Bestimmung des Herbicids Glyphosat und dessen Hauptmetabolit Aminomethylphosphons?ure (AMPA) in Trinkwasser mit Hilfe der HPLC

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Methode zur Bestimmung von Glyphosat und dessen Hauptmetabolit Aminomethylphosphonsäure (AMPA) in Trinkwasser beschrieben, die es erlaubt, den in der Schweiz geforderten Toleranzwert von 0,1 g/1 zu erreichen (Nachweisgrenze 0,02 g/l). Die Wasserprobe wird dabei direkt mit 9-Fluorenylmethyl-chloroformaat (FMOCCI) versetzt, um extrahierbare und gleichzeitig fluorescierende Derivate zu erhalten. Diese werden nach Ausschütteln mit einem organischen Lösungsmittelgemisch durch HPLC mit Fluorescenzdetektor bestimmt. In bisher 151 untersuchten Trinkwasserproben des Kantons Bern konnten weder Glyphosat noch AMPA nachgewiesen werden.

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Determination of glyphosate herbicide and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in drinking water by HPLC

Summary A method for the determination of glyphosate and its major metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is described. With a detection limit of 0.02 g/l, the method suitably fulfills the requirements of the Swiss legislation (tolerance value of 0.1 g/l water). The compounds are derivatized directly in the original water sample with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOCCI) in order to obtain extractable and fluorescent derivatives. These are extracted with organic solvents and determined by HPLC using a fluorescence detector. Neither of the compounds could be detected in 151 tap water samples from the Canton of Berne.

     

Scale-up in the 4th dimension in the field of granulation and drying or how to avoid classical scale-up

In the pharmaceutical industry, the production of granules is based on a batch concept. This concept offers many advantages, as a batch can be accepted or rejected. However, the scale-up of the batch size may lead to problems. The variety of the equipment involved does not facilitate the scale-up process and the capital invested in space and equipment is high. An alternative approach is the use of a continuous process. However, continuous processes have the disadvantage among others that the batch size is not well defined. Thus, a special quasi-continuous production concept was developed, taking into account the advantages of a batch type and a continuous process. This concept was developed in cooperation with the Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology of the University of Basel, Glatt CH-4133 Pratteln and F. Hoffmann-La Roche, CH-4070 Basel. The equipment allows to implement a “Just in Time Production Concept” as a large batch B consists of n subunit (SU) batches b, i.e. B=nb. The subunit batch b corresponds to, e.g. 7-kg material for the production of pharmaceutical granules for further processing such as tabletting. At the Roche production site, this novel process equipment was used to manufacture batch sizes B with n=10, n=100 and so far up to n=600 subunits. This leads to an optimal use of capital invested in GMP space and equipment. The difference to the classical scale-up is the following: with classical scale-up, the dimensions of the equipment x, y, z is enlarged and the process time is more or less kept constant. With this novel concept, the dimension x, y, z of the equipment is kept constant and the process is repeated in the 4th dimension “n times”. Thus, for the scale-up in the 4th dimension, i.e. in the time, the equipment needs to show a “self-cleaning” property and appropriate formulations. The novel concept is of special interest, as the quality of the product is not changed during scale-up.     

Concentrate feeding strategy in lactating dairy cows: metabolic and endocrine changes with emphasis on leptin

This study aimed to evaluate metabolic and endocrine adaptations to energy intake in multiparous Holstein cows (n = 90; mean 9434 kg energy-corrected milk yield/305 d) over the first 20 wk postpartum and to assess the association of leptin with metabolic, endocrine, and zootechnical traits. Concentrates were fed automatically for 24 h at 30% (C30) or 50% (C50) of total dry matter intake (DMI) from wk 1 to 10 postpartum and at linearly reduced amounts thereafter. Roughage was fed for ad libitum intake. The DMI was measured over 24 h; milk yield and body weight (BW), twice/d; milk composition, 4 times/wk; and milk acetone, weekly. Blood samples for determination of metabolite, hormone, and electrolyte concentrations and enzyme activities were obtained at wk 2 prepartum, and at wk 1 to 16 and at wk 20 postpartum from 0730 to 0900. Body condition scores (BCS) and backfat thickness were measured postpartum and during wk 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. Energy balance (EB) was considerably lower, but milk yield only slightly lower, in C30 than C50. Metabolic stress was more marked in C30 than C50, expressed by lower, glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), triiodothyronine, milk protein, and lactose concentrations, higher nonesterified fatty acid, beta-hydroxybutyrate, growth hormone, and milk acetone concentrations, and an accelerated decrease in BCS and backfat thickness. Nevertheless, C30 adapted successfully and thus maintained high milk yields despite negative EB. Leptin concentrations were lower in C30 than in C50 over the first 20 wk postpartum and were positively associated with BCS, EB, BW, cholesterol, albumin, insulin, and IGF-1; negatively associated with DMI and triiodothyronine; and were higher in cows calving in spring than in fall. Leptin is one among several factors involved in the regulation of energy metabolism and may be important for overall homeostatic and homeorhetic control of metabolism and thus for maintenance of performance.     

Silicon Microtoroidal Resonators With Integrated MEMS Tunable Coupler

A single crystalline silicon microtoroidal resonator with integrated MEMS-actuated tunable optical coupler is demonstrated for the first time. It is fabricated by combining hydrogen annealing and wafer bonding processes. The device operates in all three coupling regimes: under-, critical, and over-coupling. We have also developed a comprehensive model based on time-domain coupling theory. The experimental and theoretical results agree very well. The quality factor (Q) is extracted by fitting the experimental curve with the model. The unloaded Q is as high as 110 000, and the loaded Q is continuously tunable from 110 000 to 5400. The extinction ratio of the transmittance is 22.4 dB. This device can be used as a building block of resonator-based reconfigurable photonic integrated circuits     

Estimation of energy balance at the individual and herd level using blood and milk traits in high-yielding dairy cows

This study aimed to estimate individual and herd-level energy balance (EB) using blood and milk traits in 90 multiparous high-yielding Holstein cows, held on a research farm, from wk 1 to 10 postpartum (p.p.) and to investigate the precision of prediction with successively decreased data sets simulating smaller herd sizes and with pooled samples. Dry matter intake, milk yield, and BW were measured daily from parturition through wk 10 p.p. Milk composition was determined 4 times per week, and milk acetone was measured weekly. Blood samples for the determination of metabolites, hormones, electrolytes, and enzyme activities were taken weekly from wk 1 to 10 p.p. between 0730 and 0900. Body condition scores and ultrasonic measurements of backfat thickness and fat depth in the pelvic area were evaluated in wk 1, 4, and 8 p.p. Concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, urea, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, triiodothyronine, and thyroxine (T4) in blood plasma and of lactose and urea in milk were positively correlated with EB, whereas concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), creatinine, albumin, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and growth hormone and enzyme activities in blood, and concentrations of fat, protein, fat:lactose ratio, and acetone in milk were negatively correlated with EB. Leptin concentration was not correlated to EB over the first 10 wk p.p. To estimate EB linear mixed-effects, models were developed by backward selection procedures. The most informative traits for estimation of EB were the fat:lactose ratio in milk and NEFA and T4 concentrations in blood. The precision of estimation of EB in individual cows was low. Using blood in addition to milk traits did not result in higher precision of estimation of herd-level EB, and decreasing sample sizes considerably lowered the precision of EB prediction. Estimation of overall mean herd-level EB over the first 10 wk p.p. using pooled samples was precise even with small sample sizes, but does not consider the level of EB in particular weeks. In conclusion, estimation of herd-level EB at individual weeks using milk traits only has practical implication with herd sizes of > or = 100 cows if calving is highly seasonal and of or = 400 cows if calving is uniformly distributed. Using blood in addition to milk traits does not improve precision of estimation of herd-level EB, regardless of sample size.     

Modeling of Conductivity Versus Density Behavior in Green-State Powder Metallurgy Compacts

Ongoing research at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has recently resulted in the development of an electrostatic multipin instrument capable of testing green-state compacts directly after compaction. By monitoring a steady electric current flow through the sample and recording the voltages over the surface valuable information is gathered, leading to the prediction of the structural health of the green-state parts. Whereas our prior work concentrated on the detection of surface-breaking and subsurface defects, which requires the determination of large differences in material properties over small flaw sizes, the results presented in this paper aim at the density prediction throughout the volume of the sample. This requires the detection of small changes in material properties over large regions. A physical model and a mathematical formulation are reported, which are capable of relating green-state density changes to electric conductivity in the presence of various lubricant concentrations. Preliminary electrostatic measurements of cylindrical compacts have thus far confirmed the theoretical model assumptions, showing that the electric conductivity follows a complex graphical behavior that is determined by the type and concentration of the lubricant. Specifically, the green state conductivity increases as the sample density increases up to values of approximately 6.9 to 7.0 g/cm³. Any further density increase, however, results in a decrease in conductivity.     

Pooled versus separate measurements of tree-ring stable isotopes

δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of tree rings contain time integrated information about the environmental conditions weighted by seasonal growth dynamics and are well established as sources of palaeoclimatic and ecophysiological data. Annually resolved isotope chronologies are frequently produced by pooling dated growth rings from several trees prior to the isotopic analyses. This procedure has the advantage of saving time and resources, but precludes from defining the isotopic error or statistical uncertainty related to the inter-tree variability. Up to now only a few studies have compared isotope series from pooled tree rings with isotopic measurements from individual trees. We tested whether or not the δ¹³C and the δ¹⁸O chronologies derived from pooled and from individual tree rings display significant differences at two locations from the Iberian Peninsula to assess advantages and constraints of both methodologies. The comparisons along the period 1900-2003 reveal a good agreement between pooled chronologies and the two mean master series which were created by averaging raw individual values (Mean) or by generating a mass calibrated mean (MassC). In most of the cases, pooled chronologies show high synchronicity with averaged individual samples at interannual scale but some differences also show up especially when comparing δ¹⁸O decadal to multi-decadal variations. Moreover, differences in the first order autocorrelation among individuals may be obscured by pooling strategies. The lack of replication of pooled chronologies prevents detection of a bias due to a higher mass contribution of one sample but uncertainties associated with the analytical process itself, as sample inhomogeneity, seems to account for the observed differences.     

The transition of morantel in cow's milk following administration in the retard form, "Paratect Bolus" (Pfizer)

The transition of Morantel into bovine milk was studied with three lactating cows. The active compound was administered as Paratect Bolus which continuously releases the anthelmintic agent. No residues of Morantel could be detected throughout the 92-day experiment (limit of detection: 0.5 micrograms Morantel tartrate/kg milk), nor could the compound be found in the blood serum at day 35 of the experiment. The same day an amount of 825 micrograms/kg was observed in faeces.     

Vehicle-dependent in situ modification of membrane-controlled drug release

Transmission electron microscopic techniques were used to carry out a quantitative analysis of the density of fenestration in the inner medullary vasa recta of the rat kidney. Measurements were made at 200 microns intervals from the tip to the base of the papilla (1800 microns from the tip). Fenestral diaphragms were estimated to be 65.4 +/- 0.78 nm in diameter (mean +/- S.E.M.), and were arranged in plaques with a mean interfenestral distance of 114.8 +/- 2.6 nm. Near the tip of the papilla there was no correlation between vessel size and degree of fenestration; density of fenestration, however, began to decrease about 1400 microns from the tip. The ratio of fenestrated to non-fenestrated profiles of vasa recta was found to be linear with respect to distance from the tip (r = 0.991), with values ranging from about 40:1 near the tip to 2:1 near the base of the papilla. We have estimated the proportion of the total surface area of a fenestrated vasa recta occupied by fenestral diaphragms to be 0.057 at 1000 microns from the tip. The total potential conductance (K) of a 200 microns segment of fenestrated vessel at 1000 microns from the tip was calculated to be 0.319 microns 3 s-1 cmH2O-1, giving a hydraulic conductivity (Lp) of 0.030 micron s-1 cmH2O-1. We have also examined the reverse question of the conductance of a single fenestra if all the fluid flux across the vessel wall occurred through the fenestrae and none via the intercellular clefts or water channels; single fenestral conductance was estimated to be 1.94 x 10(-3) microns 3 s-1 cmH2O-1.