Column Systems (column + system)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Nociceptive spinothalamic tract and postsynaptic dorsal column neurons are modulated by paraventricular hypothalamic activation

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2008
Gerardo Rojas-Piloni
Abstract Previously, we demonstrated that stimulation of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus diminishes the nociceptive dorsal horn neuronal responses, and this decrease was mediated by oxytocin in the rat. In addition, we have proposed that oxytocin indirectly inhibits sensory transmission in dorsal horn neurons by exciting spinal inhibitory GABAergic interneurons. The main purpose of the present study was to identify which of the neurons projecting to supraspinal structures to transmit somatic information are modulated by the hypothalamic-spinal descending activation. In anaesthetized rats, single-unit extracellular and juxtacellular recordings were made from dorsal horn lumbar segments, which receive afferent input from the toe and hind-paw regions. The projecting spinothalamic tract and postsynaptic dorsal column system were identified antidromically. Additionally, in order to label the projecting dorsal horn neurons, we injected fluorescent retrograde neuronal tracers into the ipsilateral gracilis nucleus and contralateral ventroposterolateral thalamic nucleus. Hence, juxtacellular recordings were made to iontophoretically label the recorded neurons with a fluorescent dye and identify the recorded projecting cells. We found that only nociceptive evoked responses in spinothalamic tract and postsynaptic dorsal column neurons were significantly inhibited (48.1 ± 4.6 and 47.7 ± 8.2%, respectively) and non-nociceptive responses were not affected by paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus stimulation. We conclude that the hypothalamic-spinal system selectively affects the transmission of nociceptive information of projecting spinal cord cells. [source]


Increased productivity in quantitative bioanalysis using a monolithic column coupled with high-flow direct-injection liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 11 2006
Mike-Qingtao Huang
The feasibility of using a monolithic column as the analytical column in conjunction with high-flow direct-injection liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to increase productivity for quantitative bioanalysis has been investigated using plasma samples containing a drug and its epimer metabolite. Since the chosen drug and its epimer metabolite have the same selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions, chromatographic baseline separation of these two compounds was required. The results obtained from this monolithic column system were directly compared with the results obtained from a previously validated assay using a conventional C18 column as the analytical column. Both systems have the same sample preparation, mobile phases and MS conditions. The eluting flow rate for the monolithic column system was 3.2,mL/min (with 4:1 splitting) and for the C18 column system was 1.2,mL/min (with 3:1 splitting). The monolithic column system had a run time of 5,min and the conventional C18 column system had a run time of 10,min. The methods on the two systems were found to be equivalent in terms of accuracy, precision, sensitivity and chromatographic separation. Without sacrificing the chromatographic separation, sensitivity, accuracy and precision of the method, the reduced run time of the monolithic column method increased the sample throughput by a factor of two. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Comparison of biodegradation kinetic parameters for naphthalene in batch and sand column systems by pseudomonas putida

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 2 2001
Jeong-Hun Park
Kinetic parameters for the degradation of naphthalene by Pseudomonas putida ( ATCC 17484) were estimated in both batch and column assays, in order to evaluate the role of flow and cell attachment on biodegradation rates. Suspended cells and cells attached to Ottawa sand were used under a variety of biomass levels, column flow-rates, and substrate concentrations. In batch systems, degradation followed zero order kinetics across the entire concentration range, while the columns exhibited decreased rates at concentrations less than 100 (,g/L), describable by Michaelis-Menten kinetics. This is reflected in elevated values of the half-saturation constant, Ks, in columns. We offer the explanation that this may have resulted from reactive heterogeneity within the porous media, imposing a distribution of length-scales for transfer of substrate to the cell surfaces. Well-mixed batch systems are expected to have both shorter and more uniform transfer distances. When kinetic parameters obtained in batch system are used for prediction of degradation in columns, at least two factors,exposed reduction of exposed cell surface are a and heterogeneity of cell distribution,will likely reduce overall column degradation rates. [source]


Pyrazole functionalized organo-ceramic hybrids for noble metal separations

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 10 2005
Jun S. Lee
Abstract A series of pyrazole-functional adsorbents is synthesized by sol,gel processing technology and used to study the extraction characteristics for palladium, platinum, and gold chlorides from leaching solutions. An organosilicon compound, N-(trimethoxysilylpropyl)-pyrazole, is synthesized as the functional precursor for these adsorbents. Hydrothermal treatments for the gelled materials alter pore characteristics without chemical property changes. To study adsorptive extraction of Pd(II), Pt(IV), and Au(III) chlorides, the hydrothermally treated adsorbent is used. The experimental results show that this adsorbent has high Pd(II) uptake capacity (1.41 mmol/g), strong selectivity for Pd(II) chloride over Pt(IV) and Au(III) chlorides, and no reactivity for Cu(II) and Fe(II) in 2.0 M HCl solutions. The material also has sustainable stability over repeated metal loading and stripping in a short column. In addition to the experimental studies, the adsorption processes in batch and packed column systems are successfully modeled by using a pore diffusion model and presented. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005 [source]


A Genetic Algorithm Based Approach to Coalescence Parameters: Estimation in Liquid-Liquid Extraction Columns

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 12 2006
A. Hasseine
Abstract The population balance model is a useful tool for the design and prediction of a range of processes that involve dispersed phases and particulates. The inverse problem method for the droplet population balance model is applied to estimate coalescences parameters for two-phase liquid-liquid systems. This is undertaken for two systems, namely toluene/water and n-butyl acetate/water in a rotating disc contactor (RDC), using a droplet population balance model. In the literature, the estimation procedure applied to this problem is often based on the deterministic optimization approach. These methods generate instabilities near a local minimum, inevitably requiring information about the derivatives at each iteration. To overcome these limitations, a method providing an estimate for the coalescences parameters is proposed. It is based on a simple and adapted structure of the genetic algorithm, for this particular problem. The agreement between the experimental observations and the simulations is encouraging and, in particular, the models used have proven to be suitable for the prediction of hold-up and Sauter diameter profiles for these systems. Finally, these results demonstrate that the optimization procedure proposed is very convenient for estimating the coalescences parameters for extraction column systems. [source]