Collaborative learning exercises for Teaching Protein Mass Spectrometry [post-print]

A collaborative learning module for teaching protein mass spectrometry has been developed to overcome common obstacles to incorporating the modern topic of biological mass spectrometry into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Protein mass spectrometry data is provided to eliminate the need for expensive instrumentation, and an instructor’s manual gives necessary details for those unfamiliar with the topic. The first section provides background information on proteins and the field of proteomics. The second section describes the use of electrospray ionization to determine the molecular weight of a protein. The third section shows how to identify a protein using peptide mass mapping, and the fourth section describes tandem MS experiments for de novo peptide sequencing. Each section also includes lessons on the analytical instrumentation used to make mass measurements including electrospray ionization, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization, and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The module includes preclass reading assignments and small group problem solving exercises to be used during class sessions. The module was implemented over several semesters at both a small liberal arts college and a large research university. Assessment data from both institutions suggest that the module is effective in helping students to learn about mass-spectrometry-based proteomics. This freely available resource will assist instructors in introducing these topics to the undergraduate curriculum

Review of Student-Built Spectroscopy Instrumentation Projects

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. One challenge of teaching chemical analysis is the proliferation of sophisticated, but often impenetrable, instrumentation in the modern laboratory. Complex instruments, and the software that runs them, distance students from the physical and chemical processes that generate the analytical signal. A solution to this challenge is the introduction of a student-driven instrument-building project. Visible absorbance spectroscopy is well-suited to such a project due to its relative simplicity and the ubiquity of absorbance measurements. This Article reviews simple instructor- A nd student-built instruments for spectroscopy, providing an overview of common designs, components, and applications. This comprehensive summary includes options that are suitable for in-person or remote learning with K-12 students and undergraduates in general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, and electronics courses

Nonlinear response of dense colloidal suspensions under oscillatory shear: Mode-coupling theory and FT-rheology experiments

Using a combination of theory, experiment and simulation we investigate the nonlinear response of dense colloidal suspensions to large amplitude oscillatory shear flow. The time-dependent stress response is calculated using a recently developed schematic mode-coupling-type theory describing colloidal suspensions under externally applied flow. For finite strain amplitudes the theory generates a nonlinear response, characterized by significant higher harmonic contributions. An important feature of the theory is the prediction of an ideal glass transition at sufficiently strong coupling, which is accompanied by the discontinuous appearance of a dynamic yield stress. For the oscillatory shear flow under consideration we find that the yield stress plays an important role in determining the non linearity of the time-dependent stress response. Our theoretical findings are strongly supported by both large amplitude oscillatory (LAOS) experiments (with FT-rheology analysis) on suspensions of thermosensitive core-shell particles dispersed in water and Brownian dynamics simulations performed on a two-dimensional binary hard-disc mixture. In particular, theory predicts nontrivial values of the exponents governing the final decay of the storage and loss moduli as a function of strain amplitude which are in excellent agreement with both simulation and experiment. A consistent set of parameters in the presented schematic model achieves to jointly describe linear moduli, nonlinear flow curves and large amplitude oscillatory spectroscopy

The RadFxSat-2 Mission to Measure SEU Rates in FinFET Microelectronics

The RadFxSat-2 mission was launched January 17, 2021 with Virgin Orbit\u27s LauncherOne under the NASA ELaNa-20 initiative. RadFxSat-2 carries a radiation effects payload designed to investigate single event upsets (SEUs) in sub-65 nm commercial memories, including a FinFET-based memory. Sub-65 nm technologies have demonstrated enhanced sensitivity to low-energy protons, but current models have not considered low-energy protons as a source of SEUs. Missions utilizing the latest commercial technologies could experience a higher error rate than predicted. RadFxSat-2 was designed to assess SEU rates for FinFET SRAMs operated in low-Earth orbit (LEO), a proton-heavy environment. Details of the mission and data collected over the previous two years are presented. Results from RadFxSat-2 suggest that FinFET-based microelectronic technologies are suitable for high-performance, high-density storage in LEO

Fruit and vegetable processing and food technology: a summary of research

Evaluation of tomato cultivars for processing / W. A. Gould and R. Stillabower -- Physical and subjective color evaluation of tomato juice / Kenneth L. Beck and W. A. Gould -- Flavor evaluation of tomato juice fortified with sugar and citric acid / J. A. Gould and W. A. Gould -- Effects of citric acid and sugar ratios on thermal resistance of Bacillus coagulans var. thermoacidurans in tomato juice / Dennis L. Gierhart and W. A. Gould -- Protein bodies of the germinating tomato seed cotyledon / L. K. Eggers and J. R. Geisman -- Studies concerning the protein of tomato seeds recovered from tomato cannery waste / L. K. Eggers and J. R. Geisman -- Lipid composition of cucumber / A. C. Peng -- Fatty acids in fresh and recycled brines / A. C. Peng and J. R. Geisman -- Repeated recycling of spent pickle brine affects pickle quality / J. R. Geisman and M. Lazear -- Evaluation of snap bean cultivars for processing / W. Gould, J. Gould, J. Mount, M. Skoog and R. Stillabower -- Evaluating strawberries for freezing / J. F. Gallander and J. F. Stetson -- Grapes for Ohio wines / J. F. Gallander and J. F. Stetso

Identification and quantification of microplastics in wastewater using focal plane array-based reflectance micro-FT-IR imaging

Microplastics (<5 mm) have been documented in environmental samples on a global scale. While these pollutants may enter aquatic environments via wastewater treatment facilities, the abundance of microplastics in these matrices has not been investigated. Although efficient methods for the analysis of microplastics in sediment samples and marine organisms have been published, no methods have been developed for detecting these pollutants within organic-rich wastewater samples. In addition, there is no standardized method for analyzing microplastics isolated from environmental samples. In many cases, part of the identification protocol relies on visual selection before analysis, which is open to bias. In order to address this, a new method for the analysis of microplastics in wastewater was developed. A pretreatment step using 30% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was employed to remove biogenic material, and focal plane array (FPA)-based reflectance micro-Fourier-transform (FT-IR) imaging was shown to successfully image and identify different microplastic types (polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon-6, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene). Microplastic-spiked wastewater samples were used to validate the methodology, resulting in a robust protocol which was nonselective and reproducible (the overall success identification rate was 98.33%). The use of FPA-based micro-FT-IR spectroscopy also provides a considerable reduction in analysis time compared with previous methods, since samples that could take several days to be mapped using a single-element detector can now be imaged in less than 9 h (circular filter with a diameter of 47 mm). This method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in wastewater is likely to provide an essential tool for further research into the pathways by which microplastics enter the environment.This work is funded by a NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) CASE studentship (NE/K007521/1) with contribution from industrial partner Fera Science Ltd., United Kingdom. The authors would like to thank Peter Vale, from Severn Trent Water Ltd, for providing access to and additionally Ashley Howkins (Brunel University London) for providing travel and assistance with the sampling of the Severn Trent wastewater treatment plant in Derbyshire, UK. We are grateful to Emma Bradley and Chris Sinclair for providing helpful suggestions for our research

Pre-hospital CPR and early REBOA in trauma patients-results from the ABOTrauma Registry

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s).Background: Severely injured trauma patients suffering from traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) and requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rarely survive. The role of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) performed early after hospital admission in patients with TCA is not well-defined. As the use of REBOA increases, there is great interest in knowing if there is a survival benefit related to the early use of REBOA after TCA. Using data from the ABOTrauma Registry, we aimed to study the role of REBOA used early after hospital admission in trauma patients who required pre-hospital CPR. Methods: Retrospective and prospective data on the use of REBOA were collected from the ABOTrauma Registry from 11 centers in seven countries globally between 2014 and 2019. In all patients with pre-hospital TCA, the predicted probability of survival, calculated with the Revised Injury Severity Classification II (RISC II), was compared with the observed survival rate. Results: Of 213 patients in the ABOTrauma Registry, 26 patients (12.2%) who had received pre-hospital CPR were identified. The median (range) Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 45.5 (25-75). Fourteen patients (54%) had been admitted to the hospital with ongoing CPR. Nine patients (35%) died within the first 24 h, while seventeen patients (65%) survived post 24 h. The survival rate to hospital discharge was 27% (n = 7). The predicted mortality using the RISC II was 0.977 (25 out of 26). The observed mortality (19 out of 26) was significantly lower than the predicted mortality (p = 0.049). Patients not responding to REBOA were more likely to die. Only one (10%) out of 10 non-responders survived. The survival rate in the 16 patients responding to REBOA was 37.5% (n = 6). REBOA with a median (range) duration of 45 (8-70) minutes significantly increases blood pressure from the median (range) 56.5 (0-147) to 90 (0-200) mmHg. Conclusions: Mortality in patients suffering from TCA and receiving REBOA early after hospital admission is significantly lower than predicted by the RISC II. REBOA may improve survival after TCA. The use of REBOA in these patients should be further investigated.Peer reviewe

Surgical management of vesicoureteral reflux in children

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the most common uropathy affecting children. Compared to children without VUR, those with VUR have a higher rate of pyelonephritis and renal scarring following urinary tract infection (UTI). Options for treatment include observation with or without antibiotic prophylaxis and surgical repair. Surgical intervention may be necessary in patients with persistent reflux, renal scarring, and recurrent or breakthrough febrile UTI. Both open and endoscopic approaches to reflux correction are successful and reduce the occurrence of febrile UTI. Estimated success rates of open and endoscopic reflux correction are 98.1% (95% CI 95.1, 99.1) and 83.0% (95% CI 69.1, 91.4), respectively. Factors that affect the success of endoscopic injection include pre-operative reflux grade and presence of functional or anatomic bladder abnormalities including voiding dysfunction and duplicated collecting systems. Few studies have evaluated the long-term outcomes of endoscopic injection, and with variable results. In patients treated endoscopically, recurrent febrile UTI occurred in 0–21%, new renal damage in 9–12%, and recurrent reflux in 17–47.6% of treated ureters with at least 1 year follow-up. These studies highlight the need for standardized outcome reporting and longer follow-up after endoscopic treatment

A Common Polymorphism in the Promoter Region of the TNFSF4 Gene Is Associated with Lower Allele-Specific Expression and Risk of Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: The TNFSF4/TNFRSF4 system, along with several other receptor-ligand pairs, is involved in the recruitment and activation of T-cells and is therefore tentatively implicated in atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndromes. We have previously shown that genetic variants in TNFSF4 are associated with myocardial infarction (MI) in women. This prompted functional studies of TNFSF4 expression. METHODS AND RESULTS: Based on a screening of the TNFSF4 genomic region, a promoter polymorphism (rs45454293) and a haplotype were identified, conceivably involved in gene regulation. The rs45454293T-allele, in agreement with the linked rs3850641G-allele, proved to be associated with increased risk of MI in women. Haplotype-specific chromatin immunoprecipitation of activated polymerase II, as a measure of transcriptional activity in vivo, suggested that the haplotype including the rs45454293 and rs3850641 polymorphisms is functionally important, the rs45454293T- and rs3850641G-alleles being associated with lower transcriptional activity in cells heterozygous for both polymorphisms. The functional role of rs45454293 on transcriptional levels of TNFSF4 was clarified by luciferase reporter assays, where the rs45454293T-allele decreased gene expression when compared with the rs45454293C-allele, while the rs3850641 SNP did not have any effect on TNFSF4 promoter activity. Electromobility shift assay showed that the rs45454293 polymorphism, but not rs3850641, affects the binding of nuclear factors, thus suggesting that the lower transcriptional activity is attributed to binding of one or more transcriptional repressor(s) to the T-allele. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the TNFSF4 rs45454293T-allele is associated with lower TNFSF4 expression and increased risk of MI

Subclinical hyperthyroidism and dementia: the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several epidemiologic studies have shown a possible association between thyroid function and cognitive decline. Our aim was to evaluate the association of subclinical hyperthyroidism and dementia in a population sample of older people</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study - São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH) - in a population sample of low-income elderly people ≥ 65 years-old to evaluate presence of subclinical thyroid disease as a risk factor for dementia. Thyroid function was assessed using thyrotropic hormone and free-thyroxine as well as routine use of thyroid hormones or antithyroid medications. Cases of dementia were assessed using a harmonized one-phase dementia diagnostic procedure by the "10/66 Dementia Research Group" including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Logistic regression models were used to test a possible association between subclinical hyperthyroidism and dementia.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>Prevalence of dementia and of subclinical hyperthyroidism were respectively of 4.4% and 3.0%. After age adjustment, we found an association of subclinical hyperthyroidism and any type of dementia and vascular dementia (Odds Ratio, 4.1, 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI] 1.3-13.1, and 5.3 95% CI, 1.1-26.4; respectively). Analyzing data by gender, we found an association of subclinical hyperthyroidism with dementia and Alzheimer's disease only for men (OR, 8.0; 95% CI, 1.5-43.4; OR, 12.4; 95% CI, 1.2-128.4; respectively). No women with subclinical hypothyroidism presented Alzheimer's disease in the sample.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest a consistent association among people with subclinical hyperthyroidism and dementia.</p