GOW-MAC Presented with Export Achievement Certificate

GOW-MAC^® Instrument Co. has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce for its innovation and exportation of instruments and components for use in gas analysis and gas chromatography to foreign companies. GOW-MAC officers Jeffrey B. Lawson, President, and Kenneth B. Fincke, Vice President, were presented the US Department of Commerce’s Export Achievement Certificate (EAC) at company headquarters in Bethlehem, PA, on November 10th. The award recognizes companies that have shown growth in exports, remained in good financial standing, and have benefited from the Department’s export assistance expanding their international sales into new foreign markets. Including GOW-MAC, four PA companies have received this award in fiscal year 2011.

U.S. Representative Charlie Dent (PA-15) presented the award and toured the GOW-MAC facility with:

§  Cora Landis, Program Director, International Trade Development Program, Lehigh University Small Business Development Center (http://www.lehigh.edu/~insbdc)

§  Antonio Ceballos, Director of the Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center, U.S. Commercial Service (http://export.gov/pennsylvania/philadelphia)

§  Sam Cerrato, Senior International Trade Specialist of the Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center, U.S. Commercial Service (http://export.gov/pennsylvania/philadelphia

§  Peter O’Neill, Executive Director for Trade Development, Office of International Business Development, Department of Community and Economic Development, State of Pennsylvania (www.newPA.com/trade) 

§  Frank Facchiano, Executive VP, Member Relations and Operations, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (www.lehighvalleychamber.org)  

“GOW-MAC is a manufacturer and worldwide exporter of high quality analytical instruments for those involved with the detection, analysis, production, or supply of gases within global industrial, medical and specialty gases industries,” said Jeff Lawson.  Foreign exports are driving GOW-MAC’s growth. During the last 3 years, sales of GOW-MAC gas chromatographs and gas analyzers have continued to grow at a rapid pace. The company’s global representative and distributor network is growing to meet the demand for instrument sales and service. GOW-MAC has continued to utilize Pennsylvania’s trade program and that of the US Department of Commerce to build on this momentum. “With assistance from these organizations, GOW-MAC has successfully developed new markets or increased sales to countries such as China, South Korea, India, Turkey, and Russia,” said Ken Fincke.

In addition to their headquarters in Bethlehem, PA, GOW-MAC has sales offices in Beijing, China and Hsinchu City, Taiwan.

Just Published: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis

A new issue of this journal has just been published. To see abstracts of the papers it contains (with links through to the full papers) click here:

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis
http://rss.sciencedirect.com/publication/science/5266

Selected papers from the latest issue:

Identification of Genistein and Biochanin A by THz (far-infrared) Vibrational Spectra

21 December 2011, 01:50:06

Publication year: 2011
Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Available online 20 December 2011
Yuping Yang, S. Sree Harsha, Alisha J. Shutler, Daniel R. Grischkowsky
The temperature dependent vibrational spectra of Genestein and Biochanin A, major components in Mongolian medicinesAgi, in the range of 0.5-4.5 THz (16.7-150 cm) are presented for the first time. Over the temperature range from 295 to 77 K, 12 highly resolved spectral features for the Genestein and 13 features for Biochanin A were measured by THz-TDS and display strong linewidth narrowing and frequency blue-shift with cooling. Such narrow-line THz fingerprint spectra provide a rapid, nondestructive and reliable method for the identification of these Chinese traditional medicines.

Highlights

► For the first time the THz-TDS technique has been used to measure the far-infrared spectra of the important anti-carcinogenic compounds Genistein and Biochanin A. ► Over the temperature range from 295 to 77 K, 12 highly resolved spectral features for Genestein and 13 features for Biochanin A were observed over the spectral range from 0.5 to 4.5 THz (from 16.5 to 150 cm). ► With such narrow-line THz fingerprint spectra, it now becomes possible to achieve a full understanding of these molecules and to provide a rapid, nondestructive and reliable method for identification of these Chinese traditional medicines.

Development of chromatographic methods for the determination of genotoxic impurities in cloperastine fendizoate

21 December 2011, 01:50:06

Publication year: 2011
Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Available online 19 December 2011
Antonia García, Francisco J Rupérez, Florencia Ceppa, Federica Pellati, Coral Barbas
The classification of an impurity of a drug substance as genotoxic means that the “Threshold of Toxicological Concern” (TTC) value of 1.5 μg/day intake, considered to be associated with an acceptable risk, should be the admissible limit in the raw material and that leads to new analytical challenges. In this study, reliable chromatographic methods were developed and applied aslimit tests for the control of three genotoxic impurities (GTIs) in cloperastine fendizoate, drug widely used as an antitussive active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). In particular, GC-MS was applied to the determination of one alkyl halide (2-chloroethanol, 2-CE), while HPLC-DAD was selected for the analysis of two sulfonate esters (methylp-toluenesulfonate, MPTS, and 2-chloroethylp-toluenesulfonate, CEPTS).Regarding GC-MS, strong anion-exchange (SAX)-SPE was applied to remove fendizoate from the sample solutions, due its low volatility and its high amount in the raw material. The GC-MS analysis was performed on a Factor Four VF-23ms capillary column (30 m x 0.25 mm I.D., film thickness 0.25 μm, Varian). Single ion-monitoring (SIM) detection mode was set atm/z80.In the case of HPLC-DAD, a suitable optimization of the chromatographic conditions was carried out in order to obtain a good separation of the impurity peaks from the drug substance peaks. The optimized method utilizes a SymmetryShield RP8column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm, Waters) kept at 50 °C, with phosphate buffer (pH 3.0; 10 mM)-methanol (containing 10% ACN) (45:55, v/v) as the mobile phase, at the flow-rate of 1.7 mL/min and UV detection at 227 nm. The required sensitivity level was achieved by injecting 80 μL of sample solution, purified from fendizoate by SAX-SPE, followed by a 1:1 (v/v) dilution of the SPE eluate with water.For both GC-MS and HPLC-DAD, the method validation was performed in relation to specificity and limit of detection (LOD), as required by ICH guidelines in relation to limit assays. The developed methods were successfully applied for the determination of GTIs in five different batches of cloperastine fendizoate. In all the analyzed batches, the three target GTIs were below the concentration limit.

Highlights

► Determination of genotoxic impurities with different physico-chemical properties in cloperastine phendizoate at ppb level.

A method for identifying the origin of chondroitin sulfate with near infrared spectroscopy

20 December 2011, 01:23:35

Publication year: 2011
Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Available online 19 December 2011
Hengchang Zang, Lian li, Fengshan Wang, Qiong Yi, Qin Dong, ...
The object of this study was to explore the feasibility of support vector machine (SVM) to identify the origin of chondroitin sulfate (CS) by near infrared spectroscopy. 96 batches CS from three different origins were collected in this research, 66 batches of which were chosen for training set by Kennard–Stone (KS) method and the rest were used for testing. Through the comparison of pretreatment methods of standard normal variate transformation (SNV), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing and derivative with SG smoothing, a SVM discrimination model was constructed, of which the prediction result is 100% accurate with the pretreatment of first derivative and SG smoothing with 15 points. The result indicated that it had great potential using SVM to identify the origin of CS.

Highlights

► The method is fast, accurate and precise in comparison to the conventional method and maybe a potential method for lot release test in QC laboratory. ► The method is nondestructive, and doesn’t need reagent, so it reduces the test cost. ► We build a SVM classification model with small population and use a value Qsto select regions. The result are acceptable.

Magnetic Beads for Proteomic Applications

Available from AMSBIO - MagSi-proteomics beads are magnetic beads that are an ideal tool for the purification, concentration and desalting of peptides and protein digests. The surface of the beads has been modified with C4, C8 and C18-alkyl groups that are optimised for reversed phase applications.

Sample purity and throughput are areas of key importance for proteomics researchers. Magnetic beads offer a convenient solid support for a variety of assays and procedures based on affinity purification. They are especially well suited for automated procedures because instrumentation is available to easily mix, incubate and separate the magnetic beads in 96-well plates without columns or centrifugation. This ease-of-use enables rapid processing of many samples and seemless integration into automated workflows.

MagSi proteomics beads have been demonstrated as a powerful tool in desalting of proteomics samples after protein digestion and prior to mass spectrometry.  Offering higher throughput and cost efficiency compared to tip-based separations - MagSi proteomics beads efficiently bind and elute even tiny sample fractions. Peptide amounts as low as 20 - 50 ng can be desalted by MagSi proteomics C8 and C18 beads and analyzed by state of the art MALDI-TOF instruments. Typically for small peptides MagSi-proteomics C8 or C18 beads are suited best, whereas MagSi proteomics C4 and the MagSi-WCX are optimised for larger proteins.

The high magnetic strength of MagSi beads makes them applicable for both, manual and automated/robotic fractionation, because the beads will typically collect in less than 1 minute when magnetic force is applied. This quick and complete separation gives very good reproducibility since no beads will be lost during washing steps. Furthermore the quick protein adsorption, desorption and magnetic collection typically shortens significantly the protocol time over conventional column based ion exchange chromatography.

For further information please visit www.amsbio.com/magnetic-beads-Dynal.aspx or contact AMSBIO on +44-1235-828200 / +1-949-768-8365 or email info@amsbio.com

Just Published: Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis

A new issue of this journal has just been published. To see abstracts of the papers it contains (with links through to the full papers) click here:

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis
http://rss.sciencedirect.com/publication/science/5247

Selected papers from the latest issue:

Effect of reaction conditions on hydrothermal degradation of cornstalk lignin

20 December 2011, 01:24:54

Publication year: 2011
Source: Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Available online 19 December 2011
Yueyuan Ye, Juan Fan, Jie Chang
Cornstalk lignin was hydrothermally depolymerized at mild conditions in ethanol-water for producing value-added phenolics. The effects of residence time (from 30 min to 180 min), reaction temperature (from 498 K to 573 K) and concentration of ethanol (from 0%to 95% vol.) on yields of liquid products and phenolic compounds were studied in detail. The optimal conditions of 523 K, 90 min and 65% vol. ethanol-water resulted in the highest yield of liquid products (∼ 70 wt.%). The liquid products were analyzed by chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to confirm the presence of primarily heterocycle (2,3-dihydrobenzofuran) and phenolics (such as ethylphenol, guaiacol, ethylguaiacol and syringol). Reaction conditions had significant effects on yield and composition of liquid products.

Highlights

► Lignin was hydrothermally depolymerized in ethanol-water at mild conditions. ► High yield of liquid products was obtained (∼ 70 wt.%). ► The liquid products were mainly composed of phenolics.

Hydrothermal liquefaction of cypress: Effects of reaction conditions on 5-lump distribution and composition

20 December 2011, 01:24:54

Publication year: 2011
Source: Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Available online 19 December 2011
Hua-Min Liu, Xin-An Xie, Ming-Fei Li, Run-Cang Sun
Effects of reaction temperature, reaction time and water amount on the hydrothermal liquefaction of cypress, were studied in this paper. The reaction system was divided into gas lump, water-soluble oil lump, heavy oil lump, volatile organic compounds lump, and solid residue lump. Results showed that temperature was the critical parameter for 5-lump distribution in the cypress hydrothermal conversion process. The higher temperature and longer reaction time were not usually suitable for the production of bio-oil (water-soluble oil and heavy oil). The increase in the yields of gas and volatile organic compounds was also observed as temperature was increased. However, the yield of the volatile organic compounds increased first, and then decreased with the reaction time and the water amount. High amount of water led to high conversion and bio-oil yield. The FT-IR analysis of the solid residues showed that the major peaks of cypress diminished after 280 °C. The GC-MS analysis showed that the volatile organic compounds, water-soluble oil and heavy oil comprised a mixture of organic compounds of 5-7, 5-10 and 7-26 carbons, respectively, which mainly included furfural, phenol, acids, furans and their derivatives. The WSO had similar elemental compositions but the HO had a higher content of carbon and a lower concentration of oxygen as compared to cypress.

Highlights

► The reaction system was divided into gas lump, water-soluble oil lump, heavy oil lump, volatile organic compounds lump, and solid residue lump. ► The volatile organic compounds product was identified to be mainly composed of a mixture of furfural, 2-methoxy-phenol, 5-methyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde, and 2-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one. ► The yield of the volatile organic compounds increased fist, and then decreased with the resistance time and water amount.

Copyrolysis of scrap tires with oily wastes

17 December 2011, 23:31:13

Publication year: 2011
Source: Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Available online 17 December 2011
Sermin Önenç, Mihai Brebu, Cornelia Vasile, Jale Yanik
In this study, the conversion of hazardous wastes into liquid fuels was investigated. The pyrolysis of bilge water oil and oil sludge from ships, scrap tires and their blends was carried out at 400 and 500 °C in absence and presence of catalyst. A commercial fluid catalytic cracking catalyst and Red Mud were used as catalyst. Pyrolysis products were separated as gas, oil and char. The pyrolytic oils were characterized by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Selective Detector (GC-MSD) andH nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR). The effect of temperature and catalyst on the product distribution and the composition of oil from pyrolysis were investigated. Co-pyrolysis of scrap tire with oily wastes from ships produced oil that could be used as fuel, while its pyrolysis alone produced oil that could be used as a chemical feedstock. The results obtained in this study showed that co-pyrolysis of oily wastes with scrap tires could be an environmentally friendly way for the transformation of hazardous wastes into valuable products such as chemicals or fuels.

Highlights

► co-pyrolysis is an environmentally friendly way for the transformation of hazardous wastes (scrap tyres and oily wastes) into valuable products ► pyrolysis oil derived from scrap tires contained considerable amounts of aromatics, co-pyrolysis oil derived from scrap tires with oily waste contained high amounts of paraffin and low amounts of aromatics.

NEW Wireless Voltage Logger

T&D Corporation has introduced its NEW RTR-505V Wireless Logger. The RTR-505V can measure DC voltages from 0 to 22VDC with accuracy of ±0.5mv.

This NEW Logger can be used to measure voltage directly or from the output of a wide variety of sensors and instruments.

The RTR-505V features a large LCD display, capacity for 16,000 readings, IP64 water resistance and up to 4 years battery life with the "L" version.

Compatible with all TandD RTR-500 Series Wireless Data Collectors, the RTR-505V can be seamlessly integrated into a wireless network with other logger types. They can be monitored locally, through a cellular phone system, or anywhere in the world over the Internet.Advanced features include real-time monitoring and warning notifications. The communication range is up to 500 ft. which can be extended with the use of a repeater.

For additional information on these NEW units contact:

TandD CorporationPO Box 321 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 USA Phone: 518-669-9227 E-mail: inquiries@tandd.com Web: www.tandd.com

Just Published: Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems

A new issue of this journal has just been published. To see abstracts of the papers it contains (with links through to the full papers) click here:

Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems
http://rss.sciencedirect.com/publication/science/5232

Selected papers from the latest issue:

ICRM-2011 international chemometrics research meeting

14 December 2011, 22:21:16

Publication year: 2011
Source: Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, Available online 13 December 2011
Steven D. Brown, Anna de Juan

Highlights

► The ICRM conference held in Berg en Dal is reviewed ► A brief overview is given of the topics presented ► A discussion of the organization of the conference is provided

A novel nonlinear adaptive Mooney-viscosity model based on DRPLS-GP algorithm for rubber mixing process

11 December 2011, 02:10:17

Publication year: 2011
Source: Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, Available online 9 December 2011
Ze Zhang, Kai Song, Tuo-Peng Tong, Fang Wu
Rubber-mixing process is a typical non-linear batch process with very short operation time (commonly, 2 ~ 5 min). The large measurement delay of Mooney-viscosity, one of the key quality indexes of mixed rubber, strongly restricts further improvement of the quality of final rubber products and the development of rubber-mixing process control. A novel nonlinear adaptive Mooney-viscosity prediction model based on Discounted-measurement Recursive Partial Least Squares-Gaussian Process (DRPLS-GP) algorithm is developed. Using rheological parameters as the input variables, which could be measured online, the measurement delay of Mooney-viscosity is markedly reduced from about 240 min to 2 min. In DRPLS-GP model, to overcome the noise and the multi-collinearity of original data, orthogonal latent variables (LVs) are extracted by Discounted-measurement Recursive Partial Least Squares (DRPLS) firstly, and then the LVs are inputted to Gaussian Process (GP) as predictors for further regression. Thus relying on the nonlinear regression power of GP and the multivariate regression power of DRPLS, the nonlinear relationship between rheological parameters and Mooney-viscosity could be regressed successfully by DRPLS-GP. In particular, this method could update Mooney-viscosity prediction model without increasing the computation and sampling burden, so it is very practical for industrial application. Moreover, the flexibility of discounted-measurement factor of the novel method ensures the high precise prediction of Mooney-viscosity of different mixed rubber formulas. The results which are obtained by using of 1006 industrial data sampled in a large-scale tire factory located in east China confirm that the predictive performance of DRPLS-GP is superior to other approaches.

Highlights

► The proposed Mooney-viscosity prediction model can reduced measurement delay from about 240 min to 2 min, and improves the product quality guarantee and reduces the factory's production loss greatly. ► The proposed method can overcome some shortages of the other methods. ► The method is confirmed by the 1006 actual industrial data sampled in a large-scale tire factory located in east China.

Selection of representative calibration sample sets for near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict nitrogen concentration in grasses

04 December 2011, 21:54:36

Publication year: 2011
Source: Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, Available online 2 December 2011
Nisha Shetty, Åsmund Rinnan, René Gislum
The effect of using representative calibration sets with fewer samples was explored and discussed. The data set consisted of near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectra of grass samples. The grass samples were taken from different years covering a wide range of species and cultivars. Partial least squares regression (PLSR), a chemometric method, has been applied on NIR spectroscopy data for the determination of the nitrogen (N) concentration in these grass samples. The sample selection method based on NIR spectral data proposed by Puchwein and the CADEX (computer aided design of experiments) algorithm were used and compared. Both Puchwein and CADEX methods provide a calibration set equally distributed in space, and both methods require a minimum prior of knowledge. The samples were also selected randomly using complete random, cultivar random (year fixed), year random (cultivar fixed) and interaction (cultivar x year fixed) random procedures to see the influence of different factors on sample selection. Puchwein's method performed best with lowest RMSEP followed by CADEX, interaction random, year random, cultivar random and complete random. Out of 118 samples of the complete calibration set, 19 samples were selected as minimal number of representative samples. RMSEP values obtained for subsets selected using Puchwein, CADEX and using full calibration set were 0.099% N, 0.109% N and 0.092% N respectively. The result indicated that the selection of representative calibration samples can effectively enhance the cost-effectiveness of NIR spectral analysis by reducing the number of analyzed samples in the calibration set by more than 80%, which substantially reduces the effort of laboratory analyses with no significant loss in prediction accuracy.

Highlights

► The effect of using reduced representative calibration sets is described ► Quantification of nitrogen concentration in grasses using NIR and PLSR ► Puchwein, CADEX and random sample selection methods were compared ► Reduction of calibration set by 80% with no significant loss in prediction accuracy

Software Tool Enables Easy Pipette Management

INTEGRA has announced VIALINK - a new pipette management tool that allows users to simply create and manage custom programs, maintain a service history and transfer firmware upgrade details between VIAFLO electronic pipettes* and your PC. 

VIALINK can be used to securely manage and productively organise all pipettes in your lab. Personnel can keep track of their VIAFLO pipettes using VIALINK to record user name, serial number, service history and latest software version installed.

Pipetting protocols can be set up as custom programs with VIALINK and then copied onto your VIAFLO pipettes. Users can create a program library which can hold an unlimited number of pipetting protocols. Up to 20 custom programs can then be stored on the pipette itself. With VIALINK, creating individual custom programs is both quick and easy.

Using VIALINK - important service information, such as date of last calibration or service, can be stored on the pipettes. This information cannot be deleted afterwards thereby guaranteeing an authentic service history.

Periodically as INTEGRA releases new firmware upgrades to enhance its electronic pipetting products with new and improved capabilities - VIALINK enables users to rapidly implement the upgrades on their VIAFLO pipettes.

To use VIALINK - VIAFLO single and multi-channel electronic pipettes require a programming stand which not only functions as connector to a PC but also serves as a handy charging stand. To use VIALINK with the VIAFLO 96 only a standard USB cable is required. VIALINK can be downloaded from the INTEGRA website.
For further information please contact INTEGRA on +41-81-286-9530 / info@integra-biosciences.com (Europe / Asia Pacific) or +1-603-578-5800 / contact@viaflo.com (North / South America).