Different Sources Of Materials Research Articles

Bacteriological quality and safety of bottle food and associated factors among bottle-fed babies attending pediatric outpatient clinics of Government Health Institutions in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia

BackgroundMicrobial contamination of baby bottle food has been identified as a significant public health concern, especially in developing countries, but it remains overlooked. Therefore, this study aimed to determine microbiological hazards, compliance with hygiene practices, and critical control points of contamination in baby bottle food in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia.ObjectiveTo evaluate the bacteriological quality and prevalence of foodborne pathogens in baby bottle food and to identify associated factors among bottle-fed babies attending three government health institutions in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between February 24 and March 30, 2022. A total of 220 food samples, comprising four types prepared with different sources of materials, were collected from systematically selected bottle-fed babies attending health facilities. The data on sociodemographic characteristics, food hygiene, and handling practices were solicited by face-to-face interview using a semi-structured questionnaire. Food samples (10 mL) were quantitatively analyzed for total viable counts (TVC) and total coliform count (TCC) and qualitatively for the presence of common foodborne bacterial pathogens. Data were analyzed using SPSS; ANOVA and multiple linear regression analyses were done to identify factors influencing microbial counts.ResultsResults revealed that the means and standard deviations of TVC and TCC were 5.3 ± 2.3 log10 colony forming units (CFU)/mL and 4.1 ± 2.6 log10 CFU/mL, respectively. Of the various food samples analyzed, 57.3 and 60.5% had a TVC and TCC above the maximum acceptable limits, respectively. The result of the ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference in the mean score of TCV and TCC among the four types of food samples (p < 0.001). Enterobacteriaceae were found in the majority of positive food samples (79.13%), followed by Gram-positive cocci (20.8%). Salmonella spp., diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus were the common foodborne pathogens detected in 8.6% of tested foods. The regression result revealed that the type of baby food, hand washing practices of mothers or caregivers, and sterilizing and disinfecting procedures of feeding bottles are independent determinants of bacterial contamination (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe high microbial load and the presence of potential foodborne bacterial pathogens in the bottle food samples analyzed indicate unsanitary practices and the potential risk of exposure to foodborne pathogens in bottle-fed babies. Thus, interventions such as educating parents about proper hygiene practices, sterilizing feeding bottles and limiting bottle feeding practices are critical to reducing the risk of foodborne to bottle-fed infants.

Advances in Fingerprint Analysis for Standardization and Quality Control of Herbal Medicines.

Herbal drugs or herbal medicines (HMs) have a long-standing history as natural remedies for preventing and curing diseases. HMs have garnered greater interest during the past decades due to their broad, synergistic actions on the physiological systems and relatively lower incidence of adverse events, compared to synthetic drugs. However, assuring reproducible quality, efficacy, and safety from herbal drugs remains a challenging task. HMs typically consist of many constituents whose presence and quantity may vary among different sources of materials. Fingerprint analysis has emerged as a very useful technique to assess the quality of herbal drug materials and formulations for establishing standardized herbal products. Rather than using a single or two marker(s), fingerprinting techniques take great consideration of the complexity of herbal drugs by evaluating the whole chemical profile and extracting a common pattern to be set as a criterion for assessing the individual material or formulation. In this review, we described and assessed various fingerprinting techniques reported to date, which are applicable to the standardization and quality control of HMs. We also evaluated the application of multivariate data analysis or chemometrics in assisting the analysis of the complex datasets from the determination of HMs. To ensure that these methods yield reliable results, we reviewed the validation status of the methods and provided perspectives on those. Finally, we concluded by highlighting major accomplishments and presenting a gap analysis between the existing techniques and what is needed to continue moving forward.

Vladavina Nikolaja Čaušeskua i njena tragična epizoda tokom rumunske decembarske revolucije

In December 1989, thousands of Romanian citizens took to the streets, protesting against Nicolae Ceausescu's policies. This was no surprise-some time ago, the Warsaw Pact countries, which for decades languished in the ideology of communism and the one-party system, struggled to put this era behind them. These uprisings initiated the fall of the current regimes through initial protests, which was why the then political elite often responded hysterically with repression and political violence. As the last country from the Central-Eastern bloc, Romania started the changes in the most repressive way and ended the era of communism. The most impressive aspect of this transition is the behaviour of Nicolae Ceausescu, the president of Romania at that time, who ignored the mentioned events in the neighbourhood. The initial revolt of the Romanian people, which Ceausescu visibly defied without suspecting that it would affect him, finally happened and closed his rule in blood. Relying on a wide range of different sources of material, in this paper we will try to present the historiography of the Romanian revolution authentically, from the perspective of the present moment. The starting point for the work is a conceptual analysis of the rule of Nicolae Ceausescu-from the very beginning, through the characteristic periods, all the way to the year of its completion. His rule, characterized by other Warsaw Pact states as the most severe form of communism, led to violence and revolutionary riots that left a bloody mark on Romania's history. Some of the theses presented, such as the coup d'etat, conspiracy, or foreign intervention, which were presented as the cause of the collapse of Ceausescu's regime, opened space for many reflections. But the real picture seems much simpler: the people of Romania, after the most difficult period of austerity, poverty, and torture, rose against a dictatorial regime that has denied the most basic social and humanistic values.

Preparation and characterization of vermicompost made from different sources of materials

The study was conducted during 2020, at Fedis district of East Hararghe Zone, Oromia National Regional State; Ethiopia. Composting is a process where waste organic materials derived from plants and/or animals are decomposed by microbial action under aeration to produce a friable homogenous product that is added to soil.

Inducing mutations in Citrus spp.: Sensitivity of different sources of plant material to gamma radiation

Gamma radiation represents an alternative for improving genotypes for which breeding through hybridization involves many difficulties because of their complex reproductive biology, as in the case of citrus. In this study in vitro and ex vitro mutagenesis was induced by gamma radiation in several citrus species (‘Alemow’ and sour orange as citrus rootstocks, lemon cv. ‘Fino 49’ and ‘Verna 51’, mandarin cv. ‘Nova’ and lime cv. ‘Bearss’). Three different sources of materials - seeds, budwoods and nodal segments - from in vitro explants, were tested. Seeds and budwoods were germinated or induced to sprout, and de novo regeneration was obtained from in vitro nodal segments from which preexisting buds were previously removed. Budwoods were tested in summer and winter in order to assess their capacity for mutation and further sprouted in different seasons. Seeds were seen to be more resistant to gamma radiation (LD50 of 127 Gy in ‘Alemow and 156 Gy in sour orange) than budwoods (LD50 about 50 Gy for all cultivars) and nodal segments (LD50 about 25 Gy for both lemon cultivars), the last being the most sensitive material tested. Similar LD50 were found for budwoods collected in winter and summer for all the genotypes. All the tested plant material can be considered suitable for gamma irradiation, although budwood is the most widely available and tissue culture material needs the highest degree of expertise.

Plasma HPV DNA is detectable in oral leukoplakia patients

BackgroundOral leukoplakia is considered a potentially malignant lesion for the development of squamous cell carcinoma, and various risk factors may be related to its development and malignant transformation, including the human papillomavirus (HPV). The aim of this case-control study was to detect the presence of HPV in fresh tissue, plasma and saliva samples obtained from patients with and without oral leukoplakia, and verify the correlation of the presence of DNA of HPV between different sources of materials. MethodsIn this study, 32 patients with oral leukoplakia and 24 patients selected in a case-control manner were included. DNA extraction from the samples was performed, and afterwards it was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) for the detection of HPV (nPCR: MY09-MY11/GP05+-GP06+). ResultsThe DNA of HPV was found in 68.75% of the fresh tissue samples; in 50% of plasma, and in 62.5% of saliva samples in the group of patients with leukoplakia; in comparison with 45.8%, 54%, and 45.8%, in the fresh tissue, plasma and saliva samples, respectively, in the control group. ConclusionBased on the present study, there was no difference in the rate of HPV detection in patients with or without oral leukoplakia. However all sources tested in this study were considered suitable for HPV detection, especially plasma samples, which showed be an important non-invasive source of HPV detection in leukoplakia patients.

In MDS Targeted Deep Sequencing of CD34+ Blood Cells but Not Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Give Results Which Are Representative for Bone Marrow

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal stem cell diseases of the bone marrow (BM) characterized by a dysfunction of hematopoiesis commonly resulting in cytopenias, dysplasia and an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development. In up to 90% of MDS cases acquired somatic mutations can be identified. Additionally, these aberrations constitute important markers for diagnosis and risk stratification. Currently, the use of BM aspirates is the gold standard for cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis. However, frequent analyses of peripheral blood (PB) samples are of special interest for monitoring the natural course and therapy response in MDS since this might not be feasible with BM specimens due to ethical and other reasons. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the high sensitivity of targeted deep sequencing (TDS) allows reliable detection of somatic variants also from PB samples and whether the molecular profiles are comparable between these different sources of material. Additionally robustness, feasibility and comparability of the method were verified by inter-laboratory comparisons.This study included 31 patients from two centers, in Barcelona (Spain) and Göttingen (Germany) (12x RCMD, 4x RAEB-2, 4x sAML, 4x CMML-1, 2x MDS-RA, 1x MDS-U, 1x RAEB-1, 1x RCMD-SA, 1x RARS, 1x CCUS). For all patients, genomic DNA was extracted from concurrent mononuclear or total bone marrow cells (BMC), mononuclear peripheral blood cells (PBMC) and immunomagnetically (MACS) enriched circulating CD34+ cells (CD34+). Library preparation was performed using a custom hybridization-probe based panel (Nimblegen SeqCap EZ, Roche) including 83 myeloid-related genes (Barcelona) or the TruSight Myeloid Sequencing-Panel (Illumina) including 53 target genes (Göttingen). Sequencing was performed on MiSeq instruments. Reads were analyzed using local bioinformatic pipelines. Variants were filtered according to read depth (> 100x), population frequency (< 1%), their impact on protein integrity or function and evaluated by visualization on the Integrative Genome Viewer Software. Somatic origin of the variants was confirmed by sequencing of control samples from MACS enriched circulating T-lymphocytes (CD3+).Somatic mutations were discovered in 29 of the 31 analyzed patients. Overall we identified 76 aberrations in 22 genes (12x TET2, 7x SF3B1, 7x SRSF2, 5x EZH2, 5x ASXL1, 5x U2AF1, 5x RUNX1, 4x ZRSR2, 4x TP53, 3x NRAS, 3x STAG2, 2x DNMT3A, 2x IDH1, 2x BCOR, 2x KRAS, 2x PTPN11, 1x PDGFRB, 1x IKZF1, 1x IDH2, 1x ATRX, 1x CSNK1A1, 1x ETV6). Literally all variants were found in BMC (n=74) as well as in circulating CD34+ cells (n=72) and PBMC (n=73). The discordance between the three sample types was random (5x RCMD, 2x sAML, 1x MDS-RA, 1x RARS). However, for five variants the allele frequency (VAF) values, which correlate with the clone size of the malignant cell population, were below 5% in PBMC samples. Therefore these variants were likely to be overlooked in case only PBMC would have been tested. There was no significant difference (p=0.774) between the VAF values measured in BMC (average: 40.0%) and enriched CD34+ cells (average: 41.3%). In contrast VAF values of PBMC (average: 30.1%) deviate significantly from both, BMC (p=0.007) as well as circulating CD34+ cells (p=0.027) (Figure 1).Our findings indicate that TDS enables the adequate detection of somatic mutations from BM, circulating CD34+ cells and for the most part also in PBMC preparations. However, the malignant cell population seems to be less abundant in the PBMC fraction and therefore the detection and especially the quantification of clonal somatic variations is more challenging in this sample type. In the present study we demonstrate that enrichment of circulating CD34+ cells from PB can overcome this problem and provide data that are equivalent to the results obtained from the analysis of BMC, especially for follow up or minimal residual disease analyses.We conclude that enrichment of CD34+ cells from PB constitutes an appropriate alternative for the reliable detection and quantification of somatic aberrations in MDS patients. Usage of circulating CD34+ cells in routine diagnostic next generation sequencing applications would significantly reduce invasive clinical interventions and could therefore improve diagnostics and disease monitoring.Support: PI 11/02010, PI/14/00013, RD12/0036/0044, AR 14/34, R14/03, SGR225 [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Detection of Epstein–Barr virus in different sources of materials from patients with oral lichen planus: a case–control study

AimsTo detect the presence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA in different sources of materials from a matched group of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and a group of people...

FTIR, XRD and SEM-EDS Studies of Archaeological Pottery Samples from Recently Excavated Site in Tamil Nadu, India

These studies focus on the elemental concentration and firing temperature of the ancient pottery samples collected from the recently excavated site Pilaiyarpalaiyam in Tamil Nadu, India. Clay was prepared which consisted of quartz, kaolinite, illite, chlorite, feldspars and iron oxides. The samples were subjected to analysis as in the received state. The characterization studies for the analysis of the composition of the pottery using FT-IR, XRD, SEM and EDS reveals the skill and style of the artisan lived in the ancient civilization. The firing temperature and the firing conditions adopted at the time of manufacturing of the pottery also determined. The Pilaiyarpalaiyam samples were fired in the range of 800°C. The elemental concentration through the EDS analysis gave the provenance of the pottery samples well evidence that the sample were two different origin and different sources of materials used.

Rapid Microwave Hydrothermal Methods Synthesis of TiO2 Photocatalysts Using Different Sources of Materials

Using TiCl4, Ti(SO4)2 and TBOT as different Ti precursor, titania (TiO2) photocatalysts with high specific surface area were prepared by rapid microwave hydrothermal method. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by TEM, XRD, DRS and N2 adsorption. The dependence of degradation efficiency of MB on the surface area, crystal structure and band gap of the obtained TiO2 particles were investigated. Results showed that compared with the TiO2 derived from TiCl4 and Ti(SO4)2 precursor, the TiO2 from TBOT exhibited best photocatalytic performance due to its higher surface area, capability of homogenous dispersion and its characteristic of anatanse structure.

Study of the Diffusion of Carbon, Its Sources, and Effect on Finishing Micro-EDM Performance of Cemented Carbide

Apart from the necessity of surface modification based on different applications, in most of the cases, diffusion of carbon or foreign particles on the workpiece surface during micro-electrodischarge machining (micro-EDM) is avoidable, especially in finishing micro-EDM. This study aims to investigate different sources of materials that migrate to the machined surface during fine-finishing of micro-EDM of cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co). The machined surfaces have been examined under scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray to investigate the changes in chemical composition. It has been observed that during finishing of micro-EDM, the major source of materials' transfer to both the workpiece and electrode is the diffusion of carbon that comes from the decomposition of the hydrocarbon dielectric. In addition, materials from both workpiece and electrode transfer to each other based on machining conditions and discharge energy. The migration occurs more frequently at lower gap voltages during die-sinking with micro-EDM because of low spark gap and stationary tool electrode. Milling micro-EDM results in lower amount of carbon migration and fewer surface defects that improve the overall surface finish significantly.

A Review on Hydrogen Production: Methods, Materials and Nanotechnology

In recent years hydrogen production and storage has attracted a lot of attention in both academia and industry due to its variety of applications in energy sector. Hydrogen is recognized as one of the most important components of the next generation clean energy technology. Within the whole cycle of the use of hydrogen energy, hydrogen production is considered as the key element of the upcoming hydrogen economy. Since the first production method invented for hydrogen on a smaller scale by dissolving iron in the acid vitriol in the 15th century, many improvements have been made to make the production viable and more cost effective. It is known that "nano" is playing its role in many technologies from medicine to material science and it has its say even in the production of hydrogen energy with continuous improvements in materials and methodologies. In this review we attempt to list various methods of producing hydrogen from different sources of materials followed by the description of most recent developments in the materials prospective. We explain the role of nanotechnology in making the hydrogen production technology a viable and cost effective process. The chemical reaction cycle, mechanism and configurations of various methods of hydrogen production are elaborated.

Structure, formation and geochronology of the late Pleistocene and Holocene cover deposits in South-Eastern Lithuania

The available data of earlier investigations ( Basalykas, 1965; Basalykas et al., 1976a,b; Kudaba, 1983) show that deposits of various origin and age are widespread in Ašmena Upland and Lyda Plateau (South-Eastern Lithuania). They overlie a polygenetic dislodged marginal formations of the penultimate Medininkai (Warthe) glaciation. Pleistocene deposits in this area are often deformed by solifluction and fluvial erosion and penetrated by cryogenic ice-wedge pseudomorphs. Granulometric, geochemical and petrographic investigations of the deposits have demonstrated that they are characterized by different sources of sedimentary material supply as well as different degrees of physical and chemical weathering. The alternate deposits preserved in the study area imply palaeoenvironmental changes associated with the different palaeoclimatic events. The Ca/Zr ratios in cover deposits testify that the upper beds usually experienced stronger chemical weathering that is associated with warmer climate. The cases of weaker weathering can be explained by different sources of material, i.e. deposit origin, which can be indicated by Zr/Ti ratio. According to the scarce geochronological data available at least 4 clusters of IR-OSL dates can be distinguished in the late Pleistocene environmental history of Ašmena Upland and Lyda Plateau: about 100 ka (marine isotope stage (MIS) 5c, Merkinė interglacial), 89–71 ka (MIS 5a, Merkinė interglacial), about 40 ka (MIS 3, Rokai interstadial) and 21–12 ka (late Nemunas). One cluster of IR-OSL dates (9.7–5.3 ka) is obtained in the first half of Holocene.

Fine Aggregate Angularity from Geotechnical Perspective

ABSTRACT Particle angularity is an important aspect in the performance of asphalt concrete pavements. When rounded materials are used, the shear strength is reduced resulting in rutting and shoving of the asphalt concrete mixtures. Currently, the Superpave design method stipulates that the fine aggregate angularity (FAA) via AASHTO T304 be used as a test specification for fine aggregate. The objectives of this paper are to examine a number of methods for characterizing fine aggregate characteristics of aggregates commonly used in asphalt concrete pavements. Five different sands comprising of five different gradations utilizing a partial factorial experiment. The 19 different gradation and aggregate source combinations are tested using the Fine Aggregate Angularity Test Method C as outlined by AASHTO T304 (2003) and ASTM C1252 (2003), the direct shear test, compacted aggregate resistance (CAR) test, modified light Clegg Hammer, and an aggregate imaging system device. Statistical analysis of the test results are conducted to evaluate if the various tests can discriminate between the five different sources of materials and five different gradations. This paper will discuss particle angularity from a geotechnical point of view and it will hopefully answer the question: Do these tests really measure fine aggregate angularity and which test or tests should be used to measure the angularity of sands for use in asphalt concrete mixtures? The experimental testing results show that the CAR test and AIMS properties (i.e. gradient angularity, radius angularity, and 2D Form) are able to distinguish between different gradations and aggregate type (manufactured versus natural sands). The direct shear test and modified light Clegg Hammer test were able to distinguish between natural versus manufactured sands, however they were not able to distinguish among the variations in gradation. Therefore the CAR test and/or AIMS device are suitable candidate tests for determining the angularity of fine aggregates. These methods of characterizing fine aggregate, however, should be compared to the performance of asphalt concrete mixtures through laboratory and field performance.

Strontium, lead and zinc isotopes in marine cores as tracers of sedimentary provenance: A case study around Taiwan orogen

The active collision zone around Taiwan orogen receives a variety of sedimentary inputs, including terrigenous flux from Taiwan and Chinese rivers, oceanic currents and atmospheric dust. In order to determine the present-day respective contributions of these different sources, we analysed the Pb and Sr isotopic compositions of late Quaternary sediments accumulated offshore east Taiwan. Samples from the Taiwan Coastal Range (andesites, sandstones, conglomerate and Peinan River terraces and suspended loads) have also been analysed to constrain the mean Taiwan isotopic signature. Mixing lines between the different sources of material indicate that the core located in the Okinawa Trough represents a mixture of about 60% of Taiwan, 30% of Chinese Loess and 10% of Yangtze River contributions. The southernmost core, located close to Luzon Arc, is influenced by Taiwan (60%) and volcanic material (40%). The Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of samples cored in the Manila Trench and in the Huatung Basin are strongly influenced by the Taiwan signature, while the Ryukyu Trench core samples point to significant but variable contributions of Chinese Loess and Yangtze River. This work also reports Zn isotopic variations in the silicate fraction of these marine core samples. The overall variation in Zn isotopic compositions (expressed as δ 66Zn) is greater than 0.3 per mil (‰) for an analytical precision of ± 0.05‰. The Zn isotopic signal for most of the marine core samples is similar to the literature data measured on sedimentary material, except for the Manila Trench core samples and the older sample from the Huatung Basin: they present values heavier by 0.2–0.3‰, close to those obtained on all Taiwan rocks and Peinan River particulates. These results show: 1– the particular characteristics of Taiwan Zn isotopic compositions on a large scale; and: 2– the possible use of Zn isotopes as a tracer of material sources.

A comparison of dispersing media for various engineered carbon nanoparticles

BackgroundWith the increased manufacture and use of carbon nanoparticles (CNP) there has been increasing concern about the potential toxicity of fugitive CNP in the workplace and ambient environment. To address this matter a number of investigators have conducted in vitro and in vivo toxicity assessments. However, a variety of different approaches for suspension of these particles (culture media, Tween 80, dimethyl sulfoxide, phosphate-buffered saline, fetal calf serum, and others), and different sources of materials have generated potentially conflicting outcomes. The quality of the dispersion of nanoparticles is very dependent on the medium used to suspend them, and this then will most likely affect the biological outcomes.ResultsIn this work, the distributions of different CNP (sources and types) have been characterized in various media. Furthermore, the outcome of instilling the different agglomerates, or size distributions, was examined in mouse lungs after one and seven days. Our results demonstrated that CNP suspended in serum produced particle suspensions with the fewest large agglomerates, and the most uniform distribution in mouse lungs. In addition, no apparent clearance of instilled CNP took place from lungs even after seven days.ConclusionThis work demonstrates that CNP agglomerates are present in all dispersing vehicles to some degree. The vehicle that contains some protein, lipid or protein/lipid component disperses the CNP best, producing fewer large CNP agglomerates. In contrast, vehicles absent of lipid and protein produce the largest CNP agglomerates. The source of the CNP is also a factor in the degree of particle agglomeration within the same vehicle.

Sedimentary particle distribution and dynamics on the Nazaré canyon system and adjacent shelf (Portugal)

In the framework of the EUROSTRATAFORM project 108 bottom sediment samples (1st cm) from the Nazaré continental shelf have been analysed for grain-size, mineralogy (X-ray diffraction) organic carbon and carbonate contents. The particulate matter (PM) from intermediate (INL) and bottom nepheloid layers (BNL) was also analysed in 84 stations for grain-size and composition. The particle analysis was related to the present day sedimentary processes directly promoted (or intensified) by the presence of the Nazaré submarine canyon. The Nazaré canyon intersects the entire continental shelf and may act as a catchment area for material which is transported over the shelf, but its complex dynamics will extend to sediment distribution on the adjacent shelf. Major areas of erosion and resuspension and calmer areas where fine muddy sediments can settle on a temporary or permanent timescale were identified by their mineralogical and organic carbon (C org) distribution pattern. According to this data the Victoria tributary and the Nazaré canyon head (280–300 m) seem to act as permanent depocenters. A conceptual model was proposed to delineate the mechanisms acting in this particular area, taking into account three different sources of material to the Nazaré canyon: 1. during upwelling conditions, resuspension of middle shelf deposits by internal wave activity and transport to the canyon in the BNL; 2.erosion of northern/southern beach and sea cliff materials transported by littoral drift to the canyon head and 3. fine sediment input from the southern river and transport to the canyon, during downwelling conditions (winter).

In-line Measurement of a Drug Substance via Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Ensure a Robust Crystallization Process

The crystallization of Etoricoxib, a polymorphic compound, has been optimized and controlled by seeding with the desired polymorph at a moderate supersaturation condition. To enhance the process robustness, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been evaluated as an inline measurement method for the concentration of Etoricoxib prior to seeding in the crystallization process. In this NIRS method, a spectral discriminant analysis based on principal component analysis (PCA) was established to detect the presence of solids produced by premature crystallization, or bubbles in the path of light. Once a spectrum was qualified as that of clear solution, concentration of Etoricoxib was calculated by a NIRS calibration model built with partial least squares (PLS) regression and with offline HPLC analysis as the reference method. This model was accurate with a standard error of cross validation (SECV) less than 1.2 mg/g Etoricoxib and a standard error of prediction (SEP) less than 1.7 mg/g over the concentration range from 50 to 170 mg/g, temperature range from 49 to 65°C, and different sources of materials. In addition, all aspects of the offline HPLC method, especially the sampling procedure, were optimized to provide an accurate reference for NIRS calibration models. The application of this method at a pilot plant has demonstrated its capability of accurately measuring the process concentration of Etoricoxib as well as detecting the presence of solids produced by premature crystallization before seeding.

Effect of UV dosage on somatic hybridization between common wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and Avena sativa L.

Protoplasts of Avena sativa L. (A) irradiated with ultraviolet light (UV) at an intensity of 300 μW/cm 2 for 0 (symmetric fusion), 30 s, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 5 min, respectively were fused by the PEG method with protoplasts of two cultivars of wheat (cv. Jinan 177 or cv. Hesheng 3). Two different sources of material were used for isolation of protoplasts of Jinan 177. Type one (T 1) originated from long-term subcultured suspensions which could not be regenerated to plants, while the other (T 2) derived from embryogenic calli was capable of regeneration. Protoplasts of cv. Hesheng 3 (T 3) also originated from embryogenic calli possessing high regeneration capacity. Regenerated clones were produced in all fusion combinations, but only those from combinations I B and I C (irradiating A. sativa for 1 and 2 min) differentiated to albinos. The clones were recognized as somatic hybrids in nature by cytological, isozyme, RAPD and 5S rDNA spacer sequence analysis. Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) of somatic hybrid clones at mitosis always revealed the presence of recombined and intact A. sativa chromosomes in the cells. The number of intact chromosomes of donor A. sativa decreased, while the chromosome fragments translocated or inserted to wheat chromosome increased as the dosage of UV enhanced.

Genetic diversity inChaenomeles (Rosaceae) revealed by RAPD analysis

Genetic relatedness inChaenomeles was studied by RAPD analysis in 42 plants representing accessions of three wild species and one hybrid taxon. Amplification with 17 primers yielded a total of 156 polymorphic RAPD bands. Estimates of genetic relatedness suggest thatC. cathayensis andC. japonica are the most distantly related species, and that the former is comparatively homogeneous.Chaenomeles speciosa, which may have arisen through hybridization betweenC. cathayensis andC. japonica, takes an intermediate position between these two species. Analysis of diagnostic bands demonstrate that neitherC. speciosa norC. ×superba has any bands that do not occur in at least one ofC. cathayensis orC. japonica. Moreover,C. speciosa and the partly overlapping taxonC. ×superba are comparatively heterogeneous, which is also in accordance with a hybrid origin. Intraspecific variation was studied mainly inC. japonica; plants obtained from different sources of material formed well separated groups in the cluster analysis.