Plant Growth Absorption Spectrum Mimicking Light Sources

Plant factories have attracted increasing attention because they can produce fresh fruits and vegetables free from pesticides in all weather. However, the emission spectra from current light sources significantly mismatch the spectra absorbed by plants. We demonstrate a concept of using multiple broad-band as well as narrow-band solid-state lighting technologies to design plant-growth light sources. Take an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), for example; the resulting light source shows an 84% resemblance with the photosynthetic action spectrum as a twin-peak blue dye and a diffused mono-peak red dye are employed. This OLED can also show a greater than 90% resemblance as an additional deeper red emitter is added. For a typical LED, the resemblance can be improved to 91% if two additional blue and red LEDs are incorporated. The approach may facilitate either an ideal use of the energy applied for plant growth and/or the design of better light sources for growing different plants.     

TiO2 Nanosols Applied Directly on Textiles Using Different Purification Treatments

Self-cleaning applications using TiO₂ coatings on various supporting media have been attracting increasing interest in recent years. This work discusses the issue of self-cleaning textile production on an industrial scale. A method for producing self-cleaning textiles starting from a commercial colloidal nanosuspension (nanosol) of TiO₂ is described. Three different treatments were developed for purifying and neutralizing the commercial TiO₂ nanosol: washing by ultrafiltration; purifying with an anion exchange resin; and neutralizing in an aqueous solution of ammonium bicarbonate. The different purified TiO₂ nanosols were characterized in terms of particle size distribution (using dynamic light scattering), electrical conductivity, and ζ potential (using electrophoretic light scattering). The TiO₂-coated textiles’ functional properties were judged on their photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB), used as a stain model. The photocatalytic performance of the differently treated TiO₂-coated textiles was compared, revealing the advantages of purification with an anion exchange resin. The study demonstrated the feasibility of applying commercial TiO₂ nanosol directly on textile surfaces, overcoming problems of existing methods that limit the industrial scalability of the process.     

食品中非法添加和滥用化学染料的分析研究

建立了食品中碱性黄、碱性嫩黄、碱性橙II、酸性橙II、罗丹明B、对位红、苏丹类1-4号11种有机染料的高效液相色谱分析方法。在0.2-10μg/mL的浓度范围内线性相关系数良好,相关系数范围为0.9996-0.9999,检测限0.05μg/mL。该方法涉及的化学试剂少,操作简便,结果准确。对阳性样品进一步采用液质联用技术确证。     

药品化妆品抽样及检验的有关问题探讨

目的:对药品、药包材、化妆品抽样及检验工作中发现的问题进行分析研究,旨在为监管部门和检验机构提供参考,规范抽样和检验,提高监管效能和服务水平。方法:通过抽样、样品寄送、收样、检验等环节,对药品、药包材、化妆品抽样及检验工作中发现的有关问题进行分析研究,提出相应的解决措施和意见建议。结果与结论:部分药品/药包材/化妆品的抽查检验存在抽样不规范、抽样信息不完整、抽样与检查未能兼顾、样品寄送不规范、检验登记单和检验报告信息不完整或填写不规范、检验不规范、部分产品的批号效期标识不规范,以及部分品种因抽样量大导致抽样难以覆盖基层等问题,影响了监管效能。应根据药品、药包材、化妆品的产品特性和监管要求,分类设置并完善抽样及检验检测信息,并从强化人员培训、监督和检验有机结合、针对基层用药特点完善抽检工作机制、加强学习交流提高检验报告质量等方面加以解决。     

基于多元统计分析的银杏叶提取物中有机酸类成分含量研究

目的建立HPLC法测定银杏叶提取物中9种小分子有机酸类成分莽草酸、儿茶素、表儿茶素、没食子酸、原儿茶酸、6-羟基犬尿喹啉酸、对羟基苯甲酸、对羟基肉桂酸、咖啡酸含量的方法,并结合多元统计分析方法比较不同厂家生产的银杏叶提取物间质量差异。方法采用Inertsil ODS-3 C_(18)(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)色谱柱;以乙腈-0.4%磷酸水溶液为流动相,梯度洗脱,波长切换测定(220 nm检测莽草酸、儿茶素、表儿茶素,254 nm检测没食子酸、原儿茶酸、6-羟基犬尿喹啉酸、对羟基苯甲酸,310 nm检测对羟基肉桂酸、咖啡酸),柱温40℃。结果不同厂家生产的银杏叶提取物中有机酸总含量有差异,厂家内部样品中各有机酸含量同样存在差异。经聚类分析、主成分分析、相关与回归分析等多元统计方法分析,筛选出儿茶素、没食子酸、原儿茶酸及6-羟基犬尿喹啉酸为体现样品质量差异的特征成分,同时成分间具有内在相关性。结论建立的方法操作简便、重复性好、结果可靠,可用于银杏叶提取物中有机酸类成分的质量评价。筛选出的儿茶素、没食子酸、原儿茶酸及6-羟基犬尿喹啉酸是体现质量差异的特征成分,又是具有内在关联的共性成分,为提升银杏叶提取物整体质量控制能力提供了依据,同时表明银杏叶提取物的提取工艺并不统一,企业内部工艺的稳定性也有待提高。     

Effects of exposure to mixed volatile organic compounds on the neurobehavioral test performance in a cross-sectional study of US adults

While the environmental exposure to multiple volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is ubiquitous, its neurobehavioral effects are not well understood. We assessed the associations between short-term exposure to VOC mixtures and neurobehavioral test performances on 497 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, using quantile and ordinary least squares regression models. We grouped 10 blood VOCs into 3 mixtures based on the principal component analysis, where Mix1 included benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-/p-xylene, o-xylene, and styrene; Mix2 included chloroform and tetrachloroethene; and Mix3 included 1,1,1-trichloroethane and 1,4-dichlorobenzene. We found a general lack of significant adverse effects with exceptions limited to those with the worst performance (i.e. the top 10 percent) in the simple reaction time test, suggesting that these people were potentially more susceptible to impacts of VOC mixtures. However, further research is needed to clarify the neurobehavioral effects of chronic low-level exposure to VOC mixtures among the general population.     

Thyroid hormones are associated with exposure to persistent organic pollutants in aging residents of upper Hudson River communities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and thyroid hormones in an aging population. Forty-eight women and 66 men, aged 55–74 years and living in upper Hudson River communities completed a questionnaire and provided blood specimens. Serum was analyzed for thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH), free (fT₄) and total thyroxine (T₄), total triiodothyronine (T₃), and for POPs. POPs included 39 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC–ECD), and nine polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) determined by high-resolution gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry detection (HRGC–HRMS). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between thyroid hormones and sums of POPs, adjusted for covariates and stratified by sex. Effects were expressed as differences in thyroid hormone levels associated with a doubling in the level of exposure. Among women, DDT + DDE increased T₄ by 0.34 μg/dL (P = 0.04) and T₃ by 2.78 ng/dL (P = 0.05). Also in women, sums of PCBs in conjunction with PBDEs elicited increases of 24.39–80.85 ng/dL T₃ (P < 0.05), and sums of PCBs in conjunction with DDT + DDE elicited increases of 0.18–0.31 μg/dL T₄ (P < 0.05). For men estrogenic PCBs were associated with a 19.82 ng/dL T₃ decrease (P = 0.003), and the sum of estrogenic PCBs in conjunction with DDT + DDE elicited an 18.02 ng/dL T₃ decrease (P = 0.04). Given age-related declines in physiologic reserve, the influence of POPs on thyroid hormones in aging populations may have clinical implications and merits further investigation.