GLC determination of methotrimeprazine and its sulfoxide in plasma

A GLC method, based on flame-ionization detection, was developed for the assay of methotrimeprazine and its sulfoxide in plasma. For a 6-ml aliquot, the sensitivity was 2-3 ng/ml for the unchanged drug and 4-5 ng/ml for the sulfoxide. The coefficient of variation, calculated from duplicate analyses of plasma samples, was 8-15% for concentrations between 10 and 100 ng/ml. Patients treated with orally administered methotrimeprazine had higher plasma levels of the sulfoxide than of unmetabolized drug. The method also was applied to the analysis of promazine and chlorpromazine in patient plasma.     

Immobilization of phenol in cement-based solidified/stabilized hazardous wastes using regenerated activated carbon: leaching studies

In this research, we investigated the use of an inexpensive thermally regenerated activated carbon as a pre-adsorbent in the solidification/stabilization of phenol-contaminated sand. Our results show that even the addition of very low amounts of regenerated activated carbon (1%–2% w/w sand) resulted in the rapid adsorption of phenol in the Chemical solidification/stabilization (S/S) matrix, with phenol leaching reduced by as much as 600%. Adsorption studies indicated that the adsorption of phenol on the reactivated carbon was found to be partially irreversible over time in the S/S waste form, indicating possible chemical adsorption. Pore-fluid analyses of the cement paste containing phenol suggested the formation of a calcium–phenol complex, which further reduced the amount of free phenol present in the pores. Studies using several micro-structural techniques, including field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, indicated significant morphological changes in the cement matrix upon the addition of phenol and reactivated carbon. The hydration of cement in the presence of phenol was retarded concomitant with formation of amorphous portlandite.     

Biochemical studies on the H-2K antigens of the MHC mutants bm3 and bm11

Biochemical analyses of the H-2K-gene products of the C57BL/6 mutant strains, bm3 and bm11, have been carried out in order to characterize the structural relationships among these antigens. From comparative tryptic peptide mapping of cyanogen bromide fragments from the mutant and parent Kb glycoproteins and from preliminary amino-acid sequence analyses, a number of discrete differences have been discerned. Two sites of difference at amino residues 77 and 89 in the Kbm3 glycoprotein are noted relative to Kb. An alteration at residue 77 similar or identical to that seen in Kbm3 is present in the K antigen of the bm11 mutant. Because our techniques sample only 75 to 80 percent of the extracellular portion of H-2Kb, other undetected changes are possible. However, our present findings are most consistent with the conclusion that only very limited differences exist between mutant and parent molecules. Further, taken together with CML (cell-mediated-lymphocytotoxicity) reaction patterns (Melief et al. 1980), the biochemical data support the hypothesis that the proposed structural alterations in the Kb mutant glycoproteins are directly related to their observed immunological specificity.     

Identification of material constants for piezoelectric transformers by three-dimensional,finite-element method and a design-sensitivity method

In this paper, an inversion scheme for piezoelectric constants of piezoelectric transformers is proposed. The impedance of piezoelectric transducers is calculated using a three-dimensional finite element method. The validity of this is confirmed experimentally. The effects of material coefficients on piezoelectric transformers are investigated numerically. Six material coefficient variables for piezoelectric transformers were selected, and a design sensitivity method was adopted as an inversion scheme. The validity of the proposed method was confirmed by step-up ratio calculations. The proposed method is applied to the analysis of a sample piezoelectric transformer, and its resonance characteristics are obtained by numerically combined equivalent circuit method.