Review: applications of mass spectrometry techniques in the investigation of milk proteome

The introduction of "soft" desorption/ionization methods such as electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization has determined a breakthrough in the application of mass spectrometry to the structural analysis of proteins. The contemporary advancement of bioinformatics, together with the possibility to combine these mass spectrometric methods with electrophoretic or chromatographic separation techniques has opened up the new field of proteome analysis and, more generally, has established these approaches as indispensable tools for protein and peptide analysis in complex mixtures, such as milk and milk- derived foods. Here, a necessarily not exhaustive series of current applications of mass spectrometry-based techniques for the characterization of milk proteins will be summarized. These include the characterization of milk protein polymorphism, determination of the structural modifications induced on milk proteins by industrial processes, investigation of milk adulterations and characterization of milk allergens.     

Theoretical study of the conformational and optical properties of a fluorescent dye. A step toward modeling sensors grafted on polymer structures

The conformational and photophysical properties in toluene solution of a naphthoic acid derivative, namely 4-naphthoyloxy-1-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, which can simulate a pendant active group grafted on apolar polymer structures, were studied by means of calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent extension (TD-DFT) coupled to a polarizable continuum model (PCM) of the surrounding medium. The conformational landscape was exhaustively explored and the conformers responsible for the absorption and emission spectra were identified through well established computational procedures based on a tuned combination of functional (PBE0) and basis set (N07D) which reproduced satisfactorily the experimental absorption and emission wavelengths.     

Multicolor, large-area fluorescence sensing through oligothiophene-self-assembled monolayers

We present a new strategy to realize self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on quartz and silicon with a multicolour fluorescence pattern starting from a single, proton sensitive oligothiophene dye exposed at a defined pH. Fine tuning of the SAMs emission color over the entire visible range, including white, is demonstrated. Finally, integration of SAMs in patterned thin layer cells (TLCs) is exploited to demonstrate cation sensing potential in real devices.     

Polymer control of ligand display on gold nanoparticles for multimodal switchable cell targeting

The function of cell-specific ligands on gold nanoparticles can be selectively gated by the action of co-grafted thermosensitive polymers. Below the LCST the responsive chain-extended polymers prevent cell-surface receptors from accessing the affinity ligands while above the LCST, the polymers collapse exposing the ligands and allowing binding to receptors, which in turn promotes cell internalisation.     

Existence of minmax points in discontinuous strategic games

In this note we prove the existence of minmax points for strategic form games where the sets of strategies are topological spaces and the payoff functions satisfy conditions weaker than continuity. The employed tools are the class of transfer weakly upper continuous functions and the class of weakly lower pseudocontinuous functions. An example shows that our result is of minimal character.     

Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann Map for a Nonlinear Diffusion Equation

A nonlinear diffusive equation with moving boundaries is analyzed by constructing the corresponding Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann map. In particular, the Dirichlet boundary value and the initial condition are used to derive the unknown Neumann boundary value. Then, a contraction‐mapping technique is used to prove existence and uniqueness of the solution for small times.     

Application of charged single isomer derivatives of cyclodextrins in capillary electrophoresis for chiral analysis

The review focuses on the role of ionic or ionisable single isomer derivatives (SIDs) of cyclodextrins on the separation of chiral analytes in capillary electrophoresis (CE), covering the period since the year 2000. The advantages of using pure compounds are discussed, as well as the ways to optimise the separations in the context of a rational approach to these techniques. Specific attention is paid to the modulation of the selector–analyte interaction. The advantage due to a detailed knowledge of equilibria occurring in solution during the CE run is underlined, particularly in the case of the presence of metal complexes, as occurs in chiral ligand exchange capillary electrophoresis (CLECE).     

Local current mapping and patterning of reduced graphene oxide

Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) has been used to correlate the detailed structural and electrical characteristics of graphene derived from graphene oxide. Uniform large currents were measured over areas exceeding tens of micrometers in few-layer films, supporting the use of graphene as a transparent electrode material. Moreover, defects such as electrical discontinuities were easily detected. Multilayer films were found to have a higher conductivity per layer than single layers. It is also shown that a local AFM-tip-induced electrochemical reduction process can be used to pattern conductive pathways on otherwise-insulating graphene oxide. Transistors with micrometer-scale tip-reduced graphene channels that featured ambipolar transport and an 8 order of magnitude increase in current density upon reduction were successfully fabricated.