Triple Gas Research Articles

Effect of Fermentation Duration on the Chemical Compounds of Coffea arabica from Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography–Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Analysis During the Washed Processing

Effect of Fermentation Duration on the Chemical Compounds of Coffea arabica from Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography–Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Analysis During the Washed Processing

Secondary scintillation yield from GEM electron avalanches in - and --isobutane for CYGNO — Directional Dark Matter search with an optical TPC

CYGNO is an international collaboration with the aim of operating a ▪ optical time projection chamber (TPC) for directional Dark Matter (DM) searches and solar neutrino spectroscopy, to be deployed at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). A ▪/▪ (60/40) mixture is used, along with a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) cascade to amplify the ionisation signal. The scintillation produced in the electron avalanches is read out using a scientific complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (sCMOS) camera. This solution has proven to provide very high sensitivity to interactions in the few ▪ energy range. The inclusion of a hydrogen-based gas will offer an even lighter target, resulting in a more efficient energy transfer in a DM particle collision, and consequently, a lower detection threshold. Additionally, longer track lengths of light nuclear recoils are easier to detect with a clearer direction. However, the addition of such gas will contribute to quenching the scintillation, jeopardizing the TPC performance. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of adding 1% to 5% isobutane to the ▪/▪ (60/40) mixture by measuring the respective absolute scintillation yield output. The overall scintillation produced in the charge avalanches is not drastically suppressed by quenching due to the isobutane addition. The presence of Penning transfer from excited He atoms to isobutane molecules increases the number of electrons in the avalanches, partially compensating for the loss of scintillation due to quenching. For the highest applied GEM voltage, the total number of photons produced in the avalanche per ▪ deposited in the absorption region presents a decrease of only a factor of about three, from 2.30(20)×104 to 8.2(4)×103▪, as the isobutane content increases from 0 to 5%. The quantification of the visible component of the scintillation shows that isobutane quenches both visible and ultraviolet (UV) photons emitted by ▪/▪.

Features of the fatty acid profile of erythrocyte membranes in patients with fatty liver disease of alcoholic genesis

Introduction. Alcoholic steatosis, which is a reversible condition, is currently considered a significant risk factor for the progression of diffuse liver pathology, therefore understanding of its mechanisms at the molecular level is essential.Aim. To study the features of the fatty acid profile of erythrocyte membranes in patients with fatty liver disease of alcoholic origin for possible use of fatty acids (FAs) as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.Materials and methods. A total of 31 men with alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) (average age of 45.1 ± 17.1 years) and 28 men of comparable age without AFLD and symptomatic pathology of internal organs were examined. The FA composition and levels of erythrocyte membranes (ER) were studied using Agilent 7000B (USA) triple quadrupole gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.Results and discussion. A higher level of a range of saturated FAs (lauric, margaric, pentadecane), monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs), which are additional factors for the progression of AFLD (palmitoleic, total monounsaturated acids), n-6/n-3 polyun-saturated FAs ratio (PUFAs), alpha-linolenic FA was detected in patients with AFL vs the control group (p = 0.00002–0.05). In contrast, the levels of arachidic and docosahexaenoic acids, total eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic n-3 PUFAs, and total n-3 PUFAs were lower in patients with AFLD than in healthy men (p = 0.003–0.01), which is associated with increased ethanol induced adipose tissue lipolysis via PDE3B-AMPK axis. The use of FAs panel (C16:1;9, sum MUFA, n-6/n-3 PUFA, C22:6n3, C20:0) to distinguish patients with AFLD from healthy ones ensured high levels of sensitivity (79%), and specificity (81%) (AUC 0.808). Multidirectional associations of FA levels in erythrocyte membranes with each other and liver tests and lipid profile results were revealed.Conclusion. Thus, the features of erythrocytes membrane FAs in patients with AFLD and the potential to use them as biomarkers for differentiation of people with AFLD from healthy individuals have been identified.

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Phthalates in Human Placenta by Mixed Hexane/Ether Extraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

In this study, we evaluated the extraction effect of three different extractants, namely hexane + ether (v/v = 3:1), acetonitrile and ethyl acetate, on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in placenta detected and analysed by triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed that n-hexane + ether (v/v = 3:1) had the highest extraction efficiency. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection (LOD) for the 10 PAHs were 0.003-0.0167 μg/L with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 1.4-5.48% and detection rates of 68.19-107.05%, and the correlation coefficients were (R2, 0.9982-0.9999). The LODs for the nine PAEs were 0.0015-3.5714 μg/L and the correlation coefficients were (R2, 0.9982-0.9999). The limits of detection (S/N = 3) for the nine PAHs were 0.0015-0.5714 μg/L with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 3.15-8.37%, and the detection rates were 80.45-112.59% with correlations of (R2, 0.9972-0.9998). The method was applied to the analysis of PAHs and phthalates in placenta samples from pregnant women. The method's accuracy and applicability were demonstrated. In comparison with other methods for the detection of PAEs and PAHs, the method proposed in this paper has a wider linear range, lower minimum detection limit and comparable recovery with good correlation. This paper is dedicated to providing another method for improving the performance of extracting solid tissues.

Analytical factors for eight short-chain fatty acid analyses in mouse feces through headspace solid-phase microextraction-triple quadrupole gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

This study developed a method for quantifying eight short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in mouse fecal samples using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with triple quadrupole gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, significant factors affecting SCFA analysis, including SPME fiber selection, pH, salting-out agent, and sample collection time, were investigated. Contrary to previous studies, we found that the CAR/PDMS fiber had the highest extraction efficiency for all SCFAs. The optimal extraction efficiency was observed at pH 2.0, particularly for low-molecular-weight SCFAs. NaH2PO4 showed a more effective extraction efficiency than NaCl, owing to its pH stability and less interference with the solvent matrix. Additionally, our results showed that the SCFA concentration increased over collection time. The composition ratio of the eight SCFAs was maintained for up to 24h; thus, we concluded that samples should be collected within four hours to obtain reliable results. Our findings may improve laboratory methods for SCFA extraction and mouse fecal sample analysis.

Analysis of polyhalogenated carbazoles and two related compounds in earthworms using a modified QuEChERS method with GC/MS and GC/MS/MS.

A precise analytical method based on QuEChERS has been proposed for the concurrent determination of 11 polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs), benzocarbazole (BZCZ), and 9H-carbazoles (CZ). The quantification was confirmed by gas chromatography using triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (Shimadzu GC-MS/MS-TQ8040) and gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry (Agilent 7890A-5973 GC-MS). The developed method was validated by testing the following parameters: linearity, instrument limit of detection (LOD), instrument limit of quantification (LOQ), method limit of detection (MLD), method limit of quantification (MLQ), matrix effect (ME), accuracy, and precision. All compounds showed good linearity in the range of 0.005-0.2μg/mL with correlation coefficients higher than 0.992. The method demonstrated satisfactory recoveries (ranging from 71.21 to 105.04%) for most of the compounds with relative standard deviation precision (RSD) < 10.46%, except 3-BCZ (Recovery = 67.53%, RSD = 2.83%). The values of LOD and LOQ varied from 0.05 to 0.24ng and 0.14 to 0.92ng, respectively, while those of MLD and MLQ ranged from 0.02 to 0.12ng/g wet weight (ww) and 0.07 to 0.45ng/g ww, respectively. The developed method represents a reliable tool for the routine analysis of PHCZ congeners in invertebrate animals.

A Study of the Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Michelia macclurei Dandy Heartwood: New Sources of Natural Antioxidants, Enzyme Inhibitors and Bacterial Inhibitors.

The wood of Michelia macclurei Dandy (MD) is an excellent material that is widely used in the furniture, handicraft, and construction industries. However, less research has been conducted on the chemical composition and biological activity of heartwood, which is the main valuable part of the wood. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and biological activities of the heartwood of Michelia macclurei Dandy (MDHW) and to confirm the active ingredients. Triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to characterize the volatile components of MDHW, while ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze the non-volatile components (UPLC-MS). The total reducing power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays, acetylcholinesterase and α-glucosidase inhibition assays, and an antimicrobial test of 4 gram bacteria were used to describe the in vitro bioactivities. The GC-MS analysis showed that the volatile components of MDHW were mainly fatty compounds and terpenoids, with sesquiterpenes and their derivatives dominating the terpene composition. β-elemene was the main terpene component in the steam distillation (11.88%) and ultrasonic extraction (8.2%) methods. A total of 67 compounds, comprising 45 alkaloids, 9 flavonoids, 6 lignans, and others, were found by UPLC-MS analysis. The primary structural kinds of the non-volatile components were 35 isoquinoline alkaloids. Alkaloids were the predominant active constituent in all MDHW extracts, including crude extracts, alkaloid fractions, and non-alkaloid fractions. These extracts all demonstrate some biological effects in terms of antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and bacterial inhibition. The findings of this study show that MDHW is abundant in chemical structure types, has great bioactivity assessment, and has the potential to be used to create natural antioxidants, products that postpone Alzheimer's disease and lower blood sugar levels and antibacterial agents.

Track-based alignment for the BESIII CGEM detector in the cosmic-ray test

The Beijing Electron Spectrometer III (BESIII) is a multipurpose detector operating on the Beijing Electron Positron Collider II (BEPCII). After more than ten years operation, the efficiency of the inner layers of the Main Drift Chamber (MDC) decreased significantly. To solve this issue, the BESIII collaboration is planning to replace the inner part of the MDC with three layers of Cylindrical triple Gas Electron Multipliers (CGEM).The transverse plane spatial resolution of CGEM is required to be 120μm or better. To meet this goal, a careful calibration of the detector is necessary to fully exploit the potential of the CGEM detector. In all the calibrations, the detector alignment plays an important role to improve the detector precision. The track-based alignment for the CGEM detector with the Millepede algorithm is implemented to reduce the uncertainties of the hit position measurement. Using the cosmic-ray data taken in 2020 with the two layers setup, the displacement and rotation of the outer layer with respect to the inner layer is determined by a simultaneous fit applied to more than 160000 tracks. A good alignment precision has been achieved that guarantees the design request could be satisfied in the future. A further alignment is going to be performed using the combined information of tracks from cosmic-ray and collisions after the CGEM is installed into the BESIII detector.

Characterization and Commissioning of a Triple-GEM Detector

We present in detail the characterization and commissioning of a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (triple-GEM)detector. The response to various sources of radiation was studied, and its efficiency, gain, energy resolution,and temporal resolution were calculated. We found an energy resolution of 19.5%, a temporal resolution of40 ns., and a maximum gain of 5×106. We conclude that the detector can be confidently used in furtherstudies of medical dosimetry, since it is working in the proportional mode.

A series of homeopathic remedies-related severe drug-induced liver injury from South India.

Homeopathic remedies are highly diluted formulations without proven clinical benefits, traditionally believed not to cause adverse events. Nonetheless, published literature reveals severe local and non-liver-related systemic side effects. We present the first series on homeopathy-related severe drug-induced liver injury (DILI) from a single center. A retrospective review of records from January 2019 to February 2022 identified 9 patients with liver injury attributed to homeopathic formulations. Competing causes were comprehensively excluded. Chemical analysis was performed on retrieved formulations using triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Males predominated with a median age of 54 years. The most typical clinical presentation was acute hepatitis, followed by acute on chronic liver failure. All patients developed jaundice, and ascites were notable in one-third of the patients. Five patients had underlying chronic liver disease. COVID-19 prevention was the most common indication for homeopathic use. Probable DILI was seen in 77.8%, and hepatocellular injury predominated (66.7%). Four (44.4%) patients died (3 with chronic liver disease) at a median follow-up of 194 days. Liver histopathology showed necrosis, portal and lobular neutrophilic inflammation, and eosinophilic infiltration with cholestasis. A total of 29 remedies were consumed between 9 patients, and 15 formulations were analyzed. Toxicology revealed industrial solvents, corticosteroids, antibiotics, sedatives, synthetic opioids, heavy metals, and toxic phyto-compounds, even in 'supposed' ultra-dilute formulations. Homeopathic remedies potentially result in severe liver injury, leading to death in those with underlying liver disease. The use of mother tinctures, insufficient dilution, poor manufacturing practices, adulteration and contamination, and the presence of direct hepatotoxic herbals were the reasons for toxicity. Physicians, the public, and patients must realize that Homeopathic drugs are not 'gentle placebos.'

Electronics for the far-forward CMS muon detector upgrade, ME0

With the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) we expect increased instantaneous luminosities up to 7.5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1, or five times more than the original values. In order to maintain performance of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment under these conditions, ME0 is one of three new muon sub-detectors being added, along with GE1/1 and GE2/1, which use the triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology. ME0 is designed to cover the forward region of 2.0 < |η| < 2.8, thus improving muon reconstruction at high background rates by supplementing other overlapping muon subsystems up to |η| = 2.4, while also extending the acceptance for the first time to |η| = 2.8. The readout electronics for ME0 must be designed to accommodate high data rates and be sufficiently radiation hard to operate close to the beamline. The Optohybrid (OH) board for ME0, which reads out data from the front-end VFAT3b ASICs, has therefore been designed to operate without an FPGA (unlike GE1/1 and GE2/1) to ensure radiation hardness. The ME0 OH uses the radiation-hard CERN-designed lpGBT ASIC and VTRx+ optical transceiver module for high bandwidth optical links up to 10.24 Gb/s. The backend system is based on the ATCA standard. The design and development status of the readout electronics for ME0 is presented, along with recent results from integration tests performed using the first prototypes.

Development of readout electronics for the CMS ME0 muon detector

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the High Luminosity (HL-LHC) era will be upgraded to deliver instantaneous luminosities up to 5 × 1 0 34 cm − 2 s − 1 , five times more than the original design value. In order to maintain performance of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Experiment under these conditions, ME0 is one of the new muon detectors to be added, along with GE1/1, GE2/1, RE3/1 and RE4/1. ME0 uses the triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology and is designed to cover the far-forward region of 2 . 0 < | η | < 2 . 8 . The readout electronics for ME0 must be designed to deal with high data rates and be sufficiently radiation hard to operate very close to the beamline. The design and development status of the readout electronics for ME0 are presented, along with recent results from integration tests performed using the latest electronics prototypes with GEM chambers.

Radiation dosimetry with a Triple-GEM detector

We studied the properties of the gaseous detector triple-GEM (triple Gas Electron Multiplier) as a dosimeter with different ionizing radiation sources used in medical applications. The detector was calibrated in energy with an Iron-55 radioactive source. We measured doses of radiation from different radioactive sources as well as from a medical portable X-ray machine, and compared them to reference values. The detector presents a linear dependence between radiation intensity and measured dose. A calibration factor of 1.13x104 was found, independently of the radiation source. These results allow us to conclude that the triple-GEM detector has the potential to be used as a dosimeter in medical applications.

A triple cascade gas turbine waste heat recovery system based on supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle: Thermal analysis and optimization

• A new triple cascade gas turbine waste heat recovery system based on supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycle. • Evaluated the performance of an integrated system combining a gas turbine and a triple cascade cycle. • Analyze and optimize the system's thermodynamic and economic performance. A new triple cascade waste heat recovery system coupled with a supercritical CO 2 power cycle and transcritical CO 2 regenerative cycle is proposed for the high temperature exhaust waste heat generated during the operation of gas turbine, and thermodynamic and economic models are established to analyze the performance of the system, with the following performance indicators: the net output power is 5.67MW, the thermal efficiency is 24.94%, the exergy efficiency is 46.08%, the total investment cost rate is 126.06$/h, and the per unit energy cost is 6.31$/GJ. The thermal performance of the integrated system consisting of the gas turbine unit and the proposed triple cascade waste heat recovery system is evaluated, and the results show that the integrated system effectively utilizes the waste heat compared with the gas turbine unit alone, while the net output power of the integrated system is 22.17 MW and the thermal efficiency is 47.7%. Each component's exergy and cost analysis is performed. The heat exchanger accounts for a large percentage of the exergy destruction, and the investment cost rate of the turbine, compressor and other work-making components is high, indicating the direction of system optimization. The sensitivity analysis of the system's key parameters was carried out through the control variables method to reveal the influence of individual setting parameters on the system performance. Based on the research range of the set parameters, the system is optimized with multiple objectives, and the net output power, exergy efficiency and per unit energy cost are selected as the objective functions. The optimization results show that the combination of exergy efficiency and per unit energy cost resulted in better economic performance, with exergy efficiency of 50.37% and per unit energy cost of 4.66$/GJ. Comparing the system with the other two configurations proves the superiority of the proposed system.

Effect of relative humidity on the long-term operation of a single mask triple GEM chamber

The characteristic studies of a Single Mask (SM) triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector are carried out using Ar/CO2 gas mixture in 70/30 volume ratio in continuous flow mode. A 55Fe X-ray source is used for this work. The gain and energy resolution are studied from the 5.9 keV X-ray energy spectra. After correcting the effects of ambient temperature and pressure variation, the effect of ambient relative humidity on the gain and energy resolution of the chamber is investigated. The details of the experimental setup, measurement methods and results are presented in this article.

Double-hit separation and dE/dx resolution of a time projection chamber with GEM readout

A time projection chamber (TPC) with micropattern gaseous detector (MPGD) readout is investigated as main tracking device of the International Large Detector (ILD) concept at the planned International Linear Collider (ILC). A prototype TPC equipped with a triple gas electron multiplier (GEM) readout has been built and operated in an electron test beam. The TPC was placed in a 1 T solenoidal field at the DESY II Test Beam Facility, which provides an electron beam up to 6 GeV/c. The performance of the readout modules, in particular the spatial point resolution, is determined and compared to earlier tests. New studies are presented with first results on the separation of close-by tracks and the capability of the system to measure the specific energy loss dE/dx. This is complemented by a simulation study on the optimization of the readout granularity to improve particle identification by dE/dx.

A Large Area GEMPix detector for treatment plan verification in hadron therapy

Quality Assurance in hadron therapy is crucial to ensure a safe and accurate dose delivery to the patients. This requires fast and reliable detectors with high spatial resolution. A first LaGEMPix prototype that combines a triple Gas Electron Multiplier and a highly pixelated readout based on a matrix of organic photodiodes coated on an oxide thin film transistor backplane has been built. The first version of the LaGEMPix has proven to have a limited spatial resolution, mainly attributed to the isotropic emission of the scintillation photons within the GEM holes. To improve the spatial resolution and confirm our predictions of the role of the photons, we built a new version of the detector with a reduced gap between the last GEM foil and the readout. Experimental results acquired using different methods and experimental set-ups show that the spatial resolution significantly improved with the new design.

Residue levels and risk assessment of pesticides in litchi and longan of China

A total of 57 pesticide residues were analyzed in 155 litchis and 153 longan samples collected from the three main producing provinces of China. They were studied by the QuEChERS extraction method based on analysis using ultra performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) and gas chromatography (GC) techniques. Health risks from litchis and longans for humans were evaluated by hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI). Sixteen different pesticides were detected in litchi samples. In longan samples, 19 different pesticides were detected. A total of 72% litchi samples and 52% longan samples contained at least one pesticide residue. Carbendazim, chlorbenzuron and diflubenzuron were found in 25.2%, 28.4%, and 34.8% of the litchi samples, respectively, and 21.6%, 11.8%, and 21.6% of the longan samples, respectively. The banned pesticides carbofuran and omethoate were detected in two litchi samples and one longan sample, respectively. Residue concentrations did not exceed the maximum residue levels (MRLs) in all litchi and longan samples except for carbofuran. Dietary risk assessment results showed that the chronic and acute dietary risks (HQc and HQa) of individual pesticides and the cumulative chronic dietary risks (HIc) of all pesticide residues for adults and children were all less than 100%. However, the cumulative acute dietary risk (HIa) of all pesticide residues from litchi samples for children was 99.85%, which was close to the unacceptable level and should be given more attention. The contributions of insecticide to HIc and HIa were 89.3% and 87.3% in litchi samples and 91.7% and 55.0% in longan samples.

Present outcome from the NUMEN R&D phase

The NUMEN experiment aims at measuring double charge exchange reaction cross sections using heavy-ion beams of unprecedented intensity on specific isotopes. In order to get data-sets with good statistical significance from challengingly low cross sections it asks for the upgrade of the pre-existing magnetic spectrometer MAGNEX at INFN-LNS, in Catania. These reactions prove to be a way of getting information on the nuclear matrix elements of the neutrino-less double beta decay, the most promising probe to establish the Majorana or Dirac nature of the neutrino, and to evaluate the effective neutrino mass. A new setup for the target system is under development and adequate detectors are under study for the tracking and the identification of heavy ions at the expected rate up to 5 Mpps and for gamma-ray measurements. The tracker is a time projection chamber with electron amplification based on a triple Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) foil, the particle identification is performed with telescopes composed of Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Thallium doped Cesium Iodide (CsI(Tl)) sensors, the gamma-ray detection is sustained with Cerium doped Lantanum Bromide (LaBr3(Ce)) scintillator detectors. Here a selection of results of the R&D phase and the integration study are presented.

Comparative study on charging-up of single, double and triple Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM)

In this paper, a detailed investigation has been carried out to understand the physics behind GEM charging-up and its effects on gain. Experiments have been performed on both double and triple GEM with the help of 55Fe X-ray source and a comparative study of these configurations along with the single GEM results observed in our previous work has been reported.The increase in gain due to polarization of GEM foil dielectric and reduction in gain due to charge accumulation on dielectric are studied for various field configurations and different radiation intensities.