Structural studies of metal ligand complexes by ion mobility-mass spectrometry

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12127-013-0122-8Collision cross sections (CCS) have been measured for three salen ligands, and their complexes with copper and zinc using travelling-wave ion mobility-mass spectrometry (TWIMS) and drift tube ion mobility-mass spectrometry (DTIMS), allowing a comparative size evaluation of the ligands and complexes. CCS measurements using TWIMS were determined using peptide and TAAH calibration standards. TWIMS measurements gave significantly larger CCS than DTIMS in helium, by 9 % for TAAH standards and 3 % for peptide standards, indicating that the choice of calibration standards is important in ensuring the accuracy of TWIMS-derived CCS measurements. Repeatability data for TWIMS was obtained for inter- and intra-day studies with mean RSDs of 1. 1 % and 0. 7 %, respectively. The CCS data obtained from IM-MS measurements are compared to CCS values obtained via the projection approximation, the exact hard spheres method and the trajectory method from X-ray coordinates and modelled structures using density functional theory (DFT) based methods. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Quality-Temporal Transcoder Driven by the Jerkiness

We propose a new video homogeneous transcoding architecture DCT-based which relies on both quality and temporal reduction techniques. The frame layer control is driven by a new indicator, the jerkiness, which represents the user perception of the movement which affects a video stream. The proposed transcoder can meet the constraints of a realtime communication and it has been extensively tested under different conditions

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and its correlates among patients with endometriosis: the ComPaRe-endometriosis cohort

peer reviewe

Gel-free proteomics

peer reviewedMass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is nowadays considered as a mainstream analytical tool for life sciences. This success is mainly to be attributed to the tremendous improvements in the core technology of mass spectrometry coupled with recent developments in bioinformatics and separation sciences. The level of information that is henceforth accessible through MS techniques is broad and encompasses the protein sequence as well as its quantity, modification(s), structure, and implication in macromolecular assemblies. The current chapter focuses on the existing gel-free MS-based quantitative approaches that are applicable in the field of animal sciences and summarizes their principal features together with their respective advantages and drawbacks. In this context, we will discuss both the label-free and label-based relative quantitation strategies as well as the existing alternatives for absolute quantitation. The specific case of posttranslational modifications, whose extensive characterization is becoming a crucial topic in MS-based proteome studies, is next addressed under the quantitative scope of phosphorylation and glycosylation. Lastly, other promising nonmainstream techniques are presented, emphasizing their potent use to solve major proteomics challenges of tomorrow. © Springer International Publishing AG 2018. All rights reserved

Nitric oxide- and hydrogen peroxide-responsive gene regulation during cell death induction in tobacco

Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are regulatory molecules in various developmental processes and stress responses. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves exposed to moderate high light dramatically potentiated NO-mediated cell death in catalase-deficient (CAT1AS) but not in wild-type plants, providing genetic evidence for a partnership between NO and H2O2 during the induction of programmed cell death. With this experimental model system, the specific impact on gene expression was characterized by either NO or H2O2 alone or both molecules combined. By means of genome-wide cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis, transcriptional changes were compared in high light-treated CAT1AS and wild-type leaves treated with or without the NO donor sodium nitroprusside. Differential gene expression was detected for 214 of the approximately 8,000 transcript fragments examined. For 108 fragments, sequence analysis revealed homology to genes with a role in signal transduction, defense response, hormone interplay, proteolysis, transport, and metabolism. Surprisingly, only 16 genes were specifically induced by the combined action of NO and H2O2, whereas the majority were regulated by either of them alone. At least seven transcription factors were mutually up-regulated, indicating significant overlap between NO and H2O2 signaling pathways. These results consolidate significant cross-talk between NO and H2O2, provide new insight into the early transcriptional response of plants to increased NO and H2O2 levels, and identify target genes of the combined action of NO and H2O2 during the induction of plant cell death

Sexuality and the longing for salvation

Sexuality, with all its expressiveness, strongly reflects the deep vibrations that exist in the human psyche. In this article, we try to show that sexuality can also manifest itself in the darkest realm of real addiction, and, as it were, can become a cry for salvationand further, that sexuality is the powerful reflection of an aching body, longing for purification, and thus, salvation

Extranuclear protection of chromosomal DNA from oxidative stress

Eukaryotic organisms evolved under aerobic conditions subjecting nuclear DNA to damage provoked by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although ROS are thought to be a major cause of DNA damage, little is known about the molecular mechanisms protecting nuclear DNA from oxidative stress. Here we show that protection of nuclear DNA in plants requires a coordinated function of ROS-scavenging pathways residing in the cytosol and peroxisomes, demonstrating that nuclear ROS scavengers such as peroxiredoxin and glutathione are insufficient to safeguard DNA integrity. Both catalase (CAT2) and cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase (APX1) play a key role in protecting the plant genome against photorespiratory-dependent H2O2-induced DNA damage. In apx1/cat2 double-mutant plants, a DNA damage response is activated, suppressing growth via a WEE1 kinase-dependent cell-cycle checkpoint. This response is correlated with enhanced tolerance to oxidative stress, DNA stress-causing agents, and inhibited programmed cell death