Determination of sexual hormones in liquid cosmetics by polymer monolith microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography

A method was presented for the determination of testosterone, methyltestosterone and progesterone in liquid cosmetics by coupling polymer monolith microextraction (PMME) to high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. A poly (methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic capillary column was selected as the extraction medium, which showed high extraction capacity towards these compounds. To achieve optimum extraction performance, several parameters relating to PMME were investigated, including extraction flow rate and pH value, inorganic salt and organic phase concentration of the sample matrix. By simple dilution with phosphate solution and filtering, the sample solution then could be directly injected into the device for extraction. The limits of detection of testosterone, methyltestosterone and progesterone were calculated to be 2, 3, 2, 8 and 4.6 mu g/L. Good linearity was achieved in the range of 10 to 1000 mu g/L with a linear coefficient. r value above 0. 996. Excellent method reproducibility was found by intra- and inter-day precisions, yielding the relative standard deviations of < 7. 7 % and < 7. 5 %, respectively. Recovery for them in the real samples was between 83% and 119%.

Long-term toxic impact of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on the reproduction, sexual differentiation, and development of different life stages of Gobiocypris rarus and Daphnia magna

The sexual ratio of Gobiocypris rarus exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and 17 beta -estradiol from embryo to sexually mature revealed feminization and overdevelopment of connective tissue in male fish gonad in 2-30 pg/L TCDD concentration range. Daphnia magna was not sensitive to the high dose of TCDD (0.1-1000 ng/ml), but the reproduction of D. magna treated with TCDD decreased after the 8th day. 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activities in newly fertilized eggs of G. rarus exposed to TCDD dosage groups (1000-100,000 pg/L) were significantly induced and increased with TCDD concentrations at the early life stage, while no difference was found between low TCDD dosage groups (<100 pg/L), but a good relationship between the EROD activity and the TCDD concentration was observed during a long-term developmental stage. There was a pericardial edema formed in a 2-week yolk-sac at the concentration of 1000 pg/L TCDD. But in the exposure group (2 pg/L TCDD for 120 days), the cell nuclei of hepatocytes was far from the center and packed toward the cell membrane; the cristae of most mitochondria in the cell dropped and collapsed; the rough endoplasmic reticulum broke into fragments; and numerous lipid droplets formed in the cell. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

Cultivation of the brown alga Sargassum horneri: sexual reproduction and seedling production in tank culture under reduced solar irradiance in ambient temperature

As a large conspicuous intertidal brown alga, individuals of Sargassum horneri can reach a length of more than 7 m with a fresh weight of 3 kg along the coasts of the Eastern China Sea. The biomass of this alga as a vital component in coastal water ecology has been well documented. In recent years, a steady disappearance of the algal biomass along the once densely populated coastal areas of the Eastern China Sea has drawn attention in China. Efforts have been made to reconstruct the subtidal algal flora or even to grow the alga by use of long-lines. As part of the efforts to establish an efficient technique for producing seedlings of S. horneri, in this investigation a series of culture experiments were carried out in indoor raceway and rectangular tanks under reduced solar irradiance at ambient temperature in 2007-2008. The investigation demonstrated that: (1) sexual reproduction of S. horneri could be accelerated in elevated temperature and light climates, at least 3 months earlier than in the wild; (2) eggs of S. horneri had the potential to be fertilized up to 48 h, much longer than that of known related species; (3) suspension and fixed culture methods were both effective in growing the seedlings to the long-line cultivation stage; and (4) the life cycle of S. horneri in culture could be shortened to 4.5 months, thus establishing this alga as an appropriate model for investigating sexual reproduction in dieocious species of this genus.

Modeling of a compact plate-fin reformer for methanol steam reforming in fuel cell systems

The characteristics of a compact plate-fin reformer (PFR) which integrates endothermic and exothermic reactions into one unit have been investigated by experiment as well as by numerical simulation. One reforming chamber was integrated with two vaporization chambers and two combustion chambers to constitute a single unit of PFR. In the PFR, which is based on a plate-fin beat exchanger, catalytic combustion of the reforming gas is used to simulate the fuel cell anode off gas (AOG) which supplies the necessary heat for the methanol steam reforming. Temperature distributions in all chambers and composition distribution in reforming chamber have been studied, and the effect of the ratio of H2O/CH3OH on the performance of the PFR has also been investigated. A model of the PFR was derived using a three-dimensional numerical model for a cross-current flow arrangement. Theoretical predictions of the temperature distributions in the PFR were in good agreement with experimental values. In addition, the numerical model was able to accurately predict the methanol conversion and the reformate composition in reforming chamber. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Methanol steam reforming in a compact plate-fin reformer for fuel-cell systems

A compact plate-fin reformer (PFR) consisting of closely spaced plate-fins, in which endothermic and exothermic reactions take place in alternate chambers, has been studied. In the PFR, which was based on a plate-fin heat exchanger, catalytic combustion of the reforming gas, as a simulation of the fuel cell anode off gas (AOG), supplied the necessary heat for the reforming reaction. One reforming chamber, which was for hydrogen production, was integrated with two vaporization chambers and two combustion chambers to constitute a single unit of PFR. The PFR is very compact, easy to be placed and scaled up. The effect of the ratio of H2O/CH3OH on the performance of the PFR has been investigated, and temperature distributions in different chambers were studied. Besides, the stationary behavior of the PFR was also investigated. Heat transfer of the reformer was enhanced by internal plate-fins as well as by external catalytic combustion, which offer both high methanol conversion ratio and low CO concentration. In addition, the fully integrated reformer exhibited good test stability. Based on the PFR, a scale-up reformer was designed and operated continuously for 1000 h, with high methanol conversion ratio and low CO concentration. (c) 2004 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.