvent and matrix for both compounds. Good linearity was achieved for both analytes, with coefficients of determination (R 2 ) ≥ 0.9960. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.003 mg/kg, whereas the limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.01 mg/kg, which were 10 times lower than the extraneous maximum residue limit (EMRL) designated by CODEX Alimentarius for the specified matrices. The method was validated via recovery performances in triplicates, with three fortification levels equivalent to LOQ, 2 × LOQ, and 10 × LOQ. The method provided excellent recoveries, ranging between 75.63 and 117.92%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) ≤ 8.52% for both analytes in various matrices. The developed method was successfully applied to monitor market samples collected from 20 different places throughout the Republic of Korea, and none of the tested analytes were found in the analyzed samples. Conclusively, we could propose that the current method can be used for routine analysis of endrin and δ-keto endrin in any type of fatty food matrix. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a multi-residue enantiomeric analysis method for 9 pesticides in soil and water by chiral liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Yuanbo; Dong, Fengshou; Liu, Xingang; Xu, Jun; Chen, Xiu; Han, Yongtao; Liang, Xuyang; Zheng, Yongquan

2013-04-15

A novel and sensitive chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous measuring individual enantiomers of 9 pesticides including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides in soil and water. The separation and determination were performed using reversed-phase chromatography on an amylose chiral stationary phase, a Chiralpak AD-RH column, under gradient elution using a mixture of ACN-2mM ammonium acetate in water as the mobile phase at 0.45 mL/min flow rate. The effects of three cellulose-based columns and three amylose-based columns on the separation were also investigated. The QuEChERS (acronym for Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method and solid-phase extraction (SPE) were used for the extraction and clean-up of the soil and water samples, respectively. Parameters including the matrix effect, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability were undertaken. Under optimal conditions, the mean recoveries for all enantiomers from the soil and water samples were ranged from 77.8% to 106.2% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) less than 14.2%. Good linearity (at least R(2) ≥ 0.9986) was obtained for all studied analytes in the soil and water matrix calibration curves over the range from 2.0 to 125 μg/L. The limits of detection (LOD) for all enantiomers in the soil and water were less than 1.8 μg/kg or μg/L, whereas the limit of quantification (LOQ) did not exceed 5.0 μg/kg or μg/L. The results of the method validation confirm that this proposed method is convenient and reliable for the enantioselective determination of the enantiomers of 9 chiral pesticides in soil and water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of 24 personal care products in fish muscle and liver tissues using QuEChERS extraction coupled with ultra pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analyses.

PubMed

Yao, Li; Zhao, Jian-Liang; Liu, You-Sheng; Yang, Yuan-Yuan; Liu, Wang-Rong; Ying, Guang-Guo

2016-11-01

A sensitive and selective quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction combined with dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) cleanup method was developed to simultaneously extract a wide range of personal care products (16 biocides, 4 synthetic musks, and 4 benzotriazoles) in fish muscle and liver tissues. In order to get satisfactory recoveries, different extraction parameters were optimized, including extraction salts and d-SPE materials, extraction solvents and acetic acid contents in organic phase, and the ratios of solvent and water. Ultra pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to analyze the target compounds in the extracts. Among the 24 personal care products, the recoveries in the range of 70-120 % were obtained for 20, 19, and 12 analytes in fish muscle at the spiking concentrations of 10, 5, and 1 ng/g ww, respectively, and for 13, 12, and 11 analytes in liver at the spiking concentrations of 40, 20, and 4 ng/g ww, respectively. Method quantification limits (MQLs) of all analytes were 0.02-2.12 ng/g ww for fish muscle and 0.22-12.2 ng/g ww for fish liver tissues. The method was successfully applied to wild fish samples collected from Dongjiang River, south China. Twenty-one and 17 of the analytes were found in fish muscle and liver samples, respectively, in at least one site of the river with the concentrations between below MQLs and 119 ng/g ww, respectively. Graphical abstract Achieved satisfactory recoveries, high precision, and low method quantification limits (MQLs) for PCPs in wild fish tissues by QuEChERS procedure optimization combined with UPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS analyses.

Comparison of two extraction methods for the determination of 135 pesticides in Corydalis Rhizoma, Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry. Application to the roots and rhizomes of Chinese herbal medicines.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Tong, Ling; Li, Dongxiang; Meng, Wenting; Sun, Wanyang; Zhao, Yunli; Yu, Zhiguo

2016-04-01

In this study, two simple pretreatment methods were comprehensively evaluated for the determination of 135 pesticide residues in roots and rhizomes of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs). The studied methodologies are (a) solid-phase extraction (SPE) and (b) Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS). For SPE, extraction solvents, SPE cartridges and types and volume of eluent were accessed and optimized. For QuEChERS, different versions, acetic acid concentration and dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) sorbent materials were tested. SPE and QuEChERS were estimated in recovery range, the number of pesticides that were recovered ranging from 90% to 110% and expenses in Corydalis Rhizoma, Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix. QuEChERS method showed better performance than SPE. The method showed good linearity over the range assayed 0.9986-0.9999 (1-80ng/mL for 124 pesticides, 1-50ng/mL for 10 pesticides, 1-20ng/mL for satisfar). The matrix effect was compensated by matrix-based calibration curves with internal standard. The average recoveries of all pesticides were ranging from 70% to 120% at three levels of 10, 50 and 100ng/g with relative standard deviations less than 20%. The limits of quantification of the 135 pesticides in three matrices were 1-5ng/g, which were below the maximum residue levels (MRLs) established by the European Union. The verified QuEChERS method was successfully applied to the analysis of 65 actual samples from eight different types of roots and rhizomes of CHMs. Angelicae Sinensis Radix was the most susceptible to pesticides among these samples, and the most frequently detected pesticide was carbendazim with levels below MRLs. Metalaxyl, phorate, atrazine, diniconazole, coumaphos and paclobutrazol were also detected in some samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of multiclass pesticide residues in human plasma using a mini QuEChERS method.

PubMed

Srivastava, Anshuman; Rai, Satyajeet; Kumar Sonker, Ashish; Karsauliya, Kajal; Pandey, Chandra Prabha; Singh, Sheelendra Pratap

2017-06-01

Blood is one of the most assessable matrices for the determination of pesticide residue exposure in humans. Effective sample preparation/cleanup of biological samples is very important in the development of a sensitive, reproducible, and robust method. In the present study, a simple, cost-effective, and rapid gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for simultaneous analysis of 31 multiclass (organophosphates, organochlorines, and synthetic pyrethroids) pesticide residues in human plasma by means of a mini QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method. We have adopted a modified version of the QuEChERS method, which is primarily used for pesticide residue analysis in food commodities. The QuEChERS method was optimized by use of different extraction solvents and different amounts and combinations of salts and sorbents (primary-secondary amines and C 18 ) for the dispersive solid-phase extraction step. The results show that a combination of ethyl acetate with 2% acetic acid, magnesium sulfate (0.4 g), and solid-phase extraction for sample cleanup with primary-secondary amines (50 mg) per 1-mL volume of plasma is the most suitable for generating acceptable results with high recoveries for all multiclass pesticides from human plasma. The mean recovery ranged from 74% to 109% for all the analytes. The limit of quantification and limit of detection of the method ranged from 0.12 to 13.53 ng mL -1 and from 0.04 to 4.10 ng mL -1 respectively. The intraday precision and the interday precision of the method were 6% or less and 11% or less respectively. This method would be useful for the analysis of a wide range of pesticides of interest in a small volume of clinical and/or forensic samples to support biomonitoring and toxicological applications. Graphical Abstract Pesticide residues analysis in human plasma using mini QuEChERS method.

Validation of a method for the determination of 120 pesticide residues in apples and cucumbers by LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Ramadan, Gouda; Al Jabir, Muna; Alabdulmalik, Najat; Mohammed, Ali

2016-05-01

Most countries have clearly defined regulations governing the use of pesticides in agricultural activity. The application of pesticides in agriculture usually leads to a residual amount of these pesticides on food products such as fruit and vegetables. The presence of pesticide residues on these foods destined for human consumption may pose food safety risks to consumers. To protect consumers, national authorities have established maximum limits for pesticide residues in foods. These limits can only be enforced if there are methods available to detect and monitor their concentrations in the applicable food products. To support the enforcement of this legislation, we have developed a multi-residue liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the analysis of 120 pesticide residues in apples and cucumbers which has been validated and implemented in the routine monitoring and surveillance programme for these pesticides. In this method, apple and cucumber samples are extracted using the QuEChERS method (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) and the extracts were analyzed directly by LC-MS/MS. The mean recoveries at three different concentrations of 0.01 µg/g , 0.05 µg/g, and 0.1 µg/g over the analytical range varied between 70 and 120%. The repeatability of the method expressed as %RSD was less than 20%. The limit of detection (LOD) of the method ranged between 0.0014 and 0.0110 µg/g for apples and between 0.0012 and 0.0075 µg/g for cucumbers. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 0.01 µg/g for apples and cucumbers. The method has been used for the analysis of over 600 apple and 550 cucumber samples over the past two years. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of 17 Organophosphate Pesticide Residues in Mango by Modified QuEChERS Extraction Method Using GC-NPD/GC-MS and Hazard Index Estimation in Lucknow, India

PubMed Central

Srivastava, Ashutosh K.; Rai, Satyajeet; Srivastava, M. K.; Lohani, M.; Mudiam, M. K. R.; Srivastava, L. P.

2014-01-01

A total of 162 samples of different varieties of mango: Deshehari, Langra, Safeda in three growing stages (Pre-mature, Unripe and Ripe) were collected from Lucknow, India, and analyzed for the presence of seventeen organophosphate pesticide residues. The QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method of extraction coupled with gas chromatography was validated for pesticides and qualitatively confirmed by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry. The method was validated with different concentrations of mixture of seventeen organophosphate pesticides (0.05, 0.10, 0.50 mg kg−1) in mango. The average recovery varied from 70.20% to 95.25% with less than 10% relative standard deviation. The limit of quantification of different pesticides ranged from 0.007 to 0.033 mg kg−1. Out of seventeen organophosphate pesticides only malathion and chlorpyriphos were detected. Approximately 20% of the mango samples have shown the presence of these two pesticides. The malathion residues ranged from ND-1.407 mg kg−1 and chlorpyriphos ND-0.313 mg kg−1 which is well below the maximum residues limit (PFA-1954). In three varieties of mango at different stages from unpeeled to peeled sample reduction of malathion and chlorpyriphos ranged from 35.48%–100% and 46.66%–100% respectively. The estimated daily intake of malathion ranged from 0.032 to 0.121 µg kg−1 and chlorpyriphos ranged from zero to 0.022 µg kg−1 body weight from three different stages of mango. The hazard indices ranged from 0.0015 to 0.0060 for malathion and zero to 0.0022 for chlorpyriphos. It is therefore indicated that seasonal consumption of these three varieties of mango may not pose any health hazards for the population of Lucknow, city, India because the hazard indices for malathion and chlorpyriphos residues were below to one. PMID:24809911

Atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides in soil and water.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhipeng; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Xiaohu; Chen, Zenglong; Pan, Xinglu; Zheng, Yongquan

2016-02-26

In this study, the application of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (APGC-QTOF-MS) has been investigated for simultaneous determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides in soil and water. Soft ionization of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography was evaluated by comparing with traditional more energetic electron impact ionization (EI). APGC-QTOF-MS showed a sensitivity enhancement by approximately 7-305 times. The QuEChERs (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was used to pretreat the soil samples and solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup was used for water samples. Precision, accuracy and stability experiments were undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of the method. The results showed that the mean recoveries for all the pesticides from the soil samples were 70.3-118.9% with 0.4-18.3% intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) and 1.0-15.6% inter-day RSD at 10, 50 and 500 μg/L levels, while the mean recoveries of water samples were 70.0-118.0% with 1.1-17.8% intra-day RSD and 0.5-12.2% inter-day RSD at 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 μg/L levels. Excellent linearity (0.9931 ≦ r(2)≤ 0.9999) was obtained for each pesticides in the soil and water matrix calibration curves within the range of 0.01-1.0mg/L. The limits of detection (LOD) for each of the 15 pesticides was less than 3.00 μg/L, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) was less than 9.99 μg/L in soil and water. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied to monitor the targeted pesticides in real soil and water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Mobile Health Application to Predict Postpartum Depression Based on Machine Learning.

PubMed

Jiménez-Serrano, Santiago; Tortajada, Salvador; García-Gómez, Juan Miguel

2015-07-01

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a disorder that often goes undiagnosed. The development of a screening program requires considerable and careful effort, where evidence-based decisions have to be taken in order to obtain an effective test with a high level of sensitivity and an acceptable specificity that is quick to perform, easy to interpret, culturally sensitive, and cost-effective. The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to develop classification models for detecting the risk of PPD during the first week after childbirth, thus enabling early intervention; and second, to develop a mobile health (m-health) application (app) for the Android(®) (Google, Mountain View, CA) platform based on the model with best performance for both mothers who have just given birth and clinicians who want to monitor their patient's test. A set of predictive models for estimating the risk of PPD was trained using machine learning techniques and data about postpartum women collected from seven Spanish hospitals. An internal evaluation was carried out using a hold-out strategy. An easy flowchart and architecture for designing the graphical user interface of the m-health app was followed. Naive Bayes showed the best balance between sensitivity and specificity as a predictive model for PPD during the first week after delivery. It was integrated into the clinical decision support system for Android mobile apps. This approach can enable the early prediction and detection of PPD because it fulfills the conditions of an effective screening test with a high level of sensitivity and specificity that is quick to perform, easy to interpret, culturally sensitive, and cost-effective.

Sniff Sniff...: Your Easy Tear-Out Guide for Stopping Classroom Bugs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gelbwasser, Margaret

2007-01-01

The author's first two years of teaching were filled with read alouds, eager faces, a-ha moments, and weekends stuck at home with cold after cold. No matter how quickly she bolted from students' incoming coughs and sneezes, come winter, she always seemed to get sick again and again. Thus, in this article, the author offers ways on how to spot,…

Science 101: What Causes Wind?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, William C.

2010-01-01

There's a quick and easy answer to this question. The Sun causes wind. Exactly how the Sun causes wind takes a bit to explain. We'll begin with what wind is. You've no doubt heard that wind is the motion of air molecules, which is true. Putting aside the huge leap of faith it takes for us to believe that we are experiencing the motion of millions…

The Histochemistry and Cell Biology pandect: the year 2014 in review.

PubMed

Taatjes, Douglas J; Roth, Jürgen

2015-04-01

This review encompasses a brief synopsis of the articles published in 2014 in Histochemistry and Cell Biology. Out of the total of 12 issues published in 2014, two special issues were devoted to "Single-Molecule Super-Resolution Microscopy." The present review is divided into 11 categories, providing an easy format for readers to quickly peruse topics of particular interest to them.

Internet VSMOKE: A user-oriented system for smoke management

Treesearch

James T. Paul; Alan Dozier; Daniel Chan

2007-01-01

The Georgia Forestry Commission has developed an Internet-based, user friendly version of a USDA Forest Service smoke dispersion model called “VSMOKE.” The program provides an easy to use method to quickly evaluate what areas will likely be impacted by smoke from a wild or prescribed fire. This is particularly important in assessing air quality, public safety and...

Trouble-Free Transitions for Teachers: 3 CDs for Public Elementary, Middle, and High Schools [CD-ROM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strike, Kimberly T.

2006-01-01

These CDs provide a thorough approach to the nuts and bolts of information that is needed by new faculty and staff. The discs allow administrators or personnel charged with the job of orientation of new staff a quick and easy template that will provide a thorough orientation to a new building and or district. For personnel directors, principals,…

Trombiculiasis: not only a matter of animals!

PubMed

Guarneri, Claudio; Chokoeva, Anastasiya Atanasova; Wollina, Uwe; Lotti, Torello; Tchernev, Georgi

2017-03-01

Trombiculiasis represents a striking emerging infestation in humans. In fact, modified lifestyles and easy and quick traveling around the globe, together with the altered ecology and habits of the parasite Neotrombicula autumnalis, make this original epizoonosis an extraordinary example of synanthropic dermatosis. We present an additional clinical image of this unusual parasite transmission from animals to humans occurring in a trekker in Calabria, Italy.

Strategic Implications of Cloud Computing for Modeling and Simulation (Briefing)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

of Promises with Cloud • Cost efficiency • Unlimited storage • Backup and recovery • Automatic software integration • Easy access to information...activities that wrap the actual exercise itself (e.g., travel for exercise support, data collection, integration , etc.). Cloud -based simulation would...requiring quick delivery rather than fewer large messages requiring high bandwidth. Cloud environments tend to be better at providing high-bandwidth

Development of a photo guide for fuels in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Georgia and Western South Carolina

Treesearch

Sandra Rideout-Hanzak; Lucy Brudnak; Thomas A. Waldrop

2006-01-01

Current methods of assessing the characteristics of forest fuels are time-consuming, expensive, and impractical in the mountainous terrain of the southeastern United States. A photo guide to fuels is being developed. It will be a quick, inexpensive, and easy-to-use tool for various management applications in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Fuels data and photos...

Introducing Professional Writing Skills to Future Naval Officers: An Adjunct to NPS Distance Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-18

make smart organizational and stylistic choices—resulting in messages that are quick to read, easy to understand, and effective in serving their...analyzed the work of research specialists, cognitive psychologists, professional naval writers, and business communication researchers. Also in the...memory and Bever’s (1972) work on short- and long- term effect on sentence processing provides important information on cognitive information

OneSearch Gives You Access to More Than 7,000 Publishers and Content Providers | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Robin Meckley, Contributing Writer OneSearch, an exciting new resource from the Scientific Library, is now available to the NCI at Frederick community. This new resource provides a quick and easy way to search multiple Scientific Library resources and collections using a single search box for journal articles, books, media, and more. A large central index is compiled from

QuickAssist: Reading and Learning Vocabulary Independently with the Help of CALL and NLP Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Peter

2011-01-01

Independent learning is a buzz word that is often used in connection with computer technologies applied to the area of foreign language instruction. This chapter takes a critical look at some of the stereotypes that exist with regard to computer-assisted language learning (CALL) as a money saver and an easy way to create an "independent"…

Method validation for 243 pesticides and environmental contaminants in meats and poultry by tandem mass spectrometry coupled to low-pressure gas chromatography and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An easy and reliable high-throughput analysis method was developed and validated for 192 diverse pesticides and 51 environmental contaminants (13 PCB congeners, 14 PAHs, 7 PBDE congeners, and 17 novel flame retardants) in cattle, swine, and poultry muscle. Sample preparation was based on the “quick,...

Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-05-01

WE RECOMMEND Colour mixer This equipment offers a great way to demonstrate colour mixing. Semiconductor laser and modulated receiver unit A simple way to demonstrate the modulation of laser beams. Project: Zero Gravity This two-DVD set discusses the topic of weightlessness in space. Lascells materials hardness tester This well made tool gives reproducible results quickly. The practical guide to Man-Powered Bullets Build your own armoury with this rather eccentric guide. Lenz’s Law demonstration A cheap, cheerful and fun way to test Lenz’s Law. WORTH A LOOK Eye Tricks Take a trip down memory lane with this magic-eye book. Elementary Climate Physics An authoritative textbook on the physics of Earth’s climate. Representing Electrons This rather heavyweight book looks at the philosophy of physics. WEB WATCH If you want to inject some innovative ideas into your teaching of forces then look no further.

User's Guide To CHEAP0 II-Economic Analysis of Stand Prognosis Model Outputs

Treesearch

Joseph E. Horn; E. Lee Medema; Ervin G. Schuster

1986-01-01

CHEAP0 II provides supplemental economic analysis capability for users of version 5.1 of the Stand Prognosis Model, including recent regeneration and insect outbreak extensions. Although patterned after the old CHEAP0 model, CHEAP0 II has more features and analytic capabilities, especially for analysis of existing and uneven-aged stands....

Freezing curve-based monitoring to quickly evaluate the viability of biological materials subject to freezing or thermal injury.

PubMed

Liu, Jing; Zhou, Yi-Xin

2003-09-01

This paper is aimed at investigating the roles of freezing dynamics of a liquid droplet to characterize the properties of the material. In particular, freezing curve-based monitoring was proposed to quickly evaluate the viability of biological materials subject to freezing, re-warming, or other kinds of injury, which is an extremely important issue in practices such as cryobiology, hyperthermia, or freshness evaluation of bio-samples. An integrated micro analysis device was fabricated which is simple in structure and cheap to make. Preliminary freezing results demonstrated that minor changes in a biological material due to freezing or warming injury might result in a significant deviation of its freezing curve from that of the intact biomaterials. Several potential thermal indexes to quantify the material features were pointed out. Further, experiments were performed on some freezing and thawing processes of small amount of water on a cooling surface to test the effects of droplet sizes, measurement sites, cooling strength, and cooling geometry, etc., on the freezing responses of a water droplet. Their implementation in developing a new micro analysis system were suggested. This freezing curve-based monitoring method may open a new strategy for the evaluation of biomaterials subject to destruction in diverse fields.

AutoMicromanager: A microscopy scripting toolkit for LABVIEW and other programming environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashcroft, Brian Alan; Oosterkamp, Tjerk

2010-11-01

We present a scripting toolkit for the acquisition and analysis of a wide variety of imaging data by integrating the ease of use of various programming environments such as LABVIEW, IGOR PRO, MATLAB, SCILAB, and others. This toolkit is designed to allow the user to quickly program a variety of standard microscopy components for custom microscopy applications allowing much more flexibility than other packages. Included are both programming tools as well as graphical user interface classes allowing a standard, consistent, and easy to maintain scripting environment. This programming toolkit allows easy access to most commonly used cameras, stages, and shutters through the Micromanager project so the scripter can focus on their custom application instead of boilerplate code generation.

AutoMicromanager: a microscopy scripting toolkit for LABVIEW and other programming environments.

PubMed

Ashcroft, Brian Alan; Oosterkamp, Tjerk

2010-11-01

We present a scripting toolkit for the acquisition and analysis of a wide variety of imaging data by integrating the ease of use of various programming environments such as LABVIEW, IGOR PRO, MATLAB, SCILAB, and others. This toolkit is designed to allow the user to quickly program a variety of standard microscopy components for custom microscopy applications allowing much more flexibility than other packages. Included are both programming tools as well as graphical user interface classes allowing a standard, consistent, and easy to maintain scripting environment. This programming toolkit allows easy access to most commonly used cameras, stages, and shutters through the Micromanager project so the scripter can focus on their custom application instead of boilerplate code generation.

Fast pesticide detection inside microfluidic device with integrated optical pH, oxygen sensors and algal fluorescence.

PubMed

Tahirbegi, Islam Bogachan; Ehgartner, Josef; Sulzer, Philipp; Zieger, Silvia; Kasjanow, Alice; Paradiso, Mirco; Strobl, Martin; Bouwes, Dominique; Mayr, Torsten

2017-02-15

The necessities of developing fast, portable, cheap and easy to handle pesticide detection platforms are getting attention of scientific and industrial communities. Although there are some approaches to develop microchip based pesticide detection platforms, there is no compact microfluidic device for the complementary, fast, cheap, reusable and reliable analysis of different pesticides. In this work, a microfluidic device is developed for in-situ analysis of pesticide concentration detected via metabolism/photosynthesis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algal cells (algae) in tap water. Algae are grown in glass based microfluidic chip, which contains integrated optical pH and oxygen sensors in a portable system for on-site detection. In addition, intrinsic algal fluorescence is detected to analyze the pesticide concentration in parallel to pH and oxygen sensors with integrated fluorescence detectors. The response of the algae under the effect of different concentrations of pesticides is evaluated and complementary inhibition effects depending on the pesticide concentration are demonstrated. The three different sensors allow the determination of various pesticide concentrations in the nanomolar concentration range. The miniaturized system provides the fast quantification of pesticides in less than 10min and enables the study of toxic effects of different pesticides on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii green algae. Consequently, the microfluidic device described here provides fast and complementary detection of different pesticides with algae in a novel glass based microfluidic device with integrated optical pH, oxygen sensors and algal fluorescence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The third hand--a simple but useful tool for holding the sheath during transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

PubMed

Wisser, Wilfried

2010-11-01

Transapical aortic valve implantation is an evolving technology for treating high-risk patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis. The transition to a catheter based implantation technique inherits one fundamental change: the native valve stays in place and is no longer removed. The selection of the correct plane of the aortic annulus, therefore, is mandatory. In addition, exact alignment of the sheath and catheters according to axis of the ascending aorta is imperative for correct implantation. That is why any additional movements have to be avoided. To aid in better workflow, we developed an easy-to-use cheap holder for the introduction sheath. By using a rigid table mount instrument holder the sheath can easily be fixed in the desired orientation, abolishing any movement and reducing the X-ray load to the implanting surgeon.

Method of preparation of carbon materials for use as electrodes in rechargeable batteries

DOEpatents

Doddapaneni, Narayan; Wang, James C. F.; Crocker, Robert W.; Ingersoll, David; Firsich, David W.

1999-01-01

A method of producing carbon materials for use as electrodes in rechargeable batteries. Electrodes prepared from these carbon materials exhibit intercalation efficiencies of .apprxeq.80% for lithium, low irreversible loss of lithium, long cycle life, are capable of sustaining a high rates of discharge and are cheap and easy to manufacture. The method comprises a novel two-step stabilization process in which polymeric precursor materials are stabilized by first heating in an inert atmosphere and subsequently heating in air. During the stabilization process, the polymeric precursor material can be agitated to reduce particle fusion and promote mass transfer of oxygen and water vapor. The stabilized, polymeric precursor materials can then be converted to a synthetic carbon, suitable for fabricating electrodes for use in rechargeable batteries, by heating to a high temperature in a flowing inert atmosphere.

Serum Creatinine: Not So Simple!

PubMed

Delanaye, Pierre; Cavalier, Etienne; Pottel, Hans

2017-01-01

Measuring serum creatinine is cheap and commonly done in daily practice. However, interpretation of serum creatinine results is not always easy. In this review, we will briefly remind the physiological limitations of serum creatinine due notably to its tubular secretion and the influence of muscular mass or protein intake on its concentration. We mainly focus on the analytical limitations of serum creatinine, insisting on important concept such as reference intervals, standardization (and IDMS traceability), analytical interferences, analytical coefficient of variation (CV), biological CV and critical difference. Because the relationship between serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate is hyperbolic, all these CVs will impact not only the precision of serum creatinine but still more the precision of different creatinine-based equations, especially in low or normal-low creatinine levels (or high or normal-high glomerular filtration rate range). © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Computationally intensive econometrics using a distributed matrix-programming language.

PubMed

Doornik, Jurgen A; Hendry, David F; Shephard, Neil

2002-06-15

This paper reviews the need for powerful computing facilities in econometrics, focusing on concrete problems which arise in financial economics and in macroeconomics. We argue that the profession is being held back by the lack of easy-to-use generic software which is able to exploit the availability of cheap clusters of distributed computers. Our response is to extend, in a number of directions, the well-known matrix-programming interpreted language Ox developed by the first author. We note three possible levels of extensions: (i) Ox with parallelization explicit in the Ox code; (ii) Ox with a parallelized run-time library; and (iii) Ox with a parallelized interpreter. This paper studies and implements the first case, emphasizing the need for deterministic computing in science. We give examples in the context of financial economics and time-series modelling.

A Simple and Useful Method to Apply Exogenous NO Gas to Plant Systems: Bell Pepper Fruits as a Model.

PubMed

Palma, José M; Ruiz, Carmelo; Corpas, Francisco J

2018-01-01

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved many physiological plant processes, including germination, growth and development of roots, flower setting and development, senescence, and fruit ripening. In the latter physiological process, NO has been reported to play an opposite role to ethylene. Thus, treatment of fruits with NO may lead to delay ripening independently of whether they are climacteric or nonclimacteric. In many cases different methods have been reported to apply NO to plant systems involving sodium nitroprusside, NONOates, DETANO, or GSNO to investigate physiological and molecular consequences. In this chapter a method to treat plant materials with NO is provided using bell pepper fruits as a model. This method is cheap, free of side effects, and easy to apply since it only requires common chemicals and tools available in any biology laboratory.

Printed Antenna Array with Flat-Top Radiation Pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milijić, Marija R.; Nešić, Aleksandar D.; Milovanović, Bratislav D.; Nešić, Dušan A.

2018-04-01

A printed antenna array consisting of 10 wideband symmetrical pentagonal dipoles is presented. The feed network of impedance transformers is employed to provide appropriate amplitude and phase distribution necessary to obtain flat top beam pattern. The measured results demonstrate excellent radiation characteristics including 38° flat gain region with maximum ripple of 3.5 dB at the centre frequency. Furthermore, the proposed antenna that is placed in corner reflector with angle of 60° has good gain (17 dBi) and side lobe suppression (18.9 dB). Although it is designed at the centre frequency fc=12 GHz, it was shown to be capable of shaping a good flat top radiation pattern within a fractional bandwidth at least 6 % of centre frequency. Also, proposed antenna features cheap, simple and easy fabrication that makes it suitable for mass production.

EASI-IMS an expedite and secure technique to screen for 25I-NBOH in blotter papers.

PubMed

de Morais, Damila Rodrigues; Barbosa, Ingrid Lopes; Cunha, Kelly Francisco; Tripodi, Guilherme Lucas; Angolini, Célio Fernando Figueiredo; Franco, Marcos Fernando; de Aquino, Elvis Medeiros; Eberlin, Marcos Nogueira; Costa, Jose Luiz

2017-10-01

The increasing number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and their quick worldwide spreading, often only slightly modified in the form of new derivatives and analogues, have brought the need for fast, wide-ranging, and unequivocal identification methods in clinical and forensic investigations. Because it usually provides secure results, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been routinely employed as the standard technique for the detection of NPS in blotter papers. For 25I-NBOH (N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethan-1-aminium), however, GC-MS analysis of an blotter paper extract leads to incorrect results. In this work, we investigated whether easy ambient sonic-spray mass spectrometry imaging (EASI-IMS), and ambient ionization MS method can be applied directly to the surface of the sample requiring therefore no extraction or sample preparations, would serve as an efficient, sensitive, and secure alternative for 25I-NBOH screening. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Online Atlas for Exploring Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Cancer Mortality (1972–2011) and Incidence (1995–2008) in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Ku, Wen-Yuan; Liaw, Yung-Po; Huang, Jing-Yang; Nfor, Oswald Ndi; Hsu, Shu-Yi; Ko, Pei-Chieh; Lee, Wen-Chung; Chen, Chien-Jen

2016-01-01

Abstract Public health mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are already being used to locate the geographical spread of diseases. This study describes the construction of an easy-to-use online atlas of cancer mortality (1972–2011) and incidence (1995–2008) in Taiwan. Two sets of color maps were made based on “age-adjusted mortality by rate” and “age-adjusted mortality by rank.” AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), and SVG (Scaling Vector Graphic) were used to create the online atlas. Spatio-temporal patterns of cancer mortality and incidence in Taiwan over the period from 1972 to 2011 and from 1995 to 2008. The constructed online atlas contains information on cancer mortality and incidence (http://taiwancancermap.csmu-liawyp.tw/). The common GIS functions include zoom and pan and identity tools. Users can easily customize the maps to explore the spatio-temporal trends of cancer mortality and incidence using different devices (such as personal computers, mobile phone, or pad). This study suggests an easy- to-use, low-cost, and independent platform for exploring cancer incidence and mortality. It is expected to serve as a reference tool for cancer prevention and risk assessment. This online atlas is a cheap and fast tool that integrates various cancer maps. Therefore, it can serve as a powerful tool that allows users to examine and compare spatio-temporal patterns of various maps. Furthermore, it is an-easy-to use tool for updating data and assessing risk factors of cancer in Taiwan. PMID:27227915

An Online Atlas for Exploring Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Cancer Mortality (1972-2011) and Incidence (1995-2008) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Ku, Wen-Yuan; Liaw, Yung-Po; Huang, Jing-Yang; Nfor, Oswald Ndi; Hsu, Shu-Yi; Ko, Pei-Chieh; Lee, Wen-Chung; Chen, Chien-Jen

2016-05-01

Public health mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are already being used to locate the geographical spread of diseases. This study describes the construction of an easy-to-use online atlas of cancer mortality (1972-2011) and incidence (1995-2008) in Taiwan.Two sets of color maps were made based on "age-adjusted mortality by rate" and "age-adjusted mortality by rank." AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), and SVG (Scaling Vector Graphic) were used to create the online atlas. Spatio-temporal patterns of cancer mortality and incidence in Taiwan over the period from 1972 to 2011 and from 1995 to 2008.The constructed online atlas contains information on cancer mortality and incidence (http://taiwancancermap.csmu-liawyp.tw/). The common GIS functions include zoom and pan and identity tools. Users can easily customize the maps to explore the spatio-temporal trends of cancer mortality and incidence using different devices (such as personal computers, mobile phone, or pad). This study suggests an easy- to-use, low-cost, and independent platform for exploring cancer incidence and mortality. It is expected to serve as a reference tool for cancer prevention and risk assessment.This online atlas is a cheap and fast tool that integrates various cancer maps. Therefore, it can serve as a powerful tool that allows users to examine and compare spatio-temporal patterns of various maps. Furthermore, it is an-easy-to use tool for updating data and assessing risk factors of cancer in Taiwan.

Designing and Implementing a Clinician Workstation

PubMed Central

Tape, Thomas G.; Campbell, James R.

1993-01-01

We describe a simple approach to designing and quickly implementing a clinician workstation that helps practitioners access a variety of information resources. Using easy-to-use graphical tools, we installed a pilot workstation in our clinics. We were able to accommodate most of our users' needs and have a functional workstation installed in two months. This is the first step of an evolutionary process moving from separate tasks to full application integration.

Differentiation in Data Analysis & Probability, PreK-Grade 2: A Content Companion for Ongoing Assessment, Grouping Students, Targeting Instruction, and Adjusting Levels of Cognitive Demand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor-Cox, Jennifer

2008-01-01

This book applies the author's easy but effective differentiation strategies to the data analysis and probability content standard. Taking the foundational elements of differentiation in this book, it helps you: (1) assess students' math abilities quickly and efficiently; (2) group children by need; (3) target instruction to meet every student's…

Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Energy and Money in Your Home

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casey, Allison L

This guide shows you how easy it is to reduce your energy use at home and on the road. You'll find quick tips you can use to start saving today, as well as information on larger projects that will help save you money over the long term. Find even more information about saving money and energy at home by visiting our website, EnergySaver.gov.

L'emploi du conte dans la Civilisation Francaise = The Short Story as a Tool in French Civilization Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kashuba, Irma Mercedes

Although it is rare to see French literature in the French civilization syllabus, it is relatively easy to incorporate short stories into the course which allow for quick reading and discussion. It is best to choose the best writers, who communicate the spirit of the time in which they wrote, from the point of view of the artist rather than the…

Cu(OAc)2/MCM-41: an efficient and solid acid catalyst for synthesis of 2-arylbenzothiazoles under ultrasound irradiation.

PubMed

Sadjadi, Sodeh; Sepehrian, Hamid

2011-03-01

A new, convenient method for the syntheses of 2-arylbenzothiazoles is described in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(OAc)(2)/MCM-41 under ultrasonic irradiation. Short reaction times, easy and quick isolation of the products, reusability of the catalyst and excellent yields are the main advantages of this procedure. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a glucose sensor employing quick and easy modification method with mediator for altering electron acceptor preference.

PubMed

Hatada, Mika; Loew, Noya; Inose-Takahashi, Yuka; Okuda-Shimazaki, Junko; Tsugawa, Wakako; Mulchandani, Ashok; Sode, Koji

2018-06-01

Enzyme based electrochemical biosensors are divided into three generations according to their type of electron transfer from the cofactors of the enzymes to the electrodes. Although the 3rd generation sensors using direct electron transfer (DET) type enzymes are ideal, the number of enzyme types which possess DET ability is limited. In this study, we report of a glucose sensor using mediator-modified glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), that was fabricated by a new quick-and-easy method using the pre-functionalized amine reactive phenazine ethosulfate (arPES). Thus mediator-modified GDH obtained the ability to transfer electrons to bulky electron acceptors as well as electrodes. The concentration of glucose was successfully measured using electrodes with immobilized PES-modified GDH, without addition of external electron mediators. Therefore, continuous monitoring systems can be developed based on this "2.5th generation" electron transfer principle utilizing quasi-DET. Furthermore, we successfully modified two other diagnostically relevant enzymes, glucoside 3-dehydrogenase and lactate oxidase, with PES. Therefore, various kinds of diagnostic enzymes can achieve quasi-DET ability simply by modification with arPES, suggesting that continuous monitoring systems based on the 2.5th generation principle can be developed for various target molecules. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using photoshop filters to create anatomic line-art medical images.

PubMed

Kirsch, Jacobo; Geller, Brian S

2006-08-01

There are multiple ways to obtain anatomic drawings suitable for publication or presentations. This article demonstrates how to use Photoshop to alter digital radiologic images to create line-art illustrations in a quick and easy way. We present two simple to use methods; however, not every image can adequately be transformed and personal preferences and specific changes need to be applied to each image to obtain the desired result. There are multiple ways to obtain anatomic drawings suitable for publication or to prepare presentations. Medical illustrators have always played a major role in the radiology and medical education process. Whether used to teach a complex surgical or radiologic procedure, to define typical or atypical patterns of the spread of disease, or to illustrate normal or aberrant anatomy, medical illustration significantly affects learning (). However, if you are not an accomplished illustrator, the alternatives can be expensive (contacting a professional medical illustrator or buying an already existing stock of digital images) or simply not necessarily applicable to what you are trying to communicate. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how using Photoshop (Adobe Systems, San Jose, CA) to alter digital radiologic images we can create line-art illustrations in a quick, inexpensive, and easy way in preparation for electronic presentations and publication.

Influence of synthesis parameters on CCVD growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes over aluminum substrate.

PubMed

Szabó, Anna; Kecsenovity, Egon; Pápa, Zsuzsanna; Gyulavári, Tamás; Németh, Krisztián; Horvath, Endre; Hernadi, Klara

2017-08-25

In the past two decades, important results have been achieved in the field of carbon nanotube (CNT) research, which revealed that carbon nanotubes have extremely good electrical and mechanical properties The range of applications widens more, if CNTs form a forest-like, vertically aligned structure (VACNT) Although, VACNT-conductive substrate structure could be very advantageous for various applications, to produce proper system without barrier films i.e. with good electrical contact is still a challenge. The aim of the current work is to develop a cheap and easy method for growing carbon nanotubes forests on conductive substrate with the CCVD (Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition) technique at 640 °C. The applied catalyst contained Fe and Co and was deposited via dip coating onto an aluminum substrate. In order to control the height of CNT forest several parameters were varied during the both catalyst layer fabrication (e.g. ink concentration, ink composition, dipping speed) and the CCVD synthesis (e.g. gas feeds, reaction time). As-prepared CNT forests were investigated with various methods such as scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. With such an easy process it was possible to tune both the height and the quality of carbon nanotube forests.

A closer look at ‘Cheap White’ cigarettes

PubMed Central

Ross, Hana; Vellios, Nicole; Clegg Smith, Katherine; Ferguson, Jacqueline; Cohen, Joanna E

2016-01-01

Background Given the prominence of Cheap Whites in illicit tobacco discussions, we examined various definitions, market presence, brand proliferation, manufacturers, production locations, trademark ownership, prices and compliance with tax stamp and warning labels. Methods Data from peer-reviewed and grey literature, newspapers, trademark registries, governments/international organisation reports, and the tobacco industry were contrasted with two visual legal requirements (tax stamps and warning labels) and prices from the Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS). Results Multiple sources identified 82 Cheap White brands and 53 manufacturers operating at least 82 production facilities. One-third of these manufacturers are in the free zones of Russia, Cyprus and the UAE. Two-thirds of the 37 Cheap White brands in the TPackSS had neither the correct health warning nor the required tax stamp in at least one country where they were purchased. Cheap Whites are on average less expensive than all other brands, but the price gap is often not as large as anecdotally reported. The cheapest Cheap White cigarettes purchased in one of the TPackSS countries irrespective of the presence of legal signs were still more expensive than the least expensive other brands satisfying both legal requirements. Conclusions We confirmed that many Cheap White brands do not comply with the legal requirements in countries where they are sold, but also found that some of these cigarettes appear to be sold legally even outside their country of origin. The presence of untaxed Cheap Whites undermines tobacco tax policies, while the availability of legal cheap cigarettes is a public health concern. PMID:26418617

The Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peeples, Molly S.; Tumlinson, Jason; Fox, Andrew; Aloisi, Alessandra; Ayres, Thomas R.; Danforth, Charles; Fleming, Scott W.; Jenkins, Edward B.; Jedrzejewski, Robert I.; Keeney, Brian A.; Oliveira, Cristina M.

2016-01-01

With no future space ultraviolet instruments currently planned, the data from the UV spectrographs aboard the Hubble Space Telescope have a legacy value beyond their initial science goals. The Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive will provide to the community new science-grade combined spectra for all publicly available data obtained by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). These data will be packaged into "smart archives" according to target type and scientific themes to facilitate the construction of archival samples for common science uses. A new "quick look" capability will make the data easy for users to quickly access, assess the quality of, and download for archival science starting in Cycle 24, with the first generation of these products for the FUV modes of COS available online via MAST in early 2016.

Wolfram technologies as an integrated scalable platform for interactive learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaurov, Vitaliy

2012-02-01

We rely on technology profoundly with the prospect of even greater integration in the future. Well known challenges in education are a technology-inadequate curriculum and many software platforms that are difficult to scale or interconnect. We'll review an integrated technology, much of it free, that addresses these issues for individuals and small schools as well as for universities. Topics include: Mathematica, a programming environment that offers a diverse range of functionality; natural language programming for getting started quickly and accessing data from Wolfram|Alpha; quick and easy construction of interactive courseware and scientific applications; partnering with publishers to create interactive e-textbooks; course assistant apps for mobile platforms; the computable document format (CDF); teacher-student and student-student collaboration on interactive projects and web publishing at the Wolfram Demonstrations site.

Use of Uas for the Conservation of Historical Buildings in Case of Emergencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagliolo, S.; Fagandini, R.; Federici, B.; Ferrando, I.; Passoni, D.; Pagliari, D.; Pinto, L.; Sguerso, D.

2017-05-01

The task of conservation and management of cultural heritage is quite central in Italy, which lists a high number of beautiful architectures. A quick and precise survey may be requested in case of calamity. In the present paper, the most commonly used survey techniques are discussed, focusing on their applications for the conservation of the artistic heritage in case of emergency. Particular attention is given to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) photogrammetry and its potentiality in obtaining good results in terms of speed, cheapness, precision and accuracy, assuring at the same time the safety of the operators in critical situations (e.g. natural disasters). A case study, realized at the Castle of Casalbagliano (Alessandria, Italy), is discussed. Different image block configurations and acquisition geometries (nadiral and oblique images) have been exploited, with the aim of defining useful guidelines for emergencies UAS survey of partially collapsed structures. An application to a significative case study is introduced.

Analytical applications of aptamers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombelli, S.; Minunni, M.; Mascini, M.

2007-05-01

Aptamers are single stranded DNA or RNA ligands which can be selected for different targets starting from a library of molecules containing randomly created sequences. Aptamers have been selected to bind very different targets, from proteins to small organic dyes. Aptamers are proposed as alternatives to antibodies as biorecognition elements in analytical devices with ever increasing frequency. This in order to satisfy the demand for quick, cheap, simple and highly reproducible analytical devices, especially for protein detection in the medical field or for the detection of smaller molecules in environmental and food analysis. In our recent experience, DNA and RNA aptamers, specific for three different proteins (Tat, IgE and thrombin), have been exploited as bio-recognition elements to develop specific biosensors (aptasensors). These recognition elements have been coupled to piezoelectric quartz crystals and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) devices as transducers where the aptamers have been immobilized on the gold surface of the crystals electrodes or on SPR chips, respectively.

Aurelia aurita bio-inspired tilt sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Colin; Villanueva, Alex; Priya, Shashank

2012-10-01

The quickly expanding field of mobile robots, unmanned underwater vehicles, and micro-air vehicles urgently needs a cheap and effective means for measuring vehicle inclination. Commonly, tilt or inclination has been mathematically derived from accelerometers; however, there is inherent error in any indirect measurement. This paper reports a bio-inspired tilt sensor that mimics the natural balance organ of jellyfish, called the ‘statocyst’. Biological statocysts from the species Aurelia aurita were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to investigate the morphology and size of the natural sensor. An artificial tilt sensor was then developed by using printed electronics that incorporates a novel voltage divider concept in conjunction with small surface mount devices. This sensor was found to have minimum sensitivity of 4.21° with a standard deviation of 1.77°. These results open the possibility of developing elegant tilt sensor architecture for both air and water based platforms.

Design and Development of Non-Contact Bio-Potential Electrodes for Pervasive Health Monitoring Applications.

PubMed

Portelli, Anthony J; Nasuto, Slawomir J

2017-01-01

For the advent of pervasive bio-potential monitoring, it will be necessary to utilize a combination of cheap, quick to apply, low-noise electrodes and compact electronics with wireless technologies. Once available, all electrical activity resulting from the processes of the human body could be actively and constantly monitored without the need for cumbersome application and maintenance. This could significantly improve the early diagnosis of a range of different conditions in high-risk individuals, opening the possibility for new treatments and interventions as conditions develop. This paper presents the design and implementation of compact, non-contact capacitive bio-potential electrodes utilising a low impedance current-to-voltage configuration and a bootstrapped voltage follower, demonstrating results applicable to research applications for capacitive electrocardiography and capacitive electromyography. The presented electrodes use few components, have a small surface area and are capable of acquiring a range of bio-potential signals.

Design and Development of Non-Contact Bio-Potential Electrodes for Pervasive Health Monitoring Applications

PubMed Central

Portelli, Anthony J.; Nasuto, Slawomir J.

2017-01-01

For the advent of pervasive bio-potential monitoring, it will be necessary to utilize a combination of cheap, quick to apply, low-noise electrodes and compact electronics with wireless technologies. Once available, all electrical activity resulting from the processes of the human body could be actively and constantly monitored without the need for cumbersome application and maintenance. This could significantly improve the early diagnosis of a range of different conditions in high-risk individuals, opening the possibility for new treatments and interventions as conditions develop. This paper presents the design and implementation of compact, non-contact capacitive bio-potential electrodes utilising a low impedance current-to-voltage configuration and a bootstrapped voltage follower, demonstrating results applicable to research applications for capacitive electrocardiography and capacitive electromyography. The presented electrodes use few components, have a small surface area and are capable of acquiring a range of bio-potential signals. PMID:28045439

The EBI search engine: EBI search as a service-making biological data accessible for all.

PubMed

Park, Young M; Squizzato, Silvano; Buso, Nicola; Gur, Tamer; Lopez, Rodrigo

2017-07-03

We present an update of the EBI Search engine, an easy-to-use fast text search and indexing system with powerful data navigation and retrieval capabilities. The interconnectivity that exists between data resources at EMBL-EBI provides easy, quick and precise navigation and a better understanding of the relationship between different data types that include nucleotide and protein sequences, genes, gene products, proteins, protein domains, protein families, enzymes and macromolecular structures, as well as the life science literature. EBI Search provides a powerful RESTful API that enables its integration into third-party portals, thus providing 'Search as a Service' capabilities, which are the main topic of this article. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

A low cost indoor localization system for mobile robot experimental setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adinandra, S.; Syarif, A.

2018-04-01

Indoor localization becomes one of the most important part in mobile robot system One fundamental requirement is to provide an easy-to-use and practical localization system for real-time experiments. In this paper we propose a combination of a recent open source virtual reality (VR) tools, a simple MATLAB code and a low cost USB webcam as an indoor mobile robot localization system Using the VR tools as a server and MATLAB as a client, the proposed solution can cover up to 1.6 [m] × 3.2 [m] with the measurement position accuracy up to 1.2 [cm]. The system is insensitive to light, easy to move and can be quickly set up. A series of successful real-time experiments with three different mobile robot types has been conducted.

Planar triode pulser socket

DOEpatents

Booth, Rex

1994-01-01

A planar triode is mounted in a PC board orifice by means of a U-shaped capacitor housing and anode contact yoke removably attached to cathode leg extensions passing through and soldered to the cathode side of the PC board by means of a PC cathode pad. A pliant/flexible contact attached to the orifice make triode grid contact with a grid pad on the grid side of the PC board, permitting quick and easy replacement of bad triodes.

Oil-in-Ice Demonstration 4: Quick Look Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

infrastructure, increase the potential for accidental discharges of oil . To address these concerns, responders in the northern climate regions are...It is suggested that improvements to the new equipment can be used on a buoy tender in Alaska for an oil spill response in the Bering Straits or off...to be simplified for better storage in the ship’s hold, easy assembly and deployment. Suggestions such as using the hold for oil storage may be

Analyzing Sliding Stability of Structures Using the Modified Computer Program GWALL. Revision,

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-01

R136 954 RNRLYZING SLIDING STRBILITY OF STRUCTURES USING THE i/i MODIFIED COMPUTER PRO..(U) ARMY ENGINEER WATERRYS EXPERIMENT STATION VICKSBURG MS...GWALL and/or the graphics software package, Graphics Compati- bility System (GCS). Input Features 4. GWALL is very easy to use because it allows the...Prepared Data File 9. Time-sharing computer systems do not always respond quickly to the userts commands, especially when there are many users

Development and evaluation of the quick anaero-system-a new disposable anaerobic culture system.

PubMed

Yang, Nam Woong; Kim, Jin Man; Choi, Gwang Ju; Jang, Sook Jin

2010-04-01

We developed a new disposable anaerobic culture system, namely, the Quick anaero-system, for easy culturing of obligate anaerobes. Our system consists of 3 components: 1) new disposable anaerobic gas pack, 2) disposable culture-envelope and sealer, and 3) reusable stainless plate rack with mesh containing 10 g of palladium catalyst pellets. To evaluate the efficiency of our system, we used 12 anaerobic bacteria. We prepared 2 sets of ten-fold serial dilutions of the 12 anaerobes, and inoculated these samples on Luria-Bertani (LB) broth and LB blood agar plate (LB-BAP) (BD Diagnostic Systems, USA). Each set was incubated in the Quick anaero-system (DAS Tech, Korea) and BBL GasPak jar with BD GasPak EZ Anaerobe Container System (BD Diagnostic Systems) at 35-37 degrees C for 48 hr. The minimal inoculum size showing visible growth of 12 anaerobes when incubated in both the systems was compared. The minimal inoculum size showing visible growth for 2 out of the 12 anaerobes in the LB broth and 9 out of the 12 anaerobes on LB-BAP was lower for the Quick anaero-system than in the BD GasPak EZ Anaerobe Container System. The mean time (+/-SD) required to achieve absolute anaerobic conditions of the Quick anaero-system was 17 min and 56 sec (+/-3 min and 25 sec). The Quick anaero-system is a simple and effective method of culturing obligate anaerobes, and its performance is superior to that of the BD GasPak EZ Anaerobe Container System.

Is Cheap Labor a Magnet for Capital?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, John R., II

1995-01-01

Contends that it is widely believed that cheap labor in poor countries attracts foreign investors. Asserts that historical evidence indicates that past patterns of direct foreign investment in poor countries are inconsistent with the cheap-labor argument. Includes two figures and one table. (CFR)

Disposable Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-Coated Fused Silica Optical Fibers for Sampling Pheromones of Moths.

PubMed

Lievers, Rik; Groot, Astrid T

2016-01-01

In the past decades, the sex pheromone composition in female moths has been analyzed by different methods, ranging from volatile collections to gland extractions, which all have some disadvantage: volatile collections can generally only be conducted on (small) groups of females to detect the minor pheromone compounds, whereas gland extractions are destructive. Direct-contact SPME overcomes some of these disadvantages, but is expensive, the SPME fiber coating can be damaged due to repeated usage, and samples need to be analyzed relatively quickly after sampling. In this study, we assessed the suitability of cheap and disposable fused silica optical fibers coated with 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by sampling the pheromone of two noctuid moths, Heliothis virescens and Heliothis subflexa. By rubbing the disposable PDMS fibers over the pheromone glands of females that had called for at least 15 minutes and subsequently extracting the PDMS fibers in hexane, we collected all known pheromone compounds, and we found a strong positive correlation for most pheromone compounds between the disposable PDMS fiber rubs and the corresponding gland extracts of the same females. When comparing this method to volatile collections and the corresponding gland extracts, we generally found comparable percentages between the three techniques, with some differences that likely stem from the chemical properties of the individual pheromone compounds. Hexane extraction of cheap, disposable, PDMS coated fused silica optical fibers allows for sampling large quantities of individual females in a short time, eliminates the need for immediate sample analysis, and enables to use the same sample for multiple chemical analyses.

Disposable Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-Coated Fused Silica Optical Fibers for Sampling Pheromones of Moths

PubMed Central

Lievers, Rik; Groot, Astrid T.

2016-01-01

In the past decades, the sex pheromone composition in female moths has been analyzed by different methods, ranging from volatile collections to gland extractions, which all have some disadvantage: volatile collections can generally only be conducted on (small) groups of females to detect the minor pheromone compounds, whereas gland extractions are destructive. Direct-contact SPME overcomes some of these disadvantages, but is expensive, the SPME fiber coating can be damaged due to repeated usage, and samples need to be analyzed relatively quickly after sampling. In this study, we assessed the suitability of cheap and disposable fused silica optical fibers coated with 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by sampling the pheromone of two noctuid moths, Heliothis virescens and Heliothis subflexa. By rubbing the disposable PDMS fibers over the pheromone glands of females that had called for at least 15 minutes and subsequently extracting the PDMS fibers in hexane, we collected all known pheromone compounds, and we found a strong positive correlation for most pheromone compounds between the disposable PDMS fiber rubs and the corresponding gland extracts of the same females. When comparing this method to volatile collections and the corresponding gland extracts, we generally found comparable percentages between the three techniques, with some differences that likely stem from the chemical properties of the individual pheromone compounds. Hexane extraction of cheap, disposable, PDMS coated fused silica optical fibers allows for sampling large quantities of individual females in a short time, eliminates the need for immediate sample analysis, and enables to use the same sample for multiple chemical analyses. PMID:27533064

A closer look at 'Cheap White' cigarettes.

PubMed

Ross, Hana; Vellios, Nicole; Clegg Smith, Katherine; Ferguson, Jacqueline; Cohen, Joanna E

2016-09-01

Given the prominence of Cheap Whites in illicit tobacco discussions, we examined various definitions, market presence, brand proliferation, manufacturers, production locations, trademark ownership, prices and compliance with tax stamp and warning labels. Data from peer-reviewed and grey literature, newspapers, trademark registries, governments/international organisation reports, and the tobacco industry were contrasted with two visual legal requirements (tax stamps and warning labels) and prices from the Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS). Multiple sources identified 82 Cheap White brands and 53 manufacturers operating at least 82 production facilities. One-third of these manufacturers are in the free zones of Russia, Cyprus and the UAE. Two-thirds of the 37 Cheap White brands in the TPackSS had neither the correct health warning nor the required tax stamp in at least one country where they were purchased. Cheap Whites are on average less expensive than all other brands, but the price gap is often not as large as anecdotally reported. The cheapest Cheap White cigarettes purchased in one of the TPackSS countries irrespective of the presence of legal signs were still more expensive than the least expensive other brands satisfying both legal requirements. We confirmed that many Cheap White brands do not comply with the legal requirements in countries where they are sold, but also found that some of these cigarettes appear to be sold legally even outside their country of origin. The presence of untaxed Cheap Whites undermines tobacco tax policies, while the availability of legal cheap cigarettes is a public health concern. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Train users’ perceptions of walking distance to train station and attributes of paratransit service: understanding their association with decision using paratransit or not towards the train station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syafriharti, R.; Kombaitan, B.; Kusumantoro, I. P.; Syabri, I.

2018-05-01

Access mode is an important factor in public transport systems. Most of the train users from Cicalengka to Padalarang via Bandung use paratransit as access mode. Access modes under this study are only paratransit and walking. This study aims to explore the relationship between access mode choice to the station and the perception about walking distance to station, perception about attributes of paratransit service quality which consist of accessibility, cheapness, comfortable, swiftness, safety, security and easiness. Of all the variables tested, walking distance to the station is the only variable relating to the mode access choice. So, a person will tend to use paratransit when his/her perception of walking distance to station is relatively far away. While perceptions about the quality of paratransit service can not determine whether a person will choose paratransit or not.

Poor Man's Virtual Camera: Real-Time Simultaneous Matting and Camera Pose Estimation.

PubMed

Szentandrasi, Istvan; Dubska, Marketa; Zacharias, Michal; Herout, Adam

2016-03-18

Today's film and advertisement production heavily uses computer graphics combined with living actors by chromakeying. The matchmoving process typically takes a considerable manual effort. Semi-automatic matchmoving tools exist as well, but they still work offline and require manual check-up and correction. In this article, we propose an instant matchmoving solution for green screen. It uses a recent technique of planar uniform marker fields. Our technique can be used in indie and professional filmmaking as a cheap and ultramobile virtual camera, and for shot prototyping and storyboard creation. The matchmoving technique based on marker fields of shades of green is very computationally efficient: we developed and present in the article a mobile application running at 33 FPS. Our technique is thus available to anyone with a smartphone at low cost and with easy setup, opening space for new levels of filmmakers' creative expression.

Treatment of Knee Osteochondral Lesions Using a Novel Clot of Autologous Plasma Rich in Growth Factors Mixed with Healthy Hyaline Cartilage Chips and Intra-Articular Injection of PRGF

PubMed Central

Alentorn-Geli, Eduard; Steinbacher, Gilbert; Álvarez-Díaz, Pedro; Cuscó, Xavier; Seijas, Roberto; Barastegui, David; Navarro, Jordi; Laiz, Patricia; García-Balletbó, Montserrat

2017-01-01

Knee cartilage or osteochondral lesions are common and challenging injuries. To date, most symptomatic lesions warrant surgical treatment. We present two cases of patients with knee osteochondral defects treated with a one-step surgical procedure consisting of an autologous-based matrix composed of healthy hyaline cartilage chips, mixed plasma poor-rich in platelets clot, and plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF). Both patients returned to playing soccer at the preinjury activity level and demonstrated excellent defect filling in both magnetic resonance imaging and second-look arthroscopy (in one of them). The use of a clot of autologous plasma poor in platelets with healthy hyaline cartilage chips and intra-articular injection of plasma rich in platelets is an effective, easy, and cheap option to treat knee cartilage injuries in young and athletic patients. PMID:28798878

Multifunctional porous solids derived from tannins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celzard, Alain; Fierro, Vanessa; Pizzi, Antonio; Zhao, Weigang

2013-03-01

Tannins are extremely valuable, non toxic, wood extractives combining reactivity towards aldehydes, low cost, natural origin and easy handling. When polymerized in the presence of suitable chemicals including blowing agent, ultra lightweight rigid tannin-based foams are obtained. If pyrolyzed under inert gas, reticulated carbon foams having the same pore structure and the same density are obtained. The most remarkable features of tannin-based foams are the following: mechanical resistance similar to, or higher than, that of commercial phenolic foams, tuneable pore size and permeability, infusibility, very low thermal conductivity, cheapness, ecological character, high resistance to flame and to chemicals. Carbon foams have even better properties and are also electrically conducting. Consequently, various applications are suggested for organic foams: cores of sandwich composite panels, sound and shock absorbers and thermal insulators, whereas carbon foams can be used as porous electrodes, filters for molten metals and corrosive chemicals, catalyst supports and adsorbents.

CubeSat on an Earth-Mars Free-Return Trajectory to study radiation hazards in the future manned mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vannitsen, J.; Segret, B.; Miau, J. J.; Juang, J.-C.

2013-09-01

In order to prepare the Human Mission to Mars, few aspects of the mission still have to be known. During a transit to the Red Planet, future crews will be exposed to potentially hazardous radiations [1]. By using a CubeSat, we can then have a relatively cheap and easy way to improve the radiations environment knowledge for a Mars manned mission. A 1 Unit CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one litre (10 cm cube), has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf components for its electronics [2]. In this project, it is planned to use a 3 Unit CubeSat having the following dimensions: 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm and a maximum mass of 4kg.

Polymer-based sensor array for phytochemical detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weerakoon, Kanchana A.; Hiremath, Nitilaksha; Chin, Bryan A.

2012-05-01

Monitoring for the appearance of volatile organic compounds emitted by plants which correspond to time of first insect attack can be used to detect the early stages of insect infestation. This paper reports a chemical sensor array consisting of polymer based chemiresistor sensors that could detect insect infestation effectively. The sensor array consists of sensors with micro electronically fabricated interdigitated electrodes, and twelve different types of electro active polymer layers. The sensor array was cheap, easy to fabricate, and could be used easily in agricultural fields. The polymer array was found to be sensitive to a variety of volatile organic compounds emitted by plants including γ-terpinene α-pinene, pcymene, farnesene, limonene and cis-hexenyl acetate. The sensor array was not only able to detect but also distinguish between these compounds. The twelve sensors produced a resistance change for each of the analytes detected, and each of these responses together produced a unique fingerprint, enabling to distinguish among these chemicals.

Miniaturized Biosensors to Preserve and Monitor Cultural Heritage: from Medical to Conservation Diagnosis.

PubMed

Sciutto, Giorgia; Zangheri, Martina; Anfossi, Laura; Guardigli, Massimo; Prati, Silvia; Mirasoli, Mara; Di Nardo, Fabio; Baggiani, Claudio; Mazzeo, Rocco; Roda, Aldo

2018-06-18

The point-of-care testing concept has been exploited to design and develop portable and cheap bioanalytical systems that can be used on-site by conservators. These systems employ lateral flow immunoassays to simultaneously detect two proteins (ovalbumin and collagen) in artworks. For an in-depth study on the application of these portable biosensors, both chemiluminescent and colorimetric detections were developed and compared in terms of sensitivity and feasibility. The chemiluminescent system displayed the best analytical performance (that is, two orders of magnitude lower limits of detection than the colorimetric system). To simplify its use, a disposable cartridge was designed ad hoc for this specific application. These results highlight the enormous potential of these inexpensive, easy-to-use, and minimally invasive diagnostic tools for conservators in the cultural heritage field. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Validation of enhanced kinect sensor based motion capturing for gait assessment

PubMed Central

Müller, Björn; Ilg, Winfried; Giese, Martin A.

2017-01-01

Optical motion capturing systems are expensive and require substantial dedicated space to be set up. On the other hand, they provide unsurpassed accuracy and reliability. In many situations however flexibility is required and the motion capturing system can only temporarily be placed. The Microsoft Kinect v2 sensor is comparatively cheap and with respect to gait analysis promising results have been published. We here present a motion capturing system that is easy to set up, flexible with respect to the sensor locations and delivers high accuracy in gait parameters comparable to a gold standard motion capturing system (VICON). Further, we demonstrate that sensor setups which track the person only from one-side are less accurate and should be replaced by two-sided setups. With respect to commonly analyzed gait parameters, especially step width, our system shows higher agreement with the VICON system than previous reports. PMID:28410413

Comparing the effect of topical application of human milk and dry cord care on umbilical cord separation time in healthy newborn infants.

PubMed

Aghamohammadi, Azar; Zafari, Mandana; Moslemi, Leila

2012-06-01

Comparing the effect of topical human milk application and dry cord care on cord separation time. This research was a randomized clinical trial study on 130 singleton and mature newborns. Newborns were placed randomly in groups of topical application of human milk and dry cord care. The umbilical separation time was compared in the two groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Independent Samples t-Test, χ(2), Fisher were used in this study. Median time of cord separation in human milk application group (150.95±28.68 hours) was significantly shorter than dry cord care group (180.93±37.42 hours) (P<0.001). Topical application of human milk on the remaining part of the cord reduces the cord separation time and it can be used as an easy, cheap and non invasive way for cord care.

Recent developments in fast spectroscopy for plant mineral analysis

PubMed Central

van Maarschalkerweerd, Marie; Husted, Søren

2015-01-01

Ideal fertilizer management to optimize plant productivity and quality is more relevant than ever, as global food demands increase along with the rapidly growing world population. At the same time, sub-optimal or excessive use of fertilizers leads to severe environmental damage in areas of intensive crop production. The approaches of soil and plant mineral analysis are briefly compared and discussed here, and the new techniques using fast spectroscopy that offer cheap, rapid, and easy-to-use analysis of plant nutritional status are reviewed. The majority of these methods use vibrational spectroscopy, such as visual-near infrared and to a lesser extent ultraviolet and mid-infrared spectroscopy. Advantages of and problems with application of these techniques are thoroughly discussed. Spectroscopic techniques considered having major potential for plant mineral analysis, such as chlorophyll a fluorescence, X-ray fluorescence, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy are also described. PMID:25852719

Mind the Gap! A Journey towards Computational Toxicology.

PubMed

Mangiatordi, Giuseppe Felice; Alberga, Domenico; Altomare, Cosimo Damiano; Carotti, Angelo; Catto, Marco; Cellamare, Saverio; Gadaleta, Domenico; Lattanzi, Gianluca; Leonetti, Francesco; Pisani, Leonardo; Stefanachi, Angela; Trisciuzzi, Daniela; Nicolotti, Orazio

2016-09-01

Computational methods have advanced toxicology towards the development of target-specific models based on a clear cause-effect rationale. However, the predictive potential of these models presents strengths and weaknesses. On the good side, in silico models are valuable cheap alternatives to in vitro and in vivo experiments. On the other, the unconscious use of in silico methods can mislead end-users with elusive results. The focus of this review is on the basic scientific and regulatory recommendations in the derivation and application of computational models. Attention is paid to examine the interplay between computational toxicology and drug discovery and development. Avoiding the easy temptation of an overoptimistic future, we report our view on what can, or cannot, realistically be done. Indeed, studies of safety/toxicity represent a key element of chemical prioritization programs carried out by chemical industries, and primarily by pharmaceutical companies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.