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Query: UMLS:C0016382 (flushing)
 6,387 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A sensitive and selective HPLC-column switching method with single quadrupole mass spectrometric detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of the oral platelet aggregation inhibitor Sibrafiban (double protected prodrug), its prodrug and the active metabolite in rat, dog, and human plasma. The three analytes together with their tri-deuterated internal standards were isolated from plasma by protein precipitation (0.5 M perchloric acid). The de-proteinated samples were injected onto a standard-bore trapping column (4.0 mm i.d., LC-ABZ) of an HPLC-column switching system. Polar plasma components were removed by flushing the trapping column with ammonium formate (pH 3.6; 5 mM). Enriched compounds (including the analytes of interest) were backflushed onto a narrow-bore analytical column (2.1 mm i.d., Inertsil ODS-2) and separated by gradient elution (formic acid/ methanol). The whole effluent (200 microl/min) from the analytical column was passed to the turbo ion spray interface without splitting. Selected ion monitoring (SIM) was used for mass spectrometric detection. The limit of quantification for all three analytes was 1 ng/ml, using a 250-microl specimen of plasma. The mean precision and inaccuracy for the three analytes in all species were < 6 and < 5%, respectively. The practicability of the new analytical method was demonstrated by the analysis of about 500 rat and dog plasma and about 14,000 human plasma samples. The new method represents a successful example for the application of LC single MS with ionspray ionisation to the analysis of small molecule drugs in biological matrices from toxicokinetic studies and large clinical trials.
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PMID:Determination of the oral platelet aggregation inhibitor Sibrafiban in rat, dog, and human plasma utilising HPLC-column switching combined with turbo ion spray single quadrupole mass spectrometry. 1070 22

Nitrogen from the Mississippi River Basin is believed to be at least partly responsible for the large zone of oxygen-depleted water that develops in the Gulf of Mexico each summer. Historical data show that concentrations of nitrate in the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries have increased by factors of 2 to more than 5 since the early 1900s. We have used the historical streamflow and concentration data in regression models to estimate the annual flux of nitrogen (N) to the Gulf of Mexico and to determine where the nitrogen originates within the Mississippi Basin. Results show that for 1980-1996 the mean annual total N flux to the Gulf of Mexico was 1,568,000 t/year. The flux was approximately 61% nitrate as N, 37% organic N, and 2% ammonium as N. The flux of nitrate to the Gulf has approximately tripled in the last 30 years with most of the increase occurring between 1970 and 1983. The mean annual N flux has changed little since the early 1980s, but large year-to-year variations in N flux occur because of variations in precipitation. During wet years the N flux can increase by 50% or more due to flushing of nitrate that has accumulated in the soils and unsaturated zones in the basin. The principal source areas of N are basins in southern Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio that drain agricultural land. Basins in this region yield 800 to more than 3100 kg total N/km2 per year to streams, several times the N yield of basins outside this region. Assuming conservative transport of N in the Mississippi River, streams draining Iowa and Illinois contribute on average approximately 35% of the total N discharged by the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. In years with high precipitation they can contribute a larger percentage.
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PMID:Nitrogen flux and sources in the Mississippi River Basin. 1080 29

Historical streamflow and concentration data were used in regression models to estimate the annual flux of nitrogen (N) to the Gulf of Mexico and to determine where the nitrogen originates within the Mississippi Basin. Results show that for 1980-1996 the mean annual total N flux to the Gulf of Mexico was 1,568,000 t yr-1. The flux was about 61% nitrate N, 37% organic N, and 2% ammonium N. The flux of nitrate N to the Gulf has approximately tripled in the last 30 years with most of the increase occurring between 1970 and 1983. The mean annual N flux has changed little since the early 1980s, but large year-to-year variations in N flux occur because of variations in precipitation. During wet years the N flux can increase by 50% or more due to flushing of nitrate N that has accumulated in the soils and unsaturated zones in the basin. The principal source areas of N are basins in southern Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio that drain agricultural land. Basins in this region yield 1500 to more than 3100 kg N km-2 yr-1 to streams, several times the N yield of basins outside this region.
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PMID:Nitrogen input to the Gulf of Mexico. 1128 92

The chemical attenuation of inorganic contaminants in methanogenic landfill leachate, spiked with heavy metals (Cd, Cd, Ni and Zn), by two UK clay liner materials was compared in laboratory columns over 15 months. Ammonium was attenuated by ion-exchange but this attenuation was finite and when exhausted, NH4 passed through the liners at concentrations found in the leachate. The breakthrough behaviour of NH4 could be described by a simple distribution coefficient. Heavy metals were attenuated by sorption and precipitation of metal sulphide and carbonate compounds near the top of the liner. Adequate SO4 and CaCO3 in the liner is necessary to ensure the long term retention of heavy metals, and pH buffering agents added to stabilise reactive metal fractions should be admixed with the liner. Some metals may not be chemically attenuated by clay liners due to the formation of stable complexes with organic and/or colloidal fractions in leachate. Flushing of the liners with oxygenated water after leachate caused mobilisation of attenuated contaminants. Sorbed NH4 was released by the liners but groundwater loadings were manageable. Re-oxidation of metal sulphides under these conditions resulted in the release of heavy metals from the liners when the pH buffering capacity was poor. Contaminant attenuation by the clay liners was similar and the attenuation of NH4 and heavy metals could be predicted from the geochemical properties of the liner using simple tests. A conceptual model of clay liner performance is presented. Chemical attenuation of inorganic pollutants can be included in containment liner design to produce a dual reactive-passive barrier for landfills.
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PMID:Attenuation of landfill leachate by clay liner materials in laboratory columns: 2. Behaviour of inorganic contaminants. 1152 77

A preliminary study of a modified microconcentric nebulizer (CEI-100, CETAC) as the sample introduction device of capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) for the determination of monophosphate nucleotides is described. The monophosphate nucleotides studied include adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP), guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP), uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP) and inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP). The species studied were well separated using a 70 cm length x 75 microm id fused silica capillary while the applied voltage was set at -22 kV and a 20 mmol l(-1) ammonium citrate/citric acid buffer (pH 4.0) containing 0.1% m/v cationic polymer (hexadimethrine bromide, Polybrene) was used as the electrophoretic buffer. The electroosmotic flow was reversed by flushing the fused silica capillary with 0.2% m/v Polybrene to accelerate separation. The detection limit of various species studied was in the range of 0.036-0.054 microg P ml(-1), which corresponded to the absolute detection limit of 1.1-1.6 pg P based on the injection volume of 30 nl. We determined the concentrations of nucleotides in two IG-enriched monosodium glutamates purchased from the local market. The recovery was in the range of 100-112% for various species, and the concentrations of IMP and GMP in these samples were in the range of 0.15-0.18% m/m.
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PMID:Determination of monophosphate nucleotides by capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. 1243 Jun 3

The process performance of the two largest activated sludge processes in Hong Kong, the Sha Tin and the Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works (STW), deteriorated in the initial period after the introduction of seawater flushing in 1995 and 1996, respectively. High effluent ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) and total suspended solids (TSS) in excess of the discharge standards resulted from incomplete nitrification and changes in floc characteristics. A desktop study on the inhibitory effects of salinity, particularly on nitrification, was subsequently conducted using the Tai Po STW operating data. To assist the upgrade of the Sha Tin STW a five-month extensive bench-scale investigation on a simple but flexible modified Ludzack-Ettinger configuration with bio-selector was conducted to quantify the inhibitory effects due to the saline concentration. The Sha Tin STW upgrade consists of restoration of its original design capacity (conventional process) of 205,000 m3/day from its currently much reduced capacity as a Bardenpho process. Only the volume of the existing biological process and clarifier is to be utilized. The saline concentration ranges from 3,500 up to 6,500 mg Cl-/L, both daily and seasonally. High and greatly fluctuating saline concentrations have been known to inhibit nitrification. Design consideration should also be given to the peak daily and seasonal TKN loading of up to three times the average. Although the nitrifiers maximum specific growth rate was significantly reduced to a low 0.25 day(-1), the inhibition was considered to be tolerable with effluent NH4-N and NO3-N consistently at < 1 and < 6 mg/L. The bio-selector was demonstrated to be efficient in control of sludge foaming and bulking with SVI consistently < or = 125 mL/g. Results from the IAWO Model No. 1 and the hydraulic model of the secondary clarifiers allowed overall process capacity maximization. With an anoxic mass fraction of 25-30%, operating sludge age of 9-14 days and SVI < or = 125 mL/g, both the design requirements and the effluent discharge standards could be met. Without these investigations, an unnecessarily large reaction basin and secondary clarifier volume, and hence capital investment, would have resulted.
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PMID:The impact of sea water flushing on biological nitrification-denitrification activated sludge sewage treatment process. 1252 56

Dynamic interfacial tensiometry, gauged by axisymmetric drop shape analysis of static drops or bubbles, provides useful information on surfactant adsorption kinetics. However, the traditional pendant-drop methodology is not readily amenable to the study of desorption kinetics. Thus, the question of sorption reversibility is difficult to assess by this technique. We extend classical pendant/sessile drop dynamic tensiometry by immersing a sessile bubble in a continuously mixed optical cell. Ideal-mixed conditions are established by stirring and by constant flow through the cell. Aqueous surface-active-agent solutions are either supplied to the cell (loading) or removed from the cell by flushing with water (washout), thereby allowing study of both adsorption and desorption kinetics. Well-mixed conditions and elimination of any mass transfer resistance permit direct identification of sorption kinetic barriers to and from the external aqueous phase with time constants longer than the optical-cell residence time. The monodisperse nonionic surfactant ethoxy dodecyl alcohol (C(12)E(5)), along with cationic cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) in the presence of added salt, adsorbs and desorbs instantaneously at the air/water interface. In these cases, the experimentally observed dynamic-tension curves follow the local-equilibrium model precisely for both loading and washout. Accordingly, these surfactants below their critical micelle concentrations (CMC) exhibit no detectable sorption-activation barriers on time scales of order a min. However, the sorption dynamics of dilute CTAB in the absence of electrolyte is markedly different from that in the presence of KBr. Here CTAB desorption occurs at local equilibrium, but the adsorption rate is kinetically limited, most likely due to an electrostatic barrier arising as the charged surfactant accumulates at the interface. The commercial, polydisperse nonionic surfactant ethoxy nonylphenol (NP9) loads in good agreement with local-equilibrium theory but shows deviation from the theoretical washout curve, presumably due to slow desorption of solubilized but otherwise water insoluble components. The polymeric nonionic triblock copolymer Pluronic exhibits almost complete irreversible adsorption at the air/water interface over a molecular-weight range from 3 to 14 kDa. Similar irreversible dynamic behavior is observed for adsorption/desorption of the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) from dilute aqueous solutions at the air/water interface. The new continuous-flow tensiometer (CFT) is a simple, yet powerful, tool to investigate sorption dynamics at fluid/fluid interfaces, especially for larger molecular weight surface-active agents that exhibit significant hindrance to desorption.
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PMID:Dynamics of surfactant sorption at the air/water interface: continuous-flow tensiometry. 1272 37

Results from the first multi-constituent dynamic modelling study of the Humber estuarine system over seasonal time scales are presented. The model, constructed within the ECoS3 simulation software, has been calibrated using data obtained from 27 surveys of the Yorkshire Ouse and Humber estuaries during 1994-1996. The model is tidally averaged, and is one-dimensional in the vertical and in cross-section. Daily-varying longitudinal concentration profiles of SPM, POC, nitrate, nitrite and ammonium have been simulated, and these have been compared with the observations used for model calibration (model confirmation). The fits are generally good. The model captures the marked seasonal variability in concentrations of the particulate constituents (SPM, POC), and places the turbidity maximum in approximately the correct region of the estuary. There was a high degree of scatter in the SPM and POC concentrations measured due to tidal resuspension, which was not reproduced by the tidally averaged model. Comparisons between measured and simulated nitrate+nitrite are satisfactory, although for a number of surveys the modelled values are systematically too low in the lower Yorkshire Ouse and upper Humber. These discrepancies are not readily explained, but may be linked to inadequately characterised source terms for this nitrogen. The general trends in the concentrations and distributions of ammonium are reproduced by the model, despite the plethora of external inputs of this constituent, and significant modifications to ammonium transport by in situ nitrification and benthic exchange. The simulated concentrations and distributions have also been tested against independent data encapsulating axial transects in the Trent and Humber estuaries, and temporal variations at fixed sites on the Trent and Yorkshire Ouse estuaries. With some exceptions, the fits between the model results and these data are also good. The model has also been used to construct constituent budgets (external/internal sources and sinks) for each estuary for 1994, 1995 and 1996. Riverine inputs of SPM, POC, nitrate, nitrite and ammonium decreased over the 3 years, presumably reflecting changing patterns of terrestrial runoff coupled to a reduction in effluent inputs. This trend was also observed in the point discharges of these constituents direct to the estuary. The simulated estuary was a source of sediments to the North Sea during 1994 and 1996, but a sink during 1995. The difference has been ascribed to the exceptionally dry summer and autumn of 1995, in which up-estuary tidal 'pumping' of SPM was dominant over down-estuary flushing by river water. Fluvial inputs represent an important external source of POC to the model estuary (27-55%), as does the North Sea (26-58%). These inputs are exceeded by POC loss via bacterial remineralisation, suggesting that the estuarine bed is a net source of POC. Riverine inputs account for 76-77% of the external inputs of nitrate. This constituent behaves quasi-conservatively in the estuary, reflecting the dilution of nitrate-rich river waters with low-nitrate coastal water, although nitrification is a significant input (approx. 21%). Denitrification is small, and consequently all nitrate added to the estuary is lost to the North Sea. External loads of nitrite are small and ammonium nitrification accounts for approximately 93% of its annual input. Practically all of the nitrite is oxidised to nitrate, and little escapes to the North Sea. The fluvial and direct waste inputs of ammonium to the estuary are of similar size. Most of the ammonium in the model is nitrified (98-100%) and only a few tons are exported to the North Sea. In 1996 the estuary appears to have been a sink for coastal water ammonium. Constituent budgets are compared with independently evaluated fluxes. There is good agreement in a number of cases, but the comparison highlights the main uncertainties in the simulated fluxes. It is concluded that the model as currently formulated provides an excellent basis for heuristic studies of the Humber estuarine system.
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PMID:The fluxes and transformations of suspended particles, carbon and nitrogen in the Humber estuarine system (UK) from 1994 to 1996: results from an integrated observation and modelling study. 1449 58

A novel positively charged polymer of quaternary ammonium substituted agarose (Q-agarose) has been synthesized and explored for use as a coating in capillary electrophoresis. The fast and simple coating procedure is based on a multi-site electrostatic interaction between the polycationic agarose polymer and the negatively charged fused-silica surface. By simply flushing fused-silica capillaries with hot polymer solution a positively charged, hydrophilic deactivation layer is achieved. The polymer surface provides an intermediate electroosmotic flow of reversed direction, over a range of pH 2-11, compared to unmodified fused-silica. The coating procedure was highly reproducible with an RSD of 4%, evaluated as the electroosmotic flow mobility for 30 capillaries prepared at 10 different occasions. The application of Q-agarose coated capillaries in separation science was investigated using a set of basic drugs and model proteins and peptides. Due to the intermediate electroosmotic flow generated, the resolution of basic drugs could be increased, compared to using bare fused-silica capillaries. Moreover, the coating enabled separation of proteins and peptides with efficiencies up to 300.000 plates m(-1).
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PMID:Quaternary ammonium substituted agarose as surface coating for capillary electrophoresis. 1511 32

Soil extraction of lead contaminated soil collected from sites near an abandoned battery recycling and secondary lead-smelting factory was investigated for potential use in decontaminating soil at the sites. A fractionation study was conducted to elucidate soil retention mechanism for Pb at the site. Three soil pits were selected from an area surrounding the factory based on level of Pb contamination. Soil samples were collected from each pit in two layers: surface soil and subsoil (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm). Soil physical analysis showed that the soil texture was sandy loam and sandy clay loam with clay content between 11-21%. Soil pH was strongly acid to moderately acid (pH 4.8-5.9). Pb levels in the surface soil were 1620 and 153 mg kg(-1) (air-dried basis) respectively for heavily and slightly contaminated soil. A reference soil site contained 15 mg kg(-1) of Pb. Partitioning studies indicated that more than 90% of total Pb in the soil existed in three primary fractions: exchangeable, carbonate, and Fe-Mn oxide. This suggested that Pb sources entering the soil from the Pb factory remained in relatively weakly bound forms, which are mobile and have potentially biological availability. Mobility of Pb as in the soil assessed by mobility factor (MF) was as high as 75% indicating a high potential of Pb remobilization. Due to high mobility, the Pb would be amendable to remediation or removal by soil extraction procedures. To determine if such weekly bound Pb could be easily removed, both soil washing (ex situ) and soil flushing (in situ) techniques were evaluated for potential Pb remediation procedure. Particle size separation of soil into coarse (2.0-0.25 mm), medium (0.25-0.15 mm), and fine size (<0.15 mm) was conducted before initiating soil washing for comparing Pb removal efficiency in these fractions with the indigenous soil fraction. Using EDTA (2:1 mole to Pb) as a washing solution up to 85-95% of Pb was removed under the optimum conditions (retention time = 60 min), and liquid to solid ratio (L/S) at 5:1 for coarse fraction and 10:1 for smaller fraction. Pb could be removed from contaminated soil using EDTA extraction; however, the efficiency was higher in the coarse texture soil fraction. As a result particle size separation is recommended before application of the soil washing procedure. For smaller soil particle size fraction a series of extraction was needed for obtaining an adequate extraction efficiency. Three solvents tested as flushing solution showed 85, 84, and 74% of Pb was removed by EDTA (2:1 mole to Pb), 1M HNO3, and 0.2 M ammonium citrate, respectively after flushing with 20 pore volumes. The capacity of the three flushing solutions to remove Pb from the contaminated soil were ranked in the order: EDTA approximately 1 M HNO3 > 0.2 N ammonium citrate. However, in highly contaminated soil all solvent extract required several Pb leaching cycles. The flushing process using 1 M HNO3 increased soil acidity to extreme acid conditions (pH 2.0) resulting in adverse effects to physicochemical properties of the treated soil. In general, results showed three factors influenced Pb removal by the extraction techniques: (i) initial Pb concentrations, (ii) Pb partitioning within soil, and (iii) particle size of soil matrix.
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PMID:Evaluation of extraction procedures for removing lead from contaminated soil. 1571 83


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