Shimadzu (Slovakia)

Gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer is widely used to profile volatiles and metabolites from the homogenized rice flour obtained from mature grains. Rice grains consist of central endosperm which stores majorly starch and, in addition, accumulate various storage proteins as storage reserves. The outer nutritious aleurone layer stores lipids, sugar alcohols, volatiles, antioxidants, vitamins, and various micronutrients. Once paddy sample is dehulled, milled, and ground cryogenically, the brown rice flour is subjected to extraction of primary metabolites and volatiles using an appropriate extraction method. In metabolite profiling of the liquid extract obtained from the rice sample, mixture is initially subjected to methoxyamination then silylation before being subjected to untargeted metabolite profiling. Peaks obtained are processed for noise reduction and specific signal selection. Volatile compounds are initially extracted using a solid phase adsorbent prior to analysis. All these compounds, metabolites, and volatiles are detected in the mass selective detector by fragmentation at 70 eV ionization energy and the resultant mass spectrum compared with a built-in library of compounds. Data mined from the gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis are then subjected to post-processing statistical analysis.

We previously succeeded in developing a highly transparent, water impermeable SiNx film for organic light-emitting displays using a surface-wave-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system (SWP-CVD). In this report, we examine multilayer structures consisting of SiNx layers and newly developed SiOxCy layers. The SiOxCy layer could be prepared at a high deposition rate of more than 40 nm/s by a plasma polymerization method using the same SWP-CVD reactor. The SiOxCy layer acts as both a defect decoupling layer and a particle buried layer. A highly reliable barrier performance was realized with the multilayer structure; in the acceleration test of 85°C and 85% relative humidity, the lifetime of the organic light emitting diode with thin-film encapsulation was more than 1,000 h.

An isotachophoretic method for determination of metal cyanide ions such as [Au(CN)2]-, [Ag(CN)2]-, and [Cu(CN)3]2- in gold, silver and copper plating solutions was proposed. Determination was carried out within 20 minutes by diluting the solution with water without any pretreatment. Inorganic ions such as cyanide ions, carbonate ions and hypophosphite, phosphite, phosphate and pyrophosphate ions, and organic compounds such as organic acids and chelates were determined simultaneously.Other than those for carbonate ions, the concentration values obtained by isotachophoresis were the same as those obtained by gravimetric and volumetric methods.These results suggest that impurities dragged in from pretreatment processes may also be determinable. The isotachophoretic method has been found to be of value for the control of plating solutions.

The rate of capillary wetting in fibrous assemblies was measured using newly developed apparatus. The change in electric conductivity with time was measured using a plug of fiber, fabric, or filter paper in a cylinderical Teflon cell 10 mm in inner radius and 3 mm or 7 mm in height. The electrodes were platinum disks 16 mm in diameter with 37 holes each with a radius of 0.5 mm. They were placed at the top and bottom of the plug. The head of the wetting liquid was adjusted to the bottom level of the plug and the liquid rose by capillarity. The traveling time in the shortest capillary in the fibrous assembly, t0, is detected as the yield value in the electric conductivity versus time curves, and the initial slope of the curves, S, were used as parameters of the wetting rate. The increase in t0 and decrease in S was indication of decrease in the capillary wetting rate for the plug. Measurement of capillary wetting rate by this apparatus was successfully carried out using plugs of cellulose filter paper, polyester fabric, and nylon fiber.