Peptide analysis of tooth enamel – A sex estimation tool for archaeological,anthropological, or forensic research

Proteomics has become an attractive method to study human and animal material, biological profile, and origin as an alternative to DNA analysis. It is limited by DNA amplification in ancient samples and its contamination, high cost, and limited preservation of nuclear DNA. Currently, three approaches are available to estimate sex–osteology, genomics, or proteomics, but little is known about the relative reliability of these methods in applied settings. Proteomics provides a new, seemingly simple, and relatively non-expensive way of sex estimation without the risk of contamination. Proteins can be preserved in hard teeth tissue (enamel) for tens of thousands of years. It uses two sexually distinct forms of the protein amelogenin in tooth enamel detectable by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; the protein amelogenin Y isoform is present in enamel dental tissue only in males, while amelogenin isoform X can be found in both sexes. From the point of view of archaeological, anthropological, and forensic research and applications, the reduced destruction of the methods used is essential, as well as the minimum requirements for sample size.     

The Rigid Core and Flexible Surface of Amyloid Fibrils Probed by Magic-Angle-Spinning NMR Spectroscopy of Aromatic Residues

Aromatic side chains are important reporters of the plasticity of proteins, and often form important contacts in protein–protein interactions. We studied aromatic residues in the two structurally homologous cross-β amyloid fibrils HET-s, and HELLF by employing a specific isotope-labeling approach and magic-angle-spinning NMR. The dynamic behavior of the aromatic residues Phe and Tyr indicates that the hydrophobic amyloid core is rigid, without any sign of “breathing motions” over hundreds of milliseconds at least. Aromatic residues exposed at the fibril surface have a rigid ring axis but undergo ring flips on a variety of time scales from nanoseconds to microseconds. Our approach provides direct insight into hydrophobic-core motions, enabling a better evaluation of the conformational heterogeneity generated from an NMR structural ensemble of such amyloid cross-β architecture.     

Synthesis and characterization of new pyrrolidinium based protic ionic liquids. Good and superionic liquids

New pyrrolidinium-cation-based protic acid ionic liquids (PILs) were prepared through a simple and atom-economic neutralization reactions between pyrrolidine and Br?nsted acids, HX, where X is NO 3 (-), HSO 4 (-), HCOO (-), CH 3COO (-) or CF 3COO (-) and CH 3(CH 2) 6COO (-). The thermal properties, densities, electrochemical windows, temperature dependency of dynamic viscosity and ionic conductivity were measured for these PILs. All protonated pyrrolidinium salts studied here were liquid at room temperature and possess a high ionic conductivity (up to 56 mS cm (-1)) at room temperature. Pyrrolidinium based PILs have a relatively low cost, a low toxicity and exhibit a large electrochemical window as compared to other protic ionic liquids (up 3 V). Obtained results allow us to classify them according to a classical Walden diagram and to determinate their "Fragility". Pyrrolidinium based PILs are good or superionic liquids and shows extremely fragility. They have wide applicable perspectives for fuel cell devices, thermal transfer fluids, and acid-catalyzed reaction media as replacements of conventional inorganic acids.     

Lamb wave propagation in a plate with a grooved surface with several spatial periodicities

In order to investigate non-destructively the bonding between rough plates, the problem of Lamb waves propagating on a rough plate is addressed in this paper. Numerical analysis is performed on periodical gratings made of identical triangular grooves. If the surface profile is made up of grooves with one periodicity, then a mode conversion is observed. In the wave-number/frequency space, a phonon relation is written between phonons related to the grating and to the incident and reflected-converted modes. If the grooved surface is made up of several spatial periodicities, then the phonon relation is still verified. Signal processing allows us to give an interpretation of the results in the dual space (wave-number/frequency). An experimental study is also performed to corroborate the numerical predictions.     

On the sensitivity analysis of porous material models

Porous materials are used in many vibroacoustic applications. Different available models describe their behaviors according to materials' intrinsic characteristics. For instance, in the case of porous material with rigid frame, and according to the Champoux–Allard model, five parameters are employed. In this paper, an investigation about this model sensitivity to parameters according to frequency is conducted. Sobol and FAST algorithms are used for sensitivity analysis. A strong parametric frequency dependent hierarchy is shown. Sensitivity investigations confirm that resistivity is the most influent parameter when acoustic absorption and surface impedance of porous materials with rigid frame are considered. The analysis is first performed on a wide category of porous materials, and then restricted to a polyurethane foam analysis in order to illustrate the impact of the reduction of the design space. In a second part, a sensitivity analysis is performed using the Biot–Allard model with nine parameters including mechanical effects of the frame and conclusions are drawn through numerical simulations.     

Pollution control and depollution processes by plasma techniques

The European Union is creating strict standards for air and water pollution and waste treatment and implementing aggressive regulations. Compliance with these regulations is impossible without the development of new depollution processes involving plasma or laser technology. Time is one of the major problems in monitoring pollutants with the use of the time-resolution laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique, which can perform online analysis without sampling with a high level sensitivity for all the species of the Periodic Table. Plasma-enhanced desorption from fly ashes or polluted soils associated with a mass spectrometer or an optical emission spectrometer allows the monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and organochlorine species in a few seconds. In the last DBD point, we present the treatment of VOCs in air by the plasma technique in order to destroy or trap PAH molecules.     

Simple synthetic routes to 5-(3,6-dihydro-2-oxo-2H-1,3,4-thiadiazin-5-yl)-1H-indole-2,3-diones and their Derivatives

Two different synthetic routes to 5-(3,6-dihydro-2-oxo-2H-1,3,4-thiadiazin-5-yl)-1H-indole-2,3-diones are described. The reaction sequences represent a facile entry into these series of isatin derivatives.     

Determination of Florfenicol in Freshwater, Sediments and Bryophyte Fontinalis antipyretica by HPLC with Fluorescence Detection

Novel procedures for the determination of florfenicol in freshwater, sediments and bryophyte Fontinalis antipyretica, using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography are described. Liquid chromatography was performed on a 5 µm PuroSpher RP-18E^® column using methanol and 0.05 M phosphate buffer (18/82 v/v, pH 7.3) as mobile phase (0.8 ml min^?1) and fluorescence detection (excitation wavelength 265 nm and emission wavelength 295 nm). Florfenicol was determined in centrifuged freshwater samples. Florfenicol was extracted from sediments and bryophytes samples by using a solid-liquid extraction step followed by a solid phase extraction step. Linearity was confirmed over the concentration range 25–1000 ng mL^?1 water and 50-1000 ng g^?1 sediment or bryophyte. Limits of detection and quantitation were 8 and 25 ng mL^?1 water and 17 and 50 ng g^?1 sediment or bryophyte respectively. Mean extraction recoveries of florfenicol from sediments and bryophyte were from 85.9 to 109.1%.